Unit 1. History. Who are the UK people?

Unit 1. History. Who are the UK people?

Pre-reading task. Background test.

Name all parts of the United Kingdom and share your knowledge about each of them.

Look at the map of the UK and show England, Wales, The Irish Republic, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Highland Scotland, Lowland Scotland, Great Britain, the British Isles.

Discussion club.

Get in pairs and discuss:

-) Is there a difference in character and culture of the English, the Scots and the Welsh or is it just a stereotype?

-) Characterize the peoples of the British Isles. Put down 3 characteristics for each nationality without naming it, exchange your papers and let your friend guess what nations you meant. Tell the rest of the group if you had any similar characteristics.

The four nations.

Read the text and learn it by heart.

Write out all the underlined words and try to explain their meaning out of the given context.

People generally tend torefer to the UK as Britain or just England. However, this is not strictly right and can annoy some people. England is only one of the four nations of the British Isles (England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland). Their unification took several hundred years and finished only in 1800 when the whole of the British Isles became a single state.

The four nations have differences in all aspects of life. First of all, they are different racially. The people in Ireland, Wales and highland Scotland belonged to the Celtic race; those in England and lowland Scotland were mainly of Germanic origin. This difference was reflected in the languages they spoke: Irish, Gaelic, Welsh, Germanic dialects (including the one that developed into modern English). They also had different economic, social and legal systems.

Today the differences have become blurred, but have not completely disappeared. There is one government and the same passport for people of all the four nations, though some aspects of government are organized differently. Moreover, the Welsh, the Scottish and the Irish feel their identity very strongly.

There is, perhaps, an excuse for those, who use the word “England” to describe the whole country. The political system, the language, the dominant culture today is specifically English. Many aspects of public life show this dominance. For example, the supply of money in the whole country is controlled by the Bank of England, the term ‘Anglo’ is widely used (e.g. ‘Anglo-American relations’). This became possible because England managed to exert its power over the other three nations.

There has been a long history of migration from Scotland, Wales and Ireland to England, but these people would never describe themselves as English no matter how long they have lived in England.

Reading. Read the text carefully and retell it close to the original. Be ready to discuss it.

Early British History.

Prehistory

Two thousand years ago there existed an Iron Age Celtic culture throughout the British Isles. The Celts had been coming from Europe since the 8^th century B.C. They mixed with the original peoples. This prehistoric period, for which no written record exists, is filled with the sense of mystery, mostly focused in the astonishing monumental architecture of those times. The remains of it can be found throughout the country. Wiltshire in the south-western England, has two examples: Silbury Hill, the largest burial mound in Europe and Stonehenge.

 

The Roman period (43 – 410)

The Roman province of Britannia covered most of present-day England and Wales. The Romans imposed their culture, encouraging the Celtic aristocracy to adopt Roman dress and the Latin language. They exerted their influence, without actually governing there, over the southern part of Scotland. It was during this time that a Celtic tribe called the Scots migrated from Ireland to Scotland, where they became allies to the Picts (another Celtic tribe) and opponents to the Romans. This division of the Celts into those who experienced direct Roman rule (the Britons in England and Wales) and those who did not (the Gaels in Ireland and Scotland) may help to explain the development of two branches in the Celtic group of languages.

The remarkable thing about the Romans is that, despite their long occupation of Britain, they left very little behind. To many other parts of Europe they brought a system of law and administration which forms the basis of the modern system and the language which developed into the modern Roman family of languages. In Britain they left neither. Moreover, most of their villas, baths and temples, their impressive network of roads, and the cities they founded, including Londinium, were soon destroyed. Almost the only lasting reminder of their presence are place-names like Chester or Lancaster, which include variants of the Roman word casta (a military camp).

 

The Germanic invasions

One reason why Roman Britannia disappeared so quickly is probably that its influence was mostly spread over the towns. In the country-side, where most people lived, farming methods had remained unchanged and Celtic speech continued to be dominant. The Roman occupation had been a matter of colonial control rather than large-scale settlement. But during the 5^th century, a number of tribes from the north-western European mainland invaded and settled in large numbers. Two of these tribes were the Angles and the Saxons. They soon occupied the south-east of the country. In the west their advance was temporarily halted by an army of Britons under the command of the legendary King Arthur. Nevertheless, by the end of the 6^th century, they and their way of life predominated in nearly all of England and in parts of southern Scotland. The Celtic Britons were driven westwards, where their culture and language survived in south-west Scotland, Wales and Cornwall. The Anglo-Saxons had a great effect on the countryside, where they introduced new farming methods and founded the thousands of villages.

The Anglo-Saxons were pagan when they came to Britain. Christianity spread throughout Britain from two different directions during the 6^th and the 7^th centuries. It came directly from Rome when St Augustine arrived in 597 to the south-east of England. It had already been introduced into Scotland and northern England from Ireland, which had become Christian more than 150 years earlier.

