The sights of the English speaking countries. New York and England

INTRODUCTION

English speaking countries I would like to visit one day.
English is the official or one of the official languages in over than 45 countries, the most important among them are the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. They speak officially English also in the Irish Republic and the Republic of South Africa. I have read that over two billion people speak this language in the world. Each of these countries has its own rich history, interesting customs and unique places of interest.
Meanwhile learning a foreign language you better have a chance to get some practice with the native speakers in their country. So the travel to one of the abovementioned countries is my dream which hopefully will turn the reality one day. It can be a business trip, but probably a touristic voyage is now more realizable.
In this work I would like to tell about some sights of the one of the biggest English speaking cities of the world New York and about some places in England which probably are not so famous as the sights of the British Capital, but they still seem to be very attractive for me and for thousands tourists who come annually to visit them.
New York.
It is the biggest and most important city of the country, although New York is not the capital of the United States. New York is situated on the Atlantic coast, in the North-East of the country, in the state of New York at the mouth of the deep Hudson River. It is the financial and media capital of the world, the center of the American cultural life and the national leader in fashion and entertainment. The nickname of the city is “Big Apple”.
The places of interest here are tightly connected with the history of the city and its geographical location: New York is situated on the Atlantic coast and is known as the biggest sea port of the world.
There are a lot of places of interest in New York. One of the most famous of them is the Statue of Liberty, given to the USA by France in 1886 as a sign of friendship between two countries. Nowadays it got a symbol of the liberty for all American citizens. Its torch towers about 200 feet above the harbour and can be seen at night for many miles. It represents a woman holding a torch in her raised right hand and a tablet bearing the adoption date of the Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776) in her left. An elevator carries visitors to the observation deck in the pedestal, which may also be reached by stairway, and a spiral staircase leads to an observation platform in the figure’s crown. You can enjoy a marvellous view on the entire city and the Atlantic Ocean with the Hudson River from the top of the Statue.
The Empire State Building used to be the first, but now it is only the third tallest building in the world. It is a 102- storied building with an observatory on the 86th floor. It’s one of the first skyscrapers of New York. The history of the building starts 1931. The building has a roof height of 1,250 feet (380 m) and stands a total of 1,454 feet (443.2 m) tall, including its antenna. The Empire State Building used to be the tallest in the city until 1970 when the World Trade Centre was constructed. Today it is first of all a huge office centre, as well as one of the most attractive tourist attractions in the city. 85 floors of the Empire state building are occupied with offices, where 21 thousand employees work daily, and two of its floors have observation decks. The silhouette of the skyscraper is clearly recognizable. It became a real "crown" and decoration of New York. The designers of the Empire state building created a structure that like the Gothic cathedrals of the middle ages, dominates the entire city. From the side of the Fifth Avenue the entrance to the building is "guarded" by sculptures of eagles. This skyscraper is so popular in the United States that numerous Souvenirs with its image can be bought everywhere. It really became a tourist magnet. Even King Kong came to visit!
Manhattan is an island just 13 miles long and 2 miles wide. It is the centre of American finance, advertising, art theatre, publishing, fashion - and much more. The borough of Manhattan is what most people think of New York, one of the most exciting cities in the world. The Dutch were the first Europeans to settle Manhattan. To protect themselves from attack, they built a sturdy wooden wall. Although it’s now long gone, this wall gave its name to a street in Manhattan and the street, in turn, became synonymous with American capitalism. The street, of course, is Wall Street. The New York Stock Exchange and the American Stock Exchange are both in the Wall Street area. So are many stockbrokers, investment- and others banks, and headquarters of many large corporations.
Central Park of New York, an 843-acre retreat in the midst of Manhattan, was developed in 1858. The park combines beautifully landscaped areas with a remarkable variety of recreational facilities. Among its many features are: Belvedere Castle, with scenic views and the children's Discovery Chamber. The Carousel with its beautiful and historic hand-carved horses. Central Park Zoo with animals living in a 5-acre habitat, Conservatory Garden, Delacorte Theater, host to the famous annual Shakespeare in the Park Festival, Great Lawn, featuring New York Philharmonic performances, the Heckscher Puppet House, with weekday shows at 10:30 am and noon. Lasker Rink. Summer Stage, presenting free performances and events May through August, Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre with performances Tuesday through Friday and plenty of others. So this is a place where you can spend a wonderful day having fun and enjoying the nature and the modern facilities alone or with the whole family.
