Т.В. Артеменко, Е.В. Кривощекова, Е.В. Кравченко, Н.Е. Николаева - Reader in Language and Culture - Part II, страница 9

In the past,kings had great power and they really helped to make history. Theystarted wars, made laws, and did things in their own way. Butgradually more and more power went to Parliament. What does theQueen do now? Why does Britain need monarchy? And does it?1.Elizabeth II calls the Windsor family a 'Firm'. She thinks of it as abusiness rather than a family. And the main business of the royal family is...well, probably being royal. And they are paid for it. The Queen is one of therichest women in the world and yet she gets about 8 million pounds a yearto be Queen.

But many people agree that she does hoi job well and shedeserves her salary.2.Being Queen is a really busy job. Elizabeth II gets up early andbegins the day by looking through the newspapers. Then she reads lettersfrom the public (she gets more than 1000 each week), and tells her staffhow she would like them to be answered. The Queen has daily meetings45withherPrivate Secretary who helps her to go through her paperwork,and lots of meetings with ambassadors, new judges, and bishops.3.In the afternoon Elizabeth II often goes out on public engagements— she gets thousands of invitations each year. She opens new hospitals,bridges and factories.4.Once a week, the Queen has a meeting with the Prime Ministerand they discuss government business and important things that arehappening in the country.5.In the evening the Queen reads the report of the day fromParliament.

She isn't a politician, and in modern Britain the power belongsto the government, but she must agree to every new law. It's a formalagreement; no king or queen has refused a new law since 1701!6.Being Queen is not a 9 to 5 job, and Elizabeth II has to work fromearly in the morning until late at night. And people watch her all the time.7.Of course, she has some free time, and some private life, but lessthan most people.8.In her spare time Elizabeth II enjoys horse racing, fishing, andwalking in the countryside.

She also enjoys photography and likes takingphotos on her travels.9.Many people think that the Royals are useless and monarchy isoutdated. But... the British people seem to like them that way. They like toread about the royal family, royal scandals and shocking secrets. They liketo watch royal ceremonies, they are proud of the tradition of monarchy.Britain has had kings and queens for a thousand years — probably they'llhave them for another thousand.10.According to a survey conducted during the Queen's GoldenJubilee, six out of ten people in Britain thought the monarchy was not out ofdate. But young people were less sure. Those aged under 24 were splitevenly. One half liked the Royals, the others thought they were notimportant anymore and said they weren't happy with the cost of keeping the46Royal Family.Kings and queens expect to be treated differently from otherpeople.

So you'd better know some simple rules in case you bump into amember of the royal family.—Women are expected to curtsy. Men are expected to bow.—Shake hands if a hand is offered.—It's bad manners to meet royalty with gloves on because, in the past,gloves were associated with warfare.—Until recently it was thought impolite to turn one's back on the Queenof England.Peoplewouldwalk backwards out of their presence. Incertain ceremonies lords and other officials still do.Tasks for discussion.1. Are there any advocates of monarchy in Russia? Do you think theirnumber will increaseor decrease in the future? What do these trendsdepend on?2.

Why is a proper burial of the last Russian royal family so important?Home Sweet HomeWHY IS OWNING A HOUSE SO IMPORTANT IN BRITAIN?1. Although in some countries (for example Greece) it is perfectlyacceptable and normal to live with your parents even when you are in yourthirties, in modern Britain children are generally encouraged to leave homeas soon as they have finished formal education. Because quite often goingto university means living a long way from home for three years, manyBritish kids effectively leave the 'family nest' at seventeen. What happens if47they don't? Well, although some families, especially up North, would be okwith that, many parents would not be very happy.

Many British parentsbelieve that because they have already spent at least seventeen yearsbringing up children, they now deserve a rest. And, of course, young peoplethemselves want to live on their own to feel independent.2. Of course, things are not as simple as that. As most jobs areconcentrated in London and in the South of England, many people from allover Britain want to live in a relatively small area.

This inevitably meansvery high house prices. A small (and believe me, when 1 say small - it issmall!) flat in London can cost anything between £200,000-£250,000 andthe prices are rising. Renting is also very expensive, so here are morereasons to become a house owner - those of status and social security. Thebigger and more expensive your house is.

the more you can show that youare successful as a person. Besides, having a house gives a sense of stabilityand security. Most people who own a house have a. mortgage. This meansthat you do not have to pay all the money in one go but pay some moneyevery month until you have paid off the total cost of the house.WHAT HOUSE?3. There are all sorts of different houses that you can buy in Britain (ifyou have the money that is). We asked some British people to tell us abouttheir houses.TERRACED4.

