There are all kinds of racing in England — horse-racing, motor-car racing, boat-racing, dog-racing, and even races for donkeys. On sports days at school boys and girls run races, and even train for them. There is usually a mile race for older boys, and one who wins it is certainly a good runner. Usually those who run a race go

There is a saying that if you want something to be done well, do it yourself. So, I am following this wise saying and would like to introduce myself. My first name is Sergey, my family name is Kravenko and my second name is Ytirievich. But in the beginning, I would like to represent my family and parents. Actually my

Seven per cent of British schoolchildren go to private schools called independent schools. There are 2,400 independent schools and they have been growing in number and popularity since the mid-1980’s. Parents pay for these schools, and fees vary from about 250 pounds a term for a private nursery to 3,000 pounds a term or more for a secondary boarding school.

Since the 1970’s eating habits in Britain have undergone a change. People have been encouraged by doctors, health experts and government advertisements to eat less fat and more fibre. Fat is believed to be one of the major causes of obesity and heart disease. Forty per cent of adults in Britain are overweight and Britain has one of the highest

Australia is the only country in the world that is also a continent. It is the sixth large country and the smallest continent. Australia lies between the South Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. It is situated about 11 000 km southwest of North America and about 8200 km southeast of mainland Asia. The name of the country comes from

When we go for an interview, most of us think carefully about what to wear and what to say but hardly ever about how to act — in other words, what our body language is telling the interviewer. According to experts, body language accounts for 55% of the effect we have when communicating. Tone of voice accounts for 33% and

The great glory of Westminster is, of course, the Abbey. Ancient tradition claims that St. Peter founded the first church here but the Abbey’s 900 years of existence since its dedication go back to Edward the Confessor. Henry III rebuilt the earlier church and the present building dates from his reign. If you have never visited the Abbey before, try

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

Environment pollution problem is paid much attention to in the USA. Different environmentalists and environmental societies, like Wilderness Society, try to improve the situation. The level of damage to the forests in the USA is really high. The construction of new roads and the need of wood influenced the cuttings of large areas of forest. As a result some rare

The government of Ukraine underwent rapid change in the early 1990s. The independence of Ukraine was pro­ claimed on the 24th of August, 1991. Its sovereignty is now recognized by all the countries of the world. Ukraine has its own state symbols, Constitution, currency and government. According to the Constitution of Ukraine its territory is one and indi­ visible. There

What is «American» food? The answer is that it is part Italian, part British, part German, part Mexican, part Chinese… When people from other countries came to live in the US, they brought different cooking traditions. Some of them opened restaurants. Today Americans enjoy food from all over the world. Over the years some foreign dishes changed a little. Doughnuts

Photography is very popular today, but there is a question, if it is art or nor. Let’s discuss it. Some people think that it is art, others that it is separate branch. On the one hand, photography and art are closely connected. Many painters used photographs in their works. Also, photography and painting have the same aim: People use them

My favourite literary character is Eliza Doolittle. Eliza is one of the principal characters of «Pygmalion», Bernard Shaw’s famous comedy. Eliza, a girl of eighteen, comes from the lowest social level and speaks with a strong Cockney accent. She makes her own living by selling flowers in the streets of London. One day she accidentally meets Henry Higgins, a professor

There are two large islands and several smaller ones, which lie in the north-west coast of Europe. Collectively they are known as the British Isles. The largest island is called Great Britain. The smaller one is called Ireland. Great Britain is separated from the continent by the English Channel. The country is washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

It is believed that we learn our culture only through knowledge ofother cultures. That is why it is necessary to compare and analyze theirbasic values and beliefs. The most important thing to understand about American is probablytheir devotion to individualism. They have been trained since very early intheir lives to consider themselves as separate individuals who areresponsible for their own

My favourite book is «The Old Man and the Sea» by Ernest Hemingway. This story is one of the well-known works of the writer. The author depicts the characters of the old man and the boy and their relations very vividly and skillfully. Santiago, the old man, was one of the writer’s beloved characters. The old man was a born

There is an English proverb that says, «Books and friends should be few but good». And «Except a living man there is nothing more wonderful than a book!» I totally agree with it. Any book is a wonderful thing! Just imagine — it may seem that it’s just paper pages with a cover and letters inside, sometimes with pictures. But

The world’s greatest international sports games are known as the Olympic Games. The Olympic idea means friendship, fraternity and cooperation among the people of the world. The Olympic Movement proves that real peace can be achieved through sport. The Olympic emblem is five interlinked rings: blue, yellow, black, green and red. Any national flag contains at least one of these

For most British families, this is the most important festival of the year. This is the day when many people are travelling home to be with their families on Christmas Day. If you try to catch a train on 24th December you may have difficulty in finding a seat. There are a lot of traditions connected with Christmas but the

The United Kingdom (or Great Britain) 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 (on the island of Great Britain), and Northern Ireland (on