The trip on the Thames

A trip on London's river provides a whole new perspective to many of London's world famous tourist sights. Historic riverside attractions include the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben Lambeth Palace, The Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Shakespeare’s Global Theatre, Cleopatra's Needle. They merge with new waterside developments such as Butler's Wharf and the Design Museum, London Bridge City with the shopping and restaurant complex of Hays Galleria and the Soul Bank Arts Centre including the Festival Hall and National Theater.

Task I.Make up a dialogue "Taking a trip on a river in a water bus". Use the above information.

Task II. Translate the text:

Первые эскалаторы появились семьдесят пять лет назад на одной из станций лондонской подземки. Сейчас нередко вспоминают, что жители британской столицы приняли движущуюся лестницу без энтузиазма. Лишь «самые отчаянные» решались проехаться на ней. Дирекция метро в рекламных целях наняла инвалида с деревянной ногой, который демонстративно катался то вверх, то вниз. Храбрый инвалид оказался самым убедительным аргументом для лондонцев, и «лестница-чудесница» начала понемногу входить в их быт.

(из «За рубежом»)

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The Capital Cities of the English Speaking Countries:

Ottawa The Capital of Canada, on the Ottawa River, at the Southeastern tip of Ontario near the USA border. Population 1,057,000.

Wellington The Capital of New Zealand, a port on Southern North Island. Population 152 000.

Canberra The Capital of Australia, in the Australian Capital Territory, on the Murrumbidgee in South-eastern New South Wales, Population 310,000.

Washington The Capital of the United States of America and coextensive with the District of Columbia, in the east on the Maryland shore of the Potomac.

Population 3.800.00

London The Capital on England and the United Kingdom on the Themes in Southeastern England. Population 12,000.000

Royal Residences I

Buckingham Palace, facing The Mall and the white marble and gilded Queen Victoria Memorial, flies the royal standard when The Queen is in residence. Her ancestor, King George IV insisted that the architect for his stately new home must be John Nash. He won his choice, but the cost grew to a horrendous $700,000, when extravagances included such items as 500 massive blocks of veined Carrara marble. When Queen Victoria came to the throne a few years later in 1837 it was hardly habitable. Many of the 1,000 windows would not open. By 1853 the ballroom block had been added King Edward VII, born in the Palace in 1841,^-died there in 1910.

Despite its sumptuous apartments, containing generations of royal treasures, not all its residents were happy. In his memoirs The Duke of Windsor wrote that the vast building "with its stately rooms and endless corridors and passages, seemed pervaded by curious, musty smell that still assails me whenever I enter its portals".

Today The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have private suites in the North Wing, overlooking Green Park. Their home is open to around 30,000 guests in summer, attending garden parties. The gardens have a lake, cascading water and the wild life includes flamingoes - apparently not disturbed by frequent helicopters of the Queen's Flight. Buckingham Palace is a working setting for the monarchy - with a large staff involved in tasks from running the household to organizing banquets for visiting heads of state, arrangements for ambassador to present their credentials and subjects to receive awards. From here the Queen leaves on ceremonial duties such as the State Opening of Parliament in early winter and trooping the Colour to mark her official birthday in June.

The Queen's Gallery, built on part of the site where the chapel stood before it was bombed during the war, houses changing exhibitions taken from the Royal Collections. This is open to the public. So are the Royal Mews with the Queen's horses, their trappings, the breathtaking State Coach, painted by Cipriani, and more modern royal carriages and cars.

Royal Residences II

The Prince and Princess of Wales have apartments in Kensington Palace in Kensington Gardens. The first royal residents were William III and Queen Mary, who bought Nottingham House in the village of Kensington for 18,000 in 1689. This was their country mansion, just outside the healthy Westminster, and they asked Sir Christopher Wren to make necessary improvements. Than Kensington expanded, and is still known as a royal borough.

The State Apartmentswere opened to the public in 1899 by Queen Victoria who was born and brought up there. Today the Palace is the setting for a glamorous Court Dress Collection, showing the fashions in vogue during two centuries.

St James's Palace, an irregular, picture-pretty brick building was created by Henry VIII. The gatehouse, parts of the Chapel Royal and the Tapestry Room survived from the 16^th century, much as they were when Mary I died here in 1508. Charles I spent his last days at this Palace, and since then, happier royal connections continued. The Duke and Duchess of Kent live in a grace and favour residence, the Lord Chamberlain has offices and the British Court is still called the Court of St. James.

The Queen Mother was seen on her birthday, gathering greetings from waiting children and waving to the crowd. Britain's favourite grandmother, as old as the century, lived in Clarence House, build by Nash in 1825 for William IV when he was Duke of Clarence. The Queen lived here as Princess Elizabeth after her marriage, and the Princess of Wales spent days here before her marriage. Early risers heard piper who played in the garden at 9 a.m. when the Queen Mother was at home in London.

