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/ want to work at the Customs
There are a lot of interesting and useful professions but I want to be a Customs officer. I began to think about my future profession in the Upgrade.
The current Russian word for Customs, tamozhnya, originated from the word "tamga" in Tatar. In the times of the Mongol-Tatar yoke it meant "a Customs tax" or "an official who collected it." In Kiev Russ taxes were collected for the transportation of goods through the frontiers of its princedoms. Thus, Russia has had a Customs service for almost a thousand years.
When I finished school I decided to apply to the law faculty of the Customs Academy, as I want to work at the Customs. I think that the profession of a Customs officer is one of the most important in the law governed state, which we are creating now. Customs revenues provide the income to the federal budget. Most of the income comes from collections of duties on import and export operations.
During the past two decades Customs has shouldered the very heavy responsibilities of interdicting the flow of illegal narcotics into the country. Customs officers fight against drugs, which destroy both an individual and community.
The duty of Customs officers is not only to punish people for various Customs violations such as: smuggling of goods, narcotics, arms and other contraband, commercial fraud, money laundering, currency and other violations but they also must do their best lo prevent crimes.
I've chosen this job because I want to get a lot of knowledge about customs laws. Our country joined World Cusioms Organisation in 1995. That is why the customs laws of our country must be adapted to the international norms. So, I think there is a lot of interesting work in store for customs lawyers.
There are many interesting and useful professions but I would like to be an economist.
I began to think about my future profession at the age of 17 at the end of the eleventh grade.
My mother is an economist too so I know a lot about this occupation.
When I finished school I decided to apply to the Economic faculty of the Customs Academy as I want to work at the Customs. I think that the profession of a customs officer is one of the most important. Customs revenues provide the income to the federal budget. Most of the income comes from the collections of duties on import and export operations. As a future economist I would like to work with the proper duty assessment and collection. One of the missions of the Customs is to control individuals and articles entering and departing the state. I chose this job because I want to get a lot of knowledge about Customs economy. It is very interesting to me. Last year I tried to enter the Academy. But I failed to. I'm again an applicant to the Economic faculty of the Academy. I hope to be lucky this time. During the year I've been working at the Customs and I understand that my choice is right.
Moscow is an extremely large city. Its total area is about 1 -000 square kilometers. Moscow is at the centre of the East European plain. The Moskva River flows through the city. To the north of the city the Moscow Canal joins the Moskva River to the great Russian river the Volga. Thanks to the canal, the Volga and other rivers Moscow has become the port of five seas: the Baltic, the White, the Caspian, the Black seas and the Sea of Azov.
Moscow is surrounded by broad network of towns, settlements and villages whose residents make up a portion of the capital's work force. The number of capital residents is about 9 million but the combined population of Moscow and Moscow region has already reached 15 million-Moscow is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.There are a lot of ancient palaces, old mansions, cathedrals, churches and monuments in the city. Now the capital is being reconstructed and we all hope that in a few years it will become even more beautiful.
There are more than 80 museums in Moscow. The largest museums are the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts and the State Tretyakov Gallery.
Moscow is famous for its theatres. The best-known of them is the Bolshoy Opera House. Drama theatres and studios are also very popular.
Moscow is a city of students. There are over 80 higher educational institutions in it including several universities.
Moscow is one of the largest industrial and commercial centres in our country. There are such industries as automobile, textile, radio, high-tech, chemical and food processing.
Transport system of Moscow is highly developed. There are 5 airports (including 3 international ones), 8 railway stations and several bus stations. Moscow underground is the best in the world.
Moscow is the seat of the Russian Parliament (the Duma and Federation Council) and the centre of political life of the country.
A bit of Moscow history
Moscow is over 800 years old. The first written mention of Moscow dates back to 1147. In 1156 Prince Yuri Dolgoruky ordered wooden fort to be built on a steep, wooded hill. The town that grew up on this place was called "Moskva" after the Moskva River. At the beginning of the 13th century 300 thousand strong army led by Batu Khan invaded the Russian land, ravaging and burning towns and settlements.
Although Moscow met the enemy with staunch resistance it
was seized and burned in the winter of 1237-38. Moscow recovered from the attack of the Mongol-Tatar hordes quickly and by the second half of the 13th century was already the centre of an independent Moscow Principality. Its rise was also facilitated by its advantageous geographical location at the crossing of river and land trade routes. At the beginning of the 14th century Moscow was established as the capital of the Great Moscow Principality.
Under Prince Dmitry Donskoi Moscow became the centre of the struggle against the enormous army ofMamai Khan. Durring its long history Moscow was burnt to the ground and had to be built anew several times. In 1480 the Russians threw off the Mongol- Tatar yoke which had oppressed the country for almost 250 years. With the formation of the Russian centralized state at the end of the 15*11 century Moscow became the most important
political, economic and trade centre.
In 1712 Peter the Great transferred the capital of Russia to St. Petersburg. Moscow played a vital role in the Patriotic War of 1812. Moscow suffered enormous losses during the events of 1812.
By the late 19th century Moscow had become the major cenire oF light industry and the country's main railway junction. Moscow played major role in the Revolutions of 1905 and 1917. Moscow again became the capital of the Soviet Union on March 12,1918.
In 1997 our city celebrated the 850th anniversary of its foundation. Guests from all over the world visited Moscow and were greatly impressed by the celebrations.
One of the most beautiful buildings in Moscow
One of the most beautiful buildings in Moscow for me is the State Academic Bolshoi Theatre. It stands in the center of our capital not far from the ancient Kremlin walls. The building is easily recognized by all the guests of our city and is widely known in the world for the glorious pages in the history of Russian opera and ballet inscribed by dancers and singers of the Theatre.
The Bolshoi stands on the site of the Petrovsky Public Theatre opened in 1780 and destroyed by the great Moscow fire in 1805. Nearly twenty years later a new theatre was built on the same spot to the design of architects Osip Bovet and Andrey Michailo.'. However, it subsequently suffered the same fate. The v/alls and the portico were the only parts that remained of the building, so, in 1856 it was restored and considerably remodeled. Shortly after the new theatre opened, Richard Wagner conducted a series of performances there. He introduced something new that ariicized the public: he stood facing the orchestra instead of the audience, as it had been common until then. Subsequent generations of opera conductors followed the example of the famous composer in facing the orchestra.
