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Тема: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Task 1. Read and translate the text. Do the tasks after reading.

The youth of Great Britain

Young people of Great Britain are mostly like ours. They like to play, to dance, to go in for different kinds of sports etc. at the same time the youth`s attitude to their studies is rather serious. And there is one more characteristic feature of the young people. They are more independent in their choice of job. Of course, the youth has very large opportunities as for their studies.

Having left a secondary school they go to study at different universities and colleges. There are many secondary and higher edicational establishments in the country where young people can study and get the chosen profession. Many of them try to study at such famous universityes as Cambridge and Oxford.

The youth of Great Britain has also various possibilities to spend free time. Most people in the country work and study for 5 days, from Monday to Friday.

Young workers and students working and studying away from home like to go on excursions to different part of the country, or they visit their relatives, friends or go home to stay with parents.

Saturday evening is favourite time for parties, going to the pictures or to the theatre.

Young people like travelling and they have opportunities to do it. They visi different cities and towns of their Motherland and they also visit different countries during their summer holidays.

But the most responsible duty of the young people, of course, is their studies. They know that their future depends only on their attitude to their studies and they do their best to study well and become highly qualified specialists in various spheres of national economy.

Post-reading activity

Level 1

True or false?

1. Young people of Great Britain are unlike ours.

2. The youth`s attitude to their studies is rather serious.

3. They are independent in their choice of job and profession.

4. The youth has no opportunity to study.

5. All young people study at universities in Cambridge and Oxford.

6. All people in the country work and study for 5 days.

7. Young workers like to go on excursions.

8. Young people like travelling but they have no opportunities to do it.

9. Their future depends on their attitude to studies.

Level 2

Answer the questions.

1. What can you say about the youth of Great Britain?

2. What is the youth`s attitude to their studies?

3. Where can young people get the chosen profession?

4. Who works for 5 days?

5. What do young workers and students like to do in their spare time?

6. What do they like to do on Saturday evening?

7. What is the responsible duty of young people?

8. What do they do to achieve it?

Make up sentences

• Lovers of sports, are, great, the Englishmen.

• Famous, a lot of money, a, player, can make, today, professional, all, big, sports, in.

• In Britain, team game, football, is, the most popular.

• Consider, the most, English, people, popular, game, cricket.

Topic 2. IMPRESSIONS OF LONDON AND LONDONERS

1. Read and translate the text.

2. After reading be ready explain what is Soho, Charing Cross.

3. What can you say about London sightseeing?

It is interesting to know that the name of the streets and districts in London are often connected with the history of the city of the country. But very often the names of the streets are so old and so changed that only few people know how this or that street got its name.

People who read books by English writers, listen to the radio, see English films can`t help knowing such names a Trafalgar Square, Soho, Piccadilly Circus, Charing Cross, etc. Picca-

dilly Circus is known to have seen much history over the centuries. For generations Piccadilly has been the heart of London. Now it is known as the place of special occasions such as a Coro-

nation or New Year`s Eve, about 50,000 people gather there.

Charing Cross is one of the most ancient place in London. Once there was a small village in that place. The village was named Charing. In 1291 Eleonor, the English Queen, died outside London. Her husband wanted her body to be taken to Westminster Abbey and buried there. At every place where funeral procession stopped a wooden memorial cross was put. The last place was at Charing Cross. Now Charing Cross Road is famous for its bookshops where one can buy books in different languages and of new and old editions.

Soho is the district where you can see different people speaking different languages.

It is famous for its restaurants of different national cooking. One can have breakfast in Greek restaurant, dinner in Italian and supper in American. There are very few outdoors cafes there. That`s because the weather changes very often and very quickly.

When English people want a rest they go into the tea-rooms or tea-shops.

Some of the customs in Britain are very interesting. People there do not shake hands when meet each other, men raise hats to women but not to each other. It`s not the custom there to say “thank you” at the end of the meal as in our country. There you wait until you are leaving to go home and than you say, ”Thank you for having been asked to come”.

Very few people have servants in their homes. It`s very difficult to get servants, they say, and servants` wages are high.

English people are very talkative, and there are very many places to see and things to do in London.

