Read the two texts again and circle the correct answer.

 

1. Britain is a

a) monarchy. b) republic.

2. The monarch’s power is

a) absolute. b) constitutional.

3. Great Britain consists of

a) England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. b) England, Wales and Scotland.

4. The west coast is washed by the

a) Atlantic Ocean. b) Pacific Ocean.

5. The biggest rivers are

a) the Snowdon and the Highlands. b) the Severn and the Thames.

6. Most people in Britain live

a) in rural areas. b) in urban districts.

7. Great Britain

a) is a highly developed industrial country. b) has no highly developed industries at all.

8. In 1922 the southern part of Ireland became

a) a separate state. b) a part of the UK.

9.In Northern Ireland there are more

a) Roman Catholics. b) Protestants.

10. The Government’s aim is

a) to restore peace and stability. b) to destroy peace and stability.

11. The continuity of the monarchy has been broken

a) in the seventeenth century. b) in the nineteenth century.

12. The British Parliament is over

a) 700 years old. b) 500 years old.

 

Vocabulary Exercises

 

Find the English equivalents of the following words and phrases in the text above, then make sentences using them.

 

в начале 17-го столетия, беспрерывность, продолжающиеся гражданские беспорядки, средневековые времена, отдельное государство, быть обязанным, исторический раздел, оставаться основным фактором, меньшинство, большинство, под властью английской короны, возобновить мир, демократическое правление, выполнять функции, найти способ.

 

Fill in the correct word(s) from the list.

 

Sovereign, sway, impartial, brief, head, united.

 

1. The judge must be ……………….. (fair)

2. The power of the ………………….is hereditary, not elective. (the Queen or the King)

3. The ……………..of the Russian Federation is the President. (the main person, the chief)

4. All the people should be …………………..to fight the terrorists. (joined)

5. Germany was under the ………………. of Hitler, whose party won the majority of seats in Reichstag. (power, influence)

6. Rewrite this article in …………! (short)

Speaking

 

9.a) Answer the following questions.

 

1.When did Great Britain come into existence?

2. Had Wales come under the sway of the English crown? When?

3. Were the British and Irish parliaments united until 1801?

4. Does Northern Ireland have the majority of Protestants or Roman Catholics?

5. What remainsa major factor in the continuing civil disturbances in Northern Ireland?

6. What is the Government’s aim?

7. Has the continuity of the monarchy ever been broken?

8. Who is the monarch’s power limited by?

9. What functions does the Sovereign now perform?

9.b) Speak about the parts of the UK, the history of their unification and the difficulties of their peaceful co-existence.

 

Writing

Look through the information about Great Britain in Ex. 4. Make another chart like this and fill it with the details of your own country. Write a simple introduction to your country.

Just for fun

Britain and the British

1. What's the current Queen's name?

a. Queen Ann I

b. Queen Elizabeth II

c. Queen Margaret II

2. Where does the Changing of the Guard take place?

a. Buckingham Palace

b. Piccadilly Circus

c. Victoria and Albert Museum

3. What is a double-decker?

a. a bus

b. a disco

c. a taxi

4. What is Harrods?

a. a bank

b. a department store

c. a school

5. How many pence are there in 1-pound sterling?

a. 10

b. 100

c. 1000

6. What is the name of the famous stadium in the north of London?

a. Wembley

b. Westminster

c. Wimbledon

7. Which Liverpool band was so popular in the 60's?

a. The Beatles

b. The Police

c. The Rolling Stones

8. In Britain, cars are driven on the ________ side of the road.

a. left-hand

b. right-hand

c. wrong-hand

9. Dame Agatha Christie wrote lots of ________

a. detective stories

b. plays

c. poems

10. Manchester United is a popular ______ team.

a. basketball

b. football

c. handball

11. Which famous writer was born in Stratford-upon-Avon?

a. Samuel Beckett

b. James Joyce

c. William Shakespeare

12. Which king had 6 wives?

a. Henry IV	b. Henry V	с Henry VIII

GREAT BRITAIN (II)

 

Warm up Activities

 

1. Match the words to the definitions.

 

1. a peer	a) a female sovereign who is the official ruler or head of state
2. a lord	b) a person who holds any of the five grades of the British nobility (duke, marques, earl, viscount, and baron)
3. the Queen	c) the executive policy-making body of a country or state or a system by which a country or state is ruled
4. government	d) the highest law-making authority in Britain, consisting of the House of Commons, the House of Lords, and the sovereign
5.voting	e)a building for public Christian worship
6. authorities	f) a title given to certain male peers or to certain high officials or judges
7. the Constitution	j) a process of making a choice by vote by a participant in a shared decision, esp. in electing a candidate
8. a church	h) a decision-making organization or government department
9. Parliament	i) the statute embodying principles on which a state is governed

 

Reading

 

Some fragments of the sentences have been removed from the text. Choose from the fragments the one, which fits each gap.

 

every five years, hereditary and life peers and peeresses, majority support, the Commons, the official opposition, by Parliament, consisting of 635 members of Parliament, elected authorities.