Paisley

Paisley is the largest town in Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area. The town is situated on the banks of the White Cart Water, a tributary of the River Clyde.

The town forms part of a contiguous urban area with Glasgow, Glasgow City Centre being 6.9 miles (11.1 km) to the east. The town came to prominence with the establishment of Paisley Abbey in the 12^th century, an important religious hub in mediaeval Scotland, which formerly had control over the other churches in the local area.

By the 19^th century, Paisley had established itself as a centre of the weaving industry, giving its name to the Paisley Shawl and the Paisley Pattern.

Around the centre of Paisley there are a large number of older residential buildings. The town centre, Williamsburgh and Charleston areas contain many examples of Scottish tenement flats. Three to four stories tall, with shops on the ground floor and constructed of local blond and red sandstone, these tenement flats have been extensively restored and modernised over the last two decades.

Modern Paisley grew into the surrounding countryside and several large residential areas were created in the post-war period. There one can find many terraced houses, detached and semi-detached houses as well as several blocks of flats

Paisley was at one time famous for its weaving and textile industries. As a consequence, the Paisley pattern has long symbolic associations with the town. Paisley was for many years a centre for the manufacture of cotton sewing thread. The town once had five shipyards. These have declined in the area, with engineering firms closing in the mid-1970s

Some of the businesses remaining in the town are Scotch whisky blenders and bottlers Chivas Brothers, now a subsidiary of Pernod Ricard, and the pigment manufactory of the Swiss company Ciba Geigy. Both companies employ considerably fewer people than in the past, The public sector is now a significant employer in Paisley, with the headquarters of Renfrewshire Council, the University of the West of Scotland, Reid Kerr College, the Royal Alexandra Hospital and a divisional headquarters of Strathclyde Police all located in the town, Glasgow International Airport, located on the edge of Paisley, is also a significant employer and part of the area’s transport infrastructure. The airline Loganair’s registered office is located within the airport complex.

Письменно ответьте на следующие вопросы по-английски или по-русски:

1). Is Paisley the biggest city in Scotland?

2). What is the centre of Paisley like?

3). What is Paisley best known for in the world?

6. Переведите письменно на русский язык 4,5,6 и 7 абзацы текста.