(в рамках подготовки к экзамену по английскому языку и расширения страноведческих знания о стране изучаемого языка)

1. The Geographical Position of Great Britain

1) What is the official name of Great Britain?
2) What countries does Great Britain consist of and what are their capitals?
3) Why is the UK called an island state?
4) Where is the UK situated? What separates Great Britain from the continent?
5) What are the names of two main islands of the British Isles?
6) What do we call the narrowest part of the English Channel?

Вспомните слова: consist of, include, be made up of.

Закончите предложения:
1. Great Britain consists of …
2. Great Britain doesn’t include …
3. The UK is made up of …

Вспомните английские слова по теме: : lie, be separated by, be washed by, be surrounded by.

Переведите предложения:

1. An island is a part of land that is surrounded by water on all sides.
2. Great Britain is an island state and is surrounded by seas on all sides.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland lies on the British Isles. The British Isles consist of two large islands – Great Britain and Ireland and about 5 thousand small islands. Their total area is over 244.000 square kilometers. On the island of Great Britain you can find England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland lies on the island of Ireland.

The British Isles are separated from Europe by the English Channel and the North Sea. In the west their coasts are washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea.

Great Britain is the largest islands in the British Isles. It is also the largest island in Europe and the seventh largest island in the world.

The UK is one of the world’s smaller countries. It is twice smaller than France and Spain.

2. Climate of Great Britain

Answer the questions based on the information you have learnt:
1. What is the British climate like?
2. What is the British weather like?

The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of Gulf Stream influence the climate of the islands. It is mild all the year round. It means that it’s never too hot or too cold. Winters are extremely mild. Snow may come but it melts quickly. The coldest months are January and February, the warmest ones are July and August. But the climate is not the same in all parts of England. The western part is warmer than the east. It has also more rain. The North is colder than the South, but in winter the coldest districts are the eastern ones. There is much humidity in the air of England. It is well-known as a foggy country.

If climate is mild, it is warmer in winter and cooler in summer. Also we can say that the climate on the British Isles is temperate and humid .

• temperate — умеренный
• humid — влажный

In the past, most Londoners had open fireplaces in which they used coal. The result was that there was a tremendous concentration of smoke and soot in the air. It was the cause of dense and heavy fogs.

While a heavy fog hung over a big English city for days, only a few miles away in the country, the sky might be cloudless and the sun shining brightly. In London today, however, there are no open coal fires. As a result, there are fewer fogs and the air is clean.

The weather is so changeable that the English often say that they have no climate but only weather. They use the comparison “as changeable as the weather” of a person who often changes his mood or opinion about something.

The English also say that they have three variants of weather: when it rains in the morning, when it rains in the afternoon or when it rains all day long. The weather is the favourite topic of conversation in the UK. SOON

Answer the questions:

1) Why is the British climate mild? What influences it?
2) Does it vary?
3) Which districts are the coldest in Britain?

3. The Nature of Great Britain

Answer the questions based on the information you have learnt:
1. What are the names for two types of landscape in Great Britain?
2. What is the most picturesque place in England?

Запомните:

• landscape – ландшафт
• scenery — пейзаж

The main characteristic of British landscape is that it changes very often.
The Scottish scenery is amasing.

Типично английский пейзаж — равнины (the Lowlands). Фото автора

The surface of the British Isles varies very much. Geographically, the island of Great Britain is divided into two main regions : Lowland Britain (the Lowlands) and Highland Britain (the Highlands). The Lowlands include central, southern and eastern England. They have beautiful valleys and plains.

The Highlands consist of Scotland, most of Wales, the Pennines and the Lake District. It is mountainous part of Britain, but the mountains are not very high. The highest mountain is Ben Nevis in Scotland (1343m).

Шотландия. Бен Невис — самая высокая точка Великобритании. Фото автора

Scotland is separated from England by the Cheviot Hills , running from east to west. The Pennine Chain extends (stretches) southward from the Cheviot Hills into the Midlands , plain regions with low hills and valleys.

Запомните:

• the Pennine Chain [‘penaɪn] — Пеннинские горы
• the Cheviot Hills [‘ʧiːvɪət] — Чевиот-Хилс (горы, отделяющие Шотландию от Англии)
• the Midlands — Мидлендз (центральные графства Англии)
• the Lake District — Озерный край

There is a district in Great Britain which is widely known for it association with the history of English literature and the name of William Wordsworth (1779-1859), the founder of the Lake School of poets. This district is called The Lake District.

The Lake School – «Озерная школа» — литературное сотрудничество поэтов-романтиков начала 19 века, названа по Озерному краю, где жили поэты Уильям Вордсворт и Сэмюэл Кольридж.

Answer the questions and check yourself:

Answer the questions based on the information you have learnt:

1) What do we call people who were born in Britain? In Scotland? In Wales?
2) Do people in these countries speak “the same” English?
3) Is English the only language spoken in the UK?

The Population

Запомните глаголы: populate — населять, заселять, inhabit — жить, проживать, населять; settle – поселиться.

Переведите предложения:

1. The UK is inhabited by the English, the Scots, the Welsh, the Irish.
2. London, the south and the southeast are the most densely populated areas.

Переведите существительные: population, inhabitants, settlers

The population of the UK is over 57 million people. The population lives mostly in towns and cities and their suburbs. The biggest cities are (… try to remember 8 cities) but except them the most well-known cities are Oxford, Cambridge, Stradford-upon-Avon.

The nationalities of the UK:
the English – англичане (46 mln)
the Scottish – шотландцы (5 mln)
the Welsh – валлийцы (уроженцы Уэльса) (6 mln)
the Irish – ирландцы (1,5 mln)
the British – британцы (more than 57 mln)

The Language

English is the official language of the UK. But some people speak Gaelic in western Scotland and Welsh in parts of northern and central Wales.

