The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated on the British Isles. It consists of four parts: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The territory of the United Kingdom is about 244,000 square kilometres, it is the 75th place among other countries in the world. The population is over 56.5 million. About 80% of the population is urban. The capital of the country is London.
The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of the Gulf Stream influence the climate of Great Britain. It is mild the whole year round.
Great Britain is a highly developed industrial country. It is known as one of the world's largest producers and exporters of iron and steel products, machinery and electronics, chemicals and textile, aircraft and navigation equipment. One of the chief industries of the country is shipbuilding.
Great Britain is a country with old cultural traditions and customs. The most famous educational centres are Oxford and Cambridge
Universities. They are considered to be the intellectual centres of Europe. The education is not free, it is very expensive.
The United Kingdom is a monarchy and the Queen is the head of the state. But in practice it is ruled by the elected government with the Prime Minister at the head. The British Parliament consists of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
There are three main political parties in Great Britain: the Labour, the Conservative and the Liberal parties.
London is the capital of Great Britain, its political, economic and commercial centre. It is one of the largest cities in the world (together with Tokyo and New York) and the largest city in Europe. Its population is about 8 million. London is situated on the river Thames. The city is very old. It has more than 20 centuries old history. Traditionally it is divided into several parts: the City, Westminster, the West End and the East End. They are very different from each other.
The City is the oldest part of London, its financial and business centre. Numerous banks, offices and firms are concentrated here. Westminster is the aristocratic official part of London. It includes Buckingham Palace where the Queen lives and the Houses of Parliament. The West End is the richest and most beautiful part of London. It is a symbol of wealth and luxury. The best hotels, restaurants, shops, clubs, parks and houses are situated there. English aristocracy lives in this region. The East End is an industrial district of London. There are many factories and the port of London there. Recently, though, some parts of the East End have been subject to a number of urban regeneration projects.
Pronunciation
A. How are the underlined letters in these pairs of words
pronounced? Practise saying the words.
1) monarchy — chamber; 2) wealth — great; 3) financial — tity; 4) country — round; 5) lord — world; 6) luxury — include.
B. Cross out the letters in the words which are not pronounced.
Listen to the teacher and check your answers.
Equipment, Labour, whole, chief, beautiful, restaurant, parliament, isle, urban.
Word Study
A. Find international words in the text and write them out. Learn
their correct pronunciation.
B. Write out the proper names used in the text (mind the articles)
and transcribe them.
С Give Russian equivalents to the following word combinations:
the whole year round; a highly developed industrial country; iron and steel products; aircraft and navigation equipment; one of the chief industries; the head of the state; to be ruled by the elected government; to consist of two chambers; the Labour, the Conservative and the Liberal parties; to be divided into several parts; a symbol of wealth and luxury; an industrial district.
D. Give English equivalents to the word combinations:
Объединенное Королевство Великобритании и Северной Ирландии; Британские острова; территория занимает около 244.000 квадратных километров; течение Гольфстрим; влиять на климат Великобритании; машинное оборудование и электроника; химические препараты и текстильные изделия; древние культурные традиции и обычаи; образовательные центры; считаются интеллектуальными центрами Европы; бесплатное образование; глава государства; палата лордов и палата общин; один из самых больших городов в мире; сильно отличаться друг от друга; многочисленные банки; самая богатая и красивая часть Лондона.
E. Use the word given in capitals at the end of each sentence to
form a word that fits in the space in the same sentence.
1. Under the Conservative ... things were very different. GOVERN
2. I wouldn't buy a house there, the region is very ... populated. DENSE
3. Many ... businessmen contribute to political parties. WEALTH
4. Only about 20% of the people voted in the local government ... . ELECT
5. It is ... for the most important person to sit at the end of the table. CUSTOM
6. There are ... ways of solving the problem. VARY
7. Better health care and agriculture have led to rapid ... growth. POPULATE
 |
F Compete the sentences according to the model (consult a dictionary).
Example: Englishmen live in England, they speak English.
1. ... in Scotland, .... 2. ... in Wales, ... . 3. ... in Ireland, ... .
4. ... in Sweden, ... . 5. ... in Norway, ... . 6. ... in Denmark, ... .
7. ... in Holland, ... . 8. ... in Spain, ... . 9. ... in the USA, ... .
10. ... in Switzerland, ....
Add three more sentences of your own.
Grammar Focus
A. Study the following speech patterns.
| to influence sth | |
| but | |
| to have an influence on | sth |
The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of the Gulf Stream influence the climateof Great Britain.
The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of the Gulf Stream have an influence on the climateof Great Britain.
| consist | of (состоять | из) |
| consist in (заключаться в) |
consist of(состоять из) consist in(заключаться в)
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland consists offour parts.
His job consisted insitting behind a little table outside the Minister's office.
B. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given.
1. The British Parliament is made up of the House of Lords and
the House of Commons.
consistsThe British Parliament ....
