Ticket 1.
Reading.
It is about beauty of our motherland Belarus, its nature and traditions. The author is proud of being Belarusian and loves our country.
1 paragraph
He is proud of its wonderful nature, rich heroic history, national holidays and traditions and its people.
If he were a talented painter, he would draw pictures with its beautiful landscapes, if he could compose verses, he would write lyric poems.
Listening. What was going to college. She was a bit shy and reserved. She had to share a room with a complete stranger, she didn't have friends there. So she was nervous.
When she was asked about her goal at college, she was honest and answered, she wanted to have at least one true friend. One boy came to her, introduced himself and offered to become friends. Their friendship lasted for many years and brought them together in marriage.
She learned to be honest, openhearted and take actions.
Ticket 2.
Reading.
This article is about fruitful and dynamic cooperation between Belarus and such international organizations as UNESCO. And about attractions of Belarus which have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
1 paragraph
The Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park, The Mir Castle Complex, The Nesvizh Palace and The Struve Arc are included on the list for protection.
The Belarusian government wants to propose to add Independence Avenue in Minsk for inclusion into the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Listening. Choosing the right job is very important as it influences all our life like choosing a wife or a husband, a friend you can rely on.
In our materialistic world young people choose well-paid jobs connected with business, modern technologies and politics and so on.
The speaker advises us to take into consideration our talents, interests and abilities.
Ticket 3.
Reading.
This text is about the children's opinions about ideal school and what they want to change in their school. Different pupils have different ideas.
1 paragraph
They want their school to be creative, valuable for their social and educational experience. Teachers should help them develop their individuality.
Everybody has the right to be free, to choose what to be or not to be. So the children want more freedom.
Listening. The heating doesn't work properly and the breakfast is very early in the morning.
There was another boy in this room, he was snoring on the night and Peter couldn't sleep.
The man on reception promised to send an engineer to fix the heating.
Ticket 4.
Reading.
It's about a 13yearold girl, who decided to keep a diary. She didn't have a true friend, who can share her thoughts with. She wants her diary to be a patient friend.
2 para.
There are a lot of people around her, but she has only a few close ones. They love parents, aunts and her 16yeraold sister.
Anna started writing in a diary, because she felt alone, she didn't have a true close friend, who she could trust her thought, dreams and ideas.
Listening.Alice worked in her uncle's shop as a shop assistant in Australia.
It was difficult to deal with customers, but the most difficult thing was money, as she made a lot of mistakes, but her uncle helped her to get out of trouble.
She learned to understand people's behaviors better; she has become more tolerant, serious and responsible.
Ticket 5.
Reading.
This article is about cyber bullying and the ways, who to avoid it. The author tells us bout SID which is organized every year in 74 countries.
1 paragraph
We should follow the tips given in the article, treat people online as you do in the real life, don’t ever post personal information.
SID is a good way to stop abuse the Internet, because it helps people to use the Internet.
Listening. The conversation takes place at Abbey Health Club.
The man is interested in where the gum is, if they have a yoga class, if there is a car park.
50 a month need to pay.
Ticket 6.
Reading.
It tells us about friendly loving family, they were going to celebrate Christmas, but the author brother Clifton didn't get go for Christmas, as he saved the army, during the World War 2 and asked his family to keep Christmas tree, but he arrived. They did all the best to do it.
1 paragraph
He was one of the Tuskegee Airmen and was responsible for maintaining the airplanes flying off to fight in the World War 2.
Clifton was eager to celebrate Christmas with his family, but he didn't his manage , so he asked his family to leave the Christmas up until he made it back.
Listening. Homework puts her in a bad mood. She wants to relax instead of doing homework.
She did very little homework in high school and didn't get used to doing homework how at college.
It develops a sense of logic, makes us more disciplined, intelligent and ready for future career.
Ticket 7.
Reading.
It is about Sam, a teenager girl; her mum didn't let her go out anywhere, because there was a terrible mess in her room, until her room was tidy.
3 para.
Sam's room was piled with a lot of things. There was a terrible mess. Her mum thought her room was condemned.
She is not going to clean her room, because instead of it she decided to paint her fingernails.
Listening.Tina was going to Hong Kong from London.
Tina's flight was delayed from one hour to nine hours.
There was a huge stormed the place stared bouncing. She was scared. Then the oxygen makes dropped down, she put it on and sat in absolute terror.
Ticket 8.
Reading.
It is about a girl who had a problem with algebra. Her granddad helps her to cope with algebra. She understands that it was possible to enjoy it. She discovered granddads inner world and they became friend.
1 paragraph
Her granddad loved algebra. He explained algebra is useful. It is mental fitness for people. The girl stopped being afraid of algebra.
She learned that granddads world is full of miracles. He was fascinated by riddles, by labyrinths. He was a lot of interests. So she discovered her granddad.
Listening. Whales sometimes throw themselves on the beach dirty water makes them that crazy as plants and factories throw rubbish into the water.
People brought ropes and began to pull him into the water. It was hard and the wale began moving in the water.
The memory stared in his heart forever, he decided to study the ocean and protect animals, he is a member of Greenpeace.
Ticket 9.
Reading.
It is about the importance of modern technology for communication. Now our life depends on it. We used phones, mobiles, Internet, they save our time and space. They have greatly changed all spheres of our life.
1 paragraph
For us they have changed everything. We can do time-consuming tasks in minutes; a lot of information is stored on tiny disks. Access to the Internet lets us keep up with global and current issues.
Many people spend hours just chatting about silly, an important things, looking through sites for no reason, play computer games in hours.
Listening.The action takes place in the author's grandmother's big old house near London.
All the furniture's in my grandmother's bedroom was on the left side of the room, and the carpet was on the other side of the room.
They were scared, because the furniture was really heavy and they heard just a tiny noise. And granny said it had happened before and she didn't maid.
Ticket 10.
Reading.
This article is about a successful family, about time that families should spend together, traditions which unite the family and about the importance of love in families.
1 paragraph
Traditions which include different norms, customs and views make a family united.
That various from family to families. Families with young children spend most of their time together, families with teenagers may spend less time together, but healthy families keep a good balance between "too much" and "not enough" time together.
Listening. The girl can't stop eating chocolate.
The girl things that her habit is harmful, because there are a lot of sugar and fat in all types of chocolate, that’s why she has many spots on her face and she is a little overweight too.
She can't stop eating chocolate, because there is always chocolate for sale wherever she is. And because when she tries to stop if she doesn't have any chocolate, she gets very bad headaches.
Ticket 11.
Reading.
It is about a famous mathematician, astronomer and philosopher. Pythagoras and his achievements, his teaching methods and believes. But today he is still a mysterious figure.
2 para.
The people of Samous didn't appreciate his teaching methods, they treated him improperly, wanted to involve him in local politics against his will, so he went to Italy.
There are three types of people those who love wisdom, those who love honor and those who love wealth.
Listening.He is 99. He will be 100 in 2 weeks.
His life was hard: he had to work much, he didn't have enough to eat and he didn't do exercises and spent a lot of time outside.
He recommends to be active and to have a positive attitude.
Ticket 12.
Reading.
This article is about the most famous female pilot Amelia Earhart and about her difficult childhood, the way of life, which land her to unusual for women. She took several records and became famous and found her future love due to her passion.
2 para.
One day Amelia received an invitation to be the first woman ever to make the flight across the Atlantic from Canada to Britain.
She became famous, because she broke several records when she flew the Atlantic solo.
Listening. They worry about the pollution in her bedroom.
She thinks that it is not important, it is her own room.
Father is afraid of plague. Her parents are old-fashioned and they get used to cheating their rooms so mother asked Nancy to place them.
Ticket 13.
Reading.
This text is about the stress of commuting. People are looking for ways to avoid stress and improve their lives. The author gives us the idea of ​​how to avoid stress and reduce pollution.
2 para.
To reduce a pollution we can use environmentally friendly means of transport such as trains, met no system and carpooling.
Carpooling is convenient, because it saves a people time and money, helps avoid stress.
Listening. If they have no friend, people feel lonely and unhappy. They have no friend to talk and shake sad or happy moments.
A good friend should be shoving, caring, listening, doing something for another person, honest.
It is good to be a real friend, because your life is full of meaningful, interesting, you feel the joy, and you will never be along.
Ticket 14.
Reading.
It is about an English boy named Ch. MrDonnell who was bored and decided to make his video blog and post it on YouTube. Soon he became popular and his audience grew, he used his famous to help people less fortunate than himself.
1 paragraph
He became popular when Oprah Winfrey, the famous American TV host, showed one of Charlie's comedy videos called "How to be English" on her program.
People like Charlie, because he is honest, modesty, he is a talented song writer, actor and singer, and he helps people less fortunate than himself.
Listening.Young people prefer to live with their parents in Hong Kong, because it is expensive to rent a flat, they must good care of their parents and spend more time with them.
They supported his decision, because they thought it was a good idea to understand how good it was to live with parents.
He gave his personal space and freedom, saved traveling cost and time.
Ticket 15.
Reading.
It is devoted to ecological problems, residential building consume 27% of the total energy. It gives us an idea how to save energy and to save a builds. Everybody is responsible for reducing emissions.
4 para.
We can block up drafts, switch off unnecessary, light, make sure cold and hot water taps are not left running, and we also should use energy efficient light bulbs.
Water of drinkable quality that used to flush the toilets unnecessary waste of energy used in water purification.
Listening. It is a fantastic of London by open-top bus.
They will see M. T. museum, Oxford Street, Westminster Abbey, The House of Parliament, The London Eye, Tower Bride and Buckingham Palace.
They don't have any extra umbrellas, but the guide promised that it couldn't rain as it is going to rain heavily he asked to return money.
Ticket 16.
Reading.
It tells us about MR Womack's cottage, his attitude to it. His home is the castle for him; he does everything himself there so it is so dear to him.
The last.
He is very busy at home; he looks after domestic animals, works in the garden, grow cucumbers. He is skillful and does a lot of work in his house by himself.
He calls himself Jack of all Trades, because he is a craftsman and he is able to do everything about his house himself.
Listening.Sally loved writing. She wrote some advice to her friend who was moving and her pen-friend advised her to write a book.
Sally's dad thought it was good, but he didn't advise her to send it to publishers not to be disappointed if they didn't like it.
Her life didn't change a lot. But she became more confident and was planning to write one more book.
Ticket 17.
Reading.
It tells us about M. T., her life was devoted to poor people, she was a simple nun, she did all the best to help the sick and the poor.
2 para.
One day she was on a train, she looked out of the window and saw dirty children sleeping in a doorway. Sick and dying people were lying on streets. She was shocked and decided to work with the poor. She is kind-hearted.
She opened a school for the kids from poor families, she stared her own group of nuns who cared about poor and dying people. She also starred homes for children without families.
Listening. Jackie wants to become a PE teacher.
She has chosen this profession, because she likes explaining things, helping people, she likes to work with young people, also she likes challenge.
It is good for our mental well-being, for health, it keeps physically fit, beaches young people important life lessons: the importance of teamwork, discipline, fairness.
Ticket 18.
Reading.
It tells us about one of the most magnificent work of art, The Mona Lisa by L. da Vinci. Every hour about 1,500 people visit the Louvre Museum in Paris. It tells us what makes the ML. so special.
3 para.
Mona Lisa's mysterious smile has fascinated everyone who has ever seen the painting. People find her smile divine; the portrait seems alive.
It is a masterpiece; it is placed in a specially built area in a room with other great 16th century Italian paintings. Visitors have a better chance to appreciate the painting as a work of art rather than as a tourist attraction.
Listening.Christian wants to become a businessman.
Kate needs to learn English for a future career. She is going to be a tourist management.
He advises her to speak much as possible when she travels, because practice is important.
Ticket 19.
Reading.
It is about the Guinness Books of Work Records. There is a wide range of amazing facts on these pages. There is a helpful index in the back of the book, where we can find subjects of interest in an alphabetical order.
1 paragraph
The collection of records is divided into chapters on Space, Human Achievement, Sports and others. We can read about extremes in these spheres.
This book can be interesting for the reader, because there are a lot of amazing facts in this book. It can motivate people to develop their skills and talents.
Listening. When he was 3, his brother was born; his parents decided they needed a larger name so they moved into a rented flat.
The flat was not really large. But there were enough places for them and there were two bedrooms, a cozy-living room with a balcony and a bathroom.
He is sharing the flat with are person at present.
Ticket 20.
Reading.
This text is about Dr. Rowland and her test of independent. From this text we find out that modern teenager are not ready for independent life and are not able to do the simplest things around the hour.
1 paragraph
Parents took the plug off the microwave and took out some good lights bulbs and put in light bulbs that didn't work. They also made sure that there were other problems in the house: with an Italian coffee machine and one of the taps in the bedroom.
On the one hand the children manage to solve all the problems, but on the other hand they did in only using money and professional help. So we can say that they are not ready to independent life.
Listening. Tom visited his cousins, who rented a cottage near the seaside. They went water-skilling and had a lot of fun.
While the boys were pulling Tom along, the engine suddenly stopped. The boat began slowly to drift out to sea. There was going to be a storm. The sky was dark, the boys were frightened, but soon they saw a life boat.
There was going to be a storm, the see was dark and angry it makes him frightened.
Ticket 21.
Reading.
This text is about using technology in our everyday. We can't imagine our life without technology devices. We can also learn some facts about online volunteering and how it helps people around the world.
1 paragraph
The author often uses TV. DVD game his favorite console. He always used his mobile phone or laptop.
This work can support the poor and help charities who over wise would not have the funding to play for staff.
Ticket 22.
Reading.
This text is about a girl Jessica Winters and how she took part in a famous TV show "The Pretenders". We can read about the work she had to cope with during the show and about the result she achieved.
1 paragraph
She didn't know that 2 of her friends had sent her name to TV Company to take part in the Pretenders.
It is an exciting and useful experience for Jessica, because she gained a lot of confidence and she understood that she is capable of many thing decides her guilt job.
Listening.The first speaker likes China.
Fabulous history, wonderful variety of nature, friendly people, and deli shies food make Italy his favorite place.
There is a fantastic music, dancing, unusual nature and his favorite is the beef. He has never eaten food anywhere.
Ticket 23.
Reading.
It is about Spanish restaurant – Mi Luna. It represents us the atmosphere, the food, the service there. This place is popular with visitors; they enjoy Spanish cuisine, music, the decoration.
5 para.
People can feel a Spanish atmosphere it is painted with classical colors that are used in Spain – the red, yellow, white, and black, on the walk there are photos of Spanish bullfighters. You can enjoy Spanish music and dancing.
It is popular with visitors; it is very busy they should book a table first.
Listening. She works hard all day, she is tied, and she hasn't any time to enjoy Italy.
Peter wants to make the best expression at his job interviews. He is looking for a job.
She advices him to join networking groups, they are also looking for work and help each other.
Ticket 24.
Reading.
It is about Elderhostel, the educational and travel organization for older adults. It offers a large member of programs to keep fit, mental and physical well-being. They prevent them from illnesses.
1 paragraph
People study history, literature, art, modern issues. They do sports. They are involved in adventure programs.
People keep a positive self-image; they are active take part in various activities. So the work has a very positive meaning.
Listening. The girl so Terry at a local dance he was so handsome. She was surprised when Terry asked her to dance instead of her best friends.
They were in a lift. The boy was going to the first, but he stead with her all the way to the sixth and asked her out.
He thought Amy was awful, because she ignored him, spent all night chatting and laughing with Tim.
Ticket 25.
Reading.
This text is about the Internet and its role in the modern world. It gives us many opportunities, but only when we used Internet sensibly. It is very important not to forget about other activities, important of our development.
2 para.
It is important to use the internet sensibly, because it gives people tools and we should use them within reasonable limits.
Listening. She works a lot and doesn't have time for her, to enjoy hobbies, to see her children. She earns a lot, but has no free time.
She enjoy his personal life, he plays tennis, works much better and feels happier.
His lifestyle gives him a lot of freedom, he is happy. A lot of people in Japan get ill and die, because they work too much and hard.

The Russian Federation

The Russian Federation is the largest country in the world. It occupies about one-seventh of the earth's surface. It covers the eastern part of Europe and the northern part of Asia. Its total area is about 17 million square kilometres. The country is washed by 12 seas of 3 oceans:the Pacific , the Arctic and the Atlantic. In the south Russia borders on China, Mongolia, Korea, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Azerbaijan. In the west it borders on Norway, Finland, the Baltic States, Belorussia, the Ukraine. It also has a sea- borders with the USA.

There is hardly a country in the world where such a variety of scenery and vegetation can be found. We have stepspes in the south, plains and forests in the midland, tundra and taiga in the nirth, highlands and deserts in the east. There are two great plains in Russia: the Great Russian Plain and the West Siberian Lowland. There are several mountains chains on the territory of the country: the Urals, the Caucasus, the Altai and others. The largest mountain chain, the Urals, separates Europe from Asia.There are over two million rivers in Russia. Europe "s biggest river, the Volga, flows into the Caspian Sea. The main Siberian rivers- the Ob, the Yenisei and the Lena- flow from the south to the north. The Amur in the Far East flows into the Pacific Ocean.

Russia is in beautiful lakes. The world's deepest lake is Lake Baikal. It is much smaller than the Baltic Sea, but there is much more water in it than in the Baltic Sea. The water in the lake is so clear that if you look down you can count the stones on the bottom. Russia has one-sixth of the world "s forests. They are concentrated in the European north of the country, in Syberia and in the Far East.On the vast territory of the country there are various types of climate, from arctic in the north to subtropical in the south. In the middle of the country the climate is temperate and continental.

Russia is very reach in oil, iron ore, natural gas, copper, nickel and other mineral resources.Russia is a parliamentary republic. The Head of State is the President. The legislative powers are exercised by the Duma. The capital of Russia is Moscow. It is its largest political, scientific, cultural and industrial centre. It "s one of the oldest Russian cities. At present, the political and economic situationn in the country is rather complicated. There are a lot of problems in the national economy of the Russian Federation. The industrial production is decreasing. The prices are constantly rising, the rate of inflation is very high.People are losing their jobs because many factories and plants are going bankrupt.But in spite of the problems Russia is facing at present, there are a lot of opportunities for this country to become one of the leading countries in the world. I "m sure that we, the younger generation, can do very much to make Russia as strong and powerful as it used to be.

Russian Federation

The Russian Federation is the largest country in the world. It ranks about the first seventh of the earth's surface. It covers the eastern part of Europe and the northern part of Asia. Its total area is about 17 million square kilometers. The country is washed by 12 seas of 3 oceans: the Pacific, the Arctic and the Atlantic. In the south, Russia borders on China, Mongolia, Korea, Kazakhstan, Georgia (Georgia) and Azerbaijan. On the west it borders Norway, Finland, the Baltic States, Belorussia, Ukraine. It also shares a maritime border with the US.

There is hardly a country in the world where such a variety of landscape and vegetation can be found. We have steppes in the south, plains and forests in the interior, tundra and taiga in the nirth, highlands and deserts in the east. There are two Great Plains in Russia: the Great Russian Plain and the Western Siberian Lowland. There are several chains of mountains in the country: the Urals, the Caucasus, Altai and others. The largest mountain chain, the Urals, separates Europe from Asia. There are over two million rivers in Russia. The largest river in Europe, the Volga, flows into the Caspian Sea. The main Siberian rivers - the Ob, Yenisei and Lina Lena - flow from south to north. Amur in the Far East flows into the Pacific Ocean.

Russia is reach in beautiful lakes. The world's deepest lake is Lake Baikal. It is much smaller than the Baltic Sea, but there is much more water in it than in the Baltic Sea. The water in the lake is so clear that if you look down you can find the stones on the bottom. Russia has the first sixth of the world's forests. They are concentrated in the European north of the country, in Syberia and in the Far East. There are different types of climate across the country's vast territory, from arctic in the north to subtropical in the south. In the middle of the country the climate is temperate and continental.

Russia is very reach in oil, iron ore, natural gas, copper, nickel and other mineral resources. Russia is a parliamentary republic. The head of state is the President. Legislative powers are exercised by the Duma. The capital (capital) of Russia is Moscow. It is its largest political, scientific, cultural and industrial centre. This is one of the oldest Russian cities. At present, the political and economic situationn in the country is rather complicated. There are many problems in the national economy of the Russian Federation. Industrial production is decreasing. Prices are constantly rising, the rate of inflation is very high. People are losing their jobs because many factories and plants will go out of business. But despite the challenges Russia is currently facing, there are many opportunities for this country to become one of the leading countries in the world. I am sure that we, the younger generation, can do much to make Russia as strong and powerful as it used to be.

Moscow is the capital of Russia, its political, economic, commercial and cultural centre. It was founded 8 centuries ago by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky in 1147. Gradually the city became more and more powerfull. In the 13th century Moscow was the center of the struggle of Russian lands for the liberation from the tartar yoke. In the 16th century under Ivan the Terrible Moscow became the capital of the new united state. Though Peter the Great moved the capital to St. Petersburg in 1712; Moscow remained the heart of Russia. That's why it became the main target of Napoleon's attack. After the October revolution Moscow became the capital again. Now moscow is one of the largest cities in Europe. Its total area is about nine hundred square kilometres. The population of the city is over 8 million. Moscow is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The heart of Moscow is Red Square. The Kremlin and St. Basil's Cathedral (Vasily Blazheny) are masterpieces of ancient Russian architecture. On the territory of the Kremlin you can see old cathedrals, the Palace of Congresses, the Tzar-Cannon and the Tzar-Bell, the biggest cannon and bell in the world . St. Basil's Cathedral was built in the mid-16th century in memory of the victory over Kazan.One of the well-known Kremlin museums is the Armouty Chamber. The famous golden cap of Monomach, the first Russian imperial crown of Catherin the second and many other historical items are exhibited there.

There are more than 80 museums in Moscow. The Historical Museum, the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, the Tretyakov State Picture Gallery are world famous and the largest.Moscow is famous for its theaters. The best-known of them are Bolshoi, Maly and Art theatres.

Moscow is the seat of the Russian Parliament (the Duma) and the center of political life of the country.

Moscow is the capital (capital) of Russia, its political, economic, commercial and cultural centre. It was founded 8 centuries ago by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky in 1147. Gradually the city became more and more powerful. In the 13th century Moscow was the center of the struggle of the Russian countries for liberation from the yoke of stone. In the 16th century under Ivan the Terrible Moscow became the capital of the new united state. Although Peter the Great moved the capital to St. Petersburg in 1712; Moscow has remained the heart of Russia. That is why it became the main target of Napoleon's attack. After the October Revolution, Moscow became the capital again.

Now Moscow is one of the biggest cities in Europe. Its total area is about nine hundred square kilometers. The population of the city is over 8 million.

Moscow is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The heart of Moscow is Red Square. The Kremlin and St. Basil's Cathedral (Vasily Blazheny) are masterpieces of encient Russian architecture. On the territory of the Kremlin you can see the old cathedrals, the Palace of Congresses, the Tsar's Cannon and the Tsar's Bell, the largest cannon and bell in the world. St. Basil's Cathedral was built in the middle of the 16th century in memory of the victory over Kazan. One of the famous Kremlin museums is the Armouty Chamber. The famous Monomach gold cap, the first Russian imperial crown Catherin the second and many other historical items are displayed there. There are more than 80 museums in Moscow. Historical Museum, Pushkin Museum of Arts, Tretyakov State Art Gallery is world famous and largest. Moscow is famous for its theaters. Known for the best of them - Bolshoi, Maly and Art Theatres. Moscow is the seat of the Russian Parliament (Duma) and the center of the country's political life

The United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is located on the British Isles. The British Isles consists of two large islands, Great Britain and Ireland, and about five thousand small islands. Their total area is over 244,000 square kilometres. The United Kingdom is one of the world's smaller countries. Its population is over 57 million. About 80 percent of the population is urban. The United Kingdom is made up of four countries: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast respectively. Great Britain consists of England , Scotland and Wales and does not include Northern Ireland. But in everyday speech Great Britain is used in the meaning of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. of the UK. is London. The British Isles are separated from the Continent by the North Sea and the British Channel. The *western coast of Great Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea.

The surface of the British Isles varies very much. The north of Scotland is mountainous and is called the Highlands. The South, which has beautiful valleys and plains, is called the Lowlands. The north and west of England are mountainous, but the eastern, central and south-eastern parts of England are a vast plain. Mountains are not very high. Ben Nevis in Scotland is the highest mountain (1343 m). There are a lot of rivers iri Great Britain, but they are not very long. The Severn is the longest rive?, while the Thames is the deepest and the most important oae. The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of the Gulf Stream influence the climate of the British Isles. It is mild the whole year round. The UK. is a highly developed industrial country. It produces and exports machinery, electronics, textiles. One of the chief industries of the country is shipbuilding. * The UK is a constitutional monarchy with a parliament and the Queen as Head of State.

Great Britain

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is located in the British Isles. The British Isles consist of two large islands, Great Britain and Ireland, and approximately five thousand small islands. Their total area is over 244,000 square kilometers. The UK is one of the world's smaller countries. Its population is over 57 million. Approximately 80 percent of the population is urban. The UK is made up of four countries: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast respectively. The UK is made up of England, Scotland and Wales and does not include Northern Ireland. But in everyday speech Great Britain is used in the sense of the Great Britain of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Capital (capital) of the UK. Is London. The British Isles are separated from the Continent by the North Sea and the British Channel. *western coast of Great Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea.

The surface of the British Isles varies greatly. The north of Scotland is vast and is called the Highlands. The south, which has beautiful valleys and plains, is called the Lowlands. The north and west of England is vast, but the east, central and south - eastern parts of England - a vast plain. The mountains are not very high. Ben Nevis in Scotland is the highest mountain (1343 m). There are many rivers in iri UK, but they are not very long. The Severn is the longest rive? while the Thames is the deepest and most important oae. Mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of the Gulf Stream influence the climate of the British Isles. It's moderate all year around. GREAT BRITAIN. It is a highly developed industrial country. It manufactures and exports machinery, electronics, textiles. One of the country's main industries is shipbuilding. * The UK is a constitutional monarchy with a Parliament and the Queen as Head of State.

The United States of America

The Unites States of America are situated in the central part of the North American continent. Its western coast is washed by the Pacific Ocean and its eastern coast - by the Atlantic Ocean. The total area of ​​the USA is over nine million square kilometres. The population of the USA is more than 236 million people; most of the population lives in towns and cities. The USA is a very large country, so it has several different climatic regions. The Goldest regions are in the north and north-east. The south has a subtropical climate. The United States is a land of rivers and lakes..The northern stateof Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes. The longest rivers in the USA are the Mississippi, the Missouri and the Rio Grande. The highest mountains are the Rocky Mountains, the Cordillera and the Sierra Nevada.The United States are riebiia natural and mineral resources. It produces copper, oil, iron ore and coal. It is a highly-developed industrial Bad agricultural coubtry. There are many big cities in the USA, such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and others. The national capital is Washington, D.C. Its population is about 3.4 million. Washington was built in the late eighteenth century especially as the center of govern meat. It was named after George Washington. The USA became the world teading country at the beginning of the twen*eth century.

USA

Consolidated, the states of America are located in the central part of the North American continent. Its western coast is washed by the Pacific Ocean and its eastern coast by the Atlantic Ocean. The total area of ​​the US is over nine million square kilometers. The US population is more than 236 million people; the majority of the population lives in towns and cities. The USA is a very large country, so it has a slightly different climate.

Regions (regions). The goldest areas(regions) are in the north and northeast. The south has a subtropical climate. The United States is the land of rivers and lakes. The Northern State of Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes. The longest Rivers in the US are the Mississippi, Missouri and Rio Grande. The highest mountains are the Rocky Mountains, the Cordillera and the Sierra Nevada. The United States is riebiia's natural and mineral resources. It produces copper, oil, iron ore and coal. This is a highly developed industrial Poor agricultural coubtry. There are many big cities in the USA such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and others. The national capital is Washington DC. Its population of the District of Columbia is approximately 3.4 million. Washington was

Built in the late eighteenth century especially as the center of the governmeat. It was named for George Washington. The USA became a world teading country at the beginning of the twen*eth century.

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 favorite 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 carreer. 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 favorite 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 program. In the evening I often read newspapers (our local ones) or magazines. I like fresh air and exercise. I'm sorry I don't have 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 classmates. 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 are all 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.

ABOUT ME DIRECTLY.

My name is Natalia. My last name is Govorova. I am 15. I was born in 1982 in Chelyabinsk. I live in the 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 student. I go to school number 1. I am a good student. I excel 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 a lot, for example, do lessons in Physics or Chemistry, write a composition or study a poem with my heart. But my favorite subject is English. I spend a lot of time on it reading books, doing tests etc. Maybe English, and learning that will be part of my future carreer. I enjoy reading. I think comics and detective stories are much easier to read, but I prefer to read novels - historical or contemporary. I love music. My musical tastes are different, but it depends on my mood. But I think every apple is good in its season. I play piano and guitar, not seriously, but for my soul. Sometimes I like to listen to Russian classical music. My favorite composers are Chaikovsky and Mozart. I don't like rock music, but I love Queen and the Beatles. I also love Russian folk songs. I don't have much time to watch IV, but sometimes I spend an hour or two watching an interesting movie or news program. In the evening I often read newspapers (our local ones) or magazines. I love fresh air and exercise. I wish I had much time for doing sports. But some aerobics in the morning, a swimming pool twice a week, a ski trip on a frosty day is of great help. Sports are fun. I have a wide range of interests. I'm very outgoing, so I get on my way with people. I have many friends, most of them are my classmates. We spend a lot of time together, going to the cinema or to a disco party, talking about lessons and music, discussing our problems. But most of all I love my family. We are all great friends and deeply attached to each other.

You see, this is me - a person with his good and not good characteristics, loving it and hating it. But it's interesting for me to live, to discover new things.

Sport in our life

Millions of people all over the world are fond of sports and games. Sport helps people to stay in good shape, helps to support health and prevents from illness. Sport makes them more organized and better disciplined in their daily activities.We"ve always paid great attention to sport in our schools, colleges and universities. You can hardly find a school without a gym or a sports ground. Every city and town has a few stadiums or swimming pools where local competitions are usually held.There are different sporting societies and clubs in Russia.Many of them take part in different international tournaments and are known all over the world. by Russian sportsmen Our sportsmen also win a lot of gold, silver and bronze medals in the Olympic Games.

Sports in our life

Millions of people around the world love sports and games. Sports help people stay fit, help maintain health and prevent illness. Sport makes them more organized and better disciplined in their daily activities.

We have always paid great attention to sports in our schools, colleges and universities. You can hardly find a school without a gym or a sports field. Each town and city has several stadiums or swimming pools where local competitions are usually held.

There are various sports societies and clubs in Russia. Many of them take part in various international tournaments and are known all over the world. Big nu, ber world records were set by Russian sportsmen. Our athletes also win a lot of gold, silver and bronze

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 especially 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 translate 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.

STUDYING OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE.

The great German poet Goeth once said: "He who does not know any foreign language does not know his own. Learning foreign languages ​​is especially important nowadays. Some people study foreign languages ​​because they need them in their work, others travel abroad, for a third learning languages ​​is a hobby.

Every year thousands of people from Russia go to different countries as tourists or work. They cannot go without knowing the language of the country they are going to. A modern engineer, or even a worker, cannot work with an imported tool or machine unless he is able to read instructions on how to do it. Ordinary people need a language to translate instructions or manuals for a washing machine or vacuum cleaner, medicine (medicine) or even food items. Some people are usually polyglots. Diplomats of Historians need some languages ​​for their work. If you want to be a classified professional, you must learn English, the language of international communications.

English is one of the world languages. It is the language of progressive science and technology, trade and cultural relations, trade and business. It is the universal language of international aviation, shipping and sports. It is also the main 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 widely spoken language on earth, second only to Chinese. It is the official language of the UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand, it is used as one of the official languages ​​in Canada, South Africa. Millions of people are learning and using English as a foreign language. English is very popular in our country. It is taught in schools, colleges and universities. Learning English is not an easy thing. This 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 is interesting for me to know foreign countries, their cultures and traditions. English will be of great use in my future profession related to computers.

People are fond of traveling. They spend their holidays traveling. 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, lazying in the sun. Most travelers 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 traveling - by train, by plain, by ship, on foot. Everyone chooses his favorite one. My favorite way is traveling by plain. And not because it is very comfortable. It is exciting. I also like traveling by train. I've traveled 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. Thought 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.

TRAVEL.

People love to travel. They spend their vacation travel. They travel to see other countries and continents, learn a lot about folk traditions, enjoy scenic spots. It's interesting for them to discover new things, different ways of life, meet different people, try different food.

Those who live in the country love to be in big 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 swimming, lazying in the sun. Most travelers 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 happy holiday time.

They are many ways of travel - by train, plain, ship, on foot. Everyone chooses his favorite one. My favorite way is traveling the plain. And no, because it is very convenient. It's exciting. I also like traveling by train. I have traveled this way a lot. When you are on the train, you can see the beauty of nature.

I envy tourists because I think they are learning geography travel and visiting different parts of the world. They can tell you many things that you didn't know before.

They are interesting people from whom you can learn a lot for yourself. Any kind of travel helps you understand many things that you can never see or learn at home. Although you can read about them in books and newspapers.

As for me, I would like to have a coach tour to some foreign country. Bus (coach) tour is planned and I should have a chance to do a lot of sightseeing and have a good rest at the same time.

environmental problems

The poisoning of the world "s land, air, and water is the fastest-spreading disease of civilization. It probably produces fewer headlines than wars, earthquakes and floods, but it is potentially one of history"s greatest dangers to human life on earth . If present trends continue for the next several decades, our planet will become uninhabitable.

Overpopulation, pollution and energy consumption have created such planet-wide problems as massive deforestation, ozone depletion, acid rains and the global warming that is believed to be coused by the greenhouse effect. They are filled with poison: industrial and nuclear waste, chemical fertilisers and pesticides. The Mediterranean is already nearly dead; the North Sea is following. The Aral Sea is on the brink of extinction. If nothing is done about it, one day nothing will be able to live in the seas.

Every ten minutes one kind of animal, plant or insect dies out for ever. If nothing is done about it, one million species that are alive today will have become extinct twenty years from now.

Air population is a very serious problem. In Cairo just breathing the air is life threatening- equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. The same holds true for Mexico City and 600 cities of the former Soviet Union.Industrial enterprises emit tons of harmful substunces. These emissions have disastrous consequences for our planet. They are the main reason for the greenhouse effect and acid rains. We all know how tragic the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster are.

People are beginning to realize that environmenta problems are not somebody else "s. They join and support various international organosation and green parties. If governments wake up to what is happening- perhaps we"ll be able to avoid the disaster that threatens the natural world and all of us with it.

Environmental issues

The poisoning of the world's land, air, and water is the fastest-spreading disease of civilization. It probably generates fewer headlines than wars, earthquakes and floods, but it is potentially one of history's greatest dangers to human life on earth. If current trends continue over the next few decades, our planet will become uninhabitable.

Overpopulation, pollution and energy consumption have created such planet-wide problems as massive deforestation, ozone depletion, acid rain and global warming that is believed to be coused by the greenhouse effect. The seas are in danger. They are filled with poison: industrial and nuclear waste, chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The Mediterranean is already almost dead; The North Sea follows. The Aral Sea is on the verge of extinction. If nothing is done about it, one day nothing will be able to live in the seas. Every ten minutes one kind of animal, plant or insect will die out forever. If nothing is done about it, the one million species that is alive today will become extinct twenty years from now.

The air population is a very serious problem. In Cairo, just breathing air is a threat to life - the equivalent of smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. The same holds true for Mexico City and 600 cities of the former Soviet Union. Industrial plants emit tons of harmful substunces. This emission has disastrous consequences for our planet. They are the main cause for the greenhouse effect and acid rain. Even a big threat environment- nuclear power plants. We all know how tragic the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster are. People are beginning to realize that the environmenta problems are not anyone else's. They join and support various international organosation and green parties. If governments are aware of what is happening - perhaps we will be able to avoid the disaster that threatens the natural world and all of us with it.

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 are a fire in the center of the house. 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 a 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, colored 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 17 th century Producing of tableware-dishes, spoons, mugs was 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 characterized by using plant elements in painting the tableware. The prevailing colors 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 Savior in Moscow. It is the symbol of reviving human feelings, national pride and patriotism.

TRADITIONS & CUSTOMS OF GREAT BRITIAN .

Every nation and every country has its own customs and traditions.In British traditions play more importaint part in the life of the people than in some other countries. Englishmen are proud of their traditions and carefully keep them up. It has been the law for about three hundred years that all the theaters are closed on Sundays no letters are delivered only a few Sunday papers are publshed. To this day English families prefer cotage houses with gardens to flats in a modern house with central heeting.English people like gardens.Sometimes the garden in front of the house is a little square covered with cement

painted green (in imitation of grass) and a box of flowers. In English houses the fire-place has always been the center of interest in a room.For many months of the year people like to sit round the fire and

watch the dancing flames.Fire places are decorated with woodworks,there is a painting or a mirror over it.Above the fire there is usually a shelf with a clock and some photographs. Holydays are especially rich in old traditions and are different in cotland,Wales and England.Christmas is a great english national holyday and in Scotland it is not kept at all exeept by clerks in banks,all the shops and factories are working.But 6 days later on the New Year's Eve the

Scots begin to enjoy themselves.People invite their friends to their houses and sit the old year out and the new year in.In England on new Year's Eve a

lot of people go to Trafalgar Square,at midnight,they all cross their arms join hands and sing.People have parties too,they drink toarts to the New

Year Children are happy to have presents.

Four times a year the offices and banks in Britain are closed on Monday. These public holidays are known as Bank Holidays.

holidays out of the town in the open air. They go to the sea-side or to amusements parks. Londoners often visit the Zoo, outside London they take their families to Hamsted Heath ["hnmstid" [email protected]] a large natural park too. There is usually a big fair with many different amusements for children merry-go-round,swings puppet shows,bright baloons.

One must also speak about such holidays ass All Fools Day,Hallowe"en Bonfire Night,St.Valentines Day and such tradition as Eisteddfod (a festival

of which culture).

RUSSIAN TRADITIOS.

Almost every nation and country has a reputation of some sort. The English are supposed to be cold, reserved, rather rebellious calm and sport loving. They are a nation of hosts. "There is no place like home," they say. The home of the English man - his castle is said to be famous all over the world. They prefer a small house built for one family, with a small garden - a fire in the center of the house. They love animals very much and follow traditions regarding food and nutrition. We know a lot about English traditions and customs, but now I would like to say a few words about the traditions of my native Russia land. First, about the Russian people. In my opinion, the main features of their characters that distinguish them from other people are hospitality, their "open heart", "golden hands", wise Russian fairytales reflect this wisdom. Our people are hardworking, patient, never letting go of hope for a better life. Russians are a talented nation. Russia has given the world beautiful names of Pushkin and Lermontov, Chaikovsky and Repin, thousands of names of world famous poets, authors, 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 known for Russian traditional specific crafts by its skilled craftsmen. Palekh dyed boxes, Pavlov Posad color scarves, Dymkovo clay toys, Vologda shoelaces are known all over the world.

The names Gzhel and Khokhloma are considered to be symbols of Russia as well as matryoshkas and samovars. The history of khokhloma goes back to the 17th century, producing table setting dishes, spoons, mugs were started at that time in the villages of Suomino and Khokhloma in the Nizhny Novgorod Region. On the banks of the great Russian river Volga. Many carpenters, painters have been working since then restoring the traditions of the old masters. The Khokhloma style is characterized by using plant elements in table setting painting. The predominant colors are black, yellow, gold, green and red. And at the moment this craft is sure to be saved, it will be developed and brought into the future by a new generation of painters.

The restoration of old crafts is connected with the restoration of the traditional arts of all peoples inhabiting our large country. There are 100 of them. They restore their culture, costumes, dances and language. This is the rebirth of our souls. Now we are celebrating the forgotten holidays - Troisa, Maslenitsa, Easter. We again sing Russian folk songs and chastushki, dance Barinya and perform khorovods, a trip in threes. The traditional cuisine of the Russian world is known for such dishes as okroshka, shi, pelment, kurnik, kvass. We are starting to build and restore churches. An example of this is the building of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. It is a symbol of the restoration of human feelings, national pride and patriotism.

TRADITIONS and CUSTOMS OF THE BIG BRITIAN.

Every nation and every country has its own customs and traditions. Britian traditions play more of an importaint part in people's lives than in some other countries. The English are proud of their traditions and keep them carefully. It has been the law for about three hundred years that all theaters are closed, no letters are delivered on Sundays, only a few Sunday newspapers are publshed. To this day English families prefer cotage houses with gardens to apartments in a modern house with central heeting. English people like gardens. Sometimes the front garden is a small square covered with cement

Painted green (in grass imitation) and boxes of flowers. In English locations the fireplace has always been the center of interest in the room. For months the people of the year like to sit around the fire and

Watch the dancing fire. The fireplaces are decorated with woodwork, there is a painting or a mirror on it. Above the fire there is usually a shelf with a clock and some photographs. Holydays is especially rich in old traditions and is different in cotland, Wales and England. Christmas is a great English national holyday and in Scotland it is not kept in all exeept by clerks in banks, all shops and factories are working. But 6 days later New Year's Eve

The Scots are starting to enjoy. People invite their friends to their houses and sit the old year out and the new year in. In England on New Year's Eve a

A lot of people go to Trafalgar Square, at midnight they all cross their arms join hands and sing. People have parties too, they drink toarts for New

Children of the Year are happy to have gifts.

Four times a year, offices and banks in England are closed on Mondays. These holidays are known as Bank Holidays. The British love to spend

Vacation from the city in an open area. They go to the coast or to amusement parks. Londoners frequent the Menagerie, outside of London, they take their families to Hamsted Heath ["hímstid"hi] a great natural park too. There is usually a big fair with many different attractions for kids carousel, swing puppet shows, bright baloons.

One should also talk about such a vacation ass All Fools Day, Hallowe "en Bonfire Night, C-Valentines Day and such a tradition as Eisteddfod (festival

which culture).

Pushkin

at the lyceum shaped Pushkin's life. He graduated from the lyceum in 1817 and began to work in the

foreign office in St. Petersburg. In 1820 the foreign office transferred Pushkin to Ekaterinoslav, and

later to Odessa for writing anti-tsarist poetry. In 1824, for his letters against the tsar, he was exiled to Mikhailovskoye. In 1824, Tsar Nicholas I allowed Pushkin to return to Moscow. Pushkin felt in love with Natalya Goncharova, who was lfrthen, and in 1830 they got married. His wife was suspected of an affair with Baron Georges d "Antes; this became the subject of gossip. Pushkin challenged d" Antes to a duel. Pushkin was wounded and died two days later. Pushkin was Russia's greatest poet. In his works he was first

influenced by 18th century poets, and then by Lord Byron. Finally he developed bis own style, which was realistic but classical in form. His earliest long poem was romantic "Ruslan and Lyudmila" (1818-1820). A series of verse tales followed- "The Prisoner of theCaucasus", "The Robber Brothers", "The Fountain of Bakhchisarai", and "The Gypsies". They were inspired by Syren's poetry. In 1823 Pushkin began writing his masterpiece "Eugene Onegin", anovel in verse. "Eugen Onegin" became the linguistic and literary standard. It is a commentary on the life of the early I 9th century Russia Pushkin created also a number of masterpieces in drama and prose. "Little Tragedies" and "The Stone Guest" are among the best works in the world history of drama. Pushkin "s love to Russia" s past resulted in his historical drama, "Boris Godunov" (1825). "Tales of the Late l.P. Belkin", " Dubrovsky", "The Captain's Daughter" are the most

important of his prose works. Pushkin's use of Russian influenced the of great Russian writers Turgenev, Goncharov, Tolstoy. Pushkin's early death shocked the country. Pushkin, called by many "the sun of Russian literature", belongs among the foremost poets and

writers of the world.

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln is the most famous example of the **American dream". Many Americans think that in their country a man may rise from the lowest to the highest position in th*irland. That was exactly what Lincoln did. He was born in 1809 in a small farm in Kentucky. When Abraham was quite young, the family moved to the wild forest land of Indiana. He

hardly had any education; he only learned to read and write and do simple arithmetic. In 1830 Abraham left his father "s farm and went to Springfield, Illinois. There he became a clerk in a store and worked hard to improve his education. In 1836 he became a lawyer.

He entered politics, too, and in 1834 became a candidate to the Parliament of Illinois. He soon became a force in the political life. In 1847 he went as a Congressman to the National Assembly (National Parliament).Slavery was then becoming a burning questions American politics. Many people in the Northern states wanted to abolish it, the Southern states

opposed the abolition. The Southerners said that it would mean economic ruin for them. The reason was that the prosperity of the South was based on

cotton-growing, and only Negroes worked there. The Southerners threatened that if the North didn't ceaseits fight against slavery, the Southern states

would leave the Union. They wanted to form an independent "confederacy". In 1860 Lincoln was elected President of the USA. In 1861 seven

states left the Union and elected their own President, Jefferson Davis. The Confederacy was formed. Lincoln was strongly against slavery and even more strongly against the break-up of the Union. In 1862 the American Civil War between the North and the South began. At first the war went badly for the North. The Southerners headed by General Robert Lee and Colonel Jackson won some brilliant victories. But Lincoln did not lose courage. On April, 9 General Leesurrendered. The Civil War was over. Lincoln tried to convince former enemies that they should live in peace.On April, 14 the President and his wife visited a theater in Washington. During the performance Lincoln was shot by an actor who supported Confederacy. Abraham Lincoln died next morning. People admire Lincoln for political moderation. They admire him because he tried to preserve the nation. He is a symbol of American democracy.

Pushkin is the most important Russian author of all time, like Shakespeare in England or Dante in Italy. Pushkin provided the standards for Russian arts and literature in the 19th century. Pushkin was born in Moscow in 1799 into an upper-class family. In 1811 he joined the lyceum in Tsarskoye Solo. Suggested Education

The lyceum shaped the life of Pushkin. He completed the lyceum in 1817 and began working at

Ministry of Foreign Affairs in St. Petersburg. In 1820 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs transferred Pushkin to Ekaterinoslav, and

Later to Odessa to write anti-tsarist poetry. In 1824, for his letters against the Tsar, he was exiled to Mikhailovskoye. In 1824, Tsar Nicholas I allowed Pushkin to return to Moscow. Pushkin felt in love with Natalya Goncharova - who was lfrthen, and in 1830 they got married. His wife was suspected of having an affair with Baron Georges d "Antes; this became the subject of gossip. Pushkin challenged d" Antes to a duel. Pushkin was wounded and died two days later. Pushkin was the greatest poet of Russia. In his works, he was first Influenced by 18th century poets, and then Lord Byron. Finally he developed once again his own style, which was realistic but classical in form. His earliest long poem was the romantic "Ruslan and Lyudmila" (1818-1820). A series of verse stories, accompanied by - "Prisoner

Caucasus", "Brothers of the Robber", "Fountain ofBakhchisarai", and "Gypsies". They were inspired by Siren's poetry. In 1823 Pushkin began to write his masterpiece "Eugene Onegin", a

A novel in verse. "Eugene Onegin" has become a linguistic and literary standard. This is a commentary on the life of early i 9th century Russia. This is noted for the brilliant verse. He also wrote other long poems, including "The Bronze Horseman" (1833), the finest collection of lyrics in Russian literature. Pushkin also created many masterpieces in drama and prose. "A Few Tragedies" and "The Stone Guest" are among the best works in world drama history. Pushkin's love of Russia's past ended with his historical drama, Boris Godunov (1825). "The Tales of the Last l.P.Belkin", "Dubrovsky", "The Captain's Daughter" is the most

An important of his prose works. Pushkin's use of Russian influenced the great Russian authors Turgenev, Goncharov, Tolstoy. Pushkin's early death shook the country. Pushkin, called by many "the sun of Russian literature", belongs among the foremost poets and authors of the world.

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln is the most famous example of the **American Dream". Many Americans think that in their country a person can rise from the lowest to the highest position in th*irland. That was exactly what Lincoln did. He was born in 1809 in small farm in Kentucky.When Abraham was quite young, the family moved to the wild land of the forests of Indiana.He Barely had any education;he only learned to read and write and do simple arithmetic.In 1830 Abraham left his father's farm and went to Springfield, Illinois State.There he became a clerk in a warehouse and worked hard to improve his education.He became a lawyer in 1836.He entered politics, too, and became a candidate for the Illinois State Parliament in 1834. He soon became a force in the political life.In 1847 he went as a Congressman to the National Assembly (National Parliament).Slavery then became a burning issues American politics.Many people in the Northern states wanted to abolish it, Southern States Opposed the abolition. Southerners said it would mean economic ruin for them. The reason was that the prosperity of the South was based on cotton growth, and only Negroes worked there. Southerners would threaten this if the North didn't stop

His fight against slavery, the Southern States would leave the Union. They wanted to form an independent "confederation"*. In 1860 Lincoln was elected President of the United States. In 1861, seven States left the Union and elected their own President, Jefferson Davis. The confederation was formed.

Lincoln was strongly against slavery and even more strongly against breaking the Union. In 1862 the American Civil War between North and South began. At first the war went badly for the North. The Southerners, led by General Robert Lee and Colonel Jackson, won some brilliant victories. But Lincoln did not lose courage. April 9 General Lee Given. The Civil War was over. Lincoln tried to convince former enemies that they should live in peace.

On April 14, the President and his wife visited a theater in Washington. During the course of the job, Lincoln was shot dead by an actor who supported the Confederacy. Abraham Lincoln died the next morning. People admire Lincoln for political slowdown. They admire him

Because he tried to save the nation. He is a symbol of American democracy.

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 traveling, 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 favorite groups and singers. I carefully study the information printed on discbooklets. I try to find everything about my favorite singers. Also I like to watch music programs 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 programs. 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.

YOUR TIME AND HOBBY.

A 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 making things. This includes a wide variety of activities from gardening to travelling, from chess to volleyball. Both adults and children love to play different computer games. This hobby is becoming more and more popular. Creation Things include drawing, painting, handicrafts. Many people collect something - coins, stamps, compact discs, toys, books. Some collections have some value. Wealthy people often collect paintings, curios and other art objects. Often such private collections are given to museums and libraries.

As for me, I love listening to music. 3 months ago my parents bought me a CD player and I decided to collect CDs. I love different music, it should be good. I collect CDs of my favorite bands and singers. I carefully study the information printed on discbooklets. I try to find everything about my favorite singers. Also I like to watch music programs on TV. I want to keep up with the news in the music world.

Of course, I like to spend my spare time with my friends. We talk about all kinds of things (politics, teachers, girls). We discuss movies, books, TV programs. When the weather is fine, we love to be outdoors. We find a good place somewhere in the woods. We make a fire, bake potatoes and have a good time. When the weather is bad, my friends come to my place. We have a good time together.

First of all i "d like to tell you about my school which i" ve just left. My school is one of the specialized schools in Moscow. It is famous for its high-quality education and strict discipline. To my mind, our school-lycium is very well equipped. It has a gym, a carteen, a library, a computer class and some labs(for example - chemistry lab or physics lab).

First two years in our lycium we had 7 or 8 lessons, but in 10th and 11th forms we had less lessons. What about our homework we usually had a lot to do and it took me several hours. I sometimes had to sit up to write a composition, to prepare a report, to traslate an article from English to Russian or to learn a poem by heart.

After classes we usually had some out-of-class activities.our social and cultural life was well-organized. For example, we had a choir and literature club.

At school we had classes in Russian, literature, mathematics, English, history and so on. My favorite subjects were English, History and Russian. On Russian we had a lot of fun situations and talks; history, to my mind, is a very interesting subject; and what about English, we need learning this language to be able to read books, listen to the news, speak with English speaking people and so on.

Now my plans for the future. I must say that when you leave school you understand that the time to choose your future profession has come. It "s not an easy task to make the right choice of a job. People choose profession according to their own interests and abilities. As far as i have a computer at home I"ve decided to enter some mathematical institute. It is called MGATU(Moscow State Aviation-Technology University). I "ll be study there informatic and English. I think, today computer is very popular in our country and programmers are paid very much.

My school

First of all I would like to inform you about my school which I have just left. My school is one of the specialized schools in Moscow. It is known for its high quality education and strict discipline. In my opinion, our lycium school is very well equipped. It has a gym, a carteen, a library, a computer lab and some labs (eg a chemistry lab or a physics lab).

At first two years in our lycium, we had 7 or 8 lessons, but in the 10th and 11th form, we had fewer lessons. What about our homework we usually have a lot to do and it takes me a few hours. I sometimes had to sit down to write a composition, prepare a report, to traslate an article from English to Russian or study a poem by heart.

After class, we used to have some activities.our social and cultural life out of class was well-organised. For example, we had a choir and a literary club.

At school we had classes in Russian, literature, mathematics, English, history and so on. My favorite subjects were English, History and Russian. In Russian we had a good time of situations and negotiations; history, in my opinion, is a very interesting subject; and what about the English language, we need to learn this language in order to be able to read books, listen to the news, speak with English speaking people and so on.

Now my plans are for the future. I must say that when you leave school, you realize that the time to choose your future profession has arrived. It is not an easy task to make the right job choice. People choose a profession according to their own interests and abilities. As far as I have a computer, at home I decided to go into some mathematic institute. It's called MGATU (Moscow State Aviation - University of Technology). I will study there informatic and English. I think today the computer is very popular in our country, and programmers are paid very much.

BOOKS IN MY LIFE

A book is one of the greatest wonders of the 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 favorite 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 traveled 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 favorite 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. Readly, they are our good friends.

BOOKS IN MY LIFE

The book is one of the greatest wonders of the world. Why are so many people loving reading? The world of books is full of wonders. Together with the characters of the books you can find yourself in different countries and have many adventures. The book is a devoted friend. They shape our values ​​and characters. We're trying to recall the characters of your favorite books: be brave, honest, don't be stupid and greedy, be real friends. We enjoyed the beauty and wisdom of fairy tales and fables when we were babies, and Granny reads to them. They taught us to be kind, smart, hardworking, to understand other people and help them. They teach us to understand the beauty of character (nature), to take care of it, to love our homeland.

Books have been with us since childhood. Who hasn't read "Alice in Wonderland", "Mowgli"? Who hasn't traveled with marry Poppins in her imaginary world? Who hasn't imagined what a Robinson Crusoe would be like on a deserted island?

I read a lot of interesting books, but my favorite book is "The Adventures of Tom Savier" by Mark Twin. This famous book is loved by children all over the world.

The book's main character is Tom Savier, 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 various adventures. Tom was naughty, kind and brave. Besides, he was noble. I love this boy because he teaches us to be true friends.

St-PB is the second largest city in Russia. Its population is about five million people. The city is located on the east shore of the golf of Finland of the Baltic Sea. St-PB stands on the river Neva in its delta. The river is seventeen four kilometers long. It is the main waterway of the city. Many centuries ago these lands belong to Novgorod principality, but it the 17-century they were sired by Sweden. When Peter the first came to Russian troun he launched the war against Sweden. This war lasted for 21 years. and known as a north war. After one of the important battles Peter the first ordered to put up the fortress to protect these lands. It was built on the Heir Island and known as Peter and Paul fortress. Soon Peter the first decided to build a new big city here. He invited famous architectures to build the city. Now it is one of the most big cities in the world. It is famous for its famous museums, parks and cathedrals.

The Hermitage Gallery

I "d like to tell you about the Hermitage Gallery, one of the largest and well known museums in the world. Two months ago together with my classmates I was on an exersion in S. Petersburg.I visited many places of interest including the Hermitage Gallery.I was greatly impressed visiting by this museum of art.It was founded in 1764 by Ecatherine the Second when she bought 225 pictures in Berlin.Now the Hermitage consists of five buildings.

Now I "d like to tell you about pictures, sculptures and other works of art I" ve seen in the Hermitage Gallery. A great number of wonderful pictures are offered there. Everyone can find some kind of pictures to enjoy, for example the pictures by the world's greatest masters: Michelangelo, Raphael, Rembrands, Rubens and many others. All great schools of paintings are represented there:Italian, Spanish, German etc.

A few words about sculptures. I saw a lot of vases, staues and fountains. The most beautiful thing I have ever seen was the fauntain belonged to Alexander the Second.Among other outstanding peices of art I saw the coach of Ecatherine the Second and beautiful gobelens. It took 60 years to made one of these gobelens.In conclusion I "d like to stress that no one can see everything for the one visit. To enjoy the Hermitage Gallery you must visit it several times.The State Hermitage in St Petrsburg is one of the world's most outstanding art museums. It is the largest fine arts museum in Russia.World famour is the collection of West-European paintings covering a span of about seven hundred years, from the 13th to the 20th centure, and containing works by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Titian, El |Greco. Velasquez, Murillo; outstanding paintings by Rembrandt, Va-Dyck, Rubens; a remarkable group of French 18th-centure canvases, and Impressionist and Post Impressionist paintings. The collection illustrates the art of Italy, Spain, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Austria, France, Britain, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and some other countries. The West-European Department also includes a fine collectin of European sculpture, containing works by Michelangelo, Canova, Falconet, Houdon, Rodin and many other eminent masters. The Hermitage, together with the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum in Moscow, must be ranked among the richest in the world in respect of Impressionist art.In addition to the works of Western masters, the Hermitage has sections devoted to the arts of India, China, Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Pre-|Columbian America, Greece and Rome, as well as a department of prehistoric art, not to mention a section devoted to Scythian art. People come to admire the collections of tapestry, precious textiles, weapons, ivories, pottery, porcelain and furniture as well.

St. Petersburg

C--PB is the second largest city in Russia. Its population is approximately five million people. The city is located in the east of Finland's cove golf course of the Baltic Sea. C--PB stands on the Neva River in its delta. The river is seventeen-four kilometers long. This is the main waterway of the city. Many centuries ago these countries belonged to the principality of Novgorod, but in the 17th century they were sired by Sweden. When Peter first arrived in the Russian troun he started a war against Sweden. This war went on for 21 years. And known as the northern war. After one of the important battles, Peter was first ordered to raise a fortress to defend these countries. It was founded on Heir Island and is known as the Fortress of Paul and Peter. Soon Peter the first resolute builds a new big city here. He invited famous architectures to build the city. Now it is one of the largest cities in the world. It is known for its famous museums, parks and cathedrals.

Hermitage Gallery

I would like to inform you about the Hermitage Gallery, one of the largest and most famous museums in the world. Two months ago, together with my classmates, I was on an exersion in St. Petersburg. I visited many places of interest, including the Hermitage Gallery. I was very fascinated while visiting this art museum. It was founded in 1764 by Ecatherine II when she bought 225 paintings in Berlin. Now the Hermitage consists of five buildings.

Now I would like to inform you about the paintings, sculptures and other works of art that I saw in the Hermitage Gallery. A large number of wonderful pictures are on offer there. One can find some paintings to enjoy, for example paintings by the world's biggest masters: Michelangelo, Raphael, Rembrands, Rubens and many others. All the great schools of pictures are represented there: Italian, Spaniard, German, etc.

A few words about sculptures. I have seen many vases, staues and fountains. The most beautiful thing I have ever seen was a fauntain, belonged to Alexander II.

Among other outstanding peices of art I saw the coach Ecatherine II and the beautiful gobelens. It takes 60 years to make one of these gobelens.

In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that no one can see everything for one visit. To enjoy the Hermitage Gallery, you must visit it several times.

The State Hermitage in St. Petersburg is one of the world's most unfulfilled art museums. This is the largest art museum in Russia.

The famour world is a collection of Western-European paintings covering a span of approximately seven hundred years, from the 13th to the 20th centure, and incorporating works by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Auburn, El|Greco. Velasquez, Murillo; outstanding paintings by Rembrandt, Va-Dyck, Rubens; wonderful group of French 18th-centure canvases, both Impressionist and Impressionist Post paintings. The collection illustrates the art of Italy, Spain, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Austria, France, England, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and some other countries. The Western-European Department also includes a fine collectin of European sculpture, containing works by Michelangelo, Canova, Falconet, Houdon, Rodin and many other eminent masters. The Hermitage, together with the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum in Moscow, should be ranked among the richest in the world with regard to Impressionist art.

In addition to the works of Western masters, the Hermitage has dedicated sections to the arts of India, China, Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Pre-| Columbus America, Greece and Rome, as well as a section on prehistoric art, not to mention a section dedicated to Scythian art. People come to admire the collections of tapestry, precious textiles, weapons, ivories, pottery, china and furniture as well.

Mass media are one of the most characteristic features of modern civilization. People are united into one global community with the help of mass media. People can learn about what is happening in the world very fast using mass media. The mass media include newspapers, magazines, radio and television. The earliest kind of mass media was newspapers. The first newspaper was Roman handwritten newssheet called “Acta Diurna” started in 59 B.C. Magazines appeared in the 1700's. They developed from newspapers and bookseller's catalogs. Radio and TV appeared only in this century. The most exciting and entertaining kind of mass media is TV. It brings moving pictures and sounds directly to people's homes. Radio is widespread for its portability. It means that radios can easily be carried around. People like listening to the radio on the beach or picnic, while driving a car or just walking down the street. Newspapers can present and comment on the news in much detail in comparison to radio or TV. Magazines don't focus on daily, rapidly changing events. They provide more profound analysis of events of the week.

MASS MEDIA

Mass media is one of the most characteristic features of modern civilization. People are united in one global community with the help of mass media. People can learn about what is happening in the world very quickly using the media. The media include newspapers, magazines, radio and television. The earliest form of mass media was newspapers. The first newspaper was a Roman handwritten newssheet called "Acta Diurna" taken 59 BC. Magazines appeared in the 1700s. They evolved from the catalogs of the bookseller and newspapers. Radio and TV appeared only in this century. The most exciting and interesting form of mass media is TELEVISION. It brings moving pictures and sounds directly to people's homes. The radio is widespread for its portablility. This means the radio can be easily carried around. People like listening to the radio on the beach or a picnic, while driving a car or just walking down the street. Newspapers can present and comment on news in greater detail than radio or TV. Magazines don't focus on the daily, fast-paced events. They provide a deeper analysis of the events of the week.

Are you going to take your final English exam this year? So that you do not worry in vain and feel confident during the test itself,will talk about the structure of the exam, where to find tickets in English, and give useful tips on how to behave in the presence of the commission.

Briefly about the exam

The test takes place in oral. Its purpose is to test the communication skills in English that you have acquired while studying at school. It is better to prepare for the exam in advance: English language tickets can be bought at bookstores or ordered on the OZ.by website. The audio supplement to the tickets can be downloaded from the website of the Aversev publishing house. Four people are invited to the auditorium where the exam is taking place. If the student finds it difficult to answer the ticket, he can drag it. Does the mark decrease in this case? This issue is decided by the commission.

Remember: the English exam starts from the moment you enter the office. Crossed the threshold— forget the Russian language, imagine yourself a native Englishman. Say hello to those present: “Good morning!”. No "Hello!" and "Hi!" Another important point: the exam ticket in English sounds like an “examination card”, not a “ticket”. And don't forget to give your ticket number: "My examination card is number five" or "The number of my examination card is number five".

The English exam consists of three stages

You will have to pass an audition, a conversation based on the read text and on the proposed topic. The sequence of stages is determined by the commission. Each block of tasks is evaluated separately, the final mark is displayed as an arithmetic mean.

Reading text conversation

According to the number of the ticket that you draw out, the commission proposes a text (popular science, journalistic or artistic). Approximately 20 minutes are given to read and comprehend it, so be careful. Reread the text several times, pay attention to the explanations to it (if any), ask yourself if you understood everything. If you see an unfamiliar word, try to determine its meaning from the context.

When you go to answer, a sheet of text will be in front of your eyes— look at the sentence structure and individual words, but do not forget to take your eyes off the written. The commission can ask what this text is about, what its main idea is, ask clarifying questions.

If you do not understand a question or a single word, ask again. Use the following expressions: "Could you repeat the question / that, please?", "Could you say it once again, please?", "I didn't understand / get it". It takes literally a second to navigate the answer - do not fall into a stupor! The phrases “May I have a minute”, “Let me think” will help teachers understand that you are gathering your thoughts. Give detailed answers based on what you have read. But do not sit with your face buried in the text, it will make a bad impression on the commission.

listening

Before you start listening to the recording, you receive a sheet of questions that you will then answer to the commission. The audio recording lasts one and a half minutes and is a fragment of a radio program, a dialogue, a story or an interview. 10 minutes are allotted for preparation. Proper names and words difficult to recognize by ear are given in printed form.

Listen carefully to the text twice: in the first, understand the essence of the text, in the second, find answers to the questions. In order not to waste time on verbatim recording, make notes on which you can give a detailed answer.

Conversation on the proposed topic

You do not prepare in advance for the speaking part of the English exam. At this stage, the ability to express one's point of view, to maintain a conversation is tested.

Do not use words that you are not sure about the meaning or pronunciation of. Replace them with synonyms or rearrange the phrase. try hard talk casually, smile. Listen carefully to the questions of teachers, ask again when you do not understand, answer with detailed sentences.

At the end of the exam, thank the committee for their attention and say goodbye: “Thank you for your attention”, “Thank you for the time taken”, “See you!”, “Bye!”, “Have a nice day!”. Politeness will play in your favor! Practice in English lessons so that you feel like a fish in water during the exam. And if you need the help of professionals to pump up the level of English,.

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This file contains answers to tasks 1 and 2 of the English exam in grade 11 in the Republic of Belarus in 2018. The answers were thought out personally by me, so perhaps in some cases our opinions may not coincide. Do not judge strictly. I think that this material will make it easier for teachers to prepare and conduct the exam, since the tickets this year are new and not really worked out yet. Use)))

At the bottom under the materials there is the word DOWNLOAD!

Click on it to download all answers

If something does not work, then write to me in VK https://vk.com/id6446099

"textile_bilety_1-9"

Answers to questions for task 1 (reading)

Ticket 1

Are you proud of being Belarusian?

This text is mostly about Belarus and the author's feelings to his/her country. We can find information about wonderful nature of Belarus, its rich heroic history, national holidays and traditions. And finally, we understand that all this makes the author be proud of his/her motherland.

1 paragraph

Frankly speaking, several things make the author be proud of his/her Motherland. These are the wonderful nature of Belarus, its rich heroic history, national holidays and traditions, and of course Belarusian people.

If the author were a creative person he/she would describe Belarus in different ways. If he/she could draw he/she would start drawing pictures with its beautiful landscapes; if he/she could write he/she would write lyric poems about it.

Unesco World Heritage List

This text is about Belarus as a member of UNESCO. We can find information about famous Belarusian sites which are in the Unesco World Heritage List. We can also read about other sites which the Belarusian government wants to be on the UNESCO List.

1. Today four Belarusian sites have already been included intothe UNESCO World Heritage List . These are the following: the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park (added in 1992), the Mir Castle Complex (added in 2000), And 2005, two more sites were included into theUNESCO World Heritage List. They are the Architectural, Residential and Cultural Complex of the Radziwills in Nesvizh and the Struve Geodetic Arc points .

