Writing (Письмо)

5 September Dear Jane, We're staying at a hotel in Scotland. The weather has been great — really hot and sunny. We've been very lucky so far. Everyone here says that it usually rains in September. We've done a lot of fascinating things. We've climbed mountains, and we've sailed across one-of the lakes. You know that Scotland is famous for its lakes. The best-known of them is Loch Ness where according to the legend a large monster lives. We've already visited that famous lake, but, unfortunately, we haven't seen any monster. We've also visited some old castles. The most beautiful of them is Stirling Castle. I've taken some great photos with my new camera. The scenery here is really beautiful. We've had a good time in the evening too. There are a few other teenagers in the hotel, and I've spent the evenings playing table tennis and watching videos with them. Well, I have to go now. See you at school next week. Love, Julia

Final tasks/Итоговый контроль

1. Высказывания по предложенной речевой ситуации в рамках изученной темы (15-20 фраз).

2. Диалог – обмен фактической информацией (не менее 5 реплик).

3. Диалог – обмен мнениями (не менее 10 реплик).

4. Написание письма носителю языка (80-140 слов).

Тема 7

SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS

(Научно-технический прогресс)

Тема 8

PEOPLE AND NATURE

(Природа и человек)

Animals

(Животный мир)

Ever since true humans appeared on Earth, they have lived in close association with animals. They needed animals for tasks that required strength and speed. People depended on animals for food and clothing, but they also found a source of pleasure and spiritual strength in the animal life.

Humans domesticated some animals for food, clothing, power and companionship. Through protection and selective breeding people changed early domesticated forms into highly productive dairy and beef cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry. Bull despite the domestication of many species, we still depend on wild animals for food and clothing. Besides, a lot of animals arc used for medical research. In addition, wild animals provide recreation in the form of hunting, bird watching, and visits to zoos and wildlife reserves.

Unfortunately, unmanaged commercial exploitation has driven some species of wild animals to the edge of extinction. For example, 143 elephants are slaughtered in Africa every day to get ivory. At this rate, they'll be wiped out in 25 years. What can we do to help animals survive? First of all, environmental organizations must analyse the consequences of humans' actions. Besides, people should create nature reserves for wild animals and birds. And of course, we must take care of those animals that are around us. There are a lot of abandoned animals in cities and towns, because their owners got rid of them. We must build and run animal shelters where neglected animals can find safety, food and veterinary care.

Nowadays a lot of people keep pets at home. A pet is a domesticated animal that is kept for pleasure rather than utility. Domesticated animals such as dogs, cats, hamsters and guinea pigs make good pets because they have been bred for thousands of years to coexist with humans.

Some people keep exotic pets like snakes, lizards or wild cats. Of course, exotic pets are fascinating and beautiful to watch. However, very often people keep exotic pets only in order to look extraordinary. They regard them as a status symbol. But captivity is not natural for wild animals. It is a constant stress to them, so they may become very aggressive as they get older. Besides, wild animals need to be examined by a vet with special knowledge and training in wildlife medicine. That's why it's not desirable to keep exotic animals as pets.

To sum up, we can say that for centuries animals have been our friends and companions, and we must do our best to ensure that this coexistence will continue in the future.