V. St.Petersburg

Saint-Petersburg and me

I was walking along the Nevsky prospect, always crowded, always noisy, but so alive. It was a typical day: dark grey sky, low clouds, miniature drops of rain, which were more of a haze than a real rain. It was cool and my light jacket didn’t prevent me from growing cold.

Mid autumn.

I made a turn to the right and soon found myself at the Art Square. There were groups of school children everywhere, running, chasing each other, laughing and having small fights. So little, so innocent, so alive. In the center there was a monument of the Poet, with the drops of water sliding down the metal coat. He did not look lonely, surrounded by all those people.

I crossed the Square, turned to the right, than to the left, shivering because of the cold and humidity. There I saw the peach colored palace in the crown of bright September leaves, and what a contrast to that beauty – dirty cars in mud stains rushing in different directions.

I wanted to reach the Garden. I liked to walk there in autumn. There will be almost nobody on this cold and rainy day.

Here it is. A pond with ripples on the surface, wet gravel under my feet crackling a little, milky haze in the air looking more thick now, with the dark trees behind it.

As I thought – very few people. This place now is like an oasis in the desert of noise and mud and mob. I wonder why am I so alien to the city today? Why am I not with it, not following the beating of its huge heart? Why do I want to run away so much? To the fields, to the forests…

I need a few moments to get rid of that stupid, torturing feeling and come back to the city.

The drops of rain slip down my thin jacket…

Other subtopics might be:

• The history of Saint-Petersburg

• The “peterburjtsi”, people living in the city

• My favorite place in the city

• The events that took place in Saint-Petersburg

• The ecology of a big city - ecology in Saint-Petersburg

• Is Saint-Petersburg really a “cultural capital” of our country?

PART 4.

WRITING AN ESSAY

I Proposed topics:

1. Economic problems of the world, suggestions for improvement.

2. Monopolies in the modern world.

3. Starting your own business in Russia.

4. Taking a credit. Problems.

5. Employment prospects of the university graduates.

6. Advertising. (Do people need it? Who needs it and why?)

7. Computer addiction. Pros and cons of the era of technology.

8. Why I have chosen my major.

9. What should people and the government do to improve the economy of Russia?

10. Connections in the modern world.

11. Experience and education. Which is more important?

12. ‘Without competitors even very rich country can quickly fall into decay’(E.Grouv)

13. Advantages and disadvantages of studying abroad.

14. The way I see my future life.

15. My first day at a new place (at the University, at work)

II Exercise 1. Define the type of an essay (narrative essay, descriptive essay, expository essay, argumentative essay):

Should women go topless in public?

It once happened that a woman in the United States decided to take a walk without wearing anything on the upper part of her body. A policeman stopped the woman and arrested her for the charge of obscene behavior (непристойное поведение). She did not give up (сдаваться) and went to law. She won the case. Since that time women were permitted (разрешать) to walk topless in this state.

My questions will be: Is that right? My answer will probably sound too categorically and conservatively, but it is ‘no’. Let me tell you why.

First of all, women who wear scanty (откровенный) clothing, more often are being raped. That can be easily understood. If you do not wear much of clothes, you most likely want to draw people’s attention to your body. This provokes absolutely particular (определённый) thoughts (мысли) in men’s minds.

Secondly, I do not think this is decent (прилично) in itself. We all live in the society, and should follow some or its rules.

So, if you want, you can walk naked, but go to the jungles than, because there it will look more natural.

The climb

I am afraid of heights. Being somewhere higher than three meters makes me giddy. My head is spinning, my hands sweat and I feel like I am going to faint. That is a big problem of mine.

Once my friends and I went camping. We went to the woods, and walked for a long time through the trees. I felt that the road led us somewhat up. But as we walked through the wood I could see nothing but tall trunks. Suddenly the forest ceased and we found ourselves on a narrow plain. Just behind that little plain was a precipice ['presɪpɪs] (обрыв).

My heart leaped. I moved backwards, but my friends came closer to the edge (край), and exclaimed: ‘It is so beautiful here! Come on, July, don’t’ be afraid, it is not so high!’

I came closer too, I looked down. My head went in circles, and I made a movement to go back. But. I stumbled, and the next thing I remember was that I was in the air with the precipice under me. Luckily one of my friends - Dan - caught hold of me. I screamed at the top of my voice and felt cold and numb.

Dan dragged me out.

Looks like my fear was justified... (страх был оправдан)

A Walk in the Park

Many people will tell you that living in a big city is hard. It is hard even for those who were born and lives there, within crowded streets, gigantic supermarkets, and cars. I was born in Detroit, so I know a lot about creasy traffic. Before I moved to New York City, I was not very well prepared for surviving in the Big Apple. Which is great, but so noisy, dusty and fussy (суетливый) sometimes.

Everyone needs to take a break from the hectic tempo of NYC lifestyle. My favorite place in the NYC is the Van Cortlandt Park, where I like to ride on my bike, in the jungles of trees so wild that they make you believe you are somewhere in a real forest. I love its green valleys that remind me of gorgeous Scottish hills. I love the calm, and breathless pacifying waters of its lake.

Last week I went to the park. With me I took only my camera and the six senses. First I went to the Parade Ground, watched a couple of tennis players with their rockets, that sparkled in the sun like diamonds. Then wanting to be closer to nature, I decided to walk through the forest. It felt like the civilization was nowhere near me. I like oak trees the most I like their wide, strong, moss-covered trunks. The air that day was wet from the early morning rain. I really loved this air, saturated with oxygen and filled with freshness and magical odor.

Half an hour later I was on a valley. It is in the middle of the park, between the forest and the lake. There were a couple of people already sitting on the grass, picnicking, reading, laying down dreaming. Even though I wasn’t alone on the meadow this time, I actually liked this fact: I could observe the people merge with nature, in this somewhat utopian picture of idyll.

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