UK test 2

1. The UK occupies _____________

a. the territory of the British Isles.

b. the territory of Great Britain and Ireland.

c. the significant part of the territory of the British Isles.

2. The capitals of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are correspondingly (соответственно).

a. London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast.

b. Edinburgh, Belfast, London, Cardiff.

c. London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Dublin.

3. Shakespeare was born in _________.

a.Oxford b.Stradford-upon-Avon c. Cardiff

4. Some of the largest cities of Great Britain are ________.

a. London, Dublin, Manchester.

b. Edinburgh, London, Oxford

c. Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow

5. The climate in the UK is _________.

a. moderate b.tropical c. severe

6. The Thames flows into the ________.

a. English Channel b. North Sea c. Irish Sea

1. UK ECONOMY

Britain is a stable and democratic society. It is a leading member of both the European Union and the Commonwealth and has a major world role as a member of the United Nations Security Council.

Britain is the fifth largest trading nation in the world. It is one of the largest exporters of goods, electrical and electronic equipment, chemicals and oil. And it is a major centre for financial and insurance services. It has the largest energy resources of any country in the European Union and is an important world producer of oil, natural gas and coal.

The standard of living of the average Briton is similar to that of other citizens of Western countries, and a good deal higher than that of Japan and other East Asian countries.

Britain's National Health Service is famous worldwide and its universities and institutes of higher education attract over 50, 000 foreign students a year.

Britain has for centuries encouraged research and innovation and its record of achievements has been maintained throughout the twentieth century. Nobel prizes for science have been won by sixty-eight British citizens. In the fields of art, media and sport, Britain enjoys an international reputation. Britain has nuclear weapons, a strong army and remains a widely-respected power.

As Britain is mainly a highly-developed industrialized country, most of the population live in cities and towns.

3.1 Match the words to make collocations.

1. higher a equipment

2. natural b education

3. electronic c resources

4. democratic d living

5. industrialized e society

6. standard of f country

UK TEST 3. True or false?

1. The standard of living of the average Briton is lower than that

of the average Japanese.

2. British higher education institutions are very popular in the

world.

3. British artists, athletes are internationally known.

4. The largest cities are Oxford, Cambridge, Stratford-upon-

Avon.

1. UK POLITICAL SYSTEM

The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. The queen is the head of state, but in practice, the country is ruled by an elected parliament. A parliament is the group of people who make the laws of their country. Parliament consists of the House of Lords and the House of Commons and the Queen as its head. The House of Lords is less important than the House of Commons. The House of Commons plays the main role in lawmaking. Members of the House of Commons belong to different political parties, and the party which gets the majority of seats in the House is called the ruling party, and the others – the oppositions. The leader of the party with most seats becomes the Prime Minister and he forms the Government. The second biggest party becomes the official Opposition. Its leader forms a Shadow Cabinet. The United Kingdom does not have a written constitution set out in a single document. The set of rules has been developed over many centuries: it is made up of Acts of Parliament, common laws and conventions.

The main British political groups are the Conservative and Labour Parties, and the Party of Liberal Democrats.

Symbols of Great Britain. Each country has its own famous places, people and objects associated with them. Many images associated with England are found on souvenirs. Most commonly used are the flag ''the Union Jack'', The Royal Family, Buckingham Palace, Royal Guardsmen, Double Deck Buses, Red Post Boxes, Telephone Boxes, Houses of Parliament, St Paul's Cathedral, Policemen, The London Eye. The union flag is called ''The Union Jack''. It is really three flags on the top of each other – the flags of England, Scotland and Ireland.

The men you see in front of Buckingham Palace (and other locations in London as well as Windsor) are the Queen's Guard. The Queen's Guard changes in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace at 11.30 am, and lasts about 45 minutes.

The most famous traditional British dress is undoubtedly the Scottish kilt. The particular pattern of tartan, the checked fabric from which Scottish national dress is made represents the family clan that the person is from. Many people think that Scottish men wear kilts every day. This is not true.

1. Is the United Kingdom a constitutional monarchy?

2. Who is the head of the state?

3. Parliament consists of the House of Lords and the House of

Commons, doesn't it?

4. Who becomes the Prime Minister?

5. What symbols of Great Britain do you know?

6. What is “the Union Jack“?