
- •Contents
- •Student’s life
- •Text 1. Student’s life
- •E g. A first-year … a first-year student
- •Text 2. Dialogue
- •Mini-Project
- •Academy
- •Text 1. The academy of culture and arts
- •Text 2. Dialogue: a foreign visit
- •Text 4. Oxbridge
- •Barnaul as a Cultural Center of Siberia
- •Museum Traditions of Barnaul
- •The united kingdom of great britain and nothern ireland
The united kingdom of great britain and nothern ireland
Learn the new words:
an island остров
the British Isles Британские острова
Ireland Ирландия
England Англия
Wales Уэльс
Scotland Шотландия
to make up составлять, образовывать
a surface поверхность
flat плоский, ровный
mild мягкий
damp сырой, влажный
a thunderstorm гроза
on the average в среднем
sheep-farming овцеводческий
a highly developed power высоко-развитая держава
machinery машинное оборудование
a vessel судно, корабль
to import ввозить, импортировать
raw materials сырье
cotton хлопчатобумажный
a constitutional monarchy конституционная монархия
commercial коммерческий
a queen королева
a chamber палата
the House of Lords Палата Лордов
the House of Commons Палата Общин
hereditary наследственный
Conservative Консервативная
Labour Лейбористская
Social-Liberal Социально-Либеральная
Practise the pronunciation of these words:
Ireland ['aiqlqnd]; Wales [werlz]; Scotland ['skOtlqnd]; Severn ['sevq(r)n]; Thames [temz]; Bimingham ['bWmiNqm]; Sheffield ['SefJld]; Manchester ['mxntSistq]; Liverpool ['livqpHl]; London ['lAndqn]; Glazgow['glRsgou]
Read these internationalisms and guess their meanings:
Continent, area, kilometers, communist, democratic, export, import, industry, materials, cotton, centre, textile.
Give the words from which these adjectives are formed with the help of the suffixes –able, -ish:
-able: changeable, adaptable, preferable, preventable, profitable.
-ish: Scottish, boyish, childish, greenish, oldish.
Memorize word-building patterns (v + -ion, -tion, -ation, -fication, -sion,
-ssion), and point out the suffixes in the following words:
Construction, education, specialization, reputation, creation, co-operation, adaptation, prevention, mobilization, preservation, formation, production, industrialization, population, election, division, constitution, electrification, session, mission, humiliation.
Match the nouns in list A with the nouns in list B to make compound nouns.
A |
B |
Hotel Food Raw Tourist sea pen
|
products room attraction materials friend port
|
Read the text, paying special attention to new words.
TEXT
THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NOTHERN IRELAND
To the North – West of the continent of Europe there are two large and over 5000 small islands called the British Isles the area of which is about 244100 square kilometers. The largest islands are called Great Britain and Ireland. England, Wales and Scotland are the main parts of Great Britain. Together with Northern Ireland they make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, with the population of over 57000000.
The surface of England and Northern Ireland is rather flat, while in Scotland, Wales and North-West England there are mountains, but they are not very high. The highest mountain is Ben Nevis in Scotland (1, 343 m.). The rivers are short but they are deep. The longest river is the Severn, and the deepest is the Thames. The north-western part of the country, the Lake District, with its 16 lakes is known for its particular beauty.
The British climate is mild and warmer than that of the continent because of the influence of the Gulf Stream. The British people often complain of it as being damp and rainy, and foreigners laugh at it and say that the English summer is made up of three fine days and a thunderstorm. On the average Britain has 204 rainy days a year.
The United Kingdom was originally an agricultural and sheep-farming country. Today it is a highly developed industrial power. It exports machinery, vessels, textiles and other goods. But the country buys more goods than sells because it has to import food products and raw materials from many countries of the world, including Russia. The main industrial regions are in the North and in the West. The biggest centers of iron and steel industry are Birmingham and Sheffield. Manchester is the chief cotton manufacturing city and a big centre of textile industry. Liverpool is the largest port on the West coast of England. Glasgow is the centre of industry in Scotland, and it is also a large sea port and a big ship-building city.
