Invade (v) –  вторгаться. The troops invaded the country. Tourists invaded the city.

invasion (n) – завоевание. The history of humanity is the history of invasions. The invasion of  the country took place at the beginning of World War II

 

                                          The British Isles

In the west of the continent of Europe lie two large islands, called the British Isles. The larger of these, consisting of England, Scotland and Wales, is known as Great Britain, the smaller, Ireland. The North Sea separates Great Britain from West Germany and the Scandinavian countries, while the English Channel lies between England on the one hand, and France and Belgium on the other.

       England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland were once separate kingdoms. After centuries of war between England and Scotland, the two were finally united at the beginning of the eighteenth century. Wales had already been conquered in the thirteenth century. Ireland fought against the English still longer than Scotland, but finally in 1801 was included in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, as it was called then. The Irish, however, continued to struggle for self-government, and after the World War of 1914 – 1918, England was forced to give in. Southern Ireland is quite independent of England. Northern Ireland (Ulster), where there are many English settlers, forms part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as it is called now.

       Many thousands of years ago, the mainland of Europe stretched much further west than now, and by the sinking of the land, the ocean covered a great deal of the continent. The British Isles and the neighbouring small islands were left above the surface of the sea, because they were the highest parts of the land. The water flowed into the valleys among the hills, thus producing an uneven coast and many good harbours.

There are many facts that prove this. None of the seas around the British Isles are very deep; in fact in some parts of the North Sea, there is a depth of less than six metres. The rounded, flat-topped hills, that give character to the English scenery, have been worn down by the slow-moving sheet of ice that once covered the whole of Northern Europe. The white calk cliffs of Southern England correspond to those of Northern France, while the lowlands of the east coast correspond to the lowlands of Holland. The plants and animals found in Britain lead one to the same conclusion. The wolf and the bear, neither of which is any longer found wild in the British isles, and the fox, all reached the country from the Continent. The forests that once covered the greater part of the country were made up of common European trees like the oak in the south and the pine in the north. Nowadays there are practically no forests in Britain, but there are very many leafy trees that give beauty to the countryside.

       The island can be roughly divided into two main regions, Lowland Britain and Highland Britain. The highest mountains are in the central and northern parts of Scotland, in Wales, in the north-west of England, but they are by no means high as we understand high mountains. The mountains of the British Isles are much the same height as those of the Crimea.

       There are many rivers in Britain, but none of them are very deep. The Thames, on which London is situated runs through rich agricultural districts in an easterly direction into the North Sea. Many of the rivers have been joined one to another by means of canals, so that it is quite possible to travel by water from one end of England to the other.

       The climate of the British Isles is rather mild. Even in the most northern parts of Scotland snow never lies very long on the ground in winter, while in the south of England, snow falls only a few times during the winter. Besides this, rivers never freeze. In England there is much rain and fog in winter, and few sunny days. The summers are never very hot, and it often rains. Generally speaking, Great Britain is a very damp country.

       It is often somewhat incorrectly said that the British Isles are bathed by the warm waters of the Gulf Stream. The waters of the Gulf Stream do sweep round the British Isles, but they would not feel warm, however, to anyone attempting to bathe in them even in the summer, and it is not really the water which keeps the climate of the British Isles relatively mild. The water, on its way across the Atlantic Ocean, helps to raise the temperature of the winds blowing over it, and it is the warm south-west winds which keep the winter climate mild as well as wet. In summer the effect of the ocean waters and the winds is to prevent the climate becoming very warm.

       One of the most striking things about the British Isles is the rapidity with which the weather changes from day to day or even during the day.

       Most of Britain, however, is agricultural land. The cool climate of Britain and the even distribution of rainfall ensure a long growing season; streams rarely dry up, grassland is green throughout the year and full of wild flowers from spring to autumn.

 

                                Vocabulary practice

Exercise 1

a) Fill in the blanks with  separate, divide, share.

1. They decided to … the children into two groups. 2. The two families … the house but there were … entrances.  3. Jack insisted on … the money equally. 4. He hated having to … the hotel room with a stranger. 5. After the Second World War Germany was … into two parts and later … by a wall. 6. Unfortunately I can’t … your excitement. 7. The police had to interfere to … the football fans. 8. The land was … between the two brothers. 9. I would refrain from … this point of view.

b) Translate using separate, divide, share.

