My Family
1.
Family is the most
precious thing for me, because this is where I find love
& understanding, & support.
2.
Our family is
quite large by modern standards.
3.
It consists of
four people - my parents, my younger sister & me.
4.
My parents are quite
young, about 35, & my sister is four years younger then me.
5.
My father is a civil
navigator.
6.
He spends most of
his time at work, so the time when he is home in the evening is something
special for my sister & me.
7.
My mother is a teacher,
& she has more time to spare than my father.
8.
We share our problems
& secrets with them, & they often give very good advice.
9.
There’ s often a lot
to do about the house, but we are always willing to help with the chores,
& everything is done quickly & efficiently.
10.
Most of all I like
our late dinners or early suppers, when we all gather round the table, &
the light of the kitchen lamp creates a relaxed & cosy atmosphere.
11.
We talk, & joke,
& have fun, because we are all friends.
12.
Sundays are also very
nice.
13.
If the weather is
fine, we go skiing in the forest in winter, or to our ‘dacha’ in summer.
14.
In fact, it’s just a
small cottage on a small plot of land, but we like it a lot, & like to
work in the garden, planting, digging, gathering strawberries & tomatoes.
15.
But, if I were asked
about our family
hobby,
I would name reading.
16.
Reading is a perfect
combination of business & pleasure, of intellectual work &
entertainment.
17.
That’s about all. I’m
lucky to have such a loving & friendly family, & when I have a family
of my own, I will try to make it work on the same lines.
Me & My plans for the future.
1.
Finishing school is
the beginning of the independent life for millions of schools
leavers.
2.
Many roads are opened
before us: vocational & technical school, institutes &
universities.
3.
But, it’s not an easy thing to choose a profession out of more
than 2,000 existing in the world.
4.
Some pupils follow
the advice of their parents or friends, others can’t decide even after
leaving the school.
5.
As for me I made my
choice long ago.
6.
I specialize in the
humanities.
7.
Social Sciences &
English have always been my favorites, but my chief interest is law.
8.
My dream has always
been to become a lawyer.
9.
My choice of this
occupation didn’t come as a sudden flash.
10.
As a child, I
listened to my aunt & uncle discussing professional matters.
11.
Little by little, I
got interested in the subject & began thinking of law as my prospective
occupation.
12.
For me, choosing a
career is not only a matter of future prestige & wealth.
13.
In my opinion, a job
should be interesting & socially important.
14.
That is the reason
why I have chosen the profession of a lawyer, which gives plenty of
opportunities to help people in trouble.
15.
In addition I should
say, whatever profession I choose to follow, the greatest pleasure will
surely come from feeling that I am useful to my country.
Country that I want to visit.
1.
I haven’t been to
Great Britain yet, & I’d like to visit this country very much, because I
like the English language, & I’ m curious to learn about everyday life of
the people who speak this beautiful language, & just see the sights.
2.
Here’s what I know
about this country so far.
3.
The full official
name of the country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern
Ireland.
4.
It is a
constitutional monarchy - the nominal head of state is Queen Elizabeth the
Second, but the real law-making body is the Parliament, consisting of two
Chambers, the House of Commons & the House of Lords.
5.
The royal family is
preserved as a kind of a tourist attraction.
6.
The country is
situated on the British Isles, which lie off the north-west of Europe.
7.
They are separated
from the continent by the English Channel, better known by its French name -
La Manche.
8.
Now, there is a
tunnel under the Channel, efficiently binding Great Britain & the
continent.
9.
The climate is rather
mild, influenced by the Gulf Stream, & famous English lawns & gardens
are of some special shade of green.
10. The UK is a very highly developed
industrial country, with such branches of industry as ship-building,
manufacturing of textiles, machinery, electrical & electronic equipment,
& many others.
11. The population of the UK is about 55
million people .
12. There are two major political parties in
the UK, Labour & Conservative.
13. The Conservative are in office now.
14. I know a lot more about the UK, but this
information has been taken from books & mass media.
15. I’d like to visit the country & see
everything for myself.
