Билет №5
British traditions
Some English customs and traditions are famous all over the world. Bowler hats, tea and talking about the weather, for example. Britain is full of traditions and here are some of them.
St. Valentine is the saint of people in love, and St. Valentine’s day is February,14. On that day, people send valentine cards and presents to their husbands, wives, boyfriends and girlfriends. You can also send a card to a person you don’t know. But traditionally you must never write your name on it. Some British newspapers have a page for Valentine’s Day messages on February 14th.
April,1 is April Fool’s Day in Great Britain. This is a very old tradition from the Middle Ages. At that time servants were masters for one day of the year. Now April Fool’s Day is different. It’s a day for jokes and tricks.
November,5 is Guy Fawkes’s Day. All over the country people build wood fires, or “bonfires”, in their gardens. On top of each fire is a guy, this is a figure of Guy Fawkes. On November,5, 1605, Guy Fawkes tried to kill king James I. He and a group of his friends put a bomb under the Houses of Parliament in London. But the king’s men found the bomb and Guy Fawkes. They took him to the Tower of London, where his head was cut off. Before November 5, children use guys to make money. They stand in the street and shout: “Penny for the guy”.
Are there lots of traditions in Britain?
Who is St. Valentine?
How do British newspapers help to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day?
What happened in the Middle ages on April,1?
Who was Guy Fawkes?
How do children make money on this day?
Have you ever celebrated any of these customs? What did you do?
Do you know any other traditions celebrated in Great Britain?
Билет №6
The Queen and the Parliament
It is rather difficult to understand the British way of ruling the country. In Britain the Queen is the Head of State, but in fact she doesn’t rule the country as she has no power. The Queen is a symbol of the country history and its traditions. She is very rich. She travels about the United Kingdom, meets different people and visits schools, hospitals and other special places. So do all the members of the royal family.
At the beginning of the century many countries all over the world were ruled by Britain. All of them were included into the British Empire and were its colonies. But in 1949 Britain and the former colonies founded the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth includes many countries such as Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and others. The Queen of Great Britain is also the Head of the Commonwealth and the queen of Canada, Australia, New Zealand.
The real power in the country belongs to the British Government. The British Parliament has two “houses”: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The House of Lords doesn’t have much power but it is very important as it can offer and change laws, it can delay laws too. The House of Commons makes laws about the policy of the country, taxes and many other things.
The members of the House of Lords are not elected. These members are permanent. They are often aristocrats, people of the church, lawyers and former politicians.
The members of the House of Commons are elected. The British people elect 650 members of the House of Commons every five years.
Who is the Head of State in Britain?
Does the Queen rule the country?
What does the Queen do?
What do you know about the Royal family?
What countries were included into the British Empire at the beginning of the century?
What happened in 1949?
Who does the real power in Britain belong to?
What do you know about the British Parliament?
Why is the House of Lords very important?
How often do the British people elect members of the House of Commons?