LONDON
London is the capital and the main centre of communication of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It has the population of about 8 million and is one of the world's three largest cities (the other two are New York and Tokyo).
The Romans founded a settlement on the River Thames 2,000 years ago. They called it Londinium. London became a prosperous trading centre during Middle Ages. Since that time it has continued to grow in size and prosperity. As a result of its long and exciting history, London offers a visitor a rich store of fascinating buildings, streets, monuments and colourful ceremonies. It would take, perhaps, month to explore all the aspects of London life and history. But in a careful planned visit, a visitor can see many of the city's famous buildings and districts and get some idea of its many-sided everyday life.
Let us stroll through London and get a glimpse of its sights. We will start our tour from Trafalgar Square, London's geographical centre. It was laid out during the early part of the 19th century to commemorate the naval victory of Britain, in which Admiral Lord Nelson took part and was fatally wounded. The Nelson Column with the statue of Admiral Nelson on the top is 185 feet high. At the base of it you can see four bronze lions which are guarding the Column. In the north of Trafalgar Square there is the National Gallery which exhibits all school of European painting from the 13th to the 19th century.
Not far from Trafalgar Square there is a quiet little street with very ordinary houses. So you may be surprised to see a policeman who is standing at one of the houses. It is Downing Street and for the last 200 years at Number 10 each Prime Minister of England has been living there.
Downing Street leads to Whitehall. There was a palace here once, where from the 12th to the 16th century the English kings and queens were living. Now it is just a street of government offices. Here in the middle of the road there is a simple but impressive Cenotaph, the memorial to the men who died in the two World Wars.
Walking a little further we come to Parliament Square; Westminster Abbey is on one side, the Houses of Parliament on the other.
The building of the Houses of Parliament is not old; it dates only from the 19th century, and is in the Gothic style. When the Parliament has a sitting a flag flies from the Victoria Tower. It is Union Jack – the national flag of the United Kingdom. Another tower, the Clock Tower, is famous for the hour bell and the clock named "Big Ben".
Only a short way from the Houses of Parliament there is one of the most beautiful and distinguished of all English buildings – Westminster Abbey, founded in the 11th century. There are many tombstones, monuments and statues here. For nearly 1000 years all the kings and queens of England – 41 in all – have been crowned here and many of them are buried here too. Here is the Poet's Corner where many of Britain's greatest poets and writers are buried: Chaucer, Johnson, Dickens, Hardy, and Kipling. You can see memorials to Shakespeare, Burns, Byron, Walter Scott and Thackeray as well.
From Westminster Abbey we can walk along one side of St. James Park to Buckingham Palace – the Royal residence. The vast house is comparatively new, has no style and quite uninteresting. However, great importance is still attacked by the British to this place. Here we can see one of the most colourful and stirring of all London ceremonies, the Changing of the Guard. The ceremony starts at 11.30 a.m. and takes between 30 and 40 minutes. It is performed by the Guards who guard the Palace. They are dressed in their full ceremonial costumes of scarlet tunics and bearskin tall hats.
All the principal streets in London lead to the heart of the City, the financial and business centre of Great Britain. The City is about one square mile in area and only a few thousand people live there. But by day many people swarm its streets and offices. Here there are the Bank of England, the Stock Exchange and the headquarters of many of the richest companies and corporations in the world.
The City's greatest monument and one of the finest Renaissance cathedrals in Europe is St. Paul's Cathedral. It was designed by Christopher Wren, famous English architect, and took nearly thirty-five years to build, being finished in 1710. Running round the interior of the dome is famous Whispering Gallery. It is called so because you can clearly hear a whisper made by someone who is standing on the opposite side of the gallery.
The Tower of London does not belong to the City, though it stood there for almost nine hundred years. It is more connected with the royal dynasties, than with the world of business. It was originally built as a fortress to guard the river approaches to London. Later it was a palace, a prison, a treasury and an observatory. Now it is a museum and the Yeomen Warders who are ex-servicemen, willingly show visitors the main places of interest.
Here in the City we will finish our tour of London though there are many other places also worth visiting. But having little time to spare we cannot see all the London attractions in the few hours available to us.
I. Practice the pronunciation of the following words:
prosperous ['prOspqrqs]
exciting [Ik'saItIN]
fascinating ['fxsIneItIN]
geographical [GIq'grxfIkql]
commemorate [kq'memqreIt]
tower ['tauq]
distinguished [dIs'tINgwISt]
style [staIl]
guard [gRd]
headquarters ['hed'kwLtqz]
architect ['RkItekt]
treasury ['treZqrI]
worth [wWT]
available [q'veIlqbl]
Trafalgar Square [trq'fxlgq 'skwFq]
Van Dyck [vxn 'daIk]
Downing Street ['daunIN strJt]
Whitehall ['waIt'hLl]
Cenotaph ['senqtRf]
Chaucer ['CLsq]
Thackeray ['TxkqrI]
Buckingham Palace ['bAkINqm 'pxlIs]
Renaissance [rq'neIsqns]
St. Paul's Cathedral [snt 'pLlz kq'TJdrql]
Christopher Wren ['krIstqfq 'rqn]
Whispering Gallery ['wIspqrIN 'gxlqrI]
Yeomen Warders ['joumqn 'wLdez]
