Canada

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Тақырыбы: Canada

Орындаған:   Елеусинова  А.Б

                                                                        Тексерген:  Байгуатова  А.

2014ж

Canada

The making of Canada

John Cabot, an Italian sea captain in the pay of the British, discovered Can-ada in 1497, five years after Columbus discovered America. He planted a huge cross on the shore and sailed home, with the news that he had reached north east China , the land of the Great Khan , and that the sea was full of fish. 
In 1534 , the French explorer, Jacques Cartier, sailed right down the St.Lawrence River until he could go no further. Among the great forests along the shore he met Indians who welcomed him, but in return he kidnapped some of their chiefs . He was the first European to treat the Indians with cruelty and treachery. It was almost another hundred years before French colonists settled on the banks of the St Lawrence and founded Quebec. They were sent there to give food and shelter to the French fur traders, who were carrying on a profitable trade with the Indians.

By the middle of the 18th century, the French in North America realized that they could not avoid a fight to the death with the British and their American colonists, but back in France the French king , Louis XV , was too busy with his wars with Prus-sia to bother much about what was going on in the ‘ Land of Ice and Snow’. So the French troops in Canada did not receive the supplies they needed so badly, and the few ships that did try to get through were usually captured by British warships. 
Yet this colonial war ended in a famous battle. The British surprised the French by climbing the cliffs at Quebec in the middle of the night. After their defeat , the French were forced to give up each inch of land in North America. But the British allowed the French colonists , all 60,000 of them , to stay on, and they did no try to change the French way of life or their religion. The French were all Catholics. But the British warned them that Louis XV of France was no longer their King. Their King, from now on, would be King George III of England.

At that time there were very few British colonists in Canada. The first British settlers in Canada were American refugees who refused to fight against the British army in the Revolutionary War , because they felt they were more British than Ameri-can. They called themselves Loyalists, but their fellow Americans accused them of being traitors and took away their possessions. 80,000 Loyalists helped the British to defend Canada against Americans during the Revolutionary War. 
During the first half of the nineteenth century one million immigrants, mostly British, settled in Canada, but there were hardly any French immigrants from France. However, the French Canadians‘ birth rate was high, so that in just over two centuries the French Canadian population increased from 60,000 to 6 million.

Canada spread from Atlantic right across the prairies and the Rocky Moun-tains to British Columbia; and northwards to the bare but beautiful Yukon and the ice-covered islands of the Arctic. The pioneer farmers found that the black earth of the prairie provinces could grow some of the finest grain in the world. The tracks of the Canadian Pacific Railway pushed to westwards through Indian lands. To protect their land the Indians made fierce attacks on the railway-builders and the farmers.

Canada moved slowly towards self-rule during the second half of the nine-teenth century. A federation of the provinces was formed from Nova Scotia on the At-lantic coast to British Columbia on the far side of the Rockies. In 1936 Canada be-came a Dominion (a self-governing nation) within the British Commonwealth and Em-pire. The Dominions of Canada, New Zealand and South Africa went to war alongside Britain in 1918 and again in 1939.

Canada is a North American country, washed by the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic Oceans. It is the world’s second largest country by total area and it shares the longest land border in the worlds with the United States. All in all, Canada consists of ten provinces and three territories. The word Canada was first used by early European inhabitants, meaning “village” or “land”. The capital of the country is Ottawa, which is situated on the Ottawa River. It’s a beautiful city full of parks and bridges. Other major cities include Montreal, Quebec, Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary.

Canada is a confederation with parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy. Its parliamentary system includes the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The sovereign of the country is Queen Elizabeth II. She is also the head of 15 other Commonwealth countries. The independence of Canada was proclaimed on July 1, 1867. There are two official languages in the country: English and French. Both these languages are used at the federal level. Canada is considered to be one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world with a population over 35 million people, including immigrants. The economy of the country is rather advanced and depends on abundant natural resources, as well as on well-developed trade networks.

The climate of Canada varies from part to part. It’s temperate in the south and arctic in the north. The majority of population inhabits the southern part of the country. Vast areas of the north are poorly inhabited. Winters in Canada can be rather harsh, especially in Prairie territories, where a continental climate is mixed with severe wind chills. The highest point in the country is Mount Logan of almost 6000 meters height. The greatest rivers in the country include the Saint Lawrence River, Ottawa, Saguenay and the Saint John River.

