Vocabulary:

to be made up of (to consist of) – состоять из

to cover – охватывать

to be situated – быть расположенным

the Strait if Dover – Па-де-Кале

The English Channel – Ла-Манш

The Gulf Stream – Гольфстрим

to separate – отделять, разделять

to be washed – омываться

mild climate – мягкий климат

to influence smth. – влиять на что-л.

cool– прохладный

coal (iron, steel, shipbuilding, etc.) industry – угольная (металлургическая,

сталелитейная, кораблестроительная и т.д.)

industrial– промышленный

works– промышленные предприятия, заводы

commercial centre – торговый центр

the total population– общая численность населения

to differ from– отличаться от

multinational state– многонациональное государство

Questions:

1. Where is the UK situated?

2. What parts does it consist of?

3. Are there any high mountains in Great Britain?

4. What are the main rives?

5. What influences the climate in Great Britain?

6. What are the most highly developed industries in the country?

7. What important industrial and cultural centers do you know in Great Britain?

8. Where are the most famous universities?

9. What languages are spoken in different parts of the country?

Give possible beginnings of the sentences:

1. … is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

2. … of about five thousand small islands.

3. … of Great Britain is mild.

4. … industries in Great Britain is the textile industry.

5. … in Great Britain are Oxford and Cambridge with the world famous oldest Universities, and also Edinburgh and Sheffield.

6. … languages spoken in Britain as it has become now a multinational state.

Translate into Russian:

1. The UK covers the British Isles which is the geographical name of all the islands situated off the northwest coast of the European Continent.

2. It is washed on the west coast by the Atlantic Ocean and by the Irish Sea.

3. The main rivers in Britain are the Thames, the Mersey, the Severn and others, but none of them are very long.

4. The summers are cool and rainy; the winters are not very cold.

5. Great Britain is a highly developed industrial country.

6. Shipbuilding and motor industry are highly developed too.

7. The total population of Great Britain today is about 59 million people.

Text 3. The united states of america

The United States is the fourth largest country in the world in size and population. It has an area of 9,371,781 square kilometers and its population is 249 million people. The US consists of 50 states. The largest state is Alaska. Hawaii is one of the smallest states; it is a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, 2,397 miles from California. The other 48 states stretch across the North American continent for about 3,000 miles (4,800 km) from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Along the Atlantic Coast the land is flat, inland from the coast there are the Appalachian Mountains. In the middle of the continent there is the great Mississippi River, which flows to the Gulf of Mexico. The middle part of the country is generally flat, this area is called the Great Plains. In the west there are two main mountain systems: the Rocky Mountains and the Cascade Range.

The climate of the US is temperate, with four distinct seasons. The northern part of the country has snow in winter. The hottest places are Florida, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Southern Florida and Hawaii are subtropical. The East is much wetter than the West.

The main rives are the Mississippi, the Missouri, the Colorado and the Ohio. The largest cities of the US are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and Philadelphia. The capital of the US is Washington.

The US has many natural resources, such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas, rich soil for agriculture and forests. The economy of the US is based upon free enterprise. The US produces non-electric machinery, transportation equipment and cars, chemicals, food products, electronic equipment, metal products, paper and plastic products.

There are many ethnic groups in the United States. The largest group is Black Americans (about 12 % of the population). Spanish-speaking people are about 9%. The fastest growing ethnic groups are Chinese, Japanese and Indochinese (about 3%). Native Americans are about 1% of the population. The basic language spoken throughout the country is American English.