FOREIGN LANGUAGES IN OUR LIFE

IMPORTANT ENVENTION

1. Not long ago computers were considered an amazing invention.
2. Today they form a part of our everyday life.
3. The latest thing today is Virtual Reality.
4. A Virtual Reality system can transport the user to exotic locations such as a beach in Hawaii or the inside of the human body.
5. The Virtual Reality system is still in the early stages of its development.
6. At the moment it is necessary to put a large helmet on your head to see the simulated world and you have to wear a special glove on your hand in order to manipulate the objects you see there.
7. Lenses and two miniature display screens inside the helmet create the illusion that the screen surrounds you on every side.
8. You can «look behind» computer— generated objects, pick them up and examine them, walk around and see things from a different angle.
9. Already today Virtual Reality is used in medicine.
10. In hospitals, surgeons could plan operations by first «travelling» through the brain, heart or lungs without damaging the body.
11. It is also used in police training schools.
12. In schools pupils could explore the Great Pyramid or study molecules from the inside.
13. Developers of Virtual Reality say its potential is powerful.
14. The word which comes closest to describing Virtual Reality is «simulator».
15. Virtual Reality technology resembles the flight simulators that are used to train pilots.
16. But of course there are dangers as well as benefits.
17. In the wrong hands Virtual Reality can be used for power fantasies.

MUSIC

1. It goes without saying that music plays a very important role in people’s lives.
2. It reflects our moods and emotions.
3. Music appeals to our hearts and transforms our feelings.
4. It conquers our souls and enriches our minds.
5. Besides, listening to music is the perfect way to spend free time and not to feel bored.
6. You can hardly find a person who doesn’t like or need music and who never sings or dances.
7. Music is beauty in sounds; it is our magic source of inspiration.
8. People cannot live without music.
9. They listen to music, dance to music or learn to play musical instruments.
10. There is music everywhere: at home, in a concert hall, in the park.
11. Music is not only a combination of pleas­ant sounds.
12. It is an art which reflects life.
13. In this world of ours, filled with conflicts, tragedies, joys and hopes, music strives to speak to people of what is most important, urgent and poignant.
14. Music in the lives of different people is different: some compose music, others play music, and others only listen to it.
15. A lot of people who cannot play any musical instru­ment love to listen to music either at home or at a concert.
16. Different people like different kinds of music.
17. You may prefer pop or rock music, country or folk music, classical music or jazz, but you certainly cannot think of a day without music.
18. As for me, I prefer rock music.
19. I have a lot of CDs.
20. I try to watch all the programmes dealing with it on TV and to go to concerts as often as possible.
21. My favourite group is «Okean Elzy».
22. I think they are very talented.
23. By the way, I can play the guitar.
24. It is a great pleasure to be able to play an instrument and I like it a lot.

INTERNET

1. То my mind, the Internet is one of the most wonderful inventions of mankind.
2. It has become one of the most powerful tools throughout the world.
3. Today the Internet is a collection of various services and resources.
4. It provides a lot of facilities for people.
5. First of all it gives the opportunity to store information and share it with other people around the world.
6. Sharing information via the Internet is a very easy, cheap and fast way.
7. Scientists and researchers can interact with each other, tell each other about their achievements and discuss their problems to find the right solutions.
8. People from differ­ent countries and cultures have a possibility to interact to know more about each other.
9. It makes us closer and more united.
10. You can get the latest news in the world on the Internet.
11. Most of the world’s newspapers and magazines have their websites where you can read about current events in different spheres of our life.
12. These websites are periodically updated to provide their readers with the latest news.
13. Shopping on the Internet is becoming more and more popular.
14. This type of service helps you to save time and make the right choice.
15. You can also read about the quality of the goods you are interested in messages from people who have already bought these goods.
16. You can also use the Internet to look for a job.
17. Most of the organizations around the world advertise their vacancies on special websites.
18. It’s also possible to apply for a required job through the Internet.
19. The Internet provides the possibility to get education online.
20. Many websites of different universities provide lec­tures and tutorials on different subjects and topics.
21. You can download this information onto your computer and listen to these lectures repeatedly.
22. These are just some advantages of using the Net.
23. However, there are some disadvantages as well.
24. First of all the In­ternet is the most popular source of spreading viruses which create different problems with our computers.
25. Secondly, the Internet may have a negative impact on children.
26. They enjoy surfing the Net but they use it not only to look for information which can be helpful for their studies.
27. Many children use the Internet for playing games and downloading pictures and music.
28. Besides, some websites are not suitable for children.
29. Finally, you can face a problem of having your information, identity or money stolen by hackers.
30. All in all, the Internet has changed our life greatly by making it more dynamic, informative and dependent on it.
31. Whether we like it or not, it has become a part of our everyday life and we have to make the best possible use of it.

FOREIGN LANGUAGES IN OUR LIFE

1. I think, nowadays it is very important to know foreign languages.
2. Some people learn languages, because they need them for their work, others travel abroad, for the third it`s just a hobby.
3. Everyone, who knows foreign languages can speak to people from other countries, read foreign writers in the original, which makes your outlook wider.
4. Also, they want to read books of famous writers in original, to read newspapers and magazines.
5. It helps them to know more about different events, people’s life, customs and traditions.
6. Nowadays, English has become an international language.
7. Over 300 million people speak it as a mother tongue.
8. The native speakers of English live in Great Britain, the United States of America, Australia and New Zealand.
9. English is one of the official languages in the Irish Republic, Canada, the South Africa Republic.
10. English is one of the official languages of the United Nations Organization and other political organizations.
11. Half of the world’s scientific literature is in English.
12. It is the language of computer technology.
13. As for me, I learn English from 7 years age.
14. This language helps me very much, to speak free with people from all over the world, make new friends and participate in international contests.
15. The English language is a wonderful language.
16. It is the language of William Shakespeare, Jonathan Swift, Walter Scott, Charles Dickens.
17. The great German poet Goethe once said, “He, who knows no foreign language, does not know his own one”.
18. That is why in order to understand one-self and environment one has to study foreign languages.

BOOKS

1. Books are very important in our life.
2. They are the foundation of bringing-up and education.
3. Books give us knowledge, teach us to think and feel, and develop our imagination.
4. I can’t imagine my life without reading books.
5. The first childhood book I remember was «Winnie-the-Pooh» by Alan Alexander Milne which my mum read to me.
6. Other childhood books that influenced me most were «Sans Famille» by Hector Henri Malot, «Le Petit Prince» by Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger de Saint-Exupéry, and «Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland» by Lewis Carroll.
7. These books are very interesting and easy to read though they are profound as well.
8. While reading them I both smiled and became serious and thoughtful.
9. They made me think a lot about life and its funny and sad moments.
10. Now my favourite book is «For Whom the Bell Tolls» by Ernest Hemingway who is one of the best American writers of the 20th century.
11. The novel «For Whom the Bell Tolls» was written in 1940.
12. It is considered to be one of his best works.
13. The novel is about a young American who was a volunteer in Spain to fight against the fascists during the Civil War.
14. He had a military mission in the mountains as he was a shot-firer.
15. He found his love in a small village.
16. But he had to die to save people and to do his duty.
17. This novel is like an ode in honour of real love, an ode in honour of real courage.
18. It was an ode in honour of the Man who sacrificed his life to the rescue of other people.
19. This novel made me think about such things as persistence, strength of mind and self-respect.
20. The love story in this novel was very touching and sad.
21. If I could be any character of this book, I would be Maria, the girl who loved such an outstanding man.
22. This book gave me such a strong emotional experience that it made me take to heart the characters’ fate as if it was my own fate.

CINEMA

1. Today comfortable and well-equipped cinemas attract a lot of people of different ages.
2. The price of the tickets can’t be compared with the pleasure of seeing your favourite actors starring in films with lots of special effects created with the help of the latest computer technologies.
3. It’s no wonder that going to the cinema has become one of the most popular free-time activities among teenagers.
4. My friends and I are cinema-goers, too.
5. To my mind, watching a film in the cinema is more excit­ing than trying to watch it at home, because at home the pleasure might be interrupted by a sudden phone call, your parents asking to do something about the house or some­thing else.
6. That’s why I prefer watching films in the cinema.
7. No matter what film it is: an action film, a comedy, a horror film, a historical drama or a science-fiction film.
8. Brilliant acting, wonderful music and special effects can make any film impres­sive and interesting for the viewers.
9. It often happens that the film critics’ point of view differs from the opinion of or­dinary viewers.
10. I think that film critics always try to find faults with something.
11. I wouldn’t like to have a profession like this.
12. It seems boring to me to analyze every detail in a movie.
13. If the film is exciting and impressive, I like everything in it: the actors, the plot, the music and other things.
14. If I don’t like the film in general, it doesn’t matter what is wrong with it.

15. I enjoy watching different kinds of films, but, in my opinion, the Bond films are the most successful action films ever made.

16. Several generations of people still enjoy the movies in which a charming and reckless intelligence agent saves the world from destruction.

17. James Bond is my fa­vourite film character.

18. He is smart and fearless, determined and reliable.

19. Six bright and memorable actors have played the part of James Bond.

20. It’s difficult for me even to say which of the actors was the best Bond.

21. There are twenty-three Bond films now.

22. Every film impresses by the perfect acting and special effects.

23. The songs written for every movie have become hits.

24. No wonder that people of different ages look forward to watching new episodes of this film.

SHOPPING

1. When we want to buy something, we go to a shop.
2. There are many kinds of shops in every town or city, but most of them have a food supermarket, a department store, men's and women's clothing stores, grocery, a bakery and a butchery.
3. I like to do my shopping at big department stores and supermarkets.
4. They sell various goods under one roof and this is very convenient.
5. A department store, for example, true to its name, is composed of many departments: readymade clothes, fabrics, shoes, sports goods, toys, china and glass, electric appliances, cosmetics, linen, curtains, cameras, records, etc.
6. You can buy everything you like there.
7. There are also escalators in big stores which take customers to different floors.
8. In the women's clothing department you can find dresses, costumes, blouses, skirts, coats, beautiful underwear and many other things.
9. In the men's clothing department you can choose suits, trousers, overcoats, ties, etc.
10. In the knitwear department one can buy sweaters, cardigans, short-sleeved and long-sleeved pullovers, woolen jackets.
11. In the perfumery they sell face cream and powder, lipstick, lotions and shampoos.
12. In a food supermarket we can also buy many different things at once: sausages, fish, sugar, macaroni, flour, cereals, tea.
13. At the butcher's there is a wide choice of meat and poultry.
14. At the bakery you buy brown and white bread, rolls, biscuits.
15. Another shop we frequently go to is the greengrocery which is stocked by cabbage, potatoes, onions, cucumbers, carrots, beetroots, green peas and what not.
16. Everything is sold here ready-weighed and packed.
17. If you call round at a dairy you can buy milk, cream, cheese, butter and many other products.

1. The methods of shopping may vary.
2. It may be a self-service shop where the customer goes from counter to counter selecting and putting into a basket what he wishes to buy.
3. You pay money to the cashier and he gives you back the change.

MOBILE PHONES

1. The invention of a mobile phone has completely changed our life.
2. This device has made our communication quick and easy despite the distances.
3. It helps us to solve different problems by getting in touch with other people any time we need it.
4. It allows us to phone our relatives and friends whenever we want to hear their voices or need their advice or support.
5. Nowadays almost every person has got a mobile phone.
6. It is almost impossible to imagine life without mobile phones twenty years ago.
7. People used to write letters to tell news and send postcards to congratulate each other on some holiday.
8. The development of modern technologies has given us more advantages in communi­cation
9. We send text messages from our mobile phones.
10. Young people also use this device for listening to music, playing games and even for surfing the Internet.
11. No doubt mobile phones make our life more convenient.
12. But as they say, every technology has its negative side.
13. To my mind, the development of modern technologies af­fects our relationships.
14. People spend less time together.
15. There is no need to visit relatives and friends if you can just make a call.
16. People contact each other over the phone and become too lazy to meet outside.
17. We often put off a talk tête-à-tête in hope to discuss some important or unpleasant things on the phone.
18. We are losing our privacy because we can be disturbed by a phone call at home, on vaca­tion and even in hospital.
19. Isn’t the loss of personal relationships the price for our comfortable life?
20. It is difficult to say now.
21. Modern technologies influence our life changing it all the time.
22. And this influence won’t do us much harm if we are able not only to hear the voice of our dearest people but also to see their eyes.
23. We will keep good relations if in spite of all the technologies we will be happy to meet each other.

SCHOOL

1. Dear ladies and gentlemen!
2. We are happy to welcome you in our school and we’d like to show you all the facilities we have and to tell you about our school life.
3. To begin with, I’d like to mention that our school is not new and it has its traditions.
4. It was built more than twenty years ago and some outstanding people who are well-known in our region were among its leavers.
5. You can see their photos in the hall.
6. The classrooms of our school are light, spacious and comfortable.
7. They are equipped with all possible up-to- date facilities such as computers, video and interactive blackboards.
8. There are laboratories for studying Physics, Chemistry and Biology.
9. Our school has two computer classes where schoolchildren learn to use the Internet and to create their first computer programs and projects in different subjects.
10. There is an excellent library which contains various types of encyclopedias and dictionaries, books by classical and modern writers.
11. Next to the library there is a large Assembly Hall for concerts and theatrical performances.
12. There are some studios such as Drama Studio, Literary Club and Dance Studio which pupils can attend after classes.
13. The pupils participate in concerts and art festivals which are held in our school every year.
14. The school has wonderful sports facilities such as a big gym, equipped with some modern simulators and a football pitch.
15. One of the most popular places among the pupils and teachers is the canteen.
16. The cooks of our canteen prepare tasty dishes you may have for lunch.
17. The motto of our cooks is «Healthy food — healthy children».
18. As you can see, there are all the facilities for getting good education in our school.
19. Our pupils are hard-working, they always participate in different educational programmes, quizzes and contests and they achieve good results.
20. Experienced teachers help to create a friendly atmosphere for studying.
21. They prepare the schoolchildren for taking exams to enter the universities.
22. To sum up, I should say that studying in our school is hard work and a real pleasure.

MASS MEDIA

1. Television is one of the most popular media nowadays.
2. People have TV sets and sometimes even more than one in every apartment.
3. Some people watch the TV all day long using it as a background entertainer.
4. Some people just choose their favourite programme and watch it once a day or even once a week.
5. Television can entertain and amuse, educate and inform.
6. On the other hand, it can destroy weak people’s psyche if they cannot filter the information given.
7. People become addicted to television, they resemble drug addicts when they cannot switch it off.
8. Some people report that life without a TV set being turned on in their room feels «quiet and empty».
9. Many people complain that commercials using results of the latest psychological research directly influence our minds and subconsciousness making people remember the products better and buy things they do not need.
10. You just cannot resist and protect yourself from their destructive effect.
11. So you should either be very peculiar as for the choice of TV programmes, or have steady and set moral values and a steady worldview to be able to fish out only the positive things out of the medium.
12. My favourite programme is «The News».
13. It is a daily news programme about recent events in our state and abroad.
14. It usually lasts an hour and this time is hardly enough to learn about the main events in the world.
15. I like it when I am well-informed and keep up-to- date with the rest of the world.
16. From my point of view, I do not watch much TV, just a few hours a day.
17. I usually watch «Inter» and «1 + 1» channels.
18. Sometimes I watch «Discovery» Channel or the Russian «First Channel».
19. My favourite commentator is Nikolay Ozerov.
20. Though he represents an older generation and is already dead, he is still the best.
21. A man who comments on sports events should think fast and have a very good sense of language.
22. Ozerov was just like that.
23. He is an example to follow for many younger commentators

CITY LIFE

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