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The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Britain – the Right Names Britain or Great Britain (GB) is the name for England, Wales and Scotland. Britain is the eighth largest island in the world. The British Isles is the name for England, Scotland, and Wales, both parts of Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. The United Kingdom (UK) is England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The British government is the government of the UK. People who live in Britain are called British. Many people think that “English” is the same as “British”. But England is only one of the four nations in the UK. The Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish are British too. They sometimes get angry when they are called “English”. There are also millions of British people whose parents first came to Britain in the 1950s and 1960s from the Caribbean, India, Pakistan, Hong Kong and other places. Their homes are mainly in the big English cities like London, Birmingham and Manchester. Flag
Britain’s flag is called the “Union Jack”. It is really three flags on top of each other — the red cross on white background of St George for England, the white “X” on blue background of St Andrew for Scotland, and the red “X” on white background of St Patrick for Ireland. Of course, each country in Britain also has its own flag. It’s worth remembering that the Union Jack is more popular in England than in Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The reason is that the Welsh, Scottish and Irish do not like being reminded of the time when they lost their independence to England.
The British like to have fun with their flag. They put it on party hats, bags, socks and even wigs.
But they don’t like to talk about or show their patriotic feelings. They feel, too embarrassed. But on certain occasions, like a royal anniversary or a football match, they forget to be embarrassed... Languages Most British people speak English, but Gaelic is also spoken in the west and north of Scotland and in Northern Ireland. Welsh is spoken by over half a million people in Wales. The UK also has speakers of many other languages like Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and Chinese. Religion Most British are Protestants (Anglicans and Methodists). Besides Protestantism and Catholicism there are a lot of different religions in Britain today. Dress 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! Just like no Russian woman wears a “kokoshnik” anymore, kilts are only worn on special occasions such as weddings or dances. So, when you see people in Scottish national dress in the streets of Edinburgh, they are probably not Scotsmen. They are probably American tourists! Songs The Scots, the Welsh and the Irish are very proud of their national songs. When the English play football against Scotland or Wales, the Scots sing Flower of Scotland and the Welsh sing Land of My Fathers. But the English national song is the same as the British national song — God Save the Queen. Names A person’s name sometimes tells us where their family first came from. “Mac” or “Mc” in a surname (for example, McDonald) is always either Scottish or Irish. “O” in a surname (for example, O’Brien) is always Irish. Other surnames, like Morgan and Jones, are Welsh. Sometimes, as a joke, Scotsmen are called “Jock” or “Jimmy” as a first name, Irishmen are called “Paddy” or “Mick” and Welshmen are called “Dai” or “Taffy”. But if you don’t know someone well, don’t call them by these names! The British Character This is where things become even more complicated. Although the British live on the same island, it is wrong to say that the English are just like the Scottish, Irish or Welsh (or the other way around). Of course, there are some common cultural characteristics. For example, it is true that British people often talk about the weather, especially if they don’t know each other very well. It is true that they are more reserved than Russian people: they don’t like to show their emotions and they don’t make friends easily with strangers. It also seems to be true that the British are not very good at learning foreign languages. However, there are certain things that make an Englishman different from an Irishman or a Welshman from a Scotsman. Take, for example, the famous English cup of tea. Nowhere else in Britain a cup of tea plays such an important role as it does in England. Tea is not just a drink; it’s a whole English institution. In joy and trouble, a good cup of tea is what makes English people cope with whatever life throws at them. In England, if you need to hire workmen to fix your roof or do some other work like that, make sure that hot cups of tea are in good supply or you might find yourself with a roof that leaks worse than before. Another example is some Scottish eating habits. One of them is deep-fried Mars-bars. Do you know how they are made? It's very simple — you take a Mars-bar, dip it in batter and then fry it in hot oil. Do you know any other nations that do that? I think not! Stereotypes There are certain stereotypes of national character which are well known in Britain. For example, the Irish are supposed to be great talkers and the Scots have a reputation of being careful with money. But these descriptions are not true! Where Now? So, what are the British like? As you can see, there are so many things that make the British who they are, that the only way to find an answer to this question is to keep exploring. Happy journey!
3. Answer the following questions: · What is Great Britain? What three parts is it traditionally divided into? · What is the full name of the country situated in the British Isles? What four parts does the United Kingdom consist of? · What is the difference between Great Britain and the United Kingdom? · What areas do the British Isles consist of? · What nations do we usually call the British? · Where do the people, whose parents first came to Great Britain in 1950s and 1960s, live now? · How is the state flag of the UK sometimes called? What do the crosses on the flag stand for? · Why is the Union Jack more popular in England than in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales? · Where is Gaelic spoken in Britain? · Are most British Protestants or Catholic? · Describe the most famous traditional British dress. · What is the British national song? · What are the common cultural characteristics of the English, Scottish, Irish and Welsh? · What is the certain thing that makes the English differ from other British? · Are the Scots really careful with money?
