The Far East: people and culture

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Gorbachev visited Beijing to end the 30-year rift between the USSR and China. The protesters occupied Beijing's Tian'an Men Square for seven weeks, until the morning of June 4, 1989 when armored troops stormed the city center, killing hundreds of civilians. In the ensuing political crackdown Zhao Ziyang, Communist Party general secretary, was stripped of his posts and was replaced by Jiang Zemin. The Eighth National People's Congress elected Jiang the president in March 1993.

Assignment from the text “China”

I. Questions and points to discuss:

1.Is China the largest country in the world by area and population?

2.What is the capital of China?

3.There is a great diversity of landscapes on the territory of China, isn't there?

4.Asia's longest river and the world's highest peak are in China, aren't they?

5.There isn't any desert in China, is there?

6.Are there temperature differences between the north and south of China?

7.Name specific Chinese species.

8.How long have the Chinese had a written language?

9.What is the prevailing occupation of the Chinese?

10.How did the government restructure the agricultural sector?

11.What are the most important crops?

12.China is the second largest cotton producer, isn't it?

13.Describe the political organisation of China (leading political mainstream, executive and legislative power, the head of government).

14.During what dynasty was a standardized writing system adopted and the Great Wall completed?

15.When was the People's Republic of China proclaimed?

16.What was the reason for the wave of students‟ demonstrations in 1989?

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17.Who is the president of China now?

II. Guess definitions (geographical terms used in the text):

1.A large area of sand where it is always very hot and dry

2.A deep narrow valley with steep sides

3.An area of land that is higher than the land around it, like a mountain but smaller

4.An area of water surrounded by land

5.An area of low flat land that is always wet and soft

6.A long row of mountains that covers a large area

7.The sharply pointed top of a mountain

8.A piece of land almost completely surrounded by water but joined to a large mass of land

9.A large area of flat land

10.A large area of flat land that is higher than the land around it

11.A large area of land without trees

12.An area of land between two lines of hills or mountains, usually with a

river flowing through it

III. Match the definitions:

h.to completely get rid of something such as a disease or a social problem

i.to say officially that you want to stop fighting because you realize that you cannot win

j.having opinions, or beliefs especially about politics, that are not extreme and that most people consider reasonable or sensible

k.to make people think that someone is good again after a period when they thought that person was bad

l.a possible position, rank, or title can be passed from an older to a younger person in the same family, usually when the older one dies

III.Fill in words from the box:

desert, rebellion, marshes, prevailing, valley, requisite, the Giant Panda, diversity, mainstay, crops, oilseeds, the national minorities

1.It's impossible to grow something here, there are only… .

2.Knowledge of this material is … for passing the exam.

3.Agriculture is the only economic … of this country.

4.There was a program on TV about the life of … in China.

5.Scientists discovered a salt lake in the… .

6.Did you see … in our Zoo? It is an endemic Chinese mammal.

7.They expanded the quantity of … grown in this area.

8.It is always hot in the Takla Makan, the driest … in Asia.

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9.There is a great … of landscapes in China: mountain ranges, deserts and plains.

10.Agriculture is the … occupation of the Chinese.

11.Rice, wheat, tea, cotton and oil seeds are the main … in China.

12.Peasants began armed … against the government.

V. Fill in words from the box:

recognize, limited, majority, rural, requisite, mainstay, decay, seized, rehabilitated, withdrawal, civilians

1.After the end of the Great Cultural Revolution some of its victims were … .

2.Agriculture, textile industry and mineral resources are the economic … of

China.

3.At the beginning of the 20th century the Chinese Empire collapsed from internal … and pressure by the west.

4.During Nixon's official visit to China full diplomatic relations and … of

U.S. troops from Taiwan were agreed.

5.Each Chinese family is … to having only one child.

6.In 1938 Japan … control of much of China.

7.Mandarin is the official spoken language of China, its knowledge is … throughout China.

8.On Tian'an Men Square hundreds of … were killed.

9.Some world governments don't … Taiwan.

10.The … of the Chinese are classified as … .

VI. Translate into English:

1.Из окна отеля открывался вид на живописное плоскогорье.

2.Они ограничились осмотром Великой Китайской Стены.

