1. Guilt-free holidays.

2. Eco-tourism.
3. Home is where the heart is.
4. The history of mankind is its character.
5. History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree
upon.
6. War and peace.
7. The most famous female pilot ever.
8. Some people say that computers have made life easier and more
convenient. Other people say that the computers have made life more
complex and stressful. What is your opinion ?
9. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? With the help of
technology, students nowadays can learn more information and can learn
it more quickly. Use specific reasons and examples to support your
answer.
10.Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? « Before
technology came along, the world was quite a dull place to be… ».
11.You are what you eat. How to burn fat all day long.
12.People do many different things to stay healthy. What do you do for good
health? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
13.The only thing we have to fear on this planet is a man.
14. If you poison the environment, the environment will poison you.
15.Save our seeds.
16.We are so busy making a living that we forget to live.
17.Easter traditions round the world.
1.Guilt free holidays.

Eco-tourism is becoming more and more popular, and it’s easy to see why. Deprived
areas make the most of their natural attractions, the environment benefits and
travelers feel they are ‘giving something back’ to the place they visit. Perhaps, the
age of responsible tourism has arrived at last. Let’s look at four very different eco-
tourism projects from around the globe

The Inca people built Machu Picchu high up in the mountains because the area was
so remote. Now these pristine mountains will be changed forever by Swiss
engineering. A Swiss company plans to build a cable car to lift visitors 500m up into
the mountains. This means that travellers will no longer have to trek for days along
the Inca Trail to sample the magic of Machu Picchu. Opponents to the scheme argue
that the cable car will be visible from the site’s famous Sun Temple. There is also a
wider concern that big business tourism will benefit from the scheme, while local
inhabitants who earn little money from tourism will not. UNESCO would like to see
the development of eco- tourism rather than mass tourism in the area. The Peruvian
government on the other hand supports the cable car scheme, saying that it will allow
it to go ahead, and it will see that the character of Machu Picchu is preserved.
2.Eco-tourism.

Ecotourism is one of the fastest-growing sectors of the tourism industry. The

International Ecotourism Society defines ecotourism as 'responsible travel to natural
areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.'
Ecotourism has a save-the-planet goal. Unfortunately there are very few pristine and
unpolluted areas left in the world and they must be protected. Ecotourism is a
travelling to natural destinations with rare flora and fauna.

Ecotourism is for environment-conscious people who love Nature, understand the

negative influence of conventional tourism on the environment and want to minimize
it. Ecotourism promotes recycling, energy efficiency, water conservation, safe
disposal of waste and garbage and creation of economic opportunities for the local
communities.

However ecotourism may have some negative aspects. The increasing number of
tourists may damage the local environment. Some tourists don't understand the
negative consequences of their visits. Many of them don't know how to behave and
don't follow the main rule of ecotourism 'Leave nothing behind you except footprints
and take nothing away except photographs'. They pollute drinking water, pick up rare
flowers, disturb wild animals, purchase souvenirs made from the skin of endangered
animals or leaves of rare plants. Searching for 'untouched places' tourists move off
the beaten path and scare away animals.

Don't forget about conservation and careful attitude to the environment in your
everyday life. Follow the rule, 'Preserve and improve'. And remember that Nature is
very fragile and we ought to take great care of it like a loving mother who takes great
care of her only child
3. HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS

What makes a home? Four walls and a roof. No, a home is much more than that.
Home is a place full of so many stories and where memories are made. Home is a
place I can feel safe and secure.

I personally think that home is a little world where one lives according to his/her own
rules. And I believe that it's not the size of the place where you live that matters, but
the way you feel about it. And if your house is not just a building for you but a place
that you can call home, it means that you want to stay there as long as possible and
it's a place where you always want to return to.

The importance of home is depicted in languages of all the nations: we say "East or
West, home is best ", the English say "My home is my castle". Home is a place that
awakens the most pleasant feelings and high emotions in soul of every person.
Always after a hard day I return home and think "At last I came home". For me there
is no place like home.

I'm sure that home of a person is as much a reflection of his personality, as the
clothes he wears, the food he eats, the books he reads and the friends he spends his
time with. Homes reflect the way of life and habits of their owners. Home for me is
made of experiences—moments of my life that helped to change me and to teach me.
For that reason, my home is also people and when home takes on a human form, it is
called family.

