10.Sports in Great Britain
The British are known to be great sport-loves, so when they are neither playing, nor watching games, they like to talk about them. Many of the games we play now have come from Britain. One of the most British games is cricket. It is often played in schools, colleges, universities and by club teams all over the country. Summer isn’t summer without cricket. To many Englishmen cricket is both a game and a standard of behaviour. When they consider anything unfair, they sometimes say “That isn’t cricket”. But as almost everywhere else in the world, the game, which attracts the greatest attention is Association football, or soccer. Every Saturday from late August till the beginning of May, large crowds of people support their favourite sides in football grounds. True fans will travel from one end of the country to the other to see their team play. There are plenty of professional and amateur soccer clubs all over Britain. International football matches and the Cup Finals take place at Wembley. Rugby football is also very popular and mainly amateurs play it. Next to football, the chief spectator sport in British life is horseracing. A lot of people are interested in the races and risk money on the horse, which they think will win. The Derby is perhaps the most famous single sporting event in the whole world. Britain is also famous for motorcar racing, dog-racing, boat-racing, and even races for donkeys. The famous boat race between the teams of Oxford and Cambridge attracts large crowds of people. A great number of people play and watch tennis. Tennis tournaments at Wimbledon are known all over the world. The innumerable tennis courts of Britain are occupied by people between the ages of 16 and 60 who show every degree of skill – from practically helpless to the extremely able. The British also like to play golf, baseball, hockey, and grass-hockey. Various forms of athletics, such as running, jumping, swimming, and boxing are also popular. You can sometimes hear that there are no winter sports in England. Of course the English weather is not always cold enough to ski, skate, or toboggan, but winter is a good season for hunting and fishing. Indeed sport in one form or another is an essential part of daily life in Britain.
11. Education in Great Britain
Education in Britain is compulsory and free for all children between the ages of 5-16. About 93 percent of all children are educated in state schools and the rest attend private schools.
Primary school. Schoolchildren attend a primary school for 6 years (5 to 11 years). When students transfer to Secondary School at the age of 11, they do not take any examination, but their reports are sent on from the Primary School.
Secondary School. Most children – over 80 percent – go to a comprehensive school. “Comprehensive” means all-inclusive. They admit pupils of all abilities. Pupils in all state in schools in England and Wales study 10 main subjects, among them: English, Mathematics, Science, History, Geography, Art, Music, Physical Education, Information Technology. Religious education is also taught. Attainment tests are given at the ages of 7, 11 and 14. At the age of 16 students sit the exams in as many subjects as possible. Weak students may only sit for three or four subjects. Better students take ten subjects. At the age of 16 about two thirds of these pupils leave school and get jobs. About one-third stay on at school until the age of 18, preparing themselves for higher education.
The 6th Form. More ambitious pupils continue to study in the 6th form. They stay on at school for one or two years to prepare themselves for university. They have only three or four main subjects, which are necessary to pass the advanced level exams at the age of 18. The school year is divided into three terms with the intervals between them during Christmas and Easter holidays lasting about two weeks each and summer holiday which is usually six weeks long. All kinds of out-of-class activities are part of school life in Britain. Most schools have very good libraries which students use for reference work.
There are about 90 universities, including the Open University, Oxford, and Cambridge, that were established in the 13th Century. The 15 city technology colleges in England teach the national curriculum but with an emphasis on science, technology, and mathematics.
12) The diplomatic foreign relations of the United Kingdom are implemented by the United Kingdom's Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The UK was the world's foremost power during the 19th and early 20th centuries.[1] Throughout history it has wielded significant influence upon other nations via the British Empire, and until the 1950s was considered a superpower. However, the cost of two World Wars and the process of decolonisation diminished this influence. Nevertheless, the United Kingdom remains a major power and a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, a Member State of the European Union, and a founding member of the G7, G8, G20,NATO, OECD, WTO, Council of Europe, OSCE, and the Commonwealth of Nations, which is a legacy of the British Empire.
The UK has varied relationships with the countries that make up the Commonwealth of Nations which originated from the British Empire. Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom is the head of the Commonwealth and is head of state of 16 of its 54 member states. Those that retain the Queen as head of state are called Commonwealth Realms. Over time several countries have been suspended from the Commonwealth for various reasons. Zimbabwe was suspended because of the authoritarian rule of itsPresident[13] and so too was Pakistan, but it has since returned. Countries which become republics are still eligible for membership of the Commonwealth so long as they are deemed democratic. Commonwealth nations such as Malaysia enjoyed no export duties in trade with the UK before the UK concentrated their economic relationship with EU member states.
The UK was once a dominant colonial power in many countries on the continent of Africa and its multinationals remain large investors in sub-Saharan Africa. Nowadays the UK, as a leading member of the Commonwealth of Nations, seeks to influence Africa through its foreign policies. Current UK disputes are with Zimbabwe over human rights violations. Tony Blair set up theAfrica Commission and urged rich countries to cease demanding developing countries repay their large debts.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces.
The MoD states that its principal objectives are to defend the United Kingdom and its interests and to strengthen international peace and stability.[4] With the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, the MoD does not foresee any short-term conventional military threat; rather, it has identified weapons of mass destruction, international terrorism, and failed and failing states as the overriding threats to the UK's interests.[5] The MoD also manages day to day running of the armed forces, contingency planning and defence procurement.
Defence policy
The 1998 Strategic Defence Review and the 2003 Delivering Security in a Changing World White Paper outlined the following posture for the British Armed Forces:
The ability to support three simultaneous small- to medium-scale operations, with at least one as an enduring peace-keeping mission (e.g. Kosovo). These forces must be capable of representing the UK as lead nation in any coalition operations.
The ability, at longer notice, to deploy forces in a large-scale operation while running a concurrent small-scale operation.
The MOD has since been regarded as a leader in elaborating the post-Cold War organising concept of “Defence Diplomacy”.[11][12][13]
In November 2010, the MOD released its first ever business plan
The Ministry of Defence includes a number of organisations:
Top Level Budget holder organisations:[25]
Navy Command
Land Forces
Air Command
Central TLB
Chief of Joint Operations
Defence Equipment and Support
Defence Infrastructure Organisation
Executive Agencies:
Defence Vetting Agency
Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency, which includes the Ministry of Defence Police
People, Pay and Pensions Agency
Service Children's Education
Service Personnel and Veterans Agency
Trading Funds:[26]
Defence Science and Technology Laboratory
Defence Support Group
UK Hydrographic Office
Non-departmental public bodies:
National Army Museum
National Museum of the Royal Navy
Royal Air Force Museum
8