The United States of America

1. The United States of America is the most powerful and the most advanced capitalist country. The United States has the third-largest population in the world (after China and India). In 2003, the population of the country passed the 280,000,000 mark. The capital is Washington, D. C. The United States proper (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) is situated in the central part of the North American continent. It stretches from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, from Canada in the North to Mexico, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Gulf of California in the South. In size, the United States ranks fourth among the nations after Russia, Canada, and China.

2. 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 Cordillera and the Rocky Mountains in the west. The five Great Lakes between the USA and Canada include Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. The main rivers of the USA are the Mississippi, the Missouri, the Rio Grande, and some others. The USA is a very large country, so it has several different climate zones.

3. The United States is an indirect democracy – that is, the people rule through representatives they elect. The United States Constitution, written in 1787, established the country’s political system and is the basis for its laws. The USA has a federalist system. That means that there are individual states, each with its own government, and there is a federal, or national, government. The Constitution gives certain powers to the federal government, other powers to the state government, and yet other powers to both. Within the national government, power is divided among three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial ones. The legislative branch consists of Congress, which has two parts – the House of Representatives and the Senate. The President is the head of the executive branch and the country. The executive branch administers the law (decides how the law should be carried out). The judicial branch interprets the laws and makes sure that new laws are in keeping with the Constitution. The system of checks and balances, established by the Constitution, is meant to prevent any branch from having too much power.

4. The United States is rich in natural resources. It is a leading producer of fuel – of oil, natural gas, and coal. Major industries include machinery, high-technology equipment, chemicals, aircraft, and grains. The US grows wheat, corn, and other crops and raises many cows, pigs, and chickens.

5. Выполните лексико-грамматические задания на базе текста №1:

5.1. Выпишите эквиваленты следующих слов и выражений: высокоразвитая страна; простираться от … до …; климатическая зона; представитель; выбирать; политическая система; власть\полномочия; три ветви власти: законодательная, исполнительная, судебная; палата представителей; зависеть от; вице-президент; соответствовать конституции.

Выпишите 2 предложения, содержащие сказуемое в активном залоге. Подчеркните сказуемое и определите его видовременную форму. Измените предложения таким образом, чтобы сказуемое имело все возможные грамматические формы.

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