Means of communication

To begin with I’d like to point out that means of communication have changed greatly .When we think of it we cannot understand how people who lived 50 years ago were able to keep in touch. Nowadays we cannot imagine human contact without modern technology devices such as mobile phones, smartphones, Tablets, laptops and so on.

Thanks to the new technologies people are communicating more than ever before. Modern means of communication have made the distance between people unimportant. Unlike 20 years ago we usually call someone, not visit. Mobile phones are portable and let us contact others wherever they and we are. Furthermore, mobile phones offer the possibility of texting. Text messaging is the most convenient and the cheapest form of communication when we need to pass a quick note containing only a few words.

Emails have replaced letters and postcards almost completely. People prefer emails, which are quicker to write and send and more sure to reach the addressee.

Video conferences are often used by business people and scientists and they don’t need to travel to remote places.

To keep in touch with our families and friends that live abroad we use the Internet and such programs as Skype or Messenger, we use video chats or instant messaging. Thanks to them we can talk with our relatives for free and without time limits.

A lot of people especially teenagers communicate in social networks such as vkontacte, facebook, twitter, odnoklasniki.   They share the news, pictures, funny videos, jokes, songs and so on.

The Internet is very helpful for those who have a hobby. You can communicate with those who share the same passion from all over the world. You can learn the news and discuss your favourite pop star or a movie actor, a tv-show , sport competitions and what not. On forums people share their experiences and help each other to solve the problems they have run into.

To sum it up I’d like to point out that modern means of communication have changed our life, they influence our social life, politics, commerce, everything. 

Environment

For centuries the man had lived in harmony with nature until industrialization brought human society into conflict with the natural environment. Our environment is our planet. Today, the contradictions between man and nature have acquired a dramatic character. Human activities have a big impact on the environment.

The protection of the environment is now the question of life or death on the Earth. There are many problems which threaten our natural environment.  Water and soil pollution, the destruction of the ozone layer, acid rains, global warming, deforestation, littering are among the most serious ones.

Climate change is the biggest environmental challenge facing the world today. Some scientists think that the world is becoming hotter.They say that our climate is getting warmer and warmer  and call it global warming. Environmentalists say that global warming is caused by emission of certain gasses such as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which causes  greenhouse effect. These changes in climate can be dangerous because it can lead to the melting of the Arctic ice and the rise in the level of the World Ocean. So, water will cover some land and probably many plants and animals could no longer survive.

Acid rain and deforestation are major contributors to climate change too. Forests are being destroyed at the rate of 40 hectares a minute! Deforestation destroys the environmental balance and reduces biodiversity. More and more animals and plant species are becoming extinct.

Every year the world’s industry pollutes the atmosphere with millions of tons of dust and other harmful substances. The seas and rivers are poisoned with industrial waste and poisonous chemicals.

The problem is that people cannot stop most of technological processes because we cannot live without it. We should educate the public about the importance of recycling. We must develop and produce special water and air filters. There is an international organization called Green Peace which fights against pollution and protects Nature. To sum it up, we should realize that we are all responsible for what’s happening around us.

Great Britain

"Great Britain" has several different names. Some people say "Britain", or "the United Kingdom", or just "the UK", but the full name is "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". Great Britain is situated on the British Isles not far from Europe. If you look at the map you will see that Great Britain is not large. The total area of Great Britain is 244000 square kilometers and the population is about 60 million people.

The UK is made of 4 parts:  England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and washed by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the Irish Sea and the English Channel. The climate of Great Britain is moderate and mild due to the influence of the warm waters of the Gulf Stream. The weather in Britain is very changeable. The capital of the country is London and the flag  is called "Union Jack". The colors of the flag are: blue, red and white. Moreover, every country has its own national emblem. The symbol of England is the red rose, Scotland is the thistle, Wales – the leek or daffodil, and the symbol of Northern Ireland is the shamrock.

Wales is a country situated in the West of Britain. The Cardiff is the capital of Wales and the country's chief commercial centre. This part is agricultural; there are few cities, rather small and unimportant. Wales has high mountains, which are covered with snow.  The beautiful mountains and lakes of wales are known all over the world.

Scotland's area is more than half as big as England's. The country is surrounded by many seas. The main cities of the country are its capital Edinburgh and the main industrial center Glasgow, where world-famous crafts and clothes are made; most people in Scotland speak Scottish Gaelic. 

Northern Ireland is situated in the north of the island. The capital is Belfast.  The green color is a symbol of Northern Ireland because the country is covered with green grace all year around. 

As you can see, Great Britain is very unusual, full of exciting places, and popular with its history and beautiful landscape.  If I could, I would like to visit Britain, for the simple reason that I have heard so much about it and I want to experience it for myself.

Customs and traditions of an English-speaking country

To begin with I’d like to point out that British customs and traditions are famous all over the world. When people think about Britain, they often represent people drinking tea, eating fish and chips, colorful royal ceremonies and soldiers in strange uniforms. In Britain customs and traditions play a more important role in people’s life than in other countries. The British are proud of their traditions and carefully keep them up.

The British celebrate such public holidays as Christmas, Easter Monday, May Day, Spring Bank Holiday, Summer Bank Holiday. Besides, public holidays also include some festivals, for example Pancake Day, April Fool’s Day, Halloween, Guy Fawkes Night, St. Valentine’s Day.

Halloween is a holiday annually celebrated on the  31th of Octover . People hold Halloween parties, where the hosts and guests often dress up as skeletons, ghosts or other scary figures. Common symbols of Halloween include pumpkins, bats and spiders. Other people gather together to watch horror films, either at home or at a cinema. Some children go trick-or-treating (they dress up and go to other people’s houses, knock on the door for treat of sweets or a snack).

“Remember, remember the 5th of November” are the worlds of an old English song. In 605, a man called Guy Fawkes had planned to blow up Houses of Parliament and kill James the first.  But he was caught and hanged. And still the British remember Guy Fawkes’ Night or Bonfire Night.

Christmas is celebrated on the  25 th  of December. For most families  it’s the most important festival of the year and on this day many people gather together or  visit their relatives. Most houses are decorated with brightly –coloured stuff and almost each house has a Christmas-tree.  Moreover, people wish each other “Merry Christmas” and give some presents.

To know customs and traditions means to understand the people and  their culture better. It has always been interesting for me to learn about Great Britain and its traditions. I hope one day I’ll be able to go there to see it with my own eyes.

National cuisine of an English-speaking country

There are many enjoyable dishes in Britain which can please even a demanding eater. A characteristic feature of British food is the high quality of the ingredients and the simplicity of the way in which they are used.

It’s common knowledge that English cuisine is shaped by the country’s temperate climate, its geography and its history. Traditional meals have ancient origins, such as bread and cheese, roasted and stewed meats, meat pies, freshwater and saltwater fish.

Traditional English cuisine is substantial, but simple and wholesome. The English have three main meals a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Today, typical English breakfast is normally a bowl of cereal, a slice of toast, orange juice, tea or coffee.  

During the week, when people are far from home or at work, then they have a packed lunch or sandwiches with a packet of crisps, fruit and a drink. 

For lunch the British prefer meat (lamb, pork or beef), different kinds of vegetables, always including roast potatoes with Yorkshire pudding and a flour based batter cooked in the oven.

Traditionally dinner was similar to Sunday lunch but today this is rarely eaten on ordinary days. Today most people in Britain prefer curry, rice or pasta for dinner. Fresh vegetables grown in England, such as peas, carrots, cabbages, onions and potatoes are also popular.

Fish and chip is the most famous English food, after the Sunday Roast beef.  The English love eating different pies, for example: Steak and Kidney Pie, Shepherd’s Pie and Cottage Pie, accompanied with different vegetables, potato or gravy.

At the same time English families rarely eat together. People often consume junk food in front of the television. The diet in increasing numbers of families consists mainly of salty or sweet snack foods which can cause obesity and health problems.