The union jack

The British flag, known as Union Jack, has an interesting history. It’s a combination of three flags, the St Andrew’s Cross, St George’s Cross and St Patrick’s Cross.

The first flag appeared in April 1606 when Scotland and England were united by James I. Wales was part of England then and didn’t have its own separate flag.

On the 1^st of January 1801 the present-day Union Jack was formed. It happened when the Kingdom of Ireland and the Kingdom of Great Britain became the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The St George’s cross is the English flag. Saint George is the patron saint of England. He was a soldier famous for saving the Princess Cleolinda from being eaten by a dragon. He wounded the dragon and took it back to the city of Silene on a lead like a dog. Saint George’s Day is celebrated on the 23d of April. Saint George is also the patron saint of Germany, Portugal and Greece.

The St Andrew’s cross is the Scottish flag. Saint Andrew, a fisherman, was one of the 12 apostles who followed Jesus Christ. St Andrew’s Day is celebrated on the 30^th of November. He is the patron saint of both Scotland and Russia.

The St Patrick’s cross is the former flag of Ireland. He was born about AD 390. He converted the Irish to Christianity and is supposed to have got rid of all the snakes in Ireland. St Patrick’s Day is celebrated on the 17^th of March.

The Welsh flag shows a dragon. Saint David, the patron saint of Wales, started s number of monasteries in the country. Saint David’s Day is celebrated on the 1st of March.

References: patron saint - святой покровитель; Jesus Christ – Иисус Христос; Christianity - христианство; get rid of - освободиться.

Ex. 1. Complete the table.

Country	Patron Saint	Date of celebration
e. g. Wales	David	The 1st of March

Ex.2. Ask your friend:

- if the British flag is a combination of three or four flags.

- when the first flag appeared.

- when the present-day Union Jack appeared.

- who the patron saint of England (Scotland, Ireland, and Wales) is?

- what the Welsh flag looks like?

- who the patron saint of Russia is?

- how many crosses form the Union Jack?

Ex.3. Speak about:

1. the history of the British flag;

2. the three crosses of the flag and their meaning.

Economy and industry

Part I

Britain used to have many manufacturing industries, but since the Second World War its service industries, especially banking and retailing, have expanded. Between 1951 and 1991, the percentage of people working in service industries rose from 36 per cent to 71 per cent. The number of people working in manufacturing industries has gone down.

Heavy industries, including steel manufacture and shipbuilding, have been replaced by high-technology manufacturing industries, such as aeroplane engine manufacture and pharmaceuticals.

The City is a part of London. It used to be the old Roman town, but is now the area of London with all the banks. The City is now one of the most important financial centers in the world. Although the City is only one square mile, 300 000 people work there. It contains 8500 companies and 524 banks from 76 countries. The City earns £10 billion a year by selling its financial services. In 1994, London had 40 per cent of the world’s foreign exchange trade (buying and selling of foreign currencies), far more than its nearest rival, New York.

In Britain, there are only a few successful large companies, but many successful small companies. The large companies often invest a lot of money in research and development. For example, BP is now the second-largest company in Europe. It is involved in oil and gas exploration, oil refining and manufacture of petrochemical products. It is investing money in making cleaner petrol. Glaxo is Britain’s leading pharmaceutical company and is one of the largest in the world. It tries to find and make new medicines which can cure or reduce the effects of diseases.

References:

retailing – розничная торговля; service industry - индустрия обслуживания;

exchange trade - биржевая торговля; oil refining - перегонка нефти; petrochemical – нефтехимический; pharmaceutical company — фармацевтическая компания.

Ex.1. Agree or disagree:

1. There are more people working in manufacturing industries than in service industries in Britain.

2. The City is a powerful financial centre.

3. BP is a service industry.

4. There are no successful large companies in Britain.

5. High-technology manufacturing industries have been replaced by heavy industries.

Ex.2. Ask your friend :

• what service industries have expanded in Great Britain since the Second World War.

• when the percentage of people working in these industries rose.

• if heavy industries have been replaced by high-technology industries.

• if the City is one of the most important financial centers in the world.

• how many people work in the City.

• if large companies often invest money in research and development.

• what the second largest company in Europe is.

• if Glaxo is Britain’s leading pharmaceutical company.

• if Glaxo tries to find and make new medicines which can cure or reduce the effects of diseases.

Ex.3. Speak about:

1. Manufacturing and service industries of Great Britain.

2. The City – one of the most important financial centers in the world.

3. Successful business companies.

Part II

Great Britain lives by manufacture and trade. Its agriculture provides only half the food it needs, the other half of its food has to be imported.

Britain is one of the most highly industrialized countries in the world: for every person employed in agriculture, eleven are employed in mining, manufacturing and building. The industrial centers of Great Britain are Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield and others.

In the heart of England about 112 miles north-west of London is Birmingham. Birmingham is a city with the population of over one million.

It is the centre of the iron industry. The district around Bir­mingham is known as the Black Country. It is the land of factories and mines. Steam-engines, motor-cars, railway carriages, bicycles and agricultural implements are manufactured in the factories of the Black Country.

Manchester is the centre of the cotton industry. With its large suburb Salford Manchester has a population of nearly one million. Manchester has few ancient buildings, but few English cities have better parks of which there are over fifty. The largest of them is Heaton Park. Manchester is rich in libraries and schools. The Uni­versity of Manchester founded in 1880 is famous for its studies.

The wool industry is centered in Leeds and Bradford, the iron ore goes to the steel, heavy machinery and shipbuilding industries of Newcastle and other cities. The indus­tries of Midlands with Birmingham as its chief city produce metal goods, from motor cars and railway engines to pins and buttons. The Midland plain makes farming land.

The most important city of Scotland is Aberdeen which is the oil centre. Ships and helicopters travel from Aberdeen to the North Sea oil rigs. Work on an oil rig is difficult and dangerous.

Most of the population of Scotland is concentrated in the Low­lands. Here, on the Clyde, is Glasgow, Scotland's biggest city. Ship­building is one of its most important industries, other industries are iron and steel, heavy and light engineering and coal-mining. It is an in­dustrial city and an important port in the UK.

Except for coal, mineral resources of Wales are limited, and include gold, sil­ver, lead, and copper. South Wales is more developed: coal-mining, steel production, electronics, electrical engineering and chemicals can be found here.

The capital of Wales is Cardiff, the largest city of Wales. Cardiff is situated near the mouth of the Taff River. It is an important industrial city and a port. It is also an administrative and educational centre.

The second largest city in Wales is Swansea where mainly steel production can be found. Since World War II there has been intensive development in the metals industries especially in the south and south-east.

The whole econ­omy of Northern Ireland is closely integrated with that of Great Brit­ain. It has its roots in three basic industries — agriculture, textiles and shipbuilding. The largest industry is agriculture conducted for the most part on small family farms. It occupies about 72 per cent of the land area.

Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland is the leading industrial cen­tre and a large port. Its chief industries are the production of linen and other textiles, clothing, shipbuilding, engineering.