greatbritain

UNIT 1. GEOGRAPHY

5.What country in Europe is famous for its holiday destinations?

6.Name other several countries, apart from Russia, which have severe winters.

7.What is the deepest lake in the world?

8.What straight separates Great Britain from France?

8. Read the following proverbs and sayings and find the Russian equivalents.

Rain at seven, fine at eleven.

So many countries, so many customs.

Don’t make a mountain out of a mole-hill.

East or west home is best.

9. Read the following text and say where and what languages are spoken in the territory of the UK.

Languages

Besides English which is the language predominantly spoken, there are the following varieties of Celtic: 1. Gaelic, 2. Welsh, 3. Irish (Irish Gaelic). Gaelic is spoken by some 80,000 people in Scotland, mainly in the West Highlands and Islands. Welsh is spoken by some half a million people in Wales, i.e. about a fifth of the population. The use of the language is promoted by the Welsh Language Council. Irish is the first official language in the Republic of Ireland. In the Channel Islands most people speak English, but French is also spoken there by some people. It is still the official language of Jersey, used for ceremonial and official procedure; both English and French are used in Jersey courts.

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UNIT 2

BRIEF SURVEY OF ENGLISH HISTORY

Britain is stated by some historians to have been on a regular and frequented trade route which linked the Mediterranean civilisation with the amber – bearing North. During its early history Britain was swamped by new invaders year after year. It was by this long sea way that civilisation first reached these shores. Who were they, those invaders?

Part 1. First Invaders

(3000 B.C. – 2000 B.C.2). According to the historical records the first tribal groups came from the Iberian peninsula (now comprising Spain and Portugal) and settled in Britain near the coasts of south and west Britain, as well as in Ireland, between 3000 B.C. and 2000 B.C. Their stock was one of the main contributors to the present population of the British Isles, especially in Ireland, Wales and the West of England. There is some evidence that Iberian culture was mainly unwarlike. The size and splendour of their monuments speak of a numerous and wellorganised people. The great earthworks such as crown Cissbury and Dolebury and stone circles of which Avebury3 is the grandest and Stonehenge4 the best known were built at the time of the Iberians.

The Celtic5 Tribes (700 B.C.). Soon after 700 B.C. the first wave of Celtic invaders came to Britain from the Rhine valley. They were tall, fair – haired, warlike tribes which overran the Mediterranean civilisation. In Britain the first Celtic tribes were the Goidels or Gaels6. These were followed about two centuries later by the Brythons (Britons7), a branch of the Celts who had learned the use of iron, and who drove their bronze-using kinsmen out of the South and East into Wales, Scotland, Ireland and hilly Pennine and Devon areas. The third wave of invaders, the Belgae8 from Northern Gaul9, arrived about 100 B.C. and occupied the greater part of what are now known as the Home Counties10.

The Celtic conquerors blended with their Iberian predecessors to varying extents in different parts of the country. While in the West

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PART 1. First Invaders

the dominant strain was Iberian, the Celts were able to impose their tribal organisation, somewhat modified by the fact of conquest, throughout the whole of the British Isles.

The basic element of the Celtic tribe was the kinship group that the economic life of the Celts centred. They practised agriculture and were the first to introduce the plough into the country. The coming of the Belgae opened a new and important stage in the development of Celtic Britain — they practised a more extensive agriculture as compared with the Goidels and Brythons. As a result the South-east of Britain soon became a corn growing country. At the same time towns began to spring up.

The Belgae kept up a close relationship with Gaul, and a regular trade developed. With this came the earliest native coined money.

There are few traces of the earliest immigration into England of the Celts, the clearest being in the names of the rivers, many of which contain the Celtic term Avon. The Celtic influence is regarded to be most evident in Wales and Highlands.

