8 класс итоговый контроль темы
учебно-методический материал по английскому языку (8 класс) на тему

Topics for exam

1. My friend
2. Choosing a career
3. Learning a foreign language
4. Health
5. My future plans
6. Saint-Petersburg
7. Sport and healthy lifestyle
8. Travelling
9. Youth`s problems
10. Past time and hobby
11. London
12. About myself
13. Environmental protection

My friend

I’m not a very sociable person. To my mind, it’s not obliged for people to have a lot of friends in order to be happy. It’s enough, as I think, to have one or two friends who are able to understand you and to support you in hard situations. So, there are few people whom I can call friends. We have much in common and we enjoy communicating with each other. One of my friends is Natalie. She is eighteen. I can say that she is beautiful and smart girl. She left school 2 years ago and now she is a second year student of the University. Natalie wants to be a journalist. She studies well because she is greatly interested in her future profession. Natalie is a hardworking girl too. I admire this feature of her character because I don’t have it.

Natalie does not have much free time but if she has, she likes to spend it in a good company, consisting of her school friends. When we gather together we like to listen to music, both classical and modern one, to watch new films and discuss them. I enjoy talking to her a lot because she knows many interesting facts about famous people, history. Her favorite subject at school were history and literature. She is fond of reading. Books have become part and parcel of her life.

We have been being friends for a long time. We trust each other so much that we have some personal secrets which are not revealed to the others. I can tell her about my troubles and I am sure that Natalie would help me and give me a piece of good advice.  

Natalie is an intelligent person. She has a deep and genuine interest in people, open-mindedness and inquiring mind. It is necessary for her as a journalist.

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

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Choosing a Career

Choosing a career is like any other activity; it is best to work to a plan. Too many people start looking for a specific job before thinking out their occupational aims. It is a good idea to begin by attempting to define in clear terms what your requirements are from a career. This involves taking a realistic view of your strengths and weaknesses. You may think for example, that you would like a job which involves organizing people, but liking such a job is not a sufficient justification if experience you already may have suggests that this is not your strong point. On the other hand, you should remember that training will equip you to do new things. A further point to consider is how far you will be willing to do for a time things which you do not like knowing that they are necessary to achieve your longer term objectives. Having thought carefully about the sort of person you are, try to work out a realistic set of occupational requirements. In particular, you can answer to important questions. First: what sort of life do you want to lead? For example, do you want to live in the country or in the town? Is leisure time of great importance to you? Is the size of your salary important? Do you want to put down roots or travel widely? Second: what sort of work do you want to do? For example, do you like working alone or with others? Does teaching people appeal to you? Do you want to be an organizer of other people's activities? Do you want to develop new ideas and initiate changes.

As for me, I have made up my mind to be an engineer. As my parents are an engineers they have made a great influence on my choice and I can say that this profession runs the family. My choice of this occupation didn't come as a sudden flash. I think that nowadays this profession is of great need and importance to our country. It is my aim to be a qualified specialist and to serve the interests of my country. To be a well prepared engineer I should have some important qualities: great capability persistence, knowledge of science and, of course, knowledge of foreign languages. In spite of these arguments we mustn't forget about everybody's vacation. I think that my facilities combined with the knowledge would be quiet enough to succeed in my work.

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Learning a foreign language

Foreign languages are absolutely necessary for us nowadays because of our growing international contacts with all the countries of the world.

There are many reasons why we begin to study foreign language. One of them is to be able to communicate with other people who use this language. We may be planning to travel in one or two countries where the language is spoken. If we know the language of a foreign country, we can talk to its people 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. Making business nowadays also means knowing foreign languages because of the growing international business contacts. Knowing foreign languages helps people of 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 the original. We can also read foreign newspapers and magazines and to understand films in foreign languages without any help.

Learning foreign languages is compulsory in all the secondary and higher schools in our country. English is a very popular language. People use it in many parts of the world and there is a lot of business correspondence and literature in English.

I think, it is very important to know at least one foreign language — English, German, French, Spanish or any other one.

The problem of learning languages is very important today. Foreign languages are socially demanded especially at the present time when the progress in science and technology has led to an explosion of knowledge and has contributed to an overflow of information. The total knowledge of mankind is known to double every seven years. Foreign languages are needed as the main and most efficient means of information exchange of the people of our planet.

