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This tradition dates from 1937, when the guardian of Juliet Cappello's tomb found a letter at her grave. It had a very simple address – 'to Juliet, Verona' – and was written by an Englishman who was desperately in love with a girl. The guardian felt sorry for the Englishman and decided to write back pretending to be Juliet's secretary. This is how the Juliet Club started.

Giulio Tamassia, head of the Juliet Club, says that answering love letters isn't an easy job. Most of the letters are written in Italian and English, but some are written in Chinese, Japanese, Arabic and other difficult languages. Then the club has to find someone to translate them.

Some letters are from young people who just cannot find their Romeo or Juliet, others are from teenagers who find it difficult to talk to their parents. A lot of letters are from mixed-race couples whose parents oppose their love.

Here are just a few examples of such letters:

“I am 14 years old and I have never been in love. That’s because I have never met a Juliet. All the girls I know are either too bossy or stupid and boring. I want to meet a girl would be gentle, understanding and loving – just like Juliet.”

“I'm going out with a girl but my father I says she is not good enough for me – just because she is black.'

'Some letters are very difficult to answer,' says Giulio Tamassia. 'If we feel we cannot answer a particularly difficult letter, we ask our psychologist friend for help.'

For Valentine's Day, the Club organizes a 'Dear Juliet' prize for the best love letter received. The winners are nearly always the Italians and French – they write the most passionate letters.

And on the 16th of September, there is a festival in Verona to celebrate Juliet's birthday.

K. Fox

True or False?

1.Shakespeare's play is set in 13th-century Verona.

2.The Montagues and the Capulets were bitter enemies.

3.Romeo and Juliet fell in love with each other at first sight.

4.Juliet was 15 years old.

5.Romeo and Juliet were secretly married by Friar Lawrence.

6.Romeo killed himself with a knife.

7.Juliet poisoned herself.

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8. When the Montagues and the Capulets saw the dead bodies of their children, they promised to live in peace.

3.Thanksgiving Day

1.Pick out the foods from the kitchen table necessary to cook a traditional Thanksgiving meal.

2. Match the questions with the answers.

1)What was the name of the ship that brought the first European settlers to America?

2)When did it happen?

3)How many people arrived in America on hoard the Mayflower?

4)What are the first settlers called?

5)Were most of the people over or under 40?

6)Where did they settle in America?

7)Why was it hard for them to survive the first winter?

8)Why is the holiday called Thanksgiving?

9)Why is corn a symbol of Thanksgiving?

10)What other symbols of Thanksgiving do you know?

11)What is the traditional stuffing for a turkey?

12)What do Americans do on Thanksgiving Day?

a. In 1620.

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b.Pilgrims

c.In what is now the state of Massachusetts, on the east coast of North America.

d.Because the people survived through the first winter, collected bountiful crops in the fall and thanked God for that.

e.Stuffed turkey, pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce.

f.They usually have a family reunion, thank God for everything good, have a traditional feast and watch professional football games.

g.The Mayflower.

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i.Under forty

j.The first settlers arrived in December when it was too late to grow any crops, and without fresh food there was not much to eat and it was hard to resist disease.

k.It was a new food for the colonists. Indians taught them how to grow it and it helped the settlers to survive.

l.White bread.

1 __ 2 ___ 3 ___4 ___ 5 ___ 6 ___7 ___ 8 ___ 9 ___10 ___ 11 ___ 12 ___

3. This text is a sample of speeches made by statesmen on important days such as national holidays. Read it and say how the speech is organized. Does it have any distinct parts?

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

By the President of the United States of America

Thanksgiving Day, 1996

(A)America's oldest tradition, Thanksgiving is also a reaffirmation of our most deeply held values; a public recognition that, in the words of Thomas Jefferson, "God who gave us life gave us liberty". In gratitude for God's gift of freedom and "for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us", George Washington made Thanksgiving his first proclamation for the new Nation, and it is one we are privileged to renew each year.

(B)Much has changed for America in the two centuries since that first Thanksgiving proclamation. Generations of hardworking men and women have cultivated our soil and worked the land, and today America's bounty helps feed the world. The promise of freedom that sustained our founders

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through the hardships of the Revolution and the first challenging days of nationhood has become a reality for millions of immigrants who left their homelands for a new life on these shores. And the light of that freedom now shines brightly in many nations that once lived in the shadows of tyranny and oppression.

