Студопедия

Главная страница Случайная страница

КАТЕГОРИИ:

АвтомобилиАстрономияБиологияГеографияДом и садДругие языкиДругоеИнформатикаИсторияКультураЛитератураЛогикаМатематикаМедицинаМеталлургияМеханикаОбразованиеОхрана трудаПедагогикаПолитикаПравоПсихологияРелигияРиторикаСоциологияСпортСтроительствоТехнологияТуризмФизикаФилософияФинансыХимияЧерчениеЭкологияЭкономикаЭлектроника






London, its History and Development






Текст

Cambridge (UK)

Cambridge is one of the two main universities of England located at the Cam River. It was founded at the beginning of the 12-th century. The University consists of 24 different colleges including 4 colleges for women. Each college is self-governing.

The head of the University is the chancelor who is elected for life. The teachers are commonly called " dons" and " tutors". Part of the teaching is by means of lectures organized by the University. Besides lectures teaching is carried out by tutorial system for which the Cambridge University is famous all over the world. This is a system of individual tuition organized by the colleges.

Each student has a tutor who practically guides him through the whole course of studies. The tutor plans the student's work and once a week the student goes to his tutor to discuss his work with him. The training course lasts 4 years. The academic year is divided into 3 terms. The students study natural and technical sciences, law, history, languages, geography and many other subjects.

After three years of study a student may proceed to a Bachelor's degree, and later to the degrees of Master and Doctor. Students are required to wear gowns at lectures, in the University library, in the street in the evening, for dinners in the colleges and for official visits. All the students must pay for their education, examinations, books, laboratories, university hostel, the use of libraries, etc. Very few students get grants. Not many children from the working class families are able to get higher education, as the cost is high. The cost of education depends on the college and speciality.

A number of great men, well-known scientists and writers studied at Cambridge. Among them are: Erasmus, the great Dutch scholar, Bacon, the philosopher, Milton and Byron, the poets, Cromwell, the soldier, Newton and Darwin, the scientists.

 


 

Текст

London, its History and Development

It is known that the area around London was inhabited by the Celts. Later the Romans founded a military camp there. The camp developed into a port. The area of about 1 square mile where the Romans built their fortifications corresponds approximately to today present City of London. London was the capital of one of the Roman provinces of Britain. After the Romans left Britain, London became less important and suffered greatly from the Danes and Vikings. It was under Henry the First in the 12-th century that London finally became the capital of England. In the 16-th century London, with its 500, 000 inhabitants, was the largest city in England. Under Queen Elizabeth the First in the 17-th century England dominated the oceans and became the Empire. It is in the Elizabethan Age that art, culture and literature flowered, especially in London. Over the centuries London became the centre of a constantly growing empire. The empire reached its apex under Queen Victoria. Industrialization and the expansion of international trade brought London power growth and cultural and economic development. In the First and Second World Wars London was ruined considerably.

Some 9 million people now live in London and its suburbs, and the city covers an area of 620 square miles, making it one of the largest of the world's capitals. One reason for its size is that the English people like to live in small houses and have small gardens. As a result, less than 5, 000 people live in the City of London, while more than half a million come here to work in the daytime. Today London is the capital of Great Britain and is also the seat of the Royal Family, the Parliament, the major administrative bodies and scientific institutions.

The Houses of Parliament stand on the bank of the Thames at Westminster Abbey. Actually it is one building but it is called " Houses" as it consists of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. It was set up in the 13-th century. At one end of the Houses of Parliament there is a tower with a large clock. The largest bell, known as Big Ben, chimes in the hour.

Westminster Abbey was a monastery built in the 8th century. It is one of the best examples of the Early English architecture. The kings and queens of England are buried there. Many great statesmen, writers and poets are also buried there.

In the centre of London there is one of the most beautiful squares - Trafalgar Square which was named so to commemorate Nelson's victory in the battle of Trafalgar. There is the monument in its centre known as Nelson's Column.

In the vicinity of Trafalgar Square is Whitehall which is now a street of government offices. Not far from Whitehall is Downing Street. Number 10 Downing Street is the residence of the Prime Minister of England. The Cabinet meets there. One must mention the British Museum. It is one of the most extensive and valuable museums in West Europe. It was founded in 1753. It also comprises the National Library. There are other numerous museums and galleries displaying interesting finds from all parts of the world and from all stages in the development of nature, man and act. There are also two large opera houses, the National Theatre and 50 other theatres. Monuments of past greatness are everywhere in London.


