Lesson 7 Relations between Ukraine and English-speaking countries

There is no denying the fact that not so long ago Ukraine had very weak connections with other countries in the world. But at present the situation has changed for the better.

As now Ukraine is a sovereign state it establishes new relations with the countries throughout the world.

Ukraine is one of the members of the United Nations Organization and participates in the work of many international organizations. We have wide relations with Canada, the USA and Great Britain in policy, economics and culture.

Foreign Embassies of these countries work in Kyiv.

We have some joint political projects with the United States of America and Canada. A lot of joint ventures have appeared in Ukraine recently.

Such big plants of ours as Cherkasy joint-stock company "Azof, Gorlivka chemical plant "Stirol", Kharkiv aircraft plant sell their products at the international market. Scientific cooperation is also very important.

We have joint projects for space exploration with the USA and Canada. Cooperation in culture, education and sport is very important, too.

We exchange students and teachers with these countries.

The Ukrainian orchestras, pop and opera singers, ballet dancers are warmly received abroad.

A lot of tourists from English-speaking countries visit Ukraine every year. It's very important to mention that many people who are Ukrainians by origin live in Canada. So we have particular relations with this country.

Canada was the first among the western states that recognized the state independence of Ukraine.

Many of the Ukrainians living now in Canada and other English-speaking countries don't lose connections with Ukraine. A lot of public organizations, educational establishments, religious organizations make considerable contribution to the development of our culture, literature and art.

Lesson 8

 Applying for a job.Resume

Job ID: Sponsor:

Available from ……. to …….

Name: Address: Phone: E-mail: Date of birth: Age:

Marital status:

Nationality:

EDUCATION

WORK EXPERIENCE

LANGUAGES

OTHER SKILLS & OCCUPATIONS

HOBBIES AND INTERESTS

CO-WORKERS PREFERENCE:

Lesson 9

Success in life

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Some people believe that success comes from taking risk or chance because risk taking decision often provide them higher return; however, the probability that risk taking decision become success is often low. Hence, for me, careful planning is essential thing to help people success in their life for the following reasons: well prepared and active.

First of all, careful planning plays the key role in achieving specific objective due to good preparation. When you make a careful plan, you will understand in detailed what you have to do to attain the goal, what the due is, what your strengths is to develop as well as what your drawbacks to improve. The more carefully you prepare for your job, the more successful you are. For example, when doing a 5000-word-research paper, I had a meticulous plan for it rather than doing it by chance. As a result, I can fulfill my research paper on time and satisfy my expectation.

Secondly, careful planning helps me become active. When planning diligently, I always try to predict unexpected situation and think in advance the solution for it. By doing so, I can avoid the mistakes and make my job perfect. For example, before taking final exam I often do the the same form test as the test I would take on the test day; so that I can know about the mistakes and correct it. By this way, I would not make the same mistakes and get higher score in final exam.

In conclusion, careful planning is indispensable part for anyone who wants to obtain the success in life. Therefore, everybody should have their own plan, both short-term and long-term plan, to be successful in their life.

Lesson 10

Choosing a profession

Choosing a profession is one of the most important steps in everybody's life. It depends on many factors: person's knowledge, abilities and talents, his own wishes and dreams, or wishes and dreams of his/her parents or relatives, the market situation and economic benefits. Quite often the profession is chosen because it is fashionable, or can open wide career prospects, or may allow business trips abroad, or offer high wages and bonuses. One can find a lot of advantages in one profession and disadvantages in the other. But my choice was the railway transport.

Of course, modern railways can't be compared with the old ones. They are constantly changing, new machines appearing, new technologies being implemented, new operation methods being worked out. The passenger services are being improved, and the high-speed traffic is not more a fairy tale of those who happen to have traveled abroad. New freight wagons are designed, and new kinds of transportation services like piggy-back or combined are being developed. Railways have bright prospects, especially in our country where they are the main carrier.

Railways are a huge manifold organization, but their basic function provided by good track condition, reliable signaling and telecommunication, modern rolling stock and powerful motive powers, is to serve people, either by transporting goods or passengers. And being a member of this team I am sure I'll be able to make my contribution in improving the railways market situation and into ensuring their profitability. And the last is of vital importance for me as my own and my family well-being depends on the prosperity of the railway. I believe in my brilliant future, and I believe in the brilliant prospects of Ukrainian Railways.

