Part 1. Countries and Continents

Study the list of vocabulary and pronounce the words after the teacher:

Vocabulary:


to consist of – состоять из

to be situated on ... – быть расположенным на

to be washed by ... from ... – омываться (чем) … (с какой стороны) …

to be separated by ... – быть отделённым (чем) …

to join/ link – соединять(ся)

to flow into – впадать в

to border on ... in ... – граничить (с чем) … (с какой стороны) …

to occupy – занимать территорию

to include – включать в себя

to vary – различаться, изменяться

vast [va:st] – обширный

valley [’væli] – долина

plain [plein] – равнина

lowland [’ləulənd] – низменность

highland [’hailənd] – нагорье, высокогорная местность

mountain [’mauntin] – гора

mountainous [’mauntinəs] – горный, гористый

chain [t∫ein] – цепь

range [reiŋdჳ] – гряда (гор)

hilly [’hili] – холмистый

scenery [’si:n(ə)ri] – пейзаж

desert [’dezət] – пустыня

square kilometer – квадратный километр

coast [kəust] – побережье

coastal [’kəust(ə)l] – прибрежный

gulf [gлlf] – залив

stream [stri:m] – речка, ручей, течение

strait [streit] – пролив

sea [si:] – море

river [’rivə] – река

lake [leik] – озеро

isle/ island [ail/ ’ailənd] – остров

peninsula [pi’ninsjulə] – полуостров

continent – континент

area [’e(ə)riə] – площадь, территория

surface [’sə:fis] – поверхность, рельеф

urban [’ə:bən] – городской

various [’ve(ə)riəs] – различный

state/ official language [steit/ ə’fi∫(ə)l] – государственный язык

capital – столица

Asia [’ei∫ə] – Азия

Europe [’juərəp] – Европа

Eurasia [ju(ə)’reiჳə, -∫ə] – Евразия (континент)

Australia [ɔ:’streiliə] – Австралия

The United Kingdom (the UK) – Соединённое Королевство

The United States of America (the USA) – Соединенные Штаты Америки

The Pacific – Тихий океан

The Atlantic – Атлантический океан

The Arctic – Северный Ледовитый океан

The Indian – Индийский океан

plateau [’plætəu] – плато

fertile [’fə:tail] – плодородный

isthmus [’isməs] – перешеек

swamp [swɔmp] – болото

interior [in’ti(ə)riə] – внутренняя часть

height [hait] – высота

slope [sləup] – склон

to slope – клониться, склоняться

gently – плавно

inland – расположенный внутри страны

hemisphere [’hemisfiə] – полушарие

per capita [pə’kæpitə] – на душу населения

GNP (gross national product) [grɔs ’næ∫ən(ə)l ’prɔdлkt] – валовой национальный продукт

soil [sɔil] – почва

suburb [’sлbə:b] – пригород

vehicle [’vi:ik(ə)l] – автомобиль, средство передвижения


Exercise 1. Match the words on the left with their definitions on the right:

A. Nouns:

1. island a. a flat area

2. population b. an outside or top of the object

3. surface c. a sea shore

4. valley d. a piece of land surrounded by water

5. plain e. all the people that live in a particular place

6. coast f. a low area between hills

7. scenery g. a dry sandy region that has little or no vegetation because of low rainfall

8. gulf h. natural features of a landscape

9. isthmus i. a large deep bay

10. desert j. a narrow strip of land connecting two areas of land

B. Adjectives:

  1. vast a. different
  2. mountainous b. extremely large
  3. urban c. having rich soil
  4. various d. having lots of high points throughout the territory
  5. fertile e. state
  6. official f. living in a city or in a town

Exercise 2. Discuss vocabulary of the previous exercise using the following models:

Model 1:

A. – Excuse me, does the word island mean a piece of land surrounded by water?

B. – Yes, it does. Island is a piece of land surrounded by water.

A.– Thank you.

