Introduction To The United Stated Of America.pdf

Andrzej Diniejko

ENGLISH SPEAKING-COUNTRIES

Volume Two

INTRODUCTION TO

THE UNITED STATES OF

AMERICA

Revised and updated e-book for students of English

1 September, 2009

Acknowledgements

For their consulations and advice, I am indebted to John Anderson (UK), Martin Murphy, and

Jolanta Palowska, whose improvements of the text and comments on matters of detail have

been of great assistance.

Photo credit: William Warby (Wikipedia)

This is an updated and enlarged PDF edition of the book published by EGIS (Cracow) in

2005.

Od redaktora

Publikacja, którą oddajemy Czytelnikom stanowi zwiĊ]áy wykáad wiedzy o krajach

anglojĊzycznych (Wielka Brytania i Irlandia). Obejmuje ona w syntetycznym skrócie

wiadomoĞci o geografii, demografii, historii, ustroju politycznym, gospodarce, nauce i

technice, edukacji, literaturze, kulturze, Īyciu codziennym i obyczajach mieszkaĔców tych

krajów.

Opracowanie jest adresowane do szerokiego krĊgu czytelników: uczniów szkóá

Ğrednich, kandydatów na studia z angielskim jĊzykiem wykáadowym, studentów kolegiów

MĊzyka angielskiego, nauczycieli jĊzyka angielskiego oraz tych wszystkich, którzy pragną

mieü skondensowany wykáad wiedzy o krajach anglojĊzycznych. KsiąĪka jest bogato

zaopatrzona w üwiczenia sprawdzające. Przy koĔcu kaĪdego paragrafu znajdują siĊ

pytania, które pomogą Czytelnikowi sprawdziü, czy zrozumiaá przeczytaną treĞü oraz

Váowniczek trudniejszych wyrazów. Ponadto na koĔcu kaĪdego rozdziaáu podano adresy

stron internetowych oraz zalecaną literaturĊ poszerzająFą dane zagadnienie, a takĪe

zestawy üwiczeĔ uzupeániających (More Tests and Tasks).

Autor i redakcja z wdziĊcznoĞcią przyjmą wszelkie uwagi i zalecenia odnoszące siĊ

do zawartoĞci niniejszej pracy.

To the Reader

The aim of this book is to provide readers with basic information about the life,

institutions, and culture of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It is intended

for a wide group of learners of English, including students in secondary and advanced

education, as well as pre-service and in-service teachers of English and other learners of

English who need a comprehensive overview of background information relating to

English-speaking countries. Much of the information here offered is of course little more

than a compilation and distillation of facts found in numerous publications devoted to

Great Britain and Ireland. The basic approach is historical. Starting with a geographical

account there follow accounts surveying the population structure, history, language, public

life and institutions, economy, science and technology, education, culture, media and

lifestyles of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

I could not have written this book without reference to a number of authoritative

sources, including the pamphlets of the Central Office of Information, The Encyclopaedia

Britannica , The Columbia Encyclopedia as well as numerous web sites, including

Wikipedia, and many others acknowledged in the Bibliography. Although the material is

primarily factual and descriptive, an attempt has been made to highlight some of the major

problems of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Limitations of space do not

allow the inclusion of all that is worth mentioning. Nor is the book exempt from

drawbacks. I am well aware of the difficulty of avoiding errors in a publication like this.

Corrections of this book will be most gratefully welcomed.

The book is divided into two unequal parts. Part One deals with the United

Kingdom; Part Two, with the Republic of Ireland. In order to make reference easier, the

book is further divided into chapters, sections and subsections. Each section ends with Test

your knowledge questions and each chapter ends with More Tests and Tasks .

It is hoped that this book may encourage the reader to further study of English-

speaking countries. Therefore, at the end of each chapter a list of useful web sites and

further reading is provided.

Facts in Brief

Area: total: c. 9.8 million square km

land: c. 9,4 million sq km

water: c. 0.4 million sq km

coastline: 19,924 km

Population: 303 million (2008 estimate)

Division: 50 states and 1 federal district

Capital: Washington, D.C.

Head of State: President

Government: federal constitutional republic with strong democratic tradition

Language(s): English

Currency: 1 dollar (USD) = 100 cents

Natural resources: coal, copper, lead, phosphates, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury,

petroleum, natural gas, timber.

Chapter One

Land and People

1. Geography

The United States is one of the largest countries in the world. On the continent of North

America, it stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean over a distance of more

than 4,800 kilometers. Its total area including Alaska and Hawaii is about 9.8 million

square kilometers.

The capital of the United States is located in Washington, D.C. The major cities in

the United States, with a population of over 1 million, are New York City, Los Angeles,

Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, San Diego, Phoenix, San Antonio, and Dallas.

The U.S.A. is a federation of fifty states. The largest state is Alaska, the second

largest is Texas, and the smallest is Rhode Island. The ten most populous states in 2008

were: California (over 36 million), Texas (over 20 million), New York (almost 19 million),

Florida (18 million), Pennsylvania (over 12 million), Ohio (over 11 million), Michigan (10

million), New Jersey (8.5 million), Georgia (8 million), and North Carolina (over 8

million).

Within its physical geography, the United States has varied landforms, climate,

natural vegetation, and soil.

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