My hobby
1.
People get a kick out
of doing most extraordinary things.
2.
The most widespread
hobby is collecting.
3.
I can’t say that I’m
really mad about this or that kind of leisure activity.
4.
I tried collecting
stamps, they are so nice & informative.
5.
But gradually my interest
just faded away, & I gave my collection to my friend for his birthday.
6.
Then I moved on to
collecting recordings of the pop groups I liked, but after a while it seemed
pointless because music radio stations play old & new hits all the time.
7.
I go on doing it, but
I wouldn’t call it a hobby.
8.
I like dancing at
some club or disco, but it’s just a way of spending time, not a hobby really.
9.
Best of all I like
reading.
10. It’s a very quiet occupation, & it
does not require any particular skill or ability.
11. But that’s what gives me the greatest
pleasure.
12. I enjoy reading all kinds of books -
historical novels, travelogues, biographies, novels, science fiction,
detective stories, poetry, etc.
13. Someone said that reading to the mind is
what exercise is to the body.
14. Books can’t be replaced by all the mass
media in the world.
15. Reading is a perfect combination of
business & pleasure, of intellectual work & entertainment.
16. So, frankly speaking reading is my
hobby.
Ekaterinburg
1.
E is one of most
wonderful & interesting cities in Russia.
2.
It’s the capital of
Urals, & it is dear to the hearts of our citizens.
3.
It had a rich
history, & when you walk along the quiet streets of old E
4.
You can feel the past
everywhere.
5.
The sights of E are
countless, so I will mention only my favourites ones.
6.
I like to walk
window-shopping down Main Avenue, glittering & full of hurrying
passers-by.
7.
I like to sit on a
bench near the monument to Popov - I like the monument itself, but even more
I like to watch the people passing by, & people that are waiting for
their dates.
8.
E is a cultural
centre.
9.
There are many
theatres, picture galleries, film & sound recording studios.
10. Most interesting cultural events, shows,
exhibitions take place in E.
11. E, of course, is an educational,
scientific & industrial centre.
12. There are a lot of enterprises producing
a wide range of goods, such as machines mechanizms & so on.
13. What I like most about E is the pulse of
life, of change, of movement.
14. E is the place where things are happening
in all spheres of human activity - it’s the heart of Urals, full of energy.
15. I just love this city.
My school.
1.
There are many
different types of school in our country now- specialised school, gumnasiums,
lucees, colleges, private school.
2.
They offer different
curricula, & you can choose the subjects you need.
3.
Our school is
secondary school, & it is quite good.
4.
All in all, it is
quite comfortable for studying.
5.
The classrooms are
well-equipped, there are chemistry & physics labs, a language lab with
tape recorders, headphones & mikes.
6.
The teachers are very
knowledgeable, & the lessons were always interesting.
7.
So we have everything
at our disposal, we only have to study.
8.
And we study hard,
especially in the senior forms.
9.
I’m interesting both
in natural sciences & the humanities, as I believe a person should have a
broad general education.
10. Beside the school building there is a
stadium.
11. We have football matches & all kinds
of competitions there.
12. Naturally, it isn’t just all work &
no fun.
13. We have a rock band, & often organise
dancing parties with flashing lights & everything.
14. We have different contests, including the
one between teams of witty persons.
15. Some of the jokes are quite funny.
16. There is an amateur drama company, &
they often stage short sketches by humorist writers.
17. So, our school life is rather eventful
& active, leaving no time for bedroom.
18. I like my school & I ‘m going to miss
my classmates, the easygoing atmosphere, & all the fun we have.
My Working Day.
1.
A person’s schedule
depends on his or her type of activity, & is organised accordingly.
2.
It is rather
flexible, & can be change any time, if necessary.
3.
I will try to give
you a snapshot of a typical day in my life as a school student.
4.
The shrill ringing of
an alarm-clock wakes me up at half past six.
5.
I do not jump out of
bed, but daydream for about 5 minutes more.
6.
Then I do jump out,
& keep jumping, pushing up, sitting up, & generally warming up for
about 20 minutes.
