Exercise 1. Answer the questions. 1. What are the shorter names of the United States of America?
1. What are the shorter names of the United States of America?
2. What is the aria of the USA?
3. Where is the USA located?
4. What countries does it border on?
5. How many separate parts does it consist of? What are they?
6. How many states does it consist of?
7. What is the capital of the USA?
8. Into which three branches is the government divided?
9. What are the main political parties in the USA?
10. Who is the head of the government?
11. When are presidential elections held?
12. When was the US Constitution adopted?
13. What is the other name of the ten amendments to the Constitution?
14. How many houses does The Congress of the United States consist of?
15. What is the Supreme Court?
Exercise 2. Match the cities and region and their main characteristics.
1. Taxes
2. Pennsylvania
3. Illinois
4. Iowa
5. Nebraska
6. California
7. New York
8. Chicago
9. Los Angeles
10. New Orleans
11. Huston
12. Philadelphia
13. Detroit
A. coal industry
B. famous for growing corn and wheat
C. agriculture
D. Hollywood
E. world’s leading motor car producer
F. financial business centre
G. oil industry
H. oil refining and NASA space research centre
I. cotton industry centre
J. farming
K. deals in meat processing
L. shipping commercial centre
M. famous for its fruits
Exercise 3. Make these sentences negative.
1. The United States of America is the biggest country in the world.
2. The USA occupies 13,363,123 square kilometers.
3. The USA lies in the central part of the South American Continent.
4. The USA is washed by the Indian Ocean.
5. The USA borders on Peru and Brazil.
6. The USA consists of five separate parts.
7. There are 60 states in the USA.
8. The capital of the USA is New York.
9. Chicago deals in cotton industry.
10. Detroit is a space research centre.
11. The United States of America is a parliamentary monarchy.
12. The US government is divided into five branches.
13. There are ten main political parties in the USA.
14. The US President is elected for a ten-year term.
15. Presidential elections are held every year on first Monday in September.
16. The form of US government is based on the Bill of Rights.
17. The Senate represents the population according to its distribution among the states.
18. All states have different electoral requirements.
19. Each of the fifty states of the USA has its own President.
Exercise 4. Match the words as they are used in the UNIT.
1. square
2. central
3. federal
4. economic
5. geographical
6. for
7. business
8. meat
9. oil
10. space
11. motor car
12. parliamentary
13. political
14. head of
15. four-year
16. presidential
17. executive
18. electoral
19. foreign
20. governmental
21. Supreme
22. judicial
23. judicial
A. part
B. elections
C. example
D. refining
E. doctrine
F. policy
G. requirements
H. processing
I. kilometers
J. practice
K. research centre
L. development
M. producer
N. term
O. Court
P. party
Q. area
R. body
S. republic
T. department
U. centre
V. position
W. state
Exercise 5. Write down the following in figures.
Cardinal numbers
1. twenty-five million seven hundred thirty-two thousand
2. ten million five hundred sixty-seven thousand five hundred fifty-two
3. two million one hundred fifty thousand one hundred thirty-one
4. one million six hundred eighty-two thousand twelve
5. one point three million
6. sixty-seven thousand and five
7. two hundred thousand ninety-five
8. forty-five thousand four hundred
9. seven thousand eight hundred eighty-seven
10. three thousand two hundred twenty-six
Ordinal numbers
1. twentieth
2. twenty-first
3. thirty-seventh
4. forty-fifth
5. sixty-eighth
6. eighty-second
7. ninetieth
8. hundredth
9. hundred and third
10. two hundred and twenty-fourth
11. five hundred and ninth
12. thousandth
13. one thousand five hundred and twelfth
Dates
1. seventeen hundred
2. eighteen hundred (and) five
3. nineteen hundred (and) four
4. nineteen fifteen
5. nineteen forty-five
6. nineteen sixty-two
7. nineteen eighty-five
8. nineteen ninety-nine
9. two thousand
10. two thousand five
UNIT 2. HOW TO “SURVIVE” IN THE USA. GENERAL GUIDELINES
Americans often ask, “What do you do?” [that is, “Tell me about your job and employer”] to start a conversation. This kind of question is not considered presumptuous, but rather is a way to show interest in the individual by showing interest in his or her job. Compliments are exchanged frequently and are popular “conversation starters.” If you wish to make conversation with someone, you can compliment an item such as his or her clothing or a work or sports related achievement. Generally, Americans like to laugh and enjoy being with people who have a sense of humour. Jokes are usually welcome, but in all situations, ethnic and religious humour should be avoided. Self-deprecating humour, however, usually goes over well.
Sports are very popular in the U.S., especially baseball, football, and basketball. Golf is another popular sport, especially among businesspeople. It is often a venue for business discussions and deals, so be prepared to play golf and talk business at the same time.
Business breakfasts are common, and can start as early as 7:00 a.m. On weekends, many people partake in 'brunch', a combination of lunch and breakfast beginning anywhere from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Business meetings may be held over 'brunch.'
Business meetings are also frequently held over lunch, which begins at 12:00 noon and sometimes lasts until 2:00 p.m. Lunch is usually a lighter meal, since work continues directly afterward. Be careful about alcoholic beverages such as wine or beer at lunch. You may find some companies where this is common, and others that have strict policies against alcoholic drinks during lunch hours. Follow the lead of your host and order a soft drink if you are unsure. Dinner is the main meal of the day and can start between 5:30 and 8:00 p.m.
In the United States, little business is conducted on Sundays. This is the standard day of worship for many religions. If your stay in the U.S. is short, however, your American business counterparts may arrange to do business on this day.
If you are invited out for a business meal, the host will usually pay, but if your host does not offer to pay, you should be prepared to pay for your own meal. If you invite a U.S. counterpart out socially, you should make it clear whether you wish to pay. Common ways to express this wish include 'It's on me' or 'I'd like to buy you lunch.' When eating out, the cost is sometimes shared with friends or colleagues. 'Getting separate checks' and 'going Dutch' refer to paying for your own portion of the bill. It is also common to 'split the bill,' where the cost of the meal is shared equally among the individuals.
The dining etiquette in the USA is quite simple: the fork is held in the right hand and is used for eating. The knife is used to cut or spread something onto a food item. To use the knife, the fork is switched to the left hand or is laid down; to continue eating, the fork is switched back to the right hand. But, if you prefer to use the "continental" style of dining, in which the knife and fork are never switched, that is acceptable, too. Many people in the United States are casual in their use of the knife and fork and aren't particularly concerned with formal rules of etiquette. Some foods are eaten with the hands. As a general rule, you may follow the example of your companions.
It is common to invite a business guest to one's home in the U.S. This is considered a gesture to show goodwill between associates. Be aware that it is a custom in many U.S. homes to give guests a tour of the general rooms of the house when guests arrive. Unlike some other cultures, it's perfectly acceptable to refuse an offer of food or drink. In most cases, the host probably won't urge you to eat. Don't be afraid to ask for something. Use manners and ask politely. Before going to visit a friend, it's common courtesy to call ahead.
EXERCISES