Реферат: Топики по английскому языку

ABOUT  MYSELF.

Myname is Natalia. My surname is Govorova. I am 15. I was born in <st1:metricconverter ProductID=«1982 in» w:st=«on»>1982 in</st1:metricconverter> <st1:City w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Chelyabinsk</st1:place></st1:City>. I live in a small town of <st1:City w:st=«on»>Usinsk</st1:City> in the <st1:place w:st=«on»><st1:PlaceName w:st=«on»>Komi</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=«on»>Republic</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. My address isFlat 116, 19, <st1:Street w:st=«on»><st1:address w:st=«on»>Pionerskaya Street</st1:address></st1:Street>.My phone number is 41-5-81. I am a pupil. I go to school Numbers 1. I am a goodpupil. I do well in all subjects. They say, that I am a hardworking person. Totell the truth, all school subjects come easy for me but sometimes. I have tosit much, for example, to do lessons in Physics or Chemistry, to write acomposition or to learn a poem by heart. But my favourite subject is English. Ispend much time on it reading books, doing tests etc. May be, English andlearning it will be a part of  my futurecarreer.  I like  reading. I think comics and detective storiesare much easier to read but I prefer  toread novels — historical or up-to-date. I like music. My musical tastes aredifferent, but it depends on my mood. But I think every apple is good in itsseason. I play the piano and the guitar, not seriously, but for my soul.Sometimes I like to listen to the Russian classical  music. My favourite composers are Chaikovskyand Mozart. I don’t like rock music, but I like «Queen» and «Beatles». AlsoI  like Russian folk songs. I have notmuch time to watch IV but sometimes I spend an hour or two watching aninteresting film or a news programme. In the evening I often read newspapers(our local ones) or magazines. I like fresh air and exercise. I’m sorry I havenot much time for doing sports. But some aerobics in the morning, aswimming-pool twice a week, a ski-walk on a frosty day are of great help.Sports is fun.

  I have a wide circle of interests. I’m verysociable, so I get a way with people. I have many friends, most of them are myclass-mates. We spend much time together, going out to the cinema or to thedisco party, speaking about lessons and music, discussing our problems. Butmost of all I like my family. We all are great friends and deeply attached toeach other.

  Yousee, it’s me — a person with his good and not good characteristics, liking thisand hating that. But it’s interesting for me to live, to open new things.                          

BOOKS  IN  MY LIFE

  A book is one of the greatest wonders ofworld. Why are so many people fond of reading? The world of books is full ofwonders. Together with the characters of books you can find yourself  in different and countries, have a lot ofadventures. The book is a faithful friend. They form our values and characters.We try to look like the characters of your favourite books: to be brave, honest, not to be silly and greedy, to bereal friends. We enjoyed the beauty and wisdom of fairy-tales and fables whenwe were babies and Granny read them. They taught us to be kind, clever,hardworking, to understand other people and help them. They teach us tounderstand the beauty of nature, take care of it, to love our homeland.

  Books have been with us since childhood. Whohasn’t read «<st1:City w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Alice</st1:place></st1:City>in the wonderland», «Mowgli»?  Who hasn’ttravelled with Marry  Poppins to herimaginary world?  Who hasn’t imaginedhimself to be Robinson Crusoe on the deserted island?

   I have read a lot of interesting books, butmy favourite book is «The adventures of Tom Sawyer» by Mark Twain. Thiswell-known book is popular with the children all over the world.

   The main character of the book is TomSawyer, who lived in a small town on the <st1:place w:st=«on»>Mississippi  River</st1:place>. He was a boy with a wildimagination. He and his friends often dreamed of different adventures. Tom wasnaughty, kind and brave. Besides he was noble. I like this boy because heteaches us to be true friends.

    If you are not fond of reading, take a bookto your liking or borrow it from the library and read it. Books are worthreading. Readly, they are our good friends.

KEEPIHG FIT  AND  DOING SPORTS .

    I you want to feel fit you’d better go infor one kind of sport or another. I should admit that everyone must do all hecan to be healthy. Good health is better than the best medicine. «You have asound mind in a sound body» as the old Latin saying goes. The English proverb«Sickness in the body brings sickness to the mind»  expresses a similar idea but from differentpoint of view. All kinds of physical exercises are very useful to make ourbodies strong and to keep ourselves fit and healthy. To tell the truth I don’tdo sports regularly and it is not an essential part of my daily life. In themorning I do some exercises just to awake. Then some aerobics for myself. It putsme into the fine moods. In summer I go swimming as there is a beautiful riverwith pure water where my Granny lives. In winter, it’s rather long at ourplace, I should say, I prefer skiing (There is nothing like the sight of awinter forest — a real fairy-tale). I like to ride the bike and toboganning inwinter. Mum says that I’m to old to do it, why not after all? I shouldn’t callmyself a sports fan. Of course, I like to watch sports competitions on TV.Fortunately, they show different ones — football, basketball. I like tennistournaments very much. I think, it’s a very intelligent kind of sport forclever thinking people. Also I admire skiing championships, biathlon,swimming. But what I like most is basketball. The best games are viewed onTV. I came to know that modern basketball appeared in <st1:metricconverter ProductID=«1891 in» w:st=«on»>1891 in</st1:metricconverter> the <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>USA</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Theoriginator, John Naismith was a coach at the college. He invented the basketsand the rules of the game. Since then basketball has be become very popular andis spread all over the world. It is the sport of strong tall men, the sport ofgiants.

