Use the structural pattern built in task 21, add 1 – 3 sentences to illustrate each heading. Use the phrases given above (See Unit 1).

23. Scan the following text and answer the questions:

1. What is the official name of the country whose language you learn?

2. What nationalities does the British nation consist of?

3. What is division of Great Britain?

 

One country?

 

The British Isles is the name for a collection of about 4000 islands, including Great Britain and Ireland. The name, the British Isles, is usually only seen on maps.

Great Britain, known as Britain or GB, is the name for the largest of the islands in the British Isles. It includes England, Scotland and Wales. It does not include Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland. You see the abbreviation GB on driving licenses of people who live in England, Scotland and Wales.

The United Kingdom or UK is a political term which includes England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. All of these countries are represented in Parliament in London and the abbreviation UK is used on most official documents produced by Parliament.

Everybody from the UK is British, but be careful: only people from England are English. People from Wales think of themselves as Welsh; people from Scotland as Scottish; people from the Republic of Ireland as Irish and people from Northern Ireland as either British or Irish.

Britain is split up into counties. The word county describes an area with its own local government. County councils are elected to run things, such as education, housing, town planning, rubbish disposal. They look after things like roads, libraries and swimming pools. Many counties, like Yorkshire, Berkshire, Lancashire, contains the word shire, which is an old word for county. In writing, it is usual to abbreviate the names of counties containing the word shire: Lancashire becomes Lancs; Wiltshire becomes Wilts; South Yorkshire becomes S. Yorks. But Essex stays Essex and Durham stays Durham.

PLAY-ROLE

a) You have been to the UK. Your friends want you to tell them about your trip. Tell them about that country. Use Speech Patterns

Speech Patterns

 First of all I would like to note …Прежде всего мне бы хотелось отметить …

 Next …Потом/затем …

Further I …Далее я …

Moreover … Более того …

In my view … С моей точки зрения …

I ’ d like to add that … Я бы хотел (а) добавить, что …

Certainly…            Конечно …

In conclusion …   В заключение …

b) The group of English students arrived in Russia. You, as a guide, met them at the airport. They want to know about your country. Tell them about Russia. Use speech patterns given above.

 

If you want to widen your knowledge of the UK, visit http: //www.great-britain.co.uk./

 

UNIT 2                    THE CAPITAL CITIES

Using your background knowledge, answer the following questions:

1. What cities of the UK do you know?

2. What is the capital of the UK?

3. What are the capitals of the countries forming the UK?

 

1. Read the following words and remember their pronunciation:

financial [fai'næ n∫ l], advertise ['æ dvə taiz], guide [ɡ aid], area ['eə riə ], exhibit [ig'zibit], exhibition ['eksi'bi∫ n], burgh [bΛ rə ], Edinburgh [edinbə rə ], renaissance [rə 'neisns], castle ['ka: sl], picturesque [ֽ pikt∫ ə 'resk], ancient ['ein∫ ə nt], vehicle [vi: ikl], suburb [sΛ bз: b], luminary ['lu: minə ri].

 

2. Read the following text and write down Russian equivalents for the words and expressions in bold type.

LONDON

1. London is used to be a Roman town. The Romans built a city a square mile in size, surrounded it with a wall and called it Londinium. The original site of London is now called the City of London and is Britain’s main financial centre.

2. The City is only a very small part of London. In the eleventh century, London began to expand beyond the City walls when a huge abbey at Westminster was built. Even today, Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament, as well as all the shops, café s, theatres and cinemas of the West End, are in the City of Westminster and not in the City of London.

3. The saying “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life! ” is a cliché, but you can’t be bored in London. There are hundreds of historic buildings, galleries and museums. There are parks and street markets, over 80 theatres and even more cinemas.

4. If you want to discover London, it is best to start with a tour on a sightseeing bus. It’s also fun to go on a guided walk. The walks last up to three hours and have special themes, such as “Royal London – Palaces and People”, “The Beatles London – Rock Routes of the Sixties”.

5. The centre of London has many different areas. Each one has its own special character. Covent Garden in London’s West End, is crowded with café s, clubs and clothes shops. Soho is also known for its clubs. Knightsbridge has a lot of exclusive and expensive shops, as well as many of the embassies. Fleet Street is the home of the Law Courts. One part of the West End has so many Chinese shops and restaurants that it is called Chinatown.

6. When you go outside the centre you find many areas which used to be small villages. The villages became part of the city when the city expanded, but they still managed to keep their village character.

7. Some visitors say that London is an expensive city, but there are a few things to do which do not cost a lot of money. Most museums are free and give free guided tours as well as lectures.

8. The Royal Festival Hall on the South Bank of the River Thames has free music in the foyer every lunchtime. The National Theatre also has free concerts in the foyer every evening and on Saturday lunchtimes. Some cinemas are cheaper on Mondays; others sell half-price tickets before 6 pm.

9. There are many museums and galleries in London. Some are traditional museums, but many are now making their exhibitions interactive, to encourage people to touch and understand what is on display. At the Science Museum, visitors can carry out experiments. At the National Gallery, the country’s main art gallery, visitors can call up paintings on computer screens, find out about them and then print out a plan with their location indicated.

10. London used to be a very busy port, but the docks all closed in the 1960s when ships became too big to sail up the River Thames. The docks were redeveloped, but not many people want to live or work in the Docklands yet because transport links are bad. The Canary Wharf Tower is the tallest building in England.

 

Comprehension check

3. Answer the following questions:

1. What is the City of London?

2. What places of interest can tourists visit in London?

3. What areas are there in London? What are they interested with?

 

4. Match the following English words and expressions with their Russian equivalents:

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