Topic 6

Britain is a country there sport and leisure life are taken seriously. TV has helped to generate interests in a wide variety of sports. Millions of people all over the Britain take part in sport exercises and competions.

Football and Rugby football. The British invented the rules of many sport and games played all over the world. The rugby football or “rugger” is another popular British sport. The story is told that in 1823 Boys at Rugby school in England were playing football in the normal way? When suddenly one boy picked the ball up and run with it. So a new game was born.

Cricket is sometimes called the English national game? Having been played from 1550s. It’s usually played by a men and boys. Players traditionally wear white clothes.

Bowls it is another outdoor summer game. It was played since 13 centure. It’s played an a specially prepared green/ The players roll large bowls towards a small ball and try to bring them as near as possible.

Mountaineering and rock climbing. There are more than 330 mountaineering clubs in Britain. The most popular areas in Britain are the sea cliffs of Devon and Cornwall, the peak district, the lake district, Snowdonia in North Wales and some others. British climbers often go abroad to climb mountain, such as Alp’s.

Horse racing and Horse riding. Horse racing sometimes called a sport of kings? Because it is very expensive to own a racehorse. There are two kings of h.r. : flat racing (w/o jumps) and steeplechasing (with jumps). Horse Riding is very popular too. Riding a horse used to be means of transport.

Sailing. About 3 million British people go sailing in a small boats every year. The number of small boats owners has increased 1000% in last 10 years. If you live in Britain you are never more then 100 miles from the sea and you have a lot of opportunities for sailing.

In Britain all the year round there are different competitions. In March – April the have got The international boat race, Oxford and Cambridge boat race, The London marathon, The grand national and so on all the year round. The Oxford – Cambridge Boat race is a traditional annual rowing race between teams from Oxford and Cambridge universities. The Grand National is the most exciting steeplechase in Britain, held annually in spring. And as I started to speak about important sporting events I must mention the Wimbledon, the most important event in lawn tennis. Wimbledon tournament draws huge amount of spectators from all over the world. And so at the end I would like to say that English people really fond of different kinds sports. But they do not only watch it on TV or on stadiums, but they also take part in it, they form different clubs and compete with each other. All the schools have their own soccer or cricket teams and even such well-known universities as Oxford and Cambridge have their own rowing team.

Topic 2

Britain has many places of interest which have historic associations. London is one of the cities each reflected the past. Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the Sovereign the daily ceremony of the Changing of the Guards takes place in its courtyard. The palace was built by the Duke of Buckingham. Stonehenge a prehistoric complex regarded as one of the most important monuments of its kind in Europe and very popular with visitors. The great circle of standing stones is believed to have had some religious purpose. Windsor is a town on the Thames not far from London. Its castle has been a royal residence for 9centuries. Seen from a distance it’s beautiful beyond imagination. Windsor Castle has a long and fascinating history. Canterbury an ancient city in Kent with a majestic cathedral which dominates it. Canterbury is a religious capital of England. It became a place of pilgrimage in medieval. Stratfort-on-Avon is an attractive town world famous as the birthplace of William Shakespeare. It holds a priceless collection of Shakespeare relics.

In Wales we can visit times Coventry. It’s now known for its magnificent cathedral, decorated by the best artists and craftsmen in Britain. It was built near the ruins of the old cathedral destroyed during the Second World War in the memory of those who died in the bombings.

Cardiff Castle has colorful and lavish interiors continually suprise and delight visitors who enter a grim fighting castle to find themselves surrounded by exquisite wood carving and sculpture. Cenarfon is an ancient town with a magnificent preserved castle which dominates it.

Places to visit in Scotland. Edinburgh Castle stands high on the massive Grey Castle rock. In the Castle are the Honours of Scotland the Scottish Crown scepter and the sword of state the oldest royal regalia in Europe is an areas. The Burns Country where Scotland national poet wrote many of the world’s most tender love songs. The thatched cottage where Robert Burns was born is the starting point together 40places associated with the poet.

Places to visit in Northen Ireland. The Giant’s Causeway is a mass of stone columns standing very near together. The tops of the rocks from stepping stones leading from the cliff foot and disappearing under the sea. This strange geological feature is believed to have been the result of volcanic action. It’s sometimes called the 8^th wonder of the world.

