Lecture XII. Mass media, economy, sport in the usa

Economy of the USA

The economy of the United States is the largest national economy in the world.The United States has been one of the best-performing developed countries, consistently outperforming European countries. The American labor market has attracted immigrants from all over the world and has one of the world's highest migration rates. Americans enjoy the second highest income per hour worked. The United States tops the overall ranking in the Global Competitiveness Report.
A central feature of the U.S. economy is the economic freedom afforded to the private sector by allowing the private sector to make the majority of economic decisions in determining the direction and scale of what the U.S. economy produces. This is enhanced by relatively low levels of regulation and government involvement, as well as a court system that generally protects property rights and enforces contracts.

3. 
   Sport
   

Americans are very fond of sport. The most popular sports in the USA are football, which is played from April to October, baseball, played from September to December, basketball, played from October to April and ice hockey, played in neither most nor then cities from October to March.


Basketball is а game which nowadays is popular аll over the world. It was invented in 1891. During the '20s the first US league championship was organized. In the '70s American Championship was divided into two leagues: the АВА (American Basketball Association), which does not exist аnу longer and which played with а blue, red and white bаll and the NBA (National Basketball Association).
There are more activities which Americans take part in such as golf, swimming, tennis, aerobics, wrestling, etc. Sports are a national pastime, and playing sports, especially American football, baseball, and basketball, is very popular at the high-school level. Professional sports in the U.S. are big business, with most of the world's most highly paid athletes. The "Big Four" sports are baseball, American football, ice hockey, and basketball. Baseball is popularly termed "the national pastime"; but, since the early 1990s, American football has largely been considered the most popular sport in America.
Other sports, including auto racing, lacrosse, soccer, golf, and tennis, have significant followings. The United States is among the most influential regions in shaping three popular board-based recreational sports: surfboarding, skateboarding, and snowboarding. Eight Olympiads have taken place in the United States; in medals won, the United States ranks third in the Winter Games, with 218 (78 gold, 81 silver, and 59 bronze), and first in the Summer Games, with 2,321 (943 gold, 736 silver, and 642 bronze).


Assignments for Self-Control

Questions:

1. What different types of communications does the media of the United States consist of?
2. Name the big three private national television networks.
3. What is a talk radio?
4. What isthe motion picture industry?
5. Speak about the newspapers in the USA.
6. What is a magazine?