Topic 3. AMERICAN WAYS OF LIFE

1. Read and translate the text.

2. Write down the summary of the text.

The lives of Americans revolve around their homes and houses. The percentage of Americans owning there houses (and apartments) they live in is the highest among western nations. Most Americans still live in “ single – family dwellings , “ that is , houses which usually have a front and backyard . Contrary to a belief, only about 5 percent of all Americans live in mobile homes. For all practical purposes, most of these homes are not actually mobile but function as prefabricated housing units in stationary setting.

In many Americans families children are expected to help around the house. They are assigned

“ chores “ which might include , for instance , vacuuming the rugs , washing and waxing floors , cleaning windows , mowing the lawn , shoveling snow , keeping the car(s) clean , looking after the pets , and so on . Some families give a small amount of money, an allowance, in exchange for these and similar chores. Other Families simply expect such work to be shared by everyone in the family (‘ Do you pay me to wash your clothes ? “ ) .

Most Americans today work no more than eight hours a day, five days a week at their jobs. In 1986, 31 percent of all employed Americans put in work week of less then 40 hours. About 44 percent of all companies offered “flextime,“ that is , variable working schedules , or “ job – sharing “ . In the same year, about 70 percent of all American women between the ages of 20 and 44 were working. The wide availability of child – care centers and the fact that children attend school until three or four in the afternoon and eat lunch there has helped many women with children to take jobs outside the home.

The common meal of the day is usually eaten in the evening. This varies in time according to family traditions and depending upon each family member`s schedule. It`s usually the only time of the day when everyone is home.

Most Americans drive to work, and most children walk to school or take public transportation. Those yellow school buses serve primarily rural areas.

Many American middle0class families expect their children to find part-time jobs, especially as they enter their teens. This might be working at local supermarket or service station, delivering newspapers, or babysitting. In fact, about 75% of high school seniors work during the average school week. One effect on American society is that middle-class children can manual work without loosing face.

One feature of American life that some European observers have often commented on, is the frequent display of flag and other national symbols in the U.S. The pride of Americans in their country is perhaps not much different from that in other countries, but it seems more apparent. To Americans, patriotism is largely a natural response to the nation`s history and it`s ideals.

Topic 4. CANADA.

Read the texts, do the tasks after reading.

1. The Maple Leaf and Maple Tree – Canadian symbols

Trees have played a meaningful role in the historical development of Canada.

Maples contribute valuable wood products, sustain the maple sugar industry and help to beautify the landscape. Maple wood is in demand for flooring, fur-niture, interior woodwork, small woodenware, and support several flourishing industries in eastern Canada.

The Maple Leaf has been symbol of Canada for over 200 years. It was used in the 1800s to decorate Canadian emblems and badges. In 1867, Canada`s confederation song “The Maple Leaf Forever” was written (by Alexander Muir). In 1868, the Maple Leaf was part of the design for the coats of Arms of the provinces of Quebec and Ontario. It used to be on every Canadian coin. Today it is only on the penny.

Since 1965, the maple leaf has been the centerpiece of the National Flag of Canada and the maple tree bears the leaves that have become the most prominent Canadian symbol, nationally and internationally. In 1996, the maple tree was officially recognized as a national emblem.

2. The Beaver

The beaver represents the importance of the fur trade in the early history of Canada. The early explores, although disappointed that they did not find the riches of China in the New World, did notice the great numbers of forest animals and other natural resources. The beaver fur hat was the fashion in Europe between 1600-1700. France soon realized that Canada or New France as it was called then, could provide great riches in furs, England recognized this as well when it set up the Hudson`s Bay Company to trade for furs.

Beaver furs made many of the early settlers rich. They crated a new coin that was worth one beaver pelt. The beaver appeared on badges, medals and stamps. During the peak of the fur trade over 100,000 beaver pelts were shipped to Europe each year.

The future of the beaver was saved only because fashion changed. Silk hats were now popular and so they stopped trapping the beavers!

March 24, 1975, the beaver officially became an emblem of Canada.

3. The Canadian Flag

The Canadian flag was first raised on top of the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on February 15, 1965. More than 2,600 designs for a flag were sent in to the Canadian government! There were other flags before this one, but they all were looked like the British flag. The red and white flag with the maple Leaf in the middle is the first distinctly Canadian flag. Red and white had been Canada`s official colours since 1921. The Maple Leaf has been a symbol of Canada since the 1700s.

