The United States of America

Read the text paying attention to the underlined words and say what new facts you have learnt about the geography of USA.

The United States of America is the fourth largest country in the world in size and in population. It has an area of 9, 826, 675 square kilometers. Its population is 308, 745, 538 million people according to the Demographic Census of 2010. The US consists of 50 states. The largest state is Alaska. One of the smallest states is Hawaii; it is a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, situated 2, 397 miles from California. The other 48 states stretch across the North American continent for about 3, 000 miles (4, 800 km) from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

Along the Atlantic Coast the land is flat, inland from the coast there are the Appalachian Mountains. In the middle of the continent there is the longest river Mississippi which flows to the Gulf of Mexico. The middle part of the country is generally flat; this area is called the Great Plains. In the west there are two main mountain systems: the Rocky Mountains and the Cascade Range.

The climate of the US is temperate, with four distinct seasons. The northern part of the winter has snow in winter. The hottest places are Florida, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Southern Florida and Hawaii are subtropical. The East is more humid than the West.

The main rivers are the Mississippi, the Missouri, the Colorado and the Ohio. The Great American Lakes on the northern border of the country are Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, and Lake Ontario. The highest mountains are in Alaska, the highest peak is mount McKinley having 20, 320 feet (6194 meters). The largest cities are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and Philadelphia. The capital is Washington located in the District of Columbia. Washington is called Washington D.C. The area of the US capital was named after Christopher Columbus, the discoverer of the American continent. The capital was originally called Federal City and later it was renamed after the nation’s first president George Washington.

The US has many natural resources such as coal, petroleum, natural gas and rich soil for agriculture and forests. The economy of the country is based upon free enterprise. The US produces non-electric machinery, transportation equipmen t and cars, chemicals, food products, electronic and computer equipment, metal, paper and plastic products. The US has been a leader in scientific research and technological innovation: spaceflights, Internet and social networks, biotechnology and medicine.

There are many ethnic groups in the US. The largest group is Afro-Americans (12 % of the population). Spanish-speaking people are about 9%. The fastest growing ethnic groups are Chinese, Japanese and Indochinese (3%). Native Americans are about 1%. The basic language spoken throughout the country is American English.

Exercises.

1. Give the Russian equivalents of the following:

- according to the Demographic Census

- to stretch across the North America

- a flat land

- mountain systems

- a temperate climate

- rich soil

- to be based upon free enterprise

- equipment

- spaceflights

- spoken throughout the country

- Native Americans

2. Suggest the English for:

- по размеру и населению

- состоять из 50 штатов

- внутри континента

- впадать в Мексиканский залив

- характерные сезоны

- названный в честь

- первоначально именовался

- быть переименованным

- нефть

- более влажный климат

- наивысшая точка

- научные исследования и инновационные технологии

- социальные сети

- этнические группы

3. Answer the following questions:

1) Is the USA largest country in the world?

2) What is the population of the USA?

3) What is the area of the USA?

4) The USA consists of 50 states, doesn’t it?

5) What are the largest states of the USA?

6) What are the smallest states of the country?

7) What are the names of the main mountain systems in the USA?

8) What is the highest peak in the country?

9) What are the main rivers in the US? How many Great lakes are in the US?

10) What is the longest river in the US? Where does it flow?

11) What is the climate of the country like?

12) What are the largest cities in the USA?

13) What is the capital of the USA? Where is it located?

14) How the capital of the USA was originally called?

15) What are the natural recourses of the USA?

16) What is the American country based upon?

17) What does the country produce?

18) What can you say about the ethnic groups in the USA?

19) Who are the Native Americans?

20) Which language is spoken throughout the country?

4. True or False statements:

1) The land of the United States is one of the largest countries in the world.

2) All the states except Hawaii and Alaska are together on the North American continent between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

3) The two main mountain ranges in the country are the Hurons and the Eries.

4) The longest river in the USA is the Colorado.

5) The five Great lakes are situated in the southwestern part of the country.

6) The highest peak of the US is mount McKinley. It is located in the Rocky Mountains chain.

7) Chicago is one of the largest cities in the country.

8) The capital of the United States is located in Washington State.

9) The USA is rich in much natural recourse.

10) Native Americans are one of the largest ethnic groups in the USA.

5. Read the TEXT 2 again and retell it using The Structure of Retelling in Supplement V of the textbook.

6. Can you tell us about the United States of America: the geographical position, climate, population, rivers, lakes, mountains, and its economic position?