Ex.1 Read and translate the text and answer the questions that follow.

Westminster

«Westminster» means an abbey located in the west. The old city of Westminster began to grow a mile and a half up­stream to the west of the minster of the monks of St. Peter's. Under Edward the Confessor it was rebuilt and gave birth to Westminster Abbey, the main church of England.

Westminster was then (961) on an island, standing above the level of the shallow lagoons which dotted the marshy ground up­stream from the city's western wall. In 1060 a vast area became available for redevelopment and soon Edward the Confessor moved to a new royal residence at Westminster. It was a splendid palace with noble stone walls, painted chambers and rows of offices, kitchens and cellars. And for the last thousand years, Westminster has been the centre of political and religious power in England.

Besides Westminster is one of the two historical centres of modern London. It's well-known that the Romans built a bridge across the Thames and their encampment grew up on the north bank of the river. The principal fort of it was on the site now occupied by the Tower of London. The Roman fort gradually turned into the City of London, the city of trade and the Merchant Guilds. And further to the north was the other centre, focused on Westminster Abbey, and the Royal City of Westminster.

The two towns grew up side by side. At first the Thames was the most important means of communication between them. Later the chief road link was along the Strand (originally mean­ing a sandy shore), now a famous street in London.

It's strange to imagine now how much Londoners and men of Westminster distrusted each other. Quarrels and disputes between tradesmen, friendly wrestling contests often ended in ferocious fights. It took a lot of time for orders and proclama­tions, issued both by the king and the city authorities, to bring those outbreaks of violence to an end.

The classical view of the modern building of Westminster Palace as the seat of British Parliament is a true visiting card of London. Its foggy silhouette against the Thames was subtly cap­tured by Claude Monet, the famous French impressionist.

Ex. 2 Questions.

1What did Westminster look like in early days?

2 How did Westminster Abbey start?

3 What was the Westminster Palace of Edward the Confessor like?

4 What does Westminster stand for now?

5 How was the first historical centre of London founded?

6 What was the second historical centre of London focused on?

7 What means of communication linked the two towns?

8 What marked the life of the Londoners of the Middle Ages for many years?

9 What helped bring the outbreaks of violence in London to an end?

10 Who captured the classical view of Westminster Palace in painting?

Ex.3 Express your opinion.

1 What do you think about the location of Westminster in ear­ly days?

2 What periods of Westminster's history do you suppose are most worth remembering?

Ex.4 Is there a historical centre in Minsk, your native town or in any foreign capital you have visited? Speak about the cul­tural and educational value of historic places.

Text 4

The British Museum

The British Museum is one of the greatest and best-known museums in the world, both in the diversity of its collections and in their wide range and high quality. It was founded in 1753 by a decision of the Parliament.

The British Museum occupying a splendid great build­ing, in the neo-classical or Grecian style, was erected between 1823 and 1847.

Of the 11 major departments into which the museum is divided, the most outstanding are the Assyrian and Babylonian, the Egyptian, and the Greek and Roman Antiquities. The last makes a particular contribution to the glory of the museum with its collection of sculptures from the Parthenon.

There are also extremely important ethnological collections, including exhibits from the Pacific islands (such as ancient Polynesian idols), and America (such as the Aztec sculptures). African civilization is also notably well rep­resented.

There is a notable and priceless collection of medieval objects of art from all the countries of Europe.

But the first thing which is associated with the British Museum is its Library.

The Library which is contemporary with the museum, consisted initially of the collection of books belonging to Sir Hans Sloane. To this library were added the other collections of manuscripts and books as well as the royal library, which provided the foundations of what was to become one of the largest and most important libraries in the world.

The British Museum Library came into world prominence under its most remarkable librarian—Sir Antonio Panizzi, an Italian by birth, who had to leave his country because of revolu­tionary activities. Under his direction the library took on its present character. During the thirty-five years of service with the British Museum he formulated the rules and started the general catalogue.