But the greatest town and port of the British Isles is, of course, London, the capital of the United Kingdom, its political, economic, commercial and cultural centre with the population of more than 7000000.
The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy, although it has no written constitution. The monarch, now the queen, is the head of the state. But in practice the country is governed by the elected government with a Prime Minister at the head, the monarch’s power being limited by the Parliament which consists of two chambers – the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The House of Lords is made up of hereditary peers and lords, the House of Commons consist of 630 elected members. The elections to Parliament are held every five years. The Prime Minister is appointed by the monarch, and, as a rule, it is the leader of the party that has won the elections.
The political parties – Conservative, Labour, Social-Liberal and Democratic, and Communist – are the reflection of class divisions within the British society.
Text Comprehension
Find words in the text which have a similar meaning to these definitions.
a state ruled by a king or queen;
a piece of land surrounded by water;
a very high hill;
the system of laws and principles according to which a country or an organization is governed;
a member of any of five noble ranks, who has the right to sit in the House of Lords;
the choosing by vote of a representative to take an official position;
the number of people living in a particular area, country;
a country governed by a king or queen, or of which a king or queen is the head of state.
Complete these sentences using the following words: sheep-farming, ship-building, state, elections, beauty, on the average, peers, lords.
The Lake District with its 16 lakes is known for its particular __________.
__________ Britain has 20 rainy days a year.
Glasgow is a big __________ city.
The monarch is the head of the __________.
The Prime Minister is the leader of the party that has won the __________.
The House of Lords is made up of hereditary __________ and __________.
The United Kingdom is a constitutional __________.
The United Kingdom was originally a __________ country.
Make sentences using the jumbled words below:
The, are, rivers, but, short, deep, they.
The, is, Severn, river, longest.
Lake, the, District, known, for, is, beauty, its, particular.
Britain, a, year, on, the, has, average, days, 204, rainy.
Kingdom, the, United, a, country, sheep-farming, was.
Power, developed, a, industrial, highly, it, is, today.
North, the, in, West, main, are, regions, industrial.
Kingdom, the, is, United, monarchy, a, constitutional.
Agree or disagree with these statements based on the information of the text. Use the opening phrases: That’s right (true), according to the text…, That’s wrong (not true), according to the text…, That’s not quite true, according to the text… .
Great Britain consists of England, Wales and Scotland, which together with Northern Ireland make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Britain is rather a mountainous country.
As to the climate of Britain, it has more than 200 rainy days a year.
The United Kingdom is a highly developed industrial country, and it exports more goods than it imports.
The main industrial regions are in the North and in the East of Britain.
The queen is the head of the state.
The elections to the chambers of the Parliament are held every five years.
There are two political parties in Britain.
Complete the sentences by translating the Russian parts.
Площадь Великобритании is about 244100 square kilometers.
The British Parliament состоит из двух палат – the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
Главные промышленные районы Великобритании расположены in the North and in the West of the country.
Выборы в парламент are held раз в пять лет.
В среднем в Британии 204 rainy days a year.
The United Kingdom is a конституционная монархия.
Монарх сейчас – королева, is the head of the state.
Test yourself.
The British Isles consist of _______________________________________________________
two large islands, Great Britain and Ireland;
three large islands, Great Britain, Ireland and Scotland;
two large islands, Great Britain and Ireland and about five thousand small islands.
Great Britain consists of ___________________________________
England and Scotland;
England, Wales and Northern Ireland;
England, Scotland and Wales.
The population of Britain is ______ million people.
a) 55;
b) 57;
c) 75.
What is the capital of Northern Ireland?
a) Dublin;
b) Belfast;
c) Cardiff.
What are the Severn, the Tyne, and the Avon?
a) mountains;
b) lakes;
c) rivers.
The British isles are separated from the continent by __________________________________
the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean;
the English Channel and the Strait of Dover;
the North Sea, the English Channel and the Strait of Dover.
Ben Nevis, the highest mountain, is in _____________
a) Wales;
b) Scotland;
c) England.
