III. Speech practice

Exercise 1. Agree or disagree to the following:

1. The political system of the UK is undemocratic and conservative.

2. Monarchy is the rudiment of the old political system which can be easily given up nowadays.

3. There are many undemocratic features in the British electoral system.

4. The powers of the House of Lords are absolutely symbolic.

5. The powers of local authorities should be substantially enlarged.

Exercise 2. In most parliaments in the western world, the place where representatives debate is in the form of a semi-circle. But in Britain there are two sets of rows facing each other. Why is the British parliament different?

Exercise 3. The reform of the House of Lords, initiated by the Labour government in 1999, was intended to bring it closer to the principles of democratic society. Why? Support your answer.

Exercise 4. Would you advise the British to get rid of their monarchy? Why?

IV. Supplement

Text 1

Exercise 1. Read the words and word combinations, practise their pronunciation and pay attention to their meaning:

· anthem ['xnTqm] – гимн

· cliff [klIf] – скала

· coat of arms ['kqVtqv'Rmz] – герб

· cross [krPs] – крест

· diagonal [daI'xgqnl] – диагональный

· garter ['gRtq] – подвязка

· harp [hRp] – арфа

· purity ['pjVqrItI] – чистота

· shield [SJld] – щит

· unicorn ['jHnIkLn] – единорог

· verse [vWs] – куплет

· virtue ['vWtjH] – добродетель

· bear a motto ['mPtqV] – иметь девиз · female embodiment – воплощение в женском образе · fictional character – вымышленный персонаж · floral emblem – цветочная эмблема · hold a trident ['traIdqnt]– держать трезубец · idyllic [aI'dIlIk] past – идиллическое прошлое · official occasions [q'keIZqnz] – официальные поводы · on the ground – на фоне · reverse side – обратная сторона · wear a helmet ['helmIt] – носить шлем

Exercise 2. Read the following text:

BRITISH NATIONAL SYMBOLS AND EMBLEMS

The national flag of the United Kingdom is known as the Union Jack. It is made up of the individual flags of the Kingdom’s three countries: England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Although Wales is part of the United Kingdom it has its own national flag (the red dragon on the white and green ground) which doesn’t appear on the Union Flag. The flags that appear on the Union Flag are the crosses of three patron saints. England’s Flag is called the St. George’s Flag (the red cross on the white ground). Scotland’s Flag is called the St. Andrew’s Flag (the white diagonal cross on the blue ground). Northern Ireland is represented by the flag of St. Patrick (the red diagonal cross on the white ground).

Each country has its own floral emblem. The national flower of Englandis theredrose. The thistle is the national emblem of Scotland. Wales has got the daffodil or the vegetable called leek as a national emblem. The national flower of Northern Ireland is the shamrock, a three-leaved plant similar to clover. People wear national flowers on their feast-days.

The British National Anthem God Save the Queen is the oldest in the world, established in 1745 and based on a patriotic song of the 17^th century. It became known as the National Anthem from the beginning of the nineteenth century. The British National Anthem represents the whole of the UK. However, Wales and Scotland have other songs which they sing, especially when playing against England in sport matches. England too has its own songs. On official occasions, only the first verse of the National Anthem is usually sung:

God save our gracious Queen! Long live our noble Queen! God save the Queen! Send her victorious, Happy and glorious, Long to reign over us, God save the Queen.

Thy choicest gifts in store On her be pleased to pour, Long may she reign, May she defend our laws, And give us ever cause, To sing with heart and voice, God save the Queen.

In the Royal Coat of Arms the shield shows the various royal emblems representing different parts of Britain: the three lions of England in the first and fourth quarters; the lion of Scotland in the second and the harp of Ireland in the third. It is surrounded by a garter bearing the motto Honi soit jui mal y pense (‘Evil be to him who evil thinks’). The shield is supported by the English lion and Scottish unicorn and is surrounded by the Royal Crown. The lion has been used as a symbol of national strength and of the British monarchy for many centuries. A unicorn, a mythical animal with a long straight horn, is represented on the Scottish and British royal coats of arms as a symbol of purity. Below it appears the motto of Sovereign Dieu et mon droit (‘God and my right’). The plant badges of the United Kingdom - rose, thistle and shamrock - are often displayed beneath the shield.

John Bull is a fictional character who is supposed to personify Englishness and certain English virtues. (He can be compared to Uncle Sam in the USA.) He features in hundreds of nineteenth century cartoons. His appearance is typical of a country gentleman from the eighteenth century, evoking an idyllic rural past.

Britannia [brI'txnjq] is the name that the Romans gave to their southern British province (which almost covered the area of present-day England). It is also the name given to the female embodiment of Britain that is always shown wearing a helmet and holding a trident (the symbol of power over the sea). There is a famous patriotic song which begins ‘Rule Britannia, Britannia rule the waves’. The figure of Britannia has been on the reverse side of many British coins for more than 300 years.

Albion ['xlbIqn] is a word used in some poetic contexts to refer to England. Two thousand years ago Julius Caesar ['GHlIqs'sJzq] was approaching the unknown land and saw the white cliffs. “The land behind the white cliffs must be white, too. We shall call it Albion,” said he. So Albion was the original Roman name for Britain. It may come from the Latin word albus, meaning ‘white land’, because the first view of Great Britain for most visitors from the European mainland was the white cliffs around Dover.

Exercise 3. a) Arrange the sentences into a logical order to make a paragraph about the Union Jack:

1. The flag of Wales did not form part of the Union Jack because Wales became part of England much earlier.

2. This was to combine the St. George’s flag of England (a square red cross on a white background) with the St. Andrew’s flag of Scotland (a diagonal white cross on a blue background).

3. In 1603, when King James VI of Scotland became James I of England, he ordered a flag to be designed.

4. However the Welsh have their own flag which was officially recognised in 1959: a red dragon on a white and green background.

5. Almost two hundred years later, in 1801 when Ireland was united with Britain, the red diagonal cross of St. Patrick was added.

b) Identify the individual flags and explain what appears on them:

1 2 3 4

Exercise 4. The national floral emblems of the four parts of the UK are: the red rose, the thistle, the daffodil / leek and the shamrock. Why do you think these flowers have been chosen as the emblems? Find extra information to answer this question.

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