Discussion topics

1. The UK is an island country.

2. The political set-up of the UK.

3. The number of states in the USA. ;

4. Washington.

5. The residence of the US president

6. Explain why there aren’t any sky-scrapers in Washington.

7. The famous English end American poets.

8. The Houses of Parliament.

9. St.Paul's Cathedral.

10 The number of the stars on the American flag and their meaning.

11. The first president of the USA.

12. The more American city: New-York or Washington.

13. The places of interest in Washington.

14. The prime Minister of Great Britain.

15. The Queen of Great Britain.

16. Westminster Abbey.

17. The residence of the Queen.

18. The capital of Scotland.

19. The capital of Ireland.

20. The capital of Wales.

21. The places of interest in London.

22. Geographical position of the USA.

23. Main rivers in the USA.

24. Main lakes of the USA.

25. The population of the USA.

26. The President of the USA.

27. The largest cities of the USA,

28. The taain part of New-York

29. The emblem of New-York.

30. The statue of Liberty.

Part I I place-names in the british isles

Great Britain» The name used for England, Scotland, Wales and their islands. The name was first used in 1603 when James VI of Scotland became also James I of England

Britain * or Great Britain - is England, Scotland and Wales, but it is often used to include Northern Ireland

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the name of the land the Queen reigns over. The U.K. is its shortened form.

The British Isles is the name given to Great Britain, the whole of Ireland, and the neighbouring smaller islands in the geography books.

British, English. The labels "British" and "English" are frequently applied to the people of the United Kingdom and their culture. To refer to the nation as a Whole the adjective "British" is used preceded by the definite article (this is similar to "die rich", "the poor", etc.): The adjective "British" is also used to refer to the inhabitants of the British Isles at the time of the Roman conquest (say Britons). English is the language of the United Kingdom.

Britisher (thought to be of American origin). A useful word for a British subject if it is not desired to use "Englishman", since this, in its strict sense, excludes the Irish, Scots, and Welsh.

British English. The English language as spoken and written in Great pially in southern England.

1. A word, idiom, or phrase characteristic of or restricted to British English especially compared to American English. 2. Any custom, manner, characteristic or quality peculiar to or associated with the British people.

Britannia 1. hi ancient geography (after the time of Caesar), and specifically of the southern part of the island. 2. A poetic name for Great Britain. 3. A female personification of Great Britain.

"Rule, Britannia". A jingoistic British song written in 1740: "Rule, Britannia Britannia, rule the waves..."

Briton. 1. A native or inhabitant of Great Britain. 2. A member of the Celtic people of ancient Britain.

John Bull. A figure representing the English people, particularly in newspaper cartoons, etc. He is always drawn as a broadly built, red-faced farmer, sometimes with his bull-dog. The name comes from "The History of John Bull" by John Arbumnot (1712).

Albion. A poetic name for Britain; comes from the ancient name of Britain, specifically England. The Romans associated the term with" albus ("white"), and identified it with the Dover chalk cliffs.

The Commonwealth. What once used to be the British Empire is now known as the Commonwealth. The term is used to describe the relations between Great Britain and her former colonies that have become politically independent but still have some links with Great Britain. These countries are "associated" under the British crown with the British Queen nominally proclaimed their head of State, and represented there by governor-general. From 1931 to 1953 they used the phrase with the word "British": the British Commonwealth of Nations.

Commonwealth Day. The official holiday celebrated in the countries of the Commonwealth since 1958. The date coincides with the birthday of the English monarch.

"God Save the Queen/King". The British national anthem. The words and tune probably date back to the 16th century, but the song took its present form during the 18th.century. The tune has been used for patriotic songs in the USA ("My country,'tis of thee") and Germany.

The English Channel. The stretch of water between England end France, connected with the Atlantic Ocean at its western end, and with the Straits of Dover and the North Sea at its eastern end. Together with the Straits of Dover it is 280 miles long and between 21 and 140 miles wide. The English Channel has played a very important part in English history. It was the scene of many battles, and among them the fight with the Spanish Armada. The idea of a channel tunnel, joining England and France by road, was first proposed in 1802. Since that time, many plans have been proposed and given up. In 1964 the British and French governments decided to start work on a rail tunnel that was to be completed during the 1970s; but the work was stopped in 1975.

Land's End. A rocky point in Cornwall, the south-western tip of England.

John o'Groat's. A spot on the coast of Scotland, usually considered the most northerly point of Britain. A Dutchman called Johan de Groot built a house there in the 16th century. The expression "from Land's End to John o'Groat's'' means "all over Great Britain.

