PROTECTION OF ENVIRONMENT
Since
ancient times Nature has served Man, being the source of his life. For thousand
of years people lived in harmony with environment. But with the development of
civilization Man’s interference with nature began to increase.
Large
cities with thousand of smoky industrial enterprises appear all over the world
today. They pollute the air we breath, the water we drink, the land we live in.
many cities suffer from smog. Vast forests are cut and burnt in the fire. As a
result some rare species of animals, birds, fish and plants disappear forever,
a number of rivers and lakes dry up.
Environmental
protection is a universal concern. That is why serious measures to create a
system of ecological security should be taken. Some progress has been already
made in this direction. As many as 159 countries-members of the UNO have set up
environmental protection agencies.
The
accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in April 1986 caused radioactive
pollution of a vast area. Who knows what possible effects on health or
long-term genetic effects this pollution may have. The international
organization Greenpeace is also doing much to preserve the environment. The
Earth is our home. We must take care of it for ourselves and next generations.
New words:
A
source
A
harmony
A
development
To
interference
A
nature
To
increase
An
enterprise
To
pollute
To
breath
Agencies
A
Greenpeace
To
suffer
Smog
Rare
To
disappear
To
dry up
A
concern
Measures
A
security
A
direction
UNO
– United Nation Organization
A Chernobyl
Generations
FOREIGN LANGUAGES IN OUR LIFE
Learning
a foreign language is not an easy thing. It is long and slow process that takes
a lot of time and efforts.
Nowadays
it is especially important to know foreign languages. Some people learn
languages because they need them for their work, others travel abroad, for the
third studying languages is a hobby. Everyone, who knows foreign languages can
speak to people from other countries, read foreign authors in the original,
which makes your outlook wider. It is not surprising that many intellectuals
and well-educated people are polyglots.
I
study English. Nowadays English has become the world’s most important language
in politics, science, trade and cultural relations. Over 300 million people speak
it as a mother tongue. The native speakers of English live in Great
Britain, the United States of America, Australia and New
Zealand.
English
is one of the official languages in the Irish Republic, Canada,
and the South Africa Republic. English is one of the official languages of the
United Nations Organization and other political organizations. Half of the
world’s scientific literature is in English. It is the language of computers
technology. To know English today is absolutely necessary for every educated
man, for every good specialist.
English
language is a wonderful language. It is the language of the great literature.
It is the language of William Shakespeare, Jonathan Swift, Walter Scott, and
Charles Dickens.
The
great German poet Goethe once said, “He, who knows no foreign language, does
not know his own one”. That is why in order to understand oneself and
environment one has to study foreign languages.
New words:
Efforts
Slow
Nowadays
To
travel abroad
In
the original
An
outlook
Wide
An
intellectual
Well-educated
A
polyglot
Cultural
relations
A
mother tongue
A
native speaker
Necessary
ANCIENT BRITAIN
Apart
from a few short references in classical literature, knowledge of Britain before the Roman conquest (begun AD 43) is derived entirely from archaeological
research. It is thus lacking in detail, for archaeology can rarely identify
personalities, motives, or exact dates. All that is available is a picture of
successive cultures and some knowledge of economic development. But even in Roman
times Britain lay on the periphery of the civilized world, and Roman
historians, for the most part, provide for that period only a framework into
which the results of archaeological research can be fitted. Britain truly emerged into the light of history only after the Saxon settlement in the
fifth century AD.
Until
late in the Mesolithic period, Britain formed part of the continental landmass
and was easily accessible to migrating hunters. The cutting of the land bridge,
6000-5000 BC, had important effects: migration became more difficult and
remained for long impossible to large numbers.
New words:
References
Knowledge
A conquest
To derive
An archaeological research
To identify
An available
A successive
A
civilized
A framework
An emerged
A settlement
A Mesolithic
An accessible
BC
AD
UKRANIAN-BRITISH RELATIONS
In
1992 Ukraine and Great Britain established diplomatic relations. Since then Ukraine
has its Embassy in London.
Ukraine’s ties with Great Britain stretch far back in
history. Volodymyr Monomakh was married to Gytha, a daughter of the English
King Harold.
Great
Britain is taking particular steps to
support Ukraine’s policy of transformation. Close relations between the United
Kingdom and Ukraine are profitable for both countries.
