Если у вас возникли сложности с курсовой, контрольной, дипломной, рефератом, отчетом по практике, научно-исследовательской и любой другой работой - мы готовы помочь.
Предоплата всего
Подписываем
Ecological Problems.
It’s a wonderful world we live in. For thousands of years the Earth has given support to all forms of life: human beings, animals, birds, fishes, insects and plants.
But now human beings are killing our planet.
Many species of animals and birds have disappeared. Millions of animals die every year because man has polluted their natural homes. Besides, every year people cut down more trees, build more roads, and use more land for farming. This leaves fewer jungles, fields and forests for wildlife.
The country air, once clean and fresh, now may be polluted by power stations* and factories. Some of our rivers are now empty of fish. And in some rivers you can even see a thick foam caused by chemical waste.
All over the world the forests are disappearing. People cut the trees down because they need wood and paper or new places for farms and houses. Forests the size of Belgium are destroyed every year. It’s an international disaster. Even if new trees are planted, it takes many years for them to grow. Go to the seaside and you’ll see the pollution around you. There is a lot of litter on the beaches. Some of it was left by people and some was brought by the water.
Pollution is very dangerous for people, wildlife and the environment.
We live among litter and wastes which we have created ourselves — fumes of cars, throwaway packaging**, etc. People don’t just pollute the environment. They pollute themselves with cigarettes, alcohol and junk food***.
These are some of the world’s most serious environmental problems. And it’s no good pretending they don’t exist — they do. What’s more, they are getting worse all the time! What will happen if we don’t try to solve these problems? Scientists have made predictions and they are alarming.
*power stations — large buildings in which electricity is made
**throwaway packaging — material which is used for packing products and should be thrown away after use
***junk food — unhealthy food like popcorn, chips, hamburgers etc.
How We Choose our Friends.
A friend is a person you know and like well. How do we choose our friends?
The words friend and free come from the same root word suggesting that the main thing in a friendship is the freedom to be ourselves in the company of another person.
Most friendships begin with shared interests or activity, which gradually develop into mutual trust, openness, affection and loyalty. We like people who share our attitudes and values. When someone agrees with us or makes the same choice we have made, we gain confidence in our own views.
There is also a tendency to enjoy the company of people of the same economic status and level of education.
Most young people say that they have a main group of about fifteen close friends, not just one or two best friends as was the case long ago. Having a close group of people to depend on seems more secure than exclusive relationship with one person. Friends share problems, gossip, jokes, concerns and hobbies. This is all young people need and long for.
I personally think that having a best friend doesn’t mean devoting all your time to him, we sometimes need other people to communicate with. For me, being friends, means doing a lot of things together, having much in common, enjoying each other’s company and having much fun together. That’s why I think that in order to keep friendship forever people should be always honest and attentive to each other.
confidence - уверенность
long for - очень хотеть
Leisure Time of Teenagers.
Being a teenager is both interesting and dangerous, as there is a great variety of temptations, presented by our technological civilization.
Many young people have their hobbies, special interests, responsibilities. All these things help them to use their creative energy and to realize their ambitions.
However some young people are not motivated for studying or just working. They look for the easiest ways of enjoying their lives and escaping from reality. They start together doing nothing. They hang out in the streets, on the attics or where not. The most terrible thing is when a teenager becomes a drug addict. Most often such groups of youth are involved into different crime affairs. They are always under the threat of death because of overdosing and AIDS. This problem is a very serious at present.
Besides there is exists a growing gap between two strata of youngsters. The first is — those who prefer easy pastime (TV shows, soap-operas, detectives, comics, discos and clubs). The second group is — creators. They are eager to realize themselves in any kind of human activities (computing, sports, amateur arts, design and writing, communicating on Internet and so on). The latter group is more interesting and perspective in my opinion.
Personally I prefer to do a great amount of things which are pleasant and interesting for me. It may be reading, a various types of sport games, watching educational programmers on TV, listening to music and others. The large part of my free time I devote to reading. I believe the book is a surest way to bring people together.
Problems of Teenagers.