Vocabulary

a) amber, conqueror, contributor, earthworks, evidence, historian, invader, kinsman, kinship, plough, predecessor, race, record, route, stock, splendour, strain, survey, tribe, valley, wave; brief, dominant, extensive, grand, safe, unwarlike;

b) to be familiar with, to blend, to coin, to impose, to crown, to drive out, to fuse, to link, to modify, to overrun, to practise, to reach, to settle, to swamp.

Notes on the text

1.the Iberians — иберы (древние племена, населявшие древнюю Шотландию);

2.B.C. (before Christ) — до нашей эры;

3.Avebury – Эйвбери (местность, где расположен один из первых исторических памятников докельтского периода);

4. Stonehenge — Стоунхендж, один из самых больших и известных в мире кромлехов (бретонск. cromlech — crom круг, lech — камень). Расположен близ г. Солсбери;

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UNIT 2. BRIEF SURVEY OF ENGLISH HISTORY

5.Celtic – кельтский. The Celts – кельты (то же что и галлы), древние европейские племена, обитавшие на территории Европы во второй половине первого тысячелетия до н.э.;

6.the Goidels (Gaels) — гэлы (шотландцы, говорящие на гэльском языке (Gaelic). Сейчас они живут в Северной Ирландии и Гебридских островах);

7.the Britons (Brythons) — бритты (древние племена, которые населяли Британские острова);

8.the Belgae — ист. белги;

9.Gaul — Галлия, галл;

10.Home Counties —графства,окружающиеЛондон(Мидлсекс, Эссекс, Кент, Суррей, а также Хартфордшир и Сусcекс).

Exercises

1. Practise the pronunciation of the following words.

Avebury [`eiVbqrI], Celtic [`kFltIk], Iberian [ai`bIqrIqn], Mediterranean [mFdItq`reinjqn], Stonehenge [`stqunhenG], Belgae [`bFlGJ], Britons [`brItnz], Devon [`dFvn], Gaels [`geilz], Gaul [gLl], Goidels [`goidqlz], Golchester [`gOlCqstq], Pennine [`pFnIn], Rhine [`rain].

3.When did it take place?

1.The Iberians’ arrival in Britain.

2.The Alpines’ coming to Britain.

3.The Goidels’ invasion of Britain.

4.The Brythons’ occupation of Britain.

5.The Belgae’s settlement in Britain.

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PART 2. Roman Conquest

4. Work in pairs. Ask and answer the following questions to obtain the summary of the text:

1.Where did the first tribal groups come to Britain from?

2.What was the main contribution of the Iberians to Britain?

3.What kind of culture had the Iberians?

4.What is the best known stone circle of that time?

5.Which place is the focus of all preCeltic civilisation in Great Britain at present time?

6.What are the remaining relics of the presence of the Iberians in Britain?

7.What place did the Celtic tribes come to Britain from?

8.What did they look like?

9.How were they named?

10.When did the second and third waves of Celtic tribes arrive in Britain?

11.What relations did the Celtic tribes keep up with the Iberian tribes?

12.Which was the main element of their tribal organisation?

13.What progress did they achieve in their economic life?

14.What was the reason of the national money coinage?

15.In which parts of Great Britain is the Celtic influence most evident nowadays?

16.What evidence of the earliest Celtic immigration into England is available? Where did the Celtic languages survive?

Part 2. Roman Conquest

Roman Conquest (43–84 A.D.1). The Romans first took notice of Britain because of its close relation to Gaul. Having conquered Gaul, Julius Caesar soon learned tales of the pearls and corn in which the island was reputed to be rich. At the same time the export of tin from Cornwall, which had begun possibly as early as 2,000 B.C., still continued. But the most probable reason why Caesar tried to conquer the country was of strategic rather than economic character. Britain was a centre from which Gaulic resistance to Roman power was maintained.

