Places
of Interest in Great Britain
Britain
is rich in its historic places which link the present with the past.
The oldest part of London
is Lud Hill, where the city is originated. About a mile west of it there is Westminster Palace, where the king lived and the Parliament met, and there is also
Westminster Abbey, the coronation church.
Liverpool, the
"city of ships", is England's second greatest port, ranking after London.
The most interesting sight in the Liverpool is the docks. They occupy a river
frontage of seven miles. The University of Liverpool, established in 1903, is
noted for its School of Tropical Medicine. And in the music world Liverpool is a well-known name, for it's the home town of "The Beatles".
Stratford-on-Avon lays 93
miles north-west of London.
Shakespeare was born
here in 1564, and here he died in 1616. Cambridge and Oxford Universities are famous centres of learning.
Stonehenge is a
prehistoric monument, presumably built by Druids, members of an order of
priests in ancient Britain.
Tintagel Castle is King Arthur's
reputed birthplace.
Canterbury Cathedral is
the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, head of the Church of England.
The British
Museum is the largest and richest museum in the world. It was founded in 1753
and contains one of the world's richest collections of antiquities. The
Egyptian Galleries contain human and animal mummies. Some parts of Athens'
Parthenon are in the
Greek section.
Madam Tussaud's Museum
is an exhibition of hundreds of life-size wax models of famous people of
yesterday and today. The collection was started by Madam Tussaud, French
modeller in wax, in the 18th century. Here you can meet Marilyn Monroe, Elton
John, Picasso, the Royal Family, the Beatles and many others: writers, movie
stars, singers, politicians, sportsmen, etc.
Questions:
1. What is the oldest
part of London?
2. What is Westminster Palace?
3. What is called
"city of ships"?
4. Why is
Stratford-on-Avon famous?
5. What are the famous
centres of learning,
6. What is Stonehenge?
7. Who is the head of
Church of England? What is his seat?
8. What is the largest
and the richest museum in the world? What unique collections does it contain?
9. What can one see in
Madam Tussaud's Museum?
Vocabulary:
Lud Hill — Лад Хилл
church — церковь
frontage — фасад
prehistoric — доисторический
order — орден
priest — священник
Tintagel — Тинтэйджэл
Canterbury Cathedral Archbishop
— архиепископ Кен-
терберийский
antiquity — антиквариат;
древность
mummies — мумии
wax — воск
British
Traditions and Customs - Британские традиции и обычаи
British
Traditions and Customs
British
nation is considered to be the most conservative in Europe. It is not a secret
that every nation and every country has its own customs and traditions. In Great Britain people attach greater importance to traditions and customs than in other
European countries. Englishmen are proud of their traditions and carefully keep
them up. The best examples are their queen, money system, their weights and
measures.
There
are many customs and some of them are very old. There is, for example, the
Marble Championship, where the British Champion is crowned; he wins a silver
cup known among folk dancers as Morris Dancing. Morris Dancing is an event
where people, worn in beautiful clothes with ribbons and bells, dance with
handkerchiefs or big sticks in their hands, while traditional music- sounds.
Another
example is the Boat Race, which takes place on the river Thames, often on
Easter Sunday. A boat with a team from Oxford University and one with a team
from Cambridge University hold a race.
British
people think that the Grand National horse race is the most exciting horse race
in the world. It takes place near Liverpool every year. Sometimes it happens
the same day as the Boat Race takes place, sometimes a week later. Amateur
riders as well as professional jockeys can participate. It is a very famous
event.
There
are many celebrations in May, especially in the countryside.
Halloween
is a day on which many children dress up in unusual costumes. In fact, this
holiday has a Celtic origin. The day was originally called All Halloween's Eve,
because it happens on October 31, the eve of all Saint's Day. The name was
later shortened to Halloween. The Celts celebrated the coming of New Year on
that day.
Another
tradition is the holiday called Bonfire Night.
On
November 5,1605, a man called Guy Fawkes planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament
where the king James 1st was to open Parliament on that day. But Guy Fawkes was
unable to realize his plan and was caught and later, hanged. The British still
remember that Guy Fawkes' Night. It is another name for this holiday. This day
one can see children with figures, made of sacks and straw and dressed in old
clothes. On November 5th, children put their figures on the bonfire, burn them,
and light their fireworks.
In the
end of the year, there is the most famous New Year celebration. In London, many people go to Trafalgar Square on New Year's Eve. There is singing and dancing
at 12 o'clock on December 31st.
A
popular Scottish event is the Edinburgh Festival of music and drama, which
takes place every year. A truly Welsh event is the Eisteddfod, a national
festival of traditional poetry and music, with a competition for the best new
poem in Welsh.
If we
look at English weights and measures, we can be convinced that the British are
very conservative people. They do not use the internationally accepted
measurements. They have conserved their old measures. There are nine essential
measures. For general use, the smallest weight is one ounce, then 16
ounce is equal to a pound. Fourteen pounds is one stone.
The
English always give people's weight in pounds and stones. Liquids they measure
in pints, quarts and gallons. There are two pints in a quart and four quarts or
eight pints are in one gallon. For length, they have inches» foot, yards and
miles.
If we
have always been used to the metric system therefore the English monetary
system could be found rather difficult for us. They have a pound sterling,
which is divided into twenty shillings, half-crown is cost two shillings and
sixpence, shilling is worth twelve pennies and one penny could be changed by two
halfpennies.
Questions:
1. What
nation is considered to be the most conservative in Europe?
2. What
are the best examples of their conservatism?
3. What
are the most popular English traditions?
4. What
is the original name of Halloween?
5. What
is a popular Scottish event?
6. What
is the Eisteddfod?
7. What
peculiarities of the English monetary system do you know?
Vocabulary:
to be
considered — считаться, рассматриваться как
customs
— традиции
to
attach — уделять
proud —
гордый
to keep
(past kept, p.p. kept) up — поддерживать, хранить
to
crown — короновать
folk —
народный (относящийся к обычаям, традициям простого народа)
to wear
(past wore, p.p. worn) — одевать, носить
ribbon
— лента, ленточка; тесьма
handkerchief
— носовой платок
Boat
Race — лодочные гонки
Easter
Sunday — Пасхальное Воскресенье
exciting
— возбуждающий, волнующий
amateur
— любитель; поклонник; любительский
rider —
всадник, наездник; жокей
event —
событие
countryside
— сельская местность
Celtic
— кельтский
origin
— происхождение; начало
All
Halloween's Eve — Канун всех
святых (сокр. Хэлло-уин)
Bonfire
Night — Ночь костров
to blow
up — взорвать, подорвать
to
catch (caught) — схватить, арестовать
to hang
(past hung, p.p. hung) — повесить
straw —
солома
bonfire
— костер
firework
— обыкн. мн. фейерверк
truly —
действительно, по-настоящему
Eisteddfod
— ежегодный фестиваль бардов (в Уэльсе)
competition
— соревнование
to
convince - убеждать, уверять
essential
— важнейший; необходимый; основной
ounce —
унция (- 28,3 г)
pound —
фунт (современная мера веса, используемая в англоговорящих странах; = 453,6
г)
stone —
мн. обыкн. неизм. стоун (мера веса, равен 14
фунтам, или 6,34 кг)
pint —
пинта (мера емкости; в Англии = 0,57 л; в США = = 0,47
л для жидкостей)
quart —
кварта (единица измерения объема жидкости; равняется а/4 галлона — 2
пинтам)
gallon
— галлон (мера жидких и сыпучих тел = 4,54
л)
inch —
дюйм (= 2,5 см)
foot —
мн. ч. неизм. фут (мера длины, равная 30,48
см)
yard —
ярд (мера длины, равная 3 футам или 914,4
мм)
mile —
английская миля (*= 1609 м)
metric
system — метрическая система
pound
sterling — фунт стерлингов (денежная единица Великобритании, равнялась 20
шиллингам, или 240 пенсам; с 1971 г. = 100 пенсам)
shilling
— шиллинг (англ. серебряная монета = 1/20 фунта стерлингов — 12 пенсам)
penny —
мн. репсе, pennies (об отдельных монетах) пенни, пенс
half-crown
— полкроны (монета в 2 шиллинга 6 пенсов)
halfpenny
— полпенни
There are four seasons in a year:
spring, summer, autumn and winter. March, April and May are spring months.
