Министерство образования РФ

VORONEZH STATE UNIVERSITY

N.A. Sharova

THE BRITISH ISLES

COUNTRIES, PEOPLE, TRADITIONS, CULTURE

VORONEZH

2003

Консультант: профессор МГУ М.В. Вербицкая

Редакторы: Кит Роусон (МГУ), Е. В. Маринина (МГУ), Л. Н. Тимашова, Л.Г. Кузьмина (ВГУ).

Рецензенты: д.п.н., проф. Э.П. Комарова,

Кафедра английского языка

Воронежского Государственного Педагогического Университета.

Шарова Н.А.

Британские острова: Страны, люди, традиции, культура: Учеб. пособие к курсу «История и культура стран изучаемого языка» по специальности «Лингвистика и межкультурная коммуникация»/ Ред.: Кит Роусон, Е. В. Маринина, Л. Н. Тимашова, Л.Г. Кузьмина. – Воронеж, 2003. – 141 с.

В учебном пособии представлена информации о культуре, истории, социально-политическом устройстве Великобритании и республики Ирландия.

Учебное пособие ориентировано на развитие умений самостоятельного чтения, коммуникативных умений, учебных умений, интеллектуальных умений , умений самостоятельно пользоваться информационными ресурсами Интернета в рамках автономного обучения.

Пособие состоит из двух частей и тринадцати уроков. Каждый урок начинается с перечня основных фактов по каждой теме, затем следует информационный текст, а потом задания, способствующие усвоению материала.

Кроме информативных текстов, учебное пособие содержит аутентичные рекламные и публицистические тексты.

Данное учебное пособие предназначено для студентов языковых факультетов, и всех, интересующихся вопросами культуры Англии, Шотландии и Ирландии.

При частичной поддержке института

«Открытое Общество» (фонд Сороса)

Методическая записка.

В настоящее время обучение иностранному языку невозможно без формирования фоновых знаний. Специалист, владеющий иностранным языком, должен быть готов к межкультурной коммуникации, для чего главным является умение самостоятельного поиска информации, умение анализировать, сравнивать, делать выводы. Именно это и является основной целью учебного пособия.

Пособие рассчитано в основном на автономную работу студентов. Однако, возможна и аудиторная работа, например, с первым уроком, содержащим большой объем информации. Так, студентов можно разделить на малые группы по 4-5 человек. На первом этапе каждый участник группы читает описание 3-5 графств (задания у всех разные), на втором этапе они обмениваются информацией внутри группы. На третьем этапе возможно переформировать группы с заданием каждому из участников кратко сообщить об информации, полученной ими на втором этапе. Кроме того, в аудитории целесообразно проводить обсуждение прочитанного, презентации, конференции. Пособие стимулирует проектную работу студентов и обращение к информационным ресурсам Интернет. Часть заданий носит кросс-культурный характер и направлено на сравнение Британии с Россией или США.

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Учебное пособие состоит из двух частей и тринадцати уроков. Одни уроки концентрируются на одной теме, другие (Theme 8 и Theme 10) содержат по три подраздела, раскрывающих основную тему урока.

Каждый урок начинается с предтекстовых заданий, основных фактов по теме. Затем следует информативный текст и послетекстовые задания. Задания прежде всего способствуют запоминанию информации: вопросы для самопроверки (Check yourself questions), задания тестового характера (Odd Man Out, Match up, Close), кроссворды, викторины. Кроме того, задания способствуют развитию коммуникативных умений, умений анализировать, сравнивать и синтезировать информацию. Пособие содержит также списки веб-сайтов и задания по работе с информационными ресурсами Интернет.

В пособии находят воплощение методические принципы активности, коммуникативности и самостоятельности (student autonomy).

Приложением к пособию является компьютерная игра “Through the Streets of London”.

Part I. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Unit1. Cultural aspects of geography

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

BASIC FACTS:

National flag of the United Kingdom `Union Jack`

• Highest mountain: Ben Nevis, in the highland of Scotland, at 1, 343 m (4, 406 ft)

• Longest river: the Severn, 354 km (220 miles) long, which rises in central Wales,

and flows through Shrewsbury, Worcester and Gloucester in |England to the Bristol

Channel

• Largest lake: Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland, at 396 sq km (153 sq miles)

• Most northerly point on the British mainland: Dunnet Head, north-east Scotland

• Most southerly point on the British mainland: Lizard Point, Cornwall.