(C)But across the years, we still share an unbroken bond with the men and women who first proclaimed Thanksgiving in our land. Americans today still cherish the fresh air of freedom, in which we can raise our families and worship God as we choose without fear of persecution. We still rejoice in this great land and in the civil and religious liberty it offers to all. And we still — and always — raise our voices in prayer to God, thanking Him in humility for the countless blessings He has bestowed on our Nation and our people.

(D)Let us now, this Thanksgiving Day, reawaken ourselves and our neighbors and our communities to the genius of our founders in daring to build the world's first constitutional democracy on the foundation of trust and thanks to God. Out of our right and proper rejoicing on Thanksgiving Day, let us give our own thanks to God and reaffirm our love of family, neighbor, and community. Each of us can be an instrument of blessing to those we touch this Thanksgiving Day — and every day of the year.

(E)Now, therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 28, 1996, as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage all the people of the United States to assemble in their homes, places of worship, or community centers to share the spirit of goodwill and prayer to express heartfelt gratitude for the blessings of life; and to reach out in friendship to our brothers and sisters in the larger family of mankind.

(F)In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this eleventh day of November, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two-hundred and twenty-first.

William J. Clinton

4. Match the parts of the speech with these brief descriptions:

1)making an appeal to the nation to preserve the values and the spirit of Thanksgiving;

2)reminding us of the origin of the holiday;

3)giving the date when the Proclamation was made;

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4)naming the achievements made throughout 200 years;

5)announcing the Day of Thanksgiving and calling the nation to join in the celebration;

6)enumerating the values of the American society.

5.Though the speech is full of generalities because it is not designed to give information but rather to appeal to the nation, we can still learn something specific about the U.S. find at least eight bits of information and formulate them in your own words.

6.Try to read aloud a paragraph observing the rhythm, intonation and tone of the address.

7.Now make a speech of your own (it may be humorous). Decide who you are, where you are, to whom you speak and on what occasion. Try to use some expressions from Clinton's proclamation. Start by making an outline.

4. Guy Fawkes Day

November 5th

1. Look at this page. What would you like to know about this day? Write as many questions as you can in 5 minutes.

Remember, remember

The fifth of November,

Gunpowder Treason and

Plot.

I see no reason

Why Gunpowder Treason

Should ever be forgot.

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2. Read the text and look for the answers to your questions.

At first sight, Halloween and Guy Fawkes Night celebrations may look alike. They are both in late autumn and have a touch of mystery, probably because they take place at night. The stories behind these traditions are, however, quite different.

The central figure of November 5th is, of course, Guy Fawkes. He was a Catholic who played a part in the plot to blow up Parliament in 1605.

3. Look at the pictures which show how to make a jack-o-lantern. Are they placed in the right order? Write short instructions under each picture, e.g.,

Picture d. Cut off the cap.

4. Let's make a pumpkin pie! Look at these actions and choose the

Now think of the necessary ingredients, write a recipe and draw a picture of your pie. Don't forget to treat your classmates!

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English as

a Global Language

1.How long have you been studying English? Read the following ideas and decide which are true about you.

- for my future work; - it is obligatory;

- my parents want me to learn it; - I can read foreign literature;

- I can feel at ease when I travel; - I can chat online;

- I can surf the Internet;

- this language is beautiful;

- I need it as I want to live abroad.

2.What language is an international one nowadays? What language should English native speakers learn? Read what James says about the English language. Do you agree with him?

People say that English people are lazy when it comes to learning languages, and that when foreigners coming to England speak English, English people should return the favour. Fair enough! I think this is true, but what language should English people learn? Europe is linguistically quite diverse, so even if everyone in England spoke fluent German as well as English, no doubt the French and Spanish would think that we were unwilling or lazy for not learning their languages.

But, no doubt it won't be long before the international language changes again. Only 100 years ago, Latin and French were important languages, 50 years ago, English and Russian, and now only English. It is only a matter of time before another language takes over the role of international languages, and at this rate it looks like it will be Mandarin! The grammar of Mandarin is quite simple. In many cases its vocabulary is too. There are no articles, no genders. Numbers are all easily constructed (55 is five ten five) and dates are as well. The only difficulties lie in the tones. But anyone could pick them up with little practice and a musical ear.

