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Файл:Устные темы. Учебное пособие по английскому языку для инженерных специальностей ИТТСУ ТИУ, ТМН, ТПВ, ТПЛ, ТПТ разных форм обучения
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has close relationship with the countries of the Common wealth
and other English-speaking countries.
Answer the questions:
1. Where is the UK situated?
2. What are the constituent parts of the UK?
3. What is the capital of the UK?
4. What is the flag of the UK?
5. What industries are mostly developed in the UK?
6. Who is the head of the country?
7. What chambers does the Parliament consist of?
8. What are the main political parties of the UK?
9. What does the judicial system include?
10. What countries does the UK have close relationship
with?
Text 2
LONDON
London, the capital of Britain, was built up gradually
in the course of many centuries. It is one of the largest cities
in the world with a population of about 11 million people.
London is a strange mixture of past and present, of
the old fashioned and very modern.
London is a city which was never planned. For this
reason it seems to have no kind of symmetry. It consists of
many parts and they all differ greatly from each other.
The old town, however, that stood until the Great
Fire of 1666, was small and it was surrounded by a wall inside of which were the streets lined with wooden houses,
mostly one storey high. The houses had no numbers but
signs to distinguish them from each other. In giving his address a man would say "you will find me at the sign of the
two pineapples" or "I live at the sign of the one black ball".
The streets were roughly paved with stones and there
was a ditch running down the centre to carry off rain and the
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rubbish that the people got rid of by simply throwing it out
of the windows.
Almost all the town was contained in what is still known as
the City, a district only one square mile. Every block in the
City is remarkable for its historical associations. But now
alongside ancient buildings there stand very modern, tall, allglass buildings in the City which have been built after the last
World War.
The heart of the City is represented by the three
buildings: the Mansion house where the Lord Mayor lives
and where he receives the guests of Honour, the Royal Exchange and the Bank of England.
The City is a collection of offices, warehouses and
shops.
A fine architectural monument towering above the
City is St. Paul's Cathedral. It is the finest Renaissance
church designed by Christopher Wren, the great English architect.
On the east side of the City there is famous place, the
Tower of London which has played an important part in
England's history. It served as a fortress, a palace and a
prison. Now it is a museum.
One of the streets of interest leading to the City is
Fleet street which takes its name from the river Fleet. Today Fleet street is synonymous with the world of English
journalism and has been called the street of Ink.
Most of the principal newspapers have their offices
here.
In a somewhat quieter place nearby there is the British Museum and its splendid library. The Dean street and
the Regent's Square are both within walking distance of the
place.
Just outside the City there is Trafalgar Square which
is considered to be the centre of London or one of its centers.
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The square was so named to commemorate Nelson's
victory at the battle of Trafalgar.
The monument in the centre known as Nelson's Column is surmounted with a statue of Nelson 16 feet high (4,8
meters). Its pedestal is decorated with bronze bas-reliefs of
famous naval battles. At the base of Nelson's Column are
four great lions. Trafalgar square is a place of political meetings and demonstrations.
To the south Trafalgar Square gets narrower and terminates in one of the oldest spots in London-Charing Cross.
From here all the distances of Modern London are measured.
Trafalgar Square also leads to Whitehall which is just
a street of government offices.
At the end of Whitehall there stand a building known
as the Scotland Yard. This name immediately brings to mind
Conan Doyle's hero Sherlock Holms and another character
doctor Watson. Scotland Yard the headquarters of the
police was situated on the Thames Embankment close to
Parliament Square.
Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament are
situated here. Westminster Abbey is one of the finest examples of early English architecture.
Not far from the Houses of Parliament there is Big
Ben. The clock is considered to be one of the finest timekeepers in the world. This bell weighs l3 tons. The clock
Tower is 313 ft (95,4 meters) high and 4 ft. square.
Not far from the Abbey there are Buckingham Palace
where the king and queen of England live when they are in
the city as well as the theatres and hotels of Piccadilly.
Piccadilly Circus is not really a circular place. It is
more like a square with a column in the centre and a statue
of Eros, the god of Love, on the top. To the north of Piccadilly Circus is Regent street famous for its beautiful buildings and fine shops.
33
Mayfair, Soho, Kensington and so on are all parts of
the West End. Mayfair where the best and most expensive
clubs, restaurants and theatres are situated is a symbol of
wealth and high class.