There
are a lot of things to do in the commercial sphere; a lot of problems to solve
too.
Ukraine passes through a difficult period of time.
Joint
British-Ukrainian ventures have appeared. Potential for cooperation is big. A
good example of cooperation we can find in a large industrial city – Donetsk. Formally Donetsk was called Yuzovka after his founder, the Welsh industrialist
John Hughes. His descendants visited Donetsk and established a fund to
commemorate the name of John Hughes and work for the rebirth of the Donbas region.
In
Great Britain there are organizations which support the development of
Ukrainian sciences and economy. Know-How fund offers different programmers for
managers so that they can implant reforms in their own enterprises.
The
British Council is the United Kingdom’s international organization for
educational and cultural relations.
The
British Council’s work covers many activities, but focuses particularly on
education and training, English language teaching, the arts, science and
governance. The British Council creates opportunities for learning and
contributing to the development of people and organizations at all levels.
In
2000-2001 the British Council centers organ organized more then 1500 science
events in over 60 countries, helped 13000 young people take part in exchange
projects.
The
British Council presents the best of British achievement in six sectors: arts,
literature, design, education, training, English Learning Teaching, governance
and human rights, information exchange and knowledge management, science,
engineering, technology, the environment.
In
Ukraine the British Council has centers in Kiev, Kharkov, Donetsk, Lvov,
and Odessa.
The
British Council facilitates contacts between people and organizations which
create understanding and mutual respect, implements many different programmers
for students, young scientists and specialists.
It
is really good that contacts are set at different levels. We look forward to
further extension of cooperation between Great Britain and Ukraine.
THE US COURT SYSTEM
The
courts are the overseers of the law. They administer it, they resolve disputes
under it and they ensure that it is and remain equal to and impartial for
everyone.
In
the United States each is served by the separate court system, state and
federal. Both systems are organized into three basic levels of courts – trial
courts, intermediate courts of appeals and a high court, or Supreme Court. The
state courts are concerned essentially with cases arising under state law and
the federal courts with cases arising under federal law.
The
trial courts in each state include: common pleas courts, which have general
civil and criminal jurisdiction and smaller in importance municipal courts,
country courts and mayor’s courts.
The
common pleas court is the most important of the trial courts. It is the court
of general jurisdiction – almost any civil or criminal case, serious or minor,
may first be brought there.
The
main job of courts of appeals is to review cases appealed from trial courts to
determine if the law was correctly interpreted and applied.
The
supreme court of each state is primarily a court of appeal and the court of
last resort.
The
federal court structure is similar to the structure of the state court system.
The
US Supreme Court is the highest court in the nation and the court of last
resort. It consists of a chief justice and eight associate justices, all of
whom are appointed for life by the President with the Advice and Consent of the
Senate. The duty of the Supreme Court is to decide whether laws passed by
Congress agree with the Constitution.
New words:
The
court
The
overseers
Equal
Is
served
To separate
The trial courts
The courts of appeals
The Supreme Court
The law
The federal courts
The common pleas courts
The municipal courts
The country courts
The mayor’s courts
The Senate
The Congress agree
The Constitution
COMPUTERS: FROM FINGERS TO THE STARS
Computers
are machines. They work with numbers. Computers can add numbers thousand of
times faster than you can.
We
haven’t always had machines to help us. Long before people could write, they
could show numbers. They used their fingers. That’s why most he world counts it
tens – because people have ten fingers. Today almost everyone can write, but
some people still use their fingers and hands for numbers. You can see this in
the market places and ports of Africa and India. You’ll find it in the money
markets of modern cities all over the world. You can see it at horse races. And
wherever it’s noisy, people use their fingers instead of saying numbers.
The
word computer comes from a Latin word which means “to count”. Pascal built the
first mechanical computer in 1642; Leibnitz built a better device in 1673.
Today
computer is a machine with a complex network of electronic circuits. The first
electric computers were built in the 1940s. This was the first generation of
computers. They were very big and difficult to work with and they needed a lot
of electricity. They were slow and they couldn’t do very difficult jobs. The
memory was very slow.
Today
computers are used everywhere. For instance, all modern planes carry computers.
When a plane is flying, there are many things that the pilot must look and
control. He must know how heavy his plane is, to know about the winds and the
weather and must be sure that the engines are working well.