4. Find in the text the English equivalents to the following phrases: 1) справляться с невзгодами, ударами судьбы; 2) не иметь склонностей к изучению иностранных языков; 3) гордиться чем-либо; 4) завязывать приятельские отношения, заводить друзей; 5)по определенным случаям; 6) продолжать исследование; 7) в шутку. 5. Fill in the blanks with the correct words from the list: to attempt, background, remind, socks, embarrassed, undoubtedly, particular, represented, complicated, reserved, to cope with, hired, fixed, leak, stereotype. 1) My grandmother can mend ______________ very quickly. She told she has been in the habit of mending them since the war. 2) It will be dangerous _____________ swimming across the river. Its current is very strong. 3) We live in an age wherein vice is very general, and virtue very ________________. (Steele) 4) When we rented the apartment we had no cognizance that in the kitchen the water could ___________ at pipe joints. 5) The music served as a _________________ to the recitation of poetry. 6) The church develops ________________ ideas about the system of faith. 7) She _______________ France in the Olympic Games. 8) Will you _____________ me about that appointment? 9) It _________________ him to be caught cheating. 10) The workmen ____________ the antenna to the roof of the house. 11) This case is more __________________. 12) That painter, who we met in Paris last year, was _________________ talented. 13) Her husband was of a _______________ disposition. 14) I can't ________________ such a pile of work this weekend. 15) My parents _____________ her to mow our lawn. 6. Find in “Land of Traditions” text the English equivalents to the following words: 1) ворота; 2) эффектный, красочный; 3) приносить вред, вредить; 4) двухэтажный автобус «двухпалубка»; 4)караульный, сторож; 5) схватить, поймать; мешок с шерстью (набитая шерстью красная подушка); 6)заменять; 7)фонарь; 8) подвал, погреб; 9)набивать; 10) ценить; 11) конвой, охрана; 12) заговор; 13) ягненок, барашек; 14) источник; 15)отряд, команда; 16) взрывать; 17)часовой; 18) заговорщик; 19) Стой! 20) беречь, хранить; 21) комендант; 22) служитель охраны Лондонского Тауэра. 7. Try to guess the meanings of the following words. Then be guided by a dictionary. Transcribe them and pronounce. ceremony; Bloody Tower; Amen!; Lord Chancellor; peer ; to privatize Land of Traditions Almost everything you come across in Britain is a result of a long history. The British are proud of their traditions and carefully keep them up. Foreigners watch with disbelief the ceremony of the keys at the Tower of London. This strange ceremony takes place of every night and is 700 years old! Locking a door or a gate seems to be a simple thing. Not, however, if the gates are of the Tower of London. At 21.53 the Chief Warder of the Tower, carrying a lantern and the keys, meets the Escort of the Key. They march to the various gates and lock them ceremonially. But at the Bloody Tower the party is stopped by a sentry with the words: ‘Halt! Who comes there?’ (as if he wouldn’t know after 700 years.) ‘The Keys.’ ‘Whose Keys?’ ‘Queen Elizabeth’s Keys.’ ‘Advance Queen Elizabeth’s Keys.’ “All’s well.’ ‘God preserve Queen Elizabeth.’ ‘Amen!’ And the keys are carried to the Governor of the Tower for the night. The same beefeaters make a ceremonial search of the Houses of Parliament before the Queen arrives for the state opening of Parliament. On November 5, 1605, Guy Fawkes and his fellow conspirators planned to blow up Parliament. The plot was discovered and Guy Fawkes was hanged. But the cellars where Guy Fawkes was captured are still searched before each opening of Parliament. This is a spectacular ceremony and everything is done just as it was done almost four centuries ago. The British don’t easily discard anything that seems to work, or at least does little harm to anyone. If you visit Parliament, you will see, in the House of Lords, the Lord Chancellor wearing a wig and sitting on a huge pillow known as the ‘Wool sack’. The sack is indeed stuffed with lamb’s wool to remind the peers that this was once the source of Britain’s wealth. In general, the British value continuity over modernity. In 1985, the famous red telephone boxes were replaced by modern ones. The public protested so much that the old ones were put back in the main tourist areas. In the early 1990s London’s red double-deckers were privatized and the different companies wanted to paint their buses in their company colours. The government ruled that all buses had to stay red because that was what the people of London wanted. And it’s very difficult to imagine that the British will ever agree to change from driving on the left-hand side of the road or driving on the right. Why should they change just to be like everyone else?
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