Not far from Piccadilly there are Hyde Park and
Green park. It is one of the most beautiful places in London.
In Hyde Park one can walk or lie on the grass, play games,
bathe and go boating on the lake Serpentine (an artificial
lake running the whole length of the park). Hyde Park is famous for its orators and meetings of all kinds.
NOTES TO THE TEXT:
1.Great Fire of 1666 — большой пожар 1666 г.,
возникший по небрежности пекаря, который оставил вязанку дров около раскаленной ночи на ночь. В результате этого пожара погибло много людей и сгорело
3000 домой и 97 цeрквей.
Mansion house — резиденция лорд-мэра.
Lord Mayor — мэр города.
Receive guests of Honour — принимать почетных
гостей.
Royal Exchange — королевская биржа.
Christopher Wren (1632-1723) — Кристофер Рен
— знаменитый английский архитектор и математик, по
проекту которого был воздвигнут собор св. Павла и многие другие архитектурные сооружения.
St. Paul's Cathedral — собор св. Павла — архитектурный памятник стиля Возрождения.
Tower of London — Лондонская башня (памятник
старины).
The Thames — река Темза.
Fleet street — улица, получившая свое название от
реки Fleet, которая теперь протекает под землей (как в
Москве Неглинка).
34
Mi1ton's "Paradise Lost" — "Потерянный рай"
Мильтона (1608-1674), великий английский поэт, публицист и политический деятель.
Swift (1667-1745) — выдающийся английский писатель-сатирик. Основное произведение "Путешествие
Гулливера" — острая сатира на политику господствующих классов и гос. деятелей Англии того времени.':
Trafalgar Square — Трафальгарская площадь,
названная так в ознаменование победы адмирала Нельсона в битве при Трафальгаре в 1805 г.
Nelson — адмирал Нельсон (1758-1805) — известный английский флотоводец.
Houses of Parliament — здание парламента (употребл. во мн. числе, т. к. парламент помещается в 2-х
зданиях).
Big Ben- башенные часы на здании парламента.
Westminster Abbey — Вестминстерское аббат-
ство.
Buckingham Palace — Букингемский дворец —
резиденция короля и королевы.
Serpentine — искусственное озеро в Гайд парке.
Charing Cross — в прошлом небольшая деревня,
жители которой занимались производством древесного
угля. По англ, обугливание "charring", отсюда и название
этой деревни. В XIII веке, когда умерла королева Элионора, ее супруг хотел похоронить ее в Вестминстерском
аббатстве. Везде, где останавливалась похоронная процессия, ставился крест "cross". Последняя остановка была в Charing, и с тех пор это место называется Charing
Cross.
Answer the questions:
What is the Capital of England?
Why does London seem to have no kind of symmetry?
35
What is the population of London?
Was the old town of London big?
How did the Londoners get rid of the rubbish in oldtimes?'
How is the business and commercial part of London
called?
By what three buildings is the centre of the City represented?
Whom was St. Paul's Cathedral designed by?
What is the Tower of London famous for?
Is it still a prison?
Why is Trafalgar Square called so?
How is the monument in the centre of Trafalgar
Square called?
What is Whitehall?
What is the name of the headquarters of the English
detectives and police?
What abbey is considered as one of the finest examples of early English architecture?
What is Big Ben?
How much does its largest bell weigh?
Is Piccadilly circus really circular?
What is it famous for?
What London streets are famous for its beautiful
buildings and fine shops?
What are the parts of West End? Is it allowed to walk
and lie on the grass in the London parks?
Text 3
London 2
Founded by the Romans as Londinium in the 1st century
AD, it passed to the Saxons in the 6th century. City fortifications were destroyed by the Danes, who invaded England in
865, but were later rebuilt. William I (the Conqueror) established the central stronghold of the fortress known as the
36
Tower of London. Norman kings selected Westminster as
their seat of government, and Edward the Confessor built the
church known as Westminster Abbey. The largest city in Europe north of the Alps by 1085, it was struck by the Black
Death in 1348–49. Trade grew significantly in the mid-16th
century, fueled by the establishment of Britain's overseas empire. In 1664–65 the plague killed about 70,000 Londoners,
and in 1666 the Great Fire of London consumed five-sixths of
the City of London; it was afterwards rebuilt by Christopher
Wren. London was the centre of world trade from the late
18th century to 1914. It opened the world's first electric underground railway in 1890. Severely damaged by German
bombs in the Battle of Britain during World War II, it was
again rebuilt and grew rapidly in the postwar period. Among
its sites of interest are Buckingham Palace, the Tate Gallery,
the National Gallery.
