English traditions

If you arrive in Great Britain, you'll hear the word "tradition" everywhere. Englishmen have sentimental love for things and traditions because they are old, They never throw away old things.

For example, in many houses of Great Britain they have fire places. English people don't want to have changes. Therefore the Yeomen-Warders are dressed in traditional medieval clothes and the traditional dress of the Horse Guards regiment has existed since the twelfth century. This dress costs a lot of money and seems very funny nowadays, but Englishmen stand for it because it's their traditional dress.

If you enter the Houses of Parliament you'11 see the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

In the House of Lords there are two rows of benches for lords and a sack of wool for the Lord Chancellor to sit on. This is so because in the old times wool made England rich and powerful. In the Ноusе of Commons, which is not big and quite simple, you'll see two rows of benches for the two parties: the government on one side and the opposition - on the other. In front of the benches there is the strip of a carpet and when a member speaking in the House puts his foot beyond that strip, there is a shout "Order". This dates from the time when the members had swords on them and during the discussion might want to start fighting. The word "order" reminded them that no fighting was allowed in the House.

Another old custom remains from the time when there were a lot of robbers in London. In those days the shouting' "Who goes home?" was often heard in the Houses of Parliament and the members went in groups along the dark narrow streets of the old city. In modern London with its well-lit streets the shouting "Who goes home?" sounds very strange but it is still heard.

These are some of the traditions of which Great Britain has so many.

A.L. Diment, "Brush Up Your Talk", "Просвещение", М., 1983.

Пояснения к тексту

stand for it - придерживаются его

Yеomen-Warders - йомены /мелкопоместные дворяне/

House of Lords - палата Лордов

House of Commons - палата Общин

a sack of wool - мешок с шерстью

Lord Chancellor — лорд канцлер

Слова и выражения для активного запоминания

to arrive (in) - прибывать

to throw away - выбрасывать

a lot (of) - много

funny - смешной

remind - напоминать

robber- грабитель

to shout- кричать

narrow - узкий

Questions to the text.

1. What can you hear everywhere if you arrive in Great Britain?

2. What do English people prefer: central heating or fireplaces?

3. What does the English parliament consist of?

4. Why was the shouting "Who goes home?" often heard in the Houses of Parliament?