Choose a topic and give your arguments.1. People are lucky to live in Great Britain. 2. Great Britain is rich enough in mineral resources to be a highly industrialized country. 3. The climate of the country is rather good to live there.
V. Transfer Speak about advantages and disadvantages of - Being a citizen of Great Britain. - Geographical position of GB. Give your reasons.
VI. Describe the peculiarities of location of Great Britain. VII. Speak dialogically about Great Britain. Try to use the following expressions:
UNIT VIII. LONDON Read the text with a dictionary – to make sure you understand it in detail. When we think of Paris, Rome, Madrid, Lisbon and other European capitals, we think of them as ‘cities’. When we think of the whole of modern London, the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, that great area covering several hundred square kilometers, we do not think of it as ‘a city’, not even as a city and its suburbs. Modern London is not one city that has steadily become larger through the centuries; it is a number of cities, towns, and villages that have, during the past centuries, grown together to make one vast urban area. London is situated upon both banks of the River Thames. It is the largest city in Britain and one of the largest in the world. Its population is about 7 million people. London dominates the life of Britain. It is the chief port of the country and the most important commercial, manufacturing and cultural centеr. There is little heavy industry in London, but there is a wide range of light industry in Greater London. London consists of three parts: the City of London, the West End and the East End. The City, the oldest part of London, extends over an area of about 2.6 square kilometers. About half a million people work in the City but only less than 6000 live here. It is the financial centеr of the UK with many banks, offices of the most important London firms and Stock Exchange. But the City is also a market for goods of almost every kind, from all parts of the world. The Tower of London, an old castle, the Bank of England, the Mansion House where the Lord Mayor lives, the Law Courts, and many interesting old churches are situated in the City. The West End, the most fashionable and the most expensive part to live in, can be called the center of London. Here are the historical palaces as well as the famous parks. Hyde Park with its Speaker's Corner is also here. Among other parks are Kensington Gardens, St. James's Park. In the West End there is Buckingham Palace, which is the Queen's residence, and the Palace of Westminster, which is the seat ofParliament. The best-known streets here are: Whitehall with important Government offices, Downing Street, the London residence of Prime Minister and the place where the Cabinet meets, Fleet Street where most newspapers have their offices, Harley Street where the highest paid doctors live, and some others. The name 'West End' came to be associated with wealth, luxury, and goods of high quality. It is the area of the largest department stores, cinemas and hotels. There are about 40 theatres, several concert halls, many museums including the British Museum, and the best art galleries. It is in the West End where the University of London is centered with Bloomsbury as London's student quarter. 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. The Port of London is to the east of the City. Here, today are kilometers and kilometers of docks, and the great industrial areas that depend upon shipping. This is the East End of London, unattractive in appearance, but very important to the country's commerce. In recent times London has grown so large, that the Government has decided that it must spread no farther. It is now surrounded by a 'green belt', a belt of agricultural and wooded land on which new buildings may be put only with the permission of the planning authorities. Reading comprehension
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