Sonnet Composed upon Westminster Bridge

Earth has not anything to show more fair:

Dull would he be of soul who could pass by

A sight so touching in its majesty:

This City now doth like a garment wear

The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,

Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie

Open unto the fields, and to the sky:

All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.

Never did sun more beautifully steep

In his first splendor, valley, rock or hill;

Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!

The river glideth at bis own sweet will:

Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;

And all that mighty heart is lying still! William Wordsworth

ESSENTIAL VOCABULARY (II)

Words

adjoin υ defeat υ jewel n architecture n dome n

mansion n armour n erect υ residence n avenue n

float υ seat n bury υ fortress n shady adj

change υ guard υ specimen n cathedral n huge adj

statesman n contain υ

Word Combinations

to live from hand to mouth to win the victory

to be lined with (trees, houses) at the cost of smb.'s life

to be found (in some place) at the top

a new housing development round the corner

to have (get, catch) a glimpse of to be famous for smth.

to have no time (money, etc.) left in present days

across the road (from some place) Why not do smth.?

to do the sights of smth. in memory of

to do the city (museums, parks, etc.) under the command

Proper Names

the Lenin Mausoleum Big Ben the East End Trafalgar Square

the Tower of London the Kremlin Julius Caesar the West End

William the Conqueror St. Basil's Cathedral Queen Elizabeth the Bell Tower

Christopher Wren of Ivan the Great Wellington

the History Museum Westminster Abbey the Spasskaya Tower

EXERCISES

I. Study Text A and explain the meaning of the words and phrases listed below:

mansion, to live from hand to mouth, miserable houses, to line the streets, dome, slums, to come first, the Crown Jewels, huge, statesman, across the road, the seat (of the government), at the cost of somebody's life, to face smth., shady avenues.

II. Learn the words of the texts and a) copy and transcribe these words:

mansion, restaurant, jewel, guard, halt, column, ton, sovereign, national, float, sculpture, swan, weigh, conqueror, specimen.

b) Translate into English and mark the stresses:

отель, церемония, Возрождение, Трафальгарская площадь, рукопись, проспект, архитектор, Елизавета, сенат.

c) Form derivatives of these verbs by adding the prefix re- (meaning "do smth. again"):

Example: build — rebuild

write, tell, construct, arm, elect, produce.

III. Answer the questions:

1. How do the two parts of London differ from each other? 2. Why is it better to start sightseeing from the Tower of London? 3. Who founded the Tower and when was it rebuilt? 4. What was the Tower of London used for? 5. What is the City? 6. What does the phrase "a place of interest" mean? 7. What do you know about St. Paul's Cathedral? 8. What is Whitehall and in which part of London is it situated? 9. What does the Ceremony of the Keys consist of? 10. What do you call the building in which the Houses of Parliament are situated? It is one building, why then do we say "The Houses of Parliament"? 11. What is Big Ben? 12. What kind of museum is the British Museum? 13. What do you know about Hyde Park?

IV. Read the text and show all the places of interest mentioned there on the map:

Trafalgar Square is the natural centre of London. Could we but stand 168 feet (about 50 metres) above the traffic, beside the figure of the Admiral, we really could see all the great landmarks of London. Whitehall, which leads out of the square to the south, is the site of many Government offices including the Prime Minister's residence, Foreign Office, War Office; at the far end of Whitehall stand, beside the Thames, the Houses of Parliament with the Big Clock Tower, and Westminster Abbey; to the left Covent Garden fruit market and Covent Garden Opera House, and beyond the Bank of England; another slight turn left would enable your eye to fall on the British Museum; further left still we should see theatreland around Piccadilly Circus (it is not at all a circus but an open space of a circular form) and those expensive shopping promenades — Regent Street, Oxford Street, Bond Street; a little further, and into view would come Hyde Park in the distance, with, nearer, Buckingham Palace, and Royal Drive known as the Mall, which leads into Trafalgar Square.