Introduce yourself to the people on either side of you like in a first meeting. How would you greet these people? What would you say? What would you do, e.g. shake hands, hug them?

ACQUAINTANCE

Introduce yourself to the people on either side of you like in a first meeting. How would you greet these people? What would you say? What would you do, e.g. shake hands, hug them?

· a friend see often

· a relative you haven’t seen for a while

· a visitor from another country

Match the pairs of sentences. Put the correct letters in the boxes.

1. How do you do.

2. How are you?

3. This is Anna.

4. Come in.

5. Can I help you?

a. Pleased to meet you.

b. Thank you.

c. Fine, thanks. And you?

d. Yes, please. How much is this?

e. How do you do.

How do you do” is formal and now quite rare. It is being replaced by “Pleased/Nice to meet you”.

“How are you?” is not used for first meeting, only for greeting someone you already know.

Think of possible replies to these introductions. It is the first meeting.

1. Pleased to meet you. My name is Doktor Strauss.

2. Hello, my name’s Susan – Susan Atkins.

3. I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.

Rita (R) is meeting a visitor (V) at the airport (Pic. 1). Match Rita’s sentences with the replies.

Pic. 1

1. Welcome to Russia.

2. Excuse me. Are you Mr. Miller?

3. Hello. Nice to meet you.

4. Let me help you with your luggage.

5. Is this your first visit to Russia?

6. Did your have a good flight?

a. Yes, thank you.

b. No, I was here last year.

c. Thank you. It’s nice to be here.

d. Yes, that’s right.

e. Thank you.

f. Nice to meet you, too.

Put the conversation in a logical order.

Work in pairs. Read the dialogue aloud. Take turns to be A and B.

7. Find and underline phrases in the dialogue that have a similar meaning to phrases 1 – 4 below.

1. How was your journey?

2. Pleased to meet you.

3. Have you been here before?

4. Can I give you a hand?

8. Victor Pavlov meets a client at the airport. Complete the conversation using these words:in call from trip a do way get bags abroad kind

Susanne is at the New Year party at the Academy. She’s talking to some students and teachers. Complete her responses using the sentences in the bubbles.

Hello, I’m Nicolay. Hello, I’m Susanne. Nice to meet you.

Have you been to Omsk before? No,…………

Have you met Natasha before? Yes,…………

How are you? Pretty good thanks………….

Would you like a cocktail? Yes, please………….

Thank you for coming today. Not at all………….

Hello, Susanne. Nice to see you again. Nice to see you too…………

In the dialogue below there are three people. The host knows both Student B and Student C and introduces them to each other. Practise a similar dialogue, using your real names and jobs.

Host:Student B, have you met Student C?

Student B:No, I don’t think so.

Host:I know Student C from school. We’ve done a lot of work together.

Student B:Really? Nice to meet you, Student C.

Student C:Nice to meet you too.

Student B:So, Student C, what faculty do you study at?

Student C:I study at the Automobile Transport Faculty. And you?

Student B:______________________________________________________

When you start a conversation try to reply in a way that develops the conversation.

1.How are you? – Fine thanks. And you? You’re looking well.

2.Nice to see you again. – Nice to see you too. How are you?

3.It’s been a long time, hasn’t it? – Yes, I think we last met two years ago in Manila.

4.Nice weather today, isn’t it. – Yes, lovely. I hope it stays like this for the weekend.

5.Terrible weather isn’t it. – Yes, awful. I think it’s rained every day since I arrived.

6.That’s a nice shirt/blouse. – Thanks. I bought it from Harrods.

7.This coffee’s a bit weak. – Yes, it is. Not like the coffee you get in Italy.

8.Did you get that report I sent you? – Yes, I did, thanks. It was very useful.

MY FAMILY

1. What’s your name?

Look at the picture (Pic. 2).

Which name is the most unusual

Among your friends?

Which name do you like best?

Pic. 2

Read the list of reasons.

People can choose a name because:

It sounds good.

It’s fashionable.

It sounds the same in two languages.

It’s unusual or original.

It’s the name of a place.

It’s a religious name.

It’s a name of a famous person.

It’s the name of another member of the family.

Sports and hobbies.

So, what do you do in your free time? Are you interested in sport?

Do you collect anything?

Home.

So, where do you live? Do you live in a house or a flat?

Do you live in the centre or the suburbs?

Sports and hobbies.

I play a little ………

I used to play ………but now ………

I like to go ……… (+ verb with -ing)

I collect ………

Home.

I live near ………

I was born in ………

I’m married with two children. Their names are………

My husband/wife/partner………

I’m single at the moment./I’m divorced.

HOMES and HOUSES

1. What kinds of accommodation do you know? Brainstorm ideas!

A detached house

A semi-detached house

A terraced house

A flat

A cottage

A bungalow

A sky-scraper

8. A villa

a. stands in its own grounds.

b. is a large and usually luxurious country residence.

c. is in a terrace of houses.

d. is a house with only one floor.

e. is usually a small house in the country.

f. is a block of flats part.

g. is a very tall multistorey building.

h. is joined to another one.

Rooms

Pic. 4a

Pic. 4b

What do you usually do

- in the bathroom? - in your bedroom?

- in the living room /lounge? - in the dining room?

- in the spare room? - in the kitchen?

Pic. 5

Project task. Use the Internet or encyclopedias to search for “weird houses” e.g. igloo, clay-walled hut, cave, caravan, etc. Bring a printout and description to the next class. Prepare a short presentation.

WEATHER

Role-play the dialogue.

- What’s the weather like in Omsk?

- Lovely! It’s 28 degrees and sunny! And what was the weather like in Washington?

- It was rather hot, about 25 degrees.

2. Match the words and the pictures (Pic. 6a – 6r):

foggy raining sunny cloudy snowing windy hot freezing cool boiling warm cold spring summer autumn winter

Pic. 6a ____________ Pic. 6b ____________ Pic. 6c ____________

Pic. 6d ____________ Pic. 6e ____________ Pic. 6f ____________

Pic. 6g ____________ Pic. 6h ____________ Pic. 6i ____________

Pic. 6j ____________ Pic. 6k ____________ Pic. 6l ____________

Pic. 6m ____________ Pic. 6n ____________ Pic. 6o ____________

Pic. 6p ____________ Pic. 6q ____________ Pic. 6r ____________

Is it true or false?

In Siberia

§ In winter drivers have to take extra-care.

§ In spring you’d better take a raincoat or an umbrella when you go for a walk.

§ In summer you can catch a cold.

YOUTH PROBLEMS

Is it easy to be young? Why?

2. What does the phrase “youth problems” mean? Can you name such problems? Brainstorm ideas!

Youth is a Difficult Time

Youth is a special time for any person: he or she is no longer a child and not yet an adult. And young people have some problems special to this period of life. One of them is the problem of finding oneself. Some teenagers still remain in a condition of Great Uncertainty: they don’t have particular interests or hobbies; there are no particular aims in their lives. That’s why they are in a constant search, which sometimes makes them choose the wrong way, for example drug addiction. I think if a person has a goal in life, or there is something in the world that interests him or her very much, that person is lucky. A wide range of interests is a sign of an intelligent and broad-minded person. That’s why almost all young people try different sides of life in order to find something which attracts them most of all.

By Girnik

Everybody thinks that youth is the best period of life. But young people have as many problems as grown-ups.

The problem which alarms me most of all is the problem of planning my future career. It is essential to have a good job. And to get a good job you have to be well-educated. So, after leaving a secondary school I should choose a university and see what entrance exams I have to pass. I can’t enter any university without good knowledge, for example, of English, so it is necessary to pay for special lessons which means heavy expenses.

After graduating from the university, you have another problem. How to find a good job? Unemployment is a sore point in our country. Even qualified professionals often cannot find a good job. So, in planning my future I have to think a lot about the possibility of finding a good job after finishing my education.

By Tanya

Nowadays teenagers have rather difficult lives. They have so many problems. The main ones are: hard drugs, diseases, such as AIDS, problems with adults, early pregnancy and of course violence and crime among youth.
Our world is facing a drugs crisis. The greater part of teenagers are using, or have used drugs. This is the main problem in the world, I think.

Because of drugs, boys and girls become angry. They loose their connection with their parents, and misunderstand them. They have a lot of communicative problems. Teenagers don’t have much money to buy drugs, so they must steal. And using drugs evokes such a dangerous illness as AIDS. Drug addicts are aware of their illness and with this their lives end.

To my mind our government should take the first step in stopping this problem and prevent the selling of drugs. Besides our government should lead different educative programs, such as “Stop AIDS”, “Say No”, or something like that. Even in schools we should have lessons dedicated to these problems. So, in my point of view, we should stop drugs. Teenagers should think about their future life. They should have dreams about their future career. And even if they are given drugs, they should just say “No”.

By Olga

As for me, the number one problem among young men is conscription. In our country all boys must go to the army. (Of course, if they haven’t got a serious disease.) It doesn’t mean that I don’t want to carry out the duty of a male citizen of our republic. But our army is like a prison today, with violence, bad food and poor clothes. I think, that military service should be a job; a professional army would be more organized. Of course, this problem can be solved only by the government and even they cannot solve it now. But adults must remember that the young are society’s future. If the present generation of youths grows up to be “lost”, we have no future.

By Sergey

Every day we have to make important decisions. It is very hard to make them in youth, because we are not children, for whom the world is so simple, and not yet adults, who have life experience.

In this transition period teenagers are very changeable; full of self-criticism, frequent changes of mood, dissatisfaction with their appearance.

Teenagers are also easily influenced by others. And just in this period a great number of people begin to smoke, communicate with different groups. But I think, you should love yourself, in order to find the right way in life and place in society. I guess, you should not only follow your wishes, but also fulfil all your duties in time; control yourself. I would like to say that we shouldn’t be illiterate. Ignorance makes unemployment a sore point.

So, we are responsible persons and we should respect ourselves and other people, too. And to respect yourself means to wish yourself happiness and try to make your dreams come true.

By Helen

How can the text be titled?

Governments of various countries conduct surveys concerning youth health. Have you read one of them? Read the article written after one of the surveys. But first look through some notes. Correct some of them after reading the text.

- 23% of young men in Britain are overweight;

- 8% of young men in Britain are obese;

- Even underweight women are trying to lose weight;

- women at the age of 18 smoke more than at 16;

- 53% of young men aged 21drink at least 3 days a week.

The Health of Young People survey is the most comprehensive ever commissioned by the Department of Health.

The survey painted a grim picture of Britain's youth with smoking, drinking and obesity commonplace. Twenty-three per cent of young men and 19% of young women are overweight, and 6% and 8% respectively are obese, according to the survey.

However, the research also uncovered evidence that many young females, aged 16-24, worry unnecessarily about their weight.

The survey found young women tended to perceive themselves as overweight when they were not.

Among those with a desirable weight, 20% said they were too heavy and 45% were trying to lose weight.

Even among underweight women 10% were trying to lose weight.

Chief medical officer Professor Liam Donaldson said: "Weight at all times of life is a particularly important predictor of health. If you are very overweight you run a risk of developing a heart attack or a stroke.

"The fact that a high proportion of children are overweight and 10% are obese is a worrying finding.

"But we found a group who, despite being below their ideal weight, were still trying to lose weight.

"That was particularly adolescent girls. We know about the problems of eating disorders and perception of body image among young girls, and this was a particuarly worrying finding to find it confirmed in such a striking way in the survey."

The survey also found that among the 16-24 age group:

· The proportion of young men who smoke increased from 20% at the age of 16 to 40% at the age of 18. For young women the proportion was higher at the age of 16 (25%), but lower at the age of 18 (30%);

· The prevalence of cigarette smoking was much higher in lower social groups;

· The proportion of young men who reported drinking on at least three days a week increased from 10% at the age of 16 to 53% at the age of 21, and then declined to 42% at the age of 24. The corresponding percentages for young women were 6% at the age of 16, 32% at the age of 21 and 18% at the age of 24;

· Over half (53%) of young men aged 18-24 said they had exceeded four units of alcohol at least one day a week, and one third exceeded eight units at least once a week. Among women, 28% exceeded three units and 13% exceeded six units at least once a week.

Professor Donaldson said the survey showed that teenagers were prepared to take risks with their health.

He said: "We cannot stop it entirely. If we tried to stop it entirely we would be unsuccessful.

"What we have to do is to help control it, ensure that fewer young children and teenagers adopt those adverse lifestyles, drinking, smoking and getting overweight.

"If we can do that and stop them from carrying the behaviour forward into adult life we will have been successful."

The survey is based on information taken in 1995, 1996 and 1997 from 14,582 children aged 2-15 and 5,126 young adults aged 16-24.

SWEDEN

For many decades Swedes – including young Swedes – have had a rather low alcohol consumption when seen from a European perspective.

This has been due to a consistent national alcohol policy with a state monopoly on the sale of alcoholic beverages, strict rules on sales of alcohol to minors (defined in Sweden as under 20) and high alcohol prices.

Despite this, the trend has been upward ever since Sweden entered the EU in the early 1990s - due to increased access to cheaper alcohol in neighbouring countries.

However, in the past couple of years Sweden has seen a decrease in the level of teenage alcohol consumption.

The non-governmental organisation, the Swedish Council for Information on Alcohol and Other Drugs, publishes an annual survey of the drinking habits of ninth-grade students (aged 15 to 16).

For 2007 the statistics suggest that more than 30% of the students claim that they do not drink alcohol.

This is up from 20% non-drinking 15 to 16-year-olds in the late 1990s.

In real figures, the council has found that on average boys of that age drink 3.0 litres of pure alcohol, dramatically down from 5.3 litres at the peak year 2000 - girls consumed 2.2 litres in 2007, also down from 3.2 litres in their peak year 2005.

However, this decline is not seen among the slightly older Swedes. Young men in their early 20s in particular drink a great deal, and a great deal more than young women.

Young men between the age of 20 and 25 consume on average 14 pints of strong beer weekly while women of the same age group half as much.

By Julian Isherwood

SPAIN

Spain's problem with alcohol is minor compared with countries like the United Kingdom.

The relative size of drinks in Spain is a good guide to the scale of the problem. When you order in a bar, the standard serving of beer is a caña - a glass with a volume of 200 millilitres, just over a third of the size of a British pint.

Many people start drinking in their early teens in Spain, but not just with their friends - often with their parents.

There's a high social tolerance for alcohol consumption and the atmosphere in which drinking is done - in bars, restaurants - is usually relaxed and more suited to slower drinking than in some other countries. It is rare to see alcohol-fuelled violence.

That is not so say that Spain is immune from alcohol issues.

The Ministry for Health says about 5% of Spaniards have an alcohol-related problem.

And, a phenomenon known as Botellon (Big Bottle), where young people meet and consume alcohol on the street is a cause of concern for some Spaniards who say it encourages binge drinking. Botellon has been banned in some cities.

But you only have to go out at night in Spain to see that, generally, alcohol is well under control.

