1. My last day off.
Yesterday it was Sunday, that’s why my last day off was not long ago and
I remember it quite well. I always try to do my best to make my holidays
really exciting, because we have only few days in a week for relaxation and
rest.
Yesterday my friends and I agreed to meet at my place. First we watched a
very interesting TV show «What? Where? When?». Then we went took a
videocassette and watched an outstanding movie «The Independence Day». This
is a story about strangers from the other planets that were trying to
conquer the whole Earth and about the struggle against them. The movie is
full of visual effects and computer graphics that takes your breath and
makes you admire the modern technologies in the cinema. I wish our studios
and directors made such movies. «The Independence Day» can be added to the
genius pieces of modern art – that is my opinion.
Having watched the film, we decided that it was a time to go outside. The
first place we went to was the sports ground. Though it was rather cold, we
put on warm clothes and had fun. Almost all day long we played soccer and
basketball.
As for me, I like weekends and holidays, as the majority of other people.
And I like telling about my holidays. It’s dull to listen about the
ordinary working day, how do you think? Every working day looks like
another, but every weekend is different from the other. During the weekend
we have an opportunity of enjoying the life and having rest.
2. The library of our institute.
«Library is a temple of books», — somebody said. And I fully agree with
these wise words. Every person in our country elder than 14 years old, I’m
sure, was at least one time in the library. The majority of young people
has subscriptions to the libraries they like. The libraries not only give
us a vast choice of books, but also offers excellent opportunities of
having rest.
As you know, I study at the Far-Eastern State University, and I’m very
proud that its library is thought to be the one of the largest in Primorye
and even the whole Far-East.
Soon after our studies began, we had heard for a course of lectures about
the university library. We were told about the rules of using books we take
from the library and about its catalogues. Having listened to this course,
we passed an examination that showed everything we had learnt.
Soon I had to visit our library the first time as I needed a text book on
economics. I went downstairs (as library is situated in the ground floor)
and found a room I was searching for. But I didn’t get the immediately as
it was many students. So I waited for my turn. I asked to a librarian if I
could get the book on economical theory. She answered affirmatively and
soon brought me a book which name was «Modern economics». Than the
librarian asked me if it was for the first time I used the library’s
services. I answered that it was true, and she suggest me to receive
reader’s ticket. I was interested to know what documents I had to provide
for this. She told that she needed only my photo 3×4 cm and some money.
Fortunately, I had picture with myself and two minutes later I was the
owner of reader’s ticket, which proves that I am a real member of the
university library.
So, that is my story about our library. By the way, I want to say you
that I was greatly surprised the level of service in it. It was very
pleasant to meet kind librarian that was eager to help in everything you
ask.
3. A visit to a sick friend.
Everybody can fall ill with any disease. Fortunately, only cold and flu
are quite frequent in our city among infectious illnesses. They are rather
easy for the modern medicine and various pills can help you a lot in
overcoming this trouble. But, of course, being sick isn’t a pleasant way of
spending your time. In such situation friend’s participation in this
trouble can encourage you, give you moral support and even can make
yourself feel better. That’s why you always should visit your sick friends.
You must remember that tomorrow this illness may happen with you.
I always try to follow this rule. Fortunately, my friends don’t fall ill
frequent. But I remember such case that happened about 12 months ago. One
of my best school friends had fallen ill with hard form of flu. Soon I went
to his place to see him. I took some things that, as I was expecting, were
interesting for him. Among them I brought a videocassette with best game
moments of National Basketball Association. He was very glad for this
present and soon we both were enjoying the outstanding games of the
strongest basketball league in the world. Then I told him all last school
news and everything about the material we had passed when he was absent.
Then we tried to entertain ourselves and started to solve crosswords in the
newspapers, to watch TV set, so we began to do all that everybody makes
when he doesn’t know what to do. To my surprise, I lost the feeling of time
and there was deep evening, when I understood, that it was a time to go to
the home. When I was leaving for the home, my friend promised that he would
be all right soon and he kept his word. In a two days he came to school and
started to study various subjects with new energy. Sometimes a little
interval is useful for a person.
Modern medicine helps us a lot in a illness treatment. It also gives us
many advises of how not to fall ill. Please follow these recommendations,
and don’t be sick.
