A1 English · Lesson 23

🇺🇸 The United States of America

US Vocabulary · Overview · The Northeast · The South · The Midwest · The West
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📖 American English Vocabulary

American English and British English are different in many ways. These are words used in the USA that the British say differently — or do not use at all! Click 🔊 to hear the American pronunciation.
🍽️ Food & Drink
US Word Meaning 🇬🇧 British English 🇧🇬 Bulgarian
Cookie A small, sweet, baked treat Biscuit Бисквитка
French fries Fried potato strips (hot) Chips Пържени картофи
Chips Thin, salty potato snacks (a bag) Crisps Чипс
Candy Small pieces of sugar sweets Sweets Бонбони
Eggplant A dark purple vegetable Aubergine Патладжан
Zucchini A long green vegetable Courgette Тиквичка
🚗 Transport & Places
US Word Meaning 🇬🇧 British English 🇧🇬 Bulgarian
Highway / FreewayA large, fast road between cities Motorway Магистрала
Gas / Gasoline Fuel for a car Petrol Бензин
Truck A big vehicle that carries goods Lorry Камион
Parking lot A place where you leave your car Car park Паркинг
Sidewalk The path next to the road for walking Pavement Тротоар
Subway The underground metro / rail system Underground / Tube Метро
🏠 Home & Daily Life
US Word Meaning 🇬🇧 British English 🇧🇬 Bulgarian
Apartment A home inside a building, on one floor Flat Апартамент
Elevator A machine that takes you up/down floors Lift Асансьор
Line A row of people waiting their turn Queue Опашка
Trash / GarbageThings you throw away; also means "bad" Rubbish Боклук / Глупости
Sweater A warm piece of clothing for the top Jumper Пуловер
Sneakers Sports shoes for everyday wear Trainers Маратонки
💬 Common American Phrases
US Phrase Meaning 🇬🇧 British English 🇧🇬 Bulgarian
Awesome! Very good; impressive; excellent Brilliant! / Brilliant!Страхотно!
You're welcomeThe reply to "thank you" Not at all / Cheers Моля / Няма защо
Buddy / Pal A friend (informal) Mate Приятел / Другар
Fall The season after summer Autumn Есен
Vacation A period of rest away from work or school Holiday Ваканция / Почивка
Restroom A room with a toilet; a bathroom Toilet / Loo Тоалетна

🇺🇸 The United States of America

The United States is a federal republic made up of 50 states. It is the third largest country in the world by area and has about 330 million people — the third largest population. The capital city is Washington, D.C.
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History

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The 13 Colonies
Before the USA existed, there were 13 British colonies on the east coast. In 1776, they declared independence from Britain. This is why Independence Day is celebrated every year on 4th July.
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The Constitution (1787)
After independence, the Founding Fathers wrote the US Constitution — one of the world's oldest written constitutions. It created a system of three branches of government: the President, Congress, and the Supreme Court.
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From Sea to Shining Sea
Over the 1800s, the USA grew westward across the continent. By the end of the century, it stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean — a journey of about 4,500 kilometres.
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Geography

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50 States
The USA is made of 50 states. 48 are connected on the mainland. Alaska is in the far north-west, next to Canada. Hawaii is a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean.
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Currency: The Dollar
The US Dollar ($) is the most widely used currency in international trade. Many countries around the world keep their savings in dollars because the US economy is the largest in the world.
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Many Climates
Because the USA is so large, it has almost every climate on Earth — tropical heat in Florida, Arctic cold in Alaska, desert dryness in Arizona, and Mediterranean sunshine in California.
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Culture

🇺🇸
The Stars and Stripes
The US flag has 13 stripes — one for each original colony — and 50 stars, one for each state. Americans call it "The Stars and Stripes" or "Old Glory". It flies in front of every school and government building.
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Hollywood
The American film and television industry is the most influential in the world. Hollywood, in Los Angeles, has produced the most popular films in history. American music, fashion, and language have spread worldwide.
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Sport
American Football (the Super Bowl), Baseball, and Basketball (the NBA) are the most popular sports. The Super Bowl is watched by over 100 million people in the USA alone — it is one of the biggest single sporting events in the world.
🎬 Watch: Introduction to the USA
💬 After watching — answer in English

🗽 The Northeast

The Northeast is the oldest and most historic region of the USA. It includes states like New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and others. This is where the country was born.
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History

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New York City
New York City — "The Big Apple" — is the most famous city in the USA. It was the first capital of the country, and for over a century was the busiest port of entry in the world. Today it is a global centre of finance, fashion, and culture.
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The Ivy League
The northeast is home to the most prestigious universities in the world — Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and others. These universities were founded in the 1600s and 1700s, making them some of the oldest in the Western world.
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The Boston Tea Party (1773)
Angry about British taxes, American colonists in Boston threw 342 chests of British tea into the harbour. This act of protest was one of the key events that led to the American Revolution and independence from Britain.
🗺️

