St Paul's Cathedral is one of the most famous buildings in the world, and it is also one of the greatest survivors! There was once a Roman temple on the site, dedicated to the goddess Diana.

Samuel Johnson said two centuries ago, "He who is tired of London, is tied of life." London has everything you could possibly want out of life ... if you plan it well.

Madam Tussaud's is the most popular and talked about wax museum in the world. There are wax models of the famous and infamous, both living and dead, from every walk of life.

In Washington, DC, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is a very special address. It's the address of the White House, the home of the President of the United States. Originally the White House was grey and was called the Presidential Palace.

Although New York is not the capital of the United States (and not even of New York State), it is the biggest and most important city of the country. Situated at the mouth of the deep Hudson River, it has always been the gateway to the USA.

People who come to New York by sea are greeted by the Statue of Liberty. It has become a symbol of the city (if not of the whole country) and an expression of freedom to people all over the world.

The first European explorer who saw Manhattan Island was Giovanni da Verrazano, an Italian merchant who was in the service of the French king, Francis I. The date was April, 1524.

If you go to Australia it will seem to you rather an upside-down world. The seasons are the other way round. Summer is from December to February, autumn from March to May, winter from June to August, and spring from September to November.

Canada is the second largest country in the world. It covers the northern part of North America and its total area is 9,975,000 square kilometres. Canada's only neighbour is the USA.

The death of the book has been predicted for centuries. There were those who thought that the invention of printing heralded the end of civilisation. Cinema, radio and television have all been presented as the murderers of our most treasured cultural icon.

In 1949, an American actor Sam Wanamaker came to London and decided to visit the site of the famous Globe Theatre where Shakespeare had staged his plays. All he found, however, was a plaque on the wall of a brewery: "Here stood the Globe Playhouse of Shakespeare".

Robert Burns was born in 1759 and was the eldest of 7 children, growing up in a life of poverty and hard farm work. His father made sure that his sons were well educated and employed a private tutor to teach them English, French, Latin, and even Philosophy.

We decided to have a special cele­bration of Mother's Day. We thought it a fine idea. It made us realise how much Mother had done for us for years, and all the efforts and sacrifices that she had made for our sake.

Мark Twain is one of America's most famous authors. He wrote many books, IVI including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry A * * Finn.

Michelangelo Buonarroti was one of the most famous artists in history. He was a painter, a sculptor, an architect, and a poet. He created some of the world's most beautiful and most famous paintings and statues.

Willliam Hogarth (1697-1764), was a great English painter and engraver, who is famous for his portrayals of human weaknesses. He was born in London. His father was a schoolmaster.

Have you ever seen a painting that puzzled you? Perhaps you could not see anything "real" or "natural" in it. Perhaps it seemed a jumble of lines and colours. You were probably looking at an example of abstract art.

Pablo Picasso was bom in Spain in 1881 and lived for 91 years. For most of his life he lived in Paris, France. When he died his mansion was turned into Museum Picasso, where his art can be seen today.

Ludwig van Beethoven is one of the greatest composers who has ever lived. He was born in Bonn, Germany, in 1770. His father and grandmother were court musicians

The theatre has always been very strong in Britain. Its center is, of course, London, where successful plays can sometimes run without a break for many years. But every large town in the country has its theatres.

He seems to be the all-power wizard and a cinematic magician for us. His films make us scream with laughter or shiver with horror. The son of a computer scientist and a gifted pianist, Spielberg spent his early childhood in New Jersey and, later, Arizona.

He certainly knows what he wants. At the age of six, he decided he wanted to be an actor. When he was seven, he tried to get an agent. The agent said he should change his name because it was too Italian.

The invention that swept the world and changed leisure habits for countless millions was pioneered by Scottish-born electrical engineer John Logie Baird. It had been realised for some time that light could be converted into electrical impulses, making it possible to transmit such impulses over a distance and then reconvert them into light.

Every plant, animal and person has genes. They are passed on from generation to generation. They make sure that humans give birth to humans or cows give birth to cows. They also make sure that a pig cannot give birth to a frog, or a horse to a dog.

Children and grown-ups are doing it. Skiers and ice hockey players are doing it. Athletes and acrobats are doing it. What is "it"? In-line skating! In-line roller skates are more and more popular.

Snowboarding is the fastest-growing winter sport. It's catching on all over the world and is now included in the Olympic Games. Did we say sport? Snowboarding is also a way of life, with its own equipment, style, music, clothing and even language.

Think of your favourite sport. Whatever it is, there is a good chance that it was first played in Britain, and an even better chance that its modern rules were first codified in Britain.

Baseball is America's most popular sport. In a baseball game there are two teams of nine players. Players must hit a ball with a bat and then run around four bases. A player who goes around all the bases scores a run for his team.

Every nation and every country has its own customs and traditions. In Britain traditions play a more important part in people's life than in other countries. The British are proud of their traditions and carefully keep them up.

The British and tea are inseparable. 8 out of 10 people in Britain drink tea every day and Britain imports about 20% of all the world's tea. Tea makes up about half of all that a British person drinks. Tea has even played a part in British literature and history.

One of the most striking features of British life is the self-discipline and courtesy of people of all classes. There is little noisy behaviour, and practically no loud disputing in the street.

Halloween Hey, hey, for Halloween! Then the witches shall be seen, Some in black, and some in green, Hey, hey, for Halloween! You should be very careful on the night of October 31.

Most European countries "celebrate" April 1st in some strange way, either by mocking the simple-minded or honouring the fool. Most of the tricks played on this day are far from original, and many have been used so often that they have become traditional.

American holidays are strikingly different in origin and show surprising similarities in the manner of their celebration. No matter what the holiday's origin is, they all seem to be the same thing.