TAPESCRIPTS

UNIT 1

Unit 1, Lesson 1, ex. 3b, 4b

Programme host: In the latest in his series of programmes on British life, Nicky
Owen looks at where the British live and what the advantages and disadvantages
of living in different types of houses are.
Nicky Owen: There are four basic types of housing in the UK: detached houses,
semi-detached houses, terraced houses and flats. The most popular type
of home in England is semi-detached (more than 27% of all homes), closely
followed by detached then terraced. Some of the detached houses are cottages
and bungalows.
It must be understood that a detached house can take on any form or style. It
does not matter if the house is a bungalow, a cottage or a mansion. As long
as it is not joined to another house, it is a detached house. One advantage of a
detached house is the fact that the free space surrounding the building belongs
to the family. You can do whatever you would like to be done in your house. The
disadvantage is that all repairs in the house should be made by the owner.
A semi-detached house is a pair of houses that share one common wall. The two
houses are built to mirror each other. Interestingly enough, this type of housing is
called a duplex in other parts of the world. This type of housing became popular
in the UK in the 1920s to the 1930s. Now the semi-detached house is still the
most popular type of housing in England. One advantage of living in a semi-
detached house is that there is still some privacy even if one wall is shared by
the two houses. A disadvantage is that you are responsible for the upkeep of
your side of the house. Another disadvantage is that you cannot just plan repairs
or renovations as you have to consider your twin house. 
Terraced housing is also known as townhouses. The origin of this type of
dwelling was in the 17th century in Europe.  A row of identical looking houses
share side walls. The end units of this row of housing are called end terrace and
are far larger than the units in between. In the past, terrace housing used to be
only associated with the working class for this type of housing was cheap, small
and had very little privacy. As time went by, terrace housing became known as
townhouses which were more associated with the rich.
One of the major advantages of terrace housing is that it is relatively cheaper
than a semi-detached built in the same location. One disadvantage is that there
is typically no yard or garden that comes with a unit. As two walls are shared,
there is less privacy too.
A flat or an apartment is a part of a larger building. Such building is called an
apartment building or a block of flats. A flat can be a studio unit, a one-bedroom,
two-bedroom or three-bedroom unit. People prefer renting flats to buying them.

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The main disadvantage of renting out a flat is that it will never be yours. You do
not have the right to make repairs or renovations to suit your needs. The one
advantage of renting a flat is that you are not responsible for it – you are only
renting. In case you feel like moving house, you can just leave.
Programme host: Thank you , Nicky …

Unit 1, Lesson 2, ex. 2

Hi, my name is Sam. I live in a village not far from Lancaster in the north-west of
England.
I live in a detached house. It is made of bricks and tiles. In my house there are
three rooms downstairs and three rooms upstairs. We have central heating
with radiators in each room which keep our house warm. We also have an open
fireplace.
If you come into my house through the back door, you will find yourself in the
kitchen. In the kitchen there is a fridge (refrigerator), a cooker and cupboards.
There is also a freezer under the fridge. We have lots of cupboards and an electric
cooker. Our microwave is very quick and easy to use. We wash our things in the
washing machine and hang them out in our garden to dry. We wash up the plates
in the sink as we don’t have a dishwasher.
Downstairs there is also a lounge. Some people call this room the living-room. In
our lounge there is a table with chairs, a settee (in America I think they call this a
sofa – it is a comfy 2-seater chair), two comfy chairs, a television, a DVD player
and video recorder. We also have satellite TV. There are some cupboards and a
bookcase.
Most houses have a bathroom upstairs but ours is downstairs. In my bathroom
there is a toilet, a bath, a sink with two taps (one for hot water and one for cold), a
shower and a laundry basket. This is where we put our dirty clothes for washing.
The three rooms upstairs are all bedrooms. They all have carpets on the floor,
except my room. In my bedroom I have my own computer, a wardrobe – to hang
clothes in, cupboards with drawers for other clothes, cupboards for all other
stuff like old toys, etc. There is also a bookcase for my books and my bed. It is
high up as I have my desk underneath it and my computer. I also have my own
television.
Outside my house we have a back garden and a front garden. In the back garden
there is an area of grass for us to play football on and for my little brother to ride
his bike. Mum likes to grow vegetables in the garden and plant flowers.
Welcome to my house!

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Unit 1, Lesson 4, ex. 2c
Space – spacious; convenience – convenient; comfort – comfortable; charm –
charming; warmth – warm; electricity – electric, electrical; safety – safe; privacy –
private.

Unit 1, Lesson 5, ex. 2, 4b

Interviewer: People need to move house for lots of different reasons. For
example, some people may need more space and some may need to move out
of an area to start a new job. Moving house to a new place can be a stressful
experience. You might have lots of changes to deal with. Today we’re talking
with Daniel Campbell-Walker. He’s an experienced estate agent, who knows a lot
about buying and renting houses in Britain. What is the situation in your business
now?
Estate Agent: More people are buying their own homes than in the past. About
two thirds of the people in England and the rest of Britain either own, or in the
process of buying their own home. Most others live in houses or flats that they
rent.
I: What is the most interesting house that you have sold?
EA: Well, I think it will be the house I’m selling now.
I: Is it a modern or a period house?
EA: It’s a 16th-century cottage which was restored under the watchful eye of the
local architect in 1976. It’s a listed building.
I: Listed? What does it mean?
EA: It’s a building of great historical value which has official protection of the
state. You can’t change or destroy it. Some parts of the house were constructed
in the 16th century from ships’ fragments. There are lots of hand-made elements
as well.
I: How many rooms are there?
EA: There are four bedrooms and a toilet upstairs, a bathroom, a lounge, a dining
room and a kitchen downstairs.
I: As far as I understand, it’s a very old house. Are there any modern conveniences?
EA: Electric cooking, the bath and toilets. The heating is provided with electric
heaters, there is also electric hot water supply.
I: Is it in a good location?
EA: Beautiful! Very picturesque! And the flower garden is charming with climbing
roses and lavender. The house is a total gem.
I: I see you really like this house. What’s its biggest advantage?

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EA: There are many. It’s a cottage of character. The grandfather of the owner
was born in it and his other ancestors. Then there’s its amazing location. It looks
onto the local church, that’s why it‘s called Church Cottage. And the fireplace is
amazing! Look at the photo. The house is perfectly suitable for pets.
I: Are there any disadvantages?
EA: Only one, probably. The house is typical of the period, so the ceilings are
quite low, which makes the cottage not really suitable for tall people.
I: Is it on sale now? I think my aunt might be interested in it. She would like to
move house, she loves period buildings. And she’s not very tall. Ha-ha!
EA: It will be available next month. Now the owner is preparing it for sale. It is
being repaired and repainted. You can have a look at the leaflet. Here you are.

Unit 1, Lesson 7, ex. 3

On many occasions, people have asked me what my dream house would look
like. I never really thought about it, but after seeing pictures of an apartment in
New York, I immediately said that it was my dream house. Well, apartment. First
of all, it is in the centre of the city, on the very top of the building. Thanks to that,
it has the most beautiful view of New York. The thing I like about it the most,
is that it is placed on the whole floor, so I would have all that space to myself.
Considering that, it has its own private elevator. After exiting this lift, you would
enter a spacious hallway with large glass windows. The walls are covered with
beige wallpapers and pictures. A beautiful red sofa is put facing the window.
The kitchen is really spacious. It has high bar chairs, as well as a beautiful eating
table, made of glass, and chairs covered with white leather. The living room has
such a modern design. The wall to the outside is totally made out of glass, which
gives it a special look. There is a huge plasma TV on the other wall, and in every
corner of the room you can find speakers, as a part of Home Theatre system.
In the centre of the room, there is a sofa, where you can sit or lie down while
watching TV. A beautiful fireplace is put in the room to make it look, and if needed,
feel warm. The bedroom is made in a white-red combination. The walls and the
floor are white, and the bed and the curtains, as well as some decorations are
red, which gives the room that special touch. There are also doors that lead to
the dressing room which has lots of clothes, a place for shoes, a big mirror with
lights and a table for make-up. And finally, there is a bathroom, which is huge. It
has a bath and a shower. It is made in gold-white combination, and it looks kind
of antique. That is pretty much it about my dream house. I just hope I will get to
it one day.

Unit 1, Lesson 9, ex. 3

I want to see our Jenny. Maude thinks she’s in her room upstairs.
I’ve never been in the rest of the house. It’s big, with lots of stairs that I keep
stopping on because there’s so much to see. On the walls there are paintings

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and drawings of all sorts of things, buildings and people but mostly birds and
flowers. The rugs on the stairs and in the hallways are mostly green, with some
yellow and blue and red bits in a pattern. Each landing has a plant on it.
I go on up until I’m on the top landing. There are two doors up there, both closed.
I have to choose, so I open one and go in. It’s Maude’s room. I stand and look a
long time. There are so many toys and books, more than I’ve ever seen in a room.
There’s a whole shelf of dolls, all different sizes, and another shelf of games –
boxes full of things, puzzles and such. There are lots of shelves of books. There’s
a brown and white hobby horse with a black leather saddle that moves back and
forth on rollers. There’s a wooden dolls’ house with fancy furniture in all the
rooms, miniature rugs and chairs and tables. There are pictures on the walls of
Maude’s room, children and dogs and cats, and something that looks like a map
of the sky, with all the stars connected up with lines to make pictures.
It’s toasty warm in the room – there’s a fireplace that has just had a fire burning,
and a fender in front of it with clothes hanging on it to air. I want to stay here, but
I can’t – I have to find our Jenny.
I go out and down the stairs. I get to the next landing, and there are four closed
doors there. I‘ve never been in a house like this. Five or six families could live in
this house. I look at the doors. They’re all oak, with brass handles shining.
I heard about rooms like this but I’ve never seen one. There are tiles everywhere,
white tiles on the floor and up the sides of the walls to just over my head. One
row of the tiles at the top has flowers on them, like tulips, red and green. There’s
a big white bathtub, and a white sink, with the silver pipes and taps. There are big
white towels hanging on a rack, and I touch one. Where I’ve touched it I leave a
black mark and I feel bad because it’s so clean in here otherwise.
In a little room off this one is a WC, white too, with a seat made of mahogany.
I think of the privy and bucket my father and I use, and it’s so different from this;
they don’t even seem like they’re meant for the same thing.
I go out and choose another door, to the room at the front of the house. The walls
are yellow, and though it’s facing north, there are two big windows, with balconies
you can walk out on, and the light that comes in turns gold when it hits the walls.
There are two sofas pushed together to make an L, and shawls decorated with
butterflies and flowers spread over them. There’s a piano and little tables with
books and magazines on them, and a sideboard with photographs on it.
Then I hear our Jenny talking out on the landing. There’s no time to get out of
the room, and somehow I know she and Mrs C. will come in here. I crouch down
quickly behind one of the sofas…

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 UNIT 2

Unit 2, Lesson 1, ex. 1

At the age of 5, at the age of 16, at the age of 18.

Unit 2, Lesson 5, ex. 1

My school is a mixed 11–18 school. There are about 1,150 students in my school,
including 200 in the sixth form. It is called a Technology College and specialises
in Computers and Maths. My school has over 1,200 computers (including over
400 tablet PC’s).
I am in year 8 and I am presently having to decide what GCSEs I would like to
start working towards. I sit my GCSE exams next year instead of the year after
when most other people of my age will be doing them.
Some subjects are compulsory like Maths, English, Science and a foreign
language. I am not sure what other GCSEs I will be taking. I will have to decide
soon.

Unit 2, Lesson 5, ex. 2

I leave home at 6:45 and walk 20 minutes to catch a bus to school. The bus is
a special one just for kids going to my school. The journey on the bus takes an
hour because it has to keep stopping to pick up other students along the way.
When I arrive at school, I collect my Tablet PC from the Flexi (Flexible Learning
Centre). Then I go to my Tutor Room for Registration at 8:30.
We listen to announcements to see what special things are happening at school
today or this week.
At about 8:50 we leave Tutor Room to go to our first period. Every day I have a
different lesson for the first period. Normally it is Humanities, History, Geography,
and Religion but I also have Maths, Science, Drama and Music, and French on
the other days. We also study PE and arts. Each period lasts an hour.
All my lessons are in different rooms and places around the school. Each
room either has a three digit number or a name. The numbers are very hard to
remember! I have different teachers for each lesson. I have a locker where I can
store some of my stuff but otherwise I have to carry it all around with me in my
bags.

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Unit 2, Lesson 5, ex. 3a
My classes start at 9 o’clock. The second period is at 10 o’clock. We have a
break between 11 and 11.20. During break, I have a snack and play and chat with
my friends. Usually we play IT a chasing game. Snow ball fight when it snows
is dead fun. Our third and fourth periods are at 11.20 and 12.30. Lunch break is
from 1.30 to 2.10. I bring a packed lunch to school but occasionally I have school
dinners in the school canteen. The canteen is open at lunch time and break time.
Most hot food is served only at lunch time. Chips are only available on Mondays
and Fridays. After lunch we have the fifth period and the classes are over at 3.10.
Sometimes I stay after school for clubs. I play tennis twice a week.

Unit 2, Lesson 7, ex. 3b, c

Memoirs: My senior year in high school
I occasionally still dream about my final year of high school and then wake up,
relieved it’s no longer a part of my life. Who are the people that twitter on about
school being the “best years of your life”? It certainly wasn’t for me.
I attended an all-girls’ Catholic school. Looking back, it was a good school  –
strict, but still good. I’m sure it played a part in helping me become the woman I
am today. And the teachers – many of them had hearts of gold and only wanted
the best for the girls they taught.
I wasn’t very academic, nor was I too popular. I just wasn’t there. I was quiet and
shy, and the only time I came to life was when I did Irish dancing at the talent
quests and played my flute at concerts and liturgies. I was never picked for
school or class captain. I was just too timid and too quiet for that sort of thing.
And despite being praised for my music and my dancing, my self-esteem wasn’t
very high. I was bullied by a lot of other girls.
Some girls did try to reach out to me, but I didn’t trust them. It was hard to know
who were genuinely trying to be friends and who were just mocking around. So
I closed myself off from everyone, only speaking to the odd few who I felt knew
me best. Like many shy people I was often mistaken as a snob.
I had no plans on what I was doing after I left school. All I cared about was my
dancing. I didn’t see anything beyond competing in the next Nationals. When
I saw the timetable for the HSC (Higher School Certificate) and everybody
stressing about it, I just shrugged and thought to myself, “I hope I don’t get much
homework tonight; don’t want to miss tonight’s dance class, practising for the
Nationals.”
The only thing I knew I was going to miss when I left school was music. I really
came alive in that class. My teacher was not just my teacher – he was my friend
and confidant and the one who really knew me the best. He’d be delighted to
know, I’m sure, that the music exam was really the only exam that I studied the
most for.

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I didn’t do well in my final exams, simply because I wasn’t interested – although I
did receive a good mark in music! The rest, well – who cared? That was honestly
how I thought. And my parents knew that I wasn’t going to be a flash student
anyway; right from the time in kindergarten when I said that I hated school. In
the end they basically said that they didn’t mind if I didn’t get a top mark, it was
enough to try my best – and at least pass – which I did!
I still cried at my graduation. I don’t know why. Relief, probably. And shock. After
thirteen years of being told what to do, here I was, answering to no one but
myself.
It was a strange, strange feeling.
I left school at 18. I was never one of those kids who did part time work through
school, so when I started work, I also started my first job  – ever. I embarked
upon a series of office jobs throughout the next few years and studied at TAFE
(Technical and Further Education) college.
I’m now nearly 27 and finally, after all this time, I feel that I can finally live and
speak my truth with no fear of retribution from others. I have never enjoyed my
life more since I left school!

Unit 2, Lesson 9, ex. 2

There are more than a hundred universities in Britain. Good ‘A’ Level results in at
least two subjects are necessary to get a place at one. But that is not enough.
Universities choose their students after interviews, and competition for places
at university is tough.
Students normally apply to University from 18 onwards and study for an Academic
Degree. Higher education typically begins with a 3-year Bachelor’s Degree.
During a first degree students are known as undergraduates. Postgraduate
degrees include Master’s Degrees and Doctor of Philosophy, a research degree
that usually takes at least three years.
First-year-university students are called ‘freshers’. A fresher’s life can be exciting
but terrifying for the first week as everything is so unusual; and often far from
home. Most 18 and 19 year-olds in Britain are fairly independent people, and
when the time comes to pick a college they usually choose one as far away
from home as possible! So, many students in northern and Scottish universities
come from the south of England and vice versa. It is very unusual for university
students to live at home. Although parents may be a little sad to see this happen,
they usually approve of the move, and see it as a necessary part of becoming an
adult.
Often freshers will live in a hall of residence on or near the college campus,
although they may move out into a rented room in their second or third year, or
share a house with friends. Many freshers will feel very homesick for the first
week or so, but living in halls soon helps them to make new friends.

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During the first week, all the clubs and societies hold a ‘freshers’ fair’ during
which they offer the new students to join their society.
On the day that lectures start, groups of freshers are often seen walking around
huge campuses, maps in hands and a worried look on their faces. They are
learning how difficult it is to change from school to university life. They also
learn a new way of studying. As well as lectures, there are regular seminars,
at which one of a small group of students (probably not more than ten) reads
a paper he or she has written. The paper is then discussed by the tutor and
the rest of the group. Once or twice a term, students will have a tutorial. This
means that they see a tutor alone to discuss their work and their progress. In
Oxford and Cambridge, and some other universities, the study system is based
entirely around such tutorials which take place once a week. Attending lectures
is optional for Oxford or Cambridge (often called ‘Oxbridge’) students!
After three or four years (depending on the type of course and the university)
these students will take their finals. Most of them (over 90 per cent) will get a
first-, second- or third-class honour degree and be able to put BA (Bachelor of
Arts) or BSc (Bachelor of Science) after their name. It will have been well earned!

Unit 2, Lesson 9, ex. 5a

1. Which is the oldest University in Britain: Oxford, Cambridge or London?
2. How many students are there at Oxford?
3. How many applications for each available place does Oxford receive?
4. What is a tutorial at Oxford and how different is it from a lesson and tutorials
at other universities?
5. What is the difference between undergraduate and graduate studies?
6. What is continuing education?

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 UNIT 3

Unit 3, Lesson 3, ex. 2

In my opinion, our school system is based on the belief that the world will remain
the same. However, the world will hardly remain the same  – it is constantly
changing! How can our kids prepare for the unknown and unpredictable world?
By learning to adapt, to deal with change, to be prepared for anything.
Here is a list of skills kids should learn that will best prepare them for any world
of the future.
 No 1 is asking questions. We, as adults, should not object to our kids asking
questions, we should encourage them to do so.
 No 2: Solving problems. If a child can solve problems, they can do any job. It is
hard work to keep from helping your child to solve their own problems. However,
they have to learn not to give up trying, and keep on working hard, until they are
confident enough in their problem-solving abilities.
 No 3: Tackling projects. Our life is a series of projects  – small and large:
finishing school, writing a book or preparing a video for YouTube. If your child
gets used to tackling projects, self-education might become one more exciting
project for them.
 No 4 is finding passion. When you feel like doing something, you put all your
energy into it. If you get so excited that you can’t stop thinking about something,
you’ll definitely complete this project.
 No 5: Independence. Children should learn to be independent. Parents should
only suggest doing something and gently encourage children to do things on
their own. Once children learn to be independent, they learn that they don’t need
anyone to tell them what to do, how to improve themselves.
 No 6. Being happy on their own. Our children should not rely on their parents
for achieving happiness. If they do, they won’t know how to be happy on their
own. They will have to rely on their friends then, or think of other things that can
make them happy like shopping, food, video games or the Internet. To prevent
them from doing so, we should encourage them to learn from an early age to be
happy by themselves, playing, reading and imagining. As someone said, ”Do not
educate your children to be rich. Educate them to be happy and they will know
the value of things, not the price of things.”
 No 7 is being compassionate. We need this skill to work well with other
people, to be happy by making others happy. Be compassionate to people and
your child will learn how to be a good person, how to make others happier with
little kindnesses.
 No 8. Being tolerant is also a very important skill. We usually grow up where
people are mostly alike, at least in appearance, and when we meet people who

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are different, it can be uncomfortable or even shocking. Show your kids that it is
OK to be different. Encourage your kids to develop into tolerant individuals. What
goes around, comes around.
 No 9 is dealing with change. Teach your children to be flexible. If we prepare
our children to adapt to anything, our kids will thank us for teaching them the
right thing.

Unit 3, Lesson 5, ex. 1

A.
Fred: Dad, I’m too tired to do my homework.
Dad: Now my boy, hard work never killed anyone yet.
Fred: So why should I run the risk of being the first?

B.
Teacher: Johnson, stop showing off. Do you think you’re the teacher of this
class?
Boy: No, sir.
Teacher: Right, then stop behaving like a fool.

Unit 3, Lesson 5, ex. 2, 4a

Natalie: I think yes, but I’m one of the few who don’t. My parents read my letters,
my emails and even my diary. I hate being controlled!
Mel: I think that teenagers are given enough freedom by the government – you
can drive a car at the age of 16 here in Australia, vote, buy cigarettes and alcohol
at the age of 18. You can leave school at 16. But the amount of freedom given
by the parents is a different story. Parents that let their teens do whatever they
want are usually visiting them in the hospital after a car crash and helping them
out of trouble. But parents who set limits for their teens are usually better off.
However, you can be over-protective by not letting your teens meet friends at all
which will lead them to problems later in life.
Daniel: I personally have to strongly disagree. Growing up, I had more freedom
than any other teen I had ever met. I never had a bedtime. Nobody read my
letters or emails. I never had to be in by a certain time. I was never told to clean
my room. I had no rules, other than taking off my shoes when I came in the door
because the floors were clean. Because I didn’t have rules growing up I taught
myself how to live. My Mum kept saying: to be independent is to be strong.
Because my mother and my grandma didn’t try being so controlling, I learned to
open up for them more. Now, when I’m ready to go to college, I can be even more
responsible than others. Unlike some others, I know how much sleep I need. I’ll
know how to feed myself when I’m hungry instead of eating junk food all the

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time. I can openly tell my Mum that I’m not doing so well at school, and she will
understand me right away and try to help me fix it without making me feel bad
about it. I believe kids like me, without too many boundaries, have a much better
relationship with their parents.
Melissa: I agree. I think that putting a lot of boundaries on teenagers makes them
want to cross them. My parents were very strict when I was growing up. They
didn’t approve of my meeting with mates, they always objected to my staying
out late. They wouldn’t forgive me for being even 5 minutes late and they always
warned me against going out with boys. As a result, I went a little wild between
the ages of 14–16 – nothing serious just losing interest in school, because I got
sick of my parents being so pushy. I also decided against being a good girl and I
used to go to night clubs a lot. If you push your children too hard one way, they’re
going to go the other way.
Harry: Some freedom is all right. Parents are protective because they want their
kids to have more chances in their lives. If children get too much freedom, they
indulge in bad habits. I agree everyone should have freedom, but being busy with
good things is best for everybody regardless of their age.
Luke: I think that’s a really hard thing to decide upon, you know. It really depends
on the kid. Like I have practically no freedom at all and I know if I did, I’d probably
be out getting drunk right now. My best friend though has all the freedom in the
world, yet he still refuses to pick up a cigarette.
Clare: Teens make a lot of mistakes when they are free. Everybody does. But at
least they would be making their own mistakes and not their parents’ mistakes. I
think everyone, adults included, should be given freedom, but we would still need
to follow rules, laws and morals.

Unit 3, Lesson 6, ex. 2

Extract from The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
‘Evening, Mma,’ she said politely. ‘Is this seat taken?’
Mma Ramotswe looked up, as if surprised.
‘There is nobody there’, she said. ’It’s quite free.’
Nandira sat down.
‘I am looking forward to watching this film,’ she said pleasantly. ’I have wanted
to see it for a long time.’
‘Good’, said Mma Ramotswe. ‘It is nice to see a film that you have always wanted
to see.’
There was a silence. The girl was looking at her, and Mma Ramotswe felt quite
uncomfortable.
‘I saw you this afternoon,’ said Nandira. ‘I saw you at Maru-a-Pula.’
‘Ah, yes,’ said Mam Ramotswe. ‘I was waiting for somebody.’

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‘Then I saw you in the Book Centre,’ Nandira continued. ‘You were looking at a
book.’
‘That’s right,’ said Mam Ramotswe. ‘I was thinking of buying a book.’
‘Then you asked Mam Bapitse about me,’ Nandira said quietly. ‘She told me you
were asking about me.’
Mma Ramotswe made a mental note to be careful of Mma Bapitse in the future.
‘So why are you following me?’ asked Nandira, turning in her seat to stare at
Mma Ramotswe.
Mam Ramotswe thought quickly. There was no point in denying it, and she might
as well try to make the most of a difficult situation. So she told Nandira about
her father’s anxieties and how he approached her.
‘He wants to find out whether you’re seeing boys,’ she said. ‘He’s worried about it.’
Nadira looked pleased.
‘Well, if he is worried, he’s only got himself to blame if I keep going out with boys.’
‘And are you?’ asked Mma Ramotswe. ‘Are you going out with lots of boys?’
Nadira said quietly, ‘Not really’.
‘But what about this Jack?’ asked Mma Ramotswe. ‘Who’s he?’
‘Jack doesn’t exist, I made him up. I want them – my family – to think that I’ve
got a boyfriend’, she said. ‘I want them to think there’s somebody I chose, not
somebody they thought right for me. Do you understand?’
Mma Ramotswe thought for a moment. She felt sorry for this poor overprotected
girl, and imagined just how in such circumstances one might want to pretend to
have a boyfriend.
‘Yes, I understand,’ she said.
‘Are you going to tell him?’ Nandira asked.
‘Well, do I have much choice?’ asked Mma Ramotswe. ‘I can hardly say that I’ve
seen you with a boy called Jack when he doesn’t really exist.’
Nandira sighed. ‘Well, I suppose I’ve asked for it. It’s been a silly game.’ She
paused. ‘But once he realises that there’s nothing in it, do you think he might let
me have a bit more freedom? Do you think he might let me live my life for a little
without having to tell him how I spend every single minute?’
‘I could try to persuade him,’ said Mma Ramotswe. ‘I don’t know whether he’ll
listen to me. But I could try.’
‘Please do,’ said Nandira. ‘Please try.’

Unit 3, Lesson 7, ex. 5a

I thought that my friend Jenny was the most talkative girl in town – she can be
on the phone for hours. But I’ve learnt that she’s got a mate – Jill by name –
who can talk from morning till night. She does everything by phone – invites her
friends to her birthday party, buys things (she’s got a smart phone with internet
13
access), apologises for being late and texts a great deal. She prefers talking on
the phone to communicating with people in person. On the one hand, it’s not
bad because it means that Jill is a very friendly girl. On the other hand, it’s really
awful, because her phone bills are huge! The other day she went to bed at 2 a.m.
She had to talk in a low voice as everybody in the house was sleeping. However,
she woke up her Mum. She got into a fury and started screaming. As a result, Jill
is grounded now – she is not allowed to go to the cinema today – it’s out of the
question. It’s a pity.

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 Unit 4

Unit 4, Lesson 1, ex. 1

‘There must be something I can do.’
I’m lying on my bed
staring at the wall
I don’t feel like going out
I don’t feel like staying in
‘There must be something I can do’
I’m lying on my bed
My thoughts keeping me company
I don’t feel like thinking
I don’t feel like sleeping
‘There must be something I can do’

Unit 4, Lesson 2, ex. 2

As a child I was a very shy person. Everything started to change when I was ten
and my best friend introduced me to a Christian youth organisation.
At first I just went for the arts and crafts but I soon started to become really
involved in the other aspects and, even though many of my friends started
dropping out as we entered our teens, I never did. Going to a youth group helped
me meet new people and I got involved in lots of different things I wouldn’t have
otherwise, like sport.
Sadly, as I grew older, other people didn’t see youth groups as such a good thing.
By the time I was 13, if I mentioned I still went to the brigade, people made fun
of me and said I was sad. When I was 14 I went through a rough patch; I had
health problems and I fell out with my closest friends. Things at home were bad
and I actually started self harming, which was the worst thing I’ve ever done. The
people at Girls’ Brigade gave me the shoulder I needed to cry on. They supported
me and I, with their help, finally came clean to my parents about how I’d been
feeling. I also made new friends at the group who I can’t live without now.
I soon started Young Leader Training where I helped look after over around 30–
40 young girls in the younger age groups. I lead them in crafts and games – it
was great! At 15 I joined the London massed bugle band and since then I’ve
performed at two London marathons, the Lord Mayor show and Horse Guard
Parades, plus at other major events too.
People may call me sad that I do these things, but they were green with envy
when I was given a once in a life time experience… when I was asked to represent
Girls’ Brigade at Buckingham Palace!
The event was an actual garden party at the palace and when I was there I met
Boris Johnson (the mayor of London), the duchess of Cornwall and even Prince
Charles! This was all thanks to going to a youth group.
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I’m 16 now and I still go to all the groups. I am starting my Queen’s Award soon,
for which I’ll do loads volunteer work. All the experience I’ve gained looks really
good on my CV and I’ve recently got my first job  – the employer talked more
about my Girls’ Brigade experience than anything else, saying it showed I was a
serious person.

Unit 4, Lesson 2, ex. 4a

Verbs: to be founded, to join, to be a member, to get involved, to participate, to
support.
Adjectives: non-political, political, religious, military, independent, supported by
the government, international, local, volunteer.
Nouns: leader, member, symbol, motto, principles, event, conference, campaign,
aim, project.

Unit 4, Lesson 5, ex. 2b, c

Hi, guys. Please, introduce yourselves.
L: I’m Lee, I’m 15. I’ve been cheering since I was little! I’m a high school cheerleader.
M: My name is Mary, I am now 16, and in 9th grade. I cheer for the Jr. High Boys’
basketball games.
Let’s start from the very beginning. How did you get into cheerleading?
L: I wanted to be a cheerleader because I was always a cheerer. Before I was a
cheerleader I yelled from the stands. I finally decided to try out and become a
part of something great. I love the excitement of competitions and the speaker
yelling. XPA all stars 1st place!
M: When I was younger I wanted to be a cheerleader mostly because my
babysitter and role model was a cheerleader but not only that. When I went to
high school football games or basketball games when I was little and saw the
cheerleaders do their dance there was something unique about the way they
acted towards each other, they weren’t just friends they were cheer sisters and I
wanted superstar girls like that to be my friends as well.
What qualities does it take to be a cheerleader?
M: Cheerleading takes an extreme amount of physical work as well as practice.
Most cheerleaders practise an average of 8 hours a week. Cheerleaders have
to be in top physical condition. In addition, they are advised to take a variety of
dance classes including jazz, hip hop, and ballet.
I’d like you to share one of those funny stories that happen during the
competitions.
M: Well, it’s not really a competition story. The 9th-grade boys make fun of me
and all the others for being cheerleaders. They find it stupid. I told them to watch

16
our routine cause we were amazing. So they did come to see us dance. Our
dance routine was superb, the jumps were done perfectly. At the end, we got
into our end poses, which were really beautiful. But suddenly one girl doing the
scorpion move fell over on top of the girl doing the splits! She couldn’t get up,
either! The other one in the scorpion position lost her balance and almost fell on
top of them both. All the basketball players were laughing, and started making
fun of us even more!
L: I was standing on the track at a game and when everyone else turned right I
turned left! Another time the same game I couldn’t hear anything because of the
fans shouting so I started yelling the wrong cheer and everyone started laughing!
What lessons have you learned from cheerleading?
M: I’ve learned that, together we work, together we fall, we work as a team or we
don’t work at all.
L: To me when you are a cheerleader you need to be exactly what the name says,
a leader. When you are a cheerleader you need to set good examples for your
peers and represent the school, team and your country.
What advice can you give to those who have just started?
L: Don’t give up, be serious and focused on what you’re doing. Every moment
counts and you may not notice a change but it will happen.

Unit 4, Lesson 8, ex. 2b

The Elsdon murder
(The following story, which in the main is true, shows generally the duties of a Boy
Scout.)
A brutal murder took place many years ago in the North of England. The murderer
was caught and hanged chiefly through the scoutcraft of a shepherd boy.
Woodcraft – The boy, Robert Hindmarsh, had been up on the moor tending his
sheep, and was finding his way home over a wild out-of-the-way part of the hills,
when he passed a tramp sitting on the ground with his legs stretched out in front
of him eating some food.
Observation – The boy in passing noticed the tramp’s appearance, and especially
the peculiar nails in the soles of his boots.
Concealment  – He did not stop and stare, but just took in these details at a
glance as he went by without attracting much attention from the man, who
merely regarded him as an ordinary boy.
Deduction – When the boy got near home, some five or six miles away, he came
to a crowd round a cottage. The old woman (Margaret Crozier) who inhabited
it had been found murdered. All sorts of guesses were made about who had
done the deed, and suspicion seemed to centre on a small gang of three or

17
four tramps who were going about the country robbing and threatening death to
anyone who made any report of their misdeeds.
The boy heard all these things. Then he noticed some peculiar footprints in the
little garden of the cottage. The nail-marks agreed with those he had seen in the
boots of the man on the moor, and he naturally deduced that the man might have
something to do with the murder.
Chivalry – The fact that it was a helpless old woman who had been murdered
made the boy’s chivalrous feeling rise against the murderer, whoever he might be.
Pluck and Self-discipline – So, although he knew that the friends of the murderer
might kill him for giving information, he cast his fears aside. He went at once to
the constable and told him of the footmarks in the garden, and where he could
find the man who had made them – if he went immediately.
Health and Strength – The man up on the moor had got so far from the scene
of the murder, unseen, except by the boy, that he thought himself safe, and never
thought of the boy being able to walk all the way to the scene of the murder and
then to come back, as he did, with the police.
But the boy was a strong, healthy hill-boy, and did the journey rapidly and well, so
that they found the man and captured him without difficulty.
The man was Willie Winter.
He was tried, found guilty, and hanged at Newcastle. His body was then brought
and hung near the scene of the murder, as was the custom in those days.
Kind-heartedness – But when the boy saw the murderer’s body hanging there
he was overcome with misery at having caused the death of a fellow creature.
Saving Life – However, the magistrate sent for him and complimented him on
the great good he had done to his fellow countrymen, probably saving some of
their lives, by ridding the world of such a dangerous criminal.
Duty  – He said: “You have done your duty, although it caused you personally
some danger and much distress. Still, you must not mind that. It was your duty
to help the police in getting justice done, and duty must always be carried out
regardless of how much it costs you, even if you have to give up your life.”
Example – Thus the boy did every part of the duty of a Boy Scout.
He exercised  – Woodcraft; Observation without being noticed; Deduction;
Chivalry; Sense of Duty; Kind-heartedness.
He never thought that the act which he had done would years afterwards be held
up as an example to other boys in teaching them to do their duty.
In the same way, you should remember that your acts may be watched by others
after you, and taken as an example too.
So try to do your duty the right way on all occasions.

18
Unit 4, Lesson 9, ex. 2
Hi! I’m Tony and I’m 17. I’m a Sea Cadet. I’ve been in the corps since I was 13. We
meet or “drill” at our local unit weekly throughout the year. A unit is structured
along military lines and is headed by a Commanding Officer.
We have classes such as basic seamanship, military drill, and leadership. There
are weekend competitions where units compete with each other. We also often
participate in community events such as parades and fairs, we work in Veterans’
Hospitals and organise clothing and food drives.
The best part of my training was spending two weeks with the US coast guard.
You know… The sound of alarm, the heart is racing. You actually help save
someone’s life. It’s unforgettable. Our motto is Test your limits. And that’s what
we regularly do.
I’m Steph and I’m 19. I started in youth parliament when I was 15. At that time
I was going to a catholic high school, you know I had about 10–15 girls that I
knew of that had children while they were in school. There was no one actually
informing any of us on how you could stop that from happening, being safe. That
was the main reason why I stood open and said that I wanted to be involved in
youth parliament.
I was at the very beginning of ‘SRE: are you getting it?’ campaign. We actually
managed to show our programme to the head of the NHS. We also showed it
to some ministers down in London. I was a little girl from a little catholic school
in the middle of Cheshire. You know I’ve actually helped to change the law and
hopefully changed hundreds of thousands of young people’s lives. YP is for those
with the burning heart who feel ready to do what it takes to make the world a
better place.
Hi! I’m John, I’m 16 years old and I’m in Boys’ Brigade Seniors section. Seniors
have a special uniform that I enjoy wearing because I feel as though I belong
to the family. I participate in the Challenge Plus programme, which is made up
of different Projects and Challenges. The weekly section meetings usually run
for 1½ – 2 hours and are finished by 10.00 p.m.
It’s all about learning new things, making your own decisions and having fun.
I really recommend BB for those who want to explore new things and achieve a
lot while making friends and having adventures.

19
 Unit 5
Unit 5, Lesson 1, ex. 1a
What is Art?
What are the forms of art? When you think of art, what do you think of? Paintings,
statues? What else?
Is there a size limit to art? What’s the largest piece of art you can imagine? How
small is the smallest?
Is art defined by its materials? We’re all used to thinking of paintings as art. Or
bronze sculptures. But art can be made from all kinds of materials. Try to think
of some. Various kinds of paint and metal, wood, plastics... it can even be an old
shoe or a newspaper. What about putting different materials together?
Does art have to be understandable? Is it necessary for it to actually look like
something, such as a woman, or a vase of flowers? Does art have to be realistic?
Is it better if it is realistic?
What about abstract art? Do you know what that means? What is abstract art
about? Can art describe feelings?
Is all art good art? Who decides, and how is it decided?
Does art have to be beautiful? What about a piece that looks truly ugly to you? Is
it still art? Sometimes the artist is trying to shock the viewer, or to make you feel
uncomfortable. Why would an artist want to do that? Perhaps to make people
see things in a new way?
Does art have to “say” something? Communicate some feeling, idea, a record of
fact, another way of looking at something? Just try to think of an example of art
that does not communicate anything... can you?

Unit 5, Lesson 1, ex. 2

Interviewer: Our world has become a very visual one – we have art all around
us. Understanding art is understanding our world! A good first step is to try to
understand what we mean by art. Let’s ask Shelley Esaak, a portrait artist, graphic
designer, writer and educator. Hi, Shelley, could you clarify this question?
Shelley Esaak: I’d be delighted to. First of all, the arts are a great subdivision of
culture. It is a broader term than art, which usually means only the visual arts.
The arts include visual arts, literary arts and the performing arts, like music,
theatre, and film, among others.
If you ask people in the street what art is, paintings and statues are common
answers. But actually that’s a bit more than that. The types of visual art include
architecture, animation, collage, comics, design, drawing, graffiti, illustration,
installation art, photography, sculpture and so on.
I: All right. But how do you know it’s art that you are looking at?

20
ShE: The first time that the question of what art is came up was in the 19th
century in an essay by Leo Tolstoy. In his work he argues against numerous
theories which define art in terms of the good, truth, and especially beauty. In
Tolstoy’s opinion, art at the time was much more than that. According to him, art
must create an emotional link between artist and audience, one that “infects”
the viewer.
The idea that art is actually about communicating the feelings of the artists is a
romantic one which is widely popular among the researchers. Or as Frank Zappa
once said “Art is making something out of nothing and selling it.”
I: Ha-ha-ha. For all that, how would you personally answer this question today?
ShE: I could tell you that art plays a large part in making our lives infinitely rich.
Imagine, just for a minute, a world without art! (You may think “So what?” but
please consider the effect that lack of graphics would have on your favourite
video game.) Art stimulates different parts of our brains to make us laugh or cry,
calm down or start shouting. For some people, art is the entire reason they get
out of bed in the morning. You could say “Art is something that makes us more
thoughtful and well-balanced humans.”
On the other hand, art is such a large part of our everyday lives that we may
hardly even stop to think about it. Look at the desk or table where you are, right
this minute. Someone designed that. It is art. Your shoes are art. Your coffee cup
is art. All functional design, well done, is art. So, you could say “Art is something
that is both functional and (hopefully) beautiful.”
Art is form and content.
Form means: The elements of art, the principles of design and the actual,
physical materials that the artist has used. Form, in this context, is fairly easily
described – no matter which piece of art we are studying.
Content, now, gets a little more tricky. Content is idea-based and means: What
the artist meant to say, what the artist actually did say and how we react, as
individuals, to the authors messages.

Unit 5, Lesson 2, ex. 3

Influenced by a childhood spent in rural surroundings, Chagall’s ‘I and the Village’ is
a dreamlike representation of goats, pastures, a farmer, a violinist, and simplistic
images of houses, some of them upside-down. The whole could be viewed as a
jigsaw puzzle in a child’s imagination. Clearly exhibiting aspects of Cubism, the
components are randomly put together to produce an abstract arrangement.
The colours are rich and a stark contrast exists between the red, the green and
the blue. It is a painting that provides many viewpoints and perspectives.
The painting is full of intrigue and symbolism. In the foreground of the painting, a
green-faced man, wearing a cross around his neck, a cap on his head, and holding
a glowing tree, stares directly across at the head of a goat. In the background, a
row of houses, an Orthodox church, and a man dressed in black hurries past an
upside-down woman playing what looks like a violin.

21
The geometric shapes and symbols catch the viewer’s attention. The small and
large circles have been said to represent 3 spatial phenomena: the sun’s revolution
in orbit, the earth’s revolution around the sun, and the moon’s revolution around
the earth.
‘I and the Village’ illustrates the relations between human beings and the natural
world surrounding them. It is a clear display of the relationship between humans,
animals and plants.

Unit 5, Lesson 3, ex. 3b, c

Speaker A: Four years ago I knew two things about graffiti: that it was all
criminal and that it was ugly. I was right it was ugly but I was wrong about it
being all criminal. Most of it is done by kids of every race and social group
from big cities to small towns. Today I’m a member of Together Against Graffiti
(TAG) group aimed at bringing people together to fight against this kind of so
called street-art.
Speaker B: In the past ten years graffiti seems to have become more about leaving
your mark, and less about art or political statement. Most of it is unreadable
anyway. I say make it illegal if it’s not saying anything of interest!
Speaker C: Graffiti as a public service! Oh please – the majority of graffiti you see
is not art, but tags scribbled on someone else’s property – trains, walls, tubes or
buildings. 6 weeks service cleaning trains or public toilets should do the trick.
Speaker D: I am a mural artist and have also been involved with graffiti art. Most
of my graffiti-style work has been done on large canvases in my town centre.
Spray paint is the most fun to use because it is fast, mistic, colourful and loud.
I would like to suggest the following: a) fight vandalism (especially taggers); b)
provide gallery space and public places for graffiti artists and encourage trouble-
makers to participate by providing materials and guidance.
Speaker E: There has been a council sponsored graffiti wall in Walton-on-Thames
for many years. This looked fantastic, until the local kids started to “tag” it. Now
the original, and quite frankly brilliant, art is covered in nasty, pointless little
scribbles. I would love to see graffiti walls where the best artists can be free, but
whilst these taggers continue then this will not work.
Speaker F: I used to live in London where the graffiti simply made the already
grubby city look worse. Mural walls for graffiti artists may help but I doubt it will
stop the general rot. I now live in Valencia, Spain and here too there is graffiti.
However, it is far less of a problem because the authorities are very quick to
clean it up.
Speaker G: If walls were set up throughout Britain, and everyone was encouraged
to use them (all ages, classes, etc.) then graffiti could become a democratic form
of cultural expression that need not trouble anyone. It would be cheap public art.
Speaker H: Graffiti should be banned. The creation of graffiti is dangerous.
Graffiti artists climb to high places to draw on highway signs or billboards. To get
to these high places, the graffiti artist has either got to climb to the high place or

22
in some cases, hang down from high places to draw their picture or make their
inscriptions. This is taking an unnessasary risk. The artist may believe that their
life is not in any danger, but if there is one wrong move, the artist can lose his life.

Unit 5, Lesson 4, ex. 2

Why did you choose to become an artist? 
I didn’t choose art. Art chose me. It’s just something that I find myself doing,
without even thinking about it. I can, have, and often do, find myself with a
drawing nearly finished before I realise I’ve even picked up a pen at all.
What training did you have? 
uhm... none. I started drawing before I could read and write. I had already written
and illustrated my first book at the age of 3, two years before starting school.
My school time is limited to three years, from the time I was 5 to 8 years old.
In K-5 I sat through their baby classes bored out of my mind, because I had
already been reading and writing for two years, while the rest of the class was
still learning their ABCs. The only lessons I took any interest in was art class and
theatre. At age 9 I did not return to school, opting instead to teach myself via
high school and college texts.
My mom was a dressmaker, and by age 6 I’d been drawing, designing, and sewing
my cloth doll’s wardrobe. At age 12 I drew, designed, and sewed my first party
dress. At age 14 I enrolled in a college course in fashion design and dressmaking,
graduating 2 years later at age 16. From that point on, a large majority of my
art career was devoted to fashion and costumes. My aim then was to recreate
in complete historical accuracy every costume throughout history. Yes, I know,
when I dream big, I dream big.
When did you start creating art for gift items? 
I was about 25 years old, when I bought a book on painting art for greeting cards.
I’m not sure why I bought it, it was just there and I saw it there, and I bought
it. Before I finished the book I had been drawing art designed specifically for
greeting cards.
Where do you get your ideas? 
I live on a farm. I own and run The Pidgie Fund, a shelter that rescues feral cats
and pit-fighter cocks (roosters). My home is currently the home of 13 cats,
and 60+ now tame and peaceful roosters, and one 13-year-old dog who loves all
his cats and birds. In my lifetime I have owned more than 500 pets, all of those
pets have sat for portraits to be drawn or painted. About 90% of the art I sell on
CafePress and Zazzle, are pictures of my own pets.
Have you got any final advice to offer? 
For anyone just starting out in an art career, or looking to expand their skills as
an artist, I would tell them this. Be original. You are the only you there is in this
world. Go ahead and be influenced by the work of others, but ultimately, let your
own light shine and create art that is unique to you.

23
Unit 5, Lesson 5, ex. 2a
Photograph, photographer, photography, photographic.

Unit 5, Lesson 5, ex. 3c

A good photograph is the one that communicates a fact, touches the heart,
leaves the viewer a changed person for having seen it. It is, in a word, effective.

Unit 5, Lesson 6, ex. 2

1. The Sydney Opera House is an iconic building on the shores of Sydney
Harbour, in Australia. It is a masterpiece of the 20th-century architecture and its
fame is based on its unique design and construction, its advanced engineering
achievements and technological innovation.
2. Its recognisable roof structure that is shaped like the sails of a boat makes it
one of the most-photographed buildings in the world.
3. It was designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon who won a great design
competition in 1957.
4. The land where the Sydney Opera House stands was once home to Fort
Macquarie (the fort was built in 1817). The Opera House was built on the same
spot and was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 20th October, 1973.
5. The grand Concert Hall is the spacious performance space with more than
2,500 seats. It is host to symphony concerts, choir performances, and popular
music shows. Spectacular opera and dance performances, including ballet, take
place in the Opera Theatre, which seats just over 1,500. The building also houses
three theatres, restaurants and a professional recording studio.
6. The Sydney Opera House is the most distinctive landmark in Sydney. In 2007
it was listed as UNESCO World Heritage site.

Unit 5, Lesson 8, ex. 2a

Pyromania
I only came to the art gallery because my friend Clarice had invited me. Clarice
belonged to a group of artists that called themselves the Ravens, because, as
Clarice explained to me, the Raven is a traditional symbol of creation. The Ravens
all share a studio, and twice a year, have gallery shows where people can buy their
art. The art is awfully modern, and abstract, and to me, pretty boring. But when
Clarice specifically asked that I come, I felt it would be rude to refuse. Clarice
was really exсited about showing me the other Ravens, and their art. Right now,
she was leaning nervously on a wall next to her newest painting, a swirl of colour,
all spiraling up towards the top. “It’s called Fern,” she told me proudly. “Fern? Why
Fern?” I had asked. Clarice looked at me, her eyebrows going up. “Because it is
a fern,” she explained in a patronising voice.

24
Clarice looked just as she always did, in her knee-high suede boots and denim
skirt, but she looked a lot more anxious than usual. She was always anxious
in the months leading up to shows, working feverishly to get one last painting
done. “I’m going to look at the other art,” I told her. She just nodded deafly, and
put one hand over her stomach. Clarice is fond of telling the story of her first
exhibition ever, where she was extremely nervous right before it started. I hoped
she wouldn’t now.
I strolled aimlessly around the large airy room. It smelled of paint. I hardly glanced
at the art though. It was the artists I looked at. People have always fascinated
me. I love to watch people and wonder what their story is. I guess you could call
me an expert in people watching. Some people show their souls in their faces,
and some you have to look at their eyes to see what they’re like. Some people
have mysterious looking faces, that don’t give you one clue what their story is.
Suddenly, one of the paintings caught my eye. I walked over to it. “What’s this one
called?” I asked the artist. She had light blond golden hair that was cut to just
below her ears and a serious expression. She was wearing a tee shirt that said
“I Used Up All My Sick Days... So I Called In Dead.” “Pyromania,” she responded.
Her voice was loud and harsh, like she had a sore throat, but she was trying to
talk normally through it. I stared at the painting, and I don’t know how long I
stood there and gazed at it.
It was huge, and it was hung in a little niche in the wall. It was very abstract, and
not a picture of anything, but it was clear that the painting was portraying a flame.
At the bottom of the canvas was a light blue colour, but not sky blue. This was
an intense, almost silver colour. Then it blended into light golden colors that zig
zagged angrily upwards. Next came dark orange, curling and interweaving with
reds and golds and yellows, like an intricate glass sculpture. The most amazing
thing about the painting though, was not the colour, but the texture. The paint
was so smooth that it looked like a liquid, a gas. The image didn’t look solid; I felt
like if I put my hand on it, it would go right through. It was violent, but had a fierce
kind of beauty at the same time. I surreptitiously checked the plaque on the
wall next to it. “It’s for sale,” I remarked to the artist. “Yeah, it is.” “And nobody’s
bought it yet?” “No, no one.” “I’ll take it.” The artist smiled a small smile.
When I told Clarice I’d bought the painting, I noticed that her worried look slightly
deepened, but she said nothing except “I think she’ll be glad to be rid of it.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, a little worried myself. “Oh, you know, it was pretty
inconvenient to have around…” her voice trailed off and she resumed fidgeting
nervously.
About a week or so later, after I’d gotten the picture mounted nicely on the wall
opposite my bed, I understood what she meant. One morning after I got up, …

Unit 5, Lesson 8, ex. 3

I noticed that the wall around the perimeter of the frame was charred black. I
touched the frame, confused, but instantly jerked my hand back. The metal was
blazing hot. I smelled burning flesh.
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Unit 5, Lesson 9, ex. 2c
I would say that the first one is a picture of a little girl walking in the rain with
an umbrella and the second one is a Japanese doll that is holding an umbrella.
The girl could be just going for a walk in the rain, because she looks quite happy
and it seems she’s enjoying the weather. Maybe the girl’s mother is doing the
shopping or going somewhere and the girl is just following her. The Japanese
doll is wearing a national dress. It must be a geisha-doll and the umbrella protects
her pale skin from the sun. The doll could be a new toy that someone received on
their birthday. On the other hand maybe it is a souvenir that every tourist brings
from Japan.
The pictures are similar because they both involve umbrellas but they are also
very different. The first one is of a living person whereas the other is of a toy. The
first picture is taken outside and we can see green grass at the background. We
can guess it’s summer. I think this photograph will look great in a family album.
The picture of the doll is taken inside probably for a poster or calendar.

