My first examination session and winter holidays

Make up a dialogue (in pairs) about your first winter examination session and winter holidays according to the following plan (don’t forget about an introduction and a conclusion) (See Appendix 1):

I. My first winter examination session:

1. How long did your first examination session last?

2. What credit-tests and exams according to your curriculum did you take?

3. What subjects do you like? What is the most difficult?

4. How would you prefer preparing for taking exams?

5. Have you passed them successfully?

6. Have you got any debts?

II. Winter vacation:

1. How long did your winter holidays last?

2. What did you do during your first winter holidays?

 

GREAT BRITAIN

The poem “The English”

They dress in what they like;

They are interested in sport;

They partake in all activities

If they think they ought.

They all succeed in doing

Their work in five short days,

Which leaves them the two longest ones

To spend in different ways.

Then some indulge in gardening,

Or walking in the rain.

And some delight in cricket,

Or in riding in the plain.

In spite of what’s around him

The average Englishman

Does crosswords in the newspaper

In pencil – if he can.

Involved in any accident

The English take a pride

In being unemotional:

They take things in their stride.

In any circumstances –

Whatever they may be –

The English solve their problems

With an English cup of tea.

 

Great Britain, formally known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, has an area of some 244,027 square kilometres and is divided into 49 administrative counties. It consists of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Ranking about seventy-fifth in size among the countries of the world it has less than 2 per cent of the world’s land area. Great Britain, the largest island in the north-west of Europe, is separated from Ireland by the Irish Sea, and from the Continent by the English Channel and the Strait of Dover.

The surface of England and Ireland is rather flat while the highland area comprises Scotland and most of Wales. The highest mountain in the United Kingdom is Ben Nevis in Scotland (1343 m). The rivers are not very long but they are deep. The chief rivers are the Severn (220 miles) and the Thames (215 miles). The Thames flows through London, and makes it a large sea port, though London is 84 kms away from the sea.

Britain has a temperate and equable climate, which is largely determined by the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Winters are not so severe as they can be on the Continent but summers are not so warm as they generally are on the other side of the Channel. The average London temperature is 4ᵒC in January and 18ᵒC in July.

The British climate is a rather rainy one. Most of the rain falls in late autumn and in winter. But in the whole of Britain rain and sunshine follow each other in quick succession. The variability of weather is due to winds blowing from the Atlantic Ocean. The thick fog in autumn or winter is the most typical feature of the climate in England. Real London fog is a mixture of dense fog and smoke of the factories and homes. Englishmen call it smog.

Great Britain is a highly developed industrial country. Most of Great Britain’s industries are concerned with the production of iron and steel goods, motor vehicles, textiles and chemicals all of which play an important part in the world trade. One of the principal industries of Great Britain is shipbuilding. For centuries Britain has been the leading shipbuilder in the world. The great disadvantage of Great Britain is that it possesses very few of the raw materials necessary for its industry. Most of them must be imported. One of the features of Great Britain’s foreign trade is the predominance of imports over exports.

The population of the UK is nearly 65 million people. England is more peopled than the other parts of the British Isles. London is the capital of Great Britain.

Great Britain is a parliamentary monarchy. Queen Elizabeth II is the head of the state. In practice she reigns but does not rule. The country is governed in her name by the Government, a body of ministers who are the leading members of the political party which has taken office. Parliament is the supreme legislative body.

At present there are four main political parties in Great Britain: Conservative, Liberal, Labour and Communist. Conservative or Tory is the party supported by most of the monopolists and landowners. The supporters of the Liberal party are predominantly small traders and middle class people. The Labour party calls for the support of the workers as the principal opposition to the Conservative party, but it is really no less than the Tory a servant of capitalism. It professes socialist aims in principle, but its practical programme is the programme of capitalist reorganization.

The Communist party, since its foundation in 1920, has been the militant vanguard in working class struggle. It was the first political party based on Socialism directly voicing the real interests of the working class and the true interests of the vast majority of the nation. In 1981 there was a split in the ranks of the Labour party over some issues of Britain’s home and foreign policy. As a result a new party called Social Democratic Party emerged.

I. Translate into English the following words and word combinations and make up 5 English sentences with them:

Средний, охватывать, площадь, поверхность, размер, главный, благодаря, океан, определять, типичная черта, остров, умеренный, состоять из, полезные ископаемые, законодательный, производство, подавляющее большинство, недостаток, население, нация, официально известный, высокогорье, изменчивость погоды, в результате, играть важную роль, главные отрасли промышленности, ведущий судостроитель, преобладание импорта над экспортом, собрание министров, управлять страной.

II. Read and translate the following sentences into Russian:

1. Next to coal and iron, the chief minerals found on the British Isles are the building stone, marble, granite, copper, zinc, lead and salt.

