The Houses of Parliament are relatively modern. The whole building which is in the Gothic style was built in the middle of the last century instead of the ancient Houses of Parliament (destroyed by the fire in 1834). But the Westminster Hall at the far end of the building was not touched by the fire and it stands intact for centuries (built in 1097). The world’s known clock “Big Ben” which strikes the hours on the thirteen ton bell is housed in St. Stephen’s Tower. The clock bell is called Big Ben after Sir Benjamin Hall. He had the job to see that the bell was put up. Sir Benjamin was a big man. One day he said in the Parliament. “Shall we call the bell St. Stephen’s?” But someone said for a joke, “Why not call it Big Ben?” Now the bell is known all over the world by that name.
Big Ben
Every day when people in the UK switch on their radio to listen to BBC radio news, they can hear one of the most famous sounds in London, the ringing of Big Ben. The clock tower next to the Houses of Parliament with its famous bell has become a symbol of London. Many people think that Big Ben is the clock or the whole tower. In fact, it’s the largest of the five bells at the top of the tower.
The bell weighs 12 tons and is 2.7 metres in diameter and 2.3 metres high. Big Ben first boomed out in 1859. On New Year’s Eve, 1923, the bell was first heard on the radio, and on New Year’s Eve, 1949, it and the clock tower appeared on television.
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey is a building of great beauty, a place of worship and prayer, a church whose life has been closely identified with the English nation for more than 900 years. Coronations and Royal Weddings take place in the abbey. All but two of the English kings and queens have been crowned in Westminster Abbey since 1066.
The most sacred place in the Abbey is Chapel of St. Edward the Confessor. Edward, a Saxon king (1042-1066), was the founder of Westminster Abbey and the original building was consecrated a few days before his death. He is buried here and in medieval times his shrine attracted many pilgrims. Westminster Abbey is also famous for its Poets’ Corner. Here are the graves and memorials of most of the major English poets and some writers and musicians. Among them the tomb of Geoffrey Chaucer, and the memorial to William Shakespeare. Samuel Johnson and Charles Dickens are also buried here. West of Westminster Abbey stands Buckingham Palace. It is now the official residence of the Queen.
The Tower
In 1066 William, Duke of Normandy, and his men defeated the Saxons at the Battle of Hastings and killed the Saxon King Harold. William and the Normans then set about building castles to complete their domination of England. One of the earliest castles was built where the Tower now stands. It was simply a timber fort, erected in a corner of the stone walls which the Romans had built around their city of London nine hundred years before. The Tower of London was begun by William the Conqueror as a fortress and palace. Later kings made it larger and stronger, and kept soldiers, armour, weapons, treasure, and sometimes important prisoners there. For five hundred years coins of the realm were minted at the Tower and official documents stored in some of the castle buildings. There was even a zoo which began as the king’s private collection of animals among which there were bears, lions, elephants. Now, however, all that remains of it are the ravens and the legend that if they ever leave the Tower will fall. For nine centuries the Tower has kept watch over London and the river Thames. Now it is one of the greatest tourist attractions of London.
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Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is an official residence of the British Royal family. William the Conqueror began building it on a hill above the River Thames 900 years ago. England’s kings and queens have lived in it ever since. The castle has been rebuilt and improved many times according to the British monarchs’ taste.
The dominant structure of the castle is the high Round Tower. It is built on the site where, according to tradition, King Arthur sat with the Knights of the Round Table. Fourteen other towers rise from the walls surrounding the castle.
The castle also includes St. Georges Chapel, which is the burial place of Henry VI, Edward IV, Henry VIII, Charles I, Edward VII, and George V.
Today, nine centuries after its foundation, the Castle continues to perform its prime role as an official residence of the Queen.
After the fire of 1992, Queen Elizabeth II opened the doors of Windsor Castle to the public. Gone are the mysteries held by Windsor Castle!
Text 8
Exercise 1. Pronounce correctly the proper names
Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Bristol, Avon, Gascony, Spain, Portugal
Exercise 2. Read the text and do the exercises.