Today English is the language of the world. Over 350 million people speak it as a mother tongue. The native speakers of English live in Great Britain, the United States of America, Australia and New Zealand. English is one of the official languages in the Irish Republic, Canada, the South African Republic. As a second language it is used in the former British and US colonies.

It is the major international language for communication in such areas as science, technology, business and mass entertainment. English is one of the official languages of the United Nations Organization and other political organization. It is the language of the literature, education, modern music, international tourism.

Russia is integrating into the world community and the problem of learning English for the purpose of communication is especially urgent today. Learning a foreign language is not as easy thing. It is a long and slow process that takes a lot of time and patience. But to know English is absolutely necessary for every educated person, for every good specialist.

It is well known that reading books in the original , listening to the BBC news, communicating with the English speaking people will help a lot. When learning a foreign language you learn the culture and history of the native speakers. One must work hard to learn any foreign language.

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Health

When we are ill, we call a doctor, and he examines us and diagnoses the illness. When we have a headache, a stomach ache, a sore throat, a cold, or a pain in some parts of the body, we call a doctor. He takes our temperature and our pulse. He examines our heart, our lungs, our stomach or the part where we have pain, and tells us what the matter is with us. The doctor prescribes medicine, and gives us a prescription, which we take to the chemist's, who makes up the medicine.

If you follow the doctor's orders, you get better; if you disobey the doctor, you may get worse, and even die. We must obey the doctor, if we want to get better. If we have a temperature, we must stay in bed and take the medicine he prescribes. If we cannot get better at home we must go to hospital.

If we are too ill to walk, we go to hospital in the ambulance. After our illness we can go to a sanatorium until we are strong again.

When we have toothache, we go to the dentist's. He examines our teeth, finds the tooth which hurts us, stops or extracts it.

Now here in Russia health system incorporates a variety of medical institutions. The medical service in Russia is of two kinds. Some state establishments give their employees medical insurance cards. They guarantee the people free of charge medical assistance. Some medical establishments charge fees for treatment. They may be rather high, but our medical service now uses all modem equipment and medicines and provides qualified medical help to all people.

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My plans for the future

When you leave school you understand that the time to choose your future profession has come. It’s not an easy task to make the right choice of a job. I have known for a long time that leaving school is the beginning of my independent life, the beginning of a far more serious examination of my abilities and character.

I have asked myself a lot of times: “What do I want to be when I leave school?” A few years ago it was difficult for me to give a definite answer. As the years passed I changed my mind a lot of times about which science or field of industry to specialize in. It was difficult to make up my mind and choose one of the hundreds jobs to which I might be better studied.

I asked a lot of questions myself to make the right choice: what sort of life do I want to lead? For example, do I want to live in the country or in town? Is leisure time of great importance to me? Is the size of my salary important? Do I want to put down roots or travel widely? What sort of work do I want to do? For example, do I like working alone or with others? Does teaching people appeal to me? Do I want to be an organizer of other people's activities?

As for me, I have made up my mind to be a manager. My choice of this occupation didn't come as a sudden flash. I think that nowadays this profession is of great need and importance to our country. It is my aim to be a qualified specialist and to serve the interests of my country. To be a well-prepared manager I should have some important qualities: great persistence, sociability, considerable knowledge, and, of course, knowledge of foreign languages.

That is why I want to enter Pyatigorsk State Linguistic University. I think that there I can get good knowledge to become a good specialist. And of course I want to learn languages better, because to my mind every educated person should know a foreign language. I always remember these famous words: “He, who doesn’t know a foreign language, doesn’t know his own language.

 Saint-Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia and one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It was founded in 1703 by Peter the Great as the window to Europe. Thousands of workmen were brought from all parts of Russia to build a new city on the swampy land at the mouth of the Neva River. Peter the Great was in a hurry. The work was fast and hard, and workmen dropped dead by hundreds. But the work went on.

In 1712 Saint Petersburg, a city of great beauty, with palaces, cathedrals, churches, government buildings became the capital. Under later rulers the new capital of the Russia Empire grew rapidly in wealth and beauty. Architects were brought from Western Europe to lay out the city in harmonious squares. Buildings were constructed in gray and rose-colored granite. The Hermitage and the Winter Palace, the homes of the Russian czars, were equal to any in Europe.

