2. Розмовні теми

Text 1

Ukrainian Holidays

There are holidays in Ukraine which are celebrated by all our people. One of the most favourite holidays is New Year`s Day. People decorate New Year trees, present each other presents and believe that all troubles will leave them forever with the coming new year. January the 6^th is Orthodox Christmas. Many old Ukrainian customs and traditions are connected with this holiday.

The 8^th of March is the Women`s Day. On that day we thank our women for everything they do for us at work and at home, say our good wishes, and present them bunches of flowers.

Easter is celebrated in spring. This is the day to think about Jesus Christ`s death for our salvation, about what we have to do to improve ourselves and the life around us.

On May the 9^th we celebrate the anniversary of our victory over Nazi Germany. On that day we thank the veterans of the World War II for our life.

The Day of Ukrainian Independence is celebrated on the 24^th of August. The everlasting dream of Ukrainian people came true, they became the masters of their own country, their own destiny.

The 14^th of February is St. Valentine Day, the Day of lovers, when we give presents and write love letters and cards to our sweethearts.

Text 2

Some of the English Customs

Some of the English customs are strange. People in England do not shake hands as much as people do in Europe. Men raise their hats to woven but not to each other. When you go to a friend`s house for a dinner, it`s not the custom to say, «Thank you» at the end of the dinner as in our country. There you wait until you are leaving to do home and then you say, «Thank you for inviting me». Very few people have servants in their homes. It is very difficult to get servants, and servants wages are high, so the men help their wives in many ways.

Sunday is a very quiet day in London. All the shops are not open and so are the theatres and most of the cinemas. Londoners like to get out of town on Sundays. They often go down to the sea for the day. There are very few outdoor cafes in London. That`s because the weather changes so often and so quickly. The sun may shine one minute and then a few minutes later it may rain.

Foreigners sometimes get a little tired of English cooking, and they go to Soho. Soho is a part of London where there are all sorts of restaurants: French, Italian, Greek, Spanish, Indian and many others.

Text 3

MY HOLIDAYS

Schoolchildren in Ukraine have long holi­days twice a year. They have summer and win­ter holidays.

Let me start with summer holidays. Pupils have summer holidays that are three months long. Children don't have to get up early. There is no homework to do and lessons to learn. That's why they like summer holidays.

I like summer holidays because I have a lot of free time. Every summer I go to the coun­try to stay with my grandparents. There is a river and a lake there. My friends and I often go swimming and boating mere. There is a lot of fish in the lake, so I sometimes go fishing. When it is very hot I usually go to the forest. The air is cool there. I like to walk in the shade¹ of trees and pick mushrooms and berries. I like to go to the beach² in the morning when it is not too hot. I swim, sunbathe, and play with my friends on the bank of the river. I always help my grandparents to work in the kitchen garden or to look after chickens and ducks.

Summer holidays are never too long for me. Winter holidays are shorter than summer ones. It is so nice to rest from school. During winter holidays we celebrate New Year and Christmas parties for schoolchildren at schools and theatres. In the cinemas they show films and cartoons³ for pupils. It is usually very cold in winter, but it is hard to keep children in­doors⁴. It's so great to go skiing down a hill! Boys like to play hockey. Many children like to go to the skating rink to skate.

When the weather is bad I prefer to stay at home and watch TV or read books. Sometimes my friends come to see me and we play computer games or listen to music.

But unfortunately⁵ time flies quickly on holidays and soon it's time to go to school again.

1. shade – тінь,

2. beach – пляж,

3. cartoons – мультфільм,

4. in­doors – у приміщенні,

5. unfortunately – на жаль.