To the North – West of the continent of Europe there are two large and over 5000 small islands called the British Isles the area of which is about 244100 square kilometers. The largest islands are called Great Britain and Ireland. England, Wales and Scotland are the main parts of Great Britain. Together with Northern Ireland they make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, with the population of over 57000000.
The surface of England and Northern Ireland is rather flat, while in Scotland, Wales and North-West England there are mountains, but they are not very high. The highest mountain is Ben Nevis in Scotland (1, 343 m.). The rivers are short but they are deep. The longest river is the Severn, and the deepest is the Thames. The north-western part of the country, the Lake District, with its 16 lakes is known for its particular beauty.
The British climate is mild and warmer than that of the continent because of the influence of the Gulf Stream. The British people often complain of it as being damp and rainy, and foreigners laugh at it and say that the English summer is made up of three fine days and a thunderstorm. On the average Britain has 204 rainy days a year.
The United Kingdom was originally an agricultural and sheep-farming country. Today it is a highly developed industrial power. It exports machinery, vessels, textiles and other goods. But the country buys more goods than sells because it has to import food products and raw materials from many countries of the world, including Russia. The main industrial regions are in the North and in the West. The biggest centers of iron and steel industry are Birmingham and Sheffield. Manchester is the chief cotton manufacturing city and a big centre of textile industry. Liverpool is the largest port on the West coast of England. Glasgow is the centre of industry in Scotland, and it is also a large sea port and a big ship-building city.
But the greatest town and port of the British Isles is, of course, London, the capital of the United Kingdom, its political, economic, commercial and cultural centre with the population of more than 7000000.
The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy, although it has no written constitution. The monarch, now the queen, is the head of the state. But in practice the country is governed by the elected government with a Prime Minister at the head, the monarch’s power being limited by the Parliament which consists of two chambers – the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The House of Lords is made up of hereditary peers and lords, the House of Commons consist of 630 elected members. The elections to Parliament are held every five years. The Prime Minister is appointed by the monarch, and, as a rule, it is the leader of the party that has won the elections.
The political parties – Conservative, Labour, Social-Liberal and Democratic, and Communist – are the reflection of class divisions within the British society.
Text Comprehension
8.Find words in the text which have a similar meaning to these definitions.
a) a state ruled by a king or queen;
b) a piece of land surrounded by water;
c) a very high hill;
d) the system of laws and principles according to which a country or an organization is governed;
e) a member of any of five noble ranks, who has the right to sit in the House of Lords;
f) the choosing by vote of a representative to take an official position;
g) the number of people living in a particular area, country;
h) a country governed by a king or queen, or of which a king or queen is the head of state.
9.Complete these sentences using the following words: sheep-farming, ship-building, state, elections, beauty, on the average, peers, lords.
1. The Lake District with its 16 lakes is known for its particular __________.
2. __________ Britain has 20 rainy days a year.
3. Glasgow is a big __________ city.
4. The monarch is the head of the __________.
5. The Prime Minister is the leader of the party that has won the __________.
6. The House of Lords is made up of hereditary __________ and __________.
7. The United Kingdom is a constitutional __________.
8. The United Kingdom was originally a __________ country.
10.Make sentences using the jumbled words below:
a) The, are, rivers, but, short, deep, they.
b) The, is, Severn, river, longest.
c) Lake, the, District, known, for, is, beauty, its, particular.
d) Britain, a, year, on, the, has, average, days, 204, rainy.
e) Kingdom, the, United, a, country, sheep-farming, was.
f) Power, developed, a, industrial, highly, it, is, today.
g) North, the, in, West, main, are, regions, industrial.
h) Kingdom, the, is, United, monarchy, a, constitutional.
11.Agree or disagree with these statements based on the information of the text. Use the opening phrases: That’s right (true), according to the text…, That’s wrong (not true), according to the text…, That’s not quite true, according to the text… .
