- •Great britain
- •Exercises:
- •I. Read the following words from the text:
- •II. Correct the wrong statements. Begin your answers with the following expressions: That's right. Exactly so. I agree with it. No, that’s not right. Nothing of the kind.
- •III. Find English equivalents and use them in the sentences, of your own:
- •IV. Open the brackets:
- •V. Prove that:
- •VI. Read the following text and describe each constituent of the United Kingdom.
- •VII. A) Study the following speech-patterns:
- •VIII. Put questions to the sentences:
- •IX. Use the appropriate forms of the irregular verbs in the following sentences:
- •X. Read the text about the climate of Great Britain and answer the questions after the text.
- •Questions:
- •XI. Answer the questions:
- •XII. Read the following text and enumerate the peculiar British traditions which have been kept up till nowadays.
- •XIII. Find the Russian equivalents to the proverbs, characterizing the main traits of the national English character.
- •XIV. Translate the following passage in writing:
- •XV. Define the main idea of the following extracts:
- •It Is Interesting To Know
- •XVI. Express your opinion answering the questions:
- •XVII. Learn the decimal values of some English measures. Give the decimal equivalents to the figures below:
- •XVII. Tell as much as you can about Great Britain.
- •Exercises:
- •I. Read the words:
- •II. Find in the right column the meaning of the words given in the left column.
- •III. Find the sentences about:
- •IV. Complete the following sentences:
- •V. Learn the following expressions from the text and use them in the sentences or situations of your own:
- •VI. Answer the questions:
- •Exercises:
- •I. Read the following words:
- •II. Using the material of the text correct the wrong statements, if any, begin your answers with these expressions:
- •III. Complete the following sentences:
- •IV. Use the Passive Voice in the following sentences:
- •V. Learn the following expressions from the text and use them in the sentences of your own:
- •VI. Answer the questions:
- •VII. See how many of these famous Englishmen and their works you know:
- •XII. Read the following texts and retell them (in Russian). From the History of British Painting
Great britain
G
The
flag of the United Kingdom, known as the Union Jack, is made up of
three crosses. The upright red cross is the cross of St. George, the
patron saint of England. The white diagonal cross is the cross of
St. Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland. The red diagonal cross is
the cross of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.
Great Britain surrounded by seas on all sides is separated from the continent by the North Sea and the English Channel. It lies on the crossways of the sea routes from Europe to the other parts of the world. Thanks to the Gulf-Stream the climate of Great Britain is mild. It's often foggy and rainy. The summer is not very hot and the winter is not very cold. Winter temperature seldom falls below zero.
The rivers in Great Britain are not long, but many of them are deep. The Severn is the longest British river. Many of the rivers have been joined one to another by means of canals, so that it's quite possible to travel by water from one end of the country to the other. The shallow waters are important because they provide breeding ground for fish. The capital of Great Britain, London, is situated on the Thames River. There are many lakes in Scotland. The most beautiful is Loch Lomond. In the north of England and in Scotland there are many mountains, but they are not very high. The highest mountain is Ben Nevis.
The total area of the country is 93.5 thousand square miles. The population numbers over 68 million people. The English are reputed to be cold, reserved, rather haughty people who do not yell in the street or change their governments as often as they change their underclothes. They are steady, easy-going and fond of sport.
The English are a nation of stay-at-homes. “There is no place like home”, they say. “The Englishman's home is his castle», is a saying known all over the world. It's true that English people prefer small houses, built to house one family, perhaps with a small garden. The fire is the focus of the English home. For the English it's the open fire, the toasting fork and the ceremony of English tea.
Great Britain lives by manufacture and trade. Its agriculture provides only half the food it needs, the other half of its food has to be imported.
Britain is one of the most highly industrialised countries of the world: for every person employed in agriculture, eleven are employed in mining, manufacturing and building. The UK exports machinery, vessels, motors and other goods. One of its main industries is the textile industry. The industrial centres of Great Britain are London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield and others.
The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. The head of the state is a King or a Queen. Elizabeth II is a queen from 1952. The supreme legislative body is the Parliament. It has two Houses - the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The highest executive power is the Cabinet. The Cabinet consists of the Prime Minister and 18 ministers of the first rank. The Prime Minister and ministers of all ranks form the Government.
The main political parties are: the Conservative Party (Tories), the Labour Party and the Liberal Party.
NAMES:
Great Britain ['greIt'brItn] Великобритания
British Isles ['brItIS'aIlz] Британские острова
England ['INglqnd] Англия
Scotland ['skOtlqnd] Шотландия
Wales [weIlz] Уэльс
the United Kingdom [jH'naItId 'kINdqm] Соединенное Королевство
Northern Ireland ['nLDqn 'aIqlqnd] Северная Ирландия
North Sea ['nLT 'sJ] Северное море
English Channel ['InglIS 'Cxnl] Английский канал
Gulf-Stream ['gAlf 'strJm] Гольфстрим
the Severn ['sFvq(:)n] Северн
the Thames River [tFmz 'rIvq'] Темза
Loch Lomond ['lOk 'loumqnd] Лох Лоуменд
Ben Nevis ['ben 'nevis] бен Невис
London ['lAndqn] Лондон
Manchester ['mxnCIstq'] Манчестер
Birmingham ['bWmiNqm] Бирмингем
Leeds [lJdz] Лидс
Liverpool ['lIvqpHl] Ливерпуль
Sheffield ['Sefild] Шеффилд
Queen Elizabeth II [I'lIzqbqT] Королева Елизавета П
the Conservative Party [kqn'sWvqtIv] Консервативная Партия (Тори), основана в 1667г.
the Labour Party ['leIbq] Лейбористская Партия, основана в 1900г.
the Liberal Party ['lIbqrl] Либеральная Партия, основана в 1877г.
the House of Commons ['kOmqnz] палата общин (нижняя палата парламента, играет главную роль в осуществлении его законодательных функций)
the House of Lords [lLdz] палата лордов (верхняя палата парламента, невыборное учреждение, обладает правом отлагательного вето в отношении законопроектов, принятых палатой общин)