Тексти до тем усного туру ІІ Всеукраїнської учнівської олімпіади з англійської мови для 8 класу

1. My Family and me.

First of all let me introduce myself. My name is Taras. I'm seventeen years old. I'm at 11-th grade. There are two more kids in the family besides me — my elder brother Oleg and my younger sister Marija. Oleg is twenty-one, he attends a

University, he will be a dentist. Marija is only twelve, she is a schoolgirl. I forgot to mention one more member of our family. It's our favourite poodle Tim.

My parents are not old at all. My Mum is forty, she works for a newspaper. My Dad is forty-four, he is an engineer in computers. My parents love their jobs very much.

My family is not very big, just a typical family: Dad, Mom, me, my brother and sister and our cat. My Mummy is forty- one, she is a teacher of Spanish at the University. She is a born

teacher. She has teaching abilities. My Dad is forty-two, he is a professional painter, he works for a design company. My parents both like their work very much.

My elder sister Natasha is nineteen, she goes to the University, she wants to be a teacher of history. She is fond of reading books on history and fiction.

My younger brother Igor is only six years old, he goes to the kindergarten. He is very funny, I like to spend my free time teaching him something. Igor likes to play with our cat.

My grandparents are retired. They like gardening. They spend a lot of their time in the garden. They grow vegetables and fruits. We enjoy having fresh vegetables and green on our dinner table.

I love my family very much. We always help each other. Everyone in my family is my best friend.

I'm doing quite well at school. My parents are proud of my marks. I go in for sports. I play basket-ball. In summer time I like yachting and windsurfing. I take part in different basket-ball competitions. In a year I shall finish my school and I have to decide what occupation to choose. I have been studying English for seven years. I want to be a military interpreter.

My grandparents are already retired. They like gardening and spend all their time growing tomatoes, potatoes, onions, strawberries, raspberries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. My Friend

I’am not a very sociable person yet there are people whom I can call friends.

One of them is Ihor.

He is eighteen.

He left school last year and now he’s a student of the University.

Ihor is a future economist.

Ihor is a first year student.

He does not have much free time but if he has, Ihor likes to spend it in a good company.

Ihor and his friends like to listen to good music, dance, watch new films and discuss them and do many other interesting things.

We often go to the cinema, cafes, con-certs and shows.

Ihor is a good friend.

He’s always ready to help everybody who needs.

My friend knows a lot of interesting facts about music, famous people and history.

He is fond of driving.

Now his car is not very new and beautiful but he hopes to buy another one in the future.

I’m happy to have such a good friend as Ihor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

II

2. My Friend

 

My best friend's name is Michael. We made friends a few years ago. We are of the same age. We live in the sameblock of flats, so we see each other almost every day.

Michael is a tall slender boy. He has got dark hair, large dark eyes, a straight nose and thin lips. He wears spectacles. He is a nice guy. He is very honest and just, understanding and kind. I trust him a lot and I'm sure that Ican rely on him in any situation. He never lets people down. Michael is only 19 but he is very responsible — he finishes whatever he starts. He's got only one shortcoming. He is a bitstubborn; nevertheless he is pleasant to deal with.

Michael is an only child and his parents love him very much. His father is a lawyer. He is the most brilliant man I've ever met. He knows everything there is to know about the law. Michael's mother is a music teacher. No wonder Michael is so talented. He's got a very good ear for music. He likes jazz and plays the piano very well.

We spend a lot of time together. We often watch video or listen to music. Sometimes we go to the theatre, or walk around the centre of the city, visiting small cafes, museums, art galleries, and shops. We talk for hours about all sorts of things (politics, love, teachers and girls). We discuss films, television programmes, books.

I never quarrel with Michael. But if there is some misunderstanding between us we try' to make peace as soon as possible. What I like best

about him is that he is always willing to help and share his knowledge, thoughts, and feelings. I respect him for his fairness, strong will, intellect, and modesty.

I miss Michael when we don't see each other for a long time. Without him I would feel lonely and uncomfortable. Our friendship helps me feel strong and sure of myself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. My working day.

I am very busy on my week-days. My week-days do not differ much one from another.

On week-days my working day begins early in the morning. My school starts at 8 o'clock, so I have to get up at 7, to be ready in time. I never wake up myself, my mother always wakes me up.

Sometimes I do my morning "exercises, then I rush to the bathroom. I clean my teeth, wash my face. The cold water makes me feel not so sleepy. Then I go back to my room, make the bed. I switch on my radio. I put on my clothes, comb my hair, put a little make-ups. By that time my breakfast is ready (my mother cooks it for me).

At a quarter to eight I grab my bag and rush to my school, My school starts at 8 o'clock and I don't like to be late.

Usually I have six or seven lessons a day, it lasts till 8 o'clock, After each lesson there is a break, so I can talk to my friends or eat my sandwich. When school is over I go home. First of all I need to walk my dog. Then I have my dinner and a little rest.

The teachers give us a lot of homework, so I start doing it about 16.30 or 17.00. As a rule it takes me two or three hours to do my home assignments.

My parents get home about six o'clock. We watch soap- opera on TV, have supper together. We share all the news, I tell about the lessons and school.

After it, I help my mother to do some work about the house — wash dishes, sweep the floor, clean the room.

Twice a week in evenings I go play tennis. When I do not go to play tennis, I stay home and watch TV, listen to the music, read magazines. Sometimes my friends call me and we go for a walk.

