СБОРНИК ДИДАКТИЧЕСКОГО МАТЕРИАЛА ПО АНГЛИЙСКОМУ ЯЗЫКУ ПО ТЕМЕ «Родная страна и страны изучаемого языка» для 8-9 классов
учебно-методический материал по английскому языку (8, 9 класс)

КРАСНОДАРСКИЙ КРАЙ

МУНИЦИПАЛЬНОЕ ОБРАЗОВАНИЕ ПРИМОРСКО-АХТАРСКИЙ РАЙОН

МУНИЦИПАЛЬНОЕ АВТОНОМНОЕ

ОБЩЕОБРАЗОВАТЕЛЬНОЕ УЧРЕЖДЕНИЕ

СРЕДНЯЯ ОБЩЕОБРАЗОВАТЕЛЬНАЯ ШКОЛА № 22 ИМЕНИ ГЕРОЯ РОССИИ В.Е. ЕДАМЕНКО

СБОРНИК ДИДАКТИЧЕСКОГО МАТЕРИАЛА

ПО АНГЛИЙСКОМУ ЯЗЫКУ ПО ТЕМЕ

«Родная страна и страны изучаемого языка»

для 8-9 классов

АВТОР-СОСТАВИТЕЛЬ:

Мачеха Анна Евгениевна

УЧИТЕЛЬ АНГЛИЙСКОГО ЯЗЫКА

г. ПРИМОРСКО-АХТАРСК, 2025

Содержание

Пояснительная записка 3

Part I. The Russian Federation 4

Travelling

Vocabulary Exercises

Grammar Exercises

Speaking Exercises

Russia 7

Understanding the text

Vocabulary Exercises

Moscow 9

Vocabulary Exercises

The Kremlin 11

Vocabulary Exercises

Speaking Exercises

Test to Part I 13

Part II. Great Britain 14

Great Britain

Vocabulary Exercises

London 16

Vocabulary Exercises

From the History of London 18

Understanding the text

The Tower 19

Understanding the text

Test to Part II 20

Part III. The USA 21

The United States of America

Understanding the text

Washington 23

Understanding the text

Final Test 24

Список использованной литературы 25

Пояснительная записка

Сборник содержит тексты, посвященные истории, географии, культуре нашей страны и англоязычных стран, таких как Великобритания и США. В сборник вошли тексты о географии, истории, особенностях характера и традициях России, Великобритании и США.

1. При работе с текстами рекомендуем обращать внимание на слова, выделенные жирным шрифтом. Это наиболее интересная и полезная лексика, которую рекомендуется запомнить для успешного выполнения заданий к текстам. Значение этих слов уже приведено после каждого текста. Для перевода других незнакомых слов можно воспользоваться англо-русским словарем.

2. Тексты сопровождаются лексико-грамматическими упражнениями тестового характера, обозначенными соответственно как Vocabulary Exercises и Grammar Exercises и заданиями на развитие разговорных навыков (Speaking Exercises). Поскольку тексты содержат много общекультурной, географической, страноведческой и исторической информации, для проверки её усвоения данный сборник включает задания на понимание прочитанного (Understanding the text), проверить себя можно с помощью тестов после соответствующих разделов и итогового теста (Final test).

3. Тексты в сборнике не связаны хронологической последовательностью, поэтому могут изучаться в произвольном порядке. После изучения текстов и выполнения всех заданий каждого из трех разделов пособия можно выполнить тест для самоконтроля. Для успешного выполнения итогового теста (Final test), необходимо проработать все три раздела сборника.

Работа с заданиями сборника способствует развитию коммуникативной компетенции обучающихся в единстве таких её составляющих, как:

речевая компетенция – развитие коммуникативных умений в чтении;

языковая компетенция – освоение знаний о языковых явлениях изучаемого языка, разных способах выражения мысли в родном и иностранном языках;

социокультурная (межкультурная) компетенция – приобщение к культуре, традициям стран (страны) изучаемого языка в рамках тем и ситуаций общения, отвечающих опыту, интересам, психологическим особенностям обучающихся, формирование умения представлять свою страну, её культуру в условиях межкультурного общения;

компенсаторная компетенция – развитие умений выходить из положения в условиях дефицита языковых средств при получении и передаче информации.

