Bath, Somerset

1) Bath is a city in Somerset, …… England, most famous for\by its historic baths fed by three ……hot springs. The city is founded around……. only naturally occurring hot springs in …… United Kingdom. It was first documented as…… Roman spa. The waters from its spring were believed to be …… cure for many afflictions. Since\From Elizabethan up\to Georgian times it was …… resort city for the wealthy. As a result of its popularity during\for the latter period …… city contains many fine examples of …… Georgian architecture, most notably the Royal Crescent. The heart of the Georgian city was the Pump Room.

2) The archaeological evidence shows that the site of the Roman Baths' main spring was treated as a shrine by the Celts, and dedicated to the goddess Sulis. The Romans probably occupied Bath shortly after their invasion of Britain in 43 AD. They knew it as Aquae Sulis (literally "the waters of Sul"), identifying the goddess with Minerva. In Roman times the worship of Sulis Minerva continued and messages to her scratched onto metal have been recovered from the Sacred Spring by archaeologists. These are known as curse tablets. These curse tablets were written in Latin, and usually laid curses on other people, whom they feel had done them wrong.

3) During the Roman period increasingly grand temples and bathing complexes were built, including the Great Bath. Rediscovered gradually from the 18th century onward, they have become one of the city's main attractions. The city was given defensive walls, probably in the 3d century. From the later 4th century on, the Western Roman Empire and its urban life declined. However, while the great suite of baths at Bath fell into disrepair, some use of the hot springs continued.

4) The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle mentions Bath falling to the West Saxons in 577 after the Battle of Deorham. The Anglo-Saxons called the town Baðum, meaning "at the baths," and this was the source of the present name. The old town within the walls was also largely rebuilt. The architects John Wood the elder and his son John Wood the younger laid out the new quarters in streets and squares, the identical facades of which gave an impression of palatial scale and classical decorum. Bath is connected to Bristol and the sea by the River Avon, navigable via locks by small boats.

5) Sally Lunn's buns have long been baked in Bath. They were first mentioned by that name in verses printed in a local newspaper, the Bath Chronicle, in 1772. At that time they were eaten hot at public breakfasts in the city's Spring Gardens. They can be eaten with sweet or savory toppings.

6) Bath's principal industry is tourism, with visits mainly falling into the categories of ……heritage tourism and cultural tourism. …… All significant stages of the history of England are represented within\without the city, from …… Roman Baths to Bath Abbey and the Royal Crescent, to Thermae Bath Spa in the 2000s. While many tourists come to\in Bath to see the city at\in general, some are attracted by\to particular aspects of the city, such as the Jane Austen landmarks or the Roman Baths.

7) Of Bath's notable buildings, Bath Abbey is one of …… most striking. Originally …… Norman church on earlier foundations, it was rebuilt in the early 16th century. The dominant style of architecture in Bath is Georgian. …… best known off\of Bath's terraces is the Royal Crescent, built between 1767 and 1774 and designed with\by the younger John Wood.

№9 Прочитайте текст еще раз и письменно ответьте на следующие вопросы:

1) What is the historical center of the old part of the city?

2) What goddess did the Romans identify the city with?

3) Why do many people visit Bath today?

4) What places can people see in the city?

№10 Заполните пропуски словами из рамки:

site temple heritage worship spring spa crescent

1) ………… is the act of showing great respect, admiration, especially to a god or goddess.

2) A ………… is a place where water comes up naturally from the ground.

3) A ………… is a place where something of special interest existed or happened.

4) A ………… is a building for public worship in certain religions.

5) ………… is something which is passed down over many years within a family or nation.

6) A ………… is the curved shape of the moon during its first and last quarters, when it forms less than half a circle.

7) A ………… is a place with a spring of mineral water where people come for cures of various diseases.

№11 Прочитайте 1, 6, 7 абзацы текста. Заполните пропуски артиклями a, the, где необходимо, и выберите из выделенных предлогов правильный вариант и перепишите переделанные абзацы текста в тетрадь.

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