A28 – Canada
Vlastnosti
| predmet | Anglický jazyk |
| typ | maturitná téma |
| okruh | anglický jazyk |
| číslo | 28 |
| stav | vypracované |
Talk about the general information on Canada, its location, geography, climate, industry and political system, the places of interest, Ottawa as the capital city, and Canadian people, their customs and traditions.
1. Osnova témy
- General information — size, population, the origin of the name „Canada", the currency, the two official languages, the ten provinces and two territories.
- Location and geography — the oceans and the neighbouring country, the Cordillera and the Rocky Mountains, Mount Logan, the prairies, the main rivers and lakes, the Niagara Falls.
- Climate — continental in the inhabited south, arctic in the north.
- Industry and agriculture — raw materials and mining, forests and the wood industry, wheat and maple syrup.
- Political system and education — a constitutional monarchy and a federation within the Commonwealth, the division of powers, free public schooling and paid post-secondary study.
- Places of interest — Ottawa as the capital, Toronto and the CN Tower, Montreal and Quebec, the national parks.
- People, customs and traditions — the First Nations, immigration and multiculturalism, ice hockey, Thanksgiving and Remembrance Day.
2. Kľúčová slovná zásoba
- basic facts: area, population, currency, the Canadian dollar, origin (pôvod), settlement (osídlenie), majority (väčšina), official language, independent (nezávislý), federation, the Commonwealth, province, territory
- location: to border on (hraničiť s), the Arctic Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, northern, southern, eastern, western, neighbour
- landscape: mountainous (hornatý), rocky (skalnatý), mountain range (pohorie), peak (vrchol), lowlands (nížiny), prairie (préria), suitable for (vhodný na), waterfalls, to lie (ležať), to connect, to share (deliť sa o niečo)
- climate: continental climate, arctic climate, mild, severe (tuhý, krutý), snowfall, inhabited (osídlený)
- economy: raw materials (nerastné suroviny), mining industry, wood industry, exporter, wheat (pšenica), maple syrup (javorový sirup), agriculture, forest
- politics: constitutional monarchy, parliamentary democracy, the head of state, the Prime Minister, government (vláda), civil law (občianske právo), common law (zvykové právo), to be responsible for (byť zodpovedný za), national defence, immigration, boundaries (hranice)
- education: public education, compulsory school attendance (povinná školská dochádzka), secondary education, post-secondary education, tuition (školné), college, institute of technology
- sights: capital city, gallery, museum, observation deck, a revolving restaurant (otáčajúca sa reštaurácia), amusement park (zábavný park), fireworks (ohňostroj), national park, protected species (chránené druhy)
- people and customs: aboriginal people, the First Nations, newcomer (prisťahovalec), immigrant, multicultural, to preserve (zachovať), to celebrate, Thanksgiving Day, Remembrance Day, to be dedicated to (byť venovaný)
3. Užitočné frázy a väzby
- Let me start with some basic facts about…
- Canada is the second largest country in the world, right after Russia.
- It is situated in the northern part of North America.
- In the north it borders on…, while in the south it borders on…
- One third of the country is covered with forests.
- What makes Canada special is its multicultural character.
- Compared with the USA, Canada is much less crowded.
- On the one hand…, on the other hand…
- A good example of this is…
- As far as I know, …
- People generally say that…
- If I ever had the chance, I would definitely visit…
- To sum up, I would say that…
- All in all, Canada is a country I find really interesting because…
4. Modelová odpoveď
Canada is the second largest country in the world after Russia, with an area of almost ten million square kilometres. In spite of its size, it is far less crowded than the USA, because most people live in a fairly narrow belt along the southern border. Interestingly, the name „Canada" comes from an Indian word kanata, which means village or settlement. The currency is the Canadian dollar, divided into a hundred cents, and there are two official languages, English and French. Canada is an independent federation within the Commonwealth and it is divided into ten provinces and two territories.
As for its location, Canada borders on the Arctic Ocean in the north, on the USA in the south, on the Atlantic Ocean in the east and on the Pacific Ocean and Alaska in the west. The western part, called the Cordillera, is very mountainous and rocky — you can find the Rocky Mountains and the Coast Mountains there, and the highest peak, Mount Logan, which is in Yukon. In the east there are the Appalachians and a lot of lowlands, and in the middle there are huge prairies suitable for agriculture. The longest river is the Mackenzie, and Canada shares the Great Lakes with the USA. The most famous natural sight is definitely the Niagara Falls, which lie on the Niagara River between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.
