Sightseeing in Penza

This dialogue is a conversation between two girls, Olga and Lena. Olga lives in Penza and her friend Lena has come to Penza as a tourist. The girls discuss the city's sights. So, the conversation begins.

- Well, Lena, do you like Penza?

- I do, very much. And I'm very glad I decided to visit the town. I'm having a wonderful time here. Yesterday I went to the theatre and enjoyed myself immensely.

-Yes, the Penza Drama Theatre is one of the oldest in Russia. In 1993 it celebrated its 200^th anniversary. Its repertoire includes some of the best creations of famous Russian and foreign dramatists.

-And even for a stranger it's quite easy to get there, as it is situated in the centre of the town in Moskovskaya Street.

-Well, Penza also has a puppet theatre and a children's theatre.

-And what about art galleries? I'd be very glad to visit one.I'm told that Penza's pride is the Savitsky Art Gallery.

-Yes, to my mind you ought to see it. The gallery was named after the painter and first director of the Penza Fine Arts School. It contains a priceless collection of paintings, engravings and sculptures by Russian and West European masters, as well as Russian icons.

-Then, I think I'll go to the Gallery. And how do I get there?

-It is situated in Sovetskaya Street; you might go there by the number eight bus. And if you're fond of arts you should go to the Museum of One Painting in Kirov Street. You'll really have the feeling that you're getting to know a single masterpiece.

-Great! And speaking about the tourist attractions of Penza, I should say that I was impressed by the Monument to the First Settler of Penza, which is situated in Kirov Street. I went to the monument the day before yesterday and from there I enjoyed a most beautiful view of the city. I think this monument is a visible link between the past and the present.

-I'm glad you liked it. And I think you should also take a walk along Pobeda Prospect, the city's main avenue, and have a look at the imposing monument, situated there.

-Oh, I've heard that it was erected there to honour the memory of the people who gave their lives in the struggle against fascism and those who worked on the home front. Well, and I haven’t decided yet where to go today. Will you advise me anything?

-Well, you may spend some time in Belinsky Park, and then if you have time and are not too tired, you'll be able to go down Marx Street to Soviet Square. You'll find yourself quite close to Moskovskaya Street, where the city's most popular stores, cafes and restaurants are located.

-I suppose it will be very interesting. And what about going to the Penza's Zoo?

-Well, it's not a bad idea. You could spend a couple of hours there comfortably, watching the wild animals, birds and reptiles.

-I'm sure it'll be very nice. And thank you very much for your story about Penza's places of interest. I'll visit some of them today and have a very good time.

-You certainly will.

A Visit to London

This is a conversation between Louise and her cousin Alice. Louise has lived in London for a few years. Alice came to London on a visit. She is very fond of England, its history and traditions. So she is eager to see the sights of London, which she read about in books, with her own eyes.

- Good evening!

- Good evening! You look a bit tired, but very contented. I expect you spent the whole day walking about the city and admiring its sights.

- Right you are. You know I go sightseeing every day, because I want to see as much as possible.

- I know you`re extremely interested in history, so will you tell me a few words about London`s foundation?

- Certainly. The Roman invaders established it at the lowest point where the Thames could be forded. That happened soon after their invasion in 43 AD.

- London has been the centre of commerce ever since. It was the financial preeminence of London that led to the capital being located there.

- And the historical heart of the capital`s financial district is the City, isn`t it?

- Yes, it is. And what places of interest have you already visited?

- I began with visiting Westminster Abbey, and then I went to the Palace of Westminster.

- It`s generally known as the Houses of Parliament and it is situated close by Westminster Abbey on the riverside.

- Although these buildings are in Gothic style, they are not truly historic for they were built in 1840 on the site of the old Palace which was destroyed by fire in 1834.

- All the time when Parliament is in session, a flag flies on the top of the Victoria Tower, and when the House is still sitting after the dark, a light burns over the clock face of Big Ben.

- I saw the Victoria Tower. It is the largest and the tallest square tower in the world with its height of 336 feet, if I`m not mistaken. Through its archway the monarch enters for the State Opening of Parliament each November.

- And the Clock Tower, popularly called Big Ben, is one of the best known landmarks of the world. Actually Big Ben is the name of the biggest of the five bells, the proper name for the tower being St. Stephen`s Tower.

- I have also been in Trafalgar Square. It`s splendid. As far as I know, it was built early in the 19<sup>th</sup> century to commemorate the battle of Trafalgar. And Admiral Lord Nelson`s statue stands on top of the column in the middle of the square.

- Trafalgar Square is situated in the West End. You know, it is the name given to the area in the centre of London to the north from the Mall to Oxford Street. The West End includes the main shopping areas of Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street, the entertainment centres of Soho, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square and Shaftsbury Avenue.

- I`m going to visit the National Gallery tomorrow. I`ve already seen its long low building standing in the north of Trafalgar Square.