Unit, 5, Lesson 9, ex. 3b

You might start by giving a brief description of each of the pictures. You do not
have to describe them in detail.
If you are not sure what the picture is, use your imagination and say what you
think it is. It doesn’t matter if you are wrong.
There are different ways in which you can refer to the pictures. For example:
the first picture, the second / other picture, the picture on the left / the lefthand
picture, the picture on the top / the upper picture; the bottom picture, etc.
Do Three things!
1) Introduce what the picture is in one sentence. 2) Introduce the other picture in
one sentence. 3) Compare and contrast them.
You can also give your opinion.

26
 Unit 6
Unit 6, Lesson 1, ex. 1b
What is the most important gift of science? Science has offered many gifts to
mankind. We are familiar with them; we have routinely been using them. Can you
name a gift of science without which the modern civilization can not survive?
Name one, only one gift. If we stop using it, the whole world would come to a
standstill. What is it?
Another interesting question: Which are the most important devices today?
Name just two of them. Without them, all functions of the society would be
impossible. The structure of the ultra-modern civilization would collapse. Have
you guessed them?

Unit 6, Lesson 1, ex. 1c

What is the most important gift of science? Science has offered many gifts to
mankind. We are familiar with them; we have routinely been using them. Can you
name a gift of science without which the modern civilization can not survive?
Name one, only one gift. If we stop using it, the whole world would come to a
standstill. What is it?
It is electricity. If there is no electricity, the survival of the modern man would be
put at risk.
Another interesting question: Which are the most important devices today?
Name just two of them. Without them, all functions of the society would be
impossible. The structure of the ultra-modern civilization would collapse. Have
you guessed them?
One is the time-measuring device, the other is the computer. A time-measuring
device (a clock or a watch) regulates the activities and functionalities of our
life – ranging from personal life to communication and transportation. Two is a
computer. A computer controls both personal and impersonal issues at local and
global levels. How chaotic life could result if these two devices stop functioning
all of a sudden! (Thank God! That can never happen!)

Unit 6, Lesson 1, ex. 4b

Advances in technology are wonderful. That is till the electricity goes out. Then
you sit in your home and realise just how dependent you’ve become on the
devices that surround you. Work and play stops, children scratch their heads not
knowing what to do.
Chris B., Canada
Overall positive as I now have instant communication with my children living in
Sweden, Germany and Switzerland as well as my 90-year-old father in the States

27
and brothers and a sister living there as well. Arranging a reunion party over the
web is a lot easier.
Paul Pekar, Panicale-Casalini, Italy
Nothing new so far. War and markets dictate everything. Our new technology is
old military technology.
Z. Abbasi, UK
This morning I sat here in Qatar and checked the Joint Typhoon Warning Center
of the US Navy in Hawaii and saw that a tropical storm in the Philippines was
suddenly going south. I sent a text message to my wife at home here and she
phoned her father’s mobile phone in very rural Mindanao. He is a fisherman and
decided that he would stay at home tonight rather than take the boat out; even
though the weather was fine when she called him. Now there is a difference.
David, Doha Qatar
New technology will always make a difference as it always has, whether it is the
invention of the wheel, the discovery of electricity or the Internet.
Stephen, England

Unit 6, Lesson 2, ex. 3b, 4a

A. Melissa Hu: I love music so giving up my iPod was definitely a challenge. I
listen to it during car rides, when I’m eating at restaurants, and sometimes when
I’m supposed to be sleeping.
The first few days were the worst. I was trying to study at the library when this
guy started talking nonstop to one of his friends. I wanted to reach for my iPod
so I wouldn’t have to listen to him, but I couldn’t. So I tried to do my work but
finally moved to another table.
This challenge was especially difficult when I was at home. My parents were
installing a floor, so they were using the nail gun. The noise was terrible.
After a couple of days, it got easier. Without my iPod, I started remembering
songs that I had forgotten about, I looked out of the window and read books.
I realised I spend too much time using my iPod and feel like I need to always have
it with me. I am going to try to use my iPod less by not bringing my earphones
with me everywhere I go.
B. Alma Sanchez: I decided to do this challenge because I watch a lot of TV. In
the summer, the first thing I did after waking up was turn on the TV in the living
room. I thought this challenge would help me get more things done, but giving
up TV for a week was harder than I thought.
On Monday as soon as I woke up I thought about the shows I’d be missing and
my favourite Spanish soap opera. I killed time by going on the Internet. In the
afternoon, my mom and I went to the supermarket, where there was a TV screen
in every corner of the store!

28
On Tuesday, I went to my aunt’s house next door and before I knew it I was
staring at the video game my cousin was playing. Then I went to the bedroom
where my other cousin was switching channels and I left immediately. I went
home and read 1984, my summer reading. The book was fantastic and I couldn’t
put it down. I didn’t think about TV at all.
On Wednesday I even saw a TV on the bus that showed news clips, games and
ads. I took a book to read on Friday to avoid watching.
On the other days, I could control not watching TV by staying in my bedroom.
Instead of watching TV, I cleaned my desk and looked through college brochures.
I felt more productive but I wanted to watch TV with my family because I could
hear them laughing.
When the challenge ended, I wanted to keep going because I did more that week
than any other week in the summer. I realised that TV distracted me and that not
watching it helped. Now I only watch my favourite shows and skip boring ones.
С. Elliot Kwon: I always knew that I depended way too much on my phone. But I
didn’t know how much, so I decided to do this challenge to find out.
Every morning since I got a smartphone, I’ve used The Weather Channel to figure
out what to wear. On the first morning I had to dress without it, but thankfully
I was able to predict that the day would be cold and foggy by looking out my
window. When was the last time I did that … eighth grade?
I also lost track of time. I haven’t worn a watch for more than a year, because
my phone showed the time. So I was late picking up friends who took the bus
for two hours to come from Santa Monica. I also was late to my baby-sitting job.
And even worse, I couldn’t call people to tell them that I was running late.
Getting places was harder, too. I got lost because I couldn’t use the GPS on my
phone. My driving, though, got a lot safer because I no longer had my phone in
one hand checking directions while driving.
But the number one problem was not having my contact list. I forgot to write
down my friends’ and family members’ phone numbers before I started the
challenge. It was sad to realize that I couldn’t remember my brother’s and my
mom’s cell phone numbers.
This challenge was a great learning experience. It surprised me how I’d overlooked
even the simplest things like remembering phone numbers. We all should take
some time to think about how we can depend less on our cell phones.

Unit 6, Lesson 4, ex. 2

Isn’t it strange
Feels like I’m lookin’ in the mirror
What would people say
If only they knew that I was
Part of some geneticist’s plan
Born to be a carbon copy man

29
 There in a petri dish late one night
They took a donor’s body cell and fertilised a human egg and so I say
I think I’m a clone now
There’s always two of me just ahangin’ around
I think I’m a clone now
‘Cause every chromosome is a hand-me-down
I think I’m a clone now

Unit 6, Lesson 4, ex. 3a

Most of us have heard about cloning and have some idea about what it might be.
Cloning is basically making a genetic copy of something. It might be copying
just one cell, or it could be a whole animal.
Scientists have been effectively cloning animals since the early 1960s. An Asian
carp was cloned successfully in 1963.
The biggest star in the cloning world is a sheep named Dolly. In 1996 Scottish
scientists cloned Dolly from an adult sheep. It was the first time a mammal was
cloned. When Dolly was born the scientists gave her a thorough check and found
out that she was genetically the same as the sheep that ‘donated’ the DNA. Dolly
died at the age of six and had given birth to four lambs. Later, several hundred
other Dollies were cloned.
The cows were cloned in 1998 and duplicated several thousand times. In Japan
the cow clones were engineered to produce better meat and milk.
Labs have been experimenting on modifying pigs so that they can grow cells and
organs that humans could use.
In December 2001 scientists in Texas cloned a domestic cat, known as Cc
(for Carbon copy) and it was the first time a pet was cloned. The research was
supported by a company that hoped to make money by cloning people’s favourite
dead or sick pets.
However, as it turns out clones do not act or even look alike. Cc’s mother cat
Rainbow was white and brown, while Cc had a striped grey coat over white.
Rainbow was shy whereas Cc was curious and playful.
Now people are getting really interested in cloning a human.
Not everyone thinks cloning humans is a good idea. Some scientists who
were responsible for creating Dolly, have said that human cloning projects are
criminally irresponsible.
In 2018 Chinese scientists have cloned monkeys using the same technique that
produced Dolly the sheep many years ago, thus breaking a technical barrier that
could open the door to copying humans.
“No society could accept this today,” says a Chinese genetisist, doctor Zhang.
“On the other hand, if you are asking me, my answer is that eventually human
cloning will be possible.”

30
Unit 6, Lesson 5, ex. 4
What’s nanotechnology?
Imagine if you had gone smaller by about 1500 million times! If you stepped
into your living room, what you’d see around you would not be chairs, tables,
computers, and your family but atoms, molecules, and cells. Now imagine you
started moving those atoms around sticking them together in interesting new
ways. You could build all kinds of fantastic materials, everything from new
medicines to computer chips. Making new things at an atomic level is called
nanotechnology and it’s one of the most exciting and fast-moving areas of
science and technology today.
How small is nanometer?
Nano means “billionth”, so a nanometer is one billionth of a meter.
This is all very interesting and quite impressive, but what use is it?
This is the work of nanoscience: it helps us understand why things happen by
studying them at the smallest possible scale. Once we understand nanoscience,
we can do some nanotechnology: we can put the science into action to help
solve our problems.
How do you work at an atomic level?
Your fingers are millions of nanometers long, so it’s no good trying to pick up
atoms and molecules and move them around with your bare hands. Scientists
have developed electron microscopes that allow us to “see” things at an atomic
level and also work with them.
When did nanotechnology start?
Engineering at an atomic level isn’t a new thing. Animals and plants have long
been using the nanostructures in their shells, skins and wings.
Can we use nanotechnology in our everyday life?
It could be you’re already using nanotechnology. Clothes have just got clever
with nanotechnology: the materials today stay clean, warm, strong and dry.
Nanotechnology is big news in sport. Tennis and golf players, skiers and mountain
bikers are already enjoying the advanced technology with lighter, stronger sports
equipment.
The displays on everything from iPods and cellphones to flatscreen TVs are
made from plastic built at an atomic level.
Faster, smaller, and more powerful computers with longer-lasting batteries use
carbon nanotubes.
One of the most exciting areas of nanotechnology is building incredibly small
robots from individual atoms. Nanorobots could be used in medicine. They could
be injected into our bodies to make the necessary repairs.
Nanotechnology can be used in the food industry right from field to table. For
example, nanomaterials could help keep food fresh for longer. Scientists are
already manufacturing nano-sized vitamins that are easier for our bodies to
take in.
That’s unbelievable!
31
Unit 6, Lesson 6, ex. 4
When you’re not home, nagging little thoughts can start to crowd your mind. Did
I turn the coffee maker off? Did I set the security alarm? Are the kids doing their
homework or watching television?
With a smart home, you could quiet all of these worries with a quick trip online.
When you’re home, the house takes care of you by playing your favourite song
whenever you walk in or turning down the lights for a movie. Is it magic? No, it’s
advanced technology. Smart homes connect all the devices in your home so
they can communicate with each other and with you.
Anything in your home that uses electricity can be put on the home network.
Whether you give that command by voice, remote control or computer, the home
reacts.
Here are a few more examples of cool smart home tricks: Start heating the
bedroom before you get out of bed so that it’s nice and warm when you get up.
Turn on the coffee maker from bed. Feed your pets on a schedule with a preset
amount of food. Program the television so that your children can watch only at
certain times.
There are cameras that track your home outside. A video door phone provides
more than a doorbell – you get a picture of who’s at the door. Motion sensors
will send an alert when there’s movement around your house, and they can even
tell the difference between pets and people. Door locks and garage doors can
open automatically as your smartphone approaches. Door handles can open
with scanned fingerprints or a four-digit code, no need to look for house keys.
Moreover, the most advanced garbage bins can monitor what you throw away
and generate orders in online shops for replacement. Refrigerators that create
dinner recipes based on the ingredients stored inside.
Smart homes obviously make life easier and more convenient. Whether you’re at
work or on vacation, the smart home will send data on what’s going on.
Smart homes also provide some energy savings. The devices can go to “sleep”
and wake up when commands are given. Lights are automatically turned off
when a person leaves the room, and rooms can be heated or cooled based on
who’s there at any given moment.
New technology promises great advantages for an elderly person living alone.
Smart homes could remind the owner when it was time to take medicine, contact
the hospital if they fell or feel bad and track how much the person was eating.
A smart home probably sounds like a nightmare to those people not comfortable
with computers as sometimes you may find them difficult to operate.
Of course, there’s also the question of whether you need all this technology. Is
our society really so lazy that we can’t switch on the lights? It’s an interesting
argument, but smart homes are coming.

32
Unit 6, Lesson 7, ex. 1c
1. Boris Kit was an outstanding Belarusian mathematician, physicist, chemist,
philosopher and educator. Coming from the small Belarusian village of Aharodniki,
he became a world-famous scientist in the field of Astronautics. The inventor of
space rocket fuel, which made moon flights possible. Boris Kit was 107 years
old when he died in February, 2018.
2. A well-known Belarusian revolutionary and scientist Nikolai Sudzilovsky was
born to a noble family in Mogilev. Нe was an ethnographer, a geographer, a
chemist, a biologist, a genetic doctor. From 1892 Nikolai Sudzilovsky lived in
Hawaii where he fought for the rights of the locals.
3. Alexander Chizhevsky was born in the Grodno region in 1897. Chizhevsky
was a world-famous scientist who studied the biological effects of the sun and
universe, including the connection between the solar activity and periods of war
throughout history.
4. Sofia Kovalevskaya, the first female Professor of Mathematics, came from the
Belarusian noble family. She spent her childhood in the Palibino Estate, Vitebsk
region. Sofia Kovalevskaya is the author of numerous papers on mathematical
analysis, mechanics and astronomy. She was the greatest known woman
scientist before the twentieth century.
5. Pavel Sukhoi was an aerospace engineer, an inventor, one of the creators of
supersonic jets, a designer of more than 50 original aircraft solutions, more than
30 of which have been constructed and tested. He was born in 1895, in the town
of Glubokoye, Vitebsk Region.
6. Zhores Alferov was born in Vitebsk in 1930. Alferov won the Nobel Prize for
Physics in 2000. At the ceremony, it was said that without Alferov and his work, it
would not be possible to transfer all the information from satellites down to the
Earth or to have so many telephone lines between cities.

33
 Unit 7
Unit 7, Lesson 1, ex. 2
Prefixes and suffixes are generally known as affixes. Affixes create new words,
usually by changing the meaning of a root word.
A prefix is a letter or group of letters added to the beginning of a word to make a
new word: In the word UNHAPPY, UN- is a prefix added to HAPPY. UN- is a Latin
word for NOT.
A suffix on the other hand is a letter or group of letters added to the end of a
word to make another word. The suffix -NESS added to the end of the word
TOGETHER creates a new word TOGETHERNESS. A good knowledge of English
prefixes and suffixes will help students develop vocabulary without the need to
always check their dictionary.
Since English is a language that has thousands of words from other languages, a
brief description of commonly used prefixes and suffixes would do much good.

Unit 7, Lesson 2, ex. 4a, 5

The borders of Belarus were changed so many times it can be hard to know where
your family really comes from: Russia, Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine or Belarus. Our
lecture is not limited to persons of Belarusian ethnicity; Russians, Jews, Poles,
Vikings, etc. may be found in the list.
How many of us would have guessed that the legendary Hollywood actor Kirk
Douglas was born to Belarusian parents? They emigrated from Gomel to the USA
when Kirk was just three years old, in 1919. Likewise, top American designer
Ralph Lauren’s parents are from Belarus (his father from Pinsk and his mother
from Grodno).
Belarus also has its fair share of prominent writers. Yanka Kupala, Yakub
Kolas, Vladimir Korotkevich… Science-fiction king Isaac Asimov was born in the
village of Petrovichi in the Mogilev Region of Belarus. Few know that Fyodor
Dostoevsky – one of Russia’s greatest prose writers – was born into a Belarusian
family. Although his parents had moved to Moscow by the time he arrived in the
world, they hailed from the small Belarusian village of Dostoevo in the Ivanovo
District. Last autumn, the village celebrated the 500th anniversary of the famous
family.
In 2015 Svetlana Alexievich, a Belarusian journalist and prose writer was awarded
the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Belarus has brought forth some of our world’s most prominent athletes. Just
think of an outstanding Soviet gymnast Olga Korbut from Grodno or Belarusian
Olympic medalists in rhythmic gymnastics Yulia Raskina and Inna Zhukova, great
tennis players Max Mirnyi and Viktoria Azarenko. Other notable sporting heroes
include Olympic medalists Yulia Nesterenko, Yanina Korolchik, Ellina Zvereva

34
and Darya Domracheva. How about a great wrestler Alexander Medved? The
winner of the 2009 World Chess Cup, Boris Gelfand?
One of most famous of all people from Belarus, Marc Chagall is known around the
world as a master of classic avant-garde art. The pioneer of geometric abstract
art Kazimir Malevich, sculptor Ossip Zadkine, Leon Bakst, Vladimir Vyshnevski
also come from this land.
Notable musician and composer Vladimir Mulyavin was a collector of Belarusian
folklore, and the founder of the legendary band Pesnyary.
As far as science is concerned: Ignat Domejko was a well-known geologist, the
national hero of Chile. Alexander Chizhevsky was born in the Grodno region.
Zhores Alferov, born in Vitebsk, won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2000.
Haim Weizman from the small village near Pinsk was an outstanding chemist
who gave lectures in Switzerland and Great Britain. He also became the first
president of Israel. By the way, Shimon Peres, another Israel’s President and
Nobel Prize winner, was born in Belarus in the village of Vishnevo in the Minsk
Region.
Petr Klimuk, the first Belarusian cosmonaut and a researcher in technical
sciences was born in Komarovka village, Brest region, in 1942. He made three
space flights as a member of spaceship. Vladimir Kovalenok was born near
Minsk in 1942. He trained as a pilot and was a prominent cosmonaut in the
Soviet Union. He commanded 3 space missions and was twice declared a Hero.
There are successful Belarusian artists, writers, models and businessmen all
over the world. But according to a notable writer of Belarusian origin, Vasyl
Bykov, the number one Belarusian in the world is Boris Kit. This outstanding
rocket scientist and Belarusian lived till 107 years old and died in February 2018
in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Till his last days, he remained truly devoted to
his language and his motherland. Perhaps these legendary people will make you
feel that, in fact, you are lucky to come from Belarus.

Unit 7, Lesson 5, ex. 2b

1. Mr Smith opened the door very quietly, looked carefully around the room and
slowly walked in. The window was open and the curtains were blowing in the
wind. Clearly someone had left in a hurry.

2. A: I met Steven Spielberg. Well, I think it was him.

B: Oh yeah?
A: Yeah, really. It was in LA airport.
B: What were you doing up there?
A: Oh, I was meeting some friends. They’d asked me to pick them up and I’d
driven all the way from Santa Barbara.

35
Unit 7, Lesson 6, ex. 2, 4
Not everyone who’s on top today got there with success after success. More
often than not, those who history best remembers were faced with numerous
problems that made them work harder and show more determination than
others. Next time you’re feeling down about your failures at school or any other
business, keep these ten famous people in mind and remind yourself that
sometimes failure is just the first step towards success.
A. While Henry Ford is known as one of the richest and influential people in
the world whose introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionised
transportation and American industry, he wasn’t an immediate success. In fact,
his early businesses failed and left him broke five times before he founded the
successful Ford Motor Company.
B. Bill Gates didn’t seem to promise any success after giving up his studies in
Harvard and starting a failed first business called Traf-O-Data with his friend
Paul Allen. While this early idea didn’t work, Gates’ later work did, creating the
global empire that is Microsoft.
C. Today Walt Disney rakes in billions from products, movies and theme parks
around the world, but Walt Disney himself had a bit of a rough start. Hardly had
he started his first job in a newspaper when he was fired because, “he lacked
imagination and had no good ideas”. After that, Disney started a number of
businesses that didn’t last too long and ended with loss of money and failure.
He kept working hard, however, and eventually found a recipe for success that
worked.
D. Most of us take Albert Einstein’s name as synonymous with genius, but he
didn’t always show such promise. Einstein did not speak until he was four and
did not read until he was seven, causing his teachers and parents to think he had
mental problems, was slow and anti-social. Eventually, he was expelled from
school and couldn’t enter the Zurich Polytechnic School. It might have taken him
a bit longer, but most people would agree that he caught on pretty well in the
end, winning the Nobel Prize and changing the face of modern physics.
E. In his early years, teachers told Thomas Edison he was “too stupid to learn
anything”. Work was no better, as he was fired from his first two jobs for not
being productive enough. Even as an inventor, Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful
attempts at inventing the light bulb. Of course, all those unsuccessful attempts
finally resulted in the design that worked.
F. The brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright had to cope with depression and family
illness before starting the bicycle shop that would lead them to experimenting
with flight. After numerous attempts at creating flying machines, several years
of hard work, and tons of failed models, the brothers finally created a plane that
could get up in the air and stay there.
G. While today Abraham Lincoln is remembered as one of the greatest leaders
of our nation, Lincoln’s life wasn’t so easy. In his youth he went to war a captain
and returned a private (if you’re not familiar with military ranks, just know that

36
private is as low as it goes.) Lincoln didn’t stop failing there, however. He started
numerous failed businesses and lost in numerous elections for public office he
participated in.
H. Oprah Winfrey: Most people know Oprah as one of the most iconic faces on
TV as well as one of the richest and most influential women in the world. Oprah
faced a hard road to get to that position, however, having a terrible childhood.
No sooner had she been born than her teenage mother fled away leaving her to
live on her grandmother’s farm. The family was so poor that Winfrey often wore
dresses made of potato sacks, for which the local children made fun of her.
At 13, after years of horrific life, Winfrey ran away from home. Later she also
had numerous career setbacks including losing her job as a television reporter
because she was “unfit for TV.”
I. Stephen King: The first book by this author, the iconic thriller Carrie, was turned
down 30 times, finally causing King to give up and throw it in the trash. His wife
fished it out and encouraged him to finish it and send it again, and the rest is
history, with King now having hundreds of books published the distinction of
being one of the best-selling authors of all time. His books have sold more than
350 million copies which have been made into many movies and television films.

Unit 7, Lesson 6, ex. 6а

1. Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t
lose.
Bill Gates
2. The whole secret to a successful life is to find out what it is one’s fate to do,
and then do it.
Henry Ford
3. Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. 
Winston Churchill
4. I have failed many times, and that’s why I am a success.
Michael Jordan

Unit 7, Lesson 7, ex. 6

Imagine
by John Lennon
Imagine there’s no Heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

37
 Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
…

Unit 7, Lesson 8, ex. 2

1
As a boy, just prior to the discovery of mass producing penicillin, Dr. Paterson had
badly scratched his knee, an injury that he almost died from. The following is his
account of this injury and how it was treated at that time.
It was the late spring of 1942, and I was seven years old. My sister Lorna had just
been born. One day I was outside playing with my friends – running while playing
tag or something. There weren’t any parks or grassy fields, so the kids played
on the rocks or on the streets. I fell on the street and scraped my right knee. I
guess it was bleeding pretty bad, so I ran home. Later I was told that it was on a
Wednesday, and that my temperature shot up and up. By Saturday Mum and Dad
had a sick boy on their hands, so on the advice of our family doctor, I was rushed
to St. Joseph’s Hospital.
The cut on my knee had become infected, and I had blood poison. For a few
days I guess I was “out of it”, in a coma, and hung in the balance between life
and death. Apparently, the infected blood seeks out a part of the body which is
already weak for some reason. In my case that happened to be the bone in my
left hip.
Anyway, they knew they had to operate fast to stop the infection before it travelled
to a vital organ. That led to three months in hospital. The surgeon was Dr. Mowat,
and I remember him as a very kind and softspoken man. He had to scrape out
the infected bone, but then leave it open so the nurses could pack it every day
with fresh gauze (марля).
I’ve never been so scared in all my life. I didn’t know why my hip was so sore
and not getting better, and could tell that Dr. Mowat and my parents were pretty

38
worried. As the nurses peeled away the old packing and repacked my hip with
fresh gauze they tried their best to cheer me up and not let on they were worried.
I remember them saying, “Now be a brave little soldier, Mortie!”
Surgery had to be performed a few more times to clean out bone chips. All I can
remember about those extra surgeries was being wheeled out of my room, down
the corridor, and into a large bright “operating room”. Suddenly a doctor (I later
learned he or she is called the anesthetist) behind me would cover my face with
a cloth and tell me start counting.
Looking back to that operating room experience these sixty-three years later I
still remember my panic, crying out when the cloth went over my face. It had
the most sickening smell I ever smelled, and I guess the scariest part was not
knowing when they’d cart me down the corridor again and have that awful cloth
suddenly draped over my face.
That’s about it. When the infection was finally contained (by midsummer), less
and less packing was put into the incision (надрез) till the day finally came that
I could go home on little crutches that I still have. But there are a couple of other
things I want to say about that summer.
One evening at about ten o’clock, shortly after I’d been admitted to hospital, two
nurses came to my bedside to check up on me. I wasn’t asleep yet, but my eyes
were closed and they thought I was. I remember clearly one of the nurses saying
to the other, “Do you think he’ll make it?” The other nurse answered, “I doubt it.”
I was scared enough already but little Mortie made up his mind right then and
there that he WAS going to make it.
2
So after several months and with a lot of self determination, “Mortie” was finally
able to go home. In 1946 penicillin was available to the general public. The
following, again, has been written by Dr. Paterson:
In 1946 my illness returned!
Darn it. We had all thought that it was over and done with, even though we’d been
warned that it might come back. But this time the infection was gone in only a
few days.
This time Dr. Mowat used penicillin to stop the infection right away. It also
eradicated (искоренило) it completely.
Miracle drug, indeed yes. But what is truly amazing is that penicillin was eventually
produced in large quantities in order to treat soldiers who were dying on the
battlefields of Europe  – not directly because of their wounds, but because of
poisoned blood that carried the infection into those wounds. When they were
treated with penicillin, many soldiers recovered. Of the thousands of soldiers who
had died in battle in prepenicillin World War I, many had died from pneumonia,
from infection.
Remember that a nurse had told me in 1942 to “be a good little soldier”? I wasn’t
a real soldier, but I’m glad she said that.

