4. Read the text about Northern Ireland and answer the questions.

1. How many countries are there in Great Britain?

2. When did the south of Ireland become independent from Britain?

3. How many countries are there in the UK?

4. What do Northern Irish Republicans want?

5. What do Northern Irish Unionists want?

Text A

Northern Ireland

In 1922 the south of Ireland was made independent from Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and became the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland remained joined politically to Britain, and the United Kingdom was born. While this was a popular decision with most Irish Protestants. It was unpopular with most of the Catholic population, who wished Ireland to remain a united country.

Conflict between these two groups came to crisis point in the 1970s with the terrorist activities of the IRA and the arrival of British soldiers. Even today, the Northern Irish population remains divided between Unionists (or Loyalists), who want to remain a part of the United Kingdom, and Republicans, who oppose it.

5. Read the text. Match the beginnings and the endings of the sentences.

1. Welsh and Scottish sportspeople get annoyed when

2. If England and Scotland play a rugby match,

3. People enjoy St Andrew’s Day and St David’s Day now, but

4. Some buildings in England used to display the Union Jack, but now

a. they display their own symbols and flags, not British ones.

b. they show the English flag.

c. they aren’t referred to as ‘Scottish’ or ‘Welsh’.

d. they didn’t use to celebrate them much.

Text B.

Who are the British?

The UK is a confused nation when it comes to national identity, especially in relation to major sporting events. Commentators proudly refer to the country’s internationally successful sportspeople as ‘English’ if they come specifically from England Welsh and Scottish athletes, however, are usually given the general label ‘British’ without any recognition of their homelands.

But it’s when the countries complete individually, especially against each other, that the idea of a ‘united kingdom’ becomes completely lost. At football and rugby matches there has been a strong revival of the individual flags, songs and symbols of England, Scotland and Wales – and there often isn’t a Union Jack to be seen.

Away from the sports pitch, the national saints’days of St David in Wales and St Andrew in Scotland are starting to be marked with large celebrations in the same way that St Patrick’s Day has always been celebrated in Ireland And the flag of St George can be seen in England on public buildings and churches where the Union Jack used to be. With Scotland and Wales now having their own parliaments, there is even extreme talk of an ‘English Independence Movement’, and some people are wondering if the United Kingdom will last into the next century.

6. Complete the description with these verbs in the correct form.

get at, ring up, get to, take off, get by, put up with, get on with, look

forward to, check in

When I am abroad, I always (1)look forward to getting back home. I start

feeling homesick as soon as the plane (2)________. When I (3)________

a new place, the first thing I do after I have (4)________ at the hotel, is to

(5)_______ my family and have a chat with them. Unfortunately, I have to

travel a lot on business and I often go to the States. I (6) ______ the Americans very well – they are always very friendly. I speak good English

too, so I can (7) _______ in the States without any problems. I’m not very keen

on American food but I can (8) _______ it. The problem is that I’m a stay-at-

home. My sister always (9) _____ me she says I’m boring and unadventurous.

But, as the saying goes, ‘home sweet home’.