HackMD - Collaborative Markdown Knowledge Base

## [Seasons and clothes](seasons) There are four seasons in the year. Each of them brings different weather and different clothes. When it is hot people wear T-shirts and shorts, sports shoes, socks and sandals. Women wear light blouses and skirts. In summer people dress like this in Africa, Russia, Canada, Ireland, Great Britain and America. In cold weather people usually put on warm clothes: jeans and trousers, sweaters and jackets, overcoats and caps. In winter they wear fur coats and fur caps, high boots and mittens or gloves. The proverb says: "There is no bad weather, there are bad clothes." Another proverb says: "Everything is good in its season." Do you understand it? When you think what to wear, choose the right dress. Think what is good on the sports ground and what is good at the party and why a long dress looks beautiful on a woman but is funny on a little girl. When you buy clothes, try them on. Make sure that they are your size, that they suit you and that you like their colour. ___ fur [fɜː] - мех, меховой ## [Family](family) - Hello! My name is Robert Bucket, but my friends call me Bob for short. I am nine and come from London. I live near Hyde Park. My hobby is taking photos. I think it is interesting to take photos. Look at my family pictures. - Oh, this is a lovely photo. This is David and Frank and me. David is on the right. He is my uncle. Frank is on the left. He is my cousin. - This photo is very nice too, I think. This is my grandmother. She works a lot. Her name is May. It's a lovely name, isn't it? My granny is not old. She is 48. She likes bright colours and bright ideas and her pupils like her. - Oh, and this one is my baby brother. His name's Jack. I don't see lot of him now as he lives with my mother and my other granny Pamela out in the country near London. - These are two pictures of my father. Here he is alone and here we are together in the mountains where we usually go skiing. This is our favourte place. Now I've got new skis. They were a birthday present from my parents. ___ to take photos - фотографировать ## [Food](food) In England you may have what they call "full English breakfast". First they bring you cereals and fruit juice, then you get bacon, eggs and tomatoes. Then comes toast and marmalade. You finish your breakfast with a cup of coffee or tea usually with milk. In fact English people don't often have "full English breakfast". They have just bread or toast with marmalade with a cup of tea or coffee. Sometimes they call it "continental breakfast". ___ cereal - хлопья marmalade - джем ## [Animals](animals) A lot of birds and animals move from country to country and from continent to contirent during the year. Some move when summer is over and it becomes colder and some when there is no food to eat. Many birds can't find food under the snow, so they fly to Africa and other warner countries. When winter comes some birds can fly more than 7000 kilometres in 3 days. They come back in spring and never see winter. ## [School Life](school1) ### PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN ENGLAND I In Great Britain school begins at the age of four or five. Many boys and girls usually leave school at the age of sixteen. In England the school year begins in September, but not always on the fist day of the month, as school rarely begins on Monday. The English think that Monday is not good day to start school. So pupils usually begin their school year on the first Tuesday of September (not always on the 1st of September as we do). The weather is usually fine. It is warm. The sky is often blue and the sun is bright. Little children going to school with their parents on their first school day look so clean and nice. They don't have any bags or books with them, as there is no need for these things on their first day at school. Pupils will get them later. They will get exercise books, pencils, pens, rulers and rubbers too. Classes usually begin at nine. Pupils have a break at 10.30 and may have a drink of milk or of orange juice. At half past twelve or at one o'clock they usually have lunch - meat, pudding, juice, an apple or a cake. Their classes are not always formal. They often sit at their desks but they also often sit on the carpet on the foor and listen to their teacher. They draw or play games. They often look at the animals they have at school: hamsters, rabbits or hares. Sometimes there are birds or fish in their classrooms. After lessons teachers usually read fairy tales and stories to them or sometimes they tell them something of interest. Engish pupils often play outdoors. ___ primary - начальный rarely - редко #### True, false or don't know? 1. English pupils often leave school at the age of fourteen. 2. The school year always begins on the first of September. 3. English school never begns on Monday. 4. English primary pupils usually have six classes a day. 5. There is no need for the children to take bags, pens, pencils, rulers, rubbers with them to school on the first school day. 6. Classes in primary school usually begin at nine. 7. Primary pupils have 3 or 4 classes outdoos every week. ### PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN ENGLAND II English children have classes five days a week. They have classes on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Classes are usually over at about four o'clock and then the pupils go home. They rarely have classes on Saturday and never or Sunday. Saturdays and Sundays are their days off. Schools in England have names, not numbers. They often get named after the place where they are (Green Hill School, Cedar Grove School) or after some famous or important people (St Mary's School). At the age of four or five, primary school children go to infant schools or