Are you proud of being Belarusian?

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

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

I am proud of the rich heroic history of my country and its people. Although for many centuries we were part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania¹, the Polish­Lithuanian Commonwelth² and then the Russian Empire³ we have managed to stay united and haven’t lost our uniqueness. Many foreigners admit that our people are extremely sociable, hospitable, and generous and we are welcoming with visitors. We are also described as resourceful and peaceful. When socializing, Belarusians are open, warm­hearted, fun­loving, humorous and outgoing in spite of all the difficulties they face in their life.

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

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

 

¹ the Grand Duchy of Lithuania [ˈɡrænd ˈdʌtʃɪəvˌlɪθjʊˈeɪnɪə]ВКЛ

²the Polish­LithuanianCommonwelth [ˈpəʊlɪʃ ˌlɪθjʊˈeɪnɪən ˈkɒmənwelθ] РечьПосполитая – федерацияКоролевстваПольскогоиВеликогоКняжестваЛитовского

³the Russian Empire[ˈrʌʃnˈempaɪə]Российскаяимперия

 

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

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

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

 

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

1. Why was Whitney worried about going to college?

2. How did she find a friend?

3. What lesson did Whitney learn?

 

III. Let’s talk about accommodation.

№2

I 1.Read the newspaper opinion column and say in 2—3 sentences what it is about.

UNESCO World Heritage¹ List

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

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

In 2000, theMir Castle Complex, which was built at the beginning of the 16th century, was also added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. The successful combination of Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance architecture² makesMir Castle one of Europe’s most impressive castles. In 2005, two more sites were included into the UNESCO World Heritage List. They are theArchitectural, Residential and Cultural Complex of the Radziwills in Nesvizhand theStruve Geodetic Arcpoints³.

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

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

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

¹heritage [ˈheritidʒ] культурноенаследие

²Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance architecture [ˈɡɒθɪk, bəˈrɒk, rɪˈneɪsənsˈaːkɪtektʃə] архитектураготики, бароккоиренессанса

³ the Struve Geodetic Arc points [ˈstruːvˌdʒiːəʊˈdetɪkˈaːkˈpɔɪnts] ГеодезическаядугаСтруве, представляющаясобойцепьопорныхпунктовнаблюдения

 

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

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

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

 

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

1. Why is choosing the right job very important?

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

3. What advice does the speaker give?

 

III. Let’s talk about education.

№ 3

I. 1. Read the newspaper opinion column and say in 2—3 sentences what it is about.

My ideal school

My ideal secondary school is a safe haven¹. It shouldn’t be a place you hate going to, but a place you enjoy attending. I believe it should be social, as well as educational experience. A school should always have a soul… there should always be laughter ringing through the corridors. (Angela, 15, Moscow)

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

School is the mould², which shapes our future. It’s where we spend most of our valuable time — childhood. Yet I know from firsthand experience that many aspects should be changed: the impersonal attitude of some teachers who do everything only for results, instead of creating happy moments and valuable life experience for young people. These young people are far from being an ‘empty pot’ who are ready to be filled with knowledge. They are simply locked boxes full of potential which should be discovered by caring and encouraging teachers. (Anna, 15, Riga)

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

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

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

¹a safe haven[ˈheɪvn]надёжное, безопасноеместо

²a mould [məʊld] матрица, шаблон

 

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

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

4. Why do the children want more freedom?

 

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

1. What is wrong with the accommodation?

2. Why did the boy oversleep?

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

 

III. Let’s talk about environment.

 

 

№ 4

I. 1. Read the part of a diary and say in 2—3 sentences what it is about.

Anna’s diary

SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 1942

Writing in a diary is a really strange experience for someone like me. Not only because I’ve never written anything before, but also because it seems to me that later on neither I nor anyone else will be interested in the thoughts of a thirteen­year­old schoolgirl. Oh well, it doesn’t matter. I feel like writing, and I have an even greater need to get all kinds of things off my chest¹.

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

Now I’m back to the point that prompted me to keep a diary in the first place: I don’t have a friend. Let me put it more clearly, since no one will believe that a thirteen­year­old girl is completely alone in the world. And I’m not. I have loving parents and a sixteen­year­old sister, and there are about thirty people I can call friends. I have a bunch of admirers who can’t keep their adoring eyes off me and who constantly try to catch a glimpse² of me in the classroom. I have a family, loving aunts and a good home. No, on the surface I seem to have everything, except my one true friend.

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

To enhance³ the image of this long­awaited friend in my imagination, I don’t want to write only about facts, but I want the diary to be my friend, and I am going to call this friend Kitty.

 

¹togetoffone’schest чистосердечно признаться в чем-либо, облегчить душу

²tocatch a glimpse [ɡlɪmps] увидеть (на мгновение)

³to enhance [ɪnˈhaːns] усилить

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

3. What close people did Anna have?

4. Why did Anna start writing in a diary?

 

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

1. What job did Alice do?

2. What difficulties did she have?

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

 

III. Let’s talk about Belarus.

№ 5

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

Be kind and stay safe

Everybody knows that we should be polite and kind to people in real life and online. Unfortunately this doesn’t always happen. Where can you report online abuse¹ or unkind messages to yourself or your friends? Do you know how to report and complain about harmful information online? For example, if you see an inappropriate tweet on Twitter you can click on ‘more’ and then choose ‘Report tweet’. You can then block all further tweets from that user.

Even celebrities can be cyberbullied². Tom Daley, the British Olympic diver, was abused online. His father died during the 2012 Olympic Games and Tom received some very cruel tweets about his indifference towards his father’s health.

Here are our top tips for staying safe online:

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

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

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

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

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

6. Take part in Safer Internet Day.

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

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

 

¹ abuse[əˈbjuːs] оскорбление

² tobecyberbullied[ˈsaɪbəbʊlɪd] бытьпреследуемымвкиберпространстве

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

3. What can we do to stay safe online?

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

 

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

 

1. Where does the conversation take place?

2. What is the man interested in?

3. How much do you need to pay monthly?

 

III. Let’s talk about Great Britain.

№ 6

I. 1. Read the story and say in 2—3 sentences what it is about.

Christmas Tree

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

My Dear Mother,

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

Love from your son,

Clifton.

I was 17 years old at the time. My heart sank. I felt a deep sadness that my favourite brother would not be home for Christmas. He was one of the Tuskegee Airmen¹ and was responsible for maintaining² the airplanes flying off to fight in World War II. My mother, being the optimist, said, “Well, it looks like we’ll get to have two Christmases this year!” After Christmas, my sister and I worked together to make sure we kept that Christmas tree looking as pretty as possible. This was no easy feat.

By mid­January, the branches dropped so low to the ground that they became a sliding board for the decorations. Each day, ornaments would come crashing to the ground and there were new pine needles³ all over the wooden floor. My sister and I took turns sweeping them up. We moved the ornaments to the stronger branches on the tree, hoping they would stay on.

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

“It’s beautiful,” he said. “Thank you.” Clifton opened his presents and told us all sorts of stories about his work in Tuskegee. That night as we slept, we heard a crash in the living room. We all ran to see what had happened. The tree had toppled⁴ onto the sofa and there were needles and broken ornaments everywhere.

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

¹Tuskegee Airmen [tʌsˈkiːɡiːˈeəmən] пилотыизТаскиги

²tomaintain [meɪnˈteɪn] обслуживать, готовить

³a pineneedle [ˈpaɪnˌ niːdl] сосновая иголка

⁴to topple [ˈtɒpl] опрокинуться, свалиться

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

3. What was Clifton’s job?

4. Which facts show that all the family loved Clifton very much?

 

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

1. Why does the first speaker dislike doing homework?

2. What does the second speaker have regrets about?

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

III. Let’s talk about science and modern technologies.

 

№ 7

I. 1. Read the story and say in 2—3 sentences what it is about.

The Condemned Room¹

Dear Mom,

I am working very hard on cleaning my room. But I want to go to Katy’s this afternoon to work on our Halloween costumes. Can I finish tomorrow? I would get up early and do it before breakfast and I’ll do a good job. Please, write back.

Love, The Prisoner in Tower № 3

Dear Prisoner, No.

Love, Mom.

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

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

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

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

 

¹acondemnedroom [kənˈdemdˈruːm] комната, признаннаянебезопаснойдляпроживания

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

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

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

 

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

1. Where was Tina going to?

2.What happened at the airport?

3. Why was Tina scared during the flight?

 

III. Let’s talk about art.

 

№ 8

I. 1. Read the story and say in 2—3 sentences what it is about.

Great grandad

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

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

Eventually he said, “Why do you do PE¹ at school?”

“What?”

“PE. Why do they make you do it?”

“Because they hate us?” I suggested.

“And the other reason?”

“To keep us fit, I suppose.”

“Physically fit, yes.”

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

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

He moved his fingers gently on my head.

“It’s to keep what is in here healthy. PE is for the head. And the great thing is you can do it sitting down. Now, let us use these little puzzles here to take our brains for a jog².”

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

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

Now I learnt that Grandad’s world was full of miracles and mazes³, mirrors and misleading signs. He was fascinated by riddles and codes and labyrinths⁴, by the origin of place names, by grammar, by slang, by jokes — although he never laughed at them — by anything that might mean something else. I discovered My Grandad.

²to take our brains for a jog [əˈdʒɒɡ] шевелитьмозгами

³a maze [meɪz] путаница

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

3. How did the girl’s Granddad help her understand the subject?

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

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

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

2. How did the people help them?

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

 

III. Let’s talk about your future career.

№ 9

I. 1. Read the interview with a British businessman and say in 2—3 sentences what it is about.

AN INTERVIEW

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

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

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

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

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

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

Journalist: How do you feel about mobile phones?

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

 

2. What are the benefits of the computers? Read aloud the extract which describes them.

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

4. When are technological means of communication misused?

 

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

1. Where does the action take place?

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

3. Why were Martin and his friend scared?

 

III. Let’s talk about your family.

 

№ 10

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