    Doing sports a man become strong, healthyand gay. He begins to take care of his health.

   «Good health is better than wealth», youknow. It’s true, I should say. In our school we have a nice gym. Sports andgames are popular among pupils. A lot of children train at special sport schools.

                                    <span Times New Roman",«serif»;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">                              

    The great German poet Goethe once said: «Hewho know no foreign language does not know his own one.  Learning foreignlanguages is specially important nowadays. Some people learn foreign languagesbecause they need them in their work, others travel abroad, for the thirdstudying languages is a hobby.

    Every year thousands of people from <st1:place w:st=«on»><st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Russia</st1:country-region></st1:place>go to different  countries as tourists orto work. They can not go without knowing the language of the country they aregoing to. A modern engineer or even a worker can not work with an importedinstrument or a machine if he is not able to read the instruction how to do it.Ordinary people need language to translation the instruction or the manual tothe washing-machine or a vacuum-cleaner, medicine or even food-products.

    Some people are as a rule polyglots.Historians diplomats need some languages for their work. If  you want to be a classified specialist  you must learn  English, the language of  international communication.

    English is one of the world  languages. It is the language  of progressive science and technology, tradeand cultural relations, commerce and business. It is the universal language ofinternational aviation, shipping and sports. It is also the major language ofdiplomacy. Hundreds and hundreds of books, magazines and newspapers  are printed in English, most of the world’smail and telephone calls are in English. Half of the world’s scientificliterature is written in English. English is spoken by more than  350 million people.  Geographically, it is the most  widespread language on earth, second afterChinese. It is the official language of the <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>UK</st1:country-region>,the <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>USA</st1:country-region>, of <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Australia</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>New Zealand</st1:country-region>, it is used as one of the official languages in <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Canada</st1:country-region>, the <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>South Africa</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Millions of peoplestudy and use English as a foreign language. In our country English is verypopular. It is studied  at schools,colleges and universities.

     Learning English is not an easy thing. Itis a long  process and takes a lot oftime and patience. But to know English today is absolutely necessary for everyeducated person. I  want to know Englishbecause it’s interesting for me to know foreign countries, their cultures andtradition. English will be of great use in my future profession connected withcomputers.       

<st1:City w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>MOSCOW</st1:place></st1:City>

    The best way to see a strange city is tobuy a map and a guide-book. If you want to learn, more about a city, it isuseful to walk along the streets and look around to see historical places,buildings and monuments. There is no doubt that you should visit art galleriesand museums.

     <st1:City w:st=«on»>Moscow</st1:City>, thecapital of <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Russia</st1:place></st1:country-region>,is one of the largest cities in the world. It stands on the bank of the <st1:place w:st=«on»><st1:PlaceName w:st=«on»>Moskva</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=«on»>River</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>.About 10 million people live in the city. <st1:City w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Moscow</st1:place></st1:City>is famous for its historical and architectural monuments that were built byoutstanding architects and sculptors: Kazakov, Bazhenov, Martos and others.

    The best starting point of the tour aroundthe city is Red Square, the central and the most beautiful square in <st1:City w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Moscow</st1:place></st1:City>. It is the placeof parades, meeting and demonstrations. Here one can see the Cathedral ofSt.Basil the Blessed, or St.Basil’s cathedral, erected by architects Postnikand Barma to commemorate <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Russia</st1:country-region>’sconquest of the <st1:place w:st=«on»><st1:PlaceName w:st=«on»>Kazan</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=«on»>Kingdom</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> in 1552. It is amasterpiece of Russian architecture. Tourists can see the monument to Minin andPozharsky designed by Ivan Martos in <st1:metricconverter ProductID=«1818 in» w:st=«on»>1818 in</st1:metricconverter>

memoryof the Russian victory over the Polish invaders, the <st1:place w:st=«on»><st1:PlaceName w:st=«on»>History</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=«on»>Museum</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>.The heart of <st1:City w:st=«on»>Moscow</st1:City> is the Kremlin, a wonderfularchitectural ensemble with 3 magnificient cathedrals, the <st1:City w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Bell</st1:place></st1:City> Tower of Ivan the Great palaces,fortress walls and 20 towers. The most famous of the towers is the <st1:place w:st=«on»><st1:PlaceName w:st=«on»>Spasskaya</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=«on»>Tower</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> with a big clock. The Kremlin withgolden domes and tower makes a strong impression on tourists. The AlexanderGarden with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is the place of memory. SomeSkyscrapers decorate Moscow Including Moscow University, a palace of knowledgeand students. <st1:City w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Moscow</st1:place></st1:City>is a scientific and cultural centre where there are a lot of institutes,universities, libraries, museums. The city leads a varied cultural life. It hasa lot of cinemas, clubs, concert halls, more than 40 drama and musicaltheatres, including the Bolshoi Theatre, the <st1:place w:st=«on»><st1:PlaceName w:st=«on»>Art</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st=«on»>Theatre</st1:PlaceName></st1:place>.The Maly Theatre. The Vakhtangov Theatre.

Muscovitesare proud of their museums: the Tretyakov Gallery, Pushkin Museum of FineArts, literary museums.

Crowdsof people visit the Tretiakov Gallery admiring beautiful pictures of Russianpainters.

Moscovitesare fond of going in for sports so, there are a lot of stadiums,swimming-pools, courts and sports ground.

Thecitizens of <st1:City w:st=«on»>Moscow</st1:City> enjoy spending their weekendsin parks and gardens — the <st1:place w:st=«on»><st1:PlaceType w:st=«on»>Park</st1:PlaceType> of <st1:PlaceName w:st=«on»>Culture</st1:PlaceName></st1:place> and Rest,Izmailovo, Sokolniki.

Moscovitesdo their best to create the atmosphere of the old <st1:City w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Moscow</st1:place></st1:City> with its unique monuments. Before the850th anniversary of <st1:City w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Moscow</st1:place></st1:City>the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was completed.

<st1:City w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Moscow</st1:place></st1:City>is the place where things are happening in all spheres of life.

MY  FRIEND

 Frankly speaking, I have a lot of friends.Most of them are my classmates. They say that I am a good mixer and always havea way with people. But my bosom-friend is Olga. We are of the same age, we areboth 15. She is pleasant looking girt not very tall but pleasantly plump. Theysay, she is the very image of her father, but, to my mind, she takes a lotafter her Mum in looks — fair curly hair and dark blue eyes. When she smiles, 2pretty dimples appear on her cheeks. To my mind, she is really a beauty. Buther inner beauty is more important than physical one. Olga is well bred, jollyand king, life and soul of every company. She is tactful, witty generous andkind- hearted, careful and sensitive. She always ready to help other people.She is well-read and fond of reading very much. She always has 2 or 3 books athand. Her second hobby is knitting and sewing. She is always elegunt and andalways wears whet suits her. She is good at cooking I think she is cut out fora housewife.

    Olga like all teenagers likes differentmusic which helps her to relax. In this point we have much in common. We bothgo in for sports- acrobics I think, she is very gifted and capable.

    She always manages to be cheerful,energetic, full of life and energy. She is a sunny soul by nature, she neverfeels sour.

    As I have told, she is a helpful person andevery time she tries to do her best to help somebody when he has problems.

    Olga is very attentive to her parents andis simply mad about her dog. She cannot imagine her life without her.

    Of course, Olga has some drawbacks — sometimes she is a hurly-burly girl, a bit stubborn. But still like her as shehas a good sense of humour and pleasant to deal with.

    We spend much time together — watch videoor listen to the music, walk or go to the cafe discussing all sorts of things.If there is some misunderstanding between us we try to make peace soon. Irespect Olga for intellect and modesty. You know, I miss her very often. Ourfriendship helps me feel strong and sure of myself.

MY HOME IS MY CASTLE.

    I think, every person always dreams  about the place where he can speak about hisproblems, chat with close friends, where he can feel happy and quiet. For me itis my family and my home. It is the best place in the world and my dearestpeople live here.

    My family is not large we are 4. I have afather, a mother and a brother. We all live together in a new flat.

    My father is 45. He is a tall andwell-built man with short black hair and grey eyes. He is quiet and hardworking. Really, he is a bread maker of the family. Dad is handy with many things. Hishobby is fixing everything at home.

    My mother is very lively. She is life andsoul of the family. She is a pleasant woman of forty with beautiful chestnuthair and dark brown eyes. She is a lofty ideal for me. My parents have beenmarried for 20 years they have much in common, in everyday life Dad isimpractical and needs mother to look after him. Parents have different views onmusic, books, films. For example, my father likes horror films and my fatherlikes «soap operas». My father is a football fat and Mum doesn’t like sports.But they try to have the same opinion about the education and upbringing oftheir children.

    My brother is only 11. He goes to school.He is funny and curious. He is constantly asking many questions often sillyones. But this only a moment — I can’t imagine my life without our littlemonster.

    We all feel happy when we are together. Inthe evenings we often have little gatherings in the kitchen by the cup of tea,chatting, laughing and discussing the events of the day. Those evening are thebest of all. But sometimes I have problems with my parents. They don’t like theclothes  I wear the music I listen to andthe friends I bring home.  It’s not easyto be a teenager. In summer I visit my Granny. I love her when I was a childshe used to tell me fairytales  andstories of her life.

    My parents are hardworking. They combinework with housekeeping. Mum manages our household very well. We all are in thehabit of helping her to run the house. They say «Men make houses, women makehome». My home is a cosy place. Our relatives and friends like to come to ourplace. My parents are very hospitable everybody feels at home in their flat.Really «There is no place like home».<span Times New Roman",«serif»;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">

OUR  TOWN.

We live in Usinsk. It’s a small town with thepopulation of about 60 thousand people situated near the river <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Usa</st1:country-region> in the north-east of the <st1:place w:st=«on»><st1:PlaceName w:st=«on»>Komi</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=«on»>Republic</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>.Usinsk is young it was founded in 1975. It is a multinational town, the peopleof many nationalities live here — the Russians, the Ukranians, the Tatars, theKomis, the Bashkirs and so on.

    Theclimate is severe, the winter is cold and long it lasts for 6-8 months, thespring and the summer are short and cool.

   Usinsk district is rich in oil, so they get oil here. There are manyindustrial enterprises in it connected with oil extraction, they are«Komineft», «Arkhangelsk Negtegaz» and others. There are some joint — venturessuch as «NobelOil», «KomiArcticOil», «KomiQuest» and others where thespecialists from <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Canada</st1:country-region>, the<st1:country-region w:st=«on»>USA</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Great Britain</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>France</st1:place></st1:country-region> work. In autumn 1994 ourUsinsk became world — known as the town where the greatest ecologicalcatastrophy took place. The old oil pipeline was broken, a lot of oil andproducts streamed on and in the ground, flew into the rivers and theirtributaries. The news has quickly spread in the world, many foreigncorrespondents visited Usinsk in November 1994. «Green Peace» called this agreat ecological catastrophe but our Komi oil bosses called it only a localincident without much consequences. The rescue operation I has been done toclean the banks of the rivers and the nearest places covered (polluted) withoil and oil products. The old broken pipeline was changed with the new one. Ithink, it’s such an unpleasant event in the life of our town.

    Asour town is young we have no theatres and museums, historical and memorialplaces. But we have a cinema, the <st1:place w:st=«on»><st1:PlaceType w:st=«on»>Palace</st1:PlaceType> of <st1:PlaceName w:st=«on»>Technics</st1:PlaceName></st1:place> aswimming-pool, a hockey stadium, the House for Schoolchildren where there are alot of different clubs, studios for teenagers and a lot of pupils attend them.

    Thereis also a musical and art school, seven schools, many kindergartens. There isan airport and a railway station and our people can go to <st1:City w:st=«on»>Moscow</st1:City>,<st1:City w:st=«on»>Syktyvkar</st1:City>, <st1:City w:st=«on»>Ufa</st1:City>, <st1:City w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Kazan</st1:place></st1:City> by plane and bytrain.

   Ourtown is surrounded by forests, there are also small rivers and lakes. Ourpeople like to spend weekends in the forests picking mush-rooms and berries inautumn, skiing in winter and in early spring. Our men and boys are fond offishing.

     Asfor me, I like my town, it’s so lovely.

 RUSSIN  TRADITIOS.

Almostevery nation and country has a reputation of some kind. The Englishmen arereputed to be cold, reserved, rather naughty easy-going and fond of sport. Theyare the nation of stay-at-homes. «There is no place like home», they say. TheEnglish man’s home is his castle is a saying known all over the world. Theyprefer a small house built for one family, with a small garden are a fire inthe centre of the house. They like animals very much and follow the traditionsconcerning food and meals. We know much about English traditions and customsbut now I’d like to say a few words about the traditions of my nativeland-Russia. First, about Russian people. To my mind, the main traits of theircharacters which differ them from other people are hospitality, their «openheart», «golden hands», wise Russian fairytales reflect this wisdom. Our peopleare hardworking, patient, never loosing hope for better life. The Russians arethe talented nation. <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Russia</st1:place></st1:country-region>gave the world beautiful names of Pushkin and Lermontov, Chaikovsky and Repin,thousands of names of world famous poets, writers, composers, scientists. Allof them are the pride of the nation because they sand the beauty of our natureand people.

     Besides these great names in literatureand music, our country is famous for Russian traditional specific crafts itsskilled craftsmen. Painted boxes of Palekh, coloured shawls of Pavlov Posad,clay toys of Dymkovo, laces of Vologda are known all over the world.

    The names of Gzhel and Khokhloma areconsidered to be the symbols of <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Russia</st1:place></st1:country-region>as well as matryoshkas and samovars. The history of khokhloma goes back intothe 17th century Producing of tableware-dishes, spoons, mugs wasbegun at that time in the villages of Suomino and Khokhloma in the <st1:place w:st=«on»><st1:PlaceName w:st=«on»>Nizhniy</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st=«on»>Novgorod</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=«on»>Province</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>.On the banks of the great Russian river <st1:place w:st=«on»>Volga</st1:place>.Many carpenters, painters have been working since then reviving traditions ofold masters. The Khokhloma style is characterized by using plant elements inpainting the tableware. The prevailing colours are black, yellow, golden, greenand red. And nowadays this craft is sure to be saved, it will be developed andbrought into the future by the new generation of painters.

   The reviving of old crafts is connected withthe reviving of the traditional arts of all peoples inhabiting our big country.There are 100 of them. They revive their culture, costumes, dances andlanguage. It is the revival of our souls. Now we celebrate the forgottenholidays — Troisa, Maslenitsa, Easter. We again sing Russian folk songs andchastushki, dance Barinya and perform khorovods, ride in troikas. TraditionalRussian cooking is world-famous for such dishes as okroshka, shi, pelment,kurnik, kvass. We begin to build and reconstruct churches. The example of it isthe building of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in <st1:City w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Moscow</st1:place></st1:City>. It is the symbol of reviving humanfeelings, national pride and patriotism.

THE <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>UNITED KINGDOM</st1:country-region>OF <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>GREAT BRITAIN</st1:place></st1:country-region>

AND <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>NORTHERN IRELAND</st1:place></st1:country-region>.

THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE.

    The <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>UK</st1:country-region>of Creat <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Britain</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Northern Ireland</st1:country-region> occupies the territory of the <st1:place w:st=«on»>British Isles</st1:place>. It consists of 4 main countries which are <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>England</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Scotland</st1:country-region>,<st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Scotland</st1:country-region>,<st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Wales</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Northern Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Their capitalsare <st1:City w:st=«on»>London</st1:City>, <st1:City w:st=«on»>Cardiff</st1:City>and <st1:City w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Belfast</st1:place></st1:City>.

    The United Kingdom of Great Britain andNorthern Ireland is the official name of the state which is sometimes referredto as Great Britain or Britain (after it major island), England ( after itsmajor historic part or the British Isles.

