Great Britain – the first highly industrialized country in the world

1. _______________________________

The United Kingdom was the first country in the world to become highly industrialised. It is one of the world's largest exporters of manufactured goods per head of population and one of the most powerful countries in Europe with highly developed industries. There are a lot of industrial cities here, such as Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Cardiff, Sheffield, London and many others. Especially great is the variety of industries in Birmingham, people call it "the city of 1500 trades". One can find any type of production here, from steel smelting to manufacturing the most delicate articles. Rifles, various machinery, railway cars, motor cars, electrical equipment, scientific instruments and many other things are produced in Birmingham in great quantities. Alongside with the most modern large plants a great number of old small enterprises are to be found in this town. Birmingham is Britain's "second city". The district around Birmingham is a land of factories and mines.

2. _______________________________

The main source for the development of British industry is coal. The biggest coal and iron mines are in the north-east of England, near the industrial centres of Newcastle and Sunderland; in Lancashire and Yorkshire in the west and central England; in Scotland, near Glasgow; in Wales near Cardiff, the capital of Wales, and near the port of Bristol. The biggest centres of iron and steel industries are situated in the neighbourhood of coal basins.

3. _______________________________

The most ancient centres of English iron and steel industry are Birmingham and Sheffield. Iron smelting based on local ore deposits has been practised here since ancient times. In the period of England industrialization the cities played the leading role in the creation of England's heavy industry. Sheffield has specialised in producing high-quality steel and articles of steel: heavy armaments, wheels of railway cars, looms, knives, fine instruments. British Steel is the fourth biggest steel company in the Western world.

4._______________________________

One of the leading industries of Great Britain is the textile industry. Britain produces a lot of wool and the main centres of cotton and woollen industry are Yorkshire, Leeds, Bradford and Manchester which export their products to many countries. Textile machines are also made in all these and other towns. Plants producing textile machinery not only satisfy the needs in British industry but also export great quantities of machinery to the other countries.

5. _______________________________

The shipbuilding industry is of great importance for Britain. It is centred in London, Glasgow, and Newcastle, near Liverpool and in Belfast. For centuries Britain has been the leading shipbuilder in the world.

6. _______________________________

Coal-mining, metallurgy, textile, shipbuilding are the oldest branches of industry. The new industries are the chemical, electro-technical, automobile, aviation and electronics. The new industries have developed hand in hand with science and technology and are equipped to meet present technical demands. Big cities and towns such as London, Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Sheffield and Birmingham have enterprises of nearly all branches of industry, old and new.

7. _______________________________

Britain's chemical industry is the third largest in Western Europe, and it exports nearly 50% of products, making it Britain's largest export earner. The most rapid growth in recent years has been in pharmaceutical, agrochemicals, pesticides and cosmetics.

8. _______________________________

Britain is the world’s ninth largest oil producer and the fifth largest gas producer. Developing the North Sea oil and gas it has created huge support industry offering equipment and services to oil and gas companies at home and abroad. The two leading UK oil companies are BP (British Petroleum) and Shell.

9. _______________________________

Britain also has highly developed mechanical engineering, electrical, electronic and instrument engineering industries, marine engineering industries, textile, clothing and footwear industries, construction, service and tourism industries. There are approximately 250 British industrial companies and groupings that have an annual turnover of more than 500 billion pounds. The largest manufacturing concerns are BAT Industries (tobacco, food products), Imperial Chemical Industries, Grand Metropolitan (food, drink), British Aerospace, Unilever (chemicals), Ford, General Electric Company, British Steel, and others.

10. _______________________________

London, Liverpool and Glasgow are the biggest English ports. The products of Britain economy, for example, automobiles, textile, machinery, electronic equipment, chemicals and many others, are exported to many countries of the world. Liverpool is the principal port of Western England. It is the first in Great Britain in exports and it comes second after London in imports. Imports passing through Liverpool consist of cotton, wool, non-ferrous metals and oil. International trade plays a vital role in Britain's economy.

11. _______________________________

British agriculture is also highly developed and is famous for its efficiency and productivity. The greater part of the land here is used for sheep- and dairy farming. Vegetables are grown in all parts of the country. The chief grain crops are wheat and barley. But because of lack of cultivated lands, it cannot supply the country with sufficient food products and has to import grain, meat, fruits and other foodstuffs. The fishing industry provides 59% of British fish supplies and employs nearly 17,000 full-time fishermen.

Task 4.

Find in the text English equivalents to the following words and word combinations:

гірничо-видобувна, текстильна, хімічна, фармацевтична, харчова, важка, вугільна, легка, авіаційна, газова, нафтова, рибна, швейна промисловості, приладобудування, кораблебудування, автомобілебудування, обслуговування, туристичний бізнес, металургія.

Task 5.