In the 1930s the stage was fully reconstructed. At the beginning of the Second World War the theatre was badly damaged by a nazi bomb. The reconstruction work started in 1956 and de building was provided with a complex air conditioning system. The conditioners supplying cool pure air to all the halls and rooms through special tubes employ water at constantly low temperature which comes from deep artesian well sunk nearby. There is never a vacant seat in the huge red-and-gold five-tier auditorium holding over 2000 spectators. The Bolshoi stages classical operas and ballets by Russian and West-European composers.
Transport of Moscow
Moscow Underground is not so old as the one in London. The first line was opened in 1935 and was called Sokomicheskaya;
Now it has 11 lines. The oldest lines run across the city center. Almost every old station is a real masterpiece of Russian architecture and art. The new underground stations are decorated very simply and look very much alike. All the foreign tourists and guests of Moscow are really impressed by the beauty of central underground stations. Besides they are very deep underground and during the second World War were used by people as shelter during nazi air a'tacks.
rhe network of Moscow Underground is widespread. It is more than 300 kilometres long and it has almost 200 underground stations. People can use the Underground from 5 o'clock in the morning till one o'clock at night. If you enter the Underground you may go wherever you wish without extra fare. The fare does not depend on the distance you cover or on the number of changes as it is in London underground.. There are comfortable seats in the carriages of the Underground. The walls are of white, grey or red marble or granite. There are a lot of advertisements everywhere. Almost two thirds of the lines go underground, other lines go overground.
Another kind of public transport which is very popular in the capital of Russia is the bus. It is popular because not so many people can afford buying a car. Public transport of Moscow is well developed. There are a lot of buses, trolleybuses and trams. In comparison with some other capitals of the world Moscow public transport is not expensive. Millions of Muscovites use it every day going to their working places and back.
Taxies are also very popular in Mosfcow. But it is a rather expensive kind of transport. Usually people take a taxi if they are in a hurry or have to carry a lot of luggage to some place.
The population of the city is about 9 million. But a huge number of people come to Moscow to work from the suburbs every day. Buses can't carry so many people. Up to one million people commute daily to Moscow from the outlying of Moscow region by commuter-trains which arrive at the eight railway stations of Moscow. The government of Moscow plans further development of transport system of the capital. I have read in one of the local newspapers that there will be helicopter lines organized to carry passengers from one airport to another.
Moscow Kremlin
Moscow is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The heart of Moscow is Red Square. It has more historical associations than any other place in Moscow. The Kremlin and Saint Basil's Cathedral are masterpieces of ancient Russian architecture.
The main Kremlin Tower, the Spasskaya, has become the symbol of the country. On the territory of the Kremlin you can see old cathedrals, the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, the Tzar-Cannon and the Tzar-Bell, the biggest cannon and the bell in the world. St. Basil's Cathedral was built in the middle of the 16th century in the memory of the victory over Kazan. There is a legend that Ivan the Terrible blinded architects Barma and Postnic because he didn't want them to create another masterpiece. Another structure to mention is the white-stone Kutafya Tower built in the early 16th century. The Troitskaya Tower was erected in 1595 and in the 16th and 17th centuries its basement was used as a prison. There are also the Tzarskaya Tower, the Moscvoretskaya Tower and several others.
The Palace of Congresses built in the 1960s is to the right of the Troitskaya Tower. The palace is used by the Bolshoi Theatre to stage opera and ballet performances but we can hardly call this building an architectural masterpiece.
The Kremlin is a Treasure house of masterpieces of Russian culture. Next to the Grand Kremlin Palace is the Armory which was built in 1851 by Constantine Ton. Its institution, however, dates back to the 16th century. At that time the Armory consisted of workshops where arms for warriors were made and stored. Later military trophies and regalia of the tzars were presented there. The Armory contains unique collections of Russian and foreign applied art, royal regalia, gifts from ambassadors, collection of the IS^-IS* century arms, fabrics and garments.
Among the royal regalia one finds the famous golden Crown of Monomachus, which had been used to crown all the Russian tzars until the first Russian imperial crown of Catherine the First was made of gilt silver. One also finds here a vast collection of ceremonial carriages, each being work of art.
Special displays show gifts from the embassies of Turkey, Poland, Austria, Germany and other countries.
Millions of tourists from our country and abroad visit the Kremlin every year.
Another kind of public transport which is very popular in the capital of Russia is the bus. It is popular because not so m^ny people can afford buying a car. Public transport of Moscow is well developed. There are a lot of buses, trolleybuses and trams. In comparison with some other capitals of the world Moscow public transport is not expensive. Millions of Muscovites use it every day going to their working places and back.
Taxies are also very popular in Mosfcow. But it is a rather expensive kind of transport. Usually people take a taxi if they are in a hurry or have to carry a lot of luggage to some place.
The population of the city is about 9 million. But a huge number of people come to Moscow to work from the suburbs every day. Buses can't carry so many people. Up to one million people commute daily to Moscow from the outlying of Moscow region by commuter-trains which arrive at the eight railway stations of Moscow. The government of Moscow plans further development of transport system of the capital. I have read in one of the local newspapers that there will be helicopter lines organized to carry passengers from one airport to another.
London
London is one of the oldest and most interesting cities in the world. It is the capital of Great Britain, its political, economic and commercial centre.
It is one of the largest cities in the world and the largest city in Europe. Its population is over 8 million.
Traditionally it is divided into several parts: the City, the City of Westminster, the West End and the East End. They are very different from each other and seem to belong to different towns and epochs.
The City is the heart of London, its financial and business centre. Numerous banks, offices and firms are situated there, including the Bank of England and the Stock Exchange. Few people live here, people come to the City to work. There are some famous ancient buildings within the City. Perhaps the most striking of them is St. Paul's Cathedral, the greatest of English churches The Tower of London was founded by Julius Ceasar. It was used as a fortress, a royal palace and a prison. Now it is a museum.
The City of Westminster is a historic and governmental part of London. Westminster Abbey has more historic associations than any other building in Britain. Nearly all English kings and queens were crowned here.
