The State Opening of Parliament. Parliament, not the Royal Family, controls modern Britain

Parliament, not the Royal Family, controls modern Britain. But traditionally the Queen opens Parliament every autumn. She travels from Buckingham Palace to the Houses of Parliament in a gold carriage - the Irish State Coach. At the Houses of Parliament the Queen sits on a 'throne" in the House of Lords. Then she reads the "Queen's Speech". At State Opening of Parliament the Queen wears a crown. She wears other jewels from the Crown Jewels, too.

The Order of the Garter Ceremony

The Order of the Garter ceremony has a long history. King Edward II started the Order in the fourteenth century, that time, the people in the Order were the twenty four bravest knights in England. Now the knights of the Order aren't all soldiers. They're members of the House of Lords, church leaders or politicians. There are some foreign knights, too. For example, the King of Norway, the Grand Duke of Luxembourg and the Emperor of Japan. They're called Extra Knights of the Garter. The Queen is the Sovereign of the Order of the Garter. But she isn't the only royal person in the Order. Prince Charles and Prince Philip are Royal Knights, and the Queen Mother is a Lady of the Garter.

In June the Order has a traditional ceremony at Windsor Castle. This is the Queen's favourite castle, It's also the home of the Order - the Garter. All the knights walk from the castle to St George's Chapel. the royal church at Windsor. They wear the traditional ^“robes” of the Order. These robes are very heavy. In fact King Edward VIII once called them “ridiculous". But they're an important part of one of Britain's oldest traditions.

Vocabulary:

The Trooping of the Colour - вынос знамени

A regiment – полк

The Guard - караул

The Guards – гвардия

Maundy Thursday – страстной четверг

Maundy money – великопостная милостыня

Swan Upping – маркировка (клеймение) лебедей

The Order of the Garter ceremony – торжественная церемония посвящения в кавалеры ордена Подвязки

A knight – рыцарь

Duke – герцог

A castle – замок

A robe – мантия

Answer the Questions :

1. What is the Trooping of the Colour ?

2. What does «colour» mean?

3. How often does the Changing of the Guard happen?

4. What is Maundy money?

5. What tradition stopped in 1754?

6. What does the Queen’s swan keeper do in July?

7. What is the ceremony of Opening the Parliament?

8. When did king Edward II start the Order?

9. Who are knights of the Order now?

10.When and where does the ceremony take place?

Ex.1 Give the English equivalents from the text:

- выносить знамя

- пасха

- в одно время, когда-то

- маркирует королевских лебедей

- Ирландская государственная Карета

- королевская ночь

- члены палаты лордов

- королевская особа

Ex.2 Give the definitions of the following:

Ex.3 Complete the sentences.

1. It’s a big parade with brass … .

2. At the front of the parade is … .

3. … is the day before Good Friday, at Easter.

4. On the River Thames … .

5. … the Queen wears a crown.

6. Kind Edward III started … .

7. They wear the traditional … .

Ex.4. Are these statements false or true?

1. The Queen’s birthday is on April 21 st.

2. The Queen’s home in London is Buckingham Palace.

3. Kinds and queens wash the feet of poor, old people on Maundy Thursday.

4. Swan Upping is the ceremony connected with catching royal swans.

5. Traditionally the Monarch opens Parliament every autumn.

6. In the XIV century the people in the Order were two dozens bravest knights of England.

Ex. 5. Retell the text.

Text C

VERY STRANGE BRITISH TRADITIONS

Britain has a long and varied past – it has been conquered repeatedly, it has conquered others, and it has colonized half the planet. Through its history, many strange traditions and festivals have arisen. This list looks at ten of the most unusual.

Gurning

The Egremont Crab Fair – one of England’s weirder events – gets its name from crab apples rather than the marine variety. It started back in the 13th century when the Lord of the Manor gave away crab apples to the populace. In fact, to this day, the Parade of the Apple Cart, where apples are thrown into the crowds on the Main Street, is part of the fair. There are a host of other non-mechanized, traditional events – greasy pole climbing, a pipe smoking contests, a talent show, Cumberland wrestling, a hounds trail. But lets face it, the reason Egremont makes the news every year is the gurning competition. Home of the Gurning World Championships.

Gurning, involves a rubber-faced skill that is totally bizarre and unique to this part of England. Contestants put their heads through horse collar or braffin while they create the ugliest, most grotesque faces they can manage. A certain amount of skill is involved but a lot of beer and a certain amount of toothlessness probably has an impact as well. Celebrities occasionally have a go and the national news usually features the winning gurners. If you are in Cumbria visiting the Lake District, nearby, in September, stop in at the Egremont Crab Fair. You won’t see anything like this anywhere else and you won’t soon forget it.

Cheese Rolling at Cooper’s Hill

The Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake is an annual event held on the Spring Bank Holiday at Cooper’s Hill near Gloucester in the Cotswolds region of England It is traditionally by and for the people of Brockworth – the local village, but now people from all over the world take part. The event takes its name from the hill on which it occurs. The 2010 event has been cancelled due to safety concerns over the number of people visiting the event but it is hoped that it will be held on the late May Bank Holiday in 2011. Due to the steepness and uneven surface of the hill there are usually a number of injuries, ranging from sprained ankles to broken bones and concussion. Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling has been summarized as “twenty young men chase a cheese off a cliff and tumble 200 yards to the bottom, where they are scraped up by paramedics and packed off to hospital”.

