Unit 1 Topic: The usa Grammar: Revision of Tenses. Present Forms

Vocabulary

Learn the following words and word combinations:

expanse [ik'spxn(t)s] – протяг, простір

fertile ['fWtail] – родючий; рясний, багатий

densely populated ['den(t)sli 'pOpjqleitid] – густонаселений

semi-tropical ["semi'trOpik(q)l] – субтропічний

temperate zone ['temp(q)rqt zqun] – помірний пояс

tier [tiq] – ряд

population ["pOpju'leiS(q)n] – населення

melting pot ['meltiN pOt] – тигель; плавильний котел

ethnic minority ['eTnik mai'nOrqti] – етнічна меншість

urban ['Wb(q)n] – міський

sovereign powers ['sOv(q)rin 'pauqs] – суверенна влада

executive [ig'zekjutiv] – виконавчий

legislative ['leGislqtiv] – законодавчий

judicial [GH'diS(q)l] – судовий

free enterprise system [frJ 'entqpraiz 'sistqm] – система вільного підприємництва

income ['iNkAm] – прибуток; дохід

consumption [kqn'sAm(p)S(q)n] – споживання

unemployment ["Anim'plOimqnt] – безробіття

Reading

Read and translate the text.

The USA

Geographical location. The vast and varied expanse of the United States of America stretches from the heavily industrialized, metropolitan Atlantic seaboard, across the rich flat farms of the central plains, over the majestic Rocky Mountains to the fertile, densely populated west coast, then halfway across the Pacific to the semi-tropical island-state of Hawaii. A flight from New York to San Francisco takes 5.5 hours. A coast-to-coast trip by train takes three days. A trip by automobile from coast to coast takes five to six days.

America is a land of physical contrasts, including the weather. The southern parts of Florida, Texas, California, and the entire state of Hawaii have warm temperatures year round; most of the United States is in the temperate zone, while the northern tier of states and Alaska have extremely cold winters. The land varies from heavy forests to barren deserts, from high-peaked mountains to deep canyons. The United States is also a land of bountiful rivers and lakes.

Population. America has long been known as an ethnic “melting pot”. Its current population is over 252 million, made up of immigrants or their descendants from virtually every country in the world. It is believed that the first people to arrive – from Siberia, more than 10 000 years ago – were the native Americans or the American Indians. Today, nearly 1.5 million American Indians and Eskimos live in the United States, many on tribal lands set aside for them in 31 states.

Europe, the major source of United States immigration, began sending colonists to America in the early 17th century, primarily from northern and eastern Europe.

Afro-Americans, who today number more than 30 million, constitute the largest single ethnic minority in the country. They were first brought to the New World as slaves in the 17th, 18th and early 19th centuries. Hispanics, who number 20.5 million and live primarily in the Southwest, are the next largest ethnic minority group in the United States. Sixty percent are Mexican-Americans. The United States’ population has also absorbed nearly 6.5 million Asians (from China, Hong Kong, Japan, Laos, the Philippines, Vietnam, South Korea, Cambodia and Thailand).

Once a nation of farmers, the United States has become increasingly urban. Today, 77 percent of the population lives in or near cities, and only 1.9 percent of the population lives on farms. Americans as a nation tend to be quite mobile. The city of Washington, District of Columbia, is the capital of a federal union of 50 states and has the 10th largest metropolitan population in the country, with a population of over 4 million. When the United States declared its independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776 (now celebrated as a national holiday), there were 13 original states grouped along the Atlantic Coast.

Political system. Under the Constitution adopted in 1789, the states delegated many of their sovereign powers to the central government in Washington. But they kept many important powers for themselves.

The federal Government is divided into three branches. The Executive branch is headed by the President, who, together with the Vice President is chosen in nationwide elections every four years. The Legislative Branch is made up of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The 435 seats in the House of Representatives are allocated on the basis of population, although every state has at least one representative. Each state elects two members of the 100-member Senate; a Senator’s term is six years. The Judicial Branch is made up of Federal District Courts (at least one in every state), 11 Federal Courts of Appeals and, at the top, the Supreme Court.

Economy. The American economy is a free enterprise system. The nation’s income and productivity have risen enormously over the past century. Together, all sectors of the American economy produce more than $4 000 million dollars worth of goods and services annually. The consumption of these goods is spread widely. Most Americans consider themselves members of the middle economic class, and relatively few are extremely wealthy or extremely poor.

The government plays an important role in the economy, as is the case in all countries. America’s individual 50 states have been most active in building roads and in the field of education.

American industries have become increasingly more service-oriented. Approximately 27 million Americans are employed in selling. Another 19.2 million work in manufacturing and 17.5 million work for federal, state and local governments. Recently, unemployment in the US was calculated at about seven percents.

Language study