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ABOUT MYSELF From the very start I should say that it is not an easy thing to speak about myself as it is hard to have a look at yourself from aside, but at the same time who knows you better than you yourself do? I am a girl of sixteen. When I look in the mirror I see a blond girl with short straight hair, dark eyes and slander figure. As to my appearance I'm rather tall and slim. I have never thought I'm a beauty I whish I were more beautiful. I think that I'm even tempered, rather reserved, calm and modest. But sometimes I can lose my tempo and become either angry or sad. I like staying alone. But at the same time I like my friends, I like to laugh and joke. I have got a sense of humour. It means I understand humour and appreciate it. There are many things in our life I like and some I dislike. I like when everything is OK. Being happy is one way of being wise. I like to study because knowledge is useful sometimes. I'm fond of reading as it gives not only knowledge, but wonderful moments of joy and pleasure. I am neither short nor tall, so I like to wear high heeled shoes, trousers or jeans. I was born on the 25th of April 1985 in the town of Molodechno where I live now together with my parents and my younger sister and older brother. My early years which I remember badly, were typical of a child living in a town. I was born in a family of a teacher and a doctor. I was sent to a kindergarten at the age of three as both the parents were working. As all the children of Ukraine I went to school at the age of six. Here I should say that it was my lucky chance to study for 11 years at the school of fine arts in the town of Molodechno. It turned out to be the best school in our town. There I got a proper training in such subjects as English, Russian and Ukrainian literature and world culture. I usually did a lot of home preparation for them and I liked everything I was doing during thse lessons. I really tried hard in them. But despite my efforts I was not good at Math. School for me was not only lessons and learning. I had a lot of friends there. We organized extra class activities such as parties and other social activities. I actively participated in most of them. I am sociable, so I have got a lot of friends among my schoolmates. As for me I appreciate people's honesty, kindness, sense of justice and intelligence. I don't like when people are rude and aggressive. I am stubborn sometimes. But to my mind being persistent is not always a bad thing. It means my aim; I never leave things half done. Sometimes I feel dissatisfied with myself, especially when I fail to do something or can't do things the way they should be done. At the same time I think I am hard-working and diligent. My greatest problem at school was talking in front of the class. I always blushed and went red. Very soon I'll pass my final exams at school and after a farewell party at the end of the June I'll say good-bye to my teachers who are very well-educated people with broad outlook and deep knowledge of the subjects. They encouraged me in my desire of choosing my future career. And now a few words about my hobbies. I haven't got any special hobby, like collecting something but I'm fond of reading books. They give me more knowledge of their people's lives and feelings and broaden my outlook. In my opinion, books are a source of emotional inspiration and romantic feeling. Besides, books help me to continue my own education. The time spend on a good book is never wasted. Reading is a rewarding pasting. And of course I like music! I'm fond of music of the 60-s, like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Elvis Priestly. The songs of the Beatles give me much delight and pleasure. Besides, I am a great theatre-goer. Whenever I have some spare time, I go to the theatre. I'm not keen on television. Sometimes I play different sport games for health and pleasure. I usually play such games as volley-ball, basketball, tennis, and sometimes football. And the last thing I would like to tell you about things I hope to achieve in my life are: to have a very successful career, so this year after finishing school

I’ll try to enter the University, to build the house of my dream and to find someone in my life to share all that with. (4064) ABOUT MYSELF AND MY FAMILY Me: My name is Anna Nováková and I have one brother, mother and stepfather. I have been studying Private Grammar School in Havířov since 2001. I was born on 12th May 1982. I am quite tall and not fat. My hair is brown and my face is round with brown eyes and a small nose. I used to wear glasses but I had an operation, so I don’t need them now. When I was a child, I was very cheeky and naughty. At primary schools I used to bring home notes from my teacher: “She fights during the breaks.” “She broke the window. Come and repair it, please.” And so on. One day my classmate kicked me in the face and broke out my tooth. I was wearing braces those days and it complicated that situation. Now I stopped fighting with boys and found another way of dispersion. I am interested in modern music, especially dancefloor, rock and metal. I am not very fond of rave or rap but to be true, I have to say that some of these songs are nice too. I like going to the discos not because of drinking there but for dancing. I love dancing although I have never gone to a dancing course. I play the viola, the violin, the flute and keyboards. This proves my interest in classical music. I love reading books, especially poems and short stories for they are short, clear, nice and deep. I don’t watch television very much. I choose only old films or films, which were awarded by some film prize (Oscar). Instead I visit theatres; I like musicals, classical and modern plays, operas and ballets. It is my most expensive hobby. My mother: My mother’s name is Štěpánka Nováková. She is 41 and she works in The First Newspaper Company as deliverer. She is not as tall as I am and she is slim. Her hair and eyes are dark brown and her face looks tired with small wrinkles. She is very pretty. She is strict and loves to order that’s why she takes care of the household. Her biggest hobby is cooking but she hates washing up, so my stepfather bought a dishwasher for her. She is very interested in sawing and watching television, when she has some spare time. But she says that she never has time because she helps my stepfather with his work. My stepfather: His name is Jaroslav Novotný and he is 35. He is slim but not very tall. He is a businessman. He owns a wine business. He loves his job and it his biggest hobby. He is also interested in electronics and loves improving things. My brother: My brother is younger than I am. He is 14 and he is in the 6th grade of primary school in Poltava. He is small and very slim; his hair is short and blond and his eyes are blue. He is not very clever. He gets bad marks at school. The best marks he gets only from P. E. He is very lively and naughty. He has many friends. He likes playing football with them and he is a boy-scout. Our house: I live with my mother, my stepfather and my brother in a new house in Poltava. We moved to this house in the beginning of September. It is an attached house with two floors, garage, my stepfather’s office, a wine cellar and a small garden. On the first floor, there is a kitchen, a dining room, a living room and a toilette with a shower. In the kitchen we have a fridge, a dishwasher, a microwave oven, a conventional oven with cooker, a small table and a cupboard with dishes, bowls, plates (soap plates, dinner plates), cutlery (knives, forks, spoons), frying pans, sauce pans, kettles, hood, sink, pantry. In the dining room there is a big table with four chairs and a cupboard with nice glasses. On the right there is a sofa and under the window there are two palm trees. The living room is not ready yet. There is no carpet on the floor. The armchairs, the two chairs and the table are quite old. The furniture is decorated by many plants and on the shelves there are nice books. There is also a bar and as usual a TV set, a video recorder with

remote control and a sound system (record player, cassette recorder, DVD player, radio unit). Upstairs, there are my brother’s bedroom, my bedroom, my parents’ bedroom and a bathroom with a separate toilette. In my parents’ bedroom there is a double bed, wardrobes and a TV set. My brother’s bedroom is very messy all the time. In my room there are two beds, two wardrobes, shelves, a desk, a guitar and a lot of textbooks and exercise-books. In the bathroom, there is a large bathtub, washing machine and washbasin. My daily programme: Each of my days is full of learning and work at home. I have a break only at weekends. I get up at six o’clock. Although I go to bed usually at eleven or twelve, getting up is not a problem for me. Then I try to find something to wear. After getting dressed I put my textbooks and workbooks into my bag and take it downstairs. There I wash my face and my hands and dry them with a towel. Then I go to the kitchen where my Mum prepares breakfast for my brother and me. During the meal I read newspapers. At quarter to seven I must go to the bus stop where the bus arrives at half past seven and I am here at school at quarter to eight. The first lesson starts at eight. Then we have a small break. Usually I have four to eight lessons a day, in average seven lessons a day. Each lesson takes 45 minutes and the breaks are from ten to twenty minutes long, they can take place either in our classroom, in the corridor or outside if the weather is good. After my lessons at school finish I usually go to the bus stop and wait for the bus. On my way home I sometimes do some shopping or go out with my friends for a cup of coffee. When I come home I have to tidy up. When I am hungry, I take something from the fridge or my Mum sometimes prepares a sandwich for me. Then I have to study, to make it more interesting I listen to the music. I study until dinner is served. Then I read some book or watch TV or a video. But I do not watch television very often, only if there is a really good film on. To be true, I am very happy when the weekend comes because I can do the things I am not allowed to do during the week. Of course, I have another big reason. My boyfriend comes back from university. I look forward to seeing him the whole week, so I am always very happy. I can go for a walk, to the disco or to the cinema with him. I also have more time for my hobbies, as playing the guitar and the keyboard. Sometimes we go to the mountains or on a trip to some interesting place. In the evening we often go to a restaurant to have a good dinner or just pizza or pasta. On Sundays I sometimes go to church, I am Christian. In general I have to say that weekend is much better than the week. (5398) BRITISH AND AMERICAN FAMILIES British and American families are small. In fact the populations of both Britain and the USA have stopped growing. The typical family has a father, mother and two children. Grandparents come to visit, but do not usually live with their children. Most people get married between the ages of 20 and 23 but many marriages end in divorce. This means that both countries have a large number of "single parent families", one father or mother looking after their children alone. The typical British family has a car, a colour TV set, a washing machine, and a cat or dog as well. They start the day at about 7 o'clock, have breakfast at 8 o'clock and are off to work by 8.30 o'clock. More and more women now go out to work as well as men. The children have lunch at school at about 12.30, and come home at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Their parents are usually home by 6 o'clock, and the family eats together at 6.30 or 7 o'clock. In the evenings, father may go to the pub for a drink, or stay at home and watch TV with the others. Children go to bed early, at about 8 o'clock, two or three hours before their parents. The typical American family has more money than a British family. Many have two or three cars, large modern kitchens and more electrical goods. They eat more meat and spend more on clothes. But their daily program is nearly the same. Like British children, American children eat lunch at school, come home mid-afternoon, and go to bed earlier than their parents. (1204)

Fill in the gaps with an appropriate adjective. Fill in the gaps with an appropriate adjective. adventurous aggressive brave calm considerate dedicated generous gentle lively logical loyal malicious passionate practical rational realistic ruthless spiteful unscrupulous violent Mrs _________ would not hurt a fly. Mrs _________ will always express her emotions. Mrs _________sees things as they really are. Mrs _________seems to enjoy causing and wishing you evil. Mrs _________puts her heart into things she takes up doing. Mrs _________loves to see your blood on her hand. Mrs _________is guided by her intellect and not by her emotions. Mr _________would accommodate easily to living on a desert island. Mr _________will never say that 2+2 = 5. Mr _________will help the blind across the street. Mr _________is oblivious to what is honorable. Mr _________is like Santa Claus. Mr is full of life and energy. Mr and Mrs _________will never leave each other in crisis. Mr and Mrs _________like to go to wild and unexplored places. Mr and Mrs _________believe in the eye for an eye principle. Miss_________ is not afraid to go bungee-jumping. Miss _________can't stand anything in her way. It is hard to upset Mr _________. Get out of the way of Mr_________ when he looses his temper. Fill in the gaps below with the correct family word: 1. My grandma’s granddaughter is my

____________________.

2. My son’s grandmother is my

____________________.

3. My son’s wife is my

____________________.

4. My mother’s son is my

____________________.

5. My nephew’s sister is my

____________________.

6. The man I’m married to is my

____________________.

7. My brother’s wife is my

____________________.

8. The person I live with as if I’m married to them is my 9. The man I used to be married to is my

___________.

___________________.

10. My grandfather’s wife is my

____________________.

11. My mother’s sister is my

____________________.

12. My father’s father is my

____________________.

13. My cousin’s father is my

____________________.

14. The boy I gave birth to is my

____________________.

15. My daughter’s son is my

____________________.

16. The woman I married is my

____________________.

17. My son’s sister is my

____________________.

18. My aunt’s daughter is my

____________________.

19. My sister’s husband is my

____________________.

20. My brother’s father is my

____________________.

Complete the sentences below using one of these words: divorced cousin

godson sister-in-law

boyfriend

godmother

nephew

single

ex-wife

partner

Tim: “My sister’s son is my “My brother’s wife is my

________________________________.” ________________________________.”

“The woman I’m divorced from is my “The woman I live with now is my engaged though.”

______________________.” ___________________. We’re not married or

“My sister isn’t in a relationship at the moment. She’s Sally:

___________.”

“The man I’m going out with is my __________________________.” “My aunt’s daughter is my ________________________________.” “The little boy whose christening I went to is my “My mum’s old friend Paula is my

_______________.”

__________________________.”

“My mum and dad aren’t married any more. They are___________.” HOBBIES Hobbies are activities, which we do in our spare time. Hobbies are very important, because if we have a boring life or job we can relax during doing them. But our job could be also our hobby and so we can make money in our free time. Our hobbies lead us to be more responsible, hardworking and thoughtful. Hobbies teach us to play fair and not only in the sport games, but in the real life, because we have to keep to the rules. If our job is a hobby it is very good because we like our job, we want to improve it and give it a lot of time. But it could become a routine, we don’t have enough time for the family, we don’t know other things, there is a danger of workaholism. For example, professional sportsmen. Their job is their hobby. They are just training, travelling and have no time for other hobbies. There is a big problem with hobbies because they are often very expensive. Typical men’s hobbies: sport, collecting stamps, watching football, ice hockey, motorbikes, cars, computers, Internet… Typical women’s hobbies: knitting, sawing, and going to galleries, theatres, cooking… Now men and women have often same hobbies. Collecting hobbies • We can collect a lot of kinds of thing - usually people collect the stamps, postcards or badges. • Some people collect unusual things as old cars, plain models, old motorbikes or other interesting things, which could be very expensive. • If you want to collect something you need: - money - contacts with other collectors, because you can change with them - time - because it could take you a lot of time - information - you need lots of information about things you want to collect • It is good if you read magazines or newspapers about these activities. • A lot of information you can find on the Internet. Art hobbies • Going to the theatre, concert, opera; playing the piano, musical instrument; painting, writing, sculpturing, poetry, photography. • Play an instrument - you need some artistic talent for doing it. • Is very important for our creativity - provokes your thinking, our brain to do some mental activity. • You must be patient and hardworking. • You spend a lot of time practising. • Music or painting can comfort you and can remove your stress. • If you haven’t got a talent you can visit exhibitions, concerts or read some book. • Most of the art hobbies are social hobbies, too – amateur dramatics, amateur singing, dancing… • A lot of well-known people did some special art activity; for example Albert Einstein played the violin and Sherlock Holmes, too. Sports, games • Everybody should do some sport activity - sport is healthy, keeps us fit and keeps our body in good condition. • If you have good condition you feel good and you manage to do much more things. • If you do some sport activity your heart works harder, you have to breathe

faster and your blood moves faster - you prevent your heart from heart attack and you fight against overweight. • But you have to be careful - you have to warm up, use good shoes and don’t hurry if you want to have an excellent condition. Family hobbies • For example travelling, gardening, watching TV, hiking, camping, mushrooming, people have their cottages, on the whole it could be every kind of activity, which does all family together. My own hobbies I like doing sport. I used to play tennis for ten years but I stopped doing this, because it was more and more expensive. Now I play table tennis, volleyball, and basketball. Last year I started roller-skating. I’d like to try squash as well. When I have lots of money I will try bungee jumping. I also like music and going to the cinema. Computer is one of my biggest hobbies too. I used to collect stamps and old money but I have no time now. (3089) MY HOBBY. I have many hobbies because there are many interesting things to do. Unfortunately I don't have much spare time as I'm going to be a student. That's why I have to study a lot. I like doing different things. Such as reading detective stories, listening to the music, playing tennis with my classmates. But my favorite hobby is solving crossword puzzles. It's not only interesting, but also very useful. When you try to solve the puzzle you find out and learn a lot of different facts. Because in puzzles there are questions about famous people, geographical places, countries, scientific achievements and so on. You also train your brain. The crosswords are published in newspapers and magazines and there are special newspapers that contain only crosswords. I sometimes try to make up my own puzzle and I can say that it is not less interesting. All the members of our family like to take part in solving the puzzles and this unites us very much. (790) MY FRIEND. I'd like to tell you about my friend. She is my classmate. She is very diligent and kind-hearted. She is willing to help old people and animals. She is good at mathematics. She is interested in history. She is bright girl and does her lessons quickly and easily. She listens very attentively to all the explanations in class. She is extremely fond of reading. I have much in common with her and we never quarrel, because there is no reason for it. We have common ideas, opinions and we discuss different problems together. I think she is rather beautiful. She has a snub nose, curly hair. She is a pretty girl. (509) MY FLAT We have a nice flat in the centre of Kharkiv within easy reach of shops and metro stations. It is in an old four-storied building. As there are not so many storeys in it we don’t need an elevator. There is a big park within a five-minute walk from our block of flats and it is very pleasant to walk there with a big company of friends. Our flat is on the ground floor. It is very comfortable and well planned. There are all modern conveniences such as central heating, gas, electricity, cold and hot running water and a chute to carry rubbish down. Our flat is very cozy. There are three rooms in our flat: a parlour and two bedrooms. Besides there is a kitchen, a toilet, a bathroom and a hall. We don’t have a balcony because our flat is situated on the ground floor. The living-room is the largest and most comfortable room in the flat. It is a large square room with a broad window looking on to the Street of Rebellion. There are beautiful brown curtains on it and our living-room is usually full of sunshine. The walls of the room are papered with pink wall-paper and there are a few prints and water-colours on them. The curtains on the window match the colour

of the wallpaper. The floor is covered with wall-to-wall carpeting so I can watch TV or do my homework sitting on the floor. Opposite the window there is a wall unit with lots of books, a TV-set and a video cassette recorder. To the right of the door there is a big round table with five chairs. Opposite the table there is a sofa and two comfortable armchairs. We like to sit there and watch TV in the evening. In the middle of the room there is a coffee table with a hanging lamp above it. In the right-hand corner there is a sideboard with plates, dishes, cups and saucers. The room looks rather cozy. We like it best of all, because in the evenings we gather there to have tea or coffee, watch TV, read a newspaper, talk to each other and rest. My parents’ room is smaller than the living-room and not so light as the window is not so broad. To the left of the door there is a big bed. At the foot of the bed there is a bedside cabinet with bedroom lamp on it. Opposite the bed there is a chest of drawers, where my mother keeps bedclothes. The walls are green, so are the curtains. Green is my mother’s favourite colour that is why she prefers green to other colours. Our kitchen is small. So I wish it were a little bit larger. My mother decorated it to her own taste. However it is planned in such a way as to make good housekeeping easy. Everything is spick and span in it. Our kitchen is very well equipped. We have a great variety of electric appliances of any kind: a gas-stove with an electric oven, a microwave oven, a dish-washing machine, cooker hood and a refrigerator. We also have a special fridge to keep food cool in hot weather. To the left of the door there is a square table where we usually have meals. When we have a party we lay the big table in the living-room. Opposite the table there is a cupboard, where we keep spoons, forks, knives, saucepans, frying pans and plates. The floor of the kitchen is covered with linoleum because it is the most convenient variant for the kitchen. My father is very fond of sitting in the kitchen with a bottle of fresh beer and watching a small TV-set that stands near the gas-stove. Sometimes I invite my friends and we sit in the kitchen drinking tea and talking for hours. The bathroom is next to the kitchen. We have hot and cold water in the tap, a shower and a bath. There is also a washing-machine opposite the bath. Near the washing-machine we have a hamper and bathroom scales. The walls of the bathroom are faced with green Dutch tiles. Next to the bathroom is a toilet. It is a pity our hall is very small. There is only place for a chest of drawers for shoes and a coat rack and for a built-in wardrobe with coat-hangers to hang clothes on. My room is the smallest one but I like it very much. First of all, because it is my own room and secondly, because it is very cozy and light. I furnished it myself. There is a writing table at the window, where I do my homework every day. To the left of the door there is wardrobe for my clothes and shoes. In the lefthand corner there is my bed with a bedside table at its head. Near the writing table there is a computer table with my computer on it. But the thing I really enjoy is a big mirror near my bed. There are actually some chairs in my room. The walls are pink and they match the colour of the curtains on the window. There is a thick carpet on the floor and I like to read books sitting on it. On the walls there are some posters of my favourite musicians, photos and water-colours. I like my room as it is but from time to time I change it round. Quite often I move the bed and the table and change some posters on the walls. Sometimes I like to stay alone in my room, especially when I’m in a bad mood. Generally I’m pleased with my room but I wish I had a small TV-set, because I’m tired of soap operas that my parents use to watch. In conclusion I’d like to say that we try our best to make our flat cozy and comfortable. Frankly speaking I wish our flat were a bit larger, but generally I like it as it is. (4256)

HOUSING IN BRITAIN When I was in GB I lived in a very small terrace house. On the ground floor there was an entrance hall, a kitchen with dining room, pantry and a small lumber-room. In the first floor there were 2 bedrooms, bathroom with toilet and small living room with TV, video, sofa and armchair. There were some wardrobes and flowers there. Behind the house they had very small garden. You could go there from the kitchen. But the garden is maybe only 20 or 30 sq. m. There was only one small bush, a little reed and a few flowers. They didn’t have garage so they parked in front of the house. I haven’t seen typical English green unfortunately. Problems It’s very tough to get a flat recently. There are little flats here, because everyone especially young families want to have own flat. They have to book the flat and wait sometimes a few years. They can save money meanwhile. They can also borrow money from a bank or just from parents or friends. People can rent a flat, share a flat with someone else; get flat from the employer, rebuilt a house or built a new house. For young people it’s better to stay with parents. They share duties, don’t pay much money for water, electricity, gas, grandparents can look after children, but sometimes they have quarrels, they want to do things other way, grandparents spoil children… Ideal house My ideal house is a house somewhere at the end of a town, near the wood, with nice environment, somewhere where is a hot weather. It has ground and first floor. Bid garage for my two big cars and everything is controlled by computer oven, microwave, dishwasher, washing machine, TV, video, stereo, satellite, and my computer is connected to internet. I don’t have keys; the computer scans my hand or eye. I control the computer with my voice. I have big garden with big trees, and a swimming pool in the middle. I‘ll maybe have a tennis or squash court. (1557) These are appliances we use every day in our house. Match a word with its definition: dishwasher fan refrigerator freezer stove toaster vacuum cleaner oven furnace chamber or enclosed compartment usually used to cook in, as in a stove device that washes dishes device for creating a current of air or a breeze one that freezes, as a thermally insulated cabinet structure or apparatus for generating heat appliance for maintaining foods at a low temperature, or producing ice device used to provide heat (either electric or gas) to cook food device used to toast bread, esp. by exposure to heat appliance using suction to clean surfaces

Fill in the gaps with the right word from the list above. • My ________is almost empty, I only have a few eggs, some cheese and a bottle

of beer in it. • I think I'd like to by a _________which can cook four pieces of bread. • Put the sauce pan on the ________and cook for three minutes. • Could you get the _________and clean the living room? • It's so hot today! I wish we had a_________. • It's cold in here! Turn up the_________. • There's nothing like a _____________to make cleaning up after dinner easy. • Put the roast into the -__________and let it cook for 45 minutes. • I bought ten steaks and put them into the _________for next week. MY FAVOURITE WRITERS The rise of television sometimes has been coupled with the dearth of books. But I don’t think books need to be rescued. A book is one of the greatest wonders of the world. It gives us a unique chance to link up with authors who lived hundreds and thousands years ago. Thanks to books we can talk to people who lived in different ages and countries. Through reading books we hear their voices, thoughts and feelings. The book is the surest way to bring nations together. It gives us an insight not only into the past, but also into the future. The book is a faithful and undemanding friend: it can be put aside and be taken again at any moment. As for me, I’m fond of reading. I became very keen on literature early in life. Books stirred my imagination, expanded the boundaries of the familiar world and filled my life with great expectations of joy and happiness. Since childhood I have been enchanted by Pushkin and Gogol, Chekhov and Turgenev, by poetry of Yesenin and Pasternak. Later on I got acquainted with Dante’s “Divine Comedy” and Ancient Greek mythology and legends. I think we can’t live without books. I consider that books are with us during all our life. To my mind the house looks glum and joyless without books. I like to read books about the history of our country, about famous people and the life of my contemporaries abroad. Literature means much in my life. It helps to form the character and the world outlook, to understand life better. Books give information and knowledge, educate, give pleasure and sometimes they help people to forget about problems. It’s common knowledge that reading foreign literature helps you to learn more about the life of people in other countries, their traditions and customs. As I study English, I try to read as many books by English writers as possible. The names of English writers and poets such as William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Bernard Show, Conan Doyle, Agatha Christy, Oscar Wilde and many others are wellknown to educated people from any country. My favourite English writer is Charles Dickens. This English classic is well-known all over the world. His books are translated into many languages and a lot of films have been made after his novels. Dickens was born in 1812 in Portsmouth. He was the second of the eight children in the family. Although not poor by the standards of the time, the Dickens family lived through a series of financial crises. In 1823 facing a financial ruin, the family moved to London, where Charles began to work in a warehouse for six shillings a week. At that time his father was arrested for debt. Only at the age of twelve Charles was sent to school, where he did well, and at the age of fifteen he got a job in a legal firm. After learning shorthand, he became a reporter for the “Morning Chronicle” and soon wrote “Pickwick Papers”. In 1836, when “Pickwick Papers” were published, he became the most popular living novelist in England and held this position until he died. Then he published novel after novel- “Oliver Twist”, “Nickolas Nickleby”, “The Old Curiosity Shop”, “David Copperfield”, “Little Dorit” and many others. Besides constantly writing novels he was editing newspapers and magazines, giving readings from his books to huge crowds of people. There was no other novelist in England who had such a hold on all classes of people already during his lifetime. His books were read by everybody - by educated and simple people, by the rich and the poor alike. The popularity of his books hasn’t diminished with time. The great-heartedness of the author appeals to the contemporary reader as much as it did a century ago. His

kindly, understanding eye looks with tolerance on good and bad alike. Dickens believes in kindness and generosity of people. It’s not just a happy end that his books have; it’s a philosophy which gives optimism and faith to the reader. Also, I have an interest in American literature. I’ve read several books by American writers. The first American writer who came my way was Jack London whose stories struck me by unusual situations and the courage of his heroes. A also admire the humour of Mark Twain. I’ve read some of his stories and, of course, “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn”. But my favourite American writer is Ernest Hemingway. When I read his biography I was impressed by his personality. He was born in 1899 in Oak Park, Illinois. His life was full of adventures and events that required courage, strong will and determination. He began his career as a brave war correspondent during World War I. The scope of his interests was incredibly wide. His war experience and adventurous life provided the background for many of his short stories and novels. He achieved success with “A Farewell to Arms”, the story of a love affair between an American lieutenant and an English nurse during World War I. Hemingway actively supported the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War. In his articles he denounced the fascist regime of Franco. “The Fifth Column” is a play about the Civil War in Spain. In 1940 Hemingway completed the novel “For Whom the Bell Tolls”. It’s a story about a young American teacher of Spanish who joins the Spanish partisans and gives his life for the cause of freedom. In 1952 Hemingway finished his tale “The Old Man and the Sea”. This story about an old Cuban fisherman is a hymn to human courage and endurance. Hemingway was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1954. Hemingway is famous for his simple style, which has been widely imitated but never achieved by other writers. His heroes show courage in the face of danger, the feature which Hemingway admired greatly and which he himself possessed. Unwilling to live with the grave physical disease, Hemingway committed suicide, as his father had done before him under similar circumstances. (4880) MY FAVORITE WRITER (2) My favorite foreign writer is O.Henry. He was born in 1862. O.Henry is one of the most widely published American authors. His works have been translated into many languages. The best of his stories were published in books: ''Cabbages and Kings'', "The 4 million", "Heart of West" and others. His credo was ‘art should be true, democratic; it should address contemporary life and embrace all aspects of life’. O.Henry was an outstanding humorist. He worked out and enriched all the types of the short story: the anecdote, the adventure story, tales and sketches. He was most famous for his stories of city life. O.Henry wrote about 150 stories with a New York background. He was a born writer of great talent. In childhood I was deeply impressed by his story "The Last Leaf". Since then I bear in my heart the image of a young girl suffering from serious illness and her friends doing everything they can do to give her hope and bring her back to life. The author penetrates deeply into a person's soul and reveals its best qualities. His love for humanity, for common people, for critical attitude towards injustice attracts readers to this day. (966)

MY FAVOURITE WRITER (3) I'm fond of reading. My favourite writer is William Somerset Maugham. William Somerset Maugham was born in 1874 and spent his childhood in Paris in the family of a British diplomat. Having lost his parents at an early age, he went to live in England with his uncle, who was a clergyman. He was educated at King's school in

Canterbury studied painting in Paris, went to Heidelbury University in Germany and spent six years at St.Thomas Hospital in England studying to be a doctor. He was an unsatisfactory medical student for his heart wasn't in medicine. He wanted, he had always wanted to be a writer and in the evening after his tea, he wrote and read. In 1897 he wrote a novel called "Liza of Lambeth", sent it to a publisher and it was accepted. It was something of a success. So William Somerset Maugham decided to abandon his medical profession and he did it with relief. The next ten years were very hard on him. He learned the terrible difficulties of making a living by writing. But he survived. He became a famous writer. He never regretted the five years he had spent at the hospital. They taught him pretty well all he knew about human nature. The novel "The moon and sixpence" (1919) is based on the life of the artist Paul Gauguin and was an immediate success. Maugham went to Tahiti and lived in Gauguin's hut while writing the book. His fame as a short story writer began with "The Trembling of a leaf". Since then he wrote many collections of books, essays and criticism. Many of his books and stories came out of his extensive travels in the East. His autobiographical books "The summing up" and "A writer's Notebook" are remarkable for both style and sincerity. His books have been reprinted many times. In 1927 William Somerset Maugham settled in the South of France and lived there until his death in 1965. (1518) MY FAVORITE NEWSPAPERS. Newspapers and magazines play a great and very important role in the life of a modern man. The newspapers I read are the most readable and have a large readership or circulation. For example "Arguments and Facts" has a circulation of more than 5 million. Through reading a newspaper I can get information about current events that have taken or are going to take place in this country and abroad. I can also read articles about historical events and public figures of the past. The pages of the newspaper carry articles on our economy, industry, agriculture and social life. The newspaper contains and gives coverage of local, home and foreign affairs. I like the way it presents different points of view, approaches to the problems, topical issues of the day. My parents and I subscribe to some periodicals. There is no need to read all the articles. I can look through the newspapers and read the items I am interested in. (780) AT THE THEATRE. There are many theatres in my town, but they are all very popular with the public. Theatre lovers don't miss any new performance at the Drama Theatre. Children like to go to the Puppet Theatre and the circus. Those who are fond of music go to the Opera House. I'll never forget my first visit to the Opera and Ballet Theatre. My friend and I dreamt to see the famous ballet "Swan Lake" by Chaikovsky. The theatre was packed. The audience was well dressed, talking and laughing. From the first minute I was deeply impressed by everything I saw on the stage. The dancing was exciting, the music was thrilling. When the curtains fell at the end of the performance there came a storm of applause. The performance was a great success. (611) MY FAVORITE VIDEO FILM. My favorite video film is "Titanic". It tells the story of the famous ship, "Titanic", which sank in 1912. The "Titanic" was a colossal ship even by modern

standards. Its tragic sinking will always be remembered, for the ship went down on the first voyage with heavy loss of life. The director of the film is Jeremy Cameron. The main parts in the film are played by young actors Leonardo De Caprio and Kate Winslet. To my mind their acting is superb. The camerawork is fantastic, too. I've heard that for this film they made a full-size model of the "Titanic". It's a very spectacular film. It is also a moving love-story. I advise all my friends to see this film. It was awarded 11 Oscars and I'm sure the film deserves every one of them. (625) MY FAVOURITE TV PROGRAM The most popular entertainment in our home life is television. We have a choice between five channels Inter, Ukraine, Simon and 3 commercial channels. There is also a cable TV station in our town. Television plays an important role in our life. It informs people about current events both national and international, the latest achievements in science and culture, and offers some programs, which are both interesting and stimulating. Every day we can see different tips of programs on TV. News is broadcasted at regular intervals. They also present operas, ballets, music concerts and various shows. In the late afternoon and early evening TV channels show special programs for children. In the evenings and at weekends there are broadcasts of sports events. A large time of TV evening time is occupied by films and serials, but as for me I like quizzes. A quizzes program is a question and an answer competition which offers money and other prizes to the winners. Such programs as Wonders field, Brain ring, What, Where, When, Guess the melody are me favorite ones, because they are both informative and interesting. But best of all I like the programs of Travels club, because it gives me a chance to travel of other the world with out living home. Far away countries and their customs and traditional are come into my living room. (1188) MY FAVORITE FILM ACTOR. Gerard Depardieu is one is the most popular actor. He was born in 1948 in a poor family of a shoemaker in a little town. When he was 16 he came to Paris without any education and without any money. Together with his friend he began to attend the actor courses. He got acquainted with a girl of a wealthy family and soon they got married. She had a great influence upon him. He finished the actor courses. When he was only 20 he played big roles in the theatres. His great success in films is a consequence of his good theatrical school. But his success in the USA was not long. In 1991 during his interview to the magazine "Time" he told that he was a hooligan when he was a teenager. The American audience doesn't excuse such fact in his biography. The works of Depardieu in cinema are marked by many cinema rewards in France and in Italy. Everybody notes that glory and money don't spoil him. They only made him independent. He played in about 80 films. (796) TV : IS IT A GOOD THING ? 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 & TV. The most exciting and entertaining kind of M.M. is television. It brings moving pictures and sound directly to people’s homes. So we can see events in faraway places. The name “TELEVISION” comes from Greek word meaning “FAR” and Latin word meaning “to see”, so it means “to see far”. Advantages :

