A story about Britain in Russian. Theme "Great Britain"

There are many interesting facts about England that everyone knows. But you may not be aware of many of them. Today we will test your erudition by telling you the most interesting of them. You may even be able to tell us more interesting information about this country.

The famous hero from books and films, Robin Hood, actually lived. What was his real life in detail no one knows. Maybe in the movies they are even more interesting than the real ones. And yet there are many doubts that this hero took only from the rich and gave everything to the poor.

In the middle of the seventeenth century, Oliver Cromwell ordered that Christmas be banned in England. He was sure that the custom of walking from house to house, in search of food and shelter, and also raising glasses for the owners of the home, is contrary to the canons of religion. Christmas was returned only after he was removed from power.

The very first zoo on the planet appeared in London in 1826. The most popular animal in it was an elephant named Jumbo. Then the elephant was sold to a circus and sent to the USA. Rumor has it that the zoo was constantly visited by Darwin. An orangutan also lived there.

England has two flags - white with the cross of St. George and the State of the United Kingdom, in which the flags of Scotland, England and Ireland were combined. The second option is more popular, but the first one can also be seen in sports.

For those who study English, it is useful to learn more about the culture, traditions, values ​​of Great Britain. This will allow you to better understand the people who live there.

Whether you're visiting the country for business, tourism, study, or just finding someone to practice online, these tips and facts will guide you on the path to more effective communication.

1. French has been the official language in Great Britain for 300 years.
2. 25% of people living in London were not born in the UK.
3. Over 30,000 people living in England are called John Smith.
4. The form of government on the island is a parliamentary monarchy. This means that the government is elected by the citizens and has more power than the monarch, whose role is more representative. The head of government is the prime minister.
5. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland also have a local government, which is responsible for domestic policy and affairs in the areas of health, education, culture, transport, and the environment.
6. The United Kingdom is gradually leaving the European Union.
7. England gave the world rugby and polo.
8. Windsor Castle is the largest royal residence in the world.
9. - the first city in which the subway appeared.
10. Famous musicians from the UK: The Beatles, Queen, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, The Sex Pistols, Radiohead, Coldplay, Pink Floyd.

1. Great Britain is an island state that includes 4 countries: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland.
2. More than 70% of the inhabitants of the United Kingdom speak English. Other languages ​​spoken on the island are Welsh (Wales), Scottish Gaelic and Anglo-Scots (Scotland), Irish and Ulster-Scots (Ireland).
3. The Irish, Scots and Welsh are very proud of their countries and roots and do not like to be called British. And especially don't make the mistake of calling them English.
4. , a complex of stone structures on the Salisbury Plain, built around 3000 BC.
5. Big Ben is not really a clock, but the largest bell inside the tower of the Palace of Westminster.
6. London was founded by the Romans after their invasion in 43. Then the city was called Londinium.
7. The first hot chocolate shop opened in London.
8. More than 300 are spoken in England.
9. The UK has a population of over 63 million, of which 53 million live in England.
10. The British are a reserved people who love privacy. Even friends don't ask questions about personal relationships or finances.

1. The capital of England and Great Britain - London, the capital of Wales - Cardiff, Scotland - Edinburgh, Northern Ireland - Belfast.
2. Monetary currency - pound sterling.
3. The most widespread religion is Christianity. Although people of completely different religions live throughout the UK.
4. The United Kingdom covers about 245,000 square kilometers, stretching from the Shetland Islands in the north of Scotland down to the southwest of England and across the sea to Northern Ireland.
5. The UK's geography ranges from green meadows and forests to moorland and mountains. The highest mountain Ben Nevis is located in Scotland, its height is 1344 meters.
6. Great Britain has an incredible history dating back to 6500 BC. Throughout Britain you will find historical monuments, from Stonehenge to Buckingham Palace.
7. The UK is home to nearly 30 cultural and natural UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Among these cities: Edinburgh, Canterbury, Chester, Oxford, York.
8. The UK is one of the world's leading countries in starting and doing business.
9. The United Kingdom is one of the world's top manufacturers, ranking first in information technology, science, and the creative industry.
10. In the 18th century, the British Empire occupied 20% of the world's surface and a quarter of the world's population lived in the country.

1. In Britain, children begin their studies at 4-5 years old, attending primary school (Primary School). Then they go through several stages of education until the age of 16-18.
2. Until 1832 there were only 2 universities in England - Oxford and Cambridge.
3. The British city of York is considered the most haunted city in Europe and one of several in the world. About 500 cases of ghosts have been recorded in the city.
4. The Queen of England is the only British citizen who travels without a passport.
5. Golf is the national Scottish game. The earliest mention of it is 1457.
6. Robin Hood was not a real person. This is a collective image based on the real criminals of medieval England, whose stories were woven together by storytellers and minstrels.
7. The London Eye is the tallest Ferris wheel in the world. Each lap takes 30 minutes.
8. Before 1877 lecturers at the University of Oxford could not marry, and women only from 1920 were able to take university degrees.
9. JK Rowling, author of books about, the world's first billionaire writer. The books in the series have sold 400 million copies in England and worldwide. Books have been published in 55 languages, including Ancient Greek and Latin.
10. The world's first record store opened in 1894 in Cardiff, Wales.

1. Cheshire is the name of one of the oldest English cheese videos. It has been on the menu since Roman times.
2. - one of the many traditions that takes its roots from pagan Scottish traditions. October 31st was an important date in the Celtic calendar. On this day, All Saints' Day was celebrated, when the spirits returned to haunt the living.
3. About 30 million Americans believe they have Scottish ancestry. Among them: Theodore Roosevelt, Presidents Bush, Marilyn Monroe.
4. Scottish (Gaelic) is one of the Celtic languages ​​that has survived to this day. The remaining three are Welsh, Irish, Cornish (located), Breton (in France).
5. Famous English scientists - Charles Darwin, Michael Faraday, Isaac Newton, Stephen Hawking.
6. British inventor and scientist Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web.
7. One of the most influential and famous poets in England is William Shakespeare. During his lifetime, not a single portrait of him was painted.
8. The official home of the British monarch in London is Buckingham Palace. Until now, every other day (daily - from April to July) there is a ceremony of changing the guard, which attracts tourists.
9. The Olympic Summer Games were held in London 3 times - in 1908, 1948 and 2012.
10. Football (soccer), rugby and cricket are the most popular sports in England.

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The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the UK) occupies the British Isles and consists of 4 parts: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The country has the population of 60 million people within the land area of ​​244 thousand square kilometers. The isles are washed by the Atlantic Ocean in the north and in the west and by the English Channel in the south. The UK is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea. Great Britain is separated from Northern Ireland by the Irish Sea and the North Channel.

There are many beautiful lakes and mountains in Scotland and England. The highest point in the Highlands is Ben Nevis (1340 meters). The longest river flows in England, it is the Severn. The main attraction in the north of England is the Lake District. Thanks to the warm waters of Gulf Stream the island is very green and the British climate is mild. Local summers are rather hot and winters are not cold. As the weather is very changeable in Britain, it is the favorite topic for discussion with the British.

The capital of Great Britain is London. It stands on the Thames river. The country is a constitutional monarchy and officially the Queen is the Head of state. But it is ruled by the Prime Minister and the government. The legislative body is the Parliament which consists of the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

The UK is a highly developed industrial state. The chief industries are shipbuilding, fishing and mining, production of aircraft equipment, electronics, textile and chemicals. The country is the world's largest exporter of iron and steel goods. The most important industrial cities of Great Britain are London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Liverpool, Leeds, Edinburgh.

Translation

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) occupies the British Isles and consists of 4 parts: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The country has a population of 60 million people on the territory of 244 thousand square meters. km. The islands are washed by the Atlantic Ocean from the north and west and by the English Channel from the south. The North Sea separates the NC and continental Europe. Great Britain and Northern Ireland are separated by the Irish Sea and the North Channel.

