Unit 4 the United Kingdom

I. Read and memorize the following words and word-combinations:

due to the influence	завдяки впливу
living standards	життєвий рівень
densely populated	густонаселений
to reign	царювати, панувати
to inherit	успадковувати
to appoint	призначати
secret ballot	таємне голосування
to hold elections	проводити вибори

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the official name of the state which is sometimes referred to as Great Britain or Britain (after its major isle), England (after its major historic part) or the British Isles.

The UK is an island state: it is composed of some 5,500 islands, large and small. The two main islands are Great Britain to the east and Ireland to the west. They are separated by the Irish Sea.

The UK is situated off the west coast of Europe between the Atlantic Ocean on the northwest and the North Sea on the east and is sepa­rated from the European continent by the English Chan­nel and the Strait of Dover.

The climate in the UK is generally mild and temperate (due to the influence of the Gulf Stream). The southwestern winds carry the warmth and moisture into Britain. The climate in Britain is usually described as cool, temperate and humid. That means that it is never too hot or too cold.

The weather is so changeable that the English often say that they have no climate but only weather.

The population of the United Kingdom is over 57 million people.

The flag of the United Kingdom, known as the Union Jack, is made up of three crosses. The upright red cross is the cross of St. George, the patron saint of England. The white diagonal cross is the cross of St. Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland. The red diagonal cross is the cross of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.

England is the largest, the industrial and most densely populated part of the UK.

The greatest concentrations of population are in London, Birmingham and northwest industrial cities.

There are many rivers in England. The longest and the most important is the Thames. The rivers are of great importance for communication and especially for carrying goods.

England is mostly a lowland country. There are upland regions in the north and the southwest, but the rest of England is almost flat. The Lake District in Northern England with its lakes, mountains and valleys is a favourite holiday area.

The wool industry is centred in Leeds and Bradford, the cotton industry in Manchester, iron ore goes to the steel, heavy machinery and shipbuilding industries of Newcastle and other cities. The industries of the Midlands, with Birmingham as its chief city, produce metal goods, from motor cars and railway engines to pins and buttons.

Scotland takes up one third of the British Isles. Its population is a little over 5 million people.

Scotland is divided into three regions: the Highlands, the Lowlands and the Southern Uplands.

Most of the population of Scotland is concentrated in the Lowlands. Here, on the Clyde, is Glasgow, Scotland’s biggest city.

Shipbuilding is one of its most important industries. Other industries are iron and steel, heavy and light engineering and coal-mining.

Another constituent country of the United Kingdom is Wales. It became part of England in 1536 by the Act of Union.

The population of Wales is over 3 million people. About 75 per cent of the people of Wales live in towns and urban districts.

The living standards of people in Wales are lower than in England, the unemployment rate is higher.

North Wales is a country of mountains and deep valleys, South Wales is a land of high hills and wide valleys. The pride of Wales in scenery is Snowdonia, a region of high mountains. Snowdon is the highest mountain in England and Wales.

Except for coal, mineral resources are limited, and in­clude gold, silver, lead and copper. South Wales is more developed: coal-mining, steel production, electronics, elec­trical engineering can be found here.

The capital of Wales is Cardiff, the largest city of Wales. The second largest city in Wales is Swansea where mainly steel production can be found.

Northern Ireland is the smallest component of the United Kingdom occupying the northeast of the island of Ireland. Northern Ireland contains six of the nine counties of the historic province of Ulster. That is why the name 'Ulster' is sometimes used as equivalent to Northern Ireland. For seven centuries Ireland was a colony of Britain.

Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland is the leading industrial centre and a large port. Its chief industries are the production of linen and other textiles, clothing, shipbuild­ing, engineering.

There are low hills and peaks of rocks in the northwest, while the northeast sector of the island is a plateau. The rivers of Ireland are short but deep.

The population of Northern Ireland is about 1.5 mil­lion people. The economy of Northern Ireland is closely integrated with that of Great Britain. It has its roots in three basic industries—agriculture, textiles and shipbuilding. The largest industry is agriculture conducted for the most part on small family farms.

The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. The monarch reigns with the support of Parliament. The powers of the monarch are not defined precisely. Eve­rything today is done in the Queen's name. She ap­points all the Ministers, including the Prime Minister.

The British Parliament consists of the House of Lords and the House of Commons and the Queen as its head.

The House of Commons plays the major role in law-making. It consists of Members of Parliament (called MPs for short).

Parliamentary elections must be held every five years, but the Prime Minister can decide on the exact date within those five years. The minimum voting age is 18, and the voting is taken by secret ballot.The election campaign lasts about three weeks.

