GREAT BRITAIN

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated on the British Isles. It consists of four parts: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast respectively. England, Wales and Scotland occupy the territory of Great Britain. Northern Ireland is situated in the northern part of Ireland.

The territory of the United Kingdom is about 244,000 square kilometers, it takes the 75-th place among other countries in the world. The population is more than 60 million people. About 80% of the population is urban. The capital of the country is London.

Great Britain is separated from the continent by the English Channel, which is 34 km wide in its narrowest point. The country is also washed by the North Sea, the Irish Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The landscape of Great Britain varies greatly. The northern and western parts of the country are mountainous and are called the Highlands. All the rest: south, east and the center are a vast plain, which is called the Lowlands. The mountains are not very high. Ben Nevis in Scotland is the highest mountain (1343m). There are a lot of rivers in Great Britain, but they are not very long. The Severn is the longest river, while the Thames is the deepest and the most important one. The largest lake is Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland.

The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of the Gulf Stream influence the climate of Great Britain. It is mild the whole year round. The summer is not very hot and winter temperature seldom falls below zero. It is often foggy and rainy. Weather is one of the favorite subjects for discussion when Englishmen meet.

Great Britain is a highly developed industrial country. It is known as one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of iron and steel products, machinery and electronics, chemicals and textiles, aircraft and navigation equipment. One of the chief industries of the country is shipbuilding. Liverpool and Glasgow are the main seaports, where it is highly developed. Glasgow is also associated with heavy industry. Birmingham is the country’s major engineering center. Manchester is the world’s leading producer of cotton goods and Leeds became the leading producer of woolen goods.

Great Britain is rich in coal, iron, non-ferrous metals. There is much coal in Wales. It is a big coal-mining district of the country.

Great Britain is a country with old cultural traditions and customs. The most famous educational centers are Oxford and Cambridge Universities. They are considered to be intellectual centers of Europe. All British children study at school from the age of 5 until they are 16. Then they get higher education at universities and colleges of Great Britain.

On the lowlands of south-eastern England there are almost no minerals. This part of the country is an agricultural region. Seven per cent of the population is engaged in farming and cattle breeding. Most of England’s wheat is grown there. Much of the soil in this part is under such crops as wheat, barley, rye and oats. Fruit-growing is extensively developed. An Englishman is fond of gardening. He is at heart a great lover of Nature. England in truth looks like one great well-ordered park with its old trees and green meadows.

The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy and the Queen is the head of the state. But in practice it is ruled by the elected government with the Prime Minister at the head. The Queen’s power is limited by Parliament. The legislative power in the country is exercised by the Houses of Parliament. The Parliament consists of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The House of Lords is composed of hereditary or life peers and peeresses. The members of the House of Commons are elected by people. The executive power is exercised by the Prime Minister and his Cabinet. Prime Minister is the majority party leader and is appointed by the Queen. The judiciary branch of the Government determines common law and is independent of both legislative and executive branches.

There are two main political parties in Great Britain: the Conservative party and the Labour party. The Labour party with Anthony Blair at the head is the ruling party nowadays.

Exercise 4. Answer the following comprehension questions.

1. Where is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland situated?

2. What parts does it consist of?

3. What is the territory and the population of Great Britain?

4. What is the capital of the country?

5. What is Great Britain separated from the continent by?

6. What seas and oceans is Great Britain washed by?

7. What is the landscape of the country? What parts does it consist of?

8. Are there any rivers, mountains and lakes?

9. What is the climate of Great Britain?

10. What goods does the British industry produce?

11. What are the main industrial cities of the country and what do they produce?

12. Are there any educational establishments in Great Britain?

13. When do students start education?

14. Which part of the country is an agricultural region?

15. What crops are grown in Great Britain?

16. Are Englishmen fond of gardening?

17. Who is the head of the state?

18. How many chambers does the British Parliament consist of?

20. What are the main political parties of Great Britain?

21. Who is the Prime Minister of Great Britain nowadays and what party does he represent?

Exercise 5. Complete the following sentences.

The UK consists of …
The country is washed by …
The territory of Great Britain is …
The population equals to …
The northern and western part of the country is called …
The southern and eastern is called …
The climate of the country is …
Great Britain is a producer and exporter of …
The main industrial cities are …
Oxford and Cambridge Universities are considered to be …
The population in the south-eastern part of England is engaged in …
England in truth looks like …
The Parliament consists of …
There are such political parties as …

Exercise 6. Make up sentences using the table below.

The climate of Russia	is (are) considered to be	the highest mountain
Manchester	the highlands
Potatoes	diverse
Englishmen	an agricultural region
Ben Nevis	Great lovers of Nature
South-eastern England	the most important crop
The northern and western parts of Great Britain	The world’s producer of cotton goods

The British Isles	consist(s) of	21 republics
Russia	2 large islands
Peter’s family	4 ingredients
Buryatia	10 members
A mixture	4 members: a father, a mother and two children
The committee	the House of Lords and the House of commons
The British Parliament	mainly low plains

Great Britain	is (are) known as	Englishmen
The 14th of February	The motherland of tulips (тюльпаны)
Holland	University towns
Glasgow	the Highlands
People living in England	a country of fogs and rain
A vast plain in Great Britain	St. Valentine’s Day
Oxford and Cambridge	the largest seaport

Exercise 7. Translate the sentences into English.

Британские острова расположены на континентальном шельфе.
Считается, что Шотландия такая же красивая как Голландия.
Уэльс - один из крупнейших угледобывающих районов.
Сегодня Великобритания – крупный производитель железа и стали, электронного и машинного оборудования, изделий текстильной и химической промышленностей.
Кембриджский Университет состоит из 19 колледжей.
Глава государства – королева, но она не правит, ее власть ограничена Парламентом.
Глазго является центром кораблестроения и судоходства.
Англичане – почитатели природы; они платят больше налоги для того, чтобы сохранить сады и парки в стране.
Манчестер известен как мировой производитель хлопчатобумажных изделий.
Англия считается огромным упорядоченным парком с ее зелеными лугами и большими деревьями.

