Презентация "A Glimpse of Britain"

Исаева Ольга Николаевна

учитель иностранного языка

МБОУ СОШ №51 г.Воронеж

A GLIMPSE OF BRITAIN

Some interesting facts about England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland does not celebrate one particular national holiday. The four nations were once separate. Only centuries of bloody struggles brought them together.

England began to exist as a unified entity since the 10 th century. It has always been the most powerful of all the four and tried to take control over Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

Wales was united to England in 1536 and got its status of principality. Now the eldest son of the Monarch is given the title “Prince of Wales”.

In 1707 Scotland was forcefully joined the UK after a long struggle for its independence. The whole country became known as Great Britain.

As for Northern Ireland , first whole Ireland (or Ulster) was joined to Great Britain in 1801. But the union lasted for only 120 years and in 1922 southern part of Ireland separated and the independent Republic of Ireland (or Eire) was formed.

Since then six counties under the name of Northern Ireland still remain the part of the UK.

Ireland is called “the Emerald Isle”. In the name its lush greenery is reflected. Thanks to the winds that blow from the Atlantic Ocean the soil and the air are warm and damp. That is why fresh green grass covers the ground in Ireland and it makes the island look so beautiful.

British weather is not all rain and fog. The weather in the UK is very changeable.

The British people say, “Other countries have a climate, in Britain we have weather.” The English also say that they have three types of weather: when it rains in the morning, when it rains in the afternoon or when it rains all day long. But this is only an exaggerated joke. In fact, contrary to popular belief it does not rain every day in England.

The Greenwich Royal Observatory in London, England, is a truly unique place because the Prime Meridian or Longitude Zero degrees passes through the principal Transit Instrument at the Observatory. The Greenwich Royal Observatory was founded by the order of King Charles II in 1675 to study astronomy and to fix zero longitude. There is a time ball on the roof of one of the houses, which was the first public time signal. Every day at five minutes to one p.m. the ball rises and drops down at one o’clock sharp.

The Strait of Dover is 32 kilometres wide and is the narrowest part of the English Channel. It separates Great Britain from the continent of Europe.

The Channel Tunnel , a great tunnel which is constructed under the English Channel, now links the UK with France. Thanks to this tunnel it is possible to travel by train from Paris to London which is extremely convenient.

Swan Upping is the ceremony which takes place in the third week in July on the river Thames and is fact a census of swans. Swans are counted and marked on a 70-mile, five-day journey up the river Thames.

The Queen’s Swan Marker accompanied by the Swan Uppers catch and check the health of the swans and mark all new cygnets with the same mark as their parents. Swan Upping dates from medieval times, when the Crown claimed ownership of all swans at the time and when swans were considered a tasty ceremonial dish. The swan has had its royal status since the 12 th century.

Trooping of the Colour is actually the Horse Guards Parade near St.James’s Park. Earlier the regiments of the Commonwealth and the British Army trooped the flags in the battles. Now Trooping of the Colour has become a ceremony for regiments to display their past military achievements to the general public.

The Changing of the Royal Guard is the ceremony that you can see in front of Buckingham Palace. It dates back to the 17 th century. The ceremony takes place every morning at 11.30 and lasts for 30 minutes. It is a real theatrical performance. The Queen’s Guards wear traditional uniforms and tall black fur caps called “busbies”.

The name “Beefeater” is thought to originate from a French word “Buffetier”. Buffetiers were guards in the palace of French kings and were responsible for the food in the palace. They are best known for their scarlet and gold dress uniforms which are worn on state occasions. They used to be monarch’s private bodyguards. The buffetiers also used to guard the Tower and its prison. Old traditions and ceremonies are kept in the Tower of London. One of them is the Ceremony of the Keys .

At the ceremony the Chief Yeoman Warder comes out with a bunch of keys and an old lantern. The sentry calls: ”Halt! Who comes there?” The Headwarder replies: “The Keys”. “Whose keys?” – asks the sentry. “The Queen Elizabeth’s Keys” is the answer. After that the sentry says: “Advance, Queen Elizabeth’s Keys. All’s well.”

St.Stephen’s Tower is more often called Big Ben , which is actually the name of the largest bell on the clock tower and a part of the Great Clock of Westminster. Its official name is the Great Bell of Westminster. It is 13.5 tons. The origin of the name belongs to Sir Benjamin Hall, the chief Commissioner of Works, when the Houses of Parliament were rebuilt in 1850. Sir Benjamin Hall was a very tall and stout man. His nickname was “Big Ben”.

QUIZ

• How many countries are there in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?

a. 2

b. 3

c. 4

• Who is the Head of State?

a. the President

b. the King or the Queen

c. The Prime Minister

• Everybody knows that London is the capital of the UK and the capital of England, but what are the capitals of (1) Northern Ireland, (2) Scotland and (3) Wales?

(1) a. Edinburgh (2) a. Glasgow (3) a. Bristol

b. Dublin b. Edinburgh b. Cardiff

c. Belfast c. Aberdeen c. Birmingham

• What are the favourite sport in the UK?

a. football

b. baseball

c. golf

• Where did the Beatles come from and what do we call the people who come this city?

a. London

b. Manchester

c. Liverpool

• The Queen lives at

a. 10, Downing street

b. 221B, Baker street

c. Buckingham Palace

• How many letters are there in the longest place name in Britain?

a. 10

b. 58

c. 23

• Eisteddfod is

a. a placename in Scotland

b. Welsh festival of music and poetry

c. an Irish national dance

• At what age can you drive a car in Britain?

a. 16

b. 18

c. 17

• What ancient London landmark bought by an American, shipped stone by stone to the USA and rebuilt in Arizona?

a. London Bridge

b. Westminster Abbey

c. Albert Hall

• Only one of these singers is British though they all speak and sing in English.

a. Justin Bieber

b. Paul McCartney

c. Madonna

• They say the Loch Ness Monster lives in a lake in

a. Scotland

b. Wales

c. Ireland

ANSWERS

• c
• b
• c, b, b
• a
• c. Liverpudlians
• c
• b. Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwillantysiliogogogoch (It is the longest placename in the UK. It is in Wales.)
• b
• c
• a
• B
• a

ИСТОЧНИКИ

1. Шереметьева А.В. Английский язык. Страноведческий справочник.- 2 изд., испр. и доп. – Саратов: Лицей, 2010

• Hello! №2 Журнал для изучающих английский язык. Факультет иностранных языков МГУ, 1996
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