    The <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>UK</st1:country-region>is an <st1:place w:st=«on»>Island</st1:place> state it is composed of some5.500 islands, large and small. The two main islands are: <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Great Britain</st1:country-region>to the east and <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region>to the west. They are separated by the <st1:place w:st=«on»>Irish Sea</st1:place>.

    The area of the <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>UK</st1:place></st1:country-region> is 244,100 square kms. It issituated off to the northwest coast of Europe between the Atlantic Ocean on thenorth and the North Sea on the east and is separated from the Europeancontinent by the English Channel (or <st1:PersonName ProductID=«La Manche» w:st=«on»>La Manche</st1:PersonName>) and the Straits of Dover (or Pas deCalais).

    The population of the <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>UK</st1:place></st1:country-region> is over 57mln people. The <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>UK</st1:place></st1:country-region>is inhabited by the English, the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish who constitutethe British nation. English is not the only language. Scottish, Welsh and Irishare also used.

    The flag of the <st1:place w:st=«on»><st1:country-region w:st=«on»>UK</st1:country-region></st1:place> is known as the Union Jack. Ithas its history. It all began in 1603 when <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Scotland</st1:country-region>was joined to <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>England</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Wales</st1:place></st1:country-region>. The flagis made up of 3 crosses. The upright cross is the Cross of St.George the patronsaint of <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>England</st1:place></st1:country-region>.The white diagonal cross is the cross of St.Andrew, the patron saint of <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Scotland</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Thered diagonal cross is the cross is the cross of St.Patrick, the patron saint of<st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region>.All of them are on the blue background.

   The national anthem is «God Save the Queen».The national currency is pound.

   Geographically the <st1:PlaceType w:st=«on»>island</st1:PlaceType>of <st1:PlaceName w:st=«on»>Great Britain</st1:PlaceName> is subdivided into 2main regions: Lowland Britain and Highland <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Britain</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Lowland <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Britain</st1:country-region> comprises southern and eastern <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>England</st1:place></st1:country-region>.  Highland <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Britain</st1:country-region>consists of <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Scotland</st1:country-region>, mostof <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Wales</st1:country-region>, the Pennines (orthe Pennine Chain) and the <st1:place w:st=«on»>Lake District</st1:place>.

    The highest mountain top is Ben Nevis in <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Scotland</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Thechief rivers of <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Great Britain</st1:country-region>are: the Severn, separating <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>England</st1:country-region>and <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Wales</st1:country-region>, the <st1:place w:st=«on»>Thames</st1:place> (the longest and the deepest one). The swiftestflowing river is the Spray. Also the <st1:place w:st=«on»>Tweed</st1:place> isfamous (the woolen fabric is made here).

    There are many lakes in <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Great Britain</st1:place></st1:country-region>.The <st1:place w:st=«on»>Lake District</st1:place> is the most beautiful.

    The largest are <st1:City w:st=«on»>London</st1:City>,<st1:City w:st=«on»>Birmingham</st1:City>, <st1:City w:st=«on»>Glasgow</st1:City>,Liverpool, <st1:City w:st=«on»>Bristol</st1:City>, Leeds, <st1:City w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Cardiff</st1:place></st1:City>.

    The capitals are: <st1:City w:st=«on»>London</st1:City>in <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>England</st1:country-region>, <st1:City w:st=«on»>Edinburgh</st1:City>in <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Scotland</st1:country-region>, <st1:City w:st=«on»>Cardiff</st1:City> in <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Wales</st1:country-region>and <st1:City w:st=«on»>Belfast</st1:City> in <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Northern Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region>.

    Every country has its own national emblem.The red rose is the national emblem of <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>England</st1:country-region>the thistle is the national emblem of <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Scotland</st1:country-region>the daffodils and the leek are the emblems of <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Wales</st1:country-region>and the shamrock (a kind of clover) is the emblem of <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region>.

THE PRIDE OF THE NATION.

(Famous People of Russia).

   Much was done by people to reach the presentstate of human development. It is necessary to say that great contribution tothe development of the world science and culture, literature, music andpainting was made by the Russian people. The names of Russian scientists andwriters, poets, composers and painters are world-famous-Pushkin, Lermontov,Chehov, Levitan. This chain can be endless. It is almost impossible to name abranch of science in the development of which the Russian scientists haven’tplayed the greatest role. Lomonosov, the founder of the <st1:place w:st=«on»><st1:PlaceName w:st=«on»>Moscow</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=«on»>University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>was an outstanding innovator both in the humanities and sciences. Mendeleev’sgreatest discovery was the Periodic System of Elements. Popov invented radio.Sechenov and Pavlov were the world’s greatest physiologists. <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Russia</st1:place></st1:country-region> isrightly called the mother of aviation and cosmounatics. Names of Tsiolkovsky,Korolov and Gagarin are symbols of new space era.

   People in many countries admire paintings,portraits and landscapes Surikov, Levitan, Repin works of our Russian writesand poets are translated into many languages.

   I want to tell about one of the greatestRussians. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, an outstanding Russian composer, was bornin Votkinsk in 1840. He was fond of music since his early childhood. His mothersang him beautiful songs and taught him to play the piano. He graduated fromthe Petersburg Conservatoire only in 1866 because of his poor livingconditions. He was the best pupil of Anton Rubinstein. Wen the MoscowConservatoire was founded Pyotr Ilyich became a professor there.

   He created wonderful music: 10 operas, 3ballets, 6 symphonies, 7 large symphonic poems and many other musical pieces.

