London is a very ancient city. Today it stretches for nearly thirty miles from north to south and for nearly thirty miles from east to west. This is the area known as “Greater London”, with a population of about 10 million.
London is one of the most fascinating cities of the world and it has many “faces”. Some visitors will best remember its beautiful buildings, palaces, historic monuments and parks. To people interested in art and learning, London means a centre of culture with the British Museum, the Covent Garden Opera, the Old Vic Theatre and so on. Visitors with plenty of money to spend and who come chiefly for enjoyment are likely to pass most of their time in the West End with fine shops, elegance restaurants, dances and social life.
London has three main parts: the City, the West End and the East End.
The City is also London commercial and financial centre with a number of offices and banks, with the Bank of England among of them. It is also a market for goods of almost every kind, from all parts of the world. Those who come to learn about London’s history will find much to interest them in the City. It’s the oldest part of town. Here most of the streets are narrow and traffic is very slow. Many of these streets run down to the Thames, and at the end of many of them warehouses can be seen The Tower of London comes first among the historic buildings of the City. The Tower of London was founded by William the Conquere in 1076. It was used as a fortress, a palace and a prison. Now it is a museum of armour and the exhibition of Crown Jewels.
Westminster is the government part of London. Most of the government buildings are here. Westminster Palace more usually referred to as the Houses of Parliament is the seat of the British Parliament. Near the Houses of Parliament is Westminster Abbey, the ancient church where a lot of kings and queens have been crowned and buried for nearly 1 000 years.
The official London residence of the Royal family is not far from the Houses of Parliament. Crowds of visitors assemble to see the Changing of the Guard in front of the Palace. The Guardsmen in their redcoats and bearskin caps exchange duty and march behind the bond. This historic ceremony has been existed since the XII-th century. Every year on the Queen’s Official Birthday the ceremony of the Trooping the Colour are carried out. This event is the finest spectacle and attracts great number of people. In front of the Buckingham Palace stands the beautiful Queen Victoria Memorial.
St. Paul’s Cathedral with its huge domes and rows of columns is considered to be a fine specimen of Renaissance architecture. It is the greatest of English churches. It was built by a famous English architect Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723). It is 110 meters high and it has one of the largest bells in the world, called Great Paul, weighing about 17,5 tone. Nelson and other great men of England are buried in the Cathedral. Sir Christopher Wren was buried there too. There are such words on his tomb: “Reader, if you seek his monument, look around”.
The British Museum started as a museum which collected everything. At first it was particularly famous for its natural history collection and its vast library of books. The museum’s huge collection of books and manuscripts has now become the British library. Many fine examples of famous books, Bibles. manuscripts and old maps are displayed in the British Library galleries in the museum.
The Tate Gallery has become the national collection of British painting of all periods, and in addition to this national collection of modern foreign painting and modern sculpture, both British and foreign. Among the best painters represented in the Tate Gallery are Hogarth, Reynolds, Gainsborough, Constable, Turner and others.
There are many parks and squares in London. Trafalgar Square was so named in memory of the victory at the battle of Trafalgar, where on October 21, 1805 the English fleet under Admiral Nelson’s command defeated the combined fleet of France and Spain. The victory was won at the cost of Nelson’s life. In the middle of Trafalgar Square stands Nelson’s monument – the Nelson Column with the statue of Nelson 17 feet high on its top. It was erected in 1839-1842. Another square is Piccadilly Circus with its famous fountain on the top of which stands a statue of Eros, the Greek god of love. It is considered to be the heart of the West End. About half a million people is said to pass through Piccadilly Circus every day. It is called “a circus” because the square is round. It is a meeting point of half a dozen famous London’s streets.
There are about 550 parks in number with picturesque surroundings, ponds, fountains, flower-beds and even animals as deer and waterbirds as pelicans, ducks, swans. The most beautiful parks are Regent Park with the Zoo, St. James Park, one of the smallest royal parks and many others. One of the largest parks is Hyde Park together with Kensington Gardens. Boating, sailing and bathing are very popular there. Hyde Park is famous for its “Speaker’s Corner” where orators of all types declare their opinion or make speeches on politics and other subjects. Hyde Park is also a scene of political demonstrations.
Answer the questions:
1. What is the capital of the UK?
2. What do you know about the history of London?
3. How many parts does London consist of?
4. What can we see in the City?
5. What places of interest are there in the West End?
6. Are there many museums and art galleries in London?
7. What squares are there in London?
8. What can you say about London parks?
9. What is St. Paul’s Cathedral famous for?
10. Where is the official London residence of the Royal family situated?
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4. Соотнесите достопримечательности Лондона и их описание:
1. No. 10 Downing Street
2. Madam Tussaud’s
3. Tower Bridge
4. Trafalgar Square
5. the Tower of London
6. the Houses of Parliament
7. St. Paul’s Cathedral
8. Piccadilly Circus
9. Buckingham Palace
10. Westminster Abbey
A. This is where the Prime Minister lives.
B. Here you can see wax models of famous people.
C. This is the Queen’s residence in London.
D. Mp’s debate and argue here and there is the Clock Tower with a famous bell in it.
E. This building was rebuilt by Sir. Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of London in 1666. It has a famous “Whispering Gallery”.
F. English kings and queens are usually married here. Many of them are also buried here as well as many famous writers.
G. This place has a memorial to Admiral Nelson and is also famous for its many pigeons.
H. This round place is often called the Centre of London. There is a statue of Eros in the middle of it.
I. It is quite near the City of London. It opens to let ships through.
J. It was a fortress, a royal palace and later a prison. It is a museum now.