Spring is the most pleasant of all the seasons of the year. The weather is
getting warmer and warmer, everything changes and seems to revive. The trees
begin to bud. Sometimes it rains, but there are no rough winds; the sun shines
brightly. The grass is green and one can see a lot of flowers peeping out from
it. In spring all the migratory birds return. They sing sweetly on the branches
of the trees.
The summer months are June, July
and August. Summer is the hottest season of the year. The days are longest in
summer. The longest day of the year is the 22nd of June. Some people like
summer best of all. All of us enjoy summer with its cloudless sunshine, with
its gardens and meadows full of flowers. There is a lot of fruit and vegetables
at that time. In summer many people leave town and spend the hottest time in
the country or at the seaside.
After summer autumn comes. The
autumn months are September, October and November. The warm days of early
autumn arc called the “Indian Summer” or the “Golden Autumn”. The “Golden
Autumn” is really beautiful with its yellow, red and brown trees and golden
leaves falling down. Autumn is the season of fruit and vegetables. But the days
become shorter and the nights longer and darker. The weather is not so good as
in spring and in summer. It often rains and the air gets colder and colder.
Winter is the coldest season of
the year. The winter months are December, January and February. The winter days
are short and gloomy. It often snows and it freezes. Winter is a very beautiful
season too. Some people like it very much. It is pleasant to walk when it is
not very cold and it snows. The ground is covered with snow. The trees and the
roofs are white with snow too.
Seasons
and weather
A year is the average time it
takes for the Earth to go once round the Sun. There are 12 months or 52 weeks
or 365 days in a year. Every four years there is a leap year. It has 366 days.
The names of the months are: January, February, March, April, May, June, July,
August, September, October, November, December. The days of the week are:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. There are 7 days
in a week, 24 hours in a day, 60 minutes in an hour and 60 seconds in a minute.
There are four seasons in the
year - spring, summer, autumn and winter.
The Sun rises in the east in the
morning and sets in the west in the evening. We tell the time by means of
watches and clocks. Big Ben is the clock on the tower of the Houses of
Parliament in London.
In the times of Julius Caesar the
first month of the year was March, which is now the third month. Now the first
month of the year is January. It is very cold in January. The second month is
February. It has twenty-eight days. Every leap year February adds on a
twenty-nineth day.
The third month - March is the
first month of Spring. In spring the days grow longer and the weather becomes
warmer. Spring like any other season has three months.
June, July and August are the
summer months of which July and August are the hottest ones. In summer I often
go to see my friends who live in the "i country. When my vacation is over,
I return to my J native town.
In autumn the days grow shorter.
The weather is bad. It often rains.
December is the twelfth and last
month of the year. At the same time it is the first month of winter.
Five fat friars frying flat fish.
Frogfeet, flippers, swimfins.
East Fife Four, Forfar Five
It's not the cough that carries you off, it's the coffin they carry you off
in!
Flies fly but a fly flies.
Fresh fried fish, Fish fresh fried, Fried fish fresh, Fish fried fresh.
Fresh French fried fly fritters
Five fat friars frying flat fish.
The Great Romantic
Lord Byron (1788-1824)
didn’t live a long life. He was an aristocrat and a fashionable man. But he
loved freedom (свободу) and a simple country life. His personality attracted Britain
and all Europe. He brought to his poetry romanticism of his times. He was
talented and handsome, noble and brave. London admired him.
George Gordon Byron
was born on January 22nd, 1788. He was the son of John Byron and
his wife, Catherine, whose ancestors (предки) were of the royal house
of Stuart. He spent his early years outside the capital. He lived in the north.
Later his mother took him to Aberdeen. There they lived for several years.
George went to Aberdeen Grammar School and there is a monument to him outside
the school. Now it is a museum and art gallery. Later he studied at Harrow
School and the University of Cambridge.
When Byron was 19, he came
to London. One day the poet wrote, “I woke up (проснулся) and found myself (обнаружил, что я) famous.” It
happened after the publication of his autobiographic poem “Childe Harold” in
1812.
