Outstanding people of Great Britain: Margaret Thatcher, English political leader

Margaret Thatcher is the second daughter of a grocer and a dressmaker who became the first woman in European history to be elected Prime Minister. She become the first British prime minister in the twentieth century to win three consecutive terms and, at the time of her resignation in 1990, the nation's longest-serving prime minister since 1827. Some people have seen her as a true political revolutionary in that she broadened the base of the Conservative Party to include the middle class along with the wealthy aristocracy.

Thatcher was born Margaret Hilda Roberts on October 13, 1925, in Grantham, Lincolnshire, England. A clever child, whose father was an ardent worker in local politics, she decided early in life to become a member of Parliament. She was educated at Sornerville College and at Oxford University, where she was the first woman president of the Oxford University Conservative Association. She earned a Master of Arts degree from Oxford in 1950 and worked briefly as a research chemist.

In 1950 she ran unsuccessfully for Parliament, although she did increase the Conservative Party vote by 50 percent in her district. The following year she married Denis Thatcher, a director of a paint firm. After her marriage she read for the Bar and specialized in tax law.

On her second attempt, in 1959, Thatcher won a seat in Parliament. Analytical, articulate and ambitious, she soon became prominent among other politicians. Because of her debating skills she was frequently called upon by fellow conservatives to respond to the policies of the Labour Party, their political opponents. She served as joint parliamentary secretary to the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance from 1961 to 1964,. then as secretary of state for education and science under Prime Minister Edmund Heath from 1970 to 1974.

Thatcher's political career was not always well regarded, however. In 1972, when she was at the Ministry of Education, for instance, she was referred to in the Sun newspaper as "the most unpopular woman in Britain". Yet she continued to rise in the ranks, and after the Conservative Party lost two general elections in 1974 she succeeded as party leader.

When the conservatives won a decisive victory in the 1979 general elections Thatcher became Prime Minister. Upon entering office she advocated measures that would limit government control, such as giving individuals greater independence from the state, ending government interference in the economy, and reducing public expenditures. Although her conservative philosophy met with approval, during her first two terms unemployment nearly tripled, the number of poor people increased, and bankruptcies resulted from her efforts to curb inflation. Thatcher became known as the "Iron Lady" because of her strict control over her cabinet and the country's economic policies. Extending her firm approach into foreign relations, she helped Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) establish independence in 1980 and two years later she oversaw the successful British seizure of the Falkland Islands from Argentina. These operations led to her landslide re-election in 1983.

During her third term Thatcher continued the "Thatcher revolution" by returning education, health care, and housing to private control. She also supported the campaign to keep Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom, a position that could have been fatal: in 1984 terrorist bombers nearly succeeded in killing Thatcher and several members of her administration in Brighton, Sussex. The bombing wasallegedly the work of members of the Irish Republican Army, a nationalist organisation devoted to uniting Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland.

In 1990, when a split within the Conservative Party was costing Thatcher political support, she resigned from office. During her tenure as Prime Minister, however, she set historic precedents and, according to political observers, she brought long-needed changes to British government and society.

 

 

VOCABULARY

 

grocer ['grəusə] — торговець бакалійними товарами

consecutive [kən'sekjutɪv] — послідовний

resignation [,rezɪg'neɪʃ(e)n] — заява про відставку

ardent ['a:d(ə)nt] — палкий, ревний, старанний

to run [rʌn] for Parliament — висувати свою кандидатуру на

виборах до парламенту

vote [vəut] — виборчий голос

to read for the Bar — готуватися до адвокатури, вивчати право

tax law [tæks lɔ:] — податкове законодавство

attempt [ə'tempt] — спроба

articulate [a:'tɪkjulɪt]'— висловлювати (формулювати) ясно (чітко)

to call upon ['kɔ:lə'pɔn] — запрошувати висловитися, викликати на трибуну

to refer [rɪ'fə:] to — посилатися (на когось, на щось)

