Love and marriage. Family matters.

Marriage

For some people love is a complete devotion. Love is smth that everyone needs in order to survive in this world. For me love is how I feel about that special someone.I think it is important to have some life experience, personal growth before marriage. The most important in marriage is love, commitment, trust, to have the same values. Building a happy marriage is the result of mutual efforts.

Marriage is one of the basic institutions of society. Marriage is a lifelong commitment between 2 people.Thraditionaly marriage has been an economic arrangement in which husband work to provide financial security for the family,wives cared for the children. Today both parents work.

People marry for different reasons:economic security, preassure from parents and friends, lonliness, desire for a family.

Some people choose to remain single. These are people who value freedom and independence. For women greater career opportunities have brought more economic independence. But singlehood has its disadvantages: single people have difficulties in emotional needs, in parenthood. Cohabitation, an arrangement in which 2 people live together without marrying, has become more common in our society.Some young people who are aware of complexities of marriage prefer to live together first. Some people are against cohabitation because of maral or religion.

small, two-generational family is dominant. the most popular model is family with 1 or 2 children, which is proof that familes are smaller than in the past, democtratic family relation. Economical independence made wife’s social position equal with her husband. Relation between wife and husband became more equal and authority in family is divided between them.

Parents wants to give it more than they used to get in their childhood (mainly good education and work experience).

So, speaking about weddings, I would like to mention first that I don’t understand people, who are getting married at the age of 17-20, it’s hideous. Because they don’t realize that they’ll break their lives by divesting themselves of the greatest years. Cause at that age they all are still children and children can only play representing a family but it’s wrong to transform such a game into a reality, because they are too young to do it. The same I can tell about weddings the reasons of which is pregnancy, such wedlocks exist for a short time as usual.

As for me I decided that it would be better to get married when I’ll be 25-27 years old. I think that nowadays marriage is only the way to bring up lawful children. And it would be better and admissible for me to live in civil marriage with a beloved person. And only when we’ll be sure in each other, in our joint future and our financial stability it would be possible to speak about our marriage and children.

I’m an atheist, so I want to have a humanist wedding and after it a ceremony in a register office. As any other girls I want my wedding to be as unusual as possible, I want us to recite our own vows, and to invite a crowd of friends and relatives.

Getting older you look for real, true love. You simply fall in love and want to make the other person happy too. And so you marry and take on the responsibilities of married life. In this new life you learn to take care of your partner, and you expect to have a family and bring up your children in the way you know to be right. As parents, you wish to provide them with everything you know a child needs: love, protection, safety and understanding. By rearing children and being a good partner you yourself feel needed and loved. The self-realization in marriage and parenthood is the key to happiness, although it is still associated with effort, sacrifice and hard work. If the decision to get married does not result from an unpleasant domestic situation you have a great chance to succeed in marriage.

Radio and television

Beyond all doubts, TV and radio play an important role in our society, though the former, undoubtedly, fold the first place. “A picture speaks louder than a hundred words”. TV is a view into the world. It provides us not only with information but also with vivid visual examples which go faster to the mind than just auditory perception. That’s the main advantage that TV has over radio. For decades we have seen many parts of our world rapidly going through changes in technology. Today's society has been transformed by means of communication and the available information through mass media. Most people rely on television for news, sports, and entertainment. Television is just one of the many examples of how technology has changed our lives. Since the invention of the television at the beginning of the 20th century, it has played a very important role in our lives. Having a television set at home has become very essential in today's society. We depend on it to entertain us with its sitcoms and to inform us about current world issues. The problem is that sometimes what we hear or see on television is not always accurate or correct. Sometimes news stones give us the wrong information and we believe that it is true because it is being said on television. They may give you a story, but they may leave out some details to prove their point or to make the story more interesting.

TV is powerful enough to make our shopping easier. Actually, it is making us lazier by making shopping as easy as dialing some numbers on a touch tone phone. People are also convinced to buy a certain product because a celebrity is presenting it. For example: if supermodel Cindy Crawford presents make-up, ladies will buy it and wear it because they believe that it will make them look like her. As a television viewer myself, I believe that television has us all trapped in a world where we believe everything that is being said.

The most common genres are commercials, news programs, situation comedies, soap operas, documentaries, sports shows, talk shows, action adventure programs, detective shows, science fiction shows, hospital dramas, and westerns.

The choice of program to watch depends on my mood. Commonly I prefer musical programmes which make me feel release and escape the boredom of everyday life.

The main reason why people watch TV is entertainment. When you don’t have anything better to do, you just turn on your TV set and sail away where everything is different. You can rest from everything and everyone.

In the decade of crisis news is the most important segment of TV program. Politics, economy, events in the country and abroad, cultural events, sports and weather forecast are the plot of the news shows. That is, news covers everything which is significant for everyday life. Digested stories about the events in country and abroad make them inevitable.

Soups are also popular especially among women. Unlike soap operas, sport is a program segment connected with males.

 

 

Cinema

Cinema plays an important role in the life of any society. The cinema has become part of the modern way of life. No other art has the impact on our lives as the motion pictures have. The movies appeared in th 20^th century. Everybody like to watch films.At present movie is somewhere mass culture and high art. The cinema going habit is still the strong one. I realized it when one day decided to go to the cinema to watch Anna Karenina,but was shocked that the tickets were sold till the end of the week. After such situation I book tickets beforehand. Lots of people find watching films one of the best ways of spending their free time. It is a good place for a the first date. Sitting in a comfortable chairs we can enjoy watching detective films, westerns, adventures, horrors, drama, romantic, comedies, musicals. People need to escape from reality and to plunge into fantastic amusing atmosphere.

I like to watch comedies, detectives, romantic films. The last film I watched was The great Gatsby. It is a screen version of Scot Fidgerald’s book. The film was based on the love story with a lot of flashbacks. Leo dicaprio was the protagonist. He felt in love with a girl but the war began and he had to go to fight. Then he disappeared and this girl married a wealthy man, who cheated,betrayed her. Soon Gatsby appeared. He had a great mention where every week parties were held. He bought the house on the one side of the river,on the other side lived this girl with her husband. One day they met again and love filled their hearts. But unfortunately she didn’t leave her husband. One night they driving a car and she brought down s girl. People said it was Gatsby because it was his car, but that night she drove a car. After this accident the husband of this woman killed Gatsby and himself. Nobody came to Gatsby funeral ecept one man.

Tis film is full of action, special effects, wonderful music and actors, vintage, style, love.

I try not to miss a chance to go out and watch a new film.

 

 

Science and technology

It is difficult to overestimate the role of science and technology in our life. It accelerates the development of civilization and help us in our cooperation with nature. Scientists investigate the laws of the Universe, discover the secrets of nature and apply their knowledge in practice improving the life of people. Modern technology is rapidly spreading all over the world. One can hardly imagine our present life without food-processors, air-conditioners, vacuum cleaners, fridges, phones, TV, computers, camera, microwaves and so on. Chemical industry brought new medicine, spray.

I am absolutely sure that all these things make our life comfortable, save a lot of time and help to avoid health problems.

Millions of investigations and discoveries were made in the 20^th century. There was atomic age due to the discover of the atom, age of conquest of space, when for the first time in the history of mankind a man overcame the gravity and and entered the Universe. Now we live in information era, when the computer network embraces the globe and connects people all over the world. All these things prove the power and progress of science in our life.

But every medal has its reverse. The rapid scientific progress has aroused a number of problems. These are ecological problems, the nuclear war threat. I hope that humanity will be able to use technology in peaceful purposes. Still we are grateful to outstanding men of the past and present who have courage and patience to disclose the secrets of the Universe.

Darwin investigated the problems of creation. Newton discover the universal law of gravitation.

Recent advances in technology have allowed to make great progress in genetic engineering.Genetic engineering is a highly controversial subject. We can't really be sure whether it is a good or bad thing. If scientists can find and modify the genes for certain diseases like cancer, they could cure those diseases. It helps us to understand why people have predispositions to certain diseases. Even birth defects could be almost totally eliminated if doctors were able to change a childs genes before birth. The process could also be adapted to cure hereditary diseases and prevent them from passing to future generations. Genetic engineering can improve the health of society tremendously then as it is known today.

animals and plants can be made to have desirable characteristics which could help solve some of the world's problems. For example in trees, genes could be manipulated to absorb more carbon dioxide. This would help reduce global warming. Many people are afraid of genetic discrimination. Only humans with genetically perfect DNA could be allowed to reproduce or work in certain, high-level jobs. This would disrupt our entire economy and employment system.

Genetic engineering would cause a greater gap between wealthy and non-wealthy nations. The wealthy nations would have the technology to make stronger, smarter, superior humans while the other nations would continue to fall further behind. it could end individuality. Everyone would want to be muscular, beautiful, smart and so on. When your DNA can be shaped, who would choose "inferior" traits? It could make everyone predictable, indentical. Terrorist groups or armies could develop more powerful biological weapon. These weapons could be resistant to medicines, or even targeted at people who carry certain genes.

 

 

Vice and virtue

Vice and virtue are 2 concepts that have been presented in society for thousands of years and they are used to tell us what we can and cant do.

vice – 1) (U) criminal activities; 2) a bad habit; 3) a bad or immoral quality in someone’s character;

virtue – 1) (U) moral goodness of character and behavior; 2) a particular good quality in someone’s character;

Vices Virtues

aggression sincerity

pride reliability

obstinacy generosity

meanness honesty

greed moderation

jealousy

deceit

Our character traits can be good or bad or somewhere between. Character traits are habit-like tendencies that are deeply trenched. They are our second nature. They are not iinate. People become good or bad according to their habits they develop throughout their lives. To become better we should practice virtuous acts regularly. We are mastered some essential skills at the beginning of our education. They have to do with10 Biblical commands: don’t kill, don’t lie, don’t steal, love ur neighbor, don’t say God in vain…These are principles to be followed by religious and non religious people. Religion teaches us how to act and behave, makes people disciplined. Moral and ethics should be taught in our school. To teach children basic skills that maybe a family doesn’t: to say sorry when u hurt somebody, don’t hit people, return what u borrow, be punctual, be patient, respect others.

Nobody is perfect and we need to develop admirable traits of our character and practice virtuous act during all our life.

 

 

Theatre

No other art form has had quite the impact on our lives that the theatre has. Everybody loves a stiry and narrative told in visual image. Theatre perfomances nourishes our minds, challenges, the intellect with thought provoking ideas.however in the world dominated by films and TV theatre loses its supreme role. But even today there are true theatre goers. Some people find it a pleasure to go to the theatre. The theatre is one of the most ancient kinds of arts. For centuries people have come to the theatre for different aims: to relax, to be amused and entertained, to have a good laugh, to enjoy the acting of their favourite actors and actresses.The theatre presents a synthetic art as it combines literature, music, dance, comedy, tragicomedy, melodrama, domestic drama, symbolic drama.

London must be the world’s capital of drama and shows. There are about 40 theatres, many of them have a fascinating history. For ex. The Globe Theatre has taken its name from the famous playhouse where Shakespeare’s dramas were produced 400 years ago. Some words about our theatres – The Gomel Regional Theatre, Puppet theatre, Youth theatre.

If u want to visit a theatre u should know that plays start at 12a.m. and 7 p.m. You can buy tickets at the theatre box-office. You can put ur coats off in the cloak-room, and buy a program to know the cast. Then u come into the hall and take ur seat. The better seats at the theatre are in the stalls and in the dress circle. During the interval u can go to a buffet to have snacks or u can go along the foyer where u find tha photos of the stuff. Usually the theatre is full on 80% but on weekends especially when the first night is on, the hall is full.

Many people believe that it's much more convenient to watch a performance on TV at home, because you don't have to bother about the tickets, a baby-sitter and transport and so on. As for me I think that it is dull and boring to death. The main part of the theatre and theatrical performance are the atmosphere of a play, scenery and halls.

The actors were playing excellent. all performed so realistically, so true to life that I began to feel for them like in real life. There was a storm of applause.

 

Music

There is music everywhere: at home, in music halls, in concert halls, in parks. People can't live without music. They listen to music, they dance to music, they learn to play musical instruments. Music is an art, which reflects life. Music reflects people's ideas and emotions. There are lots of kinds of music: classical, folk-traditional music from a particular country, jazz, pop, rock, heavy metal, rap, hip-hop etc. Music is an international language. The most popular kinds of music among young people nowadays are: rock and pop. The are local versions but the beat and the rhythm are the same. A new technology is sweeping pop along new avenues. Band have become more proficient with their instruments, electronics and studio techniques have become more sophisticated. The huge open air festivals of music sprang from this movement.

When speaking of different forms of music I'd like to mention classical music. Classical music gives me pleasure and delight. It is always a complex of emotions, excitement. Classical music gives me the possibility to remove from tiredness and tension, to find new strength. Sometimes I prefer classical music, because it fills my mind with new ideas and makes me think. While listening to classical music I have to combine all my feelings into one and to give it name-it will be happiness. And finally it's a source of joy, inspiration and relaxation.

Only once in my life I had an opportunity to go to the concert and I would never forget it. That time I was in Moscow, in BOLSHOI THEATRE. It was so called mixed concert, performed by the grant companies: the Orchestra of the Theatre and the spectacular young traditional folk music and dance group. The Orchestra of the BOLSHOI THEATRE presented its programme first. It was a fascinated demonstration of Russian tone and Russian interpretation. They played well-known peaces of such great composers as: Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Glinka, Thaikovsky. They played robust compositions, a vigorous music that roused senses and never stood for a moment. The musicians performed on different instruments, including violin, cello, viola, even oboe, bassoon.

The epitone of everything we have come to expect was from Russian folk dance group-the endless variety of colourful and beautifully embroided costumes and most important of all-boundless energy and enthusiasm. So the concert made a deep impression on me, the music give me pleasure, satisfaction and relaxation.

 

 

Sport and games

People all over the world are fond of sports and games. That is one of the things in which people of every nationality and class are united. It is common knowledge that it is necessary for people of all ages to go in for sport because it keeps everyone fit. Physically inactive people get old earlier than those who have plenty of exercises. If u do daily exercises u will feel refreshed, have a good figure. Going in for sport prevents from different illnesses and improves physical state. It develops the strength of the body and character. It trains willpower, makes them more organized and better disciplined in their daily activities. Finally sport makes our life more interesting.

Cricket, football, rugby, tennis, table tennis, badminton, squash, canoeing and snooker were invented in Britain. Britain's national sport is football or soccer. Baseball is the most popular game in the US. It is played throughout the spring and summer by schools, colleges and professional teams. Football is the most popular game in the autumn.

The most popular outdoor winter sports are hockey, skating, skiing, ski-jumping, tobogganing, hunting.

Summer offers excellent opportunities for swimming, boating, yachting, cycling. Among outdoor games football takes the first place in public interest. This game is played in all countries all over the world. The other popular games are: golf, lawn tennis, cricket, volleyball, basketball, badminton, snowballs. Among indoor games the most popular are billiards, table tennis, draughts, chess, darts, cards.

All the year round people indulge in boxing, wrestling, athletics, gymnastics and track and field events. Over the last few years aerobics has become popular with young girls, it helps them to be slim and healthy. I am also fond of aerobics and attend gym when I have free time, it is a kind of entertainment for me. I like to watch gymnastics, figure skating because it is beautiful and charming kinds of sport.

I’d like to mention there are extreamly dangerous kinds of sport such as boxing. I cant understand those spectators who come to see how one of the participants was knocked out at heavyweight,come to see the murdering. I think such kinds of sports should be banned in order not to lose our human face. On the other hand men have fought durng the centures, it is in their nature to prove the strength. People need some extreme to feel that our life is going forward. Many people try jumping from buildings, parachuting. Some say that people who do risk sports are reacting against society, which they feel has become dull and constricting. People turn to risk as aan escape from all boring things in their life. Risk sport can help to overcome fears that affects us in reality. People invented a lot of possibilities to make their life more interesting and exiting.

 

22. Painting

Art is an all embracing notion. Art had the most important role in the development of the mankind. The first were found on the walls of ancient caves. So we can guess that painting was the first way of art. Painting is the most understandable way of art, because it gives us the most full and vivid impressions.

I think that art has many functions and it’s hard to overestimate the role of art in one’s life. Art has great influence on our souls, feelings, forms, our moral values. Art forms our outlook and enriches our inner world. Art makes us think of the sense of life, how people must live, what is an ideal of beauty, what is love. Art helps us to understand people who lived hundred years ago and to learn the history of mankind. Art has a great educational significance. Art brings people up, makes them more humane and kind. The language of art is universal. Everybody in spite of age, nationality, occupation understands what is said by the painter. But I think that not every painter becomes famous. Only talented, genius people can create great, eternal art, a real masterpiece. Art is great only if it has links with people’s lives, interests, ideals. If it hasn’t, it won’t be understood or acknowledged.

My favourite genre of painting is portraiture. My favourite picture is perhaps the most famous in the world-the mysterious portrait of Mona Lisa. The masterpiece is executed by an outstanding artist, a genius Leonardo da Vinci. He was a representative of Italian Renaissance. Leonardo's paintings, drawings show that he was the most famous creative mind of his time. His contribution to Art is enormous. He was the first painter whose pictures conveyed a sense of space. The half-length portrait of Mona Lisa depicts her sitting de the window. Her figure is placed against the background of a mountain landscape. The silhouette of the woman merges onto a single entity with nature. The artist portrays Mona Lisa in a modest black dress, without useless frills and jewelry. Thus, he emphasizes the beauty of her face and hands. Her eyes are following you however you look at her face and her smile produce a magnificent impression. Leonardo perfectly combines form and colour into harmonious unity.

 

 

Clothes and fashion

Every girl dreams to look stylish. Fashion is a thing that we have to keep up with. It is important to look attractive. Clothes should suite u and the occation.Ur clothes should always be clean and neat. Nice looking people have advantages. It doesn’t mean u should be fashion-conscious. It may turn to a waste of money. People choose clothes according to their personalities. Somebody want to stand out in a crowd by wearing smth unusual. Some people don’t know how to partner clothes and look terrible. Matching ur clothes properly is a matter of taste. If u don’t have taste it is better not to wear a lot of bright colours,rhinestones.Calm black and white, beige colours’re the best. Natural make up is in trend nowadays.

I ejoy wearing jeans, dress, shoes,Tshirts. I try to follow fashion and buy fashionable clothes.But also I prefer to wear closes that will not go out of fashion (black/white Tshirt, classical suits/jackets) When I have an official meeting I try to wear formal. The main criterion in choosing things is comfort. I care about my appearance as I think every girl should look beautiful. I like classical and casual style. I like to read fashion magazines to know about trends nowadays.

 

 

Shopping

We have to deal with shopping whether we like it or not. There are people who hate going shopping. They make a list what they need and run through stores buying the needed things. Some times they don’t care about the price. There are people who goes from store to store looking for goods of better quality and price.

There are many kinds of shops in every city. Most of them have a food supermarkets, department stores, grocery,bakery, butchery. Department store is composed of many departments: ready-made clothes, fabrics, shoes, sports goods, toys, electric appliances, cosmetics, linen, souvenirs, jewlery. In the women’s clothing department u can find dresses, blouses, skirts,bags,jeans,bluses, coats,beautiful underware. In mrn’s departmens u can find ties socks, suits, trousers Tshirts, pullovers, coats.In a food supermarkets we can buy sausages, meat, fish, sugar, macaroni,tea,coffee, sweets, bread, cakes,fruit,dairy products, vegetables.

I like to do shopping in a big department stores and supermarkets. They sell various goods under one roof. They make sales/discounts on different kinds of goods. I like self-service shops where the customers go from counter to counter selecting and putting things into a basket. For me shopping is a kind of spending time.

Today people start to use internet for shopping. U can order different goods without leaving the house. It is very convenient. U save a lot of time. Shopping online works 24 hours. Websites are secure these days. U can avoid long lines shopping online.As to disadvantages u cant touch iteme or try it on, if u order from abroad u should wait ur goods about a month.

 

Books and Reading

Reading plays a very important role in the life of people. It educates a person, enriches his intellect. Books help to mould a person's character, form his moral values. Besides, books bring pleasure and delight. It's a wonderful way of spending spare time. Sometimes we read the same book again and again. Thanks to books we learn to express our thoughts and feelings more exactly. The book is faithful and understanding friend. It can be put aside and taken up again at any moment. There are books which have been our favorites since childhood. People are fond of reading different kinds of books. Some people enjoy reading detective stories, adventure stories, novels, biographies, other prefer classics. Fairy tales are enjoyed and read by children, books about adventures and journeys are enjoyed by those who are fond of travelling. Legends and myths are read by those who are fond of history. Some people devote much time to reading books and reading becomes their free time occupation, their passion. Throughout the centuries books had an enormous influence on the minds and hearts of people. Books bind together ages, personalities. Thanks to books we can talk to people who lived in different countries and ages. Through reading books we hear their voices, thoughts and feelings. The book is the surest way to bring nations together. It helps people achieve understanding, trust, cooperation and friendship. Books awaken the young reader's imagination. They develop literary taste; arouse interest and curiosity, the reader's laugher as well as his tears. They teach the readers to be truthful, friendly, honest decisive, frank, firm, fair and serious.

A Treasure Home of information is libraries. Libraries play an important part in the cultural development of people. People like reading, they have a desire to learn, they seek knowledge. Books sat this desire. There are a lot of books in our country, in our flats. But it is difficult to buy all the books which we want to read. That is why we get books in public libraries. Books shouldn't be read only for pleasure. Reading books helps us in our education. We can find all kinds of books in the libraries. Books offer romance history adventure, autobiographies, science fiction and humor in the form of short stories and novels, poetry, prose and plays as well as reference books, encyclopedias, dictionaries and so on. In some libraries we can find books in many foreign languages. When a reader comes to a library for the first time he fills in a library card and the librarian helps to chose something to read. The reader is allowed to borrow books for a certain number of days. The catalogues help the reader to find the books and not damage them in any way. We should not make notes in library books or dog's ears in the pages. The reading rooms in the public libraries are open to all who wish to work there. We can get periodical newspapers files and magazines to read there. Readers come to the reading rooms to study and prepare materials for their reports or for their scientific work. Every school in our country has a library. A school library is a collection of textbooks and books for reading. Our pupils and teachers go for reading, to look some magazines or newspapers or to prepare for a report. Sometimes teachers prepare for the lessons at our school library.

26. 26 School education

School plays an important role in every pupil’s life. School provides us not only with a certain amount of knowledge in science and humanities it assists in facing the outside world. It is a very special place where we make friends, learn to value moral qualities in people and develop our talents and skills. Common knowledge of school education depends on the teachers, their professional skills, attitude to subject.

In Belarus schools are mainly comprehensive. There are specialized schools which major in art, humanities or science. School is compulsory at the age of 6/7. There are exams after 9 th form and after 11^th form.

In England School is voluntary under the age of 5. Children can attend nursery schools. At the age of 5 untill 16 all Britain children must go to school. Many of them stay longer and take final examinations when they are 17/18.

State schools:no fees are charged, books and equipment are free. Schools are supported from public funds.(county/ voluntary) County schools are maintained by local education authorities out of public funds. Voluntary schools are established by religious denominations and maintained from public funds. Children in these schools receive religious education.

There are 2 stages in school system:primary and secondary education. Primary education starts at the age of r5 when children go to infant school. At 7 they go to junior school. They transfer to secondary school at the age of 11.

Untill 1960 children took exams.Who passed successfully went to grammar or technical schools,others went to modern school. Nowadays secondary schools are comprehensive. 16 yearolds take the general certificate of secondary education in 5,10,15 subjects.Pupils going to higher education or professional training take A level examination in 2,3 subjects. This require 2 more years of studying after GCSE.

There are private schools in Britain.They charge fee. Many of them are bording schools at which pupils live during the term. Most of them are single-sex.(Eton-for boys, St. Jame’s-for girls).

 

 

Ecological Problems

 

Since ancient times Nature has served Man, being the source of his life. For thousands of years people lived in harmony with environment and it seemed to them that natural riches were unlimited. But with the development of civilization man's interference in nature began to increase.

Large cities with thousands of smoky industrial enterprises appear all over the world today. The by-products of their activity pollute the air we breathe, the water we drink, the land we grow grain and vegetables on.

Every year world industry pollutes the atmosphere with about 1000 million tons of dust and other harmful substances. Many cities suffer from smog. Vast forests are cut and burn in fire. Their disappearance upsets the oxygen balance. As a result some rare species of animals, birds, fish and plants disappear forever, a number of rivers and lakes dry up.

The pollution of air and the world's ocean, destruction of the ozone layer is the result of man's careless interaction with nature, a sign of the ecological crises.

The most horrible ecological disaster befell Ukraine and its people after the Chernobyl tragedy in April 1986. About 18 percent of the territory of Belarus were also polluted with radioactive substances. A great damage has been done to the agriculture, forests and people's health. The consequences of this explosion at the atomic power-station are tragic for the Ukrainian, Belorussian and other nations.

Environmental protection is of 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. Numerous conferences have been held by these agencies to discuss problems facing ecologically poor regions including the Aral Sea, the South Urals, Kuzbass, Donbass, Semipalatinsk and Chernobyl.

An international environmental research centre has been set up on Lake Baikal. The international organisation Greenpeace is also doing much to preserve the environment.

But these are only the initial steps and they must be carried onward to protect nature, to save life on the planet not only for the sake of the present but also for the future generations.

 

 

28. Personal and professional qualities of teacher of English

All educational establishments are in need of good teachers.Education is very important for the success and progress of our society.Teachers don’t only teach their subject, they develop their pupils’ intellect, form their views and characters,their attitudes to life. It is a great responsibility, so the teacher must be a model of competence. A teacher has to know how to make difficult things understandable, how to get students motivated and the teacher should possess perfect knowledge of his subject.Teachers should make their lesson interesting so students don’t fall asleep.A teacher must love her job.A teacher shouldn’t hide his personality from the students, he isn’t only a teacher but a person as well.It is important if students can talk to the teacher when they have problems.A teacher should correct people without offending them. A teacher should have the ability to control and inspire a class.A good teacher care more about their students’ learning than they do about their own teaching.

Teachers and students are not the same as parents and children.Parents may talk to their children with more exaggerated tones of voice.

The way that teachers talk to students is one of the crucial teacher’s skills. It requires teachers to emphasize with people they are talking to. The language and intonation should be appropriate. Apart from adapting their language, experienced teacher use physical movements: gestures, expressions, mime. They become teachers language especially at lower level. If a teacher wants to give instructions he can do it in 2 ways: instructions must be as simple as possible and logical.Before giving inst-s a teacher must ask himself: what is the important inf-n I am trying to convey?which inf do students need first?which should come next?The teacher should check that the students have understood the instruction.

During the lesson a good teacher maximizes STT and minimizes TTT.

Teachers have a guidance function.They should be interested professionally in all matters which are important for pupils.For ex. The teacher can discuss health habits with his pupils:proper diet,enough time for sleep…Teachers should pay attention to the pupils’ relations to each other,to school wort, to other teachers.The teachers responsibility is to see to that pupils catch positive feelings and thoughts that will help them in learning.

Teaching is challenging profession that requires complete dedication,lots of inthusiasm,constant creativity,love for children.A good teacher treats his pupils with respect and values them as individuals.A good teacher will do his best to bring up honest,patient,confident,self-disiplined people able to meet many challenges in a rapidly changing world.

 

Classroom management

The most effective teaching techniques in teaching English at school. Elements that should be present in almost all classes: Engage – this is the point in a teaching sequence where teachers try to arouse the students’ interest, thus involving their emotions. Activities include: games, music, discussions, stimulating pictures, stories. But when such activities are not used, teacher will ask students what they think of a topic before asking them to read about it OR students will look at the pictures of people and try to guess their occupation, etc. Study – activities where students are asked to focus in on language(or information) and how it is constructed. They range from the study and practice of a single sound to an investigation of how writer achieves a particular effect in a long text. Activate – exercises and activities which are designed to get students using lang-e as freely and “communicatively” as they can. It include: role-plays, advertisement design, debates and discussions, story and poem writing. Techniques: 1) Straight Arrows for elementary level (engage-study-activate); 2) Boomerang procedure for intermediate or advanced (engage-activate-study-activate); 3) Patchwork (engage-activate-activate-study-activate-study-engage-activate). What are the main aims, stages and the procedure of an English lesson plan? A plan gives the lesson a framework. In the classroom, a plan helps to remind teachers what they intended to do. A good plan needs to reflect coherence and variety of the lesson. Coherence means that students can see a logical pattern to the lesson. The ideal lesson that has an internal coherence but which allows students to do different things. Written plan needs: description of the class; what the teacher wants to do –a reason for taking an activity; aims of the lesson; timing; anticipated problems; teaching aids (equipment, recorders, copies, etc); procedure (indicates the kind of activity in the lesson).

 

What makes a good learner?

Many factors need to be taken into account when considering the qualities of a good learner. Practice makes perfect. The more children study the better learners they are. Teachers think that good learners are those who do their homework. Every teacher school encourage students to learn and to do homework. To be a good learner a pupil must be highly motivated. When students really want to learn and they have powerful reason for it they will achieve good results.

The desire to learn can come from many causes. For example a student likes the subject, interested in it. Or children may have a practical reason for their study: they want to learn an instrument so they can play in orchestra, learn English so they can watch American TV, read English books, work with English people, go to cookery classes so they can become a good cooks.

Researches has found that students who felt warmly about language, wanted to integrate into the culture of native speakers were more motivated than those who wanted a better job.

Good learners are those who have positive attitude to the subject. One of the main tasks for teachers is to provoke interest and involvement in the subject. Teachers can’t force. They can only encourage by word and deed. Real motivation comes from within each individual.

Good learners don’t wait to be taught they study in their own time. Learning is a partnership between teachers and students.

Getting students to do various kinds of homework like written exercise, composition, study is the best way to encourage students’ autonomy. The task should be within students’ grasp and doesn’t take too much of their time. It is important to be sensitive to their own expectations of learning.

Successful students posses the following characteristics:

- A willingness to listen

- A willingness to experiments

- A willingness to ask questions

- A willingness to think about how to learn(a student invent his own way of learning)

- A willingness to accept correction