I adore my home; I like to be there, because it's always filed with happiness and joy.
Even after the first few minutes in our home you can understand all hospitality and
friendliness of this place and the family which lives there.

"My home is my fortress", it is my territory, my place where I feel good and

comfortable. And nobody can disturb me here.

So, in conclusion, I believe home is where the heart is, because it is a place where
memories are made, security is found, and where I have become who I am.
4. The history of mankind is its character

(5. History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon)

First of all, we know about history because of its characters, for example, Napoleon
Bonaparte, Christopher Columbus, Galileo Galilei, among others; what do they do, in
which period of the history they took part, and all that kind of stuff.On the other
hand, we all know that history is about that, years, dates, etc; so we have to get used
to that!Think of three historical figures. What do you know about them? Where did
you get your information from? The chances are that you either read it somewhere or
someone who read it somewhere told you about it. Did you ever think about who
wrote down these facts? How can you be sure that they are true? The thing is, many
historical "truths" are historical myths.

Think about the discovery of America. What’s the first name that comes to mind?
More than likely it's Christopher Columbus. Was America really discovered by him?
He had set out to reach Asia and that's where he thought he was when he came to
America. But there were many people there before him. The first ones were certainly
the Native Americans, thousands of years before 1492. Where had they come from?
Even the Vikings had made a number of expeditions, with Leif Eriksson landing
there in around 1000 AD. Perhaps Amerigo Vespucci was the discoverer of America.
After all, unlike Columbus before him, he was the first fifteenth-century explorer to
realise where he was or rather, where he definitely wasn't. So, maybe the word "re-
discover" is more accurate when it comes to Columbus, if history is to give him any
credit at all.

Everyone believes such historical "facts' because they got them from what they
thought was a reliable source. But how can such things be written down in the first
place? One of me reasons must be that history is seldom «cut and dried». The events
are often complicated and messy. The achieving of American independence was a
lengthy affair. Presumably 4th July was chosen as the date to celebrate because it was
seen as more significant than the date of the actual end of the war. Another reason is
that such myths always contain a grain of truth Columbus was not the first person to
travel to America, but he was the first fifteenth-century explorer to go there.

History has traditionally been written by the winners, If the conquered indigenous
peoples had written the history of the discovery of the New World, it would most
probably have been very different, but not necessarily objective: the point of view of
the conquered can be just as biased as the point of view of the conqueror. But that is
not the whole story. The writing of history depends not only on the "side" the writer
is on, but also on the culture and attitudes of the era it is written in.History is always
subjective. So, remember: when you read history, take it with the pinch of salt.
5. History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon.

It’s so easy to just accept what we’re told. In a world where we have access to more
information than ever before, we turn readily and with acceptance to our search
engines, rarely questioning the validity of data, in pursuit of quick answers. It’s
comforting. Having to ask questions, having to look into the past is hard work and
often times it becomes unsettling when we can’t find the answers we want. History is
a human effort. The past no longer exists, and therefore history is only perceived.
What we know about history comes either from how we have perceived it, how we
have perceived its products, or how others have perceived it and then relayed it to us.
We make inferences based on evidence, so our knowledge of history depends entirely
on our interpretations. This is what makes studying history a very imprecise science,
strewn with fallacies. The problems we face in analyzing the validity of a historical
source are thus the same problems we may face in addressing subjectivity itself: from
bias precipitates prejudice, misperception, and propaganda.
6. War and peace.

No doubt war is an evil, the greatest catastrophe that befalls human beings. It
brings death and destruction, disease and starvation, poverty, and ruin in its wake.

But there are people who consider war as something grand and heroic and
regard it as something that brings out the best in men, but this does not alter the fact
that war is a terrible, dreadful calamity.

This is especially so now that a war will now be fought with atom bombs.
Some people say war is necessary. A glance at the past history will tell that war has
been a recurrent phenomenon in the history of nation.

No period in world history has been the devastating effects of war. We have
had wars of all types long and short. In view of this it seems futile to talk of
permanent and everlasting peace or to make plans for the establishment of eternal
peace.

War has indeed been such a marked feature of every age and period that it has
come to be regarded As part of the normal life of nations.

Poets and prophets have dreamt of a millennium, a utopia in which war will not
exist and eternal peace will reign on earth. But these dreams have not been fulfilled.
The occurrence of war (1939-45), however, conclusively proved that to think of an
unbroken peace is to be unrealistic And that no institution or assembly can ever
ensure the permanence of peace.

