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The Union Jack и другие символы стран Соединенного Королевства. Топик «Union Jack

The national flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the most obvious symbol of the United Kingdom. It is called the Union Jack.

"Jack" is an old word which means "sailor". It explaines the name of the flag. King James III (1566-1622) ordered the Union Flag to be flown on the main mast of all British ships, except for the ships of war. So the flag was flown at the front of the ships.

Union Jack is a mixture of several overlaid flags. It combines three flags representing England, Scotland and Ireland.

These flags are the crosses of the Patron Saint of England (St. George"s Cross — red cross on a white ground), the flag of the Patron Saint of Scotland (St. Andrew"s Cross — white diagonal cross on a blue ground) and the flag of the Patron Saint of Nothern Ireland (St. Patrick"s Cross — red diagonal on a white ground).

St. David of Wales is not represented in the flag probably because Wales is a principality, not a kingdom.

The National Anthem of the UK

People all over the world know the first line of the national anthem of Great Britain which is called "God Save the Queen" . It was adopted after the War with Napoleon.

God save our gracious Queen Long Hue our noble Queen God save the Queen! Send her victorious Happy and glorious Long to reign over us God save the Queen!

Читайте также другие темы раздела "The National Emblems / Государственные эмблемы (Национальные символы)" :

The National Emblems / Государственные эмблемы (Национальные символы)
The National Flag of the UK. The National Anthem of the UK / Национальный флаг и гимн Великобритании

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The UK of GB and Northern Ireland is situated on the British Isles. It consist of four parts: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. England, Wales and Scotland occupy the territory of Great Britain. Northern Ireland is situated 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 warm 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 varies. 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 textile, 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 live 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.

Перевод текста: The Union Jack

Великобритания ГИГАБИТА и Северной Ирландии расположена на Британских островах. Это состоит из четырех частей: Англия, Уэльс, Шотландия и Северная Ирландия. Англия, Уэльс и Шотландия занимают территорию Великобритании. Северная Ирландия расположена в северной части Ирландии. Территория Великобритании - приблизительно 244000 квадратных километров, требуется 75-ое место среди других стран в мире. ГИГАБИТ отделен от континента Северным морем, Ирландским морем и Атлантическим океаном.

Горы, Атлантический океан и теплые воды Гольфстрима влияют на климат ГИГАБИТА. Это умеренно целое круглый год. Поверхность ГИГАБИТА изменяется очень. Северные и западные части страны являются гористыми и называются Горной местностью. Все остальные (юг, восток и центр) являются обширной равниной, которую называют Среднешотландской низменностью. Горы не очень высоки. Самая высокая область находится в Шотландии и на Севере Уэльс. Самый высокий пик в Шотландии - Бен-Невис, 1343 м. В Уэльсе, самый высокий пик является Сноудоном. Есть также Пеннинские горы на Севере Англия с некоторыми дикими горами для восхождения. Реки не длинны. Самые важные из них - Северн, Темза, Трент. Темза, текущая на Восток является самой занятой и самая красивая река, Северн, текущий на запад - самая длинная река – приблизительно 200 миль, Трент, текущий на север является самым быстрым. Многих красивых озер в гористых частях страны. Вот - Озерный край, который состоит из 16 озер или “lochs”, поскольку они называют их. Наибольшее озеро - Windermere, и самый глубокий - Westwater. Самые общие деревья в Англии - дуб, пепел и бук. Шотландия имеет много сосны и березы. Жизнь животных - изменяется. Есть несколько маленьких ящериц, змеи и лягушки. Самые многочисленные птицы - черные дрозды, воробьи и скворец. Некоторые птицы защищены согласно закону. Они - куропатки и фазаны. Национальная эмблема Англии - Красная роза, национальная птица - Робин Редбрист. Национальная эмблема Уэльса - нарцисс и лук - порей. Национальная эмблема Шотландии - чертополох. Национальная эмблема Северной Ирландии - трилистник.

ГИГАБИТ - высоко развитая индустриальная страна. Это известно как один из самых больших в мире продуктов, машин и электроники, химикалий и ткани, самолета и навигационного оборудования. Одна из главных отраслей промышленности страны - судостроение. Семь процентов населения заняты в сельском хозяйстве. Население - более тогда 57 миллионов. Приблизительно 80 % населения являются городскими. Наибольшие города ГИГАБИТА: Лондон, Кардифф, Эдинбург, Белфаст, Шеффилд, Лидс, Ноттингем, Ливерпуль, Щетина, Манчестер, Бирмингем, Глазго. Наибольшие порты страны: Белфаст, Лондон, Ливерпуль, Глазго, Кардифф. Капитал страны - Лондон.

Великобритания - конституционная монархия. Это имеет монарха – Короля или Королеву. Существующий британский монарх - Королева Элизабет Второе. Она становилась Королевой в 1952. Монарх имеет немного власти и может править с поддержкой Парламента. Британский Парламент - законодательное тело в стране. Это состоит из двух Зданий. Палата общин и Палата лордов. Парламент и монарх имеют различные роли в Правительстве страны. В действительности, Палата общин имеет власть правды. Это вводит новые счета. Тогда они идут к Палате лордов для одобрения. Тогда монарх начиная с них. Функции Королевы: открыть сессии Парламента, возглавлять Содружество наций, быть Главнокомандующим, объявлять войну, сделать мир. Палата общин составлена из 650 избранный, знает о членах парламента. Сторона, которая имеет большинство исков в Правительстве и его лидере обычно, становится премьер-министром. Премьер-министр формирует его или её Членов кабинета министров. Председатель Палаты общин - Спикер. Председатель Палаты лордов - Канцлер Бога. Он сидит на специальном месте, которое называют woolsack. Это означает, что шерсть сделала Англию богатой. Члены Палаты лордов не избраны, есть живые пэры. В ГИГАБИТЕ есть несколько политических сторон. Они - Консерватор, Либерал, Рабочая сила, Социальное Демократическое и Коммунистические партии. Премьер-министр страны Энтони Блэр является представительным для Трудовой стороны.

1. What is the capital of Great Britain?

a. Edinburgh
b. Boston
c. London

2. How many parts does Great Britain contain?

a. 4
b. 3
c. 5

3. What is the English flag called?

a. Union Patric
b. Union Jack
c. Lines and Crosses

4. Who is the symbol of the typical Englishman?

a. John Bull
b. John Bell
c. St. Patrick

5. What is the London underground called?

a. the tube
b. the metro
c. the subway

6. Who is the Head of State in Britain?

a. the Mayor
b. the Queen
c. the Prime Minister

7. What is the river in London?

a. Thames
b. London
c. Avon

8. What is the most expensive part of London?

a. West End
b. East End
c. Westminster
d. the City

9. What colour are the taxis in London?

a. blue
b. red
c. black

10. The building in the picture is…

a. St. Paul’s Cathedral
b. The British Museum
c. The National Galery

11. If you go to London, you’ll see…

a. the White House
b. St. Paul’s Cathedral
c. Greenwich

12. English people say…

a. candies
b. cookies
c. sweets

13. What is the home of the Queen?

a. Buckingham Palace
b. the White House
c. Westminster Abbey

14. What city did The Beatles come from?

a. London
b. Manchester
c. Liverpool

15. They say the Loch Ness Monster lives in a lake in…

a. Scotland
b. Wales
c. Ireland

Key: 1. c; 2. b; 3. b; 4. a; 5. a; 6. b; 7. a; 8. a; 9. c; 10. a; 11. b; 12. c; 13. a; 14. c; 15. a

By Natalia Korotaeva,
School “Feniks”, Moscow

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 (гюйс) , a small flag at the bowsprit (бушприт) ; 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

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