B. – Not at all.

 

Model 2:

A. – Excuse me, does the word fertile mean different?

B. – No, it doesn’t. Fertile means having rich soil.

A.– Ah,having rich soil.Yes,I’ve got it.Thank you.

B. – Think nothing about it.

 

Exercise 3. Listen to the text “The United Kingdom” twice and decide true or false are the following statements:

Statements:

1. The British Isles consist of three large islands.

2. The total area of the UK is over 244 thousand square kilometers.

3. The population of the country is about 40 million.

4. Most part of the population lives in cities.

5. Northern Ireland is not included in Great Britain

6. The British Isles are separated from the continent by the Atlantic Ocean.

7. The north of Scotland is mountainous.

8. Wales is called Highlands.

9. The highest mountain is in Scotland.

10. The Thames is the longest river in the country.

Exercise 4. Listen to the text “The United Kingdom” once again and answer the following questions:

1. Where is the United Kingdom situated on?

2. What is the total area of the UK?

3. What is the population of the country?

4. Do most people live in cities?

5. What is the capital of Scotland?

6. How many parts does Great Britain consist of?

7. What separates the British Isles from the continent?

8. Which coast of Great Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean?

9. Why the north of Scotland is called Highlands?

10. What is the highest mountain of Scotland?

11. Which river is the longest?

12. Which river is the deepest?

Exercise 5. Put the words of the following sentences in the right word order:

  1. is/capital/of/the/Cardiff/Wales.
  2. of/urban/population/part/the/is/most.
  3. south/beautiful/has/plains/the/and/valleys.
  4. Great/are/mountains/Britain/not/high/in/very.
  5. country/of/much/is/very/various/the/surface/the.
  6. number/and/consist/two/islands/British/of/a/large/smaller/Isles/ones/the/of.

Exercise 6. Read and translate the following text guessing the meanings of the italicized words:

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland occupies most of the islands of the British Isles group. It has four main parts: England, Wales, and Scotland, which form the island of Great Britain, and Northern Ireland. The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man belong to the British crown, but are not part of the United Kingdom. The highest uplandsare the north and west, in Wales and in the Scottish Highlands. The greatest density of population is in the south. The climate is temperate and vegetation varied. A series of unions, in which England was the dominant partner, created the United Kingdom. Wales was the first annexation, in the 1300s. Act of union in 1707 and 1800 brought first Scotland, then Ireland into parliamentary union with England. In 1922 southern Ireland broke away to become the Republic of Ireland.

England is the largest part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Northern England contains the Cumbrian Mountains in the Lake District, and the Pennines. Either side of the Pennines are major industrial regions. The central of Midlands area of England is a mixture of farmland and industry. The southeast, around London, is the most urbanized part. Wales, Cymru in Welsh, has a mountainous and thinly populated central region. Its main industrial centers are in the north and south. The country was invaded by Romans (A.D. 43), Anglo-Saxons (A.D. 500s onward), and Normans (1066). By the late Middle Ages England was the most powerful British kingdom and had annexed Wales.

Scotland is the most northerly part of Great Britain. Two-thirds of the land, the Highlands, is mountainous with a chain of lochs (lakes). Most Scots live in the central Lowlands. Northern Ireland is mostly rolling farmland, with hills along the coast. Lough Neagh is the United Kingdom’s biggest lake.

Exercise 7. Using political and physical maps of the world guess which country is described:

Pay attention to the reading of the following geographical names:

Congo [’kɔŋgəu], Zaire [za:’iə], Zambia [’zæmbiə], Namibia [nə’mibiə], Luanda [lu:’a:ndə], Buenos Aires [’bweinəs’e(ə)ri:z], Chile [’t∫ili], Aconcagua [‚ækən’ka:gwə], Patagonia [‚pætə’gəuniə], Andes [’ændi:z], hemisphere [’hemisfiə], Mediterranean [‚meditə’reiniən], Nicosia [‚nikə(u)’siə], Turkey [’tə:ki], Syria [’si(ə)riə], Lebanon [’lebənən], Canal [kə’næl], Riyadh [ri’ja:d], Persian [’pə:∫(ə)n]

Text 1.The country is situated on the African continent. It is washed by the Atlantic Ocean from the west. It borders on Congo and Zaire in the north, on Zambia in the east and on Namibia in the south. The area of the country is 1 246 700 square kilometers. The capital of the country is Luanda.

