UNIT 12. ENGLISH-SPEAKING COUNTRIES
A. PHONETICS
I. Put the sentences into the correct column.
a. Whose book is on the desk?
b. How far is English spread nowadays?
c. Should we consider English an official language?
d. How much is an online English course?
e. Is it useful to learn English from YouTube?
f. What countries have English as an official language?
g. How will you use English in the future?
h. Do you really need a public speaking course?
i. Will there be more IELTS sessions available?
j. When did you first start studying English?
k. Would you like to learn a language this summer?
l. Do you need to learn the irregular verbs in English?
m. What are the best countries in Europe to study English?
n. Are there dozens of English-speaking countries in the world?
o. Why do more people speak Spanish than English as their first language?
p. Can they communicate without using English in a foreign country?
Rising intonation

Falling intonation

II. Decide whether the following sentences' intonation is falling () or rising ().
1. How many people speak English in Europe? (_____)
2. What is the future of English in your country? (_____)
3. Do I have to go abroad for a whole semester? (_____)
4. Is India an English-speaking country? (_____) How many people speak it? (_____)
5. Why did English become important? (_____) Is it because of the British Empire? (_____)

6. Are English and Irish are the official languages of Ireland? (_____)
7. Where is the cheapest place to live that speaks English? (_____)
8. Should we be careful about choosing one particular language? (_____)
B. VOCABULARY
I. Match the countries with people and capitals.
Countries

People

Capitals

1. The UK

A. Canadian

a. Canberra

2. The USA

B. Indian

b. Ottawa

3. Canada

C. Malaysian

c. London

4. Australia

D. Australian

d. New Delhi

5. New Zealand

E. New Zealander

e. Kuala Lumpur

6. Ireland

F. British

f. Dublin

7. Malaysia

G. American

g. Washington, D. C.

8. India

H. Irish

h. Wellington

II. Choose the correct answer to complete the sentences.
1. A ___________ English speaker is a person whose mother tongue is English. (native/
foreign)
2. People often talk about English as a ___________ language or lingua franca. (local/ global)
3. New Zealand's national animal, the ___________, is the only bird, which does not have a
tail. (kangaroo/ kiwi)
4. Buckingham ___________ is the Queen's residence in London, as well as her administrative
headquarters. (Castle/ Palace)
5. Singapore has four ___________ languages: English, Malay, Mandarin Chinese, and Tamil.
(official/ formal)
6. The ___________ culture is rich in tradition and legend, and forms an integral part of New
Zealand society. (Celtic/ Maori)
7. British ___________ food is full breakfast, fish and chips, the Sunday roast, steak, Kidney
pie, Shepherds pie, bangers, and mash. (traditional/ historical)
8. The ___________ Opera House in Australia is one of the world's most famous buildings.
(Sydney/ Melbourne)

9. The Ireland island is divided into the ___________ of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
(Republic/ Kingdom)
10. London's ___________ Thames is famous for landmarks such as Tower Bridge and the
London Eye. (coastline/ river)
III. Choose the best answer to complete the sentences.
1. ___________ is the biggest of the four countries in the United Kingdom.
A. England

B. Scotland

C. Northern Ireland D. Wales

2. ___________, capital city of Scotland, located in southeastern Scotland.
A. Manchester

B. Liverpool

C. Edinburgh

D. Leeds

3. Hawaii is a ___________ in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean.
A. district

B. county

C. province

D. state

4. The largest ___________ in the British Isles is Great Britain, including England, Wales and
Scotland.
A. continent

B. mainland

C. island

D. peninsula

5. The UK's earliest hand axes were made by ___________ humans 560,000 years ago.
A. unique

B. ancient

C. amazing

D. popular

6. A kilt is a knee-length ___________ dress skirt that is often worn on formal occasions.
A. men's

B. women's

C. children's

D. students'

7. The ___________ is where the President and First Family of the United States live and
work.
A. British Museum B. White House

C. Kensington Palace

D. Edinburgh Castle

8. Formerly known as Ayers Rock, ___________ is made of sandstone about half a billion
years old.
A. Uluru

B. Tower Bridge

C. Statue of Liberty D. Stonehenge

9. The British ___________ family comprises Queen Elizabeth II and her close relations.
A. imperial

B. royal

C. national

D. native

10. The Loch Ness monster is a mythical animal that lives in Loch Ness, a freshwater
___________ near Inverness, Scotland.
A. waterfalls
C. GRAMMAR

