General

1. General

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated on the British ($) Isles. It consists of four parts: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. England, Wales and Scotland ($) occupy the territory of Great Britain. Northern Ireland is situated in the northern part of Ireland. The territory of the United Kingdom is about 244 square kilometres. His the 75th place among other countries in the world. The population is over 55 million. About 80% of the population is ($) urban. The capital of the country is London.

2. Geographical position and physical features:

The surface of Great Britain ($)varies ($)greatly. The northern and western part of the country is mountains and is called the Highlands. All the rest (south, east and centre) is a ($) vast plain which is called the Lowlands. The mountains are not very high. The rivers are not long. The most important of them are the Severn and the Thames. There are many beautiful lakes in the ($)mountainous parts of the country.

3. Climate

The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of the Gulf Stream influence the climate of Great Britain.

The weather in GB is very changeable. A fine morning can change into a wet afternoon and evening and the wrong side out. The English people say: "Other countries have a climate; in England we have weather." The English also say that they have three variants of weather: when it rains in the morning, when it rains in the afternoon or when it rains all day long.

The best time of the year in GB is spring(of course, it rains in spring too). The two worst months in Britain are January and February. They are cold, ($)damp and unpleasant. Summer months are rather cold and there can be a lot of rainy days. So most people who look forward to summer holidays, plan to go ($)abroad for the summer.

4. National economy

Great Britain is a highly developed industrial country. It is known as one of the world's largest producers and exporters of iron and steel products, machinery and electronics, chemicals and textile, aircraft and navigation equipment. One of the chief industries of the country is shipbuilding.

Great Britain is a country with old cultural traditions and customs. The most famous educational centres are Oxford and Cambridge universities. They are considered to be the intellectual centres of Europe. The education is not free, it is very expensive.

5. Politic system

The United Kingdom is a ($) monarchy and the Queen is the head of state. But in practice it is ruled by the elected government with a Prime Minister at the head. The British Parliament consists of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. There are three main political parties in Great Britain: the London, the ($)Conservative and the Liberal parties, The Conservative party is the ruling party nowadays.

Unknown words

vary - меняться

vast - громадный, обширный

damp - сырость

abroad - за границей

USA

1. General

The United States of America was formed by emigrants in 1382. The USA makes up of 62 states. Washington, the capital of the United States is situated on the Rotomac River in the District of Columbia. The district is a piece of land which doesn't belong to any state but to all the states. All these states are ($)sovereignty.

2. Geographical position and physical features:

The USA occupy a large territory and are situated in the central and southern part of North America. The USA is washed by the Atlantic ocean in the east and by the Pacific ocean in the west. In the north, the USA has borders on Canada and in the south on Mexico. The USA is divided into three areas: Eastern area is a highland, central area is a plain and Western area is mountains including the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada. There are five great lakes in the northern part of the USA. There are: Huron, Michigan, Supireo, Ontario and Erie. They are connected by fast rivers. There is the most famous to the whole world fall called Niagara Fall. Mississippi together with its ($)tributary Missouri is the longest river in the world.

3. Climate:

Mountain ranges cross the country from north to south and don't protect it against cold air from the north and warm one from the south. The USA has a continental climate.

4. National Economy.

The USA is ahighly developed industrial country. Large reserves of oil, ($)coal, iron and other minerals are solid base of development of Americans industry. Heavy industry ($) prevails in USA, including such branches as the mining, metallurgical, engineering, chemical and high-tech industries. USA has also well-developed light industry which includestextile, ($)tanning and ($)footwear industries. The food industry is well developed too. Both animal ($)husbandry and farming takes big place in the economy of the USA.

5. Political system

Under the Constitution, the federal government is divided into three branches. The Congress is ($) vested with the ($)legislative power and made up of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. There are 435 members in the House of Representatives and 100 senators. Each state elects two members of the Senate.

The executive branch is headed by the President, who ($) proposes bills to Congress,serves as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. The President is chosen in nation-wide elections every 4 years. The second person in executive branch is vice President. The vice President, elected from the same political party as the President

The ($) judicial branch consists of Federal District Courts, 11 Federal Courts and the Supreme Court. Federal judges are appointed by the President. Federal courts decide cases involving federal law, conflicts between citizens of different states.

Constitution is the most important document in the USA. Constitution has been amended 26 times. The Bill of Rights guarantees individual liberties: freedom of speech, religion and so on.

Unknown words

tributary - приток

prevail - торжествовать

tanning - кожевенный

footwear - обувной

animal husbandry - животноводство

vest - облекать (властью)

legislative - законодательной

propose - предлагать

amend - улучшать, исправлять