Текст 4. THE SYMBOLS OF GREAT BRITAIN

Задание1. Прочитайте данный текстовый материала и ответьте наследующие вопросы:

1. What information in the text " The Symbols of Great Britain" attracted your attention?

2. Why isn't Wales represented in the Union Jack by the Wales' patron saint?

3. When was the act of Union between Great Britain and Ireland signed?

THE SYMBOLS OF GREAT BRITAIN

London is the capital of England. The national anthem of the UK is ‘God save the Queen.’The symbol of the country is BRITANIA, the female embodiment wearing a helmet and holding the trident (the symbol of power over sea). The figure of BRITANIA has been on the riverside of many British coins for more than 300 years. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland uses as its national flag the royal banner known as the Union Flag or Union Jack. The current design of the flag dates from the Union of Ireland and Great Britain in 1801. There are really three flags on the top of each other. The Red Cross is on the white background of St George for England. Saint George’s Day is celebrated on 23 April. The white “X” on the blue background is of St Andrew for Scotland. Saint Andrew’s Day is celebrated on 30 November. The red “X” on the white background is of St Patrick for Ireland. Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated on 17 March. Wales, however, is not represented in the Union Flag by the Wales' patron saint, Saint David, as at the time the flag was designed, Wales was part of the United Kingdom. St David’s day is celebrated on 1 March. In 1603 James VI of Scotland (Stuart) became also James I of England when Queen Elizabeth I of England died without children. In 1651 Scotland was united with England. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland. In 1301 after defeating the native princes of Wales, King Edward I of England named his son Prince of Wales. In 1536 Wales was brought into the English system of national and local government by the Act of Union. Cardiff is the capital of Wales. Only in 1800 the act of Union between Great Britain and Ireland was signed. Belfast is the capital of Ireland. It is worth remembering that the Union Jack is more popular in England than in Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The reason is that the Welsh, Scottish and Irish do not like being reminded of the time when they lost their independence to England.

LANGUAGES

Most British people speak English, but Gaelic is also spoken in the west and north of Scotland and in Northern Ireland. Welsh is spoken by over half a million people in Wales.

THE QUEEN AND PARLIAMENT

The Queen’s constitutional role is mainly symbolic. The Queen and the royal family continue to take part in many traditional ceremonies. Their visits to many other countries attract considerable interest and publicity, and they are also closely involved in the work of many charities.

PARLIAMENT

Only members of Commons are known as MPs –Members of Parliament. The Commons is more important of the two Houses. Unlike MPs, members of the House of Lords (‘peers’) are not elected. The modern House of Lords has little real power nowadays. The power to refuse a proposal for a law (which has been agreed by the Commons) is limited. A proposed law (a bill) has to go through three stages (readings) to become the Act of Parliament. If the majority of MPs vote for the bill, it is sent to the House of Lords. When the Lords agree it is taken to the Queen for Royal assent.

POLITICAL PARTIES

Conservative - партия Консерваторов

Labour - партия Лейбористов

Liberal Democrat – партия Либерал демократов

Welsh Nationalists - партия Уэльса

Scottish National - Шотландская национальная партия

The Prime Minister is David Cameron (May 2010)

RELIGION

The Church of England Established Church (Anglican) separated from the Roman Catholic in the 16th century.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Britain has diplomatic relations with 169 countries. The UK is the member of some 120 international organisations, including the European Community (EC); the United Nations (UN), where it is a permanent member of the Security Council; the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO); and the Commonwealth.

Britain’s principal agency for cultural relations overseas is the British Council.

The UK is fully committed to the principles of the United Nations and its Charter, maintaining peace, assisting developing countries and protecting human rights and freedom.