Marlborough House was built for Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough who obtained a lease on land adjoining St James's Palace from Queen Anne. The house, completed in 1711, was the birthplace of the future George V in 1865. Nearly 100 years later the House was donated to the Government as a Commonwealth Centre.

Task I. Read the text compose the list of Royal residences and the list of monarchs who occupied them and the list of improvements on the buildings, the interiors and decorations.

e.g. 1
1. Buckingham Palace	King George IV Queen Victoria Queen Elizabeth	built new stately home with extravagances of 500 massive blocks of veined Carrara marble

Task II. Speak on the functions of the royal residences and their destiny.

Westminster Abbey

An architectural masterpiece of the 13' to 16' centuries. Westminster Abbey presents a unique pageant of British History - the Confessor's Shrine, the tombs of Kings and Queens, the countless memorials of the famous and the great. It has been the setting for every Coronation since 1066 and for numerous other Royal occasions.

The wonders of Westminster Abbey owe much to a succession of kings and queens beginning with Edward the Confessor, a saintly man who came to the throne in 1040. Sadly, the church he built on the site was consecrated on December 28, 1065 when he was too weak to attend. He died eight days later. The next year a new king, William the Conqueror was crowned there on Christmas Day setting a precedent which continues. Westminster Abbey has been the setting for every monarch's coronation and, since 1308 they have used the Coronation Chair designed to hold the ancient Stone of Scone seized from the Scots in 1296. It was stolen by some Scots 1950 but replaced the following year.

Henry III added a Lady Chapel in 1220 and began rebuilding the old Abbey - a process which lasted some 300 years to create most of the building we know today - though the West Towers were not finished until 1745.

The Abbey presents a pageant of noble, military, political and artistic history. It has the goner of kings and queens, of poets (Chaucer was the first to be buried, in 1400, in Poet's Corner), politicians and churchmen. Sir Winston Churchill is remembered with a marble slab placed near the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Elizabeth I is buried in the same vault as her half-sister, Mary, and is portrayed in a white marble effigy. She lies in the north aisle of the Henry VII chapel, under its spectacular vaulted roof. Among recent additions to the Royal Air Force Chapel with memorial window, while the founder is remembered in the Chapel of Edward the Confessor.

Westminster Abbey, under the jurisdiction of a Dean and Chapter, is subject only to the Sovereign. It has its own choir and choir school and adjoining the cloisters is Westminster School, founded by Queen Elizabeth I.

Task I. Read the text, say - What importance did the following dates have in the history of Westminster Abbey:

1040, 1065, 1066, 1220, 1296, 1308, 1400, 1745, 1950, 1951

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What can be seen by visitors in the Abbey: The Chapel of Henry VII, the Chapel of St. Edward the Confessor, Poets' Corner, The Sanctuary, The Nave, The Cloisters, The Vault of Queen Elizabeth I, Coronation Chair, The tomb of Geoffrey Chaucer, the Chapter House.

The Tower of London

There is more of London's history in the Tower than anywhere else. It is the oldest surviving building in London. From the 11th century the Tower has served many purposes - always a fortress but, at various periods of history, also as a Royal Palace, a prison, a treasury, a mint until 1810, Palace; an arsenal; the first royal observatory in the reign of King Charles I; and for 300 years there was a royal zoo which has moved to Regent's Park in the 1830s. The oldest part is the White Tower built as afortress and family residence by William the Conqueror in 1066. The name is said to have originated in the reign of King Henry III who ordered it to be whitewashed. The Chapel of St. John, on the first floor, is one of the finest surviving specimens of pure Norman architecture. The Chapel has a long recorded history: King Henry VI's bones lay here after his murder in 1471; Mary Tudor went through a form of marriage by proxy to Philip, King of Spain; Lady Jane Grey prayed here before her execution in 1553. ...Successive sovereigns were responsible for the many additional buildings that comprise the complex we see today. The inner defensive wall and its 13 towers were added by King Henry II; King Edward was responsible for the construction of the outer defense, Traitors' Gate, the completion of the Moat and the Middle Tower.

