A Bird's eye View of the USA

The United States has the most technologically powerful, diverse, advanced, and largest economy in the world. To have a bird's eye view of the country let us start from the Northeast, the place of the first European settlements. The skyscrapers of New York, the steel mills of Pittsburgh, the automobile plants of Detroit — these symbols of industrial America belong to this region.

Seeing this great area today, it is hard to realize that it was wilderness only three centuries ago. And even now, the visitor who expects only factories and crowded streets is surprised. In the Northeast, he sees more wooded hills than factory chimneys, more farmhouses than office buildings. There are places of true wilderness, like the forests of the State of Maine.

The sea means a lot here. From Long Island northward, the coast borders one of the world's great" fish bowls". Today, four of the eight heavily populated areas are centered around the seaports of Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore, which are also leading industrial centers.

The greatest part of America's heavy industry depends on the resources found in the region of the Great Lakes: iron ore and coal. Steelmaking is basic in this region, but there are many other related industries- glass, nonferrous metals, chemicals, rubber and machinery. Chicago is sometimes called the Great Central Market of the nation. It is the railroad, meat packing, and grain center for the middle part of the country.

After leaving Chicago, you will cross Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska. This is a vast farming region known as the Corn Belt. The land is fertile and well-watered, theclimate is mildly continental. Nebraska specializes in wheat, Iowa and Illinois grow wheat and corn, and much livestock is raised here. Corn is the most important of all American crops. Extensive use of machinery allows an average farmer to cultivate 100-140 hectares without any help. Most farm families do " commercial farming": they raise products for sale and not for their own use.

Turning south, we come to the land of old-time cotton plantations. While cotton remains the basic crop, the region has seen a significant trend toward diversification. Nowadays, southern states produce rice and fruit, tobacco and melons. The vast plains are good for raising sheep and cattle. Rich oil fields of Texas have brought new wealth to the region.

The Rocky Mountains, stretching all the way from Mexico to the Arctic Ocean, are rich in mineral deposits. The gold found in 1868 attracted thousands of people, starting the famous " gold rush". Other valuable ores are copper, lead and silver.

The West Coast is washed by the Pacific Ocean. These lands are famous for their fertile soil, giant forests and fishing. At cities like Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, goods from Asia and South Pacific region are unloaded, while fruit, grain, fish, timber or machines are put aboard ships going to ports all over the world.

The West Coast cities are important industrial centers. Seattle houses the headquarters of the Boeing Company leading the nation in producing multi-engine jet aircraft. Silicon Valley near San Francisco, where more than 4, 000 high-tech firms are located, is the first and biggest electronic research and production area.

California is one of the highest producing farm regions in the United States. Pears, peaches, olives, oranges and grapes ripen in its sunny orchards; grain and cotton grow all year in its farms; sheep and cattle feed in its pastures.

Ответьте на вопросы.

1. What sector of economy is discussed in both texts?

2. Why does the USA prefer to import oil?

3. Why are some smaller refineries closed down?

4. Why is coal becoming more important in the US energy market?

5. What is the modern tendency in the US coal industry?

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We are what we make. When we look на крупнейшие отрасли промышленности в Америке — we see cars, oil, пластмассы, электронно-вычислительные машины, мясо и сталь at the top of the list. Indeed, the three largest manufacturing industries связаны с транспортировкой, а более конкретно – c автомобилями. That fact says a lot о географических размерах Америки and a national ethos based on individualism, car culture, and personal mobility.

Другие приоритеты включают в себя информацию (through advertising, printing, newspapers, magazines, and books), электронику (от комплектующих до высокотехнологического оборудования), продукты питания (including surprising amounts of beer, cheese, candy), weapons and defense (как самолеты), связное и медицинское оборудование, toiletries, and packaging. All told, the list рассказывает довольно интересную историю о нашей культуре и нашей экономике.

Прочтите тексты. Кратко перескажите их по предложенному плану.

1. The name of the company.

2. The time of its foundation.

3. The industry.

4. The evolution of the company.

5. Its present position.

Established in 1908, General Motors Corp. became the nation's leading car maker by the early 1930s, surpassing Ford Motor Co. By that time, the car maker has acquired its best-known brands, such as Cadillac and Chevrolet. The Buick line was part of the company from its foundation. Over the decades, the Detroit-based company has amassed a long list of technological innovation, including the V-8 engine, which it introduced in 1914, and the automatic mission, in 1948. But management mistakes and growing competition in the 1970s and 1980s left GM in financial crisis by early 1990s. That caused a serious reorganization that returned GM to financial health by the end of 1995.

Standard Oil Co. As of 1899, the New Jersey arm of Standard Oil was an umbrella for John Rockefeller'snumerous oil operations. The federal government closed the umbrella in 1911, breaking Standard Oil into 33 different companies. The one that kept the name оf Standard Oil of New Jersey was renamed Exxon Corp. in 1972. Today, Exxon is the nation's biggest oil company, and also has interests in refining and marketing chemicals and in the coal, mineral and power-generating businesses. The company is based in Irving, Texas.

International Business Machines Corp. (IBM). Big Blue was incorporated in 1911 under the rather inelegant name Computing-Tabulating-Recording Co. It produced scales, adding machines and other business equipment. CTR became IBM in 1924. In the 1950s, IBM made an entry into electronic computers. It dominated that market till the early 1980s when its position was challenged by the rise of personal computers. Since then, under new management, IBM has laid off tens of thousands of workers, refocused its products and returned to profitability, though it hasn't returned its former dominance.

Coca-Cola Co. Atlanta pharmacist John Pemberton brewed Coca-Cola in 1886, advertising it as a tonic for lots of illnesses. In 1891, pharmacist Asa Candler bought the company for $2, 000 and promoted the beverage as a soft drink. Coke's huge business was launched in 1894 when it started selling the beverage in bottles. In 1919, the company was bought by Atlanta banker Ernest Woodruff for $25 million. His son, Robert W. Woodruff, was soon appointed president, beginning more that six decades of successful leadership that built the company into a market giant.

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