The British Museum Library is a reading-room and a reference library, but not a lending library. The famous circular Reading Room of the Museum, planned by Sir Antonio Panizzi, offers unique research facilities to scholars.

The collection of books is being systematically increased. Today there are millions of volumes in the library store-room.

Ex.1 Answer the questions.

1 When and by what decision was the British Museum founded?

2 When was the building of the Museum built? What can you tell about its style?

3 How many departments is the Museum divided into and what are the most important ones?

4 Is the British Museum Library a lending library?

5 What shape has the Reading Room of the Museum and who was it designed by?

Text 5 London Museums

Three of London's most interesting museums - the Victoria and Albert, the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum - are also in this area. The last, as its name suggests, has exhibits of birds, animals and reptiles as well as life-size reconstructions of prehistoric animals. The Victoria and Albert was founded with the aim of improving design in British manufacturing, but over the years it has expanded to include things from almost every place and period, including costumes from the theatre, and paintings. Finally there is the Science Museum, which is always crowded and is certainly the noisiest museum in London. It covers every aspect of science and technology, and the collections are constantly being moved round to make room for new acquisitions. They have inventions that did not become popular, such as the steam bicycle of 1912, and technological landmarks like the Cody biplane - the first aircraft to fly in England in 1912. In many of the rooms there are machines and computers that visitors can work themselves.

 

UNIT 3 SUPPLEMENTARY TEXTS

 

Text 1 Who are the British?

Why British, not English?

Many foreigners say «England» and «English» when they mean «Britain», or the «UK», and «British». This is very annoying for the 5 million people who live in Scotland, the 2.8 million in Wales and 1.5 million in Northern Ireland who are certainly not English. (46 million people live in England.) However, the people from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England are all British. So what is the difference between the names «Great Britain» and «the United Kingdom» - and what about «the British Isles»?

The United Kingdom

This is an abbreviation of «the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland». It is often further abbreviated to «UK», and is the political name of the country which is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (sometimes known as Ulster). Several islands off the British coast are also part of the United Kingdom (for example, the Isle of Wight, the Orkneys, Hebrides and Shetlands, and the Isles of Scilly), although the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are not. However, all these islands do recognize the Queen.

Great Britain

This is the name of the island which is made up of England, Scotland and Wales and so, strictly speaking, it does not include Northern Ireland. The origin of the word «Great» is a reference to size, because in many European languages the words for Britain and Brittany in France are the same. In fact, it was the French who first talked about Grande Bretagnd. In everyday speech «Britain» is used to mean the United Kingdom.

The British Isles

This is the geographical name that refers to all the islands off the north west coast of the European continent: Great Britain, the whole of Ireland (Northern and Southern), the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

But it is important to remember that Southern Ireland - that is the Republic of Ireland (also called «Eire») - is completely independent.

So you can see that «The United Kingdom» is the correct name to use if you are referring to the country in a political, rather than in a geographical way. «British» refers to people from the UK, Great Britain or the British Isles in general.

How was the United Kingdom formed? This took centuries, and a lot of armed struggle was involved. In the 15th century, a Welsh prince, Henry Tudor, became King Henry VII of England. Then his son, King Henry VIII, united England and Wales under one Parliament in 1536. In Scotland a similar thing happened. The King of Scotland inherited the crown of England and Wales in 1603, so he became King James I of England and Wales and King James VI of Scotland. The Parlia­ments of England, Wales and Scotland were united a century later in 1707.

The Scottish and Welsh are proud and independent people. In recent years there have been attempts at devolution in the two countries, particularly in Scotland where the Scottish Nationalist Party was very strong for a while. However, in a referendum in 1979 the Welsh rejected devolution and in 1979 the Scots did the same. So it seems that most Welsh and Scottish people are happy to form part of the UK even though they sometimes complain that they are dominated by England, and particularly by London.

The whole of Ireland was united with Great Britain from 1801 up until 1922. In that year the independent Republic of Ireland was formed in the South, while Northern Ireland became part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The story of this particular union is long and complicated and you will read more about it in Unit 10.

The flag of the United Kingdom, known as the Union Jack, is made up of three crosses. The upright red cross is the cross of St George, the patron saint of England. The white diagonal cross (with the arms going into the corners) is the cross of St Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland. The red diagonal cross is the cross of St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. St David is the patron saint of Wales.

Invasion

What makes the Scottish, Welsh, English and Northern Irish different from each other? About 2,000 years ago the British Isles were inhabited by the Celts who originally came from continental Europe. During the next 1,000 years there were many invasions. The Romans came from Italy in AD 43 and, in calling the country «Britannia», gave Britain its name. The Angles and Saxons came from Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands in the 5th century, and England gets its name from this invasion (Angle-land). The Vikings arrived from Denmark and Norway throughout the 9th century, and in 1066 (the one date in history which every British school-child knows) the Normans invaded from France. These invasions drove the Celts into what is now Wales and Scotland, and they remained, of course, in Ireland. The English, on the other hand, are the descendants of all the invaders, but are more Anglo-Saxon than anything else. These various origins explain many of the differences to be found between England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland - differences in education, religion and the legal systems, but most obviously, in language.

Language

The Celts spoke Celtic which survives today in the form of Welsh, Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic. Less than a quarter of all Welsh people (600,000, out of 2,800,000) speak Welsh. Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic are still spoken, although they have suffered more than Welsh from the spread of English. However, all three languages are now officially encouraged and taught in schools.

English developed from Anglo-Saxon and is a Germanic language. However, all the invading peoples, particularly the Norman French, influenced the English language and you can find many words in English which are French in origin. Nowadays all Welsh, Scottish and Irish people speak English (even if they speak their own language as well), but all the countries have their own special accents and dialects, and their people are easily recognizable as soon as they speak. Occasionally, people from the four countries in the UK have difficulty in understanding one another because of these different accents. A southern English accent is generally accepted to be the most easily understood, and is the accent usually taught to foreigners.

Multiracial Britain

Recently, there have been many waves of immigration into Britain and movement within the UK. For example, many people from Wales, Scotland and Ireland have settled in England; and Jews, Russians, Germans, and Poles have come to Britain (particularly London) during political changes in the rest of Europe. Commonwealth citizens were allowed free entry into Britain until 1962. Before the Second World War these immigrants were mostly people from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. In the 1950s, people from the West Indies, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Hong Kong were encouraged to come and work in Britain. Today, 2 million British people are of West Indian or Asian origin and over 50 per cent of them were born in Britain.

The new immigrant communities are concentrated in the following towns and cities: London, Slough, Leicester, Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Luton, Bradford, Coventry, Bedford, Reading and Sandwell. The main languages of the Asian immigrants are Urdu, Hindi, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, and Cantonese (Chinese). Nowadays the policy is to encourage these communities to continue speaking their own languages as well as English. The children of immigrants are often taught their own languages in school, and there are special newspapers, magazines, and radio and television programmes for the Asian community. The West Indians, of course, arrive speaking English, but they do have their own culture which they wish to keep alive. They also have their own newspapers, and radio and television programmes.

This latest wave of immigration has of course caused problems. There is certainly racial tension and racial prejudice in Britain today. In spite of laws passed to protect them, there is still discrimination against Asian and black people, many of whom are unemployed or in low-paid jobs. However, the atmosphere is improving and the different races are slowly learning to trust one another. In a wide educational programme white school-children, teachers, policemen and social workers are learning about the problems and customs of their new neighbours. There are many areas in Britain now where racial harmony is a reality.

British culture is being enriched through its contact with other cultures. For example, the British are becoming more adventurous in their cooking and eating habits, and Chinese, Indian and Pakistani restaurants are very popular. Another example can be found in the pop music scene where West Indian reggae music has become very influential.

Task.

1 What invasions has your country suffered in the past 2,000 years? What effects have these invasions had?

2 Are there any immigrants in your country? Have there been any problems associated with immigrants? If so, what should be done to solve these problems?

3 Do many people from your country go to live and work in other countries? Are they treated well?

 

Text 2 Festivals

On New Year's Eve, people traditionally take a shower in the fountains in Trafalgar Square! The Christmas tree is an annual gift from Norway

I'm in love!

On 14th February, St Valentine's Day, many people send a card to the one they love or someone whom they have fallen in love with. People usually do not sign these cards and a lot of time is spent trying to guess who has sent them!

Pancake Day

Ash Wednesday is the day in February when the Christian period of Lent begins. This refers to the time when Christ went into the desert and fasted for forty days. Although not many people actually give up eating during this period, on Pancake Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, they eat lots of pancakes. These are made from flour, milk and eggs, and fried in a hot pan.

Some towns also hold pancake races on that day. People run through the streets holding a frying pan and throwing the pancake in the air. Of course if they drop the pancake they lose the race!

Easter eggs

At Easter time, the British celebrate the idea of new birth by giving each other chocolate Easter eggs which are opened and eaten on Easter Sunday. On Good Friday bakers sell hot cross buns, which are toasted and eaten with butter. Easter Monday is a holiday and many people travel to the seaside for the day or go and watch one of the many sporting events, such as football or horse-racing.

May is here

As summer comes, Britain likes to celebrate the end of the winter. In England on 1st May, Morris men may be seen in country areas celebrating traditional dances, waving their white handkerchiefs to drive away the evil spirits and welcome in the new ones. At school and in smaller village communities children may dance traditional spring dances such as the Maypole, when they weave their brightly coloured scarves into a beautiful pattern around a long pole.

Ghosts and witches

Halloween means «holy evening», and takes place on 31st October. Although it is a much more important festival in the United States than Britain, it is celebrated by many people in the UK. It is particularly connected with witches and ghosts.

At parties people dress up in strange costumes and pretend they are witches. They cut horrible faces in potatoes and other vegetables and put a candle inside, which shines through the eyes. People may play difficult games such as trying to eat an apple from a bucket of water without using their hands.

In recent years children dressed in white sheets knock on doors at Halloween and ask if you would like a «trick» or «treat». If you give them something nice, a «treat», they go away. However, if you don't they play a «trick» on you, such as making a lot of noise or spilling flour on your front doorstep!

Guy Fawkes Night

In 1605 King James I was on the throne. As a Protestant, he was very unpopular with Roman Catholics. Some of them planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament on 5th November of that year, when the King was going to open Parliament. Under the House of Lords they had stored thirty-six barrels of gun powder, which were to be exploded by a man called Guy Fawkes. However one of the plotters spoke about these plans and Fawkes was discovered, arrested and later hanged. Since that day the British traditionally celebrate 5th November by burning a dummy, made of straw and old clothes, on a bonfire, whilst at the same time letting off fireworks.

This dummy is called a «guy» (like Guy Fawkes) and children can often be seen on the pavements before 5th November saying, «Penny for the guy». If they collect enough money they can buy some fireworks.

Christmas

If you try to catch a train on 24th December you may have difficulty in finding a seat. This is the day when many people are travelling home to be with their families on Christmas Day, 25th December. For most British families, this is the most important festival of the year, it combines the Christian celebration of the birth of Christ with the traditional festivities of winter.

On the Sunday before Christmas many churches hold a carol service where special hymns are sung. Sometimes carol-singers can be heard on the streets as they collect money for charity. Most families decorate their houses with brightly-coloured paper or holly, and they usually have a Christmas tree in the corner of the front room, glittering with coloured lights and decorations.

There are a lot of traditions connected with Christmas but perhaps the most important one is the giving of presents. Family members wrap up their gifts and leave them at the bottom of the Christmas tree to be found on Christmas morning. Children leave a long sock or stocking at the end of their bed on Christmas Eve, 24th December, hoping that Father Christmas will come down the chimney during the night and bring them small presents, fruit and nuts. They are usually not disappointed! At some time on Christmas Day the family will sit down to a big turkey dinner followed by Christmas pudding. They will probably pull a cracker with another member of the family. It will make a loud crack and a coloured hat, small toy and joke will fall out!

