The Union Jack, spoken English topic with translation. Topic

]

The UK of GB and Northern Ireland is located on the British Isles. It consists of four parts: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. England, Wales and Scotland occupy the territory of Great Britain. Northern Ireland is located in the northern part of Ireland. The territory of the UK is about 244000 square kilometers, it takes the 75th place among other countries in the world. GB is separated from the continent by the North Sea, the Irish Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the war m waters of the Gulf Stream influence the climate of GB. It is mild the whole year round. The surface of GB varies greatly. The northern and western parts of the country is mountainous and is called the Highlands. All the rest (south, east and center) is vast plain which is called the Lowlands. The mountains are not very high. The highest region are in Scotland and in the North Wales. The highest peak in Scotland is Ben Nevis, 1343 m. In Wales the highest peak is Snowdon. There is also the Pennine chain in North England with some wild mountains for climbing. The rivers are not long. The most important of them are the Severn, the Thames, the Trent. The Thames flowing to the East is the busiest and the most beautiful river, the Severn flowing to the west is the longest river – about 200 miles, the Trent flowing to the north is the fastest. The are many beautiful lakes in the mountainous parts of the country. Here is Lake District which consists of 16 lakes or “lochs” as they call them. The largest lake is Windermere and the deepest one is Westwater. The commonest trees in England are oak, ash and beech. Scotland has much pine and birch. The animal life is varied. There are several small lizards, snakes and frogs. The most numerous birds are blackbirds, sparrows and starling. Some birds are protected by law. They are partridges and pheasants. The national emblem of England is the Red Rose, the national bird is the Robin Redbreast. The national emblem of Wales is the daffodil and leek. The national emblem of Scotland is the thistle. The national emblem of Northern Ireland is the shamrock.

GB is a highly developed industrial country. It is known as one of the world’s largest products, machinery and electronics, chemicals and textiles, aircraft and navigation equipment. One of the chief industries of the country is shipbuilding. Seven per cent of the population is engaged in farming. The population is more then 57 million. About 80% of the population is urban. The largest cities of GB are: London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast, Sheffield, Leeds, Nottingham, Liverpool, Bristle, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow. The largest ports of the country are: Belfast, London, Liverpool, Glasgow, Cardiff. The capital of the country is London.

The UK is a constitutional monarchy. It has a monarch – a King or a Queen. The present British monarch is Queen Elizabeth the Second. She become Queen in 1952. The monarch has little power and can reign with the support of Parliament. British Parliament is the legislative body at the country. It consists of two Houses. The House of Commons and House of Lords. Parliament and the monarch have different roles in the Government of the country. In reality, the House of Commons has truth power. It introduces new bills. Then they go to the House of Lords for approval. Then the monarch since them. The functions of the Queen are: to open the sessions of the Parliament, to head the commonwealth, to be Commander-in-Chief, to declare the war, to make peace. The house of commons is made up of 650 elected knows of members of parliament. The party which has the majority of suits in the Government and its leader usually becomes prime minister. The prime minister forms his or her Cabinet Ministers. The chairman of the House of Commons is the Speaker. The chairman of the House of Lords is the Lord Chancellor. He sits on a special place, which is called the woolsack. It means that wool made England rich. The members of the House of Lords are not elected, there are living peers. There are several political parties in GB. They are the Conservative, the Liberal, the Labor, the Social Democratic and the Communist parties. Prime minister of the country Antony Blair is representative of the Labor party.