   Belarus is going to propose to add Independence Avenue in Minsk for inclusion into the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of theSocialist Postwar Architecture in Central and Eastern Europe .

My ideal school (complex text)

In this text we can read students' opinions on ideal school. They speak about the disadvantages of modern schools. They also share with us their ideas about what should be done to make schools better for studying.

1. The children want to change many aspects at school: some of them want to change the impersonal attitude of some teachers; some children want the freedom to ask questions and get help to find answers and some of them think that schools should develop creativity and dreams and not try to make everyone normal.

   The children want more freedom to ask questions and learn more from their experience. They are sure that has the right to be free and choose what to be and what not to be.

Anna's Diary

This text is about a girl Anna and her experience of writing in a diary. Anna tells about close people she has and about true reasons why she started keeping a diary.

2 paragraph

Anna has loving parents and a sixteenyearold sister, and there are about thirty people she can call friends. She also has a bunch of admirers. She has a family, loving aunts and a good home.

Anna started writing in a diary because she didn't have a true close friend whom she could trust all her secrets and with whom she could share her real feelings and emotions.

Be kind and stay safe

This text is about how to stay safe online. We can find some useful tips on being safe on the Internet. We can also learn about Safer Internet Day and its aims.

1. To stay safe online we should be polite, should always check the security settings, we shouldn't post our personal information. We sholdn't post anything online that we wouldn't want people in real life to see. And if we see something online that worries or upsets us, we should tell an adult.

   Safer Internet Day tries to help people to use the Internet correctly. It is organized to promote safe and responsible use of online technology and mobile phones.

christmas tree

This text is about a very close-knit family, who tried to save the Christmas tree as long as they could so that their beloved family member Clifton could see it and enjoy Christmas.

1 paragraph

Clifton was one of the Tuskegee Airmen and was responsible for maintaining the airplanes flying off to fight in World War II.

All the family members tried to save the Christmas tree as long as they could. Every day they took turns sweeping pine needles and moved the ornaments to the stronger branches on the tree. They managed to keep the tree till March. These facts show that all the family loved Clifton very much.

The Condemned Room

This text is about a girl Sam and her messy room. We can find the description of Sam's room and the room of her brother. We can also read Sam's thoughts about the situation and learn her final decision.

It wasn't fair. She was always getting the Condemned sign. Her brother hardly ever did. And his room was really disgusting, with posters of rock stars and basketball stars and movie stars wearing tiny bikinis covering every inch of his walls. But, her mother pointed out, his floor was clean and his desk as well. That was all she cared about.

For days Sam's mother never came up to her room. But one day she found of that Sam's room was very messy. That made Sam's Mum write a message.

From my point of view Sam isn't going to clean the room in the near future because it is not easy to do the cleaning with the freshly painted finger nails.

great grandad

This text is about authors problems with algebra. We can readhow the girl's Grandad helped her understand the subject. We can also find out what the author discovered about her Grandad.

1 paragraph

He compared algebra with PE. He explained the use of the subject in a simple way. He made the authorsee that it was possible to enjoy algebra and made it interesting for her.

She learned that Grandad's world was full of miracles and mazes 3 , mirrors and misleading signs. He was fascinated by riddles and codes and labyrinths 4 , by the origin of place names, by grammar, by slang, by jokes, by anything that might mean something else. She discovered Her Grandad.

Ticket 9

AN INTERVIEW

This interview is about the use oftechnological means of communication. We can find information about the benefits of the computers. We can also find out how technological means of communication help businessmen. And there are also some thoughts about misusing the technologies.

2 paragraphI think the benefits of the computers cannot be denied. They save valuable time and space. Timeconsuming tasks such as checking bank accounts can now be done in a matter of minutes and a large volume of information is economically stored on tiny disks. In addition, with immediate access to the Internet, we can always keep up with global and current issues and explore the world from the comfort of our homes.

For those working in the world of business, life would be much more difficult as it would take much longer to get in touch with other companies and to come to an agreement on important matters.

Many people spend hours just chatting about silly, unimportant things or looking through sites for no special reason even at work.

View document content
"auditing tickets 1-15"

listening

Ticket 1

II. Listen to the story about a girl and answer the questions below.

1. Why was Whitney worried about going to college?

Whitney was a bit shy and she was nervous because she was going to share a room with a complete stranger and live far from her parents. And she has no idea how she was going to make friends.

2. How did she find a friend?

In her first English class she was asked to tell something about herself. And she said that her goal for that class was to make just one good friend. And one of the students came to Whitney and introduced himself and asked if she would be his friend.

3. What lesson did Whitney learn?

Whitney learned the power of asking what she wanted, being honest and taking action.

Ticket 2

II. Listen to the career counsellor speaking about choosing a career and answer the questions below.

1. Why is choosing the right job very important?

Choosing the profession influences all our lives. It is like choosing a wife or a husband, or choosing friends to rely on.

2. Which jobs are popular among young people at present?

Young people usually try to get jobs that are paid well. These are jobs connected with business, information technology, politics and so on.

3. What advice does the speaker give?

While choosing a job you should take into concideration such things as talent and personal interest. You should have the ability to the profession you have chosen and your job should bring you joy and satisfaction.

Ticket 3

1. What is wrong with the accommodation?

The hotel is OK but not perfect. The heating doesn't always work and the breakfast in very early in the morning.

2. Why did the boy oversleep?

There was another boy in that room and he snored realy badly and he couldn't sleep at all.

3. What agreement did he reach with the person on Reception?

The receptionist said that she would send an engineer if there were any that day to fix the problem.

Ticket 4

II. Listen to Alice speaking about her first job and answer the questions below.

1. What job did Alice do?

Alice worked as a shop-assistant in her uncle's shop.

2. What difficulties did she have?

The most difficult things were dealing with customers and working with money.

3. What kind of knowledge and skills did she get at her first job?

She became more tolerant and open, more serious and responsible. And she also managed to become more relaxed and easy-going.

Ticket 5

II. Listen to the conversation and answer the questions below.

1. Where does the conversation take place?

The conversation takes place at the health club (or "Be Health" club)

2. What is the man interested in?

The man is interested where the jym is, if there is a yoga class and if there is a car park there.

3. How much do you need to pay monthly?

You need to pay 50 pounds a month.

Ticket 6

II. Listen to three teenagers talking about homework and answer the questions below.

1. Why does the first speaker dislike doing homework?

The first speaker dislike doing homework because it affects his family. They can go out with a family because he has to do his homework and it puts them in a bad mood.

2. What does the second speaker have regrets about?

The second speaker have regrets about copying her homework at school and now she has problems with doing homework at college.

3. What are the benefits of doing homework according to the third speaker?

It develops our sense of logic. It makes you more intelligent and enhances your personality. It makes us more disciplined and ready for future working obligations.

Ticket 7

II. Listen to the conversation and answer the questions below.

1. Where was Tina going to?

Tina was going to Hong Kong from London.

2. What happened at the airport?

She came late to the aiport thinking that she had missed the flight. But the flight was delayed and Tina had to wait for nine hours.

3. Why was Tina scared during the flight?

There was a huge storm, the plain started bouncing around all over the place and the oxygen masks dropped down.

Ticket 8

II. Listen to the member of the Greenpeace organization telling a story about whales and answer the questions below.

1. How did Uncle Roger explain to the boy why the whales were on the beach?

Somtimes whales go crazy and throw themselves on the beach. Dirty water makes them that crazy. Plants and factories throw rubbish into the water.

2. How did the people help them?

Some people brought ropes and they pulled the whale into the water.

3. How did this event affect the story-teller's life?

He decided to study the ocean and protect animals. He became a member of GreenPeace and his priority is to protect whales.

Ticket 9

II. Listen to the conversation and answer the questions below.

1. Where does the action take place?

The action took place in the author's grandmother's big old house near London.

2. What happened to the furniture in the grandmother's room?

All the furniture in his grandmother's bedroom was on the left side of the room and the carpet was on the other side.

3. Why were Martin and his friend scared?

They were crared because the furniture was really heavy and they heard just a tiny noise. And granny said it had happened before and she did "t mind.

Ticket 10

II. Listen to the girl speaking about her eating habits and answer the questions below.

1. What problem does the girl have?

The girl can't stop eating chocolate.

2. What makes the girl think that her habit is harmful?

Chocolate contains a lot of sugar and fat so the girl has a lot of spots on her face and she is a little overweight.

3. Why can't she stop eating chocolate?

First the chocolates are sold everywhere. Then if she doesn't eat them she had very bad headackes and if she eats she feels better and happier.

Ticket 11

II. Listen to the interview with Mr Ron Cansler taken bythe Youth Magazineand answer the questions below.

1. How old is Mr Cansler?

Mr Cansler is 99

2. What kind of life did he have when he was young?

He was one of 10 children. They were happy if they had enough to eat and they worked hard on a farm.

3. What does he recommend listeners to do?

He recommends to be as active as possible and have a positive attitude.

Ticket 12

II. Listen to the conversation between Nancy and her mum and answer the questions below.

1. What do Nancy's parents worry about?

Nancy's parent are worried because Nancy hasn't cleaned her room for 3 day already.

2. Why does Nancy refuse to do household chores?

Nancy said that she didn't have to clean up her room at college. And the parents shouldn't worry because its her room.

3. What arguments does Mum use to make Nancy clean the room?

Her father said that the plague will start in her room. And her mother insisted on an idea of ​​making beds in the morning and asked Nancy to do it to please them.

Ticket 13

II. Listen to the advice how to make a good friend and answer the questions below.

1. How do people feel if they have no friend?

People who don't have friends feel lonely and unhappy.

2. What qualities does a good friend have?

Compassion, attention, honesty and carying are the main qualities of a good friend.

3. Why is it good to be a real friend?

It will make your life different: full, meaningful and interesting. You feel the joy you can "t experience being alone.

Ticket 14

II. Listen to Huan, a Chinese man, speaking about moving out and answer the questions below.

1. Why do young people prefer to live with their parents in Hong Kong?

First it is expensive to rent a flat in Hong Kong. Secondly the Chineese traditional value of family supposes you to take care of your parents.

2. How did Huan's parents react to his decision?

They supported his idea but they thought that he would understand how good it is to live with them.

3. What are the advantages of living on your own?

First he saves his travelling time to work and his travelling cost. Then has his personal space and freedom. He can make his own decisions and he can also invite friends to stay late.

Ticket 15

II. Listen to the tour guide and answer the questions below.

1. What sort of tour is it?

It is a fantastic tour of London by an open-top bus.

2. What will the tourists see on the tour?

The torists will see all the famous sites: Madam Tussaud's Museum, Oxford Street, Westminster Abbey, The Houses of Parliament, The London Eye, Tower Bridge and the Tower of London and Buckingham Palace.

3. Why does the tourist ask to return the money?

The tourist asked to return the money because it was going to rain heavily and the guide didn't have any extra umbrellas.

View document content
"tickets 20-25"

Ticket 20

ARE YOU READY TO BE INDEPENDENT?

1. This text is about Dr Rowlands and her test of independence. From this text we find out that modern teenagers are not ready for independent life and are not able to do the simpliest things around the house.

2. 1 paragraph

3. Parents took the plug off the microwave and took out some good light bulbs and put in light bulbs that did not work. They also made sure that there were other problems in the house: with an Italian coffee machine and one of the taps in the bathroom.

4. On the one hand the children managed to solve all the promlems, but on the other hand they did in only using money and professional help. So we can say that they are not ready for independent life.

Ticket 21

technology

1. This text is about using technology in our everyday routine. The author proves that we can "t imagine our life without technological devices. We can also learn some facts about online volunteering and how it helps people around the world.

2. 1 paragraph

3. The author often uses his TV, DVD, game console, laptop and mobile phone when he is at home. And he almost always uses his mobile phone or laptop connecting to wireless networks when he is out of home.

4. There is so much that so many people can do to help people in their own countries and across the world, from using your language skills to do translations, to developing and managing projects and helping with IT work. This work can support the poor and help charities who otherwise would not have the funding to pay for staff.

Ticket 22

From librarian to political reporter

1. This text is aboy Jessica Winters and how she took part in a famoust TV show "The Pretenders". We can read about the work she had to cope with during the show and about the results she achieved.

2. 1 paragraph

3. She didn't know that two of her friends had sent her name to the TV company to take part inThe Pretenders. First she said No but he agreed.

4. It as an exciting and useful experience for Jessica because she gained a lot of confidence and she understood that she is capable of many thing becides her quiet job.

Ticket 23

Mi Luna

1. This text is about a wonderful Spanish restaurant with a lively atmosphere - Mi Luna. We can find the description of an interior. We can also read about the menu and about nice and pleasant service.

2. The service is pleasant, caring and quick. It makes you want to come back. The waiters just keep looking at your table to find out if you need something. If they see an empty glass, they immediately ask you if you want something else to drink. At all time, they are friendly and ready to clear all the used dishes from your table. They are always smiling because they are trying to make you feel comfortable and happy. They know each dish, so they are able to explain it to you.

3. First it is painted with the classical colors that are used in Spain - red, yellow, white, and black. On the walls, there are photos of Spanish bullfighters, taken at the perfect moments of their performances. You can also enjoy a photo of the famous classical Spanish dance calledflamenco.

4. People are sure to be entirely satisfied and have very good memories of the visit to Mi Luna. It is a great place for any occasion, but it is very busy, so visitors should make reservations inMi Luna in advance.

Ticket 24

WE ARE YOUNGER THAN WE EVER WERE

1. This text is about the world's largest educational and travel organization for older adults -Elder hostel. We can learn about the programs and activities it provides to elderly people. We can also find information about how it helps people to keep a positive selfimage and contributes to the sense of wellbeing both mental and physical.

2. 2nd paragraph

3. Elder hosteloffers a large number of programs in a huge variety of areas. People study ancient history, literature, and art. It also offers a lot of sport activities. There is also a group of adventure programs involving activities like hiking, kayaking, biking and studying whales. There are also programs which give people the chance to help communities in different ways, such as protecting endangered species, tutoring school children and building affordable housing.

4. The word ‘old’ have a positive meaning inElder hostelbecause it means "experienced". And you could never be too old to do things that give you pleasure and joy of life.

Ticket 25

QUALITY OF COMMUNICATION

1. This text is about the Internet and the opportunities it gives to young people. The author also gives some tips on how to use the Internet carefully and how to stay safe in a dangerous world of networks.

2. 2nd paragraph

3. The Internet nowadays is compared to a huge city full of many different kinds of places and people. As in a real city, there are certain places which are suitable for youngsters and others which need to be avoided.

4. The Internet neither belongs to nor is controlled by any one person, organization or government. And there are those who might use it for illegal purposes. And youngsters can also spend all their free time in front of the computer, isolating themselves from other people their age. That's why it is important to use the Internet sensibly.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

№ 1

Are you proud of being Belarusian?

I am Belarusian because my parents who gave me life and brought me up are Belarusian. And what if I were born in a different country on a different continent? In my opinion, a sense of pride in your country, a sense of belonging to a particular nation develops in a person with time. Therefore at my age, by the way I am 18, I can say quite positively, that I am proud to live in Belarus.

The real treasure of Belarus is its wonderful nature. The country has hundreds of wild forests, rolling hills, green valleys, sweet-scented meadows and golden fields. Beloveshzkaya Pushcha is the only place where you can meet mighty European bison in the wild. Belarus is also famous for its clear lakes and ribbon-like rivers, that's why it's called a blue-eyed one. The resorts of lakes Naroch and Braslav are open all year round and let tourists experience the unforgettable peaceful atmosphere.

I am proud of the rich heroic history of my country and its people. Although for many centuries we were part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwelth and then the Russian Empire, we have managed to stay united and haven’t lost our uniqueness. Many foreigners admit that our people are extremely sociable, hospitable, and generous and we are welcoming with visitors. We are also described as resourceful and peaceful. When socializing, Belarusians are open, warm-hearted, fun-loving, humorous and outgoing in spite of all the difficulties they face in their life.

Of course I’m proud of our national holidays and traditions, especially those which are deep-rooted and typical of our nation such as Kalyady, Maslenitsa, Dazhynki. They are unique and make us stand out. Besides, they are of particular interest for tourists because they reflect our culture.

In conclusion, I'd like to say that I'm proud of my country and its people. Each time I go abroad I tell foreigners about our great past and achievements. Each time I leave the country I want to come back again, because I miss it. If I could draw I would start drawing pictures with its beautiful landscapes; if I could write I would write lyric poems about it. Belarus is the place my heart will always belong to!

2. When did the author understand that he/she is proud of being Belarusian? Find this extract and read it aloud.

3. What makes the author be proud of his/her Motherland?

4. What would the author do if he/she were a creative person?

II. Listen to the story about a girl and answer the questions below.

1. Why was Whitney worried about going to college?

2. How did she find a friend?

3. What lesson did Whitney learn?

№ 2

I. 1. Read the article and say in 2-3 sentences what it is about.

UNESCO World Heritage 1 List

Belarus joined UNESCO in 1954. During many years, Belarus has been building up fruitful and dynamic relations with international organizations. Belarus program of UNESCO activities includes numerous interesting projects in the fields of education, science, information, communications, and, of course, culture. In October 1988, Belarus joined the Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. Today 4 Belarus sites have already been included into theUNESCO World Heritage List.