4. My family.
We are 4 at our family: my mother, father, my elder brother and I. I
think, our family is friendly, united. We spend much time together, go for
a walk in the woods, visit theaters, museums, go to the cinema. My mother’s
name is Luidmila Mikhailovna. She is an engineer, she works in an office.
She is a kind, nice woman. She can cook very well. She is fond of reading.
My father’s name is Konstantin Alexeevich. He is a sailor. He is a strong,
clever man. He often tells me interesting stories about different
countries. Father can do a lot of things. He teaches me to repair
furniture, to drive a car. My brother’s name is Alexei. He is 22 years old.
He have been studied in Far- Eastern State Marine Academy for 5 years. Now
it is a very difficult period for him: he is passing through state exams.
I have my duties about the house. I must go shopping, clean the rooms.
It’s not difficult for me. I like our home to be clean and tidy. I think
home is the nicest place. As proverb says, «East or West, home is best».
There is no place more delightful than home and there are no people more
dear than your relatives.
5. The working day of an engineer.
One of my friend, Dmity Shevelev, lives in Vladivostok now though he was
born in Nakhodka. Some years ago he graduated from the one of our
institutions and became an engineer. Now he lives near his office. He
usually walks there. He works on weekdays. I can’t say that he work hard,
but all his mates like him because he is a good mixer or, as you may say,
he is very communicable person. He doesn’t work on Saturday or Sunday. His
working day usually lasts for eight hours. His duties are to answer all
incoming letters and calls, to meet with different specialists, to help
young engineers. He often tells me that he likes his job. I usually meet
him after the work and we speak about life. He is very glad that he found
such work where he can show all his talents. Though there is a difference
between our ages, we have much in common. He is among my best friends.
By the way, my friend knows English rather well (he finished school #13).
It helps him a lot as every year various foreign delegations come to their
office. These delegations change different technologies with our
specialists and discuss many problems. All foreigners thought Shevelev to
be the best translator in their institute.
6. My working day.
I usually start my day with getting up and doing all things that
everybody does in the morning: washing, having breakfast, etc. Also, I got
used to gather my learning tools: pencils, exercise-books, text-books in
the morning. Then I usually go to the university. Fortunately, father takes
a car every morning and he often picks me up and drives me to the doors of
our university building.
And soon the lectures and lessons begin… We have from 2 to 4 lectures
every time, depending on day. I like studying in the university more than
in the school because in university it is mostly allowed to miss some
lectures (of course, later you should take a summary from your mate and
copy it). So, a student is much more free, than pupil is.
After the lessons I usually return home where I have dinner and start
thinking about my ways of spending the rest of the day. Very often I go to
my friend’s places. During the early autumn and summer I often go to the
sports ground or on the beach. I also like visiting different sports
events, for example, soccer matches of «Luch» in Russian championship. So,
the world is full of enjoyable things to do.
On returning home I usually start doing my homework (perhaps, it is the
most dull part of the day). Having finished it, I open a book and read it
or watch TV. At last, I go to the bed.
Of course, I would like to tell you more about myself and my working day,
but, unfortunately, my time is rather limited and I have got a lot of
homework to do. Generally, now you know about my working day enough.
7. My grandmother country house.
You are lucky if you have grandmother in the country to go to. Visiting
our old relatives gives us excellent chance to become children again. Every
time you are at your grannies they start to take care of you. That’s why
everybody loves his grannies very much. Countryside is always the nicest
place for everybody as its fresh air cheers you up and the low level of
noise helps you to have real rest.
My grandmother lives at Oceanskaya station. Every summer I got used to
spent my summer vocations at her place. It is the nicest place for me.
There is sand beach and deep forest – it is all I need for the rest. Every
day is full of adventures – you may investigate woods, get sunburn or swim
in the sea. And if you also find good friends to spend time with – you may
call this place real paradise. And all this pleasures one can get only in
25 kilometers of the city!
My grandmother is kind old woman. Her name is Lidia Federovna. All her
life she worked hard and now she is still very industrious and tender-
hearted. I love her very much. All best moments in my life I spent at her
place at Okeanskaya station. I will never forgot my grandmother’s house and
I am sure the impressions I got there will be among the brightest in my
life.
8. The lesson of English.
As you know, our group has two English lesson a week: on Tuesday and
Friday. When the teacher come and opens the door, we come in and sit down
at the tables. Then we open our bags and take our exercise-books and Bonk’s
text-books.