7.
Then a quick shower,
& a very light breakfast - I just can’t make myself eat much in the
morning.
8.
So, it’s a
soft-boiled egg, a toast, & a cup of tea or coffee.
9.
Then off to school.
10. It’s the usual routine of classes &
breaks, a longer break at 11 a. m. for lunch, & school is over at 1 or 2
p. m., depending on the number of classes.
11. Sometimes I stay at school till 3 p. m.
for some optional class or something extra-curriculum.
12. Then I’m home, & it’s dinner, if I
may call it so.
13. My folks are both at work, so left to my
own devices I have what I manage to find in the fridge.
14. Then I fool around for an hour or so
browsing in some magazine or a book, or listening to some quiet music.
15. After that I’m ready for the most
important part of my day, my work actually.
16. I study, I dig up information, I solve
tasks, find answers to question - do my homework.
17. By 8 p. m. I feel tired.
18. Fortunately, by that time folks have
arrived, & we eat.
19. That is the only proper meal of the day
for me, & the only time to talk with my parents.
20. Then an hour or more of study, some TV,
& by 12 p. m. I’m in bed.
21. Sometimes I have to stay up late, if I
have some difficult task to solve.
22. So this is it, in a nutshell.
23. Not very eventful, but it’s a working
day, isn’t it?
Russia.
1.
We are living in a
rapidly changing, multinational & multicultural world.
2.
Barriers keep
falling, people & cultures mix, but one thing remains basic & dear to
my heart - my homeland, Russia.
3.
No one can deny that
it is a great country in all senses of the world, with its area of 17,1
million square kilometres, & the population of 150 million people.
4.
It spans two parts of
the world, Europe & Asia, serving as a bridge between them.
5.
It is washed by the
seas of the Arctic & Pacific Oceans.
6.
The variety of
climatic zones it the north down to the subtropics in the south.
7.
It has immense
natural resources, such as coal, oil & gas, all kinds of mineral
deposits, great forests & rivers, it has everything.
8.
There are many
branches of industry in Russia - machine-building, steel production, chemical
& electronic industries, & numerous others.
9.
Unfortunately,
agriculture is in a rather poor state, & we have to import foodstuffs,
& even wheat.
10. The potential of Russia & its people
is great, & with reasonable economic mechanisms & laws the country
will overcome the present difficulties, & will occupy the place it
deserves in the world community.
11. The cultural heritage of Russia is rich
& varied/
12. The names of Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky,
Tchaikovsky are known all over the world/
13. Russia’s history, like that of any other
great country, is full of glory & blood.
14. Russia twice saved Europe from the Dark
Age - stopping the Tartars, & crushing the German fascists.
15. I’m proud of my country, I love Russia,
my motherland, & will do the best I can to improve its economic &
political situation.
An Outstanding Person of Russia.
1.
Russia gave birth to
many wonderful people, who made great contributions to all fields of human
activity, such as science, art, various discoveries, & so on.
2.
The world knows our
composers, ballet dancers, writers.
3.
As for me, I think
one of the greatest men, who influenced Russian & world culture, was
Alexander Pushkin.
4.
I believe that in his
prose & poetry he actually created the modern Russian language, the
language we use today.
5.
He was born a
nobelman & lived a life of a nobelman.
6.
He studied at an
exclusive school, lycee.
7.
He visited all those
balls, & parties, & receptions at court.
8.
But he managed to
feel & know the souls of ordinary Russian people of all walks of life.
9.
His power of
observation was so great, that in his works he drew a comprehensive picture
of life in Russia at that time.
10. It’s a strange phenomenon that poets do
not live long.
11. I think that is because the candle burns
so brightly & so fast.
12. Pushkin was killed at the age of 37 at a
duel that was a result of intrigue & scandal connected with the name of
his wife.
13. But poets do not die.
14. If you asked Russian people who their
favourite poets is, most would answer «Pushkin».
15. Small kids learn to read using his fairy
tales, & this admiration of his poetry just stays on.
