Билеты для подготовки к выпускному экзамену.

II. Let’s talk about family traditions

It goes without saying that the family is very important as a unit in our society. Nothing else but family can be an emotional centre of peo¬ple’s lives and a transmitter of culture. Understanding between all mem-bers of the family and consideration for others are very important in family relationships. Tenderness, warm-heartedness and respect must always be present in the family to make it friendly. I do think family traditions help its members respect and support one another.

A lot of activities can help members of a family to be on friendly terms: discussing all the family plans, going on trips together, visiting museums, theatres, exhibitions and exchanging opinions about them, sharing joys and sorrows.

If to speak about my family, I can say I enjoy our honest and open relationship. I like it when parents trust their children, give them free¬dom, rely on them and respect them. In my opinion these things make family relations warm and pleasant.

Unfortunately, we can’t spend much time together during a week. My parents have to work a lot to earn money for our family. But in the evening they try to spend as much time as possible with my sister and me. Everybody in our family likes having tea when we can speak about our working day, share impressions and good news, discuss our chal¬lenges and make plans for the coming day. It’s one of our family tradi¬tions. To my mind, it helps us learn more about one another and makes our family united.

Every member of our family looks forward to the weekend. We enjoy going to the cinema and cafes together. In winter we often ski and skate. In other seasons we enjoy riding bikes, going to theme parks or visiting famous sights of our country. We visit our extended family and often help them in the garden. It’s also our family tradition to spend summer holidays together either at the seaside or in the country, which I enjoy very much.

We have other family traditions. Our family see the New Year at home. We cook a lot of delicious food for the night meal which usually starts at 10 p.m. A goose or chicken stuffed with apples is our traditional New Year dish. We sing songs, play games and give presents to one another.

We have a family tradition to celebrate birthdays of each member of the family. On these days we usually have parties. Friends and relatives come with presents and flowers. Our last family birthday was mother’s birthday. We wanted to make it a special day since it was her 38th birth¬day. We had selected a nice present for her and my father and I had done all the cooking. The table was nicely laid up. The party was fantastic. All the guests seemed to enjoy themselves a lot.

As you can see, consideration for others is very important in our fam¬ily relationships. We have our family traditions which make our life more exciting and interesting, help to understand one another better, to express our emotions and feelings. Our parents feel great affection for us and try to bring us up in a proper way. They devote their free time to us and this makes our home the happiest place for me.

Билеты для подготовки к выпускному экзамену.

II. Let’s talk about family

I believe that everything has its beginning in the family. Family is very important for every person, because it gives you a sense of stability and tradition, a feeling of having support and understanding. There is a wise saying "Blood is thicker than water". From my point of view it means that your parents and other relatives will stick by you in times of need more than other people will.

I do think the family is very important as a unit in our society. Noth¬ing else but family can be an emotional centre of people’s lives and a transmitter of culture. Understanding between all members of the family and consideration for others are very important in family relationships. Tenderness, warm-heartedness and respect must always be present in the family to make it friendly. In my opinion, when a child is brought up in a friendly family, he or she will become a reliable and responsible per¬son with a strong character and mind.

My family consists of my father, my mother, my sister and me.

I think I’d better start my story with my dad. His name is Vladimir. He is in his late thirties. He’s tall with dark hair and hazel eyes and is of a strong built. He works as an electrician. My father is a very intel¬ligent man and he is fond of reading and watching scientific programs. In some situations he is very serious but in general he is a cheerful per¬son with a good sense of humour. He enjoys telling funny stories and

taking photos. I think I take after my dad both in appearance and in character.

My mother’s name is Galina. She is a programmer. She is very in¬terested in her work and she is a professional. It has always impressed me how she can find enough time for both family and work. I can’t say that my mother’s life is easy as she has to keep the house and work but she manages to do everything in time. She is a strong and charming per¬son and she does a good job of being a mother. In fact, she means a lot to me. She understands me in the way no other person would and she always finds proper words to comfort me.

My sister Kate is seven years old. She takes after our mother in her appearance. She is a nice girl with green eyes and long fair hair. She is a first-former. She likes music and dancing. She learns to play the piano. She likes playing with toys and watching cartoons in her free time. I love my sister but sometimes we quarrel about petty things. I think I must be more patient and tolerant with her.

We don’t live with our extended family but we have many relations: two grandmothers and grandfathers, aunts, uncles and cousins. All of them live in Belarus and we get together from time to time, mainly on our birthdays or other holidays. It’s also our family tradition to spend summer holidays together either at the seaside or in the country, which I enjoy very much.

As I’ve already said the bonds of the family are always stronger than those between unrelated people. And I am happy to say that my home is a place where even the tea kettle sings from happiness. I can say that my parents trust me, give me freedom, rely on me and respect me. These things, in my opinion, make family relations warm and pleasant.

Билеты для подготовки к выпускному экзамену.

II. Let’s talk about Great Britain

When I think about Great Britain, I immediately think of its geo¬graphical position, culture and its people.

As I know from my geography lessons, the country is surrounded by seas. The British Isles consist of more than 5000 small islands. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland consists of four formerly independent countries. They are England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The population of Great Britain is about 57 mln peo¬ple. This country is famous for great geographical discoveries and glori¬ous victories of the British fleet.

When I think about the UK I immediately think of the “foggy Al¬bion” and the Cliffs of Dover as it’s what you see first coming to the UK by ferry. Of course, I think of its capital London. It’s a kind of dream of everybody interested in English history and culture. This city can’t be confused with any other city in the world. London taxi-cabs, red publish telephones, policemen and the building of Parliament with its famous bell called Big Ben are considered as its visiting cards.

Thinking about the history of the country I immediately think of York, one of the oldest cities in Britain. This city witnessed the Roman invasion in 43 AD, the landing of Viking hordes in 866 and the ravages of the Wars of the Roses. Now it has become the richest city of the coun¬try and the northern capital of England. Young’s Hotel stands on the actual sight of Guy Fawkes birthplace.

When I think about British literature I think of William Shakespeare. Among his most famous works are such comedies as Much Ado About Nothing, The Comedy of Errors and A Midsummer Night’s Dream and tragedies Romeo and Juliette, Hamlet, Othello and Macbeth. I'd like to visit Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare. I would try to do my best to get tickets to Swan Theatre and see any of comedies or tragedies by the celebrated playwright.

Scotland is “the birthplace of valour, the country of worth”. Fine arts, forts, castles as well as a heartly welcome in an accent that trips the tongue - this is a taste of this glorious country. Edinburgh, is famous for its military tattoo which takes place every August and September and the famous Edinburgh festival where the best performances from all over the world can be seen.

Wales is the land of mountains, green fields, forests and farms. Its inhabitants take a great interest in folk music and singing, its literature is one of the most ancient in Europe. Snowdon, the second highest moun¬tain in Great Britain, is situated there. In summer it looks very peaceful and beautiful and a little train runs to it.

British people say: “Other countries have a climate, in Britain we have only weather” which means that the weather is very changeable there.

As well as I know the UK is a parliamentary monarchy. Elizabeth II is its famous queen. She goes in her golden carriage wearing her royal clothes at such traditional ceremonies as Trooping the Colour and the State Opening of Parliament. The British are proud of their monarch and carefully keep up their traditions.

Билеты для подготовки к выпускному экзамену.

II. Let’s talk of the Republic of Belarus

The official name of our county is the Republic of Belarus. It’s total area is 207,600 km2. It is situated nearly in the extreme western part of the East-European Plain within the basins of the Dnieper, the Western Dvina and the Upper Neman. It borders on Russia in the north and east, on Lithuania and Latvia in the north-west, on Poland in the west, and on the Ukraine in the south. Belarus stretches for 560 kilometres from south to north and for 650 kilometres from east to west.

Its population is about 9.5 mln people: 83% of Belarusians, 8% of Russians, 3% of Poles and 2% of Ukrainians. 76% of the population live in towns and cities.

Belarus is situated on a plain rising to hills, the highest of which is Mt. Dzerzhinskaya reaching 350 metres above sea level. There are more than 3,000 rivers in the country. The longest are the Dnieper, Neman, Western Dvina, Prypiat, Berezina, Sozh and Vilia. Belarus is called a lake-country. There are about 10,800 lakes here noted for their great depth, transparent water and beautiful scenery. The largest of them is Lake Naroch.

The largest forests in Belarus are called pushchas. There are elks and deer, wild boars and wolves, bears and foxes, beavers and lynxes in the forests. Pinewoods, mighty oak groves, birch groves and all sorts of other mixed forest formations are the charm, wealth and pride of our homeland.