3.В Китае множество видов животных, включая живущую только здесь большую панду.

4.Национальные меньшинства отличаются от этнических китайцев своим языком и религией.

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5.Основными культурами, выращиваемыми в Китае являются рис, чай и масличные - соя и арахис.

6.Новый глава правительства был человеком, придерживавшимся умеренных взглядов.

7.Экономический упадок стал причиной волны восстаний, и премьер-

министр был снят с поста.

8.Олово широко используется в промышленности.

9.Знание истории и культуры страны необходимо для изучения языка этой страны.

10.Им пришлось пройти через узкое ущелье, чтобы выйти в долину.

11.Здесь невозможно ничего вырастить, здесь только одни болота.

12.Переработка нефти является единственной экономической опорой этой страны.

VII. Translate into Russian using the vocabulary from the text:

1.Экономический упадок обусловил кризис правительства.

2.Ущелье было темным и узким.

3.Машина сломалась, и им пришлось провести ночь в степи.

4.В 1972 году американские войска были выведены с Тайваня.

5.Компания захватила контроль над рынком нефти.

6.Иногда гражданские лица бывают убиты во время военных конфликтов.

7.В Китае есть как плодородные земли, так и пустыни.

8.Сколько олова и вольфрама перерабатывается в Китае?

9.История Китая вплоть до 20 века – это смена династий.

10.Жертвы Великой Культурной революции были реабилитированы.

11.Большинство населения Китая – этнические китайцы.

12.Долина реки Янцзы очень живописна.

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TEXT 17.

JAPAN

Japan consists of an archipelago extends in an approximately northeast southwest direction. It lies off the east coast of the Asian continent. Japan's total area of 377,819 square kilometers - slightly larger than the United Kingdom and one twenty-fifth that of the United States – represents less than 0,3% of world's area. The archipelago consists of four main islands: Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku (from largest to smallest); a number of island chains, and thousands of smaller islands. Honshu accounts for over 60% of the total area.

The islands of Japan lie in the temperate zone and at the northeastern end of the monsoon area. The climate is generally mild, though it varies considerably from place to place. There are four distinct seasons in most parts of Japan. Summer, which is warm and humid, begins around the middle of July. It's preceded by a rainy season that usually lasts for about a month, except in Hokkaido, the northernmost major island, where there is no rainy season at all. Winters tend to be mild on the Pacific side with many sunny days, while the Sea of Japan tends to be overcast. The mountainous interior area is one of the snowiest regions in the world. Spring and autumn are the best seasons of the brings

Rainfall is abundant (from 1000 to 2500 millimeters annually). The combination of plentiful rainfall and temperate climate in most parts of the archipelago produces rich forests and luxurious vegetation throughout the countryside.

Botanists estimate that there are 5000 to 6000 native species of plants. This text deals chiefly with certain seed plants that are of particular importance to Japanese people. Although some plants came to Japan very early in the nation's history, most of the naturalized plants were introduced in rapid succession after the beginning of the Meiji period (1868-1912). The number of naturalized plants is said to be between 200 and 500. Although most came from

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Europe, the United States has in recent years become a major source. The Japanese have utilized plants for food and countless other purposes, including clothing, medicines, dyes, oils, tools, roofing, sculpture, paper, matting, ropes, baskets and fuel. Most plants now being put to such uses are indigenous to Japan, but the majority of edible plants are thought to have been introduced from the Asian continent.

The Japanese islands are inhabited by southeast Asiatic tropical animals, Korean and Chinese temperate-zone animals, and Siberian subarctic animals. Japan's fauna includes many species and relicts not found in neighboring areas. The sea south of central Honshu belongs to the Indo-Western Pacific Region, which is a part of the tropic kingdom: it abounds in bright coral fish, sea snakes, and turtles. The sea north of central Honshu belongs to the Northern Pacific Region and is inhabited by the fur seal, Steller's sea lion, and Baird's beaked whale. Hokkaido, which largely faces the Sea of Okhotsk in the Arctic region, is visited occasionally by animals indigenous to the Arctic region, such as walrus.