Text translation: The Union Jack

Great Britain GIGABIT and Northern Ireland are located in the British Isles. It consists of four parts: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. England, Wales and Scotland occupy the territory of Great Britain. Northern Ireland is located in the northern part of Ireland. The UK's territory is approximately 244,000 square kilometers, ranking 75th among other countries in the world. GIGABIT is separated from the continent by the North Sea, the Irish Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

Mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of the Gulf Stream influence the climate of GIGABIT. It is moderately whole all year round. The surface of the GIGABIT varies greatly. The northern and western parts of the country are mountainous and are called the Highlands. All the rest (south, east and center) are a vast plain called the Lowlands. The mountains are not very high. The highest area is in Scotland and North Wales. The highest peak in Scotland is Ben Nevis, 1343 m. In Wales, the highest peak is Snowdon. There are also the Pennines in the North of England with some wild mountains to climb. Rivers are not long. The most important of them are the Severn, Thames, and Trent. The East-flowing Thames is the busiest and most beautiful river, the West-flowing Severn is the longest river - about 200 miles, the North-flowing Trent is the fastest. Many beautiful lakes in the mountainous parts of the country. Here is the Lake District, which consists of 16 lakes or “lochs” as they call them. The largest lake is Windermere, and the deepest is Westwater. The most common trees in England are oak, ash and beech. Scotland has a lot of pine and birch. Animal life is changing. There are several small lizards, snakes and frogs. The most numerous birds are blackbirds, sparrows and starlings. Some birds are protected by law. They are partridges and pheasants. The national emblem of England is the Red Rose, the national bird is the Robin Redbreast. The national emblem of Wales is the daffodil and leek. The national emblem of Scotland is the thistle. The national emblem of Northern Ireland is the shamrock.

GIGABIT is a highly developed industrial country. It is known as one of the world's largest products, machinery and electronics, chemicals and textiles, aircraft and navigation equipment. One of the country's main industries is shipbuilding. Seven percent of the population is employed in agriculture. The population was then more than 57 million. Approximately 80% of the population is urban. Largest cities GIGABIT: London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast, Sheffield, Leeds, Nottingham, Liverpool, Bristle, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow. The country's largest ports: Belfast, London, Liverpool, Glasgow, Cardiff. The capital of the country is London.

Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy. It has a monarch – a King or Queen. The current British monarch is Queen Elizabeth the Second. She became Queen in 1952. The monarch has little power and can rule with the support of Parliament. The British Parliament is the legislative body in the country. It consists of two Buildings. House of Commons and House of Lords. Parliament and the monarch have different roles in the Government of the country. In reality, the House of Commons has the power of truth. This introduces new accounts. Then they go to the House of Lords for approval. Then the monarch starting with them. Functions of the Queen: open sessions of Parliament, lead the Commonwealth of Nations, be Commander-in-Chief, declare war, make peace. The House of Commons is made up of 650 elected, knowledgeable members of parliament. The party that has the most claims in the Government and its leader usually becomes the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister forms his or her Cabinet members. The President of the House of Commons is the Speaker. The President of the House of Lords is the Chancellor of God. He sits on a special place called a woolsack. This means that wool made England rich. Members of the House of Lords are not elected, but have living peers. There are several political sides to GIGABIT. They are Conservative, Liberal, Labor, Social Democratic and Communist parties. The country's Prime Minister Anthony Blair is representative of the Labor side.

Union Jack is the name of the flag of the United Kingdom. Union Flag, as it is officially called, is a combination of several flags: Scottish, English and Irish. The creation of the flag started when Scotland joined England and Wales.

It originally consisted of English and Scottish flags: St. Andrew's cross, blue flag with a white cross, was joined with English St. George's Cross, white flag with a red cross. This way original Union Jack of 1606 was a blue flag with two crosses (white and red). Later, in 1801 when Ireland joined the union a red cross from St. Patrick’s Cross (Irish flag) was added to the flag and the Union Jack began to look as it does today.

Despite being a part of the United Kingdom, Welsh flag (St. David) is not represented on the flag of the union. The reason might be that Wales is not a kingdom. It is interesting to notice that the Union Jack is also a part of the flags of Australia and New Zealand. King James III ordered that the flag should be flown on the main mast of all British ships.

Today the Union Jack is a popular symbol that regularly appears on clothes, bags, souvenirs and even cars. Its colors attract people so that it has become a fashionable emblem all over the world.

