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Famous Big and
Small Cities of Britain
Liverpool
Liverpool lies in
Merseyside and in 2006 was announced the third most populous
city in England. It is one of the industrial cities of Great
Britain. The modern rise of Liverpool took place because of
improvement in transport.
Reconstruction of old docks and building of new ones have given
Liverpool seven miles of docks and many industries such as sugar
refinery, tanning, and cattle-feed manufacture. Liverpool is a
historic place as well with fine eighteenth-century buildings.
Farther inland, shopping and entertainment quarters occupy
streets near the main railway stations.
There is a university and two cathedrals in Liverpool. The city
got its world-famous reputation for the Beetles legendary rock
band which was organised there. Crowds of Beetles fans still
come to Liverpool to feel the atmosphere and visit places which
inspired the famous band.
Stratford-upon-Avon
Situated in
Warwickshire, in the heart of England, Stratford is known all
over the world as the birthplace of the greatest playwright,
William Shakespeare, and as the home of the Royal Shakespeare
Company.
The town was called Stratford-upon-Avon because it is situated
on the river Avon. Stratford is small, but it has a lot of
places of interest. Among them is the house where Shakespeare
was born. Nowadays this is a museum which contains a big
exhibition illustrating Shakespeare's life and work. New Place
is the house where William Shakespeare spent his retirement and
died. Ann Hathaway's Cottage attracts tourists as well, because
this is the house of Shakespeare's wife. The Holy Trinity Church
is the place where the Shakespeare family is buried.
Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly farm can be described as a
wonderful place with ponds, streams and waterfalls and various
tropical exotic flowers that grow up there. The Insect City
boasts with a huge collection of spiders and other insects that
are kept in glass cages.
The Teddy Bear Museum, housing a great collection of bears from
all over the world, used to be situated in Stratford. In 2004,
after 18 years in the city, this award-winning Museum moved from
Stratford-upon-Avon to a new home in London.
Cambridge
This city has
been described as the loveliest city of Britain thanks to its
wonderful courtyards, bridges across the river Cam and
architecture. The history of the city dates back to the
Neolithic times. The Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology has
a big collection of relics. In Roman times there was a
settlement and later the Saxons and the Normans came to this
place. Soon Cambridge became a teaching centre for scholars from
neighbouring monasteries and by the 13th century the University
of Cambridge was founded. Like Oxford, the University consists
of several colleges the oldest among which is Peterhouse,
founded in 1284. The oldest colleges and University buildings
are in the central area of Cambridge.
There are a lot of important museums in the city. For example,
the Fitzwilliam Museum, the Folk Museum and the University
Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.
Oxford
This city is
known all over the world not only by its beautiful architecture
and landscape, but mostly by Oxford University. The city is also
known as the "city of dreaming spires", as Matthew Arnold (an
English poet) called it in regard to the harmonious architecture
of the university buildings. King Charles I used Oxford as
English capital when he was driven out of London in the 17th
century. There are actually two universities in Oxford: the
University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University.
The University of Oxford is over 800 years old. Today the
University of Oxford consists of 35 independent colleges and 5
halls. It provides central libraries, laboratories and services.
Oxford is home to a wide range of schools many of which accept
students from all over the world. There are University choral
foundations, established to educate the boy choristers of the
chapel choirs, and have kept the tradition of single sex
education.
There are some museums and art galleries in Oxford. For example,
the Ashmolean Museum which is the oldest museum in Britain. It
has a good collection of antiques, European paintings, sculpture
and silver. In the Christ Church Picture Gallery there are works
of Italian painters from the 14th to the 18th century.
The Museum of the History of Science houses numerous scientific
instruments dating back to the 16th century, collections of
ancient chemical apparatuses, watches and clocks and medical
instruments.
Birmingham
Birmingham is the
second largest city of England, and one of the principal
industrial centres in the British Isles. The city is situated in
west Midlands and has a population of over one million people.
It was founded by a small group of Anglo-Saxons whose leader may
have been called Beorma or Berrn, the settlement is described as
Bermingeham in the Domesday Book of 1086. Since the 16th century
Birmingham has got the reputation of a metal working centre,
although it had no fuel or ore resources of its own.
Birmingham grew very fast after the Industrial Revolution in the
18th century. During World War II the city was heavily bombed,
and the centre was rebuilt with new roads and buildings.
Although Birmingham's industrial importance has declined, it has
developed into a national commercial centre, being named as the
third best place in the United Kingdom to locate a business, and
the 21st best in Europe by Cushman & Wakefield in 2007.
Birmingham is one of the most visited cities in the UK; it has
many sights that attract tourists. For example, the Town Hall
which is now a big concert hall. The old Council House is the
main administrative centre of the city. The University of
Birmingham, founded in 1900, is world-famous. Like most great
cities Birmingham has many specialised colleges, large parks, a
big reference library, a famous museum and an art gallery. There
are also a lot of cafes, restaurants and pubs in the city.
People from Birmingham are known as Brummies, a term derived
from the city's nickname of Brum. There is a distinctive Brummie
dialect (distinct vocabulary and syntax) and accent, both of
which differ from the adjacent Black Country.
ПЛАН-ОТВЕТ. FAMOUS BIG AND SMALL CITIES OF BRITAIN
1. Рассказать кратко о Ливерпуле (Merseystde, the third most
populous city in England, industrial city; sugar refinery,
tanning, and cattle-feed manufacture; fine eighteenth-century
buildings, shopping and entertainment quarters, a university,
two cathedrals, the Beetles).
2. Рассказать кратко о Стрэтфорде-на-Эйвоне (heart of England,
birthplace of Shakespeare, home of the Royal Shakespeare
Company, the house where Shakespeare was born, New Place, Ann
Hathaway's Cottage, the Holy Trinity Church, ponds, streams,
waterfalls, tropical exotic flowers, the Insect City, the Teddy
Bear Museum).
3. Рассказать кратко о Кембридже (loveliest city of Britain,
courtyards, bridges, the river Cam, architecture, Neolithic
times, the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, a teaching
centre, the University of Cambridge, Peterhouse, Fitzwilliam
Museum, the Folk Museum, the University Museum of Archaeology
and Anthropology).
4. Рассказать кратко об Оксфорде ("city of dreaming spires",
King Charles I, English capital, Oxford Brookes University,
University of Oxford, 35 independent colleges, 5 halls, choral
foundations, the Ashmolean Museum, collection of antiques,
European paintings, the Christ Church Picture Gallery, The
Museum of the History of Science). 5. Рассказать кратко о
Бирмингеме (the second largest city, principal industrial
centre, west Midlands, Anglo-Saxons, metalworking centre, the
Industrial Revolution, World War II, a national commercial
centre, the third best place to locate a business, one of the
most visited cities, the Town Hall, the old Council House, the
University of Birmingham, Brummies, Brummie dialect).
QUESTIONS
1. What famous British cities and towns do you know?
2. What is Liverpool famous for?
3. Which city is connected with William Shakespeare's name? Why?
4. What other interesting sights can you visit in this city?
5. Why has Cambridge been described as the loveliest British
city?
6. What is Cambridge famous for?
7. What is Oxford mainly famous for?
8. How old is Oxford University?
9. Would you like to study there? Why (not)?
10. What other places of interest are there besides the
University?
11. What is the second largest city in Britain?
12. How was it founded?
13. Why is the city one of the most visited ones in the UK?
14. Why are the citizens of this city called "Brummies"?
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