My name is Natalia. My surname is Govorova. I am 15. I was
born in 1982 in
Chelyabinsk. I live in a small town of Usinsk in the Komi Republic. My
address
is Flat 116,19, Pionerskaya Street. My phone number is 41-5-81. I am a
pupil. I
go to school Numbers 1. I am a good pupil. I do well in all subjects.
They say,
that I am a hardworking person. To tell the truth, all school subjects
come
easy for me but sometimes. I have to sit much, for example, to do
lessons in Physics
or Chemistry, to write a composition or to learn a poem by heart. But
my
favourite subject is English. I spend much time on it reading books,
doing
tests etc. May be, English and learning it will be a part of my future
career.
I like reading. I think comics and detective stories are much easier to
read
but I prefer to read novels - historical or up-to-date. I like music.
My
musical tastes are different, but it depends on my mood. But I think
every
apple is good in its season. I play the piano and the guitar, not
seriously,
but for my soul. Sometimes I like to listen to the Russian classical
music. My
favourite composers are Chaikovsky and Mozart. I don’t like
rock music, but I
like “Queen” and “Beatles” .
Also I like Russian folk songs. I have not much
time to watch IV but sometimes I spend an hour or two watching an
interesting
film or a news programme. In the evening I often read newspapers (our
local
ones) or magazines. I like fresh air and exercise. I’m sorry
I have not much
time for doing sports. But some aerobics in the morning, a
swimming-pool twice
a week, a ski-walk on a frosty day are of great help. Sports is fun.
I have a wide circle of interests. I’m very
sociable, so I get a way with
people. I have many friends, most of them are my class-mates. We spend
much
time together, going out to the cinema or to the disco party, speaking
about
lessons and music, discussing our problems. But most of all I like my
family.
We all are great friends and deeply attached to each other.
You see, it’s me - a person with his good and not
good characteristics,
liking this and hating that. But it’s interesting for me to
live, to open new
things.
BOOKS IN MY LIFE
A book is one of the greatest wonders of world. Why are so
many people fond
of reading? The world of books is full of wonders. Together with the
characters
of books you can find yourself in different and countries, have a lot
of
adventures. The book is a faithful friend. They form our values and
characters.
We try to look like the characters of your favourite books: to be
brave,
honest, not to be silly and greedy, to be real friends. We enjoyed the
beauty
and wisdom of fairy-tales and fables when we were babies and Granny
read them.
They taught us to be kind, clever, hardworking, to understand other
people and
help them. They teach us to understand the beauty of nature, take care
of it,
to love our homeland.
Books have been with us since childhood. Who hasn’t
read “Alice in the
wonderland” , “Mowgli” ? Who
hasn’t travelled with Marry Poppins to her imaginary
world? Who hasn’t imagined himself to be Robinson Crusoe on
the deserted
island?
I have read a lot of interesting books, but my favourite book
is “The
adventures of Tom Sawyer” by Mark Twain. This well-known book
is popular with
the children all over the world.
The main character of the book is Tom Sawyer, who lived in a
small town on
the Mississippi River. He was a boy with a wild imagination. He and his
friends
often dreamed of different adventures. Tom was naughty, kind and brave.
Besides
he was noble. I like this boy because he teaches us to be true friends.
If you are not fond of reading, take a book to your liking or
borrow it from
the library and read it. Books are worth reading. Really, they are our
good
friends.
KEEPIHG FIT AND DOING SPORTS
I you want to feel fit you’d better go in for one
kind of sport or another.
I should admit that everyone must do all he can to be healthy. Good
health is
better than the best medicine. “You have a sound mind in a
sound body” as the
old Latin saying goes. The English proverb “Sickness in the
body brings
sickness to the mind” expresses a similar idea but from
different point of
view. All kinds of physical exercises are very useful to make our
bodies strong
and to keep ourselves fit and healthy. To tell the truth I
don’t do sports
regularly and it is not an essential part of my daily life. In the
morning I do
some exercises just to awake. Then some aerobics for myself. It puts me
into
the fine moods. In summer I go swimming as there is a beautiful river
with pure
water where my Granny lives. In winter, it’s rather long at
our place, I should
say, I prefer skiing (There is nothing like the sight of a winter
forest - a
real fairy-tale) . I like to ride the bike and tobogganing in winter.
Mum says
that I’m to old to do it, why not after all? I
shouldn’t call myself a sports
fan. Of course, I like to watch sports competitions on TV. Fortunately,
they
show different ones - football, basketball. I like tennis tournaments
very
much. I think, it’s a very intelligent kind of sport for
clever thinking
people. Also I admire skiing championships, biathlon, swimming. But
what I like
most is basketball. The best games are viewed on TV. I came to know
that modern
basketball appeared in 1891 in the USA. The originator, John Naismith
was a
coach at the college. He invented the baskets and the rules of the
game. Since
then basketball has be become very popular and is spread all over the
world. It
is the sport of strong tall men, the sport of giants.
