IV.History. England. The Great Mystery of Stonehenge

1. Read the text about one of the world’s wonders.

Who Built Stonehenge?

Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument in Wiltshire, England, about 2 miles (3,2 km) west of Amesbury and 8 miles (13 km) north of Salisbury. The question of who built Stonehenge is largely unanswered, even today. The monument’s construction has beenattributed to many ancient peoples throughout the years, but the most captivating and enduring attribution has been to the Druids. Julius Caesar and other Roman writers told of a Celtic priesthood who flourished around the time of their first conquest (55 BC). By this time, though, the stones had been standing for 2,000 years, and were, perhaps, already in a ruined condition. The best guess seems to be that the Stonehenge site was begun by the people of the late Neolithic period (around 3000 BC) and carried forward by people from a new economy which was arising at this time. These “new” people began to use metal implements and to live in a more communal fashion than their ancestors. Some think that they may have been immigrants from the continent, but that contention is not supported by archaeological evidence. It is likely that they were indigenous people doing the same old things in new ways.

Construction of the Henge

In its day, the construction of Stonehenge was an impressive engineering feat, requiring commitment, time and vast amounts of manual labor. In its first phase, Stonehenge was a large earthwork; a bank and ditch arrangement called a henge, constructed approximately 5,000 years ago. It is believed that the ditch was dug with tools made from the antlers of red deer and, possibly, wood. It was then loaded into baskets and carried away. Modern experiments have shown that these tools were more than equal to the great task of earth digging and moving.

The list of unknown words:

to attribute – вносить вклад

to flourish – процветать

captivating – очаровательный, пленительный

enduring – длительный, долгий, продолжительный

Druids – друиды, жрецыипоэтыу древнихкельтских народов, организованные в виде замкнутойкастыи тесно связанные с властью вождя

in a ruined condition – в разрушенном состоянии

implements – орудия труда

indigenous – аборигенный, местный, туземный

earthwork – земляные работы, земляное сооружение

2. Answer the following questions:

1. What is Stonehenge?

2. Who built the construction?

3. Was it a difficult task to make such a construction that time?

4. Do you think it is possible to solve the mystery of how Stonehenge was built?

V. Festivals and Traditions. Ireland. St. Patrick’s Day

1. Guess the meaning of the following words and word-combinations:

Irish-at-heart, feast day, commemorate, diaspora, folklore, creature.

2. Read the text and be ready to answer the questions below.

Every year on March 17, the Irish and theIrish-at-heart across the globe observe St. Patrick’s Day. What began as a religious feast day for the patron saint of Ireland has become an international festival celebrating Irish culture with parades, dancing, special foods and a whole lot of green.

Saint Patrick’s Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century and is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the Church of Ireland), the Eastern Orthodox Church and Lutheran Church. The day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, as well as celebrating the heritage and culture of the Irish in general.

Saint Patrick’s Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Newfoundland and Labrador and Montserrat. It is also widely celebrated by the Irish diaspora around the world; especially in Britain, Canada, the United States, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand.

On St Patrick’s Day it is customary to wear shamrocks and/or green clothing or accessories (the “wearing of the green”).

One of the symbols of this day is leprechaun – a type of fairy creature in Irish folklore, usually taking the form of an old man in a red or green coat.

shamrock – растение трилистник (символ Ирландии)

heritage – наследие