1. Great Britain consists of England, Wales and Scotland, which together with Northern Ireland make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
2. Britain is rather a mountainous country.
3. As to the climate of Britain, it has more than 200 rainy days a year.
4. The United Kingdom is a highly developed industrial country, and it exports more goods than it imports.
5. The main industrial regions are in the North and in the East of Britain.
6. The queen is the head of the state.
7. The elections to the chambers of the Parliament are held every five years.
8. There are two political parties in Britain.
12.Complete the sentences by translating the Russian parts.
1. Ïëîùàäü Âåëèêîáðèòàíèè is about 244100 square kilometers.
2. The British Parliament ñîñòîèò èç äâóõ ïàëàò – the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
3. Ãëàâíûå ïðîìûøëåííûå ðàéîíû Âåëèêîáðèòàíèè ðàñïîëîæåíû in the North and in the West of the country.
4. Âûáîðû â ïàðëàìåíò are held ðàç â ïÿòü ëåò.
5. Â ñðåäíåì â Áðèòàíèè 204 rainy days a year.
6. The United Kingdom is a êîíñòèòóöèîííàÿ ìîíàðõèÿ.
7. Ìîíàðõ ñåé÷àñ – êîðîëåâà, is the head of the state.
13. Test yourself.
1. The British Isles consist of _______________________________________________________
a) two large islands, Great Britain and Ireland;
b) three large islands, Great Britain, Ireland and Scotland;
c) two large islands, Great Britain and Ireland and about five thousand small islands.
2. Great Britain consists of ___________________________________
a) England and Scotland;
b) England, Wales and Northern Ireland;
c) England, Scotland and Wales.
3. The population of Britain is ______ million people.
a) 55;
b) 57;
c) 75.
4. What is the capital of Northern Ireland?
a) Dublin;
b) Belfast;
c) Cardiff.
5. What are the Severn, the Tyne, and the Avon?
a) mountains;
b) lakes;
c) rivers.
6. The British isles are separated from the continent by __________________________________
a) the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean;
b) the English Channel and the Strait of Dover;
c) the North Sea, the English Channel and the Strait of Dover.
7. Ben Nevis, the highest mountain, is in _____________
a) Wales;
b) Scotland;
c) England.
8. What form of government does the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland have?
a) a presidential republic;
b) constitutional monarchy;
c) constitutional republic.
9. The legislative power in the UK is exercised by _______________________
a) The British Parliament;
b) Prime Minister;
c) The political parties.
10. What are the two political parties in Great Britain?
a) the Conservative Party and the Labour Party;
b) the Democratic Party and the Labour Party;
c) the Conservative Party and the Democratic Party.
Vocabulary
14. Choose one-word equivalents for the following definitions.
To send goods to another country; people living in a place, country, etc; to choose by vote; smth difficult to bear; to look for, try to find.
To elect; to export; to seek; a burden; a population
15. I) Find synonyms in the text for these words and word combinations:
region, to produce, to rule a country, to be made up of, usually.
II) Arrange a) and b) in pairs of antonyms.
a) large, to export, difficult, strong, employment, an evil, rich, ancient, to divide;
b) poor, to unite, easy, small, to import, weak, modern, good, joblessness.
16. Give Russian equivalents for:
raw materials, on the average, vessel, constitutional monarchy, commercial, a surface, to make up, a chamber, the House of Commons, the House of Lords, hereditary peers, Conservative, flat, Ireland, an island, the British Isles, Labour, steel industry, machinery, damp, mild, a queen.
17. Make up statements using key words.
a) the United Kingdom, to make up.
b) The British climate. Mild, the continent.
c) The United Kingdom, the population, 57000000.
d) The United Kingdom, agricultural, sheep-farming, country.
e) London, a capital, the United Kingdom.
f) Glasgow, Scotland, a sea-port, a ship-building city.
g) Monarch, queen, head.
h) Parliament, elections, to hold.
