вот держи в пример.
не забудь особенно о заключении и вопросах.
LONDON
As well as being the capital of England, London is the capital of the
United Kingdom. It is one of the greatest, most colourful and interesting
cities of the world, and it tops the list of the cities I would like to
visit. I know a lot about it - I have studied its map, seen a lot of
postcards, talked to people who have been there. Sometimes I close my eyes
and imagine I walk down Piccadilly, Regent or Oxford Street, cross the
Thames by London or Tower Bridge, or knock on the door of Number 10,
Downing Street, just to say “Hi!” to Tony Blair.
London is a city which was never planned. It has accumulated. So, it
includes the City of London, the West End and the East End. The city is
really large – more than 8 million people live in so-called Greater London
– that is, London and its suburbs. It stands on the both sides of the river
Thames and 14 bridges span the river. The Thames, described variously as
“liquid history” and the “noblest river in Europe” is graced in London with
a score of bridges, tunnels and a barrier, but until 1750, when the first
Westminster Bridge opened, London Bridge was the one and the only. The
first one built in stone from 1176 to 1209 became renowned throughout
Europe for its houses and a chapel dedicated to St Thomas of Canterbury.
Several of London bridges have special features – Hammersmith Bridge has
ornamental metal work and Vauxhall has larger than life bronze figures
representing pottery, engineering, architecture, agriculture, science, fine
arts, local government and education.
The royal menagerie departed to the Zoo in 1834, leaving only the
ravens behind. Tradition says that if the ravens leave, the Tower and the
country will fall. So Beefeaters – Warders of the Tower - give ravens meat
every night.
The finest part of London is the West End with long streets of fine
shops, theaters, picture gallery. Soho, the home of strip-tease, the cinema
industry and international haute cuisine, is on the edge of theatreland,
rich in history and rich in cultural mix. The name Soho probably came from
the ancient hunting cry – So – Ho – in its farmland days. By the 19th
century it must have seemed a strange area, described by John Galsworthy in
the Forsyte Saga as “Untidy, full of Greeks, Ishmaelites, cats, Italians,
tomatoes, restaurants, organs, coloured stuffs, queer names, people looking
out of out windows, it dwells remote from the British Body Politic”. Today
there is a complete China Town and Restaurants serve haute cuisine from
scores of countries.
There are beautiful parks in the West End, such as St James’s Park,
Green Park, Kensington Gardens, and Hyde Park with its Speaker’s Corner
there you can go up on a platform and speak freely on the topic that you
find vital. The Royal Parks are central London‘s lungs. Bands play beside
lakes, parks have cafes and art galleries. he first palace was built for Edward the
Confessor, who came to the throne in 1042. Every British citizen has the
traditional right to ask to see his or her Member of Parliament, and they
meet in the highly decorative Central Lobby. When Parliament is sitting, it
is possible to hear debates from the Strangers’ Galleries. Even the Queen
is subject to restrictions. For the State Opening of Parliament she has to
sit enthroned in the Lords – a custom which goes back to the era of Charles
I. . It has the graves of queens and kings, of poets,
politicians and churchmen. And the High Altar still contains the body of
Edward the Confessor, the Abbey’s founder.
Westminster Cathedral is the leading Roman Catholic Church in England.
It was built half a mile from the Abbey. The single bell in the 280 foot
high campanile is dedicated (like the Chapel in the Abbey) to Edward the
Confessor. This gift from Gwendolen, Duchess of Norfolk, is inscribed “St
Edward, pray for England”.
The East End is something quite different. It is the industrial part
of London. There are factories and docks there, and blocks of flats where
working people live. They form quite a contrast to what we can see in the
West End.
Conclusion
“When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life: for there is in
London all that life can afford” -, wrote Samuel Johnson in 1777.
Naturally, London is a cultural, scientific, and industrial center of the
country, and it means that a lot of interesting things are taking place
there all the time.
CONTENTS
1. Introduction.
2. Main part.
1. The River.
2. The City of London.
3. The West End.
4. The East End.
3. Conclusion.
4.