Text 3. Kent: the garden of England

1. Read and memorize the following words:

a peninsula – півострів

to separate – розділяти

a cliff – скеля

to retreat – відступати

a beaten army – розбите військо

to feed – годувати; пастись

a mutton – баранина

a snow like blossom – білосніжне цвітіння

a hop – хміль

to dry – сушити

Kent is a peninsula in the south-east corner of England. You can find it on the map. Kent is the nearest English county to the Continent. Only thirty-five kilometers of water separate it from France. On a clear day it is possible to see the white cliffs across the English Channel. The Romans, led by Julius Caesar, first landed in Kent. Today it is the land first seen by most visitors from Europe, and it is the county best known to them, as they pass through it on their way to London.

No place in Kent is far from the sea. Slowly the waves wash away the coast of Kent, in some places as much as three feet a year. In other places the sea has retreated like a beaten army.

The low hills running east and west are called the North Downs. They are covered with short grass, which feeds thousands of sheep. Kent gives the English people wool and mutton. Kent is usually called the Garden of England. Lots of vegetables, fruits and flowers grown in the gardens of Kent are taken to London. Kent is famous for apples and plums, but especially for cherries. In early spring you can see miles of cherry-trees in snow like blossom.

Autumn is the time to visit hop gardens in Kent. The hop farmer has much work to do all the year round, but when the harvest time comes, he has more work than he and his family can do by themselves. Each September thousands of men and women, boys and girls are busy gathering the fruit of the hop-plant. The hops are gathered into large baskets and taken to be dried.