Museums and art galleries

SCHOOL LIFE (ШКІЛЬНЕ ЖИТТЯ)

      I am a pupil of the 11-th form, I study at school number 9. I would like to tell your about our school life. I go to school five days a week. Our classes start at 8 o'clock a. m. and last till 3 'clock p.m. So we have 6 or 7 lessons a day. We study many different subjects: Russian, English, French, literatures, history, geography, biology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, programming and computer, sciences, languages, literature and history are my favourite subjects. I have good marks in these subjects. The school year is divided into four terms, called quarters. It begins on the 1st of September known as a Day of knowledge and finishes in May. Each quarter is followed by holidays. Every pupil has a day-book where the teachers put down the marks, that pupil has earned at the class. During the classes pupils are to answer the teacher's questions, do some exercises, write sentences, count, read, the pupils are often called to the blackboard. After every lesson the teachers give us home assignment. At the next lesson the teachers check them up. To do good at school one should make home assignments regulary, be active at the lessons and spend at least two-three hoars every day studying. I like studying. My favourite proverb is "Live and learn".

 

MY PLANS FOR THE FUTURE (МОЇ ПЛАНИ  НА МАЙБУТНЄ)

       When you leave school you understand that the time to choose your future profession has come. What profession to choose? This question is the most important for young people. Every job is both interesting and difficult. I think that all professions are very important in our life. But to choose the right occupation is not easy at all.

       I have asked myself a lot of times: "What do I want to be when I leave school?”  some boys and girls try to enter Academies or Universities where they can use the knowledge and education received at school. Some are trying to find a good job.

       As for me, I have made my choice already and that’s why I want to enter Samara State Pedagogical University, Faculty of Foreign Languages, English Department. Most of all I want to learn foreign languages, because it’s very interesting for me. I have already decided that I want to be a teacher. I know that’s very difficult to become a good teacher. You should know perfectly the subject you teach, you must be well-educated and well-informed. A good teacher develops in his pupils the burning desire to know and love for the truth and beauty. It’s great responsibility to bring up children. I think that’s the reason why teachers are deeply respected. More and more people realize that every educated person should know a foreign language. That’s why I’m going to become an English teacher.

       Beside knowledge of foreign languages helps me to travel abroad and meet with different interesting people. It’s very important for me, because I’m very communicative person and like traveling to other countries.

 

 

GREAT BRITAIN (ВЕЛИКОБРИТАНІЯ)

       The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated on the British Isles. The British Isles consist of two large islands, Great Britain and Ireland, and about five thousand small islands. Their total area is over 244,000 square kilometres.

       The United Kingdom is made up of four countries: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast respectively. Great Britain consists of England, Scotland and Wales and does not include Northern Ireland. But in everyday speech 'Great Britain' is used to mean the United Kingdom. The capital of the UK is London.

       The British Isles are separated from the European continent by the North Sea and the English Channel. The western coast of Great Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea. The surface of the British Isles varies very much. The north of Scotland is mountainous and is called the Highlands, while the south, which has beautiful valleys and plains, is called the Lowlands. The north and west of England are mountainous, but all the rest — east, centre and south-east — is a vast plain. Mountains are not very high. Ben Nevis in Scotland is the highest mountain (1343m).

       There are a lot of rivers in Great Britain, but they are not very long. The Severn is the longest river, while the Thames is the deepest and the most important one.

       The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of Gulf Stream influence the climate of the British Isles. It is mild the whole year round.

       The UK is one of the world's smaller countries. Its population is over 57 million. About 80% of the population is urban.

       The UK is a highly developed industrial country. It is known as one of the world's largest producers and exporters of machinery, electronics, textile, aircraft and navigation equipment. One of the chief industries of the country is shipbuilding.

       The UK is a constitutional monarchy. In law, the Head of State is the Queen. In practice, the Queen reigns, but does not rule. The country is ruled by the elected government with the Prime Minister at the head. The British Parliament consists of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

       There are three main political parties in Great Britain: the Labour, the Conservative and the Liberal parties.

 

EDUCATION IN THE USA (ОСВІТА В США)

       Education in the USA is a primary responsibility of each of the 50 states. There are no National Educational Standards or regulations, as there are in many other countries. Each state has its own laws for the educational system, which is controlled by the Board of Educa¬tion. Although there is a federal Department of Education, its function is to gather the information, to advise and to help finance certain edu¬cational programs. In spite of local control, school systems through¬out the country are very similar. A child can transfer from a school in one state to a school in another without any serious difficulties, as the same basic subjects are taught throughout the country.

