Для відеозв'язку з викладачем в  режимі онлайн (зустріч, відповідно до розкладу вашої групи, в Google Meet), натисніть це посилання: https://meet.google.com/eju-xpph-uut

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 over nine million people. London is also a big port because it stands on the river Thames.

London is an ancient city. It is about two thousand years old. There are a lot of historic buildings and monuments there.

Traditionally London is divided into several parts: the City, Westminster, the West End and the East End. They are very different from each other and seem to belong to different towns and epochs.

The heart of London is the City, its financial and business centre. Numerous banks, offices and firms are situated there, including the Bank of England, the Stock Exchange and the Old Bailey. Few people live here, but over a million people come to the City to work.

Westminster is the historic, the governmental part of London. The Palace of Westminster is commonly known as the Houses of Parliament. It's the seat of the British Government. The Clock Tower of the Houses of Parliament is famous for its big hour bell, known as “Big Ben”.

Buckingham Palace is the official residence of the Queen.

The West End is the richest and the most beautiful part of London. It is the symbol of wealth and luxury. The best hotels, shops, restaurants, clubs and theatres are situated there. Rich people live in the West End.

The East End is the poorest part of London. There are a lot of factories, workshops and docks there. The streets are narrow, the buildings are unimpressive. The East End is mostly populated by workers, dockers and poor people.

THE UK

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ire­land is situated on the British Isles. The British Isles consist of two large islands, Great Britain and Ireland, and about five thousand small islands. Their total area is over 244,000 square kilometres.

The United Kingdom is made up of four countries: Eng­land, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast. Great Britain consists of England, Scotland and Wales and does not include Northern Ireland. But in everyday speech «Great Brit­ain» is used to mean the United Kingdom. The capital of the UK is London.

The British Isles are separated from the European conti­nent by the North Sea and the English Channel. The western coast of Great Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea.

The surface of the British Isles varies very much. The north of Scotland is mountainous and is called the Highlands, while the south, which has beautiful valleys and plains, is called the Lowlands. The north and west of England are moun­tainous, but all the rest — east, centre and south-east — is a vast plain. Mountains are not very high. Ben Nevis in Scot­land is the highest mountain (1343 m).

There are a lot of rivers in Great Britain, but they are not very long. The Severn is the longest river, while the Thames is the deepest and the most important one.

The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of Gulf Stream influence the climate of the British Isles. It is mild the whole year round.

The UK is not a large country but its popula­tion is over 63 million.

The UK is a highly developed industrial country. It is known as one of the world's largest producers and exporters of machinery, electronics, textile, aircraft and navigation equipment. One of the chief industries of the country is ship­building.

The UK is a constitutional (parliamentary) monarchy. The head of the state is the Queen. In fact, the Queen reigns, but does not rule. The country is ruled by the government with the Prime Minister at the head.

The British Parliament consists of two houses: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. There are three main political parties in Great Britain: the Labour, the Conservative and the Liberal parties.

Ukraine

Ukraine is a state in South-Eastern part of Europe. Its total area is 603,700 sq km. The population is about 37 mln people. Ukraine borders on Poland, Slovakia, Hungary in the west and on Romania and Moldova in the southwest. In the north Ukraine borders on Belarus and in the east it borders on Russia. Ukraine is washed by the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

The largest cities of Ukraine are: Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Odesa, Lviv and others. Kyiv is the capital of Ukraine.

There are many forests, rivers and lakes in our country. The main rivers are: the Dnieper, the Dnister, the Bug and the Donets. The largest lake of Ukraine is Switiaz.

Ukraine has a moderate continental climate.

Ukraine is rich in many mineral resources: coal, iron, oil, manganese ore, nickel, gas, graphite, marble and others.

Ukraine is a unitary sovereign independent state. It proclaimed its independence on the 24th of August, 1991. Ukraine is a semi-presidential republic. The head of the state is the President. The head of the government is the Prime Minister. The Ukrainian Parliament is called Verkhovna Rada.

Ukraine is also one of the founding members of the UNO (United Nation Organization).

Підручник: Raymond Murphy. Essential Grammar in Use: A self-study reference and practice book for elementary students. Second Edition. Cambridge University Press. . – 300 pages.