Тема: «Part of Great Britain»

1. Read.

Wales

Wales is the country in the west of Great Britain. It is mainly a mountainous land with a chiefly agricultural economy and an industrial and coal-mining area in the south. The landscape is beautiful. Many English people move to Wales when they retire.

Cardiff, a large city in the south, was chosen as the capital of Wales in 1955, mainly because of its size. Since 1536, Wales has been governed by England and the heir to the throne of England has the title of Prince of Wales, but Welsh people have strong sense of identity. There is a Welsh National party which wants independence from the United Kingdom and the Welsh language is still used in certain parts of the country.

Welsh is an ancient Celtic language, similar to Breton, spoken in Brittany, France. In the 60's Welsh was given equal status with English as an official language and is used in the law courts. It is taught in school and some TV program are broadcast in Welsh. However, only about 20% of the population speaks Welsh.

Questions:

1. Where is Wales situated?

2. What is the capital of Wales?

3 Has it always been governed by England?

4. What language is used in the country?

5. How many people speak Welsh?

Vocabulary:

chiefly — главным образом

coal-mining — добыча угля

sense — чувство

independence — независимость

cetrain — определенный

Celtic — кельтский

equal — равный

broadcast — трансляция

 

2. Read.

 

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland, also known as Ulster, is still a part of the United Kingdom. It is made up of six countries: Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry, Tyrone. One third of the population lives in and around the capital, Belfast. Belfast is also the most important port and commercial and industrial centre. Some parts of the territory, those that are not close to the capital, have remained mainly rural.

The Irish population is divided into two groups: the Protestants and the Catholics. The Protestants are of British origin. They are descendants of British settlers who came to Ireland in the XVIth and XVIIth centuries, during and after the Reformation. The Catholics are mostly natives of Ireland. The Protestants were the majority and dominated the Catholics with strong discrimination. In 1968 the Catholics began the movement for equal civil rights.

The fightings between the two groups of the population continue to this day.

Northern Ireland has a strong cultural tradition: songs, dances, literature and festivals.

It has its own Art Council, and there are orchestras, theatres, ballet and opera companies.

Questions:

1. How many countries are there in Northern Ireland?

2. What is the capital of Northern Ireland?

3. Into what parts is the Irish population divided?

4. Who are the Catholics?

5. Who are the Protestants?

6. Has the Catholics-Protestants problem been solved?

7. Does Northern Ireland have strong cultural traditions?

Vocabulary:

population — население

origin — происхождение

descendant — потомок

settler — поселенец, переселенец

discrimination — дискриминация

civil rights — гражданские права