1. Read and memorize the following words and word combinations:

   to be situated glorious	бути розташованим славетний
   destroy	знищувати
   stretch	простягатися
   Stock Exchange	фондова біржа
   to increase in size	зростати
   to be fond of	подобатись
   department store	універмаг
   to be buried	бути похованим

2. Write down 3-5 things you can imagine thinking of London.

3. Read the text. Use dictionary if necessary.

London has a long and glorious history. It was founded by the Romans in 43 A.D. and was called Londinium. Years later, England was conquered by William the Conquer­or in 1066 who made London his base. He built the Tower of London and was crowned at Westminster Abbey. During the Middle Ages many churches and monasteries were built. Merchants and craftsmen lived inside the City walls and worked in particular areas. During the Tudor period (16^th century) London became an important economic and financial centre. The Londoners of the Elizabethan period built the first theatres. 1666 was the year of the Great Fire of London, which destroyed most of the city. During the Victorian period (19^th century) London was one of the most important centres of the Indus­trial Revolution and the centre of the British Empire. Today London is a cosmopolitan city and its population is almost 9 million people (Greater London).

London is situated upon both banks of the River Thames. It is the largest city in Britain and one of the largest in the world.

The City of London known as ‘the square mile’ is in the heart of London. About half a million people work in the City but only less than 6,000 live here. It is the financial and commercial centre of the U.K. with many banks, offices and the Stock Exchange.

As, during the Middle Ages, London increased in size and wealth, the old City and the area round the Royal Palace at Westminster became the two chief centres. The nobles, bishops, judges, and others who were connected with the Court, lived on or near Westminster. This explains how the part of London that we now call the West End came into being. Monarchs lived in Whitehall and because Henry VIII was fond of hunting we have today three parks that form a continuous stretch of green: St. James’ Park, the Green Park, and Hyde Park.

The parks have been called the ‘lungs’ of London. They give Londoners the opportunity to walk in the green, to have picnics, to row boats, to go horse-riding, to feed and watch birds and animals, and all this without leaving the city.

St. James's Park is the most ancient of London's Royal parks. Hyde Park is the ‘people's park’: it is used for every kind of public occasion. The corner of Hyde Park near Marble Arch is known as Speaker's Corner. If you have anything to say you can go there, stand on a stool and express your opinions to the crowd. Regent's Park is the right place to go if you like animals. Here you can feed the ducks and watch the pelicans and also visit the London Zoo.

The Royal Court moved to St. James’ in the 18^th century and to Buckingham Palace in the 19^th century. Both of these are in the City of Westminster. Here are the finest theatres, cinemas and concert halls, the large museums, the most luxurious hotels, the largest department stores and the most famous shops. The name ‘West End’ came to be associated with wealth and luxury.

The British Museum is the largest and richest museum in the world. It was founded in 1753 and contains one of the world's richest collections of antiquities and the British National Library. The Egyptian Galleries contain human and animal mummies. In the Manuscript section are the originals of the Magna Carta, of many famous books and also the original manu­scripts of some Beatles songs.

The National Gallery stands on the north side of Trafalgar Square, it contains a collection of paintings from the 13^th century. The Tate Gallery used to be a branch of the National Gallery, but in 1955 it became an independent institution. It contains famous, paintings by Turner, Blake, Hogarth and the Pre-Raphaelites. Madame Tussaud's is an exhibition of hundreds of lifesize wax models of famous people of yesterday and today. The collection was started by Madame Tussaud, a French modeller in wax, in the 18^th century. Here you can meet Margaret Thatcher, Marilyn Monroe, Elton John, Picasso, the Royal Family, The Beatles and many other writers, film-stars, sing­ers, politicians, footballers and so on.

If you like shopping, London is the place to go. If you walk in Oxford Street, Regent Street, Bond Street or Piccadilly Circus you will find thousands of shops and depart­ment stores. Don't forget to pay a visit to Harrods and Selfridges, the largest depart­ment stores in Europe. Selfridges is in Oxford Street. Harrods is in Knightsbridge and it is the official London shop of the Royal family.

The Port of London is to the east of the City. Here today are miles and miles of docks and the great industrial areas that depend upon shipping. This is the East End of London, unattractive in appearance, but very important to the country’s commerce.

If you walk westwards from St. Paul’s you reach Fleet Street where the most important newspapers and news-agencies have their offices.

Sightseeing tours in London usually start in Trafalgar Square where you can see an impressive Nelson Column. From Trafalgar Square you can go down Whitehall and see the Houses of Parliament which stretch along the Thames’ North Bank. It is a long building of about 1,000 feet. Big Ben, the famous clock, is in one of the Towers. Near the Parliament there is Westminster Abbey where many Englishmen are buried, among them: Chaucer, Dickens, Tennyson. Here are memorials to Byron, Shakespeare, Scott, Burns and Thackeray.

One of the greatest monuments is St. Paul’s Cathedral which is Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpiece. The well-known architect of that day, he took part in rebuilding the city after the Great Fire of London. Sir Christopher Wren lies buried under the roof of his own great work. These words are written on his grave: “If you want to see his monument, look around!”

London is one of the most famous capital cities of the world, and every year it attracts crowds of visitors from home and abroad.

Notes: A.D. – Anno Domini

4. Make up 5-7 questions to ask your group about London.

5. Work in pairs. Take turns to tell your partner about London.

6. Write a letter to your English friend to find out more about London.

7. Make reports on the following topics:

• History of London

• London parks

• London museums

• London palaces

• Sights of London

SUPPLEMENTARY READING

1. Read, translate and retell the texts given below:

THE TOWER OF LONDON

The Tower of London has a very interesting history. It was begun by a man who was not even English, William the Conqueror from Normandy. William sailed his army across the English Channel to conquer England. In 1066 he met Harold at Hastings and defeated him. After that William was crowned King of England and immediately built forts everywhere. One of them, which was built on the north bank of the Thames River, he named the Tower of London.

The Tower was finished in 1098 rising nearly one hundred feet high, with its walls fifteen feet thick in certain places. The Tower which was the Royal Prison, was protected by a wide ditch, a new stone wall, the old Roman wall, and a river. This was done to secure that no prisoner would escape from it.

Around the year 1240, King Henry III made this tower his home. He whitewashed the tower, widened the grounds to include a church, a great hall, other buildings and renamed it the White Tower. Although the tower was still a prison, Henry had turned the White Tower into a palace.

Several monarchs died in the Tower of London. One was thirteen-year-old King Edward V. When his father, King Edward IV died, his uncle Richard, the Duke Gloucester, plotted to take the throne for himself. Richard had the thirteen-year-old king and his young brother, the Duke of York, taken to the tower. Lord Hastings, a royal officer, tried to protect Edward, but was unsuccessful. Edward and his brother were murdered. These murders most likely took place in the Garden Tower, which was later renamed the Bloody Tower.

Since the Tower of London was so dangerous, King Henry VII formed a personal bodyguard. Henry moved into the Tower in 1485 after killing

Richard III in a battle. His protectors were called the Yeoman Warders, who to this day still guard the tower.

After the death of Henry VII, the Tower of London was never again used to house an English queen or king.

The Tower of London has a very interesting place in English history. It was the sight of murders, marriages, museums, and zoos. But the Tower of London will always be remembered as a “symbol of royal power, a fortress for the monarch, and a prison for the monarch’s enemies”.

2. Did any of the above facts surprise you? Why?

3. Did you find this information interesting and useful?