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The British Isles are formed of Great Britain, Ireland and a number of small islands situated to the west of the European continent.
The total area is about 120.000 square miles. The United Kingdom is composed of four parts: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The east coast is washed by the North Sea and the west coast is washed by the Atlantic Ocean. There are no high mountains in Great Britain. The highest mountain is Snowdon (3000 ft) in Northern Wales. The biggest rivers are the Severn and the Thames joined by canals, so that it is possible to travel by water from one part of the country to the other.
The climate of Great Britain is mild. It is never too hot or too cold because of the sea which keeps the islands warm in winter and makes the air cool in summer. The worst thing about the climate is the thick fog. If you go to England, you‘ll find that the fog is a very typical feature of the country.
The population of Great Britain is over 55 million people. About 20 per cent of the British people live in rural areas, the other live in urban districts, i.e. towns and cities.
Great Britain has highly developed industries. There are many big industrial cities there, such as Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow, Cardiff, Sheffield and others.
One of the leading industries of Great Britain is the textile industry. Liverpool and Manchester are the main centres of textile manufacturing.
Northern and western England are traditionally coal and metal countries. The oldest centres of iron and steel industry are Birmingham and Sheffield. You can find here any type of metallurgical production.
Liverpool is the biggest port in western England. It is first in Great Britain in exports and comes second after London in import.
London is an important centre of engineering and chemicals. It also comes first in Britain in clothing and food industry, and in film production.
London, the capital of Great Britain, is very attractive for tourists because it is full of historical buildings, monuments, customs and traditions. There are four parts in London: the City, the West End, the East End and the Port.
London is very rich in sights. Among them is Westminster Abbey which is famous for its architecture and history. In Westminster Abbey the kings and queens of England are buried. Here is also the Poet‘s Corner where many great writers and poets are buried: Kipling, Dickens, Tennyson and others. My friend said that he had also visited the memorial to Shakespeare.
Of no less interest are the Houses of Parliament with Big Ben, the Buckingham Palace – the Queen’s residence, the National Art Gallery, the British Museum, St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Tower, which was first a fortress, then a prison and which is now a museum.
There are a lot of parks in London; the most famous of them is Hyde Park with its Speaker’s Corner.
Whitehall, for example, is the political centre of the country. All government departments are situated here.
If you walk westwards from St. Paul Cathedral, you’ll come to Fleet Street, the place known all over the world. Here the most important newspapers and news agencies have their offices and publishing houses.
Trafalgar Square is about a hundred years old. The main feature is the tall Nelson Monument, with the figure of the great seaman on the top. Many demonstrations and meetings take place here.
Vocabulary
1. to be formed of - состоять из
2. an island - остров
3. to be situated - располагаться
4. to be composed of - состоять
5. to be washed by - омываться
6. to be rich in sights - быть богатым на достопримечательности
7. thick fog - густой туман
8. highly developed industries - высокоразвитые отрасли промышленности
9. rural areas - сельскохозяйственные районы
10. urban districts - городские районы
11. scientists - ученые
12. historical buildings - исторические здания
13. customs and traditions - обычаи и традиции
14. business and financial centre - деловой и финансовый центр.
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