When individuals cannot live always in peace, it is, indeed, too much to expect
so many nations to live in a state of Eternal peace. Besides, there will always be wide
differences of opinion between various nation, different angles of looking at matters
that have international importance, radical difference in policy and ideology and
these cannot be settled by mere discussions.

In short, the political ideology of one country being abhorrent to other times
were certainly not conducive to the continuance of peace. Add to all this the
traditional enemities between nations and international disharmony that have their
roots in past history.

Nowadays peace become an abstract notion. Everyday people die for a

purpose. But we need no ask ourselves whether it’s worth it. Now I am convinced
that war is choice of humanity.
 7.The most famous female pilot ever.

AMELIA
Possibly the most famous female pilot ever, Amelia Earhart was born in 1897
in Kansas, the USA. Amelia had a difficult and unsettled childhood. Her family
travelled a great deal so her father could find work. Amelia was considered to be very
bright academically. She enjoyed reading and poetry as well as sports, especially
basketball and tennis.
After graduating from high school, Amelia decided to study nursing. During
the First World War, she worked as a military nurse in Canada. When the war ended
she became a social worker back in America and taught English to immigrants. In her
free time, Amelia enjoyed going to air shows and watching aerial stunts, which were
very popular during the 1920s. Her fascination with flying began when, at one of
those shows, she took a ten-minute ride, and from that moment on she knew she had
to learn to fly.
Amelia took on several odd jobs to pay for the flying lessons and after a year,
she had saved enough money to buy her own plane. She organised cross-country air
races for women pilots and formed a now famous women pilots’ organisation, called
the ‘Ninety­Nines’. One day Amelia received an invitation to be the first woman ever
to make the flight across the Atlantic from Canada to Britain. Amelia made the flight
in 1928 and, although she was only a passenger and two men flew the plane, it made
her a celebrity. She also met there her future husband, George Putman, a publisher,
who arranged the flight and organised all the publicity.
In 1932 Amelia and George decided Amelia should make the Atlantic crossing
from America to Britain alone. She broke several records on this flight; she became
the first woman to fly the Atlantic solo, the only person to have flown it twice and
she established a new transatlantic crossing record of 13 hours and 30 minutes.
Understandably, she became even more famous as a result earning respect for women
pilots all over the world by proving that women could fly as well as men, if not
better.
 8 Some people say thatcomputers have made life easier and more
convenient. Other people say that computers have madelife more complex and
stressful. What is your opinion?
Computer has making human life faster because of its incredible
speed,Accuracy and storage, with which human can save anything and search it out
easily when needed. We can say computer a versatile machine because it is very
flexible in performing their jobs. but Computers have several important advantages
and disadvantages.
Advantages of computer
Multitasking:Multitasking is one of the major advantage of computer. Person
can perform multiple task, multiple operation, calculate numerical problems within
few seconds. Computer can perform trillion of instructions per second.
Speed:Now computer is not just a calculating device. Now a day’s computer
has very important role in human life. One of the main advantages of computer is its
incredible speed, which helps human to complete their task in few seconds. All the
operations can be performed very fast just because of its speed elsewise it takes a
long time to perform the task.
Cost/ Stores huge amount of data:It is a low cost solution. Person can save
huge data within a low budget. Centralized database of storing information is the
major advantage that can reduce cost.
Accuracy:One of the root advantage of computer is that can perform not only
calculations but also with accuracy.
Data Security:Protecting digital data is known as data security. Computer
provide security from destructive forces and from unwanted action from unauthorized
users like cyberattack or access attack.
Disadvantage of Computer:As we know advantage comes with disadvantage.
Virus and hacking attacks:Virus is a worm and hacking is simply an
unauthorized access over computer for some illicit purpose. Virus is being transferred
from email attachment, viewing an infected website advertisement, through
removable device like USB etc. once virus is transferred in host computer it can
infect file, overwrite the file etc.
For example: Huge portion of internet was going down including Twitter, Netflix,
Reddit and CNN in October 2016 because the largest DDoS attack was launched on
service provider DYN using IoT Botnet.
Online Cyber Crimes:Online cyber-crime means computer and network may
have used in order to commit crime. Cyberstalking and Identity theft are the points
which comes under online cyber-crimes. For example: one may get the access of the
access to your shopping account like amazon account now that person will be able to
know your personal details like debit card or credit card number which can be than
misused.
Reduction in employment opportunity
Mainly past generation was not used of the computer or they have the knowledge of
computer they faced a big problem when computer came in field. As we have seen in
banking sector senior bank employees faced this problem when computer came to the
banking sector.
Above were the main disadvantage of computer, no IQ, Dependency, No feeling,
Break down are the basic disadvantages of computer.
9 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? With the help of
technology, students nowadays can learn more…