• Closest point to mainland continental Europe: Dover, Kent.

• The Channel Tunnel, which links England and France, is a little over 50 km (31 miles) long,)

• Symbolical character of Britain: John Bull .

Task 1. Read the text and focus on what the islands are known for.

Physical Features, landscape.

The country, which is known as Britain, Great Britain or UK is situated on a group of islands. The largest of the islands is Great Britain. The next largest one is Ireland. Besides, in the English Channel there is a large Isle of Wight [il v wit], a favourite place of queen Victoria, now the venue of a famous yacht club and yachting regatta. The Isle of Wight is almost the smallest county in the country (after Rutland). It measures 23 miles from east to west, and 13¹/4 from north to south, giving a total area (including inland water) of 94,146 acres, or 147 square miles. The Island is divided into two boroughs - Medina & South Wight, with Newport as the all-Island capital, although Ryde is the largest town. Further in the Atlantic Ocean there are the Isles of Scilly [ilz v sili] , a group of about 140 small rocky islands, only 5 of those are inhabited. The weather there is warmer than in the rest of Britain so the Isles of Scilly are popular with tourists. There is a whole range of plants – yukkas, exotic flowers – which cannot grow on mainland. To the west of Great Britain from South to North we come to Anglesey [eglsi] and the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea. In Celtic times Anglesey was called Mona and was the stronghold of Druids. Anglesey is situated off the north-west coast of Wales near the beautiful Snowdonia mountain range. It is separated from the mainland by the Menai Strait, which is spanned by two picturesque bridges, the Menai Bridge and the Britannia Bridge. Anglesey was known as Mam Cymru [mam kamri]('Mother of Wales') during the middle ages because its fertile fields formed the breadbasket for the north of Wales. The town of Holyhead is the main ferry port for travel across the Irish Sea to Dublin and Llangefni, in the centre of the island, is the county town.

The Isle of Man is famous for its tailless Manx cats. It is under British control but has its own parliament, the TYNWALD. Well-known motorcycle TT races (Tourist Trophy) is held in the Isle of Man every year.

Western Scotland is fringed by the large island chain known as the Hebrides [‘hebridiz].

The Hebrides are a marvellous and unique destination for a short break or longer holiday, where even at the height of summer you can still enjoy the pleasure of having a sparkling clean mile-long sandy beach all to yourself. In a wonderful variety of unspoilt natural settings you will find not only breathtaking scenery and wildlife, but also the opportunity to enjoy a range of activities from climbing, hill walking and cycling to diving, boat trips and some excellent sea and freshwater fishing. One of the Hebrides is Iona. This little island, with its impressive Benedectine Abbey was chosen by St Columba as the starting point for his mission to establish Christianity in Scotland, in the sixth century. To the north east of the Scottish mainland are the Orkney [o:kni] and Shetland [etlend] Islands. Iona [I’ouna], one of the Hebrides, attracts tourists and artists by its picturesque ruins of an ancient monastery. Iona is famous as the starting place in the 6^th century of Scots Christianity.

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All these along with the Isle of Wight, Anglesey and the Isles of Scilly, have administrative ties with the mainland, but the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea and the Channel Islands between Great Britain and France are largely self-governing, and are not part of the United Kingdom. They are territories controlled by UK. The UK is one of the 15 member states of the European Union (EU). Great Britain’s landscape is marked by an incredible and admirable variety of scenery. You can enjoy the green and pleasant land dotted by idyllic cottages in the Cotswold Hills, which is the zone where the Thames rises, there are pretty valleys where sheep dogs skilfully herd flocks, you can marvel at the imposing rocky walls of the Pennines and breathtakingly beautiful lakes in Snowdonia and in the Lake District. The white cliffs of Dover, the Romantic Cornwall coastline are associated with legends about smuggles and land pirates. The gorgeous Highlands of Scotland took heart of the great Scottish poet, Robert Burns. My heart’s in the Highlands,

My heart is not here.

