1 Why is English language considered to be lingua franca? Is English the national language in USA and UK?

A lingua franca also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language or vehicular language, is a
language or dialect used to make communication possible between people who do not share a native language or
dialect, in particular when it is a third language, distinct from both native languages.

Also English is a world’s lingua franca because it is used for communication in Olympic sport, international trade and
air-traffic control. English has spread to all five continents and has become a truly global language.

English is not only the official language of many countries in the world but also the most widely(popular) used
language in international conferences, meeting, etc, being the main(principal) language used by NATO and other
organizations, and having become since World War II a kind of lingua franca of contemporary world.

English is not the national language in USA and UK because neither the UK nor the USA has ever had a legally
sanctioned official or national language. It has been suggested that this reflects a cultural and philosophical view of
the freedom of the individual in language choice.

2 What do you know about England?

England is a country that is part of the UK. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west.
The Irish Sea lies (is) northwest of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest. The country also includes over
100 smaller islands. The capital is London, the largest urban area in Great Britain, and the largest urban zone in
European Union by many measures.

As part of the UK, the basic political system in England is a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary system.
David Cameron is a British politician who is the Prime Minister of the UK. Also, Elisabeth II is, and has been since her
accession in 1952, queen of the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zeeland, and Head of Commonwealth.

The official language of the England is English.

The St George's Cross has been the national flag of England since the 13th century. There are numerous other
symbols and symbolic artifacts, both official and unofficial, including the Tudor rose, the nation's floral emblem, and
the Three Lions featured on the Royal Arms of England.

The River Thames is a river that flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and
the second longest in the UK, after the River Severn.

3 Talk about the national symbols of England. (Tell the story behind one of them)

The three national symbols of England are the St. George’s cross (usually seen as a flag), the red rose and the Three
Lions.

The St. George’s Cross has been the national flag of England since the 13th century. Originally flag was used by the
maritime Republic of Genoa. The English monarch paid a tribute to the Doge of Genoa from 1190 onward, so that
English ships could fly the flag as a means of protection when entering the Mediterranean. A red cross was a symbol
for many Crusaders in the 12th and 13th centuries.

The Tudor rose, which takes its name from the Tudor dynasty, was adopted as a national emblem of England around
the time of the Wars of the Roses as a symbol of peace. The design took the white rose of York as the center of the
flower, and the red rose of Lancaster as the outside edging. The design symbolized unity and mutual regard.

The three Lions featured on the Royal Arms of England. Lions had previously been used by the Norman dynasty as
royal emblems, and Attributed arms have been invented for kings who pre-dated the systematization of
hereditary English heraldry that occurred in the second half of the 12th century.

4 What do you know about Wales?

Wales is a country that is part of the UK. Located on the island of Great Britain, it is bordered by England to the east,
the Irish Sea to the north and west, and the Bristol Channel to the south.

Wales is a generally mountainous country on the western side of central southern Great Britain.
The Flag of Wales incorporates the red dragon of a prince along with the Tudor colors of green and white. It was
used by Henry VII at the Battle of Bosworth after which it was carried in state to St. Paul's Cathedral.

Wales is represented at major world sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup, Rugby World Cup, Rugby League
World Cup and the Commonwealth Games. Although football has traditionally been the more popular sport in North
Wales, rugby union is seen as a symbol of Welsh identity and an expression of national consciousness.

Wales has a population estimated at 3 million and is officially bilingual, with both Welsh and English having equal
status; the majority use English as their first language.

The capital Cardiff is Wales’s largest city and it was for a period the biggest coal port in the world and, for a few
years before World War I, handled a greater tonnage of cargo(carbune) than either London or Liverpool.

5 Talk about the national symbols of Wales. (Tell the story behind one of them)

The national symbols of Wales include a diversity of official and unofficial images and other symbols.

The Flag of Wales incorporates the red dragon, now a popular welsh symbol, along with the Tudor color of green
and white. It was used by Henry VII at the battle of Bosworth, after which it was carried in state to St. Paul’s
Cathedral. The red dragon was then included in the Tudor royal arms to signify their Welsh descent. Later, It was
officially recognized as the Welsh national flag.

The leek (praz) is also a national emblem of Wales. According to legend, Saint David ordered his Welsh(tara Gagilor)
soldiers to identify themselves by wearing the vegetable on their helmets(casti) in an battle against the Saxons that
took place in a leek field. It is still worn on St. David’s Day each 1 March.

6 What do you know about Scotland?

Scotland is a country that is a part of the UK and covers the northern third of the island of Great Britain. In addition
to the mainland, the country is made up of more than 790 islands, including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides.

Edinburgh, the country's capital and second-largest city, is one of Europe’s largest financial centers.

Scotland has 3 officially recognized languages: English, Scots, and Scottish Gaelic. Scottish Standard English, a
variety of English as spoken in Scotland, is at one end of a bipolar linguistic continuum, with broad Scots at the other.

The national animal of Scotland is the unicorn, which has been a Scottish heraldic symbol since the 12th century.

7 Talk about the national symbols of Scotland. (Tell the story behind one of them)

The national symbols of Scotland are flags, icons or cultural expressions that are emblematic, representative or
otherwise characteristic of Scotland or Scottish culture.

The thistle(scaiete), the floral emblem of Scotland, also features in Scottish & British heraldry through symbols,
logos, coat of arms and on British currency.

The national flag of Scotland, St. Andrew’s Cross, dates from 9th century, and is thus the oldest national flag still in
use.

The unicorn is also used as a heraldic symbol of Scotland. The Royal Coat of Arms of Scotland, used prior to 1603 by
the Kings of Scotland, incorporated a lion rampant shield supported by 2 unicorns. One of the Crowns, the Arms
were quartered with those of England and Ireland, and one unicorn was replaced by a lion.

The Scots Pine is the national tree of Scotland.

8 What do you know about Northern Ireland?

Northern Ireland is a country that is a part of the UK of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and it is situated in the
north-east of the island of Ireland. It shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west.

The dialect of English spoken in Nortern Ireland shows influence from Scotland, with the use of such Scots words as
wee for “little” and aye for “yes”. The Irish language is the native language as the whole island of Ireland. There are
an increasing number of ethnic minorities in Northern Ireland. Chinese and Urdu are spoken by Northern Ireland’s
Asian communities.

Belfast is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, the second-largest city in Ireland after Dublin, and is
situated around the River Lagan, which runs through the city.

9 Talk about the national symbols of Northern Ireland. (Tell the story behind one of them)

The national symbols of Scotland are flags, icons or cultural expressions that are emblematic, representative or
otherwise characteristic of Northern Ireland.

The coat of arms shown above is NOT the coat of arms of Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland does not have an
official coat of arms. The image shown above is of a historical coat of arms used from 1924 to 1972.

The Union Jack (or Union Flag) is Northern Ireland's official flag. The well known Red Hand Flag (shown to the right)
has not been officially used since 1973. It ceased to have official government sanction when the Parliament of
Northern Ireland was dissolved by the British government in 1972.

Flower: The shamrock (trifoi) is a popular way to represent Saint Patrick's Day.

10. What did Henry VIII do for his country?

Henry was one of the Kings of England. He is best remembered for splitting with the Pope and the Roman Catholic
Church, and for married six wives in succession. Father(Henry VII), mother: Elizabeth of York.

The most important event that happened in England when Henry was king was the country’s change in religion. His
disagreements with the Pope led to his separation of the Church of England from papal authority, with himself, as
king, as the Supreme Head of the Church of England and to the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Henry VIII reign was
a representative moment in British History.

11. What did Elisabeth I do for her country?

Elizabeth I was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin
Queen, Gloriana or Good Queen Bess, the childless Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty.
She had no children, so after she died it was decided that James VI would be the next king of England.

Elizabeth’s reign brought in one of the most glorious eras of British history. Exploration, colonization, victory in war,
and growing world importance are some of her accomplishment. The Spanish wars had crippled the English
exchequer, inflation soared, and in 1601 Elizabeth had to go to Parliament to get more money. Sensing hostility, as
Parliament was angry about the privileges she had granted her favorites, she gave way graciously, and gave a
“Golden Speech” which became in later years a model for the relationships between monarch and the nation- with
obligations on both sides.

12. James I, Charles I, Cromwell rule.

James Stuart was a Scottish Catholic who believed in the “Divine Right” to rule as he pleased. This brought him into
conflict with the English Parliament. The failure of both James and his son Charles I to understand the English
tradition of parliamentary liberty led eventually to Civil War. James died unlamented in 1625. Charles I immediately
came in to conflict with Parliament. He tried to rule without summoning parliament for 11 years, but eventually ran
out of money, and summoned Parliament 1640.

Parliament refused him money, and the country split between supporters of the king and supporters of parliament.
The first major Engagement of the Civil War was at Edge hill in the Cotswolds on 1642.

