The River Thames

The River Thames is the longest river in England， and the second longest in the UK， after the River Severn， but the Thames is definitely the most famous. That’s probably because of London， the capital city. The Thames flows through London and other parts of southern England. Some of the best-known London landmarks are by the River Thames： the Houses of Parliament， with its ‘Big Ben’ clock tower; the London Eye， with its view of the city; St Paul’s Cathedral， with its great dome. Some of the many bridges over the River Thames are also famous： Westminster Bridge， Tower Bridge， Millennium Bridge.

The River Thames is also known not just for what is next to it or over it but also for what happens on it. Oxford and Cambridge， the UK’s two oldest universities， have been racing each other on the River Thames since 1829. The ‘Boat Race’ is one of the most celebrated British sporting events of the year. The sport is rowing： athletes （rowers， in this case） sit in the boat and together they pull it through the water backwards. It is also an Olympic sport. The Cambridge team practises for the race on the River Cam in Cambridge. （Can you see where the name of the city comes from？） The Oxford team， however， practises on the same river as the race itself， although in the city of Oxford that part of the Thames has a different name. People call it the Isis.

Some of the UK’s most famous artists have painted the Thames， including Turner and Constable in the 18th and 19th centuries. The American painter James Whistler was also fascinated by the river and painted many pictures of it during the 19th century while he was living in London.

Activity 1

Before you read， decide which word （1-3） goes with which meaning （a-c）.

1. dome 2. fascinated 3. landmark

a. a round shape， usually on a building

b. an important building or place

c. very interested in something， or excited by it

Activity 2

Are the following sentences true （T）， false （F） or not given （NG）？

1. The River Severn is longer than the Thames.

2. ‘Big Ben’ is part of the Houses of Parliament.

3. The River Thames flows through the cities of Oxford， Cambridge and London.

4. Oxford have an advantage in the Boat Race because they practise on the Thames.

5. Whistler changed his nationality to become British.

Activity 3.1

Fill in each space （1–5） with one of these prepositions： by， in， over， on， under. Use each preposition only once.

1. The swimmer is ______ the river.

2. The boats are ______ the river.

3. The bridge goes ______ the river.

4. The boats go ______ the bridge.

5. The building is ______ the river.

Activity 3.2

Fill in the spaces 1–6 with one of these prepositions： for， in （x2）， on， of， under.

Oxford and Cambridge are both cities （1） ____ England. They are famous （2） ____ their universities. The University Boat Race takes place every year， usually （3） ____ March or April. It is one of the biggest sporting events （4） ____ the year. During the race， the boats pass （5） ____ several bridges. （6） ____ 31 March 1912， both boats sank （went down in the water）！

Activity 4

Are there any famous rivers where you live？ Are they used for water sports？ Do you like water sports yourself？

Answers

Activity 1

1. a; 2. c; 3. b

Activity 2

1. T; 2. T; 3. F; 4. NG; 5. NG

Activity 3.1

1. in; 2. on; 3. over; 4. under; 5. by

Activity 3.2

1. in; 2. for; 3. in; 4. of; 5. under; 6. on