Страноведение

 

Task 2. Read the  text again and say if  these sentences are true (T)  or  false (F)?

 

a) The Chieftains have always played to large audiences. 

b) The best way to appreciate Irish dance music is to sit and to listen. 

c) The Ulleann pipes are easy to play. 

d) Many great names in English Literature were Irish.

e) The Irish government helps the Irish film industry.

 
 

CHAPTER  II 
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Text 1 
The United States of America

     After its 200th birthday the United States of America still holds the leading position in the western world. A country that inspired many appelations – “Land of Opportunity”, “Melting Pot”, “God’s Country” is still referred to us as a land of superlatives – “the richest”,  “the greatest”,  “the most”.

     What makes the USA the leader of the western world is its economic, political and military dominance over other countries.

     The United States lies in the central part of the North American Continent between the two oceans: the Atlantic Ocean to the East and the Pacific Ocean to the West. Friendly Canada to the north and friendly Mexico to the south are the only countries bordering it.

     There are many big cities and towns in me USA. New York, San Francisco, Washington,  Chicago, Los Angeles are the biggest of them.

     The United States of America is a parliamentary republic. The government is divided into three branches:

• legislative (the US Congress),
• executive (the President and his Administration)
• judicial (the US Supreme Court).

     There are two main political parties in the USA: the Democratic (symbolized by a “donkey”) and the Republican (its symbol is an “elephant”). The US President is both head of state and government. He is elected for a four-year term. Presidential elections are held every leap year on first Tuesday after first Monday in November. The President is assisted by Secretaries who are the heads of the executive departments.

     The Supreme Court consists of Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices who are appointed for life. It is supposed to decide whether a law of the Congress or an executive order of the President is constitutional or not.

     The form of US government is based on the Constitution of September 17, 1787, adopted after the War of Independence. In December 1791, the Congress adopted ten amendments to the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights. The latter enumerated what the government controlled by the oligarchy was not going to be allowed to do, which was, of course, an important democratic gain for people.

     The Congress of the United States is composed of two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate represents the states and the House represents the population according to its distribution among the states. All states have electoral requirements of the same nature. First of all they are residence requirements.

     Through its power over the purse, the US Congress can control much that relates to foreign policy, also it is a governmental body that determines taxation.

     Each of the fifty states of the USA has a constitution patterned after the federal Constitution, with its divisions of power: legislative, executive, and judicial.

     The Presidency means not only a man: means an institution – the “executive branch” of the government.

     The Supreme Court is the highest court in the country and the head had of the judicial branch of US government. The federal and state Courts have the power of “judicial review”. Also there are about ninety district courts in different parts of the United States. American judicial practice is firmly committed to the idea of jury trials. The Constitution guarantees them for both criminal and civil cases. According to the US judicial doctrine, “justice is a relationship in which each citizen or group receives due respect and return”.

 

Task 1. Read the text and answer these questions.

1. What are the biggest cities of the USA?
2. What type of state is the USA?
3. How many political parties does the USA have?
4. When was the first constitution of the US adopted?
5. What structure does the Congress have?
6. Which is the highest court in the USA?
7. Which courts have the power of “judicial review”?

 
 

Text 2 
The Presidents of the United States

     The United States has had over 40 Presidents, Grover Cleveland was elected as the 22nd and the 24th President. The State Department ruled that he must be counted twice. George Bush was the 41st President.

     The first President, George Washington, was inaugurated in 1789. He served two terms that ended in 1797. When he died he was mourned in the United States and abroad as one of the great men of the time. He was buried at his home at Mount Vernon, Virginia.

     Nine Presidents were elected for two terms. Franklin D. Roosevelt served three full terms. He was elected to a fourth term in 1944. He died in 1945, and his term was completed by Harry Truman.

     The shortest term was served by William Henry Harrison who died one month after his inauguration in 1841. Four Presidents were killed while in office. The first of these was the 16th President, Abraham Lincoln. He was shot while attending the theater in Washington. James Garfield was shot a few months after his inauguration and died at the age of forty-nine. William McKinley was killed in Buffalo, New York in 1901. John Kennedy was killed in Texas in 1963.

