continued from No. 19
Дополнительные задания к книге “Britain in
Brief” В.В. Ощепковой и И.И. Шустиловой
Text 10
VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE
Flowers • Trees and Woods • Animals • Birds
• Symbols and National Emblems • Threats to Wildlife
The humid and mild climate of Great Britain is good for
plants and flowers. Some of them have become symbols in the UK. You probably know that the
poppy is the symbol of peace, the red rose is the national emblem of
England, the thistle is the national emblem of Scotland and the Edinburgh
International Festival. The daffodils and the leek are the emblems of Wales,
the shamrock (a kind of clover) is the emblem of Ireland.
The UK was originally a land of vast forests, mainly oak and beech in the Lowlands
and pine and birch in the Highlands, with great stretches of marshland and smaller areas
of moors. In the course of time, much forest land was cleared and almost all the
Lowlands outside the industrial areas were put under cultivation. Today only about 6 per
cent of the total land area remains wooded.
Extensive forests remain in eastern and northern Scotland and in southeastern and western
England. Oak, elm, ash, and beech are among the most common trees in England, while
Scotland has much pine and birch. The Highlands, with thin soil, are largely moorland with
heather and grasses. In the cultivated areas that make up most of Britain there are
many wild flowers, flowering plants and grasses.
The fauna or animal life of the UK is much like that of northwestern Europe, to which it
was once joined. Many larger mammals such as bear and wolf have been hunted to extinction;
others are now protected by law. About 50 land mammals are still found in the UK. There
are many foxes. Otters are common along rivers and streams, and seals live along parts of
the coast. Hedgehogs, hares, rabbits, rats and mice are numerous. Deer live in some of the
forests in the Highlands of Scotland and in England. There are several small lizards, two
or three kinds of snakes, and several kinds of frogs and toads.
You may think that there are crocodiles in the British Isles if you read that “... a
traditional jazz band led the three-mile crocodile in a musical protest to 10 Downing
Street.” But it is not a real crocodile. It is what the English usually say about
schoolchildren walking in procession, two by two.
Some 230 kinds of birds live in the UK, another 200 are regular visitors, and many are
songbirds. The most  numerous
are blackbird, sparrow and starling. Robin Redbreast is the national bird of the
UK. The number of ducks, geese and other water fowl has diminished during recent years.
Partridges, pheasants and other large and rare birds are protected by law. Gulls and other
sea birds nest near the coast.
There are many threats to wildlife and ecological balance around the coast. The biggest
threat to the coastline is pollution. Even much-loved Blackpool is not officially
safe. More than 3,500 million tons of industrial waste is pumped into the North Sea every
year. “We cannot continue to use our seas as a dustbin and expect our coastline to
survive,” says Greenpeace. Many other ecological problems may be caused by
privatization of the coast. The past decade of Tory rule has seen a decline in the quality
of rivers. Many of them are ‘biologically dead’, i. e. unable to support fish and
wildlife.
REFERENCES
poppy мак (считается символом мира в
Великобритании)
red rose алая роза (эмблема династии
Ланкастеров, эмблема Англии)
thistle чертополох (национальная
эмблема Шотландии)
daffodil желтый нарцисс (вторая
эмблема Уэльса)
leek лук-порей (национальная
эмблема Уэльса)
shamrock трилистник (эмблема
Ирландии)
clover клевер
beech бук
moor вересковая пустошь, заросли
вереска
heather вереск (вечнозеленый
кустарник с напоминающими колокольчик цветками;
распространен в Шотландии)
Robin Redbreast красногрудая малиновка (национальная
птица Британии)
Blackpool Блэкпул (фешенебельный
приморский курорт Великобритании, где часто
проводятся конференции политических партий и
профсоюзов)
Greenpeace Гринпис (входящая в блок
левых партий Великобритании партия “зеленых” –
активных сторонников защиты окружающей среды)
Blackpool
I. Comprehension
A. Read the sentences and refer each of them to one of the topics before the text.
the UK was originally a land of vast forest.
the highlands with thin soil are largely moorland with heather and
grasses.
there are many threats to wildlife and ecological balance around the
coast.
about 50 land mammals are still found in the UK.
the most numerous are blackbird, sparrow, starling.
B. Look at the figures below. Try to recall what they show, consult me text if
necessary.
230 kinds...; 200 kinds; 3500 million; about 6 percent; 50.
What other new facts have you learned from the text?
II. Grammar practice. There is (are)
A. Read and translate sentences with there is (are) in the text.
Answer these questions, consulting the text. Pay attention to the word-order in questions
and answers.
How many ... are there ...? There is ... What ... is there ...? There
are ...
Are there any wild flowers, flowering plants and grasses in the
cultivated areas of Britain?
Are there foxes and larger mammals?
What smaller animals are there in the British Isles?
How many kinds of birds are there in the British Isles?
What threats are there to wildlife and ecological balance around
Britain’s coast?
В. Fill in the blanks with “there is (are)” in the Present or Past Indefinite
Tense.
... originally many vast forests in the UK
... many flowers and grasses that have become symbols and emblems of
England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and Great Britain.
... not many larger mammals, such as bear, wolf. They are now
protected by law.
... small lizards, snakes, frogs and toads?
What animals ... in the forests of the Highlands of Scotland and
England?
III. Communication Practice
A. Answer these questions.
What plants and flowers growing in the British Isles have become the
national emblems? What are they?
Why are there not many woods left in the British Isles? In what
regions of Russia are there extensive forests?
What are the commonest trees in England and Scotland? What are the
commonest trees in Russia?
What animals and birds are protected by law in Britain? Do you know
what plants, animals and birds are protected by law in Russia?
Why are there threats to wildlife and ecological balance around the
coast of Great Britain?
B. Speak about:
wildlife in the British Isles;
domestic animals in Russia and Great Britain;
flora and fauna in Russia.
By Viktoria Oschepkova, Irina Shustilova
to be continued
|
