- •Text 1 the united kingdom of great britain
- •Text 2 the british monarchy today
- •Text 3 Britain’s Government
- •Summon – созывать (собрания, парламент)
- •Text 4 political parties
- •References the Conservative Party – Консервативная партия (основана в 1867 г. Одна из ведущих политических партий Великобритании; разг. The Tories)
- •Reference
- •The Liberal Party and the Labour Party
- •Text 5 national emblems of the uk
- •The Royal Arms
- •The Royal Standard and the Union Flag.
- •The Regalia.
- •Text 6. Climate. Vegetation and wildlife
- •Text 9. From the history of london
- •Text 10. London’s artistic attractions
- •Text 11. The libraries of london
- •Text 12 the city of london. The city
- •Lord mayor of london
- •Fleet street
- •The tower of london
- •St. Paul’s cathedral
- •Tower bridge
- •Down the river thames
- •The houses of parliament
- •Westminster abbey
- •Poets’ corner
- •Whitehall
- •Talking points
- •Trafalgar square
- •Piccadilly circus
- •The royal academy
- •Buckingham palace
- •Hyde park
- •The poorest part of london
- •The south-west
- •The north-west
- •The north-east
- •Text 38 the giant’s causeway — eighth wonder of the world
- •Text 39 famine
- •Contents
The royal academy
Behind an Augustan facade off London’s Piccadilly lies a treasure-house of beauty and colour. This is Burlington House — the home of the Royal Academy of Arts since 1869, whose exhibitions attract thousands of visitors every year.
The Royal Academy’s services to the arts began nearly 200 years ago. In 1768 a group of leading painters, sculptors and architects presented a memorial to King George II, seeking his interest in promoting an institution dedicated to encouraging art through a school of design and the holding of an annual exhibition of contemporary work.
The Academy’s prime purpose is teaching art to a number of Britain’s most talented students. About 100 students attend the Academy Schools and are trained in the Schools of Painting and Drawing, Sculpture and Architecture. They are selected by competitive examination from young men and women who have spent two or more years at London or provincial art schools.
The two principal public attractions of the Royal Academy are the famous series of Winter Exhibitions and the annual Summer Exhibition. From time to time the Academy also organizes special exhibitions in its smaller Diploma Gallery, which takes its name from the «diploma works» which every Royal Academician must present on election.
(From Moscow News)
treasure-house — сокровищница
Royal Academician — академик, член Королевской Академии искусств
Buckingham palace
With its architecturally defined profile, this is one of London’s most popular historical buildings. Buckingham Palace was built in 1703 for the Duke of Buckingham. Later restored by Nash, the present facade was planned by Sir Aston Webb in 1913. At the west end of the Mall, Buckingham Palace is the London residence of the Sovereign. When the Queen is here, the royal standard flutters over the palace. The Royal Mews, in Buckingham Palace Road, house the coaches and horses used on all state occasions and are open to the public on Wednesday and, Thursday. The Queen’s Gallery, also in Buckingham Palace Road, has special exhibitions from the Royal collection and may be visited every day except Monday. In its entirety, the Palace and the beautiful gardens which surround it occupy an area of approximately 40 acres.
Altogether this is one of the most interesting places in London for the tourist.
The ceremony of the Changing of the Guard that takes place daily at eleven o’clock in the morning, constitutes one of the pageants that provokes most interest among tourists. Every day a large crowd of people gather to see this famous and traditional ceremony. It is an event that, in spite of its regularity, appears vested with that solemn classical ritual, of purely British flavour, that confers on the protocol surrounding the monarchy of the United Kingdom an appearance which is nobly aristocratic, and yet lively and popular at the same time. It is something typically and intimately part of London’s character.
Duke — герцог (титул; высшая степень сословия паров)
Nash — английский архитектор (1752—1835)
Royal Mews — “Ройял мьюз”. Королевские конюшни
Queen’s Gallery — картинная галерея королевы (со сменной экспозицией)
in its entirety — полностью, в целом
pageant — пышное зрелище, пышная процессия
appears vested with that solemm classical ritual — кажется обставленным торжественным классическим ритуалом
flavour — вкус
confer — даровать, присваивать