ФЕДЕРАЛЬНОЕ АГЕНТСТВО ПО ОБРАЗОВАНИЮ

КЕМЕРОВСКИЙ ТЕХНОЛОГИЧЕСКИЙ ИНСТИТУТ ПИЩЕВОЙ ПРОМЫШЛЕННОСТИ

Т.М. Лазарева, О.В. Митякина, Л.Д. Овчерук, И.В. Шерина

Английский язык. Страноведение.

Учебное пособие

Для студентов вузов

Кемерово 2010

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УДК 811.111 (075)ББК 81.2 Англ. А 64

Рецензенты:О.В. Ртищева, к.филос.н.,

доц. каф. иностранных языков Кем ГУКИ;Т.С. Сергейчик, к.п.н., доц.

каф. иностранных языков факультета РГФ КемГУ

Рекомендовано редакционно-издательским советомКемеровского технологического института

пищевой промышленности

ISBN

Настоящее пособие по страноведению дает возможность студентам получить важный и интересный материал по пяти англоговорящим странам: Соединенному Королевству Великобритании и Северной Ирландии, Соединенным Штатам Америки, Канаде, Австралийскому Союзу и Новой Зеландии. В пособие включены сведения по истории, географии, экономике, политическому устройству, системе образования, культуре и искусству каждой страны. После каждого раздела рекомендуется выполнить разнообразные по форме задания.

УДК 811.111 (075) ББК 81.2 Англ.

ISBN

© КемТИПП, 2009

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ПРЕДИСЛОВИЕ

Пособие для развития навыков устной речи представляет собой одну разговорную тему «Страноведение» («Spotlight on English-Speaking countries») и состоит из пяти разделов: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, The United States of America, Canada, New Zealand, Australia. Каждый раздел включает в себя активную лексику, фонетические и лексические упражнения, творческие задания, диалоги, базовый текст, а также тексты для дополнительного чтения.

Цель учебных материалов и заданий по данной теме – научить систематизировать знания в области страноведческой тематики, и сформировать у обучаемых уровень коммуникативной компетенции, который позволит им вести беседу, строить монологическое высказывание по теме, а также расширить их кругозор.

Пособие разработано в соответствии с требованиями Государственного образовательного стандарта по дисциплине «Иностранный язык».

При отборе материалов авторы-составители руководствовались дифференциальным подходом, т.е. использовали тексты и упражнения к ним для разных видов речевой деятельности (чтение, аудирование, говор, письмо), всех форм работы (устной и письменной, аудиторной и внеаудиторной, индивидуальной, групповой, самостоятельной, парной).

Обилие представленных материалов и заданий к ним позволяет преподавателю варьировать содержание процесса обучения.

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THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND

Fact File

Official name: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Total area: 243,610 square kmPopulation: 61,855,000Official language: English; both English and Scots Gaelic in

Scotland; both English and Welsh in WalesEthnic groups: white 92.4% (of which English 81.5%,

Scottish 9.6%, Irish 2.4%, Welsh 1.9%, Ulster 1.8%), black 2% (of which West Indian 1%, African 0.8%), Indian 1.8%, Pakistani 1.3%, Bangladeshi 0.5%, Chinese 0.4%, others 1.9%)

National anthem: ‘God, Save the Queen’Capital: LondonLargest cities: London, Birmingham, GlasgowGovernment: Parliamentary system, Constitutional monarchy,

Unitary stateMonarch: Queen Elizabeth II Longest river: The Severn (354km long)Highest mountain: Ben Nevis (1,344 metres high)Currency: pound sterlingNational holiday: 2nd Saturday in June (1926) Birthday of

Queen Elizabeth II

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Ex. 1. Practise the pronunciation of the following geographical names.the United Kingdom [ju/naɪtid /kɪŋdəm]Great Britain [greɪt /brɪtn] Northern Ireland [/nO:T(ə)n / Qilənd]Wales [weilz]Scotland [/skOtlənd]The British Isles [/britiS Qilz]Edinburgh [/edinb(ə)rə]Cardiff [/kQ:dif]Belfast [/belfQ:st]The English Channel [ /tSxn(ə)l]Lowland [/ləulənd]Highland [/ hQilənd]The Lake District [/leik /distrikt]The Pennines=the Pennine Chain [/penQinz] = [/penQin/tSein]The Cheviot Hills [/tSeviət /hilz]The Midlands [/midləndz]The Severn [/sevə(:)n]The Tweed [twi:d]Southampton [sQuT/ xmptən]The Irish Sea [/Qi(ə)riS si:]the North Sea [/nO:Tsi:]Birmingham [/bə:miηəm]Sheffield [/Sefi:ld]Bradford [/brxdfəd]Leeds [li:dz]Fleet Street [/fli:t/ stri:t]East Anglia [i:st xngliQ]

Ex. 2. Read the following international words and guess their meanings. Check the words in bold type in the dictionary:

N A Vrepublicregionindustryconcentration

separateofficialcentralconstitutional

to useto occupyto protectto produce

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attackeffectmetalcommunicationnavigationleadercentremachinetextilestatetoleranceelectronicschief

parliamentarycollectiveindustrialsymbolic

to leadto debateto start to separateto discuss

Topical Vocabulary

Nouns

island островlanguage языкvalley долинаplain равнинаmountain chain горная цепьpopulation население region территория, область, крайhill возвышенность, холмmonarchy монархияchamber палатаsupport поддержка, помощь;

поддерживать, обеспечиватьpower властьnavigation судоходство, навигацияequipment оборудование, оснащениеshipbuilding кораблестроениеiron ore железная рудаengine машина, двигательtrade занятие, ремесло, торговля

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Parliament парламентthe House of Lords палата лордовthe House of Commons палата общинthe European Community Европейское сообществоthe Union Jack Государственный флаг

Соединённого Королевстваpin булавка, кнопкаbutton пуговицаsuburb окраина, пригородplague чума, мор, эпидемияavenue проспект, широкая дорогаwealth богатство, благосостояниеluxury роскошьarea Площадь, территория Stock Exchange фондовая биржаshipping отгрузка грузов,

транспортировкаmarket рынокresidence местожительствоdock докappearance появление, (внешний) видtributary приток рекиbill законопроектseat of the government местонахождение

правительстваengineeringdrive

машиностроение гонка, стимул, побуждение, тенденция

Verbs and verb combinations

to consist of состоять изto occupy занимать (пространство),

захватывать

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to separate отделять(ся), разделять(ся)to be composed of состоять изto subdivide подразделять(ся)to flow течьto include включатьto extend southward простирать(ся), тянуть(ся) к югу,

на югto bear нести, выдерживатьto head возглавлятьto influence оказывать влияниеto smash уничтожитьto contain содержать в себе, вмещатьto reign царить, господствоватьto debate обсуждать, спорить, оспариватьto belong to smb. принадлежать кому-либоto refuse отказывать, отвергатьto sign подписывать(ся)to be responsible for быть ответственным за что-либоto survive пережить, выдержатьto be situated upon быть расположеннымto associate with соединять, связыватьсяto be in favour of стоять за что-либо; быть

сторонником чего-либоto elect избирать, выбиратьto prevail преобладать, господствовать

Adjectives

оfficial служебный, официальныйindependent независимый, самостоятельныйseparate отдельный, изолированныйplain ровныйswift быстрыйwoollen шерстянойmetropolitan столичныйwarm тёплый, жаркийchief главный, основной

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general общий, обычный, главныйshadow теневойparticular особыйmutual взаимный, обоюдныйcommercial торговыйstriking поразительныйheavy тяжёлый, трудныйmediaeval средневековый

Ex. 3. Read the words and say what part of speech they belong to and what words they are derived from.Subdivided, united, striking, constitutional, swiftest, exporter, equip-ment, famous, beautiful, completely, contains, bigger, wooden, brought, different, election.

Ex. 4. Practise conversion. Form new words according to the model. Fill in blank spaces of the table with correct words. Con-sult the dictionary if necessary.Model: Noun → Verb head → to head голова, глава → возглавлять

face лицо to face _______

name название, имя to name _______

drive _______ to drive гнать, нестись

board _______ to board сесть на корабль

use _______ to use употреблять, пользоваться

state государство,форма

to state _______

mean(s) cередина; средство, способ

to mean _______

sign подпись,знак

to sign _______

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centre центр, средоточие to centre _______

spread _______ to spread развёртывать, простирать

chain цепь, хребет to chain _______

Ex. 5. Find in the texts given below the words formed with the help of conversion and state what part of speech they belong to.

Ex. 6. Choose the word that is similar or synonymous to the un-derlined word.1. mutual relative particular connected2. valley hill plain forest3. region area part chain4. comprise use include take5. famous important occasional prominent6. hold keep give lead7. associate fill combine get

Ex. 7. a) Read and translate into Russian the following N+N word combinations.Navigation equipment, world leader, museum walls, architecture masterpiece, inspiration source, high quality goods, visitors attrac-tion.

b) Make up sentences with these word combinations.

Ex. 8. a) Make up as many word combinations as you can choosing from A and B. Translate them into Russian. A) B)everyday climatemain languagelow hillschief countryswiftest tradewoollen election

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mild regionofficial riversdeveloped speechmetal goods goodsinternational fabricgeneral valuehistoric stateseveral buildingsisland

b) Make up sentences with these word combinations.

Ex. 9. Read and translate the sentences into Russian paying spe-cial attention to the different meanings of the underlined words:1. On either side of the Pennines the plains of Yorkshire and Lan-cashire stretch to the sea.2. London is situated on either banks of the Thames River.3. These days not many people live in the city centre either.4. In mediaeval times, East Anglia became rich because of the wool trade.5. The British climate is never too hot or cold, too wet or dry.6. Kensington Gardens, St. James’s Park are situated in the West End too.

Ex. 10. Insert a suitable word from the box.1. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland … the territory of the British Isles.2. The island of Great Britain is … into two main regions – Lowland Britain and Highland Britain.3. The … rivers of Great Britain are: the Severn, the Thames and the Avon.4. England is separated from Scotland by the … ….5. The UK is a name which was introduced in 1801 when Great Britain became united with … .6. The British parliamentary system depends on … ….7. More than 10 million people live in London and its … .8. The City is … and business centre.9. The … streets here are Whitehall and Downing Street.

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10. During the Fire all … houses were smashed to the ground.Subdivided, chief, political parties, wooden, best-known, suburbs, the Cheviot Hills, Ireland, commercial, occupies.

Ex. 11. Read and translate the text into Russian.

The United Kingdom of Great Britainand Northern Ireland

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland occupies the territory of the British Isles. It consists of four parts: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the official name of the state which is sometimes referred to as Great Britain or Britain (after its major isle), England (after its major his-toric part) or the British Isles.

The UK is an island state: it is composed of some 5,500 is-lands, small and large. The two main islands are Great Britain (in which are England, Wales and Scotland) to the east and Ireland (in which are Northern Ireland and Independent Irish Republic) to the west. They are separated by the Irish Sea.

Geographically, the island of Great Britain is subdivided into two main regions – Lowland Britain and Highland Britain. Lowland Britain comprises southern and eastern England. Highland Britain consists of Scotland, most of Wales, the Pennines and the Lake Dis-trict. The Pennine Chain extends southward from the Cheviot Hills into the Midlands, a plain region with low hills and valleys. England is separated from Scotland by the Cheviot Hills, running east to west.

The chief rivers of Great Britain are: the Severn, flowing along the border between England and Wales, tributaries of which include the Avon; the Thames, which flows eastward to the port of London and some others. The swiftest flowing river in the British Isles is the Sprey. Another river is the Tweed, near which is made the woollen fabric that bears its name.

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There are many lakes in Great Britain. On the northwest side of the Pennine system the Lake District contains the beautiful lakes which give it its name.

The highest mountains are in Scotland and Wales: Ben Nevis is 1,343 metres and Snowdon is 1,085 metres.

The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of the Gulf Stream influence the climate of the British Isles. It is mild the whole year long.

The UK is one of the world’s smallest countries with an area of some 244,100 square kilometers. The UK is situated off the west coast of Europe between the Atlantic Ocean on the northwest and the North Sea on the east and is separated from the European continent by the English Channel.

The largest cities of Great Britain are: London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Bristol, Leeds, and Edinburgh. The most important ports are: London, Liverpool, Southampton, Belfast, Glasgow and Cardiff.

The population of the United Kingdom is over 57 million peo-ple. English is the official language. But it is not the only language which people use in the UK.

The island of Great Britain contains three “nations” which were separate at earlier stages of their history; England, Scotland and Wales. Wales had become part of the English administrative system by the sixteenth century. Scotland was not completely united with England until 1707. The UK is a name which was introduced in 1801 when Great Britain became united with Ireland. When the Republic of Ireland became independent of London in 1922, the title was changed to its present form.

The United Kingdom is a constitutional (or parliamentary) monarchy. The country has a monarch (a king or a queen) as its Head of State. The monarch has very little power and can only reign with the support of parliament. Parliament consists of two chambers known as the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

The United Kingdom is a highly developed industrial country. It is known as one of the world largest producers and exporters of machinery, electronics, textile, aircraft and navigation equipment. One of the chief industries of the country is shipbuilding. The wool industry is centred in Leeds and Bradford, the cotton industry in

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Manchester, the iron ore goes to the steel, heavy machinery and ship-building industries of Newcastle and other cities. The industries of Midlands with Birmingham as its chief city produce metal goods, from motor car and railway engines to pins and buttons.

The country is a world leader in international trade. In January 1973, Great Britain becаme a member of the European Community.

The British Parliament and the Monarch

The British Parliament consists of the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

The House of Commons plays the major role in law-making. It consists of Members of Parliament (called MPs for short), each of whom represents an area in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. MPs are elected either at a general election, or at a by-elec-tion following the death or retirement of an MP.

Parliamentary elections must be held every five years, but the Prime Minister can decide on the exact date within those five years. The minimum voting age is 18, and the voting is taken by secret bal-lot.

The British parliamentary system depends on political parties. The political parties choose candidates in elections. The party which wins the majority of seats forms the Government and its leader usu-ally becomes Prime Minister.

Parliament and the monarch have different roles in the govern-ment of the country, and they only meet together on symbolic occa-sions such as the coronation of a new monarch or the opening of Par-liament. In reality, the House of Commons is the only one of the three which has true power. It is here that new bills are introduced and debated. If the majority of the members are in favour of a bill it goes to the House of Lords to be debated and finally to the monarch to be signed. Only then it becomes law.

London

The capital of the UK is London. London is one of the largest cities in the world. It is situated upon both banks of the

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Thames. More than 10 million people live in London and its suburbs. London is a city of striking contrasts. Here one can come across the past and the present, the old and the modern, live side by side in mu-tual tolerance and respect.

In London, one can see architecture of different centuries and styles. It is inseparably connected with the history of the city. The Romans, the Saxons and the Danes settled here in turn, after them came the Normans, and brought the French civilization. London sur-vived the Plague and the Great Fire, which followed in 1666. During the Fire all wooden houses were smashed to the ground and a New London, London of stone with bigger houses and wider streets was built. During the World War II, many buildings of great historic value lay in ruins and today the face of London is changed.

These days not many people live in the city center either, but London has spread further outwards into the country.

London dominates the life of Britain. It is a big port and most important commercial, manufacturing and cultural centre. There is little heavy industry in London, but there is a wide range of light in-dustry in Greater London.

Traditionally London is divided into several parts: the City, Westminster, the West End and the East End.

The city first started in the place, which is known as the City. It is the Heart of London, it is commercial and business centre. Here you will find the Bank of England and the Stock Exchange. Fleet Street is known as the home of the nation’s newspapers. There are some historic buildings in the City. St.Paul’s Cathedral and the Tower of London are the most famous of them.

The City occupies a territory of 2,650 square kilometers. Dur-ing a day, it is full of people, nearly half a million people work here.

Westminster is a part of London that has long been connected with royalty and government. Buckingham Palace is the London home and primary residence of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occa-sions and royal hospitality.

The West End is the richest part of the city with its beautiful avenues, parks. Hyde Park with its Speakers Corner is also here. Kensington Gardens, St. James’s Park are among other parks. The

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best-known streets here are Whitehall with important Government offices, Downing Street, the London residence of the Prime Minister and the place where the Cabinet meets.

The name “West End” came to be associated with wealth, lux-ury, and goods of high quality. It is the area of the largest department stores, cinemas and hotels. There are about 40 theatres, several con-cert halls, many museums including the British Museum, and the best art galleries.

The East End grew with the spread of industries to the east of the City. It covers a wide area. Here were kilometers of docks, and the great industrial areas that depended upon shipping. The East End is also one of those parts of London where people from abroad have come to find work. For centuries foreigners have made London their home. They brought new skills and started new industries. The East End is especially famous as the centre of the clothing industry in London.

The East End markets are famous throughout the world. Petti-coat Lane market takes place every Sunday morning and has become one of the sights of London. This is the East End of London, for-merly unattractive in appearance, but now changing because of the introduction of new industries and very expensive housing.

The gradual growth of the city helps explain the fact that Lon-don doesn’t have just one centre, that’s why it has a number of cen-tres, each with a distinct character.

Ex. 12. Answer the following questions.1. What are the main countries of the UK and their capitals?2. Which countries of the UK occupy the two main islands?3. What is the area of the UK?4. Which river is associated with the name of Shakespeare?5. Which is the swiftest flowing river in the UK?6. Which is the highest point in the British Isles?7. What is the population of London?8. What parts does London consist of?9. Which river runs through London?

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Comprehension check

Ex. 1. Search the texts for the English equivalents of the word combinations.Официальное название; независимая республика; островное государство; простирается в южном направлении; равнинная область; самая быстротечная река; Британские острова; Озерный край; притоки; главные реки; шерстяные ткани; круглый год; конституционная монархия; поддержка парламента; высоко развитая промышленная страна; кораблестроение; тяжелое машиностроение; железная руда; поразительные контрасты; жить бок о бок; через прошлое и настоящее; неразрывно связано; Чума и Великий Пожар; историческая ценность; символ благосостояния и роскоши; обоюдная терпимость и уважение; облик Лондона; Лондонская фондовая биржа; издание законов; возраст, дающий право на участие в голосовании; знаменательные события.

Ex. 2. Work in pairs. Read the statements and say if they are true or false. Begin each sentence with the following phrases.A) 1. The UK is an island state: it is composed of some 5,500 islands, small and large. 2. Great Britain and Ireland are separated by the Irish Sea.3. Highland Britain consists of Scotland, most of Wales, the Pen-nines and the Lake District.4. The swiftest flowing river in the British Isles is the Sprey.5. The highest mountains are in Scotland and Wales: Ben Nevis is 1,343 metres and Snowdon is 1,085 metres.6. There are many lakes in Great Britain.7. The House of Commons plays the major role in law-making.8. The minimum voting age is 18, and the voting is taken by secret ballot.

B) 1. London’s architecture is inseparably connected with the history of the city.

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2. London survived the Plague and the Great Fire, which followed in 1669.3. Westminster is a part of London that has long been connected with royalty and government.4. The West End is associated with wealth, luxury and goods of high quality.5. Petticoat Lane market takes place every Saturday morning and has become one of the sights of London.

Ex. 3. Complete the following sentences using information from the text.A)1. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland occupies the territory of….2. In everyday speech “Great Britain” is used to mean …3. The two main islands are …4. The UK is one of the world’s smaller countries with an area …5. The population of the United Kingdom is …6. Parliament consists of …

B)1. London is one of …2. London is situated upon …3. During the Fire all wooden houses were smashed …4. Traditionally London is divided into …5. The city first started in …6. The East End is especially famous as …

Ex. 4. Rearrange the words below into grammatically accurate sentences.1. is, of, the world’s smallest, the UK, an area, with, of, countries, some, 244.100 square kilometers.2. the support, with, reign, the monarch, of, very, has, only, can, power, little, and, parliament.3. except, the week, of, day, every, Sunday, on, daily, are, published, newspapers.4. is situated, of, to the east, the City, the port.

