Issues to be discussed.

1. Are there any similar character traits to be observed in different nations’ behavior? Remember as many as you can.

2. What nations mentioned in the box have much in common? Prove it.

VI. Make up a dialogue on the topic under review imagining that.

a) You are going abroad to study in a college in England. Luckily your friend was in England 2 years ago, where he went for learning English in summer camp and met not only the English, but the Irish and Welsh there also. Ask him about his impressions of these nationalities and share your own expectations of the oncoming trip.

b) You have just returned from an exchange study trip from Scotland. You meet your close friend and share your impressions of the trip. In your conversation try not only to give the idea of the Scottish as you saw them, but also try to compare them with the Russians and see their similarities and differences.

VII. Listen to the following piece of information of a person, who was born in Northern Ireland and now lives in England and do the following exercises.

1. Answer the following questions.

1. What place in Northern Ireland was the speaker born?

2. What was the reason of her moving to England?

3. How does she depict her childhood in her native town?

4. Why doesn’t she want to return to her Motherland?

5. Does she consider the life of the Irishmen to have changed greatly?

6. How does she feel remaining in England for rather a long time?

7. Is it easy for her to get accustomed to the country and people of different nation and culture?

2. Make up a list of issues on which the Irish and the English have different points of view.

3. Imagine you are talking about your native country to a foreigner. What unites and disintegrates your people nowadays? Give a brief description which will give a foreign visitor the idea about the country you live in.

VIII. Comment on the newspaper article “White Britons will be outnumbered by 2066 if the rate of immigration continues, researchers have claimed” given below.

The following phrases will be helpful.

I see…, First and foremost …, To begin with …, In fact …, On the one hand …, On the other hand …, As far as I know ….

The Telegraph

By Laura Roberts 18 November, 2010

White Britons will be outnumbered by 2066 if the rate of immigration continues, researchers have claimed

Foreign workers will "change national identity" according to a population expert, unless the flow of immigration is dealt with. The white British-born community (defined as English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish-born citizens) will fall to less than half of the overall population in just over 50 years.

The warning from Professor David Coleman from Oxford University comes ahead of an announcement today by the Migration Advisory Board of its recommendation for the proposed immigration cap for people outside the EU.

Figures from the Office of National Statistics show that if immigration remains at a long-term rate of around 180,000 a year the proportion of the white British-born population will fall from 80 per cent to 59 per cent by 2051. In that time the white immigrant population will have risen from 4 to 10 per cent and ethnic minority population from 16 to 31 per cent. Writing in Prospect magazine, Prof Coleman wrote: "On those assumptions the 'white British' population would decline to 45 million by 2051. Were the assumptions to hold, the 'white British' population of Britain would become the minority after about 2066. It's a milestone that would be passed much earlier in younger age groups." He said this would "represent an enormous change to national identity – cultural, political, economic and religious".

The Coalition Government has pledged to reduce net immigration and proposed a cap on non-EU immigrants. Businesses, however, have complained this could hamper their competitiveness to attract the best candidates globally.

However, Prof Coleman went on to say that even if net immigration was reduced to 80,000 a year white Britons would still be outnumbered by 2080. He said the transition of white Britons to a minority was likely to be "unwelcome" following opposition from the general public to high immigration.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/8142176/White-Britons-to-become-minority-by-2066.html, 13.12.2010

Discuss it with your group-mates.

1. What steps in reducing the stream of immigrants would you suggest to undertake if you were an official of the Migration Advisory Board?

2. Have you ever faced the problems of immigration in your own country and what is your attitude towards this?