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on the whole – в целом

waste – напрасно что-то тратить

Ex.10 Questions for discussions:

1.Do you find that all the programmes television offers are interesting or at least useful?

2.Which programmes do you watch regularly? Why?

3.Do you like to watch TV quizzes? Which of those programmes is your favourite? Why?

4.Which educational programmes do you watch regularly?

5.Can you say that television plays an important part in your life?

6.Do you agree that watching television is one of the silliest things you can spend your time on? What’s your own opinion?

7.Is watching a telly a waste of time?

8.Do you agree that television has made life more interesting?

9.Is it useful for children to watch all the programmes they like?

10.What do you think of commercials on our TV? What is your opinion of foreign films shown on our TV?

11.How does TV in this country compare with British TV?

Ex.11 Agree or disagree. Give your reasons.

1.Television is really a very bad thing. When people get home after work, they don’t discuss the news of the day or go out for a walk. They sit down in front of the box and watch it until they go to bed. Isn’t it the silliest way of spending one’s evenings? Just a waste of time?

2.Television interests both men and women. Men are usually interested in serials, musicals and educational programmes, while women usually watch sporting events.

British Favourite Holidays

Learn the pronunciation:

Every nation and every country has its own customs and traditions. Holidays are extremely popular among people in the UK where they are traditionally celebrated every year. The most famous and popular ones are:

Christmas, Hogmanay, New Year’s Day, St.Valentine’s Day, Easter, Hallowe’en.

People all over the world and especially children like these holidays very much because they like to receive presents, to decorate New Year and Christmas trees and to colour Easter eggs. But young people from Britain prefer St.Valentine’s Day to all the rest holidays because it is the day of love and friendship.

St.Valentine’s Day is celebrated on the 14th of February. St.Valentine’s was a priest who lived in Rome and died for his faith in AD 170. His feast happens to fall on Feb. 14th – the traditional day for lovers. But this is a mere coincidence. He was not noted for helping lovers in distress and was not therefore the true patron saint of lovers.

On that day young people send greeting cards to their sweethearts and friends and even to those whom they don’t like. There seems to be no limit to the variety of cards on sale for this celebration. They are happy or sad, romantic or humorous, serious or ridiculous. It is not necessary to sign the card you send to somebody because the person receiving it must be left to wonder whom it came from.

Hallowe’en is a special holiday that means “holy evening” and takes place on October 31st. This holiday is particularly connected with witches and ghosts. At parties people dress up in strange costumes and pretend they are witches. They cut a horrible face in a pumpkin and other vegetables and put a candle inside, which shines through the eyes. Children, dressed in white sheets knock on doors and ask if you would like a “trick” or “treat”. If you give them something nice, a “treat”, they go away. However, if you don’t, they play a “trick” on you, such as making a lot of noise or spilling some flour on your front doorstep.

For most British families – Christmas Day, December 25th is the most important festival of the year. Many families decorate their houses with brightly-coloured paper and usually have a Christmas tree in the corner of the front room, glittering with coloured lights and decorations. Family members

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wrap up their gifts and leave them at the bottom of the Christmas tree to be found on Christmas morning. Children leave a long sock or stocking at the end of their bed on Christmas Eve, December 24th, hoping that Father Christmas will come at night and bring them small presents, fruits and nuts. They are usually not disappointed. At some time on Christmas Day the family will sit down to a big turkey dinner followed by Christmas pudding. Later in the afternoon they may watch the Queen on television as she delivers her traditional Christmas message to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.

New Year’s Day is one more holiday traditionally celebrated in each family.

It celebrates the start of a new year. People in the UK celebrate it on the first of January but the celebration actually begins on December 31, New Year’s Eve, the night before New Year’s Day. It is full of dreams and magic. The first of

January is in the middle of winter. The weather is usually fine and there is a lot of snow everywhere which shines on the moon and looks like jewels [ ]. All families prepare for this holiday beforehand, buying and bringing home a beautiful New Year’s tree and decorating it with toys, coloured lights, sweets and a beautiful star on the top, preparing a very special holiday dinner and laying out the table. At 12 o’clock the New Year comes and people say: “Best wishes for the New Year!”. Everyone hopes that next year will be better than the last one and children believe that Santa Claus will come shortly and bring them presents.

At midnight on December 31st throughout Great Britain people celebrate the coming of the New Year, by holding hands in a large circle and singing “For Auld Lang Syne” (“in memory of past times”). The words were written by Scotland’s most famous poet Robert Burns. New Year’s Eve is a more important festival in Scotland, than it is in England, and it even has a special name “Hogmanay”. It is not clear where that word comes from, but it is connected with the provision of food and drink for all visitors to your home or Dec. 31st. Many people believe that you will have good luck for coming year if the first person to enter your house after midnight brings a piece of coal, some drink and some white bread to ensure that there will never be lack of them during the coming year. But this is a custom that must never be carried out by a woman, because it is believed that if a woman first sets foot in the house, bad luck will follow throughout a year!

Easter – a Christian religions holiday is celebrated by people in the UK on any Sunday from as early as March 23rd to as late as April 25th. It signifies the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Before Easter the stores start selling decorative coloured eggs, Easter cakes, greeting cards. Though it is not an official holiday, many companies however give time off to their workers on Friday before Easter. It is a family holiday and almost every family has a special dinner party. Traditionally many families attend church services on EasterSunday.

Mother’s Day is a very special family holiday which is also commonly celebrated by most British people. Especially kids like this holiday very much