In 1992, theBelovezhskaya Pushchanational park, a natural heritage object and a unique European forest reserve which has been protected since the 14th century, was the first one to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In 2000, the Mir Castle Complex, which was built at the beginning of the 16th century, was also added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. The successful combination of Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance architecture 2 makes Mir Castle one of Europe's most impressive castles . In 2005, two more sites were included into the UNESCO World Heritage List. They are theArchitectural, Residential and Cultural Complex of the Radziwills in Nesvizh and theStruve Geodetic Arcpoints 3 .

For centuries theNesvizh Palace used to be the residence of the Radziwills, one of the richest families in Europe. Today the National Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve Nesvizh is a wonderfully restored castle, which is visited by hundreds of tourists from all parts of the world. No wonder, it has become a landmark of Belarus.

TheStruve Arc is a world famous construction. The same sorts of points are in 10 countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova, all together 265 points. According to the historical data, there were 31 geodesic points in Belarus, and only 19 survived.

Belarus is going to propose to add Independence Avenue in Minsk for inclusion into the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Socialist Postwar Architecture in Central and Eastern Europe.

1 heritage [ˈheritidʒ]

2 Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance architecture

3 the Struve Geodetic Arc points [ˈstruːv ˌdʒiːəʊˈdetɪk ˈɑːk ˈpɔɪnts]

2. Belarus is a member of UNESCO: Find this extract and read it aloud.

3. Which Belarusians sites are included on the list for protection?

4. What other sites does the Belarusian government want to be on the UNESCO List?

II. Listen to the speaker speaking about choosing a career and answer the questions below.

1. Why is choosing the right job very important?

2. Which jobs are popular among young people at present?

3. What advice does the speaker give?

III. Let's talk about education.

№ 3

I. 1. Read the article and say in 2-3 sentences what it is about.

My ideal school

My ideal secondary school is a safe haven 1 . It shouldn't be a place you hate going to, but a place you enjoy attending. I believe it should be social, as well as educational experience. A school should always have a soul… there should always be laughter ringing through the corridors . (Angela, 15, Moscow)

My ideal school is a school quite unlike any school we've heard of. This school consists of a large library and basic recreational facilities. There are no classrooms. The school is built on the idea of ​​active learning. No student is forced to learn. (Tanya, 14, Rome)

School is the mold 2 , which shapes our future. It's where we spend most of our valuable time - childhood. Yet I know from firsthand experience that many aspects should be changed: the impersonal attitude of some teachers who do everything only for results, instead of creating happy moments and valuable life experience for young people. These young people are far from being an ‘empty pot’ who are ready to be filled with knowledge. They are simply locked boxes full of potential which should be discovered by caring and encouraging teachers. (Anna, 15, Riga)

Schools may be getting good results but they are not helping the students as individuals. It seems to me that it's the learner who should ask questions. Give us the freedom to ask questions and do help us to find answers. Don't you see we learn more from our experience and when people trust and respect us? We learn from our mistakes as well. (Hero Joy, 14, Kent)

I think differences make the world go around. Good teachers know it more than Maths rules. I think school must teach differences. And at the moment some schools are doing the opposite, trying to make everyone normal. (Kate, 13, London)

Schools should develop creativity and dreams. When schools teach people not to seek knowledge on their own, people become passive. Everybody has the right to be free and choose what to be and what not to be, schools do not give that option, they have a ‘well organized’ systematic life for you, in which you have to fit. (Luis, 15, Boston)

1 a safe haven [ˈheɪvn]

2 a mold

1. One of the children says that school should have a soul. Find this extract and read it aloud.

2. What do the children want to change at school?

3. Why do the children want more freedom?

1. What is wrong with the accommodation?

2. Why did the boy oversleep?

3. What agreement did he reach with the person on Reception?

№ 4

I. 1. Read the article and say in 2-3 sentences what it is about.

Anna's diary

SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 1942

Writing in a diary is a really strange experience for someone like me. Not only because I’ve never written anything before, but also because it seems to me that later on neither I nor anyone else will be interested in the thoughts of a thirteen-year-old schoolgirl. Oh well, it doesn't matter. I feel like writing, and I have an even greater need to get all kinds of things off my chest 1 .

“Paper has more patience than people.” I thought of this saying on one of those days when I was feeling a little depressed and was sitting at home with my chin in my hands. I was bored and wondering whether to stay in or go out. I finally stayed where I was and decided to start a diary. Yes, paper does have more patience, and since I’m not planning to let anyone else read this notebook, unless I should ever find a real friend, it probably won’t make a bit of difference.

Now I'm back to the point that prompted me to keep a diary in the first place: I don't have a friend. Let me put it more clearly, since no one will believe that a thirteen-year-old girl is completely alone in the world. And I'm not. I have loving parents and a sixteen-year-old sister, and there are about thirty people I can call friends. I have a bunch of admirers who can't keep their adoring eyes off me and who constantly try to catch a glimpse 1 of me in the classroom. I have a family, loving aunts and a good home. No, on the surface I seem to have everything, except my one true friend.

All I think about when I'm with friends is having a good time. I can't bring myself to talk about anything but ordinary everyday things. We don't seem to be able to get closer, and that's a problem. Maybe it's my fault that we don't trust each other. In any case, that's just how things are. That's why I started the diary.

To enhance 3 the image of this long-awaited friend in my imagination, I don’t want to write only about facts, but I want the diary to be my friend, and I am going to call this friend Kitty.

1 to get off one's chest

2 a glimpse [ɡlɪmps] look

3 to enhance [ɪnˈhɑːns]

2. The author explains why she decided to keep a diary. Find this extract and read it aloud.

3. What close people did Anna have?

4. Why did Anna start writing in a diary?

II. Listen to Alice speaking about her first job and answer the questions below.

1. What job did Alice do?

2. What difficulties did she have?

3. What did she learn at work?

III. Let's talk about the environment.

№ 5

Be kind and stay safe

Everybody knows that we should be polite and kind to people in real life and online. Unfortunately this doesn't always happen. Where can you report online abuse 1 or unkind messages to yourself or your friends? Do you know how to report and complain about harmful information online? For example, if you see an inappropriate tweet on Twitter you can click on ‘more’ and then choose ‘Report tweet’. You can then block all further tweets from that user.

Even celebrities can be cyberbullied 2 . Tom Daley, the British Olympic diver, was abused online. His father died during the 2012 Olympic Games and Tom received some very cruel tweets about his indifference towards his father’s health.

Here are our top tips for staying safe online:

1. Be nice! Treat people online as you do in real life.

2. Don't post anything online that you wouldn't want people in real life to see.

3. Check your privacy and security settings on social media sites and keep them as private as possible. Make sure you know exactly who can see your posts.

4. Don't ever post personal information like your home address, your email or your phone number.

5. If you see something online that worries or upsets you, tell an adult about it straight away.

6. Take part in Safer Internet Day.

Safer Internet Day, or SID for short, tries to help people to use the Internet correctly. SID started in 2004 and is organized in February every year in 74 countries around the world to promote safe and responsible use of online technology and mobile phones. Each year there is a different topic such as cyberbullying or social networking. The focus for SID’s next campaign is “Let’s create a better internet together”. SID organizers want children and young people, parents and teachers, as well as industry and politicians to work together to build a better internet for all of us, but particularly for children.

There are special lessons prepared for schoolchildren on Safer Internet Day in Britain. You can find out about SID on this website: http://www.saferinternet.org.uk/.

1 abuse [əˈbjuːs] insult

2 to be cyberbullied [ˈsaɪbəbʊlɪd]

2. The journalist writes how to stop bad messages on Twitter. Find this extract and read it aloud.

3. What can we do to stay safe online?

4. Why is SID a good way to stop abuse on the Internet?

II. Listen to the conversation and answer the questions below.

1. Where does the conversation take place?

2. What is the man interested in?

3. How much do you need to pay monthly?

№ 6

I. 1. Read the magazine article and say in 2-3 sentences what it is about.

christmas tree

Just before Christmas in 1944, a letter arrived at our house in Philadelphia. The postmark was from Tuskegee, Alabama, so we all knew who it was from. We excitedly gathered around Mother as she opened it.

my dear mother,

I did not get the leave I expected for Christmas. I will miss all of you. Please leave the Christmas tree up until I make it back. I hope to be home by March.

love from your son

I was 17 years old at the time. My heart sank. I felt a deep sadness that my favorite brother would not be home for Christmas. He was one of the Tuskegee Airmen 1 and was responsible for maintaining 2 the airplanes flying off to fight in World War II. My mother, being the optimist, said, “Well, it looks like we’ll get to have two Christmases this year!” After Christmas, my sister and I worked together to make sure we kept that Christmas tree looking as pretty as possible. This was no easy feat.

By mid-January, the branches dropped so low to the ground that they became a sliding board for the decorations. Each day, ornaments would come crashing to the ground and there were brand new pine needles 3 all over the wooden floor. My sister and I took turns sweeping them up. We moved the ornaments to the stronger branches on the tree, hoping they would stay on.

Each time we freshened that tree up, my sister and I were full of thoughts about Clifton and how happy we would be to see him again. It made us feel that he was close by, even though he was hundreds of miles away. On March 5, the doorbell rank. We ran to the door and gave Clifton a big hug. As he hugged Mother, I could see him looking over her head at the Christmas tree.

“It's beautiful,” he said. Thank you. Clifton opened his presents and told us all sorts of stories about his work in Tuskegee. That night as we slept, we heard a crash in the living room. We ran to see what had happened. The tree had toppled 4 onto the sofa and there were needles and broken ornaments everywhere.

We all had a good laugh. It was fortunate that Clifton got!

1 Tuskegee Airmen pilots from Tuskegee

2 to maintain

3 a pine needle [ˈpaɪnˌ niːdl]

4 to topple [ˈtɒpl]

2. The family got a message from Clifton. Find the extract which says about it and read it aloud.

3. What was Clifton's job?

4. What proves that all the family loved Clifton very much?

II. Listen to three teenagers talking about homework and answer the questions below.

1. Why does the first speaker dislike doing homework?

2. What does the second speaker regret about?

3. What are the benefits of doing homework according to the third speaker?

III. Let's talk about sport and a healthy way of life.

№ 7

I. 1. Read the magazine article and say in 2-3 sentences what it is about.

The Condemned Room 1

Dear Mom,

I am working very hard on cleaning my room. But I want to go to Katy's this afternoon to work on our Halloween costumes. Can I finish tomorrow? I would get up early and do it before breakfast and I'll do a good job. please,write back. Love, The Prisoner in Tower #3

Dear Prisoner, No.

Love Mom.

For days Sam's mother never came up to her room. And then one day Sam would come home from school and find the Condemned sign on her door. Her mother had made the sign. It said: “The room is condemned. Its owner may not go anywhere or do anything until the area is restored.” In other words, Sam was to stay in until she cleaned her room.

It wasn't fair. She was always getting the Condemned sign. Her brother hardly ever did. And his room was really disgusting, with posters of rock stars and basketball stars and movie stars wearing tiny bikinis covering every inch of his walls. But, her mother pointed out, his floor was clean and his desk as well. That was all she cared about.

Sam had been in her room for three hours now. She sat on the floor, looking at everything she was supposed to be putting away. It was possible she might be there all day. There were her clothes, lying high on her chair and overflowing onto the floor. Dirty shoes. An umbrella from when it rained on Tuesday. library books. Magazines with pictures of cool teen-movie stars that Rebecca had given her. Her piano music from yesterday's lesson. And different little things: nail polish remover, cotton balls, a tennis-ball, a note pad from Katy, rocks from rock collection they were making for science, pencils, chewing gum. And about twelve dirty handkerchiefs.

The thing to do, Sam decided, was sort everything into piles. A pile of dirty laundry, a pile of her dresser drawers, a pile to throw away. That was how her father, the organization man, would do it. She sighed. It was impossible to imagine she couldn't leave her room all week-end. She decided to paint her finger nails instead.

1 condemned room

2. The author tells us about her brother's room. Find this extract and read it aloud.

3. What made Sam's Mum write a message?

4. Is Sam going to clean the room? Why do you think so?

II. Listen to the conversation and answer the questions below.

1. Where was Tina going?

2. What happened at the airport?

3. Why was Tina scared during the flight?

№ 8

I. 1. Read the article and say in 2-3 sentences what it is about.

great grandad

It was a funny, surprising thing that brought Grandad back to me. It was algebra. I couldn't cope with algebra in my first year at secondary school, and it made me mad. “I don't see the point of it,” I screamed. “I don't know what it's for!”

Grandad, as it turned out, liked algebra and he sat opposite me and didn’t say anything for a while, considering my problem in that careful expressionless way of his.

Eventually he said, “Why do you do PE 1 at school?”

What?

“PE. Why do they make you do it?”

“Because they hate us?” I suggested.

“And the other reason?”

“To keep us fit, I guess.”

“Physically fit, yes.”

He reached across the table and put the first two fingers of each hand on the sides of my head.

“There is also mental fitness, isn't there? I can explain to you why algebra is useful. But that is not what algebra is really for.”

He moved his fingers gently on my head.

“It's to keep what is in here healthy. PE is for the head. And the great thing is you can do it sitting down. Now, let us use these little puzzles here to take our brains for a jog.” 2

And it worked. Not that I fell in love with algebra. But I did come to see that it was possible to enjoy it. Grandad taught me that maths signs and symbols were not just marks on paper. They weren't flat. There were three-dimensional, and you could approach them from different directions. You could take them apart and put them together in a variety of shapes, like Lego. I stopped being afraid of them.

I didn’t know it at the time, of course, but those homework sessions helped me to discover my Grandad. Algebra turned out to be the key that opened the invisible door he lived behind and let me in.

Now I learned that Grandad's world was full of miracles and mazes, mirrors and misleading signs. He was fascinated by riddles and codes and labyrinths, by the origin of place names, by grammar, by slang, by jokes - although he never laughed at them - by anything that might mean something else. I discovered My Grandad.

1 PE [ˌpiːiː] physical education

2 take our brains for a jog [ˈteɪk əʊə ˈbreɪnz fər əˈdʒɒɡ]

2. The author says she had problems with algebra. Find this extract and read it aloud.

3. How did Granddad help the author understand the subject?

4. What else did the author understand about her Granddad?

II. Listen to the member of the Greenpeace organization telling a story about whales and answer the questions below.

1. Why were the whales on the beach?

2. How did the people help them?

3. How did this event affect the story-teller's life?

№ 9

I. 1. Read the article and say in 2-3 sentences what it is about.

AN INTERVIEW

Journalist: Do people in your country depend a lot on technology for communication?

Businessman: Yes. Everybody's using all kinds of phones, mobiles and internet services. I think the benefits of the computers cannot be denied. They save valuable time and space. Time-consuming tasks such as checking bank accounts can now be done in a matter of minutes and a large volume of information is economically stored on tiny disks. In addition, with immediate access to the Internet, we can always keep-up with global and current issues and explore the world from the comfort of our homes.

Journalist: Do you manage to keep up with the development of technologies?

Businessman: I think the fact that methods in business have moved ahead at such speed has meant that we generally have to keep up with it all, whether we want to or not. Otherwise, we'll be left behind. In fact this need to keep up has also entered the home, where a lot of people spend much money on computer equipment when all they do is play games.

Journalist: How different would everyday life be without technological means of communication?

Businessman: Of course, life would be very different without all these means of communication. For those working in the world of business, life would be much more difficult as it would take much longer to get in touch with other companies and to come to an agreement on important matters. Basically, if we didn't have email systems at home or mobile phones, etc., it wouldn't be the end of the world. I mean, we survived before, didn't we?

Journalist: How do you feel about mobile phones?

Businessman: I personally find them useful and necessary. They’re convenient if there’s an emergency on a business trip or when you’re in the middle of nowhere or need to contact the police or your family for example. Thought, I do feel that they are overused in many cases. Think about how many people spend hours just chatting about silly, unimportant things or looking through sites for no special reason even at work.

1. What are the benefits of the computers? Read aloud the extract which says about them.

3. How do businessmen benefit from using technological means of communication at their workplace?

4. When are technological means of communication misused?

II. Listen to the conversation and answer the questions below.

1. Where does the action take place?

2. What happened to the furniture in the grandmother’s room?

3. Why were Martin and his friend scared?

№ 10

1. Read the article and say in 2-3 sentences what it is about.

What is a good family?

Building a successful family is like building a house. Both need a plan. The best way to be organized as a family is to talk about family matters. By doing this, families enjoy a special closeness and stability. Choosing to spend time with your family sends a message more powerful than words.

