8 Window on Britain London

Обучающее видео об Англии 1995 года. Частично информация устарела, но видео до сих пор часто используется для общего ознакомления с культурой страны. Скрипт видео и вопросы к нему в описании. Leonie: Hi! In this programme we’re going to take a look at London. London is the capital of Britain. It’s a fascinating and exciting city with a very long history. Let’s find out more.... London is on the River Thames. In about forty-three AD the Romans built the first bridge over the river and that was the beginning of the City of London. Until 1747 there was only one bridge over the Thames. Now there are twenty-nine - some for cars, some for trains and some for pedestrians. Some are very famous like this one - Tower Bridge. London has a population of nearly seven million. It’s a big city. But travelling around it is easy. You can take a waterbus on the river. You can go in one of London’s famous red buses or black taxis. Or you can go on the Underground. Londoners call this ’the Tube’. It started in 1863, and it was the world’s first underground railway. Over twenty million tourists come here every year - eleven million from abroad and the rest are tourists from other parts of Britain. There is so much for people to see in London: palaces, churches, cathedrals, the Tower, Trafalgar Square, and lots of museums and art galleries. And, of course, Madame Tussaud’s. Madame Tussaud brought her exhibition of wax models to London in 1802 and now over two and a half million people visit it every year. But London is also a great place for shopping. This is Harrods, probably the most famous store in Britain. In 1834 Charles Henry Harrod started a small business as a grocer in the East End of London. Today the Harrods store has three hundred departments on seven floors and over three thousand staff. About thirty-five thousand people shop here every day. Another popular place for shopping is Covent Garden. It’s also a centre of London street life. You can find street musicians, or buskers, here... and street entertainers. You can also find some good street fashion. There are always interesting fashions in London. In the 1960s there was the mini skirt. Later there were punks and mohicans. And today in London there is this... and this... and even this. So what do people like about London? I’m going to ask a few people. Could you tell me what you like most about London? Speaker 1: The shops, I love shopping. Speaker 2: I like the variety of London. Speaker 3: I like Madame Tussaud’s, the shoes and the foods. Speaker 4: The clubs and the buskers. Speaker 5: Well, London’s got a lot of really nice buildings. Speaker 6: The museums, especially the British Museum. Speaker 7: I like the culture, and I like watching the people. Speaker 3: I like all of London. Leonie: What can you do when the shops and museums are closed? Well, there are restaurants... and clubs. London has over one hundred and thirty cinemas and more than sixty theatres. The first performance of this play, “The Mousetrap’ by Agatha Christie, was in 1952. And yes, at this London theatre they are still performing the same play. It’s a world record. But London isn’t all rush, rush, rush. There are some wonderful parks like Hyde Park, Regent’s Park and St James’s Park where you can walk, jog, have a picnic, or just relax and get away from the noise. So you see, there is lots to do in London. You can always have a good time. Dr Johnson, a famous English writer, once said “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.“ Well, I’m not tired of London. 1. Who built the first bridge over the Thames in London? 2. How many bridges over the Thames are there now? 3. Which bridge is the most famous? 4. How can people travel around London? 5. How do Londoners call the Underground? 6. What are Madame Tussaud’s models made of? 7. What is Harrods? 8. What do people in this video like about London? 9. What places can you visit at night? 10. Why do people go to London parks?