Canada is certainly one of the most interesting countries with its numerous landmarks and traditions. The wonders of Canada are not only natural, but also architectural, cultural and historic. Speaking about natural sights it’s necessary to mention the Great Lakes, the Niagara Falls and the Agawa Canyon area. Perhaps, the most beautiful architectural sights include the City Hall in Toronto and the Tower of Peace in Ottawa. Among the most prominent historic and cultural attractions we can outline the Canadian War Museum, the Fortress of Louisbourg, the Quebec Citadel and many others.

Most Canadian holidays and traditions match with those in other English-speaking countries, although each province or territory may have its own distinct holiday. Major Christian holidays are Christmas and Easter. They are celebrated nationwide. Other traditional celebrations include Valentine’s Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Saint Patrick’s Day, and some others

People of Canada

Canada is a good example of the way peoples of different ways of life and dif-ferent languages can live side by side under one government. The population of Canada has risen from 11,5 million in 1941 to 25 million in 1980. Most of the new-comers are from Europe, Asia and the USA, so that today less than 44% of Can-ada’s population is of British origin. Quebec Province is still 90% French. There are some groups of French Canadiands in Ontario and Manitoba, but the numbers are quite small.

There are many Indians, Pacistanis and Chinese, and also blacks from the USA, among the immigrants who are pouring into Canada now. Some Canadians are afraid that before long Canada will have coloured citizens that white. Other Canadians are disturbed by the growing racism in their country. Canada, like so many countries, has only just begun to treat her own non-white citizens, Eskimos (or Inuit) and the Indians, as generously as they deserve. The Indian and Eskimo populations have grown quite a lot in the last few years. The government is at last realizing that it has a duty towards this people that it has neglected for so long.

All Canadian children have to learn both French and English at school, but Francophones and Anglophones do not enjoy learning each other’s language. Still, most Quebecois middle class families, living in Montreal are bilingual - they speak English and French equally well.

Until the Second World War, every Canadian province except Quebec was overwhelmingly British. Some Canadians were more patriotic than the British them-selves and were really angry if anyone walked out of a cinema while ‘God Save the King’ was being played. Now Canadians think of themselves as a people in their own right, not tied to either Britain or the USA. The USA has not been a threat to Canada for almost two hundred years. In fact, the 6,416 km US-Canadian frontier is the long-est continuous frontier in the world, has no wire fence, no soldiers, no guns on either side. It is called ‘The Border’.

Places of Interest in Canada

Canada is one of the largest countries in the world and a popular English-speaking country for tourists. Every year millions of tourists visit it with different reasons. Some want to study English there, some to visit their friends or relatives, but the majority arrives to discover numerous Canadian attractions. The country is full of sights indeed. There are architectural, natural, cultural, historic and other types of sights. One of the most interesting places in Canada is its capital – Ottawa. The main sights of the city are the Parliament, where even ordinary people are welcome, the Tower of Peace with 53 bells, picturesque quarters around the Market Hall Bayvord, Rideau Canal, which turns into the longest ice-rink in the world in winter, Canadian Museum of Nature and numerous other sights. Toronto is another tourist attraction. It’s the largest Canadian city and also the main cultural and trade center of English-speaking part of the country. The city is a huge megalopolis with lots of skyscrapers and office buildings. At the same time Toronto is a quite green city, full of trees, bushes and flowers. The main sights of the city is the entertainment complex at the Ontario square, Hyde Park and Queen Elizabeth’s Park, Islands Park on Lake Ontario, golden tower of the Royal Bank Plaza, Roy Thomson Concert Hall, a symbol of the city – 553-meter “CN Tower”, the famous shopping mall Eaton Center and many others. Speaking about Canadian sights it’s important to mention the Agawa canyon area, and of course, the famous Niagara Falls.

Canadian English

English is the second most widely spoken language in the world. It is the official language of The United Kingdom, Ireland, The United States, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand and it is widely spoken in India. It is the language of international business and science, of aviation and shipping. As so many people speak English in so many countries, there are many different "Englishes". The best form of English is called Standard English and is the language of educated English speakers. The government, The BBC, The Universities, uses it and it is often called Queen’s English. American English is the variety of the English spoken in the United States. It is different from English in pronunciation, intonation, spelling, vocabulary and sometimes – even grammar! An Englishman goes to the town center to see a film while an American goes downtown to see a movie. If an Englishman needs a pen he would ask you: "Have you got a pen, please?" but the American would say:" Do you have a pen?" Australian and New Zealand English, also called Australian English, are very similar. Especially in pronunciation they are also similar to British English, but there are differences in vocabulary and slang. Many terms, such as kangaroo, dingo, wombat and boomerang, come from the Aboriginal language and many others from the Cockney dialect spoken by the first settlers, The Londoners.  Canadian English is different both from American and from British English.