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Text 1. CANADA’S CULTURE AND RECREATION

Canada has become a cultural mosaic in which immigrant groups have been able to retain much of their ethnic culture. The culture of the English-speaking Canadian people is a blend of British and American influences; that of the French-speaking people blends French and American influences. In general, the way of life, family structure, cuisine, and dress are closer to those of the United States than to those of Britain or France.

Canadians, enjoying ever-increasing amounts of leisure time, are able to participate in a wide array of sports and other recreational activities. Several of the sports played in Canada are derived from those of the indigenous peoples or the early settlers: Lacrosse, adopted as Canada’s national game at the time of Confederation, was played by Indians in all parts of the country and adopted by later immigrants. By 1867 definite rules had been established, and the game had become organized. Ice hockey is also Canadian in tradition and leadership.

Other team sports have been more strongly influenced by the recreational interests of the United States. The Canadian Football League (CFL) plays a football game only slightly different from that of the United States. Winter sports widely enjoyed by Canadians, as both participants and spectators, include curling, ice skating, and downhill and cross-country skiing. From spring through fall, recreational activities include fishing, hiking, golf and water sports.

The national holiday of Canada, Canada Day (formerly, intill 1982, Dominian Day), is observed on July 1. It commemorates the formation of the Dominian of Canada on July 1, 1897. It is celebrated with parades, fireworks, display of the flag, and the singing of the national anthem, O Canada.

Text 2. AUSTRALIANS AS THEY ARE OR AS THEY

ARE THOUGHT TO BE

The Australians in films like to think of themselves as strong hard people who can cross deserts, hunt crocodiles and kill snakes with their hands. But most Australians never go near the “Outback” as they call the land far away from town. Most of them live in cities. They go to work every day in offices and factories and return every night to their homes in the suburbs, just like the people of New York, London, Tokyo and Rome.

The weekend, of course, is the time when they meet with their friends. And a man's friends, or mates, are very important to an Australian, especially to an “ocker” (typical Australian). He drinks a lot of beer, talks about nothing but sport, and would die for his friends – his men friends, of course. To ockers, women are not important: their place is in the home, cooking plenty of red meat for their husbands and looking after children. Like all typical national characters, there is a little truth in the ocker. It is true that some Australian men drink a lot, love sport, and enjoy spending time with men friends. But not all Australian are ockers, and not all ockers are Australian.

One more false belief concerns the typical, tough Australian bushman, living on hot lands in the Outback. Here also there is a paradox, as the bushman still likes comfort and often goes home to an air-conditioned house complete with freezer, television and computer.

One more interesting feature a visitor can find in almost every Australian city is plaques. Australians put plaques on just about everything, as a visitor from the USA in her Internet information testifies, with humour: “John William Wallingdubby, honourable mayor, commissioned this plaques to honour the visit of the such-and-such British queen, who sat on this bench during the naming ceremony of such-and-such ship in 1903”.

Text 3. POPULATION AND LANGUAGES

OF NEW ZEALAND

The principal ethnic majority are the Whites who account for around 82 % of the population and are overwhelmingly of British descent while 9 % are Maori who are of Polynesian origins and 3 % Pacific islanders including Cook Islanders. Other non-European minorities include small numbers of Chinese, Indians and Arabs.

The difference between New Zealanders and Britons, many though they may be, are subtle and not easy to detect. The non-Maori New Zealander has a skin colour of a white man, he speaks the same language, though with a different accent and with a few unfamiliar words thrown in. He dresses in the same manner, though more informally.

The New Zealander spends most of his spare time at home, has his friends round at the weekend, and is mostly content with his newspaper, TV and his hobbies. He likes the simple sort of life, easy-paced, uncomplicated. He mostly delights in gardening, keeping hens, bringing up families and doing odd jobs. He likes a drink, also sports of most kinds, particularly those played out of doors. Of course this “typical” portrait has deviations in each definite case. Sports are the main leisure-time occupation of most of the population. There is widespread participation in most major sports, particularly rugby football. Horse racing is a popular spectator sport.

Maori, which is still a living language of the Polynesian group, is spoken among the Maori cultural renaissance. Between North and South Islands, however, there are observable differences: Maori has a greater number of speakers and more influence in North Island.

The official language is English. Although New Zealand lies over 1,000 miles away much of the English spoken there is similar to that of Australia.

A large number of people, born and bred in New Zealand, speak English as correctly and as pure an accent as the best speakers in English.

New Zealand literature is known for such fiction writers and novelists as Katherine Mansfield, Dame Ngaio Marsh, Janet Frame, Ian Cross, Maurice Shadolt and others.

God Save New Zealand is one of the two national anthems of New Zealand (the other being God Save the Queen, national anthem of the United Kingdom). The words to the anthem were written in the early 1870s by Thomas Bracken. In 1940 the government declared God Save New Zealand to be the national hymn, or unofficial anthem (God Save the Queen had long been the national anthem). In 1977, however, God Defend New Zealand was given equal status with God Save the Queen as New Zealand’s other national anthem.