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UNIT 1

HABITATS AND HOMELANDS

GREAT BRITAIN

UNITED KINGDOM: FOUR NATIONS

The British Isles lie in the north-west of Europe. They consist of two large islands - Great Britain and Ireland, and many smaller islands. Great Britain, the largest island in Europe, includes England, Scotland and Wales.

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England

Total population: 49 million Capital: London

National day: April 23d (St George’s Day)

National symbols: red rose, lion, bulldog

Scotland

Total population: 5 million Capital: Edinburg

National day: November 30th (St Andrew’s Day) National symbols: thistle, tartan (checked coloured pattern on textiles)

Wales

Total population: 2,5 million

Capital: Cardiff

National day: March 1st (St David’s Day)

National symbols: dragon, daffodil (narcissus)

Northern Ireland

In 1922 the south of Ireland was made independent from Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and became the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland remained joined politically to Britain and the United Kingdom was born. Though it was a popular decision with most Irish Protestants, it was unpopular with most of the Catholic population, who wished Ireland to remain a united country.

Conflict between these two groups came to crisis point in the 1970s with the terrorist activity of the IRA and the arrival of British soldiers. Even today the Northern Irish population remains divided between Unionists, who want to remain a part of the United Kingdom, and Republicans, who oppose it.

shamrock is the national emblem of Ireland.

independent - независимый (to depend - зависеть) to remain – оставаться

decision - решение (to decide - решать)

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Vocabulary

1. Fill in the gaps with prepositions where necessary:

By twenty six Mark has become absolutely independent … his parents.

This supermarket is very popular … people because of the wide choice of goods and low prices.

A lot of people oppose … the building a new trade centre in the historic part of our city.

Reading

2. Read the information files on England, Scotland and Wales. Which of the countries

- has the largest population? - has the smallest population?

- has the national day in spring? - has the national day in autumn? - has tartan as a national symbol?

3. Read the text on Northern Ireland and answer the questions:

- What is the difference between England, Great Britain and the United Kingdom?

- When did the south of Ireland become independent from Britain? - What do the Northern Ireland Unionists want?

- What do the Northern Ireland Republicans oppose?

4. Read the article

Who are the British?

The UK is a confused nation comprising England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. People are referred to as “English” if they come specifically from England. Those who come from Scotland or Wales, however, are usually given the general label “British” without mentioning their individual homeland. It irritates most of Scottish and Welsh people a lot.

Nowadays the national saints’ days of St David in Wales and St

Andrew in Scotland are marked with large celebrations in the same way St Patrick’s day has always been celebrated in Ireland. And the flag of St George can be seen in England on public buildings and churches where the Union Jack (the red, white and blue flag of the UK) used to be. Scotland and Wales have now their own parliaments and there is even

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extreme talk of an “English Independence Movement”, so some aren’t sure that the UK will last into the next century.

to confuse - спутывать

to comprise – включать в себя, содержать to irritate – раздражать

to celebrate – праздновать

Match the beginnings and the endings of the sentences:

Listening 1a

5. Listen to teenagers from each of the four countries. Note down where they come from and their ages.

Dean

Claire

Jason

Emma

6. Listen again. Who feels that they are:

British? Irish? English? Scottish? Welsh? European?

Writing

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7. Write a paragraph about your country, its national flag, the national day, the national symbols. Is your country united, or are there some parts that have separate identity?

THE USA

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THE SEVEN NATURAL WONDERS OF AMERICA

1. Death Valley (California)

Death Valley is a 250 km valley between two Californian mountain ranges. It is the hottest and the lowest place in the USA, and at one famous point – Badwater Basin – you arrive at the lowest place in the western hemisphere (86 meters below sea level). Summer temperatures in the Death Valley can reach 54˚ C.

2. Giant Redwood and Bristlecone Pine Trees (California)

General Sherman, a giant redwood tree in the Sequoia National Park 84 meters tall, is the largest plant in the world. It is also 3,000 years old, but it isn’t the oldest tree in the world. That’s also in California. The bristlecone pine, named Methuselah, grows in the White Mountains, and it is the oldest living thing on earth. Its age is over 4,000 years!

3. The Grand Canyon (Arizona)

The Grand Canyon, formed by erosion over thousands of years, is 400 km long. It is 2,000 meters deep at its deepest point and 30 km wide at its widest point. It is one of the most important geological sites in the world (some rocks are over 1,8 million years old).

4. Old Faithful (Idaho)

Much of the Yellowstone National Park (which extends into Idaho, Montana and Wyoming) is volcanic rocks and there are over 10,000 geysers and hot springs in the park – biggest concentration in the world. The most famous geyser, called Old Faithful, erupts about every 75 minutes and shoots hot water up to 50 meters in the air.

5. The Great Lakes (Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Ontario (Canada))

The Great Lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario) form the largest system of fresh water on earth, containing 18% of the world’s supply. Lake Superior is the largest and the deepest. It has the surface area of 81 000 sq. km.

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6. Glacier Bay (Alaska)

Glacier Bay is formed by mountains, glaciers, lakes and estuaries, which were covered by ice only 200 years ago. The glaciers of Glacier Bay are still changing, revealing new landscapes every few years. Glacier Bay is now a nature reserve and is extensively used for scientific research.

7. Niagara Falls (New York State and Ontario (Canada))

The Niagara Falls are formed where the Niagara River flows between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. There are two main waterfalls: the Horseshoe Fall in Canada and the American Falls in the USA. The falls are 55 meters high and 160 000 cubic meters of water flows over them every minute.

