The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
The United Kingdom (or Great Britain) is situated on the British Isles. The British Isles consist of two large islands, Great Britain and Ireland, and about five thousand small islands. Their total area is over 244 000 square kilometers.
The United Kingdom (UK) is made up of four countries: England, Wales, Scotland (on the island of Great Britain) and Northern Ireland (on the island of Ireland). Their capitals are London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast respectively. The capital of the UK is London.
Britain has been many centuries in the marking. The Romans conquered most of Britain, but were unable to subdue the fiercely independent tribes in the west and for north. Further waves of invaders followed: Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Vikings, and Normans. All these contributed to the mixture we call English. For many centuries this country was known simply as England. To the west and north, Wales and Scotland fought for their independence so passionately that it took hundreds of years to bring them under English domination.
Since the eighteen century Britain has included England, Wales and Scotland. Further west was England’s oldest colony, Ireland. He Irish won independence for the greater part of their country in 1921, but Northern Ireland was divided from the rest and retained as part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The mixture of peoples in Britain must not be overlooked. It is an accurate to refer to the British as English as it was to refer to a citizen of the former Soviet Union as a Russian. But this mistake is made all over the world and we have to accept the fact that when most other people talk about the English or the Russians they really mean British or citizens of the former Soviet Union.
The British Isles are separated from the European continent by the North sea and the English Channel. He western coast of Great Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea.
The surface of British Isles varies very much. The north of Scotland is mountainous and is called the Highlands, while the south, which has beautiful valleys and plains, is called the Lowlands. The north and west of England are mountainous, but all the rest- east, center, and south-east – s a vast plain. Mountains are not very high. Ben Nevis in Scotland is the highest mountain (1 343 m).
There are a lot of rivers in Great Britain, but they are not very long. The Severn is the longest river, while the Thames is the deepest one.
The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean, and the warm waters of Gulf Stream influence on the climate of the British Isles. It is mild the whole year round.
The UK is one of the world’s smallest countries. Its population is over 57 million. About 80% of the population is urban.
The UK is a highly developed industrial country. It is known as one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of machinery, electronics, textile, aircraft, and navigation equipment. One of the chief industries of the country is shipbuilding.
The UK is a constitutional monarchy. In law, Head of the State is Queen. In practice, Queen reigns, but does not rule. The country is ruled by the elected government with the Prime Minister 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 Labor, the Conservative, and the Liberal parties.