It is said that the most beautiful period in the life is when you are teenagers. Teenagers have many problems with their parents sometimes they don’t understand young people. It is the so-called generation gap. Generation gap is the difference in ideas, feelings and interests between older and younger people it’s a lack of understanding. Parents forgot what they did when they were young. Sometimes parents and children don’t talk to each other, do not share their problems. And that’s the main reason of the conflicts in the families. Another thing that is very important for teenagers is to be accepted by their friends. They try to wear strange things which are fashionable among young people. They speak in a way which is accepted among the teenagers. But it’s difficult for the parents and teachers to understand this style.
As for me, I also have some of these problems. For example, my parents don’t understand the music I love. They disapprove some of my clothes and jewellery. They also want me to be more careful and attentive with my homework.
When we have one of these situations my parents and I try to make a compromise. For example, they don’t object me to listen to the music I love, but I switch it on not very loud. When I go for a walk with my friends I always wear clothes and jewellery I like. But when we visit museum and theatres I try to put the proper clothes on. As for my homework they trust and rely on me in many cases. I think if both generations cooperate, living together will be easier and more pleasant.
Why Do We Learn Foreign Languages?
In our time it is very important to know foreign languages. They help us to communicate with people from other countries, to understand another culture and also to get a better understanding of our own culture and our own language.
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 and Canada.
I want to travel a lot, so I need to know English, because it is the most popular language in the world. It will help me to mix with people and to make new friends. I also need English to use the Internet and computer technologies. You can write electronic letters to your friends to other countries. I absolutely sure the English language will help me to get a well-paid job and expand my knowledge of British customs and traditions. Besides English I would like to learn Italian, French and Spanish. Italy, France and Spain are my favorite countries. Each of them in different times played an important role in the world history and culture.
At school I learn English. I think this language is very useful in our life. Learning a foreign language is not an easy thing. It is a long and slow process that takes a lot of time and patience. We have English lessons three times a week. I like these lessons because they are interesting, informative and emotional. We learn grammar, listen to the texts and discuss them, act out the dialogues, work a lot at our pronunciation, etc.
So, learning languages stretches our minds, it is a good exercise for the intellect. It expands our horizons, for example, it gives us a chance to get a better job and to visit other countries.
British Customs and Traditions.
Every nation and every country has its own customs and traditions. In Britain traditions play more important part in the life of the people than in other countries.
Englishmen are proud of their traditions and carefully keep them up. There are some old traditions and customs. They are the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, Trooping the Colour, the State Opening of Parliament, changing of the guard and taking care of the ravens in the Tower. The legend says: till the ravens are alive in the Tower, England will be rich. We can see a group of cavalrymen riding on black horses through the streets of London. These men are Life Guards. Life Guards wear red uniforms, shining helmets, long black boots and long white gloves. They guard the king or the queen of Great Britain and very important guests of the country.
In England many things are the other way round. For example, we seldom speak about the weather. If we do, it usually means we have no topics to discuss. In England if you don’t speak about the weather the English are surprised and think that you are very dull.
You can easily offend the English only if you tell them they have no sense of humour. The English hardly ever lie, but they don’t tell you the truth either. In England even the richest man can wear some old clothes and not shave. Some of us think life is a game, but the English think cricket is a game. In England people have good table manners. It is a tradition too.
Most English love gardens. Growing roses is one of the most popular hobbies among Englishmen. They usually prefer a house with a fireplace and a garden to a flat in a modern house with central heating.
The English like animals very much. Lots of families in Great Britain have got one or more pets. Dogs are the favourite pets and there are about 6 million of them in Britain. The second favourite are cats (about 5 million) and the third favourite is a bird — a budgie. Animals have a much better life in Britain than anywhere else.
Problems of a Modern City and a Country.
Nowadays more and more people live in big cities. Some of them are born there, others come searching for something. Are they satisfied?
It is true that there are many advantages of living in a big city. Any big city offers many entertainments and possibilities. Cinemas, theatres, museums, cafes and restaurants open their doors to the public. Walking along the streets of a big city one can enjoy looking at beautiful buildings and statues.
