Pick out all proper names and arrange them into two groups — nouns with the definite article and without it; explain the use of the article.
Give Russian equivalents to the following words
Island,total area, comprise, comparatively small, variety of scenery, flat tulip fields, moor, warm currents, influence the climate, severely cold, water-ways, navigable, leading financial centers, machine tools, tubes, domestic metal ware, rubber products, clothing, furniture, printing, heavy engineering plants, leading research institutions,dock, coal and iron fields, petrochemicals, dye-stuffs, pharmaceuticals, densely populated, dairying, encourage, rear, farmland, plain
Look at the map of Great Britain and find the geographical places which were mentioned in the text. Say what they are famous for.
Answer the following questions
1. What do we call the group of islands situated to the north-west of Europe?
2. What are the names of the biggest islands?
3. Do the United Kingdom and Great Britain mean the same?
4. What countries are situated on the British Isles? What are their capitals?
5. What are the names of the waters washing the coasts of the British Isles?
6. Why do the English call the strait between Great Britain and the mainland the "Strait of Dover" and the French call it "Pas-de-Calais" (international term)?
8. What are the most important rivers in Great Britain?
9. What are the names of the chief mountain ranges on the island?
10. What influences the climate of Great Britain?
11. How far are the British Isles from France? What separates them?
12. What are the main rivers of the country?
13. What is produced in Britain?
Complete the following sentences
1. Great Britain and Irelandare the main …..
2. Great Britain comprises ….
3. In the northern Highlands of Scotland there are ….
4. The winters are not severely cold, while summers are rarely hot in Britain because …
5. Thames, Severn and Clyde are ….
6. England is a highly developed industrial country because ….
7. Food, machine tools, tubes, domestic metal ware, rubber products, clothing, furniture and printing are ….
8. Manchester is one of the main centers ….
9. Agriculture is ….
Speak about
geographical position of the country
scenery and climate
industry and agriculture
Glimpses of london
London is one of the biggest and most interesting cities in the world.
Traditionally it is divided into the West End and the East End. The West End is famous for its beautiful avenues lined with plane trees, big stores, rich mansions, expensive restaurants, hotels, theatres and night clubs. The East End used to be a poor area filled with warehouses, factories, slums and miserable houses. For the recent years this area has turned into a new housing development.
The heart of London is the City — its commercial and business center. Here is situated the Tower of London that comes first among the historic buildings of the city. It's just from here that you had better start sightseeing.
The Tower of London was founded by Julius Caesar and in 1066 rebuilt by William the Conqueror. It was used as a fortress, a royal residence and a prison. Now it is a museum of armor and also the place where the Crown Jewels are kept. A twenty minutes' walk from the Tower will take you to another historic building — St. Paul's Cathedral, the greatest of English churches. It was built by a famous English architect, Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723. In one of its towers there is one of the largest bells in the world, Great Paul.
Not far away there is Westminster Abbey. Many English sovereigns, outstanding statesmen, painters and poets (Newton, Darwin, and Tennyson among them) are buried here.
Across the road from Westminster Abbey is Westminster Palace, the seat of the British Parliament. Its two towers stand high above the city. The higher of the two contains the largest clock in the country and the famous bell Big Ben that strikes every quarter of the hour.
If now we walk along Whitehall, we shall soon come to Trafalgar Square. It was so named in memory of the victory in the battle of Trafalgar, where on October 21, 1805 the English fleet under Nelson's command defeated the combined fleet of France and Spain. In the middle of Trafalgar Square stands Nelson's monument — a tall column with the figure of Nelson at its top
The fine building facing the square is the National Gallery.
And now, even if you have almost no time left for further sightseeing, you cannot leave the city without visiting Hyde Park or "the Park" as Londoners call it. When you are walking along its shady avenues, sitting on the grass, admiring its beautiful flower-beds or watching swans and ducks floating on the ponds, it seems almost unbelievable that all around there is a large city with its heavy traffic.