Distribute the words according the type of reading.

Kingdom, comprising, observatory, legislation, approximately, border, union, current, personal, finally, majority, parliament, temperature, historic.

Write the three forms of the verbs.

To cover, to be, to include, to run, to varу, to make, to attract, to fall.

Grammar exercises

Give the Degrees of Comparison.

Rich, fertile, large, small, warm, hot, cold, heavy, deep, bountiful, great, long, fresh, famous.

Give 3 forms of the following verbs.

Be, have, rise, know, run, make, do

Translate the following sentences into Russian paying attention to the verbs in the Passive Voice.

1. The northern state of Minnesota is known as the land of 10,000 lakes.

2. America’s early settlers were attracted by the fertile land along the Atlantic coast in the southeast and island beyond the eastern Appalachian Mountains.

Use the verbs in brackets in the Passive Voice.

1. The USA (to situate) in the North America.

2. The USA (to wash) by the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.

3. The country (to call) a land of physical contrasts.

4. When the United States (to form) there were only thirteen states.

5. The thirty-seven other states (to admit) to the nation one by one as they gained enough population.

6. The Hawaiian Islands (to situate) in the central part of the Pacific Ocean.

7. Alaska (to purchase) by the USA from Russia.

8. Two hundred people (to emploу) bу Rolce Roуce companу next уear.

9. The companу has reduced its emploуеes number and all salaries (to cut).

10. Originallу the book was written in Spanish and a few уears ago (to translate) into English.

11. The document (to sign) tomorrow bу three oclock.

Change the following sentences from Active into the Passive Voice.

1. The Bering Strait separates Alaska from Russia.

2. The USA joined the Hawaiian Islands in 1900.

3. Fertile valleys, rich natural resources, vast grasslands attracted people all over the world.

4. The government of the USA will always support automobile industry.

Insert the article where it is necessary.

1. … USA is … fourth largest country in … world after … Russian Federation, … Canada and …China.

2. … largest state of … America is … Alaska.

3. … southern part of … Florida and … Hawaii Islands have warm temperatures year round.

4. …McKinley rises to 6193.5 meters.

5. … Mississippi runs from … Canada into … Gulf of Mexico.

6. … five Great Lakes are … Ontario, … Michigan, … Erie, … Huron, … Superior.

7. … Appalachian Mountains are in … east.

8. American fanners raise corn, wheat and fine beef cattle in … Midwest.

9. ... USA is washed by … Atlantic and … Pacific oceans.

10. … USA borders on … Canada in … North and … Mexico in … South.

Insert prepositions.

The USA is a country … great diversity. … the same time, it has surprising similarities when one considers its size. The dissimilarities are partly a result of its geography. No general statement can be made … the weather, the landscape, or even the way of living because the nation occupies nearly half a continent.

The United States has many kinds of climate. The weather ranges … the warm, wet conditions of the Appalachian Highland … the desert conditions of some of the western states. It varies from almost winterless climates … southern Arizona and southern Florida to long very cold winters in Dakota and Montana.

The country's rainfall also varies greatly from place to place. The northwestern coast and the Gulf Coast receive large amounts of rain and have a humid climate. Most of the area … the Sierra Nevada and the southern coast of California … the west, and the 100th meridian, on the east, receives less than 20 inches of rainfall annually.

Vocabulary and Comprehension Exercises

Give English equivalents.

Простираться от … до …, равнины, густонаселенный, занимать, редко (не густо), составлять какую-то часть, страна контраста, весь год, варьироваться, многочисленный, приток, делить с кем-либо (чем-либо), осень, привлекать, золотая лихорадка, строительство, нефть-сырец.

Give Russian equivalents.

The heavily industrialized metropolitan Atlantic seaboard; the majestic Rocky Mountains; rich flat farms; to be nearly 400 times the size of Rhode Island; heavy forests; barren deserts; bountiful rivers; tributary; fertile land.

Match the words which are close in their meaning.

Match the words which have opposite meaning.

Answer the questions on the text. Use the following expressions to begin your answer.

The text tells the reader that…

I think…

I suppose…

If I got it right…

It seems to me that …

In my opinion …

1. What oceans is the USA washed by?

2. How large is the USA?

3. How many states does country consist of?

4. What is the largest state of the USA?

5. Why is America a land of physical contrasts?

6. What is the weather like in different parts of the USA?

7. What state is known as the land of lakes?

8. What are the longest rivers of the country?

9. What are the main agricultural plants?

10. What are Florida and California famous for?

11. What are the main minerals of the USA?

Agree or disagree. Correct wrong statements.

I (quite) agree (with you). I don’t think so.

I think so too. I don’t agree.

Certainly! I think you are mistaken.

Just so. You are wrong.

1. The Atlantic seaboard is heavily agricultural area of the USA.

2. The USA is washed by the Atlantic ocean and the Pacific ocean.

3. The USA borders on Canada in the North and Mexico in the South.

4. The USA is the second largest nation in the world.

5. The largest state is Rhode Island and the smallest one is Alaska.

6. America is a land of physical contrasts, but it has the same kind of weather across the USA.

7. The southern parts of Florida, Texas, California and entire state of Hawaii are the temperate zone.

8. The USA varies from heavy forests to barren deserts, from high-peaked mountains to deep canyons.

9. The Mississippi is the world’s third longest river after the Nile and the Amason.

10. The fertile land along the Atlantic coast in the southeast and inland beyond the eastern Appalachian Mountains attracted America’s early settlers.

11. Corn, wheat are planted in the Midwest.

12. The main natural resources of the USA are gold, silver, petroleum, gas, clays, phosphates, lead, iron.