ЭКЗАМЕНАЦИОННЫЕ ТЕМЫ ПО АНГЛИЙСКОМУ ЯЗЫКУ

9-ый класс

6. Every country is special. What comes to your mind, when you think of the UK and its people?

The British Isles is the name for a collection of about 4000 islands, including Great Britain and Ireland. Great Britain, known as Britain or GB, is the name for the largest of the Islands in the British Isles. It includes England, Scotland and Wales. The United Kingdom or UK is a political term which includes England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. All of these countries are represented in Parliament in London, and the abbreviation UK is used on most official documents produced by Parliament. Everybody from the UK is British, but be careful: only people from England are English. People from Wales think of themselves as Welsh; people from Scotland as Scottish; people from Northern Ireland as either British or Irish.

Britain is split into counties. The word county describes an area with its own local government. County councils are elected to run things, such as education, housing, town planning, and rubbish disposal. They look after things like roads, libraries and swimming pools.

The British flag, known as the Union Jack, is a combination of three flags: the Saint Andrew’s cross, the Saint Patrick’s cross and the Saint George’s cross.

The Saint Patrick’s cross is the former flag of Ireland. Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. He was born about AD 390. He converted the Irish to Christianity. Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated on 17 March. The symbol of Northern Ireland is a shamrock and a red hand.

The Saint George’s cross is the English flag. Saint George is the patron saint of England. He was a soldier famous for saving the Princess Cleolinda from being eaten by a dragon. Saint George’s Day is celebrated on 23 April. The symbol of England is a red rose.

The Saint Andrew’s cross is the Scottish flag. Saint Andrew, a fisherman, was one of the 12 apostles who followed Jesus Christ. Paintings of Saint Andrew often show him being crucified on an X-shaped cross. Saint Andrew’s Day is celebrated on 30 November. He is the patron saint of both Scotland and Russia. The symbol of Scotland is a thistle.

The Welsh flag shows a dragon. Saint David, the patron saint of Wales, converted Wales to Christianity and established the Welsh church. Paintings of Saint David show him with a dove on his shoulder. Saint David’s Day is celebrated on 1 March. The symbol of Wales is a daffodil or leek.

London is the capital city of England and the UK. It is a place where the invading Romans first crossed the River Thames. They built a city and called it Londinium. This original site of London is now called the City of London. London manages in a unique way to reflect the past and, at the same time, to live a life of a modern city. The saying “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life” means that you can’t be bored in London. There are hundreds of historic buildings, galleries and museums in London.

As for me, I’m fond of history and I’ve read a lot about English kings and queens. I’d like to visit all places in London which are connected with Royal London, such as Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Whitehall and Trafalgar Square, St Paul’s Cathedral, and the Tower of London. And I’d like to visit places which are not in London, such as Windsor Castle, the Queen’s house in Greenwich, the Palace of Holyrood house in Edinburgh and other places in the UK which are connected with the Crown. The UK is famous for its castles such as Edinburgh Castle and Leeds Castle and others, and I’d like to see them with my own eyes. Another place which is worth seeing is Madam Tussaud’s Museum of Waxworks. This museum consists of several halls with wax images of outstanding political characters, poets and writers, world-famous film stars and musicians. Then I’d like to see one of the wonders of the world – the famous Stonehenge. Every year thousands of young people go to Stonehenge to take part in the midsummer Druid festival. I wish I were there.

Palace of Holyrrodhouse in Edinburgh

In the House of Lords, the Chancellor sits on a sack of wool. This tradition comes from old times when sheep wool made England rich and powerful. In the House of Commons there are two rows of benches: one row is for the government and the other one is for opposition. There is a red line in the carpet in front of each “front bench”. The person who is speaking is not allowed to step across it. It is also a tradition from old days, when that division prevented the two parties from fighting during the debates. Even the Legislation of the country is traditional. It includes many laws that haven’t been changed for centuries. Other traditional features of Great Britain are the numerous clubs that unite people of various interests; and the pubs, the local beer halls, where Englishmen like to spend their time talking, discussing traditional matters: politics, sports, and weather, over a glass of beer. The British have a reputation of being conservative, for having established values without questioning their validity. They drive on the left side of the road and use double-decker buses. They stick to their own measurement system and continue to measure distances in miles and yards (not in kilometres and metres). They buy cheese in pounds and ounces, milk in pints, petrol in gallons.

Fire-place

English people are famous for their habit of politeness. It is considered polite to give up one’s seat to a woman who is standing, to open a door for her, carry things for her, and so on. Most British people expect the person in front of them to hold the door open for them. People think you are rude, if you don’t do this. English people are very reserved. This means that they don’t talk much to strangers, and don’t show much emotion. A reserved person never tells you anything about himself. But the people of the North and West of Britain are much less reserved than those of the South and East. Most British people queue when they are waiting for a bus or waiting to be served in a shop. But during the rush hour, when a bus or train arrives, people often push forward to make sure they get on. This is called jumping the queue. British people keep their old traditions and are very proud of them. They are famous for their sense of humour. English people show great love for animals. And, of course, English people are fond of sports. Many continentals think life is a game; the English think cricket is a game. To many Englishmen cricket is both a game and a standard of behaviour. When they consider something unfair, they say “That isn’t cricket”.

Cricket

The traditional love of English people for tea is well known. They like to drink tea with milk. They have their five-o’clock tea not only at home or in offices, but also in tea-rooms and tea-shops, which can be found in every town.

A nation is born from its land, its history, its art, its traditions and its institutions. These things work together to make people what they are. But above all, a nation is made up of people, and although there are things they all share, all of those people are different. We can say there is still a “British nation,” and one of the most characteristic features of Englishmen is their traditions, which they respect, and which they have kept for centuries. The traditions don’t only accumulate the experience and wisdom of many generations, but they bring some stability into the rapidly changing world.

Questions:

1. What is Great Britain?
2. What is the UK?
3. What does the word county mean?
4. What do you know about the Union Jack?
5. What do you know about the patron saints in the UK?
6. What do you know about the symbols of the UK?
7. What places in the UK attract tourists?
8. What places in the UK would you like to visit and why?
9. What are the most common stereotypes about the UK people?
10. What makes a nation?

to be continued

By Elena Kisunko, Moscow, School No. 651,
Elena Muzlanova, Moscow, School No. 1537