13 The House of Hanover.

The House of Hanover ruled Britain 1714-1815

Queen Anne died in 1714, and the Elector of Hanover, George Louis, became king as George I. There were a lot of
better qualified people available to be king of England-unfortunately most of them were Catholic. George I was a
German who did not speak a word of English, but was Protestant. So started the rule of the House of Hanover, under
whom Britain achieved wealth and peace over the next century Parliament became more powerful, and the leading
politician was Walpole who was Prime Minister until 1742.

At home the industrial revolution was in full swing. Coal fires lit the night sky as they powers steam engines in
factories. But in Europe, French power was manifesting itself following the French revolution in 1789. Nelson’s
victory at Trafalgar ensured the Britain ruled the seas, but French troops controlled Europe.

14 What did Queen Victoria do for her country?

The Victorian era of UK is a term commonly used to refer to the period of Queen Victoria’s rule which signified the
height of the British Industrial Revolution and the apex of the British Empire. As industrialization progressed, society
changed, becoming more urban and less rural.

It was a period of industrial, cultural, political, scientific and military change within the UK, and was marked by a
great expansion of the British Empire. She was the last British monarch of the House of Hanover.

15 What do you know about the Norman Conquest and its consequences in Britain?

The Norman conquest of England was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army
of Norman, Breton, and French soldiers led by Duke William II of Normandy, later styled as William the Conqueror.

William was crowned king in London on Christmas Day 1066. He introduced many governmental and societal
changes. The English language that is spoken today is the direct result of 1066 and the Norman Conquest.

A direct consequence of the invasion was the almost total elimination of the old English aristocracy and the loss of
English control over the Catholic Church in England.

One of the most obvious effects of the conquest was the introduction of Anglo-Norman, a northern dialect of Old
French, as the language of the ruling classes in England, displacing Old English names instead of English ones.

16. How does the British Parliament function?

The Parliament is the most important authority in Britain (13th century). By the 15th century, Parliament had
acquired the right to make laws. Parliament is the legislature and the supreme authority. The executive consists of:
The Government, government departments, local authorities, public corporation.

The judiciary determines common law and interprets statutes, and is independent both of the legislature and the
executive.

Parliament consists of the Monarch, the House of Lord and the House of Commons.

The House of Lord, currently comprising 750 peers, consists as the following members: the Lords Spiritual and the
Lord Temporal.

Members of the House of Lords lose the right to vote into parliamentary elections or to stand as a candidate in such
elections. The House of Lords has no real power but acts as an advisory council for the House of Commons. The
Lords can suggest amendments to a bill proposed by the Commons, but after two rejections they are obliged to
accept it.

The House of Commons is an assembly of 651 Members as Parliament, or MPs, elected by universal adult suffrage.
The House of presided by the Speaker, who is responsible for relations with the crown, the House of Lords and other
authorities as well as keeping order in debates with strict impartiality. The Speaker is elected by the House itself but
cannot vote or make speakers.

17 What are the responsibilities of the British monarch?

The monarch is formally, the king at the queen is politically neutral: acts only on the advice of political ministers;
cannot make laws, impose taxes, spend public money, act unilaterally; performs executive and legislative duties like
the opening and dissolving of Parliament, signing bills, holding of audiences with the Prime Minister, carrying out of
international duties as head of state.
The official duties of the monarch are numerous: the Sovereign summons, prorogues and dissolves Parliament and
formally appoints the officials like: Government ministers, judges, officers in the armed forces, governors, British
ambassadors, high commissioners and bishops(episcopi) of the Church of England as well as the Prime Minister. The
Monarch must also give Royal Assent to bills passed by Parliament, although if assent were refused a constitutional
crisis and the abolition of monarchy would almost certainly result.

18 Speak about the political parties in UK and the election system.

There are few political parties, main ones being the Conservative Party, the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats.

The Conservative Party mainly represents the middle and upper classes particularly strong in southern England.
Members of the House of Lords are organized on a party basis in much the same way as the House of Commons but
with important differences: Members of the Lords do not represent constituencies and many are not members of a
political party.

The Labour Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom. Growing out of the trade union
movement and socialist parties of the nineteenth century, the Labour Party has been described as a "broad church",
encompassing a diversity of ideological trends from strongly socialist to moderate social democratic.

The Liberal Democrats are a liberal political party in the UK. The party was formed in 1988 from a merger of
the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party, who had formed the SDP–Liberal Alliance for the seven years
prior.

There are 6 types of elections in the UK: UK general elections, elections to devolved parliaments and assemblies,
elections to the European Parliament, local elections, mayoral elections and Police and Crime
Commissioner elections. Elections are held on Election Day, which is conventionally a Thursday.