     James Buchanan was the only bachelor to be elected. He was assisted in the social activities of the White House by his niece.

     One of the Presidents (Andrew Johnson) was a tailor before he became President. Three of the Presidents - Washington, Grant and Eisenhower were Generals of the Army before they were elected.

     The 26th President, Theodore Roosevelt was a Colonel in the Army before he was elected to serve as Vice-President during William McKinley's term of office. When President McKinley was killed, Theodore Roosevelt became President. He became the youngest man to be called upon to fill presidency. He was forty-two years old. John Kennedy was the youngest person to be elected to the office. He was forty-three at the time he was chosen.

     The State of Virginia is known as the “Presidents’ Slate”. Eight Presidents were born in Virginia and seven were born in Ohio. Some Presidents will be remembered by people as great men of their times.

     be inaugurated - быть введенным в должность

     inauguration - торжественное введение в должность

     bury - хоронить

     while in office - за время пребывания в должности

     term of office - срок избрания

Task 1.  Read the text and memorize the details.

 
 

Task 2. Answer the questions about the details.

 

1) How many presidents has the United States had?

      a) over 50

b) over 40

c) over 25

 

2) Who was elected as the 22nd and the 24th president?

a) Theodore Roosevelt

b) John Kennedy

c) Grover Cleveland

 

3) When was the first president of the United States, George Washington, inaugurated?

a) in 1720

b) in 1800

c) in 1789

 

4) Where was the first president buried?

a) in California  

b) in Massachusetts

c) in Virginia (Mount Vernon)

 

5) How many presidents were elected for two terms?

a) 15

b) 9

c) 10

 

6) How many full terms did Franklin Roosevelt serve?

a) 3

b) 2

c) 1

 

7)  Franklin Roosevelt was elected to the fourth term in 1944. Who completed Roosevelt's fourth term when he died in 1945?

a) Harry Truman

b) Abraham Lincoln

c) Lindon Johnson

 

8) Whom was the shortest term served by?

a)  William Harrison

b) Richard Nixon

c) Jimmy Carter

 

9) How many presidents were killed while in office? Who were they?

a) 7

b) 4

c) 5

 

10) Who was a tailor before he became a president?

a) Andrew Johnson

b) Ronald Reagan

c) R. Wilson

 

11) Who was the youngest president to be elected to the office?

a) John Kennedy

b) Richard Nixon

c) Jimmy Carter

 

12) What state is known as the President's State?

a) California

b) Virginia

c) Texas

 

Task 3.  Say whether the statements given below are true (T) or false (F), express doubt or uncertainty. Make use of the reference list given above.

1. The United States has had 60 Presidents.
2. George Bush is the 41st President.
3. George Washington served 3 terms that ended in 1797.
4. George Washington was buried at his home at Mount Vernon, Virginia.
5. Franklin D. Roosevelt served four full terms.
6. The shortest term was served by William H. Harrison.
7. Five Presidents were killed while in office.
8. James Buchanan was the only bachelor to be elected.
9. Five Presidents were generals of the army before they were elected.
10. John Kennedy was the youngest person to be elected to the office.
11. Some Presidents will be remembered by people as great men of their times.

 

Task 4. Answer the following questions.

 

1. What Presidents of the United   States   are well-known all over the world? Why?
2. What are the latest Presidents of the United States? What do you know about them?
3. Four Presidents were killed while in office. How can you account for it?
4. What do you know about Franklin D. Roosevelt who served the longest period of time?
5. What state is known as the “Presidents’ State”? Why?

 
 

Text  3 
Cities in America

     American cities are like other cities around the world. In American cities there are opportunities for education, employment, entertainment, but also there are crime, racial conflict and poverty.

     The American society is changing and the American cities are changing too.  

     In the late 1940s and early 1950s citizens became richer. They had many children and they needed more space. So they moved out of their apartments in the city and bought their own homes. They bought houses in the suburbs (areas without many offices or factories near cities).

     In the 1950s the American “dream” was to have a house in the suburbs.