Britain experienced another wave of Germanic invasions in the 8^th century. These invaders were known as Vikings, Norsemen or Danes and came from Scandinavia. Their first attack was in 793 when they destroyed the great monastery on the island of Lindisfarne in the northeast England and killed its monks. In the 9^th century they settled in the north and west of Scotland and some coastal regions of Ireland. Their conquest was halted when they were defeated by King Alfred of the Saxon kingdom of Wessex.

However the cultural differences between Anglo-Saxons and Danes were comparatively small. They led the same way of life and spoke two varieties of the same Germanic language (the basis of modern English). Moreover, the Danes soon converted to Christianity.

By the end of the 10^th century England was one kingdom with a Germanic culture throughout. Most of the modern-day Scotland was also united by this time, at least in name, in a Gaelic kingdom.

 

The Medieval period (1066 – 1485)

The successful Norman invasion of England after the Battle of Hastings in 1066 brought Britain into western European culture. Before that most links had been with Scandinavia. Unlike the Germanic invasions, the Norman invasion was small-scale. There were no Norman villages or settlements. The Norman soldiers were given the land and people living on it. A strict feudal system was imposed. Great nobles or barons were responsible directly to the king; the lords owing villages were responsible to a baron. Under them were the peasants, tied to a local lord. They could not travel without his permission. The peasants were the English-speaking Saxons. The lords and the barons were the French-speaking Normans. This was the beginning of the English class system.

The Normans introduced the strong system of government and the Anglo-Saxon kingdom became the most powerful political force in the British Isles. So the authority of the English monarch extended to other parts of these islands in the next 250 years. By the end of the 13^th century, a large part of eastern Ireland was controlled by Anglo-Norman lords in the name of the English king and the whole of Wales was under his direct rule. At that time the custom of naming the monarch’s eldest son “the Prince of Wales” began. Scotland managed to remain politically independent, but was obliged to fight in some wars for that.

250 years after the Norman Conquest, a Germanic language (Middle English) and not Norman (French) became the dominant one in all classes of society. In central Wales there were no great settlements of Saxons or Normans. As a result the Celtic (Welsh) language and culture remained strong. Eisteddfods, national festivals of Welsh song and poetry, continued throughout the medieval period and still take place today. The Anglo-Norman lords in eastern Ireland remained loyal to the English king but adopted the Gaelic language and customs.

The political independence of Scotland did not prevent a gradual switch to English language and customs in the lowlands. First, many Saxon aristocrats arrived there after the conquest of England. Second, the Celtic kings adopted the Anglo-Norman style of government. By the end of this period there was a cultural split between the lowlands and the highlands where the Gaelic culture and language prevailed and the authority of the king was not strong.

It was in that period that the Parliament began its gradual evolution. The word “parliament” which comes from the French word parler was first used in England in the 13^th century to describe the assembly of nobles called together by the king.

Vocabulary:

Iron Age – железный век

the original peoples – коренное население

the remains – остатки

to impose – навязывать

to adopt – перенимать

a Celtic tribe – кельтское племя

allies – союзники

two branches of the language – две языковые ветви

a lasting reminder – продолжительное напоминание

to halt – останавливать

pagan – язычник

coastal regions – прибрежные районы

conquest – завоевать

to defeat – побеждать, разгромить

invasion – нашествие, завоевание

links – связи

small-scale – малочисленный, не крупномасштабный

feudal system – феодальная система

nobles – аристократия

to owe – владеть

peasants – крестьяне

custom – обычай

to be obliged – быть обязанным

loyal – верный

gradual switch – постепенный переход

 

PART 1.

Text-based tasks.

1) Produce 5 sentences of your own, using the vocabulary. Read your sentences out in Russian and ask any of your friends to translate them back into English. Check if your sentences sound the same.

2) Text-based questions.

1. Name the UK nations of the Celtic origin.

2. To what historic period does the Celtic culture date back?

3. What memorials of the Roman times in Britain can you name?

4. In what areas did the Romans mostly spread their influence?

5. Who were the Anglo-Saxons and where did they settle?

6. What do you know about the start of Christianity in England?

7. Where did the Vikings come from?

8. When were the English and Gaelic kingdoms created?

9. What is the date of the Battle of Hastings? What was its result?

10. What did Britain gain from the Norman invasion?

11. What state system did the Normans bring? Characterize it.

12. Why is the monarch’s eldest son called “the Prince of Wales”? When did this custom appear?

13. Why did the Welsh language remain strong?

14. Did Scotland preserve their own language in the lowlands? Why?

15. What does the word “parliament” mean?

3) Put 8 more questions to the text and write them down.

4) What do these figures refer to?

13^th

150

8^th

597

43

5^th

793

9^th

2000

1066

10^th

250

6^th

410

1485

7^th

5) Explain these words in English.

o The prehistoric period

o Mystery

o Aristocracy

o Settlement

o European mainland

o Successful invasion

o Permission

o Independent

o Classes of society

o Cultural split

6) Make a crosswords based on the words from the text.

 

7) Word-building. Create new words based on the one given in the table.

