Questions to the text;

1. What did the slave trade force in Africa?

2. Where did enslaved Africans Work?

3. Where did Africans Settle?

4. What was the dominant form of education to enslaved Africans?

5. What were enslaved Africans forced to do on board ships?

6. What are the dominant forms of American music and dance based on?

Text 5: "SCOTLAND TODAY"

It is densely populated part of the UK: 67 people per sq. km. Most people live in the industrialized central bell along the Forth-Clyde valley (population density is 400 people per sq. km). The Scottish form of Gaelic is spoken by 70.000 people. Scottish education policy is set down by The Scottish Executive Education Department. The 32 Scottish local authorities are responsible for educational provision in their areas. There is no statutory National Curriculum in Scotland. In Scotland there are 2.716 state-funded schools. 130 independent schools educate 100 Scottish students.

Scotland's electronics industry employs over 50.000 people.

Famous Scots include:

• Alexander Graham Bell developed the telephone

• John Logic Baird pioneered television

• Adam Smith, philosopher and economist

• Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes

• Robert Louis Stevenson, writer

• Sir Eduardo Paolozzi, sculptor

Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland. By the middle of the 15-th century the city had stretched only halfway down the slope, though it had roughly taken the form it was to keep until the late 18-th century, when the New Town was built.

Edinburgh is a city where the historic past lives side by side with the present, for centuries the home of Scottish Kings and Queens. The city is important largely as an intellectual center. It has one of the oldest universities in Europe the University of Edinburgh, which was founded in 1582.

The first thing one can see is a very large hill in the middle of Edinburgh-the Rock. Edinburgh is famous for many things: its art galleries, museums, libraries, its buildings such as the Castle Rock.

The capital of Scotland has a population of 400.000 and is a very historic city with some of the finest architecture in Europe. Its most famous building is the Edinburgh Castle which dominates the rest of the city.

The Royal Family have a home in Edinburgh-the Palace of Holyroodhouse. There are several museums and galleries around this part of the city. It may be one of the reasons why Edinburgh is sometimes called the Athens of the North. The W. Scott Monuments is the best known monument in Edinburgh. It was completed in 1844 in the form of a Gothic spire 200feet high with a statue of Sir Walter Scott inside this beautiful Structure.

Questions to the text;

1. Where do most people live in Scotland?

2. Who are the most famous Scots?

3. Where was the city situated by the middle of the 15-th century?

4. What kind of city is Edinburgh?

5. What is the first thing one can see in Edinburgh?

6. What is Edinburgh famous for?

Text 6: "WALES"

St. David is the patron saint of Wales. On 1-st March, St. David's Day, Patriotic Welsh people wear a leek or a daffodil, both symbols of Wales. Wales is approximately 150 miles from North to South. About two-thirds of the total population live in the South Wales coastal area, where the three biggest towns are located: Swansea, Cardiff, and Newport.

Welsh is one of the Celtic languages, like Scottish and Irish Gaelic. It is estimated that Welsh is spoken by 16 to 20 per cent of the population, although in North and West Wales 50 per cent speak the language.

The most common Welsh surnames were all originally Christian names in some form: Dylan Thomas, Roger Davies (a form of David), Geoffrey Jones (from John), ect. Welshmen living in England are often called by the nick name "Taffy". This may come from the River Taff, Which runs through the capital Cardiff, or it may come from Dafydd, the Welsh form of David.

Mining has been one of the great Welsh industries for many years along with the iron and steel trades. During the industrial revolution of the 18-th and 19-th centuries, the valleys of South Wales became the iron and steel capital of the world.

The traditional culture in Wales has always placed special emphasis on the reading of poetry and the singing of choirs. In the 19-th century there was a powerful puritan religious movement that preached a good and simple life. In the chapels the oratory of the preacher and the strong singing of male voice choirs were used to win the hearts of the people and turn them away from bad living.

Rugby Union is the national game of Wales, and during the 1970 s the Welsh team was thought to be the best in the world.

