THE UK

Great Britain Form 7 Give a 3 minute talk on Great Britain. Remember to say: about the geographical position of the country about main cities and the capital about population and languages what national symbols the country has about tourists attractions what places you would like to visit and why

The geographical position of the country The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the UK) is the official name of the state which is situated on the British Isles. It consists of four parts which are England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The UK is an island state. The two main islands are Great Britain and Ireland which are separated by the Irish Sea. The UK is separated from the continent by the English Channel and the Strait of Dover and is washed by the Atlantic Ocean in the north and the North Sea in the East.

. The capital and the main cities London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. Edinburg is the capital of Scotland, Cardiff is the capital of Wales and Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland. The most important industrial cities are Manchester, Sheffield and Glasgow. Liverpool is the city where the members of the Beatles grew up and established themselves. Many of their songs were influenced by the city. The UK is a shipbuilding country with a number of shipyards and ports. Stratford-upon-Avon, Oxford and Cambridge are connected with English culture: Stratford-upon-Avon is the birthplace of the great playwright William Shakespeare and Oxford and Cambridge are famous for the universities.

Population and languages The population of the UK is over 58 million people with over 48 million people living in England. The population of Scotland is over 5 million people and over 3 million people live in Wales. As for Northern Ireland its population is about 1.5 (one and a half) million people. People who were born in Great Britain don’t like it when they are called the English. People born in England are called the English. People born in Scotland are called the Scottish, and people born in Wales are called the Welsh. Most British people (the British) speak English but Welsh people (the Welsh) keep their native Welsh language. All inhabitants of Scotland speak English but Scottish accent ['xksqnt] is very strong and Scottish Gaelic ['geIlIk] is also spoken there. Irish people (the Irish) speak Irish and English.

. National Symbols of the UK There are three official symbols of Great Britain: the flag, the coat of arms and the anthem. The flag of the United Kingdom is known as the Union Jack. It is made of three crosses, the cross of St. George (the patron saint of England), the cross of St. Andrew (the patron saint of Scotland) and the cross of St. Patrick (the patron saint of Ireland). The Welsh flag shows a dragon. (Saint David is the patron saint of Wales.) The Royal Coat of Arms depicts the lion, the Unicorn and the shield with four badges. On the left, the shield is supported by the English Lion. On the right it is supported by the Unicorn (unicorn ['ju:nIkO:n] - единорог) of Scotland.   The national anthem of Great Britain is “God, safe the Queen.”

About tourists attractions The UK is a popular destination for thousands of tourists from all over the world as there are a lot of famous places to visit. Its historical sights, museums and monuments attract people from different countries. There is much in London which fascinates (fascinate ['fxsIneIt] oчаровывать) visitors. : the splendour (splendour ['splendq] - блеск, сверкание) of the royal palaces and the dignity of St. Paul's Cathedral (dignity ['dIgnItI] – величие) and many monuments, the fine architecture of numerous historic buildings, and the beautiful parks. You can see Buckingham Palace which is the official residence of Queen Elizabeth II, the Houses of Parliament with the clock tower which is known as Big Ben, Westminster Abbey where the kings and queens are crowned and famous people were buried. There were Isaac Newton, Charles Dickens and Rudyard Kipling among them. You can’t miss the most impressive castle the Tower of London where you can take photos of Beefeaters and enjoy the Crown Jewels. The National Gallery is worth visiting as it has an outstanding collection of the finest arts from Britain, Italy, Denmark and other countries. The British museum is one of the greatest museums of the world It contains You can admire royal parks such as St. James's Park, Green Park, Hyde Park, and Kensington gardens. The oldest monument of South England is Stonehenge, built three thousand years before the Romans came. Stonehenge was produced by a culture that left no written records. Stonehenge could exist as an astronomical observatory [qb'zE:vqtqrI], or as a religious site. (site – местонахождение) The main attraction of North England are the Lake District which is famous for its beauty and the ruins of Hadrian’s Wall, a stone wall built by the Roman ruler Hadrian to defend the North border from Scottish tribes. Wales is a land of green fields, forests and high mountains. Mount Snowdon is the second highest mountain in Britain. Snowdon looks very peaceful and beautiful.

Say what places you would like to visit and why I would like to visit Scotland because this country is famous for tourist attractions. Edinburg, the capital of Scotland, is one of the most beautiful cities. Edinburgh is known as Athens of the North. I would like to admire the Castle which hangs over the city like some Disney cartoon. I am curious to see Holyrood Palace which is still a royal residence .No doubt, a monument to a dog called Bobby will touch my heart as I know its story. I’d like to make sure that a marble ['mQ:bql] statue of Sir Walter Scott is really a poem of stone as it is said in my book. I also dream to visit lake Loch Ness. I hope I will be lucky to see the mysterious monster. I read about it and saw its picture in the Net. The Highland Games attract tourists from all over the world. I watched the film about the Scottish Olympics and I want to see them with my own eyes. It is an interesting fact that these games are not only sporting competitions: here music is as important as sport. I would like to see traditional Scottish Sport like tossing the caber and enjoy the sword dance. I don’t mind visiting Wales. (Я не возражаю посетить Уэльс.) It is a land of green fields, picturesque valleys, high mountains, crystal streams and waterfalls. Mount Snowdon is the second highest mountain in Britain. A little train will bring me to the top and I will admire the breathtaking view. I hope some day my dreams will come true. That’s all.   What are the differences between British Isles, the UK and Great Britain?