8. British mass media (press, television, radio).

The British Media consists of the press and radio and TV broadcasting. Now a couple of words about papers. First of all there is no subscription. You may buy any on sale. There are two main types of newspapers: the popular papers and the quality papers. The popular papers are less in size, with many pictures, big headlines and short articles. They are easy to read. They are such papers as Daily Express, Daily mail, Daily Mirror, Daily Star, The Sun and others.The quality papers are for more serious readership. These papers are bigger in size, with larger articles and more detailed information. The quality papers are - The Times, Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, Financial Times, The Independent. In addition to daily papers we have just mentioned above there are Sunday papers. They have a higher circulation than the dailies. Sunday papers in Great Britain are such quality papers as Observer, Sunday Times, Sunday Telegraph and such popular papers as: News of the World, Sunday Express, Sunday Mirror, Mail on Sunday.As far as broadcasting and telecasting are concerned there are two radio and TV stations. The first one - well-known BBC - British Broadcasting Corporation, and the second - IBA - Independent Broadcasting Authorities.The newspapers in Britain are proud of the fact that they are different from each other - each tries to have a definite profile.

9. The National economy of Great Britain.

The British economy is one of the most powerful in the world.

It is a member of the G7 (now expanding to the G8 and G20), the European Union (although not the European Economic and Monetary Union -EMU - or Euro) and the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development). It is also the founding member of the Commonwealth, the association formed by former British Empire states. The economy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain includes the economies of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The British Economy is one of the most globalised (or globalized) economies in the world, thanks in no small part to the City of London, considered to be the largest financial center in the world, and has the largest city GDP in Europe. The UK has the third-largest stock of both inward and outward foreign direct investment. (in each case after the United States and France). The aerospace industry of the UK is the second- or third-largest national aerospace industry. The pharmaceutical industry also plays an important role in the UK economy. Manchester is the centre of the cotton textile industry, one of Britain's most important producers of computers and electronic equipment. Coal-mining is important in South Wales, but many of the mines there have been closed. Ship-building is an important industry in the United Kingdom. The main ship-building centers are London, Glasgow, Belfast and some others. The British economy is also boosted by North Sea oil and gas reserves, valued at an estimated £250 billion in 2007.

10. Realias of the cultural life of Great Britain. Festivals, holidays and special occasions.

The Cultural life of Great Britain is rather rich. Public holidays in GB are also called bank holidays, because even banks do not work on these days. Xmas is the greatest holiday. It is celebrated on the 25^th of December. On Christmas Eve offices and public buildings close at one o'clock, but the shops stay open late. Most big cities, especially London, are decorated with Christmas trees and colored lights across the streets. Everybody wants to be at home for Christmas. The children are decorating the tree, housewives are busy in the kitchen getting things ready for the next day's dinner. The Christmas food, nowadays usually turkey, is being prepared and stuffed. The next day, the 26^th of December is Boxing Day. This is the day of Christmas presents, which are usually packed in beautiful boxes. The New Year is a great holiday too. But it is celebrated much more enthusiastically in Scotland than in England. The most common type of celebration is a New Year party, either a family party or one arranged by a group of young people. And another popular way of celebrating the New Year is to go to a New Year’s dance.Easter, including Good Friday and Easter Monday, is a holiday of religious tradition. People visit the church, then give presents to each other. The Easter Egg is the most popular emblem of this day. Today, children enjoy eating candy bunnies and eggs listening to stories about the Easter bunny, who supposedly brings Easter eggs in a fancy basket.Churches are beautifully decorated with different color flowers. Special Easter parades are held in Britain. Spring Holiday is celebrated on the 1^st Monday of May. In past May Day began early in the morning. People would go out before sunrise in order to gather flowers and greenery to decorate their houses and villages with in the belief that the vegetation spirits would bring good fortune. Girls would make a special point of washing their faces in the dew of the early morning. They believed this made them very beautiful for the following year. Besides, there are many other holidays, not official, but widely celebrated. On the 14 of February is St Valentine’s Day, the Day of lovers. On that day people usually give to each other small souvenirs or sweets which have the shape of hearts. Mother’s Day is the 2^nd Monday of May. This Holiday came from America. On this Day mothers get presents from their children. Harvest Festival is a celebration of the food grown on the land. Thanksgiving ceremonies and celebrations for a successful harvest are both worldwide and very ancient. In Britain, people have given thanks for successful harvests since pagan times. They celebrate this day by singing, praying and decorating their churches with baskets of fruit and food in a festival known as 'Harvest Festival', usually during the month of September.