Text 1
These days, more and
more people are trying extreme diets to lose weight quickly. Some people think
these diets are great, but others think they are not good for you. Without a
doubt, there are some advantages to these diets. Firstly, you can see results
really quickly and this can keep you motivated to lose more weight. Secondly,
they encourage self-control, because you have to stay focused for the diet to
work. On the other hand, there are some disadvantages to these diets. To begin
with, they can be difficult to follow, so you may give up easily and put weight
back on quickly. Also, there are many restrictions. This means, you may not get
enough nutrients to stay healthy. All in all, there are both advantages and
disadvantages to extreme diets. Anyone who wants to lose weight should think
about it very carefully and make sure they see a doctor before starting a diet.
Text2
Shopping
in Britain is also famous for its Freshfood. Freshfood is a chain of food
stores and very successful supermarkets which has grown tremendously in the
twenty years since it was founded, and now it has branches in the High Streets
of all the towns of any size in Britain. In the beginning the stores sold only
foodstuffs, but in recent years they have diversified enormously and now sell
clothes, books, records, electrical and domestic equipment. The success of the
chain has been due to an enterprising management and to attractive layout and
display in the stores. It has been discovered that impulse buying accounts for
almost 35 per cent of the total turn over of the stores. The stores are
organized completely for self-service and customers are encouraged to wander
around the spaciously laid out stands. Special free gifts and reduced prices
are used to tempt customers into the stores and they can't stand the
temptation.
Text 3
The
Verrazano Bridge, which was designed by Othmar Ammann, joins Brooklyn to Staten
Island. It has a span of 4,260 feet. The bridge is so long that the shape
of the earth had to be taken into account by its designer. Two great towers
support four huge cables. The towers are built on immense underwater platforms
make of steel and concrete. The platforms extend to a depth of over 100
feet under the sea. These alone took sixteen months to build. Above the
surface of the water, the towers rise to a height of nearly 700 feet. They
support the cables from which the bridge has been suspended. Each of the four
cables contains 26,108 lengths of wire. It has been estimated that if the
bridge were packed with cars, it would still only be carrying a third of its
total capacity. However, size and strength are not the only important things
about this bridge. Despite its immensity, it is both simple and elegant,
fulfilling its designer's dream to create 'an enormous object drawn as faintly
as possible'.
Text 4
Britain
was originally a land of vast forests, mainly oak and beech in the Lowlands and
pine and birch in the Highlands, with great stretches of marshland and smaller
areas of moors. In the course of time, much forest land was cleared and almost
all Lowlands outside the industrial areas were put under cultivation. Today
only about 6 per cent of the total land area remains wooded. Extensive forests
remain in eastern and northern Scotland and in south-eastern and western
England. Oak, elm, ash, and beech are the commonest trees in England, while
Scotland has much pine and birch. The Highlands with thin soil are largely
moorland with heather and grasses. In the cultivated areas that make up most of
Britain there are many wild flowers, flowering plants and grasses.
Text 5
The
fauna or animal life of Britain is much like that of north-western Europe, to
which it was once joined. Many larger mammals such as bear, wolf have been
hunted to extinction, others are now protected by law. There are many foxes.
Otters are common along rivers and streams, and seals live along much of the
coast. Hedgehogs, hares, rabbits, rats and mice are numerous. Deer live in some
of the forests in the Highlands of Scotland and England. Some 230 kinds of
birds live in Britain, and another 200 are regular visitors, many are
songbirds. The most numerous are blackbirds, sparrows and starlings. Robin
Redbreast is the national bird of Britain. The number of ducks, geese and other
water fowl has diminished during recent years. There are many threats to
wildlife and ecological balance around the coast. The biggest threat to the
coastline is pollution. Even much-loved Black pool is not officially safe. More
than 3.500 million tons of industrial waste is pumped into the North Sea every
year.
Text 6
Ozone
layer or ozonosphere, region of the stratosphere containing relatively high
concentrations of ozone, located above the earth's surface. Ozone in the
ozone layer is formed by the action of solar ultraviolet light on oxygen. The
ozone layer prevents most ultraviolet (UV) and other high-energy radiation from
penetrating to the earth's surface but does allow through sufficient
ultraviolet rays to support the activation of vitamin D in humans. The full
radiation, if unhindered by this filtering effect, would destroy animal tissue.
Higher levels of radiation resulting from the depletion of the ozone layer have
been linked with increases in skin cancers and cataracts and have been
implicated in the decline of certain amphibian species. In 1974 scientists
warned that certain industrial chemicals, could migrate to the stratosphere.
Damage to the ozone layer can also be caused by sulfuric acid droplets produced
by volcanic eruptions.
Text 7
The
newspaper printing is a rather unusual activity since each day the newspaper
material is prepared a new. Newspaper includes editorial board work the
following functions: getting the right news, writing it in the form of an
article, selection of the best items for the print, and displaying the selected
copy in the paper. All these tasks are performed by journalists, editors and
rewrite men, photographers and makeup editors responsible for the issue of the
paper.
Thus,
the newspaper reporting starts with collecting information for the paper.
However, journalism does not stop here. Newspapers and magazines publish a
great deal of stories, not only news items or political stories, for example,
stories of humourous or some other type. Such essay-type articles may be called
human interest stories. Besides, newspapers carry many items on sports,
personalities of today as well as stories on science, art and technology.
Rather popular are also the reports about the flights of astronauts and space
research matters in general.
Text 8
We spend great part of
our lives at our jobs, so choosing a right career is one of the most important
decisions you will make in your life. Many students finish high school and
begin college without a clear idea of what they want to do in future. Part of
the problem is the size of the job market itself. With so many kinds of jobs
(2000) how can you tell which will interest you? Some of occupations are
already overcrowded. In old industries there may be little need for new
workers, while new and growing industries will offer jobs now and in the
future. Therefore, it is extremely important to explore your choice of
occupations from every angle, collect as much information as you can. But above
all you must evaluate yourself. Find out where your interests and talents lie.