Using the new technology in education has become a center point of many researches
and studies. Modern education has to combine with modern technology to come up
with best results. The teacher and the student both can use the technology to enhance
the teaching and learning strategies. On the other hand, many people are worried of
the possible harmful effects of using technology in the classroom or at home. Will
children lose their ability to relate to other people? Will they become dependent on
technology to learn? Will they find inappropriate materials? The same was probably
said with the invention of the printing press, radio, and television. All of these can be
used inappropriately, but all of them have given humanity unlimited access to
information which can be turned into knowledge. Appropriately used- interactively
and with guidance- they have become tools for the development of higher order
thinking skills.
The internet, which become the most popular technology these days. It can be
consider as the “best” way to keep in touch with friends from all countries over the
world. In other words, the internet makes our earth as a small village. It actually has
so many benefits; we can mention here the use to search for information and data for
academic purposes. Students can always use the internet to get more information for
their researches. It also became a popular way to communicate, you can send emails,
use chat, voice chat, or even video chat with your friends and family. If we take a
closer look, internet is playing an essential role in education nowadays. In his article,
Muthukumar said that the Internet is a complex storage area containing a huge maze
of information from a variety of sources. It has become a famous source of
information for many people worldwide. The Internet wave has also hit the
educational landscape in many big ways. The use of technologies such as the Internet
as a teaching tool in schools is not the issue now since it is pervasively used.
Relatively, the issue is how to effectively employ such technologies and harness fully
the new opportunities created by them to promote positive student learning
experiences.
10. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Before technology
came along, the worldwas quitea dull place to be.Modern Day Technology
The society has been dramatically changed with the evolution of technology. Before
the advent of modern day technology, life was burdensome and everyday chores
consumed too much of our time. Immense opportunities are being provided by
technologies which play an important role in human life. The access to education,
medicine, industry, transportation etc. has been simplified due to modern day
technology. Due to the convenience and efficiency provided by technology, our lives
have improved significantly. There used to be a time when executing a simple task
like doing laundry would take most of the day. Thanks to modern technology, a lot of
burden has been lifted up from our shoulders and we have more time and energy to
do what we want to.
With so many advantages and comfort, come the disadvantages too. Technology is
being used imprudently these days resulting in affecting the society negatively and
complicating our lives. Relationship with family members is being weakened due to
excessive involvement with various devices. Although in a few cases, parents resort
to technology to communicate with their children and know about their whereabouts
but this is not adequate always. Technology has made access to education easier but it
is also resulting in weakening the memories of people. Usage of text language often
is having dire consequences on students. They fail to spell words correctly or write
fully grammatically correct sentences.
Modern technology also poses serious health problems. People are sleep deprived
nowadays since taking their eyes off their phone or laptop screens become a near to
impossible task. This leads to problems in vision, cancer, obesity etc. We have
become lazier. We prefer to sitting, playing games or listening to music instead of
walking or going outdoor or performing any work which requires physical activity.
Modes of transportation has increased the ease of access but has also increased the
amount of pollution. Due to technology, a broad range of options have become
accessible to people. Technology has also benefitted people with special needs by
providing them with hearing aids, text readers, special chairs etc. Now they too can
enjoy daily life without having to think about their disabilities.
As a conclusion, there are several positive impacts of technology on our lives but
there are several downsides too. We cannot abandon technology now but we can
ensure not to let it control us.
11.You are what you eat,How to burn fat all day long.
You eat all the right foods and do plenty of exercise, so why aren’t you losing any of
that extra weight? Perhaps you need to think about a daily diet and exercise plan
which tells you when you should be eating, drinking and exercising in order to burn
fat more quickly.
Try to start the day with a cup of green tea. Green tea wakes you up and gets you
ready for your hectic day ahead. You will feel upbeat and active and at the same time
your metabolism will be off to a good start, burning up those extra calories.
After your hot drink, think about an early morning workout. This will help to elevate
your energy levels and keep you alert all day long. But wait until your body
temperature has risen and give yourself time to wake up. The best time to start
exercising is half an hour after you open your eyes.
The next step is to shock up on carbohydrates and liquids. This will help to give you
the energy you need to get moving. Try to eat breakfast an hour after exercising so
the carbohydrates will be turned into energy and not to be stored as body fat. It’s also
a good idea to eat plenty of unprocessed carbohydrates such as fruit, yogurt and rye
bread.It is always important to eat lunch earlier rather than later. The later you leave
it, the easier it will be to fill up on fast food to satisfy your hunger.
