Unit 5 the united states of america

1. Read and memorize the following words and phrases.

to border on	межувати з
vast	неосяжний
mineral resources	мінеральні ресурси
pig iron	чавун
petroleum refinery	нафтопереробний завод
domestic consumption	внутрішнє споживання
poultry	домашня птиця
livestock	велика рогата худоба
wheat	пшениця
trade turnover	товарообіг

2. Before you read the text, write down two or three things you can imagine thinking of the USA.

3. Read and translate the text. Use dictionary if necessary.

The United States of Amer­ica stretches from the Atlantic Ocean on the east to the American Pacific islands on the west covering the territory of

9,5 million sq.km. Bordered on the north by Canada and on the south by Mexico, it is a vast nation on a vast continent. The United States is generally divided into four regions: the North-East, the Middle West, the South, the West. The population of the United States is more than 270 million people.

There are many moun­tains especially in the west and south-west. The Rocky Mountains extend all the way from New Mexico to Alaska. Many rivers cross the country. The most important are the Mississippi, Missouri and Rio Grande flowing into the Gulf of Mexico. The main lakes in the U.S.A. are the Great Lakes in the north.

The major cities include: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, San Francisco, Washington, Dallas, Houston, Boston, Baltimore.

The United States is rich in mineral resources, especially in petroleum, coal, natural gas, copper, uranium, zink, aluminium, iron ore, as well as in gold, silver and platinum.

The country also holds a leading position in the world’s industrial production. The key industries include: machinery, petroleum refinery, food processing, motor vehicles, pig iron and steel, chemical products, fertilizers, electrical goods. In each branch of industry there are a number of big corporations concentrating most of the production, e.g., in the automobile industry: General Motors, Ford, Chrysler; in petroleum: Texaco, Mobil Oil, Exxon; in electrical and electronic engineering: General Electric, International Business Machines (IBM), ITT-Bell; in chemicals: Du Pont, Dow Chemical, Kodak, Polaroid.

The United States is one of the leaders in the world’s agricultural production, both in output and productivity. It covers domestic consumption and produces surpluses for export. The main agricultural products are: maize, wheat, soya beans, barley, oats, cotton, tobacco, livestock (principally cattle, pigs and poultry).

The U.S. foreign trade turnover is one of the highest in the world. The principle exports are manufactured goods (machinery, motor vehicles, aircraft, weapons, chemicals, electronics, agricultural products). The major trading partners are traditionally Canada, Japan, Mexico, UK and Germany.

The United States of America is a Federal Union of fifty states plus the District of Columbia. The Federal Government resides in Washington D.C, which is the capital of the nation.

The Government of the U.S.A. is based on the Constitution, a document written in 1787.

The flag of the U.S., popularly called "the Stars and Stripes and Old Glory", was adopted in 1777. It consists of thirteen horizontal stripes equal to the number of the original states with a blue union marked with white stars equal in number to 50 states today.

The Coat-of-Arms of the U.S. represents an eagle with wings outspread, holding a bundle of rods in the left claw and an olive twig in the right claw.

The motto on the coat-of-arms is "E Pluribus Unum" (One out of many).

The federal government of the United States is divided into three main branches: the legislative, the executive and the judicial.

The legislative branch of the U.S. Government is vested in the Congress. The Congress of the U.S.A is composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The term of the Congress is for two years.

The U.S. Senate has 100 members — two from each of the 50 states. Members of the Senate are elected to six-year terms. The Constitution says that a Senator must be at least 30 years old, a citizen of the U.S. for nine years, and a resident of the state from which he is elected.

The U.S. House of Representatives has 435 members. The number of Representatives depends on its population. The Constitution says that each state, no matter how small in population, must have at least one Representative.

The function of the legislative branch of the government is to make laws and to finance the operation of the government through gathering taxes and appropriating money requested by the executive branch of the government, make rules for trade with foreign countries and between states, set up federal courts below the U.S. Supreme Court, organize the Armed Forces.

The executive branch, which includes the President, Vice-President, and the President's cabinet, is responsible for administering and executing the laws.

The President is elected for four years of service and may be reelected for four additional years. He must be a natural-born citizen, at least 35 years old, and for at least 14 years a resident of the United States. The presidential elections in the USA are held in two stages. First the voters choose electors and then the latter elect the President.

The President administers national government, appoints higher officers such as cabinet members, ambassadors, federal judges. has the initiative in foreign affairs. As commander-in-chief of the armed forces, he has considerable authority over military policy. His actions may involve the country in a state of war, leaving Congress no alternative but to recognize the fact.

The judicial branch consists of the Supreme Court of the United States and the system of federal courts. It has the responsibility of judging the consti­tutionality of acts of law. The Supreme Court is made up of a Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices. One of the most important duties of the justices is to decide whether laws passed by the Congress agree with the Consti­tution.

There are only two major political parties in the United States, The Republican party (which is more conservative) and the Democratic Party (which is more liberal). The symbol of the Republican Party is the elephant and that of the Democratic Party – the donkey.

The main task of the parties is to run the election machine. Every four years the American parties assemble as national bodies in the Presidential nominating conventions. But once the President is chosen the parties become loosely organized confederations. Traditionally the Republican Party votes come from higher income groups, while the lower income groups generally vote Democrat.

4. Did any information about the USA impress you? Why?

5. Read the text and find information about:

Geographical position

Political system

Major political parties