Part I. THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

TRAVELLING

Almost all people like travelling. Thousands of people travel every day either on business or for pleasure. Making trips we can see new places, other towns and countries. There are various means of travelling. We can travel by road, by train, by air or by sea.

As for me, there is nothing like travelling by air – it is more comfortable, more convenient and, of course, far quicker than any other means of travelling. There is no dust and dirt of a railway or car journey or troubles with changing from one train to another train. But this way is the most expensive, too.

Travelling by train is slower than travelling by plane, but it is less expensive. You can see many interesting places of the country through the window. Modern trains have more comfortable seats. There are also sleeping cars and dining cars that make even the longest journey more pleasant. If you are hungry, you can have a meal in the dining car, and if a journey is long you can have a comfortable bed in a sleeper. Speed, comfort and safety are the main advantages of trains and planes. That is why many people prefer them to all other kinds of travelling.

Travelling by ship is not very popular now. Because it has become very expensive and not many people can afford it. Nevertheless, some tourists make voyages on large ships to foreign countries. It is very pleasant to feel the deck of the ship under your feet, to see the rise and fall of waves, to feel the fresh sea wind blowing in your face. The trips on the Volga, the Don and the Black Sea are also very popular today.

Many people prefer travelling by car. It is very convenient because you don't buy tickets. And it is interesting too, because you can see many places in a short time, you can stop when and where you like, and spend as much time as you like at any place.

either … or … - или … или...

speed - скорость

trip — поездка, короткое путешествие

advantage - преимущество

various means — разные способы

kind — сорт, вид, разновидность

quick — быстрый

afford — позволять себе

dust — пыль

nevertheless — тем не менее

dirt — грязь

voyage — путешествие (по воде)

railway — железная дорога

spend time — проводить время

journey - путешествие

expensive - дорогой

slow - медленный

sleeping car — спальный вагон

dining car - вагон-ресторан

Vocabulary Exercises

1. Find and underline the following words and phrases in the Найдите и подчеркните в тексте следующие слова и фразы:

путешествовать по делам, совершать поездки, разные способы путешествия, удобный, пересадка с поезда на поезд, современные поезда, приятный, скорость, безопасность, позволять себе, чувствовать палубу корабля под ногами, волны, свежий морской ветер, Черное море, предпочитать путешествие на машине, покупать билеты, увидеть много мест за короткое время.

2. Find in the text and write out all the adjectives used to describe different kinds of travelling. / Найдите в тексте и выпишите все прилагательные, используемые для описания разных видов путешествий.

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Grammar Exercises

Find in the text the following phrases / Найдите в тексте следующие фразы:

Путешествие поездом медленнее, чем путешествие на самолете.

Современные поезда имеют более удобные сиденья.

Pay attention to the degrees of comparison of adjectives used in these sentences. /

Обратите внимание на степени сравнения прилагательных, использованные в этих предложениях.

1. Find other forms of degrees of comparison used in the text and write them

Найдите другие формы степеней сравнения, использованные в тексте, и выпишите их.

Example: more comfortable,_______________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

2. Use a suitable degree of comparison of adjectives in brackets. /

Используйте подходящую степень сравнения прилагательных в скобках.

1. Travelling by plane is ____________________________ (expensive) than travelling by train.

2. ____________________ (quick) way of travelling is by plane.

3. Train journeys are ________________________ (popular) than voyages nowadays.

4. Travelling by car is ______________________ (interesting) than travelling by plain.

5. For me __________________ (good) journey is by train.

3. Think up and write down in English four or five more sentences comparing different kinds of travelling. / Придумайте и напишите по-английски 4-5 предложений, сравнивающих разные виды путешествий.

1. ___________________________________________________________________

2. _________________________________________________________________________

3. _________________________________________________________________________

4. _________________________________________________________________________

5. _________________________________________________________________________

Speaking exercises

1. Make up sentences about ways of travelling using the

Составьте предложения о видах путешествий, используя таблицу.

