Тема 1.3 Страна изучаемого языка

1.3.1 Географическое положение Великобритания/сша Geography and climate

25. Прочитайте следующие тексты и переведите их на русский язык. Напишите прописью все цифры, данные в текстах. Дайте точные русские эквиваленты всех географических названий, которые встречаются в текстах.

To the west of the continent of Europe lie two large islands called the British Isles. The larger of these, consisting of England, Scotland and Wales, is known as Great Britain. The smaller island is Ireland, with Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. To the British Isles belong also some 5, 500 smaller islands. The area of the British Isles is 121, 600 square miles.

The west coast is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea, the east coast – by the North Sea, and the south coast – by the English Channel. The English Channel lies between Great Britain and the continent, joining the Atlantic Ocean to the North Sea.

England is the southern and central part of Great Britain. Scotland is in the north of the island, and Wales in the west. Northern Ireland is situated in the north-eastern part of Ireland. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland with a total area of 94, 212 square miles.

Mountains are an important part of the geography of a country. The British Isles have no high mountains. Scotland is a mountainous country, especially in the north with its highest peak Ben Nevis, which is 4, 400 feet high and is the highest peak in Britain. The northern part of Scotland is often called the Highlands, and the southern part is called the Lowlands. In Wales the highest peak is Snowdon in North Wales. It is 3, 300 feet high. Ireland is covered with mountains and green hills.

The British Isles have many rivers, but they are not very long. The longest of the English rivers is the Severn, which flows southwest into the Irish Sea. The Thames flows through rich agricultural and industrial districts. Scotland’s most important river is the Clyde, on which stands Glasgow. Many of the English and Scottish rivers are joined by canals, so that it is possible to travel by water from on end of Great Britain to the other.

England, Ireland and Scotland have many beautiful lakes, the most famous of which are in the Lake District in north-west England.

There are no great forests in the British Isles today. Historically, the most famous forest is Sherwood Forest, in the east of England, north of London. It was the home of Robin Hood.

The climate of the British Isles is generally mild, not very cold in winter and never very hot in summer. The rivers do not freeze in winter, and snow never lies on the ground for long, except in the north, especially in the Highlands of Scotland. Sheep and cattle can find food in the meadows all year round. All parts of the British Isles have a lot of rain in all seasons. In winter, thick fogs cover many parts of Britain. The British Isles are warmed by the Gulf Stream. As a result, the temperature in Britain in winter is between ten and twenty degrees higher than in the Moscow and Leningrad regions, which lie between the same northern parallels as the British Isles.

The mild and damp climate in the British Isles is very good for agriculture, especially for vegetable-farming, sheep- and cattle- farming.