to rise [rаɪz] in the ranks — просуватися по службі

to advocate ['ædvəkeɪt] — відстоювати, захищати; пропагувати (погляди тощо)

interference [,ɪntə'fiər(ə)ns] — втручання

expenditure [ɪks'pendɪtʃə] — видатки

unemployment [,ʌnɪm'plɔɪmənt] — безробіття

to curb [kə:b] — стримувати, приборкувати

seizure ['si:ʒə] — захоплення

allegedly [ə'ledʒɪdlɪ] — за голослівним твердженням; як твердять; ніби, нібито

split [split] — розкол

tenure ['tenjuə] — (строк) перебування на посаді

 

QUESTIONS

 

1. What do you know about Margaret Thatcher's biography?

2. Why do we call her outstanding?

3. What at were her jobs?

4. How many attempts did she make to win a seat in Parliament?

5. What are features of her character? Why did she succeed?

6. How many terms did she serve?

7. How did people call her?

 

Teacher ________________I.S.Kokovihinа

 

Theme “Geographical position of Ukraine”

1. READ AND TRANSLATE THE TEXT.

2. RETELL THE TEXT.

Ukraine

Ukraine is a sovereign state with its own territory and its bodies of state power and government. It also has national emblem: state flag and anthem. Ukraine proclaimed its independence on August 24, 1991, and confirmed this status on December 1st of the same year.The country is situated in the south-eastern part of Central Europe. It covers the area of 604,000 square kilometers. The territory of Ukraine consists of the Autonomy Republic of Crimea and 24 regions. Ukraine is inhabited by people belonging to more than 110 ethnic groups. The population of Ukraine is nearly 50 million people. It borders on Poland, Slovakia and Hungary in the west and on Romania and Moldova in the southwest. Its northern neighbor is Byelarus, the eastern one is Russia.The territory of Ukraine is mostly flat, and mountains make up only 5% of its territory. There are the Carpathian Mountains in the west and the Crimean Mountains in the south. The climate of Ukraine is moderate.

The main rivers of Ukraine are the Dnipro, the Dnister, the Buh and Donets and others. The Dnipro is the main river in the country.lt’s one of the longest rivers in the world. Ukraine is washed by the Black Sea and the sea of Azov and has such important ports as Odesa, Mariupol, Mykolaiv, Kherson.The geographical position of Ukraine is favourable, because the country lies on the crossroad of the ways from Asia to Europe.Like any other country in the world Ukraine has big cities; among them are Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine; Kharkiv, which used to be the capital of Ukraine and now its an important industrial and cultural centre; Donetsk is a coal-mining and chemical centre; Odesa is a big sea-port; Lviv is a large scientific and cultural centre and a lot of others. Due to favourable climatic conditions, Ukraine is traditionally an agricultural country. Wheat and corns, all kinds of fruit are grown here. The country is rich in national resources, such as iron ore,coal, gas. It produces planes, ships, lorries, buses, TV and radio-sets, and other goods.

 

Active Words and Word Combinations:

sovereign — незалежний

anthem – гімн

confirm — підтвердити

moderate — помірний

favourable — сприятливий

to lay on the crossroad – знаходитися на перетині

 

Ouestions:

I. What is the national emblem of Ukraine?

2. Where does the country situated?

3. By what seas is Ukraine washed?

4. What national resources is the country rich in?

5. Which countries does it border on’?

Teacher ________________I.S.Kokovihinа

Theme Kyiv the capital of Ukraine”

1. READ AND TRANSLATE THE TEXT.

2. RETELL THE TEXT.

Kyiv

Kyiv is the capital of Ukraine.It has a long history and this makes Kyiv stand out among other cities. In 1982, its 1500th anniversary we celebrated in the country. It was called “The Mother of All Russian Cities”. Kyiv bears the name of prince Kyi.Kyiv is the seat of the Supreme Court and Cabinet of Ministers. Its population is about 3 million. Kyiv occupies an area of 790 square kilometers. The city lies on both banks of the Dnipro.

