Task 13. A. Match the titles with the corresponding passages of the first text.

1. Geographical outline

2. The new branches of modern economy

3. Cultural life in the city

4. Sports in Birmingham

5. Prominent residents of the city

6. Birmingham - the second largest city in the UK

7. Parks. The peculiar feature of the city

8. From the history of Birmingham

B. Write out the key sentences for each points of the plan.

Task 14. Make up the plan of the texts about Manchester and Edinburgh.

Task 15. Put the sentences into the right order (Manchester and Edinburgh).

1. Manchester City Centre is now on a tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, mainly due to the network of canals and mills constructed during its 19th-century development.

2. Manchester was the world's first industrialised city and played a central role during the Industrial Revolution.

3. Located in the south-east of Scotland, Edinburgh lies on the east coast of Scotland's Central Belt, along the Firth of Forth, near the North Sea.

4. Manchester today is a centre of the arts, the media, higher education and commerce.

5. The city is one of Europe's major tourist destinations, attracting around 13 million visitors a year, and is the second most visited tourist destination in the United Kingdom, after London.

6. Manchester was regarded as the best place in the UK to locate a business.

7. During the 19th century it acquired the nickname Cottonopolis, suggesting it was a metropolis of cotton mills.

8. Owing to its rugged setting and vast collection of Medieval and Georgian architecture, including numerous stone tenements, it is often considered one of the most picturesque cities in Europe.

9. Manchester was the host of the 2002 Commonwealth Games, and among its other sporting connections are its two Premier League football teams, Manchester United and Manchester City.

10. Manchester was granted city status in 1853.

Task 16. Make up the summary of the texts.

Additional reading

Task 17. After reading each text write down in two columns what information is known to you and what is new. Fill in the table with sentences from the text.

Task 18. Answer the questions from the first column using phrases from the second one.

Task 19. Summarise the texts.