English Exam test 2018

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National Geographic site

Nat Geo Kids inspires young adventurers to explore the world through award-winning magazines, books, apps, games, toys, videos, events, and a website!

Play games, watch videos, learn about animals, and places, and get fun facts on the NationalGeographic Kids website.

English Songs Contest

16 февраля 2018 года в рамках недели английского языка в гимназии №4 г. Барановичи прошел конкурс песен на английском языке “English Songs Contest”, в котором приняли участие учащиеся 5-11 классов.

Целью данного конкурса является не только раскрытие творческого потенциала учащихся, но и приобщение их к культуре стран изучаемого языка.

В актовом зале гимназии ребята представили зрителям и членам жюри результаты своих трудов. Участники конкурса исполнили песни самых разных жанров и исполнителей. Удивительная атмосфера взаимопонимания и доброжелательной поддержки царила от начала подготовки до завершения конкурса.

Перед членами жюри стояла нелегкая задача – выбрать лучших из лучших. Все участники блистали вокальными способностями, произношением и актерским мастерством. По результатам конкурса победу одержали Алеся Ольшевская, учащаяся 11 «А» класса и Роман Яницкий, учащийся 9 «Б» класса. Все участники получили грамоты и свою долю бурных аплодисментов.

Поздравляем победителей и всех участников конкурса! Творческих успехов всем талантливых участникам! И … ждем новых песен в следующем году!

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Examination Listening

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Enlglish-speaking country. Topic for Conversation #21

Enlglish-speaking  country


1. What do you know about the USA/Canada?Australia?

The United States of America  

The United States of America is the world's third largest country in size and nearly the third largest in terms of population. Located in North America, the country borders with Canada in the North and Mexico in the South. The country is divided into 50 states and the District of Columbia. The states have quite a lot of power. They can make their own laws and set their own taxes. 

The USA has a relatively short history. It all started with Columbus’s discovery of America in 1492. After his arrival a series of European visitors appeared on the continent, including the Spanish, French, Dutch and British and the first settlement was set up already in 1565. For centuries native peoples lived across the territory that would become the United States. In the early 17th century, settlers moved from Europe to the New World, established colonies, and moved the native peoples away.

The settlers fought for their independence from Britain in the late 18th century and formed a union of states based on a new constitution. The nation continued to expand to the West and although the country is a relatively young nation, it has become a global power since declaring independence from Britain on July 4, 1776. This is exactly the date when all the Americans celebrate Independence Day.

The USA has been a nation of immigrants throughout history. The Native American people, who lived in the USA before Europeans came, now form a minority of only about 1% of the population. The rest is made up of people whose families were immigrants and African-Americans whose families were originally brought to the United States from Africa to work as slaves. Other immigrants came to the US mostly in the 19^th century and early 20th centuries from all over the world seeking refuge or a better way of life.

The landscape varies across the large country from tropical beaches in Florida to peaks in the Rocky Mountains, from rolling prairie lands and barren deserts in the West to dense wilderness areas in the Northeast and Northwest. Interspersed throughout are the Great Lakes, the Grand Canyon, the majestic Yosemite Valley, and the mighty Mississippi River.

The wildlife is as diverse as the landscape. Mammals such as bison once roamed freely across the plains, but now live only in preserves. Black bears, grizzlies, and polar bears are the largest carnivores. There are over 20,000 flower species and most came from Europe. There are nearly 400 areas which are protected and maintained by the National Park Service, and many other parks in each state.

The bald eagle is the national bird and symbol of the United States and is a protected species.

The United States is a federal republic. The Government is divided into three branches: legislative (the US Congress), executive (the President and his Administration) and judicial (the US Supreme Court). There are two main political parties in the USA: the Democratic and the Republican.

The flag of the USA is called "Stars and Stripes". The 50 stars — white on a blue field — represent the 50 states, 18 stripes represent 13 original English colonies, which in 1776 became independent of England.

