8. What kind of music do you prefer?
9. Do you play any musical instruments?
10. Have you ever collected anything?
11. What is your hobby?
12. What is your best friend's hobby?
13. Which of your friends collects stamps (records, compact discs, etc)?
14. Do you watch MTV?
15. How do you usually spend your leisure (['1] ) time?
TRAVELLING
Millions of people all over the world spend their holidays travelling. They travel to see other countries and continents, modern cities and the ruins of ancient towns, they travel to enjoy picturesque places, or just for a change of scene. It's always interesting to discover new things, different ways of life, to meet different people, to try different food, to listen to different musical rhythms.
Those who live in the country like to go to a big city and spend their time visiting museums and art galleries, looking at shop windows and dining at exotic restaurants. City-dwellers usually like a quiet holiday by the sea or in the mountains, with nothing to do but walk and bathe and laze in the sun.
Most travellers and holiday-makers take a camera with them and take pictures of everything that interests them the sights of a city, old churches and castles, views of mountains, lakes, valleys, plains, waterfalls, forests; different kinds of trees, flowers and plants, animals and birds.
Later, perhaps years later, they will be reminded by the photos of the happy time they have had.
People travel by train, by plane, by boat and by car.
All means of travel have their advantages and disadvantages. And people choose one according to their plans and destinations.
If we are fond of travelling, we see and learn a lot of things that we can never see or learn at home, though we may read about them in books and newspapers, and see pictures of them on TV. The best way to study geography is to travel, and the best way to get to know and understand people is to meet them in their own homes.
Vocabulary
ruins ['ridnz] ,
ancient ['einjant]
to enjoy [in'd30i]
picturesque [piktja'resk]
change of scene [si:n]
to discover [dis'k/we] ,
rhythm [ridm]
art gallery ['gaeleri]
exotic [ig'zotik]
restaurant ['restront]
city-dweller ['dwele]
to bathe [beid]
to laze [leiz] in the sun
holiday-maker ,
camera ['kaemare]
to take pictures of
sight ['salt]
church [tjaitj]
castle f'ka:sl]
view [yju:]
valley [vaeli]
plain [plein]
waterfall ['wo:tafo:l]
to remind [ri'maind]
photo ['feutauj
advantage [ed'va:ntid3]
disadvantage [,disad'va:ntid3]
destination [,desti'neijn] ,
(, ..)
Questions
1. Are you fond of travelling?
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2. Why do people travel?
3. Why do people take a camera with them? What do they usually photograph?
4. What do we see and learn while travelling?
5. Do you agree that travelling broadens our minds?
6. How do different people spend their holidays?
7. What means of travel do you know? What are their advantages and disadvantages?
8. What places have you visited?
9. Have you ever taken a holiday cruise ([kru:z] ) along the Black Sea coast or down the Volga?
10. Some people prefer to travel on their own and hate travelling in a group. What about you?
11. What countries would you like to visit?
12. Do you like to explore new places?
13. If someone invited you to spend a week on a desert island, would you agree?
14. Do you believe that one day people will be able to travel hi space?
15. Would you like to go to Mars or some other planet?
MY LAST SUMMER HOLIDAYS
Ialways look forward to my summer holidays. In my opinion, there's nothing like the Russian countryside. We've got a small country house in a very picturesque place not far from Zagorsk. There's a river and a lake there. My friends and I often go swimming and boating there. I'm also fond of lying in the sun.
There's a lot offish in the lake, so I sometimes go fishing. I like to sit in silence for a while waiting for a fish to get caught and listening to the birds singing in the trees. When I happen to catch a fish I set it free at once, because I do fishing just for pleasure.
When it's very hot I usually go to the forest. The air is cool there. I like to walk in the shade of the trees and pick mushrooms and berries. I've got a dog called Jack. He becomes so happy when I take him with me to the forest.
Jack likes to run after butterflies or dragonflies. I sometimes play with him. I throw a stick and he brings it back to me.
But last summer my parents decided to go to some other place for a change. They made up their minds to go to the Crimea. I think it was the greatest mistake they had ever made. This, in a nutshell, is what happened.
To begin with, it was very difficult to find a place to stay. We rented a room in a house a long way from the sea. It was the only place we managed to get. It took us about half an hour to get to the beach. But it didn't matter, as it turned out a few days later. Suddenly our happy sunny days were over. It started to rain. It occasionally cleared up for a while but then the rain went on again. All we could do was to spend all our time in the cinema or in a cafe. It was impossible to leave because we had made reservations beforehand and we had to spend another week there.
