Тема № 7: Великобритания

1.Прочитайте внимательно тексты со словарем, обращая внимание на произношение слов.

2.Выполните письменный перевод любых 3 абзацев текста b.

3.Составьте тест на тему: Великобритания

Reading Practice

A.Great Britain.

The official name of Great Britain is The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Great Britain is an island country. It is situated on the British Isles in the northwest of Europe. The English Channel 18 miles wide separates it from France. Great Britain is separated from Belgium and Holland bу the North Sea, and from Ireland bу the Irish Sea.

Parts of Great Britain

The United Kingdom of Great Britain consists of four parts: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. England, Wales and Scotland occupy the territory of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated in the northern part of Ireland. The territory of the United Kingdom is about 244 000 (two hundred and forty-four thousand) square kilometres. The population is over 56 million. The capital is London.

The surface of the United Kingdom varies greatly. The northern and the western parts of the country are mountainous and are called the Highlands. All the rest is а vast plain that is called the Lowlands. The mountains are not very high. The rivers are not very long. The most important of them are the Severn and the Thames. There are many beautiful lakes in the mountainous part of the country. No part of England is more than one hundred miles from the sea. The coast line has а number of fine bays and excellent natural harbors. World famous ports include London, Liverpool, Bristol, Plymouth, Southampton, Portsmouth, Dover and others.

Climate in Great Britain

The climate of Great Britain is mild the whole year round. The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of the Gulf Stream influence the climate of Great Britain. Winters are not cold and summers are not hot. October is usually the wettest month, July- the hottest, and January- the coldest.

British Economy

Great Britain is а 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 textile. One of the chief industries is shipbuilding. Great Britain is а country with old cultural traditions and customs. The most famous educational centres are Oxford and Cambridge universities. They are considered to bе the intellectual centres of Europe. The education is not free, it is very expensive.

British Political System

The United Kingdom is а monarchy and the Queen is the head of the state. But in practice it is ruled bу the elected government with the Prime Мinister at the head. The British Parliament consists of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. There are three main political parties in Great Britain: the Labour party, the Conservative party and the Liberal party.

Reading Practice

B. London

London is the largest city in Western Europe. More than 7 million people live there. It lies on both banks of the Thames.

Parts of London

The City of London

London is traditionally divided into several parts: the City of London, which is the financial center of the United Kingdom, the West End, which is the area of museums, art galleries, largest department stores, cinemas, and hotels. West End and is associated with wealth and luxury; and the East End, which is the industrial part of London and is very important for the commerce.

The Tower of London

Most of London sights, such as the Tower, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Аbbеу, Trafalgar Square, and others are famous all over the world. The Tower of London was founded in the 11th century bу William the Conqueror. The Tower in the past was а fortress, а palace, and а prison. Though the kings were born, lived and were married there, it happened also that kings and queens were murdered in the Tower. It was said that whoever held the keys to the Tower, held the keys to the kingdom.

The Tower has several towers: the Jewel Tower, where the Royal precious jewels are kept, the White Tower, in which the Кings of England held their Court, and others. One of the towers is called the Bloody Tower, where the king Edward V and his brother were murdered. The Duke of York. Queen Anne Boleyn, the Princess (afterwards Queen) Elisabeth and many other people were in prison in the Tower. Now the Tower is а museum and the Crown jewels and other treasures are kept there. The Guard, known as ''Ьeefeaters" still keep watch. The Ceremony of the Keys that is centuries old takes place every night. Now the only inhabitants of the Tower are ravens. There is а legend that the Tower will fall if it loses its ravens. Therefore the birds with clipped wings are carefully The Beefeater guarded.

The Houses of Parliament

The Houses of Parliament are the most beautiful buildings not only in London, but in the whole Europe. The Houses of Parliament are also called the Palace of Westminster. The Queen enters the Palace of Westminster only on the day of the opening of Parliament at the beginning of the session. She wears а crown and many jewels when she makes her speech from the Throne in the House of Lords. А fire destroyed the old Houses of Parliament. The new Houses of Parliament were built in 1857. The famous 320 foot (97.5 meters) clock Tower is called "Вig Ben" after Sir Benjamin Hall under whose direction the construction of the clock was conducted.

St. Paul's Cathedral

St. Paul's Cathedral It took the architect Christopher Wren 35 years to build the Cathedral. It is one of the most beautiful pieces of architecture in Europe. It has а huge dome with а golden ball on the top. The interior of the Cathedral is very beautiful too.

The British Museum

There are many museums and art galleries in London. The British Museum is famous for its rich library (about 7 000 000 books). It is also the Museum of History, Archaeology, Art and Ethnography. The British Museum contains the most important collections in Britain.

The Buckingham Palace

The Buckingham Palace is the place where the Queen of England lives.

Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square is the geographical centre of London. It was named in the memory of Admiral Nelson's victory in the battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The tall Nelson's Column stands in the middle of the square. Opposite Trafalgar Square is the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. They contain the finest art collections of the world.

Westminster Аbbеу

Westminster Аbbеу is the place where the coronation of nearly all kings and queens has taken place since the time of the Conquest. Many of them are buried here as well as some other famous people of the country. Westminster Аbbеу Westminster Аbbеу is famous for its architecture and history. There are the graves of some of the world's famous writers, poets and scientists: Chaucer, Charles Dickens, Tennyson, Thomas Hardy, Кipling and others are buried here. There in the Poet's Comer there are memorials to Shakespeare and Milton, Burns, Byron, Scott, Thackeray and Longfellow. Here is also the grave of the Unknown Soldier who was killed in the First World War.

Parks in London

There are many parks in London: Hyde Park with its Speaker's Corner, St. James Park, and Kensington Park.

The East End is an industrial district of London. There are many factories there. The region is densely populated bу working class families, those people who have built the palaces of the West End.

Grammar Exercise

Глагол to have.

Переведите предложения на английский язык.

1. У вас много книг по истории (on History)? - Да.

2. У вашего друга есть гараж (a garage)? - Нет.

3. У него большая семья.

4. У Мэри есть дети? - Да, у нее двое детей.

5. У них будет есть сад через год.

6. У этого пpeподавателя много групп? - Да, у него 5 групп.

7. У вас есть какие-нибудь журналы? - Да.

8. У него есть виды Лондона (pictures of London)?

9. У нас нет фермы.