TV has good and bad sides. First of all it keeps people informed, we can learn a lot of information watching TV. We can choose programs that appeal to us more, because TV provides programs for all interest. Sometimes we can relax, entertain ourselves when we are tired. Moreover it stops people feeling lonely, it is educational and cheap. Advertisement on TV gives us information about different products and it makes easier to choose things to buy. When we watch TV we learn about the world, famous people and global or recent news. Disadvantages: But TV has a lot of disadvantages. It takes a lot of time and it makes us lazy. Therefore it’s harmful for our health and bad for eyes. Some violent programs and films make people violent. So VIOLENCE becomes a vital problem. Watching TV takes all free time from almost all people. We just watch it, not concentrate, and waste time. In my opinion we need TV in spite of its disadvantages. People need something like information center. I like that there is great choice of programs and wide range of topics and problems for discussion on TV. I think it’s important to keep people informed about almost everything. People must know important information because they can use it in useful and right way. So, all this shows that science can take good forms and evil forms. What forms does it take depends on the way people work with science. It is impossible to stop progress, to stop people to investigate and explore the world. But people should care it wouldn’t be led in wrong direction. (1785) SPORT IN MY LIFE. Watching sport events and going in for sports are 2 different things. When you listen to the radio you can always hear sport news. When you open a newspaper you will always find information about sport events. TV programs about sports are always very popular, and you can watch something very interesting every day. Personally I prefer to watch figure-skating competitions. Sports help people to keep fit. At the same time those who go in for sports try to achieve good results and win victories in sports competitions. Practically speaking all kinds of sports and games are popular in our country. People go in for athletics, gymnastics, boxing, fencing, and tennis - sports and games for any season, for any person, for any taste. It goes without saying that football and tennis enjoy the greatest popularity in our country. As for me I go jogging every day and I attend fitness center 3 times a week. But I am not crazy about sports. I am much happier sitting on the sofa with a book or in front of the computer. (849) MY ATTITUDE TO SPORT I would like to tell about my attitude to sport. Sport is very important in our life. We meet it since the very first days of the life. When a mother puts her baby's arms left and right it is the first step to physical training. Then a child goes to a kindergarten and has lessons in physical training. Every child likes to play games. When you are faster and stronger than your friends you win. If you are a good sports lover you win often. So sport helps to breed up strong character. Many children start to go in for sport at the age of 7, 8, 9. They like it very much. Later some of them become popular. So we can say that sport helps to achieve success in life. For example, Oxana Bayul from Dnipropetrovs’k started to skate when she was three. When the girl was seven she won her first competition in figure skating. Now Oxana is only 17 but she is an Olympic champion and a very rich person. She worked hard and sport helps her to achieve success in life despite all difficulties in her young life. Besides, now there are you young people who use cigarettes, alcohol or even drugs. If you go in for sport you will never do that and so you will be healthy. Sport helps you to understand the life

better. It helps to taste a sweet feeling of victory and teaches to lose with dignity; it helps to find new friends and teaches you to be a true friend. So sport is very important for every young person and it plays a great role in my life. (1181) SPORT IN OUR LIFE In our time, life is not as interesting and exciting as it can be. The world has become a bland and safe place. Each day is like another and we are so tired of such life. People in the past used to risk their life by hunting animals, taking part in expeditions. We need some adrenaline and extreme to feel that our life is going forward. Risk sports become the fastest-growing leisure activities. More and more people try anything from organized bungee jumping to illegally jumping off buildings. And people never feel so alive as when they are risking their life. The real thrill-seekers in their quest for the ultimate sensation are thinking up more and more elaborate sports. There are other opinions about why some people choose risk sports, whereas others in that time sit at home doing whatever they want. Some say that people who do risk sports are reacting against a society, which they feel has become dull and constricting. In other words people now turn to risk sports as an escape from all boring things in their life. Moreover risk sports help to overcome fears that affect us in reality. It’s very important for people who work a lot and cannot cope when things go wrong, which mean that they can’t control the situation. People invented a lot of possibilities to make their life more interesting and exiting. Now you can try everything: ‘zip wiring’, which involves sliding down a rope from the top of cliff suspended by a pulley attached to your ankle, bungee jumping and other. But of all the risk or adrenaline sports, bungee jumping is the most popular. Worldwide, one-and-a-half million people have tried it. You hurtle towards the ground from 200 metres up and, at the last moment, when you are about to hit the water or land and death seems certain, a rubber band yanks you back to life. You can decide whether to jump from a crane, a bridge or a balloon. Attached to a length of elastic rope, jumpers experience a free fall of nearly 100mph, before they’re slowed by a quickly increasing pull on their ankles. After five or six bounces jumpers are lowered on to a mattress and set free. Almost inarticulate, they walk around with idiotic grins on their faces. Their hands can’t stop shaking, they can only use superlatives and say repeatedly how amazing it was. You feel as if you’re floating the air. (1929) PETS Many people are fond of pets. They keep different animals and birds as pets. More often they are dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea-pigs, parrots and fish. As for me I like parrots. They are my favourite pets. They are clever and nice. I've got a parrot. His name is Kesha. He's blue. He's not big, he's little. He has got a small head, a yellow beak, a short neck, two beautiful wings and a long tail. He lives in a cage. I teach him to talk. He knows many words and can speak well. He can answer to his name. I take care of my pet. I give him food and water every day. He likes fruit and vegetables. He likes to fly, play and talk. I love him very much. He is a member of our family. (547) WEATHER AND CLIMATE Climate is the weather a certain place has over a long period of time. Climate has a very important influence on plants, animals and humans and is different in different parts of the world. Some scientists think that the world is becoming hotter. If you compare Kharkiv winter and summer temperatures at the beginning of our century and at its end you will see that climate has really changed. Winters have become warmer. Sometimes there is little snow in January, and there were winters when it rained on the New Year’s Eve. Many people say that it is so

because of the greenhouse effect. During the last 100 years people have produced a lot of carbon dioxide. This gas in the atmosphere works like glass in a greenhouse. It lets heat get in, but it doesn’t let much heat get out. So the atmosphere becomes warmer. Where does the carbon dioxide come from? People and animals breathe in oxygen, and breathe out carbon dioxide. We produce carbon dioxide when we burn things. Trees take this gas from the air, and produce oxygen. But in the last few years, people have cut down and burn big areas of rainforest. This means there are fewer trees, and, of course, more carbon dioxide! As we see the climate in different parts of the world changes a little from year to year. These changes can be dangerous for our planet, which needs protection. Earth is millions of years old, much older than the humans. We know many of its secrets. Yet there is still much to learn. (1218) SEASONS Everybody knows that there are four seasons in a year and every season is good in its own way. Consider autumn for example. In September and November it is still warm and the sun shines brightly in the blue cloudless sky. But November brings cool winds, nasty and gloomy days. And how nasty cold autumn rain is! Sometimes it rains for hours! Nature is falling slowly asleep. But there are people who like autumn, they say, it is the time of harvest, golden leaves, it’s the time when the nature is very attractive. Poets of all nations have sung autumn as the most beautiful time of the year. “Golden autumn,” they call it. Yet autumn does not appeal to me very much. I like winter much better with its frost and snow. But I should say winter is not very cold in our place without awful snowstorms and deep snowdrifts, it is becoming milder due to the greenhouse effect. Although the average t is -5 C, it sometimes freezes up to -20 C. We enjoy skating, skiing or tobogganing when there is much snow, but snowless winters are also possible in Ukraine. Then we have the New Year Eve with a lot of presents. It’s my favourite holiday and I like it very much. Snow covers the ground from December to March and it seems that winter will never end. But March brings us hopes and nature wakes up after a long sleep, birds come back from warm countries and everything around us promises something new and exiting. I think nobody is sorry when winter is over with its long black nights and the wind howling outside. We suddenly start feeling the new air; we can see the real beauty around us. Trees burst into leaves, fresh and lovely, the air smells of young grass and first flowers. Everything is filled with life pleasures. To my mind, spring is the most marvelous season of the year and we often go to the country in order to get in touch with nature and enjoy its beauty. While time goes on spring turns to summer. The great Russian poet A. Pushkin wrote: “Oh, summer fine! I’d love you but for the heat, the mosquitoes and flies!” I share his opinion, but it wouldn’t be fair not to consider the brighter side of the picture. Being on a hot day in a cool river, picking berries and mushrooms, lying in the sun on the beach…We enjoy every minute of the weather, but the main thing is certainly having a three-month holiday. In summer we have new meetings, new impressions, and merry time. But summer is over and autumn comes and everything starts from the very beginning. So to cut the long story short, I must admit that I couldn’t say what my favourite season is. I like and admire them all because each of them is beautiful in its own way. Summer is for rest, autumn is romantic and a bit sad, but it is a good time to think over our life and ourselves, winter is for work and study, spring is the time to fill in with a new life. I’d like to finish my topic with these lines: “Man is a fool When it’s hot, he wants it cool, When it’s cool, he wants it hot. He always wants what he has not got.” So everything is good in its season.

