Text 2.The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the UK) is a country to the north-west of Europe. It comprises the island of Great Britain, the north-east part of the island of Ireland and hundreds of other small islands around their coasts. Many of these islands are inhabited and a lot of them are popular tourist destinations. The UK is washed by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea. The United Kingdom is divided into four constituent parts: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Most of England consists of lowlands. The main rivers are the Thames and the Severn. Scotland has lowlands in the south and east and highlands in the north and west. Ben Nevis in Scotland is the highest mountain in the British Isles. Wales is mostly mountainous. Northern Ireland is mainly hilly. The capital of the UK is London. The United Kingdom's population is 60.5 ml. It is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. The language of the state is English. The flag of the UK is known as the Union Jack. It is made up of three crosses that symbolise patron saints of England, Scotland, and Ireland. As for the national emblems, they are a red rose for England, a thistle for Scotland, a shamrock for Ireland, and a yellow daffodil and leek for Wales. The national holiday which takes place each year on the official birthday of Queen Elizabeth II is marked by a military parade and the march-past is called Trooping of the Colour. The UK is a major centre for international business and commerce. London is the world's largest financial centre. It is the leader of three “command centres” for the global economy (along with New York City and Tokyo). The principles of liberalisation, the free market, low taxation and regulation make the UK economy the fifth largest in the world. The UK service sector (73% of GDP) is dominated by financial services, especially in banking and insurance. Tourism is very important to the British economy. With over 27 ml tourists a year, the United Kingdom is the sixth major tourist destination in the world. The British manufacturing sector is still an important part of the economy. But it only accounts for one-sixth of national output. This includes British motor industry, civil and defense aircraft production, chemical and pharmaceutical industry. The UK agriculture is only 0.9% of the country's GDP. The UK has small coal and large natural gas and oil reserves. Officially Great Britain is a state of the constitutional monarchy. This means that the monarch is the head of state. But the Crown is only sovereign by the will of Parliament. The Queen acts on the advice of her ministers. That's why we say that the monarch reigns but does not rule. The British Parliament is one of the oldest parliamentary systems in the world. In the 14th century the British Parliament split into two chambers, the House of Lords which included the bishops and the aristocracy, and the House of Commons with representatives of common people. The two Houses still exist today, but over the centuries the elected House of Commons has become the more powerful. Today, Parliament is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom. The main functions of Parliament are to legislate bills and debate or discuss important political issues. So, the British Parliament is bicameral with an upper house, the House of Lords and a lower house, the House of Commons. The Queen is the third component of Parliament. People do not elect the Lords, they are appointed by the Queen on the recommendation of the Prime Minister or by the House of Lords Appointments Commission. Today they no longer have the automatic power to block new laws. The House of Commons is a democratically elected chamber with elections held at least every 5 years. The party that has won the general election makes up the majority in the House of Commons. It also forms the Government. The party with the next largest number of members in the House forms the official Opposition. The main political parties of the country are the Conservative, the Labour, and the Liberal parties. The executive power belongs to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. The Prime Minister is appointed by the Crown. He is leader of the party which won the majority in the House of Commons. The Cabinet is composed of about 20 ministers. They are personally chosen by the Prime Minister. The Cabinet of Ministers introduces legislation, controls finance, conducts foreign and domestic affairs, and supervises every department of administration. The judicial system of the UK is represented by criminal and civil courts. It includes magistrates, crown, and county courts, as well as the High Court of Justice. The UK is a leading member of various international organisations, for example, the UN, the G7, and NATO. It has close relationship with the countries of the Commonwealth and other English-speaking countries.

Задание 1. Озаглавите каждую часть текста и передайте содержание каждого абзаца одним предложением.

Задание 2. Скажите, какие предложения не соответствуют содержанию текста.

1. The UK includes England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

2. It is one of the most densely populated countries in the world.

3. There are two official languages in the UK.

4. Great Britain is a country with modern customs and traditions.

5. The House of Lords is very influential now.

6. The head of state is the Queen.

7. Great power is concentrated in the arms of the British monarch.

8. The British Parliament consists of the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the House of Lords Appointments Commission.

9. The executive power belongs to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.

Задание 3. Сопоставьте слова, данные в левом столбике, с определениями, данными в

Правом столбике.

candidate	to reinforce, support or confirm
to back up	a position in parliament
to elect	formal controlled arguments
seat	to give someone the most votes
debates	a law that parliament passes
Act	a person who wants your vote
to stand for	to ask for people's votes

Задание 4. Переведите следующие выражения на английский язык.

- соединенное королевство -

- конституционная монархия -

- располагаться на Британских островах -

- крупнейший в мире производитель -

- культурный и туристический центр-

- официальный язык государства -

- ограничить власть королевы -

- состоять из Палаты общин и Палаты лордов -

- иметь большинство -

- влиятельные политические партии -

Задание 5. Переведите следующие предложения на английский язык.

1. Чертополох – национальный символ Шотландии. 2. Власть королевы в Британии ограничена. 3. Королева Елизавета II – глава государства. 4. Премьер Министр формирует правительство Великобритании. 5.Три креста на британском флаге символизируют святых покровителей Англии, Шотландии и Ирландии. 6. Сколько палат имеет Британский парламент?

Задание 6. Допишите предложения, выбрав правильный вариант ответа.

1. It (could hardly/ must) be James Bond. He is in London now. 2. Perhaps he is still at home. He (may not/can't) have got our messages. 3. They (should have been/should be) in London by now.

Задание 7. Дайте развернутые ответы на следующие вопросы:

1. Where is the UK situated?

2. What are the main constituent parts of the UK?

3. What is the capital of Wales?

4. What services dominate in the UK service sector?

5. What industries are mostly developed in the UK?

6. Who is the head of the country?

7. What chambers does the British Parliament consist of?

8. What are the main political parties of the UK?

9. What does the judicial system include?

10. What countries does the UK have close relationships with?

Задание 8. Опираясь на информацию текста, сделайте краткое сообщение по теме "Великобритания".

Задание 9. Составьте аннотацию к тексту.