Read and translate the text. In everyday speech, "Great Britain" is used to mean the UK

GREAT BR1TAIN

In everyday speech, "Great Britain" is used to mean the UK. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland occupies the territory of the British Isles which are situated to the north-west of Europe. They consist of two main islands: Great Britain and Ireland. England is in the south of the island of Great Britain, Scotland is in the north and Wales is in the west. Northern Ireland is situated in the north-eastern part of Ireland. It is one thirtieth the size of Europe.

Great Britain is surrounded by seas on all sides. Its western coast is washed by the Atlantic Ocean. In the east the island of Great Britain is washed by the North Sea. The Irish Sea, the North Channel and the St. George's Channel separate Ireland from Great Britain. Great Britain is separated from France by the English Channel, which is 32 km wide in its narrowest part. Still there are many lakes in Scotland. The most beautiful is Loch Lomond. There are no big rivers in Great Britain. The biggest are Severn and Thames. There is a lot of mountain in Great Britain, but they are not high. The highest mountain — Ben Nevis — is in Scotland. The flora of the British Isles is much varied and the fauna is similar to that of the north-west of Europe. The country is not very rich in natural recourses.

London is the capital of the UK. It was founded by the Romans. The population of London is over 8 million people. The largest cities of Great Britain besides London are: Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Bristol, Leeds, and Edinburgh. The most important seaports are: London, Liverpool, Belfast, Glasgow and Cardiff. Oxford and Cambridge are University cities. Great Britain has a very good position as it lies on the crossways of the sea routes from Europe to the other parts of the world. There are many countries which are connected with Great Britain by sea. Thanks to Gulf Stream the climate of Great Britain is mild. It is often foggy and rainy. The summer is not very hot and the winter is not very cold.

Great Britain is a highly developed industrial country. It lives by manufacture and trade. Its agriculture provides only half the food it needs, the other half of its food has to be imported. Britain is one of the most highly industrialised countries in the world: for every person employed in agriculture, eleven are employed in mining, manufacturing and building. The main branches of British economy are engineering, mining, ship-building, motor vehicle manufacturing, textile, chemistry, electronics, fishing and food processing. The industrial centers of Great Britain are London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield and others.

As to its political system it is a constitutional monarchy. The power of the Queen (now Elizabeth) is limited by Parliament which includes two Houses — the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The Prime Minister is usually the head of the party which is in power. There are the following parties there: the Conservative Party, the Labour Party and the Liberal Party. Great Britain is a country of strong attraction for tourists, especially in spring and summer. The charm of it lies in its variety of scenery: the finest combination of sea and high land, the valleys of South Wales, the smiling orchards of Kent, the sea lakes of Scotland, its fields and woodland parks — everything is quiet and green.

III. Post-reading activities.

1. Sum up the facts and make a plan of the text. Retell the information you've read using your plan.

2. Write adjectives which go together with the following nouns. Arrange your findings in the table.

Paragraph I: size Paragraph IV: country, centers

Paragraph II: coast, sea, resources Paragraph V: monarchy, parties, scenery

Paragraph III: cities, seaports, position, routes, climate

3. Answer the questions:

a. What is the United Kingdom? What countries does it unite?

b. What countries is Great Britain made up of?

c. What is Britain's climate characterized with?

d. What people inhabit Britain?

e. What languages do Englishmen speak?

f. Who is the constitutional monarch of Great Britain now?

g. Does the Queen perform government's acts herself?

h. Why are there many ports in Great Britain?

i. What is the relationship between the Queen and the Parliament in Britain?

4. Find false sentences and correct the mistakes.

a. London is the capital of the USA;

b. Great Britain is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean on all sides;

c. The most beautiful river is Loch Lomond;

d. The Prime Minister is usually the head of the party which is in power;

e. There are the following parties there: the Labour Party and the Liberal Party;

f. The most important seaports are: New York, Liverpool, Glasgow and Kyiv;

g. Oxford and Cambridge are College cities.

5. Complete the following sentences.

a. Great Britain is the largest island of the... Isles.

b. The power of the... is limited by....

c. England is a country in the south of Great Britain. Wales is in the...

d. The English... separates Great Britain from...

e. The capital of England is..., the capital of Scotland is... and the capital of... is Cardiff.

f. The Thames flows... London.

g. The largest cities of Great Britain besides London are...

h. Thanks to... Stream the climate of Great Britain is...

6. Insert the following adjectives in the superlative form.
famous, long, large, beautiful, high

The Severn is….... river in the United Kingdom….... lakes are in Scotland. Great Britain is..….. island in Europe. The Thames is…… river. Ben Nevis is mountain in Great Britain.

7. Translate into English.

а) Англія славиться своєю історією і красою. Ь) Англія поділяється на 55 адміністративних графств, с) Велика Британія відома своїм типовим при­морським кліматом з тривалими дощами, d) Лондон є важливим адміністра­тивним, промисловим, науковим і культурним центром, е) Найближчий сусід

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