3. Read the text. Part I. The united states of america.
The USA is one the most powerful and highly developed countries of the world. The United States is a federal republic. Its area is 9,364, 000 square kilometers.
The population of the USA
is about 258 million people, who are called Americans. Most of the
people live in towns and the population of the countryside is
becoming smaller and smaller. English is the official and
predominant language of the country.
The USA is situated in the central part of the North American continent. Its western coast is washed by the Pacific Ocean and its eastern coast is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. The country consists of three parts: the major part is situated on the continent, the second part is Alaska which is separated from the USA by the Canadian territory, and the third part is the Hawaiian Islands, situated in the central part of the Pacific Ocean. The USA borders on two countries only – Canada and Mexico.
The longest rivers in the world, the Mississippi and the Missouri, run to the south to the Gulf of Mexico. The Great Rocky Mountains, the Cordillera and the Sierra Nevada are in the west of the country. In the east there are the Appalachian Mountains.
There are fifty states and the District of Columbia in the USA. The states differ very much in size, population and economic development. The largest state of the USA is Alaska. It became the 49th state in 1959. But only about half a million people live there. The smallest state is Rhode Island. Its population is about a million. The most populated state of the country is California. Its territory is 400 thousand square kilometers with a population of 25 million people. The capital of California is Sacramento, but its biggest cities are Los Angeles and San Francisco.
There are many big cities and towns in the USA: New York, San Francisco, Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles and others.
The USA is a highly developed industrial country. It has electronic and electrical engineering, transport, communication, light, food, motor-car and computer industries. Cars have become the symbol of American way of life. The country has the best network of highways in the world.
US President, elected by the whole nation for four years, is the head of the state and Government. He lives and works in the White House in Washington.
The main legislative body of the country is the Congress, which consists of the House of Representatives (435 people) and the Senate (100 senators). The Congress makes new laws.
There are two main political parties in the USA: the Democratic and the Republican.
The
flag of the USA is called “Stars and Stripes”. The 50 stars –
white on a blue field – represent the 50 states, 13 stripes
represent 13 original English colonies, which in 1776 became
independent of England.
Part II. Washington
Washington, the capital of the USA, is situated on the Potomac River in the District of Columbia. The city was founded in 1790 and named after the first US President George Washington.
It is not the largest city in the USA. It has a population of about 1 million people.
Washington is the residence of the US President, the Congress of the United States and of all government departments.
Washington is one of the most beautiful and unusual cities in the United States. There are no sky-scrapers in the city. The highest building in Washington is the Capitol, situated on the highest point of the city – the Capitol Hill. The Capitol is the home of the United States government. There is a law that forbids building houses higher than the Capitol (40 meters).
The White House is the
place where US Presidents live and work. All American presidents
except George Washington have lived in the White House. It is a
two-storied, white building which was built in 1799. The White House
has 132 rooms; 54 rooms on the second and the third floor are
reserved for the First family; 5 rooms are open to the public. They
are the Blue Room, East Room, Green Room, Red Room, and State Dining
Room. A million visitors go through the White House every year free
of charge.
Not far from the Capitol there is the Washington Monument which looks like a very big pencil. It is 160 meters high. There is a lift in it which brings visitors to the top in 70 seconds. From the top of the Monument people can enjoy a beautiful view of the city.
There are many other beautiful monuments and sights in Washington, for example, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the Museum of Washington, the Arlington National Cemetery, the National Gallery of Art and others.
Washington is a large scientific and cultural centre. There are 5 universities, many research institutes, the National Academy of Sciences and the Library of Congress. The Library of Congress is the biggest in the United States. There are more than 13million books, 19 million manuscripts, a lot of periodicals and photos.
Among the 150 city parks are West Potomac Park, East Potomac Park, Rock Creek Park, National Zoological Park. Many citizens and guests of the city enjoy boating on the Potomac River.
One of the most well-known office buildings in the world is Pentagon, the residence of the US Military Department. It is situated in the suburbs to the south of the Potomac River.
Exercise 1. Give English equivalents of the word combinations:
Високорозвинена країна, офіційна та домінуюча мова, головна частина, найбільш населений штат, американський спосіб життя, найкраща мережа автошляхів, головний законодавчий орган, міністерство, відвідувати безкоштовно, насолоджуватися чудовим краєвидом.
Exercise 2. Point out true and false statements. Correct false statements.
1. The USA is a monarchy.
2. The USA consists of three parts.
3. The USA is a highly developed industrial country.
4. American parliament is called the Congress.
5. American Congress consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
6. Washington is the biggest city in the USA.
7. Pentagon is situated in the very centre of Washington.
8. There are a lot of beautiful sights, monuments and parks in Washington.
Exercise 3. Answer the questions:
1) What is the area and the population of the USA? 2) What is its capital? 3) What are peculiarities of the geographical situation of the USA? 4) How many states does the USA consist of? 5) Can you name any American cities? 6) What industries are developed in the United States? 7) Why are Americans called a nation of car drivers? 8) What is the Congress? 9) Is Washington a usual American city? 10) What is the White House famous for? 11) What famous buildings and monuments are there in Washington? 12) Why is the Library of Congress well-known all over the world?
Exercise 4. Match the following:
1) countryside 2) suburb 3) highway 4) law 5) sky-scraper 6) free of charge 7) guest 8) to forbid |
a) to order a person not to do something b) a rule made by authority for the regulation of a society c) rural areas, situated far from cities d) without pay e) main road for cars f) a visitor g) a very tall building h) residential district round the outside of a town |
Exercise 5. Prove the statements:
1. The USA is one of the biggest and most powerful countries in the world.
2. Washington is not the biggest city in the USA.
3. Washington is a very important cultural and scientific centre.
4. The Library of Congress is one of the biggest in the USA and the world.
5. The Capitol is the highest building in Washington.
Exercise 6. Write down a plan of the text and give a title to each of the parts.
Exercise 7. Write down 4-5 key-words to each part of the text.
Exercise 8. Retell the text using your plan and key-words.
Exercise 9. Discuss the following using key-patterns.
1. The main features of a highly developed country.
Key-words and key-patterns: highly developed industries, a good network of highways, many big and small cities, high standard of living, high salaries and wages (заробітна плата).
2. Places to see in the USA.
Key-words and key-patterns: to visit new places, to meet new people, to enjoy views, to make photos, the Niagara falls, Disneyland, Hollywood, the Great Canyon, Las Vegas.
3. Places to see in Washington.
Key-words and key-patterns: not the biggest city, no sky-scrapers, built to a preliminary plan, the residence of American presidents, monuments, parks, government departments, museums, galleries, theatres, avenues.