Town Life. London

Town Life. London.

Objectives: to improve pupils’ speaking, reading, listening, writing skills;

Equipment: a map of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a cassette player, a computer, pictures of the places of interest of London, posters and handouts.

Procedure.

Plan of the lesson.

1. The geographical position of the U.K.

2. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

3. London, the capital of the country.

4. Places of interest of London.

5. The summary of the lesson.

Teacher: Today we are going to speak about the country we usually call England. But what is the full name of this country? The full name of this country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. And I want to tell you about this country. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated on the British Isles. It consists of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. You can see them on the map. Their capitals are London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.

The area of the country is 244,000 sq. km. The population of the country is about 57 mln.people.

The U.K. is separated from the continent by the English Channel. It is washed by the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Irish Sea and the North Sea.

There are mountains on the territory of this country: the Grampian Mountains in Scotland, the Cambrian Mountains in Wales and the Pennine Chain in England. The highest mountain is Ben Nevis in Scotland. Its height is 1344 metres.

There are many rivers. The longest is the Severn and the deepest is the Thames. London, the capital of the U.K stands on the Thames.

Pupil₁: Of the four parts of the U. K. England is the largest, the industrial and the most densely populated part. Over 46 mln. people live here. London is situated here. Other important cities are Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester and others. Such industries as the wool industry, steel industry, shipbuilding industry are highly developed here.

In Southern England we can see many ancient monuments and among the Stonehenge.

Teacher: In the U.K. there are many large cities but London is one of the most beautiful. There are many places of interest in this city. You can see some of them looking at the map of London.

Listening Comprehension:

London is the biggest city in Britain. More than 8 mln.people live and work there. Its population is 13% of Britain’s population. London is one of the most important cities in the world. It is a centre for business and for tourism.

In London you can find some of the best theatres, cinemas and museums. There are many beautiful old churches in London too. There are about 10 000 streets in London. Most of the streets are not very wide. You can see many shops in London. Oxford Street is London’s main shopping centre. You can buy clothes, shoes and toys in it. People from all over the world shop in this street. You can find many old and new beautiful parks in the city. The largest park in London is Hyde Park. It is one of the most popular places of Londoners on hot summer days. There are many other pleasant parks and green squares there too.

It’s interesting to know that London is in fact four cities: the City, the West End, the East End and Westminster. London stands on the river Thames. There are 27 bridges over the Thames and 8 tunnels under the river. London is 46 km from north to south and 58 km from east to west.

I. Read the beginning of the sentence in section A and find the end in section B:

II. True or false:

1. About 8 mln people live and work in London.

2. In London you can find 12 000 streets.

3. Most of the streets are wide.

4. In London you can find many parks. Hyde Park is the newest in London.

5. London stands on the river Severn.

III. Answer the Questions:

1. What can we see in London?

2. Is London the centre for business and tourism?

3. What street is the main shopping centre in this city?

4. What place is the most popular among Londoners on hot summer days?

Teacher: London is a very old city. The Romans came to Britain many years ago and they founded London. Its first name was Londinium. The Romans built the town near the river. The place for the town was very good. The River Thames has always been part of London’s history. In Roman time Londinium was a small town with the Thames in its centre. Now London is a big city but the Thames is still the centre of London. So, this city has a long history. Many events took places in this city. And now we shall read the text telling about one episode from the life of this city.

The Great Fire of London.

At the beginning of the 11^th century England was already a big country and London was a very important city. In 1066 William the Conqueror and his people went to England from France.

William the Conqueror became the King of England. The King lived in London. Many of his people lived in London too. But William was afraid of the English, of the people of London and he built the White Tower to live in. now it is one of the most important and beautiful buildings of the Tower of London. As it is very famous, many people visit it every year.

All Kings and Queens of England lived in London. It became the biggest city in England. By 1600 there were more than 200 000 people in London.

In those days people usually built houses of wood, and they often were near one another. Sometimes there were fires in the city, but they were usually very small. Then came 1666, the year of the Great Fire¹ of London.

On Saturday, 2^nd September 1666 there was a strong wind from the river and a big fire began. It started in the house of the king’s baker, near London Bridge.

The baker’s wife² woke up in the middle of the night because the house was on fire. Soon the next house started burning and then the next and the next. The fire burnt until Thursday. Many houses in London were burnt. The fire burnt for four days and destroyed³ 80% of the city. More than 250 thousands people didn’t have home any more.

After the Great Fire peole built a new city. The city became larger and larger. By 1830 there were more than one and a half million people in London. The railways came and the city became richer and richer, but it didn’t become nicer. The city became dark and dirty and people lived in bad houses.

Answer the questions:

1. When did England become a great country?

2. Where did William the Conqueror come from?

3. Where did William the Conqueror live when he was a king?

4. What is the White Tower?

5. How many people lived in London by 1600?

6. Where and when did the Great Fire of London begin?

Find the things which are wrong, correct them and copy out the text:

In October 1796 there was a fire in the old city of London. The fire started in a house on London Bridge. The weather was fine that day, there were few houses on London Bridge, and that’s why only 4 houses were burnt. The fire started on Thursday and was over on Friday. The people of London built a new city after the fire.

Teacher: In London there are many places of interest which are connected with the history of this city. One of them is the Tower of London.

Pupil₁: The Tower of London was a

fortress, a palace, a prison and the King’s Zoo. Now it is a museum. You can see a lot of interesting things in the halls of this Tower. William the Conqueror built it in the eleventh century. There are always black ravens in it. People keep them in the Tower of London and look after them very well as they believe that London will be rich while ravens live there.

Pupil₂: one of the greatest English churches, St. Paul’s Cathedral, is not far from the Tower of London. The famous English architect Sir Christopher Wren built it in the 17^th century after the Great Fire of London. It took him 35 years. It is a beautiful building with many columns and towers. In one of its towers there is on of the largest bells in the world.

Pupil₃: The centre of London is Trafalgar Square. Some people say it is the most beautiful place in London. In the middle of the square stands a tall column. It is a monument to Admiral Nelson. Four bronze lions look at the square from the monument. There are also beautiful fountains in the square.

Pupil₄: These beautiful fountains are in front of the National Gallery which is one of the best picture Galleries of the world. Every day many tourists visit this fine building with tall columns.

And now I want you to look at some places of interest of London.

Summary of the lesson.

Home Assignment

1 Fire –пожежа

2 Baker’s wife – дружина пекаря

3 To destroy – руйнувати