Ticket 6.The United Kingdom of Great Britain
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland consists of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. All these parts of the country are represented in Parliament in London. England is noted for its «high-tech» and car industries. Scotland is a land of mountains, lakes and romantic castles. Wales is famous for its high mountains and pretty valleys, factories and coal mines, music and myths. Northern Island, with farming land, is beautiful too.
The UK lies on the British Isles. The English Channel and the Strait of Dover separate Britain from the continent. The climate on the British Isles is temperate. The Gulf Stream makes the climate warmer in winter and cooler in summer. There is much humidity in the air of England. Britain is known as a foggy country. Geographically Great Britain is divided into Lowlands, Midlands, and Highlands.
Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy. The Queen is the head of State, but her power is limited by Parliament.
London is the capital of the UK. In the 11-th century it became the capital of England. The town experienced tremendous growth in trade and population during the late 16th and early 17th centuries. After the Great Fire of 1666 which destroyed three-quarters of London, the town began its extensive building. London became the main centre not only of the country but of the growing British Empire. During the 19-th century London expanded into the suburbs. As a result of it new forms of transport were developed, including the underground railway system. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has always played an important role in world politics.
Ticket 7.Outstanding personalities
Russia gave the world a lot of great writers, artists, musicians, philosophers, sportsmen, and politicians. The names of Russian scientists and inventors are known all over the world. Almost in all branches of science and technology the Russian scientists played the leading role.
The achievements of the Russian scientists are great.
Vladimir Vernadsky (1863-1945), a Russian scientist, is considered to be one of the founders of geochemistry and biogeochemistry. The son of a professor, Vernadsky graduated from St. Petersburg University in 1885 and became curator of the university's mineralogical collection in 1886. In 1890 he became a lecturer on mineralogy and crystallography at Moscow University, where he earned his Ph.D. in 1897. He served as a professor at Moscow University from 1898 to 1911. After the Revolution he was active in scientific and organisational activities. He founded and directed (from 1927) the biogeochemical laboratory of the Academy of Sciences at Leningrad (St. Petersburg).
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I also admire the work of Alexander Tchijevsky (1897-1964), a Russian scientist of space biophysics, and a young friend of Tsiolkovsky. Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (1857-1935) was among the first to work out the theoretical problems of rocket travel in space. He is the greatest Russian research scientist in aeronautics and astronautics who pioneered rocket and space research.Tchijevsky worked in the tradition of late Cosmic Philosophy. The son of a Russian general, Tchijevsky spent the early years of his life in Kaluga. There he got his education and then worked. In this town he made friends with Tsiolkovsky, who became his advisor and scientific colleague.
Ticket 8.Holidays in Kazakhstan, Britain and the USA
Feasts and festivals serve to meet specific social and psychological needs of the people of the country. Holidays can be religious and secular, national and local, official and unofficial. The dates that are memorable to every Russian citizen are Victory Day, May Day, Constitution Day, Women's Day, and the Day of Sovereignty of the Russian Federation. These are national holidays; people do not work on these days. The most important date in Russia is Victory Day. Observed on May 9, it commemorates the Victory of the Russian troops over the Nazi invaders. On that day the veterans meet in the parks and squares of the cities to recollect the days of war and exchange greetings. Wartime music is played everywhere. At night fireworks are let off. May Day is also very popular in our country. This is the day of friendship and support.
One of the biggest festivals of the year is New Year. Peter I the Great decreed that New Year should be marked in Russia on January 1. The coming of New Year is celebrated with a New Year Tree, presents, Grandpa Frost, European Santa Claus, and a hearty meal. In our country New Year is toasted in champagne at family gatherings. New Year's feasts are widely covered by mass media.
Recently new national holidays have been introduced in our country. These are Christmas and Easter. Christmas and Easter are both religious holidays. Now they are officially marked throughout our country. In Russia Christmas is celebrated on January 7. Easter is the most important holiday for the Orthodox. Besides the religious significance, these holidays have become the days of family reunion and happiness.
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The major holidays in Great Britain are New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Labour Day (May 1), Christmas Day, and Boxing Day. Public holidays are called Bank Holidays, because on these days banks, most of the shops and offices are closed.
Ticket 9About myself
My name is Peter Sidorov. I am 14 years old. I was born in Moscow, where I am still living. Our family is rather large. There are five of us: my mother, my father, my brother, my sister and me.
My father is 44 years old. He is an eye surgeon. He works in hospital. He is always very busy. He has very little free time. He likes his job. My mother is a teacher of literature. She works a lot. She is always busy checking up the compositions of her pupils. She does her housework and we always help her. My brother is 19 years old. He is a Law Faculty student. He is not married yet and has no family of his own. He wants to be an expert in the field of law that is why he works hard. My little sister is 10 years old. Her name is Ann. Although she is little she knows a lot of wonderful things. She is very clever and intelligent. I can talk with her for hours about the adventures of three musketeers, the Greek and Roman gods and heroes. She learns English. Her favourite books are «Alice in Wonderland» and «Through the Looking-Glass» by Lewis Carroll. But I like his poem «The Hunting of the Snark». It is nonsense literature of the highest order. Children like this fantastic tale about Alice's adventures very much. The book is successful because it is not an allegory; it has no hidden meaning or message, either religious, political, or psychological. My sister has a good ear for music: she goes to musical school for piano lessons. Once I also attended musical school and learnt to play the piano. Sometimes we go to the Conservatoire with our parents to listen to solo concerts or symphonic orchestras.
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Ticket 10.Reading books
Literature is the greatest human property. It is generally known that Russian literature is one of the most voluminous in the world. A. Pushkin, I. Turgenev, I. Goncharov, L. Tolstoy, F. Dostoevsky, A. Chekhov are the leaders of the world classical literature. They set a pattern for language, subject matter, and narrative techniques of Russian and world literature. Their works attract readers even today, because everybody can find something special there.
Ivan Turgenev successfully linked social problems with true literary art. His «Hunter's Sketches» and «Fathers and Sons» depict Russia's life with realism and with artistry which make these works classics. The problem of the generation gap discussed in his «Fathers and Sons» is very acute today. The everyday life of the Russian provincial gentry is perfectly described by Goncharov in his famous novel «Oblomov». The writer shows how the best and the brightest men can degenerate if they do not see how to use and develop their talents.
Leo Tolstoy and Feodor Dostoevsky are recognised as the best Russian writers. They give a realistic picture of the Russian society of the 19-th century. Their research in a person's inner world is unique. Their characters do not always know what they really want, and when they think they do know, the fate breaks their illusions. Moral issues are raised in Tolstoy's and Dostoevsky's works. Tolstoy's «War and Peace» and «Anna Karenina» as well as Dostoevsky's «Crime and Punishment» and «The Brother Karamazov» focus on serious human problems.
The end of the 19-th century was dominated by Anton Chekhov. He contributed to two genres: short stories and drama. His short stories are really short, but powerful. They make people laugh and cry at the same time. Some of his stories may seem very cruel, but Chekhov simply reflected the Russian life in his prose. His plays are not numerous, but they are really outstanding. «The Cherry Orchard» is his best known play. It is an emotional drama of the decline of a Russian noble family, which shares the fate of the Russian nation.
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