16. His works are read & enjoyed by all
those who love the Russian language & Russia.
Sport.
1.
Sport is, or rather
should be, an important part of everyone’s life.
2.
Here we should
distinguish between big-time sport & just keeping fit.
3.
We can’t all be
professional athletes, but we should pay attention to out bodies.
4.
Our body needs
exercise just as it needs food.
5.
Everyone chooses
physical according to one’s tastes.
6.
Some people just jog.
7.
Others prefer more
active kind of exercise, such as football, basketball, volleyball, martial
arts.
8.
Tennis has become
very popular, & it really is a good workout for all groups of muscles.
9.
Fitness centres, body
building & shaping gyms are full of pumping iron.
10. There are some specific British &
American sports that are rather interesting - golf, cricket, baseball, American
football.
11. Tastes differ, but one thing is for sure
- if you want to be healthy & fit, you can’t do without sport.
12. I start every day with a half hour of
exercise - push ups, sit ups, chin ups, warming up all my muscles.
13. Then a quick shower, & I feel as fit
as a fiddle.
14. Twice a week I have a two-hour workout in
a gum on various training devices & just lifting weights.
15. Once a week I visit a swimming pool .
16. It’s enough for me to feel fit.
17. Of course I would like to take up Alpine
skiing or para-gliding, but I have neither time nor equipment for that.
Holidays.
1.
Every family has its
own holidays, connected with some great events in its history.
2.
For ordinary people
holidays are mostly the chance to relax & have a good time.
3.
There are some almost
universal holidays, such as Christmas & New Year.
4.
We’ve got 2 favourite
holidays New Year & Easter.
5.
The New Year is noisy
& festive.
6.
Christmas trees are
decorated with tinsel, toys, & strings of colored light bulbs.
7.
Children put
stockings under the trees for Santa Claus to fill them up with gifts.
8.
It’s a family
occasion - the whole family usually gathers, gifts are exchanged.
9.
There are parties,
dancing, champagne drinking, fireworks & firecrackers.
10. At midnight everyone at a party stops
whatever they are doing to greet the New Year.
11. It’s the most colorful & merry of all
holidays.
12. I can’t help mentioning Easter, which is
connected with the idea of spring & revival of nature.
13. We exchange painted eggs, special cakes,
& generally make merry.
14. There are also our birthdays parties- we
celebrate him or her with birthday, singing Happy birthday to you, present
our gifts & have our family dinner.
15. All holidays are nice, because people
forget their worries for a while, & enjoy themselves.
London.
1.
I haven’t been to
London yet, & I’d like to visit this city very much, because I like the
English language, & I’m curious to learn about everyday life of the
people who speak this beautiful language, & just see sights.
2.
Here’s what I know
about this city so far.
3.
L is one of the
greatest, most colourful & interesting cities of the world, & it tops
the list of the cities I’d like to visit.
4.
I know a lot about
it- I have studied its map, seen a lot of postcard, talked to people who have
been there.
5.
Sometimes I close my
eyes & imagine I walk down Piccadilly, Regent or Oxford street, cross the
Thames by London or Tower bridge, or knock on the door of #10 Downing street,
just to say «Hi» to the Prime Minister.
6.
The city is really
large- more than 8 million people live in the so- called Greater L- that is,
L & its suburbs.
7.
The oldest pert of L
is the City, the financial & business centre of the country.
8.
The finest part of L
is the West End with long streets of fine shops, theatres, picture galleries,
restaurants, beautiful parks.
9.
St. James Park, Green
Park, Kensington Gardens, & Hyde Park with its Speaker’s Corner where you
can go up on a platform, & speak freely on the topic that you find vital.
10. The East End is something quite
different.
11. It is the industrial part of L, there are
factories & docks there, & blocks of flats where working people live.
12. Naturally, L is a cultural, scientific,
& industrial centre of the country, & it means that a lot of
interesting things are taking place there all the time.
13. It is rather pointless trying to describe
all the beauties & sights of L.
14. As they say, it’s better to see something
once than to hear about it a thousand times.