     Now things are changing. The children of the people who left the cities in 1950s are now adults.   Unlike their parents, they want to live in the cities. And now the population of the cities increased.

     Many young doctors, engineers, lawyers, teachers move back into the city. Many are single, other are married, but often without children. They prefer the city to the suburbs because their jobs are there; or they want to enjoy the opportunities of the city. In the 1950s many poor people did not have enough money to move to the suburbs; now many of them do not have enough money to stay in the cities.

     A few years ago people thought that the old American cities were dying. Some citizens now see a bright new future. Others see only problems and conflicts. But one thing is clear: many dying cities are alive again.

 
 

Task 1. Answer the questions about the details:

 

1. What kind of opportunities are there in American cities?

a) opportunities for education;

b) opportunities for employment;

c) opportunities for entertainment;

d) opportunities for medical service.

 

2. What happened to the citizens in the late 1940s and early 1950s?

a) they became richer;

b) they became poorer.

 

3. What is the American “dream”?

a) to have a house in the suburbs;

b) to have a house in the city;

c) to have an apartment in the city.

 

4. What happened to the population of the cities at present?

a) it increased;

b) it diminished;

c) it didn't change.

 

5. Why do young doctors, engineers, lawyers, teachers move back into the city?

a) their jobs are in the city;

b) they want to enjoy the opportunities of the city;

c) life  is cheaper in the city.

 

6. Why did many poor people stay in the cities in the 1950s?

a) they didn't  have  enough money to move to suburbs;

b) they wanted to enjoy the opportunities of the city.

 

7. What did people think about  the future of the old American cities a few years ago?

a)  the old American cities were dying;

b) ) the old American cities would survive;

c) ) the old American cities would flourish.

 
 

CHAPTER  III 
CANADA,  
AUSATRALIA,  NEW ZEALAND

Text 1 
Canada

     Canada is the second largest country in the world - nearly as big as all of Europe. Only Russia is larger. The population of over 30 million works out to close to just two people per sq km. 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 6379km southern border with the USA. It’s the longest unguarded national boundary in the world. The southern region is, of course, the warmest, most hospitable area of the country and also has the best land and waterways. Three-quarters of the population lives in the towns and cities in this portion of the country. Toronto is the largest city with about 2.4 million residents.

     The country is made up of 10 provinces and three northern territories.   

     The government is a constitutional monarchy and the national capital is Ottawa, Ontario.

     There are two official languages in the country, English and French. A movement within Quebec, the one predominantly French province, to separate from Canada and form a new country has waxed and waned since the mid-1960s.

     Canada is a young country with great potential and a people working to forge a distinct national identity while struggling to hold the parts together.

Geography.

     Canada is about 7730km from east to west. Its only neighbour is the USA, which includes Alaska in the north-west.

     Though much of the land is lake and river-filled forest, there are mountains, plains and even a small desert. Canada has (or shares with the USA) seven of the world’s largest lakes and also contains three of the globe’s longest 20 rivers. The country is blessed with the most freshwater of any country. About 25% of the country is covered in forest.

     Despite being bordered on three sides by oceans, Canada is not generally viewed as a maritime country. This is in part due to the large, central regions which contain the bulk of the population and dominate in so many ways. Also the Rocky Mountains and Niagara Falls, the country’s two best known and most visited geographic features, are found inland.

     From eastern Quebec to the eastern edge of the country, the Atlantic Ocean plays a major part in the population’s day-to-day life and offers the visitor much to discover and explore. The same can be said of the Pacific Ocean and British Columbia to the west.

Climate.

     Canada has four distinct seasons all of which occur right across the country although their arrival times vary. The single most significant factor in climate, and even day-to-day weather, is latitude. In just a few hours travelling north by road, a drop (sometimes a considerable one) in temperature can often be felt.

     The warmest area of Canada is along the US border. It’s no accident that nearly everybody lives in this southernmost region. The overall warmest areas of the country are British Columbia’s south and central coast and southern Ontario particularly around the Niagara Peninsula. These districts have the longest summers and the shortest winters.