The English

Almost every nation has a reputation of some kind. As compared to the French, the Germans, and the Americans, the English are said to be cold, reserved, rather haughty people who do not yell in the street or change their governments as often as they change their underclothes. They are steady, easy-going and fond of sports. There are certain kinds of behaviour, manners and customs which are peculiar to the English. The English are a nation of stay-at-home. There is no place like home, they say, orMy home is my castle. These are the sayings known all over the world; and it is true that English people prefer small houses built for family, perhaps with a small garden, though nowadays more and more blocks of flats are being built, and fewer detached and semi-detached houses remain. The fire is the focus of the English home. While other nations go out to cafes or sit round the cocktail bar the English sit round the fire. Foreigners often picture the Englishmen dressed in tweeds, smoking a pipe, striding across the open countryside with his dog. The English are amongst the most amiable people in the world; they have a genius for compromise; they are generous in small matters but more cautious in big ones. Apart from the conservatism on a grand scale in which the attitude to the monarchy is typified, England is full of small-scale and local conservatism. The army, municipal corporations, schools and societies have their own private traditions and customs which they are unwilling to change; they like to think of their customs as differentiating them, as groups, from the rest of the world. The English have been very slow to adopt some reforms, the metric system for example or the twenty-four clock for railway timetables. In 1966 it was decided that decimal money would become regular from 1971; but conservatism triumphed in this matter as well when the Government decided to keep sterling as the basic money unit, with its one-hundredth part a “new penny”.

haughty ['ho:ti] – надменный, высокомерный to yell – кричать, вопить steady – твердый, непоколебимый be peculiar (to) – быть своеобразным, специфичным, semi-detached – один из двух особняков, имеющих общую стену tweeds – костюмы из твида to stride – шагать (большими шагами) amiable – дружелюбный; дружественный a genius –дух generous –благородный cautious – осторожный on a grand(large, small)scale –вбольшом(маленьком)масштабе be (un)willing to do– (не)охотноделать(что) to adopt – зд. проводить (реформы) decimal money – новая десятичная денежная система в Великобритании to triumph - победить, восторжествовать

IV. Read the text, make the logical plan of it:

Wales and the Welsh

Wales is a country of hills, mountain, old hard rocks and deep rivers. Over three million people live in Wales. About 75 per cent of the population is urban. Wales has been united with England for seven hundred years. Wales has its own Welsh language. About 20% of the people in Wales speak Welsh and children learn it in Welsh schools. South Wales is industrialized while North Wales rears sheep and cattle. Who are the Welsh and how did they come to live in Wales? The two languages, Welsh and English, are very different and so are the two nations. Nowhere in the British Isles national spirit is stronger, national pride more intense or national traditions more cherished than in Wales. The Welsh still wear their national dress; the Welsh language is still a living force; the Welshmen have a remarkable record in the realm of poetry, song and drama. About 2,500 years ago the Welsh came to England from Europe but were driven westward until they found themselves in this mountainous country of Wales. The Welsh history begins with the Anglo-Saxon victories in the 6^th and 7^th centuries which isolated the Welsh from the rest of their fellow-Britons. Henceforth, the people of Wales were constantly harried by the English chieftains, and until the 11^th century the Vikings made frequent raids on the coast. Then came the Normans who established many strongholds in spite of strong resistance organized by the Welsh. The English Crown annexed Wales in 1284, but it was not until 1536 when Wales was placed under the authority of England. England and Wales are now administered as a unit. What kind of people are those who live in this country? They call their country Cymru and themselves Cymry, a word which has the same root as “camrador” (friend or comrade). They are quick and impetuous in speech nor are they afraid of being poetic in speech, of using bright and pictorial descriptions in ordinary conversation. They like listening to good speaking and they are very critical as an audience. The Welsh are a nation of singers. Whenever they meet, they sing. Even if singing happens spontaneously, it is always good. This custom dates back to a period long before any written music was available to the people. Wales has not, however, produced a great composer. The love of reading is also widespread. Welsh prose, romance and poetry are its chief glory. The Welsh had made their contribution to the legends of King Arthur of Britain.

