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December 16
Talks between Mr Gorbachev and the Prime Minister have been successful
1984: Gorbachev visit to Britain a "success"
England have
Mikhail Gorbachev, the man widely tipped as the next leader of the Soviet
Union, has spent five hours in "very friendly" talks with the British Prime
Minister, Margaret Thatcher, according to British Government officials.
But Soviet officials described the talks much less enthusiastically as
"business-like".
Topics discussed at Mrs Thatcher"s country residence Chequers included
ending the arms war and improving communications between the Eastern Bloc and
the West.
It came after Mr Gorbachev signalled his desire for reduced tensions when
he arrived at Heathrow airport yesterday.
"Opportunities for the prevention of nuclear war exist. These opportunities
must be used to the full," he said yesterday.
But talks between Mrs Thatcher and the second-in-command at the Kremlin did
not include contentious issues such as human rights in the Communist state.
Official sources remained tight-lipped on the exact exchange of words but
did reveal the two delegations did not agree on the causes of world problems but
were united on the importance of diffusing them.
The meeting lasted longer than expected and it is understood Mr Gorbachev
gave Mrs Thatcher a private message from the country"s president Konstantin
Chernenko.
It outlined the Soviet Union"s commitment to arms talks with America which
will be held in three weeks" time.
Today"s talks appear to signal a thaw in relations between the West and the
Soviet Union.
The visit itself is a significant development in the relationship between
Britain and the USSR as Mr Gorbachev is the first Russian politician of his
stature to visit in 28 years.
His eight day stay is the longest any statesman from behind the iron
curtain has stayed in the West.
Once the talking was over Mr Gorbachev and his wife Raisa have also enjoyed
sightseeing in London, visiting the library from where Lenin first produced his
newspaper in 1903.
The couple, followed by a large security entourage, also visited the
British Library and saw the seat where Karl Marx wrote Das Kapital.
The Queen said this was an important stage in the story of London
Airport
1955: Queen opens London Airport terminal
Artificially 1969:
The The Queen has inaugurated new buildings in the centre of London
Airport, part of a new complex designed to handle a growing number of air
passengers.
Her Majesty arrived by car with the Duke of Edinburgh and was greeted by a
guard of honour made up of air crews from the British and Commonwealth airlines,
headed by BOAC Captain JT Percy.
The daughter of the Minister of Transport, Sarah Boyd-Carpenter, presented
Her Majesty with flowers from around the world that had been flown in by four
Commonwealth airlines.
The name of the new buildings was only revealed at the end of the Queen"s
speech as she unveiled a plaque naming it "The Queen"s Building".
The Queen wore an air force blue coat, with a grey hat and a diamond brooch
on her lapel in the shape of the BOAC Speedbird emblem.
In her speech she said: "The inauguration of this great terminal today
marks an important stage in the story of London Airport.
"In the ten years which have passed since the earliest development of this
site, the airport has grown in size and in international fame.
"Until today we may say with pride that it ranks among the foremost in the
world.
Whatever form air travel may take in the future, and we may be certain that
striking changes lie ahead, London Airport will I am sure continue to grow in
importance as one of the world centres of air traffic."
The Queen"s Building houses the airlines" offices and the main entrance for
visitors to the airport. It also boasts a post office, cinema, roof gardens,
lecture hall and grill room.
It forms part of the new central terminal that has been in use since April
and comprises the passenger Europa building and the new control tower.
London Airport was officially opened on 31 May 1946. The first arrival was
a BOAC Lancastrian from Australia.
There was no passenger terminal and travellers had to wait for their planes
in a temporary tent village on the north side of the airfield.
The tents were replaced with prefabricated concrete villages as building
work began on permanent structures to handle the thousands of passengers using
the airport.
Vocabulary:
contentious: involving or likely to cause controversy(争论的;有争议的) |
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发表于 2016-7-9 23:19:52