Обучение онлайн Уроки онлайн | "Cкоростные" уроки английского | Грамматика английского языка | Разговорники | Download | Личный опыт | Библиотека | Каталог ресурсов

Статьи (Аналитика) | Словари | Топики | ЧаВо | Книжные магазины | Распродажа учебников | Ссылки на тесты

Топики по английскому языку (English topics)

Страноведение / Великобритания

Версия для печати

Scotland

Scotland is a country in the United Kingdom to the north of England. Its symbol is the thistle, and its patron is St. Andrew. The country is divided into Highlands and Lowlands. Most of the industry is concentrated in the Lowlands, in the Clyde Valley. Glasgow is its largest and busiest town, and Edinburgh is its capital.

Glasgow and Edinburgh are two great centres of Scotland. There are only 45 miles between them; and, although it only takes an hour to get from Glasgow to Edinburgh, the cities are very different.

Glasgow is the heart of industry. It is a centre of business and trade. It is very busy, prosperous, and is typically industrial in appearance.

Edinburgh is rather cold but attractive. Edinburgh is known as the Athens of the North. When you walk around the city, every step is a step in history. Practically every building has a tale to tell.

The two most interesting parts of the city are the Old Town and the New Town. The Old Town lies between the Castle and Holyrood Palace. The Castle, in fact, is older than the city. No one can exactly say when the first settlers arrived at the huge rock that stands high above Edinburgh. Later they built a castle here. It looks beautiful in all weather but at night, when lights are shining on it, it looks just like a castle in a fairytale. It is not surprising that the Castle attracts a lot of tourists.

The Edinburgh military tattoo takes place every August and September. For 90 minutes, five or six nights a week, 600 people perform in the square in front of the Castle.

One of the most modest, and yet one of the best known monuments in Edinburgh, is a monument to a dog called Bobby. The dog belonged to John Gray. When John Gray died, Bobby lived near his grave for twenty-six years. Later Bobby was buried near his master and his statue in Old Town has become a symbol of devotion. Old Town is a striking contrast to New Town with its white and beautiful streets. Princes Street is the most beautiful street of New Town. It is Edinburgh's popular shopping centre.

Princess Street lies between New Town and Old Town. The modern part is on the lower side, and the older part is on the upper side. The old and the new look at each other across the valley, under Scotland's blue sky.