1. What is the official name of Great Britain?

2. What are the capitals of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland?

3. The capital of Great Britain is London, isn’t it?

4. What languages are spoken in the uk?

5. What is the population of Great Britain?

6. Where is the country situated?

7. What is the total land area of the UK?

8. What seas and oceans is Great Britain washed by?

9. The surface of Great Britain varies much, doesn’t it?

10. What are the main rivers in the country?

11. What river does London stand on?

12. Which part of Great Britain is known for its lakes?

13. Why is British climate mild?

14. What is characteristic of the Britain’s climate?

15. What kind of state is the UK?

16. Who rules Britain officially? Who rules Britain in practice?

17. What is the difference between the House of Lords and the House of Commons?

18. Who won the last general election? Who is the PM now?

19. What mineral resources can be found on the territory of the country?

20. What can you say about the economy of the country?

21. Do you know any famous Englishmen? Who are they?

Read the texts about some British sights

A. There are some unusual places in Great Britain. Let’s take the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland for example. The Causeway is a mass of stone columns standing very near together. The tops of the columns form stepping stones leading from the cliff foot and disappearing under the sea. There are about 40,000 of these stone columns. The tallest are about 42 feet (13 m) high. Visitors in modern times are told that it is the result of volcanic action, but the legend says it is a giant’s work. The ancient Irish knew that there lived the giant Finn McCool, the Ulster soldier, who was extremely strong. He fell in love with a lady giant that lived on an island in Scotland, and so he began to build this causeway to bring her to Ulster.

B. Stonehenge is perhaps the most famous, as well as the most mysterious, of all prehistoric engineering monuments. There is nothing else like it anywhere in the world. Started 5,000 years ago, it was remodeled several times in the centuries that followed. Yet, why it was built is remaining a mystery. Stonehenge consists of two circles of huge stone blocks. Inside these are two groups of stones in the shape of a horseshoe. On June the 21^st , the longest day of the year, the rising sun faces the open part of the horseshoe and shines on the centre stone. At one time, people thought that Stonehenge was a Druid temple (храм друидов, жрецов древних кельтов), where they honoured the sun god but we shall never know precisely how it was used or what religious beliefs were celebrated there.

C. Stratford-on-Avon is the place where the greatest dramatist and poet of the English literature William Shakespeare was born and died (1564-1616). April 23^rd is the day on which Shakespeare was born and also the day when he died. Stratford is a very interesting town in the centre of England. There are beautiful woods, green fields, a quiet river Avon and lovely country houses. The main centres of interest include the Birthplace itself, Anne Hathaway’s Cottage (the home of Shakespeare’s wife), foundations and gardens of New Place (where he died), Shakespeare Memorial Theatre and the beautiful Holy Trinity Church (Shakespeare’s burial place).