Computers
help the pilot in all of these things. The pilot has television screens in the
plane and these show him the data he needs. Sometimes the computers themselves
fly the plane.
New words:
To add
To count in tens
The money market
Horse races
A complex network of
electronic circuits
A generation
For instance
Heavy
To be sure
Television screen
AT THE POST-OFFICE
Many
of us do not appreciate the tremendous job the post-office does in getting out
mail and morning papers to us.
When
we drop a letter in the postbox on the corner we know that the postman will
deliver it to the right address. But let’s pay a visit to the local
post0office. There are a number of windows with a notice in big letters showing
the operations handled: Parcel Post, Money Orders, post Restate (Br) or General
Delivery (Am), Stamps, Postcards, Stamped Envelopes, registered Letters, air
Mail. Somewhere near the entrance you’ll see a notice giving the hours of
delivery.
The
window marked Parcel Post handles all parcels or packages. Don’t forget to
insure your parcel if you have something really valuable in it. This cost but a
trifle, but makes delivery double safe.
Large
post-offices even have a wrapping and packing service.
If
you want to send printed matters (books, newspapers, magazines) you’ll have to
go to the window marked Book Post.
The
Post Restate window keeps mail until called for. This service is for those who
prefer to pick up their mail in person. When sending a letter of particular
value you should have it registered. The advantage of this service is that
registered letters are delivered personally (the addressee has to sign for
them). At the Money Orders window you may send money orders by mail or by
telegram. And don’t lose your receipt.
Letters.
In the USA they write the sender’s address in the top left corner. English
people sometimes write on the back of the envelope. Addressee’s name is written
in the center of the envelope. A few words about telegrams. There are three
types of telegram service: ordinary, urgent, express. The services differ from
country to country. The Day Letter in the USA is sent immediately and must be
delivered by the next day.
New words:
To
appreciate
The
tremendous
To
drop
The
postbox
A
trifle
A
particular value
Registered
The
envelope
Immediately
Must be delivered
The service
Addressee
Personally
Sender
Address
SO, WHERE DO YOU GO FOR YOUR SHOPPING?
In
the past, shopping was done in the local high street, where you could find
every shop you might need. Although you will find high streets in smaller
towns, most towns now have at least one supermarket, which is a large store
selling all types of foods and many household items. You will also find corner
shops selling food and household items near to your house or flat. Although
supermarkets are cheaper, local shops are usually more convenient if you only
need to buy one or two items.
In
larger towns you will find that the high street has been taken over by clothes
shops, shoe shops, television and video shops, chemists and so on. In some
towns you will find all these shops in a covered area – a shopping centre.
Another
type of all-in-one shop is the department store, which you can find in most
large towns and cities. This is a large shop, several floors high, which sells
clothes, household items, furniture, electrical goods and in some cases, food
as well – in fact, almost everything. Each floor is usually dedicated to a
particular type of item. Department stores often have restaurants or coffee
bars inside them and sometimes telephones and public toilets.
A
good place to find bargains is at the local outdoor market. Some towns have a
market open every day. Others have a market only one day a week. Even if you
don’t want to buy anything, a market is an interesting place to visit and can
be a good source of free entertainment.
At
some markets you will only find food, but larger markets have stalls selling
cheap clothes and many other items. Some items in market stalls are cheap
because they are seconds – items of inferior quality. Many items are of perfect
quality but are cheap simply because they have come directly from the factory
or because a stall-holder doesn’t have to pay the high price of owning or
renting a shop.
Bargains
in things like fruit and vegetables can be found if you go to a market at the
end of the day. Stall-holders will be eager to sell everything before they pack
up to go home and so will reduce the price.
New words:
A shopping
A supermarket
A selling
Household items
Local shops
A bargain
A source
An entertainment
Items
Inferior quality
Directly
A stall-holder
A price
Computers in our life
Computers consist of console
(system unit), a keyboard, a disk drive, a printer, a monitor, a mouse and
their connections. The software contains the various programs you run on your
computer. The most common programs used in business are those for word
processing (writing letters, faxes, documents, contracts), spread sheets (for
budgets and financial analysis), database management programs (for keeping
names and addresses of customers), accounting (for bookkeeping), graphics
programs (for drawing, charts), communications programs (for electronic mail,
Internet), desktop publishing programs (for producing manuals, catalogs). The
operator keys in (types in) the information which can be saved and retrieved at
a late date.
