7. It is interesting to know…

• Big Ben is the name of the huge bell that strikes the hours in the clock tower at the Houses of Parliament; it weighs 13 tons.

• The Prime Minister of England and his Government discuss matters of state at the Houses of Parliament. The building is 940 feet long and has two miles of corridors.

• Piccadilly Circus is one of the busiest areas in London with the famous statue of Eros in the middle.

• Trafalgar Square is a historical reminder of the great naval admiral Lord Nelson. Today it is famous for its blocks of pigeons and is used as a meeting place for rallies.

• London buses are the famous red double-deckers.

• London taxis are black. Taxi drivers study for two years before they are taxi drivers.

• There are 275 stations in the London Underground (the tube). Every year people leave 11,500 umbrellas on tube trains!

• Madam Tussaud’s has one of the largest collections of wax models of famous people in the world.

• Stratford-upon-Avon was the birthplace of William Shakespeare, England’s most famous playwright.

8.Read theText. The last great wilderness

Scotland is, in fact, a part of Great Britain. It is governed from London but in many ways it is a separate nation. It has its own capital city, Edinburgh, its own laws, its own stamps, its own educational system. It even has its own language, Gaelic, where a lake is called a „loch”, a stream is called a „burn” and a valley is called a „glen”.

There are only about five million Scots, and most of them live in the southern half of the country called „Lowland”, where the major cities are situated. Scottish traditions are still going strong: a long time ago the society was divided into big family groups called clans. Each clan had a different coloured tartan and its name was preceded by „Mac” which means „son of”. Some of these clans still exist today and all the tartans can be found in the form of kilts, jackets, hats and blankets.

Today Scotland is very popular. Most holiday visitors to Scotland go to the Highlands because of the high mountains and deep valleys, clean rivers and old castles. You can’t go to Scotland without visiting Loch Ness and looking for monster Nessie.

The Highlands are home to many rare birds and animals, like the golden eagle and the wildcat, which are found nowhere else in Britain. Besides beautiful green areas, the Highlands offer entertaining activities too. Every year, there are traditional celebrations called The Highland Games, where clansmen compete in sports events, take part in Scottish dancing or play the bagpipes in competitions.

But it is a lonely, mild and empty land. The population is getting smaller all the time. Perhaps the Highlands of Scotland will become the last great wilderness of Europe. The Highlands of Scotland are well worth visiting!

A Scottish Glossary

• Kilt: a „skirt” worn by a man.

• Tartan: a special criss-cross pattern. There are many different tartan patterns. Each Scottish family or „clan” has its own tartan, e.g. the Macdonald Tartan.

• Scotch whisky: a strong alcoholic drink which gets its special taste from Scotland’s fresh highland water.

• Harris Tweed: a type of woolen cloth which is made on Harris, an island off the west coast of Scotland.

• Bagpipes: the national musical instrument of Scotland which once led Scottish soldiers into battle. Every town in Scotland has its own bagpipe band.

• Robert Burns: the Scottish poet who wrote the famous song „Auld Lang Syne”, which British people sing every New Year’s Eve.

A. Test yourself. Complete the quiz.

1. What is the capital of Scotland?

a) Aberdeen b) Edinburgh c) Glasgow

2. A tartan kilt is…

a) spotted b) striped c) checked

3. A „loch” is the Scottish word for …

a) lake b) river c) an island

4. A drink associated with Scotland is …

a) wine b) lager c) whisky

5. Bagpipes are a kind of …

a) purse b) flower c) musical instrument

B. Vocabulary work. Which is the odd word out?

1. forest wood river tree

2. lake sea ocean stone

3. valley mountain eagle cliff

4. sea coast beach field

5. flower rock bush plant

6. road street stream path

Which four words above can you make into adjectives by adding „y”?

C. Choose whether the statements below are true or false. Correct the false ones.

True False

1. Scottish clans wear the same, identical kilts.

2. The nickname for the Loch Ness Monster is Nessie.

3. Burn means „lake” in Scotland.

4. A kilt is a type of tartan skirt.

5. In the Highland Games, the Scots play trumpets.

6. The Scots do not have their own language.

7. Shakespeare is a famous Scottish poet.

8. Robert Burns was a Scottish poet who wrote the famous song „Auld Lang Syne”.

9. The Highland Games offer only sports events.

10. Harris Tweed is a musical instrument.

D. Complete the sentences with which, who or where, using the facts that you know.

1. Aviemore is a place in the Scottish Highlands ______ people ski.

2. Robert Louis Stevenson was a Scottish writer ______ wrote „Treasure Island”.

3. Gaelic is a language ______ is only spoken by a few people.

4. The golden eagle is a rare bird ______ lives in the Scottish Highlands.

5. The „ Highlanders” are people ______ live in the Scottish Highlands.

6. Harries is the name of the island ______ they make Harries tweed.

9. – Work in pairs! Imagine the situations that you can spend some days in England, make up and reproduce the dialogues: „A look at England”.

– If you could visit 3 places of interest in England, which would you choose and why?