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UNIVERSITY OF DALAT

DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

BRITISH CIVILIZATION - 2007


Tran Thanh Hung - M.A. 2007

THE BRITISH ISLES

THE UNITED KINGDOM

(Names to be mentioned: Welsh, Scots Gaelic, Irish Gaelic, Bir-

formal name:

mingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast, Cardiff, Catholic, Protestant,


Muslim, Hindu, Judaism Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, Romans, Latin, Britannia.)

- The United Kingdom

- Location:

- Area

- United Kingdom:

- Population

-Britain:

-Major cities:
+ London
+ and Great Britain:

+Other cities
- Languages

+ the name Britain:

- Nationalities

BRITISH CIVILIZATION - 2007

GREAT BRITAIN

General Introduction
B. England

A. Scotland:

(names to be mentioned: Scots, Gaelic,


Lowlands, Highlands, Midlands, Uplands,
Aberdeen, Dundee, Inverness, St. Andrew, Royal Mile, Scotti, Celt, Celtic,
Caledonia, Hebrides, Orkney, Shetland,
Lock Ness)
In local language it is called

(names to be mentioned: Common


Wealth of Nations, Sheffield, Bristol, Sir.
Benjamin Hall, Houses of Parliament)

England, Anglia in Latin, is a political division of the


island of Great Britain, the principal division of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
-Location and area:

Roghachd na h'Albannach
- Location and area
-Population
-Languages
- Population: (the total and population distribution)

-Languages

-Main cities:

-Main cities

-The world famous landmarks:

C. Wales (names to be mentioned: Bala Lake, Snowdon,

Cymru, Cardiff, Swansea, Newport, Taff,


Ely, Bristol Channel)

-Scotlands name

Wales is a unique country within


Britain in that it is a Principality.
The current Prince of Wales is
Prince Charles, the oldest son of
Queen Elizabeth II. Wales and England have been
united politically for almost five centuries, the two countries sharing systems of law, land tenure and local government. However, the Principality has a history, language and culture of its own.

-Noticeable points in brief:

-Location and area:


-Population
-Languages
-Main cities
-Noticeable points in brief

UNIVERSITY OF DALAT
DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

BRITISH CIVILIZATION - 2007

Tran Thanh Hung - M.A. 2007

1-Fill in the following charts with all names of the constituent parts of the British Isles.
THE BRITISH ISLES

2- What is the difference between Britain and Great


Britain?

3-Where does the name Britain come from?

C-What is the population of Scotland? Where


is the highest density in Scotland? How is the
population of Scotland distributed?

D-Retell a story you know about the name


Scotland.

4-What is the population of Britain?

5-Which separates the British land and that of Western

E-Name two of the world-famous Scottish


products.

Europe?

6-What do you know about Scotland?


A-Locate Scotland in the British Isles. Just use a couple
of simple sentences.

B-What do you know about languages generally


spoken in Scotland?

F-Mention some of typical geographic traits of


the land of Scotland:

G-Mention some of the Scottish typical


cultural traits.

BRITISH CIVILIZATION - 2007


7-Complete the following sentence:
Politically, Wales has been united to England for several centuries; the two countries have the same
.., but
Wales, the , has its own.
8-What are the languages popularly spoken in The
Principality of the UK?

Classroom Test One

13-What do you know about the following


landmarks:
Big Ben, Lock Ness, Snowdon, Stonehenge,
Lake District, and Birmingham Palace?

9- Define principality in your own words. What is


The Principality?

10-What is Wales generally famous for?

11-What are the seven wonders of London?

14-Define the following words:


compromise
constituent nation
population density
urban center
cosmopolitan.

12-Say what you know about the cities mentioned below.


(Just name the country that the city belongs to, say whether the city is the capital city or not, what is famous
about the city and locate the city if you can)

Inverness

Aberdeen

Belfast

Birmingham

Sheffield

Bristol

Swansea

Cardiff

Newport

Edinburgh

Dundee

Glasgow

Cork

Limerick

Liverpool

Manchester

UNIVERSITY OF DALAT
DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

BRITISH CIVILIZATION - 2007


Tran Thanh Hung - M.A. 2007
NAMES TO BE MENTIONED
English Channel
Salisbury
Julius Caesar
Christianity
Anglo-Saxon
King Arthur
Round Table
Danes
Duke William of Normandy
Robin Hood, Sherwood
Tudor
Elizabeth
Catholicism
Bill of Rights
Prince William of Orange
Victorian
Labour

Celt
BC, AD
Kent
Chester
Angles
Romanized
Winchester Castle
Scandinavia
William the Conqueror
Lancastrians
Protestantism
Victoria
Oliver Cromwell
Dissenters
Whig and Tory
Charles Dickens
Liberals

Druids
Altar
Londinium
Lancaster
Saxons
Eleanor Brickdale
Viking
King Alfred
Norman
Yorkists
Henry VIII
Cavaliers
Glorious Revolution
Orangemen
Stuart
Suffragettes
Conservatives

SOME WORDS & EXPRESSIONS TO BE USED


a stream of new people
priests
feasting
astronomical clock
aristocracy
large-sale, small-scale
medieval
convert
democracy
implement
rejection
emigrate

the practice of agriculture


livestock
sense of mystery
mound
forts
dominant
descendants
barons, lords
elected representatives
monarch
patriotism
colonization

give the rise to


horsemanship
remains
sanctuary
settle
self-sufficient
peasants
defeat
dynasty
dismiss
arrogance

Stonehenge
Silbury Hill
Colchester
Gloucester
Britons
Excalibur
Norseman
Wessex
Parliament
Bubonic Plague
Anglicanism
Roundheads
Netherlands
Prince Albert
House of Lords
General Strike

Brief Introduction to History

BRITISH CIVILIZATION - 2007

OUTLINE

SOME IMPORTANT DATES IN


BRITISH HISTORY

I. The Prehistoric Period.


Why is prehistoric?
The Celts (origin, achievements, characteristics)
Stonehenge (its mysteries)

II. The Roman Period


Things they left behind

III. The Germanic invasions


Reason why Roman Britannia disappeared so quickly
The Anglo-Saxons (origin, achievements)
King Arthur and his Round Table
The Vikings (or Norsemen, origin, characteristics)
King Alfred and Wessex, Danelaw
England became one kingdom with a Germanic culture
throughout

III. The Medieval Period


1066
Barons, Lords and Peasants
Magna Carta
A cultural split

IV. The Sixteenth Century


Tudor dynasty
The War of the Roses
The Black Death
King Henry VIII (why is he well-remembered, Elizabeth I, Renaissance, Reformation)

V. The Seventeenth Century


The Civil War (Oliver Cromwell, Prince William of Orange)

VI. The Eighteenth Century


The joining of parliaments
Britain expands its empire
The Industrial Revolution (reasons, characteristics, effects)

VII. The Nineteenth Century


The UK of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Queen Victoria (biggest empire, colonization, values, the
changes in social structure)

VIII. The Twentieth Century


Women can vote
TUC

(From the Roman Period to the Eighteenth Century)


55 BC: The Roman general Julius Caesar lands in Britain
with an expeditionary force, wins a battle and leaves.
The first date in popular British history.
43 AD: The Romans come to stay
410
The Romans leave Britain
878
The Peace of Edington partitions, England between
the Saxons, led by King Alfred and the Danes.
973
Edgar, grandson of Alfred, became king of all Eng
land.
1014
Brian Borus Irish army defeats the Vikings. As a
result, Viking settlement in Ireland remains limited and
Ireland retains its Celtic identity, never becoming part
of the Scandinavian empire.
1066
Battle of Hastings. On 14 October 1066 and invading
army from Normandy defeated the English at the
Battle of Hastings. The battle was close and
extremely bloody. At the end of it, most of the best
warriors in England were dead, including their leader,
King Harold. On Christmas Day that year, the Norman
leader, Duke William of Normandy was crowned king
of England.
1215
An alliance of aristocracy, Church and merchants
force King John to agree to the Magna Carta (Great
Charter), a document in which the king agrees to fol
low certain rules of Government. In fact, neither John
nor his successors entirely followed them, but Magna
Carta is remembered as the first time a monarch
agreed in writing to abide by formal procedures.
1284
The Statue of Wales puts the whole of that country
under the control of the English monarch.
1328
After several years of war between the Scottish and
English kingdom, Scotland is recognized as an
independent kingdom.
1534
The Act of Supremacy declares Henry VIII to be the
supreme head of the Church in England.
1538
An English language version of the Bible replaces
Latin bibles in every church in the land.
1603
James VI of Scotland becomes James I of England.
1642
The Civil War begins
1649
Charles I is executed. For the first and only time,
Britain briefly becomes a republic and is called the
Commonwealth .
1660
The monarchy and the Anglican religion are restored.
1666
The Great Fire of London destroys most of the citys
old wooden buildings. It also destroys bubonic plague,
which never reappears. Most of the citys finest
churches, including St. Pauls Cathedral, date from
the period of rebuilding which follows.
1707

The Act of Union joins the Parliament of Scotland with


that of England and Wales

1783

After a war, Britain recognizes the independence of


the American colonies

1788

The first British settlers (convicts and soldiers) arrive


in Australia
The separate Irish Parliament is closed and the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland is
formed.
The TUC (Trades Union Congress) is formed

1800
1868

UNIVERSITY OF DALAT
DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

BRITISH CIVILIZATION - 2007


1-What do you know about the first tribes who
streamed to the British Isles? (Mention some of their
prominent characteristics)
2-Say something about an astonishing monumental
architecture of the prehistory period?
3-It is sometimes stated that the Romans did not really
rule Britain during their settlement there, explain why?
4-What did the Romans leave behind?
5-What does the name Anglo-Saxon come from?
6-What is the difference between the Anglo-Saxon
occupation and the Roman occupation?
7-What do you know about the Vikings?
8-Mention one of the reasons why by the end of the
tenth century, England became one kingdom with a
Germanic culture throughout?
9-Why is the year of 1066 considered the most famous
date in English history?
10-Who are the barons, the lords and the peasants?
(their languages, their ownership)
11-What do you know about King Arthur?
12-What do you know about Magna Carta?

Tran Thanh Hung - M.A. 2007

Classroom Test Two

BRITISH CIVILIZATION - 2007


PEOPLE

PERIODS

SOME CHARACTERISTICS

The Celts

The Romans

The Anglo-Saxons

The Vikings

The Normans

13-What do you know about Tudor England?


A. Why is it called Tudor England?
B. Who is the most famous king? Why is he
well-remembered?
C. Who is Queen Elizabeth I? Why is her time
considered the Golden Age?
D. Mention two or three prominent
achievements of the Tudor England.
E. What do you know about Renaissance?
F-What is the Wars of Roses?
14-What is the Civil War? Why did this war happen?
15-What do you know about the Industrial Revolution?
A. Some of the reasons why did it happen?
B. Changes in Industry
C. Changes in Society

THINGS THEY LEFT BEHIND

UNIVERSITY OF DALAT
DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

BRITISH CIVILIZATION - 2007


1-Mention the main stages of education in the UK.
2-What are the three basic features of the British
educational system?
3-What is special about compulsory education in
Britain?
4- What is special about the school year in Britain?
5-When does a child start his or her school age?
6-What is GCSE?
7-What are the choices for a child when he or she
finishes the compulsory education?
8-What are considered as the basic entry requirement
to British universities or colleges?
9-What is Oxbridge?
10-What is the Open University?
11-What are the compulsory core subjects in the
National Curricula?
12-What are public schools in Britain, give the name of
a famous school of this type.

Tran Thanh Hung - M.A. 2007

UNIVERSITY OF DALAT
DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

BRITISH CIVILIZATION - 2007


1-Why is it true to say: Britain is a parliament
monarchy or a constitutional monarchy?
2-What is special about the British Constitution
compared to the constitutions of most other
countries?
3-What are the two principles of the British
Constitution?
4-What are the Queens basic functions in
theory?
5-Who is the executive, who is the legislature?
What does Parliament consist of?
6-Which is the source of real political power in
Britain; the Crown (or the Monarch), the House
of Lords or the House of Commons?
7-Why is Parliament usually known as
Westminster ?
8-What are the four fundamental functions of
Parliament nowadays?
9-How long is the life of a Parliament?
10-Who is the Prime Minister; how is he or she
chosen, how is the Cabinet formed, who are
the members of the Cabinet? (who are
departmental ministers and non-departmental
ministers?)
11-What are the local governments in Britain
often called?
12-Which is the term Whitehall used to refer
to?

Group Work

HOUSE OF LORDS
No. of members:

Members are called:

Presided over by:

The main function is:

Fill in these two charts of Houses of Parliament

HOUSE OF COMMONS
No. of members:
Members are called:

Each member represents:

Presided over by:


The main function is:

UNIVERSITY OF DALAT
DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

BRITISH CIVILIZATION - 2007


1. What is special about the family in Britain today?
2. What are two of the popular sport activities in
Britain?
3. What are two of the noticeable demographic
trends in British population?
4. What are some of the reasons for the decline in
mortality at most ages?
5. What is the most important change in the labor
market in the UK?
6. What are the public holidays throughout the United
Kingdom?
7. What are the two typical types of modern
holidays?
8. On what occasion, people would listen to the
Queens speaking directly to her people on
television?
9. What is Auld Lang Syne?
10. What is the custom of first footing?
11. Explain the origin of the name Boxing Day.
12. What is the difference of the May Day in Britain
and that in other countries?
13. What do people usually do on Halloween?
14. Explain the origin of the name St. Valentines Day
15. What do British children often do on Bonfire Night?
16. What do people in Britain usually do for leisure?
17-What are bank holidays?

Tran Thanh Hung - M.A. 2007

UNIVERSITY OF DALAT
DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

BRITISH CIVILIZATION - 2007

Tran Thanh Hung - M.A. 2007

1- Britannia is the Roman name of the United Kingdom.


2-There are five constituent nations which form the United Kingdom.
3-Northern Ireland is in Great Britain.
4-Britain covers an area of approximately 58,956,000 sq km.
5-Glassgow, Edinburgh and Cardiff are in Scotland.
6-Swansea, Belfast and Dublin are in Britain.
7-Most of the population and majority of Scotlands industry is located in
the Central Lowlands.
8-Glassgow is the largest population center in Scotland; it is also a large
cosmopolitan city in Europe.
9-Lock Ness is in Wales. Another famous lake, Bala Lake, is also located in
The Principality.
10-The current Prince of Wales is Prince Charles.
11-Snowdon is the highest point in England and Wales.
12-The total population of Wales is estimated at more than 2.9 million representing about five per cent of the total British population.
13-Wales is famous for its sheep farming, beautiful landscapes and some
mines.
14-The two world famous Scottish products are whisky and textiles.
15-Big Ben is the great bell in the clock tower on the Four Courts building in
Ireland.
16-Bristol is the name of a famous ancient city in England.
17-Both English and Scot Gaelic are used officially in Scotland.
18-English Channel separates the land of the British Isles and that of Western
Europe.
19-Tartan is the name for the traditional musical instrument invented by
Scottish people in the old times.
20-Stonehenge is famous because of its mysteries.
21-The huge stones which were used to construct Stonehenge were
thought to be transported from Wales.
22-Big Ben is named after a famous English worker in the 18th century, Sir
Benjamin Hall.
23-British Parliament is housed at Buckingham Palace.
24-The Principality or Wales is the smallest nation in Great Britain and it also
has the lowest population density.
25 People in Scotland are very proud of their textile industry and whiskies.
26-Hadrians Wall was built to prevent the Romans from invading Scotland
in the old times.
27- The British Isles lies off the north-west coast of mainland Europe and is
made up of two countries: The United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.
28-Britain consists of four countries.
29-The formal name of the United Kingdom is the United Kingdom of Britain
and Northern Ireland.
30-There are approximately 9 million people living in Scotland.

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BRITISH CIVILIZATION - 2007

Feedback Test One

Complete the article with words given in the boxes


Why British not English?
Many foreigners say 'England' and 'English' when
they mean 'Britain', or the 'UK', and 'British'. This is very
annoying for the 5 million people who live in
Scotland, the 2.8 million in Wales and 1.5 million in
Northern Ireland who are certainly not English. (46
million people live in England.) However, the people
from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England
are all _______. So what is the difference between the
names 'Great Britain' and 'the United Kingdom' - and
what about 'the British Isles'?
The United Kingdom
This is an abbreviation of __________________________.
It is often further abbreviated to 'UK', and is the
political name of the country which is made up of
____________,
____________,
___________
and

England
Wales
Scotland
Northern Ireland
English
Welsh
Irish
Scottish
British
England
Wales
Scotland
Northern Ireland
The British Isles
Republic of Ireland
Great Britain
Britain

_______________ (sometimes known as Ulster). Several


islands off the British coast are also part of the United
Kingdom (for example, the Isle of Wight, the Orkneys,
Hebrides and Shetlands, and the Isles of Scilly),
although the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are
not. However, all these islands do recognize the
Queen.
Great Britain
This is the name of the island which is made up of
____________, __________ and ____________ and so,
strictly speaking, it does not include ____________. The
origin of the word 'Great' is a reference to size,
because in many European languages the words for
Britain and Brittany in France are the same. In fact, it
was the French who first talked about Grande
Bretagne! In everyday speech 'Britain' is used to
mean the United Kingdom.
___________________
This is the geographical name that refers to all the
islands off the north west coast of the European
continent: Great Britain, the whole of Ireland
(Northern and Southern), the Channel Islands and the
Isle of Man. But it is important to remember that
Southern Ireland - that is the _________________ (also
called 'Eire') - is completely independent. So you can
see that 'The United Kingdom' is the correct name to
use if you are referring to the country in a political,
rather than in a geographical way. 'British' refers to
people from the UK, Great Britain or the British Isles in
general.

UNIVERSITY OF DALAT
DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

BRITISH CIVILIZATION - 2007

Tran Thanh Hung - M.A. 2007

1-England is the largest country of the United Kingdom, occupying well over half of
its geographical area.
2-The year 1066 is a key date for England an event all English school children are
taught the last successful invasion of the country.
3-In 1066, Duke William of Normandy defeated the English at the Battle of Hastings
and became King William I, known as William the Conqueror.
4-The first Roman tribes streamed to Britain around 8000 BC.
5-When the Celts overran the British Isles, they subdued and absorbed the
inhabitants of the islands with their iron weapons and two wheel horse-drawn
chariots.
6-Stonehenge is a huge artificial mound, situated near Avebury in Wiltshire,
southern England.
7-The first Roman arrival in Britain was under the war leader Julius Caesar.
8-The Celt constructed their bases in northern parts of the British Isles, which belong
to the land of Scotland today and introduced the early form of agriculture.
9-The first bases of the Roman were built in Glasgow, Scotland of today.
10-The Romans left behind: their network of roads, sites of several important cities
and the initial ideas about Christianity; all these things are still remaining at present.
11-The Romans also introduced to the inhabitants of the British Isles their language
which then developed into the modern Roman family of languages, and which
became the present-day English.
12-The Anglo-Saxon force was formed by the two tribes from Scandinavian
mainland; the Angles and the Saxons.
13- The Anglo-Saxons had a great effect on the countryside, where they
introduced new farming methods and founded thousands of self-sufficient villages
which formed the basis of English society for the next thousand years.
14-The Vikings who followed the Anglo-Saxons and controlled the southern parts of
Britain were the first people to introduce the self-sufficient villages.
15-The Normans under the leadership of William the Conqueror seized Britain from
Northern France.
16-The birth of English class system was in the time of the Norman invasions.
17-The barons were originally the French soldiers.
18-Some of the upper-classed people among Anglo-Saxon communities were
offered the ownership of land and became so wealthy and powerful later.
19-Most of the peasants during the Medieval Period spoke English because they
were originally Anglo-Saxons.
20-The most famous date in English history is the 14th October, 1066 when an
invading army from Normandy defeated the English. The date is
remembered for being the last time that England was successfully invaded.
21-The Wars of the Roses was the war between the monarchy and the
parliamentary supporters.
22-Oliver Cromwell accepted Parliaments invitation to become king of England.
23-Britain expanded its colonization to almost all parts of the world under the reign
of Queen Victoria.
24-The cultural differences between Anglo-Saxons and Vikings were comparatively
small. They led roughly the same way of life and spoke two varieties of the same
Germanic tongue.
25-King Henry VIII used Parliament to pass laws which swept away the power of the
Protestant Church in England.
26-Hundreds of thousands of people moved from rural areas into new towns and
cities during the time of Industrial Revolution.
27-In Victorian time, the British came to see themselves as having a duty to spread
this culture and civilization around the world.

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Feedback Test Two

BRITISH CIVILIZATION - 2007

Match the event and the appropriate period


1-

The Anglo-Saxon
advance was
temporarily halted by an army of the Celtic Britons
under the command of the legendary King Arthur.
2The Norman soldiers
who had been part of the invading army were given
the ownership of land-and of the people living on it.
3Most of the Roman
villas, baths, temples and their impressive network of
roads, and the cities they founded, including Londonium (London), were soon destroyed or fell into
disrepair.

The Roman Period


The Iron Age
The Period of Germanic Invasions
The Medieval Period

4 For people in Britain


today, the chief significance of this period is its sense
of mysteries.
5The Vikings, also known
as Norsemen or Danes, came from Scandinavia.
6-

The word parliament


which comes from the
French word parler (to speak) was first used in
England to describe an assembly of nobles called
together by the king.
7-

The round houses and


an early form of
agriculture were introduced to the inhabitants of the
British Isles.
11-

In war, the
Celts used the
sword and the spear. They carried an oval
shield and their armies often made use of light
chariots.
12-

Ways of
enjoying
life
were introduced, and people started thinking
of feasts and horsemanship.

8-

The great Hadrians


Wall was constructed,
running across the open country.
9-

The successful invasion


of England by William
the Conqueror brought Britain into the mainstream of
western Europe.
10-

The term Anglo-Saxon


is a relatively modern
one. It refers to settlers from the German regions of
Angle and Saxony, who made their way over to
Britain after the fall of the Roman Empire around AD
410.

