Read the text. Three sentences have been removed from the text. Choose from the sentences A to C the one which best fits each gap.

A. The rivers seldom freeze in winter, most of them remain ice-free.

B. The highest mountain top, Ben Nevis, is only 1,343m high.

C. The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of the Gulf Stream influence the climate of Great Britain.

THE UK

The UK lies on the British Isles. There are 5,500 islands. The two main islands are: Great Britain and Ireland. Northern Ireland occupies one third of the island of Ireland. It borders on the Irish Republic in the south. The British Isles are separated from the European continent by the North Sea, the English Channel and the Strait of Dover. The western coast of Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea. The total area of the UK is 244,000 sq.km. Britain is relatively small and compact when compared with many European countries, being, for example, half the size of France, of almost 20 per cent smaller than Italy. The population of the UK is over 59 million people. Britain has been many centuries in the making. About 2,000 years ago the British Isles were inhabited by the Celts who originally came from continental Europe. During the next 1,000 years there were many invasions. The Romans came from Italy in A.D. 43 and calling the country “Britannia” gave Britain its name. The Angles and Saxons came from Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands in the 5th century, and England 81 got its name from this invasion (Angle-land). The Vikings arrived from Denmark and Norway throughout the 9th century, and in 1066 the Normans invaded from France. These invasions drove the Celts into what is now Wales and Scotland and they remained, of course, in Ireland. The English are the descendants of all the invaders, but are more Anglo-Saxon than anything else. English is the official language, but it is not the only language which people speak in the country.

Geographically Britain can be divided into two main regions: Highland Britain and Lowland Britain. Highland Britain includes Scotland, the Lake District, the Pennines, almost the whole of Wales. Lowland Britain comprises most of England, central Lowlands of Scotland and some areas in the south of Wales. There are no high mountains in Britain. 1. _________ . There are many rivers in Britain but they are not very long. Their direction and character are determined by the position of the North Sea. 2. __________ . Many of the rivers are joined together by canals. This system of rivers and canals provides a good means of cheap inland water transport. The most important rivers are the Severn, the Thames, 82 anywhere in Britain. In general, British temperature rarely rises above 32 °C in the winter, though there are differences between those of the north and the south. Great Britain is not very rich in mineral resources; it has some deposits of coal and iron ore, oil and gas. The biggest coal iron mines are in the north-east of England, in Scotland near Glasgow, in Wales near Cardiff and Bristol. Great Britain is a highly developed industrial country. Coal-mining is one of the most developed industries in Great Britain. Of great importance for Britain is ship-building industry. It is concentrated in London, the capital of Great Britain, Glasgow, Newcastle, Liverpool and Belfast. Birmingham and Sheffield are the most ancient centres of British iron and steel industry. Manchester is the centre of cotton industry. Britain produces agricultural tractors, motor-cars, railway vehicles. The products of the British aerospace industry include civil and military aircraft and satellites. Great Britain produces a lot of wool, which is considered to be the best in the world. English agriculture is also developed, but because of lack of cultivated lands it satisfies nearly two-thirds of British food requirements. Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy though Britain has not any written constitution as one act and the monarchy is a mere formality. 83 English kings reign but do not rule. Power in Great Britain is divided among three branches: the legislative branch, the executive branch and the judicial branch. The legislative branch is represented by Parliament, which consists of two chambers or houses: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Parliament in Britain has existed since 1265. Having been organized in the reign of King Edward I, it is the oldest parliament in the world. Members of the House of Commons are elected for 5 years. The peers of the House of Lords are not elected by voters. Their seats in the House are, as a rule, hereditary. Parliament’s main function is to make laws. The executive branch is headed by the Prime minister, who is appointed by the king (queen). The Prime Minister is usually the leader of the Party that has a majority in the House of Commons. The Prime minister appoints the ministers to compose the government. After that the newly appointed ministers are presented to the monarch for the formal approval. The most important ministers of the government form the Cabinet. Members of the Cabinet make joint decisions or advise the Prime minister. The judicial branch interprets the laws. The highest judicial body is represented by the Supreme Court of Judicature. There are three main political parties in Great Britain: the Labour, the Conservative, and the Liberal Democratic. Britain heads the so-called British Commonwealth of Nations, whose members, among others, are Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The Queen is the official head of the Commonwealth of Nations [1].