United Kingdom of Great Britain · Okruhy maturitních otázek z Anglického jazyka SOU Hluboš...
Transcript of United Kingdom of Great Britain · Okruhy maturitních otázek z Anglického jazyka SOU Hluboš...
Okruhy maturitních otázek z Anglického jazyka
SOU Hluboš
United Kingdom of Great Britain and The Northen Ireland
UNITED KINGDOM
GEOGRAPHY
The British Isles are formed of the two major islands - Great Britain and
Ireland and more than 5,000 small ones. The isles are washed off by the
North Sea in the north and east, by the Irish Sea and Atlantic Ocean in the
west. On the south, England and France are divided by the La Manche
Channel. England, Scotland and Wales (Great Britain) together with
Northern Ireland form the country officially known as "The United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" or simply the United Kingdom (UK).
The highest peak is Ben Nevis (1,343m), the longest rivers are the Severn
and the Thames. The climate in the U.K. is influenced by the Gulf Stream,
which makes the weather warm and rainy. The average temperature
ranging from 4°C in winter to 16°C in summer. The population is about 60
million people.
CONSTITUTION
The United Kingdom is divided into areas
called counties. There are 39 of them in
England, 34 in Scotland, 13 in Wales and 6
counties are to be found in Northern
Ireland. Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy with the Queen Elizabeth II
as the head of a state. She is also the supreme commander of the armed
forces and follows the advices of the Cabinet. The British Parliament is one of
the oldest in the world. The Parliament includes the sovereign, the House of
Lords (which is the Upper House) with hereditary members and lifetime
peers, and the Lower House called House of Commons with 650
democratically elected and paid members. Ministries (or Secretaries in the
UK) are appointed by the Queen and the Cabinet is made once she has
discussed this with the Prime Minister. The Cabinet is responsible to the
Parliament. The
government seats in the
Palace of Westminster,
commonly known as the house of Parliament and it has been
the seat of British government for more than a thousand
years.
FLAG
Official The British national flag is called Union Jack and it is a
combination of St George's Cross (symbolizing England), St
Andrew's Cross (Scotland) and St Patrick's Cross (Ireland).
First, it was only a diagonal white cross on a blue
background. In 1801, as Ireland joined the UK, a red diagonal
cross was added. Wales and Northern Ireland have their own flags. The national anthem is "God Save the
Queen!". And the local currency is pound.
Okruhy maturitních otázek z Anglického jazyka
SOU Hluboš
United Kingdom of Great Britain and The Northen Ireland
HISTORY
The original inhabitants were the Celts. The Celts were warriors and farmers who came to the country 3000
years ago. In 43 AD Romans invade the country and England becomes the part of Roman Empire. Romans
changed the country. They built roads, public buildings, baths and forts throughout the land, e.g. Hadrian's Wall
against the invasion of Celtic tribes. They brought Christianity to Britain. Roman army was defeated by the
Angle, Saxon, and Jute (the Anglo-Saxons) tribes. They left their homelands in northern Germany, Denmark
and northern Holland and rowed across the North Sea in wooden boats. The Anglo-Saxons divided the country
into kingdoms. After them came Vikings from Scandinavia and took the part of the country for themselves.
There has been many wars and disasters through the ages. In 1348, the Black Death (bubonic plague) arrived
in England and killed nearly half of the population. The England gradually became the country with one of the
best military in the Word and conquered many countries all over the Word.
HIGHLIGHTS
Sport: There are many sports which have been codified by
the English, and then spread worldwide,
including badminton, cricket, croquet, football, football,
rugby, squash, billiard or darts, but the football is the most
popular. England has the oldest football league in the world
and Sheffield FC founded in 1857 being the oldest club ever.
In the modern day the Premier League is the world's most
lucrative football club league. The home venue of the England
national football team is Wembley.
Nature: Besides London, which is in the centre of each tourist's
attention, there are many other fascinating places: Oxford and
Cambridge are the old university towns and of the highest-ranked
universities in the world. Canterbury - an ancient city with a majestic
cathedral. Stonehenge - prehistorical monument with the circular
settings of large standing stones. Loch Ness lake in Scotland known
for its monster Nessie. Hadrian’s wall – 120km defensive fortification
protecting the Empire from attacks of enemies.
Romans Saxons Vikings Normans Tudors Victorians WW ll
43 450 793 1066 1485 1837 1939
Okruhy maturitních otázek z Anglického jazyka
SOU Hluboš
United Kingdom of Great Britain and The Northen Ireland
Culture: England has many artists, poets or musicians who have had a strong
influence to the worldwide culture. The national poet number one is William
Shakespeare - the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-
eminent dramatic who was born in Stafford upon Avon and acted plays for a royal
family. England has a long and rich musical history. Many legendary bands or solo
artists belong between the best-selling
musicians of all times. The names like The
Beatles, Rolling Stones, Queen, Pink Floyd,
Elton John or Eric Clapton are known
everywhere in the world and can be heard in
the radios every day.
REVISION QUESTIONS
• Where is Great Britain situated?
• What countries does the UK consist of and what are their capitals?
• What are the highest mountain and the longest river?
• Who were the original inhabitants and hoe did they get to the Australia?
• What is the climate in Britain like?
• What are counties?
• What does the British national flag represent?
• What is the constitution of England like?
• What interesting places do you know?
• What interesting people do you know?
• What do you know about its history?
• What American brands of cars do you know?
• Which sports have originated in Britain?
• Which ritish nature monuments do you know?
SOURCES
INFOA – Angličtina – Otázky & Odpovědi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Britain
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/history.html