2020-10-10
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Great Britain is situated to the north-west of Europe on the British Isles. It is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The official name of the country is the United Kingdom (U. K.). Great Britain is separated from the Continent by the English Channel and is connected with countries by sea.
The climate of Britain is mild and warm because of the warm Gulf Stream. Most of the mountains are in the north, in Scotland, but they are not very high. Scotland is also famous for its beautiful lakes. The rivers in Great Britain are not long but many of them deep. The greatest are the Clyde, the Thames and the Severn. The longest river is the Severn.
Britain’s population is more than 56 million people.
London, the capital of the country, is situated on the Thames. The most important industrial cities are Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, Edinburgh, Birmingham and others.
The most famous educational centres are Cambridge and Oxford universities. They are considered to be the intellectual centres of Europe. The education is not free, it is very expensive.
The U. K. is constitutional monarchy. The official head of the state is the king or the queen. But the power of the monarch is limited by Parliament which is made up of the House of Lords and House of Commons. Members of the House of Lords are appointed, and members of the House of Commons are elected by people. Parliament makes laws. The head of the Government is the Prime Minister, who is the leader of the party in power. At present there are four main political parties in Great Britain: the Conservative, the Labor, the Liberal and the Social-Democratic Party.
The official language of Great Britain is English. It is now spoken hi many countries of the world: the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India and others.
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The UK 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 textile. One of the industries is shipbuilding.
Great Britain is a country with old cultural traditions and customs.
Words and word combinations:
country – страна;
state – 1. государство, 2. штат;
kingdom – королевство;
to be situated – располагаться;
to be made up (- to consist of) – состоять из;
to separat – разделять;
to connect – соединять;
capital – столица;
monarch – монарх;
monarchy – монархия;
king – король;
queen – королева;
House – палата (парламента);
to limit – ограничивать;
to appoint – назначать;
to elect – выбирать;
leader – лидер, руководитель;
power – власть;
law – закон;
to make laws – издавать законы;
free – бесплатный;
expensive – дорогой;
to export – экспортировать;
chemicals – продукты химической промышленности;
textile – текстиль.
ASSIGMENT
Here are some proverbs and quotations (цитаты) about Britain and its people. Try to learn them by heart.
1. My home is my castle.
2. If you want to eat well in England, eat three breakfasts.
(W.Somerset Maugham).
3. I don’t desire (желаю) to change anything in England except the weather. (Oscar Wilde).
4. An Englishman, even if he is alone, forms an orderly queue.
(George Mikes).
5. In for a penny, in for a pound. (Сделано на пенни, нужно сделать и на фунт).
2. Give Russian equivalents to the following words and word combinations:
Official name, mountain, mild, industrial, deep, to be famous for, monarchy, party, official language, the head of the Government, to appoint, to make laws, to be made up.
3. Find in the text English equivalents to the following words and word combinations:
Ла–Манш; королева; состоять из; официальный язык; монарх; выбирать; лидер; климат; политическая партия; палата лордов; члены палаты общи; ограничивать; король.
4. Fill in the gaps:
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1. The …… ….. of the country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northen Ireland.
2. The UK is …….. monarchy.
3. The head of the ……. is the Prime Minister, who is the …… of the party in …..
4. GB is separated from the Continent by the …… ……...
5. The longest river in Great Britain is …..
6. English is the official ……. of ……. ……..
7. The power of the monarch is …… by ……..
8. Parliament is made up of the …… ….. and the …… …..
9. At present there are four main ….. ….. in Great Britain.
10. Cambridge and Oxford are …… …… cities.
5. Answer the following questions:
1. Where is Great Britain situated?
2. What is the official name of the country?
3. What countries is it made up of?
4. What is the climate of Britain?
5. What is the longest river in GB?
6. Who is the official head of the state?
7. How many Houses does Parliament have?
8. Who is the head of the Government?
9. Are there four main political parties in GB?
10. What is the official languageof Great Britain?
6. Translate into English:
1. Великобритания расположена на Британских островах.
2. В состав Великобритании входят Англия, Шотландия, Уэльс и Северная Ирландия.
3. Климат в Великобритании теплый и мягкий.
4. Великобритания – конституционная монархия.
5. Главой государства является король или королева.
6. Парламент Великобритании состоит из палаты лордов и палаты общин.
7. Главой правительства является премьер-министр.
8. Английский –официальный язык Великобритании.
Retell the text.
Read the dialogues and learn them by heart.
- Hallo, Andrew! I haven’t seen you for ages. Where have you been all this time?
- I have just come from Great Britain.
- Oh, I see. Were you in England and Scotland?
- Both.
- How interesting!
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- Britain seems to me to be living history.
- There is so much to see there.
- I want to practise my English!
- I’ve heard the English countryside is really beautifull and romantic.
- So many interesting cities: London, Edinburgh, Oxford, Cambridge, York… The list goes on and on!
- It’s a wonderful place for walking.
- I’ve always wanted to visit Liverpool – the home of THE BEATLES.
LESSON 7.
