Great Britain. 1. Great Britain is situated to the north-west of Europe on the British Isles

1. Great Britain is situated to the north-west of Europe on the British Isles. The official name of the country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Great Britain is separated form the Continent by the English Channel and is connected with many countries by sea.

2. The climate of Britain is mild. It is the warm Gulf Stream that influences the climate of the British Isles. Most of the mountains are in the north in Scotland? But they are not very high. Scotland is also famous for its beautiful lakes. The rivers in Great Britain are not long but many of them are deep. The longest rivers are the Clyde and the Thames.

3. The British Isles cover an area of about 121,600 square miles. The comparable small territory of Great Britain is very densely populated (56,000,000 people). The greater part of the population is urban. Eighty percent of the inhabitants live in numerous cities and towns. There are a lot of large industrial cities in Great Britain, such as London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Bristol and others.

4. Great Britain is known as one of the most advanced nations in the world. Most of the industries are concerned with the production of the iron and steel goods, textiles and chemicals. At the same time it imports metal, oil, grain, meat, fruit, tea and other raw materials and foodstuffs.

5. London is the capital of Great Britain. It lies in the South East of England on both banks of the river Thames. London is one of the largest cities in the world and the largest port and industrial town in England. London is more than twenty centuries old. Oxford and Cambridge are not big industrial cities, but they are famous all over the world as educational centres. The oldest and most famous universities of Great Britain are situated there. The Universities of Oxford and Cambridge date from the 12^th and 13^th centuries.

6. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a parliamentary monarchy. Legislative power belongs to the Queen (formally) and the Parliament which consists of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Officially the Head of the State is the Queen (from the 1952 – Elizabeth II). But the actual power belongs to the Parliament and the ruling party. The powers of the Queen are limited by the constitution. At present there are two main political parties in Great Britain: the Conservative and the Labour. The leader oft the majority party is appointed Prime Minister.

7. The official language of Great Britain is English. It is now spoken in many countries of the world: the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India and others.

VI. Прочтите 6-ой абзац текста и вопрос к нему. Из приведенных вариантов ответа укажите номер предложения, содержащего правильный ответ на поставленный вопрос.

Who is the official Head of Great Britain?

1. Officially the Head of the State is Queen.

2. Officially the Head of the State is Prime Minister.

3. Officially the Head of the State is Speaker of the House of Commons.

VII. Прочтите 7-ой абзац текста и закончите предложениe, выбрав соответствующий вариант.

What language is now spoken in many countries of the world?

1. French

2. English

3. German

Вариант 2

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