II. Read and translate the text.
III. Give Ukrainian equivalents to:
centre of communications, to grow in size and prosperity, as a result, exciting history, a rich store of fascinating buildings, a carefully planned visit, many-sided life, to get a glimpse of, to have a sitting, the vast house, a colourful and stirring ceremony, ceremonial costumes, bearskin hats, by day, the Stock Exchange, round the interior of the dome, it was originally built as a fortress, the river approaches, worth visiting, London attractions, in the few hours available to us.
IV. Choose the correct word or word-combinations:
1. The modern development of Leeds as a chief centre of the woollen industry in England … … the end of the 18th century.
2. Grimsby is a … seaport on the coast of Lincolnshire, at the estuary of the River Humber.
3. Tbilisi is an ancient town which has many …
4. Glasgow university was … in 1450 and is one of the oldest universities in Europe.
5. Of the many … palaces in Europe, Windsor Castle is perhaps the most ancient one, since from over 800 years it has been the residence of the Kings and Queens of England.
6. Christopher Wren … many buildings in London after the Great Fire in 1666.
7. Many great writers are … by statues at their birth places.
8. There are … to Shakespeare, Burns, Byron and Walter Scott in Westminster Abbey.
9. Shakespeare was … in his native town Stratford.
10. There are five regiments which … Buckingham Palace.
11. Richmond Park, one of the most well-known parks of London was … in the 18th century.
12. Five London busiest streets … to Piccadilly Circus, the hub of London's West End and centre of its night life.
13. London is full of … traditions.
14. You can see three … in the Kremlin.
15. If you have little time you cannot see all London …
16. You should … more time on your work if you want to make progress.
________
to commemorate, memorials, prosperous, to date from, fascinating, to lead, to design, a cathedral, royal, to guard, an attraction, to spare, to bury, sights, to lay out, to found.
V. Translate into Ukrainian.
1. London dates from Roman times.
2. Among the memorials in St. Paul's Cathedral there is one to Admiral Nelson and another to Christopher Wren.
3. St. James's Park was laid out as pleasure grounds in the 16th century.
4. Taking a trip down the River Thames to the Tower of London you can get a glimpse of six London bridges.
5. In the centre of Trafalgar Square there are two fountains that are as big a tourist attraction as the thousands of pigeons.
6. The name of one of London's lost rivers is commemorated in Fleet Street, the centre of the British newspaper industry.
7. During your visit to the Tower of London you will get to know some of the darker but none the less fascinating aspects of British History.
8. As a result of the Great Fire in 1666 St. Paul's Cathedral was destroyed.
9. The British Royal Society, founded in 1660, attaches great importance to the friendly cooperation of learned men throughout the world.
10. Geoffrey Chaucer, the famous English poet of the 14th century, was the first to be buried in the Poet's Corner.
11. This guide book will help a tourist to see the most important London sights.
12. Westminster Abbey dates from the 11th century but it was rebuilt and extended in the 13th century.
13. Most of Parliament business is done from Monday to Thursday. Friday sittings are short.
14. Tower Bridge, which guards the Pool of London, was opened at the end of the 19th century.
15. Can you spare some time to tell us what you have read about London and its history?
VI. Give English equivalents to:
в результаті чогось, вести до, королівська резиденція, собор Святого Павла, проектувати, охороняти, пам’ятник, слугувати нагадуванням, чарівний, розбивати площу, отримати уявлення, хоронити, приділяти час, придавати велике значення, побачити мигцем, відноситись до ХІХ століття, проводити засідання.
VII. Arrange a) and b) in pairs of synonyms:
a) a memorial, to stroll, a sight, a tour, to take part, ordinary, to guard, distinguished, willingly, to design, prosperous, to be surprised, a short way from, royal, fascinating.
b) to participate, to project, with pleasure, to walk, an attraction, common, successful, not far from, to protect, to be amazed, sovereign, a trip, a monument, well-known, enchanting.
VIII. Arrange a) and b) in pairs of antonyms:
a) carefully, famous, early, impressive, further, beautiful, to guard, prosperous, fascinating, distinguished
b) commonplace, nearer, to neglect, late, disgusting, carelessly, unknown, ugly, modest, unsuccessful.
IX. Answer the following questions (work in pairs):
1) What city is the capital of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
2) What is the population of London?
3) When was London founded?
4) Why would it take a visitor months to explore all the aspects of London and its history?
5) What is the geographical centre of London?
6) What was Trafalgar Square laid out to commemorate?
7) Where can we see the works by famous European painters?
8) What is Downing Street famous for?
9) Where are most government offices situated in London?
10) What is Cenotaph?
11) What can you say about the Houses of Parliament?
