UK test 1

1. The Romans came to England for the first time in _____.

a) 450 B.C. b) 43 A.D. c) 410 A.D.

2. Roman rule lasted for _____.

a) a century b) 450 years c) over 300 years

3. William the Conqueror and his people invaded England in _____.

a) 1666 b) 1066 c) 1166

4. The basis of modern English developed from ________.

a) a Germanic language b) French c) Latin

5. Celtic is _____.

a) a dead language b) the language of most of England

c) still spoken in some parts of Great Britain

1. UK GEOGRAPHY

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the UK) occupies most of the territory of the British Isles. It consists of four main parts which are: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.

The UK is an island state: it is composed of some 5, 500 islands. The two main islands are Great Britain (in which are England, Wales and Scotland) to the east and Ireland (in which are Northern Ireland and the independent Irish Republic) to the west. They are separated by the Irish Sea.

The UK is one of three world's smallest countries with an area of some 244, 100 square kilometres. The UK is situated off the west coast of Europe between the Atlantic Ocean in the northwest and the North Sea in the east and is separated from the European continent by the English Channel (or La Manche) and the Strait of Dover (or Pas de Calais).

English is the official language. But some people speak Gaelic in western Scotland, Welsh – in parts of northern and central Wales. The UK also has speakers of many other languages like Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and Chinese. Most British are Protestants (Anglicans and Methodists). Besides Protestantism and Catholicism there are a lot of different religions in Britain today.

Geographically, the island of Great Britain is subdivided into two main regions – Lowland Britain and Highland Britain. Lowland Britain comprises southern and eastern England. Highland Britain consists of Scotland, most Wales, the Pennines, and the Lake District. The Pennine mountain chain extends southward from the Cheviot Hills into the Midlands, a plain region with low hills and valleys. England is separated from Scotland by the Cheviot Hills, running from east to west. The highest mountain is Ben Nevis in Scotland (1, 340 metres).

The main rivers of Great Britain are: the Severn, flowing along the border between England and Wales, tributaries of which include the Avon, famed by Shakespeare; the Thames, which flows eastward to the port of London and some others.

There are many lakes in Great Britain. On the northwest side of the Pennines lies the Lake District, containing the beautiful lakes which give it its name. This district is widely known for its association with the history of English literature and especially with the name of William Wordsworth (1770-1850), the founder of the Lake School of poets.

The largest cities of Great Britain are: London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Bristol, Leeds, Edinburgh. The most important ports are: London, Liverpool, Southampton, Belfast, Glasgow and Cardiff.

The climate in the UK is generally mild, temperate and humid. The weather is so changeable that the English often say that they have no climate but only weather. Sometimes it rains so heavily that they say 'It's raining cats and dogs'. Therefore it is natural for them to use the comparison 'as changeable as the weather' of a person who often changes his mood or opinion about something. There is another expression on weather: 'I'm under the weather today' that means 'I feel a bit ill'.

1. What parts does the UK consist of? Name their capitals.

2. What are the names of the two main islands?

3. What separates the UK from the continent?

4. What is the Lake District famous for?

5. What most important cities and ports have you remembered?

6. Why is the river Avon famed by Shakespeare?

7. When do the English say " It's raining cats and dogs''?

JOKE

“The harder it rains, the better I like it.”

“You must be an optimist.”

“No, I am an umbrella seller.”