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London

The capital of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is London. It is situated in England on the banks of the Thames.

London is not only the main city of the country, its political, economic, cultural, commercial and industrial center. It is also

one of the largest cities on the Globe and one of the three largest sea ports in the world. London is an ancient city. It is more than 2000 years old.

The UK capital is a cosmopolitan city. People of different races and nationalities live here. The population of London is over 10 million.

Traditionally London is divided into four main parts: the City, the West End, Westminster and the East End. The parts differ from each other in many ways.

The City is the oldest part of the British capital. It is the major financial and business center of the country. Different firms and offices, numerous companies and banks are situated here, with the State Bank of England and the Stock Exchange included. Every day many people come to the City to work and only a few of them live here.

Within the City you can see the famous Tower of London, built by Julius Caesar and later rebuilt by William the Conqueror. At first it was a fortress, then- a royal palace, later — a mint, a prison and now it is a museum. St. Paul's Cathedral — the greatest of the English Churches, built by the famous English architect Sir Christopher Wren, is also here.

Westminster is the official and historic part of London. It involves the Houses of the British Parliament (Westminster Palace) with the country's main and biggest clock Big Ben, the Buckingham Palace (the official London residence of the UK Queen) and the Westminster Abbey — the royal church where many British kings and queens were crowned and where many outstanding people of the nation are buried.

The West End is the most beautiful and richest part of the UK capital. It is full of grand hotels and numerous clubs, famous theatres and museums, fashionable shops, beautiful squares and houses. As a rule, only rich people live here. The Trafalgar Square with the Nelson's Column (the geographical center of London), the National Gallery and one of the world's largest museums — the British Museum also belong to this part of London.

The East End is quite different. It is the region of plants and factories, small shops and cheap blocks of flats, mainly inhabited by the working class families. The Port of London and the Docks (often called the Docklands or the Pool of London) are also here.

Characterizing the main parts of London, people often say that the City is "the money" of London, the West End — "the goods" of London and the East End — "the hands" of London.

Every day the UK capital attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world. And it is quite understandable — London is worth visiting.

I. 1. Old residents of the London East End call themselves "Cockneys" which means "true Londoners". They speak a special language.

2. There are 14 bridges over the river Thames. The most known of them are the famous London Bridge, the Tower and Westminster bridges.

3. The words «Greater London* mean London together with its outskirts and suburbs.

4. The traffic in the UK is left-handed. Most London buses differ greatly from those we have in Russia, they are of the red colour and double-decked. Not long ago the famous London red bus celebrated its 50 jubilee.

5. London is famous for its beautiful parks. They are called "the Lungs" of London. Among them there are: Hyde Park, St. James Park, Regent's Park with one of the largest zoos in the world, Kensington Gardens and others. The Londoners are very proud and fond of them.

6. The Crown's Jewels are kept in the Tower.

7. The letters (E.C., S.W., W.C.) following the names of streets mean correspondingly East Center, South West and West Center according to the part of London in which these streets are.

8. Inside the St. Paul's Cathedral there is the world's famous "Whispering Gallery".

9. № 10, Downing Street, London is the official residence of the UK Prime Minister.

II. 1. Памятник королеве Виктории, установленный перед Букингемским дворцом, называют «Свадебный пирог» за его помпезность.

2. В XIX веке в Лондоне ставили памятники в основном, королям, а в XX веке — выдающимся людям королевства.

Дата добавления: 2014-12-29