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Ex. 5. Make questions to which the underlined words are the an-swers.1. The two main islands are Great Britain (in which are England, Wales and Scotland) to the east and Ireland (in which are Northern Ireland and the independent Irish Republic) to the west.2. The swiftest flowing river in the British Isles is the Spey.3. The Lake district is widely known for its association with the his-tory of English literature and especially with the name of William Wordsworth (1770-1859), the founder of the Lake School of poets.4. In the 19th century the growth of British colonial power led to the spread of English as world language.5. London is situated upon both banks of the River Thames.

Ex. 6. Translate into English.A)1. Соединенное Королевство Великобритании и Северной Ирландии занимает большую часть Британских островов.2. Соединенное Королевство состоит из четырех частей: Англия, Шотландия, Уэльс и Северная Ирландия. Столицы этих государств – Лондон, Эдинбург, Кардифф, Белфаст.3. Население Соединенного Королевства более 57 млн. человек.4. Самые высокие горы располагаются в Шотландии и Уэльсе: Бен Невис высотой 1343 м. и Сноудон 1085 м.5. Озёрный край расположен в северо-западной части Англии. Это очень романтическое место, известное своими долинами, горами, озерами и водопадами.6. Оксфорд – старый английский университетский город. Он расположен в Центральных графствах Великобритании к северо-западу от Лондона.7. Юго-восток Англии известен своими плоскими равнинами, где расположено много ферм.8. Великобритания является одним из самых крупных производителей и экспортеров в мире электроники, текстиля и навигационного оборудования.9. Высший орган законодательной власти – парламент. В его состав входят король, палата лордов и палата общин.

B)

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1. Лондон – большой порт и важный торговый, промышленный и культурный центр страны.2. Римляне дали Лондону его первое название.3. Развитие большинства отраслей промышленности связано с обеспечением потребностей населения столицы.4. Лондон – важный международный центр авиалиний.5. Тауэр Лондона, бывшая резиденция английских королей, была основана Вильгельмом Завоевателем.6. Три четверти Лондона было уничтожено Великим Пожаром в 1666 году.7. В Лондоне находятся более 30 музеев, около 40 театров, работает одна из крупнейших в мире библиотека Британского музея.

Ex. 7. Answer the following questions.1. What is the official name of Great Britain now?2. What sea separates the two main islands?3. What influences the climate of the British Isles?4. What are the largest cities of Great Britain?5. Who is the head of the state?6. What makes London important for the life of Great Britain?7. Who designed St. Paul’s Cathedral?8. What is the historic part of London?9. What part can be called the center of London?10. What industries are developed in Great Britain?11. What is the political system of the United Kingdom?12. What is understood by the Commonwealth?13. Is Great Britain a republic or monarchy?

Ex. 8. Work in pairs or in groups. Imagine you are going to visit Great Britain. Try to get information about this country. Your group mate will play the role of an English. Ask her/him all the questions. Here is the list of possible options.- the geographical position of the UK;- the parts of Great Britain and their capitals;- the political system in the UK;- the chief rivers;- the highest mountains;

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- London, the capital and the heart of Great Britain;- a part of London he/she likes most of all ;- London’s places of interest.- the most important industrial cities.

Texts for extra-reading

A. Westminster Abbey

It is safe to say that the three most famous buildings in Eng-land are Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London and St. Paul's Cathedral.

Westminster Abbey is a fine Gothic building, which stands op-posite the Houses of Parliament. It is the work of many hands and different ages. The oldest part of the building dates from the eighth century.

It was a monastery. In the 11th century, Edward the Confessor after years spent in France founded a great Norman Abbey. In 200 years Henry III decided to pull down the Norman Abbey and build a more beautiful one after the style then prevailing in France. Since then the Abbey remains the most French of all English Gothic churches, higher than any other English church (103 feet) and much narrower. The towers were built between 1735— 1740. One of the greater glories of the Abbey is the Chapel of Henry VII, with its deli-cate fan-vaulting.

The Chapel is of stone and glass, so wonderfully cut and sculptured that it seems unreal. It contains an interesting collection of swords and standards of the "Knights of the Bath". The Abbey is fa-mous for its stained glass.

Since the far-off time of William the Conqueror, Westminster Abbey has been the crowning place of the kings and queens of Eng-land. The Abbey is sometimes compared with a mausoleum, because there are tombs and memorials of almost all English monarchs, many

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statesmen, famous scientists, writers and musicians. In 1997, the fu-neral of Diana, Princess of Wales, took place there.

If you go past the magnificent tombstones of kings and queens, some made of gold and precious stones, past the gold-and-silver banners of the Order of the Garter which are hanging from the ceiling, you will come to Poets' Corner. There many of the greatest writers are buried: Geoffrey Chaucer', Samuel Johnson, Charles Dickens, Alfred Tennyson, Thomas Hardy and Rudyard Kipling. Here too, though these writers are not buried in Westminster Abbey, are memorials to William Shakespeare and John Milton, Burns and Byron, Walter Scott, William Makepeace Thackeray and the great American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Here in the Abbey there is also the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, a symbol of the nation's grief. The inscription on the tomb reads: "Beneath this stone rests the body of a British Warrior un-known by name or rank brought from France to lie among the most illustrious of the land..."

In the Royal Air Force Chapel there is a monument to those who died during the Battle of Britain, the famous and decisive air battle over the territory of Britain in the Second World War.

Notes:The Chapel of Henry VII – часовня Генриха VII (сооружена

в 1503-1513гг.; один из лучших образцов перпендикулярного архитектурного стиля)

Edward the Confessor – Эдуард Исповедник (король Англии с 1042 по1066гг.)

Henry III Генрих III (1207-1272) – английский король с 1216г. (при Генрихе III создан первый английский парламент)

fan-vaulting нервюры, веерный ребристый свод“Knights of the Bath” – кавалеры ордена Бани (один из

высших орденов; учреждён в 1425г.)stained glass витражthe Order of the Garter – орден Подвязки (высший орден;

число награждённых, не считая иностранцев, не должно превышать 24; учреждён в 1348г.)

Geoffrey Chaucer – Джефри Чосер (1340-1400), поэт, прозаик, «отец английской поэзии»; автор «Кентерберийских

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рассказов» - одного из первых памятников на общеанглийском литературном языке

Samuel Johnson – Сэмюэл Джонсон (1709-1784), английский критик и поэт, составитель словарей

Alfred Tennyson – Алфред Теннисон (1809-1892), английский поэт, автор цикла поэм «Королевские идиллии» (1859)

Thomas Hardy – Томас Харди (1840-1928), английский романист и лирический поэт, автор романов Тэсс из рода д’Эрбервиллей (1891) и Джуд Незаметный (1896)

Rudyard Kipling – Редьярд Киплинг (1865-1936), английский писатель и поэт, автор рассказов о жизни мальчика Маугли среди зверей (Книга джунглей, 1894, Вторая книга джунглей, 1895), автор стихов баллад; лауреат нобелевской премии (1907)

John Milton – Джон Мильтон (1608-1674), английский поэт, политический деятель; завершает историческую полосу развития художественной культуры Англии, возникшей в эпоху Возрождения; автор поэм «Потерянный рай» (1667), «Возвращённый рай» (1671) и др.

William Makepeace Thackeray – Уильям Мейкпис Теккерей (1811-1863), английский романист, автор романа «Ярмарка тщеславия» (1848), воплотившего социально-типические пороки буржуазного общества, исторических романов «История Генри Эсмонда» (1852) и «Виргинцы» (1857)

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow – Генри Уодсуорт Лонгфелло (1807-1882), известный американский поэт, автор поэмы «Песнь о Гайавате» (1855) – эпоса о народном герое индейцев

Royal Air Force – ВВС ВеликобританииBattle of Britain – Битва за Англию (воздушные бои в

районе Лондона и южной Англии в 1940-1941гг.)

Ex. 1. Complete the sentences below. Then look at the plan of the text and refer each sentence to the part it comes from. One sen-tence has been done for you.1. It contains an interesting collection of swords and standards of the “Knights of the Bath”. (The Chapel of Henry VII)2. The oldest part of building dates from

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3. Since the far-off time of William the Conqueror 4. In 200 years …decided to pull down the Norman Abbey and …5. Westminster Abbey is a fine …building, which stands opposite… 6. There many of greatest writers are buried: …

Ex. 2. Imagine that you are inside Westminster Abbey. Make a list of those things that you can see there.For example: stained glass, a collection of swords, banners hanging from the ceiling.Compare your list with that of your groupmate.

Ex. 3. Suppose you are a guide in Westminster Abbey. What would you tell the tourists about its history?

B. The History and Meaning of the Union Jack

The British Flag: a Symbol of UnityThe Union Jack is a transnational flag full of historical signifi-

cance. It represents the union of different countries and the growth of a family of nations whose influence extends far beyond the British Isles. This far-reaching influence is still seen today in the incorpora-tion of the Union Jack in other national flags such as that of Aus-tralia. The British flag is called the "Union Jack", an expression that needs to be explained.

The Union Jack is a fine expression of unity as well as diver-sity. The British flag incorporates the national symbols of three dis-tinct countries, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. In fact its name "Union Jack" emphasises the very nature of the United King-dom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as a union of nations. The countries comprising the British Isles are not inward-looking or iso-lated states with an insular mentality; together they constitute a pow-erful union that has spanned centuries. Recent devolution that gave Scotland its own Parliament and Wales its own Assembly has also emphasised the importance of individual national identities within the union without affecting the essential unity of Great Britain. On the contrary, it has strengthened it. Recognition of, and respect for national identities are an essential ingredients for effective union.

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The Union Jack symbolises all this: respect for individuality within a closely knit community.

The "Union Jack" or "Union Flag" is a composite design made up of three different national symbols:

St. George's Cross,the flag of England

St. Andrew's Cross,the flag of Scotland

St. Patrick's Cross,the flag of Ireland

The cross represented in each flag is named after the patron saint of each country: St. George, patron saint of England, St. An-drew, patron saint of Scotland and St. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland.

The image below renders the idea of the union of the three flags forming one unified, transnational Flag.

 

No mention has been made of the Welsh flag. The Welsh dragon was not incorporated into the Union Flag because Wales had already been united to England when the first version of the Union Flag was designed in 1606.

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 The name "Union Jack" became official when it was approved in Parliament in 1908. It was stated that "the Union Jack should be regarded as the National flag".

When is the Union Flag Flown? The Union Flag is flown on government buildings on days

marking: the birthdays of members of the Royal family, Commonwealth Day, Coronation Day, The Queen's official birthday, Remembrance Day and on the days of the State Opening and

prorogation of Parliament.It is also flown on St David's Day (Wales), St George's Day

(England), St Andrew's Day (Scotland), and St Patrick's Day (North-ern Ireland).

C. The Tower of London

The Tower of London was originally built by William the Conqueror, following his successful invasion of England in 1066.

The Tower of London is perhaps better known as a prison. The prisoners would be brought across the river from Westminster where have been tried and crowds would wait on the river bank to find out the verdict to see if they would be treated to the spectacle of a public execution. The executioner, with his long sharp axe would stand be-hind the accused on the boat. If the accused was guilty he would point his axe towards the victim and if not guilty he would point away. People knew that if found guilty there would be a public exe-cution 48 hours later. The responsibility for looking after the prison-ers was given to the Yeomen Warders or Beefeaters. These guards, although looking very similar, are different from the Yeomen of the Guard. The Yeomen Warders originate from twelve Yeomen of the Guard, who were once private bodyguards of Henry VIII.

In the centre of the Tower of London there is the famous White Tower. It is the oldest part of the fortress. The Tower, or Bloody Tower as it is known, has been host to many famous execu-

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tions and imprisonments, including those of Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, Lady Jane Grey and Sir Walter Raleigh, Elizabeth I. Many people have been locked in the Tower for religious beliefs or sus-pected treason.

Elizabeth I was held prisoner in the Tower for two months by the order of her half sister, Queen Mary. Mary felt her throne was be-ing threatened by Elizabeth, so she imprisoned her in the Tower.

For over 900 years, the Tower of London has been standing guard over the capital. As a Royal Palace, fortress, prison, place of execution, arsenal, Royal Mint (where money is made), Royal Obser-vatory, Royal Zoo and jewel house, it has witnessed many great events in British history.

Today the Tower of London houses the Crown Jewels and is open to the public as a museum.

The legend of the RavensRavens have lived at the Tower of London for hundreds of

years. Legend has it that if the ravens ever leave the Tower of Lon-don the White Tower will crumble and a great disaster shall befall England.

Notes:the Yeomen of the Guard телохранители короляthe Yeomen Warders тюремные надзирателиBeefeaters солдаты охраны лондонского тауэраAnne Boleyn Анна Бойлен, Королева Англии,

вторая жена Генриха VIII

Catherine Howard Кэтрин Ховард, пятая жена Генриха VIII

Lady Jane Grey Джейн Грей, Королева Англии, известна также как «королева на 9 дней»

Sir Walter Raleigh Сэр Уолтер Роли, английский, аристократ, ученый, писатель

C. George Bernard Shaw

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George Bernard Shaw was born on 26 July 1856, in Dublin, as the son of George Shaw, who was in the wholesale grain trade, and Lucinda Elizabeth Shaw, the daughter of an impoverished landowner. Shaw’s childhood was troubled. His father was a drunk-ard, which made his son a teetotaler. Shaw went to the Wesleyan Connexional School, then moved to a private school near Dalkey, and then to Dublin’s Central Model School, ending his formal educa-tion at the Dublin English Scientific and Commercial Day School. At the age of 15 he started to work as a junior clerk.

In 1876 he went to London, joining his sister and mother. Shaw did not return to Ireland for nearly thirty years. Shaw began his literary career by writing music and theater criticism, and novels, in-cluding the semi-autobiographical Immaturity without much success.

In 1884 Shaw joined the Fabian Society, a middle-class social-ist group and served on its executive committee from 1855 to 1911. In 1895 Shaw became a drama critic for the Saturday Review. These articles were later collected in ‘Our Theatres In The Nineties’ (1932). Shaw also wrote music, art and drama criticism.In 1898 Shaw married the wealthy Charlotte Payne-Townshend. They settled in 1906 in the Hertfordshire village of Ayot St. Lawrence. Shaw remained with Charlotte until her death.

Shaw’s early plays including ‘Widower’s Houses’ (1892), which criticized slum landlords were not well received. His ‘unpleas-ant plays’, ideological attacks on the evils of capitalism and explo-rations of moral and social problems, were followed with more enter-taining but equally principled productions like ‘Candida’ and ‘John Bull’s Other Island’ (1904). ‘Pygmalion’ was originally written for the actress Mrs. Patrick Campbell, and became later the basis for two films and a musical.

George Bernard Shaw was the Irish dramatist, a literary critic, a social spokesman, and a leading figure in the 20 th century theatre. He was a freethinker, a supporter of women’s rights and an advocate of equality of income. In 1925 George Bernard Shaw was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Shaw accepted the honour but refused the money.

Shaw died at Ayot St. Lawrence, Hertfordshire, on November 2, 1950. During his long career, Shaw wrote over 50 plays.

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Notes:slum landlord — владелец трущоб

Ex. 1. Translate the famous quotations by B. Shaw into Russian. Which one do you like best?1. A fashion is nothing but an induced epidemic. 2. England and America are two countries separated by a common language. 3. I can forgive Alfred Nobel for having invented dynamite, but only a friend in human form could have invented the Nobel Prize. 4. I often quote myself. It adds spice to my conversation.5. Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will. 6. Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it.

Ex. 2. Answer the following questions. 1. Who was Shaw’s father?2. What was the beginning of Shaw’s literary career?3. When did he get married?4. How many plays did he write during his life?

D. About the writer - J.K. Rowling

J.K. Rowling was born in a small town near Bristol. She always liked writing and wrote her first story when she was only five! After school she went to university to study languages and then became a teacher of French.

The writer says that Harry Potter was born on a long train journey and was originally seen as just a bit of entertainment for the writer’s daughter Jessica. At the time, J.K. Rowling, known as Jo to her friends, was a single mother working hard to make enough money to support her daughter. It was the publishers who advised Jo to use her initials – J.K. instead of Jo, as they thought that adventures of 11-year-old boy would not be popular amongst teenagers if written by a woman.

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Now, Harry Potter books are so popular all around the world that J.K. Rowling has become one of the richest people in the UK. She is even richer than the Queen with an estimated fortune of 280 million pounds!

SYMBOLS OF ENGLAND

The three national symbols of England are the St. George's cross (usually seen as a flag), the red rose and the Three Lions crest (usually seen as a badge).

St George's Flag, the England Flag Three Lions Emblem

The three lions are on the badge of England's

cricket team

The three lions are on the badge of England's

football team

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The red rose is widely recognised as the na-tional flower of Eng-

land.

The red rose is on the badge of the English

Rugby Union team.

The oak is the na-tional tree of England

The Royal Fami ly

Queen Elizabeth Prince Charles Prince William

Royal Guards

Life Guard

Foot Guard Life Guard on Horseback

Beefeater

On the Street

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Red Double Decker buses Black taxi cabs

Pillar Box (Post Box) Telephone box

Both the post box and telephone box have a picture of a crown on them. The crown on the postbox also has the mon-

archs initials underneath. We have postboxes with VR (Vic-toria Regina) and GR (Georgeus Rex) still in use today. Victoria Regina is latin for Queen Victorian and Georgeus Rex is latin for King George.

Famous People

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Winston Churchill

Queen Victoria David Beckham

Famous Landmarks

Buckingham Palace

London Eye Big Ben

Food and Drink

Fish and chips  Cup of tea

Sports

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Football Cricket Wimbledon (The home of Ten-

nis)

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Fact File

The earliest known use of the name America for this particular landmass dates from April 25, 1507. America is the feminine form of Americus. Americus Vespucius is the Latinized version of the Flo-rentine explorer Amerigo Vespucci's name. Vespucci's role in the naming issue, like his exploratory activity, is unclear. Some sources say that he was unaware of the widespread use of his name to refer to the new land.

Total Area: 42,549,000 square km Population: 910,720,588 Languages: Spanish, English, Portuguese, French, and many

othersMotto: “In God We Trust” (Each of the 50 United States also

has a motto)National anthem: “The Star Spangled Banner”Capital: WashingtonLargest cities: New York City (8,3 mln), Los Angeles (3,8

mln), Chicago (2,9 mln)Government: Presidential republic

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States: fifty states and one independent district – the District of Columbia.

Head of state: PresidentLongest river: The Mississippi River (about 2,320 miles

(3,730 km) long)Highest mountain: Sierra Nevade. The highest point is Whit-

ney at 14,494 ft. (4,418 meters).Currency: American dollarNational holiday: Independence Day (July 4), Thanksgiving

Day (fourth Thursday in November)National symbols: The Statue of Liberty, Declaration of

Independence, the Bill of Rights, Great Seal of the United States, the U.S. flag, American Bald Eagle, the rose

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Ex. 1. Practise the pronunciation of the following geographical names:the United States [ju:'naɪtɪd'steɪts]RussiaCanada China ['tSainə]Alaska Hawaii [hə'waii:]Mexico ['meksikəu]Italy SpainNorth AmericaSouth Americathe Pacific Ocean [pə'sifik 'əuS(ə)n] the Atlantic OceanWashington ['wɔʃɪŋtən]Southeast Asia ['sauθ'i:st 'eiSə]the Rocky Mountains

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the Cordillera ['kO:di'ljərə]the Sierra Nevada [si'erə nə'vQ:də]the Mississippithe Missouri [mi'zuəri]the Rio Grande ['ri:əu'grændi] the Grand Canyon [grænd] ['kænjən]the Colorado River [kɔl(ə)'rɑːdəu]the Potomac River [pə'təumæk]the Anacostia RiverChicago [Si'kQ:gəu] Los Angeles [lɔs'ænʤɪliz]

Ex. 2. Read the following international words and guess their meanings. Check the words in bold type in the dictionary.

