Basic vocabulary

The United States of America is located in central North America, with Canada to the north, Mexico to the south, the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The United States is divided into 50 states and the District of Columbia. The population of the US is about 280 mln. people.

The US stretches for about 2500 km from north to south and 4500 km from east to west. The Great Lakes are situated in the northeast of the country. The region of the mountains has semi deserts, while the rest of the territory is rich with forests.

Famous fruit-raising area is located in California, where the climate is usually mild. Californian oranges, grapefruits and lemons are sold all over the USA and other parts of the world. The plains of Wyoming are stretching for hundreds of miles and covered with short grass and sagebrush. This is the land of cattle and sheep breeding. The south of the country has been an agricultural region for many years. It raises the nation’s cotton and tobacco. The USA also grows wheat, corn and different vegetables.

There are a lot of national parks in the USA, which were created to preserve the beauty and treasures of the nature.

The US Constitution performs two main functions, the first one is to ensure fulfillment of human rights of the US citizens. This function is based on the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments added to the Constitution in 1791. These ten statements convey five basic truths: God granted equality to all people; all humans have equal rights at birth; these are basic rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; these rights are self-evident, and if the government takes away any of these rights, people have the right – as well as the responsibility – to do away with that government.

For the benefit of being a part of a united nation, each state agreed to allow the federal government to have certain authority. The federal government regulates trade affairs among states, conducts foreign affairs, runs fiscal functions such as money emission, provides postal services, and manages army and navy.

National government manages three functions such as executive, legislative, and judicial. The executive branch is headed by the President. Legislative power is vested in the two chambers of Congress (US Parliament), the Senate and the House of Representatives. The judicial branch is composed of the Supreme Court and lower federal courts.

Each presidential term is four years, and no one can serve more than two terms. President’s duties and responsibilities consist of carrying out laws provided by Congress, management of Congress, US nation informing about state of the Union, executing veto power, administrating foreign policy, serving as Commander-in-Chief of the military, appointing certain government officials, etc.

The United States is one of the world's greatest economic powers, measured in terms of gross national product (GNP). The nation's wealth is partly, a reflection of its rich natural resources and its enormous agricultural output, but it owes more to the country’s highly developed industry. Its export and import variety is representing main world’s trends in total.

The United States could be described as mixed economy, while the great majority of productive resources are privately owned.

Tasks and Exercises:

Ex.1. Complete the sentences with one of the following words.

1. The United States of America ………… on Canada in the north and Mexico in the south.

2. If you want to visit the Great Lakes, you should go to the ………… of the country.

3. Californian fruit, ………… oranges, grapefruits and lemons, are sold all over the world.

4. The basic human rights are those of life, liberty and …………of happiness.

5. The climate of California is usually ………….

6. The economy of the United States is mixed ………….

7. You can ………… the first ten amendments to the Constitution in the Bill of Rights.

8. The lands of Wyoming ………… are for cattle and sheep breeding.

Ex.2. Complete the sentences with one of the following verbs in the correct form.

a) The national parks of the USA were ………… to preserve the beauty and treasures of the nature.

b) Executive branch ………… by the President.

c) The plains of Wyoming …………with short grass.

d) Ten amendments to the Constitution ………… five basic truths.

e) The United States ………… highly developed industry.

f) The US President …………for the term of four years.

Ex.3. Choose a, b, or c, in each question below. Only one choice is correct.

1. Californian oranges, grapefruits and lemons are sold in... countries too.

a) others.

b) another.

c) other.

2. Each state has its own …

a) federal government

b) authority

c) currency

3. The Senate is one of the... of the US Parliament.

a) Chambers

b) Congress

c) Representatives

4. The District of Columbia is... of the USA.

a) city

b) federal district

c) state

5. The United States is a... country and has the world's largest national economy.

a) developed

b) developing

c) poor

6. The state of Alaska is the northwestern part of... America.

a) North

b) Central

c) South

7. The federal government is composed of three...: executive, legislative, and judicial.

a) chambers

b) parts

c) branches

8. The president can veto legislative... before they become law.

a) bonds

b) bills

c) notes

Ex.4. Match the words in bold with their explanation.

1. any of various herbaceous plants having parts that are used as food

2. having identical privileges, rights, status, etc

3. an expanse of water entirely surrounded by land

4. a task or action that a person is bound to perform

5. wealth and riches, usually hoarded

6. to carry out or do

7. goods or services sold to foreign countries

8. goods or services that are bought from foreign countries

Ex.5. Choose the right variant.

1. According to the text, the USA is washed............ the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.

2. The Supreme Court confers the............ power.

3. US Constitution is............ to ensure fulfillment of human rights of US citizens.

4. The natural resources of the country are an integral............ of the nation's wealth.

5. The first ten amendments............ five basic truths.

a) state b) say c) sell d) send

6. The winner of the 2012 presidential............., Democrat Barack Obama, is the 44th U.S. president.

a) election b) choice c) competition d) contest

7. The Senate has 100 members with............ state having two senators.

a) any b) all c) some d) each

8. Measured by only land area, the United States is third in size............ Russia and China.

a) by b) behind c) between d) opposite

Ex.6. Put in the correct preposition: of, after, in, over, for, with, between, by

1. The country shares land borders............ Canada and Mexico.

2. The first President of the United States, George Washington, was not a member............ any political party.

3. The federal government was created............ the states.

4. By land area only, the United States is the world's third largest country,............ Russia and Canada.

5. Hawaii is a popular destination............ tourists.

6. There are major differences............ the political system of the United States and that of most other developed democracies.

7. The federal government's layout is explained............ the Constitution.

8. American products are sold all............ the world.

Ex.7. Match the opposites.

Ex.8. Translate the following sentences into English.

1. Аляска – це один з 50 штатів Америки, що знаходиться на півночі країни.

2. На півдні-сході Сполучених Штатів знаходяться субтропічні ліси.

3. Конституція США гарантує права громадян країни.

4. У США вирощують пшеницю, кукурудзу, бавовну, абак, фрукти та овочі.

5. Федеральний уряд регулює торгові відносини між штатами.

6. Більша частина земель країни покрита лісами.

7. Штати не мають права самостійно відокремлюватися від держави.

8. Виконавча, законодавча і судова влада представлені відповідно Президентом, Конгресом і Верховним Судом.

9. Аляска — півострів у північно-західній частині Північної Америки, найбільший штат країни.

10. Економічна система США забезпечує найвищі показники ВВП на душу населення.

Ex.9. Complete the sentences using comparative/superlative forms.

1. The population of Dniepropetrovsk is small… than that of New York.

2. The Rocky Mountain region is the high... region of the United States.

3. The USA is rich… than Ukraine.

4. The United States is the world's old… surviving federation.

5. The president serves a four-year term and may be elected to the office no … than twice.

6. Florida is one of the … attractive tourist destinations in the world.

7. New York is … expensive for living than Kiev.

8. The … well-known landmark of New York city is the Statue of Liberty.

9. China and the United States are small… than Russia and Canada in total area.

10. Alaska contains some of the … dramatic and untapped scenery in the country.

Ex.10. Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)?

1. The USA has 50 states.

2. There are very few national parks in the USA.

3. The President is responsible for carrying out laws provided by Congress.

4. Cotton and tobacco are grown in the north of the USA.

5. US Constitution was repealed in 1791.

6. US Parliament consists of two chambers.

7. The United States has one of the world's weakest economies.

8. The Bill of Rights contains the first twelve amendments.

9. The National government manages one function.

10. The US President is elected for four years.

Поиск по сайту: