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My favorite book.

My favorite book is “The Old Man and the Sea” by Ernest Hemingway. This
story is one of the well-known works of the writer. The author depicts
the characters of the old man and the boy and their relations very
vividly and skillfully. Santiago, the old man, was one of the writer’s
beloved characters. The old man was a born fisherman, but he was not a
butcher and fished only for a living.

He was very lonely. He had a devoted friend – the boy, Manolin. The boy
loved the old man for his kind heart, his devotion to the sea. Manolin
was like a son to Santiago. He took care of the old man’s food and his
belongings.

The old man was glad to pass his experience to the boy. He looked
forward to going to the sea together with the boy.

All Santiago’s life had been in preparation for the battle with big
fish. He knew that he had been born for this and it was time to prove
it. A strong man at last had met a strong fish. The battle was a
difficult one and full of danger.

Though the sharks had eaten the fish and nothing had left but the
backbone, the old man had morally won the battle. Santiago’s words “man
can be destroyed but not defeated” are the main idea of this story.

“The Old Man and the Sea” is a masterpiece for its imaginative language
and the description of nature.

My Favorite Newspapers.

Newspapers and magazines play a great and very important role in the
life of a modern man.

The newspapers I read are the most readable and have a large readership
or circulation. For example “Arguments and Facts” has a circulation of
more than 5 million. Reading the newspaper I can get information about
current events that have taken or are going to take place in this
country and abroad. I can also read articles about historical events and
public figures of the past. The pages of the newspaper carry articles on
our economy, industry, agriculture and social life.

The newspaper contains and gives coverage of local, home and foreign
affairs.

I like the way it presents different points of view, approaches to the
problems, topical issues of the day.

My parents and I subscribe to some periodicals. There is no need to read
all the articles. I can look through the newspapers and read the items I
am interested in.

My Favorite Writer.

My favorite foreign writer is O.Henry. He was born in 1862. O.Henry is
one of the most widely published American authors. His works have been
translated into many languages. The best of his stories were published
in books: ”Cabbages and Kings”, “The 4 million”, “Heart of West” and
others. His credo was-art should be true, democratic, it should address
contemporary life and embrace all aspects of life. O.Henry was an
outstanding humorist. He worked out and enriched all the types of the
short story: the anecdote, the adventure story, tales and sketches. He
was most famous for his stories of city life. O.Henry wrote about 150
stories with a New York background. He was a born writer of great
talent. In childhood I was deeply impressed by his story “The Last
Leaf”. Since then I bear in my heart the image of a young girl suffering
from serious illness and her friends doing everything they can do to
give her hope and bring her back to life. The author penetrates deeply
into a person’s soul and reveals its best qualities. His love for
humanity, for common people, for critical attitude towards injustice
attracts readers to this day.

My Friend.

I’d like to tell you about my friend. She is my classmate. She is very
diligent and kind-hearted. She is willing to help old people and
animals. She is good at mathematics. She is interested in history. She
is bright girl and does her lessons quickly and easily. She listens very
attentively to all the explanations in class. She is extremely fond of
reading. I have much in common with her and we never quarrel, because
there is no reason for it. We have common ideas, opinions and we discuss
different problems together. I think she is rather beautiful. She has a
snub nose, curly hair. She is a pretty girl.

My school

I study at school №159. It is situated in the center of our district
close to my house. It takes me only 10 minutes to get there. I go to
school 5 times a week. We study different subjects: Russian, English,
literature, history, geography, biology, physics, chemistry, math and
computer science.

Languages and history are my favorite subjects. I make much progress in
these subjects.

Our school is a 3-storeyed modern building. It has many classrooms,
specialized rooms, laboratories and workshops.

Specialized rooms are used to study math, chemistry and other subjects.
These rooms are equipped with corresponding teaching materials,
facilities and devices.

On the ground floor there is a library, a cloakroom, a dining room,
workshops, a gymnasium and a head master’s office.

Our school is located in a picturesque place. The park where different
trees, bushes and flowers grow surrounds it. There is a play ground and
a stadium near the building of the school.

The English Language.

Knowledge of the foreign language is becoming more important nowadays.
There are many reasons why we study English. Now, in a period when we
are reconstructing our economy, when there are many joint ventures with
foreign companies operating in our country, we need a number of
specialists who know foreign languages. If you know English, you can
communicate (personally or in writing) with others who use this
language.

If you wish to make a career in science, you must read scientific books
and magazines in English. Knowing English you can read the works of
foreign writers in original.

A more general aim is to broaden our intellectual and cultural horizons
through contacts with people of other countries.

Knowledge of foreign languages helps people of different countries to
develop mutual friendship and understanding.

At the Theatre.

There are many theatres in my town, but they are all very popular with
the public. Theatre lovers don’t miss any new performance at the Drama
Theatre.

Children like to go to the Puppet Theatre and the circus.

Those who are fond of music go to the Opera House. I’ll never forget my
first visit to the Opera and Ballet Theatre. My friend and I dreamt to
see the famous ballet “Swan Lake” by Chaikovsky. The theatre was packed.
The audience was well dressed, talking and laughing. From the first
minute I was deeply impressed by everything I saw on the stage. The
dancing was exciting, the music was thrilling. When the curtains fell at
the end of the performance there came a storm of applause. The
performance was a great success.

Environmental Protection.

Since ancient times Nature has served Man, being the source of his life.
For thousands of years people lived in harmony with environment. But
with the development of civilization man’s interference with nature
began to increase.

Large cities with thousands of smoky industrial enterprises appear all
over the world today. They pollute the air we breathe, the water we
drink, the land we live in. Many cities suffer from smog. Vast forests
are cut and burnt in fire.

As a result some rare species of animals, birds, fish and plants
disappear forever.

Environmental protection is a universal concern. That is why serious
measures to create a sistem of ecological security should be taken.

Some progress has been already made in this direction. As many as 159
countries-members of UNO- have set up environmental protection agencies.
The accident at Chernobyl nuclear power station in April 1986 caused
radioactive pollution of a vast area.

The international organization Greenpease is also doing much to preserve
the environment.

The Earth is our home. We must take care of it for next generations and
ourselves.

My Favorite Video Film.

My favorite video film is “Titanic”. It tells the story of the famous
ship, “Titanic”, which sank in 1912. The”Titanic”was a colossal ship
even by modern standards. Its tragic sinking will always be remembered,
for the ship went down on the first voyage with heavy loss of life.

The director of the film is Jeremy Cameron. The main parts in the film
are played by young actors Leonardo De Caprio and Kate Winslet. To my
mind their acting is superb. The camerawork is fantastic, too. I’ve
heard that for this film they made a full-size model of the “Titanic”.
It’s a very spectacular film. It is also a moving love-story.

I advise all my friends to see this film. It was awarded 11 Oscars and
I’m sure the film deserves every one of them. ”

My Future Profession.

Finishing school is the beginning of the independent life for school
leavers. Many roads are open before them: technical schools, institutes
and universities. But it is not easy thing to choose a profession out of
more than 2.000 existing in the world. Some pupils follow the advice of
their parents, others can’t decide even after leaving school. As for me
I have made my choice long ago. I want to become a teacher of the
Russian language and literature. My choice of this occupation didn’t
come as a sudden flash. During all school years literature was my
favorite subject. I understand that reading books helps people in
self-education and in solving different life problems. Teachers do not
only teach their subjects. They develop their pupils’ intellect, form
their views and characters, their attitudes to life and to other people.
It’s a great responsibility.

I’m applying to the Philological Department and I am sure my dream will
come true sooner or later.

Sport in my life.

Watching sport events and going in for sports are 2 different things.
When you listen to the radio you can always hear sport news. When you
open a newspaper you will always find information about sport events.

TV programs about sports are always very popular, and you can watch
something very interesting every day.

Personally I prefer to watch figure-skating competitions.

Sports help people to keep fit. At the same time those who go in for
sports try to achieve good results and win victories in sports
competitions. Practically speaking all kinds of sports and games are
popular in our country. People go in for athletics, gymnastics boxing,
fencing, and tennis – sports and games for any season, for any person,
for any taste.

It goes without saying that football and tennis enjoy the greatest
popularity in our country.

As for me I go jogging every day and I attend fitness center 3 times a
week. But I am not crazy about sports. I am much happier sitting on the
sofa with a book or in front of the computer.

Travelling.

Modern life is impossible without travelling. People can travel by rail,
by sea, by road, by air.

As for me I prefer travelling by car. Every year my parents and I go
somewhere to the South for holidays.

The Black Sea is one of the most wonderful places, which attracts
holidaymakers all over the world. We often go on excursions. It’s
interesting for me to go sightseeing and to see ancient monuments and
many places of historical interest. As a rule I make new friends there.
I never feel bored when I travel, because I always have good companions.
Time passes quickly and soon we have to make our way back. We return
home sunburnt and full of impressions. I think travelling and
sightseeing help me get to know the world around us.

Books and libraries.

I usually take books from school library. The library is helpful when I
have to make a report, when I need information on some subjects. The
choice of books in our school library is very good. There are many short
stories and novels, textbooks and reference books, dictionaries and
encyclopedias there. All books are arranged in alphabetical order. I pay
attention to the cover of the book, its illustrations, the name of the
author, the title of the book and the contents.

When we take a book, we mustn’t do dog’s ears, we mustn’t write anything
on the pages, and we must return books to the library in time.

I think it is necessary to follow these rules. I’m extremely fond of
reading. I often read for pleasure and sometimes for information.

So I’m interested in different kinds of books. I like to read stories
about heroes, great travelers, explorers, and courageous men. These
books excite my imagination. I think I devote much time to reading.

Famous people.

Andrei Sakharov, an outstanding scientist and public figure, was born on
the 21st of May 1921. He graduated from Moscow University in 1942. In
1947 he defended his thesis for the degree of Candidate of Science. In
1953 he defended his Doctorate thesis and was elected member of the
Academy of Sciences.

Sakharov played a decisive role in developing the Soviet hydrogen bomb.
While working on the bomb he came to the conclusion that any atomic and
nuclear weapons should be banned.

He fought courageously for human rights in the former USSR and in 1975
he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. His international repute as a
scientist kept him out official, but in 1980 he was deprived of all his
titles and orders and exiled to the city of Gorky. There he continued to
work for peace, justice and human rights.

Only in 1985 Sakharov was allowed to come back to Moscow. He was given
back all his titles and 3 years later he was elected a deputy of the
Supreme Soviet. But soon he died in 1989.

A.D. Sakharov is remembered by everybody as an outstanding humanist and
philosopher.

Leisure time of British teenagers.

The majority of teenagers in Great Britain spend their free time as
everywhere in the world. The average young person spends about 19 hours
in front of the television. According to the government report nearly
three-quarter of young people have TV sets in their rooms. Besides
watching TV, other activities like cinema going and sport remain
popular. In Wales, the report says that some 50 percent of boys play
football throughout the winter while a great number of girls also play
football, although they are in general prefer swimming and tennis.

Listening to music is also a part of time spending. Tape-recorders,
CD-players and the concerts of pop music are the subject of every day
talk of teenagers.

As children grow older they turn from playgardens or homes to streets
where they meet and talk and start develop their confidence. Street life
includes groups of friends who meet together in the streets, squares and
parks, or visit town centers to do window-shopping and “see what’s going
on”.

My hobby.

I have many hobbies because there are 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 stories, listening to the music, playing tennis with
my classmates.

But my favorite hobby is solving crossword puzzles. It’s not only
interesting, but also very useful. When you try to solve the puzzle you
find out and learn a lot of different facts. Because in puzzles there
are questions about famous people, geographical places, countries,
scientific achievements and so on. You also train your brain. The
crosswords are published in newspapers and magazines and there are
special newspapers that contain only crosswords. I sometimes try to make
up my own puzzle and I can say that it is not less interesting. All the
members of our family like to take part in solving the puzzles and this
unites us very much.