And soon the lesson begins… We usually start it by pronouncing
different words and sounds. Then we are usually invited to the blackboard
by the teacher and Oksana Victorovna asks us the words we were to teach by
heart. After that we usually do some exercises from the text-book. These
exercises teach us to ask questions, or how to make negative sentences and
so on. Then, having got our exercise-books for tests, we usually write
spelling, two tests and a quiz. During the lesson we speak mostly English,
but sometimes, when the students don’t understand the teacher or the task
in the text-book, we start speaking Russian.
What I like best of all in our English lessons is the gay, friendly
atmosphere in the class. The funny joke is always greeted.
To the end of the lesson the teacher always gives us a huge homework. It
usually consists of learning new words or a text by heart and making
several exercises in a writing form. Then we all say good-bye to our
teacher and begin preparing to the new lesson.
Here I want to end my small composition about the English lessons in the
university, where I study. And I want to say you that all English lessons
are among the most interesting and the most exciting lessons; that’s why I
like them very much.
9. What will be there in my new flat.
Every young man wants to live independently. And I’m not an exception. Of
course, the time will come, when I will alone in my flat. I wait for this
moment and imagine, that my new flat will be at least three roomed. There
will be a study, a bed-room, a dinning-room. Of course, there also will be
a kitchen and a bathroom. The dinning- room will be big comfortable room
with big table in the center. There also will be several armchairs, and a
big TV set in it. In this room I shall receive guests. I also shall put a
piano in the one of corners of the room and shall start taking piano
lessons cause I like this musical instrument very much.
The bed-room will become my favorite one because it is a room of rest
where everybody can spend several hours without noise and fuss. There I
shall put my PC that helps me very much.
Another room – study will be the place where I shall do all my work.
There will be a large table full of papers and several shelves. I am going
to gather big collection of books, so they won’t stay empty.
That’s how I imagine my future flat. I hope that these dreams will become
true.
10. How did I spend last summer?
I think summer is the best season for rest because it is warm, the nature
is beautiful and we have great opportunities for rest. Summer is a time of
holidays. We can go for a walk all day long, watch the clouds, swim, sit
down by a river or a lake on fresh, green grass, climb high hills, play
different games, ride a bicycle and so on.
I spend my summer holidays at my granny. There were many things there to
enjoy. I swam in the sea, laid in the sun and did many other things.
Sometimes I made a fire with my friends at the seaside and cooked potatoes
there. It was wonderful. We told anecdotes to each other, and did
everything we wanted. I also got used to walk alone in the forest.
When the August was coming to the end, I went on a small voyage by ship.
The ship name was «Olga Sadovskaya».
But the last summer wasn’t for me only sugar and honey. I have passed
through the graduating exams in school and entering exams in the university
and technical university. So the bigger part of my summer vocations I spent
at the books. Of course, it was not interesting, but I’m glad that I did it
because now I’m a student of the best university in Primorye and the whole
Far-East.
11.My first journey.
For some people there is nothing so exciting as traveling, and I’m not an
exception. And I’m happy that I have traveled a lot and I hope that my
first journey wasn’t the last one.
First I bought a ticket for plane. Many people think, that nothing can be
compared with traveling by air, because it is the most comfortable, and, of
course, the quickest way of moving. There is none of the dust and dirt of a
railway or car journey, none of the trouble of changing from train of
another to streamer and then to another train. But booking tickets in
summer is a problem. The air-fare is quite expensive and not all people can
afford it.
Then I continued my way by the train. This kind of transport has also
many advantages. With a train you have a comfort and speed combined. From
a comfortable corner seat of a railway carriage you have a splendid view of
a countryside. If you are hungry you can have a meal in the dinning-car and
if the journey is long one can have a bed in a sleeper.
But I believe that there is no travel so fine as by ship. It’s wonderful
to feel the deck of the ship under the feet, to see the rise and fall of
the waves, to feel the fresh sea wind blowing in the face, hear the cry of
the sea-gulls. Of course, the voyage isn’t exciting for those who are sea-
sick when the sea is a little bit rough.
Many people say: «Give me a walking tour any time». And it is not
surprising. The walker leaves the dull, broad highway and goes along little
winding lanes where cars can’t go. He takes mountain paths through the
heather, he wonders by the side of quiet lakes and through the shades of
woods.
He sees the real country, the wild flowers, the young birds in their
nests, the deer in the forest, he feels the quietness and calm of nature.
