It’s interesting to know …

• The United Kingdom, the UK, and Britain are all proper terms for the entire nation, although the term ‘Britain’ is also often used when talking about the island of Great Britain. The use of the term ‘Great Britain’ to refer to the entire nation is now outdated; the term ‘Great Britain’, properly used, refers only to the island of Great Britain, which does not include Northern Ireland. The term ‘England’ should never be used to describe Britain, because England is only one part of the island. It is always correct to call people from England, Scotland, or Wales British, although people from England may also properly be called English, people from Scotland Scottish, and people from Wales Welsh.

• The separation of Britain from the continent had a tremendous impact on the British nation. For centuries the British felt safe and secure protected by the Channel, and no foreign army has ever invaded the country since the Norman Conquest in the 11^th century.

• In the UK there are nearly 105 females to every 100 males. The average life expectancy is 72 years for men and 78 years for women.

• In Britain the Queen is not only the head of state, but also the ‘symbol of the nation’s unity’. The royal title of the Queen is: “Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith”.

• The flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, adopted in 1801, is officially called the Union Flag, because it embodies the emblems of the three countries under one Sovereign. The flag is made up of three crosses on a blue and white ground. The central red cross on a white ground is the cross of St. George, the patron saint of England. The white diagonal cross on a blue ground is the cross of St. Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland. The red diagonal cross on a white ground is the cross of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. St. David is the patron saint of Wales, but the symbol of Wales is not reflected in the Union Flag, as when the flag appeared Wales was already united with England. The Welsh flag, a red dragon on a white and green ground, dates from the 15^th century. The Union Flag is commonly known as the Union Jack. This name reflects the history of the state: ‘Union’ means the union of England and Scotland in 1606 and ‘Jack’ means the flag flown at the jack staff (a small flagstaff) of ships to show their nationality.

• In the Royal Coats of Arms the shield shows the various royal emblems of different parts of Britain: the three lions of England in the first and fourth quarters, the lion of Scotland in the second and the harp of Ireland in the third. It is surrounded by a garter bearing the motto “Evil be to him who evil thinks”, which symbolizes the Order of the Garter, an ancient order of knighthood of which the Queen is Sovereign. The shield is supported by the English lion and the Scottish unicorn and is surmounted by the Royal crown. Below it appears the motto of the Sovereign, “God and my right”. The plant badges of the United Kingdom – rose, thistle and shamrock – are often displayed beneath the shield.

• The British Constitution comes from a variety of sources. The main ones are: statutes such as the Magna Carta of 1215 and the Act of Settlement of 1701; laws and customs of Parliament, political conventions; case law; constitutional matters decided in a court of law. Amendments to Britain’s unwritten Constitution are made by a simple majority support in both Houses of Parliament to be followed by the Royal Assent.

• Supporters of the unwritten constitution believe that it allows for flexibility and change to occur without too many problems. Those who want a written constitution believe that it should be codified so that the public has access to it – as opposed to just constitutional experts who know where to look and how to interpret it.

• The British Parliament is often referred to as the ‘Mother of Parliaments’ because the UK was the first in the Western world to introduce a workable body, an assembly of elected representatives of the people with the authority to resolve social and economic problems by free debate leading to the making of law. The British Parliament was the model for most other parliamentary systems, and its Acts created many other parliaments. Many nations with parliaments have to some degree emulated the British ‘three-tier’ model. Most countries in Europe and the Commonwealth have similarly organized parliaments with a largely ceremonial head of state who formally opens and closes Parliament, a large elected lower house and a smaller, upper house.

• One of the fundamental principles of the British unwritten Constitution is the sovereignty of Parliament. It means that Parliament has unlimited power in the legislative and executive spheres and that there is no institution that can declare its acts unconstitutional. In other words, Parliament can act as it pleases: to make or change any law, to prolong its own life beyond the normal period without consulting the electorate, etc. But in practice, however, Parliament does not make use of its supremacy in this way. Its members bear in mind their responsibility to the electorate.

• The Lord Chancellor presides over the House of Lords as its Speaker and is sitting on a large couch known as the Woolsack, a symbol surviving from the 14^th century when wool was England’s staple trade.

