From the History of GB

 

The conquest of England by the Normans began in 1066 with the Battle of Hastings where the English fought against the Normans. The conquest was completed in 1071.

Who were the Normans who conquered England?

Some 150 years before the conquest of England they came to a part of France, opposite England, a part that we call Normandy. There they adopted the Christian faith, the French language and the Roman law. So they became French. The Normans brought to England the French language. After the Norman Conquest there were 3 languages in England. There was Latin, the language of church and the language, in which all learned men wrote and spoke. There was French, the language, which kings and nobles spoke. And finally, there was the English language, which remained the language of the masses of the people.

The role of the Norman Conquest was great for the development of feudalism and monarchy in Britain.

Great Britain.

 

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated on the British Isles.

It consists of 4 parts: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

England, Wales and Scotland occupy the territory of Great Britain. Northern Ireland is situated in the northern part of Ireland.

The population is over 57 million people.

The northern and western part of the country is mountainous and is called the Highlands.

All the rest: south, east and center are a vast plain, which is called the Lowlands.

The mountains are not very high. The rivers are not very long. The most important of them are the Severn and the Thames. There are many beautiful lakes in Great Britain.

Great Britain is a country with old cultural traditions and customs. The most famous educational centers are Oxford and Cambridge Universities.

The United Kingdom is a monarchy and the Queen is the head of the state. But in practice it is ruled by the government with a Parliament at the head.

Isaac Newton.

The great English scientist Isaac Newton was born in a village not far from the university town of Cambridge in 1642.

In his early years young I.N made various things. He made a clock that worked by water. He also made a sundial

When Isaac grew older, he took a considerable interest in mathematics. His ability as a mathematician and a physicist was very important. His first physical experiment was carried on when he was 16 years old.

On June 5 1661 Newton entered the University of Cambridge where he studied mathematics. Soon he became famous for his contribution to mathematics by the time he was 21.

In1665 while he was in his native village, he saw an apple fall from the tree and began wondering what force made the apple fall.

Newton performed many experiments with light. He invented a reflecting telescope. Newton developed a mathematical method, which is known as the Binomial Theorem.

In 1669 Newton was appointed a professor and began lectures on mathematics and optics at Cambridge University and continued his work on the problem of gravitation. His great work "Elements of Natural Philosophy" was published in the middle of 1687.

Newton's contribution to science is unique.

He died at the age of 85. He was buried with honors as a national hero.

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.

The UN.

 

The United Nations is the organization of sovereign nations. The UN works out the development of friendly relation among the nations. The UN struggles for peace, for international co-operation, for the solution of problems of the economic, social, cultural and humanitarian nature.

The United Nations has been playing the active role in reducing tension in the world, preventing conflicts and putting an end to fighting.

There are 6 main organs in the UN - the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Secretariat and the International Court of Justice. The Court has its place in the Hague, Netherlands. All other organs are based at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Members of the General Assembly talk to each other in many languages, but officially there are only 6 - French, Arabic, Chinese, English, Russian and Spanish.

 

 

Топики по английскому

"About myself (1)"

 

My name is Alexander. I am a student of Kostroma Technology University. I am 17 years old. I am rather tall, thin. I am well- built, to my mind. I have an oval face with a straight nose. My eyes are rather big and brown. I have long eyelashes. My lips are neither thin nor full. My hair is dark and I have a short cut. Nowadays it’s expensive to be smart and fashionable but I try to be well- dressed and neat. I have no beard and moustache. I usually wear a pullover and dark trousers. I was born in January. I am Capricorn. So I am serious but I couldn’t say for sure, that I am quite. First of all I enjoy listening to loud music. I like merry company and parties. As for my character I am cheerful, honest, sociable. I have a sense of humor. I like jokes. I am brought up and have good manners. I don’t respect rude, selfish and foolish people. I hate it when people lie and can’t keep their promise. I also hate it when people interrupt others because it’s impossible to have a talk with them. I try to deal with people who are honest, polite, disciplined they never lie and help in difficult situation. I am a sportsman. I go in for track and field. So I also go in for sport only sport makes people healthy, active, forms a character.

"About myself (2)"

 

My name is Alexander. My full name is Alexander Sergeevich Slusarenko. I was born to a family of a sailor on a submarine. My family is not small. There are four of us. When I was 7, I went to school. I did well at school. I was especially good at math and geometry, but also coped with the rest of the subjects. Thus from the point of view of my progress at school I didn't cause much trouble to my parents. But I did make them worry because I used to come home rather late. The thing is I went in for swimming and our training finished at about 7 p.m. I lived far from the swimming-pool, so it took me quite a lot of time to get home. When at school I fell into the habit of reading a lot. At first I read everything I caught hold of but the order I grew the more definite my tastes in books became. I took to reading historic books, books about adventures. I read very much technics books about computers and all that connect to it such as mathematics, phisics, programming and others. Now I think about this, I come to the conclusion I should be grateful to my parents for this habit: they themselves read much and encourage my reading. I am sure books will be my friends all my life. In my last year of schooling I often wondered what I would be in future, what sphere of life I should choose. After a number of heated discussions with my parents and friends I decided to dwell my choice on applied mathematics. I think I shall make a good mathematician.

 

"About myself (3)"

 

My name is Natalia. My surname is Govorova. I am 15. I was born in 1982 in Chelyabinsk. I live in a small town of Usinsk in the Komi Republic. My address is Flat 116, 19, Pionerskaya Street. My phone number is 41-5-81. I am a pupil. I go to school Numbers 1. I am a good pupil. I do well in all subjects. They say, that I am a hardworking person. To tell the truth, all school subjects come easy for me but sometimes. I have to sit much, for example, to do lessons in Physics or Chemistry, to write a composition or to learn a poem by heart. But my favourite subject is English. I spend much time on it reading books, doing tests etc. May be, English and learning it will be a part of my future 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 favourite composers are Chaikovsky and Mozart. I don't like rock music, but I like and . Also I like Russian folk songs. I have not much time to watch IV but sometimes I spend an hour or two watching an interesting film or a news programme. In the evening I often read newspapers (our local ones) or magazines. I like fresh air and exercise. I'm sorry I have not much time for doing sports. But some aerobics in the morning, a swimming-pool twice a week, a ski-walk on a frosty day are of great help. Sports is fun. I have a wide circle of interests. I'm very sociable, so I get a way with people. I have many friends, most of them are my class-mates. We spend much time together, going out to the cinema or to the disco party, speaking about lessons and music, discussing our problems. But most of all I like my family. We all are great friends and deeply attached to each other. You see, it's me - a person with his good and not good characteristics, liking this and hating that. But it's interesting for me to live, to open new things.

"About myself (4)"

 

Let me introduce myself. My full name is Andrei Andreevich Ivanov. I have been named after my father and I am very happy about it. I was born on April, 7, 1981 in Moscow. I descend from the family of the office-workers. I am an only child in the family. I am a pupil of the eleventh form of a secondary school. I finish school this year. I want to enter the University of Moscow. That is why I have to study twice as hard as an ordinary pupil. I do not only do my best at school, I take a preparatory course at the University. The course lasts for six months. We have lectures and seminars three times a week: on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I come to the University at 5 p.m. and leave it at 8 p.m. The lectures on literature, social sciences and history are given in the lecture-rooms. The seminars are held in small groups in the class-rooms. We have classes of English too. During our English classes we read and translate texts, discuss books, listen to the tape-recorder. At the University we learn a lot of useful and interesting things. But most of all I like the subject of my future speciality. I am always very busy, but when I am free I like to read books. My favourite writer is Ernest Hemingway. I like to go to the museums and art galleries. My favourite painter is Rembrandt van Rijn. I have a lot of friends. But my best friend is Nick. I like to travel. My parents and I have visited many ancient Russian towns. I am on friendly terms with my parents. I am very happy...

 

"Introducing myself (1)"

 

Difficult as it is to speak about ourselves, still in certain situations we have to introduce ourselves, regarding our biography, members of the family, friends and so on. So, I will try to introduce myself. First of all I would like to speak about my family, my parents, who play a great role in moulding my character, but not my opinion and thanks. My family isn’t large. My father is 52 years old, but he looks much younger, because he is fond of going in for sports. He is a coach, but as he is a well-educated and well-read person he has experience in many fields. That is why it is always interesting to communicate with him, he usually tells a lot of exciting stories. And my mother is 42. She is good-looking women with fire hair and large green eyes. I admire her character. She is an optimist, in almost every thing she sees its good side, she is full of energy and enthusiasm. I really adore her sense of humor. She is a housewife. It takes her much time to and power to take care of the house and of me and my farther. But can say she copes with her job well. Besides my farther and I try to help her with the housework. For example, I wash dishes, go shopping and so on. I enjoy spending time with my family very much. We often go for walks. I enjoy strolling along old Moscow streets because my parents usually tells me a lot of interesting details of the history, some things I’ve never heard about. That is also the reason I’m fond of travelling off with my parents. My mother spend a lot of time in the kitchen – she is fond of cooking. We always find out new recipes, try them, invent new unusual names. When I was a child my father involved me in photography. Since that time taking pictures and making videofilms has become my hobby. We have numerous pictures. We also are keen on music and everyone who comes to our place praised our numerous collection. It is quite impossible to name all the things that we can do together, so I think I can stop here. I am very sorry that I haven’t seen father’s parents, ‘cos according to my parent’s words they were wonderful and outstanding people. But to my mind my parents have inherited their best features. They are remarkable people: Kind-hearted, honest, they have moral values and don’t break promises. Although they aren’t young they understand me completely. They allow me almost everything, they always give me good advice and, frankly speaking, I don’t know what I will do without them. I am very lucky that I have got such wonderful parents and of course I love them very much. Now, I think, it is time to speak about myself. My name is Tatiana, but my friends call me Tania. I am 15 years old. I am high and not bad built. I have an oval face and large green eyes. Speaking about my character I can say that I’m friendly, kind, generous and honest. I have my own likes and dislikes. I am modest and sometimes shy, but I can lose my temper and begin to scream somebody. But in spite of all this I can keep secrets, I will never let my friends down. I usually say what I think, that is why people around me often take offence, so last time I began to hide my emotions. But it is very difficult to cope with feelings when I understand that I deal with person who have such features of character as egoism and dishonesty.

"Introducing myself (2)"

 

My name is Kostya. My surname is Laznev. I was born in Moscow on the 23rd of June in 1981. I am a tall thin boy. My hair is dark and short. My face is oval, my nose is straight. My eyes are large and brown. My friends say that I am a good-looking boy. I like to dress well. I usually wear black trousers, light shirts, clean boots. I have a dream to enter the Institute. I worked hard at school. We studied many subjects such as History, Russian, Physics, Geography and others. I was fond of English and Physics. And I was good at them. I think that I am honest, serious and polite. I want to get a good education and find an interesting and useful work. I have a hobby. I like to sing songs. My father likes to sing songs too. He knows many good songs and we usually sing songs together. Nowadays young people don't like classical music. They prefer pop music. My parents invite me to some very good concerts of classical music. It is great. I am very grateful to my parents because now I begin to understand how wrong I was going only to pop concerts. I am proud of my mother and father. They are musicians. We like to spend our free time together. We often go to the museums, to the Concert Halls, to the theatres. I want to say that I respect my parents.

 

 

"My biography"

 

The topic that is given to me is "My biography". It sounds too meaning full? It means something very important. I am sorry to say that there is little to speak about my short past life. I am too young to have my own family, I am not married yet. My name is Vitaly. My last name is Greezunov. The patronymic is Vadimovich. So my full name is Vitaly Vadimovich Greezunov. I am seventeen years old. I was born on the tenth of May. I am a former pupil. I left school a month ago. I did not attend any nursery or kindergarten. I began to go to school at the age of seven. It was ten years ago. I had been studying at the same school for ten years run-ning without changing it we had many subjects: history, English, biology and many others. I liked to study at school and my impressions of it are rather pleasant and favorite subjects are English and informatics. On the English lessons we read and translate the text and learn new words. On the informatics lessons we write the programs. That is why I choose English examination.

 

"My birthday"

 

I was born on the 22nd of March. Birthday is a very remarkable day for me. It is spring and the weather is fine. In the morning my parents come to my room to wake me singing "Happy Birthday, dear Andy". They give me the presents. I like to get them very much. Most people hold their birthday party on their birthdays. Usually, we hold my birthday party on Sunday next to the 22nd of March. Once or twice we went for a picnic on that day, but usually we celebrate it at home. We invite my friends and relatives to the party. I get up early in the morning on that day. My father and I go shopping to the district marketplace and supermarkets. We buy everything we need for the party. My mother stays at home to clean the flat and bake a pie and cakes. Then we lay the table together, put on evening suits and wait for the guests. At about four o'clock my relatives and friends come to congratulate me and I am glad to see them. They bring a bunch of roses for my mother and books, sweets and records for me. I thank my friends for coming and the presents. My aunts usually buy some clothes for me as a birthday present. We have an abundant dinner on this day. Mother brings the birthday cake and I blow the candles out. We dance and sing songs, make jokes and play games. When everybody is tired, we just lie on the floor and tell stories or just listen to the music in my room. I enjoy my birthday party and my friends like this day too.

 

 

"My district and my flat"

As you know, Vladivostok, the capital of the Primorsky region, occupies the peninsula of Murav'ev-Amursky which is washed by Amur and Ussuri gulfs. One part of this peninsula, called Egersheld (it was named after one of the explores of Russian Far-East), is my native district. Egersheld is known from the foundation of Vladivostok. More then one hundred years ago the first houses for the seamen appeared in it. Since that time Egersheld is known as the working center of the city. Now, for example, the territory of the commercial port is situated in this district. Egersheld is the most environmental friendly district in the city as it is open to strong sea winds which blow out all harmful substances in the air and clouds of dust. Of course, this has a negative side - the average temperature in the district in winter is lower than in the other parts of Vladivostok. As my native district occupies very special geographical position (in fact, Egersheld - is a small peninsula of Murav'ev-Amursky peninsula) so its citizens may admire beautiful sea scenes every evening when the sun is hiding for the horizon. These seascapes are really breathtaking and very often you may see dozens of artists trying to carry this wonderful sight to paper or canvas. Now about my flat. I live in Sipyagina, 31. Our flat is not very large, its double-roomed. If you know the word , you may imagine what is our flat looks like. Besides these two rooms we also have a kitchen and a bathroom. I think there is no any outstanding thing in our flat that is worth describing. We have a TV set in one of the rooms, two wardrobes, two working tables, and small bookcase where our home library is kept.

"My duties about the house"

My name is ...... I am 17 years old. I have already finished my school. There are four people in my family: my mother, my father, my brother and myself. We have a two-room flat. There is alvays much work in the house. There is alvays much work in the garden near the summer-cottage. My duties about the house are to clean the rooms, to wash the dishes after meals, to do shopping. Sometimes I help my mother to bake cakes and pies, to lay the table for meals. I usually help my sister to do lessons. In the spring and in the autumn I often help my parents in the garden. I looke after the flowers and vegetables. I enjoy helping my parents.

"My flat (1)"

We have a nice flat in a new block of flats. Our flat is on the fifth floor of a nine-storied building. It has all modem conveniences: central heating, running hot and cold water, electricity, gas, a lift and a chute to carry rubbish down. We have a three-room flat which consists of a living-room, a bedroom, a study (which is also my room), a kitchen, a bath-room and a toilet. There are also two closets in our flat. Our flat has two balconies. The living-room is the largest and most comfortable one in the flat. In the middle of the room we have a square dinner-table with six chairs round it. To the left of the dinner-table there is a wall-unit which has several sections: a sideboard, a wardrobe and some shelves. At the opposite wall there is a piano and a piano stool before it. To the right there is a little table with colour TV set on it. Opposite the TV set there are two cozy armchairs. A divan-bed and a standard lamp are in the left-hand corner. In front of the armchairs there is a small round table for newspapers and magazines. There is a thick carpet on the floor. Two water-colours hung on the wall above the divan-bed. In the evening we usually draw the curtains across the windows, and a red lampshade gives a warm colour to the room. The bedroom is smaller than the living-room and not so light as there is only one window in it. In this room there are two beds, two dressing-tables and a wardrobe. In the corner of the bedroom there is a small colors TV set. On the dressing table there is an alarm-clock and small lamp with green lamp-shade. Our study is the smallest room in the flat, but in spice of it, it is very cozy. There isn't much furniture in it, but there are a lot of shelves full of books. It has a writing table, an armchair and a bookcase too. A small round table with cassette-recorder is standing in the right-hand corner of the study. Besides there is a small sofa near the wall opposite the bookcase. This room was my father's study, but as I grew older, it has become my room. And in my opinion it is the best room in our flat. My friends used to come to my place to have a chat or to play chess in the evening, and they say my room is very comfortable. I share their opinion.

 

 

"My flat (2)"

 

I live in a 5-stored block of flats in Yushno – Sakhalinsk. It’s not a very picturesque plaice but we have a yard and a Kodak Express under the window. My flat is on the third floor. It’s very comfortable and well planed. I have all modern conveniences, such as central heating, electricity, cold and hot running water and a telephone. There are three rooms, a kitchen, a bathroom and a balcony in it. The largest room in my flat is the living room. My family uses it as a siting room. There is a sofa, two armchairs, a coffee table, a TV set and a VCR in it. We have two small rooms in our flat and one of them is my. It is not big but very cosy. There is a wardrobe near the wall and a desk near the window. My bad is at the left corner. I like my room wary much because it is my room. Our kitchen is not very large but light. It’s very well equipped. We have got a refrigerator, a microwave oven, a coffee maker and a toaster. In evenings we like have tea and have rest in it.

 

"My grandmother country house"

You are lucky if you have grandmother in the country to go to. Visiting our old relatives gives us excellent chance to become children again. Every time you are at your grannies they start to take care of you. That's why everybody loves his grannies very much. Countryside is always the nicest place for everybody as its fresh air cheers you up and the low level of noise helps you to have real rest. My grandmother lives at Oceanskaya station. Every summer I got used to spent my summer vocations at her place. It is the nicest place for me. There is sand beach and deep forest - it is all I need for the rest. Every day is full of adventures - you may investigate woods, get sunburn or swim in the sea. And if you also find good friends to spend time with - you may call this place real paradise. And all this pleasures one can get only in 25 kilometers of the city! My grandmother is kind old woman. Her name is Lidia Federovna. All her life she worked hard and now she is still very industrious and tender-hearted. I love her very much. All best moments in my life I spent at her place at Okeanskaya station. I will never forgot my grandmother's house and I am sure the impressions I got there will be among the brightest in my life.

 

"My home is my castle"

I think, every person always dreams about the place where he can speak about his problems, chat with close friends, where he can feel happy and quiet. For me it is my family and my home. It is the best place in the world and my dearest people live here. My family is not large we are 4. I have a father, a mother and a brother. We all live together in a new flat. My father is 45. He is a tall and well-built man with short black hair and grey eyes. He is quiet and hardworking . Really, he is a bread maker of the family. Dad is handy with many things. His hobby is fixing everything at home. My mother is very lively. She is life and soul of the family. She is a pleasant woman of forty with beautiful chestnut hair and dark brown eyes. She is a lofty ideal for me. My parents have been married for 20 years they have much in common, in everyday life Dad is impractical and needs mother to look after him. Parents have different views on music, books, films. For example, my father likes horror films and my father likes . My father is a football fat and Mum doesn't like sports. But they try to have the same opinion about the education and upbringing of their children. My brother is only 11. He goes to school. He is funny and curious. He is constantly asking many questions often silly ones. But this only a moment - I can't imagine my life without our little monster. We all feel happy when we are together. In the evenings we often have little gatherings in the kitchen by the cup of tea, chatting, laughing and discussing the events of the day. Those evening are the best of all. But sometimes I have problems with my parents. They don't like the clothes I wear the music I listen to and the friends I bring home. It's not easy to be a teenager. In summer I visit my Granny. I love her when I was a child she used to tell me fairytales and stories of her life. My parents are hardworking. They combine work with housekeeping. Mum manages our household very well. We all are in the habit of helping her to run the house. They say: "My home is a cosy place." Our relatives and friends like to come to our place. My parents are very hospitable everybody feels at home in their flat. Really.

 

"My little sister"

I've got a sister. Her name is Kate. She's three.She has got many toys: four balls - red, green, blue and yellow; three puppies - black, white and grey; two brown monkeys, a yellow giraffe, a white bear and two nice dolls. Do you think she likes to play with her toys? No, she doesn't. What she does like is – she likes to play hide-and-seek with me. Do you know the way she does it. She hides under the table and says: "Helen, where am I?" I say: "Are you on the chair?" "No, I'm not" "Are you under the chair?" "No, try again." "Oh, Kate, I try and try again, but I can't see you!" Then she runs up to me and says: "Here I am!". This is the way my little sister Kate plays hide-and-seek. Isn't she funny?

 

"My working day (1)"

I am Andrew Kiporuk. I am a puple of the 10th form. I get ut ap 7 o'clock. I wash myself and dress.I make a bed. My friend come to me at half past 7 and we go to the school. At school I have 7 lessons. I come back home at 3 o'clock. I have dinner. Then I walk with my dog. Then Help my mother at home. Sometime go for shopping, pour the flowers. I begin to do my homework at 5 o'clock. I watch TV very seldom, because I have many home task. Sometime I sit at my computer. Sometime Andrey Saynov comes to me. We talk about our school business. He studied in colledge. I listen to the music very often. I have supper at 7 o'clock. After 8 o'clock my brothers come to me. And we play on the computer. At 10 o'clock I go to bed.

 

"My working day (2)"

I usually start my day with getting up and doing all things that everybody does in the morning: washing, having breakfast, etc. Also, I got used to gather my learning tools: pencils, exercise-books, text-books in the morning. Then I usually go to the university. Fortunately, father takes a car every morning and he often picks me up and drives me to the doors of our university building. And soon the lectures and lessons begin... We have from 2 to 4 lectures every time, depending on day. I like studying in the university more than in the school because in university it is mostly allowed to miss some lectures (of course, later you should take a summary from your mate and copy it). So, a student is much more free, than pupil is. After the lessons I usually return home where I have dinner and start thinking about my ways of spending the rest of the day. Very often I go to my friend's places. During the early autumn and summer I often go to the sports ground or on the beach. I also like visiting different sports events, for example, soccer matches of in Russian championship. So, the world is full of enjoyable things to do. On returning home I usually start doing my homework (perhaps, it is the most dull part of the day). Having finished it, I open a book and read it or watch TV. At last, I go to the bed. Of course, I would like to tell you more about myself and my working day, but, unfortunately, my time is rather limited and I have got a lot of homework to do. Generally, now you know about my working day enough.

 

"My working day (3)"

A typical day goes something like this. We get up around 6 a.m., wash, have some coffee and toast, let the dog outside and feed him, bring the dog back in and leave for work. I drop Martha off at her job around 7:15 a.m. and then I drive to the University (from our house to her work is about three miles, from her work to the University is another three). I park the car and get to my office by 7:45 a.m. Then I check my schedule and start to work. Around 11:30 a.m. we break for lunch. I usually eat at the student union with co-worker or other students. Then back to work. I usually leave for the day at 4:30 p.m. I pick Martha up at her job and we are back home by 5:30 p.m. After changing into more comfortable clothes, we turn on the television to watch the news while we prepare dinner. After dinner, we may study. go shopping, or just relax and watch television or listen to music. Saturdays are a bit different. We often sleep late, until 9:00 a.m. or even a bit later. Once or twice a month we may go out for breakfast at a local restaurant. The rest of the day is spent working on the house, studying, or running errands. Saturday evening is often spent with friends or family members, typically over dinner, or we go to a concert.

 

"My working day (4)"

 

The Smiths live at 87 King Street. In the morning Mr Smith goes to work and the children go to school. Their father takes them to school every day. Mrs Smith stays at home every day. She does the housework. She always eats her lunch at noon. In the afternoon she usually sees her friends. They often drink tea together. In the evening the children come home from school. They arrive home early. Mr Smith comes home from work. He arrives home late. At night the children always do their homework. Then they go to bed. Mr Smith usually reads his newspaper, but sometimes he and his wife watch television.

 

"My working day (5)"

 

I get up at 7 o'clock in the morning. I do my morning exercises, wash myself and dress. Then I sit down to breakfast. At 8 o'clock I leave home and go to the Institute. As a rule I come to the Institute at a quarter to 9. The lessons begin at 9 sharp. Today we have two lectures, a seminar and an English lesson. At our English lessons we read the texts, ask and answer questions and do all sorts of exercises. We do not write many exercises. We usually write exercises at home. We speak English at the lessons. We speak English a little now, but we want to speak English well. At about 1 o'clock I generally have dinner at the canteen. I come home at about 6 o'clock. I have supper and do my homework. I always do my homework in the evening, but I never work late in the evening. At 11 o'clock I go to bed.

 

"My working day (6)"

 

I usually get up at 7 o'clock in the morning. I do my morning exercises, but not always, make my bed, wash and dress. Then I sit down to breakfast. At 8 o'clock I leave home and go to school. As a rule I come to school in time as the lessons begin at 9 o'clock. I live not far from school and it usually takes me 15 minutes to get to school on foot. Usually we have 6 or 7 classes every day and after classes I return home. At 3 o'clock I have dinner and rest a little. After that I do my home work and help my mother about the house if she needs my help. Then I have supper and if the weather is good I go for a walk with my friends and if the weather is not good I stay at home something I watch TV; sometimes I listen to music or chat with my friends over the telephone. I never work late in the evening. At 11 o'clock I usually go to bed but sometimes I watch television till late in the evening and that's why I may go to bed very late. But I always remember the proverb: "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy wealthy and wise."

 

"My working day (7)"

 

On week days I usually get up nearly seven o'clock. I do not like to get up early, but I have to, because I have a lot of work to do during the day. I do my morning exercises, make my bed, wash my-self, dress and go to the kitchen to have breakfast. My mother usually prepares breakfast for me, but sometimes I do it myself. I do not like big breakfasts, I prefer a cup of coffee and a sandwich. Then I go to school (to work). It is rather far (not far) from my house and I go there by bus (on foot). I have classes (I work) till ... o'clock. Then I come home and have dinner. After it I do my homework and do some work about the house. I sweep the floor, dust the furniture and clean the carpets with the vacuum-cleaner. Sometimes my mot-her asks me to go shopping or to help her in the kitchen. After it I have free time. I go for a walk with my friend, or watch TV, or read books, or play computer games. Then I have supper with my family. I like evenings very much because all of us get together after work and study and have the opportunity to talk and to discuss our family affairs. I usually go to bed at about eleven o'clock.

 

ABOUT MYSELF

They say that if you want something to be done well, do it yourself. So I follow this wise saying and would like to introduce myself. I believe that it isn't an easy thing to speak about yourself as it's hard to have a look at yourself from aside but at the same time who knows you better than you yourself do?

My name is Elena Protasova. I live in Gomel. My family is an average sized Belarusian family: it consists of my father, mother, elder brother and me. As for my appearance I am a slim girl, a bit shortish, but it does not mind me. I have a blunt nose, blue expressive eyes and chestnut shoulder length hair. My friends think I am rather attractive girl, but I have never thought I am a beauty. As far as preferences in clothes are concerned I should say that I'm rather moody person that's why I cannot say I have one favourite style. Today I can wear a skirt, formal blouse and high-heeled shoes, but tomorrow I can prefer tight-fitting jeans, casual T-shirt and low-heeled shoes. Everything depends on my mood.

To my mind our life goes so fast that sometimes we don't notice how fleeting it is. For instance I didn't notice how eighteen years of my life have passed. I feel like it was yesterday when I went to school for the first time, but this year is the last one at school. It's unbelievable but it is true. But I want to tell you everything in details.

My early years, which I remember only by parts, were interesting and careless. My childhood was happy because my parents devoted me a lot of time, my brother played with me and read books for me in the evenings. So I can say I was surrounded with love, care and attention. As most children I was sent to the kindergarten at the age of three as both of my parents worked, but as far as I remember I didn't like to attend kindergarten. I'm sure I can never forget my governor who made me eat semolina. In general the attendance of kindergarten seemed boring to me, though mainly there I met my first loyal friend.

When I was seven I went to school. My first school years were spent at school number 32, but then I moved to an English Specialized school number 71, where I got a proper education especially in such subjects as English, History and Geography.

School meant very much to me and I'm sure that it gave me a lot; first of all of course in educational sphere. Thanks to school and my teachers I became more intelligent and educated person. I consider that I became more persistent, determined and ambitious. Diligence, attention and accuracy - all these qualities school developed in me regularly. And owing to school I got acquainted with interesting people, devoted friends and excellent teachers.

