Topic 21: Customs And Traditions Of Great Britain

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See also: Topic 17 – Great Britain, Topic 19 – London , Topic 8 – Popular Sports In GBR

Britain boasts a historic legacy as rich as its landscape, here the modern blends with the traditional & ancient customs harmonize with 20^th-century international commerce. Britain is actually four countries in one - England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland. Each one offers something quite different in the way of traditions, history, its people & their languages. All the countries except England have a second language inherited from invaders in the distant past, Welsh being the one that is perhaps still spoken & sung the most. Moreover, the British speak English in an infinite variety of regional accents.

Not only accents but attitudes & even food change from region to region. Scotland is famous for its haggis, its scotch broth (vegetable & barley soup) & cock-a-leekie (chicken & leak soup with prunes); Wales for its Welsh cakes & bara brith (speckled bread), both eaten at the tea-time; and England for its variety of cheeses. Cheshire, Cheddar or Wensleydale to name a few.

Traditionally, tartan is recognized around the world as unmistakably Scottish; the cloth has its origins in the ancient ‘Highlands’ clan system. The family clans each wore their own distinctive badge or insignia - the tartan - making the instantly recognizably to others, friend or foe. Tartan kilts are now usually worn only in special occasions.

History has left its imprint in the form of many legends - the folk hero Robin Hood, who stole from rich to give to the poor; Dick Turpin the infamous highwayman & the Scottish Lock Ney Monster.

Local events & festivals based on customs & traditions which have evolved over the centuries, bring out an endearing side of the British character. These include colourful English Morris dancers ( performing, usually in Spring time, at village fairs & festivals - the dances are associated with fertility rites for crops & cattle ); well dressing in Derbyshire ( a thanksgiving for the gift of water ); Guy Fawkes Day ( celebration the failed attempt to blow up Parliament on the 5^th of November 1605 ) & the Scottish ‘First Footing’ tradition on ‘Hogmanay’ or New Year Eve ( the First Foot to pass over the threshold of the house bearing a gift ensures good luck & prosperity for the following year ).

It may seem surprising but the British have fewer holidays than in many other countries. Some of them are named Bank Holidays due to the fact that on those days the banks are closed. In England & Wales they comprise at present five bank holidays ( New Year Day, Easter Monday, spring & late summer holidays at the end of May & August respectively & Boxing Day ); they also have two common holidays ( Good Friday & Christmas Day ). In Scotland & Northern Ireland the have six bank holidays, plus two other public holidays. The particular dates of the bank holidays are fixed annually.

January 1 - New Years Day

April 3 - Easter

November 11 - Remembrance Day (dates back to November 11, 1918 when all fighting in the First World War ended. It now commemorates British soldiers, sailors & airman who gave their lives in the two World Wars )

December 25 - Christmas

June - Trooping the colour ( this ceremony is held on the Sovereign’s official birthday in June This is the most colourful of all London annual events)

The end of November - The State Opening of Parliament ( This is another royal event at the end of November which draws thousands of spectators, who see the Queen on the drive from Buckingham Palace to the House of Parliament in the State Coach ).

Topic 22: My Spare Time

See also: Topic 18 – My Favorite Writer & Book, Topic 1 – Press Is A Mirror Of A Current Events,

Topic 25 – My Working Day

Very few people spend their waking time either working or just gazing into space. I’m convinced, that you must do something in your spare time.

Some people employ their spare time on full. They have all-adsorbing interests, which take up most of it. Others collect specific items (such as stamps, spoons, sedan chairs, etc.). Their hobbies give them moments of pride excitement & fascination, take a lot of time, money, energy & intelligence. Still other spend some of their time on a special art or craft. They write poetry, take pictures with their cameras, play musical instruments for their enjoyment or do needlework. Moreover, there are a lot of people, who prefer less energetic activities, such as chess, cards, crosswords.

The most popular leisure activities for example are watching TV & playing games, going to judo classes, membership of different clubs & societies, hobbies. I think, people in my republic have the similar leisure pursuits. They are keen supporters of professional sporting teams & keen followers of popular trends in music scene, they also participate in the sports.