The climate in the inhabited parts is continental, so summers are hot and winters are cold, while the north has an arctic climate. The country is rich in raw materials such as uranium, gold, zinc and nickel, so mining is important, and since a third of Canada is covered with forest, it is a great exporter of wood. Wheat and maple syrup are typical Canadian products.
Politically, Canada is a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy. The head of state is the British monarch, while the real head of the government is the Prime Minister. Parliament is responsible for national defence, international trade and immigration, and the provinces look after education, health care and social security.
5. Otázky na diskusiu
- Where exactly is Canada situated and which countries and oceans does it border on?
- Why is Canada less crowded than the USA even though it is much bigger?
- Which parts of Canada would you describe as mountainous, and which as flat?
- What are the Niagara Falls and why are they so famous?
- How would you describe the Canadian climate to somebody who has never been there?
- What are the most important branches of Canadian industry and agriculture?
- How does the Canadian political system work and who is the head of state?
- Which places would you like to visit in Canada and why?
- What does it mean that Canada is a multicultural country?
- Which Canadian customs or holidays are different from ours?
6. Zhrnutie na ústnu odpoveď
- Základné údaje: second largest country, about ten million km², two official languages, the Canadian dollar, ten provinces and two territories.
- Poloha a povrch: the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the USA in the south; the Cordillera and Mount Logan, the prairies, the Mackenzie, the Great Lakes and the Niagara Falls.
- Podnebie a hospodárstvo: continental in the south, arctic in the north; mining, the wood industry, wheat and maple syrup.
- Politika a školstvo: constitutional monarchy within the Commonwealth, Prime Minister, free public education, paid post-secondary tuition.
- Mestá a pamiatky: Ottawa as the capital with its museums and galleries, Toronto with the CN Tower and the zoo, Montreal with La Ronde and the Old Port, the national parks.
- Ľudia a zvyky: the First Nations, millions of immigrants, an official policy of multiculturalism, ice hockey, Thanksgiving and Remembrance Day.
Učiteľkin materiál je staršieho dáta a uvádza kráľovnú Alžbetu II. ako hlavu štátu. Povedz radšej neutrálne „the British monarch" alebo rovno „King Charles III" — komisia takúto opravu ocení. To isté platí o CN Tower: dnes už nie je najvyššou stavbou sveta, tak povedz, že bola najvyššou voľne stojacou stavbou dlhé desaťročia.
Zdroj uvádza asi 32 miliónov obyvateľov. Dnes ich má Kanada vyše 40 miliónov, takže pokojne povedz „over forty million".
Súvisiace poznámky
- A27 – The USA — susedná krajina, veľa spoločných reálií
- A26 – The United Kingdom — Commonwealth a konštitučná monarchia
- A29 – Australia and New Zealand — ďalšia krajina Commonwealthu
- A22 – Multicultural Society — kanadská politika multikulturalizmu
- Anglický jazyk — rozcestník predmetu
Kontrolné otázky
Where exactly is Canada situated and which countries and oceans does it border on?
In the northern part of North America. It borders only on the USA and on three oceans – the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Arctic.
Why is Canada less crowded than the USA even though it is much bigger?
Most of the country is cold, with forests, tundra and mountains, so people live mainly in the south near the US border.
Which parts of Canada would you describe as mountainous, and which as flat?
The west with the Rocky Mountains is mountainous; the prairies in the middle are flat.
What are the Niagara Falls and why are they so famous?
Huge waterfalls on the Niagara River on the border between Canada and the USA. They are one of the most visited natural sights in the world.
How would you describe the Canadian climate to somebody who has never been there?
Winters are long and very cold with lots of snow, summers are short and can be warm. The west coast is milder and rainy.
What are the most important branches of Canadian industry and agriculture?
Mining, oil and gas, forestry and wood, fishing, wheat growing on the prairies, and modern technology.
How does the Canadian political system work and who is the head of state?
Canada is a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy. The head of state is King Charles III, represented by the Governor General; the Prime Minister leads the government.
Which places would you like to visit in Canada and why?
Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, the Niagara Falls and Banff National Park in the Rocky Mountains.
What does it mean that Canada is a multicultural country?
People from many countries live there and keep their cultures; English and French are both official languages.
Which Canadian customs or holidays are different from ours?
Canada Day on 1 July, Thanksgiving in October, ice hockey as a national passion and maple syrup.