Table Of ContentМинистерство транспорта Российской Федерации 
Федеральное агентство железнодорожного транспорта 
Федеральное государственное бюджетное образовательное учреждение 
высшего профессионального образования  
"Дальневосточный государственный университет путей сообщения" 
 
Кафедра "Иностранные языки и межкультурная коммуникация" 
 
 
 
Ю.С. Максимова 
 
 
 
 
СТРАНОВЕДЕНИЕ СТРАН АТР 
 
PACIFIC-RIM COUNTRIES STUDIES 
 
Рекомендовано 
методическим советом по качеству  
образовательной деятельности ДВГУПС 
в качестве учебного пособия 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Хабаровск 
Издательство ДВГУПС 
2019 
1
УДК 811.111(075.8)  
ББК Ш143.21я73   
        М 17 
 
Рецензенты: 
 
Кафедра языковой подготовки 
Морского государственного университета им. адм. Г.И. Невельского 
 (заведующий кафедрой кандидат филологических наук, 
доцент О.А. Шурыгина) 
 
Кандидат педагогических наук, 
доцент кафедры методики и иностранных языков ТОГУ 
Н.Р. Максимова 
 
Максимова, Ю.С. 
М 17  Страноведение  стран  АТР  =  Pacific-Rim  Countries  Studies  : 
учеб. пособие / Ю.С. Максимова. – Хабаровск : Изд-во ДВГУПС, 
2019. – 80 с. 
ISBN 978-5-262-00853-7 
 
Cоответствует рабочей программе дисциплины «Страноведение». 
Раскрывает  основные  темы  учебной  дисциплины  и  может  быть 
использовано для аудиторной и самостоятельной работы студентов. 
Предназначено для студентов 3-го курса всех форм обучения по спе-
циальности 38.03.02 «Менеджмент» в качестве учебного ресурса, кото-
рый призван способствовать освоению учебной дисциплины, преподава-
емой на иностранном языке. 
 
                                                                          УДК 811.111(075.8)  
                                                                          ББК Ш143.21я73     
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ISBN 978-5-262-00853-7                                                  © ДВГУПС, 2019 
2
ВВЕДЕНИЕ 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
Особенности геополитического положения дальневосточного региона 
России  предопределяет  важность  политических,  экономических,  куль-
турных и общественных контактов со странами-соседями по АТР. Осво-
ение  дисциплины  «Страноведение»  призвано  помочь  будущим  специ-
алистам в области менеджмента и смежных профессий познакомиться с 
партнёрами по региону и приобрести знания об исторических, географи-
ческих и социальных аспектах жизнеустройства пяти одних из наиболее 
значимых  государств,  входящих  в  блок  Азиатско-Тихоокеанского  реги-
она: Соединённых Штатов Америки, Канады, Японии, Китайской Народ-
ной Республики и Республики Корея. 
Данное пособие включает учебный материал, отобранный в соответ-
ствии с учебной программой и требованиями, предъявляемыми к осво-
ению учебной дисциплины «Страноведение».  
Тематически пособие организовано по главам, освещающим назван-
ные страны. Разделы каждой главы включают информацию по истории, 
географии,  экономике  и  общественному  устройству  пяти  государств  в 
конспективном изложении, мини-глоссарий с ключевыми словами и вы-
ражениями по разделу и блок заданий для проверки усвоения изложен-
ного материала, вопросы для обсуждения  и самостоятельной работы. 
Приложение, включающее тексты на русском языке по представленным 
главам,  и тест  множественного выбора помогут в  освоении основного 
учебного материала.  
Пособие  адресовано  студентам  3-го  курса  направления  38.03.02 
«Менеджмент» и родственных направлений и может быть использовано 
для аудиторной и самостоятельной работы студентов.   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3
1. UNITED STATES of AMERICA 
 
WARM-UP 
 
  Do you know about the country’s location and attractions?  
  Have you heard of the idea of “a melting pot”? What is it about? 
  What is “the American Dream”? 
 