       Education is compulsory for every child in the USA. There are two major divisions in the elementary and secondary school system in the USA - public schools, where education is free of charge and pri¬vate schools where the cost of education is rather high. Some of those schools are religious and they are maintained by churches.

       The normal school system consists of 6 years of elementary school and 6 years of high school. The school children are called "students", not pupils. In elementary school students learn the ABCs of reading and writing, drawing, painting and singing. Many of them teach modern languages such as French, Spanish, German and now Russian. Mathematics, English composition and Grammar, General Science and Literature, Music, PT, Home Economics are learned by elementary school students.

       There are two kinds of secondary or high schools in the USA: Junior High Schools are for children from 12 to 15 years old; Senior High Schools are for students of 15 to 18 years old. Many Americans finish only Junior High Schools, because they begin working to help their families. The certificate of the Junior High does not allow them to enter college or University.

       In American High Schools there are two kinds of school subjects, subjects which are compulsory for all students. These subjects are: English, Literature, PT, Social Science. But there are also elective subjects, among them are Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, foreign languages, History and many others. Be¬sides, boys and girls in the same class usually learn different subjects.

       The testing system in American schools differs from that in Rus¬sia. Oral tests are very rare. American students write quizzes, tests, dictations and compositions. In primary schools they have letter grades: A, B, C, D, E which correspond to the following grade points values in junior and high schools: 95% -100% - A, 87 %-94% - B, 75% - 86% -C, 65% -74% -D, 59% -64% -E. The highest grade is A or 95% -100%. A passing grade is 75%. In high schools students get credits for the subjects they choose if they fulfill minimum requirements.

       Higher Education is given in colleges and universities. There are about 3000 institutions of Higher Education in the USA. Some of them are public, others are private. A public institution is owned by the government. Tuition and living costs here might be about 1000 dollars a year. The private ones are only for the select few, who can afford to pay high tuition fees. The most common college degree is a Bachelor of arts. This degree requires four years of study. After another year or two of research, they may get a degree of Master and then Doctor of Philosophy. The most well known universities are Harvard, Columbia, Michigan and New York. Standardized examinations play a decisive role at almost every level of education, especially in the admission to colleges and universities.

       For high school students who wish to attend a college or a uni¬versity there are two widely used tests. One is the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) which measures aptitudes in verbal and mathematical fields necessary for college work. The other is the ACT (American College Testing program) which measures skills in English, mathe¬matics, and the social and natural sciences. Both tests are given at special dates and locations throughout the US by non-profit, non¬governmental organizations. The tests are not "official" and are used by universities as standards for comparison. The results of these tests indicate the "quality or level of ability expected of those who apply. Similar testing programs exist at any higher levels as well.

       Other examinations however, are official and usually quite difficult. Most universities require mid-semester and final (end-of-semester) ex¬aminations. And most students who have scholarship must maintain a certain grade average to keep then-scholarships. Americans have won 146 Nobel Prizes in sciences, physics, chemistry, and physiology or medicine- since the awards were first given in 1901. They represent 38.5 percent of all recipients. The next closest is Great Britain, with 63 Nobel Prizes. If the US is still distant from the aim of educating everyone well, it has at least done a good job with many.

       There are no national or even state-wide dates for school vacations. Each school district sets its own. Generally, "schools out" from around the first week in June until the last week in August. However, many school districts sponsor "summer school" for children who have fallen behind and wish to make up work, or for pupils who want to take extra courses. Most universities and colleges also have summer semester.

       There are summer camps for a week or two, they are scattered throughout the country and offer a wide range of activities. Some of the camps are owned and operated by the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts, or various churches, private individuals and groups. Others are sponsored by the Red Cross and might teach swimming, boating, and life-saving. There are also groups, which organize low-cost or free summer pro¬grams, from sports and crafts to concerts and dances, for children, who spend the summer in the city. But not all American high school and col¬lege students can afford summer vacation most of them must work to earn their living. But of course, this is not what they would rather do.

 

HOBBIES (ХОБІ)

       The family is very important as a unit in our society. Nothing else but family can be an emotional center of people's life, can be a transmitter of culture and raising children. Every mother feels great affection for her children and tries to bring them up in a proper way. Understanding between the members of the family and consideration for others are very important in family relationship. Tenderness, warm-heartedness and respect must always be present in the family to make it friendly. A lot of activities help members of the family to be on friendly terms: discussing all the family plans together, going on trips hikes together, visiting museums, theaters, exhibitions and exchanging opinions about them, sharing the same joys and sorrows. If you think of the others in the family you show your love and attention in everyday life, you can hurt them if you are selfish, not sincere and rude. It is very important to visit relatives on holidays, on birthdays, on anniversaries and develop close relationship. We feel more affection for our relatives when we are parted from them. The proverb says, " /Absence makes the heart grow fonder". When the family is friendly, everybody has the warmed feelings of returning home where dear relatives are waiting for them. There are different opinions on how children should be treated if they disobey their parents, break the rules, do forbidden things, don't keep their words or promises. Some people think that parents should be patient, kind and understanding. The rules and children's behaviors are discussed in such families. But others believe that children ought always to obey the parents and if they won't they should be punished. From my point of view, such principles won't do a lot of good. Fear and punishment will lead to selfishness, cruelty and lies. But "love and kindness will save the world". We are the family of two. I live with my mother.

       We don't have such problems as misunderstanding between the members of the family. I think that it is due to the age of my parents and their character. My mother is 40 years old, she is layer. She is a kind, clever and responsible woman. My mother always ready to give me necessary information, moral support and a good advice. It is common knowledge that there is no place like a home. We are dedicated to our homes, we give them much love, care and enthusiasm. A man's house is his castle. I like my home and I want to tell you more about it. I live in Kuprijanov st. in center of our city. We moved into this flat several years ago. Now it is a place where I feel it ease and enjoy every minute of my stay there. We have a washing-machine, a vacuum cleaner, a refrigerator, a freezer, hand-mixer, computer and other things which I consider to be quite necessary as they make our life easier and help to solve a lot of problems in the shortest possible time. We have 2 rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom. When you drop into our flat you come into a lobby, where you can take off your coat, shoes and hat. I'm very happy to have a room for myself, where I feel quite and comfortable. It is a place where I can relax, read a book and listen to music.

       There are yellow blinds and a writing table, a sofa, a bookcase where my favorite books are situated. There are a lot of things in my room which can tell about myself, about my friends and relatives. You can find frames with photos of my parents and best friends on the walls, little pictures. They remind me happy moments of my life and that is why are very dear for me. You may be surprised, but the most popular and favorite place with all of us is the kitchen. Every Sunday my mother makes a cake and we gather together, discuss our problems and make plans for the next week. Our kitchen isn't large and looks the usual modern kitchen you can see in many other homes. I can tell a lot about my home, but to make a long story short I can say, that speaking about my home, I don't mean a flat as it is , I mean people, who are dear to me, who love me and are always waiting for me. That is why, wherever I were I would always hurry home.

 

 

SPORT AND A HEALTHY MODE OF LIFE

Sport is very important in our life. It is popular among young and old people.

Many people do morning exercises, jog in the morning, train themselves in clubs, in different sections and take part in sport competitions.

Other people like sports too, but they only watch sports games, listen to sports news. They prefer reading interesting stories about sportsmen. But they don't go in for sports.

Physical training is an important subject at school. Pupils have got physical training lessons twice a week. Boys and girls play volley-ball and basket-ball at the lessons. There is a sports ground near our school and school-children go in for sports in the open air.

A lot of different competitions are held at schools, a great number of pupils take part in them. All participants try to get good results and become winners. Sport helps people to keep in good health. If you go in for sports, you have good health and don't catch cold.

Children and grown-ups must take care of their health and do morning exercises regularly.

There are some popular kinds of sports in our country: football, volley-ball, hockey, gymnastics, skiing, skating. Athletics is one of the most popular kinds of sports. It includes such kinds of sports as running, jumping and others. Everybody may choose the sport he (or she) is interested in.

There are summer and winter sports.

My favourite sport is swimming. I go to the swimming-pool twice a week. But I prefer to rest by the lake or the river and swim there.

My friend Kostya goes in for boxing, He is a good boxer and he is a brave and courageous boy. His hobby helps him in his everyday life.

We must speak about the Highland Games in Scotland . All competitors wear Highland dress. There are such competitions as putting the weight, tossing the caber and others. The English are great lovers of sports.

 

Sport is very important in our life. It is popular among young and old people. Many people do morning exercises, jog in the morning, train themselves in clubs, in different sections and take part in sport competitions. Other people like sports too, but they only watch sports games, listen to sports news. They prefer reading interesting stories about sportsmen. But they don't go in for sports. Physical training is an important subject at school. Pupils have got physical training lessons twice a week. Boys and girls play volley-ball and basket-ball at the lessons. There is a sportsground near our school and school-children go in foi sports in the open air. A lot of different competitions are held at schools, a great number of pupils take part in them. All participants try to get good results and become winners. Sport helps people to keep in good health. If you go in for sports, you have good health and don't catch cold. Children and grown-ups must take care of their health and do morning exercises regularly. There are some popular kinds of sports in our country: football, volley-ball, hockey, gymnastics, skiing, skating. Athletics is one of the most popular kinds of sports. It includes such kinds of sports as running, jumping and others. Everybody may choose the sport he (or she) is interested in. There are summer and winter sports. My favourite sport is swimming. I go to the swimming-pool twice a week. But I prefer to rest by the lake or the river and swim there. My friend Kostya goes in for boxing. He is a good boxer and he is a brave and courageous boy. His hobby helps him in his everyday life.