I had never seen so many films in my life. By the end of the week I got very tired of the cinema and I could only lie on the bed reading books or staring at the ceiling.
At last the happy day of our departure came. You can't imagine how astonished we were. The sun began to shine early in the morning. It seemed to me that it was laughing at us.
After that holiday we decided to spend every summer in the country.
Names
the Crimea [krai'mia]
Vocabulary
to look forward ['fcxwad] to
-
in my opinion [a'pinjan] -
there's nothing like
countryside ['kAntrisaid]
picturesque [piktja'resk]
to be fond of doing smth -,
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to lie in the sun
for a while
to wait for a fish to get caught ,
when I happen to , ...
to set free ,
at once
to do fishing
in the shade
butterfly ['bAtaflai]
dragonfly ['draeganflai]
for a change
to make up one's mind (-
)
in a nutshell ['rmtjel]
to rent (, , )
to manage to do smth -
as it turned out
occasionally [a'keisnali] ,
to clear up ( )
to go on
to make reservations [,reza'veifnz] ,
beforehand [bi'fo:hsend]
to stare [stea] at smth -
to be astonished [a'stonift]
Questions
1. Where do you usually spend your summer holidays?
2. Do you always look forward to your summer holidays?
3. What do you usually do in summer?
4. Do you like to go swimming (boating)?
5. Are you fond of lying in the sun?
6. What do you usually do in hot weather?
7. Are you fond of fishing?
8. What do you enjoy doing in the evenings?
9. Have you ever been to the Crimea?
10. Where did you spend your last summer holidays?
11. What is your idea of an ideal holiday?
12. Where would you like to spend your next summer holidays?
MY FAVOURITE SEASON
There are four seasons in a year: spring, summer, autumn and winter. Every season is beautiful in its own way.
When spring comes nature awakens from its long winter sleep. The days become longer and the nights become shorter. The ground is covered with emeraldgreen grass and spring flowers. The air is fresh, the sky is blue and cloudless, and the sun shines brightly. The trees are in full blossom. The nightingale begins to sing its lovely songs, and sweet melodies may be heard from every wood and park. The days are warm and everything is full of life and joy.
Spring is followed by summer. The weather is usually fine in summer, but it can be very hot, especially in July. Sometimes there are storms with thunder and lightning. In summer people try to get away from the city noise and spend more time in the open air. They pick mushrooms and berries in the forest, swim in the rivers and lakes, go fishing and boating. Most people prefer to have their holidays in summer.
Autumn begins in September. The days become shorter and the nights become longer. The leaves turn yellow, red and brown and fall to the ground.
Most birds fly away to warm countries. There's a short spell of dry sunny weather in September which is called Indian Summer. It's a beautiful time when the sky is cloudless, the trees around are golden, the air is transparent and it's still warm. But gradually it gets colder and colder. It often rains in October and November which makes autumn an unpleasant season.
In winter the sun sets early and rises late. The rivers and lakes are frozen over. Everything is covered with snow. Sometimes it's very cold, about 25-30 degrees below zero. Going out in such weather isn't very pleasant. Winter is a good time for sports. People go in for skating and skiing. Tobogganing is also popular, not as a kind of sports, but rather as fun.
As for me, I like all seasons, but I think there's nothing like late spring.
Vocabulary
season ['si:zn] to be in blossom
nature ['neitja] nightingale ['naitiqgeil]
to awaken [a'weikn] () lovely [1/wli] ,
ground [graund] sweet .
to cover ['k/wa] melody ['meladi]
emerald-green [, 'gn:n] - joy [d30i]
fresh thunder ['G/vida]
lightning [laitnirj]
to pick mushrooms and berries
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to go fishing
to go boating
to prefer [pri'fa:]
transparent [traen'spearant]
to freeze (froze, frozen)
tobogganing [ta'boganig]
there's nothing like
Questions
1. How many seasons are there in a year?
2. When does nature awaken from her long winter sleep?
3. Why do we like spring so much?
4. Why do people try to spend more time in the open air in summer?
5. Is summer the best season for tourism?
6. Where did you go last summer?
7. Do you like Indian summer? Why?
8. Do you like late autumn?
9. What do you usually do on a nasty rainy day?
10. What is the weather like in whiter?
11. Do you go in for skating or skiing?
12. Were you fond of playing snowballs and making snowmen when you were a child?
13. Most people prefer summer to any other season of the year. What about you?
14. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each season?
