A GLIMPSE of LONDONListen, read and practise. London is the capital of Great Britain. It is situated on both sides of the Thames and stretches for nearly 30 miles from east to west and for nearly 30 miles from north to south. London is one of the largest cities in the world. Its population is more than eight million. London is a very old city. It is more than 20 centuries old. The history of London goes back to Roman times. Traditionally London is divided into several parts: the City, Westminster, the West End and the East End. They are very different from each other. The heart of London is the City — its commercial and business centre. The Stock Exchange, the Royal Exchange, and the Bank of England are all there. The centre of the country's judicial system — the Old Bailey is also in the City. Few people live in the City, but over a million come to work here. Two famous historic buildings are located in the City — the Tower of London and St Paul's Cathedral. The Tower of London was built in the 11-th century. It was used as a fortress, a royal residence and a prison. Now it is a museum of armour and also the place where Crown Jewels are kept. A twenty minutes' walk from the Tower will take you to another historic building — St Paul's Cathedral. It was built in the 17th century by the famous architect Sir Christopher Wren. Wellington, Nelson and other great men of England are buried in the Cathedral. Westminster is the centre of government and justice. Here we can see the Houses of Parliament with the famous clock "Big Ben" on one of the towers. All government offices are in Whitehall. The official residence of the Queen is Buckingham Palace. The residence of the Prime Minister is at 10 Downing Street. Opposite the Houses of Parliament stands Westminster Abbey. From Norman times British monarchs have been crowned here and since the 13th century they have been buried here. Many other famous people are also buried in Westminster Abbey including statesmen, musicians and writers. The West End the name given to the area of Central London north from The Mall to Oxford Street. It includes Trafalgar Square, the main shopping areas of Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street, and the entertainment centres of Soho, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square and Shaftesbury Avenue. Its name is associated with glamour and bright lights. Trafalgar Square was built early in the last century to commemorate the Battle of Trafalgar. Admiral lord Nelson's statue stands on top of a column in the middle of Trafalgar Square. The square makes a good place for people to meet — coaches pick up parties of visitors, marchers unite for protest meetings, and at Christmas time carol singers gather round a huge Christmas tree which is sent to Britain from Norway every year. Behind Nelson's Column is the National Gallery, an art gallery in which you can find many old masters. Not far from the National Gallery is the British Museum. It contains a priceless collection of different things (ancient manuscripts, coins, sculptures, etc.) The British Museum is famous for its library — one of the richest in the world. Most of London's big department stores are in Oxford Street and Regent Street. Piccadilly Circus is the centre 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 has restaurants offering food from a variety of different countries, as well as "adult" entertainment. London is famous for its live theatre, and there are over thirty theatres within a square mile. Naturally there is a great variety of shows to choose from: opera, musicals, drama and so on. If you want to know what is on in London, the best place to look is in a newspaper. The East End is an industrial district of London. It is especially famous as the centre of the clothing industry. The Port of London is also in the East End. A. Questions 1. What is the population of London? 2. What is the City? 3. When was the Tower of London built? What was it used for? 4. When was St Paul's Cathedral built? 5. What famous men are buried in the Cathedral? 6. In what district of London are most of the Government buildings located? 7. What is Big Ben? 8. What famous building stands opposite the Houses of Parliament? 9. In whose memory was the monument in the middle of Trafalgar Square set up? 10. What kind of museum is the British Museum? 11. Where are most of London's big department stores located? 12. In what part of London is the Port located? B. Speak about London, the capital of Great Britain. C. Have you ever been to London? What did you do? Did you like the city?