2. Choose your favourite way of travelling and speak about

Выберите ваш любимый способ путешествия и расскажите о нем.

RUSSIA

I live in Russia. Russia is my native country. The Russian Federation is the largest country in the world. It occupies one seventh of the Earth's surface. It is situated both in Europe and Asia. The total area is about 17 million square kilometres. The country is washed by 12 seas and 3 oceans: the Pacific, the Arctic and the Atlantic oceans. Our neighbours in the South are China, Mongolia, Korea, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Azerbaijan. In the west we have borders with Norway, Finland, Belarus and the Ukraine. There is no country in the world like Russia, with the steppes in the south, plains and forests in the midland, tundra and taiga in the north, highlands and deserts in the east. There is a great number of rivers in Russia. The Volga, the longest in Europe river, flows into the Caspian Sea. The main Siberian rivers – the Ob', the Yenisey and the Lena flow from the south to the north. The Amur in the Far East flows into the Pacific ocean. The deepest lake in the world is Baikal. The water in the lake is so clear, that you can see the stones on the bottom.

Because of the vast territory there are various types of climate in the country. The climate varies greatly in different regions.

Russia is very rich in oil, coal, iron ore, natural gas, copper, nickel and other mineral resources.

Russia is a parliamentary republic with strong power of the President who is the head of the state. The State Duma and the Council of Federation are the legislative branch of the government.

The capital of Russia is Moscow. It is the largest political, cultural and industrial centre. It is one of the oldest Russian cities.

The national banner of Russia is a tricolor with white, blue and red stripes.

native country – страна рождения, Родина

to occupy – занимать (территорию)

surface - поверхность

highlands - возвышенность

vast - обширный

copper - медь

legislative branch – законодательная ветвь (власти)

national banner – государственный флаг

stripes - полосы

Understanding the Text

1. Write short answers to the Напишите короткие ответы на вопросы.

1. What is the size of Russia? _____________________________________
2. What oceans is Russia washed by? ________________________________
3. What are the neighbouring countries of Russia? ______________________
4. What are the main rivers of Russia? ________________________________
5. What natural resources is Russia rich in? ____________________________

2. Circle the correct variant to continue the Обведите правильный вариант продолжения предложения.

1. Russia has the total area of ...

a) 17 km.

b) 17 mln. km.

c) 17 mln. km2.

2. Russia is washed by the Pacific, the Atlantic and ...

a) the Indian ocean

b) the Arctic ocean

c) the English Channel

3. In the west we have borders with Norway, Finland, Belarus and …

a) the Ukraine.

b) France.

c) Kazakhstan.

4. The State Duma and the Council of Federation are the legislative branch of the …

a) country.

b) state.

c) government.

Vocabulary Exercises

1. Underline in the text the English equivalents for the words and

Подчеркните в тексте английские эквиваленты следующих слов и фраз.

занимать поверхность, располагаться, общая территория, Тихий океан, Северный Ледовитый океан, соседи, степь, равнина, лес, пустыня, восток, течь с юга на север, главные реки, самое глубокое озеро, камни, дно, обширная территория, тип климата, сильно варьироваться (отличаться), нефть, уголь, железо, сильная власть, глава государства, правительство, промышленный центр.

2. Complete the sentences. / Заполните пропуски в предложениях.

1. Russia is my _____________country.

2. Russia occupies one _____________ of the Earth's surface.

3. The total area is about 17 million ____________ kilometres.

4. In the _________ Russia borders with Norway, Finland, Belarus and the Ukraine and in the ______________ our neighbours are China, Mongolia, Korea, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Azerbaijan.

5. The deepest lake in the world is _______________ .

6. The climate in Russia ______________ greatly in different regions.

7. The President is the ________________ of the Russian Federation.

8. The _________________ of Russia is Moscow.

9. Moscow is one of the oldest Russian ______________ .

MOSCOW

Moscow, the capital of Russia, is one of the largest cities in the world. It was founded in 1147 by the prince Yuri Dolgoruky. It stands on the banks of the Moskva river. About eight million people live in the city. Moscow is famous for its historical and architectural monuments that were built by outstanding architects.

