The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

• The UK is situated in the British Isles.
• The UK is separated from the continent by the English Channel.
• The UK is washed by the Atlantic Ocean in the north and the North Sea in the east.
• More than 56 million people live in Britain.

CAPITALS

London

• England

Edinburgh

• Scotland

Cardiff

• Wales

• Northern Ireland

Belfast

Everyone who was born in Britain is British. Everyone in Britain speaks English, but in some parts of the country people speak different languages as well.

Country People Language

England

the English

English

Scotland

the Scots

Scottish/English

Wales

the Welsh

Welsh/English

Northern

Ireland

the Irish

Irish/English

• At the beginning of the 11 th century England was already a big country and London was a very important city.
• In 1066 William the Conqueror and his people went to England from Normandy in France.
• William the Conqueror became King of England.
• At the beginning of the 20 th century many countries all over the world were ruled by Britain. They were British colonies. Now these countries are independent states.
• In 1949 Britain and former colonies founded the Commonwealth.
• The Queen of Great Britain is also the Head of the Commonwealth and the Queen of Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

• The Head of State is the Queen . But in fact she doesn’t rule the country as she has no power.
• The real power in the country belongs to the British Parliament and the British Government .
• The British Parliament consists of two houses: the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
• The House of Lords can discuss, change and delay laws. Its members are permanent. They are often aristocrats, life peers, etc.
• The House of Commons makes laws about the policy of the country, taxes and many other things. Its members are elected. The British people elect 650 members of the House of Commons every five years.

The National Flag The Flag of the United Kingdom is known as the Union Jack

The Flag of the United Kingdom is known as the Union Jack

It is made up of three crosses:

the cross of St. George (the patron saint of England)

the cross of St. Andrew (the patron saint of Scotland)

the cross of St. Patrick (the patron saint of Ireland)

Capital of the country

• First it was named Londinium.
• In Roman times Londinium was a small town with the Thames in its centre.
• In 1666 there was the Great Fire of London.
• All Kings and Queens of England lived in London.

• Now it is a centre for business, culture and tourism
• There are in fact 3 cities in London: the City, the East End, the West End.
• London stands on the River Thames.
• The political center of

London is Westminster

SIGHTS OF LONDON

• Houses of Parliament are situated on the bank of the river Thames.
• Big Ben is the name of the clock and the bell of the clock tower.
• You can hear the sound of Big Ben every hour in London.

SIGHTS OF LONDON

• There are 8 tunnels under the River Thames.
• There are 27 bridges over the River Thames.
• Tower Bridge is one of the most famous and beautiful among them.

SIGHTS OF LONDON

• Westminster Abbey is one of the most famous and beautiful churches in London.
• It is more than nine years old.
• It is famous for the Poet’s Corner.
• Many famous writers are buried there.

SIGHTS OF LONDON

• St. Paul’s Cathedral is one of the greatest English churches.
• The famous English architect Sir Christopher Wren built it in the 17 th century after the Great Fire.
• In one of its towers there is one of the largest bells in the world.

SIGHTS OF LONDON

• The Tower of London was a fortress, a palace, a prison and the King’s Zoo.
• Now it is the museum.
• William the Conqueror built it in the 11 th century.
• There are always black ravens in the Tower. People believe that London will be rich while ravens live there.

SIGHTS OF LONDON

Buckingham

Palace

Trafalgar Square

Admiral Nelson’s

column

The National

Gallery

1.The Union Jack is the flag of . . .

• the UK
• Scotland
• England

2.The British Prime Minister lives at . . .

• 12 Whitehall
• 10 Downing Street
• 15 Oxford Street

3. The Great Fire of London broke out in . . .

• 1066
• 1666
• 1766

4. Sir Christopher Wren built . . .

• Westminster Abbey
• the Tower of London
• St. Paul’s Cathedral

5. The National Gallery is in . . .

• Piccadilly Circus
• Parliament Square
• Trafalgar Square

6. Westminster is a . . . с enter of London.

• cultural
• political
• business

7. Great Britain is separated from the continent by . . .

• the English Channel
• the Pacific Ocean
• the Irish Sea

8. Britain’s population is more then . . . million people.

• 56
• 5,6
• 560

9. The head of the State in Britain is . . .

• the Prime Minister
• the President
• the Queen

10. 650 Members of the House of Commons are elected every . . . years

• 2
• 5
• 3

Read the text, find the mistakes made in the facts about London and correct them.

This text is about London. London is the capital of Scotland. It is one of the oldest and largest cities in the world. They say that London is one hundred years old. In the winter of 1666 the Great War broke out. Most of the city was destroyed.

Now London is a big political, industrial and cultural centre. More than 1 million people live there. London is situated on the river Clyde. The river connects the capital with the sea.

London is divided into two parts. The West End is the richest part of the city with many beautiful shops, hotels, bars and restaurants. The East End is the place where the working people live. Westminster is the heart of business and commercial life. The city is the political centre.

Put the passages of the story in the right order, tell what British writer this story is about.

2. He achieved great

recognition during his

lifetime. He wrote three

types of plays: histories,

comedies and tragedies.

• At the age of eighteen

he married and they have

three children. When he

was 21 he went to London

3. He was one of the world’s

greatest writers. He was born

in England. He went to a

grammar school.

4. Four hundred years later

his plays are still acted in

the whole world.

6. School was a difficult place

at that time. School days were

long, and only on the holidays

he could have a real rest.

5. There he became an actor

and began to write plays.

Later he was one of the

owners of the theatre.

1. The Englishmen’s favorite drink.

2. Something that the English put into tea.

3. The political centre of London.

4. The theatre where W. Shakespeare worked.

5. The color of the taxes in London.

6. The birds living in the Tower of London.

7. The largest island of the British Isles.

8. The longest river in Britain.

9. The official home of the Queen.

10. The national emblem of England.

for your coming!