Wales is the country in the west of Great Britain. It is mainly a mountainous land with a chiefly agricultural economy and an industrial and coal-mining area in the south. The landscape is beautiful. Many English people move to Wales when they retire.
Cardiff, a large city in the south, was chosen as the capital of Wales in 1955, mainly because of its size. Since 1536, Wales has been governed by England and the heir to the throne of England has the title of Prince of Wales, but Welsh people have strong sense of identity. There is a Welsh National party which wants independence from the United Kingdom and the Welsh language is still used in certain parts of the country.
Welsh is an ancient Celtic language, similar to Breton, spoken in Brittany and France. In the 60"s Welsh was given equal status with English as an official language and is used in the law courts. It is taught in schools and some TV programs are broadcast in Welsh. However, only about 20% of the population speak Welsh.
Уэльс
Уэльс - это страна на востоке Великобритании. Это, главным образом, гористая местность с преобладающей сельскохозяйственной экономикой и промышленным угледобывающим районом на юге. Ландшафт ее прекрасен. Многие англичане уезжают в Уэльс, когда выходят на пенсию.
Кардифф, огромный город на юге, был выбран в качестве столицы Уэльса в 1955 году, главным образом, из-за своего размера. С 1536 года Уэльс управляется Англией, и наследник английского престола носит титул принца Уэльского, но уэльсцы обладают сильным чувством индивидуальности. Есть Уэльская национальная партия, которая добивается независимости от Соединенного Королевства, а уэльский язык до сих пор используется в отдельных регионах страны.
Уэльский язык происходит от древнекельтского языка и является родственным языку бретонскому, на котором говорят в Бретани, во Франции. В 60-х годах уэльскому языку был присвоен статус официального языка наравне с английским, и он стал использоваться в судебном делопроизводстве. Его изучают в школах и на нем вещают некоторые телевизионные каналы в Уэльсе. Но только около 20% населения говорит на уэльском.
Wales covers about 10 per cent of the island of GB, but has only about 5 per cent of the population of the United Kingdom. About 20 per cent of the people speak Welsh, an ancient Celtic language. English and Welsh are both official languages.
Wales is a country of poets and singers with a literature that dates back more than 1,000 years and an ancient choral music tradition. A festival featuring musicians, poets, and singers, is held twice a year. As part of GB, Wales elects 38 of the 650 members of the House of Commons. The country’s daily administration is carried out by the Welsh Office in Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The head of the Welsh Office is appointed by the British Prime minister and is a member of the Cabinet. The Cambrian Mountains cover about two-thirds of Wales. The highest peak in the country, Snowdon reaches 1,085 meters. Coastal plains and river valleys cover about a third of the country. The longest rivers are the Severn and Wye, which both empty into the Bristol Channel. Wales has 3 national parks – Snowdonia, the Brecon Beacons, and the Pembrokeshire Coast. The largest urban areas in Wales are Cardiff, Swansea, and Newport, all located on the southern coast, and the majority of the country’s nearly 3 million people live in the southeast. Today, the economy of Wales depends primarily on manufacturing and service industries.
Everyday life in industrial Welsh cities and towns is similar to life in the industrial areas elsewhere in GB. After work, many people enjoy watching television or socializing at the local pub. Other popular pastimes include rugby football – the country’s national sport – as well as soccer and cricket.
Уэльс занимает около 10% территории острова, и лишь 5% населения Соединенного Королевства живут в Уэльсе. Около 20% его населения говорят на валлийском – старинным кельтском языке. Валлийский и английский являются тут официальными государственными языками. Уэльс является страной поэтов и певцов, его литература имеет тысячелетнюю традицию, а хоровое пение развилось еще в древние времена. Тут дважды в год проводится фестиваль поэтов, музыкантов и певцов. Уэльс как часть Соединенного Королевства представляют в Палате общин 38 с 650 членов парламента. Местная власть принадлежит Национальной ассамблее, которая размещена в Кардиффе – столице Уэльса. Глава ассамблеи назначается премьер-министром и является членом кабинета министров. Кембрийские горы покрывают около двух третей Уэльса. Высочайшая вершина государства – Сноудон – достигает 1 085 метров. Остальные земли представляют прибрежные равнины и долины рек. Самыми длинными реками являются Северн и Вай, которые несут свои воды в Бристольский канал. В Уэльсе есть 3 национальных заповедника: Сноудония, Брикон Бикон и Пембрукширский берег.
Самыми большими городами Уэльса являются Кардифф, Свонси и Нью-порт, которые находятся на южном побережье. Большинство жителей страны (почти 3 миллиона людей) живут в юго-западном регионе. Современная экономика Уэльса зависит, прежде всего, от производственной сферы и сферы услуг. Ежедневная жизнь жителей промышленных валлийских городов мало чем отличается от жизни в других урбанистических районах Соединенного Королевства. После работы люди по обыкновению смотрят телевизор или общаются друг с другом в ближайшем пабе. К другим разновидностям досуга принадлежат: регби, футбол, соккер и крикет – британские национальные виды спорта.
Wales is the country in the west of Great Britain. It is mainly a mountainous land with a chiefly agricultural economy and an industrial and coal-mining area in the south. The landscape is beautiful. Many English people move to Wales when they retire.
Cardiff, a large city in the south, was chosen as the capital of Wales in 1955, mainly because of its size. Since 1536, Wales has been governed by England and the heir to the throne of England has the title of Prince of Wales, but Welsh people have strong sense of identity. There is a Welsh National party which wants independence from the United Kingdom and the Welsh language is still used in certain parts of the country.