The fact is that from
1809 to 1811 he had traveled in different parts of Europe and in the poem he
described everything that had happened to him.
In the summer of 1816 Byron
left Britain forever (навсегда). He traveled around Europe and soon he
became a member of the Greek liberation movement (освободительное движение), for which he died. But
he did not lead the Greeks in battle as he wished. He died of fever
(лихорадка). (262 words)
I. Переведите на
английский язык.
1) Он любил свободу
и простую сельскую жизнь.
2) Он принес в свою
поэзию романтизм того времени.
3) Сейчас это музей
и галерея искусства.
II. Ответьте на
следующие вопросы.
1) When and where was G.
Byron born?
2) Where did he study?
3) What did he describe in
the poem?
4) When did he die?
CHRISTMAS
The 25th of December is
Christmas Day. It’s a happy holiday for many people in different countries.
Some
week before Christmas English people are busy. They send greeting cards to all
their relatives and friends. You can buy Christmas cards or you can make them.
Many children make their cards at school.
People
buy a Christmas tree and decorate it with toys, coloured balls and little
coloured lights.
On
Christmas Eve people put their presents under the tree. When children go to
bed, they put their stockings near their beds.
At night
Father Christmas comes. He has got a big bag of presents for children. He puts
the presents in the children’s stockings.
Every
year there is a very big Christmas tree in the centre of London, in Trafalgar Square. This is a present from the people of Norway to the people of Great Britain. They send it to Londoners every year and Londoners decorate the Christmas
tree.
In the
evening before Christmas people like to come to Trafalgar Square to look at the
tree. On Christmas Eve streets in London are decorated, too.
The
shops are very busy at Christmas. People want to buy presents for their family
and friends (for their nearest and dearest). And they buy a lot of food and
drink for all the Christmas parties.
People
open their presents on Christmas morning and they all are happy with what they
get.
For
Christmas lunch people eat turkey, potatoes and green vegetables. Then they
have the Christmas pudding. At five o’clock it’s time for tea and Christmas
cake.
On Christmas people wish
their nearest and dearest a merry Christmas.
The day
after Christmas is Boxing Day. People usually visit their relatives and
friends. They do not work on that day.
1. Answer the questions.
1) Why are people
busy some weeks before Christmas?
2) Where can people get Christmas cards?
3) Where is a
Christmas tree from?
4) What are the
traditional Christmas dishes?
5) What is Boxing Day?
6) Do English people
like Christmas?
2. Complete the sentences
1. Many children make their cards at
…….
2. Father Christmas puts the presents in the
children’s ………..
3. There is a very big Christmas tree
in the centre of ………
4. On Christmas people wish their
nearest and dearest a ……….
5. They do not………. on that day.
Прочитайте текст
Monsters of the sea?
People
have always been afraid of sharks. Films like “ Jaws” have shown them as
monsters. But now these animals are in danger, like many others.
In recent years, shark meat has become a
popular food in America. Too much fishing has begun to reduce the numbers of
some kinds of shark. Some people say this is a good thing. Sharks kill about
twenty-five people a year near the world’s beaches. Are we going to help
sharks, or are they going to become extinct?
It’s hard to solve
the sharks’ “ image” problem and change people’s minds about them. Sharks are
hunters and so they naturally kill. But actually elephants kill more people
than sharks every year – and every–one likes elephants.
Sharks are very
important for the world’s oceans. They eat unhealthy fish and keep the numbers
of different kinds of sea animals in balance. Now scientists are trying to find
way to protect these animals. They have been in the oceans for 350 million
years. Perhaps they can survive a little longer.
Выберите соответствующие
содержанию текста предложения.
- Films have shown sharks as monsters.
- Sharks are in danger like others.
- Shark meat has become a popular food only in Canada.
- The number of some kinds of shark has reduced
because of much fishing.
- All people say this is good that a number
of some kinds of sharks has reduced.
- Sharks are not monsters because they don’t kill
anybody.
- It’s not hard to solve sharks ‘image’ problem.
- Sharks are hunters so they naturally kill.
- Elephants kill less people than sharks, so people
like them .
10.Sharks are very important for the world’s oceans because
they kill unhealthy fish.
11.Sharks have been in the oceans for 200 years.
