Read this article about Scotland and then try the exercises that follow.

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Scotland is one of the four nations which make up the United Kingdom. It forms the northern part of the island of Great Britain, is 31,510 square miles in area, 274 miles long and has a population of more than 5,000,000.

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The official language of Scotland is English although Gaelic is spoken in the West and in the highlands. A third language; Scots, can also be heard. It has elements of English, French and Gaelic. Scots is spoken in the lowlands. Scotland’s national emblem is the thistle although other symbols such as tartan, heather and Scotch whisky are also associated with it. The flag of Scotland is the St. Andrew’s Cross and dates from the 9th century, making it the oldest national flag still in use.

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Scotland is divided into three main regions; The Highlands, the Midland Valley and the Southern Uplands. Most industry is located in the Midland Valley which is around 50 miles wide and is composed of ancient volcanic rock. Scotland also includes 787 islands but most are small and uninhabited. The most important rivers are the Clyde, the Forth and the Tay and on their estuaries are built the major cities of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee. Scotland is also famous for its lochs, or lakes, with Loch Ness being its most famous.

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In 1999 Scotland elected its first parliament in over 300 years after obtaining devolution from the United Kingdom. The official offices are located in Edinburgh (the capital) and it is here that most major decisions regarding Scottish life are taken. Issues such as defence, foreign affairs and taxation remain under the control of the national parliament in London. Scotland also has its own education and legal systems, which are different in many ways from the systems in place in the rest of the United Kingdom, and its own banking system with Scottish banknotes.

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Considering the size of Scotland, it has more than its fair share of famous personalities. Some of the most noted include Sir Alexander Graham Bell who invented the telephone in 1876, Robert Burns the poet who wrote “Auld Lang Syne”, David Hume the eighteenth century philosopher, David Livingstone; the explorer and Sean Connery, the actor. The Scots celebrate Burns night on 25th January as well as St. Andrew’s Day on November 30th.

Match each of these headings with its corresponding paragraph.

Build your vocabulary.  Match these words to make phrases from the article.

What are the nouns formed from the same root as these verbs?