Belarus has a temperate-continental climate with moderate features which is characteristic for Central Europe, with hot summers, long, cold winters and very distinct seasons. The annual average temperature is about 7°C.

The capital of our country is Minsk. Its population is about one fifth of the country population. In accordance with the political division, Bel¬arus consists of six regions: Minsk, Brest, Vitebsk, Gomel, Grodno and Mogilev regions.

The Republic of Belarus is a democratic social state with the rule of law. The state power exercised on the basis of its division on legislative, executive and judicial. Belarus is a presidential republic. The President of the Republic of Belarus is a head of state. In accordance with the Constitu-tion the legislative body is the Parliament. The executive power is exer¬cised by the Government. The Council of Ministers is the central body of state administration. The local administration is carried through the system of local executive and administrative bodies. The judicial power belongs to the courts. We have two official languages: Belarusian and Russian.

The most developing branches of industry are motor-car construc¬tion, machine-tool construction and bearing production, electrical indus¬try, oil mining and processing, production of synthesized fiber, fertili¬zers, pharmaceutical industry, production of building materials, light and food industries.

Natural conditions of the Republic of Belarus let succesfully pro¬duce such highly remunerative kinds of production as milk, beef, pork, meat and eggs of poultry, grain, potatoes, long-fibred flax, white beet and so on.

Our country is famous for its people who are hospitable, tolerant, hard-working and friendly. I’m proud of my country and its people and I'm happy that it is my homeland.

Билеты для подготовки к выпускному экзамену.

II. Let’s talk about weather and climate

As far as I know weather is the condition of the outside air or at¬mosphere at a particular time and place. Step outside and you will ex¬perience many faces of weather. It can be hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or windy, clear or cloudy. Humidity, air temperature and pressure, wind speed and direction, cloud cover and type, and the amount and form of precipitation are all atmospheric characteristics of the momentary condi¬tions we call weather.

It has been said that “climate is what you expect; weather is what you get”. In other words, you can expect snow in Belarus in January, but you may or may not get it on a particular day.

The climate of an area or country is known through the average weather over a long period of time. If an area has more dry days throughout the year than wet days, it would be described as a dry cli¬mate; a place which has more cold days than hot days would make it known to have a cold climate.

Belarus has a temperate-continental climate with moderate features which is characteristic for Central Europe, with hot summers, long, cold winters and very distinct seasons. Abundant snowfall may occur throughout the country from December to sometimes early March or even April.

The annual average temperature is about 7°C. In general, there are no significant differences between the districts of Belarus, due to the small size of the country. Daytime temperatures vary from -5-0°C in winter and 25-30°C in summer months. The summer lasts about 150 days in Belarus and it is most of the time sunny and dry. Local thunder¬storms are quite common in the late afternoon and evening and can be very heavy sometimes. Spring and autumn can be damp and rainy. So lightweights are worn in summer, whereas warmer clothes are needed in winter. Rainwear is recommended throughout the year.

As we live in the western part of Europe, the seasons here have their specific features, both attractive and unpleasant. Every season is beauti¬ful in its way. We should choose the right clothes to wear in order to be healthy and feel comfortable and warm. In my view, modern designers create nice and comfortable clothes. So, we can choose the clothes we like and enjoy any kind of weather.

If to speak about Great Britain, the weather there is very changeable. British people say: “Other countries have a climate, in Britain we have only weather”. Sudden changes usually occur - showers from what was only a few hours before a clear blue sky; sunshine that makes you want to leave off all your clothes followed by winds that set you wishing two overcoats. One day may be fine and the next day may be wet. The morn¬ing may be warm and the evening may be cool. British people are apt to complaining of their climate as being damp and rainy, and foreigners laugh at it and say that the British summer is made up of three fine days and a thunderstorm.

Билеты для подготовки к выпускному экзамену.

II. Let’s talk about environment

Computers project that between now and the year of 2030 we are going to have an increase of the average temperature between 1.5 - 4.5 degrees C. Sea levels would rise by several metres, flooding coastal ar¬eas and ruining vast tracks of farmland. Huge areas would be infertile and become uninhabitable. Water contamination could lead to shortages of safe drinking water. It looks like the end of civilization on the Earth.

