What would you like to ask a British teenager about Britain?

Give me a piece of advice on what sights to see in London.

There are a lot of places of interest in London. One of the oldest and most famous buildings is connected with William the Conqueror. It is the Tower of London. He started building it in the 11^th century. It was used as a fortress, a palace and a political prison. Now it is a museum.

Another masterpiece of architecture is St. Paul’s Cathedral. It was built by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of London which took place in 1666. Wellington, Admiral Nelson and other great men of England are buried in the Cathedral. Sir Christopher Wren is also buried there. There are the following words on his tomb: “If you want to see his monument, look around”.

Another place that is certainly worth seeing is Buckingham Palace where the Queen lives. A very colourful ceremony – the Changing of the Guard takes place there every morning.

One should also visit the Houses of Parliament where The British Government works. The Houses of Parliament consist of the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The Clock Tower of the Houses of Parliament contains the universal symbol of London, Big Ben.

Westminster Abbey is the crowning and burial place of British monarchs. It also has its world famous Poets’ Corner where many great English writers are buried: among them are Chaucer, Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling.

Trafalgar Square is the geographical centre of London. It was so named to commemorate Admiral Nelson’s victory in the battle of Trafalgar. Nelson’s Column stands in the middle of the square. Opposite the monument one can see the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. They contain the finest art collections in the world.

They say it’s important for a person to speak English nowadays because it is popular all over the world. What is your opinion?

As a matter of fact, English has become a number one language in the world. Approximately 350 million people speak English as their mother tongue. About the same number use it as a second language, to say nothing of millions of people all over the world who know English as a foreign language. Every person who travels in Europe, Asia or Africa, even in South America gets around by using English. So English is becoming a universal language on our planet. In my opinion to know English is absolutely necessary for every educated person.