2. What helped you to make a decision? influencedWhat ....
3. My role was to stand and smile at people. consistedMy role ....
4. This has an effect on the agriculture. influence(n) This ... .
5. The beauty of London is largely connected with the style of its
ancient buildings.
consistsThe beauty of London ... .
6. Tougher environmental laws could have negative impacts on
economic growth.
influence(v) Tougher environmental laws could ....
7. Not only national armies determine national strength.
consistsNational strength ....
6. Diving Deeper
A. Finish the sentences.
1. The United Kingdom occupies ... .2. Most of the population .... 3. The Highlands are part of the country which ... .4. The Lowlands got this name because ... . 5. The climate of Great Britain is influenced ... . 6. Great Britain produces and exports ... . 7. The intellectual centres of Europe are ... . 8. Real power in the UK belongs to ... . 9. London, which ... . 10. The City is considered to be ... .
B. Think of 6 questions about the UK and its capital and write
them down. Ask your group-mates to answer the questions.
Speaking
You come from Britain. You have just arrived from your native country to Belarus where you meet Belarusian students. Tell them about your country. Answer their questions.
General Comprehension
Read the text and complete the chart with the missing information.
The British Government
The UK is a constitutional monarchy. This means that it has a monarch (a king or a queen) as its Head of State. Everything today is done in the Queen's name. It is her government, her armed forces and so on. She appoints all the Ministers, including the Prime Minister. But in fact, the Queen has no real power and takes no part in the decision-making process. The Queen of Great Britain is also the Head of the Commonwealth (an association of former members or colonies of the British Empire), and so the Queen of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland.
Real power in Great Britain belongs to the Parliament. The British Parliament consists of the House of Lords and the House of Commons, and the Queen as its Head.
The House of Commons plays the major role in law-making. It consists of 650 Members of Parliament (MPs). Every MP represents an area in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. Parliamentary elections are held every five years. The minimum voting age is 18. The political parties choose candidates in elections. The party which wins the majority of seats forms the Government. Its leader becomes Prime Minister. The Prime Minister chooses 20 MPs from his/her party. They form the Cabinet of Ministers. The second largest party becomes the official opposition with its own leader and "Shadow cabinet".
The other House of Parliament is the House of Lords. The House of Lords has more than 1000 members. The House consists of those lords who sit by the right of inheritance. Members of the House of Lords are not elected. They sit there because of their rank. The chairman of the House of Lords is the Lord Chancellor.
The main political parties in Great Britain are the Conservative, Party of Liberal Democrats and the Labour Party. Only two major parties get seats in the House of Commons. People from smaller political parties join one of the larger parties and work from within.
The Conservative Party (the Tories) is a party of middle and upper classes, of monopolists and landowners. The party is for private business.
The Labour Party (formed in 1900) was founded by the Trades Unions. It supports the interests of the working class.
9~. Pronunciation
How are the underlined letters in these pairs of words pronounced? Practise saying the words.
1) mean — real — head; 2) monarchy — chancellor; 3) within — everything; 4) upper — union; 5) opposition — consist.
Word Study
A. Find international words in the text and write them out. Learn
their correct pronunciation.
B. Write out the proper names used in the text (mind the articles)
and transcribe them.
С Give Russian equivalents to the following word combinations:
a constitutional monarchy; to be done in the Queen's name; to appoint all the Ministers; in fact; a decision-making process; lawmaking; the minimum voting age; to win the majority of seats; to sit by the right of inheritance; to work from within; to be for private business; to support the interests of; to be founded by the Trades Unions.
D. Supply the sentences with required verbs, if necessary, change their grammatical forms.
| appoint inherit | belong join | vote found | hold support | ride form |
1. Queen Victoria ... England for 64 years. 2. The bill was ... by a large majority in the Senate. 3. The members of the House of Commons ... to different political parties. 4. He ... the business from his father. 5. It is only possible to ... at the polling station appropriate to one's address. 6. She wants to ... the party. 7. Mr. Hartley has been ... managing director of the new division. 8. The presidential election was ... on April 26. 9. The Conservative Party of Great Britain was ... in 1867. Political groups of the English landed aristocracy ... its basis.
Grammar Focus
A. Mind the difference between the word forms.
| find — | found — found(найти) | |
| found - | - founded | — founded(основывать; учреждать) |
В. Complete the gaps with suitable forms of either "find" or "found". Translate the sentences.
1. The Liberal Party of Great Britain was ... in 1832, though it was finally organized in 1877. 2. He ... it almost impossible to express what he wanted to say. 3. Lough Neagh, the largest body of water in the British Isles, can be ... in Northern Ireland. 4. The study in 2006 ... that at least 5.5 million British-born people live abroad. 5. No-one has ... a solution to this problem. 6. I ... I was really looking forward to going back to work. 7. The society was ... on the belief that all men were equal. 8. One should always ... one's opinion on facts.
Diving Deeper