18. Make up possible word combinations, give their Russian equivalents and use these word combinations in sentences of your own.
| political main particular fine agricultural industrial textile commercial cultural constitutional | centre days country power part beauty regions industry monarchy party |
Text Organization
19. Suggest suitable titles to the paragraphs.
20. What do the following adjectives refer to in the text?
a) damp and rainy;
b) deep;
c) agricultural;
d) industrial;
e) textile;
f) large;
g) commercial;
h) constitutional;
i) elected;
j) political;
k) fine.
Oral Practice
21. Say what new or interesting facts you have found in the text.
22. a) Speak about:
- the geographical position of the United Kingdom;
- the surface of its main parts;
- the British climate;
- the British industry;
- the political system;
- the political parties
b) Comment on the following proverbs and sayings. Memorize them and use them in situations of your own to illustrate their use.
So many countries, so many customs.
Everything is good in its season.
As clear as London on a foggy day.
After rain comes fair weather.
23. Read and reproduce the dialogue.
Alice: Oh, welcome to our little party. I’m so glad you could come.
Jane:It was very kind of you to ask me.
Alice: Are you enjoying your stay in Britain?
Jane:Yes, I’m having a wonderful time.
Alice: How long have you been here?
Jane:I arrived last week.
Alice: Did you stay in London?
Jane: Yes, just for a month.
Alice: Did you go to the National Gallery?
Jane: No, I didn’t have the time.
Alice: Oh, too bad. You missed the Andy Warhol Exhibition. Did you go to any museums?
Jane: Yes, the British Museum. It’s a fascinating building.
Alice: Oh, I suppose so. Did you go to the theatre?
Jane:Yes, I saw the Eugene O’Neill Revival, it’s a wonderful performance.
Alice: And do you like films? Do you like horror films?
Jane: No, I don’t like horror films.
Alice: I like horror films. I love Shakespeare too. Shakespeare’s too difficult for you, isn’t it?
Jane: Yes, it’s too difficult.
Alice: There’s a concert at the Albert Hall. But that’s classical music. It’s very, very boring. Do you like rock music?
Jane: A bit. I don’t mind.
Alice: Great! Let’s go to the Ambassadors then. When are going back?
Jane: I’m going back next month.
Alice: How nice! Goodbye.
Jane: Goodbye.
24. Finish the following dialogues:
1. – Hi, Ann! I know you’re going to England for your vacation.
– Yes, I am, I’ve always…
2. – Is it the Houses of Parliament?
– Quite right. It is …
3. – How long are you going to stay in London?
– Three days. I’d like to …
4. – What are interested in?
– I’m interested in …
5. – Is it your first visit to the United Kingdom?
– Oh, no …
6. – You are from London, Aren’t you?
– Yes, I am …
7. – Here we are in London!
– How nice to …
8. – Oh, it is wonderful! We are really in London!
– By the way, …
9. – To my mind, Big Ben represents London and even the whole of England in a way, doesn’t it?
– I think you are right, it…
10. – We now what to say about Big Ben when we come home.
– We certainly do …
25. Speak about England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Use the following table:
| Information | England | Scotland | Wales | Northern Ireland |
| Area | ||||
| Highest Mountain | Scaffel Pike 978 m | Ben Nevis 1342 m | Snowdon 1085 m | Slieve Donard 852 m |
| Population | ||||
| Largest city (population) | London | Glasgow | Cardiff | Belfast |
26. Imagine that:
a) You’ve just come home from Great Britain. Share your impressions with your friends.
b) You are planning a guided tour for a foreign delegation visiting Great Britain for seven days only. What cities will you show them and why?
c) You’re in London aboard a double-decker. Ask about the places you’re passing by.
d) Your friend wants to know a few things about Great Britain. Answer the questions.
e) Act as a guide in London. Use postcards or pictures.
f) You’re going to have holidays. What country would you like to go and why?
27. Read the text and speak about London.