Welsh is a Celtic language and it is very different from English. For example, «Welcome to Wales» is «Croesu i Cymru» in Welsh. Before the 16th century everybody in Wales spoke Welsh, but after Wales was united with England in 1536, Welsh was banned. It started declining, only 500,000 out of 3 mln of population spoke it until 1960s. It was not taught at school and the people thought that their language was dying out. The situation changed only few years ago. Nowadays Welsh is spoken in the government and there is a Welsh TV station. The Welsh are proud of their language.

The most known English-speaking countries are the USA, then Canada, Australia, New Zealand. People in these countries speak variants of English, so called American English, Australian English. It slightly differs from the British English in grammar and pronunciation.

5. The British National Character

Although the British live on the same island, they are very different. Ii is right to say that the English are not like the Scottish, Irish or Welsh (or the other way around). Of course, they have something in common. For example, it is true that British people often talk about the weather, especially if they don’t know each other very well. It is true that they are more reserved than Russian people: they don’t like to show their emotions and they don’t make friends easily with strangers. It also seems to be true that the British are not very good at learning foreign languages.

6. The British Places of Interest, Cities & Towns

Answer the questions based on the information you have learnt:

1. What famous cities & towns of Great Britain do you know?
2. What places of interest can you name?

Every year more than eleven million tourists visit Britain. In fact, tourism is an important industry, which enjoys thousands of people. Most visitors come in summer months when they can expect good weather. Usually they spend a few days in London, then they go to other well-known cities. Perhaps the least visited places in England are old industrial towns like Birmigham or Manchester. Below you will find the information about the most visited places of interest in Britain.

Stonehenge

If you go to Great Britain you will probably be planning to visit Stonehenge. It is a group of Celtic stones in the south of England. Stonehenge is situated right on a major road, about 12 kilometers from the town of Salisbury. If you really want to feel the magic and mystery of this ancient place, go there early in the morning to see the sunrise. It is worth it.

Hadrian’s Wall

It is one of the Britain’s greatest monument. The wall is 73 miles long and was built by Romans to protect the conqured England from the wild Scotts. The trail called the Hadrian’s Wall Path goes along the Wall through the hills and moors of the north of England.

England is famous for its mazes. One of the best mazes is situated at the Hampton Court , a royal palace near London. It consists of one kilometer of paths and it takes 20 minutes to reach the center … if you are lucky.

Самый известный лабиринт в резиденции Генриха VIII (Hampton Court)

River Trips

If you want to have a river trip, go to Oxford or Cambridge for punting. A punt is a type of boat that you move by planting a long pole in the river bed and pushing the boat along. The best place to go punting is the river Cam, which runs through the ancient university. You will enjoy the incredible views of the old colleges and the scenery.

7. The Political System of the UK

Answer the questions:

1. What is the name of the Queen of England?
2. Where does the Queen live?
3. What is the Union Jack?
4. What does the Union Jack look like and what does it symbolize?
5. What does the power in the country belong to?

The UK is a constitutional monarchy. The queen is the Head of the State. Everything in the country is done in the Queen’s name. She appoints all the ministers, including the Prime Minister. But the English Queen doesn’t rule the country as she has no power. She is the symbol of the country’s history and its traditions. The Queen is very rich as are the members of the royal family. Also, the government pays her expenses as Head of State, for a royal yacht, train, aircraft and her several palaces. The queen’s image appears on stamps, notes and coins.

The great English Queens are:

The real power in the country belongs to the British Parliament and the British Government. The British Prime Minister (head of the government) is Theresa May (2016-2019).

The British Parliament consists of two Houses (chambers): the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

The members of the House of Commons are elected, the members of the House of Lords are not. The House of Commons plays the major part in law-making process. In reality the House of Commons is the only one which has true power.

The branches of government are:

• Legislative (the Parliament with the Queen in her constitutional role) — законодательная
• Executive (Prime Minister and his Cabinet) — исполнительная
• Juridical (the Royal Court) — судебная

Try to answer the questions:

1. Who rules Britain officially?
2. What is special about the political system of the UK?
3. What is the difference between the House of Lords and the House of Commons?

8. The History of Great Britain

Answer the questions:

1. Who do the British come from?
2. Who founded London?
3. What was the original name of the British capital?

Descendants – потомки
The British are descendants of different people who settled in the British Isles at different times.

Интересные факты о Великобритании на английском языке с переводом помогут узнать много нового об этой стране и подготовиться к уроку.

Интересные факты о Великобритании на английском языке

It is considered an act of treason to put a postage stamp with the queen’s head upside down on an envelope!

The British eat over 11.5 billion (1,500,000,000) sandwiches every year!!

England’s first telephone directory was published in 1880 and had only 248 names and addresses (there were no telephone numbers as you had to call the operator and ask for someone’s name to get connected).

Our wonderful city London has not always had this name. In the past it has been called Londonium, Ludenwic, and Ludenburg!

In 1945, a flock of birds landed on the minute hand of Big Ben and put the time back by 5 minutes.

Big Ben is not actually the name of the clock, it is the name of the bell which is inside the clock.

Black cab (taxi) drivers in London have to memorise every street and important building in London within six miles from Charing Cross and they need to take a test called ‘The Knowledge’ before they can drive a cab.

It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament.

The picture of the Queen on £1 coins show her age at the time they were made.

England was part of the shortest war in history. They fought Zanzibar in 1896 and Zanzibar surrendered after just 38 minutes!

England is the most populated country in the United Kingdom. The other countries that make up the United Kingdom are Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The capital city of England is London. Other major cities include Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield, Liverpool, Newcastle and Leeds.

Famous English scientists include Charles Darwin, Michael Faraday, Isaac Newton and Stephen Hawking among many others.

The largest lake in England is named Windermere.

Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in England but others such as cricket and rugby have large followings.

The official London home of the British monarch (king or queen) is Buckingham Palace. It is the oldest royal residence in the world that is still being used by the royal family.

Положить почтовую марку с портретом королевы вниз головой на конверте — это предательство

Каждый год британцы едят более 11,5 миллиардов (1 500 000 000) сэндвичей!

Наш замечательный город Лондон не всегда имел такое название. В прошлом его называли «Лондиниум», «Люденвик» и «Люденбург»!

