Téma: The UK
Predmet: Angličtina
Zaslal(a): Tamara
Geography
- Britain lies off the north-west coast of Europe across the English Channel. The UK consists of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The landscape is mostly hilly, though many of the hills are quite small. The landscape is very green. The north is more mountainous, especially in Scotland.
- The longest river in the United Kingdom is the Severn. It rises in Wales. The Thames, which flows through London, is the second longest.
- Loch Ness in Scotland is the largest lake by volume (famous for its monster called „Nessie“). The largest lake by area is Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland. The Avon.
- The highland zone consists of several groups of mountains, for example the Highlands of Scotland with the highest peak Ben Nevis, the Cumbrian Mountains-lake District.
- The lowland zone is in the south of GB, in England.
Climate
- Mild summers, cold winters, generally rainy weather.
Political system
- Great Britain is constitution monarchy. Head of state is Queen Elizabeth II (her seat is in Buckingham Palace), but she has not real power. Queen is represented by Prime Minister Tony Blair from Labour party, who lives in Downing Street number 10.
- The national flag of the United Kingdom is called the Union Jack.
National economy
- GB is one of the richest country of the world and has very developed economy. As shipbuilding, car and train building, engineering. In this dominate chemical industry and production of consumable electronics (televisions, radios, equipment for home).
Natural resources:
- Thanks to long intensive mine activities there are a little law materials. Important are coal, petrol, natural gas, gold, zinc, steel, oil, metals etc.
Sport
- British people like playing football, with matches on most weekends… cricket in the
- Summer… rugby, which is associated with public school students… polo, if they are very rich.
Interest places
- LONDON the capital city of the United Kingdom. Almost 7 mil people live here.
- The London Underground, or tube, is the world’s first underground railway for passengers. The city’s bus line is known for its famous red double-decker buses.
- Hyde Park is the largest one, mainly famous for its Speaker’s Corner. Here, people, often standing on chairs or boxes, could make speeches on anything they wanted.
- St. James’s Park is one of the oldest green spaces in the city.
- Buckingham Palace has been used as a royal residence since 1837 when Queen Victoria ascended the throne. Queen Victoria Monument, made of marble and bronze, was erected in front of the palace.
- The clock tower on the northwest corner of the Houses of Parliament has become the very symbol of the city itself. The large bell, weighing 13 tons is widely known as Big Ben in honour of Sir Benjamin Hall, who was responsible for the work.
- Tower Bridge is a characteristic landmark of London, it is named after the Tower of London that stands next to it. A hydraulic mechanism can raise and lower the bridge in less than two minutes to permit the passage of high ships.
- Trafalgar Square is the busiest part of London. Large crowds gather there to see Nelson’s Column, named after Lord Nelson’s victory over Napoleon at the Battle of Trafalgar.
- Bath was established as a spa town by the ancient Romans. You can still admire the Roman baths there, built over hot springs (= places where hot water naturally flows from the earth).
- Oxford and Cambridge are famous university towns, and their universities are among the oldest in the world. Even if you are not a student, you can enjoy the old architecture of the colleges and their special atmosphere.
- Brighton is a famous seaside resort south of London. Don’t miss the popular Brighton Beach and the exotic-looking Royal Pavilion.
- York is an ancient city that was very wealthy and powerful under the reign of the Vikings. At the Jorvik Viking Centre you can see reconstructions of Viking York, complete with sounds and smells. The museum is built on the exact spot where the Viking town and houses.
- Stonehenge – a circle of prehistoric stones (probably used for magical purposes).