1.1. History 
 
mainland – материк, материковые земли  authority – власть 
Hohokam, Adenans, Hopewellians,  self-government – самоуправление 
Anasazi, Hopi, Zuni – названия племён  postwar – послевоенный 
первых коренных жителей Америки  reconstruction – восстановление 
hieroglyphics – иероглифы,   Civil War – гражданская война 
иероглифическое письмо и изображения  to last – длиться 
to disappear – исчезать  to fail – потерпеть неудачу 
the Norse – скандинавы, норвежцы  decisive – решающий 
permanent– постоянный   to delay – откладывать 
settlement – поселение   to surrender – сдаваться 
to land – высадиться, приземлиться  to unite – объединять 
explorer – исследователь (земель)  transformation – изменения 
political or religious freedom –   Indian tribes – племена индейцев 
политическая свобода или свобода   to co-exist – сосуществовать 
вероисповедания  to emerge – появляться, возникать 
to gain – получать, приобретать  to ratify – ратифицировать 
slave/slavery – раб/рабство  amendments – поправки 
to act as – действовать в качестве  the Bill of Rights – Билль о Правах 
to pass laws – принимать законы  diverse – разнообразный 
 
The first “Americans” crossed the land bridge from Asia. Historians believe 
that they lived in what now is Alaska for thousands of years. They moved 
south into today’s mainland United States. They lived by the Pacific Ocean in 
the Northwest, in the mountains and deserts of the Southwest, and along the 
Mississippi River in the Midwest. 
Historians believe that the Norse may have been the first Europeans to 
arrive.  They  came  from  Greenland,  where  Erik  the  Red  had  started  a 
settlement around 985. In 1001, Erik’s son, Leif, explored the northeast coast 
of what now is Canada. Remaining pieces of Norse houses were found in 
northern Newfoundland. 
It took almost 500 years for other Europeans to reach North America, and 
another 100 for them to build permanent settlements. The first explorers did 
not know about America. They were looking for a way to go to Asia from 
Europe  by  sea. Other Europeans  who arrived later  – mostly Spanish and 
4
Portuguese,  but  also  Dutch,  French,  and  British  –  came  for  land  and  the 
riches of the “New World.” 
The most famous explorer was Christopher Columbus. He was Italian, but 
Queen Isabella of Spain paid for his trips. Columbus landed on islands in the 
Caribbean Sea in 1492. He never reached what is now the United States. 
In 1497, John Cabot, an explorer sailing for England, landed in eastern 
Canada.  His  arrival  established  a  British  claim  to  land  in  North  America. 
During the 1500s, Spain explored and claimed more land in the Americas 
than did any other country. In 1513, Juan Ponce de Léon landed in Florida. 
Hernando De Soto landed in Florida in 1539 and then explored all the way to 
the Mississippi River. 
Spain  conquered  Mexico  in  1522.  In  1540,  Francisco  Vázquez  de 
Coronado  wanted  to  find  the  mythical  Seven  Cities  of  Cibola.  He  started 
looking in Mexico and then traveled north to the Grand Canyon in Arizona 
and into the Great Plains. 
Other Europeans, such as Giovanni da Verrazano, Jacques Cartier, and 
Amerigo Vespucci, explored further north. The two American continents were 
named after Amerigo Vespucci. 
The first permanent European settlement in North America was Spanish. 
It was built in St. Augustine in Florida. People started to come to the New 
World to live. These people were immigrants from Europe. Most people who 
came to the British colonies in the 1600s were English. Others came from 
The Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, France, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. 
By  1690,  250,000  people  lived  in  the  New  World.  By  1790,  there  were  
2.5 million people.  
In  time,  the  13  colonies  developed  within  three  distinct  regions.  
The  middle  colonies  included  New  York,  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania, 
Delaware, and Maryland. The weather was milder and the countryside was 
more  varied.  People  worked  in  industry  and  agriculture.  The  society  was 
more  diverse  and  sophisticated.  The  Southern  colonies  included  Virginia, 
Georgia, and North Carolina and South Carolina. 
The  relationships  between  settlers  and  Native  Americans  (also  called 
Indians) were good and bad. In some areas, the two groups traded and were 
friendly. In most cases, as the settlements grew bigger, the settlers forced the 
Indians to move.  
As time went on, all the colonies developed governments based on the 
British  tradition  of  citizen  participation.  They  passed  laws  that  limited  the 
power of the royal governor and increased their own authority.   
Britain’s 13 colonies grew in population and economic strength during the 
1700s. Although ruled by a distant government, the colonists governed many 
local affairs. The colonists were asked to help pay for the costly war with 
5
France in the 1750s, and for Britain’s large empire. These policies restricted 
the colonists’ way of life. All the colonies except Georgia sent representatives 
to Philadelphia in September 1774 to talk about their “present unhappy state.” 
It was the First Continental Congress. Colonists were angry with the British 
for taking away their rights. They began collecting weapons and getting men 
ready – waiting for the fight for independence. 
The  American  Revolution  and  the  war  for  independence  from  Britain 
began  with a small fight between British troops and colonists on April 19, 
1775.  More than half of colonial representatives voted to go to war against 
Britain at the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia. They decided to 
