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3. Climate and Nature of Great Britain
CIVILIZATIA
1. United Kingdom
The official name of the country we usually call England and
occasionally Great Britain is the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland. The U. K. is situated on the group of islands
lying just off the mainland of northwestern Europe. The British
Isles include Great Britain proper, Ireland and a number of
smaller islands. Great Britain consists of England, Scotland and
Wales. The southern part of Ireland is the Republic of Eire.
Great Britain is separated from the continent by the English
Channel, the narrower part of which is called the Strait of Dover.
The British Isles are surrounded by the shallow waters of the Irish
Sea and the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea, the North Channel
and the Atlantic Ocean.
Britain is comparatively small, but there is hardly a country, in
the world where such a variety of scenery can be found. There
are wild desolate mountains in the northern Highlands of
Scotland - the home of the deer and the eagle. The Pennine
Range in northern England and the Cambrian Mountains in
Wales are much lower. In the extreme south of England are the
famous chalk hills, some of which form the Dover Cliffs. The
southern and south-eastern parts of the island lie in varied
lowlands.
The rivers of the region are short and of no great importance as
waterways. The longest of them is the "Father of London", the
Thames, which is a little over 200 miles. Britain's principal ports
are London, Liverpool, Manchester, Hull, and Glasgow.
Thanks to climatic conditions, Britain in truth looks like one great
well-ordered park with its old trees, green meadows and hedges.
2. London-capital of Great Britain
The capital of Great Britain is London. It's political, economic and
commercial center of the country. Its population is about 8
million.
London is divided into several parts: the City, Westminster, the
West End and the East End.
The heart of London is the City, its financial and business center.
Numerous banks, offices and firms are situated there, including
the Bank of England, the Stock Exchange and the Old Bailey. Few
people live here, but over a million people come to the city to
work.
There are some famous ancient buildings within the City.
Perhaps the most striking of them in St. Paul's Cathedral, the
greatest of British churches. Another important monument of
London is The Tower of London which was used for many
purposes: as a royal palace, an observatory, an arsenal, a state
prison and it is now a museum. For many visitors the principal
attraction is the Crown Jewels, the finest precious stones of the
nation. Westminster is the historic, the governmental part of
London. Westminster Abbey is a national shrine where the kings
and queens are crowned and famous people are buried. Across
the road from Westminster Abbey is the seat of the British
Parliament. The Clock Tower, which contains the hour-bell called
Big Ben, is known the world over. Buckingham Palace is the
official residence of the Queen.
Trafalgar Square is the geographical center of London. On the
north side of Trafalgar Square is the National Gallery and the
National Portrait Gallery. Not far away is the British Museum - the
biggest museum in London.
The West End is the richest and the most beautiful part of
London. Only reach people live there. But in the same time The
East End is the poorest district of London. There are a lot of
factories, workshops and docks here. The streets are narrow, the
buildings are unimpressive. This is the place of living of the
working class. So after all we can say that the UK is one of the
most powerful countries with great culture and it would be very
exciting to visit it.
The climate in Great Britain is generally mild and temperate due
to the influence of the Gulf Stream. The south-western winds
carry the warmth and moisture into Britain. The climate in Britain
is usually described as cool, temperate and humid.
British people say: "Other countries have a climate, in England
we have weather."
The weather in Britain changes very quickly. One day may be fine
and the next day may be wet. The morning may be warm and the
evening may be cool. Therefore it is natural for the people to use
the comparison "as changeable as the weather" of a person who
often changes his mood or opinion about something. The
weather is the favorite topic of conversation in Britain.
Rainfall is more or less even throughout the year. In the
mountains there is heavier rainfall then in the plains of the south
and east. The driest period is from March to June and the wettest
months are from October to January. The average range of
temperature (from winter to summer) is from 1 5 to 23 degrees
above zero. During a normal summer the temperature
sometimes rises above 30 degrees in the south. Winter
temperatures below 1 0 degrees are rare. It seldom snows
heavily in winter, the frost is rare. January and February are
usually the coldest months, July and August the warmest. Still
the wind may bring winter cold in spring or summer days.
Sometimes it brings the whirlwinds or hurricanes. Droughts are
rare.
So, we may say that the British climate has three main features:
it is mild, humid and changeable. That means that it is never too
hot or too cold. Winters are extremely mild. Snow may come but
it melts quickly. In winter the cold is humid cold, not the dry one.
This humid and mild climate is good for plants. The trees and
flowers begin to blossom early in spring.
4. Customs and traditions in UK
Almost every nation has a reputation of some kind. The English
are reputed to be cold, reserved, rather haughty people. They are
steady, easy-going and fond of sports. There are certain kinds of
behavior, manners and customs which are peculiar to England.
Britain is a nation of animal lovers. In Britain pets can send
Christmas cards to their friends, birthday cards.
Every Englishmen spends his weekend different: those who live
in cities and towns like to go out of town. They may go to stay in
the country to admire the bright sun and fresh air where no
crowds of people, just silence and leisure are.
There are some traditions concerning food. English cooking is
heavy, substantial and plain. The Englishman likes a good
breakfast. To him a good breakfast means porridge with, fish,
bacon and eggs, toast and marmalade, tea or coffee.
Tea is part of the prose of British life, as necessary as potatoes
and bread. Seven cups of it wake you up in the morning; 9 cups
will put you to sleep at night.
The English have a popular specialty known as fish and chips.
They are bought at special fish and chips shops.
5. New Year's Day in UK
The celebration of New Year's Day varies according to the district.
In the south of England, the festival of Christmas, lasting 12 days
from December 25th, runs on well into the New Year. The
decorations of colored streamers and holly, put up round the
walls, and of course the fir-tree, with its candles or lights, are not
packed away until January 5th. On the evening of December
31st, people gather in one another's homes, in clubs, in pubs, in
restaurants, and hotels, in dance halls and institutes, to "see the
New Year in".
On New Year's Day all English schoolchildren make New Year
resolutions. They make up lists of shortcomings which they
intend to correct. The children, their mothers and fathers, and
their friends laugh and have a good time when they read them.
The children promise to keep them.
In the north, and in Scotland, particularly, the Year known as
Hogmanay is very well kept up. The ceremonies are similar, but
they have an added called "first foot". This means opening your
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door to anyone who knocks it after midnight, and who will then
enter the house, carrying a piece of coal-or wood, or bread. The
visitor is entertained with cakes and ale.
Considerable quantities of good Scotch whiskey are consumed
during these celebrations
6. Places of interest
There are a lot of places of interest in London. They are all worth
seeing. On the north side of Trafalgar Square stands one of the
world's greatest art galleries. The National Gallery represents all
schools of Western painting from the Italian Primitives to the
early 20th century. Portraits by Reynolds and Gainsborough can
be seen here.
Since the time of William the Conqueror the Tower of London has
served as a fortress, a royal residence, treasury, mint and prison.
Here many people were imprisoned and beheaded. Now it's a
museum.
St. Paul's Cathedral is the largest and the most magnificent
church of the city. The High Altar forms a memorial to those who
died in the two World Wars.
The Victoria and Albert Museum represents the finest examples
of the applied and decorative arts of all kinds. It has collections
of furniture, jewellery, costumes, musical instruments and
metalwork.
The Barbican centre was opened by the Queen in 1982. It
includes a concert hall, the home of the London Symphony
Orchestra, two theatres, three cinemas and an art gallery.
Piccadilly Circus is one of London's busiest road-junctions. It's
always full of cars, people as there are many theatres, shops and
restaurants there. The statue of Eros is in the middle of
Piccadilly.
One of the beautiful things in London is Madame Tussaud's
museum. It represents wax figures of the famous and infamous
people of the past and present. The Chamber of Horrors is of
particular interest and also Company and the Royal Ballet.
7. Press in Britain
Probably in no other country are there such great differences the
various national daily newspapers- in the type of news they report
and the way they report it.
On the one hand, there are the "quality" newspapers: The Times,
The Independent, The Guardian, the Financial times and the
Daily Telegraph. These concern themselves, as far as possible,
with factual reports of major national and international events,
with the world of political and business and with the arts and
sport.
On the one hand, there are the "populars" and "tabloids", so-
called because of their smaller size. The tabloids- the most
widely read of which are The Daily Mail, The Daily Express, the
Daily Mirror, The Sun and the Daily Star- concentrate on more
emotive reporting of stories often featuring sex, violence, the
Royal Family, film and pop stars, and sport. It is often said that
the popular press aims to entertain it's rather than inform them.
In addition to the 12 national daily newspapers there are nine
national papers which are published on Sundays. Most of the
"Sundays" contain more reading matter than daily papers, and
several of them also include "color supplements"- separate color
magazines which contain photographically-illustrated feature
articles.
The British are one of the biggest newspapers-reading nations in
the world.
8. Museums and Art Galleries of London
London is very rich in museums and art galleries. If you are fond
of painting you'll go to the Tate Gallery. There are about 300 oils
and 19000 watercolors and drawings. There are many works by
the English painter William Turner there. There are a lot of
paintings by the 16-th century English artists and paintings by
foreign artists of the 19-20-th centuries, such as Pablo Picasso's
paintings. There are many interesting sculptures there of Henry
Moor's
The British Museum is the largest and richest of its kind in the
world. It comprises the national museum of archaeology and
ethnography and the national library. The present building was
built in 1852. It contains books and manuscripts: Greek, Roman,
British and Oriental antiques. It has a department of
Ethnography. This collection is so vast that only a very small
percentage of it is on show to the public. There's also a
department of prints and drawings. There're departments
devoted to maps, coins, medals and philately. Those who come
to the British museum can see a fascinating array of clocks and
watches.
Cultural life of London would be impossible without the Royal
Albert hall, the Royal Festival hall, the National theatre and a
great number of museums: the Victoria and Albert museum, the
Geological Museum, the Museum of Mankind, Natural history
museum and others.
9. The houses of Parliament
The house of Parliament in London, known also as the Palace of
Westminster is the place where members of Parliament (M.P.)
gather to make laws. The members of each House meet in
sessions which begin at the end of October and last for about
one hundred and sixty days. The sittings usually begin at 10
o'clock in the morning and end in the late afternoon; but if
Parliament is discussing an important question sittings may go
on till late at night. All the time Parliament is in session, a flag
can be seen over the building, and when the House of Commons
is still sitting after dark, there is a light over the face of Big Ben.
The members of the House of Commons sit on two sides of the
hall. The Speaker is the chairperson at all the debates in the
House of Commons, and it is duty to keep order. The Speaker is
elected by all the members of the House of Commons. He
belongs to one of the political parties in Parliament, but he never
votes are equal he votes with the government.
The chairperson of the House of Lords is Lord Chancellor. He sits
on the Woolsack, a large bag of wool covered with red cloth. If
shows that wool made England rich.
10. Political system of United Kingdom
Great Britain is a parliamentary monarchy. It means that there is
a Queen (or King) and the Parliament. The Queen has almost no
power in the country. Her powers are limited by the Parliament.
Laws are made by the Parliament.
The Queen is only a formal ruler: she reigns but does not rule. In
fact everything that she does is done on the active of her
ministers, who are responsible for the royal acts. Thus, most of
her functions are symbolic. The Queen's residence in London is
Buckingham Palace.
The British Parliament consists of two cambers: the House if
Lords and the House of Commons. There are more than 1000
members in the House of Lords. Many seats are hereditary.
The House of Commons has 635 members. They are elected by a
general election (secret ballot).
The government is headed by the Prime Minister, who is the
leader of the party that has won the election.
In Great Britain there are three main political parties: the
Conservatives, the Labour Party and the Liberals.
11. Sightseeing London
The Tower of London is the most famous of all the historical
buildings in London. In the past the Tower of London served both
as a palace and as a state prison, but it is only a museum today.
Trafalgar Square is in the centre of the West End of London. On
the north side is the National Gallery; in the north-east corner is
the National Portrait Gallery, and in the centre is Nelson's
Column with the figure of the great seamen.
Trafalgar Square is the place where mass meetings and
demonstrations for peace and for working people's rights take
place.
"Big Ben" is the name of the great bell which strikes the hour. It
is in the clock Tower of the Houses of Parliament.
Westminster Abbey is the historic building in London to which
every visitor sooner or later goes. Many of Great Britain's famous
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men are buried in Westminster Abbey.
Piccadilly Circus is a square in the central part of London.
London's best-known theatres and cinemas and most famous
restaurants are on Piccadilly Circus. Hyde Park is the largest park
in the West End of London. In the 19th century it became a
popular place for public meetings.
The British Museum is one of the largest museums in the world.
It consists of the National Library and Museum of History,
Archaeology, Art and Ethnography.
12. Some facts about London
London has been home of many famous Englishmen. Some were
born there. Some lived there all their lives. Others lived in London
only for a short time but all gave something to this great city
One of the first names of importance is that of Geoffrey Chaucer,
the poet. He lived most of his life in London. He knew the courts
of King Richard II d King Henry IV. His most famous work, 'The
Canterbury Tales", opens at the Tabard Inn, in Southward.
William Shakespeare also lived in London. He lived there for
more than twenty years. He acted at the Globe Theatre and wrote
his plays in London. But London's famous men are not only
writers. Sir Christopher Wren, the architect, spent most of his life
in London. He designed many beautiful churches, including St.
Paul's Cathedral. He also designed palaces and fine houses.
Music is represented by a very interesting figure. This is George
Frederick Handel. He came to London from Hanover in 1710After
some success and some failure he at last became famous. This
happened when he composed "The Messiah". "Judas
Maccabeus" and 'The Music for the Royal Fireworks" Like
Chaucer and many other great artists. Handel is buried in
Westminster Abbey.
Another famous London figure is one of England's greatest
seamen. Admiral Lord Nelson. He has a very special memorial in
Trafalgar Square. Equally famous is the general who led the army
at the battle of Waterloo in 1815. This was the Duke of
Wellington. His house stands at Hyde Park Comer. It is
sometimes known as Number One, London. Like
Admiral Nelson, the Duke of Wellington is buried in St. Paul's
Cathedral.
13. Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon lies at the very heart of England. It attracts
people not only by its history and connection with William
Shakespeare, but also by its wonderful nature and typical English
character.
Stratford stands on the river Avon and is one of the oldest
market towns. It has still preserved its own character and
atmosphere, as you will not see modern buildings there. The
houses are small and lots of them are very old. Some of them
date back to Shakespeare's time.
Here you can visit Shakespeare's birthplace (it is a museum
now), Anna Hathaway's cottage the foundations of the New
Place, where Shakespeare lived when he retired and died in
1616. Just round the corner there is Grammar school that
Shakespeare used to attend.
Here in Stratford there is Holy Trinity Church where William
Shakespeare was buried. Thousands of people from all parts of
England and foreign visitors come here on Shakespeare's
birthday (23rd April) to pay tribute to the great poet.
Among other sights connected with the name of Shakespeare
there is an interesting monument with the statue of the great
poet on top and with characters from his plays round it. And, of
course, you should visit the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, a red-
brick building standing on the banks of the Avon. The Royal
Shakespeare Company, which is one of the best known and
largest theatre companies in the world, regularly performs here
and in the Barbican Centre in London.
14. Youth organizations in Great Britain
Youth and youth movement have become important factors in
the life of the country. There are about 60 youth organizations in
Great Britain. All youth organizations can be divided into three
large groups: non-political organizations; youth organizations
associated with political parties; youth organizations controlled
by religious bodies.
The two largest non-political youth organizations are the
associations of the Boy Scouts and the Girl Guides.
The Scout movement was intended for boys from 11 to 14, but in
1916 Baden Powell introduced a program for younger people. He
called them Wolf Cubs. They had special uniforms; badges, a
special training system and the motto "Do your best!" There are
some other non-political organizations: the Combined Cadet
Force, Sea Cadet Corps, the Woodcraft Folk, the Youth Hostels
Association, the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs,
and Greenpeace.
Youth Organization Greenpeace deals with most urgent
ecological problems. It protests against nuclear weapon tests,
sea and soil pollution, etc. Sport clubs are characteristic youth
organizations in the UK. They unite people who are interested in
baseball, football, golf, etc. Religious young organizations and
groups aim at helping to elderly people or working in hospitals.
Many of these organizations have done and still are doing useful
work in providing leisure facilities for young English people.
15. Vegetation and wildlife
Britain was originally a land of vast forests. Mainly oak and
beech in the Lowlands and pine and birch In the Highlands, with
great stretches of marshland and smaller areas of moors.
Extensive forests remain in eastern and northern Scotland and in
south-eastern and western England. Oak, elm, ash, and beech
are the commonest trees in England, while Scotland has much
pine and birch.
The fauna or animal life of Britain is much like that of north-
western Europe, to which it was once joined. Many larger
mammals such as bear, wolf have been hunted to extinction,
others are now protected by law. There are many foxes. Otters
are common along rivers and streams, and seals live along much
of the coast. Hedgehogs, hares, rabbits, rats and mice are
numerous. Deer live in some of the forests in the Highlands of
Scotland and England.
Some 230 kinds of birds live in Britain, and another 200 are
regular visitors, many are songbirds. The most numerous are
blackbirds, sparrow and starling. Robin Redbreast is the national
bird of Britain. The number of ducks, geese and other water fowl
has diminished during recent years.
16. Holidays in Great Britain
English are proud of their traditions and carefully keep them.
English people celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December. It's
the season of good will. It's the most beautiful time of the year -
the time of love, joy and hopes.
There are some traditions on New Year's Day. One of them is the
old First Footing. The first man to come into the house is very
important. The Englishmen believe that he brings luck.
Another best-loved holiday is St.Valentine's Day on the 14th of
February - the holiday of love and affection, the day of sending
and giving presents to those you love.
In England, Easter is a church holiday. A custom is decorating
eggs for children. Halloween is the day or evening before all
Saint's Day. Children dress up in Halloween costumes and masks
over their faces.
According to the Act of Parliament of 1871 there are 4 bank
holidays Easter Monday, whit-Monday, Des 26th -Boxing Day.
Other public holiday are Good Friday, May Day, Also there is a
Pancake Day, April's Fool Day, Mother's Day.
17. Educational system in Great Britain
The educational system of Great Britain is extremely complex
and bewildering. It is very difficult to generalize about particular
types of schools as schools differ from one to the other.
Primary education takes place in infant schools for pupil's ages
from 5 to 7 years old and junior schools (from 8 to 11 years).
Some areas have different systems in which middle schools
replace junior schools and take pupils ages from 9 to 11 years.
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Secondary education has been available in Britain since 1944. It
is compulsory up to the age of 16, and pupils can stay at school
voluntarily up to three years longer.
At the age of 16 pupils take school-leaving examinations in
several subjects at the Ordinary level. This examination could
also be taken by candidates at a further education
establishment. This exam was called the General Certificate of
Education (GCE). Pupils of comprehensive school had taken the
examination called the Certificate of Secondary Education either
with or instead of the GCE. A GCE of Advanced ("A") level was
taken two years after the Ordinary level exam.
The private sector is running parallel to the state system of
education. There are over 2500 fee-charging independent
schools in GB. Most private schools are single-sex until the age of
16.
There are over 90 universities in GB. They are divided into three
types: the old universities (Oxford, Cambridge and Edinburgh
Universities), in the 19th century universities, such as London
and Manchester universities, and the new universities.
Full courses of study offer the degree of Bachelor of Art or
Science. Most degree courses at universities last three years,
language courses 4 years. Medicine and dentistry courses are
longer (5-7 years).
Most students live away from home, in flats of halls of residence.
There are not only universities in Britain but also colleges.
Colleges offer courses in teacher training, courses in technology
and some professions connected with medicine.
18. Buckingham Palace
Buckingham palace is the official London residence of Her
Majesty The Queen and as such is one of the best known and
most potent symbols of the British monarchy. Yet it has been a
royal residence for only just over two hundred and thirty years
and a palace for much less; and its name, known the world over,
is owed not to a monarch but to an English Duke.JM
Buckingham House was built for John, first Duke of Buckingham,
between 1702 and 1705. It was sold to the Crown in 1762.
Although King George III modernized and enlarged the house
considerable, the transformations that give the building its
present palatial character were carried out for King George IY by
Nash, by Edward Blore for King William IY and Queen Victoria in
the end, and by James Pennethoooorne.
In the reign of King Edward Yll, much of the present white and
gold decoration was substituted for the richly colored 19th
century schemes of Nash and Blare; and in the 1920s, Queen
Mary used the firm of White Alum to redecorate a number of
rooms.
The rooms open to visitors are used principally for official
entertainment .These include Receptions and State Banquets,
and it is on such occasions, when the rooms are filled with
flowers and thronged with formally dressed guests and liveried
servants, that the Palace is seen at its most splendid and
imposing. But of course the Palace is also far more than just the
London home of the Royal Family and a place of lavish
entertainment. It has become the administrative centre of the
monarchy where, among a multitude of engagements, Her
Majesty receives foreign Heads of State, Commonwealth leaders
and representatives of the Diplomatic Corps and conducts
Investitures, and where the majority of the Royal Household,
consisting of six main Departments and a staff of about three
hundred people, has their offices.
19. Media in Great Britain
The media play a central role in Britain's daily life, informing and
educating, questioning and challenging - and of course -
entertaining. In recent years the availability of more radio
frequencies, together with satellite, cable and microwave
transmissions, has already made a greater number of local,
national and international services possible. The transition from
analogue to digital transmission technology is now expanding
this capacity enormously. Broadcasting in Britain has
traditionally been based on the principle that it is a public service
accountable to people. While retaining the essential public
service element, it now also embraces the principles of
competition and choice: the BBC (British Broadcasting
Corporation), which broadcasts television and radio programs;
the ITC (Independent Television Commission), which licenses and
regulates commercial television services, including cable and
satellite services; the Radio Authority, which licenses and
regulates commercial radio services, including cable and
satellite;
The three bodies work to broad requirements and objectives
defined and endorsed by Parliament, but are otherwise
independent in their daily conduct of business.
Cable services are delivered through underground cables and are
paid for subscription. Cable franchises have been granted
covering areas comprising 83 per cent of all homes and nearly
all urban areas in Britain. In mid - 1999 there were about 12.1
million homes able to receive such services, and 3 million
subscribing homes. Digital technology is being introduced which
will support up to 500 television channels. Cable also has the
capacity for computer - based interactive services, such as home
shopping and email. Satellite television and cable services are
funded mainly by subscription income.
Television viewing is by far Britain's most popular leisure
pastime: over 97 per cent of households have at least one TV set.
British television productions are sold world – wide.
20. European Union
The establishment of the EU intended to work toward common
goals of European countries.
The EU was established after 2nd World War. France officially
undertook the establishment of the EU proposing to create "the
first concrete foundation of a European federation". On May 9,
1950 the EU was created and initially six European countries
joint to the EU: Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxemburg, and
the Netherlands. Then other countries joint to the EU and today
the number of the member countries is 27. The requirements for
the countries willing to become member of EU are the following:
Member countries must be a stable democracy, respecting
human rights, the rule of law, and the protection of minorities;
Member countries must have a functioning market economy;
The EU has such a structure that there are 5 institutions and
each of them is responsible for a respective objective:
European Parliament - The main functions of this institution is to
exercise the issues related to the legislation, implementing
foreign and security policy, monitor the budget.
Council of the European Union - This is the most influential
institution in decision making process. The main function of this
institution is to exercise the issues related to the legislation, to
suggest and monitor the international agreements,
implementing foreign and security policy.
European Commission - It is mainly responsible for creating the
initial outline of legislation, implementing the legislation to
assure that law is property applied, and representing the EU in
international scope and signing trade and cooperation
agreements.
Court of Justice -checks whether laws are in the accordance with
the justice or not
Court of Auditors - Its major function is to check whether all the
Union's revenues and expenditures are going in a regular
manner, according to the EU budget.
Today EU became driving force into the international market for
member countries. Such kind of economic communities are
needed to increase today's economic growth and make countries
better off.
21. Role of the USA in the world politics
It is impossible to discuss a future role of the United States of
America in the world without understanding the global processes
that have been taken place in the world over the last several
years. September 11, without doubt, was a break point event in
these processes. First, it showed people a danger of an
international terrorism. Second, the event brought about a
confrontation between two different viewpoints on the
development of world politics. On the one hand, politicians from
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many countries believe that any active actions to preserve world
order must be organized only by United Nations. On the other
hand, the United States is pushing forward its aggressive
unilateral policy that is based only on Washington's
understanding of the current international situation.
This US strategy was clearly demonstrated in Iraq. Now, after two
and a half years of the war, the question must be asked if this
policy achieved its goals. Did it bring a peace and stabilization in
the post Sad am country? Yes, the military operation itself was a
success. Despite the military successes, this strategy did not
produce desirable results. The USA cannot stabilize the situation,
and the Iraqis continue to organize attacks against the US and
coalition forces.
It is possible that the USA will not be able to continue its
unilateral policy anymore because it goes against objective
processes in the world economy and international relations. The
political regimes in European countries are very close to
American, so any military confrontations are very unlikely at this
point. But an economical competition would be intense. It could
be said that the other war, between the euro and the dollar, is
already on, and the dollar is loosing so far.
There is another potential threat to the USA. Only a few years
ago, a dollar was almost equivalent to gold. People and
businesses all over the world tried to keep their savings in
dollars. Now, when a dollar is getting cheaper, many try to get rid
of it and buy euros. What would happen if all this dollar cash
came back to the USA? India, Japan, and Russia will probably
also try to make their influence on the world politics comparable
with their economical potential.
One thing is clear, however, the future of the country directly
depends on today's policy.
22. Geographical position of USA
The United States of America is the fourth largest country in the
world (after Russia, Canada and China). It occupies the southern
part of North America and stretches from the Pacific to the
Atlantic Ocean. It also includes Alaska in the north and Hawaii in
the Pacific Ocean. The total area of the country is about nine and
a half million square kilometers. The USA borders on Canada in
the north and on Mexico in the south. It also has a sea boarder
with Russia.
The USA is made up of 50 states and the District of Columbia, a
special federal area where the capital of the country,
Washington, is situated. The population of the country is about
250 million.
The highest mountains are the Rocky Mountains, the Cordillera
and the Sierra Nevada. The highest peak is Mount McKinley,
which is located in Alaska.
America's largest rivers are the Mississippi, the Missouri, the Rio
Grande and the Columbia. The Great Lakes on the border with
Canada are the largest and deepest in the USA.
The climate of the country varies greatly. The coldest regions are
in the north. The climate of Alaska is arctic. The climate of the
central part is continental. The south has subtropical climate. Hot
winds blowing from the Gulf of Mexico often bring typhoons. The
USA is a highly developed industrial country. It is the world's
leading producer of copper and oil and the world's second
producer of iron ore and coal. Among the most important
manufacturing industries are aircraft, cars, textiles, radio and
television sets, armaments, furniture and paper.
The largest cities are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago,
Philadelphia, Detroit, San Francisco and others.
The United States is a federal union of 50 states, each of which
has its own government. The seat of the central (federal)
government is Washington, DC. According to the US Constitution
the powers of the government are divided into 3 branches: the
executive, headed by the President, the legislative, exercised by
the Congress, and the juridical. The Congress consists of the
Senate and the House of Representatives. There are two main
political parties in the USA: the Republican and the Democratic.
23. Scotland
Scotland is administrative division of the kingdom of Great
Britain, occupying the northern third of the island of Great
Britain. As a geopolitical entity Scotland includes 186 nearby
islands, a majority of which are contained in three groups—
namely, the Hebrides, also known as the Western Islands,
situated off the western coast; the Orkney Islands, situated off
the northeastern coast; and the Shetland Islands, situated
northeast of the Orkney Islands. The largest of the other islands
is the Island of Arran. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland as well
as a major industrial area and seaport
Notable among the lakes, which are especially numerous in the
central and northern regions, are Loch Lomond (the largest),
Loch Ness, Loch Tay, and Loch Katrina. The longest river of
Scotland is the Tay; the Clyde, however, is the principal
navigational stream, site of the port of Glasgow.