There are many beautiful lakes and mountains in Scotland and England. The highest point in the mountainous area is Ben Nevis (1340 m). The longest river in England is the Severn. The main attraction of the north of England is the Lake District. Thanks to the warm waters of the Gulf Stream, the island is very green and the British climate is mild. Summers are quite hot here, and winters are not cold. Since the weather in Britain is very changeable, this is a favorite topic of discussion among the British.

The capital of the Great Britain is London. It is located on the River Thames. The country is a constitutional monarchy, and officially the queen is considered the head of state. However, it is run by the prime minister and the government. The legislative body is Parliament, which consists of the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

The UK is a highly developed industrial country. The main industries are shipbuilding, fishing and mining, aircraft manufacturing, electronics, textiles and chemicals. The country has become the world's largest exporter of iron and steel products. The most important industrial cities of Great Britain are London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Liverpool, Leeds, Edinburgh.

Great Britain is a country about which one can write and dream endlessly. Washed by the Atlantic "Foggy Albion", the stronghold of the once most powerful and most powerful empire, and to this day sets the tone in many ways. Great Britain today is a dizzying combination of the ancient walls of the Tower, the late medieval architecture of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, the achievements of modern architecture - the Millennium Dome exhibition center and the colossal Ferris wheel - and British rock, and the flag of the country itself has become almost the flag of a generation that grew up on countless indie rock and Britpop bands.

Great Britain or, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the largest state in Europe (77th place in the world, 243809 sq. Km.), Located on the skeletons in the Northern Hemisphere and washed by the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the North Sea on the other side. Great Britain is the heir of the largest state in the history of mankind - the British Empire - and one of the world's nuclear powers. The capital of the state - London - is the financial capital of all of Europe, even though the UK is not part of the European Union. Accordingly, the UK has its own currency - the pound sterling.

Literally all eras of the history of this island state are shrouded in a halo of mystery and romanticism. The British Isles were inhabited about 30,000 years ago. In 43 AD The Roman Empire began the conquest of this distant state and extended its power far in time - for as many as 4 centuries. In the 10th century, scattered tribes in the south of the island united to form the Kingdom of England, and in the north - to the Kingdom of Scotland. During the times described in the legends of King Arthur and Beowulf, the Normans invaded the kingdom, exporting a bit of feudalism into the country. The Middle Ages became a time of exorbitant growth in the ambitions of the rulers, which resulted in constant campaigns for new territories - a confrontation with Scotland and France, the war with the latter, by the way, became one of the longest in the history of mankind, for which it was called the Hundred Years. In the late Middle Ages, England confidently explored new continents, the ships of its fleet plowed almost all the seas and oceans, discovering hitherto unexplored corners and hoisting a blue flag with a red cross in a white border on them. At the peak of its power, at the beginning of the 20th century, the British Empire occupied almost half of the world, but, despite the victory over Hitler in the Second World War, which Great Britain won as part of the Allied forces, there was no chance to save the empire - here and there they raised head the leaders of the independence movements. Great Britain decided to leave its colonies without bloodshed. The scope of decolonization can be estimated from the following figures: before 1949, the number of subjects of the empire outside the metropolis was 700 million people, after 1949 - 5 million.

Great Britain is located on 2 large islands and a large number of small islands and archipelagos located across the English Channel from continental Europe. Most of the country lies in the lowlands and mountains are found only in the northwestern part. England is the largest constituent part of Great Britain, occupying more than half of the total territory. Here, the relief is dominated by lowlands and gentle hills, as in Ireland, but Scotland is the land of high mountains, like Wales. The climate of Great Britain owes its bad character entirely to the ocean - rainfall is frequent and plentiful throughout the year. The average annual temperature fluctuation ranges from -11 to +35 degrees Celsius. The winters here are mild thanks to the Gulf Stream stove.

