THE WAY WE LIVED AND STUDIED IN ENGLAND Presented by the students of the 5 th form Pavel Bobylev and Daniil Goren Vladimir Gymnasium #3 The Teachers of English L.G. Yazykova, N.I. Ulanova

«Travelling teaches more than anything else. Sometimes one day spending in another country teaches more than spending ten years living at home» (A. Franse)

We studied at ISIS GREENWICH School It is a modern building made from glass and metal which has spacious classrooms with interactive boards, Internet access, free Wi-Fi and a rest zone.

We immediately liked ISIS GREENWICH School. There were 15 students in our group. Danya and I were the youngest ones. It was very easy, funny and interesting for us to study. During the long break we went to the café.

The students of our group stayed with families in Greenwich. There were 5 people in our family: mother, father and three children of 4, 7 and 9 years old. We were lucky to learn about the way of life of this family and their family traditions.

We stayed in a traditional English house which had 2 floors. There was a kitchen and a living room on the first floor and there were 3 small bedrooms on the second floor. We liked the fireplace in our bedroom, 2 beds and the windows facing the garden.

Danya, do you remember the wonderful dish which we had for breakfast? The oatmeal porridge. Its the main dish of English lords and even the members of the Royal family love it. Its a pity you prefer cornflakes with milk.

In the evening we had dinner with the whole family in the dining room: spaghetti Bolognese, hamburgers, ice-cream, juice, chicken, potatoes. On Sundays they usually cooked turkey and invited guests.

Once our hostess had a birthday. She was very glad to get our Russian souvenirs for her birthday. Guests came and we found out what a traditional English tea ceremony is like. The English usually drink tea in the afternoon. They drink tea from cups and they prefer it with milk.

Do you know that this famous sign belongs to London underground? It is called roundel. It was invented at the beginning of the 20 th century. At that time the red circle meant wood wheels. Underground is the official name for subway. The first underground appeared in London. It is the oldest underground in the world. - Danya, and do you remember how you got lost in the Tube? - Yes. This was the time when I understood that its very useful to know English.

We were also very much impressed by the most stylish and the oldest buses in London – Routemaster. They are known all around the world. We had a very interesting hop on, hop off excursion on it. These double-deckers are the symbol of London. We had a tour around London on one of these buses and took many photos.

We waited for our bus at such bus stop every morning when we went to school. Almost every bus stop has a special electronic board which shows the time before the next bus arrives.

Left-driving was very unusual for us, although the English think that their left-driving is the right one. But its a pity that we didnt get a chance to have a ride in a taxi… British taxis are traditionally called black cab and are famous all over the world.

In our free time we went on excursions to museums, exhibitions, art galleries, walked in beautiful London parks and fed squirrels there.

We visited and saw a lot, but there are 10 things which, in our opinion, everyone must do when they are in London, and we did it!!!

We did it!!! Had a ride on a double-decker!

We did it!!! Called home from the famous red phone booth! Sent cards home by Royal Mail!

We did it!!! Walked around Trafalgar Square and visited the National Gallery!

We did it!!! Fell in love with Big Ben and Westminster Abbey!

We did it!!! Saw Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament!

We did it!!! Had a ride on London Eye!

We did it!!! Hugged Arnold Schwarzenegger in Madame Tussauds! Went to Baker Street, 221b where there is Sherlock Holmes Museum!

We did it!!! Stood on the two hemispheres of Greenwich meridian!

We did it!!! Bought souvenirs and drank English tea in a café!

We did it!!! Had a boat trip along the Thames and counted bridges!

I liked the world-famous Madame Tussauds. It is impressive! There are wax figures of many famous people: rock stars, musicians, politicians, singers, actors and actresses. It was like we were at the party with all of them! We got frightened when we were in a horror room and hid behind each other. It was fun!

We went to Baker Street to the famous Sherlock Holmes Museum. There was a souvenir shop near the museum where we bought some things connected with the legendary Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson. After the trip to London I started watching the famous series SHERLOCK with Benedict Cumberbatch in English.

In Trafalgar Square we climbed the famous lions which were hot from the sun and took pictures on them. Then we went to have a ride on London Eye where we took photos in the glass cabins and saw amazing views of London from them. We also saw a very interesting 3D film about London Eye.

Big Ben is a magnificent building! I fell in love with it immediately. It is very beautiful, elegant, slim, high, proud and grand. It strikes time every hour. We were also impressed by Westminster Abbey where a lot of famous British people were buried.

In the Tower of London we saw many beautiful towers, ravens and the Royal treasures. I was amazed by the Royal crown with lots of precious stones. We bought such small gold crowns as souvenirs.

The Science Museum is very big. We spent 4 hours there and didnt see even half of it. We assembled a robot there and it worked. It was cool!

Piccadilly Circus is a very unusual place with a lot of people. There you can feel the life of the whole city.

Tower Bridge is absolutely unforgettable in the evening! It has a lot of lights and many people come there to see it and take photos on it.

We walked to St Pauls Cathedral which is the soul of London. It is famous all around the world and is the most beautiful cathedral in London.

Danya, do you remember that unforgettable water trip along the Thames? During that trip we saw many interesting buildings on the banks of the river.

But we saw not only London. I often recall the trip to Brighton which is in the south of England. Its not very far from London. We spent a wonderful time on the seaside, had a picnic on the beach, ate fish and chips and fat seagulls tried to steal the food right from our hands.

Of course, I remember that. I also liked the most beautiful Sea Life Museum in Brighton. I had never thought that underwater world can be so exciting! Amazing! For the first time in our life we saw a lot of huge and very small fishes and different water animals. We bought wonderful souvenirs and had a good rest in a nice café.

We visited the oldest college in Cambridge, a huge cathedral near it and had a walk along the bank of the river.

We also wanted to bring some souvenirs and tea from London for our families and friends, so we often went shopping.

We didnt want to leave. It was sad. London almost became our home. Everything was very interesting there! Thats why we didnt want to part with our teachers, with London, with the Thames, with Tower Bridge… We left a part of our heart in London and fell in love with it forever. It was the most exciting trip in my life! I want to learn English and to know it perfectly. I felt independent and adult!

I understood that it is very easy to travel and make new friends when you know the language!

Thanks