Like the climate of the rest of Great Britain, that of Scotland is
subject to the moderating influences of the surrounding seas The
most common species of trees indigenous to Scotland are oak
and conifers—chiefly fir, pine, and larch.
The only large indigenous mammal in Scotland is the deer. Both
the red deer and the roe deer are found, but the red deer, whose
habitat is the Highlands, is by far the more abundant of the two
species. Other indigenous mammals are the hare, rabbit, otter,
ermine, pine marten, and wildcat. Game birds include grouse,
blackcock, ptarmigan, and waterfowl.
Both agriculture and industry are important in the economy of
Scotland. The chief exports are petroleum and natural gas and
manufactured goods, especially burlap, clothing, machinery,
textiles, and whiskey.
The chief imports are food and iron
The most populous city in Scotland is Glasgow. Other important
industrial cities are Dundee and Aberdeen.
Scotland is governed as an integral part of Great Britain. It is
represented by 72 members in the House of Commons and by
16 Scottish peers in the House of Lord.
24. Olympic Games
The Olympic Games have a very long history. They began in 777
BC in Greece and took place every four years for nearly twelve
centuries at Olympia. They included many different kinds of
sports: running, boxing, wrestling, etc. All the cities in Greece
sent their best athletes to Olympia to compete in the Games. For
the period of the Games all the wars stopped. So the Olympic
Games became the symbol of peace and friendship.
In 394 AD the Games were abolished and were not renewed until
many centuries later.
In 1894, a Frenchman, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, addressed all
the sports governing bodies and pointed out the significance of
sports and its educational value.
Two years later the first modern Olympic Games took place. Of
course, the competitions were held in Greece to symbolize the
continuation of the centuries-old tradition. In 1896 the
International Olympic Committee was set up. It is the central
policymaking body of the Olympic movement. It is formed by the
representatives of all countries which take part in the Olympic
Games.
The International Olympic Committee decides upon the
programmed of the games, the number of the participants and
the city host for the Games.
Over one hundred and fifty countries are represented in the
International Olympic Committee now. Besides, each country has
its National Olympic Committee.
Summer and Winter Games are held separately. There are
always several cities wishing to host the Games. The most
suitable is selected by the International Committee. After that
the city of the Games starts preparations for the competitions,
constructs new sports facilities, stadiums, hotels, press centers.
Thousands of athletes, journalists and guests come to the
Games, and it takes great efforts to arrange everything.
There is always an interesting cultural programmer of concerts,
exhibitions, festivals, etc., for each Games. The next summer
games will be held in Beijing, Republic of China.
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25. Holidays in USA
The U.S. has no national holidays. Legal holidays - days on which
banks, schools, or other public institutions and most places of
business are closed.
Memorial Day is a legal holiday, observed annually on the last
Monday in May in most of the United
Independence Day is an annual holiday commemorating the
formal adoption by the Continental Congress of the Declaration
of Independence on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia. Although the
signing of the Declaration was not completed until August, the
Fourth of July holiday has been accepted as the official
anniversary of United States independence and is celebrated in
all states and territories of the U.S.
The Fourth of July is traditionally celebrated publicly with parades
and pageants and public speeches.
Thanksgiving Day, a legal holiday in the U.S., was first celebrated
in early colonial times in New England. President Abraham
Lincoln appointed a day of thanksgiving, and since then each
president has issued a Thanksgiving Day proclamation, generally
designating the fourth Thursday of November as a holiday.
New Year's Day is the first day of the year, January 1 in the
Gregorian calendar.
Christmas is an annual festival, held on December 25, to
celebrate the Nativity, or birth of Christ. The Christmas tree, an
evergreen trimmed with lights and other decorations, is derived
from the so-called paradise tree, symbolizing Eden.
Saint Valentine's Day, a holiday honoring lovers, is celebrated on
February 14. There is a custom of sending greeting cards or gifts
to express affection. St. Valentine has traditionally been regarded
as the patron saint of lovers.
26. Washington
Washington is the capital city of the United States. It is located
on the north bank of the Potomac River. It was called after
George Washington, the first President of the USA, Washington is
one of the most beautiful and unusual cities in the United States.
It has little industry, and only one million people. One reason
Washington looks different from other cities is that no building in
the city may be more than 40 meters tall. There are no
skyscrapers, because they would hide the city's many
monuments from view. One can easily find a park, a square or an
open area there. The most impressive and the best-known ones
are the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.
The heart of Washington is the Capitol, which is connected with
the White House by Pennsylvania Avenue. It dominates the city
of Washington. All the tourists begin sightseeing from the Capitol
and see the Senate Chamber, the Hall of Representatives, the
Statuary Hall and some others.
The Washington Monument, the tallest stone structure in the
USA, is in the Potomac River. It was opened to the public in
1888. It is 555 feet tall, is called the "Pencil" because of its
shape. It is three blocks south of the White House. There is an
elevator, which will carry you to 500-foot level observation
windows. The Lincoln Memorial is in the west of the Washington
Monument. It is designed like a Greek temple. The dominant
figure is the realistic figure of Abraham Lincoln seated in the
centre of the open temple. The Jefferson Memorial is worth seen,
too. It is situated south of the Washington monument near the
Potomac River. The Library of Congress contains millions of
books and manuscripts. The Washington Cathedral is on
Massachusetts Avenue, and the Arlington National Cemetery is
outside the city limits just across the Potomac River near the
Pentagon in Virginia. The famous Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
is visited by millions of people every year.
Washington is the place where mass demonstrations take place
against unemployment and racism, for democracy and civil
rights.
27. Theatres in Great Britain
One peculiarity of the theatres in Great Britain is a follows: there
are two kinds of seats, which can be booked an advanced (book
able), and unbootable once have no numbers and the spectators
occupy them on the principal: first come - first served. And
ancient time's plays were acted inside churches and later on the
market places. The first theatre in England "The Backfires" build
in 1576, and "The Globe" build in 1599, which is closely
connected with William Shakespeare. Speaking about our times
we should first of all mention "The English National theatre",
"The Royal Shakespeare Company" and "Covent Garden". The
first "Covent Garden theatre" was built in 1732. It was burnt
down in 1808 and rebuilds exactly a year after. It opened in
September 1809, with Shakespeare's "Macbeth". Since the
middle of the last century "Covent Garden" became exclusively
devoted to opera.
Now "Covent Garden" in busier than ever, it is one of the few well-
known opera houses open for 11 months of the year and it
employs over 600 people both of the Opera company and the
Royal Ballet.
Theatres are very much the same in London as anywhere else;
the chief theatres, music halls and cinemas are in the West End.
If you are staying in London for a few days, you'll have no
difficulty whatever in finding somewhere to spend an enjoyable
evening. You'll find opera, ballet, comedy, drama, revue, musical
comedy and variety. The best seats at theatres are those in the
stalls, the circle and the upper circle. Then comes the pit, and the
last of all the gallery where the seats are cheapest. Boxes, of
course, are the most expensive.
At the West End theatres you can see most of the famous
English actors and actresses. As a rule, the plays are
magnificently staged - costumes, dresses, scenery, everything
being done of the most lavish scale.
28. Famous people of America
There are many outstanding people in United States. America
produced statesmen, thinkers, explorers, musicians, writers,
scientists and other people who are well known around the
world.
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, is known to most people as Mark
Twain.
While he worked as a reporter he began to sign his articles "Mark
Twain". From then on Clemens used Mark Twain as his pen-
name.
While he spent his summers on his farm, he wrote "The
Adventures of Tom Sawyer", published in 1876.
"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", "Tom Sawyer" and
"Huckleberry Finn" are among the most popular books ever
published in the United States. Among Mark Twain's other books
are "Joan of Arc", "Life on the Mississippi".
Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth president of the United
States.
Lincoln became president in 1860. In 1861, there was a war
between the North and the South of the United States. The
people in the South wanted a separate government from the
United States. The North wanted the United States to stay
together as one country. Lincoln was the leader of the North.
The North won the Civil War. The war ended on April 9, 1865. Six
days later, President Lincoln and his wife went to the theatre.
Inside the theatre, a man went behind the president and shot
him in the head. The man's name was John Wilkes Booth. He
was a supporter of the South. Lincoln died the next morning.
Ernest Hemingway is one of the greatest 20th-century American
writers. He was a brilliant writer of stories and novels. His most
successful novels are the following: For Whom The Bells Tolls,
The Old Man and the Sea and others He was awarded the Nobel
Prize for literature in 1954.
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29. Education in USA
The general pattern of education in the USA is an eight-year
elementary school, followed by a four-year high school.
There are eight years of elementary schooling. The elementary
school is followed by four years of secondary school, or high
school. Often the last two years of elementary and the first years
of secondary school are combined into a junior high school.
Admission to the American high school is automatic on
completion of the elementary school. During the four-year high
school program the student studies four or five major subjects
per year, and classes in each of these subjects meet for an hour
a day, five days a week. In addition, the student usually has
classes in physical education, music, and art several times a
week. If he fails a course, he repeats only that course and not the
work of the entire year. Students must complete a certain
number of courses in order to receive a diploma, or a certificate
of graduation.
Usually there is no admission examination required by a state
university for those who have finished high school within the
state. Sometimes a certain pattern of high school studies is
necessary, however, and some state universities require a certain
scholastic average, or average of high school grades.
It usually takes four years to meet the requirements for a
Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree. A Master of Arts
or Master of Science degree may be obtained in one or two
additional years. The highest academic degree is the ! Doctor of
Philosophy. It may take any number of years to complete the
original research work necessary to obtain this degree.
In general, higher education in the USA may be divided into two
broad fields: liberal arts and professional. Each of these fields
may be further subdivided into undergraduate and graduate
levels. The liberal arts program, on the undergraduate level, may
be a two-year junior college course, or a four-year course leading
to a degree of Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science. The four-
year course is usually subdivided into a lower division (which may
be called the junior college), consisting of the two first years, and
the upper division, which is the last two years. The first two years
continue the general education and specialization begins in the
third year.
30. Fast Food of America
Have you ever enjoyed a hamburger, sitting on a lawn? May be
you're against all these hot dogs and cheeseburgers, because it's
a junk food. Anyway, it is always interesting to find out
something about the origin and history of such trifles, which
make our life more comfortable. They really make life more
pleasant, especially outdoors, don't they?
Pop Corn- It's impossible to imagine American takeaway food or
snacks without popcorn. Clear as a day, it is made from corn. But
what about the first part of the word "pop". Actually, when you
put a kernel of corn on a fire, the water inside makes the corn
explode. This makes a "pop" noise. That is why we call it popcorn.
But in 1945 a new machine was invented that changed the
history of the product. The electric machine enabled to pop corn
outside the home. And soon movies started selling popcorn to
make more money. The famous American habit of eating
popcorn at the movies is well-known. Many people like to put salt
or melted butter in their popcorn, some peeper to have it without.
Either way Americans love their popcorn
Coca Cola- Coca-Cola The world famous fresh drink Coca-Cola
first was an all-purpose medicine, made in 1886 by a druggist
from Atlanta, who made a brown syrup by mixing coca leaves
and cola nuts. The syrup wasn't a success and then another
druggist, Jacobs, had an idea of selling Coca-Cola as a soda
fountain drink. He mixed the syrup with soda water. Soon
everyone was going to soda fountains and asking for Coca-Cola.
And the World War II helped to make Coca-Cola popular outside
America, when the Coca-Cola Company sent bottles of the drink
to US soldiers fighting in Europe. It became so popular with the
soldiers that the US Army asked the company to start ten
factories in Europe. It's a curious thing but of 1903 coca leaves
were no longer used in the drink. The exact ingredients and the
quantities are not known - the Coca-Cola Company keeps its
recipe a secret.
31. Political system of USA
The nation's capital, Washington, D.C., is the capital of a federal
union of 50 states. Therefore, in 1789, they adopted a new
Constitution establishing a federal union under a strong central
government.
Under the Constitution, the federal government is divided into
three branches, each chosen in a different manner, each able to
check and balance the others.
The Executive Branch is headed by the President, who, together
with the Vice President, is chosen in nationwide elections every
four years. The elective process for a U.S. President is unique.
The presidential candidate needs 270 electoral votes to be
elected; if no candidate has a majority, the House of
Representatives make the decision. Any natural-born American
who is 35 years old or older may be elected to this office. The
President proposes bills to Congress, enforces federal laws,
serves as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and, with the
approval of the Senate makes treaties and appoints federal
judges, ambassadors and other members of the Executive
Departments
The Vice President, elected from the same political party as the
President, acts as chairman of the Senate, and in the event of
the death or disability of the President, assumes the Presidency
for the balance of his term.
The Legislative Branch is made up of two houses: the Senate and
the House of Representatives. Each state elects two members of
the 100-member Senate; a Senator's term of office is six years
The Judicial Branch is made up of Federal District Courts (at least
one in every state), 11 Federal Courts of Appeals and, at the top,
the Supreme Court. Federal judges are appointed by the
President with the approval of the Senate; to minimize political
influences, their appointments are for life. Federal courts decide
cases involving federal law, conflicts between states or between
citizens of different states. Every American citizen is allowed to
vote from the age of 18.
32. Science in 20th century
The 20th century began slowly, to the ticking of grandfather
clocks and the stately rhythms of progress. Thanks to science,
industry and moral philosophy, mankind's steps had at last been
guided up the right path. The century of steam was about to give
way to the century of oil and electricity. Charles Darwin's theory
of evolution, only 41 years old in 1900, proposed a scientific
basis for the notion that progress was gradual but inevitable,
determined by natural law.
And everybody thought that the development would continue in
the small steps that had marked the progress of the 19th
century. Inventions like the railroad or the telegraph or the
typewriter had enabled people to get on with their ordinary lives
a little more conveniently.
