Топики Великобритания

Political system of Great Britain.

Great Britain is a parliamentary monarchy. There are two heads in the country. One is the Queen, and the other is the Parliament. The Queen reigns but doesn’t rule. The Parliament has two chambers – the House of Lords and the House of Commons, which contains of 650 members and it is most important and powerful. The House of Lords comprises about 1200 peers. The House of Lords has no real power.

There are few political parties. The main ones are – the Conservative Party, the Labor Party and the Liberal/ Social Democratic Alliance. The party which wins the most seats in Parliament forms the Government. It is leader becomes the Prime Minister. His first job is to choose his Cabinet.

Parliament is responsible for British national policy. Local governments are responsible for organizing of education, police and many others.

Britain doesn’t have a written constitution but a set of laws.

London.

London is the capital of Great Britain, it is political, economic and cultural centre. It is one of the largest cities in the world. London has a population of about 11 milion people. London is situated on the river Thames. The city is very old and beautiful. Traditionally London is divided into several parts- the City, the West End, the East End and Westminster.

Westminster is now the political centre of London. There are the Houses of Parliament, the seat of the British Government. It is a very beautiful building with two towers and a very big clock called Big Ben. Opposite the Houses of Parliament is Wesminster Abby. It is a very beautiful church was built over 900 years ago. There are memorials to famous men and women. The most popular ones those to writers, poets and musicians in the Poets Corner. Buckingham Palace is the Queens official London residence. Londoners usually watch the Changing of the Guards in the forecourt of the palace.

The West End is a rich mans world of shops offices and theaters. Picadilly Circus in the heart of London’s West End. There are streets with beautiful houses and many parks, gardens and squares.

The City is the oldest part of London. It is financial and business centre. There are the Royal Exchange and the Bank of England here.

The East End is an industrial district of the capital district of the capital. There live working people. The old port area is now called <Docklands>.

The climate of Great Britain.

The geographical position of Great Britain influences the climate. The climate is oceanic because Great Britain surrounded by the sea. There are no extreme contrasts in temperature in Britain because of the current of warm water, called the Gulf Stream. The western part is warmer and the eastern part is colder because the hills and mountains shut out the mild winds from the Atlantic Ocean. Britain is famous for its fogs. Sometimes fogs are so think that it is impossible to see anything.

The weather of Britain changes very often. There is a saying that Britain doesn’t have a climate, it only has weather. There are a lot of rainy and dull days in every season so Britain looks like one great green park with green meadows, hills and hedges.

The geographical position of Great Britain.

The UK of Great Britain and Northen Ireland occupies the British Isles. They lie to the north- west of Europe. The Great Britain is separated from Europe by the English Channel and are washed by the North Sea in the east and by the Atlantic Ocean in the west.

The Uk consists of 4 countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. England is the richest and the most populated part in the country. There are the Pennines Mountains, but all the rest of the territory is a plain. Scotland is a land of mountains. There are the Scottish Highlands. There are the Walsh Mountains in Wales.

The British Isles have many rivers and lakes. The longest river is Severn but the Thames is very important because London, the capital of Great Britain, stands on it. The biggest lake is the Loch Ness.

The geographical position of Great Britain is good as the country lies on the crossways of the sea routes from Europe to other parts of the world.

The UK is a highly- developed industrial country, the main industrial are: fishing, ship-building, textile industry, coal- mineng and machinery…

Education in Great Britain.

Education in Great Britain is compulsory and free for all children between the age of 5 and 16. There are many children who attend a nursery school from the age of 3, but it is not compulsory.

Compulsory education begins at the age of 5 when children go to primary school. Primary education lasts for 6 years. It is divided into two periods: infant schools (pupils from 5 to 7 years old) and junior schools (pupils from 7 to 11 years old). In infant schools children don’t have real classes. They mostly play and lesrn through playing. But when pupils are 7, they have real classes, when they sit at desks, read, write and answer the teacher’s questions.

Compulsory secondary education begins when children are 11 or 12 and lasts for 5 years. Children study English, Mathematics, Science, History, Art, Geography, Music, a Foreign language and Physical education. English, Mathematics and Science are called <core> subjects. At the age of 7, 11 and 14 pupils take exems in the core subjects.

There are 3 types of state secondary schools in GB. There are: comprehensive schools, which take pupils of all abilities without exams; grammer schools, which give secondary education of a very high standard, usuallt at 11; modern schools, which don’t prepare pupils for universities. Education in such schools gives good prospects for practical jobs.

Some parents choose private schools for their children. They are very expensive but considered to provide a better education and good job opportunities.

At the age of 16 pupils take the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) examination or <O -level>. After that students may either leave school and go to a Further Education college or continue their education in the Sixth Form. Those who stay at school after GCSE, study for 2 more years for <A (Advanced)-Level> exams in two or three subjects which in nesesary to get a place at one of British Universities.

London.

London is the capital of Great Britain, its political, economic and cultural centre. It's one of the largest cities in the world. Its population is more than million people. London is situated on the river Thames. The city is very old and beautiful. It was founded more than two thousand years ago.