Across the road from Westminster Abbey is Westminster Palace or the Houses of Parliament, the seat of the British Parliament. The Clock Tower is famous for its "Big Ben," the symbol of London. Buckingham Palace is the official residence of the Queen.
The West End is the richest and most beautiful part of London. It is the symbol of wealth and luxury. The best hotels, shops, restaurants, clubs and theatres are situated there. There are splendid houses and lovely gardens belonging to wealthy people.
The East End is the part of the city where the Port and most of the industry is situated. Working people of London live there. That is why the East End is sometimes called "the hands" of London.
Trafalgar Square is the geographical centre of London. There is the National Gallery and the British Museum - the biggest museum in London.
A winter day in London
The climate of England is milder than that of other countries. English people always complain of it and say that all countries have climate but Great Britain has weather. It is hard to say that England has typical weather because of the sudden changes that occur. The three things that chiefly determine the climate and weather of Great Britain are: 1) the position of the islands in the temperate belt; 2) the fact that the prevailing winds blow from the west and south - west; 3) the warm Gulf Stream that washes the shores. All this makes winters warmer and summers cooler.
The winters in Great Britain are never cold enough to freeze the rivers. The temperature is usually above zero and seldom drops below freezing point. So normally it is 5 to 7 degrees above zero and it showers of sleet or rains all the day round. The rain may be accompanied by strong piercing wind from the Atlantic Ocean;
the weather is dull, nasty and catchcold. If it snows, the snow melts very quickly. The sky is covered with dark grey heavy clouds which are carried from the ocean. The sun appears very seldom. The winter fogs of London are awful - they surpass imagination. In a fog the air is hardly fit for breathing, it is grey, yellow, of deep orange and even black because of the smoke of thousands of chimneys. In a dense fog all traffic stops, no vehicle can move from fear of dreadful accidents.
Transport of London
The I ,nnr)nn T Tnderg'^und is the oldest in the world. The first line was opened in 1870. It had a shape of a tube that is why it was called the Tube. English people call the old lines the Tube and the new lines the Underground. One can see the word "Underground" across a large circle which shows where the stations are.
The old Tube runs across the centre. It is about 300 kilometres long and it has almost 300 stations. Some of them are closed on Sundays, others are closed on Saturdays and Sundays. The fare is high enough and depends on the distance. There are comfortable seats in the Underground carriages. The station walls are white or grey with lots of advertisements everywhere. You can see escalators as well as lifts at some stations. Only half of the Underground trains in London go under ground, new lines that connect London with the country go over ground. Many stations of London Underground have "Car Park" where Londoners can leave their cars for some hours.
Another kind of transport which is very popular in the capital of Great Britain is the bus. Buses are usually of bright red colour and they are called double-deckers. They can take twice as many passengers as usual buses but they move very slowly along narrow streets of the central part of London. London taxi is also famous but it is a rather expensive kind of transport. Taxies are called cabs and usually look like old fashioned cars. They can carry up to 6 passengers around London and the countryside. Among young Londoners and students bibycles are very popular. It is the cheapest kind of transport which never gets stuck in traffic jams.
English Meals
For breakfasi English people often have oatmeal porridge with milk and sugar, bacon or ham, eggs, toasts, rolls, jam or marmlade and tea or coffee to finish with. They don't eat much bread and often prefer tea to coffee. They like to have tea with milk.
The English day-time meal is called lunch and it usually consists of two courses: meat or fish dish, vegetables and dessert. Some people don't eat much at lunch, they may just have a snack in a snack-bar or cafe. The English like what they call "good plain food." They must be able to recognize what they are eating. Usually they like steak, roast beef, pudding, fish and chips.
Many books on Britain write about the famous 5 o'clock tea, saying that the British always have tea at this time. I should say, in reality, not many people can follow the tradition as they are busy at work or elsewhere. So they have to adjust their tea-time to their daily schedule.
In the evening at about 7 or 8 o'clock people in England have their last but not the least meal of the day. If the late evening meal is light it is called supper. But if they have something substantial, then they call it dinner. The evening meal may consist of soup, sometimes cooked meat and vegetables, macaroni and cheese, eggs or tinned food or whatever people can afford.
Foreigners do not speak highly of English dinners. The sameness makes them uninteresting. Boiled vegetables -potatoes, cabbage and carrots - are watery and tasteless.
The magazine I read
Several y<-aia ago my parents bought me a computer and since that time I have regularly bought the "Game.exe". This is a journal for gamers, computer users and simply for computer addicts It has seventy pages now, but when I first bought it there were only forty pages. Since its first publication it has changed greatly, The "Game.exe" is a monthly magazine. On the first page you can see the contents of the issue. It has a lot of interesting news about computer games. Everybody can get all the necessary information about the new games, their producers and what is on sale in our market. There are a lot of previews and descriptions of games.
Besides it contains contests and crosswords which are sometimes published in English.
Usually I read solutions for games if I can't finish the game myself. The authors of this magazine always answer questions which their readers ask. There is a very useful addition to each issue - it is a CD with demo-games. As a rule these are games which are not sold in the shops yet.
The magazine also contains a lot of advertisements about the new computer equipment which makes computers quicker and games more interesting.
On the last page you can see the world hit parade where you can find information about the best computer games in the world.
The "Game.exe" also has an Internet page-1 visit it every day because I want to know more about this magazine. There you can ask questions about the latest news and some user will answer them by all means. There is always a small preview about the issue, which is to be published next month. 1 like this magazine and buy it every month. My parents have promised to subscribe to my favourite magazine next year.
Music in my life
We *-<*n't iliink of a day without music. There is music everywhere: at home, on the radio, on TV, in the shops, in concert halls, in parks, at the seaside and even in the forest. People cannot live without music. They listen to music, they dance to music, children study at music schools if they have a music ear and are fond of music. They study there for eight years.
Music occupies an essential part in my life too. Speaking about different styles of music I would like to mention first and foremost music for youngsters such as heavy metal, hard rock, rock and just metal. Of course I also like classical music. I prefer opera and ballet to symphony, concerto, chamber music or vocal music. Classical music gives me delight and pleasure, partly sensual, partly intellectual. Music reflects people's mood and emotions. My favourite classical composer is Chaikovsky. I am very fond of his music to the ballet "Nut-Cracker".