UNIVERSITY OF DALAT
DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

BRITISH CIVILIZATION - 2007

Tran Thanh Hung - M.A. 2007

1-In British educational system, there are three stages including the primary, the
secondary which is for children at around the age of eleven or twelve, and the
tertiary stage which is indeed further stage at university or college.
2-Schools funded by the government, either directly or via local education
authorities are called public schools.
3-Education in Britain is compulsory for the most years and the school year is the
longest among the European countries.
4-At the end of their secondary schooling, most pupils in Britain are required to take
a national exam called GCSE.
5-British schools usually divide their year into three terms, staring at the beginning of
September.
6-General National Vocational Qualification consists of courses and exams in
job-related subjects.
7 The sixth form college normally offers courses for students who are not eligible to
enter a university.
8-People around the age of eighteen who wish to go on to higher education may
take A levels.
9-The most famous date in English history is the 14th October, 1066 when an
invading army from Normandy defeated the English. The date is remembered for
being the last time that England was successfully invaded.
10-Oliver Cromwell accepted Parliaments invitation to become king of England.
11- Britain expanded its colonization to almost all parts of the world under the reign
of Queen Victoria.
12-The cultural differences between Anglo-Saxons and Vikings were comparatively
small. They led roughly the same way of life and spoke two varieties of the same
Germanic tongue.
13- Hundreds of thousands of people moved from rural areas into new towns and
cities during the time of Industrial Revolution.
14-Prince William of Orange became king of England when he defeated the
Normans in the Glorious Revolution.
15-The parliamentary forces defeated the royalists Cavaliers, the monarchy
soldiers, in the Civil War.

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11

TRUE

FALSE

12

TRUE

FALSE

13

TRUE

FALSE

14

TRUE

FALSE

15

TRUE

FALSE

COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS


1-In Britain, it is compulsory for everyone between the ages of _________ and _______ years to receive some officially recognized form of schooling.
2-The vast majority of pupils attend ______, which are absolutely free.
3-The private schools are often referred to as ____________
4-The recently introduced National Curriculum has made it compulsory for three core subjects- __________,
_________, and _______________
5-Passage from one academic year to the next is __________
6-Usually from 14 to 16 years of age, most pupils take their ___________________________, assessed on the basis of a
mixture of course work and a written examination, in individual subjects.
7-The entrance requirement to the universities in Britain is the ________course.
8-Oxbridge includes ___________ and __________________
9-The program to encourage unemployed people to receive opportunity to improve their skills and contribute to
society is ___________________________
10-Britian is an active member of a number ________________ _________ which promote international co-operation in
education and training.

UNIVERSITY OF DALAT
DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

BRITISH CIVILIZATION - 2007


TASK ONE:

Tran Thanh Hung - M.A. 2007

COMPLETE THE STATEMENTS BELOW

1-The British Isles comprises of ________________ and ________________


2-Britain can be referred to as The ___________________________ or The
________________ in short.
3-The constituent nations of Great Britain are ________________, ________________ and
________________.
4-The nation of highest population density in the British Isles is _________
and the nation of lowest population density in Great Britain is _________
5-The Parliament is the supreme legislative authority and consists of three separate
elements: _________ , _________ , and the elected _________.
6-Parliament is known as _________ because it is housed there while the Government
is normally referred to as _________
7-The Executive includes _________, his or her _________ and all the _________.
8-For people in Britain today, the chief significance of the prehistoric period is its
_________ of _________
9-The most famous site of ancient historic values in Britain today is the _________.
10-The Romans left there things behind when they were driven away from the British
Isles: _________________________, ______________________, and
_______________________
11-During the 5th century, a number of tribes from the ___________________________
mainland invaded and settled in large numbers; the two most well-known of these
tribes were the ________ and ___________which later formed the Anglo-Saxon forces.
12-During the time of Tudor England, the medieval period came to a close, the
power of the English monarch _________ while the strength of the great barons
_________.
13-The reign of the daughter of Henry VIII is known as the __________________
14-The transforming from hand work at home to machine work in factories at the
beginning of the 18th century in Britain is the ______________________ .
15-Cardiff is the capital city of _________, which is sometimes referred to as The
Principality.

TASK TWO:
No.

COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING TABLE

Famous names

1.

King Arthur

2.

Duke William of
Normandy

3.

King Henry VIII

4.

Oliver Cromwell

5.

Queen Elizabeth I

6.

Queen Victoria

Periods

The Germanic invasions

Known as
Leader of the Celts, fighting against the
Anglo-Saxons

Feedback Test Four

BRITISH CIVILIZATION - 2007


TASK THREE:
MATCH THE STATEMENT WITH
ITS EQUIVALENT HOLIDAY.

