The United States of America
The United States of America are situated in the central part of the North American continent. Its western coast is washed by the Pacific Ocean and its eastern coast — by the Atlantic Ocean.
The total area of the USA is over nine million square kilometers.
The population of the USA is about 250 million people; most of the population lives in towns and cities.
The USA is a very large country, so it has several different climatic regions. The coldest regions are in the north and northeast. 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 rivers in the USA are the Mississippi, the Missouri and the Rio Grande. The highest mountains are the Rocky Mountains, the Cordillera and the Sierra Nevada.
The United States is rich in natural and mineral resources. It produces copper, oil, iron ore and coal. It is a highly developed industrial and agricultural country.
There are many big cities in the USA, such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and others. The national capital is Washington, D.C. Its population is about 3.4 million. Washington was built in the late eighteenth century as the center of government. It was named after George Washington.
The USA became the world leading country at the beginning of the twentieth century.
Answer the questions:
1. What can you say about the geographical position of the United States of America?
2. What is the total area and the population of the United States?
3. What is the climate of the United States like?
4. Why is the United States called a land of rivers and lakes?
5. How can you characterize the natural and mineral resources of the country?
6. What are the major cities of the United States?
Translate into English:
Соединенные Штаты Америки расположены в центральной части материка Северная Америка и омываются Тихим и Атлантическим океанами.
Население США, составляющее около 250 миллионов человек, живет, в основном (mostly), в городах.
США — высокоразвитая промышленная и аграрная страна с богатыми природными ресурсами.
США богаты полезными ископаемыми: медью, нефтью, железной рудой и углем.
Столица страны, Вашингтон, получила название в Джорджа Вашингтона.
США — одна из ведущих стран мира.
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Russia
Russia is one of the largest countries in the world. The territory of Russia lies in the eastern part of Europe and northern part of Asia.
Russia is washed by twelve seas and three oceans. The oceans are: the Arctic, the Atlantic and the Pacific. The seas are: the White Sea, the Barents Sea, the Okhotsk Sea, the Black Sea, the Baltic Sea and others.
Russia borders on many countries, such as Mongolia, China in the southeast, Finland and Norway in the northwest, and so on.
The land of Russia varies very much from forests to deserts, from high mountains to deep valleys. The main mountain chains are the Urals, the Caucasus and the Altai. There are a lot of great rivers and deep lakes on its territory. The longest rivers are the Volga in Europe and the Ob, the Yenisei and the Lena in Asia. The largest lakes are Ladoga and the Baikal. The Baikal is the deepest lake in the world and its water is the purest on earth.
The Russian Federation is rich in natural and mineral resources. It has deposits of oil, gas, coal, iron, gold and many others.
The current population of Russia is more than 140 million people. The European part of the country is densely peopled and most population live in cities and towns and their outskirts
The capital of the Russian Federation is Moscow, with population of about 10 million people.
Russia is a presidential republic. It is one of the leading powers in the world.
Answer the questions:
Where does the vast territory of Russia lie?
What oceans and seas is Russia washed by?
What countries does Russia border on?
What main mountain chains, rivers and lakes are there in Russia?
What mineral resources are there in Russia?
What is the population of Russia?
What is the form of government in Russia?
Translate into English:
1. Россия расположена в восточной части Европы и северной части Азии.
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2. Обширная территория России омывается Северно-Ледовитым, Атлантическим и Тихим океанами.
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3. Россия граничит с Монголией, Китаем, Финляндией и другими странами.
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4. Россия располагает большим количеством месторождений полезных ископаемых.
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5. Полезные ископаемые России включают (include) газ, уголь, железо, золото и др.
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6. Форма правления (form of government) в России, одной из ведущих мировых держав, — президентская республика.
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East or West home is best.
An Englishman’s home is his castle.
TOPIC 2.
Political system.
You will read the texts “UK Political System”, “US Government”, “State System of Russia.”
Before you begin reading say what you know about
British Parliament
US Congress
Federal Assembly of Russia