Task X. Culture-loaded vocabulary. Here is a list of realia that are common for Britain but maybe blind for the foreigners. Complete the following extracts with the necessary item.
1. The thinnest place in Great Britain is the Bottle Throat. The Englishmen, being a nation with extraordinary sense of humor gave such a name to this place because of it’s a real geographical survey. We also know that the greatest Hadrian Wall was built there many centuries ago. Tourists like visiting this place especially thanks to the magnificent mountain chain which stretches from the West to the East. We know this range as Newcastle upon Tyne to Carlisle.
2. Scotland is one of the oldest countries in the world. People from all over come there to admire magnificent views of the country. Customs and national traditions are beyond any expectations: national games, tasty food, music…and what is the landscape! Knowing, probably, quite everything about this land, it will not be very difficult for you to remember the parts of the national costume of the Scotch. It consists of kilt, pouch and tam o'shanter) ( юбка, кошелек и берет).
3. Talking about Scotland, one can immediately imagine a man in a traditional costume of a Scotch. The national skirt is made of special fabrics called tartan
4. England is the land of varied hills and mountains. Though the picks are not the highest in the world, there are some, which can be considered the highest in GB. One of them is Snowdon, the second pick in Great Britain. We know this mountain thanks to the date of 31 of October, the Great Halloween. And the highest mountain of this country is Ben Nevis, which is situated in Scotland.
5. GB is the region of varied lands and changeable weather. The climate in the country is normally mild and wet. Both climatically and economically we can divide the country into 9 parts. They are: Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, The Midlands, The South-West, North-East, England, Yorkshire & The Humber.
6. We all have heard about the glorious history of London streets. Many of them have the strict association with something. For example, Downing Street, 10 is associated with the residence of Prime Minister; Baker Street is the home for the world's most famous detective Sherlock Holmes, Fleet Street is connected with printing and publishing.
7. The most outstanding writer of Britain which is known all over the world is William Shakespeare. His brilliant comedies and tragedies are staged in Maryinski and Maliy Theatres in Russia, La Skala in Italy, Grand Opera in France, Kornegy Hall in England, etc. The place where one can see thousands of tourists every month is the native town of this great writer, Stratford-upon-Avon. There you can not only admire the museum of the writer but also visit the first theatre, which was created by Shakespeare. The name if it is Globe.
8. These warriors came to England in VII BC. They appeared suddenly, sailing the long, sharp-nosed boats and wearing sophisticated helmets. In comparison with the previous invaders they were tall, blond, blue-eyed and very handsome. They were perfect sailors, traders and craftsmen. They traded silk even with Russia. Their invasion was the last before the Norman conquest. We know them as Vikings
9. They believe that this construction appeared in England in 120 BC. It is said that people that time were pagans and didn’t have any permanent religion. They created it for some special purposes. Maybe, to tell the sun rise, may be it was the first calendar, and maybe they wanted to depict the parade of the planets. Nevertheless nobody can tell you for sure what it is. It used to be constructed in the form of a circle but now only remains are left. This construction which is situated in the middle between the north-east and the north-west of England is called Stonehenge.
10. The reign of this monarch dynasty was the pick of absolutism in power of the king. The members of this royal family are considered the richest dynasty throughout the huge history of GB. Their reign was one of the most successful one. The name of the family isThe Tudors.
11. None of the monarchs of this very royal dynasty could speak proper English. Even the last one, which appeared to be the idol for all the people of GB had a slight accent. The flourishing of the office of ministers marked the time of their reign. Well, somebody had to rule the country. That was the glorious dynasty of Hanovers.
12. Though the reign of Charles I was interrupted by the Civil War which was organized by Oliver Cromwell, this monarch dynasty ruled the longest though being not so successful like the previous ones. They are known as Stewarts.
13. In the 14th century the War of Roses began. The barons of the North Lancaster and the barons of the South York began the bloody struggle for the crown which lasted 30 years and finally the two dynasties were destroyed and the peace agreement was achieved only when Elizabeth of York married Henry VII
14. The first outbreak of Black Death in England happened in the year of 1348. It was the time of dirty lands, poor people, slavery and low knowledge in medicine. The second one outbroke much later. But is considered to be the most horrible date for the British. We know this year as the year of Second plague pandemic.
15. The state system of Great Britain is the absolute monarchy. The supreme legislative authority has 3 basic brunches. They are legislative (the Congress), executive (the President) and judicial(the Supreme Court)
16. The members of the House of Commons are the candidates who are elected by people every 5 years. The members of the House of Lords are Life Peers, Hereditary Peers and bishops.