 

Museums and art galleries.

Millions people al over the world spend their holidays visiting museums and art galleries. They visit them to see new things, to know more about other countries, their traditions, about history and even future of the mankind. There are different type of museums : historical, military The Tower of London is a historical museum. It is the oldest palace, fortress and prison in Europe. It’s also one of the most popular museums nowadays. The great central tower, the White tower was built around 1090 by William the Conqueror on the site of a Roman fort built there more than 1000 years earlier. Massive defensive walls and other towers were added later. Through the centuries, the Tower of London has been a citadel, a palace, a prison for offenders against the State, the home of the Mint, the treasury for the Crown Jewels, a menagerie, and the first Royal observatory. Three queens of England have been beheaded within its walls. The Tower’s guardians are the Yeomen Warders who wear splendid scarlet and gold uniforms dating back to Henry VII’s time. Sir Hans Sloane was a great collector. He filled his house with rare books and pictures, precious stones, stuffed animals, birds and butterflies, and ancient remains from all over the world. There had never been a collection quite like it , and visitors were amazed by what they saw. When Sir Hans Sloane died in 1753, his wife let the King buy the whole collection for just 20 000 pounds so that it could belong to the nation for ever. This was the start of the British Museums. It took thirty years and thousands of tons of stone to complete the building and the forty-four massive columns which decorated the front. The building of the British Museums was finished in 1948. The state Tretyakov Gallery is one of the best-known picture galleries in the world. It takes its name from its founder Pavel Tretyakov, a Moscow merchant and art connoisseur. In the mid-19th century, Tretyakov began to collect Russian paintings. He visited all the exhibitions and art studios and bought the best pictures of contemporary artists. Little by little Tretyakov extended his range of interest and began to collect earlier Russian paintings. More than once he had to add wings to his house, because his collection grew larger and larger. In 1881 Pavel Tretyakov opened his collection to the public. 11 years later he donated it to the city of Moscow. Since then the gallery has received hundreds of pictures from other museums and private collection. Today the Tretyakov gallery is not only Russia’s biggest and most important museums of Russian art, it is also a research, cultural and educational center.

 

Traveling.