(2470) WEATHER AND SEASONS 'Funny weather we are having' is a statement of the obvious we have used for generations as a greeting. When the deep cold lasts long and heavy snow and blizzards give us the shivers we replace "funny" with something stronger, such as "terrible", "ghastly". At times like these people ask what is happening to the weather. So we go to the experts, who tell us, in language appropriate to the subject, what happened yesterday, what is happening today, and what might happen in the next few years. Weather and climate specialists all over the world have amassed a vast quantity of information. They can describe what is happening around us. With satellites they can forecast more accurately what might happen in the immediate future. Their research has produced evidence of why past climatic changes took place. There have been many climate fluctuations over the 10,000 years since Britain was last covered with an ice sheet. Advances and retreats of ice in the northern hemisphere during the past 500,000 years can be accounted for by changes in the warmth from the Sun. This was caused by alterations in the Earth's orbit at periods of 96,000, 40,000 and 20,000 years. Although that theory is widely accepted as a possible explanation for ice ages, it has not been proved. More than 50 theories have been put forward, but only a few have not been completely dismissed. Not long ago a new theory was published in the science journal "Nature". According to Dr. Garry Hunt, of University College, intense radiations from the nuclear explosion of a nearby supernova - a star - could cause the destruction of part or all of the ozone layer and in this way trigger an ice age. As for me, I like autumn best of all. The days become shorter and the nights longer. It isn't so hot in the day-time. The trees are covered with yellow and red leaves. At the end of summer apples, pears, plums and other fruit become ripe. In the South there are many oranges, peaches and tangerines. Autumn is pleasant when it does not rain. General Autumn is a rainy season of the year. When it rains the weather is nasty. The sky is covered with heavy clouds. It drizzles. It is muddy and wet. (1803) Look at the pictures for clues and put these weather words into the correct gaps: hot, raining, windy, sun, sunny, blowing, cloud, rain, wind, cloudy, rainy, shining, cold • • • •

The sun is ______today. It is _____today. The earth needs the____. The weather is great today. It's nice and ____.

• • •

The wind is ______ today. It will be ________tomorrow. The strong ______ will come from the south.

•

It will ______ tomorrow.

• • • • • •

The weather will be ____next week. The _____will come from the north. The temperature will be very _______- 5 below freezing. It is _____hard today. It will _____ tomorrow. It will probably be _____for the whole day tomorrow.

• •

I hope it won't be _____tomorrow. Look at that ______ .

Look at the following statements. For example:

What is the weather like in each situation?

“It’s chucking it down.”

It’s raining.

1.

“It’s a bit overcast.”

_____________________________

2.

“It’s quite chilly, isn’t it?”

3.

“Let’s go sledging.”

_____________________________

4.

“It’s really coming down now.”

_____________________________

5.

“Look. It’s hit that tree.”

_____________________________

6.

“Nice weather for ducks.”

_____________________________

7.

“Did you hear that? There must be a storm on its way.”

_____________________________

8.

“You don’t need a coat.”

_____________________________

9.

“I’d better take a jumper, just in case.”

_____________________________

10.

“It’s definitely shorts weather.”

_____________________________

11.

“Can you pass me the de-icer _____________________________ please?”

12.

“Turn up the air-conditioning, mum.”

_____________________________

13.

“The sun’s gone in now.”

_____________________________

14.

“There are some people skating on the lake.”

_____________________________

15.

“I think I’m going to melt.”

_____________________________

_____________________________

Say if the following sentences True or False Spring is the coldest season in the year. True /False Winter starts in December. True /False The longest school holidays are in autumn. True /False In Spain we have long summers. True /False Christmas time is in winter. True /False

What's the weather like? Match the nouns and the adjectives describing weather. cloud fog frost ice mist snow sun storm thunderstorm showers wind frosty misty thundery sunny cloudy icy windy snowy stormy foggy showery THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. Knowledge of the foreign language is becoming more important nowadays. There are many reasons why we study English. Now, in a period when we are reconstructing our economy, when there are many joint ventures with foreign companies operating in

our country, we need a number of specialists who know foreign languages. If you know English, you can communicate (personally or in writing) with others who use this language. If you wish to make a career in science, you must read scientific books and magazines in English. Knowing English you can read the works of foreign writers in original. A more general aim is to broaden our intellectual and cultural horizons through contacts with people of other countries. Knowledge of foreign languages helps people of different countries to develop mutual friendship and understanding. (712) MY ENGLISH STUDIES Today it is quite evident that everyone should know at least one foreign language. Knowing one or more foreign languages makes it possible to get acquainted with different ways of thinking, to understand a new civilization. Learning a foreign stimulates mental abilities and gives you a chance to appreciate a new literature, a different culture and to broaden your outlook. Besides, knowing foreign languages has a practical value. It helps to improve the quality of your work, because it reduces the time lost on obtaining the necessary information. The knowledge of other languages is very useful, especially if you have to work abroad or of you must read foreign literature in the original. If you know the language of a foreign country, you can talk to its people and understand what they are speaking about without anybody’s help. The knowledge of foreign languages also helps young people of different countries to develop friendship. As for me, I’m learning English, because in the recent years it has become not only an international language, it is now a number one language in the world. Besides, English is becoming a lingua franca. A lingua franca is a language chosen for international purposes. At the beginning of the 21st century English more widely spoken and written, than any other language has ever been. It has become the language of the planet, the first truly global language. English has become the world’s important language in politics, science, trade and cultural relations. Three quarters of the world’s mail and its telexes and telegrams are in English. More than half of the world’s scientific periodicals and eighty per cent of the information in the world’s computers are also in English. English is the main language of business. It is the language of sports: the official language of the Olympics. In a number of speakers it is second only to Chinese. At the same time it is the most widespread language in the world. It is the official language of the UK, of the USA, Australia and New Zealand. English is used as one of the official languages in Canada, the Republic of South Africa and the Irish Republic. It is also spoken as a second language by many people in India, Pakistan, numerous countries in Africa. The number of second language speakers may soon exceed the number of native language speakers, if it hasn’t happened yet. Everybody can see now the importance of English, listening to the radio and music, watching films on TV. As for me I have always wanted to study English deeply since I began learning it at school. My English lessons were always very interesting and I liked them most of all at school. We started learning English with the alphabet, transcription and sounds. Then we learned some English words, conversation phrases and dialogues by heart, read and translated easy texts. Of course, sometimes we worked in the language laboratory listening to the recorded tapes and doing laboratory exercises, but that was not enough. From lesson to lesson we improved our knowledge, learned more and more new words, grammatical structures and put them into practice of speaking. Soon we were able not only to read and translate texts but to discuss their contents in English, to communicate with one another. Our teacher always told us that it is very helpful to listen as much as possible to different English educational programs on the radio and on TV. I have a lot of English cassettes at home and try to listen to them almost every day. To my mind,

English is not an easy language to learn. There is a big problem of speaking, punctuation, a large number of exceptions to any rule. This language is very idiomatic and the prepositions are terrible. English is one of those languages which may be seen easy in the beginning but then the bridge between basic knowledge and mastery takes a long time to cross. But if you cross this bridge it will give you great satisfaction. Even now the ability to speak to foreigners in their native tongue gives me great freedom and satisfaction. It’s important also to read foreign authors in the original, which makes our outlook wider. It is not surprising that many intellectuals know several foreign languages. Besides, learning a foreign language opens great opportunities nowadays. You certainly know that with the development of international contacts hundreds of joint ventures appear in every city, every industrial and cultural centre. They need specialists who know one or two foreign language. Also foreign businessmen, delegations and missionaries keep coming to our country, and they all need interpreters. Our tourists and businessmen go abroad. So many people study foreign languages in every possible way. Teachers of foreign languages are in great demand. Such teachers needn’t fear they may remain unemployed. Among the great number of languages that exist on our planet today there are some, which are used more widely. Scientists distinguish 13 great languages. These are the languages that are spoken by no less that 50 per cent of people on the Earth. They are Chinese, English, Russian, Spanish, Hindi and Urdi, Indonesian… A person who knows these languages can speak to and understand almost 2 thousand million people doesn’t suffer from the language barrier. Today there are a lot of people in Europe and Asia who know several languages. A person who knows several languages is called a polyglot. It is known that different languages can come into fashion or go out of it. It is generally considered that the most fashionable language in the world nowadays is English. Spanish also becomes very popular. It is learnt nowadays more often than earlier. Oriental languages are also widespread today. Learning a foreign language has a practical value but the choice of a foreign language sometimes depends on a fashion. If under fashion we mean the demands of life and society. Thus, the knowledge of a foreign language today is a life necessity. The English language surrounds us like a sea, and like the waters of a deep sea it is full of mysteries. English is and has always been constantly changing. Some words die, some change their meanings and all the time new words appear in the language. (5188) ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION. Since ancient times Nature has served Man, being the source of his life. For thousands of years people lived in harmony with environment. But with the development of civilization man's interference with nature began to increase. Large cities with thousands of smoky industrial enterprises appear all over the world today. They pollute the air we breathe, the water we drink, the land we live in. Many cities suffer from smog. Vast forests are cut and burnt in fire. As a result some rare species of animals, birds, fish and plants disappear forever. Environmental protection is a universal concern. That is why serious measures to create a system of ecological security should be taken. Some progress has been already made in this direction. As many as 159 countriesmembers of UNO- have set up environmental protection agencies. The accident at Chernobyl nuclear power station in April 1986 caused radioactive pollution of a vast area. The international organization Greenpeace is also doing much to preserve the environment. The Earth is our home. We must take care of it for next generations and ourselves. (1105) TRAVELLING Modern life is impossible without travelling. Thousands of people travel every day

