Geography of Great Britain

Here is a short geographical outline of Great Britain, which comprises England, Wales and Scotland, is situated on the British Isles. The west coast of the country is washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea, the east coast is washed by the North Sea. Great Britain is separated from Europe by the English

Channel and the Strait of Dover which is as narrow as 21 miles.

England and Wales from the southern part of Great Britain, Scotland occupies its northern part. The country in the main has a sloping surface, but in Scotland and in the west of England there are mountains and hills. The highest mountain – Ben Nevis – is in Scotland. In some parts there are valleys and plains. The island can be divided into Highland and Lowland. Of all the rivers, which are plentiful in Britain, the Severn is the longest. The Thames on which London, the capital of Britain is situated, flows into the North Sea and is very deep.

The climate in Britain is mild and damp. There are many foggy and rainy days. The flora of the British Isles is much varied and the fauna is similar to that of north-western Europe. The country is rather rich in natural resources.

England was the first to become a highly developed industrial country. The following are industrially important areas: the Clydeside (Scotland) which is noted for shipbuilding; Yorkshire with its woolen industry; Lancashire which is famous for its cotton textile and heavy engineering; Midlands which is known for its manufacturing and coal mining; West and South-West England and Greater London – the main centre of light industries.

The population of the country is over 58 million.

Task 2. Have a talk based on the text, making use of the following questions:

1. What country is Great Britain?

2. Where is Great Britain situated?

3. What seas and oceans are the British Isles washed by?

4. By what channel is Great Britain separated from France?

5. Which is the highest mountain?

6. What is the climate like?

7. Could you name industrially important areas?

8. Is British rich in natural resources?

9. What is the official language?

10. What is the capital of the country?

Task 3. Read and translate the text (use the dicrionary).

British political system

Britain is a constitutional monarchy. That means it is a country governed by a king or queen who accepts the advice of a parliament. It is also a parliamentary democracy. That is, it is a country whose government

is controlled by a parliament which has been elected by the people. In other words, the basic system is not so different from anywhere else in Europe. The highest positions in the government are filled by members of the directly elected parliament. In Britain, as in many European countries, the official head of state, whether a monarch (as in Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark) or a president (as in Germany, Greece and Italy) has little real power.

However, there are features of the British system of government which make it different from that in other countries and which are not «modern» at all. The most notable of these is the question of the constitution. Britain is almost alone among modern states in that it does not have «a constitution» at all. Of course, there are rules, regulations, principles and procedures for the running of the country – all the things that political scientists and legal experts study and which are known collectively as «the constitution». But there is no single written document which can be appealed to as the highest law of the land and the final arbiter in the matter of dispute. Nobody can refer to «article 6» or «the first amendment» or anything like that, because nothing like that exists.

The activities of Parliament in Britain are more or less the same as those of the Parliament in any western democracy. It makes new laws, gives authority for the government to raise and spend money, keeps a close eye on government activities and discusses those activities.

The British Parliament works in a large building called the Palace of Westminster (popularly known as «the Houses of Parliament»). This contains offices, committee rooms, restaurants, bars, libraries and even some places of residence. It also contains two larger rooms. One of these is where the House of Lords meets; the other is where the House of Commons meets. The British Parliament is divided into two «houses», and its members belong to one or other of them, although only members of the Commons are normally known as MPs (Members of Parliament). The Commons is by far the more important of the two houses.

A unique feature of the British parliamentary system is its hereditary element. Unlike MPs, members of the House of Lords (known as «peers») are not elected. They are members as of right. In the case of two-thirds of them, this «right» is the result of their being the holder of an inherited aristocratic title. The House of Lords is therefore a relic of earlier, undemocratic times. The fact that it still exists is perhaps typically British. It has been allowed to survive but it has had to change, losing most of its power and altering its composition in the process.

The House of Lords (like the monarchy) has little, if any, real power any more. All proposals must have the agreement of the Lords before they can become law. But the power of the Lords to refuse a proposal for a law which has been agreed by the Commons is now limited. After a period which can be as short as six months the proposal becomes law anyway, whether or not the Lords agree. The position of British Prime Minister (PM) is in direct contrast to that of the monarch. Although the Queen appears to have a great deal of power, in reality she has very little. The PM, on the other hand, appears not to have much power but in reality has a very great deal indeed. The Queen is, in practice, obliged to give the job of Prime Minister to the person who can command a majority in the House of Commons.

