Poll late and poll often
Opinion ________________(1) have been with us, in their present form, since the 1930s; originally crude and liable to substantial error, they have been repeatedly refined (I’m speaking of the recognized ________________ (2) organizations) and now regularly demonstrate very remarkable ______________ (3). At first, some voters found them irritating, but that feeling has long disappeared, and it is clear that the electorate as a whole enjoy the political swings and roundabouts.
But one thing must be emphasized: there is no evidence that voters’ intentions are changed by the ______________ (4) results, though I must add that if they were it would be perfectly acceptable, for the voters are entitled to be swayed by anything they wish, even, for instance, the promises of the politicians.
France, for no discernibly logical reason, bans the publication, though not of course the talking, of ______________ (5).
Of course, the parties which are trailing in the _________________ (6) regularly denounce them as instruments of Satan, or at least instruments of shocking _________________ (7), but as soon as the ________________ (8) reveal that the party order has been reversed they hasten to proclaim that the ____________________ (9) are the finest fellows alive; neither attitude has any sense in it, for the reason I have given: there is no evidence that the _______________ (10) themselves do, or can, affect the outcome, though of course the voters may use the findings for their own electoral purposes.
Unit 5 International Unions
Lead-in: The map of the EU
Listen and speak: Organising the relaunch of a product
Focus on reading: European Union Background
Language Focus: The Style of Official Documents
Lead-in
The
map of the
European Union
Discuss the questions.
What do you know about EU? Studying the geographical information try to draw the map and reflect the areas and countries on it.
Study the vocabulary and translate it.
Evolution, supranational, phenomenon, annals, unique, devastating, to integrate, to eliminate, banknote, to expand, ratification, effort, to ensure, imposition
Write the transcription to the following proper names. Consult a dictionary if necessary. Practice their pronunciation.
European Union, Polish-Lithuanian, the Netherlands, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia Slovenia, Luxembourg
European
Union Geography:
Location: Europe between Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, southeastern Europe, and the North Atlantic Ocean Area: total: 3,976,372 sq km land: NA water: NA Land boundaries: total: 11,214.8 km
border countries: Albania 282 km, Andorra 120.3 km, Belarus 1050 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Croatia 999 km, Holy See 3.2 km, Liechtenstein 34.9 km, Macedonia 246 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Norway 2348 km, Romania 443 km, Russia 2257 km, San Marino 39 km, Serbia and Montenegro 151 km, Switzerland 1811 km, Turkey 206 km, Ukraine 726 km
note: Data for European Continent only Coastline: 65,413 km Climate: Cold temperate; potentially subarctic in the north to temperate; mild wet winters; hot dry summers in the south Terrain: Fairly flat along the Baltic and Atlantic coast; mountainous in the central and southern areas Natural resources: Iron ore, arable land, natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, lead, zinc, hydropower, uranium, potash, fish Natural hazards: Flooding along coasts; avalanches in mountainous area; earthquakes in the south; volcanic eruptions in Italy; periodic droughts in Spain; ice floes in the Baltic Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 82, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds (not ratified)