The official name of the country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is situated on the British Isles off the northwest coast of Europe. The British Isles consist of two large islands: Great Britain and Ireland, and about five thousand small islands. Their total area is over 244.000 square kilometres. They are separated from the continent by the English Channel and the Straits of Dover. The west coast of the country is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea; the east coast is washed by the North Sea.
The United Kingdom is made up of four countries: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast respectively. The population of the country is over 57 million people; about 80 per cent of them live in cities and towns.
Many centuries ago the islands were inhabited by Celts. Their tribes were developing into kingdoms when Julius Caesar invaded Britain in 55 B.C. The Roman invasion began in AD 43. The Romans withdrew in 407. The tribes of Angles and Saxons crossed the Channel and overran all England except Cornwall and Wales. Christianity was introduced in the 6th century by missionaries from Rome.
The surface of the British Isles varies very much. The north of Scotland is mountainous and is called the Highlands, while the south, which has beautiful valleys and plains, is called the Lowlands. The north and the west of England are mountainous, but all the rest — east, centre and south-east — is a vast plain. The mountains are not very high. Ben Nevis in Scotland is the highest mountain (1343 m).
There are a lot of rivers in Great Britain, but they are not very long. The Severn is the longest river, while the Thames is the deepest and the most important one.
The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of Gulf Stream influence the climate of the British Isles. It is mild the whole year round. But the climate is not the same in all parts of England. The western part of England is warmer than the past and it also has more rain. There is much humidity in the air of England. It is well known as a foggy country.
The United Kingdom is a monarchy. The Queen is the official head of state. In practice the country is ruled by an elected parliament. The British Parliament has two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. There are three main political parties: the Labour, the Conservative and the Liberal. In 1997 a general election was held. The Labour party achieved a majority in the House of Commons, and the leader of the party Tony Blair was appointed Prime Minister by the Queen.
<span>The United Kingdom is a highly developed industrial country. It is known as one of the world's largest producers and exporters of machinery, electronics, textile, aircraft and navigation equipment. One of the main industries of the country is shipbuilding.
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1. Can I have some/ few/ - (1) water from your fridge? - few с исчисляемыми существительными
2. Jack doesn't trust me. Whatever/ what/ that (2) I say he never believes me. - Что бы я ни говорил, он никогда мне не верит.
3. Where's the/a/ some (3) pen I gave you for your birthday
? - определенный артикль, потому что речь идет о той ручке, которую подарили на день рождения.
4. He can't eat some/a/- (4) bread, for example. - хлеб - неисчисляемое существительное, артикль не нужен, some в отрицании не употребляется.
5. Wherever/ whenever/ however (5) you're going ,I'm going with you - куда бы ты ни пошёл, я пойду с тобой.
6.- I don't know . Some/ a/an(6) hour, probably. - слово hour начинается с гласного звука, поэтому артикль AN
We are going to spend the next summer in the country.
I think it will be great.
We will stay at my aunt's who lives not far from a nice river.
If the weather is hot we will swim in it.
Father will enjoy fishing.
Mum will enjoy lying in the sun.
When the weather isn't very hot we will have a picnic.
We will go for a walk to the nearest forest which is not very from the river.
Sometimes I'll have to help my aunt to water vegetables or to gather ripe berries in her garden. We'll make some jam to drink tea with.
I think I'll make some new friends there and we'll have fun together.
I'm looking forward to our summer trip.
<span>1. Открыть скобки : 1. Tom didn't read this book last year. 2. Girls always come earlier. 3. My father goes to work every day. 4. Maggy is writing a letter at the moment. 5. We watched all these movies yesterday. 6. Did Robert come home yesterday? 7. Fiona and her sisters often go to London by train. 8. His grandad cooked dinner instead of mum yesterday. 9. Are you celebrating your anniversary now? 10. Does Mick like sushi?
2. Исправить ошибки : 1. Paul doesn't know English but he studies every day. 2. Monica went to work a week ago. 3. Are you doing your homework now? 4. Does her mum cook every day? 5. We like to spend time in Prague. 6. The Jacksons didn't go for holidays last summer. 7. Did you notice Ann in the living room? 8. Skiing became my hobby two months ago. 9. Jane prefers traveling by plane. 10. On Sundays she usually has a day off.</span>