PART II. THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND

British Isles – Британські острови

Chilterns – Чілтернські пагорби

Cumbria – Камбрія (район озер на північному заході Англії)

Folkestone – Фолкстоун (місто, біля якого починається тунель під Ла-Маншем)

Gulf Stream – Гольфстрім (тепла течія в Атлантичному океані)

harbour – гавань, порт

Heart of England – серце Англії (Західні Мідлендз – центральні графства Англії)

Herbrides – Гебридські острови

highland - височина

Isle of Man – острів Мен (популярний туристичний центр)

Isle of Wight – острів Уайт

mainland – материкова частина

North Sea – Північне море

Northern Ireland – Північна Ірландія

Northumbria – Нортумбрія (графство Нортамберленд)

Orkney Isles – Оркнейські острови

Pennines – Апеннінські гори

Prime Meridian – нульовий меридіан

Royal Greenwich Observatory – Королівська Грінвічська обсерваторія

Scotland - Шотландія

Severn – річка Северн

Shetland Іslands – Шотландські острови

Snowdon - Сноудон

Thames – річка Темза

Scotland

Clyde – річка Клайд

Dee – річка Ді

Edinburgh - Единбург

Firth of Forth – затока Форт

Glasgow - Глазго

Grampians – Грампіанські гори

Highlands – Північно-шотландське нагір’я

Loch Ness – Лох-Несс (озеро на півночі Шотландії)

Lowlands – шотландська низина

Moray Firth – затока Морей

Ness River – Несс (річка на півночі Шотландії0

Southern Uplands – Південно-шотландська височина

Stirling – місто Стерлінг (на східному узбережжі в затоці Форт)

Tay – Тей (річка на сході Шотландії. Впадає в Північне море)

Wales

Brecons Beacons – бреконські сигнальні вогні (дві гори в Уельсі, висотою біля 800 м, на яких у старі часи запалювали сигнальні вогні)

Bristol Channel – Брістольська затока (розташована у гирлі річки Евон

Cardiff – Кардифф (столиця уельсу

St George’s Channel – протока святого Георга

Welsh 3000s – Валлійські гірські вершини, висота яких перевищує 3000 футів

1. The official name of the country is … . 2. It is situated on … . 3. The names of the 2 biggest islands are: … and … . 4. The biggest groups of smaller islands are: … and … . 5. The biggest island in the north is … . 6. The biggest island in the west is … . 7. The northernmost islands are: … . 8. The mainland is between latitudes … and …, and between longitudes … and … . 8. The Prime Meridian runs through … . 9. The area of the country is … . 10. The main highlands are in … , and … . 11. The backbone of England are … . 12. The highest mountains are … and … . 13. The longest rivers are … and … . 14. The country is washed by …, … and … . 15. The country has a land border with … . 16. The country's climate is … . 17. The country's climate is warm because of … . 18. The prevailing winds are … . 19. Average annual rainfall varies from … to … . 20. The driest county is … with average rainfall of … . 21. This county usually has … rainy days per year.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland occupies a substantial part of the British Isles. It comprises the island of Great Britain and the northeastern one-sixth of the island of Ireland (Northern Ireland), together with many smaller islands. Great Britain is the largest island in Europe. There are also more than 5000 smaller islands around the coasts of the two main islands. The biggest group is the Hebrides and the Orkney Isles in the north. Other bigger islands are Isle of Wight in the south and Isle of Man in the west.

The mainland areas lie between latitudes 49°N and 59°N (the Shetland Islands reach to nearly 61°N), and longitudes 8°W to 2°E. The Royal Greenwich Observatory, near London, is the defining point of the Prime Merid­ian. The United Kingdom has a total area of approximately 245,000 km².

The main areas of highland are in Scotland, Wales and Cumbria. In the center of England there are hills called the Pennines, the backbone of England. They stretch across Cumbria, North West, and Yorkshire into the heart of England and East Midlands. The highest peaks are in Scotland (Ben Nevis - 1343 m) and Wales (Snowdon - 1085 m). The longest rivers are the Severn (354-km), flowing across Wales and the heart of England, and the Thames (346 km) in the Thames and Chiltern and London areas.

Great Britain is washed by the North Atlantic Ocean in the west, the North Sea in the east and the English Chan­nel in the south. Northern Ireland shares a 360 km international land boundary with the Republic of Ireland.

