London – the capital of Great Britain
London is the capital of Great Britain. It is the largest political economic, business and cultural center of the country. The city is situated on the river Thames which flows into the North Sea. The Thames is a deep river, so London is also a big port. The Thames divides the city into two parts, and they are connected with a lot of bridges. The best-known are Tower Bridge, London Bridge, Westminster Bridge and many others.
London is one of the largest cities in the world and the largest city in Europe. Its population is about 9 million people. The city occupies a large territory of about 900 square miles and can be divided into four main parts: the City, the East, the West End and Westminster.
The City is the most ancient section of London. It is about one square mile in area and only a few thousand people live there. But it contains the Bank of England, the Stock Exchange, and many of the wealthiest companies and corporations in the world: The City is the financial and business centre of Great Britain.
The East End of London includes the port, docks and Factories. This is a vast area running eastwards from the City. The East End is the hands of London. Workers, dockers, all working people create all treasures of London and of the country.
The poor proletarian East End with its narrow streets and poor houses is usually contrasted with the wealthy bourgeois West End. The West End is the richest section of London. Most of the best theatres, concert halls, clubs, museums, shops and hotels are situated in the West End.
The political centre of London is Westminster. Westminster Palace is the seat of the British Parliament. In Whitehall different Ministries are located. Close to Whitehall is No 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the Prime Minister of Great Britain. In fact, Westminster is the capital of Great Britain.
There are many places of interest in London. For many years Karl Marx: lived and worked in London. He was buried at the Highgate Cemetery. There is a monument to K. Marx there erected by English workers in 1956. In the Reading-Room of the British Museum K. Marx worked at the "Capital". The library of the British Museum was a favourite place of work for V.I. Lenin when he lived in Landon.
Not far from the British Museum is located the University of London, one of the largest universities of Great Britain.
Trafalgar Square with Nelson's Column is the main square of London. The National Gallery is located in the square.
Other places of interest in London are Westminster Abbey, the scene of coronations and burial place of the great, Buckingham Palace, the residence of the Queen, St. Paul's Cathedral, the masterpiece of the famous English architect Christopher Wren, the Tower of London, Hyde Park and other places.
London is a large and beautiful city, but like most of the capitalist cities it is the city of big contrasts.
TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS
Every nation and every country has its own customs and traditions. In Britain traditions play a more important part in the life of the people than in other countries.
Englishmen are proud of their traditions and carefully keep them up. Foreigners coming to England are struck at once by quite a number of customs and peculiarities in English life. Some ceremonies are rather formal, such as the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, Trooping the Colour*, the State opening of Parliament. Sometimes you will see a group of cavalrymen riding on black hourses through the streets of London. They wear red uniforms, shining helmets, long black boots and long white gloves. These men are Life Guards. Their special duty is to guard the king or the queen of Great Britain and very important guests of the country.
To this day an English family prefers a house with a fireplace and a garden to a flat in a modem house with central heating. Most English love gardens. Sometimes the garden in front of the house is a little square covered with cement painted green in imitation of grass and a box of flowers. They love flowers very much.
The English people like animals very much, too. Pet dogs, cats, hourses, ducks, chickens, canaries and other friends of man have a much better life in Britain than everywhere else. In Britain they have special dog shops selling food, clothes and other things for dogs. In recent years the English began to show love for more «exotic» animals such as crocodiles, elephants, tigers, cobras, camels.
Holidays are especially rich in old traditions and are different in Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England. Christmas is a great English national holiday and in Scotland it is not observed at all. But six days later, on New Year's Eve the Scotts begin to enjoy themselves. All the shops and factories are closed on New Year's Day. People invite their friends to their houses. Greetings and presents are offered.
A new traditions has been born in Britain. Every year a large number of ancient motorcars drive from London to Brighton. Some of these veteran cars look very funny. This run from London to Brighton is a colourful demonstration. People are dressed in the clothes of those times. It is not a race, and most of the cars come to Brighton, which is sixty miles from London, only in the evening.
*Trooping the Colour – вынос знамени в день рождения королевы
Give me a treat. – Угостите меня.
This tradition dates back to early history. – Эта традиция уходит далеко в историю (начинается очень давно).
Hallowe’en – канун Дня всех святых (31 октября)
Eisteddford – состязание бардов (фестиваль валийских певцов, музыкантов и поэтов), конкурс непрофессиональных поэтов