Файл: English-speaking countries I,II.doc

During this time, Americans established their government and two parties emerged--the Federalists and the Republicans. Americans had a lot to deal with during this period. They had to struggle with the need to increase taxes to pay for the American Revolution as well as deal with the French Revolution which divided American support between France and Britain. Under President Jefferson, the country expanded westward with the purchase of the Louisiana territory and the Lewis and Clark expedition. The War of 1812 against Britain, sometimes called the Second War of American Independence, lasted three years. After the war, a mood of nationalism existed as people focused on events and issues at home. However, troubles were brewing, particularly on the topic of slavery.

Conflict over issues of how much control the federal government should have over the states, industrialization, trade, and especially slavery had increased tension between Northern and Southern states. After Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860, 11 Southern states seceded (or withdrew) from the Union and set up an independent government--the Confederate States of America. These events led to the outbreak of the Civil War--a brutal, bloody, four-year conflict that left the South defeated and ended slavery at the cost of more than half a million lives.

After the North defeated the South in the Civil War, politicians faced the task of putting the divided country back together. There was great debate about how severely the former Confederate states should be punished for leaving the Union. With the assassination of President Lincoln in 1865, it was up to President Andrew Johnson to try to reunite former enemies. The Reconstruction Acts of 1867 laid out the process for readmitting Southern states into the Union. The Fourteenth Amendment (1868) provided former slaves with national citizenship, and the Fifteenth Amendment (1870) granted black men the right to vote. These were only the first steps, however, toward reconstructing the fragmented nation.

In the 1890s, the belief that Americans should avoid getting involved with other countries was slowly fading. Because of its rapid economic and social growth, the U.S. had become a major world power. So when Cuban rebels began a violent revolution against Spanish rule in 1895, and a mysterious explosion sunk the U.S.S. Maine in the Havana harbor, the U.S. entered into what diplomat John Hay called "a splendid little war" with Spain. Although the Spanish-American War ended relatively soon, issues over ownership of the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and the Hawaiian islands also had to be resolved.

Foreign affairs (relationships with other countries) took up a great deal of President Woodrow Wilson's attention. In Europe, there was the outbreak of World War I, also known as the Great War, in 1914, and in Mexico, there was the Mexican Revolution. Although at first Americans did not want to get involved, they supported the Allies in their fight against Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey. Finally, the U.S. entered the war in 1917. The war concluded in 1918 and the Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919. The Allied Powers of the U.S., Great Britain, Japan, Italy, Russia, France, Belgium, Serbia and Montenegro had been victorious.

VOCABULARY

Ex. 3. Give the synonyms for the following:

help, protect, especially, result in, murder for political or economic reasons, quick, start a war with smb.

Ex. 4. Give the Russian-English equivalents of the following:

исследовать, основатель, процветать, порабощать, в результате чего-л., сдаться (капитулировать), покупка (приобретение), покончить с рабством, гражданство, предоставить право голоса, вмешиваться во что-л., поддерживать

Ex. 5. Give the English-Russian equivalents of the following:

broaden their influence, settle in, established a dominant presence, kept the colonists from starving, valuable cash crop., to shift some of their financial burden to the colonists, legal documents, with a great uproar, act of revolt, mood of nationalism, troubles were brewing, seceded (or withdrew), outbreak of the Civil War, reconstructing the fragmented nation, “splendid little war”, also had to be resolved, Allied Powers

COMPREHENSION CHECK

Ex. 6. Put the following events in their chronological order:

1. The Stamp Act, which taxed all legal documents, newspapers and other documents, was met with a great uproar in the Colonies.

2. Cuban rebels began a violent revolution against Spanish rule and a mysterious explosion sunk the U.S.S.

3. The Civil War was brutal, bloody, four-year conflict that left the South defeated and ended slavery at the cost of more than half a million lives.

4. The Louisiana territory was purchased.

5. The Pilgrims, founders of Plymouth, arrived in Massachusetts.

6. Although at first Americans did not want to get involved, they supported the Allies in their fight against Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey.

7. England established a dominant presence on the Atlantic coast.

8. Southern states seceded from the Union and set up an independent government.

9. The Boston Tea Party was an act of revolt against the British and their tax on tea in the Colonies.

10. The Fifteenth Amendment granted black men the right to vote.

Ex. 7. Put 10-15 questions to the text and ask your groupmates around.