When the First World War began in 1914, the German-sounding name Saint Petersburg was changed to Petrograd. After the October Revolution the city was renamed after Vladimir Lenin.

During the Great Patriotic War the city suffered a great deal. The German armies laid siege to it in 1941, and for the next year and a half it was cut off fro the rest of the country Daily shelling and air raids destroyed parts of the city. Thousands of people were killed. Rebuilding took years.

Now Saint Petersburg is an important industrial, cultural, and educational center. It is also a large transport center. The first railroad line connected Saint Petersburg with Tsarskoye Selo. Then the famous Nicholas Railroad line from Saint Petersburg to Moscow was constructed. Now there are five railroad stations, two airports, a seaport, two bus terminals, a sea passenger terminal, and a river passenger terminal.

The population of the city grew fast. At the beginning of the 20th century it was about one million, by 1941 - it was about two million people, in the seventies - it was about four million, and it is near six million people.

Diversity is one of the main features of Saint Petersburg. A lot of geographical names in the city are russified Finnish, and some are just translations from the Finnish language, for example: the Neva River, the Moika, the Karpovka, Okhta, Ulyanka, Ligovsky Prospect, Kalinkin Bridge, Zayachy Island and many others. Saint Petersburg now, as in the past, is the city of many nations and religions. Some of the streets still keep the names of ethnical communities, which were there, for instance: Italianskaya Street, Grechesky Prospect, Shvedsky Pereulok, Angliysky Prospect and Angliyskaya Embankment, and others.

In the city there are a lot of churches and temples representing different religions groups: Othodox, Roman Catholic, Lutheran Churches, Moslem Mosques, Synagogues and a Buddhist Temple as well.

Saint Petersburg is a wonderful city: at every turn there is something to catch your eye. There are spacious squares and circles and the streets are wide and straight. Palace Square, Senate Square, St. Isaac`s Square, Trinity Square and Arts Square - they all are historical places, shaped with famous buildings and have striking monuments. Alexander Column, the highest structure of this kind in the world, raises on Palace Square. Peter the Great Monument, better known as the Bronze Horseman, is on Senate Square. Nicholas 1 Monument, which is considered a masterpiece of engineering art, stands on St. Isaac`s Square. Pushkin Monument is in the center of Arts Square. The Field of Mars, with the area of twelve hectares, is the biggest square in Saint Petersburg. The main street of the city is Nevsky Prospect. It runs from the Admiralty to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery and lines famous buildings, luxurious hotels and fashionable stores. Sadovaya Street got its name from a lot of gardens once facing the street. Moskovsky Prospect is the longest street in the city and Architect Rossy Street is the shortest one. It was in Saint Petersburg that the tradition to number streets appeared. One still can find 5th Line or 27th Line on Vasilyevsky Island. Line is one side of the street.

The city is called Northern Venice because there are 65 rivers, arms and canals there with artistically decorated bridges. Eight bridges across the Neva River open every night in summer giving together with the unset sun and magnificent buildings a picturesque view. At four ends of Anichkov Bridge over the Fontanka River along Nevsky Prospect are four sculptural groups comprising a world-famous composition The Taming of a Horse. The longest bridge is Alexander Nevsky Bridge across the Neva River. Siny Bridge over the Moika River is the widest and completes the ensemble of St. Isaac`s Square.

There are lots of museums in the city. The Kunstkammer, the first Russian museum, the Peter and Paul Fortress, the Smolny Cathedral, the Russian Museum, St. Isaac’s Cathedral and Savior-on-the-Spilt-Blood, the Admiralty and the Winter Palace, and many others, attract thousands of tourists from all over the world. Saint Petersburg’s many museums house some of the world’s most famous art collections. The Hermitage, for example, contains the richest collection of pictures and pieces of applied art in the world.

There are lots of theaters to suit all tastes. One can hear an opera or watch a ballet in the Mariinsky Theater or the Maly Opera House. Theatergoers can enjoy the dramatic art in the Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theater or in the Alexandrinsky Theater. Chamber and symphony music can be enjoyed in the Shostakovich Philharmonic Society. And, finally, those who prefer pop singers and rock stars can visit their shows at concert halls or sport palaces like the SKK or the Ledovy Palace. Two circuses are at people’s disposal as well.