infant classes where they spend three years till they are seven. In infant schools they spend much time outdoos. They play different games, run and jump. They sing songs, act and play a lot. Infant pupils learn how to use money in their classroom shop. They look at the pictures in interesting books, draw pictures in pencil and colour them. They learn how to get on with other children. Their classes are quite informal, but they begin to learn how to read, count and write a little too. When children are seven they go to junior schools, where they spend four years till they are eleven. So in England children spend seven years in primary school. When pupils are eleven or a little older primary school is over. Junior schools are real schools. The atmosphere is more formal in junior classes than in infant classes. Pupils sit in rows and follow a regular timetable. Their subjects are: English, Maths, History, Nature Study, Geography, Art, Music. In junior schools Swimming, P.E. and Religion are on the timetable too. But children spend a lot of time outdoors. They visit different museums and other famous and interesting places. Sometimes their teachers take them to London and other big cities. They walk and play a lot. In many primary schools children wear uniforms but in some primary schools they don't. ___ infant school - школа для малышей, первая ступень начальной школы (4-7 лет) quite - довольно junior school - начальная школа (7-11 лет) ## [London](london) London is the biggest city in Britain. More than seven million people live and work there. London is one of the most important cities in the world. It is a centre for business and for tourism. In London you can find some of the best theatres, cinemas and museums. There are many beautiful old churches in London too. There are about 10 thousand streets in London. Most of the streets are not wery wide. You can see many shops in London. Oxford Street is London's main shopping centre. You can buy clothes, shoes and toys in it. People from all over the world shop in Oxford Street. You can find many old and new beautiful parks in the city. The largest park in London is Hyde Park. It is one of the most popular places for Londoners on hot summer days. There are a lot of other pleasant parks and green squares there too. ___ wide - широкий ## The Romans The Romans went to England many, many years ago. They built a town on the River Thames. The name of the town was Londinium. The Romans built Londinium near the river. The place for the town was very good. Soon the Romans built a bridge over the River Thames. Londinium got bigger and bigger. The Romans built a lot of roads from Londinium to other parts of Britain. By the year 400, there were fifty thousand people in Londinium. Soon after 400 the Romans left Britain. We do not know very much about Londinium between the years 400 and 1000. The River Thames has always been part of London's history. In Roman times Londinium was a small town with the Thames in its centre. Now London is a very large city but the River Thames is still in the centre of London. Until 1749, there was only one bridge over the river: London Bridge. The old London Bridge looked very strange. There were houses and shops on the bridge. In the nineteenth century there were already a lot of new bridges in London. Now there are more than twenty bridges over the Thames. ___ The Romans - римляне 2 century - век ## William the Conqueror. The White Tower At the beginning of the 11th century England was already great country and London was a very important city. In 1066 William the Conqueror and his people went to England from Normandy in France. William the Conqueror became King of England. The King lived in London. Many of his people lived in London too. But William was afraid of the English, of the people of London and he built the White Tower to live in it. Now it is one of the most important and beautiful buildings of the Tower of London. As it is very famous, a lot of people visit it every year. All Kings and Queens of England have lived in London. It became the biggest city in England. By 1600 there were more than two hundred thousand people in London. ___ in trouble - в беде pain - боль conqueror - завоеватель king - король tower - башня ## The Great Fire of London (1666). London after the Fire. In those days people usually built houses of wood, and they often were near one another. Sometimes there were fires in the city, but they were usually very small. Then came 1666, the year of the Great Fire of London. On Saturday, 2nd September 1666 there was a strong wind from the river and a big fire began. It started in the house of the king's baker, near London Bridge. The baker's wife woke up in the middle of the night because the house was on fire. Soon the next house started burning and then the next and the next... The fire burnt until Thursday. Many houses in London were burnt. The fire burnt for four days and destroyed 80% of the city. More than 250 thousand people didn't have home any more. After the Great Fire people built a new city. The city became larger and larger. By 1830 there were more than one and a half million people in London. The railways came and London became richer and richer, but it didn't become nicer. The city became dark and dirty and people lived in bad houses. There are still some poor people in London today, but life is better now as there are many new houses and flats. The city is also much cleaner. ___ baker - булочник destroy - разрушить railway - железная дорога ## [Places to visit in London](visiting) London is the capital of England. It is its political and business centre. The heart of London is the City. It is the oldest part of London. Many people work in the City but very few live there. There are a lot of banks and other offices