First start with yourself, make a list of your interests, talents and
abilities. By concentrating on a few, or on one you may surprise yourself at
how good you can get.
Text 9
Foreign languages are
absolutely necessary for people nowadays. More and more people of different
professions decide to study foreign languages in order to raise their
professional level. Making business nowadays means the ability to speak at
least one foreign language. English is the language of business correspondence,
many foreign newspapers and magazines, and communication between people of
different nationalities all over the world. Reading foreign literature in the
original, understanding foreign films without translation, making friends with
people of other nationalities may make our intellectual and cultural horizons
wider. Foreign languages often bring new perspectives in career and private
life. Many aspects of our Life, like science, entertainment, business, studying
became international. Many Russians decide to receive good education, start
their career or just spend some time abroad. Upon returning to Russia they are
able to share their knowledge, experience and information gained abroad with
their colleagues and friends.
Text 10
What was the family
life like in ancient Scandinavia? Most Viking male population was all round
handymen, but some had special skills. You could find boat-builders, potters,
leatherworkers and smiths.
Most Viking men knew
how to handle a boat and most of them could fight if they had to, to protect
the family or to support their chief. Women were known to work at home and bear
responsibility for household chores. They baked bread, did spinning and
weaving, turning sheep wool into cloth and items they would wear. They looked
after their children, made the family's clothes and cooked two meals which most
families had daily. On the farm, women milked the cows and made cheese. Viking
children helped their parents and did not attend school. However, they were not
illiterate. They learned Viking history, religion and law from stories and
songs, not from books. By the age of 15 or 16 they were considered adults. It
was common for girls' fathers to choose their future husbands.
Text 11
As soon as spring
brings a new growth of bushes and berries, bears start feeding. They eat and
eat. All through the spring and summer their feeding goes on. The bears build
themselves up. They store food and fats that they will need in the fall when
they start their long sleep.
As days grow shorter,
and the temperature begins to fall, bears hunt for a sleeping place. It may be
a shallow cave, or a deep crack between rocks. Some bears end up sleeping in
hollow logs. Logs seem to be bears’ favourite places. Bears seem to choose small
spaces. They can keep warmer in a cave that’s just large enough to hold them
than in a larger cave. They often line their sleeping place with leaves and
dried grass.
All through their
winter naps, bears will not eat. Often they will sleep for 7 months, moving
only now and then.
Text 12
Many lands that had
once been swamps were drained or filled in. There are different reasons why
people drained swamplands. Some were drained to fight diseases caused by
insects that lived in them. Because swamps were considered unpleasant places in
which to live and harmful to health, many people thought that unless they were
drained the land was worthless.
Other swamps were
drained to make new land. As the population grew and more land was needed,
people drained swamps or filled them to make room for more farms and factories,
more roads and airports.
Few people thought that
it might be harmful to get rid of swamps. As swamps disappeared, other things
happened. There were both more floods and more droughts than before. There were
also more fires, for swamps had acted as firebreaks. Hunters noticed that there
was less wild game. Wild life that once lived in the swamps was dying out,
because it had no place to live.
Text
13
The first maps were drawn by explorers to help
them find their way home and show people where they had been. The maps showed
the shape of the land, distances between places and special features such as
caves and old trees. Nowadays, maps show the towns and villages, and the roads,
railways, rivers and mountains. Symbols are used to show all the different
things on a map and there is a key to explain what the symbols stand for.
Over the centuries, people explored most of the
Earth and put together the map of the world we use today. Maps of the world or
large areas are often either “political” or “physical”. The political map shows
territorial borders. The purpose of the physical map is to show features of
geography such as mountains, soil type or land use including roads, railroads
and buildings.
Text 14
People have enjoyed sports for thousands of
years. Children, men and women play sports both for pleasure and for challenge.
Every sport involves physical skill. Every sport has a set of rules that the
players of the sport follow. In some sports one person competes against other
individuals. Examples of these sports include boxing, tennis and so on. In many
games one team competes against the other team.
People can go in for winter and summer sports.
Summer sports are typical for warmer countries. Those who live in regions that
experience cold winters have long enjoyed ice skating, skiing, and sledding.
These activities have grown immensely in popularity over the years. Today
thousands of resorts cater to the winter tourist trade, and millions of people
each year take winter sports vacations.
Text 15
People have enjoyed sports for thousands of
years. Children, men and women play sports both for pleasure and for challenge.
Every sport involves physical skill. Every sport has a set of rules that the players
of the sport follow. In some sports one person competes against other
individuals. Examples of these sports include boxing, tennis and so on. In many
games one team competes against the other team.
People can go in for winter and summer sports.
Summer sports are typical for warmer countries. Those who live in regions that
experience cold winters have long enjoyed ice skating, skiing, and sledding.
These activities have grown immensely in popularity over the years. Today
thousands of resorts cater to the winter tourist trade, and millions of people
each year take winter sports vacations.
Text 16
A hobby is an activity you
enjoy doing, it is something of your choice, something unique to your taste and
talent. A hobby can improve our well-being; it can give more meaning to our
life. Just as physical exercise is important for the body, relaxation of the
mind is also essential. In fact, studies reveal that people who cultivate
themselves through such activities are less likely to suffer from anxieties,
depression and other negative feelings. A hobby is the easiest way to restore
your balance whenever you are over-worked or stressed. Since it is an activity
of your choosing, it will always give you pleasure and help you to relax. Even
if you indulge in your hobby for a short period of time, you still can feel the
difference in your energy level and spirit. When you have a hobby, you will
always find time for it.
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