either on business or for pleasure. They can travel by air, by rail, by sea or by road. Of course, travelling by air is the fastest and the most convenient way, but it is the most expensive too. Travelling by train is slower than by plane, but it has its advantages. You can see much more interesting places of the country you are travelling through. Modern trains have very comfortable seats. There are also sleeping cars and dining cars which make even the longest journey enjoyable. Speed, comfort and safety are the main advantages of trains and planes. That is why many people prefer them to all other means. Travelling by sea is popular mostly for pleasure trips. On board large ships and small river boats people can visit foreign countries and different places of interest within their own country. It is very pleasant to see the rise and fall of the waves, to feel the fresh sea wind blowing and hear the cry of the seagulls. Trips on the Volga, the Dnieper and the Black Sea are very popular today. Many people like to travel by car. It is interesting too, because you can stop when and where you like, you do not have to buy tickets or carry your suitcases. A very popular method of travelling is hiking. It is travelling on foot. Walking tours are very interesting. Hitch-hiking is a very popular method of travelling among young people. But it is not so popular in our country as abroad. The Black Sea is one of the most wonderful places which attracts holiday-makers all over the world. There are many resthomes, sanatoriums and tourist camps there. But it is also possible to rent a room or a furnished house for a couple of weeks there. Sometimes we place ourselves in a tent on the sea shore enjoying fresh air and the sun all day long. As a rule I make new friends there. In the daytime we play volleyball, tennis, swim in the warm water of the sea and sunbathe. In the evening I like to sit on the beach watching the sea and enjoying the sunset. (1697) MY ATTITUDE TOWARDS TRAVELLING For most people there is no problem in deciding how they are going to spend the money they earn - it all goes on housing, food, clothes, transport and, if they are lucky, leisure and some holidays. Many of us have spent our lives without doing anything out of the ordinary and now I have got a marvelous opportunity of doing something exciting and I will. If I win the prize of 20,000 dollars, I will spend it in the world round trip. To travel round the world has long been my dream and with this sum of money behind me this dream is likely to be realized. I am going to take a trip round the world. I am going to do a lot of sight seeing. I am going to put up at expensive hotels and spend much money on entertainment and other exciting things. My travel experience would begin in New York, known as one of the world's most modern cities because of its high buildings and its dynamic spirit. From New York I would cross the Atlantic Ocean to England. In London I would explore the British Museum and visit the shops and pubs along King's Road in Chelsea. My next stop would be Amsterdam, an attractive city because of its steep narrow houses and canals lined with trees. Flying on to Copenhagen I would eat Danish open-faced sandwiches and be entertained at night clubs in Tivoli Gardens. Having seen enough cities by this time I would head South to the Italian Riviera. Portofino, a handsome fishing village resembling an opera setting, is one of the most charming vacations sports in Europe. Of course, a serious traveler could not leave Italy without visiting Florence, Venice, Naples and Rome, for all these cities are living museums. Continuing South, I would trace the beginning of Western civilization. I would make stops in Athens and Cario. Certainly a chance to see the pyramids should not be missed. Next, I would fly east to visit the shimmering island of Ceylon. Here, the traveler finds many precious gems for sale, but the brightest jewel of all is Ceylon itself. Leaving this island I would travel to Bangkok, an Oriental city of many charms. Then, like mane other travelers, I would be drawn to Hong Kong, the shopper's paradise. Leaving Asia, I would load my over stuffed suitcase on a plane bound for Acapulco. In this Mexican resort, I would swim, sunbathes and eat spicy foods. At this time it would be necessary to count my remaining travelers checks.

If a tour of Latin America were still possible, I would want to stop in Peru, Argentina, and Brazil. But by that time my funds would probably have run low. So, where would my round the world trip end? For me there is only one answer: Kyiv, the city I will never tire of calling home. (2203) CITIES AROUND THE WORLD A city is an urban area which is differentiated from a town or village by size, population, density, importance or legal status. A city usually consists of residential, industrial and business areas. A large share of a city's area is primarily taken up by housing, which is then supported by infrastructure such as roads, streets and often public transport routes. Towns and cities have a long history, although opinions vary on whether any particular ancient settlement can be considered to be a city. Older European cities and some American ones have historically intact central areas where the streets are jumbled together, seemingly without a structural plan. This is a legacy of earlier unplanned or organic development, and is often perceived by today's tourists to be picturesque. There are different schemes of modern city. The most common pattern is the grid, almost a rule in parts of the United States, and used for thousands of years in China. In Medieval times we see a preference for linear planning. Good examples are the cities established in the south of France. Other forms may include a radial structure in which main roads converge on a central point. Many Dutch cities are structured this way. One of my hobbies and even goals for life is traveling. Therefore I have already been to some of the largest and most beautiful cities of the world, for example Saint Petersburg, Paris, Cairo, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington DC and plan on visiting more. However, there are so many of them that one’s lifetime perhaps won’t be enough to visit all of them. My favorite foreign city is San-Francisco. It is located in the State of California, on the western coast of the USA. Its population is 4 million people and in this regard it’s the fourth largest city in California and the fourteenth in the US after New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, etc. Besides, San Francisco is the second most densely populated major American city after New York (population 4 million people, total area – 120.9 km²). The first Europeans to settle in San Francisco were the Spanish, in 1776; the city is named for St. Francis. With the advent of the California gold rush in 1848 the city entered a period of rapid growth. It is today one of the most recognizable cities on the West Coast. San Francisco has a unique mix of characteristics, including its months-long episodes of fog, its steep rolling hills, its eclectic mix of architecture (including Victorian style houses and modern high-rises), and its being bordered on three sides by the Pacific Ocean or the San Francisco Bay. Tourism is the mainstay of San Francisco's economy as it is one of the top ten tourist destinations in the United States and one of the top fifty in the world. I love it for the romantic atmosphere that the blue sky, the ocean and the enormous and magnificent bridges create. Some of the most famous attractions of the city are: Chinatown, Pier 39, the Fisherman’s Wharf, the Cable Car ride and of course the no longer acting prison of Alcatraz. San Francisco is the great havens for the fans of sea food. Fisherman Wharf one of the places which attracts lots of people during the day. It’s an open air fish market where you can get any seafood you wish: fish of all kinds, lobsters, mussels, huge crabs, shrimp, etc. You can either buy it fresh and cook at home or have it cooked right there in front of your and eat it straight away with crispy French fries and souses. It’s delicious! There are also great China, Mexican and Indian restaurants and cafes. During my latest trip there I found out that it would take you more than nine years to visit all the eateries in San Francisco, given that you go out every night. It’s

