Материал: 2507

9. Design a travel brochure for the place you would most like to visit. Collect information about what a visitor can do/see there. Don’t forget to decorate your brochure with pictures.

156

Mysterious Britain

1. Match the words to make word combinations.

157

London has been at the centre of turbulent events for hundreds of years and as you might expect from a city with such a vivid and dramatic history behind it, there are quite a few ghosts lurking in the nooks and crannies of Britain’s capital.

Great British Institutions Haunted

Many of Britain’s most famous institutions have their own resident ghosts. The elegant Pillared Room in 10 Downing Street, which is used for hosting receptions and signing international treaties, is said to be haunted. Several members of staff at the Prime Minister’s residence have reported

158

seeing the ghost of a finely-dressed woman, but no one knows who she might be.

The Bank of England is another part of the British establishment which has been known to receive a ghostly visitation or two. 1 - ? She was not actually a nun at all though she did dress in a black and white outfit that did give her a nun-like appearance. Her name was Sarah Whitehead and she lived in the early 19th century; her brother, Philip, to whom she was fondly attached, worked as a clerk in the bank. He was convicted of forgery and executed in 1812. Friends and family members, knowing the strength of feeling she had for her brother, kept this secret from her. One day, however, she wandered into the bank and asked where her brother was. 2 - ? From that time on, she took to coming into the bank to enquire

London’s royal palaces play home to quite a few ghosts. Buckingham palace is said to be haunted by the spirit of Major John Gwynne, an

aide to Edward VII who committed suicide there. 3 - ? It is not known who

tions of many of his formerбwives have often been seen - Catherine How-

exactly the monk is but, in the early medieval period, a priory once existed

ard, Anne Boleyn, and Jane Seymour have all been spotted. Only a few years ago, Hampton Court Palace was also the scene of what some have described as the most remarkable ghost sighting ever – because it was captured on CCTV camera! The incident occurred around Christmas time in 2003. 4 - ? Studying the CCTV footage carefully they were astonished to see two doors fly open on their own followed by a mysterious robed figure stepping in to pull them shut again. No adequate explanation for the spooky sighting has yet been offered.

The Bloody Tower

Many of the most tumultuous events in London’s history have culminated with someone or other paying a visit (often a final one) to the Tower of London. Some of these poor unfortunates appear to have lingered there to this day. Among them is Henry VIII’s discarded wife, Anne

159

Boleyn. When she was found guilty of witchcraft and adultery, she was sent to the Tower to be beheaded. 5 - ? Among the other famous ghostly inhabitants of the Tower are : Guy Fawkes; Sir Walter Raleigh; Lady Jane Grey; Thomas Becket; and the young princes Richard and Edward who were confined in the tower before disappearing - they are believed to have been murdered on the orders of their uncle, the sinister Richard III.

There are quite a few companies offering tours of London’s spookier side. Among those to look out for is the one fronted by Richard Jones, Britain’s ghost guru. 6 - ? He is credited with an encyclopaedic knowledge of supernatural Britain and is said to be well able to convey the flavour of a classic ghostly yarn.

Lovers of the paranormal have a veritable feast awaiting them with a visit to Britain’s capital city. When night falls, modernity is banished and the past can seem to seep into the presentДas the ghosts come out to play.

http://www.spookystuff.co.uk

3. Read the article again and fill in the sentences (A-G) which best fit each paragraph (1-6). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.

E. Jones is well-known for his many television appearances.

F. Security guards had been puzzled because doors were being found open in parts of the building where no one was present.

G. The ghost seen most often is that of a woman known as the Black Nun.

4. For questions (1 – 4), choose the correct answer (A, B or C).

1.The ghost of a finely-dressed woman regularly visits: a) 10 Downing Street;

b) the Bank of England; c) Windsor Castle.

2.The Black Nun visits the Bank of England because:

160