Перевод текста с англ на русский. Немыкина А. И., Ракова К. И. 120 устных тем по английскому языку.

GREAT BRITAIN
The official name of Great Britain is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It occupies the territory of The British Isles. The British Isles lie to the north-west of Europe and consist of two main islands (Great Britain and Ireland), and over five hundred small islands.
Great Britain and Ireland are separated by the Irish Sea. The north-west and west of Great Britain is surrounded by the Atlantic ocean. In the east the country is washed by the North Sea, in the south it is separated from France by the English Channel. The Strait of Dover is 32 km/s wide and is the narrowest part of the Channel. There are four parts in the UK: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. London is the capital of England and the UK. The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh, the capitals of Wales and Northern Ireland are Cardiff and Belfast.
The island of Great Britain is quite distinctly divided into 2 parts: mountainous (north and west) and lowland (south and east). England is separated from Scotland by the Cheviot Hills, running from east to west. The Pennine Chain extends southward from the Cheviot Hills into the Midlands.
Scotland is a mountainous country, especially in the north. Here the main chain of mountains is called the Grampians, the highest peak is Ben Nevis. The northern part of Scotland is called the Highlands (the poem by R. Burns), the southern part is known as the lowlands. In Wales there are the Cumbrians, the highest peak of which is Snowdon in North Wales.
The rivers of Britain are short. The longest river is the Severn. The most important river is the Thames. The chief river in Scotland is the Clyde. Many of the English and Scottish rivers are joined by canals, so that it's possible to travel by water from one end of Great Britain to the other.
The U. K. has many beautiful lakes in Scotland and North-west England, Many Scottish valleys between the hills are filled with lakes, called lochs, the largest of them are Loch Neagh, Loch Lomond and Windermere. The best known is Loch Ness where as some people think a large monster lives. The Lake District in Northern England with its lakes, mountains and valleys is a favourite holiday resort.
There are no great forests in Great Britain today. Historically, the most famous forest is Sherwood Forest, the home of Robin Hood. It is to the north of London.
The main industries in the U. K. are shipbuilding (it is centred in London, Glasgow, Newcastle, near Liverpool), coal-mining (coal basins in Lancashire, Yorkshire, Northumberland and others), textile industry (the cotton industry in Lancashire, the woollen industry is centred in Yorkshire, Leeds, Bradford), electronics and the chemical industry. Birmingham is the centre of the British heavy industry.
The district around Birmingham is sometimes called the Black Country as it produces everything from the heaviest machines to pins there.
The most important industrial cities and towns are London, Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Coventry, Sheffield and others.
Oxford and Cambridge are the University cities. Stratford-upon-Avon is the town where Shakespeare was born.
There are four main nationalities in the U.K.: the English, the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish. Each of them has its own language and culture.
The U. K. is a constitutional monarchy. The queen is the head of the state but the power in the country belongs to Parliament. The British Parliament consists of the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
The main political parties are the Conservative Party (the Tory Party, the party of Business) and the Liberal party ("Whig"), the Labour Party. In 1988 the Liberal Party made an alliance with Social Democrats and the Party of Liberal Democrats was formed.