   «Eugene Onegin», a new type of opera, was agreat success all over the world «His Swan Lake», «The Nutckracker», «TheSleeping Beauty are musical masterpieces. In his music he used folk melodiesfor the musical descriptions of Russian nature and life. His compositions arefull of realist.

                     THERE IS NO BAD WEATHER,

                     THERE ARE BAD CLOTHES.

  Englishmen say «There is no bad weather,there are bad clothes», It means that they like all the seasons, all kinds ofweather. Every season is good in its own way. Each person likes this or thatseason. It depends on his character, mood. They say that Pushkin liked autumnvery much. This season is full of colours, bright and tasty. The sky is blue,but sometimes grey clouds appear. The sun shines but it begins to hide behindthe clouds. Its rays  are not so warm.Autumn is full of vegetables and fruit, mushrooms and berries. There is nothinglike Indian summer  in autumn. As for me,I like to walk  on the carpet of brightleaves listen to the last songs of birds flying to warm countries, look at thenature. It is like a fairy-tale. It fades away and nothing can be done. Soondrizzling rains will begin and everything will be dull and sad. But still Ilike autumn.

   Winter in Usinsk  is long and severe with dark nights, bitterwings and hard frosts. Even sometimes you can see a quiet winter frosty day. Itis snowing. Fluffy soft snowflakes are falling to the ground making a beautifulthick carpet. The icecles glitter in the sun the snow sparkles like diamond.Going outdoors in such weather is pleasant. Many people go to the forests andenjoy sledging  and skiing, playingsnowballs and making a snowman.

   As for spring, people in Usinsk long for itand dream about it during long winter days. It comes late but suddenly. I don’tlike it because my town becomes grey. But spring is the beginning of new life.Nature awakens from its long winter sleep. The trees begin to bud and soon tinygreen leaves will appear. Young green grass appear, fruit trees begin toblossom. Everything looks magic covered with green carpet. Nature looks full ofpromise.

   I like summer because we haveholiday and enjoy resting after school year.

   In my opinion every season isbeautiful and attractive. As one famous poet said:«I see no reason to speak inprize of any season».

THE <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>UNITED KINGDOM</st1:country-region>OF <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>GREAT BRITAIN</st1:place></st1:country-region>

AND NOTHERN <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>IRELAND</st1:place></st1:country-region>.

THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE.

    The <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>UK</st1:country-region>of Creat <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Britain</st1:country-region> and Nothern<st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Ireland</st1:country-region> occupies theterritory of the <st1:place w:st=«on»>British Isles</st1:place>. It consists of4 main countries which are <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>England</st1:country-region>,<st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Scotland</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Scotland</st1:country-region>,<st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Wales</st1:country-region>and Nothern <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region>.Their capitals are <st1:City w:st=«on»>London</st1:City>, <st1:City w:st=«on»>Cardiff</st1:City>and <st1:City w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Belfast</st1:place></st1:City>.

    The <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>United Kingdom</st1:country-region> of <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Great Britain</st1:country-region>and Nothern <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Ireland</st1:country-region> is theofficial name of the state which is sometimes referred to as <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Great Britain</st1:country-region> or <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Britain</st1:country-region>(after it major island), <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>England</st1:country-region>( after its major historic part or the <st1:place w:st=«on»>British Isles</st1:place>.

    The <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>UK</st1:country-region>is an <st1:place w:st=«on»>Island</st1:place> state it is composed of some5.500 islands, large and small. The two main islands are: <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Great Britain</st1:country-region>to the east and <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region>to the west. They are separated by the <st1:place w:st=«on»>Irish Sea</st1:place>.

    The area of the <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>UK</st1:place></st1:country-region> is 244,100 square kms. It issituated off to the northwest coast of Europe between the Atlantic Ocean on thenorth and the North Sea on the east and is separated from the European continentby the English Channel (or <st1:PersonName ProductID=«La Manche» w:st=«on»>La Manche</st1:PersonName>) and the Straits of Dover (or Pas de Calais).

    The population of the <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>UK</st1:place></st1:country-region> is over 57mln people. The <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>UK</st1:place></st1:country-region>is inhabited by the English, the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish who constitutethe British nation. English is not the only language. Scottish, Welsh and Irishare also used.

    The flag of the <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>UK</st1:place></st1:country-region> is known as the Union Jack. Ithas its history. It all began in 1603 when <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Scotland</st1:country-region>was joined to <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>England</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Wales</st1:place></st1:country-region>. The flagis made up of 3 crosses. The upright cross is the Cross of St.Jeorge the patronsaint of <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>England</st1:place></st1:country-region>.The white diagonal cross is the cross of St.Andrew, the patron saint of <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Scotland</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Thered diagonal cross is the cross is the cross of St.Patrick, the patron saint of<st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region>.All of them areon the blue background.

   The national anthem is «God Save the Queen».The national currency is pound.

   Geographically the <st1:PlaceType w:st=«on»>island</st1:PlaceType>of <st1:PlaceName w:st=«on»>Great Britain</st1:PlaceName> is subdivided into 2main regions: Lowland Britain and Highland <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Britain</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Lowland <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Britain</st1:country-region> comprises southern and eastern <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>England</st1:place></st1:country-region>.  Highland <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Britain</st1:country-region>consists of <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Scotland</st1:country-region>, mostof <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Wales</st1:country-region>, the Pennines (orthe Pennine Chain) and the <st1:place w:st=«on»>Lake District</st1:place>.

