That was then This is now

Together at University Tina now Will now

III. Tina and Will use several expressions to talk about their friendship. Complete as many of these expressions as you can from memory. Compare them with a partner. Then look at the article again to check.

a) Two expressions that mean 'we liked one another immediately'. We clicked... We hit it...

b) An expression that means 'we had similar interests'. We had a lot...

c) An expression that means 'we enjoyed one another's company'. We got on... An expression that means 'we got to know one another very well'. We became close....

d) An expression that means 'we argued'. We fell...

e) Two expressions that mean 'we became more distant from one another'. We went our separate… We drifted...

f) An expression that means 'I know I can count on her when I need a friend'. She'll always be...

IV. The following is a summary of Tina and Will's friendship. Put the lines of the summary in the correct order.

() met. They became close () separate ways and they've drifted () friends and got on (1) Tina and Will hit it () in common. Now they have gone their

(2) off immediately when they first () out and they say that they are still () there for one another. () apart. They haven't fallen () well together. They had a lot

V. Speak about your close friends.

1.How did you first meet? 2.What was your first impression of them? 3.What do you like about them? 4.What do you dislike about them? 5.What do you have in common? 6.How do you differ? 7.What made you such close friends? 8.What do they look like? 9.What are they like as persons?

10.What special talents and abilities do they have? 11.What kind of clothes do they wear? 12.What are their jobs? 13.What are their families like? 14.What are their hobbies and interests? 15.What do you do and what do you talk about when you're together?

VI. Think about your best friend. You are going to tell a partner about him or her. Choose from the list the things you want to talk about. Think about what you will say and what language you will need.

VII. Tell your partner (or all your group mates) about your best friend.

VIII. Some people say that “a friend cannot be easily found, but he can be dearly sold”. What do you think about it?

PART 2

Talking about Friendship and Love Problems.

I. Study the vocabulary notes to understand the text better:

сompanionship – общение, товарищеские отношения

to nurture [´nə:t∫ə]– лелеять, питать (привязанность и т.п.); воспитывать, обучать

mutual – обоюдный, взаимный

attachment – привязанность

to negotiate boundaries – преодолевать границы

to sustain – поддерживать

acquaintance – знакомый

intimacy – тесная связь, близость

versatility – многосторонность, гибкость, непостоянство, подвижность

hatred – ненависть

brutality – жестокость

sibling – родной брат или родная сестра, siblings - дети одних родителей

rivalry – соперничество, конкуренция

spouses [´spaυzız]– супружеская чета, супруги; spouse [´spaυz]– супруг, супруга

affection – привязанность, любовь

familial – семейный

II. Read the text. Get ready to comment on it.

"What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies". (Aristotle)

Friendship "definition" is different in various nations...On Kavkaz friendship is when you are ready to die for your friend...In some African tribes friendship can be considered as your willing to be eaten by your friend.
For some, it is the trust in an individual that he / she won't hurt you. For others, it is unconditional love. There are some who feel that friendship is companionship. People form definitions based on the kind of experiences they have had. This is one relation that has been nurtured since times immemorial. There are famous stories about friends in mythologies of different religions all over the world. They say a person who has found a faithful friend has found a priceless treasure.
Similar interests, mutual respect and strong attachment with each other are what friends share between each other.

What is love? It is one of the most difficult questions for the mankind. No one can give the proper definition of love. To some ─ “Love is friendship set on fire”, for others ─ “Maybe love is like luck. You have to go all the way to find it”.

Love is patient, love is kind. Love can occur between two or more individuals. It bonds them and connects them in a unified link of trust, intimacy and interdependence. Love should be experienced and not just felt. The depth of love cannot be measured. Look at the relationship between a mother and a child. The mother loves the child unconditionally and it cannot be measured at all. Love can be of different varieties. Romantic love is a deep, intense and unending. It shared on a very intimate and interpersonal and sexual relationship. The term Platonic love, familial love and religious love are also matter of great affection. It is more of desire, preference and feelings. The meaning of love will change with each different relationship and depends more on its concept of depth, versatility, and complexity. But at times the very existence of love is questioned. Some say it is false and meaningless. It says that it never exist, because there has been many instances of hatred and brutality in relationships. The history of our world has witnessed many such events. There has been hatred between brothers, parents and children, sibling rivalry and spouses have failed each other. Friends have betrayed each other; the son has killed his parents for the throne, the count is endless. Even the modern generation is also facing with such dilemmas every day.

Psychology portrays love as a cognitive phenomenon with a social cause. Also, in an ancient proverb love is defined as a high form of tolerance.

Be together, share your joy and sorrow, understand each other, provide space to each other, but always be there for each other’s need. And surely love will blossom to strengthen your relationship with your matter of affection.

III. Answer the following questions for discussion:

1. How can friendship be defined?

2. How do people form definition of friendship?

3. What do friends share between each other?

4. Can friendship survive without making any efforts to sustain it?

5. What does the number of real friends depend on?

6. What is love? Is it possible to define it?

7. Can the depth of love be measured?

8. What kinds of love do you know?

9. Why do some people doubt the very existence of love?

10. How does psychology portray love?

UNIT 5

Healthy Way of Life

Health Care

I. Read the text consulting the dictionary. Make your topical vocabulary and learn it. Prepare for a discussion.

Health is a state of physical, mental, and social well-being. It involves more than just the absence of disease. A truly healthy person not only feels good physically but also has a realistic outlook on life and gets along well with other people. Good health enables people to enjoy life and have the opportunity to achieve the goals they have set for them. To achieve and maintain good health, people must have basic knowledge about the human body and how it functions. Only then can they determine what will or what will not help or damage their health. Therefore, learning about health should be a part of every person's education. Current knowledge about health, together with good living habits can help almost everyone maintain good health and improve the quality of life. Society as a whole benefits from people's good health just as individuals do. For that reason many governments and voluntary agencies strive to preserve and improve the health of all people. The World Health Organi­zation (WHO), an agency of the United Nations, works to promote better health throughout the world.

Elements of physical health.

All parts of the body must work together properly to maintain physical health. A person.who is in good physical condition has the strength and energy to enjoy an active life and withstand the stresses of daily life. Proper nutrition, exercise, rest and sleep, cleanliness and medical and dental care are all the essential parts of healthy living.

Nutrition.

A balanced diet provides all the food substances needed by the body for healthy growth and development. Nutritionists use the term nutrients for these substances and classify them into five main groups:

1. carbohydrates

2. fats

3. proteins

4. vitamins

5. minerals.

Water is also essential for life, but it is often considered separately from nutrients. A balanced diet consists of a wide variety of foods. Fruits and vegetables provide important vitamins and minerals. Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, and nuts are rich sources of protein. Bread, cereals, and potatoes furnish carbohydrates in addition to vitamins and minerals.

Good nutrition also includes eating the proper amount of food each day. Overeating can lead to obesity (fatness). Excess weight puts extra strain on the heart and increases a person's chance of getting such diseases as diabetes and heart disease.

Exercise

Exercise helps keep the body healthy and fit. Vigorous exercise strengthens muscles and improves the function of the circulatory and respiratory systems. Physical fitness benefits both physical and mental health. It enables the body to withstand stresses that otherwise could cause physical and emotional problems.

To achieve fitness, a person should start an exercise program slowly and build it up gradually to a level that maintains a healthy heart and strong muscles. Daily exercise provides the greatest benefits, and so it is important to choose exercises that can be performed every day. Such popular activi­ties as bicycling, jogging, and swimming, and even taking long, brisk walks, furnish the vigorous exercise necessary for fitness.

Participating in golf, tennis, or some other sport only once or twice a week cannot develop and maintain fitness. Rest and sleep help overcome fatigue and restore energy to the body. Everyone needs rest and sleep, but the amount required differs for each individual. Most Adults sleep from 7 to 8 hours a night, though some need less sleep and others need more. Young children may need more sleep at night plus a daytime nap.

Rest and relaxation are as important as sleep. After strenuous work or exercise, a person may need a period of total rest. At other times, only relaxation or a change of pace is necessary. Any activity that differs from the normal routine of work or study can be relaxing. Pleasurable and relaxing activities help the body shed tension and remain robust. If rest and relaxation do not relieve fatigue and tension, the individual may have a physical or emotional problem.

Medical and dental care.

Regular checkups by a doctor and dentist play an important role in safeguarding health. Doctors recommend that people have medical care at the first sign of any illness. Early care can result in quicker cure.

Health Insurance, National, is a government program that finance extensive health services for the majority of the people in a country. This type of program is sometimes called socialized medicine. Every industrial nation except the United States has some form of national health insurance, also called NHI. In the United States, a private health insurance system is operated. The first NHI plan was established in Germany in l883. The British National Health Service is a system of state-funded medical care that covers virtually all the people of Britain. It also covers overseas visitors who become ill while in Britain. Employed people in Britain pay weekly health insurance contributions to help finance the service. But most of the funds for the service come from taxes.

II. Questions for discussion:

1. What are the main ways to improve or save one's health?

2. Why do people go dieting?

3. Why do the developed countries encourage their people to live healthy lives?

III. Advise the patient as if you were a doctor. Dramatize your dialogue in pairs.

SUPPLEMENTARY READING

GOODDAYS, BAD DAYS

I. Study the vocabulary notes:

jet lag – усталость после длительного перелета

to be accident-prone – быть невезучим

policyholder – обладатель страхового полиса

to cut down - сократить

II. Read the text consulting the dictionary. Make your topical vocabulary and learn it. Prepare for a discussion.

At the beginning of this century medical scientists made a surprising discovery that we are built not just of flesh and blood but also of time. They were able to demonstrate that we all have an internal body clock, which regulates the rise and fall of our body energies, making us different from one day to the next. These forces became known as biorhythms; they create the "highs" and "lows" in our everyday life.

The idea of an internal "body clock" should not be too surprising, since the lives of most living things are dominated by the 24-hour night-and-day cycle. The most obvious feature of this cycle is the way we feel tired and fall asleep at night and become awake during the day. If the 24-hour rhythm is interrupted, most people experience unpleasant side effects. For example, international aeroplane travellers often experience "jet lag"when travelling across time zones. People who are not used to shift work can find that lack of sleep affects their work performance.

As well as the daily rhythm of sleeping and waking, we also have other rhythms which last longer than one day and which influence wide areas of our lives. Most of us would agree that we feel good on some days and not so good on others. There are times when we appear to be accident-prone.Isn't it also strange how ideas seem to flow on some days but at other times are apparently non-existent? Musicians, painters and writers often talk about such periods.

Scientists have identified the following three biorhythmic cycles: physical, emotional and intellectual. Each cycle lasts approximately 28 days and each is divided into a high energy period and a low energy period of equal length. During the high energy period of a physical biorhythm we are more resistant to illness, better coordinated and more energetic; during the low energy period we are less resistant to illness, less well coordinated and tire more easily. The low period puts energy in our "batteries" for the next high period.

The "critical" or weakest time is the time of changeover fromthe high energy period tothe low energy period, or vice versa.The critical time usually lasts a day. On a critical day of a physical biorhythm, there is a greater chance of accident or illness.

Human experience is always individual and we each have our own biorhythmic experiences. Some people experience such enormous physical turbulence on their "physically critical" days that they have to go to bed. Accidents appear to happen so frequently during turbulent biorhythms that some car insurance companies in Japan have issued biorhythm policies to policyholders in order to cut downthe number of costly accidents.

III. Questions for discussion:

1. How does your internal body clock regulate the rise and fall of your body energies?

2. What is known about biorhythms?

3. What do international aeroplane travellers often experiencewhen travelling across time zones?

4. How do people feel during high energy periods?

5. How does a low energy period differ from a high energy period?

6. When is there a greater chance of accident or illness?

7. What kind of policies have some car insurance companies in Japan issued in order to cut downthe number of costly accidents?

UNIT 6

Belarus and English-Speaking Countries

PART 1

Belarus and Its People

I. Read the text consulting the dictionary and get ready for a discussion.

The Republic of Belarus and its People.

Have you ever tried asking yourself a seemingly simple question, «Why and what for do I love my country?» I am sure you will find enormous diffi­culty trying to answer the question. There is hardly anyone who will be able to describe the blue of the sky or the peculiar flavour of the home wind, or the specific softness of the native soil, or the unusual beauty of the people around us. What we shall probably be able to say is that it all belongs to us and that it is where we belong. Belarus is my home country. I will try to tell you how I, the Belarusian, feel about it and will try to help you look at the things the way I see them.

