Official name of the country: the United States of America (US or USA).
Type of the state: federal republic. Area: 9,372,614 square km.
Administrative divisions: 50 states and 1 district.
Population: about 265 mln people.
Capital: Washington, DC (District of Columbia), stands on the Potomac River.
Largest cities: New York (over 18 mln people), Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles. Nickname of New York – “Big Apple”. Largest state: Alaska.
Seattle (called Emerald City) – the biggest city of state Washington.
Hollywood – the symbol of the American movie industry.
Detroit – Motor City (Ford, Chrysler and General Motors have their plants there).
Boston – the oldest city in the USA (a lot of colleges and universities).
Cape Canaveral (in Florida) is famous for the Kennedy Space Centre.
National holiday: Independence Day, 4 July (1776).
Executive branch: President, vice president, Cabinet.
The official residence of the President: the White House.
Legislative branch: bicameral Congress which consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives.
Political Parties: two major national parties — Republican (its symbol is Elephant) and Democratic (its symbol is Donkey).
Elections: presidential elections are held every four years.
Flag: Stars and Stripes; Stars are for the 50 states of the United States; Stripes are for the 13 colonies (the first 13 states).
Longest river: the Mississippi. The other ones: the Missouri, the Yukon, the Colorado.
Niagara Falls – two large water falls on the border with Canada.
Mountains: the Cordilleras, the Rocky , the Appalachian.
Highest point: Mount McKinley (called before Denali) in the Cordilleras (Alaska).
The Grand Canyon – one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World.
The Statue of Liberty was presented to the US by the French and stands in New York.
Wall Street (New York) – the financial centre of the country.
The White House (Washington) – the official residence of the President.
US Capitol is the tallest building in Washington (the laws are made here).
The USA is often compared with a “melting pot” (плавильный котел) because of lots of immigrants living there.
TEST
1. America was discovered by: a) Christopher Columbus;
b) George Washington;
c) The pilgrims.
2. The President of the USA is: a) Margaret Thatcher;
b) George Bush;
c) Barack Obama .
3. The capital of the USA is: a) Washington;
b) New York;
c) Los Angeles.
4. The USA has: a) fifty states;
b) fifteen states;
c) fifty one states.
5. One singer is not from the USA. Who? a) Michael Jackson;
b) Kylie Minoque;
c) Debblie Gibson.
6. When is Independence Day? a) 4 July;
b) 26 October;
c) 14 July.
7. What is the favourite sport in the USA? a) baseball;
b) cricket;
c) rugby.
8. What river is not in the USA? a) the Mississippi;
b) the Missouri;
c) the Thames.
9. Where is the Statue of Liberty? a) New York;
b) Washington;
c) California.
10. The American flag has: a) fifty stripes;
b) thirty stripes;
c) thirteen stripes.
11. The anthem of the USA is: a) America, the Beautiful;
b) The Star-Spangled Banner;
c) God Save the Queen.
12. In the USA the temperature is measured according to: a) Celsius scale;
b) Fahrenheit scale.
13. The native Americans are: a) the British;
b) the French;
c) Indians.
14. Manhattan is a part of: a) New York;
b) San Francisco;
c) Washington, D. C.
15. The forty-second President of the USA is: a) Ronald W. Reagan;
b) George H. Bush;
c) William J. Clinton.
16. The tallest sight in Washington, D. C., is: a) US Capitol;
b) the Statue of Liberty;
c) the White House.
17. The best mark in the USA is: a) 5; b) A; c) 100.
18. Is there any difference in meaning between "Coca-Cola" and "coke"?
a) yes; b) no.
19. Oscar is a prize given for: a) achievement in motion-picture production;
b) achievements in journalism and literature;
c) achievements in music.
20. The home of the United Nation Organization is:
a) Geneva; b) New York; c) Washington.
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