Hello, I'm Tracey and I live in a terraced house in Glasgow, Scotland.A terraced house is a house joined to a row of other houses. It is not verybig, only two bedrooms but my husband and I live on our own, so there isenough space for us and our dog, Spot. The only problem with a terracedhouse is the noise if you are unlucky enough to have noisy neighbours.Fortunately, we do not have that problem.SEMI-DETACHED HOUSE5. Hi, my name is Erik. I'm fifteen. I live with my parents in a small48town in the Soufh-East of England. We have a semi-detached house. Thismeans that my house is joined to another house.

It has a kitchen, lounge,bathroom with a toilet and three bedrooms. Oh, yes we also have a smallgarden. British people like having a garden, you know. It is quite a modernhouse, so we have central heating. I would really like an open fireplace butmodern houses do not have them.DETACHED HOUSE6. Hi there. I'm Paul from London. I live in a detached house with mywife, two kids and a cat. It is quite a large house with a nice back gardenand five bedrooms. Having a detached house is more expensive than asemi-detached or terraced one. I like it because when you are sitting in thegarden, nobody else can see you.

I would like to buy a country cottagesomewhere nice and quiet but how would I find a job there?A BLOCK OF FLATS7. Hello, my name is Yasmin. I'm fourteen and live in Liverpool, thehometown of the Beatles. My family comes from Bangladesh but I wasborn in England. We live in a council estate in a block of flats. This meansthat we did not have to buy our flat. It was given to us for free by the localgovernment. This is because my father doesn't have a well-paid job, so wecould not afford to buy or even rent even a small flat. My mum doesn'tspeak English, so there are very few jobs that she can do.

Most Britishpeople would not want to live in a block of flats because quite often theyare badly built and are associated with poverty and crime.HOUSEBOAT8. I'm Mark. Guess where I live - I live in a boat! Many people's dreamwould be to live in a large country mansion or picturesque country cottage,but I think that living in a houseboat is a lot more exciting. I do not have aregular job, so I can stay in one area for a few months and then movesomewhere else. England is just perfect for that because it has lots ofcanals. There are other people like me who like living in a boat, so I never49feel that I'm completely alone but at the same I feel completelyindependent.

If you think I'm strange, I know somebody who lives in acaravan and another friend who lives in a lighthouse!Stately Homes1.It was different in the old days. The rich were very rich and the poor werevery poor. But is it really different now? Some of the aristocratic families ofBritain still have a lot of money, and some still live in magnificent 'statelyhomes' built by their families hundreds of years ago.2.Castles with strong walls and towers may be almost a thousand years old, butmost stately homes date from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, andmany are filled with wonderful collections of paintings and furniture. Buteven for the richest, life in these old houses is expensive.

There are roofs torepair, hundreds of rooms to clean, and miles of parkland to look after. Tomake money, owners of stately homes often make their parks intoplaygrounds. They set up zoos, safari parks, model railways, small museums— anything that people will pay to see.3.Not everyone is lucky enough to keep their old home. Many of the peoplewho once owned the castles and palaces of Britain cannot afford to lookafter them now. But the buildings still stand, full of wonderful antiques andart treasures.4.Alarge number of them now belong to the National Trust, a privateorganisation which buys historic buildings.

The old owners still live there,and keep the atmosphere of a beautiful private home, but the houses areopen to the public too. In this way everyone can enjoy the great culturaltreasures of the past.50Questions.1.How early do children leave home in Britain and for what reasons?2.Why is it so important to own a place of your own?3.What are the most common types of houses in Britain? Do people feelpriviledged if they are given a free flat?4.Is it an easy task to keep up a stately home? What is the function of theNational trust?II.1.Do you live with your parents or on your own? What are theadvantages and disadvantages?2.What house would you like to own one day? Wouldyou need a mortgage on it?A nation of animal loversIf you go for a walk with a friend, don't say a word for hours; if you goout for a walk with your dog, keep chatting to him (George Mikes)1.It is no secret that British people love their pets to bits and woulddo anything to make their life happy.