3. Answer the questions:
1. The UK is an island state, isn’t it? Where is it situated?
2. What countries is the UK made up of?
3. What channel separates the British Isles from the European continent?
4. The surface of the British Isles varies very much, doesn’t it?
5. How is the north of Scotland called? How is the south of Scotland called?
6. What’s the highest mountain in Scotland?
7. Are there a lot of long and deep rivers in Great Britain?
8. Why is the climate of the British Isles mild?
9. Is the UK a large country?
10. What’s the UK population?
11. The UK is a highly developed industrial country. What does it produce and export?
12. The UK is a constitutional monarch. What does it mean?
4. English-speaking countries and Ukraine.Read the information and discuss the differences between the English-speaking countries and Ukraine:
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland:
Location:The British Isles
Area (sq. km):244 100
Population (mln):over 55
Capital:London
Largest cities: London, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Glasgow
Highest point (m):Ben Nevis 1 343
Longest river (km):The Severn 350
Main languages: English
Government:Parliamentary Monarchy
The United States of America
Location:The Central North America
Area (sq km):9 364 000
Population (mln):over 260
Capital:Washington
Largest cities:New York, Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago, Boston
Highest point (m):Mount McKinley 6 194
Longest river (km):The Mississippi 5 900
Main languages:English
Government:Federal Republic of 50 states
Canada
Location:North America
Area (sq km):9 922 230
Population (mln):over 27
Capital:Ottawa
Largest cities:Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver
Highest point (m):Mount Logan 6 050
Longest river (km):The Mackenzie 3 800
Main languages:English, French
Government:Federal Union of 10 provinces and 2 territories
Australia
Location:The Island continent of Australia
Area (sq km):7 688 884
Population (mln):over 20
Capital:Canberra
Largest cities:Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane
Highest point (m):Mount Kosciusko 2 280
Longest river (km):The Murray (with the Darling 3 750)
Main languages:English
Government: Federal Union of 6 states and 2 territories
Ukraine:
Location: The central part of Europe
Area (sq km): 603 700
Population (mln): over 48
Capital: Kyiv
Largest cities: Kyiv, Kharkiv, Lviv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk
Highest point (m): Goverla 2 118
Longest river (km): the Dnipro 2 200
Main languages: Ukrainian
Government: Republic of 24 oblast and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea
5. Read the information about places of interest in London. Prove the reasons of visiting this city with your friends in the future:
Places of Interest
HYDE PARK.It’s the London’s largest and most fashionable park. It was once a royal hunting forest. There are restaurants and bars at each end of the Serpentine lake. Hire a boat.
DOWNING STREET.Number 10, Downing Street has been the home of the British Prime Minister since 1735.
THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT.Its official name is the Palace of Westminster. Most of the building was built in 1840 after the fire of 1834 destroyed the old palace. At the north end of the building, by Westminster Bridge, there is the famous clock tower, Big Ben. In fact Big Ben is really the name of the bell in the tower, not of the clock.
THE TOWER OF LONDON.It’s the London’s oldest building. Since it was built by William the Conqueror in the 11th century, this castle has been a Royal palace, a prison, a place of execution, a zoo, the Royal Mint, and an observatory. Today it’s a museum and houses the Crown Jewels. There is a gift shop.
THE NATURAL MUSEUM.It’s situated in Kensington and is one of London’s greatest museums. There is a huge collection of animals and plants, including a quarter of a million butterflies, a blue whale and the famous dinosaur skeleton. There is a cafeteria, a gift shop, and a book shop.
MADAME TUSSAUDS, MORYLEBONE ROAD.The famous Waxworks Museum has the models of famous people from pop stars to prime ministers, displays of battles and a Chamber of Horror.
THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY, GREENWICH.It is situated 10 miles outside London on a hill above the River Thames. The observatory contains telescopes and displays about astronomy, including Halley’s Comet and Black Holes. There is a video theater and a souvenirshop.Picnic in Greenwich Park. You can take a river boat to Greenwich from Westminster Bridge.
