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CROSSROADS

The USA

Welcome to America

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Welcome to America

Welcome to America

You’ve probably seen many American films and TV series. You probably listen to American music most days. And you definitely use things like smartphones, PC’s, Google, Facebook and Snapchat. All of these were designed in the USA.

The USA became independent in 1776. At that time there were 2.5 million people living there. Now there are about 320 million spread over 50 states. It is a very large country – 10 million km2. There are nine time zones, and it takes 5–7 hours to fly coast to coast. There is a lot of variation in the climate and geography, too. There are tropical beaches in Hawaii and snowy mountains in Alaska, for example.

The USA is a young nation. A lot of people want to move there, partly because they have heard of the American Dream. This is the idea that everyone can be a success if they work hard enough. However, not everyone can find work and some work is very badly paid. Working in a fast food restaurant, for example. Native Americans and African-Americans face extra difficulties, too, because of their history.

So what holds this country together? What does a farmworker in Texas have in common with a computer engineer in California? Maybe it’s patriotism. People feel great pride in being American, and many believe that the USA is the greatest place on earth.

Getting the gist

What do these numbers in the article refer to? Try to use your own words in your answers.

  1. 320 million
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  2. 10 million km2
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  3. 50
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  4. 5–7 hours
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