The Land of the Long White Cloud

7. Look at the pictures (pic. 161 - 164). Which country do they illustrate?

8. Here are some facts about one country. Do they help you to guess the country in question? Try to complete the missing information.

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9. Look at the map (pic. 165) and name the largest cities. Work in groups. Choose any city you like and tell what it is famous for.

Pic. 165

10. Look at the title of the text. Which of the words/phrases below would you expect to find in the text? Choose three words / phrases to make your own sentences, as in the examples.

Volcano; extraordinary; earthquake; Maori; newspaper; island; table;

Fox Glacier; towel; trilogy; whale; car; TV; mild climate; pressing of noses; waterfall; rim; clever; river; ocean; The Lord of the Rings.

Ex: There are a lot of volcanoes and beautiful lakes in New Zealand.

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11. Read the sentences and guess which are true and which are false. Then read the text and check your answers.

1.This land is a place of earthquakes and living dinosaurs.

2.New Zealand is located in the Indian Ocean.

3.The coldest month is January and the warmest is July.

4.The Lord of the Rings was filmed in New Zealand.

5.The Maori people had a written language until the Europeans arrived.

6.The eighth wonder of the world is Lake Taupe.

7.Wellington is the capital of New Zealand.

8.Auckland is the national park in New Zealand.

The Land of the Long White Cloud

Imagine a place where the constellations of stars above your head are different from those that you have ever seen, where the night sky can glow with strange swirling lights, and where the cold of winter comes when summer arrives in Russia. Imagine a place where there are volcanoes, rivers of ice and hot lakes of extraordinary colours, and where forests are full

Pic. 166

New Zealand is a country of islands located in the Pacific Ocean. The North Island and the South Island are the main ones, and there are number of small ones, some of which are hundreds of kilometers from the main islands. The country’s nearest neighbor is Australia, which lies more than 1,600 km northwest of New Zealand.

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In Kaikoura, hazy mountains reach down to the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean – and you can swim the dolphins! The guides tell you how to entertain them – splash around, make strange noises through your snorkel, and amuse them by snowing what terrible swimmers humans are. Kaikoura is also a great place for whale watching.

The Waitomo Caves were made by a river. The best part of a visit to this amazing place is a journey along the river in a boat. You travel silently through the darkness until suddenly you see thousands of little stars above you. Actually, these stars are lights; they belong to very small animals, roof of the caves.

The most unusual place in New Zealand is probably Rotorua, a city in the northern part of the North Island. It was built in the heart of a volcanic

crater. Here the air smells of eggs. And steam and hot water explode out of

the air. Rotorua is also the centre of Maori legendИand history and the place where traditions and culture are kept alive. Beautiful carvings, artwork,

the hot ground. The hot water lakes in Rotorua are of extraordinary col-

ours: yellow, green and even orange! And there are pools of natural hot water where you can swim.

music, dance, and traditional buildings Д- all from part of the Maori heritage. The Maori people had no written language until the Europeans ar-

Near here is the Lady Knox geyser, which can shoot water 20 meters into

Pic. 170

In the south-west of the South Island, where land and sea meet, is one of the most beautiful places in the world – Milford Sound. No wonder Rudyard Kipling called it ‘the eight wonder of the world’. This is a place of breath-taking views, hundreds of waterfalls and fairy-tale wildlife. It’s also a place where seals, dolphins and penguins are frequent guests. Mil-

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ford Sound is the wettest place in New Zealand – and one of the wettest places in the world. About 7 metres of rain fall hear each year.

The isolation of New Zealand from other lands allowed the survival of animals and plants from the time of the dinosaurs. Ancient tree ferns, plants that produce spores rather than seeds, and primitive relatives of pine trees still grow in the forest.

The oldest tree in New Zealand is Tane Mahuta. It’s a Maori name which means ‘Lord of the Forest’. Nobody knows for sure how old it is but it is estimated to be between 1250 and 2500 years old!

The beautiful pohutukawa tree has red flowers at Christmas time, and people call it ‘the New Zealand Christmas time’.

Pic. 171 АДИPic. 172

The kiwi is the country’s nationalбbird and emblem. It’s an unusual bird. It has nostrils at the endиof its beak and it can’t fly. New Zealanders also like to call themselves Kiwis.

Before the firstСhuman beings arrived, there were many flightless birds in New Zealand. The biggest of them was the moa. It was about 3 metres tall and weighed about 250 kg. Now it is extinct.

Pic. 173

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Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, stands at the south-western tip of the North Island and is the southernmost capital city in the world. It is built on high hills around a picturesque harbour. Wellington is the windiest city in New Zealand and its nickname is ‘Windy Wellington’. If you ask someone in Wellington what they dislike about Wellington, the answer will almost certainly be: ‘The wind.’ But if you ask them what they most like about the capital, the answer will be: ‘It’s a city were you can be yourself’.