Saint Petersburg is also famous for its legendary white nights. Different festivals take place at this time. It has also been a tradition for graduates of all kinds to celebrate their graduation and make marry in the night city.

People all over the world know that far north in Russia is the city of Saint Petersburg. Many of those who once visited the city liked it and want to be there again.

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Sport and healthy lifestyle

The fitness boom of the past decades led to a big rise in the numbers of people participating in sports and activities. Those who pursue the latest fitness fashion are convinced that staying in good physical form requires much more than regular exercise and balanced meals. For anyone who really wants to be healthy, fitness has become an integral part of their lives. A lot of health and fitness club, and public leisure centers indicate the popularity of sports during the past thirty years. There are many opportunities for keeping fit. First of all it's necessary to do exercises. Running, jumping, swimming, bending and stretching are among the most popular exercises. Many people prefer jogging, which is the cheapest and the most accessible sport. Popular running competitions are now held everywhere. The big city marathons have become sporting events. A healthy body becomes a fashion, an ideal of the modern life. Many sports activities have become part of daily Russian life. Football has always been the most popular sport among boys. Playing football is healthy, football also bring people close because in order to win people have to work as a team. The best way to avoid depression caused by the city life is doing exercises. Taking exercise is only one part of keeping fit. It's important to get slim. Some people eat nothing but fruit for several days. But it won't be of any use without proper exercises. Besides to avoid serious disease one should give up smoking. Smoking should be banned in all public places.

As for me, I'm interested in different kinds of sport. At school we have physical training lesson twice a week. I like to ski in winter. Sometimes the whole family goes skiing at the weekend. In summer I like to swim. I also do some cycling. I'm very fond of hockey. I try to watch every hockey match on TV.

The British are known to be great sport lovers. When they are neither playing, nor watching games, they like to talk about them. Many of games we play now have come from Britain.

One of the most British games is cricket. Summer isn’t summer without cricket. But the game, which attracts the greatest attention, is football, or soccer. There are plenty of professional or amateur clubs all over Britain. Next to football, the chief spectator in British life is horse-racing. A lot of people are interested in racing & risk money on the horse-races. A great number of people play & watch tennis. Indeed in one form or another sport is an essential part of daily life in Britain.

Many sports are popular in Russia. They are: hockey, soccer, weightlifting, track & field, tennis, basketball, volleyball, boxing, figure-skating, swimming, judo & shooting.

The Russians are not only sports fans. They take an active part in all sports activities. It’s been a tradition in this country to divide sport into professional & amateur. There are different sporting societies & clubs in Russia.

There are many stadiums & public sports facilities in Russia. Numerous national & international matches & competitions are regularly held in Russia. They attract a large number of fans. Most of important games are televised. Thousands of fans go to the stadiums to support their favorite team & thousands more prefer to watch games on TV. But watching sports events & going in for sports are two different things.

There is no need to speak about the importance of sports & games. They must become a part of your daily life. Sport helps people to stay in good shape, helps them to be fit, healthy. Some people go in for sports for pleasure for relaxation.

So sport attracts a lot of people. Some of them are members of sporting clubs. They go in different athletic events, do aerobics, go in for body-building, swimming. You may choose any kind to your liking & to your health.

As for me, I go to the swimming pool, because it’s good for my health.

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travelling

Have you ever asked yourself "What do I imagine when I hear travelling?"

The word "travelling" do not arouse lots of thoughts and memories to pay to in me. My experience in travelling is rather poor. Maybe I think so because most of my travel routes I have done hundreds of times during the year but in general I do not travel a lot.

What I imagine when I hear travelling? Do I imagine a highway, a road, or a narrow forest path? Do I imagine myself packing the luggage and in my usual way having forgotten something to take? Do I imagine scenery changing in one moment while riding a car or a train or, maybe, the peace of the nature during the walk? Do I imagine a holiday, rest or hardships and my stamina test? Do I imagine myself alone or with family, friends, in a noisy company?

