Great britain

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated on the British Isles. The British Isles consist of two large islands. Great Britain and Ireland, and about five thousand small islands. Their total area is over 244,000 square kilometres

The United Kingdom is made up of four countries: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast respectively. Great Britain consists of England, Scotland and Wales and does not include Northern Ireland But in every day speech "Great Britain" is used to mean the United Kingdom

The British Isles are separated from the European continent by the North Sea and the English Channel. The Western coast of Great Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea

The surface of the British Isles varies very much The north of Scotland is mountainous and is called the Highlands, white the south, which has beautiful valleys and plains-is called the Lowlands The north and the west of England are mountainous, but all the rest - east, centre and south-east - is a vast plain Mountains are not very high Ben Nevis in Scotland is the highest mountain (1343 m)

There are a lot of rivers in Great Britain, but they are not very long The Severn is the longest river, .while the Thames is the deepest and the most important one.

The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of Gulf Stream influence the climate of the British Isles. It is mild the whole year round, but very changeable. That is why it is natural for the English to use the comparison "as changeable as the weather" of a person who often changes his mood or opinion about something.

The English also say that they have three variants of weather: when it rains in the morning, when it rains in the afternoon or when it rains all day long. The most unpleasant aspect of English weather is fog and smog. This is extremely bad in big cities and especially in London

The UK is one of the world's smaller countries Its population is over 57 million About 80% of the population is urban.

The UK is a highly developed industrial country. It is known as one of the world's largest producers and exporters of machinery, electronics, textile, aircraft and navigation equipment. One of the chief industries of the country is shipbuilding

The UK is a constitutional monarchy 1л law, the Head of State is the Queen, but her power is limited. The country is ruled by the elected government with the Prime Minister at the head. The British Parliament consists of two chambers the House of Lords and the House of Commons

There are three main political panics in Great Britain the Labour, the Conservative and the Liberal parties The Conservative party is the ruling рапу nowadays.

Vocabulary

respectively [ri spektivli] соответственно vast [va:st] огромный

mountainous ['mauntinəs] гористый

plain [plein] равнина

urban [ə:bən]городской

to rule [ru:l] управлять

parliament [pa:ləmənt] парламент chamber [tʃembə] палата

NAMES

the British Isles [ailz] Британские острова Edinburgh [edinbərə] Эдинбург

Cardiff [ka:dif] Кардифф

Belfast [bel'fa:st] Белфаст

Highlands [haiəndz] гористая часть

Ben Nevis [ben nevis] Бен Невис

the Severn [sevən] Северн

The Thames [temz] Темза

QUESWUNS

1. The UK is an island stale, isn't it? Where is it situated?

2. What countries is the UK made of? What are their capitals?

3. The surface of the British Isles varies very much, doesn't it?

4. What is the north of Scotland called? What is the south of Scotland called?

5. What is the highest mountain in Scotland?

6. What is the deepest river in Great Britain?

7. Why is the climate of the British Isles mild?

8. What comparison do the English use when want to describe a person whose mood and opinion changes very often?

9. How often does it rain m England?

10. Is the UK large country?

11. What is the UK's population?

12. The UK is a highly developed industrial country. What does it produce and export?

13. The UК is a constitutional monarchy. What does u mean?

A FEW FACTS FROM EARLY ENGLISH HISTORY

(additional reading)

The first settlers in Britain belonged to the Celtic tribes which, before their arrival in Britain had spread over what is now Germany. France and Spam These first Celtic invaders are known as the Goidels and their language survives m some parts of Ireland and Scotland

About two centuries later a new wave of Celtic tribes known аз Britons landed on the shores of Britain. In 55 В. С. Julius Caesar landed with his troops on the shores of Britain then Britain was conquered by Rome Their rule over Britain lasted for about four centuries During this period a considerable part of the land was cleared for cultivation, many new towns grew up and 3 number of forts were built

Britain now a Roman province was frequently troubled by the Picts and Scots But in the fifth century other enemies appeared. These were Germanic tribes the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes.

The isolation of the .Angles, the Saxons and Jutes from the continental Germanic tribes actually led to the formation of the English nationality. The dialects of these tribes had so much in common that the tribes could easily understand each other, and they called this common language "Englisc" (English).

The time of the invasion of Britain by the Angles, Saxons and Jutes is considered to be the real beginning of the history of the English language