there too. You can visit some interesting places in the City or near it. One of them is the Tower of London. The Tower of London was a fortress, a palace, a prison and the King's Zoo. Now it is a museum. You can see a lot of interesting things in the rooms of the White Tower. Its square walls are white and very tall. William the Conqueror built it in the eleventh century. There are always black ravens in the Tower of London. People keep them in the Tower of London and look after them very well as they believe that London will be rich while ravens live there. One of the greatest English churches, St Paul's Cathedral, is not far from the Tower of London. The famous English architect Sir Christopher Wren built it in the 17th century after the Great Fire. It took Sir Christopher Wren 35 years. It is a beautiful building with many columns and towers. In one of its towers there is one of the largest bells in the world. Trafalgar Square is in the centre of London. Some people say it is the most beautiful place in London. In the middle of the square stands a tall column. It is a monument to Admiral Nelson. Four bronze lions look at the square from the monument. There are two beautiful fountains in the square. They are in front of the National Gallery which is one of the best picture galleries in the world. Every day a lot of tourists visit this fine building with its tall columns. The political centre of London is Westminster. It is that part of London where there are a lot of offices . If you go down Whitehall from Trafalgar Square on the right you will see a small street where the British Prime Minister lives. He lives at number 10 Downing Street. Whitehall is a wide street leading to Parliament Square. This square is very large. On the left you can see a long grey building with towers which is the Houses of Parliament. The large clock in one of the towers is Big Ben. Big Ben is the name of the clock and the bell in the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament. You can hear the sound of Big Ben every hour in London. The clock and the bell got their names after Sir Benjamin Hall. He was a tall man, whose nickname was Big Ben. So people know the clock as Big Ben. The Thames is behind the Houses of Parliament and the bridge across it is Westminster Bridge. On the other side of Parliament Square is Westminster Abbey. It is one of the most famous and beautiful churches in London. It is very old too. It is more than nine hundred years old. There are so many monuments and statues there. Many English kings and queens are buried there. Westminster Abbey is famous for its Poets' Corner too. Many great writers are buried there: for example Charles Dickens and Rudyard Kipling. The Abbey with its two tall towers is really wonderful. The Queen of England lives in Buckingham Palace. It is a wonderful building with a monument in front of it which is the Queen Victoria Memorial. It takes people ten to twenty minutes to get from Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square, in the centre of London. There are so many other places to see and visit in London, but you can't do all during one short trip. ___ I've sure been - я, безусловно, был fortress - крепость palace - дворец prison - тюрьма raven - ворон It took Sir Christopher Wren 35 years. - Сэру Кристоферу Рэну потребовалось на это 35 лет side - сторона abbey - аббатство are buried - похоронен nickname - прозвище ___ ## [SYMBOLS OF AMERICA](usa) The American flag is often called "The Stars and Stripes". There are three colours on the flag of the United States red, white, and blue. As there are fifty states in the United States, there are fifty stars on the American flag: one star for each state. The American flag has thirteen stripes. The stripes are red and white. The flag has seven red stripes and six white stripes. There is one stripe for each of the first thirteen colonies of the United States. People must know many things about the flag, for example: you should display it only during the day and you should fold it in a special way. In some schools there is a flag in each classroom, and children stand in front of the flag every day. You can see the American flag in shops and offices, in the streets and squares, in small towns and in big cities. You can see pictures of the American flag in newspapers and magazines. Americans are proud of their flag and display it in many places. One of the most famous symbols of the USA is the Statue of Liberty. France gave the statue to America in 1884 as a symbol of friendship. The Statue is in New York on Liberty Island. It is one of the first things people see when they arrive in New York by sea. The eagle became the official national symbol of the country in 1782. It has an olive branch (a symbol of peace) and arrows (symbols of strength). You can see the eagle on the back of a dollar bill. The United States of America has the national hymn too. It is called "The Star-Spangled Banner". Every state in the USA has its own flag, its own symbol and its own song too. ___ ## EVERYDAY LIFE IN AMERICA America is a friendly country with friendly people. In small American towns you hear "hello" from friends and also from people who have just arrived. People easily start to talk with each other. Waiters in restaurants will often tell you their names and talk to you. When you leave they will tell you to "Take care" or “Have a nice day!" Often people you have just met begin to ask you personal questions or start telling you all about themselves. When Americans meet people for the first time they usually shake hands. When they meet friends or relatives they haven't seen for a long time they sometimes kiss them on the cheek. “Pot luck" dinners are very popular with Americans. At a "pot luck" dinner all the guests bring something to eat