The United States of America

The United States of America is the fourth largest country in the world after Russia, Canada and China. It is situated in North America and is bordered on Canada and Mexico. The history of the country dates back to the 17th century when the first English settlement was established in 1602. It was the beginning of New England colonies consisting of 4 states only.

The USA consists of 50 states and the District of Columbia which is home to the capital of the country – Washington D.C. Two states – Alaska and Hawaii – are separated from the mainland. The total area of the USA is around 9 mln square kilometers. More than 250 million people live in this country. Their national language is English, although a large part of current American residents are immigrants who speak their native languages.

Due to the fact, that the territory of the USA spreads from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean, the climate of the country varies greatly depending on the geographical position. Moreover, winter temperatures in northern states may reach 40 degrees below zero. At the same time summer temperatures in southern states may increase up to 49 degrees above zero.

The territory of the USA is crossed by the Mississippi river which is the longest in the world. 5 Great lakes in the north of the country on the border with Canada are a popular tourist attraction. Western part of the country is bound by the Rocky Mountains or the Rockies. Central states are situated on the Great Plains.

A wide variety of landscape and climatic zones has determined the country’s industry and agriculture. In the USA farming is devoted to raising such plants as corn, sunflowers, tomatoes and many others. The major industrial fields are automobiles, oil and gas extraction and sustainable energy.

The United States of America is a democratic country with two ruling parties – the Democrats and the Republicans. Both parties propose a candidate for presidency. A president is elected once in four years and can serve no more than two subsequent terms. The highest legislative body of the country is the Congress which consists of two chambers – the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The judicial branch of the federal government consists of the Supreme Court and the system of federal courts.

The executive power is concentrated in the hands of the President, Vice-President and the President’s Cabinet. The President is elected for four years of service. The present day President of the USA is Baraq Obama, the representative of the Democratic Party.

If you travel to the USA it’s worth considering the following destinations: Washington D.C., Boston, New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles. These cities present a wide range of attractions and entertainment, such as Hollywood, the Wall Street, the Statue of Liberty, the Library of Congress, the White House and many others.

· SPEAKING

4. Answer the questions:

1. How large is America? 2. Where is it situated? 3. What countries does it border on? 4. How many states were there in 1602? 5. What is the climate of the country? 6. What is the main river of the USA? 7. What oceans wash the shores of the USA? 8. How many states are in the USA? 9. What is the national language? 10. What do you know about the political system of the country?

Prepare a report about any city of the USA (not less then 50 words). Use additional sources of information.

Make up the plan of the text and retell it according to the plan (not less then 100 words).

· TRANSLATING

Translate the text “The Second Front” into Russian.

The Second Front

In November, 1943, Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt met together in Teheran, Iran, to discuss military strategy and post-war Europe. Ever since the Soviet Union had entered the war, Stalin had been demanding that the Allies open-up a second front in Europe. Churchill and Roosevelt argued that any attempt to land troops in Western Europe would result in heavy casualties.

Stalin believed that there were political, as well as military reasons for the Allies' failure to open up a second front in Europe. Stalin was still highly suspicious of Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt and was worried about them signing a peace agreement with Adolf Hitler. Stalin was fully aware that if Britain and the USA withdrew from the war, the Red Army would have great difficulty in dealing with Germany on its own.

At Teheran, Joseph Stalin reminded Churchill and Roosevelt of a previous promise of landing troops in Western Europe in 1942. Later they postponed it to the spring of 1943. Stalin complained that it was now November and there was still no sign of an allied invasion of France. After lengthy discussions it was agreed that the Allies would mount a major offensive in the spring of 1944.

From the memoirs published by those who took part in the negotiations in Teheran, it would appear that Stalin dominated the conference. Alan Brook, chief of the British General Staff, said that Stalin had a military brain of the very highest calibre. Never once in any of his statements he made any strategic error. In this respect he stood out compared with Roosevelt and Churchill.

The landings in June, 1944, created a second-front and took the pressure off the Red Army and from that date they made steady progress into territory held by Germany.

· GRAMMAR FOCUS