The surface is hilly and grass covered, with rocky desert in the south. Mount Moco is the highest. It is 2 619 meters high. There is a narrow coastal plain. There are several rivers in the mountains. The Cuanza is the longest. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean.

Text 2.It is the second largest South American country with population about 32 880 000 people. The capital of the country is Buenos Aires. Spanish is its official language. In the south-east the country is washed by the Atlantic Ocean.

On the border with Chile there is the Andes Chain with the highest point Mount Aconcagua in the western hemisphere. It is 6 960 meters high. The wild plateaus of Patagonia are in the south-west. The biggest plain is in the north-east. There are many rivers and all of them flow into the Atlantic Ocean.

Text 3.This island at the eastern end of the Mediterranean has fertile coastal plains in the central part. The Troödos Mountains are in the west with Olympus the highest point of the island which is 1 953 meters high. The area of the island is 9 251 square kilometers. Nicosia is its capital. The official languages are Turkish and Greek. It has the sea-borders with Turkey, Syria and Lebanon.

Text 4.The country occupies the narrow isthmus between two American continents. The Canal of the country links the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans. Its area is only 77 082 square kilometers. The population of the country is 2 418 000 people. Official language is Spanish.

The interior is mountainous with the Tabasará Mountains in the west and the San Blas Mountains in the east. The highest point, Volcán Barú, is in the western part. Its height is 3 475 meters. The best farmland is in the lowlands along the Pacific coast. The eastern part is covered with forests and swamps. There are some small rivers most of them flow into the Pacific Ocean. Gatún Lake is the biggest. It forms the main part of the Canal body.

Text 5.The country occupies the most part of the biggest peninsula in the world. The area of the country is 2 149 690 square kilometers. Riyadh is the capital. The population is 14 131 000 people. Official language is Arabic. It is washed by the Red Sea from the west and by the Persian Gulf from the east.

There is a narrow coastal Red Sea plain, and inland is a highland zone including the Hejaz in the north and the Asir Mountains in the south with the highest point of the country, Abha, which is 3 133 meters high. To the east are the plateaus sloping gently toward lowlands near the Persian Gulf coast. These plateaus cover 90% of the country and include the deserts of An Nafud in the north and the Rub al Khali in the south-east.

Exercise 8. Read the following text “Geographical Position of Brazil” and study the map of this country perfectly. Pay attention to pronunciation of the following geographical names:

 


Brazil [brə’zil] – Бразилия

French Guiana [’frent∫ gi’a:nə] – Французская Гвиана

Surinam [‚su(ə)ri’na:m] – Суринам

Guyana [gai’a:nə] – Гайана

Venezuela [‚venə’zwi:lə] – Венесуэла

Columbia [kə’lлmbiə] – Колумбия

Peru [pə’ru:] – Перу

Bolivia [bə’liviə] – Боливия

Paraguay [’pærəgwai] – Парагвай

Argentina [‚a:dჳən’ti:nə] – Аргентина

Uruguay [’ju(ə)rəgwai] – Уругвай

Sâo Paulo [‚saum ’paulu] – Сан-Паулу

Rio de Janeiro [‚ri:əudədჳə’neirəu] – Рио-де-Жанейро

Belo Horizonte [’beiləu ‚hɔ:rə’zɔntei] – Белу-Оризонте

Amazon [’æməzɔn] – Амазонка

Parana [‚pa:ra:’na:] – Парана

Igacu Falls [‚iga:’su fɔ:lz] – водопад Игуасу