II. Reading and Comprehension

Read the text without a dictionary (time limit is 10 minutes). Do the test.

Towns of Great Britain

There are a lot of big cities and towns in Great Britain. London, the capital of Great Britain, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Grimsby, Sheffield, Liverpool, Windsor and others.

In the heart of England, about 112 miles north-west of London, is Birmingham, a city with over two million inhabitants. The growth of this city during the last century has been very rapid, for it owes its importance almost entirely to its iron industry. Although it has no outlet on the sea coast and does not stand on any great river, it has become a busy hive of industry. The district around Birmingham is known as the Black Country. It is a land of factories and mines.

The centre of the cotton industry is Manchester. Like Birmingham, Manchester is of recent growth. It cannot boast of many ancient buildings. Few English cities, however, have better public parks, of which there are over fifty.

The country town of Yorkshire is York, and the old centre of the woolen trade is Halifax. York is a beautiful old city on the river Ouse. But neither York nor Halifax is the centre of the woolen industry, which is Leeds, a rapidly growing city in the valley of the River Aire.

The modern development of Leeds as the centre of the woolen industry in Great Britain dates from the introduction of steam-power machinery towards the end of the 18^th century.

Grimsby is a prosperous seaport on the coast of Lincolnshire on the River Humber. It is the wealthiest fishing port in Europe.

The modern city with over a million people is Sheffield. It is a city of steel. Iron smelting based on local ore deposits has been practiced here since ancient times. It produces high-quality steel and articles of steel, fine instruments etc. Industrial concentration in one place makes this city unique among English industrial towns.

Liverpool is famous for its docks, it is the largest port in Great Britain. It stands on the river Mersey. Liverpool is first in Great Britain in export and it comes second after London in import. A lot of people know Liverpool as a native city of legendary “The Beetles”.

Windsor and the surrounding district is a delightful residential locality. There are two Windsors – Old Windsor and New Winsor. New Windsor grew up with the Castle. Of many Royal Palaces in Europe none can trace its origin so far as Windsor Castle does.

Brighton and Epsom are popular seaside resorts in the south of England.

Every British city or town is interesting in its own way, possessing individual spirit and history, its own unique character. They all are worth visiting!

Notes:

to owe - завдячувати

outlet – вихід (в море)

valley - долина

hive of industry – промисловість, сконцентрована в одному місці

steam-power machinery – парові машини

iron smelting – плавлення заліза

to trace its origin – прослідкувати своє походження.

Exercise 5. Find the right ending of the sentences.

1. the Black Country is…

a). the historical name of Birmingham;

b). the district around Birmingham, a land of factories and mines;

c). agricultural locality in the north of the country.

2. The centre of the cotton industry is…

a). Halifax;

b). Sheffield;

c). Manchester.

3. Grimsby is…

a). a large centre of metal industry;

b). a prosperous fishing seaport on the coast of Lincolnshire;

c). a centre of chemical industry.

4. The oldest Royal palace in Europe is…

a). the Tower of London;

b). Windsor Castle;

c). Buckingham palace.

5. Brighton and Epsom are…

a). rapidly growing industrial towns;

b). popular seaside resorts in the south of England.

c). centers of woolen trade.

Exercise 6. Agree or disagree with the following statements.

1. Birmingham has no outlet on the sea coast and does not stand on any great river.

2. Manchester can boast of many ancient buildings.

3. Liverpool is first in Great Britain in export and it comes second after London in import.

Exercise 7. Choose the correct answer to the following questions.