В 1945 году стая птиц приземлилась на минутную стрелку Биг-Бен и время отстало на 5 минут.

Биг Бен на самом деле не является названием часов, это имя колокола, который находится внутри часов.

Водителям черных такси (такси) в Лондоне приходится запоминать каждую улицу и важное здание в Лондоне в шести милях от Чаринг-Кросса, и им нужно пройти тест под названием «Знание», прежде чем они смогут управлять машиной.

В палатах парламента незаконно умирать.

Англия была частью самой короткой войны в истории. Они воевали с Занзибаром в 1896 году, а Занзибар сдался всего через 38 минут!

Англия — самая населенная страна в Соединенном Королевстве. Другие страны, входящие в состав Соединенного Королевства, — Уэльс, Шотландия и Северная Ирландия.

Столицей Англии является Лондон. Другие крупные города — Бирмингем, Манчестер, Шеффилд, Ливерпуль, Ньюкасл и Лидс.

Известные английские ученые — Чарльз Дарвин, Майкл Фарадей, Исаак Ньютон и Стивен Хокинг и многие другие.

Самое большое озеро в Англии называется Уиндермир.

В число знаменитых английских писателей входит Уильям Шекспир, который писал такую классику, как Ромео и Джульетта, Макбет и Гамлет.

Футбол является самым популярным видом спорта в Англии, но другие, такие как крикет и регби, имеют большие значение.

Официальным лондонским домом британского монарха (короля или королевы) является Букингемский дворец. Это старейшая королевская резиденция в мире, которая до сих пор используется королевской семьей.

17 Сен

Тема по английскому языку: Англия

Топик по английскому языку: Англия (England). Данный текст может быть использован в качестве презентации, проекта, рассказа, эссе, сочинения или сообщения на тему.

Страна Англия

Англия – это страна, являющаяся частью Соединенного Королевства. Она охватывает центральную и 2/3 южной части острова Великобритании, включая более 100 островов меньшего размера. Страна граничит с Шотландией и Уэльсом. Она омывается Ирландским морем, Кельтским морем и Северным морем. Пролив Ла Манш отделяет Англию от континентальной Европы. Население страны составляет около 51 миллиона человек.

Появление Соединенного Королевства

Изначально заселенная кельтами, Англия была завоевана римлянами, англами, саксонами, джутами, датчанами и нормандцами. Акты объединения Англии с Уэльсом в 1536, с Шотландией в 1707 и Ирландией в 1801 образовали Соединенное Королевство. Столица и крупнейший город Англии и Соединенного Королевства – Лондон.

В Англии умеренный морской климат. Погода в стране очень переменчива с частыми дождями, особенно в Лэйк Дистрикт.

Реки

Самые важные реки Англии – это Темза, Мерси и Тайн с портами соответственно в Лондоне, Ливерпуле и Ньюкасле.

Экономика

Экономика Англии – одна из крупнейших в мире. Страна является лидером в химической и фармацевтической промышленностях, равно как в аэрокосмической и военной. Туризм также стал важной частью экономики Англии. Страну ежегодно посещают миллионы туристов.

Культура

В Англии много театров, музеев, библиотек и галерей. Среди наиболее значимых Лондонский Британский музей, хранящий коллекцию из более 7 миллионов экспонатов, Британская библиотека и Национальная галерея.

Образование

В Англии большое количество университетов. Самые известные – Оксфорд и Кембридж, привлекают студентов со всего мира. Общие похожие черты дали им название Оксбридж.

Спорт

Стоит отметить еще один интересный факт: Англия – родина многих видов спорта, но самый распространенный из них футбол.

Заключение

Англия – очень интересная и красивая страна.

Скачать Топик по английскому языку: Англия

England

Country

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It comprises the central and southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain, including over 100 smaller islands. The country borders on Scotland and Wales. It is washed by the Irish Sea, the Celtic Sea and the North Sea. The English Channel separates England from continental Europe. The population of the country is about 51 million people.

Acts of union

Originally settled by Celtic peoples, England was conquered by Romans, Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Danes, and Normans. Acts of union joined England with Wales in 1536, with Scotland in 1707 and with Ireland in 1801 to form the United Kingdom. The capital and the largest city of both England and the United Kingdom is London.

Climate

England has a temperate maritime climate. The weather in the country is very changeable and it rains a lot, especially in the Lake District.

Rivers

The most important rivers in England are Thames, Mersey and Tyne with the ports respectively in London, Liverpool and Newcastle.

England’s economy

England’s economy is one of the largest in the world. The country is a leader in chemical and pharmaceutical industries as well as in aerospace and the arms industries. Tourism has also become an important part of England’s economy. The country is visited by millions of people every year.

Culture

There are lots of theatres, museums, libraries and galleries in England. Among the most notable are London’s British Museum, housing a collection of more than 7 million objects, The British Library and the National Gallery.

Education

There are a great number of universities in England. The most famous are Cambridge and Oxford attracting students from all over the world. They have many common features and known as Oxbridge.

Sports

One more interesting fact to mention is that England is home to lots of different sports but the most played one is football.

Conclusion

England is a very interesting nice country.

Topic: Great Britain

Тема: Великобритания

Другая вещь, которая привлекает большое количество туристов - особая политическая система, которая существует в этой стране, как вы знаете, Великобритания имеет королеву - Елизавету II. Система называется конституционной монархией. Кроме того, есть одна особенность этой страны - здесь нет такого документа, как конституция, вместо этого существует особый набор правил, которые должен соблюдать каждый гражданин Великобритании. Парламент в стране состоит из трех частей. Это Монархи, Палата Лордов и Объединённая Палата.

Great Britain has many places of interest, that is why the country attracts a big number of tourists. situated in the London city, where you can also find many interesting places. In my opinion, every person who is travelling to Great Britain should visit the London city. There are some interesting facts about London. London is built on the river Thames. , that span the river. The first bridge was wooden and the Romans built it. London is divided of the government.

Великобритания имеет много интересных мест, поэтому страна привлекает большое количество туристов. Среди наиболее известных достопримечательностей, есть Биг-Бен, Вестминстерское аббатство, которое находится в городе Лондон, где вы также можете найти много интересных мест. На мой взгляд, каждый человек, который путешествует в Великобританию должны посетить город Лондон. Вот некоторые интересные факты о Лондоне. Лондон построен на реке Темзе. В городе есть 15 мостов, которые охватывают реку. Первый мост был деревянным и построили его римляне. Лондон делится на отдельные локальные единицы правительства.

Among the special things, concerning Great Britain, it is necessary to mention the famous red double decker buses and the unique red British telephone boxes. Every person who takes big interest in Britishness will also mention the two famous characters – Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson. There is also the museum of Sherlock Holmes , where you will get a chance to feel the special atmosphere of the detective stories.

Среди особенных вещей, которые касаются Великобритании, необходимо отметить, знаменитые красные двухэтажные автобусы и уникальные красные британские телефонные будки. Каждый человек, который очень интересуется британистикой, также вспомнит о двух знаменитых персонажах - Шерлоке Холмсе и докторе Ватсоне. Существует также музей Шерлока Холмса на знаменитой Бейкер-стрит, где вы получите возможность почувствовать особую атмосферу детективов.

Another special feature of Great Britain is its climate. As you know, very often the country is called – . There is a real reason for it. Usually,

The full name of the country the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The United Kingdom is situated on the British Isles. The British Isles consist of two large islands, Great Britain and Ireland, and a great number of small islands. Their total area is over 314 000 sq. km.

The British Isles are separated from the European conti­nent by the North Sea and the English Channel. The western coast of Great Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea.

Northern Ireland occupies one third of the island of Ire­land. It borders on the Irish Republic in the south.

The island of Great Britain consists of three main parts: England (the southern and middle part of the island), Wales (a mountainous peninsula in the West) and Scotland (the north­ern part of the island).

There are no high mountains in Great Britain. In the north the Cheviots separate England from Scotland, the Pennines stretch down North England along its middle, the Cambrian mountains occupy the greater part of Wales and the High­lands of Scotland are the tallest of the British mountains. There is very little flat country except in the region known as East Anglia.

Most of the rivers flow into the North Sea. The Thames is the deepest and the longest of the British rivers. Some of the British greatest ports are situated in the estuaries of the Thames, Mersey, Trent, Tyne, Clyde and Bristol Avon.

Great Britain is not very rich in mineral resources, it has some deposits of coal and iron ore and vast deposits of oil and gas that were discovered in the North Sea.

The warm currents of the Atlantic Ocean influence the climate of Great Britain. Winters are not severely cold and summers are rarely hot.

The population of the United Kingdom is over 58 million people. The main nationalities are: English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish. In Great Britain there are a lot of immigrants from former British Asian and African colonies.

Great Britain is a highly industrialized country. New in­dustries have been developed in the last three decades. The main industrial centres are London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Glasgow and Bristol.

The capital of the country is London. The United Kingdom is a parliamentary monarchy.

British Institutions

Parliament is the most important authority in Britain. Parliament first met in the 13th century. Britain does not have a written constitution, but a set of laws. In 1689 Mary II and William III became the first constitutional monarchs. They could rule only with the support of the Parliament. Technically Parliament is made up of three parts: the Mo­narch, the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

The continuity of the English monarchy has been inter­rupted only once during the Cromwell republic. Succession to the throne is hereditary but only for Protestants in the direct line of descent. Formally the monarch has a number of roles. The monarch is expected to be politically neutral, and should not make political decisions. Nevertheless, the monarch still perforins some important executive and legislative duties in­cluding opening and dissolving Parliament, signing bills passed by both Houses and fulfilling international duties as

head of state. The present sovereign is Queen Elizabeth II who was crowned in Westminster Abbey in 1953.

The House of Lords comprises about 1200 peers. The house is presided over by the Lord Chancellor. The House of Lords has no real power but acts as an advisory council for the House of Commons. As well as having legislative functions, the Lords is the highest’court of appeal.

The House of Commons consists of Members of Parlia­ment who are elected by the adult suffrage of the British people in general elections which are held at least every five years. The country is divided into 650 constituencies each of which elects one Member of Parliament. The Commons, there­fore, has 650 Members of Parliament. The party whkch wins the most seats forms the Government and its leader becomes the Prime Minister. The functions of Commons are legislation and security of government activities. The house is presided over by the Speaker. The government party sits on the Spea­ker’s right while on his left sit the members of the Opposition.

British traditional holidays

Great Britain is famous for its old traditions. Some of them existed in ancient times and survived through centuries. Some of them appeared when Christianity came to British isles. Speaking about religious holidays one can’t but mention Easter, Pancake Day and Mother’s Day. The dates of these holidays aren’t strict, they depend on the date of Easter, that varies every year.

Pancake day is the popular name for the Shrove Tuesday, the day before the first day of Lent. In the middle ages people on that day made merry and ate pancakes. The ingredients of pancakes are all forbidden by Church during Lent, that is why they have to be used the day before. The most common form of celebrating this day in the old times was the all town ball game or tug-of-war, in which everyone was tearing here and there, trying to get the ball or rope into their part of the city. Today the only custom, that is observed throughout Britain is pancake eating.

For the English people the best-known name for the fourth in Lent Sunday is Mothering Sunday or Mother’s Day. For 3 centuries this day has been a day of small family gatherings when absent sons and daughters return to their homes. Gifts are made to mothers by children of all ages. Flowers and cakes are still traditional gifts. Violets and primroses are most popular flowers. Sometimes the whole family goes to church and then there is a special dinner at which roast lamb, rice-pudding and home-made wines and served.

Easter is one of the most important holidays in Christianity. In England it’s a time for giving and receiving presents, mostly Easter eggs. We can say that the egg is the most popular emblem of Easter, but spring-time flowers are also used to stress the nature’s awakening. Nowadays there are a lot of chocolate Easter eggs, having some small gifts inside. But a real hard-boiled egg, decorated and painted in bright colours , still appears on breakfast tables on Ester Day, or it’s hidden in the house or garden for children to finny. In egg that is boiled really hard will last for years. Egg-rolling is a traditional Easter pastime. You roll the eggs down a clope until they are cracked and broken, after they are eaten up.

Christmas in Great Britain

For most British families, this is the most important festival of the year. This is the day when many people are travelling home to be with their families on Christmas Day. If you try to catch a train on 24th December you may have difficulty in finding a seat. There are a lot of traditions connected with Christmas but the most important one is the giving of presents. Family members wrap up their gifts and leave them at the bottom of the Christmas tree to be bound on Christmas morning. At some time on Christmas Day the family will sit down to a big turkey dinner followed by Christmas pudding.

In the afternoon they may watch the Queen on the televi­sion as she delivers her traditional Christmas message to the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. Then they enjoy a piece of Christmas cake or eat a hot mince pie. On the Sunday before Christmas many churches hold a service where special hymns are sung. Sometimes singers can be heard on the streets as they collect money for charity. Most families decorate their houses with brightly-coloured paper or holly, and they usual­ly have a Christmas tree in the corner of the room, glittering with coloured lights and decoration. 26th December is also a public holiday, called Boxing Day. This is the time to visit friends and relatives or be a spectator at one of the many sporting events.

Everyone in Great Britain is waiting and enjoying this holiday very much!

The Climate of Great Britain

Great Britain is situated on islands. It is washed by seas from all sides. That’s why the climate and the nature of Great Britain is very specific. The popular belief that it rains all the time in Britain is simply not true. In fact, London gets no more rain in a year than most other major European cities. Generally speaking, the further west you go, the more rain you get. The mild winters mean that snow is a regular feature of the higher areas only. The winters are in general a bit colder in the east of the country than they are in the west. While in summer, the south is slightly warmer and sunnier than the north. Besides Britain is famous for its fogs. Sometimes fogs are so thick that it is impossible to see anything within 2 or 3 metres.

Why has Britain’s climate got such a bad reputation? May­be it is for the same reason that British people always seem to

be talking about the weather. There is a saying that Britain doesn’t have a climate, it only has weather. You can never be sure of a fry day, though it may not rain very much altoge­ther. There can be cool and even cold days in July and some quite warm days in January. The weather changes very of­ten. Mark Twain said about America: «If you don’t like the weather in New England, just wait a few minutes* but it is more likely to have been said about England. The lack of extremes is the reason why on the few occasions when it gets genuinely hot or freezing cold, the country seems to be totally unprepared for it. A bit of snow, a few days of frost and the trains stop working and the roads are blocked. If the ther­mometer goes above 27°C, people behave as if they were in the Sahara and the temperature makes front-page headlines. These things happen so seldom that it is not worth organizing life to be ready for them. Everyone «who comes to Great Britain says that it looks like one great beautiful park. The British people love their country and take care of it.

London

London is the capital of Great Britain, its political, economic and cultural centre. It’s one of the largest cities in the world. Its population is more than 11 million people. London is situated on the river Thames. The city is very old and beautiful. It was founded more than two thousand years ago.

Traditionally London is divided into several parts: the City, the West End, the East End and Westminster. The City is the oldest part of London, its financial and business centre. The heart of the City is the Stock Exchange.

Westminster is the most important part of the capital. It’s the administrative centre. The Houses of Parliament, the seat of the British Government, are there. It’s a very beautiful building with two towers and a very big clock called Big Ben. Big Ben is really the bell which strikes every quarter of an hour. Opposite the Houses of Parliament is Westminster Abbey. It’s a very beautiful church built over 900 years ago. The tombs of many great statesmen, scientists and writers are there.

To the west of Westminster is West End. Here we find most of the big shops, hotels, museums, art galleries, theatres and concert halls. Piccadilly Circus is the heart of London’s West End. In the West End there are wide streets with beauti­ful houses and many parks, gardens and squares.

To the east of Westminster is the East End, an industrial district of the capital. There are no parks or gardens in the East End and you can’t see many fine houses there. Most of the plants and factories are situated there.

London has many places of interest. One of them is Bu­ckingham Palace. It’s the residence of the Queen. The English are proud of Trafalgar Square, which was named so in me­mory of the victory at the battle. There in 1805 the English fleet defeated the fleet of France and Spain. The last place of interest I should like to mention, is the British Museum, the biggest museum in London. The museum is famous for its library - one of the richest in the world.

All London’s long-past history is told by its streets. There are many streets in London which are known all over the world. Among them Oxford Street, Downing Street and a lot of others can be mentioned. And tourists are usually attracted not only by the places of interest but by the streets too.

British Cuisine

Some people criticize English food. They say it’s unima­ginable, boring, tasteless, it’s chips with everything and totally overcooked vegetables.

The basic ingredients, when fresh, are so full of flavour that British haven’t had to invent sauces to disguise their natural taste. What can compare with fresh pees or new potatoes just boiled and served with butter? Why drown spring lamb in wine or cream and spices, when with just one or two herbs it is absolutely delicious?

If you ask foreigners to name some typically English di­shes,they will probably say «Fish and chips* then stop. It is disappointing, but true that, there is no tradition in England of eating in restaurants, because the food doesn’t lend itself to such preparation. English cooking is found at home. So it is difficult to find a good English restaurant with a reason­able prices.

In most cities in Britain you’ll find Indian, Chinese, French and Italian restaurants. In London you’ll also find Indone­sian, Mexican, Greek… Cynics will say that this is because English have no «cuisine* themselves, but this is not quite the true.

British Literature

Great Britain gave the world a lot of talented people. Many famous writers and poets were born and lived in Great Britain.

Robert Burns represents the generation of Romantic wri­ters. In his poems he described with love and understanding the simple life he knew. Among his wall-known poems are «Halloween», «The Jolly Beggars, «To a Mouse».

