Ex. 14. Check your knowledge of English-speaking countries. Sometimes more than one answer is possible.
1) The main parts of Great Britain are:
a) Cambridge; b) Wales; c) Scotland; d) Glasgow; e) England.
2) The longest river is:
a) the Thames; b) the Clyde; c) the Severn.
3) The English Channel separates Great Britain from:
a) Sweden; b.) France; c) the Netherlands.
4) The main nationalities are:
a) the Scots; b) the French; c) the English; d) the Welsh.
5) The capital of Wales is:
a) Manchester; b) Cardiff; c) Birmingham.
6) The Union Jack is a(n):
a) mountain; b) street; c) flag; d) island.
7) The oldest British universities are situated in:
a) London; b) Cambridge; c) Harvard; d) Oxford.
8) Where is the coal-mining region situated?
a) Scotland; b) South Wales; c) Northern Ireland.
9) The current British monarch is:
a) Prince Charles; b) Queen Elisabeth II;
c) Prince Albert; d) Queen Victoria.
10) The main political parties are:
a) Republican; b) Conservative; c) Democratic; d) Labour.
11) The kilt is a:
a) musical instrument; b) short skirt; c) hat.
12) Guy Fawkes was a:
a) prime-minister; b) conspirator; c) general.
13) What is Piccadilly Circus?
a) a square; b) a disco; c) a circus.
14) Who is the most popular hero of English ballads?
a) Peter Pan; b) Lemuel Gulliver; c) Robin Hood; d) Tom Sawyer.
15) The Tower of London now is a:
a) royal palace; b) museum; c) state prison.
16) What lake in Scotland is said to be the home of a “monster”?
a) Loch Lomond; b) Loch Ness; c) Loch Erie.
17) What city does the 0° meridian pass through?
a) Nottingham; b) Sheffield; c) Greenwich.
18) The highest mountains is:
a) Snowdon; b) Ben Nevis; c) McKinley.
19) Stonehenge is a:
a) theatre; b) town; c) place for religious rituals.
20) What is the chairperson of the House of Lords called?
a) Lord Protector; b) Lord Chancellor; c) Lord Mayor
21) The chairperson of the House of Lords sits on a:
a) divan; b) big box; c) woolsack.
22) What was the first famous British pop-group from Liverpool?
a) the Beatles; b) Deep Purple; c) Queen.
23) Shakespeare's birthplace is:
a) London; b) Stratford-on-Avon; c) Edinburgh
24) What part is called the “City of London”
a) oldest; b) richest; c) poorest.
25) The poem "My heart's in the Highlands" was written by:
a) Longfellow; b) Aesop; c) Burns.
Unit 6
British agriculture
Topical Vocabulary
1) densely populated – густонаселенный;
2) to remain – оставаться;
3) to supply – снабжать, обеспечивать;
4) to employ – использовать;
5) research – научные исследования;
6) the rest – остальной;
7) to belong to – принадлежать;
8) landowner (landlord) – землевладелец;
9) the Crown – королевская власть;
10) the Church – церковь;
11) productive forces – производительные силы;
12) output – выпуск продукции;
13) medium-sized farms – хозяйства средних размеров;
14) they account for – на их долю приходится;
15) remainder – остаток;
16) to own – владеть;
17) estate – поместье;
18) to derive income – получать доход;
19) to rent – сдавать в аренду, брать в аренду;
20) owner-farmer – фермер, ведущий хозяйство на своей земле;
21) sale – продажа;
22) tenant-farmer – фермер-арендатор ;
23) labourer – (неквалифицированный) рабочий;
24) temperate – умеренный;
25) even distribution – равномерное распределение;
26) favour – благоприятствовать ;
27) pastoral farming – пастбищное хозяйство;
28) arable farming – зерновое хозяйство, полеводство;
29) to take the lead – занимать ведущее место;
30) prevalent – распространенный;
31) cereals – зерновые хлеба;
32) turnip – турнепс, репа;
33) swede (turnip) – брюква;
34) kale – листовая капуста;
35) dairy farming – молочное животноводство;
36) due to tough competition – из-за сильной конкуренции;
37) to decrease – уменьшаться;
38) requirements (needs) – потребности;
39) is self-sufficient – сама себя обеспечивает;
40) home-produced food – пища внутреннего производства;
41) wage – заработная плата;
42) to expand – расширяться;
43) to demand – требовать;
44) accessibility – доступность;
45) margain – край, грань;
46) moorland – местность, поросшая вереском;
47) to roam – пасти, выпасать;
48) horticulture – садоводство, огородничество;
49) nearness – близость, соседство;
50) casual labour – непостоянная работа.
Ex. 1. Read the text.
Text A
Britain is a densely populated industrialised country. But agriculture remains one of its largest and most important industries. It supplies nearly two-thirds of the country's food, employs about 2.5 per cent of the working population. British agriculture is efficient, for it is based on modern technology and research. Nearly 80 per cent of the land area is used for agriculture, the rest being mountain and forest or put to other uses. The larger part of the land belongs to big landowners. Among the largest landowners are the Crown and the Church. The main productive forces in Britain's agriculture are full or part-time labourers. Large farms produce about half of the total agricultural output. Medium-sized farms account for some 40% and very small farms produce the remainder.
The rural population of Britain can be divided into 4 groups.
1. Landlords or landed aristocracy. They own large estates and derive income from rents.
2. Owner-farmers. They own farms and land and make their living by the sale of agricultural produce.
3. Tenant farmers. They rent farms from landlords and make their living in the same way as owner-farmers.
4. Labourers. They neither own nor rent any land, but work for wages for the farmer.
Geographically Great Britain consists of Highland Britain and Lowland Britain. The agricultural area of England is towards the English Channel and the Continent of Europe. There are 12 million hectares under crops and grass. The soil in many parts of Highland Britain is thin and poor. Lowland Britain is a rich area with fertile soil. The cool temperate climate and comparatively even distribution of rainfall favour the development of agriculture. There are three main types of farming: pastoral, arable, mixed. Arable farming takes the lead in the eastern parts of England and Scotland, whereas in the rest of the country pastoral and mixed farming are prevalent.
Small farms dominate in the country. Most farms are less than 50 acres each. The types of farms are different in different soil and climatic areas. In the eastern part of Britain, where most farms are arable, the farms grow different crops. Arable crops include cereals: wheat, barley, oats, and also potatoes, sugar beet and fodder crops (turnip, swede (turnip) and kale). In the western part of the country most farms are dairy. Farmers breed cattle, sheep, pigs. Small farms are usually mixed farms, on which farmers both grow crops and keep farm animals. However, due to tough competition, the number of small farms is decreasing.
Britain produces nearly two-thirds of the total to meet its food requirements. Britain today is self-sufficient in milk, eggs, potatoes, barley, and oats. Also a large proportion of meat and vegetables is home-produced. Britain usually imports meat, butter, cheese, sugar, wheat, tea, fruit, tobacco and some other agricultural products.