1. Мне сообщили, что гости прибудут отдельно. 2. Он считал, что это отдельный вопрос. 3. Оба дома отделены высоким забором. 4. Они живут отдельно много лет. 5. Доля Британии в мировой торговле уменьшилась а последнее время. 6. Мне было интересно, почему мнения так резко разделились. 7. Ее родители разошлись, когда ей было три года. 8. Их попросили ответить на каждый вопрос на отдельном листе бумаги. 9. Эти страны отделены проливом. 10. Учитель спросил, кто сможет разделить это число на три? 11. Они проговорили всю ночь и расстались на рассвете. 12. Вам следует поделить затраты на бензин. 13. После его смерти вся его собственность была поделена поровну между его детьми. 14. У его родителей отдельные счета в банке. 15. У меня есть новость, которой я хочу с тобой поделиться. 16. Я не разделяю ваше мнение по этому вопросу. 17. Сколько будет, если 16 разделить на 4?

Exercise 2 

Translate using  conquer, conquest, conqueror.

1. Эта страна не была завоевана во время второй мировой войны. 2. Аборигены боролись против европейцев, захвативших их землю. 3. Слишком рано говорить о покорении космоса. 4. Захват Перу испанцами произошел в 16 веке. 5. Эта страна стремится к захвату иностранных рынков. 6. Мало кому удалось покорить Эверест. 7. Эти альпинисты покроили уже шесть вершин. 8. Она сказала, что его обходительные (gentle) манеры покорили ее сердце. 8. Нам рассказали, что Римляне начали завоевание Британских островов в середине 1 века до нашей эры. 9. Мечта Александра Македонского завоевать мир так и не осуществилась.

Exercise 3 

a) Disagree with the following using completely, entirely, genuinely, totally, truly independent of.

1. He says these two events are connected with each other. 2. It seems he still depends on his parents. 3. I suppose that in making decisions he is usually guided by his friend’s opinion. 4. Do you believe a person can have his way independent of circumstances. 5. Some people suppose they can have a family and still remain independent.

b) Translate using depend on sb for smt, dependent on, independent of, independence from, dependable.

1. Относительно еды и одежды дети зависят от своих родителей. 2. Генри был счастлив, что, наконец, встал на ноги и был независим от своих родственников. 3. Старая женщина полностью зависит от своей горничной, которая ухаживает за ней уже 10 лет. 4. Это надежная информация. Вы сможете использовать ее в докладе.5. Я не уверен, что ваш помощник надежен. 6. Как правило, образование молодых людей в Англии зависит от доходов их родителей. 7. Все зависит от того, придет ли он вовремя. 8. Я поинтересовался, от чего будет зависеть их решение?

Exercise 4

a) Fill in the blanks with give up, give in, give away.

1. He would never … his friend’s secret. 2. The government said they were not going to … to the terrorists’ demands. 3. No-one expected him to … his job. 4. Her face … no emotion. 5. Decide what you want and don’t … until you have achieved your aim. 6. She had to struggle not to … a desire to laugh. 7. You mustn’t … to their threats. 8. She has … jewellery worth millions of pounds. 9. His accent … him ….

b) Translate using give in, give up, give away.

1. Врач сказал, что больной должен бросить курить. 2. Я не думаю, что вы заставите его уступить. 3. Ему не следовало отказываться от своего первоначального плана. 4. После долгих споров он уступил нашей точке зрения. 5. Интересно, почему она отказалась от своей работы? 6. Я не понимаю, что заставило его отступить. 7. При таких обстоятельствах он никогда не откажется от своего мнения. 8. Акцент его выдал. 9. Ей казалось, что голос выдавал ее волнение. 10. Я не знал, что он отдал свой старый велосипед соседям.

Exercise 5 

Complete the sentences using come to / reach / draw / jump to the conclusion that ….

1. He didn’t turn up on time, so…2. The weather forecast said a storm was coming, so… 3. I didn’t mean to hurt his feelings, but being a quick tempered man he … 4. He often changes his mind and seldom keeps his promise, which is why people can’t help… 5. He wasn’t given a chance to express his opinion, and as a result…

Exercise 6

 Translate using wear.

1. Неровная поверхность сгладилась под воздействием льда. 2. Со временем Уральские горы сгладились и сейчас невысокие. 3. Твои ботинки совсем сносились, тебе следует купить новые. 4. Интересно, почему она всегда носит черное. 5. Боюсь, что ребенок больше не сможет носить это пальто, так как оно ему мало. 6. Ты давно носишь очки? – Да, я ношу их уже три года, но мое зрение не улучшилось. 7. В чем ты ходила к сестре на день рождения? 8. Мальчик стыдился поношенной одежды деда. 9. Она уже два года ухаживала за больной матерью и выглядела измученной.

Exercise 7