The Red Square is the central and the most beautiful square in Moscow. It is the place of parades, meetings and demonstrations. There is a Cathedral of St. Basil built in 1552. It is a masterpiece of Russian architecture. The heart of Moscow is the Kremlin. There is a wonderful architectural ensemble with 3 cathedrals, the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, palaces, fortress walls and 20 towers. The most famous of the towers is the Spasskaya Tower with a big clock. The Kremlin with golden domes and towers makes a strong impression on tourists.

Several skyscrapers decorate Moscow, including Moscow University and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Moscow is a scientific and cultural centre with a lot of institutes, universities, libraries, museums. The city leads a vast cultural life. It has a lot of cinemas, clubs, concert halls, more than 40 drama and musical theatres, including the Bolshoi Theatre, the Art Theatre, the Maly Theatre, the Vakhtangov Theatre.

Moscovites are proud of their museums: the Tretyakov Gallery, Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts and many literary museums. Crowds of people visit Tretyakov Gallery, admiring beautiful pictures of Russian painters. There are a lot of stadiums, swimming pools, courts and sports grounds in Moscow.

There are a lot of big plants and factories in Moscow that produce cars, lorries, home electrical appliances and so on.

capital – столица

fortress - крепость

prince – князь

the Bell Tower - колокольня

bank – берег

dome - купол

monument – памятник

skyscraper - небоскреб

outstanding – выдающийся

vast - обширный

architect – архитектор

scientific - научный

cathedral – собор

masterpiece – шедевр

palace – дворец

the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – министерство иностранных дел

Vocabulary Exercises

1. Find the following words and phrases in the text, write them out and learn./ Найдите следующие слова и фразы в тексте, выпишите их и выучите.

Столица, мир, основывать, берег, памятник, выдающийся архитектор, площадь, собор, шедевр, колокольня, дворец, крепость, производить впечатление на туристов, небоскреб, украшать, научный, москвичи гордятся своими музеями, толпы людей, восхищаться, электрическая бытовая техника.

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

2. Match the words to make phrases used in the text./ Соедините слова, чтобы получились словосочетания из текста.

3. Write down English names for Moscow sights. Pay attention to the article “the” where it is used. / Напишите английские названия достопримечательностей Москвы. Обратите внимание на определенный артикль «the» там, где он используется:

Москва-река ________________________________________________________

Красная площадь ____________________________________________________

Собор Василия Блаженного ___________________________________________

Кремль _____________________________________________________________

Колокольня Ивана Великого ___________________________________________

Спасская башня ______________________________________________________

Министерство иностранных дел ________________________________________

Большой/Малый театр ________________________________________________

Третьяковская галерея ________________________________________________

Музей изобразительных искусств им. А. С. Пушкина ______________________

THE KREMLIN

The Kremlin is the heart of Moscow. It is the oldest historical and architectural centre of Moscow.

First it was a wooden fortress. Under Dmitry Donskoy the Kremlin was built of white stone. During the reign of Ivan III the walls of white stone were replaced by new red brick walls and towers. The Tsar invited Italian architects to construct the cathedrals. The Assumption Cathedral was built in 1475-1479 and all Russian Tsars and Emperors were crowned there. The Archangel Cathedral was the burial place of the Russian Princes and Tsars. The Annunciation Cathedral was built in 1484. It is famous for the icons painted by Andrey Rublev and his apprentices.

Ivan the Great is the Bell Tower, one of the most remarkable structures of the 16-th century. It rises in the centre of the Kremlin. It unites all the Kremlin Cathedrals into a majestic ensemble.

On the stone pedestal at the foot of the Bell Tower there is a Tsar-Bell – the largest bell in the world. Not far from it one can see a Tsar-Cannon.

Another fine example of Russian architecture is the Faceted Palace. It was built in 1487-91.

