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Файл:Learning to Speak English. Учебное пособие по разговорному английскому языку
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TEXT 9B
Streets of london
the river to the other. The most important parts of London are the City,
Westminster, the West End and the
East End.
The City is the oldest part of London.
It covers only about a square mile and
about ten thousand people live there.
During the day it is full of people, but
at the end of the day businessmen,
clerks and secretaries go home and
THE CAPITAL OF THE UNITED KINGDOM
OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND
London is the capital of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland, its political, economic and commercial centre.
It is an ancient city of more than twenty centuries old. It is the largest
city in Britain and one of the largest of the world. London is not only
the capital of the country; it is also a huge port. The population of
London is about 9 million.
London is situated on the river Thames. The Thames, which is
known to Londoners simply as “the river”, flows through London,
dividing it into north and south. There are 17 bridges over the
Thames, but perhaps the best known of them are Waterloo, Tower
and London bridges. All of them carry heavy traffic from one side of
the City becomes silent and almost empty. Over a million people
come to the City every day to work in big banks and offices. The
City is the financial and business part of London. Numerous banks
and offices and trusts are concentrated there.
The West End is a symbol of wealth and luxury. It is the richest part of London. Here you can see the most beautiful places of
London: wide streets, the finest theatres, cinemas and concert halls,
large museums and the best hotels and the largest department stores.
There are splendid houses and lovely parks and gardens there.
The East End is unattractive in appearance. It includes the port,
docks, a lot of factories and workshops. This part of London is very
important in the country’s economy and commerce because a lot of
workers work and live there. There is a striking contrast between the
151
East End and the West End, the streets are narrow and there are no
big parks or gardens in the East End. It is a densely populated district.
There are a lot of places of interest in London, such as the
Tower, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar
Square, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Buckingham Palace and others. The
Tower of London is an old castle on the bank of the Thames formerly a fortress, a palace and a prison. Now the Tower is a museum and
houses the Crown jewels and other treasures.
The Palace of Westminster – the proper name for the Houses
of Parliament – was the king’s palace for five hundred years. Big
Ben is the name given to the clock and bell of the clock tower of the
Houses of Parliament. It is interesting that the clock Big Ben came
into service in 1859. Big Ben is the biggest clock bell in Britain. It
weighs 13.5 tons. Westminster Abbey is very old and very beautiful,
and it is full of history. Nearly all the kings and queens of Britain
were crowned and buried there. Chaucer, Charles Dickens, Thomas
Hardy, Newton, Darwin were buried there too.
Trafalgar Square is the geographical centre of London. It was
so named in memory of Lord Nelson’s great naval victory in 1805,
when he destroyed the French fleet in the battle of Trafalgar. The
statue of Lord Nelson, Britain’s national hero stands on top of the
column in the centre of the square.
St. Paul’s Cathedral was designed by Christopher Wren. The
most notable feature of it is the enormous dome. It took Wren 35
years to build the cathedral. Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the Queen. It was built in the 18th century.
London is the centre of Britain’s cultural life. There are a lot of
museums and art galleries in London: the National Gallery, the Tate
gallery, the Natural History Museum and a lot of others. The British
Museum is well known as one of the largest museums in the world. It
is really a history museum. One can see there Egyptian statues,
sphinxes, mummies, Roman sculptures, drawings and paintings. The
Museum has a rich library with copies of rare manuscripts.
13. What would you say if you took part in the following
dialogue? Act it.
A.: What is London like?
B.: … .
152
A.: What is the population of London?
B.: … .
A.: What does the Thames flow through?
B.: … .
A.: What are the best known bridges over the Thames?
B.: … .
A.: What are the most important parts of London?
B.: … .
A.: What can you say about the City of London?
B.: … .
A.: What is the West End of London famous for?
B.: … .
A.: What can you say about the East End of London?
B.: … .
A.: What are the places of interest in London?
B.: … .
A.: What is the Tower now?
B.: … .
A.: What can you say about the Palace of Westminster,
Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, St. Paul’s Cathedral
and Buckingham Palace?
B.: … .
A.: What museums and galleries is London famous for?
14. Put questions to which these are the answers. The im-
portant words in the answer are italicized. Act the dialogue.
A.: … ?
B.: London is an ancient city of more than twenty centuries
old.
A.: … ?
B.: London is situated on the river Thames.
A.: … ?
B.: There are 17 bridges over the Thames.
A.: … ?
B.: The City covers a square mile.
A.: … ?
B.: The City is the financial and business part of London.
A.: … ?
B.: The West End is the richest part of London.
A.: … ?
153
B.: The East End includes the port, docks, a lot of factories
and workshops.
A.: … ?
B.: The Tower of London used to be a fortress, a palace and a
prison.
A.: … ?
B.: The clock Big Ben came into service in 1859.
A.: … ?
B.: Nearly of the kings and queens of Britain were crowned
and buried in Westminster Abbey.
A.: … ?
B.: The statue of Lord Nelson stands on top of the column in
the centre of Trafalgar Square.
A.: … ?
B.: It took Christopher Wren thirty-five years to build St.
Paul’s Cathedral.
A.: … ?