Belarus is situated in the centre of Europe at the crossing of roads going from East to West and from North to South. Our land has been very attractive geopolitically for many foreign countries. It has been invaded by Mongols and Russians, Poles and Germans, Swedes and French. Belarus stood as a buffer state between the East and the West and got invariably involved in all the military conflicts waged by Europe and Asia.

Belarus borders Poland in the west, Lithuania in the northwest, Latvia and Russia in the north, Russia in the northeast and east, and Ukraine in the south. The total state border length is 2,969 km.

The republic's area is 207.600 square kilometers. It is just one fifth smaller than Great Britain in size, but it is larger than Denmark, Belgium and Greece taken together.

To describe our land one needs to be a poet. If you go north, you will see land of Braslav lakes with crystal-clear blue waters surrounded by pine groves. If you go West, you will find yourself in the Brest province — the land of immense fields and meadows. In the South you will be engulfed by infinite forests and marshes.

Broad plains and marshy lowlands occupy nearly three quarter's of the territory. They are called Belarusian Polesye. There are also some hills and elevations. They can be found in the northern and central parts of the country.

There are a lot of rivers and streams and more than 10.000 lakes in the republic. The largest rivers are the Dnieper, Western Dvina, Pripiat and Neman, while the largest lake is Narach.

Forests and bush cover more than a quarter of the area. The most famous is Belavezhskaya Puscha. Rare bisons — aurochses live there. They survived from glacial times.

The climate is temperately continental. The coldest month is January and the warmest month is July.

The population of Belarus is about 10 million. Belarus is a polyethnic and polyconfessional state in which over 130 nationalities reside with Belarusians (8,159 thousand people, 81.2% of the total population). All these nationalities live here in good neighbour­hood and peace because they have something in common: they all love their country, their history, and their traditions.

Ethnic Russians have been residing in Belarus over its entire history. The Russian population started to increase more profoundly in Belarus over the period after the WWII when workers, specialists of different spheres of the national economy, science, art, party and Young Communist League functionaries moved to Belarus. The density of the Russian population varies in Belarus. Larger groups reside in the eastern regions (Vitebsk, Mogilev and Gomel Regions), in the Belarusian capital and large industrial centers where they make up nearly 20% and more of the population. The majority of Russians are substantially dispersed in the Belarusian ethnic surrounding, however, they keep their national self-consciousness, including the native name and language, and the believers practice their religion. In social/political and national terms, the Russian population enjoys broad opportunities and perspectives to meet their own ethno-confessional and cultural linguistic needs. The Russian language is the state language equally with the Belarusian language.

The Poles follow the Russians in size of the population in Belarus — 396 thousand people (3.9%). They have been inhabiting western areas of Belarus for several centuries. Their population varies in density, but Polish population is mostly concentrated in the western areas of Grodno, Brest, Vitebsk and Minsk Regions.

The Ukrainians rank fourth in the size of the resident population following Belarusians, Russians and Poles in Belarus (according to 1999 census, 237 thousand people or 2.4% of the population). The Ukrainian population with the distinctly expressed self-consciousness migrated to Belarus mainly in the 18-20th centuries. In the early 20th century, the most numerous Ukrainian groups resided in Pinsk, Kobrin, Brest, Gomel, Rechitsa, Bobruisk, and Bykhov districts. Mainly urban citizens — industrial specialists, clerks, and workers of art and culture — moved to Belarus after the WW II.

The Jews rank fifth in size of the ethno-confessional group in Belarus (28 thousand). Since 1980s, their size substantially diminished due to emigration to Israel and other countries. Over the recent years, the

migration flow significantly reduced. They are not densely grouped, but mainly reside in towns and urban settlements. They communicate predominantly in Russian.

Lithuanians have been residing generally in dispersed groups in Belarus for a long time; however, their dense population characterizes some villages (Ostrovetsk and Voronov Districts of Grodno Region and Braslav District of Vitebsk Region).

