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London is the capital of the most important English-speaking country. It’s also one of the largest and most beautiful cities in the world. The population of London at the moment is more than 8 million people.

The city lies on both banks of river Thames. The most important parts of London are: the City, the East End, the West end and Westminster. The busiest part is, of course, the City. Thousands of companies, business organizations, banks and offices are situated there and millions of people work there on daily basis. The West End and the East End classification shows that London has still class distinction system. The West End is traditionally inhabited by rich and successful people. East End is the place where working class lives. This district is not as rich as others and has fewer parks. Westminster area contains many sightseeing buildings.

The most famous of all is the Westminster Abbey. When tourists arrive there, they want to see the Piccadilly Street, which is especially beautiful at night, the Baker Street, the place where Sherlock Holmes lived and worked, the Tower, which is famous as home of the Crown Jewels, the Hyde Park, the Museum of Madame Tussauds.

Great Britain

The full name of the country the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom is situated on the British Isles. The British Isles consist of two large islands, Great Britain and Ireland, and a great number of small islands. Their total area is over 314 000 sq. km. The British Isles are separated from the European continent by the North Sea and the English Channel. The western coast of Great Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea.

The island of Great Britain consists of three main parts: England (the southern and middle part of the island), Wales (a mountainous peninsula in the West) and Scotland (the northern part of the island).

In the north the Cheviots separate England from Scotland, the Pennines stretch down North England along its middle, the Cambrian mountains occupy the greater part of Wales and the Highlands of Scotland are the tallest of the British mountains. Most of the rivers flow into the North Sea. The Thames is the deepest and the longest of the British rivers. Great Britain is not very rich in mineral resources, it has some deposits of coal and iron ore.

Traditions and customs

Every nation and every country has its own customs and traditions. In Britain traditions play a more important part in the life of the people than in other countries.

Englishmen are proud of their traditions and carefully keep them up. It has been the law for about three hundred years that all the theatres are closed on Sundays. No letters are delivered, only a few Sunday papers are published.

To this day an English family prefers a house with a garden to a flat in a modern house with central heating. English people like gardens.

Holidays are especially rich in old traditions and are different in Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England. Christmas is a great English national holiday, and in Scotland it is not kept at all, except by clerks in banks; all the shops, mills and factories are working. But six days later, on New Years Eve the Scotch begin to enjoy themselves. All the shops, mills and factories are closed on New Years Day.

People invite their friends to their houses and sit the Old Year out and the New Year in.

When the dock begins to strike twelve, the head of the family goes to the entrance door, opens it wide and holds it until the last stroke. Then he shuts the door. He has let the Old Year out and the New Year in.

Secondary Education

There are 3 types of state secondary schools in Great Britain. They are:

1) comprehensive schools, which take pupils of all abilities without exams. In such schools pupils are often put into certain sets or groups, which are formed according to their abilities for technical or humanitarian subjects. Almost all senior pupils (around 90 per cent) go there;

2) grammar schools, which give secondary education of a very high standard. Entrance is based on the test of ability, usually at 11. Grammar schools are single sexed schools;

3) modern schools, which don’t prepare pupils for universities. Education in such schools gives good prospects for practical jobs.

After five years of secondary education, at the age of 16, pupils take the General Certificate of Secondary Education examination. When they are in the third or in the forth form, they begin to choose their exam subjects and prepare for them.

After finishing the fifth form pupils can make their choice: they may either leave school and go to a Further Education College or continue their education in the sixth form. Those who stay at school after GCSE, study for 2 more years for «A’ Level Exams in two or three subjects which is necessary to get a place at one of British universities.

Higher Education

Pupils going on to higher education or professional training usually take «A» level examinations in two or three subjects. Universities accept students mainly on the basis of their «A» level results, although they may interview them as well.

There are forty-seven universities in Britain and thirty former polytechnics (now also universities), plus 350 colleges and institutes of higher education.

Undergraduate courses normally take three years of full-time study, although a number of subjects take longer, including medicine, architecture and foreign languages (where courses include a year abroad). They lead in most cases to a Bachelor’s degree in Arts or Science. There are various postgraduate degrees, including Master and Doctor of Philosophy. The last two are awarded for research in arts or sciences.

Degrees are awarded either by the institution itself, or by the Council for National Academic Awards, particularly in vocational areas. Students of law, architecture and some other professions can take qualifications awarded by their own professional bodies instead of degrees.

At present, students who have been accepted by universities or other institutions of higher education receive a grant from their local authority. Parents with higher incomes are expected to make a contribution. The most famous universities are Oxford and Cambridge, called «Oxbridge».

My Future Profession

I began to think about my future profession at the age of 15. My favourite subjects at school were mathematics and English. It was my father who aroused my interest in that field. You see, he is a chief economist at a large plant and I often saw him work at home and discuss business matters with his colleagues. Later I got interested in the matter.

Economics is the science of making choices, which is based upon the facts of our everyday life. Economists study our everyday life and the system, which affects it.

To become a good specialist in economic matters and business one must know many sciences, such as business economics, finance and credits, statistics, history of economic theory and philosophy, mathematics, as well as economic management, trade business and, of course, marketing.

It is very important for a specialist in business matters to be a skilful user of computers and to speak at least one foreign language. You’ll be able to follow business developments in the world by listening to radio and TV news, by

Maybe I should consider a job in a world of banking. There’s a surprisingly wide range to choose from, in the financial world.

Outstanding scientist (Michael Faraday)

Michael Faraday is one of the great scientists in the history of man’s work in electricity. He was born in a small village near London on September 11, 1791, in a poor family. His family lived from hand to mouth. At the age of thirteen Michael went to work in a bookbinder’s shop. Some of the scientific works and articles which passed through his hands aroused his interest in science and he started to read.

Later Michael became a pupil of great scientist of that time, Sir Humphry Davy. The boy accompanied Davy in his trips to Europe. The educational value of such trips was great.

Today almost all the electricity we use generated by great machines with magnets in them, but in those days no one knew how to it. That’s why the English scientist danced with delight on his table when he got what he wanted by moving the magnet near wire. This was a great moment in the history of man’s electrical experiments. But Faraday didn’t stop at this.

Faraday’s scientific interests were varied. He made new kind of glass and a new kind of steel. Faraday made about two thousand difficult experiments. He made a wonderful machine which was the father of all the great machines that make electricity today.