foreign affairs and Canada became closer to the United States in the fields of politics, economy, dependence and culture. The war strengthened Canada‘s economy. Canada is a young country, with a recorded history of no more than 500 years. 3. Major cities :
Ottawa, the capital city of Canada. It is a municipality within the province of Ontario.（安大略） Toronto, a provincial capital of Ontario and financial center of Canada, is the largest city in Canada. It is also one of the most multi-culture cities in the world.
Montreal(蒙特利尔) is in the province of Quebec, the second largest city in Canada and the largest French-speaking city in the world after Paris. Montreal held the 21th Olympic Games in 1976.
Quebec City , capital of Quebec, located on the shores of the St. Lawrence River. Over 90% of the population in the province is Roman Catholic, along with a sizable Jewish and Protestant population, it is the second largest city in Quebec and the second oldest existing European settlement in Canada.
Vancouver（温哥华） is in the province of British Columbia. and the third largest city in the country. Large number of Chinese, Japanese and South Asia settled in the city. Chinese are by far the largest ethnic minority group in the city with the second largest Chinatown in North America. The majority of its population does not practice religion seriously. It has the largest urban parks in North American. Exercises:
Tell whether the following are true or not:
1) Canada is the second largest country in the world in terms of territory.(+)
2) Canada‘s expansive area can be divided into five geographic regions, each with a distinct
landscape and climate. (+).
3) Canada has typical oceanic climate influenced by both Atlantic and Pacific Ocean. 4) Quebec separated from Canada and established a French-speaking nation in 1960s. (+) 5) In the 1970s, Canada was obsessed with economic recession. (+) 6) The Constitutional Act recognized Quebec as a ―distinct society‖. (-)
Choose the best answer to the following :
1) After the American War of Independence, thousands of American refugees who claimed to
remain loyal to ____ came to Canada. A. Spain B. Canada C. Britain(+) D France 2) Canada became the world‘s fourth largest industrial nation ____.
A in the 1920s B. after WWI C. after WWII D. after the Great Depression
3) ______ won the Nobel Prize in 1956 for organizing a peacekeeping force to defuse the Suez Crisis. A. Pierre Trudeau B. Lester Pearson(+) C. Jean Chretien D. Brain Mulroney 4) ___ was Canada‘s first woman Prime Minister.
A. Kim Campbell (+) B. Pierre Trudeau C. Brian Mulroney D Jean Chretien
Lecture Eleven Government and Society of Canada Questions: What are Canadian Governor General‘s responsibilities?
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What does‖ Culture mosaic‖ mean in Canada?
1. The Executive
Canada is a constitutional monarchy with a federal system of parliamentary government and strong democratic tradition. Its political system is known as the Westminster system , which can be described as both a federation like the U.S and a constitutional monarchy like Britain. The Canadian government is divided into the federal government, provincial government and the territorial government( 5 geographic regions) Governor general, the source of executive power, is only the symbolic executive who can only act on the advice of the Canadian Prime Ministry and the Cabinet.
2. The Judiciary The courts in Canada are organized in a four-level structure. The Supreme Court , as the highest court, serves as the final court of appeals . It hears both civil and criminal appeals from decisions of the courts of appeals in all the provinces and territories. It is also an advisor to the federal government on questions concerning the Constitution .
The next level down from the Federal Court , the Tax court of Canada and the provincial and territorial superior courts of general jurisdiction .
At the bottom of the hierarchy are the courts called provincial courts, with divisions defined by the subject matter of their respective jurisdiction. The three main political parties in Canada are the Liberal Party, the Conservative Party and the New Democratic Party. Liberal Party, is Canada‘s largest political party and has been in office for most of the Canadian history. Conservative Party is a right-wing political party and forms the current government of Canada since February, 2006. The new Democratic Party, a social democratic party was founded in 1961. incorporates two other Canadian parties: the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation and the Canadian Labor Congress. Election was held every 5years according to constitution.
3. Society
As the second largest country , it ranks the 36th in the world population , about 3 person per square. Three quarters of the population is densely concentrated along the southern border with the United States.
3.1 Multi-lingualism
For historical reasons, the Canadian population is mainly characterized by its linguistic duality., with English and French being the two predominant languages. However, Canada is becoming a Multi-lingual society. One out of every six people reported having a mother tongue other than English and French. The most common mother tongues include Chinese, Italian, German, Punjabi （旁遮普语）and aboriginal languages, of which Chinese is the third most common mother tongue.
3.2 Multi-culturalism
Canada is also recognized as a multi-cultural nation in the wake of its diversified ethnic groups. Many of these 34 groups keep their own distinctive cultural characteristics. Organized ethnic communities demanded that their heritage also be acknowledged and they argued that the old policy of assimilation was both unjust and a failure. The recommended that the government acknowledge the value of cultural pluralism and the reflection of this pluralism in their policies and programs. In 1988, the Canadian Multiculturalism Act was passed. A new policy, the ―point system‖ is adopted to eliminate prejudice. Applicants get points according to their educational level, age, country quota, work experience, language ability, relatives living in Canada and
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personal adaptability. If you meet the requirements for immigration to Canada, you need to take a medical exam and pay a landing fee, which is refundable if you are not acceptable.
