The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
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Text 1.GreatBritain

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated off the Northwest coast of Europe. The UK consists of four parts. They are: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The UK lies on the British Isles. There are some 5.5000 islands. The two main islands are: Great Britain and Ireland. They are separated from the continent by the English Channel and the Strait of Dover. The west coast of the country is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea, the east coast is washed by the North Sea. The area of the UK is some 244,100 km2. Its population is over 57 million people.

English is the official language, but it is not the only language which people speak in the country.

Britain has been many centuries in the making. The Romans conquered most part of Britain, but were unable to subdue the independent tribes in the West and in the North. Other invaders were Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Vikings and Normans. For many centuries this country was known simply as England. It had a strong army and navy. It waged numerous colonial wars. In the modern world England was the first country, where capitalism was established.

Geographically Great Britain is divided into Lowland Britain and Highland Britain. Lowland Britain comprises Southern and Eastern England. Highland Britain includes Scotland, Wales, the Pennines and the Lake District. The highest mountain -- Ben Nevis -- is in Scotland. The flora of the British Isles is much varied and the fauna is similar to that of the north-west of Europe. The country is not very rich in natural resources. There are many rivers in Great Britain. The Severn is the longest river, the Thames is the most important one.

London is the capital of the UK. It was founded by the Romans. The population of London is over 8 million people. The largest cities of Great Britain besides London are: Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Bristol, Leeds, Edinburgh.

Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy. The powers of the British Queen are limited by Parliament. The British Parliament consists of the sovereign, the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has always played an important role in world politics.

Text 2. London

London was founded in the first century AD by the Romans. They left London in the 5th century and the city was largely abandoned. By the 8th century London was again a busy trading centre, and in the 11th century it became the capital of England. Edward the Confessor built a palace and an abbey at Westminster. The Norman period saw the construction of the Tower, old St.Paul's Cathedral and many churches and monasteries.

Medieval London grew in importance as a trading centre and in 1215 its citizens won the right to elect their own leader, or Lord of Mayor. London began to spread beyond the city walls during the Tudor and Stuart periods. The Great Fire of 1666 destroyed three-quarters of the city. Sir Christopher Wren rebuilt St.Paul's Cathedral and designed 51 churches. The rebuilding of London followed the medieval street plan, but the old wooden houses were replaced by buildings of brick to reduce the future fire risk.

During the 19th century London spread rapidly into the suburbs. As a result of it new forms of transport were developed, including the underground railway system. Britain was then at the height of her Imperial Powers and this is expressed in such buildings as the Houses of Parliament and St. Pancras Station.

Large areas of London were destroyed by bombs during World War II and the rebuilding that followed was of mixed quality.

Today in its full extent greater London covers 625 square miles and consists of 33 separate boroughs, including the City, the West End, the East End and houses 7 million people.

The City extends over an area of about 2,6 square kilometers in the heart of London. About half a million people work there, but less than 6000 live there. It is the financial centre of the UK with many banks, offices and the Stock Exchange.

All the historical places and famous parks are in the West End. The West End, spreading from the political centre at Westminster includes the shopping area of Knightsbridge, Oxford Street, Piccadilly Circus and the fashionable Covent Garden: it hosts museums and galleries, among them are the Tate Gallery, the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery and the British Museum. In the West End there are Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace. The best known streets are: Whitehall with important Government offices, Downing Street, the residence of the Prime Minister and Fleet Street which stands for the press.

The name `West End' is associated with wealth, luxury and goods of high quality.

The port of London is in the east End. It is an area of dock, unattractive in appearance, but very important in the country's commerce.

Дата: 2019-12-10, просмотров: 219.