The British parliamentary system depends on political parties. The party which wins the majority of seats forms the Government and its leader usually becomes Prime Minister. The Prime Minister chooses about 20 MPs from his or her party to become the Cabinet of Ministers. The second largest party becomes the official opposition with own leader and 'Shadow cabinet'.

The House of Commons is made up of 650 elected members and is presided over by the Speaker.

The other House of Parliament is the House of Lords. The House of Lords has more than 1,000 members, although only about 250 take an active part in the work of the House. The House consists of those lords who sit by right of inheritance and those men and women who have been given life peerages which end with the life of their possessors. Members of this Upper House are not elected. They sit there because of their rank. The chairman of the House of Lords is the Lord Chancellor and he sits on a special seat called the Woolsack.

Political parties first emerged in Britain at the end of the 17th century. The Conservative and Liberal Parties are the oldest and until the end of the 19th century they were the only parties elected to the House of Commons. The main British political groupings are the Conservative and Labour Parties and the Party of Liberal Democrats. Because of the electoral method in use, only two major parties obtain seats in the House of Commons. People be­longing to smaller political parties join one of the larger parties and work from within to make their influence felt.

II. Find in the text and read the following information:

- Territory of the UK

- Water resources

- Population

- Climate

- Deposits of natural resources

- Main branches of industry

- Agricultural production

- Political system

III. Think of 8-10 questions to ask your group-mates about Great Britain.

IV. Did any facts about Great Britain impress you?

V. Compare geographical positions and climate of Great Britain and Ukraine.

VI. Work in groups of 3-4. Discuss the following topics:

- Political system of Great Britain.

- Natural resources.

- Economy of Great Britain.

VII. Work in pairs. Tell your partner about Great Britain.

VIII. You are going to travel around the UK. Which regions would you like to visit? Why?

IX. Make up reports on the following topics:

- Famous British writers, poets and composers

- Prominent British scientists

- Sports in the UK.

LONDON

I. Read and memorize the following words and word combinations:

to be situated glorious	бути розташованим славетний
destroy	знищувати
stretch	простягатися
Stock Exchange	фондова біржа
to increase in size	зростати
to be fond of	подобатись
department store	універмаг
to be buried	бути похованим

II. Write down 3-5 things you can imagine thinking of London.

III. Read the text. Use dictionary if necessary.

London has a long and glorious history. It was founded by the Romans in 43 A.D. and was called Londinium. Years later, England was conquered by William the Conquer­or in 1066 who made London his base. He built the Tower of London and was crowned at Westminster Abbey. During the Middle Ages many churches and monasteries were built. Merchants and craftsmen lived inside the City walls and worked in particular areas. During the Tudor period (16^th century) London became an important economic and financial centre. The Londoners of the Elizabethan period built the first theatres. 1666 was the year of the Great Fire of London, which destroyed most of the city. During the Victorian period (19^th century) London was one of the most important centres of the Indus­trial Revolution and the centre of the British Empire. Today London is a cosmopolitan city and its population is almost 9 million people (Greater London).

London is situated upon both banks of the River Thames. It is the largest city in Britain and one of the largest in the world.

The City of London known as ‘the square mile’ is in the heart of London. About half a million people work in the City but only less than 6,000 live here. It is the financial and commercial centre of the U.K. with many banks, offices and the Stock Exchange.

As, during the Middle Ages, London increased in size and wealth, the old City and the area round the Royal Palace at Westminster became the two chief centres. The nobles, bishops, judges, and others who were connected with the Court, lived on or near Westminster. This explains how the part of London that we now call the West End came into being. Monarchs lived in Whitehall and because Henry VIII was fond of hunting we have today three parks that form a continuous stretch of green: St. James’ Park, the Green Park, and Hyde Park.

The parks have been called the ‘lungs’ of London. They give Londoners the opportunity to walk in the green, to have picnics, to row boats, to go horse-riding, to feed and watch birds and animals, and all this without leaving the city.

St. James's Parkis the most ancient of London's Royal parks. Hyde Park is the ‘people's park’: it is used for every kind of public occasion. The corner of Hyde Park near Marble Arch is known as Speaker's Corner.If you have anything to say you can go there, stand on a stool and express your opinions to the crowd. Regent's Parkis the right place to go if you like animals. Here you can feed the ducks and watch the pelicans and also visit the London Zoo.

The Royal Court moved to St. James’ in the 18^th century and to Buckingham Palace in the 19^th century. Both of these are in the City of Westminster. Here are the finest theatres, cinemas and concert halls, the large museums, the most luxurious hotels, the largest department stores and the most famous shops. The name ‘West End’ came to be associated with wealth and luxury.

