It Is Interesting To Know

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JOKE

- “The harder it rains, the better I like it”.

- “You must be an optimist”.

- “No, I am an umbrella seller”.

XI. Answer the questions:

1. Name the parts of the UK.

2. What parts does Great Britain consist of?

3. How is Great Britain often referred to?

4. What is the climate of the country?

5. What influences it?

6. What is the longest British river?

7. What is London? Where is it situated?

8. Where are lots of mountains concentrated in Great Britain?

9. Is the population in Great Britain 93,5 or 68 million people?

10. What kind of people are the English reputed to be?

11. What are the symbols of the English home?

12. Is the UK a highly developed agricultural (industrial) country?

14. What is the state system of the country?

15. What body does the executive (legislative) authority belong to in Great Britain?

XII. Read the following text and enumerate the peculiar British traditions which have been kept up till nowadays.

One of the most peculiar features of life in England which immediately strikes any visitor to this country is the cherishing and preserving of many traditions, sometimes very archaic as they may seem. When one sees the warders at the Tower of London with their flat hats, their trousers bound at the knee, and the royal monogram on their breast, one feels carried back to the age of Queen Elisabeth I. Tourists visiting London are usually eager to see Buckingham Palace, the official residence of the Queen. The colourful ceremony of the Changing of the Guard before the Palace is of great interest for all the foreigners. Whenever the Irish Guards are responsible for the guard duties at Buckingham Palace an Irish wolfhound appears on regimental ceremonial parades and marches at the head of the band. A number of other ceremonies are of a similarly formal character, such as the Queen's receptions and the State Opening of Parliament.

English people tend to be rather conservative. The conservative attitude consists of an acceptance of things, which are familiar. All the same, several symbols of conservatism are being abandoned. The metric system came into general use in 1975. The twenty-four-hour clock was at last adopted for railway timetables in the 1960s - though not for most other timetables, such as radio programmes. The decimal money was introduced, but the pound sterling as the basic unit was kept, one hundredth of it being a new penny. Temperatures have been measured in Centigrade as well as Fahrenheit for a number of years, though most people tend to use Fahrenheit for general purposes.

NOTES:

Changing of the Guard - торжественная церемония смены караула королевских гвардейцев, проводится ежедневно перед Букингемским дворцом.

wolfhound ['wulfhaund] волкодав

decimal money ['mAnI] десятичная денежная система

pound sterling ['paund 'stWlIN] фунт стерлингов

centigrade ['sFntIgreId] стоградусный

Fahrenheit ['fxrqnhaIt] шкала Фаренгейта предложена в 1724 году. (Точка таяния льда имеет температуру +32ºF, точка кипения воды +212ºF, +20ºC = +68ºF, -10ºC = +14ºF).

XIII. Find the Russian equivalents to the proverbs, characterizing the main traits of the national English character.

1. Give every man thine ear, but very few thy voice (W. Shakespeare)

2. Brevity is the soul of wit. (W. Shakespeare)

3. To be born with a silver spoon in one's mouth.

XIV. Translate the following passage in writing:

William Shakespeare is generally acknowledged to have been Britain's finest playwright and one of her most accomplished poets. He is commonly regarded the greatest of writers in the English language. His plays show a great understanding of human activities of all kinds. In them, he very skilfully uses many various literary styles to express a wide range of emotions. Shakespeare's poems show his extraordinary powers of expression and his depth of emotional understanding. His work has had a great influence on English and many familiar sayings and quotations come from his works, many of his expressions have become part of the language. Here are some of them: "All the world’s a stage" ("Весь мир - театр") from the play "As you like it"; “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark” (“Подгнило что-то в датском государстве”), a line from the play "Hamlet" is used to describe corruption or a situation in which something is wrong; "There is a special providence in the fall of a sparrow" ("И в гибели воробья есть особый промысел"), a line from the plaу “Hamlet” suggesting that a divine power takes a benevolent interest in human affairs; "To be or not to be: that is the question" ("Быть или не быть - таков вопрос"), words from the play "Hamlet", which begin a famous speech by Prince Hamlet.

XV. Define the main idea of the following extracts:

It Is Interesting To Know

- Despite a geologically enforced and politically desired separation from the European continent, Great Britain has made its influence felt in the whole world. Considered by historians to be the Mother of modern democracies, Britain has ruled over the destiny of many distant lands for a number of centuries. It still plays a leading role in the Commonwealth and the English language has become a lingua franca which is no longer limited to the fields of trade, politics and science.

- The differences between the English, Scots, Irish and Welsh are less evident to the visitors, but each of these groups has their own particular accent and customs. On the whole, all these groups live in harmony because of the traditional British respect for the privacy and personal freedom of others.

- The Welsh consider themselves as the only true Britons because their presence in the territory dates back to prehistoric times. Despite its early annexation to England in 1284 and the signing of the Act of Union in 1536 during the reign of the Tudors (who were of Welsh origin), the people of Wales have maintained their own distinct culture which dates back to the pre-Christian kingdom.

- Scottish people have a reputation for being thrifty, although they are friendly and generous with their guests.

- In Scotland the sense of identity - so strong in its traditions and the pride of its past - is as deeply rooted as anywhere else in the British Isles. The most evident cultural heritage of the clans, who built up the most important form of social organisation among the mountain people of the cold highlands, is their characteristic tartans. An ample piece of woollen tartan cloth is originally wrapped around the hips in the traditional «kilt» and the remaining cloth covered the shoulders. The pattern and colours are distinctive for each single clan. In addition each clan had its own tune and, of course, the typical bagpipes, another well-known symbol.

- Many people in Scotland have the name McDonald or McKenzie. “Mac” means “son of” and people with this name usually feel they belong to the same family or clan. Campbell or Cameron are other common surnames. Common boys’ names are Angus, Donald or Duncan, and girls’ names are Morag, Fiona or Jean. The names Jimmy or Jock are so common that many English people call a man from Scotland “a Jimmy” or “a Jock”.

XVI. Express your opinion answering the questions:

1. What kind of climate do you like best: the climate in Great Britain or the one in your region? Why?

2. Do you like English character? Why?

3. Why is it said that Great Britain has a good geographical position?

4. What associations have you when hearing about Englishman's home?

5. Do you think that the English are a rather conservative nation? Enlarge upon your opinion.

6. What party is in office now in the UK?

7. Do you know that the speaker of the House of Commons sits on a sack of wool instead of a comfortable armchair? Can you explain why?

XVII. Learn the decimal values of some English measures. Give the decimal equivalents to the figures below:

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