YEAR 1, TERM 1

VARIANT 1

GREAT BRITAIN.

1. Great Britain is formed of the following parts: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and is situated on the British Isles which. lie to the west of the continent of Europe. Great Britain is separated from the European continent by the North Sea and the English Channel. It is washed on the western coast by the Atlantic Ocean and by the Irish Sea, the latter separating England from Ireland.

Great Britain being an island, its climate is rather mild. Thus the weather, which is greatly influenced by the cool wind that blows from the sea, is cooler in summer and warmer in winter then in most other countries of Northern Europe. There is not a single point in Great Britain which is more then 120 kilometres away from the sea.

2. There are many rivers in Britain, the Thames, the Mersey, the Aire and others but none of them is very long. Many of the rivers are joined by canals, so that it is quite possible to travel by water from one end of England to the other.

3. Great Britain is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, the average density being over 200 people per square kilometre, 80 per cent of the population live in towns. The population of Great Britain is more then 52 mln. England is one of the most powerful capitalist countries in Europe. There are many big industrial cities here, such as Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield and many others.

4. London, its capital, which is situated on the river Thames, is one of the biggest commercial centres of the world .

One of the leading industries of Great Britain is the textile industry. Coal, iron and steel as well as various machines are also produced there. Shipbuilding and motor industry are highly developed too.

5. Northern and Western England is a coal, metal and textile industry. The most ancient centres of English iron and steel industry are Birmingham and Sheffield. Iron smelting based on local ore deposits has been practised here since ancient times. In the period of England’s industrialisation Birmingham and Sheffield played the leading role in the creation of England’s heavy industry.

6. Each of the two towns became the centre of various industries. Especially great is the variety of industries of Birmingham. One can find any type of production here, from steel smelting to manufacturing the most delicate articles. Rifles, pistols, various machinery, railway cars, motor cars, electrical equipment, scientific instruments and many other things are produced in Birmingham in great quantities. Alongside with the most modern big plants, a lot of old small enterprises are to be found in this town.

7. Sheffield is the city of steel. It has specialised in producing high-quality steel and articles of steel, heavy armaments, wheels of railway cars, weaving looms, knives, fine instruments, etc.

Задание к тексту.

I. Ответьте на вопросы:

1. What parts does Great Britain consist of ?

2. What is Great Britain washed by ?

3. Are there many rivers in Britain ?

4. Great Britain is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, isn’t it ?

5. Which industrial centres are situated in Great Britain ?

6. What is one of the big commercial centres in Great Britain ?

7. Where are the most ancient centres of iron and steel industry situated?

2. Скажите по-английски:

• отделена от, омывается океаном, быть основанным, путешествовать по воде,

• средняя плотность, такой как, высокоразвитая промышленность.

2. Найдите в тексте слова, образованные от следующих основ:

• - popular, industry, west, lead, create, produce, manufacture, equip, science.

2. Выпишите из текста 4 прилагательных в превосходной степени.

3. Найдите в тексте предложения с независимым причастным оборотом.

4. Сделайте письменный перевод 4 и 5 абзацев текста.

YEAR 1, TERM 1

VARIANT 2

SCOTLAND.

Although Scotland takes up one third of the territory of the British Isles, its population is not very big. It is the most northern part of the island of Great Britain and is not far away from the Arctic Circle.

That’s why it is not densely populated: its population is a little over 5 million people. The Cheviot Hills mark the boundary between England and Scotland. Apart from this land link with England, Scotland is surrounded by sea.

Scotland includes the Hebrides off the west coast, and the Orkney and Shetland Island off the north coast. It is bounded by the North Sea on the east.

Scotland is divided into three regions: the Highlands, which is the most northern and the most under populated area with a harsh climate the Lowlands, which is the most industrial region, with about three quarters of the population, and the Southern Uplands, with hills, which border on England.

The Highlands of Scotland are among the oldest mountains in the world. They reach their highest point in Ben Nevis (1343m). Many valleys between the hills filled with lakes, called lochs. The best-known is Loch Ness where as some people think a large monster lives. The most important city here is Abardeen which is the oil centre of Scotland. Ships helicopters travel from Aberdeen to the North Sea oil rigs. Work on an oil rig is difficult and dangerous.

Most of the population of Scotland is concentrated in the Lowlands. Here, on the Clyde, is Glasgow, Scotland’s biggest city. Shipbuilding is one of its most important industries, other industries are iron and steel, heavy and light engineering and coal-mining. Its an industrial city and an important port in the UK. Its houses many of which are not suitable for living and need repairs of rebuilding. Although Glasgow is Scotland’s biggest city it is not the capital.

Glasgow is the centre of working class movement and has glorious revolutionary traditions.

Scotland had been an independent state and was forcefully joined into the UK after a long struggle for its independence in 1707.

One of the things that people associate with Scotland is the kilt. The kilt is a relic of the time when the clan system existed in the Highlands. Everybody in the clan had the same family name, like MacDonald or MacGregor (Mac means “son of ”). The clan had its own territory and was ruled by a chieftain. Each clan had its own tartan .

Edinburgh has been the capital since the 15-th century, when its fortified castle was the centre and is associated with the names of G. Byron and W. Scott, R. Stevenson, R. Burus and A. Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlok Holmses. It is also associated with the world –famous Edinburg Festival of Music and Drama. The Festival was first held in 1947 and has been annually ever since.

• The Arctic Circle - Ceверный полярный круг.

• Loch Ness - озеро Лох-Несс.

• Kilt - килт, юбка шотландского горца.

• clan - клан (родовая община у шотландцев, в наст. вр. лица, носящие общую родовую фамилию).

• tartan - тартан (традиционный шотландский наряд ).

• G.Byron – Джорж Байрон (1788-1824) английский поэт-романтик, приверженец просветительных идеалов и эстетики классицизма.

• W.Scott - Вальтер Скотт ( 1771-1832 ) , шотландский писатель и поет.

• R.Stevenson - Роберт Стивенсон (1850-1894) шотландский писатель, неоромантик, часто изображал драматические ситуации с элементами фантастики.

• R.Burus - Р. Верьес (1759-1796) шотландский поэт.

• A.Conan Doyle - Артур Конан Доил (1859-1930), английский писатель, автор фантастических и исторических романов.