Washington Washington, D.C. (District of Columbia) is the capital of the United States. It became the capital on December I, 1880. It was named after George Washington, the first president, and Christopher Columbus (America was discovered by Columbus in 1492). Spring is the best season in Washington, and it is the most popular with tourists. In the spring you can see the flowers on hundreds of cherry trees. The trees were given to the United States in 1912. They were a gift of friendship from Japan. Washington has something for everyone — historic monuments, interesting museums, beautiful parks, and excellent hotels and restaurants. Some of the most important and most interesting sights are: The Jefferson Memorial. This monument is dedicated to the third president, Thomas Jefferson. It was designed by John Russel, and it was dedicated in 1943. Inside there is a statue of Jefferson by sculptor Rudolf Evans. The Lincoln Memorial. This beautiful monument is dedicated to Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States. It is made of marble, and it was built in 1922. In the great hall there is a huge statue by Daniel Chester French. The National Gallery of Art. The National Gallery contains one of the world's best collections of European and American painting and sculpture. The newest building, the East Building, is made of pink marble and glass. It was designed by I.M. Pei, and it was opened in 1978. The Washington Monument. The Washington Monument was completed in 1884. It is dedicated to the first president, George Washington, and it is 555 feet high. You can take an elevator to the top or you can climb the 898 steps! The White House. The White House is the official home of the president. It was designed by James Hoban. The first building was burned by the British in the War of 1812, but it was rebuilt in 1818. It was also first painted white at that time. A. Questions 1. Who was Washington, D.C. named after? 2 Where did the cherry trees come from? 3. How tall is the Washington Monument? 4. When was the White House painted white? 5. Who is the Jefferson Memorial dedicated to? 6. Who designed it? 7. What is the Lincoln Memorial made of? 8. Who designed the statue of Lincoln? 9. What does the National Gallery of Art contain? 10. What is the East Building made of? B. Speak about the most interesting sights in Washington. C. Have you ever been to Washington? What do you think of it? Answer your friends' questions about the city.
New York Everyone knows something about New York — the Statue of Liberty, the skyscrapers, the beautiful shops on Fifth Avenue and the many theatres on Broadway. This is America's cultural capital, and her biggest city, with a population of nearly eight million. In the summer it is hot, hot, and in the winter it can be very cold, but there are hundreds of things to do and see all the year round. There are five "boroughs" in New York: Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens and Richmond. Only one of them, the Bronks, is not an island. Manhattan, the smallest island in New York, is the real centre of the city. When people say "New York City" they usually mean Manhattan. Most of the interesting shops, buildings and museums are here, and Manhattan is the scene of New York's night life. In 1605 the first Europeans came to Manhattan from Holland. They bought the island from the Native Americans for a few glass necklaces, worth about $26 today. Only 1,500,000 people live in Manhattan, but five million people work here every day. Many live in the suburbs and come to work on the subway. Wall Street in Manhattan is the financial heart of the USA and the most important banking centre in the world. It is a street of "skyscrapers", those incredible, high buildings which' Americans invented, and built faster and higher than anyone else. Perhaps the two most spectacular skyscrapers in New York are the two towers of the New York World Trade Center. When the sun sets, their 110 floors shine like pure gold. Like every big city, New York has its own traffic system. Traffic jams can be terrible, and it's usually quickest to go by subway. The New York subway is easy to use and quite cheap. Take a look at the map. The subway goes to almost every corner of Manhattan. But be careful. It's better not to go by subway late at night. You see more, of course, if you go by bus. New York buses are also easy to use. The "Shoppers' Shuttle" (Monday to Friday) and the "Culture Loops" (Saturdays and Sundays) stop at some of the best known stores and tourist places. You can get on and off as many times as you like in one day with only one ticket. There are more than 30,000 taxis in New York. They are easy to see, because they are bright yellow and carry large TAXI signs. Taxis do not go outside the city but they will go to the airports. People give the taxi driver a "tip" of 15 % extra. If you really have to drive in New York, remember that nearly all the east-west streets and most of the north-south streets are one way only. This can be difficult for the visitor who does not know his way. Try to get a map that shows the direction of the traffic, and — good luck! A. Questions 1. What do many people know about New York? 2. What is the population of New York? 3. What is the weather like? 4. What are the five "boroughs" in New York? 5. Which of them is not an island? 6. What is the real centre of the city? 7. Who was the first to come to Manhattan? When? 8. How many people live in Manhattan? 9. How many people work there? 10. What street is the financial heart of the USA? 11. What are the two most spectacular skyscrapers in New York? 12. What is the New York traffic system like? 13. What colour are the taxis in New York? B. Speak about New York. C. Has anyone in your group visited New York? Answer your friends' questions about New York.
Mr Brown in Edinburgh Mr Brown was in Edinburgh on business for his bank. He had caught a train from King's Cross Station in London at ten o'clock that morning and now he had arrived in Edinburgh. It was five o'clock in the evening. He had enjoyed a comfortable journey and had had a good lunch on the train. He had booked a room at the Queen's Hotel a few days before, so when he got out of the train at Waverley Station, he took a taxi straight to the hotel. When he got to the hotel he signed the book, the clerk told him the number of his room and the porter gave him his key. He went up to the third floor in the lift and the lift-boy showed him to his room. It was a comfortable room with a good bed. That night Mr Brown slept well until the maid brought him some tea at seven-thirty next morning. Mr Brown had not been in Edinburgh for many years, and he was looking forward to seeing the city again. So when he had finished breakfast he decided to go for a walk before keeping his first appointment at 11 o'clock. He came out from his hotel into Princess Street, one of the widest and most beautiful streets in the world. It has fine shops on one side and gardens on the other, with Edinburgh Castle high on its Rock and Arthur's Seat beyond. The Scots are very proud of their capital city. As Mr Brown walked along, he remembered some of the exciting events that had happened here and some of the great men who had walked along these same streets — the things they had done, and the books they had written. He was surprised when he looked at his watch and saw that it was almost eleven. His first appointment was with an old friend John Macdonald, the manager of the Edinburgh branch of his bank. Mr Macdonald spent some time showing him round the city. During the three days he was there, Mr Brown saw most of the places of interest. He visited St Giles' Cathedral and the royal palace which is called Holyroodhouse; he walked along the narrow streets of Old Edinburgh and up to the grey castle. He found, too, that Edinburgh does not live only in the past. New Edinburgh has modern houses and wide streets. His friend told him that every year in September a Music and Drama Festival is held, to which people come from all over the world; new plays can be seen and new music can be heard, and visitors can meet people from other countries and talk about the things that interest them. When at the end of his visit, he sat in the train which was carrying him south to London he made up his mind that he must come back soon to spend a holiday in this city in which the past comes so close to the present. A. Ask and answer questions on the text. B. Take turns asking each other about an interesting city or place you have visited. Use these questions or other questions of your own. What's an interesting city or place you have visited? How big is it? What's the weather like there? Is there much unemployment? And what about industry? What's the transportation like? Is there any pollution there? What's the cost of living like? What kind of housing do people have? Are rents expensive? What can you do there? Are there many tourist attractions? What's good to buy there? What's the nightlife like? What else do you like about it?
Small Towns and Big Cities Today, people all over the world are moving out of small towns in the country to go and live in big, noisy cities. They are moving from the peaceful hills, mountains, fields, rivers and streams of the countryside to the busy world of streets, buildings, traffic and crowds. This movement from rural areas to urban areas has been going on for over two hundred years. In many countries, the main reason people come to live in towns and cities is work. After one or two large factories or businesses have been built in or near a city, people come to find work, and soon an industrial area begins to grow. There is usually a residential area nearby, where the factory workers can live. The families of these workers need schools, hospitals and stores, so more people come to live in the area to provide these services — and so a city grows. In every major city in the world, there is a business district where the big companies have their main offices. In the United States, this is usually in the downtown area of the city. It is here that you can see the huge skyscrapers containing many floors of offices. The people who work here often travel a long way to work each day. Many of them live in the suburbs of the city, far away from the industrial and business areas. Some suburbs are very pleasant, with nice houses and big yards. There are usually parks for children to play in and large department stores in shopping malls where you can buy all you need. But what is the future of the big cities? Will they continue to get bigger and bigger? Maybe not. Some major cities have actually become smaller in the last ten years, and it is quite possible that one day we will see people moving out of the major cities and back into smaller towns.
A. Decide whether these statements are true or false according to the passage. 1. Many people from small towns go to live in big cities. 2. Urban areas contain mainly hills, mountains, rivers and streams. 3. Many people go to live in urban areas to find work. 4. Factories are built inside residential areas. 5. Business districts are usually in the downtown area of the city. 6. Workers often live in skyscrapers in the suburbs. 7. The suburbs of a city usually contain more trees and parks than the downtown areas. 8. The movement from country to city will definitely continue in the future.
B. 1. Do you live in a rural area, a town, or a big city? 2. Where would you like to live? Why?
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