Traditionally London is divided into several parts: the City, the West End, the East End and Westminster. The City is the oldest part of London, its financial and business centre. The heart of the City is the Stock Exchange. Westminster is the most important part of the capital. It's the administrative centre. The Houses of Parliament, the seat of the British Government, are there. It's a very beautiful building with two towers and a very big clock called Big Ben. Big Ben is really the bell which strikes every quarter of an hour. Opposite the Houses of Parliament is Westminster Abbey. It's a very beautiful church built over 900 years ago. The tombs of many great statesmen, scientists and writers are there.

West End- Here we find most of the big shops, hotels, museums, art galleries, theatres and concert halls. Picadilly Circus is the heart of London's West End. In the West End there are wide streets with beautiful houses and many parks, gardens and squares. The East End is an industrial district of the capital. There are no parks or gardens in the East End and you can't see many fine houses there. Most of the plants and factories are situated there.

London has many places of interest. One of them is Buckingham Palace. It's the residence of the Queen. The English are proud of Trafalgar Square, which was named so in memory of the victory at the battle. There in 1805 the English fleet defeated the fleet of France and Spain. The last place of interest I should like to mention, is the British Museum, the biggest museum in London. The museum is famous for its library -one of the richest in the world.

All London's long-past history is told by its streets. There are many streets in London which are known all over the" world. Among them Oxford Street, Downing Street and a lot of others can be mentioned. And tourists are usually attracted not only by the places of interest but by the streets too. In conclusion I should say if you are lucky enough to find yourself in London some day you will have a lot to see and enjoy there.

Family life.

Family is an essential part of the society and it plays the most important role in everybody’s life. It means that the most important people in our lives are our family members. Family is represented by a close unit of parents and children living together. I believe that everyone wants to have a happy family and good relations with all its members. In my opinion, a happy family should have mutual interests, hopes and dreams to share. Other important issues are love, trust and respect. No family can exist without love. Happiness is also impossible without love. When people love each other, they can overcome all the obstacles. Unfortunately, modern couples often build their relations on some other values, such as money, social position, etc. They think that happiness will come itself and nobody has to make an effort. They are mistaken, as good family relations are impossible without mutual understanding and love. Children in the family also play an important role. In my opinion, parents should have three children. in this case parents contribute to population growth in the country. Secondly, the children grown not all alone are more sociable and less sefish. Thirdly, a child from a big family has a better chance to succeed in life because his siblings are willing to help.

Семья является неотъемлемой частью общества и играет самую важную роль в жизни каждого человека. Это означает, что самые важные люди в нашей жизни – это члены нашей семьи. Семья – это единое целое, в котором родители и дети, проживают вместе. Я считаю, что каждый человек хотел бы иметь счастливую семью и хорошие отношения со всеми ее членами. На мой взгляд, счастливая семья должна иметь взаимные интересы, разделять общие надежды и мечты. Другие важные составляющие – это любовь, доверие и уважение. Ни одна семья не может существовать без любви. Счастье также невозможно без любви. Когда люди любят друг друга, они могут преодолеть все препятствия. К сожалению, современные пары часто строят свои отношения на некоторых других ценностях, таких как деньги, социальное положение и т.д. Они считают, что счастье придет само по себе и не нужно прикладывать никаких усилий. Они ошибаются, так как хорошие семейные отношения невозможны без взаимопонимания и любви. Дети в семье также играют важную роль.

Health

Good health is very important for very person. Still, sometimes we get ill, we call a doctor, and he examines us and diagnoses the illness. When we have a headache, a stomach ache, a sore throat, a cold, or a pain in some parts of the body, we call a doctor. He takes our temperature and our pulse. He examines our heart, our lungs, our stomach or the part where we have pain, and tells us what the matter is with us. The doctor prescribes medicine, and gives us a prescription, which we take to the chemist's, who makes up the medicine.

If you follow the doctor's orders, you get better; if you disobey the doctor, you may get worse, and even die. We must obey the doctor, if we want to get better. If we have a temperature, we must stay in bed and take the medicine he prescribes. If we cannot get better at home we must go to hospital. If we are too ill to walk, we go to hospital in the ambulance. After our illness we can go to a sanatorium until we are strong again.

When we have toothache, we go to the dentist's. He examines our teeth, finds the tooth which hurts us, stops or extracts it.

In our country health system incorporates a variety of medical institutions. The medical service is of two kinds. Some state establishments give their employees medical insurance cards. They guarantee the people free of charge medical assistance. Some medical establishments charge fees for treatment. They may be rather high, but our medical service now uses all modern equipment and medicines and provides qualified medical help to all people.