N A Vocean millioncontinentpopulationmixturetraditionphraseformidiomrangeflorareptileamphibiancanyontouristCongressSenateimpeachmentconstitutionparty

Atlantictotaldifferentoriginalstandardgeographicfederallegislativenaturalelectricalnationaltraditionalchocolatepopularculturalcaloricinterestingcharacteristic

to presentto documentto declareto vetoto interpretto standardizeto associateto mixto locateto reserveto collectto migrateto determineto ratify

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Topical Vocabulary

Nounshemisphere ['hemɪsfɪə] полушариеsea-border морская границаcustom обычайfeature ['fiʧə] особенность, характерная чертаplant [plɑːnt] растение; завод, фабрика species ['spi:Siz] вид, разновидностьmammal млекопитающееbranch [brɑːnʧ] ветвь; отрасль, подразделениеrepresentative [reprɪ'zentətɪv]

представитель; уполномоченный

treaty ['tritɪ] договор, соглашение, конвенция

purse [pɜːs] денежный фонд; средства, выделяемые в качестве премии, приза

commander-in-chief главнокомандующийofficer чиновник, должностное лицо;

офицер; командир Supreme Court[s(j)u:'pri:m]

Верховный суд

judge ['ʤʌʤ] судьяapproval [ə'pru:v(ə)l] одобрение; рассмотрениеchange менятьamendment поправка (к резолюции,

законопроекту)resource [rɪ'sɔːs] ресурсы, средства; природные

богатстваcommodity [kə'mɔdətɪ] предмет потребления, товарvehicle ['vi:ikl] транспортное средствоlevel уровеньwheat [wi:t] пшеницаgrain зерноcuisine [kwi'zin] кухня, стол (питание;

кулинарное искусство)

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turkey['tɜ:kɪ] индейкаvenison ['venis(ə)n] оленинаcorn [kɔːn] зерно, кукурузаsquash [skwɔʃ] напиток "сквош" (сок

цитрусовых с газированной водой)

settler колонист, поселенецslave невольник, рабbreakfast beverage напиток на завтракintake потреблениеoutlet выход, проходhealth official чиновник(служащий)

здравоохранения; obesity [əu'bi:siti] тучность; ожирениеslush слякотьpercentage [pə'sentiG] процентное отношение

Verbs and verb combinations

to be situated in находиться, быть расположеннымto stretch тянуться, растягиватьсяto border on граничитьto discover обнаруживать, раскрывать,

находитьto reach достигатьto treat обращаться, обходитьсяto retain сохранять; удерживатьto be represented быть представленнымto approve [ə'pruv] одобрять to appoint назначать, определятьto enforce принуждать, вынуждать (к чему-

л.), заставлять; навязывать (кому-л.)

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to overturn опрокидывать; опровергать(теорию); отменять (решение, постановление)

to deem полагать, считатьto be proud of гордитьсяto constitute составлять; основывать; учреждатьto be similar to быть похожим, сходным

to derive [dɪ'raɪv]выводить, получать

to prefer [prɪ'fɜː]предпочитать

to display выставлять, показывать; обнаруживать, проявлять

to fold [fəuld]сгибать, складывать

to be named after быть названным в честьto get used to привыкатьto remove перемещать; удалять, устранять

Adjectives

western западныйsouthern южныйcommon общий, общепринятый,

обыкновенныйsingular единственныйplural множественныйtemperate умеренныйdiverse [dai'və:s] иной, отличный от чего-л.native роднойdeep глубокийopposite противоположныйlegislative ['leGislətiv] законодательныйexecutive [ig'zekjutiv] исполнительныйjudicial [Gu(:)'diS(ə)l] судебный; законныйPrimary ['praim(ə)ri] главное, основное

balmy ['bɑːmɪ]благоуханный

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abundant [ə'bʌndənt] обильный, богатыйresponsible ответственныйubiquitous [ju(:)'bikwitəs] вездесущий; повсеместный

Ex. 3. Read the words and say what part of speech they belong to and what words they are derived from.Usually, entirely, borders, the highest, written, mixed, natural, lead-ing, standardize, widely taught, chose, planner, dining, smaller, the largest, government, employer

Ex. 4. Practise conversion. Fill in blank spaces of the table with correct words. Consult the dictionary if necessary.

stretch растягивание,усилие to stretch _______

square квадрат, площадь to square _______

border _______ to border граничить, окаймлять

land _______ to landприземляться, высаживаться

на берег

phrase _______ to phrase выражать словами

treat удовольствие, развлечение to treat _______

form форма, фигура, класс (в школе) to form _______

plant растение, саженец to plant _______

look _______ to look смотреть, глядеть

branch ветвь, филиал, отрасль to branch _______

change _______ to change менять

call _______ to call звать, навещать

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trade занятие, ремесло, торговля to trade ––––––

Ex. 5. Find in the texts given below the words formed with the help of conversion and state what part of speech they belong to.

Ex. 6. Choose the word that is similar or synonymous to the underlined word.1. entire total large2. stretch state widen3. area space district4. feature future peculiarity5. various different obvious6. beverage spirit drink

Ex. 7. a) Read and translate into Russian the following N+N word combinations.Plant life, export commodity, apple pie, breakfast beverages, fast food establishments, city planner.

b) Make up sentences with these word combinations.

Ex. 8. a) Make up as many word combinations as you can choosing from A and B. Translate them into Russian. A) B)western featuretotal mountainlong hemispherenew languagewide economygeographic continenttemperate climatehigh areafederal rangepolitical timewell-developed government

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trading infrastructureforeign researchgrowing partyscientific partners

b) Make up sentences with these word combinations.

Ex. 9. Read and translate the sentences into Russian paying spe-cial attention to the different meanings of the underlined words.1. We can call the United States of America both the USA and America.2. In one city you can find people both from China and European countries. 3. American people eat both national and immigrants’ dishes.4. There are different kinds of plants and animals on both sides of the Grand Canyon.5. It is difficult to find either a park or a square in Washington with-out a monument or a memorial.5. At the Institute students can learn either English or German.6. I have never been to New York. My friend hasn’t been either. 7. The USA borders neither Turkey nor France.8. He is neither fish nor flesh.9. Would you like to eat an apple pie or a hamburger? Neither. I’d like to eat pizza.

Ex. 10. Insert a suitable word from the box.1. It occupies the southern part of North America and ……. from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. 2. The people of the United States are a ……. of many different na-tionalities. 3. The climate is … in most areas.4. The federal government ……. of three branches.5. Mainstream American culinary arts are ……. to those in other Western countries.6. After sailing 4000 miles (6400 kilometers) Christopher Columbus ……. some land. 7. The Grand Canyon is one of America’s main tourist ……. .

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8. Washington is smaller ……. than the largest cities of the United States.9. Washington, D.C. has a growing, diversified economy with an ……. percentage of professional and business service jobs. 10. George Washington ……. the place where the city now stands to build the capital.

mixture, in size, chose, reached, stretches, is composed, attractions, similar, temperate, increasing.

Ex. 11. Read and translate the texts into Russian.

The United States of America

The United States of America usually referred to as the United States, the USA, the U.S. or America, is the fourth largest country in the world (after Russia, Canada and China). The United States is sit-uated almost entirely in the western hemisphere. It occupies the southern part of North America and stretches from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. It includes Alaska in the north and Hawaii in the Pa-cific Ocean. The total area of the USA is about nine and a half mil-lion square kilometers. The country borders on Canada in the north and on Mexico in the south. It also has a sea-border with Russia.

Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492. We don’t know much about the man. He was born in Italy but lived in Spain for a long time. After sailing 4000 miles (6400 kilometers) he reached some land. Columbus thought that it must be India but it was not. It was a new land, a new continent. It was America.

The USA is made up of 50 states and the District of Columbia where the capital of the country, Washington, is situated. The popu-lation of the country is about 250 million. The people of the United States are a mixture of many different nationalities. In the past, peo-ple from many countries came to the US. These different people brought to their new land a wonderful mixture of customs and tradi-tions.

The phrase "the United States" was originally treated as plural (the United States are…). However, it became common to treat the

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name as singular – e.g., "the United States is" – after the end of the Civil War. The singular form is now standard, while the plural form is retained in the set idiom «these United States ».

Because of the United States' large size and wide range of geo-graphic features, nearly every type of climate is represented. The cli-mate is temperate in most areas.

If you look at the map of the USA you can see both lowlands and mountains. The highest mountains are the Rocky Mountains, the Cordillera and the Sierra Nevada.

America’s largest rivers are the Mississippi, the Missouri, the Rio Grande and the Columbia. The Great Lakes on the border with Canada are the largest and deepest in the USA. The Grand Canyon is one of America’s main tourist attractions. The Colorado River formed it over millions of years. There are different kinds of plants and animals on opposite sides of the canyon.

The smallest U.S. state by area is the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Alaska is the largest state of the United States by area.

The United States is a constitutional republic. The federal gov-ernment is composed of three branches:

Legislative. The Congress, made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives, makes federal laws, declares war, ap-proves treaties, has the power of impeachment, by which it can re-move sitting members of the government.

Executive. The president is the commander-in-chief of the mil-itary, can veto legislative bills before they become law, and appoints the Cabinet and other officers, who administer and enforce federal laws and policies.

Judicial. The Supreme Court and lower federal courts, whose judges are appointed by the president with Senate approval, interpret laws and can overturn laws they deem unconstitutional.

Americans are very proud of their Constitution. It was written more than 200 years ago and is still working! But the people of the USA can change the Constitution. Changes are called amendments. There are 26 amendments in the Constitution. The first 10 amend-ments are called the Bill of Rights.

There are two main political parties in the USA: the Republi-can and the Democratic.

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The United States has a capitalist mixed economy, which is fu-eled by abundant natural resources, a well-developed infrastructure, and high productivity. Canada, China, Mexico, Japan, and Germany are its main trading partners. The leading export commodity is elec-trical machinery, while vehicles constitute the leading import.

English is de facto the national language. Although there is no official language at the federal level, some laws standardize English. About 215 million, or 82% of the population aged five years and older, speak only English at home. Spanish, spoken by over 10% of the population at home, is the second most common language and the most widely taught foreign language.

Mainstream American culinary arts are similar to those in other Western countries. Wheat is the primary cereal grain. Tradi-tional American cuisine uses ingredients such as turkey, white-tailed deer venison, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, squash, and maple syrup. Characteristic dishes such as apple pie, fried chicken, pizza, hamburgers, and hot dogs derive from the recipes of various immi-grants. Americans generally prefer coffee to tea. U.S. industry is largely responsible for making orange juice and milk ubiquitous breakfast beverages. Frequent dining at fast food establishments is associated with what health officials call the American "obesity epi-demic."

American cultural icons are apple pie, baseball, and the Amer-ican flag.

The US national flag – Stars and Stripes – Is red, white and blue. Thirteen stripes represent the original 13 states of the US; the 50 stars represent the current number of states. People must know many things about the flag, for example: you should display it only during the day and you should fold it in a special way. Americans are proud of their flag and display it in many places.

Washington

Washington, D.C. (/ˈwɒʃɪŋtən di ː si ː / ) (formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C.) is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790. When people speak about the capital of the USA they always

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say Washington DC, not to mix up with the state Washington in the north-west of the country. The city is located on the north bank of the Potomac River and is bordered by the states of Virginia to the south-west and Maryland to the other sides.

Washington, D.C. has a total area of 68.3 square miles (177 km2). The District has three major natural flowing streams: the Potomac River, the Anacostia River, and Rock Creek. Both the Ana-costia River and Rock Creek are tributaries of the Potomac River.

George Washington, the first American president, chose the place where the city now stands to build the capital, and the city was named after George Washington.

Washington, D.C. is a planned city. The design for the City of Washington was largely the work of Pierre Charles L’Enfant, a French-born architect, engineer, and city planner who first arrived in the American colonies as a military engineer.

Washington has a lot of interesting things to see and it is diffi-cult to find a park, a square or any open area there without a monu-ment or a memorial. The best-known ones are the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. Washington has many other famous buildings – the Library of Congress, the Capitol, the National Gallery of Art and others.

Washington is smaller in size than the largest cities of the United States such as New York, Chicago, Detroit or Los Angeles. The population of the capital is about 11 million people. The build-ings in Washington are not tall because no buildings must be taller than the Capitol – a big white dome standing on a circle of pillars. The members of the Congress meet here to discuss the nation’s af-fairs. It’s easy to get lost in this huge building, full of paintings and statues.

Washington is a busy city. The streets are practically never empty. Wherever you go you’ll see either big or small shops in which you can buy whatever you like.

Washington, D.C. has a diversified economy. The city has growing industry unrelated to government, especially in the areas of education, finance and scientific research.

Washington, D.C. is a national center for the arts. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is home to the National

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Symphony Orchestra, the Washington National Opera, and the Washington Ballet.

The weather in Washington is changeable. Mark Twain de-scribed it as follows: «When you arrived (at the station at night) it was snowing. When you reached the hotel it was sleeting. When you went to bed it was raining. During the night it froze hard and the wind blew some chimneys down. When you got up in the morning, it was foggy. When you finished your breakfast at ten o’clock and went out, the sunshine was brilliant, the weather balmy and delicious, and the mud and slush deep and all-pervading. You will like the climate – when you get used to it. »

Thousands of tourists visit Washington every day. People from all parts of the United States come to see their capital.

Ex. 12. Answer the following questions.1. Where is the USA situated?2. What countries does the USA border on? 3. Who discovered America?4. What is the climate of the country? 5. What can you say about the Constitution of the USA?6. What American dishes can you name?7. What three branches is the government of the United States com-posed of? 8. What is the capital of the USA?9. Where is the city located?10. Why are the buildings in Washington not tall? 11. What places of interest in Washington do you know? 12. Where do the members of the Congress discuss the nation’s af-fairs?

Comprehension check

Ex. 1. Search the texts for the English equivalents of the word combinations.Западное полушарие; достичь какой-то земли; обычаи и традиции; изначально употребляться во множественном числе; географические особенности; на противоположных сторонах; международные договоры; наложить вето; проводить законы в

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жизнь; пересматривать законы; богатые природные ресурсы; основные торговые партнеры; в возрасте пяти лет и старше; количество штатов в настоящее время; складывать особенным образом; называть в честь кого-нибудь; меньше по размеру; большой белый купол; всё, что понравится.

Ex. 2. Work in pairs. Read the statements and say if they are true or false.

A) 1. The United States is situated almost entirely in the western hemisphere.2. The total area of the USA is about eight and a half million square kilometers.3. The people of the United States are only from America.4. The Great Lakes on the border with Canada are the largest and deepest in the USA. 5. The United States is a monarchy. 6. The leading export commodity of the USA is mine equipment. 7. The US national flag – Stars and Stripes – is red, white and blue.

B)1. Washington is located on the north bank of the Thames River.2. The city was named after the first American president.3. There are not many monuments in Washington.4. Washington is the largest city of the USA.5. The streets are always empty in the city.

Ex. 3. Complete the following sentences using information from the texts.A)1. The United States is situated almost entirely ….2. The country also has a sea-boarder with …. .3. Christopher Columbus discovered America in … 4. Because of the United States' large size and wide range of geographic features, nearly every type of .… .5. The federal government is composed of three branches: legisla-tive, executive and …. .

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6. About 215 million, or 82% of the population aged five years and older, speak only …. .

B)1. When people speak about the capital of the USA they always say Washington DC, not to mix up with the state Washington in ..…2. The population of the capital is about …3. The buildings in Washington are not tall because no buildings must be taller …4. Washington has growing industry unrelated to government, especially in the areas of education, finance and …5. Washington, D.C. is a national center for …

Ex. 4. Rearrange the words below into grammatically accurate sentences.1. the people, of, a mixture, different, are, nationalities, of the United States, many. 2. derive, of America, the recipes, dishes, of, immigrants, various, characteristic, from.3. a park, a square, it, open, in Washington, or, is, area, to find, any, a monument, without, difficult.4. in size, the United States, Washington, than, is, the largest, smaller, cities, of.

Ex. 5. Make questions to which the underlined words are the an-swers.1. The United States is situated almost entirely in the western hemi-sphere. 2. Americans are proud of their flag and display it in many places.3. The city is located on the north bank of the Potomac River.4. George Washington, the first American president, chose the place where the city now stands to build the capital. 5. Washington has many famous buildings – the Library of Con-gress, the Capitol, the National Gallery of Art and others.

Ex. 6. Translate into English.A)

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1. США включают южную часть Северной Америки, Аляску и Гавайи.2. Страна почти полностью расположена в западном полушарии.3. Изначально словосочетание «Соединённые Штаты» употребляли во множественном числе.4. Из-за большого размера Соединённых Штатов и разнообразия географических особенностей в стране представлены почти все типы климата.5. Хотя в стране нет официального языка на федеральном уровне, некоторые законы считают стандартным английский язык.6. Кулинарное искусство Америки напоминает кулинарию других западных стран.7. Американцы должны знать многое о своём флаге, например то, что его следует складывать особым образом.

B)1. Место для Вашингтона было выбрано первым американским президентом Джорджем Вашингтоном.2. В Вашингтоне много интересных мест, и трудно найти парк, площадь или вообще какое-нибудь место, где нет памятника или мемориала.3. Вашингтон—деловой город. Его улицы почти никогда не пустуют.4. Вашингтон—экономический и политический центр США.5. Образование, финансовый сектор и исследования в области науки не подчиняются правительству страны.

Ex. 7. Answer the following questions.1. What territory does the USA occupy? 2. Does it border on Russia?3. Did Columbus know what land he had reached in 1492?4. Why is climate different in the United States?5. What is the leading import commodity in the country?6. What is the political system of the USA?7. When was Washington founded?8. Who designed the capital of the USA?9. Why are there no skyscrapers in Washington?

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10. How can you prove that the weather is changeable in Washing-ton?11. How can you characterize the city as a cultural centre?

Ex. 8. Work in pairs or in groups. Think of the situation when you are the visitors of some type of restaurant in the USA. Make up your own dialogue using word expressions of the text and the dialogues given below.

Ex. 9. Read and translate the following text.

Restaurants

There are two main types of restaurants in the USA: fast-food and full-service restaurants. You’ll find restaurants for every situa-tion. If you are in a hurry you may just have some “junk food” at a grocery store or a candy counter, or you can get a bite to eat at one of the many fast-food chains like Mcdonald’s, Burger King or Ken-tucky Fried Chicken. Some of these places have tables but many don’t. People eat in their cars or take their food home, to their offices or to parks.

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Many restaurants don’t serve alcoholic beverages. This is of-ten because they want people to feel comfortable bringing their chil-dren.

Ex. 10. Practise the dialogues. 1. - Would you like some more soup?

- No, thank you. It’s delicious but I’ve had enough. - Would you like some dessert? -Well, maybe. I’ll have just a small piece of pie.

2. - Are you ready to order? - Yes, I’ll have the fresh fruit cocktail. - And what would you like after that? - I’d like the roast chicken, please.

3. - There is not much on the menu here. Rice pudding sounds good, though. - Yes, it does, but I think I’m just going to have a sandwich today. Maybe even half of one. - Are you ready to order? - Yes, I think so. - Do you want that on separate checks? - Oh, no, one’ll be fine. It’s on me today.

Texts for extra reading

A. The Biggest and the Oldest Living Things

The blue whale is the largest animal that has ever lived—big-ger than an elephant, bigger than the biggest dinosaur. But even the blue whale is not the largest living thing on earth. Trees are. And the largest of all trees are the redwoods and giant sequoias that grow in California.

Most of the Californian redwoods are more than 30 feet (90 metres) high – about as tall as 30-storey building.

If trees had birthday parties, there is one tree in the United States that would need more than 4000 candles on its birthday cake.

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Trees live much longer than people or animals do. A big oak tree, with a trunk so thick that you can’t get your arms around it, may be hundreds of years old. The big redwood trees in California are thousands of years old.

The oldest known tree in the United States lives in a forest in California. It is a pine tree that is more than 4600 years old. It is one of the oldest living things in the world.

Notes: whale китredwoods калифорнийские мамонтовые деревьяtrunk ствол

B. American Symbols

The American flag is often called "The Stars and Stripes", it is also called "Old Glory". It represents the growth of the nation. It has 13 horizontal stripes, 7 red and 6 white which stand for the original 13 states. In the top left corner there are 50 white stars on a blue background: one star for each state.

The national anthem of the United States is "The Star Span-gled Banner". The words written during the Anglo- American war of 1812 – 1814 and set to the music of an old song. Every state has its own flag, its own emblem and its own anthem too.

The eagle became the national emblem of the country in 1782. It has an olive branch (a symbol of peace) and arrows (a symbol of strength). You can see the eagle on the back of a dollar bill.

The Statue of Liberty is the symbol of American democracy. It stands on Liberty Island in New York. It is one of the first things people see when they arrive in New York by sea. This National Monument was a present from France to the USA. France gave the statue to America in 1884 as a symbol of friendship. Liberty carries the torch of freedom – in her right hand. In her left hand she is hold-ing a tablet with the inscription "July 4, 1776» – American Indepen-dence Day.

Notes: to represent представлять

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background фон anthem гимн eagle орел olive branch оливковая веточка to arrive прибывать torch факел

Ex. 1. Answer the following questions.1. What do people often call American flag? 2. What are the colours of the American flag? 3. How many stripes has the flag got? 4. What is the national emblem? 5. Where is the statue of Liberty placed? 6. What country was the gift to the USA from? Ex. 2. Find the additional information and make report about the symbols of the USA (see Fact File).

C. George Washington (1732 – 1799)

On April 30, 1789, George Washington, standing on the bal-cony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York, took his oath as the first President of the United States.

George Washington was born in a very rich family in what is now the State of Virginia.

During the French and Indian wars (1755) Washington was colonel and commander-in-chief of the Virginia forces and defended the colony’s frontier. During the War of Independence (1775-1783) George Washington was elected to command the American forces to oppose the British troops. He led the army in many battles in which he suffered defeats and won victories. It was a long and cruel war ended with the victory of the American forces.

In 1797 he retired to Mount Vernon. He devoted much time to farming. On December 12, 1799, Washington spent several hours in-specting his farms on horseback, in snow and freezing rain. He sat down to dine that evening without changing his wet clothes. The next morning, he awoke with a bad cold, fever, and a throat infection that

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turned into acute laryngitis and pneumonia. Washington died on the evening of December 14, 1799, at his home aged 67.

Today, Washington's face and image are often used as national symbols of the United States. Many things have been named in honor of Washington.

Because of his significant role in the revolution and in the for-mation of the United States, he is often revered by Americans as the "Father of the Nation".

Notes: oath клятваcolonel полковникto suffer defeats терпеть поражения

Ex. 1. Find in the text the English equivalents for:защищал границу колонии; противостоять Британским войскам; долгая и жестокая война; ушёл в отставку; провёл несколько часов, проверяя свои фермы; проснулся с простудой; названы в честь Вашингтона; из-за существенной роли в революции и формировании Соединённых Штатов.

D. Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)

This powerful advocate of liberty was born in 1743 in Albe-marle County, Virginia, inheriting from his father some 5,000 acres of land and from his mother-- a high social standing.

Jefferson studied literature and languages. He also studied to be a lawyer, and later he wrote many of the Virginia laws. One of the laws was a law to allow every child to go to school free. Schools in America were only for children whose parents were rich.

His most outstanding achievement was as chief author of the Declaration of Independence (a statement of human rights and liber-ties). It was read to the happy people on the 4th of July, 1776.

Jefferson also drew up the constitution for his state, Virginia, and served as its governor. He was sent to France as the foreign min-ister of the USA, and then was President Washington’s Secretary of

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State. A few years later he became the third president of the country, serving in this position for two terms.

Jefferson did another important thing for the American people. He worked out a plan for a university where the students and teach-ers could live and work together in a village built for them. It was one of the first schools to teach science. Today it is the University of Virginia.

Thomas Jefferson was also a self-taught architect. He in-troduced the simple classical design of the Virginia State Capi-tol building. He also designed his own home. He remained the most influential architect of his time.

Jefferson did many useful things during his lifetime. He always thought about helping ordinary people. He was a practi-cal and theoretical scientist.

Notes: to inherit (у)наследоватьa lawyer юрист, адвокатachievement достижениеto draw up составлять (о документе)to remain оставаться

Ex. 1. Find in the text the English equivalents for:закон, позволяющий каждому ребёнку учиться в школе бесплатно; его самое выдающееся достижение; служил в качестве губернатора; государственный секретарь президента Вашингтона; разработал проект для университета; утверждение человеческих прав и свобод; сделал много полезного; как помочь простым людям.

E. American writers of the past.

Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910) well known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist. Twain is noted for his novels «Adventures of Huckleberry Finn» (1884), which has been called "the Great Ameri-can Novel", and «The Adventures of Tom Sawyer» (1876). Twain

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was a friend to presidents, artists, industrialists, and European roy-alty. Upon his death he was considered the "greatest American hu-morist of his age".

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – Decem-ber 21, 1940) was an American author of novels and short stories. He is widely regarded as one of the twentieth century's greatest writers. Fitzgerald is considered a member of the "Lost Generation" of the 1920s. He finished four novels: «This Side of Paradise», «The Beau-tiful and Damned», «Tender Is the Night» and his most famous, the celebrated classic, «The Great Gatsby». A fifth, unfinished novel, «The Love of the Last Tycoon» was published posthumously.

Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American writer and journalist. His distinctive writing style influ-enced 20th-century fiction. His career peaked in 1954 when he won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Many of his works are classics of American literature. Hemingway was born in Oak Park, Illinois. Af-ter leaving high school he worked for a few months as a reporter, be-fore leaving for the Italian front to become an ambulance driver dur-ing World War I, which became the basis for his novel «A Farewell to Arms». His first novel «The Sun Also Rises», was written in 1924.

Shortly after the publication of The Old Man and the Sea in 1952 Hemingway went on safari to Africa, where he was almost killed in a plane crash that left him in pain or ill-health for much of the rest of his life. In 1959 he moved from Cuba to Idaho, where he committed suicide in the summer of 1961.

Margaret Mitchell (November 8, 1900 – August 16, 1949) was an American author, who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937 for her novel «Gone with the Wind» (1936), which is about the Civil war. The novel is one of the most popular books of all time, selling more than 30 million copies. An American film adaptation, released in 1939, became the highest-grossing film in the history of Hollywood, and received a record-breaking ten Academy Awards.

Ex. 1. Make report on your favorite American writer and his/her book.

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CANADA

Fact File

Name origin: Canada comes from an Indian word kanata, meaning ‘a village’ or ‘a settlement’.

Total area: 9,984,670 square kmPopulation: 33,574,000 Official languages: English and French Ethnic groups: 80.0 % European (English, French, Scottish,

Irish, German, Russian, others), 4.0% South Asian, 3.9% Chinese, 3.8% Native Indians, 3.3% other Asians, 2.5% African Canadians, 2.5% others.

Motto: ‘From Sea to Sea’National anthem: 'О, Canada'Royal anthem: ' God Save the Queen'Capital: OttawaLargest city: TorontoGovernment: federal parliamentary democracy and constitu-

tional monarchyCanada’s 10 Provinces: Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince

Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia.

Canada/s 3 territories: Nunavut, Yukon Territory and North-west Territories

Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II (symbolic) Longest river: the Mackenzie River (2,241 km long)Highest mountain: Mount Logan (5,959 metres high)Currency: Canadian dollarNational holiday: Canada Day (the first of July)National symbols: the maple leaf and the beaver

Ex. 1. Practise the pronunciation of the following geographical names:Canada [/kxnədə] – Канада Newfoundland and Labrador [/nju:/fənd/lxnd /lxbrədL] –Ньюфаундленд и Лабрадор (провинции Канады)Nova Scotia [/nOuvə/skouSə] – Новая ШотландияPrince Edward Island [/prins /edwəd /ailənd] – Остров Принца ЭдуардаNew Brunswick [/nju: /brAnzwik] – Нью-БрансуикQuebec [kwi/bek] – Квебек Ontario [On/tFəriou] – Онтарио Manitoba [/mxnitoubə] – Манитоба Saskatchewan [sxs/kxtSiwOn] – Саскачеван Alberta [xl/bə:tə] - АльбертаBritish Columbia [britiS kə/lAmbiə] – Британская Колумбия Northwest Territories [/nO:T/west teritəriz] – северо-западные территорииYukon [/ju:kən] – Юкон Ottawa [/Otəwə] – Оттава Toronto [tə/rOntou] – Торонто Montreal [mOntri/O:l] – Монреаль Vancouver [vxn/ku:və] – Ванкувер Greenwich mean time (GMT) [/grinidZ mi:n /taim] – среднее время по гринвичскому меридиану

Ex. 2. Read the following international words and guess their meanings. Check the words in bold type in the dictionary:

N A Vfederationregiondebateresidentterritoryprovinceprairiesmonarchypopulation

nationalgeneralcollectivecentralofficialpotentialtotalhistoricethnic

to occupy to separateto presentto illustrateto symbolizeto debateto guarantee

reservationreligionstandardcoloniesconstitutionmigration

parliamentarycivilspeciallegendary romanticdeliciouscreative

Topical Vocabulary

CanadaNouns

unguarded boundaryhospitable area quarterflat mid-western provinces prairies the national anthem a distinctive countrynewcomers tolerancefairnessjusticeambitionperseverance

settlementareamottomonarchycurrencymaplebeaverNorth PoleArctic NorthNorthern Lightscoastline

неохраняемая граница гостеприимная областьчетверть (1/4)провинции среднего западапрерии, степьнациональный гимн особенная странановые поселенцытерпимостьчестностьсправедливостьчестолюбие, стремление упорство, настойчивость, стойкостьколония, поселениеплощадьдевизмонархиявалютакленбобрСеверный полюсАрктический Северсеверное сияниебереговая линия

whale-watchingglacierhoodoo

honeymoonfossilfortune Inuktitut

craze

наблюдение за китамиледникхуду (необычное горное образование)медовый месяцископаемое, окаменелостьбогатство, удача, счастьеинуктитут (язык инуитов - эскимосов)мания, увлечение

Verbs and verb combinationto huddleto be spread to celebrateto have faitn and hope to respectto endureto recoverto surroundto inhabit

толпиться, теснитьсяпростираться праздноватьиметь веру и надеждууважатьвыносить, выдерживатьвыздоравливать, приходить в себяокружатьнаселять

Adjective average diverseethnic

среднийразличныйэтнический, национальный

Government and Economy

Nouns governmentmonarchystate

правительствомонархиягосударство

monarch’s representativethe upper housethe lower house

представитель монархаверхняя палата парламентанижняя палата парламента

rubber stamp резиновая печать (штемпель)

abolition устранение, отмена

debate дебаты, спорgoverning party legislationlieutenant governordomainproclamationunwritten conventionstandard of living timberwheatbarleymotor vehiclescivil serviceinsurancetrading partnerownershiptrunkno duty paidsmuggling

liguorsolution

правящая партиязаконодательствогубернатор провинциивладения, территориядекларацияустная конвенция, договоруровень жизнилеспшеницаячменьтраспортные средстваобщественный сервисстрахованиеторговый партнерсобственностьчемодан, багажникнеоплаченная пошлинаконтрабанда, незаконный ввоз или вывоз товаров ликеррешение

Verbs and verb combinationto ruleto act to be electedto run the country to initiateto be presided over to enjoyto be accustomed to to take for grantedto account forto draw away to hide

править, управлятьдействовать, издавать законыбыть избраннымуправлять странойначинать, предприниматьосуществлять контрольнаслаждатьсяпривыкнуть к чему-либосамо собой разумеетсяобъяснятьуводитьпрятать

Adjectives parliamentaryabundantnaturalrenewablearablerecentforeignlucrative

парламентский обильный, богатыйестественныйвозобновляемыйпахотный, обрабатываемыйнедавнийиностранныйприбыльный

Ex. 3. Practise conversion. Form new words according to the model.Model: Noun → Verb head → to head голова, глава → возглавлять

work работа to work _______

place место to place _______

land земля to land _______

house _______ to house вмещать

welcome приветствие _______ приветствовать

symbol _______ to symbol символизировать

visit посещение, визит

_______ посещать

kiss _______ to kiss целовать

date дата to date _______

mistake ошибка to mistake _______

face _______ to face сталкиваться(с проблемами)

hope _______ to hope надеяться

mind _______ to mind возражать

affect влияние _______ влиять на

help помощь _______ помогать

Ex. 4. Find in the texts given below the words formed with the help of conversion and state what part of speech they belong to.

Ex. 5. Read and translate the following word combinations formed according to the model N+Nname origin, human population, language laws, winter festival, coun-try’s motto, the North Pole, glacier creation, maple tree, sandstone formation, dinosaur fossils, polar bears, honeymoon capital, gold rush, Viking settlement, business centre, public face, adventure sto-ries, ice hockey.

b) Make up your own sentences with these word combinations.

Ex. 6. Choose the word that is similar or synonymous to the un-derlined word large big total wholepopulation people nation unionarea territory country square resident citizen man inhabitanttotal whole huge enormousto consist of to include to complete to concludeto watch to see to observe to lookto search to find to look for to seekto create to make to construct to formfortune wealth future fatesettlement city town village

Ex. 7. a) Make up as many word combinations as you can choos-ing from A and B. Translate them into Russian.

A) B)averagesouthernunguarded hospitablecoastalflat mid-westernpolarmapledinosaurstrange-lookingbeautifullegendaryofficialhistoricuniquenationalnativewonderfulnatural

borderbearsformationstorieslanguagesbuildingssportspeoplemineralsresourceswonderwaterfallsfossilstreeprovincesareaboundaryCanadian farmparks

b) Make up sentences with these word combinations.

Ex. 8. Read and translate the sentences paying special attention to the underlined words.1. Canada is the second largest country in the world – nearly as big as all of Europe.2. The four eastern coastal provinces are known as the Atlantic Provinces or the Maritime Provinces the latter term often excluding Newfoundland. 3. It’s the longest unguarded national boundary in the world.4. The southern region is the warmest and most hospitable area of the country.5. The latest big craze in Canada is whale-watching.6. There are more polar bears in Canada than in any other country in the world.

7. Canada is one of the wealthiest countries in the world.8. The largest part of the economy includes an enormous civil ser-vice.9. Canadians let people live as they wish, as long as they do not limit how others live.

Ex. 9. Insert a suitable word from the box.1. In the countryside … is very thinly spread.2. The southern region is the warmest and the most … area of the country.3. The country is made up of … .4. Some people believe that Canada owns … .5. Canada’s Arctic North is an excellent place for watching … .6. Nearly one-fourth of all … in the world is in Canada.7. … cover almost half of Canada’s territory.8. The strange-looking sandstone formations in the province of Al-berta are called … . 9. Jack London turned his Klondike adventures into fame with his legendary … .10. The first people came to Canada from … .11.The first European to visit Quebec was … .12.Today, eight out of every ten people in Quebec are of … origin.13.Montreal is a friendly and romantic place where couples … on the street and strangers … to each other.

French, Siberia, Jacques Cartier of France, kiss, talk, the North pole, the Northern lights, “hoodoos”, forests, the fresh waters, short stories and books, the population, 10 provinces and 3 territories, hospitable.

Ex. 10. Answer the following questions.1. Have you ever been to Canada?2. Do you know the capital of Canada?3. What places of interest would you like to visit in Canada?4. Is Canada a very cold place with long winters?5. Where is Canada situated?6. How many official languages are there in Canada?

Ex. 11. Read and translate the text into Russian.

CanadaI

Canada is the second largest country in the world — nearly as big as all of Europe. Only the Russian Federation is larger. The pop-ulation is 33.5 million people. In the countryside the population is very thinly spread — the average Canadian farm is 200 hectares in size.

Nearly 90% of Canadians, though, huddle along the 6379-km southern border with the USA. It's the longest unguarded national boundary in the world. The southern region is, of course, the warm-est, most hospitable area of the country and also has the best land and waterways. About three-quarters of the population lives in the towns and cities in this part of the country.

The country is made up of 10 provinces and three territories. The four eastern coastal provinces are known as the Atlantic Prov-inces or the Maritime Provinces, the latter term often excluding Newfoundland. The three generally flat mid-western provinces are the prairies. Ontario and Quebec are collectively termed central Canada, although Canadians will often refer to this area as eastern Canada.

The provinces (from east to west) are Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. The territories are: the Northwest Territories, the Yukon and Nunavut.

Much of Canada is a very cold place with long winters. In the northern islands it is often cold even in summer. Stephen Leacock, a famous Canadian humorist once wrote that life in Canada consisted of preparing for winter, enduring winter and recovering from winter.

Canada is surrounded by three oceans – the Pacific, the Atlantic and the Arctic. It has the longest coastline in the world: 243,000 kilometers. No wonder the country’s motto is “from sea to sea”. The latest big craze in Canada is whale-watching. Special boats go out into the ocean – at the right place and at the right time – and you have a 99% chance of seeing whales.

Some people believe that Canada owns the North Pole. It’s true that 40% of the country’s territory is in the Arctic North, but the North Pole is not owned by any country. However, many Canadians (especially children) believe that Santa Claus is from Canada. Canada’s Arctic North is an excellent place for watching the Northern Lights. There are more polar bears in Canada than in any other country in the world. Sometimes they even come to villages and towns in search of food. Polar bears are very big (they weigh up to 600 kilos) and may be dangerous (especially if you run from them).

Nearly one-fourth of all the fresh water in the world is in Canada. Canada has more lakes than any other country. Many of the lakes were created by glaciers. There are lots of rivers in Canada too.

Canada is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Much of the country’s wealth lies in its many mines and forests. Minerals such as coal, copper, nickel, and iron ore are found in the mines. Forests cover almost half of Canada’s territory. A red maple tree is used to represent Canada and appears on the Canadian flag.

There are strange-looking sandstone formations in the province of Alberta. They are called “hoodoos”. They were created by wind and water. Scientists have also found lots of dinosaur fossils there.

There are 42 national parks in Canada. They were created to protect the forests, animals and plants. The oldest National Park is Banff in Alberta. It was created in 1885 in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Niagara Falls is one of the world’s wonders. These beautiful waterfalls can be found on the border between Canada and the United States. This place is often called “the honeymoon capital of the world.”

The Yukon is a territory in northwest Canada where the Klondike Gold Rush took place in 1890s. Jack London came to the Yukon in September of 1897. He was 21 years old and full of hopes to find gold. Although he didn’t become rich, he later turned his Klondike adventures into fame and fortune with his legendary short stories and books.

Newfoundland is the oldest Viking settlement in North America. The Vikings first landed in North America well before Christopher Columbus was even born. It happened about 1,000 years

ago. But the territory of Canada had been inhabited for thousands of years before the Vikings’ arrival. The first people came to Canada from Siberia. It happened in the middle of the Ice Age, about 27,000 ago. They crossed a bridge of land which joined Siberia and Alaska.

