В категории материалов: 962 Показано материалов: 456-490
You can reach
England either by plane, by train, by car or by ship. The
fastest way is by plane. London has three international
airports: Heathrow, the largest, connected to the city by
underground; Gatwick, south of London, with a frequent train
service; Luton, the smallest, used for charter flights.
|
The English say
«Other countries have a climate, in England we have weather*. It
happens because the weather changes more often than in other
countries. British winters are mild and springs are cool because
of the winds that blow from the Atlantic Ocean. They blow 2 days
out of every 3. |
The centre of
everything in Great Britain is the city of London. It's situated
at the centre of a vast national and international network of
communication. London consists of four main districts, which
differ from each other. These are the City, Westminster, the
West End and the East End.
|
The Tower of
London is one of the most imposing and popular of London's
historical sites. It comprises not one, but 20 towers. The
oldest of which, the White Tower, dates back to the llth century
and the time of William the Conqueror. Nowadays a lot of
tourists visit the Tower of London, because of the Tower's evil
reputation as a prison. The Tower is famous as home of the Crown
Jewels. Today they can be viewed in their new jewel house. They
include the Crown of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother which
contains the celebrated Indian diamond. |
In the 1880s a
young doctor sat waiting for new patients who never came. To
pass the time, he wrote stories about a man who was very good at
solving crimes. These stories were so popular that the doctor
decided to give up medicine and become a writer instead. The
doctor was Arthur Conan Doyle and his' creation was Sherlock
Holmes.
Holmes and his
famous friend Doctor Watson shared rooms at 221b Baker Street. |
At present the
British royal family is headed by Queen Elizabeth. When the
Queen was born on the 21st of April 1926, her grandfather, King
George V, was on the throne and her uncle was his heir. The
death of her grandfather and the abdication of her uncle brought
her father to the throne as King George VI. |
Environmental
protection is an international issue of great importance and
Great Britain pays much attention to it. There are nearly 500
000 protected buildings and 7000 conservation areas of
architecture of historical interest in Britain. The Government
supports the work of the voluntary sector in preserving the
national heritage. |
The British Isles
are the home of four nations — English, Scottish, Welsh and
Irish. Even though foreigners often call all British people
"English", and sometimes have difficulty in appreciating the
distinctions, the component nations of the United Kingdom are
well aware of their own individual characteristics.
|
There are two
large islands and several smaller ones, which lie in the
north-west coast of Europe. Collectively they are known as the
British Isles. The largest island is called Great Britain. The
smaller one is called Ireland. Great Britain is separated from
the continent by the English Channel. The country is washed by
the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Great Britain is separated
from Belgium and Holland by the North Sea, and from Ireland - by
the Irish Sea. |
The United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated on the
British Isles. The British Isles are separated from Europe by
the English Channel. The British Isles are washed by the North
Sea in the East and the Atlantic Ocean in the West. |
The
United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland covers an area of
some 244 thousand square miles. It is situated on the British
Isles. The British Isles are separated
from Europe by the Strait of Dover and the English Channel. The
British Isles are washed by the North Sea in the east and the
Atlantic Ocean in the west.
The population of
Great Britain is about 60 million. The largest cities of the
country are London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow
and Edinburgh. |
Great Britain
is
situated on islands. It is washed by seas from all sides. That's
why the climate and the nature of Great Britain is very
specific. The popular belief that it rains all the time in
Britain is simply not true. In fact, London gets no more rain in
a year than most other major European cities. Generally
speaking, the further west you go, the more rain you get.
|
The common ideas
people have about the weather in Britain are: "It rains all the
time, it's very damp"; "There's a terrible fog in London, just
like in Sherlok Holmes'...", "The sun never shines in July or
August". |
Due to the
geographic location of Great Britain the type of the climate is
oceanic. There are no extreme contrasts in temperature in
Britain because of the current of warm water flowing from the
Gulf of Mexico called the Gulf Stream. Average British
temperatures do not rise above 32°C in summer and do not fall
below -10°C in winter. |
Seven per cent of
British schoolchildren go to private schools called independent
schools.
There are 2.400
independent schools and they have been growing in number and
popularity since the mid-1980's.
Parents pay for
these schools, and fees vary from about 250 pounds a term for a
private nursery to 3.000 pounds a term or more for a secondary
boarding school. |
All state schools
in Britain are free, and schools provide their pupils with
books and equipment for their studies.
Nine
million
children attend 35.000 schools in Britain. Education is
compulsory from 5 till 16 years. Parents can choose to send
their children to a nursery school or a pre-school playgroup to
prepare them for the start of compulsory education.
Children
start
primary school at 5 and continue until they are 11. Most
children are taught together, boys and girls in the same class.
At 11 most pupils go to secondary schools called comprehensives
which accept a wide range of children from all
backgrounds and religious and ethnic groups.
|
Everyone knows
that tea is the most popular drink in Britain. It's even more
popular than coffee, which is favoured throughout Europe and
America. |
The
British have
taken good ideas from all over the world. You can eat Chinese,
Indian, Italian and Greek food in any big city. There is a
fantastic variety of restaurants.
The restaurants' best customers are business people, who meet in
them to talk business in a relaxed atmosphere away from the
telephone. They can eat what they like
because the company pays the bill. |
British religion
used to be closely connected with kings, queens and politics.
England was a Roman Catholic country until 1534.
In 1525 King
Henry VIII decided to divorce his queen, Catherine of Aragon,
because he fell in love with Anne Boleyn. But when Henry asked
the Pope for permission to divorce Catherine, he refused.
|
Pubs can be found
in every town or village. Social life for many people has
centred on the pub for many years. Opening and closing times are
decided by law. |
The United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a
constitutional monarchy. Britain does not have a written
constitution. Parliament is the most important authority in
Britain.
The monarch
serves formally as head of state. The present sovereign is Queen
Elizabeth II (the second).
The House of
Commons consists of Members of Parliament. General elections are
held every five years. Ail citizens aged 18 have the right to
vote. |
The United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a
constitutional monarchy. It means that the sovereign reigns but
does not rule.
Britain does
not
have a written constitution, but a set of laws. |
Britain is rich
in its historic places which link the present with the past. The
oldest part of London is Lud Hill, where the city is originated.
About a mile west of it there is Westminster Palace, where the
king lived and the Parliament met, and there is also Westminster
Abbey, the coronation church. Liverpool, the "city of ships", is
England's second greatest port, ranking after London. The most
interesting sight in the Liverpool is the docks. They occupy a
river frontage of seven miles. The University of Liverpool,
established in 1903, is noted for its School of Tropical
Medicine. And in the music world Liverpool is a well-known name,
for it's the home town of "The Beatles". |
Great Britain
is
rich in world-famous places. Certainly among them there are
famous university cities Oxford and Cambridge, Shakespeare's
birthplace — Stratford-upon-Avon, towns of Cardiff, Edinburgh
and Glasgow.
Stratford-upon-Avon is a small town. Its chief points of
interest are associated with Shakespeare, the greatest English
poet and playwright. Shakespeare was buried in the church at
Stratford on the banks of the Avon. |
Great Britain
is
rich in world-famous places. Certainly among them there are
famous university cities Oxford and Cambridge, Shakespeare's
birthplace — Stratford-upon-Avon, towns of Cardiff, Edinburgh,
Glasgow. |
Great Britain
is
rich in world-famous places. Hide Park is the London's largest
and most fashionable park. It was once a royal hunting forest.
There are restaurants and bars at each end of the Serpentine
lake. You can hire a boat there.
Number 10,
Downing Street has been the home of the British Prime Minister
since 1735. |
Britain is
administered from the Palace of Westminster in London. This is
also known as the Houses of Parliament. Parliament is made up of
two chambers — the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
|
This university
town is very beautiful. The oldest university there is Oxford.
The first of its colleges was founded in 1249. The university
now has thirty-five colleges and about thirteen thousand
students, many of them from other countries. |
There
were many
outstanding events in the history of Great Britain. Many
different tribes tried to control the territory of Britain.
England was added to the Roman Empire in 43 A.D. Roman invasion
played a very important role in the history of the country. The
Roman built the first roads in the country, dug the first walls.
The Romans, who were great architects, constructed the first
towns in Britain. |
The United
Kingdom (abbreviated from "The United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland") is the political name of the country
which consists of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
(sometimes known as Ulster).
Great Britain is
the name of the island which is made up of England, Scotland,
Wales, whereas the British Isles is the geographical name of all
the islands off the north-west coast of the European continent.
In everyday speech "Britain" is used to mean the United Kingdom.
|
Since the 1970's
eating habits in Britain have undergone a change. People have
been encouraged by doctors, health experts and government
advertisements to eat less fat and more fibre. Fat is believed
to be one of the major causes of obesity and heart disease.
Forty per cent of adults in Britain are overweight and Britain
has one of the highest death rates due to cardiovascular disease
in the world. Britons have also become more aware of calories,
the energy value of food. |
Traditionally
English people have three meals a day: breakfast, lunch and
dinner. Breakfast is served in the morning. It used to be a
large meal with cereal, eggs and bacon, sausages, tomatoes. But
such a large breakfast takes a long time to prepare and is not
very healthy. Nowadays, Britain's most popular breakfast
consists of cereal, toast with marmalade, juice and yogurt with
a cup of tea or coffee. |
Manchester is one
of the English most important cities. It is located in the
northern part of England, not far from Liverpool. Today the
population of Manchester is 438,000. |
London is so
large that visitors must learn to use buses and the underground
to get about. London taxis are too expensive for any but the
rich. You can get a map of the underground and the bus routes at
any ticket office. The word "Underground" across a large circle
shows you where the stations are. The London underground is
called the "tube".
Bus stops are
marked clearly. In the suburbs buses do not stop unless there
are passengers who wish to get on or off. These stops are marked
"Request Steps". |
London is the
capital of Great Britain, its political, economic and cultural
centre. It's one of the largest cities in the world. Its
population is more than million people. London is situated on
the river Thames. The city is very old and beautiful. It was
founded more than two thousand years ago. Traditionally London
is divided into several parts: the City, the West End, the East
End and Westminster. The City is the oldest part of London, its
financial and business centre. The heart of the City is the
Stock Exchange. Westminster is the most important part of the
capital. It's the administrative centre. |
|