After the 9th form I entered Gomel stale regional lyceum. Of course it was hard for me to leave my school friends and teachers, but I understood that it was my chance to improve my knowledge in particular fields. The subjects I liked best at lyceum were English, Belarusian and History, that's why I decided to become an interpreter. In my opinion choosing the kind of career to follow is probably one of the most important decisions you will ever make. Before you make this decision you will have a lot of thinking about who you are, about the things you like to do and the things you do well. Though I descent from the family of engineers I'd like to become an interpreter. This profession has always attracted me because I can get acquainted with various people and I can learn their customs, rituals and traditions. I'm sure that this creative profession can enrich my mind and make me more educated and intelligent person. And I hope that my dream will come true.

I think that my star sign can tell you a lot about me, my inside world, soul and character. I believe that stars influence our fate and character, though I don't trust daily horoscopes. I was born under the zodiac sign of Gemini. Stars affirm that Gemini are active and artistic. These people admire adventures and changes, they make friends with unusual lightness and they are excellent mates too. They are clever, dreamy, kind-hearted and demanding at the same time. They aspire to do several things simultaneously, but they often leave them half-done. Such people hate to listen to complaints and wait for long. I can agree with majority of these statements, though I can't say that I am very demanding.

 

Once I read in a magazine that some scientists are sure that they can say what kind of person you are if they know what your favourite colour is. As for me I'm fond of purple and blue colours. According to the scientists' words I'm temperamental, successful, thoughtful and quite. And I can say that I agree with all these traits of my character, though some of them are more clearly expressed in me, but others are less.

In my opinion I'm a kind-hearted and jolly person. I think I'm responsive and reliable that's why my friends and relatives can always rely on me. I never refuse if people whom I love need support or a piece of advice. I try to be fair and just in attitude to the others. I'm rather calm person, but sometimesI1 can lose my temper and become either angry or sad. I'm modest and sometimes shy, but do not advice someone tricking or kidding me. I like staying alone and sometimes I retire into my shell, but at the same time I like a noisy company of my friends. I like to laugh and joke with them and I never let my friends down.

My parents think that I'm an exemplary daughter, but a bit lazy, because I don't, like to help them about the house. They are sure that I'm a creative and active person and as busy as a bee, because I always do anything and I constantly have no free time.

My friends consider me to be rather earnest girl, because I always think about anything, but all of them know me as a faithful and responsive friend, I'm always eager to help my friends and to calm them with the help of a tender word.

But like other people I'm not an ideal. I can't wait for long that's why I can be called an impatient person. Sometimes I can be lazy, but I always try to fight with this feature of my character. Also I can be very sensitive I can't say that it's a negative trait of my character but I dislike it a bit.

Though I'm rather a busy girl and I don't have much free time I always try to find spare time for my hobbies and interests because I have a lot of them. To my mind hobbies differ like tastes and if you have chosen a hobby according to your character you are lucky, as your life becomes more interesting and enjoyable. In my leisure time I like to listen to my favourite music, but what kind of music I listen always depends on my mood. If I'm full of joy I like to listen to pop music, but if I'm sad I prefer hard music. I believe that music awakens the best feelings in my soul and high emotions. Also I like to read various books. To my mind reading is very useful because books enrich our experience with that of other people. Besides books help me to continue my own education and I disagree with the people who think that a tempo of modern life is too fast to waste time on reading. They are sure that books have begun to lose their prestige and value. I don't think so; I enjoy books of various genres: detective stories, thrillers and historical novels, tales, works after classical and modern writers, but my favourite genre is love stories. I adore "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte. I have read this book a lot of times and I consider that it is a masterpiece of love genre. But most of all I like traveling because in my opinion it is always interesting to discover new things, different ways of life, to meet various people, to try diverse food, to listen to different music, etc. If you are fond of traveling, you see and learn a lot of things that you can never see or learn at home, though you may read about them in books and newspapers and see pictures of them on TV.

As far as my dislikes are concerned I hate getting up early and overcrowded buses. I dislike envious and pushy people and rainy weather. But I'm happy that I have more things I like than I dislike.

And of course like all people I have someone I admire very much. Such a person for me is my mother. To my mind my mummy isn't an ordinary woman. I can't say that our characters are very alike but usually we understand each other without a word, our views often coincide.

She is always ready to listen to my endless stories about my setbacks, problems and troubles. She encourages me when I doubt my ability, helps to fulfill my aspirations and ambitions or to reach a secret goal.

And in conclusion I'd like to say that I like being me. And I hope that everybody who knows me likes me with all my positive and negative features of character.

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MY WORKINNG DAY

When I studied at lyceum my usual working days looked practically the same. But in my opinion, everything depends on person himself, so I did my best to make them more interesting and useful.

Life is impossible without work. Of course not all creatures as well as people like it, but it is very important for progress. Our teachers and parents always say that hard work is the only way to achieve our aims and goals. To my mind one can't appreciate the value of rest if he doesn't work. As for me I tried to organize my working day in such a way that I would be able to do as much work as possible.

My working day usually started like this. At sharp 6.30 my radio alarm buzzed. As it was actual on my bed it literary blasted me into awareness of the morning. This was due to the loudness I needed to wake me up. Though I am not a lazy-bone, in winter it was always difficult for me to wake up early. I hate the cold that's why I usually tried to stay in bed as long as possible. Sometimes I lay for a while deciding whether to pretend to be fatally ill, but then I usually gave up this silly idea because only little children practiced it and besides this trick usually didn't work. But when spring came and the air was fresh, when the sun shone brightly in the morning and the birds were singing I forgot about my sleep and felt full of energy.

So I finally crawled out of bed. By this time it was usually about 6.50. a.m. I think it wouldn't be fair to say that I did my morning exercises only from time to time. Though, of course. I know that good health is better than wealth. Nevertheless I preferred taking a shower to merely washing my face and after having a shower I got dressed and brushed my hair. It took me about 25-30 minutes to do my toilet. I want to say that while I was doing all these things my mother was making breakfast. I was in a habit of having only a light breakfast. A cup of tea. some ham or cheese sandwiches were enough for me to be full. As a rule while having my breakfast I listened to a piece of good music on the radio. After breakfast I snatched my school bag. Frankly speaking I found my habit of packing the bag in the morning quite irritating, because I always left something important at home, but I couldn't make myself do it in the evening. And then I rushed for lyceum. Unfortunately I live far from the lyceum. It took me about forty minutes to get there, that's why I was not lucky to sleep a bit longer than pupils who lived near it.