By Danny Wood

GERMANY

A 16-year-old German pupil died after drinking over 50 tequila shots.

His death brought attention to the rising problem of teenage alcoholism in Germany and led to some legislative changes.

The bar owner who served the boy was arrested and is awaiting trial. He is charged with causing grievous bodily harm resulting in death.

The government also decided to ban "drink all you can" parties, where guests could pay a certain amount to drink until they literally drop. It was at such a party where the 16-year-old had died.

Although the overall consumption of alcohol here has declined during the past years, some now drink more than ever. German teenagers are number two consumers of alcohol in Europe, topped only by British youth.

The problem is blamed on the fact that drinking is still a big part of German culture and that the alcohol industry is specifically targeting young people as new customers.

Nadja Korinth

ITALY

While Britain's teenagers have gained notoriety for binge drinking, their Latin cousins have always been renowned for their restraint.

The quickest way to lose respect of your Italian friends and neighbours is to get drunk in public. Drinking on the streets is considered disrespectful.

But in the past few years, this more reserved, continental etiquette to drinking has been changing.

Over the summer the Italian government commissioned a series of reports which reveals a worrying new trend.

According to figures from the health ministry 17% of the Italian population are binge drinking at least once a month. One in five teenagers admits to being drunk regularly.

In 1996 there were 19,000 alcoholics in Italy receiving regular treatment – now there are 54,000.

And this, says Emanuele Scafato, from the Italian Institute for Health, is merely the tip of iceberg.

"Young people no longer drink for enjoyment," he said. "They drink to get drunk.

"The relationship with alcohol is very different to what it was 10 years ago.

"We blame the growth in the sale of alcopops, the way the industry encourages young people to drink to be 'cool'. These days you can't be 'part of the gang' in Italy unless you drink.

"The second problem – is the breakdown of the traditional family unit. Drinking in moderation was something you learned from your father.

"Young people were encouraged to enjoy a glass of wine at dinner. Now parents work longer hours, the rhythm of life is changing and so is the father-son relationship."

The authorities in Rome have tried to crack down on binge drinking and the related violence, forcing bar owners to close early and to sell drinks in plastic beakers instead of glasses.

Last month the Ministry for Transportation forced through new changes to the law. It is now illegal to sell alcohol in discos after 2am.

By Christian Fraser

20. What effect does alcohol have on the body? Read the following information and mark in the picture (Pic. 9) the organs that are affected due to excessive drinking:

Pic. 9

Intoxication

The immediate effects of alcohol depend upon the amount of alcohol in the blood and whether the person is an experienced drinker. As the blood alcohol rises, drinkers feel more relaxed and are often more talkative. They become less aware of their behaviour and judgement is often impaired. Loss of co-ordination and drowsiness may occur. The risk of accidents rises, particularly for those involved in operating machinery and driving cars. An individual with a blood alcohol level of 0.05 has twice the risk of having a motor vehicle accident as one with a blood alcohol level of zero.

Long term effects

Scotland in the 60s

Up until the late fifties you were either labelled a child or an adult – there was no in-between. But the sixties saw the rise of someone in between – the teenager.

Teenagers were becoming more and more independent. In the way they lived, in their ideas, how they acted, the language they used and the music they listened to. Not to mention the clothes they wore. It was a very exciting time to be young. But these things made teenagers different and these differences often led to misunderstandings and arguments with the older generations.

Because of their appearance and different attitudes, young people were often blamed for many problems. There was a big fear of youth crime. Young people hanging around in groups, whether they were Mods, Rockers or whatever, were seen as being 'up to no good'. The truth was normally that they just had nothing else to do. Just like today. They were seen as selfish, discourteous and lacking in respect and the media painted a negative picture of them. Again, just like today!

In the sixties corporal punishment was legal – hitting children was still an everyday part of life. This meant that if someone thought you were up to no good then they might give you a "skelp" around the ear before taking you home to get "a hammering" from your mum, dad or both!

Project task. Find out how many students in your academy have mobile phones, smoke, drink alcohol. Interview at least 10 people. Draw your chart and present it to the group. Are having a mobile phone and smoking interrelated according to your survey?

Living on the street

by Jade from Wrexham

Can you imagine a night on the street,
Waking at dawn with nothing to eat,
The howling wind and the pouring rain,
The busy streets and the loud cars that reign.

Can you imagine a few days on the street,
Sleeping on the concrete with very cold feet,
Thinking of food and how much you could eat,
If you had it right there on the street.

Can you imagine weeks on the street,
Trying to get money then fighting the creeps,
Who at the dead of night,
Turf you out of bed,
Maybe with a knife or something else that brings dread.

Can you imagine months on the street,
Thinking of home and how it used to be,
Drinking hot cocoa while sitting by the fire,
Whiling away the hours in any old manner.

Can you imagine years on the street,
Still fighting for food,
Still fighting the creeps,
With nothing to say to anyone,
If they would listen which they probably won't.

And I haven't mentioned the terrible noises,
That come in the night when you don't want it,
Creeping silently into your head and bringing on that same old dread.

Now you go out onto the street,
But keep in mind my longing plea,
For you to just spare a minute for me,
Then when you see us ugly dossers,
You may still not want to throw us coppers,
But give us a smile or a friendly wave,
Just to make us feel snug and brave.

Youth mayor to help homeless

Terry Jones wants to set up a dedicated hotline offering advice to homeless youngsters in the area.

The 18-year-old said improvements to the current service are vital to help young people.

"There are a lot of young people who have nowhere to go," he said.

Terry was elected by members of Bridgend youth council, which is made up of 14 to 25-year-olds from different backgrounds.

"During my time as youth mayor I want to focus on this problem mainly because I have had problems with it myself."

"I'm living in supported housing now but before that I was a 'sofa surfer' - sleeping in friends' houses."

"There is a big problem in the area."

"Lots of young people are sleeping in friends' houses and the problem is worse for boys."

He said that boys were not seen as a priority for housing and that many were often forced to sleep rough because they had no where to go.

"It is quite annoying because there are a lot of properties which are boarded up and yet there are people sleeping rough," said Terry, who moved to Bridgend from his home city Birmingham.

He said that he plans to meet with housing officials later in the summer to discuss the problem and find ways of helping tackle the issue.

Terry, currently unemployed and a keen rapper in his spare time, took up the voluntary post of youth mayor for Bridgend after spending time as a member of the youth council.

Bridgend Council said that it was working closely with Terry and the rest of the youth council on the issue of homelessness in the area.

It said that it recognised the need for a 24-hour helpline and for more housing to be made available.

"The council is already working with the youth mayor to identify the requirements for the 24/7 helpline," said a spokesman.

"There has been a follow-up meeting with the youth mayor and other members of the youth council to move forward on this helpline.

"Further discussions offer the opportunity to listen to the needs of young people," he added.

41. Do you know some examples when schoolgirls become moms? Does it often happen in Russia? In other countries? Read the text about Cyfle school and match the words with their definitions:

42. Read the text once again and complete the sentences:

1. Cyfle is a …

2. When they hear about a pregnant pupil they …

3. Their aim is …

4. At Cyfle they teach …

5. On Mondays …

6. A pupil can leave the class if …

School for pregnant pupils

There's a school is Wrexham allowing pregnant schoolgirls to continue their education. Here, Teresa Foster Evans, the teacher in charge, explains more: “Cyfle is a small school, known as a 'pupil referral unit' or PRU. We can teach up to approximately a dozen young moms each year and we also have an on site crèche so the girls can bring their babies with them. We will also offer other forms of support to the girl's family and sometimes the baby's father if he wants us to.

Girls are referred to Cyfle, usually by their schools or sometimes through the midwifery service. Occasionally parents have even been known to contact us directly.

When we first hear about a pregnant pupil we arrange to meet the family to discuss what will happen to her education. In Wrexham, school-girl moms are fortunate in that there is a special provision for them where they can get a high quality of education. Our aim is to support the pupil in as many ways as we can. This includes talking to her school to ensure that she can continue going to school safely until she is at least 28 weeks pregnant. If the baby's father is also at school and wants to attend antenatal or baby clinics we will also negotiate with the school to allow him to participate as fully as possible in his baby's care.

Once we have talked to both the parents and the school the girl continues in school until she is between 28 and about 34 weeks pregnant. At this point she transfers to Cyfle for teaching.

The girls are brought in by taxi each morning for 9:30 am and attend normal lessons for 4 hours, four days a week (Tuesdays to Fridays). We teach a core curriculum of GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) English, Maths, Science, Child Development and Business and Communication Systems (ICT). We also cover GCSE Short Course RE (Real Estate) and PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education). If a pupil comes to us and she has already started other GCSEs which she wishes to continue then we will do our best to teach these subjects too. We try our best to match in our lessons to cover the same work as the pupils were doing at school.

We have excellent contacts with the maternity service. One of their midwives is a regular visitor to the unit and we call her in if we encounter any problems during the day. We expect all pregnant pupils to attend the Mums2B Clinic on Monday afternoons for their antenatal care and parenting classes. This is why there are no lessons at the unit on Mondays.

Once a pupil has had her baby she is given two weeks' maternity leave. Occasionally, a pupil has medical problems following the birth and so the leave can be extended provided a doctor or midwife certifies that she is unfit to attend.

When she returns to the unit the new mom brings her baby with her. We have an on site, free crèche. There is no expectation that the girl will immediately dump her baby in the crèche and be prevented from seeing it again till lunch time. In fact, it is quite usual for the pupil to bring the baby into the classroom for a few hours or even days until she is completely happy to leave it in the care of our highly qualified crèche staff. If she breast feeds she can leave the class to do so at any point in the day, as she can if she has any worries or just is plain missing the baby. Our aim is to encourage bonding and for the girls to learn to take as much responsibility for their babies as possible whilst giving them the freedom of a few hours a day to learn in the same way as any other teenager in Britain.”

There are some other opinions of solving youth problems. Some young people prefer reading books, listening to music, going in for sports to smoking, drinking and taking drugs. Read Irina’s story and compress it using the prompt below.

