Text 3 Bath, Stonehenge and Salisbury

I Read and translate the text. Use a dictionary if necessary.

The ancient monument of Stonehenge. 5,000 years ago these huge 40-ton rocks were dragged to the lonely, windy plain of Salisbury Hill, and their secrets continue to tantalize and intrigue scholars and visitors to this day. Was Stonehenge a religious temple, an astronomical clock, or a Bronze Age burial ground?

Salisbury. Here you can visit probably the finest medieval cathedral in Britain. The spire of Salisbury Cathedral – the tallest in England at 123m (404ft) – soars to the heavens, and marked a revolution in cathedral architecture when it was built 800 years ago. In the Chapter House, you will see the Magna Carta, the famous agreement made between King John and his barons at Runnymede in 1215.

Bath. Standing on the slopes of the River Avon, the honey-coloured Georgian terraces have enchanted visitors and residents alike for centuries. During your panoramic tour of Bath you'll appreciate why this is – its beautifully propor­tioned crescents and lovingly cultivated flower beds – a testament to the vision of its 18th century planners, and it's no surprise that this was the first city in England to be designated a World Heritage Site. It owes its history to the hot spring water that gave the city its name, from time immemorial rising 3 km underground and gushing forth at a constant temperature of 46 ºC. According to the legend, this hot water cured the ancient British King Bladud of leprosy. This unique resource still flows through the ruins of the magnificent temple and bath house built by the Romans nearly 2000 years ago. There'll also be time to explore the «lantern of the West» – Bath Abbey – where the first British King was crowned in 973 AD, and see the much photographed Pulteney Bridge, modelled on the Florentine Ponte Vecchio. During the tour you can visit the Roman Baths that made the city famous, the best preserved Roman Spa from the ancient world, but then tantalizingly hidden from view until the 1870's.

Runnymede. Here King John was forced to seal the Magna Carta in June 1215.

II Answer the questions:

1 What is Stonehenge associated with?

2 What can you tell about the finest medieval cathedral of Salisbury?

3 What can you see in the Chapter House?

4 What is the first city in England?

5 The Roman Baths and Roman Spa made the city famous, didn’t they?

III Make up dialogues on the topic:

1 Visiting Mysterious Stonehenge.

2 Visiting Roman Bath and Roman Spa.

Text 4 Oxford, Stratford and Warwick Castle

I Read and translate the text. Use a dictionary if necessary.

Stratford-upon-Avon. This delightful market town at the edge of the Forest of Arden was the birthplace of the world's best-known writer, William Shakespeare. You have opportunity to visit his actual birthplace, a half-timbered house that has been carefully furnished to recreate the interiors as they might have looked during his childhood in the 1570s.

Warwick Castle. Here you will be welcomed by a medieval charac­ter and given an introduction to the 1,000 years of history that you are about to ex­perience, before exploring the castle on your own. You don't just visit Britain's Greatest Mediaeval Experience, you live it! On the banks of the River Avon, bursting with tales of treachery and torture, passion and power and above all fascinating peo­ple, times and events, Warwick Castle is so much more than simply a castle. Amongst the imposing towers and ramparts, experience preparations for battle, you can feel the weight of a sword, get a soldier's eye view from beneath a battle helmet, see lavishly decorated State Rooms and watch the preparations for a Victorian party.

Oxford. Truly a journey through another world as you stroll around the «City of Dreaming Spires», home to the world's most famous university. Its colleges date back to the 13th century. For over 900 years Oxford has been a home to royalty and scholars, and since the 9^th century an established town. Enjoy a gentle walking tour through narrow alleys and ancient squares where time stands still. Visit a typical Oxford college – one of over 30 colleges.

Christ Church. This is the grandest college of them all, Christ Church. Many of the scenes in the Harry Potter feature films were shot in various locations of the college and the Great Hall was replicated in the film studios to create Hogwart's Hall.

II Prepare additional information about Shakespeare and his birthplace.

III Give some information about Oxford University.

UNIT II TRAVELLING TO FRANCE

PARIS

I Read and make the plan of the text.

If Paris is undeniably the center of French civilization, it is also in many ways the center of the Continent. Perhaps more than any other city, its history has been Europe’s history; the culture it has dictated, Europe’s culture and thanks to the long arm of Occidental influence world culture.

The Gallo-Roman burg of Lutetia Parisorum sprang into existence in 52 BC, on a site blessed by the fertile confluence of Seine and Marne and surrounded by hills facilitating its defense. By the year 360 it had changed its name to Paris and become influent enough to host the crowning of Julian as Emperor.

In the 12th century Paris already belonged to France and Europe as much as to its own burghers.

As commerce, craft, and consequently, construction boomed, Notre-Dame established the city as a leader in Gothic architecture. Paris became an international center for students, monks and teachers, resulting in the founding of the University of Paris in 1215 and of the Sorbonne in 1257.

Paris was now established as the cultural center of Europe, until the Hundred Year’s War in which Joan of Arc offered thanks to Saint-Denis at his basilica – froze its expansion.

The intense construction (e.g., Saint Eustache and Louvre additions) and refined civilization of the Renaissance, under Francis I, broke this stasis. The 16^th century was also a time of religious violence and political turmoil, exemplified by Catherine de Medici’s massacre of Protestants (primarily in Paris, on Saint Bartholomew’s Day, 1572), Henry III’s flight from Paris, and Henry IV’s return and proclamation that «Paris deserves a Mass».

The Bloody Revolution put an end to the privileges of the kings of France, beginning in 1789 with the sack of the Bastille, and Modern Europe was born.