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UNIT 2. BRIEF SURVEY OF ENGLISH HISTORY

There were several attempts made by the Romans to occupy Britain. Julius Caesar raided the coasts of Britain in 55 B. C. and in 54 B. C. but he failed to conquer the country. He landed in Kent but on both occasions his ships were badly damaged by the storms. His armies faced fierce fighting of the Britons who were brave warriors. In A.D. 43 the Romans under the Emperor Claudius succeeded in conquering Britain and made it a province of the Roman Empire. He subdued most of Britain – south, east and midland Britain and stretched north to the lowlands of Scotland, west over the whole of Wales but he did not include Devon and Cornwall. Roman Britain was divided into two parts: a military or upland part and a civil or lowland part. The military districts were heavily garrisoned by the troops. It was then that they began building shore forts to defend the outposts of the Empire and roads to enable the army to get from one place to another quickly and thus to keep the country under control. The native population of the military districts was little affected by the occupation. The whole area was poor, bleak, and hilly and did not attract the conquerors much. In civil districts the situation was different. The Romans radically transformed the whole of the civil districts and the lives of all people were moulded towards the Roman pattern. The Romans’ occupation weakened Celtic tribal structure. Towns grew up along the Roman roads, some of these towns had a municipal rank. For some obscure reason London had never had a municipal status but became the most important trading centre in Northern Europe. Between the towns were the villas, country houses of Roman and British magnates. These villas were the centres of agricultural estates. The Roman rule over Britain had lasted for nearly 400 years (from 43 till 407 A.D.). In 407 A.D. the Romans had to abandon Britain to defend the rest of the Empire from the barbarians. Some relics of Roman occupation still preserved in Britain are mostly military. These are parts of stone walls (e.g. Hadrian’s wall2), roads and fortifications. There are also some evidences of civil life such as temples, public baths (at Bath3, Somerset), tableware and kitchen utensils.

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PART 2. Roman Conquest

Vocabulary

a) barbarian, conquest, empire, emperor, estate, outpost, pearl, rebellion, relic, resistance, tableware, temple, troops, utensils, warrior; bleak, brave, civil, fierce, municipal, obscure;

b) to abandon, to affect, to be reputed, to conquer, to damage, to garrison, to fail, to land, to maintain, to mould, to occupy, to preserve, to raid, to rank, to subdue, to succeed.

Notes on the text

1.A.D. (лат. Anno Domini) – нашей эры;

2.Hadrian’s Wall – Римский вал (или Адрианов вал), древнеримская стена, созданная по приказу императора Адриана (76–138 гг); длина вала около 120 км;

3.Bath – Бат, курортный город с минеральными водами

вграфстве Сомерсет. Город известен хорошо сохранившимися руинами римских бань;

Exercises

1. Practise the pronunciation of the following words.

Bath [bRT], Claudius [`klOdIqs], Carlisle [`kRlail], Cornwall [`kLnwql], Gallic [`gLlIk], Gloucester [`glOstq], Hadrian [`heidrIqn], Julius [`GHlIqs], Caeser [`sJzq], Lincoln [`lInkqln], Roman [`roumqn].

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UNIT 2. BRIEF SURVEY OF ENGLISH HISTORY

3. Translate into Russian.

a) Bleak area, civil life, agricultural estates, the whole territory, tribal structure, obscure reason, municipal rank, trading centre, the Roman rule, public baths, kitchen utensils, tableware;

b) at the same time, as early as 2,ooo B.C., over the whole of Wales, throughout the occupation, under the Emperor, except for, most of Britain;

c) to take notice of, to be reputed, to maintain resistance, to find refuge, to raid the coasts, to be a failure, to be badly damaged, to face fierce fighting, to be heavily garrisoned by troops, to keep under control, to work minerals, to mould one’s life towards a pattern, to be of nature.

4.Translate into Russian. Define the type of these sentences.

1.It was then that they began to build shore forts to defend the outposts of the Empire.

2.It was by this long sea way that civilisation first reached the shores of Britain.

3.It was the kinship group that the economic life of the Celts centred.

4.With this came the earliest native coined money.

5.Between the towns were the villas, country houses of the Roman and British magnates.

5.In pairs, ask and answer when the following events took place.

1.The first and the second raids of Julius Caesar on Britain.

