Leisure time

Everybody sometimes has a free time. Somebody prefers only to sleep in their leisure time, but most of us prefer to do a great number of interesting things. It may be reading, various types of sport games, watching TV, listening to music and so on. If we have a few day or a week we prefer to go to the attractive places. Many people think that pupils and studients have too much liesure time, but in my opinion, they are wrong. We are very busy. Many pupils have six or seven lessons a day and go to school five or six days a week. Even during weekend we learn our lessons. And we just have no time to go somewhere. Oldest of us are working after school or institute. As for me, a large part of my free time is devoted to reading. I like to read books about another countries, another times and another worlds. Also I read books about history of our country. Besides reading I like to do physical exercises. Me and my school friends often gather after school and play basketball, football or other active games. But my favorite hobby is travelling. Usually I travel in summer and often it is a trip to the south, to the warm sea. I think all people must have other occupations besides their basic work, because it extends the bounduries of the familar world and teaches us something new about people and things.

Ukraine

Ukraine is one of the largest countries of Eastern Europe. Ukraine occupies an area of 603 700 km2. Its territory stretches for 893 kilometers from north to south and for 1316 kilometers from east to west. It has state borders with Russia, Belarus and Moldova. It also borders on Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania. In the south it is washed by the Black and the Azov Seas.

The major part of Ukraine is flat and only 5% of it is mountainous. The two mountainous areas in Ukraine are the Carpathians and the Crimean Mountains. The geographical position of Ukraine is very favorable because the country lies on the crossroads of the ways from Asia to Europe. Ukraine has deposits of iron, manganese, coal, natural gas, oil and other mineral resources. The main branches of industry are: coal and ore mining, iron and steel engineering, machine and ship building. Besides, Ukraine has always been an agrarian country.

Traditionally crop- growing and cattle-breeding are being developed.

Ukraine is a rich farming, industrial and mining region in south-eastern Europe. It is an independent democratic state. Its population is about 52 million people. The capital of Ukraine is Kiev. Ukraine have its own armed forces, and maintains its own diplomatic relations with foreign countries. Ukraine covers about 603,000 sq. km being larger than any country in Western Europe. From east to west Ukraine stretches for more than 1300 km and from north to south for almost 900 km. It borders with Belarus and Russia on the north and on the east. In the south it is bordered by the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Western Ukraine shares borders with Moldova, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland.

Ukraine is in an ideal geographical position for the development of its resources, lying between 440 and 520 latitude north, on the same latitude as the USA, and Britain. The climate is mild and warm, with a long summer and a short winter. Together with its fertile black soil, this makes it perfect for the development of intensive agriculture.

The main part of Ukraine is located in the watershed of the Dnieper-River, which divides Ukraine into two parts: Right-Bank and Left-Bank Ukraine. Ukraine's proximity to the Black Sea and the presence of large navigable rivers running through its territory has promoted the development of trade and culture. The Black Sea is not only a means of communication with Transcaucasia and Turkey but also with the rest of the world through the Mediterranean Sea.

Ukraine also lies on the Danube, and this gives it access to European countries. Through the Siversky Donets it has access to the Don. The territory of Ukraine is criss-crossed by railroads and highways, oil and gas pipelines and high-voltage transmission lines - all of which ensure close economic ties with Eastern and Western Europe. Ukraine is a highly industrialised country, whose economic potential is great.