 

Noun	Verb	adjective / present (past) participle
		original
Remains
	to survive
		cultural
Occupation
		dominant
Advance
		different
	to develop
Reminder
Invasion
	to settle
		responsible
	to own
		gradual

8) Underline all the irregular verbs in the text and give the three forms of them.

 

9) Write out all the tribe-names and illustrate the difference between them.

 

10) Translate this text from Russian into English.

 

Великая хартия вольностей

 

Великой хартией вольностей (лат. Magna Carta Libertatum, англ. The Great Charter) называется грамота, подписанная английским королем Иоанном Безземельным (King John Lackland) 15 июня 1215 года и ставшая в последующем одним из основополагающих конституционных актов Англии. Большинство пунктов Хартии было отменено более поздними Актами парламента, неизменными остаются 3 пункта из 63. Формально, до подписания Великой хартии она представляла собой петицию с изложением требований баронов и называлась «Баронские статьи».

Подписание Великой хартии вольностей стало результатом поражения короля в борьбе с восстанием баронов, которые были недовольны усилением королевской власти. В восстании участвовали и другие слои общества: рыцари и горожане, выступавшие в основном против увеличения налогового бремени, притеснений со стороны чиновников и неудачной внешней политики, проводимой королём. По сути, Великая хартия вольностей представляла собой договор короля с оппозицией, которой гарантировалось соблюдение определённых прав и привилегий свободных сословий. Хартия получила название Великой, поскольку содержала наиболее обширный к тому времени перечень материальных и политических требований о гарантиях прав и свобод, которые король вынужден был принять.

Великая хартия вольностей была аннулирована Иоанном уже в том же году, что и была подписана, однако в последующем подтверждалась королями Генрихом III, Эдуардом I и Эдуардом II. Великая хартия вольностей была почти забыта в XV и XVI веках, однако в дальнейшем сыграла значительную роль в Английской революции, будучи использованной парламентской оппозицией для обоснования права контролировать действия королевской власти. Хартия создавала комитет из 25 баронов, которые в случае нарушения обязательств королём имели право начать против него войну.

Особое значение в великой хартии вольностей имеет 39 статья, в которой запрещались арест, заключение в тюрьму, лишение владения, изгнание и иное ущемление прав феодалов как свободных людей, иначе как по законному приговору равных. Эти статьи и составили основу последующих редакций хартии, придали ей в дальнейшем силу конституционного документа и значение манифеста «прав человека и гражданина» — такую окончательную трактовку хартия получила в эпоху английской революции.

Великая хартия вольностей является памятником средневекового права Англии и частью британской конституции. Подписанная королём в 1215 году первая Великая хартия вольностей не сохранилась. До наших дней дошли четыре копии 1215 года — все они хранятся в Великобритании: две в Британской библиотеке, одна — в Соборе Линкольна (Lincoln Cathedral) и ещё одна — в Соборе Солсбери (Salisbury Cathedral).Также сохранилось тринадцать других копий Великой хартии вольностей, в том числе четыре — датируемых 1297 годом. В 2009 году ЮНЕСКО включило Великую хартию вольностей в реестр «Память мира».

11) Humour. Read, understand and enjoy the humour.

 

Ø Read the joke below and reproduce it in your own words:

An Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman were reading a newspaper article about which nationalities’ brains were for sale for transplant purposes. An Irishman’s or a Scotsman’s brain could be bought for £500 but an Englishman’s brain cost £10,000. That proves,’ said The Englishman, ‘that Englishmen are much cleverer than Irishmen or Scotsmen.’ ‘No it doesn’t,’ said The Irishman, ‘it just means that an Englishman’s brain has never been used.’

Ø Read some more jokes and guess, what nationalities are meant.

1.

A …….. enters a bus and asks the driver:

- Excuse me, is it necessary to pay the ticket for a flower?

- Sure not.

- Come on, Rose!

 

2.

Q: What do you call a sheep tied to a fence in …..?

A: A leisure center.

 

3.

Two …….., a father and his son, are going to America.

- Daddy, when we’ll arrive?

- Shut up and swim.

 

4.

Q. What do you call a …….. with many girlfriends?

A. A Shepherd.

PART 2.

Discussion.

1) The “why”-questions. Provocative thinking.

1. Why is there no written record of the pre-historic period in Britain?

2. Why are there almost no traces of the Roman culture on the British Isles?

3. Why did the Danes have much in common with the Anglo-Saxons?

4. Why didn’t the French language become official in Britain after the Norman invasion?

 

2) Research questions. Choose the issue that interests you most and search for more information. Prepare a report and deliver it to your classmates.

· Iron Age

· Silbury Hill

· Stonehenge

· Londinium

· King Arthur

· King Alfred

· The Vikings

· The Battle of Hastings

· Robin Hood

3) Two thousand years ago there was an Iron Age culture on the territory of the British Isles. Describe the Roman and Russian culture of the same period.