Translate the following words and word combinations into Ukrainian:

total production, national output, annual turnover, workforce, main source, development, manufactured goods, highly developed industry, iron smelting, deposit, high-quality steel, heavy armaments, wheels, railway cars, looms, fine instruments, crude steel, rifles, various machinery, motor cars, electrical equipment, quantity, district, wool, cotton, textile machines, metal goods, fishermen, at home and abroad, non-ferrous metals, fabrics, sizable, vehicle, electronics, the most rapid growth, food products, per head of population.

Task 6.

Find the odd word in each line:

1) articles, goods, products, trades;

2) wool, steel, cotton, textile;

3) production, manufacture, output, fabrication;

4) steel, metal, iron, rifle;

5) port, district, area, region;

6) to make, to do, to have, to produce.

Task 7.

Translate the following groups of words into Ukrainian:

a) produce – producer, product, products, production, productivity;

b) manufacture – to manufacture, manufacturing, manufacturing cost, manufacturer, manufactured goods.

Task 8.

Check whether you know the names of different types of enterprises. Make up 5 sentences with some of them.

· company, firm, group (grouping), concern, venture;

· enterprise, plant, factory, works, workshop, shop, mine, mill, production unit;

· principal port, large company, leading company, commercial centre.

Task 9.

Choose from the words given below the correct English equivalents to the Ukrainian words in italics. Put them into the proper tense form.

to satisfy the needs, to meet demands, to supply with, to provide,

to play a vital role, to make up, to be situated, to be produced

1. The biggest centres of iron and steel industries розташовані in the neighbourhood of coal basins.

2. Textile machines випускаються in Manchester, Glasgow and Belfast and other towns.

3. Plants producing textile machinery not only задовольняють потреби in British industry but also export great quantities of machinery to the other countries.

4. The new industries have developed hand in hand with science and technology and відповідають present technical вимогам.

5. Exports of goods and services складає around 25% of national output.

6. International trade відіграє важливу роль in Britain's economy.

7. The fishing industry забезпечує 59% of British fish supplies.

Task 10.

Guess the terms to the following definitions and fill in the gaps with them:

1. The ____ is the country which sells their products to other countries.

2. The ____ is the country which doesn’t produce enough goods and have to buy them abroad.

3. Any industrial unit which makes some products is called a ____.

4. The person who works in the fish industry is a ____.

Task 11.

Decide whether the following statements are true or false. Prove your choice.

1. The United Kingdom became highly industrialised only a few decades ago.

2. Britain exports cotton to America and other countries through the port of Liverpool.

3. Britain is one of the major steel exporters in the world.

4. The oldest branches of industry, such as coal-mining, metallurgy, textile, shipbuilding are more highly developed in Great Britain than the new ones.

5. Britain not only satisfies its own need in energy resources but can also export it to other countries.

6. Britain is self-sufficient in food products and does not have to import much.

Task 12.

Answer the following questions:

1. What is the main source for the development of Great Britain?

2. Where are the biggest centres of iron and steel industries situated?

3. What are the most ancient centres of English iron and steel industry?

4. Can we consider each of the big cities of Great Britain as a centre of various industries?

5. What city is called “the city of 1500 trades”? What is produced in the city?

6. Why is Birmingham the Britain’s “second city”?

7. What can you say about the textile industry of Great Britain?

8. What new industries have been developed in UK?

9. Name some of the biggest British companies and firms. What annual turnover do they have?

10. How is agriculture developed in Britain?

Task 13.

Imagine you are taking part in the forum: “Foodstuff production: problems and perspectives”. Speak about the agriculture in Great Britain using the following words:

sheep- and dairy farming, vegetables, wheat and barley, efficiency and productivity, self-sufficient, agrochemicals, lack of cultivated lands, to import grain, meat, fruits and other foodstuffs, fishing industry.

Task 14.

Fill in the table with the necessary information according to the texts in Units 9 and 10. Compare the industries of Ukraine and Great Britain.

Ukraine	Great Britain
Mineral resources
Highly developed industries
Manufactured goods
Agricultural products
Exports
Imports

	Words and word combinations to be memorized:
	ancient	давній, старий
	armament	озброєння
	chemicals	хімікати
	coal and iron mines	вугільні та залізні шахти
	crude steel	термічно необроблена сталь
	dairy farming	молочне сільське господарство
	demand	попит
	electrical equipment	електричне обладнання
	knife	ніж
	loom	ткацький станок
	manufactured goods	промислові товари
	mining	гірська промисловість
	neighbourhood	сусідство
	ore	руда
	pharmaceutical	фармацевтичний
	railway car	залізничний вагон
	to reflect	відбивати, відображати
	self-sufficient	самостійний, самодостатній
	ship-building industry	кораблебудівна промисловість
	textile industry	текстильна промисловість
	trade	ремесло, професія
	vehicle	транспортний засіб
	wheel	колесо
	wool	вовна
	workshop	майстерня, цех

APPENDIX I

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16