Exercise 8. Make up the plan of the text.

Exercise 9.Study the following narration clichés and try to memorize them.

I would (I’d) like to tell you about …
First, I’d like to dwell upon (to touch upon, speak about, to narrate of …)
Next (further on, then, to succeed), I’d say that …
Speaking about… I should mention …
I’d like to say a word or two about (a few words about) …
As far as … is concerned, I’d add …
To finish with (in conclusion, to sum it up) …

Exercise10. Retell the text using your plan and narration clichés from ex.9.

Make use of the following key words:

(to consist of, to occupy, to equal to, the capital, mild climate, the landscape, a producer and exporter of, Oxford and Cambridge Universities, to be occupied in, the main crops, like a park, a lover of Nature, a constitutional monarchy, two chambers, to be exercised by, political parties)

Exercise 11. * Prove the fact that:

One of the chief industries of the country is shipbuilding;
Englishmen are Nature lovers;
Great Britain is a highly developed industrial country in the world;

Explain the statements, using clichés from ex. 9:

The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy;
The climate of the country is mild;
South-eastern England is an agricultural region.

Exercise 12. *

1. Make up as many questions as you can about the text.

2. Study the following openers and the model. Make up mini-dialogues according to the model.

Expressing personal interest	Asking for information	Giving information	Gratitude Acknowledgement
-You know I am interested in … -I’m fond of … -I’m more(rather) interested in … -What I really want to know is …	-Could you tell me what (where, who)… -Sorry, but could you explain me … -I wanted to know exactly what (where, when)… -I was wondering if… -Do you think you could tell me … -I wonder if …	-Oh, with pleasure! -Certainly, I can. -Most willingly! -Glad to help you! -Yes, please.	-Thank you for your information! -Thank you! It’s good to know this! -I see, thanks!

Model:

A: You know, I'm interested in Great Britain’s geography. Doyou think you could tell me what the territory of the UK is?

B: Most willingly! The territory of the UK is about 244.000 square kilometres.

A: I see, thanks.

3. Study the role cards below and make up a dialogue according to the model. Use openers:

A B

You are: a student from the Buryat State Academy of Agriculture. Your interlocutor is: your English friend. Place: at your place Situation: Your friend has come from Great Britain. You are interested in Great Britain's geography. You are talking to him about it. Try to find out: - where the UKis situated; - how many parts it consists of; - what the capitals of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are; - what the territory of the UK is; - what the population of the country is; - if there are mountains and plains in Great Britain; - if there are rivers in the country; - what the climate of Great Britain is; - if it rains often in the country.

You are: an English student. Your interlocutor is: your Russian friend. Place: at your friend's Situation: You are visiting your friend in Buryatia. Now, you are talking to him about your motherland. Being keen on Great Britain's geography, he asks you some questions. Be ready to answer them. Say that: - the UK is situated on the British Isles; - It consists of four parts; - The capitals of these parts are Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast respectively; - Great Britain occupies the territory of 244.000 sq. km. - The population equals to 60 mln. people; - There are mountains in Great Britain. There are also the Lowlands and the Highlands; - The most important rivers are the Severn and the Thames; - Rain and fog are common things in Great Britain, especially in autumn and in winter.

4. Make up role cards on Britain's industry, agriculture, political system and education, exchange

your role cards and make up dialogues.

Exercise 13*. Read the text and find out what customs and traditions are to be found in Great

Britain. Be ready to use the information in the topic "Great Britain".

Some English customs and traditions are famous all over the world. Bowler hats, tea and talking about the weather, for example. From Scotland to Cornwall, the United Kingdom is full of customs and traditions. Here are some of them.

St. Valentine's is the saint of people in love and St. Valentine's Day is February 14th. On that day, people send valentine cards and presents to their husbands, wives, boyfriends and girlfriends. You can also send a card to a person you don't know. But traditionally you must never write your name on it. Some British newspapers have a page for Valentine's Day messages on February 14th.

April, 1 is April Fool's Day in Great Britain. This is a very old tradition from the Middle Ages. At that time servants were masters for one day of the year. Now April Fool's Day is different. It's aday for jokes and tricks.

May, 1 was an important day in the Middle Ages. In the very early morning young girls went lo fields and washed their faces with dew. They believed this made them very beautiful for a year after that. Also on May Day young men of each village tried towin prizes with their bows and arrows, and people danced round the Maypole.

November, 5 is Guy Fawkes's Day. All over the country people built wood fires, or 'bonfires', in their gardens. On top of each bonfire there is a guy, this is a figure of Guy Fawkes. On November, 5 1665, Guy Fawkes tried to kill King James I. He and a group of his friends put a bomb under the Houses of Parliament in London. But the king's men found the bomb and Guy Fawkes. They took him to the Tower of London, where his head was cut off. Before November 5, children use guys to make money. They stand in the street and shout: "Penny for the guy".

Boxing Day is on December, 26. People usually gave "Christmas boxes" or gifts of money to servants on this day. Today many people still give a Christmas gift to papergirls and boys.

Christmas Day is the most popular holiday in Great Britain. It is celebrated on December, 25. On this day many people go to churches, open their Christmas presents, eat a Christmas dinner of roast turkey and Christmas pudding.

Notes:

a bowler hat - котелок

dew - роса

Maypole - Майский шест

to build a bonfire - устроить костер

to use a guy - использовать чучело