How much time should families spend together? That varies from family to family. Families with young children usually spend most of their time together because young children need a great deal of physical care and guidance. Families with teenagers may spend less time together because teens naturally want to spend more time with their friends. Healthy families keep a good balance between ‘too much’ and ‘not enough’ time together. They spend enough time to satisfy all family members.

Nothing unites a family more than its traditions which include different norms, ways of behavior, customs and views. In united families these traditions are deep-rooted and passed from generation to generation.

Strong families take time to be together and talk to one another. They share their hopes and dreams, feelings and concerns over common meals. Members of successful families feel they really belong to their family. They celebrate their victories and help each other learn from their mistakes. They do their household chores together and go to the theatre. At the same time, strong families adapt relationships and family rules when needs arise. Since no family knows what tomorrow will bring, being adaptive is a good trait for family members to develop.

Recent studies affirm the importance of love in families. Research shows that expressions of affection towards children reduce behavior problems and help children’s development. Strong families notice and share positive aspects of each member. They notice the talents, skills and achievements, special qualities and characteristics that make the other person unique. They find ways to be positive even when another family member makes a mistake and make an effort to develop closeness and show love at home.

2. The author explains what makes a successful family. Find this extract and read it aloud.

3. What makes a family united?

4. How much time should family members spend together?

II. Listen to the girl speaking about her eating habits and answer the questions below.

1. What problem does the girl have?

2. Why is it a harmful habit?

3. Why can't she stop eating chocolate?

III. Let's talk about youth and society.

№ 11

I. 1. Read the article and say in 2-3 sentences what it is about.

PYTHAGORAS*

Pythagoras 1 is often described as a very important mathematician, yet we know little about his achievements. What we do know is that he was the leader of a society which was half scientific and half religious. It was a secret society and today Pythagoras is still a mysterious figure.

It is believed that Pythagoras was born on the Greek island of Samos. His father was a merchant, and as a child, Pythagoras traveled with him selling their goods. Pythagoras was well educated. He learned music and poetry and had three philosophers to teach him who introduced Pythagoras to mathematics and advised him to travel to Egypt to learn more about mathematics and astronomy. So in 535 BC, Pythagoras traveled to Egypt where he visited many temples and took part in discussions with priests. Many of the customs he learned in Egypt he came to adopt. For example, the Egyptian priests refused to eat beans and wear animal skins, as did Pythagoras later in his life.

In 525 BC the King of Persia invaded Egypt. Pythagoras was taken prisoner and was transported to Babylon. It was here, taught by the Babylonians, that he reached perfection in arithmetic and music. When Pythagoras returned to Samos he founded there a school which was called ‘The Semicircle’. It seems that the people of Samos did not appreciate the teaching methods of Pythagoras and they treated him rudely and improperly. Furthermore, they wanted to involve Pythagoras in local politics against his will. For these reasons, he went to Italy.

The Pythagoras believed that numbers rule the universe and that numbers are present in all things. He also connected mathematics to music and recognized the healing power of music. He used it as a kind of therapy to help those who were ill. Another of his beliefs was that there are three types of men: those who love wisdom, those who love honor and those who love wealth.

Pythagoras was a mathematician, an astronomer, and a philosopher. Today we remember him best for his famous geometry theorem, known as Pythagoras' theorem. 2

1 Pythagoras Pythagoras

2 Pythagoras’ theorem

2. Where did Pythagoras go to learn mathematics and astronomy? Read aloud the extract which says about it.

3. Why did Pythagoras go to Italy?

4. What are the three types of men according to Pythagoras?

II. Listen to the interview taken by the “Youth Magazine” with Mr Ron Cansler and answer the questions below.

1. How old is Mr Cansler?

2. What helped him to stay healthy?

3. What does he recommend listeners should do?

№ 12

I. 1. Read the article and say in 2-3 sentences what it is about.

AMELIA

Possibly the most famous female pilot ever, Amelia Earhart was born in 1897 in Kansas, the USA. Amelia had a difficult and unsettled childhood. Her family traveled a great deal so her father could find work. Although she often missed school, Amelia was nevertheless considered to be very bright academically. She enjoyed reading especially and poetry as well as sports, basketball and tennis.

After graduating from high school, instead of going to college, Amelia decided to study nursing. During the First World War, she worked as a military nurse in Canada. When the war ended she became a social worker back in America and taught English to immigrants. In her free time, Amelia enjoyed going to air shows and watching aerial stunts 1 , which were very popular during the 1920s. Her fascination with flying began when, at one of those shows, she took a ten-minute ride, and from that moment on she knew she had to learn to fly.

Amelia took on several odd jobs to pay for the flying lessons and after a year, she had saved enough money to buy her own plane. She organized cross-country air races for women pilots and formed a now famous women pilots’ organization, called the ‘Ninety-Nines’. One day Amelia received an invitation to be the first woman ever to make the flight across the Atlantic from Canada to Britain. Amelia made the flight in 1928 and, although she was only a passenger and two men flew the plane, it made her a celebrity. She also met there her future husband, George Putman, a publisher, who arranged the flight and organized all the publicity.

In 1932 Amelia and George decided Amelia should make the Atlantic crossing from America to Britain alone. She broke several records on this flight; she became the first woman to fly the Atlantic solo, the only person to have flown it twice and she established a new transatlantic crossing record of 13 hours and 30 minutes. Understandably, she became even more famous as a result of earning respect for women pilots all over the world by proving that women could fly as well as men, if not better.

1 an aerial stunt [ˈɛərɪəl ˈstʌnt] aerobatics

2. How did Amelia get interested in flying? Read aloud the extract which says about it.

3. What invitation did Amelia receive one day?

4. Why did Amelia become famous?

II. Listen to the conversation between Nancy and her mum.

1. What do Nancy's parents worry about?

2. Why does Nancy refuse to do household chores?

3. What arguments does Mum use to make Nancy clean the room?

III. Let's talk about the mass media.

№ 13

I. 1. Read the article and say in 2-3 sentences what it is about.

THE STRESS OF COMMUTING 1

In today's modern world, people are constantly looking for ways to avoid stress and improve their lifestyle. Too much stress can lead to a variety of illnesses from headaches to high blood pressure. Simple things, such as driving to and from work on a daily basis, can be such a stressful experience that many people are left feeling totally exhausted. Cars can give normally peaceful people a feeling of power that can make them more aggressive.

Fortunately, there are various means of public transport to choose from within modern towns and cities. Sometimes, all we need to do is to change a few of our long-standing habits in order to discover a much more comfortable way of life. By simply planning journeys, not only can we save time and money, but we can also reduce stress levels dramatically. By using public transport everybody wins. Most towns and cities are well-covered by bus, tram and metro services. While making use of these services, you are also helping against increasing levels of pollution.

Public transport systems have improved considerably in recent years and there is now more focus on environmentally friendly forms. For example, old tram systems have been reintroduced into many European cities, making movement across large areas much faster and ‘cleaner’.

Another way of reducing levels of both stress and pollution is an introduction of an environmentally friendly network of cycle tracks. The aim of building cycle tracks is to motivate people to use their bicycles instead of their cars. So, next time you see your neighbor or colleague waiting at a bus stop as you drive by, don't feel sorry for him because he will, no doubt, arrive at the office much earlier than you as you will still be fighting to find a parking space.

Or you might consider another way of getting to work. Carpooling 2 is a relatively new and convenient system when several people arrange to share one private car to get to work. And some companies have already introduced a plan where those who carpool get preferential parking in the company garage.

1 commuting daily commute to work in the city from the suburbs and back

2 to carpool [ˈkɑːˌpuːl]

2. The network of public transport has improved lately. Read aloud the extract which says about it.

3. How can we help reduce pollution?

4. Why is carpooling convenient?

II. Listen to the advice how to make a good friend and answer the questions below.

1. How do people feel if they have no friend?

2. What qualities does a good friend have?

3. Why is it good to be a real friend?

III. Let's talk about international cooperation.

№ 14

I. Read the article and say in 2-3 sentences what it is about.

Video Blogger

In April 2007, a 16-year-old English boy named Charlie McDonnell was studying for his exams. But he was bored, so he turned on his computer and started surfing the web. He soon found a website called YouTube and within minutes he was watching a video of another teenager sitting in his bedroom and talking to his computer about how bored he was. ‘I could do better than that!’ thought Charlie. So, using a cheap computer and webcam, he made his first video blog and posted it on YouTube under the name Charlieissocoollike.

A few days after the first video Charlie found that he had 150 subscribers. Encouraged by this, he went on to make more videos. A month later Charlie's audience grew and he started to get hundreds of video messages from his fans. “It was really strange,” says Charlie. “I’d been talking to my computer for a month and suddenly my computer started talking back to me!”

His next big success came a few months later when Oprah Winfrey, the famous American TV host, showed one of Charlie’s comedy videos called How to be English on her program, which made him popular in the USA too.

Charlie also realized he could use his fame to help people less fortunate than himself. To celebrate his 18th birthday, he raised £5,000 for cancer research. He raised more than four times as much when he co-presented a live show on the Internet. He stayed awake for 24 hours performing challenges from viewers. All the money went to the children's charity UNICEF 1 .

But what is the secret of his popularity? “I just make videos that I would want to watch,” he says, “and I’m not trying to sell anything. I'm just trying to talk with people and that's it for me.” His honesty and modesty are perhaps the main reasons why Charlie is so well liked. And of course, he is a talented song writer, camera man, actor and singer.

And if you were wondering how Charlie did in his exams back in 2007...well, he passed with nine A grades and one B! He says that he wants to go on to study at university in the future but decided to try and make a career on YouTube before that.

1 UNICEF [ˈjuːnɪsef] United Nations Children's Fund

2. Charlie says how the idea of ​​making a video crossed his mind. Find this extract and read it aloud.

3. How did he become popular?

4. Why do people like Charlie?

II. Listen to Huan, a Chinese man, speaking about moving out and answer the questions below.

1. Why do young people prefer to live with their parents in Hong Kong?

2. How did Huan's parents react to his decision?

3. What are the advantages of living on your own?

№ 15

I. 1. Read the article and say in 2-3 sentences what it is about.

MAKE YOUR HOME GREENER

Residential are responsible for consuming 27% of the total amount of energy consumed within Europe and are the biggest source of global warming buildings in the world. This is a fact that has, until recently, been overlooked by lawmakers trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, who have concentrated their efforts on industry and transport. The EU has now passed a new law which intends to cut considerably carbon dioxide emissions 1 from buildings. This means that each of us can now save the planet from the comfort of our own homes.

The first things we can do are simple and easy. We can block up drafts 2 , switch off unnecessary lights and make sure cold and hot water taps are not left running. The next step requires more planning and some expense, but as well as saving energy, we will also save on bills. Many homes have window and roof insulation 3 but it is rarely enough. Full insulation can have a dramatic effect on energy consumption. We should use energy efficient light bulbs. These are usually expensive to buy but consume less than half the energy of standard bulbs. These bulbs last much longer than conventional light bulbs reducing the consumption of resources. Also, thermal solar panels are very efficient. They are capable of providing all the hot water you need.

We can install a ‘grey’ water recycling system. At present water used to flush the toilets is of the same drinkable quality that comes out of the taps. This is an unnecessary waste of energy used in water purification. A gray water recycling system cleans water that has been used for washing and sends it through the toilet system reducing the use of clean drinking water.

New buildings have more energy saving features in their design. They can have a wooden structure, extensive insulation, electronic environmental controls, triple glazing 4 , a non-polluting heating system and a turf 5 roof. However, it is how we deal with our present homes that will determine housing’s contribution to global warming. It's down to each of us, so get insulating!

1 carbon dioxide emissions [ˈkɑːbən daɪˈɒkˈsaɪd ɪˈmɪʃnz]

3 insulation [ˌɪnsjʊˈleɪʃn] insulation, insulation

4 glazing [ˈɡleɪzɪŋ] glazing

5 turf

2. What energy saving features in the design of the building are used nowadays? Read aloud the extract which says about it.

3. What can we do to cut carbon dioxide emissions from buildings?

4. What is considered to be an unnecessary waste of energy used in water purification?

II. Listen to the tour guide and answer the questions below.

1. What sort of tour is it?

2. What will the tourists see on the tour?

3. Why does the tourist ask to return the money?

III. Let's talk about outstanding people.

№ 16

I. 1. Read the article and say in 2-3 sentences what it is about.

MR WEMMICK'S "CASTLE"

Wemmick's house was a little wooden cottage in the middle of a large garden. The top of the house had been built and painted like a battery loaded with guns. I said I really liked it. I think Wemmick's house was the tiniest I had ever seen. It had very few windows and the door was almost too small to get in.

‘Look,’ said Wemmick, after I have crossed this bridge, I raise it so that nobody can enter the Castle.’

The ‘bridge’ was a plank 1 and it crossed a gap about four feet 2 wide and two feet deep. But I enjoyed seeing the smile on Wemmick's face and the pride with which he raised his bridge. The gun on the roof of the house, he told me, was fired every night at nine o'clock. I later heard it. Immediately, it made an impressive sound.

‘At the back,’ he said, ‘there are chickens, ducks, geese, and rabbits. I've also got my own little vegetable garden and I grow cucumbers. Wait until supper and you'll see for yourself what kind of salad I can make. If the Castle is ever attacked, I will be able to survive for quite a while,’ he said with a smile, but at the same time seriously.

Then Wemmick showed me his collection of curiosities. They were mostly to do with being on the wrong side of the law: a pen with which a famous forgery 3 had been committed, some locks of hair, several manuscripts confess from prison.

‘I am my own engineer, my own carpenter, my own plumber and my own gardener. I am my own Jack of all Trades 4 ,’ said Wemmick, receiving my compliments. Wemmick told me that it had taken many years to bring his property to this state of perfection.

‘Is it your own, Mr. Wemmick?'

‘Oh yes, I have got a hold of it a bit at a time. I have absolute ownership now. You know, the office is one thing, and private life is another. When I go to the office, I leave the Castle behind me, and when I come to the Castle, I leave the office behind me. If you don't mind, I'd like you to do the same. I don't want to talk about my home in a professional manner.

1 plank

2 feet - pl. hours from foot - a measure of length equal to 30.48 cm

3 forgery [ˈfɔdʒərɪ] fake

4 Jack of all Trades

2. ‘An Englishman’s home is his castle’. Read aloud the extract which proves this idea.

3. What do we understand about Wemmick's home life?

4. Why does Wemmick call himself Jack of all Trades?

II. Listen to a part of the interview with a thirteen-year old writer, Sally Myers, and answer the questions below.

1. What made Sally write the book?

2. What did Sally's Dad think about the book?

3. How did Sally's life change after publishing the book?

№ 17

I. 1. Read the article and say in 2-3 sentences what it is about.

MOTHER TERESA

Mother Teresa was a simple nun 1 . She never wanted to be famous, but everyone in the world knows who she is.

Mother Teresa was born in 1910 in what is now Macedonia 2 . She was the youngest of three children. Agnes's father died when she was a child. Her mother made dresses to support the family. Agnes's mother also liked to do charity work, such as visiting the sick. Agnes often went with her, and she enjoyed helping these people.

Even as a child, Agnes wanted to be a nun. When she was 18 years old, she joined a group of nuns in India. There, she chose the name Teresa. Then she went to Calcutta to work at St. Mary's School, in a convention 3 . Sister Teresa worked there for 20 years and eventually became the principal.

One day in 1946 Sister Teresa was riding on a train to Darjeeling 4 . She looked out of the window and saw dirty children wearing rags and sleeping in doorways. Sick and dying people were lying on dirty streets. At that moment, she believed God sent her a message. She decided to go to work with the poor.

Two years later, Sister Teresa left the convent and opened a school for the kids from poor families. Thought at the very beginning the school had no roof, no walls, and no chairs, later it became well-known all around India. In 1948, Sister Teresa started her own group of nuns. They were called the Missionaries of Charity. The nuns lived in the slums 5 with people who were poor, dirty, and sick. It was hard work and the days were long. But many young nuns came from around the world to join Mother Teresa.

Later, she started homes for children without families. She also started clinics. Over the years, news of her work spread around the world. Many people sent her donations of money, others came to work with her. By 1990 the Missionaries of Charity were working in 400 centers around the world.

Mother Teresa got the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. But she always said her greatest reward was helping people. Her message to the world was: 'We can do no great things - only small things with great love'.

1 a nun nun

2 Macedonia [ ˌmæsəˈdəʊnɪə] country Macedonia

3 a convent [ˈkɒnv(ə)nt] monastery

4 Darjeeling cityDarjeeling

5 slums

2. The author writes about Mother Teresa's family. Read aloud the extract which says about it.

3. Why did Mother Teresa decide to devote her life to people in need?

4. What did Mother Teresa do for people?

II. Listen to the interview and answer the questions below.

1. What does Jackie want to become?

2. Why has she chosen this profession?

3. Why is it important for students to do sport at school?

III. Let's talk about accommodation.

№ 18

I. 1. Read the article and say in 2-3 sentences what it is about.

The most mystic 1 picture

Every hour about 1,500 people visit the Louvre Museum in Paris with the specific intention of seeing one particular painting: the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. Most of these visitors look at the painting for about three minutes before they walk back to the tourist buses outside.

