Е.Г.Э 2022г

UNIT 4

Lesson 1, ex. 2. b

 The United Kingdom is an island country located off the northwestern coast of mainland Europe. The United Kingdom comprises the whole of the island of Great Britain as well as the northern part of the island of Ireland. Great Britain contains three geographic and historical parts: England, Wales and Scotland. Thus, the offi cial name of the country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The name Britain is sometimes used to refer to the United Kingdom as a whole. The red, white and blue fl ag of the UK combines the Crosses of St. George (England’s fl ag), St. Andrew (Scotland’s fl ag), and St. Patrick (the fl ag of Ireland). Initially the Union Flag was called a jack only when it was fl own by the British Navy. But by the late 17th century it was commonly called the Union Jack. Now either name is acceptable. Each constituent unit of the UK has its own capital. The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh, Wales’s capital is Cardiff, Northern Ireland’s capital is Belfast. London is the capital city of England and of the UK. The UK’s head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, a modern constitutional monarch. She represents the House of Windsor – the reigning royal house of the UK and the other Commonwealth realms. She performs an important but mainly symbolic function in the British political system. She opens each new session of Parliament, dissolves it before a general election, and represents the country abroad. The Prime Minister is the head of the British government. The English Channel separates the southern coast of England (part of Great Britain) from the northern coast of France. In French, the channel is called La Manche. The English Channel is 560 kilometers long. At its widest point it is 240 kilometers across. At its narrowest it is only 34 kilometers across. As long ago as the 1800s, people thought of building a tunnel under the channel to connect England and France. In 1978 the British and French national railways reached an agreement on the idea. The Channel Tunnel, or “Chunnel,” as it is sometimes nicknamed, opened in 1994. There are 32 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the UK and the British Overseas Territories. Some of them are Canterbury Cathedral, Stonehenge, the Lake District, the Giant’s Causeway and the ruins of Fountains Abbey. The U.K. ranks number 21 in the list of countries by population. There are about 67 million people living in the country. 83.2 % of the population is urban – they live in towns and cities. The two main political parties in the country are the Conservative Party and the Labour Party.