24 ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRIES

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV1XjnbxkVU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeuHwerUKP8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrRtwbpRz4w

TASK 1: What English speaking countries do you know? Give a brief geographic
characterisation of Great Britain. What are the most famous sightseeing places in
London and outside London in Great Britain?
The English language is the most widely used language in the world. It is the native language
of more than half a billion people and it is used by billions of people internationally in
business, sports, politics, travel, art, education, the world of Internet and many other fields.
However, there are some countries we call English speaking countries. The largest ones are
the USA, Great Britain, Australia, Canada, the Republic of South Africa, and, in fact, India
and many other former colonies of Great Britain. An English speaking country is a country
where English is recognized and spoken officially, that is in offices and on formal occasions.
The official name of England, as it is often called for short, is the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland. Usually, it´s also called the UK for short. The UK consists of 4
parts – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
native - rodný, billion – miliarda, former – bývalý, occasion – príležitosť, for short –
v skratke, office - úrad
Great Britain is an island and Wales, England and Scotland are situated here. Northern
Ireland lies on another island which is to the west of the main island. The approximate
population of UK is about 70 million people and because of a lot of immigrants, this number
is growing. The capital city of the UK is, of course, London. Each part of the UK has its
own capital and the largest cities besides London are Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool,
Manchester and Edinburgh.
Geographically, the UK is mostly a flat land with some mountains only in the north and in
the west. Economically, the UK is a highly industrialised country with a very strong
economics, well developed are especially engineering, banking, advertising, insurance and
services. Agriculture is also highly efficient and wheat, barley, oats, potatoes, milk and meat
are produced.
island – ostrov, approximate – približný, flat – rovný, nížinatý, insurance – poistenie,
agriculture – poľnohospodárstvo, wheat - pšenica
Let me now talk about some of the most famous sightseeings in London. The number one
attraction for tourists is probably Buckingham Palace which is the official London home of
the royal family. Thousands of tourists are attracted by the so-called changing guards or by
parades performed by the royal cavalry. Other famous ladmarks include cathedrals such as
St. Paul´s or Westminster Abbey. Other places preferred by tourists from all over the world
are the London Eye, Madame Tussaud´s Museum, Big Ben and many others.
Outside London, the UK offers places worth visiting, too. Some of the most famous are:
Stonehenge, which is a mysterious place used for astronomical and religious purposes in the
past; Strandford upon Avon, the brithplace of one of the most famous English playwrights
William Shakespeare or Lake District National Park which is one of the most beautiful
natural places in all of Britain.
royal family – kraľovská rodina, guards – stráže, parade – pochod,procesia, worth – cenný,
religious – náboženský, purpose – cieľ,účel
In summer, a lot of tourists also visit coastal areas with famous summer resorts such as
Bournemouth or Brighton. coastal - pobrežný
TASK 2: Talk about some of the typical holidays celebrated in the English speaking
countries. Briefly describe Halloween, Thanksgiving day, Independence Day and Guy
Fawkes Night. Talk about the differences between Slovak and English Christmas and
Easter.
príliš uvedomujúci si sám seba – self-conscious, bohatý - wealthy, dodržiavať tradície - to
stick to traditions
English people are famous for celebrating a lot of different holidays. Some of them are the
same as we have in Slovakia but others are unique to English culture. People in the UK and
in the USA are very often attracted to holidays and actively participate in the public
celebrations held on various occasions. Halloween is a typical American holiday that is
celebrated on October 31st. Its tradition goes back to the times of Celts when people believed
that spirits of the dead would visit their homes. For this reason, they used to dress up in
costumes. Nowadays, especially little children like this holiday because they dress up in
costumes and go from house to house saying the popular phrase trick or treat. This means
that if the owner of the house doesn’t treat them well by giving them sweets and candies, they
will play tricks on him/her.
unique - unikátny, participate - zúčastniť sa, various - rôzny, spirit – duch, costume - kostým,
sweets – sladkosti
Thanksigiving day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November and this holiday
started in 1621 when people felt happy and thankful for the first successful harvest and the
help of native inhabitants of America because of whom they were able to survive. Another
important holiday in the USA is the Independence Day, also known as the 4th of July. This
holiday commemorates signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 which officially
made the British colonies on the American territory independent from the British rule.
Finally, Guy Fawkes Night is a typical British holiday. It is celebrated on November 5th and
it dates back to 1605 when a group of men around Guy Fawkes wanted to blow up the
building of parliament and although this attempt wasn’t successful, people commemorate this
event by lighting up fires and bonfires all across England and let off fireworks. On this day,
kids are allowed to watch the rockets in the sky late at night.
thankful - vďačný, inhabitant - obyvateľ, commemorate - pripomínať, blow up - vyhodiť do
vzduchu, attempt – pokus, bonfire – vatra
In conclusion, let me say that there are certain differences in the way Easter and Christmas
are celebrated in Slovakia and in English speaking countries. While in Slovakia, men pour
water on girls at Easter and whip them with willow sticks, there are more peaceful traditions
in the UK. Usually, chocolate eggs are hidden in the garden or in the park by Easter bunnies
and little children are supposed to look for them with baskets. At Christmas, there are many
differences in the typical traditions. While in Slovakia, families usually eat fish, especially
carp and potato salad, people in Britain and the USA normally eat a stuffed turkey with
mashed or roasted potatoes and Christmas pudding.
certain - určité, pour - polievať, basket - košík, stuffed turkey - plnený moriak, carp – kapor,
whip - bičovať
Another difference is in the time when Christmas presents are opened. Whereas in Slovakia,
people usually open their presents after the Christmas dinner, on the 24th of December,
Americans and British people wait until the morning of the next day, the 25th and find their
presents under the Chritmas tree then. Of course, there are unique customs in every part of
any country and traditions vary a lot. However, it’s important to note that these holidays are
celebrated by both, religious and non-religious people.
presents - darčeky, customs - tradície, vary - líšiť sa, note - poznamenať, both – obaja,
religious - nábožní