Later in the afternoon they may watch the Queen on television as she delivers her traditional Christmas message to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. If they have room for even more food they may enjoy a piece of Christmas cake or eat a hot mince pie. 26th December is also a public holiday, Boxing Day, and this is the time to visit friends and relatives or be a spectator at one of the many sporting events.

Text 3 Magic circles

The county of Wiltshire is most famous for the great stone monuments of Stonehenge and Avebury, and the huge earth pyramid of Silbury. No written records exist of the origins of these features and they have always been surrounded by mystery.

Stonehenge is the best known and probably the most remarkable of prehistoric remains in the UK. It has stood on Salisbury Plain for about 4,000 years. There have been many different theories about its original use and although modern methods of investigation have extended our knowledge, no one is certain why it was built.

One theory is that it was a place from where stars and planets could be observed. It was discovered that the positions of some of the stones related to the movements of the sun and moon, so that the stones could be used as a calendar to predict such things as eclipses.

At one time, people thought that Stonehenge was a Druid temple. The Druids were a Celtic religious group who were suppressed in Great Britain soon after the Roman Conquest. Some people believe that they were a group of priests, while others regard them as medicine-men who practised human sacrifice and cannibalism. Because Stonehenge had existed 1,000 years before the arrival of the Druids, this theory has been rejected, but it is possible that the Druids used it as a temple. The theory is kept alive today by members of a group called the «Most Ancient Order of Druids» who perform mystic rites at dawn on the summer solstice. Every year, they meet at Stonehenge to greet the first midsummer sunlight as it falls on the stones and they lay out symbolic elements of fire, water, bread, salt and a rose.

Another interesting theory is that the great stone circle was used to store terrestrial energy, which was then generated across the country, possibly through «ley lines». «Ley lines» is the name given to invisible lines which link up ancient sites throughout Britain. They were thought to be tracks by which prehistoric man travelled about the country, but now many people believe that they are mysterious channels for a special kind of power. Ley lines are international. In Ireland, they are known as «fairy roads», in China they are known as lungmei and are believed to extend all over the Earth, and in Australia, the Aborigines make ceremonial journeys for hundreds of miles along these secret tracks.

Alongside the theories of the scholars are local legends. Here is one. Stonehenge was built by the devil in a single night. He flew backwards and forwards between Ireland and Salisbury Plain carrying the stones one by one and setting them in place. As he worked, he laughed to himself. «That will make people think. They'll never know how the stones came here!» But a friar was hiding in a ditch nearby. He surprised the devil, who threw a stone which hit the friar on the heel.

Is the story true? Well, the stone which the devil threw, known as the «heel stone», can still be seen by the side of the road. However, geologists have shown that the stones came from South Wales and north Wiltshire, not Ireland!

 

Task. The text describes different theories and stories about the origins of Stonehenge, and about the people who used it. Look carefully at the text and make a list of all the theories. Here are some examples:

Perhaps Stonehenge was a Druid temple.

It might have been used to store terrestrial energy.

Some people believe that the Druids were a group of advanced thinkers.

Text 4 Offshore islands

There are between 120 and 130 offshore islands which can be classified as part of England's natural geography. Some are privately owned, some are inhabited, while others are only known to lighthouse-keepers, sailors and naturalists. The attraction of these islands is different to different people. Ornithologists for example might want to study a rare seabird; archaeologists might be interested in a prehistoric or early Christian site; sociologists might study why certain islands have been deserted or resettled.

The Isle of Wight (1) is the largest island off the south coast. Charles I was once imprisoned here, and there is a large prison, Parkhurst, on the island today. A lot of its attractive scenery has formed as a result of a thick layer of chalk - the white teeth of the «Needles» are the most famous example.

Many of the inhabitants travel daily to the mainland to work. Those who work on the island are usually involved with the tourist industry because the island is visited by thousands of tourists every year. A favourite activity is yachting.

