The USA

The United States of America is situated in the central part of the North America continent. Its total area is about nine and a half million square kilometers. In size, the USA ranks fourth among the nations after Russia, Canada, and China. Its western coast is washed by the Pacific Ocean and its eastern coast - by the Atlantic Ocean. The USA borders on Canada in the north and on Mexico in the south. It also has a sea-border with Russia.

The continental part of the USA consists of four physical geographical parts: two highland and two lowland regions. The highland regions are the Appalachian Mountains in the east, and the Rocky Mountains in the west. The highest peak in the Appalachian Mountains is 2, 037 meters high. The highest peak of the Cordillera in the USA is 4, 418 meters high. The Appalachian Mountains are very old. The valleys between them are rich in coal. The Rocky Mountains are considered to be young, high, rough, and irregular in shape. The highest mountain is Mount McKinley which is located in Alaska (6, 198).

Between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains there are the central lowlands, called the prairie, and the eastern lowlands, called the Mississippi valley.

The five Great Lakes, between the USA and Canada, include Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario. They are all joined together by short rivers or canals, and the St. Lawrence River joins them to the Atlantic Ocean. In the west of the USA there is another lake called the Great Salt Lake.

The main rivers of the USA are the Mississippi, the Missouri, the Rio Grand, the Yukon, the Colorado, the Columbia, and the St. Lawrence River.

The USA is a very large country, so it has several different climate zones. The coldest regions are in the north and north-east, where much snow falls in winter. The climate of Alaska is arctic. The climate of the central part is continental. The south has subtropical climate. Hot winds blowing from the Gulf of Mexico often bring typhoons. The climate along the Pacific coast is much warmer than that of the Atlantic coast. The region around the Great Lakes is known for its changeable weather.

Vocabulary

To rank – занимать какое-либо место

Mexico ['meksik∂ u] – Мексика

Highland ['hail∂ nd] – плоскогорье, нагорье

Lowland ['l∂ ul∂ nd] – низина, долина

The Appalachian Mountains – г. Аппалачи

The Cordillera - Кордильеры

The Rockey Mountains – Скалистые горы

Rough ['rΛ f] – неровный, зазубренный, резкий

The prairie ['prε ∂ ri] – прерия, степь

The Great Lakes – Великие озера

Lake Superior – Верхнее озеро

Lake Michigan ['mi∫ ig∂ n] – озеро Мичиган

Lake Huron – озеро Гурон

Lake Erie – озеро Эри

Lake Ontario – озеро Онтарио

St. Lawrence River – река Св. Лаврентия

the Missouri - Миссури

Exercise 1. Fill in the prepositions.

1) The USA is situated … the central part of the North American continent.

2) In size, the US ranks fourth … the nations after Russia, Canada, China.

3) Its western coast is washed … the Pacific Ocean.

4) The USA borders … Canada in the north and … Mexico in the south.

5) It also has a sea-border … Russia.

6) The valley … the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains are rich … coal.

7) The Rocky Mountains are rough and irregular … shape.

8) The St. Laurens River joins the five Great Lakes … the Atlantic Ocean.

9) Hot winds blowing … the Gulf of Mexico often bring typhoons.

10) The climate … the Pacific coast is much warmer than that of the Atlantic coast.

11) The region … the Great Lakes is known for its changeable weather.

Exercise 2. Find and replace wrong words.

1) The USA is situated in the eastern part of the North American continent.

2) In size, the USA ranks fourth among the nations after Russia, Canada, and Japan.

3) The eastern coast is washed by the Pacific Ocean.

4) The USA borders on Canada in the North and on Australia in the south.

5) The low land regions are the Appalachian Mountains in the east, and the Cordillera and the Rocky Mountains in the west.

6) The Appalachian Mountains are very young.

7) The central lowlands are called the meadows and the eastern lowlands are called the Missouri valley.

8) The five Great Lakes are all separated together by short rivers or canals.

9) The climate of Alaska is subtropical.

10) Hot winds blowing from the Gulf of Mexico often bring typhoons.

UNIT 8