Lord George Gordon Byron. His free-spirited life style com­bined with his rare poetic gift makes him one of the most famous figures of the Romantic Era. His famous works such as «Stanzas to Augusta, «The Prisoner of Chillon», «Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, « Manfred draw readers into the pas­sion, humors and conviction of a poet whose life and work truly embodied the Romantic spirit.

Sir Walter Scott wrote the first examples of historical novel.

Lewis Carroll became famous when he published “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”.

The Geographical Position of Great Britain

There are two large islands and several smaller ones, which lie in the north-west coast of Europe. Collectively they are known as the British Isles. The largest island is called Great Britain. The smaller one is called Ireland. Great Britain is separated from the continent by the English Channel. The country is washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Great Britain is separated from Belgium and Holland by the North Sea, and from Ireland - by the Irish Sea.

In the British Isles there are two states. One of them go­verns of the most of the island of Ireland. This state is usual­ly called the Republic of Ireland. The other state has authori­ty over the rest of the territory.

The official name of this country is the United Kingdom

of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. But it is usually known by a shorter name - *The United Kingdom*. The total area of Great Britain is 244,000 square km.

They say that the British love of compromise is the result of the country’s physical geography. This may or may not be true, but it certainly true that the land and climate in Great Britain have a notable lack of extremes. The mountains in the country are not very high. It doesn’t usually get very cold in the winter or very not in the summer. It has no active volca­noes, and an earth tremos which does no more than rattle teacups in a few houses which is reported in the national news media. The insular geographical position of Great Brit­ain promoted the development of shipbuilding, different trai­ning contacts with other countries.

The Structure of Government in Great Britain

The Queen is officially head of all the branches of govern­ment, but she has little direct power in the country. The constitutionhas three branches: Parliament, which makes lows, the government, which «executes* laws (puts them into effect) and the courts, which interpret laws. Parliament has two parts: the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Members of the House of Commons are elected by the voters of 650 con­stituencies. They are known as Members of Parliament. The Prime- Minister is advised by a Cabinet of about twenty other ministers.

The Prime Minister, or leader of the Government, is usually the leader of the political party. The Cabinet includes the ministers in charge of major government departments or mi­nistries. Departments and ministries are run by civil servants, who are permanent officials. Even if the Government changes after an election, the same civil servants are employed. Mem­bers of the House of Lords are not elected. About 70 per cent of them are «hereditary peers» because their fathers were peers before them. The 30 per cent are officially appointed by the Queen, on the advice of the Government, for various servic­es for people.

Meals in Britain

Since the 1970’s eating habits in Britain have undergone a Change. People have been encouraged by doctors, health ex­perts and government advertisements to eat less fat and more fibre. Fat is believed to be one of the major causes of obesity and heart disease. Forty per cent of adults in Britain are overweight and Britain has one of the highest death rates due to cardiovascular disease in the world. Britons have also be­come more aware of calories, the energy value of food. Some people count the number of calories they eat every day, so that they can try to take in fewer calories and lose weight. Food manufactures have started to help the general public to make more informed choices about what they eat.

So the traditional British breakfast is bacon, eggs or sausages, preceded by fruit and followed by toasts. Britons may eat this breakfast at weekends or on special occasions but prefer a smaller and healthier meal to start a day. Lunch is a light meal and is eaten at school or work. Lunch takes 30-40 minutes. Dinner is usually the main meal of the day and consists of two courses.

In recent years, foreign foods have become a regular part of the British diet. Indian and Chinese dishes are particularly popular for evening meals. Take-aways became extremely popular in the 1980’s. The traditional British take-away is fish and chips eaten with salt and vinegar and served in an old newspaper.

The British are famous for their love of sweet things and afternoon tea with sandwiches; scones, jam and several kinds of cake, was once a traditional custom;. Most working people don’t have tea as an afternoon «meal», but they do have a short break in the middle of the afternoon for a cup of tea. Tea is often also drink with lunch and dinner.

National Emblems of the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom (abbreviated from «The United King­dom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland*) is the political name of the country which consists of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (sometimes known as Ulster).

Great Britain is the name of the island which is made up of England, Scotland, Wales, whereas the British Isles is the geo­graphical name of all the islands off the north-west coast of the European continent.

In everyday speech «Britain» is used to mean the United Kingdom.

The flag of the United Kingdom, known as the Union Yack, is made up of three crosses. The upright red cross on a white background is the cross of the 1st George, the patron saint of England. The white diagonal cross on a blue back­ground is the cross of St. Andrew, the patron saint of Scot­land. The red diagonal cross on a white background is the cross of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.

The Welsh flag, called the Welsh dragon, represents a red dragon on a white and green background.

St. George’s Day falls on 23 April and is regarded as England’s national day. On this day some patriotic English­men wear a rose pinned to their jackets. A red rose is the

national emblem of England from the time of the Wars of the Roses (15th century).

St. Andrew’s Day (the 30th of November) is regarded as Scotland’s national day. On this day some Scotsmen wear a thistle in their buttonhole. As a national emblem of Scotland, thistle apparently first used in the 15th century as a symbol of defence. The Order of the Thistle is one of the highest orders of knighthood. It was founded in 1687, and is mainly given to Scottish noblemen (limited to 16 in number).

St. Patrick’s Day (the 17th of March) is considered as a national day in Northern Ireland and an official bank holi­day there. The national emblem of Ireland is shamrock. Ac­cording to legend, it was the plant chosen by St. Patrick to illustrate the Christian doctrine of the Trinity to the Irish.

St. David’s Day (the 1st of March) is the church festival of St. David, a 6th-century monk and bishop, the patron saint of Wales. The day is regarded as the national holiday of Wales, although it is not an official bank holiday.

On this day, however, many Welshmen wear either a yellow daffodil or a leek pinned to their jackets, as both plants are traditionally regarded as national emblems of Wales.

In the Royal Arms three lions symbolize England, a lion rampant - Scotland, and a harp - Ireland. The whole is encircled and is supported by a lion and a unicorn. The lion has been used as a symbol of national strength and of the British monarchy for many centuries. The unicorn, a mythical animal that looks like a horse with a long straight horn, has appeared on the Scottish and British royal coats of arms for many centuries, and is a symbol of purity.

