The Geographical Position of Great Britain
The Geographical Position of Great Britain
There are two large islands and several smaller ones, which lie in the north-west coast of Europe. Collectively they are known as the British Isles. The largest island is called Great Britain. The smaller one is calledIreland. Great Britain is separated from the continent by the English Channel. The country is washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Great Britain is separated from Belgium and Holland by the North Sea, and from Ireland - by the Irish Sea.
In the British Isles there are two states. One of them governs of the most of the island of Ireland. This state is usually called the Republic of Ireland. The other state has authority over the rest of the territory. The official name of this country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. But it is usually known by a shorter name - "The United Kingdom". The total area of Great Britain is 244,000 square km.
They say that the British love of compromise is the result of the country's physical geography. This may or may not be true, but it certainly true that the land and climate in Great Britain have a notable lack of extremes. The mountains in the country are not very high. It doesn't usually get very cold in the winter or very not in the summer. It has no active volcanoes, and an earth tremors which does no more than rattle teacups in a few houses which is reported in the national news media. The insular geographical position of Great Britain promoted the development of shipbuilding, different training contacts with other countries.
Вопросы:
1. What is the total area of Great Britain?
2. Where is Great Britain situated?
3. Is Great Britain a mountainous country?
4. What's the result of the country's physical geography?
5. What is the official name of this country?
Словарь:
British Isles - Британскиеострова
earth tremos - землетрясение
insular - островной
to govern - управлять
to rattle - болтать
to be separated - бытьотделенным
volcano - вулкан
Political System of Great Britain
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a constitutional monarchy. Britain does not have a written constitution. Parliament is the most important authority in Britain.
The monarch serves formally as head of state. The present sovereign is Queen Elizabeth II (the second).
The House of Commons consists of Members of Parliament. General elections are held every five years. Ail citizens aged 18 have the right to vote.
There are few political parties in Britain. The main ones are: the Conservative Party, the Labour Party.
Each political party puts up one candidate for each constituency. The one who wins the most votes is MP for that area.
The party which wins the most seats in Parliament forms the Government; its leader becomes the Prime Minister.
The functions of the House of Commons are legislation and scrutiny of government activities. The House of Commons is presided over by the Speaker.
The House of Lords is presided by the Lord Chancellor. The House of Lords has no real power. It's in the House of Commons that new bills are introduced and debated.
Parliament is responsible for British national policy. Local governments are responsible for organizing of education, police and many others.
Sights of Great Britain
There are a lot of places of interest in Great Britain.There are both modern and ancient monuments, like Stonehenge and Hadrian Wall, Durham castle and York Cathedral.
Britain also has many interesting museums. For example one can visit the Steam Boat Museum in Embleside. The oldest ship in this museum — her name is “Dolly” — is 150 years old. In York the tourists are usually attracted by the National Railway Museum. It contains the history of Stephenson’s invention of steam locomotive.
But the main attraction, no doubt, is London places of interest. Among them there are: Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, St Paul’s Cathedral, London Bridge, the Tower of London. On the Houses of Parliament one can see the famous Tower Clock Big Ben, the symbol of London. Big Ben is the real bell which strikes every quarter of an hour. Another place which you can admire is Buckingham Palace. It’s the residence of the Queen. London is also famous for its beautiful parks. Hyde Park is the most democratic park in the world, as anyone can say anything he likes there. Regent’s Park is the home of London Zoo.
Visiting this country, don't forget about its natural attractions such as the Highlands, Loch Ness, where some people think a large monster lives and the Lake District, the place, associated with the history of English literature.
The Geographical Position of Great Britain
There are two large islands and several smaller ones, which lie in the north-west coast of Europe. Collectively they are known as the British Isles. The largest island is called Great Britain. The smaller one is calledIreland. Great Britain is separated from the continent by the English Channel. The country is washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Great Britain is separated from Belgium and Holland by the North Sea, and from Ireland - by the Irish Sea.
In the British Isles there are two states. One of them governs of the most of the island of Ireland. This state is usually called the Republic of Ireland. The other state has authority over the rest of the territory. The official name of this country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. But it is usually known by a shorter name - "The United Kingdom". The total area of Great Britain is 244,000 square km.
They say that the British love of compromise is the result of the country's physical geography. This may or may not be true, but it certainly true that the land and climate in Great Britain have a notable lack of extremes. The mountains in the country are not very high. It doesn't usually get very cold in the winter or very not in the summer. It has no active volcanoes, and an earth tremors which does no more than rattle teacups in a few houses which is reported in the national news media. The insular geographical position of Great Britain promoted the development of shipbuilding, different training contacts with other countries.
Вопросы:
1. What is the total area of Great Britain?
2. Where is Great Britain situated?
3. Is Great Britain a mountainous country?
4. What's the result of the country's physical geography?
5. What is the official name of this country?
Словарь:
British Isles - Британскиеострова
earth tremos - землетрясение
insular - островной
to govern - управлять
to rattle - болтать
to be separated - бытьотделенным
volcano - вулкан