The Traitors' Gate is now seen as an arch below the outer walls its portcullis through which shackled prisoners passed on their final journey. The delightful Tower Green was not always so pleasant, as this was the site for scaffold where the less common prisoners met their end. Here perished two of King Henry VIII's wives, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. Lady Jane Grey and Earl of Essex were also executed here. Sir Walter Raleigh, being imprisoned here for 13 years, was beheaded in 1618. The Crown Jewels had for many years been kept in the Wakefield Tower. The original Crown of England was one of many treasures destroyed by Cromwell and the Crown on display today is a copy made for the coronation of King Charles II. This is possibly the most valuable Crown in the world. Among the many famous and historic stones in this crown are the Stuart Sapphire, the Black Prince's Ruby and the second Star of Africa. Among the splendid objects of royal regalia, the Sovereign's Orb and Sceptre are the most striking and valuable, containing the Great Star of Africa which weighs 530 carats and is the largest cut diamond in the world. For several centuries the Tower of London was the chief arsenal in the Kingdom. It also housed the King's personal armors and weapons. The Yeoman warders or "Beefeaters" as they are often called are found at the Tower of London wearing dark-blue tunics with red braid (a uniform given to them in 1858), they are probably some of the most photographed men in Britain. The Beefeaters, all ex-army people, are used mainly as guides and are also involved in the security of the building.

No other historic monument in England but the Tower can boast such as unbroken continuity with the past or have played such a major role in the nation's heritage.

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What to see in the Tower of London: The Crown Jewels, the Medieval Palace, the Wall Walk, the White Tower, Tower Green, Western Entrance and Water Lane, the Fusiliers' museum, the Yeoman Warders, the Ravens

Task I. Act as a guide of the Tower of London. Tell visitors the most important facts from the history of the place.

Tower Ravens

For over 900 years these unique guardians have patrolled the Tower of London. According to the legend, "only so long as they stay, will the White Tower stand". These magnificent birds, members of the crow family, respond only to the Raven master and are likely to attack if approached too closely by anyone else. Therein a complement of six birds. They preside over four dif­ferent territories within The Tower precinct. These respected residents, since the reign of King Charles II, have been protected by royal decree.

Task II. Translate.

1 За свою более чем девятивековую историю Тауэр повидал многое: некогда тут были и королевский дворец, и обсерватория, и государственный архив, и зверинец, и арсенал, и тюрьма для государственных преступников.

2 В наши дни здесь располагаются музей оружия и доспехов и сокровищница британской короны.

3 Вряд ли нормандский герцог Вильгельм I Завоеватель, начавший в XI в. строительство крепости на берегу Темзы, задумывался о том, что это сооружение сможет одновременно выполнять столько функций.

4 Замок был построен в. полном смысле слова универсальный. Коронованных хозяев Тауэра вовсе не смущало, что окна их банкетных залов и опочивален смотрят на тюрьму. Им виделись неоспоримые преимущества в этом, так как они могли в любое время посещать пленников и устраивать им допросы, и для охраны не нужна было усиливать отряд надсмотрщиков.

5 Первым официально зарегистрированным в Тауэре заключенным стал в 106 г. фаворит Вильгельма II, погрязший в казнокрадстве и взяточничестве епископ Рэнальф Фламбард. Узником его было назвать сложно, он «томился» в просторных покоях и со всеми удобствами», в окружении челяди.

6 Через несколько месяцев он сбежал, начав тем самым недлинный список беглецов из хорошо охраняемой крепости.

7 Принцу Уэльскому Гриффиту повезло меньше. В 1244 г. он попытался оставить темницу, поскользнулся на крыше и упал с 30-метровой высоты.

8 Первой женщиной, доставленной в Тауэр, стала в 1322 г. Леди Бадлесмер, посмевшая оскорбить Изабеллу Французскую, супругу короля Эдуарда II.

9 В стенах Тауэра разворачивался овин из самых детективных сюжетов английской истории. В 1483 г. после кончины короля Эдуарда IV его дети - 12-летний наследник престола - Эдуард V - и 9-летний принц Ричард были доставлены во дворец для коронации.

10 Коронация не состоялась, после этого мальчиков мала кто видел. Трон узурпировал брат покойного короля Ричард Глостер, известный как Ричард III.

11 Кое-кто слышит в пустынных коридорах и на лестницах Кровавой башни топот ножек, детский смех или жалобный плач.

12 Но наиболее часто встречающимся в Тауэре призраком единодушно признана Анна Болейн, вторая жена Генриха VIII; реже появляется призрак пятой жены — Екатерины Говард, а самый известный призрак-мужчина в Тауэре — это герцог Норфолк, сподвижник Марии Стюарт.

13 Несколько столетий в Англии существовало правило: ночь перед коронацией будущий монарх должен провести в Тауэре. Елизавете I пришлось просидеть в колокольной башне замка целых 6 недель. Она была обвинена Марией Тюдор в государственной измене.

14 В Тауэр попадали и иностранные шпионы, и изменники. Последним узником легендарной крепости был нацистский преступник Рудольф Гесс, прилетевший в Англию в мае 1941 г. с «миротворческой миссией», закончившейся провалом.

15 На этом тюремная история Тауэра завершилась, по-видимому, навсегда.