Th E UNI t E D KIN g D o M of grEAt BrItAIN AND NorthErN IrElAND

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the UK) occupies a territory of the British Isles (5,500 islands) with the total area of 244,100 sq km. The UK is situated off the northwestern coast of Europe between the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea. It is separated

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London. St Paulʼs Cathedral

 

Tower Bridge

 

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from the Continent by the English Channel and the Strait of Dover. The UK  is  also  washed  by  the  Irish  Sea,  the  St  Georgeʼs  Channel  and  the North Channel. Surrounding the British Isles by the water has been an important protection against the invaders throughout the English history. And certainly, it influences the climate of the country.

The UK consists of four parts and every part has its national emblem: England — the red rose, Scotland — the thistle, Wales — the daffodil and the leek, Northern Ireland — the shamrock. The capitals of the four parts are London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast respectively.

One canʼt describe the country without mentioning its surface. The island of Great Britain can be divided into two main regions: Lowland Britain and Highland Britain. Lowlands comprise southern and eastern England. Highlands include Scotland, Wales, the Pennines, the Lake District and the southern peninsula of Britain. Many rivers are flowing through Great Britain, such as the longest Severn with its tributaries, the swiftest Spey, the busiest Thames etc. All parts of Great Britain are worth seeing.

The population of the UK is over 57 million people. The official lan- guage is English, but some people continue speaking their mother tongue: Scottish in Western Scotland, Welsh in northern and central Wales and Irish in Northern Ireland.

The flag of the UK is made up of three crosses of the patron saints: the upright red against a white background — St George of England, the white diagonal against a blue background — St Andrew of Scotland, the red diagonal against a white background — St Patrick of Northern Ire- land. The English people have the habit of naming their national flag “the Union Jack”.

The UK is a constitutional monarchy. The Head of the State is the Queen who reigns with the support of Parliament.

For a long time the UK has succeeded in remaining one of the impor- tant commercial centres of the world. Nowadays the UK doesnʼt depend upon economics and industrial manufacturing of other countries.

 

EXErCISE 16. read and give a summary of the text.

L o N D o N

One canʼt describe the country without mentioning its capital. Lon- don, the capital of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, occupies a great area with the population over seven million peo- ple. It is situated upon both banks of the Thames. It is the main port and

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London. Westminster Abbey

 

 

The Tower of London

 

 

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the most important city. London can be divided into three parts: the City of London, the West End and the East End.

The City, the heart of London, comprises the area of 2.6 sq km. Less than 6,000 people live there. After finishing their working day more than 500,000 people leave the City. This part of London with numerous banks and offices has succeeded in remaining the financial centre of the UK for a long time.

The West End, the centre of London, is worth seeing. It includes his- torical palaces, famous parks, large hotels and shops. Rich people enjoy spending their free time and money there.

The East End, the workers’ region, is made up of great industrial areas that depend on shipping.

So, the English people have a habit of naming the City the money of London, the West End — the goods of London and the East End — the hands of London.

EXErCISE 17. Quote the sentences in which these words and word combi- nations are used in the texts:

occupies, is washed by, consists of, can be divided into, include, are worth seeing, continue speaking, is made up of, the habit of, comprises, less than, more than, for a long time, depend on.

EXErCISE 18. find in the texts English equivalents for these words and word combinations:

общая площадь, расположено в стороне от, отделяется от кон- тинента, важная защита против, на протяжении всей истории, соответственно, нельзя описать, южный полуостров, протекают через (по), самая оживленная, родной язык, белый фон, на обоих берегах, исторические дворцы, проводить время, тратить деньги.

EXErCISE 19. a) find in the texts the words which have the similar mean- ings as the following words:

whole, defence, of course, unit, narcissus, chief, quick, lively, to vis- it, several, to go on, vertical, to call, during, to produce, a lot of, large, wealthy.

b) find in the texts the words which have the opposite meanings to the fol- lowing words:

north, southern, east, western, international, with, to unite, short, slow, to stop, diagonal, to fail, small, poor, here, agricultural, some, manufacturing.

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с) read, translate the sentences, change the words in italics into the words with similar and opposite meanings:

1. This river is the swiftest in this region. 2. They continue to describe the British climate. 3. Many rivers are flowing through the country.

4. Only rich people live in this district. 5. It is the main industrial centre.