Madam Tussaud’s ['mædəm 'tjHsou]
Practice the pronunciation of the following words:
politician ["pOli'tiSn], misfortune [mis'fLtSən], century ['sentSəry], changed [tSeinGd], image ['imiG], plague [pleig], church [tSWtS], ancient ['einSənt], recommend ["rekə'mend], heart [hRt], conqueror ['kOŋkərə], jewel ['GHəl], monarchy ['mOnəki], guard [gRd], tomb [tHm], buried ['berid], isles [ailz], reign, [rein] highest ['haiist], column ['kOləm], statue ['stætjH], fountain ['fauntin], portrait ['pLtrit], masterpiece ['mRstəpJs], unique [ju'nJk], adult ['ædəlt], museum [mjH'ziəm].
Read and translate the text “ London”
A famous English politician once said about the English capital: “It’s a nation, not a city”. And it’s really true, as one can see all the history of the nation through the history of London.
London is 2000 years old and had been founded many years before the first Roman invasion. The first name of the city was Londinium. It was founded on the river Thames, the location of the city being very comfortable and in the course of time a small village turned into a big important city.
Two great misfortunes in the 17th century changed the image of London completely: the Great Plague (1665) killed about 1/5 of the population, and the Great Fire (1666) destroyed 3000 houses and almost all the churches.
Modern London was founded on the place of two ancient cities London and Westminster. Now the territory of the English capital is about 5 thousand square kilometers with the population of more than 8 million people. Traditionally London is divided into three parts: The City, the West End and the East End.
The City is the financial and business centre of London and occupies the territory of about 2.6 square kilometers. Less than 6000 people live there but about half a million people come to work there every morning. Numerous banks and big companies have their head offices there. You can also find the Stock Exchange, the Bank of England, the Old Bailey and the Mansion House there.
The West End is the richest and the most beautiful part of London. The best shops, hotels, restaurants, clubs and department stores are situated there. There are a lot of museums, galleries, concert halls, cinemas and theatres. In the West End you can find wonderful parks and squares. It is in the West End where the University of London is located with Bloomsbury as a students quarter.
The East End is a poorer district but it is developing fast. There are a lot of factories, plants and docks there. It is a working part of London but it is becoming the leading international financial centre with its high quality modern offices, shops, restaurants, hotels, sports and exhibition centres.
If you come to London for the first time and don’t know where to go, any guide would recommend you to begin with the heart of the capital – the City and Westminster. Let’s start with the Tower of London, which is situated there. This is the most ancient building in London. It was founded in the 11th century by William the Conqueror, who was French and built the White Tower to live in and defend himself and his people from the English. Over the centuries the Tower of London has been a fortress, a royal palace, an observatory, an arsenal and a state prison. Now it is a museum. It is a home of the Crown Jewels, which are used by the Queen and her family today. The ravens are one of the most famous sights of the Tower of London. According to the legend if the ravens leave the Tower, the monarchy will fall. That’s why for over 900 years these birds have been guarding the Tower of London. All the ravens have names and the Raven Master gives them food.
To the east of the Tower you can see a bridge over the Thames. It’s a Tower Bridge. We should say that the river Thames has always been the part of London’s history. Londoners call this river Father of London. There are about 30 bridges across the Thames, but Tower Bridge is the biggest and the most beautiful.
No tourist would like to leave London without visiting Westminster Abbey. It is one of the most remarkable examples of the early English Gothic Style. It is impressive in appearance and size. The Abbey is famous for the Poets’ Corner with the tombs and memorials of many British poets and writers such as Chaucer, Shakespeare, Burns, Byron, Dickens, Kipling and others. Such great scientists as Darwin, Faraday and Newton are also buried there. Westminster Abbey is associated with the history of not only London but of all the British Isles.
The Houses of Parliament is the seat of the British government. The Clock Tower, which is called Big Ben after Sir Benjamin Hall, is known for its clock. It’s one of the finest timekeepers in the world. Big Ben has become the symbol of London.
London is known as the home of the oldest monarchy in Europe. Buckingham Palace is the official residence of the British royal family in London. When the flag is on the top of the Palace it means that the Queen is at home. Every day at 11.30 you can see the beautiful ceremony of the Changing of the Guard. In front of Buckingham Palace there is Queen Victoria Memorial. Her reign was the longest in British history. The Palace is very big, there are about 600 rooms in it.
Not far from Buckingham Palace there is Trafalgar Square. The highest point here is the column with a statue of Admiral Lord Nelson. Four bronze lions look at the square and two fountains make the square especially beautiful.
Behind Trafalgar Square there’s the National Portrait Gallery, which has portraits of almost every famous British man or woman – artists, writers, inventors, politicians. Next to it there is the National Gallery. It contains more than 2200 masterpieces from the 13th to 20th century. These pictures belong to the public and admission is free.
As any other old city London has got many churches. One of the most famous and absolutely unique is St. Paul’s Cathedral. It is a masterpiece of Sir Christopher Wren. He built it after the Great Fire, which completely destroyed it. It took Christopher Wren 35 years to reconstruct this fine building. St. Paul’s is one of the largest Cathedrals in the world.
If you love visiting museums, London is the right place to go. The most outstanding one is the British Museum. Here you can see the works of man from prehistory to the present day. Sherlock Holmes Museum attracts both children and adults. It is situated in famous Baker Street. Another interesting museum, which is also at Baker Street, is Madam Tussaud’s. It has life-size wax figures of famous people, both living and dead.
The British capital is the center of theatres and concert halls. There are a lot of them in London: the Royal Opera House, Royal Albert Hall, etc.
Londoners enjoy their parks and gardens, as London is very rich in them. Maybe the most famous one is Hyde Park , which used to be a royal hunting garden and now is the best place to have rest, walk or listen to the orators at the Speaker’s Corner. Among the other famous parks one can mention St. James’s Park, Kensington Gardens and of course Regent’s Park with the London Zoo.
So, London is an unusual city, where the great and the small, the old and the new are side by side. And there is always something new to be discovered, some curious piece of the history to be investigated.
Answer the questions:
1. What is London?
2. When was London founded?
3. Where is London situated?
4. What is the population of London?
5. What is the most ancient building of the City?
6. How old is it? What is it famous for?
7. What are the most famous sights of London?
8. How many bridges are there across the Thames?
9. What is the seat of the British government?
10. Where does the Royal Family live?
11. What ceremony can we see in front of Buckingham Palace?
12. What is the heart of London?
13. What galleries and museums of London do you know?
14. Who was the architect of St. Paul’s Cathedral?
Read the texts about some London sights
A. St. Paul’s Cathedral is near the middle of the City. It is one of the finest churches in Europe. From far away you can see the huge dome with a golden ball and a cross on the top.
Old St. Paul’s, that stood on the same site, was destroyed by the Great Fire of 1666. The present Cathedral was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and was being built for 35 years. The Cathedral contains monuments and memorials to many national heroes, among them the Duke of Wellington and Lord Nelson, Sir John Moore and Sir Christopher Wren. The interior of the Cathedral is very beautiful.
After looking round you can climb 236 steps to the Whispering Gallery, which is inside the dome. It is called so because if one whispers close to the wall on one side of the hall, a person with his ear close to the wall on the other side can hear what is said. If you want to reach the foot of the ball, you have to climb 637 more steps. Outside we have a magnificent view of London.
This jewel of London was chosen by Prince Charles and Princess Diana for their wedding in 1981.
B. Piccadilly is a fine street not far from Hyde Park. Piccadilly Circus is a dynamic and picturesque place with a happy and lively atmosphere. For centuries Piccadilly has been the heart of London’s West End. Piccadilly Circus is one of the busiest places in London. The Underground station “Piccadilly Circus”, its shops and newsstands are used by over 150,000 people a day. Piccadilly is a fashionable shopping centre. People come here to the shops in the daytime, and at night they come for a night out. It is the centre of nightlife in the West End.
Five important streets meet at Piccadilly Circus. The cars, the tourist coaches, the red London buses, and the black taxis go round its famous fountain with a statue. It’s not a statue of a famous man or woman. It is the statue of Eros, the Greek god of love, which attracts crowds of tourists. This is one of the most popular meeting points of London. There are a number of theatres and cinemas in the streets around Piccadilly Circus, so this part of London is generally called «Theatreland».