BRISTOL
The counties of Devon, Cornwall, and Somerset are often called the West Country. Urban development of this region is very limited and Bristol is the great exception among the towns of the area, other settlements in this part of the country being small.
Bristol is situated at the junction of the Avon and the Frome. It is a major port and industrial centre. It is an ancient city and it has always been a strictly commercial place and has remained such to this day. Little is known of its early history but its medieval trade was extended to Gascony, Spain and Portugal.
In 1400 it was considered to be the second greatest port of England. Now it is eighth in the United Kingdom. It is a regional capital and five times as large as the next town in the area. Bristol has a large variety of industries, of which aircraft design and construction at Filton is the most important. Other significant industries are paper-making, printing and flour-milling.
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Bristol is a University town. Its university was founded in 1876 first as a university college. Now there are flourishing colleges of science and technology, art and commerce.
The Mendip hills separate Bristol from the lowland of the Somerset plain. Once this area was marshy but now that it has been extensively drained it carries great numbers of dairy cattle. Cheddar cheese is one of its best known products.
Exercise 3. Find English equivalents for the following word combinations in the text.
Городское развитие, большое исключение, в месте слияния, главный порт, промышленный центр, древний город, торговый центр, в пять раз больше, университетский город, болотистый, молочный скот, один из самых известных продуктов.
Exercise 4. Quote the sentences in which these words and word combinations are used in the text.
To be called, to be situated, medieval trade, to be considered, a large variety of industries, printing, flourishing colleges, to separate.
Exercise 5. Answer the questions.
1. Is Bristol a large or a small city?
2. Where is it situated?
3. What kind of city is it?
4. What kind of industries can one find in Bristol?
5. It’s a University town, isn’t it?
6. Why is Cheddar cheese one of the best known products of this region?
Exercise 6. Give the summary of the text.
Text 9
Exercise 1. Read the text and do the exercises.
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 that 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.
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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 10
Exercise 1. Read the text about the capitals of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Edinburgh
The largest city of Scotland and its capital, Edinburgh is situated in the eastern part of the Central Lowlands. The city has been an important strategic centre throughout the long Scottish history with its numerous wars. Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities in the country, historically it is divided into the Old Town and the New City. The Old Town with the Castle that towers over Princess Street is situated on the Castle Rock, one of several hills which overshadow the modern city. The New City began to be built to the north of the Castle in the mid-18th century and was eventually linked with the Old Town by bridges.
Edinburgh’s industries are of considerable importance. The city is considered as a major centre of rubber production. There are also baking and milling industries. The port of Leith makes possible a direct access to the North Sea. Edinburgh is famous for its University, founded in 1583, and also for its international music festivals.
Cardiff
Cardiff, the largest city of Wales, became its capital in 1956. It is situated near the mouth of the river Taff, which flows into the English Channel. The site was first occupied by a Roman fort. The Castle now standing at the site of the Roman fort and the old fortress walls around it give a special flavour to the city. There are numerous offices, a government building and several colleges of the University of Wales, and the city park stretches beyond them. Industries are concentrated in the south of the city and near the port. The port played a great role in the growth of Cardiff in the 19th and early 20th centuries, when most of the Welsh coal exports were handled by it. Engineering in Cardiff includes ship-repairing and the making of railway cars, oil engines, vehicles and electric gear. It is also known for a great range of light industry.
Belfast
Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, is the leading industrial, especially engineering centre of the region. Its prominent role is explained by its advantageous geographic situation opposite Britain. It has grown into a large port as a result. After Ulster had seceded from Ireland, the Belfast port began to handle most of the raw materials and fuel for Northern Ireland. The physical and industrial growth of Belfast was promoted to a large extent by the policy of the British ruling classes, which backed the development of the eastern part of Ulster with its predominantly English population.
Belfast was the gateway for the English colonization of Ireland and today is the centre of major economic and political contacts with Ulster.
Exercise 2. Say what these cities are famous for.
Text 11
Exercise 1. Read and translate the dialogues