Some other nationalities inhabit Belarus: Tatars, Azerbaijani, Armenians, Latvians, Koreans, Germans, Georgians, Ossets, Gypsies, Moldavians and others. Migration processes that substantially intensified over the last decade somewhat change the general pattern of ethnic minorities in Belarus. Some groups, for example, reduced (Jews, Latvians, Germans and Estonians), while the others increased in size mainly due to the inflow from “hot spots” (Armenians, Georgians, Azerbaijani, Ossets, Tadjiks and so forth).

3 million Belarusians and their descendants reside outside Belarus, mostly in Russia, Ukraine, USA, and Poland, as well as in Latvia, Lithuania, Australia, Canada and Argentina.

Towns are the most densely inhabited. People speak Belarusian, Russian and Ukrainian here though the official language is Belarusian.

The most important centres are Minsk, the capital, Grodno, Gomel, Brest, Mogilev and Vitebsk. They are not only administrative, but also industrial and cultural centres of the six territorial regions of Belarus.

About 30 types of minerals have been explored in Belarus (over 4,000 deposits and fields of mineral resources). The main mineral resources of the country are: peat, oil, underground fresh and mineral waters, construction materials and ores, which can be used for the production of fertilizers. Those raw materials make up practically all of its mineral wealth.

Agriculture, manufacturing industry and commerce are the most developed branches of the economy. Agriculture is the chief occupation of the greater part of the population. It fully satisfies the need of the country for basic agricultural products, such as milk, meat, potatoes, vegetables, fruit and eggs.

The most developed branches of manufacturing industry are machine-building, instrument-making, radio-electronics, wood-working, oil-refining and a number of chemical, light, construction and food industries.

Belarus has to import oil, gas, coal, metal, chemicals and cotton. Together with grain, sugar, vegetable oil, fish products, citrics, tea, coffee and wine they are the main items of Belarusian imports.

Our country exports heavy lorries, tractors, motorcycles, bicycles, TV and radio-sets, data processing equipment and gas stoves, refrigerators and furniture, carpets and knitted goods, chemical fibers and fertilizers, agricultural products.

Belarus has good trade relations with Russia, the Ukraine, Bulgaria, Austria, Germany, China and Poland. The country is connected with its neighbours by its wide network of rail-, high- and waterways, not to mention air routes.

Belarus is a presidential republic. The main law of the country is the Constitution. The highest executive power is vested in a President elected for a five-year term. The Parliament — National Assembly is a representative and legislative body of the Republic of Belarus. The Parliament consists of two chambers: the House of Representatives and the Council of the Republic. The executive power is performed by a Council of Ministers headed by a premier. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President.

The history of Belarus is full of dramatic events and great losses. International economic and cultural activities of Belarus today are becoming more and more intensive. It contributes to the world peace, friendship and cooperation among nations.

That is how I see my Motherland, young and old, beautiful and full of pride, independent and neutral, a country that is situated in the heart of Europe where all roads meet.

II. Questions for discussion:

1. Why is Belarus loved by its people so much?

2. What countries does it border on?

3. How many parts does it consist of?

4. What territory does it occupy?

5. Is it a large country if compared to European states?

6. What is its landscape?

7. What do you know about its climate?

8. How many people live here?

9. What nationalities reside in Belarus?

10.What are trade partners of Belarus?

11.What are your country's natural resources?

12.What can you say about its political structure?

13.What is Belarus famous for?

14. Can you name any of your world famous compatriots?

III.Study the vocabulary and read the text.

immense — огромный

bog — болото

pine grove — сосновый бор

petty rivers — мелкие речушки

springs — родники, источники

tireless — неутомимый

to mow — косить

processing — переработка

particularly — особенно

parcel of land — надел земли

TRANSFORMATION OF THE COUNTRYSIDE

Most Belarusians, because of the natural formation of the urban infrastructure, are more at home in the coun­tryside than in the city. Though 64 per cent of the popu­lation live in towns and cities, nearly half of them have moved there only recently. Their hearts and roots are still at the place where they were born.

Belarus is the land of pine groves and immense fields and meadows. The beauty of our land is unique. You can find here numerous lakes and rivers and even huge bogs around the river Pripyat. This part of natural landscape is called Belarusian Polesse.

Among the bogs, sandy islands are located, on which pine forests grow. In spring numerous petty rivers which flow into Pripyat flood the area and comprise one huge water mass.

