Unit 5 Topic: The United Kingdom of Great Britain.

1. Text A. The United Kingdom of Great Britain.

The British Isles is the name for a collection of about 4000 islands, including Great Britain and Ireland. The name, the British Isles, is usually only seen on maps.

Great Britain, known as Britain or GB, is the name for the largest of the islands in the British Isles. It includes England, Scotland and Wales. It does not include Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland. You see the abbreviation GB on driving licences of people who live in England, Scotland and Wales.

The United Kingdom or UK is a political term which includes England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. All of these countries are represented in Parliament in London and the abbreviation UK is used on most official documents produced by Parliament.

Everybody from the UK is British, but be careful: only people from England are English. People from Wales think of themselves as Welsh; people from Scotland as Scottish; people from the Republic of Ireland as Irish and people from Northern Ireland as either British or Irish.

Great Britain is a country with old cultural traditions and customs. The official language of the state is English. The national symbol of the UK is “Union Jack” - the British state flag.

2. Text B. The geographical position and economy of GB.

The total territory of the country is over 244 thousand square kilometers (the 75th place among other countries in the world). The population of the UK is over 59 mln. Great Britain is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. The majority of the British population lives in cities and towns.

The country is washed by the North and Irish Seas, the Atlantic Ocean and the English Channel. North and West of the country are highlands, South and East - lowlands. The highest mountain of the UK is Ben Nevis in Scotland.

There are many rivers in the country. The longest and most important of them are the Severn, the Thames and the Clyde. The climate is mild due to the mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of the Gulf Stream.

Great Britain is a highly developed industrial country. The gross national product (GNP) is growing faster than the population.

Manufacturing industries account for one-fifth of the GNP. Small companies predominate, though companies with 500 or more employees employ a larger percentage of the workforce. The country is known as one of the world largest producers and exporters of electronics and machinery, chemicals and textile, various aircraft and navigation equipment. Among the main industrial branches are also coal-mining, automobile, ship-building, metallurgical.

Agriculture accounts for less than 2 percent of the GNP and employs 2 percent of the workforce. Farming is not extremely large, and is dominated by the raising of sheep and cattle. The grown crops include barley, wheat, sugar beets and potatoes.

Great Britain possesses some mineral resources: coal, iron ores, oil, gas and some metals. The mineral industry accounts for approximately 6 percent of the GNP but employs less than 1 percent of the workforce.

The capital of the country is London. Among the largest cities of the UK are Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Edinburgh, Belfast and Cardiff.

The country is a major world financial and banking center.

3. Text C. The political system of Great Britain.

The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. Officially the head of the state is the Queen. But her power is not absolute; it is limited by the Parliament. The Queen reigns but she does not rule. The British Parliament is the oldest parliament in the world. It consists of 2 chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Parliament and the monarch have different roles in the government of the country, and they only meet together on symbolic occasions such as the coronation of a new monarch or the opening of Parliament. In reality, the House of Commons is the only one of the three which has true power. It is here that new bills are introduced and debated. If the majority of the members are in favour of a bill it goes to the House of Lords to be debated and finally to the monarch to be signed. Only then does it become law. Although a bill must be supported by all three bodies, the House of Lords only has limited powers, and the monarch has not refused to sign one since the modern political system began over 200 years ago.

The British Government is headed by the Prime Minister - the leader of the party having the majority of seats. The Prime Minister appoints the ministers to compose the government. The largest minority party becomes the Opposition. There are several political parties in the UK. The largest and most influential are the Conservative, the Liberal and the Labour parties.

Great Britain is a member of the Commonwealth which is a voluntary association of independent states that originated as a result of dismantling of the British Empire after 1945. The British monarch is the Head of the Commonwealth and also the Head of State of 16 member countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the Bahamas and some others.

4. Text D. The symbols of the UK.

The British flag, known as the Union Jack, is a combination of three flags: the Saint Andrew's cross (the white diagonal cross), the Saint Patrick's cross (the red diagonal cross) and the Saint George's cross (the upright red cross).

The Saint Andrew’s cross is the Scottish flag. Saint Andrew, a fisherman, was one of the 12 apostles who followed Jesus Christ. Paintings of Saint Andrew often show him being killed on an X-shaped cross. Saint Andrew's Day is celebrated on 30 November. He is the patron saint of Scotland. Thistle is the symbol of Scotland.

