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Task 1. 28. Finish the phrases, choosing the necessary words in brackets.

1. Great Britain is rich in ... (oil; gold; copper; silver; iron ore; zinc; coal). 2. Great Britain has to import ... (coal; agricultural products; electrical goods; chemicals; electronic equipment; oil; various metals; food products; cotton; timber; tobacco;

wheat; fruit). 3. When the world demand for the products of Britain's main industries - textiles, coal and machinery - decreased, it began seeking compensation in new engineering products, such as ... (cars; atomic power reactors; electrical goods; electronic equipment). 4. It is characteristic of Britain's industry to produce ... (semi finished goods; cheap articles; raw materials; high quality expensive goods; articles requiring skilled labour; precision instruments; electronic equipment). 5.The main products of Britain's industry are ... (precision instruments; high quality consumer goods; electronic equipment; chemicals; textiles; ready-made clothing; manufactured goods; petrol). 6. A great number of new industries were added to the traditional ones such as ... (the aircraft industry; the textile industry; the electronic industry; the shipbuilding industry; the automobile industry; mining; engineering). 7. The main crops grown in Britain are ... (flax; cotton; wheat; barley; tobacco; oats). 8. In Britain they breed ... (cattle, that is cows and oxen; horses; sheep; pigs; goats; deer; rabbits).

Task 1. 29. Answer the questions.

1. What natural resources does Great Britain have ?

2. What raw materials does Great Britain import?

3. What does Great Britain export?

4. What did the crisis of 1929-1933 bring about?

5. What is the characteristic feature of Britain's industry ?

6. Why is it unprofitable for Great Britain to produce semifinished goods or cheap

articles?

7. What are the main articles produced by British industry?

 

 

Theme: CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS.

Task 1.30. Read and translate the text . Use the dictionary.

Holidays in Great Britain.

Part I

There are eight public holidays a year in Great Britain. On these days people don't go to work. They are: Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter, May Day, Spring Bank Holiday, Late Summer Bank Holiday. Most of these holidays are of religious origin. But nowadays they have lost their religious significance and are simply days on which people relax, visit their friends. All the public holidays (except New Year's Day, Christmas and Boxing Day) are movable. They don't fall on the same date each year.

Besides public holidays, there are other festivals, anniversaries, on which certain traditions are observed. But if they don't fall on Sunday, they're ordinary working days.

Christmas is the most popular holiday in Britain. It is celebrated on the 25th of December. People spend time at home, with their families, eat special food (turkey, potatoes, green vegetables, a Christmas pudding) and drink a lot. Many people decorate Christmas trees with toys and little coloured lights. People buy Christmas cards and send them to their friends and relatives. Long before Christmas the shops are busy, because a lot of people buy Christmas presents. In churches people sing Christmas carols — special religious songs. .



On Christmas Eve (the 24th of December) some people go a special church service. This service is called Midnight Mass. It starts at 12 o'clock at night.

The day after Christmas, the 26th of December, is called Boxing Day. The priest in church opens boxes with money and presents and gives to the poor people.

 

Part II

New Year's Day is less popular in Britain than Christmas. Some people don't celebrate it at all. Some people have New Year parties. At midnight they listen to the chimes of Big Ben, drink a toast to the New Year and sing Auld Lang Syne.

Make Love, Not War

The 14th of February is St Valentine's Day, the day when, according to ancient tradition, the birds choose their mates for the year. It was once the custom in England to draw lots for lovers on this day, the person drawn being the drawer's valentine, and given a present, sometimes of an expensive kind, but more often a pair of gloves. The valentine is now represented by a greeting card of a sentimental, humorous, or merely vulgar character.

The Winter is Past

Easter, the feast of the Christian Church commemorating the Resurrection of Christ, is derived from Eostre, a goddess of spring honoured by the pagan Anglo-Saxons in the month of April. When Christianity was introduced into England it was natural for the name of the heathen festival to be transferred to the Christian, the two falling about the same time.

Easter has been from ancient times the most important feast in the Christian year. Many popular customs, which probably go back to pagan times, are also associated with it throughout Europe, for example the giving of Easter eggs. Eggs are a symbol of life and fertility or recreation of spring. It was not, however, until the nineteenth century that the practice of presenting eggs of Easter was introduced into England.

Mothering Sunday

The 8th of March is Mid-Lent Sunday or Mothering Sunday. It is claimed that the name Mothering Sunday came from the ancient custom of visiting the "mother church" at this time; but to schoolchildren it always meant a holiday, when they went home to spend the day with their mother or parents. At one time in Britain, especially in Lancashire, it was the custom to eat simnel cakes on this day. The word simnel is derived from a Latin word meaning fine bread.

Mothering Sunday is not the same as Mother's Day. The latter is an American festival celebrated on the second Sunday in May as an occasion for each person to remember his mother by some act of grateful affection.

Task 1.31. Fill in the gaps:

1. Most of the holidays in Great Britain are of … origin. 2. All the public holidays are … . 3. There are a lot of festivals on which … are observed. 4. St. Valentine's Day is celebrated on … . 4. Easter has been from ancient times the most important feast in the … . 5. The 8th of March is …. or … Sunday.


Date: 2016-04-22; view: 1816


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Task 1.19. Answer the questions. | Task 1.32. Decide if the following statements are true (T) or false (F).
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