What are britain’s national flowers?
The national flower of England is the rose. The flower has been adopted as England's emblem since the time of the Wars of the Roses (1455-1485) - civil wars between the royal house of Lancaster (whose emblem was a red rose) and the royal house of York (whose emblem was a white rose). The Yorkist regime ended with the defeat of King Richard III by the future Henry VII at Bosworth on 22 August 1485, and the two roses were united into the Tudor rose (a red rose with a white centre) by Henry VII when he married Elizabeth of York.
The national flower of Northern Ireland is the shamrock, a three-leaved plant similar to clover which is said to have been used by St. Patrick to illustrate the doctrine of the Holy Trinity.
The Scottish national flower is the thistle, a prickly-leaved purple flower which was first used in the 15th century as a symbol of defense.
The three flowers - rose, thistle and shamrock - are often displayed beneath the shield on the Royal Coat of Arms.
The national flower of Wales is usually considered to be the daffodil, which is traditionally worn on St. David's Day. However, the humble leek is also considered to be a traditional emblem of Wales, possibly because its colors, white over green, echo the ancient Welsh standard.
1.1. Listen to the text “What Are Britain’s National Flowers?”.
1.2. Answer the questions to the text.
1. What is the national flower of England? 2. When was the rose adopted as the England’s emblem? 3. What was the color of Lancaster rose? 4. What was the color of York rose? 5. Which of the roses became a winner in the War of Roses? 6. What is the color of Tudor rose? 7. What is the national flower of Northern Ireland? 8. How does it look like? 9. What is the Scottish national flower? 10. What does it symbolize? 11. Rose, thistle and shamrock - are often displayed beneath the shield on the Royal Coat of Arms, aren’t they? 12. What is usually considered to be a national flower of Wales?
1.3. Complete the sentences with words from a box.
emblem, invaders, Scotland, its thorns, part, thorny plant, can be found, a good reason, bare, thistle, were awakened |
A thistle emblem
1. The thistle has nothing pleasant in it, especially if you carelessly touch … … . 2. But it has an important meaning for the people of … . 3. It is the Scottish national … . 4. Scotland, as you may know, is now a … of Great Britain. 5. Why did the Scottish people choose this … … as the national emblem of their country? 6. The answer is interesting, and it … … … in the history of Scotland. 7. The people of that country chose the … as their national emblem because it saved their land from foreign … many years ago. 8. People say that during a surprise night attack by the invaders the Scottish soldiers … … by the shouts of the invaders as their … feet touched the thorns of the thistles in the field they were crossing. 9. This, of course, was … … … to choose the thistle as a national emblem.
1.4. Make up a story on the text.
Oral topic.