2.The Roman conquest of Britain.

3.The appearance of the first towns in Britain.

4.The departure of the Romans from Britain.

6.Use the information from the text to describe:

1.the reason of the Roman conquest of Britain;

2.military and civil life of Roman Britain;

3.traces of Roman occupation of Britain.

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PART 3. Anglo-Saxon Indasion

7. Work in pairs. Ask and answer the following questions to obtain the summary of the text:

1.How many attempts did the Romans make to occupy Britain?

2.What parts was the country divided into by the Romans?

3.When and why did the Romans have to abandon Britain?

4.What relics of Roman occupation are still preserved?

Part 3. Anglo-Saxon and Danish Invasion

The Anglo-Saxon invasion (the 5th century). After the withdrawal of Roman troops most of Britain was inhabited by the Celts. Their languages were not related to English. In the fourth century, in 426A.D., new invaders came from the area later known as Northern Germany and Denmark. Their language formed the basis of the English we speak today. They were the Anglo-Saxons i. e.1 the Angles, Saxons and Jutes2. From the Angles came the name Angle-land, later England. They invaded Britain in ever-increasing numbers. The Anglo-Saxons drove the Celts into the mountainous west of Britain. The Celtic languages survive there: Welsh and Gaelic. The Britons were forced to drive westwards, towards Wales, Cornwall and Cumberland, with the Picts3 and Scots4 in Scotland slowly uniting into a single kingdom. During the fifth and sixth centuries the Anglo-Saxons raided the island from Northern Europe. In the next two centuries the raids turned into settlement. Gradually these tribes settled and carved out their own kingdoms. They were seven in number: Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia, Essex, Kent, Sussex and Wessex. Then, in the eighth century, history seemed to repeat itself. It became the turn of the Anglo-Saxons to face fierce foreign invaders: the Vikings, or Danes5 from Scandinavia.

The Danish invasion (the 9th century). The ninth century is known to be the century of break-up of tribal structure and an advance of feudalism.

Within a century, the Vikings occupied vast areas of England. They didn’t settle but came to attack England again and again. England had to pay tribute. For two hundred years the English people had been at war with the Danes or Vikings coming from Denmark and

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UNIT 2. BRIEF SURVEY OF ENGLISH HISTORY

the Norsemen invading from Scandinavia. Finally they settled in the extreme north and west of Scotland and also some coastal regions of Ireland. England was extremely fortunate that the first Anglo-Saxon kings were men of great ability and vigour. Saxon nobles wore their hair shoulder length. Their moustaches were long and beards forked. The sleeves and leggings of their costume were very full and gathered in for extra warmth. Only the Anglo-Saxon kings of Wessex dared to challenge the Danes. The challenge succeeded and this is where the story of the kings and queens of England begins. They continued fighting against the Danes, pushed them ever further northwards, destroyed the new Danish kingdom of York and formed England into roughly the same area it occupies today.

Vocabulary

a) beard, leggings, moustache, settlement, sleeve, withdrawal; coastal, fortunate, tribal;

b)to be at war, to be related, to carve out, to dare, to destroy, to drive, to face, to fork, to inhabit, to pay tribute, to push, to settle, to survive, to wear, to withdraw.

Notes on the text

1.i.e. (лат. id est) – то есть;

2.the Angles, the Saxons, the Jutes – англы, саксы, юты (германские племена, пришедшие на территорию Великобритании из западной и северо-западной частей Европы в V–VI вв.);

3.the Picts – пикты (кельтские племена, которые населяли древнюю Шотландию. В IX в. Шотландия была завоевана скоттами, и пикты смешались с ними. Название Шотландия образовано от названия племен);

4.the Scots – скотты (группа кельтских племен, населявших территорию древней Ирландии и Шотландии. Скотия (Scotia) – римское название Ирландии.);

5.the Danes (the Vikings) – датчане (германские племена, вторгшиеся в Англию главным образом из Дании);

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