Read the text. Answer the questions after the text

                                      Where is Cambridge?

Cambridge is in the east of England. It is fifty miles (80 km) north London and it is forty miles (64 km) from the nearest sea. Cambridge is in the region of East Anglia.

 

Cambridge: the river.

The river Cam runs through Cambridge. The name Cambridge is – bridge over the Cam. The Romans came here in the first century A.D. and built the first bridge. Now there are a lot of bridges over the river. One is the Bridge of Sights. It goes across the river to St. John’s College. St. John’s College is a part of Cambridge University. The river also runs behind King’s College and under King’s Bridge. Students of the university can study here because it is often very quiet. But in summer the river is sometimes very busy. People take rowing boats and punts on the water. You can hire the boats and punts. It is quite cheap. The river runs behind the back of some college of the University. This part of Cambridge is «The Backs». There is a bridge at the back Queens’ College. It is the «Mathematical» Bridge ( or Queens’ Bridge). Clare Bridge is at the back of Clare College. Many people say “It is a beautiful bridge. The best in Cambridge”.

 

Cambridge: old and new

In 1806 there were only about four hundred houses in Cambridge. But it grew quickly. In the 1300 it was a busy market town. In the years 1250-1550 the University grew quickly too. Students and teachers came from Oxford and started their own university in Cambridge. The first university college was Peter house College. The Bishop of Ely founded it. He bought two houses and gave money to students. The college opened in 1284. In the old college there was also a chapel, (a small church). People in the college built the chapel again in the 1660. Many colleges in Cambridge have Chapels in them. The first students often had lessons in the Chapel.

King’s College opened in 1441. King Henry I (1422-1461) gave money to the college. The chapel was the first building. The ceiling of King’s College Chapel is very beautiful. You can see there Rubens’s famous painting «The Adoration of the Magi».

Cambridge is a center for science and new technology. Scientist at the Ca-vendish Laboratory do research in physics. Cambridge is also a center for modern computers. Sinclair Research make small and large computers and sell them to other countries.

There is a famous hospital just outside Cambridge. Its name is Papworth Hospital and it is in the village at Papworth Everard. It is a heart hospital. A lot of people – young and old – have got new hearts at this hospital.

Old often meets new in Cambridge. Not all the University buildings are old. Now Hall has a very modern dining room. New Hall opened in the 1960^s. It was a college for women only but now men can study there, too. Men and women can study together in many colleges in Cambridge. We began with Peter-house College – the oldest one. The newest college is Robinson College. It opened in 1977. Today 102, 000 people live in Cambridge.

 

University: students & teachers

There are about 9, 500 “undergraduate” students at the university. Under-graduate students read (study) for a B.A. (Bachelor of Arts) degree. Postgraduate students already have a degree and are doing research. They read for higher degrees. Some postgraduates will get a Ph. D. (Doctor of Philosophy) degree. A lot of students live and eat in the colleges. In the dining rooms students often have formal dinners. They must also wear gowns in the dining room. The University dons (teachers) often live in the college too. They give tutorials to the students. Tutorials are lessons for only one or two students. Students also go to big lectures in other part of the University. They also have to go to libraries and bookshops, so they must often go across the city. For many students it is a long way and they ride on their bicycles. This is quick and cheap, and Cambridge isn’t hilly. But it often rains.   

University Buildings

In 1300 there was only one college in Cambridge – Peterhouse. Today the University has thirty-five colleges.

The English poet John Milton (1608-1674) was a student at Christ’s College.

Magdalene [mo: dlin] College opened in 1542. The famous English writer Samuel Pepys [pi: ps] gave his books and bookcases to the college. You can now visit the Pepys library in the college. You can see his diary there, too. Pepys wrote in his diary every day from 1660 to 1669. It tells you about the history of England during the Great Fire of London and the Great Plague (1665-1667).

Prince Charles was a student at Trinity. He studied history and archeology (1967-1970). His brother, Prince Edward, also studied at Cambridge University.

