New Zealand is a country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It is separated from Australia by the Tasman Sea. It consists of two main islands: the South Island, the North Island, and a number of smaller islands. The North Island is long and volcanic in its south central part. New Zealand has many springs and geysers. The South Island has the Southern Alps along its west coast, with Mount Cook the highest point. New Zealand has more than 50 volcanoes, some are still active today. Snowy peaks, rocky shores, and pastures create a really majestic landscape. The first settlers of New Zealand were Maoris. The Maori named New Zealand Aotearoa, which is usually translated into English as ‘The Land of the Long White Cloud’. The Dutch cartographers called the islands Nova Zeelandia, after the Dutch province of Zeeland. In 1769, Captain James Cook came to the islands. The British established settlements and signed a treaty with the Maori in 1840. In 1893, New Zealand became the first country to give women the right to vote. The country became a dominion of Britain in 1907 and gained its independence from Britain in 1947. The population of New Zealand is about 4 million people. The official languages are English and Maori. New Zealand English is close to Australian English in pronunciation. 86 percent of the population in New Zealand live in cities. The climate in the country is mild. Of the main cities, Christchurch is the driest (640 mm of rain per year) and Auckland is the wettest. As grass grows very quickly, the main industry in New Zealand is agriculture, especially cattle farming, marine fishing, fruit production. Because of its long isolation from the rest of the world, New Zealand has extraordinary flora and fauna. About 80% of the flora in New Zealand occurs only in New Zealand. There are many native animals in the country. One of them is the kiwi. This interesting bird lives in the wet parts of the thick bushes. In the daytime, the bird does not go out. It comes out only at night to find food. Kiwis cannot fly. Many years ago kiwis were hunted for food. Now the government does not permit the hunting the kiwis. The kiwi is now the symbol of New Zealand people. Small children are often called kiwis. The varied landscape of New Zealand has made it a popular location for the production of television programs and films, including ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Last Samurai’. The country once belonged to the British Empire. Today it is an independent member of the Commonwealth of Nations, an association of Britain and a number of its former colonies. New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy. The British Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, is the monarch of New Zealand. She appoints a governor general to represent her. The Head of Government is the Prime Minister. Britain gave New Zealand a constitution in 1852, when it was a British colony. However, through the years the New Zealand legislature has changed almost all its provisions. Today, the nation has no written constitution. There are two main parties, National and Labor. Составьте 5 общих и 5 специальных вопросов к тексту на английском языке

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