4) There is a 19^th century statue of Queen Boadicea outside the Houses of Parliament. Find out, when she lived and why she is remembered.

5) Find out more British toponyms (place names) that derive from the Roman root “casta”.

6) Find out more information about the leader of the Romans and the leader of the Normans at the time of their conquests of Britain and report some facts about them to your group-mates.

7) The name of St. Augustine is mentioned in the text. What was the name of the man who brought Christianity to Ireland? Search for some information about their lives and share it with your group-mates.

8) Read an extract from the text and translate it into good Russian. Find out what wall, towns and baths on the British territory are mentioned.

The Roman Occupation (from “1066 and All That” by C.W. Sellar, R.J. Yeatman)

 

“For some reason the Romans neglected to overrun the country with fire and sword, though they had both of these; in fact after the Conquest they did not mingle with the Britons at all but lived a semi-detached life in villas. They occupied their time for two or three hundred years in building Roman roads and having Roman Baths, this was called the Roman Occupation, and gave rise to the memorable Roman law, ‘He who baths first baths last’, which was a good thing and still is. The Roman roads ran absolutely straight in all the directions and all led to Rome. The Romans also built towns wherever they were wanted, and, in addition, a wall between England and Scotland to keep out the savage Picts and Scots”.

 

9) Write a composition named “Cultural differences have deep roots”.

 

FOLLOW-UPS.

Supplementary reading.

From “Growth and structure of the English language” by Otto Jespersen

Ch. IV. The Scandinavians (Extract)

It is true that the Scandinavians were, for a short time at least, the rulers of England, and we have found in the juridical loan-words linguistic corroboration of this fact; but the great majority of the settlers did not belong to the ruling class. Their social standing must have been, on the whole, slightly superior to the average of the English, but the difference cannot have been great, for the bulk of Scandinavian words are of purely democratic character. This is clearly brought out by a comparison with the French words introduced in the following centuries, for here language confirms what history tells us, that the French represent the rich, the ruling, the refined, the aristocratic element in the English nation. How different is the impression made by the Scandinavian loan-words. They are homely expressions for things and actions of everyday importance. The difference is also shown by so many of the French words having never penetrated into the speech of the people, so that they have been known and used by the ‘upper ten’, while the Scandinavian ones are used by high and low alike; their shortness too agrees with the monosyllabic character of the native stock of words, consequently they are far less felt as foreign elements than many French words; in fact, in many statistical calculations of the proportion of native to imported words in English, Scandinavian words have been more or less inadvertently included in the native elements. Just as it is impossible to speak or write in English about higher intellectual or emotional subjects or about fashionable mundane matters without drawing largely upon the French and Latin elements, in the same manner Scandinavian words will crop up together with the Anglo-Saxon ones in any conversation on the thousand nothings of daily life or on the five or six things of paramount importance to high and low alike. An Englishman cannot thrive or be ill or die without Scandinavian words; they are to the language what bread and eggs are to the daily fare.

Essential vocabulary

juridical – юридический

loan-words – заимствованные слова

corroboration – подтверждение

superior – превосходящий

average – средний

bulk – объем

to penetrate – проникать

‘upper ten’ – верхушка общества

monosyllabic – односложный

stock of words – словарный запас

consequently – следовательно

inadvertently – случайно, ненароком

mundane – мирской

to crop up – возникать

paramount – первостепенный

thrive – процветать

daily fare – жизнеобеспечение

 

Ch. V. The French (Extract)

Many of the French words, such as cry, claim, state, poor, change, and, one might say, nearly all the words taken over before 1350 and not a few of those of later importation, have become part and parcel of the English language, so that they appear to us all just as English as the pre-Conquest stock of native words. But a great many others have never become so popular. There are a great many gradations between words of everyday use and such as are not at all understood by the common people, and to the latter class may sometimes belong words which literary people would think familiar to everybody.

From what precedes we can now understand some at least of the differences that have developed in course of time between two synonyms when both have survived, one of them native, the other French. The former is always nearer the nation’s heart than the later, it has the strongest associations with everything primitive, fundamental, popular, while the French word is often more formal, more polite, more refined and has a less strong hold on the emotional side of life. A cottage is finer than a hut, and fine people often live in a cottage, at any rate in summer.

The difference between help and aid is thus indicated in the Funk-Wagnalls Dictionary: ‘ Help expresses greater dependence and deeper need than aid. In extremity we say “God help me!” rather than “God aid me!” In time of danger we cry “help! help!” rather than “aid! aid!” Help includes aid, but aid may fall short of the meaning of help’. All this points at the same thing that help is the natural expression, belonging to the indispensable stock of words, and therefore possessing profounder associations than the more literary and accordingly colder word aid, cf. also assist. Folk has to a great extent been superseded by people, chiefly on account of the political and social employment of the word; Shakespeare rarely uses folk (four times) and folks (ten times), and the word is evidently a low-class word with him. Hearty and cordial made their appearance in the language at the same time (1380s), but their force is not the same, for ‘a hearty welcome’ is warmer than ‘a cordial welcome’, and hearty has many applications that cordial has not (heartfelt, sincere: a hearty slap on the back; abundant: a hearty meal).

