The united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland

1. Read and translate the text given below:

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the UK) occupies most of the territory of the British Isles. It consists of four main parts which are: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.

The UK is an island state, it is composed of some 5,500 islands, large and small. The two main islands are Great Britain (in which are England, Wales, and Scotland) to the east and Ireland (in which are Northern Ireland and the Independent Irish Republic) to the west.

The British Isles are separated from the European continent by the North Sea, the Strait of Dover and the English Channel. The western coast of Great Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea. The surface of the British Isles varies very much. The north of Scotland is mountainous and is called the Highlands, while the south, which has beautiful valleys and plains, is called the Lowlands. The north and west of England are mountainous, but all the rest – east, centre and south-east – is a vast plain. Mountains are not very high. Ben Nevis in Scotland is the highest mountain (1343 m).

There are a lot of rivers in Great Britain, but they are not very long. The Severn is the longest river, while the Thames is the deepest and the most important one. The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of Gulf Stream influence the climate of the British Isles. It is mild the whole year round.

The UK is one of the world’s smallest countries (it is twice smaller than France or Spain), with an area of some 244,100 square km. The population is over 57 million. About 80& of the country is urban. The UK is a highly developed industrial country. It is known as one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of machinery, electronics, textile, aircraft and navigation equipment. One of the chief industries of the country is shipbuilding. English is not the only language which people use in the UK, English is the official language. But some people speak Gaelic in western Scotland, Welsh – in parts of northern and central Wales.

The flag of the UK, 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.

The UK is a constitutional monarchy. This means that it has a monarch (a king or a queen) as its Head of State. The monarch reigns with the support of Parliament. The powers of the monarch are not defined precisely. Everything today is done in the Queen’s name. It is her government, her armed forces, her law courts and so on. She appoints all the Ministers, including the Prime Minister. Everything is done, however, on the advice of the elected Government, and the monarch takes no part in the decision-making process.

Parliament consists of two chambers known as the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Parliament and the monarch have different roles in the government of the country, and they only meet together on symbolic occasions such as the coronation of a new monarch or the opening of the Parliament. In reality, the House of Commons is the only one of the three which has true power. It is here that new bills are introduced and debated. If the majority of the members are in favor of a bill it goes to the House of Lords to be debated and finally to the monarch to be sighed. Only then it becomes law. Although a bill must be supported by all three bodies, the House of Lords only has limited powers, and the monarch has not refused to sign one since the modern political system began over 200 years ago.

2. Give Russian equivalents:

British Isles, European continent, mountainous, influence the climate, navigation equipment, shipbuilding, constitutional monarchy, Head of State, decision-making process, symbolic occasions , to be in favor.

3. Translate into English:

Соединенное Королевство Великобритании и Северной Ирландии, Британские острова, долины и равнины, влиять на климат, крупнейший экспортер, святой покровитель, вооруженные силы, во имя Королевы, ограниченная власть.

4. Fill in the gaps:

1) My report consists … two main parts.

2) The European part of Russia is separated … the Asian part … the Urals.

3) Astrakhan is washed … the Volga.

4) The American flag is made … … stars and stripes.

5) Who is … favor … this new rule?

5. Correct the mistakes:

1) Great Britain consists of four countries – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

2) The UK is a continental state.

3) There are numerous mountains on the territory of the country, and most of them are very high.

4) There are no big rivers in the UK.

5) The weather is the UK is always cold and windy.