Geography

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The Atlantic Coast
The northeast sits along the Atlantic Ocean. The coast is rocky in the north (New England) and has large sandy beaches further south. The sea has been central to the region's history of fishing, trade, and immigration.
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New England in Fall
Every autumn, the forests of New England — states like Vermont and Maine — turn brilliant shades of red, orange, and gold. Millions of tourists travel to see this natural display, called "leaf-peeping".
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Washington, D.C.
The capital of the USA is not in a state — it is a separate District of Columbia (D.C.). It was built on land donated by Maryland and Virginia. Home to the White House, the Capitol Building, and the Lincoln Memorial.
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Culture

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The Statue of Liberty
A gift from France, the Statue of Liberty stands on an island in New York Harbour. She holds a torch and a book showing July 4, 1776. For millions of immigrants arriving by ship, she was the first symbol of America and freedom they ever saw.
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Jazz & Broadway
New York's Broadway is the world capital of musical theatre. New York also played a key role in the development of jazz, hip-hop, and punk music. Many of the world's most famous musicians, writers, and artists have called the city home.
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Thanksgiving
Every fourth Thursday of November, Americans celebrate Thanksgiving — a national holiday remembering the harvest feast shared by the Pilgrims and Native Americans in 1621. Families gather to eat turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie.
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Interesting Facts

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The Statue of Liberty is 93 metres tall from the ground to the tip of her torch. Her full name is "Liberty Enlightening the World".

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New York City has over 800 languages spoken within its borders — more than any other city on Earth.

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Harvard University, founded in 1636, is the oldest university in the USA — older than the country itself.

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New York City is famous for its pizza. A "New York slice" — a large, foldable triangle of pizza — is one of the city's most iconic foods.

🎬 Watch: New York City and the Northeast
💬 After watching — answer in English

🤠 The South

The American South includes states like Texas, Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana. It is known for its warm climate, strong traditions, rich food, and the birthplace of many of America's most important music styles.
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History

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The Civil War (1861–1865)
The South fought against the North in the American Civil War, mainly over the issue of slavery. The North (the Union) won, and slavery was abolished. This period fundamentally shaped modern America and is still discussed and remembered today.
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NASA in Houston
Houston, Texas is the home of NASA's Johnson Space Center — Mission Control for human spaceflight. When Apollo 13 had a problem in 1970, the crew's famous call was: "Houston, we have a problem."
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New Orleans & Jazz
New Orleans, Louisiana, is the birthplace of jazz music. At the start of the 1900s, African-American musicians here mixed blues, gospel, and ragtime to create a completely new sound that changed music forever.
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Geography

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The Everglades
A vast, subtropical wetland in southern Florida. It is home to alligators, manatees, and hundreds of bird species. It is one of the most unique ecosystems on Earth and a protected national park.
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Florida — The Sunshine State
Florida has over 1,300 kilometres of beaches, two major theme parks (Disney World and Universal), and warm weather all year. It is the most visited state for tourism in the entire country.
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Texas — Bigger Than France
Texas is the second largest state in the USA. It is so big that it is larger than the entire country of France. It has deserts, forests, beaches, and big cities like Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio.
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Culture

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Southern BBQ
Barbecue (BBQ) in the American South is not just a way of cooking — it is a culture. Slow-cooked meat (especially pork ribs and beef brisket) is smoked for hours over wood. Every state has its own style and claims to make the best BBQ in the country.
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Country Music
Nashville, Tennessee is the home of country music — one of the most popular music genres in the USA. The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville is one of the most famous music venues in American history.
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Mardi Gras
New Orleans hosts the most famous Mardi Gras celebration in the USA every February. People fill the streets in colourful costumes, brass bands play, and huge parades float through the city. It is one of the biggest festivals in the country.
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Interesting Facts

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Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida is the most visited theme park resort in the world — with about 58 million visitors every year.

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Rock and roll was born in the American South in the 1950s, mixing rhythm and blues from African-American communities with country music.

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Texas has its own unique culture and pride. There is a saying: "Don't mess with Texas" — originally an anti-litter slogan, now a symbol of Texan identity.

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Louisiana has its own Creole and Cajun cuisine, which mixes French, African, and Native American cooking. Dishes like gumbo and jambalaya are world-famous.

