GREAT BRITAIN The United Kingdom is situated in the north-west coast of Europe between the Atlantic Ocean on the north-west and the North Sea on the east. The U.K. includes Great…

GREAT BRITAIN The United Kingdom is situated in the north-west coast of Europe between the Atlantic Ocean on the north-west and the North Sea on the east. The U.K. includes Great Britain and Northern Ireland. I Great Britain, the largest island in Europe, contains England, Scotland and Wales. The United Kingdom has an area of 244,000 square kilometres (94,249 square miles). The capital of the country is London. English is the official language. The climate of Great Britain is mild. It is not too hot in summer or too cold in winter. It often rains in England. Rain falls in summer and in winter, in autumn and in spring. Snow falls only in the north and west of the country. The surface of England and Ireland is flat, but Scotland and Wales are mountainous. Many parts of the country have beautiful villages. There are many rivers in Great Britain. The main river is the Thames. Many ships and barges go up and down the river. The longest river is Severn. It is 350 kilometres long. The population of the U.K. is nearly 60 million people. The population lives mostly in towns and cities and their suburbs. Four out of every five people live in towns. Over 46 million people live in England. Over 3 million - in Wales. A little over 5 million - in Scotland. About 1,5 million - in Northern Ireland. London's population is over 7 million people. The British nation consists of the English, the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish. There are many people of all colours and races in the United Kingdom. There are many universities, colleges, libraries, museums and theatres in the country. The most famous universities are Cambridge University, Oxford University, Glasgow University. The flag of the UK is made up of three crosses of the patron saints: the upright red against a white background — St. George of England, the white diagonal against a blue background — St. Andrew of Scotland, the red diagonal against a white background — St. Patrick of Northern Ireland. The English people have the habit of naming their national flag «the Union Jack». The U.K. is a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary  democracy. The Head of the State is the Queen/King who reigns with the support of Parliament. The British Parliament consists of two Houses: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The Prime Minister is the head of the government. For a long time the UK has succeeded in remaining one of the important commercial centres of the world. Nowadays the UK doesn’t depend upon economies and industrial manufacturing of other countries. The United Kingdom has some mineral resources. Coal and oil are the most important of them. The United Kingdom is one of the world's most industrialized countries. The main industrial centres are Sheffield, Birmingham and Manchester. The largest cities of the country are London, Birmingham, Cardiff, Manchester, Glasgow, Belfast, Dublin. Agriculture makes an important sector in the economy of the country. The British people grow wheat, fruit, vegetables, oats. Christmas is the most important public holiday. The day before Christmas Day is known as Christmas Eve. Some people go to church to a special service called Midnight Mass. Christmas Day is a public holiday and people spend the day with their families. They open their presents and then have a special meal called Christmas Dinner. This is typically turkey with potatoes and other vegetables. In the UK, this is followed by Christmas pudding. After Christmas Day many stores have special sales (a period of time when goods can be bought cheaper) on the day after Christmas. In the UK, the sales usually start later, and are known as the January sales. In the UK the day after Christmas Day is called Boxing Day. It is called Boxing Day because in the past it was the day when rich people gave their servants a present of money known as a ‘Christmas box’. A lot of sport is played on Boxing Day, and many people watch sport on television. Twelfth Night is twelve days after Christmas, and is the day when people take down their decorations and remove their Christmas trees. Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day is day in the UK when people eat pancakes. It is the last day before Lent. In the past, Christians ate only simple food during Lent. People used up all their milk, butter, and eggs for pancakes on Shrove Tuesday because they were not allowed to eat them during Lent. St. Patrick’s Day is on the 17th of March. It is the national day of Ireland that is also celebrated by Irish people in the UK and US. People wear green clothes, dye flowers green, and go to the pub and drink beer. Mother’s Day, or Mothering Sunday is the fourth Sunday in Lent. A day in the UK when people give presents and cards to their mothers. Mothers are often taken out for lunch, and usually do not have to do the work they normally do. Guy Fawkes’ Night, the 5th of November, is a day in the UK, when people light bonfires and let off fireworks. Traditionally this is done to remember the time when Guy Fawkes tried, but failed, to destroy the Houses of Parliament with gunpowder in 1605. Ответьте письменно на вопросы. 1. Where is Great Britain situated? 2. What do you say about the climate of Great Britain? 3. How many people live in Great Britain? 4. Where does population live mostly? 5. What is the national symbol of Great Britain? 6. What is a political structure in the UK? 7. How many do mineral resources have in the UK? Name them. 8. Does agriculture make an important sector in the economy of the country? 9. What do the British people grow? 10. What are the most important public holidays? Describe one of them.