TV.
1.
Watching TV is
certainly the most popular adult leisure activity everywhere
2.
83% of our citizens
asked in the survey say they watch TV at least once a month.
3.
Most people regard TV
as a form of recreation, they just want to relax & get some thrills.
4.
And the best thing
for this is home.
5.
TV offers a very
diverse stream of information & entertainment- news, documentaries,
cartoons, movies, sports, games.
6.
Some people spend
hours watching everything that is shown.
7.
I am not a TV
addict, I prefer radio, because you can do something & listen to it at
the same time.
8.
Mostly it’s music,
which helps up to keep a good spirits, the latest news & some useful
information.
9.
But what I like best
is a good intelligent book.
10.
Someone said that
reading to the mind is what exercise is to the body.
11.
Books cannot be
replaced by all the mass media in the world.
12.
Reading is a perfect
combination of business & pleasure, of intellectual work &
entertainment.
13.
So, I switch off TV
& open a book.
Cinema.
1.
Cinema is the
favourite & most widespread form of entertainment both for children &
adults.
2.
Everyone finds smth
that satisfies one’s tastes.
3.
The viewers are
transported to the screen, & take part in the action, performing the most
extraordinary deeds that they would never do in real life.
4.
People.identify
themselves with the characters, & they worship the movie stars , whom
they want to imitate.
5.
There are films that
are real works of art.
6.
They require some
thoughtful viewing.
7.
When I want to go to
the cinema I usually see the programme what films are on.
8.
Then I phone my
friends & we discuss what films to see.
9.
I prefer feature
films but also enjoy cartoons & popular science films..
10.
To see a good love
story, musical or detective film is a very pleasant way of spending free
time.
11.
The last film I saw
was the screen version of the novel Gone with the wind- by M.Mitchel.
12.
It’s an old film, but
still it enjoys great popularity.
13.
The cast is led by
great actress Vivien Leugh.
14.
I was deeply
impressed by acting & the film itself.
15.
It hasn’t lost its
visual splender by the passage of time.
Books
1.
People get a kick out
of doing most extraordinary things.
2.
I can’t say that I am
really mad about this or that kind of leisure activity.
3.
But if I were asked
about my or our family hobby I would name reading.
4.
In modern society
books became overshadowed by cinema, TV, video as entertainment ,& by
computers as a source of information.
5.
Of course, computers
offer a much more perfect & economical way jf storing & retrieving
data.
6.
But the artistic
value of books is undeniable.
7.
Only by reading can a
person learn to think, to feel, to behave as a human being.
8.
I enjoy reading all
kinds of books- historical novels, travelogues, biographies, novels, science
fiction, detective stories, poetry, etc.
9.
If I were to name my
favourite genre or writer, it would be hard for me to do, but in American
literature I would single out M.Mitchel.
10.
Her novel Gone with
the wind- is so human, so touching, informative, touching & poetic.
11. In fact,
it’s one of the greatest books about love.
12. Someone said
that reading to the mind is what exercise to the body.
13. Books cant’t
be replaced by all the mass media in the world.
14. So, I switch
off TV, radio, my computer & open a book.
Outstanding Scientist.
1.
Russia gave birth to
many wonderful people, who made great contributions to all fields of human
activity.
2.
As for me, I think
one of the greatest man, scientist- was A.
Sakharov.
3.
He could teach &
inspire.
4.
His influence was
consisting & increasing at the time of his untimely death.
5.
Sakharov received the
honour & glory of his country for his outstanding work in physics which
led to the Soviet hydrogen bomb.
6.
When he saw abuse of
power he fought the authorities who had recently honoured him.
7.
He was treated with
unbelievable indignity & cruelty.
8.
A.Sakharov set a
standard for the modern hero.
9.
Few will achieve his
level, but many will fight injustice because of his example.
10.
He risked not only
his career but physical harm by speaking out when too many others were
silent.
11.
His life was a feat,
his death, a soldier’s death, was symbolic.
12.
So, I consider him
one of the best representatives of humankind.
Protection of environment.
