ТЕМА 12. GEOGRAPHY of GREAT BRITAIN
Task 1
Read and translate the text “Natural features of the British Isles”
By natural features of a country we usually mean several things: its position on the planet, climate, surface divisions, rivers and lakes, soils and mineral resources. In almost all of these respects Great Britain is more or less fortunate. The British Isles lie close to the economically developed continental Europe, in the centre of trade routes to America. Due to its insular position, Britain has not suffered so much from the two world wars as other European countries. The British Isles lie neither too far north nor too far south. That is why the weather in Britain cannot be too hot or too cold.
But the geographical position is not the only factor which influences the climate. Another important thing in making the weather is water. If there were no water on earth, there would be no clouds of any kind: neither layer nor heap clouds, to say nothing about the feathery white clouds which the English people call mares’ tails. There would be neither fogs nor mists. (The difference between them is in their density; fog is much thicker. Especially thick fogs are often yellowish in colour and are called sometimes “pea soupers”.) And there would be no rain of any kind. The largest raindrops come in showers, the smallest droplets are called drizzle or Scotch mist. In winter, a drizzle often turns into a sleet (a mixture of snow and rain).
Without water, there would be nothing left of what we call weather except the wind, which is just air moving fast or slowly. The slowest wind is called breeze, which begins to blow during the day, when the warm air over land begins to rise and cool sea air takes its place. Very fierce winds have special names: if its speed is more than 38 miles an hour, it is a gale, and if it is more than 75 miles an hour, it is a hurricane. Such winds are extremely rare in Britain, while breezes are regular, because of its insular position.
As far as surface is concerned, Great Britain is less fortunate, than with water and winds: highlands, uplands and hills occupy the northern, central and western parts of the island. This factor has both positive and negative consequences for the country’s economy. The mountainous soils are bad for wheat and barley but enough for grass, which is necessary for dairy farming. Besides, these regions have a lot of mineral resources for industries and manufactures. The rivers are short but usually have enough water to grow vegetables, and the lakes are deep enough to enjoy boating and yachting.
PRELIMINARY DISCUSSION (answer the questions)
1. Is Great Britain more fortunate in its natural features than Russia?
Compare their geographical and strategic positions.
2. What kind of weather do you expect to find if you come to stay in London in winter? In what ways would it be different from Russian winters?
3. What parts of Great Britain would you like to visit: the lowlands or highlands? Do you expect English lowlands or highlands to be different from what we have in Russia?
4. Do you expect you will like the English climate? What features are usually mentioned as most pleasant and most unpleasant about the English weather?
5. How did it happen that England became associated in the minds of foreigners with fogs and mists?
6. What is the difference between rains and showers?
Choose a topic for Project Work or an Essay from those given below:
1. English weather: myth and reality.
2. Lowland Britain: a tourist paradise or a tourist trap?
3. Is Highland Britain really high?
4. Comparative characteristics of natural features of Great Britain and Russia: who is greater?
Task 2.
Give English equivalents of the following Russian phrases using impersonal passive structures and adverbs "widely," "generally" where required.
1. Говорят, что.... 2. Предполагается, что.... 3. Можно надеяться, что.... 4. Следует признать, что.... 5. Было найдено, что.... 6. Общепризнанно, что.... 7. Считают, что.... 8. Широко распространено мнение, что ....
Remember some of the verbs taking a direct object in English but equivalent to Russian verbs followed by a preposition.
to affect - влиять (на);
to answer - отвечать (нa);
to approach - подойти (к);
to attend - присутствовать (на) (и активно участвовать);
to consult - консультироваться (y, c);
to enjoy – получать удовольствие (от), пользоваться;
to follow - следовать, следить (за);
to influence - влиять (на);
to join - присоединяться (к);
Identify passive structures followed by a preposition and give Russian equivalents.
1.This method has been referred to in an earlier paper. 2. I do not think this instrument can be relied upon. 3. The data cannot be accounted for by the existing theory. 4. This theory has been referred to as the "big bang" theory. 5. The best treatment of this syndrome is generally agreed upon. 6. Rapid development of chemical technology has been called for by the needs of the national economy. 7. The prolongation of life may be thought of as a feat of endurance rather than a race against time.
Identify the structures and give Russian equivalents of the relevant part of the sentence.
1.The usual procedure is that information storage is followed by information analysis. 2. The procedure proposed provided the required mechanism of reaction. 3. The opening session of the Congress was preceded by a meeting of the General Assembly to elect a new president. 4. It must be admitted that the problem of science classification can be approached from several viewpoints. 5. There are fields which cannot be dealt with on a national scale only, such as environmental protection, space exploration and so on. 6. The difficulties encountered by anyone who attempted to solve the problem are much greater than those faced in the endeavour to reach the summit of Mount Everest. 7. In most important applications cotton has been substituted for by synthetic fibres. 8. The rate of the reaction is affected by the change in such parameters as concentration, temperature and pressure 9. Under these circumstances one is faced with a magnified form of a danger common to all inventions: a tendency to use them whether or not the occasion demand. 10. In most cases the solution of such problems is called for by industrial needs. 11. It is often argued that in the 20th century we are left with no expansion of wisdom and with greater need for it. 12. When at last the patient is allowed to sleep he will probably wake up after some 10 – 12 hours.
Task 3
Give English equivalents of the italicized part of the sentences, using passive structures and the verbs: to affect, to allow, to attend, to develop, to deal with, to face, to follow, to make use of, to refer to.
1.3a докладом последовала бурная дискуссии. 2. На скорость реакции влияет множество других факторов. 3. Этот вопрос будет подробно рассмотрен в главе III. 4. На этой стадии мы столкнулись с новыми трудностями. 5. Ему не дали возможности закончить эту работу. 6. В последнее время эта теория часто упоминается во многих статьях. 7. Семинар, на котором присутствовало всего 5 человек, прошел вяло и неинтересно. 8. Для того чтобы преодолеть эти недостатки, использовали новую методику, специально разработанную для данного эксперимента.
Translate into English.
1. Проблема была впервые поставлена (осознана) в XVIII веке. 2. Предполагается, что полученные расчетные данные были
проверены экспериментально. 3. Теория была принята большинством ученых после того, как были получены новые доказательства в ее поддержку. 4. (В статье) представлены новые данные относительно механизма этого процесса. 5. Это расхождение можно объяснить разными методиками измерения. 6. (В работе) использован новый метод расчета этого параметра и предложена новая модель процесса. 7. Особое внимание уделено сравнению экспериментально полученных результатов с результатами, предсказанными теоретически. 8. В лаборатории установлено новое оборудование.
Read and translate the text in written form.
For many thousands of years the earth was inhabited by creatures who lived and died without passing on their experiences to following generations. These early fish, reptiles, birds and mammals could only «talk» to each other through the roars, calls and screams of the jungle. Yet, somehow, from these prehistoric beings a more intelligent animal evolved with a brain able to form the controlled sounds of speech.
This human being began to use rocks and trees to fashion weapons to help him hunt for food. Stones and spears were probably the first tools used by humans as extensions of their own bodies – the spear could travel faster in flight than man could run – and this ability to invent tools and pass on knowledge gave man a growing control of his surroundings. His search for new ways to survive and to improve his way of life continued through the ages thus the story of man’s world of science and invention was shaped.
Writing is known to contribute much to man’s experience accumulation, books printing being his greatest brainchild. As knowledge grew and the art of writing developed, parts of the story were recorded – some in one book, some in another. No man could remember all there was to know and writers found it useful to classify their knowledge under separate headings – much like a library arrange sits books in sections so that the reader will know where to look for each subject. Science became separated into various branches. But its progress began only when man started to search for natural laws and principles, and produced theories, applying to scientific methods, such as: observation, analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, hypothesis and experimentation.