The official name of the state is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is situated in Western Europe. It occupies the territory of about 244,000 square kilometers, which is only two times larger than the Leningradskaya region. The country is situated in the British Isles and includes Great Britain, a part of Ireland, the Hebrides, the Shetland Islands and the Orkney Islands. There are about 5,000 small islands. The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are Dependencies of the Crown, which means that they are separate states ruled by Great Britain.
The country is washed by the North Sea in the East, the Irish Sea and the Celtic Sea in the West and the English Channel in the South.
The climate is temperate, oceanic and moist (humid) because the territory is not large and surrounded by water. The English weather is very changeable, so the English like to discuss it. The usual winter temperature is between 3 and 7 degrees above zero, in summer the thermometer seldom goes above 20 degrees. During a nice summer day you can be several times wetted by a sudden short rain.
The most important river of Great Britain is the Thames; it is 334 kilometers long and flows into the North Sea. Other important rivers are the Severn (the longest river), the Trent and the Clyde. In the northwest highlands prevail (including the North West Highlands, the Grampian Mountains, the Southern Uplands and the Pennine Chain). There stands the highest peak of Great Britain Ben Nevis (1344) and the second peak in height Ben Macdui (1309). The Cambrian Mountains in the West include the Snowdon (1085).
There are many beautiful lakes in Great Britain, especially in the Lake District where many people like to spend their holidays. But the most famous is Loch Ness with its monster called Nessie.
The United Kingdom is a highly-developed industrial country. By the volume of production per capita the state occupies the leading place between the European countries. The country is not rich in mineral and other resources that's why it has to import raw materials, oil and food supplies. The most important industry is machine-building (including tractor-, car-, plane- and ship-building). Chemical industry is highly developed as well. More than 40 % of population work in industry, while only about 3% are busy in agriculture. Two thirds of the land belong to landlords and are leased by farmers who grow grain, rape and other food and technical plants. The most important branch of agriculture is sheep-breeding. Fishing also takes an important part in the national economy. About 10,000,000 tourists visit Great Britain every year with its population about 60,000,000 people. The forests occupy about 8% of the territory.
The country is divided into four main historical regions. They are England, Scotland, Wales and Northern. Ireland. In the past they were different countries, and now there is no representative football team of Great Britain, but every region has its own representative team. Each region has its main city and symbols, but the capital of the state is London. The biggest region is England which got its name after the tribe of Angles who invaded and inhabited this region. The main city is London; the symbol is the red rose. The region consists of 46 counties. Wales occupies the Wales Peninsula and the Isle of Anglesey. The main city is Cardiff. The region consists of 8 counties. Since 1301 the Crown princes of England have been bearing the title of Prince of Wales. Scotland is inhabited by the Scots and situated in the North of the Island of Great Britain and some of the smaller islands. The main city is Edinburgh, but Glasgow is its rival. The Scots were characterised as greedy, poor but brave. It was because they lived in the mountainous part of the island and could not work enough supplies to support themselves. The Scots are also known for their kilts and windpipes. Scotland was officially united with England in 1707. Northern Ireland (Ulster) is situated on the island of Ireland. The main city is Belfast. In 1921 it parted from the Republic of Ireland (Eire) and became a part of the United Kingdom.
The political system of Great Britain is greatly influenced by the historical background of the country. Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy, which means that the head of the state is a monarch, a king or a queen. Now the head of the state is Elizabeth II (she has been the Queen since 1952). The Queen reigns but does not rule. It means that the power of the kings and queens is shortened by the Constitution of the state. The royal sovereign takes part in the ceremonies but influences the politics little. The politics is generated by the Parliament, which consists of two houses (the House of Commons and the House of Lords). It was established in the second half of the thirteenth century, so it is the oldest parliament in the world. The Parliament exercises the legislative power, while the executive power is in the hands of the government (the Cabinet of Ministers) headed by the Prime Minister.
The main parties of English Parliament are the Labour Party (social-democratic ideology), the Tory party (the conservative party, for freedom of business, the leader is David Cameron, the present prime-minister) and the Whigs (not very important now).
The history of Great Britain is long and very interesting. The country suffered several invasions (of the Romans, the Anglo-Saxons, and the Normans), livery invasion changed the language spoken.
The Romans invaded the islands under the command of Julius Caesar and ruled England and Wales for 330 years. They built the first cities, one of which was Londinium, or London, and many roads. Even now the main roads are built on or along the former Roman roads.