At eleven o'clock tired after a long working day I go to bed and fall asleep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. My day off.

I go to school five days a week, so I have two days off — Saturday and Sunday (I'm lucky, because some other pupils have the only one day off). During the week I am very busy, so I like to have a rest on weekend.

I am not an early riser and it is a rare Saturday or Sunday when I get up before 9 o'clock. I enjoy staying in bed, when I don't have to hurry anywhere.

We have late breakfast at 10 and watch TV. Usually we have something tasty: meat salad, fried potatoes, chicken, cake or pie.

If the weather is fine, I usually do not stay indoors, I and my dog go outside. Often we go to the park and play there. If the weather is rainy and gloomy, I stay at home and watch TV, listen to the music, read the books.

After dinner we go visit our grandparents or relatives, or just simply take a nap. Sometimes when my friends call me we go roller — blading near the Opera theatre I like roller — blading very much, I think it is a lot of fun.

In the evenings I like to watch video and music programs. There is a big armchair in my room right beside the lamp with blue shade. If it is cold I like to sit there with cup of coffee and read.

Sometimes I do something special on weekends: go to an art exhibition, to the theatre, to the consert.

I always go to bed late on Sundays, and Monday morning is the nastiest thing through all the week.

I like weekends very much, because I can rest and gain some energy for the next week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. My native school.

Our school is a modern two-storeyed building of a typical design.

It is situated in the centre of the city in a picturesque street named after the great Ukrainian poet Lesya Ukrainka.

In front of our school there are round flower- beds, where pupils grow different flowers during their biology lessons.

There are different specialized class-rooms for the lessons of Physics, Chemistry, Geography and Biology.

They have slide projectors; schemes and tables are on the walls.

Chemistry and Physics classrooms have special laboratories well-equipped for different experiments and tests, which are made by our pupils during the lessons.

The first floor of our school is occupied by English, French and German classrooms.

There one can find different pictures, maps, diagrams and wall newspapers on the walls.

On the second floor there is our gymnasium and assembly room, where we usually gather to celebrate different holidays.

We decorate the assembly room with colourful balloons, slogans and our pictures.

In the gymnasium we have our classes of physical training and also spend the breaks between the lessons playing volleyball or basketball.

There are also classrooms for junior pupils in our school.

Those rooms are the largest and most beautiful in our school.

We also have aesthetics classroom where we have the lessons of drawing, music and Russian and Ukrainian literature.

There one can see portraits of Ukrainian poets and writers, posters with the history of the development of Ukrainian costumes.

The canteen and the cloak-room are on the ground floor.

On the whole our school is very clean and light.

There are white and pink curtains on the windows and many flowers on the window sills.

The corridors are large and full of sun-light.

There we can have some rest between our classes or just talk with each other.

I like my school very much.

 

6. School life. After school activities.

I like studying. My favourite proverb is «Live and learn».

We have spoken about what pupils do at school, at lessons and during breaks.

But boys and girls don’t spend the whole day at school.

This talk will be about what they do when school is over and they are free.

Not everybody goes home after the last lesson.

Many boys and girls — the most active members of the class and school — stay at school for so me time for social activities.

They organize parties, conferences, games and meetings.

The school library is open at this time for pupils who come to choose a new book or read an interesting magazine.

There are different after-school clubs at school; each member of an after-school club goes there to do something which interests him.

Sports sections are also very popular.

Their members play games and go in for gymnastics.

You can see boys and girls from all classes either in the gymnasium or on the sport-ground.

As you know, schoolchildren have to study after school, too.

They have homework to do.

When do you think it is better to begin doing homework?

As doctors and teachers say, the best time is after dinner and an hour’s walk.

If you have no rest, it’ll be difficult to prepare your lessons.

Work about the house is a good rest from studying, too.

The English people say, “A change of work is as good as a rest”.

So it is useful to go to the shops and buy something.

But if you meet a friend in the street, don’t talk too much because you’ll have too little time for your lessons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. My hobby. My family hobby.

I have a lot of hobbies because there are so many interesting things to do.

Unfortunately I don’t have much spare time as I’m going to be a student that’s why I have to study a lot.

I like doing different things.

Such as reading detective novels, listening to the music, playing tennis with my classmates.

Hobby is a favourite occupation of a person in his free time.

I have many friends.

They are very different and they have different kinds of hobbies.

One of my friends, for example, likes to knit very much.

In the evening she sits on the sofa and knits a beautiful pullover or a sweater.

She also knits for her little sister, her mother and her friends.

Another friend of mine spends all her time sewing things: skirts, blouses, dresses.

She makes it nicely and she always looks good.

One of my friends likes to make every-thing with his own hands.

He can repair an iron, a radio-set or a tape-recorded.

I think it’s a very good hobby.

Many children and grown-ups are very fond of collecting.

Some people collect old coins, others collect postcards.

As for me, my hobby is collecting stamps.

Now I have 5 albums full of stamps, it is more than one thousand stamps.

I like to sit at a table in the evening and arrange new stamps in the albums, or write in the names of the countries, or just look through them.

Each stamp has a story to tell about distant countries and new people.

I see pictures of people, birds and animals which I have never seen before.

Kings and presidents pass before my eyes and I can follow the history of the whole nations.

My hobby is not only wonderful but very useful, too.

