Notes to the text

1. Celts – племена, выходцы из центральной Европы.

2. Picts – пикты (группа кельтских племён), населявших Шотландию. В середине IX века завоеваны скоттами (кельтское племя, переселившееся в VI веке из Ирландии на территорию нынешней Шотландии) и смешались с ними.

3. Druid – друид, жрец у древних кельтов.

Comprehension check

3. Answer the following questions:

1. Where did the Celtic tribes come to the British Isles from?

2. Who was the first to mention about the Celts?

3. Did the Celts live in towns or villages?

4. Whom did the Celts call “druids”?

5. Where do the descendants of the ancient Celts live now?

4. Which parts of the text “The Celts” correspond to the following headings? Put them into logical order.

1. The way of life of the Celtic tribes.

2. The Celts religion

3. The first mentioning of the British Isles and its inhabitants.

4. The invasion of Britain by the Celts.

5. Use the structural pattern built in task 4, add 1 – 3 sentences to illustrate each heading.

5. Read the following text and write down Russian equivalents for the words and expressions in bold type. The English

1. Almost every nation has a reputation of some kind. The English are reputed to be cold, reserved, rather haughty people who do not yell in the street, make love in public. They are steady, easy-going and fond of sport.

2. The English are a nation of stay-at-home. There is no place like home, they say. They prefer small houses, built to house one family, perhaps with a small garden. The fire is the focus on the English home. “The Englishman's home is his castle” is a saying known all over the world. And it is true.

3. Englishmen tend to be rather conservative, they love familiar things. They are hostile, or at least bored, when they hear any suggestion that some modification of their habits, or the introduction of something new and unknown into their lives, might be to their advantage.

4. The English sense and feeling for privacy is notorious. England is the land of brick fences and stone walls, of hedges, of thick draperies at all the windows, but nothing is stable now. English people rarely shake hands except when being introduced to someone for the first time. They hardly ever shake hands with their friends except seeing them after a long interval or saying good-bye before a long journey.

5. The English people are prudent and careful about almost everything. Their lawns are closely cropped, their flower beds primly cultivated, and their trees neatly pruned. Everything is orderly. Drinks are carefully measured, seats in a cinema are carefully assigned (even if the theatre is empty you are required to sit in the seat assigned to you), closing hours rigorously observed.

6. A tradition that is rooted not only in their own soul, but in the minds of the rest of the world is the devotion of the English to animals. Animals are protected by law. If, for instance, any one leaves a cat to starve in an empty house while he goes for his holiday, he can be sent to prison.

7. On Sunday mid-mornings most British people indulge in some fairly light activities such as gardening, washing the car or taking the dog for a walk. Another most popular pre-lunch activity consists of a visit to a "pub" – either a walk to the "local", or often nowadays a drive to a more pleasant "country pub" if one lives in a built-up area. The national drink in England is beer, and the "pub", where Englishmen go to drink to, is a peculiarly English institution.

8. Much leisure time is spent in individualistic pursuits, of which the most popular is gardening. Most English people love gardens, their own above all, and this is probably one reason why so many people prefer to live in houses rather than flats.

9. The national character of the English has been very differently described, but most commentators agree over one quality, which they describe as fatuous self-satisfaction, serene sense of superiority, or insular pride. English patriotism is based on a deep sense of security.

Comprehension check