Vocabulary

I. Choose the words from the box to complete the sentences.

Magna Carta	law	documents	unitary state	sovereignty
Constitution	rule	Queen	monarchy	tribute

1. The United Kingdom has never had a written .

2. The major elements comprising this unwritten constitution are historic _______.

3. The principal constitutional documents are the ________ and the Bill of Rights.

4. Two key concepts are the rule of and parliamentary sovereignty.

5. Parliamentary is being challenged by the European Community legislation.

6. The second is the challenge of terrorism to the ___________ of law.

7. The third is the challenge of nationalism to the _________________.

8. The United Kingdom is a constitutional __________________.

9. The __________________ reigns but doesn't rule.

10. It is a __________ to the monarchy that it still occupies an important place in the national life.

II. Write the opposites. You can find the words in the story.

1. written		5. dissolve
2. summon		6. encourage
3. constitutional		7. approve
4. vast		8. occupy

England

Things to Know

Area: 130,000 sq.km.

Population: 47,536,000

Capital: London

Language: English

Economy: Agriculture, industry, mining, tourism. Chief exports: machinery, cars, textile. Large deposits of oil, natural gas, and coal, iron ore, tin copper, led and clay.

Currency: the British pound sterling divided into 100 pence. There is no limit on the import or export of British currency.

Holidays: Easter, Bank Holidays, Christmas, and Boxing Day.

Best buys: porcelain, sterling silver, tweeds and woolens. If the purchase is an antique valued at more than 35,000 pounds an export license is required.

Useful Telephone number: Police, fire, ambulance - 999.

Principal Touring areas are: East Anglia with Oxford and boating paradise of Norfolk's Broads: Home Counties with ancient Oxford, the most famous along the Thames; Midlands with Warwick­shire, known as William Shakespeare's England, and Nottinghamshire of Robin Hood, and Lord Byron; North East with Nortumberland and its Hardian's Wall of the Roman rule; North West with Cumbria and its Lake District; South and South East with Wiltshire and its Stonehenge; South West with Cornwall and its granite cliffs called Land's End.

Transport: By plane and train. Most visitors to London arrive via Heathrow Airport. From its 4 terminals, buses run to downtown London every 20 minutes. Taxis are readily available. The Underground connects Heathrow with central London. Many charter flights also arrive at Gatwick Airport. There is a direct rail link to Victoria Station. The Gatwick Express fast train service runs frequently. Getting around. Visitors unaccustomed to driving on the left should avoid driving. Illegal parking is costly. "Red routes," with a complete ban on parking, are marked with red lines. Renting a car in London is easy. Chauffeured rentals are also an option. Public transportation. London's cabs are black. A table of fares is posted in each cab. You can hail a cab anywhere. The Tube /Underground/ is the fastest method of travelling. All major stations have escalators. Slower but more enjoyable are the double-decker buses.