The British Museumis the largest and richest museum in the world. It was founded in 1753 and contains one of the world's richest collections of antiquities and the British National Library. The Egyptian Galleries contain human and animal mummies. In the Manuscript section are the originals of the Magna Carta, of many famous books and also the original manu­scripts of some Beatles songs.

The National Gallerystands on the north side of Trafalgar Square, it contains a collection of paintings from the 13^th century. The Tate Galleryused to be a branch of the National Gallery, but in 1955 it became an independent institution. It contains famous, paintings by Turner, Blake, Hogarth and the Pre-Raphaelites. Madame Tussaud'sis an exhibition of hundreds of lifesize wax models of famous people of yesterday and today. The collection was started by Madame Tussaud, a French modeller in wax, in the 18^th century. Here you can meet Margaret Thatcher, Marilyn Monroe, Elton John, Picasso, the Royal Family, The Beatles and many other writers, film-stars, sing­ers, politicians, footballers and so on.

If you like shopping, London is the place to go. If you walk in OxfordStreet, Regent Street, Bond Street or Piccadilly Circus you will find thousands of shops and depart­ment stores. Don't forget to pay a visit to Harrodsand Selfridges, the largest depart­ment stores in Europe. Selfridges is in Oxford Street. Harrods is in Knightsbridge and it is the official London shop of the Royal family.

The Port of London is to the east of the City. Here today are miles and miles of docks and the great industrial areas that depend upon shipping. This is the East End of London, unattractive in appearance, but very important to the country’s commerce.

If you walk westwards from St. Paul’s you reach Fleet Street where the most important newspapers and news-agencies have their offices.

Sightseeing tours in London usually start in Trafalgar Square where you can see an impressive Nelson Column. From Trafalgar Square you can go down Whitehall and see the Houses of Parliament which stretch along the Thames’ North Bank. It is a long building of about 1,000 feet. Big Ben, the famous clock, is in one of the Towers. Near the Parliament there is Westminster Abbey where many Englishmen are buried, among them: Chaucer, Dickens, Tennyson. Here are memorials to Byron, Shakespeare, Scott, Burns and Thackeray.

One of the greatest monuments is St. Paul’s Cathedral which is Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpiece. The well-known architect of that day, he took part in rebuilding the city after the Great Fire of London. Sir Christopher Wren lies buried under the roof of his own great work. These words are written on his grave: “If you want to see his monument, look around!”

London is one of the most famous capital cities of the world, and every year it attracts crowds of visitors from home and abroad.

Notes: A.D. – Anno Domini

IV. Make up 5-7 questions to ask your group about London.

V. Work in pairs. Take turns to tell your partner about London.

VI. Write a letter to your English friend to find out more about London.

VII. Make reports on the following topics:

- History of London

- London parks

- London museums

- London palaces

- Sights of London

SUPPLEMENTARY READING

I. Read, translate and retell the texts given below:

THE TOWER OF LONDON

The Tower of London has a very interesting history. It was begun by a man who was not even English, William the Conqueror from Normandy. William sailed his army across the English Channel to conquer England. In 1066 he met Harold at Hastings and defeated him. After that William was crowned King of England and immediately built forts everywhere. One of them, which was built on the north bank of the Thames River, he named the Tower of London.

The Tower was finished in 1098 rising nearly one hundred feet high, with its walls fifteen feet thick in certain places. The Tower which was the Royal Prison, was protected by a wide ditch, a new stone wall, the old Roman wall, and a river. This was done to secure that no prisoner would escape from it.

Around the year 1240, King Henry III made this tower his home. He whitewashed the tower, widened the grounds to include a church, a great hall, other buildings and renamed it the White Tower. Although the tower was still a prison, Henry had turned the White Tower into a palace.

Several monarchs died in the Tower of London. One was thirteen-year-old King Edward V. When his father, King Edward IV died, his uncle Richard, the Duke Gloucester, plotted to take the throne for himself. Richard had the thirteen-year-old king and his young brother, the Duke of York, taken to the tower. Lord Hastings, a royal officer, tried to protect Edward, but was unsuccessful. Edward and his brother were murdered. These murders most likely took place in the Garden Tower, which was later renamed the Bloody Tower.

Since the Tower of London was so dangerous, King Henry VII formed a personal bodyguard. Henry moved into the Tower in 1485 after killing

Richard III in a battle. His protectors were called the Yeoman Warders, who to this day still guard the tower.

After the death of Henry VII, the Tower of London was never again used to house an English queen or king.

The Tower of London has a very interesting place in English history. It was the sight of murders, marriages, museums, and zoos. But the Tower of London will always be remembered as a “symbol of royal power, a fortress for the monarch, and a prison for the monarch’s enemies”.

II. Did any of the above facts surprise you? Why?

III. Did you find this information interesting and useful?