English-Speaking Countries: The USA and the Great Britain

5.1. London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the largest metropolitan area in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, London's history goes back to its founding  

by the Romans. Since its foundation, London has many movements      coat of arms of Britain ↑                                                                                     

and phenomena throughout history, including the English Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, and the Gothic Revival.[citation needed] The city's core, the ancient City of London, still retains its limited medieval boundaries; but since at least the 19th century, the name "London" has also referred to the whole metropolis that has developed around it. Today the bulk of this conurbation forms the London region of England and the Greater London administrative area, with its own elected mayor and assembly.

London is one of the the world's most important business, financial and cultural centres and its influence in politics, education, entertainment, media, fashion and the arts contributes to its status as a major global city. Central London is the headquarters of more than half of the UK's top 100 listed companies (the FTSE 100) and over 100 of Europe's 500 largest companies. The city is a major tourist destination for both domestic and overseas visitors, with annual expenditure by tourists of around ?15 billion. London hosted the 1908 and 1948 Summer Olympic Games and will host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. Samuel Johnson, author of the first complete dictionary, famously wrote about the city, citing “You find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.”

Greater London contains four World Heritage Sites: the Tower of London; the historic settlement of Greenwich; the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; and the site comprising the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and St. Margaret's Church.

London's population draws from a wide range of peoples, cultures, and religions, and over 300 languages are spoken within the city. As of July 2007, it had an official population of 7,556,900 within the boundaries of Greater London making it the most populous municipality in the European Union, with a population more than double that of its nearest rival. As of 2001, the Greater London Urban Area had a population of 8,278,251 and the metropolitan area is estimated to have a total population of just under 14 million, the largest metropolitan area in the EU. The public transport network, administered by Transport for London, is one of the most extensive in the world, Heathrow Airport is the busiest airport in the world by international passenger traffic and the air space is the busiest of any city in the world.

 

 

5.2. Washington  is the capital of the United States of America. It is situated in the District of Columbia and is like no other city of the USA. It’s the world’s largest one-idustry city. And that industry is government. The White House,       where the US President lives and works, the Capitol, the home of the US

↑large seal of the USA          Congress, and the Supreme Court, are all in Washington.

Washington was named after the first US President George Washington. He selected the place for the capital and Pierre L’Enfant, a French engineer, disigned the city. Washington was settled in 1790 and since 1800 it has been the Federal capital. Washington is one of the most beautiful and unusual cities in the United States. In the very centre of it rises the huge dome of the Capitol – a big white dome standing on a circle of pilliars. The 535 members of thу Congress meet here to discuss the nation’s affairs. It’s easy to get lost in this huge building, full of paintings and statues.

Not far from the Capitol is the Library of Congress, the largest library in the States. It contains more than 13 million books and more than 19 million manuscripts, including the personal papers of the US Presidents.

The White House is the official residence of the US President. He works in the Oval Office.

One can hardly find a park, a square or an open area in Washington without a monument or a memorial. The most impressive and the best-known ones are the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. There are some important museums in Washington where you can see all kinds of things: famous paintings and sculptures, the dresses of Presidents’ wives, the original of the Declaration of Independence, the largest blue diamond in the world, etc. There are 5 universities in Washington.

There are no skyscrapers in Washington, because they would hide the city’s many monuments from view. No building in the city may be more than 49 metres tall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                6.Sightseeings

 

1.        The Houses of Рarliament

 

Once a royal palace the Houses of Parliament are now the seat of the Government and the heart of the Commonwealth.In 1834 the Houses of Parliament with the exception of Westminster Hall which dates from 1097 were destroyed by fire. The new building was built between 1840 and 1852. This enormous edifice probably the largest in the world contains over 500 apartments as well as the Central Hall, Clock Tower, 320 feet high is famous for its immense hour bell, known as “Big Ben”. The Houses of Parliament stretch for nearly 1000 feet along the north bank of the Thames. When the House is in session, a Union Jack flies from the tower by day, and a light burns in the clock tower by night

 

                            Тhe Tower of London

The Tower of London which has     bееn at оnе time or another citade1, pa1ace, prison, mint, treasury, armoury, observatory is perhaps London's most outstanding 1ink in the long chain of its history.