What form of government does the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland have?
a) a presidential republic;
b) constitutional monarchy;
c) constitutional republic.
The legislative power in the UK is exercised by _______________________
The British Parliament;
Prime Minister;
The political parties.
What are the two political parties in Great Britain?
the Conservative Party and the Labour Party;
the Democratic Party and the Labour Party;
the Conservative Party and the Democratic Party.
Vocabulary
Choose one-word equivalents for the following definitions.
To send goods to another country; people living in a place, country, etc; to choose by vote; smth difficult to bear; to look for, try to find.
To elect; to export; to seek; a burden; a population
I) Find synonyms in the text for these words and word combinations:
region, to produce, to rule a country, to be made up of, usually.
II) Arrange a) and b) in pairs of antonyms.
large, to export, difficult, strong, employment, an evil, rich, ancient, to divide;
poor, to unite, easy, small, to import, weak, modern, good, joblessness.
Give Russian equivalents for:
raw materials, on the average, vessel, constitutional monarchy, commercial, a surface, to make up, a chamber, the House of Commons, the House of Lords, hereditary peers, Conservative, flat, Ireland, an island, the British Isles, Labour, steel industry, machinery, damp, mild, a queen.
Make up statements using key words.
the United Kingdom, to make up.
The British climate. Mild, the continent.
The United Kingdom, the population, 57000000.
The United Kingdom, agricultural, sheep-farming, country.
London, a capital, the United Kingdom.
Glasgow, Scotland, a sea-port, a ship-building city.
Monarch, queen, head.
Parliament, elections, to hold.
Make up possible word combinations, give their Russian equivalents and use these word combinations in sentences of your own.
political main particular fine agricultural industrial textile commercial cultural constitutional
|
centre days country power part beauty regions industry monarchy party
|
Text Organization
Suggest suitable titles to the paragraphs.
What do the following adjectives refer to in the text?
damp and rainy;
deep;
agricultural;
industrial;
textile;
large;
commercial;
constitutional;
elected;
political;
fine.
Oral Practice
Say what new or interesting facts you have found in the text.
a) Speak about:
the geographical position of the United Kingdom;
the surface of its main parts;
the British climate;
the British industry;
the political system;
the political parties
b) Comment on the following proverbs and sayings. Memorize them and use them in situations of your own to illustrate their use.
So many countries, so many customs.
Everything is good in its season.
As clear as London on a foggy day.
After rain comes fair weather.
Read and reproduce the dialogue.
Alice: Oh, welcome to our little party. I’m so glad you could come.
Jane: It was very kind of you to ask me.
Alice: Are you enjoying your stay in Britain?
Jane: Yes, I’m having a wonderful time.
Alice: How long have you been here?
Jane: I arrived last week.
Alice: Did you stay in London?
Jane: Yes, just for a month.
Alice: Did you go to the National Gallery?
Jane: No, I didn’t have the time.
Alice: Oh, too bad. You missed the Andy Warhol Exhibition. Did you go to any museums?
Jane: Yes, the British Museum. It’s a fascinating building.
Alice: Oh, I suppose so. Did you go to the theatre?
Jane: Yes, I saw the Eugene O’Neill Revival, it’s a wonderful performance.
Alice: And do you like films? Do you like horror films?
Jane: No, I don’t like horror films.
Alice: I like horror films. I love Shakespeare too. Shakespeare’s too difficult for you, isn’t it?
Jane: Yes, it’s too difficult.
Alice: There’s a concert at the Albert Hall. But that’s classical music. It’s very, very boring. Do you like rock music?
Jane: A bit. I don’t mind.
Alice: Great! Let’s go to the Ambassadors then. When are going back?
Jane: I’m going back next month.
Alice: How nice! Goodbye.
Jane: Goodbye.
Finish the following dialogues:
– Hi, Ann! I know you’re going to England for your vacation.
– Yes, I am, I’ve always…
– Is it the Houses of Parliament?
– Quite right. It is …
– How long are you going to stay in London?
– Three days. I’d like to …
– What are interested in?
– I’m interested in …
– Is it your first visit to the United Kingdom?
