УЭЛЬС И ШОТЛАНДИЯ
учебно-методический материал по английскому языку по теме

Wales

   The Welsh people call their country Cymru. Wales is the land of rocks, mountains and valleys.

   The largest cities in the south of Wales are Cardiff, Swansea and Newport. Cardiff is the capital and the main seaport and Swansea is its industrial centre. Cardiff has been the capital since 1955.

   Wales is often called "the land of song". The Welsh people, especially in rural areas are fond of poetry , singing folk songs and playing the harp. There are a lot of choirs in Wales.

   The Welsh are great storytellers. You will hear tales of Кing Arthur and Merlin the Magician, of kingdoms lost beneath the sea and battles between dragons, of haunted castles and knightly deeds.

   Wales is famous for Eisteddfod [ai'stedvod]. It is the largest and oldest festival of Welsh culture, which is held every year in different areas of Wales.

   Eisteddfod is actually an association of poets, writers, musicians artists and individuals who have made a contribution to the Welsh language, literature, and culture. Competitions of bards and singers take place during Eisteddfod.

   St. David is the Patron Saint of Wales, March 1st is St. David’s Day, the national day of Wales and has been celebrated as such since the 12th century.

   Wales has two national symbols – the daffodil and the leek . The proud and ancient battle banner of the Welsh is called the Red Dragon on green and White background.

Scotland

   Scotland is a beautiful country with mountains, lochs and many offshore islands. This part of the UK is divided into three regions: Lowlands, Highlands and Southern Upland.

   Scotland is not densely populated. Most part of the Scottish population lives in Lowlands.

Scotland's biggest cities are Glasgow and Edinburgh. Glasgow is the biggest port and the most industrially developed, still it is not the capital.

Edinburgh has been the capital of Scotland since the 15th century. It is known as one of the United Kingdom's nicest cities.

 In the Highlands the Scots speak English with their own accent. Besides English they also speak Gaelic, the ancient Scottish language.

Highland region is famous for the clan system, which was the basis of the Highland life in the early days. Each clan had its own tartan. Though tartan was worn in other parts of Scotland, it was in the Highlands, where it became the symbol of clan kinship. Tartan was a kind of checked cloth and was worn by both men and women. But the kilt (a kind of skirt made of tartan) was worn only by men.

 People still wear the tartan of their clan, either a tie or a kilt to proclaim their pride in their origin.

The Great Glen in the Scottish Highlands is a valley, which contains three famous lochs. The most famous of these is Loch Ness.

It is deeper than the North Sea and is very long and very, very narrow and has never been known to freeze. Some people believe that a large monster lives in it. There are many stories about this water monster Nessie.

   Scotland is known for its Highland Games. During these games different competitions are held. At the beginning of the games, people march to the game place and the pipers play the bagpipes.

There is an interesting custom in Scotland. It is the world's biggest New Year's Eve party, which takes place for several days.

St. Andrew is the Saint Patron of Scotland. St. Andrew's cross is an X-shaped cross. His cross, in white on a blue background, remains the pride symbol of Scotland today and forms a central component of the Flag of the United Kingdom. St. Andrew's Day is on November 30th.

Scotland is associated with the names of such writers and poets as Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson and Robert Burns.

Scotland is also traditionally regarded as the home of golf.

The thistle is the national emblem of Scotland.