For me, our family hobby is when we are cooking together. Not for some holiday -just like that - to have fun. Our crown dishes are Varenyky and  cookies. Although next time we will try to prepare sweets. I love that when all family members involved. Everybody helps to put the love to the dish.

8. My native town and its historical places.

At present, the Vinnytsia Region is one of the largest agricultural and industrial, cultural and historical regions of the independent state of Ukraine.

It's quite cheap to live here, although in certain parts of town the accommodation is really very expensive. Everyday things in the shop are very cheap compared with England, although clothes can cost a lot.

There are so many cars and lorries. The railways system is not very extensive so everything has to go by car. The town is a very interesting place to visit, although I wouldn't call the buildings beautiful. But the place is quitefascinating and well worth spending a day on. And then there are some wonderful churches and mosques.

The town is quite small, about one hundred thousand people; the town centre is very compact, although thesuburbs stretch for about five kilometres in each direction.

It rains all the time, it's quite famous for that. Even in the middle summer you are never certain that the sun will shine all day, so difficult to make plans for any outdoor activities.

 

 

 

My native town becomes especially beautiful in early spring when there is a great many rose-shrubs in flowerbeds and everything is in blossom.

 

 

 

I would like to tell you that I like my town. I know every corner of it. Wherever I go I am always glad to come back to my native town. For me there is no other place in the world where I can feel like home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. My favourite holidays.

I want to tell you about my favourite holidays. I have quite a lot of them. I usually celebrate holidays with my relatives and friends. We gather together, lay up the table full of food, dance and play different games. 
New Year is my favourite holiday since early childhood. My brother and I usually decorate a New Year tree with colourful glass balls and toys. I also like cooking New Year supper. I always help my mother to decorate New Year dishes. At night we have a real feast. We eat what we have cooked and watch TV. After clock strikes midnight, New Year comes. We drink champagne and give each other presents.
My other favourite celebration is my birthday which is in May. On this day I am in the centre of attention. My parents and friends give me presents. If the weather is nasty I have a birthday party at home. If the weather is fine I invite my friends to have picnic in the forest. I invite close friends and we have fun together.
I also like St.Valentirie's Day, which is a new holiday in Russia. It is celebrated on the 14-th of February. I like this holiday because it gives a lot of fun. We have Love mail at school. A box is placed on the ground floor of the building and anybody can put into it a card with the name of the person it is addressed to and the number of the form. In the middle of the day the mail is delivered and it is nice to get a card from a person you don't know.
I really enjoy holidays and celebrations!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. Sports in our life.

People all over the world are fond of sports and games. Sport makes people healthy, keeps them fit, more organized and better disciplined. It unites people of different classes and nationalities. Many people do sports on their personal initiative. They go in for skiing, skating, table tennis, swimming, volley-ball, football, body-building, etc.

All necessary facilities are provided for them: stadiums, sport grounds, swimming pools, skating rinks, skiing stations, football fields.

Sport is paid much attention to in our educational establishments. Gymnastics is a part of children's daily activities in the kindergartens. Physical culture is a compulsory subject at schools and colleges.

Professional sport is also paid much attention to in our country. In city, where I live, there are diferent sporting societies, clubs and complexes.

Practically all kinds of sports are popular in our country, but football, gymnastics and tennis enjoy the greatest popularity. As for me, I go in for table tennis (ping-pong). It needs mobility, liveliness and much energy. It keeps a person in a good form. I have been playing tennis for five years, but the more I play, the more I like it. I get a real joy-taking part in competitions or simply playing with my friends. Sometimes, I go to tennis courts.

Certainly, there's a great distance between my manner of playing and such favourites as Jim Courier, Stephan Ed- berg, Pete Sampras, Boris Becker, Per Korda, but I do my training with great pleasure and hope to play as well as our best players do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11. Home duties.

Every person should be hard-working because one cannot get anything without putting a lot of work into it.

In our family everybody works with pleasure.

I haven’t got any brother who could help my father to make furniture or do carpentry, so he has to do it himself.

I have no younger sisters or brothers but if I did have them, I would be a very good baby-sitter because I like little children very much.

When I come home very early, I don’t just sit and wait till my mother returns home and cooks supper for me.

I do it myself and when my parents come home from work, I am glad to greet them and invite to the kitchen to taste my cookery.

I think that the duties about the house are divided between my father, my mother and me quite justly.

Though most of cooking in our family is done by my mother I help her by laying the table and clearing it after meals and washing up.

On washing days my father and I help her to wring out clothes and hang the linen, then I iron it.

I also do some shopping and keep the rooms clean and tidy.

My mother does most of work in our family.

She cooks breakfast for us every day and does shopping on her way back from work.

I try to do all I can to help my parents about the house.

Sometimes I have to visit everyday services: hairdresser's, shoemaker's, dry-cleaner's, photographer's. At the hairdresser's I have my hair cut and waved. At the shoemaker's I have my shoes and boots repaired, at the photographer's I have my photos taken. Service is generally good, but in some cases it leaves much to be desired.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12. Family traditions.