B.: Buckingham Palace was built in the 18th century.
A.: … ?
B.: The British Museum is well known as one of the largest
museums in the world.
15. Comment on the picture given in the text.
16. Underline the main ideas of the text and retell it in Eng-
lish.
17. Read Text 9C “Cities of Great Britain”. Give a brief
overview of its structure and contents in English.
TEXT 9C
CITIES OF GREAT BRITAIN
Great Britain is a highly developed industrial country. The
largest cities of Great Britain are: London, Birmingham, Glasgow,
Liverpool, Manchester, Edinburgh and Cardiff.
Liverpool is one of the world’s greatest seaports. It is the
gateway from England to many countries. Liverpool became important in the 17th century with the growth of trade with the American colonies. Today the trade is carried on with all parts of the world.
Although Liverpool has a long history, it is a modern city with big
plans for the future.
154
Birmingham is in the heart of England, about 112 miles northwest of London. It is called the capital of “Black Country”. Black
Country is a land of factories and mines.
Edinburgh [′edinbərə] is 400 miles north of London. It is the
old capital of Scotland. It is one of the finest cities in Great Britain.
The first historical novelist of the English language, Walter Scott,
lived and worked in Edinburgh. Edinburgh is no longer the biggest
city of Scotland. It is surpassed by Glasgow, which has a population
of over one million.
Glasgow, Scotland’s largest city and principal port, lies on the
Clyde River. Shipbuilding yards, large engineering, iron and chemical works, extensive docks and textile factories are here. The University of Glasgow was opened in 1450.
Cardiff is the capital of Wales and the port of South Wales
coalfields. Within the city there is much industry. The main streets
are well planned. There is the University of South Wales and the
Welsh College of Technology in Cardiff.
Shipbuilding industry is concentrated near the rivers. Since
1945 Great Britain has launched about half the world’s new shipping. Glasgow and Belfast districts are the main ones.
Windsor [′winzə] is one of the most popular towns in England
because the Queen often stays at her castle there and because Windsor itself is one of the oldest towns in England. Over 800 years
Windsor was the residence of the kings and queens of England. The
Windsor Castle is closely connected with national history.
There are a lot of small towns in Great Britain, too. Most
towns have a busy shopping area in the centre. Now there are new
suburbs around the edges of old cities and towns. New buildings are
planned to make the best use of space.
18. Answer the following questions.
1. What country is Great Britain like?
2. What are the largest cities of Great Britain?
3. What is Liverpool famous for?
4. When and how did Liverpool become an important city?
5. Why is Birmingham called the capital of “Black Country”?
6. Who was the first historical novelist of England?
7. Where is Glasgow situated?
8. Where is the University of South Wales situated?
155
9. Why is Windsor a popular town?
10. What is the Windsor Castle connected with?
19. Explain the meaning of the following words and expres-
sions; reproduce the context in which they are used.
A seaport, a gateway, to carry on trade, although, to be in the
heart of smth, no longer, to surpass, to lie on smth, works, coalfields,
to launch, to be closely connected with smth, to make the best use of
smth, a busy area, suburbs.
20. Say whether you agree or disagree with these statements. Give your reasoning. Use the introductory phrases from
the previous Units.
1. Windsor is one of the largest cities of Great Britain.
2. Liverpool is a very important seaport of Great Britain.
3. Birmingham is situated in the north of the country.
4. Edinburgh has a population of less than one million.
5. There are no enterprises in Glasgow.
6. There is no industry within Cardiff.
7. Belfast is famous for its shipbuilding industry
8. Elizabeth II does not have any residence in Windsor.
9. There are very few small towns in Great Britain.
10. New buildings of cities and towns are not properly
planned.
21. Put the following headings in a logical order according
to the text.
1. The capital of “Black country”.
2. The main port of Wales.
3. The largest cities of Great Britain.
4. Small towns of Great Britain.
5. The largest port of Scotland
6. A modern city having a long history.
7. The city surpassed by Glasgow in terms of its population.
8. One of the residences of the Queen
9. The city in which the first English historical novelist lived.
10. Shipbuilding industry.
22. Retell the text in English.
23. Make up a story about Great Britain based on the information given in the above texts.
156
SECTION 3
SPEAKING
24. Practise dialogue 1.
Dialogue 1
An Interview
Robert: Excuse me; are you the Russian students who’ve been
visiting England?
Boris: Yes, that’s right!
Robert: I’m a reporter from the “Mirror”. I’d like you to tell
me something about your visit. Were you invited by the National
Union of Students, the biggest students’ organisation of Great Britain?
Boris: Yes, we were.
Robert: How long have you been here?
Boris: Since last Monday.
Robert: And what have you seen during your visit?
Boris: Oh, we’ve been to so many places, I really don’t know
where to begin. First, we visited Cambridge, then Oxford and Stratford-on-Avon – the town where Shakespeare was born.
Robert: It’s a pity you’ve had such bad weather.
Boris: Well, we expected rain when we came to England and
we are sorry we had no fog.
Robert: You’ll have to come again one winter, if you want to
see a real London fog. Well, what did you like best in England?