These are the questions I’m asking myself when I hear “travelling”. In my opinion travelling is careful preparation, when you are making yourself to take nothing more but you need. I long way to the aim that leads through the towns, forests and fields to have its end in a small pretty place you have chosen for a rest or a work. Travelling is a route through towns going sightseeing, through the forests admiring nature’s treasures, riding a van and loosing it all sleeping all the way. Happy you are the travel begins but happier you feel when you are again at home. Travel is a rest after which you’ll rest through next year, preparing to new adventures.

I wish I would have a chance to travel around the world. Such a travelling may be the greatest event in person’s life. Firstly I’ll visit France and its capital Paris.

France isn’t very far from Belarus, so I’ll chose travel by train. Here there are some reasons for it: you can enjoy splendid scenery and picturesque places, communicate with the companions, so you won’t feel alone during the trip. And nowadays due to the technical progress trains become faster and faster and are comfortable enough to be a good travel service.

France is well known as a country of artists, fashion, perfumes and love. Paris is a particular city of France; it’s the capital of France, European fashion, art, city of unique people. Among its places worth sightseeing are Eiffel tower the cathedral of the Notre Dame, well known due to “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” written by Hugo, Louver. Louver is a great masterpiece in itself but more masterpieces it contains. Louver is the museum of world’s art, which is visited by each traveler. French Kitchen is also famous and, I think, nobody will deny to dine at a small restaurant when essence of love is dissolved in peaceful evening air.

The next point of my travelling will be the capital of the USA Washington.

I’ll chose travel by sea among all ways of crossing Atlantic Ocean. Sea voyage have something romantic in it, moreover I never travelled by ship so it’ll be a new experience for me. Ship is rather slow way of travelling but do I have to hurry somewhere all the time?

Washington, D. C. is one of the most famous capitals of the world. It’s known for its state buildings, the White House, US capitol, the Supreme Court building are among them, for plenty of memorials and museums dedicated to American heroes of the past. Lincoln, Jefferson and Washington memorials are great examples of warm feelings of Americans towards their heroes.

From Washington I’ll fly to Tokyo, Japan.

Planes consider being the fastest and the most comfortable way of travelling as the most expensive one also. I can’t deny that there are facts of air catastrophes but indeed air travelling is the safest of all ways of covering distances.

Japan had interested many Europeans since they discovered it, because of its special traditions and customs that survive in everyday life up to nowadays. Japan require from a visitor peculiar attention it itself because it’s easy to lose your head when enter the quite kingdom of nature after noisy and fast-moving town. Like in Tokyo that is one of the biggest industrial and economical centres of the world and contain such masterpieces of the past as the Imperial palace, that is open for visitors only on the 2nd of January, so maybe I’ll have to arrange my plans accordingly, the Asakura Kannon temple, Meiji shrine with its gateway and many other.

I think that my travel will last to long if I visit more places in one time and the next travel point will be my home. I think that Paris, Washington, Tokyo are enough as for the first trip.

But the reality isn’t so bright. My last travel…

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Youth's Problems

To some observers, teens today may seem spoiled (undisciplined and egocentric) compared to those of earlier times. The reality, however, is different. While poverty has decreased and political turmoil has lessened, young people are still under many types of stress. Peer pressure, changing family conditions, mobility of families and unemployment are just a few reasons why some young people may try to escape reality by turning to alcohol or drugs. However, most young people in the United States do not have problems with drinking, drug abuse, teen pregnancies or juvenile delinquency. Drug use (marijuana and cocaine are the most commonly used drugs) has decreased among young people in the United States within the last 10 years, though alcohol abuse has increased.

According to a 1991 government survey, about 8 million teenagers are weekly users of alcohol, including more than 450,000 who consume an average of 15 drinks a week. And, although all 50 states prohibit the sale of alcohol to anyone under 21, some 6.9 million teenagers, including some as young as 13, reported no problems in obtaining alcohol using false identification cards. Although many teenagers say they never drive after drinking, one-third of the students surveyed admitted they they has accepted rides from friends who had been drinking.

Many young Americans are joining organizations to help teenagers stop drinking and driving. Thousands of teenagers have joined Students Against Driving Drunk (SADD). They sign contracts in which they and their parents pledge not to drive after drinking. In some schools, students have joined anti-drug programs. Young people with drug problems can also call special telephone numbers to ask for help.