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3. Find the words in the text that mean:

-the act or process of acquiring knowledge or skill;

-a person not native to the country;

-concerning or belonging to all or at least two or more nations;

-spoken or written with ease;

-of various kinds or forms; multiform.

4. Use these words to complete the sentences:

1.India is quite ………………, both politically and religiously.

2.………………. another language widens your cultural knowledge about the world and the people who live outside the borders of your own country.

3.I can't speak a word of French so everyone can tell I'm a

…………………….. as soon as I arrive in France.

4.I strongly disagree with Esperanto becoming an ……………………

language as it has no chance of possessing the beauty of the language because all of its expressions and rules have already been spelled out for it.

5.He knows quite a lot of French, but he's not ……………………… yet.

5.Use the words from Ex. 3 to talk about the Russian language.

6.Match the words with their definitions:

7. Read other people's comments. Write a summary of each story. What’s your opinion?

Jonathan:

English is I am told the "world language" in terms of trade and commerce and because so many people now speak it in many civilised areas of the globe it is hard not to become relaxed. However I

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am a Britishman living in Slovakia and my partner is Slovak with excellent English. I spent three years learning the Slovak language and found it really difficult but I knew I had to learn it to communicate with friends and family in Slovakia who don't speak my language. All in all you can probably get around without ever speaking a foreign language but if you want to feel at home, understand a culture and have better employment opportunities then learning the countries local language or at least knowing another major world language does help. I also don't have to rely on my partner to assist me all the time!

Martin:

You should not blame English people for not being able to speak foreign languages, because of our education system many of us only start learning language by the age of 11yrs compared to France who start at the age of four or five years, it

is by the fault of this glitch in the education system that many English children no matter even if they want to learn language at a young age can't. Even when we do start to learn a foreign language there is only 3yrs of mandatory learning, which takes place for two or three lessons per week. When the learning is over, many forget it because they have no use for it other than to order food when on holiday because whether you like it or not the English language is used everywhere, and often a foreign persons language skills are better than the English because they started at a very young age learning it. If you want to blame English speakers for being lazy for not learning then you should also blame yourselves for resorting to speaking English every time an English person is trying to speak to you in your language to get what little practice they can, I have found that every time I go to France that when I speak French they speak English back and even when I persist in speaking French they continue to speak English, you can't win!

James:

We're always going on about the need to learn ‘foreign languages’ without going into which we should learn. If an English speaker knows Spanish as well as English, it will make very little difference to his or her life. If a Spaniard knows English as well as Spanish, he

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or she is likely to find it useful in life. I speak three foreign languages well and another at a basic level but would still not be able to speak the local language in most European countries and have been unable to find any opportunity to put these languages to practical use. If I went to Germany, I'd be considered a typically lazy, ignorant monolingual Briton just because I can't speak German. A German who spoke only German and English would be well looked on. It's a double standard. English speakers would have to know 10+ languages to shake off the 'ignorant monolingual' tag.

Nicky:

I am English, living in Australia after all, but I have bothered to learn several languages. In answer to the question which other language to learn. Until the First World War we all learned German, then we moved over to French. When I was at school we did 5 years of Latin, here in Australia, the government encourages students to

learn Mandarin and Japanese for trade reasons. Italian is hugely popular here because of the early influence of Italian settlers. Many schools working along the lines, of 'what is the most likely to be used?' have plumped for Indonesian given that so many Aussies holiday in Bali. Likewise in the UK, French and Spanish would seem to be the most useful. I am a language teacher myself and my children between them have studied, French, Japanese, Italian, German, English, Creole, Russian, and Spanish. My next-door neighbours have done a variety of Asian languages and my mother studied Hindi and my uncle Greek and Hebrew. After consulting with many colleagues I have come to the conclusion it is quicker to study a language that has the same script, is not based on tones and so is pronounced in a similar way and that you are most likely to visit/use. It is universally recognised by linguist that the easiest language for an English native speaker to learn is Afrikaans, but how useful would that be?

Jane:

What language you learn depends on your life goals. If say you are an American whose only purpose for a secondary language is to be able to communicate better with your community it depends where you live, yet Spanish is on the increase. If you want to learn a

language to develop in your career, then this also depends on what you want to do. If you are looking to go into social work, then Spanish is your

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