10. Make up your own sentences using the following words and word combinations:

at the head of sth; raw material; to sunbathe; decade; numerous; place of interest; to influence; free; coast, in practice.

II. Reading Comprehension

1. Read and translate the following text. Use a dictionary if necessary. Great britain

The full name of the country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Great Britain has several different names. Some people say “Britain”, or “the United Kingdom”, or just “UK”. In everyday speech “Great Britain” is used to mean the United Kingdom.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated on the British Isles. The British Isles consist of two large islands, Great Britain and Ireland, and more than five thousand smaller islands. Their total area is over 244,000 square kilometers. It is twice smaller than France and Spain and it is the 75^th place among other countries in the world.

The United Kingdom is made up of four countries: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast respectively. Great Britain consists of England, Scotland and Wales and does not include Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland occupies one third of the island of Ireland. The bigger part of Ireland is the Irish Republic.

The capital of the UK is London. The British Isles are separated from the European continent by the North Sea and the English Channel. The western coast of Great Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea.

The flag of the United Kingdom is known as Union Jack.

The surface of the 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 – is a vast plain. In the centre of England there is a range of hills called the Pennines, which are also known as the “backbone of England”. The mountains are not very high. Ben Nevis in Scotland is the highest mountain (1343m).

There are a lot of rivers in Great Britain, but they are not very long. Most of the rivers flow into the North Sea. The Severn is the longest river (220 miles), while the Thames (215 miles) is the deepest and the most important one. Some of the British greatest ports are situated in the estuaries of the Thames, Mersey, Trent, Tyne, Clyde and Bristol Avon. There are many beautiful lakes in the mountainous parts of the country.

The UK is one of the world’s smaller countries. Its population is over 58 million. About 80% of the population is urban. The main nationalities are: English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish. In Great Britain there are a lot of immigrants from former British Asian and African colonies.

The mountains, the warm currents of the Atlantic Ocean influence the climate of Great Britain. It is mild the whole year round. Winters are not severely cold and summers are rarely hot. Many people think that the weather is cold and wet in Britain all the year round. But it isn’t! True, it sometimes rains and even snows for days and days, but every year there are weeks of beautiful sunny weather when the British take off their sweaters and go out to sunbathe.

Great Britain is not very rich in mineral resources, it has some deposits of coal and iron ore and vast deposits of oil and gas that were discovered in the North Sea. Apart from coal and iron ore Britain has very few natural resources and mostly depends on import.

British agriculture provides only half of the food the country needs. The other half and most of the raw materials for its industries such as oil and various metals have to be imported. Britain also has to import timber, cotton, fruit and farm products.

Great Britain is a highly industrialized country. New industries have been developed in the last three decades. The main industrial centers are London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Glasgow and Bristol. Britain 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 ship-building.

The UK is a parliamentary monarchy. The Queen is the Head of State. But in practice, the Queen reigns, but does not rule. She inherits the title, and so is not elected by people. The country is ruled by the elected government with a Prime Minister at the head. The British Parliament consists of two Houses: the House of Lords and the House Commons. There are three main political parties in Great Britain: the Labour, the Conservative and the Liberal parties. There’s no written constitution in Great Britain, only precedents and traditions.

Great Britain is a country with old cultural traditions and customs. The famous educational centers are Oxford and Cambridge Universities. They are considered to be the intellectual centers of Europe. The education is not free, it is very expensive.

Nowadays all Welsh, Scottish and Irish people speak English (even if they speak their own languages as well), but all the countries have their own special accents and dialects, and their people are easily recognizable as soon as they speak. A southern English accent is generally accepted to be the most easily understood, and this is the accent usually taught to foreigners.

Britain is a small beautiful and crowded country. Numerous historical and cultural places of interest on its territory remind of the tremendous past of the country.