Texts for Extra Reading

Ex.14. Read and translate the text

Brief Geographical Outline of Great Britain

The British Isles lie to the north-west of the continent of Europe and consist of two main islands, the larger of which is Great Britain, the smaller is Ireland. These two and over five hundred small islands are known collectively as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The total land area of the United Kingdom is 244,1 square kilometers, it is the 75th place among other countries of the world. Great Britain is made up of England, Wales and Scotland.

The north-west of Great Britain is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. In the west the country is also washed by the Irish Sea. The eastern coast is open to the waters of the North Sea. The south - eastern tip of Great Britain is separated from France by the English Channel which is 32 kilometers wide at its narrowest point.

The island of Great Britain is quite distinctly divided into two parts: mountainous (north and west) and lowland, sometimes hilly (south and east).

The rivers of Britain are short, their direction and character are determined by the position of the mountains. Due to the humid climate the water level is always high. The rivers seldom freeze in winter, most of them remain ice-free but they are not navigable for ocean ships.

England has no large lakes, but the Lake District in the north-western part of the country is known for its beauty. There are 16 lakes there.

England has a mild climate. Rainfall is plentiful during the whole year. On the average Britain has 204 rainy days a year, with the maximum in Scotland and the minimum in the estuary of the river Thames.

The most important natural resources of England are coal and iron.

Coal is the mineral that contributes much to the development of many industries in Britain. By the absolute deposits of coal Great Britain claims the sixth place in the world and is one of the most world important coal basins along with Russia, the USA and several other countries.

Vocabulary Notes:

1. the total area общая площадь

2. to be surrounded быть окружённым

3. quite совершенно, полностью

4. distinctly отчётливо, ясно

5. to be divided быть разделённым

6. to be determined определяться

7. plentiful обильный, изобильный

8. on the average в среднем

9. estuary устье (реки)

10. to contribute делать вклад

11. to claim претендовать

Ex. 15. Find English equivalents through scanning the text. Use them in the sentences of your own.

Британские острова; состоять из двух главных островов; Соединённое Королевство; общая площадь; окружена; омываться; на западе страны; восточное побережье; пролив Ла-Манш; делятся на две части; гористая и низменная; определяться; из-за; несудоходные реки; сырой климат; в среднем; развитие многих отраслей промышленности.

Ex. 16. Ask one of your fellow-students:

Model: what this text is about - What is this text about?

if it is difficult - Is it difficult?

• where Great Britain is situated;

• what the country's full name is;

• how many islands the United Kingdom of Great Britain consists of;

• what countries Great Britain is made up of;

• what oceans and seas Great Britain is washed by;

• what river in Great Britain is the most important;

• if the Thames is as long as the Volga;

• if the Thames is the longest river in England;

• if the British Isles were part of the continent at one time;

• what the climate of England is;

• how many rainy days Britain has;

• what city the capital of Great Britain is.

Ex. 17. Retell the text.

Ex. 18. Translate the text. Do it in writing.

The British climate has a bad reputation, which is partly justified. What's the forecast in Britain? It's mainly showers and sunny intervals since there's too little sunshine in the country. The British love to complain about the weather. They practically always mention it when they greet people. However, there are rarely extremes of cold or heat in Britain and when temperatures drop below 0^оC or raise above 32^оC nobody is prepared.

All over the world Britain is famous for its fogs. The smoke-fogs (smog) of big towns were in the past really unhealthy and dangerous to traffic. Much of the smog was caused by the burning of coal in fire places, though smoke from factories contributed to the trouble. A Clean Air Act was passed by Parliament in 1956, giving local councils power to control smog in big cities; the effects of the plan have been noticeable. But in everyday life for the business of heating houses, for example, many English people in country places remain loyal to the open coal fire although it causes much work and adds to the pollution of the air.

Ex. 19. Render the text into English.

На Британских островах, отделённых от Западной Европы проливом Ла-Манш, расположилась Великобритания, а официально - Соединённое Королевство Великобритании и Северной Ирландии. По форме правления это государство является конституционной монархией.

Площадь Великобритании - 244,1 тысяч кв. км, население составляет 56 млн. человек. Государственный язык - английский.

В состав Соединённого Королевства входят Англия, Уэльс, Шотландия, Северная Ирландия.

Англия – историческое ядро Соединённого Королевства – раскинулась в южной и средней частях самого крупного из Британских островов – Великобритании.

Уэльс занимает юго-западную часть острова Великобритания, Шотландия же – его северную часть, а также прилегающие острова: Гебридские, Оркнейские и Шетлендские.

Северная Ирландия расположена в западной части Соединённого Королевства на острове Ирландия, втором по величине острове.