    The highest mountain top is Ben Nevis in <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Scotland</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Thechief rivers of <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Great Britain</st1:country-region>are: the Severn, separating <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>England</st1:country-region>and <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Wales</st1:country-region>, the <st1:place w:st=«on»>Thames</st1:place> (the longest and the deepest one). The swiflestflowing river is the Spray. Also the <st1:place w:st=«on»>Tweed</st1:place> isfamous (the woolen fabric is made here).

    There are many lakes in <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Great Britain</st1:place></st1:country-region>.The <st1:place w:st=«on»>Lake District</st1:place> is the most beautiful.

    The largest are <st1:City w:st=«on»>London</st1:City>,<st1:City w:st=«on»>Birmingham</st1:City>, <st1:City w:st=«on»>Glasgow</st1:City>,Liverpool, <st1:City w:st=«on»>Bristol</st1:City>, Leeds, <st1:City w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Cardiff</st1:place></st1:City>.

    The capitals are: <st1:City w:st=«on»>London</st1:City>in <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>England</st1:country-region>, <st1:City w:st=«on»>Edinburgh</st1:City>in <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Scotland</st1:country-region>, <st1:City w:st=«on»>Cardiff</st1:City> in <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Wales</st1:country-region>and <st1:City w:st=«on»>Belfast</st1:City> in <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Northern Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region>.

    Every country has its own national emblem.The red rose is the national emblem of <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>England</st1:country-region>the thistle is the national emblem of <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Scotland</st1:country-region>the daffodils and the leek are the emblems of <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Wales</st1:country-region>and the shamrock (a kind of clover) is the emblem of <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region>.

THE <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>UNITED KINGDOM</st1:country-region>OF <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>GREAT BRITAIN</st1:place></st1:country-region>

AND NOTHERN <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>IRELAND</st1:place></st1:country-region>.

THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE.

    The <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>UK</st1:country-region>of Creat <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Britain</st1:country-region> and Nothern<st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Ireland</st1:country-region> occupies theterritory of the <st1:place w:st=«on»>British Isles</st1:place>. It consists of4 main countries which are <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>England</st1:country-region>,<st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Scotland</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Scotland</st1:country-region>,<st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Wales</st1:country-region>and Nothern <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region>.Their capitals are <st1:City w:st=«on»>London</st1:City>, <st1:City w:st=«on»>Cardiff</st1:City>and <st1:City w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Belfast</st1:place></st1:City>.

    The <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>United Kingdom</st1:country-region> of <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Great Britain</st1:country-region> and Nothern <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Ireland</st1:country-region>is the official name of the state which is sometimes referred to as <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Great Britain</st1:country-region> or <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Britain</st1:country-region>(after it major island), <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>England</st1:country-region>( after its major historic part or the <st1:place w:st=«on»>British Isles</st1:place>.

    The <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>UK</st1:country-region>is an <st1:place w:st=«on»>Island</st1:place> state it is composed of some5.500 islands, large and small. The two main islands are: <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Great Britain</st1:country-region>to the east and <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region>to the west. They are separated by the <st1:place w:st=«on»>Irish Sea</st1:place>.

    The area of the <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>UK</st1:place></st1:country-region> is 244,100 square kms. It issituated off to the northwest coast of Europe between the Atlantic Ocean on thenorth and the North Sea on the east and is separated from the Europeancontinent by the English Channel (or <st1:PersonName ProductID=«La Manche» w:st=«on»>La Manche</st1:PersonName>) and the Straits of Dover (or Pas deCalais).

    The population of the <st1:place w:st=«on»><st1:country-region w:st=«on»>UK</st1:country-region></st1:place> is over 57 mln people. The <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>UK</st1:place></st1:country-region> is inhabitedby the English, the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish who constitute the Britishnation. English is not the only language. Scottish, Welsh and Irish are alsoused.

    The flag of the <st1:place w:st=«on»><st1:country-region w:st=«on»>UK</st1:country-region></st1:place> is known as the Union Jack. Ithas its history. It all began in 1603 when <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Scotland</st1:country-region>was joined to <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>England</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Wales</st1:place></st1:country-region>. The flagis made up of 3 crosses. The upright cross is the Cross of St.Jeorge the patronsaint of <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>England</st1:place></st1:country-region>.The white diagonal cross is the cross of St.Andrew, the patron saint of <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Scotland</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Thered diagonal cross is the cross is the cross of St.Patrick, the patron saint of<st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region>.All of them are on the blue background.

   The national anthem is «God Save the Queen».The national currency is pound.

   Geographically the <st1:PlaceType w:st=«on»>island</st1:PlaceType>of <st1:PlaceName w:st=«on»>Great Britain</st1:PlaceName> is subdivided into 2main regions: Lowland Britain and Highland <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Britain</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Lowland <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Britain</st1:country-region> comprises southern and eastern <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>England</st1:place></st1:country-region>.  Highland <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Britain</st1:country-region>consists of <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Scotland</st1:country-region>, mostof <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Wales</st1:country-region>, the Pennines (orthe Pennine Chain) and the <st1:place w:st=«on»>Lake District</st1:place>.

    The highest mountain top is Ben Nevis in <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Scotland</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Thechief rivers of <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Great Britain</st1:country-region>are: the Severn, separating <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>England</st1:country-region>and <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Wales</st1:country-region>, the <st1:place w:st=«on»>Thames</st1:place> (the longest and the deepest one). The swiflestflowing river is the Spray. Also the <st1:place w:st=«on»>Tweed</st1:place> isfamous (the woolen fabric is made here).