My numerous activities leave me little leisure. Nevertheless I spend some of my spare time on activities which are not organized & can be don e on my own, for example, I have an interest in computers.

I don’t like do-it yourself jobs about the house and making things such as cloths and things to eat. I can’t understand what people get out of it. Instead of this, I like working on little scale models of planes, on radios & other devices.

As for me, watch TV very seldom, even news, but I like to listen to the music. I’m not very choosy in what I watch on TV or listen to the radio. Also, unfortunately, I’m not regular theater- or cinemagoer. Nevertheless, I appreciate the art of others.

Usually I’m very busy with my homework, so I meet with my friends rather seldom. We gather at home of one of us & lead endless talks about school life, our common hobby – computers, about books and many other topics. We never go to dances or discoes, preferring to spent our time into another way, for example reading.

I’m a life long reader and reading is a great deal. Books are my indulgence. I don’t read books purely for pleasure, I read them for more information & knowledge. Also, sometimes, I take fresh newspapers & look them through to be informed about all recent events in the world.

I wouldn’t like to be a member of an organized group, such as youth club or society, for I don’t like to be guided by somebody.

Dreaming is not fault, so I think, that in future there will probably be less work & more leisure time for everybody. Some people think we will have a large proportion of the population glued to the television screen which will send out programs of twenty four hours a day. But in my opinion more time to choose for oneself what to do – it could be the best thing to happen to the human race. I can foresee the rebirth of the old crafts as people begin to have the leisure to pursue them. Old skills, like gardening, cooking & sewing which have been put aside in the rush to work will be relearned. Books will be read again & literature will come into a new golden age. Our population will ample time for exercise and sports will be a healthy one.

My Day Off

People work on study five or six days a week. These are the working-days. But on Sunday people have their rest.

Sunday is my day off, too. The alarm-clock doesn't wake me up on Sunday. I get up later than usual. After breakfast I like to watch TV or read something. My friend comes to me and we go to the stadium as we both go in for tennis and volleyball.

My friend and I are football fans. We are Dynamo fans. When there is some fotball match on Sunday or Saturday we go to stadium to shout for our team.

On Sunday evenings we like to go to the cinema or sometimes to the theatre. There are many cinema and theatres in Minsk but it is very difficult to buy tickets. So we buy tickets beforehand at the box-office of the theatre.

I think the best way to spend week-and is to go to the country. In winter we go skiing. We leave early in the morning and come back late in the evening. Of course in summer we go to the country, too. We usually camp near the river or a lake. We spend the night in tents. It's a great pleasure to sit round the fire and sing songs.

In the morning we have a work in the forest. If the day is hot and sunny we bask in the sun, swim in the river and play volley-ball or other games.

In the evening we come back home. Of course, we are very tired but really happy.

My friends and I are fond of art and like to visit the Art Gallery. Here in Minsk we have a good picture gallery. I like to see new exhibitions of Byelorussian or Russian painters. Vrubel and Repin are my favorite painters.

There are many interesting and useful things to do on your day off. Choose some hobby and enjoy it.

Many people go to the cinema or theatre on their days off. They also like to visit their friends and relatives.

In all large towns there are plenty of cafes and restaurants. Each little party of guests have their own table. They have good meals, listen to the music or dance and talk.

Topic 23: Seasons (Sk)

There are four seasons in the year: winter, spring, summer & autumn. Each of them lasts three month and we have got used to that. But there are such places on the Earth where there are only one or two seasons. For example near the equator there is constant summer and temperature never falls below 20 grad Celsius. Near the North or South Pole there is only cold winter. In tundra there are only winter & spring. Winter last near nine–ten months, spring, summer and autumn are so similar and short that it is hard to divide them, so it is considered to be only spring which is rather cold.

Also there are such places on the planet where there are all seasons simultaneously, for example in Himalayans. On the top there is constant icy winter, a bit lower – autumn in the pine woods, spring is on the Alpine grasslands, where numerous cattle is grazing and on the foot of them there is subtropical wet summer.