Pic. 175

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Queenstown is a famous resort town. It is often called the ‘Adventure Capital of the World.’ In Queenstown you can do practically all kinds of sport, including extreme ones. The city of Dunedin is often called the ‘City of Firsts’. It is home to the country’s oldest university, the first newspaper and the first botanic gardens. Dunedin has strong Scottish roots. In the past it was called New Edinburgh. Later, the city’s name was changed to Edinburgh’s old Celtic name, Dunedin. Dunedin is also a unique place for nature lovers. Here you can see two very rare kinds of penguin: the yelloweyed penguin and the blue penguin.

Pic. 177

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New Zealand is a great place for sports. Thrill-seekers can go surfing, diving, rafting, zorbing and bungee jumping. Zorbing and bungee jumping were invented in New Zealand. The country’s national sports is Rugby Union, but it’s more than a game, because winning is a matter of national pride. The New Zealand team is called “The All Blacks” - they wear black shirts and shorts. Before a match they perform a haka - the traditional Maori war dance.

ДИ Pic. 178

Pic. 179

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12. For questions (1 – 16), choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D).

1.The country’s nearest neighbour is …

a)the USA;

b)India;

c)Australia;

d)Japan.

2.New Zealand has another name, Aotearoa, which means …

a)the land of volcanoes;

b)the land of earthquakes and living dinosaurs;

c)the land of the long white cloud;

d)the land of strange people.

3.What does Zeeland mean? И

a)water land;

b)sea land; Д

c)beautiful land;

d)cloudy land.

4.The largest lake in New ZealandАis …

a)Ritza Lake; б

b)Superior Lake;

c)Lake Taupo; и

d)Lake Louise.

5.How many sheepСare there for every person living in a country?

a)10;

b)5;

c)20;

d)2.

6.The most unusual place in New Zealand is …

a)Lady Knox geyser;

b)Fox Glacier;

c)the White Island Volcano;

d)Rotorua.

7.Rotorua is …

a)a city;

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b)a volcano;

c)a lake;

d)a famous person.

8.What did Maori use to tell stories of the past?

a)songs and carvings;

b)a written language;

c)books and manuscripts;

d)CDs and HDs.

9.The most beautiful place in the world (according to the text) is …

a)Waitomo Caves;

b)Wellington;

c)Milford Sound; И

d)Lady Knox geyser.

10.The national bird and emblem of theДcountry is …

a)a hawk;

b)a peacock; А

c)a sparrow;

d)a kiwi. б

11.New Zealanders likeиto call themselves …

a)Kiwis;

b)New Zealanders;С

c)Maori;

d)Zealanders.

12.Which river in New Zealand is called like the river in England?

a)Thames;

b)Avon;

c)Nile;

d)Danube.

13.Which city has strong Scottish roots?

a)Wellington;

b)Queenstown;

c)Auckland;

d)Dunedin.

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Pic. 180

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When Captain Cook and his men landed in New Zealand in 1642, they saw a group of tall, strong people with brown skin and tattooed bodies. They were good hunters and fierce warriors but they were also warm-hearted and friendly. They lived in wooden houses and had wooden boats, and they often cut beautiful shapes into the wood they worked with. They caught birds and fish and grew sweet potatoes for food. The Maori of those times had no written language, so all their traditions were handed down orally. They used songs, dances and carvings to tell stories of the past that held lessons for the young.

Captain Cook created a friendly relationshipДwith the “natives”, but it didn’t last long. When the British came, many Maori people died in fierce

battles over land. The Pakeha (theАMaori name for white people) also brought guns, strong drinks and cigarettes, and diseases that were new to

the Maori. They killed allбthe whales and seals and tried to collect the heads of the Maori chiefs. All of these things brought terrible trouble to the

Maori, and manyСof themиdied. By 1900 the future seemed hopeless, but after a while the population slowly began to grow again.

Pic. 182

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Today, most Maori people have adopted the lifestyle of the Pakeha - they live in regular houses, do regular jobs, and dress in regular clothes. At the same time, Maori culture is very strong. Many schools teach in the Maori language and train the children in the ways of their ancestors. The Maori people are passionate, humble, warm-hearted and friendly – but also fierce when they need to be.

From: Speak Out/2, 2008

1.……people of New Zealand;

2.men……in New Zealand;

3.lived in……;

4.they……birds and fish;

5.used……to tell;

6.died in…… battles;

7.all the……and seals;

8.people are……

Pic. 184

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