15. Read for more information: Across England to Scotland

Britain is a small, beautiful and crowded country, separated from the continent by the English Channel and the Strait of Dover. Numerous historical and cultural places of interest on its territory remind of the tremendous past of the country. The island, inhabited by the Celtic tribes long before our era survived the Roman conquest from the first till the fifth centuries of our era, the Anglo-Saxon occupation in the middle of the fifth century, the Danish attacks in the 8^th—10^th centuries and the Norman invasion in 1066. All these contributed to the evolution of the people who became the English and to the formation of the language that became the English language. Let’s start our tour from the nearest to the continent part, the Chalk country. It is here that the most ancient building of England, Dover Castle, is situated. Within a few miles there is the jewel of medieval architecture, Bodian Castle, now it is turned into an observatory. Here you can see Pevensy, a Roman fortress. It was from here, in 1066, William of Normandy marched to Hastings, and it was here that William became the Conqueror and the Normans became the rulers of England. One of the oldest cities of England is ancient Canterbury. The city stands on the road of invaders and saw the Romans, the Danes and the Normans passing that way to colonize the country. The names of famous men Chaucer and Dickens associate with this ancient place. Bath is of great interest too as the most important Roman relic in England. It is also the oldest spa in Britain, created by the Romans in the 1^st century. The architectural ensemble of the town is unique not only in England but in all Europe. Oxford and Cambridge are two great universities known all over the world. They are situated in the beautiful cities and date back to the 12^th and 13^th centuries. At last we are in Scotland, the land of mountains lost in clouds, valleys, plains and famous lochs. This is the land of romance and most eventful history. Scotland has her own national heroes; they fought in endless battles against the English. The Romans never wanted to conquer the territory of Scotland and they had to build the Great Roman Wall to protect their camps in the northern part of England. Almost all Scotland’s history is associated with and reflected in many castles and forts that are to be seen all over the country. Mary Stuart, the Queen of Scots, was born in one of them. Edinburgh and Glasgow are the two great centres of Scotland. Robert Burns and Walter Scott sang of the beauty of Scotland and its people in their works. Scotland has her own national dress, the kilt that should be worn only by men, national instruments and dances, national drink, Scotch. It has its own system of education and law.

16. Divide the text into paragraphs and match them with the headlines:

A – The land of romance and most eventful history; B – One of the oldest cities, spa and universities; C – A small country with rich history; D – Scotland’s national symbols; E – A starting place for invasions

*** It is interesting to know