My Working Day
On weekdays the alarm-clock wakes me up at 6.30 and my working day begins. I'm not an early riser, that's why it's very difficult for me to get out of bed, especially in winter. I switch on my tape-recorder and do my morning exercises. Then I go to the bathroom, take a warm shower, clean my teeth and shave. After that I go to my bedroom to get dressed.
Usually my mother makes breakfast for me. But when she is away on business or just doesn't have to get up early, I make breakfast myself. While having breakfast, I listen to the latest news on the radio.
I leave the house at 7.30 and go to the nearest underground station. Last year I tried to enter Moscow University, but unfortunately I failed my entrance examinations. So I thought I should work somewhere. It wasn't easy to find a job, but I managed to get a position of a secretary in a small business company.
They agreed to take me because I had studied typewriting, computing and business organisation at school. And besides, I passed my English schoolleaving exam with an excellent mark.
It takes me an hour and a half to get to work. But I don't want to waste my time on the train. I've got a small cassette-player and I listen to different texts and dialogues. Sometimes I read a book and retell it silently. If I come across an interesting expression I try to memorise it. I also write some English words on flashcards and learn them.
I usually arrive at work at ten minutes to nine though my working day begins at 9 sharp. There are always some fax messages to translate from English into Russian. Sometimes my boss wants me to write a letter to our business partners abroad. There are also a lot of phone calls which I have to answer.
At 1 o'clock in the afternoon we have lunch. We usually have lunch in a small cafe just round the corner. At 2 o'clock we come back to work. And we work hard till 5 o'clock. During the working day we also have several short coffee breaks. But sometimes we have no time for them.
I come home at about 7 o'clock in the evening. My parents are usually at home, waiting for me. We have dinner together. Then we sit in the living room, drink tea, watch TV or just talk. Occasionally I have to stay at work till 6 or even 7 o'clock in the evening. When we have a lot of things to do we go to work on Saturdays. So by the end of the week I get very tired. All I can do on Sundays is to sleep till eleven o'clock, watch television, listen to music and read something in English.
And still I always look forward to my next working day because I like my job. I think I get a lot of useful experience.
LONDON
London is a very old city. It began life two thousand years ago as Roman fortification at a place where it was possible to cross the River Thames. Around the town the Romans built a wall for defense. After the Norman Conquest there was a long period of peace, during which people began building outside the walls. In 1665, during the terrible plague in London, many people left the city and escaped to the villages in the surrounding countryside. In 1666 the Great Fire of London ended the plague but it also destroyed much of the city. After the plague and the Great Fire London was rebuilt and people returned to it but never again there were so many Londoners living in the city center.
Today also not many people live in the city center but London has spread further outwards into the country, including surrounding villages. Greater London now covers about 1600 square kilometers and the suburbs of London continue even beyond this area.
It is difficult to speak about the center London as of one definite place. As a matter of fact, it has a number of centers, each with a distinct character: the financial and business center called the City, the shopping and entertainment center in the West End, the government center in Westminster.
Questions:
1. When did London begin life? Why did the Romans build a wall around the city?
2. Where did people begin building their houses during the long period of peace?
3. What great disasters befell London in 1665 and 1666?
4. How large is the territory of Greater London now?
5. Why is it difficult to speak about the center of London as one definite place? What is the financial and business center? What is the entertainment center? Where is the government center?
THE CITY
The City is not the whole of central London: it is just a small area east of the center, the site of the original Roman town, so it is the oldest part of the capital. The City has a long and exciting history and it is proud of its independence and traditional role as a center of trade and commerce. The City's administration is headed by the annually elected Lord Mayor, whose official residence is the Mansion House.
The City of London is one of the biggest banking centers of the world and you can find the banks of many nations in the famous Threadneedle Street and the surrounding area. You will also find here the Bank of England. Nearby is the Stock Exchange (Фондовая биржа), where shares (акции) are bought and sold. A little further along, in Leadenhall Street, is Lloyds, the most famous insurance company (страховая компания) in the world.
The Central Criminal Court (центральный уголовный суд) of the country is also to be found in the City, in the western part of it. It is called the Old Bailey, after the street in which it is situated.
Fleet Street is famous as the home of the nation's newspapers but, in fact, only two of them: The Daily Express and The Daily Telegraph are still in Fleet Street.
Questions:
1. Which is the oldest part of London? 2. Who heads the City's administration? 3. What important buildings are located in or near the famous Threadneedle Street? 4. What is the Old Bailey? 5. What is Fleet Street famous for?
THE EAST END
The East End is the industrial part of London. It grew with the spread of industry to the east of the City and the growth of the port of London. It covers a wide area and there are many wharfs and warehouses (склады) along the river banks.
The East End is one of those areas of London where people from abroad have come to find work. For centuries foreigners have made London their home. The immigrants have brought their customs, traditions and religion into the East End, so you can see a mosque (мечеть), a church and a synagogue not very far apart.
The East End markets are famous throughout the world. Petticoat Lane market takes place every Sunday morning and has become one of the sights of London.
Questions: 1. What is the East End of London? 2. How do you explain the fact that in the East End you can find a Christian church, a synagogue and a mosque situated very near one another? 3. What market has become one of the sights of London?
THE WEST END
The West End is the name given to the area of central London between the Mall and Oxford Street. The name West End is associated with glamour and bright lights.
Trafalgar Square was built at the beginning of the 19th century to commemorate the Battle of Trafalgar. Admiral Lord Nelson's statue stands on top of column in the middle of Trafalgar Square. This large square is a traditional place for people to meet.
Shopping. Most of London's big department stores are situated in Oxford Street and Regent Street. They are always crowded, but especially at sale times (в периоды распродаж) in January and July when there are so many people here that it is difficult to move.
Entertainment. Piccadilly Circus is the center of nightlife in the West End. To the North of Piccadilly Circus is Soho, which has been the foreign quarter of London since the 17th century. Now it is famous for its restaurants, which offer food from different countries.
In the West End there are over thirty theatres within a square mile. They offer a great variety of shows to choose from: opera, musicals, drama, comedies, whodunits (детективные пьесы) and so on.
Questions: l.What is the name West End associated with? 2. What does Trafalgar Square commemorate? What monument stands in the center of it? 3. Where are most of London's big department stores situated? When are they especially crowded? 4. What place is the center of nightlife? 5. What is Soho famous for?
WESTMINSTER
Every day, when people in the UK and overseas switch on their radio to listen to BBC, they can hear one of the most famous sounds in London: the chimes of Big Ben on the tower of the Houses of Parliament.
The Houses of Parliament occupies a magnificent building on the left bank of the Thames in a part of London called Westminster that has long been connected with royalty and government.
King Edward the Confessor (Эдуард Исповедник) built a palace beside the River Thames in the 11th century. His successors made the palace their main residence and gradually Westminster became the center of government.
Westminster Abbey stands opposite the Houses of Parliament. A church has stood here since Saxon times, when it was known as West Monastery (Westminster), because of its position to the west of London's center. Since William Conqueror's times British monarchs have been crowned there and since the 13th century they have been buried there. Many other famous people are also buried in Westminster Abbey.
Whitehall. This street stretches from Parliament Square to Trafalgar Square. It is often associated with the government of Britain.
Questions: 1. In what part of London is the building of the Houses of Parliament situated? What is Big Ben? 2. What English king built Westminster Abbey? What is it famous for?
ROYAL LONDON
When you are in London you are always reminded of the city's connection with the Crown. There are royal palaces, royal parks and colorful ceremonies.
The most important building in London is Buckingham Palace, which is the official residence of the Queen. It stands in St.Jame's park. Running through the park from the front of Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square is the Mall, a wide tree-lined avenue.
Hide Park was originally a hunting forest and is still popular with horse-riders. Regent's Park is now the home of London Zoo and an open-air theatre, which stages Shakespeare's plays.
TASKS:
Read the dialogue and act it out.
-Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to Trafalgar Square?
-Oh, it's very easy. Can you see that wide street over there?
-Yes, I can.
-Good. Go along that street and it will lead you to Trafalgar Square.
-Thank you very much.
-You are welcome. Have a nice day.