Учебнометодическое пособие Петрозаводск 2010 ббк 81. 2Англ удк 811. 11 Г 613 Рецензенты
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2.31  Pea-sized universe not so far-fetchedAccording to the latest theory, the entire universe may once have been the size of a pea before the Big Bang blew it apart. The theorist is Stephen Hawking. Dick Ahlstrom has been trying to make sense of it. 1) Have you heard anything of the Big Bang theory (creation of the universe, the Earth or the Solar system)? Who is the author of this theory? Are you interested in such kind of questions as creation of the universe? Why? 2) Read the text and answer the questions: a) What are the ancient ideas about the structure and functions of the universe? b) What are the current theories of the universe? c) Who put forward the theory of the pea-sized lump of matter which blew up in the Big Bang, thus creating the universe? d) What is the essence of this theory? e) What was the universe point of view of Ptolemy? f) What were the views of Einstein? g) Can Stephen Hawking and Neil Turok prove their theory on paper? h) What are the practical steps to prove the theory of the Big Bang? If you want to get down to real basics can you do any better than cosmology, the study of how the universe came to be? You could fiddle around with test tubes, explore human biochemistry or take a trip to the moon, but real scientists don’t fool around with this stuff, they try to solve the ultimate riddle – Why is there something rather than nothing? For centuries this effort had been left in the hands of philosophers who gazed at the stars, and decided the sun revolved around the earth, carried on the back of a giant turtle which bathed itself each evening in the far western ocean where the water ran off the edge of the flat earth. We are better informed now. Now we know that everything in our solar system, the Milky Way, and all the billions of galaxies around us used to be condensed into a pea-sized lump of matter that for no particular reason blew up in the Big Bang, thus creating the universe. The cosmos as pea isn’t so farfetched, however, Prof Stephen Hawking – reckoned to be the greatest mind since Albert Einstein – can prove mathematically on paper why this could be so. The Cambridge don and author of A Brief History of Time has proposed this latest schema for the creation of the universe – known as Open Inflation – with Prof Neil Turok, who holds the chair of mathematical physics at Cambridge. The theory offers everything from the creation of matter from kinetic energy through the formation of planets, stars and galaxies and on to a universe that will most likely continue expanding forever, like a balloon that doesn’t know when to quit. Cosmologists such as Hawking or Turok can have all sorts of fun producing theories about how the universe came to be and one might sound crazier than the next except for one key point – you have to be able to prove what you say. As was pointed out by Dr William Reville in Monday’s Science Today column, theory after cosmological theory fell by the wayside as new astronomical proofs became available. The view of Ptolemy, the ancient Greek geographer, that the other planets, sun and stars revolved around the earth, held sway for 1,400 years until Copernicus and later Kepler, Galileo and Brahe delivered observations and mathematical models that proved the theory wrong. The latest Hawking/Turok attack is a continuation of this ongoing scientific process. Often the pace of this evolution is quickened by the introduction of new technology – the telescope, for example. Other times, it is an intuitive leap forward, as in this case, with the two mathematicians attempting to make observations of the universe today gel with some theoretical suppositions of how things might have been 12 to 15 billion years ago. Their view is based on what might have happened just before the cataclysm that marked the birth of the cosmos. Current theories suggest that space and time began with the Big Bang – a discharge of energy beyond human comprehension. While time has counted out the seconds ever since, space has continued to expand like that balloon. Einstein taught us matter cannot be created or destroyed, just changed back and forth between matter and energy. The stars, galaxies and all other matter condensed out of the Big Bang energy and began moving away from the starting point, carried forward by expanding space. We can observe this expansion today by looking for the change in wavelengths in infrared radiation from distant stars. Hawking and Turok can show on paper, however, that the whole universe was started off by something that could be as small as a pea, suspended in a timeless void. Prof Mark Bailey, director of the Armagh Observatory, likened it to a ball-bearing sitting at the top of a curve. At some stage the bearing began rolling, converting its potential energy into kinetic energy and then, abruptly – the Big Bang. “Hawking has a solution to a set of equations that starts from a finite amount of matter and creates an infinite universe,” Prof Bailey explained. The equations are also predicated and made possible on the assumption that gravity will never be enough to pull all of the matter in the universe back into a pre-Big Bang configuration. In other words, the universe will continue expanding forever to infinity. Experimental realities provide a demanding clockwork into which the new theory must integrate. The problem as Prof Bailey suggests is that most people simply can’t comprehend the scale