The United Kingdom of Great Britain

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland consists of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. All these parts of the country are represented in Parliament in London. England is noted for its «high-tech» and car industries. Scotland is a land of mountains, lakes and romantic castles. Wales is famous for its high mountains and pretty valleys, factories and coal mines, music and myths. Northern Island, with farming land, is beautiful too.

The UK lies on the British Isles. The English Channel and the Strait of Dover separate Britain from the continent. The climate on the British Isles is temperate. The Gulf Stream makes the climate warmer in winter and cooler in summer. There is much humidity in the air of England. Britain is known as a foggy country. Geographically Great Britain is divided into Lowlands, Midlands, and Highlands.

The history of the UK dates back to the ancient times. From the sixth to the third centuries BC, the British Isles were invaded by Celtic tribes. They came from central Europe, and settled in southern England. The Celts were pagans. Their priests, known as Druids, had all education in their hands. They administered justice, and made a disobedient layman an outlaw.

Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy. The Queen is the head of State, but her power is limited by Parliament. The branches of government are: the legislative, the executive and the judiciary. The legislature is the supreme authority. It comprises two chambers - the House of Lords and the House of Commons - together with the Queen in her constitutional role. The executive consists of the central Government - that is the Prime Minister, Cabinet, and other ministers. The judiciary determines common law and interprets statutes and is independent of both the legislature and the executive.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has always played an important role in world politics.

 

БИЛЕТ №7. Вопрос 1.

AMERICAN VS BRITISH

O

ne can often hear of the Englishmen being reserve; how they like "keeping themselves to themselves"; and how on a long railway journey, with four Englishmen in the carriage, there won't be even a word spoken during the whole journey. I'm sure that wouldn't be the case in America. The Englishman thinks it is ill mannered to ask personal questions. The American doesn't feel that it all. On the short ride between the boat on which you have arrived in New York and the hotel to which you are being driven, the taxi driver will tell you all about himself, his wife and family and probably the towns in England that he was in during the war. He will inquire where you have come from, what your job is, how you like America and how long you are staying in New York. The Englishman prizes privacy, the American prefers sociability. I think this same feeling shows itself in the houses in the two countries. The Englishman's suburban house has its little garden with a hedge or a fence all round it to shut him off from his neighbours. "The Englishman's home is his castle."

The American houses have no hedges or fences separating them from the pavement or from each other. There are none of those little shut-off gardens; generally just a strip of grass with trees in it. The American in his home doesn't object to being seen by everyone - he actually likes it. And inside the house, instead of a separate hall, a living-room, a dining-room so typical of the English house, the American has the "open plan" house, just one large room where all the family activities (usually noisy) go on with, perhaps, a "dining recess" or a "kitchen-breakfast-room".

In England - and in France - I knew people who had lived in the same house and been in the same job for twenty, thirty, forty years, and who would hate to pull up their roots and change to something new. That's not the American way of life. They love changes, they call it "the spirit of adventure", a spirit that they think is more characteristic of America than of Europe.

 

1. What is the text about?

2. What’s the difference between the English and the American house?

3. What people are described as reserved?

4. What countries are mentioned in the text?

5. Which lifestyle is closer to you?

 

 

БИЛЕТ №7. Вопрос 2.

Russia's achievements

Russia is proud of its achievements in satellite technology and investigation of outerspace. On October 4, 1957, the world's first artificial satellite was launched in our country. With «Sputnik-1» a great deal of programmes of space exploration were implemented. Over the next few years a number of unmanned spaceships of various kinds, ranging from meteorological and communications satellites to lunar probes were launched.

On April 12, 1961, the Soviet Union launched «Vostok-1». For the first time in the history of mankind a manned spacecraft was launched into outerspace. It carried Yury Gagarin in a single orbit around the Earth. German Titov piloted «Vostok-2» spacecraft. It was launched on August 6, 1961, on the first manned spaceflight of more than a single orbit. Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman to travel into space, was launched on June 16, 1963 in «Vostok-6», which completed 48 orbits in 71 hours. In space at the same time was Valery Bykovsky, who had been launched two days earlier in «Vostok-5»; both of them landed on June 19.

«Vostok» flights had demonstrated that man could function while weightless in space. The «Vostok» spacecraft enabled the preparation of new, more complicated flights. Taking over the traditions of the single-sitter «Vostok», multi-sitter «Voskhod» and «Soyuz» spacecraft began to circle around the orbits of the Earth. «Voskhod-2», a two-piloted spacecraft was constructed in such a way that the cosmonaut could leave the ship during flight. On March 18, 1965, Aleksey Leonov left the spacecraft through an airlock to become the first man to float free in space.

Developed for the Earth-orbital space station programme «Soyuz» aircraft were equipped for extended missions of scientific experimentation while in the Earth orbit of up to 30 days duration. There were 40 manned and unmanned «Soyuz» spaceships which were launched between 1967 and 1981. It should be stressed that 30 «Soyuz» flights involved its docking with an orbiting «Salyut» space station. The first record for the longest manned mission in spaceflight history was set in 1981 by the crew of «Soyuz-35». It remained on board «Salyut-6» for 185 days. Other notable «Soyuz» flights include «Apollo-Soyuz» Test Project, the first joint space venture undertaken by the United States and the Soviet Union. During this mission, conducted in July 1975, a three-man U.S. «Apollo» spacecraft met and docked with the two-man «Soyuz-19» craft. The crews performed joint experiments for two days. The joint «Apollo-Soyuz» mission achieved all its major objectives.

 

БИЛЕТ №8. Вопрос 1.