ТЕКСТ 5. THE GLIMPSE OF LONDON

Задание1. Ознакомьтесь с содержанием данного материала и ответьте на следующие

вопросы:

1. Who founded London?

2. What financial establishments are situated in the City of London?

3. How many parts of London can you name?

THE GLIMPSE OF LONDON

London was founded in the first century A.D. by the Romans. In the 11th century it became the capital of England. Medieval London grew as a trading centre and in 1215 its citizens won the right to elect their own leader, the Lord Mayor. London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom, its political, economic and commercial centre. It is the largest city in Europe. The population of London is about 7.4 million of people. The river Thames on which London stands is navigable and that played an important part in the city’s development. London consists of 33 separate boroughs (districts). Traditionally London is divided into several parts: the City, Westminster, The West End, and the East End. The heart of London is the City, its financial and business centre. The Bank of London and the Stock are in the City too. Among the multitude of London streets there are well-known streets even outside the City. Oxford Street and Regent Street are major shopping areas, Fleet Street continuous to be used as a synonym for the British press. Downing Street 8 is the official residence of the Prime Minister. Buckingham Palace is the Queen’s official London residence. Everybody knows the double-decker buses of England, and the most famous red ones have run through London since 1956. The London Underground, or the Tube, runs both above and below the ground. It is the oldest and the biggest underground system in the world- its operations began in 1863.

Задание 2. Образуйте однокоренные слова от исходных слов и заполните таблицу.

verb	noun (concrete)	noun (abstract)	participle / adjective
navigate
		division
			operative
	trader

ТЕКСТ 6. THE USA SYMBOLS

Задание1. Ознакомьтесь с содержанием данного текстового материала и ответьте на следующие вопросы:

1. What do the 50 stars on the USA flag symbolize?

2. What does the national flag of the United States of America consist of?

3. What nicknames of the USA Flag can you name?

4. Where can you meet the Coat of Arms of the USA?

5. What does the eagle clutch in its beak?

6. What is the the motto of the USA?

THE USA SYMBOLS

The national flag of the United States of America consists of thirteen equal alternating horizontal red and white stripes with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small white and five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars - the 50 states of the Unite States of America and the 13 stripes which represent the thirteen British colonies that declared independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain and became the first states in the Union. Nicknames for the flag include the " Stars and Stripes", " Old |Glory" and " The Star-Spangled Banner." The flag of the United States is one of the nation's mostwidely recognized symbols. Within the United States, flags are frequently displayed not only on public buildings but on private residences. The flag has become a powerful symbol of Americanism, and is proudly flown on many occasions. Desecration of the flag is considered a public outrage. As for the Coat of Arms of the USA, it has a long history. It can be met on letterheads, license plates and seals of the United States Government and on the cover of the Passport of the United States. The shield has two main differences from the American flag. First, it has no stars; second, unlike the American flag the outermost stripes are white, not red. The supporter of the shield is a bald eagle with its wings outstretched. It holds a bundle of 13 arrows in its left talon referring to the 13 original states, and an olivebranch in its right talon, together symbolizing that the United States has " a strong desire for peace, but will always be ready for war." The olive branch usually depicted with 13 leaves and 13 olives, represents the 13 original states. The eagle has its head turned towards the olive branch and symbolizes a preferencefor peace a scroll with the motto (" Out of Many, One" ).Over its head there appears a " glory" with 13 mullets (stars) on a blue field.

Задание 2. Образуйте однокоренные слова от исходных слов и заполните таблицу.

verb	noun (concrete)	noun (abstract)	participle / adjective
represent
	comparer
			recognizable
		plantation

TEXT 7. AMERICA

Задание1. Ознакомьтесь с содержанием данного текстового материала и ответьте на

следующие вопросы:

1. What was the name of the first permanent settlement in America?

2. What is the early eighteenth century famous for?

3. What is the most important aspect of American life?

4. Why did immigration flows increase greatly the nineteenth century?

AMERICA

The most significant step in the progress of English towards its status as a world language took place in the last decades of the sixteenth century, with the arrival of the expeditions commissioned by Walter Raleigh to the 'New World'. The first venture was a failure. In 1584 the first group of explorers landed near Roanoke Island, in what is today called North Carolina, and established a small settlement. But conflict with the Indians followed, and it proved necessary for a ship to return to England for help and supplies. By the time those arrived, in 1590, none of the original group of settlers could be found. The mystery of their disappearance has never been solved. The first permanent English settlement dates from 1607, when an expedition arrived in Chesapeake Bay, and called the settlement Jamestown, after James I. Further settlements quickly followed along the coast, and also on the nearby islands - Bermuda, and later the Bahamas. Then, in 1620, the first group of Puritan settlers arrived on the Mayflower - the 'Pilgrim Fathers' - searching for a land where they could found a new religious kingdom 'purified' from the practices which they found unacceptable in the English Church of the time. They landed at Cape Cod, in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and established a settlement there. By 1640 around 25, 000 people had settled in the area. It's important to appreciate that these two patterns of settlement resulted in different linguistic consequences. The southern explorers came mainly from the West Country, and brought with them the characteristic west-country accent. Strong hints of this accent can still be heard in the speech of communities living in some of the isolated valleys and islands in the area, such as Tangier Island in Chesapeake Bay. These 'Tidewater' accents, as they are called, will have changed somewhat over the past 300 years, but not as rapidly (because of the relative isolation of the speakers) as elsewhere in the country. They are sometimes said to be the closest we will ever get to the sound of Shakespearean English.