🎬 Watch: The American South
💬 After watching — answer in English

🌽 The Midwest

The Midwest is the large central region of the USA. It includes states like Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, and others. It is often called "the heartland" — the farming and industrial centre of the country.
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History

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Chicago — The Windy City
Chicago, Illinois is the third largest city in the USA. It was almost completely destroyed by a great fire in 1871, then rebuilt with the world's first skyscrapers. Today it is a centre of architecture, jazz, blues, and deep-dish pizza.
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Detroit & the Car Industry
Detroit, Michigan was the centre of American car manufacturing for most of the 20th century. Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler — known as "The Big Three" — all started there. The city is often called "Motor City".
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The Breadbasket of America
States like Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska grow so much corn, wheat, and soybean that the Midwest is called "The Breadbasket of America". It produces enough food to feed not just the USA, but much of the world.
🗺️

Geography

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The Great Lakes
Five enormous freshwater lakes — Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario — sit on the border with Canada. Together they hold about 20% of all the world's surface fresh water. Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by area.
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The Mississippi River
The Mississippi River runs from Minnesota all the way to New Orleans — about 3,730 kilometres. It is one of the great rivers of the world and has been essential for transport, farming, and trade throughout American history.
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Tornado Alley
The flat central plains of the Midwest are known as "Tornado Alley" because warm and cold air masses meet there and create powerful tornados. The USA has more tornados than any other country in the world.
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Culture

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Blues & Jazz in Chicago
When African-American musicians moved north from the South in the early 1900s, they brought blues music to Chicago. The "Chicago Blues" style — louder and with electric guitars — was born there and strongly influenced rock music worldwide.
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The Super Bowl
American Football is the most popular sport in the USA. The Super Bowl — the championship game — is played every February and is the most watched television event in the country. Teams from across the Midwest are among the most famous in the sport.
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State Fairs
Every summer and autumn, Midwestern states host huge State Fairs. They celebrate farming, local food, animals, and crafts. They often feature rides, competitions, and famously strange "fair food" — like deep-fried butter.
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Interesting Facts

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Chicago was home to the world's first skyscraper. The Home Insurance Building, built in 1885, was the first tall building to use a steel frame.

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Lake Superior is so large that it could hold the water of all the other Great Lakes combined, plus three more lakes of the same size.

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Iowa alone produces enough corn every year to fill a line of trucks stretching from New York to Los Angeles — and back again.

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Rock and roll legend Chuck Berry was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Many call him the "Father of Rock and Roll".

🎬 Watch: The American Midwest
💬 After watching — answer in English

🌴 The West

The West Coast and Mountain West include states like California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and others. It is the region of Hollywood, Silicon Valley, and some of the most dramatic natural landscapes on Earth.
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History

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The Gold Rush (1848)
When gold was discovered in California in 1848, over 300,000 people from across the USA and the world rushed west to find their fortune. This "Gold Rush" transformed California from a frontier territory into a fast-growing state and built the foundation of San Francisco.
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Silicon Valley
South of San Francisco, in the Santa Clara Valley, is the world's technology capital. Apple, Google, Facebook, Netflix, and hundreds of other tech companies were founded here. The region produces more wealth from technology than any other place on Earth.
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Hollywood
In the early 1900s, filmmakers moved to Los Angeles because of the warm, sunny weather and varied landscapes. Hollywood became the world centre of cinema. The famous "HOLLYWOOD" sign in the hills was originally an advertisement for a property development in 1923.
🗺️

Geography

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The Grand Canyon
In Arizona, the Colorado River has carved a canyon that is 446 kilometres long, 29 kilometres wide, and 1.8 kilometres deep. The Grand Canyon is one of the natural wonders of the world and attracts about 6 million visitors a year.
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Yellowstone
The world's first national park, Yellowstone sits on top of a supervolcano. It has over 10,000 geothermal features, including the famous "Old Faithful" geyser, which erupts every 60–110 minutes. Herds of bison still roam the park freely.
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Alaska — The Last Frontier
Alaska is the largest US state — nearly twice the size of Texas. It is mostly wilderness, with towering mountains (Denali is the tallest peak in North America), glaciers, and wildlife including bears, wolves, and eagles.
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Culture

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Las Vegas
In the middle of the Nevada desert, Las Vegas is the entertainment capital of the world. It is famous for its giant casinos, huge hotels, and round-the-clock entertainment. Over 40 million people visit every year, making it one of the most visited cities on the planet.
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California Lifestyle
California has the largest economy of any US state — if it were a country, it would be the 5th largest economy in the world. Its culture — surfing, healthy eating, outdoor living, and technology — has spread around the world.
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The Pacific Northwest
Oregon and Washington state are known for their deep forests, coffee culture, and independent spirit. Seattle, Washington, is the birthplace of grunge music (Nirvana, Pearl Jam) and is home to Amazon and Microsoft.
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Interesting Facts

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California is home to the tallest trees on Earth — the coastal redwoods — and the oldest living trees — the bristlecone pines, some over 5,000 years old.

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Death Valley, California, holds the record for the highest reliably recorded air temperature on Earth: 56.7°C in July 1913.

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The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco was the longest suspension bridge in the world when it opened in 1937. It is painted "International Orange" — not gold.

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Every year, grey whales migrate along the California coast — a journey of 20,000 kilometres round trip, one of the longest migrations of any mammal on Earth.

🎬 Watch: The American West
💬 After watching — answer in English