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.

July and August are the warmest months across the country and generally they are reasonably dry. Along the US border, sum­mer temperatures are usually in the mid and upper 20°Cs. Each year there are a few days in the 30°Cs.

Summers in the Yukon, Northwest Terri­tories (NWT) and Nunavut can be pleas­antly warm and have the added benefit of extremely long daylight hours.

Canadian winters are long. In more than two-thirds of the country the average January temperature is -18°C. The major cities are not consistently this cold but temperatures are generally below freezing. Except in the warmest areas, snowfall can be heavy espe­cially from Toronto east. As a rule of thumb the farther north, the more snow. But only to a point, once past the central portion of the country, the dry conditions prevent snow fall of major accumulation.

Government & Politics.

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 upper house, or Senate, also made up of ap­pointees, is deemed to be the house of re­view regarding any potential legislation. 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 representatives 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, in ef­fect, runs the country and initiates legislation. Unlike in the USA, leaders can run for as long as they maintain popular support within their party. Governments are elected for five years, but elections can be called earlier.

The 10 provinces are essentially self-governing and are presided over by pre­miers, elected provincially. Each province has a lieutenant governor appointed by the federal government. The three northern terri­tories are for the most part the domain of the federal government, although more in­dependence is being sought and some has been granted to Nunavut, the eastern part of the Northwest Territories.

Population and People.

Canada’s population is about 30.3 million (1998). About 35% of Canadians are of British stock. French descendants of the original pioneers long made up about 30% of the population but this now approaches 20% and continues to fall. By far the ma­jority of people of French descent live in Quebec but there are large numbers in New Brunswick, Ontario and Manitoba.

The English-speaking population has grown mainly by immigration from Britain and the USA. Over 3.5 million Canadians are of Scottish or Irish ancestry.

Generally speaking, the French are Catholic, the British Protestant, but religion does not play a large part in Canadian life.

Early central and eastern European settlers went to the prairies but can now be found everywhere, particularly in the large cities. Canada’s third largest ancestral ethnic group is German. Other major groups are Italian, Chinese, Ukrainian, Dutch, Greek, Polish and Scandinavian. In 1997, Chinese surpassed Italian as the third most common tongue in Canada. Since 1990, other Asians, and to a lesser degree, Latin Americans and blacks from the Caribbean have been immigrating in larger numbers.

Four out of five immigrants have neither English nor French as their mother tongue. Canada also receives refugees from around the world. Unlike the early days of rapid expansion and settlement, today’s ar­rivals head for the large cities. Toronto, the centre for international immigration, is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world.

Education.

Under the jurisdiction of the provinces, Canada provides free education from el­ementary through to secondary school. Be­yond that tuition must be paid in what are known as community colleges (CEGEPS in Quebec) and universities, although the true cost is subsidised through taxes. Commu­nity colleges present one to three-year pro­grams in a range of fields from graphic design to jewellery-making to nursing. These are taught under the broad categories of Arts, Business, Science and Technology, and Health Services. Universities provide higher academic and professional training.

At the early levels, there are two basic school systems, known as the public and the separate. Both are free and essentially the same but the latter is designed for Catholics and offers more religious education along with the three ‘Rs’ Anyone can join either one but the two systems do split pretty much along religious denomination.

French-immersion programs, in which English-speaking children are taught all their courses in French, are quite popular across Canada.

There are also a number of private schools but no real private system. Schools in this category include alternative educational methods such as Waldorf and Montessori.

The education system has been under constant scrutiny in recent years. Many stu­dents leaving high school have fared poorly in international testing, have been called es­sentially illiterate by universities and, ac­cording to business leaders, are poorly prepared for jobs in industry.

In order to combat these shortcomings, a re-emphasis has been placed on the funda­mentals and on standardised curriculums and testing.

Not quite half of all Canadians finish high school. About 10% have a university degree. Students from around the world at­tend Canadian universities.

Task 1. Answer the questions.

1. What city is the national capital of Canada?

2. What is the largest city in Canada?

3. How many geo­graphic regions are there?

4. What are the best known and most visited places in Canada?

5. How many legislative houses does Canada have?

6. Who is the official head of Canada?

7. Who is the leader of the country?

8. What international military alliance does it belong to?

Task 2. Say if these statements true or false.

1. There are two official languages in the country, English and French.

2. Weather and climate depend on longtitude.

3. The average January temperature is about -20°C.

4. Canada has two neighbouring countries.

5. Canada is a democratic republic.

6. Canada’s chief of state is the president.

7. The head of Canada’s government is the prime minister.

8. All provinces of Canada have their own parliament.

9. One-third of employees in Canada are women.

10. About 40% of the country’s industry is owned by non-Canadians, led by US interests.

11. Many transactions are done secretly and illegally.

12. Most immigrants have English or French as their mother tongue.

13. Early central and eastern European settlers live in the prairies.

14. Majority of Canadians have a university degree.

Task 3. Translate the following sentences into English.

1. Население Канады составляет почти 60 миллионов человек.

2. На севере Канада омывается Северным Ледовитым океаном.

3. На востоке Канада омывается Атлантическим океаном.

4. На западе США и Канада омываются Тихим океаном.

5. На юге и северо-западе Канада граничит с США.

6. В Канаде есть высокие горы, озера и реки.

7. Скалистые горы находятся на западе.

8. Скалистые горы – одно из красивейших мест на земле.

9. Главой государства в Канаде является королева или король Великобритании.

10. Главу государства представляет генерал-губернатор.

11. Кабинет министров Канады назначает генерал-губернатора.

12. Члены сената назначаются генерал-губернатором.

13. Члены палаты общин избираются на пять лет.

14. Символом Канады является кленовый лист.