Family is an integral part of every person’s life. It is the most important social unit. A sense of stability and tradition, that family provides, can’t be replaced by anything or anyone. Perhaps, every family follows some special traditions that have been passed to them by former generations. My family is not an exception. For example, in my family it is habitual to dine together. Every evening, when my parents come home from work, we have a nourishing family dinner. First of all, it lets us feel as a close unit. Secondly, we get to discuss the important events of the day. The same tradition can be seen in my grandparents’ house. Other than that, we are used to share the household chores. Everyone has its own duties. For example, my mum is responsible for cooking, while my dad always does the shopping. I’m responsible for the pets and plants, while my older sister is responsible for washing the dishes and vacuum-cleaning. In my opinion, we are a close-knit and friendly family. Each time there is an official holiday we invite the friends and arrange a posh feast. We especially like celebrating New Year and Christmas. The traditional New Year dishes in our home are a roast chicken, a couple of Russian salads and my mum’s specialty - a vanilla cake. We always prepare postcards and presents for everyone who visits us and for our family members. The presents are usually placed under the Christmas tree. Other family tradition is going out on Friday nights. Every Friday we go out for a dinner. After that, we either come back home to watch a good movie, or we go to the cinema. There are lots of other traditions in my family, but these seem to be the most important ones.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

13. Food. Favourite dishes and cooking.

There is a good proverb that I like very much: “We eat to live, but do not live to eat.” I think this is true because food is something that we need to stay alive. Food is a source of energy.

It goes without saying that I prefer to have meals at home. At the weekend I like to get up late and have a good breakfast of scrambled eggs, or pancakes, or something like that. But on weekdays I'm always short of time in the morning. So I just have a cup of strong tea or coffee and a couple of sandwiches.

As I spend a lot of time at school (usually eight or nine hours) it's necessary to have a snack at midday just to keep me going. That's why I have to go to the school canteen to have lunch. Our school canteen leaves much to be desired. It has become a tradition with our canteen to serve chops and watery mashed potatoes every day with a glass of cocoa or stewed fruit.

But I enjoy my evening meal at home. My mother is a wonderful cook and her dinners are always delicious and various.

To begin with, we usually have some salad- tomato and cucumber salad or mixed salad (I like it very much). For the first course we have some soup- noodle, mushroom or cabbage soup, or maybe some fish soup for a change. For the main course we have meat, chicken or fish dishes, for example, steak or fried fish with spaghetti or potatoes (boiled or fried). We also have a lot of vegetables- green peas, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers. I prefer meat to fish but my mother makes me eat fish from time to time. She says it's good for my brains.

For dessert we have some fruit, fruit juice or just a cup of tea with a slice of cake.

On Sundays we sometimes go to McDonald's. I like everything there: cheeseburgers, hamburgers and Big Macs, apple pies and fruit cocktails. But unfortunately we can't afford to go there very often, because it's rather expensive for a family and besides, they say it's not very healthy to eat at McDonald's.

Well, of course, my family likes to try new dishes. So my mom always invents a new salad or cooks a new an interesting recipe if she has time on weekends.

 I like the proverb very much: “We always should remember that we eat to livebut not live to eat.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

14. Eating customs and traditions in Great Britain.

Traditionally English people have three meals a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Breakfast is served in the morning. It used to be a large meal with cereal, eggs and bacon, sausages, tomatoes. But such a large breakfast takes a long time to prepare and is not very healthy. Nowadays, Britain's most popular breakfast consists of cereal, toast with marmalade, juice and yogurt with a cup of tea or coffee.

Lunch is a light meal. Most people have no time to go back home for lunch so they eat at school, cafes, pubs or restaurants.

The main meal is dinner, which is usually between 6 and 7 p.m. A typical evening meal is a meat dish with vegetables and dessert.

The most important meal of the week is the Sunday dinner, which is usually eaten at 1 p.m. The traditional Sunday dish used to be roast beef, but nowadays pork, chicken or lamb are more common.

On Sunday evenings people have supper or high tea. The famous British afternoon tea is becoming rare, except at weekends.

Some people criticize English food. They say it's unimaginable, boring, tasteless, it's chips with everything and totally overcooked vegetables.

The basic ingredients, when fresh, are so full of flavour that British haven't had to invent sauces to disguise their natural taste. What can compare with fresh pees or new potatoes just boiled and served with butter? Why drown spring lamb in wine or cream and spices, when with just one or two herbs it is absolutely delicious?

If you ask foreigners to name some typically English dishes,they will probably say «Fish and chips» then stop. It is disappointing, but true that, there is no tradition in England of eating in restaurants, because the food doesn't lend itself to such preparation. English cooking is found at home. So it is difficult to find a good English restaurant with a reasonable prices.

In most cities in Britain you'll find Indian, Chinese, French and Italian restaurants. In London you'll also find Indonesian, Mexican, Greek... Cynics will say that this is because English have no «cuisine» themselves, but this is not quite the true.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

15. Health and care.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away," says an English proverb.

Is there anything more important than health? If your body suffers from any disorder your mind suffers with the body, too. You can't be good either at work or at studies.

It is a pleasure to look at a strong, athletic man and slim beautiful lady.

It is known that healthy people live longer and their career is more successful. To look well you must follow some simple rules: don’t smoke and take drugs, don’t drink alcohol, don’t eat too much chips and sweets, eat more vegetables and fruits, sleep well, do exercises.

We have two lessons of physical training once a week. We do exercises, run, jump, play basketball and pioneer ball, ski in winter. I think that we must have more lessons of physical training than we have now.
I like to play tennis, to ride a bicycle and to swim. But most of all I like roller-skating. I could hardly wait when snow melted, I put on roller-skates and went outdoors. I spent one or two hours every day skating with my friends and we’ve got a lot of fun!
If you want to look better, you should go in for sports, do morning exercises, sleep 8 hours a day.
Sports help you to keep your figure fit. You should also eat a lot of vegetables and fruit.
I don’t smoke (nobody smokes in our family). I know that this very bad habit may cause serious problems in your health. I do my morning exercises, try to eat “healthy” food and think that this is really a good way to live.

