Ages you can legally do things

Leave school
Ride a small motorbike
Buy cigarettes
Get married(with parents’ consent)
Drive a car
Buy alcohol
Vote
Get married(without parents’ consent)

LECTURE 4

ENGLAND

Of four parts which make up the UK England is the largest, occupying the territory of 131000 sq. km. it is the most industrial and mostly populated part of the country. Its population over 47 million people and England is divided into 39 nonmetropolitan and 7 metropolitan (including a big city) counties. The capital of England, as well as of the whole UK, is London.

In its relief England is not a very hilly country but it is not flat. The most important range of mountains is the Pennine range or the Pennines. Across the north end of the Pennines are the Cheviot hills which separate England from Scotland. In the north west England the Cumbrian mountains are situated. The south-west peninsula of England has areas of high moorland. The highest mountain peak is Scafell Pike (978 m).

The chief rivers are: the Severn flowing along the border between England and Wales and the Thames on which London stands. It is the only and the longest river wholly in England flowing eastwards to the North Sea.

England is famous for its Lake District in the north, in the valley which separates various mountains from each other. It has 16 lakes. The Lake District is a good place for walking holiday and for sailing. The famous poet William Wordsworth was born there in 1770. He wrote many poems about the Lake District.

Economy England is a highly developed industrial part of the UK. Historically England is divided into several economic regions: the South Industrial and agricultural region (Southern England), Central England (the Midlands), Lancashire, Yorkshire and Northern England.

Heavy machinery, electronics and shipbuilding are developed in London and its outer ring, Nottingham, Bristol-on-Avon, Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds, Birmingham and other cities. The wool industry is centered in Leeds and Bradford. Food processing is developed in Liverpool. Midland plain makes farming land.

In the estuaries of the Thames and other rivers of the region there are large oil refineries and shipyards. Oxford and Cambridge are famous university centers, Oxford being also a car-manufacturing center, while Cambridge includes such industries as instrumental making, printing, electronics.

England is rich in sights and holiday centers. It is impossible to speak about history of England without Nottingham. Its name is connected with the name of the legendary hero Robin Hood. The monument to him is situated in this city.

Strafford-upon-Avon is Shakespeare’s birthplace. Thousands of people visit the house where the great playwright lived. The best monument to Shakespeare is the theatre created in his honour in this city.

Blackpool in Northern England is the largest holiday town in Britain. 7 million people shop here every year. Blackpool Tower is 500 ft tall. Inside there is a Zoo, an aquarium and a theatre. Many holiday-makers visit lots of good beaches in Torquay, the birthplace of “queen of crime” Agatha Christie, situated 12 miles north of Dartmouth.

Canterbury, situated in Kent (South-Eastern England), is a cathedral city, the cradle of Christianity in Britain, glorified by Geoffrey Chaucer in his “Canterbury Tales”. The town has history of over 2000 years. Since the 7^th century Canterbury Cathedral has been the mother of English churches, its Archbishop is the Spiritual head of the established Church of England.

Another historic place in the South of England is Hastings, now a popular resort. In the past it was a base of the royal fleet and the frequent target of French attacks, especially during the Hundred Years’ War (1337 – 1453). It is famous for its battle, the site of the Battle of Hastings in 1066, in which the Saxon king Harold II was defeated by his Norman opponent William and England then came under Norman rule. “Harold’s Stone” marks the place where he died. There is also the Battle Historical Society’s Museum which offers an extremely rich collection documenting the history of Sussex from earliest times to today.

One of the most famous monuments situated in south-west England is Stonehenge. It is built of circles of stones. Some of the stones are very heavy and large. Nobody knows who built Stonehenge.

The town of Bath has been important since Roman times. It gets its name from the large Roman baths there. The water tastes horrible but people say it’s very good for your health.

Brighton is a well-known resort. Political congresses take place here too.

LECTURE 5

WALES

Wales lies west of the English lowlands. This part of Great Britain is rather small, its territory being 20760 sq. km and approximately 242 km from north to south. The whole territory of Wales may be subdivided into three areas: the Welsh Mountainous area, Industrial South Wales and the Welsh Borderland. Wales is divided into eight counties, but 70% of population reside in the four industrial counties of the south-west, Mid and South Glamorgan, and Gevent. The main areas of settlement are in the south valleys and coastal areas where 2/3 of population live.

The capital of Wales is Cardiff. It is situated near the mouth of the Taff River. The population of Wales is over 3 million people. About 75% of the population live in town and urban districts. The chief urban districts are Cardiff, Swansea and Newport.