Young people search for new rhythms and new styles. Pop music is not a new form, but I don't like it for sameness. There are numerous folk groups in our country. It is interesting to listen to their music and songs. Some people dance folk dances and sing folk songs especially during folk festivals.
One of my favourite singers and composers is Alexandr Rosenbaum. He is a very talented person and I like to visit his concerts. As for foreign groups 1 prefer to listen to Aerosmith and Scorpions. Knowledge of English helps me to understand music better.
Newspapers we read
It is difficult to imagine our life without newspapers. Millions of copies of them appear every day. Many people subscribe to two or even more newspapers. Others buy morning or evening papers at the news-stands.
My parents subscribe to " I he MK". Ii is -a. foul-page n;\\ s^per but on Saturdays there are eight pages in its issue. My parents don't read all the articles from the first to the last page. They oniy choose the information they are interested in.
My favourite weekly newspaper is "The Argumenty i Fakty". It was published for the first time in 1982 and since then it has become more interesting. It has got many additions now. They are "The Mothers and daughters", "The Life and purse", "The Health" and many others. Reading this newspaper one can learn many interesting things about political events in our country and abroad, a lot about economic situation in different regions of Russia. "The Argumenty i Fakty" publishes many interesting interviews with famous politicians, actors and artists, journalists and writers. It also writes about the latest news in sports and comments on ihem. There are some special pages for Muscovites where you can find a lot of interesting information about the life of our capital. There you can read about what is on in the theatres of Moscow, what r-done by the government to improve our life, the latest projects in reconstruction of the capital and weather forecast. On the last page the newspaper publishes letters from its readers and answers their questions. Each member of our family can find in "The Argumenty i Fakty" something special to his or her taste. My mother likes to read interesting articles about the life of our national filmstars and foreign news. My father and I prefer to read the sport life news.
There are local papers in all parts of Russia. There are also many free local newspapers which are delivered to people's homes even if they don't ask for them. Newspapers of this kind usually contain a lot of advertisements.
Telephone
It is difficult to imagine our life without a telephone. In fact it was one of the best inventions of the beginning of the XX century. Telephone makes our life much easier. It helps people from different parts of the world to keep contact, to exchange news and to solve lots of problems.
As for our family telephone helps to keep in touch with our relatives whom we don't see for years. My parents constantly call them, congratulate them on holidays and provide help if it is necessary.
If you are in trouble telephone is used to call a doctor or the police,
In case I'm ill I call my friends to find out my home task and the latest news from school.
These are the advantages, but telephone also has some negative points. Someone can call by mistake early in the morning or late at night and wake you up when you are sleepy.
Sometimes our neighbours come to call their relatives and all our family have to listen to their endless talks.
My father hates telephone because his chief can call at weekends or on holidays and ask him to come to the office immediately. At such moments my father's mood gets spoilt.
As for my mother she gets very angry when my younger sister does her homework talking on the phone.
As for me I often have to disconnect the telephone in my room especially in the evenings when I'm learning because numerous calls distract me from my studies. But anyway I find telephone a very useful means of communication. It makes my life much more interesting and speeds up lots of things.
A sea voyage
My family decided to enjoy a sea voyage from Odessa to Sukhumi. My father booked the tickets beforehand. He asked for a first-class cabin with four berths to be reserved for us. At the port of departure the passengers proceeded to the quay. The ship we wanted to take was moored there. It was fine craft of the latest design. We mounted the gangway and came on deck. Here stewards were already assembled to show us our cabins. Some were forward, some were aft, and some were amidships. I walked a little around the ship to see the 1 st class and the 2nd class cabins, the steerage, the lounge, the restaurant, the bar and the cinema hall. There was also a swimming pool on board. On the deck the passengers could breathe rich sea air and look at the busy traffic in the harbor. The steamer soon left the dock where she had been moored. The sea was rough that day and the ship pitched and rolled. Some passengers were sea-sick. But I was not afraid of the rough sea. Sometimes in order not to fall the passengers caught hold of the railings. Soon the shore faded from view. Some time later the passengers were invited to take dinner in the restaurant.
In the evening the sea grew calmer. The passengers enjoyed a beautiful sunset at the sea. The next day the ship passed several other ships. Late at night the first port of call was reached. But the ship didn't stay there long. The other ports of call were Yalta, Novorossiysk and Sochi. There was enough time to make excursions about those towns because the ship stayed there for four or five hours. The ship was sailing strictly on schedule. On the fourth day we reached'our destination. Everybody felt healthy and refreshed.
A trip by air
Last year my parents sent me to Krasnodar where my grandparents live. My mother wanted me to reach my destination as quickly as possible. So she thought the best way to travel was by plane, which is the quickest means. There was a non-stop service without any intermediate landings. I am not afraid of air-sickness at all. The price of a ticket was the same as a railway ticket in a sleeper. So my mother booked me a ticket in advance. On the appointed day after packing my luggage I proceeded to the airport by bus.
I saw the big airliner, which was to carry me, at once. The weather was flying. There was no mist, no storm, nothing to prevent the flight. Free luggage allowance was 20 kilos so I checked in for my flight and soon I boarded the plane.
It was a comfortable streamlined machine with 200 seats. I saw the pilot and the mechanic in the cockpit. I looked round and noticed that all the passengers reclined in comfortable armchairs. They were so comfortably arranged that you could have some sleep on board. There was a kitchenette in the middle of the plane where a stewardess was already preparing sandwiches. We could get any refreshments on board.
Very soon we took off. The stewardess asked everybody to fasten the seatbelts. A few minutes later we were already above the clouds. The pilot announced that we were flying at the altitude of 10000 meters. The land could sometimes be seen below between the clouds. It looked like a geographical map. I read some magazines, then for a short while I quietly dozed. Soon the stewardess brought us some tea and sandwiches. I ate them with great appetite. The snack was delicious. Our plane arrived at its destination exactly on time, at 12 sharp. My grandparents were already waiting for me at the airport in Krasnodar.
A trip by railway
Last year my parents sent me to Kiev, where my grandparents live. My mother wanted me to reach my destination quickly. There were two trains from Moscow to Kiev daily. My mother chose the quickest train, which was an express number 7. It took me 30 hours to get to my destination. My father booked me a ticket in advance. Before the departure I paid some visits to my friends to say good - bye to them.