In case you have a serious illness, you should go to the hospital.

Remember that your health depends on you.

Finally I wish to tell all people: “Do more sports, eat only wholesomefood, be kinder, please, and you’ll be healthy and happy for sure!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

16. Seasons.

There are four seasons in a year: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Every season is beautiful in its own way.

When spring comes nature awakens from its long winter sleep. The days become longer and the nights become shorter. The ground is covered with emerald-green grass and the first flowers. The air is fresh, the sky is blue and cloudless, and the sun shines brightly. The trees are in full blossom. The nightingale begins to sing its lovely songs, and sweet melodies may be heard from every wood and park. The days are warm and everything is full of life and joy.

Spring is followed by summer. The weather is usually fine in summer, but it can be very hot, especially in July. Sometimes there are storms with thunder and lightning. In summer people try to get away from the city noise and spend more time in the open air. They pick mushrooms and berries in the forest, swim in the rivers and lakes, go fishing and boating. Most people prefer to have their holidays in summer.

Autumn begins in September. The days become shorter and the nights become longer. The leaves turn yellow, red and brown and fall to the ground. Most birds fly away to warm countries. There is a short spell of dry sunny weather in September, which is called "Indian Summer". It is a beautiful time when the sky is cloudless, the trees around are golden, the air is transparent and it is still warm. But gradually it gets colder and colder. It often rains in October and November which makes autumn an unpleasant season.

In winter the sun sets early and rises late. The rivers and lakes are frozen over. Everything is covered with snow. Sometimes it is very cold, about 25—30 °С below zero. Going out in such weather isn't very pleasant. Winter is a good time for sports. People go in for skating and skiing. Tobogganing is also popular, not as a kind of sports, but rather as a fun.

As for me, I like all the seasons, but I think there is nothing like late spring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

17. Why do people travel?

People began to travel ages ago. The very first travellers were explorers who went on trips to find wealth, fame or something else. Their journeys were very dangerous but still people keep on going to the unknown lands.

Nowadays it is not as dangerous and much more convenient.

Tourism became a very profitable business because people are ready to spend their money for the great opportunity to have a great time learning about new countries, going sightseeing, resting and enjoying themselves.

I like to travel. First of all, the members of our family usually have long walks in the country. Such walks are called hikes. If we want to see countryside we have to spend a part of our summer holidays on hikes. During such hikes we see a lot of interesting places, sometimes we meet interesting people. It's useful for all members of our family. We take our rucksacks. We don't think about tickets and there is no need to hurry up.

As for me, it's more comfortable to travel by train. I like to travel by car. It's interesting too, because you can see many things in a short time. When we go by car. we don't take tickets. We put all things we need in a car. We don't carry them. Sometimes we go to the seaside for a few days. As usual the weather is warm and we can swim. It's a pleasure to watch white ships. So I can say that I enjoy all kinds of travelling very much.

I like travelling. And I want to smell different smells. I want to see different kinds of trees, flowers and plants. When I spend a holiday in travelling I always take a camera with me and photograph everything that interests or pleases me: the sights of a city, views of mountains, lakes, valleys; the ruins of ancient buildings. Some years later that will remind me the happy time that I had.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

18. Why do we study English?

Foreign languages are absolutely necessary for people nowadays, because of our growing international contacts with foreign countries.

There are many reasons, why we begin to study foreign languages. One studies a foreign language to be able to communicate with other people who speak this language, other study it for future career. If we are planning to travel to countries where the language we can speak is spoken, we can communicate with people there and understand what they are saying to us. If we are working in any branch of science, we naturally wish to read scientific books and magazines in other languages to raise our professional level. Making business nowadays also means the ability of speaking foreign languages. The ability of speaking one or two or even more foreign languages helps people from different countries to develop mutual friendship and understanding. We can also make our intellectual and cultural horizons wider through contacts with people of another culture. It is also very interesting to read foreign literature in its original form. We can also read foreign newspapers and magazines and understand films in foreign languages without any help and translation.

As for me I learn English, because English is a very popular language all over the world. It is used in many parts of the world and there is a lot of business correspondence and literature in English.

Also I am going to learn Spanish, because it is also a widely spread language. I think, it is very important to speak at least one foreign language either English or German or French and Spanish or any other one.

There is a saying: the more languages you speak, the more times you are a human being.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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18. Why do we study English?

I began to study English in the fifth form and by now I have been learning this language for 7 years.

I like English; I think any foreign language helps to understand your own language.

The English language is one of the most important languages in the modern world; more than one billion people can speak or understand this language.

This language is the official language in such countries as the United States of America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the South-African Republic, India and many African countries.

English is one of the five official languages of the United Nations Organization.

English is the language of the great English literature.

It is the language of Shakespeare, Byron and Charles Dickens.

From the early childhood we enjoy the books by English writers — who does not know Winnie-the Pooh, Sherlock Holmes or Robinson Crusoe!

But the English language is also the language of science — most of scientific magazines in the world are published in English. It is impossible to be a good scientist without knowing this language. That is why I pay much attention to English and I hope that in the future I shall know this language well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

19. English lesson.

I am a pupil of the eighth form.