One of the well-known Kremlin museums is the Armoury Chamber. It was built in 1851. The famous golden cap of Monomach, the first Russian imperial crown of Catherine II, made of gilt silver and many other precious historical items are exhibited there.

the Assumption Cathedral – Успенский собор

the Annunciation Cathedral — Благовещенский собор

apprentice – ученик, преемник

the Faceted Palace — Грановитая палата

the Bell Tower - колокольня

the Armoury Chamber — Оружейная палата

guilt silver – позолоченное серебро

Vocabulary Exercises

Find and underline the words and phrases in the Найдите и подчеркните слова и фразы в тексте:

деревянная крепость, при Дмитрии Донском, белый камень, во времена правления Ивана III, стены из красного кирпича, проектировать соборы, короновать, место погребения, ученики (последователи), примечательная конструкция, величественный ансамбль, царь-колокол, царь-пушка, прекрасный пример, позолоченное серебро, ценные исторические экспонаты, выставлять (демонстрировать).

2. Match dates with the events, write the dates in numerals like in the Соотнесите написанные годы с приведенными ниже событиями, напишите даты цифрами как в образце.

Speaking Exercises

Fill in the missing information and make up sentences using the Заполните пропуски в таблице и составьте предложения, используя заполненную таблицу.

Test to Part I

1. Match the words

2. Fill in the gaps with the following words.

architects world famous skyscrapers

expensive lake bell-tower heart

1. The Kremlin is the ______________ of Moscow.
2. Baikal is the deepest ______________ in the world.
3. Ivan the Great is a ______________________ in the centre of the Kremlin.
4. The Tsar Ivan III invited Italian ______________________ to construct the Kremlin cathedrals.
5. The Red Square is the most _________________ place in Moscow.
6. Travelling by ship is very ______________________ nowadays.
7. Russia is the largest country in the _______________ .
8. Several _____________________ decorate Moscow including Moscow State University and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

3. Match the words to make up sights of Moscow.

Part II. GREAT BRITAIN

GREAT BRITAIN

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated on the British Isles. It consists of four parts: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

England, Wales and Scotland occupy the territory of Great Britain. And Northern Ireland is situated in the northern part of Ireland. The territory of the United Kingdom is about 244 000 square kilometres. The population is over 56 million people. The capital of the United Kingdom is London.

The surface of the United Kingdom varies greatly. The northern and the western parts of the country are mountainous and are called the Highlands. All the rest is a vast plain which is called the Lowlands. The mountains are not very high. The rivers are not very long. The most important of them are the Severn and the Thames. There are many beautiful lakes in the mountainous part of the country.

The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of the Gulf Stream influence the climate of Great Britain. It is mild the whole year round. Winters are not cold and summers are not hot.

Great Britain is a highly developed industrial country. It is known as one of the world's largest producers and exporters of iron and steel products, machinery and electronics, chemicals and textile. One of the industries is shipbuilding.

Great Britain is a country with old cultural traditions and customs. The most famous educational centres are Oxford and Cambridge Universities. They are considered to be the intellectual centres of Europe. The education is not free, it is very expensive.

The United Kingdom is a monarchy and the Queen is the head of the state. But in practice it is ruled by the government with the Prime Minister at the head. The British Parliament consists of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. There are three main political parties in Great Britain: the Labour party, the Conservative party and the Liberal party.

The flag of the United Kingdom, known as the Union Jack, is made up of three crosses. The upright red cross is the cross of St. George, the patron saint of England. The white diagonal cross (with the arms going into the corners) is the cross of St. Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland. The red diagonal cross is the cross of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. St. David is the patron saint of Wales.

to be situated – быть расположенным

population - население

to vary – меняться, различаться

plain - равнина

mountainous – гористый

to influence - влиять

develop - развивать

to rule - править

chamber – палата

Vocabulary Exercises

1. Write these English words and phrases from the text and learn Выпишите данные английские слова и фразы из текста и выучите их.

находиться (быть расположенным), состоять из четырех частей, квадратные километры, население, поверхность, гористый, обширная равнина, влиять на климат, круглый год, высоко развитый, железо, кораблестроение, обычай, править (управлять), правительство, премьер-министр, палата лордов, палата общин, крест.