Essential vocabulary

part and parcel – неотъемлемая часть

pre-Conquest – до завоевания

literary people – грамотные люди

from what precedes – из вышесказанного

the former – первый (из упомянутых)

the later – последний (из упомянутых)

refined – изысканный

thus – таким образом

in extremity – в экстремальных ситуациях

fall short of the meaning – не включать в себя значение

indispensable – незаменимый

therefore – поэтому, таким образом

accordingly – соответственно

to a great extent – в большой мере

to supersede – заменять

employment of the word – употребление слова

abundant – обильный

 

 

Essential vocabulary

heritage - наследие

to feature – отражать, показывать

the bagpipes – волынки

caber toss – метание бревна

to be centered around – концентрироваться вокруг

entertainment – развлечение

to summon – призывать, вызывать

repeal – запрет

Act of Proscription – Акт Разоружения (1 августа 1746г) после подавления англичанами восстания якобитов

to retain – сохранять

revival – возрождение

an enormous boost – невероятный подъем

prior – предшествующий

Braemar – Бремар (деревня в области Абердиншир в Шотландии)

a fund raising effort – попытка сбора средств

artisans – ремесленники

charitable activities – благотворительность

consort – супруг

to attend – посещать

to determine – определять

forthcoming – предстоящий

to run a competition – проводить состязание

in conjunction with – в связи с

track and field events – легкая атлетика

wrestling – борьба

tug-of-war – перетягивание каната

regardless – не смотря на это

an integral part – неотъемлемая часть

quite a range of events – значительная часть разнообразных состязаний

stone put – метание камня

hammer throw – метание молота

weight – вес (зд. тяжелый предмет)

over the bar – через барьер

sheaf – пучок (sheaf toss – метание соломы)

attendees – посетители

thunderous – громовое

rendition – исполнение

crowd-pleasing favorites – любимые народом мелодии

has come to symbolize – стала символизировать

fiddling – игра на скрипке

harp – арфа

spiced - приправленный

is judged on an individual basis – оценивается индивидуально

military regiment – военный полк

attire – одеяние

expressly forbidden – однозначно запрещено

to increase – повышаться

foci (sing. focus) – фокус

roots – корни

sheep shearing – стрижка овец

weaving – ткачество

garb – одеяние

vendors – торговцы

herd – стадо

shaggy – лохматый

sweeping horns – широкие рога

harsh climate – суровый климат

sparse grazing – редкие выпасы

shortbread – песочное печенье

bangers – сосиски

scones – булочки

 

 

Eisteddfod

 

An eisteddfod (Welsh: [ə(i)ˈstɛðvɔd]; plural eisteddfodau [ə(i)stɛðˈvɔdaɨ]) is a Welsh festival of literature, music and performance. The tradition of such a meeting of Welsh artists dates back to at least the 12th century, when a festival of poetry and music was held by Rhys ap Gruffydd of Deheubarth at his court in Cardigan in 1176 but, with the decline of the bardic tradition, it fell into abeyance. The present-day format owes much to an eighteenth-century revival arising out of a number of informal eisteddfodau. The closest English equivalent to eisteddfod is "session"; the word is formed from two Welsh morphemes: eistedd, meaning "sit", and bod, meaning "be".

The date of the first Eisteddfod is a matter of much debate among scholars, but boards for the judging of poetry definitely existed in Wales from at least as early as the twelfth century, and it is likely that the ancient Celtic bards had formalized ways of judging poetry as well. The first Eisteddfod can be traced back to 1176, under the auspices of Lord Rhys, at his castle in Cardigan. There he held a grand gathering to which were invited poets and musicians from all over the country. A chair at the Lord's table was awarded to the best poet and musician, a tradition that prevails in the modern day National Eisteddfod.

The earliest large scale Eisteddfod that can be proven beyond all doubt to have taken place, however, was the Carmarthen Eisteddfod, which took place in 1451. The next recorded large-scale eisteddfod was held in Caerwys in 1568. The prizes awarded were a miniature silver chair to the successful poet, a little silver crwth to the winning fiddler, a silver tongue to the best singer, and a tiny silver harp to the best harpist. Originally, the contests were limited to professional Welsh bards who were paid by the nobility. To ensure the highest standard possible, Elizabeth I of England commanded that the bards be examined and licensed. As interest in the Welsh arts declined, the standard of the main eisteddfod became more informal. In 1789, Thomas Jones organised an eisteddfod in Corwen where for the first time the public were admitted. The success of this event led to a revival of interest in Welsh literature and music. "The Gentleman's Magazine" of October, 1792 reported on the revival of the eisteddfod tradition. The first true National Eisteddfod organised by the Council was held in Denbigh in 1860 on a pattern that continues to the present day.