Ben Nevis. The highest mountain (4,406 feet) in Great Britain. It is in the Grampians in the Highlands of Scotland. There is a meteorological observatory on its summit.

Snowdon. The highest mountain (3,560 feet) in England and Wales. It forms part of the Snowdonia mountain system, in Gwynedd, North Wales.

Tile Pennine Chain. Also Pennines. Called the "backbone of England". Discontinuous seiies of low mountains and uplands in northern England, extending south from the Cheviot Hills to Derbyshire, terminating in the Peak District. The highest summits (over 3,000 feet) are in Cumberland.

The Cheviot Hills. Mountain range in north-eastern England and south­eastern Scotland. The surface is mostly regular and covered with rich pasture for the Cheviot breed of sheep. These hills are celebrated in history.

The Thames. The principal river in Great Britain^ in southern and south­eastern England. Broadening into a considerable estuary, it flows into the North Sea. For part of its course to its junction with the river Thames it is called also the Isis. The chief places on its banks are Oxford, Reading, Windsor, Eton, and London. It is navigable for ocean-going vessels to London Bridge. Length, about 228 miles, width at London Bridge, 900 feet, at the mouth, half a mile.

The Severn. A river in England and Wales. It rises in North Wales and flows through central England to the Bristol Channel west of Bristol. It is the second longest river in England (next to the Thames). Length, about 180 miles. It has a high bore (tidal wave).

The Trent. A river in central England. It joins the river Ouse to form the river Humber. It is the third longest river in England. Length, about 170 miles.

The Clyde. A river in Scotland; it flows into the Firth of Clyde. Length, about 106 miles. It is an important commercial waterway; on its banks are Glasgow, Clydebank and Greenock. Clydebank is Britain's most important shipbuilding centre. The "Queen Mary" and the "Queen Elizabeth" were built in the shipyards here. In the 1970s Clydebank was the scene of high unemployment and bitter class straggle.

The Mersey. A river in western England. It is formed by the confluence of the rivers Tame and Goyt near Stockport, and flows by an estuary 16 miles long into the Irish Sea at New Brighton. There is much shipbuilding and industry along its banks. Length, about 70 miles.

County. Originally the lands of a count or an earl. Now one of the chief administrative divisions in England and Wales. In 1974 some counties were grouped together and renamed. For example, the county of Avon appeared on the map for the first time and the county of Rutland disappeared now there are 7 metropolitan counties, including Greater London, and 47 non-metropolitan counties in England and Wales.

Metropolitan county. A county that includes a big city (metropolis).

Region. 1. Any of large areas of the United Kingdom. 2. One of the chief administrative divisions in Scotland. Since 1975 the old Scottish counties have been reorganized into 9 regions and 3 island areas with some alternation of the old boundaries.

District. One of the chief administrative divisions in Northern Ireland where there are 26 districts.

Received Pronunciation RP is its shortened form. A type of pronunciation which is usually accepted as standard pronunciation (standard southern pronunciation). It is clear, unhurried and easily understood by every British person whether he or she lives at Land's End or John O’Gara’s, though many British people might consider such an accent as being "posh" and not typical of the country as a whole.

RP has no regional indications and is therefore often called "accentless" or "pure" pronunciation. Most BBC broadcasters and reporters used it, but in recent years, the trend has been towards regional accents. It would be wrong, therefore, to imagine that every British person speaks like this, or that Scotsmen, Irishmen or Welshmen, for example, try to sound like BBC announcers when they are speaking English. That would be to overlook the various accents which are closely associated with a particular region, county or city.

Celts. The ancient peoples who came originally from Central Europe and spread through what is now France, Spain, and Britain. The Celts began to make their presence felt somewhere about 700 B.C. The Greeks called them the Keltoi, but their more, general name used by the Romans, was the Galli. They were later conquered by the Romans; only the west of Britain remained Celtic.

Celtic fringe. Parts of the United Kingdom inhabited by people of Celtic origin, i.e. Wales, Cornwall, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

The Germanic tribes who AngIo-Saxons.conquered Britain between the 5th and 6th centuries. The English-speaking peoples in general are sometimes called Anglo-Saxons (which is wrong, and the name is also given to the Old English language.

Danes, hi English history the Scandinavians warriors who raided the coast of the British Isles in the 8th to 10th centuries. They, invaded, plundered and sometimes settled in various areas of the country.

Danelaw. That part of northern and eastern England where the Danish influence was paramount during the 9th and 10th centuries. The name comes from the code of laws established by the Danish invaders.