of the observable universe and so disregard its reality. “What we see with our telescopes in fact is a real world. It is vast and insofar as we understand the laws of physics, all of these things are real and not just high-tech images on a screen.” The mathematical models told us that we should still be able to detect remnants of the microwave radiation given off by the Big Bang, at the moment the clock hands began their first sweep. This radiation was detected first in 1965 and then confirmed by the СОВЕ satellite this decade. Now an even more sensitive satellite, Planck, is to be launched in search of this radiation and similar satellites are on the way that will be able to scan backwards through time to the birth of the Cosmos. “It is remarkable that we now have at our fingertips the ability to come to conclusions about the creation of the universe,” Prof Bailey stated. These satellites will deliver the latest and most comprehensive answer yet to the question, “What is the stars?”, that is, at least until the next theory sends the pea on its way to join the turtle. 3) Make up an outline of the text in writing. 2.32 Three Young Men, Death and a Bag of Gold (AFTER GEOFFREY CHAUCER) 1) Read the text and point out the sentences corresponding to the content of the story: a) Three young men learned about the death of their friend. b) As they were drunk, they decided to go and find Death and kill her. c) On their way they met a beautiful lady in a coach. d) They asked her if she knew where Death lived. e) The lady laughed and pointed to a forest. f) The men came to the forest and saw a sack of gold under a tree. g) It was very dark and they decided to wait till morning. h) They put their heads on the sack and fell asleep at once. i) At night the storm broke out, the lightning struck the tree which fell on the three men and killed them. j) That was how the three of them found death in the forest. Three young men were sitting in an inn. They were drinking wine and making merry. Suddenly they heard a noise outside. They looked out of the window and saw some people carrying a coffin. “Who is dead?” they asked. The innkeeper told them the name of the dead man. It was the name of their friend, also a young man. The three young men were very much surprised. They couldn’t believe their ears. But the innkeeper said, “Yes, it is true. Your friend is dead. Death takes young and old. He takes many people. There is a village not far from here. Every day Death kills somebody in that village. Nearly all the people there are dead. Death lives in that village, I think.” Our three young men were drinking wine, so they didn’t understand quite clearly what the innkeeper said. They thought that Death really lived not far from that place, and they were very angry with Death killing their friend. They said, “Let’s go and kill Death! Let’ do it before night comes.” “Be careful,” said the innkeeper, “if you meet Death, he will kill you too.” “We are not afraid,” answered the young men. “We shall go and look for Death. And we shall be brothers, and we shall defend each other. And when we find Death, we shall kill him.” With these words they left the inn and went along the road. Soon they met a very old man. They asked him, “Do you know where we can find Death?” “Oh, yes,” replied the old man, “It is not difficult to find Death. Do you see that wood? Go there and you will find him under an old oak.” The young men thanked the old man and went into the wood. Soon they saw a very large old oak. When they came up to the oak, they saw a bag full of gold money under it. They were so glad that they forgot all about Death. They thought only about the gold. “Fine,” said one of them. “Now we shall be very rich. Let’s take this gold to the house of one of us and divide it into three parts. Let’s go! Quick!” “Wait,” said another. “Listen to me. We cannot carry all this gold money now, in the daytime. We shall meet people on the way, and they will ask us questions. They will say, “What are you carrying? Whose gold is it? Where did you get so much gold?” And if we say that we found the money in this wood, they won’t believe us. No, my friends, we cannot go now. We must stay here till night. At night, when it is dark and people are asleep, we can take the gold home and divide it.” “You are right,” said the third. “We must stay here till night. Only it’s a long time to wait, and soon we shall be hungry. Let one of us go to town and buy some wine and something to eat.” So the youngest of them went to town, and the other two remained under the oak with the gold money. When the two of them who stayed there under the oak were sitting and waiting for the third, one of them said, “Look here, I don’t want to divide this gold into three parts, do you? Can’t we divide it into two parts, between you and me?” “Why not?” said the other. “But how can we do it?” “Oh, it’s very simple, you fool! Two are stronger than one. When he comes back, we can easily kill him, that’s all, and all the gold will be ours.” The two young men liked the plan very much and they began to wait for their friend. And what was their friend thinking about at that time? About the gold, of course. He was thinking how good it was to have so much money. “But,” he was saying to himself, “if we divide it into three parts, there won’t be so much! I wish I could have all of it for myself!” He thought and thought, and at last he had an idea. “I shall poison them,” he thought. He knew a man in the town who sold poison to kill rats. He went to that man and bought some poison from him. Then he went and bought some bread and meat, and three bottles of wine. When he left the town, he stopped at a place where nobody could see him, put the poison into two of the bottles of wine, and hurried to the old oak to join his friends. He wanted very much to have all the money for himself. When he reached the oak, the other two were waiting for him with their knives ready, and they killed him at once. They were very glad: the gold was all theirs. They opened the bottles and drank all the wine. Soon they were dead too. This is how the three young men found Death. 