New Years Day, Good Friday, Easter


Monday, May Day, Spring Bank Holiday,
Late Summer Bank Holiday, Christmas,
Boxing Day, St. Valentines Day, Mothers
Day, Fathers Day, April Fools Day,
Remembrance Sunday, Guy Fawkes Day
(Bonfire Night), Shrove Tuesday,
Halloween.
TASK FOUR:
CROSS OUT THE INCORRECT STATEMENTS
1-In the United Kingdom, full-time education is
compulsory up to the middle teenage years and
the academic year begins at the beginning of
September.
2-All state schools in England, Wales and Northern
Ireland must conform to the National Curricula.
These set out what subjects pupils should study,
what they should be taught and what standards
they should achieve.
3-GCSEs provide a path into both education and
employment. They are broadly based vocational
qualifications incorporating the skills required by
Employers.
4-GCE A levels are the main academic
qualification for entry to higher education and
are normally taken by pupils at age 18 or over.
5-The majority of pupils-over 90 percent-go to
publicly funded schools, usually known as state
schools.
6-Parents have a legal duty to ensure that their
children obtain education between their 5th and
16th birthdays.
7-Britain is an active member of a number of
multinational organizations which promote
international co-operation in education and
training.
8-After the compulsory education, children can
enter their desired universities without having to take
any supporting courses or required tests.
9-Britain has more than 90 universities. British
universities can be divided into several categories.
The foremost universities are the University of Oxford
and the University of Cambridge, both founded in
the Middle Ages. The term Oxbridge is used to refer
to both schools as a single entity.
10-There are usually three to seven core subject in
the National Curricula that British schools are required to conform to.

1-

People often send their


lovers flowers,
chocolates and greeting cards on this occasion.
2It was the day on
which landowners and
householders would present their tenants and
servants with gifts (in boxes).
3-

It is traditional for
people to play tricks or
practical jokes on each other on this day.
4The first Monday in
May. In Britain this day
is associated more with ancient folklore than with the
workers.
5Second Sunday in
November,
commemorating the dead of both World Wars and of
more recent conflicts.
6-

Some people hold


costume parties on this
occasion. (In these parties, people dress up as
witches, ghosts, etc.)
7-

On this occasion, trees,


usually spruces or fir
trees, are placed in town squares, outside churches
and in many homes, decorated with colored lights
and with a large star or an angle at the top.
8-

On this occasion, some


children make a guy
out of old clothes stuffed with newspaper and place
this somewhere on the street to ask passers-by for a
penny for the guy.
9

There are two popular


events associated with
this day. One of them is the pancake tossing contest.
The other is the pancake race. Contestants have to
run while continuously tossing a pancake. Anyone
who drops his or her pancake is disqualified.
10-

People can listen to


the Queens
message. This ten minute television broadcast is
normally the only time in the year when the monarch
speaks directly to her people on television.

UNIVERSITY OF DALAT
DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

BRITISH CIVILIZATION
Bnh Thuan, 2007

Duration: 90 minutes
Students write the answers into the ANSWER SHEET

PART ONE: True/ False Questions


20 points
1-Lying off the north-west coast of Europe, there are two
large islands and several much smaller ones, which are
collectively known as The British Isles.
2-Great Britain, The United Kingdom or The U.K all refer
to the same nation.
3-The United Kingdom comprises four constituent
countries including respectively Scotland, England,
Wales and Northern Ireland.
4-Great Britain is the largest island of the British Isles.
5-In Britain, it is a legal duty for parents to ensure that
their children obtain education between their 5th and
16th birthdays.
6-The British individuals ability to meet the skills
standards required at work is certified by
competence-based qualifications: National
Vocational Qualifications in England, Wales and
Northern Ireland, and Scottish Vocational Qualifications
in Scotland.
7-The majority of British pupils - over 90 percent - go to
publicly funded schools, usually known as state schools.
8-At the age of 16, prior to leaving school, students in the
United Kingdom take Advanced Level
examinations, commonly known as A Levels.
9-More than 90 universities in Britain can be divided into
several categories, of which the foremost is Oxbridge the term used to refer to the University of Oxford and the
University of Cambridge as a single entity.
10-Unlike the constitutions of most other countries in
Europe, that of Britain is not set out in any single
document. Instead British Constitution is made of statue
law, common law and conventions.
11-There are three elements that make up the
Westminster Parliament: the Queen, the House of Lords
and the elected House of Commons.
12-General elections in Britain must be held at least
three years but the Prime Minister has the right to call
elections before the term has expired.
13-One of the most significant changes in the age
structure of Britains population over the last 30 years has
been the increasing proportion of people over the

retirement age.
14-Britain has a population of about 59 million
people, the 17th largest in the world. The great
majority, 49.3 million, live in England; Scotland has
just over 5 million people, Wales 2.9 million and

