Sport in Great Britain

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Тексты для подготовки к конкурсу «Знатоки страны изучаемого языка»

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England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It comprises the central and southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain, including over 100 smaller islands. The country borders on Scotland and Wales. It is washed by the Irish Sea, the Celtic Sea and the North Sea. The English Channel separates England from continental Europe. The population of the country is about 51 million people. Originally settled by Celtic peoples, England was conquered by Romans, Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Danes, and Normans. Acts of union joined England with Wales in 1536, with Scotland in 1707 and with Ireland in 1801 to form the United Kingdom. The capital and the largest city of both England and the United Kingdom is London. England has a temperate maritime climate. The weather in the country is very changeable and it rains a lot, especially in the Lake District. The most important rivers in England are Thames, Mersey and Tyne with the ports respectively in London, Liverpool and Newcastle. England’s economy is one of the largest in the world. The country is a leader in chemical and pharmaceutical industries as well as in aerospace and the arms industries. Tourism has also become an important part of England’s economy. The country is visited by millions of people every year. There are lots of theatres, museums, libraries and galleries in England. Among the most notable are London’s British Museum, housing a collection of more than 7 million objects, The British Library and the National Gallery. There are a great number of universities in England. The most famous are Cambridge and Oxford attracting students from all over the world. They have many common features and known as Oxbridge. One more interesting fact to mention is that England is home to lots of different sports but the most played one is football.

Scotland

Scotland is a beautiful country with dramatic mountains, lochs and manyoffshore islands. This part of the UK is divided into three regions: Lowlands,Highlands and Southern Upland. Most part of the Scottish population lives in Lowlands. Scotland's biggest city, Glasgow, is situated on the bank of the river Clyde. Though this city is the biggest port and the most industrially developed, still it is not the capital. Edinburgh has been the capital of Scotland since the 15th century. It is known as "the Athens of the North" and is one of the United Kingdom's nicest cities. There is the Palace of Holyrood House in Edinburgh, the Queen's official residence in Scotland. In the Highlands the Scots speak English with their own accent. Besides English they also speak Gaelic, the ancient Scottish language. Many Scottish surnames start with Mac or Mc (e. g. MacDonald, McCalister). "Mac" means "son of". MacDonald and Campbell were once two main clans. Highland region is famous for the clan system, which was the basis of the Highland life in the early days. The word "clan" comes from the Gaelic and means "children" and clan's members were united by kinship from the commonancestor. Each clan had its own tartan.

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain. The population of Wales comes up to three million people and its total area is 20,8 thousand square kilometers. During the Iron Age and early medieval period, Wales was inhabited by the Celtic Britons. Wales is regarded as one of the modem Celtic nations today.

Wales has maintained its unique culture and strong national identity, particularly through its language. Welsh, a Celtic language, very different from English, is one of the oldest languages in Europe. In the 60’s Welsh was given equal status with English as an official language. It is taught in schools and some TV programmes are broadcast in Welsh. The Flag of Wales with a red dragon against the white-and-green background is one of the oldest in the world. You can see the picture of the Welsh dragon on the British One Pound coin.

The territory of Wales is generally mountainous. The Cambrian Mountains are a series of mountain ranges in Wales. There are more than 70 lakes in Wales situated mostly in Cambrian area. They are famous for their wild beauty. The pride of Wales in scenery is Snowdonia, the region of high mountains. Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales (1,085 metres).

In 1955 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II declared Cardiff the capital of Wales. Cardiff is the largest city of Wales with a population of nearly 1.1 million. It is Wales’ main commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions. Cardiff is the seat of the National Assembly for Wales (Welsh Parliament). The National Assembly has one Chamber. It consists of 60 elected members who are known as Assembly Members.

Cardiff Castle is one of the most famous attractions for tourists. Nowadays it is a wonderful museum. Another attractive tourism centre is Caernarfon, a royal town in Gwynedd, northwest Wales. The town is best known for its great stone castle- Conwy Castle, built by Edward I of England and is sometimes seen as a symbol of English domination.