form  one  army  from  the  colonial  forces.  George  Washington  of  Virginia 
became the commander-in-chief. 
The  Second  Continental  Congress  created  a  committee  to  write  a 
document  that  outlined  the  colonies’  complaints  against  the  king  and 
explained  their  decision  to  separate  from  Britain.  The  Declaration  of 
Independence told the world of a new nation and its beliefs about human 
freedom.  It  argued  that  political  rights  are  basic  human  rights  and  are 
universal. The Second Continental Congress accepted this document on July 
4, 1776. The Fourth of July became Independence Day in the United States. 
In 1778, France recognized the United States as an independent country 
and signed a treaty of alliance. In 1783 Britain and other nations recognized 
the United States as an independent nation. 
The  Constitution  provided  the  framework  for  the  new  government.  
The national government could create money, impose taxes, deal with foreign 
countries, keep an army, create a postal system, and wage war. To keep the 
government from becoming too strong, the U.S. Constitution divided it into 
three equal parts – a legislature (Congress), an executive (president), and a 
judicial system (Supreme Court). Each part worked to make sure the other 
parts did not take power that belonged to the others. 
On  September  17,  1787,  most  of  the  delegates  of  the  Continental 
Congress  signed  the  new  Constitution.  It  took  about  a  year  to  ratify  the 
Constitution.  When  the  first  U.S.  Congress  met  in  New  York  City  in 
September 1789, the delegates proposed a number of amendments to the 
Constitution to list these rights. They added 10 amendments, known as the 
Bill  of  Rights.  Since  then,  only  17  amendments  have  been  added  to  the 
Constitution in more than 200 years.  
George Washington became the first president of the United States on 
April 30, 1789. He had been in charge of the army. As president, his job was 
to create a working government. With Congress, he created the Treasury, 
Justice, and War departments. 
6
The American Civil War between “free” (Northern) and “slave” (Southern) 
states started in April 1861. The South claimed the right to leave the United 
States, also called the Union, because the North was against the slavery.  
The  war  lasted  four  years.  In  April  1865  the  Civil  War  was  over.  More 
Americans died in the Civil War than in any other U.S. conflict. 
By 1900, the United States had seen growth, civil war, economic prosperity, 
and economic hard times. Americans still believed in religious freedom. Free 
public education was mostly accessible. The free press continued. 
During the Progressive Era, more immigrants settled in the United States. 
Almost  19  million  people  arrived  between  1890  and  1921  from  Russia, 
Poland, Greece, Canada, Italy, Mexico, and Japan. 
Between  two  World  wars  many  Americans  were  uneasy  with  big 
government decisions, but they also wanted the government to help ordinary 
people. These programs helped, but they didn’t solve the economic problems.   
The  United  States  remained  neutral  while  Germany,  Italy,  and  Japan 
attacked other countries. Although many people wished to stay out of these 
conflicts,  Congress  voted  to  draft  soldiers  and  began  to  strengthen  the 
military. On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked the American fleet at Pearl 
Harbor, Hawaii. The United States declared war on Japan. Because Germany 
and Italy were allies of Japan, they declared war on America. 
After World War  II,  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain  had  long-term 
disagreements  with  the  Soviet  Union  over  the  future  of  Europe,  which  is 
called  the  Cold  War.  The  United  States  wanted  stability,  democracy,  and 
open  trade.  Because  it  feared  that  postwar  economic  weakness  would 
increase  the  popularity  of  communism,  the  U.S.  offered  European  nations 
including the Soviet Union large sums of money to repair the war damage 
and help their economies. The Soviet Union and the communist nations of 
Eastern Europe turned down the offer. By 1952, through a program to rebuild 
Western Europe (called the Marshall Plan), the United States had invested 
$13.3 billion  
In the 1960s, some Americans began to have easier lives. Families grew 
and  some  moved  from  the  cities  into  outlying  areas  where  they  could 
purchase larger homes. African Americans started a movement to gain fair 
treatment  everywhere.  In  1954,  the  Supreme  Court  ruled  that  separate 
schools for black children were not equal to those for white children and must 
be integrated. President Lyndon Johnson supported the Rev. Martin Luther 
King  Jr.  in  his  peaceful  fight  for  civil  rights  and  voting  rights  for  African 
Americans.   
On September 11, 2001, everything changed. Foreign terrorists crashed 
four  passenger  airplanes  into  the  two World  Trade  Center  towers  in  New 
York, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and a rural field in Pennsylvania. 
7
President Bush declared war on worldwide terrorism and sent U.S. troops into 
Afghanistan and Iraq. This fight is still on. 
The  United  States  has  dramatically  changed  from  its  beginnings  as  
13  little-known  colonies.  Its  population  of  300  million  people  represents 
almost every national and ethnic group in the world. Progress continues in 
economics,  technology,  culture,  and  society.  Americans  live  in  an 
interdependent,  interconnected  world.  In  2008,  Americans  chose  Barack 
Obama for the presidency. Obama became the first African American to hold 
the nation’s highest office. 
 
1.2. Geography  
 
to cover – покрывать, распространяться  to merge – сливаться, объединяться 
to be divided – быть поделённым  to share – делить(ся), использовать 
to border – граничить  совместно   
interior – внутренний  framework – основа, каркас, рамки 
water way – водный путь  precipitation – осадки 
mountain ranges – горные цепи 
 
The United States of America is the fourth largest country in the world, in 
both  size  and  population.  It  covers  an  area  of  3,618,465  square  miles.  
The United States shares land borders with Canada (to the north) and Mexico 
(to the south), and a territorial water border with Russia in the northwest, and 
two territorial water borders in the southeast between Florida and Cuba, and 
Florida and the Bahamas.  
The USA is divided into 50 states. Those, which border one another on 
the  continent,  are  grouped  into  7  regions:  New  England,  Middle  Atlantic 
States,  Southern  States,  Midwestern  States,  Rocky  Mountain  States, 
Southwestern States and Pacific Coast States. Forty-eight of the states are in 
the single region between Canada and Mexico; this group is referred to, with 
varying  precision  and  formality,  as  the continental or contiguous  United 
States, and as the Lower 48. Hawaii and Alaska are grouped separately. 
The  capital  city, Washington,  District  of  Columbia,  is  a  federal  district 
located  on  land  donated  by  the  state  of Maryland.  The  United  States  also 
has overseas territories with varying levels of independence and organization: 
in the Caribbean the territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 
in  the  Pacific  the  inhabited  territories  of  Guam,  American  Samoa,  and  the 
Northern Mariana Islands, along with a number of uninhabited island territories. 
The framework of America is built around a huge interior lowland that has 
yielded some of the country’s greatest agricultural and mineral wealth. To the 
east and west, the land rises to mountain ranges that flank the lowland to 
either side and separate it from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. 
8
The mountain ranges differ substantially from each other. The Appalachians 
on the east stretch are almost unbroken. They are not high and are set back 
from the Atlantic by a broad belt of coastal lowland. 
To the West of the internal basin lies the mighty  system of mountains 
known as the Rocky Mountains. It is part of a global mountain system that 
encircles the Pacific Basin with no coastal plain. 
The Mississippi is one of the world’s great continental rivers. It flows some 
3,970 miles from its northern sources in the Rocky Mountains to the Gulf of 
Mexico, making it one of the world’s longest waterways. The Missouri is its 
chief western branch. It pours into the Mississippi from the west, the Ohio – 
from the east. For miles, the waters of the two rivers flow on side by side, 
without mixing. 
Like the Mississippi, all the rivers east of the Rockies finally reach the 
Atlantic; all the waters to the west ultimately flow into the Pacific. The line that 
divides these rivers is called the Continental Divide. 
The two great rivers of the Pacific side are the Colorado in the south, and 
the Columbia, which originates in Canada and drains the north. 
The Rio Grande, about 1,990 long, is the foremost river of the Southwest. 
It forms a natural boundary between Mexico and the United States. 
North of the Central Lowland, extending for almost 994 miles, are the five 
Great  Lakes  (Lake  Michigan,  Lake  Erie,  Lake  Ontario,  Lake  Huron,  Lake 
Superior) which the United States shares with Canada. 
Due to its large size and wide range of geographic features, the United 
States  contains  examples  of  nearly  every  global  climate.  The  climate  is 
subtropical  in  the Southern  United  States,  tropical  in  Hawaii  and  southern 
Florida,  polar  in  Alaska,  semiarid  in  the  Great  Plains  west  of  the  
100th  meridian,  Mediterranean  in  coastal California and  arid  in  the Great 
Basin  and  the Southwest.  Its  comparatively  favorable  agricultural  climate 
contributed (in part) to the country's rise as a world power, with infrequent 
severe drought in the major agricultural regions, a general lack of widespread 
flooding, and a mainly temperate climate that receives adequate precipitation. 
In  northern  Alaska, tundra and arctic conditions  predominate,  where  the 
temperature has fallen as low as −80 °F (−62.2 °C). On the other end of the 
spectrum, Death  Valley,  California once  reached  134 °F  (56.7 °C),  the 
highest temperature ever recorded on Earth. 
The  Great  Plains  and  Midwest,  due  to  the  contrasting  air  masses,  see 
frequent  severe  thunderstorms  and  tornado  outbreaks  during  spring  and 
summer  with  around  1,000  tornadoes  occurring  each  year.  Hurricanes  are 
another natural disaster found in the US, which can hit anywhere along the Gulf 
Coast or the Atlantic Coast as well as Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. Hurricane 
9
season runs from June 1 to November 30, with a peak from mid-August through 
early October. Occasional severe flooding is also experienced.  
The West Coast of the continental United States and areas of Alaska make 
up part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of heavy tectonic and volcanic 
activity that is the source of 90% of the world's earthquakes. There are several 
active  volcanoes  located  in  the  islands  of  Hawaii.  Other  natural  disasters 
include: tsunamis around  Pacific  Basin,  mud  slides  in  California,  and  forest 
fires in the western half of the contiguous U.S. Although drought is relatively 
rare, it has occasionally caused major economic and social disruption. 
 
