Exercises:

I. Read the following words from the text:

a) isles mild area south-east

foggy reputed unofficially temperature reserved referred zero haughty

surround canal steady separate shallow castle continent lake

prefer sea routes mountain focus

climate highest monarchy

b) industrialised supreme Prime Minister person

legislative mining Parliament manufacturing Commons textile executive constitutional

II. Correct the wrong statements. Begin your answers with the following expressions: That's right. Exactly so. I agree with it. No, that’s not right. Nothing of the kind.

1. Great Britain lives by agriculture and trade.

2. The English like big houses with small gardens.

3. Ben Nevis is the longest British river.

4. Great Britain consists of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

5. English Channel separates Great Britain from the continent.

6. The head of the state is the Parliament.

7. The main executive power in the country belongs to the Parliament.

8. The supreme legislative body is the Cabinet.

9. The Cabinet consists of two Houses.

10. The Government consists of the Cabinet and ministers of all ranks.

III. Find English equivalents and use them in the sentences, of your own:

британские острова, на севере, со всех сторон, на пересечении морских путей, туманно и дождливо, нерестилище, две палаты, премьер-министр, одна из самых развитых стран, слыть, благодаря, англичане

IV. Open the brackets:

1. Great Britain (находится) on an island.

2. Its agriculture (обеспечивает) only half the food it needs.

3. Great Britain (состоит из) three parts.

4. Great Britain (окружена) by seas.

5. Great Britain lies on the crossways of (морских путей).

6.  (благодаря) the Gulf-Stream the climate of the country is mild.

7. The climate of Great Britain is (мягкий).

8. The United Kingdom is (конституционная монархия).

9. The rivers are (глубокие).

10. (часто) foggy and rainy.

11. (высший законодательный орган) is the Parliament.

12. (высшая исполнительная власть) is the Cabinet.

13. Winter temperature seldom falls (ниже нуля).

14. London (находится) on the Thames river.

15. (общая площадь) is 93,5 thousand square miles.

16. The English (предпочитают) small houses.

17. The рорulation (насчитывает) over 68 million people.

18. The Parliament has two Houses: (палата лордов и палата общин).

19. (англичане) are a nation of stay-at-homes.

20. The Prime Minister and ministers of all ranks (составляют правительство).

21. The Englishman’s home is his (крепость).

V. Prove that:

1. The English are a nation of stay-at-homes.

2. Great Britain is a highly industrialised country.

3. The climate in Great Britain is mild.

4. The nature of the country is very diverse.

VI. Read the following text and describe each constituent of the United Kingdom.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland consists of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast. Of the four parts England is the largest, the industrial and most densely populated part of the United Kingdom. Over 46 million people live in England. It is mostly a lowland country situated south of Scotland and south-east of Wales. No part of England lies more than 100 miles from the coast. All over the world Britain is notorious for its fogs. The smoke fogs of big towns are caused by smoke from factories and the burning of coal in fireplaces of private houses. They develop in winter-time whenever there is not enough wind to blow the smoke away. Wool, cotton, heavy machinery and shipbuilding industries are of great importance in England.

Another constituent of the United Kingdom is Scotland. Although it takes up one third of the territory of the British Isles, its population is not very big (a little over 5 million people). The Highlands of Scotland are among the oldest mountains in the world. Many valleys between the hills are filled with lakes called lochs. The best known is the Loch Ness, where some people think a large monster lives.

Scotland had been an independent state and was joined into the United Kingdom in 1707 after a long struggle for its independence. One of the things that people associate with Scotland is the kilt. It is a relic of the time when the clan system existed in the Highlands.

Wales became part of England in 1536 by the Act of Union. Until then it had been regarded as a separate principality but a dependency of England. The population of Wales is over 3 million people. It is a highland country. Snowdon is the highest mountain in England and Wales. Mineral resources are limited here. The include coal, gold, silver, copper.

The Welsh people are fond of folk music, singing, poetry and drama. Welsh literature is one of the oldest in Europe.

Northern Ireland is the smallest component of the United Kingdom. It occupies one sixth of the territory of Ireland. Its capital city is Belfast. For seven centuries Ireland was a colony of Britain. As a result of the hard struggle of the Irish people for independence the larger part of Ireland gained the status of a British dominion in 1921. In 1949 it was proclaimed an independent state. The industrial north-east was retained by Great Britain as its smallest component. But certain forces of both Irish Republic and Northern Ireland are for the reunification of the country. There have been a number of attempts to find a political solution to the Northern Ireland problem. The British and Irish governments are still working toward a solution.