The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

go to the same public school as their parents and their grandparents. Eton is the best known of these schools. The majority of independent secondary schools, including public schools, are single-sex, although in recent years girls have been allowed to join the sixth forms of boys' schools. Independent schools also include religious schools (Jewish, Catholic. Muslim etc.) and schools for ethnic minorities.

Education in Britain

Even the best schools can’t teach everything

  Today there is a great number of schools in Britain. Many of them has a good reputation, no brick wall or iron fence separating school premises from backyards of a long row of lodging houses or a with a focus in Math’s and science. There are a lot of subjects, than are best developers of mental muscle or the most important. In general school helps to equip future citizens with all they require to take their place in adult society, encourages each pupils to develop his or her interests in many areas. I fully agree with the statement that school insists on having pupils memorize mountains of information but provides good education but can’t enforce pupils to accept it. I partially agree that students copy out their homework, play hooky, live on their nerve-ends all the time, rebel against doing homework or even put off doing homework until the last moment. But never the less some of them are capable of accelerated learning and behaves properly.  All state schools in Britain are free, and schools provide their pupils with books and equipment for their studies. Nine million children attend 35.000 schools in Britain. Education is compulsory from 5 till 16 years. Parents can choose to send their children to a nursery school or a pre-school playgroup to prepare them for the start of compulsory education. Children start primer school at 5 and continue until they are 11. Most children are taught together, boys and girls in the same class. At 11 most pupils go to

  secondary schools called comprehensives which accept a wide range of children from all backgrounds and religious and ethnic groups. Ninety per cent of secondary schools in England, Scotland and Wales are co-educational. At 16 pupils take a national exam called "GCSE" (General Certificate of Secondary Education) and then they can leave school if they wish. This is the end of compulsory education. Some 16-year-olds continue their studies in the sixth form at school or at a sixth form college. The sixth form prepares pupils for a national exam called "A" level (advanced level) at 18. You need "A" level to enter a university. Other 16-year-olds choose to go to a college of further education to study for more

practical (vocational) diplomas relating to the world of work, such as hairdressing, typing or mechanics. Universities and colleges of higher education accept students with "A" levels from 18. Students study for a degree which takes on average three years of full-time study. Most students graduate at 21 or 22 and are given their degree at a special graduation ceremony.  Seven per cent of British schoolchildren go to private schools called independent schools. There are 2.400 independent schools and they have been growing in number and popularity since the mid-1980s. Parents pay for these schools, and fees vary from about 250 pounds a term for a private nursery to 3.000 pounds a term or more for a secondary boarding school. Most independent schools are called prep (preparatory) schools because they prepare the children for the Common Entrance Exam which they take at the age of 11. This exam is for entry into the best schools. The most famous schools are called "public schools" and they have a long history and traditions. It is often necessary to put your child's name on a waiting list at birth to be sure he or she gets a place. Children of wealthy or aristocratic families often

go to the same public school as their parents and their grandparents. Eton is the best known of these schools. The majority of independent secondary schools, including public schools, are single-sex, although in recent years girls have been allowed to join the sixth forms of boys' schools. Independent schools also include religious schools (Jewish, Catholic. Muslim etc.) and schools for ethnic minorities.

Health in Britain 

People all over the world suffer from different diseases: indigestion, depression, burns, severe complications and other. Today they became a real part of our life, that’s a pity. So I can say, that people in Britain also pain. Many of them think that if they have a cold and treat it properly it will last seven days, if they don’t it will last a week. But what is like to be ill. You wake up one morning and your head aches, your throat is burning, you feel hot and shivery, you have a pain in your legs, you feel sick, and you can’t imagine eating or walking or even lighting. There is nothing for it but stay in bed. Perhaps the doctor comes and pokes you about and soon after nasty medicine or pills have to be taken. British have an excellent medical service. But nevertheless to prevent illness and to keep their figure in good shape they go to fit-keep classes. All people in Britain go running every morning or jogging, do very energetic exercises or at the end frequent discotheques. It is a great advantage, that being healthy is very modern in British society. They prefer not to smoke, because smoking can be a dangerous addiction, leads to lung cancer, is a deep-rooted habit and is very bad for your health. Also it is forbidden in some places. Surgeon general’s warning: smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema and may complicate pregnancy. So a sound mind is in a healthy body.

Sports in Britain

  People all over the world are fond of sports and games. People take up sports in order to be legendary, display skills and physical powers, become folk heroes, reach celebrity status, improve spiritually and emotionally and be media stars. All necessary facilities are provided for them: stadiums, sport grounds, swimming pools, football fields. Sport makes people swifter, higher, and stronger. I suppose, sport demands a lot of training and physical fitness. Because if you want to know the thrill of victory you must have a lot of training, and if you do this you can get everything you want. You can make a lot of money and win recognition. But sometimes you must risk your own neck, because sport is a very dangerous occupation.

The British have a reputation for being mad about sports. In fact they like watching sports more than playing them. The British are spectators and the most popular spectator sports are cricket and football. Football is the most popular game. Football, or soccer, is an example of a professional game. The game of football was first played in Britain, and later people began to play football in other countries. There are many amateur soccer players in Britain who play the game on Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Amateur clubs often play against professionals. Almost every school has its football team and every boy in Britain knows a lot about the game. He can tell you the names of the players in the most important teams; he has pictures of them and knows the results of many matches. Rugby-is another popular British sport which is played in other countries. It is also called rugby football. The story is told that in 1823 boys at Rugby school in England were playing football in the normal way, when suddenly one boy picked the ball up and ran with it. That was how a new game was born. There are two forms of rugby football: the amateur game and the professional game. The two games have different rules. Football is the favourite winter game in Britain and cricket is the favourite summer sport. Amateur cricket has the same rules as the professional game. A typical amateur cricket match takes place on a village green, an open space in the centre of the village. It is played between two teams — the "home" team and the "visitors" who come from another village. Cricket is considered to be the English National game. Its rules are very complicated. It is played by two teams of eleven men each, the player at a time tries to hit the ball with a bat. Golf is the Scottish national game. It originated in the XV century and the most famous golf course in the world, known as the Royal and Ancient Club, is at St. Andrew's. Lawn tennis was first played in Britain in the late 19th century. The most famous British championship is Wimbledon, played annually during the last week of June and the first week of July. Those are the most popular kinds of sport in the UK. But there are many other sports such as rugby, swimming, golf horse-racing and the traditional fox-hunting.