2) Make up an outline of the story in writing. 2.33 The Very Fine Clock (BY MURIEL SPARK) 1) Read the text and point out the sentences corresponding to its content: a) Ticky and Professor John liked each other very much. b) Professor John brought Ticky from France where he stood on a beautiful mantelpiece not far from his grandfather that stood on the floor because he was big. c) Professor John had many friends who came to him every Sunday. d) They talked about the universe. e) They all admired Ticky because he was always on time. f) One day the professors offered Ticky to become Professor. g) They said they would all sign the documents. h) Ticky thanked them but declined the offer because the other clocks in the house would not understand him. Once there was a very fine clock whose name was Ticky. His friend, Professor Horace John Morris, had brought Ticky home with him from Switzerland one day, in the winter time, many years ago. Since then Ticky and the professor had become attached to each other very much and they understood each other’s ways. Professor Horace John Morris did not like to be called “Professor Horace”, and so Ticky called him “Professor Morris” for a little while, and later on he called his friend, “Professor John”, which pleased the professor very much. Ticky always stood on a table beside the fireplace, which was his favourite spot. Every night at fourteen minutes past ten, when Professor John had finished writing at his desk, he would come and wind up Ticky and listen to hear if Ticky’s heart was still beating well. Then he would set his wrist watch by Ticky’s time, and, after that, he would set and wind all the other clocks in the house. “You are a very fine clock, Ticky,” he said one night, “You are always on time, and you are never too fast or too slow. In fact, you are the most reliable of all my friends.” “I’m delighted to hear it, Professor John,” Ticky replied, “and I know that my grandfather, who lives in a castle on top of a mountain in Austria, would be very proud if he could hear it too.” “To be perfectly honest, Ticky,” said Professor John, “I do not care for grandfather clocks as a rule. They are so very tall that one can never look into their faces and see what they are thinking. But your grandfather must be a very special clock, as it is always a good thing to have an ancestor who lives in a castle.” Every Thursday night, instead of going to bed after he had wound up all the clocks in the house, Professor John would stay up till midnight to entertain four of his friends, who came to visit him. Their names were: Professor Sturge Baldwin Parker, Professor Norman Bailee, Professor Raymond Offenbach and Professor Maximilian Rosmini. All four professors were as clever and famous as Professor John himself. They were all very agreeable to Ticky, for they knew he was Professor John’s best-loved friend and was also very reliable. Ticky would listen eagerly as the five professors sat talking to each other on Thursday nights. They talked about interesting things like the moon and the stars, and seemed to know so much about them that Ticky could almost believe they had visited all the planets in the sky. One Thursday evening, Professor Norman Bailee, who came from the north, said to Ticky, “You know, Ticky, you are the cleverest of us all because you can tell the exact time without looking at the clock.” All the other professors agreed that this was so. “Not one of us,” said Professor John, “can be quite sure of the time without looking at a clock. We can only make a guess. But Ticky always knows.” He looked admiringly at his friend, Ticky, who stood on the table by his side. (Ticky was a plain, sturdy, wooden clock with a round white face and long black hands.) Ticky thanked the professors warmly for their compliment and said that his grandfather would have been proud to hear it. He added, “I couldn’t keep the time, of course, without the help and care of my friend, Professor John, who winds me up at exactly fourteen minutes past ten every night.” “But,” said Professor Sturge Baldwin Parker, who also came from the north, “if it were not for you, Ticky, how could Professor John be sure when it was fourteen minutes past ten?” Nobody was able to answer this question. The Professor Maximilian Rosmini, who came from the south, said that he had an important suggestion to make. “I suggest,” he said, “that Ticky is as wise as any of us, and so he should be called Professor Ticky. Let us prepare the papers tomorrow. All five of us shall sign our names and make Ticky our new professor.” The other four professors all said this was a splendid idea, and Professor Raymond Offenbach, who came from the north-north-east, clapped his hands and said, “Bravo, Professor Ticky!” Ticky then made a speech. “I’m very happy to hear your suggestion. And I know that my grandfather would be happy too,” he said. “But I am afraid that if I were to become Professor Ticky, I would lose the friendship of all the other clocks in the house. You see, when Professor John goes off in the morning to sit all day in his professor’s chair at the university, and when the rooms have been cleaned and dusted, then all the house is silent except for the sound of the clocks in the other rooms. It is then that we speak to each other and tell all the stories of our lives. Upstairs and downstairs, we give out our tick-tock messages, some in a breathless hurry and some in a sky tremble. The kitchen clock, of course, always lets her tongue run away with her. She is very cheerful, and chatters on a high note. Most of all I like Pepita, the Spanish mother-of-pearl orphan clock in the spare bedroom. I love her especially when her heart misses a beat. Professors, there is an old saying that my grandfather told me: “Heart speaks to heart”. And this is true of us all in this house. And so, my dear Professors, I must decline to be Professor Ticky. My fellow clocks would never feel the same about me. They would think I had become too grand for them to talk to, while I would feel very much left out of their company. Please, do not think me ungrateful.” When the professors had heard this speech of Ticky’s, they all said they admired him more than ever. “Ticky,” said Professor John, “I have always known that you were a very fine clock, and I think even more highly of you now. It is true that the other clocks in the house are not perfect timekeepers like you. But still, it is a noble thing to refuse the title of professor and remain plain Ticky for their sake.” Professor Maximilian Rosmini clapped his hands at this, while the other four professors nodded their heads gravely. Ticky smiled and pointed his hands towards midnight. As the four visitors rose to leave, he mused, “Why, the charming pearly orphan, Pepita, in the spare room, would not know how to say the word “professor.” All she can say is “Ticky, Ticky, Ticky.” All day long she says, “Ticky, Ticky, Ticky,” to me.” 2) Is this fairy tale about the clock? 2.34 Dog Star (BY ARTHUR CLARKE) 1) Do you (your relatives or friends) have a dog? What kind of dog is it? Does it have a pedigree? How long has it been living in the family? Could you say anything about its character? Are you attached to your dog? Is the dog attached to you? If you were the astronomer what would your choice be? 2) Answer the questions on the text: a) What kind of dog the astronomer found by the roadside? b) How did she behave when she became a well-trained dog? c) Why couldn’t he understand her attachment to him? d) Why didn’t the astronomer leave the place of the earthquake without Laika? e) Why wasn’t it possible to take Laika to the Moon? f) How did he come to the decision to go to the Moon? g) Was he happy on the orbit? Why? h) Could you prove by the text that the memory of her still hurt him? When I heard Laika’s frantic barking, my first reaction was annoyance. I turned over in my bed and muttered sleepily, “Shut up, you silly bitch.” That lasted only a fraction of a second; then consciousness returned, and with it fear. Fear of loneliness, and fear of madness. For a moment I didn’t dare open my eyes; I was afraid of what I might see. Reason told me that no dog had ever set foot upon this world, that Laika was separated from me by a quarter of million miles of space –and more of that – five years of time. “You’ve been dreaming,” I told myself angrily. “Stop being a fool, open your eyes! You won’t see anything except the walls.” That was right, of course. The little cabin was empty, the door closed. I was alone with my memories. The sense of loss was so great that I wished to return to sleep. It was well that I didn’t do so, for at that moment sleep would mean death. But I didn’t know this for another five seconds and during that time I was back on the Earth… No one knew Laika’s origin, though the Observatory staff made a few inquiries and gave several advertisements in the newspapers. I found her, a lost and lonely ball of fluff, huddled by the roadside one summer evening when I was driving up to the Observatory. Though I have never loved dogs, it was impossible to leave this helpless little creature to the mercy of the passing cars. When I had parked the car, I inspected my find without enthusiasm. I intended to give the puppy to somebody, but then it whimpered and opened its eyes. There was such an expression of helpless trust in them that… well, I changed my mind. Sometimes I regretted that decision, but never for long. I had no idea how much trouble a growing dog could cause. My cleaning and repair bills rose, I could never be sure of finding an undamaged pair of shoes and an in chewed copy of the astrophysical journal. But finally, Laika became a well-trained dog. She was the only dog that was ever allowed to come into the Observatory. She lay there quietly for hours while I was busy, quite happy if she could hear my voice from time to time. The other astronomers also became fond of her (it was old Dr. Anderson who suggested her name), but from the beginning she was my dog, and obeyed no one else. Not that she always obeyed me. She was a beautiful animal, about 95% Alsatian. It was because of that missing 5%, I think, that her masters had abandoned her. Except for two dark patches over her eyes, she was a smoky grey, and her coat was soft and silky. She was very intelligent, and when I was discussing spectral types of evolution of stars with my colleagues, it was hard to believe that she was not following the conversation. Even now I cannot understand why she became so attached to me, as I have made very few friends among human beings. Yet when I returned to the Observatory after an absence, she would go almost frantic with delight, jumping and putting her paws on my shoulders – which she could reach quite easily – all the time uttering small squeaks of joy which seemed strange for so large a dog. I tried not to leave her for more than a few days and though I couldn’t take her with me on overseas trips, she accompanied me on most of my journeys. She was with me when I went to that ill-fated seminar at Berkley. We were staying with university friends; they obviously didn’t like having a dog in the house but let Laika sleep in the living room. “You needn’t worry about burglars tonight,” I said. “We don’t have any in Berkley,” they answered rather coldly. But in the middle of the night, it seemed that they were wrong. I was awakened by a hysterical barking of Laika. I got up and went to the door to silence Laika before she awoke my hosts, if it was not already too late. She was scratching frantically at the door, pausing from time to time to give that hysterical barking. I went down, opened the door, and she took off into the night like a rocket. It was very quiet and still with the moon struggling to get through the fog. I stood in the morning haze waiting for Laika to come back when the San Francisco earthquake, one of the strongest in the 20th century began. What happened afterwards, I would prefer to forget. The Red Cross didn’t take me away until late the next morning because I refused to leave Laika. As I looked at the destroyed house where were the bodies of my friends, I knew that I owed my life to her; but the helicopter pilots thought I was mad like so many of the others they had found among the fires and the ruin. After that we were never apart for more than a few hours. We went for long walks together over the mountains; it was the happiest time I have ever known. But I knew, though Laika didn’t, how soon it must end. We had been planning the move for more than a decade. It was realized that Earth was no place for an astronomical observatory. Our observatory could still be used for training purposes, but the research had to move out into space. I had to move with it, I had already been offered the post of Deputy Director. In a few months I had to leave. It was quite impossible, of course, to take Laika with me. The only animals on the Moon were those needed for experimental purposes; it must be another generation before pets were allowed, and even then it would cost a lot of money to carry them there – and to keep them alive. The choice was simple. I could stay on Earth and abandon my career. Or I could go to the Moon – and abandon Laika. After all, she was only a dog. In ten years she would be dead, while I should be reaching the peak of my profession. No sensible man would have hesitated over the matter, yet I did hesitate, and if by now you do not understand why, no further words of mine can help. Up to the very week I was to leave I had made no plans for Laika. When Dr. Anderson said he would look after her, I agreed with almost no word of thanks. The old physicist and his wife had always been fond of her, and I am afraid they considered me cruel and heartless. We went for one more walk together over the hills; then I gave her silently to the Andersons, and didn’t see her again. The spaceship was already over the Moon but I took little interest in my work. I was not really sorry to leave Earth; I wanted no recollections, I intended to think only of the future. Yet I could not shake off the feeling of guilt; I had abandoned someone who loved and trusted me, and was no better than those who had abandoned Laika when she was a puppy beside the dusty road. The news that she was dead reached me a month later. Nobody knew why she died. The Andersons had done their best and were very upset. It seemed that she had just lost interest in living. For a while I did the same, but work is a wonderful remedy, and my programme was just getting under way. Though I never forgot Laika, by the course of time the memory of her stopped hurting me. Then why had it come back to me five years later, on the far side of the Moon? I was thinking about it when the metal building around me quivered as if under a heavy blow. I reacted immediately and was already closing the helmet of my emergency suit when the door slipped and the wall tore open in front of me. Because I automatically pressed the General Alarm button we lost only two men despite the fact that the earthquake – the worst ever recorded on the Moon – destroyed all three of our Observatories. The human mind has strange and labyrinthine ways of doing its business; it knew the signal that could most swiftly wake me and make me aware of danger. There is nothing supernatural in that; though one can say it was Laika who woke me on both occasions, during the earthquake in San Francisco and the quake on the far side of the Moon. Sometimes I wake now in the silence of the Moon, and wish that the dream could have lasted a few seconds longer – so that I could look just once more into those luminous brown eyes, full of unselfish understanding love that I have found nowhere else on this or on any other world. 3) Agree or disagree with the following statements: a) The human mind has strange and labyrinthine ways of doing its business. And there is nothing supernatural in that. b) No sensible man would have hesitated over the matter: to abandon career or abandon a dog. c) Work is a wonderful remedy. 4) Make up an outline of it in writing. 2.35 Poetry 1) Read the poems aloud. Does the sound of poetry please you? 2) Translate the poems into Russian. 3) Answer the following questions: a) What is the main idea of the poems? b) What thoughts or feelings do the poems bring to you?
4) Learn the poem you like by heart. It will be always with you then. 5) If you can and would like to, translate the poem you like in verse. 6) Read two examples of students’ translations of the poem “Dust of Snow” (see below) by Robert Frost. Which one do you like more?
UNIT 3 COUNTRYSTUDY 3.1 THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND 1) Read the text and answer the following questions: a) How many constituent countries comprise the United Kingdom? b) What are they? c) Who is the Head of Commonwealth of Nations? d) What is the official language of the United Kingdom? e) How is Britannia, a personification of the UK, symbolized? f) What scientific discoveries were made in the United Kingdom? g) What world-famous writers and poets of the United Kingdom do you know? 2) Say whether the following statements are true or false and justify your answer: a  ) The official name of the country is the United Kingdom.b) The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. c) The UK has the fourth largest GDP in the world. d) The flag of the UK is commonly known as the “Union Jack”. e) The image of the lion is depicted on the back of the 10 pence piece. f) Soccer originated in the United Kingdom. 3) What comes first to your mind when you hear “Great Britain”? The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (usually shortened to the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain) is a country and sovereign state that lies off the northwest coast of mainland Europe. Its territory is primarily situated on the island of Great Britain and in Northern Ireland on the island of Ireland, with additional settlements on numerous smaller islands in the surrounding seas. The United Kingdom is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean and its ancillary bodies of water, including the North Sea, the English Channel, the Celtic Sea, and the Irish Sea. On the island of Ireland, Northern Ireland has a land border with the Republic of Ireland to the South and West. The United Kingdom is a political union made up of four constituent countries: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom also has several overseas territories, including Gibraltar, Saint Helena and the Falkland Islands. The dependencies of the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, while possessions of the Crown and part of the British Isles, are not part of the United Kingdom. A constitutional monarchy, the United Kingdom has close relationships with fifteen other Commonwealth Realms that share the same monarch – Queen Elizabeth II – as Head of state. The United Kingdom is a highly developed country with the fifth largest gross domestic product in the world. It is the third most populous state in the European Union with a population of 60 million and is a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and the United Nations (UN), where it holds a permanent seat on the Security Council. The UK is also one of the world’s major nuclear powers with its own nuclear weapons. After the dismantlement of the British Empire, the United Kingdom retains influence throughout the world because of the extensive use of the English language today as well as through the world-spanning Commonwealth of Nations, headed by the Queen although legally this is a personal role and not the one associated with the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom has no official language. English is the main language and the de facto official language, spoken monolingually by an estimated 95% of the UK population. Symbols of the UK. The national anthem of the UK is “God Save the Queen.” The flag of the United Kingdom is the Union Flag (commonly known as the “Union Jack”). It was created from the superimposition of the flags of England (Saint George’s Cross), Scotland (Saint Andrew’s Cross), and Ireland (Saint Patrick’s Cross). Britannia is a personification of the UK, originating from the Roman occupation of southern and central Great Britain. Britannia is symbolised as a young woman with brown or golden hair, wearing a Corinthian helmet and white robes. She holds Poseidon’s three-pronged trident and a shield, bearing the Union Flag. Sometimes she is depicted as riding the back of a lion. In modern usage, Britannia is often associated with maritime dominance. The lion has also been used as a symbol of the UK; one is depicted behind Britannia on the 50 pence piece and one is shown crowned on the back of the 10 pence piece. It is also used as a symbol on the non-ceremonial flag of the British Army. Lions have been used as heraldic devices many times, including in the royal arms of both the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Kingdom of Gwyneth in Wales. The lion is featured on the emblem of the England national football team. The bulldog is sometimes used as a symbol of Great Britain. Britain (especially England) is also personified as the character John Bull. He is a national personification of Britain, well-intentioned, frustrated, full of common sense, and entirely of native country stock, created by Dr. John Arbuthnot in 1712. Science. The United Kingdom contains some of the world’s leading universities, including the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. It has produced many great