Doing sports a man become strong, healthy and gay. He begins
to take care of
his health.
“Good health is better than wealth” , you
know. It’s true, I should say. In
our school we have a nice gym. Sports and games are popular among
pupils. A lot
of children train at special sport schools.
LEARNING FOREIGN LANGUAGE
The great German poet Goethe once said: “He who know
no foreign language
does not know his own one. Learning foreign languages is specially
important
nowadays. Some people learn foreign languages because they need them in
their
work, others travel abroad, for the third studying languages is a
hobby.
Every year thousands of people from Russia go to different
countries as
tourists or to work. They can not go without knowing the language of
the
country they are going to. A modern engineer or even a worker can not
work with
an imported instrument or a machine if he is not able to read the
instruction
how to do it. Ordinary people need language to translation the
instruction or
the manual to the washing-machine or a vacuum-cleaner, medicine or even
food-products.
Some people are as a rule polyglots. Historians diplomats need
some
languages for their work. If you want to be a classified specialist you
must
learn English, the language of international communication.
English is one of the world languages. It is the language of
progressive
science and technology, trade and cultural relations, commerce and
business. It
is the universal language of international aviation, shipping and
sports. It is
also the major language of diplomacy. Hundreds and hundreds of books,
magazines
and newspapers are printed in English, most of the world’s
mail and telephone
calls are in English. Half of the world’s scientific
literature is written in
English. English is spoken by more than 350 million people.
Geographically, it
is the most widespread language on earth, second after Chinese. It is
the
official language of the UK, the USA, of Australia and New Zealand, it
is used
as one of the official languages in Canada, the South Africa. Millions
of
people study and use English as a foreign language. In our country
English is
very popular. It is studied at schools, colleges and universities.
Learning English is not an easy thing. It is a long process
and takes a lot
of time and patience. But to know English today is absolutely necessary
for
every educated person. I want to know English because it’s
interesting for me
to know foreign countries, their cultures and tradition. English will
be of
great use in my future profession connected with computers.
MOSCOW
The best way to see a strange city is to buy a map and a
guide-book. If you
want to learn, more about a city, it is useful to walk along the
streets and
look around to see historical places, buildings and monuments. There is
no
doubt that you should visit art galleries and museums.
Moscow, the capital of Russia, is one of the largest cities in
the world. It
stands on the bank of the Moskva River. About 10 million people live in
the
city. Moscow is famous for its historical and architectural monuments
that were
built by outstanding architects and sculptors: Kazakov, Bazhenov,
Martos and
others.
The best starting point of the tour around the city is Red
Square, the
central and the most beautiful square in Moscow. It is the place of
parades,
meeting and demonstrations. Here one can see the Cathedral of St. Basil
the
Blessed, or St. Basil’s cathedral, erected by architects
Postnik and Barma to
commemorate Russia’s conquest of the Kazan Kingdom in 1552.
It is a masterpiece
of Russian architecture. Tourists can see the monument to Minin and
Pozharsky
designed by Ivan Martos in 1818 in memory of the Russian victory over
the
Polish invaders, the History Museum. The heart of Moscow is the
Kremlin, a
wonderful architectural ensemble with 3 magnificient cathedrals, the
Bell Tower
of Ivan the Great palaces, fortress walls and 20 towers. The most
famous of the
towers is the Spasskaya Tower with a big clock. The Kremlin with golden
domes
and tower makes a strong impression on tourists. The Alexander Garden
with the
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is the place of memory. Some Skyscrapers
decorate
Moscow Including Moscow University, a palace of knowledge and students.
Moscow
is a scientific and cultural centre where there are a lot of
institutes,
universities, libraries, museums. The city leads a varied cultural
life. It has
a lot of cinemas, clubs, concert halls, more than 40 drama and musical
theatres, including the Bolshoi Theatre, the Art Theatre. The Maly
Theatre. The
Vakhtangov Theatre.
Muscovites are proud of their museums: the Tretyakov Gallery,
Pushkin Museum
of Fine Arts, literary museums.
Crowds of people visit the Tretiakov Gallery admiring
beautiful pictures of
Russian painters.
Moscovites are fond of going in for sports so, there are a lot
of stadiums,
swimming-pools, courts and sports ground.
The citizens of Moscow enjoy spending their weekends in parks
and gardens -
the Park of Culture and Rest, Izmailovo, Sokolniki.
Moscovites do their best to create the atmosphere of the old
Moscow with its
unique monuments. Before the 850th anniversary
of Moscow the
Cathedral of Christ the Savior was completed.
Moscow is the place where things are happening in all spheres
of life.
MY FRIEND
Frankly speaking, I have a lot of friends. Most of them are my
classmates.