Task IV. Complete the table with missing derivatives:

Noun	Verb	Adjective
society
		comparative
advice
	appoint
justice
		hereditary
	influence
		commercial
variety
	compile

Task V. Look at the puzzle below. Go back to the text and scan it for the words which are equivalent in meaning to the following definitions. Complete the puzzle and find a key word in the centre boxes:

				1
			2
						3
			4
	5
					6
				7
8
				9
				10

1. of highest status or power

2. the presiding officer in a legislative body

3. to be granted the rank and title of a sovereign without having ruling authority

4. to make clearly known or announce officially

5. the greater number or part of something

6. the executive and policy-making body of a country, consisting of all government ministers

7. to make or compose from other materials or sources

8. visually pleasing, especially in being striking or vivid

9. a form of government in which supreme authority is vested in a single and usually hereditary figure, such as a king

10. to express or signify one’s preference, opinion, or will for or against some question

Task VI. Say whether these statements are True or False according to the text. Give reasons for your answers.

1. Great Britain consists of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast respectively.

2. The British Isles have an easy contact with mainland Europe.

3. As the United Kingdom is an inland state the climate there is very specific.

4. There is a contrast between the relatively high relief of western and northern Britain and the lowland areas of the south and the east.

5. One of the characteristics of the British Constitution is that it is not contained in any single document.

6. The UK is a constitutional monarchy. This means that a monarch is the head of state and rules the country.

7. The United Kingdom is governed by Her Majesty’s Government in the name of the Queen.

8. Parliament is the supreme executive body in the United Kingdom.

9. The Queen is the head of the British Parliament which consists of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

10. The Prime Minister is usually the leader of the party which has a majority in the House of Lords.

Task VII. Read the text more carefully and complete the following sentences:

1. The official name of Britain is …

2. The United Kingdom …

3. Great Britain has favourable conditions …

4. The English Channel and the North Sea are important for the country as …

5. The peculiarity of the British Constitution is …

6. Although the Queen dispossesses …

7. Members of the House of Commons are …

8. A distinctive feature of the House of Lords …

9. The Cabinet is …

10. … parties dominate the political and social scene.

Task VIII. Focus on the essential details and give extensive answers to these questions:

1. What is the territory and the population of the United Kingdom?

2. What factors present the advantages of Britain’s geographical position?

3. What people inhabit Britain? What languages do they speak?

4. Why is it annoying to many British people when foreigners say ‘England’ and ‘English’ when they mean ‘Britain’ and ‘British’?

5. What can you say about the state organisation of the UK? What does the term ‘constitutional monarchy’ mean?

6. What are the country’s supreme legislative, executive and judicial authorities? Is there a merging of roles in the British politics?

7. Why is the British Parliament called the ‘Mother of Parliaments’?

8. Who has more real power: the House of Lords or the House of Commons? Why is it so?

9. What party is in power at present in Britain? Who heads the Government?

10. Do you see any drawbacks in the British political system?

Task IX. Check how well you know the United Kingdom by deciding which of the following alternatives is most likely to be true:

1. The United Kingdom is situated to … of Europe.

   1. the northwest b. the southwest c. the northeast d. the southeast

2. The English Channel separates Great Britain from …

   1. Belgium b. Ireland c. the Netherlands d. France

3. The largest undersea tunnel in the world is under …

   1. the North Channel c. the Strait of Dover

   2. St. George’s Channel d. the English Channel

4. What is another name of Great Britain?

   1. Ulster b. Union Jack c. Albion d. Britannica

5. What is the symbol of the United Kingdom?

   1. a bald eagle b. Britannia c. a rose d. a dragon

6. The British national flag is called …

   1. the Union Jack c. the Stars and Stripes

   2. the Star Spangled banner d. the Big Apple

7. Which mountain chain is called ‘the backbone of England’?

   1. the Cumbrians b. the Cheviot Hills c. the Pennines d. the Grampians

8. Which is the highest mountain in Britain?

   1. Snowdon b. Ben Nevis c. Cheviot d. Scafell Pike

9. Which is the longest river in the UK?

   1. the Thames b. the Tay c. the Trent d. the Severn

10. The largest lake in the British Isles is …

    1. Loch Lomond c. Loch Ness

    2. Lake Windermere d. Loch Neagh

11. The Lake District is situated in …

    1. England b. Wales c. Scotland d. Northern Ireland

12. What city is known as ‘the heart of England’?

    1. Birmingham b. Worcester c. Nottingham d. Manchester

13. The second largest seaport of Britain is …

    1. London b. Belfast c. Liverpool d. Swansea

14. What are the best English resorts?

    1. Bristol and Southampton c. Leeds and Bradford

    2. Brighton and Bath d. Plymouth and Hove

15. Who rules the United Kingdom in practice?

    1. the Sovereign c. the Parliament

    2. the Prime Minister d. the Government

16. Who presides in the House of Lords?

    1. the Queen c. the Prime Minister

    2. the Speaker d. the Lord Chancellor

17. Who presides in the House of Commons?

    1. the Queen c. the Prime Minister

    2. the Speaker d. the Lord Chancellor

18. Who composes the Cabinet?

    1. the Queen c. the Prime Minister

    2. the Speaker d. the Lord Chancellor

19. Tories and Whigs are …

    1. the Conservative and the Democratic parties

    2. the Conservative and the Labour parties

    3. the Labour and the Liberal parties

    4. the Liberal and the Democratic parties

20. The most important departments of civil service and ministries are situated in …

    1. Whitehall b. Downing Street c. Westminster d. Fleet Street

21. Westminster Palace is the seat of …

    1. the Queen c. the Lord Chancellor

    2. the Parliament d. the Government

22. Where does the British Premier live and work?

    1. at 10 Downing Street c. at 10 Baker Street

    2. in the Houses of Parliament d. at Buckingham Palace

23. Who is the heir to the British throne?

    1. Prince Edward b. Prince Henry c. Prince Charles d. Prince Andrew

24. Most of the British are …

    1. protestants b. the Orthodox c. Catholics d. nonconformists

25. What is the centre of Britain’s national newspapers?

    1. Piccadilly Circus b. Downing Street c. Fleet Street d. Trafalgar Square

26. The famous British newspaper which is printed on pink paper is …

    1. The Times c. The Financial Times

    2. The Guardian d. The Sun

27. What is the world’s largest museum?

    1. the Victoria and Albert Museum c. the National Gallery

    2. the British Museum d. the Tate Gallery

28. Eisteddfod is the international competition of …

    1. folk-dancing and music c. poetry

    2. modern drama d. rock music

29. British inventors didn’t give the world …

    1. telephone b. bicycle c. television d. radio

30. Britain established direct diplomatic relations with Belarus in …

    1. 1990 b. 1992 c. 2000 d. 2004

Task X. Try to give an adequate translation of the sentences that follow:

1. Соединенное Королевство расположено на Британских островах, которые находятся недалеко от северо-западного побережья Европы.

2. Великобритания – многонациональное государство. Создавалось оно постепенно: в 1543 Англия присоединила Уэльс, в 1707 – Шотландию, а в 1800 – Ирландию.

3. Великобритания весьма богата достопримечательностями. Среди них – озеро Лох-Несс, Стоунхендж, Озерный край, Дорога Великана, национальный парк «Сноудония» и др.

4. Британский парламент часто называют прародителем всех парламентов, хотя исландский альтинг, созданный в 930 н.э., намного старше британского, сложившегося в течение 13-14 вв.

5. Написанной конституции в Британии традиционно не существует в том смысле, что ее основные правила не объединены в особом документе, однако она основана на статутах, юридических решениях, парламентских законах, традициях и обычаях.

6. Монарх считается главой государства, верховным главнокомандующим, главой администрации и светским главой официальной церкви Англии.

7. Конституционная монархия предполагает совместное правление монарха, Палаты лордов и Палаты общин, которые все вместе составляют парламент.

8. Кабинет министров, руководящий исполнительной властью, формируется Премьер-министром – лидером партии, имеющей большинство в парламенте. Члены Кабинета определяют правительственную политику и ответственны за нее перед парламентом.

9. Члены Палаты общин принадлежат к различным политическим партиям, и та партия, которая получает большинство мест в парламенте, называется правящей партией, а другие – оппозицией.

10. В настоящее время Великобритания является постоянным членом Совета Безопасности ООН, членом Европейского Союза, Большой Восьмерки, Организации экономического сотрудничества и развития.

C. Follow-up Activities

Task XI. Share your opinions on the following:

1. With the discovery of America the British Isles became an intermediary between Europe and the New World, didn’t they?

2. Do you agree that the British are different in their behaviour from other Europeans living on the continent?

3. Law effectiveness of the House of Lords work caused a popular criticism in the UK. Is the House of Lords as a second chamber necessary, in your opinion?

4. Is the merging of powers in Britain’s political system really needed for flexibility in the British society?

5. Carry out a comparative analysis of the state structure of the United Kingdom and Belarus.

D. Optional Reading