The English language today

6 The birth of London

The birth of London began with the invasion of Britain by Julius Caesar in 55 BC, and there was nopermanent settlement in London at this time. 100 years later, Emperor Claudius began the conquestof southeast England. Commander Aulus Plautius wanted to reach Colchester, the most important settlement in Britain. But he was forced to stop and build a bridge over the Thames.

Londinium, as the Romans called it, became an important trade center. London was destroyed and rebuilt. The population of London at that time was about 45,000 people. When the Roman Empire began to disintegrate, the troops were withdrawn, leaving trade routes unprotected. The population gradually dispersed, and the city fell into ruins. London was the place of residence for reigning monarch Edward the Confessor. When Edward died, Harold was crowned in Abbey. London was truly the capital of England. In 1066 William the Conqueror was crowned. He built the Tower toremind the citizens of London of his overwhelming power. In 1348 the bubonic plague struck London. In 1665, between the first and last outbreaks of the plague, there were 16 major outbreaks. The wealthy began to build their homes outside London. Despite these natural disasters, London expanded at a rapidpace. When Henry 8 ascended the throne in 1509, London's population was about 50,000. By the end of the century it had grown to about 200,000. The south bank of the River Reverse was of particular importance to Londoners, it was not controlled by the authorities .It became the center of entertainment events .The most favorite event of Elizabeth was the theater. The London Theatre is located in Southwark .. The first theater was built in 1576 , in this theater for the first time "Romeo and Juliet" was performed.


People and Personality
For many years scientists have been trying to establish whether it is our genes that make us what we are, or if we are mostly influenced by the environment, and therefore, our character traits change throughout our life. I am convinced that our personality mostly depends on our genetic make-up. Firstly, according to numerous scientific research, babies as little as two month old react very differently to people or flashing objects they see, which proves that they are born with particular character traits, or temperament. Secondly, it is a common knowledge that many twins brought up in an identical environment grow up to become as different as chalk and cheese. On the other hand, some people claim that no human being remains the same throughout their life. As one grows up and gains experience, people become wiser and more mature. There have been numerous examples of light-hearted, immature youngsters undergoing a complete transformation and turning into sensible and thoughtful adults after facing considerable hardship. However, I firmly believe that whenever we talk about people changing their behavior, we mean that they have managed to fulfil their hidden potential and to reveal their abilities. It is hardly a secret that more often than not we do not know what we are capable of ourselves. “The most difficult thing in life is to know yourself”, the famous saying goes. Therefore, it is only natural that as we live, we reveal new sides of our personality. To summarise, even though people are not able to change personality traits, they can discover their abilities throughout their life.