Boris: Oh, the Jodrell Bank telescope, one of the biggest radio-
telescopes in the world. I am studying astronomy, you see.
Robert: Now, may I ask you what you disliked most?
Boris: But really, we enjoyed everything.
Robert: Nonsense! There must be something you don’t like.
Apart from the weather, of course.
Boris: There was just one thing, you know. They woke us eve-
ry morning at seven with a horribly strong cup of tea with milk.
Robert: I am glad it wasn’t anything worse.
Boris: The train will be leaving in a moment. I’m afraid we
have to say good-buy.
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25. Make up dialogues of your own using dialogue 1 as a
model.
Situations: You meet your friend and ask him about:
a) his recent visit to Great Britain;
b) English weather;
c) the things you like and dislike in Great Britain.
26. Practise dialogue 2.
Dialogue 2
Places of Interest in London
One day before going to London Boris decided to visit his
friend Alan who had been to London for several years. He wanted to
ask Alan about places of interest in London.
B.: Where would you advise me to go in London first of all?
A.: As for me I should first go to the British Museum.
B.: Is the British Museum large?
A.: Oh, it’ll take you not less than a whole day to have a good
look around it. But you should visit not only the Museum there.
There are a lot of places of interest. The Houses of Parliament first of
all. The building of the new Houses of Parliament was built in
1868. Have you heard of Big Ben?
B.: Certainly, I have. It is the clock.
A.: It is a famous tower clock. Big Ben is really not a clock but
the bell on which the hours are struck. Besides Big Ben, there are
four Little Bens, which strike before Big Ben.
B.: Where is the residence of the Queen?
A.: In Buckingham Palace. They have the Changing of the
Guard in front of the palace every morning at 11 o’clock. Go there.
B.: What else will you advise me to see in London?
A.: Trafalgar Square with the tall Nelson Column in it. Trafal-
gar Square and Hyde Park are the places where mass meetings and
demonstrations are held. Hyde Park is the largest park in London.
B.: Go on, please.
A.: Then comes the Tower of London and St. Paul’s Cathedral.
B.: I’ve read something about the Tower. When was it built?
A.: It was built in the 11th century by William the Conqueror.
Now there is a museum where the crown, jewels and other treasures
are held. The Tower Bridge is one of the finest bridges over the
Thames.
158
B.: And the last question. You didn’t say a word about the
shops in London.
A.: The West End is the part of London where you’ll find most
of the shops.
B.: Thank you very much.
A.: Not at all. I wish you a pleasant trip to London.
27. Fill in the missing remarks of the dialogue and act it.
Dialogue 3
A.: … .
B.: I don’t think you’ll be able to see a lot in one or two days.
Today London is one of the largest cities in the world.
A.: … .
B.: Nine million, I believe. I mean the population of Greater
London, of course.
A.: … .
B.: Well, the main parts of London are: the City, Westminster,
the West End and the East End. If you are interested in churches and
historical places you should go to Westminster Abbey, the Houses of
Parliament, St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Tower.
A.: … .
B.: The City is so important because it is the banking and
commercial center of the world.
A.: … .
B.: Well, you certainly should see the British Museum. But if I
were you I should leave that for some other day. You could spend a
whole day there. It’s too big to be seen in an hour or so.
A.: … .
B.: In the first place, Whitehall is the name of the street. In the
second place, it is the political centre of the British Empire. All the
chief government offices are in the Whitehall, you know.
A.: … .
Note
Greater London – Большой Лондон, административнотерриториальная единица, состоит из Лондона и частей графств
Мидлсекс, Эссекс, Кент, Суррей, Хартфордшир, делится на 32
района (borough) и Сити, площадь 1580 км2.
159
28. Practise dialogue 4.
Dialogue 4
Walking Round the City of London
Mr. Voronin: Good afternoon, Mr. Smith. I’m sorry I’ve kept
you waiting.
Mr. Smith: That’s all right. Though I have been wondering
what’s happened to you.
Mr. Voronin: A friend from Moscow is over here on a short
visit and today I’ve been showing him round.
Mr. Smith: Oh, have you? Where have you taken him?
Mr. Voronin: We’ve been walking round the City and he in-
sisted on climbing to the top of the Monument.
Mr. Smith: Oh, you’ll be stiff tomorrow. There are over three
hundred steps, aren’t there?
Mr. Voronin: There are three hundred and forty-five, to be
more exact. But still, there’s a marvelous view when you get to the
top.
Mr. Smith: Oh, yes, it is wonderful. On a clear day you can see
for miles.
Mr. Voronin: We also popped into the Moscow Narodny Bank
for just a few minutes.
Mr. Smith: Oh, it’s that fine new building just opposite the
Monument? I haven’t been inside yet.
Mr. Voronin: Would you like me to take you there one of these
days?
Mr Smith: That’s very kind of you. Thank you. And now
you’ve earned a good rest after all that sightseeing.
Mr. Voronin: I certainly have. I’ve been walking round for
over three hours.
Note
The Monument – «Монумент», колонна, воздвигнутая в
лондонском Сити в 1671 – 1677 гг. в память о Великом лондонском пожаре (Great Fire).
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