Try to plan your lunch menu and choose light carbohydrates and proteins such as
tuna or chicken sandwiches accompanied by raw vegetables or fruit. You shouldn’t
want to eat very much as you have already filled up with water. At around noon it’s
vital to drink lots of water. Water will help to take the edge off your appetite as it will
fill you up. Experts recommend drinking cold water, as your body will have to use up
calories just to warm it up!
Later in the day when you finish work and your body temperature is at its peak is the
best time to do some fast, powerful exercise. At this time, your muscles are more
flexible and your reflexes are faster than usual, so make the most of it. Go for a run or
even a fast walk. Do whatever you enjoy, as long as it gets you moving and burning
fat.The next step is the evening meal. It is important to eat an hour so after you
evening workout. This will replace some of the energy you have lost so that you will
be able to get up and get going again the next day.If you plan well, this meal can be
an important part of your fat-burning day. There are certain foods and spices that will
actually help your body to burn up any unwanted calories, such as red peppers,
chillies and ginger. These will make your nervous system work faster and raise your
body temperature, which in turn will burn more calories.Instead of sitting down in
front of the TV for those last few hours of your busy day, why not try a few deep
breathing relaxation techniques. This will guarantee that your body is calm and ready
for that deep sleep that you need to get a ready for the next day.
So, eat regularly, drink lots of water, keep active, relax and sleep well. You too will
be well on the way to a fat-burning routine that will keep you healthy and slim.
12. People do many different things to stay healthy. What do you do for good
health? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Nowadays, life is hard; therefore people must maximize their works, studying and
they almost forget their health
To begin with, taking healthy food is a good way to stay healthy.Healthy food
includes fruits and vegetable, foods having less amount of unsaturated fat and less
calorie.Having high fat and red meat food may lead to disease like hypertension and
heart attack and may lead to death.Most of the People like to take delicious food
rather than nutritious food in their regular meal without knowing much about it.But
People who are health conscious, they always think before shoping food and taking
food.Even when they have to select food from the ready made store, they take it
causiouly.Take example of myself, I always buy food only after viewing the
ingredient of that food item on the one hand and I do very rare fry food in much fat,
is not good in my opinion.
In addition to taking healthy food, regular exercise like running cycling, swimming
and playing sports like volleyball, football, table tennis are good examples of
exercises sports activities respectively help us stay healthy in our life.These exercises
and sports activities help to reduce weight, reduce cholesterol level in our blood and
ultimately help to stay healthy.
Finally, in combination with taking healthy food and doing regular exercises, meeting
with doctors in regular manner is other important factor for maintaining good
health.It is the important determiner to know the condition of their health.Despite
maintaining good food taking strategy and doing regular exercises, sometime people
can not ensure about their health status without doing routine check up to determin
their health status.So getting regular health check is important for staying healthy and
physically fit.
By way of conclusion, considering these reasons, taking healthy food, getting regular
exercises and doing regular visit with doctor lead me to say that these are the most
important thing to stay in some's life.
 13. The only thing we have to fear on this planet is man’ (Carl Jung)
Long ago people appreciated the nature and put it above other things. They
admired its beauty and greatness. But eventually the human called himself “the Lord
of nature”. For centuries a man has been using natural resources of our planet that
produces the increasingly negative effect on the biosphere and breaks natural balance.
Forests are cut down and animals lose their natural habitat. Different industrial and
nuclear waste is released into seas and rivers. A human being can’t understand that if
he destroys the nature he kills himself.
There are plentyof wonderful places on the planet which can amaze by their
beauty. Unfortunately, people are destroying the environment and they are trying to
take a great advantage of nature. Have you ever thought how many trees are cut down
and used as building material and fuel? Can you imagine our planet without the
‘lungs of our land’? Have you ever noticed how polluted the air is? Every day
thousands of cars emit toxic fumes into atmosphere. Our land groans under heap of
rubbish: cans, glass, paper and plastic bags. People pay for this with their health.
I strongly believe that people ought to pull themselves together. Fortunately, it
is not late to solve these ecological problems. First of all, people should eliminate
waste. They should think carefully before they throw away things which can be
reused or recycled. Furthermore, they should find clean forms of energy and invent
environmentally-friendly technology. Finally, it would be a good idea to educate
people about the consequences of nature pollution. Individuals should also think
twice before doing something that can harm the environment.
People have been always seeking to perfection in their affairs. So, why don’t
we direct our activities to protect the environment? It is important to perceive, that we
should try against the clock to save our planet from pollution and death. If we do
nothing to restore and save natural resources of the Earth, our planet will return like
for like.
 14.If you poison the environment, the environment will poison you.