For a long time the red rose has been the emblem of England. It became the symbol after the War of Roses ended in 1485. In the eighteenth century Great Britain conquered large territories in India and North America. Later the colonies became independent, but people of North America (in Canada and the USA) and India still speak English which is one of the official languages. Most of the former colonies became members of the Commonwealth, the organization where they cooperate in order to improve their economies under the patronage of Great Britain.
Many British people, such as William Shakespeare, Robert Burns, Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, Lewis Carroll, Charles Dickens, Arthur Conan Doyle, Jonathan Swift, are famous all over the world.
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was a poet and a playwright. His famous plays are well-known and loved in Russia («Much Ado about Nothing», «Romeo and Juliet», «Hamlet», «Othello»), composers write music for his sonnets. Walter Scott wrote several famous novels, for example, «Ivanhoe» and «The Puritans». We all love detective stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, whose main characters Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are known all over the world.
One more famous Englishman, Robin Hood, who lived in Sherwood Forest, should be mentioned. He robbed the rich to give money to the poor and so became the symbol of social justice.
The Beatles is probably the best-known music band.
British people care about their health very much. They eat healthy food, less people smoke every ten years. British people go in for sports regularly. Most popular sports are football, tennis, golf, cricket, rugby, rowing, and horseracing.
Education in Great Britain is free, but there are private schools, where you have to pay for your education. English children go to nursery school, or kindergarten, when they are 3 or 4 years old. Then they go to primary school, which is for children from age 5 to age 11. When they are 11 years old, they take national tests and according to them go to secondary school (from age 12 to age 16). But that is not enough to pass the tests and enter a university. Every year more and more English children choose to get higher education. They stay at school after they are 16 for an additional year or two to prepare for national tests. Good results for the tests let them enter universities, though there are no entrance exams.
English people are fond of gardening. Many of them live in small houses and keep small gardens.
The traditional English meal is fish and chips, a piece of fried fish with fried potatoes. They also go to pubs, which are eating houses where you can have drinks and meals. Sometimes people come in big companies to celebrate some event. In pubs the game of darts is often played. It is a traditional English game.
GB is a welfare state as well as the US. Everyone can afford the material and spiritual values he or she needs. In Great Britain and the United States the standards of life are very high. People can afford renting a flat or even a house. They even can buy a house or a flat. I think, in an ideal welfare state everyone has the right to have a lodging of a reasonable size with all modern conveniences. Everyone can afford all necessary visits to all doctors as well as medicines. Now in Russia as well as in other countries only some visits and medicines are paid for by the patient. Speaking about education, in Russia everyone has the right to get secondary education, and it is compulsory. Everyone can enter a university and get a higher education paying nothing though there are students who pay fees. I think in an ideal welfare state everyone has the right to get education and can use it. In such a state every family has a reasonable income and can have as many children as the parents want. But people don't have to work 10 or 12 hours every day - the right to is very important. In an ideal state people have two days off a week and 30 days of holidays every year.
Переведите предложения на английский язык:
1. Соединенное Королевство Великобритании и Северной Ирландии расположено на Британских островах, состоящих из двух больших и пяти тысяч малых островов.
2. Северное море и пролив Ла-Манш отделяют острова от континента Европа.
3. Население Великобритании в основном городское и составляет 57 миллионов человек.
4. Соединенное Королевство состоит из четырех частей. В Великобританию входят Англия, Шотландия и Уэльс.
5. Британские острова омываются Атлантическим океаном, Ирландским морем и проливом Па-де-Кале.
6. Британские острова состоят из гористой части и низин.
7. Гористая местность расположена на севере и на западе.
8. Реки в Великобритании не очень длинные, основные реки Северн и Темза в Англии, Глайд в Шотландии и Шаннон в Ирландии.
9. Климат на Британских островах очень мягкий, так как на него сильно влияет теплое течение Гольфстрим.
10. Погода очень часто меняется, нередки туманы и дожди.
11. Соединенное королевство – высокоразвитая промышленная страна, которая производит и экспортирует различную продукцию.
12. Самые густонаселенные районы – пять промышленных зон, центрами которых являются города Лондон, Глазго, Бирмингем, Манчестер и Ливерпуль.
13. Столица Великобритании – Лондон с населением около 9 миллионов человек.
