Comprehension check

I. Choose the correct answer.

1. London consists of:

1. two parts;

2. three parts;

3. four parts.

2. Saint James's Park is situated:

1. in the East End;

2. in Westminster;

3. in the City.

3. English kings and queens are buried:

1. in Westminster Abbey;

2. in the Tower;

3. in St. Paul's Cathedral.

4. The Houses of Parliament are also called:

1. the Clock Tower;

2. the Victoria Tower;

3. Westminster Palace.

5. Big Ben is:

1. the clock;

2. the building;

3. the bell.

II. Give English equivalents to the following Russian expressions:

Уютные особняки, использоваться в качестве крепости, быть похороненным, Вильгельм Завоеватель, возвышаться над городом, Эдуард Исповедник, быть разгромленным, быть смертельно раненым, тысячи бесценных экспонатов.

III. Choose one of the places of interest of London, but do not call it. Describe its history or appearance. Let your groupmates guess what you are talking about.

IV. You are a guide. You should supervise an excursion in London.

Tell the visitors about it.

London Streets and Their Names

Great People in London

Pre-reading activity

1. What do you know about the history of London?

2. What famous people living in London do you know?

The names of the streets and districts are often connected with the history of the city and the country. But very often the names of the streets are so old and so changed that only few people know how this or that street got its name.

Let's begin with Piccadilly Circus. It is a fine street which has seen much history over the centuries. For generations Piccadilly has been the heart of London. Nowadays it is such a focal point that on special occasions, such as a Coronation or on New Year's Eve, as many as 50,000 people gather there. Actually it immortalised a man who is now forgotten. The man was a tailor who grew rich by making high collars called "piccadillies". He built a grand house which he called Piccadilla Hall, and the name, slightly changed, has lived on.

Charing Cross is one of the oldest spots in London. Once there was a small village in that place. The villagers were charring wood, making charcoal of it. That is why the village was named Charring. In 1291 Elenor, the English Queen, died out­side London. Her husband wanted her body to be taken to Westminster Abbey and buried there. At every place where the fu­neral procession stopped a wooden cross was erected. The last place was at Charring and since then the place is called Charring Cross.

The reproduction of that last Cross can be seen at the en­hance to Charring Cross Railway Station. Nowadays the Charring Cross road is known by its bookshops where one can by books in different languages and of new and old editions.

No one, however, can explain "Soho" convincingly. The leg­end goes that in the old days there used to be green fields there and the people around went foxhunting a great deal. When a hunter saw a fox he called to the dogs "So-Ho", "So-Ho". Now Soho is the district where one can see people of different types, hear them

speaking different languages. It is famous for its various restaurants. There are some short streets in Soho in which six or seven restaurants of different national cooking stand one after another in a line. One can have breakfast in a Greek restaurant, dinner - in Italian and supper - in American. These are only a few examples but all London's long-past his­tory can be told by its street and district names.

London has been the home of many famous Englishmen. Some were born there. Some lived there all their lives. Others lived in Lon­don only for a short time but all gave something to this great city.

One of the first names of importance is that of Geoffrey Chaucer, the poet. He lived most of his life in London. He knew the courts of King Richard II and King Henry IV. His most fa­mous work, "The Canterbury Tales", opens at the Tabard Inn, in Southwark. Chaucer held official posts in London and is buried in Westminster Abbey.

William Shakespeare also lived in London. He lived there for more than twenty years. He acted at the Globe Theatre and wrote his plays in London. But London's famous men are not only writ­ers. Sir Christopher Wren, the architect, spent most of his life in London. He designed many beautiful churches, including St. Paul's Cathedral. He also designed palaces and fine houses.

Music is represented by a very interesting fig­ure. This is George Frederick Handel. He came to London from Hanover in 1710. He lived for a time at Burlington House, Piccadilly, now the Royal Academy. After some success and some failure he at last became famous. This happened when he composed "The Messiah", "Judas Maccabeus", and "The Music for the Royal Fireworks". Like Chaucer and many other great artists, Handel is buried in the Westminster Abbey.

Another famous London figure is one of England's greatest sea­men Admiral Lord Nelson. He has a very special memorial in Trafal­gar Square. It is called the Nelson Column. Equally famous is the gen­eral who led the army at the battle of Waterloo in 1815. This was the Duke of Wellington. His house stands at Hyde Park Corner. It is some­times known as Number One, London. Like Admiral Nelson, the Duke of Wellington is buried in St. Paul's Cathedral.