1. The official name of the country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The official name is often abbreviated to the United Kingdom, Great Britain, Britain or the UK.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated on the British Isles lying to the north-west of the continent of Europe. The British Isles consists of two large islands, Great Britain (comprising England, Wales and Scotland), and Ireland (comprising Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic) and about five thousand small islands.
2. Britain is one of the world’s smaller countries with an area of 244,000 square kilometers.
The UK is made up of four countries: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Great Britain consists of England, Scotland and Wales and doesn’t include Northern Ireland. The capital of the UK is London.
The country is washed by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea and the Irish Sea. Britain is separated from European continent by the English Channel and the Strait of Dover (32 km wide).
3. The surface of the British Isles varies very much. The north of Scotland is mountainous and is called the Highlands, while the south, which has beautiful valleys and plains, is called the Lowlands.
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 busiest and the most important one. The UK has many beautiful lakes. The Lake District in northern England with its lakes, mountains and valleys is a favourite holiday resort. The region contains 15 lakes. Its beauty attracted many poets, writers and artists.
The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of Gulf Stream influence the climate of the British Isles, making it temperate and mild all over the year round. The weather in Britain is very changeable. A fine morning can change into a wet afternoon and evening. The English people say: "Other countries have a climate; in England we have weather." The weather is the favorite conversational topic in Great Britain. After they greet each other they start talking about the weather.
4. Nowadays the population of the United Kingdom is about 58 million inhabitants. England is the largest and the most populated part of the country. Over 46 million people of the population of the UK live in England. About eighty per cent of the population live in urban areas.
5. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a constitutional monarchy. The Queen (Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II) or the King is the Head of the state. But the power of the British monarch is limited by Parliament. The highest legislative power belongs to Parliament which consists of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. There are at present 651 members of the House of Commons, who are elected by people every five years. The House of Lords, or the Upper House, is composed of Church of England bishops, peers, who have inherited titles and peers who are appointed for life. One-third of the Lords today are company directors. They include bankers, steel magnates, newspaper proprietors and industrialists of all kinds. The main function of the Parliament is law-making.
The highest executive power belongs to the Government and is realized by Prime Minister and his/her Cabinet. The government is formed by the party that wins the election and receives the majority in the House of Commons. The leader of the party becomes the Prime Minister. He/she appoints ministers and forms the Cabinet, consisting of 20 ministers.
There are several political parties in the United Kingdom. At present the main political groupings are the Conservative Party, the Labour Party and the Liberal Party. The Labour Party is the ruling party nowadays; the Conservative Party is the Opposition.
6. The UK is a highly developed industrialized country. It is famous for its industry, heavy and light engineering. Now high technology industries are more developed than heavy engineering. The country is the fourth largest exporter of manufactured goods, electronics, textile, aircraft and navigation equipment. One of the chief industries of the country is shipbuilding. The UK is a major industrial and trading nation. The main industrial centers and at the same time the largest cities of the country are London, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Glasgow and others. London, the capital of the UK is a world centre for business and money trading, the country’s largest port and a cultural centre.
7. Birmingham is the Britain’s second largest city and its engineering centre. Sheffield is the centre of the steel industry. It produces airplanes, motor-cars, electric and agricultural machinery, railway carriages. Manchester became the world’s leading producer of cotton goods. It is also famous for its football club. The wool industry, England’s oldest large trade, is located in Leeds and in Yorkshire. Shipbuilding is centered in Liverpool and Glasgow. Liverpool is the home city of the Beatles. Stratford-on-Avon is the birthplace of William Shakespeare, the greatest and most famous of English writers, and probably the greatest playwright who has ever lived.
8. The history of the UK is the story of how a small island country became the world’s most powerful nation. The history of the UK is in its museums. There are about 2000 museums and galleries in Britain, which include the chief national collections. Among them are the British Museum, the Science Museum, the National Gallery, the Tate Gallery, the Natural History Museum, the Tower of London and many other treasure institutions.
ЗАДАНИЕ 12. Закончите предложения.
1. The full name of the country is …
2. The UK is made up … .
3. The United Kingdom is a … . This means that it has a monarch and a parliament.
4. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is … .
5. Britain is separated from European continent by … .
6. Parliament consists of … .
7. The mountains, … influence the climate of the British Isles.
8. The House of Commons is made up of 651 … .
9. England is the most … part of the country.
10. 2000 museums in Britain include the chief … .
ЗАДАНИЕ 13. Соедините названия городов Британии и то, чем они известны.
Sheffield the birthplace of William Shakespeare
London the wool industry
Manchester shipbuilding industry
Birmingham home city of the Beatles
Stratford-on-Avon the centre of the steel industry
Leeds the capital, a world centre for business
Glasgow the second largest city, engineering centre
Liverpool the centre of cotton goods, famous football club
ЗАДАНИЕ 14. Ответьте на вопросы о Великобритании.
What is the official name of the country?
Where is the UK situated?
What islands does the UK occupy?
What is the country washed by?
What is the surface of England (Scotland)?
What is the longest (the busiest) river in Great Britain?
Where are the most beautiful lakes in Britain?
Why is the British climate mild?
What is the favourite topic of conversation of the British?
What is the most populated part of Britain?
What is the population of the UK (England)?
What is the capital of England?
What river is London situated on?
What are the largest industrial cities and ports in Britain?
What kind of country is the UK?
What place does Britain occupy among the exporters of industrial goods?
What kind of state (the political structure) is the United Kingdom?
Who is the head of the state in Britain?
What is the highest legislative power of Britain?
What is the main function of Parliament?
