Countries and cities — страница 4

  • Просмотров 9421
  • Скачиваний 450
  • Размер файла 12
    Кб

(Text-1) London is the capital of Great Britain. It is a very old city. It is two thousand years old. London is not only the capital of the country, it is also a huge port. London is situated upon both banks of the Thames. There are 17 bridges above the river. The population of London is about 9 million people. London has three parts: the City of London, the West End, the East End. The City of London is the oldest part of London. You can see narrow streets and pavements there. There are many offices, firms and banks in this part of London. The City of London is the financial centre of the United Kingdom. The West End is the centre of London. There are many places of interest in the West End. They are: the Houses of Parliament with Big Ben. It is interesting that the clock

"Big Ben" came into service in 1859. Big Ben is the biggest clock bell in Britain. It weighs 13,5 tons. The other interesting place is Westminster Abbey, which was founded in 1050. It is situated in the centre of London. Many great Englishmen were buried in the Abbey: Newton, Darvin and others. The official London residence of the Queen is Buckingham Palace. It was built in the 18th century. There are many nice squares in London. Trafalgar Square is one of them and it is in the centre of the West End. One can see a statue of Lord Nelson in the middle of this square. There are many museums, libraries and galleries in London. The Tate Gallery is one of the well-known galleries in London. Henry Tate was a sugar manufacturer. He was fond of paintings and collected many

pictures. The British Museum is a very interesting place in London. It was founded in 1753. The library of this museum has a lot of books. The East End of London is the district for the working people. There are many factories, workshops, docks there. There are many cars and buses in London. There is a tube (an underground) in London too. It is a nice one. One can say that the City is the money of London, the West End is the goods of London, the East End is the hands of London. LONDON (Text-2) London is the capital of Great Britain. The population of London is over 8 million people. It is one of the largest cities of the world and the largest city of the United Kingdom. London is situated on the river Thames about forty miles from the mouth and is divided into two parts by the

river: north and south. Fourteen bridges over the river carry heavy traffic from one side to the other. The history of London goes back to Roman times. Due to favourable geographical position a small town soon became an important trade centre. Actually, London can be divided into several parts. First there is the City of London. It is the financial and business centre of Great Britain. Only a few thousand people live there, but in the day-time it is full of people: as about half of million people come to work there. The biggest Banks and offices are concentrated in the City. The East End, lying eastwards from' the City is very large, poor and crowded. The working class of London is concentrated there. It is a district of docks, factories, poor little houses and narrow streets.

This district of London suffered greatly during World War II but carried on its work. The West End makes a great contrast to the working district of London. It is full of richest hotels, largest super-markets, best cinemas and concert-halls. There are a lot of beatifull houses and gardens. Only well-to-do people can live there. Another important district of London is Westminster, where most of Government buildings are situated. Westminster Palace is the seat of the British Parliament. The Towers of the Houses of Parliament stand high; above the city. On the highest tower there is the largest clock in the country which is known to the whole world as Big Ben. One can hear Big Ben strike every quarter of an hour. Not far away is Westminster Abbey with its Poet's Corner. Many English

outstanding statesmen, painters, poets were buried there. Among them Geoffrey Chaucer, the first English national poet, world famous scientists I.Newton and Ch.Darwin, Tennison and others. There in London one can find places with the names of W.Shakespeare, who lived and worked there for more than twenty years, Karl Marx, who was buried in Highgate cemetery. Every year many tourists come to London to see the places of interest. They make sightseeing tours of the City, visit the Trafalgar Square, the British Museum, the National Gallery. They also visit the most ancient historic monument dating back to Roman times: the Tower of London, which had been a fortress, a prison and a royal palace. Now it is one of the most interesting museums. NEW ZELAND New Zealand is an independent