and usually ask the host or hostess what they would like. Often you bring salad, some vegetables, or something sweet. Usually guests will arrive 10 or 15 minutes late this gives your hosts time to finish their preparations. Americans love to get together and to have parties. Traditional parties are birthdays, moving to a new house, a wedding, New Year's Eve and Fourth of July Independence Day. These parties are often informal and there are not many rules for them. Americans like to relax and enjoy themselves. So, maybe the best advice is to relax, smile, and enjoy yourself too! ___ ## [Christopher Columbus's Voyages](Columbus) Columbus made some more voyages to the New World. He discovered some more islands in Central America. Spain was very much interested in this land, in this territory and had some Spanish settlements in South and Central America and in the South of North America too. The second great voyage of Christopher Columbus began in September in 1493. He had seventeen ships with him. On this voyage he reached Cuba but didn't know it was an island. Columbus made four trips in all to the New World but he never landed on the mainland of North America. England became interested in the New World too. The first English settlements appeared in America at the beginning of the seventeenth century. On the 21st of September in 1620 a group of people left England for the New World. They sailed from the English port of Plymouth, on board the ship the "Mayflower". They wanted to start a new life and to have no problems with the church. After two months' voyage, on the 21st of November, these people landed in the Northeast of America. There were sev- enty-four men and twenty-eight women on the «Mayflower». They set up a colony and called that part of the country "New England". ___ ## [Travelling and transport. The Weekend](Weekend) Many people in Britain work five days a week, from Monday to Friday. So, from Friday evening till Monday morning people are usually free. When Friday comes English people usually know where and how they are going to spend the weekend. Before they leave work they say to each other "Have a nice weekend! Have fun!" Very many people plan to go away for the weekend. If young people are away from home, they may go stay with their parents, their relatives, or friends in different parts of the country. Some people go to the seaside and stay at a hotel there. Some people like to travel by plane or by train, but many families go to the seaside by car as it is very comfortable and not expensive. Last Friday Tony and his family took a trip to Brighton. Brighton is a nice place not far from London. It's easy to get there by car or by train. Tony's family haven't got a car. So, they went to the railway station by bus and travelled to Brighton by train. It took them about an hour to get there. The family had a wonderful time in Brighton. On Monday morning Tony's friends asked him, "Where were you at the weekend? How was your trip? Did you stay at a hotel or with your friends? What did you do at the sea- side?" Tony laughed, "Not so many questions at once, please. Everything is OK." ___ ## [Hobby. CINEMA](cinema) When you go to the cinema in England you usually see a feature film and a documentary. There are no intervals between programmes in some cinemas, and sometimes people can stay there as long as they like. Cinema is very popular, but less so than it was at the beginning of the 20th century. Several years ago, people in England often went to the cine- ma, but now many of them stay at home and spend a quiet evening reading books and watching TV or videos. Besides which, tickets are very expensive. But many people are still fond of going to the cinema. They often go to the "Odeon", which is one of the famous cinemas in London. You can see different films at the "Odeon": comedies, musicals, detective films, historical films, cartoons and love stories. You can see black-and-white films too. ___ ## [Hobby. THEATRE](theatre) I will never forget my first visit to the theatre. My mother took me to see “The Sleeping Beauty". We took the underground there, as the Bolshoi Theatre is in the centre of Moscow. It took us a quarter of an hour to get there. When we arrived at the theatre we could see many people in the hall. Some of them had programmes in their hands. My mother bought one for us. Then she led the way to our seats. They were not expensive but we could see the stage very well. Then the lights went downl and the curtain rose. We could see a beautiful palace on the stage and we could hear beautiful music. The scenery was fantastic. I liked the ballet very much. The leading dancer was so good, that when the performance was over there was a storm of applause. My mother enjoyed the performance greatly and she promised to take me to the opera at a later date. __ ## [Hobby. BOOKS](books) I'm fond of reading. I've got a very good collection of books at home and I'm really proud of it. I can't say my collection is thematic. I've got different books: fiction and his- torical novels. I've got many books about animals and birds. I also have books which can tell you about different countries and lands. I think many people can say that their hobby is reading and I am sure it is easy to explain why. We learn when we read books. Whatever you do, wherever you go, you'll always need a true friend and a good teacher. This friend and the teacher for you is the book. I've already read many books. Some of them are very interesting indeed; some are boring. Some of them are easy to read, and some are difficult to understand. But l usually read all of them to the very end. As l have already said my collection of books at home is good, but I often go to the library and take books there to read. My favourite books are about animals.