FOLLOW UP

Ex. 8. Using any additional information make a short report about any famous person of the USA.

UNIT 7

WARM UP

Ex. 1. Write a list of words which are associated with Ireland in your minds.

Ex. 2. Guess why Ireland is called the Emerald Island.

READING

Ex. 3 Read the text and fill in the gaps with the sentences given below.

IRELAND

The Island of Ireland is situated in the extreme north-west of the Continent of Europe between 51.5 and 55.5 degrees north latitude and 5.5 and 10.5 degrees west longitude. Its total area is 84,421 square kilometers, of which the Republic covers 70,282 square kilometers and Northern Ireland 14,139 square kilometers. The flat central plain, with many boglands and lakes, is bisected by the River Shannon, the longest river in either Ireland or Britain, running for nearly 450 km. Ireland has some 300 lakes, large and small. _____________ In the Republic, the largest lakes are Lough Corrib, Lough Derg, and Lough Ree.

Since Ireland is an island, with no part more than 112 km from the sea, the climate is temperate and equable. Temperatures are fairly uniform over the whole country. The coldest months are January and February, with average air temperatures of between 4˚C and 7˚C, while the warmest are July and August, when the average air temperature goes around 15˚C.

Ireland has a total population of around five million people. Over three and a half million people live in the Republic, while Northern Ireland has slightly over one and a half million inhabitants. Before the 1840s potato famine, the population was eight million. ______________

In the first two decades after Ireland achieved independence in 1922, the institutions of the State were consolidated and a tradition of political stability was established. The Constitution of 1937 and the Republic of Ireland Act 1948 severed Ireland’s last formal links with Britain. Ireland remained neutral during the Second World War and does not belong to any military alliance.

The national flag is a tricolour of green, white and orange. The harp has been regarded as the official symbol of Ireland since medieval times. ______________Systems of government in both parts of Ireland have many similarities with those elsewhere in Western Europe.

Ireland is a parliamentary democracy. Its law is based on common law and legislation enacted by Parliament under the Constitution. Regulations of the European Communities have the force of law in Ireland.

The Constitution of Ireland sets out the form of government and defines the powers and functions of the President, both Houses of the National Parliament and the Government. It also defines the structure and powers of the Courts and outlines the fundamental rights of citizens.

The President is the Head of State. _____________The President has no executive functions. A President may only serve for two terms. The current President, Mary McAleese, was elected for the second time for a seven year term in 2004.

1. The heraldic harp is used by the Government, its agencies and its representatives at home and abroad.

2. Where there is more than one candidate for the office, the people elect the President by direct vote.

3. By far the largest is Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland, which covers 400 sq km, making it the biggest lake in Ireland and Britain.

4. So, the present population is the highest on record since 1871.

COMPREHENSION CHECK

Ex. 4. Answer the following questions:

1. Where is Ireland situated?

2. What are the coldest and the warmest months in Ireland?

3. When did Ireland achieve its independence?

4. What kind of state is Ireland?

5. What is the Head of State?

Ex. 5. Discuss with you partner if these statements are true or false. If they are false, correct them.

1. The Island of Ireland is situated in the extreme north-east of the Continent of Europe.

2. The climate in Ireland is temperate and equable.

3. Ireland has a total population of more than five million people.

4. The Constitution of 1948 and the Republic of Ireland Act 1937severed Ireland’s last formal links with Britain.

5. Ireland remained neutral during the Second World War.

6. Regulations of the European Communities don’t have the force of law in Ireland.

VOCABULARY

Ex. 6. Give the English equivalents for the following words and expressions:

pасполагаться, умеренный, средняя температура воздуха, голод, достичь независимости, политическая стабильность, оставаться нейтральным, принадлежать к военному альянсу, иметь много общего, основные права граждан.

FOLLOW UP

Ex. 7. Compare Ireland with its nearest neighbour Great Britain according to the following plan:

1. Total area.

2. Climate.

3. Population.

4. Political order.

UNIT 8

WARM UP

Ex. 1. Tell you group-mates what facts about Irish history you know.

