Living in Canada today

Canada is a good example of the way peoples of different ways of life and different languages can live side-by-side under one government. The Canadian government is more British in style than American, except that it is a federal government.

Parliament is divided into two parts, the Senate and the House of Commons. Voters in each province (Canada is divided into 10 provinces and 2 territories) choose candidates from different political parties. The party that wins the most seats in the House of Commons chooses the Prime Minister, who heads Canada’s government. Senators are not elected, they are appointed by the Prime Minister.

Canada now belongs to the Commonwealth of Nations (nations which once belonged to the British Empire). Queen Elizabeth II is still the Queen of Canada. But ties with Great Britain are not so strong as they were.

Canada is unique in the Americas because it gained its Independence without fight. They celebrate it on July the 1^st with fireworks and picnics. But most of Canadians do not mind that there are still some ties to the British Queen. Many like to continue old customs and still give honor to the Queen of England. 

More than half of all people in Canada live in Southern Quebec and Ontario. Quebec is Canada’s oldest province and it’s largest. This province was settled by the French, and the people still follow French customs. The heart of French Quebec is its capital, Quebec city. In many ways the lower part of the city, with its narrow streets, old churches, and little houses built close together in long rows, resembles the cities of France.

Quebec is the largest province in size. Ontario is the largest in population. Some call it nation’s heartland, as it is Canada’s demographic and economic center and is a major force in national politics. It is Canada’s most industrialized province, producing half of the nation’s manufactured goods.

Ottawa, the capital of Canada, is the political and administrative center of the nation. Most national cultural institutions, including museums, archives, the National Gallery, and the National Art Center are in the city.

Задание 9. Выпишите из текста 20-25 слов по теме текста и выучите их к зачету.

Задание 10. Ответьте развернуто на вопросы по содержанию текста.

1. What does Canada consist of?

2. Who is officially head of state in Canada?

3. What language is spoken in Quebec? Why?

Задание 11. Письменно переведите текст на русский язык.

THE UNIVERSITY OF LONDON

The University of London was created to conduct the examination and to grant degrees upon the students from any institution situated anywhere in the British Empire.

Up until 1900 the University of London was only an examining and degree-awarding body, but in that year an Act of Parliament permitted to provide lecture rooms, museums, laboratories, work shops, etc. for both teaching and research. Today the University of London is a federation of colleges, each largely independent. It is the largest university in the United Kingdom by total number of enrolled students (internal and external), with over 52,000 distance learning students in external mode and 161,270 campus-based internal students, making largest university by number of full-time students in the United Kingdom. There are four faculties of Theology, thirteen of Arts, thirty-one of Medicine, ten of Science, etc.

The University of London grants degrees to all who satisfy its examinations, with the exceptions of engineering and medical degrees (for which the study at an approved institution is required). The London external degree has been of great importance in the development of the university system.

Many of the new independent universities were at first university colleges (i.e. university institutions which could not award their own degrees) and for them the University of London became the degree-awarding body. The London external degree is very important to students in technical colleges and some teacher-training colleges, as well as for private students working on their own, away from educational centers.

The development of new qualifications (e.g. the new Diploma in Technology) and increasing enrollment in regular university courses have made the external degree less important. 

Задание 12. Закончите предложения по содержанию текста.

1. From 1836 to 1900 the University of London could only …

2. The University of London was the degree-awarding body for university institutions which …

3. Since 1990 the university has been providing both … and …

4. The university consists of …

5. At present, the University of London is …

6. The university provides both … and distance-learning courses.