Translation:

"Union Jack" is the name of the flag of the United Kingdom. The Union Flag, as it is officially called, is a combination of several flags: Scottish, English and Irish. The creation of the flag began when Scotland joined England and Wales.

It originally consisted of the English and Scottish flags: the St. Andrew's Cross, a blue flag with a white cross, was combined with the English St. George's Cross, a white flag with a red cross. Thus, the Union Jack in 1606 looked like blue flag with two crosses (white and red). Later, in 1801, when Ireland joined the union, the red cross from the "St. Patrick's Cross" (Irish flag) was added to the flag and the Union Jack took on its modern form.

Although Wales is also part of the United Kingdom, its flag (St David's) is not represented on the union flag. The reason may be that Wales is not a kingdom. It is interesting to note that the Union Jack is also part of the flags of Australia and New Zealand. By order of King James III, this flag flew on the mainmast of every British ship.

Today the Union Jack is a famous symbol, regularly appearing on clothing, bags, souvenirs and even cars. Its colors attract people, which is why it has become a fashion emblem all over the world.

Words and expressions:

Cross - cross

To be joined with – join to..., unite with...

Despite +V ing/N – despite (Despite being a part of...)

To be represented – to be depicted/represented

Kingdom - kingdom

to order – to dispose, to order

The Name of the Flag

The Union Flag, or Union Jack, is the national flag of the United Kingdom.
It is so called because it combines the crosses of the three countries united under one Sovereign - the kingdoms of England and Wales, of Scotland and of Ireland (although since 1921 only Northern Ireland has been part of the United Kingdom).

The Body of the Flag

The flag consists of three heraldic crosses.
The cross of St George, patron saint of England since the 1270"s, is a red cross on a white ground. After James I succeeded to the throne, it was combined with the cross of St. Andrew in 1606.
The cross saltire of St Andrew, patron saint of Scotland, is a diagonal white cross on a blue ground.
The cross saltire of St Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, is a diagonal red cross on a white ground.

The History of the Flag

This was combined with the previous Union Flag of St George and St Andrew, after the Act of Union of Ireland with England (and Wales) and Scotland on 1 January 1801, to create the Union Flag that has been flown ever since.

The History of the Flag

The Welsh dragon does not appear on the Union Flag. This is because when the first Union Flag was created in 1606, the Principality of Wales by that time was already united with England and was no longer a separate principality.

The History of the Name

The term "Union Jack" possibly dates from Queen Anne's time (1702-14), but its origin is uncertain.

The History of the Name

It may come from the "jack-et" of the English or Scottish soldiers,
or from the name of James I (or Jacob, Jack in short) who originated the first union in 1603.

The History of the Name

Another alternative is that the name may be derived from a proclamation by Charles II that the Union Flag should be flown only by ships of the Royal Navy as a jack, a small flag at the bowsprit; the term "jack" once meant small.

The Union Flag was originally a Royal flag. When the present design was made official in 1801, it was ordered to be flown on all the King's forts and castles, but not elsewhere.
It is today flown above Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Sandringham when The Queen is not in residence.

The Royal Arms of Scotland

The Royal Arms of Scotland (Lion Rampant) is flown at the Palace of Holyroodhouse and Balmoral when The Queen is not in residence.
On news of a Royal death, the Union Flag (or the Royal Arms of Scotland (Lion Rampant) where appropriate) is flown at half-mast.

The Royal Standard

The Royal Standard is never flown at half-mast, as the Sovereign never dies (the new monarch immediately succeeds his or her predecessor).
The flying of the Union Flag on public buildings is decided by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport at The Queen's command.
The Union Flag is flown on Government buildings on days marking the birthdays of members of the Royal Family, Commonwealth Day, Coronation Day, The Queen's official birthday, Remembrance Day and on the days of the State Opening and prorogation of Parliament.

The used references

http://www.royal.gov.uk
http://english4fun.ru/trivia/union-jack.html
http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/geography/unionjack.htm