READING

Ex. 2. Read the text and name the main periods of Irish history.

HISTORY OF IRELAND

Ireland’s location as an island to the west of continental Europe and close to Britain has, in large measure, shaped her history.

Ireland has been inhabited for about 7,000 years. The first settlers, mostly hunters from Britain, brought with them a Mesolithic culture. They were followed around 3000 B.C. by farmers who raised animals and cultivated the soil and traders. After these Neolithic settlers, around 2000 B.C. came prospectors and metalworkers. So, Bronze Age settlers brought craft of metalworking.

By the sixth century B.C. waves of Celtic invaders from central Europe began to reach the country. While it was never unified politically by the Celts, Celtic Ireland developed a strong culture and language over the next nine centuries.

The introduction of Christianity in the fifth century A.D. is traditionally credited to St. Patrick, Ireland’s patron saint, though there is evidence that there were Christians on the island before his arrival in 456 A.D.

Unlike most of Western Europe, Ireland never experienced the barbarian invasions of the early medieval period and, partly as a result, the sixth and seventh centuries saw a flowering of Irish art, learning and culture centering on the monasteries.

During the ninth and tenth centuries, Ireland was regularly raided by the Vikings. In 841 A.D. They established a settlement on the River Liffey, which later became Dublin. Vikings were also traders and did much to develop life in Dublin, Cork and Waterford. In 999 A.D. Brian Boru, the High King of Ireland, defeated the Vikings, and three years later he was crowned King of All Ireland.

In the twelfth century, the arrival of the Normans shattered such progress as had been made towards the creation of a centralized State under a single High King. First major landing of Normans took place in 1169. The following year, they capture Dublin. In the thirteenth century they establish many towns and introduce Ireland’s first system of centralized government. By the end of the fifteenth century Norman rule has shrunk to a small region around Dublin. They quickly gained control over large parts of Ireland, which then came under the political authority of the King of England. For the next 400 years the Normans and their descendants were an influential presence in Ireland.

In 1541 Henry VIII becomes the first English monarch to declare himself King of Ireland, in a bid to restore the Norman hegemony. In 1601 Irish forces, aided by Spanish, were defeated by the army of Elizabeth I at the battle of Kinsale. It marked the end of the old political order.

In 1609 plantation of Ulster began; English and Scottish settlers encouraged to come to the North of Ireland, were ousting the native Irish. The largest single plantation took place in Londonderry. In 1641 there was the rebellion by Gaelic Irish in Ulster. This rebellion was aided by remnants of the Anglo-Norman colony. The following year the rebel assembly, the Confederation of Kilkenny, was set up.

Irish political history in the seventeenth century was intimately linked to events in England and Scotland. In 1649 Cromwell, the English Puritan dictator, landed in Ireland, first storming the town of Drogheda. By 1652 Galway, the last major royalist stronghold, had been taken. In 1689 James II arrived with his army from France, whence he had fled, and besieges the city of Londonderry, which held out for nearly four months.

In the eighteenth century, there was much economic development. The linen industry flourished, particularly in Ulster, and Irish wool, beef, butter and pork were important exports.

In 1829, thanks to Daniel O’Connell, Catholic Emancipation removed most disabilities against Catholics in Ireland. Catholics, led by Daniel O’Connell, won the right to sit in parliament.

In 1846 the first potato crop failure took place. In the late 1840s, as a result of the wholesale failure of the potato crop in successive years, a terrible famine occurred: one million people died and a further million fled Ireland.

In 1867 Fenian rising took place. The question of self-government, or ‘Home Rule’ had not, however been settled. The campaign for it lost its main impetus with the death of its inspirer, Parnell, in 1891. A Home Rule Bill was finally enacted in 1914.

In 1916 a republic was declared in Dublin and an armed insurrection took place. This Easter Rising, which initially enjoyed little public support, was suppressed.

It was Sinn Fein that had an overwhelming victory in Ireland in British general election. Sinn Fein (‘Ourselves’), the election victors, set up the first Parliament led by Eamon de Valera in 1919. In 1920 six out of nine Ulster counties were granted their own Parliament in Belfast.

