The British Isles are a group of islands lying off the north-west coast of the continent of Europe. This archipelago includes two major islands - Great Britain and Ireland and about six thousand small islands.
Two independent states - the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland - occupy the territory of the main islands: England is situated in the south and the center of Great Britain, Scotland and Wales take up the north and the west of the island, respectively, and both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are located on the island of the same name - Ireland.
The British Isles also include three distant islands: the Isle of Man, The Bailiwick of Jersey and Bailiwick of Guernsey.
As for the relief, there are no very high mountains on these islands. The most mountainous part is Scotland where we can find the highest peak of isles - Ben Nevis. Its height is 1,343 meters. Another high mountain is situated in Wales. It’s called Snowdon and rises to the height of 1,085 metres above the level of the sea.
On the islands there are many beautiful lakes. The largest one is Lough Neagh in Ireland with an area of 381 square kilometres. There are also several long rivers among which the lengthy is Shannon. It is 368 kilometres long.
A: Oh, look, what a wonderful landscape!
B: No wonder it attracted your attention. It's Shishkin's "Pine-trees in the sunlight". It is a real masterpiece.
A: Oh, Shishkin! I know about him. He was an outstanding Russian painter of the 19th century, wasn't he?
B: Yes, and he was a brilliant painter of landscape.
A: I have read about him and seen reproductions of some of his paintings, but it is the first time I see an original.
B: Shishkin was fond of Russian nature. This picture depicts the tranquility of Russian woods and the vast expanses of Russian nature.
A: The picture looks very realistic, doesn't it? You get an impression that you are in this wood yourself. Just look at the effect of the sunshine penetrating through the branches and illuminating the transparent shadows.
B: You are right, and I quite agree with you. this picture is famous for the simplicity and clarity of the artistic language.
I was very glad to hear from you again. Sorry, I haven't written for ages because of my school activities. I'm very glad to hear something new from you. You ask me about my school. My school is large and light. There are three floors in it. There is a gym, a library, a canteen and a few classrooms on the ground floor. There are many classrooms and a teachers’ room от the first and on the second floors. Our classrooms are very large and light. There are twelve desks, a teacher’s table, a blackboard and many flowers in our classrooms. My school life is wonderful. There are lots of concerts, performances and sport competitions in our school. My classmates and I often take part in different school events. I have a lot of friends in my class. Our teachers are kind and intelligent and my classmates are smart and friendly. Tell me a few words about you and your new school and friend. Have you joined any sport club? Do you like your new teachers? That's for me today. I have to go to the shop for some food.
Best regards to your family.
Write soon.
Nikita