Lesson 11

Students’ life

College life is a thing which you can hardly forget. This is the time when you become an adult, a more sensible person with the sober views on life.

First of all, to pass entrance exams and enter the college. It takes a lot of time, knowledge, patience and nerves. Besides, there is an avalanche of work expects you. A student ought to get accustomed to a new timetable, new subjects which are much more complicated than at school. Very often it is difficult to cope with the work load of college or university. You have to be a serious, attentive and responsible person concentrated on studying. Some new students soon understand that studying at university is hard work which takes a lot of time and strength, so they immediately start missing classes. This is not so good for them, because it is so difficult to catch up with the programme later. Besides, such students usually have a great number of debts before the beginning of examination session.

Another point is the relationships within a group and between students and teachers. It is not a secret that relationships play an important role in student’s life. You spend a lot of time at the college communicating with your group mates and trying to make a contact with other students. It is wonderful if you find a like-minded person who can become a real friend for all 4 years of studying or you just meet interesting people who are easy in communication. Sometimes an opposite thing may happen. When you see your group mates for the first time, it may seem to youthat they have nothing in common with you. Then the atmosphere within the group is just unbearable. Things get worse and it becomes difficult to find even a topic for conversation. Different things happen during your college life. Anyway, it is extremely important to have good relationships with your group mates and teachers and to show the best qualities and features of character.

In conclusion, it should be mentioned that students come across a lot of events during their studying in college or university. Some of them may disappoint you, some bring a lot of joy and even make you feel happy. That is why a lot of people say that their college years were the greatest and the happiest time in their life. They also say, that if they could go back in time, they would have taken a music band and joined choir, learned harder another language besides the English language, and improve the relationships between teachers who they have no special liking. They got in love for the first time in university, they went to party, got lots of joy and positive emotions, got in different competitions, and etc., but anyway, they think that the college life is the happiest time in their life.

Lesson 12

Cinema

Once I read an article about various kinds of entertain­ment. According to it TV, radio and cinema have made great changes in the entertainments with which people fill theirfree time.

There was a time when people knew what to do to enjoy themselves: they played games* sang, played musical instru­ments, went out shooting.

Nowadays we can get entertained by the TV, the radio, the theatre or the cinema. Cinema is available no matter where you live. You can always find the film you like among horror films, thrillers, westerns, detective, love, musical films or comedies.

Not so long ago most people used to visit cinema every week. Often cinema houses were overcrowded. But at present video production has flooded the market and cinema became less popular.

I don't go often to the cinema and my friends are not regular cinema-goers either. But if there is a film, which is a hit with the public, I do my best to watch it. The last film I saw was Hollywood remake of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet". The action takes place in the modern world but all the rest is just like great Shakespeare had described: people, ancien, feelings. The original text was used in the film. And I have to mention that the music was great. I think the actors and the actresses did their best and looked great. I'll remember the film for a long time.

Lesson 13

Theatre

The 20th century brought great changes into the theatre. Cinema, radio, television, video altered the course of the major performing arts and created the new ones. But still there are hundreds of puppet theatres, conservatoires and philharmonics, musical comedy theatres, drama theatres and opera houses where the audiences are excited at the prospect of seeing a play and the actors are most encouraged the warm reception. But before going to a theatre you should book a ticket at a box-office. The most expensive seats are in the stalls, boxes and dress-circle. The seats in the balcony, pit and the upper circle are less expensive, they are cheap. Then at the entrance to the theatre the attendant tears your theatre ticket in half. He gives you your half back so that you can find your seat by its number. Another attendant shows you to your seat and sells a programme that will tell you which parts the actors are playing and how many acts there are in the play. Then you take your seat and may enjoy the play. I have always envied the dwellers of large cities. They have so many opportunities to enjoy themselves. Theatres, cinemas, variety shows, circus, conservatoire, concert halls, etc. are at their desposal. In provincial towns like mine is we have only amateur dramatics. That's why I always take the smallest chance to go to a theatre when in a city.

Lesson 14

Television

Television, also called TV, is one of our most important means of communication. It brings moving pictures and sounds from around the world into millions of homes.

The name "Television" comes from Greek word meaning "far", and a Latin word meaning "to see", so the word "tele­vision" means "to see far".