PACKING by Jerome K. Jerome
Holiday time was near
now, and we, that is, Harris and George and I met to discuss our plans. Harris
said that the first thing was to discuss what to take with us. He also said
that we couldn't take the whole world in a boat. They could take what they
really needed.
"It is very important," Harris said,
"to have everything we need for a long swim every morning before
breakfast." He also said that a long swim always gave him fine appetite.
"If you're going to eat more than you usually do," George said,
"I think we'll let you go swimming not more than once in three or four
days. If you go swimming every day, we'll never have enough food for you. We
won't be able to carry so much in the boat. "
So we discussed the food question.
"Begin with breakfast," George said. "For breakfast we must have
a tea-pot," Harris said, "ham, eggs, bread and butter and jam. It's
easy to prepare breakfast with such things. And for lunch — cold meat, bread
and butter and jam — but no cheese. "
We agreed. Cheese in a boat in summer,
little by little becomes the master of all the food. You may think you're
eating sausage or meat and potatoes or cake, but it all seems to be cheese.
Test A
Choose the right
variant
1. George,
Harris and Jerome decided to discuss ....
a) future holidays b) the weather
c) the newspaper article
2. It
happened in ....
a) summer b) spring c) winter
3. Harris
liked ... very much.
a) boating b) swimming
c) playing football
4. He wanted
to ... after swimming.
a) eat b) drink c) sleep
5. They
decided ... cheese.
a) not to take b) to take c) to buy
Test В
Answer the questions:
1.
What is
the text about?
2.
Where
did the friends want to go?
3.
What
could give Harris a good appetite?
4.
Why was
cheese the "master" of all food in summer?
5.
Whose
idea was to take few clothes?
The Earth.
We
live on the Earth. It is very, very big. There is a lot of water on the Earth.
It is in rivers, lakes, seas and oceans. There are a lot of forests and fields,
hills and mountains on it.
The Earth is full of
wonders. Different animals live on the Earth. Different plants grow on it. The
Earth is beautiful.
There are large countries
and small countries. There are warm countries and cold countries. There are
some countries where there are four seasons in a year and some countries where
there are only two.
When it is day in one country it is night in another
country.
When the sun shines it is
day, when the sun does not shine it is night. You can see the moon and the
stars in the sky at night.
People live in different
countries. They speak different languages.
Our country is Russia.
Russia is the largest country in the world. Our country is so large that when
it is morning in the east, it is evening in the west. When it is winter in the
north it is summer in the south.
There are a lot of long
rivers, beautiful lakes, large forests and fields and high mountains in Russia.
People who live in Russia speak more1 than one hundred different languages but they can speak
Russian too.
2) Answer the questions.
1.Where do people live?
2.Is the Earth big or
small?
3.What is there on the
Earth?
4. Where is there water on
the Earth?
5.The Earth is beautiful,
isn't it?
6.Why do we say that the
Earth is full of wonders?
7.Why do people speak
different languages.?
Every nation and every
country has its own traditions and customs. In Britain traditions play a more
important role in the life of people than in other countries. They say British
people are very conservative . They are proud of their traditions and
carefully keep them up. But when we speak about British traditions we always
remember that there are four parts in Britain — England, Scotland,
Wales and Northern Ireland. Traditions are different in these parts of the
country.
You already know some of
the English traditions and holidays. We hope you remember St. Valentine's Day,
St. Patrick's Day, Hallowe'en which have also become traditional American
holidays. Here are some more facts about old English traditions.
One of the old English
legends says that London can be the capital of the country, rich and
great until twelve black ravens live in the Tower of London. Each has got its
name and the keepers carefully look after them. If one of the birds dies,
another younger raven takes its place. Londoners believe this legend and always
bring some food to give to the birds when they come to the Tower. The keepers
cut the birds' wings a bit as they are afraid that they may fly away.
Another old English
tradition is Guy Fawkes Day. Children go out into the streets on the 5th of
November with figures like scarecrows. They stand in the streets and
squares asking for the usual "Penny for the Guy". Then with the money
they have collected they buy fireworks and burn the guy (the figure like a
scarecrow) on their bonfire.
People watch fireworks and
some people go to parties in the evening.