MY FUTURE PROFESSION
Learn the following words and expressions:
training – обучение
a skill – умение
to respect – уважать
involve – включать, вовлекать
independent – независимый
to choose – выбирать
to exist – существовать
to follow – следовать
an advice – совет
to decide – решать
to leave school – заканчивать школу
to evaluate – оценивать
moreover – более того
an ability – способность
a use – применение
own – собственный
as for me – что касается меня
to make а choice – делать выбор
vital – жизненно важный
constant – постоянный
a stream – вереница, поток
a decision – решение
that’s why – вот почему
a challenge – вызов
a flash – вспышка
to aim – ставить своей целью
to create – творить, создавать
pros – за (преимущества)
cons – против (недостатки)
an exception – исключение
varied – разнообразный
to require – требовать
flexible – гибкий, творческий
an approach – подход
to reward – вознаграждать
to deal with – иметь дело с
a pleasure – удовольствие
to repair – ремонтировать
to equip – оборудовать
a gym – спортивный зал
to mark – выставлять отметки
to prepare for – готовиться к
to complain – жаловаться
to pay – платить
to improve – улучшать
responsibility – ответственность
to master – овладевать (знаниями)
ignorant – невежественный
burning – жгучий
a desire – желание
medium – посредник, зд. среда
a quality – качество
generosity – великодушие
tolerance – терпение
to afford – позволять себе
dull – скучный, глупый
mean – посредственный, злобный
narrow-minded – ограниченный
bright – яркий, полный бодрости
to obtain – приобретать, достигать
a set – набор, ряд
to explain – объяснять
attitude – позиция, отношение
to be keen on – очень любить
to do one’s best – сделать все возможное
to succeed – добиться успеха,
достигнуть цели
to doodle – машинально чертить или рисовать
to detain – задерживать
to review – делать обзор
appropriate – соответствующий
to withdraw – отстранять
easily damaged – легкоповреждаемый
a facility – приспособление
Practise the pronunciation of the following words:
individual ["indi'vidjuəl], career [kə'riə], world [wWld], evaluate [i'væljueit], sure [Suə], moreover [mLr'ouvə], character ['kæriktə], specific [spi'sifik], knowledge ['nOliG], creativity ["kriei'tiviti], pedagogy ['pedəgəgi], psychology ["sai'kOləGi], philosophy [fi'lOsəfi], literature ['litrətSə], varied ['vFərid], require [ri'kwaiə], reward [ri'wLd], pleasure ['pleZə], equipped [i'kwipt], gym [Gim], catalyze ['kætəlaiz], guardian ['gRdjən], quality ['kwOliti], audience ['Ldiəns], would [wud], enough [i'nAf].
Read and translate the text “My Future Profession”
What is a profession? As Cambridge International Dictionary of English says, it is “any type of work which needs a special training or skill, often one which is respected because it involves a high level of education”. Several colleges and universities in Perm provide necessary training for individuals wishing to get good education and enter professional careers.
Finishing school is quite the right time to think about future profession because it is the beginning of the independent life for millions of school leavers. Many roads are opened for them, but it is not an easy thing to choose a profession out of more than 2,000 existing in the world. Some follow the advice of their parents or the example of their friends and make an easy choice, for others it’s difficult to decide. It is really so because people have to evaluate themselves before choosing a career, they must be sure they know their interests. Moreover they must be realistic about their abilities, so as to make the best use of their own talents.
As for me I made my choice long ago - I want to become a teacher. Many young people consider teaching as a career. It’s not surprising – teachers play a very important role in our lives. All people have the deepest respect for them. They serve humanity doing the most vital job of all. Besides, with ten school years behind and with all the teachers you have met, you think there isn’t anything you don’t know about this work.
I must say that this decision didn’t come to me as a sudden flash. My mother is also a teacher and I have always known that teaching is a very specific and difficult job. Teaching is a constant stream of decisions, that’s why this job is a real challenge to my character and abilities. I see that the successful solution of the complex tasks of upbringing depends to a great extent on the teacher, his professional skill and cultural background. The teacher is a sculptor of the young personality. Everybody knows that it isn’t easy to teach modern children. Teachers don’t only give knowledge in their own subjects. Modern school is also aimed to develop individual abilities of children, independent thinking and creativity. To be a good teacher you must be deeply interested in what you are doing. You have to be quite creative and well educated yourself. You must be a model of competence and know a lot of things not only in your subject but also in many others such as pedagogy, psychology, philosophy, history, literature and music for example.