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2. Great Britain

Pic. 49

1. Study the following words from the text:

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2. Range this words into two columns: one is describing the geological location, the nature and another is describing the government.

3.Knowing the words from the text can you predict about what is it?

4.Read the text, translate and entitle it.

Great Britain is situated on the British Isles. It consists of three parts. Their names are England, Scotland and Wales. Scotland is situated in the north of Great Britain, Wales - in the south-west and England - in the south-east. The United Kingdom consists of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Great Britain surrounded by seas on all sides is separated from the continent by the North Sea and the English Channel. It lies on the crossways of the sea routes from Europe to the other parts of the world. Thanks to the Gulf-Stream the climate of Great Britain is mild.

The rivers in Great Britain are not long, but many of them are deep. The Severn is the longest British river. Many of the rivers have been joined one to another by means of canals, so that it's quite possible to travel by water from one end of the country to the other.

The capital of Great Britain, London, is situated on the Thames River. There are many lakes in Scotland. The most beautiful is Loch Lomond. In the north of England and in Scotland there are many mountains, but they are not very high. The highest mountain is Ben Nevis.

The total area of the country is 93.5 thousand square miles. The population numbers over 68 million people.

Great Britain lives by manufacture and trade. Its agriculture provides only half the food it needs, the other half of its food has to be imported.

Britain is one of the most highly industrialised countries of the world: for every person employed in agriculture, eleven are employed in mining, manufacturing and building. The UK exports machinery, vessels, motors and other goods. One of its main industries is the textile industry. The in-

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dustrial centres of Great Britain are London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield and others.

The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. The head of the state is a King or a Queen. Elizabeth II is a queen from 1952. The supreme legislative body is the Parliament. It has two Houses - the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The highest executive power is the Cabinet. The Cabinet consists of the Prime Minister and 18 ministers of the first rank. The Prime Minister and ministers of all ranks form the Government.

The main political parties are: the Conservative Party (Tories), the Labour Party and the Liberal Party.

5.Are these statements true or false?

1.Great Britain lives by agriculture and trade.

2.Ben Nevis is the longest British river.

3.Great Britain consists of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

4.English Channel separates Great Britain from the continent.

5.The head of the state is the Parliament.

6.The main executive power in the country belongs to the Parliament.

7.The supreme legislative body is the Cabinet.

8.The Cabinet consists of two Houses.

9.The Government consists of the Cabinet and ministers of all ranks.

6.Find English equivalents and use them in the sentences, of your own:

британские острова; на севере; со всех сторон; на пересечении морских путей; две палаты; премьер-министр; одна из самых развитых стран; благодаря.

7.Open the brackets:

1.Great Britain (находится) on an island.

2.Its agriculture (обеспечивает) only half the food it needs.

3.Great Britain (состоит из) three parts.

4.Great Britain (окружена) by seas.

5.Great Britain lies on the crossways of (морских путей).

6.(благодаря) the Gulf-Stream the climate of the country is mild.

7.The climate of Great Britain is (мягкий).

8.The United Kingdom is (конституционная монархия).

9.(высший законодательный орган) is the Parliament.

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10.(высшая исполнительная власть) is the Cabinet.

11.London (находится) on the Thames river.

12.(общая площадь) is 93,5 thousand square miles.

8.In pairs. Ask and answer your own questions using information from the text.

9.Give the summary of this text using your answers.

10.Look at the list of words. What do you think we are going to talk about?

11. Put these words into the gaps.

1.London is Europe's largest … centre.

2.The Bank of England is the … of the United Kingdom.

3.Based on market … rates, the United Kingdom is today the fifth largest economy in the world.

4.The British motor … is a significant part of this sector.

5.The Industrial Revolution started in the United Kingdom with an initial concentration on heavy industries such as shipbuilding, coal mining, steel … .

12.Explain the following words using dictionary. Choose any five to make sentences.

power; market; global; production; economy; engine; reserves; resources; generator; consumption; gasification; reprocessing; plant; reactor; destination.

13.Match the beginnings of the sentences with their endings.

1.Rolls-Royce holds a major share of the global ...

2.Manufacturing remains a significant part of …

3.Civil and defense aircraft production is led by …

4.An alternative to coal-fired electricity generation is …

5.Great Britain is expected to launch the building of new nuclear reactors to …

6.The Thames is the major …

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7. The service sector is dominated by …

а) aerospace engines market;

b)financial services, especially in banking and insurance;

c)replace existing generators;

d)the economy;

e)the United Kingdom's largest aerospace firm;

f)underground coal gasification (UCG);

g)waterway in England.

14. Read and translate the following text paying attention to the vocabulary:

exchange rates – валютные курсы

initial concentration – начальная (исходная) концентрация borehole – скважина

onshore – прибрежный labor force – рабочая сила banking – банковское дело insurance – страхование

Economy

The UK, a leading trading power and financial center. Based on market exchange rates, the United Kingdom is today the fifth largest economy in the world and the second largest in Europe after Germany. The Industrial Revolution started in the United Kingdom with an initial concentration on heavy industries such as shipbuilding, coal mining, steel production, and textiles. Manufacturing remains a significant part of the economy. The British motor industry is an important part of this sector. Civil and defense aircraft production is led by the United Kingdom's largest aerospace firm, BAE Systems. Rolls-Royce holds a major share of the global aerospace engines market. The chemical and pharmaceutical industry is strong in the UK, with the world's second and sixth largest pharmaceutical firms (GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca, respectively) being based in the UK.

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