The Far East: people and culture

121

10.In the 16th century connection with the continent was broken and Japan's culture developed in isolation.

11.Japanese emperors had to submit to powerful families.

12.From time to time people like to be in solitude.

13.Japan owes its prosperity to intensive use of high technologies.

IV. Translate into English using words and phrases from the text:

1.Небо было пасмурным. Приближался проливной дождь.

2.Японцы используют растения не только для еды.

3.Это растение съедобно? – Нет, из его листьев делают циновки и корзины.

4.В Японии представлены не только лиственные, но и хвойные леса.

5.Вы уже овладели искусством живописи? – Взгляните. Я нарисовал утку-мандаринку и рябчика.

6.Недалеко от берега можно увидеть морских черепах и бесчисленное количество коралловых рыбок. – А как насчет морских змей?

7.На этом уединенном пляже были только морские котики и моржи.

8.Не навязывайте мне свое мнение!

9.Расцвет японской национальной культуры приходится на 16-18 вв.

10.Обнародование этих данных произвело потрясающий эффект.

11.Восстановление разрушенной японской экономики произошло благодаря освоению новых технологий.

12.Изысканность, изящество и простота этой скульптуры дают большое эстетическое наслаждение.

13.Цветочные композиции, оформление садов и чайная церемония воплощают в себе японскую культуру.

14.Японцы заимствовали китайскую письменность и адаптировали ее к японскому языку.

V. Fill in words from the box:

destroy, torrential, tremendous, typhoons, adapt, matting, edible, inhabit, luxurious, seclusion, promulgation

122

1.… bring heavy rains and strong winds to the islands of Japan.

2.The vegetation of Japan is … .

3.The rain was … and I got wet.

4.Some mushrooms are … and some are poisonous.

5.The Japanese use rushes for making … .

6.Japan … Western culture, but didn't lose its own.

7.Different species of animals … the islands of Japan.

8.World War II … the Japanese economy.

9.In the 17th –19th centuries Japanese culture was developing in … .

10.The … of these documents produced a … effect.

VI. Paraphrase words in italics using words and combinations from the

text:

1.The sky was covered with heavy clouds.

2.The Japanese put to use plants for food and other purposes.

3.The scientist told the exact time at which the first united Japanese state existed.

4.The group of islands is really big.

5.He thrust his opinion at them.

6.Are you sure, he is trying to get power in local affairs.

7.Japanese emperors were strongly submitted to powerful samurai families.

8.Before making a conclusion make an investigation.

9.These stones aren't an illustration of the existence of people there several thousand years ago.

10.There is no connection between those facts.

VII. Translate into English using words and phrases from the text:

1.Искусственное разведение животных, принадлежащих к исчезающим видам, может быть решением проблемы.

2.Климат в Японии варьируется от места к месту.

123

3.Ранней осенью приходят тайфуны и приносят проливные дожди и неистовые ветра.

4.Сколько видов животных насчитывается на Японских островах?

5.Некоторые растения были заимствованы с азиатского континента.

6.Обильные осадки и умеренный климат обусловили роскошную растительность по всей стране.

7.В Японии есть как лиственные, так и хвойные леса.

8.В Японии обитают такие виды как черепаха, морская змея, морской котик, морж, енотовидная собака, утка-мандаринка, рябчик, щука и другие.

9.В 17-19 веках политика изоляции способствовала расцвету местной культуры, и в то же самое время – застою общества.

10.Такие изысканные формы искусства как цветочные композиции, чайная церемония и оформление садов считаются характерными для японской культуры.

124

TEXT 18.

KOREA

Korea (Korean Choson or Tai Han)is situated on the Korean peninsula. It was divided in 1948 into two political entities: the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea). Korea is strategically located between China, Japan, and the Siberian Far East region, and it has long suffered the inroads of aggressive neighbours. Also there is cultural homogeneity between Korea and China. After the Iron Age both China and Korea developed agricultural economies and shared many cultural similarities. Korea absorbed much from China - e.g., its writing system, law, Confucianism, and fine art. Nevertheless, Korea had its own language and invented its own alphabet; it formed a distinct way of life and adapted and improved upon all borrowed culture to fit indigenous Korean needs.