2. Of course it was a matter of great advantage for the British industry at the beginning of its development that rich deposits of coal lay near those of iron ore.

3. From the very first days of the Great Patriotic War, a vast effort was undertaken to collect money for the nation’s defence fund.

4. Warm winds blowing from the Atlantic Ocean largely determine the British climate.

5. The main part of the United States is divided into four regions: two elevated and two lowland.

6. Many lakes are scattered over the surface in Ireland while the coastline, especially in the west, is deeply indented.

7. Scotland is separated from the Northern Ireland by the Northern Channel.

8. Forests and great grasslands are the typical features of the New Zealand landscape.

9. The sea explorers from the Old World called Australia “an island the size of Europe, which knows every type of climate and almost every kind of foliage”.

10. Due to socially useful labour children develop their initiative, respect for the labour of others and a sense of discipline and reorganization.

III. Find the synonyms in parts A and B:

a) area, flat, chief, largely, generally, temperate, average, due to, principle, to support, struggle, feature, severe;

b) medium, to back up, even, harsh, moderate, fight, thanks to, main, leading, territory, commonly, trait, greatly.

IV. Arrange a) and b) in pairs of antonyms:

a) highland, deep, large, warm, disadvantage, equable, rainy, dense, long;

b) cold, sunny, thin, shallow, changeable, short, small, lowland, advantage.

V. Choose the right word:

1. … of Great Britain varies very much.

2. For centuries Great Britain has been famous for its cattle and sheep and still remains a leading country in wool ….

3. The British climate is temperate and equable … the influence of the Atlantic Ocean.

4. The … … of the Irish weather is its changeability.

5. Scotland is … into three main regions: the Border, the Lowlands and the Highlands.

6. The greater part of Britain’s population is ….

7. The … crops in Great Britain are wheat, barley, rye, corn, oats, potatoes, vegetables and fruits.

8. The USA … of 51 states joined in a federal republic.

9. Alaska is … from the Russian Siberia by only 50 miles of the Bering Strait.

10. The … temperature for January in the north of the USA is about 20ᵒC.

11. In spite of its small … Australia is one of the leading agricultural countries in the world.

12. New Zealand … three islands.

13. London is a great city with a … of 8.615 million people.

typical feature, to divide, to consist, chief, production, urban, average, population, area, the surface, to separate, to comprise, due to

VI. Translate into English:

1. Поверхность США разнообразна: от Аппалачей на востоке до равнин на юго-востоке.

2. Умеренный климат Великобритании определяется влиянием Атлантического океана.

3. Благодаря влиянию Великой Октябрьской революции многие народы мира начали борьбу за независимость.

4. Этот словарь включает 100000 слов.

5. Эти две деревни разделены рекой.

6. Новая Зеландия испытывает недостаток таких полезных ископаемых, как железо, алюминий, необходимых для развития промышленности.

7. Частые дожди и туманы характерны для погоды на Британских островах.

8. Последняя книга этого писателя состоит из рассказов о жизни молодежи.

9. Половина всего населения Уэльса живет на юге, где добывается уголь.

10. Англичане и валлийцы (жители Уэльса) представляют собой две различные нации.

11. Россия простирается от Балтийского моря до Тихого океана.

12. Умеренный климат и плодородная земля позволяют России выращивать хорошие урожаи пшеницы, сахарной свеклы, кукурузы и т.д.

13. Рельеф Великобритании разнообразен: равнины Англии и Ирландии сменяются возвышенностями и горами Шотландии и Уэльса.

VII. Combine words into sentences and translate them into Russian:

1. the, Welsh, nation, singers, are, the, of.

2. an, pupil, can, this, average, solve, problem, simple.

3. comprises, the, of, American, half, Canada, northern, Continent.

4. the, and, democracy, typical, is, consistent, feature, Constitution, of, Russian, a.

5. consists, lowland, of, Ireland, mostly, a, vast, central.

6. are, Wales, towns, Cardiff, and, chief, of, Swansea, the.

7. divided, Canada, into, is, provinces, self-governing, ten.

8. great, is, of, the, Great Britain, disadvantage, lack, materials, raw, of the.

9. power, of, is, Russia, in, highest, Supreme, the, of, legislative, country, the, our.

10. determine, interests, education, children’s, and, upbringing.

VIII. Fill in the blanks with prepositions and adverbs:

Scotland is divided … three regions: the Highlands and Islands, which is the most northern and the most underpopulated area … a beautiful landscape and a harsh climate, the Central Lowlands, which is the most industrial region, and the Southern Uplands which is mainly a farming area, … the border … England.

