Edinburgh

Edinburgh is the old capital of Scotland and one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. It is situated on the seven hills. From the streets, in the centre of the city you can see the ships coming to Edinburgh from different countries of the world. In the old part of the city there are narrow houses with narrow windows. The modern town is in the valley. The streets are straight and well-planned, so you can easily go about the town. The main street, Princess Street, is a mile long with beautiful houses and a monument to Walter Scott.

The Old Town dates from the 11th century and contains most of the city’s historic sites. Edinburgh is Scotland’s banking and administrative centre.

Birmingham – the Market Place

In the heart of England is a city of Birmingham. Its population is over one million.

It is the center of the iron industry and the heart of Britain’s motorway system. The district around Birmingham is called Black Country. It is the land of factories and mines. Buying and selling here has been an important part of life for more than eight hundred years. Today Birmingham is one of the biggest open-air markets and shopping centers in the UK.

Manchester

The city was founded in the Roman times. Years ago it was the centre of the cotton trade in the world. Now Manchester is the industrial capital of the Northern England. It has few ancient buildings, but few English cities can boast better parks of which there are over fifty. The largest of them is Heaton Park. Manchester is rich in libraries and schools. The University of Manchester was founded in 1880. Manchester is the fifth largest port in Great Britain though it is about 56 km away from the sea.

Stratford-on- Avon

April 23^rd is Shakespeare’s birthday and is also the day he died. Both events happened in STRATFORD-on-AVON, a small town in the centre of England. The first place visitors go to is Shakespeare's birthplace, a small house with small rooms in the centre of the town. Then the visitors can have a look at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, a big modern building. They say it’s the best stage in England.

Practice: Which place(s) have you chosen to visit? What are your reasons? What would you like to visit and see there?

Help:

Ancient – старовинний

Population – населення

Convenience – зручність

Valley – долина

Boast – хвастати

5.2. Reading: get some information from the text about the United States of America.

Text C: The USA – the COUNTRY of DIVERSITY

Capital: Washington, D.C.

Form of government: Republic.

Physical features: The longest river – Missouri; the largest lake – Michigan; the largest island – Hawaii.

Flag: Adopted on June 14, 1777.

Motto: In God We Trust.

National anthem: “The Star-spangled Banner.”

Bird: Bald Eagle.

Flower: Rose.

O beautiful for spacious skies,

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties

Above the fruited plain!

The United States of America, the USA in short, is the third largest country in the world in population, and it is the fourth largest country in area.

The USA is a federal state. It includes 50 states and the District of Columbia. The Congress is the highest legislative body in the country. It consists of two chambers: the House of Representatives and the Senate. President is the head of the state and the Government.

The United States is the greatest industrial nation in the world. Its mineral and agricultural resources are tremendous. It's the world's largest producer of electrical and nuclear energy.

The USA is a country of great differences. The country is blessed with a wealth of natural beauty. A traveller from almost any part of the world will find in the USA an area that can match anything he will meet at home. To imagine it well, read some lines about its rivers.

The Mississippi is one of the world’s great rivers (6,400 kilometers); it was known to American Indians as the “father of waters.” Other important rivers are the Yukon in Alaska, the Rio Grande, the Columbia, which rises in western Canada and continues in the United States for about 1,900 kilometers west of the Rocky Mountains; and the Colorado, which begins in the Rocky Mountains. For 342 of its kilometers the Colorado flows through the magnificent Grand Canyon, carved through the ages by the river's waters. Other well-known rivers include the Hudson, which meets the Atlantic Ocean at New York City; the Potomac, bordering the national capital at Washington; and the Ohio, which flows west from the Appalachian Mountains to meet the Mississippi.

One can speak much about the USA, a new state on the map of the world. More than two-hundred history of it is rich in excitement and drama: the transformation of an untamed land into a mighty industrial power; the growth of a basically English colony into a complex multiethnic society. There have been moments of triumph and sadness, but throughout there also has been remarkable faithfulness to the democratic ideals proclaimed at the moment of the nation’s birth.

Washington

Washington called after George Washington, the first President of the United States, is the capital of the United States. It is situated on the Potomac River. It is the District of Columbia. This district does not belong to any one state but to all the states. The district is named in honour of Columbus, who discovered America.

Specially planned and built as a national capital, Washington was laid out by French architect in the 18th century. It is not as large as New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit or Los Angeles. It has a population of over 900,000 people. Washington is one-industry town. That industry is government. It produces only scrap paper. Every day twenty-five railway cars leave Washington loaded with scrap-paper.

The capital is famous for its historical places. Among the largest and tallest buildings is the Capitol with its great Hall of Representatives and Senate Chamber. There are no sky-scrapers in Washington because no other building must be taller than the Capitol. The White House is the President's residence. All American presidents except George Washington had lived in the White House. It was built in 1799. In 1814, during the war with England, the White House was burnt down. After the war the remains of the building were whitewashed. Since that time the residence of the American presidents has been always painted white.

A city of great beauty and a center of world affairs, it is also a leading cultural centre.