Text 3.The Galapagos Islands
СЕМЕСТР
People And Places
Text 1. The Native Americans
BEFORE COLUMBUS
When Columbus arrived in the Caribbean in 1492, he thought he had landed in the East Indies in Asia, so he called the people there 'Indians'. In fact, they were Native Americans, who had arrived in the Americas over 40.000 years before him.
At that time, Native Americans lived all over North America. Many of them lived in small groups of about 20-50 people. Most of them were very peaceful people, who lived by hunting and collecting food. Other Native Americans lived in small villages where they had farms. The Native Americans were the first people to cultivate many of the plants that we now eat: potatoes, beans, maize, tomatoes, pineapples, cacao and many more. There were thousands of different languages and tribes, each with its own culture.
THE ARRIVAL OF THE EUROPEANS
When the Europeans arrived, they tried to take land away from the Native Americans and there were many wars. Millions of Native Americans also died from the diseases that the Europeans brought with them. As the Europeans took control over the eastern part of North America, the Native Americans had to move to the west in order to survive. After the United States became independent, white Americans moved further west into the lands where Native Americans lived, and there were many battles - as we can see in the 'cowboys and Indians' films. Then, starting in 1830, the US Government forced the Native Americans to move even further west into 'reservations'. The Native Americans fought against this, and for many years there were wars against the white Americans, ending with the massacre of Sioux men, women and children at Wounded Knee in 1890.
Text 2. The First Australians
There were people in Australia long before Europeans 'discovered' the continent in the 1600s. The Aborigines arrived there about 12,000 years before from Southeast Asia.
They lived by collecting food and hunting with spears and boomerangs.
They didn't have metal or pottery, but they had very rich forms of art, painting, song, poetry and mythology. There were over 500 different languages and tribes, with complex systems of trade. The lives of the Aborigines stayed almost the same for thousands of years until the Europeans came to live in Australia in 1778.
In 1770, James Cook landed in eastern Australia and declared that it belonged to Britain. At this time, Britain was looking for a place to send its prisoners and criminals. Australia was the perfect place - far away from Britain. In 1778, the British government began sending the first prisoners to Australia. They sent thousands and thousands to different parts of Australia.
Over time, many free people arrived from Britain and Europe. They built small towns and in the 1850s they discovered gold. Life was very difficult. There was very little water and the climate was very hard.
The Europeans suffered a lot in Australia but the Aborigines suffered a lot more. The Europeans stole their land and killed thousands of Aborigines. They also brought new diseases with them. In parts of Australia, not one Aborigine survived. Today, Aborigines continue to live in Australia but their culture is under threat. In 1770, there were about 300,000 Aborigines. Now, there are about 120,000. It is becoming harder and harder for them to continue their traditional way of life.
Today, Australia is a modern, industrial country, independent from Britain. In total, about eighteen million people live there. It is the world's biggest producer of wool and an important producer of wheat, meat, sugar and fruit. The biggest city is Sydney, where about four million people live. The capital, Canberra, is much smaller, with a population of about 285,000.
Text 3.The Galapagos Islands
The Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean are one of the natural wonders of the world. One thousand kilometres from the South American coast, the Galapagos are home to many rare animals, such as giant tortoises, sea birds and dolphins.
The islands first became famous in 1859 when Charles Darwin wrote about them in his book, The Origin of Species. When Darwin visited the islands, he found there a key to 'that great mystery of mysteries - the first appearance of new life on this earth'.
Today the islands belong to Ecuador, and 97% of the area is a national park. However, despite this protection, the park is in danger. The most serious threat comes from illegal fishing, which is slowly destroying marine life. Every day illegal nets trap and kill sharks, pelicans and dolphins.
Another threat comes from animals brought over by people who have come to live on the islands. Dogs and cats eat the sea birds, and rats and pigs eat turtle eggs. Getting these animals off the island is difficult and expensive.
Although tourism is seen as a positive thing, it too has caused problems. The population of Galapagos is growing fast, with people from the mainland looking for jobs. Unfortunately the islands' resources can't support this growth.
Today the Galapagos is still a wonderful place, but how long will this last? 'It's impossible to protect the park on our own, says park ranger Diego Correa. 'We need help and resources from outside, and it's up to everyone to make a contribution - the Galapagos belongs to the whole world.'