Topics for discussion:

 The history of the USA formation

 Political system

 Large cities

 The economic system

 Science

 Language

 Education

 Mass Media, its power

 American cultural life: music, cinema, theatre, Hollywood etc.

 Holidays and traditions, American way of life

 Youth: typical teenagers, youth and American values, free time, youth and their families

 Sports: leisure sports, popular sports and games

Ukraine

Ukraine is a sovereign state whose independence was declared in 1991.

Ukraine is situated in the south-eastern part of Central Europe. It borders on other European countries: Russia, Byelorussia, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Moldova and Romania. The territory of our country is about 600.000 square kilometres. The population of our country is about 47 million people. It is diminishing due to emigration, low birth rate and low life level in Ukraine. Not only Ukrainians live in our country. There are also Russians, Jews, Byelorussians, Moldavians, Rumanians, Chinese, Georgians, Greeks, Tatars, Poles, Hungarians, Armenians, Germans, Gypsies and other nationalities. Because of a diversity of ethnic groups, Ukrainians do not look alike and cannot be stereotyped to one kind of appearance. However, many think that Ukrainian women are very attractive.

The official language of Ukraine is Ukrainian, but Russian is also widespread. More than 40% of the population of Ukraine speak Russian.

The state symbols of Ukraine are the State Flag, the State Emblem (the trident) and the State Anthem of Ukraine (“Ukraine Hasn’t Perished Yet”). The Ukrainian flag consists of two horizontal stripes: blue and yellow. They express the peaceful blue sky and yellow ripened wheat as a symbol of welfare of our nature.

The official currency of Ukraine is Hryvnia. It was introduced in September 1996.

The geographical position is very favourable for the development of its relations with European countries. 95% of the Ukrainian area is flat, lowlands occupy a considerable part of the country, and the rest of it is mountainous. The highest mountains in Ukraine are Roman Kosh in the Crimea and Goverla in the Carpathian Mountains. Ukraine is washed by the Black Sea and the Azov Sea.

The main navigable rivers are the Dnieper, the Dniester, the Proot, the Tissa, the South Bug, Seversky Donets, and the Danube. Our country has a lot of lakes. The largest is Yalpug.

The climate of Ukraine is mild, but in the southern part it is subtropical. Spring and summer are usually sunny, in autumn it often rains, in winter it is not very cold.

Nature of Ukraine is beautiful. You can see different kinds of trees as oak, asp, maple, pine, birch, beech, lime, poplars, bird cherry, snow-ball tree and evergreen trees: palm-tree, cypress, and eucalyptus in the south.

The fauna of Ukraine is various: the red deer, wild boar, fox, squirrel, elk, wolf, lynx, hare. There are about 350 kinds of birds in Ukraine, among them the dove, sea gull, crane, owl, wood pecker, sparrow. Near the sea coasts dolphins, some kinds of sharks can be seen. The lakes and rivers are rich in perches, pikes, carps and sheats. Ukraine has 12 national parks.

Ukraine is an industrialized country whose economic potential is great. Ukraine is relatively rich in natural resources, particularly in mineral deposits: iron, ore, coal, oil, natural gas, salt, manganese, graphite, marble, granite, nickel and other natural resources. There are many curative mineral waters in Ukraine.

The leading industries of the country are metallurgy, aircraft, shipbuilding, machine building, power industry, chemical industry, electronics and electrical engineering, coal-mining, automobile, textile, food industry, agriculture. Ukraine has a major ferrous metal industry, producing cast iron, steel and pipes. As of 2005, Ukraine was the world's eighth largest steel producer. Another important branch is the country's chemical industry which includes the production of coke, mineral fertilizers and sulfuric acid. Manufactured goods include metallurgical equipment, diesel locomotives, tractors, and automobiles. The country possesses a massive high-tech industrial base, including much of the former USSR's electronics, arms industry and space program. However, these fields are state-owned and economically underdeveloped. Ukraine is a major producer of grain, sugar, meat and milk products. It is the largest producer of sunflower oil in the world. Owing to the fact that Ukraine possesses 30% of the world's richest black soil, its agricultural industry has a huge underdeveloped potential. The agricultural industry in Ukraine is already highly profitable, with 40-60% profits.

The moderate climate and rich soil are favourable for agriculture. Ukraine grows sugar-beet, wheat, rice, maize, soya-bean, vegetables, fruit, sunflower. It is the famous producer of dairy products, meat, and poultry.

There are more than three hundred cities and towns in Ukraine. The biggest are Kharkiv, Donetsk, Lviv, Odessa, Kherson, Dnepropetrovsk and others.

Ukraine has a rich historical and cultural heritage. There are many higher educational establishments, theatres, libraries, museums, art galleries in Ukraine. It’s also famous for many outstanding writers, poets and musicians.

Ukraine is a member of the United Nation Organization and takes part in the work of many international organizations.

The capital of the country is Kiev. Kiev is one of the largest and most beautiful cities in the world. Kiev is over 1,500 years old. According to the legend Kiev was founded by 3 brothers: Kiy, Shchek and Khorif and their sister Lybid.

Nowadays Kiev is not only the capital of Ukraine, it is also a cultural, scientific, administrative and industrial centre. The main street is Kreschatik. Besides government offices and administrative buildings you can see large cinemas, restaurants, shops and cafes. There are a great number of historical monuments: Saint Volodymyr′s Cathedral, Sophia′s Cathedral, Saint Andrew′s Church, Pecherska Lavra, Golden Gate etc. There are many institutes, universities, technical and secondary schools. The Shevchenko University, the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine are also in Kiev. Kiev is proud of the Shevchenko Opera and Ballet Theatre, the Lesia Ukrainka Drama Theatre.

People in Ukraine are proud of their capital. Ukrainians in general are kind, open, generous, easy-going, hospitable, with a good sense of humour. They love good food and drink. They like holidays and merrymaking and have a hearty zest for life. Traditional They like to spend time with their family, dining, walking, playing and going on holidays together together. Ukrainian dishes include borsch, varenyky and holubtsi. Several years ago there was a competition in Paris for the best national dish, our borsch was awarded the 1^st prize.