The Governor General and the Queen each have their own personal Canadian flags. Wherever they are in Canada, their flags fly over the buildings that they stay in. The Queen is the Canadian Head of State. The Governor General is her representative in Canada.

4. The Canadian Coats of Arms

The design of the arms of Canada reflects the royal symbols of Great Britain and France. They represent the historic connection between Great Britain, France and Canada. Early settlers are represented by the three royal lions of England, the royal lion of Scotland, the harp of Ireland and the fleur-de-lis of France. The lion of England holds the British flag. The unicorn of Scotland holds the flag of Royal France. The bottom has the fleur-de-lis (France), the shamrock (Ireland), the thistle (Scotland), and the rose (England).

At the bottom of the shield is a spring of three Canadian maple leaves representing Canadian of all origins.

The Union Jack, the Royal Crown appear as symbols on provincial flags, and there are fleur-de-lis on the provincial flag of Quebec.

Task: say what is interesting to know about symbols of Canada and their origin.

Task2. Read the virtual meeting with the professor of history at the University of Toronto. After reading you should pick out all new facts about Canada, and rewrite 6-8 sentences which are the most important on your point of view.

There was a time in the past when no people lived in North America. The first people to discover North America were Asians. They came to North America over a land bridge between Siberia and Alaska. This was more than 10,000 years ago.

There is no land bridge now. At first, these people were hunters.

Canada at this time was even colder than it is now. The early ancestors of the Indians and Unuit learned how to survive the cold.

In early 1600`s both France and England became interested in starting settlements in Canada, controlling the fur trade.

Then, in early 1800`s, many of immigrants came to Canada from Britain. They came for many reasons. Some were very poor and had no work or future in England, Scotland and Ireland. Some were criminals that England sent here. Others were just adventurous and wanted to see new places and begin new lives.

Between 1812 and 1815, there was a war between Canada and the USA. The U.S. wanted the Canadian colonies to become part of the United States. The Canadians won this war.

The Dominion of Canada was formed on July the first, 1867. It began as only four provinces: Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Later other provinces joined.

The Dominion of Canada continued in this form until 1967. On the Dominion`s one hundredth birthday, Prime minister Pierre Trudeau changed the constitution. The Dominion of Canada became Canada. Canada could make all its decisions now, without from the British Parliament.

Between 1882 and 1885, 15,000 Chinese came to Canada to build the railway. Many of them died. They settled on the west coast in Vancouver. They were the ancestors of the large Chinese community that still lives in Vancouver today.

The railroad opened up the country for settlement. 150,000 Ukrainians came to Canada between 1867 and 1914. Most of them were farmers. They went to live on the fertile land of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. They left their country because of poor work conditions.

During World War I, there was no immigration to Canada. After entering in World War II in 1939 immigration to Canada was closed too.

Since the end of the wars, people have come to live in Canada from almost every country in the world. They saw the opportunity for a good future in Canada.

Canada has become the country of many cultures. We call it a multicultural society.

Answer the questions:

1. What does the Anthem of Canada tell about?

2. Name the capital of Canada.

3. What origin nations do it live in Canada?

4. What countries did the immigrants come to Canada from?

5. What were the reasons of immigration from Europe?

6. What was the result of the war between Canada and the USA in 1812 – 1815?

7. When was the Dominion of Canada formed?

8. When was the constitution of Canada changed?

9. How many of Ukrainians came to Canada between 1867 and 1914?

10. When was the immigration to Canada closed?

11. Why do we call Canada a multicultural country?

12. What Canadians symbols do you know?

13. What was the Maple Leaf decorated for?

14. Where can we see the Maple Leaf in nowadays?

15. What animal has it become the emblem of Canada?

16. What colours are there on Canadian flag?

17. Who is the Head of Canadian State?

18. Who represents the Queen in Canada?

19. What does the design of the arms of Canada reflect?

20. Name the largest cities in Canada.

Тема 4: australia

Методичні вказівки щодо виконання завдання:

1. Read the text about Australia.

2. Do the task after reading.

When we hear the word Australia, we imagine boomerang, kangaroo, crocodiles, snakes, etc. Australia is the vast sub-continental land. It is today an independent member of commonwealth, self-governing since January 1, 1901. There are 6 states and an island Tasmania: New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia. The capital of the country is Canberra.