No one could have guessed then that, in the century just
beginning, new ideas would burst upon the world with a force
and frequency that would turn this stately march of progress into
a long distance, free-for-all sprint. Thrust into this race, the
children of the 20th century would witness more change in their
daily existence and environment than anyone else who had ever
walked the planet. Assassinations in Sarajevo in 1914 lit a spark
that set off an unprecedented explosion of destruction and
death. The Great War did more than devastate a generation of
Europeans. It set the tone - the political, moral and intellectual
temper - for much that followed.
Before long the Great War received a new name - World War I.
The roaring 1920s and the Depression years of the 1930s proved
to be merely a prelude to World War II. Largely hidden during
that war was an awful truth that called into question progress
and the notion of human nature itself.
But civilization was not crushed by the two great wars, and the
ruins provided the stimulus to build a way of life again. To a
degree previously unheard of and perhaps unimaginable, the
citizens of the 20th century felt free to reinvent themselves. In
that task they were assisted by two profound developments -
psychoanalysis and the Bomb.
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33. Sports in USA
Americans pay much attention to physical fitness. Many sports
and sporting activities are popular in the USA. People participate
in swimming, skating, squash and badminton, tennis,
marathons, track-and-field, bowing, archery, skiing, skating etc.
But the five major American sports are hockey, volleyball,
baseball, football and basketball. Basketball and volleyball have
been invented in America.
There is a large choice of sports in America. This can be
explained by the size and variety of the country. Another reason
of the popularity of sports is the people's love of competition of
any kind. One more reason is that Americans use sports
activities for teaching socials values, such as teamwork and
sportsmanship. All this explains why Americans have traditionally
done well in many kinds of sports.
Some Americans like active games and others like quite games.
I think that quite games, as golf and crocket, intend for rich elite
people. Most popular games in the USA are hockey, American
football, baseball, basketball.
Opportunities for keeping fit and playing sports are numerous.
Jogging is extremely popular, perhaps because it is the cheapest
and most accessible sport. Aerobic exercise and training with
weight-lifting machines are two activities which more and more
men and women are pursuing. Books, videos, and fitness-
conscious movie stars that play up the glamour of fitness have
heightened enthusiasm for these exercises and have promoted
the muscular, healthy body as the American beauty ideal
American sports are becoming more competitive and more
profit-oriented. As a result, playing to win is emphasized more
than playing for fun. The obsession with winning causes some
people to wonder whether sports in America should be such
serious business.
34. The USA court system
The courts are the overseers of the law. They administer it, they
resolve disputes under it, and they ensure that it is and remains
equal to and impartial for everyone.
In the United States each state is served by the separate court
systems, state and federal. Both systems are organized into
three basic levels of courts-trial courts, courts of appeal and High
Court or Supreme Court.
Trial courts bear the main burden in the administration of justice.
Cases begin there and most instances are finally resolved there.
The trial courts in each state include: common pleas courts,
which have general civil and criminal jurisdiction and smaller in
importance municipal courts, country courts and mayor's courts
The main job of courts of appeal is to review cases appealed
from trial courts to determine if the law was correctly interpreted
or applied.
The Supreme Court of each state is primarily a_ court of appeal
and the court of last resort.
The federal court structure is similar to the structure of the state
court system. The trial courts in the federal system are the United
States District Courts. The United States courts of appeal are
intermediate courts of appeal between the district courts and the
United States Supreme Court.
The USA Supreme Court is the highest court in the nation and the
court of last resort. It consists of a chief justice and eight
associate justices, all of whom are appointed for life by the
President with the Advice and Consent of the Senate. The duty of
the Supreme Court is to decide whether laws passed by Congress
agree with the Constitution. The great legal issues facing the
Supreme Court at present are Government involvement with
religion, abortion and privacy rights, and race and sex
discrimination.
35. Sports in Great Britain
National sports in Great Britain... It is a very interesting question,
because many kinds of sport have taken the origin in England.
The Englishmen love sports, they are called sports-lovers in spite
of the fact that some of them neither play games nor even watch
them. They only like to speak about sports. Some kinds of sport
are professional in England. Many traditional sporting contests
take place in England, for example, cricket. It is played from May
till September.
Football, it has got a long history. Football was played by the
whole village teams in the middle ages in England. Now football
is the most popular game in Britain. It is a team game. There are
some amateur teams but most of the teams are professional
ones in England. Professional football is a big business. Football
is played at schools too.
Rugby is a popular game in England. There are many amateur
rugby teams in this country. It is a game that is played between
two teams of players using an oval ball that can be handled or
kicked. The captain of the team must be the oldest or best
player.
There are some tennis clubs in England, but if you play there it is
necessary to pay money for it. Englishmen like playing tennis but
many of them prefer to watch this game. Wimbledon it is the
centre of lawn tennis.
Englishmen pay much attention to swimming, rowing and
walking. Usually the Oxford—Cambridge Boat Race takes place at
the end of March or at the beginning of April. It is an interesting
contest between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. It is
usually held on the Thames River. The first such race was held in
1820. There were a lot of people watching this race. There are
some racing competitions in England. They are motor-car racing,
dog-racing, donkey-racing, boat-racing, horse-racing. All kinds of
racings are popular in England. It is interesting to see the egg-
and-spoon race. The runner, who takes part in this competition,
must carry an egg in a spoon. It is not allowed to drop the egg.
There are such competitions as putting the weight, tossing the
caber and others. The English are great lovers of sports.
36. History of Great Britain
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a
country of great history rich in important events and entertaining
legends connected with them. It's not enough to write several
volumes to tell the full history of the country.
That's why we'll try to answer the question where the British
come from and who they are. After 800 BC the Celts arrived from
Central Europe and opened up a new important page of the
British history. The name «Britain» comes from the name of a
Celtic tribe known as the Britons. Their influence was greatest in
Wales, Scotland and Ireland, as they were driven to these parts
by the invaders who followed them. That's why these parts of
Britain are very different from England in language, customs and
traditions. However quite soon it was attacked by Germanic
tribes: People began to call the new land of the Angles and
Saxons England. Wales, Cornwall, the northern part of Britain and
Ireland remained unconquered and preserved Celtic culture. An
important event which contributed to the unification of the
country was the adoption of Christianity in England in 664. In the
9th century the Danes attacked England. It was Alfred who
defeated the Danes making them sign a peace agreement.
The last of the invaders to come to Britain were the Normans
from France. The French language became the official language
of the ruling class for the next three centuries. This explains the
great number of French words in English.
However the final unification of Scotland and England took place
in 1707 when both sides agreed to form a single parliament in
London for Great Britain, although Scotland continued to keep its
own system of law, education and have an independent church.
Ireland was England's first colony, but even now there are
problems there connected with religion. Recently, there have
been many waves of immigration into Britain. Now
Britain is a multinational society, which benefits from the
influence of different people and cultures.
37. William Shakespeare
The last half of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th centuries
are known as the golden age of English literature. It was the time
of the English Renaissance, and sometimes it is even called "the
age of Shakespeare". William Shakespeare, the greatest and
most famous of English writers, and probably the greatest
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playwright who has ever lived, was born on the 23d of April,
1564, in Stratford-on-Avon. In sprite of his fame we know very
little about his life. At the age of six he was sent to school, but
had to leave it at the age of 13. His father, John Shakespeare,
was a glove-maker, and when he fell into debt, William had to
help him .When Shakespeare was twenty-one, he went to
London. We don't know why he left Stratford-on-Avon. There is a
story that Shakespeare's first job in London was holding rich
men's horses at the theatre door. But nobody can be sure that
this story is true. Later, Shakespeare became an actor and a
member of a very successful acting company. It's highly probable
that The Comedy of Errors, Romeo and Juliet and some other
plays by Shakespeare were performed for the first time on this
stage. Shakespeare's experience as an actor helped him greatly
in the writing of his plays. His knowledge of stage and his
poetical genius made his plays the most wonderful ones ever
written. Shakespeare wrote 37 plays: 10 tragedies (such as
Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, Macbeth), 17 comedies (such as As
You Like It, Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing), 10 historical
plays (such as Henry 4, Richard 3). He also left 7 books of poems
and sonnets. Most of Shakespeare's plays were not published in
his lifetime.
So some of them may have been lost in the fire when the "Globe"
burned down in 1613. Shakespeare spent the last years of his
life at Stratford, where he died in 1616. He was buried in the
church of Stratford. A monument was erected to the memory of
the great playwright in the Poet's Corner in Westminster Abbey.
38. New York
New York City is the capital of USA It is the most populous city in
the United States. For more than a century, it has been one of the
world's leading business, financial and cultural centers and its
influence in politics, education, entertainment, sports, media,
fashion and the arts all contribute to its status as one of the
major global cities. As the home of the United Nations, the city is
a hub for international diplomacy. Residents of the city are
known as New Yorkers.
New York has five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens,
Staten Island and the Bronx. The Bronx is famous for a zoo,
which is situated there.
Manhattan is the center of New York City. Near 1 million people
live here, but over than 5 million come here to work from all
parts of the city every day. The main street, Broadway, is also
here. And there are a lot of other famous streets which known
nationwide. Wall Street is famous for finance. Madison Avenue
means advertising, and Fifth Avenue is famous for world-class
shopping. There is a famous crossing Times Square. It famous
for Theatre district, there are more than thirty theaters there, and
every evening they play their plays.
Most of New York's skyscrapers are located on the island of
Manhattan. There are such buildings as Art Deco Chrysler
Building and there were twin towers of the World Trade Center.
One of the famous building in the world is the Statue of Liberty. It
was built in 1886. It was a present from the people of France. It
represents America's symbol of freedom!
In 2005, nearly 170 languages were spoken in the city and 36
percent of its population was born outside the United States.
New York is also known as "The City that Never Sleeps," not least
because its subway system operates around the clock and
because many neighborhoods in Manhattan, such as Times
Square, are busy at all hours.
39. Australian culture.
Since 1788, the primary basis of Australian culture has been
Anglo-Celtic, although distinctive Australian features had been
evolving from the environment and indigenous culture. Over the
past 50 years, Australian culture has been strongly influenced by
American popular culture (particularly television and cinema),
large-scale immigration from non-English-speaking countries,
and Australia's Asian neighbors. The vigor and originality of the
arts in Australia — literature, cinema, opera, music, painting,
theatre, dance, and crafts — have achieved international
recognition.
In 1973, Patrick White was awarded the Nobel Prize in
Literature, the only Australian to have achieved this; he is
recognized as one of the great English-language writers of the
20th century. Australian English is a major variety of the
language; its grammar and spelling are largely based on those of
British English, overlaid with a rich vernacular of unique lexical
items and phrases, some of which have found their way into
Standard English. Sport plays an important part in Australian
culture, assisted by a climate that favors outdoor activities;
23.5% Australians over the age of 1 5 regularly participate in
organized sporting activities. At an international level, Australia
has particularly strong teams in cricket, hockey, netball, rugby
league, rugby union, and performs well in cycling, rowing and
swimming. Nationally, other popular sports include Australian
rules football, horse racing, football (soccer) and motor .acing.
Australia has participated in every summer Olympic Games of
the modern era, and every Commonwealth Games. Australia
hosted the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne and the 2000
Summer Olympics in Sydney, and has ranked among the top five
medal-takers since 2000Televised sport is popular; some of the
highest rating television programs include the summer Olympic
Games and the grand finals of local and international football
(various codes) competitions.
40. Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and one of the most
beautiful cities in Europe. It has been the capital of Scotland
since 1437 and is the seat of the Scottish Parliament. It lies on
seven hills and goes down on those hills to the sea. The highest
hill is three hundred meters above the sea. From the street in the
centre of the city you can see ships coming to Edinburgh from
different countries of the world.
Many great men have lived and worked in this beautiful city.
Robert Burns, the great Scottish poet published his first book of
poems in Edinburgh. There is a monument to him in the city.
Walter Scott, the father of the historical novel in the world
literature, was borne in Edinburgh. The monument to Walter
Scott is in the main street of the city.
Robert Louis Stevenson, a famous English writer, was born and
lived in Edinburgh. He loved the city and wrote about it his best
novels.
Edinburgh is well-known for the annual Edinburgh Festival, a
collection of official and independent festivals held annually over
about four weeks from early August. The number of visitors
attracted to Edinburgh for the Festival, is roughly equal to the
settled population of the city. The most famous of these events
are the Edinburgh Fringe (the largest performing arts festival in
the world), the Edinburgh International Festival, the Edinburgh
Military Tattoo, and the Edinburgh International Film Festival. In
fact the city is one of the most vibrant, cosmopolitan cities in
Europe and is regularly voted as one of the most desirable places
to live in the world. This is a city that knows how to be both
ancient and modern. And a fantastic place to live.
120
CREATIVITATEA
1. Problems of the youth
Youth is the time when a person is trying to find his place in the
world
One of the problems is a generation gap. Every generation is
unique in its experience. It has its own ideals and a system of
values concerning every aspect of human life. Adults always
complain that the young are not what they were. These words are
repeated from generation to generation. The young know what
they want. They prefer to make their own mistakes rather than to
listen to the warnings of the adults. The past exists to help the
young to avoid unnecessary blurs. But they do want to have
them. The young want to live their own life. They want to
overcome their own difficulties without turning back.
Unfortunately the life of the young is frequently determined by
the adults. The adults start the war but the young die in it. And
the solution to this problem is that both the young and adults
should be tolerant and patient to each other.
Another problem of the youth is the relationship of the young
people with their friends and beloved.
The problem of love is very important for the young. It is
regrettable, but the young are not always ready to have stable
relations. For a happy family life two people must understand
and respect each other. It should be said that the young have
other problems as well. They are concerned with education,
money, employment, hobby, spending their free time,
communication, and the like. And of course one of the most
urgent problems is the accommodations problem. Few young
people in our country have their own apartments. In the main
they share the apartments with their parents even after getting
married.
In general all the problems of the youth are linked with the
present rather then with the past or future.
2. City life-advantages and disadvantages of living in
cities
Every now and then we ask ourselves whether it's better to live in
a city our in a countryside.
City life has its advantages and disadvantages. First of all, it is
easier to find work in the city than in the country, besides,
salaries are much higher and one has a larger variety of jobs to
pick from. Moreover, cities are the centers of culture and social
life. Living in a city one has all sorts of museums, theatres,
exhibitions, movie theatres, pubs, restaurants at their command.