Maypole Dancing

Maypole dancing is a form of folk dance from western Europe, especially England, Sweden, Galicia, Portugal and Germany, with two distinctive traditions. In the most widespread, dancers perform circle dances around a tall pole which is decorated with garlands, painted stripes, flowers, flags and other emblems. In the second most common form, dancers dance in a circle each holding a colored ribbon attached to a much smaller pole; the ribbons are intertwined and plaited either on to the pole itself or into a web around the pole. The dancers may then retrace their steps exactly in order to unravel the ribbons.

Pearly King and Queen

Pearly Kings and Queens, known as pearlies, are an organized charitable tradition of working class culture in London, England. The practice of wearing clothes decorated with pearl buttons originated in the 19th century. It is first associated with Henry Croft, an orphan street sweeper who collected money for charity. In 1911 an organized pearly society was formed in Finchley, north London.

Guy Fawkes Night

Guy Fawkes Night (or “bonfire night”), held on 5 November in the United Kingdom and some parts of the Commonwealth, is a commemoration of the plot, during which an effigy of Fawkes is burned, often accompanied by a fireworks display. The word “guy”, meaning “man” or “person”, is derived from his name. Guy Fawkes (13 April 1570 – 31 January 1606), also known as Guido Fawkes, the name he adopted while fighting for the Spanish in the Low Countries, belonged to a group of Catholic Restorationists from England who planned the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Their aim was to displace Protestant rule by blowing up the Houses of Parliament while King James I and the entire Protestant, and even most of the Catholic, aristocracy and nobility were inside. The conspirators saw this as a necessary reaction to the systematic discrimination against English Catholics.

The Gunpowder Plot was led by Robert Catesby, but Fawkes was put in charge of its execution. He was arrested a few hours before the planned explosion, during a search of the cellars underneath Parliament in the early hours of 5 November prompted by the receipt of an anonymous warning letter. Basically it’s a celebration of the failed attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament in Westminster.

Ascot Ladies Day

Ascot Racecourse is a famous English racecourse, located in the small town of Ascot, Berkshire, used for thoroughbred horse racing. It is one of the leading racecourses in the United Kingdom, hosting 9 of the UK’s 32 annual Group 1 races, the same number as Newmarket. The course is closely associated with the British Royal Family, being approximately six miles from Windsor Castle, and owned by the Crown Estate. Ascot today stages twenty-five days of racing over the course of the year, comprising sixteen Flat meetings held in the months of May and October. The Royal Meeting, held in June, remains a major draw, the highlight being the Ascot Gold Cup. The most prestigious race is the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes run over the course in July. What makes this so special is that every year the fashion, specifically the hats get bigger, bolder and damn right weirder as the photo illustrates.

Bog Snorkeling

Yes indeed, you read correctly, bog snorkeling. If any of you ever doubted that us Brits are mad, this should make up your minds for you. Basically participants dive into a bog, wearing goggles, a pair of flippers and a snorkel, they then proceed to race each other along a 120ft trench filled with mud. Held every year the participants come from all over the world and raise lots of money for charity.

Straw Bear

Straw Bear (Strawboer) Day is an old English tradition held on the 7th of January. It is known in a small area of Fenland on the borders of Huntingdonshire and Cambridgeshire, including Ramsey Mereside. This day is believed to be traditional start of agricultural year in England. A man or a boy wears a straw costume covering him from his head to toes. He goes from house to house where he dances. As prize for his dancing people give him money, food or beer.

Worm Charming

Worm charming is a way to of attracting earthworms from the ground. Many do it to collect bait for fishing. But there are also those who do it as sort of sport. The village of Willaston, near Nantwich, Cheshire is the place where since 1980 the annual World Championships have been organized. The competition was actually initiated by local man Tom Shufflebotham who on the 5th of July, 1980 charmed 511 worms from the ground in only half an hour. The competition has 18 rules. Here are just few of them. Each competitor competes in the 3 x 3 meters area. Music of any kind can be used to charm worms out of the ground. No drugs can be used! Water is considered to be a drug (stimulant).

Morris Dancing

A Morris dance is a form of English folk dance usually accompanied by music. It is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers. Implements such as sticks, swords, and handkerchiefs may also be wielded by the dancers. In a small number of dances for one or two men, steps are performed near and across a pair of clay tobacco pipes laid across each other on the floor.

Тема 10: Города. Путешествие

Text A

LONDON

London is the capital of Great Britain. It lies on the banks of the Thames river. The population of the city is over seven million. London is the biggest industrial and cultural center of the United Kingdom.

London consists of three main parts: the City, the West End and the East End. The City is the most important commercial and financial centre of the country: there are banks and offices of the firms from all over the world and over a million so-called white collars work there.

The West End is the district where most of the theatres, bars, restaurants and hotels are situated. Only rich people live in this district.

In the East End there are most of the factories and docks. Many buildings are very old, streets are dirty. The East End is the district where poor citizens of London live.

There are very many old buildings in London downtown. One of the oldest is the Tower, built in the eleventh century by William the Conqueror. Over the centuries the Tower served as a fortress, a residence of British kings and even a prison. Another famous building is Saint Paul`s Cathedral a masterpiece of architecture. Westminster Abbey is the place where nearly all kings and queens have been crowned. It is also a burial place where there are the graves of many outstanding writers and poets, such as Dickens, Chauser and the others.

The House of Parliament is the site of highest legislative body.

London is famous for its parks, museums, art galleries, theatres, libraries. Most well-known of them are Hyde Park, British Museum, National Gallery and the others.

London is also a modern city. A lot of skyscrapers have been built there.

No doubt, London is a city worth to see.

Vocabulary

To be worth - стоит, имеет значение

To be crowned - короноваться

Downtown - центр города

A fortress - крепость

A prison - тюрьма

A masterpiece - шедевр

A burial place - кладбище

A site - место расположения

A legislative body - законодательный орган