Text 8. London.

When we think of Paris, Rome, Madrid, Lisbon and other European capitals, we think of them as “cities”. When we think of the whole of modern London, the capital city of England and the UK, that great area covering several hundred square kilometers, we do not think of it as “a city”, not even as a city and its suburbs. Modern London is not one city that has steadily become larger through the centuries; it is a number of cities, towns, and villages that have, during the past centuries, grown together to make one vast urban area.

London is a very old city. It began life two thousand years ago. It was built by the Romans and surrounded by a wall for defence. In 1665, during the terrible plague in London, many people left the city and escaped to the villages in the surrounding countryside. In 1666 the Great Fire of London ended the plague, but it also destroyed much of the city. After the plague and the Great Fire London was rebuilt and people returned to it, but never again were there so many Londoners living in the city centre.

London is situated upon both banks of the River Thames, it is the largest city in Britain and the most important commercial, manufacturing and cultural centre. There is little heavy industry in London, but there is a wide range of light industry in Greater London.

London consists of four parts: the City of London, Westminster, the West End and the East End.

The City extends over an area of about 2.6 square kilometers in the heart of London. About half a million people work in the City but only less than 6000 live here. It is the financial centre of the UK with many banks, offices and Stock Exchange. But the City is also a market for goods of almost every kind, from all parts of the world. Fleet Street is famous as the home of the nation’s newspapers but, in fact, only two of them – The Daily Express and The Daily Telegraph – are still in Fleet Street. However, people still say “Fleet Street” to mean “the press”. The Central Criminal Court of the country is also to be found in the City, in the western part of it. It is called the Old Bailey, after the street in which it is situated.

There are some historic buildings in the City. St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Tower of London are the most famous of them. St. Paul’s Cathedral is the work of the famous architect Sir Christopher Wren. It is said to be one of the finest pieces of architecture in Europe. Old St. Paul’s was destroyed in the Great Fire in 1666. Wren began to rebuild it in 1675. The building went on for 35 years. From far away you can see a huge dome with a golden ball and cross on the top. The interior of the Cathedral is very beautiful. It is full of monuments. After looking around you can climb 263 steps to the Whispering Gallery, which runs round the dome. It is called so because if someone whispers close to the wall on one side, a person with his ear close to the wall on the other side can hear what is said.

The Tower on the north bank of the Thames is one of the most ancient buildings of London. It was founded in the 11^th century by William the Conqueror. For many centuries the Tower was a fortress, a palace, a prison and royal treasury. It is now a museum of arms and armour, and, as one of the strongest fortresses in Britain, it has the Crown Jewels. The grey stones of the Tower could tell terrible stories of violence and injustice. Two queens were executed here, and two princes murdered. The ravens, whose forefathers used to find food in the Tower, still live here as part of its history. There is a legend that if the ravens disappear the Tower will fall. That is why the birds are carefully guarded. The Tower is guarded by the Yeomen Warders popularly called “Beefeaters”.

The West End can be called the centre of London. It includes Trafalgar Square, the main shopping areas of Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street, and the entertainment centres of Soho, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square and Shaftsbury Avenue. Trafalgar Square was built at the beginning of the 19^th century to commemorate the Battle of Trafalgar. Admiral Lord Nelson’s statue stands on top of a column in the middle of Trafalgar Square behind Nelson’s Column is the building of the National Gallery, a rich art gallery in which you can find many old masters. Piccadilly Circus is the centre of night life in the West End. The square is quite small, and many people are disappointed when they see it for the first time because they imagined that it would be much bigger.

The name “West End” came to be associated with wealth, luxury, and goods of high quality. It is the area of the largest department stores, cinemas and hotels. There are about 40 theatres, several concert halls, many museums including the British Museum, and the best art galleries.

It in the West End where the University of London is centred with Bloomsbury as London’s student quarter.

Visitors with plenty of money to spend and who come chiefly for enjoyment are likely to pass most of their time in the West End.

Every day, when people in the UK and overseas switch on their radio to listen to BBC radio news, they can hear one of the most famous sounds in London: the chimes of Big Ben on the tower of the Houses of Parliament or the Palace of Westminster which is the seat of Parliament. The Houses of Parliament occupy a magnificent building on the left bank of the Thames in a part of London called Westminster, that has long been connected with royalty and government. Opposite the Houses of Parliament stands Westminster Abbey. A church has stood here since 750. It was known as West Monastery (Westminster), from its position five kilometers west of London’s centre. From Norman times British monarchs have been crowned there. Many famous people are buried in Westminster Abbey including statesmen, musicians and writers. The best-known streets here are Whitehall with important Government offices and important ministries: the Foreign Office, the Ministry of Defence, the Home Office and the Treasury, Downing Street, the London residence of Prime Minister who lives at number ten, and the place where the Cabinet meets.

You can not go far in London without being aware of the city’s close connection with the Crown. There are royal palaces, royal parks and colorful ceremonies; if you look at the souvenirs you can see how important royalty is to the capital’s tourist industry.

The most important building, but not the most beautiful, is Buckingham Palace which is the Queen’s residence. It overlooks St. James’s Park. St. James’s Park is one of ten royal parks in and around London which are owned by the Crown but are open to the public free of charge. Each park has its own character. Hyde Park, for example, was originally a hunting forest and is still popular with horseriders. People who enjoy good argument can go to Speaker’s Corner. Regent’s Park is now the home of London Zoo. Among other parks are Kensington Gardens.

