Great Britain.
Task 1. Перед тем как читать текст про Великобританию, найдите на карте географические названия ниже:
1. the British Isles [‘brɪtɪʃ aɪlz]- Британские острова (Great Britain & Ireland)
2. the Irish Sea — Ирландское море
3. the English Channel — пролив Ла-Манш (другие названия пролив Па-де-Кале)
4. the Strait of Dover — Дуврский пролив
5. the North Sea – Северное море
6. the Atlantic Ocean – Атлантический океан
7. England — Англия
8. Scotland — Шотландия
9. Wales – Уэльс
10. the UK – Соединенное королевство
11. Northern Ireland – Северная Ирландия
12. Dover – город Дувр
the British Isles — историческое название, которое нужно запомнить.
Не путайте произношение слов: isle [aɪl], island [‘aɪlənd] — остров, Ireland [‘aɪələnd] — Ирландия
Перед названиями морей, океанов и рек ставится определенный артикль the.
The British Isles include two main islands: Great Britain and Ireland.
Task 2. Переведите предложения ниже и найдите на карте части Соединенного королевства и их столицы. Запомните их.
- Столица Англии и соединенного королевства — Лондон.
- Столица Шотландии — Эдинбург.
- Столица Уэльса — Кардиф.
- Столица Северной Ирландии — Белфаст.
Task 3. Вспомните слова по теме «Страноведение»: be situated in, be separated by (from), be washed by, include, consist of, capital, island, continent, main, part, point, narrow, the narrowest, near, the nearest.
Task 6. Прочитайте текст про Соединенное королевство.
New Words:
- an island state – островное государство
- the white chalk cliffs of Dover – меловые утесы Дувра
Great Britain
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the UK) is the official name of the state, which is situated on the British Isles. This state is also called Great Britain after the main island with the same name. The UK consists of four countries, which are England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.
Geographical position of the UK. Географическое положение Соединенного королевства
The UK is an island state. The two main islands are Great Britain (where England, Scotland and Wales are situated) and Ireland (where Northern Ireland and the independent Irish Republic are situated). The two islands are separated by the Irish Sea. The UK is washed by the Atlantic Ocean in the north and the North Sea in the east.
The UK is separated from the continent by the English Channel and the Strait of Dover. The Strait of Dover is the narrowest part of English Channel. The nearest point to Europe is Dover which is only thirty-two miles from France. Dover is one of the most ancient ports. If you cross the English Channel by ferry you can see the white chalk cliffs of Dover and Dover Castle.
Dover Castle – Дуврский замок (фото автора)
Nationalities. Национальности
Everyone who was born in Britain is British. People from England are English. People from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are not English. They are Scottish or the Scotts, Welsh and Irish.
Languages. Языки
Everyone in Britain speaks English. But in some parts of Scotland and Wales people speak different languages as well. The Welsh are especially proud of their language. They like to speak Welsh, to sing songs in Welsh and when you travel you can see road signs in Welsh all over Wales. Everyone in the UK speaks English but they all speak it differently. A Scottish person has to listen carefully if he wants to understand a Londoner or a Welsh person.
Population. Население
More than 56 million people live in Britain. Many of them live in big industrial cities like London. The biggest cities of England are Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool (England); Edinburg, Glasgow, (Scotland).
Nature. Природа
Foreigners are often surprised by the fact that much of land in Britain is open country. There are many lonely hills, quiet rivers, deep lakes and just farmlands especially in the south of the country. The open country is named Lowlands but it changes for hills called Highlands in the north of the country.
Climate. Климат
The climate in Great Britain is very mild. The winter temperature is between +3° and +7°. Snow does not cover the ground very long, except on the mountains. The summer temperature is between +15° and +18°. It often rains.
The English weather is very changeable. So when English people make plans for holidays they usually begin, “If the weather…”
State Symbol. Государственный символ
The flag of the United Kingdom is known as the Union Jack. It is made up of three crosses: the cross of St. George (the patron saint of England), the cross of St. Andrew (the patron saint of Scotland) and the cross of St. Patrick (the patron saint of Ireland).