6. Answer the questions:
1. What is the London’s largest and most fashionable park?
2. What street has been the home of the British Prime Minister since 1735?
3. What is one of London’s greatest museums?
4. Where can you see the famous waxworks?
5. Where is the Royal Observatory situated?
St. Paul’s Cathedral
7. Complete the text with the given words. Write down these words into your vocabularies and learn them:
Monument England
Memorials lunchtime
Church architect
Tomb monarch
Dome symbol
Horse bell
1. St. Paul’s is the most famous ___________ in London.
2. St. Paul’s serves as the center of the church of ________.
3. The great English _______ Sir Christopher Wren built this church between 1675 and 1710.
4. His epitaph translated from Latin reads: ‘If you seek his ________, look around you’
5. The church’s huge ______ towers 111 meters above the ground.
6. Its dome has become a _______ of London throughout the world.
7. Big Paul is the heaviest ______ in the country.
8. Big Paul rings every weekday at 1 p.m. to let people know that it is _________.
9. Another bell, Big Tom, tolls when a ________ or important churchmen die.
10. Here you can see many _______ to famous people. Lord nelson is buried here.
11. There is a huge monument to the Duke of Wellington on his favorite _______ Copenhagen.
12. Also there is the _______ of Lord Nelson beneath a black marble sarcophagus.
The Tower of London
8. Complete the text with the given words. Write down these words into your vocabularies and learn them:
Crown fortress
Coronation zoo
Landmark gates
Tradition ravens
Jewels uniform
Ceremony humanist
1. The Tower of London is London’s oldest _________. It was begun by William the Conqueror in 1078.
2. The Tower of London served as a ________, a palace, a zoo, a royal mint and a prison.
3. English statesman and _______ scholar Sir Thomas More was imprisoned in Tower in 1534.
4. The _________ Jewels are kept in the Jewell House at the Tower.
5. Saint Edward’s Crown is used for the ________ ceremony.
6. The Imperial State Crown has 300 _________, and the biggest diamond in the world the ‘Star of Africa’.
7. The Beefeaters guard the Tower. They wear a Tudor-style _______________ of blue or red.
8. Every night at 9.53 p.m. the Chief Warder of Beefeaters lights a candle lantern and locks the ____________.
9. Queen’s Elizabeth’s keys _______ dates back 700 years.
10. For centuries a Royal ________ was kept in the grounds.
11. A group of ________ live at the Tower.
12. The _______ goes that if they disappear the building will collapse.
Westminster Abbey
9. Complete the text with the given words. Write down these words into your vocabularies and learn them:
Queens coronation
Throne tomb
Royalty Abbey
Chapel memorials
Kings horses
Archbishop church
1. Westminster_________ is one of the oldest buildings and religious centers in the country.
2. Many _________ and queens and famous people are buried or commemorated there.
3. Its founder, Edward the Confessor built it on the site of an old ________ called Saint Peter’s.
4. Edward the Confessor was made a saint after his death and he is buried in a special _______.
5. Nine English kings and _________ are buried in Saint Edward’s Chapel including Henry the Fifth.
6. When he was buried his battle _________ were led up to the High Altar.
7. The Abbey has been scene of every royal _________ since William the Conqueror in 1066.
8. Monarchs are crowned while sitting on the Coronation ______kept in the Chapel.
9. The Stone of Scone, a symbol of Scottish ____________m is kept underneath it.
10. Queen Elizabeth 2 was crowned in 1953 by the _______ of Canterbury.
11. In Poet’s Corner there are _______ to Shakespeare, Walter Scott and Shelley.
12. The ________ of the Unknown Warrior commemorates all British soldiers who died in the World War.
LESSON 20
OUTSTANDING PEOPLE OF GREAT BRITAIN:
1. Learn these words and word-combinations and put them into your vocabularies:
Wax-віск;
Likeness-подібність;
Versailles-Версаль;
Permission-дозвіл;
Napoleon-Наполеон;
Ireland-Ірландія;
Show-виставка;
Success-успіх;
Exhibition center-виставковий центр;
Tourist attraction-визначна пам’ятка, яку відвідують туристи.
2. Read the text, translate it, write down the new words into your vocabularies:
MADAM TUSSAUD
Marie Tussaud was born in trasbourg in 1761, her father died two months before she was born, and her family moved to Switzerland.
Her mother worked for a German doctor. The doctor was a kind man. He enjoyed making wax models of parts of the human body. He soon got a reputation for making good likeness of people’s heads as well.
He moved to Paris because he wanted to earn money by making models of the rich and famous. Soon Marie and her mother joined him in Paris. When she was six years old, the doctor taught her how to work in wax. Her portraits became so popular that by the time she was twenty she was living in the Palace of Versailles because the royal family invited her to live there.
The French Revolution started in 1789, and this was the beginning of hard times for Marie. However, she met and married Francois Tussaud, who was an engineer. They had three children, the daughter who died and two sons. In 1802 she received permission from Napoleon to go to London, because she wanted to take her waxwork collection to England. She went round Britain and Ireland with her four-year-old son, and her shows were a great success. She never saw France or her husband again.
She opened her exhibition center in London in 1835, and it has been in the same place ever since. Marie died in 1850. Madam Tussaud’s s now London’s most popular tourist attraction. About 2.2 million people visit it every year.
3. Answer the questions:
1. What do you know about Marie Tussaud’s childhood?
2. Why did she move to Paris?
3. Who taught her how to work in wax?
4. Why did she move to London?
5. When and where did she open her exhibition center?