Means of Communication

People use various means of communication to get from one place to another. In the old days people had to travel several days, weeks and months to get to the place they needed. They either went on foot, by coaches driven by horses or on horseback or by. boats and ships. Then trams, cars, buses, planes, underground and other means appeared.

Many people like to travel by air as it is the fastest way of traveling. A lot of people like to travel by train because they can look at passing villages, forests and fields through windows. Some people like to travel by car. There they can go as slowly or as fast as they like. They can stop when and where they want.

People who live in big cities use various means of communication to get from one place to another. Londoners use the underground railway. They call it “the tube”. London's underground is the oldest in the world. It was opened in 1863. There was one route at that time, four miles long. Now London's underground has 277 stations and it is 244 miles long. Londoners use buses. The first bus route was opened in London in 1904 Today there are hundreds of routes there. The interesting thing is that some of the routes are the same as many years ago.

London's buses are double-decked buses. Londoners do not use trams, though London was the first city where trams appeared. And now it is one of the biggest cities in the world where there are no trams. The last tram left the streets of London many years ago. Londoners use cars. One can see a lot of cars in London streets. When Londoners leave the town, they use trains, ships or planes.

The Superstitions in Britain

There are many superstitions in Britain. But one of the most widely-held is that it is unlucky to open an umbrella in the house. It will either bring misfortune to the person that opened it or to the household. The person who opens an umbrella in fine weather is very unpopular. It's very unlucky to walk under a ladder. If you must pass under a ladder you can avoid bad luck by crossing your finger and keeping them crossed until you've seen a dog.

The number 13 is said to be unlucky for some. And when the 13th day of the month falls on a Friday, many of the people prefer to stay at home.

The worst misfortune that can befall you is breaking a mirror. That will bring you seven years of bad luck. This superstition is supposed to have originated in ancient times, because mirrors were considered to be tools of the gods. And at last there is a superstition of touching wood for luck. This measure is most often taken if you have said or done something wrong or stupid.

Shopping

I would like to tell you about shopping in the United Kingdom. Marks & Spencer is Britain's favourite store. Tourists love it too. It attracts a great variety of customers from house wives to millionaires. Princess Diana, Dustin Hoffman and the British Prime-minister are just a few of its famous customers. Last year it made a profit of 529 million pounds, which is more than 10 million a week.

It all started 105 years ago when a young Polish immigrant Michael Marks had a stall in Leeds market. He didn't have many things to sell: some cotton, a little wool, lots of buttons and a few shoelaces. Above his stall he put the now famous notice: "Don't ask how much - it's a penny." Ten years later he met Tom Spencer and together they started Penny stalls in many towns in the North of England. Today there are 564 brances of Marks & Spencer all over the world: in America, Canada, Spain, France, Belguim and Hungary.

The store bases its business on 3 principles: good price, good quality and good service. Also, it changes with the times; once it was all jumpers and knickers. Now it sells food, furniture and flowers as well. Top fashion designers advice on styles of clothes. Perhaps, the most important key to its success is its happy well-trained staff. Conditions of work are excellent. There are company doctors, dentists, hairdressers, etc. And all the staff can have lunch for less than 40 pence.

Suprisingly tastes about food and clothes are international. What sells well in Paris, sells just as well in Newcastle and Moscow. Their best selling clothes are: for women - jumpers and knickers (M & S is famous for its knickers); for men - shirts, socks, pyjamas, dressing gowns and suits; for children - underwear and socks. Best sellers in food include: fresh chickens, vegetables and sandwiches, "Chicken Kiev" is internationally the most popular convience food. Shopping in Britain is also famous for its Freshfood. Freshfood is a chain of food stores and very successful supermarkets which has grown tremendously in the twenty years since it was founded, and now it has branches in the High Streets of all the towns of any size in Britain. In the beginning the stores sold only foodstuffs, but in recent years they have diversified enormously and now sell clothes, books, records, electrical and domestic equipment. The success of the chain has been due to an enterprising managment and to attractive layout and display in the stores. It has been discovered that impulse buying accounts for almost 35 per cent of the total turn over of the stores. The stores are organized completly for self-service and customers are encouraged to wander around the spaciously laid out stands. Special free gifts and reduced prices are used to tempt customers into the stores and they can't stand the temptation.