13. Us Economy

The United States is rich in natural resources, the main being iron ore, coal and

oil. The nation produces more than 100 million tons of iron a year. Four fifths of the

ore mined in the USA comes from the Great Lakes region. Though a great deal of the

ore has been used up, its resources have not been exhausted. Most of the coal mined in

the USA is used by power plants to produce electricity. Coal is also used in the

chemical industries for the manufacture of plastics and other synthetics. The

production, processing and marketing of such oil products as petrol (called «gasoline»

or «gas» in the USA) make up one of America's largest industries.

The basic metals and minerals mined in the United States are zinc, copper and

silver.

Some of the main crops grown in the USA are wheat, maize, cotton, tobacco

and fruit.

Cattle breeding and pig raising make up an important branch of America's

agriculture.

To make the farmer's work more productive scientific methods of farming are

employed and modern technique of freezing, canning and packaging farm products is

used.

The United States is a highly industrialized country with various branches of

heavy industry prevailing, namely, the mining, metallurgical, automobile and

chemical industries as well as engineering. Many branches of light industry are also

developed, among them are the textile, food and wood-working industries.

A great deal of attention in American industry is devoted to research and

emphasis is made on the use of labour-saving machines. In the past few years the

number of workers has increased only a few per cent, while the number of scientists

and engineers in the plants has almost doubled.

Mechanisation and automation do away with thousands of office jobs, intensify

production and increase labour productivity. But they also bring about a further

growth of unemployment.

New industries are created as new discoveries are made in physics, chemistry

and other sciences. Atomic energy, for example, has created a wide range of new

industries. Electronics has become a major industry.

Throughout American industry great emphasis is being made on management

training. A great number of schools are training young people to become industrial

leaders.

American industry is distributed unevenly. Most of the industrial enterprises are

located in the eastern part of the country. But industry is spreading out as there is a

tendency to build factories far removed from the home plant and closer to natural

resources and markets. Good transportation facilities and rapid communications

systems make it possible for the main plants to keep in touch with branch factories.

The leading US exports are industrial machinery, electronic equipment, textiles,

grain, iron, coal, oil products and chemicals.

1. Tula

Situated south of Moscow in the central part of the East European plain

on the Middle Russian Hills, the Tula region covers an area of 25,700km 2

(1.5% of Russia’s territory). The region’s territory embraces 21 cities and

towns and 50 urban settlements. Total population is 1,840,000, out of which

urban population accounts for 81,4%.

The center of the region is the city of Tula with the population

over half a million. Tula, which is first mentioned in the chronicles in

1146, was founded on the banks of the Upa river.

In the Middle Ages it was the central strategic point in the defense

of Moscow. This had a decisive influence on the specifics of the re-

gion’s industrial development.

Tula has long been famous for its blacksmiths and gunsmiths. The trade of the

blacksmiths began to develop in Tula in the 16th century. Tula blacksmiths special-

ized in making rifles The whole families and even streets were engaged in making

this or that part of the rifle. That is why many streets of Tula are still called after the

parts of the rifle – Zamochnaya, Kurkovaya, Stvolnaya, etc.

By the 16th –17th century, Tula had grown into a developed center of weapon-

making crafts and metal treatment. In 1712 following a decree issued by Peter the

Great a state gun-making plant was founded in Tula.

Tula was the first place in Russia to develop ferrous metallurgy and metal-

processing industry. In metal-processing Tula craftsmen acquired great skill. But

most of the enterprises were handicraft artels and small plants producing samovars

and different handmade goods.

With the development of capitalism in Russia industrial enterprises in Tula in-

creased in number. By the end of the 19th century Tula had about 200 enterprises with

13 thousand workers.

At present there are many plants and factories in Tula.

Being part of the Central Economic Region, the Tula region has close economic

ties with other regions of the Russian Federation.

The basic industries are machine-building, chemical, ferrous metallurgy, build-

ing materials industry, coal mining, light and food industries, power engineering and

electronics. Machine-building and metal-working account for 21.9% of the total in-

dustrial output, chemistry and petrochemistry 20.8%, metallurgy 17.1%, electric

power generation 11.9%, food industry 13%, and light industry 3.9%.

The machine-building branch is represented by large enterprises manufacturing

agricultural machinery, machine tools, equipment for the light and food industries,

units and parts for gas pipelines, pumps, cranes, construction and transportation ma-

chinery, domestic gas fittings, scooters etc. Chemical industry enterprises produce

fertilizers, synthetic rubber, plastics and plastic articles, detergents, synthetic vitamins

and other products. The old gun-making plant produces hunting rifles and sport guns

which help our sportsmen to win victories at international competitions.

The Tulachermet Concern, a leading metallurgical enterprise in Russia, has

made a great contribution to the development of world metallurgy. The enterprise has

been the first in the world to master the method of continuous steel casting, the proc-

ess of metal powder manufacture, plasma spraying, and production of alloys with

specific properties.

The old traditions of making famous Tula rifles, samovars, bayans (accordions)

and spice cakes live on.

Primary attention in agriculture is given to the production of grain, potatoes,

sugar beet, milk and meat.

Today’s Tula is not only an industrial but also a cultural, scientific and educa-

tional center of our country. Tula has many educational establishments such as Tula

State University and Tula State Pedagogical University, many colleges and secondary

schools.

Dozens of research institutes and design bureaus concentrate a considerable sci-

entific potential. These institutions are engaged in long-term research in technologies

of machine-building, metallurgy, polymers, control systems, town planning etc.

The city has four theatres, a regional philharmonic society, some clubs, palaces

of culture, libraries, and publishing houses that issue about a hundred newspapers and

magazines.

Tula has many places of interest, the Museum of Arms is well known not only in

our town. It was established in 1724. In the museum we can see the products of skill-

ful Tula gunsmiths. It has models of Russian weapons beginning with the Kulikovo

Battle in 1380 to the years of the Great Patriotic War. There are also tiny engravings

which one can see only through a microscope. The museum of Regional Studies is of

great interest too. It presents to its visitors the heroic past of our town. The Art Gal-

lery has a collection of rare pictures, sculptures and items of applied arts.

Not far from Tula is Yasnaya Polyana. Here the great Russian writer Leo Tol-

stoy lived and worked for almost all his life. Now it is a museum. Many people not

only from our country but also abroad visit Yasnaya Polyana every day.

The Kremlin, the Victory Square with its eternal flame, the monument to the de-

fenders of Tula, the vast central park belong to the sights of Tula. The picture will not

be complete if we forget our central stadium with its sports play grounds, the indoor

stadium and the famous cycle-drome.

The appearance of our city has greatly changed. From a dirty provincial town

with wooden houses and narrow streets it has turned into a modern city. The main

street of our city and many other tree-lined streets are always full of people and the

traffic is rather heavy (busy). In the streets we can see many cars, buses, trolleybuses,

trams, taxis.

Tula grows from day to day. Old houses and back-yards have almost completely

disappeared giving way to new high buildings. New modern-style districts have ap-

peared in the former suburbs of Tula.

The citizens of Tula are proud of their city which is becoming more beautiful

from day to day.