1. Words and expression to remember:

   heel	пятка, каблук	parcel	зд. часть
   vulnerable	уязвимый	spectacular	эффектный
   dense	густой, плотный	spot	место
   hub	центр (чего-л.)	mouth	устье
   elevation	подъём	slight	незначительный
   centerpiece	возвышение	landmark	знаковый,
   hone	центральное	revival	приметный
   path	украшение	recreation	возрождение
   	затачивать,		отдых, развлечение
   	полировать
   	путь, дорога

2. Read and translate the text.

Ontario is one of Canada's ten provinces. It has a shape somewhat like a giant’s leg. On the heel of Ontario’s foot sits Ottawa, the capital of Canada.

On December 31, 1857, Queen Victoria was asked to choose a common capital for the province of Canada (modern Quebec and Ontario) and chose Ottawa. There are many reasons why Ottawa was chosen as the seat of government. First, it was the only settlement located right at the crossroads of French and English speaking Canada; second, the War of 1812 had shown how vulnerable the major cities were to American attack, since they were all located very close to the border while Ottawa was (then) surrounded by a dense forest far from the border; third, the government owned a large parcel of land on a spectacular spot overlooking the Ottawa River.

Ottawa is situated on the south bank of the Ottawa River, and contains the mouths of the Rideau River and Rideau Canal. The oldest part of the city (including what remains of Bytown) is known as Lower Town and occupies an area between the canal and the rivers. Across the canal to the west lies Centretown (often just called “downtown”), which is the city’s financial and commercial hub. Between here and the Ottawa River, the slight elevation of Parliament Hill is home to many of the capital’s landmark government buildings, and is the Legislative seat of Canada.

The original Centre Block of the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa was destroyed by fire on February 3, 1916. The House of Commons and Senate were temporarily relocated to the recently constructed Victoria Memorial Museum, currently the Canadian Museum of Nature. A new Centre Block was completed in 1922, the centrepiece of which is a dominant Gothic revival styled structure known as the Peace Tower which has become a common emblem of the city.

Its neo-Gothic Parliament buildings look like the Houses of Parliament in London and its traditions seem honed by Buckingham Palace. The city has a green-belt of more than 40.000 acres within the city that provides recreation areas and paths for bicycling and walking and for cross-country skiing in winter. All this is the setting for dozens of festivals, seasonal sports, cultural and ethnic celebrations throughout the year. Also, during the winter season The Rideau Canal is usually open and is a form of transportation downtown for about 7.8 kilometres for ice skaters and forms the world’s longest skating rink. Each May Ottawa receives a gift of several hundred thousand tulips from the royal family of the Netherlands. The Tulip festival takes place in various locations throughout the city.

In 2001 the population of the city of Ottawa was 774,072.

3. Answer the questions.

1. What is the capital of Canada?

2. Where is the capital situated?

3. Whose decision was to choose Ottawa as the capital?

4. What were the reasons for such choice?

5. What is the city’s financial and commercial hub?

6. Where is he most of government buildings situated?

7. Why was a new Centre Block built?

8. What is its centrepiece?

9. What does the city provide for its citizens?

10. What is the world’s longest skating rink?

11. What relations are between Ottawa and the Netherlands?

12. What is the population of the capital of Canada?

4. Match the two parts of the sentences.

   The Peace Tower has become	.. is known as В у town. ... to the recently constructed Victoria
   The slight elevation of Parliament Hill ...	Memorial Museum. ... to choose the capital of
   Ottawa was surrounded by ...	Canada.
   The royal family of the Netherlands ...	... is the legislative seat of Canada.
   Queen Victoria was asked ...	... a common emblem of the city,
   In 1916 the House of Commons and Senate were relocated ...	presents several hundred thousand tulips every year.
   The oldest part of the city ...	... a dense forest far from the border.

5. Choose the right answer.

1. Ontario is one of Canada’s ... provinces.

a) 12 b) 10 c) 8

2. ... Ottawa as the capital.

a) Queen Elizabeth I b) Queen Mart c) Queen Victoria

3. There were ... reasons for such choice.

a) 4 b) 2 c) 3

4. The oldest part of the city is known as…

a) By town b) Lower Town c) Centretown

5. . has become a common emblem of Ottawa.

a) Royal Tower b) Centre Tower c) Centretown

6. Canada’s Parliament buildings look like

a) Buckingham Palace b) Britain’s Houses of Parliament c) Westminster Abbey

7. Each ... Ottawa receives a gift from the Netherlands.

1. May b) April c) March