Sport plays such a large part in British life that many idioms in the English language have come from the world of sport. For example, "that's not cricket" means "that's not fair" and "to play the game" means "to be fair".

You can reach England either by plane, by train, by car or by ship. The fastest way is by plane. London has three international airports: Heathrow, the largest, connected to the city by underground; Gatwick, south of London, with a frequent train service; Luton, the smallest, used for charter flights.

ood and bad manners make up the social rules of a country. They are not always easy to learn because they are often not written down in books. For example, British women didn't go into pubs at the beginning of this century because it was not considered respectable behaviour for a woman.

The British Media consists of the press and radio and TV broadcasting. Now a couple of words about papers. First of all there is no subscription. You may buy any on sale. There are two main types of newspapers: the "popular" papers and the "quality" papers.

If you get on a bus or catch a train in Britain, especially during the morning and evening "rush hour", you'll see a lot of people reading newspapers. The press tells us about various political views, interest and levels of education.

There are 22 million homes in Britain - big homes and small homes, old cottages and new buildings, houses and flats. (Americans say "apartment" but British people say "flat").

A "typical" British family used to consist of mother, father and two children. But in recent years there have been many changes in family life. For example, since the law made it easier to get a divorce, the number of divorces has increased.

There are many superstitions in Britain. But one of the most widely-held is that it is unlucky to open an umbrella in the house. It will either bring misfortune to the person that Opened it or to the household.

People have left Ireland for lots of different reasons. After Ireland became Christian in the fifth century, Irish monks left the country to teach the word of God. They went particularly to the cities of Europe - to Russia, to Italy, Scotland.

The Irish have their own language It comes from their Celtic history. But today nearly all Irish people speak English. The Irish speak English in their own special way. Foreigners don't easily understand an Irish accent, but it is strong and musical, and many people think that it is very attractive.

English legal iress has a long history. The introduction of wigs into polite society in the reign of Charles II (1660-85) was an innovation which could not be resisted. After a period of disapproval, wigs were generally assumed by lawyers in 1680's.

Everyone knows that tea is the most popular drink in Britain. It's even more popular than coffee, which is favoured throughout Europe and America. The Dutch brought the first tea to Europe in 1610.

Britain has in recent years been described as a "leisure society". This is because there is a greater variety of leisure pursuits and people have more spare time and money to spend on relaxation.

Pubs can be found in every town or village. Social life for many people centred on the pub for many years. Opening and closing times are decided by law. Pubs in England and Wales close at 11 p. m And ten minutes before closing time, the barman shouts, "Last orders!"

Ireland is strong and rich in music. The Irish people love to sing, to dance and to make music of all kinds. The harp has always been a very important musical instrument in Ireland.

The most popular spirits in Ireland are Guinness and Whiskey. Ireland has its own whiskey. The Irish learned to make whiskey from monks. They came to Ireland from the continent of Europe in the fifth and sixth centuries.

The USA is the most powerful and highly developed country of the world. It is situated in the central part of the North American continent. Its western coast is washed by the Pacific Ocean and its eastern coast is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.

The United States of America stretches fromAtlantic Ocean across North America and far into the Pacific. Because of such a huge size of the country the climate differs from one part of the country to another.

After its 200th birthday the United States of America still holds the leading position in the western world. A country that has inspired many names - "Land of Opportunity", "Meeting Pot", "God's Country" is still referred toa as land of superlatives - "the richest", "the greatest", "the most". In size the United States is not the biggest.

By the US Constitution the government of the nation is entrusted to three separate authorities: the Executive, the Legislative and the Judicial. The executive power is vested in the President, who holds his office during the term of four years, and is elected together with the Vice-President.

The Congress of the United States is composed of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate represents the states. Each state is guaranted at least one representative in the House.

The US Constitution includes some general provisions on the franchise. It sets forth certain requirements for candidates running for a post of a president, vice-president, senator or member of the House of Representatives.

George Washington (1732-1799) won a lasting place in American History as the "Father of our Country". For nearly twenty years he guided his country much as a father cares for a growing child. Washington lived an exciting life in exciting times.

Washington, the capital of the United States of America, is situated on the Potomac River in the District of Columbia. The district is a piece of land ten miles square and it does not belong to any separate state but to all the states.

New York is the largest city in the USA and the biggest seaport. It is the business centre of the United States.New York is situated in the mouth of the Hudson river. In comparison with such ancient historical cities as, say, Rome, London, Moscow or Paris, New York is quite young.

The American flag is often called "The Stars and Stripes", it is also called "Old Glory". It represents the growth of the nation. It has 13 horizontal stripes,7 red and 6 white which stand for the original 13 states.

America was founded by Columbus in 1492. Columbus fled to this country because of persecution by Ferdinand and Isabella, who refused to believe the world was round. Before Columbus reached America he cried "Ceylon! Ceylon!" because he wanted to see India.

The majority Americans live in or near large cities, but small living-town is still widespread. A suburb (a small community near a big city) offers the advantages of safer, more intimate small-town life with the recreational and cultural activities of the big city nearby.

Why do so many new ideas come from California? It must be something in the air. New lifestyles, new kinds of medicine, new religions, new house styles - so many new things come from California. Let's talk about bungalows, for example.

They have three meals a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Most of Americans don't eat home but prefer to go to res­taurants. They can choose from many kind of restaurants. There is a great number of ethnic restaurants in the United States.

In 1937 the McDonnald brothers, Dick and Mark, opened little restaurant in California. They served hot dogs and milk shakes. In 1945 they have 20 waiters. All the teenagers in town ate hamburgers there.

In Britain all children from five to sixteen go to school. They spend six years in "primary" school and then go on to "secondary" school. In Britain there are "state" schools, which are free and private schools for which parents pay.

On July 4 the Americans celebrate their national holi­day - Independence Day. The United States gained inde­pendence as a result of gradual and painful process.

Halloween is a festival that takes place on October 31. In the United States children wear costumes and masks and go trick-or-treating. Many of them carve jack-o'-lan s out of pumpkins.