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A land of differences
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(Key words: difference, climate, stretch, border, state, size, population, island)
The United States is a land of great differences. You can find almost every kind of climate here, though the country lies mostly in the temperate (1) zone. It stretches about 4,500 kilometres from the eastern coast, that is, the Atlantic Coast, to the Pacific Ocean on the West; and it extends 2,557 kilometres from the northern boundary to the southern tip of Texas.
The country borders Canada on the north and goes down south to Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico. It covers an area of 9 million square kilometres, a little less than the area of China.
A jet plane can fly over the continental United States from the east coast to the Pacific Ocean on the west in about five hours; it will take a little more than two days to travel by train from Los Angeles on the west to New York City on the east coast.
There are altogether 50 states in the US, the largest of which is Alaska. It borders on northwestern Canada. It was known as Russian America until it was purchased by the US from Russia in 1867. It was linked to the US by the Alaska Highway in 1942 and became the 49th state of the US in 1959.
Texas is second in size. California is third in size but largest in population.
Hawaii lies in the tropical (2) zone of the Pacific Ocean, 3,200 kilometres away from the North American Continent. It is a group of islands, which became the 50th state of the United States in 1959. Hawaii was made very famous by the Japanese attack, on December 7, 1941, on one of its islands -- Pearl Harbour which is situated near Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii. Of course, Hawaii is world famous for its beautiful tropical scenery.
Question:
1. What makes Hawaii famous throughout the world?
Notes: 1. (adj.) 温带的 2. (adj.) 热带的
(For Unit 13 of Students' Book 3B)
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