Методичка по английскому языку

dry-farming — сухое земледелие,

grazing — содержание скота на пастбище, на подножном корму

several — несколько

crop — урожай

Americans — Обратите внимание:   названия национальностей могут употребляться как с определенным артиклем, так и без артикля

wheat — пшеница

cotton — хлопок

cattle breeding — разведение крупного рогатого скота

conditions — условия

 

The climate of the US is temperate, with four distinct seasons. The USA is a very large country, so it has several different climate' zones.

The coldest regions are in the north and northeast, where a lot of snow falls in winter. The climate of Alaska is arctic.

All along the western coast, the temperature changes little between winter and summer months, while in the north central part of the country the temperature difference between winter and summer is very great — 36 degrees centigrade and even more. In all of the heavily populated parts of the United States the summer can be extremely hot, and particularly near the eastern seaboard it is very unpleasant. In the winter, on the other hand, it can be very cold.

The climate along the Pacific coast is much warmer than that of the Atlantic coast. Parts of the Pacific coast are very wet. It is determined by the range of mountains. The west coastal territory is favourable for agriculture.

To the east, beyond the mountains, there is a vast dry region. This dry land extends from Canada to Mexico. But still farther east, in the southeastern United States, you can find another wet region. On the whole the East is much wetter than the West. The climate of eastern and central America is continental and more resembles that of Russia.

One of the most important geographical boundaries in the United States is the 50-centimeter rainfall line, which runs north and south almost through the middle of the country. East of the line, farming is relatively easy, and the population is relatively large. West of the line, there are irrigation systems, dry-farming, grazing and fewer people.

The south has a subtropical climate. The hottest places are Florida, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona.

Americans can gather several crops a year. They grow wheat and corn (in the north and the northeast), tobacco and cotton (in the southeast), grapes (in the west). In the west cattle breeding is popular (sheep, cows). On the whole agricultural conditions are very favourable.

 

Answer the following questions:

1. How can you characterize the climate of the USA? 2. What are the coldest regions in the USA? 3. What are "the hottest regions? 4. What regions are the wettest? 5. What region is very dry? 6. Can you compare the agricultural conditions in Russia and in the USA? 7. Compare the climate in the USA and in Russia. Are they different or alike? Why? 8. What kind of weather do you like best of all?

 

 

Text 9. American People

Vocabulary

to spot — распознавать, узнавать

confident — уверенный

freedom — свобода

value — ценность

belief — убеждение

tough — крепкий, выносливый, упорный

self-reliant — полагающийся на свои собственные силы

self-reliance — уверенность в себе, в своих силах

trait — черта характера

solution — решение

wealth — богатство, благосостояние

to believe — верить

reward — награда

from rags to riches — из нищеты в  роскошь, из грязи в князи

persistent — упорный, настойчивый

to succeed — добиваться успеха, преуспевать

common — распространенный

to take for granted — считать само собой разумеющимся

to contribute — способствовать

open-hearted — чистосердечный, открытый

straightforward — прямой, откровенный, прямодушный

cheerful — жизнерадостный

relaxed — раскованный

 

America is a friendly country. People easily start talking with each other. When Americans meet people for the first time, they usually shake hands. When they meet friends or relatives they haven't seen for a long time, they usually kiss them. You can easily spot Americans abroad by their confident manners which come from their sense of individual freedom — their first value and belief.

America is a nation of risk-takers. The first Americans left the known of the Old World for the unknown of the New. They lived a hard life, and they had to be tough and self-reliant. So, self-reliance is usually the second national trait and moral value.

The first immigrants often faced difficult problems which needed new solutions. So they soon learned to experiment that led to another American trait, a sense of optimism. Most Americans are sure that every problem has a solution: a difficult problem can be solved at once; an impossible one may take a little longer.

The third national value is material wealth. Most Americans believe that wealth is a reward for hard work. And of course, they believe in the American Dream "from rags to riches". Americans are optimistic and persistent. "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again" is their favorite saying.

Americans are always on the move. Moving about from place to place is such a common practice that most Americans take it for granted that they may live in four or five cities during their lifetime American people love speed. They like to cook in microwave ovens, they prefer making phone calls to writing letters, and they like to travel by air rather than bus or train.

Americans are patriots. They are proud of their flag and display it in many places. National holidays such as Thanksgiving and Independence Day greatly contribute to this feeling. There is, of course, no typical American, but a certain stereotype does exist. In my opinion, Americans are open-hearted, straightforward, cheerful, relaxed and tough.

 

Answer the following questions:

1. Can you prove that America is a friendly country? 2. What is the first American value and belief? Why? 3. What is the second national trait? 4. What is the American Dream? 5. American people love speed, don't they? Can you prove that? 6. Are Americans patriots? Why do you think so? 7. How can you characterize American people using 3 adjectives? 8. Can you compare the Russian and American people?

 

 

Text 10. Main Cities of the USA

There are a lot of interesting and impressive cities in the USA but the heart of a nation is Washington, D.C., its capital. Washington is smaller in size than the largest cities of the USA, such as New York, Chicago, Detroit or Los Angeles, The buildings in Washington are not very tall because no building must be taller than the Capitol. But in political sense Washington is the center of the country and the most important city of the United States.

The two main sights of Washington are the Capitol, which houses the two chambers of the legislature, and the White House, the official residence of the US President. Not far from the Capitol there is the Library of Congress, the largest library of the United States.

One can hardly find a park, a square or an open area in Washington without a monument or a memorial. The most impressive and the best-known of them are the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. There are also a lot of museums in Washington where you can see all kinds of things: famous paintings and sculptures, the dresses of Presidents' wives, the original of the Declaration of Independence, etc.

New York is the largest city in the USA and one of the largest cities in the world. Situated at the mouth of the deep Hudson River, it has always been the gateway to the USA. People who come to New York by sea are greeted by the Statue of Liberty. It has become a symbol of the city (if not of the whole country) and an expression of freedom to people all over the world.

The five boroughs comprising the city are Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Richmond. The center of New York is Manhattan Island. Numerous skyscrapers house banks and offices of American business. The Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, the United Nations building, Central Park, Times Square, Broadway   all these world famous sights are situated here.

The map of Manhattan seems unusual to a European eye. It is crossed from north to south by avenues and from east to west by streets. Each avenue has either a name or a number. The streets are numbered. Only a few of them have names.

Wall Street in Manhattan is the financial heart of the USA and the most important banking center in the world. Broadway is the symbol of American theatre. The intersection of Broadway and Seventh Avenue forms world famous Times Square, where New Year's Eve celebrations always take place. Park Avenue represents luxury and fashion because of its large expensive apartment houses. Fifth Avenue is the most famous shopping center.

New York is often called the cultural capital of the USA. There are more than 800 museums in New York. One of the best known is the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

 Los Angeles is America's second largest city. Its name comes from the Spanish for 'the City of Angels', because the land was originally claimed for Spain by missionaries in 1781. It became an American city in 1850 when California became part of the United States. Los Angeles is a popular place because of its pleasant semi-tropical climate and beautiful Pacific coast. Almost everyone drives to work. There are about four million private cars in Los Angeles and the level of air pollution is one of the highest in the country. Suburbs like Hollywood, the center of the movie industry, and Beverly Hills, where famous actors and other celebrities live, have also made Los Angeles a tourist attraction.

The third largest city in the USA, Chicago, is on the shore of Lake Michigan. Chicago is called the Windy City because of the strong winds that blow through it. Chicago is an industrial center. The city has always attracted a diverse population of Americans and new immigrants in search of jobs. Chicago is also a railroad and trucking hub. Its airport, O'Hare international, is the busiest in the world.

San Francisco is the most interesting city in the United States. It occupies the northern end of a peninsula, so it is surrounded on three sides by water. San Francisco is famous for its bridges, fog and foghorns. The greatest attraction of San Francisco is the Golden Gate Bridge, which has become the symbol of the city. San Francisco is called the city of hills because it has 40 hills. It is famous for its picturesque cable cars, which climb these hills, and for its bright houses that cling to the hills along steep and narrow streets.

Of course, San Francisco has a lot of museums. But if you are tired of museums, you can visit Golden Gate Park, one of the largest man-made parks in the world, or go to Shakespeare Garden where you can find every flower and plant ever mentioned by the bard. San Francisco has a reputation as an intellectual, liberal, and slightly crazy city and his sights attract millions of tourists every year.

 

 

Text 11. AUSTRALIA

If you go to Australia it will seem to you rather an upside-down world. The seasons are the other way round. Summer is from December to February, autumn from March to May, winter from June to August* and spring from September to November. New Year is at midsummer, midwinter is in June. Hot winds blow from the north; cold winds blow from the south. The farther north you go, the hotter it gets.

You will be dazzled with magnificent landscapes and unusual plants. It will seem strange to you that trees lose their bark, not their leaves, and a lot of flowers have no smell. Even stranger than plants are the animals. Many of them are found nowhere else in the world. There live kangaroos, koalas, echidnas, platypi and a lot of rare birds.

Australia is the world's largest island and its smallest continent. People often call Australia the "land down-under" because it lies entirely south of the equator.

Australia is the oldest of all continents. Its mountains are the worn and ancient stumps that were once higher than the Himalayas; its desert sands rose from the waves of the sea millions of years ago and still contain fossils of the marine creatures that formerly swam over them, Its animals are ancient and unique. Its wandering aboriginal tribes still live like the men of the Stone Age.

Australia is the driest continent on earth. The four great deserts of central Australia cover 2,000,000 square kilometres. There are few rivers there. Australian lakes which look impressive on the map, are usually little more than clay and salt pans.

Australia is the flattest of all continents. Unlike any other continent, it lacks mountains of truly alpine structure and elevation. Its most significant mountain chain is the Great Dividing Range running down most of the east coast.. Because of its overall flatness and regular coastline, Australia is often called a "sprawling pancake".

An island continent, Australia was cut off from the rest of the world for millions of years. As a result, it was the last continent to be discovered and settled by Europeans.

Australia is the only continent that is also a country. As a country, it has the sixth largest area in the world after Russia, Canada, China, the United States and Brazil.

Australia is the least populated of the continents. Only 0,3% of the world's population live there. However, Australia is the most urbanized country in the world. Two out of three of its citizens live in the eight largest cities.

The capital of Australia is Canberra.

 

Text 12. CANADA

Canada is the second largest country in the world. It covers the northern part of North America and its total area is 9,975,000 square kilometres. Canada's only neighbour is the USA. The border between the two countries is the longest unguarded border in the world.

Canada's motto, "From Sea to Sea," is particularly appropriate because the country is bounded by three oceans — the Pacific, the Arctic and the Atlantic. Its vast area includes some of the world's largest lakes and countless smaller ones. One-third of all fresh water on Earth is in Canada.

Canada's name comes from an Indian word kanata, which means "village". The first French settlers used the Indian name for the colony, but the official name was "New France". When the area came under the British rule in 1897, the new country was called the Dominion of Canada, or simply Canada. Canada is a union of ten provinces and two territories.

Compared with other large countries, Canada has a small population, only about 27,300,000. The country, however, is one of the world's most prosperous. Canadians developed its rich natural resources and, in the process, have achieved a high standard of living.

Canada is a constitutional monarchy. It is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and Queen Elizabeth II is its official head of state. Although the Queen holds this high position, she doesn't rule. She serves as a symbol of British tradition. Her representative in Canada is the Governor General, whom she appoints on the advice of the Canadian Prime Minister. The Governor's duties are limited to symbolic, mostly ceremonial acts.

The real power belongs to the Prime Minister and his Cabinet. The Canadian Parliament consists of two chambers: the House of Commons and the Senate.

There are two official languages in the country: English and French. All Canadian children have to learn both French and English at school, but Francophones and Anglophones do not enjoy learning each other's language.

"We have two races, two languages, two systems of religious belief, two sets of laws ... two systems of everything," said one Canadian journalist.

There was a time when Quebec Province (its population is 90% French) decided to separate from Canada and form a new country. Fortunately, the movement has waned.

The capital of Canada is Ottawa.

 

 

 

DIALOGUES

1.

 

— What do you usually imagine when you think of Great Britain?

— Well, I usually imagine the country where it rains all year round. The British Isles have never been famous for good weather.

— Actually, the popular belief that it rains all the time in Britain is simply not true. In fact, London gets no more rain in a year than most other European cities. But the climate in Britain is mild due to the influence of the Gulf Stream. And this mild climate is good for plants.

— Yes. you are right. Britain seems to be a very green country with lots of beautiful gardens and parks. The British love flowers very much and you can see them everywhere. No wonder that some of the flowers have become the symbols of the UK.

— What are they?

— Don't you know? The red rose is the national emblem of England and the daffodil is the national emblem of Wales.

— What about Scotland and Ireland?

— Oh, they have their own emblems, too. The national emblem of Scotland is the thistle and the emblem of Ireland is the shamrock.

— Arc there any mountains in Great Britain?

— Yes, but there are not very' high. The Highlands of Scotland arc among the oldest mountains in the world. They reach their highest point in Ben Nevis. Many valleys between the hills are filled with lakes.

— What is the most famous lake in Scotland?

— The best-known of them is Loch Ness where according to the legend a large monster lives.

— Well, I have never been to Britain, but I hope to go there someday to sec everything with my own eyes.

— I completely agree with you. Seeing is believing.

 

2.

 

— Mike, you have just returned from Great Britain! What's your impression of this country?

— Well, Britain is a very interesting country. It has more living symbols of the past than many other countries. For example, you can still see the famous red telephone and letter boxes, which were designed in the last century.

— Yes, I've heard that the British are very conservative. They don't like changes.

— Yes, indeed. But the most striking feature of the British people is their politeness. Before going to Britain I had thought that the British were reserved and cold. But that's not true at all. They are always helpful, especially if you speak English.

— People often say that British talk about the weather all the time. Is that so?

— Perhaps, this is an exaggeration, but it is certainly true that the weather is a good way to start a conversation with a stranger.

— By the way, what was the weather like during your journey? Did it rain all the time?

— No, it didn't. Perhaps we were lucky, but the weather was warm and sunny. Spring is the driest season in Great Britain and this is the best time for visiting the UK.

 

3.

 

— Hello! How are you?

— Hi! I'm fine, thanks. And you?

— Oh, I have a problem. I need to prepare a report about the geographical position of the USA. Could you help me, please?

— OK. First of all, the USA is the fourth largest country in the world after Russia, Canada and China. It is situated in the central part of the North American continent excluding Alaska and Hawaii.

— And the USA is washed by the Atlantic Ocean in the east and by the Pacific Ocean in the west. In the north it borders Canada" and in the south it borders Mexico. Is that so?

— Right. Besides, it also has a sea border with Russia.

— And what are the main mountains and rivers in the USA?

— The main rivers are the Mississippi, the Rio Grande, the Missouri, the Columbia and others. And the main mountains are the Appalachian Mountains, the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada.

— And what about the climate of the USA?

— The climate in the USA varies greatly. There are four climatic? ones: arctic, continental, marine and subtropical. The climate along the Pacific coast is much warmer than that of the Atlantic coast.

— OK, thank you for your help. Bye! -Bye!

 

4.

 

— If you had a chance to visit an English-speaking country, which one would you go to?

— As for me, I'd like to visit the USA.

— Why have you chosen this country?

— America is a great country with great history. But the main reason for my visit is that I'd like to listen to American speech! because it differs a lot from standard British English we are used to.. Besides, I'd like to visit Niagara Falls and Disneyland.

— I completely agree with you that the USA is a great country. It is the fourth largest country in the world so its territory varies greatly in climate and relief. If you travel across the country, you will go over mountain ranges and cross hundreds of rivers.

— Well, as far as American landscape is concerned, the USA greatly resembles a giant plate with Central Lowland and Great Plains in the middle. The plate's fringes rise gradually towards the Appalachians in the east, to the Cordillera in the west and to the Canadian Shield in the north.