Relief. Wales is highland country of old, hard rocks. North Wales is a country of high hills and deep valleys. The pride of Wales is scenery of Snowdonia. Snowdon is highest mountain in Wales. One quarter of the country’s 5 million acres (305 sq. m) are above sealevel. The greater part of the country consists of a plateau of old rocks surrounded by narrow planes. The plateau is deeply dissected by rivers – the Dee, Clwyd, Conway, Teifi, Towy, Tawe, Usk, Wye and Severn. The Welsh uplands are largely sandstone with patches of granite.

Economy. Wales produce 9% of the British coal and 9% of the electricity. Besides coal-mining light industry has developed (the manufacturing of textiles), machinery, chemical industry are highly developed. Agriculture occupies 72% of the land area. Sheep and cattle breeding are developed in the mountainous and dairy farming in the lowlands. Wales has 8 million sheep. A large proportion of wool is used for making carpets. The biggest of the above mentioned 4 industrial counties in the south is Glamorgan. Its main industries are coal-mining, iron and steel, engineering. About 2/3 of the population live in the South Wales coastal area, where the 3 biggest towns are located: Swansea, Cardiff and Newport.

Cardiff (280 thousand inhabitants), the modern national capital of Wales, is the largest city in industrial South Wales. It rose to importance with the coal and iron industries. Today the cargoes it handles are mainly imports to be distributed throughout South Wales. On imported grain flour milling developed as well as other food processing. Cardiff has a modern shopping centre. North of Cardiff lie the valleys. These are the heart of Welsh coal and steel industries.

The main port of Wales today is Milford Haven situated in the very south-west, with splendid harbours 20 miles long. The port was founded at the instigation of William Hamilton, and great Admiral Nelson stayed here with him and Emma, Lady Hamilton, in 1801. Today it is one of the leading oil terminals of Britain. Refineries grew up on opposite shores and Milford Haven became an important refining center. A pipe line takes petroleum to a refinery near Swansea.

Swansea is an important container port after Cardiff with 6 miles of quays. It is an industrial center and the home of the university college of Swansea. Caerphilly has one of the biggest castles in Europe, including a famous leaning tower. It was built by Normans to defend themselves against the Welsh. Swansea and Newport shared coal exports too. However, later they suffered the same decline like Cardiff.

South Wales is a region of contrasts. The industrial cities of Swansea, Cardiff and Newport are only short journey away from sandy beaches and holiday resorts.

Mid Wales is rather sparsely populated. Along the coast are many fishing ports. North Wales has several impressive castles built by English kings. Anglesey is flat, but the rest of the region is very mountainous.

Tourism is mainly concentrated in the northern coastal strip. Surrounded on three sides by an attractive coastline, Wales has become a popular holiday resort. It is also well-known for its hills and dales, and in these places a great number of people derive their livelihood from tourists and holiday makers.

Barmouth being one of the most popular resorts in Britain. Many people like to visit the territory of Snowdonia – a national park famous for its mountain scenery. Wales is very popular all over Europe for Edwardian castles (8 massive fortresses) built throughout Wales to mark his conquest. These castles are noticeable for their military architecture, combining palatal living quarters with highly sophisticated defensive design.

The Welsh call their country “Cymru”, and themselves they call “Cymru” – a word which has the root as “camrador” (comrade). There is no other part of British Isles where national spirit is stronger, national pride more intense or national traditions more cherished than in Wales. The Welsh still proudly wear their national dress on festival occasions; the Welsh language is still much a living force and is taught side by side with English in schools.

Language. Welsh is spoken by half a million people, 20% of the population of Wales. The western counties of Wales are at least 50% welsh-speaking. Welsh and English are both official languages in Wales. Aberystwyth is the center of Welsh education and learning. Welshmen have a highly developed artistic sense and a distinguished record in poetry, drama and song.

Wales has always been known as a country of music and song. Since the 12^th century there are records of an annual completion (Eisteddfod), which was held to find the best poets, writers and musicians in the country. The completions now include local crafts, orchestral and brass band contests and even ambulance work! An International Eisteddfod (the international festival of folk dancing and music) began in 1946. The festival takes part in the second week of July (North Wales). People from over 30 countries take part in it.

 

LECTURE 6

SCOTLAND

Scotland is the most northern part of Great Britain. It is much smaller than England. Its total area is 78800 sq. km, representing 32% of the UK area. The Cheviot Hills mark the boundary between England and Scotland. Scotland is fully exposed to the Atlantic Ocean. It includes the Outer and Inner Hebrides off the west coast, and the Orkney and Shetland Islands off the north coast. Scotland is not far from the Arctic circle as it lies between 55° and 60° North. The north and west are commonly referred to as “the Highlands and Islands”. The coastline is very irregular, deeply indented, fringed and long fingers of the sea penetrate far inland in sea lochs.

