Do you think ……is nice?
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Text
1
These days,
more and more people are trying extreme diets to lose weight quickly. Some
people think these diets are great, but others think they are not good for you.
Without a doubt, there are some advantages to these diets. Firstly, you can see
results really quickly and this can keep youmotivated to lose more weight.
Secondly, they encourage self-control, because you have to stay focused for the
diet to work.On the other hand, there are some disadvantages to thesediets. To
begin with, they can be difficult to follow, so you may give up easily and put
weight back on quickly. Also, there are many restrictions. This means, you may
not get enough nutrients to stay healthy. All in all, there are both advantages
and disadvantages to extreme diets. Anyone who wants to lose weight should
think about it very carefully and make sure they see a doctor before starting a
diet.
Text2
Shopping in Britain is also famous
for its Freshfood. Freshfood is a chain of food stores and very successful
supermarkets which has grown tremendously in the twenty years since it was
founded, and now it has branches in the High Streets of all the towns of any
size in Britain. In the beginning the stores sold only foodstuffs, but in
recent years they have diversified enormously and now sell clothes, books,
records, electrical and domestic equipment. The success of the chain has been
due to an enterprising management and to attractive layout and display in the
stores. It has been discovered that impulse buying accounts for almost 35 per
cent of the total turn over of the stores. The stores are organized completely
for self-service and customers are encouraged to wander around the spaciously
laid out stands. Special free gifts and reduced prices are used to tempt
customers into the stores and they can't stand the temptation.
Text 3
The Verrazano Bridge, which was
designed by Othmar Ammann, joins Brooklyn to Staten Island. It has a span of 4,260 feet. The bridge
is so long that the shape of the earth had to be taken into account by its designer.
Two great towers support four huge cables. The towers are built on immense
underwater platforms make of steel and concrete. The platforms extend to a
depth of over 100 feet
under the sea. These alone took sixteen months to build. Above the surface of
the water, the towers rise to a height of nearly 700 feet. They support the
cables from which the bridge has been suspended. Each of the four cables
contains 26,108 lengths of wire. It has been estimated that if the bridge were
packed with cars, it would still only be carrying a third of its total
capacity. However, size and strength are not the only important things about
this bridge. Despite its immensity, it is both simple and elegant, fulfilling
its designer's dream to create 'an enormous object drawn as faintly as
possible'.
Text 4
Britain was originally a land of
vast forests, mainly oak and beech in the Lowlands and pine and birch in the
Highlands, with great stretches of marshland and smaller areas of moors. In the
course of time, much forest land was cleared and almost all Lowlands outside
the industrial areas were put under cultivation. Today only about 6 per cent of
the total land area remains wooded.Extensive forests remain in eastern and
northern Scotland and in south-eastern and western England. Oak, elm, ash, and
beech are the commonest trees in England, while Scotland has much pine and
birch. The Highlands with thin soil are largely moorland with heather and
grasses. In the cultivated areas that make up most of Britain there are many
wild flowers, flowering plants and grasses.
Text 5
The fauna or animal life of Britain
is much like that of north-western Europe, to which it was once joined. Many
larger mammals such as bear, wolf have been hunted to extinction, others are
now protected by law. There are many foxes. Otters are common along rivers and
streams, and seals live along much of the coast. Hedgehogs, hares, rabbits,
rats and mice are numerous. Deer live in some of the forests in the Highlands
of Scotland and England. Some 230 kinds of birds live in Britain, and another
200 are regular visitors, many are songbirds. The most numerous are blackbirds,
sparrows and starlings. Robin Redbreast is the national bird of Britain. The
number of ducks, geese and other water fowl has diminished during recent years.
There are many threats to wildlife and ecological balance around the coast. The
biggest threat to the coastline is pollution. Even much-loved Black pool is not
officially safe. More than 3.500 million tons of industrial waste is pumped into
the North Sea every year.
Text 6
Ozone layer or ozonosphere, region
of the stratosphere containing relatively high concentrations of ozone ,
located above the earth's surface. Ozone
in the ozone layer is formed by the action of solar ultraviolet light on oxygen.
The ozone layer prevents most ultraviolet (UV) and other high-energy radiation
from penetrating to the earth's surface but does allow through sufficient
ultraviolet rays to support the activation of vitamin D in humans. The full
radiation, if unhindered by this filtering effect, would destroy animal tissue.
Higher levels of radiation resulting from the depletion of the ozone layer have
been linked with increases in skin cancers and cataracts and have been
implicated in the decline of certain amphibian species. In 1974 scientists
warned that certain industrial chemicals, could migrate to the stratosphere.
Damage to the ozone layer can also be caused by sulfuric acid droplets produced
by volcanic eruptions.
Text 7
The newspaper printing is a rather unusual
activity since each day the newspaper material is prepared a new. Newspaper
includes editorial board work the following functions: getting the right news,
writing it in the form of an article, selection of the best items for the
print, and displaying the selected copy in the paper. All these tasks are
performed by journalists, editors and rewrite men, photographers and makeup
editors responsible for the issue of the paper.
Thus, the newspaper reporting
starts with collecting information for the paper. However, journalism does not
stop here. Newspapers and magazines publish a great deal of stories, not only
news items or political stories, for example, stories of humourous or some
other type. Such essay-type articles may be called human interest stories.
Besides, newspapers carry many items on sports, personalities of today as well
as stories on science, art and technology. Rather popular are also the reports
about the flights of astronauts and space research matters in general.
Text 8
We spend great part of our lives at our jobs, so choosing a right career
is one of the most important decisions you will make in your life. Many
students finish high school and begin college without a clear idea of what they
want to do in future. Part of the problem is the size of the job market itself.
With so many kinds of jobs (2000) how can you tell which will interest you?