15-Britain has a lower proportion of the


adult population in work than any
other large European country.
16-The most common leisure activities
among people in Britain are
home-based, or social, such as visiting
relatives or friends. Watching television
is by far the most popular leisure
pastime.
17-The Anglo-Saxons had little use for towns and cities.
But they had a great effect on the countryside,
where they introduced new farming methods and
founded thousands of self-sufficient villages .
18-14 October 1066 is the most famous date in British
history when an invading army from Normandy
defeated the English at the Battle of Hastings. The
date is remembered for being the last time that
England was successfully invaded.
19-Henry VIII is one of the most well-known monarchs
in English history, chiefly because he took six wives
during his life.
20-The population of Scotland (2003 estimate) is
5,057,400. The population density is about 64 persons
per sq km (166 per sq mi), making Scotland the most
sparsely populated of the major United Kingdom
administrative divisions. The highest density is in the
Central Lowlands, where nearly three-quarters of all
Scots live, and the lowest is in the Highlands.

PART TWO: Fill in the blank


30 points

1-The transforming from hand work at home to machine work in factories at the beginning of the 18th
century in Britain is the (1)______________________ .
2-One of the most famous and mysterious archeological sites in the world is
(2) _________________, probably built between
3000 2300 B.C., which is believed to be a sort of
astronomical clock used to mark the passing of
seasons.
3-Cardiff is the capital city of (3) _________, which is
sometimes referred to as The Principality.
4-Glasgow and Edinburgh are two big cities in
(4)__________ .

5-The monarch who herself became a symbol of


Britains success in the world is Queen (5)____________.
(She reigned from 1837 to 1901).
6- The Roman withdrew from Britain in 430 AD leaving
behind three things of notable importance: sites of
important (6) _________________, the seeds of

8-The (11) _________________ _____ is a recently introduced


structure of education making such core subjects as
English, Mathematics, and Science (and seven other
foundational subjects) mandatory curricula for all primary
and secondary pupils.

(7) _________________, and a network of (8) _________.

9-The constituent nations of Great Britain are


(12) __________, (13) ______, and (14) _________________.

7- The British Constitution contains two main principles,


which are (9) _________________ and (10) ___________.

10-The most popular alcoholic drink in British pubs is


(15) _________________.

PART THREE: Complete the chart below


10 points
The three bodies that have
the power to carry our the
constitutional laws:

1.

The three elements that


make up the Parliament:

2.

The four Parliaments


functions today:

3.

The Legislature

The House of Lords


To raise enough
money through
taxation

The House
of Commons

4.

House of Commons
number of members

The Judiciary

To debate or
discuss
important
political issues

House of Lords

5members are called

members are called

6-

presided over by

7-

the main function is

8-

presided over by

PART FOUR: Give brief answers to the


following questions
10 points

1-What is the difference between Britain and Great Britain?


2-What is the difference in usage between the words
British and English?
3-What was the Magna Carta?
4-What is GCSE?
5-Why is Big Ben so called?

THE END

9-

10-

UNIVERSITY OF DALAT
DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

BRITISH CIVILIZATION

ANSWER SHEET

Bnh Thuan, 2007


Students full name:

___________________________________________________________

ID number:

___________________________________________________________

Class:

___________________________________________________________

Scores:

Markers Signature

/ 70 points

PART TWO: Fill in the blank


30 points

PART ONE: True/ False Questions


20 points
1

TRUE

FALSE

TRUE

FALSE

TRUE

FALSE

TRUE

FALSE

TRUE

FALSE

TRUE

FALSE

TRUE

FALSE

TRUE

FALSE

TRUE

FALSE

10

TRUE

FALSE

11

TRUE

FALSE

12

TRUE

FALSE

13

TRUE

FALSE

14

TRUE

FALSE

15

TRUE

FALSE

16

TRUE

FALSE

17

TRUE

FALSE

18

TRUE

FALSE

19

TRUE

FALSE

20

TRUE

FALSE

1-

2-

3-

4-

5-

678-

7-

910-

8-

11-

9-

121314-

10

15-

UNIVERSITY OF DALAT
DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

PART THREE: Complete the chart


10 points
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

PART FOUR: Brief answers to the


questions
10 points

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