How many members are there in the House of Commons?
Who can become a member of the House of Lords?
What is the highest executive power of the country?
Who usually becomes the Prime Minister?
How many ministers does the Cabinet consist of?
Who appoints Ministers in the Cabinet?
What are the main political parties in Britain?
What party is the ruling party nowadays?
ТЕМАТИКА ОБЩЕНИЯ: 1. Выдающиеся памятники культуры в различных странах мира.
2. Национальные традиции России и других стран мира.
3. Родной край. Достопримечательности разных стран.
4. Выдающиеся деятели искусства разных эпох, стран и культур.
TRANSLATION
The United States of America is the fourth largest country in the world after Russia, Canada and China. The USA occupies the southern part of North America and stretches from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. The total area of the country is 9 million square kilometres. The population is about 230 million people.
The country is washed by three oceans: the Arctic, the Pacific and the Atlantic. The country has many lakes, including the Great Lakes and many rivers, the longest of which are the Mississippi, the Missouri and others. The highest mountains are the Rocky Mountains.
The USA is rich in natural and mineral resources: oil, gas, iron ore, coal and various metals.
The USA is a highly developed industrial and agricultural country. The main industrial branches are aircraft, automobile, electronic, metallurgical, chemical and many others.
The United States of America is a federal state and a parliamentary republic, headed by the President. The President is elected for a 4-year term and not more than two times.
The USA is made up of 50 states and the District of Columbia, a special federal area where the capital of the country, Washington, is situated. Washington is the center of federal government but each state has its own capital and its own government. The highest legislative power belongs to the Congress, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The highest executive power belongs to the President.
There are two main political parties in the United States: the Democratic Party (their symbol is a donkey), and the Republican Party (their symbol is an elephant).
Christopher Columbus discovered the American continent in 1492. But for the Europeans the history of America started in the 17th century when in the year 1620, a ship named the “Mayflower” brought 102 Englishmen, women and children to the rocky coast. The Pilgrims landed and founded the colony they called Plymouth. The ship’s passengers were Puritans (Pilgrims – as they are usually known) members of a religious sect which was unpopular in Britain because its members wanted to reform the Church of England. They came to America to found a community where they could practice their religion without interference. The people living there were Native Americans (American Indians).
The Declaration of Independence was proclaimed in 1776. The war with Britain lasted eight years. The Louisiana region was bought from France in 1803. California was taken from Mexico in 1848. Alaska was bought from Russia in 1867.
Thirty-five million immigrants from Europe went to the United States in the nineteenth century. Slavery grew in the South. There was the Civil War between North and South for five years. By the end of the nineteenth century the United States became an industrial nation.
An American dream is to start with nothing, to work hard, and than to make a fortune and to be successful. The famous Americans are Abraham Lincoln – the man who freed the slaves; Charlie Chaplin – the man who makes you laugh; Ernest Hemingway – the man of letter and adventure; Martin Luther King – the man who was proud to be black; David Rockefeller – the man who made money from nothing; John F. Kennedy – the President whose murder shocked the world.
WRITING TASK
Write about one of the states of the USA (its geographical position, economy and the administrative structure). What country would you like to visit the UK or the USA? Give your reasons.
ЗАДАНИЕ 15. Составьте рассказ о Великобритании по плану, используя слова, данные ниже.
Geographical position.
the official name of the country
the British Isles
England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea and the Irish Sea, the English Channel
the surface
the Lake District
the climate
the population
Political Structure.
constitutional monarchy
the Head of the state
the highest legislative power - Parliament
the House of Lords and the House of Commons
the highest executive power - the Cabinet
the Prime Minister
political parties - the Conservative and Labour Parties
Economy
a highly developed industrialized country
heavy and light engineering
the largest exporter of manufactured goods
shipbuilding
trading nation
the main industrial centres
the capital
History and Culture
powerful nation
museums and galleries
national collections
treasure institutions
ЗАДАНИЕ 16. Поговорите о погоде (хорошей или плохой), используя фразы из приведенных ниже диалогов.
For good weather
- Nice day, isn’t it?
B. - Isn’t it beautiful?
A. - The sun is shining.
B. - Isn’t it wonderful?
A. - Yes, wonderful, isn’t it?
B. - It’s so nice and hot.
A. - I think it’s so nice when it is hot, isn’t it?
B. - I really love it, don’t you?
For bad weather
A. - Terrible day, isn’t it?
B. - Isn’t it unpleasant?
A. - The rain … I don’t like the rain.
B. - Just think – a day like this in July. It rains in the morning, then a bit of
sun and then rain, rain, rain, all day.
- I remember the same July day in 1998 …
- Yes, I remember too.
- Or was it in 1998?
- Yes, it was.
- Or in 1999?
- Yes, that’s right.
ЗАДАНИЕ 17. Подготовьте дома рассказ о Британии.
TRANSLATION
Canada
Canada occupies a great part of the North American Continent. The area is 9 million square kilometres and is the second largest country in the world. The population of Canada is 24 million people. English and French are the official languages of Canada and have equal rights. Canada is a federation of ten provinces and two northern territories. Ottawa is the capital of the country.
There are many lakes in Canada. The biggest of them are the Great Lakes which are on the US-Canada border. Niagara Falls attract a lot of tourists from all over the world.
Canada is a highly developed industrial and agricultural country. It is a world leader in the production of nickel, asbestos and other minerals. Canada has an ideal climate for growing wheat and barley. It is among the world's leading wheat producers and is second in the export of wheat.
WRITING TASK
Write about Canada's political status. Would you like to visit Niagara Falls?
TRANSLATION