I study at school 14 in Kharkiv.

The pupils of our school learn different languages: Russian, English, French and German.

I learn English.

I have my English three times a week.

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday I take my English textbook, vocabulary and exercise-book and go to my English lesson.

The bell rings and the teacher and the pupils come into the classroom.

We sit down at our tables, open our textbooks and the lesson begins.

During the lesson we listen to the tape recorder, ask each other questions and speak out on what we have heard.

Sometimes it is a story, sometimes it is a dialogue or a conversation.

They are not very long but they are al-ways very interesting.

We speak English a lot, but we also read texts from our textbook.

During the lesson we also write sentences on the blackboard, learn grammar rules and do exercises.

Twice a month we have our home reading lesson.

At this lesson we speak about what we have read and discuss interesting episodes from our book.

I never get bad marks in my English be-cause I always prepare my homework well.

I like my English lessons very much and come to them with joy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

20. My favourite subject.

We did quite a lot of subjects at school. They were: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, History, Geography, Russian, Ukrainian, English, Literature and others.

Every teacher asked for equal and adequate attention to his subject and it was not an easy work to do. I knew that all the subjects were important, but still I was always indifferent to exact sciences.

Since my childhood I have been fond of reading. My favourite subjects were Literature and English. When I started studying English, the first thing I got interested in, was the different way to express one and the same idea in English and Ukrainian. I wondered why if an Englishman is upset or gloomy he does not say: «I have a bad mood» like Ukrainians do but says: «I feel blue».

My favourite subject is English.

English is very important as it has become the most used language in politics, science, trade and cultural relations in the world.

It is also the language of great literature.

Such writers as William Shakespeare, Walter Scott, Charles Dickens and Bernard Shaw wrote in English.

It gives me great pleasure to read their books in the original.

I learn English at school.

I also read English books, magazines and newspapers.

I watch video films and listen to songs in English.

I have a Walkman, so I often listen to songs or teaching cassettes when walking or in the underground.

I write new words on little cards and look them through every evening before going to sleep.

I hope that in the future I’ll speak English fluently!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

21. Schools in Ukraine and Great Britain.

In Great Britain children begin to go to school at the age of five.

First they study at infant schools.

In these schools they learn to draw with coloured pencils and paints.

They also make figures out of plasticine and work with paper and glue.

They play much because they are very young.

Later they begin to learn letters and read, write and count.

At the age of seven English schoolchildren go to junior schools.

They do many subjects: English and Maths, History and Music, Natural History and Drawing, Handicrafts, French and Latin.

They do not go to school as early as we do, but they stay there longer.

The first lesson usually starts at 9 o’clock.

There are 3 lessons with short breaks of 10 minutes between them and then an hour break for lunch.

After lunch they have two more lessons which are over by half past three.

If you have a look at an English pupil’s school record, you will see that the marks in it differ from the marks we have.

Our schoolchildren get marks from 1 to 12.

At English school there are marks from 1 up to 10 and at some schools from 1 up to 100.

Junior school ends at the age of 11 when pupils take the Eleven Plus examination and then secondary school begins.

At the age of 16 schoolchildren take their exams.

Only 45 per cent continue with full-time education after 16.

The rest go to work or join employment training schemes.

In Ukraine all citizens are guaranteed an equal opportunity to get free education. Nearly 22. 300 general-education schools, mainly state-run, operate in Ukraine. Approximately 7 000 000 pupils attend these schools. More than half of these pupils (57%) are educated in the Ukrainian language; the rest of the schools teach Ukrainian as a separate subject. There are schools where the language of instruction is Russian, Moldovian, Hungarian, Romanian, Polish, Tartar, etc.

 

 

 

22. Shops and shopping.

When we want to buy something, we go to a shop. There are many kinds of shops in every town or city, but most of them have a food supermarket, a department store, men's and women's clothing stores, grocery, a bakery and a butchery.

I like to do my shopping at big department stores and supermarkets. They sell various goods under one roof and this is very convenient. A department store, for example, true to its name, is composed of many departments: ready-made clothes, fabrics, shoes, sports goods, toys, china and glass, electric appliances, cosmetics, linen, curtains, cameras, records, etc. You can buy everything you like there.

There are also escalators in big stores which take customers to different floors. The things for sale are on the counters so that they can be easily seen. In the women's clothing department you can find dresses, costumes, blouses, skirts, coats, beautiful underwear and many other things. In the men's clothing department you can choose suits, trousers, overcoats, ties, etc. In the knitwear department one can buy sweaters, cardigans, short-sleeved and long-sleeved pullovers, woolen jackets. In the perfumery they sell face cream and powder, lipstick, lotions and shampoos.

In a food supermarket we can also buy many different things at once: sausages, fish, sugar, macaroni, flour, cereals, tea. At the butcher's there is a wide choice of meat and poultry. At the bakery you buy brown and white bread, rolls, biscuits. Another shop we frequently go to is the greengrocery which is stocked by cabbage, potatoes, onions, cucumbers, carrots, beetroots, green peas and what not. Everything is sold here ready-weighed and packed. If you call round at a dairy you can buy milk, cream, cheese, butter and many other products.

The methods of shopping may vary. It may be a self- service shop where the customer goes from counter to counter selecting and putting into a basket what he wishes to buy. Then he takes the basket to the check-out counter, where the prices of the purchases are added up. If it is not a self-service shop, and most small shops are not, the shop-assistant helps the customer in finding what he wants. You pay money to the cashier and he gives you back the change.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

23. Books in my life.

Nowadays it's almost impossible to imagine our life without books. Perhaps, there are more books on our planet than men alive. Long before the invention of printing people valued books as treasure troves of the human knowledge and experience. Hand — written manuscripts took months of writing and were collected by and kept in monasteries with utmost care. We can distinguish books between three classes of them. Firstly, books on different branches of knowledge, works by brilliant minds of mankind. Secondly, textbooks, reference books and numerous dictionaries. And at last, books of all kinds and genres to read at leisure.

Classics should be taken a little at a time. One's understanding of books by Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky, Mopassan and Balzak depends on one's age and experience. Serious books are to be read conscientiously and maybe more than once. To a thinking reader they will provide new food for thought every time he rereads it. Many people indulge in reading science fiction, fantasy or detective stories. Of course, there are some advantages and disadvantages of this kind of literature, often reffered to as «easy reading». As for me, good science fiction and fantasy develop imagination, logical thinking, broader one's outlook. The same could be said in favour of detective stories. They reveal such minute details of everyday life in. this or that particular country that are of greatest interest for a curious reader. The masterpieces of this genre by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie and others, show the depths of psychological analysis, the insight into the human nature.

As an old saying goes, man cannot live on bread alone. Books are the source of knowledge and the means of self — perfection. Sometimes it is difficult to solve some problems in life. I think that books can help us. Books must be our friends during all our life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

24. My favourite writer.

Reading is one of my hobbies and that’s why I try to use every spare minute to read.

I like different kinds of literature.

I like Russian and foreign, classic and modern literature.

I usually read different books: love stories, detective stories or historical novels.

I want to tell you about my favourite writer.

It is Alexandra Marinina.

She is considered to be a Russian Queen of detective prose.

The works of this author are clever and really interesting.

In all books there are the same characters and starting a new book you meet old friends.

The author used to work as an investigator and she knows how to arouse the reader’s interest and at the same time writes the facts that could take place.

Many detective novels by Marinina are translated into foreign languages and foreign readers can compare our writer with Agatha Christie.

When I got acquainted with these books I was greatly impressed by the wit and humour.

The main character, a slender and weak woman, doesn’t need to fight with the criminals using judo or something like that.

She is very clever and intelligent.

Her brain works as a good computer and she knows how to derive benefit from it.

All the actions and characters are described so vividly that I had a feeling of our possible meeting when I visited Moscow last summer.

Unfortunately I don’t have complete works by Marinina, it’s impossible, she’s still writing.

But I always recommend my friends to read these books.

 

 

 

 

 

 

25. Cinema. Visiting the cinema.

Cinema plays an important role in 'the life of any society. It is an available popular form of art. Lots of people find going to the cinema one of the best ways of spending their leisure time. The movie audience is predominantly a young one.

When I want to go to the cinema, I usually see in the programme what films are on. Then I phone my friends and we discuss what films to see.

We prefer feature films but also enjoy cartoons and popular science films. To see a good love story, musical or detective film is a very pleasant way of spending free time. If I want to go to an evening show, I usually book tickets in advance. But for matinee performances I always buy tickets just before the show.

There are many talented actors and actresses. My favourite actors are О. Yankovskiy, B. Stupka. My favourite actressies are N. Gundareva, O. Sumska. They played the leading parts in many films and I always enjoy their superb acting.

The last film I saw was the screen version of the novel «Gone with the Wind» by M. Mitchell. This film is in colour. It's an old film but still it enjoys great popularity. There are many famous American actors in it with Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable in the leads. I was deeply impressed by their acting and the film itself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

II

25. Cinema. Visiting the cinema.

The movies are truly an art of our time.

It is the greatest aesthetic and educational force in the world today.

The invention of the photography in 1828 played a very important role in the development of the cinema.

1895 became the year when the cinema was born.

After the brothers Lumier had invented the cinematography the cinema widely spread all over the world.

The first movie theatres appeared in 1904.

And in 1907 the literature works started to be widely used for the movie scripts.

Now different movie versions of novels and stories of famous writers are still very popular.

The movies are a powerful force in contemporary life.

Cinema is also used for educational purposes.

Video classes are useful when studying geography, foreign languages and many other subjects.

They are also the means of getting acquainted with the world.

With the help of documentary and science films one can get much information about the world around.

The news on TV helps to know what happens in the world each day.

It also helps to attract the attention of people to different important problems, such as hunger, earthquakes, water pollution and so on.

The cinema is also the means of entertainment.

After a working day one can relax watching some good movie.

Nowadays people can’t just imagine their life without the art of cinema.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

26. Theatre. Visiting the theatre.

Theatre is a place where you can see a play staged. It is also one of entertainments.

There are not many theatres in my town, but they are all very popular with the public.

I am a theatre lover, too.

As for me, I prefer drama to all other theatres, but I also like opera and musical comedy.

I’ll never forget my first visit to the Opera and Ballet Theatre.

My friend and I wanted to see the famous ballet “Swan Lake” by Tchaikovskyi.

We bought the tickets in advance and came to the theatre half an hour before the show.

At 7 sharp the performance began.

From the very first minute I was deeply impressed by everything I saw on the stage.

The costumes were fine.

The dancing and music were thrilling.

The ballet seemed to me a fairy-tale.

I had never seen anything more wonderful.

My friend also enjoyed every minute of it.

When the curtain fell at the end of the performance, there came a storm of applause.

It seemed that it would never end.

The dancers received call after call.

They were presented with large bouquets of flowers.

We also applauded enthusiastically.

The performance was a great success.

But we are to admit that theatre is not popular now as it used to be. There are many people who prefer to seat comfortably before the TV and enjoy themselves without leaving their homes.

 

 

 

 

27. Great Britain (geographical position)

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland occupies the territory of the British Isles.

They lie to the north-west of Europe.

Once upon a time the British Isles were an integral part of the mainland.

As a result of sinking of the land surface they became segregated.

Great Britain is separated from the continent by the English Channel.

The country is washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

Great Britain is separated from Belgium and Holland by the North Sea, and from Ireland — by the Irish Sea.

There are several islands along the coasts.

The total area of the British Isles is 325 000 km².

The main islands are the Isle of Man and the Isle of Wight.

The surface of the country is much varied.

Great Britain is the country of valleys and plains.

The mountains in Britain are not very high.

Scotland is the most mountainous region with the highest peak, Ben Nevis.

The insular geographical position of Great Britain promoted the development of shipbuilding, different trading contacts with other countries.

It has also allowed the country to stay independent for quite a long period of time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

28. Ukraine (geographical position)

Ukraine is situated in the south-east of Europe.

It borders on Russia, Belarus, Moldova, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and Romania.

The territory of Ukraine is 603 700 km2.

The territory of Ukraine is mostly flat.

There are the Carpathian Mountains in the west and the Crimean Mountains in the south, but they are not high.

The main rivers are the Dnieper, the Dniester, the Buh, the Donets and others.

The Dnieper is one of the longest European rivers and one of the main sources of hydroelectric power in the country.

The coasts of the Azov Sea and the Black Sea are good for ports.

We have quite a lot of big sea ports, for example, Odesa, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Izmail, Mariupol and Kerch.

The geographical position of Ukraine is very favorable because the country lies on the crossroads of the ways from Asia to Europe.

Since the times of Kyivan Rus Ukrainian roads have been used for trade contacts.

Due to favorable climatic conditions, Ukraine is traditionally an agricultural country.

Wheat, maize and other corns, vegetables, all kinds of fruit are grown here.

The country is rich in natural resources, such as iron ore, coal, non-ferrous metals, oil, gas.

It has developed a varied industry, concentrated mostly in and around big cities, such as Kyiv, Zaporizhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, Kharkiv, Lviv, Mykolaiv and others.

Ukraine produces planes and ships, lorries and buses, electronic equipment and agricultural machines, TV and radio-sets and other goods.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

29. London sightseeing.

There are a lot of places of interest in London.

Among them there are: Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, St Paul’s Cathedral, London Bridge, the Tower of London.

London stands on the river Thames.

Crossing the river by the Tower Bridge you can see the Tower of London.

It is one of the oldest buildings of the city.

Many centuries ago it was a fortress, a royal palace and then a prison.

Now it is a museum of arms.

On the bank of the Thames, not far from the Tower of London, you can see Westminster Palace, or the Houses of Parliament.

It is the seat of the British government and it is one of the most beautiful buildings in London.

In one of its towers there is famous Big Ben, the largest clock of England.

It strikes every quarter of an hour.

Buckingham Palace is the Queen’s official London residence.

Tourists always go to see the ceremony of changing the Guard there.

London has many fine squares.

Some of them are quiet; others are busy like Trafalgar Square.

Trafalgar Square is the central square of the city.

To the right of the square there is the National Gallery which has a fine collection of European paintings.

St Paul’s Cathedral is the biggest English church.

Another famous church is Westminster Abbey where kings, queens, and many famous people are buried.

London is also famous for its beautiful parks.

Hyde Park is the most democratic park in the world, as anyone can say anything he likes there.

Regent’s Park is the home of London Zoo.

 

 

 

 

30. Kyiv sightseeing.

Ukraine has a long history and rich culture.

That is why there are many places of interest there.

It is natural that the capital of the country, Kyiv, has the greatest number of them.

It is one of the oldest cities in Europe.

From time immemorial Kyiv has been the centre of Slavonic culture.

There are many ancient cathedrals and churches, museums and monuments, beautiful streets and squares in it.

The main street of Kyiv is certainly Khreshchatyk.

If you have never been to Kyiv you should start your sightseeing there.

The street is only one kilometre long but very impressive.

Kyiv is famous for its Kyivo-Pecherska Lavra.

More than 80 buildings were constructed on its territory during 900 years of the monastery’s existence.

Tourists always go to have a look at the monument to Bohdan Khmelnytsky, the outstanding Ukrainian statesman and military leader.

There are many other places of interest in Kyiv.

One of them is the State Historical Museum of Ukraine.

There are more than 50,000 exhibits on display.

The exposition tells us about the history of Ukraine and its culture from antiquity to the present days.

The Golden Gates, the Andreyevskaya Church, the monuments to Prince Volodymyr and Taras Shevchenko are worth seeing.

Kyiv Shevchenko Opera and Ballet House, Kyiv Ivan Franko Drama Theatre are well-known all over the country.

Any place is interesting in its own way and visiting it we come to know and love this country more.