39
 UNIT 8
Unit 8, Lesson 2, ex. 2b
British mass media include 820 radio stations, 531 television channels, 1,598
newspapers and 1,971 magazines – from 270 media owners. They all provide
us with news. The most traditional medium of delivering news to the people is,
of course, the newspaper.
National newspapers in the UK were traditionally divided by format, between
serious, intelligent, quality newspapers  – broadsheets – and the sensational,
popular or red-top tabloids. Several of the broadsheet newspapers have now
changed to tabloid or Berliner formats. (Berliner is about the same size as
a tabloid, which is easy to open in public transport, but longer.) Even so, the
difference in reputation between the two types still remains.
Broadsheets and ‘broadsheet style’ newspapers (serious ones but in Berliner
or tabloid format) are The Daily Telegraph, The Times, The Sunday Times, The
Guardian, The Observer, The Independent. Tabloids are The Daily Express, The
Daily Mail, The Sun, The Mirror, The Daily Star, The People.

Unit 8, Lesson 4, ex. 1a

Say what you know,
Please, don’t tell a lie,
Tell me a secret
To keep till I die.

Unit 8, Lesson 4, ex. 2a

– What did she ask you to do?
– She told me to say what I knew. She also asked me not to tell a lie. She asked
me to tell her my secret.

Unit 8, Lesson 4, ex. 3b

1. Please, switch on the TV.
2. Now, Guinness, bring my newspaper.
3. Give me The Times, please.
4.  Tell me your news, please.
5. Tell me the truth.
6. Don’t forget to buy some magazines.
7.  Could you recommend a good broadsheet, please?
8. Switch off the TV now!
9. Don’t read this newspaper. It’s biased!

40
Unit 8, Lesson 5, ex. 2
Reporter: Dear listeners: Today we are starting a new series of interviews called
“My Favourite Magazine.”  As you might have guessed from the title, we’ll be
asking people to tell us about their favourite magazines each month. Our first
interviewee, Jerry, picked The New Yorker as his favourite magazine.
A little bit about The New Yorker magazine: First published in 1925, The New
Yorker is famous for its award-winning reporting, fiction, poetry, political cartoons,
commentary and reviews. The New Yorker focuses on the cultural life of New
York City, but also reports on national and international affairs. 
Tell us who you are, what you do and what you are interested in.
Jerry: Let’s see...I live in Texas.  I work a corporate job, write rock songs, design
clothes, take neighbourhood walks, watch movies, and go out with friends.
Reporter: How long have you been reading magazines?
Jerry: My relationship with magazines started in my childhood.  I would go to
the grocery store with my mom as a kid and find myself bored at the magazine
shelves.  I’d look through heavy metal magazines but they didn’t interest me.
I think it was in the high school when I finally came to like magazines like National
Geographic, Time, Glamour – my world opened up.  Those magazines contained
a secret universe.  I’d read stories about fashion, art, travel, music. It was exciting
stuff. I’ve been reading lots of magazines, but really, I think The New Yorker is the
coolest: movie criticism, music criticism, fiction writing, and all the rest.
 Reporter: Why did you start reading The New Yorker?
Jerry: This magazine is for the reader who likes good fiction, interesting essays,
and exciting music and movie reviews. So, this magazine is just for me.
 Reporter: Do you have any magazine-reading rituals?
Jerry: I keep things very simple. No favourite chair but I do prefer to have a hot
drink at hand.  Usually I start at the back of the magazine and work my way to
the front.  Sometimes I sit cross-legged on the floor. Either way, it’s a wonderful
way to spend part of an afternoon.

Unit 8, Lesson 7, ex. 1

a) – Why will television never take place of newspapers?
– Have you ever tried swatting a fly with a television?
b) – What’s on television tonight, son?
– Same as usual, dad: the goldfish and a lamp.
c) – Knock, knock.
– Who’s there?
– Watson.
– Watson who?
– What’s on television?

41
d) – Knock, knock.
– Who’s there?
– Alison.
– Alison who?
– I listen to my radio.

Unit 8, Lesson 7, ex. 2

Do you watch the news on TV or listen to it on the radio?
Person 1: Yes, I sometimes watch the news on TV and listen to it on the radio.
Person 2: Yes, I do.
Person 3: Mostly on television. Not very often on the radio.
Person 4: No, I don’t. I don’t like the news.
Person 5: Yes, I’m interested in the news, but I mostly watch it on TV.
What programmes do you watch?
Person 1: I watch gardening shows – I love gardening and shopping programmes,
too. I watch other programmes as well.
Person 2: Various – from chat shows to lifestyle programmes.
Person 3: All the programmes I have time for: chat shows, game shows, dramas,
sitcoms, music programmes, lifestyle programmes, soaps – all of them.
Person 4: I love watching anything on TV.
Person 5: Soaps, music programmes, chat shows, wildlife and animal
programmes, DIY programmes, charity shows, you name it – the whole lot.

What programmes do your parents watch?

Person 1: The news, and dramas. They are too busy to watch anything else.
Person 2: Dramas, soaps, sitcoms, the news, of course.
Person 3: My Dad watches the news from morning till night. Mum has to watch
the news with him too. She also watches dramas and soaps. They sometimes
watch sitcoms together – just to relax.
Person 4: Dramas and sitcoms mostly.
Person 5: First – the news, then – soaps, sitcoms and dramas.
What are your favourite programmes?
Person 1: Music programmes, animal and wildlife programmes. I can’t stand
reality shows though. I don’t understand how you can watch them. They are so
stupid!
Person 2: Music programmes, animal and wildlife programmes, DIY programmes.
Person 3: I love music programmes. I’d rather watch a good music programme
than a soap.
Person 4: I like DIY programmes and charity shows. It’s so kind of the rich and
famous to donate their money to the poor.
Person 5: Animal programmes are my favourites, and music programmes, too.
I hate reality shows.

42
Unit 8, Lesson 8, ex. 2b, 3
1. FIRES AROUND MOSCOW
Heavy rains cooled the Russian capital after weeks of no rain and awful heat, but
dozens of wildfires are still burning around Moscow and a new fire was spotted
near the nation’s top nuclear research centre, officials said on Friday. The city
remains largely free of the clouds of smog that affected it earlier, but weather
experts say smoke from burning forests may choke the city later in the day if the
wind direction changes. Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry says its teams
have managed to reduce the area covered by wildfires, but huge territories are
still continuing to burn across the country, including the area around Moscow. It
said about 14,000 firefighters are battling fires around the Russian capital.

2. TORNADO IN NORTH DAKOTA

A tornado touched down in North Dakota on Thursday, throwing a car about
400 metres and killing its 51-year-old Canadian driver. The driver was travelling
on U.S. Highway 52 about 10 kilometres east of Bowbells when the car was
thrown into a nearby field, local police said. The four-door sedan fell on its roof
about 10:30 p.m. Thursday. The driver was pronounced dead at the local hospital.
A 19-year-old man who was a passenger in the car was taken to hospital with
serious injuries. The tornado also destroyed a home and damaged another, along
with some other buildings, the National Weather Service said. No injuries were
reported.

3. LANDSLIDES IN CHINA
New landslides killed 24 people and left 24 missing in China as heavy rains
made rescue work nearly impossible on Friday in a region where more than 1,100
people have died. More rain was forecast in the coming days – nine centimetres
was expected on Friday – and the National Weather Centre said the threat of
more landslides was «relatively large.» Tents set up as emergency shelters were
flooded, and hundreds of homes were completely buried. 1,144 people were
reported dead on Friday. Clean drinking water was not available, with most local
sources too polluted to use. The media reported numerous cases of dysentery,
but there were no reports of an epidemic outbreak. Flooding in China has killed
more than 2,000 people this year and caused tens of billions of dollars in damage
across 28 provinces and regions.

4. PAKISTAN FLOODS
As many as 14 million people have been affected in some way by the floods
in the north of Pakistan, which are now spreading to the south. “This crisis will
not be over when the flood waters recede – due to homelessness, hunger and
illness,” the UN Refugee Agency said in a statement. In many areas one hundred
per cent crops are underwater and tens of thousands of animals have been
killed.” Aid agencies are working with government officials to provide help and

43
deliver food and water to the region, but bad weather and damaged roads are
creating challenges for aid organizations. Officials have said between 1,200 and
1,600 people have died as a result of the floods. There is a danger of outbreaks
of disease.

Unit 8, Lesson 9, ex. 2a

– Safe man, what’s the what?
– Nang. This Matthew man, he’s nuff sick.
– Yeah, he’s hype now, for real!
– He isn’t bait, tru-dat. Them clowns think me and my bluds, we watch the telly
on the regs.
– They don’t know nothing about the yutes these days.
– Jokes, man.

Unit 8, Lesson 9, ex. 2b

– Hi, mate. How are you?
– Fine. This Matthew, he’s very good.
– Yes, he’s in the news now, really!
– He’s not stupid, that’s true. Some idiots think that my mates and I regularly
watch TV.
– They don’t know anything about young people now.
– Ridiculous!

44
 UNIT 9
Unit 9, Lesson 2, ex. 2
My name is Bikash Nahar. I came to Minsk from the Indian town of Calcutta
more than 30 years ago.
At the age of 13 I finished school with flying colours and when I was 18 I got my
first degree in Chemistry. As a student I was quite good at chess and very often
I took part in various competitions where I met a lot of nice young people from
the USSR. We made friends and thus I got interested in the Russian language
and culture. And later I decided to continue my education there.
I came to Minsk in late 1980s. My first impressions of the city were unbelievable!
I had never expected it to be so bitterly cold  – about 30 degrees below zero!
Since I wasn’t used to such weather, of course very soon I had a bad cold and
was running a high temperature.
Before coming here, I didn’t know much about Belarus. It turned out to be
extremely cosy and welcoming. I was impressed by people’s friendliness and
responsiveness. Despite my poor command of the language at that time, I always
felt comfortable here.
In fact, the Belarusians and Indians are very similar. Both the nations take pride
in their history, deeply respect their parents and their Motherland. I believe that
a person who worships his parents and his country will achieve inner harmony.
I like Belarusian people and enjoy Belarusian nature. My wife is Belarusian and
my children were born here. I’m still on good terms with men and women I studied
with. But we don’t meet very often, because we are all busy. In the mornings I
work at the Komarovski market, or Kamarovka, as they say, where I sell Indian
goods and in the evenings I teach yoga. If necessary I translate, because I know
six languages: English, Russian, Hindi, Bengali, Urdu and Farsi. All this is not just
business, I take a lot of pleasure in it. Yoga is a great hobby for me, and I’m proud
to have 65-year-old ladies in my Yoga club. From time to time I run workshops in
nonconventional medicine.
I live in Minsk and I love it! It is a wonderful and very clean city. I also enjoyed
my visits to Grodno, Slonim, Mozyr, Mogilev and Vitebsk. Every summer I go to
Slavianski Bazar.
Belarusian culture appeals to me very much. When I was younger I used to go to
the circus with my kids. My daughters loved the circus! But now we are more into
ballet. The ballet here is great! We all love it. I also believe that dance enriches
person’s inner world.
Belarusian sport impresses me all the time. Although Belarus is a dozen times
smaller than India, sport here is developed far and away better. I believe that the
Belarusian president does a great job in the sphere of sport. If I had a chance I
would shake his hand and thank him for giving young people such an amazing
opportunity. Maxim Mirny and Viktoria Azarenko are my favourite sportsmen. If
I have time I always watch sport on TV.
45
I like Belarusian cuisine very much, even though I’m a true vegetarian and I eat
neither meat nor fish. That is why Belarusian draniki is my favourite dish. My
wife and I often cook national Belarusian and Indian dishes.
I feel that Belarus is my second native country. I live and work here, my family are
here with me. I’m a Belarusian citizen and am proud to be so. I’m happy that my
lucky stars brought me here one day.

Unit 9, Lesson 3, ex. 1b

We’ll begin with box, and the plural is boxes; 
But the plural of ox should be oxen, not oxes. 
Then one fowl is goose, but two are called geese, 
Yet the plural of moose should never be meese. 
You may find a lone mouse or a whole lot of mice, 
Yet the plural of house is houses, not hice. 
If the plural of man is always called men, 
Why shouldn’t the plural of pan be called pen? 
The cow in the plural may be cows or kine, 
But the plural of vow is vows, not vine. 
And I speak of my foot and you show me your feet, 
But I give you a boot, would a pair be beet? 
If one is a tooth, and a whole set is teeth, 
Why shouldn’t the plural of booth be beeth? 
If the singular is this and the plural is these, 
Why shouldn’t the plural of kiss be named kese? 
Then one may be that, and three may be those, 
Yet the plural of hat would never be hose; 
We speak of a brother, and also of brethren, 
But though we say mother, we never say methren. 
The masculine pronouns are he, his and him, 
But imagine the feminine she, shis, and shim! 
So our English, I think, you all will agree, 
Is the craziest language you ever did see. 

Unit 9, Lesson 4, ex. 2b

Presenter: What print media is currently operating in Belarus?
J: A variety of print media and electronic media of different forms of ownership
is operating in Belarus. Foreign media are widely represented in the national
media space, too.
P: Are newspapers and magazines state owned or private?

46
J: As of 1 March 2018, 751 newspapers and 866 magazines were published in
Belarus. More than two thirds of them are private.
P: Are they all published in Belarusian?
J: Printed press is available mainly in the Belarusian and Russian languages,
though there are some newspapers in English, Polish, Ukrainian and German.
P: What are the most influential newspapers?
J: The most influential newspapers include Belarus Segodnya and the Respublika.
Local editions of major Russian newspapers Komsomolskaya Pravda and
Argumenty i Fakty are very popular in Belarus, too.
All in all, more than 4,000 print media outlets are distributed throughout the
country, including those from Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, the USA, the UK,
Germany, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia.

Unit 9, Lesson 5, ex. 2b

A: Hi Nastia, how’s life?
N: Busy as usual. I’ve just come home from dancing class and still have a
composition to write.
A: I can phone later.
N: Oh, no. It’s OK. There is a TV show called I Sing in twenty minutes. I’ll watch
it first as I need some rest before getting down to work.
A: What kind of show is it?
N: It’s a song contest for young people, 6 to 15 year olds. Many of them live in
child care or have one parent only. They are so talented! The winner goes to Euro
Disney in Paris.
A: What a coincidence! I was phoning to interview you about TV in Belarus and
your favourite programmes.
N: I don’t really watch TV a lot. This contest doesn’t run long. Five or six
programmes a year. I also enjoy similar contests such as Slavianski Bazar
and the Eurovision contest. I love songs and dances! There is one programme
though which I watch regularly. It’s Good Morning Belarus – a weekday morning
programme where you can listen to news very briefly, listen to some nice music
and various interviews. Saying ‘watch’ is not probably correct. I listen to the
programme and have an occasional glance while getting ready for school. It’s
a nice programme, very informative and relaxing. I also watch an evening news
programme Panorama to know what has been going on in Belarus and the world.
My dad usually watches it. So, in a way it’s a family habit. He has another habit
though, watching all sports – football, hockey, tennis, biathlon and what not! He
is a great sports fan but I am more into music and dancing.
A: Is that all you watch?
N: No, of course not. Films…
A: Any soaps?

47
N: Oh, no! No time for that! But there is one more programme which is probably
my favourite. It’s Tomorrow Is Us! It’s a very inspiring programme about fairly
young people who’ve already achieved something.
A: Like what?
N: All possible achievement in studies, arts, sports. One programme was about
a young musician who is only a second-year student and who already won
an international competition. Another is about two girls who set up a private
enterprise with the help of Business Startup week. If you were here I would’ve
recommended you to watch these programmes. They just show that patience,
hard work and persistence bear fruit.
A: Thank you. That’s already something. I’ll talk to Dasha, Vlad and Anton.
N: That’s a good idea. I was just about to apologise as the show is about to start.
A: Oh yeah. Don’t miss it. Thank you. Buy-buy.
N: Buy-buy.

Unit 9, Lesson 6, ex. 3b

Wooden House
by Theresa Suslov
The apartment I rent, and which I live in, is located in a wooden house on a cozy,
cobblestoned square across the street from the Bridge of Tears in Minsk.
To enter the house, there are two steps which lead directly into a small, enclosed
porch. The owner usually keeps vegetables harvested from her ‘dacha’ in this
area. The porch remains cool during the autumn and winter months, so her
bounty of produce will not spoil.
Once inside the small enclosed porch, there is a heavy, thick door separating
the entrances to the house. I write entrances in the plural because this house
is a duplex. Upon opening this door, there is another door straight ahead, which
leads to the owner’s apartment. The entry door to my apartment is immediately
to the left.
Entering my apartment, one must climb a staircase of heavily varnished stairs.
The stairs and floors throughout the apartment are made of wood the colour
of honey. Along with the wooden doors, the warmth of the wood adds to the
comfortable feeling in the apartment.
At the top of the stairs, straight ahead, is a door leading to the large kitchen and
bathroom. The kitchen and bathroom have high ceilings. The owner took great
pride in renovating this apartment and installed a heated floor in the bathroom.
It is a lovely feeling to put feet down on this floor during the cold winter months.
On the staircase’s landing, to the left, is an area which acts as a buffer between
the kitchen and bathroom area and the rest of the apartment. This area is also
used to remove, or put on, shoes, as there is a cabinet here for storing them.

48
Personally, I use this area to do my daily exercises. There is little furniture here,
and I have plenty of space.
Through double doors is the living area and bedroom. These two rooms, along
with the buffer area, have slanted ceilings. The living area consists of two sofas,
three cabinets lining the wall on the right, a desk and its accompanying chair,
a round, glass topped table and an area rug, pink in colour with a brown floral
design.
Through the living area is the bedroom. The bedroom consists of a queen sized
bed, a chest of drawers with mirror attached, a cushioned sitting chair and an
area rug. There is a large closet with three sections, each section separated by
sliding doors. One of these doors is mirrored. There are two windows in the
bedroom. One is large, spanning almost the entire length from floor to ceiling.
The other is very small, square in shape, and high up close to the ceiling. Each
of the windows has a pull down shade.
The apartment in which I live is my sanctuary. It is clean, cozy and comfortable
and I always look forward to coming ‘home’ to it.

Unit 9, Lesson 7, ex. 1

Sometimes just a smile on your face
Can help to make this world a better place.
Stand up for the things that are right.
Try to talk things out instead of fight.
Lend a hand when you can, get involved this is good.
You can help to make a difference in your neighbourhood.

Unit 9, Lesson 7, ex. 3

My story takes place in my home town, an old mining community in Pennsylvania.
I love my community and my state, and want my leaders to recognise the
environmental destruction caused by coal mining and the effects on human
health.  I did a lot of research into environmental affects of different types of
pollutants in our environment including the larger scale pollutants such as
greenhouse gases, and so I kind of started exploring all these different things
related to climate change.
I kind of stumbled upon the work of James Hanson because I was involved with
an online community through NASA and studied graphs and reports about how
much the climate was changing, and how little was being done about it.
My community gets its energy from coal plants, and residents suffer from the
effects of extraction. Everything I learned led me to want to do something about
the climate change.
I walk a lot in my small community and once when I was out taking photographs,
I noticed an absurd amount of litter in the water and along the side of the road.

49
And I kept thinking to myself, it wouldn’t take that long to clean this up. Just a
small group of people together could make the entire area better and improve
and help our community as well as the environment. So, I called my friend and
we decided to start the “Pollution Patrol.”
From there I went to my township and a borough meeting and presented the
idea and asked if we could be the clean up crew and promote environmental
stewardship. We became the first “Adopt-a-Community” in Westmoreland
County.
It’s always worth starting with something small even if you think about serious
environmental improvement.

Unit 9, Lesson 8, ex. 2b

Official name – Republic of Belarus
President of Belarus – Alexander Lukashenko (1994 – present )
Total land area of Belarus – 207,600 km²
Population – 9.501.000 people (2019)
 Life expectancy at birth – 74.4 years
 Population living in cities – 75.6%
 The capital is Minsk – 1.900,000 inhabitants
Regional centres of Belarus (2019):
 Brest  – over 337,000
 Vitebsk  – over 373,300
 Gomel  – over 526,000
 Grodno  – over 361,000
 Mogilev  – over 374,000
Ethnicity
Belarusian – 83.4%
Russian – 8.2%
Polish – 3.1%
Ukrainian – 1.7%
Jewish – 0.13%
Languages spoken in Belarus – Belarusian and Russian
National holidays in Belarus:
15 March – Constitution Day (15 March marks the day in 1994 when Belarus
established its new Constitution.
2 April – Union Day of Belarus and Russia (This is the official holiday marking the
union of the states of Belarus and Russia.).
2nd Sunday in May  – Day of the National Emblem and Flag of Belarus (This
holiday is dedicated to the main symbols of the country which embody the ideas
of national unity and are the major attributes of sovereignty and independence
in Belarus.).

50
9 May – Victory Day (Victory Day commemorates victory in World War II (known
as the Great Patriotic War). During the war, 25 per cent of the population of
Belarus died. The occasion is marked with a large  parade in Minsk Victory
Square led by war veterans.
3  July  – Independence Day (In Belarus, Independence Day is celebrated
on 3 July and marks the liberation of Minsk in 1944 from fascist aggressors.
The occasion is marked with a large  military parade in Pobeditelei Avenue.   
Independence Day demonstrates the achievements of a sovereign Belarus and
reminds the people that by suffering great loss, they have won the freedom of
their country.).
Other holidays and memorable dates in Belarus
Holidays: 1 January – New Year.
7 January – Orthodox Christmas.
23 February – Fatherland Defenders and Armed Forces day of the Republic of
Belarus – a day that pays tribute to servicemen past and present, and recognises
all men too.
8 March – Women’s Day. In modern Belarus 8 March is a celebration of love and
respect towards women.
1 May: Labour Day (Worker’s Day) – International Labour Day is one of the most
popular holidays in Belarus. To celebrate there are lots of concerts and public
entertainment and many families celebrate with picnics and barbecues.
7 November – October Revolution Day.
25 December – Catholic Christmas.
Memorable dates: 
Belarus officially established memorable dates to acknowledge victims of great
tragedy and to pay respect to those that died:  
9th day after Orthodox Easter: Commemoration Day (Radonitsa) – on this day,
people in Belarus usually visit cemeteries to pay respect and lay flowers on the
tombs of relatives and friends;
26 April – Day of Remembrance of the Chernobyl tragedy;
22 June – Day of Remembrance of the victims of the Great Patriotic War.
Apart from the official holidays in Belarus there are also popular ancient national
holidays:
6–7 July: Kupalle  – celebrated over the entire night of 6 July, this holiday is
accompanied by songs, dances and traditions such as  fire-jumping and night
swims. 
National holidays when all offices are closed:
 1 January: New Year
 7 January: Orthodox Christmas
 8 March: Women’s Day
 9th day after Orthodox Easter: Radonitsa

51
 1 May: Labour Day
 9 May: Victory Day
 3 July: Independence Day
 7 November: October Revolution Day
 25 December: Catholic Christmas
Currency of Belarus
Belarusian rouble (Br)
Main business partners of Belarus: Russia, the Netherlands, Ukraine, Germany,
Latvia, China, Poland, Italy, Lithuania, Brazil, Venezuela
Main industries of Belarus: metallurgical, mechanical engineering, including
tractors and agricultural cars, machine-tool constructing and tool industry,
instrument making, radio engineering, electrotechnical, electronic, optics-
mechanical industry and metal working, chemical and petrochemical, light
industry, food industry
Agriculture: specialises in grain, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beet, flax, meat and
dairy products
Natural resources: wood, peat, small oil and natural gas fields, granite, dolomite
limestone, clay, sand
Number of people in employment
4.5 million (2019)
Internet users: more than 11,8 million

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