– Oh, no …
– You are from London, Aren’t you?
– Yes, I am …
– Here we are in London!
– How nice to …
– Oh, it is wonderful! We are really in London!
– By the way, …
– To my mind, Big Ben represents London and even the whole of England in a way, doesn’t it?
– I think you are right, it…
– We now what to say about Big Ben when we come home.
– We certainly do …
Speak about England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Use the following table:
Information
|
England
|
Scotland
|
Wales
|
Northern Ireland
|
Area
|
130441
|
78775
|
20768
|
14120 |
Highest Mountain
|
Scaffel Pike 978 m
|
Ben Nevis 1342 m
|
Snowdon 1085 m
|
Slieve Donard 852 m
|
Population
|
46029000
|
5229000
|
2723596
|
1536000
|
Largest city (population)
|
London 6970100 |
Glasgow 809700 |
Cardiff 287000 |
Belfast 363000 |
Imagine that:
You’ve just come home from Great Britain. Share your impressions with your friends.
You are planning a guided tour for a foreign delegation visiting Great Britain for seven days only. What cities will you show them and why?
You’re in London aboard a double-decker. Ask about the places you’re passing by.
Your friend wants to know a few things about Great Britain. Answer the questions.
Act as a guide in London. Use postcards or pictures.
You’re going to have holidays. What country would you like to go and why?
Read the text and speak about London.
LONDON
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 centre. 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 extends over an area of about 2.6 square kilometers in the heart of London. About half a million people work in the City but only less than 6000 live here. It is the financial centre of the UK with many banks, offices and Stock Exchange. But the Сity is also a market for goods from all parts of the world.
The West End can be called the centre 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 pars are Kensington Gardens, St. James’s Park. In the West End is Buckingham Palace which is the Queen’s residence, and the Palace of Westminster which is the seat of Parliament.
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 the West End where the University of London is centred 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 father. 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.
References
The City Сити
Greater London Большой Лондон
Stock Exchange Лондонская фондовая биржа
Speaker’s Corner Уголок оратора
Buckingham Palace Букингемский дворец
Bloomsbury Блумзбери
Read the text and speak about ‘Cultural Life of Britain’.
Artistic and Cultural Life of Britain
Artistic and cultural life in Britain is rather rich. It passed several main stages in its development.
The Saxon King Alfred encouraged the arts and culture. The chief debt owed to him by English literature is for his translations of and commentaries on Latin works.
Art, culture and literature flowed during the Elizabethan age, during the reign of Elizabeth I, it was the period of English domination of the oceans.
It was the time that William Shakespeare lived.
The empire, which was very powerful under Queen Victoria saw another cultural and artistic hey-day as a result of industrialization and the expansion of international trade.
But German air raids caused much damage in the First World War and then during the Second World War. The madness of the wars briefly interrupted the development of culture.
Immigrants who have arrived from all parts of the Commonwealth since 1945 have not only created a mixture of nations, but have also brought their cultures and habits with them.
Monuments and traces of past greatness are everywhere. There are buildings of all styles and periods. A great number of museums and galleries display precious and interesting finds from all parts of the world and from all stages in the development of nature, man and art.
London is one of the leading world centres for music, drama, opera and dance. Festivals held in towns and cities throughout the country attract much interest. Many British playwrights, composes, sculptors, painters, writers, actors, singers and dancers are known all over the world
The British Council promotes knowledge of British culture and literature overseas. It organizes British participation in international exhibitions and encourages professional interchange in all cultural fields between Britain and other countries.
References
Alfred саксонский король Альфред
Elizabethan елизаветинский
British Council Британский совет
Read the text and speak about ‘British Drama Theatre Today’.
British Drama Theatre Today
Britain is now one of the world’s major theatre centres. Many British actors and actresses are known all over the world. They are Dame Peggy Ashcroft, Glenda Jackson, Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud and others.
Drama is so popular with people of all ages that there are several thousand amateur dramatic societies.
