Interesting facts. The Anglo-Saxon invasion gave the larger part of Britain its name, England, “the land of the Angles”. The Angles were one of the three Germanic tribes that arrived to the British Isles in the 5th century AD. They got their name from their land of origin, Engle, and their language was called Englisc — which is the word from which English has been derived.
English is a Germanic language which belongs to the Indo-European family and is the second most spoken language in the world.
The estimates reveal that there are about 300 million people who are native speakers, and another 300 million who use it as a second language, plus, another 100 million who use English as a foreign language.
English is the language in which half of all business deals in the world are conducted. It is the English language which is used to write two-thirds of all scientific papers. More than 70 percent of all postal mail is addressed and written in English. And, of course, English is by far the most widely used language in the epochal global communication system that has evolved in the 20th century — the Internet.
I. True or False? Write True if you agree, or False if you don’t.
1. In England, the Department of Education and Science is responsible for all levels of education
2. Received Pronounciation (RP) denotes the speech of educated people living in London and the southeast of England
3. There are 5 standard geographic regions of England
4. Until the 18th century the economy of England was mainly agricultural
5. In its literature England has attained its most influential cultural expression
II. Find the right answer. Write a, b or c.
1. The patron saint of England is .
a) St. Patrick
b) St. George
c) St. David
2. In the fifth century the territory of England was settled by .
a) the Angles
b) the Normans
c) the Celts
3. The West Midlands is the surrounding area of .
a) London
b) Birmingham
c) Leeds
4. Woods cover of England.
a) only 7 %
b) over 40 %
c) almost all the territory
5. The flower symbolizing England is .
a) thistle
b) daffodil
c) rose
6. A flat area to the northeast of London is called .
a) The Midlands
b) East Anglia
c) The Highlands
7. Land’s End is the extreme point of England.
a) southwest
b) northeast
c) northwest
8. The Pennine mountains (The Pennines) split England into two parts.
a) northern
b) southern
c) eastern
9. The region of comprises the counties of Cheshire and Lancashire, as well as Merseyside (including Liverpool).
a) North East
b) North West
c) South West
10. The North of England extends to the Scottish border and takes in the counties of Northumberland, Cumbria, North Yorkshire, Cleveland and .
a) West Yorkshire
b) Rochdale
c) Durham
