Speak on the following items

215 
Speak on the following items: 
1.
 
The town’s location. 
2.
 
The town’s history. 
3.
 
The town’s population. 
4.
 
The town’s sights. 
5.
 
Main streets, squares and monuments. 
6. Write a short composition about the town/city you live in. 
T e x t 2 
London 
London, the capital of the UK, was founded in AD 43 by the Roman 
invaders as a settlement and a fortress. At first it had the name of Londinium. 
Due to its convenient position in the mouth of the river Thames the 
settlement grew and developed into a city. In the 11th century London 
became the capital of England. For centuries it was a prominent port through 
which wealth and prosperity came to the country. 
Being an important trade and political centre, the city enjoyed greater 
independence than the other cities of the medieval England and even had the 
right to elect the head of the city, Lord Mayor. The picturesque ceremony of 
the elections of Lord Mayor of London is still held every year and attracts 
thousands of tourists. 
The city was built rather chaotically, the streets being narrow and dirty. It 
grew and developed together with the developing of the nation. In 1666 the 
Great Fire of London destroyed the most part of the city, which was rebuilt, 
but the old planning remained untouched. 
Historically and geographically London can be divided into three parts: 
the City, the West End and the East End. The City is the financial centre of 
the country, with offices of large firms and banks and the Stock Exchange. 
The West End has always been considered a place where aristocrats 
lived. There is a great number of sights and attractions: the Houses of 
Parliament, Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Nelson Column, to 
mention just a few of them. London’s beautiful parks are also there: Hyde 
Park, St. James’ Park, Regent’s Park are favourite places for Londoners to 
visit and relax. One may also go shopping in the West End — Piccadilly 
Street and Oxford Street both present a wide choice of expensive shops and 
boutiques. 
The East End was previously considered the place where not well- to-do 
people lived. The identity of the East End as a place of deprivation and 
poverty persisted until well after the Second World War, becoming overlaid 
with certain gangster glamour in the 1960s. At the beginning of the twenty-
first century, London east of the City is still seen as having a different 
character, claiming a certain independence of look from the rest of 
metropolis; but its cultural status has been transformed. Parts of the East End 
are believed to house the highest population of artists in Europe, and the East 

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End is now considered a bohemian district. The ugly docks, which for years 
disguised the face of the East End, are now closed, and new hotels, stadiums 
and apartment houses are being built. 
Now London extends much more than the City, the West End and the 
East End. Its suburbs grow rapidly. London and its suburbs are called 
Greater London. 
As well as it is impossible to say that Moscow is a typical Russian city, 
nobody can call London a typical British one. In fact, it has become a 
multinational metropolis, being inhabited by people from all over the world. 
It is always busy and crowded. It certainly has its own face — millions of 
faces. Maybe, this is the reason why people say: “When a man is tired of 
London, he is tired of life.” 

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