Environmental pollution is the biggest menace to the human race on this planet today.
The environment consists of earth, water, air, plants and animals. If we pollute them,
then the existence of man and nature will be hampered.

It is true that trees are being cut down rapidly. Even in Ukraine the Karpatians suffer
of deforestation. Our earth is becoming warmer. If pollution continues, the day is not
far when our earth will be a boiling pan and become a desert. Or it will be covered
with sea water causing destruction of mankind.

Pure air is always needed for inhaling. If we take pure air, our health improves. On
the other hand impure air causes diseases and impairs our health and causes our
death. Smoke pollutes the air. It is the root of air pollution. The smoke which is
discharged from industries, automobiles and kitchens is the mixture of carbon
monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane etc. These are all poisonous gases. These cause
lung-cancer, tuberculosis etc., which take a heavy toll of life.

The garbage emitting foul smell, the decaying plants and animals also cause air
pollution. Hence the doctors advise the patients having lungs trouble to settle in some
rural places because the air of villages is pure and free from population.

The water of rivers and seas is being constantly polluted all over the world by various
dangerous chemical and biological wastes. Mills and factories discharge very harmful
waste waters into many rivers and sea. There is no doubt that the fish that grow in
such waters are poisonous too. Reckless application of chemical fertilizers,
insecticides and pesticides pollutes the soil. Vegetables and fruits are quite injurious
today, because they contain the poison of insecticides and pesticides.

If the air we breathe, the water we drink and the soil which produces our crops,
vegetables and fruits, all become more and more impure, then our chances of good
health and longevity will be very less and less. Environment pollution is a serious
menace to our existence. Realising the danger, we must plant trees in large number to
absorb impure air. Impure water from industries can be sent back for purification and
then it can be used for irrigation purpose. We must chance our behavior, because if
not, environment will poison us deadly.
 15. Save our seeds.
Over the past four years, 450 types of plants and trees around the world have become
extinct as a result of the combined effects of global warming, population growth,
deforestation, flooding and the fact that deserts are advancing in some regions at a
rate of nearly four miles a year. Scientists estimate a lot of plant species will be under
threat of extinction by 2050.
In 1997, in an attempt to try to prevent the loss of such precious resources, volunteers
all over Britain began collecting seeds from Britain`s. The seeds collected are now
housed in the Millennium Seed Bank, which opened its doors in 2000.
The bank is expected to become the world`s biggest seed bank and, apart from
preserving almost all the plant life in Britain, it also aims to have saved the seeds of
more than 24,000 species of plant life, almost a tenth of the world`s flowering plants,
in the next 20 years. If they are successful, the Millennium Seed Bank Project will be
one of the largest international conservation projects ever undertaken.
In order to achieve this aim, the Millennium Seed Bank has a team of scientists who
travel to remote corners of the world to find and collect seeds. They work together
with local botanists and also help them to set up their own seed banks by training
local scientists. They also spend a great deal of time negotiating with governments to
allow them to collect the seeds and bring them back to Britain for storage in the
Millennium Seed Bank.
When these seeds arrive at the seed bank, they are sorted, separated by hand from
their pods, cleaned and dried and then X-rayed to make sure that they haven`t been
damaged in any way that might stop them from growing into healthy plants. Finally,
they are placed in ordinary glass jars and stored in three underground vaults at
temperatures of – 20 C. The seeds of some species cannot be dried, so they can`t be
stored in seed banks in the usual way. These seeds include many rainforest tree
species and plants that grow underwater.
The head of the Millennium Seed Bank, explains that scientists at the bank are
already working on finding new ways of storing those seeds that cannot survive the
drying and freezing process, and also on how to regenerate the seeds when they
become extinct in their natural habitats.
16.We are so busy making a living that we forget to make a life
Life is too short to NOT love what you do. Period.
But we do it anyway. We plug away unhappily doing things day-in and day-
out. We sit at our desks idly pushing paper and responding to emails. We work hard
to clear off our desk but not as hard at asking ourselves if we actually enjoy the life
we have created for ourselves. We keep plugging away at our unhappiness and telling
ourselves that “one day it will be better.” Newsflash… it never gets better until you
do something about it. If you stay contented in the position you have put yourself in,
then that is what you continue to receive. In essence, you are telling the universe, “oh,
don’t worry about me, I do not need change. I am content here. All is good.”
Life is meant to be LIVED. Truly lived and experienced and ENJOYED. There
is no waiting for one day to magically appear. There is no waiting to live. The living
is now. Why waste precious moments doing anything that you do not love?Why
not find what you love and focus on that? Why tell yourself that you can’t do that and
make up a whole host of reasons why you are not qualified?
Life is in the living. It happens every day in every moment. While you are
sitting back waiting to be happy, remember right now IS your life. If you are not
happy in the now, CHANGE THINGS. Don’t wait for a magic miracle in the
future. The miracle is happening now.
Easter traditions around the world
Easter is one of the most important holidays of the year. Easter is the day when Jesus
Christ resurrected. Usually this holiday is celebrated on one of Sundays in spring. On
that day the religious people go to church and listen to the ceremony.

