Ex. II. Read the following text:
Land use and agriculture
Although Britain is an industrialized nation, much of the country is under cultivation. Agriculture, which meets over 50 per cent of Britains food needs, accounts for 74 per cent of land use.
Woodland and forest account for 11 per sent, and urban land and other areas for 15 per cent. About 67 per cent of agricultural land is under crops and grass, the rest being used for grazing farm animals. There are about 234,000 farm holdings, with an average size of 73 hectares (179 acres).
Households, health and welfare
The average size of British households has fallen to 2.4 people. A greater number of people are living on their own (12 per cent of adults) or in one-parent families. About 67 per cent of householders in Britain own their homes. Four-fifth of British householders live in houses rather than flats.
The average weekly household expenditure in Britain in the last few years was nearly ₤ 309. Food and housing costs constituted 34 per cent of this. Transport and leisure accounted for about 16 per cent each. Over 90 per cent of households have a colour television, telephone, washing machine and deep freezer.
On average British men live for over 74 years and women for nearly 80 years. People are living longer because of a better diet, improved medical treatment and care, and better living conditions.
Britain's National Health Service provides a full range of medical services, which are available to all residents. Local authority personal social services and voluntary organizations provide help and advice to the most vulnerable members of the community, such as the elderly and disabled.
The social security system provides financial help for people who are unable to work or cannot find work. A state pension is payable to women at the age of 60 and to men at 65. A major overhaul of social security is planned, based on the objectives of promoting incentives to work, reducing poverty and welfare dependency, and strengthening community and family life.
Media
There are five terrestrial television channels in Britain (of which two BBC I and BBC 2 are publicly funded) and also satellite and cable channels. BBC World Service broadcasts by radio in English and 45 other languages worldwide. BBC World-wide Television is a major international broadcaster. British television productions have won many international awards.
More daily newspapers, national and regional, are sold for every person in Britain than in most other developed countries. On an average day, nearly 60 per cent of people over the age of 15 read a national morning paper; over 65 percent read a Sunday newspaper. There are 10 national morning daily newspapers, 9 Sunday, about 1,400 regional and local newspaper titles, and over 6,500 periodical publications on sale. There is no state control or censorship.
Access to the Internet, a global computer network linked by the international telephone system, has grown rapidly there are an estimated 5 million Internet or on-line users in Britain.
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Architecture and the arts
Britain's architecture reflects its rich history. It includes prehistoric monuments, castles, and town walls, cathedrals and churches, stately houses, royal palaces and industrial sites, as well as modern urban architecture.
Britain is fully represented in the World Heritage List, which was established under the Heritage Convention to identify and safeguard the most important sites and buildings. Among the 14 sites are Canterbury Cathedral, Ironbridge Gorge (an early industrial site) in Shropshire, the prehistoric stone circles at Stonehenge and Avebury, the Tower of London, and Edinburgh Old and New Towns.
Contemporary architectural trends are evident in the varied range of housing and office developments. Innovative designs are found in many new buildings, for example, in the City of London and Docklands.
Britain's artistic and cultural heritage is one of the richest in the world. Around 650 professional arts festivals take place in Britain each year. London is one of the leading centres for drama, music, opera and dance. Britain's symphony orchestras are internationally famous, and British pop and rock music maintains its worldwide appeal. Jazz also has a strong following. British films, actors and producers, as well as the creative and technical staff supporting them, are acclaimed. There are about 2,200 cinema screens in Britain. Cinema admissions are running at 124 million a year, having more than doubled since 1984.
Museums and libraries
There are over 2,500 museums and galleries open to the public in Britain, receiving about 110 million visitors a year. The national museums and galleries, many of them located in London, have some of the worlds most important and exciting collections. The most famous ones include the British Museum, National Gallery, Natural History Museum, Science Museum, Imperial War Museum, and Victoria and Albert Museum. The British Library has over 150 million individual items, including books, manuscripts, maps, newspapers, stamps and recorded sound. Its new London headquarters has been built at a cost £511 million. Other prominent libraries include the National Libraries of Scotland and Wales and the university libraries of Oxford and Cambridge. There are 5,000 free local public libraries throughout Britain.
Active Words and Phrases:
| account for | ( ) | maintain appeal | |
| household | ; | the disabled | |
| censorship | security | ||
| grazing | overhaul | ||
| farm holding | promote | ||
| costs | incentive | ||
| treatment | poverty | , | |
| available | welfare | ||
| voluntary | terrestrial | ||
| vulnerable | vulnerable |
Ex. III. Complete the table:
| 11% | wood and forest |
| 234,000 | |
| 4/5 | |
Ex. IV. Answer the following questions:
1. What is the average life expectancy for men and women in Britain?
2. How do national and local authorities project the elderly and disabled?
3. What is the social security system based on?
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4. What is the retirement age for men and women in Britain?
5. What do the letters BBC stand for?
6. What are the most popular newspaper titles in Britain?
7. How many on-line users are there in Britain?
Ex. V. Match the two halves:
| 1. Piccadilly Circus | a) Englands most elegant city. The ancient bath built by the Romans 2,000 years ago receive half a million gallons of hot water every day. |
| 2. The Post Office Tower (BT Tower) | b) One of Englands most famous prehistoric monuments, which is over 4,000 years old. |
| 3. Trafalgar Square | c) A huge business complex on the north bank of the River Thames. It is served by its own railway. |
| 4. Canary Wharf | d) It has one of the largest collections of wax models of famous people in the world. |
| 5. Madam Tussauds | e) One of Londons tallest buildings standing 620 feet high. |
| 6. Stonehenge | f) A historical reminder of the great naval admiral Lord Nelson. |
| 7. The Guard | g) In the middle of it is the famous statue of Eros. |
| 8. Bath | h) Protect the Queen of England. Stand in sentry boxes outside Buckingham Palace. |
