Put 5-7 questions to the topic.
CONVERSATIONAL TOPICS
FORM 7
2016-2017
Russia
Russia is my native country. It is the largest country in the world. Its total area is over 17 million square kilometers. Its population is over 145 million people. The capital of the country is Moscow. Russia is situated on two continents: Europe and Asia. The Urals form a natural border between the continents. Russia borders on 14 states. In the west Russia borders on Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Byelorussia and the Ukraine and in the south it borders on Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China and Mongolia.
Russia is a constitutional republic with President as Head of State. The government consists of three branches: legislative (the Federal Assembly, which consists of the Federation Council and the State Duma), executive (the Cabinet of Ministers) and judicial (the system of courts, including the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court and other courts).
The state symbol of Russia is Russian national flag. The flag has three horizontal stripes: white, blue and red. These colours have always been symbolic in Russia. The white colour symbolizes nobleness, the blue colour symbolizes honesty and devotion and the red colour symbolizes bravery. The emblem of Russia is the double-headed eagle. The state hymn of Russia is a piece of music by a composer A. Aleksandrov and a poet S.Mikhalkov.
Many Russians are religious people. The main church is the Russian Orthodox Church. It has survived during the hard times. New churches and cathedrals are built and old ones are restored. However, not all people in Russia belong to the Orthodox Church. There are other religions too.
There are holidays in Russia, commemorating some important events in our history, for example, Victory Day, Constitution Day, and the Day of Sovereignty of the Russian Federation. Recently Russian people have begun to celebrate religious holidays again. The most important religious holidays are Christmas and Easter.
It is almost impossible to name a branch of science in the development of which the Russian scientists haven't played the greatest role. The name of Mikhail Lomonosov (1711-1765) is famous all over the world. He was one of the most learned men in Europe. He was an outstanding innovator in both the humanities and sciences. M. Lomonosov founded the first Russian University. Another famous Russian scientist is Dmitry Mendeleev (1834-1907). Mendeleev's greatest discovery was the Periodic System of Elements. Alexander Popov (1859-1906) invented radio. Ivan Sechenov (1829-1905) and Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936) were the world's greatest physiologists. Russia is rightly called the mother of aviation and interplanetary navigation. Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (1857-1935) is the father of rocket flying. He formulated the principles of flying machines for interplanetary communication. The name of Yuri Gagarin, the first Russian cosmonaut is known all over the world. He was born in a village near Smolensk in 1939 and spent his childhood in a big family. In 1951 he finished a vocational school, then a school of aviation and an Airforce Academy in Moscow. On the 12th of April, 1961 he made a space flight on board the spaceship “Vostok”. He made a tour around the Earth that lasted 1 hour and 48 minutes.
I think that there is no place like home. Russia is my motherland. I am proud of my country, its people, history, culture and traditions. I would like other nations to understand and respect my homeland.
QUESTIONS
1. Where is Russia situated? 2. What countries does Russia border on? 3. What is the political system of the Russian Federation? 4. How many Houses does the Russian Parliament consist of? 5. What outstanding people of Russia do you know?
MOSCOW.
Moscow is the capital of Russia. It's an ancient historical city. It was founded in 1147 by Russian prince Yuri Dolgoruky. Now Moscow is the fifth largest city in the world, its population is over 9 million people. Moscow is also one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The emblem of Moscow is George the Victorious, a horseman defeating a black dragon with a gold spear.
The centre of Moscow is Red Square with the Kremlin and St. Basil’s Cathedral, which is made of nine chapels, each with its own elaborately decorated roof. Among the historical monuments inside the Kremlin there are the Cannon Tsar, the Bell Tsar, made by Russian masters, the Armoury Chamber, the Archangel Cathedral, the Assumption Cathedral and the Annunciation Cathedral.
Visitors can find a lot of other places of interest in Moscow, such as the Moscow University area and the observation platform in Vorobiovy Hills from which you can see the panorama of Moscow and some other monumental buildings. Other attractions are Arbat Street and the Exhibition area. Tourists like going to museums and art galleries in Moscow. The most famous and popular art museums are the Tretyakov Art Gallery and the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum.
Moscow is the centre of political, cultural and educational life in Russia. There are a lot of theatres and concert halls in Moscow. The most popular theatres are the world- famous Bolshoi Theatre, the Maly Drama Theatre, the Puppet Theatre named after Obraztsov, the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall and others.
There are over 200 universities in Moscow. Moscow State University is a well-known educational and scientific centre of Russia. It is famous all over the world.
Moscow is growing day after day and is becoming more and more beautiful. Among the new sights of Moscow there is the Monument in Poklonnaya Gora, devoted to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War, and the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in the centre of Moscow.
Moscow is a noisy city. The traffic is heavy. Busses, trolleybuses and trams are overcrowded, but Muscovites prefer to travel by metro because it is the fastest and the most reliable means of transportation. The stations of the metro are clean and some of the oldest ones are considered to be the masterpieces of the Russian architecture of the 20th century. They are often called underground palaces because they are decorated with marble, granite and crystal.
Moscow is known all over the world. It is the capital of the largest country and I am proud of its history, unique architecture, great museums, rich art galleries, famous theatres and universities.
Questions:
1. When was Moscow founded?
2. Who was Moscow founded by?
3. What is the emblem of Moscow?
4. What places of interest are there in the centre of Moscow?
5. What are the largest museums of art in Moscow?
6. What is your favourite place in Moscow?
FOREIGN LANGUAGES IN OUR LIFE.
People all over the world study foreign languages and there are many reasons for that. Some people learn languages because they need them for their work, others need them to travel abroad, but the most important reason is getting information.
The greatest demand to a specialist now is not to know everything in his field, but to be able to find the necessary information. It is possible to keep up with the world standards through reading articles, journals and books in foreign languages. That’s why people study the languages of the highly developed countries such as France, Germany and the USA.
Another reason worth mentioning is that it is interesting to learn a language. When you learn a foreign language, you understand your own language better, because you can compare the two languages. Moreover, learning a language is learning the life of other countries. We learn about the geography, history and arts of the countries where this foreign language is spoken.
A lot of people speak English as a foreign language. Nowadays English has become the world’s most important language in politics, science, trade and cultural relations. English is now the language used in computers. Of course, there are versions in many languages but the newest and the most updated computers use English to interact with the user. Moreover, about half of the post and scientific books are published in English. English is the official language of many international organizations such as the Olympic Committee, the Organization of the United Nations and so on.
I am happy that I study English at school. It is a wonderful language. It is the language of great literature. William Shakespeare, Jonathan Swift, Walter Scott, Charles Dickens, Robert Burns and many other outstanding writers and poets wrote their masterpieces in English.
There are a lot of useful learning strategies that can help us improve our English such as reading books in the original, using a cassette recorder or CDs, watching English films on line, but in my opinion, the best way of learning a language is to practise a lot. Today we have an opportunity to communicate with people from different countries by the Internet; we can also chat in English on line. However, the best way to master the English language and to learn the culture of English-speaking countries is to go to go to the UK or the USA and talk to native speakers. Thus you enlarge your vocabulary, improve grammar and pronunciation and train your speaking and listening skills.
I also think that English will help me in my future career because the knowledge of English is considered a necessary feature of a good employee nowadays. Those who want to find an interesting and a well-paid job must know English. However, their chances are higher if they know two or three languages.
All things considered, the knowledge of English and other foreign languages is absolutely necessary for every educated man. It opens doors to the whole world and develops people’s mind and outlook.
Questions:
1.Why do so many people learn English today?
2.Why do you learn English?
3.What do you think is the best way of learning foreign languages? Why?
4.Does everyone need to learn English? Why?
5.Do you like learning English or not? Why?
6.Would you like to learn any another foreign language? Why?
Hobbies
A hobby is something people enjoy doing in their free time. They are reading, listening to music, going in for sports, travelling, gardening, collecting different things, etc. People have hobbies because it’s a perfect way to spend their free time and not to feel bored. Besides, hobbies are often educational because people learn new things. For example, collecting stamps can tell you lots of different things about the theme of your collection. What is more, having a hobby is a good chance to find like-minded friends.
Hobbies differ like tastes. If you have chosen a hobby according to your character and taste you are lucky because your life becomes more interesting.
The most popular hobby is going in for sports. Sport makes people healthy, strong, keeps them fit, more organized and better disciplined. Sport is also a good way of making friends. Another hobby group is making things. It includes drawing, painting, making sculpture, designing costumes, sewing, embroidering and other handicrafts. Almost everyone collects something at some period in his life: stamps, coins, matchboxes, books, records, postcards, toys, watches. Some collections have no real value. Others become so large and valuable that they are housed in museums and galleries. No matter what kind of hobby a person has, there is always an opportunity to learn from it. Learning things can be the most important aspect of any hobby.
Teens always invent new hobbies and the most popular hobby among teenagers nowadays is playing computer games, especially playing games on line in the Internet. It’s a very exciting hobby because one can find lots of games in the Internet and choose a game according to his or her taste. What is more, some of the games are really clever and train logics. Teens often compete in playing them. However, this hobby can be really addictive and lots of teens spend a lot of time playing on line and sometimes they even neglect their duties. Another popular hobby among teens is text messaging or ‘texting’. On the one hand, text messaging by computer or mobile phone helps teenagers stay in touch. What is more, it can bring introverted teens out of their shell, boost their confidence and help them make friends. But for some teens, ‘texting’ can become a habit that affects their school work, their ability to sleep at night and how they interact with their friends face-to-face.
As for me, my hobby is… . I started it…
Describe your hobby. Say why you like it and how it helps you in your life.
( Example: As for me, my hobby is collecting pens and pencils from different countries. My grandma has given me some of my first pens and pencils so I’ve got some very old items in my collection. I travel quite a lot, so my collection is rather big. I suppose I’ve got about 200 pens and 150 pencils. Some people think it’s a weird hobby, but it’s just like collecting anything else. I get really great satisfaction when I add new items to my collections. Besides, when I look at them, I always imagine pupils from different counties studying in their schools. However, I don’t think that many of my pens and pencils are valuable, but the look great!)
Questions:
1.Why do most people have hobbies?
2.What kind of things do people usually collect?
3.What are your parent’s hobbies?
4.Can hobby influence your future career? If yes, in what way?
5.Some people think that hobby is a waste of time. Do you agree with them? Why? / Why not?
THEATRE.
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. It also broadens our outlook, educates and provokes thought. By means of word, gestures music and dance it makes us think of such eternal problems as love and hatred, life and death, war and peace, devotion and betrayal, honesty and dishonesty.
Some people like drama; others are fond of musical comedy. There are plenty of people who prefer ballet and opera. In our country there are a lot of theatres: big and small, new and old, famous and not very well known. The Mariinskey Theatre in Saint Petersburg is among the most famous theatres in the world. Wonderful operas and ballets are staged in this theatre. The other popular theatres in St. Petersburg are: Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theater, the Maly DramaTheatre, the Musical Comedy Theatre, The Mikhailovsky Theatre, the Young Spectator's Theatre and many others.
All these and lots of other theatres present a great variety of shows, so a spectator sometimes feels at a loss what theatre to choose. Sometimes you may face a difficulty of another kind: that is of getting tickets. If you don’t feel like standing in a queue for tickets at the box office, you may book them beforehand. Ticket prices vary according to the seats. The better seats in the theatre are in the stalls and in the boxes. However, they are rather expensive. People who do not have a lot of money buy tickets in the gallery or in the balcony.
On entering the theatre people leave their coats in the cloakroom and come to the foyer. If they want to know the cast they buy a theatre programme. If the performance is popular, all the tickets are sold out and the stalls, the boxes, the dress circle and even the balcony are engaged. There might be no vacant seats even in the gallery. When you enter the hall and find your seats it is interesting to watch the public, the play of lights and shades on the curtain and on the ceiling. When the orchestra and the conductor take their places in the pit, the lights go down slowly, the curtain opens and the performance begins. If the performance is interesting, we enjoy its plot, admire the scenery and follow the actors’ work with delight. Our theatres in St.Petersburg stage a lot of the world-famous comedies and tragedies, musicals, thrillers, dramas, serious historical and contemporary plays. So, many citizens in St. Petersburg are theatre-goers.
Put 5-7 questions to the topic.
Answer the questions. Then write the composition:
“MY LAST VISIT TO THE THEATRE”
1. When did you last go to the theatre?
2. Who did you go there with?
3. What theatre was it?
4. Where did you buy tickets?
5. How much did they cost?
6. Did you buy tickets in advance or on the day of the performance?
7. Were you fortunate to get good seats?
8. Where were your seats?
9. How did you get to the theatre?
10. Were you a little late, on time or did you come to the theatre in advance?
11. What performance did you see?
12. Was it a ballet, an opera, a comedy, a tragedy or a drama?
13. What actors were engaged in that play (opera, ballet)?
14. Who played the leading role?
15. Can you say that the cast was wonderful? Which actor took your fancy best?
16. It was a play in two acts, wasn’t it?
17. Did you see your favourite actors there?
18. What was the play about?
19. Was it a stage presentation of a well- known novel?
20. Was the ending a happy one?
21. Did you see the stage and actors very well?
22. Did you ask the cloak-room attendant for opera-glasses or did you have your own ones?
23. Was the theatre full up to the doors?
24. Did you go to the buffet during the intermission?
25. How long did the performance last?
26. When was the performance over?
27. You enjoined every minute of performance, didn’t you? What made you enjoy it?
28. Was the music lovely?
29. Was there a storm of applause when the play was over?
30. Were the actors given a lot of flowers?
31. When are you going to the theatre again?
32. What theatre will you visit next time?
BOOKS IN OUR LIFE.
It is well-known that books present our culture, artistic and scientific wealth. Through reading books people widen their scale of knowledge and broaden their outlook upon life.
In ancient times books were written by hand, and it took a very long time to write a whole book and make several copies of it. The number of books in those days was very little and they were very expensive. Only very rich people could afford having them. That’s why printing played a great role in the development of culture, science, and of course, literature.
Nowadays thousands of books are published every year in numerous publishing houses. There is no problem to find a good book for reading. A lot of book-shops, libraries and reading halls are at your disposal. In the library you can find not only a needed book, but a magazine or a newspaper, too. You only have to look through the author catalogue or though the subject catalogue, find the name of the author, or the title of the book you want. Today a lot of people use on line libraries and can find any book not even leaving their houses. Due to the development of new technologies many people started to read electronic books.
The world of books is full of wonders. Reading a book you can find yourself in different lands. Together with the characters of the books you can go by ship in the stormy sea, climb high mountains, fly into space, and have a lot of thrilling and exciting adventures. We enjoy the beauty and wisdom of fairy-tales and fables, which teach us to be brave and honest; wise and clever; generous and decisive; hardworking and kind. Books teach us to be true friends, to see the beauty of nature and to love our homeland. They stir our imagination, expand the boundaries of the familiar world, and fill our life with great expectations of joy and happiness.
There are different kinds of books which can satisfy any taste. Children like fairy tales, poems and short stories. Teenagers are usually fond of historical novels, adventure books and science fiction. A lot of women find it exciting to read romances and detective stories, while men usually prefer fantasy.
As for me, my favourite genre is … Recently I’ve read a very interesting novel … by …
Describe what book you’ve recently read, its author, genre, the plot and explain why you liked it.
(Example: Recently I’ve read a very interesting novel “The Woman in White” by an English writer Wilkie Collins. It’s a very good detective story with a bit of romance. The book is basically about mistaken identity. The main character in the story is a young artist who goes up to the North of England to instruct two young ladies. He falls in love with Miss Fairlie, who looks very like the woman in white who had once been seen by him, walking alone and hiding from some people. The author brilliantly describes the adventures, love and fears of his heroes. He really brings the characters to life. In “The Woman in White” the reader’s interest is caught from the very first page and there is suspense till the very end! This is a great book and I would recommend it to anyone.)