The Port of London is to the east of the City. Here, today are kilometers and kilometers of docks, and the great industrial areas that depend upon shipping. This is the East End of London, unattractive in appearance, but very important to the country’s commerce. The East End is one of those areas of London where people from abroad have come to find work. For centuries foreigners have made London their home. Some have had to leave their country for religious or political reasons. Others have wanted to find a better life. The immigrants have brought new skills, traditions and religion into the East End.

The East End markets are famous throughout the world. Petticoat Lane market takes place every Sunday morning and has become one of the sights of London. The street-salesmen here will offer you all kinds of goods and promise that they are of the highest quality and much cheaper than those you can buy in the West End.

In recent times London has grown so large, that the Government has decided that it must spread no farther. It is now surrounded by a “green belt”, a belt of agricultural and wooden land on which new buildings may be put up only with the permission of the planning authorities.

Greater London – Большой Лондон (административная единица, включает сам город и пригороды)

the City – Сити (исторический центр Лондона; один из крупнейших финансовых и коммерческих центров мира)

Westminster [΄westminstə] - Вестминстер

the West End [΄westend]– Вест Энд (западная, самая красивая и богатая часть Лондона)

the East End [΄istend]– Ист Энд (восточнаяБ рабочая часть Лондона)

Stock Exchange [΄stok iks˛ِt∫eindз]– Лондонская фондовая биржа

Fleet Street [fli:t΄stri:t]– Флит-Стрит (улица, на кот. находятся редакции большинства крупных газет)

the Old Bailey [΄old΄beili] - Олд Бейли (Центральный уголовный суд)

St. Paul’s Cathedral [snt΄po:lz kə΄θidrəl]– Собор святого Павла

the Tower of London [΄tauər əv΄lΛndən] – Лондонский Тауэр

Sir Christopher Wren [sə: ΄kristəfə ΄ren] – сэр Кристофер Рэн , величайший английский архитектор

the Whispering Gallery [΄wisperiŋ΄gæləri]– «Галерея шепота», знаменитая своим акустическим эффектом

William the Conqueror [΄wiljəm ðə΄koŋkərə]– Вильгельм Завоеватель (1028-1087) (норманнский герцог, завоевавший Англию в 1066г. И ставший ее королем)

the Crown Jewels [΄kraun΄dзuəlz] – королевские регалии (короны, скипетры и др. драгоценности)

the Yeomen Warders [΄joumən ΄wo:dəz]– лейб-гвардейцы, стражи лондонского Тауэра

“Beefeaters” [΄bi:f΄i:təz] – буквально «бифитеры», «мясоеды» (прозвище стражников лондонского Тауэра)

Trafalgar Square [trə΄fælgə ΄skwεə]– Трафальгарская площадь

Oxford Street [΄oksfəd ΄stri:t]– Оксфорд Стрит

Regent Street [΄ri:dзənt ΄stri:t]– Риджент Стрит

Bond Street – Бонд Стрит

Soho - Сохо

Piccadilly Circus [pikədili ΄sə:kəs]– площадь Пикадилли

Leicester Square [΄lestə΄ skwεə]– площадь Лестер Сквер

Shaftsbury Avenue [΄∫a:ftsbəri΄ævənju]– Шафтсбери Авеню

the National Gallery [΄næ∫nəl΄gæləri]– Национальная галерея

the British Museum [΄briti∫ mu΄ziəm]– Британский Музей (один из крупнейших музеев мира)

Bloomsbury [΄blu:mzbəri]– Блумзбери (район в центральной части, где находятся Британский Музей и Лондонский университет)

Big Ben – Биг Бен

the Houses of Parliament [΄hauziz əv΄pa:ləmənt] = the Palace of Westminster [΄pælis əv΄westminstə]– Вестминстерский дворец, здание английского парламента

Westminster Abbey [΄westminstə΄æbi]– Вестминстерское Аббатство

Whitehall [wait΄ho:l]– Уайтхолл (улица в центральной части Лондона, где находятся правительственные офисы)

the Foreign Office [΄forein΄ofis] – Министерство иностранных дел

the Ministry of Defence - [΄ministri əv di΄fens]- Министерство обороны

the Home Office – Министерство внутренних дел

the Treasury [΄treзəri]– Государственное казначейство

Downing Street [dauniŋ ΄stri:t]– Даунинг-Стрит (небольшая улица в центре, где в доме №10 находится резиденция премьер-министра)

Buckingham Palace [΄bΛkiŋəm΄pælis]– Букингемский дворец (главная королевская резиденция в Лондоне)

St. James’s Park [snt΄dзeimziz ΄pa:k]– Сент-Джеймс Парк (расположен в центральной части Лондона)

Hyde Park [΄haid ΄pa:k]– Гайд Парк

Speaker’s Corner [΄spi:kəz ΄ko:nə]– «Уголок оратора»

Kensington Gardens [΄kenziŋtən ΄ga:dnz]– Кенсингтон-Гарденз (большой парк в Лондоне)

Petticoat Lane market [΄petikout ΄lein ΄ma:kit]– рынок на улице Петтикоут Лейн