England.
Beautiful villages, stately homes and castles, varied landscapes and stunning architecture and wonderful historical treasures that the English have saved through the years – these are the places I would like briefly to tell about.
Stonehenge is a prehistoric ritual monument which is situated on Salisbury Plain in south-western England. It is one of the world’s most famous monuments. Stonehenge was built over many hundreds of years. Experts believe that the monument was constructed in the late Neolithic Age and the Bronze Age (from 3000 BC to 2000 BC). The Stonehenge-monument consists of thirty sarsen stones and they can be seen from miles around. The stones are 4 m high above the ground and they form a circle which is 33 m in diameter. We may never know exactly why the monument was built, but people probably gathered there for religious ceremonies. Now Stonehenge is added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Windsor Castle is an ancient castle, one of the residences of the English royal family. The building is situated at Windsor in south – eastern England. Every year a royal family lives in the castle for one or more months of spring. Therefore, it`s the largest inhabited castle in the world. Windsor Castle was built in the 11 th century. The castle is located on the hill and occupies 5 hectares of ground above the beautiful bank of the River Thames. The castle`s court comprises two buildings complexes that are separated by the Round Tower, which is visible for many miles over the marvelous surrounding flatland. The court west of the Round Tower is called the lower ward and the court to the east is called the upper ward. The upper ward is also the site of the royal library, which contains a priceless collection of drawings by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Hans Holbein the Younger, and other Old Masters. The castle is now the place of attractive for many visitors because of the richest history and unforgettable landscapes.
The Cotswolds cover some 787 square miles and encompass parts of some of England's prettiest counties: Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Somerset, Worcestershire, and Warwickshire. And all of it begs to be explored. The beauty of the Cotswolds has much to do with its quaint villages and towns, such as Castle Combe, Chipping Norton, and Tetbury. Like so much of England, the Cotswolds is perfect to discover on foot. One of the best routes is along the Cotswold Way, a 102-mile footpath. This route runs the length of the Cotswolds. If somebody is looking for a truly memorable English excursion - he couldn't do much better than visit Warwick Castle. Located in the beautiful city of Warwick on the River Avon, this impressive fortress has dominated the landscape and history of the region for more than 900 years. Today, it serves as a backdrop to medieval-themed events and re-enactments, from jousting festivals to fairs and concerts. Warwick is also great base from which to explore the Cotswolds County, as well as nearby towns such as Stratford-upon-Avon, famous as the birthplace of William Shakespeare and Liverpool, hometown of The Beatles.
The Lake District is the largest of the United Kingdom’s National Parks. The place, also known as the Lakes or Lakeland, is a popular vacation area, which is located in North West England. The Lakeland is a mountains region. This area is popular for the local lakes and mountains and also its associations with the early 19th century English poetry. The Lake District history goes back to the Stone Age. Anglo-Saxons, Romans and Vikings used the area for farming, and throughout the middle ages local farms had a good history. From the 16th century mining began to outdo farming as the main industry of the area. The Lakeland really started to be appreciated for its natural beauty only in the 19th century. And the Lake District National Park was created in 1951. This national Park covers today 900 square miles and is a must-visit destination for travellers in England. The region has 12 largest of the country lakes and has magnificent views which inspire the visitors. Scafell Pike, the highest mountain in England, is also in this very area.
Of course there are much more wonderful and remarkable places in New York and plenty of unforgettable sights in England and its counties. But using some sources which gave me much information I explored that those were the places I would start my acquaintance with the regions. Without a doubt I would communicate with the local people trying to improve my English.
During my work on the project, I have learned some new facts concerned the New York City and got much new information about some English counties as well. I hope this knowledge will help many students to study foreign countries. While doing my work I increased the level of my knowledge of English. I hope the paper, I have made, will be useful and interesting both for teachers and students. And of course I am looking forward to the chance to see at least some of the places which I described in my work with my own eyes - while travelling on business or as a tourist.
References:
Encyclopedia Britannica
Wikipedia
Map of New York (издание Айрис Пресс, 2012)
City Guide of New York
Map of Great Britain (издание Айрис Пресс, 2012)
England Travel Guide