4. Economy
Canada is one of the world‘s wealthiest nation and the majority of its citizens enjoy a high quality of life by world standards. Canada is renowned for the wealth of its natural resources: vast forests, fresh water, oil and gas and the richest mineral deposits. The service sector in Canada is the latgest industry. Canada is a free market economy and is highly integrated into the global economy. During the 19th century, timber became the staple export item. With the improvement of railway lines, wheat became the chief export item. now.
5. Education
Public education is free to all citizens and permanent residents up to the secondary school. In Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are responsible for elementary, secondary and postsecondary(university) education with no national or federal department of education. As a result, Canada has educational systems between different provinces, but almost similar to each other. Degrees from Canadian universities are considered equivalent to those from America and other Commonwealth universities. Students do not have to pass a university exam, but need to achieve a minimum level in their final exam at secondary school. in order to enter the university. 5.1 Laval University is the oldest institution in Canada to offer higher education in French. wit its Campus in Quebec.
5.2 The University of Toronto, the largest university in Canada. 4 Prime Ministers and two Governor Generals graduated from this university. It also boasts most Nobel Prize winning graduates among Canadian universities. P212 Exercise:
Tell whether the following are true or not:
1) Canada‘s political structure has nothing to do with those of Britain and the United States.(-) 2) The Senate functions primarily to accept or reject bills from the house of Commons. (+). 3) Canadian court system is divided at four levels. (+)
4) The New Democratic Party is a left-wing political party in Canada. (+)
5) Multilingualism and multiculturalism are characteristic of Canadian culture. (+) 6) In Canada, different provinces and territories share the same educational system. (-) 7) The Liberal Party is the largest Party of Canada. (+)
Choose the best answers:
1) On average, members of the House of Commons are elected for a maximum of ____ years. A. three B. four C five (+) D six
2) ____ holds the highest position in the Canadian parliamentary system.
A. The British Crown B. The Governor General C. The President D. The Prime Minister. 3) In Canada, the largest religious denomination is ____.
A. the Protestant Church B. the Roman Catholic Church (+)
C. the Puritan Church D. the Anglican Church
4) If applicants meet the basic requirements for an immigrants, they need to do the following except____.
A. applying for citizenship (+) B. taking a medical exam. C. paying an application fee. D. paying a landing fee.
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5.) In the 19th century, ____ was the principle export item of Canada.
A. fish B. fur C. timber D . wheat
Lecture Twelve Australia
Questions for discussion: Why did the British government have to look for a new destination for their convicts?
1. Geographic features and cities:
Australia lies in the Southern Hemisphere, between the Indian ocean on the west and the Pacific Ocean on its east. the Commonwealth of Australia established in 1901, consisting mainland Australia and Tasmania. It is the sixth largest country in the world. Australia can be divided into three geographic regions: the Eastern Highland, the Central-Eastern Lowlands and the Western Plateau. The highest point of elevation in Australia is Mount Kosciuszko, which rises to some 2,228 meters above sea level. As Australia is located in the Southern Hemisphere, January and February are the hottest summer month, while June and July are the coldest winter month. which is the reverse of those in the Northern Hemisphere. In the tropical area of the north, which occupies around 40% of the country‘s total landmass, it is warm to extremely hot all year round and there is no winter. Australia is widely known as ―the Dry Continent‖ due to its low rainfall. Lake Eyre in the south Australia has the country‘s lowest annual rainfall, around 100 millimeters, while the eastern coast of Queensland has an annual rainfall of around 4,300 millimeters, enjoys the wettest climate.
60% of the Australian population lives in the big cities. The major urban centers include Sydney, Melbourne(capital city of Victoria), Brisbane(capital city of Queensland) , Perth(capital city of Western Australia), Adelaide, Darwin(the only large city in the northern part) and the capital city , Canberra. The name Canberra originally means ―meeting‖ place in the Aboriginal language. It is between Sydney and Melbourne. Sydney is the capital city of New South Wales and it‘s Australia‘s largest and oldest city. It is also home to a great deal of Australia‘s historic sites, wildlife parks, great beaches, waterways and national parks. 2. Brief introduction of history.
The history of Australia begins with the arrival of the Aborigines. Most anthropologists believe they migrated from southeast Asia at least 50,000years ago. The Aboriginal people were essentially hunter-gatherers without domesticated animals except the dingo（澳洲猎狗）and lived a nomadic（游牧）life.
The first documented European sighting of Australia was in 1606 by the Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon. The most successful Dutch expedition was that of Abel Tasman, who in 1642 sailed into the waters of Southern Australia. No further detailed explorations were made until 1770, when the English captain, James Cook, sailed along the fertile eastern coast of Australia. James named the coast New South Wales, and formally claimed it for Britain.
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, with the rapid development of English industry, the growth of population in London and other area also brought various social problems, such as unemployment, overcrowding, homelessness and poverty. The rising crime rate compelled Britain to find somewhere to house the population of its overcrowded prisons. In May , 1787, the First Fleet of 11 ships under the command of Captain Arthur Philip sailed from Portsmouth, Britain for Australia. The ship reached Botany Bay on January 18, 1788 with about 1,500 people on board,
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