urban – relating to towns and cities to rear – to look after young animals until they are fully grown national spirit – национальный дух to cherish – лелеять, нежно любить realm of [reim]– переносн. царство henceforth – с этого времени to harry – разорять, опустошать chieftain – вождь (клана, племени) Anglo-Saxons – Germanic peoples Angles, Saxons and Jutes formed the Anglo-Saxon people Normans – relating to the 11^th and 12^th centuries in English history, when England was ruled by people from Normandy in Northern France a stronghold – твердыня; оплот to annex – аннексировать, присоединять to administer – управлять root – грам. корень impetuous – импульсивный, пылкий; стремительный, быстрый audience – аудитория, слушатели be available – зд. появляться, изобретать glory- слава contribution – вклад, лепта

V. Read the text, divide it into logical parts and head them:

Scotland and the Scots

Scotland takes up one third of the territory of the British Isles, but its population is not very big. At the beginning of the 6^th century Scotland was ruled by Scottish kings and queens but was divided among different groups of people: the Picts, the Celts, the Scots, the Brythons (Britons), the Teutons, the Scandinavians, and the Angles. Scotland was an independent kingdom, often at war with England, until in 1603 both countries were incorporated under the same monarch. In 1707 the Act of Union incorporated Scotland with England in the United Kingdom, hence the two countries were under one Crown and one Parliament. Edinburgh was created capital of Scotland in 1473. It got its name from a castle called “Edwin’s Burgh”. It has an intensive cultural life and is sometimes called the Athens of the North. There are only about five million Scots, and most of them live in the southern part of the country called the “Lowlands”, where the major cities are located. Besides, there are the Highlands, the most northern and the most unpopulated area with a harsh climate, and the Southern Uplands with hills that border on England. Scotland has its own language – Gaelic, but the English language is also spoken all over Scotland, though with a variety of accents. One of the things that people associate with Scotland is the kilt. It is the relic of the time when clan system existed there. Everybody in the clan had the same family name, like McDonald (Mc means “son of”); each clan had its own territory ruled by a chieftain and its own tartan. The Scots are not English. Nor are they British. The two nations derived from mixed sources, racially and historically. Strong national characteristics separate them in custom, habit, and religion and even in language. The Scots are proverbially kindly, but at first glance not amiable. They abhor compromise, lean much upon logic and run much to extremes. They are penny-wise but can be surprisingly pound-foolish. They can be dour and grey, or highly coloured and extravagant in gesture and manner. The Scots got their name from the invading Celts from Ireland who, incidentally, were called Scots. It is from the Celts that there comes the more colourful, exciting and extravagant strain in the Scots. As soon as the Celts retreated into the north-west, their place in the east and south lowlands was taken by the Scandinavians, Teutons and Angles. Hence the celebrated division of the Scottish people into Highlanders and Lowlanders occurred. Nearly all Scots living north and west of the Highlands spoke the Gaelic language, lived under the ancient Celtic system and, of course bore Highland names. It was a division which marked the distinction between people of different culture, temperament and language. Nowadays, however, the people in Scotland are all so mixed up in blood that most of them combine something of the characteristics of both Highlanders and Lowlanders. Today Scotland is governed from London. There is a special minister, the Secretary of State for Scotland, who is responsible for education, local government and other important matters in Scotland.

the Celts – Indo-European peoples akin to the ancient Galli the Britons – the people who inhabited the southern part of Britain the Gaels – the people who inhabited Ireland and the west and north of Scotland the Teutons – Germanic peoples supposed to dwelt in Jutland. Also included the Scandinavians. the Picts – the people older than the Gaelic and Brythonic who about the 9^th century finally merged with the Scots the Angles – a German tribe who settled in Northumbria, Mercia, and East Anglia harsh – суровый Lowlands – Шотландская низменность Highlands – Северо-шотландское нагорье Southern Uplands – Южно-шотландское нагорье to associate – связывать; ассоциировать(ся) a kilt – a checked pleated skirt (кильт) a relic – остаток, пережиток tartan – шотландка, клетчатая шерстяная материя mixed sources – зд. разные источники (происхождения) racially – с точки зрения происхождения proverbially – общеизвестно to abhor – питать отвращение, ненавидеть to lean – полагаться to run much to extremes – впадать в крайности penny-wise and pond-foolish –экономный в мелочах и расточительный в крупном dour – строгий highly coloured – яркая расцветка gesture – жест, телодвижение to invade – вторгаться, захватывать incidentally – случайно, между прочим strain – наследственная черта

VI. Expose the realias, statistic data, dates of important events. Prepare your own report about Ireland, using the information from the text and some additional information.