CHINA
The People’s Republic of China in Asia is one of the largest countries of the
world.
China is surrounded by 14 other countries.
It is a very beautiful country with the Himalayan Mountains in the west; deep
gorges, waterfalls and underground caverns can be found in the southwest. The
second largest desert in the world, the Taklaman Desert, is in the centre of
China. Because China is so large and has so many different regions you can find
lots of different animals live there. Many of them are rare or endangered
because their habitat has been destroyed. The most famous are, perhaps, the
Giant Pandas.
1.3 billion people live in China. 13.8 million of them live in the capital city, Beijing.
There are two major languages in China, Mandarin and Cantonese. Mandarin is
spoken in Beijing and is the official language of mainland China. Cantonese is
spoken mainly in Hong Kong and is the language that most Chinese people who
live in the UK speak.
China is a Communist country. The currency is the yuan or the Chinese renminbi.
£1 is equal to 12 Chinese renminbis. Renminbi means “People’s money”,
China has a rich history and culture. The Chinese New Year is celebrated every
year with traditional entertainment, dragon dancing and gift giving.
1.
Where is China?
2.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
How many countries border China?
3.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
What might you see in the centre of China?
4.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Which is the most famous endangered species in China?
5.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
What is the capital city of China?
6.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
How many people live in the capital city?
7.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
What are the two languages spoken in China?
8.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Which is the first language of most Chinese people who
live in the UK?
9.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
What is the Chinese Money?
10.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………..
How many renminbi could you get for £1?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Read the passage and fill in the gaps.
The People’s Republic of China in ___________ is one of the largest
countries of the world. China is surrounded by ____ other
countries.
It is a very beautiful country with the __________ Mountains in
the west; deep gorges, waterfalls and underground caverns can be
found in the southwest. The second largest desert in the world, the
______________, is in the centre of China. Because China is so
large and has so many different regions you can find lots of
different animals live there. Many of them are rare or endangered
because their habitat has been destroyed. The most famous are,
perhaps, ________________
1.3 billion people live in China. 13.8 million of them live in the capital
city,____________. There are two major languages in China,
Mandarin and Cantonese. Mandarin is spoken in Beijing and is the
official language of mainland China. Cantonese is spoken mainly in
____________ and is the language that most Chinese people who
live in the UK speak.
China is a Communist country. The currency is the yuan or the
Chinese renminbi. £1 is equal to_________________. Renminbi
means “People’s money”,
China has a rich history and culture. The ________________is
celebrated every year with traditional entertainment,
___________ dancing and gift giving.
1.
2.
Where is China?
a)America
b)Africa
How many countries surround China?
a)24
b)14
c)Asia
c)40
3.
What might you see in the centre of China?
a) A desert
b)waterfall
c) mountains
4.
Which is the most famous endangered species in China?
a) Snow leopard b) Giant panda
c) reindeer
5.
What is the capital city of China?
a) Beijing
b) Hong Kong
c) Shanghai
How many people live in the capital city
a)1.3 billion
b) 13.8 million
c) 1.8 million
Which language is NOT spoken in China?
a) Pharsee
b) Mandarin
c) Cantonese
6.
7.
8.
Which language do most Chinese people in the UK speak?
a) Madarin
b) Cantonese
c) Urdu
9.
What is the Chinese money called?
a) rupee
b) yen
10. How many renminbi could you get for £1?
a) 21
b) 12
c) yuan
c) 112
Reading
I. Read E-Lin’s description of the Great Wall of China. What has she written it for? circle one or
more
• a government survey
• an online encyclopaedia
• a website for visitors to China
If you visit China you must visit the great Wall of China. It is one of the most important
tourist attractions in China, and in 1987 it was listed as a UNESCO world heritage site.
It is also a wonderful experience to walk along the wall and feel the history and
wonderful atmosphere of the wall.
The wall is over 8500km long, and goes from the east to the west of China. The first
parts were built over two thousand years ago by the
Ming Emperors, in order to protect
the central regions of the country from being
attacked. All along the wall special buildings called
‘beacon towers’ were built. When some parts of
China were attacked by enemies, fires were lit in the
beacon towers so that people on other towers could see them and send warnings to the army.
Nowadays some of the sections are in ruins, but other sections have been repaired. The most
famous section is called Badaling. It is near Beijing, so it is convenient and there is a cable car
to transport tourists, but bear in mind that it is often full of tourists. It is safe to walk at Badaling,
but you should take strong shoes and walk carefully. The best time to visit is in spring or
autumn, so that you can enjoy mild weather and fantastic views. It will be an unforgettable trip.
II. Read the description again and make notes about the topics below for the Great Wall of
China.
1. Importance
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
2. Experience of visiting
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
3. Location
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
4. History
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
5. Function or purpose
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
6. Physical description
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
7. Advice for tourists
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Writing
I. Cross out the underlined words in E-Lin’s description and replace with the words below.
amazing
constructed
the place
them
go to
parts
the country
visitors
II. Preparing to write: Think of a place you know that would be interesting to visitors. Make
notes about the place using the categories in Reading exercise 2.