Elections are administered locally; in each lower-tier(niveluri mai mici) local authority, the actual polling(votare)
procedure is run by the Acting Returning Officer or Returning Officer and the compiling and maintenance of
the electoral roll by the Electoral Registration Officer . The Electoral Commission only sets standards for and issues
guidelines to Returning Officers and Electoral Registration Officers, but is responsible for nationwide electoral
administration.

19 Speak about USA- states, regions, dependencies.

The USA is a federal republic made up of fifty states and the District of Columbia. In the north the USA borders
Canada and in the south it borders Mexico.

48 states are conterminous- each state borders with at least one other state; the remaining 2 states of Alaska and
the 8 islands of Hawaii. The United States also includes the island territories of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands,
both located in the Atlantic Ocean.

Very broadly, the regions of the United States can be divided up in four main areas: The south, The Pacific coast
states, the north central region and the northeast.

The north-eastern region is made up for the six states of New England, the Mid-Atlantic states. The North Central
Region it is midway between the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains. It comprises the states of the Great lakes and
those of the Midwest. The Pacific Coast States- apart from Washington, Oregon and the ‘golden states’ of California,
this region includes Alaska and Hawaii. The South – is at its turn divided into 2 sub-regions: the Southern States and
the South-western States.

The Declaration of Independence announced the birth of a new nation; it drew upon French and British political
ideas, especially those of John Locke in his Second Treatise on Government, reaffirming the belief that political rights
are basic human rights and are thus universal.

20 Speak of the American Revolution and the minutemen.

The American Revolution was a political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies
in North America joined together to break from the British Empire, combining to become the USA.

The first shots of the American Revolution fired at Lexington, where they met a group of Minutemen, who got that
name because they were said to be ready to fight in a minute. Minutemen were private colonists who independently
organized to form well-prepared militia companies self-trained in weaponry, tactics and military strategies from the
American colonial partisan militia during the American Revolutionary War.

The Declaration of Independence announced the birth of a new nation; it drew upon French and British political
ideas, especially those of John Locke in his Second Treatise on Government, reaffirming the belief that political rights
are basic human rights and are thus universal.

21 The first presidents George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson and their role in shaping the
political system.

George Washington was sworn(jurat) in as the first president of the US. He had been change of organizing an
effective military force during the Revolution-now he was in charge of building a functioning government. He
worked with Congress to create departments of State, Treasury, Justice, and War. The heads of those departments
would serve as presidential advisors, his cabinet.

The next 2 president, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, represented 2 schools of thought on the role of
government. They represented trade and manufacturing interests; they feared anarchy and believed in a strong
central government that could set national economic politicies and maintain order and who had the most support in
the North and the Republicans, led by Jefferson, generally represented agricultural interesrs. They opposed a strong
central government as they believed in states’ rights and the self-sufficiency of farmers and had the most support in
the South.

22 Speak of the American Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Unlike Britain but like most nation states, the American political system is clearly defined by basic documents. The
Declaration of Independence of 1776 and the Constitution of 1789 form the foundations of the United States
federal government.

At the heart of the US Constitution is the principle known as separation of powers. This means that power is spread
between three institutions of the state- the executive, the legislature and the judiciary- and no one institution has
too much power and no individual can be a member of more than one institution. The president has a term of 4
years, while members of the Senate serve for 6 years and members of the House of Representatives serve for 2
years. Members of the Supreme Court effectively serve for life.

The Bill of Rights is the collective name for the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. the Bill of
Rights amendments add to the Constitution specific guarantees of personal freedoms and rights, clear limitations on
the government's power in judicial and other proceedings, and explicit declarations that all powers not specifically
delegated to Congress by the Constitution are reserved for the states or the people.

23 What do you know about the political parties in USA?

The United States does not have a parliamentary system, in which governing coalitions are formed after elections,
so coalitions are formed before elections under the umbrella of the party organizations. Since the Civil War, the 2
major parties have been called the Republican and Democratic parties. The 2 major parties, in particular, have no
formal organization at the national level that controls membership, activities, or policy positions, though some state
affiliates do.

To an extent quite extraordinary in democratic countries, the American political system is dominated by two political
parties: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. They are very old and very stable parties. The Democratic
Party is sometimes represented as a donkey, while the Republican Party is sometimes featured as an elephant.

24 The election of the president of USA – his responsibilities and duties.

The president is both the head of state and the head of government, as well as the military commander-in-chief and
chief diplomat.