Topic 3

In the UK represents four nations, which are distinct from each other in almost every aspect of live. They have their own dialects, economics, social and legal systems. All of them have got their own stereotypes. The Irish for example are supposed to be good talkers when the Scots are supposed to have a reputation for being careful with money. The Welsh are famous for their singing abilities and English are individualists. The first nation I’m going to speak about is the English. The English are mainly Anglo-Saxon in origin. Since 12-th century the English people have developed their own character and personality. They managed to save their traditions of dance, food and music from mixing with other origins. English people are generally tolerant of new ideas and influences. Traditionally, the English are thought to be reserved, shy of strangers, suspicious of change and slow to accept new ideas. The Scots have a strong sense of national identity, of their own distinct values, and traditions. This is partly due to history. Scotland’s history is a history of endless battles against the English for independence, and Scots have many national heroes who fought in these battles. Scotland is a country with an intense national tradition, with its own songs, its poetry, its own national food and drinks, sports and manners. To many foreigners, the image of Scotland looks a little bit childish. Kilts, tartans, bagpipes, and tweed play an important role in it. Although the part of the UK, Scotland has it’s own laws, which in some are really very different from English ones and Scotland even has got its own pound coin. The Welsh are proud of themselves and they believe to be the true Britons. Nowadays only twenty per cent of them speak Welsh, the oldest language in Europe. Wales was inhabited from ancient times. From the 6-th century the Welsh fiercely resisted the attacks of the Anglo-Saxons into their land. Also the Welsh fought for many years against the English to win their freedom but they were defeated in 1282. The Welsh are proud of their culture, traditions, and their language. They are really gifted in the art of self-expression in words, they are not afraid of being poetic in speech, of using bright and pictorial descriptions of men and events in ordinary conversations. And the last nation I’m going to speak about is the Irish. The Irish are mainly Celtic people. They have maintained their ancient Gaelic language but English is spoken everywhere. To understand the present situation in Northern Ireland it is necessary to know something about the island’s long and violent history. Before the early 20^th century, Northern Ireland was a part of Ireland as a whole. After many English and Scots people had settled there in the 16^th century, Northern Ireland became mainly Protestant, unlike the rest of Ireland which remained, as before, mainly Roman Catholic. By the terms of an Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921, Northern Ireland was granted its own parliament in which the protestant government was formed. And also Britain has a lot of immigrants who left their countries because of the political or religious persecution or some other problems. In the UK they form different societies in which they follow their native traditions.

Topic 4

Today English is a major language spoken in the world. In every part of the world English is spoken with different pronunciations, but the original and right pronunciations can be heard only in England and it’s called The King’s or Queen’s English. The King’s or Queen’s English is a good correct English, as it should be spoken. The standard form of English used in England is called the RP – Received Pronunciation and it is also called the BBC English as it is used be the BBC. RP or BBC English is the accent of the South-east of England. It has been associated with power and high social class since the 14^th century. At the time of the King, the Royal court and the government settled in London, and the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, both settled in the Southeast, provided higher education for the whole country. People who wanted to be part of that powerful world had to use the same language and accent. In the 19^th century RP was used in public schools and universities, the government and the army to form small groups who would run the empire. It was even impossible to get any kind of high position if you did not speak the right way. The best advise to those who wish to become proficient in English was given in 1906 by the Fowler brothers in the famous book “the king’s English”. It is still sound advice for any student of English, whether English is his mother tongue or whether it is foreign language: prefer the familiar word to the far-fetched, Prefer the concrete word to the abstract, Prefer the short word to the long, Prefer the Saxon word to the Romance. Above I’ve mentioned accent and now I want to explain the right meaning and the role of it in England. Accent is the sound of a person’s pronunciation of the English language. It is very important in Britain. It shows where the person comes from and, to an extent, what class he or she belongs to. And I also want to mention that in London you can meet another way of speaking English, which is called Cockney. Cockney is typical among people who live in the eastern area of London and it also known as London dialect. Cockney has some differences. For example in cockney TH is pronounced as f and didn’t become didn. And nowadays English is considered to be the major language in the world. To my mind English language has reached such a great popularity thanks to the expansion of British colonial power and the emergence of the US as the leading economic power of the 20^th century. English is the language of the international air traffic control, policing and emergency services. It is also used as the language of international business and academic conferences and the leading language of international tourism. A lot of video games, broadcasting and computers use English language. World famous computer net, I mean Internet is based on English language. So from my point of view English language is the major language and its really great to learn and to know this language as gives you opportunities to travel abroad, to learn more, to get a better job.

