THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

The United States of America is the 4^th largest country in the world after Russia, Canada and China. It occupies the central part of the North American continent.

The United States of America is a federal republic, consisting of 50 states including the states of Alaska and Hawaii. Outlying areas include Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands.The northern boundary is partly formed by the Great Lakes and the St Lawrence River; the southern boundary is partly formed by the Rio Grande. United States also has a sea-border with Russia. The total area of the United States (including the District of Columbia) is about 9,809,000 sq km.The country is washed by 3 oceans: the Arctic, the Atlantic and the Pacific. The country has many lakes, with the Great Lakes included. There are also many rivers on the US territory. The longest of them are the Mississippi; the Missouri, the Columbia, the Rio Grande and some others. On the US territory there are mountains and lowlands. The highest mountains are the Rocky Mountains, the Cordillera and the Sierra Nevada. The highest peak, Mount McKinley, is located in Alaska.The climate conditions are rather different. The country is rich in natural and mineral resources: oil, gas, iron ore, coal and various metals.

The USA is a highly developed industrial and agricultural country. The main industrial branches are aircraft, rocket, automobile, electronics, radio-engineering and others.

Americans are made up from nearly all races and nations. The country population is over 250 mln. The national symbol of the USA is its national flag «Stars and Stripes», having 50 white stars and 13 white and red stripes on its field, symbolising the number of the original and present day states.Officially the country comprises 50 states and one District of Columbia. The states differ in size, population and economic development. Each state has its own capital. The capital of the USA is Washington. It is situated in the District of Columbia on the banks of the Potomac River and is named after the 1^st US President George Washington. There are many large cities in the country: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, San-Francisco, Cleveland and some others.

The United States of America is a federal state, headed by the President. According to the US Constitution the powers of the Government are divided into 3 branches: legislative, executive and judicial.

The legislative power belongs to the Congress consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate represents the states while the House of Representatives — the population. The executive power belongs to the President and his Administration (Vice-President and Cabinet of Ministers). The judicial power belongs to the Supreme Court and the system of Federal, state and district courts.

There are several political parties in the USA, the largest of them are the Republican (symbolized by a donkey) and the Democratic (symbolised by an elephant).

outlying areas - внешниетерритории

District of Columbia — округКолумбия

topass — проходить через

frontier - граница

to include — включать

lowlands — низины

peak - вершина, пик

tobelocated — располагаться

aircraft — воздушное судно

tobemadeupfrom — быть составленным, состоять из

stripe — полоса

tosymbolize - символизировать

legislativepower - законодательная власть

torepresent — представлять

tobelong — принадлежать

donkey – осел

GreatPlains — Великие равнины

Appalachian mountains — Аппалачскиегоры

Rocky mountains - Скалистыегоры

driveway — проезд, выезд sidewalk — тротуар

drive-thrushop — магазин, покупки в которомпроизводятся через окно автомобиля

toll-road — платная дорога (магистраль)

toll-freeroad — бесплатная дорога

highway, parkway, thruway — автомагистрали

turnpike — главная магистраль

shopping-mall — торговый центр

shoppingplaza — открытая торговая площадь,торговый ряд

freedelivery - бесплатная доставка

telephoneorder — телефонный заказ

sale — распродажа

discount — скидка seasons

sale — сезонная распродажа

clearancesale — распродажа зале леей товаров

discountcoupon - купон на скидку freegift — бесплатный подарок

Exercise 1.TranslateintoEnglish:

1. США - четвертая по размеру страна после России, Канады и Китая.

2. Внешние границы включают в себя Пуэрто-Рико, Американ­ское Самоа и Виргинские острова.

  3. 48 штатов граничат на севере с Канадой, а на юге с Мек­сикой.

4. США имеют морскую границу с Российской Федерацией.

  5. США омываются тремя океанами: Северным Ледовитым, Атлантическим и Тихим.

6. США - высокоразвитое промышленное государство со мно­жеством отраслей.

Текст 5.

THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

The Russian Federation is the largest country in the world. It occupies about 1/6 of the Earth surface. The country is situated in Eastern Europe, Northern and Central Asia. Its total area is over 17 million square km.

Our land is washed by 12 seas, most of which are the seas of three oceans: the Arctic, the Atlantic and the Pacific. In the south and in the west the country borders on fourteen countries. It also has a sea-border with the USA.

There is hardly a country in the world where such a great variety of flora and fauna can be found as in our land. Our country has numerous forests, plains and steppes, taiga and tundra, highlands and deserts. The highest mountains in our land are the Altai, the Urals and the Caucasus. There are over two thousand rivers in the Russian Federation. The longest of them are the Volga, the Ob, the Yenisei, the Lena and the Amur. Our land is also rich in various lakes with the deepest lake in the world, the Baikal, included.On the Russian territory there are 11 time zones. The climate conditions are rather different: from arctic and moderate to continental and subtropical. Our country is one of the richest in natural resources countries in the world: oil, natural gas, coal, different ores, ferrous and non-ferrous metals and other minerals.

