British politics during the 19th century. In 1985 the Angle-Irish Agreement was signed in Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland. The population of Northern Ireland is about 1.5 million people. It occupies one-sixth of the territory of the United Kingdom. 53% of the population live in urban areas. The largest industry is agriculture. The main industrial centre and a large port is Belfast.

Exercises

1) Answer the questions.

1) When did Scotland and Wales start being governed from London?

2) What are the Welsh fond of?

3) Why is Britain warmer than other countries on the same latitude?

4) How can you explain that London is drier than continental cities?

5) Why is the south of Great Britain better suited to farming than the west or the north?

6) Prince Charles is Prince of Wales. Where does this title come from?

7) What are the main industries in England?

8) What regions is Scotland divided into?

9) When was the Act of Union between Great

Britain and Ireland signed?

2) Fill in the gaps.

1) "Great Britain" is a . expression.

2) Great Britain is a group of islands which lies between . and . .

3) The total area of Great Britain is

4) The capital of the Republic of Ireland is

5) The name of the United Kingdom was introduced in . .

6) Roman rule in England lasted for over . years.

7) . is an administrative and educational centre of Wales.

8) . mark the boundary between England and Scotland.

9) . dominated Ireland during the 10th century.

10) In 1985 the Anglo-Irish Agreement was signed in

3) Choose the right answer.

1.The longest river is

a) the Thames.

b) the Severn.

c) the Avon.

2. England is separated from Scotland by .

a) the Pennines.

b) the Southern Uplands.

c) the Cheviot Hills.

London

Read the text and answer the questions:

London is the capital of Great Britain. It is a very old city. It is two thousand years old. London is not only the capital of the country, it is also a huge port. London is situated upon both banks of the Thames. There 17 bridges across the river. The population of London is about 9 million people. London has got three parts: the City of London, the West End, the East End.

The City of London is the oldest part of London. You can see narrow streets and pavements there. There are many offices, firms and banks in this part of London. The City of London is the financial centre of the United Kingdom.

The West End is the centre of London. There are many sights in the West End. They are, for example, the Houses of Parliament with Big Ben. It is interesting that the clock "Big Ben" came into service in 1859. Big Ben is the biggest clock bell in Britain. It weighs 13.5 tons.

The other interesting place is Westminster Abbey, which was founded in 1050. It is situated in the centre of London. Many great Englishmen were buried in the Abbey: Newton, Darvin and others.

The official London residence of the Queen is Buckingham Palace. It was built in the 18th century.

There are many nice squares in London. Trafalgar Square is one of them and it is in the centre of the West End. One can see a statue of Lord Nelson in the middle of this square. There are many museums, libraries and galleries in London. The Tate Gallery is one of the well-known galleries in London. Henry Tate was a sugar manufacturer. He was fond of paintings and collected many pictures.

The British Museum is a very interesting place in London. It was founded in 1753. The library of this museum has a lot of books. The East End of London is the district for the working people. There are many factories, workshops, docks there. There are many cars and buses in London. There is a tube (an underground) in London, too. It is a nice one. One can say that the City is the money of London, the West End is the goods of London, the East End is the hands of London.

Words

The Houses of Parliament – здание парламента huge - огромный

The Thames — p. Teмзa pavement - тротуар

Population – население workshop – мастерская, цех

Questions

1. What is the capital of Great Britain?

2. What do you know about the population of Great Britain?

3. Are there any beautiful parks in London?

4. Name three main parts of London.

5. What kind of interesting places are there in London?

6. Where is Trafalgar Square?

7. What do you know about the British Museum?

8. Where is the official London residence of the Queen?

9. The Tate Gallery is one of the well-known galleries in London, isn't it?

10. Have you been to London

The British Museum

The British Museum was opened in 1753. It grew out of collections of three rich men. George II gave the royal library to the museum in 1757. The collection is enormous, and covers ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt, China and Japan, as well as prehistoric times.

Victoria and Albert Museum

Victoria and Albert Museum ( V&A ) is named after Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert. It grew out of the collection of objects bought for the Great Exhibition in London in 1851.

National Gallery

National Gallery has a collection of Italian, Dutch, German and French pictures. The National gallery is rich in paintings by Italian masters such as Raphael and Veronese. It has pictures of European schools of art such as works by Rembrandt, Rubens and El Greco. The gallery is open seven days a week and admission is free.

Tate Gallery

The Tate Gallery opened in 1897and is named after Sir Henry Tate, who donated his collection of 65 paintings to the nation. Now it is the National Gallery of Modern Painting. There is a large collection of European twentieth-century art there.

The Tower

The Tower of London is a very old building. It is more than 900 years old. English kings lived in it many years ago, but now it is a museum. People who come to London like to go to the Tower. It was a fortress, a royal palace and later a prison. The ravens are another famous sign. The legend says that without them the Tower will fall.

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is the London home of the Queen. When the flag is flying on the top she is at home. The Buckingham Palace is the Royal residence. It was built in 1703 by the Duke of Buckingham. King George III bought the palace in 1761. It is now the official home of Queen Elizabeth and the British Royal Family. There are nearly six hundred rooms in the palace and three miles of red carpet. Buckingham Palace is like a small town, with a police station, two post offices, a hospital, a bar , two sport clubs, a disco, a cinema and a swimming pool. Two men work full-time to look after the 300 clocks. About 700 people work for the Palace.

Big Ben

Ben is the name of the huge clock in one of the tall towers of the Houses of Parliament. The Houses of Parliament is the largest modern building in the richest Gothic style completed in 1857. It stands on the left bank of the river Thames and is 940 ft in length. Those who want to get a front view of the building should look at it from a boat on the Thames. Clock Tower, overlooking Westminster Bridge is 316 ft high and 40 ft square. People are allowed to get inside the Tower so they can see the works of Big Ben. There is no lift and there are three hundred and forty steps up to Big Ben. The faces of the clock are very large. The minute hand is 14 ft long, the hour hand is 9 ft, the figures are 2 ft long.