The UK. English Language

English is the primary language* in Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia (Australian English), the Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Belize (Belizean Kriol), the British Indian Ocean Territory, the British Virgin Islands, Canada (Canadian English), the Cayman Islands, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Grenada, Guam, Guernsey (Channel Island English), Guyana, Ireland (Hiberno-English), Isle of Man (Manx English), Jamaica (Jamaican English), Jersey, Montserrat, Nauru, New Zealand (New Zealand English), Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Singapore, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the United Kingdom, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the United States.

The following is a list of sovereign states and territories where English is an official or language of government.

In many countries English is the dominant language, but does not have official status. In Australia, English is spoken by the vast majority of the population and is the only language used in government institutions, yet Australia does not have an official language. The case is the same in the United Kingdom and the United States, though many states and regions within the U.S. do have English as an official language. English is an official language of Canada (along with French) and the Philippines (along with Filipino). English is the sole official language of the Commonwealth of Nations and the Commonwealth Games. English is one of the official languages of the United Nations, European Union and the International Olympic Committee.

Many of these countries are current or former colonies or dependencies of the United Kingdom (see also British Empire), or of the United States. Notable exceptions include Rwanda which was a former Belgian colony as well as Ethiopia and Eritrea.

India's linguistic picture is complex. According to the Constitution of India, "Hindi in the Devanagari script" is the official language of the union and English the 'subsidiary official language'; however, English is mandated for the authoritative texts of all federal laws and Supreme Court decisions, and (along with Hindi) is one of the two languages of the Indian Parliament. English is used almost exclusively for all higher education, business and science. All school courses are taught in English. English is extensively used for administrative purposes in India. India is the 2nd largest English-speaking country in the world by population next to U.S.A. As such, many consider English to be the de facto official language of India.

The linguistic makeup of Pakistan is similarly complex. While the national language is Urdu, English is an official language and used in business, government, and law. English is a compulsory language in schools. All school courses are taught in English. Pakistan is the 9th largest English-speaking country in the world by population.

The UK.EDUCATION

UK education is recognized and respected throughout the world.

The system is broadly classified into the following four main categories:

Primary Education

Children in UK start their education with primary education at the age of 5 years. It is for 6 years and students will be educated up to the age of 11 at this level. Primary education in UK is sometimes divided into 2 parts – Infant/Nursery schools (age level 5-7) and junior schools (age level 7-11). Secondary Education

Secondary Education

Secondary education encompasses the next level of education between the age group of 11-16 years, which is similar to ‘High school’ in India. Here, students will be pursuing a common set of courses and take the GCSE exam conducted at the end of secondary education.

Nevertheless, many pupils in UK pursue additional 2 years of Advanced level of education (GCE A level) equivalent qualifications as sixth form students. They can also pursue Advanced Supplementary Level (GCE AS level) examsafter secondary education. International students often enter the education system at this point, e.g. taking an A-level course in preparation for further or higher education in the UK.

Further Education This level covers (or similar to) post-16 courses that are similar to GCE A-level exams, where course may be either full-time or part-time and for any subject. This is the post-secondary level of education in UK. Pupils seeking admission in colleges or universities have to complete their further education. Usually it includes education for the pupil over 16 years of age with the certification of GCSE or equivalent of it. This is generally taught in FE colleges and later in community learning institutions.

Higher Education Most higher education begins at the age of 18 at colleges or universities. Most international students will enter directly into the UK higher education system, after completing their home country’s equivalent to the UK’s ‘further education’. It requires above the standard of GCE A-level. For pupil without A-level exam have to take additional 1-year program, especially international students undertake this course as training of university course in UK. Here credits will be awarded for them towards student’s degree.

Undergraduate An undergraduate degree normally takes three years to complete but can take longer if they include an industrial placement, an additional subject or a year abroad. They are also specialised from Year One.

Types of undergraduate degree include:

BSc (Bachelor of Science) - a science degree

BA (Bachelor of Arts) - an arts degree

BEng (Bachelor of Engineering) - an engineering degree

Undergraduate Degree with or without Honours (e.g B.Sc Hons) – three-year undergraduate degree including extra subjects studied at a deeper level, or of four-year duration with an year in the Industry, for practical training.

Postgraduate Students who receive good grades in their undergraduate degrees may choose to take a Masters degree, which takes a minimum of one year to complete.

Types of Masters degree include:

M Sc (Master of Science) MA (Master of Arts)

M Ed (Master of Education) LLM (Master of Law)

MBA (Master of Business Administration)

Education System in Scotland

Pre-school (3-4 years) Primary school (5-12 years)

Secondary school (12-16/18 years) Further education (16+)

Higher education (17/18+) Community education (all ages)

Undergraduate degrees take three years to complete in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, while at Scottish universities they last four years. At the graduate level, a master's degree is normally earned in a single year, a research master's degree takes two years and a doctoral degree is often completed in three years.

Professional courses, such as medicine, veterinary medicine, law and teaching, usually are undertaken as five-year undergraduate degrees.

The UK.Location.Relief

The total area of the United Kingdom is approximately 243,610 square kilometres. The country occupies the major part of the British Isles archipelago and includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern one-sixth of the island of Ireland and some smaller surrounding islands. It lies between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea with the south-east coast coming within 35 kms of the coast of northern France, from which it is separated by the English Channel. As of 1993^[update] 10% of the UK was forested, 46% used for pastures and 25% used for agriculture. The Royal Greenwich Observatory in London is the defining point of the Prime Meridian.

Northern Ireland shares a 360-kilometre land boundary with the Republic of Ireland. The coastline of Great Britain is 17,820 kilometres (11,073 mi) long. It is connected to continental Europe by the Channel Tunnel, which at 50 kms (38 kms underwater) is the longest underwater tunnel in the world.

England accounts for just over half of the total area of the UK, covering 130,395 square kms. Most of the country consists of lowland terrain, with mountainous terrain north-west of the Tees-Exe line; including the Cumbrian Mountains of the Lake District, the Pennines and limestone hills of the Peak District, Exmoor and Dartmoor. The main rivers and estuaries are the Thames, Severn and the Humber. England's highest mountain is Scafell Pike (978 metres) in the Lake District. Its principal rivers are the Severn, Thames, Humber, Tees, Tyne, Tweed, Avon, Exe and Mersey.

Scotland accounts for just under a third of the total area of the UK, covering 78,772 square kms and including nearly eight hundred islands, predominantly west and north of the mainland; notably the Hebrides, Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands. The topography of Scotland is distinguished by the Highland Boundary Fault—a geological rock fracture—which traverses Scotland from Arran in the west to Stonehaven in the east. The faultline separates two distinctively different regions; namely the Highlands to the north and west and the lowlands to the south and east. The more rugged Highland region contains the majority of Scotland's mountainous land, including Ben Nevis which at 1,343 metres is the highest point in the British Isles. Lowland areas, especially the narrow waist of land between the Firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth known as the Central Belt, are flatter and home to most of the population including Glasgow, Scotland's largest city, and Edinburgh, its capital and political centre.

Wales accounts for less than a tenth of the total area of the UK, covering 20,779 square kms. Wales is mostly mountainous, though South Wales is less mountainous than North and mid Wales. The main population and industrial areas are in South Wales, consisting of the coastal cities of Cardiff, Swansea and Newport, and the South Wales Valleys to their north. The highest mountains in Wales are in Snowdonia and include Snowdon which, at 1,085 metres, is the highest peak in Wales. The 14, or possibly 15, Welsh mountains over 3,000 feet (914 m) high are known collectively as the Welsh 3000s. Wales has over 1,200 km of coastline. There are several islands off the Welsh mainland, the largest of which is Anglesey in the northwest.

Northern Ireland accounts for just 14,160 square kms and is mostly hilly. It includes Lough Neagh which, at 388 square kms, is the largest lake in the British Isles by area. The highest peak in Northern Ireland is Slieve Donard in the Mourne Mountains at 852 metres.

The UK.CLIMATE.INLAND WATERS.

It is also positioned on the western seaboard of Eurasia, the world's largest land mass. These boundary conditions allow convergence between moist maritime air and dry continental air. In this area, the large temperature variation creates instability and this is a major factor that influences the often unsettled weather the country experiences, where many types of weather can be experienced in a single day.

Regional climates in the United Kingdom are influenced by the Atlantic Ocean and latitude. Northern Ireland, Wales and western parts of England and Scotland, being closest to the Atlantic, are generally the mildest, wettest and windiest regions of the UK, and temperature ranges here are seldom extreme. Eastern areas are drier, cooler, less windy and also experience the greatest daily and seasonal temperature variations. Northern areas are generally cooler, wetter and have a slight bigger temperature range than southern areas. Though the UK is mostly under the influence of the maritime tropical air mass from the south-west, different regions are more susceptible than others when different air masses affect the country: Northern Ireland and the west of Scotland are the most exposed to the maritime polar air mass which brings cool moist air; the east of Scotland and north-east England are more exposed to the continental polar air mass which brings cold dry air; the south and south-east of England are more exposed to the continental tropical air mass which brings warm dry air (and consequently most of the time the warmest summer temperatures); Wales and the south-west of England are the most exposed to the maritime tropical air mass which brings warm moist air. If the air masses are strong enough in their respective areas during the summer there can sometimes be a massive difference in temperature between the far north/north-west of Scotland (including the Islands) and south-east of England - usually around 10-15°C but can be as much as 20°C or more. An example of this could be that in the height of summer the northern isles could be sitting at around 15°C and areas around London could be basking at 30°C.

The longest river in the UK is the River Severn (354 km) which flows through both Wales and England. A folk etymology later developed, deriving the name from a mythical story of a nymph, Sabrina, who drowned in the river. The name Severn is thought to derive from a Celtic original name Sabrina. Flows from its source in the Cambrian Mountains in Wales, to its mouth in the Bristol Channel.

The longest rivers in the UK by country are:

England: River Thames (346 km)

It rises at Thames Head in Gloucestershire, and flows into the North Sea at the Thames Estuary. The river contains over 80 islands, and having both seawater and freshwater stretches, it supports a variety of wildlife.

The river has supported human activity from its source to its mouth for thousands of years providing habitation, water power, food and drink. It has also acted as a major highway through the Port of London for international trade, internally along its length and by its connection to the British canal system. The river’s strategic position has seen it at the centre of many events and fashions in British history, earning it a description by John Burns as “Liquid History”. It has been a physical and political boundary over the centuries and generated a range of river crossings. More recently, the river has become a major leisure area supporting tourism and pleasure outings as well as the sports of rowing, sailing, skiffing, kayaking, and punting. The river has had a special appeal to writers, artists, musicians and film-makers and is well-represented in the arts.

Scotland: River Tay (188 km)

The Tay originates in western Scotland on the slopes of Ben Lui its mouth at the Firth of Tay, south of Dundee. The river is of quite high biodiversity value and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) maintaining a flagship population of Atlantic salmon, Freshwater pearl mussel –речн жемчужница) and native species such as the Eurasian otter-выдра .Freshwater pearl mussels are one of Scotland's most endangered species and the River Tay hosts two-thirds of the world's remaining stock.

N. Ireland: River Bann (122 km)

meaning "the white river".The river winds its way from the south east corner of Northern Ireland to the north west coast, pausing in the middle to widen into the enormous Lough Neagh. The river has played an important part in the industrialisation of the north of Ireland, especially in the linen industry. Today salmon and eel fisheries are the most important economic features of the river. The river is often used as a dividing line between the eastern and western areas of Northern Ireland, often labelled the "Bann divide". Towns, councils and businesses "west of the Bann" are often seen as having less investment and government spending than those to the east.

Wales: River Tywi (103 km)

The River Tywi flows from the Cambrian mountains in a south westerly direction, through Llandovery and Llandeilo to an estuary below the county town of Carmarthen. Green riverbanks, spectacular waterfalls, Is noted for its sea trout and salmon fishing.

The largest lakes in the UK by country are:

N. Ireland: Lough Neagh (381.74 km²)

Six major rivers flow into the Lough and one flows out (the River Bann) and they collectively drain more than 1/3 of Northern Ireland’s water. Lough Neagh is an important source of water for Belfast.

The Legend: The famed warrior giant, Finn McCool, was in hot pursuit of his rival the thieving Scottish Giant. The Scottish Giant could run faster than Finn and in a short time had almost reached the coast. Fearing he would lose him, Finn scooped up a mighty handful of earth and rocks and hurled it far into the sky towards the fleeing giant. But not knowing his own strength, he overthrew his target and the Giant Scot made his escape. The great mass of rocks and clay flew far out into the sea where it became the Isle of Man. In the place from where the rocks where taken, there remained a giant hole. Gradually it filled with water to become Lough Neagh.

Scotland: Loch Lomond (71.12 km²)

Lying on the Highland Boundary Fault. The lake contains many islands, including Inchmurrin, the largest fresh-water island in the British Isles. Loch Lomond is a popular leisure destination. The Loch Lomond Golf Club is situated on the south western shore. It has hosted many international events including the Scottish Open.

England: Windermere (14.74 km²)

It is a ribbon lake. It was formed 13,000 years ago during the last major ice age by two glaciers. When the glaciers melted the lake filled with the meltwater, which was held in by moraine (rock material) deposited by the glacier. It is in the county of Cumbria and entirely within the Lake District National Park.

Wales: Llyn Tegid (Bala Lake) (4.84 km²)

Is subject to sudden and dangerous floods. The River Dee runs through it and the waters of the lake are famously deep and clear. The town of Bala sits at its northern end and the narrow gauge Bala Lake Railway runs for several kilometres along the lake's southern shore.

The deepest lake in the UK is Loch Morar with a maximum depth of 309 metres (Loch Ness is second at 228 metres deep). The deepest lake in England is Wastwater which descends to 79 metres.

Eas a' Chual Aluinn in the parish of Assynt, Sutherland, Highland, Scotland, is Britain's highest waterfall with a sheer drop of 658 ft (200 m). When in full flow it is over three times higher than Niagara Falls. The name is a corruption of Scottish Gaelic "Eas a' Chùil Àlainn", ("waterfall of the beautiful tresses-локоны").

The UK.VEGETATION.WILD LIFE

Britain was originally a land of vast forests. mainly oak and beech in the Lowlands and pine and birch In the Highlands, with great stretches of marshland and smaller areas of moors. In the course of time, much forest land was cleared and almost all Lowlands outside the industrial areas were put under cultivation. Today only about 6 per cent of the total land area remains wooded.

Extensive forests remain in eastern and northern Scotland and in south-eastern and western England. Oak, elm, ash, and beech are the commonest trees in England, while Scotland has much pine and birch. The Highlands with thin soil are largely moorland with heather and grasses. In the cultivated areas that make up most of Britain there are many wild flowers, flowering plants and grasses.

The fauna or animal life of Britain is much like that of north-western Europe, to which it was once joined. Many larger mammals such as bear, wolf have been hunted to extinction, others are now protected by law. There are many foxes. Otters are common along rivers and streams, and seals live along much of the coast. Hedgehogs, hares, rabbits, rats and mice are numerous. Deer live in some of the forests in the Highlands of Scotland and England.

Some 230 kinds of birds live in Britain, and another 200 are regular visitors, many are songbirds. The most numerous are blackbirds, sparrow and starling. Robin Redbreast is the national bird of Britain. The number of ducks, geese and other water fowl has diminished during recent years.

