Look through the text in Act. 5 and find the right word to the following definitions:

a) a piece of land that is completely surrounded by water; b) the land on or close to the edge of the sea, shore; c) a country considered as a group of people with the same language, culture and history, who live in a particular area under one government; d) a land mass, considered without its islands; e) to form the edge or limit of an area, to mark or form the boundaries or limits of; f) to divide into different parts or groups; g) to be located in a stated place or position; h) to be formed from the things mentioned; i) to spread over the area mentioned, to occupy; j) to form, to constitute, to consist of; k) the remaining part of something.

8. Read Text B and say if the following sentences are True or False:

1) The country consists of the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many other smaller islands.

2) England is less mountainous than Wales.

3) Glasgow is the capital of Scotland.

4) Ireland is separated from Great Britain by the English Channel.

5) The climate of the UK doesn’t differ much from northern Europe.

Text B. Geography and Climate

So, what is the United Kingdom? The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country located off the north-western coast of continental Europe.

Four countries make up the UK – England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It consists of a group of islands – 2 large ones and several hundred smaller ones. By far the largest island is that which is divided into three countries – England, Wales and Scotland. This island is about 700 miles long and is 300 miles at its widest point. At its nearest point only the 22 miles of the English Channel separate it from the coast of France.

England’s capital London is also the capital city of the UK. Most of England consists of lowland with some mountainous terrain northwest of a line drawn between the Humber estuary in the East and the river Exe in the Southwest. Wales, with its capital Cardiff, lies to the West having a coastline adjacent to the Irish Sea. It is more mountainous than England, particularly in North and Mid Wales.

To the North is Scotland which consists of two very distinct regions known as the Highlands and the Lowlands. The Highlands region is to the North and West of the country and is much more mountainous than its lowland sister. The Lowlands region is home to most of Scotland’s population. It’s here where Scotland’s capital, Edinburgh and the larger city of Glasgow will be found.

Crossing the Irish Sea takes us to Ireland of which only the north eastern corner (Northern Ireland) is part of the UK. The rest of this island is a separate country, the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland, with its capital, Belfast, is a hilly region boasting the largest inland body of water in the UK, Lough Neagh [a lake the Northern Ireland west of Belfast, the largest in the British Isles, popular with walkers and for sailing], at 150 square miles.

The prevailing winds tend to come from the southwest, bringing with them frequent spells of mild but wet weather from the Atlantic Ocean. Overall the climate is fairly temperate and similar to much of northern Europe. The weather of the United Kingdom is changeable and unpredictable. Summers are moderately warm, winters are cool to cold. Rains fall throughout the year, and more on the west than the east.

9. State the part of speech, say how the words are formed, translate them into Russian: continental, smaller, widest, mountainous, particularly, hilly, fairly, changeable, unpredictable, moderately.

Choose the suitable question from the list A-F for each part (1-6) of Text C.

A. What is the economy of United Kingdom like?

B. What is the official currency used in United Kingdom?

C. What is the main tourist attraction of United Kingdom?

D. How big is United Kingdom?

E. What are the administrative divisions of United Kingdom?

F. Who are the political leaders of United Kingdom?

Text C.

1__________________________________________

London is the capital city of the United Kingdom. Covering an area of 607 square miles, it is the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom. It is located on the River Thames.

London is the largest financial center along with New York. It has the fifth-largest GDP compared to the other cities in the world. Fashion, cuisine, tourist places, and art and architecture of the city attract a million visitors; it is the most-visited city in the world. The Tower of London, Kew Gardens, Palace of Westminster, St Margaret's Church, Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, and Trafalgar Square are the major attractions.

2____________________________________________

The United Kingdom covers a total area of 94,060 square miles. The country has a coastline of 11,073 miles. As estimated in 2013, the country had a population of 64,100,000. The largest cities in the UK are London, Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds and Glasgow.

3______________________________________________

The United Kingdom comprises four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales; and fourteen overseas territories. Each country has its own system of administration.

4_______________________________________________

The United Kingdom is a unitary parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy. The Prime Minister is the head of the government.

Monarch - Elizabeth II; Prime Minister - David Cameron

5______________________________________________

The pound sterling denoted by the ISO 4217 code GBP is the official currency of the United Kingdom. It is commonly called the pound and is the currency of the Crown dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. It is subdivided into 100 pence.

6______________________________________________

The United Kingdom is the sixth-largest economy in the world with a high per capita. In 2011, the gross domestic product (nominal) was estimated at a total $2.480 trillion, while the per capita was $39,604. The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and issues the national currency, the pound sterling; it is the world's third-largest reserve currency.

Services sector is the largest sector, accounting for around seventy-three percent of the GDP. Tourism is a significant part of the economy; the United Kingdom is the sixth-most visited country in the world. London draws the maximum number of international visitors than any city.

The country also has a large automotive and aerospace industry. The pharmaceutical industry is also a significant part of the economy. The United States, Germany, Netherlands, France, and China are the major trading partners.