ALAN AND GRUMPY GOBLINS

(After Enid Blyton)

A

lan is tired after school and now when he is at home his mother makes him busy till it is time for bed. Alan is cross.

"I must do my homework!" says Alan to his mother.

"Well? What homework is it?" she asks.

"I have to think of twelve words beginning with 'gr'," says Alan. "Miss Brown says that the task is quite easy, and we must all come to school tomorrow ready to make sentences with words beginning with two letters. So, I must sit down and think some out."

"Oh, you can do that in bed!" says mother.

And Alan has to go upstairs at once.

He is cross, because he is sure that it is difficult to do your homework when you are in bed. And he is right! As soon as he is under bedclothes he feels sleepy, and he can't even try to think of any 'gr' word.

"If only somebody would tell me a few!" thinks the little boy.

He opens his eyes - and what do you think he sees?

He sees six funny little goblins sitting on his bedrail, and one of them has a dog on a lead. The dog looks like Alan's own toy-dog, but he is alive!

"Who are you?" asks Alan, sitting up.

"We are Grumpy Goblins," says one of them.

Alan sees that the dog is sniffing at his box of sweets and says, "Oh, he wants one of my chocolates!"

Then he says to the goblins, "Tell me why you have come to visit me."

"Your grievance has called us," say the goblins. "Everybody says that we are gruff and grumpy and grave, but we are granting your wish."

"What wish?" asks Alan sleepily.

But the Grumpy Goblins are gone. The dog jumps down into the bed, and cuddles beside Alan. The little boy sleeps.

 

1. What is the text about?

2. What wish are the goblins granting?

3. Who is Alan?

4. Why have the goblins come?

5. What was Alan’s home task?

 

БИЛЕТ №8.

Outstanding personalities

Russia gave the world a lot of great writers, artists, musicians, philosophers, sportsmen, and politicians. The names of Russian scientists and inventors are known all over the world. Almost in all branches of science and technology the Russian scientists played the leading role.

The achievements of the Russian scientists are great.

Vladimir Vernadsky (1863-1945), a Russian scientist, is considered to be one of the founders of geochemistry and biogeochemistry. The son of a professor, Vernadsky graduated from St. Petersburg University in 1885 and became curator of the university's mineralogical collection in 1886. In 1890 he became a lecturer on mineralogy and crystallography at Moscow University, where he earned his Ph.D. in 1897. He served as a professor at Moscow University from 1898 to 1911. After the Revolution he was active in scientific and organisational activities. He founded and directed (from 1927) the biogeochemical laboratory of the Academy of Sciences at Leningrad (St. Petersburg).

Alexander Tchijevsky (1897-1964) is a Russian scientist of space biophysics, and a young friend of Tsiolkovsky. Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (1857-1935) was among the first to work out the theoretical problems of rocket travel in space. He is the greatest Russian research scientist in aeronautics and astronautics who pioneered rocket and space research.

Tchijevsky worked in the tradition of late Cosmic Philosophy. The son of a Russian general, Tchijevsky spent the early years of his life in Kaluga. There he got his education and then worked. In this town he made friends with Tsiolkovsky, who became his advisor and scientific colleague.

For the rest of his life Tchijevsky lived and worked at different research institutions in Moscow. His theories of sunspot activity and human activity stated that sunspot cycle activity increased and decreased in a cycle of approximately 11 years. During World War I Tchijevsky continued his studies at the war front. He noticed that a dependence existed between the severe battles and solar activity.

Great Britain is proud of its writers such as William Shakespeare, Daniel Defoe, Robert Burns, George Gordon Byron, Walter Scott, Charles Dickens, Oscar Wild, John Golsworthy. James Cook, William Harvey, Michael Faraday, Edward Jenner, Alexander Mackenzie, Isaac Newton, George Stephenson, James Watt - glorified Great Britain too.

 

БИЛЕТ №9. Вопрос 1.

IN A STORM

(after Herman Wouk)

N

orman and Irene set out on their sailing trip at seven on the morning of a perfect day. They loaded the catamaran, hoisted sail, and left the harbour. While they sailed down the south shore of Amerigo, the catama­ran went like a train through calm green waters. But at Hog Point, the western end of the island, they saw big waves from the north rolling by, throwing up thirty-foot showers of spray. As they passed the point, the catamaran began to pitch and roll.

The sails rattled and flapped in the wind and big waves broke over Irene, Norman and the picnic baskets. They were in swimming suits, and getting wet at first seemed to be part of the fun. Irene rounded the point with Norman's awkward help, and the catamaran went foaming up the north shore, over a blue sea. The speed was good but they were making little way toward Big Dog. There the island set, bright green in the morn­ing sunlight, due north-east, and straight from there the wind blew. Swear­ing at then} unluckily direction of the wind, Irene tried again and again to bring the catamaran about. At the end of several hours of this, the island remained three good open miles away. The sun was high and hot. The wind was growing stronger. Norman and Irene were wet to the bones.

Trying to come about once again, Irene slipped and fell on the pitch­ing deck, and hurt her head. She lay there swearing till she was breath­less. Then she took another breath and shouted over the flapping of the sails and the noise of the rolling waves, "This was the craziest idea I've ever had! I can't make it, Norman! I'm sorry."

Norman was glad when she gave up. He was wet, sunburned, chilled and seasick, and also scared, out there in the wild sea, in a bulky boat with an angry, exhausted woman. It was a long slow sail back. As they turned into the harbour, the noon whistle blew from the fort.

 

1. What is the text about?

2. Who are the main characters of this story?

3. Can you call the wind the third character?

4. Were they afraid of big waves at the beginning?

5. What happened when they were near Hog Point?

 

 

БИЛЕТ №9. Вопрос 2.