The separateness of the colonies remained for much of the seventeenth century, but during this time increasing contacts and new patterns of settlement caused the sharp divisions between accents to begin to blur. New shiploads of settlers brought people with a variety of linguistic backgrounds, and the 'middle' Atlantic areas began to be opened up. The area around New York saw rapid development. From 1681, Pennsylvania came to be settled mainly by Quakers, whose origins were mostly in the Midlands and North of England. By 1700, the immigrant population of the continent had increased to around a quarter of a million. In the early eighteenth century, there was a vast wave of immigration from Northern Ireland. The Irish had been migrating to America from around 1600, but the main movements took place during the 1720s, when around 50, 000 Irish and Scots-Irish immigrants arrived. By the time Independence was declared in 1776, it is thought that no less than one in seven of the American population was Scots-Irish. Many stayed along the coast, especially in the area of Philadelphia, but most moved inland through the mountains in search of land. By the time of the first census, in 1790, the population of the continent was around four million, most of whom lived along the Atlantic coast. A century later, after the opening up of the West, the population numbered over fifty million, spread all over the continent. Much of the movement west had been led by the Scots-Irish. The accent which emerged can now be heard all over the so-called 'Sunbelt', and is the accent most commonly associated with present-day American speech.

The main population movements to some extent preserved the three major dialect areas of the east coast: the New England people moved west into the region of the Great Lakes; the southerners moved along the Gulf Coast, and into Texas; and the midlanders spread out throughout the whole of the vast, mid-western area, across the Mississippi and ultimately into California. The dialect picture was never a neat one, because of widespread north-south movements within the country, and the continuing inflow of immigrants from different parts of the world. There are many mixed dialect areas, and pockets' of unexpected dialect forms. But the main divisions of North, Midland and South are still demonstrable today. An important aspect of American life, its cosmopolitan character, was present from the beginning, and this had linguistic consequences too. The Spanish had occupied large areas in the west and south-west of the country. The French were present in the northern territories, around the St Lawrence, and throughout the middle regions French Louisiana) as far as the Gulf of Mexico. The Dutch were in New York (originally New Amsterdam) and the surrounding area, large numbers of Germans began to arrive at the end of the seventeenth century, settling mainly in Pennsylvania and its hinterland. And there were increasing numbers of blacks in the south, as a result of the slave trade from Africa, which dramatically increased in the eighteenth century: a population of little more than 2, 500 blacks in 1700 had become about 100, 000 by 1775, far outnumbering the southern whites.

During the nineteenth century, these immigration flows increased, with many people fleeing the results of revolution and famine in Europe. Large numbers of Irish came following the potato famine in the 1840’s. Germans and Italians came, escaping the consequences of the failure of the 1848 revolutions. And as the century went on, there were increasing numbers of Central European Jews, especially fleeing from the pogroms of the 1880s. In the decades around the turn of the century, the United States welcomed five million Germans, four million Italians, and two and a half million Jews.

The chief linguistic result of this multilingual setting was a large number of loan words, which added to the many new words that were introduced as a consequence of the first period of settlement. In that early period, most of the words had been to do with new fauna and flora, or with notions deriving from contact with the Indian tribes -words like wigwam and skunk. Now, there are many words from Spanish, French, German, Dutch, and the other immigrant languages, which have become part of the American environment.

МОДУЛЬ 4 СОДРУЖЕСТВО НАЦИЙ

THE COMMONWEALTH OF NATIONS

Тема - Содружество Наций

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