1. Read and translate the text
2. The words from the text by heart
Geographical Position of Great
Britain
I
The full name of the country is the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom is situated on the British Isles. The British Isles consist of two large
islands, Great Britain and Ireland, and a
great number of small islands. Their total area is over 314 000 sq. km. The
British Isles are separated from the European continent by the North Sea and
the English Channel. The western coast of Great Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean
and the Irish Sea.
Many years ago the British Isles formed a part of the continent. The rocky
highlands of Scotland,
for example, resemble the Norwegian coast. Another evidence that the islands
were the part of the continent is the shallowness of the water between them and
the mainland.
The island of Great Britain consists of three main parts: England (the southern and central parts of the
island), Wales (a
mountainous peninsula in the West) and Scotland (the northern part of the
island). Northern Ireland occupies
one third of the island
of Ireland. It borders on
the Irish Republic in the south.
The surface of the British Isles varies
very much.
England
is the richest, the most fertile and most populated part in the country. There
are mountains in the north and in the west of England (one of them is the Pennine
Chain), but all the rest of the territory is a vast plain. In the northwestern
part of England
there are many beautiful lakes. This part of the country is called Lake District.
Scotland
is a country of mountains. The north of Scotland
is mountainous and is called the Highlands.
The South, which has beautiful valleys and plains, is called the Lowlands.The
Highlands of Scotland
are among the oldest mountains in the world. The highest mountain
of Great Britain is in Scotland too.
Its highest peak is Ben Nevis. It is the
highest peak not only in Scotland
but in the whole Great
Britain as well.
Wales
is a country of hills and mountains. The Cambrian Mountains occupy almost the
entire area and include Wale's highest point, Mount Snowdon,
1,085 m
II
The main nationalities are: English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish. In Great Britain
there are a lot of immigrants from former British Asian and African colonies.
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 round. Winters are not severely cold and summers are
rarely hot.
There are no great forests on the British Isles
today. Historically, the most famous forest is Sherwood Forest in the east of England, to the north of London. It was the home of Robin Hood, the
famous hero of a number of legends.
The rivers of Great
Britain are short and of no great importance
as waterways. The longest of them is the Severn, 338 km while the Thames is the deepest and the most important one, the
"Father of London". It flows through the rich agricultural and
industrial districts of the country. London, the
capital of Great Britain,
stands on it. Britain's
principal ports are London, Liverpool, Manchester and Glasgow.
They have splendid harbours. Owing to the shape of the country, any point in Great Britain
is no more than 70 miles from the sea.
Many of the English and Scottish rivers are joined by canals, so that it
is possible to travel by water from one end of Great Britain to the other. The
Thames has a wide mouth, that's why the big ocean liners can go up to the London port.
Geographical position of Great Britain is quite good as the country lies
on the crossways of the see routes from Europe
to other parts of the world. The sea connects Britain with most European
countries. The main sea route from Europe to America
also passes through the English Channel.
Great Britain
is not very rich in mineral resources; it has some deposits of coal and iron
ore and vast deposits of oil and gas that were discovered in the North Sea.
Great Britain is a highly developed industrial
country. It is known as
one of the world's largest producers and exporters of iron and steel products,
machinery and electronics, chemicals and
textile, aircraft, and navigation equipment One of the chief industries of the country
is shipbuilding.
The UK is a constitutional monarchy
with a parliament and the Queen as Head of State.
2. The words from the text by heart
total ['təut(ə)l] - весь, цілий; загальний; сукупний
rock [rɔk] - скеля
highlands - гірська місцевість
resemble [rɪ'zembl] - бути схожим
evidence ['evɪdəns] - доказ, свідчення
shallow ['ʃæləʊ] - мілкий, мілководний; неглибокий
mainland ['meinlənd] – материк
mountainous ['mauntinəs] – гористий
peninsula [pi'ninsjulə] – півострів
occupy ['ɔkjʊpai] - займати (місце, простір)
surface I ['sɜ:fis] - поверхня; земна поверхня
fertile ['fɜ:tail] - родючий, багатий
populate I ['pɔpjulit] - населяти, заселяти
The Pennine Chain (Pennines) ['penaɪn -] - Пеннинские горы
vast [vɑːst] - великий, величезний; безбережний
plain [plein] – рівнина
Lake District ['leɪk,dɪstrɪkt] Озёрный край
The Highlands ['haɪləndz] - Северо-Шотландское нагорье, Северная (горная) Шотландия
valley ['vælı] - (гірська)
долина
Lowlands ['ləuləndz]
Шотландская низменность (район центральной Шотландии в долинах рек Форт и
Клайд)
peak [pi:k] - пік, гостра
вершина; гора; вища точка
Ben Nevis [ben'neɪvɪs] - Бен-Невис (самая высокая вершина Великобритании
(1343 м)
The Cambrian Mountains - Кембрийские
горы (Великобритания)
entire [in'taiə] - повний,
цілий, весь
point ['pɔint] - місце, пункт, точка
Snowdon ['snəud(ə)n] -
Сноудон (гора в Уэльсе)
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