II. Reading and Comprehension

Read the text without a dictionary (time limit is 10 minutes). Do the test.

New Zealand

New Zealand is situated in the south-west Pacific Ocean on two large islands: the North Island and the South Island. The total land area, 268,680 square kilometres, is a little less than that of Italy and Japan, and a little more than the United Kingdom. The South Island is significantly more mountainous than the North Island. New Zealand has a temperate, moist ocean climate without marked seasonal variations in temperature. New Zealand is notable for its geographic isolation, being separated from Australia to the northwest by the Tasman Sea, approximately 2000 kilometres (1250 miles) across. Its closest neighbours to the north are New Caledonia, Fiji and Tonga. Mount Cook is the tallest mountain in New Zealand. Because of its long isolation from the rest of the world, New Zealand has extraordinary flora and fauna. Found nowhere else, the flightless kiwi is a national icon

The total population is about 3.3 mln people. About 85% of the population is classified as Europeans. Most of them are of British descend. English is a universal language. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, which is usually translated into English as The Land of the Long White Cloud.

The capital of New Zealand is Wellington. Auckland is the economic centre of the country. Like the United Kingdom New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy. Officially the head of the state is the British Queen (or the King), whose representative (the Governor-General) is appointed for a five-year term. The government of New Zealand is democratic and modeled on that of the United Kingdom.The Queen 'reigns but does not rule.' She has no real political influence, and her position is largely symbolic. Political power is held by the democratically-elected Parliament of New Zealand under the leadership of the Prime Minister, who is the Head of Government. Although it has no written constitution, the Constitution Act 1986 is the principal formal statement of New Zealand's constitutional structure.

New Zealand pays great attention to environmental protection, human rights and free trade, particularly in agriculture. The economy of New Zealand is based on farming. The last decades brought great advances in the light industry. Tourism plays a significant role in New Zealand's economy. New Zealand attracts many thousands of tourists to its shores because of the beauty, diversity, and compactness of its natural attractions.

Governor-General – генерал-губернатор;

moist – сирий;

decade – десятиріччя;

free trade – вільна торгівля;

significant – визначний

influence – вплив

Exercise 5. Find the right ending of the sentences.

1. New Zealand is situated in the…

a). south-east Indian Ocean;

b). south-west Atlantic Ocean;

c). south-west Pacific Ocean.

2. Its closest neighbours to the north are ...

a). New Caledonia, Fiji and Tonga;

b). Australia;

c). Indonesia and Papua New Guinea;

3. The national icon of New zealand is…

a). koala;

b). the flightless kiwi;

c). bear.

4. The economic centre of the country is…

a). Canberra;

b). Auckland;

c). Wellington.

5. The Head of Government is…

a). the Governor-General;

b). the Queen;

c). the Prime Minister.

Exercise 6. Agree or disagree with the following statements.

1. The total population is about 3.3 mln people.

2. The capital of New Zealand is Auckland.

3. New Zealand is an absolute monarchy.

Exercise 7. Find the right answer to the following questions: