Британия
презентация к уроку по английскому языку на тему

1. Introduction (Britain and the British).

2. The History of Great Britain.

3. Geography and climate (regions).

4. British nation.

5. Ceremonies and Sights.

Amazing Britain

WHAT DO WE THINK OF SPEAKING ABOUT BRITAIN?

You know that there are some interesting words that are refered to England. And if we hear or if we say the words, for example "Britannia" and "Albion", we think about one and the same thing - about the country to the North of Europe - the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Nothern Ireland. You know that the UK is the official name of the country and we don't normaly use it speaking about this country. More often we hear other names, for example Britain, England. Despite these ones there are some special, abovementioned terms that are connected with the country. So what do these words mean?

These words "Albion" and "Britannia" are the Roman names for Britain. Albion - is a word used in same poetic context to refer to England. It is supposed to come from the Latin word "Albus" that means "white". The white chalk cliffs around Dover* on the south coast are the first part of England to be seen when crossing the sea from the European mainland.

As for the word "Britannia", It was given by Romans to their southern British province (which covered the territory of present-day England). It is also the name of the female embodiment of Britain. It is always shown wearing a helmet and holding a trident (the symbol of power over the sea), therefore the patriotic song begins "Rule Britannia, Britannia rale the waves". The figure of Britannia has been on the reverse side of many British coins for more than 300 years.

So, you see, when you speak about Britain, you can use different names but still these words are connected with one and the same country.

There are many countries and there is a big difference between them. Each country is recognized on the maps, in the encyclopedias, on TV. We can use these ways to see the country as a whole, but if you want to know about the country better, It would be interesting to you to find out about its symbols and tokens. There are unique in every country but they are not random. They always are connected with the history of the country and its present life. These national emblems are the rose, the thistle, the leek and the shamrock.

The red rose was the emblem of the Lancastians, the white rose that of the Yorkists, the two contending Houses for the English throne in the war of Roses (1455-1485). The struggle between the Roses came to an end with the marriage of Henry VII ,a Lancastrian, to Princess Elizabeth, daughter of Edward IV, a Yorkist. Since then the red rose has been the national emblem of England.

St. Jeorge the Martyr - is the patron saint of England and his cross is the symbol of England and the church of England. The Thistle.

This is how, according to legend it happened.

In very ancient times the Norsemen landed on the cost of Scotland. The Scots assembled with their arms to protect their land behind the river Tay. They were tired after a long march and rested expecting the enemy before the next day. But the Norsemen crossed the river intending to take the Scots by surprise. They took off their shoes to make little noise. But one of them stepped on a thistle. The sudden pain caused him to shriek. The Scots woke up and won the victory.

*Dover - the city in the south of England. Patron Saint.

The leek or a Daffodils are the symbols of St. David's Day. They believed that St. David, saint patron of Wales lived for several years on bread and wild leeks. They believe that daffodils flower on that day.

The Shamrock - is the symbol of St. Patrick's Day. It is worn in the memory of St. Patrick, Ireland's patron saint. He used a small green shamrock as an illustration of the mistery when preaching the doctrine of the Trinity to the pagan Irish. The national flag is called Union Flag ,or Union Jack.

It combines the St. Jeorge's cross of England, St. Andrew's cross of Scotland, St. Patrick's cross of Ireland. Union symbolizes the union of Scotland and England in 1606, while "Jack" refers to the flag by which a ship shows its nationality. You can see two animals on British royal coat of arms. One of them is the Lion . The king of beast has been used as a symbol of national strength and of the British monarchy for many centuries. The other is the Unicorn , it is a mythical animal that looks like a horse with a long straight horn growing from its forehead and is a symbol of purity.

If we want to give characteristics to the English, we'll call them: they are reserved, they do not show much emotion even in tragic situations and they are modest, they have good ability to laugh at their own faults, humor is highly prized. If we speak of specifically English we must mention their love for gardening, pubs and the game of darts.

Scots are often annoyed when you call them Englishmen. A lot of them have family names begin with Mac or Mc - McDonald, McMillan, McGregor. They belong to family clans which have special tartan, they wear traditional clothes with pleasure, they like to dance and they are hardworking.

Welsh people are sometimes pugnacious, they like rugby and sing beautiful Welsh songs.

The Irish are considered to be very witty, jovial and sociable people, always mocking at everything ridiculous and absurd.

But all the British are self-disciplined, they never dispute do not rush for seats in buses and trains. They are naturally polite, never tired of saying "Thank you", "I'm sorry".

They do not like any boasting or showing off in manners, dress or speech, they help their wives at home in many ways.

What do we think of speaking about geography and climate?

If we hear "England is a country of the foggy Albion our popular belief is that it has the image of a wet, foggy land. But actually this image is not quite true. And what is British climate like? Englishmen often say that they donvt have climate, they have only weather. It means that it may not rain very much altogether, but you can never be sure of a dry day.

There is a special feature of atmospheric condition in Britain. This is the word which is used to describe a mixture of smoke and fog, which is named as "Smog".

The biggest cities of Britain are suffering this atmospheric condition.

So, you can see that there ate many distinctive features of climate in Britain.

English language also shows us that there are many sayings and proverbs about the weather of this country. And each saying brings an interesting act or story of its origin. For example, when Englishmen say "Its raining cats and dogs" they mean that it pours with rain. And there is a story, which is connected with these words. In distant times, people thought that witches could turn themselves into cats and ride across stormy skies on there broomsticks, cats were thought to be a big influence on the weather. The dog was the servant of the Norse storm god, Odin, and represented the wind. So, cats and dogs mean the wind and the rain.

Fact-File:

Full name: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Area: 244,100 sq.km. Population: 56 mln. Capital: London (6-7mln)

Main Industries: Invisible exports - shipping, insurance, aviation, tourism, electronics, telecommunications equipment, aircraft engines, new drugs etc.

ENGLAND

Fact-file: Area:

Population: 46 mln

Capital: London

Main Cities: Manchester,

Liverpool

Language: English.

Nothern Ireland

Fact-File:

Area: 70,300 sq.km. Population: 3,7 mln Capital: Dublin Main Cities: Dublin, Cork.

Scotland

Fact-file:

Area: 79,000 sq.km Population: 5 mln. people Capital: Edinburgh Main cities: Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee. Languages: English, Scottish, Gaelic.

Wales

Fact-File:

Area: 8,006 sq.miles

Population: 2,8 mln.people

Capital: Cardiff (280,000)

Main Cities: Milford, Hayen, Swanseen.

Languages: English, The Welsh.

What do we think of speaking about English nation?

Societies change over time while their reputations lag behind. There are many things that are considered to be typically British. We can find it in books, songs or plays, which were written a long time ago and which are no longer representative of modern life. One example of this is the popular belief that Britain is a "land of traditions". Traditions form the mentality of every nation.

English people keep their traditions very carefully. Because of what they are reputed to be cold, superior, snoblish, aloof and conservative. This characteristics have been noted by people from all over the world. But what are the Englishmen like? Are they any kind of "dandy" as we know them from Pushkin's "Eugeune Onegin" or may be are quite different nowadays?

The ordinary Briton was seen to be friendly and sociable.

Englishmen are also very conservative. They don4 consider any changes to be good in their lives This conservatism may be illustrated by reference to the public attitude to the monarchy. The Englishmen are proud of the thing they saved, this is the monarchy, which is held in affection and reverence by all English people. One of the deeply-rooted traditions, it is the tradition that is connected with the devotion of the English to animals. Animals are protected by law. There are special dogs' cemeteries. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was founded half a century before its counterpart for the prevention of cruelty to children. Perhaps this overall concern for animals is part of the British love of nature. Most of the British live in towns and cities but most of all they like to spend their time in countryside. To them, the countryside means peace and quite, beauty, good health. Most of the British would like to live in a village that in the city. Perhaps this love of the countryside is another aspect of British conservatism. The countryside represents stability. Even if Englishmen can't go to the countryside, they spend a lot of time with "nature". They grow plants. Gardening is one of the most popular hobbies in the country. Almost everybody in Britain dreams of living in a detached house. The saying "An Englishman's home is his castle" is well known. It illustrates the desire for privacy and the importance attached to ownership which seems to be at the heart of the British attitude to housing. Not every Englishman can afford himself to live in a detached house. Most of them would like to live in a cottage of course with a fireplace a shelf above it with a clock or framed photographs. Flats are the cheapest kind of home in Britain. And most people try to avoid living in block of flats. The dislike of living in flats is very strong. The people who live in them are those who can't afford to live anywhere else. There is a saying which is good to characterize British food. George Mikes said: " On the continent people have good food ; in England people have good table manners." The most prevalent opinion of the people all over the world is that British food is terrible. There are some reasons of that. First, it is that British tastes are different from everybody else's. However, most of people are convinced that British food has a strange, unpleasant taste. The second reason is that many visitors to Britain don't like to taste a home cooking and prefer to eat out in cheap restaurants and cafes. And these places are not the best to find a good British food.According to British people food should be eaten hot. In addition, the British have not got into the habit of preparing sauces with grilled food in order to make it tastier. Englishpeolpe are not interested much in quality of food, because most of people just want to eat up quickly.The attitude to alcohol in Britain is different. On the one hand it is accepted as a part of British culture. The local pubs play an important role in it. Most of pubs are for the drinking of beer and spirits. People who go often to the pub are regarded as "regulars".On the other hand, there is another point of view that drinking is dangerous and should be restricted.

As it was abovementioned pubs play an important role in Britain. The pub is the only indoor place where the person can comfortably meet others and get into conversation with them. There is a special feature of pubs, it is that they are classless.

There was a time when it was unusual for women to go to pubs, but nowadays only a few pubs exist where women can't walk in.

What do we think of speaking about specifically British ceremonies and sights?

If you ask a man, who knows something about Britain "What are the symbols, the things which can be regarded the identify cards of Britain." I think he will mention the following.

1. A double-decker bus. They first came into the streets in 1829. They say they were imported from Paris. Traditionally they are red.

2. English gardening. Every family tries to have a nearly kept patch of grass surrounded by a great variety of flowers and shrubs. Many families have their patches in "Allotments" . Different exhibitions of good gardeners are very popular.

3. A fireplace in English homes, the fireplaces has always been the natural center of interest in a room. Above the fire there is usually a shelf on which there is a clock or framed photographs.

4. A pub - short for public house. They are unique. Here persons can meet each other. There are some specific features of pubs (they have no waiter service . You fetch drinks yourself. It has "home from home atmosphere". Every pub has its name, a sign hanging outside (e.g. The Duke of Cambridge). Nearly all pubs are owned by a brewery.

5. English tea. Today the British drink more tea than any other nation. An average 1650 cups of a year. They drink "morning" and "afternoon" tea , high tea and evening tea. They first tasted tea in about 1650. Tea making in England is an art.

Now about famous British ceremonies.

1. Shakespeare's Birthday Ceremony. It takes place in Stratford-upon-Avon on the 23rd of April (Shakespeare was born and died on the same day , St. George's Day). Flags of many nations are over the town of this day. Tourists and guests visit Shakespeare's house, his theatre.

2. Robert Burn's Night (25th of January) is celebrated by Scotsmen all over the world. They prepare traditional Scottish menu (haggis, cock-a-leekie). They wear traditional dress, play bagpipes, sing Auld Lang Song.

3. The Welsh Eisteddfod (is held annually early in August). It attracts Welsh people from all over the world. The program includes male and mixed choirs, brass-band concerts, drama, arts and crafts and the ceremony of Crowning the Bard.

4. London May Queen Festival (on the second Saturday in May) takes place near Bromley, Kent. As many as 40 May Queens from different parts of the country in

Calendar of special occasions

New Year's Day (1 January) 2 January is also a public holiday in Scotland.

St Valentine's Day (14 February)

Shrove Tuesday (Forty-seven days before Easter)

St Patrick's Day (17 March) This is a public holiday in Northern Ireland.

Mother's Day (The fourth Sunday in Lent)

?40 million worth of flowers are bought for this day. Cards are also sent.

April Fools' Day (1 April) It is traditional for people to play tricks or practical jokes on each other on this day. Children are the most enthusiastic about this custom, but even the BBC and serious newspapers sometimes have 'joke' (i.e. not genuine) features on this day.

Good Friday

The strange name in English for the day commemorating Christ's crucifixion. Easter Monday (The day after Easter Sunday)

May Day (The first Monday in May) In Britain this day is associated more with ancient folklore than with the workers. In some villages the custom of dancing round the maypole is acted out.

Spring Bank Holiday (The last Monday in May) There used to be a holiday on 'Whit Monday' celebrating the Christian feast of Pentecost. Because this is seven weeks after Easter, the date varied. This fixed holiday has replaced it.

Father's Day (The third Sunday in June)

This  is probably just a commercial invention — and not a very successful one either. Millions of British fathers don't even know they have a special day.

Queen's Official Birthday (The second or third Saturday in June) It is 'official' because it is not her real one. Certain public ceremonies are performed on this day.

Orangemen's Day (12 July) This is a public holiday in Northern Ireland only. In this way, the holiday associated with the Catholic part of the community (St Patrick's Day) is balanced by one associated with the other part, the Protestants . Summer Bank Holiday (The last Monday in August) Hallowe'en (31 October) This is the day before All Saints' Day in the Christian calendar, and is associated with the supernatural. Some people Hold Hallowe'en parties, which are fancy-dress parties (people dress up as witches, ghosts etc.). However, this day is observed much more energetically in the USA than it is in Britain.

Guy Fawkes' Day (5 November) Remembrance Sunday (Second Sunday in November) This day commemorates the dead of both World Wars and of more recent conflicts. On and before this day, money is collected in the street on behalf of charities for ex-servicemen and women. The people who donate money are given paper poppies to pin to their clothes. No politician would be seen on this day without a poppy!

Christinas Eve (24 December)

Christmas Day (25 December)

Boxing Day (26 December) Explanations for the origin of this name vary. One is that itt was the day on which landowners and householders would present their tenants and servants with gifts (in boxes), another is that itt was the day on which the collecting boxes in churches were opened and the contents distributed to the poor.

New Year's Eve (31 December)

Places of Interest:

I want only to name the places of interest which also symbolize Britain, its capital -London.

Westminster Abbey - the place of all coronation, many royal tombs, memorials to eminent men and women.

The Houses of Parliament with a famous St. Stephan's Tower and a Big Ben.

Buckingham Palace - the Queen's official residence.

St. Paul's Cathedral with its famous Whispering Gallery.

Westminster Bridge, The Tower of London, Trafalgar Square with its Nelson

Column.