THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Location: - Where is the USA situated / placed?

the USA is a country in North America. The USA is situated in southern [sa n] part of
North America. Its neighbours are: Canada in the north. / the USA borders with Canada in the
north and with Mexico in the south.
In the south of the USA lies Mexico[´meksikou] and the Gulf of Mexico.
To the west of Alaska is Russia.
-Which oceans is the USA washed by? In the east it is washed[wošt] by the Atlantic Ocean
and in the west it is washed by the Pacific Ocean. It means that the USA extends[ik´stends] =
se táhnou, se rozprostírají / from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Atlantic Ocean in the
east. The border between the USA and Canada goes through = prochází / the 5 Great Lakes.
On the eastern Canadian [k ´neidi n] border there are the 5 Great Lakes:the Lakes
Superior[sju:´pi ri ]=Hořejší, Huron[hju r n], the Lake Erie [i ri], the Lake Ontario
[on´te riou], the Lake Michigan [mišig n]. Another important lake is the Great Salt Lake in
Utah.[ju:ta:]
The Lake Superior = Hořejší / is the 2-nd largest lake in the world after the Caspian Sea.
[késpi n] On the Lakes there are large ports – Buffalo[´baf lou], Detroit[d ´troit].
The largest port in the Gulf of Mexico is New Orleans [ňju´o:li nz]. It is situated on the
Mississippi river where the Mississippi river flows into / enters into the Gulf of Mexico. It
´s a port city. It is the city of jazz.
Here in the east we can also see the famous waterfall [wo:t fo:l] = vodopád / in the world
the Niagara Falls [nai´ég r ] which / that go down = tečou dolů . It is a large waterfall [wo:t
fo:l] = vodopád / which is located on the border with Canada in the northern New York State
in the USA. The Niagara River forms the border between the USA and Canada. The Niagara
Falls lie / are located about halfway on the Niagara River which connects the Lake Erie [i ri]
and the Lake Ontario
[on´te riou]. The Niagara Falls are very wide, about 50 m high and more than 300 metres
wide. A lot of people / millions of tourists come to see the falls every year.
They can admire their beauty.
The USA is a huge [hju:dž] = ohromná, obrovská /country. It covers / occupies =
= zaujímají, zabírají / a very large territory = the area of nearly = skoro, téměř / about
10 million square kilometers. The area is so large that there are 4 time zones [zouns] =
4 časová pásma. It is the 4th largest country in the world after Russia, Canada and China.
It is bigger than the whole Europe.
The USA is the richest country in the world, one of the most dominant = dominantní,
mající převahu / powers. = autorita, vliv, moc /It´s a cosmopolitan[kozm ´ polit n] country.
= It contains people from all over the world, a mix of people. We can find there many cultures
and many nationalities. In the USA we can find so many different ethnic groups.
(=The 1-st settlers in the USA came from Britain.) People living here are of all possible
origins and many races [reisiz] = rasy / can mix here together in the USA. = se mohou míchat
dohromady The population in the USA is more than = vice než / 300 million inhabitants.
Some of them are black people. The USA is the third most populous [popjul s] =
nejlidnatější / country in the world after China [čain ] and India [indj ]. Most people live in
cities or in their suburbs. / 1.The largest city in the USA is New York where live less than 20
million people. New York is famous for its skyscrapers, such as the Chrysler Building[´kraisl
] and the Empire [em´pai ] State Building. (= in the past the tallest building in New York the
World Trade Center was destroyed in the terrorist attack [´ter rist ´ték] = teroristický
útok / in 2001)
2. the 2-nd largest city in the USA is Los Angeles[los´éndžili:z]on the west coast in California
[kéli´fo:nj ] = it has about 4 million people. L.A. is the most populous city in the West, on
the west coast. 3. The third largest city is Chicago[ši´ka:gou] = it is in the state Illinois[ili´noi]
on the Lake Michigan 4. Houston [hju:st n] is the 4-th largest city in the USA.
It is the capital of Texas [´teks s] and the largest city in Texas where we can find oil
industry = ropný průmysl. Texas is the second largest state in the USA.
-How many states does the USA consist of? The USA was founded on the 4th of July 1776.
A former [´fo:m ®]= bývalá, dřívější / British colony = bývalá Britská kolonie / wanted
freedom from Britain. Today there are 50 states and 1 federal district = Washington, D.C.
-What is the name of the area in the USA which is not a part of any state?
