II. Answer the following questions

1. What is the official name of the United Kingdom?

2. Where do the British Isles lie?

3. What do the British Isles consist of?

4. What is the total area of the United Kingdom?

5. How many countries form the United Kingdom? What are they?

6. What is Great Britain washed by?

7. What country does Northern Ireland border on?

8. What mineral resources is Great Britain rich in?

9. What branches of industry are developed in Great Britain?

10. Which country is larger: Ukraine or the United Kingdom?

III.Put 8 questions to the text

IV.Complete the following sentences 1. Great Britain consists of ….2. London is the capital of ….3. Scotland is ….4. The highest peak in Britain is ….5. The climate of Great Britain is ….6. The main branches of British economy are ….7. The longest rivers are …. V.Fill in the gaps, selecting the words listed below 1. The total area of the British Isles is 322.245 ….2. England … the most of Great Britain.3. Britain has a … climate, which is dominated by marine influences.4. The … of Great Britain is 58 million people.5. Liverpool, London, Manchester are Britain’s main … centres. occupy, population, industrial, mild, square VI. Fill in the gaps with prepositions where necessary 1. Great Britain is situated … the British Isles. 2. It’s population is … 57 millions. 3. The British Isles consist … two large islands and … five thousand small islands. 4. The western coast … Great Britain is washed … the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea. 5. There is a lot … rivers … Great Britain. 6. The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters … the Gulf Stream influence … the climate … the British Isles. VII. Find unnecessary in every line 1. ocean, river, channel, industry;2. to consist of, to be composed of, to be made up of, to divide into;4. to prepare, to export, to import, to produce;5. tobacco, cotton, silk, wool;6. machinery, agriculture, electronics, textile;7. England, Scotland, Wales, London;8. Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast, New York;9. mountain, valley, plain, lord;10. the Atlantic Ocean, the Black Sea, the North Sea, the Irish Sea.

VIII. Read, translate and dramatize the following dialogues

Dialogue 1

A.: Do you know where is the United Kingdom situated?

B.: Yes, of course. A child knows it. It’s situated on the British Isles.

A.: Where are the British Isles located?

B.: They lie off the north-western coast of Europe.

A.: How many islands do the British Isles consist of?

B.: The British Isles consist of two large islands-Great Britain and Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea - and a lot of small islands.

A.: Which waters separate theBritish Isles from the continent of Europe?

B.: The British Isles are separated from the continent of Europe by the English Channel and the Strait of Dover in the south and the North Sea in the east.

A.: What is the total area of the United Kingdom?

B.: The total area of the United Kingdom is 244 thousand square kilometres.

Dialogue 2

A.: What parts is the territory of the United Kingdom divided into?

B.: The territory of the United Kingdom is historically divided into four parts: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

A.: Which of the four countries is the largest?

B.: England is the largest. It occupies an area of 131, 800 square kilometres.

A.: What is the capital of England?

B.: The capital of England and of the United Kingdom is London.

A.: Where is Scotland situated?

B.: Scotland is the most northern of the countries that constitute the United Kingdom. Its capital is Edinburgh. The highest mountains in the British Isles -the Highlands-are situated in Scotland. The highest peak is Ben Nevis. It reaches the height of 1343 metres.

A.: What about Wales?

B.: Wales is a peninsula. It is washed by the sea on three sides. Its territory is 20,800 square kilometres. Its capital is Cardiff.

A.: Where isNorthern Ireland located?

B.: Northern Ireland occupies the north-eastern part of Ireland, which is separated from the island of Great Britain by the North Channel. In the south-west it borders on the Irish Republic. The capital of Northern Ireland is Dublin.

 

IX. Make up your own dialogues on the topic, using Active Vocabulary

Topic: The British Parliament

Active Vocabulary:

To be limited – бути обмеженим

parliament – парламент

state – держава

government – уряд

to make a law – створити закон

protect the rights of individuals – захищати права людей

policy – політика

the House of Lords – Палата Лордів

the House of Commons – Палата громад

to be hereditary – бути спадковим

to be elected – бути обраним

general elections – загальні вибори

to be held – проводитися

voting age – вік голосування

election campaign – виборча кампанія

power – влада

major – головний

bill – законопроект

majority – більшість

to be debated – обговорюватися

to pass through – проходити через

to sign – підписувати

The United Kingdom is a parliamentary monarchy. It means that the head of the state is the queen (or king). (Now it’s Elizabeth II (the second)). But the power of the queen is limited by the Parliament. Parliament and the monarch have different roles in the government of the country.

The main functions of the UK Parliament are: to make a law, protect the rights of individuals, examine government policy, and others.

The British Parliament is the oldest in the world. It consists of two Houses: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The House of Lords is hereditary. It has more than 1000 (one thousand) members. The House of Commons is made up of 651 (six hundred and fifty-one) members. They are elected by the people at general elections. General elections are held every 5 years. The minimum voting age is 18. The election campaign lasts for about 3 weeks.

The House of Commons has true power. It plays the major role in law making. New bills are introduced and debated in the House of Commons. When the bill passes through the House of Commons, it is sent to the House of Lords for discussion. When the Lords agree it, the bill is taken to the Queen for signing. After that it becomes the Law.

The British parliamentary system depends on political parties. The party which wins the majority of seats at general elections forms the government. Its leader usually becomes the Prime Minister of the country. (The current Prime Minister, David Cameron, leader of the Conservative Party, was appointed on the 11^th of May, 2010). The second largest party which wins the minority of seats at general elections becomes the official opposition. It has its own leader and forms “Shadow Cabinet”.

There are three main political parties in the UK: the Conservative Party, the Labour Party andLiberal Democrats.