1 Was London founded by the Danes?
2. What did William I do for the city?
3.Who built the Westminster Abbey?
4. Was London the centre of world trade in the 19th century?
5. Did the plague killed all Lomdoners?
6 What did Chistopher Wren do for London?
7 How many times was the city rebuilt?
Fortress крепость
Invade захватить
Plague чума
Consume уничтожить
37
Unit 7
Text 1
International organizations
Answer the questions:
1. When and where was the organization established?
2. Who is the head of the organization nowadays?
3. Where is the headquarters of the organization located nowadays?
4. What are the aims and purposes of the organization now?
The Commonwealth
The Commonwealth of Nations is a worldwide political organization of independent nations with their dependencies, all of which recognize the British monarch. The
origin of the Commonwealth lies in the British Empire.
Starting in the 16th century, Britain invaded other lands.
Some colonies, such as India, had large local populations
ruled by British overlords. Others, such as Australia, became
colonies for settlement by the British. Because of these settlements are less profitable, there came the idea of the
Commonwealth. In 1931 Canada, Australia, New Zealand
and South Africa were granted independence.
When World War II broke out, these Commonwealth
nations and the colonies fought alongside the UK and its allies for the ideals of liberty. They helped the Allies to win in
1945. Independence for the remaining colonies followed
soon after. Most join the Commonwealth to remain close to
the vast amount of resources that Britain had.
From the start, the UK was the dominant force in
what was known as 'the British Commonwealth'. This was
run from the Commonwealth Office in London. By the
1950s, it had become "the Commonwealth of Nations". In
1965, an office called the Commonwealth Secretariat was set
up to run the Commonwealth. The UK remained the dominant power giving directives through the various offices.
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The Commonwealth consists of most of the countries
that were once parts of the British Empire. Then they decided to be freely associated as members of the British Commonwealth of Nations. There are fifty-four members. Some
are very large countries like Canada, India, and Australia.
Some are just small islands like Barbados. The land area of
the Commonwealth nations is about 21% of the total world
land area. The Commonwealth promotes educational programmes and exchanges among the different countries. The
Commonwealth Flag consists of the
Commonwealth symbol in gold on a blue background
centred on a rectangle. The Commonwealth Heads of Gov-
ernment Meetings held every two years since 1971.
So there are three intergovernmental organizations in
the association: the Commonwealth Secretariat (which executes plans agreed by Commonwealth Heads of Government
through technical assistance, advice and policy development); the Commonwealth Foundation (which helps civil
society organizations promote democracy, development and
cultural understanding) and the Commonwealth of Learning
(which encourages the development and sharing of open
learning and distance education). Under the formula of the
London Declaration, her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is the
Head of the Commonwealth. The Queen's role as Head of
the Commonwealth carries no formal functions, but has
great symbolic significance and has helped to underline the
sense of the Commonwealth as a family of nations.
Kamalesh Sharma, current Secretary-General of the Commonwealth (who is chosen from any one of the fifty four
countries), is the principal global advocate for the Commonwealth and Chief Executive of the Secretariat.
39
Answer the questions:
1. What is the Commonwealth of Nations?
2. What countries were granted independence in 1931?
3. What's happened when the World War II broke out?
4. What had happened by the 1950s?
5. What was set up in 1965?
6. How many countries does the Commonwealth consist
of? What are they?
7. What does the Commonwealth promote?
Text 2 The Council of Europe (CoE). Regional organization
of the European political orientation founded in 1949.The
aim - to build a united Europe. Headquartered in Strasbourg,
France, on the border with Germany.
Текст 3 The United Nations (UN). Intergovernmental organization established in 1945. The purpose of the organization peace between nations, development and security in international relations. The headquarters of most major UN agencies
located in New York, USA. Its membership includes 192
countries.
Текст 4 World Trade Organization (WTO). Is an organization of global importance. Founded in 1995. Purpose - is to
create and change international trade rules. Headquartered in
Geneva, Switzerland.in the WTO includes 153 countries.
Текст 5 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Is an
international political-military alliance. Founded in 1949. The
main goal - the safety and freedom of all countries within the
organization. Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. In 2009,
NATO was part of the 28 states.
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