Чтение букв с и g перед гласными e I y.

c	[ s ]	city, pencil, nice
g	[ d ]	large, orange, page

Exercise 1: Test your reading (each sound is represented twice).

r eturn saw loaned city detain intention

partly kind brook rumble brought laud

pretend boiler cage deform draw new

Ice taught pension boy station proclaim

badly before other since solution caught

germ fancy constitution enjoy oiled blind

passion candy cite protect blew took

Information fault began apple reform predict

mercy fought mother addition

Exercise 2: Pronunciation. Read these sentences. Encircle the words that rhyme with the bold word in each sentence. Sometimes there are two or more words.

1. A shoe is still new unless you step in blue goo.

2. What did you cut when you fell into the rut?

3. With me you will see there's no need for T.V.

4. There once was a king who liked to sing in the rain.

5. Sing a tune about June and we'll find the moon soon.

6. I don't lie when eye to eye unless I'm feeling really shy.

7. We'll never go if you continue to sew, so what you need to do is row.

8. We think you should eat food that's good instead of eating wet wood.

9. Don't stop going up till you get to the top if you really want to find the shop.

Exercise 3: Read and learn the tongue twisters.

Exercise 4: Find the correct meaning of the idioms below.

the Big Apple	в нестабильном финансовом положении
carry coals to Newcastle	прозвище города Нью-Йорк
go Dutch	в достатке
in plain English	платить каждый за себя
in Queer Street	проще говоря
on Easy Street	везти что-то туда, где эти вещи уже есть в изобилии

Exercise 5. Complete the text using the words and phrases:

history countries monarchy symbol tradition

million wildlife capital wars surface

climate temperate active role NATO

The united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland

T he United Kingdom has historically played a leading … in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith in the 19^th century, the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the earth's … . The first half of the 20^th century saw the UK's strength seriously depleted in two world … and the Irish Republic's withdrawal from the union. The second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous European nation. As one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council and a founding member of … and the Commonwealth, the UK pursues a global approach to foreign policy. The UK is also an … member of the EU, although it chose to remain outside the Economic and Monetary Union.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is an island group to the north of the continent of Europe. Britain, the largest island, includes the separate countries of England, Scotland to the north and Wales to the west. London, on the River Thames, is the capital city. Important cities in England are Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool on the River Mersey, Manchester and Newcastle on the River Tyne. Edinburgh is the … of Scotland with Glasgow the second most important city. Cardiff is the capital of Wales, Swansea its second city and Belfast the capital of Northern Ireland.

The landscape of the UK is very varied. Scotland and Wales are mountainous with Ben Nevis (Scotland) the highest peak in the UK and Snowdon the highest peak in Wales. The UK's climate is … , in part because of the warming effect of the Gulf Stream. In general the winters are more severe in the north and the weather more mild in the south. The nature of the UK is rich. Among the indigenous trees in Britain are the oak, holly, hawthorn, and pine. The mild … and the ready availability of water support a wide variety of flowers and other plants. The large … of the islands has been killed off over the years, but many small animals remain: foxes, squirrels, rabbits, hares, badgers and otters.

The population of the UK is estimated to be about 60 … people. The official language is English. Gaelic is spoken in some parts of Scotland and Ireland. Wales is a bilingual country with Welsh given equal status with English. Other languages such as Chinese, Hindi and Urdu are spoken amongst ethnic minorities.

Britain's religious … is a varied one. Today in the UK there is a multi-faith society including such religions as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Neo-Paganism, Sikhism, Judaism ,Buddhism.

The UK is a constitutional … . It has either a king or a queen as its Head of State, but the power of the monarch is limited by the country’s constitution. In practice, the monarch reigns, but does not rule. The present Sovereign of the UK is Queen Elizabeth II (born 1926; crowned on 2^nd June 1953). The Queen is a … of Britain. As Head of State, the Queen is informed and consulted on every aspect of national life, on the advice of her Ministers she performs certain important act of government.

The legal authority (the passing of acts) is given to Parliament and executive authority (the carrying out of laws) to the government. All real power lies with Parliament and the existing government.

Britain is very small compared with many other … in the world, yet it is a surprisingly varied land in many different ways: the diversity of landscape in different parts of the country; a long … that is rich in great events, a varied cultural heritage; long lived customs and traditions; a rich mixture of peoples who live in the country; the great cities of London, Edinburgh, Oxford and Stratford. All together they make the image of Britain fascinating and exciting.