Ключевые слова и фразы:

to stretch   - простираться

to include   - включать в себя

in honour   - в честь

navigator  - мореплаватель

to reach   - достигать

originally  - первоначально

to be settled  - быть заселенным

in origin    - по происхождению

native American   - коренной американец

Independence Day   -  День Независимости

Statue of Liberty - Статуя Свободы

torch  -факел

gift - подарок, дар

copper - медь, бронза

skyline - панорама

motto - девиз

coin   - монета

sky-scraper  - небоскреб

federal union - федеральный союз

Chamber - парламентская палата

 

      The USA is the fourth largest country in the world (after Russia, Canada and China). It occupies the southern part of North America and stretches from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. It also includes Alaska in the north and Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. The area of the USA is over nine million square kilometers.

 The USA is made up of 50 states and the District of Columbia, a special federal area where Washington, the capital of the country, is situated. The capital was named in honour of the first President, George Washington.

The population of the country is about 250 million.The official language of the country is English. Although America is named after the Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci who made several voyages to the New World, it was another Italian, Christopher Columbus, who first reached America in October 1492.

Originally America was settled by Indians. Nowadays Americans are made up of nearly all races and nations, including Chinese and native Americans though the American population mainly European and African in origin.

One of the most important holidays in America is Independence Day, after the country becoming independent after a war with Britain.

The USA is famous for its Statue of Liberty. The lady with the torch was a gift from France to young American in 1886. The French sent her to New York in 214 packing boxes.  She's 151 feet high and she weighs 225 tons. In one hand the copper-coated lady has the Declaration of Independence. Inside the statue you can go up to her head to see the New York skyline.

The National Motto of America is 'In God we trust'. Nobody knows exactly who designed it. Originally it was printed on some coins during the civil war, now it's on all paper money and coins.

America is the country of sky-scrapers. The tallest building in the world is situated in Chicago.                      

As the USA is a large country, the climate is different in different regions. The coldest regions are in the North. The climate of Alaska is arctic; the climate of the central part is continental; 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 river in the USA are the Mississippi and the Rio Grande. The highest mountains are the Rocky Mountains, the Cordillera and the Sierra Nevada.

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

The USA is a federal union, consisting of fifty states. Each of these states has its own government. Congress is the American parliament which consists of two Chambers. The president is the head of the state and the government. He is elected for four years.

Americans pay much attention to physical fitness. Many sports and sporting activities are popular in the USA. People participate in swimming, skating, squash and badminton, tennis, marathons, track-and-field, bowling, archery, skiing, skating etc. But five major American sports are hockey, volleyball, baseball, football and basketball. Basketball and volleyball have been invented in America.

Some unusual kinds of sports originated in America. They are windsurfing, skate-boarding and triathlon. Triathlon includes swimming, bicycle racing and long-distance-running. Now these sports are becoming more and more popular in Europe.