The climate of the UK is temperate, though significantly warmer than some other locations at similar lati­tude, due to the warming influence of the Gulf Stream. The south is warmer and drier than the north. The prevailing winds are southwesterly, from the North Atlantic Current. More than half of the days are overcast. There are few natural hazards, although there can be strong winds and floods, especially in winter. Average annual rainfall varies from over 3,000 mm (120 inches) in the Scottish Highlands down to 553 mm (21.8 in) in Cambridge. The county of Essex is one of the driest in the UK, with an average annual rainfall of around 600 mm (24 inches), although it typically rains on over 100 days per year.
2. You are going to read four fragments on regional variations in Great Britain. For Questions 1-23, choose from the regions (A-D). The regions may be chosen more than once. There is an example at the beginning (0).

A. England B. Scotland C. Wales D. Northern Ireland

It comprises the central and southern two-thirds of the island of Great Brit­ain, plus offshore islands of which the largest is the Isle of Wight in the Southern area. Its northern parts, Cumbria and Northumbria, border Scot­land, and its western regions, West Midlands (or the Heart of England) and North West, - Wales. It is closer to continental Europe than any other part of Britain, divided from France only by a 21 -mile (34-km) sea gap. Most of England consists of rolling hills, but it is more mountainous in the north with low mountains, the Pennines, dividing east and west. There is also an area of flat, low-lying marshland in the east (East Anglia) much of which has been drained for agricultural use. The Channel Tunnel, near Folkestone, in South East, links England to Europe. The Eng­lish/French border is halfway along the tunnel. The largest harbour is at Poole, on the south-central coast. The highest temperature ever recorded in England is 38.5 °C (101.3 °F) in 2003 in Kent, and the lowest -26.1 °C (-15.0 °F) in 1982 at Newport in Shropshire.

Scotland comprises the northern part of the island of Great Britain; it borders England in the south. The country consists of a mainland area plus several island groups, including Shetland, Orkney, and the Hebrides. Three main geographical areas make up the mainland: from north to south, the Highlands and Islands, including the Grampians with Ben Nevis, Britain's highest mountain, and the groups of islands mentioned above; the low-lying Central Belt, and the hilly Southern Uplands. The majority of the Scottish population resides in the Central Belt, which contains three of the country's six largest cities (Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Stirling) and many large towns. Most of the remaining population lives in the North-East Lowlands, where two of the remaining three cities (Aberdeen and Dundee) are situated. The final city, Inverness, is situated in the area of the famous lake of Loch Ness, where the River Ness meets the Moray Firth. The highest temperature: 32.9 °C (91.2 °F) in 2003, the lowest: - 27.2 °C (-17.0 °F) in 1895.

Wales is located on a peninsula in central-west Great Britain. Wales borders by England to the east and by sea in the other three directions: the Bristol Channel to the south, St George's Channel to the west, and the Irish Sea to the north. There are several islands off the Welsh mainland, the largest being Anglesey. Much of Wales's landscape is mountainous. The 14 Welsh moun­tains over 3 000 feet high are known collectively as the Welsh 3 000s. The Brecon Beacons are in the south and are joined by the Cambrian Mountains in mid-Wales. The Seven Wonders of Wales include: Snowdon (the highest mountain), the Gresford bells (the peal of bells in the medieval church of All Saints at Gresford), the Llangollen bridge (built in 1347 over the River Dee), St Winefride's Well (a pilgrimage site at Holywell in Flintshire), the Wrexham steeple (16th century tower of St. Giles Church in Wrexham), the Overton yew trees (ancient yew trees in the churchyard of St Mary's at Overton-on-Dee) and Pistyll Rhaeadr (Wales's tallest waterfall, at 240 feet or 75 m). The highest temperature: 35.2 °C (95.4 °F) in 1990, the lowest: -23.3°C (-10°F) in 1940.

The centrepiece of Northern Ireland's geography is Lough Neagh, at 392 km² the largest freshwater lake in the British Isles. There are substantial uplands in the Sperrin Mountains. None of the hills are especially high, with Slieve Donard reaching 848 metres, Northern Ireland's highest point. The numerous rivers form extensive fertile lowlands, with excellent arable land, although much of the hill country is suitable largely for animal husbandry. The valley of the River Lagan is domi­nated by Belfast, whose metropolitan area includes over a third of the population of Northern Ireland, with heavy urbanization and industrialization. The whole of Northern Ireland has a temperate maritime cli­mate, although cloud cover is persistent across the region. The weather is unpredictable at all times of the year, and although the seasons are distinct, they are considerably less pronounced than in interior Europe or the eastern seaboard of North America. Average daytime maximums in Belfast are 6.5 °C (43.7 °F) in January and 17.5 °C (63.5 °F) in July. The damp climate and extensive deforestation in the 16th and 17th cen­turies resulted in much of the region being covered in rich green grass­land. The highest temperature: 30.8 °C (87.4 °F) in 1976, the lowest temperature: - 17.5 °C (0.5 °F) in 1979.