1. Importance
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
2. Experience of visiting
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
3. Location
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
4. History
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
5. Function or purpose
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
6. Physical description
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
7. Advice for tourists
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
III. Write a description of the place for visitors. Use your notes and the following useful phrases
to help you.
you must visit
make sure you
don’t forget to
bear in mind that
you might like to
it’s a good idea to
White three paragraphs:
1. Introduction
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
2. History, purpose and description
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
3. Advice for tourists
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Backup Practice 2
If you visit China you must visit the great Wall of China. It is one of the most important
tourist attractions in China, and in 1987 it was listed as a UNESCO world heritage site.
It is also a wonderful experience to walk along the wall and feel the history and
wonderful atmosphere of the wall.
The wall is over 8500km long, and goes from the east to the west of China. The first
parts were built over two thousand years ago by the Ming Emperors, in order to protect
the central regions of the country from being attacked. All along the wall special buildings
called ‘beacon towers’ were built. When some parts of China were attacked by enemies, fires
were lit in the beacon towers so that people on other towers could see them and send
warnings to the army.
Nowadays some of the sections are in ruins, but other sections have been repaired. The most
famous section is called Badaling. It is near Beijing, so it is convenient and there is a cable car
to transport tourists, but bear in mind that it is often full of tourists. It is safe to walk at Badaling,
but you should take strong shoes and walk carefully. The best time to visit is in spring or
autumn, so that you can enjoy mild weather and fantastic views. It will be an unforgettable trip.
Politeness In China
The way to be polite is different in each country. How is politeness in Chinese
culture different from Argentinean culture?
Being polite it literally means, "guest" and "behaviour". It means to be being
modest and humble in Chinese culture. For example, if A says to B "your jumper is
very nice" B would answers "It is not. It is very cheap." This is the common way to
reply to a compliment.
Another example to show politeness is the way Chinese people give and receive
presents.
Chinese people usually don't open the gift in front of the giver. It means respect
and that he or she believes that present is not important, but what is really
important is the friendship. So, to show politeness the present giver would say his
or her present is "petty" even if it is a very expensive gift.
The Chinese comment on your appearance directly to your face, for example they
say “Wow, you’re fat” it is not meant to hurt anyone’s feelings, but more of an
observation.
Compare and contrast our culture and their culture
_________________________ __________________________ ______ __________________________ ___________________________ ______________ _______________________ __________________________ __________________ _______________________ __________________________ __________________ __________________________ _______________________ __________________ _________________________ __________________________ ______________ ______________________________ __________________________ _________ ________________________________ _____________________________ CHINA QUICK FACTS
continent
population
type of
government
religion
language
Asia
1,321,000,000
communist
(single-party led)
Buddhism
Chinese
currency
capital
side of road drivers
drive on
colors of flag
head of government
yuan
Beijing
right side
red and gold
President
A. Use the chart to answer the questions. Write short answers.
1.
How many people live in China?
_______________
2.
What continent is it located on?
_______________
3.
Who is its head of government?
_______________
4.
Does type of government does it have?
_______________
5.
What colors are the flag?
_______________
6.
Which religion do most people practice?
_______________
7.
What language do the people speak?
_______________
8.
What is the capital of China?
_______________
9.
Do drivers drive on the left side of roads?
_______________
10. What is its currency?
_______________
B. Compare China to the country you live in. Write short sentences.
1.
2.
3.
Facts About China
The Great Wall of China can actually be seen from outer space! The wall was
started 21/2 thousand years ago and is more than 5,000 km long!
Chinese love their foods. It is divided into the north, east, and south, central
and south-western regions.
Some of the many crops include rice, wheat, soya beans, sesame, peanuts,
and sesame.
You have probably seen the giant pandas. They are the national treasure in
China. There are 1,600 living in the wild.
You may not have known this but the compass, paper; gun powder and
printing are all Chinese inventions!
China has cultivated tea for 2,000 yrs.
When you write your name in China you put your family name first then your
first name. There are no middle names. In Ancient China, characters were
written on animal bones, turtle shells, silk and bamboo slices. They really
needed paper!
China must really be into taking care of their teeth because they set aside
Sept. 20th as National “Love Your Teeth Day”!In the ancient times people
would wrap parchment around painful teeth which contained prayers and
incantations hoping that would cure their pain. The Chinese actually believed a
“tooth worm” was chewing away the tooth until it was gone!
We all know that chopsticks come from China. However, you probably didn’t
know they were losing millions of acres of forest each year due to chopstick
production. What a tremendous waste! So now they are encouraging
everyone to recycle their chopsticks instead of throwing them out.
Meanwhile, it is estimated that 200 million people in China live on less than
$1.00 a day!
UK PASSPORT
UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN
AND NORTHERN IRELAND
Official
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This Passport belongs to:
Passport
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
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Signature:
Date of issue: 03 / 05/ 12
Country Fact File
Country
Continent
Population
Capital city
Currency
Flag
Languages
spoken
Climate
Famous
sights and
landmarks
Interesting
facts
Interesting facts about China
My Journey
Places which I want to visit in China: