London - the capital of the united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland

I. Read the following words and word combinations paying attention to their pronunciation:

Village Vast Urban Area to situate to compose (of) square (sq.) the Stock Exchange St. Paul’s Cathedral the Tower wealth luxury goods quality shopping centre entertainment centre Hyde Park Kensington Gardens St. James Park palace Buckingham Palace the Palace of Westminster seat attractive good-looking expensive housing skill commerce shipping appearance throughout the world

Деревня Огромный Городской зона, район, область, пространство располагать составлять квадрат (-ный) Лондонская фондовая биржа Собор Св. Павла Tауэр (в наст. время – музей) Богатство Роскошь товар (-ы) качество торговый центр развлекательный центр Гайд-Парк Кенсингтон-Гарденс Джеймс-Парк Дворец Букингемский дворец Вестминстерский дворец Местонахождение Привлекательный красивый, привлекательный на вид дорогой, дорогостоящий жилищное строительство мастерство, умение торговля перевозка грузов морем внешний вид во всём мире

2. Read and translate the text: London – the Capital of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

London is the capital of the UK, its administrative, commercial, industrial and cultural centre. It is one of the largest cities and ports in the world. Its population is about 7.5 mln. people.

Modern London is not one city, it is a number of cities, towns and villages that have grown together to make one vast urban area (Greater London, as it is called). London is situated on the River Thames and traditionally composed of two parts which are the West End and the East End.

The City is the oldest and smallest part of London. Its area is 2.6 sq. km. Over 800,000 people work in its banks and offices, because the City is the financial and business centre of the U.K.

The Bank of England and the Stock Exchange are in this part of London. There are some historical buildings in the City, too. St. Paul's Cathedral and the Tower of London are the most famous of them.

The name "West End" is associated with wealth, luxury and goods of high quality. It is the main shopping and entertainment centre of London.

The West End is famous for its parks (Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, St. James Park) and historical palaces (Buckingham Palace which is the Queen's official residence, the Palace of Westminster which is the seat of Parliament, etc).

There are over 30 theatres, several concert halls ( the Albert Hall is the most famous of them), many Museums including the British Museum and the best art galleries ( the National Gallery is one of the best known of them).

The East End covers a wide area. There are kilometers and kilometers of docks and great industrial areas that depend on shipping because the port of London is in this part of the city.

The East End is not very attractive in appearance, but it is very important for commerce. The East End markets are famous throughout the world. Now this part of London is becoming more good-looking because of the introduction of new industries and very expensive housing.