3. 6. Major British cities

Great Britain is a highly developed industrial country, and most of the people live in large cities. Naturally, the capital comes first among the biggest industrial cities of the country.

Lots of things such as clothes, food, planes and cars are made in London.

Birmingham is the biggest town in the centre of England. Machines, cars and lorries are made here. TV- and radio-sets are also produced in Birmingham.

Manchester is an industrial capital of the North of England. It is a very old city. It is the centre of the cotton industry. Manchester was the first city in Great Britain to build an airport in 1929. Manchester has many libraries, museums, art galleries and theatres.

Edinburg is the capital of Scotland. It is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. Its main attractions are the Floral clock made of growing flowers, and the Edinburgh Art Festivals, the annual summer performances of operas, dancing, music and drama.

Glasgow is another great Scottish city. It is famous for its shipyards. Glasgow is a great industrial city and also the centre of Scottish culture.

Cardiff is the capital of Wales. It is a big port and ships come here from all over the world.

Cambridge and Oxford are the oldest university towns in Great Britain. Many great men studied in these universities: Cromwell, Newton, Byron, Darwin and others.

5. 9.King Alfred the Great

In the history of GB there was a Saxon king, whose military genius, whose capacity for learning from the enemy was one of the main reasons for the defeat of the Danes. This was Alfred, born 849 (ruled 871 — 901). King Alfred was driven first this way and then that way, sometimes winning battle but often having to retire from one place to another. However, he gathered his men and defeated the Danes by surprise attack. As a result the treaty of Wedmore was signed between Alfred and the Danes (886). According to this treaty England was divided into two parts by a line drawn, roughly speaking, from London to Chester: the Danelaw under Danish rule, lying north and east and Saxon England which remained under Alfred's rule lying south and west of the line.There were renewed attempts to defeat Alfred, but as a poet of those days sang: 'They got hard blows instead of shillings, and the axe's weight instead of tribute'.

Alfred was not only a bold warrior, but he showed that he was a wise statesman. Though he had for a time to give up the north and east of England, it was only for a time. His descendants recovered all that had been lost. He turned undefended villages into fortified towns, or boroughs. Alfred saw that the best way to keep off the Danes was by fighting them at sea, and so he built ships bigger and faster than the Danish ships, took into his service Welsh and even Danish sailors to teach his men and at last was able to guard the shores of England more or less effectually from foreign invaders. He is considered to be the founder of the English fleet.

Alfred is also important as a lawgiver and as a patron of learning. He compiled and published a code of laws from earlier laws.