VIII. Listen to the disc and do the following exercises.

1. Answer the questions.

1. What nationality do you consider the speaker to be?

2. Could you innumerate all her job experiences?

3. Is there any chance to find a well-paid job for a person who belongs to “ethnic minority”?

2. Express your opinion on the issue.

1. Englishmen are wary towards the people of different colour and race.

2. Immigrants as a real threat to native habitation of the UK.

2. People (part I)

Introduction

Strictly speaking, ‘Great Britain’ is a geographical expression, but ‘The United Kingdom’ is a political expression. Great Britain is in fact the biggest of the group of islands which lie between the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It is approximately two and a half times the size of Ireland, the second largest. Together they are called the British Isles. The expression originally described the islands themselves, not the political or national divisions within them.

The British Isles today are shared by two separate and independent states. The smaller of these is the Republic of Ireland, with its capital in Dublin. The larger, with London as its capital, is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. This long title, (usually shortened to the United Kingdom or UK) is the result of a complicated history.

The island of Great Britain contains three ‘nations’, which were separate at earlier stages of their history: England, Scotland and Wales. Wales had become part of the English administrative system by the sixteenth century. Scotland was not completely united with England until 1707. The United is a name which was introduced in 1801, when Great Britain became united with Ireland. When the Republic of Ireland became independent in London, in 1922, the title was changed to its present form.

‘Britain’ and ‘British’ have two meanings. They sometimes refer to Great Britain alone and sometimes to the UK including Northern Ireland. ‘England’ and ‘English’ are often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Great Britain.

Views of Britain The official view

Britain is a stable and democratic society. Its citizens have freedom of speech and political and religious belief. It is a leading member of both the European Union and the Commonwealth and has a major world role as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

The home of the industrial revolution it continues to be an important industrial nation. Although small in area and accounting for only about 1 per cent of the world’s population, Britain is the fourth largest trading nation in the world. After years of sustained growth it is one of the largest exporters of goods and a major centre for financial and insurance services. It has the largest energy resources of any country in the European Union and is an important world producer of oil, natural gas and coal. Its labour force has high levels of technical and commercial skill. British agriculture is noted for its efficiency and productivity and at the same time comprehensive planning and control have steadily reduced air and water pollution.

Britain’s Natural Health Service is famous worldwide and its universities and institutes of higher education attract over 50,000 foreign students a year. Britain has for centuries encouraged research and innovation and its record of achievements has been maintained throughout the twentieth century. Nobel prizes for sciences have been won by sixty-eight British citizens, a number exceeded only by the United States. In the fields of arts, broadcasting and sport Britain continues to lead the world.