Dialogues. — What do you usually imagine when you think of Great Britain?

1.

— What do you usually imagine when you think of Great Britain?

— Well, I usually imagine the country where it rains all year round. The British Isles have never been famous for good weather.

— Actually, the popular belief that it rains all the time in Britain is simply not true. In fact, London gets no more rain in a year than most other European cities. But the climate in Britain is mild due to the influence of the Gulf Stream. And this mild climate is good for plants.

— Yes. you are right. Britain seems to be a very green country with lots of beautiful gardens and parks. The British love flowers very much and you can see them everywhere. No wonder that some of the flowers have become the symbols of the UK.

— What are they?

— Don't you know? The red rose is the national emblem of England and the daffodil is the national emblem of Wales.

— What about Scotland and Ireland?

— Oh, they have their own emblems, too. The national emblem of Scotland is the thistle and the emblem of Ireland is the shamrock.

— Arc there any mountains in Great Britain?

— Yes, but there are not very' high. The Highlands of Scotland arc among the oldest mountains in the world. They reach their highest point in Ben Nevis. Many valleys between the hills are filled with lakes.

— What is the most famous lake in Scotland?

— The best-known of them is Loch Ness where according to the legend a large monster lives.

— Well, I have never been to Britain, but I hope to go there someday to sec everything with my own eyes.

— I completely agree with you. Seeing is believing.

 

2.

— Hi. Jane. How are you?

— I'm fine, thanks. And you?

— Very well, too. But I have to prepare a report on political

system of Great Britain. Can you help me?

— Sure. I'll be glad to help.

— Do you know who the Head of State in Britain is?

— Of course, I know. The Head of State in Britain is the Queen, but in fact she doesn't rule the country as she has no power.

— Really? And who does the real power in the country be­long to?

— Well, in Britain it is Parliament that has the power. It makes

laws.

— Are the members of Parliament elected by the people?

— You see, Parliament is made up of two chambers — the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The members of the House of Lords are not elected. They qualify to sit in the House because they arc bishops of the Church of England, aristocrats, who have inherited their " seats" from their fathers, people with titles or senior judges of the legal system.

— And what about the House of Commons?

— The House of Commons, by contrast, is occupied by Members of Parliament who are elected by the British public every five years.

— How many Members of Parliament are there in the House of Commons?

— There are 651 members in the House. People call them MPs.

— Do the British people elect the Prime Minister?

— No, they don't. The party with most MPs forms the government. The leader of the winning party automatically becomes Prime Minister and appoints the Cabinet.

— The Cabinet? And have you heard anything about the Shadow Cabinet?

— Certainly. The party who comes second is the Opposition and forms its own Shadow Cabinet.

— And what do you know about the British constitution?

— Well, the fact is that Britain doesn't have " a constitution" at all. Of course, there are rules, regulations and procedures for the running of the country — all the things which are known collectively as " the constitution". But there is no single written document which can be called the highest law of the country.

— Thank you very much for your help. I'm sure that my report will be very interesting.

— You are welcome.

3.

— I have always thought that the British differ much from other European people. They are said to be very conservative and reserved Is that so?

— Well, I've just returned from Great Britain and I can't say that this image is true to life. The British are very polite and they are always helpful and kind to foreigners.

— Yes, they are very well-mannered and they are famous for their love of queuing. Queuing is a national habit in Britain, isn't it?

— Yes, it is, though there are almost no queues in Great Britain But if there is one, then you'll have to join the queue and wait for your turn. People in Britain will expect you to be polite in the way that is normal to them.

— When I think of the British, I always imagine a man in a bowler hat with a pipe in one hand.

— In fact, this type of hat has not been commonly worn for a long time. But when people are on duty, they have to obey certain rules. Even the bus drivers in Britain wear a white shirt and a tie a work. However, the British arc probably more tolerant of " strange" clothing than people in most other countries.

— Do the British always talk about the weather?

— Unlike many others, this stereotype is actually true to life British weather is never the same two days running. So everyone notices it.

 

4.

— Mike, you have just returned from Great Britain! What's your impression of this country?

— Well, Britain is a very interesting country. It has more living symbols of the past than many other countries. For example, you can still see the famous red telephone and letter boxes, which were designed in the last century.

— Yes, I've heard that the British are very conservative. They don't like changes.

— Yes, indeed. But the most striking feature of the British people is their politeness. Before going to Britain I had thought that the British were reserved and cold. But that's not true at all. They are always helpful, especially if you speak English.

— People often say that British talk about the weather all the time. Is that so?

— Perhaps, this is an exaggeration, but it is certainly true that the weather is a good way to start a conversation with a stranger.

— By the way, what was the weather like during your journey? Did it rain all the time?

— No, it didn't. Perhaps we were lucky, but the weather was warm and sunny. Spring is the driest season in Great Britain and this is the best time for visiting the UK.