Здоровье

Хорошее здоровье очень важно для любого человека. Тем не менее, иногда мы заболеваем, и мы вызываем врача, он осматривает нас и диагностирует болезни. Когда у нас головная боль, боли в животе, боли в горле, насморк или боли в некоторых других частях тела, мы вызываем врача. Он измеряет температуру и пульс. Он исследует наше сердце, легкие, наш желудок или ту часть тела, где у нас есть боль, и говорит нам в чем дело с нами. Врач выписывает лекарства и дает нам рецепт, который мы несём в аптеку, которая изготавливает лекарства.

Если вы следуете указаниям врача, то вам становится лучше, если вы не слушаетесь врача, вы можете получить осложнения и даже умереть. Мы должны слушаться доктора, если мы хотим, чтобы стало лучше. Если у вас повышенная температура, вы должны оставаться в постели и принять лекарство, которое он предписал. Если нам не становится лучше дома, мы должны идти в больницу. Если мы слишком больны, чтобы идти, мы едем в больницу в машине скорой помощи. После нашей болезни мы можем поехать в санаторий, чтобы набраться сил.

Когда у нас болит зуб, мы идем к дантисту. Он исследует наши зубы, находит зуб, который болит, пломбирует или вырывает его.

Система здравоохранения нашей страны включает в себя различные медицинские учреждения. Медицинское обслуживание бывает двух видов. Некоторые государственные учреждения предоставляют своим работникам медицинское страхование. Оно гарантируют людям бесплатную медицинскую помощь. Некоторые медицинские учреждения взымают плату за лечение. Она может быть достаточно высокой, но наше медицинское обслуживание в настоящее время использует современное оборудование и медикаменты, и обеспечивает квалифицированную медицинскую помощь всем людям.

British Holidays.

January 1^st – New Year’s Day. On New Year’s Eve (31 December), it is traditional to celebrate midnight with your friends or family and to sing ‘Auld lang syne’, a folk song with words by the Scottish poet Robert Burns. The party can last well into New Year’s Day! Many people make ‘New Year’s resolutions’, promising to achieve a goal or break a bad habit in the coming year.

February 14^th – Valentine’s Day. Love is in the air! Historically the Feast of St Valentine, nowadays this is a celebration of romance. Many people in the UK go out for dinner with their sweethearts, and give them a Valentine’s card, chocolate or flowers. If you’re single, you might receive an anonymous card from a ‘secret admirer’!

March 15^th – Mother’s Day. Mother’s Day is a day to celebrate motherhood, and to thank mothers for everything they do throughout the year. Many people give their mothers a card or gift, treat them to a day out or cook a meal.

April 3^rd–6^th – Easter weekend. Easter is a Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is always on a Sunday in March or April (called Easter Sunday), and the previous Friday (Good Friday) and following Monday (Easter Monday) are bank holidays. People celebrate Easter in different ways, but many give each other chocolate eggs and eat ‘hot cross buns’ (sweet buns with a cross design), while children decorate eggs or take part in Easter egg hunts.

May 1^st – Beltane. Beltane (or Beltain) is the Celtic festival of fire, which celebrates fertility and marks the start of summer. With its roots in ancient Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of Man, modern versions of the event are becoming more popular – some of the largest are in Edinburgh, Thornborough in Yorkshire andButser Ancient Farm in Hampshire, where the traditional 30-foot Wicker Man is burned at sunset.

4^th and 25^th – Bank holidays. There are two Mondays in May when people have the day off work or school and (if we’re lucky!) spend some time outdoors enjoying the spring sunshine.

June 13^th – The Queen’s Official Birthday. Although the Queen’s real birthday is on the 21^st of April, it has been a tradition since 1748 to celebrate the king or queen’s birthday in June. A military parade known as Trooping the Colour is held in London, attended by the Royal Family. (Click here to see footage of the procession!)

21^st – Father’s Day. Father’s Day is a day to show appreciation to fathers, grandfathers, stepfathers and fathers-in-law. Many people in the UK give their father a card or gift, have a meal together or go out for drinks.

October 31^st – Halloween. The modern way of celebrating Halloween is based on the Christian feast of All Hallows’ Eve and the Celtic festival of Samhain. Children go trick-or-treating (knocking on neighbours’ doors to ask for sweets) or carve pumpkins, while older students go to parties and Halloween events at pubs, clubs or Students’ Unions. The important thing is to dress up as gruesomely as you dare!

December 25^th – Christmas. Most people in the UK celebrate Christmas, even if they are not religious. There will be Christmas trees, presents, carol singing, mulled wine (warm, spiced red wine), mince pies (small pies with a sweet fruit filling) and if it snows, snowmen and snowball fights! The traditional Christmas dinner is a whole roast turkey with roast potatoes, vegetables, gravy and Christmas pudding for dessert (a steamed sponge pudding with dried fruit) – but each family has its own variations. Read our students' guide to a UK Christmas.

26^th – Boxing Day. The day after Christmas is called Boxing Day, and is a bank holiday in the UK. It’s believed to have been named after the ‘Christmas box’ of money or gifts which employers used to give to servants and tradesmen. Nowadays, there are no particular Boxing Day customs, but most people spend the day with their families, going for a walk, watching sports or eating the Christmas leftovers.