Welsh is an ancient Celtic language, similar to Breton, spoken in Brittany, France. In the 60’s Welsh was given equal status with English as an official language and is used in the law courts. It is taught in school and some TV programs are broadcast in Welsh. However, only about 20% of the population speaks Welsh.
Questions:
1. Where is Wales situated?
2. What is the capital of Wales?
3. Has it always been governed by England?
4. What language is used in the country?
5. How many people speak Welsh?
Уэльс
Уэльс - это страна на востоке Великобритании. Это, главным образом, гористая местность с преобладающей сельскохозяйственной экономикой и промышленным и угледобывающим районом на юге. Ландшафт ее прекрасен. Многие англичане уезжают в Уэльс, когда выходят на пенсию.
Кардифф, огромный город на юге, был выбран в качестве столицы Уэльса в 1955 году, главным образом, из-за своего размера. С 1536 года Уэльс управляется Англией, и наследник английского престола носит титул принца Уэльского, но уэльсцы обладают сильным чувством индивидуальности. Есть Уэльская национальная партия, которая добивается независимости от Соединенного Королевства, а уэльский язык до сих пор используется в отдельных местах страны.
Уэльский язык происходит от древнекельтского языка и является родственным языку бретонскому, на котором говорят в Бретани, во Франции. В 60-х годах уэльскому языку был присвоен статус официального языка, наравне с английским, и он стал использоваться в судебном делопроизводстве. Его учат в школе, и на нем вещают некоторые телевизионные каналы в Уэльсе. Но только около 20% населения говорит на уэльском.
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Wales is a country of lakes and mountains. Its about the half the size of Switzerland, and it has a population of two and three quarter million.
On the north of Wales is some of the most beautiful scenery in the British islands, the Snowdon mountain. Snowdon is Britain’s second highest mountain.
Wales is an not independent nation. In 1292, the English king, Edward, invaded Wales and built fourteen huge castles to control the Welsh people. His son, Edward, became the first prince of Wales, since then all the kings and queens of England have given their eldest sons the title, Prince of Wales. Prince Charles became the twenty-first Prince of Wales.
Although the English have ruled Wales for many centuries, Wales still has its own flag, culture, and, above all, its own language. In the towns and villages of North Wales, many people speak English only as a second language. Their first language is Welsh. In Llanberis, a small town at the foot of Snowdon, eighty-six per cent people speak Welsh as their first language. At the local primary school children have nearly all their lessons in Welsh. The children should be bilingual by the time that they are eleven years old. It is not a problem for children to learn two languages at the same time. Children have insight into two cultures, so have all the folk tales of two languages. Children like Welsh because in Welsh you spell things just how you say them, in English there are more silent letters. Welsh is one of the oldest languages in Europe. Its a Celtic language, like Breton in France, Gaelic in Ireland, or Gaelic in Scotland. Two and a half thousand years before these languages were spoken in many parts of Europe. They died out when the Romans invaded these areas, but some of them survived in the northwest corner of Europe. But over the last hundred years the number of Welsh-speaker has fallen very quickly. Now only twenty per cent of Welsh people speak Welsh. Here are some of the reasons for the decline. In the nineteenth century people thought that Welsh an uncivilized language. If you wanted to be successful in life you had to learn English, the language of the British Empire. So in many schools children were forbidden to speak Welsh.
At the beginning of the twentieth century many English and Irish people moved to South Wales to work in the coalmines and steel works. They did not learn Welsh. People, especially young people, moved away from the Welsh-speaking villages and farms of north and west Wales to look for work in the big towns and cities, so the Welsh-speaking communities became much smaller.
In the 1960s and 1970s many English people bought holiday cottages in villages in Wales. Most of them did not learn Welsh. This also pushed up the price of houses so that local Welsh-speaking people could not afford them. English comes into every Welsh home trough the television, the radio, newspapers, books, etc. There are Welsh-language TV and radio stations, but far fever than English ones. And now there is cable and satellite TV, too-in English, of course! The decline has now stopped, because a lot has been done. Road signs, bilingual documentation, and there is a Welsh language act. The future of Welsh is uncertain. The problem is that Welsh has to survive next door to English, and, as we all know, English is a very successful language.
Wales is a country situated in the West of Britain. St. David is the patron saint of Wales. On 1 st March, St. David’s Day, patriotic Welsh people wear a leek or a daffodil, both symbols of Wales. The population of Wales is about three million. The area of Wales is 20,764 sq. km. Wales is agricurtural, there are few cities there, rather small and unimportant. The west coast, mid Wales and North Wales are wild and beautiful. Wales has high mountains, including Mount Snowdon, the second highest mountain in Britain. Snowdon looks very peaceful and beautiful. Cardiff, the modern capital of Wales, has a Roman castle and a modern shopping centre. Cardiff is an industrial city, which also has a cathedral, a university. Every year, an international festival called Eisteddfod is held in the town of Llangollen. People come from all over the world to recite poetry, sing and dance in this colourful competition. There are two national languages in Wales – the Welsh language, which is spoken widely, especially in the North of the country and English. Both these languages are taught in schools. There is also Welsh and british TV channels. Rugby is the national game of Wales. The rules of the game are quite difficult. A team consists of fifteen players. The game is played with an egg-shaped ball. There are three National Parks in Wales. These parks are protected by law because of their natural beauty, but some people live and work there. The flag of Wales, with its red dragon, is one of the oldest in the world. It was brought to Britain by the Romans. The Welsh call their country Cymru and themselves Cymry, a word which has the same root as a “camrador” (friend, comrade).
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