The british isles consist of two large islands, great britain and ireland, and about five thousand smaller ones.

great britain, the largest island in europe, includes england, scotland and wales. it is separated from ireland by the irish sea, from the european continent by the north sea, the english channel and the strait of dover. great britain and northern ireland form the united kingdom.

the greater part of the surface of england and ireland is flat. the surface of scotland and wales is mountainous. the highest mountain in the united kingdom is ben nevis in scotland. the chief rivers can be used by ships. they have slow currents and broad mouths. so the rivers are suitable for commerce. the coastline has excellent harbours. the sea enters deeply into the land and has a great influence on the climate. the winter is not very cold, and the summer is not very hot.

about 60 million people now live in the british isles. nearly all of them speak english, but some speak celtic languages. great britain is one of most highly industrialized countries in the world. it lives by industry and trade. there are some great seaports in britain, such as london, newcastle, liverpool, glasgow and others.

the capital of great britain is london. it is the seat of the government of the whole country. london is ancient, many centuries old. it is also the centre of british cultural life and famous for its places of interest.

great britain is a parliamentary monarchy. the queen or the king is at the head of the state. the country is ruled by the government in the name of the queen (monarch).

the british parliament consists of two houses: the house of commons and the house of lords. the prime minister is at the head of the government.

6. ответьте на вопросы:

1. how many islands do the british isles consist of?

2. by what seas is great britain separated from ireland?

3. are the rivers suitable for commerce?

4. what influences the climate of great britain?

5. how many people live in the british isles?

6. what kind of country is great britain?

7. great britain is the parliamentary monarchy, isn’t it?

8. is london the capital of great britain?

9. by whom is the country ruled?

10. what chambers does the british parliament consist of?

11. who is at the head of the government?

7. найдите в тексте соответствия следующим эквивалентам:

почти, ла-манш, пригодный, входит, главный, отделяется, торговля, плоский, палата, достопримечательность.

8. составьте все известные вам типы вопросов к предложениям:

1. about 60 million people now live in the british isles.

2. the country is ruled by the government in the name of the queen.

9. составьте предложения из данных слов:

1. kingdom, form, united, great britain, northern, and, the, ireland.

2. many, london, is, centuries, ancient, old.

3. scotland, highest, is, the united kingdom, in, mountain, in, the, ben nevis.

All of humanity on our troubled planet is exposed to their weaknesses. They have everyone from the homeless to the President of the country. But the only weakness of the superheroes in the family. Save the world more than once, and the result is no thanks, then another, and the claims put forward. But I want to create friendly family, to get a dog, make friends with the neighbors. And how to do it? Of course pretending to be ordinary residents of a small town. Here to you of any dangers and numerical army of new friends, fun kitchen, and family life. No way would the family of former superheroes didn't trade your current lifestyle. But the planet is again threatened, so the family had to get out of the cabinets pretty dusty costumes and are once again preparing to save ungrateful people. Only now the problem appeared, how now to get rid of excess weight, and that suits the press in the most uncommon places.

Great Patriotic War.
The Great Patriotic War is a huge emotional distress for many people. It’s hard to find a family in our country which didn’t lose somebody in this awful war. The tragic event started in 1941 in the month of June and lasted for almost four years. The 9th of May, 1945 is considered to be the end of the murderous war. Each year Russian people celebrate this day as a Victory Day with numerous commemorative processions, fireworks and concerts. Perhaps, the Great Patriotic War was the most horrible war in human history. Thousands of courageous soldiers have died, leaving their children orphaned and wives widowed. It’s hard to imagine that even 13 or 14 year olds were involved in this war. People sacrificed their lives to save the country from outer invasion, to save their comrades and families. Each city that withstood all the pressure coming from Hitler’s army was awarded with the heroic title. Today every family keeps and honors the photos of their ancestors, who fought at that inhuman war. My mother also keeps a framed picture of her two grandfathers. It’s been more than 60 years ago, but people still remember and commemorate this global event. Russian people suffered a lot during these four terrifying years. To think about the situation in Leningrad, when citizens had to stay strong for nine hundred days and defend the city. People had to survive the severe cold, the hunger, sleepless nights, the bombardments, etc. I’m convinced that our generation should be appreciative for all that our great-grandfathers did for us.                                
Великая Отечественная война - это огромная душевная рана для многих людей. Трудно найти семью в нашей стране, которая не теряла кого-либо в этой ужасной войне. Трагические события начались в 1941 году в июне месяце, и продолжались в течение почти четырех лет. Девятое мая 1945 года считается концом этой кровопролитной войны. Ежегодно в России этот день отмечают как День Победы с памятными шествиями, фейерверками и концертами. Возможно, Великая Отечественная война была самой ужасной войной в истории людей. Тысячи мужественных солдат погибли, оставив своих детей сиротами и жен вдовами. Трудно себе представить, что даже 13 и 14-летние дети были вовлечены в эту войну. Люди жертвовали жизнью, чтобы страну от внешнего вторжения и чтобы своих товарищей и семьи. Каждый город, который стойко выдержал все давление со стороны гитлеровской армии, был награжден званием героя. Сегодня каждая семья хранит и чтит фотографии своих предков, сражавшихся в этой бесчеловечной войне. Моя мама также хранит рамку с фотографией своих двух дедушек. Это было более 60 лет назад, но люди все еще помнят и чтят это глобальное происшествие. Русский народ перенес ужасные страдания в течение этих четырех лет. Взять только ситуацию в Ленинграде, когда горожане должны были отстаивать и защищать свой город на протяжении девятисот дней. Люди пережили ужасные холода, голод, бессонные ночи, бомбардировку и т.д. Я убежден, что наше поколение должно быть благодарно за все, что наши прадеды сделали для нас