THE LONDONER AND HIS PARKS

Londoners use their royal parks, once the private pleasure grounds of kings as a background where they can pursue their diverse activities, in their own often solitary way. While a sunny day may temporarily cram the parks with lunchtime sun-seekers, it is more unlikely times — a wet afternoon soft evening, or early in the morning - that the intimate side of a Londoner's rela­tionship with his parks is subtly revealed. BothHyde Park and Regent Park lie with the 15-minute stroll from Oxford Circus. In the heart of either it is possible to be far out of sight and smell of traffic, oblivious of the city and even of other people, surrounded only by lawns, flowers or tall trees where a startling variety of wild birds nest and breed. Here Londoners come in ones and twos to breathe the fresh air, collect their thoughts and be themselves.

Although deer no longer live here, the bird life is prolific, encouraged by sanctuaries. The one in St James's is nicely sited on Duck Island where pelicans first made their home in the 17th century — a pair were given as a gift by the Russian ambassador — and King Charles II brought his aviary here.

Kensington Gardens, with its sunken gardens, orangery and the Round Pond — joy of children with small sailing boats - gained its early character in the days of William III. who lived in Kensington Palace. Queen Caroline, wife of George II, made substantial changes, planting avenues of trees and building ornate architectural feature. Beside the Serpentine is the nursery-book statue of Peter Pan, based on the much beloved fictitious character created by Sir James Barrie at the turn of the 20th century.

In Hyde Park 21 gun salutes celebrate the Sovereign's birthday, lovers stroll, and fireworks are let off on special occasions and, in early November, historical cars begin their London to Brighton run. Hyde Park has its own police station and large tree nurseries.

Marble Arch designed by John Nash in 1827, based on the Arch of Constantine in Rome, was moved from outside Buckingham Palace to its present site in 1851 -- the year of the Great Exhibition. It marks the North East corner of Hyde Park, near where anyone can take a stand and address anyone else who will listen — hence its name: Speakers' Corner.

Hyde Park Corner, at the far end of the elegant Park Lane, has another arch — Wellington Arch dating from the 1820s. Next door is Apsley House, the home of the Duke of Wellington (1769 — 1852) with the distinguished address, No. 1, London, and a suitably distinguished collection of porcelain, paintings and personal relics of the Iron Duke. Bands play beside lakes; they have cafes and art galleries. Riders trot around Rotten Row; oarsmen row boats across the Serpentine and in summer players take to the stage at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre.

In Regent's Park favourite venues are a miniature garden on an island, Queen Mary's Rose Gardens, a long wide avenue, ornate sculptures and open grounds for sports, and for dogs to run free in sight of inhabitants of the London Zoo. This was founded in 1826, is famed for its comprehensive collection, 1930s penguin pool, a modern elephant house and a bird aviary de­signed by Lord Snowdon towering beside the Regent's Park Canal.

Once inside the gates of Kew, any visitor is both daunted and impressed by the gardens' size. Kew extends over 121 hectares and incorporates hothouses, an icehouse, a pagoda, a palace and all sorts of plants and trees. It was one pence to get in until 1980. The Gardens date back to 1720 and belonged to George II and George III until donated to the state in 1841. It was Sir Joseph Banks, unofficial director of the gardens in 1772, who sent explorers all over the world to collect plants and trees for the gardens. Since then despite its reputation as a park, Kew's primary functions have been to carry out botanical research h is increasingly involved with the conservation of dangered plants and flowers worldwide.

Task I: read the text. 1) Compile a fist of the well-known London Parks and Gardens. 2) Write down the list of attractions that are in London Parks and Gardens (e.g. Regent's Park — Queen Mary's Rose Garden, the London Zoo, etc.). 3) Single out the peculiar feature of every park or garden (e.g. Regent's Park— a miniature garden on an island, open grounds for sports, etc.).

Washington

Until the late 18th century, America was under the rule of the British Crown. When the colonists declared their independence from Great Britain, the Revolutionary War began. After a long and hard struggle, the British finally granted America its freedom to be an independent nation.

George Washington was named the nation's first president. Under a new government, with a strong leader in place, the next task was to decide on a site for a national capital. One proposal was to make Philadelphia, which was the temporary capital, the permanent one, while Congressmen from other states promoted cities in their home state. Finally Congress decided to make the capital a "federal city", completely separate from all state. In addition to being the head of the nation, the "federal city" would have its own government and agencies and would be run as a small city. The site was determined to be an area along the Potomac River, and the new federal city was named the District of Columbia, in honor of Christopher Columbus.

The next step was to design the city and its buildings in a plan that would best serve the nation. President George Washington had seen the works of Major Pierre Charles L’Enfant in Paris, and commissioned L’Enfant to design the District of Columbia.

L'Enfant's dream was a capital city that would be "magnificent enough to grace a great nation." He chose the site for the Capitol building atop a small hill, then called Jenkins Hill. This site made the Capitol Building the central point of a checkerboard layout of wide streets and avenues. The federal city was laid out as a square, ten miles on each side, with the comers of the square pointing north, south, east and west, and the top of the Capitol Building dome being the exact center of the square.