My heart’s in the Highlands,

A’chasing a deer.

With an area of about 243, 000 square kilometres (93,000 sq. miles), the United Kingdom is just under 1,000 km (about 600 miles) from the south coast to the extreme north of Scotland and just under 500 km (around 300 miles) across at the widest point.

England

BASIC FACTS:

National flag of England

• The highest mountain in England: Scafell Pike.

• The patron saint of England: St George.

• St George’s Day : April,23, the English national day.

• The symbol of England: Red rose.

• The Capital of England: London.

• The national flag of England: St. George’s Cross.

• In geographical names ce and w are not pronounced, as in Norwich, Leicester, Gloucestershire, Greenwich.

• In geographical names er is often pronounced as [a:], as in Berkshire, Derby, Hertfordshire.

• The largest cities of England: London, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds, Newcastle, Birmingham.

Dover

Task 2. Read the description of counties and concentrate on cultural associations that geographical names have. While reading make a table:

County	Most striking cultural features	Historical associations
Kent	Canterbury Cathedral, Chaucer, Dickens, Dover Castle, Hever Castle, Eurotunnel.	Thomas Becket, coastal defences in WW2, Anne of Cleves

Kent [kent] is nicknamed the Garden of England because there are a lot of apple and cherry gardens. The cultural highlights of Kent are Canterbury [‘kentbri] and Rochester. Canterbury is the seat of the Executive Head of the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury, though his actual office is in Lambeth, London. The beautiful Canterbury Cathedral is a place of pilgrimage because of the tomb of Thomas Becket villainously murdered on the steps of the Altar by the order of Henry II. Canterbury is also rich in literary associations, the most famous of which is Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.

Rochester is famous for the annual Dickens’s festival held at the beginning of June. People dress up in Victorian costumes and visitors arrive to Rochester on a special train “Mr. Pickwick’s special”.The name Rochester shows that in the old times there was a Roman military camp (castra) in this place. One more important town in Kent is Dover, which is one of the significant ports in England. It used to be the center of Britain’s Coastal defenses during World War II. Dover attracts tourists by its old Norman Castle perched high on the white cliffs of Dover. Another famous castle in Kent is Leeds Castle with its picturesque setting on an island in the middle of a lake. The Castle is associated with many happy and unhappy life stories of monarchs. There is also Hever castle in Kent, where Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII, was born. His fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, spent 17 years in exile in Hever Castle. The past is mixed with technical innovation in Kent. The entrance to the famous Eurotunnel, which goes under the English Channel, is in Folkestone. Eurotunnel runs high speed car, coach and freight shuttles connecting the United Kingdom with Europe.

Sussex [‘ssks] has some seaside resorts, the most famous of which are Brighton [britn] and Hastings[heistiz]. The latter is also the site of the historical battle in 1066 between William the Duke of Normandy and king Harold.

There are two towns in Sussex famous for their art festivals. Glyndebourne[glindbo:n] opera festival is a grand social event, where the entire audience wears evening dress. Chichester theatre festival attracts the audience both by its performances and by the theatre itself, which has an apron stage. The stage makes the producer and the actors use an entirely different technique because they have their audience on three sides of them instead of just in front. In West Sussex there is one of the most perfect –looking castles in Britain, Arundel Castle. The Castle suffered during the Civil War in England in the 17^th century but it was restored and is perfectly preserved.

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Berkshire [‘ba:kier] is notable for one of the Royal palaces – Windsor Castle. Windsor Castle was initially built by the Normans as a fortress. Soon after it was built this military post began to be used as a royal residence. It is known that King Henry I held his court in the castle. During the reign of Henry II the castle was rebuilt in stone, which was brought from Bedfordshire. Later more chapels, halls and walls were added by other monarchs. The State Apartments are open for tourists. Visitors can enjoy the rich décor of the Waterloo Chamber, the Garter Throne room, where the Knights of the Order of the Garter meet once a year, in June. Not far from Windsor is the famous Ascot Race Course.

