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A. Decide which of the following statements accurately reflect the ideas of the essay and which do not. Supply evidence from the text to support your opinion.
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Notes
1. King Henry VIII (1491-1547) ruled England for 36 years, presiding over sweeping changes that brought his nation into the Protestant Reformation. His desire to annul his first marriage without papal approval led to the creation of a separate Church of England (the Act of Supremacy, 1534). https: //www. history. com/topics/british-history/henry-viii
2. In the 16th century, Henry VIII passed the Laws in Wales Acts aiming to fully incorporate Wales into the Kingdom of England. Under England's authority, Wales became part of the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707 and then the United Kingdom in 1801.
https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/History_of_Wales#: ~: text=In%20the%2016th%20century%20Henry, the%20United%20Kingdom%20in%201801.
3. The Acts of Union of 1707 were two Acts of Parliament: the Union with Scotland Act 1706 passed by the Parliament of England, and the Union with England Act passed in 1707 by the Parliament of Scotland. By the two Acts, the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland—which at the time were separate states with separate legislatures, but with the same monarch—were, in the words of the Treaty, " United into One Kingdom by the Name of Great Britain". https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Acts_of_Union_1707
4. Act of Union, (Jan. 1, 1801), legislative agreement uniting Great Britain (England and Scotland) and Ireland under the name of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
https: //www. britannica. com/event/Act-of-Union-United-Kingdom-1801
5. Easter Rising, also called Easter Rebellion, Irish republican insurrection against British government in Ireland, which began on Easter Monday, April 24, 1916, in Dublin. The Easter Rising signaled the start of the republican revolution in Ireland.
https: //www. britannica. com/event/Easter-Rising
6. The current form of devolution in the UK goes back to the late 1990s. In 1997 voters chose to create a Scottish Parliament and a National Assembly for Wales. In Northern Ireland devolution was a key element of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and was supported in a referendum in 1998. https: //assets. publishing. service. gov. uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/770709/DevolutionFactsheet. pdf
7. In England, the term North–South divide refers to the economic and cultural differences between prosperous Southern England (the South-East, Greater London, the South-West and parts of the East) and much poorer Northern England (the North-East, North-West and Yorkshire and the Humber). https: //en-academic. com/dic. nsf/enwiki/11830238
COMPREHENSION TASKS
A. Decide which of the following statements accurately reflect the ideas of the essay and which do not. Supply evidence from the text to support your opinion.
1. The formation of the UK was facilitated by wars and external threats.
2. The two world wars fueled separatist sentiments in the constituent parts of the UK.
3. The four nations within the UK tended to demand more independence in periods of relative stability.
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4. The break-up of the UK is eventually inevitable.
5. The unity of the country can be maintained through improving the quality of its democracy.
B. Explain how you understand the ideas below. Comment on the historical context if necessary.
1. ‘… to make Westminster embrace a parliamentary union with the Scots …’ (par. 2)
2. ‘… gave rise to the deeply flawed Act of Union with Ireland …’ (par. 2)
3. ‘… an unprecedented […] scale of conflict aided (some would say over-aided) the organising power and reach of London’ (par. 3)
4. ‘… this last imperial hurrah was a gross illusion. ’ (par. 5)
5. ‘Given its relative decline since 1945 …’ (par. 6)
6. ‘… the past contains the seeds of many possible futures …’ (par. 7)
7. ‘Every state in the world contains fault-lines …’ (par. 8)
8. ‘… a semi-detached if attentive observer. ’ (par. 8)
9. ‘A written constitution is not a magic bullet. ’ (par. 12)
10. ‘… a new constitution might supply some fresh constitutive stories for a new kind of Union. ’ (par. 12)
C. Figure out the meanings of the words and phrases (1-10) from context and match them with their Russian equivalents (a-j).
| 1. to drive through (par. 2) 2. succession (par. 2) 3. true to form (par. 2) 4. to shelve (par. 4) 5. to surface (par. 5) 6. definitive (par. 5) 7. a foregone conclusion (par. 6) 8. by default (par. 9) 9. to communicate (par. 12) 10. the workings (par. 12) | a) автоматически, по умолчанию b) функционирование, механизм c) проводить, осуществлять d) излагать e) преемственность, престолонаследие f) появляться, обнаруживаться g) как и следовало ожидать h) откладывать, класть под сукно i) окончательный, бесповоротный j) предрешённое дело, неизбежный результат |
D. Summarise the text.
1. Identify the subject matter, or topic (The essay discusses / deals with / is concerned with …) and the message, or thesis (The essay claims / argues / posits that …) of the essay.
2. Articulate in one sentence each of the points the author makes to support her claim and join the sentences following the logic of the original essay. This will form the backbone of your summary.
3. Finally, develop each point leaving out excessive details.
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