People call Wales the land of songs. Traditional folk music is very important in Wales and people sing traditional songs and play instruments such as the harp and the crwth, a type of fiddle or violin. Every August in Wales, people the National Eisteddfod which is a national festival of music, literature and poetry. The festival is eight days long and people only speak in Welsh.

Wales and the Welsh are noted for their love of their national customs, traditions and language which are kept thoroughly and handed over from generation to generation. The Red Kite is a national symbol of Welsh wildlife. Leek and Daffodil are floral emblems of Wales.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland is situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It borders on the Republic of Ireland in the south and west. Its population is about 3% of the population of the United Kingdom. It was created as a division of the United Kingdom in May 1921. The former flag of Ireland - a red cross against the white background is St. Patrick’s Cross, as flag of Church of Ireland. Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. The official flag of the country though is the Union Flag.

The "Flag of Ireland" or “Irish Tricolour” is the national flag of the Republic of Ireland. It is often flown by Republicans and Nationalists to show their support for a united Ireland. It has no official status in Northern Ireland.

The red right hand on the coat of arms of Northern Ireland makes us think of an Irish legend. Once the kingdom of Ulster had no rightful heir. So it was agreed that a boat race should take place. Whose hand was the first to touch the shore of Ulster, he should be made the king. One potential king wanted the kingdom so much, that when he saw he was losing the race, he cut off his hand and threw it to the shore so he won the kingdom. The hand is most likely red to represent the fact that it was covered with blood.

Belfast is the capital and the largest city in Northern Ireland and the main settlement in the province of Ulster. Today Belfast is a centre for industry, arts, higher education and business and law. It stands on the Lagan River. Belfast is the seat of Northern Ireland Assembly consisting of 108 members. Northern Ireland has devolved government within the United Kingdom. Belfast is full of wonderful architectural pieces, dating back to bygone centuries.

Northern Ireland has two floral emblems. One is the shamrock. The flax is also a Northern Ireland's floral emblem, as the country has always been famous for its linen.

Sport in Great Britain

Most people in Great Britain are real sport-lovers. Cricket, football, rugby, tennis, table tennis, badminton, squash, canoeing and snooker were invented in Britain.

Britain's national sport is football or soccer. Nowadays it has become the most popular game all over the world. There is no national football team in Great Britain. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their separate football clubs, which compete in European and World Cup matches.

There is a certain type of football called rugby. The game is called so because it was originated at Rugby — a well-known English public school. As well as common football it is a game played by two teams of fifteen players each. Rugby is played with an oval or egg-shaped ball which can be carried by hands and kicked. The ball is passed from hand to hand in order to be thrown across the goal line. It is a rather violent game that is why the players must be big and strong. Another requirement for the players is to wear helmets, masks and chest and shoulder padding.

Cricket is a popular summer sport in Britain. There are many cricket clubs in the country. Cricket players wear a certain uniform — white boots, a white T-shirt and white trousers. One cricket game takes a terribly long time. There are two teams of 11 players each and test matches between national teams can last up to 5 days. The spectators have to be very patient. The game is played on a pitch with a wicket at each end. Cricket is more popular among men, but it is also played by women and girls.

Tennis is another favourite sport of the Englishmen. People all over the world know Wimbledon which is the centre of lawn tennis. Wimbledon is known for its traditions — strict white dress code for competitors, the absence of sponsor advertising around the courts and some others. Every tennis player dreams of taking part at this tournament.

Golf is a game of business community. The equipment for this game is quite expensive as well as the entrance to a prestigious golf club, so not everyone can afford it. Golf is a ball and golf stick game played on a natural field. In this game one has to knock a ball into a hole.

There are a lot of other popular sports in Great Britain, for example, horseracing, croquet, swimming, running, cycling and rowing.

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