Birmingham

Long famous as an international business centre, Birmingham has developed into a modern and exciting city, its buildings and shops are second to none.

Birmingham is at the heart of Britain’s motorway system. The superbly designed inner ring road is easily identified by its red surface and gives easy access to the city centre.

Massive post-war development schemes have meant exciting new buildings. But the best of the old has been preserved.

The city’s museum and art gallery has some of the finest examples of pre-Raphaelite painting, with works by Burne-Jones and William Morris. The Science Museum houses the earliest English locomotive actually built (1784).

Birmingham’s ultra-modern library is one of the largest and best stocked in Europe and includes the Shakespeare Memorial Library with 40, 000 books in 90 languages.

The city possesses several interesting churches and two cathedrals.

Shopping facilities in Birmingham are a magnet for thousands; there is a wealth of variety few places in Britain can rival. The multilevel Bull Ring Shopping Centre is completely traffic free and linked by subways with the major shopping streets of the city. It includes most kinds of retail shops, open-air and covered markets, banks, restaurants and offices. Equally impressive is the air-conditioned New Street Shopping Centre.

Birmingham has more canals than Venice. Some canal basins have been developed as recreational centres, with walks, pubs, restored buildings and boat trips from Gas Street Basin and Cambrian Wharf.

The city has excellent facilities for all kinds of sport. It boasts twenty swimming pools and eight municipal golf courses, as well as many private clubs. Edgbaston Reservoir is a 60-acre lake for sailing, rowing and fishing, and the Wyndley Leisure Centre at Sutton Coldfield provides facilities for indoor sports. Test and County cricket is played at Edgbaston; Aston Villa, Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion are the local football teams.

Exercise 2. Replace the Russian phrases with the English ones.

1. For a long time Birmingham has been known as (международный деловой центр).

2. Now Birmingham is (современный и интересный город).

3. (Превосходно спланированная) inner ring road has red surface.

4. There are several interesting (церквей и кафедральных соборов) in the city.

5. Few places in Britain can rival with a variety of (магазинов).

6. There are some (искусственных водоемов) serving as (развлекательные центры).

7. There are many (спортивных сооружений) in Birmingham.

Exercise 3. Identify the Tense – Voice form of the following predicates.

Has developed, is identified, have meant, has been preserved, houses, includes, possesses, can rival, is linked, have been developed, boasts, is played.

Exercise 4. Complete the sentences in all possible ways.

1. Birmingham is …

2. Birmingham has …

Exercise 5. Prove the idea.

1. Birmingham is at the heart of Britain’s motorway system

2. But the best of the old has been preserved.

3. Birmingham’s ultra-modern library is one of the largest in Europe.

4. Shopping facilities in Birmingham are a magnet for thousands.

5. The city has excellent facilities for all kinds of sport.

Exercise 6. Give the summary of the text.

Text 5

Exercise 1. Read the text and do the exercise.

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