 

Текст

Since 1965 Greater London has been divided into 32 London boroughs in addition to the ancient City of London.

Greater London covers an area of 1, 579 square kilometres (610 sq mi), an area which had a population of 7, 172, 036 in 2001 and a population density of 4, 542 inhabitants per square kilometre (11, 760 sq mi). The London Metropolitan Agglomeration covers an area of 8, 382 square kilometres (3, 236 sq mi) has a population of 12, 653, 500 and a population density of 1, 510 inhabitants per square kilometre (3, 900 sq mi).

According to the Office for National Statistics, based on 2007 estimates, 69.0 per cent of the 7.5 million inhabitants of London were White, with 57.7 per cent White British, 2.4 per cent White Irish and 8.9 per cent classified as Other White. Some 13.3 per cent are of South Asian descent, with Indians making up 6.6 per cent of London's population, followed by Pakistanis and Bangladeshis at 2.4 per cent and 2.3 per cent respectively. 2.0 per cent are categorised as " Other Asian". 10.6 per cent of London's population are Black, with around 5.5 per cent being Black African, 4.3 per cent as Black Caribbean and 0.8 per cent as " Other Black". 3.5 per cent of Londoners are of mixed race; 1.5 per cent are Chinese; and 2.0 per cent belong to another ethnic group. The non-white ethnic minority population of London in 2001 was just over 2 million or 29 per cent: an increase of 722, 000 from 1991.

London generates approximately 20 per cent of the UK's GDP (or $446 billion in 2005); while the economy of the London metropolitan area—generates approximately 30 per cent of the UK's GDP (or an estimated $669 billion in 2005). Around 325, 000 people were employed in financial services in London until mid-2007. London has over 480 overseas banks, more than any other city in the world. Currently, over 85% (3.2 million) of the employed population of greater London works in the services industries.

London is a major international air transport hub. The word London is used in the name of 8 airports. London Heathrow Airport is the busiest airport in the world. In March 2008 its 5th terminal was opened. There were plans for a 3d runway and a 6th terminal however these were cancelled by the Coalition Government on May 12, 2010.

London's bus network is one of the largest in the world, running 24 hours a day, with 8, 000 buses, 700 bus routes, and over 6 million passenger journeys made every weekday.

London's modern tram network, known as Tramlink, 39 stops, 3 routes and carried 26.5 million people in 2008. Tramlink plans to spend £ 54m by 2015 on maintenance, renewals, upgrades and capacity enhancements. Since April 2009 all trams have been refurbished.

The London Underground is the oldest, and second longest metro system in the world, dating from 1863. The system serves 270 stations. Over 3, 000, 000 journeys are made every day on the Underground network, over 1 billion each year.

The expansion of the underground network almost came to a stop in the 1970s. But in 1993 construction work for the south-east extension of the Jubilee Line began. The above ground section between Stratford and North Greenwich opened on May 14, 1999 with the entire extension entering service in various stages until December 22, 1999. Former Jubilee Line terminus at Charing Cross was closed on November 20, 1999.

On March 27, 2008, the Piccadilly Line was extended to serve the new Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport (2 km). 6 trains an hour now run via the Terminal 4 loop, and 6 trains go directly to Terminal 5.

On October 12, 2008, a new station was added on the Hammersmith & City Line, called Wood Lane.

On December 13, 2009, the traditional Circle Line ceased to be a proper circular line, it now operates from Hammersmith to Edgware Road via the entire circle.

Since 2007 high-speed Eurostar trains link St. Pancras International with Lille, Paris, and Brussels. Journey times to Paris and Brussels of 2 hours 15 minutes and 1 hour 50 minutes respectively make London closer to continental Europe.

The M25 is the longest ring-road motorway in the world at 195.5 km (121.5 mi) long. The A1 and M1 connect London to Edinburgh, Leeds and Newcastle.

A plan for a comprehensive network of motorways throughout the city (the Ringways Plan) was prepared in the 1960s but was mostly cancelled in the early 1970s. In 2003, a congestion charge was introduced to reduce traffic volumes in the city centre. With a few exceptions, motorists are required to pay £ 10 per day to drive within a defined zone encompassing much of congested central London.


 

Текст


Поделиться с друзьями:

mylektsii.su - Мои Лекции - 2015-2024 год. (0.011 сек.)Все материалы представленные на сайте исключительно с целью ознакомления читателями и не преследуют коммерческих целей или нарушение авторских прав Пожаловаться на материал