In addition to it there are more working places in cities, and salaries are higher than in the country. Life is more convenient because of many shops and supermarkets where you can easily do the shopping and which are open round the clock. A large city is usually an educational centre. A wide choice of colleges, universities and other educational centers can satisfy any taste. By the way, if you live in a big city, your private life is not known to everybody, as in a village or in a small town. I consider it a great advantage.
But there are some disadvantages which, for many people, are considered rather serious. First, a big city is very dirty. The air smells petrol. There is a lot of rubbish on the ground. Cities are a real stone jungle. Second, disadvantage is the anonymity of a big city, where people don’t know and don’t care to know each other. Third, big cities are really big, and you have to travel an hour or more to get to work, while in the country people come home to have lunch with their families. It’s generally known that criminal situation in big cities is worse than in little ones. You can see homeless people begging or sleeping somewhere.
Considering both advantages and disadvantages, many people say that soon more people would choose to live in the country, where, thanks to the development of distance education and the growth of transportation system, they will be able to have the city level of life combined with the pleasures of the life in a village.
Cinema and Types of Films.
Cinema has become one of the most popular kinds of art in the twentieth century. Not long ago we celebrated its century. A great number of various types of films are released all over the world.
Westerns are the films with cowboys, Indians, a lot of shooting and chasing. Action films are usually full of fighting, shooting, blood. There is a hero who fights the enemies in some extraordinary circumstances.
Horror films and thrillers are full of terrible characters. You can see vampires, monsters, maniacs and murderers. Only people with strong nerves can watch these.
Nowadays science-fiction films are very popular. They create a dream world. They describe other planets and aliens. You can meet with mad robots and ugly mutants. Some of these films impress not with their plot, but with special effects.
Love stories and comedies are good old genres of the movies. They are loved by people, especially women. Of course, we must not forget about musicals. Music has always played a great role in the films. Cartoons are watched not only by children but by adults as well.
Another type of films is the documentary. These are films about real people or events. Most fascinating are documentaries about nature.
The process of making film is very long and difficult, but all the people like to see films.
As for me I like to go to the cinema and I prefer cinema to video, as you sit together with other spectators and your emotions and feelings are twice stronger with all these people around you.
Types of Books and Their Role in Man’s Life.
I think that books are very important in man’s life. We are taught to read when we are little children. Books give us information when we study. But the greatest wonder of books is that they teach us how to live, how to solve different problems and how to behave in difficult situations. They help us to answer questions about life.
Nowadays people read very little. Some of them consider TV the best source of information, others are computer addicts and spend their free time in front of the monitor playing games or surfing the Internet. I am sorry for these people. It makes their life poorer. No matter how good a film is, it is never as deep as a book. It never describes the characters so fully; it never shows the situation so brightly.
There are very many types of books: adventure stories and biographies, fairy tales and historical stories, horror stories and ghost stories, legends and myths, science fiction and true stories. I can’t say that I like them all, but still I try to read different hooks. Biographies and autobiographies are usually true stories about real people. Science fiction usually describes the future of mankind. It is interesting to mention that some of the writers’ fantasies come true. Take Jules Verne, for example. In the 19-th century he invented a submarine in his book, and nobody could imagine in those days that it would be built in reality. Fantasies are very special stories. Writers create their own worlds inhabited by dragons and knights, wizards and magicians and beautiful ladies. I have a special liking for science fiction and fantasies. I can read these books for hours on end.
However, best of all I like novels. I think that they reflect life very clearly. I am fond of reading about different people, their feelings, their problems, their relations with each other. They help me to understand people around me. Frankly speaking, I can’t imagine my life without reading. Whenever I have a spare minute, I take a book and begin reading it. If I like it, I usually find myself in the world of the book and live together with its characters.
When we speak about books, the proverb “Tastes differ” is perfectly true. However, one thing is clear: it is impossible to live without reading.
Careers
At a moment I’m a pupil of the ninth form of a secondary school. We speak a lot about this question at the lessons, after school and, of course, at home with our parents.
What is a profession? It’s an occupation which requires advanced education and special-training. Perhaps the best way to prepare for any job is to get a good education — to do well at school. On the one hand young people want to acquire profound knowledge, develop their skills. On the other hand it’s not so easy to make yourself study hard for many years. There are always some boys and girls who know very well what they are going to do after leaving school. But many of teenagers have no idea what they are going to be or they always change their minds.
There are so many different kinds of job, that sometimes it’s difficult to decide what job interests you. First of all, you have to choose the profession you like. Your character type plays an important role in your future success. If you don’t take it into account when choosing the job, it will soon become a real burden to you.
There are four types of characters to look at. Firstly, there are people who are good at dealing with other people. They are usually helpful, patient and generous. Ideal jobs for them are those of a doctor, a nurse, a teacher, or a social worker. Secondly, there are practical people, who are reliable, logical, organized and careful. Their jobs are accountancy, computers, machines, plants or animals. Thirdly, there are creative people who are emotional, creative and flexible. They can become good journalists, designers, artists or writers. Finally, there are dynamic people, who are strong, confident and motivated. They make ideal directors, leaders and managers.
When you have decided what area you would like to work in, you have to choose the profession. If you are fond of animals, you can become a vet, a zoologist, a zoo keeper. If you like to work with children, you can get a job as a nurse in the kindergarten, as a teacher or as a pediatrician.
As for me ….
TV: Pros and Cons.
According to the poll watching TV is the most popular leisure activity in the industrial countries. Nearly every household has at least one TV set. Have you noticed that the first thing we do when we come home is the following: we switch on the TV set, which has become one more member of any family and even the center of family communication. We discuss films, shows and sports programmers, talk show, TV games, news issues and also correspondents’ image. Our life is circulating around ‘the box”. We need to hear it non-stop, whatever is on. The TV voices create the atmosphere of not-being-alone in an empty flat. Of course TV is the easiest and the cheapest source of information. It educates us and gives the opportunity to travel without getting up from the sofa. People are able to visit a lot of different places in the world experience other cultures and learn about different people and events, to see wild animals in their habitat. Quizzes help people develop different skills, make people interested in reading. It makes us participate in current events and in passed away history. So no doubt we can’t live without “that noisy fellow”. Whether you like it, or not, but it so happened: any human invention has the reverse side.
We shouldn’t forget that our informative and educating friend sometimes substitutes our nearest and dearest as it doesn’t demand any warmth and understanding on our side. It steals us from the family and friends and makes us more indifferent towards their problems.
Besides watching TV is only one more illusion of living. It prevents us from thinking and acting. Commonplace, fear, frank nonsense that sometimes come from the screen crawl into our minds and distort our understanding of real values. We are captured by TV net, and our existence is limited by the frame of a television. Television can ruin our eyesight. It happens if we watch it too long. Television is also used for brain washing. TV people are often paid to make people think in a certain way. There are many advertisements on TV, they spoil all the pleasure from watching films and shows. Many programmers are silly in some shows there are many rude and bad words, which spoil the beauty of our language. Nevertheless, people watch television, and it’s not too bad if they carefully choose what to watch and what not to watch. I try to live my real life instead of watching a lot of silly stuff. In my opinion TV is my friend and my enemy at the same time. The main problem with the television is measure.
What is Conflict?
Many people ask questions about conflicts. They want to know why conflicts happen in a family. They want to know why political parties and states have conflicts. They ask what they can do about conflicts.
Conflict is a natural thing in our life. Conflicts happen because people are different: they want different things, they have different ideas and their values are different. Very often people have conflicts because they do not listen to each other well. They think about what they want to say and don’t really hear what the other person is saying.
Conflicts may lead to fights, bad relations and violence. If conflicts happen between parties or states, they can lead to war. That is why people should try to prevent conflicts.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights appeared soon after World War II. People in many countries suffered greatly in that war. They hoped that war would never happen again. They hoped that the declaration would help to prevent future wars. But since that time, there has not been a time on our planet without war.
To prevent war, people should understand that every person has the right to liberty, justice and equality. People should really respect the rights of other people. In other words, they should be tolerant of other cultures, religions, ideas and values that differ from theirs. This is how we can build peace in the world.