Some of occupations are already overcrowded. In old industries there may be
little need for new workers, while new and growing industries will offer jobs
now and in the future. Therefore, it is extremely important to explore your
choice of occupations from every angle, collect as much information as you can.
But above all you must evaluate yourself. Find out where your interests and
talents lie.. First start with yourself, make a list of your interests, talents
and abilities. By concentrating on a few, or on one you may surprise yourself
at how good you can get.
Text 9
Foreign languages are absolutely necessary for people nowadays. More and
more people of different professions decide to study foreign languages in order
to raise their professional level. Making business nowadays means the ability
to speak at least one foreign language . English is the language of business
correspondence, many foreign newspapers and magazines, and communication
between people of different nationalities all over the world. Reading foreign
literature in the original, understanding foreign films without translation,
making friends with people of other nationalities may make our intellectual and
cultural horizons wider. Foreign languages often bring new perspectives in
career and private life. Many aspects of our Life, like science, entertainment,
business, studying became international. Many Russians decide to receive good education,
start their career or just spend some time abroad. Upon returning to Russia
they are able to share their knowledge, experience and information gained
abroad with their colleagues and friends.
Text 10
What was the family life like in ancient Scandinavia?
Most Viking male population was all round handymen, but some had special
skills. You could find boat-builders, potters, leatherworkers and smiths.
Most Viking men knew how to handle a boat and most of
them could fight if they had to, to protect the family or to support their
chief. Women were known to work at home and bear responsibility for household
chores. They baked bread, did spinning and weaving, turning sheep wool into
cloth and items they would wear. They looked after their children, made the
family's clothes and cooked two meals which most families had daily. On the
farm, women milked the cows and made cheese. Viking children helped their
parents and did not attend school. However, they were not illiterate. They
learned Viking history, religion and law from stories and songs, not from
books. By the age of 15 or 16 they were considered adults. It was common for
girls' fathers to choose their future husbands.
Text 11
As soon as spring brings a new growth of bushes and
berries, bears start feeding. They eat and eat. All through the spring and
summer their feeding goes on. The bears build themselves up. They store food
and fats that they will need in the fall when they start their long sleep.
As days grow shorter, and the temperature begins to
fall, bears hunt for a sleeping place. It may be a shallow cave, or a deep
crack between rocks. Some bears end up sleeping in hollow logs. Logs seem to be
bears’ favourite places. Bears seem to choose small spaces. They can keep
warmer in a cave that’s just large enough to hold them than in a larger cave.
They often line their sleeping place with leaves and dried grass.
All through their winter naps, bears will not eat. Often
they will sleep for 7 months, moving only now and then.
Text 12
Many lands that had once been swamps were drained or
filled in. There are different reasons why people drained swamplands. Some were
drained to fight diseases caused by insects that lived in them. Because swamps
were considered unpleasant places in which to live and harmful to health, many
people thought that unless they were drained the land was worthless.
Other swamps were drained to make new land. As the
population grew and more land was needed, people drained swamps or filled them
to make room for more farms and factories, more roads and airports.
Few people thought that it might be harmful to get rid
of swamps. As swamps disappeared, other things happened. There were both more
floods and more droughts than before. There were also more fires, for swamps
had acted as firebreaks. Hunters noticed that there was less wild game. Wild
life that once lived in the swamps was dying out, because it had no place to
live.
Text 13
The first maps were drawn by explorers to help them find their way home and show people where they had been. The maps showed the shape of the land, distances between places and special features such as caves and old trees. Nowadays, maps show the towns and villages, and the roads, railways, rivers and mountains. Symbols are used to show all the different things on a map and there is a key to explain what the symbols stand for.
Over the centuries, people explored most of the Earth and put together the map of the world we use today. Maps of the world or large areas are often either “political” or “physical”. The political map shows territorial borders. The purpose of the physical map is to show features of geography such as mountains, soil type or land use including roads, railroads and buildings.
Text 14
People have enjoyed sports for thousands of years. Children, men and women play sports both for pleasure and for challenge. Every sport involves physical skill. Every sport has a set of rules that the players of the sport follow. In some sports one person competes against other individuals. Examples of these sports include boxing, tennis and so on. In many games one team competes against the other team.
People can go in for winter and summer sports. Summer sports are typical for warmer countries. Those who live in regions that experience cold winters have long enjoyed ice skating, skiing, and sledding. These activities have grown immensely in popularity over the years. Today thousands of resorts cater to the winter tourist trade, and millions of people each year take winter sports vacations.
Text 15
People have enjoyed sports for thousands of years. Children, men and women play sports both for pleasure and for challenge. Every sport involves physical skill. Every sport has a set of rules that the players of the sport follow. In some sports one person competes against other individuals. Examples of these sports include boxing, tennis and so on. In many games one team competes against the other team.
People can go in for winter and summer sports. Summer sports are typical for warmer countries. Those who live in regions that experience cold winters have long enjoyed ice skating, skiing, and sledding. These activities have grown immensely in popularity over the years. Today thousands of resorts cater to the winter tourist trade, and millions of people each year take winter sports vacations.
Text 16
A hobby is an activity you enjoy doing, it is something of your choice, something unique to your taste and talent. A hobby can improve our well-being; it can give more meaning to our life. Just as physical exercise is important for the body, relaxation of the mind is also essential. In fact, studies reveal that people who cultivate themselves through such activities are less likely to suffer from anxieties, depression and other negative feelings. A hobby is the easiest way to restore your balance whenever you are over-worked or stressed. Since it is an activity of your choosing, it will always give you pleasure and help you to relax. Even if you indulge in your hobby for a short period of time, you still can feel the difference in your energy level and spirit. When you have a hobby, you will always find time for it.
