THE USA

THE USA

official name:
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (derived from Italian navigator Amerigo Vespuci)

over the map: western hemisphere of the Earth; North America
The USA is bounded by Canada on the North, on the East by the Atlantic Ocean, on the South by Gulf of Mexico and on the West by Pacific ocean. The nothern boundary is formed by the Great Lakes and the St.Lawrence River; the southern boundary by Rio Grande.

the highest mountain: Mount McKinley - 6199 m above sea level (in Alaska), Rocky Mountains,

valley: Death Valley - 86 m below sea level (in California)

rivers: Ohio, Tennessee, Illinois, Mississippi, Colorado, Rio Grande, Yukon (Alaska), Missouri, ...

lakes: 5 great lakes: Erie, Huron, Michigan, Ontario, Superior

famous national parks: Niagara falls (the falls are 50 meters high)
Yellowstone park - the oldest national park in the world, the biggest in The USA, the river Yellowstone floats through it.
Sepoya national park, Munument valley

capital: Washington D.C.

cities:
east coast: New York, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Baltimore, Boston, Orlando, ...
west coast: San Francisco, Los Angeles, San José, Santa Cruz, ...

area: 9 809 155 km2

population: 263 437 000 (1995); in 1980-1990 highly mobile redistribution from Nothern Central and North-East States on the South and West. Population grew by 9,8% in decade from 80.-90.

ethnic groups: 80%white; 15% black; 3% Asian and Pacific Islanders; more than 1/5 blacks lives in the Southern States (Missourri, Alabama, South Carolina, ... )

religions:56% Protestantism; 25% Roman Catholicism; 2% Judaism; 17% Other (Islam, Hinduism, ... )

language: no official language; english is predominant; nearly 32 milion US residents aged 5 or older speak a language other than English at home. 54% can speak Spanish; other languages spoken in USA are: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, French, Italian, German, Polish, Greek and native American languages.

form of goverment: democratic federal republic; 48 contiguous states + noncontiguous states of Alaska and Hawaii and outlaying areas including Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guana, Virgin Isles

head of state: president; four-year term

currency: american dollar; coins and paper money; penny= 1¢, nickel= 5¢, dime=10¢, quarter=25¢, half-dollar=50¢; dollar=100¢

climate: Washington D.C.: January 2°C = 36°F, July 27°C = 81°F
San Francisco: January 10°C = 50°F,July 15°C = 59°F

economy: Gross Domestic Product = US $ 6 738 400 000 000 (1994)

chief economical products:
agriculture: hay, potatoes, sugar beets, citrus fruit, tobacco, livestock, timber, corn, tomatoes, peanuts, apples, oranges(Florida)
farming (raising): pigs, broilers, chicken, turkey, sheep, lamb
industry: paper products, printing and publishing, plastics, textilies, clothing, furniture, leather goods, glass items, chemical products
mining: petroleum, natural gas, coal, copper, iron ore, silver, uranium

transport: 1st were waterways, then steam railways, after 1st World War - air transport
81% of passanger traffic are carrying cars, airlines are carrying more than 17% of passanger traffic, railways are carrying 0,6%

airports: 5100 public airports, 12 400 private airports, the largest and te bussiest is in Chicago - O´Hare, then JFK in New York

lifestyle:
In USA you can meet the most famous people, because Hollywood is there. Hollywood produces many films every year.
Fast food is a type of restaurant, where you can buy what you want wery quickly, you can eat it inside or you can take it with you. It´s fast and cheap. The most popular fast foods are: Mc Donalds, KFC, Burger King or Jack in the box, which is popular on the west coast and you can buy there a typical mexican food like "Tacos Ricos" or "Burito".
In general, the typical american inventions are: fast food, Hollywood, chewing gum and crocket.



THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (worksheet :-) )


QUIZARD:
1. The biggest airport in USA is ...
a) J.F.K.
b) La Guardia
c) O´Hara

2. The oldest skyscraper in New York is ...
a) Empire State Building
b) Twins
c) Iron Building

3. How many blacks live in Southern states?
a) 1/2
b) 1/5
c) 1/7

4. Which is the most popular religion in USA?
a) Islam
b) Roman Catholicism
c) Protestantism

5. Which city isn´t on the west coast?
a) Dallas
b) San José
c) Seattle

6. When was Abraham Lincoln assasinated?
a) 1861
b) 1869
c) 1865

7. Which of the american national parks is the biggest?
a) Yellowstone
b) Sapoya
c) Niagara


Complete the words:
The official name UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is ......................... from name af italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci. The nothern ............................ is formed by the Great Lakes.
When you´ve got 10¢ you can say, that you have .....................
At "Jack in the box" you can eat ........................................... or ..............................


HISTORY
1565 Spain founded the first permanent European settlement in what is now the United States at Saint Augustine, Florida. However, Native Americans had lived on the continent for thousands of years.

1763 Britain gained control of eastern North America at the end of the Seven Years’ War, known in America as the French and Indian War.

1776 The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence at Philadelphia.

1781 American forces decisively defeated the British at the Siege of Yorktown. Two years later, Britain recognized American independence in the Treaty of Paris.

1787 The Constitutional Congress met in Philadelphia and wrote the Constitution of the United States. All 13 states ratified the Constitution by 1790.

1803 The United States nearly doubled in size after President Thomas Jefferson acquired the territory of Louisiana from France in a transaction known as the Louisiana Purchase.

1848 The United States gained large amounts of territory as a result of winning the Mexican War. The new land, coupled with the acquisition of the Oregon country in 1846, extended the western border of the United States to the Pacific Ocean.

1861 Several Southern slave states seceded in January and formed the Confederate States of America. The American Civil War broke out in April.

1865 The Confederacy surrendered, bringing an end to the Civil War. Slavery was abolished throughout the United States. President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.

1867 America purchased Alaska from Russia.

1870-1890 The last Native American tribes were defeated by government forces and pushed onto reservations.

1898 The United States won the Spanish-American War and gained territories in the Caribbean and the Pacific. Hawaii was annexed the same year.

1920 Women gained the right to vote. The manufacture and sale of alcohol was banned, ushering in the era of Prohibition.

1933 Franklin Roosevelt became president and introduced a series of economic and social reforms known as the New Deal. Prohibition was repealed.

1941 Japan attacked US forces at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, pulling America into World War II.

1965-1973 American forces fought in the Vietnam War, which started widespread protests in the United States.

1969 American astronauts became the first people to land on the moon.

1974 In the wake of the Watergate scandal, Richard M. Nixon became the first American president to resign from office.


True or False?
The territory of Luisiana was acquired from Spain in a transaction called the Luisiana Purchase. T x F
Prohibition was repealed by Richard Nixon. T x F
... It happened in 1933. T x F
Women gained the right to vote in same year as the Prohibition started. T x F
The Constitution of the United States was written in Philadelphia. T x F
The Declaration of Independence was adopted in Washington in 1776. T x F

VOCABULARY:
predominant - převládající
boundary - hranice
copper - měď
iron ore - železná ruda
hay - seno
timber - stavební dřevo
assasinated - zavražděn
invention - vynález
found - založit
gain - získat
adopt - převzít
defeat - porazit
siege - obležení
recognize - uznat
purchase - obchod
acquisition - získaná věc
surrender - vzdát se
abolish - zrušit
tribe - kmen, rod
ban - zakázat
ushering - vedoucí (k něčemu)
escalate - stupňovat