The most important eisteddfod is the National Eisteddfod of Wales, the largest festival of music and poetry in Europe. Its eight days of competitions and performances, entirely in the Welsh language, are staged annually in the first week of August, usually alternating between north and south Wales. Competitors typically number 6,000 or more, and overall attendances generally exceed 150,000 visitors.

Another important eisteddfod in the calendar is 'Eisteddfod Yr Urdd', or the Youth Eisteddfod. It involves Welsh youth aged 7 to 24 in a week of competition in singing, recitation, dancing, acting and musicianship during the summer half-term school holiday. The event is claimed to be Europe's premier youth arts festival.

The International Eisteddfod is held annually in Llangollen, Denbighshire each year in July. Choirs, singing groups, folk dancers and other groups attend from all over the world, sharing their national folk traditions in one of the world's great festivals of the arts. It was set up in 1947 and begins with a message of peace. In 2004, it was (unsuccessfully) nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Smaller-scale local eisteddfodau are held throughout Wales. One of the best known is the Abergavenny Eisteddfod (Welsh: Eisteddfod Y Fenni). Schools hold eisteddfodau as competitions within the school: a popular time for this is on Saint David's Day.

 

Essential vocabulary

dates back to – уходит корнями

abeyance – состояние неопределенности

owes much to – многим обязан

scholars – ученые

boards – советы

under the auspices – под покровительством

crwth [ˈkruːθ] or [ˈkrʊθ] древний Валлийский струнный музыкальный инструмент

fiddler – скрипач

harpist – арфист

annually – ежегодно

alternating – чередуясь

attendances – посещения

to exceed – превышать

is claimed to be – претендует на звание

 

 

Guessing Game.

Split into two teams and take turns in answering questions. Get as many points as possible!

Ø What do the following Roman names refer to: Albion, Caledonia, Cambria, Hibernia?

Ø What nation has a prefix “Mac” or “Mc” in family names?

Ø What does this prefix mean?

Ø Give five examples of such family names.

Ø What nation has a prefix “O” in their family names?

Ø Guess what nations got the following nicknames: Jock, Paddy or Mick, Dai or Teffy.

Ø Name traditional Scottish clothes.

Ø Are kilts worn by women or by men only?

Ø What is Eisteddfod?

Ø What nation traditionally plays the bagpipe? The harp?

Ø What nation is known for their singing ability?

Ø What nation is believed to be “too careful with money”?

Ø What nation’s patron saints are St. George, St. Patric, St. David, St. Andrew? What can you remember about each of them?

Ø Name the plant-symbols of all the four nations.

Ø Describe the flags of all the four nations.

Ø What is the Union Jack?

Mark the questions that made both teams puzzled and find out the answers to them at home.

Match these historic events with their dates, putting them in the logical order and copy them into your notebook to remember.

The Romans leave Britain	55 BC
The Battle of Hastings	43 AD
Edgar, grandson of Alfred, becomes king of all England
England is attacked by the Vikings
St Patrick converts Ireland to Christianity
The Romans reside in Britain
The whole of Wales is put under the control of the English monarch
Julius Caesar lands in Britain, wins the battle and leaves
St Augustine arrives in England

PART 1.

Text-based tasks.

1) Text-based questions.

1. Who was the first king of the Stuarts? What is he famous for?

2. Who opposed each other in the Civil war?

3. What was the result of the war and its political consequence?

4. Who was Oliver Cromwell?

5. What Engagement were people required to make?

6. Describe the system of Protectorate.

7. Why do you think this system become unpopular?

8. What is the Bloodless revolution and when did it take place?

9. Who was Mary Stuart?

10. What is the Bill of Rights?

 

2) What do these figures refer to? (consider both texts of Unit 2)

VII

III

VIII

I

17^th

II

 

3) Explain these words in English.

o Armed conflict

o Parliamentarians

o To re-emerge

o Series

o Supporters

o Phase

o Assistance

o Abroad

o Royalists

o The Engagement

4) Make a crosswords based on the words from both texts.

5) Word-building. Create new words based on the one given in the table.

Noun	verb	adjective / present (past) participle
		wide
	to grow
Supporter
	to fight
		civil
Execution
		single
Preparation
	to continue
Establishment
Protector
		united
Force
	to resist
		glorious
Invitation
	to limit

 

6) Underline all the irregular verbs in the text and give the three forms of them.

7) Translate this text from Russian into English.

 

Московская торговая компания

 

Палаты Старого Английского двора - один из редких образцов гражданской архитектуры XV - XVII вв, сохранившихся в историческом центре Москвы. Палаты были возведены улице Варварке купцом Иваном Бобрищевым. Предположительно, строительство здания начал итальянский архитектор Алевиз, работавший в те годы в Кремле.

Наиболее яркая страница в истории палат связана с зарождением русско-английских отношений в эпоху правления царя Иоанна IV Грозного и королевы Елизаветы I Тюдор.