Today, Great Britain is one of the main economies of Europe and, without exaggeration, its financial center. In 2010, the UK ranked 6th in terms of GDP ($2.247 trillion), behind only Germany. 73% of this amount was produced by the service sector, and, first of all, financial services. London, with the largest GDP among European cities, is on par with New York and Tokyo. Great Britain, as a country in which the industrial revolution took place, used to be a leader in heavy industry: steelmaking, shipbuilding and other industries, but time passed and the surrounding countries did not stand still. Today, the basis of the welfare of the real sector of the country's economy is the automotive, aviation and pharmaceutical industries. With all this, in 2007-2008, about 22% of the country's population lived below the poverty line, which is the highest relative indicator for the EU countries.

The population of the country as of 2011 is 62.6 million people (22nd place) and the UK ranks 3rd in the EU in this indicator. The British are the absolute ethnic majority, but immigrants from the former colonies are also widely represented - Indians, Pakistanis, blacks from the Caribbean and Africa. Everyone speaks English, but Welsh (Wales), Irish (Ireland), Gaelic (Scotland) and Cornish (Cornwall) are used along with it in various parts of the country, and sometimes you may be refused to answer in English purely on principle.

The system of government in Great Britain is very interesting - the monarchy has been preserved here, and parliamentary democracy operates in parallel with it, where the prime minister is at the head of the government, who governs the country, and the monarch performs representative functions, communicates with the people and serves as one of the symbols of the state and his traditions.

England is the largest and the richest country of Great Britain. The capital of England is London but there are other large industrial cities, such as Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and other famous and interesting cities such as York, Chester, Oxford and Cambridge. Stonehenge is one of the most famous prehistoric places in the world. This ancient circle of stones stands in Southwest England. It measures 80 meters across and made with massive blocks of stone up to four meters high. Why it was built is a mystery.

Not far from Stonehenge stands Salisbury Cathedral. It is a splendid example of an English Gothic Cathedral; inside there is one of four copies of Magna Charta and the oldest clock in England. Chester is a very important town in the north-west of England. In the past it used to be a Roman fort; its name comes from the Latin word castra, meaning "fortified camp". In Chester there is a famous museum which contains over 5000 ancient and modern toys.

Oxford is the home of the oldest university of England. The most famous college is Christ Church. It has a great hall which was built during the reign of Henry VIII and its chapel has become the Cathedral of Oxford. Cambridge is the home of Britain "s second oldest university. York was the capital of Northern England. It is one of the best preserved medieval cities of Europe. It was built by Romans, conquered by Anglo-Saxons and ruled by the Vikings. Birmingham is often called the "City of 1,500 trades" because of the great variety of its industries.

Text translation: England - England

England is the largest and richest country in Great Britain. The capital of England is London; but there are other important cities, such as Birmingham, Liverpool, and Manchester, and other famous and interesting cities, such as York, Chester, Oxford, and Cambridge. Stonehenge is one of the most famous prehistoric sites in the world. This is an ancient circle of stones, located in the south-east of England. Its diameter is 30 meters, and it is made of massive stone blocks up to four meters high. Why it was built is a mystery.

Not far from Stonehenge stands Salisbury Cathedral. This is a fine example of an English Gothic cathedral; inside it is kept one of the four copies of the Magna Carta and the oldest clock in England. Chester is a very important city in the northwest of England. In the past it was a Roman fort; its name comes from the Latin word "castra", which means "fortified camp". Chester is home to a famous museum with over 5,000 ancient and modern toys.

Oxford is home to England's oldest university. The most famous college is Christ Church. It retained the hall built during the reign of Henry VIII, and its chapel became Oxford Cathedral. Cambridge is home to the second oldest British university. York was the capital of Northern England. Now it is one of the best preserved medieval cities in Europe. It was built by the Romans, conquered by the Anglo-Saxons and ruled by the Vikings. Birmingham is often referred to as the "City of 1500 Crafts" due to its large number of industries.

References:
1. 100 topics of oral English (V. Kaverina, V. Boyko, N. Zhidkih) 2002
2. English for schoolchildren and applicants to universities. Oral exam. Topics. Reading texts. Exam questions. (Tsvetkova I.V., Klepalchenko I.A., Myltseva N.A.)
3. English, 120 Topics. English language, 120 conversation topics. (Sergeev S.P.)