England

Hello, everybody!

Are you ready for another exciting trip around the UK?

Let’s remember what countries the UK consist of?

England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Do you fancy to know what country we’re going to visit this time? Then listen to some interesting facts about it

·        This country is a tea-drinking nation.

·        It is home to the famous rock and roll band the Beatles, as well as the Rolling Stones and many other rock bands.

·        Soccer (known as football) was invented there.

·        The national language of this country is spoken all over the world.

·        They have the tallest Ferris Wheel in Europe!

·        They are never tired of saying "Thank you" and "Sorry".

I’m sure you’ve already guessed the country. England! Right you are!

Today at the lesson you’ll know:

-         some facts about the weather in England

-         the origin of the name “England”

-         the population of the country

-         the national symbols of England

-         the main regions of the country and what they are prominent for.

-         popular sports in England.

But before we start be sure that you have a raincoat and an umbrella in your suitcase.

The Weather in England is very changeable. The English say that they have three variants of weather: when it rains in the morning, when it rains in the afternoon, or when it rains all day long.

A fine morning can change into a wet afternoon and evening. And a nasty morning can change into a fine afternoon. That is why it is natural for the English to use the comparison "as changeable as the weather" of a person who often changes his mood or opinion about something.

"Other countries have a climate; in England we have weather". This statement is often made by the English to describe the meteorological conditions of their country.

The best time of the year in England is spring (of course, it rains in spring, too).

The two worst months in Britain are January and February. They are cold, damp, and unpleasant. The best place in the world then is at home by the fire.

Summer months are rather cold and there can be a lot of rainy days. So most people, who look forward to summer holidays, plan to go abroad for the summer, to France or somewhere on the Continent.

England used to be known as Engla land (Old English), meaning - the land of the Angles, people from continental Germany, who began to invade Britain in the late 5th century, along with the Saxons and Jutes.

Another name for England is Albion, which was originally used to refer to the entire area of Great Britain. The origin of this term is not clear. It could be from the Latin word meaning “white” (albus), which would refer to the iconic White Cliffs of Dover. These are the first sight to greet many ocean-bound travellers arriving in England for the first time.

Loegria is another name for England. This name is usually used in a romantic context and refers to the Welsh word “Lloegr”, which hails from the legend of King Arthur.

England is the largest of the four “home nations” that make up the United Kingdom. England is bordered by Scotland to the north, Wales to the west, the Celtic Sea to the southwest, and the Irish Sea to the northwest. It's separated from continental Europe by the English Channel and the North Sea.

It is also the most populous of the four with almost 56 million inhabitants (about 84% of the total population of the UK). The density of population is 407 people per square kilometer. It is the second most densely populated country in the European Union after Malta.

The state language in England is, of course, English. One billion people speak English today. That's about 20% of the world's population. 400 million people speak English as their first language. For the other 600 million people it's either a second language or a foreign language.

England enjoys many national symbols, which are used extensively in political, social, cultural and even religious spheres, to represent this diverse land. These include:

The Flag

The flag of England is represented by a red cross on a white background. This is known as St George.s Cross.

St George was claimed to be the Patron Saint of England at that time, so the cross became associated with him. St. George’s Day is celebrated on April 23rd.

The Royal Banner of England is also known as the Banner of the Royal Arms, amongst its other names. It is the official English banner of arms and represents the sovereignty of the rulers of England. It comprises three horizontally positioned gold lions. Each has a blue tongue and blue claws and is set against a deep red background.

The National Floral Emblem is The Tudor Rose, also known as The Rose of England, was adopted as a symbol of peace and merges a white rose (representing the Yorkists) and a red rose (representing the Lancastrians). During the War of the Roses, these two sides fought over the control of the royal house.

St Edward's Crown

This is one of the senior British Crown Jewels. It is the official coronation crown and is used in the coronation of English, British, and Commonwealth monarchs. It is also used as an image on various items, such as coats of arms and badges.

The National Animal is the Lion

Because the lion is the symbol of bravery, it was frequently used to depict the courageous warriors of medieval England such as Richard I of England, known as Richard the Lionheart.

The National Tree is the Oak Tree

It represents strength, beauty and survival through trials.

King Charles II escaped parliamentarians after his father was executed and hid in an old oak tree. Since then, this escape has been called the Royal Oak and is a well-known account for many locals. The Major Oak is an 800- to 1000-year-old oak in Sherwood Forest, famed as the principal hideout of Robin Hood.

Many images associated with England are found on souvenirs.

Most commonly depicted are:

Royal Guardsmen,         Double Decker Buses, Black taxi cabs, Telephone Kiosks, Policemen, The London Eye and Tea.

It's hard to believe, but in England you can find practically any type of scenery. England is an unusually beautiful country!

England can be divided most generally into three sections: Southern England, Midlands and Northern England. These can be further divided into nine traditional regions.

North East

A jewel of the North is the Lake District, a distinctive, unique rural area within the Cumbrian mountains considered one of the most beautiful areas in the whole of the United Kingdom. The Lake District, so called because it contains 15 large lakes, the biggest of which is Windermere.

The district is famous for its associations with poets like William Wordsworth, who became known as the Lake Poets.

North West

Manchester and Liverpool are the largest cities of the North West, both important ports.

Manchester is well known for being a city of sport. The city has two Premier League football clubs – Manchester United and Manchester City.

Liverpool, the “city of ships”, is England's second greatest port, ranking after London. In the music world Liverpool is a well-known name, for it's the home town of “The Beatles”.

Yorkshire and the Humber

In the Northeast of England, it's possible to see many different landscapes and dramatic changes of scenery.

One fifth of the land area is National Park, including the North Yorkshire Moors and the Yorkshire Dales.

The remains of Whitby Abbey were inspiration for Bram Stoker's vampire masterpiece: “Dracula”.

East Midlands

One of the key attractions in the region include Robin Hood and Sherwood Forest. Sherwood Forest is home to the famous Major Oak, which, according to local folklore, was Robin Hood's and his Merry Men hideout.

West Midlands

In the heart of the West Midlands is the second most populated city in England, Birmingham, a major centre of industry and the arts.

Birmingham is said to have more canals than Venice.

Cadbury World is a family tourist attraction in the United Kingdom devoted entirely to chocolate.

Stratford-upon-Avon, is the birthplace of William Shakespeare, and you can see his house still standing there.

East Anglia

East Anglia was one of the kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England.

From March to June tourists are offered to visit Sandringham House, the official residence of the British Royal family from December to February.

Cambridge is a well-known, university city. Many leading scholars of international reputation have taught at Cambridge. The great physicist Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin, arguably the greatest biologist ever, studied and taught at Cambridge University.

Greater London

Greater London is not only a County full of fascinating towns and villages, it is also home to England's capital city, London. Covering such a vast area, Greater London has countless places of interest.

Starting with The Queen of England's official London residence Buckingham Palace, parts of which are open to visitors.

Kew Gardens is a popular tourist attraction, a place of such natural beauty covering three hundred acres.

The clock tower “Big Ben” is a famous London landmark which stands an amazing 316ft. high.

Are you a sport fanatic? The Wimbledon Tennis Museum is for you.

New art? The Tate Modern.

Other “must-see” attractions include: Downing Street,10- home of the British Prime Minister, St. Paul's Cathedral. the London Eye - the highest European observation wheel, The Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, and Marble Arch, built in 1828

You'll find everything here. What more do you want?

South West

South West is famous for the prehistoric monument - Stonehenge.

Stonehenge was produced by a culture that left no written records. A number of myths surround the stones. For many scientists it was a sort of astronomic observatory. Others believe that it was it built by aliens.

A lot of legends are connected with King Arthur and Merlin.

Bath is an elegant city that was first established as a spa town and is famous for its Roman Baths.

South East

South East is the region of England, which maybe because it's the closest to the continent of Europe, is the most developed culturally and economically.

Among its attractions are:

Kent. It is called "the garden of England"

Brighton is a regency seaside resort and university town with shopping, good eating, rich culture and vibrant nightlife.

Windsor Castle is the family home to British kings and queens for over 1,000 years.

Oxford is known worldwide as the home of the University of Oxford, the oldest university in the English-speaking world.

Sport plays an important part in the life in Britain and is a popular leisure activity.

Many of the world's famous sports began in Britain, including cricket, football, table tennis, lawn tennis, golf, rugby, and badminton.

Boat racing also originates here from the 19th century when the students of the UK's two oldest universities, Oxford and Cambridge, decided to hold a competition.

One more popular activity in England is hiking.

The traditional love of the English for their homes is known all over the world.

Old saying “My home is my castle” reflects the inner nature of a real Englishman who cannot imagine his life without a lawn in front of his house or a small garden behind it and a fireplace inside the house.

It’s high time for us to finish our trip and go home too.

When you come back home, make a cup of tea, sink into an armchair and try to remember the highlights of our trip today.

Goo-bye!