Vocabulary to the text:
|
Tasmania [tæz'meɪnɪə] |
Тасманія (острів, штат Австралії) |
|
Murray ['mʌrɪ] |
р. Муррей (Маррі) (Австралія) |
|
wattle ['wɒtl] |
австралійська акація |
|
wallaby ['wɒləbɪ] |
кенгуру (малий) |
|
anteater ['æntitə] |
мурахоїд |
|
platypus ['plætɪpəs] |
качкодзьоб |
|
Adelaide ['ædəleɪd] |
м. Аделаїда (Австралія) |
|
Perth I [pɜθ] |
м. Перт (Австралія) |
Questions to the text:
Speak about the geography of Australia.
Speak about the climate of Australia.
Speak about the flora and fauna of Australia.
Speak about Australian population.
Speak about the political system of Australia.
Speak about each big city of Australia in details.
Write
short notes about the key issues raised in the text.
Compose
and write a plan of the text.Retell the text using new vocabulary.
Prepare
a presentation (preferably in MS PowerPoint) about Australia. Cover
issues not mentioned in the text above.
Write
a letter to your friend about something you like the most in
Australia (20-25 sentences).
Topic 20. Anglophone countries: New Zealand
New Zealand, a self-governing country in the South Pacific Ocean, a member of the Commonwealth of Nations is situated to the south-east of Australia. It comprises two main islands, the North Island and the South Island and numerous tiny islands. The two major islands of New Zealand which are separated by the narrow Cook Strait could be considered parts of two separate continents. The North Island is carried on the same continental plate as India and Australia while the South Island is on the Pacific plate. The two plates slide past each other in opposite directions. This movement creates many earthquakes in New Zealand.
The North Island has a mountainous centre with many hot springs and volcanic peaks while it also contains the country's longest river, the Waikato and the largest lake, Lake Taupo. The South Island is much more mountainous with the Southern Alps, which have some 350 glaciers, running across the length of the island. One can find examples of all the world's geographical features from mountain ranges to beaches, glaciers to subtropical and temperate rainforests, active volcanoes and thermal activity to land that is permanently covered with ice and snow, from tranquil lakes and fjords to thunderous waterfalls and rivers.
New Zealand lies within the temperate zone: the climate is generally mild and seasonal differences are not great. Rainfall is generally moderate to abundant and except in a small area in the south central part of the South Island, exceeds 500 mm annually. The North Island has a warmer climate and contains all of the country's volcanoes and most of the thermal activity such as geysers, thermal rivers and boiling pools. There are many fine beaches. The land is the most important resource of New Zealand. It is ideal for crop farming, dairy farming and the raising of sheep and cattle, all of which predominate in the economy. Forest products are also important. Numerous mineral deposits are found throughout the main islands, including coat, gold, sand and gravel, limestone, clay, dolomite and magnesite. Scientists believe that New Zealand was once part of a supercontinent known as Gondwanaland and that its flora and fauna evolved in isolation for more than 100 million years after this landmass broke apart. New Zealand plant life is remarkable in that of the 2000 indigenous species, about 1500 are found nowhere else in the world. They include two the world's oldest known plant forms, the puka and the kauri tree. The latter can live for 200 years and is second in size only to the sequoia; the few remaining are not protected by law. Today's forests are dominated by evergreen beech and conifers.
New Zealand's isolation has also had a profound impact on its animal life. Before the arrival of the Maoris, there were only birds, lizards, frogs and two species of bats on the island. The tuatara is the only reptile that is believed to survive since age of the dinosaurs. The Maoris brought dogs and rats and the Europeans brought deer, goats, rabbits, opossum (from Australia) and other small animals.
On the pastures one can see many sheep. This small country holds the second place in the world in wool production. Tourists like to see the unusual phenomenon here. They are shown a kiwi. It's a bird you only find in New Zealand. It has no wings and its feathers are like hair. New Zealand has put it on its national emblem.
The Maoris, a Polynesian people, are the aborigines of New Zealand. But they have not always lived there. Like the Hawaiians, whom they resemble closely and to whom they are related, they trace in the legends their descent from the people of some distant kingdom, Hawaiki. They are Polynesians, thought to be of Caucasian origin, who passed through India and Indonesia and the Pacific, eventually reaching New Zealand in an epic sea migration about AD 1350. They sailed in canoes open to all weathers; they knew the wind, the ocean currents and the stars. They settled in Aotearoa - the Land of the Long White Cloud - the name they gave to New Zealand because of its active volcanoes.
The Dutch were the first Europeans to arrive in 1642, but the area remained relatively unknown until the arrival of Capt. James Cook in 1760. New Zealand became officially British in 1840.
New Zealand's largest city is Auckland. In atmosphere, it is the most cosmopolitan place in the country, due to its greater size the fact that it gets the lion's share of overseas travelers, arriving, departing or passing through New Zealand. It is the leading commercial and industrial city. It is the biggest sea port in the country
The Wellington province, which occupies the southern part of the North Island, is, like almost all parts of New Zealand, a predominantly farming region. Wellington is the capital city.
Built largely on hills, with deep harbor water reaching almost to their feel, Wellington is an attractive city. Much of its business area is built on land reclaimed from the sea; for with steep hills on every hand, Wellington is very short of flat ground.
Christchurch is the second largest after Auckland; it enjoys one of the best climates in the world. The city is famous for its parks and educational facilities.
A majority of the New Zealand population is Christian. English and Maori are the official languages, although the country is predominantly English-speaking Almost all of the Maori speak English, and only about 50.000 (about 15 percent) are considered fluent Maori speakers. Other Polynesian and European languages are spoken by a small percentage of the population. Executive action nominally is taken on behalf of the governor-general, who is appointed by the British monarch. The principal administrative body in New Zealand is the cabinet, which consists of the prime minister now John Key and the ministers in charge of departments.
New Zealand has a unicameral parliament, which is known as the House of Representatives. The principal political organizations are the Labor Party and the National Party. The highest court in New Zealand is the Court of Appeal, which exercises appellate jurisdiction only. Decisions of the court are final. The principal trial courts are the High Court and the district courts. The earliest cultural tradition in New Zealand was that of the Maori. The literature consisted of history, tales, poems, and myths handed down by oral tradition. The indigenous art of New Zealand is also Maori.