Now Britain has about 300 professional theatres. Some of them are privately owned. The tickets are not hard to get but they are very expensive. Regular seasons of opera and ballet are given at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in London. The National Theatre stages modern and classical plays, the Royal Shakespeare Company produces plays mainly by Shakespeare and his contemporaries when it performs in Stratford-on-Avon, and modern plays in its two auditoria in the City’s Barbican Centre.
Shakespeare’s Globe Playhouse, about which you have probably read, is being reconstructed on its original site. Many other cities and large towns have at least one theatre.
There are many theatres and theatre companies for young people: the National Youth Theatre and the Young Vic Company in London, the Scottish Youth Theatre in Edinburgh. The National Youth Theatre, which stages classical plays mainly by Shakespeare and modern plays about youth, was on tour in Russia in 1999. The theatre-goers warmly received the production of Thomas Stearns Eliot’s play “Murder in the Cathedral”. Many famous English actors started their careers in the National Youth Theatre. Among them Timothy Dalton, the actor who did the part of Rochester in “Jane Eyre” shown on TV in our country.
Read the text and speak about ‘Music and Musicians of Britain’.
Music and Musicians of Britain
The people living in the British Isles are fond of music, and it is quite natural that concerts of the leading symphony orchestras numerous folk groups and pop music are very poplar.
The Promenade concerts are probably the most famous. They were first held in 1840 in the Queen’s Hall, and were directed by Sir Henry Wood. They still continue today in the Royal Albert Hall. They take place every night for about three months in the summer, and the programmes include new and contemporary works, as well as classics. Among them are symphonies and other pieces of music composed by Benjamin Britten, the famous English musician.
Usually, there is a short winter season lasting for about a fortnight. The audience may either listen to the music from a seat or from the ‘promenade’, where they can stand or stroll about, or, if there is room, sit down on the floor.
Concerts are rarely given out-of-doors today except for concerts by brass bands and military bands that play in the parks and at seaside resorts during the summer.
Folk music is still very much alive. There are many folk groups. Their harmony singing and good humour win them friends everywhere.
Rock and pop music are extremely popular, especially among younger people. In the 60s and 70s groups such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Who, Led Zeppelin. And Pink Floyd became very popular and successful.
The Beatles, with their style of singing new and exciting, their wonderful sense of humour became the most successful pop group the world has ever known. Many of the famous songs written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney are still popular.
Some of the more recent rock groups are Eurhythmics, Dire Straits, Black Sabbath.
British groups often set new trends in music. New stars and styles continue to appear. One of the most popular contemporary musicians and composers is Andrew Lloyd Webber. The musicals and rock operas by A.L.Webber have been a great success both in Britain and overseas.
The famous composer of the 19th century was Arthur Sullivan. Together with William Gilbert, the writer of the texts, he created fourteen operettas of which eleven are regularly performed today. In these operettas the English so successfully laugh at themselves and at what they now call the Establishment that W.S. Gilbert and A. Sullivan will always be remembered.
References
Promenade concerts променад-концерты
Henry Wood Генри Вуд,
дирижер
Benjamin Britten Бенджамин Бриттен, композитор
A. L. Webber Эндрю Уэбер, композитор
A. Sullivan Артур Салливан, композитор
W. Gilbert Уильям Гилберт, поэт
Read these texts and speak on:
Westminster Abbey
St. Paul’s Cathedral
Tower of London
Art Galleries
British Museum
Westminster Abbey
It is safe to say that the three most famous buildings in England are Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London and St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Westminster Abbey is a fine Gothic building, which stands opposite the House of Parliament. It is the work of many hands and different ages. The oldest part of the building dates from the eighth century. It was a monastery – the West Minster. In the 11th century Edward the Confessor after years spent in France founded a great Norman Abbey. In 200 years Henry III decided to pull down the Norman Abbey and build a more beautiful one after the style then prevailing in France. Since then the Abbey remains the most French of all English Gothic churches, higher than any other English church (103 feet0 and much narrower. The towers were built in 1735-1740. One of the greater glories of the Abbey is the Chapel of Henry VII, with its delicate fan-vaulting.
