Чаграк Н. І. COUNTRY STUDIES the United Kingdom of Great Britain
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Чаграк Н. І. COUNTRY STUDIES The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland The USA Canada Australia New Zealand Навчальний посібник для студентів вищих навчальних закладів Івано-Франківськ Гостинець 2010 1 УДК 811.111 ББК 81.2. Англ. Ч 12 Рецензенти: Ткачівський В.В. кандидат філологічних наук, доцент Петрик Т.В. кандидат філологічних наук, доцент Чаграк Н. І. Ч 12 Country Studies. Посібник для студентів вищих навчальних закладів. – Івано-Франківськ: Гостинець, 2010. – 158с. Посібник призначений для студентів фахових факультетів вищих навчальних закладів України за спеціальностями «Туризм», «Готельно-ресторанна справа», а також усіх, хто зацікавлений вивченням англомовних країн. Посібник містить інформацію країнознавчого, лінгвістичного, туристичного характеру, висвітлюючи різні аспекти сучасного життя і туристичний потенціал Великобританії, США, Канади, Австралії та Нової Зеландії. Затверджено до друку Вченою радою Інституту туризму Прикарпатського національного університету імені Василя Стефаника (Протокол № 1 від 27 серпня 2010 р.) 2 CONTENTS ПЕРЕДМОВА THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA CANADA AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND SOURCE MATERIAL 3 ПЕРЕДМОВА Навчальний посібник з лінгвокраїнознавства є одним з перших, що розглядає англомовні країни в аспекті туризмознавства і розрахований для студентів фахових факультетів вищих навчальних закладів України за спеціальностями «Туризм», «Готельно- ресторанна справа». Посібник містить інформацію країнознавчого, лінгвістичного, туристичного характеру, висвітлюючи різні аспекти сучасного життя і туристичний потенціал Великобританії, США, Канади, Австралії та Нової Зеландії. Книга складається з 5 розділів, побудованих за єдиною структурою, до якої входять такі підрозділи, як короткі відомості з географії та демографії, економічного розвитку країни, характеристика систем державного управління, освіти, здоров’я, інформація про культуру, мови і національну кухню. Значну частину кожного розділу присвячено туристичному потенціалові країни. Закріплення лінгвокраїнознавчого матеріалу здійснюється за допомогою типових завдань в кінці кожного розділу, особлива увага в яких приділяється розвитку навичок узагальнення і систематизації та самостійної роботи студента з різними джерелами інформації. 4 UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND CAPITAL: London AREA: 244,820 sq km (94,526 sq mi) POPULATION: around 60 mln ANTHEM: God Save the Queen HOLIDAYS: New Year’s Day, 1 January; Good Friday; Easter Monday (except Scotland); Late Summer Holiday, last Monday in August or 1st in September (except Scotland); Christmas, 25 December; and Boxing Day, 1st weekday after Christmas. Also observed in Scotland are bank holidays on 2 January and on the 1st Monday in August. Northern Ireland observes St. Patrick’s Day, 17 March; and Orangeman’s Day, 12 July, commemorating the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. LOCATION, SIZE, AND EXTENT The United Kingdom is situated off the northwest coast of Europe between the Atlantic Ocean on the n and nw and the North Sea on the e, separated from the Continent by the Strait of Dover and the English Channel, 34 km (21 mi) wide at its narrowest point, and from the Irish Republic by the Irish Sea and St. George’s Channel. Its total area of 244,820 sq km (94,526 sq mi) consists of the island of Great Britain — formed by England, 130,439 sq km (50,363 sq mi); Wales, 20,768 sq km (8,018 sq mi); and Scotland, 78,783 sq km (30,418 sq mi) — and Northern Ireland, 14,120 sq km (5,452 sq mi), on the island of Ireland, separated from Great Britain by the North Channel. Comparatively, the area occupied by the United Kingdom is slightly smaller than the state of Oregon. There are also several island groups and hundreds of small single islands, most of them administratively part of the mainland units. The United Kingdom extends about 965 km (600 mi) n–s and about 485 km (300 mi) e–w. Its total boundary length is 12,789 km (7,947 mi), of which 12,429 km (7,723 mi) is coastline. The Isle of Man, 588 sq km (227 sq mi), and the Channel Islands, comprising Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, and Sark, with a combined area of 194 sq km (75 sq mi), are not part of the United Kingdom but are dependencies of the crown. The 0° meridian of longitude passes through the old Royal Observatory, located at Greenwich in Greater London. The United Kingdom’s capital city, London, is located in the southeast part of Great Britain. TOPOGRAPHY England is divided into the hill regions of the north, west, and southwest and the rolling downs and low plains of the east and southeast. Running from east to west on the extreme north Scottish border are the Cheviot Hills. The Pennine Range runs north and south from the Scottish border to Derbyshire in central England. The rest of the countryside consists mainly of rich agricultural lands, occasional moors, and plains. 