What does the term “media” include?
2. What is the reason why the British continue to buy and read newspapers in our internet age?
3. Which categories are the British newspapers divided into?
4. Do you know any names of the British newspapers or magazines (journals)?
5. What are the main British radio and television channels?
6. What is the BBC service? 7. What is Reuters ?
Culture of the UK
The culture of the United Kingdom is rich and varied. Although the country is small (130,423 square kilometers) there is a great difference between South, West and North. The most places of interest are situated in South and especially in London. There is a sentence “When a man is tires of London he is tired of life”. There are so many things to see in London! To describe all sights of the UK we need too much time therefore I want to talk only about the most popular and interesting ones.
To begin with –The Tower of London, situated close to the river Thames. The Tower was built in the 11th century by William the Conqueror to enforce the power of the Norman king. Over the time the complex was expanded and fortified with 20 towers. The Tower of London went through different periods. It was used as home of several kings and later as a prison for political opponents. Important prisoners were often locked there sometimes with their servants. Among famous people who were imprisoned in the Tower there was Thomas More before his execution.
At the moment the Tower is a museum best known for its Crown Jewels and Royal Armories, including the personal Armory of King Henry V111. The main entrance of the Tower is at the Byword Tower, where visitors can see so-called Beefeaters or Warders. Dressed in historic clothes, they not only guard the tower but also give tours of the fortress. One of the Warders is called the Raven master, responsible for the ravens that have been living there for centuries.
There are plenty more to see in London.
The Houses of Parliament, also known as the Palace of Westminster, is the seat of two British parliamentary houses with the famous clock tower known as Big Ben. The oldest hall of the Houses of Parliament is Westminster Hall, dating back to 1097.
Buckingham Palace is one of several palaces owned by the British Royal family. The Palace was bought by George 111 from the Duke of Buckingham from whom it takes the name. Buckingham Palace is one of the major tourist attractions in London. The colorful Changing of the Guards in front of the palace always attracts plenty of spectators.
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St. Paul’s Cathedral built by Christopher Wren from 1675 to 1711 is one of the largest cathedrals in Europe. Although it was not once destroyed by fire, it was rebuilt and expanded. The last damage was made during the Second World War when the German bomb spoilt the altar. Several famous people are buried in St. Paul’s Cathedral including the Duke of Wellington, who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo, Admiral Nelson, some other important people. Christopher Wren himself is also was buries in his cathedral.
There are plenty of interesting museums in London. To begin with the
British Museum dedicated to human history and culture. Its permanent collection, numbering over 8 million works, is among the largest and most comprehensive in the world. The British Museum was established in 1753. Its expansion over the following time was a result of the British colonial expansion. There are departments of the multiple exhibits from all the countries of British former dominions and colonies. The departments of Africa and Asia and Oceania cover over 75000 antiquate objects from Egypt, Greece and Rome Empires, Iraq, India, Sudan, including the best collection of Egyptian mummies.
Drawing department presents works by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Durer, Peter Paul Rubens, Rembrandt, Claude and Watteau.
Attached to the British Museum there is a Library where a lot of famous people got education ( Fredrick Engels, Vladimir Lenin, Charles Dickens).
Besides the British Museum there are some other art Galleries where one can see pieces of art. The most famous are the National Gallery and Tate Modern.
The National Gallery is located in Trafalgar Square in London. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2300 paintings dating back to the mid-13th century to the 20th century and until today.
Tate Modern holds the national collection of British art from 1900 to the present day and the works of international modern and contemporary art.
In London there is also National Portrait Gallery presenting the portraits and sculptures of royals starting with early Tudors, scientists, politicians and other celebrities, including the most famous portrait of William Shakespeare.
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There are some other impressive art museums in different areas of the country. E.g., the National Museum of Scotland with collections of Scottish antiquities, culture and history. Science Museum is the home to the most magnificent collections of science, industry, technology and medicine (300000 objects. Among them the first computer by Babbage).
The special place among British Museums has the Museum by Madame Marie Tussaud. Marie Tussaud learned modeling techniques from a skilled wax sculptor Dr. Curtius for whom Maries’ mother was a housekeeper. In 1794 Dr. Cutius died, and Marie inherited his business. Her talent became noticeable and she was invited to make the death masks of Marie Antoinette, Lois XV1, Jean Paul Marat after they had been executed during the French Revolution. Life was difficult in France at that time and in 1802 Marie Tussaud made a decision to go to England and run the exhibition. She spent 33 years travelling in Britain, exhibiting her growing collection of figures. Her two sons helped her in making wax figures (among them figures of Lord Byron, King George 1V, Shakespeare, and Emperor Napoleon). When she was able to find a building in London, her collection began to grow with the addition of what is called now the Chamber of Horrors, including famous murders and monsters. When she died in 1850 her portrait made 8 years before her death added her collection. At the moment Madame Marie Tussaud Museum is growing very fast, adding the most popular celebrities and remaining a world famous tourist attraction.
The world’s largest museum of decorative arts and resign is Victoria and Albert Museum housing a collection of 4.5 million objects.
The last museum which is absolutely necessary to mention is the one belonging to Greenwich Observatory displaying the astronomical and navigational tools and clocks including one of the most precise clocks belonging to Russian F. Fedchenko .
The Royal Observatory itself is best known as the location of the prime meridian. The observatory is located on a hill in Greenwich Park, overlooking the River Thames.
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As for the parks: the Kensington Gardens, the Botanical Garden Keys, Hyde Park.
ENGLISH TRADITIONS .
There are Robin Hood Dances, when people dressed in Robin Hood costumes dance for the whole day visiting many farms drinking and eating a lot of food.
What should one know on coming to England? First – a typical English breakfast different from the continental one, a lunch (from 12 o’clock to 1 o’clock), five-o’clock tea, dinner or supper (6-7 o”clock). There are some traditional dishes such as roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, and of course pies.
British people spent less time cooking now then they used to do in the past. Even traditional English breakfast is a bit of a myth today. Many people prefer to have a bowl of cornflakes or a cup of coffee for breakfast. A lot of people unite two meals: breakfast and lunch together (so-called “ brunch”).When British people go out for a meal, they very often go to their local Indian or Chinese, Italian or Turkish restaurant or buy a “takeaway” food. Very many still go to the pubs. The word "pub" is short for "public house". Pubs are so popular in the UK that there are over 60,000 pubs there (53,000 in England and Wales, 5,200 in Scotland and 1,600 in Northern Ireland). Pubs are an important part of British life. People talk, eat, drink, meet their friends and relax there.
English Customs are reflected in popular British Holidays
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