Vocabulary

1. Put the adjectives into six pairs of opposites:

Deep, high, large, long, low, shallow, short, narrow, short, small, tall, wide.

2. Give the English for: долина, горная цепь, уровень моря, скала, источник, гейзер, пресная вода, ледник, ландшафт, национальный заповедник, водопад.

Reading

3. Say, which of the natural wonders

-are partly in Canada?

-are further north than Canada?

-are in California?

-consist entirely of water?

4. Name

the hottest place in the USA;

the lowest place in the western hemisphere;

the deepest and largest lake among the Great Lakes; the largest system of fresh water on earth;

the highest plant in the world; the oldest living thing on earth;

the biggest concentration of geysers in the world; the main falls in the USA.

Speaking

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5. Discuss in pairs.

1)What are most visited attractions in your country (natural or manmade)?

2)Are they being damaged by tourism? Is anything being done to preserve them?

Listening  1b

6.You are going to listen to a ranger talking about the negative effects of tourism on the Grand Canyon. Guess which of the following environmental problems he will talk about, then listen and see if you were right.

7.Answer the questions:

1)How many people visit the Grand Canyon every year?

2)What two problems can pollution cause in the canyon?

3)Which two months are particularly hot and dry as the ranger says?

4)What are two main ways in which visitors start fires?

5)Why should visitors not feed the animals in the canyon (two reasons)?

II

THE USA: CLIMATE EXTREMES

Snow and extreme cold

Valdez in North Alaska is used to battling against the elements. The town was relocated in 1964 after an earthquake and tidal wave completely destroyed it. Besides it has the record snowfall for the whole continent of North America – 7.7 metres per year. Snow and ice are part of daily life for Alaskans. Many towns, including the state capital

Juneau, are accessible only by sea or by air, as roads either don’t exist or are blocked for most of the year. Some houses are built without excavating any foundation, and most have special strong roofs to support the snow and windows opening inwards so that they are not ripped off by the Arctic wind.

Hurricanes

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Due to its coastal location and tropical climate, Florida is the American state most regularly hit by hurricanes. On average hurricanes happen along the Florida cost every 3 years. Most cause some damage to buildings and vehicles. But Hurricane Andrew in 1992 caused 65 deaths and $26 billion worth of damage to property. It was the worst hurricane in America’s history.

Floridans spend a lot of money protecting their homes from hurricanes. They prefer concrete walls to wooden or metal constructions. Some houses have special reinforced rooms for sheltering from hurricanes.

Tornadoes

Tornadoes happen during storms when warm air and strong winds begin to spin upwards. They can cause great damage on their paths.

There is a famous tornado “route” through ten states which is known as ‘Tornado Alley’. In fact, central states such as Oklahoma and Kansas see the majority of tornadoes. Homes in that area often have storm cellars where families can shelter from the weather.

Earthquakes

The San Andreas Fault is a break in the Earth’s crust which causes several small earthquakes every year. However a catastrophic earthquake nearly destroyed San Francisco in 1906. Scientists say that another massive earthquake is possible in the future, but they predict that they will recognize the warning signs years before it happens.

Vocabulary

1. Match the natural disasters to their definitions:

1) earthquake a) a storm with severe winds,

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Reading

2. Match the weather conditions to the geographic areas:

3. Answer the questions:

1)Why Valdez was rebuilt in 1960s?

2)Can you drive to the state capital of Alaska? Why?

3)How often do hurricanes hit the Florida coast on average?

4)When was the most damaging hurricane in America’s history?

5)Where do most of the US’ tornadoes happen?

6)When was the last serious earthquake in California?

7)Why do scientists say that people should not panic about a future earthquake in California?

8)How is house-building in different parts of the USA influenced by the weather conditions?

Speaking

4. Tell about the climate in your country. Do any regions get extreme weather? Has the climate changed over the last decades?

UNIT 2

CAPITALS AND CITIES

GREAT BRITAIN

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LONDON

My home – love it or hate it! by Ali Khazan

AI live in Blackheath in South London. London’s one of the largest and most exciting cities in the world, and there are advantages and disadvantages of living here.

BThe main advantage is that there is a lot to do and see. In the centre of London there are tourist attraction like Madam Tussaud’s and the Science Museum, and there are a lot of parks and historic buildings.

I suppose we don’t make the most of it. We only visit the Tower of London when one of our relatives comes to visit!

CSecondly, London is a great place for entertainment. All the new films come here first, and if we want to go to a pop concert or a big sports event there is always something on our doorsteps. And of course the shopping is great – you can get anything in department stores like Harrods or Camden Market.

DAnother advantage of living in London is that you can travel easily and quickly across the city on the underground. And we have got railways and airports to take you anywhere in the world.

ELastly, London is truly cosmopolitan. Kids at my school are from lots of different cultures, but that doesn’t stop us from being friends. It is really exciting to mix with people from different backgrounds. It stops you from being narrowminded.

FBut there are some major problems if you live in London. Like most other capital cities, it is noisy, polluted and congested with traffic. The traffic problem is so bad that they have recently introduced a congestion charge for central London. Drivers now have to pay if they want to take their cars to the city centre.

GSecondly, things are very expensive here. For example, if you go to the cinema in the centre of London it can cost you £12 and to go just one stop on the underground can cost you nearly £1.

HBut the worst problem about living in London is that, in general, people are not very friendly. Nobody will talk to strangers or help people in the street if they are in trouble. They don’t trust each other, and I

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