TEXT A Great Britain. London
The British Isles are a group of islands, the largest being Britain, which includes the countries of England, Wales and Scotland. The island of Ireland is divided between Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland.
Being an island has affected Britain’s history and the British people’s attitude to the rest of Europe. The sea is a barrier which has deterred invaders and kept Britain apart from the rest of Europe. British people still have an island mentality: they are used to being independent, separate and on the edge of things, and in general they like this.
The British Isles are separated from European continent by the North Sea and the English Channel. The western coast of Great Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea.
The area of the United Kingdom is 244,100 square kilometres. The northern and western part of the country is mountainous and is called the Highlands. All the rest are a vast plain, which is called the Lowlands. There are a lot of rivers, but they are not very long. The Severn is the longest river, while the Thames is the deepest and the most important one.
The United Kingdom consists of four nations, England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, each with its own special character. Welsh and Scottish people feel their national identity very strongly, and value their cultural heritage. In Wales The Welsh language is used alongside English, and in Scotland over 75 000 people speak Gaelik.
The United Kingdom is one of six constitutional monarchies within the European Community and this institution dates back in Britain to the Saxon king Egbert. Since the age of absolute monarchy there has been a gradual decline in the Sovereign’s power and, while formally still the head of the executive and the judiciary, commander-in chief of all the armed forces, and the temporal governor of the Church of England, nowadays monarchs reign but they do not rule.
In the UK it is the Parliament that is responsible for making laws and discussing major issues affecting the country. The three parts of Parliament, the sovereign, the House of Lords and the House of Commons, meet together only on special occasions. Although the agreement of all the three is required for laws to be passed, that of the king or the queen is now given without question, and the House of Commons has gained supremacy over the House of Lords.
The flag of the United Kingdom, known as the Union Jack, is made up of three crosses. The upright red is the cross of St.George, the patron saint of England. The white diagonel cross (with the arms going into the coners) is the cross of St.Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland. The diagonal cross is the cross of St.Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. The Union Jack is most often seen flying from public buildings or at sports events.
|
|
|
The largest cities of the UK are London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, Bristol, Leeds, Cardiff.
London is the capital of the United Kingdom and one of the biggest cities of the world. It’s economic, political and cultural center of the country with the population of about 9 million people. It was founded by the Romans as Londinium in the 1st century AD.
There are different areas in London. They are like different cities. The oldest part of London is called the City. It’s London’s commercial and business centre. It contains the Bank of England, the Stock Exchange and the main offices of numerous companies and corporations. The City has also many historic buildings: one of them is the Tower of London. It was founded by Julius Caesar and rebuilt by William the Conqueror. The Tower was used as a fortress, a royal residence and a prison. Now it’s a museum with a collection of medieval armor. The other is St. Paul’s cathedral, the greatest of English churches. In one of its towers hangs one of the largest bells of the world, Great Paul.
Another important area of London, where most of the government buildings are located, is Westminster. Among its places of interest are Westminster Abbey, where monarchs, statesmen, poets, writers, scientists have been buried; Houses of Parliament with its famous Big Ben. This is where the House of Lords and the House of Commons meet.
To the west of the City are the fine shops and theatres of the area knows as the West End. Oxford Street with its great department stores is the favorite street for shopping. The theatre land is stretched (extended or concentrated) around Piccadilly Circus. Not far from it one can see the British Museum with antiquities from India, Greece, China, Egypt, Rome, etc. The British Library is a part of the museum. In the West End there are beautiful parks too. The largest and most famous of all London’s parks is the Hyde Park. The National Gallery located on Trafalgar Square contains an enormous collection of European paintings including works by Da Vinci, Rembrandt, Gainsborough and Van Gogh. Around the corner is the National Portrait Galler.
|
|
|
The last of London’s functional zones is the East End, where mostly working people live. A lot of docks, workshops, plants are concentrated here. London’s port is the third biggest port in the world. 4294
Task 4. Answer the questions to the texts:1)Where is the UK situated? 2)What and how has affected British history and national character? 3)What are the geographical features of this country? 4)How is GB ruled? 5) What do you know about the flag of the United Kingdom? 5)When was London founded? 6)What are the areas of London? How can you characterize each of them? 7)What historic buildings of the City can you name? 8)How was the Tower of London used? 9)Where are the great department stores concentrated? 10)Where can you find the theatre land? 11)What is the most famous park of London? 12)What can you say about the National Gallery and the National portrait Gallery? 13)Is the East End an important area of London? Why?
Task 5. Match the words and their definitions
| 1)collection | a) extremely large |
| 2)patron saint | b) to divide something into different parts |
| 3) antiquity | c) a piece of land completely surrounded by water |
| 4) capital | d) an area of land beside a sea |
| 5)to separate | e) a building that Christians go to in order to worship |
| 6) vast | f) works of art that are kept together, for example in a museum |
| 7)medieval | g) a large flat area of land |
| 8) island | h) the protecting or guiding saint of a person or place |
| 9) church | i) the city where a country has its government |
| 10) coast | j) an object or building that existed in ancient times and still exists |
| 11) plain | k) relating to the period of European history between about the year 1000 AD and the year 1500 |
Task 6. Read the text.
Дата добавления: 2019-09-13; просмотров: 145; Мы поможем в написании вашей работы! |
Мы поможем в написании ваших работ!