Exercise 33. Complete the gaps using the words and word combinations. Make sure that you use the correct grammatical form

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain) is a sovereign state l_____________________(1) off the north-western coast of continental Europe. The country includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands.

It is m______________________ (2) up of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. These are remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in 1922, encompassed almost a quarter of the world's land surface and was the largest empire in history. British i___________________(3) can still be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former territories.

The UK is a d____________________(4) country and has the world's sixth-largest e_________________ (5) by nominal GDP. The UK has a partially regulated market e___________________(6). It was the world's first industrialised country and the world's foremost power during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The UK service sector m__________________(7) up around 73% of GDP. London is one of the three "command centres" of the global e___________________(8) (alongside New York City and Tokyo), is the world's largest financial centre alongside New York, and has the largest city GDP in Europe.

The UK remains a great power with leading economic, cultural, military, scientific and political i_____________________(9).

The United Kingdom is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, G7, G8, G20, NATO, the WTO, the Council of Europe, and is a member state of the European Union. The UK has a "Special Relationship" with the United States and a close partnership with France.

Britain's global presence and i_________________ (10) is further amplified through its trading relations, foreign investments, official d__________________(11) assistance and armed forces.

The British Armed Forces has r__________________(12) of protecting the UK and its overseas territories, promoting the UK's global security interests and s________________(13) international peacekeeping efforts. They are i________________(14) in NATO operations, including the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps.

The United Kingdom is a unitary state under a constitutional monarchy. Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state of the UK as well as of fifty other independent Commonwealth countries. The United Kingdom has an uncodified constitution. The prime minister and cabinet are formally appointed by the monarch to form Her Majesty's Government, though the prime minister m__________________(15) up the cabinet and, by convention, HM The Queen respects the prime minister's choices.

The position of prime minister, the UK's head of government, b_________________(16) to the member of parliament, usually the current leader of the largest political party in the House of Commons.

Education in England is the r____________________(17) of the Secretary of State for Education, though the day-to-day administration and funding of state schools is the r____________________(18) of local authorities. Universally free of charge state education was introduced piecemeal between 1870 and 1944, with education becoming compulsory for all 5 to 14 year-olds in 1921. Education is now mandatory from ages five to sixteen (15 if born in late July or August). The majority of children are educated in state-sector schools, only a small proportion of which select on the grounds of academic ability.

The culture of the United Kingdom has been i_________________(19) by many factors including: the nation's island status; its history as a western liberal democracy and a major power; as well as being a political union of four countries with each preserving elements of distinctive traditions, customs and symbolism. As a result of the British Empire, British i________________(20) can be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former colonies; including Australia, Canada, India, South Africa and the United States.