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

3. Use the vocabulary to write down the spelling of the following English words. Remember how to pronounce them. / Воспользуйтесь словарем, чтобы написать транскрипцию (произношение) следующих английских слов. Запомните, как они произносятся.

occupy ______________, territory ______________ million ________________,

surface ______________, mountainous ______________, climate _____________,

ocean _______________, industrial ______________, industry _______________,

exporter ______________, producer _________________, textile _____________,

cultural _____________, educational _______________, monarchy ___________ .

3. Complete the sentences with geographical names from the Заполните пропуски географическими названиями из текста.

1. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland consists of four parts:

England, _____________, Northern Ireland and _________________.

2. England, Wales and Scotland occupy the territory of ____________ ______________ and Northern Ireland is situated in the north of ___________ .

3. The longest and most important rivers in Britain are the _______________ and

the ______________ .

4. The warm waters of the ___________ _____________ make the climate of

Britain mild the whole year round.

5. The most famous educational centres are ______________ and _____________

universities.

LONDON

London is the capital of Great Britain, its political, economic and commercial centre. It is one of the largest cities in the world and the largest city in Europe. Its population is about 8 million.

London is situated on the river Thames. The city is very old. It has more than 20 centuries old history. Traditionally it is divided into several parts, the City, Westminster, the West End and the East End. They are very different from each other.

The city is the oldest part of London, its financial and business centre. Numerous banks, offices and firms are concentrated here. Few people live in the City but over a million come to work here. There are two places of interest in the City: St. Paul's Cathedral and the Tower of London. St. Paul's Cathedral was built in the 17th century by the architect Christopher Wren. The Tower of London was built in the 15th century. It was used as a fortress, a palace and a prison. Now it's a museum.

Westminster is the aristocratic official part of London. There are Buckingham Palace where the Queen lives and the Houses of Parliament along the north bank of the Thames.

The clock tower of the Houses of Parliament is famous for its big hour bell known as Big Ben. Westminster Abbey is the place where the coronation of nearly all kings and queens has taken place. Many of them are buried here as well as some other famous people of the country.

The West End is the richest and most beautiful part of London. The best hotels, restaurants, shops, clubs, parks and houses are situated there. There are many tourists there from different countries of the world.

Trafalgar Square is the geographical centre of London, it was named in the memory of Admiral Nelson's victory in the battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The tall Nelson's Column stands in the middle of the square.

The East End is an industrial district of London. There are many factories there. The region is densely populated by working class families.

numerous – многочисленный

official - официальный

cathedral – собор

clock tower – часовая башня

fortress – крепость

memory – память

palace – дворец

district - район

prison – тюрьма

densely populated – густо населенный

Vocabulary Exercises

1. Find the English equivalents in the text:

население, находится на реке, двадцати-вековая история, делиться на четыре части, собор, достопримечательность, архитектор, использовать как крепость, тюрьма, королева, король, названный в память о, промышленный район, густо населенный.

___________________________________________________________________

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2. Match the words to make phrases used in the Соедините слова, чтобы получились фразы из текста.

3. Write down in English the sights of London from exercise 2./ Выпишите по-английски из упражнения 2 достопримечательности Лондона.

Колонна Нельсона _______________________________________________________

Лондонский Тауэр __________________________________________________

Дом Парламента ____________________________________________________

Вестминстерское Аббатство __________________________________________

Бэкингемский дворец ________________________________________________

Собор Святого Павла ________________________________________________

Трафальгарская площадь _____________________________________________

FROM THE HISTORY OF LONDON

A

In the year 55 before our era a Roman legion headed by Julius Cesar crossed the English Channel that divides the British Isles from the continent of Europe. Having landed in Britain the Romans founded a military station on the northern bank of the river Thames.

B

Being skilled in the art of building they started fortifying their settlements with thick massive walls and laying roads across the country leading to the sea coast. After staying in Britain for two centuries the Romans returned to the continent having left behind excellent roads and strong fortifications.

C

One of Roman settlements was called Londinium Augusta. Four centuries later the capital of Britain was founded in its locality, part of the Roman wall is still lying deep under the ground beneath modern London.