Here is a story of a man who had an terrible holiday: The first thing that went wrong was that the country we were going to decided to have a war a few days before we were going there. So that was the end of that. But the plane we were going on was stopping off at Rome. So rather than not having a holiday at all, we thought we'd go to Italy. Very nice. See the sights. Go to the beaches and get fat with pasta. We were at the airport waiting for the plane and a friend of mine who lived near the airport had come to see us off. So we were having a few drinks in the bar and joking with this friend of mine, Peter, saying 'Poor old you in cold rainy England. This time tomorrow we'll be in Italy on the beach.' And I went down to see if the flight had been called and discovered it had gone. It was a terribly stupid mistake. We hadn't checked the time of departure. I was sure it was going 9 something but it was going at 19 something which of course is 7 o'clock. So we were actually there in the bar when it went without us. We were determined to have our holiday. The irony was that Peter was now going back to his comfortable home and we were stuck in the cold and the rain at 10 o'clock at night. You see, it was a charter flight so we couldn't book another one. We lost our money and all the other flights were booked up. Well, we got a train to the South Coast and caught the midnight boat across the Channel, froze to death all night, it was a terrible crossing with people being sick everywhere. And eventually we got to I think it was Dieppe and then a train to Paris. We got to Paris very early in the morning and I thought we'd be all right. You see, we now had to hitch hike because a lot of our money had gone on the boat and the train, but I thought 'Well, it's very early in the morning, we'll get a good place to start hitching and we'll soon be well on our way.' We got to the start of the motorway and I just couldn't believe it. I've never seen so many people trying to hitch a lift in all my life. Well, it was then it suddenly dawned on me. It was August the first wasn't it? and on August the first in France the whole population goes on holiday and there were hundreds of people, stopping the traffic, banging on drivers' windows trying to persuade them to stop and give them a lift. It was chaos, disastrous. Well, we got moving eventually. A lorry driver gave us a lift. And then things started to get better, as we got further south and it got warmer, you know, and we thought 'At last, the holiday's beginning.' Well, we camped that night and we then set off again the next day. We got some lifts, and met a great chap who owned a vineyard. He took us back to his farm and we tasted all this wine -Burgundy, my favorite - and we had a great time. Now the holiday really was starting. Well, he took us back to the motorway, and there we were by the side of the road, the sun was shining, we were a bit merry, sang a few songs - you know, life was great. And we got another lift from ... well he was a maniac, complete maniac. He seemed nice enough, but within a few minutes he was driving at about a hundred miles an hour, overtaking on the inside on the motorway, with his stereo at full volume, one hand on the wheel and well the other hand on various parts of Susan's body. What! So what did you do? I don't know why I'm laughing I've never been so frightened in all my life. We were absolutely -helpless. Susan tried to say that she had to go to the toilet, but he wouldn't stop then she pretended to be sick in his car, and he stopped in seconds. He had this really flash expensive car, and as soon as he stopped we just jumped out and ran. The worst thing was this tremendous drop from feeling so good to thinking that we were going to get killed. We eventually got down to the south of France and began to have a good time, and then down to Italy. We ran out of money, of course, but apart from that, it was good. I've never had such a tiring holiday. When we got back, I was exhausted. At the end of the holiday, I needed a holiday! And this is a story of an old woman. She has traveled all over the world in her tiny van. It's a nice way of having holiday. Now at this moment, somewhere on the other side of the Atlantic, Olive Gibbs is probably chugging along the road, in the early morning in her tiny camping van. The travel bug came to Mrs. Gibbs rather late in life. About 14 years ago, to help her get over the death of her husband she went on an overland bus trip to Katmandu. This fired her with the enthusiasm to travel more, but as she couldn't afford to go on extensive organized tours, she bought a camper and took to the road alone. Now at the age of 72, she's clocked up about 75,000 miles on trips that have taken her to America, Australia and South Africa. Ann Catchpole met her at her home on the Sussex coast just before she was setting out on her current venture another wander around America, Canada and Mexico, that'll take about a year, and she'd been very busy that afternoon packing up the van, mainly, as she told Ann, with stocks of food. Of all the meals that I have during the day, my breakfast is the one that I like. It's not that I have a large breakfast but I do like my toast and marmalade. I've got quite a few pounds of marmalade in my van at the moment, I should think I have about 10 pounds, and when that run out and if I'm down in California by then I shall make some marmalade. I take English things like Marmite which not many other countries of the world seem to appreciate. I'm also taking crisp breads to the United States because I don't care for their bread very much. And I take biscuits because I don't care for their biscuits very much. But otherwise I can buy everything I need in the United States. But I don't like wasting my time shopping, so I carry as much as I can and visit a supermarket only when I'm forced to. Well, I know vaguely which way I'm going to go, but I do change my direction if there's something I hear about which I think I would like to see, or I don't like the road I'll go a completely different way. And at the beginning of the day I don't know quite where I'm going to sleep at night. I wait until I feel tired or I wait until I see somewhere that attracts me and then I stop. The first thing I do, and I do this deliberately, I make myself a cup of tea, and I sit outside my van because I think it, it pleases the Americans to see an English lady having afternoon tea. But as soon as I really ... as soon as I arrive, especially in the United States or Canada, the men all want to talk to me about places they've been to when they were in the army during the war over here. Other people want to know and tell me about where their ancestors came from, and nearly always I have been to the places, or at least know something about them, because I do travel quite a bit in my own country as well as going abroad. In fact when I'm trying to unpack at the end of a day's journey and get a meal in the evening, life becomes very difficult because people gather round and want to know all about me and it's almost dark before I can get on with my unpacking and getting a meal ready. But I do try to get my cup of tea in first. In Zimbabwe, at that time called Rhodesia, and I was actually camping in Zimbabwe by the Zimbabwe ruins. And during the night someone went by with a torch. It woke me up, and I just thought it was somebody going to a toilet, and I took no notice. But when I woke up in the morning I found that a lot of my papers had been taken, and the wallet in which I kept them. And of course I didn't realize at the time what was going on. It must have been the noise of the door closing which woke me up. I suppose I'm very foolish but often I don't lock myself in my van at night. Sometimes I do if I feel at all nervous or if I'm in a camp site on my own, then I do lock myself in. Each country has something special about it. But I think the beauty of South Africa is something that I shall never forget. I used to stand sometimes when I was there and say to myself, 'Just look and look as much as you can in case you don't come this way again.