III Змістовий модуль

“Велика Британія. США. ”

Практичне заняття № 1

ТЕМА: Географічне розташування Великобританії.

Політична система країни.

Граматичний матеріал: Займенник (The Pronoun). Групи займенника в англійській мові.

Читання та обговорення тексту за вказаною темою:

VOCABULARY: to be situated, to consist, respectively , to include, to mean, to separate, surface, to vary, valley, machinery, head of state, in practice, to reign, to rule, to elect, government, at the head, chamber.

Great Britain

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated on the British Isles. The British Isles consist of two large islands. Great Britain and Ireland, and about five thousand small islands. Their total area is over 244.000 square kilometers. The United Kingdom is made up of four countries: England. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast respectively. Great Britain consists of England. Scotland and Wales and does not include Northern Ireland. But in everyday speech «Great Britain» is used to mean the United Kingdom. The capital of the UK is London.

The British Isles are separated from the European continent by the North Sea and the English Channel. The western coast of Great Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea.

The surface of the British Isles varies very much. The north of Scotland is mountainous and is called the Highlands, while the south, which has beautiful valleys and plains, is called the Lowlands. The north and west of England are mountainous, but all the rest — east, centre and south-east — is a vast plain. Mountains are not very high: Ben Nevis in Scotland is the highest mountain (1343 m). There are a lot of rivers in Great Britain, but they are not very long. The Severn is the longest river, while the Thames is the deepest and the most important one.

The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of Gulf Stream influence the climate of the British Isles. It is mild the whole year round.

The UK is one of the wood's smaller countries. Its population is over 57 million. About 80% of the population is urban. The UK is a highly developed industrial country. It is known as one of the world's largest producers and exporters of machinery, electronics, textile, aircraft and navigation equipment. One of the chief industries of the country is ship­building.

The System of Government

The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. The head of the state is Queen Elizabeth II. The queen reigns, but does not rule. A Cabinet of government officials, called ministers, actually rules the country. These ministers normally belong to the political party that has a majority in the House of Commons, which dominates in Parliament, the country's lawmaking body. They are responsible to Parliament, which, in turn, is responsible to the people.

The Constitution of the United Kingdom is not one document, as are the constitutions of many other countries. Much of it is not ever in writing, and so the country is often said to have an unwritten constitution.

Some of the written parts of the Constitution come from laws passed by Parliament. Some written parts come from such old documents as Magna Charta, which limited the king's power. Other written parts come from common law. A body of laws based on people's customs and beliefs, and supported in the courts.

The monarchy is over 1,000 years old. The throne passes from a king or a queen to his or her oldest son or daughter. The crown symbolizes the British monarch's supreme power. For hundreds of years, the monarch held most authority. But as Parliament's power grew, the monarch's power declined.

Parliament makes the laws of the United Kingdom. Parliament consists of the Queen, the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The Queen must approve all bills passed by Parliament before they can become laws. Although the Queen may reject a bill, no monarch has done it since the early 1700s.

The country is ruled by the elected government with the Prime Minister at the head. The British Parliament consists of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Four groups of people sit in the House of Lords: archbishops, bishops of the Church of England, the law lords, hereditary peers and life peers. The House of Lords is the final court of appeal in civil lawsuit and, in special circumstances, in criminal cases. When it sits as a law court, only law lords attend.

The House of Commons is made up of 651 elected members known as Members If Parliament (abbreviated to MPs), each of whom represents an area (constituency) If the United Kingdom. They are elected either at a general election, or at a by-election following the death or retirement of an MP. The Queen, Lords and Commons all have to agree to any new law which is billed. In reality, the House of Commons is the only one of the three which has true power.

Questions:

1. The UK is an island state, isn't it? Where is it situated?

2. What countries is the UK made up of? What are their capitals?

3. What channel separates the British Isles from the European continent?

4. The surface of the British Isles varies very much, doesn't it?

5. What is the north of Scotland called? What is the south of Scotland called?

6. What's the highest mountain in Scotland?

7. Are there a lot of long and deep rivers in Great Britain?

8. Why is the climate of the British Isles mild?

Граматичний матеріал: Займенник (The Pronoun). Групи займенника в англійській мові.

A pronoun can replace a noun or another pronoun. You use pronouns like "he," "which," "none," and "you" to make your sentences less cumbersome and less repetitive. Grammarians classify pronouns into several types, including the personal pronoun, the demonstrative pronoun, the interrogative pronoun, the indefinite pronoun, the relative pronoun, the reflexive pronoun, and the intensive pronoun.

Personal Pronouns

A personal pronoun refers to a specific person or thing and changes its form to indicate person, number, gender, and case.

Subjective Personal Pronouns

A subjective personal pronoun indicates that the pronoun is acting as the subject of the sentence. The subjective personal pronouns are "I," "you," "she," "he," "it," "we," "you," "they." In the following sentence, the highlighted word is a subjective personal pronoun and acts as the subject of the sentence: I was glad to find the bus pass in the bottom of the green knapsack.

Objective Personal Pronouns

An objective personal pronoun indicates that the pronoun is acting as an object of a verb, compound verb, preposition, or infinitive phrase. The objective personal pronouns are: "me," "you," "her," "him," "it," "us," "you," and "them."

In the following sentence, the highlighted word is an objective personal pronoun: Seamus stole the selkie's skin and forced her to live with him.

Possessive Personal Pronouns

A possessive pronoun indicates that the pronoun is acting as a marker of possession and defines who owns a particular object or person. The possessive personal pronouns are "mine," "yours," "hers," "his," "its," "ours," and "theirs." Note that possessive personal pronouns are very similar to possessive adjectives like "my," "her," and "their."

In the following sentence, the highlighted word is a possessive personal pronoun: The smallest gift is mine.

Demonstrative Pronouns

A demonstrative pronoun points to and identifies a noun or a pronoun. "This" and "these" refer to things that are nearby either in space or in time, while "that" and "those" refer to things that are farther away in space or time.

The demonstrative pronouns are "this," "that," "these," and "those." "This" and "that" are used to refer to singular nouns or noun phrases and "these" and "those" are used to refer to plural nouns and noun phrases. Note that the demonstrative pronouns are identical to demonstrative adjectives, though, obviously, you use them differently. It is also important to note that "that" can also be used as a relative pronoun: This must not continue.