The USA is a federation [fed ´reiš n] = federace, svaz /or a federal republic. It has 50 states
and one federal district of the capital city = the District of Columbia = one small area which is
not a part of any state. Washington D.C. or the District of Columbia. Each state has got its
own government and its own capital city.
The capital city for the whole USA is Washington D.C.
The USA consists of 48 continental states = 48 kontinentálních států. 48 of these 50 states in
the USA occupy / cover the central part of the North American continent = the continental
USA / the mainland of the USA. And 2 states = Alaska [ ´lésk ] and Hawaii [h ´waii:]
are not connected to the rest of the country.
The USA also includes [in´klu:dz] Alaska [ ´lésk ] which is the 49th state of the USA.
Alaska is in the north between Canada and Russia.
It covers / occupies = zaujímá, zabírá / the north-western part of the American continent and
it is separated from the other states / from the continental USA by Canada. Alaska [ ´lésk ]
is the largest American state and the most northern[´no: n] point of the USA.
Alaska is a mountainous country. The highest mountain in the USA is Mount Mc Kinley in
Alaska. The highest mountain, the highest peak in the USA is Mount Mc Kinley[m ´kinli]
which is in southern Alaska. It is 6 194 meters high. This mountain was named after the US
President William McKinley. Alaska was bought from Russia in the 19th century. Alaska is
very rich in mineral resources = nerostné suroviny. For example Alaska is a source of oil =
ropa. Juneau[džu:no] is the capital of Alaska. Alaska is not much populated, it has the least
population because Alaska is really cold. Most of Alaska has an arctic climate.
On the other hand American states Florida and Hawaii [h ´waii:] have tropical climates.
The 50th state of the USA is the island state Hawaii [h ´waii:]. Hawaii is an island
in the Pacific Ocean and it is situated about half-way between America and Asia.
It´s a tropical paradise and it is the most southern point of the USA.
The Hawaiian [h ´waji n] Islands are a group of islands which lie in the Pacific Ocean. The
Hawaiian [h ´waji n] Islands are separated from the mainland of the USA. Hawaii
[h ´waii:] is far away from the continent of the USA. Honolulu [hon ´lu:lu:] is the capital.
Hawaii is a popular tourist destination thanks to its beautiful beaches and water sports like
surfing and snorkeling. = potápění se šnorchlem
The population in the USA is more than = více než / 300 million inhabitants. Some of them
are black people. The USA is the third most populous [popjul s] = nejlidnatější / country
in the world after China [čain ] and India [indj ]. Most people live in cities or in their
suburbs. Many cities have skyscrapers. 1. The largest city in the USA is New York where live
less than 20 million people. New York is also known as “the Big Apple” or “the City That
Never Sleeps”. New York is famous for its skyscrapers, such as the Chrysler Building
[´kraisl ] and the Empire [em´pai ] State Building. (= is the tallest building in New York;
in the past it was the World Trade Center which was destroyed in the terrorist attack
[´ter rist ´ték] = teroristický útok / in September 2001.) In New York we can also
see / / visit the Theatre District along Broadway.
2. the 2-nd largest city in the USA is Los Angeles[los´éndž li:z] on the west coast, in
California[kéli´fo:nj ] = which is also known as ”L.A.“ or “The City of Angels“.
It has about 4 million people. L.A. is the most populous city in the west, on the West Coast.
3.The third largest city is Chicago[ši´ka:gou] = it is in the state Illinois on the Lake
Michigan[mišig n] 4.Houston [hju:st n] is the 4-th largest city in the USA. It is the capital
of Texas [´teks s] and the largest city in Texas [´teks s] where we can find oil industry =
ropný průmysl.
Currency: the American dollar = 100 cents [sents]
The official language of the USA is American English which is different from British
English in spelling = pravopis, / pronunciation = výslovnost / and vocabulary. = slovní zásoba
There are also many ethnic minorities[e0nikmai´noritiz] = etnických menšin /which speak
their native languages, such as: Chinese, Spanish, French, Italian and so on.
Constitution = the American political system: the USA is a federation, a federal republic.
The head of the state and the government is the president. The president leads the country.
The American President must be an American, he must be born in the United States and at
least = alespoň, nejméně / he must be 35 years old. The president is elected for a period of 4
years and he cannot be elected more than twice. The American President lives in the White
House. The residence [rezid ns] = rezidence, sídlo /of the American President is the White
House. The American President is Donald Trump. [´don ld´tramp]
The capital city: on the East Coast of the United States we can find Washington D.C. which
is named after the first US president, George Washington. George Washington was the 1-st
American president in the 18th century. Washington is the seat [si:t] = sídlo / of the president
and the government. In Washington we can find the most important buildings in the USA.