Hampshire [hemp] (Hants) used to be an Anglo-Saxon kingdom called Wessex in the early Middle ages. Winchester, the former capital of Wessex, is one of the ancient cities in England. There is a monument to the most famous Wessex king – King Alfred the Great. King Alfred is the only British monarch who is called the Great. This is because he managed to do so much during his reign: he stopped the Danes and created the English navy, he ordered to write the English Chronicles, he invited many European scholars to England and paid much attention to developing education. According to medieval and Tudor scholars, it was at Winchester that King Arthur held his court. In Winchester Castle there is a 14^th century reproduction of the round table around which the legendary king Arthur’s knights used to sit. Southampton is a busy port with many luxurious cruises starting there. The sad voyage of Titanic also began in Southampton.

Wiltshire [wilti] attracts thousands of people interested in history by Britain’s most important prehistoric monument, the Stonehenge. In Neolithic times many huge stones were brought from Wales to Salisbury Plain. The stones were arranged in two concentric circles. The upright stones are lintelled by horizontal slabs. The function of the Stonehenge remains a mystery. It could have been a site of Druidic rituals or a place to calculate the annual calendar.

One of the most impressive towns in Wiltshire is Salisbury. The town was founded in the 13^th century at the same time as its great cathedral. Salisbury cathedral is the tallest in England due to its graceful spire.

Dorsetshire [do:seti] is internationally famous for its limestone which decorates not only many famous buildings in Britain (St. Paul’s Cathedral, Buckingham Palace) but also the White House in Washington D.C. and the United Nations Building in New York. You can find descriptions of certain parts of Dorsetshire in the novels of Thomas Hardy.

The counties of Devonshire [divni] and Cornwall [ko:nwol] have long coast-lines, and have always had strong connections with the sea. Indeed, many of England’s most famous sailors were born in the South-West.

When we say the word «Cornwall», we mean either the Cornish Peninsula or the County of Cornwall, which lies in the south-western part of the peninsula.

The cliffs and sandy beaches of the county, good bathing and delightful surroundings attract crowds of tourists. Hundreds of little towns and old-time villages add to the beauty of the place. The village of Tintagel is reputed to have been the birthplace of King Arthur; the remains of a great castle stand on a high rock. Another place connected with the name of King Arthur is Dozmary Pool, not an exiting patch of water, but featured in Arthurian legends as the bottomless lake into which the King’s famous sword Excalibur was tossed after his death.

The County of Cornwall includes the so-called Land’s End, the most south-westerly point of English mainland, and the Isles of Scilly, situated about 30 miles from Land’s End. They are a cluster of more than 100 tiny islands, of which the five largest ones are inhabited. The islands stand at the entrance of the English Channel with the warm Gulf Stream washing their shores. Tourism is the main industry here.

The county of Devonshire (also called Devon) is one of England’s biggest counties, with most people living in or near the few larger towns. Exeter[‘ekset], the main town of the county, has managed to preserve some of its medieval character.

Devon has two holiday coasts. The north coast faces the Atlantic Ocean and is rugged and invigorating. The south coast is the complete opposite, soft and languid, with red cliffs and south-facing bays that enjoy a mild, almost Mediterranean climate in spring and in summer. The city of Plymouth[‘plimth], known the world over for its seafaring traditions, is on the south coast of Devon. Here is the Mayflower Stone, commemorating the spot from which the Pilgrim Fathers sailed to America.

Devon is famous for sailors and adventurers. Not only Walter Raleigh[ro:li] was a Devon man, but so was Francis Drake. Samuel Taylor Coleridge was born and spent a good deal of his life in Devonshire. And from the town of Plymouth came the master of English painters, Joshua Reynolds.

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Between the two coasts of Devonshire lies the massive expanse of Dartmoor. It is a plateau, with rough masses of granite, called tors, on the hilltops. Dartmoor Prison, first used in 1809 for prisoners of war taken in the Napoleonic Wars, is in the centre of Dartmoor. The southern part of the region is known for wild ponies. Conan Doyle set his «Hound of the Baskervilles» here.

