But civilized man cannot live without cooks.

Owen Meredith

Foreigners often say that food in Britain is uninteresting and plain, nothing fancy; that it lacks originality and excellence. But British food is not as bad as some people think, especially if it is cooked in the home, where it is possible to time the dishes to perfection.

There are four meals a day in an English home: breakfast, lunch, tea, and dinner.

Breakfast is the first meal of the day. It is at about 8 o'clock in the morning, and consists of porridge with milk and salt or sugar, eggs-boiled or fried, bacon, sausages, tomatoes, mushrooms, bread and butter with marmalade or jam. Some people like to drink tea, but other prefer coffee. Instead of porridge they may have fruit juice, or they may prefer biscuits.

The usual time for lunch is 1 o'clock. This meal starts with soup or fruit juice. Then follows roast beef with vegetables and gravy or poultry with potatoes - boiled or fried, carrots and beans. Then a pudding comes. Instead of the pudding they may prefer cheese and biscuits. Last of all coffee - black or white. Englishmen often drink something at lunch. Water is usually on the table. Some prefer juice or lemonade.

Tea is the third meal of the day. It is between 4 or 5 o'clock, the so-called 5 o'clock tea. On the table there is tea, milk or cream, sugar, bread and butter, cakes. Friends and visitors are often present at tea.

Dinner is the fourth meal of the day. The usual time is about 7 o'clock, and all the members of the family sit down together.

Dinner usually consists of soup, fish or meat with vegetables - potatoes, green beans, carrot and cabbage, sweet pudding, fruit salad, ice-cream or cheese and biscuits. Then after a talk they have black or white coffee.

This is the order of meals among English families, but the greater part of the people in the towns, and nearly all country-people, have dinner in the middle of the day instead of lunch. They have tea a little later -between 5 and 6 o'clock, and then in the evening, before going to bed, they have supper.

If you want to have a meal outside your home you can visit such place as ‘fish and chips shop’. Fish and chips is a popular and relatively inexpensive British dish. It consists of plaice or cod fried in batter and is served hot with fried, chipped potatoes. More and more people in Britain now buy hot food from a ‘take-away’ and eat it at home. Fast food shops have become very popular. The most common take-away meals are fish and chips, hamburgers, and Chinese foods.

There are also thousands of pubs in Britain. These are alehouses, where working men meet in the evening to drink beer; inns, where travelers can stop, rest and stay overnight. Pub is a public place and at the same time it is rather like someone’s house, where people meet, speak with each other, play games and listen to music. The most common drink served in a pub is beer (ale, bitter, stout or lager), but you can also have wine, cocktails, spirits and soft drinks. If you are hungry you can order food.

COMPREHENSION

1. Select the main points of London's history.

2. Can we say that London is an ancient city and at the same time a modern one? Give your reasons.

3. Using the map below play the role of a guide around London. Choose one of the places of interest and speak about it, using such sentences:

I’m very surprised to learn that:

I didn’t know that…. It’s quite surprising.

Goodness, I never knew that. How interesting! Really? That’s very interesting.

1. Royal Albert Hall 2. Albert Memorial 3. 3. Wellington Arch 4. Marble Arch 5. Buckingham Palace 6. Westminster Abbey 7. Houses of Parliament 8. Nelson's Column

9. Statue of Eros 10. Post office Tower 11. Cleopatra's Needle 12. Royal Festival Hall 13. St Paul's Cathedral 14. The Monument 15. Tower of 'London 16. Tower Bridge

Note:

1. The biggest concert hall in the center of London, comprising 8000 places, where the famous concerts, parades, sport competitions, official ceremonies take place. It was built in 1867-1871 and it was named in hornour of Prince Albert, queen Victory’s husband.

2. The huge monument to Prince Albert, height 55m,it was built in 1863-76.

5. The main queen’s residence in London, famous for its Changing of the Guard.

10. Radio and television tower with rotating restaurant and height 176m.

11. “Голка Клеопатри”, obelisk of pink granite, was built in 1500 before Christ in Egypt and installed in London in 1878.

12. The Festival Hall, comprising several concert halls, was originally built in 1951 and later expanded as a part of the South Bank Development.

14. Column, installed in London in memory of Great Fire.

Answer the questions:

1. Where does Great Britain lie?

2. What separates Great Britain from the mainland? From France, Belgium, Holland and Ireland?

3. What are the most important isles?

4. Can you define the climate of Great Britain?

5. What goods are produced in the UK?

6. What do you know about the political system of the UK?

7. What do you know about the English language?

8. There are several types of houses, which are most frequently seen in Britain. What are they? Can you describe them?

9. What dishes are considered to be traditionally British?

10. Are the British cosmopolitans in their eating habits, or do they prefer their traditional British dishes?

11. What is the pub?

12. How can you explain the meaning of W.Churchill’s words?

Decide whether these statements are TRUE (T) or FALSE (F)

1. Great Britain is the monarchy and the powers of the Queen are not limited by the Parliament.

2. Cockney is one of the forms of Standard English.

3. British families have a desire to own a house rather than to rent it.

4. A detached house is the most popular type of house between poor people.

5. Inns and alehouses are the types of pubs.

6. British people prefer their traditional British dishes.

Write a sentence about each of the following, giving some useful information for visitors to Great Britain.

1.Capital

2. Places of interest

3.Language

4.Types of houses

5.Types of food

6.Places, where you can have a meal

Write a dialogue between two young persons in a pub. Include the following words: drink, bitter, hungry, barman, how much, charge, age, garden.

Discussion points

1. Do you think that there is a need for a standard form of the language in any country? Why or why not?

2. Are the requirements for the language norm high, or are they being lowered nowadays? Today, television and radio are often accused of lowering their standards in language. Do you think that this accusation is right? Why or why not?

3. You have read some information about different types of houses. Can you give an explanation of why high-rise blocks of flats are unpopular with the British? Do people in your country share the opinion that many-storeyed houses are not quite convenient for living in? What do you think?

4. How would you describe your home? Give your praise or criticism. Would you like to change the place in which you live? If you do, what are your reasons?

5. The thought of all that delicious food mentioned can make your mouth water, can’t it? What about fast food? Is the reaction the same? Why or why not?

UNIT IV

BRITISH WORLD