IICanada’s official languages are English and French. But many

other languages are spoken there, including Inuktitut (the language of the Inuit, or Eskimos) and other Canadian Indian languages. Canadian Indians are also known as First Nations people. In 1999, one half of Canada’s territory was officially returned to the Inuit people. The name of this new territory is Nunavut. In Inuktitut it means “Our land”.

About 77% of Canadians live in cities and towns. Toronto is the largest city in Canada. If you ever go there, you’ll see one of the world’s tallest buildings, the CN Tower. Toronto is the country’s business centre and home to the largest companies and banks.

Ottawa, the capital of Canada, is one of the country’s most attractive cities. It’s the public face of Canada for many people so the city has been kept lovely and welcoming. It has many parks, museums, art galleries, and universities. Some of Ottawa’s historic buildings go back to the early 1800s.

Quebec is both the oldest and the largest of Canada’s ten provinces. Quebec City, the capital of Quebec province, is the oldest city in Canada. About 240 kilometers southwest of Quebec City is Montreal, the largest city in the province. The first European to visit the area was Jacques Cartier of France. In 1534 he landed at the site of a Huron Indian village. 70 years later, the French settled in the area. Today, eight out of every ten people in Quebec are of French origin. The French language they speak is unique. In many ways, it’s like 17th-century French!

Montreal is unlike any other city in Canada. It has an atmosphere all of its own. It’s friendly, romantic place where couples kiss on the street and strangers talk to each other! The oldest part of the city, Old Montreal, dates from the 1700s.

Ice hockey and lacrosse are the national sports of Canada. The game of lacrosse was invented by the native people of Canada.

Canadians also ski, golf, curl, ride horses, play baseball, football and tennis.

Canada’s birthday is celebrated on the first of July. There are fireworks, parades and picnics all over the country. If you ever go to Canada, don’t forget to try maple syrup! It’s usually eaten with pancakes. It’s delicious! Canadians are said to be friendly, peace-loving, modest and polite. However, they don’t like it when they are mistaken for Americans.

Government and Economy

The form of the government of Canada is a constitutional monarchy.

Canada is ruled by a parliamentary system with the head of state officially remaining the monarch of Britain. Within Canada the appointed governor general is the monarch's representative. The up-per house, or Senate, is made up of appointees. Mostly it acts as a rubber stamp for the wishes of the elected lower house, or House of Commons. Senate reform, or its abolition, is an ongoing debate within the country.

The head of the political party with the most elected represen-tatives in the House of Commons becomes the prime minister, the leader of the country. From the members of parliament within the governing party, the prime minister selects a cabinet which runs the country and initiates legislation.

The 10 provinces are largely self-governing and are presided over by premiers, elected provincially. Each province has a lieu-tenant governor appointed by the federal government. The two north-ern territories are for the most part the domain of the federal govern-ment.

The constitution consists of both written proclamations under the Constitution Acts (1867 and 1932) and unwritten conventions.

Canadians enjoy the high standard of living that major West-ern countries are accustomed to and tend to take for granted.

The Canadian economy is based on abundant natural re-sources. These natural renewable and nonrenewable riches include fish, timber and wood products, minerals, natural gas, oil and hydro-

electricity. Although only 5% of the land is arable, the agricultural sector, primarily in wheat and barley, accounts for much of the Cana-dian export total.

Manufacturing has long been a weak component of the econ-omy and today employs just 14% of the country's workers. The most important manufactured product is motor vehicles. Hi-tech industries and developers in the space and computer fields are recent additions to this area but remain small.

The largest part of the economy includes an enormous civil service. Banking, insurance, education, communication and consult-ing bring in foreign exchange. The rest of the service sector does not.

The country's major trading partner is the USA although busi-ness people are increasingly strengthening ties to Japan and China.

The high degree of foreign ownership of Canadian business has also been problematic, drawing profits away from the country. Overall, about 40% of the country's industry is owned by non-Cana-dians, led by US interests.

On top of this there is a cross-border shopping done in the USA with goods brought back hidden in the trunk or under the sleep-ing baby with no duty paid. And then there is the lucrative smuggling of US liquor and cigarettes. Obviously, the government has a bit of a problem but solutions are difficult to find.

Comprehension check

Ex. 1. Search in text “Canada” for the English equivalents of the word combinations.Самая длинная неохраняемая граница в мире; гостеприимная область; лучшие земли и водные пути; три четверти населения; страна состоит из провинций и территорий; провинции, расположенные вдоль побережья; подготовка к зиме; восстановление от зимы; окружена тремя океанами; девиз страны; наблюдение за китами; северный полюс; северное сияние; белые медведи; богатство страны; красный клен; созданные ледниками; необычное горное образование; окаменелости динозавров; национальные парки; Ниагарский водопад; одно из чудес света; медовый месяц; приключения на Клондайке; поселение викингов; официальный язык; язык

эскимосов; канадские индейцы; телебашня в Торонто; привлекательный по красоте город; исторические здания; самый старый город; юго-западные провинции; французское происхождение; кленовый сироп.Ex. 2. Work in pairs. Read the statements and say if they are true or false. A)1. Canada is the first largest country in the world. 2. The Russian Federation is smaller then Canada.3. In the countryside of Canada the population is very thinly spread.4. The southern region of Canada is the coldest.5. There are three official languages in Canada.6. The country is made of 12 provinces and 3 Northern Territories. 7. The capital of Canada is Toronto.8. Quebec is a French province. 9. Canadians have faith and hope for the future.

B)1. Canada is an economically stable country.2. Canada is ruled by a parliamentary system.3. The appointed governor general is the monarch’s representative. 4. The upper House is the House of Commons. 5. The head of the political party is the prime-minister, but he is not the leader of the country. 6. Senate selects a cabinet which runs the country. 7. The ten provinces are largely self-governing. 8. Canadians have the highest standard of living. 9. The Canadian economy is based on the natural resources. 10. Manufacturing has long been a strong component of the econ-omy. 11. The most important manufactured product is electricity. 12. The smallest part of the economy is the civil service.

Ex. 3. Complete the following sentences using information from the texts “Canada” and “Government and Economy”.A)1. Much of Canada is a very cold place … .2. Life in Canada consists of preparing for … .

3. Canada is surrounded by … oceans: … .4. The latest big craze in Canada is … .5. Many of the lakes were created by … . 6. Much of the country’s wealth lies in … . 7. Newfoundland is the oldest … settlement in North America. 8. The first people came to Canada from … . 9. Canadian Indians are also known as … .10. Canadians are said to be … .

B)1. The form of the government of Canada is … .2. Senate acts as a rubber stamp for … .3. The leader of the country is … . 4. A cabinet is selected by … .5. Each province has a … .

Ex. 4. Rearrange the words below into grammatically accurate sentence. 1. an excellent place, for, the Northern Lights, Arctic North, is, Canada’s, watching.2. cover, almost, forests, half of, territory, Canada’s.3. to represent, is used, a red maple tree, appears, and, Canada, on, the Canadian flag.4. a lieutenant governor, the federal, government, has, province, each, appointed by. 5. the country, and, legislation, initiates, runs, a cabinet.

Ex. 5. Make questions to which the underlined words are the an-swers.1. A famous Canadian humorist once wrote that life in Canada con-sisted of preparing for winter, enduring winter and recovering from winter.2. There are strange looking sandstone formations in the province of Alberta. 3. This place is often called “the honeymoon capital of the world”.4. Today, eight out every ten people in Quebec are of French origin. 5. Canadians don’t like it when they are mistaken for Americans.

Ex. 6. Translate into English.A)1. Российская Федерация больше по территории, чем Канада.2. Три четверти населения Канады живут в городах.3. Страна состоит из 10 провинций и 3-х северных территорий.4. В Канаде два официальных языка: английский и французский.5. Канада – одна из самых богатых стран мира.6. Леса покрывают почти половину территории Канады.7. В Канаде 42 национальных парка. Они созданы для защиты лесов, растений и животных. 8. Ниагарский водопад считается одним из чудес света. Его называют столицей медового месяца мира.

B)1. Глава политической партии в Палате Общин становится премьер-министром. 2. Все 10 провинций Канады имеют право самоуправления. 3. Форма правительства в Канаде – конституционная монархия.4. В центре канадского флага – красный кленовый лист, самый известный канадский символ.5. Канадская экономика всегда основывалась на природных ресурсах. 6. Большую часть экономики Канады составляет сервис.

Ex. 7. Answer the following questions:1. What is the origin of the name “Canada”?2. How many oceans tough Canada?3. How many countries border on Canada?4. How many provinces and territories are there in Canada? Could you name them?5. Who were the first people to live in Canada?6. What are national symbols of Canada? 7. What is the Canada national anthem called?8. How many national parks are there in Canada?9. What is the name of the tallest peak in Canada? Is it located in western Canada near Alaska? 10. What are Canada’s national languages?

11. What is the name of the elected lower House of Canadian Parlia-ment?12. What is the leader of Canada called?13. Canada is considered a bilingual country. What does this mean? 14. What do you feel is the best thing about Canada?Ex. 8. Imagine that you are a guide and your group-mates are tourists visiting Canada for the first time. Get ready to speak about Canada according to the plan.1. The geographical position. 2. The origin to the name Canada. 3. Provinces and Territories. The naming of their Capital Cities. 4. Symbols of Canada. 5. Places to see. 6. Hidden charms of Canadian cities: Quebec and Vancouver.

Ex. 9. Work in pairs or in groups. Think of the situation when one of you came back from Canada, and the other is going to visit this country. Make up a dialogue using the following ques-tions. 1. What’s your first impression of Canada?2. Is there anything in Canada you can’t get used to?3. You visited Niagara Falls in Canada. Do you agree that this place is called “a honeymoon capital of the world”?4. What do you lack in Canada?5. What is the difference between Russian and Canadian people?6. What do you think of Canadian symbols?7. Would you describe the city that you enjoyed most of all?

Texts for extra reading

A. Canadian values

Canada is a distinctive country. Its values and way of life influ-ence every person who comes to live there. At the same time, newcom-ers influence Canada and its collective identity. Canadians may have differences, but they share many important qualities that strengthen the society.

Optimism. Canada is a dynamic and democratic country. Cana-dians work to improve their lives and society. Some people face greater hardship than others, but most Canadians have faith and hope for the future.

Compromise and Cooperation. Most Canadians understand the value of compromise. In a country as large and diverse as Canada, people must be able to ignore small conflicts in order to live happily and peacefully.

Acceptance, Tolerance and Respect. Most people in Canada want fairness and justice for themselves and their families. And most are fair and just to others, no matter who they are or where they come from.

Some people may tell you that there is no racism in Canada. Others may say that racism is a very serious problem. The truth lies somewhere between. Some Canadians may make you feel unwel-come. However, the majority of Canadians are fair-minded. They will accept and respect anyone who accepts and respects them.

Ambition and Perseverarice*. Canadians understand that ef-fort and discipline are usually rewarded. Canada is an economically stable country. However, unemployment and poverty exist and can affect anyone. People who were born in Canada - as well as newcom-ers - compete for jobs and work hard to succeed.

Individualism. Canadians believe that each person is responsi-ble for his or her own success or failure. Canadians let people live as they wish, as long as they do not limit how others live.

Civil Responsibility. Canadians appreciate their rights and freedoms. Most also want to contribute to the society. As a new-comer you should be aware of your rights and your responsibilities. The right to participate in Canadian society implies an obligation to help it succeed.

Ex. 1. Answer the following questions.1. Find in the beginning of the text the term “collective identity”. What does it mean?2. The Canadians share many important qualities. What for?3. Name optimistic features of Canadians.4. Why Canadians try to ignore small conflicts?5. Is there racism in Canada?

6. What do Canadians think of effort and discipline?7. What does the right to participate in Canadian society imply?

B. Symbols of Canada

The Canadian FlagCanada’s current flag was proclaimed in 1995 after 2000 pub-

lic design entries were hotly debated in parliament. In the centre of the flag there is a red sugar maple leaf, Canada’s best known symbol. The side bars represent the ocean boundaries and are not blue be-cause an important reason for the entire procedure

Canada's Motto"A Mari usque ad Mare" (From sea to sea) is based on biblical

scripture: "He shall have dominion from sea to sea and from the river unto the ends of the earth (Psalm 72:8)". It was proposed as the motto for the new design of the coat of arms, which was approved by Order in Council on April 21, 1921 and by Royal Proclamation on November 21,1921.

The Maple TreeTrees have played a meaningful role in the historical develop-

ment of Canada and continue to be of commercial, environmental and aesthetic importance to all Canadians. Maples contribute valu-able wood products, sustain the maple sugar industry and help to beautify the landscape. Maple wood, which varies in hardness, toughness and other properties, is in demand for flooring, furniture, interior woodwork, veneer, small woodenware, and supports several flourishing industries in eastern Canada. Maple is also highly prized in furniture building and cabinet-making.

Since 1965, the maple leaf has been the centerpiece of the Na-tional Flag of Canada and the maple tree bears the leaves that have become the most prominent Canadian symbol, nationally and inter-nationally. Maple leaf pins and badges are proudly worn by Canadi-ans abroad, and are recognized around the world.

The Maple LeafThe maple leaf today appears on the penny. However, between

1876 and 1901, it appeared on all Canadian coins. The modern one-

cent piece has two maple leaves on a common twig, a design that has gone almost unchanged since 1937.

During the First World War, the maple leaf was included in the badge of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Since 1921, the Royal Arms of Canada have included three maple leafs as a distinc-tive Canadian emblem. With the proclamation of Canada's new flag in 1965, the maple leaf has become the most-prominent Canadian symbol.

The BeaverThe beaver attained official status as an emblem of Canada

when an "act to provide for the recognition of the beaver as a symbol of the sovereignty of Canada" received royal assent on March 24, 1975.

After the early Europeans explorer had realized that Canada was not the spice-rich Orient, the main mercantile attraction was the beaver population numbering in the millions. In the late 1600s and early 1700s, the fashion of the day demanded fur hats, which needed beaver pelts. As these hats became more popular, the demand for the pelts grew.

Despite all this recognition, the beaver was close to extinction by the mid-19th century. There were an estimated six million beavers in Canada before the start of the fur trade. During its peak, 100,000 pelts were being shipped to Europe each year; the Canadian beaver was in danger of being wiped out. Luckily, about that time, Euro-peans took a liking to silk hats and the demand for beaver pelts all but disappeared.

Today, thanks to conservation and silk hats, the beaver – the largest rodent in Canada - is alive and well all over the country.

Ex. 1. Answer the following questions.1. What leaf is on the Canadian flag?2. Why are there the three royal lions on the Canadian coat of arms?3. Canada’s motto is based on biblical scripture. What does this scripture say?4. What role have the trees played in the historical development of Canada?5. Speak on the usage of maples. 6. Name the most prominent Canadian symbol.

7. In what year did the beaver attain official status as an emblem of Canada?8. Why was the beaver valued so highly?9. Why did the demand for beaver pelts disappear?

C. Language in Canada

Text 1The roots of Canadian English can be found in events which

followed the American Revolution of 1776. Those who had sup-ported Britain found themselves unable to stay in the new United States, and most went into exile in the Ontario region of Canada. From there they spread to all parts of the country. They were soon followed by many thousands who were attracted by the cheapness of land. Within fifty years, the population of Upper Canada (above Montreal) had reached 100,000 - mainly people from the United States.

In the east, the Atlantic Provinces had been settled with Eng-lish speakers much earlier (the first contacts were as early as 1497, when the British explorer John Cabot claimed Newfoundland), but even today these areas contain less than 10 per cent of the popula-tion, so that they have only a marginal role in the development of the Canadian 'norm'. In Quebec, the use of French language and culture remains from the first period of exploration, with the majority of people using French as a mother-tongue: here, English and French coexist uneasily.

Because of its origins, Canadian English has a great deal in common with the rest of the English spoken in North America – and is often difficult to distinguish for people who live outside the re-gion. To British people, Canadians may sound American; to Ameri-cans, they may sound British. Canadians themselves insist on not be-ing identified with either, and certainly there is great deal of evidence in support of this view.

Ex. 1. Match the following words with the suitable definition or synonym.eventrole

spread tongue

cheap support

settle

Low in price, costing little money.Thing that happens, incident.Help; give one’s approval.Extend, become distributed.Make one’s permanent house.Ex. 2. Answer the following questions according to the text.a. Why did some English people have to escape to Canada after the American Revolution? b. Why did people go to Canada after the first immigrants?c. Why is French spoken in Quebec?d. What kind of English does Canadian English resemble?

Text 2Canada is a bilingual country with two official languages,

English and French. The vast majority (75 percent) of Canada's French-speaking inhabitants live in the province of Quebec, which is located in the eastern part of the country but there are French-speak-ing communities throughout the country.

According to a 1991 census, French is the mother tongue of 82 per cent of Quebec's population and is spoken at home by 83 per cent of Quebecers.

Internationally, it is estimated that some 800 million people speak English and 250 million speak French. As a bilingual nation, Canada offers English as a Second Language (ESL) and French as a Second Language (FSL) training for students wishing to learn either or both languages.

Ex. 1. Answer the following questions according to the text.1. What are the two official languages of Canada?2. Where in Canada is French predominantly spoken?3. Which of Canada’s official languages is used more throughout the world?

D. Education and Science.

Education in Canada comprises 10 provincial and 2 territorial systems, including public schools, "separate" schools, and private schools.

Public education in Canada is co-educational and free up to and including secondary school. The law requires children to attend school from the age of 6 or 7 until they are 15 or 16 years old. In Quebec, free education is extended to include attendance at the gen-eral and vocational colleges which charge only a minimal registra-tion fee. The student pays tuition for most other post-secondary edu-cation.

The percentage spent on education in Canada is the highest among industrialized countries.

A Provincial ResponsibilityThere is no federal educational system in Canada: the Consti-

tution vested the exclusive responsibility for education to the prov-inces. Each provincial system, while similar to the others, reflects its specific regional concerns and historical and cultural heritage. The provincial departments of education - headed by an elected minister - set standards, draw up curriculums and give grants to educational in-stitutions.

Responsibility for the administration of elementary and sec-ondary (or high) schools is delegated to local elected school boards or commissions.

Post-Secondary EducationUntil the mid-1960s, post-secondary education in Canada was

provided almost exclusively by its universities. These were mainly private institutions, many with a religious *affiliation. However, as the demand for greater variety in post-secondary education rose sharply and enrollment *mushroomed, systems of publicly operated post-secondary non-university institutions began to develop.

*affiliation – присоединение *to mushroom – быстро распространяться

Ex. 1. Answer the following questions.1. What systems does education in Canada comprise?2. Speak on public education and free education.3. How much does Canada spend on education?4. Is there a federal educational system in Canada?5. What does each provincial system try to reflect in education?6. Speak on post-secondary education in Canada.

E. Inventions

Canada has been home to a surprising number (relative to pop-ulation) of world-renowned inventors. Here are just some of the in-credible things that have been invented in Canada and/or by its citi-zens.

Major InventionsThe first long-distance telephone calls were made by Alexan-

der Graham Bell between the Ontario communities of Mount Pleas-ant and Brantford, and between Brantford and Paris, in 1876.

The first geostationary domestic telecommunications satellite in the world was the Anik-A1 in 1972.

The world's first commercial fibre optics telecommunications network was the 3268 kilometres system created by SaskTel in Saskatchewan in 1982.

The world's first documentary film was "Nanook of the North", which was shot in Canada by Robert Flaherty in 1922.

Kerosene was developed by Abraham Gesner of Cornwallis, Nova Scotia, and its lighting properties were demonstrated in Char-lottetown, Prince Edward Island, in 1846.

Henry Woodward of Toronto invented the first electric light bulb in 1874. He later sold a share in his patent to Thomas Edison, who designed a more practical bulb in 1879.

The greatest contribution to nuclear theory at a Canadian uni-versity was Ernest Rutherford's theory of atomic structure, which he developed while at McGill University in 1902. It earned him the No-bel Prize in 1908.

The first frozen food sold to the public was Ice Fillets frozen fish, which went on sale in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1929.

J.J. Wright of Toronto built the first electric railway with over-head wires with an electric pole connected to the car to avoid the rain and snow which frequently short-circuited streetcar rails.

Hockey is known to have been played in Halifax and Kingston in the 1850s. The first public exhibition of the modern game took place at the Victoria Rink in Montreal in 1875.

Basketball was invented by James Naismith of Almonte, On-tario, and first played at Springfield, Massachusetts, where Naismith was a physical education instructor, in 1892.

Five-pin bowling was invented by Т.Е. Ryan of Toronto in 1909.

Doctors Frederick Banting and Charles Best, both of Ontario, discovered insulin in 1921.

Less Known Inventions: ear piercer; hair tonic; rollerskate; snowmobile; table hockey; washing machine; zipper.

Ex. 1. Answer the following questions.1. Canada is said to be the home of surprising number of world – renowned inventors. Can you name Canadian inventors?2. Who contributed to nuclear theory at a Canadian University?3. What is Alexander Graham Bell famous for?4. You do know the word “Kerosene”. Who developed it and its lighting properties? 5. What sports games were invented in Canada?6. If you know any less known inventions developed in Canada, name them.

F. Stephen Leacock (1896-1944)

Born in Swanmore, England in 1896 Stephen Leacock is one of Canada's great writers of humorous fiction. After many failed at-tempts at farming in England, South Africa and the United States, his father took the family to the Lake Simcoe area of Ontario. Leacock's father eventually abandoned the family, leaving his mother in charge of eleven children. Leacock was educated at the University of Toronto, and then went to the University of Chicago where he stud-ied political economy. In 1903 he took a position as lecturer at McGill University, where he eventually became head of the Depart-ment of Economics and Political Science.

Leacock wrote much non-fiction, but he is best known for his humorous fiction. His first collection of humorous stories appeared in 1904, “Literary Lapses”. They were musings, parodies, satires,

funny anecdotes and conversations. Since they were collected from various sources, the stories shared very little in common other than Leacock's sharp sense of humor. His two most important books of humor are “Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town” (1912) and “Arca-dian Adventures with the Idol Rich” (1914). In the former, Leacock takes us to small-town Ontario, and while the people and practices of this town are clearly satirized, it is done with a great deal of affec-tion. The latter takes place in a large American city and is much more scathing in its criticism of what Leacock saw as a hypocritical, self-serving and ultimately destructive economic upper-class.

Leacock also wrote extensively about humor, which he saw as the ultimate expression of human kindness and progress. He wrote about Mark Twain, Charles Dickens and others, and his thesis is most fully developed in “Humour and Humanity” (1937). While some critiqued his reliance on a "lesser" genre, Leacock remained dedicated to his first love, humor.

by Lee Skallerup

Ex. 1. Answer the following questions.1. What was Leacock’s literary genre?2. Say some words about Leacock’s educational career.3. When did his first collection of humorous stories appear?4. Name his two most important books of humor.5. What did Leacock write about humor?

G. Your First few Days in Canada

1. Finding a place to live

To buy or to rent?When you first arrive in Canada, you will probably be living

in a temporary home. You will soon be looking for a more perma-nent place to live. Canada has many different types of housing and a wide range of prices. Finding the right place will take some time and effort. Your first decision will be whether to rent a house or an apart-ment, or to buy a house.

Whether you rent or buy will depend on your personal fi-nances and whether you already have a job in Canada. Most new-

comers decide they should first rent a house or apartment. This gives them more time to save money to buy a house and to decide where they want to live.

If you want to buy a house, unless you can pay the full price, you will need to get a long-term loan called a mortgage.

Types of Housing• Furnished or Unfurnished: Furnished housing should in-

clude beds, tables, chairs, lamps, curtains, a stove and a refrigerator. Unfurnished housing may include a stove and a refrigerator, but not always.

• Room for Rent: This is usually in a house or an apartment that is owned or rented by other people. Everyone shares the kitchen and bathrooms.

• Bachelor or Studio Apartment: These are small apartments designed mainly for one person. They have one large room with a kitchen and a sleeping area, plus a separate bathroom.

• Duplex: This is a house divided into two separate apart-ments. It may be bought or rented.

• Townhouse: This is a small house joined to other houses. It may be bought or rented.

• Condominium: This is an apartment or townhouse that is in-dividually owned, while “common areas” are jointly owned. As well as the mortgage payment and property taxes, each owner pays a monthly fee for maintenance.

How much will it cost?You could expect to pay between $350 a month for a room,

and $2,000 a month for a luxury apartment or a large house. Rental costs vary greatly across cities and across Canada. Housing is more reasonable outside the large cities.

Plan on spending 35 to 50 percent of your income on housing. This should include the cost of electricity, heating, telephone service and water.

As people in Canada tend to move in the spring and summer months, these are the best times to look for a home; there will be more choices available.

2. The Canadian Way of LifeFamily LifeMany people in Canada find that it takes two incomes to raise

a family, even though parents are having fewer children. Most moth-ers have a job outside the home, and in many families, both parents share the work of shopping, cooking, cleaning the house and looking after the children. Because divorce has become more common, there are many one-parent families in Canada. Most single parents "who raise their children on a full-time basis are women. There are also same-sex couples with children.

Youth and Their ParentsWhen children arrive in Canada, they usually learn about

Canadian life quickly through schools, television, movies and music. If they need to learn English or French, they often learn it quite quickly. Parents find out about Canadian life differently, as they search for housing and work. They too may need to learn English or French, but often need more time than their children to do so.

If you have children, you will know that you see the world somewhat differently than they do, because you are older and have more life experience. After immigrating to Canada, however, you may find that these differences increase, because you are having dif-ferent experiences of Canadian life. These differences affect the be-haviour of аll family members and саn lead to tension in the family between parents and their children.

Discussing concerns with teachers, doctors, public health workers, social workers, settlement workers, and friends and rela-tives who have already settled in Canada will help уоu and your chil-dren understand your experiences and make good choices about your future.

3. Standards and Expectations Some of Canada's standards for public behaviour may bе more

conservative than you are used to, while others mау seem more lib-eral. For example, Canadians mау seem impersonal and cold to some newcomers; to others they mау seem overly friendly.

Important Social Standards

Social practices - not laws - govem many types of behaviour in Canada. Some traditions are well established and are politely but firmly enforced. For ехample:

Lining up, or queuing: People normally line up or queue ac-cording to the principle of “first-come, first-served." Тhеу will bе an-gry if you push ahead in а line-up instead of waiting your turn.

Not smoking in private homes: Most Canadians do not smoke. When you are in people's homes, you should always ask their permission to smoke. If they do not smoke themselves, they mау ask you to go outside to smoke.

Being on time: you should always arrive оп time - at school, at work and for any meeting. People who are often late mау bе fired from their jobs or suspended from school. Many Canadians will not wait more than 10 or 15 minutes for someone who has а business meeting. For social events, people expect that you will arrive within half an hour of the stated time.

Respect for the environment: Canadians respect the natural environment and expect people to avoid littering (dropping waste pa-per and other garbage оn the street or throwing it out of your car). Тhеу will expect you to carry your garbage unti1 you саn find а proper garbage саn.

Bargaining: Bargaining for а better price is not common in Canada, but there are some exceptions. For example, almost every-one bargains for а better price when buying а car or а house, or other ехpensive items such as furniture. People who sell things privately mау also bargain.

Smart shopping: Stores compete with one another to attract customers, so it is wise to check and compare prices at different stores before you buу.

Note: Тhе price marked оп goods in stores does not usually in-clude the federal and provincial sales taxes, which add from 7 per-cent to 15 percent to the cost of an item, depending оп the province in which you buу it.

From an “Immigrant’s Handbook”

Tasks: 1. Read the passages of the text “Finding a peace to live” very atten-tively and get use of the information for yourself.

2. Make up a plan of how to find a place to live. Think of a place cost.3. Describe the Canadian way of life.4. Speak on important social standards, which govern many types of behaviour in Canada.5. Which standards do you consider the best?

Classroom activities

1. Together We are Canada!This is а роеm about Canada that you саn read or that students

саn present in the form of а skit.READ: You саn do it with felt board characters ог with puppets made

by students to wave during the appropriate portion of the роеm.SKIT:If presenting it as а skit, have the students split up into small

groups to represent each province. They саn memorize their portion of the роеm оr you саn have а separate group of students do the read-ing.

Have the students make some props for each verse to wave during their verse and the final verse of the роеm.

Verse Prop IdeasМу nаmе is British ColumbiaThe jewel of the West Coast. Forestry and fishing are The things that 1 do most.

Make pretend fishing роlе and ахе out of paper towel rolls, string, poster board and poster paint.

Нi, I аm AlbertaА wild west kind of placeWith cows and oil and mountains And lots of ореn space.

Wear cowboy hats or hard hats.Hold cow stuffed toys or bеаn bag ani-mals.

I аm ManitobaAnd I'm Saskatchewan.We're the golden prairiesWhere fields of wheat grow in the sun

Wear sunglasses or hold sheafs of wheat. Make а large sunshine from poster board.

Hi, I аm OntarioThe home of government. То mе each year the leaders Of our democracy are sent.

Make а large Canadian Flag or small flags for each person to wave.

Bonjour, I аm QuebecHere French is mу language too. When I want to ask "How are уоu?"I say, "Comment t’allez vous?"

Make large trefoils from poster board. Make а sign that says "Bonjour"оn poster board.

Newfoundland, New BrunswickAnd Nova Scotia - those are we, We are Atlantic ProvincesThe three musketeers of the sea.

Wear rain gear (jacket, boots, hat) to look like а fishing boat captain. Hold fish or lobster stuffed or bеаn bag ani-mals or make from poster board.

I'm Prince Edward IslandAnd I know I mау bе small,But without mе аll the rest of уоu Would have nо potatoes at аll.

Наvе the smallest student (in height) represent PEI. Hold а real potato or make from poster board.

The Yukon, Nunavut and North West Territories are uр north.Through ice and cold and polar bears Few brave souls venture forth.

Dress very warmly (scarves, mits, hats, etc). Hold stuffed polar bear or bеаn bag toy or make from poster board.

Together we are CanadaОnе nation strong and freeWith sharing, friends and happiness Forever we will bе!

Наvе everyone stand together with their props and recite this verse. Make use of a map of Canada.

2. Word SearchВ R I Т I S Н С О L U М В I АW F Х F А I Т О С S А V О N LW D N А L D N U О F W Е N О ВL N Е W В R U N S W I С К К ЕJ N D Х М А N I Т O B A J U RE F I N K W O L L E Y Z I Y TS B N K E D M O N T O N V E A

R N W O T E T T O L R A H C XO E K T S E W H T R O N G N AH O N O T C I R E D E R F I FE S Z C E N A I R O T C I V IT Y R O T I R R E T F V J O LI G Y K U R S N H O J T S R AH O A G E P I N N I W G E P HW O N T A R I O T N O R O T M

Alberta Northwest St. John’sFredericton Province WhitehorseNewfoundland Victoria EdmontonPrince Edward Is. Yukon New BrunswickToronto Charlottetown OntarioYellowknife Manitoba TerritoryBritish Columbia Nova Scotia WinnipegHalifax

3. Missing Word QuizChoose the correct word from the multiple choices for each

gap. Write down the word which correctly fills the gaps in the text below.

A land of (1)_________a. small b. vastc. beautiful d. vastlydistances and rich natural resources, Canada became a

self-governing (2)_________a. dominion b. domainc. nationality d. regionin 1867 while retaining (3)_________a. family b. tiedc. ties d. threadsto the British crown. Economically and technologically the

nation has developed (4)____________a. of parallel b. parallelc. in parallel d. on parallelwith the US, its (5)___________

a. cousin b. sisterc. neighbor d. pupilto the south across an unfortified (6)__________a. frontier b. borderingc. border d. lineIts paramount political problem continues to be the

(7)_______a. relationship b. paternityc. relation d. related

of the province of Quebec, with its French-speaking (8)__________

a. inhabitant b. residentsc. residing d. peoplesand unique culture, to the remainder of the country.

4. Choose the best answer.1. How mаnу provinces and territories аге there in Canada?а) ten b) twelve с) thirteen d) fifteen

2. The capital оf Canada isа) Toronto b) Montreal с) Quebec d) Ottawa

3. The first people саmе to Canada from Siberia. True ог false?а) true b) false

4. Which animal is аn official emblem оf Canada?а) the beaver b) the moose с) the polar bear d) the black cat

5. Canada is the largest country in the world. True ог false?а) true b) false

6. Canada's official languages аге:а) English and German b) English and Frenchc) English and Spanish d) Spanish and Italian

7. The name 'Canada' comes from 'kanata', the First Nations word for village. True ог false?

а) true b) false

8. Which river is Canada's longest?а) the St Lawrence b) the Fraserс) the Mackenzie d) the Saskatchewan

9. Which place in Canada is called 'the honeymoon capital оf the world?а) the Yukon b) Newfoundlandс) Montreal d) Niagara Falls10. What аге Canada's two national sports? а) ice hockey and baseball b) ice hockey and lacrosse с) football and tennis d) basketball and lacrosse

11. Which осеаn doesn't surround Canada? ..а) the Pacific b) the Atlanticс) the Arctic d) the Indian

12. Canada has more lakes than аnу other country. True ог false?а) true b) false

13. Canada's currency isа) the Canadian dollar b) the Canadian poundс) the Canadian franc d) the Canadian euro

14. Тhеrе аrе more polar bears in Canada than in аnу other country оf the world. True ог false?а) true b) false

15. Which Canadian singer had а worldwide hit with а song from the Тitanic movie?а) Avril Lavigne b) Shania Тwainс) Celine Dion d) Diana Krall

16. Canada borders оn the United States оf America. True ог false?а) true b) false

AUSTRALIAFact File

Name origin: The name is derived from Latin word australis meaning “southern”

Total area: 7,617,930 sq. kmPopulation: 22,350,919 (2010 estimate) Official languages: English National anthem: 'Advance Australia Fair'Royal anthem: ' God Save the Queen'Capital: CanberraLargest city: SydneyGovernment: Federal parliamentary democracy and constitu-

tional monarchySix states – New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia,

Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia Two territories – the Northern Territory and the Australian

Capital Territory (ACT)Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II (symbolic) Longest river: the Murray (2375 km long)Highest mountain: Mount Kosciuszko (2,228 meters high)Currency: Australian dollar (AUD)National holiday: Australia Day (26th January)National symbols: koala and eucalyptus, kangaroo, dingo,

emu

Ex. 1. Practise the pronunciation of the following geographical names:Australia – [Os’treiljə] – АвстралияPacific Ocean – [pə’sifik ‘əuSn] – Тихий океанIndian Ocean – [‘indjən ‘əuSn] – Индийский океанTasmania – [t xz’meiniə ] – ТасманияWestern Plateau – [,westən ‘plxtəu] – Западное плоскогорьеEastern Highlands – [,i:stən ‘hailəndz] – Восточное плоскогорьеCentral Lowlands – [,sentrəl ‘louləndz] – Центральная долинаCanberra – [‘kxnbərə] – КанберраAdelaide – [‘xdleid] – Аделаида British Empire – [‘britiS ‘empaiə] – Британская империяGreat Sandy Desert – [‘greit ‘sxndi ‘dezət] – Большая Песчаная пустыняGreat Dividing Range – Большой Водораздельный ХребетGreat Barrier Reef – Большой Барьерный рифSydney – [‘sidni] – СиднейMelbourne – [‘melbən] – МельбурнQueensland – [‘kwi:nzlxnd] – КвинслендMurray – [‘mAri] – Муррей

Australian Alps – [Os’treiljən ‘xlps] – Австралийские АльпыMount Kosciusko – [‘maunt ,kOzi’ Askəu] – гора Косцюшко

Ex. 2. Read the following international words and guess their meanings:

N A Vcontinent coral to illustrateplateau elective to identifyclimate private to investreef natural to organizeequator extreme to demonstratefarmer civil to discussocean stable to correctmile cultural to transportmonarchy permanent to controlsphere sporadic to testpeak Rare

Topical Vocabulary

Nounsmainland – [‘meinlənd] – материкhemisphere – [‘hemi,sfiə] – полушариеneighbor – [neibə] – соседplateau – [‘plxtəu] – платоelevation – возвышение, высотаlevel plain – плоская равнинаflow – течениеfertile soil – [‘fWtail soil] – плодородная почваdesert – [‘dezət] – пустыняedge – крайmoisture – [‘moisCə] – влажность, влагаgrazing lands – пастбищаcropland – пахотная земляlivestock – [‘laivstok] – домашний скотcattle – скотwheat – пшеницаwool – шерсть

dairy products – молочные продуктыsugar cane – сахарный тростникbeef – говядинаkangaroo – [,kxNgə’ru:] – кенгуруkoala – [kəu’a:lə] – коалаemu – [‘i:mju:] – эмуwombat – [‘wombət] – вомбатlyrebird – [,laiə ‘bWd] – лирохвостdingo – [‘diNgou] – дингоlizard – [‘lizəd] – ящерицаmining – [‘mainiN] – горное делоmanufactured goods – промышленные товарыlead – [‘led] – свинецiron ore – [‘aiən ‘L] – железная рудаbauxite – [‘bo:ksait] – бокситpetroleum – нефтьirrigation – орошениеCommonwealth – (Британское) Содружество нацийmonarchy – монархияlegislation – законодательная властьthe House of Representatives – Палата представителейelection – выборыthe Labour Party – Лейбористская партия agriculture – сельское хозяйствоrainforest – тропический лес farming – фермерство, сельское хозяйствоmanufacturing – производство, обрабатывающая промышленность aborigine – [,xbə’riGini] – абориген, коренной житель

Verbs and Verb Combinationsto comprise – включать в себя, состоятьto rank – занимать место to settle – поселить(ся), обосноватьсяto claim – заявлять (о своих правах), утверждатьto incorporate – включать в состав, соединятьсяto remain – оставаться

to surround – окружатьto cover – охватывать, покрыватьto divide – разделять, делитьto graze – пастиto populate – населятьto extend – простиратьсяto occur – случаться, происходитьto correspond – соответствоватьto occupy – занимать, оккупироватьto appoint – назначатьto hold elections – проводить выборыto offer – предлагатьto support – поддерживатьto increase – [in’kri:s] – увеличиваться, возрастатьto include – включатьto belong to – принадлежать

Adjectivesnumerous – многочисленныйindigenous – [in’diGinəs] – аборигенный, местный, туземныйsporadic – [spə’rxdik] – случайный, единичныйpenal – [‘pi:nl] – уголовный, наказуемыйself-governing – самоуправляющийся, автономныйflat – плоскийmountainous – гористыйfertile – плодородныйevergreen – вечнозеленыйsemi-arid – [,semi ‘xrid] – полузасушливыйextreme – [iks’tri:m] – крайнийvast – обширный, огромныйpicturesque – [,pikCə’resk] – живописныйdistinct – отчетливый, ясныйwet – влажныйrare – редкийiconic – [ai’konik] – являющийся символом чего-либо важногоprosperous – процветающий, преуспевающийmulticultural – многокультурный

frequent – частый current – текущий, настоящийpermanent – постоянный executive – [ig’zekjutiv] – исполнительныйextensive – [iks’tensiv] – всесторонний, громадныйcivil – [‘sivl] – гражданскийparliamentary – парламентский

Word combinations and abbreviationsUnited Nations – Организация Объединенных Наций (ООН)OECD – Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development – Организация экономического сотрудничества и развитияAPEC – Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation – Азиатско-тихоокеанское сотрудничествоWorld Trade Organization – Всемирная Торговая ОрганизацияG20 – Great 20 countries – Большая двадцатка , организация лучших 20 стран мираEx. 3. Read the words and say what part of speech they belong to and what words they are derived from.Smallest, sixth, mountainous, elevation, swimmer, leading, rainy, in-dependent, highly, producer, drinking, unusual, active, developed, productive, agricultural, consists, farmer, sandy, disagree, extremely, coastal.

