II Be ready to give brief retelling of the text, using Appendix 1.

I Reading

a) Read the following text

Put down the unknown words (with their transcription and translation) into your vocabulary. Be ready to translate the text orally.

b) Find and write out all irregular verbs given in the text. Remember three forms of them.

London. The grey earl of the united kingdom(Part II)

The great pestilence of 1661 reduced the London population nearly by half. The next year the fire which broke out in the City destroyed 13 200 buildings, 87 churches and 44 compa­ny offices. The Gothic St. Paul's Cathedral was ruined so much that it was impossible to restore it. The erec­tion of the present Cathedral building was started in 1675 and lasted for 35 years. The ceremony of Prince Charles and Princess Diana's marriage took place here in 1981. After the Great Fire the developing of the city western part started. Aldermen, the members of municipal council of the City, entrusted Sir Christopher Wren with the task of the new building up and of the old city restoration. Wren rebuilt anew more than 50 cathedrals. Each cathedral, crowned with a broach or a tower, has its own appearance. Those that sur­vived up to our time are the main archi­tectural decoration of the City.

The squares and streets of Bloomsbury and Mayfair decorated London in the XVIII century. The government settled down in the Whitehall. The governmental establishments and ministries occupied the palace left by the royal court, where they stay up to the present day. In accordance with the first popula­tion census the number of Londoners totalled to about a million. The city dwellers started to move from the City to Westminster and Holborn, and later - to the other river bank.

The East End became the back­yard of London, the refuge for foreign­ers, eluding perse­cutions. The new­comers brought the new handicrafts with them: Huguenots started to weave silk; Jews from Russia and Poland founded shoemaker's, sewing and fur­niture shops. The entire population of several districts was ousted due to con­struction of the new docks. This was the way the slums appeared in London. And the new private residences were built in the northern and western parts of the city early in the XIX century. John Nash, the Prince Regent's architect, decided to arrange the garden city in the Regent's Park, having connected the luxurious villas with the Prince's court located in Carlton-House. He had to confine himself to eight villas however, instead of 26 intended ones. Improving of communication, mainly across the Thames, became the urgent issue for the city authorities it the course of time. Three more bridge were added to the main two one (namely to Westminster and the Blackfriars bridges) early in the XIX century.

The Royal Family inaugurated the famous Tower Bridge that became the symbol of pride and ingenuity of London just from the very outset in 1894. The Tower Bridge has acquired the world fame his creators could not dream of. It has become "the Gateway to London", the unforgettable historical monument attracting attention of tourists from all over the world.

The appearance of the city was changed substantially, when steam took the place of horse. London railway was put into operation in 1840. Glass and iron, having been used for the construction of railway station became popular soon.

The "Crystal Palace" in the Hyde Park, having been built in 1851, attracted many visitors. Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria built the Museum of Albert and Victor; in South Kensington district. In Greenwich, the area of Big London since 1884, a narrow copper bar on the square has been separating the Western sphere from the Eastern one. The fire of 1834, having destroyed the old Westminster Palace, blazed it trail for new projects.

The new building of the Houses of Parliament was built the Neo-gothic style. The construction the House of Lords was completed 1847 and the House of Commons as was the "Big Ben", the famous clock tows was built in 1858. Westminster embodies the parliamentary system of the United Kingdom, comprising the House of Lords, the House of Commons and the Monarch and is the world oldest democratic parliamentary system. The House of Lords considers and introduces amendments into legislations, examines the activities of the government and acts as the ultimate appellate degree of jurisdiction in civil and criminal cases. The House of Commons rep­resents the voters' interests, carries out the lawmaking function and exercises control over the government.

The city on the Thames is a diverse one, much like the London weather is, being changeable and unpredictable. London studies, works, has fun, cele­brates and enjoys the rich cultural life. The exact holiday dates can vary from year to year in the calendar of events. The unique combination of traditions and novelty, originality and careful attitude toward its history, classical strictness and flight of fantasy, embodied in music, literature, art and architecture, remain invariable in the life of London.

Londoners celebrate the Fools' Day and ring swans on the Thames; listen to street performers in the Covent-Garden Square and organize antique car races; celebrate with fireworks the attempted explosion of the Parliament in 1605 and traditionally gather in the Trafalgar Square on the New Year eve. Its centuries-old history has made London the most often visited city of the world. The majority of those, who have visited the city, can repeat the following phrase after Herbert Wells, "London is the most interesting, beautiful and wonderful city in the world for me".