Though different
countries have different traditions and holidays people all over the world know
some of them. They are — Easter, Christmas and New Year.
I. True or
False.
1.
Every
country has its own traditions and customs.
2.
There
are no common traditions all over the world.
3.
English
people celebrate Maslenitsa.
1. There are some common holidays in England,
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
2. London can be
great until 10 black ravens live in the Tower.
3. English people celebrate Guy Fawkes Day on
the 5th of November.
II. Choose the best
title for the text.
1. BRITISH ARE JUST
TRADITIONS CRAZY!
2. MORE
ABOUT BRITISH TRADITIONS.
3.
GUY FAWKES DAY.
III. Match the words
from the left column with their Russian equivalents from the right column.
1.
look
after
a. фейерверк
2.
scarecrow
b. обычай
3.
firework
c. заботиться
4.
custom
d. костер
5.
bonfire
e. чучело
A. Read the text.
SCOTLAND
Although Scotland
forms a part of the United Kingdom, it has a distinct character of its own. In
area it is more than half as big as England. Its population is, however, only
one-eighth as great — about 5 200 000.
Scotland
is a land of romance and it has had a most eventful history. The Picts and
Celts lived there before the coming of the Romans to Britain. Those Northern
tribes worried the Romans so much that the Great Wall was built to protect the
Roman camps in the Northern part of England.
It was in the 11th
century that the Normans began to settle in Scotland. Almost all of Scotland's history is accociated with and reflected in many castles and forts that are to
be seen all over the country. They are very picturesque, having retained their
medieval features: stern, proud, impressive, perched high on a rock or at a
hillside. Mary, Queen of Scots, the beautiful Mary Stuart was married in one of
them, her son James (who was to become James I of England) was born in another.
And now some words
about the Highlands. For centuries the Highlands were a strange land, where the
king's law common to all the rest of the country, wasn't even known, where wild
people spoke a language no one could understand. Long after the rest of Britain adopted modern ways they kept to the old life.
In 1603 King James VI
of Scotland became King James I of England too, and from then onwards the
countries were under the same monarch, though the Act of Union was not passed
until 1707. This Act incorporated Scotland with England in the United
Kingdom, but the Scots kept their own legal system, religion and
administration, centred in Edinburgh.
Edinburgh – the
capital of Scotland has always been admired as one of the most beautiful
cities. Glasgow – its second city – always had a bad reputation. It was too
often seen as a dirty, run-down urban area. But no longer. The buildings have
been cleaned up, the streets are tidy and the people now take an obvious pride
in their city. Glasgow was chosen to be the cultural capital of Europe 1890.
Not far from Glasgow there is one of the
most famous of Scotland's many lakes (called «lochs»), Loch Lomond. Scottish
numerous valleys are known as «glens». Scotland is a country with an intense
and living national tradition of a kind only too rare in the modern world. It
has its distinctive national dress, the kilt, worn only by men. It also has its
own typical musical instruments (the pipes, sometimes called «the bagpipes»),
its own national form of dancing, its own songs, language, traditions and
education. Scotland has even its own national drink, a fact so widely known
that one need only ask for «Scotch».
Notes
The Picts and Celts – пикты и кельты (племена)
tribe — племя
camp — лагерь
to pass the Act
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В. Comprehension Check.
Complete the sentences.
1. Scotland
forms...
a) a part of England;
b) a part of the United States;
c) a part of the United Kingdom.
2. The Northern
tribes...
a) began to settle in Scotland
in the 11th century;
b) lived in Scotland before the coming of the Romans;
c) came to Scotland together with the Normans.
3. Mary Stuart...
a) was a Queen of the United Kingdom;
b) was the Queen of Scots;
c) was not a queen.
4. The kilt...
a) is a musical instrument;
b) is a form of national
dancing;
c) is a type of national
dress.
C. Answer the questions.
1. What is the
population of Scotland?
2. Why was the Great
Wall built?
3. Why are there so
many castles in the country?
4. What have you
learnt about the Highlands?
5. When was the Act
of Union passed?
6. What's the
country's second city?
7. What do they call
Scottish valleys and lakes?
8. Are national
traditions still alive in Scotland?
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