Interesting facts. Scotland has some 790 islands — 130 inhabited.
Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland, like Rome, was built on seven hills.
Edinburgh was the first city in the world which had its own fire-brigade.
Loch Ness in Scotland is probably the most famous lake in the world. It is the most voluminous freshwater lake in the UK. The volume of water contained in the Loch which is estimated to be 263,000 million cubic feet. It means it contains more fresh water than all the lakes in England and Wales combined.
Loch Ness is famed throughout the world for its Loch Ness monster, more often called Nessie. There have been numerous monster sightings over many years and the usual description is of a small head at the end of a long neck, with a broad body with humps.
The oldest sighting on record dates back to AD 565 when the Irish saint, St Columba was said to have seen a large monster in the river Ness which links the loch to the sea.
I. True or False? Write True if you agree, or False if you don’t.
1. The Scots have a reputation for being careful with money
2. Scottish banknotes are illegal in England
3. The prefix O’ in surnames is distinctly Scottish
4. A very well-known symbol of Scottishness is the kilt
5. Scotland has its own legal system, separate from the rest of the UK
II. Find the right answer. Write a, b or c.
1. The northern part of Scotland used to belong to , but sailed away and collided with Britain.
a) Canada
b) Alaska
c) Iceland
2. The flower symbolizing Scotland is .
a) daffodil
b) thistle
c) rose
3. Many of the members of the SNP (Scottish National Party) fight for .
a) the independence from the UK
b) the abolition of taxes
c) the return of former British colonies
4. Scotland’s two major cities are .
a) Edinburgh and Belfast
b) Glasgow and Manchester
c) Glasgow and Edinburgh
5. People consider to be a distinctly Scottish musical instrument.
a) the harp
b) the violin
c) the bagpipes
6. The Patron Saint of Scotland is .
a) St. Andrew
b) St. George
c) St. Patrick
7. The colour of Scotland is .
a) blue
b) red
c) white
8. At the exams set by the Scottish Examinations Board grades are awarded in .
a) numbers (1 = the best)
b) letters (A = the best)
c) symbols (¤ = the best)
9. The Church of Scotland .
a) is a part of the Anglican Church
b) has the same organization as the Anglican Church
c) has a separate organization from the Anglican Church
10. “The kirk” is the Scots word for .
a) church
b) football
c) parliament
