The introduction

Vocabulary

Insular

Blood shedding

To incorporate

To proclaim

Patron

Anthem

Thistle

Shamrock

To raid

To plunder

Leek

Daffodil

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast

Dublin

The Act of Union

Union Jack

St. George’s cross

St. Patrick’s Cross

The Wars of the Roses

QUESTIONS:

1. Which is the correct and official name of the country? Under what names is the country known?

2. How many Union Acts were passed? When and what for?

3. A combination of which three crosses does Union Jack present?

4. What are patron saints of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?

The land

Vocabulary

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - United Kingdom – UK

England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland (Eire)

The British Isles, Anglesey, the Hebrides, the Orkneys, the Shetlands, the Isle of Wight

Greenwich

The English Cannel, the Strait of Dover, the North Channel, St. George’s Channel

The North Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, the Irish Sea

QUESTIONS:

1. What is the location of the British Isles?

2. What is the northernmost/southernmost point of Great Britain?

3. How can the climate of the British Isles be characterized?

4. What regions does Highland Britain/Lowland Britain comprise?

5. What areas of Great Britain enjoy least rainfall?

Environmental protection

Vocabulary

Densely populated

Urban areas

AONBs – areas of outstanding natural beauty

The Lake District, Snowdonia, Northumberland, the Peak District

The Pembrokeshire Coast

To enhance

National Scenic Areas

National nature reserves

‘Smog’, ‘pea-souper’

Conurbation

Green Belt

Man-modified landscape

Dumping of toxic waste

“The Common Inheritance”

DETR - the Department of Environment Transport and Regions

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport

English Heritage

Historic Scotland

Welsh Historic Monuments

English Nature, the Country Counsel for Wales (CCW), Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH)

Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs)

The Forestry Commission

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Pollution

The National River Authority

The Royal Society for Protection of Birds

The National Trust

The Wildlife Trust

Friends of the Earth

League against Cruel Sports

British Union for the Abolition of the Vivisection

Greenpeace

QUESTIONS:

1. What national parks in Great Britain do you know? Where are they situated?

2. What are the responsibilities of the Department of Environment?

3. What other governmental departments are responsible for environmental protections?

4. What voluntary organizations and pressure groups are involved in environmental protection and conservation?

The people

Vocabulary

To inhabit

The Doomsday Book (1086)

Birth rate

Life expectancy

Divorce rate

Standard of living

Aging population

The distribution of the population

Rural areas

Outward migration

The South Lancashire Conurbation (Manchester)

The Mersey Conurbation (Liverpool)

West Yorkshire (Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield)

Greater London Area

Midlands (Birmingham, Wolverhampton)

North-east England (from Tyne to Tees)

A bypasser

‘New towns’

Amalgamation of villages

‘Commuter towns’

‘Assisted areas’

‘Boom towns’

Retirement migration

RP (Received Pronunciation)

Cockney accent

Newcastle-upon-Tyne – Geordie

Liverpool – Scouse

Birmingham – Brummy

Welsh (Ail ir ael Eryre Cyfar tal hoewal a hi)

Scottish Gaelic

Irish Gaelic

Cornish

Manx

Spouse

QUESTIONS:

1. What is the pattern of population distribution in Britain?

2. What are ‘commuter’ towns? ‘New towns’? ‘Boom towns’?

3. What do you know of retirement migration in Britain?

4. Why is the population growth in Britain so slow?

5. What are the main conurbations of Great Britain?

6. What are the ethnic origins of the modern British society?

7. What languages are spoken in Britain today?

8. Comment on the history of migration to Britain.