Big BenBig BenBig Ben, the biggest clock in Britain, which includes 4 faces, 7,5 meters in diameter. The minute hand of Big Ben is 4,25 meters length. This clockwas named after Sir. Benjamin Hall,

commissioner of works at the time of its installation in 1859. People call the clock “Big Ben”, but the name really belongs to the bell, which strikes the hour.

In 1805 England defeated the allied French and Spanish fleets in a great naval battle at Trafalgar; this was a triumphant victory of the British nation over Napoleon. To commemorate the victory of Admiral Lord Nelson at Trafalgar, Trafalgar Square was constructed. Nowadays, the square is popular with

visitors who come to relax, watch pavement artists, or eat their lunch and feed the pigeons.

Piccadilly CircusPiccadilly Circus Piccadilly Circus is the centre or the

night life in the West End. The square is quite small, and many people are disappointed when they see it for the first time because they imagined that it would be much bigger.

SohoSoho To the north of

Piccadilly Circus is Soho, which has been the foreign quarter of London since the 17th century. Now it is famous for its restaurants, which offer food from different countries. Especially popular are Chinese and Italian cuisine.

Westminster Abbey is a national shrine where the kings and queens are crowned and famous people are buried.

Westminster Abbey, built in the French Gothic style, is elegant and romantic; the present abbey was begun by Henry III and was not completed until the 16th century.

Westminster AbbeyWestminster Abbey

St. Paul’s Cathedral In the West End of

London one can see the famous St. Paul’s Cathedral, the masterpiece of the well-known English architect Christopher Wren. It took him thirty-five years to build the Cathedral.

The Whispering Gallery, which is over 100 feet above the floor of the Cathedral, is remarkable for its acoustics.

Covent GardenCovent Garden The Royal Opera House, also known as

Covent Garden, is internationally known for its opera and ballet productions, as well for its dancers and singers. During the performances the house is always full though seat prices are comparatively high. The building was built in 1858.

Buckingham PalaceBuckingham Palace The most important building in London,

though not the most beautiful, is Buckingham Palace, which is the official residence of the Queen. It stands in St. James’s Park. Running through the park from the front of Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar square is the Mall, a wide tree-lined avenue.

Changing of the GuardChanging of the Guard One of the most impressive and popular ceremonies

is Changing of the Guard, which takes place at Buckingham Palace every day, including Sunday, at 11.30.The uniform of the guards is extremely coloured.

The Tower of LondonThe Tower of London

Whoever comes to London is eager to see the Tower of London, the scene of nearly 900 years of England’s history. The tower has been a fortress, a palace, a prison, a mint in the past. William the Conqueror began building the tower for the purpose of protecting the city; other monarchs made additions in later centuries.

BeefeatersBeefeaters The Ceremony of the

keys dates back 700 years and has taken place every night since that time. Every night, at 9.53 p.m. the Chief Warder of the Yeomen Warders (Beefeaters) of the Tower of London lights a candle lantern and goes, accompanied by his Escort, towards the Bloody Tower. In his hand the Chief Warder carries the keys, with which he locks the West Gate and then the Middle Tower.

Tower BridgeTower Bridge In London there is one of the most famous

bridges in the world -Tower Bridge.  Designed by Sir Horace Jones and engineered by Sir John Wolfe-Barry, the construction of the Tower Bridge began in 1886.  After Jones’s death in 1887, Barry was able to invoke greater artistic freedom than he would have under the original designers' supervision.  The project was completed in 1894.

London EyeLondon Eye The world’s largest observation wheel is

135 metres high. It provides a 30-minute, slow-moving 'flight' over London. The passenger capsules signifying 'time', is lit internally at the point of embarkation. Each high-tech capsule  accommodating up to 25 people. The British Airways London Eye is a privately funded venture between British Airways, the Tussauds Group and London architects David Marks and Julia Barfield.

Kew GardensKew Gardens Kew Gardens is often referred to as

the Royal Botanic Gardens.Three hundred acres containing collections of over 40,000 varieties of plants. Also you can visit seven glasshouses and two art galleries, Japanese and Rock gardens,etc...

London London ZooZoo In London Zoo you can experience

conservation in action with a trip around B.U.G.S (biodiversity underpinning global survival) - an innovative exhibition dedicated to conservation and explanation of biodiversity. At London Zoo over 600 species of amazing animals including lions, tigers, primates, giraffes and many many more. Watch the penguins and pelicans embarking in some fishy goings on at feeding time.