- The National Gallery is worth seeing. It is rich in paintings by Italian masters; it also contains pictures by representatives of all the European schools of art and the nineteenth century French masters.

- I don`t know whether I`ll have time for that, but I`d like to visit the National Portrait Gallery too. I heard that there one can see portraits of British monarchs since the reign of Richard the Second and prominent personalities such as Chaucer, Shakespeare and Cromwell.

- That`s a good idea. Talking about galleries, I advise you to go the Tate, the National Gallery of British Art. It was founded by Sir Henry Tate, a sugar merchant. English artists are naturally well represented there, and the Tate has also a range of modern works by foreign artists.

- Louise, I nearly forgot to tell you, that I lost my way when I was going to Trafalgar Square. I asked a passer-by to show me the way and then I asked a policeman whether there was a bus from there to Trafalgar Square. He helped me and the bus conductor was so kind and told me that it was time for me to get off when we came to Trafalgar Square.

- I`m glad, that you had a happy end in this story.

- I say, I have some more days but I don`t know how to spend them to the best advantage.

- Well, you can go along the Mall to Buckingham Palace and have a look at Queen Victoria`s Memorial, facing the palace. Then stroll up Constitution Hill to Hyde Park corner and take a walk through the Park and Kensington Gardens to Albert Memorial, facing the Albert Hall.

- Sounds good, sounds great. I hope you`ll join me. I think, one can`t see everything in London even in a year, but to see the main sights in a fortnight seems to be possible.

Sights of London

This dialogue is a conversation between two girls, Olga and Julia. Julia lives in London and Olga came to the city as a tourist. The girls discuss the city's sights. So, the conversation begins.

−Well, Olga, what do you want to see first?

−Oh, I don't know, there are so many things to see. Besides, I don't have much time and how to spend it to the best advantage is rather a problem.

−I see. Then I may offer you to start our sightseeing with the principal historical buildings and monuments. What do you say to it?

−I like the idea, and where will we begin then?

−I think we'll start from Trafalgar Square which is London's geographical centre.

−Great! I know that in the centre of it there's a statue of Admiral Nelson who defeated the combined fleet of France and Spain at the battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

−Yes, it is called Nelson's Column. And it is guarded by four bronze lions. By the way, do you like painting?

−Rather! And I'm especially fond of the works by Leonardo da Vinci and Rembrandt.

−Really? Then we can spend an hour or so in the National Gallery which faces Trafalgar Square. It exhibits all schools of European painting from the 13^th to the 19^th century.

−It'll be very nice. And I'm also eager to see the British Museum. I'm told it's one of the world's greatest treasure houses. And I know that this year the Museum's 250^th anniversary is celebrated.

−Precisely so. But I think we should leave this visit for some other day. We could spend a whole day there. It's much too big to be seen in an hour or so.

−I suppose it is. Then what about going to the Houses of Parliament?

−From Trafalgar Square we could go along Downing Street which leads to Whitehall.

−It's a street of government offices, if I'm not mistaken?

−Yes, and walking a little further we'll come to Parliament Square, on one side of which there's Westminster Abbey and on the other side−the Houses of Parliament, the seat of the British Parliament. Here you can see the Clock Tower.

−Which is famous for the hour-bell and the clock named "Big Ben", isn't it?

−It is. And then we could go along the Mall and Buckingham Palace and have a look at Queen Victoria's Memorial facing the Palace.

−I know that Buckingham Palace is the official residence of the Queen.

−Quite so, and if you want to see more, we will get on top of a bus going towards the city. The bus goes along Piccadilly to Piccadilly Circus and Charring Cross, then along the Strand and Fleet Street to Ludgate Circus. There we might as well get off and walk up to St. Paul's Cathedral, the largest Protestant Church in England.

−I'm told that St. Paul's Cathedral is considered to be a fine specimen of Renaissance architecture. It was built by a famous English architect Sir Christopher Wren.

−Right you are. And after that, I think, we should go to the City, London's commercial and business centre, and see Tower Bridge, which is one of the beautiful bridges across the Thames. Inside the Bridge there's an old engine room which is now a museum. From this Bridge we can see the Tower of London that comes first among the historical buildings of the city.

−It is a museum of armour and also the place where Crown Jewels are kept. I know that the Tower of London was founded by Julius Caesar and in 1066 rebuilt by William the Conqueror. It was used as a fortress, a royal residence and a prison.

−Oh, you're rather informed. And do you know about the Ceremony of the Keys which takes place at its gates in present days just as many centuries ago?

−Every night when the guard is changed at each gate there's the cry: "Halt! Who goes there?" Then the guard replies: "The Keys. " "Whose Keys?" "Queen Elizabeth's Keys!" "Pass, Queen Elizabeth's Keys, All's well." And so the Tower of London is safely closed for the night. I suppose this ceremony is beautiful to watch.

−That goes without saying. And I think it's really more than enough for one day.

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 884