Visiting Britain

Don’t expect to see red phone boxes everywhere - there aren’t many left nowadays! Some phones take cash (£1, 50p, 20p and 10p coins) and some take phonecards - we suggest having both. Phone after 6 p.m. - it’s cheaper! Useful numbers: Emergencies 999, International Operator 155.

There are £50, £20, £10 and £5 notes, and coins worth £2, £1, 50p, 20p, 10p, 5p, 2p and 1p. Avoid getting £50 notes if you can - some places might refuse to change them. If you don’t want to risk carrying a lot of cash, get some traveller’s cheques before your holiday. Banks are usually open from 9.30 to 4.30, but most of them are closed on Saturdays. If the bank is closed, use your own cash or credit card from home in a cash machine or ‘hole-in-the-wall’, as the British call them - the machine will give you British currency.

Most pubs offer a good variety of food at reasonable prices. If you can afford to pay for something more special, there are many international restaurants. If you see ‘service included’ on a restaurant bill, you don’t need to tip. If it says ‘service not included’ a 10% tip is expected.

Hotels are expensive in Britain but there are some cheaper alternatives. ‘Bed and Breakfasts’ are private houses which offer accommodation and breakfast. Many of them give excellent value for money. Youth hostels are even cheaper, if you don’t mind sharing with other people. Hostels vary greatly, but all those belonging to the Youth Hostel Association (YHA) guarantee certain standards of comfort and cleanliness.

Wherever you decide to stay in Britain, we advise you to take a plug adaptor if you plan to use any electrical appliance like a hairdryer. Plugs in Britain (like a lot of other things!) are different from the rest of Europe.

Buses are probably the cheapest way to travel. If you can’t stand going on long bus journeys, you can always go by train. Trains in Britain are expensive but ‘return’ tickets (especially ‘day returns’) are a lot cheaper than singles, If you are staying in London, you can save a lot of money by getting a travel card for one day or for a week to go on the Tube and buses.

We can’t promise to provide good weather for your trip - British weather is very changeable. If you enjoy sitting in the hot sun all day, you should consider going somewhere else for your holidays! During the main tourist season, June-August, the weather is mild, usually between 20°C and 25°C.

Task 3. Are these sentences true(T) or false (F)?

1. In Britain, phone calls are more expensive in the evening.

2. You don’t always need to leave a tip after a meal in a restaurant.

3. Youth hostels are cheap but very uncomfortable.

4. You can’t take electrical appliances to Britain and use them without an adaptor.

5. UK buses are cheaper than trains.

6. You can use travel cards when you travel around Britain by bus or train.

7. Britain is usually hot and sunny in the summer.

Text 3 London

Capital City

London is the largest urban area and capital of England and the United Kingdom. London is the home of the Government of the United Kingdom which is located around the Houses of Parliament in Westminster. Many government departments are located close to Parliament, particularly along Whitehall, including the Prime Minister’s residence at 10 Downing Street.

The British Parliament is often referred to as the "Mother of Parliaments" because it has been the model for most other parliamentary systems, and its Acts have created many other parliaments.

An important settlement for two millennia, London’s history goes back to its founding by the Romans. Since its settlement, London has been the centre of many important movements and phenomena throughout history such as the English Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, and the Gothic Revival. In light of this, the city has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world which has increased over the years due to the city’s economic growth. London boasts four World Heritage Sites; these are Palace of Westminster, the Tower of London, the historic settlement of Greenwich, and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

It is one of the world’s leading business, financial, and cultural centres, and its influence in politics, education, entertainment, media, fashion and the arts all contribute to its status as a major global city.

London has an official population of 7,512,400 (as of mid-2006) within the boundaries of Greater London. London’s diverse population draws from a wide range of peoples, cultures, and religions, and over 300 different languages are spoken within the city.

It is an international transport hub, with five major international airports serving the area and a large port. It serves as the largest aviation hub in the world, and the multi-terminal Heathrow Airport* carries more international passengers than any other airport in the world.

*Heathrow Airport is an international airport in London. Heathrow is the largest airport in the UK, and it is 20 miles to the west of London.

Task 4. Answer the questions.

1. How old is London? Who was it founded by?

2. How big is it? What is the population of London?

3. What are the main tourist attractions in London?

4. What is Downing Street known for?

5. What is the name of London big international airport?

Districts

London’s vast urban area is often described using a set of district names (e.g. Bloomsbury, Knightsbridge, Mayfair, Whitechapel, Fitzrovia). These are either informal designations, or reflect the names of superseded parishes and city wards. Such names have remained in use through tradition, each referring to a neighbourhood with its own distinctive character, but often with no modern official boundaries. Since 1965 Greater London has been divided into 32 London boroughs in addition to the ancient City of London.

London is one of the world’s three largest financial centres (alongside New York and Tokyo) with a dominant role in several international financial markets, and more foreign banks and investment houses than any other centre. The City has its own governance and boundaries, giving it a status as the only completely autonomous local authority in London.

London’s new financial and commercial hub is the Docklands area to the east of the City, dominated by the Canary Wharf complex. Other businesses locate in the City of Westminster, the home of the UK’s national government and the famous Westminster Abbey.