Building peace begins with your family, your school and your relationships with your friends. Every day you meet people whose thoughts and ideas are different from your own. You should learn to respect the opinions and values that are different from yours. You should learn to be tolerant. But remember that you have the right to disagree with values different from your own. But you should understand that other people also have the right to be different from you. People who respect each other’s ideas can resolve conflicts in a peaceful way. If people resolve conflicts peacefully, they will have better relations in the future. That is why many people want to learn about conflict resolution.
Clothes and Fashion
What does it mean “to look fashionable?” Let’s look at some things that were fashionable in the past. In the 18-th century rich young men wore high wigs, which were powdered and tied with ribbons. They had a lot of make-up on to look pale. Wide dresses were in fashion with women. The widest dress was about two meters. Not so long ago in 1970-s, punks cut their hair in the most strange way and wore torn jeans and painted leather jackets. Most of these things seem strange to us now.
So does fashion depend only on the time you live in? Certainly, not. Things you wear depend on your age, social class you belong to and on special occasions.
Most school children don’t like wearing uniform. They don’t realize that it is their business suit. Some people can’t afford expensive clothes and in uniforms everybody is equal. The adults also have to wear uniforms especially if they work in some famous companies and firms.
However, in everyday life we can choose something less serious and more comfortable. A pair of jeans with a shirt and a sweater is very popular nowadays. It is very convenient to wear leather jackets or coats in the street. Women often put on dresses and young girls are very fond of short skirts or trousers. Shoes are usually low-heeled and boys prefer trainers.
But, of course, there are such occasions when we need to wear something fancy. It happens when we visit the theatre or invite guests. Then we try to choose something special to wear. It can be a fancy dress, decorated with scarves, collars, jewellery. High-heeled leather shoes suit the occasion perfectly. Boys can put on a special tie or jacket. No one wants to look strange or funny. Clothes should be clean and tidy. Remember that your shirt should go with your trousers or skirt as well as your shoes. We should keep our hair style and make up simple, otherwise we will look vulgar. And the last but not the least: always wear the right clothes in the right place not to look weird or shocking. As for me I try to choose clothes in which I feel confident and attractive.
British and Russian Press.
When we speak about press in Great Britain, we must say that practically every Englishman begins his day with reading a newspaper. There are two kinds of newspapers in Britain. One is large kind and has many detailed articles about national and international events. These newspapers are called serious papers or quality papers. The other kind, called the tabloids are smaller in size, have more pictures and shorter articles, often about less important events or about the private lives of well-known people. Though some people disapprove of tabloids, they are quite popular. Many people buy tabloids like The Sun which is the biggest-selling newspaper in Britain. In all parts of the country there are also papers giving information about films, concerts and other things that are happening in the local area. Some local newspapers are free of charge. These contain a lot of advertisements and also some news.
National serious newspapers like The Times or The Daily Telegraph generally give information about events happening in London. Most national newspapers express a political opinion. Daily newspapers are published on every day of the week except Sunday. Sunday newspapers are larger than daily ones. They often have 2 or 3 sections. All Sunday newspapers are national.
It is much more difficult to speak about Russian press because it has changed greatly in the last 10 years. There is such an amount of newspapers that fewer and fewer people subscribe to newspapers and get them delivered. Some people can’t afford it and some don’t read them at all.
I think we can divide all Russian newspapers into three groups: serious papers, popular ones and local newspapers, which publish only advertisements. However, serious papers, such as “Izvestia” and some others are strongly politically based. They are sponsored by rich businessmen who support this or that party or movement. “The Arguments and Facts”, having originated as a serious newspaper, has become rather popular and scandalous. Popular newspapers are sold at every corner but they are rather expensive. I think that ideal newspaper should be truthful, objective and neutral and should use a proper language and style.
RECYCLING
Many countries bury and forget about millions of tons of rubbish every year. It is known that in one year, a European family with two children throws away about 50 kilos of paper (that’s six trees), and about 60 kilos of plastic.
These days, people usually do shopping in supermarkets. Nearly everything is packed in paper or plastic containers. Some of this “packaging” is necessary. It keeps food clean and fresh. But some packaging is not necessary. It’s just to make the food look better. Unfortunately, some of this packaging doesn’t reach the bins. It becomes litter instead. Some people simply tear the wrapping off sweets and throw it away. They drop their cigarette packets and cans of drink without a thought.