 

                                Famous Cambridge People

Some famous people have lived and worked in Cambridge. Scientists, writers and politicians have studied there. Here are the names of some people with the names of their colleges. Are they a scientist, a politician or a writer?

 

1. W. Wordsworth                          St. John’s College

2. Ch. Darwin                                 Christ’s College

3. John Milton                                Christ’s College

4. Sir Isaac Newton                        Trinity College

5. Samuel Pepys                             Magdalene College

6. Lord Rutherford                         Trinity College

7. Oliver Cromwell                         Sidney Sussex College

 

Quiz

Here are some questions about Cambridge. Can you answer them? Good luck!

1. Which is the oldest college in Cambridge?

2. Cambridge is a) 20 miles b) 40 miles c) 50 miles from London? How many km is that?

3. What is another name for university teachers?

4. Where in Cambridge was Prince Charles a student?

5. How many undergraduate students are there in Cambridge?

6. Where is a) the Bridge of Signs b) the Mathematical Bridge?

7. Which hospital in Cambridge is famous because it gives people new hearts?

8. What is the name of the newest college in Cambridge?

9. Samuel Pepys is famous for his a) poems b) diary c) letters d) architecture?

10. How do students dress for “formal” dinners?

11. Where in Cambridge can you see Rubens’ famous painting “The Ado-ration of the Magi”?

12. What is the name of the river in Cambridge?

 5 Text IV Royal Windsor – Past and Present

 Read the text, give back translation of any passage. /A teacher can give the text for a test./

Royal Windsor, with its famous Castle, has been a home and burial place of English Kings and Queens for 900 years. Only 25 miles from London, 8 miles from Heathrow Airport and in the heart of the Thames Valley, it attracts around four million visitors each year.

The original settlements in this area were at Old Windsor and Clewer, and it was not until the 12^th Century that the town of New Windsor began to grow around the Castle, which was first built as a wooden fortress by William the Conqueror after his victory at Hastings in 1066. The Borough of New Windsor received its Royal Charter in 1276, succeeded by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in 1974 at the time of local government reorganization in England.

For hundred of years the town existed primarily to house courtiers, the garrison, their families and visitors, and the real expansion of Windsor did not take place until Queen Victoria’s reign, with the coming of the railways in the 1840’s. There are still two railway station in Windsor today and the magnificent Central Station, erected for Victoria’s Jubilee in 1897, has recently been totally refurbished.

There is also much of historical interest in the streets of Windsor: see Nell Gwynn’s House in Church Street (1640); visit Park Street, lined on both sides by fine Georgian houses, and find the plaque above the Token House in High Street, which records the fact that the novelist H.G.Wells worked there in 1880. In the center of the town Queen Victoria’s statue of 1887 marks the 50^th anniversary of her coronation.

Indeed, Windsor is flanked by history on all sides: nearly Eton, with its famous College; Clewer, with its early Norman church, and Windsor Great Park. Here are 4800 acres of woodland, farms and open fields, much of which is now open to the public but used to be part of a huge Royal hunting forest. A three-mile long avenue of trees, the Long Walk, links the King George IV Gateway of Windsor Castle to the Copper Horse, an equestrian statue of King George III erected in 1831. From the hill where the Copper Horse stands are splendid views across the Great Park and many walkers and joggers use the Long Walk for recreation. Alongside this Avenue is the Frogmore Mausoleum, built by Queen Victoria for her husband Albert and herself.

Today there are many tourist attractions on offer within a very short distance of the town center and visitors enjoy its numerous gift shops, restaurants and cafes. Furthermore, Windsor retains a strong local community spirit, particularly at the lower end of the town in Peascod Street and St Leonard’s Road, where one can find fresh fish, home baked bread, delicatessens, boutiques and craft shops.

There is something happening all the year round in the historic town of Windsor and the Royal Family frequently stay at the Castle, both on official visits or for private weekends, making the name ‘Royal Windsor’ as meaningful today as it has been for centuries. 

⇐ Предыдущая12345Следующая ⇒

Поделиться: