Environmental protection
The planet Earth is only a tiny part of the universe, but it's the only place where human beings can live.
People always polluted their surroundings. But until now pollution was not such a serious problem. People Lived in uncrowded rural areas and did not have pollution - causing machines. With the development of crowded industrial cities, which put huge amounts of pollutants into small areas, the problem has become more important. Today our planet is in serious danger. Acid rains, global warming, air and water pollution, and overpopulation are the problems that threaten human life on Earth.
Our forests are disappearing because they are cut down or burnt. If this trend continues one day we won't have enough oxygen to breathe.
The seas are in danger. They are filled with poison: industrial and nuclear waste, chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The Mediterranean is already nearly dead; the North Sea is following. The Aral Sea is on the brink of extinction. If nothing is done about it, one day nothing will be able to live in the seas.
Every ten minutes one kind of animal, plant or insect dies out forever. If nothing is done about it, one million species that are alive today may soon become extinct.
Air pollution is another serious problem. In Cairo just breathing the air is dangerous - equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. The same holds true for many Russian cites.
Factories emit tons of harmful chemicals. These emissions have disastrous consequences for our planet. They are the main reason for the greenhouse effect and acid rains.
And even greater threat are nuclear power stations. We all know how tragic the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster are.
Fortunately, it's not too late to solve these problems. We have the time, the money and even the technology to make our planet a better, cleaner and safer place. We can plant trees and create parks for endangered species. We can recycle litter. Individuals and groups of people can work together to persuade enterprises to stop polluting activities.
Holidays in russia
There are many national holidays in Russia, when people all over the country do not work and have special celebrations.
The major holidays are: New Year’s Day, Women’s Day, May Day, and Independence Day. The first day of the year is New Year’s Day. People see the New Year in the midnight on the 31st of December. They greet the New Year with a glass of champagne and listen to Kremlin chimes at 12 o’clock. There are lots of New Year traditions in Russia. In every home there is a New Year tree glittering with coloured lights and decorations. Children always wait for Father Frost to come and give them presents. Many people consider New Year’s Day a family holiday. But the youths prefer to have New Year parties of their own.
Christmas is a renewed holiday in our country. It is celebrated on the 7th of January. It’s a religious holiday and a lot of people attend church services on this day.
On the 8th of March we celebrate Women’s Day when men give presents to women, do everything about the house and cook all the meals.
The greatest national holiday is Victory Day. On the 9th of May, 1945, the Soviet Army and its allies completely defeated the German fascists and the Second World War ( the Great Patriotic War ) ended. In 2005 we celebrated the 60th anniversary of this great event. A magnificent memorial on Poklonnaya Gora was built to commemorate the victory. Many veterans took part in the military parade and laid wreaths to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. All stood in silence for a minute. A lot of guests from all over the world came to Moscow to participate in the celebrations.
Independence Day is a new holiday in our country. On the 12th of June, 1992, the first President was elected.
We also celebrate the Day of the Defender of Motherland (on the 23d of February), Easter, the Day of Knowledge and lot of professional holidays, which are not public holidays, and banks, schools and offices do not close on these days.