B. ocean

C. lake

D. park

I. Choose the correct answer.
1. Australia is (a/ the) smallest of the world's continents.
2. Northern Ireland has (the/ an) area of 14,160 square kilometres.
3. Do I need a Canadian visa if I have (a/ an) United States visa?
4. Canada is (an/ a) huge country on the North American continent.
5. 'USA' is (a/ an) abbreviation of United States of America.
6. In 2019, Liverpool was (the/ an) fifth most visited UK city.
7. Birmingham is (a/ an) international commercial centre of England.
8. Cardiff is the largest city and also (an/ the) capital of Wales.
9. (A/ The) Republic of Ireland shares a border with Northern Ireland.
10. Liverpool is (an/ a) city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England.
II. Fill in each blank with a, an, or the.
1. Australia is ________ world's sixth-largest country.
2. Vancouver is ________ major city in western Canada.
3. What are the benefits of being ________ Australian citizen?
4. Northern Ireland is ________ smallest country in the UK.
5. An Englishman is ________ native or inhabitant of England.
6. An upside-down Union Flag is used as ________ sign of distress.
7. Boxing is Ireland's most successful sport at ________ Olympic level.
8. Sydney is ________ capital city of the state of New South Wales.
9. An emblem is a design representing ________ country or organisation.
10. The United Kingdom left ________ European Union on 31 January 2020.
III. Choose the best answer to complete the sentences.
1. ____ Union Flag, or Union Jack, is ____ national flag of the United Kingdom.
A. An – a

B. The – an

C. A – a

D. The – the

2. Australia is distinctive because it is ____ island, ____ country, and ____ continent.
A. an - a - a

B. the - a - a

C. the - the - the

D. a - an – an

3. I have ____ list of countries and territories where English is ____ official language.
A. the - a

B. a - an

C. a - the

D. an – an

4. ____ New Zealander is ____ citizen of New Zealand, or ____ person of New Zealand origin.

A. A - the - a

B. The - the - the

C. A - a - a

D. The - a – a

5. Jamaica is ____ third-largest English-speaking country in ____ Western Hemisphere.
A. the - a

B. a - the

C. the - the

D. a – a

6. ____ Common Travel Area is ____ arrangement between the United Kingdom and Ireland.
A. An - a

B. A - an

C. A - the

D. The – an

7. ____ Philippines is ____ archipelago, or string of over 7100 islands, in southeastern Asia.
A. The - a

B. A - an

C. The - an

D. An – an

8. There is ____ difference between being ____ permanent resident and being ____ Australian
citizen.
A. a-a-a

B. a-a-an

C. a - the - a

D. a - a – the

9. In ____ range of natural habitats, there is ____ abundance of wildlife species across
Scotland.
A. a - an

B. an - a

C. an - an

D. a – a

10. Jamaica became ____ independent sovereign state and ____ member of ____ British
Commonwealth of Nations in 1962.
A. a - the - the

B. an - a - a

C. the - a - a

D. an - a – the

IV. Choose the word or phrase that needs correction.
1. England has (A) a (B) large economy and uses (C) the pound sterling as their (D) currency.
2. Hamilton wants to go to the (A) USA, and (B) he hasn't got enough money (C) for the (D)
trip.
3. Ms. Elizabeth is an (A) English teacher at a (B) school in a (C) centre of the (D) town.
4. An (A) estimated 700,000 people speak Welsh (B), an (C) official language at (D) Wales.
5. The (A) proud and anciently (B) battle standard of the (C) Welsh is the (D) Red Dragon.
6. Birmingham has played a (A) important part in (B) the (C) history of modern sport (D).
7. He still speak (A) English with a (B) Scottish accent although (C) he left (D) Scotland
twenty years ago.
8. People in Dublin dress (A) more individual (B) than people in (C) London or wherever (D).
9. Emigration was (A) an (B) important feature of British (C) society in 19th century (D).
10. Around (A) one-third of the Australian (B) population had an elements (C) of Irish (D)
descent.

D. SPEAKING
I. Write questions for the underlined parts.
1. French is Montreal's official language.
____________________________________________________________________.
2. The United States of America consists of 50 states.
____________________________________________________________________.
3. Most people in Britain speak English with a regional accent.
____________________________________________________________________.
4. English is one of the eleven official languages in South Africa.
____________________________________________________________________.
5. First exploratory voyages came to New Zealand by boat.
____________________________________________________________________.
6. Yes, Filipino and English are the official languages of the Philippines.
____________________________________________________________________.
7. New Zealand has extensive marine resources because of its long coastline.
____________________________________________________________________.
8. The U.S. began expanding across North America in the late 18th century.
____________________________________________________________________.
II. Complete the conversation using the words or phrases from the box.
 of course
 Really
 You were lucky
 Is it the main reason
 Thanks for your advice
 I don't know
 How about you
 Yes, I like English
Trang: Why did you choose to study English, Ms. Trang? Is it simply because you like it?
Ms. Vy: Well. (1) ________________, but there were some reasons why I chose English as a
major in university. And now I'm working as a teacher of English.