On the eve of my departure I packed my things into a suitcase. I proceeded to the railway station by bus half an hour before the departure. For some time I stayed in the waiting-hall of the station. When the loud speaker announced that the train was in, passengers were invited to take their seats. I looked for my carriage and with the help of a porter found my compartment and berth.
I prefer a lower berth, which is more convenient, but it may be an upper one as well. I arranged my luggage on the racks. Soon the train started. My parents and sister came to see me off and wave the last good-bye to me. The train gained speed slowly. Our train didn't stop at many stations. Sometimes I left the train to stretch my legs at big stations and junctions, where some passengers changed trains. When night came I arranged my bed, put out the lights and switched on the blue night lamps. I like to sleep on a train, which crosses the country, and to have adventure dreams. I had my dinner in the dining-car, which was attached to our train. We reached our destination at 12 sharp. My grandparents were already waiting for me at the railway station in Kiev.
Sport in my daily life
If a person wants to keep fit he must go in for one or another kind of sport. Sport occupies an essential part in my daily life.
Every morning I get up and do my exercises. Almost every day I do some training. In winter I usually go to the Ice palace in our district and skate there. I also play hockey with my friends there. On Saturday and Sunday mornings I go skiing if the weather is
good enough.
I used to be a member of the district football team and as a good player I am usually invited to take part in football competitions of my school. At school we have all the necessary facilities, equipment and coaching in many kinds of sport. There are such sport clubs as wrestling, boxing, takvando, football, tennis, basketball and volley ball. We have fine teams and a number of champions.
Sport doesn't interfere with my studies. I prefer football to other kinds of sports but there are some kinds of sports which I also like. I like hockey, tennis, basketball and bodybuilding. I always visit football matches of our national team. My favourite foreign football player is Kluivert and as for national football players I value Filimonov most of all. I have begun to go in for bodybuilding lately. I think that every person must be strong and healthy.
Olympic Games
An athletic festival with contests in music and poetry was held every four years on the island of Peplos in Southern Greece. The period between the games was called an Olympiad.
The games were held in honor of Zeus, the god of the Greeks, who according to the legend lived on Mount Olympus. The festival lasted five days and became the symbol of peace and friendship because in keeping with the decree of that time all the wars were to be stopped during the Olympiad.
The athletes competed in running, boxing, wrestling, hors^ and chariot racing and the like. The winners were given laurel wreatns m the temple of Zeus. There is a record of champions dating from 776 B.C. The Olympic Games were so important in the life of the Greeks that they reckoned time by them. The Olympic Games were held for nearly twelve centuries and were abolished in 394 A.D.
The Olympic Games were revived only at the end of the 19th century due to Baron Pierre de Coubertin. In 1894 he addressed the International Congress of Athletes and pointed out the importance of sports in the people's life.
The first modem Olympic Games were held in Athens in 1896 to signify the succession of the tradition. Since then the Games have been regularly held in different countries of the world. The International Olympic Committee is responsible for the programme, the number of participants and the city-host of the Games. In 1980 Moscow was the city-host of the Summer Olympic Games.
Nowadays the Olympic Games have become a wonderful tradition, which helps to bring people closer together.
Sports in England
The English national games are cricket, football, bowling, hockey, tennis and golf. Of these games the two, which almost every Englishman plays, are cricket and football.
Cricket is played from May till September by professionals and amateurs. Each city in England has a cricket club. There are two kinds of football, soccer and rugby. Soccer is played almost throughout the world. Bowling is a summer game played by elderly people.
Golf is a game, which requires a very large playing area. There
are 18 holes set in mixed directions with many obstacles: water, sand, bushes. The couiae is several miles long. Golf, therefore, cannot be played in large cities.
Tennis is very popular in England. Most English parks have courts for playing tennis. Every summer a great international tournament is held in Wimbeldon, the suburb of London, in which tennis players from all over the world take part.
Other English sports are rowing, horse racing, fox hunting and shooting. Famous rowing competitions between Oxford and Cambridge Universities have been held on the Thames river for more than a century.
Sports of all kinds are encouraged in England and the ability to play games well is highly appreciated among the English people.
Holidays in Russia
The first holiday of the year is New Year's Day. People see the New Year in at midnight on December 31st. They greet the New Year with champagne and listen to the Kremlin chimes striking 12 o'clock. There are a lot of New Year traditions in Russia. In every house there is a New Year tree glittering with coloured lights and decorations. Children always look forward to Father Frost coming and giving them presents. Many people consider New Year's Day to be a family holiday but the young prefer to have New Year parties of their own.
The second holiday in Russia is Christmas marked on January 7th, the day when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a renewed religious holiday in our country.
A new holiday which has recently appeared in our country is Saint Valentine's Day. This holiday is celebrated by young people mainly. They celebrate this holiday on February 14th. It is the day
of love and friendship. People send greeting cards to their sweethearts and friends, boys present their girl-friends with flowers
The next holiday which is celebrated on February 23rd is the Day of the Defender of Motherland.
Our country celebrates Mother's Day on March 8. It is the first spring holiday. People usually buy their mothers nice greeting cards, presents and flowers. Father usually makes a big dinner and family has it together.
One of the important holidays celebrated in spring is Easter. Easter is a religious holiday. At Easter people eat coloured eggs and special cakes. There is a special service in every church and cathedral.
The greatest national holiday in our country is Victory Day. On May the 9th 1945 the Soviet Army and its allies completely defeated the German fascists and the Second World War and the Great Patriotic War ended. This year we have celebrated the 55th anniversary of this great event. A magnificent memorial un Poklonnaya Gora was built to commemorate the Victory. On Victory Day many veterans take part in the military parade and put flowers on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Radio and television broadcast popular war songs all day long.
Independence Day is a new holiday in our country. On June the 12th 1992 the first President of Russia was elected. We also celebrate the Day of Knowledge on September 1st as well as lots of professional holidays, such as the Teacher's Day, the Day of the Police, the Customs Day, the Day of Fisherman and others which are not public holidays.
Holidays and special days in the USA
There are some holidays and special days in the USA which are celebrated by the entire nation.
On the 4th of July the United States celebrate Independence Day. It is called Independence Day because on the 4th of July 1776 the founding fathers declared that the United States would be free and independent from England.
The second and the most important holiday is Christmas on December 25. Christmas is a religious holiday and one of the happiest holidays of the year because it is the day when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. People prepare for Christmas weeks beforehand. They buy gifts for their family and friends. They make or buy Christmas cards and send them to their friends, grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles. People choose a tree and decorate it with ornaments and lights. There are beautiful Christmas decorations in the streets. People prepare special food and cookies. Christmas is also the day when Santa Claus visits children and brings them presents in bright paper and ribbons. Christmas holidays last for a week and during this week the whole country does not work.
The third important holiday celebrated in the USA is Easter. Easter Is a religious holiday too and it also lasts for a week. All the schools are closed, children have their Easter holidays. At Easter children eat chocolate eggs. Sometimes parents hide them in the house or in the garden and children look for them.
Halioween is one of the best holidays for children. American children celebrate Halioween on October 31. Children wear masks and colourful costumes. The most popular costumes are ghosts, witches and skeletons. Children walk door to door in the neighbourhood and shout "trick or treat." Most people give them a treat-candy or fruit. The traditional Halioween colours are orange and black. People try to scare each other, children carve awful
faces from pumpkins. This is a very funny holiday.
Americans celebrate Thanksgiving Day on the fourth Thursday in November. This is a family holiday. People gather to give thanks for all the good things in their lives. They make a big turkey for dinner. The first Thanksgiving Day was celebrated by European settlers in America. The Indians taught them how to hunt, fish, farm and survive in America. So the crops did well and in the fall of 1621 the people had a great harvest. They were thankful and decided to celebrate it with a Thanksgiving feast. Since that time it has become a tradition.
There are some more holidays in the USA. One of them has recently appeared in our country. This is Saint Valentine's Day. People celebrate this holiday on February 14. It is a day of love and friendship. We send greeting cards to our sweethearts and friends. October 12 is Columbus Day. Christopher Columbus discovered America on October 12, 1492. There is also Mother's Day which is celebrated in May. People usually buy their mothers nice greeting cards and flowers. Father usually makes a big dinner and family eats it together with their grandparents. It's their way of saying, "Thanks for being such a great Mum!" We have the same holiday on the 8th of March in our country.
A visit to GUM
On the New Year Eve my sister and I decided to go shopping. We intended to buy some foodstuff for the coming holiday and presents for all the members of the family. We decided to go to GUM because it is a huge department store. One can get there anything in the line of food and manufactured goods. When we arrived at GUM we first admired the window dressing. Then we went along the first line and looked into the shop-windows of the grocery. We bought there all kinds of foodstuff: meat, fowl, fish,
tinned food, sausage, bread, fruit, wine and a hundred and one other foodstuff. Fortunately, there were bakery, butchery, dairy and fishmongery departments there. Besides there was a very good greengrocery where one can buy everything in the line of fruit and vegetables.
We asked a shop-assistant to wrap up our purchases and to pack them carefully. Then we went to look for gifts and souvenirs for our relatives. We went along the second line of GUM. There was haberdashery, stationery, hosiery and leather-ware on sale. Here we bought the presents for our grandparents. We chose some nice knitwear for our grandmother and a muffler for our grandfather. We also bought a shaving set for our father, but we couldn't find anything of interest for our mother. She was very hard to please and besides nothing caught our eye. My sister suggested to buy a leather bag or something in the line of perfumery. We visited the department of gifts and souvenirs, but there was nothing that our mother had not got. Finally we decided to shoot two birds with one stone and to buy something in the line of electric appliances. The shop-assistant helped us to choose the best vacuum-cleaner made in Germany. We were hundred per cent sure that our mother would be happy to get it. She had dreamt about such a vacuum-cleaner. So we did some real shopping. We presented all those gifts to our parents and grandparents and everybody had very good holidays.
Meals
In the morning I am usually in a hurry so I don't have much time for a substantial breakfast. That is why my breakfast consists of a cup of strong tea, a sausage or cheese sandwich and some cake.
When I went to school I had my lunch there. After five lessons
we usually went down to our school refreshment-room to have a bite. We usually had cakes or buns with tea or cocoa for lunch. Sometimes when I had to stay at school longer I went to the buffet to buy some chocolate ice-cream. Some of my class-mates brought some snack from home.
When I came back home after school my mother was already waiting for me with a hot dinner. It was usually cabbage soup with meat and sour cream or noodle or rice soup with meat. For the second course my mother usually cooks fried fish with potatoes or roast meat or cutlets with buckwheat porridge. As for my taste I prefer pancakes with sour cream or jam. For dessert I have cranberry jelly or compote, or tea with lemon and some biscuits. I am quite full after such a dinner and can study till late at night.
Four times a week I had my classes at preparatory courses. Usually the lessons were over at eight o'clock and I returned home at 9 o'clock p.m. For supper I had vegetables and meat or macaroni and cheese, eggs with bacon or tinned food. Before going to bed I usually have apples or oranges, or tangerines, or bananas.
My favourite artist
I must confess painting is not a very strong point with me. I enjoy it, but I am sorry to say I don't know much about it. I have been to the Tretyakov Gallery several times. It is situated in a Russian-style building in the centre of Moscow. This gallery is named after its founder'Peter Tretyakov who began to collect Russian paintings in 1856.
The first works in Tretyakov's collection were the paintings by the Peredvizhniki. Repin was one of them. Ilya Repin was born in 1844 in a small town ofChuguyev in the Ukraine in the family of a military settler. He liked drawing from his early childhood
so his parents sent him to Art school. In 1864 Repin entered the Academy of Arts is St.Petersburg. There he met Ilya Kramskoy, a great master and public figure who influenced Repin greatly. Repin's collection consists of portraits and historical genre. His first large canvas was "The Volga Boatmen". It reflects the hard life of the Russian people. "Princess Sophia" is Repin's first historical painting showing Peter the Great's sister Sophia who incited the Streltsi against his reforms. "Ivan Grozny and his son Ivan. November 16, 1581" is Repin's second historical painting. It reflects the historical event that happened on November 16th 1581. Tzar Ivan is shown holding the body of his eldest son -Prince Ivan whom he had killed. Repin is famous for painting a lot of portraits of great people, for example, "The Portrait of Stasov", who was a famous scientist and art critic, "The Portrait ofPirogov", a scientist and a doctor, and others. The works by this outstanding master are real treasure of the Tretyakov Gallery. Repin died on September 30th 1930.