Although Scotland takes up 1/3 of the territory of British Isles, its population is not very big. It population is a little over 5 million people. The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh.

Scotland may be divided into three areas:

· The sparsely populated highlands and inlands (the Hebrides, the Orkneys, the Shetland Islands);

· The central lowlands which contain ¾ of population, most of industrial centers and cultivated farmland;

· Southern uplands which contain a number hill ranges.

Scotland is a country of hills, lakes and swift rivers. The highest mountain peak of Great Britain Ben Nevis is situated in Scotland.

There are many rivers in Scotland, but they are not long. The longest and the most important Scottish river is the Clyde. The other chief rivers are Tay, Forth and Tweed. The later forms the boundary between England and Scotland for some distance.

Scotland is famous for its beautiful lakes with mountains around them. There are not so many trees and flowers and green hills around them like in England. Scottish lakes, called lochs, are long and narrow. In the past all those lochs joined the sea and some of them still do now.

The largest and the most beautiful of all the lochs is Loch Lomond, which is 23 miles in length and 5 miles at its widest point. Loch Lomond has more than 30 beautiful islands. It lies within easy reach of Glasgow.

The most famous of the Scottish lochs, however, is Loch Ness (near Inverness) because of the mystery of the Loch Ness monster. In spite of numerous expeditions to find Nessie the mystery has not been solved so far. But Nessie, whatever it is has certainly done some good. It has become a great tourist attraction, brining a lot of money to the region.

Economy. One half of Scotland’s factories are in Glasgow area. Shipbuilding is one of the most important industries; other industries are iron and steel, heavy and light engineering and coal-mining. Scotland produces practically all Britain’s jute goods (e.g. linoleum) and is famous for its textiles. Whisky is one of the fastest growing industries. The discovery of oil and gas off the coast was an important factor of economy making Scotland the centre of the offshore oil industry.

The main urban centers in Scotland are Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee.

Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland (450 thousand inhabitants), is famous for rubber manufacturing and engineering and also for its biscuit industry. It is also the centre of government and commercial life, political and cultural centre. Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities of Europe. For its picturesque view it is often called “The Athens of the North”. Numerous historical monuments of great interest make Edinburgh the outstanding centre of tourism in Scotland.

The dominating feature of the city is the Castle, standing high on a steep rock. It was a fortified Roman camp on the castle rock which was extended by King Edwin who gave it the name “Edwin’s Burgh”. It is in the royal apartments of the Castle that the son of Mary Queen of Scots, the future King James I of England and James VI of Scotland was born.

The Hollyrood Palace, which was built by James V, the father of Mary Queen of Scots, is the official residence of the present Queen of England, Elisabeth II, when she comes on visit to Scotland.

The finest street in Edinburgh and the main shopping centre is Prince street. In the gardens on its south side stands the monument of Walter Scott, the famous writer of historical novels. Beyond the Scott monument, at the foot of the Castle, is the National gallery of Scotland, one of the 10 other important museums of Edinburgh, such as Museum of Mary Stuart, Museum of Childhood, Wax Museum and others.

The Royal Botanic Garden is the second oldest botanic gardens in Britain, it boasts the largest collection of rhododendrons in the UK.

Every citizens in Edinburgh checks his watch by the Time Gun which is fired in Edinburgh Castle at one p.m. every day except Sunday since 1861.

Edinburgh University, which is founded in 1582, is famous for its medical faculty and for the oldest library founded in 1682, now known as National library of Scotland.

Edinburg is also an important centre of cultural life; each year, in late august and early September, it produces a festival of music and drama which is famous all over the world.

Glasgow is Scotland’s most populous city and third largest in the British Isles. It stands at the lowest bridging point on the river Clyde and has thus become the outstanding market centre for western Scotland, and commercially and industrially dominates Clydeside.

The city on the Clyde estuary was founded by St. Mungo who built a small church on the site of the present cathedral in 543. The place was called Glas Cau (Celtic for “Green Place”) and the settlement took the same name.

In Glasgow one can see a nice cathedral, the part of which was built in the 12th century. The Art Gallery and the Museum of Glasgow contain a big collection of British and European painting.

Scotland’s third city is Aberdeen, the centre of Scotland’s fishing. When North Sea was exploited from the late 1960s, Aberdeen became a centre of the new industry and also the administration and supply base for the offshore oilfields. Aberdeen is built of granite which found locally and the quarrying of it is one of the main industries.