The West End is London’s main entertainment and shopping district, with locations such as Oxford Street, Leicester Square, Covent Garden and Piccadilly Circus acting as tourist magnets.

The West London area is known for fashionable and expensive residential areas such as Notting Hill, Knightsbridge and Chelsea – where properties can sell for tens of millions of pounds. The average price for all properties in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is £894,000 with similar average outlay in most of Central London.

The eastern side of London contains the East End and East London. The East End is the area closest to the original Port of London, known for its high immigrant population, as well as for being one of the poorest areas in London.

The surrounding East London area saw much of London’s early industrial development; now, brownfield sites throughout the area are being redeveloped as part of the Thames Gateway including the London Riverside and Lower Lea Valley, which is being developed into the Olympic Park for the 2012 Olympics.

Task 5. Answer the questions.

Which part of London

a	has its own governance?
b	is a new financial and commercial centre?
c	is main entertainment and shopping centre?
d	is known for fashionable and expensive residential areas?
e	has high immigrant population?
f	is going to be the Olympic Park soon?

Economy

London is a major centre for international business and commerce and is one of three "command centres" for the world economy (along with New York City and Tokyo). London is one of the largest centres for finance in the world, and has the 6th largest city economy in the world after Tokyo, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Paris.

As the world’s largest international banking centre with a 50% share of all European activity and Europe’s second largest city economy, year-by-year London generates approximately 20% of the UK’s GDP (or $446 billion in 2005); while the economy of the London metropolitan area (the largest in Europe) generates approximately 30% of UK’s GDP (or an estimated $669 billion in 2005.)

London shifted to a mostly service-based economy earlier than other European cities, particularly following World War II. London’s success is as a service industry and business centre. This can be attributed to factors such as English being the lingua franca, its former position as the capital of the British Empire, close relationship with the U.S. and various countries in Asia. Other factors include English law being the most important and most used contract law in international business and the multi-cultural infrastructure. Government policies such as low taxes, particularly for foreigners (non-UK domiciled residents do not get taxed on their foreign earnings), a business friendly environment, good transport infrastructure, particularly its aviation industry; and a deregulated economy with little intervention by the government have all contributed to London’s economy becoming more service based. Over 85 percent (3.2 million) of the employed population of Greater London works in service industries.

Another half a million employees resident in Greater London work in manufacturing and construction, almost equally divided between both. There has been a significant fall in the number of people working in manufacturing industries in London over the last three decades, largely as a result of competition from lower cost regions but also as a consequence of technology and process improvements. Even still, there are more than 15,000 manufacturing businesses in London such as clothing, printing, fabricated metal, furniture and wood/products and food and drink. There is also strong growth in the recycling/environmental sector. A strong manufacturing base still thrives in London because of its geographic location and access to huge markets, its large science and knowledge base, its physical assets, its diversity and its role as a centre of design and creative industries.

London’s largest industry remains finance, and its financial exports make it a large contributor to the UK’s balance of payments. Over 300,000 people are employed in financial services in London. London has over 480 overseas banks, more than any other city in the world. More funds are invested in the City of London than in the next top ten European cities combined, and more international telephone calls are made to and from London than any other point on the planet. The City is the largest financial and business centre in Europe and, has recently begun to once more overtake New York City, partly due to strict accounting following the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and a tightening of market regulations in the United States. Due to New York’s tightening of market regulations, London stock exchanges have had approximately 20% more initial public offerings in 2006. London is home to banks, brokers, insurers and legal and accounting firms.

A second, smaller financial district is developing at Canary Wharf to the east of the City which includes the global headquarters of HSBC, Reuters, Barclays and the Magic Circle, which includes Clifford Chance, the largest law firm in the world.

London handled 31% of global currency transactions in 2005 – an average daily turnover of US$753 billion – with more US dollars traded in London than New York, and more euros traded than in every other city in Europe combined.

More than half of the UK’s top 100 listed companies (the FTSE 100) and over 100 of Europe’s 500 largest companies are headquartered in central London. Over 70% of the FTSE 100 are located within London’s metropolitan area, and 75% of Fortune 500 companies have offices in London.

Along with professional services, media companies are concentrated in London and the media distribution industry is London’s second most competitive sector. The BBC is a key employer, while other broadcasters also have headquarters around the city. Many national newspapers are edited in London, having traditionally been associated with Fleet Street in the City, they are now primarily based around Canary Wharf. Soho is the centre of London’s post-production industry.

Tourism is one of London’s prime industries and employed the equivalent of 350,000 full-time workers in London in 2003, while annual expenditure by tourists is around £15 billion. London is a popular destination for tourists, attracting 27 million overnight-stay visitors every year, second only to Paris.

From being the largest port in the world, the Port of London is now only the third-largest in the United Kingdom, handling 50 million tonnes of cargo each year. Most of this actually passes through Tilbury, outside the boundary of Greater London.

Task 6. Answer the questions.

1. Which factors contributed to London’s success as business centre?

2. Do many people work in construction?

3. What kinds of manufacturing businesses are there in London?

4. How many people are employed in financial services in London?

5. How many financial districts does London have?

6. Which of 500 largest Europe’s companies have their headquarters in London?

7. What well-known broadcasting company is headquartered in central London?