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THE UNITED STATES

The Unites States of America are situated in the central part of the North American continent. Its western coast is washed by the Pacific Ocean and its eastern coast - by the Atlantic Ocean.

The total area of the USA is over nine million square kilometres.

The population of the USA is about 250 million people; most of the population lives in towns and cities.

The USA is a very large country, so it has several different climatic regions. The coldest regions are in the north and north-east. The south has a subtropical climate.

The United States is a land of rivers and lakes. The northern state of Minnesota is a land of 10 000 lakes. The longest rivers in the USA are the Mississippi, the Missouri and the Rio Grande. The highest mountains are the Rocky Mountains, the Cordillera and the Sierra Nevada.

The United States is rich in natural and mineral resources. It produces copper, oil, iron ore and coal. It is a highly-developed industrial and agricultural country.

There are many big cities in the USA, such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and others. The national capital is Washington, D.C. Its population is about 3,4 million. Washington was built in the late eighteenth century as the centre of government. It was named after George Washington.

The USA became the world leading country at the beginning of the twentieth century.

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3. Ответьте на вопросы, опираясь на словарь, приведенный в конце урока.

1. Where is the Unites States of America situated?

2. What is the country washed by?

3. What is the total area of the USA?

4. What is the population of the USA?

5. The USA has several different climatic regions, hasn’t it?

6. Is the United States a land of rivers or lakes?

7. How many lakes are there in Minnesota?

8. What are the longest rivers in the USA?

9. What are the highest mountains?

10. Is the United States rich in natural and mineral resources?

11. What does it produce?

12. What big cities are there in the USA?

13. What is the national capital?

14. When was it built?

15. Whom was it named after?

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5. Перескажите текст (если необходимо, опирайтесь на приведенный словарь).

ЛЕКСИКО-ГРАММАТИЧЕСКИЕ УПРАЖНЕНИЯ

1. Определите способ образования следующих слов. Укажите, от каких основ образованы эти слова, к каким частям речи они относятся. Переведите их на русский язык.

Coldest, eighteenth, beginning, twentieth, government, greater, greatly, legislative, performance, president, thirteen, marked, quietly, worker, settler, decorate, celebrate, legally, employee, necessary, business, attention, visiting, favourite, symbolize, lover.

2. Заполните пропуски артиклями, где необходимо. Переведите на русский язык.

Celebrations in the USA

___ population of ___ USA is made up of ___ people of ___ different nationalities. ___ centuries ago they brought with them ___ their native ___ celebrations. ___ some holidays which are marked in ___ United States originated in ___ America. ___ number of ___ holidays is different in different ___ states - from 8 in ___ District of Columbia to 20 in ___ Oklahoma. But ___ most important holidays are celebrated throughout ___ USA. They are: ___ New Year's Day (January 1), ___ Lincoln's Birthday (February 12), ___ Washington's Birthday (February 22), ___ Independence Day (July 4), ___ Thanksgiving Day (___ fourth Thursday in ___ November), ___ Christmas (December 25). Here are ___ few words about them.

On ___ New Year's Day ___ people see ___ old year off and ___ New Year in. At ___ midnight ___ many people go outside and shout «Happy New Year»! ___ everybody exchanges ___ presents and good ___ wishes. ___ offices, factories, banks and stores do not work on this day.

One of ___ greatest holidays is ___ Independence Day. On July 4, 1776, ___ Declaration of ___ Independence was signed. It proclaimed ___ independence of ___ thirteen British colonies from ___ Great Britain.

___ Thanksgiving Day is marked on ___ fourth Thursday of November. On this day ___ Americans honour ___ memory of ___ first settlers. It also marks ___ end of ___ harvest season. It is ___ long-standing tradition to make ___ festive meal with ___ fried turkey on ___ this day.

Christmas is ___ religious holiday which symbolizes ___ birth of ___ Jesus Christ. By this day ___ people decorate ___ fir trees with___ toys and ___ candies. ___ children wait for ___ Santa Claus who comes to ___ every house and brings them ___ presents.