Newspapers in Britain

If you get on a bus or catch a train in Britain, especially during the morning and evening *rush hour», you’ll see a lot of people reading newspapers. The press tells us about various political views, interest and levels of education. Pa­pers are usually divided into «quality» papers which are seri­ous with long, informative articles and *popular* which have smaller size. They are less serious and contain more human interest stories than news.

More daily newspapers, national and regional are sold in Great Britain than in most other developed countries. There are about 135 daily papers and Sunday papers, 2000 weekly

papers and about 100 papers produced by members of ethnic groups.

A lot of people buy a morning paper, an evening paper and a couple of Sunday papers. On an average day two out of three people over the age of 15 read a national morning paper, about three out of four read a Sunday paper. So it’s not surprising to learn that national newspapers have a circulation of 15.8 million copies on weekdays and 19 million on Sundays.

Newspapers are almost always financially independent of any political party. However, during general election cam­paigns many papers recommend their readers to vote for a particular political party. Ownership of the national London and regional daily newspapers is concentrated in the hands of large press publishing groups.

Outstanding Events in the History of Great Britain

There were many outstanding events in the history of Great Britain. Many different tribes tried to control the terri­tory of Britain. England was added to the Roman Empire in 43 A.D. Roman invasion played a very important role in the history of the country. The Roman built the first roads in the country, dug the first walls. The Romans, who were great architects, constructed the first towns in Britain.

But the Normans influenced the British civilization most of all. They came in 1066 under the leadership of William the Conqueror. As the invaders spoke French, their speech influenced the English language.

Once the British had to face the French in 1805 at the battle of Trafalgar. Then Admiral Nelson won a great victory over the French fleet. In order to commemorate this event the monument to Admiral Nelson was erected on this square.

In the 18th century technological and commercial innova­tion led to the Industrial Revolution. The 13 North American Colonies were lost, but replaced by colonies in Canada and India.

The beginning of the 20th century coincided with the beginning of the decline of the British Empire. Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa became dominions and drew up their constitutions. Britain was no longer the greatest world power. Germany was rapidly becoming the major economic power in Europe.

The rivalry between the great European powers led to the outbreak of World War I in 1914. After four years of bitter fighting the war ended in victory for the Allied Powers of Britain, France, Italy and the USA. Germany was defeated. The destruction was terrible, there were more than 10 million killed.

The war was followed by a period of depression in economy. It was a period of great social unrest. Unemployment was high, wages low and there were numerous strikes. From 1930 to 1933 three million British people out of the total workforce of 14 million were unemployed.

Britain was soon involved into another war. After Hitler’s invasion of Poland in 1939, Britain declared war on Germany. Led by Prime Minister Winston Churchill Britain fought against Germany in the alliance with the Soviet Union and the USA. Germany surrendered in May 1945. The war had cost Britain a quarter of its national wealth.

Between 1945 and 1965 more than 500 million people in former British colonies became self-governing. India, Pakistan, Ceylon and Burma became independent and joined the Commonwealth as free and equal members.

In the 1970s and 1980s Britain experienced new social problems connected with the arrival of immigrants. By 1990 there were 5 million immigrants in Britain. The government passed laws to prevent unequal treatment of immigrants, but also to control the number of immigrants coming to Britain.

Places of Interest in Great Britain

Britain is rich in its historic places which link the present with the past.

The oldest part of London is Lud Hill, where the city is originated. About a mile west of it there is Westminster Pa­lace, where the king lived and the Parliament met, and there is also Westminster Abbey, the coronation church.

Liverpool, the «city of ships», is England’s second grea­test port, ranking after London. The most interesting sight in the Liverpool is the docks. They occupy a river frontage of seven miles. The University of Liverpool, established in 1903, is noted for its School of Tropical Medicine. And in the music world Liverpool is a well-known name, for it’s the home town of «The Beatles*.

Cambridge and Oxford Universities are famous centres of learning.

Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument, presumably built by Druids, members of an order of priests in ancient Britain. Tintagel Castle is King Arthur’s reputed birthplace. Canter­bury Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, head of the Church of England.

The British Museum is the largest and richest museum in the world. It was founded in 1753 and contains one of the world’s richest collections of antiquities. The Egyptian Gal­leries contain human and animal mummies. Some parts of Athens’ Parthenon are in the Greek section.

Madam Tussaud’s Museum is an exhibition of hundreds

of life-size wax models of famous people of yesterday and today. The collection was started by Madam Tussaud, a French modeller in wax, in the 18th century. Here you can meet Marilyn Monroe, Elton John, Picasso, the Royal Family, the Beatles and many others: writers, movie stars, singers, politi­cians, sportsmen, etc.

Sport in Great Britain

Sport plays such a large part in British life that many idioms in the English language have come from the world of sport. For example, «that’s not cricket* means «that’s not fair» and «to play the game* means «to be fair». The most popular sport in England is football. A lot of people support their local clubs at matches on Saturday afternoons or watch the matches on television.

The football league in England and Wales has four divi-

sions. Each division contains twenty teams. There are two main prizes each season. The football league championship is won by the team that is top of the first division. The final of this competition takes place every May at the famous Wemb­ley stadium in London. Some of the best-known clubs in En­gland are Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal. But many clubs have problems with money at the moment. Some people say that the league is too big and that the players get paid too much. Others say that television is making the crowds stay at home.

Sport has for a long time been a very important part of a child’s education in Britain, not just - as you may think to develop physical abilities, but also to provide a certain kind of moral education. Team games encourage such social qualities as enthusiasm, cooperation, loyalty and unselfishness.

The British Media

The British Media consists of the press and radio and TV broadcasting.

Now a couple of words about papers. First of all there is no subscription. You may buy any on sale. There are two main types of newspapers: the «popular» papers and the «qua-lity» papers.