Therefore there are a lot more free time facilities than in rural
areas.
Cities are also centers of education. Many young people move to
cities because there are more opportunities for continuing their
education there. Usually country's largest and best universities
are located in big cities.
Another advantage it better living conditions. In the city people
live in more modern houses which need less work doing to them.
That saves a great part of their time and effort. Among the
disadvantages there are crime, pollution, high prices, enormous
traffic jams and overcrowded streets and subway and of course
the threat of the present - terrorism. From the point of view of
ecology cities are not the best place to live in. Garbage and
sewage are two major problems of cities as well as air and water
pollution.
Besides it's not safe in terms of crime. For example, it is
dangerous in big cities to walk back home late in the evening.
One can either get robbed of their purse, jewelry or mobile phone
or even get attacked, for example. One has to watch out for
pickpockets even in the daylight. Of course city life has a lot of
advantages and disadvantages, but if you get tired of social life,
it is always a great pleasure to go to a country side with a
beautiful and green view The atmosphere of rural life is also
great as when you get there it seems that time goes by slowly
and there is no need to hurry.
3. A question of taste. Fashion
Fashion is something we deal with everyday. Even people, who
say they don't care what they wear, choose clothes every
morning that say a lot about them and how they feel that day.
However, we definitely get fashion ideas from music clips,
videos, books and television. Movies also have a big impact on
what people wear. For example it is known that more sunglasses
were sold in America after the movie Man in Black.
Depending on their attitude towards clothes and fashion, people
can be divided in three groups: fashion slaves, spending all their
money on the latest clothes even if they don't look good in them;
fashion fans, who enjoy wearing modern clothes but not
obsessed by them; people that just do not care the way they
look;
Of course there are big companies that do not allow people to
come at work in what they want, they have to respect the dress
code, registered in the policy of each big company. According to
the dress code, an employee is not allowed to wear certain items
of clothing to work.
For example, men are supposed to wear ties and business suits,
and nobody is allowed to wear jeans, except on Fridays. Women's
clothes are not supposed to be skintight, too short and too open.
All of the shirts are supposed to have collars. Clothes also can't
be too bright, the colors should correspond to the corporate
colors - dark blue and white.
4. Love means different things to different people
The subject of love is one that has inspired poets, writers, those
lucky in love and those who have been passed over by
Cupid...Love has been defined as wise, silly, profound, bitter,
funny...It seems as if each and one of us has a different
understanding of love, or at least the attitude to love varies
greatly from person to person.. It may be a surprising revelation
to some of us, because love has traditionally been considered to
be something that unites people( at least that's what I've been
taught).And yet, there's no use denying the fact that love has as
many definitions as there are human beings on this planet. And
it doesn't necessarily mean that love no longer unites people. It
just means that love has different dimensions, different sides
that reflect our understanding of life.
But personally, I can't let myself be cynical about love. Maybe I'm
too young and inexperienced, but I believe it's a great feeling.
Some say that love is the true meaning of our life, that love is all
it's cracked up to be.
They also say that "love is the master key that opens the gates of
happiness". I can't but agree. Love is something that makes us
tender, and affectionate, and caring...It's when another person's
needs become more important than yours and you don't see it as
a burden. It's when you do your best to make each other's lives
somewhat easier in this troublesome world...
Love is a feeling that makes you stronger and helps you get
through a crisis. It's something I can't imagine my life without.
5. Books in our lives
Despite the increase in TV watching and the developing of World
Wide Web, reading is still very important. So I don't think books
need to be rescued. Reading both entertains and educates
people. Books help us to discover new things and explore new
ideas.
The book is the surest way to bring nations together. It gives us
an insight not only into the past, but also into the future. The
book is a faithful and undemanding friend: it can be put aside
and taken up again at any moment. Reading is the perfect way
to relax and spend your free time. Books portray life in its
richness, so they develop reader's imagination and arouse
curiosity, admiration. Sometimes they even can help to solve
difficult problems of life.
I become very keen on literature early in life. This probably
happened because we had a very good and widely read library in
home. Books stirred my imagination, expanded the boundaries
of the familiar world and filled my life with great expectations of
joy and happiness
120
I'm fond of reading and I've read a lot of books of different
genres. And certainly I have my favorite book. It is the story by
Agatha Christie - "The murder of Roger Ackroyd". Some critics
say that Agatha Christie introduced a novelty in this work,
because the murder is a storyteller. In the "The murder of Roger
Ackroyd" the main characters and environment are typical for
1920th in England. The action takes place in a country house.
The author shows us its owner with his habits, relatives and
neighbors. All this is presented vividly and brightly. One of the
main heroes of the book Hercules Poirot gets over a lot of
problems before catching a murder.
Excitement, suspense, horror, revenge, and extraordinary talent,
astounding calmness of Hercules Poirot fill this book. "The
murder of Roger Ackroyd" has made a great impression on me.
And nowadays it makes really unforgettable impressive reading.
6. Things I dislike in my school
I like my school very much because I have spent the best years of
my short life there. But in spite of it I dislike the whole system of
education.
What concerns my school the pupils are not free in their choice
of the subjects. And they are forced to study the subjects they are
not interested in and it takes them too much time to learn the
subjects unnecessary for their future life. They could spend this
time working on the subjects which will be needed for their
future profession.
Besides, every day we have two breaks of 1 0 minutes and two
breaks of 1 5 minutes at school. But 1 5 minutes is not enough
to have a lunch for the pupils. They are always in a hurry eating
their lunch. It causes diseases connected with stomach. It should
be mention that our lessons start at 8 o'clock. But the pupils
have to come to school ten minutes to 8 to do morning exercises.
I think there is not necessary to do them because on the one
hand some pupils do such exercises at home every morning and
on the other hand it is not comfortable to do exercises in our
school clothes.
I think too many pupils study in every class. Most of them sit far
from the blackboard. And sometimes they can't
Keep your wrists in a natural, unforced, straight position.
7. A Child
A child is the charming, creature. He is the sense, of QUI life. We
cannot imagine our being without him and therefore we guard
him by day and by night. But who knows what vices can be grown
up in this innocent soul. It's possible him to be a great misfortune
or even a disaster.
There a lot of such experience
No, I'm not talking about the children becoming criminals but
about the "normal" children making life with them completely
intolerable. They bother, disturb, shout, cry, run around you don't
giving even a minute for rest. Their curiosity and plays could
cause the terrible consequences.
The electricity often attracts children. They like to shove fingers
into the socket, to cut the wires, to shake the lustres, to twist the
electrical lamps, etc. "Daddy, Show me how computer works", -
said the son shoving by screwdriver into the system block. "What
have you done? It costs a small fortune", - cried poor daddy
looking at the black clouds of smoke rising above the system
block. "He is just a child", -explains mother her son's behavior.
Everything starting by deodorants and finishing by the video's
remote control presents a danger in children's hands. It seems
for them that everything what they see is the toys and of course
want to play.
But the "toys" sometimes could be by no means harmless. For
example, mentioned above deodorant can explode in the fire or
just in the strong sun and cause the severe injures. By paper, by
simple paper a child can cut his soft flesh and cause the
hemorrhage. Because of that we have to protect them from
theirs own curiosity.
Prevent a misfortune! That should be our device.
After all a Woman and a Child are only for which is worthy to live.
8. Role of woman in society
The ongoing changes in social, political and economic spheres of
the country entails not only the raise of women's role in society,
in addition they are accompanied by breaking of stereotypes to
treat human beings by sex that had been shaping through
decades. Free economic relations and temcsatvrato.of.aU.sj^xejcea.at
Ivte,cw&te$ftbasis, eventual equal social rights for any human being
regardless of six-foot both of men and women.
'From a tegar potnr of view, a man ancf a woman r'n our country
are equal. However, in practice, there are no real mechanisms of
women's rights fulfillment as well as for their active participation
in social life.
Housework, chores and raising children are generally considered
to belong to a woman's domain. Despite the fact that birthrates
in the country have been falling, children are obstacles in the
labor market. It is understandable that women decide to defer
having children later or do not have children at all. Along with
that, there is a lack of knowledge about modem contraception
and a correspondingly large number of abortions. However, the
number of women taking part in the country's political, economic
and civic life shows that women are restricted in the spheres of
politics and government. Women's salaries are on average lower
than men's, and women are likewise far more likely to fall victim
to violence and unemployment
So, the main goals are protection of women's rights and
elimination of discrimination in society; widening women's
participation in policy decision-making processes on the local,
regional and national levels; support for cooperation between
women's organizations on the national and international arenas;
widening access to international resources and experience of
women's organizations on an international level.
9. It is science that does us good or does it bring disaster?
To answer the question whether science does us good or does it
bring disaster isn't a simple task. We should take into
consideration many facts. On the one hand a lot of outstanding
discoveries made the life of the people more comfortable and
pleasant. Without scientific discoveries and inventions no
progress would be possible. Thanks to
Recent evidence has shown that heavy and even moderate
drinking during pregnancy can cause serious damage to the
unborn child: physical or mental retardation, or both; a rare but
severe expression of this damage is known as fetal alcohol
syndrome.
10. Homelessness
Homelessness is a huge problem in the whole world. In poor
countries, so called "third world countries" you can meet
homeless people on every corner. That's why government of
"third world counties" tries to solve this problem by building more
homes and shelters.
Ministry of Health encountered with many strange diseases
caused by unsanitary conditions of living. Homeless people eat
from dirty waste, drink from not clean creeks or even puddles.
Huge wave of sickness grabbed streets of India, Nigeria, Nepal,
Somali and many, many other "third world countries"
Unfortunately diseases and viruses is not only problem caused by
homelessness. Statistic shows that level of crimes is much
higher in those countries and cities where the major issue is
homelessness. So homeless people don't have places to work,
government pays not enough money for living. Charities and
donations also to not enough to live a good life, that's why
homeless people go the wrong way to get some money for living.
People steel money from those who's richer than they are.
Sometimes robberies end up with serious injuries or even
homicide. Crime is another problem caused by homelessness
and homeless people.
Government has all power to help homeless people and solve the
problem with homelessness. Government doesn't have to make
more charities for homeless people, but it should make more
activities, which involves homeless people themselves. Build
more houses and shelters or even temporary places of living, it'll
120
help to solve the issue with living place. It is for sure that civil
volunteers will help with money and many other activities.
I don't know. But problem of homelessness must be solved!
People must not loose their conscience and help their brothers
and sisters on the streets.
11. Computers and Health
Within the past two years, substantial media attention has been
directed at potential adverse health effects of long-term
computer use. People that spend most of the time working at
computers should pay attention at the following factors:
Light and glare- Eyestrain, headaches, and impaired vision are
often a product of improper illumination resulting in glare, which
is light within the field of vision that is brighter than other objects
to which the eyes are adapted.
A NIOSH study recommends 200-500 lux for general office work;
other sources suggest 500-700 lux for light characters on dark
monitors and somewhat more for dark-on-light. If documents are
not sufficiently illuminated, desk lights are recommended in
preference to ceiling lights, which increase reflections from video
screens
Breaks and exercises- Working in the same position for too long
causes tension buildup and is thought to increase the risk of
repetitive motion injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome.
Remedies include changing postures frequently, performing
other work interspersed with computing (some studies
recommend a 1 0 - 1 5 minute break from the keyboard every
hour), and doing exercises such as tightening and releasing fists
and rotating arms and hands to increase circulation.
In summary we may say that we hear a lot about hazards
associated with working with computers, and learn from
experience that long hours at the keyboard can bring on
eyestrain and various aches and pains. Fortunately, there are
measures that really do work:
Use the minimum force necessary to press the keys.
Vary your tasks during the day to avoid sitting in one position for
several hours or performing the same hand motions without
interruption.
Take periodic breaks. Keep your wrists in a natural, unforced,
straight position.
12. A Child
A child is the charming creature. He is the sense of our life. We
cannot imagine our being without him and therefore we guard
him by day and by night. But who knows what vices can be grown
up in this innocent soul. It's possible him to be a great misfortune
or even a disaster.
There a lot of such experience
No, I'm not talking about the children becoming criminals but
about the "normal" children making life with them completely
intolerable. They bother, disturb, shout, cry, run around you don't
giving even a minute for rest. Their curiosity and plays could
cause the terrible consequences.
The electricity often attracts children. They like to shove fingers
into the socket, to cut the wires, to shake the lustres, to twist the
electrical lamps, etc. "Daddy, Show me how computer works", -
said the son shoving by screwdriver into the system block. "What
have you done? It costs a small fortune", - cried poor daddy
looking at the black clouds of smoke rising above the system
block. "He is just a child", -explains mother her son's behavior.
Everything starting by deodorants and finishing by the video's
remote control presents a danger in children's hands. It seems
for them that everything what they see is the toys and of course
want to play.
But the "toys" sometimes could be by no means harmless. For
example, mentioned above deodorant can explode in the fire or
just in the strong sun and cause the severe injures. By paper, by
simple paper a child can cut his soft flesh and cause the
hemorrhage. Because of that we have to protect them from
theirs own curiosity.
Prevent a misfortune! That should be our device.
After all a Woman and a Child are only for which is worthy to live.
13. Role of woman in society
The ongoing changes in social, political and economic spheres of
the country entails not only the raise of women's role in society,
in addition they are accompanied by breaking of stereotypes to
treat human beings by sex that had been shaping through
decades. Free economic relations and democratization of all
spheres of life create the basis for eventual equal social rights for
any human being regardless of six-foot both of men and women.
'From a legal point of view, a man and a woman in our country
are equal. However, in practice, there are no real mechanisms of
women's rights fulfillment as well as for their active participation
in social life.
Housework, chores and raising children are generally considered
to belong to a woman's domain. Despite the fact that birthrates
in the country have been falling, children are obstacles in the
labor market. It is understandable that women decide to defer
having children later or do not have children at all. Along with
that, there is a lack of knowledge about modern contraception
and a correspondingly large number of abortions. However, the
number of women taking part in the country's political, economic
and civic life shows that women are restricted in the spheres of
politics and government. Women's salaries are on average lower
than men's, and women are likewise far more likely to fall victim
to violence and unemployment
So, the main goals are protection of women's rights and
elimination of discrimination in society; widening women's
participation in policy decision-making processes on the local,
regional and national levels; support for cooperation between
women's organizations on the national and international arenas;
widening access to international resources and experience of
women's organizations on an international level.
14. It is science that does us good or does it bring disaster?
To answer the question whether science does us good or does it
bring disaster isn't a simple task. We should take into
consideration many facts. On the one hand a lot of outstanding
discoveries made the life of the people more comfortable and
pleasant. Without scientific discoveries and inventions no
progress would be possible. Thanks to discovery of electricity we
can listen to the radio, watch TV, see films, people learned how
to produce steel and metal alloys -now we use railways and
airplanes.
Development of chemistry led to new synthetic fibers and people
got more clothing and food. People learned to use scientific
achievements in curing incurable earlier diseases.
But on the other hand such outstanding discoveries of the 20th
century as atom fission led to creation of the weapons of mass
destruction. We should say that science has a potential for both
good and evil.
Alfred Nobel invented a new explosive (dynamite) to improve the
peacetime industries of road building, but saw it used as a
weapon of war to kill and injure his fellow men.
His greatest wish, however, was to see an end to wars, and thus
between nations, and he spent much time and money working
for this cause, until his death in 1896. His famous will in which
he left money to provide prizes for outstanding discoveries in
Physics, Chemistry, Physiology, Medicine, Literature and Peace,
is a memorial to his interests and ideals.
Medical men use laser to cure and investigate diseases and the
same time laser can be used for destruction.
Achievements of biology and chemistry are also used to cause
damage to people.
All this shows that science can take good forms and evil forms.
What form does it take depends on the way people work with
science. It is impossible to stop progress, to stop people to
investigate and explore the world. But people should care it
wouldn't be led in wrong direction.
120
15. Global Warming
"Global warming" has been introduced by the scientific
community and the media as the term that encompasses all
potential changes in climate that result from higher average
global temperatures. Hundreds of scientists from many different
countries are working to understand global warming and have
come to a consensus on several important aspects. In general,
Global warming will produce far more profound climatic changes
than simply a rise in global temperature.
An analysis of temperature records shows that the Earth was
warmed an average of 0.5°C over the past 100 years.
For the past 1 5 0 years, though, the atmospheric concentrations
of these gases, particularly carbon dioxide, nave been rising. As a
result, more heat is being trapped than previously, which in turn
is causing the global temperature to rise. Climate scientists have
linked the increased levels of heat-trapping gases in the
atmosphere to human activities, in particular the burning of
fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas for heating and electricity;
gasoline for transportation), deforestation, cattle ranching, and
rice "'arming.
As the Earth's climate is the result of extremely complex
interactions, scientists still cannot predict the exact impact on
the earth's climate of these rising levels of heat-trapping gases
over the next century. The current best estimate is that f carbon
dioxide concentrations double over preindustrial levels, according
to the scientific possible scenarios, an atmospheric doubling of
carbon dioxide could occur as early as 2050.
16. Advantages and disadvantages of TV and
Advertisements
We talk to various people from different countries about their
attitudes about TV and advertisement. Does TV educate or
stimulate? Or it is a drug or tranquilizer used to control the
population. TV is a very expensive medium and many countries
don't have the technology and the money to make their own
television programs. The result is that most countries are
dependent on TV of Britain and America. How do people usually
answer the question: "What are you going to do tonight?" or
"What are you going to do at the weekend?" In other words how
do people spend their free time?
Some 20 or 30 years ago the usual answers used to be "We are
going to the theatre" or "We are going to the party" or "We are
having some friends round". Now you are very often hearing "We
are going to stay at home and watch the television".
Modern TV offers viewers several programs on different
channels. In addition to regular newscasts you see plays and
films, operas and ballets and watch all kinds of contests, quizzes
and sporting events. You can also get a lot of useful information
of the educational channels. In the conclusion we may say, TV
most definitely plays a very important part in people's life, but is
this a good thing or a bad one? Don't we go out less often, and
then we used to? Don't we read less?
What are the functions of advertisements? The first one to
mention is to inform.
The second function is to sell. The products are shown from the
best point of view and the potential buyer, on having entered the
store, unconsciously chooses the advertised products. One buys
this washing powder or this chewing gum, because the colorful
TV commercials convince him of the best qualities of the product.
Thus despite our dissatisfaction when being bombarded by all
the advertisers' information we must admit that they do perform
a useful service to society, and advertisements the same as TV
are an essential part of our everyday life.
17. Books
Except for a living man there is nothing more wonderful than
books. They teach us and open their hearts for us. We learn
many things by reading books. They make the world much larger
for us. They tell us how great and wonderful man is. Books
expand the boundaries of the familiar world for us.
Some books arouse our interest, delight, feelings of curiosity and
admiration, some make us think which is very important and
demand great erudition on the part of the readers, some
entertain, amuse us giving pleasure and delight. We can hardly
read some books and stories for laughing and some dramas and
romances for tears.
Books arouse different emotions in us; they penetrate deep into
our souls and hearts. We love and suffer, feel sympathy or
indignation, cry or laugh, struggle and reach success together
with the characters of the books. Books have a great impact on
our characters. We are influenced by good examples, they add to
molding of our characters and forming our moral values. Books
give food for our mind and warmth for our soul. We should love
books as they are the sources of knowledge and can make us
strong, intelligent, and well educated.
There are different kinds of books, which appeal to different
kinds of readers. They are science-fiction and fantasy stories,
detective and spy stories, tales and fairytales, books about
animals and nature, adventure books and Dooks about travels,
humorous stories, historical dramas, Diographies and
autobiographies, essays. It's so nice to read ooems which
gradually are unfolding and revealing their rich inner self, as one
reads them again and over again.
Readers can be divided into some groups. The most popular
group is people who read fantastic stories. Another not so
popular, but a very interesting group is people who prefer
romantic and detective stories. And the last group is people who
like to read non-fiction literature. There are many other small
groups, but those three is bigger than others.
18. Smoking
Smoking is a big social issue in many countries nowadays widely
discussed in newspapers, radio and TV-shows.
The practice of smoking tobacco originated among Native
Americans in eastern North America, where tobacco is native. It
was adopted by many Europeans following the colonization of
the Americas.
According to the World Health Organization, it is most common
in East Asia, where as many as two-thirds of all adult males
smoke tobacco. Because of concern over the health effects of
tobacco smoking, the practice has rapidly declined in recent
years in the United States, Canada and Western Europe.
However, statistics show that at least a quarter of people even in
these regions continue to smoke, and there is no indication
smoking will go away completely.
Tobacco may be smoked in several forms, the most common
being the cigarette, the cigar, and the pipe. Cigarette smoking is
the most common. Pipes and cigars are less common, and some
stereotype these as exclusively for men. The hookah or water
pipe is used in the Middle East.
Medical research has found that smoking is a major contributing
factor towards many human health problems, especially lung
cancer, heart attack, and other disorders. Smoking is not
supported by many people in the world, for the most part by the
non-smokers.
In addition, in many countries some jurisdictions impose
restrictions on where smoking is allowed. Several European
countries such as the Republic of Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Italy,
Spain and Scotland have legislated against smoking in public
places, often including bars and restaurants.
Still, many people continue smoking. People start smoking for
different reasons. Some say they smoke in order to relax, rest
and distract from their daily stress. I think that most of the
minors smoke in order to be like everybody else, to be cool and
become a grown up.
I am very tolerant towards smokers as long as they don't smoke
in my presence and it's of no harm to me. Of course it's very
harmful for them, but it's their own life and their own choice.
19. The younger generation knows best
Old people are always saying that the young are not what they
were. The same comment is made from generation to generation
and it is always true. It has never been truer that it is today. The
young are better educated. They have more money to spend and
enjoy their freedom. They grow up more quickly.
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The old always assume that they know best from the simple
reason that they have been around a bit longer. They don't like to
feel that their values are being questioned or threatened. And
this is precisely that the young are doing. They take leave to
doubt that the older generation has created the best of all
possible worlds. What they reject more than anything is
conformity.
Office hours, for instance, are nothing more than enforced
slavery. Would not people work better if they were given
complete freedom and responsibility? And what about clothing?
Who said that all the men in the world should wear dull grey suits
and short haircuts? If we turn our minds to more serious matters,
why have the older generation so often used violence to solve
their problems? Why are they so unhappy and guilt-ridden in their
personal lives, so obsessed with mean ambitious and the desire
to amass more and more material possessions? Can anything be
right with the rat-race? Haven't the old lost touches with all that it
is important in life?
These are not questions the older generation can shrug off
lightly. Their record over the past forty years or so hasn't been
exactly spotless. Traditionally the young have turned to their
elders for guidance. Today the situation might be reversed. The
old- if they are prepared to admit it - could learn a thing or two
from their children.
One of the biggest lessons they could learn is that enjoyment is
not "sinful". Enjoyment is a principle one could apply to all
aspects of life. It is surely not wrong to enjoy your work and enjoy
your leisure; to shed restricting inhibitions. It is surely not wrong
to life in the present rather than in the past or future.
20. Childhood is certainly not the happiest time of your life
It's about time somebody exploded that hoary old might about
childhood being the happiest period of your life. Childhood might
certainly be fairly happy, but its greatest moments can't compare
with the sheer joy of being an adult. Who ever asked a six- year
old for an opinion? Children don't have opinions, or if they do
nobody notice. Adults choose the clothes their children will wear,
the books they will read and the friends they will play with.
Mother and father are kindly but absolute dictators.
For all the nostalgic remarks you hear, which adult would
honestly change places with a child? Think of the years at school:
the years living in constant fear of examinations and school
report. Every movement you make, every thought you think is
observed by some critical adult who may draw
unflattering conclusions about your character. Think of the
curfews, the martial law, the times you had to go early to bed, do
as you were told, and eat disgusting stuff that was supposed to
be good for you. Remember how "gentle" pressure was applied
with remarks like "if you don't do as I say, I will..." and a dire
warning would follow.
What a relief it is to grow up. Suddenly you regain your balance;
the worlds open up before you. You are free to choose; you have
your own place to live in and your own money to spend. You do
not have to seek constant approval for everything you do. You are
no longer teased, punished or ridiculed by heartless adults
because you failed to come to some theoretical kind of standard.
And if on occasion you are teased, you know how to deal with it.
You can simply tell other adults to go to hell: you are on yourself.
21. TV in my life
TV is very important thing in our life. We can say that TV is our
eyes because TV helps us to know more about the world, about
the others counties, about the events that happened in the world.
TV even helps you to know more about yourself. I like to watch TV
very much. I can do that all day, that's why sometimes my
mother makes me turn off TV. We have a lot of TV channels, they
are: NTV, MTV, ORT, TVR1, TVM, PROTV and others. I also have
few KOSMOS TV's channels, for example: Cartoon network,
Discovery channel, TVE, and BBC. I like some of them and hate
others. So here are some words about the channels that I like.
So, my favorite channel is MTV. MTV is a music channel. 24 hours
a day of music, can you believe it? I like to listen music very
much, and sometimes I even make myself the music, that is why
I enjoy watching MTV. I also like NTV. I also like several foreigner
channels, especially Euro sport. And you know why! Cartoon
network is not bad, but I think that it's better for children - not for
me.
I think that all teenagers of my age like to watch MTV or other
entertainment channels. But I have to say that I like also the
channels that show news, I watch also in order to get informed
with all that is happening in my country but also abroad. I think
that adults usually like to watch more informational channels
rather than channels with cartoons or music...
Usually adults like Euro news or BBC channels, which is one of
the best information's channels in the whole world. The Bush
house is a headquarters of the BBC World Service. Form this
building the BBC broadcasts radio programmers to the whole
world. All news in the BBC are checked at least twice before it is
broadcasting. That's why the World Service is not always popular
with governments.
Cause of our different tastes, sometimes my family has a
problem with choosing channels. Somebody thinks that TV is
bad, but I don't think so. I believe that in the future TV will be
better and everyone will like it.
22. Medicines and health.
You have a sound mind in a solid body, as an Old Latin saying
goes. The English proverb "Sickness in the body brings sickness
to the mind, expresses the similar idea, but from the different
point of view.
Physical exercises are good pastime. That is true that good
health is better than the best medicine. If you do early exercises
you feel refreshed you have a good posture and that makes you
felled so pay attentions to the way you stand waken sit. Here
some rules for good health.
Take long walks in the open air as often as you can.
Keep your body clean.
Keep your teeth clean.
Wear clean clothes.
Sleep with your window open.
There is nothing more unpleasant than being taking ill. If you are
running a temperature, have a splitting headache feel dizzy or
cough you go and see a doctor or send for him at once. Certainly,
he or she will prescribe some medicine which you can get made
up at chemists [drug-store] At chemist's shop you can get
different kinds of medicines: pulls, tablets, ointments and many
other things. I remember one of my most serious illnesses. It was
four years ago.
Illness started unexpectedly. Early in the morning I woke up and
felt dizzy and feverish. I had a splitting headache and terrible
cough. My nose was running. I was sneezing all the time. I could
hardly recognize my own voice. Besides I was running a high
temperature. The doctor asked me to strip to the waist, then
sounded my lungs, felt my pulse, examined the throat. I had
phenomena and I was to be taken to the hospital. I had to stay
for a month there and obliged to get a lot of penicillin injections.
In the long run I recovered of course. But most of all I'm afraid of
visiting a dentist. Toothache can't be compared with anything
else. Extracting a tooth or having a tooth field is quite common
things but now painful.
23. Nature protection
Computers project that between now and the year of 2030 we
are going to have increase of the average temperature between
1,5—4,5 Degrees C. Sea levels would rise by several meters,
flooding coastal areas and ruining vast tracts of farmland. Water
contamination could lead to shortages of safe drinking water. It
looks like the end of civilization on the Earth. For hundreds of
thousands of years the human race has thriven in Earth's
environment. But now, at the end of the 20th century, we are at a
crucial turning point. We have upset nature's sensitive
equilibrium releasing harmful substances into the air, polluting
rivers and oceans with industrial waste and tearing up the
countryside to accommodate our rubbish. These are the
consequences of the development of civilization. United Nations
Environment Program (UNEP) concentrates its activities on these
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issues. Acid Measures are to be taken. We have only a few years
to attempt to turn things around. We must review our wasteful,
careless ways, we must consume less, recycle more, conserve
wildlife and nature, act according to the dictum «think locally,
think globally, act locally».
To my mind, we are obliged to remove factories and plants from
cities, use modern technologies, redesign and modify purifying
systems for cleaning and trapping harmful substances, protect
and increase the greenery and broaden ecological education.
These are the main practical measures, which must he taken in
order to improve the ecological situation. Some progress has
been already made in this direction. 159 countries-members of
the UNO have set up environmental protection agencies. They
hold conferences discussing ecological problems, set up
environmental research centers and take practical urgent
measures to avoid ecological catastrophe.
There are numerous public organizations such as Greenpeace
that are doing much to preserve environment. The 5th of June is
proclaimed the World Environmental Day by the UNO and is
celebrated every year.
24. Traveling.
Modern life is impossible without traveling.
Millions of people all over the world spend their holidays
traveling. Such people are very fond of traveling and have the
sense of adventure. They travel to see other continents and
countries, modern cities and the ruins of ancient towns. They
travel to enjoy picturesque places or just for a change of scene.
It's always interesting to discover new things, different ways of
life, to meet different people, to try to different food, to listen to
different musical rhythms.
People travel by boat, by train, by plane or on foot.
All means of travel have their advantages and disadvantages.
And people choose one according to their plans and destinations.
If we are fond of traveling we see and learn a lot of things that
we can never see at home, though we may read about them in
books and newspapers, or on TV. Traveling by air is more popular
in our days than other ways of traveling. You can see many
continents and oceans, countries and rivers, cities and lakes.
I enjoy staying at a hotel. It is more comfortable to stay there.
You can enjoy being alone, to take a hot shower, to sleep in
warm bed and many other advantages. Some people enjoy
camping in tents. Of course, the weather must be good for that.
There is nothing worse than camping in rain. If you want to travel,
first, you must look through some advertisement. Some people
like to go on one place and spend their holidays there. The place
may be an interesting city, a picturesque village or some other
attractive place. Others believe in seeing as much as possible in
the time they have.
I think that our education becomes richer when you travel, meet
new people, because you can see new things which you never
seen in your life before and besides by traveling and sightseeing
we can get to know the world around us.
25. My favorite holiday
Every nation has its own customs and long-lived traditions. There
is a great number of exciting events which are held in every
country throughout the year. Such events of national importance
unite people, make them feel proud of their nation. Each family
is like a little country with its own traditions. So we celebrate all
holidays in a very special way and it keeps our family together in
spirit. Our most favorite holiday is Christmas. We celebrate it on
the 25th of December. Preparation for Christmas are always
pleasant: buying gifts, sending Christmas cards and decorating
Christmas tree with small, bright-colored lights and small colored
glass ornaments. The cookies and cakes are very special not only
because of the cream but also because of their form and color.
For example, they look like Christmas-trees, funny smiling faces,
or teddy-bears. When the meal is ready the real Christmas comes
with the big family dinner, gifts, candles, sweets and illumination.
In our family this dinner is very important, all the members
should be present. I believe that on this day if you make a wish
staying next to the Christmas tree it will undoubtedly come true,
just because it is Christmas. Usually we celebrate this holiday in
a family circle but sometimes we invite our relatives and close
friends to the party. Next morning after Christmas we all are
looking for the sweets which the Santa puts into the Christmas
stoking. I don't really believe in Santa but I believe that
Christmas is a very unusual holiday when the wonders happen
and all dreams may come true. My family strongly believes in
rules and traditions. All my life is filled with traditions which have
been set by my grand-grand parents long ago. We have traditions
in fashion, in food, in behavior and in all other aspects of life.
26. Ecological problems
The Earth is the only planet in the solar system where there is
life. If you look down at the Earth from a plane you will see how
wonderful our planet is. You will see blue seas and oceans, rivers
and lakes, high snow-capped mountains, green forests and
fields. But now the situation changed.
One of the most important pollution problems is the oceans.
Many ships sail in the ocean water- fishing ships, some ships
carrying people, some carrying oil. If a ship loses some of the oil
in the water, or waste from the ships in put into the ocean, the
water becomes dirty. Many sea birds die because of the polluted
water. Many fish are dying in the sea, others are getting
contaminated. Fishermen catch contaminated fish which may be
sold in markets, and people may get sick from eating them.
Another important problem is air pollution. Cars and factories
pollute the air we use. Their fume also destroys the ozone layer
which protects the Earth from the dangerous light of the Sun. The
other problem is that our forests are dying from acid rains.
Deforestation, especially destruction of tropical forests, affects
the balance of nature in many ways. It kills animals, changes the
climate and ecosystem in the world.
What can be done to protect nature? I believe that environment
disasters can be avoided if people broaden ecological education
and every person understands that the beauty of nature is
extremely fragile and people must obey the unwritten laws of
nature. Governments must be prepared to take action against
pollution. Air pollution could be reduced if plants and factories
were made to fit effective filters on chimneys and car exhausts.
27. Hippie fashion
Today, the fashion world has once again discovered the
wonderful styles from the '60s. We've come full circle and
clothes are not the only part of hippie Dom to resurface for the
new millennium. It's a symbol of the resurgence of hippie values
in their culture.
In the '60s, without warning, hippies turned fashion upside down
and inside out. They brought a tsunami of new styles and colors
into fashion like never before. From the Haight-Ashbury to
London to Katmandu, the hippies took fashion on an eye-popping
psychedelic journey. Many new fashions emanated from San
Francisco and London to some extent. The fashion leaders were
the icons of our day. Rock 'n roll stars like Jimmy Hendrix and
The Beatles appeared in public and on record albums in all sorts
of colorful costumes. The elements that went into the hippy
wardrobe were only limited by their psychedelic imaginations.
Bellbottoms ruled the day, from striped, to blue jeans to
patchwork, to hip huggers, even leather pants were popular.
Women wore saris from India and sarongs from Bali and Java.
Velvet, leather, batik, denim, Indian cotton and silk were all
popular fabrics. Accessories included love beads, bandannas,
leather vests, jackets with frills, and granny glasses. Jewelry,
especially if made of silver from Mexico, India or Morocco was
essential. The typical hippy vehicle was a VW bus or van or bug.
Small campers and even school buses were converted into living
space for one to a dozen people. These were often painted .Food
is an important part of every culture. Hippies developed their own
cuisine, a mishmash of Indian, American, Middle Eastern,
Mexican, Italian and Asian with an emphasis on vegetarian.
Hippies influenced not only clothes but a wide range of ideas and
attitudes thus changing society in the process.
28. The philosophy should meet the challenge of the new
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millennium.
Everyone lives his own life relying on some ideas, thoughts and
some beliefs. Some people call such ideas "philosophy" of life.
Even if a person says that he doesn't live according to some rules
or ideas, he defines himself as a follower of such "never-care"
philosophy.
Throughout the history people have got to know famous people,
called philosophers, who "taught" people how to live.
The main thing for people became choosing which "philosophy"
to follow. They missed one thing: the main thing was to choose
which philosophy was RIGHT.
Today we see many different people who live in different places,
in different cultures, belonging to different groups following
different teachings. Each of such people believes that he follows
the right philosophy and those who live differently are wrong.
Very few of them try to understand others' philosophy of life.
Most of them try to criticize others' ideas, claiming that only
theirs are true.
The philosophy should meet the challenge of the new
millennium...
The new millennium is not so much different from the old one.
People are still quarrelling, killing, lying and dying. People are
still in need of the most essential thing to rely on: they are in
need of LOVE, the only thing that will save the world. The
philosophy must teach people to love each other. Not that love
that Sigmund Freud told us about, I'm talking about REAL LOVE,
when people don't even think about quarrelling, deceiving, killing
and envying just because they love each other. People today are
not aware of that enormous lack of love in their hearts - they are
too busy living their life full of hatred and rudeness. The
philosophy should meet the challenge of the new millennium...
There should be at least one person to start living according to
"new" philosophy, one day he will be noticed and taken for
example. Who is that person?
29. Identity. I am who I am.
Personal identity-it deals with questions about ourselves qua
people (or persons). The most common question is what it takes
for us to persist from one time to another. What is necessary,
and what is sufficient, for some past or future being to be you?
But there are other questions of equal interest and importance.
Many are familiar thoughts that occur to everyone at some time:
What am I? When did I begin? What will happen to me when I
die? Philosophical discussions of personal identity go right back
to the origin of the discipline, and most major figures have had
something to say about it.
There is no one problem of personal identity, but a range of
loosely related problems. Discussions that go by the name of
personal identity are most often about questions like these: Who
am I? - We often speak of one's "personal identity" as what
makes one the person one is. Your identity in this sense consists
roughly of those attributes that make you unique as an individual
and different from others. Or it is the way you see or define
yourself. Your individual psychological identity is a property that
you might have for a while and then lose. You could acquire a
new identity, or perhaps carry on without one.
Person hood- What is it to be a person? What is necessary, and
what is sufficient, for something to count as a person, as
opposed to a non-person? What would it take for a chimpanzee
or a Martian or an electronic computer to be a person, if they
could ever be?
What matters- What is the practical importance of facts about
our identity and persistence? Imagine that surgeons are going to
put your brain into my head, and that neither of us has any
choice about this. Will the resulting person (who will think he is
you) be responsible for my actions, or for yours? Or both? Or
neither?
That completes our survey. Though these questions are related,
they are different, and it is important not to run them together.
What they have in common that makes them all questions about
personal identity is difficult to say.
30. Tastes differ
The word "taste" has several meanings. One of them is a physical
sense of perception, as, for example, in "It tastes so sweet, try it!"
Taste may also be defined as aesthetic feeling towards
something or understanding, for example "she developed a taste
for music" - which means that she became fond of music.
We often hear people say "this thing is tasteful or tasteless" or
"this person has good taste" or "his taste is bad".
This means that all of us have some kind of a taste, which is
determined by the way we were brought up, by the time when we
were growing. It also depends on the culture we are living in, on
our age and on the people we are surrounded by. Moreover, it
depends on the social class we belong to and even on our
profession.
People are so different and what we suppose is good for us, what
seems beautiful and tasteful to us, may be just the contrary for
other people. Therefore it is said "Tastes differ".
Tastes differ even within one country. Each of us perhaps
remembers quarreling with one of our friends over what tastes
better: fried potatoes or macaroni with meat, chocolate or ice-
cream, porridge or omelet
Tastes differ even among people belonging to different sex.
Recently American medical journal Psychology and Behavior
published the results of a very interesting research. They used
the Web to survey 277 male and female participants in order to
find out what kind of food they prefer. They found that women
are more prone to eat comfort foods high in fat and sugar, such
as cakes and ice-cream. Men, on the other hand, are more likely
to turn to soups, pasta and steaks.
It is obvious that every country and nation has its own taste and
way of thinking but to my opinion that makes each nation special
and interesting in the meantime!
31. Learning foreign languages
It is necessary to learn foreign languages. That's why pupils have
got such subject as a foreign language at school. Everybody
knows his own language, but it is useful to know foreign
languages somebody said: "English is a language that came
from nowhere to conquer the world..." These words are really
true! The most important contribution was made by William
Shakespeare. Shakespeare's influence on everyday English
speech is great, people all over the world quote Shakespeare.
The English language arrived in Britain on the point of a sword.
That is why there are so many loans in English language. Now I
would like to tell you about Standard English and Regional
accents. Received pronunciation is the form of British English
pronunciation used by many educated people in every part of
Britain. It is thought of a standard form and is often used by the
BBC. It is also used in teaching English in many parts of the
world. Accent is the sound of a person's pronunciation of the
language. It shows where a person comes from and what class
he or she belongs to. Cockney is the way of speaking English and
it is known as the London dialect. Rhyming slang is a way of
speaking, ordinarily popular among cockneys in which a rhyming
phrase, or a part of it, is substituted for a standard word. There is
a standard form of the language and some dialects in our
country too. To my mind, every country needs a standard form of
the language because of the contact between people of this
country. But there are a lot of loanwords in every language
nowadays. Every day for example in advertisements we can hear
and see new, incomprehensible, bad words, and they become
widespread among the population. In conclusion I would like to
say that now there are more than 60 countries that speak
English as the dominant or official language. My purpose is to
show you why the English is a world language. The present day
world status of English is the result of two factors: the expansion
of British colonial power, which peaked towards the end of the
19th century, and the emergence of the US as the leading
economic power of the 20th century. English is the chief
language of international business and academic conferences,
and the leading language of international tourism. English is the
main language of popular music, advertising, home computers
and video games. Most of the scientific, technological and
academic information in the world is expressed in English.
32. Problems of unemployment
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I think that the problem of youth employment is very actual and
must be solved as quickly as possible. They all go to institutes or
universities and even academies, in order to get a degree and
serve to the society. The most serious problem is that of finding
working places for such a great number of specialists. Every year
thousands of students graduate the high schools but uncertain of
their future, as very few of theme do find a good paid job with
good conditions .When students enter the high schools they all
want for sure to become good specialist and all want to work and
give the best from theme in order to help the society to become
richer, better and that people be grateful to theme. But after
graduating and finding a job is very hard most of theme are very
disappointed and prefer to go abroad and work instead staying
here. The Federal Government should do something about this
problem. Creating those places for young people is the burning
question now. There must be a lot of new plants, factories,
hospitals and other enterprises to give jobs to all the graduates.
But there is one more problem when people who leave one or
institutions are not satisfied with the working conditions and
work as other specialists. As a result they have only their
diplomas but they do not work according to their professions.