For example :
1. The White House is the seat of the American president, where the American president
lives and works = it is the official residence [rezid ns] = rezidence, sídlo / of the American
President.
2. The Capitol [képit l] Building = it is situated on Capitol Hill / on the top of
Capitol Hill.
It is the seat [si:t] = sídlo / the centre of the American government where the American
Congress [kon gres] = zákonodárné shromáždění v USA / works, where all the laws[lo:z] =
zákony in the country are made, / where the House of Representatives [repri´zent tivz] =
Sněmovna reprezentantů and the Senate [senit] meet.
The Congress has 2 houses = 1.The House of Representatives [repri´zent tivz] = Sněmovna
reprezentantů / and 2.The Senate [senit]
3. The Pentagon[pent g n] = is the centre of military forces = Ministerstvo
obrany Spojených států.
There are many beautiful places and a lot of natural attractions in the USA which
worth seeing [w :0] = stojí za to, vyplatí se je navštívit / such as for example national parks.
In the USA there are many national parks like for example: National parks have an old
tradition in America. National parks have been established [i´stéblišd] = byly vytvořeny, byly
zřízeny / to protect beautiful nature in America.
For example the Yellowstone [jeloustoun] National Park: it is the largest and the best-known
park in the USA. The Yellowstone National Park in the USA is the oldest national park in the
world. It is visited by many people every day where visitors can find huge trees or the
Yosemite[´jo:semiti:] National Park in California. (leží mezi San Franciskem a Las Vegas)
The American state Arizona [´érizoun ]in the south-west of the USA is famous for a big
deep hole in the ground = the Grand Canyon[gréndkénj n]. / The Grand Canyon
[gréndkénj n] National Park. This bright red canyon is about 1,500 m deep. It is created [kri:
´eitid] = vytvořený / it is formed by the Colorado [kol ´ra:dou] River over millions of years.
The Colorado flows through the Grand Canyon. The Colorado flows from the state Colorado
[kol ´ra:dou] to California. Famous Grand Canyon is to the west of the Rocky Mountains.
The Rocky Mountains run through the state Colorado [kol ´ra:dou].
Mountains: in the west we can find the largest mountain range = pohoří the Rocky
Mountains, the Cascade [ké´skeid] Range [reindž] = pohoří, horské pásmo / and the
Cordilleras [ko:di´lje r z], in the east we can see the Appalachian [ép ´leičj n] Mountains.
The Rocky Mountains are the part of Cordilleras. The highest mountain, the highest peak in
the USA is Mount Mc Kinley [m ´kinli] which is in southern Alaska and it is 6 194 meters
high. The lowest point is in Death Valley in California. = Údolí smrti v Kalifornii
The western part of the USA has many mountains and national parks. In the middle of the
country we can find most of the farming. Farming is popular here. The east coast has many
cities like New York City which is called ”The Big Apple”, in New York I would walk
through the Theatre District along Broadway, other cities on the East Coast are Boston
[´bost n] and the capital Washington D.C.
In the centre of the USA we can find great wide[waid] = široké, rozlehlé / plains.[pleins] =
pláně, roviny / Great plains form the center of the USA. It is mainly = hlavně / an agricultural
region. Farming is popular here.
This area has good soil [soil] = půda / to grow crops[krops] = plodiny / such as corn[ko:n] =
kukuřice, cotton, wheat[wi:t] = pšenice, cattle = dobytek / and pigs. Around the Gulf of
Mexico there is another plain = the Mississippi plain.[plein] There flow the largest rivers =
the Mississippi[misi´sipi] River and the Missouri[mi´zu ri] River. The Mississippi River is
the largest, the longest river in the USA. It flows into the Gulf of Mexico. It is dividing the
USA between the East and the West. The next longest rivers in the USA are the Yukon
[ju:kon] in Alaska[ ´lésk ] and the Rio Grande [´ri:ougra:ndei] which forms the border
between the USA and Mexico.