Welsh is a Celtic language, and is very difficult to learn. It has very musical intonation, and difficult sounds such as ch and 11.

Because many people in Wales speak English, the Welsh language has borrowed a lot of English words.

There are three National Parks in Wales which cover approximately one-fifth of the whole country. These parks are protected by law because of their natural beauty. The most famous of the parks is Snowdonia in the North-West.

Many people travel to the parks each year for special holidays. These include a large number of outdoor activities such as walking, climbing and riding. People camp and live without all the usual comforts of home.

Hay-on-Wye is a Welsh border town on the southern bank of the River Wye. It is unique, because although its total population is only 1.000, it has fourteen books hops which contain well over a million antiquarian and second­hand books. In fact, it is the largest second-hand book-selling center in the world. Hay-on-Wye is the ideal holiday center for bookworms!

After London, the University of Wales is the largest university in the UK. It was established almost one hundred years ago and incorporated three existing colleges at Aberystrwyth, Bangor and Cardiff. The university is able to offer a wide range of courses, and students can choose the location they prefer.

Questions to the text:

1. Where do two-thirds of the total population live?

2. What language is spoken in Wales?

3. What were the most common Welsh surnames?

4. What are the national parks in Wales?

5. What is the town Hay-on-Way Famous for?

Text 7: "CARDIFF"

Cardiff is the capital and largest city of Wales, and it is also the country's main economic, industrial and cultural center. It is situated on the southeast coast of Wales, and three rivers, the Taff, the Ely and the Rhymney flow through it into the Bristol Channel.

A large area of parkland lies near the center of Cardiff, and many of the city's major commercial buildings are found around Cathays Park. The Civic is also situated here, and this includes the Law Courts, the National Museum of Wales and the University College. Nearby there are many fashionable shops and modern hotels, and Cardiff Castle, which was built in 1090.

Mountains and beaches are only a short drive from this community with all the facilities you could want-good shopping, excellent restaurants, art galleries, night-clubs, great sporting occasions. It combines the bright lights of the big city with the warmth and personality of a small town, making it an ideal place to live and worm in,

Factories in Cardiff produce parts for cars chemicals, electronic equipment, engineering products, processed food and tobacco. Modern rail and road communications link Cardiff with the rest of Great Britain, and an airport lies outside the edge of the city.

In about AD 75, Roman soldiers built a fort on the site of what is now Cardiff-the name itself means fort on the Taff. Normans settled the area around 1050, building the Castle. By the early 1800's it was still a small town. Then, when Wales became a major center of coal mining and iron and steel production. Cardiff served as the shipping center for these products and grew rapidly. By 1890 it had become known as the Coal Metropolis of the World, but the industry declined after the First World War. Since the mid-1940's Cardiff has grown steadily as the administrative and commercial center of Wales. Its current population is approximately 300.000.

Wales has a reputation for giving its guests a warm welcome, and nowhere is this more true than in Cardiff, which has the advantages of a capital city together with the friendly atmosphere that is rarely found elsewhere.

Cardiff has a theatre with a varied programme (New Theatre). The Welsh National Opera Company play regular seasons here. The Welsh people love singing. That's why Wales is sometimes called "the land of song".

One of the Welsh traditions is festivals. And on holidays and during festivals the Welsh wear traditional clothes. At a festival songs are sung by choirs and soloists, usually poems are recited. The festival ends with the crowning of the best poet or singer. The best poet who was before an unknown Welshman is crowned. Usually he is led on to the stage, A wreath of golden oak-leaves is put on his head. And everyone shouts a Welsh word, meaning "peace".

Questions to the text:

1. Where is Cardiff situated?

2. What do factories in Cardiff produce?

3. When did people settle there?

4. What reputation does Wales have?

5. What is one of the Welsh traditions?

6. How does the festival end?

Text 8: "5 GOOD REASONS WHY IRELAND IS THE PLACE TO BE"