Text 3 slang words

Study a few slang words commonly used in Britain.

Bloke - man. E.g. 'John is a nice bloke to know.'

Botched - poor quality repairs. E.g. 'He made a botched job of fixing the television.'

Bottle - courage. E.g. 'He doesn't have the bottle to ask her.'

Cheesed off - fed up. E.g. ‘I’m cheesed off with your lies.’

Chuck it down - to rain, often heavily. E.g. 'It is going to chuck it down soon.'

Chuffed - happy with something. E.g. 'I was chuffed to win a medal!'

Daft - crazy / stupid. E.g. ‘I was daft to believe your words’.

Gobsmacked - incredibly amazed. E.g. 'I was gobsmacked when I saw my birthday presents.'

Gutted – unhappy, sad. Not happy because of an event that has occurred that didn't go your way. E.g. 'I was gutted when I didn't win the race.'

Jammy - lucky. E.g. 'He was very jammy winning the lottery'.

Skint – broke, no money. E.g. 'I'm skint, I wont be able to buy the DVD today.'

Telly – television. E.g. 'I watched the news on the telly last night.'

TIME TO SPEAK

Discuss the questions below with your partner:

• Is Russian the only language people speak in Russia?

• What languages are spoken in Russia?

• Do you know any dialects of Russian?

Unit IV. COUNTRIES WITHIN A COUNTRY

QUESTION TIME

You must know by now that the UK is a union of several countries having common history, culture, language etc. But on the other hand these countries have their own identity and there are distinct differences between their people. What countries make up the United Kingdom? What makes them different countries within the UK?

TIME FOR READING

Skim through the texts (1-5) and fill in the table using the information from the texts.

	England	Scotland	Wales	Northern Ireland
National symbol
Nationality
Area
Population
Capital
Flag
Patron saint
National day
Climate
Major cities

Text 1 england

E ngland is part of both Great Britain and the United Kingdom. England is the largest of the three political divisions within the island of Great Britain. Bound by Scotland to the north and Wales to the west, England is no more than 29km from France across the narrowest part of the English Channel and is now linked with the continent by a tunnel under the English Channel. It covers a total area of 130,478 sq km - 57% (per cent) of the whole island, and its capital is London. England is divided into 34 counties.

The population of England is over 50 mln people. Nearly 84% of the population of the UK lives in England, mainly in the major cities and metropolitan areas. The overall population density is one of the highest in the world.

T he national emblem of England is the Rose. Just as the United States is personified as Uncle Sam, so England often appears in caricature as either 'Britannia', a heroic female figure holding a trident (the symbol of sea power), or as 'John Bull' a good-humoured, well-fed country gentleman personifying determination and common sense. The patron saint of England is St George, whose feast is celebrated on 23 April.

E ngland's climate is mild and damp, with temperatures moderated by the light winds that blow in off its relatively warm seas. Temperatures inland don't get much below freezing in winter, or much above 30°C in summer. The north is the coldest area; London, the south-east and the West Country are the warmest. Rainfall is greatest in hilly areas and in the West Country. You can expect cloudy weather and light drizzle in any part of England at any time.

Where Britain is divided into four separate countries, England itself is made up of four quite distinctive areas - The South of England, Heart of England, East of England, and England's North Country - each offering something unique and exciting: majestic moorland and craggy peaks, lush green fields and fens, wide sandy beaches and quaint fishing villages. The south of England is mostly low-lying land, with hills and agricultural land and the north of England is mostly covered in moorland and mountains.

But England is not just countryside – there are elegant, refined and historic cities with Roman*, Georgian*, Tudor* and Victorian* influences; architectural splendors; university cities; cathedral cities and other vibrant, exciting cities with museums, art galleries, modern trendy restaurants, nightlife and some amazing theatres. Whatever quintessentially English characteristic you crave - afternoon tea, cricket on the village green, a walk along the promenade or great theatre and shopping - England has something for everyone.

_______________

*Roman – [´rəumən] римский; романский

*Georgian – [´dƷƆ:dƷən] георгианский; времени, эпохи одного из английских королей Георгов

*Tudor – [´tju:də] тюдоровский; эпохи Тюдоров (английская королевская династия 15-17 вв.)

*Victorian – [vik´tƆ:riən] викторианский (относящийся к эпохе правления королевы Виктории, 1837-1901 гг.)

!!! Read more interesting information about England (‘What is England famous for…’) in Unit 14. Supplements.

DID YOU GET IT?

Put the points below in order to make the plan of the text.

• Geography

• Tourist attractions

• Climate and typical weather

• Population

• Landscape

• National symbols