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Jana Jelinkova
English tutoring
"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart. " ~ Nelson Mandela
Southampton
The port of Southampton is a major passenger and cargo port located in the central part of the south coast of England. It has been an important port since the Roman occupation of Britain nearly 2000 years ago. From the Middle Ages to the end of the 20th century, it was a centre for naval shipbuilding and a departure point for soldiers going to war. Before the advent of jet travel, Southampton was Britain's gateway to the world.
History:
There is evidence of settlement in the area now known as Southampton as far back as the Stone Age, but no evidence of boating or port activity. The Romans settled the site around 70 AD. They operated a busy port, serving the large towns of Winchester and Salisbury. The settlement was abandoned when the Romans left Britain in 407 AD. The Saxons founded a new town across the river Itchen from the Roman site around 700 AD. The port traded with France, Greece and the Middle East, exporting wool and importing wines and fine pottery.
Legend say if that while in Southampton Viking king Cnut the Great (also known as King Canute) sat on the shore on his throne and commanded the incoming tide to stop and not wet his robes. The tide ignored him. He was not trying to prove he was all-powerful, but was demonstrating to his courties that even he was not all-powerful, they should worship God instead. In 1016, Canute was crowned King of England in Southampton.
In 1620, the Pilgrim fathers departed from Southampton for North America on the Mayflower and Speedwell. The Speedwell had come from Holland to meet the Mayflower before crosiing together. However, she was leaky and put into Dartmouth and Plymouth for repairs. She was labeled as too unreliable to attempt the crossing, personnel an stores were transferred to the Mayflower which completed the passage alone.
The inter - war period was a busy time for the port, which was called "Gateway to the Empire." In 1936, the Southampton docks handled 46 per cent of the UK's ocean - going passenger traffic. Southampton also handled a large amount of cargo, nearly 90 % of South Africa's fruit exports to UK was handled at the port. Express trains enabled produce landing at Southampton in the morning to be on sale in London fruit markets in the afternoon.
Today, there is a very modern container terminal operated by DP World Southampton. It is UK's second largest terminal of this kind. Southampton handles most of the trade from Far East. The port of Southampton has also extensive facilities for the import and export of the vehicles. By vehicles, we don't mean just standard cars, but also large vehicles such as giant trucks. Southampton has been the UK's leading port for vehicle exports in recent years.
Devon
Devon is a county of England, reaching Bristol Channel in the north and English Channel in the south. It is a part of south west England, surrounded by Cornwall in the west, Somerset in the northeast and Dorset in the east. Devon has about 1.1 million inhabitants. Devon coastlines include both cliffs and sandy shores, Devon's bays include seaside resorts, fishing towns and ports.
History
Toponymy
The name Devon derives from the name of the Celts who lived in southwestern part of Britain at the time of the Roman conquest of Britain. These inhabitants were called Dumnonii which meant "deep valley dwellers".
Human occupation
The oldest human remains found in this area were 30 - 40,000 years old. Dartmoor is believed to have been occupied by Mesolithic hunter-gatherer people from about 6000 BC. The Romans held the area under military occupation for approximately 350 years. Later, Devon became a frontier between Brittonic Dumnonia and Anglo - Saxon Wessex, and it was largely absorbed into Wessex by the mid 9th century.
Devon has produced tin, copper and other metals from ancient times.
Climate
Devon has quite a mild climate, heavily influenced by the North Atlantic Drift. In winter, snow is relatively uncommon away from high land, eventhough there are exceptions, such as the snowfalls of February 2009 or December 2010. Winters are generally very mild, and Devon often experiences some of the mildest winters in the world for its latitude, with average daily maximum temperatures in January reaching 10 degrees C. In summer, easterly or southeasterly winds mean that area around Saunton and Croyde often have the highest temperatures in the UK.
Ecology
The variety of habitats means that there is a wide range of wildlife. A popular challenge for birders id to find over 100 species in the county in a day. The county's wildlife is protected by several wildlife charities.
Devonians
Devon is known for its mariners, such as Sir Francis Drake. Sir Humprey Gilbert, Sir Walter Raleigh or Sir Francis Chichester. Henry Every, described as the most notorious pirate of the late 17th century was probably born in Devon. Another famous mariner and Devonian was Robert Falcon Scott, the leader of the unfortunate Terra Nova Expedition to reach the geographical South Pole.
The poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge and the writer Agatha Christie lived in Devon. The frontman Chris Martin from the British rock group Coldplay was born there, too.
The English Channel
The English Channel (French: la Manche), often referred to simply as a Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about 560 kilometres (350 miles) long and varies in width from 240 kilometres (150 miles) as its widest to 34 kilometres (21 miles) in the Strait of Dover.
Name "English Channel"
The name "English Channel" has been widely used since the early 18th century, possibly originating from the designation "Engelse kanaal" in Dutch sea maps from the 16th century onwards. The French name "la Manche" has been in use since at least the 17th century. The name is usually said to refer to the Channel's sleeve shape. (French: la Manche). However, it is sometimes claimed to derive from a celtic word meaning 'channel' that is also the source of the name for the Minch in Scotland. In Spain and most Spanish speaking countries, the Channel is referred to as "el Canal de la Mancha."
History
The Channel has been the key natural defence for Britain, halting inading armies while in conjuction with control of the North Sea allowing Britain to blockade the continent. The most significant failed invasion threats came when the Dutch and Belgian ports were held by a major continental power, e.g. from Spanish armada in 1588, Napoleon during the Napoelonic Wars, and Nazi Germany during World War II.
Sir Francis Drake - a sea captain who carried out the second circumnavigation of the world, from 1577 to 1580
Port of Southampton - one of the UK''s busiest ports
Bideford - a lovely port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon
My first English Channel crossing and breathtaking sunrise - one of my most beautiful experiences and moments in life I will never forget
Sources:
www. visitdevon.co.uk
History of Britain and Ireland, Penguin Group, London, 2011