Trang: (2) ________________?
Ms. Vy: Yes. When I was young, about the same age as you now, my father encouraged me to
study English, for he knew I was good at it in high school. I was glad to know his wish.
Trang: (3) ________________?
Ms. Vy: You can say so. When I grew up, I read lots of books and newspaper and realised that
English was a global language and it was really suitable for my future study.
Trang: (4) ________________. You loved English, you were good at it, and your parents
wanted you to study it.
Ms. Vy: You're right. (5) ________________, Trang?
Trang: (6) ________________, Ms. Vy. My brother said that he would study Japanese as our
father is working in a Japanese company. He thinks we should study Japanese and work for a
Japanese company too.
Ms. Vy: Which language do you like most?
Trang: English, (7) ________________.
Ms. Vy: Don't worry, Trang. Just talk about it with your parents. They will understand how
you are feeling and help you to have a right decision.
Trang: (8) ________________, Ms. Vy.
E. READING
I. Read the passage and decide whether the statements are TRUE or FALSE.
Canadian English is the type of English that is used by Canadians. It is like American
English in terms of vocabulary, but its grammar is like that of British English.
Canadian English is generally taught in schools using British ways of spelling, such as
colour, flavour, and so on. However, the word themselves are usually American, in part
because Canadians watch a lot of American TV shows and listen to a lot of American pop
musiC. Rarely, the British form of words may be replaced with American forms, such as plow,
programme, and so on.
The main exception to this rule is terms related to cars and the auto industry. Because
Canada's auto industry has always been dominated by American firms, Canadians use
American words and spelling for such terms. Canadians and Americans spell the outer rubber
portion of a wheel as tire instead of tyre, put gasoline or gas in their vehicles instead of petrol,

store items in the trunk instead of the boot, and may drive a truck instead of a lorry.
Canadian English is different from other forms of English in its spoken form also. The
dialects vary from sounding overtly English to an indistinguishable form very similar to those
spoken in the northern states.
1. Canadian English is like American English in terms of grammar. ________
2. Canadian English use British ways of spelling. ________
3. Canadians watch American TV shows and listen to American pop music. ________
4. Canadians don't use American words and spelling for auto industry. ________
5. Canadians put petrol in their vehicles instead of gasoline. ________
6. Canadian spoken form of English is different from other spoken forms of English. ________
II. Fill in each blank with a word from the box.
lakes

north

valleys

country

Scotland

melted

also

islands

The United Kingdom, also called the U.K., consists of a group of (1) __________ off the
northwest coast of Europe. It is a unique (2) __________ made up of four nations: England,
Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. England, Wales, and Scotland (3) __________ make up
Great Britain.
Much of the (4) __________ and west of the U.K. is covered in high ground, knife- edged
mountain ridges separated by deep (5) __________. This terrain was shaped in the last Ice Age,
when thick glaciers covered the land.
In the south of England, the countryside is mostly rolling hills. In northwest England and
the Scottish Highlands are dozens of (6) __________, called lochs. These were left behind
when the Ice Age glaciers (7) __________. They tend to be long and narrow, and some are
very deep. Legends say that a giant monster called Nessie lives in Loch Ness in (8)
__________.
F. WRITING
I. Rearrange the words to make a meaningful sentence.
1. global/ is/ London/ a/ population/ city/ a/ with/ of/ over 14 million
________________________________________________________________________.
2. languages/ English/ are/ the/ official/ Canada/ of/ and French
________________________________________________________________________.

3. United Kingdom/ individual countries/ The/ is/ a/ between/ four/ union
________________________________________________________________________.
4. suffering/ climate change,/ Due to/ Australia/ many/ bush fires/ is/ from
\________________________________________________________________________.
5. Scotland, Wales,/ their own/ have/ devolved governments/ and Northern Ireland
________________________________________________________________________.
6. ethnic groups/ of/ England/ The people/ are/ many different/ a mixture of
________________________________________________________________________.
7. more/ Wales/ other European country/ has/ castles per square kilometre/ than/ any
________________________________________________________________________.
8. Great Barrier Reef/ the/ The/ the/ world/ biggest coral reef system/ in/ is
________________________________________________________________________.
II. Complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first one.
1. Scotland has a high proportion of police officers.
 There
2. New Zealanders don't like talking about personal matters.
 New Zealanders aren't interested
3. No city in the USA is as crowded as New York.
 New York is the
4. They don't allow tourists to cross the river at night.
 The tourists mustn't
5. Not many people can explore the White House.
 Only a
6. Shall we go out for a walk around the hotel's garden?
 Let' s
7. The United States of America has many famous landmarks.
 There
8. You should join the English club at your school.
 Why don't you?