III. Read the text and do the tasks following it.
Canada is located in North America. It is the second largest country in the world, but the population of the country is only about 30 million people. Most of the population is concentrated along the southern border, in the cities such as Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto.
Canada is an independent federal parliamentary state. Formally Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom, is recognized as Head of State, but the Governor General acts as her representative. The country consists of two territories and ten provinces. Each province has its own government and parliament.
Parliament of Canada consists of two houses, the Upper House called the Senate, and the Lower House called the House of Commons. The Senate has 104 members. Senators are appointed by the Governor General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. The Senate has less power than the House of Commons. Members of the House of Commons are elected for a term of five years. The cabinet system of Canada unites the legislative and the executive branches. The Prime Minister and the Cabinet are usually members of the House of Commons, which is the highest authority in the government. The Cabinet consists of 20 or more ministers, chosen by the Prime Minister from leaders of the majority party in the House of Commons.
Today most of the Governor General’s powers have disappeared and he follows the directions of the Cabinet.
The Constitution of the country was only adopted in 1982.
Canada is often called “the Land of the Maple Leaf”. The maple leaf is the national emblem of Canada. The national flag adopted in 1965 consists of a white field, flanked by a red vertical field on either end with a red maple leaf on the white field.
There are two official languages in Canada — English, which is the language of about 60% of the population, and French. The majority of French-speaking population is concentrated in the province of Quebec.
The country is mainly agricultural. It is well known as an exporter of wheat and oats. It is also rich in natural resources. It is one of the main producers of electric power.
IV. Comprehension Check.
Match the words with their meanings.
1. to be located a. верхняя палата
2. Governor General b. располагать сбоку
3. province c. срок
4. authority d. нижняя палата
5. majority e. генерал-губернатор
|
|
|
6. Upper House f. представитель
7. Lower House g. клен
8. representative h. указание, инструкция
9. maple i. власть
10. term j. быть расположенным
11. direction k. большинство
12. to flank l. провинция
Answer the questions.
1. Where is Canada situated?
2. What is the size of the country?
3. What are its main cities? What is the capital of the country?
4. Where is the majority of the population concentrated?
5. What is the most important sphere of economy of Canada?
6. Is the country rich in natural resources? What are they?
7. Who is formally recognized as Head of State in Canada?
8. What is the official language of the country?
9. What houses does Parliament of Canada consist of?
10. When was the Constitution of the country adopted?
Make a plan to the text.
V. Discuss the following with your groupmates.
What interesting facts about Canada have you learnt?
Australia
I. First thoughts. Do you know any interesting facts about Australia? What differs it from all other countries?
II. Study the words. Make sure you know them. Practice the pronunciation.
Commonwealth, unique, explorer, wonder, stock, scarcely, inhabitant, remarkable, manufacturer, to surround, Executive Council.
III. Read the text and do the tasks following it.
The continent of Australia is situated between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Australia is the sixth largest country in the world. The country's official name is Commonwealth of Australia. It is unique, because it is at the same time a continent, the smallest one in the world.
Australia is a very young country. The explorers from Europe unanimously called it a wonderful continent. There are really a lot of wonders: strange animals and wildlife, unusually mild weather, warm winters, etc. Even the sun rises there in the west, which is strange for Europeans. Besides, there is great stock of mineral resources: gold, oil, coal and much more.
|
|
|
Australia is a constitutional monarchy, with the Queen of Great Britain at its head. The queen is represented by the Governor General, who is appointed by the Australian government. The Governor General appoints members of the Executive Council, his advisory cabinet.
The main legislative body in the country is Federal Parliament. It consists of the Queen, the Senate and the House of Representatives. The members of the Senate are elected for a six-year term. There are ten senators from each state and two from each territory in the Senate. The House of Representatives is elected by general direct vote for a three-year term.
The executive power belongs to the queen and the government. It is headed by the Prime Minister. The ministers are chosen from members of Parliament and the Executive Council. Till the 1930s Australia mostly depended upon Great Britain in its political affairs. But in 1931 Australia became fully independent from Great Britain.
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federation of six states: South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, and Western Australia. The central part of the country is scarcely populated. The majority of the inhabitants live along the seashore or on the islands surrounding the continent: Tasmania is probably the most famous of them.
There are not very many cities in Australia. Agriculture is very well developed there. It is the world's leading manufacturer of wool. The largest and the most famous city is Sydney. It was the capital of the Olympic games in 2000. The capital of the country is Canberra, which is a remarkable city, with lakes, parks and skyscrapers.
IV. Comprehension Check.
Дата добавления: 2019-11-16; просмотров: 221; Мы поможем в написании вашей работы! |
Мы поможем в написании ваших работ!