В 1553 году сэр Ричард Чанселлор открыл северный морской путь, соединяющий Англию с Россией. В 1556 году царь Иван Грозный, заинтересованный в налаживании торговых связей с Европой, «англичан на Москве двором пожаловал», предоставив им право свободной и беспошлинной торговли во всех русских городах, серьёзные таможенные льготы, а также ряд других торговых привилегий. Такое положение вещей послужило основанием для создания в Лондоне в 1555 году торговой Московской компании. Англичане поставляли в Россию оружие, порох, селитру, свинец, оловянную посуду, сукно. Взамен они вывозили древесину, пеньку, канаты, воск, кожи, меха. В качестве помещения для московской конторы британским купцам был выделен дом в Зарядье. На время посещения дипломатических миссий здесь размещался посольский двор Англии, первое официальное представительство западной державы в русской столице. На своё содержание английское посольство ежедневно получало четверть быка, 4 барана, 12 кур, 2 гуся, одного зайца или тетерева, 62 хлебных каравая, 50 яиц, четверть ведра средиземноморского вина, 3/4 ведра пива, полведра водки и 2 ведра мёда.

Постепенно английские купцы приобрели исключительное положение на русском рынке, в тот момент практически закрытом и не вовлечённом в морскую торговлю с европейскими странами. Британская Московская компания открыла свои подворья во многих русских городах, включая Великий и Нижний Новгород. Английские купцы вели активную торговлю с местными жителями, налаживали собственное производство канатов, поставляя военные припасы и корабельные снасти русской армии и английскому флоту. Наконец, началось экономическое освоение англичанами Русского Севера, откуда Московская компания продолжала снаряжать экспедиции на восток вдоль арктических берегов. Предпринимались также попытки пробиться вниз по Волге в поисках новых путей, ведущих в Индию. Московская компания даже смогла благополучно пережить Смутное время.

Деятельность компании оказала существенное влияние на формирование имиджа России в Европе. В начале XVII века в библиотеках обеих стран появляются первые англо-русские словари. Постепенно увеличивается число английских книг в частных библиотеках русских бояр, а в Англию попадают рукописные книги на русском. В 1636 году компания приобретает в Москве ещё одно подворье, более крупное — Новый английский двор в Белом городе, у Ильинских ворот. С тех пор владение на Варварке получает соответствующую приставку к имени и начинает именоваться Старым Английским двором.

Торговые отношения с Англией были разорваны в 1649 году, когда казнь в Великобритании короля Карла I спровоцировала глубокий дипломатический кризис между Россией и Англией. По указу царя Алексея Михайловича британские торговые и дипломатические представители были выдворены из страны, а имущество Московской компании конфисковано.

8) Listening.

Listen to the text about the 18^th century events and find out if the statements below are true or false.

1. There were even more conflicts between the king and the Parliament.

2. The Whigs and the Tories came from Parliament.

3. Prime Minister appeared in the 18^th c.

4. The three parliaments of England, Scotland and Wales were united.

5. The Scots fought against the return of the Stuart monarch.

6. Britain grew much larger in the 18^th c.

7. Hundreds of people moved to rural areas.

8. London became the main industrial center.

Listen again and sum up the main ideas of the text.

9) Work in groups. Put the words in the sentences below into the correct order and you will get some information about the 19^th century British history.

1. in a war of independence American colonies the beginning Not long before Britain had lost of the 19th century its most important. 2. leading the war When the century, with France the country was began. 3. Soon after the biggest empire the end of the century Britain controlled, in the world.

1. was One Ireland parts of its. 2. in fact, part of the UK and way of life During this century it was, itself, and started to predominate the British culture. 3. a terrible famine the potato crop failed In the 1840s, and there was two years in a row. 4. either died or emigrated of Irish Gaelic language and customs Millions of peasants. 5. of the remaining population almost the whole as their first language By the end of the century were using English.

 

1. the majority of Canada, Australia and New Zealand Another part of the empire, where settlers from the British Isles was made up of formed the population. 2. recognized the authority had their own government These countries, but of Britain.

 

1. with a culture, an enormous country more ancient One more part was India than Britain’s. 2. were used British civil servants and troops to govern it Tens of thousands of. 3. this administration At the head of whose position within the country was a governor the monarch’s in Britain was similar to. 4. India, that these British officials and the journey from Britain was so far away took so long, developed an Anglo-Indian spent most of their lives there and way of life. 5. methods of government used British institutions They and.

 

1. also belonged Large parts of Africa to the empire. 2. at the end of the century most of the African colonies where there was some British Except for South Africa, settlement, started as, and into the empire. trading bases on the coast were only incorporated 3. numerous smaller As well as these areas the empire included (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, Africa), areas and islands. 4. earlier British settlement Some, were the result of, but most their strategic position were acquired along trading routs such as the Caribbeans, because of.

 

10) Remember this course of events and be ready to represent it!

ü The United Kingdom of Great Britain was formed on 1 May 1707 with the merger of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland, which had been in personal union under the House of Stuart since 24 March 1603.