In mainland Japan (Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu) and Hokkaido two groups of animals are predominant: those of deciduous forests of Korea and central and Northern China, such as racoon dog, Japanese crest ibis, mandarin duck; and those of coniferous forests of Siberia, such as the brown bear, pike, hazel grouse, common lizard etc.

For the protection of endangered species, countermeasures such as conservation of habitats, artificial breeding, and feeding have been reviewed by the Environment Agency. In order to protect animals and insects, in 1979 the Agency started a quinquennial survey of animal populations.

As for history, evidence of stone tools from 10,000 to 30,000 years old have been found in Japan, but no firm date can be given for the appearance of the first human settlements. Historical records date the first united Japanese state, ruled by the Yamato court, to the late 4th or early 5th century AD. For

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several centuries the Japanese borrowed heavily from Chinese culture, especially in their adaptation of the Chinese writing system to write the Japanese language. By the 9th century, Japan had begun to sever its links with the mainland and to adapt what it had acquired, including Buddhism which arrived in Japan by way of Korea. Politically, the emperors became increasingly subordinated to powerful regent families. In the 11th century the rise of powerful warrior families in the provinces was leading to the development of a military class, the samurai, that increasingly assumed exclusive political authority in local affairs. Political unification was initiated by Oda Nobunaga and achieved by Toyotomy Hideyoshi in 1590. During the Tokugawa period (1603-1867), the government imposed a policy of isolation; this seclusion gave rise to a flourishing indigenous culture, but it also tended to separate society. During the Meiji period (1868-1912), Japan's economy and political and social institutions were systematically modernized along Western lines; this process culminated in the promulgation of a constitution in 1889. The global economic troubles of early 1930s contributed to further military dominance of the government at home and aggression abroad. American postwar occupation of Japan led to a new constitution (1947) and the occupation itself ended in 1952. In rebuilding Japan's ruined economy, new technology was used in every major industry and a tremendous economic recovery followed. Continued growth allowed Japan to increase its export trade and by the 1990s it had the world's second largest economy.

As for Japan's culture, it is characterized by a mixture of Japanese aesthetic traditions with introduced and adapted elements of Chinese and of Western cultures. Such highly stylized and refined cultural and arts forms as flower arranging, the tea ceremony and garden design reflect an emphasis on understated simplicity, elegance and grace. Contemporary Japanese society fully embraces Western-style, media-driven popular culture. Japanese culture includes what may be considered the world's first important novel, Genji

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monogatari (The tale of Gengi), by Murasaki Shikibu. The novelist Kawabata Yasunari won the Nobel Prize for literature 1968. Japanese cinema has a large international following, with most interest being focused on the works of Kurosawa Akira, Ozu Yasujiro and Mizoguchi Kenji. Japan has a long and vibrant literary tradition with the novelist Mishima Yukio its foremost modern representative.

Nowadays, Japan is considered to be one of the leading countries in the world almost in all spheres of human activity.

Assignments from the text “Japan”

I. Answer the following questions:

1.Where is Japan situated?

2.What islands does the archipelago consist of?

3.There are four distinct seasons in Japan, aren't there?

4.Are snowfalls abundant in Japan?

5.What do typhoons bring to the islands of Japan?

6.What is luxurious vegetation on the islands of Japan caused by?

7.What do the Japanese utilize plants for?

8.Are there representatives of several climatic zones in Japan?

9.Enumerate species that inhabit Japan.

10.What measures is the Environmental Agency of Japan going to undertake to protect endangered species?

11.Has the Japanese civilization always been isolated?

12.What caused the destruction of the Japanese economy?

13.How did it recover?

14.What is the Japanese culture characterized by?

15.Now Japan is considered to be one of the developing countries, isn't it?

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II. Match the words and its definitions:

14.to take in mentally

15.to reside in

III.Paraphrase words in italics using words and combinations from the text:

1.Japan is situated on a group of islands.

2.The hurricane brought heavy rains and strong winds.

3.The vegetation of the tropics is rich and varied.

4.Scientists made an investigation of the fauna and flora of Japan.

5.Mr. Jackson wants to get political power in local affairs.

6.Walking in the pouring rain can be dangerous.

7.Wood is used for making paper.

8.Make sure these mushrooms are eatable.

9.Stone tools are an illustration of the existence of people in Japan ten – thirty thousand years ago.