Клаудия-не-Шифер (Learning_English) все записи автора

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The wearing of a wedding ring is one of the oldest and most universal customs of mankind. The tradition goes back so far that no one can really tell how it first began.
The fact that the ring is a circle may be one reason why it began to be used. The circle is a symbol of completeness. In connection with marriage, it represents the rounding out of the life of a person. We can see how a man without a wife, or a woman without a husband, could have been considered incomplete people. When they are married they make a complete unit, which the circle of the ring symbolizes.
Some people believe the wedding ring really started as a bracelet that was placed on woman who were captured in primitive times. Gradually the circular bracelet on the arm or leg, which indicated that she was the property of one man in the tribe, was changed to a ring on the finger.
We know also that primitive man believed in magic. He used to weave a cord and tie it around the waist of the woman he wanted. He believed that with this ceremony her spirit entered his body and she was his forever. The wedding ring may have started this way.
 Why is the ring worn on the fourth finger? The ancient Greeks believed that a certain vein passed from this finger directly to the heart. But probably the real reason is that we use this finger least of all the fingers, so it’s more convenient to wear an ornament on it!

Vocabulary

Japanese-Girl (Learning_English) все записи автора

The city has also rediscovered its river. The area between the South Bank Arts Centre, which includes the National Theatre, and Tower Bridge, has been brought back to life and the city has found a new heart along the forgotten riverside. As you walk eastwards along the river from Westminster, you will discover that old ware-houses have been transformed into galleries, shops and clubs.
Across the river from London Bridge is ‘’The City of London’’, the financial district of the capital. The City has its own historic delights such as the 15th century Guildhall and churches designed by Sir Christopher Wren. The best way to explore the City is on foot. For instance, you can "walk through the ages", starting from Fournier Street and ending at the modern Lloyd's building on Lime Street. Remember, however, that in London you are never far away from the past; the old-fashioned red telephone boxes are becoming popular again and many London pubs - where a visitor might ask for a pint of bitter - have been restored to their original Victorian beauty.
But the capital is not a historical theme park. It is a lively and exciting metropolis which is well-known for its popular culture, music, clubs, street fashion, and visual arts. Today, many of its wide variety of restaurants claim to be as good as in any other European capitals.
Much of London's energy and originality is now centred in Soho, the city's liveliest and most bohemian area, squeezed in between the department stores of Oxford Street and the bookshops of Charing Cross Road. Soho, once considered one of the dirtiest and most dangerous parts of London, was cleaned up in the early 1980's. Today, with its gurgling cappuccino machines and pavement cafes, it has become a meeting place for all kinds of people from all over the world, whatever the hour of day or night.
So, even if you are new to the city, you don't have to try hard in order to experience the real London. Despite its heavy traffic and shaking underground railway, it is still one of the world's greatest and most cosmopolitan cities.