ü On 1 January 1801, Great Britain merged with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

ü After most of Ireland left the union on 6 December 1922, its name was amended on 12 April 1927 to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

PART 2.

Discussion.

1) The “why”- questions. Provocative thinking.

1. Why are the British and the French not so fond of each other?

2. Why was Britain able to become an Empire?

3. Why does this country treasure its traditions above all?

4. Why is the Royal family so very important in people’s lives?

2) Research questions. Choose the issue that interests you most and search for more information. Prepare a report and deliver it to your classmates.

· Bubonic Plague – a European disaster

· The Gunpowder plot, 1605

· The Great Fire of London

· the Reformation

· Great Discoveries of the 15^th – 17^th centuries

· Admiral Horatio Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar

· Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

· Suffragettes

· Involvement in the 1^st World War

· Involvement in the 2^nd World War

· Northern Ireland: part of The Irish Republic or the UK?

 

3) Make up a conversation between a royalist and a parliamentarian.

4) Interview any British monarch on political and economic situation in the country in his/her époque.

5) At the very end of the 15^th century the Tudors came to rule in Britain, America was just discovered… What was going on in Russia at the same time?

6) Match these historic events with their dates, putting them in the logical order and copy them into your notebook to remember.

After a war, Britain recognizes the independence of the American colonies
The Irish Free State is born
The first British settlers (convicts and soldiers) arrive in Australia
The Act of Union joins Scotland with England and Wales in the United Kingdom
The beginning of the Tudor dynasty (after the Wars of the Roses)
Britain declares war on Germany
The right to vote is extended to include men and women over the age of twenty-one
Britain joins the European Economic Comminity
The British fleet under Admiral Nelson defeats Napoleon’s fleet at Trafalgar Battle
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland is formed
The Civil War begins
Start of Victorian Age
Coronation of Elizabeth II
The bloodless revolution takes place and the Bill of Rights is passed
Union of the Crowns. James VI of Scotland becomes James I of England
Britain declares war on Germany
Henry VIII is declared the supreme head of the Church of England
The monarchy is restored
Charles I is executed. For the first and only time Britain briefly becomes a republic
The Gunpowder Plot: an attempt to blow up the king in Parliament
The Great Fire of London destroys most of the city’s old wooden buildings

7) Look through the list of monarchs in the Follow-ups. Choose 2 famous monarchs from each House and say what they are notable for.

8) Write a composition named “The great value of History in a daily life”.

9) *Bonus task! Write a film review on “the Tudors”, “King’s Speech” or any other British historical film.

FOLLOW-UPS

Royal Dynasties since 1485

House of Stuart

 

Name	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death	Claim
James I 24 March 1603–1625		19 June 1566 Edinburgh Castle son of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, and Mary I, Queen of Scots	Anne of Denmark Oslo 23 November 1589 seven children	27 March 1625 Theobalds House Aged 58	great-great-grandson and heir general of Henry VII
Charles I 27 March 1625–1649		19 November 1600 Dunfermline Palace son of James I and Anne of Denmark	Henrietta Maria of France St Augustine's Abbey 13 June 1625 nine children	30 January 1649 Whitehall Palace aged 48 (beheaded)	son of James I (cognatic primogeniture)

Commonwealth

Name	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Oliver Cromwell Old Ironsides 16 December 1653–1658[45]		25 April 1599 Huntingdon[45] son of Robert Cromwell and Elizabeth Steward[46]	Elizabeth Bourchier in St Giles[47] 22 August 1620 nine children[45]	3 September 1658 Whitehall aged 59[45]
Richard Cromwell Tumbledown Dick 3 September 1658 – 7 May 1659[48]		4 October 1626 Huntingdon son of Oliver Cromwell and Elizabeth Bourchier[48]	Dorothy Maijor May 1649 nine children[48]	12 July 1712 Cheshunt aged 85[49]

House of Stuart (restored)

Although the monarchy was restored in 1660, no stable settlement proved possible until the Glorious Revolution of 1688, when Parliament finally asserted the right to choose whomsoever it pleased as monarch.

Name	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death	Claim
Charles II 1660–1685[50] Recognized by Royalists in 1649		29 May 1630 St. James' Palace son of Charles I and Henrietta Maria of France	Catherine of Braganza Portsmouth 21 May 1662 no children	6 February 1685 Whitehall Palace aged 54	son of Charles I (cognatic primogeniture; English Restoration)
James II 6 February 1685 – 23 December 1688 (deposed)		14 October 1633 St. James' Palace son of Charles I and Henrietta Maria of France	(1) Anne Hyde The Strand 3 Sept 1660 8 children (2) Mary of Modena Dover 21 Nov 1673 7 children	16 September 1701 Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye aged 67	son of Charles I (cognatic primogeniture)
Mary II 13 February 1689–1694		30 April 1662 St. James' Palace daughter of James II and Anne Hyde	St. James' Palace 4 November 1677 no children	28 December 1694 Kensington Palace aged 32	grandchildren of Charles I (offered the crown by Parliament)
William III William