In the town their litter looks horrible. But fortunately someone clears it away. In the country side, it remains in the fields and on the roadsides unless the people who live nearby pick it up. It can kill or hurt farm animals.
The development of big industrial cities has led to the concentration of huge amounts of waste into small areas. Disposal of waste has become a major problem.
When rubbish is burnt, this pollutes the atmosphere. When it is buried in landfill sites, it can cause pollution of water supplies. So the obvious solution of this problem is recycling.
Recycling is an important issue nowadays. Unfortunately, people have always polluted their surroundings. Everybody can help recycle waste by collecting litter and by sorting rubbish into different categories. Paper, glass and plastic can be sold to recycling companies. Recycled waste can be made into new products and it can help to save natural resources. Some waste can also be used to produce electricity or to make soil for growing fruit and vegetables. It would be great if recycling centers paid people for the rubbish they brought in. Recycling is expensive. But it saves trees and energy and protects the environment from pollution.
In general, recycling is good for the environment. There must be more recycling centers not only in big cities, but in small towns as well. Besides, people should be educated about the importance of recycling. If everybody made a small effort to improve their local environment, pollution would be reduced gradually and the global situation would improve.
Stereotypes
Very often we have an opinion about a person simply because that person belongs to a certain group of people: young or old, men or women, Americans or Chinese. Such opinions are called stereotypes. If you have a stereotype, you think that all people in a group think act and look the same. But this is not true. In every group, people are different. If we have stereotypes, we may treat people unfairly.
If you do not like or do not trust somebody because of a stereotype, you have a prejudice against that person (or group of people). People have prejudice because of religion, race, ability, age, gender or anything about a person that makes him \ her different (appearance, dress, class in society). Prejudice is dangerous because it leads to discrimination. We should be very careful about the words we use to describe certain groups of people. People in civilized countries are taught never to use words that show disrespect toward women, people with disabilities, older people and minorities. These groups of people have been hurt by stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination. That is why it is important to avoid language and behavior that may hurt such people. The language and behavior which shows respect toward people is called “political correctness”.
Today mass media never shows old people as weak or helpless. Old people are as different as young people in their talents, skills and abilities. Nowadays, after people retire, they remain active. They often work and they help their children and grandchildren. They travel and do sport. They can give young people good advice and tell them exciting stories.
Another group hurt by stereotypes is people with disabilities. Many cannot do certain things, including seeing, hearing or walking. But these people have other abilities and talents. Johann Sebastian Bach, Albert Einstein and Agatha Christie were all people with disabilities. But they could do great things.
A Happy Family, as I See It.
Family plays a major part in our life. It is very important to have a happy family. What do I understand under the term “A Happy family”?
My family consists of four members……..
We are quite good friends. We like watching films in the evening together, we like playing different board games, we like going shopping together. We have got some family traditions, for example, we always spend each holiday together. Once a month we go to the theatre together. Certainly we share interests of each other. We try to spend much time together. We enjoy doing crosswords because it’s the best way to test our knowledge. We enjoy traveling because it’s great to see different places with your own eyes and taking photographs because it’s great to have pictures of something we like. Every member of my family has duties.
To sum up, my family is a friendly unit where each member is one equal other, and where there is no lack of privacy. We love and respect each other. We feel so safe and comfortable together. If one of us has a problem we all try to help and support a person in such a difficult situation. I am thankful to my family for their understanding and attention.
And I think if the whole world turns its cold shoulder on me, there’ll be my family to turn to for love and understanding.
To Watch or Participate in Sport Activity?
I can’t call myself a couch potato. “Couch potato” means a person who spends time lying on the sofa and watching TV. It’s difficult to say, what better is - to watch or participate. If you go in for some kinds of sport, you keep fit, make your body more flexible and increase your strength, stamina. Sport also unites people and helps them to become good friends. It teaches you about life. It makes men out of boys.