Free Time Activities

Most teenagers in Russia like to go out with their friends or simply talk. There are a lot of topics to discuss. Friends can help you find new records, computer programmes or just new opportunities to enjoy your free time. I feel I could share all my feelings with my friends and they would understand me very well. We usually go to McDonald’s, the city centre, or a disco club. We talk. For instance, my friend Viktor is crazy about Tolkien’s novels. He often tells us about the adventures of the characters from The Lord of the Rings. It’s great when teens form positive subcultures (e.g. Tolkienists) or listen to some positive music.

I know some teens who are fans of a music group or a singer. They collect posters and records, visit concerts regularly, and exchange pictures and news. They like to sing songs of their pop or rock idols and find information about them in the internet. On different websites, admirers can find pictures, and lyrics. Some even download the music.

Other teens are sport fans or go in for sports themselves. British boys and girls play their traditional sport games, such as cricket, soccer, rugby, golf, and tennis. American boys and girls usually play American football, baseball, and basketball. Cheerleaders are also very popular in the USA.

My friend and I like to play basketball and volleyball. In summer we play beach volleyball, badminton, and table tennis. But I would not like to join a sports team. I want to play just for fun, not to become a champion.

Some teens spend a lot of time with their pets. One of my friends Ivan trains a puppy in his free time.

I know that in Britain and the USA many teenagers earn money after school or during vacations. They work for their pocket money or to support their families. They can work in a local pub, a shop, a supermarket, or a golf club. The majority of kids prefer to deliver mail. Some work in stables, if they like horses; some work as baby-sitters, if they like babies. If I could, I would work too, though in Russia teens have fewer job opportunities. I could babysit, deliver letters. It’s great to acquire some working experience while you are still at school. I believe I could even work abroad.

The best way to relax for me is travelling. If your parents are made of money, you are a lucky dog. You may have the most breathtaking holidays at the resorts of Spain, Turkey, or the Bahamas. As a matter of fact, some travelling and working experience is rather important, because universities and potential employers are very much in favour of students who have it.

What do you do in your free time? Your friends? Can your friend help you when you are in trouble? And you? Can friendship be the cure for drinking or drugs taking? Continue the dialogue discussing these problems.

– Who is your best friend?

– Phil. I can always rely on him.

– Do you have similar interests?

– Yes, we are never bored with each other. I can learn a lot of interesting things from them. Besides he is a person who stands by you to the end. And who can you turn for help to?

– To Jane. She never ignores my problems. I always share my troubles with her. She is supportive. Once…

Project task. Read the article below. What is the main idea? Visit a website on the subject of extreme sports. Make notes for a short presentation. Don’t forget to bring some pictures illustrating your information.

Sports Against Drugs

Once a cool holiday called “Sports against drugs” took place in Sokolniki Park in Moscow. Audience’s attention was attracted with a great number of sports competitions, which both sportsmen and onlookers took part in with pleasure. There is no secret that new generation is striving for dynamic life. But where can they spend their life activity except sports? Now extreme sports are very popular among the youth. Roller-skating is one of the most popular among them. Where else can you feel sensation of high speed, no matter whether a roller skates good? Who would ever expect that there would be so much volunteers who would be eager to take part in Open Roller Skates Tournament?

There were competitors at the age of 5 to 45. Just fancy how it looked! The atmosphere of the competitions was astonishing: modern music, extreme sport and fine weather, what else does advanced youth want? I decided to have a chat with one of these advanced chap nickname Bruise to know what he differs from others:

– What is your life motto?

– Onward to success, stop at nothing.

– What do you think about while you skate?

– Nothing. When I skate I forget all my problems and troubles, I air my head. It lets me be happy in my own way.

– What do you feel when you see a roller-girl doing excellent tricks on a high level?

– Oh, self-respect. Don’t let me leave it alone. I’ll try to do the same better then she.

– Do you prefer to wear the same clothes when you don’t skate?

– Yes, of course. My clothes are my distinctive feature. People see that I’m a roller even though I’m without roller skates. It’s cool.

– I heard that roller-skating divides into two directions – fitness and aggressive. What is the difference?

– Well, if you like to skate without any tricks and feel that it’s enough for you, this style is called fitness. But if you want adventures, you can choose aggressive one, which also has two directions, called “street” and “rumpa” Make it plain, “street” is skating on spring-board, and “rales” and “rumpa” is half-round area, where rollers show their skills. To put it in a nut shell, it’s your own choice.

I really didn’t regret that I visited this holiday. I convinced myself in reality that the world without drugs exists. You have to seek it yourself.

By Elena Arkhipova

52. Write an essay (about 300 words). You may choose the topic you like:

1. There are more and more pressures on young people to drink alcohol and they are worried that if they don't, people will think there is something wrong with them.

2. There is a blurring between illegal drugs such as cannabis and legal ones such as alcohol or tobacco in youth culture.

