Read the texts and speak about some British sights

A. There are some unusual places in Great Britain. Let’s take the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland for example. The Causeway is a mass of stone columns standing very near together. The tops of the columns form stepping stones leading from the cliff foot and disappearing under the sea. There are about 40,000 of these stone columns. The tallest are about 42 feet (13 m) high. Visitors in modern times are told that it is the result of volcanic action, but the legend says it is a giant’s work. The ancient Irish knew that there lived the giant Finn McCool, the Ulster soldier, who was extremely strong. He fell in love with a lady giant that lived on an island in Scotland, and so he began to build this causeway to bring her to Ulster.

B. Stonehenge is perhaps the most famous, as well as the most mysterious, of all prehistoric engineering monuments. There is nothing else like it anywhere in the world. Started 5,000 years ago, it was remodeled several times in the centuries that followed. Yet, why it was built is remaining a mystery. Stonehenge consists of two circles of huge stone blocks. Inside these are two groups of stones in the shape of a horseshoe. On June the 21^st, the longest day of the year, the rising sun faces the open part of the horseshoe and shines on the centre stone. At one time, people thought that Stonehenge was a Druid temple (храм друидов, жрецов древних кельтов), where they honoured the sun god but we shall never know precisely how it was used or what religious beliefs were celebrated there.

C. Stratford-on-Avon is the place where the greatest dramatist and poet of the English literature William Shakespeare was born and died (1564-1616). April 23^rd is the day on which Shakespeare was born and also the day when he died. Stratford is a very interesting town in the centre of England. There are beautiful woods, green fields, a quiet river Avon and lovely country houses. The main centres of interest include the Birthplace itself, Anne Hathaway’s Cottage (the home of Shakespeare’s wife), foundations and gardens of New Place (where he died), Shakespeare Memorial Theatre and the beautiful Holy Trinity Church (Shakespeare’s burial place).

LONDON

Learn the following words and expressions:

a politician – политик

an invasion – вторжение, завоевание

to turn – повернуть

a misfortune – несчастье

to change – изменять

an image – образ

to destroy – разрушать

a church – церковь

ancient – древний

a guide – гид

a tower – башня

to defend – защищать

a fortress – крепость

a palace – дворец

an observatory – обсерватория

an arsenal – арсенал

a prison – тюрьма

a raven – ворон

a sight = a place of interest –достопримечательность

to leave – оставлять, покидать

a monarchy – монархия

to guard – охранять

remarkable – удивительный

impressive – производящий впечатление

a tomb – надгробный камень

to bury – хоронить

a time-keeper – часы (куранты)

royal – королевский

to reign – царствовать

a column – колонна

a statue – статуя

a fountain – фонтан

an inventor – изобретатель

to contain – содержать

a masterpiece – шедевр

an admission – вход, доступ

unique – уникальный

wax – воск

to enjoy – наслаждаться

to discover – открывать

curious – редкий, любопытный

a piece – часть, кусок

to investigate – исследовать

architecture – архитектура

plague – чума

a master – хозяин

a crown – корона

a jewel – сокровище

Mind some proper names:

Roman – римский

Londinium – древнее название Лондона

Westminster – Вестминстер

The City – Сити (исторический центр Лондона)

Stock Exchange – Лондонская фондовая биржа

The Old Bailey – Центральный уголовный суд

Mansion House –резиденция мэра Лондона

Tower of London – Лондонский Тауэр

William the Conqueror – Вильгельм Завоеватель

The White Tower – Белая башня (самая старая часть Тауэра)

London Bridge – Лондонский мост

Westminster Abbey – Вестминстерское Аббатство

The Poets’ Corner – Уголок поэтов

Gothic – готический

the Houses of Parliament – здание парламента

Big Ben – Биг Бен (колокол часов-курантов)

Buckingham Palace – Букингемский дворец

Changing of the Guard – смена караула

Queen Victoria Memorial – мемориал королеве Виктории

Trafalgar Square – Трафальгарская площадь

the National Portrait Gallery – национальная портретная галерея

the National Gallery – национальная галерея

St. Paul’s Cathedral – Собор Святого Павла

the British Museum –Британский музей

the Royal Opera House –королевская Опера

Royal Albert Hall – королевский концертный зал

Hyde Park – Гайд парк

the Speaker’s Corner – Уголок оратора

Kensington Gardens – Кенсингтон-Гарденз

St. James’s Park – Сент-Джеймс парк

Regent’s Park – Риджентс парк

Geoffrey Chaucer [ ' tSLsə]

William Shakespeare [ ' Seikspiə]

Robert Burns [bWnz]

George Gordon Byron

Charles Dickens

Rudyard Kipling

Charles Robert Darwin

Michael Faraday

Isaac Newton [ ' aizək ' njHtn]

Sir Benjamin Hall

Admiral Lord Nelson

Sir Christopher Wren [ ' sW ' kristəfə ' ren]

Madam Tussaud’s [ ' mædəm ' tjHsou]

Practice the pronunciation of the following words:

politician [ " pOli ' tiSn], misfortune [mis ' fLtSən], century [ ' sentSəry], changed [tSeinGd], image [ ' imiG], plague [pleig], church [tSWtS], ancient [ ' einSənt], recommend [ " rekə ' mend], heart [hRt], conqueror [ ' kOŋkərə], jewel [ ' GHəl], monarchy [ ' mOnəki], guard [gRd], tomb [tHm], buried [ ' berid], isles [ailz], reign, [rein] highest [ ' haiist], column [ ' kOləm], statue [ ' stætjH], fountain [ ' fauntin], portrait [ ' pLtrit], masterpiece [ ' mRstəpJs], unique [ju ' nJk], adult [ ' ædəlt], museum [mjH ' ziəm].