Civilizations topics

 Write about the geographical background of the USA

 Write about the geographical background of Great Britain
 Write about the geographical background of Moldova
 What places in the UK would you like to visit? What are your reasons?
 What does the Flag of Great Britain symbolize?
 Britain has much variety to offer. Lots of people who visit the country are drawn
by its history. Which places are regarded as the most important and interesting
monuments of the country’s history? Give your reasons.
 Make a list of attractions and beauty spots in the USA/ the UK/ Moldova and
suggest some of the things that you might do there if you visited one of them.
 How would you characterize the people who live in the USA/ the UK/ Moldova?
What traditions do they retain?
 What thongs are associated with Scotts? Describe one of them (a kilt, a tartan, a
bagpipe)
 What do you thing are the ways for every people or nation to keep a strong
consciousness of their ethnic distinctness?
 Do you think that learning English is an obligatory part of your education? Why?
 What do you know about the British traditional love of gardens and gardening?
 What newspapers and magazines are popular among the British/ American and
Moldovan readers? Why?
 Which sports have a long history in Britain and are practiced with enthusiasm?
 Write about education in Great Britain, the USA and Moldova
 Write about higher education in Great Britain
 Write about higher education in the USA
 What places of interest would you like to visit if you were in London? Why?
 Write about the most popular sports English people go in for.
 If you were to make a report about famous people if Great Britain who would you
speak about? Why?
 What can you tell about British people, their customs and traditions.
 If you were offered three days to travel in the USA where would you go? Why?
 If you were to make a report about American presidents who would you like to
speak about? Why?
 Write about holidays in the USA and their amusements
 Write about the most popular sports Americans go in for
 What makes Australia different from other continents
 What makes the USA different from other countries
 What cities in Great Britain would you like to visit? Why?
 Write about a museum from Great Britain
 List 3 writers from English-speaking countries you know. Who is your favourite
writer? Explain why you like him/her
 List 3 American Presidents. Which do you admire? Why?
 Scotland is famous for its valuable historical places. Describe and give interesting
details about one worth visiting place. Justify your choice
 Your city decided to build a statue or a monument to honour a famous alive art
person in your country. Who would you choose? Why?
 If you could ask a politician from an English-speaking country just one question,
what would you ask and why?
 List 3 ideas contained in the International Declaration of Human Rights and
comment on them. Are these respected in our country? Who are responsible for
this?
 Nowadays some students prefer to study abroad. Choose a university from an
English-speaking country and write about the facilities it offers. How different is
it from our universities?
 Think about the educational system in the USA. List 3 features of the American
System of Education you would like to implement in our country. Why?
 Imagine you are an exchange student and have recently come back from the UK.
Which aspects of English schools would you share with your friends and family?
 Orhan Pamuk said: “Real museums are places where time is transformed into
space”. Imagine yourself visiting a museum in an English-speaking country. Why
is it worth visiting? What can you see there?
 Imagine you are a history teacher. What would you tell your students about the
British monarchy? Write about the most interesting and important things related
to the British monarchy.
 List 5 things you like most of all about one of the English-speaking countries?
(they can be: food, places, buildings, people…). Why do you like them?
 What do you think is interesting about your culture that foreigners would be
surprised to find out? Why?
 If you were asked to send one thing representing your country to an international
exhibition, what would you choose? Why?
 If you could travel in time to meet a famous person from an English-speaking
country, what person would you like to meet? Why?
 What areas of British culture do you find the most interesting: literature, music,
art, others? Why? Explain your choice.
 English-speaking countries, as other countries in the world, have many holidays
and festivals. Which do you enjoy the most? Why?
 What do you know about American sports and games? Describe one.
 When you think of different English-speaking countries, what do you usually
associate to each of them? Write about 2 national stereotypes
 Geographical background of the United Kingdom
Great Britain consists of a large group of islands, separated from the European
continent by the English Channel. Also, it is surrounded on East by the North Sea and
on West by the Irish Sea. Of course, Great Britain includes a big variety of landscapes,
correspondingly, northern Britain consists of rugged, undeveloped hills, the highest
peak is Ben Nevis, and the southern Britain is made of flat lowlands. As well, there are
a lot of rivers and lakes on the British territory, like the Severn and the Thames rivers
and lake Loch Ness, which is the largest by volume.
Overall, this type of geographical position confers Great Britain the temperate
climate, which is moderated by its maritime location.

