 |
Тopic 6. The United States of America. Vocabulary. Questions. Economy of the United States. National economic indicators
|
|
|
|
Тopic 6
The United States of America
The United States of America is a constitutional federal republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D. C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to its east and Russia to the west across the Bering Strait, and the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories, or insular areas, scattered around the Caribbean and Pacific.
At 3. 79 million square miles (9. 83 million km² ) and with more than 300 million people, the United States is the third or fourth largest country by total area, and third largest by land area and by population. The United States is one of the world's most ethnically diverse nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries. The U. S. economy is the largest national economy in the world. The nation was founded by thirteen colonies of Great Britain located along the Atlantic seaboard. On July 4, 1776, they jointly issued the Declaration of Independence, which proclaimed their independence from Great Britain and their formation of a cooperative union.
The USA is a highly developed industrial and agricultural country. The main industrial branches are aircraft, rocket, automobile, electronics, radio – engineering and others.
The United States is the world's oldest surviving federation. It is a constitutional republic. It is fundamentally structured as a representative democracy, though U. S. citizens residing in the territories are excluded from voting for federal officials. The government is regulated by a system of checks and balances defined by the United States Constitution, which serves as the country's supreme legal document and as a social contract for the people of the United States. In the American federalist system, citizens are usually subject to three levels of government, federal, state, and local.
Vocabulary
| Constitutional | Конституционный |
| Contiguous | Прилегающий |
| Border | Граничить |
| Archipelago | Архипелаг |
| Possess | Обладать, владеть |
| Insular | Островная |
| Scattered | Разбросанные |
| Area | Площадь |
| Jointly | Совместно |
| Issue | Издавать |
| Proclaim | Провозглашать |
| Independence | Независимость |
| Develop | Развивать |
| Agricultural | Сельскохозяйственный |
| Aircraft | Авиация |
| Rocket | Ракета |
| Fundamentally | Основная |
| supreme | Верховный |
Questions
|
|
|
1. Where is the United States of Americasituated?
2. What countries does it border?
3. What is the territory of the US?
4. What is the population of the US?
5. Why is the USA called the “melting pot”?
6. How was the USA founded?
7. What are the main industrial branches of the US?
8. What is the political system of the USA?
9. How is the government regulated?
10. What are the three levels of government citizens are usually subject to?
Тopic 7
Economy of the United States
|
National economic indicators | |
| Unemployment | 6. 1%August 2008 |
| GDP growth | 1. 9%2Q 2008 (2. 2%)2007 |
| CPI inflation | 5. 6%July 2007–July 2008 |
| National debt | $9. 646 trillionAugust 29, 2008 |
| Poverty | 12. 5%2007 |
The United States has a capitalist mixed economy, which is fueled by abundant natural resources, a well-developed infrastructure, and high productivity. According to the International Monetary Fund, the United States GDP of more than $13 trillion constitutes over 25. 5% of the gross world product at market exchange rates and over 19% of the gross world product at purchasing power parity (PPP). The largest national GDP in the world, it was slightly less than the combined GDP of the European Union at PPP in 2006. The country ranks eighth in the world in nominal GDP per capita and fourth in GDP per capita at PPP. The United States is the largest importer of goods and third largest exporter, though exports per capita are relatively low. Canada, China, Mexico, Japan, and Germany are its top trading partners. The leading export commodity is electrical machinery, while vehicles constitute the leading import.
The private sector constitutes the bulk of the economy, with government activity accounting for 12. 4% of GDP. The economy is postindustrial, with the service sector contributing 67. 8% of GDP. The leading business field by gross business receipts is wholesale and retail trade; by net income it is finance and insurance. The United States remains an industrial power, with chemical products the leading manufacturing field. The United States is the third largest producer of oil in the world, as well as its largest importer. It is the world's number one producer of electrical and nuclear energy, as well as liquid natural gas, sulfur, phosphates, and salt. While agriculture accounts for just under 1% of GDP, the United States is the world's top producer of corn and soybeans. The country's leading cash crop is marijuana, despite federal laws making its cultivation and sale illegal. The New York Stock Exchange is the world's largest by dollar volume. Coca-Cola and McDonald's are the two most recognized brands in the world.
|
|
|