12) What is the national flag of United Kingdom called?
13) When can one see it on the Victoria Tower?
14) What can visitor see in Westminster Abbey?
15) Why do the British attach great importance to Buckingham Palace?
16) When does the ceremony of the Changing of the Guard take place?
17) What do you know about the City of London?
18) Which is the City's greatest monument?
19) Who designed St. Paul's Cathedral?
20) How long did it take to build this cathedral?
21) Why is Whispering Gallery called so?
22) Where is the Tower of London situated?
23) What do you know about its history?
X. Ask questions for these answers (work in pairs):
1) London is one of the world's three largest cities.
2) The Romans founded it.
3) There is a Nelson Column in the centre of Trafalgar Square.
4) One may be surprised because a policeman is standing at one of the houses.
5) The Clock Tower is famous for the hour bell and the clock named "Big Ben".
6) There are also memorials to Shakespeare, Burn, Byron, W. Scott and Thackeray.
7) The ceremony of the Changing of the Guard lasts between 30 and 40 minutes.
8) Yes, it is. The City is only about one square mile in area.
9) St. Paul's Cathedral was built in 1710.
10) No, it doesn't, though it stood in the City for almost nine hundred years.
11) They are ex-servicemen.
XI. Fill the blanks with prepositions:
London is situated … the river Thames about forty miles … its mouth. It is divided … two parts … the river. The more important part, … most … the chief buildings, stands … the north bank. In fact there are several Londons. First, there is the City … London. It covers only about a square mile. Only a few thousand people live there. There is the Bank … England, the Stock Exchange, and offices … many … the wealthiest corporations … the world. It is the financial and business centre … England. … day it is full … people; about half a million people work there. But … the end of the day businessmen and clerks go home and the City becomes silent. Another important district … London is Westminster. Here one can see the Houses of Parliament, most government offices, etc. All there areas are called the West End.
The working class … London lives … the East End. This vast area running eastward … the City is poor and crowded. It has all the main docks and a lot … factories. … the East End one can see numerous dirty houses and many slums.
XII. Combine words into sentences.
1) lead, Square, this, will, Trafalgar, to, street, you.
2) century, the Tower, from, the 11th, London, of, dates.
3) offers, to, London, many, tourists, attractions.
4) killed, Cenotaph, the British, in, world, commemorates, the, wars, two, soldiers.
5) the Tower, you, a can, boat, a glimpse, from, river, get, of.
6) in, fascinating, are, many, London, parks, there.
7) Westminster Abbey, see, to, will, you, memorial, a, Shakespeare, in.
8) day, they, places, that, only, interest, some, saw, of.
9) St. Paul's Cathedral, in, designed, the, century, 17th, Christopher Wren.
10) regiments, by, Buckingham Palace, guarded, is, five.
XIII. Complete the sentences from the text:
1) The Romans founded ….
2) As a result of ….
3) Trafalgar Square was laid out ….
4) Not far from Trafalgar Square ….
5) It is Downing Street ….
6) The building of the Houses of Parliament ….
7) Only a short way from ….
8) For nearly 1000 years ….
9) All the principal streets of London ….
10) The City's greatest monument ….
11) The Tower of London ….
12) It was originally built ….
XIV. Translate into English (orally):
Лондон – столиця Об’єднаного Королівства Великобританії та Північної Ірландії. Це дуже велике місто з населенням близько 8 мільйонів. Він був заснований біля 2000 років тому. В Лондоні багато палаців, соборів та пам’ятників, які пов’язані з багатолітньою історією міста. Одним з них є Вестмінське Абатство, яке було збудоване в 11 столітті. На протязі майже тисячоліття в ньому коронували всіх англійських монархів. Тут в Кутку поетів поховані видатні англійські поети та письменники, зокрема Дж.Чосер, Ч. Діккенс, Р. Кіплінг.
Багато туристів приходять зранку до королівської резиденції – Букінгемському палацу, щоб подивитися на яскраву церемонію зміни варти.
Фінансовим та діловим центром Лондона та Великобританії є Сіті. На площі всього в одну квадратну милю проживає декілька тисяч чоловік, але тут розміщені Англійський Банк, біржа та багато компаній різних країн. Визначна пам'ятка Сіті – Собор Святого Павла, збудований по проекту видатного англійського архітектора К. Рена в XVIII в.
Лондонський Тауер, що знаходиться в Сіті, мало пов'язаний з його діловим світом. Збудований в якості фортеці, що охороняла столицю, він в результаті був палацом, в’язницею, казначейством та обсерваторією. Зараз це музей, в якому туристи знайомляться з історією міста.
XV. Make up situations using the following words and word-combinations:
1) to found, century, to grow in size and prosperity, population, fascinating, as a result, monuments, cathedrals, design, royal, to get an idea, impressive.
2) to visit, to see places of interest, attractions, to be connected, to walk, to spare some time, a square, to commemorate, to guard, to be buried, to get a glimpse of.
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