Exercise 24. Read and translate the text

London is a capital of the United Kingdom, its economic, political and cultural centre. London has been a capital for nearly a thousand years. Many of its ancient buildings still stand. The most famous of them are the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral.

London is home for the headquarters of all government departments, Parliament, the major legal institutions and the monarch. It is the country’s business and banking centre and the centre of its transport network. It contains the headquarters of the national television networks and of all the national newspapers.

Different areas of London seem like different cities. The West End is a rich man’s world of shops, offices and theatres. The City of London is the district where most offices and banks are concentrated; the Royal Exchange and the Bank of England are here, too. The East End is the district where mostly working people live. The old port area is now called “Docklands”. There are now new office buildings in Docklands, and thousands of new flats and houses.

Like all big cities, London has streets and concrete buildings, but it also has many big parks, full of trees, flowers and grass. In the middle of Hyde Park or Kensington Gardens you will think that you are in the country, miles away.

Exercise 25. Answer the questions:

1. What part does London play in the life of the UK?

2. What are the most famous ancient buildings of London?

3. What are different districts of London famous for?

4. Is the East End the district where mostly working people live?

5. What has London except concrete buildings?

6. Different areas of London seem like different cities, don’t they?

7. How is old port area called?

Exercise 26. Translate into English:

1. Лондон – экономический, политический и культурный центр, один из крупнейших портов страны и крупнейших городов в мире.

2. Самые знаменитые древние здания – Лондонский Тауер, Вестминстерское аббатство, собор Святого Павла, Парламент, Букингемский дворец.

3.Вест – Энд – район магазинов, офисов и театров, район богатых людей.

4.В Сити сконцентрированы банки, офисы, в том числе Королевская Биржа и Банк Англии.

5.В Ист-Энде живут рабочие.

6.В Докланде, бывшем районе портов, сейчас много новых офисов.

7.В Вест-Энд лондонцы приезжают развлекаться.

Exercise 27. Find Russian equivalents and make sentences of your own.

Ancient building, a rich man’s world of shops, to be concentrated, port area, concrete buildings, flowers and grass.