Kyiv is the largest centre of national culture. A lot of concert-halls, fifteen museums, palaces of culture,film studios,the circus make Kyiv a large cultural centre in Ukraine.The Shevchenko Opera and Ballet House, the Kyiv Franko Drama Theatre are well-known all over the world. Museum of Books and Book Printing, museums devoted to dramatic and film art, memorial museums devoted to outstanding personalities are situated in Kyv.

Kyiv is also one of the biggest scientific centers. The Ukrainian Academy of Sciences and many research institutes are famous for its discoveries. More than 10.000 students study at the Shevehenko National University There are over 20 higher educational establishments in Kyiv.Kyiv is famous for its beauty, for its wonderful broad avenues, lots of chestnut trees and flowers all over the city. A remarkable feature of our time is that people travel a lot. Those who are fond of visiting historical and cultural places usually dwell their choice on ancient cities. The older the city is the more places of interes it has. That’s why Kyiv is quite an interesting place from this view point. Tourists are attracted by numerous places of interest in Kyiv. They are Kyivo — Pecherska Lavra, St. Sophia’ s Cathedral, the Golden Gate, the monuments to T. G. Shevchenko, the great poet of Ukraine, to Bohdan Khmelnytsky and Prince Volodymyr. Kyiv has a well — developed industry. Its factories and plants produce sea and river transport vessels, air liners, computers, motorcycles, consumer goods.

 

Active Words and Word Combinations:

to bear the name — носити ім‘я

anniversary — річниця

to devote — присвячувати

broad — широкий

to dwell — зупиняти

numerous — числений

vessel — судно, корабелб

consumer goods – споживчі товари

Qiestions:

1. Whose name does Kyiv bear?

2. Where does the city lie?

3. Is science paid much attention to in Kyiv?

4. Is Kyiv culture or science centre?

5. Say a few words about the cultural places in Kyiv.

 

Teacher ________________I.S.Kokovihinа

Theme The climate of Ukraine”

1. READ AND TRANSLATE THE TEXT.

2. RETELL THE TEXT.

THE CLIMATE OF UKRAINE

The climate of Ukraine is moderate. Summer is hot and dry with occasionally rains and thunderstorms. Winter is rather mild without severe frosts but with snowfalls everywhere. The rivers and lakes freeze in winter. Ukraine is rather a big country, that’s why its climate is different in various regions of it. Of course, the hottest region is in the South. In the central part of the country the climate is moderate and continental. The climate of the territory along the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov is warmer. The Crimean and the Carpathian mountains protect the country from winds. The coldest part is that in the North and in the North-east.And now let’s characterize every season of the year in our country in general. Autumn is warm at the beginning but later It gets colder, it often rains. Winter sets in December with its cold and heavy snowfalls and winds. The average temperature is about 15-20 degrees below zero. But it often happens that winters are mild and rainy and this is the most unpleasant time. In spring the weather is changeable. It may be cold and windy, sunny and rainy on one and the same day. In summer temperature is about 25-30 degrees above zero. The warmest months are July and August. They say the climate in Ukraine like anywhere else, is getting milder with every counting year. In the last few years all the scientists agree that something very serious is happening to the climate and weather of Ukraine and the whole world. It depends on many reasons.

Active Words and Word Combinations:

moderate – помірний

occasional — рідкий (не частий)

thunderstorm - гроза

snowfall — снігопад

they say – кажуть

Questions:

1. The climate of Ukraine is moderate, isn’t it?

2. Where is the hottest region of Ukraine?

3. Is the climate of Ukraine getting milder?

4. On what reasons does it depend on?

5. Describe the seasons of the year in general.

 

Teacher ________________I.S.Kokovihinа

Theme “The political system of Ukraine”

1. READ AND TRANSLATE THE TEXT.

2. RETELL THE TEXT.