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.

Date: 2016-04-22; view: 1027