My home library
I am fond of reading. Usually I borrow books from our school library, but I have a lot of them at home too. I like to read books about the history of our country, about famous people and the life of my contemporaries abroad.
Literature means much in my life. It helps to form the character and the world outlook, to understand life better.
My library consists of a lot of interesting books. There are several sets of books such as "Three detectives", "The bestsellers of Hollywood", "The Rurikovichi". I am very fond of historical novels. My library has many books of this genre, for example, "Peter the First", "Svyatoslav", "Vasiliy the Third" and many others. I also like to read scientific literature about computers.
My library takes up four bookshelves. There are approximately one hundred books. Books mean much in my life. When I am very tired or I am in a bad mood or when I just want to have some good rest I take my favourite books and reread them. One of my favourite foreign writers is William Shakespeare. As for Russian writers I value Pushkin very much.
There are a lot of books by Pushkin in my library. But my favourite books are "Evgeniy Onegin" and "Captain's daughter". The novel "Evgeniy Onegin" was written by Pushkin during 7 years and is noted for brilliant verse. Pushkin created a great number of masterpieces in drama and prose. "Little tragedies" and "Stone guest" are among the best drama works in the world. For me he is a real national intellectual and the greatest Russian poet.
Poet and writer
One of Russia's most celebrated poets of all times, Michael Lermontov was born in Moscow in the family of a nobleman. He spent his childhood and youth at Tarckany, his grandmother's estate in the province of Penza. In 1830 Lermontov entered Moscow University, but very soon had to leave it. Then he entered StPetersburg School of Cavalry Cadets. He finished it in 1834 and served in the Hussar Regiment of the Imperial Guard,
In 1837 the poet was exiled to the Caucasus for his poem on Pushkin's death. In 1841 Lermontov was exiled to the Caucasus for the second time. As a result of the intrigues by the officers he was provoked into a personal quarrel with a schoolmate of his. The quarrel led to a duel. On July the 15th 1841 the poet was killed. He was under twenty seven at the time.
Lermontov began writing when he was very young. One of his first writings to be published was his verse tale "Hadji Abrek".
But he won fame as a poet after his poems "Demon", "Mtsiri" and "Lay of Merchant Kalashnikov"; his innumerable lyrics, his novel "A hero of our time" and his play "Masquerade" are masterpieces of Russian literature.
My favourite literature hero is Pechorin from the novel "A hero of our time" by Lermontov. Pechorin was a nobleman and a very kind person. When he was doing military service in the Caucasus he fell in love with a girl who died under very tragic circumstances. After her death Pechorin travelled a lot. He liked to watch interesting life episodes, to think them over and draw his own conclusions. I like his critical way of thinking some of his views and ideas about other people. He had only one problem, which almost every honest nobleman of that time had. It was the problem of having too much free time, of being quite useless. After his travels he got ill and soon died in the mountains. He suffered a lot because he had not made anyone happy and couldn't be helpful to the society he lived in and finally was rejected by it.
Great Russian Scientist
Mikhail Lomonosov is the father of Russian science, an outstanding poet, the founder of Russian literature. Mikhail Lomonosov was born in 1711 in Arkhangelsk province in a fisherman's family where there were many children. He liked to spend his time fishing in the White Sea with his father. He began to read himself when he was a little boy. He was very curious and wanted to study very much. So when he was 19 he went to Moscow on foot.
He decided to enter the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy. He entered it and six years later in 1736 he was sent abroad to complete his studies in chemistry and mining. Lomonosov was
a physicist, a painter, an astronomer, a geographer, a historian and a statesman. Mikhail Lomonosov made a telescope and observed a lot of stars and planets through it. He wrote the first scientific grammar of the Russian language. Besides he was the author of many poems, among them several poems devoted to Katherine the Great. Lomonosov built a factory where stained glass was produced. He made a portrait of Peter the Great of pieces of stained glass which is displayed in St.Petersburg. Lomonosov was the founder of the first Russian University which is named after him and is situated in Moscow. The monument to Mikhail Lomonosov was placed in front of the building of Moscow University. During the last century a lot of monuments were ruined in Moscow and replaced by new ones, but Mikhail Lomonosov is still sitting in his armchair opposite the entrance to the old building of the university and generations of students have been preparing for their exams on the stairs around the monument. Mikhail Lomonosov died in 1765, but people remember him and value his great role in Russian science.
St. Petersburg
St.Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia and one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
St.Petersburg is an important industrial, cultural and educational centre. The population of the city is over 5 million. St.Petersburg is a wonderful city indeed. At every turn there is something to catch your eyes. St. Petersburg is famous for its beautiful bridges across the Neva River. The best time to visit St.Petersburg is the beginning of summer. All the bridges are raised at nights to make navigation along the Neva River possible. The wonderful white nights in St.Petersburg are widely known.
The Winter Palace, the Hermitage, the Russian Museum, St.isaac's Cathedral, the Peter-and-Paul Fortress, the Admiralty building attract thousands of tourists from every comer of the world. Petersburg's many museums possess some of the world's famous art collections.
Among the world's greatest museums of art the Hermitage State Museum in St.Petersburg is the most outstanding. Fabulous treasures are gathered in the museum. It contains rich art collections of all the ages. The Oriental collections of the museum are the richest in the world. They represent the culture and art of the peoples of the Middle East and Far East. There are rare and splendid collections from China and India, ancient Greece and Rome there.
West-European painting is perfectly represented in the Hermitage too. It includes world famous works by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Titian, Murillo, Rembrant, Rubens and other masters. The collection represents the art of Italy, Spain, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Austria, France, Great Britain, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and some other countries.
The West-European Department of the Museum includes a fine collection of European sculpture containing monuments by Michelangelo, Falconet, Roden and many other eminent sculptors.
The museum possesses the world's most outstanding collections of applied art: tapestries, furniture, lace, ivories, porcelain, metalwork, bronzes, silver and jewelry.
Special departments in the museum are devoted to the history of culture and art of the nations of the former Soviet Union.
Every year thousands of people visit the Hermitage museum.