The Isles of Scilly (2) can be found 28 miles (45 km.) southwest of Land's End. There are between 50 and 100 «islands» in the group (some are just large rocks) but only six are inhabited. In early spring, they export beautiful flowers to the mainland.

St Michael's Mount (3) is linked to the mainland at low tide by a causeway. It was a base for the tin trade at one time and, because of its religious connection with Mont-Saint-Michel in France, it was also a trading and migration centre from the earliest days of Christianity.

Finally, between the coast of Devon and South Wales is the island of Lundy (4), which is three miles long and half a mile wide. At one time it was almost a pirate kingdom, but today it is a bird sanctuary, with a resident human population of about twelve.

Text 5 Scottish traditions

Clans and tartans

The Gaelic word «claim» means «family» or «descendants» and the great clans of the 16th and 17th centuries were indeed very similar to enormous families, ruled by powerful chiefs. Sometimes there were fierce battles between different clans but nowadays the MacDonalds and the MacKenzies, the Campbells and the Lindsays all live in peace with each other. It is possible to find people with these surnames in many English-speaking countries, and they all feel they share the same background.

The wearing of tartans or coloured checks was common in the Highlands before the defeat by the English in 1745. Originally, the tartan was worn as a single piece of cloth, drawn in at the waist and thrown over the shoulders. The kilt did not become popular until the beginning of the 18th century.

Each clan has its own tartan and, since the first international gathering of the clans in 1972, many more people have become interested in traditional forms of Scottish dress. Tartans are now part of international fashion. However, many visitors to Scotland are keen to find out if they have historical connections with any particular clan so that they may proudly wear the correct tartan.

Scottish names

Many people in Scotland have the name MacDonald or MacKenzie. «Mac» means «son of» and people with this name usually feel they belong to the same family or clan. Campbell or Cameron are other common surnames. Common boys' names are Angus, Donald or Duncan, and girls' names are Morag, Fiona or Jean.

Scottish festivals

Hogmanay

At midnight on 31st December throughout Great Britain people celebrate the coming of the new year, by holding hands in a large circle and singing this song:

Should auld acquaintance be forgot

And never brought to mind

Should auld acquaintance be forgot

For the sake of auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear,

For auld lang syne

We'll take a cup of kindness yet,

For the sake of auld lang syne.

«For auld lang syne» means «in memory of past times» and the words were written by Scotland's most famous poet, Robert Burns. He wrote much of his poetry in the Scots dialect.

New Year's Eve is a more important festival in Scotland than it is in England, and it even has a special name. It is not clear where the word «hogmanay» comes from, but it is connected with the provision of food and drink for all visitors to your home on 31st December. In addition, many people believe that you will have good luck for the coming year if the first person to enter your house after midnight is a «tall dark stranger». It is also thought lucky if this person brings a piece of coal and some white bread! Most Scots take part in a ceilidh (Gaelic for «dance») on New Year's Eve and there is much dancing and singing until the early hours of the morning.

Burns' Night

25th January is celebrated all over the world by Scotsmen wherever they are, as it is the birthday of Robert Burns. As at hogmanay, a special meal of haggis, potatoes and turnip is eaten, washed down by lots of whisky! The haggis is carried into the dining room behind a piper wearing traditional dress. He then reads a poem written especially for the haggis!

 

 

ЛИТЕРАТУРА

1 Фастовец, Р. Практика английской речи / Р.В. Фастовец, Т.И. Кошелева, Е.В. Таболич; под ред. Р.В. Фастовец. – Мн.: ТетраСистемс, 2006. – 400 с.

 

2 Sheerin, S. Spotlight on Britain / S. Sheerin, J. Seath, G. White. - Oxford Univ. Press, 1995. – 140 p.

 

3 Хведченя, Л. Практический курс современного английского языка: учебное пособие. В 2 ч. Часть 2. / Л.В. Хведченя. – 3-е изд. - Мн.: Выш. шк., 2006. – 317 с.

Учебное издание