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THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated on the British Isles. The British Isles consist of two large islands, Great Britain and Ireland, and about five thousands small islands. Their total area is over 244 000 square kilometres.

The United Kingdom is one of the world's smaller countries. Its population is over 57 million. About 80 percent of the population is urban.

The United Kingdom is made up of four countries: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast respectively. Great Britain consists of England, Scotland and Wales and does not include Northern Ireland. But in everyday speech «Great Britain» is used in the meaning of the «United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland». The capital of the UK is London.

The British Isles are separated from the Continent by the North Sea, the English Channel and the Strait of Dover. The western coast of Great Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea.

The surface of the British Isles varies very much. The north of Scotland is mountainous and is called Highlands. The south, which has beautiful valleys and plains, is called Lowlands. The north and west of England are mountainous, but the eastern, central and southeastern parts of England are a vast plain. Mountains are not very high. Ben Nevis in Scotland is the highest mountain (1343 m). There are a lot of rivers in Great Britain, but they are not very long. The Severn is the longest river, while the Thames is the deepest and the most important one. The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of the Gulf Stream influence the climate of the British Isles. It is mild the whole year round.

The UK is a highly developed industrial country. It produces and exports machinery, electronics, textile. One of the chief industries of the country is shipbuilding.

The UK is a constitutional monarchy with a parliament and the Queen as Head of State.

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1. Where is the United Kingdom situated on?

2. What is the total area of the British Isles?

3. What is the population of the UK?

4. What are the parts of the UK?

5. What are their capitals?

6. What does Great Britain consist of?

7. What is the British Isles washed by?

8. What is the surface of the British Isles?

9. What is the highest mountain in the UK?

10. What is the longest river in the UK?

11. What influences the mild climate of the British Isles?

12. The UK is a highly developed industrial country, isn’t it?

13. What does the UK produce and export?

14. Is the UK a constitutional or an absolute monarchy?

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ЛЕКСИКО-ГРАММАТИЧЕСКИЕ УПРАЖНЕНИЯ

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United, kingdom, respectively, meaning, mountainous, beautiful, highest, important, highly, industrial, constitutional, bigger, buttered, observance, longer, religious, significance, simply, colourful, enjoyment, traditionally, competitor, reunion, supporter, invitation, resident.

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Traditional Meals in Britain

___ usual meals in ___ Britain are: ___ breakfast, ___ lunch, ___ tea and ___ supper. Breakfast is generally ___ bigger meal than they have on ___ Continent, though some English people like ___ continental breakfast of ___ rolls, ___ butter and ___ coffee. But ___ usual English breakfast is porridge or cornflakes with ___ milk or ___ cream and ___ sugar, bacon and eggs, marmalade made from ___ oranges with buttered ___ toasts and tea or coffee. For ___ change, you can have ___ boiled egg, ___ cold ham or, perhaps, __ fish.

People in ___ Britain generally have ___ lunch about one o'clock. ___ businessmen in ___ London usually find it impossible to come ___ home for ___ lunch, and so they go to ___ cafe or ___ restaurant; but if they are making ___ lunch at ___ home, they have cold ___ meat (left over probably from yesterday's dinner), ___ potatoes, ___ salad and ___ pickles with ___ pudding of fruit to follow. Sometimes people have ___ mutton chop or ___ steak and ___ chips followed by ___ biscuits and cheese.

Afternoon tea you could hardly call ___ meal but it is ___ sociable sort of ___ thing as ___ friends often come in then for ___ chat while they have their cup of ___ tea with ___ cake or ___ biscuit.

Some ___ people also have ___ «high tea». They say there is no ___ use for these ___ afternoon ___ teas where you try to hold ___ cup of tea in ___ one hand and ___ piece of ___ bread and butter about as thin as ___ sheet of paper in ___ other. They have it between __ five and six o'clock, and have __ ham or tongue and ___ tomatoes and salad or sausages with __ good strong tea, plenty of ___ bread and butter, then stewed fruit, with ___ cream or custard and ___ pastries or ___ good cake. Andthat'swhat__Englishmancalls__goodtea.