Stonehenge is surely Britain's greatest national icon, symbolizing mystery, power and … (0). Its original purpose is unclear to us, but some have … (1) that it was a temple made for the worship of ancient earth deities. It has been called an astronomical observatory for marking … (2) events on the prehistoric calendar. Others claim that it was a … (3) site for the burial of high-ranking citizens from the societies of long ago. While we can't say with any degree of … (4) what it was for, we can say that it wasn't constructed for any… (5) purpose. Only something very important to the ancients would have been worth the effort and …(6) that it took to construct Stonehenge.

The question of who built Stonehenge is … (7) unanswered, even today. The monument's construction has been … (8) to many ancient peoples throughout the years, but the most captivating and enduring attribution has been to the Druids. This … (9) connection was first made around three centuries ago. Julius Caesar and other Roman writers told of a Celtic priesthood who … (10) around the time of their first … (11) (55 BC). By this time, though, the stones had been standing for 2,000 years, and were, perhaps, already in a ruined condition. Besides, the Druids … (12) in forest temples and had no need for stone structures.

The legend of King Arthur tells that Merlin brought the stones to the Salisbury Plain from Ireland. Some time in the fifth century, there had been a … (13) of 300 British noblemen by the … (14) Saxon leader. The high king wanted to create a memorial to the murdered men. Merlin suggested an expedition to Ireland for the purpose of … (15) the Giant's Ring, whose stones had been … (16) brought from Africa by giants, to Britain. The expedition arrived in Ireland. The Britons were unable to move the great stones. And only Merlin's magic helped … (17) them by air to Britain, where they were set up in a great circle, around the mass grave of the … (18) noblemen

Loch Ness, a lake in Inverness district, Highland region, Scotland, has the largest volume of fresh water in Great Britain, reaching a depth of 788 feet and a length of about 23 miles. The lake is believed to be inhabited by an aquatic monster. Many sightings of the so-called Loch Ness monster have been reported, and the possibility of its existence continues to intrigue many people.

	Saint Columba - 565AD. Saint Columba, while preaching Christianity in the area saw a water beast heading to attack one of his followers who was swimming across for a boat. The Saint raised a cross and told the monster to go back with all speed and not to hurt the swimmer. On another occasion the water kelpie took the form of a bridled horse offering weary travellers a ride. Once the traveller mounted the horse, it reverted into the Kelpie and plunged into the loch to devour its victim. When the Saint met the kelpie, he gave it a severe lecture and it never again hurt the local people!
	Dr & Mrs Rines, Mr & Mrs Cary 1971. They observed a single hump 20 feet long at a range of three quarters of a mile. They examined it through a telescope from the Cary's cottage just above Urquhart Castle. Dr Rines described it as having a back like that of an elephant. Mrs Cary later said that it could have been anything.
	Tony Harmsworth 1986. While leaving his house he spotted something in the water about 400 metres or so away and moving diagonally across the loch against the direction of the wind. Through binoculars it was clearly an elongated shape he estimated at between four and six feet long. For infor­mation, a seal is about two feet long at the surface showing that four feet is quite a substantial object.
	Father Gregory Brusey 1972. Fr Gregory was one of the monks of Fort Augustus Abbey. He was walking in the monastery garden by the loch with the organist from Westminster Cathedral when they both saw a head and neck about 6 feet high. It moved through the water, turned on its side and submerged.
	Hugh Ayton 1963. Three large humps and a neck seen by Mr Ayton and three others who ran to the loch-side, got into their boat, rowed out into the loch, started the motor and then followed the monster for about a mile. The body was 30 to 40 feet long and the humps stood 4 feet out of the water and the neck six feet long. Hugh Ayton says that the one thing he will always remember was the large oval eye looking at him from the horse-like head!
	Mr Forbes 1919. A big beast, fully the width of the road, crossed the road in front of him, spooking the pony. Sighting not reported until after 1933. Whisky was popular in the early twentieth century, too!
	Mr Cruickshank 1923. An animal with a huge body and pug-nosed head seen on the road. It was up to 25 feet long. Sighting not reported until af­ter 1933. Spectacles were not available on the National Health Service in 1923!
	Mr & Mrs Spicer 1933. A huge animal, "the nearest thing to a prehistoric animal that I have ever seen" crossed the road in front of their car. This was, the first long-neck sighting and may have inspired other people's plesiosaur sightings. Suddenly, after this sighting, anyone who saw a single hump was barely newsworthy and exaggeration became the order of the day!
	Mr Grant 1934 .A much reported sighting which Mr Grant had actually admitted as a joke to Mr Alex Menzies. He had apparently fallen off his motor bike and told his mother that the damage to the bike was caused by the monster making him crash !.
	Mrs Munro 1934. A twenty-five minute sighting of a huge animal with a giraffe-like neck playing in the water at a range of 300 yards. Such good fortune!
	Mr MacLeod 1960. A plesiosaur type animal seen on a beach near the Horseshoe Scree through binoculars. It was supposed to have been 40 to 68 feet long without the tail! Having no telephoto lens on his movie camera, Mr MacLeod did not take any film because he wanted to save it in case the animal swam the mile across the loch towards him to join him for afternoon tea, no doubt!