They say that I am a good mixer and always have a way with people. But
my
bosom-friend is Olga. We are of the same age, we are both 15. She is
pleasant
looking girt not very tall but pleasantly plump. They say, she is the
very
image of her father, but, to my mind, she takes a lot after her Mum in
looks -
fair curly hair and dark blue eyes. When she smiles, 2 pretty dimples
appear on
her cheeks. To my mind, she is really a beauty. But her inner beauty is
more
important than physical one. Olga is well bred, jolly and king, life
and soul
of every company. She is tactful, witty generous and kind- hearted,
careful and
sensitive. She always ready to help other people. She is well-read and
fond of
reading very much. She always has 2 or 3 books at hand. Her second
hobby is knitting
and sewing. She is always elegant and always wears whet suits her. She
is good
at cooking I think she is cut out for a housewife.
Olga like all teenagers likes different music which helps her
to relax. In
this point we have much in common. We both go in for sports- aerobics I
think,
she is very gifted and capable.
She always manages to be cheerful, energetic, full of life and
energy. She
is a sunny soul by nature, she never feels sour.
As I have told, she is a helpful person and every time she
tries to do her
best to help somebody when he has problems.
Olga is very attentive to her parents and is simply mad about
her dog. She
cannot imagine her life without her.
Of course, Olga has some drawbacks - sometimes she is a
hurly-burly girl, a
bit stubborn. But still like her as she has a good sense of humour and
pleasant
to deal with.
We spend much time together - watch video or listen to the
music, walk or go
to the cafe discussing all sorts of things. If there is some
misunderstanding
between us we try to make peace soon. I respect Olga for intellect and
modesty.
You know, I miss her very often. Our friendship helps me feel strong
and sure
of myself.
MY HOME IS MY CASTLE
I think, every person always dreams about the place where he
can speak about
his problems, chat with close friends, where he can feel happy and
quiet. For
me it is my family and my home. It is the best place in the world and
my
dearest people live here.
My family is not large we are 4. I have a father, a mother and
a brother. We
all live together in a new flat.
My father is 45. He is a tall and well-built man with short
black hair and
grey eyes. He is quiet and hardworking. Really, he is a bread maker of
the
family. Dad is handy with many things. His hobby is fixing everything
at home.
My mother is very lively. She is life and soul of the family.
She is a
pleasant woman of forty with beautiful chestnut hair and dark brown
eyes. She
is a lofty ideal for me. My parents have been married for 20 years they
have
much in common, in everyday life Dad is impractical and needs mother to
look
after him. Parents have different views on music, books, films. For
example, my
father likes horror films and my father likes “soap
operas” . My father is a
football fat and Mum doesn’t like sports. But they try to
have the same opinion
about the education and upbringing of their children.
My brother is only 11. He goes to school. He is funny and
curious. He is
constantly asking many questions often silly ones. But this only a
moment - I
can’t imagine my life without our little monster.
We all feel happy when we are together. In the evenings we
often have little
gatherings in the kitchen by the cup of tea, chatting, laughing and
discussing
the events of the day. Those evening are the best of all. But sometimes
I have
problems with my parents. They don’t like the clothes I wear
the music I listen
to and the friends I bring home. It’s not easy to be a
teenager. In summer I
visit my Granny. I love her when I was a child she used to tell me
fairytales
and stories of her life.
My parents are hardworking. They combine work with
housekeeping. Mum manages
our household very well. We all are in the habit of helping her to run
the
house. They say “Men make houses, women make home”
. My home is a cosy place.
Our relatives and friends like to come to our place. My parents are
very
hospitable everybody feels at home in their flat. Really
“There is no place
like home” .
OUR TOWN
We live in Usinsk. It’s a small town with the
population of about 60
thousand people situated near the river Usa in the north-east of the
Komi
Republic. Usinsk is young it was founded in 1975. It is a multinational
town,
the people of many nationalities live here - the Russians, the
Ukranians, the
Tatars, the Komis, the Bashkirs and so on.
The climate is severe, the winter is cold and long it lasts
for 6-8 months,
the spring and the summer are short and cool.
Usinsk district is rich in oil, so they get oil here. There
are many
industrial enterprises in it connected with oil extraction, they are
“Komineft”
, “Arkhangelsk Negtegaz” and others. There are some
joint - ventures such as
“NobelOil” , “KomiArcticOil” ,
“KomiQuest” and others where the specialists
from Canada, the USA, Great Britain, France work. In autumn 1994 our
Usinsk
became world - known as the town where the greatest ecological
catastrophy took
place. The old oil pipeline was broken, a lot of oil and products
streamed on
and in the ground, flew into the rivers and their tributaries. The news
has
quickly spread in the world, many foreign correspondents visited Usinsk
in
November 1994. “Green Peace” called this a great
ecological catastrophe but our
Komi oil bosses called it only a local incident without much
consequences. The
rescue operation I has been done to clean the banks of the rivers and
the
nearest places covered (polluted) with oil and oil products. The old
broken
pipeline was changed with the new one. I think, it’s such an
unpleasant event
in the life of our town.
As our town is young we have no theatres and museums,
historical and
memorial places. But we have a cinema, the Palace of Techniques a
swimming-pool, a hockey stadium, the House for Schoolchildren where
there are a
lot of different clubs, studios for teenagers and a lot of pupils
attend them.
There is also a musical and art school, seven schools, many
kindergartens.
There is an airport and a railway station and our people can go to
Moscow,
Syktyvkar, Ufa, Kazan by plane and by train.
Our town is surrounded by forests, there are also small rivers
and lakes.
Our people like to spend weekends in the forests picking mush-rooms and
berries
in autumn, skiing in winter and in early spring. Our men and boys are
fond of
fishing.
As for me, I like my town, it’s so lovely.
OUR TOWN
We live in Usinsk. It’s a small town with the
population of about 60
thousand people situated near the river Usa in the north-east of the
Komi
Republic. Usinsk is young it was founded in 1975. It is a multinational
town,
the people of many nationalities live here - the Russians, the
Ukranians, the
Tatars, the Komis, the Bashkirs and so on.
The climate is severe, the winter is cold and long it lasts
for 6-8 months,
the spring and the summer are short and cool.
Usinsk district is rich in oil, so they get oil here. There
are many
industrial enterprises in it connected with oil extraction, they are
“Komineft”
, “Arkhangelsk Negtegaz” and others. There are some
joint - ventures such as
“NobelOil” , “KomiArcticOil” ,
“KomiQuest” and others where the specialists
from Canada, the USA, Great Britain, France work. In autumn 1994 our
Usinsk
became world - known as the town where the greatest ecological
catastrophe took
place. The old oil pipeline was broken, a lot of oil and products
streamed on
and in the ground, flew into the rivers and their tributaries. The news
has
quickly spread in the world, many foreign correspondents visited Usinsk
in
November 1994. “Green Peace” called this a great
ecological catastrophe but our
Komi oil bosses called it only a local incident without much
consequences. The
rescue operation I has been done to clean the banks of the rivers and
the
nearest places covered (polluted) with oil and oil products. The old
broken
pipeline was changed with the new one. I think, it’s such an
unpleasant event
in the life of our town.
As our town is young we have no theatres and museums,
historical and
memorial places. But we have a cinema, the Palace of Technics a
swimming-pool,
a hockey stadium, the House for Schoolchildren where there are a lot of
different clubs, studios for teenagers and a lot of pupils attend them.
There is also a musical and art school, seven schools, many
kindergartens.
There is an airport and a railway station and our people can go to
Moscow,
Syktyvkar, Ufa, Kazan by plane and by train.
Our town is surrounded by forests, there are also small rivers
and lakes.
Our people like to spend weekends in the forests picking mush-rooms and
berries
in autumn, skiing in winter and in early spring. Our men and boys are
fond of
fishing.
As for me, I like my town, it’s so lovely.
RUSSIN TRADITIOS
Almost every nation and country has a reputation of some kind.
The
Englishmen are reputed to be cold, reserved, rather naughty easy-going
and fond
of sport. They are the nation of stay-at-homes. “There is no
place like home” ,
they say. The English man’s home is his castle is a saying
known all over the
world. They prefer a small house built for one family, with a small
garden.
They like animals very much and follow the traditions concerning food
and
meals. We know much about English traditions and customs but now
I’d like to
say a few words about the traditions of my native land-Russia. First,
about
Russian people. To my mind, the main traits of their characters which
differ
them from other people are hospitality, their “open
heart” , “golden hands” ,
wise Russian fairytales reflect this wisdom. Our people are
hardworking,
patient, never loosing hope for better life. The Russians are the
talented
nation. Russia gave the world beautiful names of Pushkin and Lermontov,
Chaikovsky and Repin, thousands of names of world famous poets,
writers,
composers, scientists. All of them are the pride of the nation because
they
sand the beauty of our nature and people.
Besides these great names in literature and music, our country
is famous for
Russian traditional specific crafts its skilled craftsmen. Painted
boxes of
Palekh, coloured shawls of Pavlov Posad, clay toys of Dymkovo, laces of
Vologda
are known all over the world.
The names of Gzhel and Khokhloma are considered to be the
symbols of Russia
as well as matryoshkas and samovars. The history of khokhloma goes back
into
the 17th century Producing of tableware-dishes,
spoons, mugs, begun
at that time in the villages of Suomino and Khokhloma in the Nizhniy
Novgorod
Province. On the banks of the great Russian river Volga. Many
carpenters,
painters have been working since then reviving traditions of old
masters. The
Khokhloma style is characterised by using plant elements in painting
the
tableware. The prevailing colours are black, yellow, golden, green and
red. And
nowadays this craft is sure to be saved, it will be developed and
brought into
the future by the new generation of painters.
The reviving of old crafts is connected with the reviving of
the traditional
arts of all peoples inhabiting our big country. There are 100 of them.
They
revive their culture, costumes, dances and language. It is the revival
of our
souls. Now we celebrate the forgotten holidays - Troisa, Maslenitsa,
Easter. We
again sing Russian folk songs and chastushki, dance Barinya and perform
khorovods, ride in troikas. Traditional Russian cooking is world-famous
for
such dishes as okroshka, shi, pelment, kurnik, kvass. We begin to build
and
reconstruct churches. The example of it is the building of the
Cathedral of
Christ the Saviour in Moscow. It is the symbol of reviving human
feelings,
national pride and patriotism.
THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN
IRELAND
THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE
The UK of Great Britain and Northern Ireland occupies the
territory of the
British Isles. It consists of 4 main countries which are England,
Scotland,
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are London,
Cardiff and
Belfast.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is
the official
name of the state which is sometimes referred to as Great Britain or
Britain
(after it major island) , England (after its major historic part or the
British
Isles.
The UK is an Island state it is composed of some 5.500
islands, large and
small. The two main islands are: Great Britain to the east and Ireland
to the
west. They are separated by the Irish Sea.
The area of the UK is 244,100 square kms. It is situated off
to the
Northwest coast of Europe between the Atlantic Ocean on the north and
the North
Sea on the east and is separated from the European continent by the
English
Channel (or La Manche) and the Straits of Dover (or Pas de Calais) .
The population of the UK is over 57 mln people. The UK is
inhabited by the
English, the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish who constitute the British
nation.
English is not the only language. Scottish, Welsh and Irish are also
used.
The flag of the UK is known as the Union Jack. It has its
history. It all
began in 1603 when Scotland was joined to England and Wales. The flag
is made
up of 3 crosses. The upright cross is the Cross of St. George the
patron saint
of England. The white diagonal cross is the cross of St. Andrew, the
patron
saint of Scotland. The red diagonal cross is the cross is the cross of
St.
Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. All of them are on the blue
background.
The national anthem is “God Save the
Queen” . The national currency is
pound.
Geographically the island of Great Britain is subdivided into
2 main
regions: Lowland Britain and Highland Britain. Lowland Britain
comprises
southern and eastern England. Highland Britain consists of Scotland,
most of
Wales, the Pennines (or the Pennine Chain) and the Lake District.
The highest mountain top is Ben Nevis in Scotland. The chief
rivers of Great
Britain are: the Severn, separating England and Wales, the Thames (the
longest
and the deepest one) . The swiftest flowing river is the Spray. Also
the Tweed
is famous (the woollen fabric is made here) .
There are many lakes in Great Britain. The Lake District is
the most
beautiful.
The largest are London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool,
Bristol, Leeds,
Cardiff.
The capitals are: London in England, Edinburgh in Scotland,
Cardiff in Wales
and Belfast in Northern Ireland.
Every country has its own national emblem. The red rose is the
national
emblem of England the thistle is the national emblem of Scotland the
daffodils
and the leek are the emblems of Wales and the shamrock (a kind of
clover) is
the emblem of Ireland.
THE PRIDE OF THE NATION
(Famous People of Russia) .
Much was done by people to reach the present state of human
development. It
is necessary to say that great contribution to the development of the
world
science and culture, literature, music and painting was made by the
Russian
people. The names of Russian scientists and writers, poets, composers
and
painters are world-famous-Pushkin, Lermontov, Chehov, Levitan. This
chain can
be endless. It is almost impossible to name a branch of science in the
development of which the Russian scientists haven’t played
the greatest role.
Lomonosov, the founder of the Moscow University was an outstanding
innovator
both in the humanities and sciences. Mendeleev’s greatest
discovery was the
Periodic System of Elements. Popov invented radio. Sechenov and Pavlov
were the
world’s greatest physiologists. Russia is rightly called the
mother of aviation
and cosmounatics. Names of Tsiolkovsky, Korolov and Gagarin are symbols
of new
space era.
People in many countries admire paintings, portraits and
landscapes Surikov,
Levitan, Repin works of our Russian writes and poets are translated
into many
languages.
I want to tell about one of the greatest Russians. Pyotr
Ilyich Tchaikovsky,
an outstanding Russian composer, was born in Votkinsk in 1840. He was
fond of
music since his early childhood. His mother sang him beautiful songs
and taught
him to play the piano. He graduated from the Petersburg Conservatoire
only in
1866 because of his poor living conditions. He was the best pupil of
Anton
Rubinstein. Wen the Moscow Conservatoire was founded Pyotr Ilyich
became a
professor there.
