In attesa della Sua beatificazione

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UNITED STATES of AMERICA

United States

The United States of America consists of a federation of fifty states, forty-eight of which are on the mainland; the other two are Alaska, which lies northwest of Canada, and Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean.

The landscape of the USA is varied; there are forests, deserts, mountains and plains.

The central part of the country is a vast plain crossed by two of  the longest rivers in the country: the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers.

The United States is rich in lakes. The largest are along the Canadian border and are called the Great Lakes.

We can find every kind of climate on this country’s territory. For example, there is an arctic climate in Alaska and a subtropical climate in Florida.

The USA is often called “The Melting Pot” of the world. In fact there are about 250 million Americans of different races and origins.

The American flag has thirteen stripes which represent the original thirteen states that formed the United States, and fifty stars, the number of states that form the present federation. The major languages are American English and Spanish.

American’s System of Government

There is a presidential system of government in the USA. The president is elected by the people for a period of four years and can be elected only twice in succession. He must be a native-born American and he cannot be younger than thirty-five. He lives and works in the White House in Washington D.C.

The President chooses the members of the Cabinet who help him govern the nation.

The President is the Head of State and has a lot of power. However, Congress must approve his decisions. Congress is the legislative body in the United States and it made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

There are two main political parties in the USA: the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. Parliament is important because it is a legislative body (that is to say it makes lows).

GEORGE ORWELL

Eric Arthur Blair,better known by his  pseudonym George Orwell, was born in 1903 in India.

His parents were members of the Indian Civil Service. In his early childhood his mother brought him to England where he attended private schools. His school life was unsuccessfull. He refused to go on to university and decided to join the Imperial Police in India. While there he realized that the British Empire was based on false concept of equality and left the Police. He returned to England. He became a writer and changed his name. He adopted George in honour of Saint George, the patron of England, and Orwell because of the river Orwell in Suffolk- one of his favourite place in England.

His last novel was " Nineteen Eighty-Four" which was published after his death. Big Brother is a fictional character in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. He is an enigmatic dictator of Oceania, a totalitarian socialist state. In the society that Orwell describes, everyone is under complete surveillance by the authorities. The people are constantly reminded of this by the phrase "Big Brother is watching you", which is the core "truth" of the propaganda system in this state.

"Animal farm" tells the story of a revolution. The book reflects events leading up to and during the Stalin era before World War II. The story takes place on a farm somewhere in England. The action of this novel starts when the oldest pig on the farm, Old Major, calls all animals to a secret meeting. He tells them about his dream of a revolution against the cruel Mr Jones. Three days later Major dies, but the speech gives the more intelligent animals a new outlook on life.

WINSTON CHURCHILL

Winston Churchill was born in England, his mother was American.

 Winston Churchill's parents were too busy for him after he was born, and he spent his early years in school rebelling.

Winston was short in stature and very headstrong and stubborn.

When Winston was fifteen his mother promised him a gun and a pony if he would quit smoking. He quit for a short time.

We know when he was an adult he developed a taste for Cuban cigars after a visit to Cuba. The cigar, along with the "V for Victory" hand

sign, became his trademark.

He was an army officer, a journalist, an author of five books, a war hero and politician. These achievements gave indication that he was destined for greatness.

When World War I came, Churchill was one of the few men who recognized the threat Nazi Germany posed to the world.

 Between World War I and World War II (Two) Churchill began painting and became well-known as an artist.

Winston Churchill became United Kingdom Prime Minister on May 10, 1940, near the beginning of World War II. Three days later, he made his first speech to the House of Commons. In it, he made the oft-quoted statement, "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat."

When the Germans invaded Poland, it became clear that Churchill's warnings about the threat had been right on target.

In 1953 Queen Elizabeth knighted him and he became "Sir Winston Churchill", a

member of the highest order of British knighthood.

That same year he also won the Nobel peace prize for literature.