In 1921 an Anglo-Irish Treaty gave twenty-six counties of Ireland Dominion status within the Commonwealth. Setting up of the Irish Free State in 1922 was followed by a short but savage civil war which was finished in 1923. In 1937 Eamon de Valera introduces new constitution.

During World War II (1939-1945) Ireland remained neutral. But Northern Ireland joined the British war effort.

In 1949 Ireland’s last constitutional links with Britain were severed; the twenty-six counties became a Republic. And in 1955 Ireland was admitted to the United Nations (UN). Both parts of Ireland joined the European Economic Community what is now the European Union (EU) in 1973.

COMPREHENSION CHECK

Ex. 3. Answer the following questions:

1. What shaped Irish history?

2. How long has Ireland been inhabited?

3. Characterize the Irish settles of the Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age.

4. When did Celtic invaders begin to reach Ireland?

5. Who is the introduction of Christianity traditionally credited to?

6. When was Ireland raided by the Vikings?

7. What was the Normans’ progress in the twelfth century A.D.?

8. What marked the end of the old political order in 1601?

9. Where did the largest single plantation take place?

10. How do the Irish name Oliver Cromwell?

11. When did the Catholics win the right to sit in parliament?

12. When did a terrible famine occur?

13. What took place in 1867?

14. What was Home Rule?

15. When was a republic declared?

16. What was Ireland’s position during World War II?

17. When was Ireland admitted to the United Nations?

Ex. 4. Discuss with your partner if these statements are true or false. If they are false, correct them.

1. The first settlers were mostly hunters from Scotland.

2. Like most of Western Europe, Ireland experienced the barbarian invasions of the early medieval period.

3. During the ninth and tenth centuries, Ireland was rarely raided by the Vikings.

4. In 1169 the Normans captured Dublin.

5. The Normans and their descendants were an influential presence in Ireland for 400 years.

6. In 1689 James II arrived with his army from Britain.

7. In 1829 Catholic Emancipation removed most disabilities against Protestants in Ireland.

8. A Home Rule Bill was finally enacted in 1914.

9. Eamon de Valera was the first President of Ireland.

10. During World War II the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland remained neutral.

11. The Republic of Ireland joined the European Economic Community in 1973.

VOCABULARY

Ex. 5. Give the English equivalents for the following words and expressions:

населять, первые поселенцы, завоеватели, ремесло, святой покровитель, вторжения варваров, расцвет искусства и культуры, основать поселение, установить контроль, восстание, завоевать право заседать в парламенте, подавлять, гражданская война, оставаться нейтральным, вводить конституцию, быть принятым куда-либо, вступать куда-либо.

FOLLOW UP

Ex. 6. Tell your group-mates what the following people are famous for:

St. Patrick, Brian Boru, Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Oliver Cromwell, James II, Daniel O’Connell, Parnell, Eamon de Valera.

Ex. 7. Choose the period in the history of Ireland and make a short report about it using any additional sources.

Учебное издание.

Учебное пособие для вузов.

Составители Верещагина Елена Николаевна

Пиевская Ирина Михайловна

Фомина Ирина Валерьевна

Редактор .

Федеральное агентство по образованию

Государственное образовательное учреждение

высшего профессионального образования

«Воронежский государственный университет»

Учебно-методическое пособие для вузов

«ENGLISH-SPEAKING COUNTRIES»

Часть II

Составители:

Гончарова Л.Ю.

Крымова Г.В.

Кунаева Н.В.

Воронеж 2011

Утверждено Научно-методическим Советом факультета РГФ. Протокол

№ 6 от 14.06.2011 г.

Рецензент: канд. филол. наук, доцент Стрельникова М.А.

Учебное пособие подготовлено на кафедре английского языка гуманитарных факультетов факультета РГФ Воронежского государственного университета.

Рекомендуется для студентов I курса исторического факультета по специальностям 030401 «История», 030201 «Политология», 040201 «Социология», 032001 «Документоведение», изучающих английский язык.

ГСЭ.Ф.01

UNIT 1

WARM UP

Ex. 1. Find out what your group mates know about Canada. Ask as many questions as you can. Follow the example: What is the capital of Canada? Where is this country situated?

READING

Ex. 2. Read the text below and divide it into 4 paragraphs.

