Government

London

London (England), city in southeastern England, capital of Great Britain, at the head of the Thames estuary, west of its mouth on the North Sea. London is one of the world’s most important financial and cultural centers and is noted for its museums, performing arts, exchange and commodity markets, and insurance and banking functions, as well as a host of specialized services. In popular and traditional usage, the term City of London, or the City, is applied only to a small area (2.59 sq km/1 sq mi) that was the original settlement (ancient Londinium) and is now part of the business and financial district of the metropolis. The City of London and 32 surrounding boroughs form the Greater London metropolitan area, which has an area of 1579 sq km (610 sq mi).

The London Government Act (1963) authorized the creation of a two-tiered government consisting of 32 borough councils and the Greater London Council. The borough councils are locally elected and are responsible for local functions. Until its abolition in 1986, the Greater London Council administered broad functions for the metropolitan area as a whole, such as overall planning, the coordination of transportation systems, and the management of parks. The council comprised 100 councilors, locally elected, and 15 aldermen, elected by the councilors.

The historic Corporation of the City of London is equivalent in function to a borough council. Since the reign of King John in the 13^th century, citizens of the City of London have had the right to elect their own mayor. The corporation government is composed of the Lord mayor, who is elected annually by members of the livery companies (guilds); 25 aldermen, who are elected for life; and 153 council members, who are elected annually from 25 wards.

(From an Encyclopedia)

Unit 2

Grammar:1. Порядок слов в английском повествовательном предложении.

2. Имя существительное в общем падеже в функции определения

3. Притяжательные местоимения.

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