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13.3
Read and translate the text
South America, fourth largest continent and southernmost of the two main New
World landmasses. It covers an area of some 17,814,000 sq km, or about one-eight of
Earth’s land area. The continent, broad in the north and tapering in the south at Tierra
del Fuego, extends about 7,600 km from Point Gallinas (Colombia) in the north to
Cape Horn (Chile) in the south. Bounded by the Carribean Sea to the northeast, east
and southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the west, the continent is separated from
Antarctica by the Drake Passage. In the northeast it is joined to North America by the
Isthmus of Panama, which forms a land bridge narrowing to about 80 km at one
point. Some years ago the population of the continent was estimated to be
302,819,000.
The continent may be divided into three topographic sections: the geologically
young mountain chains of the Andes in the west;
the ancient, crystalline Guiana and
Brazilian continental shields in the east and north-centre; and the sedimentary basins
peripheral to the shields. The Andes Mountains stretch north - south for about
8,800 km and are second in average height only to Himalayas of Asia. The Andes
region is seismically active and prone to earthquakes. The Pampas of eastern
Argentina consists of an immense accumulation of loose sediment brought down
from Andes by rivers or dust storms. Covering an area of about 707,000 sq km,
the Pampas and its fertile soils constitute one of South America’s most productive
agricultural areas.
South America’s hydrology is dominated in the north by the Amazon River
basin, which drains a third of the continent’s land area into the Atlantic Ocean. Three
other important river systems, the Orinoco, the Parana-Paraguay-Rio de la Plata, and
Sao Francisco, also empty into the Atlantic Ocean. Most of the lakes of South
America are mountain lakes in the Andes or along their foothills. Lake Titicaca, lying
at an elevation of about 3,810 km between Peru and Bolivia, is the highest freshwater
lake in the world.
South America can be divided into four well-marked climatic regions: tropical,
temperate, arid, and cold. One of the features that moderates South American climate
is the Peru Current along South America’s western coast. The waters of the Peru
Current keep temperatures between northern Chile and the equator cooler than
average for the low latitudes. The Peru Current also helps to create the Atacama
Desert on South America’s western coast. Winds crossing the cold current from the
west lose all their moisture over the water. Some people in the Atacama have never
seen rain.
Over half the total land area is covered by forest, principally the enormous but
steadily diminishing Amazon Rain Forest. About 2,500 different species of trees
grow in the rain forests. Almost one-fourth of all the world’s known species of
animals live in the rain forests, plateaus, rivers, and swamps.
They include such rare
and indigenous forms as the llama, jaguar, alpaca, capybara, sloth, giant ant-eater,
manatee, and piranha.
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Most export trade is with the USA and the members of the European Community
(EC). Intraregional trade within the continent is slowly increasing. Agriculture
employs approximately one-fourth of the overall South American work force. Despite
the continent’s
reputation as a food producer, agricultural productivity is generally
low, and land utilization is inefficient.
***
Four main ethnic components have contributed to the present-day population of
South America: American Indians, who were the continent’s pre-Columbian
inhabitants; the Iberians, Spanish and Portuguese who conquered and dominated the
continent until the beginning of the 19
th century; the Africans, imported as slaves by
the colonizers; and finally, the post-independence immigrants from the overseas,
mostly Germans and Southern Europeans but also Lebanese, South Asians, and
Japanese. Spanish is the official language throughout South America except for
Portuguese and Brazil, French in French Guiana,
English in Guyana, and Dutch in
Suriname. Less than 10 percent of South America’s total population are speakers of
Indian languages. South America is predominantly Christian in religious affiliation.
***
Страны Южной Америки три века были колониями Испании и
Португалии. Политической независимости они добились в начале 19 века, но
затем оказались в экономической зависимости от европейских государств, а
затем – от США. Сравнительно недавно освободились от колониальной
зависимости Гайана и Суринам. Сохраняет свой колониальный статус Гвиана –
« заморский департамент » Франции. Государства Южной Америки относятся к
группе развивающихся стран. Они сильно различаются по уровню социально-
экономического развития. Наиболее развитые страны Южной Америки –
Аргентина, Бразилия, Уругвай.
13.9 Text for written translation
The Peru Current, which flows northward along the western coast of South
America, sometimes behaves in ways that scientists do not fully understand. Because
this usually occurs soon after Christmas, it is called El Nino, Spanish for “the [Christ]
Child”. Occasionally northerly winds replace the prevailing southerly winds and the
cold Peru Current moves westward. In its place comes a warm current – El Nino. The
warm waters of El Nino stop the
upwelling (a climatic condition brought on by winds
that persistently drive water away from the coast), and
completely break down the
normal ecological system. Most of the marine life moves in search of plankton – rich
cooler waters.
Scientists now recognize that El Nino’s influences reach far beyond the west
coast of South America. Indeed, it is now known that El Nino interacts with
worldwide weather patterns. Rainfall shifts from the normally wet western Pacific
toward the drier eastern Pacific. The Philippines and Indonesia experience drought.
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Intense heat and drought sweep Australia. Ecuador and Peru receive heavy rain and
floods take heavy tolls in human lives and property losses. Record-breaking
snowfalls paralyze the east coast of North America, while western Canada and
Alaska experience unusually mild winters. All result from a still-unexplained change
in the weather.
In 1972 El Nino appeared quite suddenly. When it stopped, upwelling resumed.
But most of the fish were gone. Without fish to consume the plankton, they
overmultiplied and exhausted their food sources. Billions died and decomposed on
the ocean floor. Decomposition used large quantities of the water’s oxygen, making
the ocean off Peru unable to support fish until balance was restored.
13.10 Make up all possible types of questions to the text 13.9
13.11 Speak on:
1. geographical position of South America
2. physical features
3. climate
4.
flora and fauna
5. El Nino
13.12 Get ready to speak about any South American country you like (see Les. 10,
ex.10.12)