IV.II Stonehenge

6. Find out information about mysterious places in GB.

7. Look at the picture. Do you know this place? What is it famous for? Watch the video. What new have you learned?

8. Grammar. What suffixes and prefixes do you know?

9. Fill in the correct word derived from the words in brackets.

Stonehenge, the 1) ………… (locate) of which is Salisbury Plain in England, is a prehistoric monument. Its 2) ……….. (construct) took place in about 1800 BC and is 3) ………. (doubt) an amazing human 4) …….. (achieve). It consists of two circles of huge stones, some of which weigh up to 50 tons. What makes Stonehenge all the more 5) ………. (impress) is the fact that some of the stones 6) ……….. (original) came from Pembrokeshire, which is over 200 miles away. 7) ……… (transport) of these stones would have been carried out using manual labour, since very little 8) ………. (technology) advancement had taken place at the time. Stonehenge is 9) ……….. (certain) one of the most important archaeological monuments in England, yet 10) ……… (archaeology) are still not sure exactly why it was built.

10. There are different opinions how it appeared and was used. Besides Stonehenge there are many such mysterious places all over the world. Read the text. Choose the version you believe more and make up a dialogue, trying to approve your believes.

Circles on the ground.

In August 1980, farmer John Scull was surprised to find a circle eighteen metres across in one of his fields in Wiltshire. This was the first of the now famous ‘crop circles’ of the 1980s. since then 5,000 more crop circles have appeared, mainly in the same part of Britain, but also in about forty other countries.

Although the shapes began as ordinary circles, over the year they become more and more interesting. To draw some of them you need to do difficult mathematics. They are also very large: the biggest are about 300 metres across. Wiltshire is famous as the home of mysterious Stonehenge, and in July 1996 a wonderful shape, known as Julia Set, appeared in the field there.

Scientists who have studied the circles say that some of them are perhaps made by the weather, by a special kind of storm. We know that they have appeared since the 17^th century – when people believed they were made by magic. Some people still think that they are made by magic, or by visitors from another planet flying above the fields! But in 1992 two artists, Doug Bower and Dave Chorley, appeared on British television. They showed how for many years they had made strange shapes appear in English fields by making the crops flat. Bower is now dead and Chorley is an old man, but other group of artists says that they have followed their examples. They do not want to show what they do because the mystery is apart of their art. But some people think that they are lying because they want to be famous. Perhaps the circles follow the same kind of energy lines as feng shui.

LONDON

1. What do you know about London? Do the quiz.

1) The population of London is about

a. 10 million

b. 5 million

c. 8 million

2) An important date in English history is 1666 when

a. the Normans of France conquered England

b. William the Conqueror became King of England

c. it was one of the worst fires in history, the Great Fire of London

3) The financial and business centre of London

a. the City

b. Westminster

c. the West-End

4) The oldest part of London

a. the City

b. Westminster

c. the West-End

5) The Queen of England lives in

a. Hampton Court Palace

b. Buckingham palace

c. the Tower of London

6) The geographical centre of London

a. Westminster Abbey

b. the Trafalgar Square

c. the City

7) The Prime Minister lives in

a. # 10 Downing Street

b. Parliament Square

c. Whitehall

8) The biggest museum of London is

a. the British Museum

b. the Madame Tussaud’s museum

c. the Albert and Victoria’s museum

2. Read the text and check your answers.

LONDON

London is the capital of Great Britain, its political, economic and commercial centre. It is one of the largest cities in the world and the largest city in Europe. Its popula­tion is about 8 million. London is one of the oldest and most interesting cities in the world.

Traditionally it is divided into several parts: the City, Westminster, the West End and the East- End. They are very different from each other and seem to belong to different towns and epochs.

The heart of London is the City, its financial and business centre. Numerous banks, offices and firms are situated there, including the Bank of England, the Stock Exchange and the Old Bailey. Few people live here, but over a million people come to the City to work. There are some famous ancient buildings within the City. Perhaps the most striking of them is St Paul's Cathedral, the greatest of English churches. It was built in the 17th century by Sir Christopher Wren. The Tower of London was founded by Julius Caesar_ and in 1066 rebuilt by William the Conqueror. It was used as a fortress, a royal palace and a prison. Now it is a museum.

Westminster is the historic, the governmental part of London.

Westminster Abbey has more historic associations than any other building in Britain. Nearly all English kings and queens have been crowned here. Many outstanding states-men, scientists, writers, poets and painters are buried here: Newton, Darwin, Chaucer, Dickens, Tennyson, Kipling, etc.

Across the road from Westminster Abbey is Westminster Palace, or the Houses of Parliament, the seat of the British Parliament. The Clock Tower of the Houses of Parliament is famous for its big hour bell, known as "Big Ben". Buckingham Palace is the official residence of the Queen.

The West End is the richest and most beautiful part of London. It is the symbol of wealth and luxury. The best hotels, shops, restaurants, clubs, and theatres are situated there. There are splendid houses and lovely gardens belonging to wealthy people.

Trafalgar Square is the geographical centre of London. It was named in memory of Admiral Nelson's victory in the battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The tall Nelson's Column stands in the middle of the square.

On the north side of Trafalgar Square is the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. Not far away is the British Museum – the biggest museum in London. It contains a priceless collection of ancient manuscripts, coins, sculptures, etc, and is famous for its library.

3. a) Working in groups. Make up the diagram. Prepare poster with uncompleted diagram and exchange it with another group.

b) Complete the diagram that you have got from another group and be ready to present it as the text.

4. Match the sights of London with their descriptions.

1. The City of London	a. was built after the Great Fire of London
2. Buckingham Palace	b. is for Queen Elizabeth’ home where she often stays at Christmas and Easter
3. Trafalgar Square	c. was a fortress, a palace, a prison, a zoo, and now it is a museum
4. Royal Opera House	d. is where the Queen lives
5. St. Paul’s Cathedral	e. was built to remember the battle of Trafalgar
6. Oxford Street	f. is London’s biggest art museum
7. The National Gallery	g. is the lake in the middle of Hyde Park
8. Windsor Castle	h. is one of the most famous libraries in the world
9. Westminster Abbey	i. is Britain’s main banking centre
10. The Speaker’s Corner	j. is London’s main shopping centre
11. The Tower of London	k. is in Covent Garden
12. Regent’s Park	l. is famous for its lake as well as for London Zoo
13. The Serpentine	m. is the largest private collection in the world
14. The Queen’s Gallery	n. is in Hyde Park where anyone can make a speech
15. The British Museum	o. is famous for the Poet’s Corner