England. London

The name of the country whose language I study is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is situated on the British Isles. The British Isles consist of the Islands of Great Britain and Ireland and many small islands. The island of Great Britain consists of England, Scotland and Wales. The capital of the country is London.

A few words about what England is associated with when we think or talk about it. It is the largest country of Great Britain. The capital of England is London but there are other large industrial cities, such as Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and other famous and interesting cities such as York, Chester, Oxford – the home of the oldest university of England, the most famous college is Christ Church, it has a great hall which was built during the reign of Henry VIII and its chapel has become the Cathedral of Oxford. And Cambridge – the home of Britain’s second oldest university. Stonehenge is one of the most famous prehistoric place in the world. This ancient circle of stones stands in Southwest England. It measured 80 meters across and made with massive blocks of stone up to four meters high. Why it was built is a mystery. Not far from Stonehenge stands Salisbury Cathedral. It is a splendid example of an English Gothic Cathedral; inside there is one of four copies of Magna Charta the oldest clock in England

But first it is London, the capital of Great Britain. It’s one of the largest cities in the world (together with Tokyo and New York) and the Largest city in Europe. Its population is about 8 million. Frankly speaking many true Londoners say that London contains all the essence of England and of all Britain. The best view of London is on Waterloo Bridge over the river Thames, on a rainy day. The shapes of the great city are softened in the English mist. Everybody wants to visit this great and ancient city. It was founded by Romans many centuries ago, in 43 A.D. and was called Londinium. In 61 A.D. the town was burnt down and when it was rebuilt by the Romans it was surrounded by a wall. That area within the wall is now called the City of London. London is situated on the river Thames. Traditionally it is divided into several parts: the City, Westminster, the West End and the East End. There are many places of interest in London: the City, the commercial and business centre of the capital which contains the Bank of England, the Stock Exchange (Лондонская фондовая биржа) , the Old Bailey (центральный уголовный суд в Олд-Бейли), and the head offices of numerous companies and corporations. Two masterpieces are situated within the City: St. Paul’s Cathedral - the greatest of English churches that is situated not far from the Tower and the Tower of London which was first the fortress, then a prison and now it is a museum (it was built by William the Conqueror who conquered England in 1066. He was crowned at Westminster Abbey), the Tower of London is the place where queens and courtiers and many people of great value met their death by strangulation or by an executioner’s axe. St. Paul’s Cathedral was built in the 11^th century, it was used as a fortress, a palace and a prison, now it’s a museum. It is also the Covent Garden Opera House, Madam Tussaud’s Museum with hundreds wax models of famous people. You can go along the Embankment or through the busy Strand. Westminster is the aristocratic official part of London. It includes Buckingham palace – the residence of the English kings and queens and The Houses of Parliament stretching nearly 1000 feet along the north of the Thames. The Clock of the Houses of Parliament is famous for its big hour bell, known as “Big Ben”. Westminster Abbey is the place where coronation of nearly all kings and queens has taken place. Many of them are buried here as well as some other famous people of the country (G. Chaucer, Tennyson, Newton, Ch. Dickens, N. Hardy, R. Kipling and others). The Strand leads to the Trafalgar Square where Admiral Nelson is perched high on the top of the Nelson Column. Four bronze lions are guarding the monument. The West End is the richest and most beautiful part London. It is a symbol of wealth and luxury. The best hotels, restaurants, shops, clubs, parks and houses are situated there. English aristocracy lives in the region. One of the busiest streets in the west End is Oxford street. Trafalgar Square is the geographical centre of London. It was named in the memory of Admiral Nelson’s Column stand s in the middle of the square. Opposite the Nelson monument is the National Portrait Gallery. They contain the finest art collection in the world. Not far from the National Gallery is the British Museum with its greatest library in the world (about 7,000,000 books). The Whitehall is the wide avenue where government buildings are centered, among them the Foreign Office, the Treasury, the parade area of the Royal Horse Gaurds, the old Whitehall Palace where king Charles I was beheaded and just a few paces off the main avenue – the modest Prime Minister’s residence at №10 Downing Street. The East End is an industrial district of London. There are many factories and the Port of London there. The region is densely populated by working class families, those people who have built the palaces of the West End. Old residents of the East End are proud to be called cockneys which means true Londoners, hereditary inhabitants of the area. They love the district very much.

The United Kingdom has a very interesting political system. Great Britain is a Parliamentary Monarchy. The head of the state is the Queen, Elizabeth the Second. Her power is limited by the Parliament which consists of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The real power belongs to the House of Commons. The House of Lords is a traditional institution. There are two leading political parties there: the Labour Party and the Conservative Party. The name of Margaret Thatcher – the Prime Minister of Great Britain – is known all over the world (about M. T.)

The educational system is as follows: there are state and private schools, colleges and Universities there. Just like in our country at present. Everybody knows the most famous and old Universities in the world: Oxford and Cambridge Universities. Many famous Englishmen studied there.

British literature is one of the most famous in the world too. The names of William Shakespeare, Robert Burns, George Byron are known to everybody. Shakespeare’s tragedies Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and others are very popular with the public. Walter Scott wrote the first historical novels. Lewis Carroll wrote Alice in Wonderland. Children all over the world like this book.

The flag of Great Britain called the Union Jack, is made of three crosses.

English food is also worth mentioning. They have three meals a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner, and of course traditional English 5 o’clock tea. English people eat eggs with bacon and tomatoes, toasts with marmalade, they drink juice, tea, tea with milk and coffee. Some people say that English food is boring and tasteless, foreigners say that it is fish and chips.

A few words about English climate. It is very changeable but on the whole it is mild and wet. It is influenced by the warm Gulf Stream. England is a green country, every family has it’s own large or small garden. England is famous for its beautiful parks and gardens.

I am sure that in some years I shall go to England and I know what places to visit and what to see there. I want to see everything, to go everywhere, and to see all from close quarters. That will be what I’ll come there for.