Aside from drug abuse, another problem of America's youths is pregnancy among young women. One million teenagers become pregnant each year. Why are the statistics so high? The post-World War II baby boom resulted in a 43 percent increase in the number of teenagers in the 1960s and 1970s. The numbers of sexually active teens also increased. And some commentators believe that regulations for obtaining federal welfare assistance unintentionally encourage teenage pregnancies.

Many community programs help cut down on the numbers of teenage pregnancies. Some programs rely on strong counseling against premarital sex and others provide contraceptive counseling. The "Teen Health Project" in New York City has led to a decline of 13.5 percent in the rate of teenage pregnancies since 1976. Why? Their program offers health care, contraceptive counseling, sports programs, job referrals and substance abuse programs.

About one million young people run away from home each year. Most return after a few days or a few weeks, but a few turn to crime and become juvenile delinquents. In 1989, approximately one-third of those arrested for serious crimes were under 18 years of age. Why are young people committing crimes? Among the causes are poor family relationships (often the children were abused or neglected while growing up), bad neighborhood conditions, peer pressure and sometimes, drug addiction.

Laws vary from state to state regarding juvenile delinquents. Once arrested, a juvenile must appear in a juvenile court. Juvenile courts often give lighter punishments to young people than to adults who commit the same crime. Juvenile courts hope to reform or rehabilitate the juvenile delinquent.

New programs to help troubled youths are created every year. For example, the city of New York and the Rheedlen Foundation provide an after-school program at a junior high school to help keep teens from becoming juvenile delinquents. Young people can go 4 after school and talk with peer counselors (people their own age), receive academic tutoring or take part in athletic and social activities. One New York community's library offers weekday evening workshops in dance, art, music and theater. They also sponsor social events, such as theater productions, in which young people can participate. Another group, the "Youth Rescue Fund" has a celebrity peer council of 15 teenage actors and actresses who volunteer their time to increase teen crisis awareness. As one young television actress said: "Teenagers are an important resource in improving the quality of life for all people."

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Your Pastime And Hobby

Hobby is what a person likes to do in his spare time. Hobbies differ like tastes. If you have chosen a hobby according to your character and taste you are lucky because your life becomes more interesting. The most popular hobby is doing things. It includes a wide variety of activities from gardening to traveling, from chess to volleyball. Both grown-ups and children are fond of playing different computer games. This hobby is becoming more and more popular. Making things include drawing, painting, handicrafts. Many people collect something - coins, stamps, compact discs, toys, books. Some collections have some value. Rich people often collect paintings, rare things and other art objects. 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 compact discs. I like different music, it should be good. I collect discs of my favourite groups and singers. I carefully study the information printed on discbooklets. I try to find everything about my favourite singers. Also I like 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 make a fire, bake potatoes and have a lot of fun. When the weather is bad, my friends come to my place. We have a good time together

London

"When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford." – Samuel Johnson (1709-1784).

Today, more than 200 years later, Johnson's words still ring true. There are few places that offer such a variety of sights, entertainments, educational and business opportunities, world-famous museums and theatres, and superb shopping.

London draws people from all over the world. Some come on business, some come to study, to work or on holiday. London is naturally a very English city, yet it is the least typical of Britain as it is very cosmopolitan, containing goods, food and entertainment, as well as people, from many countries of the world.

London spreads its influence over much of the southern areas of England; it gives work to millions of people who live not only in the inner-city areas but in surrounding districts. Some people even commute over 100 miles (over 150 km) every day to work in London.

There is much in London which fascinates visitors and inspires the affection of Londoners: the splendor of the royal palaces and the Houses of Parliament, the dignity of St. Paul's Cathedral and many monuments, the fine architecture of numerous historic buildings, and the beautiful parks.

London shows examples of buildings that express all the different areas of its history, it manages in a unique way to reflect its past and at the same time to fulfil the functions of a modern city with its commercialism and bustle.

Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the Sovereign. The daily ceremony of the Changing of the Guards takes place in its courtyard. The palace was built in 1703 by the Duke of Buckingham.

Piccadilly Circus has become an important meeting point — for traffic as well as sightseers. At its heart is a bronze fountain topped by a figure of a winged archer, popularly known as Eros, the pagan god of love.

