UNIT 17

From the History of Canada

Indians and Eskimos were the first settlers in Canada who came from Asia. Perhaps, they crossed the narrow Bering Strait in boats. Some scientists say that they came when there was a land bridge between Asia and North America.

The Vikings came to North America about a thousand years ago. There are ruins of a Viking settlement in the northern part of Newfoundland.

After Christopher Columbus’s first voyage, the news of his discoveries reached many European countries. Kings and navigators began to dream of the richest just across the sea. One of these dreamers was also a very practical man. He was a sea captain named John Cabot. In 1497 he decided to cross the sea in a boat with his son and seventeen other men. When they saw land, about seven weeks later, they thought they had reached Asia.

They returned home without gold. But during their voyage they found something equally important. It was fish in the waters to the south of Newfoundland.

Fishing became the first important industry of Canada.

Ottawa

Ottawa is the capital of Canada. Ottawa is a fascinating city of contrast. It resembles a large Old English town with its stately Victorian homes and the magnificent Parliament Buildings that rise majestically above the Rideau Canal and Ottawa River. You’ll be charmed by its European personality, its Gothic architecture and its outdoor cafes, not to mention the Byward Market where you’ll hear both English and French spoken.

Ottawa is home to fantastic festivals and features a calendar of exceptional events all year long. One of 60 festivals held across the National Capital Region during the spring and summer. The Canadian Tulip Festival is a stunning sight that makes spring in the city a visual delight! You can’t help but be dazzled by the brilliance of three million beautifully coloured tulips in bloom all at once! The tulip bulbs are an annual gift from the people of the Netherlands, honoring an international friendship and expressing its gratitude for Canada’s wartime hospitality to the Dutch Royal Family. This floral celebration has been held every year since 1951.

Exercise 1. Retell the texts.

Exercise 2. Make up a report using the scheme.

MAKING A REPORT (SCHEME)

I. Вступление, сведения об авторе

I want I’m going I would like (I’d like)

…to speak about …to give you some information about …to tell you a couple of words about …to give a talk about …render the contents of

…an item …an article …a feature-story …an essay

…entitled (…)

The item The article The feature-story

…under discussion …under consideration …under review

…was written by …was contributed by

(…) (name of the author)

The author of

…the item …the article …the feature-story

…under discussion …under consideration

…is (…) (name of the author)

Unfortunately/I am sorry to say the name of the author is not mentioned in the publication

II. Сведения об источнике

The item The article The feature-story

…under discussion …under consideration …under review

…is taken from …was found in …was printed in

…the newspaper named (…)

III. Содержание и структура реферируемого материала

The item The article The feature-story The essay

…is about …is devoted to …is concentrated upon …is centred around …is focused upon …tells us about …deals with

…the (present-day) situation in… …the (difficult) position of… …the (latest) events in… …the (latest) achievements of… …the (latest) developments in… …the relations between… …the conflict between…

The item The article The feature-story The essay	…gives us a (vivid/detailed) description/ account of… …describes (very vividly/in detail)… …shows us…
The item	…under discussion	…consists of	(…) logical parts
The article	…under consideration	…is composed of
The feature-story	…under review	…can be divided into
The essay		…can be split into

The opening part/passage (The introductory Part/passage) The central part (The main part) The following part The final part (The conclusion)

…is about… …is devoted to… …is centred around…/centres a(round) …is concentrated upon…/concentrates (up)on… …is focused on…/focuses on… …deals with… …tells us about… …touches upon… …shows us… …describes… …gives a description/an account of…

IV. Заключение

In conclusion By way of conclusion By way of summing up

I want to say I can say I must say I would like to say

(…)

…is fairly interesting …is very instructive …is quite informative …is most pithy in content

Generally speaking On the whole

(…)

…made on me

…a great impression …a favourable impression …a good impression …an unforgettable impression …a pleasant impression

Generally speaking On the whole

I was

…greatly impressed by …favourably impressed by …pleasantly impressed by

(…)

In my opinion From my point of view It seems to me There is no doubt

(…) is

…very interesting …fairly informative …rich in content …highly instructive

From the item From the article From the feature-story From the essay

…under discussion …under consideration …under review

I got to know I learned

…a lot of interesting information/facts about (concerning)…

Plan:

1. I have (just) read the text about… - Я (только что) прочитал текст о…

And now I want to retell it. - И сейчас я хочу пересказать его.

2. It is a story. - Это рассказ.

It is an extract from… - Это отрывок из…

It is an article from… - Это статья из…

3. The title of the text is… - Название текста…

I fully agree with it. - Я полностью согласен с ним.

It suits here very well. - Оно подходит здесь очень хорошо.

It helps the reader to understand the main idea. - Оно помогает читателю понять основную идею.

It reflects the main problem. - Оно отражает главную проблему.

I fully disagree with it. - Я полностью не согласна с ним.

It doesn’t suit here at all. - Оно здесь совсем не подходит.

It doesn’t help the reader to understand the main idea. - Оно не помогает читателю понять основную идею.

It doesn’t reflect the main problem. - Оно не отражает главную проблему.

I would give another title for this story, for example… - Я бы дал другое название этому рассказу, например…

4. The author of the text is… - Автор текста…

He (she) is a famous American (English, …) writer. - Он (она) известный американский (английский, …) писатель.

Perhaps, he (she) is a famous American (English, …) writer. -Возможно, он (она) известный американский (английский,…) писатель.

But, sorry to say, I have never heard of him (her). - Но, к сожалению, я никогда не слышал о нем.

5. As for the genre, it is a psychological drama (a historical novel, a love story, an adventure story, a detective story, fantasy, …) – Что касается жанра, это психологическая драма (исторический роман, любовный роман, приключенческий рассказ, детектив, фантастика).

6. The main characters of the story are… - Главные герои рассказа…

The secondary characters are… - Второстепенные герои…

7. The action takes place in… - Действие происходит в…

8. The main problem of the story is… - Главная проблема рассказа…

The main idea of the text is… - Главная идея текста…

The author wanted to show… - Автор хотел показать…

The author tells about… - Автор рассказывает о…

The author describes… - Автор описывает…

The reader may learn about… - Читатель может узнать о …

9. The plot. - Сюжет.

10. In conclusion I want to say that… - В заключение я хочу сказать, что…

- your opinion about the text (interesting, difficult, boring…) – ваше мнение о тексте (интересный, трудный, скучный)

- your opinion about the situation, the characters, the problem… - ваше мнение о ситуации, героях, проблем

Дата добавления: 2015-07-19