Countries and Cities
GREAT BRITAIN
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated on the British Isles. The British Isles consist of two large islands, Great Britain and Ireland, and about five thousand small islands. Their total area is over 244,000 square kilometres.
The United Kingdom is made up of four countries: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast respectively. Great Britain consists of England, Scotland and Wales and does not include Northern Ireland. But in everyday speech "Great Britain" is used to mean the United Kingdom. The capital of the UK is London.
The British Isles are separated from the continent by the North Sea and the English Channel. The western coast of Great Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea.
Shakespeare called Britain a "precious stone set in the silver sea" because of its natural beauty. It has a varied countryside where you can find mountains, plains, valleys and sandy beaches. Ben Nevis in Scotland is the highest mountain, but it is only 1343 metres high.
There are a lot of rivers in Great Britain, but they are not very long. The Severn is the longest river, while the Thames is the deepest and the most important one.
The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of Gulf Stream influence the climate of the British Isles. It is mild the whole year round.
The UK is one of the world's smaller countries. Its population is over 58 million. About 80% of the population live in cities.
The UK is a highly developed industrial country. It is known as one of the world's largest producers and exporters of machinery, electronics, textile, aircraft and navigation equipment. One of the chief industries of the country is shipbuilding.
The UK is a constitutional monarchy. In law, the Head of State is the Queen.
In practice, the Queen reigns, but does not rule. The country is ruled by the elected government with the Prime Minister at the head. The British Parliament consists of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
There are three main political parties in Great Britain: the Labour, the Conservative and the Liberal parties.
Names
The United [jirnaitid] Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern ['no:dan] Ireland ['aialand]
the British Isles [ailz]
Edinburgh ['edinbara]
Cardiff ['ka:dif]
Belfast [,bel'fa:st]
the North Sea
the English Channel [tjaenl] (-
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the Atlantic Ocean [a,tlaentik 'aujn]
the Irish ['aiarij] Sea
Shakespeare ['Jeikspia]
Ben Nevis [ben 'neyis]
the Severn ['seven]
the Thames [temz]
Gulf Stream [' strhm]
the House of Lords
the House of Commons
the Labour [leiba], the Conservative [kan'saivativ]
and the Liberal [liberal] parties ,
Vocabulary
to be situated ['sitjueitid]
to consist [kan'sist] of
total area [,tautl 'earia]
kilometre ['kila,mi:ta]
respectively [ri'spektivli]
to include [in'klu:d]
to mean [mi:n] (meant)
to separate ['separeit]
to wash
precious ['prejas]
varied [vearid] ,
()
plain ['plain]
valley ['vaeli]
sandy beach ['bi:tj]
deep
to influence ['influans]
climate ['klaimit]
mild [maild] ,
the whole year round
population [popjuleijn]
highly developed [divelapt]
producer [pra'dju:sa]
exporter [ik'spo:ta]
machinery [ma'Jhnari]
electronics [/elik'traniks]
textile ['tekstail]
aircraft ['eakraift]
navigation [.naevi'geijn]
equipment [i'kwipmant]
chief [tfl:f] ,
shipbuilding
constitutional monarchy [.konsti'tjujanl 'monaki]
in law [b:]
the head of state
queen [kwi:n]
in practice ['praktis] ,
to reign [rein]
to rule [ru:l]
to elect [ilekt]
government ['gwanmant]
Prime Minister -
at the head
parliament ['paMamant]
chamber ['tjeimba]
Questions
1. The UK is an island state, isn't it? Where is it situated?
2. What countries is the UK made of? What are their capitals?
3. What channel separates the British Isles from the European continent?
4. Who called Britain a "precious stone set in the silver sea"?
5. The surface of the British Isles varies very much, doesn't it?
6. What's the highest mountain on the British Isles?
7. Are there a lot of long and deep rivers in Great Britain?
8. Why is the climate of the British Isles mild?
9. Is the UK a large country?
10. What's the UK's population?
11. The UK is a highly developed industrial country. What does it produce and export?
12. The UK is a constitutional monarchy. What does it mean?