Dundee, situating on the wide mouth of the most salmon river, the Tay, is the fourth city in Scotland, a port important for shipbuilding. It is also the centre of jute industry. Dundee cakes and marmalade are exported all over the world.

Language. In the remote part of the Scottish Highlands and on the Hebrides there can be still be heard the Gaelic language. In other parts of Scotland English is spoken with region accents, with the vowels and consonants pronounced similarly to the way they are written.

LECTURE 7

NORTHERN IRELAND

Northern Ireland is the smallest component of the United Kingdom (14121 sq. km). It occupies north-east of Ireland, only 1/6 of its territory. The population of Northern Ireland is over 1,5 million people. 53% of the total population lives in urban areas. Nearly half a million people live in and outside Belfast. There are 10 other towns with population of more 10 thousands inhabitants. The capital of Northern Ireland is Belfast. Northern Ireland 6 of 9 counties of the historic province of Ulster and so the same “Ulster” is sometimes used as equivalent to Northern Ireland.

Relief. Northern Irelandis at its nearestpoint only 21 km. (13 miles) from the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland. For thousand of years north-east Ulster and south-west Scotland have been in close relationship, and Ulster has been in contact with succession of distinctive cultures more or less different from the cultural traditions of the rest Ireland.

Northern Ireland has a 412-kilometre (256 miles) border in the south and the west with the Irish Republic. As its centre lies Lough Neagh, Britain’s largest freshwater lake (368 sq. km, 142 sq. miles). Many of the principal towns lie in the valleys leading from the Lough, including the capital Belfast, which stands at the mouth of the river Lagan. The Mourne Mountains rising sharply in the south-east include Slieve Donard, Northern Ireland’s highest peak (852 m.) there are low hills and peaks of rocks in the north-west, while the north-east sector of the island ia a plateau.

The rivers of Ireland are short, but deep. The largest river is the Shannon. The rivers and lakes are heavy with fish.

The climate of Northern Ireland is oceanic and differs from that of the western part of Great Britain; prevailing south-west winds bring rain at all seasons of the year.

The chief urban centers are Belfast, Monaghn, Londonderry, etc.

Economy. The economy of Northern Ireland has its roots in three basic industries – agriculture, textiles and shipbuilding. The largest industry is agriculture conducted for the most part on small family farms. It occupies about 72% of the land area.

Britain’s largest shipyard is in Belfast: other well-established activities include the manufacture of aircraft, textile machinery and a wide range of other engineering products, tobacco and clothing. Northern Ireland has also been an important center for textiles and man-made fiber production. There are also been extensive development in vehicle components, oil-well equipment, electronic instruments, telecommunication equipment, carpets and synthetic rubber.

The capital city Belfast is very beautifully situated. Belfast is one of the youngest capital cities in the world which as recently as the 18^th century was a small village. Since the Act of Union of 1800, which officially linked it to England Belfast has grown rapidly into an industrial centre.

 

 

Ы.АЛТЫНСАРИН АТЫНДАҒЫ АРҚАЛЫҚ МЕМЛЕКЕТТІК ПЕДАГОГИКАЛЫҚ ИНСТИТУТЫ

Педагогика және филология факультеті

Қазақ тілі, орыс тілі практикалық курсы және шетел тілдері кафедрасы

Тәжірибелік сабақтарды орындауға арналған әдістемелік нұсқаулық

Кәсіби қазақ (орыс) тілі (Елтану) пәні бойынша

 

5B011900 «Шетел тілі: екі шетел тілі» мамандығына арналған

Тәжірибелік сабақтарды орындауға арналған әдістемелік нұсқаулықтың құрылымы

Seminar № 1

1. The official name of Great Britain. The history of naming the country.

2. The coats of arm of the United Kingdom.

Literature:

1. Нестеров Н.М. Страноведение: Великобритания. Ростов на Дону, «Феникс», 2006.

2. Михайлов Н.Н. Лингвострановедение Англии. М., «Академия», 2003.

3. Артемова А.Ф. Великобритания. Книга для чтения по страноведению. М, «АСТ: Восток-Запад», 2006.

4. Томахин Г.Д. По странам изучаемого языка. М., «Просвещение», 1998.

5. M. Pugh A History of Britain. Oxford, 2001.

6. M. Vaughan-Rees In Britain. Lnd., 1999.

 

Questions

1. Which is the correct and official name of the country?

2. In what way each of the other names is incorrect?

3. How many Union Acts were passed? When and what for?

4. Why did union Jack get this name? What does it unite?

5. What is the national emblem of each part of the United Kingdom? Why was that particular emblem chosen?

6. Which of these capitals of independent states: London, Cardiff, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast, Dublin, Plymouth, Manchester, Toronto, Ottawa, Liverpool?

