My last visit to the theatre

«A11 the world is a stage» as great W. Shakespeare said. But under the word «stage» we usually understand a place where a wonderful action is performed.

Theatre is an old art. For many centuries it has been loved and honored by people. Nowadays people are extremely busy and find it more convenient to seat themselves comfortably in front of a TV-set and enjoy themselves without leaving their houses.

I'm not a great theatre-goer either, but from time to time I go to see a good play, opera or ballet.

My last visit to the theatre stands out vividly in my memory. It was «Swan lake» by P.I. Chaikovsky in the Kharkov Opera and Ballet theatre

Our seats in the 5th row were very good. People around us were looking forward to the performance, reading programmes and discussing the cast. Atjast the third warning bell rang and the performance began. It was first-rate from beginning to end. The setting was superb. The ballerina starring in the ballet danced so wonderfully that it seemed as if she was floating in the air. Her dancing, accompanied by charming music, made a tremendous impression on everybody.

When the last curtain went down there was a storm of applause. People presented the ballet stars with flowers.

It was one of the best performances I've seen in my life

Honour- шанувати

extremely-вкрай

to look forward to – з нетерпінням чекати

first-rate -першокласний

superb - чудовий

tremendous –величезний

Lesson 24 music in my life

. Music occupies an important place in our life. We can't live without it. Actually people have different musical tastes depending on their age, education and even mood. Some people like classical music, others prefer rock, pop or jazz, but nobody is indifferent to it.

As for me I used to sing in front of the mirror in my childhood. A pencil box served me as a microphone and I imi­tated a show on the stage. It was a great fun

At present I can't spend a day without music. In the morn­ing I prefer fast rhythmical music. It's like a cup of coffee or a cool shower that encourages you and freshens you up. So, since the early morning you are in a cheerful spirit and the forthcoming day seems to give many pleasant surprises. Isn't it a great start of the day?

If you are in a bad humor you'd better turn to music. Nothing can help you better to forget about your problems than a merry song. Listen to your favorite melody and your spleen will disappear and you are in a good temper again.

After a hard working day I like to listen to some slow, beautiful music. It helps me to relax, to forget about my tiredness.

Actually, music is an integral part of my life and I can't just imagine how I would live without it!

1.jazz -джаз

2.imitate - наслідувати

3.encourage- підбадьорювати

4.a cheerful spirit –бадьорий настрій

5.forthcoming - наступний

6.spleen- хандра, нудьга

7.integral – невід’ємний

Lesson 25 post-office

There is a post-office in every town and village or a settlement. The post-office has many duties and has hundreds of thousands of officials: postmasters who are in charge of post-offices, post-offices clerks and a lot of postmen. It is the postman who brings many items of news to everybody, going round from house to house and dropping the letters into your pillar-box.

If you want to send a letter or a post-card you needn't go to the post office, you can drop it into the nearest pillar-box, and in some days a postman will deliver your letter or a post-card to the addressees.

The post-office does not only deliver and send letters and other mail, but it controls the telegraphs and telephones, pays out old-age pensions and family allowances, sells stamps either separately or in booklets with several stamps of various values, makes trunk calls — in a word — offers many services. That is why there are various counters there: General Delivery, Registered Letters, Parcel Post, Money Orders, Stamps, Post Cards, Air Mail and Book Post.

A few days ago I had to send a parcel to my friend and buy some envelopes and post cards. First I directed my steps to the Parcel counter. 1 handed my parcel to the clerk; she weighed it on the scales, gave me the necessary stamps, and I paid money for it. The amount that you have to pay depends on the weight of the parcel. After that I went to the Post Cards counter and bought some post-cards and envelopes. Besides, I had to send a letter to my grandparents. So I put my letter into the envelope, stuck a stamp on the envelope, wrote the address, sealed it up and posted it.

As I am in a habit of collecting stamps, I looked at them at Stamps counter, which issues postage-stamps in honour of every significant event or marking the memory of outstanding people of the country and the world. I made up my mind to buy some rare stamps. Then I suddenly remembered that I had to make a call to my uncle who lived in another city.

You know, the important service connected with the post-office is, of course, the telephone. In most post-offices and in many streets there are telephone booths from which you can phone. All you have to do is to pick up the receiver, dial the number wanted, put a coin in the slot and if you hear a long buzzer Sound be sure you'll get through. When you finish speaking, you must replace the receiver. If you want to have a conversation with a friend of yours who lives in another town, you have to make a trunk call or to ask for a trunk call and say, "A long distance call". Sometimes the trunk operator may say, "Please, limit your call to... minutes", or "The number is engaged".

Word List:

official ] - должностное лицо, служащий

to be in charge of - заведовать

clerk - служащий

postman - почтальон

to drop the letter into a pillar-box - опускать письмо в почтовый ящик

to deliver - доставлять

addressee - адресат

old-age pension – пенсия

Parcel Post - отдел отправки посылок

Money Orders - отдел „Денежные переводы"

Air Mail - Авиапочта

Book Post - отдел отправки бандеролей

to direct one's steps - направиться куда-либо

to hand - вручать

to weigh - взвесить

amount j - сумма

scale - весы

to stick (stuck, stuck) - приклеивать

address - адрес

to seal up - запечатывать

to post - отправлять по почте

to be in a habit of doing something - иметь привычку что-либо делать

to issue - выдавать, выпускать

in honour of every significant event - в честь каждого значительного

(важного) события

to mark the memory of outstanding people - отмечать память

выдающихся людей

to make up one's mind – решить

rare stamp - редкая марка

telephone booth - телефон- автомат

to pick up the receiver - снять, трубку

to dial fdawlj - набрать (номер)

slot - щель, прорезь