The Russian Federation is a multinational state. It comprises many national districts, several autonomous republics and regions. The population of the country is about 140 million people.

Moscow is the capital of our Homeland. It is the largest political, scientific, cultural and industrial center of the country and one of the most beautiful cities on the globe. Russian is the official language of the state. The national symbols of the Russian Federation are a white-blue-red banner and a double-headed eagle. The Russian Federation is a constitutional republic headed by the President. The country government consists of three branches: legislative, executive and judicial. The President controls only the executive branch — the government, but not the Supreme Court and Federal Assembly. The legislative power belongs to the Federal Assembly comprising two chambers: the Council of Federation (upper Chamber) and the State Duma (lower Chamber). Each chamber is headed by the Speaker. The executive power belongs to the government (the Cabinet of Ministers) headed by the Prime Minister. The judicial power belongs to the system of Courts comprising the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court and federal courts. Our country has a multiparty system. The largest and most influential political parties are the «Unity», the Communist party, the «Fatherland — All Russia», «The Union of the Right Forces», «The Apple», Liberal-Democratic and some others.

The foreign policy of the Russian Federation is that of international cooperation, peace and friendship with all nations irrespective of their political and social systems.

to occupy - занимать

surface — поверхность

total area — общаяплощадь

toborderon - граничить с

numerous — многочисленные

steppes — степи taiga — тайга

highlands — горные возвышенности

the Urals - Уральскиегоры

the Caucasus — Кавказ

climate conditions— климатическиеусловия

moderate - умеренный

ore - руда

ferrous and non-ferrous metals - черныеицветные

металлы

state - государство

tocomprise - включать, охватывать

banner — знамя, флаг

legislative - законодательный

executive - исполнительная

judicial - судебная

FederalAssembly - Федеральное Собрание

the Council of Federation - СоветФедерации

Текст 6.

MOSCOW

Moscow is the capital and largest city of Russia. It is also the capital of Moscow Oblast, and it stands on the Moskva River. Moscow is the economic, political and cultural centre of Russia. Railways and numerous airlines link the city with all parts of Russia. Navigable waterways, including the Moscow Canal, Moscva River, and Volga-Don Canal, make the port areas of the city directly accessible to shipping from the Baltic, White, Black, and Caspian seas and the Sea of Azov.

Moscow covers an area of about 880 sq km. Concentric boulevards divide the city into several sections. At the centre of the concentric circles (and semicircles) are the Kremlin, the former governmental seat of Russia, and adjacent Red Square, which form the centre of a radial street pattern. Moscow has a modern underground system famous for its marble-walled stations.Situated on the north bank of the Moskva River, the, Kremlin is the dominant landmark of Moscow. A stone wall, up to 21 m in height and 19 towers, surrounds this triangular complex of former palaces, cathedrals, and other monuments of tsarist times, some of them dating from the Middle Ages. The Great Kremlin Palace, completed in 1849, is the most imposing structure within the Kremlin. Other notable Kremlin palaces are the Granovitaya Palace (1491) and the Terem (1636).

Among many cathedrals, now used mainly as museums, are the Cathedral of the Assumption (Успения) and the Archangel Cathedral, each with five gilded domes, and the Cathedral of the Annunciation (Благовещения) (13th —14th century), with nine gilded domes. Another landmark of the Kremlin is the Tower of Ivan the Great, a bell tower 98 m high. On a nearby pedestal is the Tsar's Bell (nearly 200 tons), one of the largest in the world. A recent addition to the Kremlin is the Palace of Congresses, completed in 1961. In this huge modern building were held meetings of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and congresses of the Communist party of the Soviet Union; theatrical and other artistic performances have been held here as well.

St Basil's Cathedral, famous for its unique architecture and colored domes, stands at one end of Red Square.

One of the best-known sections of Moscow is the Kitaigorod (Chinese City), the ancient commercial quarter lying to the east of the Kremlin. This section is now the site of many government office buildings.

Other points of interest in Moscow include the Central Lenin Stadium, comprising about 130 buildings for various sports and the tall Ostankino TV tower, which contains a revolving restaurant and an observation platform.

General understanding:

1. Where is Moscow located?

2. Is Moscow a port city?

3. How is Moscow divided into sections?

4. What is known about Moscow Underground system?

5. What are the places of interest in Moscow?

6. Why the Kremlin is the most important place of interest for tourists?

7. What Russian Orthodox cathedrals are situated inside the Kremlin?

8. What is Palace of Congresses used for at present time?

Exercise 1. Where are these places of interest situated?

• Granovitaya Palace

• Terem

• the Red Square

the Kremlin

the Great Kremlin Palace

the Cathedral of the Assumption

the Archangel Cathedral

the Cathedral of the Annunciation

the Tower of Ivan the Great

the Tsar's Bell

the Palace of Congresses

St Basil's Cathedral

the Central Lenin Stadium

Текст 7.

