Topical vocabulary

the Earth's northern hemisphere	северное полушарие
an earthquake-prone region	сейсмический район
to differ	различаться
customs and traditions	обычаи, традиции (в масштабах одного народа, культуры)
Mexico	Мексика
to have borders with	граничить с
a sea border	морская граница
the Rocky Mountains	Скалистые горы (на западе Канады и США)
Hawaiian Islands	Гавайские острова
Rhode Island	Род-Айленд (штат США)
to issue	выпускать, издавать
the Declaration of Independence	Декларация независимости. Декларация представителей 13 штатов, провозгласившая образование независимого государства - США.
Thomas Jefferson	Томас Джефферсон, третий президент США
the Head of state	глава государства
the Chief Executive	глава исполнительной власти
the Commander-in-Chief	главнокомандующий Вооруженными силами
to govern	править, управлять
to be adopted	быть принятым (ой)
ten constitutional amendments	10 поправок к Конституции
to be ratified	быть одобренным
the Congress	Конгресс. Высший законодательный орган США
the Senate	Сенат. Верхняя палата высшего законодательного органа США Конгресса.
the Supreme Court	Верховный суд США
federal district courts	федеральные суды
the federal judiciary	федеральное правосудие

Exercise1.

Match the highlighted words or word combinations in the text with their definitions.

1. the national legislative body of the USA;

2. a unit of distance equal to 1760 yards or approximately 1.6 kilometers;

3. a group of five large interconnected lakes in central North America, consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario;

4. gradually reach or cause to reach a wider area or more people;

5. a culturally diverse population;

6. the process by which a country determines its own statehood and forms its own government;

7. relating to a system of government in which several states form a unity but remain independent in internal affairs;

8. the lower house of the U.S. Congress including most U.S. state governments;

9. sharing a common border; touching;

10. a major river of North America, one of the main tributaries of the Mississippi.

Exercise2.

Give a one-minute talk on the situations:

• New York is a typical example of the melting pot (a place where different peoples, styles, theories, etc. are mixed together).

• Mayor Giuliani's zero-tolerance policy (политика "нулевой терпимости" (сурового наказания за любой, даже незначительный проступок) has brought New York City's crime rate down. Give your reasons.

• If I have some money left I could visit Fifth Avenue, Broadway, Manhattan, Central Park, etc.

Exercise3.

Try to match the names of the States with the empty spaces at the map of the USA. Work with your partner. Ask each other questions about geographical features of the USA.

AL,AK,AZ,AR,CA,CO,CT,DE,DC,FL,GA,HI,ID,IL,IN,IA,KS,KY,LA,MD,MA,MI,MN,MS,MO,MT,NE,NV,NH,NJ,NM,NY,NC,ND,OH,OK,OR,PA,RI,SC,SD,

TN,TX,UT,VT,VA,WA,WV,WI,WY.