SPORTS IN THE US

Ø 1) Do you know the most popular sports in the USA? Compare them with our country’s ones.

American sports are quite distinct from those played elsewhere in the world. The top three spectator team sports are baseball, American football and basketball, which are all popular on both the college and professional levels.

Baseball is the oldest of these. The professional game dates from 1869 and had no close rivals in popularity until the 1960s; though baseball is no longer the most popular sport it is still referred to as the “national pastime.” Also unlike the professional levels of the other popular spectator sports in the U.S., Major League Baseball teams play almost every day from April to October.

American football (known simply as “football” in the U.S.) attracts more viewers within the country than baseball nowadays; however, National Football League teams play only 16 regular-season games each year, so baseball is the runaway leader in ticket sales.

Basketball, invented in Massachusetts by the Canadian-born James Naismith, is another popular sport, represented professionally by the National Basketball Association.

Most residents along the northern tier of states recognize a fourth major sport – ice hockey. Always a mainstay of Great Lakes and New England-area culture, the sport gained tenuous footholds in regions like the Carolinas and Tampa Bay, Florida in recent years, as the National Hockey League pursued a policy of expansion.

The extent in America to which sports are associated with secondary and tertiary education is unique among nations. In basketball and football, high school and particularly college sports are followed with a fervor equaling or exceeding that felt for professional sports; college football games can draw six-digit crowds, many prominent high school football teams have stadiums that seat tens of thousands of spectators, and the college basketball championship tournament played in March draws enormous attention. For upper-tier schools, sports are a significant source of revenue. Though student athletes may be held to significantly lower academic requirements than non-athletes at many large universities, minimum standards do exist.

Ø 2) Among the following headings circle the most suitable one for this text:

a) AMERICAN SPORTS.

b) THE TOP THREE SPORTS IN AMERICA.

c) THREE TOP SPORTS PLUS ONE IN AMERICA.

d) THE SPORTS – LEADERS IN TICKET SALES.

Ø 3) Write a summary of the text.

CANADA

Ø 1) What do you know about Canada (location, type of political organization, economy, official language, symbols)?

Ø 2) Scan the text and find the information about:

a) the geographic situation,

b) how Canada gained independence from the UK,

c) the Constitution of Canada,

d) the representative of Queen Elizabeth II in Canada,

e) the head of the government and his powers,

f) territorial division,

g) the economic position,

h) the most important industries in Canada, including traditional ones,

i) official languages and their status,

j) symbols of Canada,

k) sports.

Canada is the world’s second-largest country by total area after Russia occupying most of northern North America. Extending from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, Canada shares land borders with the United States to the South and to the Northwest. The population density of 3.5 people per square kilometer is among the lowest in the world.

Inhabited first by Aboriginal peoples, Canada was founded as a union of British and former French colonies. Canada gained independence from the United Kingdom in an incremental process that began in 1867 and ended in 1982.

Canada is a federal constitutional monarchy with Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada as Head of state, and a parliamentary democracy with a federal system of parliamentary government and strong democratic traditions.

Canada’s constitution governs the legal framework of the country and consists of written text and unwritten traditions and conventions. The Constitution includes the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees basic rights and freedoms for Canadians that, generally, cannot be overridden by legislation of any level of government in Canada. It contains, however, a “notwithstanding clause,” which allows the federal parliament and the provincial legislatures the power to override some other sections of the Charter temporarily, for a period of five years.

The position of Prime Minister, Canada’s Head of government belongs to the leader of the political party that can obtain the confidence of a majority in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister and their Cabinet are formally appointed by the Governor General (who is the Monarch’s representative in Canada). The Prime Minister exercises vast political power, especially in the appointment of other officials within the government and civil service.

The federal parliament is made up of the Queen and two houses: an elected House of Commons and an appointed Senate. Each member in the House of Commons is elected by simple plurality in a “riding” or electoral district; general elections are called by the Governor General when the Prime Minister so advises. A new election must be called within five years of the last general election. Members of the Senate serve until age 75.

Canada’s four major political parties are the Conservative Party of Canada, Liberal Party of Canada, New Democratic Party, and the Bloc Québécois.

Canada is composed of ten provinces and three territories. The provinces have a large degree of autonomy from the federal government, the territories somewhat less. Each has its own provincial or territorial symbols.

Canada is one of the world’s wealthiest nations. Today Canada closely resembles the U.S. in its market-oriented economic system, pattern of production, and high living standards. Canada is highly dependent on international trade, especially trade with the United States.

In the past century, the impressive growth of the manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has transformed the nation from a largely rural economy into one primarily industrial and urban. As with other first world nations, the Canadian economy is dominated by the service industry. However, Canada is unusual among developed countries in the importance of the primary sector, with the logging and oil industries being two of Canada’s most important.

Canada is one of the world’s most important suppliers of energy and agricultural products and the world’s largest producer of zinc and uranium and a world leader in many other natural resources such as gold, nickel, aluminum, and lead.

Canada has two official languages, English and French. They have equal status in federal courts, Parliament, and in all federal institutions. The public has the right, where there is sufficient demand, to receive federal government services in either English or French. While multiculturalism is official policy, to become a citizen one must be able to speak either English or French.

Prominently, the use of the maple leaf as a Canadian symbol dates back to the early 18^th century, and is depicted on its current and previous flags, the penny, and on the coat of arms.

The Crown symbolizes the Canadian monarchy, and appears on the coat of arms (used by parliamentarians and government ministries), the flag of the Governor General, the coats of arms of many provinces and territories; the badges of the Canadian Forces, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, many regiments, and other police forces; on buildings, as well as some highway signs and license plates.

The Queen’s image appears in Canadian government buildings, military installations, schools, on Canadian stamps, $20 banknotes, and all coins.

The beaver’s emblematic status originated from the fact that much of Canada’s early economic history was tied to the beaver fur trade. It was used to make hats fashionable in Europe.

Other products made from the country’s natural resources, such as maple syrup, are also associated with Canadian identity.

Additional national symbols include the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and anything pertaining to ice hockey, Canada’s official winter sport, which is often used as a national symbol of unity and pride. One more national sport is lacrosse. Golf, baseball, skiing, soccer, volleyball, and basketball are also widely played at youth and amateur levels.

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3) Canada and the USA are closely connected by the common border and economic relations. Both are among the wealthiest nations in the world. The starting points in history were about the same. Could you compare their histories? Which way, American or Canadian, was without any great shocks for the common people? Was it due to the wisdom of the government that ensured a smooth development of the country, or just a stroke of good luck?

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14