Read the sentences using English equivalents

1) The USA is situated in North America between 2 oceans: (Атлантическим океаном и Тихим океаном).

2) The USA (граничит с) Canada in the north and Mexico in the south.

3) The USA is often called (котел, в котором переплавляются нации) where economic and social pressures have forced non-speaking immigrants to drop their (родной язык) and (привычки)

4) (Население США) is 325 million people (2017).

5) Half the territory of the USA is (горная).

Find English equivalents in the text.

влияние, океан, граничит c, государство, штат, родной язык, долина, горный, национальность, приток, минеральные ресурсы, цветные металлы, земля айсбергов и белых медведей

Answer the questions.

1) Where is the USA situated? 2) What countries does the USA border on? 3) What is the total area of the USA? 4) How many states does the USA consist of? 5) What is the total number of the population? 6) what are the most populated cities of the USA? 7) How is the USA often called? 8) Is the USA mountainous territory? 9) What rivers are the largest in the USA? 10) What state is known as the land of 10, 000 lakes? 11) How can you characterize the climate of the USA? 12) What mineral resources is the USA rich in?

Political System

The USA is a federal presidential democratic republic. The head of the state is the President. He is elected for a term of four years and can only be reelected for one more term. The term of office of the President begins at noon on January 20. The President must be a natural-born citizen of the USA, at least 35 years old, and a resident of the country for at least 14 years. The President of the state is also the head of the executive power, treaty maker, Commander-in-Chief of the army. He conducts foreign affairs, signs treaties //договора in the name of the USA, appoints diplomats, ambassadors, cabinet members, federal judges. The President can forbid (veto) any bill passed by Congress. The President of the USA is Donald Trump, an American businessman, television personality, and author. Trump was the Republican nominee for President of the United States in the 2016 election, having won the most state primaries, caucuses, and delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention.

The Constitution was adopted after the War of Independence by the Constitutional Convention on September17, 1787 in Philadelphia (was a national capital from 1790 to 1800). It consists of the Preamble and 7 articles. 27 amendments //поправки have been added to its original text. The first 10 amendments are known as the Bill of Rights (1791) the main principles of which are individuals rights and freedoms to all people of the State, including freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of worship, freedom of enterprise etc.

The “Father of the Constitution” was a rich plantation owner from Virginia, James Madison who proclaimed that “a private property is the backbone of liberty”.

The legislative branch of the government is the Congress, which has 2 houses: the Senate (that represents the states) and the House of Representatives (that represents the population according to its distribution among states). Powers granted to Congress under the Constitution include the power to levy taxes, borrow money, regulate interstate commerce, declare war, seat members, control the nation′s finances, to hold foreign policy, to change the State Budget, to provide for military forces. The House of Representatives has a special power of its own. Only a member of the House can introduce a bill to raise money, but it must be praised by the Senate before it can become a law.

The Supreme Court is the highest court in the country and the head of the judicial branch of the US government. The Supreme Court Building is a beautiful building of white marble in Washington, D.C. The figures over the entrance represent the national ideas of law and liberty – “Equal Justice Under Law”. The US Supreme Court includes a Chief Justice (главный судья) and eight Associate Justices. One of the most important duties of the justices is to decide whether laws passed by the Congress agree with the Constitution. Besides the US Court there are various district courts and courts of appeals (апелляционные суды). These courts handle both civil and criminal cases.

Today the USA has 2 major political parties: the Democratic Party (its emblem is the Democratic donkey) and the Republican Party (its emblem is the Republican elephant). There is very little ideological difference between them. Both parties defend the free-enterprise capitalist system as the basis of American society.

The main religion is Christianity. The official language is English. The monitory unit is dollar ($). Dollars became America′s official currency in 1792. American money comes in bills (paper money) and coins. A slang word for a dollar is “buck”. It’s interesting that whatever the domination is all bills are of the same colour and size. The American dollar is an important currency that is used for trade between countries all over the world; the world price for gold is given in dollars. It is the world’s primary reserve currency. It is the most used currency in the international transactions. With Americans the most common way of making payment is by credit card, the major ones being Visa, American Express, and Master Card. Other ways of completing business transactions or making a purchase is by means of a check book and a banking card. Credit and banking cards are commonly called “plastic money”, or just plastic.

PRACTICE