Britain's Industry

Two centuries ago the British economy seemed invincible. Britain had its industrial revolution before any other country. The Industrial Revolution began in the Midlands. The Midlands and the North became the centre of the iron and steel industries. Newcastle was famous for its shipbuilding. Birmingham was known for making cars.

At present there is no shipbuilding in Newcastle and there is only one major car company in Birmingham. Many towns in the Midlands and the North of England have high unemployment rates.

Coal mining was highly developed in Britain. There are now only 16 coal mines near Nottingham.

In the past Britain had many manufacturing industries. But since World War II its service industries, especially banking and retailing, have expanded. The number of people working in manufacturing industries has decreased.

Traditional heavy industries, including steel manufacture and shipbuilding, have been replaced by high-technology manufacturing industries, for example, airplane engine manufacture and pharmaceuticals.

Britain has only a few prosperous large companies, but many successful small companies. The large companies invest money in research and development and produce high-quality goods. BP is the second-largest company in Europe. It explores oil and gas, refines oil, and manufactures petrochemical products. The company makes cleaner petrol. Glaxo is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. It makes different effective medicines.

Successful small manufacturing companies use first-class materials, have excellent quality control and the workers are proud of what they make. J.Barbour & Sons makes fashionable waterproof jackets. The Morgan Motor Company produces elite cars. Quad Electroacoustics makes expensive but top-quality loudspeakers and hi-fi equipment. The famous Marshall Company supplies the whole world with amplifiers and other guitar products. Wilkin & Sons makes jams. Wedgwood in Staffordshire is known for making china and pottery.

There are many foreign companies in Britain. The Japanese companies Nissan, Toyota, Honda and the German company BMW have their factories in the country. The Korean electronics company Samsung opened a factory in Sunderland in 1995. The Coca-Cola company has its subsidiary in Britain. The foreign companies give jobs to many local people.

12. Выпишите из текста английские эквиваленты следующих слов и выражений:

Казалась непобедимой, промышленная революция, металлургическая промышленность, был известен (2 варианта), высокий уровень безработицы, угольные шахты, обрабатывающая промышленность, сфера услуг, двигатель, процветающие компании, научно-исследовательские и опытно-конструкторские работы, высококачественные товары, нефте-химические продукты, бензин, модные непромокаемые куртки, усилители, фарфоровые изделия и глиняная посуда, дочерняя компания.

13. Ответьте на следующие вопросы:

1. Where did the Industrial Revolution begin in Britain?

2. What industries have expanded since the Second World War?

3. What industries have replaced the traditional heavy industries?

4. Why are British small manufacturing companies successful?

5. Are there many foreign companies in Great Britain?

14. Напишите рассказ об одном из экономических районах Великобритании.