Text 1. The British Isles

· THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the UK) occu­pies most of the territory of the British Isles. It consists of four main parts which are: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.

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.

English is not the only language which people use in the UK. English is the official language. But some people speak Gaelic in western Scotland, Welsh - in parts of northern and central Wales.

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. The Welsh flag, called the Welsh dragon, bears the red dragon on the white and green background. St. David as the patron saint of Wales.

The humid and mild climate of Great Britain is good for plants and flowers.

Some of them have become symbols in the UK. Probably you know that the poppy is the symbol of peace, the red rose is the national emblem of England, the thistle is the national emblem of Scotland and the Edinburgh International Festival. The daf­fodils and the leek are the emblems of Wales, the shamrock (a kind of clover) is the emblem of Ireland.

· LONDON

The capital city of England and the United Kingdom lies on the River Thames, which winds through the city. Its many bridges are a famous sight. The oldest is London Bridge, originally made of wood but rebuilt in stone in 1217. The most distinctive is Tower Bridge, which was designed to blend in with the nearby Tower of London.

The Tower, which is guarded by the Yeomen Warders, was built in the 11th century. In the medieval period London grew rapidly in size and importance. Westminster Abbey and the Guildhall date from this time, and the Palace of Westminster became the meeting place of Parliament. In 1666 many buildings were destroyed in the Fire of London. This provided an opportunity for architects like Christopher Wren to redesign much of the city. As London’s population increased, new streets, squares and parks were added, and many public buildings. London was heavily bombed in World War II, after which a new cycle of rebuilding began.

Culture and commerce

London is a busy commercial and cultural centre. Many important financial organizations, including the Bank of England and the Stock Exchange, are located in the area called the City. Part of the old port in east London has been redeveloped as a business centre, called Docklands. In the West End there are theatres, cinemas, museums and shops. Many people who work in London commute by train or bus from the suburbs because buying a house or flat near the centre is very expensive. Different parts of the city are linked by the famous red London buses, black taxi cabs and the London Underground, often called 'the Tube'.

People from all over the world have been attracted to London and it is now a cosmopolitan, multicultural city. People from other parts of Britain sometimes think that it is very noisy and dirty. Many go there only for the 'bright lights' - the theatres round Shaftesbury Avenue or the shops of Oxford Street. Others take their children to see the sights, such as Buckingham Palace, where the Queen lives, and the clock tower from which Big Ben sounds the hours. Young people are attracted to the bars and comedy clubs of Covent Garden, to live music concerts, and to the stalls of Camden market.

· A TIME TO CELEBRATE

England has no official national holiday, but with Scotland and Wales achieving more political independence recently, there is a growing group of patriotic English people who want to persuade the government to create one. Some people would like to create an extra bank holiday. England has only eight official holidays per year the lowest number in Europe, and there are no holidays between the last Monday in August and Christmas Day. One suggestion for a new autumn bank holiday is Trafalgar Day, on October 21st, which commemorates a famous English naval victory.

Other people are trying to establish St George’s Day (April 23 rd) as England’s official day of celebration, because St George is England’s national saint. A new phenomenon is starting to appear in shops at the start of April – decorations and greetings cards for St George’s Days.

· ROYAL TRADITIONS? THEY ARE NUMEROUS IN BRITAIN, SOME ARE ANCIENT, OTHERS ARE MODERN.

1. The Queen is the only person in Britain with two birthdays. Her real birthday is on April 21st, but she has an "official" birthday, too. That is on the second Saturday in June. And on the Queen's official birthday, there is a traditional ceremony called the Trooping of the Colour. It is a big parade with brass bands and hundreds of soldiers at Horse Guard's Parade in London. A "regiment" of the Queen’s soldiers, the Guards, march in front of her. At the front of the parade there is the regiment’s flag or "colour".

2. This custom is not very old, but it is for very old people: on his or her one hundredth birthday, a British person gets a telegram with congratulations from the Queen.

3. The changing of the Guard happens every day at Buckingham Palace, the Queen’s home in London. In summer and winter tourists stand outside the palace at 11:30 every morning and watch the Changing of the Guard.

4. Traditionally the Queen opens Parliament every autumn. But Parliament, not the Royal Family, controls modern Britain. The Queen travels from Buckingham Palace to the Houses of Parliament in a gold carriage - the Irish State Coach. At the Houses of Parliament the Queen sits on a "throne" in the House of Lords. Then she reads the "Queen’s Speech". At the State Opening of Parliament the Queen wears a crown. She wears other jewels from the Crown Jewels, too.

5. There is very special royal tradition. On the River Thames there are hundreds of swans. A lot of these beautiful white birds belong, traditionally, to the king or queen. In July the young swans on the Thames are about two months old. Then the Queen’s swan keeper goes, in a boat, from London Bridge to Henley. He looks at all the young swans and marks the royal ones. The name of this strange but interesting custom is Swan Upping.