The majority of London's places of entertainment are concentrated around Piccadilly Circus. This area is now famous for its theatres, clubs and shops.

Whitehall is a street in central London running from Trafalgar Square to the Houses of Parliament and containing many important buildings and government offices: the Foreign and Commonwealth Offices, the Treasury, Admiralty and Ministry of Defense. In the centre of the roadway stands the Cenotaph, the memorial to the fallen of both world wars. The Prime Minister's residence at No. 10

Downing Street is directly connected to Whitehall.

London is always full of life. The streets are crowded with traffic. High 'double-decker' buses rise above the smaller cars and vans.

The City of London today is the financial powerhouse of the country and one of the chief commercial centres of the western world.

The City has its own Lord Mayor, its own government and its own police force. Here the medieval buildings stand side by side with modern steel and glass high-rise office blocks. The territory of the City of just over one square mile contains several banks, including the Bank of England, the Stock Exchange and offices of many financial companies.

The parks of London provide a welcome contrast to the great built-up areas. St. James's Park, Green Park, Hyde Park, and Kensington Gardens are linked together. They form 313 hectares of open parkland in the heart of London.

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About Myself

From the very start I should say that it is not an easy thing to speak about myself as it is hard to have a look at yourself from aside, but at the same time who knows you better than you yourself do?

I am a girl of sixteen. When I look at myself in the mirror I see a blond girl with short straight hair, dark eyes. As to my appearance I'm rather tall and slim. I have never thought I'm a beauty I whish I were more beautiful. I think that I'm even tempered, rather reserved, calm and modest. But sometimes I can lose my tempo and become either angry or sad. I like staying alone and sometimes I retire into my shell. But at the same time I like my friends, I like to laugh and joke. I have got a sense of humor. It means I understand humor and appreciate it.

There are many things in our life I like and some I dislike. I like when everything is OK. Being happy is one way of being wise. I like to study because knowledge is useful sometimes. I'm fond of reading as it gives not only knowledge, but wonderful moments of joy and pleasure. I am neither short nor tall, so I like to wear high-heeled shoes, trousers or jeans.

I was born on the 25th of April 1985 in the town of Molodechno where I live now together with my parents and my younger sister (older brother). My early years which I remember badly, were typical of a child living in a town. I was born in a family of a teacher and a doctor. I was sent to a kindergarten at the age of three as both the parents were working. As all the children of Belarus I went to school at the age of six. Here I should say that it was my lucky chance to study for 11 years at the school of fine arts in the town of Molodechno. It turned out to be the best school in our town. There I got a proper training in such subjects as English, Russian and Belarusian literature and world culture. I usually did a lot of home preparation for them and I liked everything I was doing in them. I really tried hard in them. But despite my efforts I was not good at Math.

School for me was not only lessons and learning I had a lot of friends there. We organized extra class activities such as parties and other social activities. I actively participated in most of them.

I am sociable, so I have got a lot of friends among my schoolmates. As for me I appreciate people's hornesty, kindness, sense of justice and intelligence. I don't like when people are rude and aggressive.

I am stubborn at times. But to my mind being persistent is not always a bad thing. It means my aim, I never leave things half done. At times I feel dissatisfied with myself, especially when I fail to do something or can't do things the way they should be done. At the same time I think I am hard-working and diligent. My greatest problem at school was talking in front of the class. I always blushed and went red.

Very soon I'll pass my final exams at school and after a farewell party at the end of the June I'll say good-bye to my teachers who are very well-educated people with broad outlook and deep knowledge of the subjects. They encouraged me in my desire of choosing my future career. School meant a lot to me and it wasn't just learning and studying. I had made good friends there and met many interesting people. I faced a new life without school with a mixed feeling of sadness and joy.

I had asked myself a lot of times what I wanted to be when I left school. A few years ago it was difficult to give a definite answer. As the years passed I changed my mind several times. But it was only in my last year at school that I finally made up my mind what profession I would most like to have in future. I realized that my strongest desire was to continue specializing in humanities and learn foreign languages in particular. I hope my dream will come true. If I fail in my exams I'll try to enter the University again.

And now a few words about my inclinations. I haven't got any special hobby, like collecting something but I'm fond of reading books. They give me more knowledge of their people's lives and feelings and broaden my outlook. In my opinion, books are a source of emotional inspiration and romantic feeling . besides, books help me to continue my own education. The time spend on a good book is never wasted. Reading is a rewarding pasting.

