The poorest part of london

The East End grew with the spread of industries to the east of the City, and the growth of the port of London. It covers a wide area. A part like Bethnal Green, which was once a country village, is quite different from the areas down by the river, where there are many wharfs and warehouses.

It is also one of those areas of London where people from abroad have come to find work. For centuries foreigners have made London their home. Some have had to leave their country for religious or political reasons. Others have wanted to find a better life. Some brought new skills and started new industries. These days, many Jews and Bengalis live in the East End, and within a small area you can see a mosque, a church and a synagogue.

The East End is especially famous as the centre of the clothing industry (or “rag-trade”) in London. The East End markets are famous throughout the world. Street-salesmen promise that the goods are of the highest quality and much cheaper than those you can buy in the West End.

Traditionally someone born in the East End is known as a cock­ney although this name is now given to anyone who speaks like a Londoner. Typically they change certain vowel sounds so that the sound in “late” becomes more like that in “light”. Like some foreign learners of English they seem to have a few problems with “th” and use an “f” instead: “nuffink like it”.

During the last century, East End criminals developed a special kind of slang or language which made it difficult for the police to understand them. In certain parts of London this slang is still used, and some expressions have passed into normal, everyday English.

The East End is the poorest part of London. It is the most densely populated district of London. There are poor houses, grey and black with smoke. Narrow dirty streets are lined by miserable houses and slums. St. Giles is the heart of London slums, the worst quarter of London. Most of the working people live in the East End. All the factories, mills, workshops and docks are concentrated in the East End.

Thus we may say that the East End is the hands of London those hands which built the banks of the City, the palaces, hotels, theatres, rich houses and department stores in the West End.

Mosque — мечеть

criminal — преступник

Text 16 BRITAIN’S COLOURED CITIZENS

In Britain today there are about two million coloured citizens. They are mainly immigrants from Britain’s former colonies and their children who were born in Britain.

Immigrants started to enter Britain after 1950. They came because they couldn’t find work in their own countries. They hoped to find a better way of life in their new home.

In Britain, they took the jobs which the native population did not want. The men took the hard and heavy jobs in industry, and the women took the low-paid jobs in factory canteens or restau­rants. Immigrants work on the buses, the underground and the railways, or as doctors and nurses in under-staffed hospitals.

Officially, immigrants and their children have the same rights as the natives of Britain. They have the right to vote and stand as candidates in elections. They all have British passports. Yet, many of them are poor and unemployed. There are various reasons for this: some have or have had difficulties with the language, or they came with very little education or money. Many have been the victims of racial discrimination. Unemployment among coloured youths with a British education and qualifications, for example, is much higher than among white youths.

The British government’s policy is that immigrants and their children should enjoy equality of opportunity in every possible way. There are laws which make it illegal to discriminate against people because of their race. Besides, there are government and private organizations which try to improve relations between the white and coloured populations. Yet, many people still discrimi­nate against immigrants and their children because of the colour of their skin.

under-staffed hospitals — больницы с неукомплектованными штатами

to stand as a candidate — выстав­лять свою кандидатуру (на выборах)

SECTION RECAP

1. What is the East End? Where is it situated?

2. What people live in the East End? Where did most people come from?

3. What people are called cockney? What do you know about them and their language?

PART III ENGLAND AND THE ENGLISH

Historically England proper is divided into the following economic regions: the South Industrial and Agricultural region (the South of England), Central England or the Midlands, Lanca­shire, Yorkshire and Northern England.

Text 17 THE SOUTH OF ENGLAND

THE SOUTH-EAST

This is the most important region in the country in terms of industry, agriculture and population. This region includes both the South East and the South West. Its northern border runs from the British Channel to the Wash. The South is a region of various industries and of intensive agriculture.

The South-East is the largest and more highly developed region with London and the Greater London area as the major centres.

London is Britain’s and England’s capital and main communi­cation centre, one of the world’s most important financial centres (second — only after New York), one of the world’s three largest cities (with Tokyo and New York), and one of the largest ports (with New York and Rotterdam). London is the main centre in Britain of printing, cinema film production and of manufacture of clothing, food and drink, furniture, materials for arts, precision instruments and many other specialized products.

London is also important, especially its Outer Ring, for light engineering, chemicals and consumer goods. There are heavy-en­gineering plants and a number of leading research establishments in this area. Some of the largest aircraft plants are near London (in the town of Hartfield) and factories manufacturing motor vehicles — lorries — are also situated here (in the town of Luton).

In the estuaries of the Thames and other rivers of the region there are large oil refineries as well as shipyards.

Major motor vehicle manufacturing plants are some 50 miles north-west of London, near Oxford. Oxford and Cambridge are famous university centres, Oxford being also a car-manufacturing centre, while Cambridge includes industries which have depended to a considerable extent on university connections and orders, as diverse as instrument making, printing, electronics.