- •Card 1 Let’s talk about family.
- •What role does family play in each person’s life?
- •Card 2 Let’s talk about family traditions.
- •Card 3 Let’s talk about family relationships.
- •Card 4 Let’s talk about friendship and relationship with friends.
- •Card 5 Let’s talk about education.
- •Card 6 Let’s talk about studying at school.
- •Card 7 Let’s talk about school traditions.
- •Card 9 Let’s talk about life in the city and in the country.
- •Card 10 Let’s talk about different types of houses.
- •Card 11 Let’s talk about Belarusian national cuisine.
- •Card 12 Let’s talk about national cuisine of an English-speaking country.
- •Do you know anything about American cuisine?
- •Card 13 Let’s talk about shopping and money.
- •Card 14 Let’s talk about leisure time.
- •Card 15 Let’s talk about Belarusian customs and traditions.
- •Card 16 Let’s talk about customs and traditions of an English-speaking country.
- •Card 17 Let’s talk about modern means of communication.
- •What modern means of communication do you know?
- •Video conferences are often used by business people and scientists and they don’t need to travel to remote places.
- •Card 18 Let’s talk about a healthy way of life.
- •Card 19 Let’s talk about sport.
- •Card 20 Let’s talk about fashion.
- •Card 21 Let’s talk about travelling and tourism.
- •Card 22 Let’s talk about environment.
- •Card 23 Let’s talk about weather and climate.
- •Do you have a favourite season?
- •Card 24 Let’s talk about the Republic of Belarus.
- •Card 25 Let’s talk about Great Britain.
- •* Let’s talk about science
- •What scientific achievements do you find very important?
- •* Let’s talk about youth organizations
- •Today young people take an active part in the social life of the country. What youth organizations do you know?
- •What kind of appearance appeals to you?
Card 12 Let’s talk about national cuisine of an English-speaking country.
What do you know about British national cuisine?
British national cuisine is not considered to be the best and healthiest in the world though it has some nice traditions.
A traditional English breakfast is a cooked meal which may contain sausages, bacon, black pudding, scrambled or fried egg, mushrooms, boiled tomatoes, beans and toast. The English are sure that proper breakfast should be substantial. So it’s absolutely different from a continental breakfast which consists of just a croissant and coffee.
If a meal is eaten in the late morning instead of both breakfast and lunch, it is called brunch.
Lunch is a meal eaten in the middle of the day. People usually eat sandwiches and have cold drinks such as cola.
Dinner is usually in the evening when all the family get together. It’s a cooked meal of meat or fish and two vegetables, one of which is often potato. It’s common to eat dessert also known as pudding after the main dish.
The Sunday Roast is a traditional meal eaten by a family at Sunday lunchtime - roast beef with roast potatoes, peas, Brussels sprouts, green beans, Yorkshire pudding and gravy.
The most famous dish of British cuisine is fish and chips. Fish and long thin pieces of potato are both cooked in very hot oil. The dish is usually served with salt and vinegar.
Do you know anything about American cuisine?
The United States is a multicultural nation. The culture of that country is a cultural mix. So is its cuisine.
American cuisine is similar to that in other Western countries and it uses indigenous ([ɪn'dɪʤɪnəs] местный) ingredients, such as turkey, venison (['venɪs(ə)n] оленина), potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, squash ([skwɔʃ] тыква), and maple (['meɪpl] кленовый) syrup, which were consumed by Native Americans and early European settlers. Pork and beef barbecue, crab cakes, potato chips, and chocolate chip cookies are distinctively American foods.
Characteristic dishes such as apple pie, fried chicken, pizza, hamburgers, and hot dogs derive from the recipes of various immigrants. French fries, Mexican dishes such as burritos and tacos, and pasta dishes freely adapted from Italian sources are widely consumed. Americans generally prefer coffee to tea. The U.S. industries are largely responsible for making orange juice and milk breakfast beverages (['bevərɪʤ] напиток) in the country.
What questions can you ask a British friend about their eating habits?
How many meals a day do you usually have? Do you have breakfast or brunch? Do you prefer British or continental breakfast? What do you usually eat for dinner? What vegetables do you prefer?
My friend wants to know more about national cuisines. What national dishes
would you recommend him to taste?
Our world is becoming smaller. Due to modern technologies we can learn about culture of different nations and their cuisines are becoming more and more popular all over the world.
Japanese cuisine is very popular nowadays. So Sushi is a favourite food in that country. Slices of very fresh fish and vegetables wrapped in seaweed and rice are worth trying. French onion soup is quite popular not only in France. Greek salad is very simple to cook. And if you like rice I think Spanish paella [paɪ'elə] is the dish for you. Lasagne [lə’zanjə] is a popular Italian dish made from pasta in the form of sheets or wide strips and baked with meat or vegetables and a cheese sauce. Of course, you can find all the recipes online though it’s better to try those dishes in a restaurant first.
British and American people eat a lot of fast food. Scientists say it is unhealthy.
What do you think about it?
I do agree with scientists. Fast food is easy and convenient. It takes less time to get it and many people like its taste. However it is important to understand that though fast food looks and tastes nice it’s because of artificial colours and flavourings. Those substances are considered to be food additives and people get used to them very quickly. Fast food is usually high in fat, calories and cholesterol. Fast food gives us twice as much energy and makes us eat more than we normally would. If you eat fast food very often, you will easily become overweight. It simply kills appetite control systems. So too much of fast food can lead to health problems such as heart disease and obesity.
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