1. Complete the text with the right words and entitle it.
(situated, island, continents, to consist, Isles, official, surrounded, language, federation, Prime Minister, laws, country, capital, to discover.)
Even in medieval times there were stories about a large continent in the Southern Hemisphere. But Europeans had never seen it. They wonder what it was like and whether it was inhabited. They called this land terra australis incognita, which means in Latin “the unknown southern land”. Australia was … only in the 17th century, and after the expedition of James Cook in 1770 it became a British colony.
Australia is … on the fifth and the smallest of the … . It is the largest … in the world. It is smaller than the United States and much bigger than the British … . Besides the continent of Australia … of a number of small islands. The … name of the … is the Commonwealth of Australia. It is … by the seas from all sides. The official … of the country is English. The … of Australia is Canberra. Australia is a … of six states. The Federal Parliament makes … . The government is headed by the … .
2. Compare the geographical location and the administrative system of the UK and of Australia. Use the following: “both… and…”, “larger than …”, “(not) as … as”, whereas…, etc.
*TEXT 2
1. Read the text and say if you know these facts.
The humid and mild climate of Great Britain is good for plants and flowers. Some of them have become symbols in the UK. Probably you know that the poppy is the symbol of peace, the red rose is the national emblem of England, the thistle is the national emblem of Scotland and the Edinburgh International Festival. The daffodils and the leek are the emblems of Wales, the shamrock (a kind of clover) is the emblem of Ireland.
The flag of the United Kingdom, known as the Union Jack, is made up of three crosses. The upright red cross is the cross of St. George, the patron saint of England. The white diagonal cross is the cross of St. Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland. The red diagonal cross is the cross of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.
2. Read and reproduce the jokes.
1) Teacher: Which is nearer to us, England or the moon?
Tommy: The moon, sir.
Teacher: The moon? Why do you think so?
Tommy: Because we can see the moon, and we cannot see England.
2) “The harder it rains, the better I like it”.
“You must be an optimist”.
“No, I am an umbrella seller!”
3) – What is the weather like in England?
– The weather changes in our country more often than in other countries, that is why we say: “Other countries have a climate, in England we have weather”.
L e s s o n 2
Vocabulary
Learn the following words and expressions:
to appoint – назначать
chamber – палата
disadvantage – недостаток
general election – всеобщие выборы
the House of Commons – Палата Общин
hereditary – наследственный
highly developed – высокоразвитый
to hold (held, held) – проводить
legislative power – законодательная власть
manufacture – производство
majority – большинство
nevertheless – однако
offshore – прибрежный
raw material – сырье
to receive – получать
to rule – управлять
significant – существенный
vehicle – транспортное средство
Practice the pronunciation of the following words:
parliamentary ["pRlq'mentqri], monarchy ['mOnqki], hereditary [hi'redit(q)ri], party [pRti], Labour ['leibq'], Conservative [kqn'sWvativ], industry ['indqstri], industrial [in'dAstrial], vehicle ['vi:ikl].