Topic 5

England as every country has its own kinds of houses that can be rarely seen in any other countries. In England there are know three main types of houses that people live in. They are: detached houses, semi-detached houses and terraced houses. They all differ from each another by size, price and conveniences in living. A detached house is the most expensive one among those that I mentioned. This house usually stands on its own land and its not attached to any other buildings. Such houses have privacy from neighbors, and they are ideal for keen gardeners who can devote plenty of time to work in their garden. The next house, which is less expensive than a detached one is a semi-detached. A shared wall joins a semi-detached house to the house next door but it still offers a good standard of privacy and comfort. It usually has a small garden in the front and a larger one at the back. A terraced house is usually two – or three- storeys high. It is one of the continuous rows of similar houses, joined together by their sidewalls. Many rows of terraced houses were originally built for workers in nearby factories or coalmines. A terraced house usually costs less than a semi-detached or detached house of similar size. There are miles of terraced houses in most towns. Over a quarter of British families live in them. But apart from these houses there are some other types that are popular with English people. They are: bungalows, apartment blocks and country cottages. Bungalows are one-storey houses, which are particularly popular with older people. Apartment blocks are high-rise blocks of flats, which provide accommodation for a lot of city dwellers. But these buildings are not very popular. About 20% of the population lives in flats. There are more flats in cities than in rural areas. Most people in Britain traditionally like to live in houses. To my mind English people prefer to live in detaches, semi-detached or terraced houses because of they habits, I mean that they are keen on gardening. To buy a house is an expensive thing and to help people to do it there are building societies and mortgage system in Britain. From building societies people can get loans to buy a house, and then in a period of 25 years you ought to return them money back. And Mortgage system works the next way: When you buy a house you pay only a half of its price and then during the limited period of time you have to pay the rest of the house’s price by parts. The only disadvantage is that you have to pay percent. About one third of the population now lives in council houses. Local authority councils such as town councils, usually at a low rent, provide these houses. Since 1980 it has become possible for council house tenants to buy their houses at favorable rates after they have lived in them for at least two years.

Topic 1

The United Kingdom is the administrated title and it includes Great Britain and Northern Ireland. And Great Britain it self includes Wales, Scotland, NI and England. They are 4 different parts of UK with their own culture, history, traditions & even language The differences are in the climate, in their politic, in their mineral resources, in their religious, in the industries, which are promoted in different parts, people’s occupations. Landscape is varied. Yes that’s true: mountainous North of Wales, highlands & lowlands in Scotland, miles of rocky cliffs on the coast of the south of England. But climate in England is more gentle than in other parts of UK. Great Britain is situated on one of the largest British island and the landscape and climate very greatly, from cold in North to warm in the South. At first I want to talk about England. England can be divided into three main parts, which varies one from another greatly. In the south there are lots of sea costs, which vary from the flat, sandy or stony beaches to the rocky cliffs. The climate there is mild. The midlands region is mostly the farming land and the north has a hilly landscape. In the midlands and in the north the climate is colder than in the south. Wales as England can be divided into several parts: the south and the north. The country varies from the picturesque mountains of the north to the valleys of the south. Scotland considered having the most beautiful landscape – of hills, valleys and unspoiled beaches. The climate is considerably colder than in any other parts of Great Britain, but however there is no month has an average temperature below freezing. The last part of UK I wont to mention is Northern Ireland. The landscape there is gentle. The climate is not stable. Rain showers quickly changed by sunshine. As we can see all parts of the UK are different. They have their own landscapes and climate but as a hole they all form highly developed industrial country. But besides climate and landscape all parts of the UK has their own traditions, culture, and way of living and even language. For example in Wales apart from English people speak on the Welsh language and in Scotland people speak The Scottish Gaelic.

