The United States【C1】______a large part of the North American continent. Its neighbors are Canada【C2】______the north, and Mexico to the south.【C3】______the United States is a big country, it s not the largest in the world. In 1964 its population was over 160,000,000. When this land first became a nation, after winning independence from England, it had thirteen states,【C4】______of the states was represented on the American flag by a star. All the states were in the eastern part of the continent. As the nation grew towards the west, new states were in the eastern part of the continent. As the nation grew towards the west, new states were added and new stars【C5】______on the flag. For a long time, there were 48 states. In 1959, however, two more stars were added to the flag【C6】______the new states of Alaska and Hawaii. Sometimes【C7】______is said that the Indians are the only real Americans. Most Americans, however, are descendants(后代)of people who came from all over the world to find a new【C8】______in a new land.【C9】______who came first and in greatest numbers to make their home on the eastern coast of North America were mostly from England. It is for that reason that the language of the United States is English and that its culture and customs are more like【C10】______of England than of any other country in the world. 【C1】