VII. Answer the following questions:

1. Why does traffic in London differ from that of the Continent?

2. Are buses in London blue or yellow?

3. Do all London buses have a conductor who will come round and collect fares?

4. How many people are allowed to stand in the bus when the seats are full?

5. Are there any trams in London?

6. How does the London Underground look like?

7. Why should you be very careful using the word "subway" in London?

8. What best recommendations about the London Underground would you give to

your friend, who is going to visit that city?

9.What means of transport would you use to see London at night?

VIII. Prepare a dialogue about traffic in London:

a) of a Londoner and a tourist;

b) of a policeman and a foreigner.

IX. Study the vocabulary and read the text.

sophisticated — искушенный

enormous — огромный

free — бесплатный

bargain — выгодная сделка

survey — обзор

literally — буквально

tiny — крошечный

Visiting london

London has a great deal to offer visitors. Whether your tastes are modern or traditional, sophisticated or simple, there's plenty in London for you. Most visitors do some shopping, and there is an enormous range of possibilities, from the bargains of Petticoat Lane to the jewellery and furs of Bond Street. A simple walk along Oxford Street will satisfy most ordinary needs or, if you want every­thing from pins to pianos — under one roof, then Harrods is the shop for you.

You will probably want to mix your shopping with a little sightseeing. You can visit the great buildings, such as St.Paul's and Westminster Abbey, or you can watch the Changing of the Guard, or you can rest your feet in one of the large central parks, and all free.

Not all the sightseeing is free, of course; you'll have to pay for jewels in the Tower, or for a boat trip along the Thames. The British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museums have enormous collections of art from many dif­ferent countries, and the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square houses paintings by the old masters.

The more modern world can be seen in the Science Mu­seum, the Planetarium and in the paintings and sculptures of the Tate Gallery.

In the evening, when you have walked far enough for one day, you can simply enjoy a drink in the atmosphere of a London pub. But if you want organized entertain­ment, you will always find a film, a concert or a play to interest you among the hundreds that are put on every day.

Turning to the question of food it must be admitted that the English have no great reputation as cooks but visitors to London can taste food from all over the world; from Mexican to Russian, from Scandinavian to Japanese. In particular, there are hundreds of Indian, Pakistani, Chinese and Italian restaurants, most of which serve good, relatively cheap meals.

This brief survey should give you some idea of the great variety of things to do in London. There is literally something for everyone at almost any time during the day.

London is the first place on the list for a lot of visi­tors, and the only place for some. But there are some other cities and towns beyond London that are also very popular with visitors to Britain, such as Bath, Cambridge, Canterbury, Chester, Edinburgh, Exeter, Norwich, Ox­ford, Stratford-upon-Avon, York. The reason people know about them is that all of them have lots to do and see and they all have beautiful build­ings of some kind, e.g. castles, cathedrals (an important kind of church, usually large) or university colleges. An­other reason is that you can get lots of beautiful and in­teresting places near these cities and towns.

There's a third group of cities and towns to think about — those you pass on your way to more famous places. If your route goes through an industrial city, you could stop to go shopping or perhaps to visit an excellent museum (such as in Birmingham or Glasgow). You might also enjoy exploring the market in market towns or walk­ing round tiny villages.