If a living-room has a fish tank and a strange-looking table lamp made from wax in water which circulates in patterns as the lamp warms up, you're in a home of Protestants, who might be the descendents of medieval English and Scottish settlers. If there are newspapers on the floor and a dried-out plant on the mantelpiece, and there is animated chatter till all hours, and the front lawn has not been mowed in a while, welcome to Catholic west Belfast. Whoever rules Northern Ireland, most elected politicians will be Protestants, the folk with peculiar first names like Mabel and Myrtle. Even a name held in common divides: Catholic Roberts are called Bobby, Protestants are called Rab; Michaels are called Mickey (Catholic) or Mike (Protestant).

• The republic of Ireland has the area of … (1) square miles and the population of about … (2).

• Northern Ireland is ... (3) of the Republic of Ireland.

• Ireland used to be a … (4) Europe in the early Middle Ages.

• Ireland preserved Western culture and learning during the … (5).

• By 1500s the … (6) territory of Ireland … (7) to England.

• During this time the English and Scottish … (8) control over Irish lands.

• The foreign conquerors always managed to put down or … (9) the frequent Irish … (10).

• The Irish lived in poverty because of economic … (11), as well as political and religious … (12).

• Because of the potato crop failure, the Irish population decreased from … (13) in the 1830s to about …

(14) in the 1850s.

• According to … (15), the number of people that died of … (16) in the late 1840s, is more than …

(17), and about … (18) emigrated.

• Because many people died on board during the emigration overseas, those ships were called … (19).

• By 1870, due to the potato … (20) and emigration, the use of Irish decreased to … (21) %.

• Only English was taught in the schools in Ireland in the … (22) 19^th century.

• Ireland managed to achieve ... (23) in 1922 and to become free, in … (24).

• According to the government … (25), all elementary school teachers … (26) the Irish language.

• By 1949, more than … (27) % of the Irish teachers did not … (28) the certificate to teach Irish.

• Since 1913, knowledge of Irish has been obligatory for college … (29).

• Nowadays all government papers must … (30) two languages.

• Thus the people have prevented the … (31) of an ancient language.

Територія Великої Британії умовно ділиться на 15 частин. По-перше, це – Англія, а в ній – Лондон з передмістями, де, поміж іншого, знаходиться Королівська Грінвічська обсерваторія, через яку проходить нульовий меридіан. Потім – Південний схід, узбережжя якого виходить на Англійський канал (британська назва протоки Ла-Манш), в найвужчому місці якого, біля міста Фолкстоун, починається "Чаннел", тунель під Ла-Маншем, який з'єднує Англію з Францією. У південній частині Англії знаходиться Пул, найбільший порт на Британських островах, та прибережний острів Уайт. Західна частина Англії, яку називають Західна країна, омивається Ла-Маншем та Брістольською затокою. На цій території є пагористі й гористі ділянки, трапляється й болотиста місцевість, частина з якої осушена для сільськогосподарського використання. Є й рівнини, зокрема, Солсберійська рівнина, на якій знаходиться таємничий Стоунхендж, стародавня (4000 років) споруда з гігантських кам'яних брил у формі дольменів, яка, як гадають, могла бути давньою астрономічною обсерваторією. На північний схід лежить район, який називається Темза та Чилтернські пагорби, а ще далі на схід – Східна Англія, узбережжя якої виходить вже в Північне море. Вище знаходиться район Мідлендз (центральні графства Англії), який інколи ділять на Східні Мідлендз, з узбережжям на Північному морі, та Західні Мідлендз (або Серце Англії), що межують з Уельсом на заході. Тут тече річка Северн, найдовша у Великій Британії. Пеннінські гори, хребет Англії, які простягаються від кордону з Шотландією до центру країни, ділять її північну частину навпіл. Праворуч від Пеннінських гір знаходяться два регіони: Йоркшир і Гамберсайд, а також Нортумбрія (графство Нортамберленд), а ліворуч – Північний захід і Камбрія (район озер на північному заході Англії), недалеко від узбережжя якої, в Ірландському морі, лежить острів Мен, популярний туристичний центр.

