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 have subscriptions to the libraries they
like. The libraries not only give us a vast choice of books, but
also offer 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
textbook 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 3x4 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 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 an 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, and go to the
cinema. My mother’s name is Luidmila Mikhailovna. She is an
engineer, she works at 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 dearer than your relatives.
5. The working day of an engineer
One of my friends, 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, and
textbooks 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 my working day, and
myself 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 kilometres 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 forget 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 lessons 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 textbooks.
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 textbook. 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 textbook,
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 between 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 bedroom, 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 centre. 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 bedroom will become my favourite 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, lay 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 travelling, and I’m
not an exception. And I’m happy that I have travelled 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 travelling 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
airfare 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 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 seasick 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 travelling on
foot. No one can deny that walking is the cheapest method of
travelling.
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 muesli – 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. I usually take tea 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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