Exercise 4. Complete the sentences from the text.
1. The country also possesses several territories in … .
2. … , the United States is the third or fourth largest country by total area, and the third largest both by land area and population.
3. The Native American population was greatly reduced by … .
4. On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was issued, … .
5. The Bill of Rights, … , was ratified in 1791.
Exercise 5. Retell the text.
Text B
CANADA
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean. It is the world's second largest country by total area. Canada's common border with the United States to the south and northwest is the longest in the world.
The land that is now Canada was inhabited for millennia by various groups of Aboriginal peoples. Beginning in the late 15th century, British and French expeditions explored, and later settled, along the Atlantic coast. France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763 after the Seven Years' War. In 1867, with the union of three British North American colonies through Confederation, Canada was formed as a federal dominion of four provinces. This began an accretion of provinces and territories and a process of increasing autonomy from the United Kingdom. This widening autonomy was highlighted by the Statute of Westminster of 1931 and culminated in the Canada Act of 1982, which severed the vestiges of legal dependence on the British parliament.
Canada is a federation that is governed as a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy with Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state. It is a bilingual nation with both English and French as official languages at the federal level. One of the world's highly developed countries, Canada has a diversified economy that is reliant upon its abundant natural resources and upon trade—particularly with the United States, with which Canada has had a long and complex relationship. It is a member of the G7, G8, G20, NATO, OECD, WTO, Commonwealth, Francophonie, OAS, APEC, and UN. With the eighth-highest Human Development Index globally, it has one of the highest standards of living in the world.
Vocabulary
To cede – сдавать, уступать
To extend - простираться
A рrovince - провинция
Territorу – территория (административная единица, не имеющая прав штата или провинции)
A border - граница
Millennia - тысячелетия
A dominion - владение
An autonomy – автономия, самоуправление
Аboriginal – коренной, местный
Exercise 1. Make up sentences with the words above.
Exercise 2. Answer the questions.
1. Where is Canada situated?
2. What is its local division?
3. Who is the head of the country?
4. What languages are official in Canada?
5. What organizations is Canada a member of?
Exercise 3. True or false.
1. It is located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east and northward into the Arctic Ocean.
2. Beginning in the late 15th century, British and French expeditions explored, and later settled, along the Pacific coast.
3. France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763 after the Seven Years' War.
4. In 1865, with the union of three British North American colonies through Confederation, Canada was formed as a federal dominion of three provinces.
5. It is a bilingual nation with both English and French as official languages at the federal level.
Exercise 4. Complete the sentences from the text.
1. Canada is a North American country consisting of … . It is the world's second largest country by total area.
2. Canada's common border with … .
3. The widening autonomy was highlighted … .
4. Canada is a … .
5. It is a member of … .
Exercise 5. Tell your group-mates what other interesting facts you know about Canada.
Text C
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. Neighbouring countries include Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea to the north, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia to the northeast and New Zealand to the southeast.
For at least 40,000 years before European settlement in the late 18th century, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians, who belonged to one or more of roughly 250 language groups. After discovery by Dutch explorers in 1606, Australia's eastern half was claimed by Britain in 1770 and initially settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales, formally founded on 7 February 1788 (although formal possession of the land had occurred on 26 January 1788). The population grew steadily in subsequent decades; the continent was explored and an additional five self-governing Crown Colonies were established.
On 1 January 1901, the six colonies became a federation and the Commonwealth of Australia was formed. Since Federation, Australia has maintained a stable liberal democratic political system and is a Commonwealth realm. The population is 22 million, with approximately 60 per cent 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 Territory. Approximately 56 per cent of Australia's population live in either Victoria or New South Wales, and approximately 77 per cent live on the mainland's east coast.
A prosperous developed country, Australia is the world's thirteenth largest economy. Australia 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. Australia is a member of the United Nations, G20, Commonwealth of Nations, ANZUS, OECD, APEC, Pacific Islands Forum and the World Trade Organization.
Vocabulary
To establish - установить
A commonwealth – содружество, государство
A hemisphere - полушарие
A mainland - материк
A realm – королевство, государство
A capital - столица
Subsequent - последующий
Penal – уголовный, карательный
Indigenous – туземный, местный
Prosperous - процветающий