The biggest city of Australia is Sydney. It is located in the state of New South Wales. It is the best-known place in Australia. But New South Wales has more than cities. There are, for example, the Blue Mountains. They are covered with forest of blue colored eucalyptus trees. The air above the forest contains million microscopic drops of eucalyptus oil. When the sun shines, the air of Blue Mountains is a real, beautiful blue color.

South Australia is the driest of all the states. The only big river in this place is the Murray River. In the early of the Australian history, the Murray River was South Australia`s main road. Before real roads and railways came, the river carried people and goods from the east up into the country. Some towns on the Murray still keep the old riverboats, and visitors can ride them.

Tasmania is an island in south part of Australia. It is not big. It is the same size as England. It also differs from the other Australian states. There are no deserts in Tasmania. It often rains, both in winter and summer. Only a half million people live in Tasmania, and a large part of the island is still covered with wild, beautiful wild forest. These forests are full of wonderful flowers and interesting animals. Once upon a time, there was living a nation of Tasmanian people. They spoke their own language, had own culture. In a few decades after arrival of white people, they disappeared as a nation.

Talking about the history of Australia, I should add that Australia as a whole has always been within the British sphere of influence. Firstly, it was the big colony for prisoners. It is ridiculous fact but it is true. Later, it became ordinary south country.

Every year thousands of tourists visit Ayers Rock that is located In the Northern Territory and a strange group of huge stones, which are holy to the aboriginals.

Answer the questions:

1. What do we imagine when we hear the word Australia?

2. What parts does Australia consist of?

3. What is the capital of the country?

4. Where is Sydney located?

5. What are the Blue Mountains covered with?

6. What is The Murray River known for?

7. Where is Tasmania situated?

8. What is the capital in Tasmania?

9. How many people live in Tasmania?

10. What is the large part of the island still covered with?

11. Why did Tasmania people disappear as a nation?

12. Who were sent to Australia until it became an ordinary south country?

13. What places do thousands of tourists visit every year?

Topic 5 AUSTRALIAN POLITICAL SYSTEM

Методичні вказівки щодо виконання завдання:

3. Read the text about the political system of Australia.

4. For statements 1-5, decide which answer is correct.

1. A. Australia is a parliamentary democracy.

B. Australia is the monarchy and a parliamentary democracy.

2. A. The Prime Minister and the Cabinet are elected directly.

B. The Prime Minister and the Cabinet come from the Federal Parliament.

3. A. The Federal Parliament includes the Senate and the House of Representatives.

B. The Federal Parliament includes the House of Commons and the House of

Representatives.

4. A. The representatives of the executive branch are responsible to the Federal Parliament.

B. The representatives of the executive branch are responsible to the Queen.

5. A. Now Australia is in the process of changing to a republic.

B. Now Australia is in the process of becoming closer to the British Crown.

Australia is an independent country within Commonwealth. Formally the British monarch is the head of the state and has royal representatives in the country and in each of the six states.

According to the Australian Constitution, that was adopted on January 1, 1901, the legislative branch is represented by the Federal Parliament. The parliament is made up of two houses: the Senate with 76 senators and the House of Representatives with 148 members. The lawmakers are elected by the people. Voting is compulsory. Australian citizens can vote by male. Those who abstain from voting are fined (штрафуються). Australians are proud of the fact that secret ballot was first introduced in Australia.

The party or coalition of parties with the majority of seats in the House of Representatives forms the Cabinet and its leader becomes Prime Minister. So, the executive branch in Australia includes the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. Like in Great Britain they come from the Federal Parliament and are responsible to it for government decisions. The main political parties the Liberal Party and the National Party. Normally they act in coalition. The Australian Labour Party and the Australian Democrats also play a great role in politics.

There is a question whether Australia should become a republic with the Australian head of state. The debate on the problem started several years ago. Everybody in Australia understands that a change to a republic needs the assent of the Australian people at a referendum. In February 1998, Australia began to process of severing (роз`єднання) its constitutional link to the Queen.