Устная тема "English-speaking countries".

English-speaking countries.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are English speaking countries. Each country has its own history, customs, traditions, its own national holidays. But they all share a common language. English is the language of the people who left England to make their names in new countries. But I would like to tell you about The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The UK is a parliamentary monarchy and the Queen is the head of the state. But in practice it is ruled by the elected government with the Prime Minister at the head. The UK Parliament in London is at the heart of the political system in Britain and is the legislative body for the UK and British overseas territories. Parliament has two legislative parliamentary bodies, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Today there are four major political parties in the British parliamentary system, the Conservative Party, the Labour Party, the Scottish National Party and the Liberal Democrat Party.

Great Britain is a highly developed industrial country. It is known as one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of iron and steel products, machinery and electronics, chemicals and textile. One of the industries is shipbuilding. Great Britain is a country with old cultural traditions and customs. The most famous educational centres are Oxford and Cambridge universities. They are considered to be the intellectual centres of Europe. The education is not free, it is very expensive.

London is the capital of the UK, the greatest town and port on the British Isles. It’s a political, economic and commercial centre. London is one of the largest cities in the world. Its population is more than 8 million people. London is worth sightseeing. The West End is famous for its beautiful monuments and palaces, fine parks, fashionable shops and big hotels. The East End is quite different from the West End. It’s the district of factories, plants and docks. The narrow streets and poor houses present contrast to the homes of the rich people in the West End.

Sightseeing tours in London usually start in Trafalgar Square. There is the Nelson’s Column in the centre of the square. From Trafalgar Square you can go along down Whitehall and see the Houses of Parliament with Big Ben. Behind there is the Thames and Westminster Bridge. Buckingham Palace attracts attention, as well. It’s the royal residence. Westminster Abbey is famous for the memorials of many great people of Britain. The Tower of London was a fortress, a royal residence, a prison and now it is a museum. London is famous for its green parks. The greatest is Hyde Park (with the famous Poet’s Comer there). London is the centre of the country’s cultural life. There are many picture galleries and museums there. The National Gallery houses a priceless collection of paintings. The British Museum is the most famous in the world. In London we can meet the past and the present, the old and the modem. It’s a city of contrasts and no doubts it’s amazing to see and enjoy every masterpiece in architecture and art.