unbelievable for me! (3120) LEISURE TIME OF BRITISH TEENAGERS. The majority of teenagers in Great Britain spend their free time as everywhere in the world. The average young person spends about 19 hours in front of the television. According to the government report nearly three-quarter of young people have TV sets in their rooms. Besides watching TV, other activities like cinema going and sport remain popular. In Wales, the report says that some 50 percent of boys play football throughout the winter while a great number of girls also play football, although they in general prefer swimming and tennis. Listening to music is also a part of time spending. Tape-recorders, CD-players and the concerts of pop music are the subject of every day talk of teenagers. As children grow older they turn from playgardens or homes to streets where they meet and talk and start develop their confidence. Street life includes groups of friends who meet together in the streets, squares and parks, or visit town centers to do window-shopping and "see what's going on". (863) TEENAGERS The age between 14 & 17 is considered to be one of the best periods in people's life. Grown-ups remind it with excitement & tenderness. But most teens wouldn't agree with this opinion if they were asked. They're sure & that's quite true that they are overwhelmed with different problems. These problems are quite serious & they can't be considered trifles. Teenagers have psychological problems which can be explained by their psychological instability. This is the reason of their strange & sometimes aggressive behavior. Their aggression can be aimed at their friends, teachers, parents & people around them. If these problems aren't solved & regulated by experienced specialists, psychologists, teachers it can lead to far more serious problems. Drinking & taking drugs have become the most actual problems of the modern society. As for drinking, teenagers don't realize the harm it does to their health. Government surveys on all aspects of drinking have found that about 40 percent of teenagers are attracted by bright & impressive advertisements of alcohol. They really believe that certain drinks will make them look like they're accepted. So, we can say that the low level of self-appraisal is the main reason of drinking & drug problem. Teenagers are greatly influenced by social problems such as unemployment, dysfunctional families & the stress of getting into new college. They don't know how to cope with the problems which do not depend on them. They're badly prepared for their solution mentally, spiritually & even physically. If they fail, they can be driven to despair & won't find the way out if not helped by their families, school & some other representatives of society. In fact, teenagers have got a lot of work. They're busy with their studies, household chores, some of them have a paid job. But there's no time for fun & they want to be entertained at least sometimes. This excessive work leads to an inner conflict which's usually expressed in the form of an open, direct protest against the world of grown-ups. The next step is the conflict with parents which is very difficult to solve. On the other hand, most teens don't know how to organize their free time for raising their cultural level, enriching their knowledge & improving their physical forms. (2006) UNIT 9 ENGLISH IN MY LIFE THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. Knowledge of the foreign language is becoming more important nowadays. There are many reasons why we study English. Now, in a period when we are reconstructing our economy, when there are many joint ventures with foreign companies operating in our country, we need a number of specialists who know foreign languages. If you know English, you can communicate (personally or in writing) with others who use this language.

If you wish to make a career in science, you must read scientific books and magazines in English. Knowing English you can read the works of foreign writers in original. A more general aim is to broaden our intellectual and cultural horizons through contacts with people of other countries. Knowledge of foreign languages helps people of different countries to develop mutual friendship and understanding. (712) MY ENGLISH STUDIES Today it is quite evident that everyone should know at least one foreign language. Knowing one or more foreign languages makes it possible to get acquainted with different ways of thinking, to understand a new civilization. Learning a foreign stimulates mental abilities and gives you a chance to appreciate a new literature, a different culture and to broaden your outlook. Besides, knowing foreign languages has a practical value. It helps to improve the quality of your work, because it reduces the time lost on obtaining the necessary information. The knowledge of other languages is very useful, especially if you have to work abroad or of you must read foreign literature in the original. If you know the language of a foreign country, you can talk to its people and understand what they are speaking about without anybody’s help. The knowledge of foreign languages also helps young people of different countries to develop friendship. As for me, I’m learning English, because in the recent years it has become not only an international language, it is now a number one language in the world. Besides, English is becoming a lingua franca. A lingua franca is a language chosen for international purposes. At the beginning of the 21st century English more widely spoken and written, than any other language has ever been. It has become the language of the planet, the first truly global language. English has become the world’s important language in politics, science, trade and cultural relations. Three quarters of the world’s mail and its telexes and telegrams are in English. More than half of the world’s scientific periodicals and eighty per cent of the information in the world’s computers are also in English. English is the main language of business. It is the language of sports: the official language of the Olympics. In a number of speakers it is second only to Chinese. At the same time it is the most widespread language in the world. It is the official language of the UK, of the USA, Australia and New Zealand. English is used as one of the official languages in Canada, the Republic of South Africa and the Irish Republic. It is also spoken as a second language by many people in India, Pakistan, numerous countries in Africa. The number of second language speakers may soon exceed the number of native language speakers, if it hasn’t happened yet. Everybody can see now the importance of English, listening to the radio and music, watching films on TV. As for me I have always wanted to study English deeply since I began learning it at school. My English lessons were always very interesting and I liked them most of all at school. We started learning English with the alphabet, transcription and sounds. Then we learned some English words, conversation phrases and dialogues by heart, read and translated easy texts. Of course, sometimes we worked in the language laboratory listening to the recorded tapes and doing laboratory exercises, but that was not enough. From lesson to lesson we improved our knowledge, learned more and more new words, grammatical structures and put them into practice of speaking. Soon we were able not only to read and translate texts but to discuss their contents in English, to communicate with one another. Our teacher always told us that it is very helpful to listen as much as possible to different English educational programs on the radio and on TV. I have a lot of English cassettes at home and try to listen to them almost every day. To my mind, English is not an easy language to learn. There is a big problem of speaking, punctuation, a large number of exceptions to any rule. This language is very idiomatic and the prepositions are terrible. English is one of those languages

which may be seen easy in the beginning but then the bridge between basic knowledge and mastery takes a long time to cross. But if you cross this bridge it will give you great satisfaction. Even now the ability to speak to foreigners in their native tongue gives me great freedom and satisfaction. It’s important also to read foreign authors in the original, which makes our outlook wider. It is not surprising that many intellectuals know several foreign languages. Besides, learning a foreign language opens great opportunities nowadays. You certainly know that with the development of international contacts hundreds of joint ventures appear in every city, every industrial and cultural centre. They need specialists who know one or two foreign language. Also foreign businessmen, delegations and missionaries keep coming to our country, and they all need interpreters. Our tourists and businessmen go abroad. So many people study foreign languages in every possible way. Teachers of foreign languages are in great demand. Such teachers needn’t fear they may remain unemployed. Among the great number of languages that exist on our planet today there are some, which are used more widely. Scientists distinguish 13 great languages. These are the languages that are spoken by no less that 50 per cent of people on the Earth. They are Chinese, English, Russian, Spanish, Hindi and Urdi, Indonesian… A person who knows these languages can speak to and understand almost 2 thousand million people doesn’t suffer from the language barrier. Today there are a lot of people in Europe and Asia who know several languages. A person who knows several languages is called a polyglot. It is known that different languages can come into fashion or go out of it. It is generally considered that the most fashionable language in the world nowadays is English. Spanish also becomes very popular. It is learnt nowadays more often than earlier. Oriental languages are also widespread today. Learning a foreign language has a practical value but the choice of a foreign language sometimes depends on a fashion. If under fashion we mean the demands of life and society. Thus, the knowledge of a foreign language today is a life necessity. The English language surrounds us like a sea, and like the waters of a deep sea it is full of mysteries. English is and has always been constantly changing. Some words die, some change their meanings and all the time new words appear in the language. (5188) UNIT 11 TEENAGERS LEISURE TIME OF BRITISH TEENAGERS. The majority of teenagers in Great Britain spend their free time as everywhere in the world. The average young person spends about 19 hours in front of the television. According to the government report nearly three-quarter of young people have TV sets in their rooms. Besides watching TV, other activities like cinema going and sport remain popular. In Wales, the report says that some 50 percent of boys play football throughout the winter while a great number of girls also play football, although they in general prefer swimming and tennis. Listening to music is also a part of time spending. Tape-recorders, CD-players and the concerts of pop music are the subject of every day talk of teenagers. As children grow older they turn from playgardens or homes to streets where they meet and talk and start develop their confidence. Street life includes groups of friends who meet together in the streets, squares and parks, or visit town centers to do window-shopping and "see what's going on". (863) TEENAGERS The age between 14 & 17 is considered to be one of the best periods in people's life. Grown-ups remind it with excitement & tenderness. But most teens wouldn't agree with this opinion if they were asked. They're sure & that's quite true that they are overwhelmed with different problems. These problems are quite serious & they can't be considered trifles. Teenagers have psychological problems which can be explained by their psychological instability. This is the reason of their

strange & sometimes aggressive behavior. Their aggression can be aimed at their friends, teachers, parents & people around them. If these problems aren't solved & regulated by experienced specialists, psychologists, teachers it can lead to far more serious problems. Drinking & taking drugs have become the most actual problems of the modern society. As for drinking, teenagers don't realize the harm it does to their health. Government surveys on all aspects of drinking have found that about 40 percent of teenagers are attracted by bright & impressive advertisements of alcohol. They really believe that certain drinks will make them look like they're accepted. So, we can say that the low level of self-appraisal is the main reason of drinking & drug problem. Teenagers are greatly influenced by social problems such as unemployment, dysfunctional families & the stress of getting into new college. They don't know how to cope with the problems which do not depend on them. They're badly prepared for their solution mentally, spiritually & even physically. If they fail, they can be driven to despair & won't find the way out if not helped by their families, school & some other representatives of society. In fact, teenagers have got a lot of work. They're busy with their studies, household chores, some of them have a paid job. But there's no time for fun & they want to be entertained at least sometimes. This excessive work leads to an inner conflict which's usually expressed in the form of an open, direct protest against the world of grown-ups. The next step is the conflict with parents which is very difficult to solve. On the other hand, most teens don't know how to organize their free time for raising their cultural level, enriching their knowledge & improving their physical forms. (2006)