Topic 11

CANADA

Exercise 1. Study the list of the following geographical names.

1. the Rocky Mountains – 2. Superior - 3. Huron – 4. Erie – 5. Ontario – 6. the Mackenzie – 7. the Yukon – 8. the St. Lawrence River – 9. the Niagara Falls – 10. Toronto – 11. Montreal – 12. Ottawa – 13. Halifax – 14. Quebec -

Скалистые горы о. Верхнее о. Гурон о. Эри о. Онтарио р. Макензи р. Юкон река св. Лаврентия Ниагарский водопад г. Торонто г. Монреаль г. Оттава г. Галифакс г. Квебек

Exercise 2. Study the following words and word combinations.

1. frontier – 2. picturesque – 3. thinly populated – 4. Eskimo – 5. creative – 6. raw materials - 7. dog sleds - 8. tools - 9. tie – 10. dominion – 11. to gain – 12. maple -

граница живописный слабо населенный эскимос творческий сырье собачьи упряжки инструменты связь владение добиться клен

Exercise 3. Read and translate the text.

CANADA

Canada is the second largest country in the world after Russia. It has an area of nearly 10 million square kilometers. Canada is situated in North America. Its western coast is washed by the Pacific Ocean and its eastern coast - by the Atlantic Ocean. Canada’s land frontier is only the USA.

The landscape of Canada is very picturesque and reminds that of Russia. There are mountains, high plains, low plains and great forests in the country. The main mountain chain is the Rocky Mountains that run parallel to the Pacific coast.

Canada is also a country of lakes. Besides the Great Lakes – Lakes Superior, Huron, Erie and Ontario, there are many other large lakes. The largest rivers are the Mackenzie, the Yukon and the St. Lawrence River. The Niagara Falls is one of the most splendid sights in the world and attracts lots of tourists. The Niagara Falls is growing into the wedding capital of Canada. Each year thousands of couples make the journey to Niagara to mark the beginning of a new life.

The climate of Canada varies from Arctic in the north to moderate in the east and west. Winter in Canada lasts from four to five months with heavy snowfalls. In fact, most of Canada’s territory is thinly populated, because of severe natural conditions.

About 28 million people live in the country. More than 40% of the population came originally from Britain, about 30% from France and 20% from other countries. Both English and French are the state official languages.

There are also about 300,000 Indians and 25,000 Eskimos, who live mostly in the North. It’s interesting to know, that the Eskimos are very creative men. Having few raw materials, they have invented a great number of things: tents, dog sleds, snowshoes and different tools.

Most of the people live in cities. Toronto and Montreal are the largest urban areas and industrial centers as well. The capital of the country is Ottawa.

Canada has a highly developed agriculture. The main agricultural products are wheat, meat, some kinds of fruit and dairy products. Canada is the world’s largest exporter of these products. Canada’s agriculture and fisheries provide material for the food industry. Its largest seaports like Montreal, Halifax and Quebec are the centers of export of canned meat and fish, furs, timber, metals, machines.

The country is rich in metal, ore, oil and gas. Machine building, motorcar and shipbuilding are highly developed. Being rich in forests, Canada is a great producer of wood for building, furniture and the production of paper.

Canada is a federal state and a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations. Formally the head of the state is the Queen of England, represented by the Governor-General, who is named by the Canadian cabinet. This symbolizes the country’s strong ties to Britain. The point is, that Canada was a British dominion. It was ruled by Britain until 1931, when Canada gained full independence. The leading figure in the political life is the Prime Minister. Canada consists of provinces.

Canada's national flag is the Maple Leaf.

Exercise 4. Answer the following comprehension questions.