Англ. для заоч.Андрианова

ejgn affairs, dispose military forces and exercise control over every

Apartment of administration.

consists of nearly 1200 peers who are created by the monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister of the day. One-third of the Lords today are company directors. They include bankers, steel magnates, newspaper proprietors and industrialists of all kinds. The main role of the House of Lords is obstruction of the House of Commons especially when Tory governments are not in office.3

The House of Commons is elected by an almost universal adult suffrage. There are at present 630 members of the House of Commons. Members of the House of Commons receive a salary for their parliamentary work and hold their seats during the life of a Parliament.

That party which obtains the majority of seats in the House of

In the middle of the last century the House of Commons was the

Bill: the period of preparation before it is published or introduced into

POLITICAL PARTIES

At present there are two main political parties in England. The Conservative (or Tory) Party started as Royalists in the 17th century. By the end of the 19th century the big landowners, the bankers and the industrialists had united. It was the Tories who represented their interests then. They still do.

The Labour Party was established at the beginning of this century. It was set up by the trade-unions and various small socialist groups. Despite its many sincere and courageous fights, it soon came under the influence of imperialist ideas. It supported Britain's participation in World War I.

Political struggles since World War II have concentrated on peace, homes and wages. Education and pensions have also been important problems.

The Liberals began their activities as anti-Royalists in the 17th century. In the early 19th century they represented the small industrialists. They remained strong up to1 the end of World War I. Then they faded out. Since then only the Conservative and the Labour Parties have held power.

The two-party system means that, if one is dissatisfied with the Government, one votes for the Opposition, and vice versa,2 though one can say there isn't much difference between them.

1.up to — вплоть до

2.vice versa — лат. наоборот

trade-union movement dates back to 1825 when trade-unions became legal.

Every member of a trade-union pays a small sum of money each week. This covers the cost of organizing the union, and provides the fund to help its members when they are unable to work because of Ш-

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week to produce. About a quarter of this sum is received from the business firms who advertise in its pages.

Newspapers in Great Britain vary greatly in their ways of presenting news. There are serious newspapers and popular newspapers.

HIGHER AND FURTHER EDUCATION1 IN BRITAIN

There are now 44 universities in the United Kingdom and over 700 technical colleges.

All British universities are private, that is not state-controlled institutions. Each has its own governing council, including some local businessmen and politicians as well as a few academics.2

Students have to pay fees and living costs, but every student may re-

the old universities; the redbrick universities,3 which include all the pro-

are the oldest ones. Although they have together less than a tenth of the whole student population (each having about 12,000 students), they have special pre-eminence. A number of well-known scientists and writers, among them Newton, Darwin and Byron, were educated in Cambridge. Until the 19th century, Oxford and Cambridge were the only universities in England, and there was no place for girls. At present there are five women's colleges.

These two universities differ greatly from all the others in general organization, methods of instructions, syllabuses, traditions, history, etc. They are based on colleges (law, music, natural science, economics, agriculture, engineering, commerce, education, etc.), each college having about 300 students.

The course of study at a university lasts three or four years. In general Bachelor's degree, the first academic degree, is given to the students

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mark is based on the exam and the written assignments done during the

1.higher education—обычно имеется в виду высшее образование, полученное в университете или другом высшем учебном заведении, дающее право на получение

pleted when students are ready to take their degree examinations.2 After graduating they obtain the first academic degree or distinction of a Bachelor of Arts, depending on satisfactory examinations results. Bachelor's degrees are at two levels, Honours and Pass/ Honours degrees are first,

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Every post-graduate working on a research problem is provided with an adviser and referees for the refereeing and evaluation of his thesis On completing his course of study every candidate must submit a thesis. He is also required to forward a short abstract of his thesis com-

prising not more than 300 words.

Everywhere the degree of Doctor is given for a thesis which is considered to be an original contribution to knowledge.

men. The most favourite sports and games are:

Cricket, the national game, is very popular in England and as a sport is to be seen best of all in the games between small clubs and village teams. The main matches played between counties last for up to three days, with six hours' play on each day. Cricket demands sunny weather, plenty of time to spare and a comfortable chair for the spectator. The exact date of the origin of the game is not known but it was played already in the sixteenth century. Cricket is a difficult game for foreigners to understand and still more difficult to oxplain.

was formed in 1863. It organizes various matches and competitions, including international matches, arranges training promising young players, etc.