In Ukraine, people throw water over each other on Easter Monday. It's known as Wet
Monday and happens in other countries like Poland too. It's a tradition is connected
with the baptism of a Polish prince hundreds of years ago.

There are around seven million Catholics in Indonesia, Christianity was brought here
by Portuguese missionaries, and statues from this time are carried through the streets.
Young men consider it an honour to be chosen to play Jesus and be tied to the cross
in various locations.

Going beyond Europe, at the White House in America where the country's president
lives, an annual Easter egg roll is held on the lawn. The tradition dates back to 1878
when President Rutherford B Hayes ran the country. It's held on Easter Monday and
it's usually the president's wife, known as the First Lady, who is in charge of the
event.

In a small town in the south of France people gather every Easter Monday to share a
massive... omelette! Around 15,000 eggs are used and it's big enough to feed
thousands of people. Legend has it that the French Emperor Napoléon Bonaparte
liked an omelette he'd eaten there and wanted a huge one made for him and his army.
From that a tradition was born.

In the Greek island of Corfu, old pots are thrown out of the windows on to the streets
as an Easter Saturday morning tradition. It's thought the tradition was copied from the
people of Venice, in Italy, who throw out their possessions.

“Sprinkling” is a popular Hungarian Easter Monday tradition, in which boys

playfully sprinkle perfume, cologne or water over a young woman’s head, and ask for
a kiss.People used to believe that water had a cleaning, healing and fertility-inducing
effect.

Easter in Sweden sounds a lot like Halloween to me, with the children dressing up as
Easter witches wearing long skirts, colourful headscarves and painted red cheeks, and
go from home to home in their neighborhoods trading paintings and drawings in the
hope of receiving sweets.

Brasil. Besides being crazy football fans, there’s a crazy tradition of creating straw
dolls to represent Judas (the apostle known for betraying Christ) and hanging them in
the streets and beating them up. And many times politicians involved in scandals
become Judas.
Florence. A huge, decorated wagon is dragged through the streets by white oxen until
it reaches the cathedral, and when Gloria is sung inside the cathedral Archbishop
sends a dove-shaped rocket into the cart, igniting a large fireworks display.

In parts of Scandinavia children dress up, a bit like Halloween, and ask for chocolates
and treats out on the streets. They may wear head scarves, make up and carry twigs
with feathers as part of the tradition.

Tobacco trees in Papua New Guinea

Chocolate isn't much use in the steamy jungles of Papua New Guinea, so Easter trees
at the front of churches are decorated with sticks of tobacco and cigarettes instead.
These are handed out after the service.

Easter time is crime time in Norway. Television channels run crime shows and a slew
of new detective novels are commissioned to come out just before Easter. People
across the country escape into their mountain cabins and spend the weekend with the
‘Whodunnit’ television shows or books.