V. Основные экономические регионы страны. Часть 4.

Переведите письменно текст E.

Text e. Wales

Wales is mainly mountainous. South Wales is the main area of industrial activity, because it was coal that first gave life to industry. However, today the coal industry has declined creating serious problems of unemployment. Like coalmining, the iron and steel industry is long established in the south, but with the exhaustion of the iron ores this industry also faces serious problems. Efforts have been made to attract new engineering industries. Cardiff is the largest city in the industrial South Wales, and is also the national capital and main business centre. It rose to importance with the coalmining and iron industries. Swansea and Newport shared coal exports too. However, later they suffered the same decline like Cardiff. The main port of Wales today is Milford Haven (situated in the very south-west) because of its oil tanker traffic. It is one of the leading oil terminals of Britain and an important oil refining centre. North Wales is mountainous and industrialization has had little effect here. In the north-west is the district known as Snowdonia, where the Snowdonia National Park is situated. Sheep raising is the main occupation of the population.

VI. Основные экономические регионы страны. Часть 5.

Прочтите текст F и кратко охарактеризуйте три части данного региона на русском или английском языке.

Text f. Scotland

Scotland due to its physical features which influence the development of the economy is divided into three parts: the Scottish Highlands which occupy the mountain area in the northern part of the country, the Southern Uplands which cover the smaller and lower hill area in the south and the Central Lowlands occupying the wide valley which separates the other two areas. The first two are thinly populated, while the Central Lowlands occupying about 15 per cent of Scotland's territory contain about 80 per cent of its people. The Central Lowlands are the industrial heart of Scotland, while the Glasgow region is the most important area of industrial activity, which was one of the major industrial centres of Britain with coal, steel, shipbuilding and engineering industries. The 20th century has seen increasing problems in these industries and there has been a movement of population from the old established areas to new centres.

Glasgow is Scotland's most populous city and third largest in the British Isles. As a seaport it enjoyed a favorable position for trade with North America. The industrial picture in Glasgow has changed. Engineering did not decline as much as coalmining and shipbuilding. But nowadays as many workers are in the service industries as in manufacturing. Textile and clothing production continue to be important, and carpets are among the woolen goods. Food products, furniture and office equipment are also manufactured. An activity which is extremely important in Scotland's export trade is the blending of Scotch whisky, produced in the distilleries located in the Highlands. In the New Towns which appeared in the 1960s to the east of Glasgow new engineering industries developed, especially electronics. Grangemouth in the east is a fast expanding seaport, chiefly due to its oil refineries and petrochemical industry connected with North Sea oil.

Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland though it is smaller in size than Glasgow. Edinburgh is often called "The Athens of the North" because of its beauty and lots of tourists visit the city, especially during the annual Edinburgh International Festival in the late summer. Manufacturing occupies a smaller proportion of its workers than in Glasgow, but it has a number of important industries, including textile manufacture. It is one of the chief centres of brewing in Britain. Paper manufacture, printing and publishing are important because Edinburgh is a university city.

In the Highlands Aberdeen is the most important city. Its expansion and industry are closely connected with North Sea oil. The seas around Scotland are rich in fish and Aberdeen remains an important centre of the fishing industry. The natural conditions of Scotland have affected agriculture. The Central Lowlands are best suited for farming. The western lowlands have a great deal of land under grass, and form Scotland's main dairy farming area. In the eastern lowlands there is a much smaller proportion of land under grass than in the West, and on these pastures beef cattle are raised. Arable farming is much widespread in the east with barley, oats and wheat as the main cereal crops. In the Southern Uplands there is much sheep raising.