CANADA

Covering most of the northern part of the North American continent and with an area larger than that of the United States, Canada has an extremely varied topography. In the east, the mountainous provinces have an irregular coastline on the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Atlantic. The St. Lawrence plain, covering most of southern Quebec and Ontario, and the interior continental plain, covering southern Manitoba and Saskatchewan and most of Alberta, are the principal cultivable areas. They are separated by a forested plateau rising from Lakes Superior and Huron. Westward toward the Pacific, most of British Columbia, the Yukon, and part of western Alberta are covered by parallel mountain ranges, including the Rockies. The Pacific border of the coast range is ragged with fjords and channels. The highest point in Canada is Mount Logan (19,850 ft; 6,050 m), which is in the Yukon. The two principal river systems are the Mackenzie and the St. Lawrence. The St. Lawrence is navigable for over 1,900 mi (3,058 km). Canada is a federation of ten provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan) and three territories (Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Nunavut). Formally considered a constitutional monarchy, Canada is governed by its own House of Commons. While the governor-general is officially the representative of Queen Elizabeth II, in reality the governor-general acts only on the advice of the Canadian prime minister. The capital of Canada is Ottawa. It was founded in 1826–32, and originally was named as Bytown, in honour of John By (1781–1836), whose army engineers were building the Rideau Canal. In 1854 it was renamed after the Ottawa River, the name deriving from the Outaouac, native Canadian Algonquin people of the area. The city lies on the Trans-Canada Highway, and the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific main railway lines, 355 km northeast of Toronto and 177 km west of Montréal. Ottawa has 29 museums and galleries. The National Arts Centre (1969) comprises conference halls, an opera house, theatre, and arts complex. Ottawa is famous for its Tulip Festival, which is held annually in May. It began in 1945, when Holland sent 100,000 bulbs to show their gratitude for Canada's role in liberating their country. The Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival, the world's largest of its kind, has been held annually since 1993.

Ex. 3. Suggest the suitable titles for its paragraphs. Share your ideas with your partner.

COMPREHENTION CHECK

Ex. 4. Answer the following questions:

1. Where does Canada lie?

2. What is the landscape like in the east of the country?

3. What is the western part of the country like?

4. What is the highest point in Canada?

5. What rivers cross the country?

6. What provinces does Canada comprise?

7. What is the capital of Canada?

8. When was it founded?

9. What do you know about the name of the capital?

10. What is Canada famous for?

VOCABULARY

Ex. 5. Using the dictionary, give the Russian equivalents to the following words and expressions:

Extremely varied topography, irregular coastline, the interior continental plain, the principal cultivable areas, (to be) separated by, mountain ranges, the coast range is ragged with fjords and channels, to be navigable, a constitutional monarchy, the governor-general, to derive from, be founded in, tulip bulbs, to hold a festival.

FOLLOW UP

Ex. 6. Using the text, choose the facts that prove Canada to be a unique country. Write 5-10 sentences, starting with the words: Canada is the only country in the world where / that…

Ex. 7. Using the Internet, find some more interesting facts about Canada and its capital.

Ex. 8. Tell your group mates what you have learnt about Canada.

UNIT 2

WARM UP

Ex. 1. What countries do you think affected the Canadian history and culture?

READING

Ex. 2. Read the text and fill in the gaps with the sentences given below.

CANADIAN HISTORY

Canada and the United Kingdom share a common history. The first inhabitants of Canada were native Indian peoples, ________(1). The history of the white man in the country began in 1497, when John Cabot, ___________________(2), reached Newfoundland or Nova Scotia. _____________(3) France in 1534 by Jacques Cartier. The actual settlement of New France, as it was then called, began in 1604 at Port Royal ________________(4); in 1608, Quebec was founded.

Meanwhile, the English Hudson's Bay Company had been established in 1670. _____________(5), a conflict developed between the French and English. As a result, in 1713 Newfoundland, Hudson Bay, and Nova Scotia were lost to England.

During the Seven Years' War (1756–1763), ___________ (6), and the British general James Wolfe won his famous victory over General Louis Montcalm outside Quebec on Sept. 13, 1759. The Treaty of Paris in 1763 gave England control.