5 South of the Pennines lie the Midlands (East and West), a plains region with low, rolling hills and fertile valleys. The eastern coast is low-lying, much of it less than 5 m (15 ft) above sea level; for centuries parts of it have been protected by embankments against inundation from gales and unusually high tides. Little of the south and east rises to higher than 300 m (1,000 ft). The highest point in England is Scafell Pike (978 m/3,210 ft) in the famed Lake District of the northwest. The longest of the rivers flowing from the central highlands to the sea are the Severn (about 340 km/210 mi) in the west and the Thames (about 320 km/200 mi) in the southeast. Other rivers include the Humber, the Tees, the Tyne, and the Tweed in the east, the Avon and Exe in the south, and the Mersey in the west. Scotland has three distinct topographical regions: the Northern Highlands, occupying almost the entire northern half of the country and containing the highest point in the British Isles, Ben Nevis (1,343 m/4,406 ft ), as well as Loch Ness, site of a fabled “monster”; the Central Lowlands, with an average elevation of about 150 m (500 ft ) and containing the valleys of the Tay, Forth, and Clyde rivers, as well as Loch Lomond, Scotland’s largest lake; and the Southern Uplands, rising to their peak at Merrick (843 m/2,766 ft), with moorland cut by many valleys and rivers. Wales is largely mountainous and bleak, with much of the land suitable only for pasture. The Cambrian Mountains occupy almost the entire area and include Wales’s highest point, Mt. Snowdon (1,086 m/3,563 ft ). There are narrow coastal plains in the south and west and small lowland areas in the north, including the valley of the Dee. Northern Ireland consists mainly of low-lying plateaus and hills, generally about 150 to 180 m (500– 600 ft) high. The Mourne Mountains in the southeast include Slieve Donard (852 m/2,796 ft), the highest point in Northern Ireland. In a central depression lies Lough Neagh, the largest lake in the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom’s long and rugged coastline, heavily indented, has towering cliff s and headlands and numerous bays and inlets, among them the deep and narrow lochs and the wide firths of Scotland. Many river estuaries serve as fine harbors. CLIMATE Despite its northern latitude, the United Kingdom generally enjoys a temperate climate, warmed by the North Atlantic Drift, a continuation of the Gulf Stream, and by southwest winds. Mean monthly temperatures range (north to south) from 3°c to 5°c (37–41°f) in winter and from 12°c to 16°c (54–61°f) in summer. The mean annual temperature in the west near sea level ranges from 8°c (46°f) in the Hebrides to 11°c (52°f) in the far southwest of England. Rarely do temperatures rise in summer to over 32°c (90°f) or drop in winter below -10°c (14°f). Rainfall, averaging more than 100 cm (40 in) throughout the United Kingdom, is heaviest on the western and northern heights (over 380 cm/150 in), lowest along the eastern and southeastern coasts. Fairly even distribution of rain throughout the year, together with the prevalence of mists and fogs, results in scanty sunshine — averaging from half an hour to two hours a day in winter and from five to eight hours in summer. FLORA AND FAUNA With its mild climate and varied soils, the United Kingdom has a diverse pattern of natural vegetation. Originally, oak forests probably covered the lowland, except for the fens and marsh areas, while pine forests and patches of moorland covered the higher or sandy ground. Over the centuries, much of the forest area, especially on the lowlands, was cleared for cultivation. Fairly extensive forests remain in east and north Scotland and in southeast England. Oak, elm, ash, and beech are the most common trees in England. Pine and 6 birch are most common in Scotland. Almost all the lowland outside the industrial centers is farmland, with a varied seminatural vegetation of grasses and flowering plants. Wild vegetation consists of the natural flora of woods, fens and marshes, cliffs, chalk downs, and mountain slopes, the most widespread being the heather, grasses, gorse, and bracken of the moorlands. There are over 1,600 plant species in the country. The fauna is similar to that of northwestern continental Europe, although there are fewer species. Some of the larger mammals — wolf, bear, boar, and reindeer — are extinct, but red and roe deer are protected for sport. Common smaller mammals are foxes, hares, hedgehogs, rabbits, weasels, stoats, shrews, rats, and mice; otters are found in many rivers, and seals frequently appear along the coast. There are at least 50 species of mammal native to the region. There are few reptiles and amphibians. Roughly 230 species of birds reside in the United Kingdom, and another 200 are migratory.