In addition to the checkerboard system of streets, L'Enfant added wide avenues running at diagonals like the spokes of a wheel with circles at the points where the wide avenues cross intersections of the streets. His design of streets, avenues and circles was thought to be one for protection for the city. The circle intersections could be guarded, controlling any threat or enemy attempt to attack the Capitol Building. One of these wide avenues designed by L’Enfant connects the Capitol Building and the White House — Pennsylvania Avenue. On September 18, 1793, President George Washington laid the cornerstone of the north wing of the Capitol Building. The plans and dreams of L'Enfant have been built into the working center of today's government. Shortly after the death of President George Washington, Congress elected to rename the capital Washington, D.C. in honor of their first president. Today's Washington is only 69 square miles in area and has an estimated population of 650 000. The Federal Government is Washington's largest employer, with tourism the second largest. The city has grown tremendously since its beginning, but the original plan of Pierre L'Enfant is still evident. Just as L'Enfant planned on having the Capitol Building as the central point of the city, today's Washington is divided into four sections in relation to the Capitol Building. The sections are called Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, and Northwest, with the checkerboard grid pattern streets and the wide avenues of L'Enfant's original plan still in use. Washington, D.C. today is a hub of activity, both with the Federal Government and the booming tourist trade. The capital city, so filled with culture and history, hassomething to interest visitors of my age from all walks of life from around the world.

Quiz

Task I: guess the names of the sights in Washington:

1) Its huge dome is crowned with the Statue of Freedom. It is surrounded by a 68-acre park designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, which includes many noble old trees, fountains and statues.

2) This memorial is to the 16 President of America. It is a white marble building of classic design, resembling the Parthenon of Greece. It was completed in 1922. Inside the building is a majestic 19-foot high marble statue of the seated President.

3) It is the Home of the President of the United States. If was burned by the British in 1814, but was rebuilt and the porticos were added in the 1820's.

4) One of the world's largest office buildings is headquarters for the Secretary of Defense, the Army, Navy and Air Force. Visitors should bring photo identification.

Task II: Answer the following questions.

1. Of what importance was the late 18^th century for America?

2. Does the District of Columbia belong to any state or to all the states?

3. Whom is this district named after?

Moscow Calling Card

Moscow is situated in the centre of Eastern Europe between the Volga and Oka rivers. Thanks to a network of gigantic canals, Moscow is a port of five seas and of sea transport for the country.

The city occupies a territory of almost 1,000 square kilometers and is one of the northernmost capitals of the world. The distance from the centre of the city to its outskirts is 15-25 km, depending on the direction.

Historically, Moscow was built according to a radial-ring scheme. The first ring is comprised of roads along the borders of the Kremlin and Kitai-Gorod. The second ring is the Boulevard Ring. The third ring is the Garden Ring, and the last ring is the Moscow Ring Highway (MKAD), which is 109 km in circumference and now marks the official border of Moscow. Moscow's climate is moderate-continental (mild winter and warm summer). The seasons are very pronounced in Moscow. Snow cloaks the city in pure white during the winter, green vegetation colours its parks and gardens in the spring and summer, and golden leaves adorn the city in autumn.

Moscow is a very green city. More than 42 per cent of the city's territory consists of gardens, parks, and forests. It has almost 50 parks and forest-parks, including the national park Elk Island, situated within the city's boundaries, which in this regard makes Moscow unique among the world's capitals. Moscow has more than 700 public gardens and boulevards.

Moscow lies in a valley, but it also has hills and heights. According to a legend, there are seven hills, as in Rome. The highest point in Moscow is 253 metres above sea level or 113 metres above the level of the Moskva river, near the Konkovo Metro Station.

Moscow is home to about 9 million people, which makes it a little smaller than London and Paris. About 50 per cent of the city's residents work. Muscovites are highly-educated people. One in three has higher education, and most of the remaining residents have finished high school. Women are on average more educated than men. Moscow has about 2,000secondary schools of various types. One in five Russian college students studies in Moscow.

Moscow has more than 4,000 public libraries which house about 400 million books. It has more than 600 museums, 130 theatres, 20 large concert halls, 80 exhibition complexes and galleries, 120 cinemas, and 200 recreation centres. Three circuses operate continually in the city.

Moscow is an athletic city. It has about 100 sport palaces and stadiums, 50 swimming pools, 200 soccer fields, 35 rowing facilities and yacht clubs, 7 equestrian complexes, 9 downhill skiing courses, 7 chess clubs, 20 fishing bases, and 13 tourism clubs.

Moscow takes in guests from many countries of the world, among which are more and more tourists wishing to become acquainted with Russia's ancient culture, with its remarkable architectural monuments, churches, ancient monasteries, palaces, gardens, squares, and the treasures of its unique museums. Many enjoy the work of Moscow's famous theatrical actors, musicians, and artists.

Moscow is a gigantic centre of science, technology, humanitarian activities, and publishing. More than 1,000 newspapers, magazines and journals, and many books in Russian and other languages are published in the city. There also operate dozens of radio and television stations.

Moscow is an enormous and unique centre of international tourism. Moscow and its Mayor do everything they can to help guests to acquaint themselves with the ancient but forever young city, and to sense its warmth and friendliness. Guests will find more than 120 hotels, 500 restaurants and bars, 600 cafes, 40 casinos, 50 night clubs, and thousands of shops, salons, and private viewing facilities waiting for them. There are also 5 airports, 9 railway stations, a Metro with 158 stations and more than 250 kilometers of track, about 600 municipal transport and more than 10 river transport routes.

By the decision of UNESCO, the 850th anniversary of Moscow has been included in the calendar of memorial dates of international significance. And the city says to you: “Welcome to Russia's capital, beautiful Moscow!”