And it is also very bad. But these students are glad to find a job
and work even if it has nothing to do with the specialty they learn
five years for in our country young people are still a little
suppressed, they have complexes but abroad the life is quite
different. Young people begin to work very early from the point of
view of age, get more and more experience out of their work and
have more possibilities to realize themselves.
I think that our state has to give more attention to educational
system and the employment system if we want to achieve better
results and get to be seen at international level. All this can be
achieved only with good specialists and professionals.
33. World of jobs
It is certain the fact that every person since child dream to
continue the studies and enter a good University, to graduate it
and apply the knowledge accumulated. We spend great part of
our lives at our jobs, so choosing a right career is one of the most
important decisions you will make in your life. Many students
finish high school and begin college without a clear idea of what
they want to do in future. Part of the problem is the size of the
job market itself. With so many kinds of jobs (2000) how can you
tell which will interest you? Some of occupations are already
overcrowded. In old industries there may be little need for new
workers, while new and growing industries will offer jobs now and
in the future. Therefore, it is extremely important to explore your
choice of occupations from every angle, collect as much
information as you can. But above all you must evaluate yourself.
Find out where your interests and talents lie. First start with you,
make a list of your interests, talents and abilities. Most people
have a lot of these, but at the beginning they are undeveloped
and may not seem outstanding. By concentrating on a few, or on
one you may surprise yourself at how good you can get.
Unemployment especially hits poor and working class families
the hardest, not because this people are more likely to be
unemployed, but because they don't have financial resource to
fall back on. Unemployment exists primarily for two reasons: first
- the existence of millions of unemployed people tends to present
most of those working from asking for higher wages since they
can be replaced easily, second -in their search for profits,
corporations are interested in finding the cheapest labor. The
problem of unemployment is also connected with the economic
crisis in our country. And I think when this crisis comes to an end
the problem of unemployment will not be so urgent. But on the
other hand if you studied a lot during school and high school
years then you will find a good, well paid job for sure as society
need and will need always good specialists in every sphere of
activity.
34. The importance of English language.
English is a West Germanic language originating in England, and
the first language for most people in Australia, Canada, the
Commonwealth Caribbean, Ireland, New Zealand, the United
Kingdom and the United States of America (also commonly
known as the Anglosphere. Modern English is sometimes
described as the global lingua franca. English is the dominant
international language in communications, science, business,
aviation, entertainment, radio and diplomacy.
English is one of six official languages of the Nations. Over 309
million people speak English as their first language, as of 2005.
English today is probably the third largest language by number of
native speakers, after Mandarin Chinese and Spanish. The
countries with the highest populations of native English speakers
are, in descending order: United States, United Kingdom, Canada,
Australia, Ireland, South Africa, and New Zealand Countries such
as Jamaica and Nigeria also have millions of native speakers of
dialect continuums ranging from an English-based creole to a
more standard version of English. Of those nations where English
is spoken as a second language, India has the most such
speaker's .Following India is the People's Republic of China.
Because English is so widely spoken, it has often been referred to
as a "global language", the lingua franca of the modern era.
While English is not an official language in most countries, it is
currently the language most often taught as a second" language
around the world. Among non-English speaking countries, a large
percentage of the population claimed to be able to converse in
English in the Netherlands , Sweden , Denmark Luxembourg,
Finland , Slovenia , Austria , Belgium , and Germany Norway and
Iceland also have a large majority of competent English-
speakers. Books, magazines, and newspapers written in English
are available in many countries around the world.
34. Highway to happiness
Most of us want to be happy. But what is happiness? Is it
something that you feel at a fleeting moment or does it has to
last a certain amount of time before it can officially be called
"happiness"? While the thought of blazing through the sky after
jumping out of a plane may spell utter bliss for some, others may
shiver at the mere mention of it. What one person defines as
something that keeps them smiling may be just the thing that
makes another person miserable.
Experts say that happiness is an emotion, and just like any
emotion, it comes and goes. Also like any emotion, some people
simply seem to experience it more than others. It is even
believed by some that everyone has a "happiness baseline." If
this is true, then no matter what happens in our life, we will
always return to our original level of happiness after a certain
amount of time.
Of course, there are many other things that can contribute to our
happiness other than those listed above. Although this may
come as a surprise to many, money does not account for much
when it comes to happiness. Once people accumulate wealth,
they are not any more satisfied with their life than those who can
only afford to meet their most basic needs.
In the search for happiness, we often look to others to make us
happy. Then when we find ourselves anything less than pleased,
we play the blame game and hold them responsible for the
cause of our feelings. However, only we can be held accountable
for our own happiness because only we have the power to
change the situation we are in.
When it comes to achieving happiness, it's important not to
forget the small stuff. By concentrating too much on being
happy, you may be missing out on the "little things" that are right
in front of you every day that can cause enjoyment. Simply
appreciating the little things in life and learning to love, forgive,
laugh, and live can lead to lifelong satisfaction. Now that we're
armed with the map to happiness, we may be wondering where
to start. As with anything, happiness does not magically appear
overnight.
35. Importance of money in modern society.
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ONE: 'You shall have no other gods before Me.' This is the first
commandment of God's 1 0 Commandments. In my opinion this
would be the hardest commandment to follow in a modern
society that is so enamored with money. The power of a dollar is
a leading concept in a modern society. Many organizations and
businesses in modern society revolve around money. It's almost
to the point where money can be seen as its own entity which
would place itself above God in many cases. Money is something
that everyone, atheists and religious leaders included, are able to
see eye to eye on. The importance of money in today's society is
rather large. Money finds itself everyone across society. I've
personally seen many relationships go sour over disputes
involving money. Cash has the ability the transform even the best
people into greedy savages. Modernity is a society that lusts
money. Money determines many things in society. People got
through many years of schooling with the hope that they will
graduate making six figures. Money determines ones social
position in society. The more money you have the easier life is for
you. Those born in money seem to have to work less than those
born without it. We turn on the television and wonder what
celebrities like Paris Hilton, and Nicole Ritchie do for a living. And
the answer is nothing. They don't have to work because they
were lucky enough to be born with money. The thought of the
"easy life" ties hand in hand with the power of a dollar and
people in a modern society fight for that life.
So it is very difficult to live out the first commandment in a
modern society. Money is too powerful of a tool for it not to
diminish the morals and values of many Americans. It is held too
high in society. In a modern society, money is the equivalent to
the air we breathe. Everything depends on money. It's the one
thing the majority of society will agree they couldn't live without.
Money is the god that many place above God.
36. Man and Woman in the society
The relationship between man and woman in the society has
always been subject to a longstanding controversy, particularly in
the society. It is the majority of the ordinary people that hold
wrong ideas about the role of both man and woman in the
society and those ideas are the cause of the imbalanced
relationship between man and woman in the society.
Women constitute half of the society and in some societies the
proportion exceeds that percentage, as is the case in our Yemeni
society. Nevertheless, it is found even among the intellectuals
that some of them do not recognize her importance other than a
housewife raising children and taking care of them and the
entire household. The family as the most important component
of the society, and the most significant establishment in it, the
major role in running it is upon the shoulders of the woman. And
the man is incapable to have the same patience and endurance
the woman entertains in running the affairs of the family. In
addition to that sacred role the woman also plays a recognized
role outside the family sphere as she proved to be successful
teachers, doctors, engineers and in other areas of social
development activities. She is the mother of the society and does
more than one role; her job as a housewife and her role in the
development of the society whereas man's role is mainly outside
the family sphere.
Moreover ever the successes scored by man are imprints of
women who help in their ideas and encourage them in the
accomplishment of those successes. And thus in many cases she
is behind his success. Her great responsibility in providing stable
and happy life inside the family is in itself an effective factor in
man's success. She is an indispensable energy possessing an
indispensable role.
Our glorious history has abundance of examples of great women
successful in various aspects of life; in politics, religion,
education and fighting beside their brother's men.
The intelligentsia and sociologists have to do their hardest job in
enlightening the society about the mutual role played by both
men and women in building an advanced society where both
men and women are equal in importance and roles played in life.
37. The impact of migration on the society
Immigration is a highly sensitive political issue in all the Member
States of the European Union. Politicians and society in general
need to accept the fact that the majority of EU Member States
have become immigration destinations. Large-scale migration
will continue to have profound economic, political, social and
cultural consequences within the EU. Migration has a profound
impact on people's everyday life, but also strongly influences the
economical and political arena more than ever before in the
modern era. Immigration will not only continue, but will also
increase inside the Union. Multidimensional consequences in the
social economic, political and cultural area of receiving societies
maximize the demand for effective and comprehensive policies
on immigration and integration of migrants. The progressive
establishment of a common EU framework for the integration of
migrants has therefore become a top priority. At official level, the
successful integration of legally residing third-country nationals,
and their descendants, is seen as a paramount goal for the
benefit of EU social cohesion and economic welfare, as well as
the Lisbon Strategy. At present, the nature of integration
programs and the type of integration measures that should be
provided are heavily being debated. Another key issue is whether
such measures should be mandatory or not, and if non-
compliance might lead to legal and financial consequences,
including a possible impact on the migrant's residential status.
Migration is a sensitive subject among populations in general.
Politicians should be very clear in explaining their ideas to the
wider public and the beneficial effects that immigration brings to
our societies. Migration has always remained a delicate topic.
Especially in periods of economic recession migrants are an easy
scapegoat. They are often seen as 'those others invading our
economies, looking for our jobs'. In the past, most migrants were
unskilled workers who took up rough poorly paid jobs which local
workers refused to do. But this situation has been complicated
further by the increasing immigration of high-qualified people.
People might see this as a threat to their own situation and
safety.
38. Curriculum Vitae
IAVORSCHI ARINA
21.10.1990
Ismail street 16/3 fl.14 Chisinau, Republic of Moldova Tel: (373)
069112222, (373 22) 127911 E-mail: arina@yahoo.com
STUDIES
1996 Theoretical Lyceum " Dante Alighieri",
Chisinau, Moldova
ABILITIES
Languages: Romanian (native), Russian (fluently), English
(fluently), French (medium).
Utilisation PC: MS Office, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Excel.
Personal experience:
Olympiad at Mathematics
English Language debates
Olympiad at English Language
Preferences: Dancing, painting, canto
Hobby: Jogging, reading, swimming.
Future plans: Studying in an USA high school
Society problem: One of the most ardent problems of the society
is unemployment. Most of the young people that graduate high
schools cannot apply the knowledge as the government cannot
assure a stable place of work. When the government will solve
this problem, our society will stop fighting against such problems
as migration, poverty, corruption.
Ideal lyceum: Ideal place of study is the place where pupils go
with pleasure, where the labs are provided with the necessary
tools. The teachers are pleasant and ready to give the best from
their knowledge to the young generation. And of course where
pupils do all possible to study and become good citizens ready to
serve to the society.
39. Violence is a part of every child
120
food and living conditions.
Violence is a part of every child's life. Violence originates in many People are considered to be in absolute poverty if their incomes
places-self, family, peers, the community and the media-and are not sufficient to purchase very minimal goods and services.
violence affects children and youth at every age, even newborn. In these conditions the migration increases and a lot of people
Children and youth are witnesses and victims, and some become go abroad to earn money in order to assure the normal level of
perpetrators. All are affected, though not all are affected equally. life. And it is the Government's task to ensure good life and
Media Violence health conditions to the citizens. As long as we will be confronted
Most children are exposed to media violence at some level on a with these problems, we will have to fight against poverty,
daily basis through television, video games, or music diseases and migration.
Children in middle childhood watch more television and are
therefore, presumably, more exposed to television violence than
children who are younger or older.47 Rates of reported physical
abuse are about the same for children in middle childhood as for
younger children.
Domestic violence
Many children who live in household are often exposed to
domestic violence. Compared with children in other households,
children who have been exposed to domestic violence often
suffer from insomnia and have trouble with bed-wetting. They
also are more likely to experience difficulties in school and to
score lower on assessments of verbal, motor, and cognitive skills.
Also, they are more likely than other children to exhibit
aggressive and antisocial behaviour, to be depressed and
anxious, and to have slower cognitive development.
Violence at teenagers.
Many people believe that violence towards children reaches its
peak in the lives of teenagers. While this is true for some of the
more extreme forms of violence, other types of violence actually
begin to recede during the teenage years.
The risk of being a victim of sexual assault, aggravated assault,
and robbery also increases as teens get older.
In conclusion it can be said that most of the policy and data
collection related to violence in children's lives tends to focus on
a single type of violence (such as child abuse or media violence),
a particular social context (such as the family, school, or
neighbourhood), or a particular group (such as teens or inner-city
children).
But the main responsibility it lies of course on parents, the ones
that are the most indicated to take care and protect their
children and assure all good conditions in order to grow up good
and elevated citizens.

40. Health care in Republic of Moldova

According to the latest researches estimates, a person born in

the Republic of Moldova in 2003 can expect to live 67 years on
average: 71 years if female and 63 years if male. Life expectancy
in the country is about 1 1 years lower than the Europa average
of 79 years. However, despite being the second poorest county in
the European Region, the life expectancy estimate is 2-5 years
higher than similar estimates for a number of considerably richer
regional countries.
As the length of life increases, older people can respond with
lifestyle changes that can increase healthy years of life.
Correspondingly, health care systems need to shift towards more
geriatric care, the prevention and management of chronic
diseases and more formal long-term care. Since people are living
longer, measures to improve health and prevent disease need to
focus on people of working age.
Health outcomes of Republic of Moldova are influenced by
various factors that operate at individual, household and
community levels. Obvious factors are, for example, diet, health
behavior, access to clean water, sanitation and health services.
Education tends to enhance an individual's job opportunities. In
so doing, it can improve income, which in turn affects health
positively. Education can also give more access to knowledge
about healthy behavior and increase the tendency to seek
treatment when needed. A lower level of education - independent
of individual income - is correlated with the inability to cope with
stress, with depression and hostility and with adverse effects on
health.
There is an income gradient affecting health: the poor generally
suffer worse health and die younger than people with higher
incomes. For instance, the latter are better able to afford the
goods and services that contribute to health, for example, better