The Chapel is of stone and glass, so wonderfully cut and sculptured that it seems unreal. It contains an interesting collection of swords and standards of the “Knights of the Bath”. The Abbey is famous for its stained glass.
Since the far-off time of William the Conqueror Westminster Abbey has been the crowning place of the kings and queens of England. The Abbey is sometimes compared wit a mausoleum, because there are tombs and memorials of almost all English monarchs, many statesmen, famous scientists, writers and musicians.
If you go past the magnificent tombstones of kings and queens, some made of gold and precious stones, past the gold-and-silver banners of the Order of the Garter, which are hanging from the ceiling, you will come to the Poets’ Corner. There many of the greatest writers are buried: Geoffrey Chaucer, Samuel Johnson, Charles Dickens, Alfred Tennyson, Thomas Hardy and Rudyard Kipling. Here too, though these writers are not buried in Westminster Abbey, are memorials to William Shakespeare and John Milton, Burns and Byron, Walter Scott, William Makepeace Thackeray and the great American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Here in the Abbey there is also the Grave of the Unknown Warrior, a symbol of nation’s grief. The inscription on the tomb reads: “Beneath this stone rests the body of a British Warrior unknown by name or rank brought from France to lie among the most illustrious of the land…”
In the Royal Air Force Chapel there is a monument to those who died during the Battle of Britain, the most famous and decisive air battle over the territory of Britain in the Second World War.
References
Edward the Confessor король Эдуард Исповедник
Chapel of Henry VII часовня Генриха VII
Fan-vaulting нервюры, ребристый свод
Knights of the Bath кавалеры ордена Бани
Stained glass витраж
The Order of the Garter орден Подвязки
Geoffrey Chaucer Джефри Чосер, поэт
Alfred Tennyson Альфред Теннисон, поэт
Thomas Hardy Томас Гарди, романист и поэт
John Milton Джон Мильтон, поэт
Royal Air Force ВВС Великобритании
Battle of Britain Битва за Англию
St. Paul’s Cathedral
St. Paul’s Cathedral is the work of the famous architect Sir Christopher Wren. It is said to be one of the finest pieces of architecture in Europe.The work on Wren’s masterpiece began in 1675 after a Norman church, old St. Paul’s, was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666. For 35 years the building of St. Paul’s Cathedral went on, and Wren was an old man before it was finished.
From far away you can see the huge dome with a golden ball and cross on the top. The interior of the Cathedral is very beautiful. It is full of monuments. The most important, perhaps, is the one dedicated to the Duke of Wellington. After looking round you can climb 263 steps to the Whispering Gallery, which runs round the dome. It is called so, because if someone whispers close to the wall on one side, a person with his ear close to the wall on the other side can hear what is said. But if you want to reach the foot of the ball, you have to climb 637 steps.
As for Christopher Wren who is now known as “the architect of London”, he found his fame only after his death. He was buried in the Cathedral. Buried here are Nelson, Wellington and Sir Joshua Reynolds.
Those who are interested in English architecture can study all the architectural styles of the past 500 or 600 years in Cambridge. The Chapel of King’s College is the most beautiful building in Cambridge and one of the greatest Gothic buildings in Europe. It is built in the Perpendicular style. Its foundation stone was laid in 1446, but it was completed sixty-nine years later. The interior of the Chapel is a single lofty aisle and the stonework of the walls is like lace. The Chapel has a wonderful fan-vaulting which is typical of the churches of that time. We admire the skill of the architects and craftsmen who created all these wonderful buildings.
References
Duke of Wellingtonгерцог Веллингтон
Whispering Gallery Галерея шепота
Joshua Reynolds Джошуа Рейнолдс
Perpendicular style перпендикулярный архитектурный стиль
The Tower of London
The Tower on the north bank of the Thames is one of the most ancient buildings of London. It was founded in the 11th century by William the Conqueror. But each monarch left some kind of personal mark on it. For many centuries the Tower has been a fortress, a palace, a prison and royal treasury. It is now a museum of arms and armour, - and, as one of the strongest fortresses in Britain, it has the Crown Jewels.