Ecological problems

When it comes to protecting the environment, actions speak louder than words.

The sharpest problem in Britain is a problem of the environment. It was not Man who created nature. Nature is not ours, ours is only the possibility to live in it. To be part of it. Nature never does any harm to itself, only changes and makes adjustments. It is Man who ignores, contaminates and spoils the environment. Today it is impossible to hide the chilling fates mankind has left for the planet. Man interferes with nature dramatically: cuts down trees, roots jungles and forests in his dire necessity, destroying the sources of oxygen, mines for coal, chemical fertilizers, for gold, silver, minerals, and precious stones. Man demands much of the Earth's resources and too often is an ignorant, selfish and thoughtless caretaker because mineral wealth of the earth can not be recreated. A lot of environmental problems stem from the economic activities of humans. Day-to-day business of individuals and corporations leads to horrific environmental degradation. Shortages of drinkable water are increasingly common. One fourth of drinking water is unsafe. There is a decline of quality and quantity of marine food. It is a very serious problem for more than half the people of developing countries obtain more than 30 percent of their protein from marine fish. Air pollution u monitored practically in every country. Millions of people live in cities where the air is dangerous to breathe. Acid rains that affect land, lakes and rivers become a problem not only of the developed countries.

Salination and deforestation are responsible for climate change. Poor water quality means diseases, deforestation and overused land lead to soil and fertility loss and environmental disasters. About one-quarter of the Earth's species risk extinction within the next thirty years because the habitats of many species are being destroyed. Industry produces a lot of environmental problems everywhere. It consumes 37 percent of the world's energy, and emits 50 percent of the world's sulphur oxides and nearly all toxic chemicals now threatening the ozone layer with depletion. Pollution affects all forms of life and menaces the lives of millions. It spills over the borders and very often becomes a very serious transnational problem. One of the most serious problems is the problem of depletion of the ozone layer and the existence of a gigantic hole in it above the Antarctic which forms every spring. It causes an increase in ultra-violet radiation. Exposure to ultra-violet radiation reduces the effectiveness of the body's immune system, and so increases disease rates, and produces eye cataracts and skin cancer. Humans face one more serious problem — global warming that would affect climate and agriculture, change rainfall patterns and upset ocean currents. To achieve all these goals Man must increase environmental protection, stop spoiling the environment. He must reshape his activities: fight and control pollution, stop polluting by recycling, create new environmentally-sound technologies; install equipment to suck pollutants, reduce emissions, stop insatiable consumption of resources and intense production of wastes, build treatment plants for industrial waste. I think using hazardous and polluting technologies should be banned and sanitation improved. The most urgent task, to my mind is to educate people about the environment, to elevate concern about it and its problems.

We have a moral duty to look after our planet and hand it on in good order to future generation. That does not mean trying to halt economic growth. We need growth to give us the means to live better and healthier lives. We must not sacrifice our future well-being for short-term gains, nor pile up environmental debts which will burden our children. Where there are real threats to our planet we have to take great care. Prevention can often be better and cheaper than cure. But action in Britain is not enough. The Government will play a fall part in working out international solutions through bodies like the United Nations, the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the European Community.

The British Government will aim:

    to preserve and enhance Britain's natural and cultural inheritance;

    to encourage the more prudent and efficient use of energy and other resources;

    to make sure that Britain's air and water are clean and safe, and that controls over wastes and pollution are maintained and strengthened where necessary.

The world's population doubled between 1950 and 1987. More people means more mouths to feed, and that demands more agricultural land. That in turn can lead to deforestation and soil erosion.   By burning forests, draining wet lands, polluting water courses and overfishing mankind is rapidly driving many species to extinction. The Government is supporting international efforts for a global agreement to protect species of plant and animal life. The Government is also supporting projects to conserve endangered species of wild life such as the black rhino and the African elephants.

Looking after nature is looking to the future.

Vocabulary 

astonishing – удивительный

rub –  затруднение

mutual – взаимный

trustee – опекун

to advertise – рекламировать

fees – гонорар

royalty – авторский гонорар

hype – истина

 to owe –  быть обязанным

eminent –выдающийся

cosy –уютный

mansions – особняк

extended –растянутый

torture –пытка

plagued –обеспокоенный

promenades –пешеходная улица

to enforce –заставить силой

accelerated –ускоренный

village green –деревенская лужайка

pregnancy –беременность

to avert –избегать

to curb –сдерживать

to cause –вызывать

spell –короткие промежутки времени

to pursue –преследовать

cereal –овсянка

to disguise –скрыть

priest –священник

wax –воск

ferry-boat –паром

steamer –пароход

fare –плата

desolate –заброшенный

to claime –утверждать

descendant –потомок

chiefly –главным образом

constituency – избирательный округ

to resign –уйти в отставку

backbencher –рядовой член парламента

descent –происхождение

dissolving –роспуск

succession –право на наследство

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