The United States of America
The United State of America lies in the central part of the North American
continent with the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Pacific to the west, Canada to the
north, and Mexico and the Gulf(1) of Mexico to the south. The USA is one of the
biggest countries in the world. The size of its territory places is the fourth in the
world. Its population is over 240 million.
The USA is a country, having an
interesting history. It was originally populated (2)by different Indian tribes. In the
17th century European colonies were founded on its territory. But on July 4, 1776
the united colonies became independent of Great Britain and new state(3) called
the USA was proclaimed. The further development (4) of the country was hundred
by a civil war (5)between the North and Southern States which ended in 1865 and
the unity of the nation was not impaired(6). During the period of its development
the USA achieved great, successes in all fields of life – in industry, agriculture and
art. With radical changes in production methods the productivity of labour (7) is
increasing (8) in the country. Computers are widely
used in many spheres of
national economy and social life. It is having profound (9)economic and social
effects. There is a variety of natural resources in the country, including the water
recourses. The greatest rivers of the USA are the Mississippi, «the
father of
waters», the Colorado and the Columbia. One of the most widely known natural
wonders in America is Niagara Falls, which is situated on
the New York Central
Lines, between New York and Chicago. Niagara is an Indian word and means
―roaring waters(10)‖. The fall is of great industrial importance. The USA, being a
federation of states, consists of 50 states and the District Columbia.
The terms
(11)Washington and District of Columbia are practically synonymous. The District
is named in honour of Columbus. The President of the USA elected for four years
in the head of the government. All legislative (12)power belongs to Congress,
consisting of two Houses the Senate and the House of Representatives. The USA is
developing as a capitalist state. Two main bourgeois(13) parties dominate(14) the
political scene of the USA. They are: the Democratic Party founded in 1783 and
the Republican Party founded in 1854. The capital of the USA is Washington. The
USA is a federal republic. The President is elected for four years, and is the head
of state and of the government. Congress consists of two houses: the House of
Representatives and the Senate. Elections to the House of Representatives are held
every two years, when the whole House of Representatives is replaced. The Senate
consists of
two senators from each state, elected for six years. One third of the
Senate is replaced every two years. A senator must be 30 years old, nine
years a
citizen and an inhabitant (14) of the state which elects him. The two main political
parties are the Republicans and the Democrats. There is little difference between
their programs in national policies.