AUSTRALIA and new zealand

Ø 1) Scan the text and give answer to the questions:

a) What was the population of Australia by 1900?

b) What is the best approach for a person coming to Australia to establish good relations with people?

c) What is the central principle in Australian culture?

d) What is the official name of Australia?

e) What is the peculiarity of the white settlement in Australia?

f) Who were the first explorers of New Zealand?

g) What is the origin of the Maori people of New Zealand?

h) What are the relations between Australia and New Zealand?

i) What are the capitals of Australia and New Zealand?

Australia was discovered by James Cook in 1770, and within twenty years Britain had established its first penal colony at Sydney, thus relieving the pressure on the overcrowded gaols of England. From 1788, for over fifty years, about 130,000 prisoners were transported. “Free” settlers, as they were called, began to enter the country from the very beginning, but they did not achieve substantial numbers until the mid-nineteenth century. From then on, the immigrants came in increasing numbers. By 1850, the population of Australia was about 400,000, and by 1900 nearly four million.

On 1 January 1901, the six colonies became a Federation, and the Commonwealth of Australia was formed. In 1942, the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act was passed, which officially gave Australia complete autonomy in both internal and external affairs. British authority was finally removed in 1986.

The Commonwealth of Australia is a democratic federal state system that recognizes the British monarch as the chief of state (represented nationally by a governor general and in each state by a governor). However, Australia is an independent nation and does not consider itself a constitutional monarchy.

The capital city is Canberra, located in the Australian Capital Territory.

The Australian culture has historically been a masculine one, forged on the hardship of early settlers and later on the heroism of the Australian soldiers. “Mateship,” or loyal fraternity, has been a central tenet. This also explains why the more aggressive forms of sport (rugby and Australian Rules football, for example) are particularly popular in Australia.

The Australian Dream of home ownership underpins suburban Australia. It is the primary reason why the country is so highly urbanized. Australia has one of the world’s highest urbanization rates, with 85 percent of its population living in cities.

Australians are friendly and easy to get to know. Your best approach is to be friendly, relaxed, modest, and unpretentious. Australians find it amusing how hard foreigners (especially North Americans) try to make a good impression. Australians are very difficult to impress … and if you did impress them, they wouldn’t admit it. The usual advice is “just be yourself” in dealing with Australians. However, if your demeanor is wired, nervous, officious, or self-important, you should downplay those aspects of your personality.

In New Zealand, the story started later and moved more slowly. The earliest known inhabitants of New Zealand were the Maori tribe people, who came across the sea from Polynesia around 900 A.D. The first European explorers were the Dutch, who arrived and continued to visit while on whaling and trading expeditions.

British exploration began in 1769 with Captain James Cook, who visited New Zealand on all three of his Pacific voyages. A few Europeans settled in the country, but the official colony was not established until 1840. New Zealand was initially administered by the British as part of the Australian colony. There was then a considerable increase – from around 2,000 Europeans in 1840 to 25,000 in 1850, and to three quarters of a million by 1900. Even after New Zealand became a separate nation, most of its contact with Europe was secondhand, through Australia. Today, although New Zealand and Australia are military allies and trade partners, a considerable rivalry exists between the two countries.

New Zealanders refer to themselves as “Kiwis.” If someone says you are their “mate” or a “hard case,” consider it a compliment, for they mean “friend” or a “funny person.”

New Zealand is known for its advanced social legislation. It was the first member of the British Commonwealth to create, in 1898, old-age pensions. Other early innovations include voting rights for women in 1893, labour arbitration in 1894, and widow’s pensions in 1911.

The traditional greeting among the indigenous Maori was to rub noses. While you may encounter Maori or part-Maori business people, their customs will be similar to those of other New Zealanders.

The capital of New Zealand is Wellington.

Ø 2) Make a list of all proper names and dates from the text and explain what they refer to.

Russia

Ø 1) What do you know about your native country (situation, climate, natural resources, population, political organization, history, culture)?

Ø 2) Read the text and make up its outline in writing.

Russia is a country about 1.8 times the size of the US occupying the vast area between Europe and the North Pacific Ocean. It has the area of 17,075,200 sq. km and the population of almost 150 million people.

The capital of the Russian Federation is Moscow. Moscow is the largest city in the country. It is a principal economic and political center of the country, the seat of the President, the government and the State Duma (Parliament).

Occupying a large territory in Europe and Asia Russia is spread over all climatic zones except tropical. It takes over 8 hours by plane to reach from Moscow to Vladivostok on the Pacific coast. Russia’s geographical location presents a significant obstacle to development – dry or cold climate, terrain, distance and remote location from major sea lines, all these factors contribute to the situation when large parts of the country have almost no population and development. Russia has only 8% of arable land.

Russia abounds in mineral resources whose total potential value (in world prices) is estimated at an impressive $30 trillion. Russia produces 17 % of the world’s crude oil, as well as 25-30 % of its natural gas, 6 % of all bituminous coal, 17 % of commercial iron ore and 10-20 % of all non-ferrous, rare and noble metals mined across the globe. The largest oil-and-gas deposits are to be found in Western and Eastern Siberia and on Sakhalin Island.

Russia has the world’s fifth largest population (148.8 million people) after China, India, the United States and Indonesia. It is populated by approximately 130 nations and ethnic groups, including some 130 million Russians, over 5 million Tartars, nearly 4 million Ukrainians, 1.7 million Chuvashs, 1.7 million Jews, approximately 1.3 million Bashkirs, over 1 million Byelorussians and more than 1 million Mordovians.

Ø 3) Copy out all the figures from the text and explain what they refer to.

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