Active vocabulary:
to include
to vary
to influence the weather
to stretch across the center
to obtain the majority of seats
to summon and dissolve Parliament
to maintain close ties
to belong to the Queen
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
the Strait of Dover
the English Channel
the ancient Pennines
mountainous peninsular
valley
plain
mild climate
average temperature
above zero
square miles
densely populated
urban and rural population
parliamentary monarchy
supreme legislative authority
chief grain crops
wheat
barley
iron and steel goods
aircraft
raw materials
twinned cities
Great Britain
The British Isles including two large islands – Great Britain and Ireland – and about five thousand small islands lie to the northwest of the continent of Europe. England, Scotland and Wales, together with Northern Ireland are political divisions of the state known today as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The North Sea, the Strait of Dover and the Channel separate Great Britain from the continent.
The surface of the British Isles varies very much. The north of Scotland is mountainous and is called the Highlands. The ancient Pennines stretch across the center of Great Britain. There are mountainous peninsulars, Cornwall and Wales, in the south-west. The south-west of Great Britain, which has beautiful valleys and plains is called the Lowlands.
There are many rivers in Great Britain but they are not long. The largest of them are the Thames, the Severn, the Mersey.
The climate of Great Britain is mild. The Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of the Gulf Stream influence the weather of the British Isles. Summers are cool and rainy. Winters are not cold. The average January temperature is about 5оC above zero.
The territory of Great Britain is 121,600 square miles (244 000 km2). The comparatively small territory of the country is very densely populated (56 000 000 people). The greater part of the population is urban. Only about 20 per cent of the population is rural. The main nationalities are Englishmen, Scotchem and Welsh people.
Great Britain is a parliamentary monarchy. The supreme legislative authority in the United Kingdom belongs to the Queen and the two Houses of Parliament - the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Nobody but the Queen can summon the Parliament, or dissolve it. In practice, the Queen can summon the Parliament, or dissolve it. In practice, the Queen acts only on the advice of her Ministers. The Prime Minister is usually the leader of the party which obtains the majority in the House of Commons. The party which obtains the majority of seats in the Parliament is called the Government, and the other parties – the opposition. There are at present the following parties: the Conservatives, the Labour Party, the Liberals, the Communist Party.
Great Britain is a capitalist state with highly developed industry and agriculture. Agriculture is one of the largest and most important activities in Great Britain. The chief grain crops are wheat and barley. Most of the industries are concerned with the production of iron and steel goods, textiles and chemicals. It exports motocars, aircraft, electronical apparatus, chemicals, cars, lorries, cotton and woolen fabrics. As it has very few raw materials it imports oil, ores, timber, metals, grain, meat, butter, tea and others.
Among the biggest industrial centers such as Birmingham, Liverpool, Bristol and others, London, the capital of the country, comes the first. It is an important center of light engineering, chemicals, food products, clothing and other goods.
Some British cities are good friends with the Russian ones, Manchester and Sverdlovsk, Coventry and Volgograd, Bristol and Saratov are twinned cities. They maintain close economic, cultural and scientific ties.
Active Vocabulary
To flow (into), to occupy, to divide, to include, to contrast, to bury, to erect, to be situated, to be located, bridge, territory, area, square, section, thousand, company, corporation, treasures, parliament, residence, gallery, masterpiece, architect, contrast, official, political, economic, business, cultural, financial, wealthy, famous, favourite, bourgeois, burial