3. Youth crime is a huge problem.

AMERICAN AND

ENGLISH HOLIDAYS

Halloween

1. Read the text and answer the questions:

1. Who had the festival that was probably the start of our Halloween?

2. When did the Celts hold the festival?

3. Who was Samhain?

4. What did Celts do to scare all the ghosts?

5. What do people do nowadays on Halloween?

6. What are the colours of Halloween?

Thе Roots of Halloween

In the fall the nights get longer. The weather turns colder. Leaves fall from trees, and plants die. For these reasons, fall has long been thought of as a time of death.

Long ago, many people believed that on certain fall nights dead spirits came back to earth. This idea was held by the Celts, a European people who lived in England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and France. Over 2,000 years ago, the Celts held a festival that was probably the start of our Halloween.

The Celts' festival was held on October 31. It was called Samhain, after the Celts' lord of the dead. Samhain was thought to send ghosts to earth on the night of October 31. When angry, Samhain could send many evil ghosts. The Cells built fires on hilltops to scare off the ghosts. They also scared the ghosts away by wearing costumes made of animal heads and skins.

Traces of the Samhain festival remain in our Halloween customs. Ghosts still roam about on October 31. Only today they are children under sheets. People still wear costumes on Halloween. Only now they are cloth and plastic instead of animal heads and skins.

Fortune-telling is still done, but just for fun. Even Halloween's colors — orange and black — may have come from the Samhain festival, it was a time when orange flames lit up the black night.

Jack-o'-lanterns

Each year, millions of people carve Halloween pumpkins. The carved pumpkins arc nicknamed "jack-o'-lanterns." The custom of carving Halloween jack-o'-lanterns began long ago in Ireland and Scotland. But when the custom began, people in those lands did not have pumpkins. (They are thought to have grown first in North America.) The people in Ireland and Scotland carves jack-o'-lanterns out of turnips.

An Irish story told how jack-o'-lanterns got their name. Long ago, the story began, a man named Jack met the devil on a road. Jack had been very selfish. He knew the devil would take his soul — unless he could fool him. As they passed an apple tree, Jack had an idea. He asked for an apple before going to hell.

The devil climbed the tree to get the apple. As he did so, Jack carved a cross on the tree with his knife. The devil was scared to come down past the cross, which is a symbol of Christianity's good power. Jack helped the devil down — but only after he promised to leave Jack's soul alone.

Jack soon died. He could not enter heaven because he had been so bad. Needing a place to go, Jack tried to enter hell. But the devil kept his promise and would not let him in. The devil said that Jack must return to earth. When Jack cried that he could not find his way in the dark, the devil threw him a hot coal. Jack carved a turnip and placed the glowing coal inside it.

Ever since, Jack has wandered the earth with his turnip lantern.

Turnips with lighted candles inside them became known as “jack-o'-lanterns” after Jack.

3. Match two columns:

Wiches’ Brew

Mark Burgess

Hubble-bubble on the stove.

The witches gather round.

They all declare there's no compare,

It's such a lovely sound.

“What is the formula?” cries one.

“I think I have forgot.”

“A spoon for each of us,” they shout.

“'Then one more for the pot!”

Let’s play.

Halloween words.

Разделиться на две команды. На двух листках бумаги написано слово Halloween. По сигналу за 5 минут каждая команда должна написать как можно больше слов, состоящих из букв, которые есть в слове Halloween. Учитывается правильность написания.

Tricks before treats.

Все участники рассаживаются по кругу, в центр которого кладут пустую бутылку. Заранее заготовить небольшие листочки с заданиями (tricks). Бутылку вращают, и тот, на кого укажет она, должен выполнить задание на листке, который он возьмет.

St. Valentine’s Day

St. Valentine’s Day Quiz.

Roses are red, violets are blue, we know how Valentine's Day got its name, do you?

Where did St Valentine live?

a) in Greece

b) in Rome

c) in Great Britain

What date is Valentine's Day?

a) 15th of February

b) 14th of February

c) 8th of March

How do you spell 14th?

a) forteenth

b) fourtienth

c) fourteenth

Valentines over the Years

The first true Valentine card was probably written by a young Frenchman, Charles, Duke of Orleans. Charles was captured by the English and impris­oned in the Tower of London in 1415. He felt very lonely, and to fight his loneliness he started writing love poems to his wife in France. His 'valentines' are now kept in the British Museum.

In 1537, King Henry VIII officially recognized St Valentine's Day, which is ironic because he wasn't the most roman­tic of men – he had six wives (and two of them were exe­cuted)!

The early valen­tines were hand­made, and young people spent hours composing their own poems. In 1784, the first 'Valentine Encyclopaedia' was pub­lished under the title of: “The New English Valentine Writer, or the High Road to Love, for both Sexes, Containing a Complete Set of Valentines, which the Young may read without Blushing, and those of Riper Years find Pleasant and Entertaining.”

As time passed, valentine cards became more and more popular. The Victorians decorated their cards with hearts and Cupids, wild flowers, silk, lace, feathers – you name it!

When the modern postal system was set up in the nineteenth century, a real Valentine's Day indus­try was found. Ready-madecards were mass-produced, just as they were for Christmas and birthdays.

Today, many people send electronic valentines to their loved ones. But the person who gets an e-valen-tine will know who it's from! You can't sign it 'From your secret admirer'!

Here are some mobile phone text abbreviations used by young people in Britain. Do you know what they mean?

1) WUBMV?

2) ILUVU or ILU

3) LUWAK<3

4) KOTL

5) LOLV

6) Xoxoxoxoxo

7) 12x@>--,--

Read the text and try to quiz.

Pic. 15

Nobody knows for sure if Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare's romantic heroes, really existed but millions of people go to Verona, Italy, to see 'the house of Juliet'. This 13th-century house belonged to the Cappello family (sounds a bit like the Capulets, doesn't it?) who had a daughter called Juliet.

Juliet Cappello was born on the 16th of September, 1284. There were many leg­ends and poems about her romance with a young man, and these legends probably inspired William Shakespeare to write his famous play in 1596.

Tourists like to be pho­tographed standing on the balcony of 'the house of Juliet' because they believe that it's the balcony where Juliet Capulet and Romeo

Montague revealed their love to each other. And thousands of lovers from all over the world leave their love notes on the walls of the house. The town's cleaners have tried to remove them many times but they keep appearing again and again – and in greater numbers.

There is also an unusual volunteer organization in Verona – the Juliet Club. Every year, they receive about 5,000 letters from heartbroken men and women all over the world. And each letter is answered!

This tradition dates from 1937, when the guardian of Juliet Cappello's tomb found a letter at her grave. It had a very simple address – 'to Juliet, Verona' – and was written by an Englishman who was desperately in love with a girl. The guardian felt sorry for the Englishman and decided to write back pretending to be Juliet's secretary. This is how the Juliet Club started.

Giulio Tamassia, head of the Juliet Club, says that answering love letters isn't an easy job. Most of the letters are written in Italian and English, but some are written in Chinese, Japanese, Arabic and other difficult lan­guages. Then the club has to find someone to translate them.

Some letters are from young people who just cannot find their Romeo or Juliet, others are from teenagers who find it difficult to talk to their parents. A lot of let­ters are from mixed-race couples whose parents oppose their love.

Here are just a few examples of such letters:

“I am 14 years old and I have never been in love. That’s because I have never met a Juliet. All the girls I know are either too bossy or stupid and boring. I want to meet a girl would be gentle, understanding and loving – just like Juliet.”

“I'm going out with a girl but my father I says she is not good enough for me – just because she is black.'

'Some letters are very diffi­cult to answer,' says Giulio Tamassia. 'If we feel we cannot answer a particularly difficult letter, we ask our psychologist friend for help.'

For Valentine's Day, the Club organizes a 'Dear Juliet' prize for the best love letter received. The winners are near­ly always the Italians and French – they write the most passionate letters.

And on the 16th of Sep­tember, there is a festival in Verona to celebrate Juliet's birthday.

K. Fox

True or False?

1. Shakespeare's play is set in 13th-century Verona.

2. The Montagues and the Capulets were bitter enemies.

3. Romeo and Juliet fell in love with each other at first sight.

4. Juliet was 15 years old.

5. Romeo and Juliet were secretly married by Friar Lawrence.

6. Romeo killed himself with a knife.

7. Juliet poisoned herself.

8. When the Montagues and the Capulets saw the dead bodies of their children, they promised to live in peace.

Thanksgiving Day

Though the speech is full of generalities because it is not designed to give information but rather to appeal to the nation, we can still learn something specific about the U.S. find at least eight bits of information and formulate them in your own words.

Now make a speech of your own (it may be humorous). Decide who you are, where you are, to whom you speak and on what occasion. Try to use some expressions from Clinton's proclamation. Start by making an outline.

Guy Fawkes Day

November 5^th

English as

A Global Language

Keep a check on your progress

Keep a check on your progress. If ever you feel you're not learning fast enough, you may be underestimating how much progress you're actually making. Go back every so often to something you did early on to prove to yourself how much you've learnt.

Set short-term goals

Be realistic and don't expect miracles. Language learning takes time and commitment - don't expect to be fluent overnight and don't be hard on yourself when you can't remember everything you've learnt.

Set yourself some short-term goals - the thought of a visit in a few months' time to a place where the language you're learning is spoken is a real incentive to learn.

Don't worry about mistakes

Don't worry too much about mistakes. It's a normal part of the learning process, and you'll learn much more quickly by having a go at speaking than by saying nothing until you're word perfect. Generally, people are only too pleased to hear you trying to speak their language and make allowances if you don't get it exactly right.

Repeat activities

Don't feel you must always forge ahead with new material. Repeating activities is an excellent way of building familiarity with the language. So if you're tired and your mind is wandering, instead of giving your language learning a miss do some activities you've done before and which won't require as much concentration.

If you find your concentration wavering, remind yourself of why you wanted to learn in the first place. This helps to keep you focused.

Don't let grammar worry you

Don't let grammar worry you - but don't go out of your way to avoid it either. Grammar is simply the term for the mechanics of a language, and basic knowledge of the rules of grammar will allow you to say what you want to say instead of having to rely on set phrases.

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