На північ від Камбрії та Нортумбрії розташована Шотландія – її материкова частина, а також Оркнейські, Шетландські, Гебридські та багато малих островів. Шотландія омивається Північним морем та Атлантичним океаном, зокрема, його теплою течією Гольфстрім. Територію Шотландії можна розділити на три частини. На півночі знаходиться Північно-шотландське нагір'я з хребтом Грампіанських гір і Бен Невісом, найвищою вершиною у Великій Британії, а на півдні – Південно-шотландська височина. Між ними, в басейні річок Клайд і Форт, лежить Центральний пояс або Шотландська низина. Саме тут, на східному узбережжі, у затоці Форт, розташована столиця Шотландії Едінбург, а на західному узбережжі, у гирлі річки Клайд, що впадає в Ірландське море, лежить Глазго, найбільше місто країни. Між ними, на східному узбережжі, у затоці Форт, у гирлі річки Форт, є ще одне досить велике місто – Стерлінг, а трохи північніше, на східному узбережжі, у гирлі річки Тей, знаходиться місто Данді. Далі на північ бачимо Абердін, важливе місто на північно-східному узбережжі, у гирлі річки Ді, яка впадає у Північне море. Єдиним великим містом на півночі є Івернесс, яке розташоване на північному узбережжі у затоці Морей, біля озера Лох-Несс, у гирлі річки Несе. Лох-Несс відоме в усьому світі завдяки лох-несському чудовиську, великій водній рептилії, типу плезіозавра, з відносно невеликою головою і довгою шиєю, яка начебто мешкає в озері.

Материковий Уельс - це півострів, що омивається Брістольською затокою, яка заходить у гирло річки Евон, та протокою святого Георга в Ірландському морі. На березі Брістольської затоки знаходиться і валлійська столиця, Кардіфф. Уельсу також належить прибережний острів Англсі. Ландшафт країни переважно гористий. У Камбріанському хребті розташовані дві гори, висотою біля 800 м кожна, відомі під назвою "Бреконські сигнальні вогні", бо на них у старі часи запалювали сигнальні вогні. Тут же розташовані більше десяти валлійських гірських вершин, висота кожної з яких перевищує 3 000 футів. Сім валлійських чудес включають: Рексгемську дзвіницю церкви Св. Джайлза, побудовану в XVI-му столітті; Овертонські старовинні тисові дерева на церковному цвинтарі у церкві пресвятої Марії в м. Овертон-на-Ді; Джерело Св. Вінефрід - місце паломництва поблизу м. Голівелл у графстві Флінтшир; Гресфордські дзвони у середньовічній Церкві Усіх Святих у м. Гресфорд; Сноудон, найвищу гірську вершину Уельсу; Лланголенський міст через річку Ді, побудований у 1347 році, а також Пістилл Редр, найбільший водоспад в Уельсі, висотою 75 метрів.

A	B		A	B
Berkshire	Bay		Dorset	Miners' Gala
Cheshire	cat		Durham	blue
Cleveland	Cornwall		Essex	Old Spot
Prince of	Day		Gloucester	United
Duke of	pie		Sussex	Wonder
Derby	Pig		Manchester	Speckled
Devonshire	Wales
A	B		A	B
Hampshire	Broads		Yorkshire	Avon
Worcester	conurbation		Sheriff of	Conurbation
Lancashire	hotpot		Buckingham	cord
Leicester	sauce		Stradford-on-	Nottingham
Merseyside	sheep		Bedfords	Palace
Norfolk	Square		Tyneside	pudding

Aberdeen A. an Aberdinee B. an Aberdonian C. an Aberdeener	Birmingham A. Brummie B. Birmese C. Burmenite	Bristol A. Bristoler B. Bristolian C. Bristolee	Glasgow A. Glasgowegian B. Glasgower C. Glascunian

1. Manchester United and Manchester City are both … football teams.

2. The Beatles are the most famous … rock group.

3. …, being the inhabitants of the UK capital, are pretty cosmopolitan.

4. Though Celtic and Glasgow rangers are both … football teams, their fans are separated because of religious differences.

5. … like their city, where there are many beautiful houses built of Aberdeen granite.

6. … are proud of their city, Birmingham, the second largest one in Britain.

7. … pop groups, like Massive Attack, became famous due to their style of music, trip-hop, which is sometimes called the "Bristol sound".

London A. Londonian B. Londoner C. Londoneer	Liverpool A. Liverpooler B. Liverpudlian C. Liverpoolian	Manchester A. Manchesterian B. Manchesterite C. Mancunian