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Title: "All Jobs are Good, Choose to Your Taste! Discussing the Importance of Career Guidance in Schools"

Author: Ekaterina Stepanova

Style: Informative article

Topic: The article discusses the importance of career guidance in Russian schools and the introduction of a "Professional Minimum" program aimed at helping students choose their future careers.

Summary: The article highlights the new "Professional Minimum" program implemented in Russian schools this academic year. It aims to provide students from grades 6-11 with career guidance activities, including lessons, excursions, workshops, and internships. The program has three levels: basic, advanced, and comprehensive, allowing schools to choose the level that suits their needs. The article emphasizes the importance of early career guidance and practical experience for students to make informed decisions about their future careers. It also mentions the involvement of parents, educational institutions, and companies in the program.

Author's Perspective: The author presents the "Professional Minimum" program as a positive initiative that will help students explore various professions, gain practical experience, and make informed career choices. The article cites statistics from surveys indicating that a majority of Russians consider career guidance in schools and excursions to companies to be highly beneficial.

Author's Conclusion: The article does not explicitly state a conclusion, but it implies that the "Professional Minimum" program is a valuable addition to the educational system, providing students with the necessary tools and resources to explore career options and develop their interests and skills.

Personal Conclusion: The "Professional Minimum" program seems to be a comprehensive and well-structured initiative that addresses the crucial aspect of career guidance in schools. By offering various levels of engagement and involving different stakeholders, such as parents, educational institutions, and companies, the program provides students with a holistic approach to career exploration and preparation. Early exposure to career options and practical experiences can indeed help students make more informed decisions about their future paths, aligning their interests and skills with suitable career choices.

The article is titled "The Most 'Disgusting' Topics for the Admission Essay to the Unified State Exam (EGE)" and was written by Stanislava Odoevtseva. The style is journalistic.

The article discusses the upcoming Unified State Exam (EGE) in Russia, particularly the final essay that serves as an admission requirement. The main topics covered are: the structure and requirements of the final essay, examples of past essay topics that students find challenging, and tips for students on how to prepare.

In summary, the final essay is a 3-hour 55-minute writing assignment that students must pass in order to take the EGE. It is evaluated based on criteria like relevance to the topic, argumentation, use of literary sources, composition and logic, language quality, and grammar. While the general topic areas are known in advance, the specific prompts are not revealed until the day of the exam.

The author notes that students often find certain topics, such as those related to works by Radishchev, Gorky, and "Martin Eden", to be particularly difficult and "disgusting". This is likely because they require knowledge of literature that many students lack. However, the author emphasizes the importance of preparing thoroughly through practice essays and careful reading.

In the author's view, the final essay, while challenging, is a necessary requirement that helps prepare students for the rigor of the EGE. The article concludes by noting that around 40% of students do not pass the essay on the first attempt, but are given two more opportunities to do so.

Overall, the article provides a comprehensive overview of the final essay requirement and the challenges it poses for Russian high school students preparing for the EGE.

REGRET BY K. CHOPIN

Kate Chopin (1850-1904) was an American author of short stories and novels, known for her literary works examining the lives of sensitive, intelligent women in the late 19th century American South. "Regret" is one of her acclaimed short stories.

The story centers around Mamzelle Aurlie, an unmarried woman running a farm, who is unexpectedly tasked with caring for her neighbor Odile's four young children while Odile goes to visit her ailing mother. Despite initial struggles with childcare, Mamzelle Aurlie grows attached to the children over the two weeks they stay with her. When Odile returns to retrieve her children, Mamzelle Aurlie is overwhelmed with sadness at their departure, realizing too late her regret at never having children of her own.

The main problem Chopin tackles is the loneliness and emptiness of life without children, even for a strong-willed, independent woman like Mamzelle Aurlie. The author's message conveys that motherhood, though challenging, brings profound joy and meaning that an unencumbered life cannot provide.

This is a third-person narrative, with descriptive passages portraying the farm setting and dialogues between the characters. The narration has some humorous touches in depicting Mamzelle Aurlie's unfamiliarity with childcare. Overall, it is an emotional, somewhat sentimental account of one woman's belated realization of her regret at never becoming a mother.

