601910, Ковров, ул.Ма яковского,19. Part 1

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Geographical Outline

1. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated on the British Isles. They consist of two large islands – Great Britain and Ireland – and some 5,500 smaller islands. Their total area is over 244,000 square kilometres.

2. The British Isles are situated to the North-west of the continent of Europe and separated from it by the North Sea and the English Channel. The English Channel is 32 kilometres wide at its narrowest point. The western coast of Great Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea.

3. The United Kingdom (UK) consists of four main parts. England and Wales form the southern part of the island of Great Britain, and Scotland occupies its northern portion. Northern Ireland takes up one third of the island of Ireland.

4. On the border of England and Scotland there is a range of hills which is called the Cheviot Hills. In the centre of England there is the Pennine Chain which is also known as ‘the Backbone of England”.

West of the Pennines are the Cambrian Mountains. There are a number of beautiful lakes in these mountains, therefore this part of the country – the most beautiful in England – is called the Lake District. The highest mountains are in Scotland and Wales: Ben Nevis is 1,343m and Snowdon is 1,085m.

5.There are many rivers in Great Britain but they are rather short. Along the Pennine Chain lies the main water – parting. It divides the rivers which flow east from those which flow west. The western rivers are shorter than the eastern. They are also more rapid and less navigable.

The principal rivers in England are the Thames, the Trent, the Tyne in the east; the Severn, the Wye and some others in the west.

The Thames is the most important river. Large vessels can get as far as London Bridge, 50 miles from the sea. On its banks are London, Oxford, a university city, Greenwich with its observatory and many other places.

The Severn rises in the mountains of Wales. It is connected by its tributaries and canals with the Thames. Its longest tributary is the Avon, on which Stratford, the birthplace of Shakespeare, is situated.

Vocabulary

1. to be situated – быть расположенным, находиться

2. island – ocтров

3. area – площадь

4. to separate – отделять, разделять

5. coast – побережье

6. to wash – омывать

7. mountain – гора

mountainous – гористый

8. to occupy – занимать

= to take up

9. range – горная цепь

10. water-parting – водораздел

11. to flow – течь, литься

12. rapid – быстрый

13. navigable – судоходный

14. tributary – приток

Memorize the Geographical Names:

1. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

– Соединённое Королевство Великобритании и Северной Ирландии

2. The British Isles – Британские острова

3. Europe – Европа

4. The English Channel – пролив Ла-Манш

5. The Atlantic Ocean – Атлантический океан

6. The Irish Sea – Ирландское море

7. Wales – Уэльс

8. Scotland – Шотландия

9. The Cheviot Hills – горы Чевиот-Хилс

10. The Pennine Chain – Пеннинские горы

11. The Cambrian Mountains – Кембрийские горы

12. The Lake District – Озёрная область

13. Ben Nevis – Бэн Нэвис

14. Snowdon – Сноудон

15. The Thames –Темза

16. The Trent – Трент

17. The Tyne – Тайн

18. The Severn – Северн

19. The Wye – Уай

20. The Avon – Эйвон

21. Stratford – Стратфорд