But on the other hand, sport takes a lot of energy and time. You have to work very hard and don’t have too much time for something else. And, of course, sport causes a lot of injuries. Sportsmen break their legs and arms, people die from sporting injuries. Some kinds of sports are very dangerous, for example mountaineering and air sports, racing, boxing, etc. These kinds of sport are of extreme character, they are very risky. But some people enjoy these sport activities, as they would like to be famous and known all over the world. So sport is a very important part of our life. It helps people to be in good health. But sometimes we don’t think about our health very much. We eat a lot of high-fat food and gain the weight. We are not active physically. The worst habits some people have are smoking, drinking alcohol and taking drugs. All these things destroy their health. They don’t look attractive at all and their future isn’t clear. So if people want to feel and look great it’s very important for them to go in for sports, to have good healthy food, to sleep seven or eight hours, give up smoking and alcohol.
As for me I can’t say that sport is a very important part of my life, though I try to do morning exercises every day and twice a week I go to the swimming pool. In our school we have two gyms and a sports ground. We play different sport games such as football, hockey, tennis, etc. Also we have two PT lessons a week. I also like to watch some sports events and TV programmers about famous sportsmen, how they became champions, what difficulties they had, their success and plans for future.
What is better to watch or participate? To my mind it should be the combination of these both components. Sport helps people to keep in good health and health is above wealth.
Problems of the Contemporary World
There is no doubt that the main goal of any nation is stability, safety and welfare of its citizens. It may seem that if the government makes good laws and cares for their people the nation can enjoy a life which is free of problems and risks.
However, it is not like that. There are no calm spots in a rough sea. And when the world faces global problems like wars, social and environmental problems, a country cannot avoid being involved. World War II was a striking example. In the case of war in the 21st century there will be no battlefields or safe zones at all. Today’s arms are far-reaching, and a nuclear exchange would leave no chance for anybody to escape disaster.
We can see the effects of globalization in the social arena as well. One can’t be rich and happy among the hungry and miserable. Now the range in development and living standards in different countries is huge. This causes instability and unbalance in the world. Flows of illegal emigrants from poor countries move to more developed countries, bringing unemployment, criminal and religious problems with them.
It is evident that in the age of high technology and global integration the boundaries can’t properly divide or protect countries any longer. Instead, the world tends towards one integrated community. Thus, political instability in one country, a local military operation or an unpopular political decision can cause a chain reaction and affect many countries.
Terrorism is a clear illustration of this as it affects all countries and all people - rich and poor, politicians and kids, people of any religion or belief. Terrorism can’t be stopped by one country alone. We can fight terrorism only through international cooperation.
The countries of the global village have common problems and tend to unite to solve them. Balance and stability in the world requires participation of all nations. There are global organizations like the United Nations and the Red Cross. The main aim of the United Nations is to regulate relationships between nations, settle conflicts and promote the ideas of peace and stability for the whole world. The International Red Cross helps victims of war and natural disaster, such as floods or earthquakes wherever they are on the planet.
The Influence of Globalization
In the 19th century, Edward Tylor, a famous anthropologist and professor at Oxford University, wrote his definition of culture. In it he said that culture means a complex, which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society. The globalization process is dramatically changing all of those aspects of different nations’ cultural life. People in different corners of the world start to share the same interests and preferences; their lifestyles and pastimes are becoming more and more alike. The influence of the film industry and television on the formation of a global culture is very strong. According to statistical surveys undertaken by UNESCO, the leading countries in this field are the USA, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and India. And it’s evident that America dominates greatly both in producing feature films and in promoting them all over the world.
The same can be said about music, particularly pop music. In any capital city of the world or any remote village, you can hear the same songs broadcasted on all radio stations. The entertainment industry is not the only contributor to globalization. Other factors also influence people’s customs, morals, family values, and education. Nowadays a lot of students get an education outside their own country. Consequently, the educational standards are getting more and more universal. Governments realize how important it is to raise the educational standards within their countries to give their young people a fair chance to compete with their contemporaries from more developed countries.
Due to a great number of tourists and people working in foreign countries, and because of the influence of television and the Internet, it’s very difficult nowadays for any nation to stick to old traditions and not let other cultures inside their countries. And many people can’t do without certain things they have adopted from other cultures. Now it’s not only the Chinese who enjoy special tea ceremonies or the French who laugh when watching French comedies. And the Russian ballet belongs not only to the Russians but to art lovers all over the world.