The population … Scotland is about five and a half million but most … it is concentrated … the Central Lowlands. All the towns … considerable size are situated … it. The largest … then are Glasgow and Edinburgh. Glasgow, … fact, is Scotland’s biggest city and the centre … shipbuilding, but it is not the capital. This is one … the reasons why there is so much rivalry between Glasgow and Edinburgh, only an hour’s train journey … the east.

The Lowlands are the cradle … the Scottish nation. It was the people … the Lowlands … their great leaders, who … the 13^th and 14^th centuries won the struggle … Scotland’s independence … the attempts … England’s Kings to make Scotland a province … England. The Highlands are among the oldest mountains … the world. They reach their highest point … Ben Nevis. Many … the deep valleys between the hills are filled … lakes.

IX. Complete the following sentences:

1. Great Britain has an area ….

2. It consists of ….

3. Great Britain is separated ….

4. The surface ….

5. Britain has a temperate ….

6. The variability of weather ….

7. Most of Great Britain’s industries are ….

8. The great disadvantage of Great Britain ….

9. The population of ….

10. The country is governed ….

11. At present there are ….

X. Make up questions for these answers:

1. Great Britain is separated from the European Continent by the English Channel and the Strait of Dover.

2. Yes, it does. The highland comprises Scotland and most of Wales.

3. The climate is temperate due to the influence of the Atlantic Ocean.

4. It is a mixture of dense fog and smoke of factories.

5. No, she doesn’t. The Queen only reigns.

6. There are four main political parties in Great Britain.

XI. Answer the following questions:

1. What is the official name of Great Britain?

2. How many administrative counties is it divided into?

3. What does Great Britain consist of?

4. Is it a big country?

5. It is the largest island in Europe, isn’t it?

6. Where is the UK situated?

7. What can you say about the surface of Great Britain?

8. What are the chief rivers of the country?

9. What do you know about the climate of Great Britain?

10. What is the most typical feature of the climate in England?

11. The UK is a highly developed industrial country, isn’t it?

12. What goods does the country export?

13. Does Great Britain possess many or few raw materials?

14. What is the population of Great Britain?

15. How is the country governed?

16. What political parties of the UK do you know?

XII. Divide into some groups and speak about Great Britain according to the following plan (See Appendix 1):

1. The official name of Great Britain;

2. 4 parts of the UK;

3. The geographical position;

4. The surface of Great Britain;

5. Chief rivers;

6. Climate;

7. Industry;

8. Political system;

9. Great cities;

10. Population.

XIII. Project work “The cultural traditions and customs in Great Britain” (See Appendix 1). Prepare a creative task after your report, presentation, project:

1. The British holidays and the way the British like to spend them;

2. Sport and recreation (The British are great lovers of competitive kinds of sport);

3. Peculiar traditions: traditional food, the Union Jack, the national symbols, the royal family, family relations, the manner of behavior in the society, etc.);

4. The British nation: the general characteristics and the traits of national character;

5. Great people: artists, scientists, musicians, writers, painters ….

XIV. Read the dialogue given below and present it in parts (by heart):

Stranger: Excuse me.

Resident: Yes?

Stranger: I… I was wondering if you could help me.

Resident: Well, I’ll try.

Stranger: I need to find out where the… er… town centre is. Now I see there is a sign up there that points to the left.

Resident: Ah, well, let me see, … er … it all depends if you’re on foot or going by car.

Stranger: Ah, no, I’m walking.

Resident: Ah well, you turn to the left and then carry straight on.

Stranger: Ah, right, thanks! Er… I wonder if you could tell me… um… if there’s a good hotel… er… in town that I can use.

Resident: Oh, let me think a moment… um… yes, there are two hotels – they’re in the High Street… er… one on each side of the road.

Stranger: Right, well, I expect we’ll manage to find one of those. Er, I wonder if you could tell me er… anything about the… er… castle in town… er… where… where it is.

Resident: Um, well, it’s actually further on… er… down High Street and then you cross over the bridge and it’s on the other side of the river.

Stranger: I see, I see. Could you tell me a bit more about it? Is it worth visiting you think?

Resident: I’m not really sure. I’ve never actually been there myself. I think it’s one of the tourist attractions of the town.

Stranger: I see, well, right, thank you, thank you.

XV. Make up a dialogue (a polylogue) on one of the following topics:

1. You are speaking to your friend who has just returned from Great Britain. You are very eager to know what this country is like.

2. Explain to your groupmate why the climate in Great Britain is different from that in our country.

3. You are a Russian engineer who has come to Great Britain on a business trip. You are interested in the present-day economy of the country. At one of London enterprises you meet an English worker and ask him various questions. Since you cannot speak English you resort to the help of an interpreter (Work in a group to make up a polylogue).

XVI. Imagine you’re a guide and make up a route of travelling around Great Britain for Russian tourists coming to the UK to get acquainted with the country. Prepare a polylogue which will include all the details of a forthcoming trip.