North Korea is extremely mountainous and marked by deep, narrow valleys. Most of the soils in the mountainous regions lack organic material and are relatively infertile. Korea has a continental climate, with cold, dry winters and hot, rainy summers. Rainfall is concentrated in the summer months. Occasional typhoons in late summer bring heavy rains and cause extensive damage to crops.

In Korea there are coniferous and mixed deciduous forests. Predominant species include spruce, pine, larch, fir, maple, elm, poplar, aspen and cedar. Bamboo, laurel, and evergreen oak are found in the mild southern coastal areas. But forests have been thinned for use as fuel. Large mammals, such as tigers, leopards, bears, deer, wolves and lynx, used to be common throughout the Korean Peninsula, but these animals have virtually disappeared from South Korea due to deforestation and poaching. Birdlife includes crane, heron, eagle, and snipe.

125

North Korea is one of the richest nations in Asia in terms of mineral resources, such as coal, iron ore, tungsten, magnesite, and graphite. Among the other minerals present are gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, and molybdenum. Reserves of natural gas have been discovered offshore. In contrast to North Korea, South Korea is relatively poor in mineral resources.

Korea is one of the most ethnically homogeneous countries in the world, with no racial or linguistic minorities. The population of South Korea is about 45,182,000. Its estimated population density of 459 persons per sq km is one of the highest in the world. Urbanization of the country has proceeded rapidly since the 1960s, with substantial rural to urban migration; approximately 78 percent of the population is now classified as urban. Since the establishment of North Korea, some 4 million immigrants have crossed the border to South Korea. This increase has been partly offset by emigration from South Korea, especially to Japan and the United States.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is a socialist one-party state that is governed by the communist KWP. According to the constitution, the unicameral Supreme People's Assembly, which consists of 687 members directly elected to four-year terms, is the highest organ of state power. In practice, however, all government institutions are subordinate to the KWP, which is headed by its Politburo, under the president's control. In South Korea executive power is vested in a president who is directly elected to a single five-year term. The president appoints a cabinet, with the consent of the legislature. The cabinet is headed by the prime minister. Legislative power is vested in the unicameral National Assembly.

The division of the Korean Peninsula in 1945 created two unbalanced economic units. South Korea has a predominantly market economy based largely on services and light and heavy industries. The gross national product (GNP) is growing much faster than the population. Agriculture now accounts for only a small proportion of the national economy. Rice, barley, wheat,

126

soybeans, potatoes, millet, and vegetables are grown. Fishing, which provides food and a surplus for export, has been promoted by the government, and South Korea has become a leading deep-sea-fishing nation. South Korea has had increasing success in exporting its manufactures to developed countries. Its principal trading partners include the United States, Japan, members of the European Union, and Southeast Asian countries. South Korea has engaged in trade with North Korea since 1990.

North Korea has a command (centrally planned) economy based largely on heavy industries and agriculture. The gross national product (GNP) remains low by world standards. Agriculture accounts for one-fourth of the gross domestic product. Rice, potatoes, barley, maize, soybeans, cotton, hemp, silk, and different kinds of vegetables and fruits are grown. Mineral industries are dominated by the production of coal. Also important is the extraction of iron ore, magnesite, tungsten, and gold. The manufacturing sector is dominated by heavy industries, machinery, chemicals, and textiles. There is a chronic shortage of labour, and the government has strongly encouraged the repatriation of North Koreans living in China, Japan, and Russia. North Korea's major exports consist of lead, magnesite, zinc, iron and steel, nonferrous metals, and cement. Russia, Japan, and China account for most of North Korea's external trade. Other principal trading partners include Hong Kong and Germany; trade has been conducted with South Korea since 1990.

Archeological, linguistic and legendary sourses support the view that the Korean peninsula was settled by Tungusic-speaking people who migrated from Manchuria and Siberia. They formed the ethnic stock of the Korean people and developed the Korean language. Korea dates historically from 57 BC, the beginning of the period of the Three Kingdoms of Silla, Koguryo, and Paekche. All three states had vigorous and distinctive cultures. These kingdoms survived sporadic war with each other until the late 7th century AD, when Silla, the largest of these kingdoms, conquered the other two with

127

Chinese aid and unified the peninsula under central rule. In 676 Silla drove out the Chinese and established the first unified Korean state. It was an absolute monarchy – aristocrats were granted salaries and land, that had to be returned to the state when the aristocrats left royal service. Thus only the monarch had control over land and population. Silla rule began to disintegrate at the end of the 8th century, as rival states emerged. The kingdom of Koryo was established in 918 and the peninsula was unified in 936.

Mongols conquered Korea in 1259, their rule lasting for nearly 100 years. In 1392 General Yi Song-gye, seized power and established the Choson (Yi) dynasty, which governed until 1910. A centralized administrative system was set up, and Confucianism was adopted as the official ethical system.

In 1592 Toyotomy Hideyoshi, the Japanese military leader, who wanted to use Korea as a transit route for the conquest of China, sent large forces to Korea. The Korean land forces suffered a series of defeat, but the Korean naval forces won the greatest naval victory in Korean history. That war made all people including monks volunteer to fight the Japanese. China also sent troops to aid Korea. Only after Toyotomi's death in 1598 did the Japanese withdraw. Beginning in the 1600s, Korea became increasingly isolated, as its rulers sought to close the country to all foreign contact. The Japanese administered Korea almost entirely to their own benefit, seizing land and businesses and establishing industries.

During the 17th and 18th centuries the growth of a money economy and a market system was taking place. Rice became popular and irrigation systems were improved. The government started minting coins and collecting farm rent in cash. Scholarship attention shifted from theorizing to matters of practical relevance. These complex changes severely strained Choson's political and social system, which in the 19th century began to break down. Korean efforts toward modernization and reform were frustrated by the continued influence of foreign powers. Japan set up a government in Korea and assumed control of

128

Korea‟s foreign relations and ultimately of its police and military, currency and banking, communications, and all other vital functions. Such draconic measures as the outlawing of the Korean language and even of Korean family names, stopped only with Japan‟s defeat in World War II.

As part of the Japanese surrender after World War II, troops of the Soviet Union occupied Korea north of latitude 38 N, while U.S. forces occupied the area south of it. The Soviet Union withdrew in 1948, and the United States withdrew the following year. Despite efforts by the United Nations (UN), no agreement resulted on unifying Korea, and the North continued under a communist regime that the Soviets had helped establish, with the South operating as a republic with an elected government. North Korea, which sought to unify the peninsula by military force, launched a surprise invasion of South Korea on June 25, 1950, initiating the Korean War. UN troops, composed primarily of U.S. soldiers, intervened on the side of South Korea; Chinese soldiers eventually reinforced the North Korean army. On July 27, 1953, after several years of military stalemate, an armistice was signed.

The Korean War devastated both countries, and rebuilding was accomplished with considerable aid of other countries (USA to South Korea, and USSR to North Korea).

Under the rule of Presidents Syngman Rhee (1948-60), Park Chung Hee (1963-79), and Chun Doo Hwan (1980-87), South Korea experienced rapid economic growth while political stability was maintained by authoritarian rule, especially during the period of military domination (1961-87). The national standard of living steadily rose during these years. With prosperity, the emergence of a large middle class, and a general rise in educational standards came growing demands for democratic political reforms, which were enacted during the term of President Roh Tae Woo (1988-93).

129

Kim Il-sung dominated North Korean political and governmental affairs from the country's establishment to his death in 1994. Both as premier (1948-72) and as president (1972-94), he continued to press for the reunification of Korea and the concomitant withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Korea. Domestically, Kim transformed Korea into one of the most strictly regimented societies in the world, with the KWP controlling all aspects of life and using police terror to suppress even the slightest instance of dissent or opposition. Kim instituted an extensive personality cult of himself and in the 1980s designated his son, Kim Chong Il, as his political heir.

Assignment to the text “Korea”

I. Match the definitions:

8.to make a coin

9.to make something more likely to happen or

130

make people more likely to do something

10.to make up a particular amount or part of something

11.to make, design, or produce something new for the first time

12.to not have something that you need, or not have enough of it

13.to take hold of something suddenly and violently

4.возвращение на родину

III. Match the synonyms: