UNIT 4. THE UNITED KINGDOM (the UK)

The official name of the country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It was formed by the union of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801, but Southern Ireland broke away in 1921. The official name of the country is often abbreviated to the United Kingdom, Great Britain, Britain, England or the UK.

Its area is 244,046 square kilometers (94,201 square miles). The capital of the UK is London. The country is located in the north west of Europe. It is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the English Channel and the North Sea. The main rivers of the UK are the Thames, the Tees, the Tweed, the Trent. The geographical position has made the United Kingdom a commercial and maritime power,

The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy and it is made up of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Wales became an English principality in 1284, Scotland and England were officially joined as Great Britain in 1707. Each of the four parts of the UK consists of counties.

1. Answer the following questions:

   1. What is the official name of the country?

   2. What other names are used for the name of the country?

   3. How large is the UK?

   4. What is the capital of the UK? What can you say about this city?

   5. What are the main rivers in the country?

   6. What can you say about its administrative and political system?

LONDON

London is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. Modern London is not one city that has steadily become larger through the centuries; it is a number of cities, towns, and villages that have, during the past centuries, grown together to make one vast urban area.

London is situated upon both banks of the River Thames. It is the largest city in Britain and one of the largest in the world. Its population is about 7 million people and one more million travel in each day to work. People who work in London and live in Suburbs are called commuters. They commute by train or bus from the suburbs because it is very expensive to buy a house or a flat neat the centre. In fact more and more people and firms move away from the capital.

London is a cosmopolitan, multicultural city. Every seventh londoner was born outside Britain. London dominates the life of Britain. It is a big port and most important commercial, manufacturing and cultural centre. There is little heavy industry in London, but there is a wide range of light industry in Greater London.

The City extends over an area of about 2.6 square kilometers in the heart of London. About half a million people work in the City but only less than 6,000 live here. It is the financial centre of the UK with many banks, offices and the Stock Exchange. But the City is also a market for goods of almost every kind, from all parts of the world.

The West End can be called the centre of London. Here are the historical places as well as the famous parks, Hyde Park with its Speaker's Corner is also here. Among other parks are Kensington Gardens, St Jame's Park. In the West End is the Buckingham Palace which is the Queen's residence, and the Palace of Westminster which is the seat of Parliament. The best-known streets here are Whitehall, Downing Street, Fleet Street, Harley Street. The name “West End” came to be associated with wealth, luxury, and goods of high quality. It is the area of the largest department stores, cinemas and hotels. There are over 40 theatres, several concert halls, many museums including the British Museum, and the best art galleries.

It is in the West End that the University of London is centered with Bloomsbury as London's student quarter.

References:

1. the City – 1) Сити ( исторический центр Лондона; один из крупнейших финансовых и коммерческих центров мира) 2) перен. Английский финансовый капитал, финансовая олигархия

2. Greater London – Большой Лондон (административно-территориальная единица, включает сам город и пригороды)

3. Stock Exchange – Лондонская фондовая биржа

4. Speaker's Corner – «Уголок оратора» (место в Гайд-Парке, где по воскресеньям и по субботам с импровизированной трибуны выступают ораторы на различные темы; в настоящее время превратился в одну из туристических достопримечательностей Лондона)

5. Kensington Gardens – Кенсингтон-Гарденз (большой парк в Лондоне, примыкает к Гайд Парку)

6. St. James Park – Сейн-Джеймс -Парк (расположен в центральной части Лондона)

7. Buckingham Palace – Букингемский дворец (главная королевская резиденция в Лондоне с 1837г.)

8. Whitehall – 1) Уайтхолл ( улица в центральной части Лондона, на которой находятся важнейшие министерства и др. правительственные учреждения); 2) перен. английское правительство

9. Downing Street – Даунинг-Стрит (небольшая улица в центральной части Лондона, на которой в доме № 10 находится лондонская резиденция премьер-министра); 2) Даунинг-Стрит, английское правительство

10. Fleet Street – 1) Флит-Стрит ( улица в Лондоне, на которой до 1980 г. находились редакции большинства крупнейших газет. В настоящее время большинство из них переехало в другие районы города) 2) перен. пресса и мир журналистики

11. Harley Street – 1) Харли-Стрит (улица в Лондоне, находятся приемные ведущих частных врачей-консультантов); 2) перен. Медики, медицинский мир

12. the British Museum – Британский музей ( один из крупнейших музеев мира)

13. Bloomsbery – Блумзбери (район в центральной части Лондона, где находится Британский музей и Лондонской университет)

Exercises

1. Say if these statements true or false:

1. London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom.

2. London's population is about 10 million people.

3. People who work in London and live in London are called commuters.

4. The City is situated in the heart of London.

5. The West End is the poorest part of London.

6. In the West End is the Buckingham Palace which is the Queen's residence.

2. Find in the text the English equivalents to the Russian words and word combinations:

1. London is расположен upon both banks of the River Thames.

2. Its население is about 7 million people and one more million travel in each day to work.

3. They commute by train or bus from the suburbs because it is very дорого to buy a house or a квартиру neat the centre.

4. It is a big port and most important коммерческий, промышленный and культурный centre.

5. The City extends over an территорию of about 2.6 square kilometers in the heart of London.

6. Самые известные улицы here are Whitehall, Downing Street, Fleet Street, Harley Street.

England

Of the four parts which make up Great Britain England is the largest, the industrial and most densely populated part of the United Kingdom. Over 48,8 million people of the population of the UK live in England.

The greatest concentrations of population are in London, Birmingham and northwest industrial cities. The coasts of England are washed by the North Sea, the Irish Sea, the English Channel and the Strait of Dover. No part of England is more than 120 kilometers from the sea. The opening of the Channel Tunnel means Britain's railway network is now linked directly to Europe. Eurostar trains run several times a day from the centre of London to Paris and Brussels.

It is interesting to note that the sea has been important in the history of England. It was a good protection against the attacks of outside peoples. Fishing has always been an important industry, especially in the east. The sea also has a great effect on England's climate.

There are many rivers in England. The longest and the most important is the Thames. The rivers are of great importance for communication and especially for carrying goods.

England is mostly a lowland country. There are upland regions in the north and the southwest, but the rest of England is almost flat.

Northern England, Midlands and Southern England – each part of England is different. The lake district in Northern England with its lakes, mountains and valleys is a favourite holiday area. On either side of the Pennines the plains of Yorkshire and Lancashire stretch to the sea. In Yorkshire swift rivers flow down from the hills into valleys called “dales”.

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

In Southern England are found some of the oldest British settlements and traces of ancient monuments such as Stonehenge.

References:

1. Yorkshire – Йоркшир ( графство в Англии)

2. Lancashire – Ланкашир ( графство в Англии)

3. Bradford – г. Брадфорд (крупный промышленный город)

4. Stonehenge – Стоунхендж ( один из самых больших и известных в мире кромлехов; сооружен в 1900 — 1600 гг. до н.э.; состоит из огромных отдельно стоящих каменных глыб в виде круглых или квадратных оград; использовался для астрономических наблюдений и определений времен года)

5. dale – горная речка