Topic N 7

UK is a country where holidays are celebrated with great enthusiasm. In England people have some different public holidays and besides them there are other festivals, anniversaries and simply days, on which certain traditions are observed, but unless they fall on a Sunday, they are ordinary working days. Here are some examples. From December to February people in England have such holidays as: Christmas day, boxing day, new year, burns night, St valentine’s day and Cruft’s dog show. Christmas is a traditional family reunion day. On this day many people attend a church service, open their presents, eat Christmas dinner and watch the sovereign’s annual Christmas broadcast on TV. Preparations for Christmas are always pleasant: Buying gifts, sending Christmas cards and decorating the Christmas tree with small, brightly-colored lights and small colored glass ornaments. In Britain, Christmas is the most important public holiday of the year. It combines the custom of giving gifts with the tradition of spending this day with the family. 26^th of December is a boxing day, which comes right after Christmas and is celebrated as a bank holiday in Britain. It was formerly the custom to give “Christmas boxes”, or gifts or money to servants and tradesmen on this day. The custom gave a name to the holiday. January 1^st, New Year’s Day is now a public holiday in England. I think that this holiday does not need any explanation, as it’s well known all over the world. 25 January is Burns night. This celebration is held on the 25^th of January, the anniversary of the birth of Robert burns, Scotland’s greatest national poet. It usually takes the form of a supper at which the traditional Scottish dishes are eaten, including haggis, and during which a Scottish pipe plays, wearing traditional Highland dress. 14^th of February is called St Valentine’s Day or the day for lovers and it also becoming an international one. On this day, boys and girls, sweethearts and lovers, husbands and wives, friends and neighbors, and even office staff exchange greeting cards with the hearts on them. Britain is a nation of animal lovers. No wonders that dog shows always attract a lot of enthusiasts. Cruft’s Dog Show at East Court, London, is internationally known. Dog breeders from all over the world bring their dogs to take part in it and the winner is broadcasted on TV. From March to May in England are known such holidays as: St David’s and St Patrick’s days, Pancake day, April fool’s Day and many others. Pancake day is the popular name for Shrove Tuesday, the day before lent. People traditionally eat pancakes on Pancake Day, which are made from eggs, flour and milk, fried on both sides in fat on a pan and eaten with lemon juice and sugar. In many towns pancake races are held on Shrove Tuesday in which women run with pancakes. Each runner has a pancake in a pan and while running have to toss the pancake up and over in the air and catches it again in the pan. The 1^st of April is the funniest day of the year. On this day people usually play jokes on other people. Easter is the most important Christmas religious festival. It is traditionally associated with Easter eggs and with the coming of spring. In many towns there are funfairs with roundabouts, coconut shies, switchbacks and other amusements. 23^rd of April is the Shakespeare’s Birthday Celebration. This Celebration is always held in Stratford, where a long procession of flower-carriers walks from the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, through the streets to the churched where Shakespeare is supposed to be born. The 1^st of May is traditionally celebration of the coming spring. On this day the most beautiful girl is chosen as a May Queen. A lot of people sale good on open air. From June to august there are such holidays as: Trooping the color, summer sales, the Proms, Notting hill carnivals and others. Trooping the color takes place each June as part of a 200-year-old ceremony to mark the official birth of the monarch. Trooping the color is an impressive military display held at horse Guard Parade, a huge open space behind the Whitehall where the various royal units troop their regimental flags to the tune of the marching music and thundering drums. Troops march past the Queen dipping their Colors in salute. The ceremony ends with the monarch returning to the B.P. at the heart of her Guards. Notting Hill carnival is held over the August Bank holiday since 1966. It mostly involves black people and is known for it’s colorful costumes and the steel band music. It’s the largest street carnival in Europe. Remembrance day(poppy day) is observed throughout Britain on the Sunday nearest to the 11 of November, Armistice day. Fallen in both world wars are remembered in special church services & civic ceremonies. Poppies are sold in the streets & people traditionally wear them in memory of those who fell in the wars.

Self-honesty. Telling you the truth using emotional positive actions.

Self-honesty means telling myself the truth. It means knowing myself and choosing positive actions that are right for me.

I know my strengths and weaknesses.

I admit my mistakes.

I don’t blame others.

I resist peer pressure.

It will help us to:

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