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LONDON

London is the capital of the United Kingdom, its economic, political and cultural centre. It is one of the world's most important ports and one of the largest cities in the world. London with its suburbs has a population of about 11 million people.

London has been a capital for nearly a thousand years. Many of its ancient buildings still stand. The most famous of them are the Tower of London, where the crown jewels are kept, Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral. Most visitors also want to see the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace (the Queen's home with its Changing of the Guards) and the many magnificent museums.

Once London was a small Roman town on the north bank of the Thames. Slowly it grew into one of the world's major cities.

Different areas of London seem like different cities. The West End is a rich man's world of shops, offices and theatres. The City of London is the district where most offices and banks are concentrated; the Royal Exchange and the Bank of England are here too. The East End is the district where mostly working people live. The old port area is now called «Docklands». There are now new office buildings in Docklands, and thousands of new flats and houses.

By the day the whole of London is busy. At night, offices are quiet and empty, but the West End stays alive, because this is where Londoners come to enjoy themselves. There are two opera houses here, several concert halls and many theatres, as well as cinemas. In nearby Soho the pubs, restaurants and night clubs are busy half the night.

Like all big cities, London has streets and concrete buildings, but it also has many big parks, full of trees, flowers and grass. In the middle of Hyde Park or Kensington Gardens you will think that you are in the country, miles away.

Many people live outside the centre of London in the suburbs, and they travel to work in shops and offices by train, bus or underground («The Tube»).

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1. What is London is the capital of the United Kingdom?

2. What is its population?

3. How old is London?

4. What are the most ancient buildings of London?

5. Once London was a small Roman town on the north bank of the Thames, wasn’t it?

6. What is the West End?

7. What is the City of London?

8. What is the East End?

9. How can Londoners call the old port area now?

10. What is there in the West End?

11. Where do you find yourself as if in the country?

12. Why do many people travel to work in London by train, bus or underground?

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ЛЕКСИКО-ГРАММАТИЧЕСКИЕ УПРАЖНЕНИЯ

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Nearly, building, visitor, working, Londoner, manufacturing, financial, historical, residence, including, sentimentality, principal, administrator, gothic, famous, originally, colourful, daily, occupying, expensive, fashionable, fortress, movable, priceless, collections, sculpture, scientific, higher, unreal, musician, decisive, the architectural, injustice, disappear, carefully.

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The Tower of London

___ Tower on ___ north bank of ___ Thames is one of ___ most ancient buildings of London. It was founded in ___ 11th century by ___ William ___ Conqueror (Вильгельм Завоеватель). But ___ each monarch left some ___ kind of personal mark on it. For many centuries ___ Tower is guarded by ___ Yeomen Warders (лейб-гвардейцы, стражи лондонского Тауэра), popularly called «Beefeaters» (бифитеры, «мясоеды» - прозвище стражников лондонского Тауэра). There are ___ two letters, E.R., on ___ front of ___ their tunics. They stand for ___ Queen's name Elizabeth Regina. ___ uniform is as it used to be in ___ Tudor times (эпоха Тюдоров, английской королевской династи 15-17 вв.).

Their everyday uniform is black and red, but on state occasions they wear ___ ceremonial dress: fine red state uniforms with ___ golden and black stripes and ___ wide lace-collar, which were in ___ fashion in ___ 16th century.

Every night at ___ 10 p.m. at ___ Tower of London ___ Ceremony of ___ Keys (церемония передачи ключей - ежедневно проходит в лондонском Тауэре в 10 часов вечера) or locking up of ___ Tower for ___ night takes place. It goes back to ___ middle Ages. Five minutes before ___ hour ___ Headwarder (старший страж) comes out with ___ bunch of keys and ___ old lantern. He goes to ___ guardhouse and cries: «Escort for the keys». Then he closes ___ three gates and goes to ___ sentry (часовой), who calls: «Halt, who comes there?» ___ Headwarder replies: «___Keys». «Whose Keys?» demands ___ sentry. «Queen Elizabeth's Keys», comes ___ answer. «Advance Queen Elizabeth's Keys. All's well». ___ keys are finally carried to ___ Queen's House where they are safe for ___ night. After ___ ceremony everyone who approaches ___ gate must give ___ password or turn away.