Frankly speaking sometimes my mood depended on what classes I had. On some days lessons flashed by very quickly, especially if they were the humanities, which I liked most, but they were dragging more slowly if I had such sciences like Physics, Chemistry or Math and especially when we had to write tests in them. Wednesday was the hardest day for me; I stayed in lyceum longer than usual because we had an additional lesson in Belarusian language. I should say that I usually enjoyed hours at lyceum if I was up-to-date with my school work, because I hated the feeling of being left behind with anything. In general I enjoyed lyceum hours because they were instructive and interesting besides I liked lyceum because of the number of friends I had there, but I didn't let my private life interfere with my school work. In common I found life at lyceum bright and absorbing. Our classes started at 8.20 instead of 8.00 as they do in most schools. Usually we had 7 lessons a day. Every lesson lasted 45 minutes, as in a common school, but our breaks were too short, that's why our freedom lasted only 5 or 10 minutes. But we were lucky to have a large break in the middle of the day which lasted 45 minutes. During this break we went to the canteen, and if there was nothing tasty and edible in it, we visited the nearest shop to buy something, for example, sweets or rolls and then did almost everything we wanted. As life is given us only once I try to live it in the best and useful way. So I usually spent the rest of time reading various interesting books or magazines or doing special exercises useful for brain, for example. I could solve puzzles. When I didn't manage to do all my homework at home the large break was mainly the time when I had an opportunity to finish it.

At 3 o'clock when my classes were over I stayed at lyceum to play volleyball or to do some crafts. Our lyceum administration arranged several kinds of extra-class activities like concerts, debate clubs and sports competitions. Honestly I wasn't their active participant, but I took part in them from time to time. Frequently I was back home later than 5 o'clock. On my way home I went to the baker's to buy some white and brown bread, biscuits and cakes. In the evenings I was busy doing my homework. There were subjects which required a lot of homework to be done and I usually spent most of my time on them. The English language, as it was my main subject, took me no less than three hours to be done. Belarusian and Russian literatures took me a lot of time as well as I should read a lot, wrote different compositions and thought over various problems of our life. These subjects had never seemed easy to me.

When late evening came and I had some free time left, which happened very seldom, I went for a walk with my friends. But I rarely sat in front of the TV set, as I prefer meeting friends to merely watching TV. Besides I'm keen on music. Listening to music makes me feel relaxed and calm. Sometimes it even helped me to do my homework. I was in the habit of doing two things together, for instance, listening to music and at the same time reading a book or writing a composition. I don't know why but music didn't prevent me from productive work and didn't draw my attention away. On the contrary it helped me. Here I should say that there were not many household chores that I did in my final year as my parents understood that I was preparing for entering the university and they tried to set me free from spending my precious time on anything else but studying. But in spite of it I had little time for rest; I think working hard is the right thing to do if you want to achieve something in life.

At about eight o'clock we usually had supper and all our family gathered in the kitchen. I should mention that it was the only time when we could see one another and talk about different things. We shared our joys and sorrows; discussed our plans for the next day. As for my supper it was usually light as I had dinner very late (at 5 or 6 o'clock), that's why I was not hungry when time came to have supper.

At about 11 o'clock I usually had a bath and then I went to bed. When I went to bed I often thought about possible careers and dreamt of becoming reach and famous due to an outstanding talent that no one had discovered yet (just like they do in the movies). Then I allowed myself to worry a bit about lyceum, my future, the next day, what I looked like, what people thought about me and what I could do to change the way people thought about me. I usually fell asleep at midnight.

Generally I try to plan my working day. I think it helps not to waste time on trifles and to do all the things at a time. I like punctuality, exactness, when everything has its own place. To my mind it is easier to live then. When my working day is planned I don't waste time on thinking what to do, so I have more time to do various useful things. When my working day is over I usually think about what things I have done and what this day has brought to me. If I understand that I have enriched my knowledge, learnt useful things and practiced to do something important I consider that this day turns out well. I try not to leave things till last time. But not long ago it was my weak spot. It I had to learn something by heart I did it on the last evening, if I had a lot to read I did it at night. Of course sometimes I didn't manage to do all the things I needed. I'd like to admit that my mum always said that I shouldn't leave things for tomorrow if I could do them today. At present I agree with her completely. So I have managed to get rid of this weak spot.

And in conclusion I'd like to say I'm happy to live a busy life. It is more interesting, exciting and instructive. When you are busy life doesn't seem to be boring.

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MY SCHOOL

Education is the main people's wealth and lots of them consider it the sense of living. They get education from early childhood and learn until their hair is grey. To my mind, education plays an important role in people's lives, that's why a great attention is paid to it.

School is one of our most significant institutions. School teaches reading, writing, the use of mathematics and other basic skills needed in everyday life. It increases people's knowledge of the world and themselves and helps them understand the rapid changes that take place in modern society. In schools pupils learn their responsibilities and rights as citizens, improve their ability to think critically, and develop such basic values as truth, justice and equality.

People throughout the world attend schools, but the quality of schools varies among countries. Today most of countries have well-developed educational systems and I'd like to mention that Belarus is among these countries. It embraces 11,000 educational establishments. The republic guarantees its citizens the right to universal secondary education and creates means for further professional education. It tries to preserve the democratic character of education paying much attention to common human values, developing independent critical thinking instead of simple perception of information. But in spite of it, education in our country faces various problems nowadays.

It seems to me that the greatest problem for a school today is that all subjects are compulsory and pupils have no opportunity to choose the subjects they want to learn deep. Thousands of pupils have to spend a lot of time sitting and thinking over the subjects they don't like, don't need or don't understand. It usually drives them mad (I know it for sure) and they start hating this or that subject or become indifferent to it. So if I were a Minister of education I would organize education in another way. In my opinion, some subjects should be optional so that children could choose their favourite ones out of the formal curriculum. I think that such education is better and more effective.

