Ex. 11. Read and translate the text into Russian.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain

and Northern Ireland

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland occupies the territory of the British Isles. It consists of four parts: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the official name of the state which is sometimes referred to as Great Britain or Britain (after its major isle), England (after its major historic part) or the British Isles.

The UK is an island state: it is composed of some 5,500 islands, small and large. The two main islands are Great Britain (in which are England, Wales and Scotland) to the east and Ireland (in which are Northern Ireland and Independent Irish Republic) to the west. They are separated by the Irish Sea.

Geographically, the island of Great Britain is subdivided into two main regions – Lowland Britain and Highland Britain. Lowland Britain comprises southern and eastern England. Highland Britain consists of Scotland, most of Wales, the Pennines and the Lake District. The Pennine Chain extends southward from the Cheviot Hills into the Midlands, a plain region with low hills and valleys. England is separated from Scotland by the Cheviot Hills, running east to west.

The chief rivers of Great Britain are: the Severn, flowing along the border between England and Wales, tributaries of which include the Avon; the Thames, which flows eastward to the port of London and some others. The swiftest flowing river in the British Isles is the Sprey. Another river is the Tweed, near which is made the woollen fabric that bears its name.

There are many lakes in Great Britain. On the northwest side of the Pennine system the Lake District contains the beautiful lakes which give it its name.

The highest mountains are in Scotland and Wales: Ben Nevis is 1,343 metres and Snowdon is 1,085 metres.

The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of the Gulf Stream influence the climate of the British Isles. It is mild the whole year long.

The UK is one of the world’s smallest countries with an area of some 244,100 square kilometers. The UK is situated off the west coast of Europe between the Atlantic Ocean on the northwest and the North Sea on the east and is separated from the European continent by the English Channel.

The largest cities of Great Britain are: London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Bristol, Leeds, and

Edinburgh. The most important ports are: London, Liverpool, Southampton, Belfast, Glasgow and Cardiff.

The population of the United Kingdom is over 57 million people. English is the official language. But it is not the only language which people use in the UK.

The island of Great Britain contains three “nations” which were separate at earlier stages of their history; England, Scotland and Wales. Wales had become part of the English administrative system by the sixteenth century. Scotland was not completely united with England until 1707. The UK is a name which was introduced in 1801 when Great Britain became united with Ireland. When the Republic of Ireland became independent of London in 1922, the title was changed to its present form.

The United Kingdom is a constitutional (or parliamentary) monarchy. The country has a monarch (a king or a queen) as its Head of State. The monarch has very little power and can only reign with the support of parliament. Parliament consists of two chambers known as the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

The United Kingdom is a highly developed industrial country. It is known as one of the world largest producers and exporters of machinery, electronics, textile, aircraft and navigation equipment. One of the chief industries of the country is shipbuilding. The wool industry is centred in Leeds and Bradford, the cotton industry in Manchester, the iron ore goes to the steel, heavy machinery and shipbuilding industries of Newcastle and other cities. The industries of Midlands with Birmingham as its chief city produce metal goods, from motor car and railway engines to pins and buttons.

The country is a world leader in international trade. In January 1973, Great Britain becаme a member of the European Community.

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Ex. 6. Choose the word that is similar or synonymous to the underlined word.	\|	The British Parliament and the Monarch

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