Страноведение "Great Britain:flag and national emblems"

FLAG AND NATIONAL EMBLEMS

PRE-READING TASK Do you know the answers to the following questions?

1. What does the flag of Russian Federation look like?
2. What do the colors on the flag symbolize?
3. Have you ever seen the British Flag? Describe it.
4. How do the British people call their flag?

The flag of the UK, known as the Union Jack, is made up of three crosses. The upright red cross on a white ground is the cross of St. George, the patron saint of England. The white diagonal cross on a blue ground is the cross of St. Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland. St. Andrew's cross was joined to the English Flag after Scotland was joined to England and Wales in 1606. The red diagonal cross on a white ground is the cross of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. The Irish flag was added after Ireland was joined to the Union of England, Scotland and Wales in 1801. Wales is not represented in the Union Flag because when the first version of the flag appeared Wales was already united with England. The national flag of Wales is a red dragon on a field of white and green. It dates from the XV^th century.

The National Symbols

The red rose is the national emblem of England. It is connected with the history of the country. The Wars of the Roses were the wars between the representatives of two contending Houses struggling for the English throne — the Lancastrians and Yorkists. The red rose was the emblem of the Lancastrians, the white rose was that of the Yorkists. The rivalry between the Roses ended by the marriage of Henry VII, the Lancastrian, with Princess Elizabeth, the daughter of Edward IV, the Yorkist. Since those times the red rose has become the national emblem of England.

The thistle is the national emblem of Scotland. There is a curious legend that in ancient times the Norsemen once landed somewhere on the east coast of Scotland with the intention of settling in the country. The Scots assembled to protect their land and took their station behind the river Tay. As they arrived late in the day, weary and tired after a long march, they pitched the camp and rested, not expecting the enemy before the next day. The Norsemen, however, were near. They crossed the river and wanted to take the Scots by surprise and slaughter them in their sleep. They took off their shoes so as to make the least noise possible. But one of the

Norsemen stepped on a thistle and screamed. The alarm was given in the Scots' camp. And for the timely and unexpected help from the thistle, the Scots took it as their national emblem.

Welshmen all over the world celebrate St. David's day by wearing either leeks or daffodils. The link between the leek and St. David is the belief that he is supposed to have lived for several years on bread and wild leeks. The daffodil is also associated with St. David's Day, due to the belief that it flowers on that day.

What the red rose is to Englishmen and the leek to the Welsh, the little shamrock is to the Irish. A popular notion is that when preaching the doctrine of the Trinity to the pagan Irish St. Patrick used the shamrock, a small white clover bearing three leaves on the stem as an illustration of the mystery.

The Royal Coat-of-Arms

Since 1837 the royal coat-of- arms has depicted a shield with the three English lions, the Scottish lions and the Irish harp, surrounded by the Ribbon of the Order of the Garter with its motto: «Evil be to him who evil thinks». The shield is supported by an English lion and the Scottish unicorn; standing on a field with the emblems of England, Scotland and Ireland, below this is the royal motto «God and my right».

1. Give the English equivalents to the following words and use them in the sentences of your own:

Крест, святой покровитель, быть представленным, дракон, представители, соперничать, соперничество, намерение, поселиться, собраться, защитить, марш, чертополох, разбить лагерь, разбить в пух и прах, вскрикнуть, тревога, нарцисс, ассоциироваться, трилистник, проповедовать, язычник, герб, щит, арфа, орден подвязки, единорог, девиз.

2. Reading comprehension task

Find the answers to the following questions in the text

1. Why are there three crosses on the flag of the UK?
2. Is Wales represented on the Union Flag?
3. What is the national emblem of England?
4. What is the national emblem of Scotland?
5. Why did the Scots choose it a national emblem?
6. How many national emblems do Welshmen have?
7. Why is the shamrock national emblem of the Irish?
8. Describe the royal coat-of-arms.

3. Which sentences below are true and which are false?
   1. There are four crosses on the British flag which represent the Union of four countries.
   2. The patron saint of England is St. Patrick.
   3. St. Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland.
   4. The Irish flag was added to the English flag before the Scottish one.
   5. The national symbol of England is Big Ben.
   6. The national Scottish symbol is the kilt.
   7. Welshmen all over the world celebrate St. David's day by wearing leeks in their buttonholes.
   8. The national Irish symbol is the harp.