D

No other ancient monuments of Roman times have remained in the city. The earliest historical monument of English architecture is the so called Tower of London which has kept its name up to the present day. Being erected on the ruins of a Roman fortress, it consists of parts belonging to different periods of English history, its central and most ancient part being the huge square tower four storeys high. It was called the White Tower, deriving its name from the white stone it was built of. The White Tower was surrounded with a double row of walls with smaller towers forming the inner and outer court with the scaffold in the back of it.

Understanding the text

What passages of the text contain the following information?/ Какие абзацы текста содержат следующую информацию?

1. The oldest sight of London. _____

2. The Romans' heritage (наследие) in Britain. ____

3. A Roman emperor, who founded the first settlement on the river Thames. ____

4. The first name of London. ____

THE TOWER

Looking at the Tower you feel its close connection to the historical past of England with its constant and cruel fighting for power. Since the time of its erection the Tower of London has served many purposes: first a king's palace, then a fortress and a political prison. Now it is a museum.

Several kings of England found protection within its walls both against foreign enemies and their own people fighting for their liberties and privileges. The White Tower was the royal residence; all the kings of England were spending the first days of their reign there according to an ancient custom. From the White Tower kings went to their coronation and out of it some of them came down to the scaffold lying in the outer court, forced to surrender their power to new pretenders.

All the towers in the walls surrounding the White Tower served as places of imprisonment, each of them keeping some dark and tragic secret. Narrow galleries, steep staircases, secret passages and dark cells formed in the thickness of the walls exist up to the present day. Among the numerous prisoners were kings of England, France and Scotland, princes and noblemen, Protestants and Catholics, scientists and public leaders. Shakespeare mentioned many of their tragic fate in his historical plays.

Understanding the text

Are these sentences true or false? / Верны ли эти предложения?

1. London was founded by the Greeks. _____

2. After staying in Britain the Romans went back to the continent. ____

3. The Tower Bridge is the oldest structure in London. ____

4. The Tower of London has been a royal palace, a fortress, a prison and a

5. All the English kings and queens were crowned in the White Tower. ____

6. The walls of the White Tower keep many dark and tragic secrets. ____

Test to Part II

1. Match the words.

2. Fill in the gaps with the following words.

Big Ben, changeable, prison, weather, politeness, kings, places of interest, population

1. There are many _____________________ in London that attract millions of tourists every year.

2. The __________________ of Samara is about 1,5 million people.

3. __________________ is the most famous clock of London.

4. Almost all _____________ of England were crowned in Westminster Abbey.

5. English weather is very _________________ .

6. The British are famous for their remarkable _____________ .

7. For many centuries the Tower have been used as a fortress, a palace and a _______ .

8. A favourite topic of conversation for the British is _________________ .

3. Match the words to make up English names of London sights.

PART III. THE USA

Read the text and complete it with the missing geographical names. Use a geographical map if needed. / Прочтите текст и дополните его географическими названиями. При необходимости воспользуйтесь географической картой.

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A

The United States of America were founded on July 14th, 1776, when 13 English colonies decided that they could no longer regard themselves as subjects of the British Crown. In 1783 the War of Independence ended in favour of the colonists. The USA has increased its power. The original 13 States have grown to 50. The development of the USA was hindered by a civil war between the Northern and Southern States in the 1860s. The civil war ended in 1865.

B

The country lies in the part of the North American Continent between the two oceans: the P........................... Ocean in the East and the A.................. Ocean in the West. in the North and in the South are the only countries that have borders with the USA. The USA consists of three separate parts. They are the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean, Alaska and the main part. There are fifty States in the USA. They are very different in size, population and economic development. The smallest state is Rhode Island and the biggest is Texas. Each State has its own governor, capital and legislative body.

The total area of the USA is about 9 million square kilometres. The population is about 230 million people. The USA is a big country and the climate conditions are very different in different places. There are many big cities in the United States: , Philadelphia, Houston, , Detroit, Los are the biggest of them.

