London is the capital of Great Britain and England. It is one of the greatest cities in the world. The population of London is more than 9 million inhabitants. The river Thames divides London into

London is the capital of Great Britain and England. It is one of the greatest cities in the world. The population of London is more than 9 million inhabitants. The river Thames divides London into two parts known as the north bank and the south bank. Actually there are several Londons. First there is the City of London. It is about 1 square mile in area and only a few thousand people live there. It is the heart of the business and financial life of the country. All business firms are concentrated here. The most striking building in the City today is St.Paul's Cathedral designed by Wren, a famous English architect of the 17th century. People say that the Cathedral is the finest Renaissance Church in Europe. The Bank of England, the Stock Exchange are in the City.

About 2 miles westward is another part of London called the West End. Here you will see Westminster Abbey, at which all British Kings and Queens are crowned. It dates back to 1049. Many famous people are buried in the Abbey, among them Newton, Darwin, Dickens and Kipling.

Across the road from Westminster Abbey there are the Houses of Parliament with its famous Big Ben, a huge clock built just over a century ago. In this part of London and further west, there are the finest theatres, cinemas and concert halls, large museums, hotels, restaurants, the most famous shops and beautiful parks. This is the West End where the rich live. Mayfair, Regent Street, Oxford Street, Bond Street - are famous for their splendid shops. You can see here very elegant people, men and women, grand hotels and club-houses and modern cars. The name "West End" is associated with wealth, luxury and goods of high quality.

To the East of the City there is the Port of London. Here are miles and miles of docks and the great industrial areas that depend upon shipping. This is the East End of London, unattractive in appearance, but very important to the country's commerce. Workers, dockers and small craftsmen live there. There are few large parks in the East End of London, very few squares and practically none of small traditional gardens in front of the houses. The East End has a lot of old houses built in Dickens's time, houses which the Londoners themselves have called "slums". In the main streets of the East End there are shops where you can buy good clothes and tasty food, but the majority of shops trade in cheap goods that are of course poor in quality. The majority of those who live in the East End are the hereditary inhabitants of the area. They love the East End and are proud that they have the right to call themselves "Cockneys". The word "cockney" means a true Londoner.

London gardens and parks are wonderful. They are called the lungs of the city. There are Kensington Garden, Hyde Park, Green Park, Saint James’s Park, Regent Park and Victoria Park in London. Walking in London parks you have the feeling that you are far away in the country, not in the centre of one of the largest cities of the world. There are lawns and flowerbeds, fountains and avenues in the parks, but mostly the parks consist of trees and grass and water. They are planned to look as natural as nature itself.

Hyde Park is situated in the centre of London. It is really national London park. Here is the place for all sort of national parades and mass meetings, and in the alley over there - in Rotten Row - you can see the riders - At the Speakers Corner in Hyde Park you can see all sorts of orators who talk to the people about all sorts of things. In the park you can listen to the band. Hyde Park is the greatest people's park in Europe. It is some 300 acres in extent.

The most famous picture galleries in London are the National Gallery and the Tate Gallery. The National Gallery houses a priceless collection of the various schools of painting. One can admire a great number of pictures by great British painters Hogarth, Constable, Turner, the portraits by Gains borough, Reynolds, as well as the world's greatest masters - Michelangelo, Raphael, Rembrandt and many others. At present the collection of the Tate Gallery contains over four thousand British paintings and drawings by Turner, Moore and many others; over three hundred and fifty modern foreign paintings.

The British museum is one of the largest in the world. In the first place it is a great library with 5 or 6 mln. books; secondly, the British museum is a great scientific institution generally known as national History Museum, lastly, the British museum is a national museum of antiquities and ethnography. It is built in a classical style.

Glossary

Ø inhabitant

Ø to divide

Ø business and financial life

Ø to be concentrated

Ø striking building

Ø to be crowned

Ø to date back to

Ø to be famous for

Ø splendid shops

Ø to be associated with

Ø wealth

Ø luxury

Ø goods of high quality

Ø great industrial areas

Ø to depend upon

Ø country’s commerce

Ø slums

Ø to trade in

Ø poor in quality

Ø to be proud

Ø to be situated

Ø picture gallery

Ø priceless collection

Ø to admire

Ø paintings and drawings

Questions to text

1. What is the most famous river in England?

2. What is the City?

3. What is the most striking building in London?

4. Where is the West End situated?

5. Where are all British Kings and Queens crowned?

6. What is Big Ben?

7. What is the name “West End” associated with?

8. Where is the Port of London?

9. Who are the “Cockneys”?

10. What are the most famous parks in London?

11. What are the most famous picture galleries in London?

Find the Russian equivalents to the English sentences

1. They all admired his behaving in that manner.	a) Его состояние оценивается в пятьдесят миллионов долларов.
2. He is not interested in quality, all he cares about is making money.	b) Все восхищались таким его поведением.
3. The different responsibilities are divided among the committee members.	c) Его живопись поражает богатством деталей.
4. His wealth is estimated at fifty million dollars.	d) Отдыхать на берегу было явной роскошью.
5. His painting strikes with a wealth of detail.	e) Его не интересует качество, только деньги.
6. It was sheer luxury to relax on the beach.	f) Разным членам комитета поручена ответственность за разные участки работы.

Translate into English

1. Лондон – это один из крупнейших городов мира с населением 9 миллионов человек.

2. В пределах Лондона разговаривают на более чем 300 языках.

3. В 1666 году большая часть Лондона была уничтожена Великим пожаром.

4. Важные национальные и королевские церемонии проводятся в Соборе Святого Павла и Вестминстерском Аббатстве.

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