Also in my personal view, schooling doesn't bring practical experience for young people. To my mind learning only theory by textbooks isn't enough. In every school should be chemical and biological laboratories where pupils who want to know more could work with their teachers after the classes. To my great regret not every school has a good computer centre. I think that special excursions to the corners of our native country should be organized for pupils who are interested in History. It isn't only useful but interesting as well. And of course, it would be great if the children who want to connect their lives with foreign languages could go to the countries where these languages are spoken and spend there some time, communicating with native speakers.

To my mind these problems of schooling should be solved as soon as possible.

Now when my school years have been over I can say with certainty that it is fairly difficult to learn and that schooling brings hundreds of sleepless nights, impaired nerves and millions of hours learning and learning. But on my first day at school many years ago I knew almost nothing about school.

As far as I remember, during the last two years at the kindergarten I was dreaming to go to school, because I found attendance of the kindergarten boring and I disliked almost all its rules. For example, I couldn't sleep at a daytime, but our governor always tried to make me sleep but in spite of it, while all children were sleeping I was thinking about school.

And finally the first September of 1995 came. I'm sure I can never forget that day. It occurred on a sunny bright day when birds sang and trees were still in leaves I got up early on that day because I felt excited and started awakening my parents. Then we ate, got dressed and went to school. I was ready for going to school, as at the age of seven I could read, write, count and paint, I had a good memory and learnt some Russian verses and some English words.

On my way to school I was thinking about this establishment School was a magic word for me. While walking I felt a bit nervous. It wasn't fear but the feeling of something new, unexpected that I would meet. I was accompanied by both of my parents and elder brother who was going to the 6th form.

My teacher and classmates met me at a school yard and after a solemn part we went to our classroom. Then there was a little excursion around the school. The teacher showed us a canteen, a gym, different classrooms, etc. I spent the whole day at school. It was the happiest day in my school life because my dream had come true. Both the teacher and new classmates became my friends. That day was unforgettable.

Years passed and my impressions about school changed. I began to learn different subjects, new teachers appeared and school became a typical place where I spent the largest part of the day. Long grey days started but the first day would be in my memory forever. My first teacher also will be in my soul and heart. Frankly speaking she was my favourite teacher and I'm sure that she can be called an ideal teacher. She was an excellent teacher, not just a person teaching us subjects but a helper, an adviser and a friend. And what is no less important her attitude to the pupils was always friendly and tolerant. She was always interested in her pupils' health and atmosphere in our families. When a pupil was in trouble she usually gave him or her a piece of advice, if a pupil was ill our teacher always phoned him. Her lessons were always interesting and unusual. She arranged various discussions and we took active part in them. She really had a gift to teach!

But our life passes so fast that sometimes we don't even notice how fleeting it is; so my first four years at school spent with my beloved teacher, flashed by very quickly.

I went to the secondary school. Though studying was not an easy thing to do I never felt homesick. I should say that I was lucky to study at an English specialized school. There I got proper trainings in such subjects as English, German, Literature and History. But school for me was not only lessons and learning: I had a lot of friends there. It was an unforgettable time full of joys and trouble, of happiness and unimaginable adventures. I'm sure that school taught me a lot, first of all in educational sphere. Thanks to school and my teachers I became intelligent and educated person. But school gave me a lot not only in educational sphere. I became more persistent and stubborn. Diligence, attention and accuracy - all these qualities school developed in me every day. I had many friends at school and good relations with my teachers. School was like my second home.

But after the 9th form I entered Gomel State Regional Lyceum. It's one of the best educational establishments in my native town that is famous for its high-quality teaching and good equipment. Frankly speaking it was difficult for me to leave my school, as I'd spent a long span of life there. I came to school when I was a little girl, but when I was leaving it I was a grown-up person who knew what she was going to be. But honestly I was really happy to enter the lyceum because the atmosphere there was so warm and pleasant, both teachers and students were one large and friendly family.

I want to say that lyceum is one modern schools in Belarus as it is a new type of educational establishments. It provides two years of education which offers a general course of academic and non-academic subjects. Besides it offers а number of courses giving a profound knowledge in a variety of fields: the humanities, natural sciences, mathematics, etc.

What about me I specialized in the humanities. The course I took included: Belarusian, Russian, History of Belarus and of certainly my chief interest was the English language. I got interested in this subject because to my mind every modern and cultural person should know at least one foreign language. The foreign language I have chosen is English, because it is the language of the planet, that's why knowing it is a life necessity. Likewise I'm sure that knowledge of English can be applied in my prospective occupation.

The lyceum, I finished, is located in the city centre. The building itself is of typical design with the same layout and the distribution of classrooms, administrative offices, canteens, gyms and libraries as you can see in most other schools. But when you come in through the front door you find yourself in a spacious hall with comfortable sofas and large windows. Cloak-room is also situated in the hall. On the ground floor there is a large assembly hall, which is used for various performances, festivities and lyceum meetings, a library, a canteen, the Doctor's office and some classrooms. On the first floor there is a large computer centre, where basic computer skills are taught, an ecological centre with rear species of fish and the Head's office. On the second floor there are a lot of classrooms and laboratories, and there is a hostel on the third floor for pupils who come from small towns and villages of our region. In general, to my mind, the lyceum is very cosy inside: there are a lot of sofas, Venetian blinds and mirrors in the corridors. All classrooms are well-equipped, but frankly speaking, they look like classrooms in all schools of our country: there are three rows of desks, a teacher's table with a chair and a blackboard on the wall.

Though I have spent at lyceum only two years, it has become an integral part of my life. Our social and cultural life was well organized; both teachers and classmates were so friendly and easy to get along with. I was on good terms with my classmates, as all of them were interesting and a bit enigmatic persons. We often spent our free time together and I think I can never forg