Napoleon came, and centralized France and his empire around the capital, enriching Paris with the spoils of war. But it was his nephew Napoleon III, with his prefect and city planner, Baron Haussmann, who shaped modern Paris more than anyone else.

Revolution, sacks and frequent changes of government continued to rock Paris throughout the 19^th century, but didn’t prevent the city from renewing its place as cultural center of Europe.

The city was also a center for technology and sports: by the turn of the century, Mr. Eiffel’s Tower (1887–89) shocked the world at the Fair, and Paris opened its Metro (1899) and hosted the Olympic Games (1900).

Today Paris remains uniquely central to Europe and the world.

II Look at the words in bold and try to explain them.

III Make up questions to the text.

IV Complete the sentences using the text.

1 If Paris is undeniably the center of French civilization ….. .

2 By the year 360 it had changed its name to Paris and …. .

3 As commerce, craft, and consequently, construction boomed, Paris became an …. .

4 The University of Paris was founded … and the Sorbonne …. .

5 The 16^th century was …. .

6 …. put an end to the privileges of the kings of France.

7 Napoleon came …. .

8 ….. continued to rock Paris throughout the 19^th century.

9 The city was also a center for …. .

10 Today ….. .

V Read the advertisement of the tour to Paris and try to make your own presentation.

See the Champs-Elysees, bounded by the Arc de Triomphe and Place de la Concorde. Take the lift up the Eiffel Tower for truly spectacular views of Paris. Visit Notre-Dame, «Our Lady of Paris», on the banks of the River Seine, and the world’s greatest art gallery, the Louvre, home to the Mona Lisa. Paris also offers many more famous monuments, museums and galleries, the chance for an outstanding dining experience, and excellent boutique shopping.

VI Translate into English:

1 Франция – государство в Западной Европе. Ее берега омывают Атлантический океан, Средиземное море, Северное море, проливы Ла-Манш и Па-де-Кале. Франция граничит с Бельгией, Люксембургом и Германией на северо-востоке, со Швейцарией на востоке, Италией на юго-востоке и Испанией на юге. Территория страны составляет 551 500 км²; не считая России, это самое крупное государство в Европе. Его населяют 54 миллиона жителей. Столица страны – Париж. Франция имеет богатую и интересную историю и была центром многих важных событий.

2 Франция – член ЕЭС, и граждане других стран-членов этого союза могут посещать ее без виз. Но кроме них страну ежегодно посещает множество людей из более далеких стран, чтобы любоваться ее памятниками, загорать и купаться на средиземноморских пляжах, кататься на горных лыжах в Альпах; одним словом, чтобы отдохнуть в стране с богатейшими традициями и прекрасной природой.

UNIT III TRAVELLING TO AUSTRIA

Text 1 VIENNA

I Read and translate the text. Use a dictionary if necessary.

The capital city of Austria, Vienna is also one of the country’s nine Bundesländer (federal states) – the smallest in area but the largest in population. Modern Vienna has undergone several historical incarnations. It was the seat of the Holy Roman Empire, the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a part of Hitler’s «Greater» Germany, when Vienna became «Greater» Vienna, reflecting the Nazi revision of the city limits. In the decade following World War II, Austria was occupied by British, French, American and Soviet forces, and Vienna was divided into five zones. In 1955 the State Treaty, by which the country regained independence, was signed with the four occupying powers, and Vienna became once again the capital of a sovereign Austria.

Vienna is among the least spoiled of the great old western European capitals. In a city renowned for its architecture, many of Vienna’s urban prospects remain basically those devised over several centuries by imperial gardeners and architects. It is still possible to live in Vienna at almost the same pace and in much the same style as it was a century ago. The same music is played in the same rebuilt music halls, and a theatrical or operatic success still stimulates lively conversation. One can drink the same sourish local wines in the taverns on the outskirts of town and sample the same infinite varieties if coffee in countless cafés. Thick woolen suits and overcoats in shades of green, gray or brown loden cloth and colourful dirndl dresses are still the fashion. It is even possible for tourists and for others on festive occasions to ride in a traditional fiacre, the two-horse carriage driven by a bowler-hated coachman.

Austria’s capital has avoided many of the problems – financial crises, social unrest, and urban decay – that afflict other European cities. Its people enjoy an enlightened health and welfare system, which originated in the reforms of Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Joseph II in the 18^th century. A city of green parks with ponds, cafés, and playing bands; opulent stores and elegant shopping streets; banks, bookshops, and crowded theatres; and boulevards for leisurely sauntering – Vienna is an invigorating distillation of human energy and imagination.

II Answer the questions:

1 What are historical incarnations of Vienna?

2 What role did the city play for Hitler’s Nazi Germany?

3 Why is Vienna considered to be the least spoiled of the great old western Europeans countries?

4 Is it possible to face the same style as it was a century ago? Why?

5 What are the results of Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Joseph II’s reforms?

III Say whether these statements are true or false.

Useful expressions: In my opinion …; I think (that) …; As far as I know (remember) …; I am sure that …; I (fully) agree (that) …; From what I know …; It’s (absolutely) true that … .

I am afraid it is false (that) …; I don’t think …; I am not quite sure (that) …; I (fully) disagree that …; It’s (absolutely) wrong …; I am sure it is false that … because … .

A The capital of Austria has remained unchanged for many centuries.

B Vienna was a seat of the Holy Roman Empire and the capital of the Austro–Hungarian Empire.

C Austria didn’t support Hitler’s Nazi Germany.

D Vienna was greatly changed with the course of time.

E Austria’s capital, Vienna, has avoided many of the problems that afflict other European cities.