236 some interesting facts about scotland

Read the text carefully and then answer the questions.
William Wallace is the Lowland warrior, a real legend. He was a popular man,
because of his minor noble and landowner background, who won a great victory
for Scotland at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. However, there are different other
stories. One of the stories says that he became a military leader in the Lowlands
of Scotland. Scotland ’s symbol is a thistle which is connected to William
Wallace partly. It is a thorny, wild plant, which usually have yellow or purple
flowers. Its earlier use was on the silver coins brought out by James III. There
are some legends of the thistle. One of them is the following: when Scotland was
under attack by the Vikings from 795. for hundreds of years a major part of
Scotland even belonged to the Kingdom of Norway. According to the legend, the
Norsemen attempted to astonish the resting Scottish Clansmen. The Norsemen
took off their footwear to move over quietly under the cover of darkness.
However, they came across a patch of ground full of thistles. As a result, one of
the troop men stepped on one and shouted in pain, thus warning the Scottish
warriors of the advancing Norsemen.
Loch Ness is the largest and the northernmost of the three lochs. The others are
Loch Lochy and Loch Oich.
Loch Ness was formed about 10,000 years ago, when the Ice Age ended. The
sides of the loch are very rocky and steep but the bottom of the Loch is flat. It is
nearly 24 miles long and 1 and a half miles wide. The loch is the largest body of
freshwater in Britain. It is fed by seven rivers and never freezes. The temperature
of the water changes at about 100 feet down in the loch. An interesting question
arises about Nessie Monster. Is the legend true? No one knows the answer.
However, there are lots of different ideas and monster theories what the monster
might be. In 2003 a fossilised vertebra of a plesiosaur was found on the banks of


Loch Ness. Is the monster a seal, an elephant, an overgrown eel, a sturgeon or a
long-necked newt? No idea. What does it eat and how? The Loch is full of zooplankton and fish. In that deep Loch could Nessie live, eat and catch her food in
complete darkness? As a result, this mystery will remain a mystery.

Is the legend true? Does it also hold the Water Horse?
Yes, there is a fine-looking horse standing on the shores of a loch, it may have
been a kelpie. Kelpies are supernatural horses that haunt Scotland’s lochs and
lonely rivers. They have the magical ability to shape-shift. Taking the form of
beautiful horses or handsome young men with dark eyes. Some people believe
that the Loch Ness Monster may have been a kelpie.
There is a legend about whisky. St. Patrick introduced distilling to Ireland in the
5th century AD. The word Whisky was derived from the Gaelic ’usquebaugh’,
meaning ’water of life’, phonetically became usky and then whisky. It was first
produced in Scotland in 1494 and for many years it was smuggled to avoid
paying taxes. The word ’Scotch’ is used to mean a strong alcoholic drink all over
the world. Two walt whiskies are never the same. The taste cannot be copied
anywhere else in the world, as water comes from the local hills. The distilling
process was originally applied to perfume, then to wine and finally adapted to
fermented mashes of cereals. It was used for medical purposes such as relief of
colic and even smallpox. The invention of coffee was led to the production of
Grain Whisky. As a result, whisky is made of cereals, mostly barley and is usually
sold as blends of several types. One of them is SINGLE MALT. It is made of a
single type of grain. Lot of people drink whisky with water, soda water or soft
drinks or ice.
Scotland is famous for its traditional clans (family) and tartans. Sometimes there
were fierce battles between different clans. The chief of each clan had complete
authority. They settled around lochs and valleys. Today, they live in peace.
The tartan was common in the Highlands. It was worn as a single piece of cloth,
drawn in at the waist and thrown over the shoulders. The kilt became popular in
the 18th century. All clans have its own tartan. A tartan kilt was an important part
of a clansman’s traditional clothing. Kilt is a kind of skirt that is knee-length


pleated. Today Scottish men wear it only on special occasions. Many people take

pride of their Scottish ancestors and being members of a clan.
There is a historical and cultural split between Highland and Lowland Scotland.
Sir Walter Scott and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle were internationally successful
writers. More recently, the author J. K. Rowling has become one of the most
popular and wealthiest authors in the world through her Harry Potter series.
Answer the questions.
Which plant is connected to William Wallace’s name?_____________________.
What do you know about this plant?____________________________________
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What happened with the Norsemen?___________________________________
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Where does Nessie live?___________________________________________
What does it eat?__________________________________________________.
What is kelpie?____________________________________________________
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What did St.Patrick introduced?______________________________________.
Where was it used? _______________________________________________
What is whisky made from?__________________________________________
________________________________________________________________.
What is clan?______________________
What kind of clothes are connected to the Scottish Clans?__________________
________________________________________________________________.

Is it true or false? (T/F)
William Wallace’s friends were the Norsemen. ___________
Thistle is a nice flower. ___________
There are three big lochs in Scotland. _____________
Loch Ness never freezes. _______________

Single malt is a kind of whisky. ______________
Tartan is a kind of skirt. ______________


Which is which?
Write down the names under the pictures.

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CHOOSE and write a short composition about:- Nessie the Monster
- J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter
- Traditional Scottish clothes
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_________________________. I hope you enjoyed visiting Scotland.