C

The USA is a parliamentary republic. The government has three branches: the Congress, the President and the Supreme Court. There are two political parties in the United States: the Party, their symbol is donkey, and the Party, their symbol is an elephant. The president is elected for a 4-year term and not more than two times. The Congress has two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the country.

borders – границы

separate - отдельные

climate conditions — климатические условия

parliamentary republic — парламентская республика

branches — ветви

donkey - осел

term - срок

the House of Representatives — палата представителей

the Supreme Court — Верховный суд

Understanding the text

1. Choose titles to each passage of the Выберите заголовок к каждому абзацу текста.

Politics _______

History _______

Geography _______

2. Complete the sentences. / Дополните предложения.

1. The USA were founded when 13 English _____________ announced that they were no longer the subjects of the British Crown.

2. The ________ of _________________ ended in 1783.

3. A ____________ _________ between Northern and Southern States hindered the development of the USA.

4. There are fifty __________ in the USA which differ in size, population and ________________ development.

5. The symbol of the Democratic Party is ____________ and the symbol of the Republican Party is an _______________ .

3. Complete the table with the main information about the Дополните таблицу основной информацией о США.

WASHINGTON, .

Washington, the capital of the United States is situated on the Potomac River in the District of Columbia. The distrisct is a piece of land which does not belong to any one state but to all the States. The district is named in honour of Christopher Columbus, the discoverer of America. It is very interesting that Americans never say simply “; They always add “; as the indication of the location. It is important because there are many towns with the same name all over the country and even one large state is far north-west.

Washington was founded in 1791 as the capital of the United States of America. Washington is quite a new city. The population of the city is nearly one million people. It is not a very large city, but it is very important as the capital of the USA. In the political life, it is the most important city in the United States. The law-making centre of the United States is the Capitol, with its great Hall of Representatives and Senate Chamber. It is the largest and tallest building in the city with white marble columns. There is a law in Washington against building structures higher than the Capitol.

Today Washington is one of the world's most beautiful capitals. It has become a great cultural, educational and scientific centre, with its art galleries, museums, libraries, parks and monumental buildings. Washington has many historical places.

Not far from the Capitol is the Library of Congress. It holds five million books.

The White House, the residence of the president is the oldest public structure in the capital and one of the most beautiful. It was built in 1799. It is a two storied white building. Not far from the Capitol is the Washington Monument, which looks like a very big pencil. It rises 160 metres and it is empty inside. A special lift brings visitors to the top in 70 seconds, from where they can enjoy the view of the city.

The Jefferson Memorial was built in memory of the third President of the USA Thomas Jefferson, who was also the author of the Declaration of Independence. The Memorial is surrounded by cherry trees.

The Lincoln Memorial is devoted to the memory of the sixteenth President of the USA, the author of the Emancipation Proclamation, which gave freedom to Negro slaves in America.

the District of Columbia – округ Колумбия

marble - мрамор

two-storeyed - двухэтажный

independence — независимость

Understanding the text

Write short answers to the questions. / Напишите краткие ответы на вопросы.

1. What river flows across Washington? __________________________________

2. What do the letters “D. ; after the name “Washington” mean?

________________________________________________________________

3. What is the tallest building in Washington? _____________________________

4. Is Washington a large city? __________________________________________

5. Who was the author of the Declaration of Independence? __________________

________________________________________________________________

Final test

1. Match the words.

Part A

Part B

Where are the places from Part B situated? Write them down into the table.

2. Fill in the gaps with the following words.

lake wet centre architects bell-tower capital states

1. London is the ….. of Great Britain.
2. The USA consists of 50 …..
3. The Tsar Ivan III invited Italian ….. to construct the Kremlin cathedrals.
4. The climate of Britain is … . It rains practically every day.
5. The Kremlin is in the ….. of Moscow.
6. Baikal is the deepest ….. lake in the world.
7. Ivan the Great is a ….. in the centre of the Kremlin.

Список использованной литературы

1. И. П. Агабекян. Английский язык, 27-е издание. – Ростов-на-Дону: Феникс, 2015.
2. Matrix. Pre-Intermediate Student's book. K. Gude, M. Duckworth. – Oxford University Press, 2010.
3. Y. Bulmistre. Major cities of the United Kingdom. – Спб: ООО «ЦПО», 2015.