Some Facts about the United Kingdom

England as a unified state, is unique and paradoxical. The first thing to note is that the country does not have one fixed name. When you put Great Britain and the Northen Ireland together they are called the United Kingdom, which itself is part of the British Isles. In official circles, using the term “English” has for a long time been considered “bad taste”, and has been replaced by “British”. In ordinary life, though, and particularly amongst foreigners, anybody living in the British Isles is called English. The Romans are the source of the name Albion, which is now used to refer to England in a poetical or rhetorical sense. The ancient Britons were one of the tribes which settled in England in ancient times and are considered to be the ancestors of the modern Welsh. Nowadays, “Briton” is sometimes used to refer to all the inhabitants.

The islands are home to four peoples: the English, the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish and nobody actually wants to be British, althoughfinding, pure-bred representative of any of these renowned nations, who are all so proud of their spiritual independence is almost impossible. There has been a noticeable rise in nationalistic tendencies within the component countries of Great Britain. The most obvious example is the Irish, whose fight for freedom from their main enemy, the English, is known to all from television news. The situation with the Scots is even more complicated. Scotland is definitely part of Great Britain, but their demands for self-governance and independence are getting louder each year. The Scots know for certain that if something is bad, it must have come from England, even the law (which to their minds is completely pointless) which bans the sale of alcohol before noon on Sundays. There is a popular joke in Scotland which is printed on postcards, tea-towels and aprons, and often repeated in guidebooks. When God created Scotland, he gave it the very best: high mountains, deep lakes, clean rivers, an abundance of fish and fowl, and expansive meadows. The country was so beautiful that the other nations became jealous and started to complain. “O Lord,” they said, “why did you give so much to one nation? You have created a Heaven on earth. It’s not fair.” To which the Lord answered “Wait a moment, you haven’t seen who I have given them as neighbours.” The Welsh are less well known than the other peoples in Great Britain, and have also, more than the others, been merged with the English. The English are less worried than other “small” nations about their identity. For them, “British” and “English” are usually synonyms.

How do the English themselves see their own country? It may come as a surprise, but this geographically small island is actually an entire world, which contains everything that “big countries” do. The most important thing is that the English themselves relate to their country as if it had no borders. The English are renowned throughout history as great travellers, setting off around the world without so much as a second thought.

For the English the country is precisely there that the ideal of good old England lives on in the hearts of the citizens. What does this ideal include? Well, it is having one’s own home which, although it may be small, has a plot of land, a garden and a flowerbed under the windows. It is the village pub and the church like two inseparable old friends, they can be found together all across England; it is a circle of friends with whom one can chat but who would never allow themselves to burden you, either with their joys or with their sorrows.

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1. The country has got one fixed name.

2. Great Britain and the Northen Ireland together are called England.

3. In official circles using the term “English” has been considered “good taste”.

4. The Romans called England “Albion”.

5. In ordinary life England is called Albion.

6. The ancient Britons are the ancestors of the modern Welsh.

7. There are four peoples in the country: the English, the Scots, the Welsh and the Britons.

8. One can find many pure-bred representatives of the Welsh, the Scots and the English.

9. The Irish fight for freedom from their enemies the English.

10. The English are more worried about their identity than other nations in the United Kingdom.

11. The country looks like an entire world for the English.

12. The English like to tell their friends about their joys and sorrows.

7.1.4. Ответьте на следующие вопросы (работа в парах).

1. Why is England a unique state?

2. Which parts does the United Kingdom consist of?

3. Which names are applied to the United Kingdom?

4. Is the term “English” more common in everyday or political life?

5. Where does the word “Albion” come from?

6. In what kind of speech is “Albion” generally used?

7. Can you refer to the Scotts as the Britons?

8. Which countries of the UK have recently seen the rise in nationalistic tendencies?

9. What do the Scotts think about the English law?

10. Why do the English feel their country as a very big one?

11. What reputation have the English gained throughout history?

12. What is the English ideal?