He created wonderful music: 10 operas, 3 ballets, 6
symphonies, 7 large
symphonic poems and many other musical pieces.
“Eugene Onegin” , a new type of opera, was
a great success all over the
world “His Swan Lake” , “The
Nutckracker” , “The Sleeping Beauty are musical
masterpieces. In his music he used folk melodies for the musical
descriptions
of Russian nature and life. His compositions are full of realist.
THERE IS NO BAD WEATHER, THERE ARE BAD CLOTHES
Englishmen say “There is no bad weather, there are
bad clothes” , It means
that they like all the seasons, all kinds of weather. Every season is
good in
its own way. Each person likes this or that season. It depends on his
character, mood. They say that Pushkin liked autumn very much. This
season is
full of colours, bright and tasty. The sky is blue, but sometimes grey
clouds
appear. The sun shines but it begins to hide behind the clouds. Its
rays are
not so warm. Autumn is full of vegetables and fruit, mushrooms and
berries. There
is nothing like Indian summer in autumn. As for me, I like to walk on
the
carpet of bright leaves listen to the last songs of birds flying to
warm
countries, look at the nature. It is like a fairy-tale. It fades away
and
nothing can be done. Soon drizzling rains will begin and everything
will be
dull and sad. But still I like autumn.
Winter in Usinsk is long and severe with dark nights, bitter
wings and hard
frosts. Even sometimes you can see a quiet winter frosty day. It is
snowing.
Fluffy soft snowflakes are falling to the ground making a beautiful
thick
carpet. The icecles glitter in the sun the snow sparkles like diamond.
Going
outdoors in such weather is pleasant. Many people go to the forests and
enjoy
sledging and skiing, playing snowballs and making a snowman.
As for spring, people in Usinsk long for it and dream about it
during long
winter days. It comes late but suddenly. I don’t like it
because my town
becomes grey. But spring is the beginning of new life. Nature awakens
from its
long winter sleep. The trees begin to bud and soon tiny green leaves
will
appear. Young green grass appear, fruit trees begin to blossom.
Everything
looks magic covered with green carpet. Nature looks full of promise.
I like summer because we have holiday and enjoy resting after
school year.
In my opinion every season is beautiful and attractive. As one
famous poet
said: “I see no reason to speak in prize of any
season” .
THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NOTHERN
IRELAND
THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE
The UK of Great Britain and Northern Ireland occupies the
territory of the
British Isles. It consists of 4 main countries which are England,
Scotland,
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are London,
Cardiff and
Belfast.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is
the official
name of the state which is sometimes referred to as Great Britain or
Britain
(after it major island) , England (after its major historic part or the
British
Isles.
The UK is an Island state it is composed of some 5.500
islands, large and
small. The two main islands are: Great Britain to the east and Ireland
to the
west. They are separated by the Irish Sea.
The area of the UK is 244,100 square kms. It is situated off
to the
Northwest coast of Europe between the Atlantic Ocean on the north and
the North
Sea on the east and is separated from the European continent by the
English
Channel (or La Manche) and the Straits of Dover (or Pas de Calais) .
The population of the UK is over 57 mln people. The UK is
inhabited by the
English, the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish who constitute the British
nation.
English is not the only language. Scottish, Welsh and Irish are also
used.
The flag of the UK is known as the Union Jack. It has its
history. It all
began in 1603 when Scotland was joined to England and Wales. The flag
is made
up of 3 crosses. The upright cross is the Cross of St. Jeorge the
patron saint
of England. The white diagonal cross is the cross of St. Andrew, the
patron
saint of Scotland. The red diagonal cross is the cross is the cross of
St.
Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. All of them are on the blue
background.
The national anthem is “God Save the
Queen” . The national currency is
pound.
Geographically the island of Great Britain is subdivided into
2 main
regions: Lowland Britain and Highland Britain. Lowland Britain
comprises
southern and eastern England. Highland Britain consists of Scotland,
most of
Wales, the Pennines (or the Pennine Chain) and the Lake District.
The highest mountain top is Ben Nevis in Scotland. The chief
rivers of Great
Britain are: the Severn, separating England and Wales, the Thames (the
longest
and the deepest one) . The swiftest flowing river is the Spray. Also
the Tweed
is famous (the woollen fabric is made here) .
There are many lakes in Great Britain. The Lake District is
the most
beautiful.
The largest are London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool,
Bristol, Leeds,
Cardiff.
The capitals are: London in England, Edinburgh in Scotland,
Cardiff in Wales
and Belfast in Northern Ireland.
Every country has its own national emblem. The red rose is the
national
emblem of England the thistle is the national emblem of Scotland the
daffodils
and the leek are the emblems of Wales and the shamrock (a kind of
clover) is
the emblem of Ireland.
TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS
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 behaviour, manners and
customs which
are peculiar to England.
The English are naturally polite and are never tired of saying
“Thank you”
and “I am sorry” . They are generally disciplined,
you never hear loud talk in
the street. They don’t rush for seats in buses and trains,
but they take their
seats in queues at bus stops. English people do not shake hands when
meeting
one another, they do not show their emotions even in tragic situations.
They
seem to remain good-tempered and cheerful under difficulties.
The English are a nation of stay-at-homes. There is no place
like home. The
Englishman says “My house is my castle” because he
doesn’t wish his doings to
be overlooked by his neighbours. It is true that English people prefer
small
houses, built for one family. The fire is the focus of the English
Home. Other
nations go out to cafes or cocktail bars. The fireplace is the natural
centre
of interest in the room. They like to sit round the fire and watch the
dancing
flames, exchanging the day’s experience. In many houses you
will still see fireplaces,
sometimes with columns on each side and a shelf above it on which there
is
often a clock or a mirror or photos.
The love of gardens is deep-rooted in the British people. Most
men’s
conversations are about gardens. It may be a discussion of the best
methods of
growing cucumbers, a talk about the plot which differs from all the
others.
The British like growing plants in a window-box outside the
kitchen or in
the garden near the house. They love flowers very much.
Britain is a nation of animal lovers. They have about five
million dogs,
almost as many cats, 3 million parrots and other cage birds, aquarium
fish -
and 1 million exotic pets such as reptiles. In Britain they have
special dog
shops selling food, clothes and other things for dogs. There are dog
hair-dressing saloons and dog cemeteries. In Britain pets can send
Christmas
cards to their friends, birthday cards. Owners can buy for their pets
jewelled
nylon collars, lambswool coat for a dog, lace-trimmed panties,
night-gowns,
pyjamas, and so on. There are special animal hotels at the airports.
The
English people believe that they are the only nation on the earth that
is
really kind to its animals. How do they spend their week-ends.
Those who live in cities and towns like to go out of town.
They may go to
stay in the country. Every Englishman is fond of the countryside in a
nice
thatched cottage with roses round the porch and in the garden, the
fresh air
and bright sun. No crowds of people, silence and leisure.
Those who stay at home try to do all the jobs they, were too
busy to do
during the week. Some go shopping on Saturday mornings, some do the
house -
washing, cleaning. Some men do and watch sporting events.
Saturday evening is the best time for parties, dances, going
to the cinema
or theatre.
On Sunday after breakfast they may go to work in the garden
take a dog for a
walk, play a visit to a pub. Sunday is a day for inviting friends and
relatives
to afternoon tea.
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. It is
the same day to day. The English like their toast cold.
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 midday meal is called lunch. This meal consists on week-
days of stew,
fried fish, chops, liver or sausages, vegetables. Rice and macaroni are
seldom
served. Then does an apple tart, or hot milk pudding. Sunday dinner is
a
special occasion, it is a joint of beef or lamb with vegetables. Then
goes a
large heavy pudding with custard. From 4 to 6 there is a very light
meal called
5 o’clock tea. It is a snack of thin bread and butter and
cups of tea with
small cakes. This became a kind ritual. At this time everything stops
for tea.
Dinner (usually at 6 p. m.) is much like lunch and is in many
families the
last meal of the day. Supper is a snack of bread and cheese and cocoa.
The English have a popular speciality known as fish and chips.
They are
bought at special fish and chips shops.
HOLIDAYS IN GREAT BRITAIN
Every country and every nation has own traditions and customs.
It’s very
important to know traditions and customs of other countries. It helps
to know
more about the history and line of different nations.
English are proud of their traditions and carefully keep them
up as I know
all 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. Christmas Day is a family holiday. All the people
look
forward to it, expecting something special. It is the time when all the
family
gets together round the Christmas tree decorated with toys and sweets.
Little
children believe that when they are asleep Santa Claus comes with a big
bag of
toys. They often hang up large stockings for the presents. All families
have
Christmas dinners. They eat traditional dishes - turkey, duck, pudding.
On the
New Year’s Day they watch the old year out and the new year
in.
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. This man (not a woman) must be healthy,
young,
pretty-looking. He brings presents - bread, a piece of coal or a coin.
Another
best-loved holiday is St. Valentine’s Day on the 14th
of February -
the holiday of love and affection, the day of sending
“valentines” and giving
presents to those you love “Be My Valentine” -
Englishmen with these word ask
to become friends or companion Valentines often are decorated with
symbols of
love - red hearts and roses, ribbons and laces. In England tradition of
celebrating Easter is deep-rooted in the history of the nation. Easter
is a
church holiday. There is a popular belief that wearing 3 new things on
Easter
will bring good luck.
Traditionally Easter parades of people in bright new spring
clothes are held
on this day. Another custom is decorating eggs for children. Eggs are
hidden in
the yards little children believe that the Easter rabbit comes and
leaves eggs
for them. Easter candies are made in the form of eggs, little chickens
and
rabbits. Halloween is the day or evening before all Saint's Day.
