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Self-Assessment Module 2

Reading

10 You are going to read some geographical information about different English-speaking countries. For questions (1-12), choose the country (A-C). There is an example at the beginning.

A JOURNEY

THROUGH THE ENGLISH-SPEAKING WORLD

A Ireland

LAND: The Republic of Ireland takes up about 83% of the island of Ireland, which is located in northwestern Europe. Ireland is a small country with an area of just 70,285 km2. Although there are high mountains near the coasts, the central part of Ireland is flatter and used for farmland.

CLIMATE: Most of Ireland is mild and wet throughout the year, giving Ireland its green countryside and earning it the name The Emerald Isle.

PEOPLE: Dublin is both the capital and the largest city. However, only about 57% of the Irish people

today live in urban areas. The first Irish people probably came from Scandinavia to Scotland and then to Ireland about 8,000 years ago. Since then, Ireland has been invaded and colonised by Celts, Vikings, English and Scots. Today, most of Ireland’s 3,590,000 population are of Celtic origin. It was the Celts who first introduced the language we know today as Irish, which is one of the country’s official languages. English is the other official language.

B New Zealand

LAND: Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, New Zealand is a small country of about 270,543 km2. It is made up of two main islands, the North Island and the South Island, as well as a number of smaller islands. The North Island is famous for its volcanoes and many hot springs as well as its many forests, hills and mountains. The South Island has many high, snow-capped mountains.

CLIMATE: Most of the country is mild and rainy throughout the year, with the South Island much cooler than the North. PEOPLE: Although Wellington is the capital city, it is not the largest. About one third of New Zealand’s population lives in Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand. Today, only about 15% of all New Zealanders live in rural areas.

Most of New Zealand’s 3,683,000 population are descendants of British settlers. There are also increasing numbers of people of Asian and Pacific island descent living in New Zealand. About 526,000 Maoris also live in New Zealand. Their ancestors came from the Polynesian Islands about 1,000 years ago. Today, the official language of New Zealand is English, although many Maoris speak their own language, Maori, as well.

C Canada

LAND: Canada, with an area of 9,970,610 km2, is the second largest country in the world, spread across the top of North America. Canada is perhaps best known for its vast size, and variety of natural wilderness areas. The high mountains in the west of Canada are covered with green forests and crystal clear lakes, while in the centre are flat lands known as prairies. Further south, there are rolling hills.

CLIMATE: The climate ranges from temperate in the south to arctic in the north. In fact, the far north arctic landscape is so cold that trees cannot grow there. In the north the winters are cold and summers are short and quite cool, whereas in the south the winters are cold, and the summers are warm. It is wet on the coasts and dry in the centre. PEOPLE: Ottawa is the capital of Canada, but Toronto is the largest city, with a population of over 4 million. More than one third of Canada’s population of 29,450,000 are the descendants of British immigrants and there are almost as many descendants of French immigrants. This is why both English and French are the official languages of Canada. Other large immigrant groups include German, Italian and Asian people. Native American Indians and Inuit make up only a small part of Canada’s population.

(15 marks)

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Module 3

Units 5-6

Before you start ...

When was the last time you went on holiday? Talk about it.

What can you do to protect the environment?

Listen, read and talk about ...

ñfeelings

ñcharacter adjectives

ñways to relax