scholars, scientists and engineers including Sir Isaac Newton, Adam Smith, Joseph John Thomson, Michael Faraday, Charles Darwin, and Alexander Fleming. The nation is credited with numerous scientific discoveries including gravity, the electron, structure of DNA, antibiotics and inventions including the chronometer, the modern railway, vaccination, television, electric lighting, the electric motor, the modern bicycle, the electronic computer, along with the later development of the World Wide Web. In 2006, it was reported that the UK was the most productive source of research after the United States; with the UK producing 9% of the world’s scientific research papers with a 12% share of citations. Literature. Anglo-Saxon literature includes “Beowulf” which is a national epic. Geoffrey Chaucer is the first great identifiable individual in English literature: his “Canterbury Tales” remains a popular 14th-century work which readers still enjoy today. The English playwright and poet William Shakespeare is arguably the most famous writer in the English language. Other world-famous writers who lived and wrote in the United Kingdom include Daniel Defoe, Sir Walter Scott, Charles Dickens, the Brontë sisters, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Henry Fielding, Virginia Woolf, D. H. Lawrence, Graham Greene, and others. Important poets include John Milton, Robert Burns, Lord Byron, Rudyard Kipling, Lord Tennyson, T. S. Eliot, R. S. Thomas, Wilfred Owen, and others. Sport in the UK. A number of major sports originated in the United Kingdom, including association football (football, or soccer), rugby football (rugby), golf, cricket, and boxing. Tennis originated in the UK, too. The Wimbledon Championships Grand Slam tournament is held in London every July. 4) Which of the following summaries renders the content of the text more adequately? a) The text deals with the description of the country located on the island of Great Britain and the northern part of the island of Ireland. It gives the information of its geographical position, political structure, economy, culture, scientific contribution, and the symbols which personify the country to the world. It also points out the role of Britain in the Commonwealth of Nations and the two most important organizations in Europe and the world, the NATO and the UNO. b) This text is about one of the countries with one of the most highly developed economies in the world, the UK. It points out the political, economic and cultural role of this country in the world. Special attention is paid to English which is the official language in the UK and fifteen other countries of the Commonwealth all over the world. A short account of the history of the English language helps to understand its uniting role in the Commonwealth. 3.2 The queen 1) Who is the Queen of Great Britain? What is her role in the country? Have you seen any films or read books about the Queen? 2) Read the text and answer the following questions: a) What does an “executive monarch” mean? b) What does a “constitutional monarch” mean? c) What monarch is the Queen of Great Britain? d) Does the Queen play an important political role? Justify your answer. e) Except carrying out constitutional functions, what is the other important role of the Queen? f) How would you characterize the Queen’s and her family members’ visits to other countries? g) What are the daily duties of the Queen? h) Could you give examples of her ceremonial roles? i) What are fairly recent ceremonial traditions associated with the Queen? j) What role of the Queen do you consider the most important one? Until the end of the 17th century, British monarchs were executive monarchs – that is, they had the right to make and pass legislation. Since the beginning of the 18th century, the monarch has become a constitutional monarch, which means that he or she is bound by rules and conventions and remains politically impartial. On almost all matters he or she acts on the advice of ministers. While acting constitutionally, the Sovereign retains an important political role as Head of State, formally appointing Prime Ministers, approving certain legislation and bestowing honours. The Queen Elisabeth has important roles to play in other organisations, including the Armed Forces and the Church of England. The Queen was born in London on 21 April 1926, the first child of The Duke and Duchess of York, subsequently King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. Five weeks later she was christened Elizabeth Alexandra Mary in the chapel at Buckingham Palace. The Queen is the United Kingdom’s Head of State. As well as carrying out significant constitutional functions, The Queen also acts as a focus for national unity, presiding at ceremonial occasions, visiting local communities and representing Britain around the world. The Queen is also Head of the Commonwealth. During her reign she has visited all the Commonwealth countries, going on “walkabouts” to gain direct contact with people. The Queen is not only Queen of the United Kingdom, but Head of the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 54 independent countries. Most of these countries have progressed from British rule to independent self-government, and the Commonwealth now serves to foster international co-operation and trade links between people all over the world. The Queen is also Queen of a number of Commonwealth realms, including Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Visits to all kind of places throughout the United Kingdom, Commonwealth