Ex. 4. Practise conversion. Form new words according to the model. Fill blank spaces of the table with correct words. Consult the dictionary if necessary.Model: noun verb check – to check проверка – проверять

copy копия to copy ––––––flow течение to flow ––––––

house –––––– to house поселить

change –––––– to change менять, изменяться

milk молоко to milk ––––––face –––––– to face повернуться

лицомplace место to place ––––––water вода to water ––––––

Ex. 5. Find in the text given below the words formed with the help of conversion and state what part of speech they belong to.

Ex. 6. Choose the word that is similar or synonymous to the un-derlined word.1. mainland – matter – continent – motherland 2. soi l – seal – mild – ground 3. to be – to begin – to exist – to grow 4. important – essential – rural – successful5. frequently – quickly – rarely – often 6. to locate – to situate – to create – to rule 7. private – low – own – peaceful 8. to allow – to call – to include – to let 9. country – language – symbol – state 10. Aussie – New Zealanders – British – Australians

Ex. 7. a) Read and translate into Russian the following N + N word combinations:Mountain range, tourist resort, beef exporter, coal production, sea level, health care, life expectancy, sheep farming, wool production, meat export, Governor-General, , ocean current, home economics, plant life, majority support, land region.

b) Make up sentences with these word combinations.

Ex. 8. a) Make up as many word combinations as you can choos-ing from A and B. Translate them into Russia.

A) B)1. flat 1. continent2. southern 2. plateau3. square 3. liberties4. Australian 4. country5. wet 5. prisoners

6. prosperous 6. kilometers7. former 7. wheat8. civil 8. land 9. to grow 9. government10. to form 10. season11. mountainous 11. mainland12. low 12. hemisphere

b) Make up sentences with these word combinations.

Ex. 9. Read and translate the sentences into Russian paying spe-cial attention to the different meanings of the underlined words. 1. It is the only country that is also a continent.2. The seasons in Australia are opposite to those in the Northern Hemisphere.3. They say that Australia is full of rare animals.

Ex. 10. Insert suitable word from the box.1. Australia is … country that is also a continent.2. Australia … between the Indian and South Pacific oceans.3. Deserts cover about … of the country.4. The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most popular … .5. The seasons in Australia are … to those in the Northern Hemi-sphere. 6. Australia’s farms are … mechanized. 7. Crops are … on only about 5% of the farmland.8. … people make up about 2.7% of Australia’s population.9. The Constitution gives extensive executive powers to the … . 10. Australia is a … monarchy.

aboriginal, tourist attraction, constitutional, the only, lies, opposite, grown, a third, Governor-General, highly

Ex. 11. Answer the following questions.1. Do you know anything about Australia?2. Is it an island or a continent?3. Does it snow in Australia? How many seasons are there in Aus-

tralia?4. What are the main farm products in Australia?

Ex. 12. Read and translate the text into Russian.

Australia.Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a

country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the only country that is also a continent. In area it ranks as the sixth largest country and smallest continent. It covers 7,682,300 square kilometers or about 5% of the earth’s land area. Sometimes Australia is called “the up-side down world” because it lies in the Southern Hemisphere, where winter comes in July and summer begins in December.

Pronounced [ə’stræɪljə, -liə] in Australian English, the name Australia is derived from the Latin australis, meaning "southern". The country has been referred to colloquially as Oz since the early 20th century. Aussie is common colloquially, as an adjective and noun for "Australian".

For at least 40,000 years before European settlement in the late 18th century, Australian mainland and Tasmania were inhabited by around 250 language groups of indigenous Australians. After spo-radic visits by fishermen from the north, and discovery by Dutch ex-plorers in 1606, the eastern half of Australia was claimed by the British in 1770 and initially settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales, founded on 26 January 1788. The population grew steadily in the following years; the continent was explored, and another five largely self-governing Crown Colonies were established during the 19th century. Free settlers and former prisoners established six colonies: New South Wales, Tasmania, Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, and Queensland.

The six colonies became states and in 1901 federated into the Commonwealth of Australia with a constitution that incorporated British parliamentary and U.S. federal traditions. Since Federation, Australia has maintained a stable liberal democratic political system and remains a Commonwealth realm. The population is 22 million,

with approximately 60% concentrated in and around the mainland state capitals of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. The nation's capital city is Canberra, in the Australian Capital Terri-tory. It is a young city. Its construction began in 1913.

Most of Australia is low and flat. The highest and most moun-tainous land lies along the east coast. Nearly all the land west of this region consists of level plains and low plateaus.

Australia can be divided into three major land regions. They are the Eastern Highlands, the Central Lowlands and the Western Plateau. The Eastern Highlands include the highest elevations in Australia. The region is sometimes called the Great Dividing Range. Many of the plateaus here have fertile soils and are used as cropland.

The Central Lowlands are generally flat. Many rivers flow through the lowlands after heavy rains. Farmers in the southern part grow wheat. Most of the rest of the region is too dry or too hot for most kinds of crops. The region has no large cities.

Deserts cover about a third of Australia. They are in the central part of the Western Plateau. The deserts gradually give way to land with grass and bushes. Much of this land is used to graze livestock.

The climate of Australia is significantly influenced by ocean currents. Australia lies south of the equator, and so its seasons are opposite to those in the Northern Hemisphere. The southern part of the continent has four distinct seasons. Tropical northern Australia has only two seasons – a wet season and a dry one. The wet season corresponds with summer and lasts from November through April. The dry season corresponds with winter and lasts from May through October.

The nature of Australia is different and exciting. The tropical rainforests of northeastern Australia are very different from the dry interior of the continent. They are hot and damp providing a home for an unusual variety of animals. The country is full of rare animals such as kangaroo, koala, lyrebird, dingo, emu, hairy-nosed wombat, huge lizards. The koala and the eucalyptus form an iconic Australian pair.

Australia is a prosperous developed country with a multicul-tural society. It ranks highly in many international comparisons of national performance such as human development, quality of life, health care, life expectancy, public education, economic freedom and

the protection of civil liberties and political rights. Australian cities rank among the world's highest in terms of cultural offerings and quality of life. It is a member of the United Nations, G20, Common-wealth of Nations, OECD, APEC, Pacific Islands Forum and the World Trade Organization.

The Commonwealth of Australia is a constitutional democracy based on a federal division of powers. The form of government used in Australia is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government. Queen Elizabeth II is the Queen of Australia. The Queen is represented by the Governor-General at the federal level and by the Governors at the state level. Although the Constitution gives extensive executive powers to the Governor-General, these are normally exercised only on the advice of the Prime Minister.

The Commonwealth Parliament consists of the Queen, the Senate (the upper house) of 76 senators, and the House of Represen-tatives (the lower house) of 150 members.

Elections for both chambers are normally held every three years. Although the Prime Minister is appointed by the Governor-General, in practice the party with majority support in the House of Representatives forms government and its leader becomes the Prime Minister.

There are two major political groups that form government, federally and in the states: the Australian Labor Party, and the Coali-tion which is a formal grouping of the Liberal Party and its minor partner, the National Party. Independent members and several minor parties—including the Greens and the Australian Democrats—have achieved representation in Australian parliaments, mostly in upper houses. The Labor Party came to office with Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister following the November 2007 election.

Australia is one of the richest developed countries. Its wealth has come chiefly from farming and mining. The farms are highly mechanized. The leading farm products are cattle, calves, wheat, wool, dairy products, fruits and sugar cane. These products are the chief agricultural exports.

Australia has rich mineral resources. It has become one of the world’s major mining countries. Western Australia produces iron ore, nickel, gold and bauxite. Queensland is the chief producer of bauxite, copper and silver. New South Wales leads in the production

of coal, lead and zinc. Victoria produces almost all the petroleum and natural gas. Most of the factories are located in and around two old-est and largest cities Sydney and Melbourne.

Australia is the country for tourists. There are official tourist offices in all capitals and some regional centers providing a full range of usual services for visitors.

Comprehension check

Ex. 1. Search the text for the English equivalents of the word combinations.Восточное плоскогорье, южное полушарие, единственная страна, плодородная почва, обширные пустыни, минеральные ресурсы, поддержка большинства, палата представителей, генерал-губернатор, высокий уровень жизни, австралийские аборигены, вечнозеленые растения, демократическая система управления, по совету премьер-министра, промышленные товары, молочные продукты, сахарный тростник.Ex. 2. Read the statements and say if they are true or false.1. Australia is a country in the Northern Hemisphere.2. Free settlers and former prisoners established six colonies.3. Deserts cover about a half of Australia.4. The climate is significantly influenced by ocean currents.5. The hottest month in Australia is January.6. The Queen is represented by the Prime Minister.7. The Commonwealth Parliament consists of the House of Lords and the House of Commons.8. Australia has become rich chiefly from farming and mining.9. The country has rich mineral resources.10. The Greens is the main political party in Australia.

Ex. 3. Complete the following sentences using information from the text.1. Australia is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising … .2. The name Australia is derived from … .3. The highest and most mountainous land lies … .4. Australia is a member of … .5. The parliament consists of … .

6. The main political parties are …7. The leading farm products are … .8. Australia is rich in mineral resources such as … .9. An iconic Australian pair is … .10. Oz is colloquial for … .

Ex. 4. Rearrange the words below into grammatically accurate sentences.1. animals, of, full, is, Australia, rare2. has, history, interesting, long, and, Australia3. rains, at, year, any, come, time, of, the, may4. mechanized, highly, farms, are, the5. Australia, a member, many, is, of, organizations, international

Ex. 5. Make questions to which the underlined words are the an-swers.1. Aboriginal people make up about 2.7 per cent of Australia’s popu-lation.2. Stone tools discovered in New South Wales show that humans lived in Australia at least twelve thousand years before they appeared in Europe.3. Sydney is a busy seaport situated in a huge deep harbour.4. Australia imports more manufactured goods than it exports.5. Farmers use modern agricultural methods to make the cropland highly productive. 6. In winter many parts of the south have occasional frosts.7. Australia’s only large permanent lakes have been artificially cre-ated.

Ex. 6. Translate into English.1. Австралия расположена на юге Азии, и это единственная страна, которая занимает целый континент.2. Население страны – 22 млн. человек.3. Два путешествия к Австралии совершил А.Тасман, первым доказавший, что она представляет собой отдельный материк.4. Долгое время Австралия являлась колонией Великобритании и служила для ссылки каторжников.5. Большую часть страны занимают пустыни и низменные

территории.6. Австралия — самая жаркая часть всей суши южного полушария.7. Австралия имеет двухпалатный федеральный парламент, состоящий из Сената (верхней палаты) и Палаты представителей (нижней палаты). В парламент также входит королева Великобритании (представленная генерал-губернатором).8. В 2008 году рекордное число австралийских городов вошли в десятку (World's Most Livable Cities) наиболее комфортных для проживания городов мира, где Мельбурн занял 2-е, Перт — 4-е, Аделаида — 7-е и Сидней — 9-е место соответственно.9. Основное природное богатство страны — минеральные ресурсы. 10. Большая часть австралийских растений является вечнозелеными.

Ex. 7. Answer the following questions.1. Where is Australia situated?2. What major land regions can Australia be divided into?3. Which of the regions can be used as croplands? 4. What territory do the deserts cover?5. Is the climate in Australia mild?6. Why are the Australian seasons opposite to those we have in our country?7. Who were the first settlers in Australia?8. Australia is a developed country with a multicultural society, isn’t?9. What organizations is Australia a member of?10. What is the population of Australia?11. Is Australia a monarchy?12. Who represents the Queen?13. What does the Commonwealth parliament consist of?14. Which party is in office now?15. What are the chief branches of industry?16. What are the main farm products?17. What rare animals live in Australia?18. What is the famous iconic Australian pair?

19. What are the largest Australian cities?20. Is Australia good for tourism? How can you prove it?

Texts for extra reading

A. A typical Australian?

Given the diverse nature of today’s Australia, some people question whether there is a ‘typical’ Australian. There is, of course, no shortage of popular stereotypes, some of which contradict each other.

For example, some people see Australians as egalitarian, ir-reverent people with a deep suspicion of authority while others re-gard them as mostly law-abiding and even conformist. Some people, particularly those living overseas, believe Australians live mainly in country areas, the Australian outback or the bush. In fact, more than 75 per cent of Australians live a cosmopolitan lifestyle in urban cen-ters, mainly in the capital cities along the coast. Others see Aus-tralians as people who live in a ‘lucky country’ who love their leisure, particularly sport, both as spectators and as participants. In fact, Australians are among the hardest-working people in the world with some of the longest working hours in the developed world.

Another common perception of Australians is that they are informal, open and direct and say what they mean. They are also seen as people who believe in the principle of giving people a fair go and standing up for their mates, the disadvantaged and the underdog.

Many of these popular images have some truth to them and most Australians conform to at least some of them. But Australians, like people everywhere, cannot be so easily stereotyped. There are ‘typical’ Australians everywhere. But they are not all the same.

Notes:shortage – нехватка, недостатокto contradict – противоречитьegalitarian – поборник равноправияirreverent – непочтительный, неуважительныйsuspicion – подозрениеlaw-abiding – законопослушный

outback – малонаселенная, необжитая местностьbush – зд. cельская местностьleisure – досуг, свободное времяperception – восприятиеunderdog – неудачник, аутсайдер

Ex. 1. Answer the following questions.1. Is there a typical Australian?2. How do other people see Australians?3. Where do most Australians live?4. Do you think that Australians live in “a lucky country”?5. What is another common perception of Australians?6. Do Australians correspond to these popular images?

B. A national cuisine?

Australia has one of the most diverse cuisines in the world, thanks to Asian and European migrant influences, a dining public that is happy to try innovative dishes and access to a plentiful supply of fresh and high–quality produce.

Australia, one of the world’s most efficient agricultural na-tions, produces high–quality vegetables, fruit and grains, meat, poul-try, seafood, and cheeses and other dairy products. In addition, many new industries have been established to accommodate the growing Australian taste for exotic foods, including Asian greens, pears, ly-chees, olives and herbs. Aquaculture products such as farmed At-lantic salmon and southern bluefin tuna are now available as well as the great range of seafood that comes from the ocean surrounding Australia, including Moreton Bay bugs (shellfish), ‘banana’ prawns, barramundi fish and oysters.

Australians enjoy a huge range of food in restaurants and homes, reflecting the country’s cultural diversity. Southern Europe has combined with Asia and the Pacific for new flavours and tastes. Italian, Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese, Greek, Thai, Malay, French and Vietnamese restaurants are common, particularly in the capital cities. Middle Eastern flavours are also rapidly emerging, with Mo-roccan and Lebanese flavours being used with local ingredients in mainstream cooking with notable success.

Traditional Australian bush tucker is also becoming more common, particularly in northern Australian restaurants, where kan-garoo, buffalo, crocodile and emu can often be found on menus.

Historically, there has never been a cuisine typically regarded as Australian. Instead, Australian fare has evolved with the distinct layers of flavours that each new culture has added. Homesick expa-triate Australians sometimes hanker for Australian food such as lam-ingtons (a sponge cake square dipped in chocolate and coconut), pavlovas (a meringue dessert named after the Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova) and vegemite (a commercially produced spread made from yeast products).

The Australian wine sector is recognized internationally as producing a full range of high-quality wine styles and varietals to match any dish, from full-bodied reds and deep fruity whites to sparkling, dessert and fortified wines.

Notes:lychee – личи китайскийsalmon – лососьbluefin tuna - голубой тунецbug - насекомое, жукshellfish – моллюскprawn – креветкаbarramundi fish - белый морской окуньoyster – устрицаbush tucker - дневной рацион золотоискателя, едаfare – режим питания, диетаexpatriate - покинувший родину, эмигрировавшийhanker – страстно желать, очень хотетьmeringue - меренга (сладкое блюдо)spread – мажущиеся, пастообразные продуктыyeast - дрожжиvarietals - зд. сортовые винаfortified – крепленый

Ex. 1. Answer the following questions.1. Why does Australia have one of the most diverse cuisines in the world?

2. What agricultural products does Australia produce?3. What aquaculture products are available in Australia?4. What restaurants are there in the capital cities?5. Where can you find kangaroo, crocodile and emu on menus?6. Can you say that there is Australian cuisine?7. Is the wine sector of Australia recognized internationally?

NEW ZEALAND

Fact File

Name origin: The name. New Zealand originated with Dutch cartographers who called the islands Nova Zeelandia after the Dutch province Zeeland meaning sea land. James Cook, British explorer, anglicized the name to New Zealand.