The Saint Patrick's cross is the former flag of Ireland. Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. He was born about AD 390. He converted the Irish to Christianity and is supposed to get rid of all the snakes in Ireland. Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated on 17 March. Shamrock is the symbol of Ireland.

The Saint George's cross is the English flag. Saint George is the patron saint of England. He was a soldier famous for saving the Princess Cleolinda from being eaten by a dragon. He wounded the dragon and took it back to the city of Silene on a lead like a dog. Saint George's Day is celebrated on 23 April. Rose is the symbol of England.

The Welsh flag shows a dragon. Saint David, the patron saint of Wales, started a number of monasteries in the country. Paintings of Saint David normally show him with a dove on his shoulder. His relics are now in Saint David's Cathedral in Wales. Saint David's Day is celebrated on 1 March. Daffodil is the symbol of Wales.

The British national anthem.

The British National anthem originated in a patriotic song first performed in 1745. There is no authorized version – the words used are a matter of tradition. On official occasions it is usual to sing the first verse only, the words of which are as follows:

“God save our gracious Queen!

Long live our noble Queen!

God save the Queen!

Send her victorious,

Happy and glorious,

Long to reign over us,

God save the Queen!”

5. Find out if the sentences are true or false and correct the mistakes.

1. If you hold a British passport, you are from England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

2. Someone from Scotland can represent GB in the Olympic Games.

3. British and English are not synonyms.

4. British Isles lie between the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

5. The UK is separated from the continent of Europe by the English Channel.

6. A person from the Republic of Ireland is British.

7. The capital of Wales is Swansea.

8. The capital of Northern Ireland is Belfast.

9. It is more mountainous in the south than in the north of Britain.

10. The highest mountain in England is Ben Nevis.

11. The river which runs through Oxford and London is the Thames.

12. The Highlands separate Scotland from England.

13. The most famous wood in Scotland is Sherwood Forest where Robin Hood lived.

6. Read and memorize the following words and word-combinations.

island	острів
isle	острів, острівець
to include	містити, включати, охоплювати
abbreviation	скорочення, абревіатура
densely	густо, щільно, компактно
to be washed by	омиватись
highlands	нагір'я; високогірна місцевість
lowlands	низовина, низька місцевість
gross national product (GNP)	валовий національний продукт (ВНП)
employee	робітник
to employ	наймати на роботу
workforce	робоча сила
manufacturing	виробництво, промисловість
agriculture	сільське господарство
to predominate	переважати
machinery	механізми, обладнання
aircraft	авіація
equipment	обладнання
to account for	мотивувати, пояснювати
cattle	рогата худоба
barley	ячмінь
wheat	пшениця
sugar beet	буряк цукровий
coal	вугілля
iron ore	залізна руда
oil	нафта
gas	газ, бензин
extremely	украй; надзвичайно; найвищою мірою
approximately	приблизно
constitutional monarchy	конституційна монархія
to reign	володарювати, царювати
to rule	управляти, правити
symbolic	символічний
occasion	випадок
bill	білль, законопроект
law	закон
to debate	обговорювати, дискутувати, дебатувати
majority	більшість
to be in favour of	бути прихильним, надавати перевагу
to sign	підписувати
to support	підтримувати
to be headed by	бути очоленим
to refuse	відмовлятись
influential	впливовий; який має значення
voluntary	добровільний
association	товариство, асоціація, об'єднання
independent	незалежний, самостійний
to dismantle	знімати, забирати, розбирати
Commonwealth	Британська Співдружність націй
Empire	Імперія
diagonal cross	діагональний хрест
upright cross	прямий хрест
to convert	перетворювати
thistle	будяк, чортополох
shamrock	трилисник
daffodil	нарцис
leek	цибуля-порей
to get rid of	звільнитись, позбутися
the patron saint	святий покровитель, захисник
to wound	ранити
lead	повідець, хомутик
dove	голуб
cathedral	собор
anthem	гімн
to perform	виконувати, робити, здійснювати
verse	вірш
authorized version	авторизована версія

7. Choose the correct answer.

1. Great Britain does not include __________ .

a) Scotland b) Wales c) Northern Ireland

2. The British flag is called ___________ .

a) Union Jack b) Royal Crest c) Old Glory

3. __________ is a political term which includes England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

a) GB b) the UK c) USA

4. The majority of the British population lives in __________.

a) cities and towns b) villages c) mountains

5. The highest mountain in Great Britain is __________ .

a) Everest b) Ben Nevis c) Mount McKinley

6. The country is washed by the _________ .

a) Atlantic Ocean b) Pacific Ocean c) Indian Ocean

7. The capital of England is __________ .

a) London b) Cardiff c) Belfast

8. The capital of Scotland is __________ .

a) Edinburgh b) Cardiff c) Belfast

9. The capital of Wales is __________ .

a) Edinburgh b) Cardiff c) Belfast

10. The capital of Northern Ireland is ___________ .

a) Edinburgh b) Cardiff c) Belfast

11. In reality, the House of __________ is the only one of the three which has true power. It is here that new bills are introduced and debated.

a) Lords b) Commons c) People

12. The British Government is headed by the ___________ .

a) Queen b) Prime Minister c) King

13. The British __________ is the Head of the Commonwealth.

a) Prime Minister b) House of Lords c) monarch

14. The Union Jack does not include the flag of _________ .

a) Northern Ireland b) Wales c) Scotland

15. St. Patron and the symbol of Wales are ___________________ .

a) George and rose b) Patrick and shamrock c) David and daffodil

16. St. Patron and the symbol of N. Ireland are ___________________ .

a) George and rose b) Patrick and shamrock c) Andrew and thistle

17. St. Patron and the symbol of Scotland are ___________________ .

a) George and rose b) Patrick and shamrock c) Andrew and thistle

18. St. Patron and the symbol of England are ___________________ .

a) George and rose b) Patrick and shamrock c) David and daffodil

8. Fill in the blanks with prepositions.

1. Britain produces goods and articles made _____ various kinds of synthetic materials. 2. For every person employed _____ agriculture, eleven people are employed _____ mining, manufacturing and building. 3. Most _____ the raw materials have to be imported. 4. The fields are mainly _____ eastern par _____ the country. 5. A shortage _____ raw materials makes it unprofitable _____ British industry to produce semi-finished goods or cheap articles. 6. Sheffield is concentrating _____ iron and steel. 7. A present industry has a tendency to move _____ the south, particularly _____ the London area.

9. Match the following English words with their Ukrainian equivalents.

1	urban	a	сільський
2	lowlands	b	рівнини
3	uplands	c	долина
4	plains	d	грунт
5	highlands	e	сировина
6	lake	f	нагір'я; високогірна місцевість
7	raw materials	g	низовина, низька місцевість
8	various metals	h	недостатня кількість
9	rural	i	розвинута промисловість
10	soil	j	гора
11	sheep breeding	k	дорогі товари високої якості
12	valley	l	озеро
13	mountain	m	гірська країна; нагір'я
14	pig raising	n	точний
15	high quality expensive goods	o	військова промисловість
16	shortage	p	вівчарство (розведення овець)
17	precise	q	різноманітні метали
18	electronic equipment	r	свинарство
19	war industry	s	електронне обладнання
20	developed industry	t	місцевий

10. Look at the names of the countries and write the corresponding adjectives:

Country	Nationality	Language
Argentina	Argentinean	Spanish
Australia	Australian	English
Belgium	Belgian	French / Flemish
Brazil	Brazilian	Portuguese
Canada	Canadian	English / French
Chile	Chilean	Spanish
China	Chinese	Chinese
Colombia	Colombian	Spanish
Cuba	Cuban	Spanish
Cyprus	Cypriot	Greek
Denmark	Danish (Dane)	Danish
Egypt	Egyptian	Arabic
England	English	English
Estonia	Estonian	Estonian
Finland	Finnish	Finnish
France	French	French
Germany	German	German
Greece	Greek	Greek
Hungary	Hungarian	Hungarian
India	Indian	Hindi
Iran	Iranian	Persian
Iraq	Iraqi	Arabic
Indonesia	Indonesian	Indonesian
Ireland	Irish	Irish / English
Israel	Israeli	Hebrew
Italy	Italian	Italian
Japan	Japanese	Japanese
Korea	Korean	Korean
Latvia	Latvian	Latvian
Lithuania	Lithuanian	Lithuanian
Malaysia	Malaysian	Malay
Mexico	Mexican	Spanish
Moldova	Moldovan	Moldovan
Morocco	Moroccan	Arabic / French
Netherlands (Holland)	Dutch	Dutch
New Zealand	New Zealander	English / Maori
Norway	Norwegian	Norwegian
Pakistan	Pakistani	Urdu 8%, English (both official); Punjabi 48%
Panama	Panamanian	Spanish
Peru	Peruvian	Spanish
Poland	Polish	Polish
Portugal	Portuguese	Portuguese
Romania	Romanian	Romanian
Russia	Russian	Russian
Saudi Arabia	Saudi	Arabic
Scotland	Scottish	English / Scottish
Singapore	Singaporean	Mandarin 35%, English
Spain	Spanish	Spanish
Sweden	Swedish	Swedish
Switzerland	Swiss	Swiss
Taiwan	Taiwanese	Chinese
Thailand	Thai	Thai
Turkey	Turkish	Turkish
Ukraine	Ukrainian	Ukrainian
United Arab Emirates (UAE)	Arabian	Arabian
United States	American	English
Vietnam	Vietnamese	Vietnamese
Wales	Welsh	Welsh / English

11. Choose the right word for each sentence from the list below. As you can see, the letters in the words are all mixed up!

nssipha mgnear hlwes crnfeh aylti cibara ergek nsajpaee nscehie

1. In France, people speak ___________.

2. ___________ is spoken in Spain.

3. People speak ____________ in China.

4. In Germany, they speak ____________ .

5. ____________ is one of the languages of Wales.

6. Italian is spoken in _____________ .

7. The language of Saudi Arabia is ____________ .

8. They speak _____________ in Japan.

9. In Greece, they speak ____________ .

12. Fill in the gaps using the correct preposition from the box below.

to after from up of for in on at

1. The monastery ________ St Michael’s Mount belongs _______ the National Trust.

2. The National Trust looks ________ historic monuments.

3. The monks came _________ France originally.

4. The fish sold _______ Newlyn can end _________ Britain, France or Germany.

5. Further _______ the north-west coast we come ________ St Ives.

6. People think _________ abstract art as typically twentieth century.

7. Barbara Hepworth’s work was a search _______ a ‘universal vision of beauty’.

8. Shakespeare grew _______ _________ Stratford, then he left __________ London.

9. Hatfield House dates ________ 1608.

10. ________ Wales you can get away ________ the crowds.

11. I’m sure you have heard ________ the Loch Ness Monster.

13. Rank the following kinds of geographical relief of the earth surface according to their height over the sea level.

1. plain

2. mountain

3. highland

4. valley

5. hills

6. uplands

7. lowlands

14. Answer the following quiz questions.

1. Who was the mother of Queen Elizabeth I?

2. From which group of invaders did England get its name?

3. What happens to a bill after it has been passed by the House of Commons?

4. Where would you find a kirk?

5. What do families usually give each other on Easter Sunday?

6. What is the name of Britain’s highest mountain?

7. What is the connection between the “Mayflower” and the USA?

8. At what age can you drive a car in Britain?

9. What is the maximum length of a Parliament?

10. Describe the flags which make up the Union Jack.

11. Which country has the symbol of red dragon?

15. Look at the words in the box and use them to write full sentences about what you can do in the Lake District.

always usually sometimes never

10. skating/ice/winter

You usually go skating on the ice in winter.

11. canoeing/autumn

__________________________________________________________________

12. skiing/summer

_________________________________________________________________

13. swimming/summer

________________________________________________________________

14. walking/Lake District

________________________________________________________________

15. sailing/spring

________________________________________________________________

16. Choose words from the box below to finish the sentences.

mine yours his hers ours theirs

1. The horse belonged to Elizabeth the First: it was ________ .

2. Hatfield House was built by the first Earl of Salisbury: it was ________ .

3. The tapestry belongs to the Marquis and Marchioness: it’s _________ .

4. The house belonged to Shakespeare: it was _________ .

5. This book belongs to you: it’s _________ .

6. These paintings belong to us: they’re _________ .

7. This pen belongs to me: it’s __________ .

17. Fill in the gaps in the following sentences using one of the words in the box.

myself yourself himself herself ourselves yourselves themselves

1. People still go to Brighton to enjoy _________ .

2. Queen Victoria was too serious to enjoy _________ in Brighton.

3. Visitors have amused _________ on Brighton Pier since 1901.

4. I enjoyed _________ at the theatre last night.

5. Be careful not to cut _________ with that knife.

6. There are many ways we can amuse _________ on a visit to Great Britain.

7. She hurt _________ in a climbing accident.

8. He looked at _________ in the mirror.

18. Be ready to speak on the topic.