Unit 4 the united kingdom

1. Read and memorize the following words and word-combinations:

due to the influence	завдяки впливу
living standards	життєвий рівень
densely populated	густонаселений
to reign	царювати, панувати
to inherit	успадковувати
to appoint	призначати
secret ballot	таємне голосування
to hold elections	проводити вибори

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, large and small. The two main islands are Great Britain to the east and Ireland to the west. They are separated by the Irish Sea.

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 and the Strait of Dover.

The climate in the UK is generally mild and temperate (due to the influence of the Gulf Stream). The southwestern winds carry the warmth and moisture into Britain. The climate in Britain is usually described as cool, temperate and humid. That means that it is never too hot or too cold.

The weather is so changeable that the English often say that they have no climate but only weather.

The population of the United Kingdom is over 57 million people.

The flag of the United Kingdom, known as the Union Jack, is made up of three crosses. The upright red cross is the cross of St. George, the patron saint of England. The white diagonal cross is the cross of St. Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland. The red diagonal cross is the cross of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.

England is the largest, the industrial and most densely populated part of the UK.

The greatest concentrations of population are in London, Birmingham and northwest industrial cities.

There are many rivers in England. The longest and the most important is the Thames. The rivers are of great importance for communication and especially for carrying goods.

England is mostly a lowland country. There are upland regions in the north and the southwest, but the rest of England is almost flat. The Lake District in Northern England with its lakes, mountains and valleys is a favourite holiday area.

The wool industry is centred in Leeds and Bradford, the cotton industry in Manchester, iron ore goes to the steel, heavy machinery and shipbuilding industries of Newcastle and other cities. The industries of the Midlands, with Birmingham as its chief city, produce metal goods, from motor cars and railway engines to pins and buttons.

Scotland takes up one third of the British Isles. Its population is a little over 5 million people.

Scotland is divided into three regions: the Highlands, the Lowlands and the Southern Uplands.

Most of the population of Scotland is concentrated in the Lowlands. Here, on the Clyde, is Glasgow, Scotland’s biggest city.

Shipbuilding is one of its most important industries. Other industries are iron and steel, heavy and light engineering and coal-mining.

Another constituent country of the United Kingdom is Wales. It became part of England in 1536 by the Act of Union.

The population of Wales is over 3 million people. About 75 per cent of the people of Wales live in towns and urban districts.

The living standards of people in Wales are lower than in England, the unemployment rate is higher.

North Wales is a country of mountains and deep valleys, South Wales is a land of high hills and wide valleys. The pride of Wales in scenery is Snowdonia, a region of high mountains. Snowdon is the highest mountain in England and Wales.

Except for coal, mineral resources are limited, and in­clude gold, silver, lead and copper. South Wales is more developed: coal-mining, steel production, electronics, elec­trical engineering can be found here.

The capital of Wales is Cardiff, the largest city of Wales. The second largest city in Wales is Swansea where mainly steel production can be found.

Northern Ireland is the smallest component of the United Kingdom occupying the northeast of the island of Ireland. Northern Ireland contains six of the nine counties of the historic province of Ulster. That is why the name 'Ulster' is sometimes used as equivalent to Northern Ireland. For seven centuries Ireland was a colony of Britain.

Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland is the leading industrial centre and a large port. Its chief industries are the production of linen and other textiles, clothing, shipbuild­ing, engineering.

There are low hills and peaks of rocks in the northwest, while the northeast sector of the island is a plateau. The rivers of Ireland are short but deep.

The population of Northern Ireland is about 1.5 mil­lion people. The economy of Northern Ireland is closely integrated with that of Great Britain. It has its roots in three basic industries—agriculture, textiles and shipbuilding. The largest industry is agriculture conducted for the most part on small family farms.

The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. The monarch reigns with the support of Parliament. The powers of the monarch are not defined precisely. Eve­rything today is done in the Queen's name. She ap­points all the Ministers, including the Prime Minister.

The British Parliament consists of the House of Lords and the House of Commons and the Queen as its head.

The House of Commons plays the major role in law-making. It consists of Members of Parliament (called MPs for short).

Parliamentary elections must be held every five years, but the Prime Minister can decide on the exact date within those five years. The minimum voting age is 18, and the voting is taken by secret ballot.The election campaign lasts about three weeks.

The British parliamentary system depends on political parties. The party which wins the majority of seats forms the Government and its leader usually becomes Prime Minister. The Prime Minister chooses about 20 MPs from his or her party to become the Cabinet of Ministers. The second largest party becomes the official opposition with own leader and 'Shadow cabinet'.

The House of Commons is made up of 650 elected members and is presided over by the Speaker.

The other House of Parliament is the House of Lords. The House of Lords has more than 1,000 members, although only about 250 take an active part in the work of the House. The House consists of those lords who sit by right of inheritance and those men and women who have been given life peerages which end with the life of their possessors. Members of this Upper House are not elected. They sit there because of their rank. The chairman of the House of Lords is the Lord Chancellor and he sits on a special seat called the Woolsack.

Political parties first emerged in Britain at the end of the 17th century. The Conservative and Liberal Parties are the oldest and until the end of the 19th century they were the only parties elected to the House of Commons. The main British political groupings are the Conservative and Labour Parties and the Party of Liberal Democrats. Because of the electoral method in use, only two major parties obtain seats in the House of Commons. People be­longing to smaller political parties join one of the larger parties and work from within to make their influence felt.

2. Find in the text and read the following information:

   • Territory of the UK

   • Water resources

   • Population

   • Climate

   • Deposits of natural resources

   • Main branches of industry

   • Agricultural production

   • Political system

3. Think of 8-10 questions to ask your group-mates about Great Britain.

4. Did any facts about Great Britain impress you?

5. Compare geographical positions and climate of Great Britain and Ukraine.

6. Work in groups of 3-4. Discuss the following topics:

   • Political system of Great Britain.

   • Natural resources.

   • Economy of Great Britain.

7. Work in pairs. Tell your partner about Great Britain.

8. You are going to travel around the UK. Which regions would you like to visit? Why?

9. Make up reports on the following topics:

   • Famous British writers, poets and composers

   • Prominent British scientists

   • Sports in the UK.

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