Read the text on public transport in London and then proceed to the tasks.

Road, rail and air services offer good connections between London and the rest of the country. An orbital motorway, the M25, from which motorways radiate into London and off across Britain, rings the outskirts of Lo­ndon. From GrandVictorian termini in the centre of London trains ran across the country, linking cities, towns, ports and the continent through the Channel Tunnel.

Train passengers to mainland Europe arrive or depart at Victoria or Charing Cross stations for the channel ferry ports, while passengers on the new channel tunnel link travel from the terminus at Waterloo International that opened in 1994.

The underground - or metro - system in London is known locally as the 'Tube'. With buses, it is the princ­ipal means of public transport around and into the centre of the capital. The Tube's 270 stations carry 735 million passengers a year; Victoria Tube station is busier than all of London's airports put together.

The Tube is entirely underground only in central London; in the suburbs most lines are above ground. Nev­ertheless, with 171 km of tunnels it is one of the largest underground systems in the world. It was extended in the 1970s with the Jubilee Line (named after HM The Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977), which was itself extended to Docklands in 1998.

London has five airports: Heathrow, Qatwick, Stansted, Luton and London City, together handling over 68.1 million passengers a year. Gatwick handles about 100 000 passengers a day during high season.

London City airport, constructed as part of the redevelopment of Docklands, handles a growing number of European flights. It runs a convenient 10-minute check-in time and is only 20 minutes from the City by road on the recently constructed Limehouse Link. There are good bus connections, and the Jubilee Line underground extensi­on provides the airport with a rapid link to central London

Public transport in London is also provided by buses, taxis and the Docklands Light Railway. London's bus network links with the rail and underground services, with large bus stations next to important rail interchanges. Buses provide commuter services, local services and orbital links around the London suburbs. Many main roads have bus-only lanes.

Buses have played an important part in the integrated transport planning in theredevelopment of Docklands. Bus services are coordinated with the Docklands Light Railway and the Jubilee Line underground extension. For instance, the bus interchange at the DLR's Prince Regent station provides a three-minute connection to London City airport.

2. Find in the text the words belonging to the following categories:

• Transport services: road services,

• Types of connections: road,

• Verbs to describe roads etc: ring,

• Verbs to describe travelling: travel,

• Verbs to describe the development of transport infrastructure: extend,

• Types and names of stations: terminus (termini),

• Types of transport: public transport,

• Types of destinations: cities,

• Prepositions of place and directions: between,

• People: train passengers,

• Adjectives and adverbs to describe traffic etc: busy.

3. Work in pairs. a) Describe London transport system using the words you have chosen in Activity 2. b) Put questions to the underlined parts of the text to use them in your dialogues.

Work in pairs. Describe the public transport system in your town using the words you have chosen in Activity 2.

US cities.

A Washington, D.C., city and district, capital of the United States of America. Named after the first U.S. president, the city has served since 1800 as the seat of federal government. It is also the heart of a dynamic metropolitan region. The city is located on the Potomac River. The District of Columbia was named for Christopher Columbus. Washington, D.C., has a total area of 176 sq km and the Washington metropolitan region - which in addition to Washington, D.C., contains 24 counties in the surrounding states has a total area of 17 920 sq km. Washington is home to many famous and interesting public buildings and monuments. The Capitol of the United States is located on a hill rising 27 m above the Potomac. The oldest federal building in Washington is the White House. It is an official residence of the U.S. president. The Mall is a narrow park stretching 1.6 km from the Capitol to the Washington Monument, which is 169 m high. The Mall is Washington's most prominent park, and it hosts many special demonstrations and events such as the National Cherry Blossom Festival, the Chinese New Year, Columbus Day, Saint Patrick's Day and the Fourth of July.

 

В New York, N.Y., attracts people from all over the world. It is the most exciting and the most changeable city in the world. It is a city of immigrants. Many say that the face of New York is The Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. The French people gave this statue to the Americans in 1886. It contains 354 stairs. There are 5 boroughs in New York - Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx and Staten Island. Manhattan is an island 13 miles long and 2 miles wide. It is the center of American finance, advertising, art theatre, publishing, fashion - and much more. It is divided into the East Side and the West Side.