Local climate also plays important role in forming of local weather: for example the cities of Nachodka and Vladivostok are on the same latitude as the capital of Kazakchstan – the city of Alma-Aty and Rome and Madrid. To be precise, they are situated near the 43 degrees of northern latitude, but the climate varies greatly! Kazakchstan is one of the great producers of cotton of the countries of the former USSR. The growing season is long enough and the weather is warm, so such subtropical culture can be grown here. At the same time on the shore of the Japanese Sea the summer is cool and rather wet. The most wet climate is in Cherapoungie (Bangladesh) where fall almost fifteen thousands of millimeters of sediments yearly and the driest place in the world (near Tripoli ,(Libya)) are also on the same latitude.

Each season has its own advantages & bad features. Now it is autumn, the time, when nature fades away, days grow shorter and cold weather sets in. Cold western winds from the Baltic Sea begin to blow, but worst of all is rain, cold endless and dull autumn rain even if it is just drizzles! Most often it rains for hours, but there are some days when it rains for a while then the rain stops and then starts all over again and it goes throughout a day. These things are well-known and nobody can say that he likes them.

Yet there are some people who like autumn. They try to look at the reverse side of the medal. Autumn they say, is the time of harvest, golden leaves, it is the time when the nature is quiet and very attractive. Poets of all nations have sung autumn as the most beautiful time of the year, et cetera…

As for me, my favorite time of the year is last spring and early summer, when everything is vivid and green around, the days are very long and nights are warm and full of stars, when everything lives with full live. Besides it, it is the time when summer holidays begin and we have about three months of free time ahead and can relax & forget about everyday school problems…

Topic 24: My Future Profession (Sk)

In our industrial age it isn’t impossible to be a good specialist in different fields of occupations, for they became more and more difficult with many acuteness’(subtleties). That is why there is a great amount of different professions nowadays. Doctors & teachers, lawyers & economists, miners & workers – all of them are working every day to help people in solving their problems. Maybe some of them may seem us useless, but there are no completely useless professions. Useless professions will quietly disappear, and new ones will come to replace them.

I doubt that somebody in the world knows the exact number of different professions. There are such professions, that we even don’t know anything about their existence. That is why the problem of the choice of profession is not very easy. Besides it, it is a very important problem, because the choice of institute or university to enter & the way of your whole future life depends on your choice.

As for me, I don’t know for sure what profession to choose. I’m interested in computers and all around them, and to become a programmer would be interesting for me. From the another side, my favorite subject at school is physics & to devote myself to science would be another fine way for me. From the third side I’ve been always attracted by airplanes and when I was younger & had better eyesight, I dreamt to become a pilot, but now because of my glasses this way is closed for me.

For now I’ve decided to enter BSUIR, for there is a large amount of different faculties to choose, & during first two courses, I think, I will choose one of them.

What concerns physics, maybe it will be interesting to know, that when I was younger I and my friend have arranged some sort of a small lab where we could carry out some experiments. Because we were studying at eighth - ninth form, many even simple facts were unknown for us and each experiment was some kind of small discovery. For example we have succeed to prove without a prism that white light consists of all colors. We also have determined the main chemical composition of the upper layers of the sun, using a spectroscope, which we also made ourselves.

Unfortunately, now I have no time to do such experiments, nevertheless I’m interested in the last achievements of physicists and often buy books about that. My dream is to see that time, when people will achieve a guided fusion reaction. Then mankind receive the most powerful and very safe source of energy.

In general I think that progress of any practical science is impossible without progress in physics. In the twelfth century a great breakthrough have been made in this science. This breakthrough brought us colored television, radio, refrigerators, rapid electric trains, supersonic planes and such great disasters as Hiroshima, Nagasaki, ozone holes etc.. People should think about the consequences of their deeds. A good example showed us Albert Einstein, who destroyed the major part of his theory of united field, because he understood that his discovery could give a key to a new weapon of terrible destructive power.

As you can see, I know that my way in life leads to science, but I can’t say anything more exactly yet. I want to make a right choice , to choose that profession, in which I will be able to reach something and to give something to mankind, even if my contribution in progress will be very small.

Topic 25: My working day (Sk)