Vocabulary. Boastful – хвастливый

to suppose – полагать

Merry – весёлый

Boastful – хвастливый

to repute, to regard – считать

Reserved – сдержанный

Haughty – высокомерный

Steady – уравновешенный

easy-going – добродушный

Intolerance – нетерпимость

self-confidence – самоуверенность

Property – собственное

Castle – крепость

for one thing – с одной стороны

for another thing – с другой стороны

weather forecast – прогноз погоды

Decidedly – несомненно

Membership – членство

to derive – происходить

to elect, to select – выбирать

Nearly – почти

Peculiarity – особенность

Answer the following questions:

1. What are the most striking features of the English?

2. Why are the English called a nation of stay-at-homes?

3. What is the focus of the English home?

4. What is part of the prose of British life?

5. Why does the weather play a big part in the lives of the British people?

6. What is regarded as carrying a certain social prestige?

Think and say about:

1. Which of the character features below can you think of as positive or negative? Why?

a) adaptability; b) individualism; c) independence; d) self-confidence; e) intolerance; f) practicability; g) conservatism; h) boast.

2. What features are characteristic for people of our country?

Text 2

London

London is the capital of Great Britain, it is one of the largest cities in the world. London is situated on both sides of the Thames. There are fourteen bridges across the Thames. There are four parts in London: the City, the West End, the East End and the Port.

The City is the oldest part of London. There are no houses in the City, only large office buildings. It is the country's financial and business centre. The Stock Exchange, the Royal Exchange, the Bank of England are all there. At night the City is quiet and empty.

The name "West End" is associated with the rich. It's the finest part of London. In the West End there are theatres, cinemas, museums, picture galleries, long streets of fine shops and many big houses. There are beautiful parks, too.

The Houses of Parliament, Whitehall, Downing Street are all in the West End. Whitehall is the street where all the Government offices are. It is the heart of the Government of Great Britain.

If the City is the "money" of London, and the West End is the "goods" of London, then the East End is the "hands" of London. Working-class London is in the East End. It is a district of docks, factories, poor little houses and narrow streets. Housing conditions in this part of London are very bad. Lots of old houses have no modern conveniences. They are damp, dirty and dark.

The East End and the Port of London are situated to the east of the City. They are unattractive, but very important to the country's economy.

London is very rich in sights. Among them is Westminster Abbey which is famous for its architecture and history. In Westminster Abbey the kings and queens of England are buried. Here is also the Poet's Corner where many great writers and poets are buried: Kipling, Dickens, Tennyson, the memorials to Shakespeare and Byron, Scott and Longfellow.

Of no less interest are the Houses of Parliament with Big Ben, the Buckingham Palace – the Queens residence, the National Art Gallery, the British Museum, St. Paul's Cathedral and the Tower, which was first a fortress, then a prison and which is now a museum.

Trafalgar Square is about a hundred years old. The main feature is the tall Nelson monument, with the figure of the great seaman on the top. Many demonstrations and meetings take place here.

There are a lot of parks in London, the most famous of them is Hyde Park with its Speaker’s Corner.

Sunday is a very quiet day in London. All the shops are not open and so are theatres and most of the cinemas. Londoners like to get out of the town on Sundays. They often go down to the sea for the day.