The President has the power to make treaties and the power to nominate and receive ambassadors. He is elected
for a fixed term of four years and may serve a maximum of 2 terms. Elections are always held on the first Tuesday
after the first Monday in November to coincide with Congressional elections.
The President is not elected directly by the voters but by an Electoral College representing each state on the basis of
a combination of the number of members in the Senate and the number of members in the House of
Representatives.

The total Electoral College vote is 538. This means that, to become President, a candidate has to win at least 270
electoral votes. The President may be impeached by a majority in the House and removed from office by t-3 majority
in the Senate for “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors”.

25 What do you know about the Congress of USA; what does filibustering refer to?

The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States consisting of
two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election, though vacancies in the Senate may be filled
by a gubernatorial appointment. Members are usually affiliated to the Republican Party or to the Democratic Party,
and only rarely to a third-party or as independents. Congress has 535 voting members: 435 Representatives and 100
Senators.

The members of the House of Representatives serve 2-year terms representing the people of a single constituency,
known as a "district". Congressional districts are apportioned to states by population using the United States
Census results, provided that each state has at least one congressional representative.

A filibuster in the United States Senate is a dilatory or obstructive tactic used in the United States Senate to prevent
a measure from being brought to a vote. The most common form of filibuster occurs when a senator attempts to
delay or entirely prevent a vote on a bill by extending the debate on the measure, but other dilatory tactics exist.
The rules permit a senator, or a series of senators, to speak for as long as they wish and on any topic they choose.

The term “filibuster” had been in use for centuries to refer to independent military operators.

26 What is the history behind the American national anthem?

"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the USA. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a
poem written on 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the
bombardment of Fort McHenry by British ships of the Royal Navy in Baltimore Harbor during the Battle of Fort
McHenry in the War of 1812. Key was inspired by the large American flag, the Star-Spangled Banner, flying
triumphantly above the fort during the American victory.

"The Star-Spangled Banner" was recognized for official use by the United States Navy in 1889, and by U.S. President
Woodrow Wilson in 1916, and was made the national anthem by a congressional resolution on March 3, 1931,
which was signed by President Herbert Hoover.

27 Speak about the British Education system.

Each of the countries of the UK has separate systems under separate governments: the UK Government is
responsible for England, and the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Northern Ireland
Executive are responsible for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, respectively. While the systems in England,
Wales and Northern Ireland are more similar, the Scottish system is quite different.

Full-time education is compulsory(obligatoriu) for all children aged between 5 and 16(inclusive). Students may then
continue their secondary studies for a further 2 years, leading most typically to an A level qualification, although
other qualifications and courses exist, including GNVQ(General National Vocation Qualification), and the
International Baccalaureate. State-provided schools are free of charge to students, and there is also a tradition of
independent schooling, but parents may choose to educate their children by any suitable means.

28 Speak about the American Education system.

Education in the Unites States is mainly provided by the public sector, with control and funding coming from three
levels: federal, state and local. Child education is compulsory. A sub-type of compulsory education is public
education. Public education is universal at the primary and secondary levels. Educational standards and standardized
testing decisions are usually made by state governments. The ages for compulsory education vary by state,
beginning at ages 5 to 8 and ending at the ages of 14 to 18. A growing number of states are now requiring
compulsory education until the age of 18.

Post-secondary education, better known as “college” in the United States, is generally governed separately from the
elementary and high school system, and is a separate section below.

29 Which city of Great Britain would you like to visit and why. What do you already know about it?

I would like to visit Bath. The city of Bath has a lot of places to visit, which are beautiful and deserve to be seen. The
city of Bath it is one of the most beautiful place from the United Kingdom and every person who visit the country
should go there. Also it is a city where you can relax, not just for the spa but also a place with welcoming people.

History: It is a city in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England, known for its Roman-built baths. From the
Roman period to the present day this has been the heart of Bath as within it raises the hot mineral spa water that
has given the city its name.

One of the things that I like visit is The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Bath, commonly known as Bath
Abbey. This is an Anglican parish church and a former Benedictine monastery.

30 Which city of USA would you like to visit and why. What do you already know about it?

I would like to visit Boston. The city has a lot of places to visit, which are beautiful and deserve to be seen, like
Boston Public Library, Public Garden(is a large park located in the heart of Boston), Old State House(is a historic
building in Boston at the intersection of Washington and State Streets; it is the oldest surviving public building in
Boston, and now serves as a history museum), Newbury Street. Boston is one of the most beautiful place from the
USA and every person who visit the country should go there. Also it is a city where you can relax.