ROSTOV-ON-DON

Rostov-on-Don, the capital of the Southern federal district and Rostov region, is a comparatively young city. Not so long ago Rostovites celebrated its 250^th anniversary. The city was founded in 1749 when a custom-house on the Temernik River was set up. According to a legend, Tsar Peter the First tried the water from a spring when he stopped on the right bank of the Don on his way to Azov. He was so pleased with the taste of water that he called the spring «Bogaty istochnik» — Rich spring. The name of the spring gave the name to the street. The water is being bottled now and sold all over the country.But only years later, after the death of Tsar Peter I, under the rule of Katherine II a fortress was built here. The main purpose of the fortress was to support the customs effectively operating in this trade and transport active region. The fortress was named after Dimitry Rostovsky, the Archbishop of Rostov the Great. The town grew later on, round the walls of the fortress and it was also called «Rostov which lies on the river Don».

Rostov is situated on the right bank of the river Don, not far from the Sea of Azov. Due to its geographical position the city grew rapidly.

After the hard years of the Civil War Rostovites restored the ruined economy of the region.

During the World War II Rostov was occupied by the Germans twice. They destroyed almost all the city. Nowadays Rostov is the largest city in the South of the country. It's a big sea and river port and an important railway junction. Rostov is called «The Gateway to the Caucasus».

The main branch of industry is agricultural machine building. «Rostselmash» is a giant machine building plant producing a lot of agricultural machines. Factories of Rostov produce champagne, cigarettes, musical instruments which are well-known abroad. There is also a big helicopter plant in Rostov.

Rostov is the cultural centre of the Rostov region. There are many educational establishments in Rostov including, the Rostov State University, founded in Warsaw in 1815. There are six theatres in Rostov (Gorky Drama Theatre, Philharmonic, Puppet Theatre, Theatre of Musical Comedy, Theatre of Young Spectators and Musical Theatre).

There are two museums (Local Lore Museum, Fine Arts Museum), eight stadiums, several Palaces of Culture, a lot of cinemas, libraries, parks and gardens.

Rostov is famous for many prominent people who lived here.

The city is very green. There are a lot of parks in the city. In summer you can see a lot of people on the beach on the left bank of the Don river.

General understanding:

1. What is the status of Rostov-on-Don now?

2. Is Rostov-on-Don an old city?

3. What role did Peter the Great-play in the history of Rostov-on-Don?

4. Why did Peter the Great call the spring «rich»?

5. When was the first fortress built? How was it called?

Текст 8.

BUSINESSMAN'S DAY

Mr. John Turner is 30. He is married and he has got his own family. He has a wife, a daughter and a son. His wife is an economist. Her name is Jane. The names of their children are Rate and Peter. They live in a small house in Greenwood. Greenwood is a small place not far from London.

John works in London. He is a manager in a big trade firm. His firm sells the goods in various countries. In the morning he always goes to his office in London on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. He doesn't go to his office on Saturday and Sunday. These are his days-off.

John frequently meets the representatives of English and French firms. They discuss the prices, terms of payment and delivery. He begins his working day at 9 o'clock in the morning. Every morning John first looks through fresh newspapers. He takes much interest in the latest political and business news. Sometimes John goes to different cities to discuss business with their customers. He is a very busy man. He always has a lot of work. He looks through mail, reads telegrams and letters and speaks on the phone with the customers. He also makes appointments with his business partners.

At twelve he has lunch. After lunch he sometimes goes to factories with the inspectors, but sometimes stays in the office and discusses business matters with director or customers. He finishes his working day at 6 o'clock. He usually comes home at 7 o'clock in the evening.

Linda Foster is a secretary to Mr. John Turner. Her office is not large. She has got a computer, a lax and a telephone on her desk. Linda comes to her office at nine every morning from Monday to Friday. At the beginning of her working day Linda usually looks through the mail. She receives both snail-mail and e-mail. At 11 o'clock she comes into her manager's office with the letters and telegrams. The manager reads them and gives answers to the letters. Linda writes everything in her book and goes to her office. There she types the answers on her computer. She also receives and sends e-mail correspondence.

In the afternoon Linda usually has lunch at the office but sometimes she has lunch at the cafe with her friend Alex. She stays in the office till 6 o'clock. In the evening Linda has her French lessons. She learns French for two years already. Linda wants to know French well because she wants to work with French firms and customers.

own - собственный

economist - экономист

manager - менеджер

trade firm - торговаяфирма

frequently - часто

customer - клиент, заказчик

representatives - представители

prices - цены

terms of payment - условияплатежа

delivery - доставка

to look through - просматривать

todiscussbusiness - обсуждать деловые вопросы

business matters - дела, деловыевопросы

to take interest - интересоваться

to speak on the phone - говоритьпотелефону

to make an appointment - назначатьвстречу

business partners - деловыепартнеры

inspector - приемщик

mail - почта

snail-mail - почта (обычная), (snail - улитка)

e-mail - электронная почта

correspondence - корреспонденция