Unit IV.

The main economic regions of America

I.Общее представление об экономической ситуации

Переведите письменно текст А.

Text A.

General description of economic situation

THE UNITED STATES is the leading economic power in the world. It is a fully-developed industrial country with a very solid agricultural basis. Its people enjoy a high standard of living though there remain many important social problems which are to be solved. Highly-advanced technology provides a system of communications and transportation to tie the country and its people together.

The states of the United States can be grouped into regions that have common historical, economic and physical characte­ristics. From this point of view we can single out six major re­gions. They are: (1) the Northeast, (2) the Great Lakes, (3) the South, (4) the Plains, (5) the Rocky Mountains, and (6) the Pacific states. In some cases, these economic regions include the same areas as the major physical regions.

2. Основные экономические регионы страны. Часть 1.

Прочтите текст В и выполните тестовые задания после текста. Тестовые задания включают информацию текста А и В.

Text b. The northeast

The Northeast is made up of the New England states and the Middle Atlantic states. The New England states generally lie east of the Hudson River volley. They are Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The Middle Atlantic States are New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland.

The manufacturing industry and trade have made the Northeast an urban region. About 80 percent of the people live in cities that produce goods like steel, clothing, and books.

The Northeast was the first region in the United States to industrialize. In the 1800's, factory owners used the fast-moving rivers flowing down from the Appalachian Highlands to power machinery for textile mills. Important resources of iron ore, coal, limestone, and timber provided for growth of industry. Today, manufacturing employs more people in the region than any other activity.

The region's largest cities are ports built around good natural harbors. They are Boston, Providence, New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore. New York is the largest city in the country and one of the major cities of the world with more than 7 million people. But the New York metropolitan area — the city with the closely connected suburbs and smaller cities — has over 9 million people. Baltimore and Philadelphia are among the largest cities in the country. Buffalo is an important river port and grain-milling centre. Pittsburgh produces steel and steel products and is also an important river port.

In addition to manufacturing and trade, about 20 per cent of the economic activity of the Northeast is connected with service. A service industry can include such activities as finance and banking, entertainment, education, insurance, government. Newark, New York, Hartford and Boston, for example, are cities where the country's largest insurance companies are situated. New York is a world centre of banking and entertainment. Boston has for long been one of the country's most important centres of higher education. Washington D. C, the nation's capital, has about half of its workers in government service.

As an agricultural region, the Northeast does not have large areas of good land. Small farms are numerous in this region. Most are around 81 hectares in size. In the Middle Atlantic states grains, fruits, and vegetables are grown. There is extensive farming in the New England states with one crop being grown. Maine is famous for potatoes. The Connecticut River valley is known for tobacco. Dairy and poultry farms are found in several areas.

In addition to this farming, the Northeast is well known all over the United States for its fishing industry. This is quite natural because of the influence of the Atlantic Ocean. The Northeast has rich fishing areas along the Atlantic coast. The fishing industry developed rapidly here to compensate the rocky land and the poor soils. To­day, large numbers of flounder, cod, herring, halibut and other fish are caught. The fishing rules are very strict, and the government takes very severe measures against those who do not observe the fishing regulations. This explains why it is possible to achieve good catches of fish, and at the same time preserve the fishing grounds with the necessary supply of fish. The fish are caught, processed and shipped both overseas and to other areas of the United States. The fish market in New York is famous not only in the United States, but all over the world both for the amount of fish sold and the different types of fish which satisfy the tastes of any buyer.

Тестовые задания