Vocabulary. a unitary state– унитарное государство to emerge– появляться

a unitary state – унитарное государство to emerge – появляться

a political entity – политический субъект to rule –управлять

Task 1. Look at the title of the text. What do you think it is about? Say the words you expect to find in it

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, to give it its formal title, is a highly centralized and unitary state and its largest component is England. By the sixteenth century Wales was fully incorporated into English administration and law but Britain as a political entity did not emerge until 1707, when the ancient kingdoms of Scotland and England were united. Ireland, which fell completely under English rule in the sixteenth century, became formally part of the United Kingdom in the 1801 when, like Scotland a century earlier, it lost its own parliament. Ireland achieved independence in 1921, with the exception of six northern counties which remained part of the United Kingdom. Yet Northern Ireland is not part of Britain, although the term “Britain” is often used to mean the United Kingdom. London is the capital of England and the UK. The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh; the capitals of Wales and Northern Ireland are Cardiff and Belfast.

Great Britain and the Ireland are separated by the Irish Sea. The north-west and west of Great Britain is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. In the east the country is washed by the North Sea, in the south it is separated from France by the English Channel.

England, unlike the largely mountainous counties of Wales and Scotland, is mainly lowland, except for six major hilly regions: the Pennines, called the “backbone of England” dividing the north west of England from the north east; the scenic Lake District in the north west; the Yorkshire Dales, running to the east coast of Yorkshire; the moorlands of Cornwall and Devon in the south west; and the border areas with Scotland and Wales. Elsewhere the ranges of hills are relatively low, while East Midlands and East Anglia are notably flat and featureless. In Scotland and Wales the greater part of the population is concentrated in the more lowland areas, particularly the area between Glasgow and Edinburgh, and in the eastern and south-eastern parts of Wales.

Task 2. Answer the questions

1. What are the main parts of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?

2. When was the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland formed?

3. What is the UK washed by?

4. Are there any mountains in the UK?