Total area: 268,021 square kmPopulation: 4 372 263 (2010 estimate) Official languages: English and Maori Ethnic groups: 78 % European/Other, 14,6% Maori, 9,2%

Asian, 6,9% Pacific peoples.National anthem: 'God Defend New Zealand'Royal anthem: ' God Save the Queen'Capital: WellingtonLargest city: AucklandGovernment: parliamentary democracy and constitutional

monarchy

Two islands – North Island, South Island and numerous smaller islands

Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II (symbolic) Longest river: the Waikato (425km long)Highest mountain: Aoraki/Mount Cook (3754 metres high)Currency: New Zealand dollar (NZD)National holiday: Waitangi Day (6th February) Anzac Day (25th April)National symbol: kiwi

Ex. 1. Practise the pronunciation of the following geographical names:New Zealand – [‘nju: ‘zi:lənd] – Новая ЗеландияPacific Ocean – [pə’sifik ‘ouSən] – Тихий океанAustralia – [əs’treiliə] – Австралия North Island – [‘nLӨ ‘ailənd ] – Северный островSouth Island – [‘sauӨ ‘ailənd] – Южный островWellington – [‘weliNtən] – ВеллингтонAuckland – [‘Lklənd] – Окленд British Empire – [‘britiS ‘empaiə] – Британская империяPolynesia – [,poli’ni:ziə] – ПолинезияEast Cape – [‘i:st ‘keip] – Восточный мысChristchurch – [‘kraist tSWtS] – КрайстчёрчDuneding – [dA’ni:din] – ДанидинCanterbury – [‘kxntəbəri] – КентербериOtago – [ou’ta:gou] – ОтагоCook Strait – [‘kuk streit] – пролив Кука Southern Alps – [‘sAD ən ‘xlps] – южные Альпы

Mount Cook – [‘maunt ‘kuk] – гора Кука

Ex. 2. Read the following international words and guess their meanings:

N A Vresource total to occupyregion central to tendclimate European to formmonarchy natural to traindinosaur technical to locateparliament crystal to filmpolicy dynamic to isolatevolcano cultural to startstructure ancient to finish

Topical Vocabulary

Nounsisland – [‘ailənd] – островneighbor – [‘neibə] – соседMaori – [‘mauri] – маориsailor – [‘seilə] – морякwarrior – [‘wO riə] – воинexplorer – [ik’splLrə ] – исследовательorigin – [‘oriGin] – происхождение, началоvolcano – [vol’keinou] – вулканtrilogy – [‘tri:lədZi] – трилогияthe Lord of the Rings – Властелин Колецhole – [‘houl] – отверстие, дыраview – [‘vju:] –видwaterfall – [‘wLtəfLl] – водопад fairy-tale – [‘fFəri teil] – сказкаwild life – [‘waild laif] – живая природа

seal – [‘si:l] – тюленьdolphin – [‘dolfin] – дельфинpenguin – [‘peNgwi:n] – пингвинguest – [‘gest] – гостьsurvival – [sə’vaivl] – выживаниеdinosaur – [‘dainəsL] – динозаврkiwi – [‘ki:wi:] – кивиCommonwealth – [‘komənwelT] – Содружество нацийmonarchy – [‘monəki ] – монархияwool – [‘wu:l] – шерстьlegislature – [‘leGisleiCə] – законодательная властьthe House of Representatives – Палата представителейelection – [I’lekSn] – выборыthe Labour Party –Лейбористская партия agriculture – [‘xgrikAlCə] – сельское хозяйствоrugby – [‘rAgbi] – регбиsurfing – [‘sWfiN] – сёрфингdiving – [‘daiviN] – ныряние, дайвингrafting – [‘ra:ftiN] – переплава на плотах, рафтингyacht – [‘jOt] – яхтаrainforest – [‘reinfOrəst] – тропический лес geyser – [‘gi:zə] – гейзерhot springs – горячие источникиfarming – [‘fa:miN] – фермерство, сельское хозяйствоtrade – торговляincome – [‘inkAm] – доходmanufacturing – [,mxnju’fxkCəriN] – производство, обрабатывающая промышленность earthquake – [‘WTkweik] – землетрясениеbeach – [‘bi:C] – пляжentertainment – [,entə’teinmənt] – развлечениеcoast – [‘koust] – побережье (океана)pasture – [‘pa:sCə] – пастбищеcattle – [‘kxtl] – скот

Verbs and Verb Combinationsto locate – помещать, располагать

to surround – окружатьto mean – значить, означатьto settle – поселиться, обосноватьсяto claim NZ for Britain – провозгласить НЗ собственностью Британской империиto populate – населятьto film – снимать фильмto create – создавать, творитьto call – звонитьto allow – позволять, разрешатьto vote – голосоватьto occupy – занимать, оккупироватьto appoint – назначатьto hold elections – проводить выборыto offer – предлагатьto require – требовать, нуждатьсяto attend – посещатьto receive special training – получить специальную подготовкуto depend on – зависеть отto provide – обеспечивать, снабжатьto increase – увеличиваться, возрастатьto include – включатьto comprise – включать в себя, состоятьto abound – быть в изобилииto belong to – принадлежатьto replace – заменятьto complete – заканчивать, завершать

Adjectivesnumerous – [‘nju:mərəs] – многочисленныйDutch – [‘dAC] – голландскийsnow-capped – [‘snoukxpt] – покрытый снегом, заснеженныйfast-flowing – [‘fa:st flouiN] – быстро текущийpeaceful – [‘pi:sful] – мирныйwhole – [‘houl] – весь, целыйEuropean – [,juərə’piən] – европейский, европеецpicturesque – [,pikCə’resk] – живописный

private – [‘praivit] – частныйbreath taking – [‘breTteikiN] – изумительный, потрясающий, бесподобныйfrequent – [‘fri:kwənt] – частый ancient – [‘einSənt] –древнийself-governing – [‘self ‘gAvəniN] – самоуправляющийcurrent – [‘kArənt] – текущий, настоящийindependent – [,indi’pendənt] – независимыйdynamic – [dai’nxmik] – динамичный multicultural – [,mAlti’kAlCərəl] – многокультурныйelementary (school) – [eli’mentəri] – начальный (о школе)intermediate – [,intə’mi:diət] – промежуточныйsecondary – [‘sekəndəri] – среднийwarm-hearted – [,wLm’ha:tid] – сердечный, добрыйhospitable – [‘hospitəbl] – гостеприимныйrelaxed – [ri’ lxkstl] – расслабленныйsuccessful – [sək’sesful] – успешныйmild – [‘maild] – мягкийforeign – [‘foriN] – иностранныйcoastal – [‘koustəl] – береговойmarine – [mə’ri:n] – морскойmysterious – [mi’stiəriəs] – таинственный

Word combinationsNo wonder that … – Не удивительно, что …It is not surprising that … – Не удивительно, что …the eighth wonder of the world – восьмое чудо света human footstep – нога человекаstandard of living – уровень жизни

Ex. 3. Read the words and say what part of speech they belong to and what words they are derived from.Southern, located, nearest, peaceful, explorer, creature, survival, sleeping, unusual, active, producer, mainly, farming, mountains, con-tains, rapidly, relaxed, election, representative, political.

Ex. 4. Practise conversion. Form new words according to the model. Fill blank spaces of the table with correct words. Consult the dictionary if necessary.Model: noun verb check – to check проверка – проверять

increase увеличение to increase ––––––produce продукты to produce ––––––

care –––––– to care заботиться

change –––––– to change менять,изменяться

vote голосование to vote ––––––

form –––––– to form формировать, образовывать

centre центр to centre ––––––name имя, название to name ––––––

Ex. .5. Find in the text given below the words formed with the help of conversion and state what part of speech they belong to.

Ex. 6. Choose the word that is similar or synonymous to the un-derlined word.1. ancient – important – great – old 2. average – also – mean – prime 3. to call – to name – to elect – to grow 4. mountain – house – hill – country5. broad – bread – wine – wide 6. to govern – to give – to occupy – to rule 7. private – own – central – mild 8. to comprise – to separate – to include – to vote 9. country – language – symbol – state 10.kiwis – New Zealanders – British – Dutch

Ex. 7. a) Read and translate into Russian the following N + N word combinations.Tourist attraction, water sports, resort town, mountain biking, sheep farm, sea level, forest products, wool production, meat export, art

gallery, wheat and grain centre, Labor Party, home economics, plant life, nature lovers.

b) Make up sentences with these word combinations.

Ex. 8. a) Make up as many word combinations as you can choos-ing from A and B. Translate them into Russian.

A) B)1. numerous 1. footstep2. nearest 2. a visit3. human 3. islands4. European 4. training5. English 5. party6. secondary 6. election7. hospitable 7. neighbor8. mild 8. origin 9. parliamentary 9. explorer10. to receive 10. people11. political 11. climate12. to make 12. school

b) Make up sentences with these word combinations.

Ex. 9. Read and translate the sentences into Russian paying spe-cial attention to the different meanings of the underlined words.A) 1. Education is free and compulsory for children between the ages of 6 and 15.2. The land is the most important resource of New Zealand, for it is ideal for crop farming and the raising of sheep.3. She asked me for a book on New Zealand animal life.B) 1. Many sports teams in New Zealand use this plant as an emblem.2. As for the sheep, there are lots of them in New Zealand. 3. The North Island has green forests, citrus orchard, waterfalls as well as long sandy beaches.C)

1. Rugby in New Zealand is more than a game, because winning is a matter of national pride.2. Many ancient animals and plants are survived in New Zealand be-cause of its isolation from other lands.3. Because the Maori people had no written language, all traditions were handed down (передавались) orally.

Ex. 10. Insert suitable word from the box.1. New Zealand is an … country.2. The capital of New Zealand is on the Cook Strait which … the two islands.3. New Zealand has some industry but … is more important.4. The two … languages in the country are English and Maori.5. New Zealand is a part of the British … .6. Over 80 % of the people are of European … . 7. The first Maori … in New Zealand about a thousand years ago.8. Zeeland … “Sea Land” in Dutch.9. New Zealand is one of the least … countries in the world. 10. New Zealanders like to call themselves … . agriculture, Commonwealth, island, separates, kiwis, official, popu-lated, origin, settled, means

Ex. 11. Answer the following questions.1. Do you know anything about New Zealand?2. Is it an industrial or agricultural country?3. What products from New Zealand can you meet in our shops?4. Is it expensive to make a trip to New Zealand?

Ex. 12. Read and translate the text into Russian.

New Zealand.

New Zealand is a country of islands located in the Pacific Ocean. The North Island and the South Island are the main ones and there are numerous smaller islands. The country’s nearest neighbor is Australia.

It is never very hot or very cold in New Zealand because it is surrounded by water. The coldest month is July, and the warmest is January.

New Zealand has another name, Goteroa, which means “the land of the long white cloud” in the Maori language. The first Maori settled in New Zealand about a thousand years ago. They came from Polynesia and were excellent sailors and warriors. It was the famous Dutch explorer Abel Tasman who came to New Zealand in 1642 and gave the country its present name. Zeeland means “Sea Land” in Dutch. But the Dutch never settled there. In 1769 the English ex-plorer James Cook claimed New Zealand for Britain.

New Zealand has got it all – show-capped mountains, fast-flowing rivers, green forests and peaceful lakes with crystal clear wa-ter. You can spend a whole day by some lake or river and be the only person there. There are places in this beautiful land that have never felt a human foot-step. In fact, New Zealand is one of the least popu-lated countries in the world. A little more than 4 million people live there. Over 80% of the population are of European (mainly British) origin. About 9 % are Maoris. The two official languages in the country are English and Maori.

New Zealand is a land of volcanoes. Most of them are sleeping, but some are active and you can see steam and smoke coming from them. There are many lakes and rivers here too, and it is a very popu-lar place for sport – skiing in winter, and water sports in summer.

The famous Tolkien’s trilogy, “The Lord of the Rings”, was filmed in New Zealand. Hobbiton, the village where some of the Hobbits lived, was created on a picturesque private sheep farm in the North Island. You can still see Hobbit holes and some structures from the film there. As for the sheep, there are lots and lots of them in New Zealand: for every person living in the country there are twenty sheep.

In the south-west of New Zealand, where land and sea meet, there is one of the most beautiful places in the world – Milford Sound. No wonder people call it “the eighth wonder of the world”. This is a place of breath-taking views, hundreds of waterfalls and fairy-tale wildlife. It is also a place where seals, dolphins and pen-guins are frequent guests.

The isolation of New Zealand from other lands allowed the sur-vival of animals and plants from the time of the dinosaurs. Ancient trees and plants still grow in the forests.

The kiwi is the country’s national bird and symbol. It’s an un-usual bird and it can’t fly. New Zealanders also like to call them-selves kiwis.

Imagine a place where the stars above your head are different from those that you have ever seen, and where the cold of winter comes when summer arrives in Russia. Imagine a place where there are volcanoes, rivers of ice and hot lakes of extraordinary colours, and where forests are full of strange trees. This land is a place of earthquakes and living dinosaurs, where the people were once brave warriors. This place is not from a fairy tale – it is New Zealand.

New Zealand is a self-governing country, a member of the Commonwealth. It was the first country in the world to let women vote in 1893. Today it is the only country in the world in which all the highest office positions are occupied by women. The current Prime Minister is also a woman, Helen Clark.

The New Zealand flag has the British flag in the top left-hand corner. New Zealand is still a monarchy and Queen Elizabeth II of Britain is also Queen of New Zealand. But now the country is an in-dependent state. Wellington is the capital of the country and the cen-tre of shipping. Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand. It has a population of just under a million people. This seaport is an impor-tant centre for business and industry. It is also the most dynamic and multicultural city in New Zealand. It was the first capital of the coun-try. Later, the capital moved to Wellington, because it was more cen-tral.

Other urban centers are Christchurch, a wheat and grain centre; Hamilton, a centre for dairy farming, and Dunedin, a wool and gold centre.

Legislature of New Zealand consists only of one house, the House of Representatives, also called Parliament. A parliamentary election must be held at least every three years. All citizens over 18 years old may vote. The leader of the political party that wins the most seats in the elections becomes the prime minister. The prime minister appoints a Cabinet. The prime minister and the Cabinet form the Government. The main political parties in New Zealand are

the Labor party and the National Party. There is no clear division be-tween the policies of the two parties.

New Zealand offers a free education to all students up to attend school. After completing the elementary or intermediate school most students go on the secondary school. Secondary school students may receive special training in agriculture, home economics, technical subjects and a wide range of other subjects. New Zealand has six separate universities and a university college of agriculture.

The people of New Zealand have a high standard of living. About 70 % of New Zealand families own their homes and almost every family has a car. New Zealanders are very warm-hearted and hospitable. They are relaxed people who love the outdoor life. It is not surprising that New Zealand is successful at many sports. Its na-tional sport is rugby and its team, “The All Blacks”, is often the best in the world. With its mild climate and a lot of rivers, lakes and mountains New Zealand is a great place for surfing, diving, rafting, mountain biking, yachting, swimming and fishing.

The economy of New Zealand has long depended on farming and foreign trade. The sale of butter, cheese, meat and wool to other countries provides much of the nation’s income. New Zealand is the world’s largest producer of kiwi fruits, citrus fruits, avocados, grapes and many other subtropical fruits. But manufacturing has been rapidly increasing. Manufactured items include aluminium, chemi-cals, iron and steel, machinery, metal products, paper, textiles and wood products. Tourism is also an important source of income.

Comprehension check

Ex. 1. Search the text for the English equivalents of the word combinations.Ближайший сосед, покрытый снегом, провозгласить НЗ собственностью Британии, европейского происхождения, сказочная живая природа, потрясающие виды, в верхнем левом углу, независимое государство, законодательная власть, бесплатное образование, высокий уровень жизни, сердечные и гостеприимные, важный источник дохода, парламентские выборы, крупнейший производитель, кристально чистая вода.

Ex. 2. Read the statements and say if they are true or false.

1. New Zealand has some industry but agriculture is more important.2. The kiwi, the symbol of NZ, is a small bird which can fly.3. New Zealand is a democratic country with its own parliament.4. The national sport of the country is football.5. The two official languages of the country are English and Maori.6. New Zealand does not allow nuclear materials anywhere in the country.7. Legislature in the country consists only of two houses, the House of Lords and the House of Commons.8. Over 80 % of the population are Maoris.9. The Dutch were the first settlers of the country.10. The country’s nearest neighbor is Australia.

Ex. 3. Complete the following sentences using information from the text.1. It is never very hot or very cold in New Zealand because …2. In the Maori language New Zealand means …3. As for the sheep there are …4. It was the first country in the world to let …5. The leader of the political party that wins …6. The main political parties are …7. New Zealanders are …8. The country is the world’s largest producer of …9. Manufactured items include …10. Wellingtons is …Ex. 4. Rearrange the words below into grammatically accurate sentences.1. plants, some, and, unique, has, animals, New Zealand2. are, New Zealanders, known, as, also, “kiwi”3. successful, country, at, the, is, sports, many4. Wellington, later, moved, the capital, to5. are, Europe, expensive, from, flights

Ex. 5. Make questions to which the underlined words are the an-swers.1. New Zealand government made the whole country a nuclear free zone.

2. You can see Maoris perform their traditional dances at the Auck-land Museum.3. This seaport is an important centre for business and industry.4. There are 55 million sheep, 8 million cows and 1 million goats in New Zealand.5. Most of the rivers flow very fast and are difficult to navigate. 6. New Zealand produces enough meat and dairy products to feed its own people.7. City life in New Zealand tends to be rather quiet.

Ex. 6. Translate into English.1. Новая Зеландия – государство в юго-западной части Тихого океана, расположенное на островах Северный и Южный, разделенных проливом Кука.2. Население страны – 4 млн. человек.3. Официальные языки – английский и маори.4. Новая Зеландия – парламентская монархия, член британского Содружества.5. Главный орган исполнительной власти – правительство, возглавляемое премьер-министром.6. Высший орган законодательной власти – однопалатный парламент – избирается на 3 года.7. Сельскохозяйственная продукция составляет более половины объема новозеландского экспорта.8. К главным видам сельскохозяйственной продукции относятся мясо, молочные продукты и шерсть.9. Важным источником дохода служит туризм.10. Новая Зеландия была открыта голландским мореплавателем А. Тасманом.

Ex. 7. Answer the following questions.1. Where is New Zealand situated?2. What islands does the country consist of?3. What makes New Zealand a beautiful country? 4. What is the typical landscape of New Zealand?5. What are the coldest and the warmest months?6. Who were the first settlers in NZ?7. Who gave the country its present name?

8. What is another name of New Zealand in the Maori language?9. What is the population of New Zealand?10. What are the official languages?11. Do the people of New Zealand have a high standard of living?12. What does the legislature consist of?13. Who may vote in New Zealand?14. Who can become prime minister?15. Is education free in New Zealand?16. Why has the economy of New Zealand long depended on farm-ing and foreign trade?17. What are the main sources of nation’s income?18. What are the main farm products?19. What manufactured goods are the most valuable?20. What main cities in New Zealand do you know?

Texts for extra reading

PeopleToday, New Zealanders are largely sophisticated and highly

educated urban dwellers. Members of a unique and vibrant multicul-tural society, New Zealanders are embracing 21st century technology and culture in record numbers. But New Zealanders also have a background of quiet but rugged individualism, self-reliance, and a genius for invention - qualities still evident in the population today.

Unique in the WorldNew Zealand has a diverse population--but with some uniting

features that make it unique in the world. Our relatively isolated South Pacific location and rugged landscapes still makes many New Zealanders quiet and independent, yet resourceful and self-reliant, with a famous 'Kiwi ingenuity'.

Early VoyagersOver four hundred years before Christopher Columbus and the

rest of Europe worried about falling off the edge of the world, the first New Zealanders, the Maori, voyaged thousands of miles across the vast unknown Pacific Ocean in small ocean-going canoes. In or-der to reach New Zealand, these brave adventurers developed their own navigation system using the stars and the currents.

Pioneers RuggedNew Zealand's European pioneers were also brave, rugged and

independent. Before establishing farms and settlements, they had to first clear the land - a painstaking and sometimes dangerous activity.

Their isolation and exposure to the elements forced these early New Zealanders to become hardy and multi-skilled. This resource-fulness and ingenuity has greatly contributed to the New Zealand character.

The same qualities can be seen today in the new pioneers - a generation of young Kiwi business executives, computer software builders, film-makers, fashion designers, and sportspeople making waves around the world.

Backyard GeniusSince before Sir Ernest Rutherford 'split' the atom early in the

twentieth century, Kiwis have been discovering and inventing things. Many of these inventions have literally been created in a backyard.

While frozen meat, the Hamilton Jet boat, and the bungy jump are probably our most famous Kiwi inventions, there are many oth-ers. New Zealanders are also responsible for the tranquillizer gun, seismic 'base' isolators (rubber and lead blocks which minimize earthquake damage), electric fences, the fastest motorbike in the world, freezer vacuum pumps, stamp vending machines, wide-toothed shearing combs, and the electronic petrol pump--to name a few!

Outdoor PeopleNew Zealand has a low population density and spectacular

scenery. As a result, many New Zealanders have a love of their land-scape and the outdoors.

Hiking, mountaineering, and kayaking are enjoyed by many New Zealanders, while many more will explore their landscape with a trip to the beach or a bush walk. They are following in the footsteps of perhaps the most adventurous Kiwi, Sir Edmund Hillary, who conquered Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain, in 1953.

Notes:dweller – житель, обитательvibrant – живой, энергичный

rugged – суровый, строгий, прямойself-reliance – уверенность в своих силах, в себеgenius – одаренность, генийresourceful – изобретательный, находчивыйingenuity – изобретательность, находчивостьpainstaking – кропотливый, тщательныйto make waves - поднимать шум, выступатьshearing – стрижкаspectacular – впечатляющий, захватывающийhiking – туризмmountaineering – альпинизмkayaking – каякинг, сплав по рекам на каяке

Ex. 1. Answer the following questions.1. What qualities are still evident in the population of New Zealand today?2. How did the first New Zealanders voyage across the Pacific Ocean? What did they develop and use?4. What did European pioneers have to do first before establishing farms?5. What has made great contribution to the New Zealand character?6. Where have many inventions been created?7. What are the most famous Kiwis inventions?8. Do New Zealanders have a love of their landscape and the out-doors?

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«Первое сентября».

ContentsОглавление

Предисловие……………………………………………………...3The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland……...4The United States of America……………………………………..35Canada……………………………………………………………..59Australia……………………………………………………………96New Zealand……………………………………………………...114Список литературы……………………………………………...131