Geographical background of the USA

The United States of America is the fourth largest country in the world. First, it lies
between the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans and occupies the southern part of the North
American continent. In addition, it borders on Canada in the North and Mexico in the
South. Furthermore, it consists of 50 states, each with its government and capital.
Besides this, the USA has a great variety of landscapes. It varies from heavy forests to
barren deserts, from high-peaked mountains, Appalachians and Rocky Mountains, to
deep canyons. As well, the USA is famous for its five Great Lakes, and large rivers like
the Mississippi, the Ohio and the Columbia.
Above all, the US is very rich in mineral resources, and has a big diversity of them,
which lies at the base of the US economy, hence, it is a country worth visiting.

Why is Australia a place to be visited?

Australia is worth visiting because of well-known all around the world touristic
attractions such as the Sydney Opera House, Kakadu National Park and Fraser Island.
First of all, the Sydney Opera House offers a stunning view from all four parts of the
building. Moreover, it is a versatile building, used for everything that is linked with the
art of music and opera. What is more, the Kakadu National Park is the second largest in
the world and it is famous for the richness of aboriginal cultural sites. In the same way,
Australia should be visited for Fraser Island, which is the largest multi-coloured sand
island in the world. What is more, its uniqueness consists of being made up of sand
which has been accumulating for 750 000 years on volcanic bedrock.
Overall, Australia is exceptional for being a country, which is also a continent.
 Geographical background of Moldova
Moldova is a country located in the Eastern Europe. It boarders on Romania and the
Ukraine. Also, its territory lies between two main rivers, the Nistru and the Prut. As
well, most of Moldova’s territory is a moderate hilly plateau, there are no mountains
and no canyons. Likewise, it is famous for picturesque landscapes of orchards and
fields. Furthermore, Moldova’s natural habitat is characterized by forests and steppes.
Overall, this type of background confers a mild and sunny climate, which plays a great
role in agriculture, because of making soils fertile.

What places in the UK would you like to visit? Why?