1.
People have been
polluting their environment since time immemorial.
2.
Toxic chemical waste,
nuclear waste, deforestation, greenhouse effect, thoughtless exploitation of
natural resources- all this has brought mankind to the age of abyss.
3.
The Earth can be
saved only by united efforts of major industrial powers.
4.
A lot has been done
& is being done in this respect.
5.
You can see the mark
Ozone- friendly on most aerosol cans.
6.
But the hole in the
ozone layer keeps on growing.
7.
The whales are still
being killed in spite of the protest actions of Greenpeace.
8.
I personally think
that solution is in safety precautions.
9.
Such as installing
hi- tech purification systems & waste free production methods.
10.
On the other hand the
most of Western countries are overproducing.
11.
Production &
consumption should be balanced.
12.
That is my point of
view.
13.
Besides, people
should be conscious of their environment.
14.
Just don’t litter,
& that already will be a step towards protecting the environment.
My friend.
1.
I’ve got a lot of
friends, but my best friend is Paul.
2.
He is 18, he has an
oval face, straight nose, blue eyes & attractive smile.
3.
So people find him
good- looking.
4.
Paul is particularly
known for his warm & friendly character.
5.
Whenever a friend is
in trouble he never fails to help.
6.
He is always open-
minded &interested in other people.
7.
The only thing I
don’t like about P is that he smokes.
8.
But he is a person of
a strong character & I’m sure he will get rid of this bad habit.
9.
In general my friend
is an interesting person.
10.
He is well- read, he
is fond of music, he plays basketball & football well.
11.
Paul has a great
sense of humour & I like to spend time with him.
12.
It’s impossible to be
depressed with him around.
My pets.
1.
People get a kick out
of doing most extraordinary things.
2.
I’m lucky to have a
cat called Duysya.
3.
It’s a he- cat.
4.
He is 2 years old,
but is as playful & energetic as a kitten.
5.
He takes part in our
family activities & is good to have around, generally.
6.
On Sundays our family
takes 30 minutes drive to our dacha in the country.
7.
In fact, it’s just a
small cottage on a small plot of land, but there is my friend- dog Romka.
8.
He is a big Caucas
dog.
9.
He guards the house
from the burglars.
10.
I forgot to mention
that my grandparents live there.
11.
They are on pension
now & live in the country the whole year.
12.
They keep a lot of
animals- a cow, a calf, one sheep, 2 lambs, & a dozen of hens with the
cock.
13.
I like them all, like
to watch for their behavior- they are very funny.
14.
The only thing that
troubles me is the fact that we need to collect hay for them.
15.
It’s not an easy
thing, it’s a very hard work.
16.
But if you visit
Banya in the evening you will feel as fit as a fiddle.
17.
So I’m looking
forward for summer, for holidays.
Russia. Moscow.
1.
We are lining in a
rapidly changing, multinational & multicultural world.
2.
But one thing remains
basic & dear to my heart - my homeland, Russia.
3.
No one can deny that
it is a great country with its area of about 17 million square km, &
population of 150 million people.
4.
It is washed by the
seas of Arctic & Pacific Oceans.
5.
It has a lot of
natural resources, such as coal, gas, great forests, rivers, it has
everything.
6.
There are many branches
of industry in Russia- machine- building, steel production, chemical &
electronic industries & others.
7.
Unfortunately, is in
a rather poor state, we have to import food stuffs, even wheat.
8.
The cultural heritage
is rich & varied.
9.
The names of Tolstoy,
Dostoeyevsky, Tchaikovsky are known all over the world.
10.
The capital of Russia
is Moscow.
11.
It is dear to the
hearts of all our citizens.
12.
It is rather
pointless trying to describe all the beauties & sights of Moscow.
13.
But what I like most
about this city is the pulse of life, of change, of movement.
14.
Moscow is the place
where thing are happening in all spheres of human activity- it’s the heard of
Russia, full of energy.
15.
I’m proud of my
country, I love Russia my Motherland, & will do the best I can to improve
its economic & political situation.
16.
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