and overseas is an important part of the work of The Queen and of the members of the Royal family. It allows members of the Royal family to meet people from all walks of life and backgrounds, to celebrate local and national achievements and to strengthen friendships between different countries. Many of the visits are connected to charities and other organizations with which members of the Royal family are associated. In other cases, royal visits help to celebrate historic occasions in the life of a region or nation. All visits are carefully planned to ensure that as many people as possible have the opportunity to see or meet members of the Royal family. The colourful ceremonies and traditions associated with the British Monarchy are rich in history and meaning and fascinating to watch. In some, the Queen takes part in person. In others – such as Guard Mounting or Swan Upping – the ceremony is performed in the Queen’s name. Many of the ceremonies take place on a regular basis – every year or even every day – which means that British people and visitors to London and other parts of the United Kingdom may have an opportunity to see some of these interesting events take place. The Queen has many different duties to perform every day. Some are familiar public duties, such as Investitures, ceremonies, receptions or visits within the United Kingdom or abroad. Away from the cameras, however, the Queen’s work goes on. It includes reading letters from the public, official papers and briefing notes; audiences with political ministers or ambassadors; and meetings with her Private Secretaries to discuss her future diary plans. No two days are ever the same and The Queen must remain prepared throughout. The Queen has many ceremonial roles. Some – such as the State Opening of Parliament, Audiences with new ambassadors and the presentation of decorations at Investitures – relate to The Queen’s role as Head of State. Others – such as the presentation of Maundy money and the hosting of garden parties – are historical ceremonies in which kings and queens have taken part for decades or even centuries. In addition to the events in which the Queen takes part, there are many other ceremonies and traditions associated with the British Monarchy. Some of these have military associations, involving troops from the present Armed Forces as well as the members of the historical royal bodyguard, the Yeomen of the Guard. Others are traditions which are less well known than the colourful pageantry but are interesting in their own right. Some – such as the customary broadcasts by the Sovereign on Christmas Day and Commonwealth Day – are fairly recent in origin, but have rapidly become familiar and popular traditions. Since 1917, the Sovereign has sent congratulatory messages to those celebrating their 100th and 105th birthday and every year thereafter, and to those celebrating their Diamond Wedding (60th), 65th, 70th wedding anniversaries and every year thereafter. For many people, receiving a message from the Queen on these anniversaries is a very special moment. For data privacy reasons, there is no automatic alert from government records for wedding anniversaries. The Department for Work and Pensions informs the Anniversaries Office of birthdays for recipients of UK State pensions. However, to ensure that a message is sent for birthdays and wedding anniversaries alike, an application needs to be made by a relative or friend in advance of the special day. The Queen’s congratulatory messages consist of a card containing a personalised message with a facsimile signature. The card comes in a special envelope, which is delivered through the normal postal channels. There are four sources of funding of the Queen (or officials of the Royal Household acting on her behalf). The Civil List meets official expenditure relating to the Queen’s duties as Head of State and Head of the Commonwealth. Grants-in-Aid from Parliament provide upkeep of the Royal Palaces and for Royal travel. The Privy Purse is traditional income for the Sovereign’s public and private use. Her Majesty’s personal income meets entirely private expenditure. The Queen pays tax on her personal income and capital gains. The Civil List and the Grants-in-Aid are not taxed because they cover official expenditure. The Privy Purse is fully taxable, subject to a deduction for official expenditure. When a sovereign dies, or abdicates, a successor is immediately decided according to rules which were laid down at the end of the seventeenth century. The coronation of a new sovereign is a ceremony of great pageantry and celebration that has remained essentially the same for over a thousand years. As well as explaining accession, succession and coronation, this section looks at the titles which have been held by different members of the Royal Family throughout history. 3) Agree or disagree with the following statements and justify your point of view: a) the Queen pays taxes on her personal income, b) the source of funding of the Queen is the Treasury, c) many visits of the Queen to other countries are connected with charities, d) all the visits of the Queen to other countries are carefully planned, e) the Queen takes part in all the ceremonies in person, f) the Queen reigns but does not rule. 4) Among the following headings choose the most suitable for this text: a) THE QUEEN ELIZABETH II; b) THE CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCH OF GREAT BRITAIN; c) THE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ROLES OF THE BRITISH SOVEREIGN. |