About three-fourths of the 1,500 TV stations in the US are commercial stations. They sell advertising time to pay for their operating costs and to make profit. The rest are public stations, which are nonprofit organizations.

Commercial TV stations broadcast mostly entertainment programs because they must attract larger numbers of viewers in order to sell advertising time at high prices. These programs include light dramas called situation comedies; action-packed dramas about life of detectives, police officers, lawyers and doctors; shows featuring comedians, dancers and singers; movies; quiz shows; soap operas; cartoons. Com­mercial TV broadcasts also documentaries and talk shows. Documentary is dramatic, but nonfictional presentation of information. It can be programs about people, animals in faraway places or programs on such issues as alcoholism, drug abuse, racial prejudice. On talk shows a host inter­views politicians, TV and movie stars, athletes, authors. There are also sport programs and brief summaries of local, nation­al and international news. Advertising is an important part of commercial TV. Commercials appear between and during most programs. They urge viewers to buy different kinds of products - from dog food to hair spray, and from cars to insurance policies.

Public television focuses mainly on education and cul­ture. There are programs on wide range of subjects - from physics and literature to cooking and yoga. Public TV also broadcasts plays, ballets, symphonies as well as programs about art and history. Public TV attracts less viewers than commercial TV.

Lesson 15

Education in Ukraine and abroad

Present-day independent Ukraine has got a rather developed system of education. General secondary education is free and compulsory. The secondary school has three stages: primary, basic and senior. Of late there appeared a new type of schools: gymnasiums, lycees and private schools. The secondary school must secure a uniform level of knowledge necessary for each student. An important part in the educational system is played by vocational training schools providing almost 800 qualifications.

Post-secondary education is provided by technical schools, colleges -and institution of higher learning: universities, academies, institutes, conservatories.

At each higher educational establishment there is a post­graduate course with post-graduates working for their scientific degrees.

There are many scientific, educational and academic centres in Ukraine. Kyiv with its famous National University named after T. Shevchenko, Polytechnic University, providing part-time and full-time education, Kyiv-Mohyla Academy which resumed its work in 1991. Three faculties work now at the Academy: the humanities, social and natural sciences. Leading scientists from different countries of the world deliver lectures at the Academy.

Today Kharkiv University has 11 faculties: mechanics-mathematics, physics, physics-technology, radio-physics, chemistry, biology, economics, history, philology, foreign languages, etc.

Lviv is the leading scientific and cultural centre of Western Ukraine. It has a number of research institutes of high reputation.

Nizhyn State University named after M. Hohol, who studied at the lyceum during 1820s, consists of some faculties: philology, natural sciences, physics-mathematics, instrumental and vocal music, English and German and others.

Ukraine numbers a total of 1.5 million college and university students.

Graduates from the Ukrainian institutions of higher learning became famous writers, scholars, prominent diplomats, ethnographers, economists, mathematicians, physicists, chemists, geologists, physiologists, etc.

Education In Great Britain

Education in Britain is compulsory and free for all children between the ages of 5-16. About 93 percent of all children are educated in state schools and the rest attend private schools. Primary school. Schoolchildren attend a primary school for 6 years (5 to 11 years). When students transfer to Secondary School at the age of 11, they do not take any examination, but their reports are sent on from the Primary School. Secondary School. Most children – over 80 percent – go to a comprehensive school. “Comprehensive” means all-inclusive. They admit pupils of all abilities. Pupils in all state in schools in England and Wales study 10 main subjects, among them: English, Mathematics, Science, History, Geography, Art, Music, Physical Education, Information Technology. Religious education is also taught. Attainment tests are given at the ages of 7, 11 and 14. At the age of 16 students sit the exams in as many subjects as possible. Weak students may only sit for three or four subjects. Better students take ten subjects. At the age of 16 about two thirds of these pupils leave school and get jobs. About one-third stay on at school until the age of 18, preparing themselves for higher education. The 6th Form. More ambitious pupils continue to study in the 6th form. They stay on at school for one or two years to prepare themselves for university. They have only three or four main subjects, which are necessary to pass the advanced level exams at the age of 18. The school year is divided into three terms with the intervals between them during Christmas and Easter holidays lasting about two weeks each and summer holiday which is usually six weeks long. All kinds of out-of-class activities are part of school life in Britain. Most schools have very good libraries which students use for reference work.