- •Great britain
- •Exercises:
- •I. Read the following words from the text:
- •II. Correct the wrong statements. Begin your answers with the following expressions: That's right. Exactly so. I agree with it. No, that’s not right. Nothing of the kind.
- •III. Find English equivalents and use them in the sentences, of your own:
- •IV. Open the brackets:
- •V. Prove that:
- •VI. Read the following text and describe each constituent of the United Kingdom.
- •VII. A) Study the following speech-patterns:
- •VIII. Put questions to the sentences:
- •IX. Use the appropriate forms of the irregular verbs in the following sentences:
- •X. Read the text about the climate of Great Britain and answer the questions after the text.
- •Questions:
- •XI. Answer the questions:
- •XII. Read the following text and enumerate the peculiar British traditions which have been kept up till nowadays.
- •XIII. Find the Russian equivalents to the proverbs, characterizing the main traits of the national English character.
- •XIV. Translate the following passage in writing:
- •XV. Define the main idea of the following extracts:
- •It Is Interesting To Know
- •XVI. Express your opinion answering the questions:
- •XVII. Learn the decimal values of some English measures. Give the decimal equivalents to the figures below:
- •XVII. Tell as much as you can about Great Britain.
- •Exercises:
- •I. Read the words:
- •II. Find in the right column the meaning of the words given in the left column.
- •III. Find the sentences about:
- •IV. Complete the following sentences:
- •V. Learn the following expressions from the text and use them in the sentences or situations of your own:
- •VI. Answer the questions:
- •Exercises:
- •I. Read the following words:
- •II. Using the material of the text correct the wrong statements, if any, begin your answers with these expressions:
- •III. Complete the following sentences:
- •IV. Use the Passive Voice in the following sentences:
- •V. Learn the following expressions from the text and use them in the sentences of your own:
- •VI. Answer the questions:
- •VII. See how many of these famous Englishmen and their works you know:
- •XII. Read the following texts and retell them (in Russian). From the History of British Painting
XIII. Find the Russian equivalents to the proverbs, characterizing the main traits of the national English character.
1. Give every man thine ear, but very few thy voice (W. Shakespeare)
2. Brevity is the soul of wit. (W. Shakespeare)
3. To be born with a silver spoon in one's mouth.
XIV. Translate the following passage in writing:
William Shakespeare is generally acknowledged to have been Britain's finest playwright and one of her most accomplished poets. He is commonly regarded the greatest of writers in the English language. His plays show a great understanding of human activities of all kinds. In them, he very skilfully uses many various literary styles to express a wide range of emotions. Shakespeare's poems show his extraordinary powers of expression and his depth of emotional understanding. His work has had a great influence on English and many familiar sayings and quotations come from his works, many of his expressions have become part of the language. Here are some of them: "All the world’s a stage" ("Весь мир - театр") from the play "As you like it"; “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark” (“Подгнило что-то в датском государстве”), a line from the play "Hamlet" is used to describe corruption or a situation in which something is wrong; "There is a special providence in the fall of a sparrow" ("И в гибели воробья есть особый промысел"), a line from the plaу “Hamlet” suggesting that a divine power takes a benevolent interest in human affairs; "To be or not to be: that is the question" ("Быть или не быть - таков вопрос"), words from the play "Hamlet", which begin a famous speech by Prince Hamlet.
XV. Define the main idea of the following extracts:
It Is Interesting To Know
- Despite a geologically enforced and politically desired separation from the European continent, Great Britain has made its influence felt in the whole world. Considered by historians to be the Mother of modern democracies, Britain has ruled over the destiny of many distant lands for a number of centuries. It still plays a leading role in the Commonwealth and the English language has become a lingua franca which is no longer limited to the fields of trade, politics and science.
- The differences between the English, Scots, Irish and Welsh are less evident to the visitors, but each of these groups has their own particular accent and customs. On the whole, all these groups live in harmony because of the traditional British respect for the privacy and personal freedom of others.
- The Welsh consider themselves as the only true Britons because their presence in the territory dates back to prehistoric times. Despite its early annexation to England in 1284 and the signing of the Act of Union in 1536 during the reign of the Tudors (who were of Welsh origin), the people of Wales have maintained their own distinct culture which dates back to the pre-Christian kingdom.
- Scottish people have a reputation for being thrifty, although they are friendly and generous with their guests.
- In Scotland the sense of identity - so strong in its traditions and the pride of its past - is as deeply rooted as anywhere else in the British Isles. The most evident cultural heritage of the clans, who built up the most important form of social organisation among the mountain people of the cold highlands, is their characteristic tartans. An ample piece of woollen tartan cloth is originally wrapped around the hips in the traditional «kilt» and the remaining cloth covered the shoulders. The pattern and colours are distinctive for each single clan. In addition each clan had its own tune and, of course, the typical bagpipes, another well-known symbol.
- Many people in Scotland have the name McDonald or McKenzie. “Mac” means “son of” and people with this name usually feel they belong to the same family or clan. Campbell or Cameron are other common surnames. Common boys’ names are Angus, Donald or Duncan, and girls’ names are Morag, Fiona or Jean. The names Jimmy or Jock are so common that many English people call a man from Scotland “a Jimmy” or “a Jock”.