There are plenty of amateur associations (known as "soccer") clubs, but professional footbal is big business.

For the mass of the British public the eight months of the football season are more important than the four months of cricket.

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game was developed at Rugby School, the famous Public School, and is favoured especially by the middle class people.

Horse Racing. Next to football, the chief spectator sport in English

to east and dividing London into two parts known as the north bank and the south bank.

Those who come to learn London's history will find much to interest them in the City, the heart of the business and financial life of the coun-

mile in area but it is one of the busiest parts of the capital. High office

The most striking building in the City today is St. Paul's Cathedral designed by Wren, a famous English architect of the 17th century. People say that the Cathedral is the finest Renaissance church in Europe.

famous people are buried in the Abbey, among them Newton, Darwin, Dickens and Kipling.

Across the road from Westminster Abbey are the Houses of Parliament with its famous Big Ben, a huge clock built just over a century ago. In this part of London and further west, are the finest theatres, cinemas, and concert halls, large museums, hotels, restaurants, the most famous shops and numerous parks. That is the part where the rich live.

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To the east of the City is the Port of London. Here, today, are miles and miles of docks and the great industrial areas thai depend upon ship, ping. This is the East End of London, unattractive in appearance, but very important to the country's commerce. The streets, here, are narrow and dirty, the houses are overcrowded. That is the world of poverty, unemployment and disease.

It is certain that a foreigner must be surprised by the sight of Lon-

some parts of London they are very much alike, as the houses are the same in style and colour. The houses are not big, they are mostly two-storeyed buildings with many front doors and many little gardens.

There is a lot of traffic in the streets of the town: endless lines of buses, many of which are double-deckers,2 motor cars and taxis. The

It seems that everyone in the London Underground is always in a hurry.

THE PORT AND THE DOCKS

The Port and part of the Docks are also called the Pool of London.1 The port is probably the largest in the world, it is 100 kilometres long, from London Bridge down to the sea. Ships bring in their cargoes daily from the four corners of the world. They come with butter and meat, sugar and fruit, tea and coffee, copper and wood brought from die

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far-away North and from the tropics. As far as you can see, there are ships, masts, cranes. The smoke hangs dark in the sky.

The Port is full of workers of every nationality and race: you see British sailors, Scandinavians, Africans.

. Most Londoners do not know the Pool of London, they do not know the East End that is round the Port and the Docks. They know Paris or

a new and strange mode of travel — the first underground railway in the world. The first train covered the distance of almost four miles.

Some engineers had said before the railway was completed, that the tunnels would fall in because of the weight of the traffic in the streets above; the houses would be shaken to the ground by the vibration of the trains and Londoners would be poisoned by the fumes from the engine.

ated.1 Then came "Twopenny Tube"2 which had small electric trains. The price of tickets was two pennies for any distance.

and there are trains going out to the suburbs and stopping at a very few stations on the way. And there are the non-express trains going a very long way out into the country. The fares are all different and even the carriages are not alike.

Safety has always been one of the main concerns of London Transport. In spite of the fact that trains often follow each other within seconds it has been claimed that the London Tube is the safest form of

1- cable operated — двигались по кабелю

2. Tube — метрополитен (в Лондоне); "Twopenny TUbe" — двухпенсовая подземка

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PARKS AND GARDENS OF LONDON

Londoners do not have to go far to find green fields and flowers, for London is very rich in parks and gardens. There are lawns and flower-beds, fountains and avenues in the parks, but mostly the parks consist of trees and grass and water. They are planned to look very nat-

parks is full of scents of flowers and plants. You may walk on the soft green grass among ancient oaks. Between the trees you can see the glittering water. If you are in Richmond park, you see the Thames flowing past and the boats on it. Regent's Park is famous for an open-air theatre where every summer Shakespeare's comedies are performed. St. James's Park is very beautiful with its graceful trees and flower-beds. But probably best-loved of all is Hyde Park where you can find many outdoor entertainments. Hyde Park is famous for its "Speakers' Corner". Here on a Sunday morning you will find a number of strange-looking people, each standing on a box or a small platform brought with himself and each

a great many languages. A club is usually associated with some sport or with social purposes, sometimes with both.

Most of the clubs are situated in the same small area, known as St. James's. At midday you can see clubmen going along its streets with serious looks on their faces, as if they were going to church. And, indeed, club membership is a part of their professional and business life.

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