Task 4. Answer the following questions:

1. Is Britain a republic or a monarchy?

2. What are the powers of the Queen limited by?

3. What elements does the British Parliament consist of?

4. How mane chambers (Houses) are there in the British Parliament?

5. Who are «peers»?

Task 5. Try to compare countries:

	Question	Russia	The UK	The USA
1.	What is the total area?
2.	What is the country washed by?
3.	What is the longest river?
4.	What is the population?
5.	What is the official language?
6.	What is the climate like?
7.	What is the capital of the country?
8.	What does the flag of the country represent?
9.	Who is the head of the country?
	What kind of political system do they have?

Task 6. Act as an interpreter.

Northern Ireland

Mr. O’Conrad has just arrived in Yekaterinburg. A conversation took place at the airport between him and the head of the Russian-British International Club.

- Let me introduce myself. I’m Mr. O’Conrad. I’m from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.	- Добро пожаловать в Россию. Моя фамилия – Петров. Всегда приятно поговорить с англичанином.
- Many foreigners say “England”, “English”, when they mean “Britain” or the UK, or “British”. I am not English. I am an Irishman.	- Извините. Вы из Северной Ирландии, да? Насколько я знаю, эта часть Соединенного королевства также называется Ольстер. Не могли бы Вы рассказать, почему?
- You see, Northern Ireland includes six or nine counties of the historic province of Ulster that’s why we have a habit of naming it “Ulster”.	- Если я не ошибаюсь, это самая маленькая часть Соединенного королевства, но очень зеленая и красивая. Вы, наверное, из столицы, не так ли?
- No, I am not from Belfast. I live in a small town and I always miss my green Ireland when I am away from home. Irish poets call my country the “Emerald Isle”.	- Так красиво. А почему трилистник является национальной эмблемой Северной Ирландии?
- According to the legend the patron St Patric chose the shamrock to illustrate the Christian doctrine of the Trinity to the Irish.	- Так интересно. Я Вас приглашаю завтра на собрание клуба, и прошу рассказать о Вашей стране. Это стоит послушать.

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Robin Hood

The subject of ballads, books and films, Robin Hood has proven to be one of popular culture’s most enduring folk heroes. But how has the legend of Sherwood Forest's merry outlaws evolved over time, and did a real

Robin Hood inspire these classic tales?

Over the course of 700 years, the outlaw from Nottinghamshire who robs from the rich to give to the poor has emerged as one of the most enduring folk heroes in popular culture–and one of the most versatile. Beginning in the 15th century and perhaps even earlier, Christian revelers in certain parts of England celebrated May Day with plays and games involving a Robin Hood figure with near-religious significance. In the 19th century, writer-illustrators like Howard Pyle adapted the traditional tales for children, popularizing them in the United States and around the world. More recently, bringing Robin to the silver screen has become a rite of passage for directors ranging from Michael Curtiz and Ridley Scott to Terry Gilliam and Mel Brooks.

Throughout Robin’s existence, writers, performers and filmmakers have probed their imaginations for new incarnations that resonate with their respective audiences. In 14th-century England, where agrarian discontent had begun to chip away at the feudal system, he appears as an anti-establishment rebel who murders government agents and wealthy landowners. Later variations from times of less social upheaval dispense with the gore and cast Robin as a dispossessed aristocrat with a heart of gold and a love interest, Maid Marian.

Academics, meanwhile, have combed the historical record for evidence of a real Robin Hood. English legal records suggest that, as early as the 13th century, “Robehod,” “Rabunhod” and other variations had become common epithets for criminals. But what had inspired these nicknames: a fictional tale, an infamous bandit or an amalgam of both? The first literary references to Robin Hood appear in a series of 14th- and 15th-century ballads about a violent yeoman who lived in Sherwood Forest with his men and frequently clashed with the Sheriff of Nottingham. Rather than a peasant, knight or fallen noble, as in later versions, the protagonist of these medieval stories is a commoner. Little John and Will Scarlet are part of this Robin’s “merry” crew—meaning, at the time, an outlaw’s gang — but Maid Marian, Friar Tuck and Alan-a-Dale would not enter the legend until later, possibly as part of the May Day rituals.

While most contemporary scholars have failed to turn up solid clues, medieval chroniclers took for granted that a historical Robin Hood lived and breathed during the 12th or 13th century. The details of their accounts vary widely, however, placing him in conflicting regions and eras. Not until John Major’s “History of Greater Britain” (1521), for example, is he depicted as a follower of King Richard, one of his defining characteristics in modern times.

We may never know for sure whether Robin Hood ever existed outside the verses of ballads and pages of books. And even if we did, fans young and old would still surely flock to England’s Nottinghamshire region for a tour of the legend’s alleged former hangouts, from centuries-old pubs to the Major Oak in Sherwood Forest. What we do know is that the notion of a brave rebel who lives on the outskirts of society, fighting injustice and oppression with his band of companions.