Most businesses nowadays use
personal computers or PCs, which are often linked together in a local network.
This is a big change from the days when time had to be rented on mainframe
computer. Nowadays these are only used by very large businesses, universities
or government departments.
The two most popular types of
computers currently are those of IBM and Apple (the Macintosh). It was IBM who
set the standard for the PC which others later imitated. That is why, in order
to be able to use the widest range of software, a computer has to be IBM
compatible.
The most successful software
company now is Microsoft with its Windows operating system/ the Microsoft
Corporation is constantly developing the new versions of its operating system
as well as other products.
The computer manufacturers
try to apply the newest technologies producing hardware systems with the
fastest processors like: Pentium IV, Celeron, Athlon, Duron and others. It is
true that these newer models have a faster processor, more memory, a large hard
disk drive and a faster CD-ROM drive than previous models.
Hardware – аппаратное обеспечение
Monitor - монитор
Keyboard - клавиатура
Printer - принтер
Connections - связь
Software – программное обеспечение
Run on the computer – запускать на компьютере
Word processing program – текстовый редактор
Spreadsheets program – бухгалтерская программа
Database management program – программа управления базами данных
Graphics program – графический редактор
Desktop publishing program – издательская программа
Key in, type in - печатать
Save information – сохранять информацию
Retrieve information – обновлять информацию
Personal computer – персональный компьютер
Local network – локальная сеть
IBM compatible – IBM-совместимый
Vendor - продавец
Hard disk – жесткий диск
Floppy disc – гибкий диск
Diskette – дискета
A Visit to the Theatre
We have a beautiful theatre
in our city. It is a modern building situated not far from the city centre. The
visitors can enjoy watching dramas, tragedies and comedies there. Sometimes
theatre companies from other cities or countries perform their opera and
ballets on its stage.
The visitors usually buy
tickets beforehand in the ticket booths or in the ticket box offices.
Theatrical shows usually start at 7 p.m. when you go in, you enter the foyer,
and then you come to the cloakroom, where we leave our coats and hats. You can
also take opera glasses there. After that you follow your way to the theatre
hall. The person who meets you at the entrance is the usher. It is usually a
woman wearing a uniform. You must show your ticket to her.
When you enter the hall, you
find your seats. You can see the stage in front of you. The curtain is usually
drawn and you can’t see the scenery before the performance starts. The
orchestra pit is next to the stage. This is where the musicians sit and play
the music. The performance begins after the third bell has rung. The curtain
goes up and you become a spectator. If the spectators enjoy the performance,
they break into applause.
The interval starts when the
lights go up. The spectators leave their seats and go to the buffet where they
can eat a cake and drink a glass of lemonade. They are not allowed to eat
during the performance. As the spectators eat or walk, they discuss the
performance and the play of the actors and actresses.
After the performance
finishes, the spectators rise from their seats and go to the cloakroom to get
their coats and hats. You hear them say: “I enjoyed the performance very much,”
“The performance was splendid, ” “The actors and actresses performed very
well.”
New words:
Dramas
Tragedies
Theatre companies
Beforehand
The ticket booths
The ticket box offices
Opera glasses
The theatre hall
The orchestra pit
Goes up
A spectator
Break into applause
The interval
The lights go up
LONDON
AND FINANCE
London, the capital of the United Kingdom, is a political,
cultural, commercial, industrial and financial centre of the country. At the
same time London is one of the world’s financial capitals. The business centre
of London is the City, where numerous banks, various exchanges, insurance
offices, shipping and other companies have their head offices. At the heart of
the City is the London Stock Exchange where millions of shares and securities
are traded daily. There are also exchanges in several other cities of the United Kingdom but the London Stock Exchange is the most important. In volume of business
it ranks third to New York and Tokyo. The main commercial banks are: Lloyds
Bank, Barclays Bank, Midland Bank and National Westminster Bank often referred
to as “the Big Four”. Paper currency in circulation is issued by the Bank of
England. The monetary unit is the pound sterling equal to 100 pence.
