Ex. 4. Scan the text and say what happened in the years given below

The 1500s; 1534; 1604; 1608; 1670; 1713; 1756–1763; 1759; 1763, 2010.

Ex. 5. Scan the text and say who these people were and what they are famous for. Useful language: 1) X was….; 2) It was Y who… .

John Cabot, Jacques Cartier, Henry VII, General James Wolfe, General Louis Montcalm.

VOCABULARY

Ex. 6. Using the dictionary, give the Russian equivalents to the following words and expressions.

A) To share a common history, inhabitants, native Indian peoples, to reach the land, to be taken for France, to extend its conquest, to win a victory over, explorers, traders, fishermen, settlers, to be influenced by, customs, values, the second largest source of, to place similar priorities on, to distinguish itself from, identity, artistic legacy, artifacts, weaved baskets, painted pictures, carved sculptures of animals, the inukshuk., tribes.

B) the Inuit (Eskimo), Port Royal, the English Hudson's Bay Company, the Seven Years' War,The Treaty of Paris, the Commonwealth, G-8, NATO, The United Kingdom, the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.

FOLLOW UP

Ex. 7. Make up 5-7 questions about the Canadian history and culture and address them to your group mates.

Ex. 8. Do you know how the Canadian flag looks like? Prepare a short report about the national flag of Canada.

Ex. 9. What Canadian scientists, politicians, writers, poets, artists, actors or singers do you know? Prepare a report about 3-4 famous people of this country.

Ex. 10. Tell the class what you’ve leant about Canadian history, culture and people.

UNIT 3

WARM UP

Ex. 1. What words do you associate with Australia?

READING

Ex. 2. Read the following text and say what new facts you have learnt about Australia:

A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF AUSTRALIA

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent (the world's smallest), the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. 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, located in the Australian Capital Territory.

Australia is a developed country, with a prosperous multicultural society and 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. It is a member of the United Nations, G20, Commonwealth of Nations, OECD, ANZUS, APEC, South Pacific Forum and the World Trade Organization.

History

The name Australia is derived from the Latin australis, meaning "southern". Human habitation of Australia is estimated to have begun between 42,000 and 48,000 years ago possibly with the migration of people by land bridges and short sea-crossings from what is now Southeast Asia. These first Australians may have been ancestors of modern Indigenous Australians.

The first recorded European sighting of the Australian mainland belongs to the Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon in early 1606. During the 17th century the Dutch charted the whole of the western and northern coastlines of what they called New Holland but made no attempt at settlement. In 1770 James Cook sailed along and mapped the east coast of Australia, which he named New South Wales and claimed for Great Britain. Cook's discoveries prepared the way for establishment of a new penal colony. The British Crown Colony of New South Wales began a settlement at Port Jackson by Captain Arthur Phillip on 26 January 1788. This date was later to become Australia's national day, Australia Day.

Separate colonies were created from parts of New South Wales: South Australia in 1836, Victoria in 1851, and Queensland in 1859. The Northern Territory was founded in 1911 when it was excised from South Australia. South Australia was founded as a "free province"—that is, it was never a penal colony. Victoria and Western Australia were also founded "free" but later accepted transported convicts. The transportation of convicts to the colony of New South Wales ceased in 1848 after a campaign by the settlers.

A gold rush began in Australia in the early 1850s, and the Eureka Stockade rebellion against mining licence fees in 1854 was an early expression of civil disobedience. Between 1855 and 1890, the six colonies individually gained responsible government, managing most of their own affairs while remaining part of the British Empire. The Colonial Office in London retained control of some matters, notably foreign affairs, defense, and international shipping. On 1 January 1901, federation of the colonies was achieved after a decade of planning, consultation, and voting. The Commonwealth of Australia was born and it became a dominion of the British Empire in 1907. The Federal Capital Territory (later renamed the Australian Capital Territory) was formed from a part of New South Wales in 1911 to provide a location for the proposed new federal capital of Canberra. (Melbourne was the temporary seat of government from 1901 to 1927, while Canberra was being constructed.) The Northern Territory was transferred from the control of the South Australian government to the Commonwealth in 1911.

In 1914 Australia joined Britain in fighting World War I, with support from both the outgoing Liberal Party and the incoming Labor Party. The Australians took part in many of the major battles fought on the Western Front.

Britain's Statute of Westminster 1931 formally ended most of the constitutional links between Australia and the UK. The shock of the UK's defeat in Asia in 1942 and the threat of Japanese invasion caused Australia to turn to the United States as a new ally and protector. Since 1951, Australia has been a formal military ally of the US, under the ANZUS treaty. After World War II, Australia encouraged immigration from Europe; since the 1970s and the abolition of the White Australia policy, immigration from Asia and elsewhere was also encouraged. As a result, Australia's demography, culture, and self-image have been transformed. The final constitutional ties between Australia and the UK were severed with the passing of the Australia Act 1986, ending any British role in the government of the Australian States, and ending judicial appeals to the UK Privy Council. At the 1999 referendum, 54% of Australian voters rejected a proposal to become a republic with a president appointed by two-thirds vote of both houses of the Australian Parliament. Since the election of the Whitlam Government in 1972, there has been an increasing focus on the expansion of ties with other Pacific Rim nations while maintaining close ties with Australia's traditional allies and trading partners.

Politics

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, a role that is distinct from her position as monarch of the other Commonwealth realms. The Queen is represented by the Governor-General at federal level and by the Governors at 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.

There are three branches of government:

· The legislature: the Commonwealth Parliament, comprising the Queen, the Senate, and the House of Representatives; the Queen is represented by the Governor-General, who by convention acts on the advice of his or her Ministers.

· The executive: the Federal Executive Council (the Governor-General as advised by the Executive Councillors); in practice, the councillors are the Prime Minister and Ministers of State.

· The judiciary: the High Court of Australia and other federal courts.

COMPREHENSION CHECK

Ex. 3. Answer the following questions:

1. Where did the first inhabitants of Australia come from?

2. What is the origin of the name “Australia”?

3. How did Australia happen to become part of the British Empire?

4. How do you understand the term “penal colony”?

5. When and why did Australia drift away from the UK under the protection of the USA?

6. What was the Australian immigration policy like in the 2^nd half of the 20^th century?

7. Describe the Australian political system.

VOCABULARY

Ex. 4. Find the English equivalents for the following: