Exploring Mars is going to be very exciting, but for now, it's easier to explore our own planet! In particular, London.
Trains are very important for people who live in the suburbs or outside London and travel into London for work. 1.8 million people travel into the center of London by train every day. There are another kind of train called the Docklands Light Railway. These are computer-controlled trains with no drivers. London Underground, usually called the Tube, was the first in the world when it opened in 1863.
The bus is another important kind of transport in London- London has now got double-length buses - called 'bendy buses' because the way they go round corners.
The buses and taxis travel more quickly because they have got special lanes on the road.
People use lots of other forms of transport in London. For example: The boats on the River Thames, the taxis, the bicycles, the cars...
In England no town is more than 170 kilometers from the sea. So it's no surprise that Britain has important history of ships and the sea. The British Navy was the biggest navy in the world at one time, but now it's smaller. In Liverpool there is a great museum of maritime history.
Between 1830 and 1930 more than nine million people from all over Europe left from the port of Liverpool to start a new life in America or Australia.
The most famous ship was the Titanic. It sank in 1912 and over 1.500 people downed. It was worst disaster in maritime history, you probably know about it from one of the most expensive films ever made - TITANIC.
One of the most famous shipping companies is Cunard. It's got the world's biggest cruise ship, the Queen Mary 2. Ships are very important for moving good, but the majority of people do travel around the world by plane.
So the sea stills plays a very important part in life in Britain.
People love reading horror stories and watching horror movies. They like to be scared. The famous horror stories were written by British writers. The first was published by Mary Shelley in 1818 - Frankenstein. Other horror story was Dracula contra Frankenstein by Jesús Franco in 1970.
Bram Stoker got the idea for Dracula while he was sitting in Highgate Cemetery in North London. Dracula is so popular that visitors to London can go on a guided Dracula tour.
The most famous police Station in Britain is New Scotland Yard in London. They've all got a blue light outside to show they are police stations. For most people the police are the face of the law. When they arrest a criminal, they see how has got in the pockets. Suspects can be kept in the cells at the police station for several hours. Next day they went to court, and there three magistrates listen to evidence from the police and witnesses. Then, they decide if the person is guilty or not guilty.
The police are the most obvious part of the law in Britain. Their job is to make sure that people don't break the law and to catch them when they do. Forensic scientists provide the evidence that helps the courts decide whether is guilty or not guilty of a crime.
Supermarkets are an important part of daily life in Britain. The five biggest supermarkets sell 80% of all groceries. Tesco is the third biggest supermarket in the world. It's got nearly 2.000 shops in Britain. Asda and Tesco, are also the biggest sellers of clothes in Britain.
You can buy just about anything in the larger supermarkets. You can buy sports equipment, bicycles, books, toys and games, CDs and DVDs. The big supermarkets are usually on the edge of towns and most people drive to them. And customers buy petrol too. A lot of people now use online shopping. Tesco online is one example.
Small shops in towns and villages are closing because supermarkets can sell the same things cheaper. Many supermarkets are open 24 hours a day and seven days a week. But not on Sundays when shops can only open for five hours.
Many people in England are addicted to soap operas. The most popular British soap operas are Eastenders and Coronation Street. These are popular dramas about the lives of ordinary people. There are also web sites for all the main soap operas. Eastenders is set in the east of London and has been since 1985. Coronation Street is based in Manchester and has been since in 1960, is the oldest soap. Then in 1972 in a village in the Yorkshire countryside, has been create other soap opera, Emmerdale, and today is on TV every evening from Monday to Friday.
Scotland is one of four main regions in Britain. Most of people live in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Scotland has got a lot of whisky and tourism. This region has got a very famous and important lake, the Loch Ness. This lake is important for the history of the monster called Ness. Scotland has got an unusual traditions. Scottish men sometimes wear a kilt rather than trousers. Bagpipes is a traditional instrument.