And besides, you are saving a lot of money by traveling on foot. No one can
deny that walking is the cheapest method of traveling.
12.My work at the foreign trade company.
Hello, my name is Maxim Sviridov. I work as a manager at the «Star tour»
company. It is Russian company which works on the business travel market.
Two weeks ago I was sent by the administration of our company to London
where I studied the English travel companies, their traditions, their
marketing and management. Now my business trip is coming to the end and I
want to share with you my impressions of English business world. First of
all English businessmen are well known all over the world for their honesty
and decency. If an Englishman gives you his word he will keep it in any
case. Besides that, nothing can prevent him from refusing the once taken
decision. Of course, there are some exclusions, but they are so rare that
nobody should put attention on them.
During the last two weeks my working day was approximately the same.
Early in the morning I took a taxi to my hosts’ headquarters, which is
situated in the City – the business heart of London. First of all I usually
asked Ms. Lapital – my secretary if there were any letters or cables for
me. Then she gave me my correspondence and fresh newspapers and I followed
to my office-room. There I studied all documents that had come for my name
and wrote a short report about previous business day and then faxed it to
my native company in Vladivostok. After that I went to Mr. Forsberg’s
office-room to get tasks for the new day and ask some questions about their
company, its history, traditions, clients, and so on. After that I usually
did what Mr. Forsberg asked. My usual job was meeting with potential
clients, discussing their rest plans and offering the services of Mr.
Forsberg’s company. I usually met with 10 or 12 people a day. They were
representatives of different social groups and communicating with them
increased my knowledge of England and Englishmen, their psychology greatly.
This business trip was a great chance for me and I hope I used this chance
fully. Now I know a lot about Western business world, about travel business
and this knowledge will, of course, help my in my future career.
13.My breakfast.
It is not a secret that our meals influence much on our health and our
mood. That’s why I consider breakfast to be the most important meal in the
day as it is the first our meal and it can put us in good spirits or it
can’t. Now I shall tell you about my breakfast.
In the morning I usually have porridge. I often start my breakfast with a
cereal which is not cooked, it is something dry, ready to be eaten or
muesly – some grain or porridge which is not cooked with dried fruit, nuts
and so on.
I also like eggs (cooked in different ways). I don’t practically eat
butter, I prefer soft margarine – made of vegetable fat, which is not heavy
and creamy. I don’t eat jam at breakfast, I eat marmalade which is not
sweet, there is slight bitterness; it’s rather pleasant.
I usually don’t have substantial breakfast on weekdays, I do it on
weekends when I get up late. Very often I have just tea or coffee with
sandwiches. Tea is usually taken by me with milk. I like very strong tea
without sugar.
Sometimes when I am in hurry I don’t have time to have proper breakfast
and I go to the university being hungry. In such case I usually buy
something like «Snickers» or «Mars» on my way to the Alma Mater.
14.My district and my flat.
As you know, Vladivostok, the capital of the Primorsky region, occupies
the peninsula of Murav’ev-Amursky which is washed by Amur and Ussuri gulfs.
One part of this peninsula, called Egersheld (it was named after one of the
explores of Russian Far-East), is my native district. Egersheld is known
from the foundation of Vladivostok. More then one hundred years ago the
first houses for the seamen appeared in it. Since that time Egersheld is
known as the working center of the city. Now, for example, the territory of
the commercial port is situated in this district. Egersheld is the most
environmental friendly district in the city as it is open to strong sea
winds which blow out all harmful substances in the air and clouds of dust.
Of course, this has a negative side – the average temperature in the
district in winter is lower than in the other parts of Vladivostok. As my
native district occupies very special geographical position (in fact,
Egersheld – is a small peninsula of Murav’ev-Amursky peninsula) so its
citizens may admire beautiful sea scenes every evening when the sun is
hiding for the horizon. These seascapes are really breathtaking and very
often you may see dozens of artists trying to carry this wonderful sight to
paper or canvas.
Now about my flat. I live in Sipyagina, 31. Our flat is not very large,
its double-roomed. If you know the word «khrushovka», you may imagine what
is our flat looks like. Besides these two rooms we also have a kitchen and
a bathroom. I think there is no any outstanding thing in our flat that is
worth describing. We have a TV set in one of the rooms, two wardrobes, two
working tables, and small bookcase where our home library is kept.
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