Leonardo loved the painting very much and people say that he took it everywhere with him. The painting was originally ordered by a rich businessman in Florence, who wanted a portrait of his wife, Lisa. Leonardo began the painting in 1503 and he finished it about three or four years later. The fact that Leonardo wanted to keep the painting himself, adds to the Mona Lisa's mystique.

Mona Lisa's mysterious smile has fascinated everyone who has ever seen the painting. In his ‘Lives of the Artists’, written just a few years after Leonardo’s death, Giorgio Vasari wrote, ‘While painting Mona Lisa Leonardo employed singers and musicians to keep her happy and so avoid the sadness that painters usually give to portraits. As a result, there was a smile that seemed divine 2 rather than human; and those who saw it were amazed to find how alive and real it appeared.’

Modern art critics also emphasize how the portrait seems alive and real. ‘She is like a living person,’ writes art historian E.H. Gombrich, ‘She seems to change before our eyes. Even in photographs we can experience this strange effect. Sometimes she seems to be looking down on us, and sometimes we can detect sadness in her smile. All this sounds rather mysterious, and it is; that is so often the effect of a great work of art.’

The Mona Lisa is certainly a masterpiece, a magnificent work of art, but it is also a part of modern popular culture. Her image appears on plates, T-shirts, mouse pads and in advertisements. Perhaps for this reason, officials at the Louvre Museum placed the painting in a specially built area in a room with other great 16th century Italian paintings. In this way, visitors have a better chance to appreciate the painting as a work of art rather than as a tourist attraction.

1 mystique mysterious

2 divine

2. Why is Mona Lisa smiling? Read aloud the extract which says about it.

1. What makes the Mona Lisa so special?
2. Why isn't the painting displayed in a separate room?

II. Listen to the conversation between two friends and answer the questions below.

1. What does Christian want to become?

2. Why does Kate need to learn English?

3. What piece of advice does Christian give to his friend?

III. Let's talk about your family.

№ 19

I. 1. Read the article and say in 2-3 sentences what it is about.

Book Review

The Guinness Books of World Records 1 have certainly changed a lot in the last 60 years. The first Guinness Book was published in August 1955 in London, in Britain. Most editions were small paperbacks printed in black-and-white and contained more text than photographs. Now, there are color pictures on every page—and the book also includes 3-D images.

This fascinating collection of records is divided into chapters on Space, The Living Planet, Being Human, Human Achievements, Spirit of Adventure, Modern Life, Science & Engineering, Entertainment, Sports, and the Gazetteer 2 .

Here you will see and read about extremes: for example, the world's tallest, oldest, shortest, and tiniest - people, plants, animals, buildings. Some have set records for pulling buses, kissing, swimming, ironing clothes, running, and for having the longest legs, the smallest waist, etc.

Some images are a bit strange to look at for too long - check out the woman with the longest fingernails in the world. Also, one man had 14 operations to make himself look like a cat.

There's a wide range of amazing facts contained on these pages. What is the world's most expensive hamburger? — It is available in a New York restaurant for $120. Who had the most hit singles on the U.S. music charts? — Elvis Presley, of course, with 151 between 1956 and 2003 (and he died in 1977!). One of the most colorful sections shows records related to space, including some fantastic photographs of Jupiter. Take a look at the top movies such as the first summer blockbuster of all time, the first movie with Dolby sound, and the first to be more expensive than $100 million.

As always, there's a helpful index in the back of the book, in which you can find subjects of interest in alphabetical order.

Please note that some stunts 3 in this book would be quite dangerous—or at least terribly painful—for you to attempt to meet or beat them. Therefore, please don't attempt to set any world records that would cause risk to you or to others!

1 the Guinness [ˈɡɪnɪs] Books of World Records

2 Gazetteer [ˌɡæzəˈtɪə] gazetteer

3 a stunt

2. The author describes how The Guinness World Records books changed with time. Find this extract and read it aloud.

3. What information will you find in this book?

4. Why can this book be interesting for the reader?

II. Listen to the young man describing where he lived and answer the questions below.

1. Why did the man's family have to rent a flat for about a year?

2. What was their flat in the capital like?

3. How many people is he sharing the flat with at present?

III. Let's talk about your future career.

№ 20

I. 1. Read the article and say in 2-3 sentences what it is about.

ARE YOU READY TO BE INDEPENDENT?

Angela Rowlands recently tested her teenage children’s ability to do basic household jobs in the house. When Angela and her husband Ben went to Spain for a few weeks’ holiday on the Costa Brava, their son Mark, aged 18, and daughter Frances, aged 16, stayed at home to look after the house. The parents wanted to see how Mark and Frances would manage in the house on their own.

So when your left the house, they did not tell the children that they had prepared a few tests for them. “We took the plug 1 off the microwave and took out some good light bulbs 2 and put in light bulbs that did not work. We also made sure that there were other problems in the house: with an Italian coffee machine and one of the taps 3 in the bathroom,” says Dr. Rowlands.

When Dr. Rowlands returned from her holiday, she found, as she had expected, that her children had failed the independence test. Mark and Frances had asked an electrician to change the plug on the microwave and to change the light bulbs. They also paid a specialist for repairing the bathroom tap. When they saw that the coffee maker was broken, they went to buy a new one. They even did not think to look for the missing part in the cupboard.

Dr. Rowlands was not surprised by the results of her experiment. “A lot of young people today are not able to solve simple problems in the house,” she says. “They often throw things away when they are broken. This is wrong because it shows that young people do not understand how things work or are made. It can also be very expensive because you have to pay other people to do the work for you.”

But repairing broken things is only part of the problem. A lot of young people cannot cook at all. If there is no ready-made meal in the fridge, or if there is nothing to warm up in the microwave, then there is nofood. This can cause health problems.

The truth is that many young people do not want to learn basic household skills as they find them boring. Thought, if people want to be prepared for independent life they should learn how to do simple jobs about the house.

1 a plug

2 a light bulb [ˈlaɪt bʌlb] light bulb

3 tap faucet

2. Why did Dr. Rowlands decide to test the children? Read aloud the extract which says about it.

3. What did the parents prepare for their children?

4. Do you think the children passed the test? Why do you think so?

II. Listen to Tom speaking about his day off and answer the questions below.

1. How did Tom spend his day off?

2. What went wrong?

3. What made Tom feel frightened?

III. Let's talk about Belarus.

№ 21

I. 1. Read the article and say in 2-3 sentences what it is about.

technology

Technology is everywhere. We see it any place we go to and, in fact, almost all of us carry some piece of technology with us every time we leave the house. We can't imagine our life without them. But what we always forget, though, is just how useful and powerful technology can be when we want to help others.

There is not a single room in my house that does not have some gadget lying around in it. Whenever I am at home, providing that I am not sleeping, I am almost always using at least one electronic device. If you walked into my living room on any given day, you would find that, first, I have the television on (along with the other related appliances, such as the DVD player or my current favorite game console) 1 . At the same time, even though multi-tasking is definitely not my strong point, I usually have my laptop resting on my knee, or I will be using my tablet or mobile phone. In the background, the technology that I am not using will most likely be on charge somewhere in the house. Even when I'm not at home I am constantly using my phone. At work or in cafés, I sit down and connect to the local wireless network on my laptop. I must admit that I waste a lot of time on the computer. Instead I could spend it doing some online volunteering.

The technology we carry about everywhere can have a great power to do good for the world and to help others and recently I discovered just how much online volunteering there is to do in the world. From using your language skills to do translations, to developing and managing projects and helping with IT work, there is so much that so many people can do to help people in their own countries and across the world. The United Nations, in fact, has a huge page on its website designed for recruiting volunteers.

This work can support the poor and help charities who otherwise would not have the funding to pay for staff. Many organizations only require you to work an hour a week - some even less. And the support provided by online volunteers can really help make a difference to those in need.

1 game console [ˈɡeɪm kənˈsəʊl] game console

2. The author disapproves of the way people use electronic devices. Find this extract and read it aloud.

3. What electronic devices does the author use?

4. How can online volunteering help people?

II. Listen to the conversation and answer the questions below.

1. What are the speakers doing?

2. What didn't impress the speakers very much?

3. What did they decide in the end?

III. Let's talk about Great Britain.

№ 22

I. 1. Read the article and say in 2-3 sentences what it is about.

From librarian to political reporter

The Pretenders is a very successful and popular TV series. In each program there is a contestant who has just four weeks to learn to do a completely new job. At the end of the month the contestant has to do a ‘test’, where he or she has to do the new job together with three other professionals. Three judges have to identify the one who pretends.

Jessica Winters is a 26-year-old librarian. She studied English Literature at the University of Bath before getting a job at the local library. She didn't know that two of her friends sent her name to the TV company to take part in The Pretenders.‘When someone from the company called me, I thought it was a joke,’ said Jessica. ‘First of all, I said ‘no’, in the end my friends and my family persuaded 1 me and I agreed.’

Jessica had four weeks to turn from a quiet, shy librarian into a confident TV reporter. At the end of the month she had to interview the Minister of Education. It was her test.

An experienced political journalist, Adam Bowles, had to transform Jessica into a professional. He wasn't very optimistic when he met her. ‘Jessica needs to be a lot harder, even aggressive. She is much too sweet and shy', said Adam. ‘Politicians will eat her alive.’ They had just 28 days to teach her how to interview people, how to be confident, how to speak clearly.

Jessica was terrified at the beginning. She watched a lot of live interviews with politicians. Adam made her read the political sections of all the newspapers. It was boring for her and she felt exhausted. Later as soon as she began making progress, she felt more relaxed.

During the interview Jessica felt nervous but well-prepared as she had done much research and had practiced a lot. ‘When it was all over came the worst part, I had to wait while the judges decided which of us they thought wasn't t a professional'. The judges gave their verdict: they were all professional reporters.

For Jessica it was a great experience and she was pleased how she did it, but actually she doesn’t feel like changing her work.

1 to persuade

2. The Pretenders is a famous TV programme. Read aloud the extract about it.

3. How did Jessica get to the program?

4. Was it an exciting and useful experience for Jessica? Why (not)?

II. Listen to three people talking about their favorite countries and answer the questions below.

1. What country does the first speaker like most?

2. What makes Italy a favorite place for the second speaker?

3. Why does the third speaker like Argentina?

III. Let's talk about national characters and stereotypes.

№ 23

I. 1. Read the article and say in 2-3 sentences what it is about.

Mi Luna

Mi Luna is a restaurant in the Rice Village. The atmosphere is lively, and the food is delicious. It is a Spanish cuisine restaurant that you will soon consider one of your favorite restaurants.

There are many reasons why this restaurant is special. One is that they make a wonderful dish called Pulpo con Patatas. It’s a delicious Spanish seafood dish which has the following ingredients: octopus, potatoes, salt, olive oil, and chilepiquin one . (C hilepiquin is a special kind of chili that looks like red powder and is very hot.)

Another reason is the place itself. Once you are in the restaurant, you feel a Spanish atmosphere; it is painted with the classical colors that are used in Spain - red, yellow, white, and black. The way this place is decorated is really very impressive. On the walls, there are photos of Spanish bullfighters, taken at the perfect moments of their performances.

On one of the walls, you can enjoy a photo of the famous classical Spanish dance called flamenco 2. In it, the dancers are wearing the traditional clothes, and the lady has in her hands the most famous Spanish musical instrument called castanets 3 .

The service is pleasant, caring and quick. It makes you want to come back. The waiters just keep looking at your table to find out if you need something. If they see an empty glass, they immediately ask you if you want something else to drink. At all time, they are friendly and ready to clear all the used dishes from your table. They are always smiling because they are trying to make you feel comfortable and happy. They know each dish, so they are able to explain it to you.

On their menu, they serve a large variety of foods, and there is a section on the menu that I like most. In Spain, these dishes are called tapas 4 . Tapas or appetizers are dishes that have a small amount of food. In this way you will be able to try a lot of different Spanish dishes.

By the time you leave Mi Luna, you are sure to be entirely satisfied and have very good memories of the visit. It is a great place for any occasion, but it is very busy, so don't forget to book a table first.

1 chilepiquin [ˈtʃɪlɪˈpiːkiːn] pikine

2 Flamenco

3 castanets [ˌkæstəˈnets]

4 tapas [ˈtæːpəs]

1. The service in Mi Luna is very good. Read aloud the extract which says about it.

3. What makes Mi Luna look very Spanish?

4. What makes Mi Luna a very pleasant place to visit?

II. Listen to the conversation between two friends and answer the questions below..

1. Why doesn't Margaret like her new job?

2. What problem does Peter have?

3. What piece of advice does Margaret give to her friend?

III. Let's talk about youth and society.

№ 24

I. 1. Read the article and say in 2-3 sentences what it is about.

WE ARE YOUNGER THAN WE EVER WERE

If you belong to the older generation, Elder hostel is a good place to live.

Elder hostel, founded in 1975, is the world's largest educational and travel organization for older adults. Its aim is to excite people’s minds and enrich people’s lives promoting and encouraging different activities among the older generation. There are no examinations or marks. All that you need, in order to enroll on a programme, is enquiring mind 1 and an adventurous spirit. Also, of course, you need to believe that learning and discovery continue all your life. There are expert instructors and experienced group leaders for field trips and cultural excursions.

Elder hostel offers a large number of programs in a huge variety of areas. Amongst other things, it provides simple, on-line information on activities and services. First of all, there are traditional programs. Here, people study ancient history, literature, and art, and can learn about different cultures, modern people and issues.

also, Elder hostel believes that physical activity helps people to keep a positive self-image and contributes to the sense of well-being both mental and physical. Many programs have keep-fit ​​equipment and a large number of social and cultural events take place there, as well as sporting activities. Regular physical activity can prevent many common illnesses, such as high blood pressure and asthma and it helps people who already have such illnesses. Alongside the usual sports like swimming, hockey and cricket, bowling and tennis, you will find “Dog Clubs” and “Flying Clubs”. Then there is a group of adventure programs involving activities like hiking, kayaking 2 , biking and studying whales.

There are also programs which give people the chance to help communities in different ways, such as protecting endangered species, tutoring school children and building affordable housing.

Finally, there are programs which take place aboard a boat, anywhere from Antarctic to the Mississippi River.

The word ‘old’ has a very different and very positive meaning in Elder hostel!

1 enquiring mind [ɪnˈkwaəɪrɪŋ maɪnd]

2 a kayak [ˈkaɪæk] kayak (Eskimo boat)

2. What kind of organization is Elder hostel? Read aloud the extract which says about it.

3. What activities does Elder hostel offer?

4. Why does the word ‘old’ have a positive meaning in Elder hostel?

II. Listen to the three people speaking about how they met their partners and answer the questions below.

1. Why was the first speaker surprised?

2. When did the second speaker ask the girl out?

3. Why did the third speaker think that the girl was awful when they first met?

III. Let's talk about education.

№ 25

I. 1. Read the article and say in 2-3 sentences what it is about.

QUALITY OF COMMUNICATION

The Internet nowadays is like a huge city full of many different kinds of places and people. As in a real city, there are certain places which are suitable for youngsters and others which need to be avoided.

The Internet neither belongs to nor is controlled by any one person, organization or government. It gives all of us the opportunity to create materials for others to see. On the other hand, as in ordinary life, there are those who might use it for illegal purposes. The freedom of the Net offers exciting opportunities for youngsters and, by being aware of the possible dangers and taking steps to avoid them, they can happily explore that online world in safety.

The Internet has enabled and advanced new forms of human interactions through instant messaging, Internet forums, and social networking. Common sense will certainly help children to use the Internet safely. It is preferable, for example, for parents to get to know who their children are meeting online and make sure they never give out personal information about themselves. Although it is an excellent tool for learning, playing and communicating with others, youngsters should not be allowed to become so involved that they forget other activities important to their development. How often do we hear of youngsters spending all their free time in front of the computer, isolating themselves from other people their age? Computers are admirable tools that improve the quality of life, but when used sensibly. Steve Jobs said: “Technology is nothing. What’s important is that you have a faith in people, that they’re basically good and smart, and if you give them tools, they’ll do wonderful things with them.” Obviously, surfing as a family activity is the best solution, so that any problems that are found can be discussed together.

Parents need to think about safety issues and agree on a set of rules. Just as youngsters are given instructions on road safety, they also need to be instructed on how to travel safely along that superhighway.

2. The author says that the Internet offers exciting opportunities for youngsters. Find this extract and read it aloud.

3. What is surfing the Internet compared to?

4. Why is it important to use the Internet sensibly?

II. Listen to three people speaking about their work-life balance and answer the questions below.

1. What does the first speaker complain about?

2. How has the life style of the second speaker changed?

3. What does the third speaker think about his way of life and the typical Japanese work-life balance?

III. Let's talk about tourism.