Children dress
up in Halloween costumes and masks over their faces. They go out into
the
streets to beg. People give them sweets, cookies and apples. A
favourite Halloween
custom is to make a jack-o’-lantern (the children scrape our
a pumpkin and cut
the eyes, nose and mouth) . They light a candle inside the pumpkin to
scare
their friends. A few words about superstitions in Britain. The people
believe
that if they put shoes on the table, they will have bad luck. The
English won’t
kill a spider, especially money spiders (small red ones) . This is very
unlucky
Some animals are also lucky (black cats bring good luck, white horses
are also
lucky. The most unlucky thing is to break a mirror. This brings 7 years
of bad
luck. The number 13 is the most unlucky number especially Combination
Friday,
the 13th.
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.
TRAVELLING
People are fond of travelling. They spend their holidays
travelling. They
travel to see other countries and continents, to learn a lot about
people’s
traditions, to enjoy picturesque places. It is interesting for them to
discover
new things, different ways of life, to meet different people, to try
different
food.
Those who live in the country like to find themselves in large
cities with
their shops, cinemas, crowds of people. City-dwellers usually like a
quiet
holiday by the sea or in the mountains with nothing to do but walking
and
bathing, lying in the sun. Most travellers and holiday makers take a
camera
with them and take pictures of everything that interests them -
beautiful views
of waterfalls, forests, unusual plants and animals. These photos will
remind
them of the happy time of holiday.
These are many ways of travelling - by train, by plain, by
ship, on foot.
Everyone chooses his favourite one. My favourite way is travelling by
plain.
And not because it is very comfortable. It is exciting. I also like
travelling
by train. I’ve travelled this way a lot. When you are in the
train you can see
the beauty of nature.
I envy the tourists because I think that they study geography
traveling and
visiting different parts of the world. They can tell you many things
which you
didn’t know before.
They are interesting people from whom you can learn much new
for yourself.
Any kind of travel helps you to understand many things that you can
never see
or learn at home. Though you may read about them in books and
newspapers.
As for me I’d like to have a coach tour to some
foreign country. Coach tours
are planned and I’ll have a chance to do a lot of
sightseeings and have a good
rest at the same time.
U. K. POLITICAL SYSTEM
The U. K of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a
parliamentary democracy
with a constitutional monarch, Queen Elizabeth II as head of state. The
organs
of government are: Parliament, the executive and the judiciary. The
legislature, Parliament, is the supreme authority. It comprises 2
chambers -
the House of Lords and House of Commons - together with the Queen in
her
constitutional role.
The executive consists of the central Government - that is the
Prime-Minister and Cabinet and other ministers who are responsible for
initiating and directing the national policy, government departments,
local
authorities, and public corporations. The judiciary determines common I
am and
interpret status and is independent of both the legislature and
executive.
The Government derive its authority from the elected House of
Commons. A
general election. For all seats in the House of Commons, must be help
every 5
years. The Government is normally formed by the political party which
is
supported by the majority in the House of Commons. The
Party’s leader is
appointed Prime-Minister by the Queen. He chooses a team of ministers
of whom
20 or so are in the Cabinet. The second largest party becomes the
official
opposition with its own leader and Shadow Cabinet. The House of Commons
comprises members from the constituencies in England, Scotland, Wales
and
Northern Ireland who represent people whose history and traditions
differ.
The House of Lords is a hereditary Chamber.
YOUR PASTIME AND HOBBY
Hobby is what a person likes to do in his spare time. Hobbies
differ like
tastes. If you have chosen a hobby according to your character and
taste you
are lucky because your life becomes more interesting. The most popular
hobby is
doing things. It includes a wide variety of activities from gardening
to
travelling, from chess to volleyball. Both grown-ups and children are
fond of
playing different computer games. This hobby is becoming more and more
popular.
Making things include drawing, painting, handicrafts. Many people
collect
something - coins, stamps, compact discs, toys, books. Some collections
have
some value. Rich people often collect paintings, rare things and other
art
objects. Often such private collections are given to museums,
libraries.
As for me, I like to listen to music. 3 months ago my parents
bought me a
compact disc player and I decided to collect compact discs. I like
different
music, it should be good. I collect discs of my favourite groups and
singers. I
carefully study the information printed on discbooklets. I try to find
everything about my favourite singers. Also I like to watch music
programmes on
TV. I want to keep up with the news in the world of music.
Of course, I like to spend my spare time with my friends. We
talk about all
sorts of things (politics, teachers, girls) . We discuss films, books,
TV programmes.
In fine weather we like to be in the open air. We find a nice place
somewhere
in the forest. We make a fire, bake potatoes and have a lot of fun.
When the
weather is bad, my friends come to my place. We have a good time
together.
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