England

What's the difference between Great Britain and the United Kingdom? What's the best English music festival? And do English people really drink a lot of tea? Read about England and find out!

Instructions

Do the preparation task first. Then read the article and do the exercises to check your understanding.

England is the biggest of the four countries in the United Kingdom. Together with Scotland and Wales, these three countries are the island of Great Britain. The English Channel is in the south between England and France. People travel to France by ferry across the English Channel or by train through the Channel Tunnel which goes under the sea.

Over 50 million people live in England and that’s around 80 per cent of the total UK population. It is a multicultural country where more than 250 languages are spoken in the capital city, London. The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy, which means that there is a queen or king but they don’t make the laws of the country. Laws and political decisions in England are made by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Houses of Parliament are in central London next to the River Thames and the most famous part is the clock tower, Big Ben.

Other large cities in England are Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Bristol. Outside cities, England is a very green country and has many rural areas of natural beauty such as the Lake District, an area with lots of lakes in the north, and the New Forest, a big area of forest in the south of the country.

Language

The official language of England is English, which is spoken today by millions of people all over the world. Many students go to England from other countries to study the language and learn about the culture. Although everyone speaks English, there are many different accents around the country. French was the official language in England between 1066 and 1362, which is why there are many French words and expressions in English such as ‘bon voyage’ for ‘have a good trip’ or ‘bouquet’ for ‘a bunch of flowers’.

Music

English people love music. In the summer you can go to music festivals all over the country like those at Glastonbury, Leeds or Reading. Glastonbury is a five-day festival of music, dance, comedy, theatre and circus and around 175,000 people go. Many people stay at the festivals for a few days and camp in tents. People listen to all types of music, especially pop and rock. England has produced many international groups and singers like the Beatles, Amy Winehouse, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran and Adele.

Sport

The most popular sports in England are football, rugby and cricket and most towns have a sports ground where teams can play. English football teams like Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool are world-famous and English football players include David Beckham, Wayne Rooney and Harry Kane. Women’s football is also popular and teams play in leagues and competitions all over the country. Every year, the English rugby union team play in the Six Nations Championship against Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France and Italy. Cricket is a traditional sport played with a bat and ball which began in England and is now played all over the world. People like to watch all these sports on television, as well as other sports like horse racing, tennis, snooker (a type of billiards) and motor racing.

Food

England is a very multicultural country and this has a big influence on the food people eat. Indian, Chinese and Italian cuisines are popular alternatives to traditional English food like fish and chips, roast beef or sausage and mash (mashed potatoes). Many English people drink several cups of tea every day, usually with milk. However, coffee and herbal teas are also popular.

Symbols

The national flag of England is white with a red cross. It is called the St George’s Cross and Saint George is the patron saint of England. St George’s Day is on 23 April, but it’s not a public holiday. The rose is the national flower of England and the lion is the national animal. The lion is a symbol of many English sports teams.

Discussion

Have you ever been to England? Would you like to go?

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Comments

Submitted by Didik on Thu, 06/03/2021 - 14:09

I'v never been to England. Yes, I would like to visit England. I think one day I will be able to go there, because I have some relatives living there.

Submitted by pa_marg on Fri, 05/14/2021 - 07:35

No, I've never been to England but my uncle lives in London and maybe one of these summers I will be able to visit him and visit the country's beauties.

Submitted by Arivelde on Thu, 05/13/2021 - 14:56

I've never been to England. And of course I would like to go. Problably in a near future (I hope) I am getting there, not just becouse I'm interested in visitting the country but becouse I have cousins and friends living there.

Submitted by hermione123 on Tue, 05/04/2021 - 11:54

I have no idea that Coldplay is from England
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Submitted by Cfvdv on Wed, 04/14/2021 - 23:45

No, I have never been in England... but I think I'll go someday because I have family there.
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Submitted by Andrii on Fri, 09/11/2020 - 10:28

I think England is a beautiful country with friendly people so I'd like to visit it.

Submitted by falleetto on Tue, 05/19/2020 - 16:18

Yes, I have. I,ve been to London in the summer four years ago with my old school. I stayed in London for two weeks in a beautiful college, it was a fantastic and interesting experience

Submitted by beasam0109 on Mon, 05/18/2020 - 12:19

yes, I have. I went to London with my family a few years ago, it was a wonderful experience

Submitted by Desy on Wed, 04/15/2020 - 12:18

Unfortunately I have never go to England, but it is a beautiful country and then I would like to go, also to visit London, Oxford, York, Manchester and Portsmouth.

Submitted by MatildePace on Wed, 04/15/2020 - 09:47

Yes, I have. I went to London with my family. We visited many places and tasted traditional English food. I remember that I loved it. My favourite place in London is London Eye because there is a beautiful view. I'd like to go back and visit more places in England, to learn English and to get to know a new culture.

Submitted by gattifederica on Tue, 04/14/2020 - 14:39

Yes, I have. I went to Oxford last summer for one week to study and improve my English. I stayed in a college with my best friend and other students. In this days I visited the city, I went shopping, I visited some museums like Ashmolean Museum and the Oxford Castle. I went to London for a day and I visited the British Museum and I did the boat tour on the river Thames. I’d like to go to London for more days and to visit Cambridge, Manchester and Liverpool.

Submitted by bea_mara on Mon, 04/13/2020 - 19:32

I never been to England, but I would like to go.

Submitted by Ely on Sun, 04/12/2020 - 15:16

no, i never been to England , but i would like to go because i want to visit London

Submitted by AnastasiiaS on Sat, 04/04/2020 - 13:44

Have you ever been to England?Would you like to go? No,I have never been to England but I would like to go, because I really like this country and its customs.I know Englishmen eat eggs and bacon with toast for breakfast, pudding or apple pie for dessert.Each English family has tea at 5 o'clock. It is great. Each English house has a fireplace ,even when there is central heating in the house. This is a feature of an English house. Englishmen have many traditional holidays, such as Christmas,St Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day,Easter and other. I dream to visit this wonderful country. I hope, one day my dream will come true.

Submitted by Ilona on Thu, 04/02/2020 - 15:25

No I've never been to England but I would like to go ,especially for studying I like English and fond of England.
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Submitted by empty on Wed, 07/17/2019 - 15:34

Have you ever been to England? Would you like to go? No I've never been to England but I would like to go . I love English , I love to visit places that the people speak English , you do the math !
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Submitted by Youjiro on Mon, 02/18/2019 - 15:26

I have never. I see on the TV news England limited immigrant want to live there.England government limited only high education people or high position worker. It mean all of people can't live in England. If I became a high position worker I don't want to go there,Rumor of England food is not good. I find out new information in England.England has been traditional sports such as football , golf and cricket. two weeks ago I saw cricket in park ,there are many Indian .They played cricket with ball and unique bat.That was first time I see a cricket.It is different to baseball . I sitting on a bench to observe cricket but I couldn't understand rule. In my country cricket is not exist . recently many Indian who immigrant in my country bring cricket . I think cricket is good sports because It is safer then baseball .
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