The dividing line is Fifth Avenue. In 1626, a Dutchman came to Manhattan, and paid the Indians about 24 dollars for the island. So, the Dutch were the first Europeans to settle Manhattan. To protect themselves from attacks, they built a strong wooden wall. This wall gave name to a street in Lower Manhattan - Wall Street. The Italian restaurants of Little Italy are popular both with tourists and Italians. Today Chinatown is the only immigrant community that is still growing. Chinatown has seven newspapers and nearly 200 restaurants. Greenwich Village and the East Village have always been at the center of New York`s excitement. Both have an active nightlife with plenty of bars, restaurants and clubs. You can see different people there: students from New York University, police, drug dealers, joggers, roller skaters, and everyone else.

С Chicago, III., is the third largest city in the United States and one of the country's leading indus­trial, commercial, transportation, and financial centers. Chicago covers a land area of 588.2 sq km and stretches 47 km along Lake Michigan. It is the center of a large metropolitan area. Almost every ethnic group found in the United States is represented in Chicago. The city is a significant port for both domestic and international trade. Ships deliver iron ore, coal, petroleum, and grain. Foreign vessels arrive, bringing automobiles, steel, fish, etc. The boats depart carrying machinery, farm equipment, food products. Chicago is one of the nation's leading producers of steel, medical appliances, railroad equipment, soap, paint, cosmetics, industrial machinery and sporting goods. Chicago has many beautiful lakes and parks such as Grant Park, Lincoln Park, and Jackson Park. In the central part of the city there are several of the tallest buildings in the world, including the Sears Tower, 110 stories high.

D Los Angeles, Ca., city in south-western California, located on the Pacific Ocean. Los Angeles is the second most populous city in the United States after New York City. It is one of the nation's major industrial, commercial, and financial centers. Los Angeles is also famous for its balmy climate, lush scenery, television industries, freeways, and occasional earthquakes. The city of Los Angeles covers a land area of 1 214.2 sq km. Beverly Hills is a separate city famous for its movie-star residents and the Rodeo Drive shopping district. Against the Santa Monica Mountains, is West Hollywood and Sunset Strip, an area known for dance clubs and designer clothes shops. Griffith Park is the city's major outdoor recreation area. Places of historical interest include historic monuments, such as Olvera Street, Plaza Church, and Avila Adobe, built in 1818 and the city's oldest building. Other tourist attractions are the Farmers Market, New Chinatown, Little Tokyo, and the movie studios in Hollywood. A popular tourist place of interest is Mann's Chinese Theater, with its collection of handprints and footprints of film stars. Within Los Angeles is the well-known Forest Lawn Memorial Park, a large cemetery with many unusual statues and monuments.

 

Follow up

1. After you have read the four texts about US cities say which of the cities

 

-is the capital of the USA;

-has the largest population;

-was bought by its first owner by a tiny sum;

-is situated on the bank of the lake;

-occupies the smallest area;

-is affected by natural disasters;

-has a pleasant climate;

-has five districts;

-does not belong to any of the 50 states of the USA;

-is situated by the mountains;

-is certainly not a significant port;

-is situated on the ocean shore;

-has the place with the same name that London has;

-has a district with its own media;

-got a present from France;

-has a downtown area on an island;

-has a monument over 100 metres high;

-is the US movie capital;

-has a symbol dating back to the 19^th century;

-is situated on the banks of a river;

-has the highest skyscraper.

 

2. Work in pairs. You are expected to discuss your preference concerning US cities. Ask your partner about his/her likes and dislikes. Agree or disagree with him/her. Ask him/her explanations. Give your reasons for choosing this or that US city as your favourite. Ask each other if you have ever thought of visiting any of US city or even living in it.

 

 

Ukrainian cities.

1. Compare and contrast the four cities in the following aspects: their age, population, industries, land­marks, research and education, culture. In what way are they similar and in what ways different. How do they contribute to the diversity of Ukraine as a nation?

 

Imagine you are a guide and you are going to give a guided tour for foreign tourists. Choose any town in Ukraine and prepare a guided tour. Use any sources you can find. Make a wide use of the vocabulary given in 1.2. and 1.4.