Climb aboard the London Eye in a fully enclosed， hightech capsule as you ride a 30minute flight， rising 450 feet above the Thames River on the world，s highest Ferris Wheel. This is another great activity if visiting with children.
Check out the well known and interesting Madame Tussaud，s Wax Museum. This is the first museum of its kind and one of the best anywhere. From Ben Franklin to Brad Pitt， Princess Dianna or Michael Jackson； you can rub shoulders with the rich and famous at this popular museum， which casts lifelike wax figures in realistic settings.
Don，t miss a visit to one of the incredibly well maintained museum here. One of our favourites is the Natural History Museum. It is a centre of scientific excellence in the discovery of taxonomytaxonomy n.分类法， 分类学 and biodiversity and promotes the discovery and enjoyment of the natural world through such exciting exhibits as the Life and Earth Galleries， wildlife garden and geological collections. This is another “must do” activity if travelling with children.
Pay a visit to Soho. This part of London is filled with meandering alleywaysalleyway n.小巷， 窄街， (船上的)通道， tons of interesting shops， eateries， oddities and offers another side to the city， unlike anywhere else. Soho is Gay London， Chinese London， Red Light London， Late London and Media London. While its seedy reputation is rather outofdate these days， the area has a definite edgy nature that adds to its allure. Don，t be put off though as amazingly enough it remains one of the most highly prized residentialresidential adj.住宅的， 与居住有关的 addresses in the capital.
London Bridge or Tower Bridge has been sung about in children，s nursery rhymes and has been mentioned in tales from this part of the world for centuries. See it for yourself and go inside the Gothic towers to discover the fascinating history of the bridge.
One of London，s most famous landmarkslandmark n.(航海)陆标， 地界标， 里程碑， 划时代的事， the historic Tower of London houses the Crown Jewels， the prison cell of Sir Walter Raleigh， known as the Bloody Tower， the Chapel of St. John and the Royal Armories. Don，t miss it.
Birmingham
风雨伯明翰
伯明翰（Birmingham）是英国第二大城市，位于英伦岛中部。 16世纪是欧洲举足轻重的工业和商业中心，是当时世界上最大和种类最多的金属加工区。 18世纪，伟大的工程师詹姆士·瓦特在此发明了蒸汽机，带动了英国的工业革命，为伯明翰带来了翻天覆地的变化：高耸入云的烟囱，繁忙的街道，和一排排整齐的厂房。今天的伯明翰仍然是英国重要的机械，塑料，化工，玻璃，橡胶，金银珠宝等工业城市。城市被自然的分为新城和旧城。新城的火车站附近是英国工业展览会的所在地。老城车站是伯明翰市的中心。这里商店集中，道路狭窄，人流不息，因而禁止车辆通行。伯明翰市区只有少数的高楼大厦，大部建筑都是二层楼房，显得古朴无华。伯明翰的四周，有无数大工厂。它的工业产值占全国工业产值的1/5。
发达的工业化并没有抹去伯明翰悠久的历史特色，很多文艺、艺术和体育活动在市内流行。市内保留着许多古典的建筑，着名的伯明翰大学(University of Birmingham)的许多校舍也在这些精美的建筑之中，也是英国着名的“红砖大学”之一。这些建筑中还有着名的伯明翰皇家芭蕾舞剧院（Birmingham Royal Ballet），交响乐堂（Symphony Hall）和国家展览中心（National Exhibition Centre）。 伯明翰的体育活动是市民生活的重要组成部分，市内分布很多足球、网球和板球场。1990年伯明翰被正式命名为“欧洲体育之城”。伯明翰还有英国第一家水族馆--Birmingham Sealife Centre。城市的博物馆和画廊珍藏着许多欧洲着名画家的真迹，中央博物馆和艺术陈列馆藏有着名艺术大师的作品和雕塑。
伯明翰市区的住房价格比较昂贵，郊区的情况则大有好转。在伯明翰的几所大学分别都采取了有效的措施来帮助学生（尤其是第一年刚刚到达的新学生）解决住房问题，同时提供了大量的学生宿舍。
As the second largest city in England， BirminghamBirmingham n.伯明翰(城市名，有二，其一在美国阿拉巴马州中北部，另一在英格兰中部) is largely known as an industrial town.
Cosmopolitan Birmingham， is not only the country，s second largest city， bustlingbustling adj.熙熙攘攘的， 忙乱的， industrial and hurried， it，s also the gateway to the northern reaches of the country and secrets some interesting things to see and do on both the sightseeing and entertainment fronts.
Different， it certainly is， from nearly every other city you happen through on your visit to England， but well worth spending at least a few days pottering around and discovering.
With a population of over one million， Birmingham has long outgrown the squalorsqualor n.肮脏， 悲惨， 贫穷 and misery of its boom years and today its industrial supremacy is recalled in a crop of excellent heritageheritage n.遗产， 继承权， 传统 museums， galleries， nearby castles and an extensive network of canals as well as great shopping. On the entertainment level performances by a division of the Royal Ballet and Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (both of which reside here) are not to be missed. The city has a firstrate restaurant scene and nightlife is good too， so if you like to party， you won，t be disappointed.
It，s not the most visited city in the country， but if you passing through， on a business trip or looking for somewhere not quite so full of tourists， Birmingham is a good choice.
There are at least ten things worth seeing and doing if you visit Birmingham.
Art lovers and those interested in the history of European painting can，t afford to miss a visit to the Barber Institute of Fine Arts. This is often the highlight of a visit to Birmingham. The collection takes in Renaissance masterpieces， such as Rubens and Van Dyck， British greats including Gainsborough， Reynolds and Turner， an array of impressionistimpressionist n.印象主义者， 印象派作家 pieces and modern classics by the likes of Picasso and Schiele.
Step back in time at the Black Country Museum. Working with coal and iron is dirty work， and the black faces of the miners gave this area west of Birmingham its name. The Black Country Museum is a recreated mining village populated by locals in period costumecostume n.装束， 服装， complete with workshops， shops， cinema， pub and mine.
You won，t get to pick， up a pick but you can go down a subterraneansubterrane adj.地下的 coal seam and see the conditions miners worked in. The village cinema plays silent movies and you can check out the 1930s Fried Fish Shop if you get the munchies. Electric trams go around the site and there，s a funfair for kids. In the summer you can also take a 40minute boat ride down the Dudley Canal Tunnel and explore the limestone caverns. And if you need a drink， the Bottle& Glass Inn will serve you a pint of the finest Black Country ale. The museum is on Tipton Rd in Dudley and can be reached by bus from the city centre.