The grey stones of the Tower could tell terrible stories of violence and injustice. Many saddest and cruelest events took place within the walls of the Tower. It was here that Thomas More, the greatest humanist, was falsely accused and executed. Among famous prisoners executed at the Tower were Henry VIII’s wives Anna Boleyn and Catherine Howard.
When Queen Elizabeth was a princess, she was sent to Tower by Mary Tudor (“Bloody Mary”) and kept prisoner for some time.
The ravens whose forefathers used to find food in the Tower, still live here as part of its history. There is a legend that if the ravens disappear the Tower will fall. That is why the birds are carefully guarded.
The White Tower was built by William the Conqueror to protect and control the City of London. It is the oldest and the most important building, surrounded by other towers, which all have different names.
The Tower is guarded by the Yeomen Warders popularly called ‘Beefeaters’. There are two letters, E.R., on the front of their tunics. They stand for the Queen’s name Elizabeth Regina. The uniform is as it used to be in Tudor times.
Their everyday uniform is black and red, but on state occasions they wear a ceremonial dress: fine red state uniforms with the golden and black stripes and the wide lace-collar, which were in fashion in the 16th century.
Every night at 10 p.m. at the Tower of London the Ceremony of the Keys or locking up of the Tower for the night takes place. It goes back to the Middle Ages. Five minutes before the hour the Headwarder comes out with a bunch of keys and an old lantern. He goes to the guardhouse and cries: “Escort for the keys.” Then he closes the three gates and goes to the sentry, who calls: “Halt, who comes there?” The Headwarder replies: “The Keys.” “Whose Keys?” demands the sentry. “Queen Elizabeth’s Keys,” comes answer. “Advance Queen Elizabeth’s Keys. All’s well.” The keys are finally carried to the Queen’s House where they are safe for the night. After the ceremony everyone who approaches the gate must give the password or turn away.
References
William the Conqueror Вильгельм Завоеватель
The Crown Jewels королевские регалии (короны, скипетры и др.)
Thomas More Томас Мор, государственный деятель
The White Tower Белая башня, старая часть Тауэра
Yeomen Warders лейб-гвардейцы, стражи Тауэра
Beefeaters мясоеды (прозвище стражников Тауэра)
Tudor times времена правления Тюдоров
Art Galleries
If you stand in Trafalgar Square with your back to Nelson’s Column, you will see a wide horizontal front in a classical style. It is the National Gallery. It has been in this building since 1838 which was built as the National Gallery to house the collection of Old Masters Paintings (38 paintings) offered to the nation by an English private collector, Sir George Beamount.
Today the picture galleries of the National Gallery of Art exhibit works of all the European schools of painting which existed between the 13th and 19th centuries. The most famous works among them are “Venus and Cupid” of Diego Velazquez., “Adoration of the Shepherds” by Nicolas Poussin, “A Woman Bathing” by Harmensz van Rijn Rembrandt, “Lord Heathfield” by Joshua Reynolds, “Mrs. Siddons” by Thomas Gainsborough and many others.
In 1897 the Tate Gallery was opened to house the more modern British paintings. Most of the National Gallery collections of British paintings were transferred to the Tate, and only a small collection of a few masterpieces is now exhibited at Trafalgar Square. Thus, the Tate Gallery exhibits a number of interesting collections of British and foreign modern painting and also modern sculpture.
The collection of Turner’s paintings at the Tate includes about 300 oils and 19000 water-colours and drawings. He was the most traditional artist of his time as well as the most original: traditional in his devotion to the Old Masters and original in his creation of new styles. It is sometimes said that he prepared the way for the Impressionists.
The modern collection includes the paintings of Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall and Salvador Dali, Francis Bacon and Graham Sutherland, Peter Blake and Richard Hamilton, the chief pioneers of pop art in Great Britain. Henry Moore is a famous British sculptor whose works are exhibited at the Tate too. One of the sculptor’s masterpieces – the ‘Reclining Figure’ – is at the Headquarters of UNESCO in Paris.
