Belarus. Government and Politics .

Situation: As an independent and sovereign state Belarus respects the principles on the international law. What do you know about the parliament and its structure? What is your opinion about the main aims of the Belorussian foreign policy?

In December 1991 Belarus became the independent state. It has been recognized do 100 states.

Belarus is a presidential republic, governed by a president and the National Assembly. The term for the president is five years. The National Assembly is a bicameral parliament comprising the 110-member House of Representatives (the lower house) and the 64-member Council of the Republic (the upper house). The highest body of state power is elected for a term of four years.

The House of Representatives has the power to appoint the prime minister, make constitutional amendments, call for a vote of confidence on the prime minister, and make suggestions on foreign and domestic policy. The Council of the Republic has the power to select various government officials and accept or reject the bills passed by the House of Representatives. Each chamber has the ability to veto any law passed by local officials if it is contrary to the Constitution of Belarus.

Since 1994, Alexander Lukashenko has been the president of Belarus. The government includes a Council of Ministers, headed by the prime minister and five deputy prime ministers.

The members of the House of Representatives belong to the Communist Party of Belarus, the Agrarian Party of Belarus, and the Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus. Most of the non-partisans represent a wide scope of social organizations such as workers' collectives, public associations and civil society organizations.

The main aims of the Belorussian foreign policy are to achieve real independence and sovereignty, to turn Belarus into nuclear free zone and neutral state.

Belarus established diplomatic relations with many countries of the world (the 1st country was Germany). It also developed economic and cultural cooperation with Poland, the Baltic states and Western Europe. As an independent and sovereign state Belarus respects the principles on the international law.

Answer the questions:

1. How long is the term for the president?

2. What do you know about the National Assembly?

3. Belarus and Russia have been close trading partners and diplomatic allies since the breakup of the Soviet Union, haven`t they?

4. Belarus is dependent on Russia for imports of raw materials and for its export market, isn`t it?

5. What is your opinion about the main aims of the Belorussian foreign policy?

6. Can you name the main political parties?

Possible answers:

1. The term for the president is five years.

2. The National Assembly is a bicameral parliament comprising the 110-member House of Representatives (the lower house) and the 64-member Council of the Republic (the upper house).

5. The main aims of the Belorussian foreign policy are to achieve real independence and sovereignty, to turn Belarus into nuclear free zone and neutral state.

6. They are the Communist Party of Belarus, the Agrarian Party of Belarus, Republican Party of Labor and Justice and the Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus.

 

What do you do as the English lesson?

 

English is my favourite subject.

Nowadays learning a foreign language is absolutely necessary for every good specialist. I began studying English in the fifth form. Our first teacher of English was Maria Nikolayevna. We started with the ABC, transcription and sounds. Then we learnt different English words, conversational phrases and dialogues by heart, read and translated easy texts, did exercises, wrote dictations.

From lesson to lesson we improved our knowledge. The material became more complicated, we learnt more and more new words, grammatical structures and put then into practice of speaking.

Soon we were able not only to read and translate texts but to discuss their contents in English, to communicate with one another in different real-life situations, to express our thoughts in English.

One should say that English is not an easy language to learn. There is a big problem of spelling, a large number of exceptions to any rule. English is one of those languages which may seem easy in the beginning, but it takes a long time to master it. But if you achieve this level it opens you new horizons in your life. You will be able to talk to people from other countries, to read foreign authors in the original.

I want to learn English in particular because it has become the language of all international organizations and progressive science.

 

Is it easy to learn foreign language?

How long have you been learning it?

How can you improve your English?

What did you do at your English lessons?

Why is English not an easy language to learn?

Do you agree:” Early to bed and early to rise makes people healthy, wealthy and wise?” Tell about your working day.

 

 

My working day.

On my week-days I usually get up at 7 o’clock. I make my bed and do my morning exercises. Then I go to the bathroom where I clean my teeth and wash myself. In 10 minutes I am ready for breakfast. It may be a cup of tea or coffee and a sandwich.

After breakfast I put on my coat, take my bag and go to school. I live not far from school. It takes me only seven or ten minutes to get there.

The lessons begin at eight o’clock in the morning and are over at half past two in the afternoon. I have six or seven lessons a day with short breaks between them. After classes I go home and have dinner there. After dinner I have a short rest. Then I do my homework. I spend three or even more hours doing my homework. As a rule I have very little free time on my week-days. But when I have some spare time I do some work about the house: do the shopping and cleaning or just go for a walk with my friends.

In my family we have supper at 8 o’clock. We all gather in the kitchen, then go to the sitting-room and watch TV, read books or discuss different problems. Sometimes I play chess with my father.

At about eleven at night I go to bed.

When does your working day begin?

What do you do when you get up?

How long does it take you to get to school?

How long does it take you to do your homework?

What do you usually do in the evenings?

 

Imagine that some of your classmates smoke, prefer fast food to healthy food, don’t attend PT lessons regularly. What will you speak them?

 

Healthy Way of Life

Scientists say that in the future people will live longer. With healthier lifestyles and better medical care the average person will live to 90 or 100 instead of 70 and 75 like today. Human genome is decoded, we'll probably live up to 150.

But that's tomorrow. And today, we continue to stuff ourselves with fast food — chips and pizzas, hamburgers and hot dogs. We are always in a hurry. We have no time to enjoy a home-cooked dinner with family and friends. We want to eat now and we want to eat fast. What is tasty is not always healthy. Doctors say that chips and pizzas are fattening, cola spoils our teeth and coffee shortens our lives.

If we eat too much, we'll become obese, and obesity leads to heart disease, diabetes and other serious illnesses. But the world today is getting fatter and fatter. America is the world's leader in obesity, but Europe is quickly catching up.

Lack of exercise is another serious problem. We spend hours in front of our computers and TV-sets. Few of us do morning exercises. We walk less, because we prefer to use cars or public transport. Young people who don't take enough exercise often suffer from heart attacks.

It's common knowledge that smoking and drinking can shorten our lives dramatically. Cigarette-smoking, for example, kills about 3 million people every year. Many of them die from lung cancer. Some aren't even smokers. They are people who live or work with heavy smokers.

It is a pleasure to look at a strong, athletic man and slim beautiful lady.

It is known that healthy people live longer and their career is more successful. To look well you must follow some simple rules: don’t smoke and take drugs, don’t drink alcohol, don’t eat too much chips and sweets, eat more vegetables and fruits, sleep well, do exercises.

We all know that the healthier we are, the better we feel. The better we feel, the longer we live. So why not take care of ourselves?

Questions

1. How long will people live in future?

2. Why do so many people prefer fast food?

3. Is tasty food always healthy?

4. What leads to such serious illnesses as heart disease and diabetes?

5. Why it’s so important to young people to take enough exercise?

6. What bad habits can shorten people’s lives dramatically?

7. The better we feel, the longer we live, don’t we?

 

Answers

With healthier lifestyles and better medical care the average person will live to 90 or 100 instead of 70 and 75 like today.

People are always in a hurry, they have no time to enjoy a home cooked dinner.

What is tasty is not always healthy.

Obesity leads to heart disease, diabetes and other serious illnesses.

Young people who don't take enough exercise often suffer from heart attacks.

Smoking and drinking can shorten our lives dramatically.

Yes, we do.

Do you agree with a quotation: Healthy body makes healthy mind?

 

Sport in my life.

I'm absolutely sure that doing sports is the best way to keep fit. There is always a kind of sport which will suit you and there are many different kinds to choose from. If you like team games, try hockey, football, volleyball or basketball. Games for you to play with a friend include badminton, squash and tennis, and if you enjoy doing things on your own, you may take up swimming, riding, golf or athletics.

I personally can't imagine my life without sport. I go jogging every morning and cycle twice a week. Sometimes I play badminton with a friend.

My favourite sport, however, is basketball. I love it because it's a team game and requires all kinds Of skills. You must do your best and at the same time you should keep your eye on what your teammates are doing and you need a quick brain too. Two years ago I took up karate and devoted much time to it. Unfortunately I soon had to give it up because I had some health problems at that time. I am also keen on watching such kinds of sport in which there is a lot of risk. Maybe in future I will do one of these: climbing or car racing or wind­surfing.

 

 

Do you like team games or individual kinds of sport?

What team games can you play?

Are indoor or outdoor sports more interesting for you?

What do you do at your PT lessons at school?

Are PT lessons at school necessary do you think?

 

Imagine you have just returned from Great Britain. During your trip you have learnt much new about British traditions and customs. Your English teacher asks you to share your impressions with your classmates at the lesson.