Great Britain

1. Great Britain (official name — the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) is situated on two large islands, the larg­er of which is Great Britain, the smaller is Ireland. Great Britain consists of four main parts: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The total area of Great Britain is 240,000 sq. kms, its population is 56,000,000 people.

2. In the north-west and west the country is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea, in the east — by the North Sea. The island of Great Britain is separated from France by the English Channel Northern Ireland, which is a part of Great Britain and which is situated on the island of Ireland, is separated from Great Britain by the North Channel.

3. The island of Great Britain is divided into two parts: mountainous (in the north and west of the island) and lowland (in the south and east). There are no very long rivers in Great Britain. The most important rivers are the Thames (the deepest) and the Severn (the longest). The rivers seldom freeze in winter. Due to the moderating influence of the sea Great Britain has an insular climate, rather humid and mild, with­out striking discrepancy between seasons.

4. Great Britain consists of four main parts: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Administratively Great Britain is divided into 55 counties. The biggest cities of Great Britain are London, Bir­mingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Edinburgh, and Cardiff.

5. England is the largest part of Great Britain. Wales is a peninsula in the south-west of the island of Great Britain. Scotland is the most northern part of Great Britain. Northern Ireland occupies the north-east part of the island of Ireland.

6. Great Britain is a parliamentary monarchy. Officially the head of state is the Queen (or the King). However, the power of the Queen in Great Britain is not absolute. She acts only on the advice of the min­isters and Parliament.

7. Great Britain is a highly-developed industrial country. The main fields of British industry are machine-building, ship-building, metal­lurgy, and electronics.

VII. Найдите в тексте английские эквиваленты следующих предложений:

1. Остров Великобритании разделяется на две части: горную (на севере и западе острова) и низменную (на юге и востоке).

2. Благодаря умеренному влиянию моря в Великобритании островной климат, довольно влажный и умеренный, без резкого несоответствия между сезонами.

3. Тем не менее, власть королевы не является абсолютной.

VIII. Письменно ответьте на следующие вопросы по тексту.

1. What are the main parts of Great Britain?

2. Who is the head of Great Britain?

3. What is the official name of Great Britain?

ВАРИАНТ № 2

I. Перепишите следующие предложения. Определите по грамматическим признакам, какой частью речи являются слова, оформленные окончанием - s и какую функцию это окончание выполняет, т.Е. Служит ли оно:

а) показателем 3-го лица единственного числа глагола в Present Indefinite;

б) признаком множественного числа имени существительного;

в) показателем притяжательного падежа имени существительного.

Переведите предложения на русский язык.

1. Australia lies to the south-east of Asia, between the Pacific and Indian oceans.

2. The Australian constitution combines the traditions of British parliamentary monarchy with important elements of the US federal system.

3. Australia is the world's largest wool producer.