7. An Irishman might not agree that he is a British citizen, why?

8. What is a patron saint of England: St. Andrew, St. Augustine, St. David, St. Matthew, St. Peter, and St. George?

9. What is a patron saint of Scotland: St. Andrew, St. Augustine, St. David, St. Matthew, St. Peter, and St. George?

10. What is a patron saint of Wales: St. Andrew, St. Augustine, St. David, St. Matthew, St. Peter, St. George?

11. Where does the title “Prince of Wales” come from?

12. When did London start governing Wales and Scotland?

13. Which British part is not represented on the Union Jack? Why?

14. Is an Irish citizen British? And from Northern Ireland?

15. A combination of which three crosses does Union Jack present?

 

Seminar № 2

1. Geographical position territory

2. The seas

3. The relief: the Highlands and the Lowlands

4. Rivers, Lakes

5. The mineral resources

6. The climate

Literature:

1. Нестеров Н.М. Страноведение: Великобритания. Ростов на Дону, «Феникс», 2006.

2. Михайлов Н.Н. Лингвострановедение Англии. М., «Академия», 2003.

3. Артемова А.Ф. Великобритания. Книга для чтения по страноведению. М, «АСТ: Восток-Запад», 2006.

4. Томахин Г.Д. По странам изучаемого языка. М., «Просвещение», 1998.

5. M. Pugh A History of Britain. Oxford, 2001.

6. M. Vaughan-Rees In Britain. Lnd., 1999.

Questions

1. What is geographical position of Britain?

2. How can you compare its territory with that of other countries?

3. Why is Britain warmer than other countries of the same latitude?

4. What are physical differences between England and Scotland?

5. Compare the south and east of Britain with the north and west?

6. Where is the highest mountain in Britain? What is its height?

7. Which river runs through Oxford and London? What is its length?

8. What is the difference between the expressions: Great Britain, the United Kingdom, and the British Isles?

9. Is Dublin or Belfast the capital of Northern Ireland?

10. What makes the English Channel a very dangerous place?

11. What do you know of records of the Channel swimmers?

12. What facts prove that the British Isles are situated on the continental shelf?

13. Can you name the islands around great Britain?

14. Which of the islands are Crown dependencies?

15. Which lake in Britain is world-famous? Why?

Seminar № 3

Topic: POPULATION (DEMOGRAPHIC BACKGROUND)

List of questions:

1. Ancestors. Waves of invasion

2. Language and nationalities

3. Religion and Church

4. Density of population. Distribution

5. Social rates

6. Gender

7. Migration waves

Literature:

1. Нестеров Н.М. Страноведение: Великобритания. Ростов на Дону, «Феникс», 2006.

2. Михайлов Н.Н. Лингвострановедение Англии. М., «Академия», 2003.

3. Артемова А.Ф. Великобритания. Книга для чтения по страноведению. М, «АСТ: Восток-Запад», 2006.

4. Томахин Г.Д. По странам изучаемого языка. М., «Просвещение», 1998.

5. M. Pugh A History of Britain. Oxford, 2001.

6. M. Vaughan-Rees In Britain. Lnd., 1999.

 

Question:

1. What was the succession of invasion on the British Isles?

2. What traces of each may be found nowadays? How did each invasion change Britain?

3. Which Celtic language in the British Isles has the largest number of native speakers today?

4. What is Gaelic? Why is it spoken in the extreme northern and western parts of Great Britain?

5. Which of these people are British: an Englishman, a Welshman, a citizen of Irish Republic, a Scot?

6. What is the state religion in Britain?

7. What other religions are represented?

8. Who are in the majority Catholics or Protestants in:

a) Northern Ireland?

b) England?

c) The Republic of Ireland?

9. What are the essential differences between the Church of England and the Church of Scotland?

10. Name some of the most densely/most sparsely populated areas? Why is it so?

11. How can you compare Britain with other countries of the world and Europe in density of the population? Which cities have the largest population in Britain?

12. What are the figures and tendencies in marriage and divorce in Britain? What do they tell you about the modern family?

13. What do British young people have in common with the youth in your country?

14. Why is the number of “non-martial” births increasing?

15. What effect has the disparity of age distribution (young and old generation)?

16. What are class division and movement in British society? Why do you think farmers make such a small proportion?

17. In what ways are women in Britain disadvantaged?

18. What were the reasons for opposite waves of migration?

19. What Immigrant Acts were passed in Britain and why?

20. What proportion of the British people is non-white? Where do their families come from and why?