|
LONDON
I want to tell you about London. London is the capital of
Britain. It was founded in 55 ВС1 by Romans. This city is
Britain's political, economic and cultural centre. London has
three big parts: the City, the West End and the East End. The
City of London is a big business centre. After the Great Fire of
1666 the City was rebuilt, and since then the City has become a
centre of commerce, finance, and trade.
The West End of London has many historic places and places of
interest. The East End is the poorest district in London with
piers, warehouses and slums.
Piccadilly Circus is the heart of London. On special occasions
many people come to the statue of Eros in the centre of the
Circus. St.Paul's Cathedral is Sir Christopher Wren's creation.
It contains a lot of paintings, sculptures and other works of
art.
The Houses of Parliament are the building in which Parliament
sits. Big Ben, the famous clock, is situated there. Westminster
Abbey is one of the most popular cathedrals. A lot of famous
people are buried inside: Queen Elizabeth I, Isaac Newton,
Charles Darwin, Wlliam Shakespeare, Charles Dickens and many
others.
London has a number of royal palaces. Buckingham Palace is one
of them. It has been the residence of British kings and queens
for ages. When Queen Elizabeth is at home the flag is above the
palace.
Trafalgar Square is famous for the tall monument in the centre
of it. The monument, which is called Nelson's Column, was built
to commemorate the Battle of Trafalgar and to honour Admiral
Nelson. The National Gallery, which is situated near the square,
contains the national collection of Western European painting.
The British Museum is one of the biggest museums in the world.
It was founded in 1753 by an act of Parliament. In 1857 the
famous Reading Room was built in the museum. There are a lot of
artifacts and pieces of art on display at the museum. There is a
big clock exhibition, the Egyptian Sculpture Gallery.
But still one of the most famous museums in London is Madam
Tussaud's Museum, which has a great collection of wax figures.
The museum consists of several galleries where visitors can see
wax figures of presidents, pop-stars, football players, film
stars, musicians and other outstanding people.
The Tower of London is the oldest building in the city built in
the 11th century. It used to be a prison, a fortress, a palace,
a treasury and even a zoo. The oldest part of the Tower is the
White tower. Most of the public displays are in the White Tower
nowadays. They include a big collection of armour, jewels and
clothes. Twelve black ravens live in the Tower of London. There
is a legend that England will be prosperous till the ravens live
behind the Tower walls. If one of the ravens dies, it is
replaced by another.
One of the London sites is Tower Bridge. This is a bridge across
the Thames built because of the need for an open waterway for
large ships.
London is an educational centre, too. From all over the world
students come to the University of London, the largest
university in England. London is also a cultural centre. There
are more than forty theatres in the West End of London.
London is also a big shopping centre. It has many cheap and
expensive shops of different kinds, so visitors can find
anything in them. Harrods is one of the most famous and most
expensive shops in the world. Famous people including the Royal
Family buy things there.
London is really a great city. I would love to visit it one day.
1 ВС (Before Christ) — до нашей эры
Vocabulary:
armour ['а:тэ] оружие
be buried [bi: 'bend] быть захороненным
be dedicated to [bi: 'dedikeitid] быть посвященным кому-либо/
чему-либо
clock exhibition ['kfok^ksfbif^n] выставка часов
commemorate [ka'memareit] чтить память
commerce [kt>m3:s] коммерция
contain [kan'tem] содержать
creation [kn'eif(3)n] создание
fortress ['fo:tns] крепость
honour ['юпэ] почитать
jewel [d3ual] драгоценность
masterpiece ['ma:st3pi:s] шедевр
monument ['mtmjumant] памятник
occasion [эке1з(э)п] событие
open waterway ['3up(3)n'wo:t3wei] открытый водныйпуть
pier [рю] пирс
poorest district ['puaras'distnkt] беднейший район
prison ['pnzn] тюрьма
prosperous ['pn)sp(3)r3s] процветающий
public display ['рлЬпк dis'plei] всеобщее обозрение
raven ['rervn] ворон
replace [n'pleis] заменять, подменять
sit [sit] зд. заседать
slum [sLvm] трущобы
the Middle Ages [,midreid3iz] средние века
trade [treid] торговля
treasury ['tre3(a)n] сокровищница
warehouse ['weahaus] товарный склад
wax figure [waeks'figa] восковая фигура
Questions:
1. What is London?
2. When was the city founded?
3. How many parts does London consist of and what are they?
4. What places of interest are there in the city centre?
5. Why are the Houses of Parliament famous?
6. What is Buckingham Palace famous for?
7. What art galleries and museums are there in the city?
8. Why can London be called a cultural and educational centre?
9. Is London a shopping centre? Why (not)?
|
|
Помощь:
1. Прослушать
произношение слова и перевод на
howjsay.com .
Направление перевода выберите один раз из списка, в дальнейшем
оно сохранится. Для многократного повторения подводите стрелку
мышки к выделенному слову в колонке слева.
2. Правила
чтения слов
смотрите здесь.
3. Подробный
перевод в словаре
Мультитран. (В часы
перегрузок Интернета работает медленно, но словарь хороший.) |