Text 5.

Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland is the smallest component of the United Kingdom. It occupies the northeast of the island of Ireland, only one-sixth of its territory. Northern Ireland contains six of the nine counties of the historic province of Ulster and that is why the name ‘Ulster’ is sometimes used as equivalent to Northern Ireland.

For seven centuries Ireland was a colony of Britain. As a result of the hard struggle of the Irish for independence the larger part of Ireland (26 counties) gained the status of a British dominion in 1921. Much later, in 1949 it was officially proclaimed the independent Irish Republic. The industrial northeast (Northern Ireland with its six counties) was retained by Great Britain. But certain forces of both the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland are for the reunification of the country, against social deprivation which is at its worst among Catholics. They believe that British with drawl from Ireland is the only way to achieve peace.

If one asks an Irish man away from home what he misses most about Ireland, he will probably tell you ‘the greenness’. Irish poets put it in a different way when they call Ireland ‘the Emerald Isle’. Grass grows well in such a warm and damp climate and it makes the island look so beautiful.

There are low hills and peaks of rocks in the northwest while the northeast sector of the island is a plateau.

The population of Northern Ireland is about 1,5 million people. Its basic industries are agriculture, textiles and shipbuilding. The largest industry is agriculture conducted for the most part on small family farms.

Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland is the leading industrial centre and a large port.

In Ireland the national instrument is the harp. The national emblem of Ireland is the shamrock (a kind of clover).

1. [‘ lst ] Ольстер;

2. доминион (название стран Британской империи, формально суверенных; призвали в качестве главы государства британского монарха);

3. [‘em r ld’ail] Изумрудный остров;

4. [‘ mr k] трилистник;

5. [‘klouv ] клевер.

2. Найдите и объясните соответсвия:

Scotland Wales Northern Ireland

1,5 mln., Cardiff, a harp, Mac. ‘son of’, 3 mln., the Struggle for Reunification, a leek, Ben Nevis, Snowdonia, Glasgow, a daffodil, Ulster, International Festival of Music and Drama, Cymru, Cymry, Belfast, a tartan, Swansea, Aberdeen, a shamrock, lochs, Eisteddfod, a thistle, its own flag, Edinburgh, the Emerald Isle, 5 mln.

3. Расскажите, что нового вы узнали об одной из стран.

Задание IV.

Соедините части 10 названий городов и скажите, чем эти города известны.

CHESTER, SHAW, FORD, BIR, POOL, DON, CAM, ABER, GLAS, MAN, DEEN, LON, BRAD, GOW, LIVER, NEW, SEA, CASTLE, BRIDGE, MINGHAN.

Задание V.

1. Составьте план пересказа темы «The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland».

2. Выпишите ключевые слова и цифры к пунктам плана.

3. Расскажите о Соединенном Королевстве Великобритании и Северной Ирландии.

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