Madame Tussaud’s museumMadame Tussaud’s museum

Madam Tussaud’s is a waxwork museum in central London. The museum was set up in 1835. It contains wax models of famous people, living and dead: kings and queens, film stars, politicians, pop idols and murderers. In the future, with the use of computer technology, the museum is planning to show figures that can walk and talk.

The Science MuseumThe Science Museum The Science Museum opened in

1857.At the Science Museum visitors can experience the major scientific advances of the past 300 years. There are over 40 galleries with the world's finest collections in science history technology and medicine offer over thousands of interactive exhibits with many permanent displays. The Science Museum holds the world's largest and most significant collection illustrating the history and contemporary practice of science, technology, medicine and industry.

The National GalleryThe National Gallery The National Gallery is situated next

to Trafalgar Square, where you can find many old masterpieces.

National Portrait GalleryNational Portrait Gallery The National Portrait

Gallery was founded in 1856. Portraits of over 1,000 British men and women are on display from the Middle Ages until the present day, from portraits of Henry VII to portraits of Queen Elizabeth II. Built in the 19th century, the National Portrait Gallery's collection contains over 10,000 oil paintings, watercolours, drawings, miniatures, sculptures, caricatures, silhouettes and photographs.

Windsor CastleWindsor Castle Some 900 years ago

Windsor Castle (near Windsor), originally made of wood, was built for William the Conqueror to guard the approach to London. Today Windsor Castle remains a working palace and the Queen's official residence. There are masterpieces by Rembrandt, Rubens, Holbein and Van Dyck as well as magnificent French and English furniture and porcelain.

Blenheim palaceBlenheim palace

On November 30,1874 at Blenheim Palace (near Oxford ), Winston Churchill, Prime Minister, was born. Many of his paintings are hanging on the walls. Sir Winston Churchill, after a long and distinguished career as a member of Parliament and Prime Minister during the second World War and in the 1950`s,  is also buried at Blenheim. 

StonehengeStonehenge The great stone monument of Stonehenge

(near Salisbury ) is the best known and most remarkable of prehistoric remains in Britain. It has stood on Salisbury Plain for about 4000 years. No written records exist of its origin, and it has always been surrounded by mystery. There have been many different theories, but still nobody knows why it was built.

The National Museum of The National Museum of Photography, Film & Photography, Film &

TelevisionTelevision

The National Museum of Photography, Film & Television was established in 1983 and attracts over 750,000 visitors each year. The museum has a collection of over three million items. These include: the worlds first negative and the earliest television footage and the first example of moving pictures of Leeds Bridge dated 1888. Visitors can enjoy a hands-on experience of the media, learning how television cameras work or trying their hand at animation plus lots more.

The Museum of Natural The Museum of Natural HistoryHistory

One of the worlds finest and largest museums of natural history with hundreds of exhibits, many interactive,  ranging from the volcano experience to the dinosaurs exhibition. Creepy-Crawlies exhibition, blue whale, earths treasury, dinosaurs etc.

QuestionsQuestions

• When was Tower Bridge completed?a)1812b)1894c)1935

• How many meters is the world’s largest observation wheel high?

a)135b)205c)98

• For whom was Windsor Castle built?a) for Lord Nelsonb) for William the Conquerorc) for Elisabeth II

• The Black Country Living Museum is the heart of industrial…

a) Scotland b) Wales c) England

• The name of the Palace where Winston Churchill was born is:

a) Blenheim b) Buckinghamc) Windsor

• 1983 is the year of establishment of:a) The Science Museumb) The National Museum of Photography,

film and televisionc) The National Museum

• The queen’s official London residence is :

a) Westminster Abbeyb) The Tower of Londonc) Buckingham Palace

• The National Portrait Gallery was founded in:

a) 1856b) 1901c) 1739

• The building created in the French Gothic style is :

a) St. Paul’s Cathedralb) Westminster Abbeyc) The Houses of Parliament

• Piccadilly Circus is the centre of : a) night life b) midday lifec) morning life

The list of literature:

Country study Dictionary. Great Britain. Moscow,1980.

Golitsynsky. Country study. Great Britain.St.Peterburg,2001.

Kolodyazhnaya. This is Great Britain.Moscow,2000.