Contents
1. THE GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION OF GREAT BRITAIN . 3
UNITED KINGDOM. 3
NATIONAL EMBLEMS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. 5
2. THE FLAG OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. 6
3. GREAT BRITAIN. 7
4. ENGLAND. 8
5. SCOTLAND. 9
WALES. 11
6. THE CLIMATE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 12
7. LONDON. 13
Bibliography. 16
3. GREAT BRITAIN.
... The British Isles are separated from the European continent by the North Sea and the English Channel. The western coast of Great Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea.
Northern Ireland occupies one third of the island of Ireland. It borders on the IrishRepublic in the south.
The island of Great Britain consists of three main parts: England (the southern and middle part of the island), Wales (a mountainous peninsula in the West) and Scotland (the northern part of the island).
There are no high mountains in Great Britain. In the north the Cheviots separate England from Scotland, the Pennines stretch down North England along its middle, the Cambrian Mountains occupy the greater part of Wales and the Highlands of Scotland are the tallest of the British mountains. There is very little flat country except in the region known as East Anglia.
Most of the rivers flow into the North Sea. The Thames is the deepest of the British rivers. Some of the British greatest ports are situated in the estuaries of the Thames, Mersey, Trent, Tyne, Clyde and Bristol Avon.
Great Britain is not very rich in mineral resources; it has some deposits of coal and iron ore and vast deposits of oil and gas that were discovered in the North Sea.
The warm currents of the Atlantic Ocean influence the climate of Great Britain. Winters are not severely cold and summers are rarely hot.
The population of the United Kingdom is over 58 million people. The main nationalities are: English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish. In Great Britain there are a lot of immigrants from former British Asian and African colonies.
Great Britain is a highly industrialized country. New industries have been developed in the last three decades. The main industrial centers are London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Glasgow and Bristol. ...
7. LONDON.
... London is situated upon both banks of the Thames, about forty miles from the mouth and is divided into two parts by the river: north and south. There are 17 bridges that cross the river.
The population of London is more than 9 million people.
The history of London goes back to Roman times. Due to favorable geographical position, soon after the Roman conquest, a small town became an important trade centre. Actually, London can be divided into several parts: the City or Downtown of London, Westminster, the West End and the East End.
The City is the oldest part of London with narrow streets and pavements. There are many offices, companies and banks in this part of London. The City of London is the financial centre of the United Kingdom. Only a few thousand people live there, but in the day-time it is full of people: as about half a million people come to work there. The biggest Banks and offices are concentrated in the City.
The West End is the centre of London. It is full of richest hotels, largest supermarkets, best cinemas and concert halls. There are a lot of beautiful houses and gardens. Only well-to-do people can live there.
Another important district of London is Westminster, where most of Government buildings are situated. WestminsterPalace is the seat of the British Parliament. WestminsterPalace was founded in 1050. It is situated in the centre of London. Many great Englishmen were buried in the Abbey: Newton, Darwin and others.
The Towers of the Houses of Parliament stand high above the city. On the highest tower there is the largest clock in the country which is known to the whole world as Big Ben. One can hear Big Ben strike every quarter of an hour. The clock «Big Ben» came into service in 1859. Big Ben is the biggest clock bell in Britain.
The official London residence of the Queen is BuckinghamPalace. It was built in the 18th century.
There are many nice squares in London. Trafalgar Square is one of them and it is in the centre of the West End. One can see a statue of Lord Nelson in the middle of this square.
There are many museums, libraries and galleries in London. The Tate Gallery is one of the well-known galleries in London. Henry Tate was a sugar manufacturer. He was fond of painting and collected many pictures.
The BritishMuseum is a very interesting place in London. It was founded in 1753. The library of this museum has lots of books. ...
Bibliography
- 1. Кубарьков Г.Л., Тимощук В.А. «1000.Сборник новых тем современного английского языка» - Москва: ЗАО «БАО-ПРЕСС», 2004.
- 2. Занина Е.Л. «95 устных тем по английскому языку » - 7-е издание. Москва 2007г. ...