The square Norman Keep- the White Tower-was built bу William the Conqueror in 1070 in аn angle of the Roman Wall, portions of which are still standing and were standing years before William arrived. The surrounding parts inc1uding the Вloody Tower have gradually grown up through the centuries. The Tower has seen many atrocities in its time ranging from the callous murder of the two litt1e Princes to the executions of Anne Bo1eyn, Lady Jane Grey and Sir Thomas More. The axe and block used for the beheading are exhibited in the Tower.

Nowadays the Tower is а museum, housing the Nationa1 Collection of Armour and the Crown Jewe1s and Roya1 Regalia. The Tower is still guarded bу the Yeomen Warders, the famous Beefeaters, who wear а traditiona1 sixteenth-century uniform.

 

                                  

                                

 

                                         Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge was opened in 1894. It takes its name from the Tower of London. The hydraulic mechanism can raise and lower the bridge in about оnе and а half minutes. The covered walkway between the two towers is ореn to the public and offers а spectacular view of London.

 

2.                National Monument

                                                                         

A National Monument in the United States is a protected area that is similar to a National Park except that the President of the United States can quickly declare an area of the United States to be a National Monument without the approval of Congress. National monuments receive less

funding and afford fewer protections to wildlife than national parks.                                                               Devils Tower National Monument ↑

Another difference between a national monument and national park is the amount of diversity in what is being protected; national monuments aim to preserve at least one unique resource but do not have the amount of diversity of a national park (which are supposed to protect a host of unique features).[citation needed] However areas within and extending beyond, national parks, monuments or even national forests can be part of wilderness areas, which have an even greater degree of protection than a national park would alone, although wilderness areas managed by the United States Department of Agriculture's United States Forest Service and U.S. Bureau of Land Management often allow hunting.

National monuments can be managed by one of several federal agencies; the National Park Service, United States Department of Agriculture's U. S. Forest Service, United States Fish and Wildlife Service or by the Bureau of Land Management.

The power to grant national monuments comes from the Antiquities Act of 1906. President Theodore Roosevelt used the act to declare Devils Tower in Wyoming as the very first national monument. He thought Congress was moving too slowly and it would be ruined by the time they got around to making it a national park.

 

 

Beverly Hills.

 
Most visitors to Los Angeles, California, come to see Beverly Hills. This is where are situated the homes of the movie stars. But Beverly Hills is not Los Angeles.

All kinds of celebrities live in Beverly Hills. These celebrities may be movie stars, television stars, sports stars, or other people in the news. Tourists can buy special maps for the homes of the stars. These homes are very beautiful. They usually have swimming pools and tennis courts. But sometimes you can not see very much. The homes have high walls or trees aroun them.

Beverly Hills is also famous for the Rodeo Drive Street. This is one of the most expensive shopping streets in the United States. Rodeo Drive started to be an elegant sreet in the 1960s. Many famous stores were opened here. People liked all the new styles and fashions they could buy. Today you can find the most expensive and unusual clothing, jewerly, and furniture in the Rodeo Drive Street. Rodeo Drive is a very special sreet. When you want to park your car in public parking, an attendant will come and park your car for you.

Beverly Hills is a really a small city. Only about 35,000 people live there. But every day more than 200,000 people come to Beverly Hills to work or to shop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Список использованной литературы.

1. “All about London” (I. A. Salina);
2. «Устные темы для подготовки к экзамену» (Н. В. Кравченко);
3. The Newspapes “Morning Star”, “Moscow News”;
4. Textbooks “Click on – 3, 4 “ (V. Evans – N. O’Sullivan);