World Domination

If the British over the centuries spread English across the world by colonization, America has spread it even more effec­tively and quickly by different means. Who in the world has not heard of Coca Cola, McDonald's, IBM, General Motors, Micro­soft and Boeing? It is clear that American industries have made their own forms of conquest. The slate of the American dollar in­fluences all the money markets of the world. United States foreign policy affects many other countries, both near and far.

Along with all this economic and political power, there is also unequalled power in all the fields of communication, information and entertainment. No other country has played a greater part in the development of the computer. America leads the world in the design and manufacture of hardware and in the development and production of software. UNESCO figures show that 94 per cent of Internet communications are in English.

Early in the twentieth century, America established itself as the world leader in the new medium of the cinema. In 1906, the first full-length movie was made there and in the following year film­making began in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles. In many countries of the world today, most people's familiarity with Eng­lish comes from films, TV and other types of American enter­tainment.

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The Wheels of Commerce

Today, Canada is the largest pro­ducer of nickel and supplies the world with iron and copper as well as wood, paper, oil, asbestos, gold and silver.

In the past these raw materials were shipped to other countries to be processed. After World War II, Canada began to develop its own industries, such as manufacturing cars and aeroplanes. Can­ada now has the world's seventh largest economy. This has given it a strong position in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which aims to create a single market with the USA and Mexico.

Canada has moved swiftly into the future with research and development in fibre optics and communications. This is not sur­prising considering the great geographical distances and the fact that it was the home of Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone.

The wealthier provinces of Canada, such as Ontario and Brit­ish Columbia, enjoy some of the highest living standards in the world. There is still poverty, however, especially in the Maritimes and the north.

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1. What is Canada rich in?

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Beaches and Tea

Sri Lanka is one of the most beautiful places in the world with sandy beaches, lush green vegetation, ancient monuments and cultural riches. Tourism is very important to the economy, though war and ethnic tensions have reduced the number of visitors. Golden beaches, sheltered by coconut palms and washed by warm, blue seas are typical of Sri Lanka. The beaches of the southwest between Beruwela and Hikkaduwa are still particularly popular.

Tea is one of the Sri Lanka's leading exports. The tea estates and factories have become tourist attractions. The country is fa­mous for its spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg and pepper. Underneath the lush greenery and natural beauty, however, is stark poverty and exploitation. Most Sri Lankans work in agriculture and estate workers are paid only for those days they are actually needed to work. The pay is low and the cost of living is rising. There are many social problems and workers have poor living standards.

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1. What is Sri Lanka famous for?

2. What is one of the Sri Lanka's leading exports?

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