I. Read and translate the text.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the official name of the Brit­ish Kingdom. It is situated on the British Isles. The British Isles consist of two large islands, Great Britain and Ireland, and about 5,500 small islands. Their total area is over 244,000 square kilometres. The UK is washed by the Atlantic Ocean in the west and by the North Sea in the east. The south coast is washed by the English Chennel.The two islands are separated by the Irish Sea.

The UK is made up of four countries. They are England, Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast. The capital of the UK is London. Great Britain consists of England, Scotland and Wales and does not include Northern Ireland.

The British Isles have no high mountains. Scotland is mountain­ous, especially in the north. Here you can find the main chain of moun­tains called the Grampians and its highest peak - Ben Nevis ( 4,400 feet high) In England, the Pennine Chain runs down from the north through the centre. In Wales there are the Cumbrian Mountains, the highest peak of which is Snowdon ( 3,300 feet high.). Ireland is covered with moun­tains and green hills.

Scotland is a land of famous lakes. The beautiful Loch Lomond is the largest one. Loch Ness attracts millions of tourists by its legendary monster. The Lake District in north-west of England is a National Park.

There are a lot of rivers in Great Britain, but they aren't very long. The longest of them are the Severn (350 km), the Clyde, the Mersey, the Thames (346 km), the Trent (274 km) and the Ouse. The Thames is the deepest river. London stands on the Thames.

The climate of Great Britain is temperate am mild. The warm waters of the Gulf Stream influence the climate of the British Isles.

The population of the UK is over 57 million people. English is the state language of the UK, but some people speak Gaelic (in western Scotland) and Welsh (in northern and central Wales).

The UK is a highly industrial country. It is the largest producer and exporter of machinery, electronics, textile, aircraft and navi­gation equipment. The chief industries of the country are shipbuilding and sheep-breeding. The main industrial cities are London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Glasgow, Bristol, Sheffield, Edinburgh.

The UK is a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarch. The Queen is the Head of State, but she has no power. The Queen is a symbol of the country's history and its traditions. The real power in the country belongs to the British Parliament and to the British Government. The British Parliament has two "houses": the House of Lords and the House of Com­mons.

The flag of the UK is known as the Union Jack. It is made up of three crosses: the cross of St. George (the patron saint of England), the cross of St. Andrew (the patron saint of Scotland) and the cross of St. Patrick (the patron saint of Ireland).

II. Answer the questions.

1. What is the official name of the British Kingdom?

2. Where is the UK situated?

3. What do the British Isles consist of?

4. What is the total area of the British Isles?

5. How many countries is the UK made up? What are they?

6. What are their capitals?

7. What parts does Great Britain consist of?

8. What is the UK washed by?

9. What is the highest mountain in Scotland?

10. What is the largest lake in Scotland?

11. What rivers are there in Great Britain? What are the longest ones?

12. What is the deepest river in Great Britain?

13. What river does London stand on?

14. What is the climate of Great Britain like?

15. What waters influence the climate of the British Isles?

16. What is the population of the UK?

17. The UK is a highly developed industrial country, isn't it? Prove it, please.

18. The UK is a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarch, isn't it? Who is the Head of State?

19. Who does the real power in the country belong to?

20. How many "houses" does the British Parliament have? What are they?

21. What do people usually call the flag of the UK?

22. How many crosses is the flag of the UK made up? What are they?