The County of Somersetshire [‘smseti] (also called Somerset) is very rural in character. The leafy narrow country roads lead past miles of buttercup meadows and apple orchards to countless villages of stone and thatch. Dairy-farming and apple-growing are important here.

The north-western part of Somerset is occupied by Exmoor, an area of high ground. It is a place of quiet heathland, wooded slopes and clattering streams giving way to wilder uplands. In the centre of Somerset is the lowland region known as Sedgemoor. Here King Alfred the Great once hid from the marauding Danish armies. This was part of Alfred’s kingdom, called Wessex, and memorials to him are widespread here.

Glastonbury is probably the most famous town in Somerset simply because it is steeped in legends. It has a church where they say the first conversions to Christianity were made in Britain. Later, a monastery was built there, and it is said that King Arthur and his wife, Queen Guinevere, were buried here. One of many legends has it that the monks discovered a tomb, on which were carved the words, in Latin, «Here lies Arthur, the Once and Future King.»

Avon has two main cities: Bristol and Bath.

The earliest growth of Bristol owed much to its ideal position as a port situated where the river Avon flows into the mouth of the river Severn. Bristol is a great centre for trade, export and industry (among its diverse industries shipbuilding and repairing maintain an important position; aircraft and aircraft engines are also manufactured here).

Bath has the only natural hot springs in Britain, and was built by the Romans, who treated their various illnesses here. The Roman bathing pool still exists, along with other Roman remains. In the 18^th century. Bath became a fashionable resort, and many fine buildings in the neo-classical style were added to the city. Nowadays Bath is not only a popular health resort but also an important centre of engineering and education.

Gloucestershire belongs to another area of England called the Midlands. The Thames, the main river of the South (and of Britain as a whole) begins here. The river Thames flows south-east across the counties of Oxfordshire and Berkshire. The city of Glocester was founded as a Roman fort and was also an important inland port because of its location by the river Severn. Now the city is known for its beautiful cathedral. The unfortunate king Edward II is buried in the cathedral. He was murdered by the order of his unfaithful wife and her lover in Berkeley Castle. The gentle green hills of Cotswold are near Glocester. In 1981 Prince Charles bought Highgrove House, which is an elegant Georgian building in the classical style. The estate allows him to practise his gardening and farming skills.

The main town of the County of Oxfordhsire (Oxon. for short) is Oxford, the home of the oldest of British universities (it was founded in the 12^th century). Some theories claim that Oxford University was founded by English students who had been expelled from the University of Paris in 1167, while others hold that it is an offshoot of the various monastic institutions in the immediate neighbourhood.The University includes 39 colleges. The oldest college is called University College. It was founded in the beginning of the 13^th century. Christ Church College is known as the “House”. Balliol, Corpus Christi, Merton, Trinity are the most famous colleges. Other attractions of Oxford are: the Bodleian library, the Ashmolean Museum, Magdalen bridge, Sheldonian Theatre and Museum of Oxford. Famous Oxonians include: Margaret Thatcher (a politician), Rowan Atkinson (a comedian), Roger Bacon (a scholar), Charles Dodgson (writing as Lewis Carroll), Evelyn Waugh, Iris Murdoch, Tolkien (writers). To the north of Oxford is the Palace of the Dukes of Marlborough, Blenheim Palace. It is the birthplace of Winston Churchill.

Norfolk. The main town of Norfolk is Norwich. It has a castle, a Norman cathedral, founded in 1095, and the school where Admiral Nelson studied as a child. Norwich school of artists is a famous art school in England. One of the Royal Palaces – Sandringham, is situated in Norfolk. The north coast of Norfolk is a wild, sinister place with miles of sand and numerous bird sanctuaries. Norfolk is also known for the Broads, a vast expanse of lakes and rivers, providing wonderful opportunities for boating.

Suffolk is more colourful; it is a warmer and cosier place than its northern neighbour. The county is associated with the names of John Constable, a famous landscape painter, and Thomas Gainsborough, a brilliant portraitist. Ipswich and Alderburgh are the most important towns of Suffolk. Geoffrey Chaucer’s family lived in Ipswich, as well as the family of Thomas Wolsey [wulzi], who became Cardinal and Chancellor of England during the reign of Henry VIII.

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