And of course I like music! I'm fond of music of the 60-s, like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Elvis Prestly. The songs of the Beatles give me much delight and pleasure. Besides, I am a great theatre-goer. Whenever I have some time to spare, I go to the theatre. I'm not keen on television.

Sometimes I play different sport games for health and pleasure. I usually play such games as volley-ball, basketball, tennis, and sometimes football.

And the last thing I would like to tell you about things I hope to achieve in my life are: to have a very successful career, so this year after finishing school I try to enter the University, to build the home of my dreams and to find someone in my life to share all that with.

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Environmental protection

The planet Earth is only a tiny part of the universe, but it's the only place where human beings can live.

People always polluted their surroundings. But until now pollution was not such a serious problem. People Lived in uncrowded rural areas and did not have pollution - causing machines. With the development of crowded industrial cities, which put huge amounts of pollutants into small areas, the problem has become more important. Today our planet is in serious danger. Acid rains, global warming, air and water pollution, and overpopulation are the problems that threaten human life on Earth.

Our forests are disappearing because they are cut down or burnt. If this trend continues one day we won't have enough oxygen to breathe.

The seas are in danger. They are filled with poison: industrial and nuclear waste, chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The Mediterranean is already nearly dead; the North Sea is following. The Aral Sea is on the brink of extinction. If nothing is done about it, one day nothing will be able to live in the seas.

Every ten minutes one kind of animal, plant or insect dies out forever. If nothing is done about it, one million species that are alive today may soon become extinct.

Air pollution is another serious problem. In Cairo just breathing the air is dangerous - equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. The same holds true for many Russian cites.

Factories emit tons of harmful chemicals. These emissions have disastrous consequences for our planet. They are the main reason for the greenhouse effect and acid rains.

And even greater threat are nuclear power stations. We all know how tragic the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster are.

Fortunately, it's not too late to solve these problems. We have the time, the money and even the technology to make our planet a better, cleaner and safer place. We can plant trees and create parks for endangered species. We can recycle litter. Individuals and groups of people can work together to persuade enterprises to stop polluting activities.

Animals need help. Earth is in danger.

People have lived on our planet for many years. They lived and live on different continents, in different countries. People depend on their planet, on the sun, on animals and plants around them. People must take care of Earth. Our ecology becomes worse and worse with every new day. Many species of animals and birds are disappearing nowadays. People destruct wildlife, cut down trees to make furniture. They forget that people can’t live without trees and plants, because they fill air with oxygen. And, of course, great problems are population and animals destruction. The main reason of pollution is rubbish. Most of our rubbish goes to big holes in the ground, called ‘dumps’. But dumps are very dangerous for our life ‘cause they are full of rats, which can carry infections away from dumps. Another way to get rid of rubbish is to burn it. But the fires make poisons, which go into the air and pollute it. But pollution isn’t the only actual problem. Every day a big number of animals disappears. People kill animals for different aims: e.g. people hunt whales for their meat and oil; elephants for their tusks, crocodiles for their leather and so on. And also animals are used for medical experiments. The most wide – speared from such animals are monkeys. Modern life is bad for animals, birds, fish. The air isn’t fresh and the water isn’t pure. They don’t have good meal and facilities for the life. You can find their names in the Red Book.

Of course, people can’t stay indifferent to these problems. There are a lot of special organizations, which try to save our nature. The most known are: The Royal Society for the prevention of cruelty to animals (The RSPCA), the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Greenpeace. The RSPCA tries to protect animals from bad use. It operates big nation campaigns aimed at lost pets, circus animals. The WWF rescued several species of animals, mammals as well as birds. These organization also helped to create more than 250 National parks. Greenpeace began its work 20 years ago from saving whales. And now Greenpeace is a world-famous organization, which saves plants, animals and people. These organization, want to rescue animals, to help them to survive and to save jungle rain forests, which are in danger of destruction. And they also help animals ‘cause many of them have already gone as they have nowhere to live. Their homes, the trees, have disappeared. We must save wild animals. And we must find the right way to save land, people and animals. We must lake care of nature, because we are part of it.

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