References
National Gallery Национальная галерея
Nicolas Poussin Никола Пуссен
Thomas Gainsborough Томас Гейнсборо, живописец
Tate Gallery Национальная галерея живописи
J.M.W. Turner Уильям Тернер, живописец
Henry Moore Генри Мур, английский скульптор
British Museum
We go to Bloomsbury.
“Bloomsbury Square” is the oldest in London, it dates from 1665. It is the “literary district”, many writers and art critics used to live here. But it is mostly known for the British Museum, the pride of Bloomsbury and of Britain.
It is an immense, light-grey building, like a Greek temple. It was founded in 1753.
You go in, you leave your umbrella or your raincoat in the cloak-room, and you begin walking about, from one room to another, from one collection to another, for hours and hours, and hours.
Do not ask us “What the British Museum is?” It is difficult to answer this question. However we shall try.
The British Museum was, and probably is one of the most famous and important libraries in the world.
The British Museum, situated in Great Russell Street, is about ten minutes walk from both Dean Street and Macclesfield Street, where Marx lived. He spent a great deal of his time in the Museum Reading-Room conducting his researches. Later, in 1902, Lenin also became a regular visitor to the Museum Reading-Room, and some years later specially visited it in order to procure certain material which he needed for his work.
During the Second World War, the Reading-Room was badly damaged, over 150000 volumes perished in flames caused by Nazi bombs.
The British Museum has a wonderful art gallery, too. It has unique collections of sculpture, ceramics, drawings, and paintings of the Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greek, Romans, Normans, Africans, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, and many other peoples.
It has unique collections of Italian drawings (Leonardo da Vinci), English and French prints, and so on, and so forth.
The British Museum is the most important place of archaeological study in the world, with unique prehistoric collections.
There is a Manuscript Room, the room of the oldest and rarest English documents, of some of the most ancient books and music and maps in the world.
It has the Rosetta Stone (which helped archaeologists to find the key to the Egyptian hieroglyphs), the famous Marbles from the Parthenon, the First Egyptian and Greek manuscripts, Roman jewellery, and so on – we could go on for hours.
References
Rosetta Stone табличка, обнаруженная в городе Росетта
Marbles from Parthenon коллекция скульптур из мрамора
Can You Answer These Questions?
What masterpieces of architecture in Great Britain do you know?
Who is the ‘architect of London’? Which is his best-known creation?
Which styles in architecture prevail in British cities and towns?
In what ways is the history of Great Britain reflected in the architecture of its famous buildings?
What is the historic value of the Tower of London? What museum does it house at present?
What is the tradition associated with the Tower of London? Why aare the ravens taken care of?
Why are the British people so proud of W. Shakespeare? Why do they call him the ‘Swan of Avon’?
What plays written by Shakespeare do you know?
What prominent English actors do you know?
What kinds of plays does the Royal Shakespeare Company produce?
What do you know about the National Youth Theatre?
What concert halls of London give programmes of classical music?
Which more recent rock groups do you know? What is your opinion of them?
What is the British Council? What does it organize?
Do You Know That
… every year, in summer, thousand of folk music fans arrive in Cambridge for one of the biggest festivals of folk music in England? The festival is held in the grounds of an old house, where there is plenty of room for people to put up their tents if tey want to stay overnight.
…Walter Scott’s Monument in Edinburgh is a graceful Gothic spire 2000 ft high which stands in one of Edinburgh’s central streets, Princes Street?
…the Irish National Gallery is one of the world’s important collections?
Regent’s Park, which was originally a hunting park, is now the home of London Zoo, and an open air theatre which delights people with performances of Shakespeare’s plays in summer?
…the Art Gallery of Birmingham has the best collection of Pre-Raphaelite paintings and a large collection of English water-colour landscapes?
References
Pre-Raphaelite прерафаэлитическое направление в живописи
Writing
You are the Quiz master in magazine quiz page. Ask questions on the topic “The United Kingdom and London”. Begin your questions with: “Where”, “When”, “Who”, “Why”. Make a crossword.
Write a composition on the topic “Cultural Life of London”.