One of the finest Belarusian lakes, Svityaz, is located close to Novogrudock. The water is crystal clear, as no springs flow into the lake. So clear, that on sunny days one can see the bottom of Svityaz. The lake is very deep and almost round. It is surrounded by a one kilometer-wide forest with berries and mushrooms. Flowers, which grow here, are exceptionally beautiful!

There is no other place like countryside for those who have learned in childhood to love its monotonous land­scape with innumerable lakes, rivers, forests and fields, its small quiet villages and modern settlements. I do love all that. I like the village with its winding streets, local people, and green carpets of meadows. I like to stand on the highest hill, where there is a monument to those killed during World War II. I like to see how the Pripyat flows unhurriedly to the Dnieper. The working men and women who live on its banks are as tireless as the river it­self. They mow the thick grass in the meadows, gather in the rich grain harvest and build new plants.

A distinctive feature of modern countryside is its industrialization. Numerous workshops and even small fac­tories are set up on collective farms, such as workshops for the processing of vegetable and fruit, for the produc­tion of furniture, clothes, overcoats, jackets and sheep­skin coats. All this has entailed a change in the structure of trades. Technologists and construction workers have become particularly important men, as well as grain-growers and machine operators.

Today's countryside has its own infrastructure: roads, service establishments, stadiums. New buildings are mush­rooming here: urban-type two-storeyed houses with all mod­ern conveniences, with a garage and a telephone. Over the last few years a number of such urban-style settlements have been built in which every house is an attraction.

Some people, however, prefer to live in wooden houses with big orchards and gardens attached to them. It is really very important not to lose the delights of the vil­lage way of life. It is particularly dear to every villager to hear a cock that crows every morning.

Those people, who have no relatives in the village, build a summer house on a small parcel of land and grow all kinds of vegetables and flowers there.

It is impossible to tear a peasant from the land, from everything that has gone into his heart and mind since his childhood. The roots of the real villager are always to be found in the soil he loves.

IV. Questions for discussion:

1. Why do most Belarusians feel more at home in the coun­tryside than in the city?

2. Which landscape is the most typical for Belarus?

3. What is the most distinctive feature of the modern Belarusian countryside?

4. What are the most important changes in cities, towns and settlements of Belarus?

5. Why is it so important for some Belarusians not to lose the delights of the vil­lage way of life?

SUPPLEMENTARY READING

I. Study the vocabulary to read and understand the text better. Prepare for a discussion.

dowry [´daυrı] — приданое

bishop — епископ

persecu­tor of evil [´pə:sıkju:tə] — преследователь зла

pau­per — нищий

chimney — дымоход

relics of the saint — останки святого

hut — хижина, бел. Хата

National Peculiarities of the New Year Holiday

It is a well-known fact that the New Year party owes its warmth to a decorated New Year tree and the presence of Ded Moroz, who arrives to distrib­ute gifts and sweets, putting them under the tree. For hundreds of years he has continued to visit peo­ple on holiday nights. The tradition has been firmly established. It all started with the follow­ing:

Each Fairy Tale Holds a Grain of Truth

In the 3rd century ВС in the city of Patara (Lycia, Asia Minor) a boy was born who was given the name of Nicholas. When Nicholas grew up, he became a bishop in the town of Myra. Consequently, he was called St. Nicholas of Myra. He was believed to be a kind miracle-worker and persecu­tor of evil. He was the patron of kidnapped and lost children, and of seamen.

Legend has it that Nicholas, passing by a pau­per's house one night, threw three gold-packed purses to the pauper's daughters down the chimney. The purses landed in the girls' shoes that stood drying by the fireplace. The happy father bought a dowry for his daughters and gave the girls away. Therefore, many countries still pre­serve the tradition of putting New Year presents into shoes or boots. Nicholas was believed to bring cold as he walked. That is why his name is associated with winter frosts.

Nowadays, tourists can visit the church in Demre that, translated from Arabic, is Grandfather Frost's Church. In its southern part, there is a sarcophagus that is said to hold the relics of the saint.

Today, it is hard to get at the heart of the matter about how St. Nicholas legend began to live its own life, and how the saint evolved into a winter character that every­body knows beginning in childhood. Later, a particular patron of winter appeared in each country.

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