Task 1. Think of three questions you would like to ask about London. Read the text and see if you can answer themLondon is without any doubt one of the most fascinating cities in the world. It is the capital of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the seat of the government, a great industrial and cultural centre. It lies on the river Thames and has a population of more than 8 million (Greater London, Central London). London was founded 2,000 years ago. When the Romans came, it was a small village called Llyn-Dyn. Now it is one of the largest cities in the world. The main parts of London are Westminster, the City, the West End and the East End. Westminster is the government part of London. Most of the government buildings are here. The most imposing building is the Westminster Palace, in which the British Parliament sits (the New Palace of Westminster). At two corners of the building there are two great towers. One of them is the Clock Tower with a huge bell known all over the world as Big Ben, called so after the name of the Chief Commissioner of Works Benjamin Hall. Here you can find the Lords' Chamber. Near the Houses of Parliament is Westminster Abbey. It is the ancient church where a lot of kings and queens have been crowned and buried for nearly 1,000 years. There are 3,000 graves of statesmen, scientists, artists inside the Abbey (Newton and Darwin among them). Some of the tombs are decorated with gold and precious stones. If you come over to the south side you all see the Poets Corner where many of the greatest English writers are buried: Chaucer, Dickens, Hardy, and Kipling. There are also some memorials to those writers and poets who are not buried there: Shakespeare, Burns, Byron, Scott, Thackeray and Longfellow. Buckingham Palace, the official London residence of the Royal family, is not far from the Houses of Parliament. The most important streets of this part are Whitehall (once a palace where kings lived), a street of government offices where there's the Cenotaph, the memorial to the fallen of both World Wars. New Scotland Yard, the centre of police; Downing Street where the Prime Minister has his official residence and Mall, where royal processions usually take place. At the end of Whitehall is Trafalgar Square. In the middle of it rises the Nelson Column – a monument to Admiral Nelson for his victory in the war against Napoleon. The total height of the column is 56 metres. Four big lions in bronze are placed at the foot. Two fine fountains beautify the square. On the other side of it are the National Gallery with its richest collections of pictures and the National Portrait Gallery. Trafalgar square is often the scene of political demonstrations for peace and human rights. The City is the commercial heart of the capital: most of London banks and offices are located there. There is the bank of England and the Mansion House, the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London, the Royal Exchange. From the end of the Fleet Street, the centre of British newspaper industry, you can see St. Paul's Cathedral, one of the greatest English churches, built by the famous English architect Sir. Christopher Wren. St. Paul's Cathedral with its huge domes and Mall, rows of columns is considered to be a fine specimen of Renaissance architecture. It is 110 metres high and it has one of the largest bells in the world, called Great Paul, weighing about 17,5 tone. Nelson, Sir Christopher Wren and other great men of England are buried in the Cathedral. There are such words on his tomb: "Reader, if you seek his monument, look around". The Tower of London which is found here as well was built in the 11th century (William the Conqueror). It has been a citadel, a prison, a mint, a royal palace, even a royal Zoo once and now – a museum. The Tower of London consists of 13 towers. The most beautiful is the White tower. It's 90 feet high with 15 feet thickness. It was the usual place for the medieval royal families to live. From Norman days the Tower has been a state prison; it has been a place of torture and of execution. Thomas More was one of those who were executed there. Arms and armour have always been stored in the Tower and today it contains the National Collection. The most popular sight here is the room in which the Crown Jewels are displayed. All the traditions and ceremonies are kept up in the Tower of London, everything is left there as many centuries ago. One of the known ceremonies is the Ceremony of the Keys. The Tower is guarded by the Yeomen – warders dressed in traditional medieval clothes. Near the Tower of London there's Tower Bridge, a marvel of engineering skill. It was built the 19th century. It links South and East London. Fourteen bridges (Westminster Bridge, London Bridge) cross the Thames and Tower Bridge is the finest. On the Victoria Embankment Cleopatra Needle, an ancient Egyptian obelisk, was brought here in the 19th century.
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