1.3. Economy 
 
the age of inventions – век изобретений  to affect – оказывать влияние 
farming – фермерство  equal representation – равное 
seeds – семена  представительство 
occupation – занятие  to demand – требовать 
grain – зерно  unlawful – вне закона 
cotton – хлопок  to create – создавать 
wool – шерсть  prosperity – процветание 
finance – финансы  to double – удваиваться 
shipping – судоходство  to triple – утраиваться 
manufacturing – производство  to tolerate – относиться терпимо, терпеть 
lumber – пиломатериалы  antitrust law – антитрастовый 
machinery – станки  (антимонопольный) закон 
textiles – текстиль  surplus – избыток, излишек 
slave labor – рабский труд  prosperity – процветание 
to provide – обеспечивать  Great Depression – Великая депрессия 
 
The  first  settlements  were  along  the  Atlantic  coast  and  on  rivers  that 
flowed into the ocean. In the Northeast, trees covered the hills and stones 
filled the soil, but water power was available. The Northeast was called New 
England,  and  it  included  Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  and  Rhode  Island.  
The economy was based on timber, fishing, shipbuilding, and trade. 
The growing season was long and the soil was fertile. Most people were 
farmers. Some owned small farms that they worked themselves. The wealthy 
farmers owned large plantations and used African slaves as workers. 
The  U.S.  doubled  in  size  when  it  bought  the  Louisiana  Territory  from 
France in 1803 and Florida from Spain in 1819. From 1816 to 1821, six new 
states were created. Between 1812 and 1852, the population tripled. 
In  1850,  the  United  States  was  a  large  country,  full  of  contrasts.  
New  England  and  the  Middle  Atlantic  states  were  the  centers  of  finance, 
trade,  shipping,  and  manufacturing.  Their  products  included  lumber, 
machinery,  and  textiles.  Southern  states  had  many  farms  that  used  slave 
labor to grow tobacco, sugar, and cotton. The Middle Western states also had 
10