The island people (II)

TASK 1. BEFORE WATCHING. IN PAIRS:

a) Decide if the following statements are true (T) or false (F )

b) Suggest some possible corrections of the given facts

TASK 2. WHILE WATCHING.

a) Watch the videofilm and check your answer.

b) Write the correct answer where necessary.

Statement	True	False	Correct statement
The mainland Europe and France are more than 40 km away from the port of Dover. The area of the UK is more than a quarter of a million square kilometers. The British weather is temperate with few extremes in temperature. Indeed large parts of the UK are easily inhabitable. With 58 mln people Britain is one of the most sparsely populated countries in Europe The British are mainly the descendants of the original dark-skinned peoples living in these islands or of waves of immigrants from Europe: Danes, Vikings, Normans, French Protestants, Jewish immigrants. Britain is a multicultural society built on the tradition of tolerance. Britain’s food has a poor reputation. British families are now smaller than they used to be 50 years ago. The UK has one of the lowest marriage and divorce rates in Europe. In Britain there is complete freedom of religious belief and observance. In Britain living in a house gives the freedom of having your own front door and always a garden. The idea of Britishness is rooted in the value system. To many non-British people it is ridiculous that Britain still has a monarchy. The present-day Queen's father was King George IV. In Britain the Queen doesn't have any formal constitutional roles. Britain's development was evolutional, not revolutional. In Britain the Monarchy is not controlled by Parliament. Britain never felt the need for a written constitution. Britain's Parliament is one of the youngest representative assemblies in the world. The House of Lords still remains an important arena for debates of current issues. The British Law is based on case law and precedent. The Queen's birthday is celebrated in April each year. In February Scots everywhere celebrate the birthday of Robert Burns. The boat race between Britain's oldest universities (Oxford and Cambridge) takes place on the river Thames near London. The ancient people were subdued nearly 4000 years ago by the Romans. 1066 was the last time Britain was conquered by a foreign invader. It was 700 years before English monarchs could persuade the Welsh into a Political Union. It was in the early 18th century that the Scots signed the Act of Union binding them to England. In the beginning of the 19^th century Irish nationalists rebelled. The result was two countries of Ireland. Since 1969 Northern Ireland has suffered campaigns of violence. There is a soccer team for each of the UK's countries. The British Empire was not the largest empire in the history of the world. Hong Kong (the last British colony) was reverted to China in 1987. The Commonwealth with the Queen as its Head provides a forum for international cooperation for a few of Britain's former dominions. Lord Byron is a 19th century English poet. Britain was the world's first agricultural country. Britain was the first to invent a printer. In Britain the National Health Care provides universal free medical care. Today 1 in 4 school-leavers goes into higher education. As everywhere in the world people in Britain spend most of their free time watching TV and listening to the radio. Beer in British pubs is usually served cold. Since the days of the 'Beatles' Britain has led the world in rock music. Nearly 1/10th of the British population goes fishing. The National Trust is the oldest charity in Britain. Cricket was invented in England. Britain's economic prosperity is firmly based on private enterprise. Service industry supplies 85 % of Britain's income. Britain was a founding member of the United Nations 50. Britain's destiny as a trading nation lies firmly in Europe.		F	e.g. …LESS…