There are many threats to wildlife and ecological balance around the coast. The biggest threat to the coastline is pollution. Even much-loved Blackpool is not officially asafe. More than 3.500 million tons of industrial waste is pumped into the North Sea every year. We cannot continue to use our seas as a dustbin and expect our coastline to survive," says Greenpeace. ''Many other ecological problems may be caused by privatization of the coast. Many of the rivers are ''biologically dead'', i.e. unable to support fish and wildlife.

The landscape and flora of the British Isles has been determined by the weather, geological movements and, more recently by humans and human activity. With the retreat of the glaciers associated with the last Ice Age, the underlying land was once again exposed, the sea level rose and some 9,000 years ago, the British Isles became separated from the rest of Europe.

The UK:

The Red Squirrel

Snakes:The Adder-гадюка

The Grass Snake-уж обыкновенный

The Smooth Snake- медянка

The Manx Shearwater-буревестник

Puffins-‘тупик-птица

Otters-выдра

The Red Fox

The Golden Eagle

The Common Buzzard-канюк(типа ястреб)

The Eurasian Badger-барсук

Stoat Or Weasel?-ласка\горностай

Field Mouse

Bean Goose-гуменник

The Common Lizard-ящерица

The Sand Lizard

The Tudor rose, England's national floral emblem+Lions.

The thistle-чертополох, Scotland's Floral emblem.

The Red Kite –сокол a national symbol of Welsh wildlife. The daffodil –нарцисс and the leek-лук порей are also symbols of Wales.

Northern Ireland: Shamrock-Трилистник Description: Legend has it that the shamrock was used by St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, to illustrate the Holy Trinity, hence its widespread use on St. Patrick's day on 17 March. It is one of Ireland's national emblems.

Trees of the UK:

Ash-ясень,mountain ash-рябина

Beech-бук

Birch -береза

Blackthorn-терн

Elder-бузина

Hawthorn-боярышник

Hazel-орешник

Horse Chestnut – конский каштан

Norway Spruce-ель

Oak-дуб

Strawberry tree-земляничн дерево

Wild Service Tree-дикая рябина

Yew-тис

The UK.ECONOMY

A nation's economy is a term for the system that creates wealth through the production and sale of goods and services. England was the first country in the world to experience industrialization. The industrial revolution started in the textile mills of Lanca-shire in the late 18th century.

Britain's economy power rests on its industries and natural resources. These include the extraction of oil and gas from the North sea, coal mining, agriculture, textiles, fishing, electronics, tourism, publishing, chemicals and financial service.

As part of the European Union Britain enjoys extensive trading relations with its neighbours across the channel as well as with many countries around the world.

The United Kingdom has an economy based mainly on private enterprises. Since 1980 all of the largest public industries have been privatized. They are no longer controlled by the government. Examples are coal, steel, shipbuilding, civil aviation, electricity, gas and water supplies.

The best indicator of an economy's health is its annual total output of goods and services, which is called the gross national product or, simply, GNP(валовым национ продукт). The economy of the UK is the seventh-largest national economy in the world measured by nominal GDP (Gross domestic product).

Agriculture accounts for about 3% of the gross national product and employs 2% of the population. Since Roman times the cultivation of wheat has been the main agricultural activity. Fruit growing in the south and sheep rearing in the north are traditional sources of employment.

Britain has rich mineral deposits: coal, iron and tin. Oil production has allowed Britain to become self-sufficient in petroleum and accounts for over 5% of Britain's annual GNP.

Manufacturing industries now account for one fifth of the GNP and employ less than one-third of the work force. Major manufacturing products include metal goods, ships, motor vehicles, petrochemicals, and other chemicals.