-Which American state or city would you like to visit? For example Los Angeles
[los´éndž li:z] in California [kéli´fo:nj ]on the West Coast. California [kéli´fo:nj ] is the
most populous[´popjul s] = lidnatý / state in the USA. The most popular cities in California
are: San Francisco[sénfr n´siskou] and Los Angeles[los´éndž li:z]. Los Angeles[los´éndž
li:z] and San Francisco[sénfr n´siskou] are the most popular and the most visited cities in
California. Los Angeles [los´éndž li:z] is in the south, it is “the City of Angeles”. It is the
biggest and the most interesting city in California [kéli´fo:nj ]. California is a popular
holiday resort. California is known for its natural beauty, here it’s the nicest weather and a lot
of celebrities live there. L.A. is situated along the west coast of the USA. Los Angeles [los
´éndž li:z] is known for / famous for Hollywood, it represents the American film industry .
Los Angeles hosts [housts] = hostí, je hostitelským městem / the Academy Awards Ceremony
= slavnost, ceremoniál pro udílení Oskarů / every year. People all over the world know
American films, many of them come from Hollywood. In Los Angeles [los´éndž li:z] we
can find beaches and the largest film industry in the world = Hollywood where some of the
best films in the world are made. Hollywood is a part of Los Angeles. We can find here the
Hollywood Walk of Fame [feim] = Chodník slávy / which has many stars printed on the
sidewalk [´saidwo:k] = chodník / with the names of celebrities.
( pavement = chodník in Br En x sidewalk = chodník in Am En)
Up, in the north in California we can find another best-known city = San Francisco
[sénfr n´siskou]. It is one of the cleanest cities. S.F. is hilly. S.F. is known for its hills and
foggy days. It can be cold and foggy while L.A. is sunny. San Francisco [sénfr n´siskou] is
known for its cold wind that blows [blous] = fouká / all year round. In San Francisco we can
see cable cars [keiblka:z] or street cars which are going through its streets. We can take a ride
= projet se / on the cable car through the city. Here we can also find famous the Golden Gate
Bridge ( = is the most famous landmark in S.F. = orientační bod, význačný bod v krajině)
which connects the Gulf of San Francisco = spojuje Sanfranciský záliv s Tichým oceánem /
with the Pacific Ocean. Here we can also visit the Alcatraz [élk tréz] Island with its former
prison. It’s an island prison [prizn] = vězení / but now it serves [s :vz] = slouží pouze jako /
only as a tourist sight. It is opened to tourists where visitors can see the old prison.
The capital of California is Sacramento[´sékr mentou].
I would also like visiting Las Vegas [lés´veig s] in the west of the USA in the
American state Nevada [nev d ]. It is the American entertainment capital. It is the city of
gambling [gémblin ]. = hazardní hry / It´s famous for its huge casinos [k ´si:nous] and hotels.
L.V. is known for entertainment [ent ´teim nt] = zábava, pobavení / and for gambling.
In Las Vegas [lés´veig s] we can see luxury hotels and casinos[k ´si:nous] and neon[ni: n]
lights. = neónová světla / Every hotel here has a casino[k ´si:nou] and several playing rooms.
I would also like to visit Florida[florid ]. Florida is the most important state in the
South. It is mainly[meinli] = hlavně, především / a tourist area[tu rist e ri ] = oblast / with
long beaches on Miami [mai´émi]. Besides the beaches = kromě pláží / there is a large Cuban
influence here. Miami is a modern city which is known around the world for its Cuban
culture. Miami lies near to Cuba and it means that we can find here large Cuban population.
Miami [mai´émi] is famous for its beaches and Cuban food because there are many
immigrants from Cuba.
In southern Florida there is Cape Canaveral [´keipk ´név r l] = Mys Keneverl.
Mys Keneverl je základna, ze které se odpalují rakety do kosmu. = it is the base [beis] =
základna / from where = odkud / rockets [rokits] = rakety / are sent into space. = do kosmu
The American flag: has 13 red-and-white stripes [straips] = pruhy, proužky / which represent
[repri´zent] = reprezentují, zobrazují / the original 13 colonies [´kol nis]. = kolonie / and
50 white stars on a blue background = pozadí / on a blue square in the upper[´ap ®] = horní,
hořejší / left corner which represent [repri´zent]= reprezentují, zobrazují / 50 current [´kar nt]
= nynější, současné / American states.
Sports are very popular in the USA:
1. The most popular sport is American football
2. Basketball
3. Baseball[´beisbo:l]
Many Americans also play soccer.[´sok ®] = European football. Although it isn´t so popular
to watch it on TV like American football.