1

2.32. Work in small groups. Discuss one of these sets of questions and

present the results to the class.

. Is your home town/village a dangerous place to live in? Do you need to take precautions when you go out at night? Would you go out alone after ten o’clock? If you were a member of the opposite sex, do you think your answers would be the same?

2. Do you take extra precautions when you travel? Why/Why not? Are cities more dangerous if you’re a tourist? Why/Why not?

3. Which of the following safety measures are used in your town: police patrols at night, close-circuit TV (CCTV) cameras in public places, security guards on public transport, street lighting at night? What other measures can be taken to make our cities safer?

a

2.33. A) Read the text and pick up the main facts about the history of

London and Moscow. Are there any similar facts in their histories?

b) Draw a “timeline” for both capitals.

c) In which capital city would you most like to spend a weekend?

Explain your choice.

) London

London was built as a city in the same way as Paris or New York. It began life as a Roman fortification Londinium at a place where it was possible to cross the River Thames soon after the Roman invasion in AD 43. A wall was built around the town for defense, but during the long period of peace which followed the Norman Conquest in 1066, people went on to build the city outside the walls. This building continued over the years, especially to the west of the city to link with the originally separate Westminster. In 1665, there was a terrible plague in London, so 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. Although people returned to live in the rebuilt city after the plague and the Great Fire, there were never again so many Londoners living in the city centre. But throughout the 19^th century London (or

rather Greater London, its metropolitan area) was the

largest city in the world in population.

These days not many people live in the city centre,

but London has spread further outwards into the country,

including surrounding villages. Today the metropolis of

Greater London covers some 610 square miles (1,580 sq.

km.), and suburbs of London stretch even beyond this

area. Some people even commute over 100 miles (over

150 km.) every day to work in London, while living far

away from the city in the country or in other towns.

The gradual growth of the city helps to explain the fact that London does not have just one centre, it has a number of centres, each with a distinct character. The

financial and business centre is called the City. Originally, it was a site where merchants and traders worked and lived quite autonomously from the authorities. The “square mile” (the name of the originally walled city of London) is home to the country‘s main financial institutions, the territory of the stereotypical English “city gent”. During the daytime, nearly a million pople work there, but less that 8,000 people actually live there.

Parliament and the Royal Court were located in Westminster, another ‘city’ outside London’s walls. Now Westminster is the government centre.

The West End, a shopping and entertainment centre, is known for its many theatres, cinemas and expensive shops. The East End is known as the poorer residential area of central London, the home of the Cockney (rhyming slang, e.g. ‘money’ in the Cockney is “bees and honey’). The East End markets are famous throughout the world.