New words:
Commercial
Financial
Numerous
Various
Insurance
Shipping
Head offices
London Stock Exchange
Shares
Securities
Daily
Traded
Ranks
Monetary
Currency
Circulation
BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE
With the development of
industry, technology, trade and economic ties among the countries and ordinary
people a great volume of business is done by mail. It is true that the
telephone, telegraph, telex and fax to speed up transactions, but they also
increase expenses to such an extent that practical businessman and economic
people use these modern means of communication only for matters requiring
immediate action or for messages which can be expressed briefly.
Business letters concern us
in our daily living, especially those of us who live abroad and deal with
foreigners.
People write business letters
in many situations: finalizing contracts, booking a seat in an airplane,
reserving hotel accommodation, booking theatre tickets, writing order-letters,
letters of inquiry, claim letters (letters of complaint), cover letters,
letters of confirmation and letters of guarantee.
A business letter like a
friendly or social letter should make a favorable impression. In order that a
letter may create this impression, it should be neatly written or typed, properly
spaced on the page and correctly folded in the envelope.
New words:
Among - среди
Ordinary - обычный
A great volume of – большой объем
It is true - верно
Speed up - ускорять
Transactions - сделки
Increase - увеличивать
Expenses - расходы
To such an extent – до
такой отмены
Matters –вопросы, проблемы
To require - требовать
Immediate - немедленный
Action - действие
Massage - послание
Express - выражать
Briefly - коротко
Daily - повседневно
Especially - особенно
Abroad – за рубежом
Foreigner - иностранец
Order-letter – письмо-заказ
Letter of inquiry – письмо-запрос
Claim letter – письмо-претензия
Cover letter – сопроводительное письмо
Letter of conformation – письмо-подтверждение
Letter of guarantee – письмо-гарантия
Like - подобно
A favorable impression – благоприятное впечатление
In order - чтобы
Create - создавать
Neatly - опрятно
Type - печатать
Properly - аккуратно
Space - размещать
Fold - складывать, сгибать
The Big
Chill
Liam O’Connor is a
familiar face in homes all over the country. Millions of us watch his
documentaries. Now he is making a new programme about life in Russia. Here he tells Gaby Redmond about winter in Siberia.
A____
Yes, it does. Generally speaking, winter starts in September
and lasts until May – so for about nine month. In the north, the sun never
rises in December and January and it’s dark nearly all day.
B____
Well, minus 30 or 40 degrees Celsius is normal, but in
northern Siberia the temperature sometimes drops to minus 60 or 70 degrees.
C____
One reason is that, in the far north, the sun is always low
in the sky and produces very little heat, so the ground stays cold all year.
Another reason is that freezing winds come down from the arctic because there
are no mountains or trees to stop them.
D____
It often snows, but it’s rarely heavy. In the far north,
snow cover lasts between 260 and 280 days.
E____
Yes, they are. Definitely. Western Siberia is getting warmer
faster than anywhere in the world. In fact, it’s actually melting. And in some
places in eastern Siberia, dangerous gases are rising from the ground. They are
stopping the surface from freezing, even in the middle of winter. But it’s
still very cold!
F____
They wear fur. In the West, we consider fur a luxury, but
it’s the only thing that keeps you warm when it’s extremely cold.
G____
Yes, it is. Without gloves, your finger freeze. The little
hares in your nose freeze too. It’s quite scary! The tyres of cars and lorries
burst. Sometimes children can’t go to school because it’s so cold. They have
lessons on TV.
H____
Actually, they don’t mind them. They enjoy a lot of outdoor
sports. Ice-skating is the number one sport – it’s really popular. They also
like cross-country skiing and ice hockey. Reindeer racing is quite popular too.
Some people swim in rivers and lakes in the sub-zero temperatures.
I____
They say there are health benefits to swimming in icy water.
It’s a way to avoid colds. Also, it’s a real community event. Everyone takes
part – men, women and children.
J____
Well, to tell you the truth, I love it! In my home city, Liverpool, the winters are usually cloudy and mild and I don’t like them much. You don’t
get many days when the weather is fine, you know, sunny and not raining. In Siberia, it’s different. On bright sunny days, it’s very beautiful.
Complete these sentences
with one or two words. The words you need are in the text.
- Winter lasts for about ____ in Siberia.
- Temperatures of minus 70 degrees are not ____ .
- The ground stays cold because ____ produces very little
hit.
- In some places in eastern Siberia ____ are malting the
frozen ground.
- A lot of things ____ in the very cold conditions.
- People wear ____ to keep warm in Siberia.
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