My working day
On my week-days I usually wake up at 7 o'clock. I get up .•• once, wash, bmsh my teeth, comb my hair and do my i-nominu exercises. First I did it to the video but now I have got my own set of exercises. I feel perfectly fit after training. Then I get dressed in a hurry because it is time to have breakfast.
My breakfast usually consists of a cup of strong tea, a sausage or cheese sandwich and some cake. When the clock shows twenty minutes past eight I leave the house and go to school. It takes me five minutes to get there. My week-day starts at 8.30 sharp and finishes usually at about one or two p.m.
After school I return home. Usually I have dinner at half past two. For dinner I have some soup and fried fish with potatoes or roast meat or cutlets with buckwheat porridge for the second course. After dinner I have a rest for about an hour. Usually I recline en the sofa and read books.After the rest I sit down at my writing table to study. Sometimes my homework takes ail my free time. Twice a week I go to the gym which is not far from my house. There I have all the necessary facilities and coaching and I enjoy my training. Sport doesn't interfere with my studies. On the contrary I can put in a lot more after training.
This year I had my classes at preparatory courses four times a week. So at about half past three I went to the courses by bus. There I had my lessons and returned home only at nine p.m.Then I had my supper. After the evening meals I can play computer. Sometimes I enter chat pages in Internet where I talk to some of my friends. At about 11 p.m. I go to the bathroom and then to bed. Before going to bed I like to read a little.
My pet
I have a small pet. It is a very nice dog. It is a foxterrier. It is 6 years old but it behaves like a small puppy. My grandmother presented this dog to us when it was three months old. Since that time Bim shares with our family all the hardships and holidays. Bun is a 3 coloured dog and people say it must be lucky and we too.
Every morning Bim gets up the first in the family and does his best to wake up my Dad. Dad takes Bim out for a short walk every morning and every evening. After the walk Bim's legs should be washed but it likes this procedure only when the water is warm. For breakfast it prefers special food produced by Purina and never refuses to eat some sausage. Besides it is very fond of fresh vegetables especially cucumbers and carrots. We usually feed it twice a day. But when any member of our family has a snack Bim is usually near waiting for a sweet piece or a lump of sugar. Bim is very playful. It likes to play with rubber balls and to bring sticks if it walks in the forest. In winter it adores to have a snowbath. In summer Bim likes to swim in the river when we are in the village and to splash water from the pools after rain. In general it is a brave dog. It always protects me from strangers when we are out, there is only one problem - it is very afraid of thunderstorms and usually hides under the sofa. Bim has many friends among local dogs, but the best is its girl-friend Lada. All the members of our family can't imagine their life without Bim.
Weather in Moscow
People speak about the weather every day. They like to speak about the weather in England. Every morning in Russia people listen to the weather forecast with the greatest attention as if all their life depends on it.
In summer the weather is usually lovely and blight. yonim';•• may be dry, hot and close or wet and rainy, but anyway the temperature is 20-25 degrees above zero, days are long, vegetation is deep green and fresh. Sometimes thunderstorms may occur, flashes of lightning cross the sky, it thunders and rains cats ana dogs. After the thunderstorm the air is fresh. The heat is abating. The weather is improving.
In winter the temperature is below zero. Normally it is minus 7 to 10. The temperature drops below freezing point in November and it freezes until the end of February. The wind is cold and piercing. The sky is covered with dense clouds. It snows and sometimes snowstorms may occur. When the clouds go away and stars are coming at night, the air is frosty and there is a drop in the temperature to 20-25 degrees below zero. Frosts break in March.
Spring comes. The weather is improving and this is a welcome change. The weather becomes windy and variable. Little by little days change from damp, catchcold and nasty to sunny and fine. Sometimes it rains or showers of sleet. But days become longer and the sunshine warms the earth. Snow melts, temperature rises
In autumn the days become shorter, the clouds are getting more numerous, there is less sunshine, the temperature drops. Sometimes drizzling rain continues all day and the rain is accompanied by a strong piercing wind. It's awfully wet. The weather is catchcold and dull. In November one can see the first signs of approaching winter.
Acid rainThe modem world suffers a lot from environmental problems For highly developed industrialized countries the problem of air pollution and acid rain is the most urgent one.
Acid rain was first noticed in Scandinavia in the 1950s when large numbers of fresh water fish died. Research showed that the water in which those fish had lived contained more than average amount of acid.
Later it was discovered that the extra acid had been carried by rain, hence the term "acid rain." The acid is formed in the air by coal-fired power stations and millions of cars, which give out sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide.
Most European countries add acids to the air and Russia is believed to contribute heavily.
The acid rain travels with the clouds and is carried by prevailing winds across seas and national frontiers.
The effects of acid rain are the following:
- forests being destroyed;
- increased acidity of lakes where concentrations may kill the fish and plant life;
- increased acidity of soils reduces the number of crops that can be grown;
- water supplies are becoming more acidic and this can become a future health hazard;
- buildings are also being eroded by chemical action due to arid rain. For example, St. Paul's Cathedral has lost over 2 sm thickness of stone since it was built.
Shall we study English?
Geographically English is the most widespread language on ^e Earth. Approximately 400 million people speak English as ^eir first language. About the same number of people use it as the ^cond language. It is the language of business, technology, aviation, sports and pop music. English is the official language of
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern irelana, tnc United States of America, Australia and New Zealand. It is used as one of the official languages in Canada, the Republic of South Africa and the Irish Republic.
Even more widely English is studied and used as a foreign language. It is used for communication across frontiers, listening to broadcasts, reading books and newspapers, in commerce and travelling.
Half of the world's scientific literature is in English. It's a wonderful language. It sounds beautiful; it is very flexible, creative and rich. English has the largest vocabulary, with approximately 500 thousand words including 300 thousand technical terms. And its grammar is very logical.
I leam English because I realise that I may need it. English has become an international language. If I know English I can use computer in my daily life. I want to be a lawyer, so I must be able to read newspapers, documents and books in the original. I like to travel. If you know the language of the country you are going tr you will enjoy your trip much more. There are a lot of lUms in foreign languages on our TV. If you know English, you can understand many of the films without any outside help. In short, I understand that I have to learn English in a proper way if I want to be a good specialist and an interesting person, and I do my best.