The main character Mamzelle Aurlie is a round, fully developed character who undergoes an inner transformation. The children are flat characters who remain unchanged. The prevailing tone is a mix of humorous, sentimental, and ultimately melancholic as Mamzelle Aurlie is overcome with sadness at the story's end.

The internal conflict is Mamzelle Aurlie's struggle between her ingrained solitary ways and the demands of caring for the rambunctious children, which develops into an external conflict of trying to control their misbehavior. The deeper internal conflict is her delayed recognition of her regret at remaining childless.

The story's composition can be divided into: 1) The exposition introducing Mamzelle Aurlie and the children's sudden arrival 2) The development depicting her difficulties tending to them 3) The climax where she becomes attached to them 4) The denouement of Odile's return and Mamzelle Aurlie's realization of her profound regret as they depart.

Stylistically, Chopin uses vivid descriptive details, humor, colloquial dialogue, and free indirect discourse blending narration with Mamzelle Aurlie's thoughts to depict her emotional journey.

After twenty years, O.Henry

O. Henry, the pen name of William Sydney Porter, is renowned for his short stories that often conclude with a surprising twist. His narratives, frequently set in early 20th-century America, explore the complexities of human nature and the ironic circumstances life can present. "After Twenty Years" is a perfect illustration of his storytelling prowess, encapsulating themes of friendship, change, and the inevitable passage of time within a brief narrative frame.

The story opens with a policeman patrolling a nearly deserted avenue on a chilly, windy night. He encounters a man waiting outside a darkened hardware store, who explains that he is there to meet an old friend. This meeting was arranged twenty years ago, on the very same spot, which at that time was 'Big Joe' Brady's restaurant. The man, known as 'Silky' Bob, reveals his successful life in the West and his unwavering belief that his friend, Jimmy Wells, will fulfill their long-standing appointment.

The core problem in the story revolves around the passage of time and its impact on people and their relationships. 'Silky' Bob and Jimmy Wells had different life paths, with Bob leaving for the West to seek his fortune while Jimmy remained in New York. The anticipation of their reunion brings into focus the intersections of past loyalties and present realities.

The main idea O. Henry conveys is the transformative power of time on individuals and their relationships. Despite the best intentions and the deepest bonds, time can change people in unforeseen ways, sometimes placing them on opposite sides of the law. This theme is poignantly illustrated in the unexpected climax where loyalty and duty collide.

The text is a third-person narrative, interlaced with dialogues that reveal the characters' personalities and backgrounds. The story is straightforward yet filled with descriptive passages that set the mood and develop the characters, such as the detailed portrayal of the policeman's beat and 'Silky' Bob's confident waiting.

'Silky' Bob is a round character, depicted with enough background and personality development to show his complexity. He is nostalgic about the past, yet proud of his success, which is hinted to be of dubious nature. The policeman, later revealed to be Jimmy Wells, is also a round character, embodying the conflict between personal loyalty and professional duty.

The prevailing mood is initially nostalgic and hopeful, as 'Silky' Bob reminisces about old times. However, the mood shifts to tension and surprise as the story progresses towards its climax, ending in a poignant, slightly bitter tone when Bob realizes the change in his old friend.

The story features both internal and external conflicts. Internally, Jimmy struggles between his past loyalty to Bob and his duty as a policeman. Externally, Bob faces the shock of his friend's transformation and his own arrest.

The composition of the story can be divided as follows:

Exposition (Introduction): The setting on the avenue and the introduction of the policeman and 'Silky' Bob.

Development of the Plot: Bob explains the history and significance of the meeting.

Climax: The arrival of the man Bob believes to be Jimmy and the revelation of his true identity.

Denouement (Outcome): Bob's arrest and Jimmy's note explaining his actions.

Stylistic devices used by O. Henry include irony (the twist ending where the friend is the one who orchestrates the arrest), symbolism (the unlit cigar and the cold wind symbolizing the dimming of old loyalties and the harsh reality), and foreshadowing (hints of Bob's questionable success and his mention of not being able to recognize change).

Overall, "After Twenty Years" is a masterful short story that uses a simple plot to explore deep themes of time, change, and the duality of human nature, all wrapped in O. Henry's signature ironic style.