Every year the world’s industry pollutes the atmosphere with mil¬lions of tons of dust and other harmful substances. The seas and rivers are poisoned with industrial waste. People who live in big cities are badly affected by harmful discharge from plants and city transport and by the increasing noise level which is bad for human health.

Among the most urgent problems are depletion of the ozone layer, acid rains and global warming. Another serious environmental problem is the disappearance of forests. There are a lot of places on our planet that need immediate help. The nuclear accident of Chernobyl has seri¬ously aggravated the ecological situation in Belarus. About 18 per cent of the country’s soil is unfit for farming and some districts in the south¬east of the country are dangerous to live in. So nature protection should become everybody’s concern.

I believe that environmental disasters can be avoided if people broaden ecological education and every person understands that the beauty of nature is extremely fragile. In my opinion, people must obey the unwritten rules of nature. Governments must take serous actions against pollution. Many countries reduce air pollution making plants and factories fit affective filters on chimneys and car exhausts. They try to use natural recourses more economically. Green zones around big cities are protected and extended.

As well as I know most people in America and Europe are ecologi- cally-conscious and they do many things to help the environment. For 

example, they have so-called “Clean Air Day”. Its aim is to encourage people to walk, bike, ride public transit, thereby reducing the use of per¬sonal cars. Carpooling is an arrangement among car owners by which each of them takes a turn driving the others to and from a designed place. So less gas is burnt and less emissions are discharged into the at-mosphere. In many countries people work together on the program of sustainable development called “Local Agenda 21”, which was set up in 1992.

There are many things people can do at home to help nature. They could waste less water by fixing leaky pipes, turning off the tap while brushing their teeth, taking showers instead of baths. People should re¬member that paper is not garbage and it can be recycled. By recycling of one ton of newspapers we save 17 trees. People should buy in bulk so that to eliminate the trash from extra-packaging, they should bike more and use public transport.

I strongly believe that we must consume less, recycle more, con-serve wildlife and nature, act according to the dictum “think locally, think globally, act locally”. If we don’t realize that we are responsible for what’s happening around us, we will never feel secure about the fu-ture of the world we live in.

Билеты для подготовки к выпускному экзамену.

II. Let’s talk about travelling and tourism

Travelling nowadays has become an important part of modem life. Millions of people all over the world travel about their own countries and to foreign lands as well. They are eager to see and explore new pla¬ces and learn more about different ways of life. Tourism comprises the activities of people travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes. Any tourist trip is characterized by the displacement which involves different means of transport, purpose and duration.

So travelling and tourism depend on such industries as transporta¬tion, accommodation and catering, attractions and activities, tour opera¬tors, tourist agents and tourist information.

People travel to visit natural destinations such as seas, lakes, rivers, mountain ranges, deserts and so on. They also visit built destinations and resorts. There are such types of tourism as domestic tourism when peo¬ple visit destinations in their country, outbound tourism when people visit other countries and incoming tourism that involves people arriving from other counties. People can go to some destination on holiday, which is called leisure tourism, or on business. There is also such pur¬pose of travelling as visiting friends and relatives

It’s always interesting to discover new things and other ways of life, to meet different people, taste different food, examine various architec¬tural styles, visit museums and picture galleries. It’s common knowledge that travelling is a key to understanding other cultures and a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the world we live in.

Nowadays people can travel in different ways. They can enjoy the comfort and speed of airlines as well as the conveniences of modem coaches and trains, or the luxury of a sea voyage. People choose this or that way of travelling according to their likings and financial possibili-ties.

I personally prefer travelling by car. There are several reasons for it. First of all you don’t need to reserve your tickets. Then you can go as slowly or as fast as you wish, stop whenever you choose and stay at any place you choose as long as you like. And, of course, you see much more of the countryside than you do travelling by plane or even by train.

I can’t say that I have travelled a lot in my life, nevertheless, last year my parents and I spent one week in Kiev. We arrived there by train. Travelling by train has its advantages as well. Most trains nowadays have very comfortable compartments as well as dining cars. Travelling by train you have speed, comfort and pleasure combined.

I’m looking forward to a day when I can afford extensive travelling to far-away countries and about Belarus as well where there are a lot of unique and beautiful places to see. If I had an opportunity, I would visit Great Britain and Germany in future. France also attracts me very much. As for travelling in Belarus, I would like to see its beautiful castles situ¬ated in Mir and Nesvizh and the Brest Fortress which is a monument of defence architecture.