Export of goods and services accounts for as much as one-third of the GNP, and the British merchant navy remains one of the largest in the world. The European Union which the United Kingdom joined in 1973, accounts for three-fifths of the country's trade. Exports to the countries of the Commonwealth represent approximately one-tenth of the United Kingdom's total exports and ordinarily exceed imports.

London is the world's largest financial centre alongside New York and has the largest city GDP in Europe. As of December 2010 the UK had the third-largest stock of both inward and outward foreign direct investment (in each case after the United States and France). The aerospace industry of the UK is the second- or third-largest national aerospace industry, depending upon the method of measurement. The pharmaceutical industry plays an important role in the UK economy and the country has the third-highest share of global pharmaceutical expenditures (after the United States and Japan).

Scottish economy produces, from textiles, whisky and shortbread-песочн печенье to aeroengines, buses, computer software, ships, avionics and microelectronics to banking, insurance and other related financial services.

The modern Welsh economy is dominated by the service sector(public administration, health and education)+finances, tourism.

The economy of Northern Ireland is the smallest of the four countries in the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland has traditionally had an industrial economy, most notably in shipbuilding, rope manufacture and textiles, but most heavy industry has since been replaced by services.

The UK. CLASSES.STEREOTYPES.

The social structure of the UK has historically been highly influenced by the concept of social class, with the concept still affecting British society in the early-21st century. Although definitions of social class in the United Kingdom vary and are highly controversial, most are influenced by factors of wealth, occupation and education. Until recently the Parliament of the United Kingdom was organised on a class basis, with the House of Lords representing the upper class and the House of Commons representing everyone else, and the British monarch is often viewed as being at the top of the social class structure.

Middle class : Lower middle class

consists of white collar workers and their families living in less rich suburbs. ( sales, rail ticket agents, railway guards, airline stewardesses and ticket agents, travel agents, hotel clerks, shipping clerks)Member of the lower middle class typically speak in local accents, although relatively mild.

Middle middle class

consists of people with tertiary education-высш. They speak in accents which could range from received pronunciation, to provincial (accountants, architects, doctors, lawyers, teachers, social workers, managers, businessmen, engineers, or civil servants. They are highly politically and socially engaged and might be regular churchgoers. They will make every effort to ensure their children get a university education; They also value culture and make up a significant proportion of the book-buying and theatre-going public. They prefer TV documentaries and dramas over reality shows, BBC radio 4 over pop stations and broadsheet newspapers over tabloids.

Upper middle class

consists of people who were born into families which have traditionally possessed high incomes, although this group is defined more by family background than by job or income. This stratum, in England, traditionally uses the Received Pronunciation dialect natively. Frequently its members are in academia, the clergy-духовенство, finance, the law, medicine or officers in the military. Traditionally educated at more prestigious private schools, called "public schools" in the United Kingdom. Many upper middle class families may have previous ancestry that often directly relates to the upper classes.

Underclass

was first identified in the 1990s, a group consisting of the long-term unemployed, elderly pensioners, economic immigrants and those dependent on state benefits.

Upper class

statistically very small and consists of the peerage(пэры), gentry(джентри, нетитулован мелкопомест двор-во), and hereditary landowners. These people were traditionally the wealthiest in the land having inherited money and position. Nowadays, when children are old enough, they may attend a prep school or pre-preparatory school. Moving into secondary education, children attend one of Britain's public schools. Sports — particularly those involving the outdoors — are often regarded as a popular pastime of the upper class( at school, rugby union is much more popular than football) +lawn tennis, croquet, cricket , golf, polo. Hunting and shooting, too, are favoured pastimes. There is also a particular affinity for dogs (especially Labradors and spaniels) amongst the upper class.

Money and material possessions are often thought of as a less important factor.

Working class : Skilled working class

This class of people would be in skilled blue collar jobs, traditionally in the construction and manufacturing industry + white van man . These people would speak in local accents and have craft apprenticeships-обуч-е ремеслу rather than university education. The lifestyle they aspire to is that of nouveau-riche celebrities rather than the traditional upper and middle classes.