    There are many lakes in <st1:place w:st=«on»><st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Great Britain</st1:country-region></st1:place>. The <st1:place w:st=«on»>Lake District</st1:place> is the most beautiful.

    The largest are <st1:City w:st=«on»>London</st1:City>,<st1:City w:st=«on»>Birmingham</st1:City>, <st1:City w:st=«on»>Glasgow</st1:City>,Liverpool, <st1:City w:st=«on»>Bristol</st1:City>, Leeds, <st1:City w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Cardiff</st1:place></st1:City>.

    The capitals are: <st1:City w:st=«on»>London</st1:City>in <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>England</st1:country-region>, <st1:City w:st=«on»>Edinburgh</st1:City>in <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Scotland</st1:country-region>, <st1:City w:st=«on»>Cardiff</st1:City> in <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Wales</st1:country-region>and <st1:City w:st=«on»>Belfast</st1:City> in <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Northern Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region>.

    Every country has its own national emblem.The red rose is the national emblem of <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>England</st1:country-region>the thistle is the national emblem of <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Scotland</st1:country-region>the daffodils and the leek are the emblems of <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Wales</st1:country-region>and the shamrock (a kind of clover) is the emblem of <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region>.

TRAVELLING.

 People are fond of traveling. They spend theirholidays traveling. They travel to see other countries  and continents, to learn a lot about people’straditions, to enjoy picturesque places. It is interesting for them to discovernew things, different ways of life, to meet different people, to try differentfood.

  Those who live in the country like to findthemselves in large cities with their shops, cinemas, crowds of people.City-dwellers usually like a quiet holiday by the sea or in the mountains withnothing to do but walking and bathing, lazying in the sun. Most travelers andholiday makers take a camera with them and take pictures of everything thatinterests them — beautiful views of waterfalls, forests, unusual plants andanimals. These photos will remind them of the happy time of holiday.

  These are many ways of traveling — by train,by plain, by ship, on foot. Everyone chooses his favourite one. My favouriteway is traveling by plain. And  notbecause it is very comfortable. It is exciting. I also like traveling by train.I’ve traveled this way a lot. When you are in the train you can see the beautyof nature.

  I envy the tourists because I think that theystudy geography traveling and visiting different parts of the world. They cantell you many things which you didn’t know before.

  They are interesting people from whom you canlearn much new for yourself. Any kind of travel helps you to understand manythings that you can never see or learn at home. Though you may read about themin books and newspapers.

  As for me I’d like to have a coach tour tosome foreign country. Coach tours are planned and I’ll have a chance to do alot of sightseeings and have a good rest at the same time.

U.K.POLITICAL  SYSTEM.

TheU.K of <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Great Britain</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Northern Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region>is a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarch, Queen Elizabeth IIas head of state. The organs of government are: Parliament, the executive andthe judiciary. The legislature, Parliament, is the supreme authority. Itcomprises 2 chambers — the House of Lords and House of Commons — together withthe Queen in her constitutional role.

    The executive consists of the centralGovernment — that is the Prime-Minister and Cabinet and other ministers who areresponsible for  iniating and directingthe national policy, government departments, local authorities, and publiccorporations. The judiciary determines common I am and interpret status and isindependent of both the legislature and executive.

    The Government derive its authority fromthe elected House of Commons. A general election. For all seats in the House ofCommons, must be help every 5 years. The Government is normally formed by thepolitical party which is supported by the majority in the House of Commons. TheParty’s leader is appointed Prime-Minister by the Queen. He chooses a team ofministers of whom 20 or so are in the Cabinet. The second largest party becomesthe official opposition with its own leader and Shadow Cabinet. The House ofCommons comprises members from the constituencies in <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>England</st1:country-region>,<st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Scotland</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st=«on»>Wales</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st=«on»><st1:place w:st=«on»>Northern Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region> who representpeople whose history and traditions differ.

     The House of Lords is a hereditoryChamber.

YOUR PASTIMEAND HOBBY.

  Hobby iswhat a person likes to do in his spare time. Hobbies differ like tastes. If youhave chosen a hobby according to your character and taste you are lucky becauseyour life becomes more interesting. The most popular hobby is doing things. Itincludes a wide variety of activities from gardening to traveling, from chessto volleyball. Both grown-ups and children are fond  of playing different computer games. Thishobby is becoming more and more popular. Making things include drawing,painting, handicrafts. Many people collect something — coins, stamps, compact discs, toys, books. Some collectionshave some value. Rich people often collect paintings, rare things and other artobjects. Often such private collections are given to museums, libraries.

   As for me,I like to listen to music. 3 months ago my parents bought  me a compact disc  player and  I decided to collect compactdiscs. I like different music, it should be good. I collect discs of my  favourite groups and singers. I carefullystudy the information printed on discbooklets. I try to find  everything about my favourite singers. Also Ilike to watch music programmes  on TV.  I want to keep up with the news in the world of music.

   Of course,I like to spend my spare time with my friends. We talk about  all sorts of things ( politics, teachers,girls). We discuss films, books, TV programmes. In fine weather we like to be in the open air. We find  a nice place somewhere in the forest. We makea fire, bake potatoes and have a lot  offun. When the weather is bad, my friends come to my place. We have a good timetogether.