Places to visit in the Uk

Ex. 2.: Read this information about some places of interest in England. Find out:

which of them have historic or literary associations; which are noted for their outstanding beauty; which are linked with the sea.

England. “London: a nation, not a city.” Benjamin Disraeli

“London: a nation, not a city.” Benjamin Disraeli. London draws people from all over the world. Some come on business; some come to study, to work or on holiday. London is naturally a very English city.

London spreads its influence over much of the southern areas of England; it gives work to millions of people who live not only in the inner-city areas but in surrounding districts. Some people even commute over 100 miles (over 150 km) every day to work in London.

There is much in London which fascinates visitors and inspires the affection of Londoners: the splendour of the royal palaces and the Houses of Parliament, the dignity of St. Paul's Cathedral and many monuments, the fine architecture of numerous historic buildings, and the beautiful parks.

London shows examples of buildings that express all the different areas of its history, it manages in a unique way to reflect its past and at the same time to fulfil the functions of a modern city.

Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the Sovereign (the British Monarchy). The daily ceremony of the Changing of the Guards takes place in its courtyard. The palace was built in 1703 by the Duke of Buckingham. Today, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh live in the private apartments on the north side of the place. Buckingham Palace has 19 state rooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 182 staff rooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms. Some 450 people work in the palace and 40,000 people are entertained there every year. The Queen, as a head of state, receives there a large number of formal and informal visitors, including the Prime Minister at weekly audience, foreign and British ambassadors and senior officers of the armed services and the civil service.

Piccadilly Circus has become an important meeting point — for traffic as well as sightseers. At its heart is a bronze fountain topped by a figure of a winged archer, popularly known as Eros, the pagan god of love. The majority of London's places of entertainment are concentrated around Piccadilly Circus. This area is now famous for its theatres, clubs and shops.

Whitehall is a street in central London running from Trafalgar Square to the Houses of Parliament and containing many important buildings and government offices: the Foreign Commonwealth Offices, the Treasury, Admiralty and Ministry of Defence. In the centre of the roadway stands the Cenotaph, the memorial to the fallen of both world wars. The Prime Minister's residence at No.10 Downing Street is directly connected to Whitehall.

London is always full of life. The streets are crowded with traffic. High 'double-decker' buses rise above the smaller cars and vans.

The City of London today is the financial powerhouse of the country and one of the chief commercial centres of the western world. The territory of the City of just over one square mile contains several banks, including the Bank of England, the Stock Exchange and offices of many financial companies.

The parks of London provide a welcome contrast to the great built-up areas. St. James's Park, Green Park, Hyde Park, and Kensington Gardens are linked together. They form 313 hectares of open parkland in the heart of London.

The task: Read this information about some places of interest in England. Find out:

which of them have historic or literary associations; which are noted for their outstanding beauty; which are linked with the sea.

Windsor: a town on the Thames, not far from London. Its castle has been a royal residence for nine centuries. Seen from a distance it is beautiful beyond imagination. Windsor Castle has a long and fascinating history.

Some of the interior apartments are open to the public when the Sovereign is not in residence.

Canterbury: an ancient city in Kent, with a majestic cathedral which dominates it. Canterbury is a religious capital of England. It was built in the 11^th - 15th centuries, and became a place of pilgrimage in medieval times.

Brighton: a popular seaside resort, famous for the architecture of the Royal Pavillion built in an oriental style. Brighton is known for its large conference centre, where many important political and scientific meeting are held.

Stratford-on-Avon: an attractive town, world-famous as the birthplace of William Shakespeare (1564-1616). It holds a priceless collection of Shakespeare relics. Stratford is visited by thousands of tourists annually. It is second to London for tourists.

Coventry: it has been an important city since the 14th century. It is now known for its magnificent cathedral, decorated by the best artists and craftsmen in Britain. It was built near the ruins of the old cathedral, destroyed during the Second World War, in memory of those who died in the bombings.

York: a medieval city, built on Roman foundations and strongly influenced by the Vikings. It is exciting to wander through its ancient alleyways, walk on top of the city walls, to see the Minster, Britain's largest cathedral, that dominates York.

The Lake District is an area of outstanding beauty, one of the loveliest regions in England, famous for its spectacular mountain scenery, wooded hill slopes and sparkling lakes. It is a national park.

Wales

Cardiff was declared the capital in 1955.

Cardiff Castle: a building representing 1900 years of history. First it was a Roman fort. When the Normans arrived centuries later they built their castle on the site of the old Roman fort.

Snowdonia: The Welsh call Snowdonia the 'Eagles' Nesting Place' eagles no The Snowdonia National Park is a region of wild mountains, high passes and craggy peaks. At the centre of the range is Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales (1085m).

Dinorwig: the largest pumped-storage power station in Europe. It is built in the heart of a mountain to produce electricity by pumping water between two lakes. At all stages of the design and construction it was appreciated that the need to protect the exceptionally fine environment of the Snowdonia Park was of paramount importance.

Ffestiniog Railway (established 23d May 1832 by Act of Parliament). This is a famous railway, with little steam trains which run from the coastline into the mountains. The views from the windows of the train are magnificent over countryside set in the midst of the Snowdonia National Park.

Caernarfon: an ancient town with a magnificently preserved castle which dominates it. The son of Edward I, who became the first English Prince of Wales, was born there in 1284. In 1969 Prince Charles was invested there as Prince of Wales. Many episodes in the long history of revolt against English rule took place in the castle, and in the Civil War (1642-1646) it was one of Cromwell's strongholds.

Ex. Answer the

What do you think makes Wales a country interesting for visitors?

What interesting facts about Wales have you found out?

What town is given the title of 'Prince of Wales'?

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