1. In groups, each choose one different topic fromthe list below. Decide if you agree or disagree,and write down at least three reasons.

Private schools are usually better than state schools.

All schools should let children wear whatever they want at school.

Cooking and housework should be taught at all schools.

Physical education should be optional.

Girls study better without boys in the class.

School summer holidays should be shorter.

Boys study better in a mixed class.

b. Explain to the rest of your group what you think about your topic. The others in the group should listen and say if they agree or disagree with you and why.

Useful language

First of all My first point is that..

Secondly Another important point is that..

Finally...

Unit III

Great Britain

1. Say what you know about Great Britain

2. Read the text about Great Britain the british isles

The British Isles consist of two main islands: Great Britain and Ireland. These and over five hundred small islands are known collectively as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Their total area is about 94, 250 square miles. Great Britain comprises England, Wales and Scotland. The southern part of the isle of Ireland is the Irish Republic.

Britain is comparatively small, but it has such a great variety of scenery. There are wildmountains in the northern Highlands of Scotland, there are flat tulip fields round the Fens, and in the area of Manchester and Sheffield you can see moors.

Once the British Isles were part of the mainland of Europe — the nearest point is across the Strait of Dover, it is only twenty-two miles from France.

The warm currents in the Atlantic Ocean influence the climate of Great Britain. The winters are not severely cold, while summers are rarely hot.

The longest rivers of Britain are the Thames, Severn and Clyde. But they are of no great value as water-ways — the longest, the Thames, is about 200 miles — and few of them are navigable.

England is a highly developed industrial country. The city of London is one of the World's three leading financial centers. The Bank of England is the commercial pulse of the city of London. Great Britain produces food, machine tools, tubes, domestic metal ware, rubber products, clothing, furniture and printingetc. It has some heavy engineering plants and several leading research institutions. London is a great port with many docks.

The largest coal and iron fields in Britain are located in the Midlands. Manchester is one of the main centers for electrical and heavy engineering and for production of a wide range of goods including computers, electronic equipment, petrochemicals, dye-stuffs and pharmaceuticals.

Although Britain is a densely populated, industrialized country, agriculture is still one of its most important industries. Dairying is most common in the west of England, where the wetter climate encourages the growth of good grass. Sheep and cattle are reared in the hilly and moorland areas of northern and south-western England. Its best farmland lies in the south-eastern plains.