The popular papers are less in size, with many pictures, big headlines and short articles. They are easy to read. They are such papers as «Daily Express*, « Daily mail», «Daily Mirror», «Daily Star», «The Sun» and others.

The «quality» papers are for more serious readership. These papers are bigger in size, with larger articles and more detailed information. The «quality» papers are - «The Times*, «Daily Telegraph*, «The Guardian*, «Financial Times*, «The Independent*.

In addition to daily papers we. have just mentioned above there are Sunday papers. They have a higher circulation than the dailies. Sunday papers in Great Britain are such «quality» papers as « Observer*, «Sunday Times», «Sunday Telegraph* and such «popular* papers as: «News of the World*, «Sun-day Express*, «Sunday Mirror*, «Mail on Sunday*.

As far as broadcasting and telecasting are concerned there are two radio and TV stations. The first one - well-known BBC - British Broadcasting Corporation, and the second - IBA - Independent Broadcasting Authorities.

The newspapers in Britain are proud of the fact that they are different from each other - each tries to have a definite profile.

The British Painters

William Turner , a great romantic English landscape painter, was born in Devonshire in 1775. He lived with his uncle in Middlesex, where he began to attend school. His first dra­wings are dated 1787, when he was only twelve years of age. His childish sketch-books, filled with drawings, are still pre­served in the British Museum.

When he was 21, he began to exhibit oil paintings. As a landscape painter Turner was interested mainly in light and colour effects. One of his famous paintings is even called “Light and Colour”.Turner died in London in 1851. His pictures and draw­ings became the property of the British nation.

William Turner is considered to be one of the world grea­test painters.

John Constable is a master of landscape painting in the romantic style. Constable was the first who introduced green into painting.

He was the son of a miller in Bergholt. He went to London in 1799 to study painting at the Royal Academy schools.

He exhibited his first landscape paintings in 1802. He was fascinated by reflections in water and light on clouds, and produced many cloud studies. Many of his paintings depict the countryside of the Stour River valley in Suffolk where he had grown up. He often painted in the open air, but he usually finished his canvases in the studio.

Constable’s works include The Cornfield (1826, National Gallery, London), Dedham Lock and Mill in 1820.

Thomas Gainsborough , (1727-1788), English painter, considered one of the great masters of portraiture and landscape painting. Gainsborough was born in Sudbury, Suffolk. He showed artistic ability at an early age, and when he was 15 years old he studied drawing and etching in London with French engraver Hubert Gravelot. From 1760 to 1774 he lived in Bath, a fashionable health resort, where he painted numerous portraits and landscapes. In 1774 he painted, by royal invitation, portraits of King George III and the queen consort, Charlotte Sophia. He was the favorite painter of the British aristocracy.

Gainsborough executed more than 500 paintings, of which more than 200 are portraits. His portraits are characterized, by poetic charm, and by cool and fresh colors. His most famous portraits include Orpin, the Parish Clerk (Tate Gallery, London); The Baillie Family (1784) and Mrs. Siddons (1785).

The Most Popular British Writers

The Bronte sister, Charlotte (1816-1855), Emily (1818- 1848) and Anne (1820-1849), were three talented 19th cen­tury women novelists whose works are regarded as classics today. Charlotte is best known for her novel «Jane Eyre».

The novels of Jane Austen are known for their subtlery of observation and irony, together with their insights into the provincial life of the middle-class in the early part of 19th

century. Her works include «Emma», « Pride and Prejudice* and others.

One of the most widely known English poets is remarkable because his work has been transcribed, published, read and comment on since his death. He is Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1345- 1400). His best known work is «The Canterbury Tales*, a collection of tales. Chaucer is buried in Westminster Abbey.

The Problem of Environmental Protection in Great Britain

Environmental protection is an international issue of great importance and Great Britain pays much attention to it. There are nearly 500 000 protected buildings and 7000 conserva­tion areas of architecture of historical interest in Britain. The Government supports the work of the voluntary sector in preserving the national heritage.

Total emissions of smoke in the air have fallen by 85 per cent since 1960. Most petrol stations in Britain stock unlea­ded petrol. The Government is committed to the control of gases emission, which damage the ozone layer. They also con­tribute to the greenhouse effect, which leads to global war­ming and a rise in sea levels. Britain stresses the need for studying the science of climate change.

Green belts are areas where land should be left open and free from urban sprawl. The Government attaches great importance to their protection. National parks cover 9 per cent of the total land area of England and Wales. The National Rivers Authority protects island waters in En­gland and Wales. In Scotland the River purification autho­rities are responsible for water pollution control. Great Britain takes care of its environment for themselves and next generations.

The Towns of Great Britain

The centre of everything in Great Britain is the city of London. It’s situated at the centre of a vast national and international network of communication. London consists of four main districts, which differ from each other. These are the City, Westminster, the West End and the East End.

London’s industries are extremely varied. Among them an extensive system of docks and port industries, electrical engineering, the motor car industry and other.

The other towns, situated to the north of the Thames are Oxford and Cambridge.

Oxford was first mentioned in recorded history in the tenth century and later became an important trade centre in medieval times, then it developed into leading educational centre.

Cambridge is also best known for its ancient university. Its industries are mostly concerned with electronics which has an international reputation.

Bristol dominates South-west England, both as the region’s largest seaport and as its largest city. It is a major centre of metallurgy, aircraft and chemical industries.

Of the towns situated in the south of England the largest ones are Southampton, Portsmouth and Brighton.

Southampton is primarily a seaport, the most important on the south coast.

Brighton is sne of the most popular seaside resorts of Britain. It has mild climate, warm sea and wonderful bea­ches.

Manchester is a city of ancient origin. By the 17th centu­ry it was great commercial city, a centre of textile industry. Now engineering along with clothing manufacture are most important industries there.

Sheffield, situated in South Yorkshire, produces almost

two-thirds of the country’s alloy steel, it is famous for its tools and cutlery. Other industries include paper making machinery and food processing.

In North Yorkshire the largest town is York. Its leading industries are engineering and manufacture of confectio­nery. York attracts many tourists because of its famous me­dieval city walls.