The Island of Great Britain

Great Britain is the name of the largest island of the British Isles and it is made up of England, Scotland and Wales, it does not include Northern Ireland. In everyday speech 'Great Britain' is used to mean the United Kingdom. Geographically, the island of Great Britain is subdivided into two main regions — Lowland Britain and Highland Britain. Lowland Britain comprises southern and eastern England. Highland Britain consists of Scotland, most of Wales, the Pennines, and the Lake District. The Pennine Chain extends southward from the Cheviot Hills into the Midlands, a plains region with low hills and valleys.

England is separated from Scotland by the Cheviot Hills, running from east to west.

The chief rivers of Great Britain are: the Severn, flowing along the border between England and Wales, tributaries of which include the Avon, famed by Shakespeare; the Thames, which flows eastward to the port of London and some others. The swiftest flowing river in the British Isles is the Spey. Part of the border between Scotland and England is along the lower reaches of the Tweed, near which is the woollen fabric that bears its name.

There are many lakes in Great Britain. On the northwest of the Pennine system lies the Lake District, containing the beautiful lakes which give it its name. This district is widely known for its association with the history of English literature and especially with the name of William Wordsworth (1770-1859), the founder of the Lake School of poets.

The largest cities of Great Britain are: London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Bristol, Leeds, Edinburgh. The most important ports are: London, Liverpool, Southampton, Belfast, Glasgow and Cardiff.

References

1. Lowland and Highland Britain – низменная и гористая части Великобритании

2. the Lake District – Озерный край (живописный район гор и озер на северо-западе Англии)

3. the Pennines – Пеннинские горы

4. the Cheviot Hills – Чевиот-Хилс (горы)

5. the Midlands – Мидлендз, центральные горафства Англии

6. the Severn – р. Северн

7. the Tweed – р. Твид

8. the Lake School – «Озерная школа» (литературное сотрудничество поэтов-романтиков н. 19 в., названа по Озерному краю, где жили поэты)

9. Southampton – г. Саутгемптон

London

When we think of Paris, Rome, Madrid, Lisbon and other European capitals, we think of them as cities. When we think of the whole of modern London, the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, that great area covering several hundred square kilometres, we do not think of it as a city, not even as a city and its suburbs. Modern London is not one city that has steadily become larger through the centuries; it is a number of cities, towns, and villages that have, during the past centuries, grown together to make one vast urban area.

London is situated upon both banks of the River Thames, it is the largest city in Britain and one of the largest in the world. Its population is about 7 million people.

London dominates the life of Britain. It is a big port and most important commercial, manufacturing and cultural centre. There is little heavy industry in London, but there is a wide range of light industry in Greater London.

The City extends over an area of about 2.6 square kilometers in the heart of London. About half a million people work in the City but only less than 6000 live here. It is the financial centre of the UK with many banks, offices and the Stock Exchange. But the City is also a market for goods of almost every kind, from all parts of the world.

The West End can be called the centre of London. Here are the Historical palaces as well as the famous parks. Hyde Park with its Speaker's Corner is also here. Among other parks are Kensington Gardens, St. James's Park. In the West End is Buckingham Palace which is the Queen's residence, and the Palace of Westminster which is the seat of Parliament.

The best-known streets here are Whitehall with important Government offices, Downing Street, the London residence of the Prime Minister and the place where the Cabinet meets, Fleet Street where most newspapers have their offices, Harley Street where the highest-paid .doctors live, and some others.

The name 'West End' came to be associated with wealth, luxury, and goods of high quality. It is the area of the largest department stores, cinemas and hotels. There are about 40 theatres, several concert halls, many museums including the British Museum, and the best art galleries.

It is in the West End that the University of London is centred with Bloomsbury as London's student quarter.

Visitors with plenty of money to spend and who come chiefly for enjoyment are likely to pass most of their time in the West End.

The port of London is to the east of the City. Here were kilometres and kilometers of docks, and the great industrial areas that depended upon shipping. This is the East End of London, formerly unattractive in appearance, but now changing because of the introduction of new industries and very expensive housing.

References

1. the City – 1) Сити (исторический центр Лондона; один из крупнейших финансовых и коммерческих центров мира); 2) перен. Английский финансовый капитал, финансовая олигархия

2. Greater London – Большой Лондон (административно-территориальная единица, включает сам город и пригороды)

3. Stock Exchange – Лондонская фондовая биржа (основана в 1773 г.; современное двадцатишестиэтажное здание построено в 1970 г)

4. Speaker's Corner – «Уголок оратора» (место в Гайд-Парке, где по воскресеньям и субботам с импровизированной трибуны выступают ораторы на различные темы; в наст. вр. превратился в одну из туристических достопримечательностей Лондона)

5. Kensington Gardens – Кенсингтон-Гарденз (большой парк в Лондоне, примыкает к Гайд-Парку)

6. St. James's Park – Сент-Джеймс-парк (расположен в центральной части Лондона)

7. Buckingham Palace – Букингемский дворец (главная королевская резиденция в Лондоне с 1837 г.)

8. the Palace of Westminster – 1) Вестминстерский дворец (с середины 14 в. В нем проходят заседания парламента); 2) здание английского парламента; английский парламент

9. Whitehall – 1) Уайтхолл (улица в центральной части Лондона, на которой находятся некоторые важнейшие министерства и др. правительственные учреждения); 2) перен. английское правительство

10. Downing Street – 1) Даунинг-Стрит (небольшая улица в центральной части Лондона, на которой в доме № 10 находится лондонская резиденция премьер-министра); 2) Даунинг-Стрит, английское правительство

11. Fleet Street – 1) Флит-Стрит (улица в Лондоне, на которой находились редакции большинства крупнейших газет); 2) перен. пресса и мир журналистов

12. Harley Street – 1) Харли-Стрит (улица в Лондоне, где находятся приемные ведущих частных врачей-консультантов); 2) перен. медики, медицинский мир

13. the British Museum – Британский музей (один из крупнейших музеев мира; находится в Лондоне)

14. Bloomsbury – Блумзбери (район в центральной части Лондона, где находятся Британский музей и Лондонский университет)