Task 1. Answer the questions
1) Where is situated the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
2) How many parts does the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland consist of?
3) What parts does the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland consist of?
4) What is the capital of England?
5) What is the national emblem of England?
6) Which is the English flag?
7) What is the capital of Scotland?
8) What is the national emblem of Scotland?
9) Which is the Scottish flag?
10) What is the capital of Wales?
11) What is the national emblem of Wales?
12) Which is the Welsh flag?
13) What is the capital of Northern Ireland?
14) What is the national emblem of Northern Ireland?
15) Which is the flag of Northern Ireland?
Task 2. Match the description of the flag and the country.
1) a red hand and a crown on the red cross on the white field Wales
2) white X-shaped cross on the blue field England
3) a red cross on the white field Northern Ireland
4) a red dragon on the white and green field Scotland
Task 3. Complete a dialogue about the UK. Use the questions to the text (Task 1.).
Task 4. Test. Read the text and do the task that follow.
It was thousand years ago. Two Viking leaders were going with their men (3) to Ireland in two big boats. The first leader`s name was O`Neill. The name of the other is not known to us. They (1) agreed that the first man who touched the Irish land would be the king of it. At last they were very near the Irish land. The two boats were going faster and faster. Unfortunately, O`Neill boat was not fast (5) as the other one (2). And O`Neill had an idea. He wanted to be the king so much, when the boats were very near the lands; he quickly cut off his right hand and threw it over the land. He became the king of Ireland because his hand was the first which touched the land. This story explains (4) why there is a red right hand on Irish soldiers` coats.
Choose the best title for the text
a) Irish Monarchy
b) How Ireland Got Its King
c) O`Neill and His Hand
2) According to the text O`Neill
a) was the king of England
b) cut off his hand as it hurt
c) was in the fastest boat
d) became the king of Ireland
According to the text the other Viking leader
a) was not as clever as O`Neill
b) cut off his left hand
c) didn`t want to ) become a king
d) touched the Irish land first
They» (point 1) stands for
a) two Viking boats
b) the Irish lands
c) two Viking leaders
d) two thousand years
One» (point 2) stands for
a) boat
b) land
c) leader
d) king
Men» (point 3) means
a) swimmers
b) Vikings
c) soldiers
d) children
Explains» (point 4) means
a) understands
b) tells
c) knows
d) suggests
Fast» (point 5) is
a) an adverb
b) a noun
c) a verb
d) an adjective
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Part II
Vocabulary
population – население separate - разделять
be washed by – омываться surface - поверхность
mild – мягкий highly developed – высокоразвитый
iron – железо machinery– машинное оборудование
custom – обычай monarchy - монархия
government – правительство parliament - парламент
chamber - палата
The territory of Great Britain is about 244,000 square kilometers. The population of the UK is more than 57 million. The capital of the country is London. Great Britain is separated from the continent by the English Channel which is 34 km wide in its narrowest point. The country is also washed by the North Sea, the Irish Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
The surface of Great Britain varies greatly. The northern and western parts of the country are mountainous and are called the Highlands. South, east and centre of England are a vast plain which is called the Lowlands. The mountains are not very high. The rivers are not long. The most important rivers are the Severn, the Thames, and the Trent. The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of the Gulf Stream influence the climate of Great Britain. It is mild all 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 main industries of the country is shipbuilding. Main industrial cities are London, Birmingham, Manchester, Bradford, Leeds, Newcastle, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Great Britain is a country with old cultural traditions and customs. The most famous educational centers are Oxford and Cambridge. They are intellectual centers of Europe.
The United Kingdom is a monarchy. The Queen is the head of the state. The Present Queen is Elizabeth II. Her surname is Windsor. But in practice the state is ruled by the elected government with a Prime Minister at the head. The British Parliament consists of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. It sits in the House of Parliament in Westminster.
There are three main political parties in Great Britain: the Labor, the Conservative and the Liberal parties. There is no written Constitution in Great Britain.