The capital of the United States is Washington. It was named in honor of the first president whose name was George Washington. The biggest cities of the USA are New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and other.

The USA is a highly developed industrial country. It is rich in mineral resources, such as aluminum, salt, zinc, coppers, and others. The country is rich in coal, natural gas, gold and silver, too. It holds one of the first places in the world for the production of coal, iron, oil, natural gas. Such industries as machine-building, ship-building are highly developed in the country. American agriculture produces a lot of food products: grain, fruit, vegetables.

The USA has been a leader in science since the late 19^th century. The inventions of the telephone, the light bulb, radio and the first movie camera have been made by Americans. The USA is also one of the best in space technologies and computers. The proof is such names as Apple Inc., Microsoft Technology and IBM.

Australia

Australia is the only country in the world that covers an entire continent. It is one of the largest countries on Earth. Although it is rich in natural resources and has a lot of fertile land, more than one-third of Australia is desert.

Most Australian cities and farms are located in the southwest and southeast, where the climate is more comfortable. There are dense rain forests in the northeast. The famous outback (remote rural areas) contains the country's largest deserts, where there are scorching temperatures, little water, and almost no vegetation.

Aboriginal people arrived in Australia about 50,000 years ago. They may have traveled from Asia across land bridges that were exposed when sea levels were lower. The hardy Aborigines have learned to live in the harsh conditions of the outback.

Dutch explorers first landed in Australia in 1606, and the British began to settle there in 1788. Many settlers were criminals sent to live in Australia as punishment. For a short time, the newcomers lived peacefully with the Aboriginal people. But soon, fighting broke out over who owned the land.

In 1851, gold was discovered in Australia. A rush to find riches brought thousands of new immigrants, and by 1859, six separate colonies existed. In 1901, these colonies joined to form a British commonwealth.

Running around the eastern and southeastern edge of Australia is the Great Dividing Range. This 2,300-mile (3,700-kilometer) stretch of mountain sends water down into Australia's most important rivers and the Great Artesian Basin, the largest groundwater source in the world.

Australia is one of the world's most ethnically diverse nations. Nearly a quarter of the people who live in Australia were born in other countries. They come from the United Kingdom and other European countries, but also from China, Vietnam, North Africa, and the Middle East.

Australia's warm, sunny climate and abundance of open spaces gives the population a love of the outdoors. The people are also passionate about sports, including swimming, surfing, sailing, tennis, soccer, cricket, rugby, and their own invention, Australian rules football.

As a commonwealth of the United Kingdom, Australia's head of state is the British monarch. Many Australians think the country should end its ties to Britain and become a republic. In a vote in 1999, Australians decided against separating from the UK, but the vote was close, and the debate continues.

Australia is an important exporter of agricultural goods like wool, wheat, beef, fruit, and wine. The country is also rich in minerals and metals and is the world's fourth largest producer of gold.

2. Do you think that people speaking the English language are similr in character?

3. What questions will you ask your foreign friend about his/her country?

4. Give me a piece of advice on what to choose from a tourist guide to do when planning a visit to the USA/Canada?Australia.

5. If you have a chance to travel to any country in the world, which one will you choose to visit? Why?

Tourism. Topic for Conversation #16 / #25

Travelling and tourism

1. How do you prefer to travel: alone, with your parents or with your friends?

It goes without saying that travelling has always been a major human activity. If daring people hadn’t had a desire to explore faraway places in ancient times, the progress of civilization would have probably been much slower. Travelling is still an important part of business and commercial life. And, of course, one can hardly imagine a pleasant vacation without some travel. That is why one can say there are two basic kinds of travelling: one for pleasure and recreation, the other on business. Both are interesting in their own right.

I have just left school and I haven’t had many opportunities to travel on business so far. Let me start with travelling for pleasure and recreation. This kind of travel is different in form. People can reach faraway lands by plane or by sea, or travel to not-so-distant places by car or even on foot. Today one has a good opportunity to choose the most appropriate form of travelling. In fact, the most appropriate form is such that a person can afford.

In the past I used to fly by plane quite often (several times). It was a thrilling sensation to observe the clouds of various shapes and colour sailing deep below the plane. I felt myself no less than an astronaut on a space mission then! But today frequent travel by air is beyond my reach. This service has become quite expensive, especially on the distant routes. That is why most people prefer trains.

By the way, railway experiences are and indispensable part of my life too. Let me explain why. I come from the city of Baranovichi situated 140 kilometres from Minsk. The city originated as a big railway station on Moscow-Brest railway built in the 1870s. Today it is a major railroad junction. Trains go to seven different directions from Baranovichi, that’s why it is only natural that I used to travel by train a lot. Sometimes it was a problem to book tickets in advance, sometimes it wasn’t. As far as I remember, all our family travels by fast trains were pleasant enough.

It goes without saying I commuted a lot by electric train. This sort of transportation is generally cheaper, but is fast enough. Of course, the cars are short of conveniences, and at times they were over-crowded. But somehow we all are used to that because we have nothing better for the moment. If I become a student of a higher educational establishment, I will have to commute by electric trains more frequently. But it is already something that belongs to travelling on business. Let me go back to the most enjoyable travels made in our family car.

This kind of travel was definitely my favourite. My father is an experienced driver and he always drives carefully enough. That is why we have never had any road accidents, and I hope we will never have any. I should knock on the wood, shouldn’t I? (KNOCK ON WOOD)

In summer or during school vacations my family and I often went out of town. In fact, the environs of Baranovichi are notes for several wonderful places, unique for their natural beauty and charm. One of them is Lake Svityaz situated some 50 kilometres away from the city.

Belarus is famous for its lakes, but this one is like a precious diamond among other jewels. Its waters are crystal clear, and the natural environment is strikingly beautiful there. It is small wonder that the view of the lake inspired Adam Mizkevich to write some wonderful poetry. But today many tourists come to this lake for recreation and rest. And I think that the local authorities should take this fact into consideration providing more facilities for parking, etc. It will help preserve the natural beauty of this place for generations to come.

It is no surprise for me that more and more people prefer travelling abroad these days. The world is really becoming a global village, and every corner of it is easily accessible in case you can afford it. I haven’t travelled to many countries myself, but many of my friends and acquaintances did. Listening to their stories I could picture the big outside world better. In fact, I had lots of imaginary travels to the English-speaking countries during my school lessons.

It was more than once that my friends and I packed our things, boarded a plane and flew to London. At the airport we had a brief conversation with some immigration and customs officers, and then we were free to go to any part of the UK. If I ever have a chance to go there, I’ll be able to make a good choice of places to see and to visit. Sometimes I even feel that I DID visit London because I know so much about its history and sights. (…)

To cut my long travel short, I should say that now I’m not a very experienced traveller. But I feel that I can become one with time. There are so many places worth seeing in the world!

2. Is it better to choose a quided tour or organise a trip by yourself? Why?

3. You are going camping for a week. What questions will you ask an experienced camper?

4. Your American friend wants to visit Belarus. Which places will you advise him/her to visit?

5. An ancient Chinese philosopher and writer Lao Tzu said: "A goog traveller has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving." What do you think about it?

Outstanding People. Topic for Conversation #15

Outstanding People

1. Tell me about some outstanding people who changes the world

Francis Skorina, scientist and the first printer

Francis Skorina is considered one of the greatest and most famous people of Belarus. The most prestigious awards of the country are named in his honor: the order and the medal. Skorina was a scientist, humanist, writer, outstanding educator. But, he got the greatest fame as the first printer not only of Belarus, but also of all the East Slavic lands.

Francis Skorina is considered one of the greatest and most famous people of Belarus. The most prestigious awards of the country are named in his honor: the order and the medal. Skorina was a scientist, humanist, writer, outstanding educator. But, he got the greatest fame as the first printer not only of Belarus, but also of all the East Slavic lands.

Francis was born in 1486 in the family of a merchant in Polotsk, the most ancient city of the Belarusian land. Here he received an initial education, learned the Latin language, because this language was considered a scientific language, it was used to teach at the universities of all countries. Knowledge of the Latin language opened the way for education. Later, Francis entered the University of Cracow. Finishing it, he was awarded a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. Then he studied in Italy, graduated from the University of Padua and received a doctorate in medicine.

Skorina saw that Europe is more educated than the eastern lands. First of all, he tried to share his knowledge with his compatriots. In Italy and Germany there were many books, because they printed them in printing houses, and not copied by hand. And, the famous Belarusian decided to print books in Belarusian to educate his people. In his works, there are meticulous astronomical and calendar information prepared by him: for example, how the constellation move in the sky, when solar and lunar eclipses are expected, what is the duration of day and night in each month.

At that time, the Bible was considered the main book of the Christian world. Francis Skorina went to Prague and August 6, 1517 printed the first book, Bible in Belarusian language! His talent as an outstanding poet and artist was manifested in typography. The Skorina Bible includes 51 illustrations, as well as many vignettes and special capital letters. Some letters of the alphabet that the text began with, were decorated with certain figures: “K” was a goat (“Козленок”) “З” was a beast (“Зверь”), instead of “Я” (I) he drew his own portrait.

For a short period, Francis Skorina published over 20 books. For a long time, the famous Belarusian lived far from home, but in his thoughts and soul he was always with his homeland. Francis Skorina addressed his books to ordinary people.

See, how modern his sincere words about the love to his homeland sound: “Like the animals in the desert from the birth know their pits; birds flying in the sky know their nests; fish in the seas and lakes know their maelstroms; bees and the like defend their hives, – people have love to the place of their birth.”

Later Francis Skorina came to Vilnius and founded the first printing house in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. He lived a difficult life, the details of which are little known. The last years of his life, Francis was forced to work as a royal gardener. In Prague, far from his native Polotsk, Skorina died. But, the work of Skorina was left to his descendants: the printing press spread to the East Slavic lands, including Belarus. Followers of the Belarusian first printer, Peter Mstislavets and Ivan Fyodorov, founded a printing house in Moscow.

Nowadays, it is worth to visit the Belarusian book printing museum, which is located in Polotsk and is the only museum of such kind in Belarus. It was opened during the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the birth of Skorina.

Tadeusz Kosciuszko, general and famous revolutionist

Tadeusz Kosciuszko (Andrei Tadeusz Bonaventura Kosciuszko) is the most famous Belarusian of the Brest land, the general of the American Republican Army, leader of the uprising in 1794 in Poland, Belarus and Lithuania. Throughout his life, he committed faith in the happy future of his people.

He was born in 1746 in the Merechovshchina farm near Kossovo Castle, on the territory of modern Belarus. Tadeusz studied in the PR school, then entered the Warsaw Cadet Corps – the higher officer’s school (specialty military engineer). On the recommendation of the head of the corps, Tadeusz was sent to Paris, where he continued military training. In France, he became acquainted with the ideas of the French Enlightenment.

With his military talents, Tadeusz Kosciuszko became famous even in the Commonwealth, receiving the rank of Lieutenant-General. Successful was his military career in America, where he participated in the War of Independence. In 1783, Tadeusz was promoted to US General.

During the 1794 uprising of the people of Poland, Lithuania and Belarus, Kosciuszko was proclaimed the Highest Chief of all the armed forces of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

The merits of the famous Belarusian were highly appreciated during his lifetime. He received an honorary French and American citizenship. He was awarded the Order of Cincinatus in the USA, and Virtuti Militari in the Commonwealth. Later, Tadeusz Kosciuszko was proclaimed National Hero of Belarus, Poland and the United States of America.

In honor of Tadeusz Kosciuszko monuments are erected in many cities of Poland and the USA, numerous streets, squares and parks of different countries are named after him. The Krakow Polytechnic University is named after Tadeusz Kosciuszko.

In 2003 from Brest region you can visit the museum of Tadeusz Kosciuszko situated in Sehnovichi school. And also a memorial chapel on the site of the largest Krupchytska Battle in Belarus (the current village of Chizhevshchina in Zhabinka District) and the Kosciuszko Estate Museum in Merechyivshchyna. In the museum you can buy souvenirs for memory, listen to lectures. Every year, on February 4, Tadeusz Kosciuszko’s birthday is celebrated here. Visitors to the museum are offered an excursion to all the rooms of the memorial part of the estate, and one can also register their marriage. And, in the Trinity Church of the town of Kossovo you can still see the font in which Tadeusz Kosciuszko was baptized.

Adam Mickiewicz, famous publicist

Adam Mitskevich is a famous Belarusian-Polish poet, who was born in 1798 in the Zaosye Farm, Novogrudok District. Nowadays, you can visit a museum in this village – the estate of the famous publicist, learn the details of his life, see the life of the Belarusian people of that time.

His secondary education Adam received in the Dominican school at the church of Michael the Archangel in Novogrudok, later entered the University of Vilnius, where he participated in the creation of patriotic circles. Today, his house-museum is in Novogrudokthat you can visit and see 9 lifetime editions of the great poet. In the city, there is also the barrow of Immortality of Adam Mickiewicz, which was poured in memory of the great poet, famous Belarusian.

The most famous work of Adam Mickiewicz is the poem “Pan Tadeusz”, published in 1834 in Paris. This work is an encyclopedia of the Polish-Belarusian way of life, a masterpiece of verbal painting, with humor and sadness Mickiewicz paints the world of gentry antiquity, admiring its colorfulness.

In 1999, the poem “Pan Tadeush” was screened by Polish director Andrzej Wajda.
The poetry of Adam Mickiewicz was of great importance for the Polish national liberation movement, the renewal of Polish-Belarusian literature.

Marc Chagall

Marc Chagall was born on July 7, 1887 in Vitebsk, Russia. In 1932 he moved to France. He lived in the United States from 1941 to 1948, and then returned to France. He died in France on March 28. 1985.

His painting styles are Expressionism and Cubism . In his paintings, he often painted violinists because he played the violin and also in memory of his uncle, who also played. He was also famous for his paintings of Russian-Jewish villages.

His famous paintings are “Angel over Vitebsk”, ”The Violinist”, ”I and the Village.”

2. Do you know anyone who is Nobel prize winner?

3. What questions will you ask that person?

4. My son wants to become a successful businessman in the future. What advice will you give him?

5. Some people say that great minds think alike. What do you think about it?

National Character and Stereotypes. Topic for Conversation #14 / #22

National Character and Stereotypes

1. What are the daily habits of Belarusians?

2. Are there any traditions in your family that are landed down from one generation to another?

Each family has its own traditions and mine is not an exception. They depend on national features or people preferences. I think it’s important to have family traditions because they are part of the glue that holds families together.

My family also has some traditions. First of all I should say that I live in a friendly and united family. We try to be loving and caring with one another. And it’s our family tradition to say the words of love. We say “I love you” every day: before we go to bed, in the morning or even without any special occasion.

My favorite tradition is family dinner. Every day we have dinner together and discuss events of the day. I like this tradition because I can get some useful advice if I need. We also laugh a lot at the jokes of our family members. After dinner my dad and I wash the dishes. I think it’s fair because my mum cooks dinner.

Every Friday we go for a walk. It’s always interesting to go for a walk with my dad in the evening because he knows a lot about stars and it’s interesting to listen to him.

Taking vacations is a good way to build memories. In summer we travel a lot. I pick a route and we go there. I like this family tradition because it’s always interesting to discover new places and because of it I understand how beautiful and full of interesting places our country is. During one of these trips we found a small picturesque lake. And now when it’s hot we go to this lake to swim.

I also like the way how we celebrate New Year in our family. My parents invite their friends with their families and we always have fun. After midnight we give one another presents and then go all together for a walk to watch fireworks and play snowballs.

In conclusion I should say that following family traditions is very important. I like all traditions in my family and I hope that we will continue them for years and will have more funny and interesting traditions in the future. And when I have my own family, I’ll continue to follow these traditions with my children.

3. Ask you British friend how they celebrate Christmas in their family.

4. Advise a Britidh teenager on how to choose gifts for his/her Belarusian friends.

5. We can't believe all the stereotypes about different nationalities. What do you think about it?

International Cooperation. Topic for Conversation #13

International Cooperation

1. Do you know what coutries have cross-cultural relationship with Belarus?

2. Is it important for Belarus to organise international events?

3. What questions will you ask your American friend who wants to become a diplomat?

4. Give advice to your friend who is hosting a foreign student.

5. you would like to take part in a student exchange programme. Find out which options you would be fit for. In your opinion, in which areas could Belarus cooperate with other countries?

Mass Media. Topic for Conversation #11 / #12

Mass Media

1. Which of these do people in your family prefer: TV, newspapers, radio?

Knowledge is power. That’s why people have always been eager to learn. In the past the only way to learn about the world was travelling and reading books. Books were extremely expensive and travelling was pretty dangerous. So if you wanted to learn about remote lands you had either to pack your belongings and board a ship or just buy a book. But the people of the 21st century are privileged in having different safe and cheap means of information. The main source of information for millions of people is mass media. Mass media include newspapers, magazines, radio, television and the Internet too.

Newspapers are the oldest of the mass media. The choice of newspapers is wide. Nowadays newspapers cater for different political views, interests and levels of education. All newspapers are classified into two groups: quality and popular. Quality newspapers are serious national papers for educated readers. The information they provide is reliable. Popular newspapers are tabloids, designed for common readers and their content is focused on celebrities and fashion. 

Many people still prefer the radio. It’s good to listen to the radio in a car, or in the open air, or when you do something about the house. You can listen to pop or classical music, news, sport or foreign radio stations. People can call and ask questions about everything from cooking or car repair to politics or health. Callers often get a chance to give their opinions on the air. Besides, radio provides the latest news every half hour. 

Nobody will deny that television is the most popular type of mass media. You can explore remote territories with travelling programmes, attend the best concerts with cultural programmes and just have fun with entertaining TV-shows. Quality documentaries from discovery Channel, History and National Geographic possess educational power. So, television helps to broaden horizons and get acquainted with different cultures. 

On the other hand, nowadays television has opened the door to new social problems like TV addictions, increased crime and violence rates. Films and low quality TV programmes that feature violence are mostly to blame. When children see a lot of violence on TV, some are likely to act in the following way in reality. Thus, children and adults should be protected from the harmful media effects. Educational and developing aspects of media must be maximized.

Probably the most popular type of mass media today is the Internet. There are a lot of sites that provide information of different kinds. The choice is endless. Surfing the web is quick, easy, and cheap. One may find answers to any questions almost immediately. Still they are not always reliable or safe. So, one may be mislead. That’s why it’s best to choose the sites sensibly, picking up those sites that may be considered to be serious and unbiased.

To crown it all I should say almost everything can be a curse or a blessing depending on the way we use it. The effect of mass media largely depends on our choice of what we watch, listen to or read. So, let’s make intelligent choices.

2. Do you think many people are involved in covering the news?

3. What questions will you ask a photojournalist about his/her work?

4. Give me a piece of advice on how to decide if the information on the Internet is reliable or not.

5. What will the mass media look like in thirty years' time?

Youth and Society. Topic for Conversation #10 / #23

Youth and society

1. What national and international youth organisations do you know?

Each age group in society has its own role and this is important in many different ways. Young people are often considered to represent the future as they bring new ideas and energy to add to the pool of knowledge that currently exists. They can bring enthusiasm and vitality which can lead to new discoveries and developments that can benefit society or even the world at large. Although not the only drivers of social change, young people are seen to be one the key drivers engendering change.

Nowadays young people take an active part in social life; participating in various social activities, being involved in volunteering. They have a brilliant opportunity not to stay aside, to be indifferent to what is happening around. They take part in meetings, discussions, peaceful demonstrations. Young people usually belong to youth movements through membership in different youth organizations. There they have the right to express their views, discuss the most vital problems that worry young people. These activities help young people to become more organized and better disciplined, to become really involved in a lot of things. They meet new people, make new friends and find a shoulder to cry on. Helping other people in different charity projects they learn to appreciate kindness and warm heartedness; in social and political projects they have a chance to express their opinions and ideas. 

Different religious youth groups aim at helping elderly people or working in hospitals. They even help former prisoners to start a new life. Religious organizations also involve young people into music band drama festivals.

Other youth organizations can be divided into non-political organizations and youth organizations connected with political parties. They have different principles.

The largest non-political organization is The Scout Movement. The membership is voluntary, they have a special badge, a training programme and the motto “Be Prepared”. They develop such skills as honesty, obedience, patriotism, kindness. The Belarusian Pioneer Movement is a part of the scout movement.

One of the organizations connected with political parties is the Youth Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (YCND) which cooperates with the National Union of Students. They organise meetings, demonstrations and festivals.

The most important youth organization in Belarus is the Belarusian Republican Youth Union or the BRSM. Its goals are to promote patriotism, moral values and they organise such activities as camping, sporting events, concerts, volunteer work, charity and different demonstrations to support the present power in our country. The BRSM was founded in 2002 and it has its own emblem and flag.

Personally I consider that youth organizations do useful work to help young people to take an active part in social and political life of the country.

2. Have you ever taken part in any meaningful international events?

3. What questions will you ask about a new project organised by the BRSM?

4. Some young people want to become volunteers but don't know what to start with. What will you recommend them to do?

5. If you have a chance to start a campaign, what will you campaign for?

Family. Topic for Conversation #9 / #18

My family

1. What do you appreciate most about your family?

There is a wise saying “Blood is thicker than water”. It means that our friends are unstable while our parents and relatives stay with us all our life. I think friends don’t understand us as much as our parents.

It's a great pleasure for me to talk about my family. I love my family very much and I owe much to my parents.

Let me introduce myself first. My name is Sasha. I am seventeen. I was born in May 2001 in Baranovichi, Brest region. Well, my family is not large. We are four^ my father, my father, my brother and me.

My father's name is Vasily Vasilievich, he is forty five. He is a businessman. He works a lot.

My mother's name is Olga Ivanovna. She is forty. She works as a teacher at a school based in Baranovichi. My mother is really fond of her work! She spends much time with her students.

My brother is four years my junior, and he is still a school student. He is keen on Maths. It's his favourite subject. But I sometimes think that my brother Peter is the noisiest person I've ever known.

There is one more member in our family. It is our cat named Tom. Everyone in our family loves Tom a lot.

When at school, I used to take an active part in my school's cultural life. My parents gave me good advice on how to perform at various events, including …. By the way, the team of our gymnasium was the best in the city not once. And my family were always watching me and sharing their impressions.

We have always had many things to discuss and share. We've got relatives in different parts of our country and abroad. Many letters and postcards come to our mailbox on the eve of holidays. By the way, holidays in our family are associated not only with a table set for company but some "grand cleaning days" too.

Well, some words about me now. I left gymnasium #4 in Baranovichi that has earned quite a reputation in this country due to the results shown by its students. I don't think I am the best student, of course, but I tried hard to do my best to prepare for entrance examinations. I have always liked languages, English in particular. And that's why I decided to choose this very specialty. All the members of my family, including my cat, approve of my choice. I hope I'll do well at examinations.

2. Do you get on with your siblings/grandparents?

3. What questions will you ask a British teenager about his/her family?

4. What can you advise people who want to have a good relationship with theis parents and granparents?

5. You want to introduce a new tradition into your family. What kind of tradition will it be?