Space Exploration.

For thousands of years man dreamed of flying to the stars. At the
beginning of the century the great Russian scientist Tsiolkovsky
predicted that “mankind will not remain on Earth forever”. Half a
century later his words came true, the dream became a reality.

It happened on October 4, 1957, when the 1st artificial satellite, the
sputnik, was launched. The Russians were the 1st in the world to fly
into outer space.

Then the most remarkable event in the history of cosmonautics took
place.

On April 12, 1961 the spaceship “Vostok”, piloted by Yuri Gagarin went
up. He orbited the Earth only once, staying in space for 108 minutes.
Mankind will always remember him.

A new era of man’s exploration of outer space began. Many space rockets
went up by our cosmonauts. Among them were Titov, Nikolaev, Leonov,
Tereshkova, Savitskaya and others.

Today Russia wants the exploration of space to be based on broad
international cooperation. Many international crews went up in space.
This is the best example of the possibility of peaceful cooperation.

Spare time.

Every day I go to school. I get up early, do homework, and have piano
lessons twice a week. But on weekends I like to do something different.
I like to relax. I watch TV or videos. If it rains, I prefer indoor
activities: to read books and magazines, to play chess, to play records,
to draw on a computer, to clean the house.

As for my sister she likes to knit and sew. She takes an aerobics class
on Sundays. In spring and summer I prefer outdoor activities: to do some
gardening, to ride a bike, to go jogging.

Sometimes we come to see our grandparents or friends. I also like to go
to the parties to discos with my friends.

Our family has a little summerhouse in the country. Beginning from early
spring we spend a lot of time on the weekends there. There is a river
not far from our house and when the weather is fine we go there to
bathe, to swim, to get sunburnt.

Abraham Lincoln.

Lincoln was one of the most famous presidents of the USA. He was born in
the family of a poor farmer in 1809 in Kentucky, but soon his family
left for the wild forestland of Indiana.

He was taught reading, writing and simple arithmetic, as his family
could not afford better education.

When he was 18, he went to New Orleans and there he saw a slave market.
It made a deep impression on him and he began to hate slavery and he
decided to fight against it.

In 1830 he went to Springfield and became a clerk in a store. He learned
much and greatly improved his knowledge. He entered politics and in 1832
became a candidate for the Parliament of the State. Soon he became a
force in political life and in 1860 was elected President of the USA.

He was an enemy of slavery. Some of the Southern States left the Union,
and the war between the South and the North began. At first the war went
badly for the North but Lincoln never lost his courage and soon they
won.

When the war was over, Lincoln issued a proclamation to say that slavery
was abolished.

Lincoln was well known all over America and everybody loved him.

In 1864 he was elected President of the USA for the second time. But his
enemies could not let him continue his work.

He was shot in a theatre in Washington on April 14, 1865 and he died the
next day.

From the History of GB

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

Who were the Normans who conquered England?

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

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

Great Britain.

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

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

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

The population is over 57 million people.

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

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

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

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

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

Isaac Newton.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Newton’s contribution to science is unique.

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

My Favorite Film Actor.

Gerard Depardieu is one is the most popular actor. He was born in 1948
in a poor family of a shoemaker in a little town.

When he was 16 he came to Paris without any education and without any
money.

Together with his friend he began to attend the actor courses. He got
acquainted with a girl of a wealthy family and soon they got married.
She had a great influence upon him. He finished the actor courses. When
he was only 20 he played big roles in the theatres. His great success in
films is a consequence of his good theatrical school.

But his success in the USA was not long. In 1991 during his interview to
the magazine “Time” he told that he was a hooligan when he was a
teenager. The american audience doesn’t excuse such fact in his
biography.

The works of Depardieu in cinema are marked by many cinema rewards in
France and in Italy. Everybody notes that glory and money don’t spoil
him. They only made him independent.

He played in about 80 films.

The UN.

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

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

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

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

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