Earth Day 2015

On April 22^nd 2015, people all over the world will celebrate CELEBRATE

the 45th anniversary of Earth Day. Besides conducting CONDUCT

environmentally friendly projects within their communities, ENVIRONMENT

over one billion people are also expected to participate in meetings EXPECT

to voice their concern about the effects of global warming on our VOICE

planet. While that is definitely a much needed step in the right NEED

direction, the reality is, that on April 23rd, most of these 'activists' MANY

will return to their normal lives and habits. RETURN

13.

A Famous Photographer

Even animals, the best masters of disguise (маскировка), cannot GOOD

escape the sharp eyes of American photographer Art Wolfe,

who has been in search of animals to capture on camera, since BE

the early 1990's. He says that finding and filming the clever FIND/FILM

species often takes many hours. His search has taken him TAKE ²

to almost every continent in the world: from the deserts

of Africa to the rainforests of South America. Over the years

he has taken so many amazing photos that he has been able TAKE/BE

to show them in two books. A children's book entitled CHILD

Hiding Out and Vanishing Act. Both have been translated into TRANSLATE

several languages and have been extremely popular all over the BE

world. The 61-year old photographer who also happens HAPPEN

to be a television producer continues to discover nature's BE

beauties stealthily awaiting their prey in the white snow!

Module 6

1. 1. – E; 2. – D; 3. – B; 4. – 0; 5. – C; 6. – A

2. 1. c; 2. c; 3. a; 4. b; 5. d; 6. a; 7. c; 8. b

3. 1. NS; 2. F; 3. T; 4. F; 5. NS; 6. F; 7. F; 8. T; 9. T; 10. T.

4. 1. T; 2. NS; 3. F; 4. T; 5. NS; 6. T; 7. T; 8. F; 9. NS.

5. 1. – C; 2. – E; 3. – A; 4. – D; 5. – 0; 6. - B

6. 1. c; 2. c; 3. d; 4. d; 5. c; 6. b; 7. b; 8. a; 9. c; 10. d; 11. c; 12. ; a 13. b

7.

Dear David,

I am having a great time here with my brother in the west of England. I think it is the most interesting place I have ever visited. As you know, my brother is at university here and so I am staying with him. He has been here for three years and he says the town is not the same since he first arrived here and things have changed. He says that when he first came here, it was difficult to get around but over the years that has changed and now they have started new bus routes. As for my news, so far, I have been to the local museum and have learned a lot of things about natural history and wild animals. The paintings in the different rooms were wonderful too. And it didn’t cost anything either. After walking around all the galleries, I had a soft drink and a snack. That was good too. I haven’t bought any souvenirs yet, but perhaps I will get some tomorrow. Anyway, that’s about all for now.

All the best,

Pearl

8.

Some of the top places to visit in Great Britain

Today, let’s talk about some top places to visit in Great Britain. London probably tops the list. The capital city offers visitors Buckingham Palace, Oxford Street, the London Eye and the Houses of Parliament. West End attractions include Trafalgar Square and Leicester Square. Many tourists can experience going on a red London bus or riding in a black London taxi. London is huge! It offers visitors some wonderful theatres and sports venues.

Probably the second most visited city is Edinburgh in Scotland. It is especially popular around New Year’s Eve and during the summer when it hosts the Edinburgh Festival. Further north you will get to John O’Groats and see some admirable coastal views.

Bath in the West of England is highly popular with foreign visitors. It is famous for its Georgian architecture and its Roman baths.

Adventurous tourists can walk The Pennines or climb Snowdonia. In the countryside tourists can visit quaint (причудливый) rural towns and villages with inviting pubs and picturesque village greens.

Of course, the list of places to visit in Britain is endless…

9.

New York’s new generation of yellow taxis

New York’s famous yellow taxis are changing these days. New York City has picked the Nissan minivan to be its next cab. The Japanese car company Nissan Motors has won the contract to provide the next generation of New York taxis. The deal was announced recently by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The new vehicle features an overhead window to offer views of city skyscrapers, and charging stations for mobile phones and laptops. The car will also feature satellite navigation, so passengers will not have to debate with drivers who do not know their way around.

Mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg said that for the first time New York taxis would include rear passenger airbags. He also noted that the van had passed its crash tests, not just as the NV200 street model, but as the taxi model which included the partition wall (перегородки) and other taxi components. By 2017, Nissan will be able to manufacture the cars to run solely on electricity, New York City Hall said in a statement.

New York’s 13,000 yellow cabs carry about 600,000 passengers a day, and are the only vehicles permitted to pick up passengers off the street. The NV200, which will be built in Nissan plants in Mexico, is the first to be designed specifically for use as a New York City taxi.

The new taxis have been designed with both tourists and locals in mind. All taxis currently on the road will be replaced by 2018.

10.

Protecting Antarctica from tourism

Tourism on Antarctica has been increasing dramatically in the past twenty years, from a few thousand people in 1985 to more than 30,000 in 2011. The growing numbers are having a negative effect on the untouched environment of the South Pole. Many researchers agree that the frozen wilderness must be protected from modern tourism. Antarctica is the last unspoiled place on Earth. It has a very delicate ecosystem that could be easily upset by crowds of tourists landing in airplanes and using snowmobiles.

However, it is difficult to protect Antarctica because it is not a country and therefore has no government to control the number of visitors.

What do you think we should do to protect Antarctica?

11.

The Workliday

I have invented the word Workliday. The word is made up using the words work and holiday. The thing is these days very few people completely switch off from the office when we are on holiday. With the arrival of laptops and now tablets, and the easy access most people have to the Internet, it is irresistible not to turn off completely. It’s like a drug. We must access our emails or we might miss something. When we check our emails we find probably not much has changed.

These days it is vital for some people to keep in touch with the office. People have to stay connected. They are completely lost without playing with something electronic. (to be continued)

12.

The Workliday (continued)

Communication with the office or to our friends via Facebook or Skype seems to be a must when on holiday. Many professional people these days work from home. They can comfortably sit in the garden or on the terrace and do their work on their laptop, then email it to the office. The Internet has revolutionised how we work. People who work in offices need to recharge their batteries, so taking a break is important. This applies especially to those who work fixed hours, i.e. 9.00-17.00. But for those people who work from home their jobs are not that stressful. Maybe there is less travelling to do, i.e. just a weekly trip to the office. These days people can adapt their work time and work at different time periods during the day.