Zvyšování kvality výuky technických oborů

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1 Zvyšování kvality výuky technických oborů Klíčová aktivita V.2 Inovace a zkvalitnění výuky směřující k rozvoji odborných kompetencí žáků středních škol Téma II.2.1 Reals of the English speaking countries and the Czech Republic Kapitola 10 The United States of America - geography Mgr. Drahomíra Pólová

2 Obsah ÚVOD 1 1 THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA GEOGRAPHY SURFACE RIVERS AND LAKES CLIMATE REGIONS QUESTIONS DOPORUČENÁ LITERATURA POUŽITÁ LITERATURA A ZDROJE... 7

3 Úvod Výukový materiál je primárně určen pro žáky 3. a 4. ročníků čtyřletých oborů zakončených maturitní zkouškou (39-41-L/01 Autotronik, M/01 Nábytkářská a dřevařská výroba, M/01 Dopravní prostředky, M/01 Technická zařízení budov, L/002 Mechanik instalatérských a elektrotechnických zařízení budov) a 2. ročníků nástavbového studia (23-43-L/51 Provozní technika, L/51 Podnikání), ale lze jej využít i při výuce nadanějších žáků v nižších ročnících uvedených oborů. V rámci seznámení se s problematikou reálií a života v anglicky mluvících zemí je výukový materiál vhodné použít jako podpůrný a doplňkový studijní materiál v předmětu Anglický jazyk. Jednotlivá témata korespondují s tématickými plány vypracovanými v souladu s ŠVP pro dané obory a vycházejí z požadavků RVP. Jazyková úroveň výukového materiálu je v souladu s požadavky úrovně Intermadiate - B1 (středně pokročilý) Společného evropského referenčního rámce pro jazyky. Výukový materiál se zabývá geografií USA. Vzdělávací materiál zahrnuje souvislý text, jenž je souhrnným představením daného tématu. Součástí kapitoly je rovněž kontrolní cvičení a příprava prezentace. 1

4 1 The United states of America geography The United States of America (commonly called the United States, the U.S., the USA, America, and the States) is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Pacific and Caribbean. At 9.83 million km2 and with over 314 million people, the United States is the third- or fourth-largest country by total area, and the third-largest by both land area and population. 1.1 Surface The Great Plains lie west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains. A large portion of the country's agricultural products are grown in the Great Plains. Elevation rises gradually from less than a few hundred feet near the Mississippi River to more than a mile high in the High Plains. The generally low relief of the plains is broken in several places, most notably in the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains, which form the U.S. Interior Highlands, the only major mountainous region between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains. The Great Plains come to an abrupt end at the Rocky Mountains. The Rocky Mountains form a large portion of the Western U.S., entering from Canada and stretching nearly to Mexico. The Rocky Mountains generally contain fairly mild slopes and wider peaks compared to some of the other great mountain ranges, with a few exceptions 2

5 (such as the Teton Mountains in Wyoming and the Sawatch Range in Colorado). The highest peaks of the Rockies are found in Colorado, the tallest peak being Mount Elbert (4,400 m). The Rocky Mountains contain some of the most spectacular, and well known scenery in the world. West of the Rocky Mountains lies the Intermontane Plateaus (also known as the Intermountain West). The large southern portion, known as the Great Basin, consists of salt flats, drainage basins, and many small north-south mountain ranges. The Southwest is predominantly a low-lying desert region. The Intermontane Plateaus come to an end at the Cascade Range and the Sierra Nevada. The Cascades consist of largely intermittent, volcanic mountains, many rising prominently from the surrounding landscape. The Sierra Nevada, further south, is a high, rugged, and dense mountain range. It contains the highest point in the contiguous 48 states, Mount Whitney (4,421 m). However the highest peak of the U.S.A. can be found in Alaska - Mount Mc Kinley (6,194m). The lowest point of the U.S.A. is Death Valley in California 86m below sea level. 1.2 Rivers and lakes Five Great lakes Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan and Lake Superior are situated on the south-eastern Canadian border. Niagara Falls can be found between Lake Eire and Lake Ontario. They are 50 metres high and more than a kilometre wide. The Mississippi River is probably the most famous American river, first of all thanks to Mark Twain and his Huckeberry Finn. Its name is of Indian origin and means great water. Together with its principal tributary, the Missouri, it is the third longest river in the world. Next major rivers include the Columbia River in the northwest, the Sacramento River in California, the Colorado River in the southwest, the Rio Grande in the south central area and many others that flow from the Appalachians to the Atlantic Ocean. 1.3 Climate Due to its large size and wide range of geographic features, the United States contains examples of nearly every global climate. For example, the Pacific Coast has pleasantly warm summers and mild winters, except in the south, where summers are hot and dry. The Atlantic Coast is relatively cold, occasionally with heavy snowfalls in winter, but summers may be hot and very humid. The weather in the north often differs from that in the south. The Middle West winters are cold and long. Alaska is arctic, Hawaii is tropical. Death Valley in California is the hottest place on Earth in summer. Califotnia, Arizona, New Mexico and Florida belong among the so called Sun Belt States. 3

6 1.4 Regions The country can be dividend into regions : New England, the Modele Atlantic, the South, the Midwest, the Southwest, and the Northwest, or West. Each part of the country has its own habits, ways of speaking the English languague and outlook on life. New England consists of six states Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island along the Atlantic Ocean. The Middle Atlantic Region consists of seven states: New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. The South consists of eleven states Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Atlanta, Columbia slony the Gulf Coast. The Midwest consists of thirteen states : Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin The North West Region is sometimes divided into the Rocky Mountain States Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico and the Pacific Northwest Oregon, Washington, Alaska. The Southwest and Hawaii consists of California, Arizona and Nevada. 4

7 1.5 Questions Where is the USA situated? How many people live there? What is the surface of the USA? What is the highest mountain? How many people live there? Where are situated the Five Great Lakes? What is the longest river? What is the hottest place in the USA? What is the climate like? How is the country divided? Prepare a presentation about the geography of the USA and use a map. 5

8 2 Doporučená literatura 1. Mgr. Dagmar El-Hmoudová, Angličtina maturitní témata Třebíč ISBN Světlana Brendlová, Reálie anglicky mluvících zemí Praha FRAUS, ISBN Jana Odehnalová, Reading about theenglish-speaking countries Praha PRÁH, ISBN Janet Borsbey,Ruth Swan, Crossing cultures, Praha INFOA, ISBN

9 3 Použitá literatura a zdroje 1. Mgr. Dagmar El-Hmoudová, Angličtina maturitní témata Třebíč ISBN Světlana Brendlová, Reálie anglicky mluvících zemí Praha FRAUS, ISBN Jana Odehnalová, Reading about theenglish-speaking countries Praha PRÁH, ISBN Janet Borsbey,Ruth Swan, Crossing cultures, Praha INFOA, ISBN