III. Read and translate the following word combinations:

The second largest country of the world, to occupy the whole part, a number of islands, a total area, to be famous for magnificent nature, to form a great waterway, the climate varies dramatically, the coast is hidden in a thick fog, to capture a country, a variety of riches, to be the basis of the lumber industry, the world’s highest standards of living, petroleum extraction, to exercise one’s powers, to have a majority

IV. Match the words with their synonyms:

1. splendid a. main

2. sight b. work

3. provide c. variety

4. cover d. view

5. stretch e. beautiful

6. diversity f. supply

7. dramatically g. very

8. chief h. occupy

9. labour j. extent

V. Match the words with their opposites:

1. southern a. the same

2. increase b. exclude

3. export c. northern

4. high d. import

5. include e. low

6. diverse f. decrease

CANADA

Geographical position and climate

Canada lies to the north of the United States. It occupies the whole northern part of North American Continent and a number of islands, the biggest of which are Vancouver, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Canada has a total area of nearly 10 million square kilometers. It is one of the largest countries in the word. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Atlantic Ocean in the east.

Canada is famous for its magnificent nature. The Niagara Falls on the frontier between Canada and the USA are one of the most splendid sights in the word. There are many beautiful lakes. The Great Lakes and the River St. Lawrence form a great waterway from the Atlantic to the heart of the country.

There are five natural regions of Canada. These regions are: Appalachian Region, Canadian Shield, Interior Plains and Lowlands, Cordilleran Region and Innuitian Region. Forests, mountains areas of thinly populated wilderness cover large parts of each region. The fifth region, the Innuitian Region, includes the northern islands in the Arctic Ocean. Canada possesses a diverse landscape ranging from the Arctic tundra of the north to the great wheatlands of the central area. There are a lot of national parks that aim to preserve the wildlife and forests of Canada in their virgin state. The Canadian north remains one of the least settled and the least exploited parts of the world. The Appalachians stretch from the State of Georgia in the Southern U.S. to Newfoundland in the north. It is the oldest Highland region in Canada. The Western Cordillera stands along the western edge of Canada like a great wall. It is famous for its beautiful glaciers.

History and population

The Vikings discovered Canada more than thousand years ago, it was rediscovered by Europeans in the 15th century. The French occupied large parts of the territory in the 16th century. They were followed by the English, who captured most of Canada from the French. They made Canada a British dominion in 1867.

The population of Canada increased due to immigration. Native people (Indians and Inuit), French and English were joined by immigrants from every corner of the globe. Canada has about 28 million inhabitants. There are two official languages: English (69%) and French (24%). 6% of Canadians speak Italian, Chinese and Portuguese.