The United Kingdom is famous for its variety of touristic attractions, for this reason, I
would like to visit the National Gallery, Stonehenge and the Tower of London (the
White Tour). First of all, the National Gallery is worth vising because it houses a huge
collection of paintings dating from 13th century. Moreover, it has great collections of
paintings of the outstanding painters such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Van Gogh and
Raphael. Second, I would like to visit Stonehenge because, it is one of the most famous
ancient monuments. In addition, its uniqueness consists of being created by a culture
that left no written records and there are a lot of myths about these stones. Third, the
White Tower is the most famous fortress in the world. Furthermore, many kings and
queens resided here and today it is home to the most famous Crown Jewels.
Under these circumstances, the UK should be visited, notwithstanding which
destination you choose.
What does the flag of Great Britain symbolize?
The Union Flag, popularly known as the Union Jack, is the national flag of Great
Britain. Moreover, the design was ordered by king James VI to be used on ships on the
high seas. Likewise, it subsequently came into use as a national flag, having as aim to
unite a newly created state. In addition, the flag consists of the red cross of Saint
George, patron saint of England, superimposed on the Saltire of Saint Andrew, patron
saint of Scotland.
To conclude, this flag symbolizes the administrative union of the countries of the
United Kingdom.
 Thanksgiving Day- a national holiday in the USA
Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday celebrated in the United States. First, it began
as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of preceding year, and it is
celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. One of the first New England colonies
decided to establish a feast day to mark the end of the farming year. What is more,
Thanksgiving was founded as a religious observance for all the members of the
community to give thanks to God for a common purpose, and this tradition still
continues today in many forms. Likewise, the Thanksgiving feast is based on the native
American foods that allowed the early settlers to survive: turkey, corn, potatoes and
squash, and the meal is not complete without a pumpkin pie.
In conclusion, this holiday has a paramount importance for the Americans.
Make a list of attractions and beauty spots in Moldova and suggest some of the
things you might do there if you visit one of them
Moldova is a country of orchards and awesome hills and lowlands. Some of the most
famous destinations are the Old Orhei, Cricova Winery, the Mimi Castle and the
Fortress of Soroca. If you have the possibility to visit Cricova winery, it is a great
opportunity to see one of the greatest wine collections in the world. Moreover, there you
can see the process of wine making. Likewise, the guide will tell you the whole history
of the winemaking and of this company. What is more, there you can see some of the
oldest wines and the collections of prominent persons of nowadays’ world.
In conclusion, Cricova winery is worth visiting, because, it is a small wine town with
its unique streets named as wine species.
Name some things that define an English-speaking country’s culture. Bring at least
one example
The United Kingdom has its unique elements of culture which are closely related to its
history. For instance, the national symbols, English language and specific norms and
values. First of all, English is a West Germanic language and it was firstly spoken in
early medieval England, but now, it is a global language. Likewise, its name came from
a Germanic tribe- Angles, that emigrated to the British area. What is more, English has
been developing for over 1400 years, till the form we know nowadays, so that, it passed
through a lot of sets of dialects. As British Empire had a worldwide influence, English
spread around the world from 17th to 20th centuries.
Therefore, English language is the thing which defines the British culture and they
should be proud to have a language which is spoken all over the world.
 List 3 American Presidents. Which do you admire? Explain your choice
Forty-four men served as Presidents of the United States. Some of the most
remarkable are George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, John Kennedy and Barack
Obama. For me, one of the most significant was George Washington as he was the first
President of the US. He refused to accept his salary for 8,5 years and even used his
money to fill the budget of the country. Moreover, his face appears on the iconic one
dollar bill and he has given his name to the capital city of the US. Furthermore, he
worked hard to set an example of fairness, prudence and integrity and supported cordial
relations with other countries.
To my belief, he was one of the paramount Presidents of the USA, as he established
the basic outline of the federal court system and changed the US Constitution through
the Bill of Rights and ensured a democratic system.
Scotland is famous for its valuable historical places. Describe and give interesting
details about one worth visiting place. Justify your choice
Scotland is a country with remarkable landmarks, some of the most paramount are
Killiecrankie Gorge, Edinburgh Castle and Skara Brae Prehistoric Village. First, the
Skara Brae Prehistoric Village, this Neolithis settlement is one of the best preserved
groups of prehistoric houses in Western Europe. It gives an outstanding picture of life
5’000 years ago, ancient homes fitted with stone beds, dressers and seats. The second,
Killiecrankie Gorge, here we can discover the site of one of the goriest battles in
Jacobite history, which is a rich conservation area now. Moreover, we can see Soldier’s
Leap and River Garry, the views from the bridge are spectacular in autumn. The third,
Edinburgh Castle, it is a world-wide known icon of Scotland and part of the Old and
New Towns of Edinburgh’s World Heritage Site.
As for me, Scotland has a huge amount of famous historical places which,
undoubtedly, we should visit if we have the opportunity.
Your school library has asked you to recommend a movie/ a book/ a song that
reflects the culture of an English-speaking country. Write your advice and explain
I would like to recommend the well-known Shakespearean drama “Romeo and Juliet”
because it represents the culture of Great Britain. Obviously, art and books, namely, are
the paramount part of a culture as they suggest the beliefs and behaviours of the people
from the country. Moreover, this drama is legendary and there is no person who knows
nothing about its origins. What is more, it symbolizes the British culture and they are
very proud of it. Hence, this tragedy brought to Shakespeare his world-wide fame.
To my belief, this is a remarkable writing which lies at the base of British culture.