New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the Southwest Pacific Ocean. It lies about 1600 km southeast of Australia and about 10500 km southwest of California. New Zealand belongs to a large island group called Polynesia. The country is situated on two main islands — the North Island and the South Island — and several dozen smaller islands. Most of the smaller islands are hundreds of kilometres from the main ones.
Wellington is the capital of New Zealand and Auckland is the largest city. English is the official language of New Zealand and is spoken throughout the country. Many native people speak their own language Maori, in addition to English.
The country once belonged to the British empire. Today it is an independent member of the Commonwealth of Nations, an association of Britain and a number of its former colonies.
New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy. The British Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, is the monarch of New Zealand. She appoints a governor general to represent her, but the governor general has little power. The legislation, prime minister, and Cabinet run the national government.
Britain gave New Zealand a constitution in 1852, when it was a British colony. But through the years the New Zealand legislature has changed almost all its provisions. Today, the nation has no written constitution.
The first people who settled in New Zealand were a brown-skinned people called Maoris. They came from Polynesian islands located northeast of New Zealand. The country was discovered by Europeans in 1642, but they did not start to settle in the islands until the late 1700's. Today, most New Zealanders are descendants of the early European settlers. Maoris make up about 12 % of the country's population
New Zealand has one of the highest standard of living in the world. For many years, the economy of the country depended largely on agriculture. Today agriculture, manufacturing, and service industries are all important to the economy. New Zealand's economy depends on trade with many countries — Australia, Britain, Japan and the United States.
3. Answer the questions:
1. Where is New Zealand situated?
2. What city is the capital of New Zealand?
3. What languages do people in New Zealand speak?
4. What is the official language in New Zealand?
5. Who is New Zealand's head of state?
6. Who runs the national government?
7. Who were the first people to live in New Zealand?
8. What are the main industries of the country?
4. Read the information below and make short notes:
Артикль the с географическими названиями. Правила
Правило 1. Артикль the не употребляется перед названиями стран и континентов:
Исключения:
1. the RF (the Russian Federation)
2. the UK (the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)
3. the USA (the United States of America)
4. the Netherlands – Нидерланды
5. the Irish Republic
6. the Chech Republic
7. the Philippines
8. the United Arab Emirates
Артикль the не употребляется перед следующими географическими названиями:
Europe, Eurasia, Antarctica, Central Asia, North (South) America, Latin America, South-East Asia, Northern Africa, Western (Eastern Siberia), Siberia.
Но, запомните: the Crimea (Крым), the Far East (Дальний восток), the Middle East (Средний восток), the Midland s (Центральные графства в Англии), the Highland s ( Хайлендс), the Lowland s (Лоулендс).
Здесь играет роль собирательная функция артикля the, есть окончание –s на конце.
Правило 2. Артикль the не употребляется с названиями городов.
Исключение: the Hague – Гаага
Запомните: The Hague is in the Netherlands. — Гаага находится в Нидерландах.
Правило 3. Артикль the употребляется перед названиями сторон света (так как они единственные в мире): the East (восток), the West (запад), the South (юг), the North (север).
Правило 4. Артикль the употребляется перед существительными обозначающими тип географического ландшафта
1. at the seaside — на побережье
2. on the coast — на берегу
3. in the country — загородом, в деревне
4. in the countryside — в сельской местности
5. in the forest — в лесу
6. in the wood(s) — в лесу
7. in the mountains — в горах
8. in the jungle — в джунглях
Правило 5. Артикль the употребляется перед названиями водных пространств: океанов, морей, рек, каналов, проливов, озер, кроме заливов.
1. The Atlantic Ocean – Атлантический океан
2. The Red Sea – Красное море
3. The Volga – Волга (река)
4. The Panama Canal – Панамский канал
5. The English Channel – пролив Ла-манш
6. The Gulf Stream — Гольфстрим
7. The Baikal (the Baikal Lake) – Байкал (озеро), но Lake Baikal, Lake Seliger
Исключения — названия заливов: Hudson Bay – Гудзонский залив
Правило 6. Артикль the употребляется перед названиями горных цепей и архипелагов островов (собирательная функция артикля the, см. окончание –s на конце)
1. the Urals — Уральские горы
2. the Caucasus — Кавказские горы
3. the Rocky Mountains — Скалистые горы
4. the British Isles — Британские острова
5. the Kurilas — Курильские острова
Исключения:
- горные пики: Elbrus, Everest, Ben Nevis, etc.
- одиночные острова: Cuba, Cyprus, Haiti, etc.
Правило 7. Артикль the употребляется перед названиями пустынь:
1. the Gobi — Гоби
2. the Sahara — Сахара
3. the Kara-Kum — Кара-кум
4. the Kalahari — Калахари
Fill in the table.
6. Homework: