15. The British press is now divided into two different types of national newspapers: the quality newspapers (?quality? or ?broadsheets?) and popular newspapers (?populars? or ?tabloids?).
16. There are three main world religions—Buddhism, Islam and Christianity.
17. Christianity has tree main groups: Catholicism, Orthodox Eastern Church, Protestantism.
18. The British Parliament consists of three elements: the Crown, the house of Lords and the House of Commons. The official head of Parliament at present is the Queen.
19. The House of Commons which is also known as the Lower House is where the real power lies.
20. The British government is the supreme administrative institution which manages state affairs. The Cabinet is the core of leadership of the British government.
21. The Prime Minister works and lies in his famous residence, No. 10 Downing Street.
22. The civil servants are required to be politically neutral and confidential. They may vote at elections but they are not allowed to be candidates for Parliament or to give public support to any political party.
23. The two major parties in Britain today are the Conservative Party and the Labour Party. Both the Government and Parliament are controlled by the ruling party. 24. In the United Kingdome the House of Lords is the supreme executive body of the law.
25. The party that wins a majority of seats in the House of Commons will form the government, and its leader will be the Prime Minister. Another major political party will for the Opposition. The chief members of the Opposition who sit on the front bench in House of Commons are called Frontbenchers. They are the members of the Shadow Cabinet, who are always ready for replacing the party in power if the Government has to resign.
26. The British Law consists of statutes, common law and equity. 27. Ben Nevis, 1343m, is the highest peak in Britain. 28. “The back bone of England” refers to the Pennies.
29. The defeat of Spanish Armada in the year 1588 helped establish English supremacy over the sea.
30. After Seven Years? War, Britain became predominant in North America and India. 31. In the second half of the 18th century, the great economic and social changes were taking place in Britain. Agricultural and home-based trades and industries gradually gave way to factory-based industries with complex machinery. This great change was commonly called the industrial revolution.
32. James Watt?s vast improvements to the steam engine made it practical for large-scale industrial use. The decisive advance in communications in the early 19th century was the invention of the steam rail locomotive by George Stephenson. 33. By the end of the 19th century, the British Empire had climbed to its peak, and boasted to be a sun-never-setting empire.
34. In Britain, the titles of hereditary peers are, in order of rank, Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, and Baron.
35. Welsh literature had a profound influence in medieval Europe, as it is the source both of Arthurian legend and that of the Holy Grail.
36. The English are Anglo-Saxon in origin, but the Welsh, the Scots and the Irish are Celts.
37. The U.K. is situated in _____ Europe. Northwestern
38. The full title of the U.K. is the United Kingdom of _____ _____ and _____ _____. Great Britain, Northern Ireland
39. The U.K. consists of England, _____, _____ and Northern Ireland. Scottish, Welsh
40. The largest part of U.K. is _____. England
41. The capital of England and of Great Britain is _____. London
42. _____ _____ is composed of six Irish counties that elected to remain in the union with Great Britain. Northern Ireland
43. The name United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was replaced by the present name after the 26 counties of Ireland obtained autonomy in _____. 1921 44. The highest mountain in Britain is _____ _____. Ben Nevis 45. The “Backbone of England” refers to the _____. Pennines
46. Natural gas was discovered in Britain in the _____ _____. North Sea 47. The most important river is the River of _____. Thames 48. The political centre of the Commonwealth is _____. London
49. Belfast Lough and Lough Neagh lie in _____ _____. Northern Ireland
50. The climate of Britain is moderated by the _____ _____ _____ and is much milder than that of many places in the same latitude. Atlantic Gulf Stream
51. Britain?s Industrial Revolution took place between _____ and _____. 1750, 1850 52. The Bank of England was founded in _____.1694
53. The population of the U.K. is more than _____ million. 57 54. Britain is basically an exporter of _____. manufacture
55. The population of the U.K. consists of the English, the Welsh, the Scottish and the _____. Irish
56. In Wales many people speak _____. Welsh
57. People sing the national anthem in _____. English
58. The earliest invasion is that by the _____-haired Mediterranean race called the Iberians. dark
59. The modern _____ and _____ are the descendants of the Gaels of the Celtic tribes. Scots, Irish
60. The Britons of the Celtic tribes were the forefathers of the modern _____. Welsh 61. Greater London is made up of 12 _____ London boroughs and _____ Outer London boroughs. Inner, 20
62. The International festival of music and the arts is held every year in the city of _____. Edinburgh
63. The British national anthem is _____ _____ _____ _____. God Save the Queen 64. The U.K. lies to the _____ of France. North
65. Westminster, the area of central government administration is situated in the
_____ End. West
66. River _____ flows through Glasgow. Clyde 67. Mt. Seafell stands in _____. England
68. The source of the River _____ is in the Cotswolds. Thames 69. The capital city of Wales is _____. Cardiff
70. The United Kingdom is rich in _____, iron, tin, copper, lead and silver. coal
IV. Explain the Terms
1. Constitutional Monarchy 2. Industrial Revolution 3. Eisteddfod
4. Commonwealth 5. Commonwealth Day 6. Chartist Movement 7. Hadrian?s Wall 8. Heptarchy
9. Domesday Book 10. Wars of Roses 11. Black Death
12. Long Parliament/Short Parliament 13. Brain drain
14. Enclosure Movement 15. Principle of Population 16. Iron Law of Wages
17. Collective Responsibility 18. “Backbone of England” 19. Greater London 20. Celts
21. The “Irish Question”
V. Questions
1. What do you know about the Wars of the Roses in English history? 2. How do you comment on the Open University?
3. What characteristics do you know are commonly shared by British people in
general? Give specific examples to illustrate.
4. What do you know about the Hundred Years? War in English history? 5. How do you describe the land features of Great Britain?
6. How do the Welsh and Scots feel when you address then the English? 7. Do you think Britain has a changeable weather? Why?
8. How do the Welsh and the Scots differ from the English in character? 9. What was the Roman influence over Britain?
10. What was the effect of the Christianity on the early Anglo-Saxons?
11. What were the consequences of the Norman Conquest? 12. What was the significance of the Great Charter? 13. How did English Parliament come into being?
14. How and why did the Reformation take place in England?
15. How did Elizabeth I deal with her enemy when she became Queen of England? 16. What were the distinctive features of the English Renaissance? 17. What do you know about the Glorious Revolution?
18. Why was Britain the first country to start the Industrial Revolution? 19. What were the causes for the failure of the Chartist Movement?
20. Why was there a new interest in exploration and colonization in the 19th century?
How did the new imperialism differ from the old colonialism? 21. What is the constitutional monarchy? When did it begin in Britain? 22. What is the primary function of Parliament? 23. What are the processes of passing a public bill?
24. What are the general policies of the Conservative Party? The Labour Party?
25. Why is the average daily readership of newspapers in the UK larger than that in
other western countries?
26. What are the differences between quality papers and popular papers?
27. What are the major factors influencing the British weather characterized by a moderate temperature and plenty of rainfall?
28 Why is United Kingdom said to be a trading nation?
29. What are the general characteristics of the British economy?