Status - a Federal Republic union of 50 states

Area - 9,364,000,000 square kilometers

Population - 232,000,000

Capital - Washington

Languages - English is the official and main language. Spanish, Italian, German, Polish, Russian and others are also spoken in the USA.

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

The full name of the United States is The United States of America. For short the country is often called the USA. There are fifty states and the district of Columbia. The states differ very much in size population and economical development.

The United States of America lies in the central part of the North American continent between two oceans: the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Friendly Canada to the north and friendly Mexico to the south are the only countries bordering the United States.

The USA is a country of great diversity. This is due to its geography, the weather, the landscape and the way of living.

The world’s longest rivers are the Mississippi and the Missouri.

There are many large cities and towns in the USA. New York, San Francisco, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles are the biggest of them.

The United States developed from English colonies. After a long eight years struggle (1775-1783) the colonists gained their independence. The American colonists were led by a talented soldier, George Washington, who later became the first president of the USA. The capital was named after the first president.

The USA is a highly developed industrialized country. It has very efficient industries, advanced technologies and advanced science. Electronic and electrical engineering, transport, communication and machine-tool industries can be found in almost all large cities of the USA.

The USA is a federal republic.

The Government of the USA is composed of three branches - executive, legislative and judicial. The legislative branch makes new laws. And the judicial branch makes sure that the laws and actions of the other branches agree with the Constitution.

The president whose official residence is the White House carries out his many duties as head of the executive branch of the government. He appoints cabinet members, each of which becomes the head of a very important governmental department.

Not far from the White House stands the Capitol. Here the Congress, the legislative branch of the government, meets to make laws to govern the country. The Senate and the House of Representatives form the Congress.

II. Retell the text.

AUSTRALIA

I. Read and translate the text.

Australia is a large country positioned between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Australia is an island, like Britain, but unlike Britain it is vast. Australia is, in fact, nearly twenty-five times as large as the British Isles. Its area is about 8, 000, 0000 km. The population of Australia is about 22 million. Most of Australia is semi-desert. People cannot live where there is no water, and so most of people in Australia live in the temperate south-east.

The first Australian people were dark-skinned Aborigines, and though the coming of the white settlers destroyed their tribal lives, some sixty thousand still survive in Australia today. They account for about 1 percent of the population. They can be found in the inland areas of the country. Some live in modern cities but it is not really easy for them. They have to fight for their rights. The first Europeans to land in this country were Dutch sailors.

The national holiday, Australia Day, is now celebrated on January 26th in memory of the landing of the British in 1788. The young country grew very fast. Today Australia is an independent federated state consisting of 6 states and 2 territories. It is a member of the Commonwealth headed by the British Queen. The national language is English. The capital of Australia is Canberra; the largest cities are Sidney, Melbourne, = Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

 

II. Retell the text.

NEW ZEALAND

I. Read and translate the text.

 

New Zealand is situated in the Southwest Pacific Ocean, 1000 miles at Australia on two large islands: the North Island and the South Island. It has active volcanoes and that is why the Maoris (The Maoris, Polynesian people are the aborigines of New Zealand) called it the "Land of Long White Cloud". English and Maori are both official languages. Maori People also speak English, 10% of Pakeha (Europeans) speak Maori. The capital of the country is Wellington (350.000 citizens). This seaport, financial, commercial and transportation center was founded by British settlers. There are some educational and cultural institutions in Wellington.

New Zealand's population is about 4 million people.

The more populous North Island has fertile agricultural land, the largest man-made forest in the Southern Hemisphere, and a few isolated snow-capped volcanoes. It also boasts hot springs, mud pools, and geysers in its thermal region. On South Island, the Southern Alps provide opportunities for skiing and mountaineering. There are many glaciers, lakes, and rivers. Both Islands have many sandy beaches. NZ has 400 earthquakes a year, but only 100 of them are strong.

New Zealand national emblem is the kiwi. These grayish brown birds have nearly died out and only sometimes can be seen at a zoo. Many years ago kiwi were hunted for food. Now the government doesn't permit the hunting of kiwi. This bird lives in dark forests in thick bushes, it is nearly blind and prefers to live in the dark. It has a long, flexible, sensitive bill, which is used to find food. It has no wings, so it cannot fly. Kiwi is so popular that it became a nickname for a New Zealander. Small children are often called kiwis.

NZ is a self-governing state within the British Commonwealth. The Governor - General represents Queen Elizabeth II. He is appointed for a five-year term. The Parliament consists of one House only, The House of Representatives. The Head of the Government is the Prime minister. (What is interesting- this is the first country that gave women the right to vote.)

NZ has a modern economy. 5% of the population is employed in agriculture. NZ has million dairy cattle, 5 million beef cattle and 6 million sheep. The country is the world's largest producer of kiwi fruit. NZ farmers produce chicken and eggs, deer, goats and pigs. Chief crops are barley, potatoes and wheat. NZ exports wool, lamb, pork, mutton, and beef, fruit (including apples, bananas, apricots, peaches, plums, cherries, and strawberries), fish and cheese. (New Zealanders believe their cheeses and ice- cream are the best in the world)

Tourism is a vital economic sector. New Zealand draws many thousands of tourists to its shores because of the beauty, diversity, and compactness of its natural attractions. Yachting along the coast is a popular activity. Fishing for barracuda, martin, shark or swordfish, rock lobster is popular too.

II. Retell the text.

MY FUTURE SPECIALITY (Responsibilities of the Financial Manager)

І.Study the vocabulary:

financial management управління фінансами

handle регулювати, здійснювати контроль

finance фінанси

cash flow рух грошової готівки

totter хитатися

brink край

bankruptcy банкрутство

financial manager фінансовий менеджер

acquisition придбання

dispersal розосередження

financial assets фінансові активи

responsibility відповідальність

trade credit комерційний кредит

requirements потреби

overall загальний

ensure гарантувати, забезпечувати

earnings доходи

exceed перевищувати

costs витрати

proprietorship власність

partnership товариство

owners’ wealth майно власників

common stock звичайна акція

on hand наявний

deficit дефіцит, нестача

extensive поширений

idle cash невикористана готівка

interest payment сплата процентів

disbursements виплати, витрати

status стан, статус

accurate точний

current поточний

investment opportunities інвестиційні можливості

financial adviser фінансовий консультант