London

London

Pictures

Identify the places in the pictures. What other places would you like to see if you had a chance to travel to London? Why?

Picture 1 (Britská zástava)

In the first picture I can see a national British flag. It´s called Union Jack. It consists of crosses: red, blue and white.

Picture 2 (Buckingham Palace)

Buckingham Palace, the London residence of the British royal family. Every day at 11,30 there is the ceremony of the Changing of the Guard. The Queen is Elisabeth II.

Picture 3 (Big Ben)

It is the clock tower with the 13-ton bell called Big Ben. It´s situated near the Houses of Parliament.

Picture 4 (Tower Bridge)

Tower Bridge is one of the most famous bridges in London. It opens in the middle when big ships pass under the bridge. The river in London is called Thames.

Some geografical facts about London

London  the capital of England and of Great Britain. It is a city of traditions, historic buildings, monuments, theatres, parks and museums.

Other places in London: Saint Paul´s Cathedral, Tower, Westminster Abbey, Oxford Street, China Town, Madam Tussaud´s  - the museum of wax figures

Great Britain

Some geographical facts about GB.

„Britain“ -  is often used informally for the country often known as The United Kingdom of GB and Northern Ireland.

GB is made up from the countries of England, Scotland, Wales . There are more than 5000 islands in the British Isles. They are bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the northwest, north and southwest, and separated from the European continent by the North Sea and the English Channnel. GB has a population about 60 million.

GB has a mild climate. The weather is rather changeable. It often rains and fogs are very frequent. This might be reason why the English speak about the weather in their conversation.

The main  religion  is the Church of England and Roman Catholicism.

The system of government.

The UK is a constitutional monarchy. The present queen is the Queen Elizabeth II. She has little real political power. The UK is governed by the Cabinet  consisting of  ministers, which is headed by the Prime Minister (David Cameron) The Cabinet is responsible to Parliament. Prime Minister seats  at 10 Downing Street.

Parliament  consists of the House of Lords and the House of Commons .

The UK constitution is not written.

Britain´s most important political parties are the Conservative Party and the Labour Party. 

What places would you like to see if you had a possibility to travel there?

I would like to visit many places in GB, especially London and its sights, but also other interesting places.

England , e.g. is a country of plains, hills and moors. There is the most famous prehistoric monument in the southern England called Stonehenge. It  consits of large standing stones and it is said it was built by Druids to celebrate Midsummer´s Day.

Wales – is a mountainous country famous for its long rivers, big lakes and high hills. Wales is rich in culture and history. The Welsh people love music and poetry. The highest mountain is Snowdon.

Scotland – is a country of hills, lakes (called lochs), swift rivers and deep valleys. There are 4 big cities: Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen.

There are also special traditions here such as bagpipes and wearing kilts.

A traditional Scottish meal is called „haggis“. It is prepared of the heart, liver and lungs of a sheep and boiled in a sheep´s stomach.

Scotland has many whisky distilleries and a lake called Loch Ness, famous for the Loch Ness monster also known informally as „Nessie“. It is said to be a large animal like a dinosaur.

Northern Ireland -  the capital is Belfast. Chief exports of NI are ships aircraft, livestock. Irish republic bacame independent in 1992 and NI remainded a part of GB.

Famous British writers: Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare, Jonathan Swift,

Actors: Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan (James Bond), Hugh Grant,

Choose any traditions and customs of Great Britain and say what you like or dislike about them.

Christmas in GB – people decorate Christmas tree, buy Christmas presents/gifts. Children expect Santa Claus. For Christmas dinner British families have stuffed turkey, mashed potatoes and Christmas pudding. They find their gifts on 25th December in the morning.

24th December – Christmas Eve

25th December – Christmas Day

26th December – Boxing Day

Easter in GB – they decorate Easter eggs and hide them in their houses and gardens for children. They don´t have Easter Monday traditions, that exist in Slovakia with water and whips.

St. Valentine´s Day – 14th February,  it´s a day of lovers. People send nice postcards to their boyfriends and girlfriends.

Halloween- people have pumpkins with candles in front of the doors. Children wear fancy dress costumes. 

Simulation

You and your friend are planning a big trip abroad. You would like to see GB, but your friend prefers different country.  Try to persuade him that your idea is better.

I would say: Let´s go to GB. We can visit London. I can show you Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Saint Paul´s Cathedral, Tower, Westminster Abbey, Oxford Street.

We can also travel to Scotland, drink whisky and meet a Loch Ness monster.

We will improve our English.