Text 3. Hobbies in my Family

I am a student of the extra-mural department. I combine work and studies. So I am very busy. But I try to find some time for my hobby. I have two favourite occupations. They are reading and playing chess. I read different kinds of books. But most of all I prefer historical novels. It's so interesting to read and learn something new about the history of our country. My favourite writer is Balashov. I have a lot of his books at home, but sometimes I go to the library and take books there.

As for chess, I play this game since my childhood. I must say, I am good at it. But to my great regret, nobody in our family plays chess. So I have no partner for it.

My mother is fond of cooking. She spends much time in the kitchen. She cooks various dishes, but her pies are simply delicious. She also likes to work in our garden in summer, spring and autumn. She grows a lot of vegetables and flowers there. She always says that work in the garden is the best rest for her.

As for my father, he is fond of reading and watching TV. He prefers books with detective stories. He says that such stories make a man think and analyze different situations. As for TV, he prefers news and sport programmes. He also spends much time with our car and reads special journals about it.

Our life would be dull without hobbies. So everybody in our family tries to find time for his favourite occupation.

Answer the following questions:

1. What is your hobby? 2. Do you have much time for it? 3. Are you fond of reading? 4. What books do you prefer and why? 5. Do you often watch TV? 6. What programmes are interesting for you? 7. Can you say that sport is your hobby? 8. Are you interested in music? 9. What kind of music do you prefer? 30. What are favourite occupations of all members of your family?

Text 4. My Studies

I am a student of the extra-mural department. I study at the faculty of Primary Education. I don't go to the University every day. I'm on session twice a year: in winter and in summer. In winter our session lasts only two weeks, but in summer we spend at the University more than a month. We usually have four periods every day. At the end of our studies we pass different tests and examinations. It's also possible to come to the University on Saturday and have different consultations or pass some tests. We learn many subjects: Russian, Mathematics, Literature, Psychology, History and so on.

I like Literature most of all. We must read a lot of books in this subject. But our studies of Literature at the University help me in my work. I'm a teacher of the second form. So I have lessons of reading with the children every day. Our lectures of Literature at the University help me to conduct them in an interesting way.

As a whole it isn't easy to study at the University. But I'll do my best to study well and to graduate from it in some years.

Answer the following questions:

1. What faculty do you study at? 2. How many times a year do you have your session? 3. How much time does it last? 4. Can you come to the Universities on Saturdays? 5. What subjects do you study at the University? 6. What subjects are useful and interesting to you? 7. Would you like to change anything in your education? 8. When will you graduate from the University?

Text 5. Vladimir

Vladimir is an ancient town. It is more than one thousand years old. Our town stands on the bank of the river Klyasma and is very beautiful. There are a lot of sights there, e.g. the Golden Gate. It was built in 1164 and in ancient time it was a military fortress. In the 13th century the citizens of Vladimir tried to defend the town from this fortress. Now there is a good museum in the Golden Gate. Here we can see an interesting diorama which shows the battle between Tatar Mongols and Vladimir citizens. There are also examples of foreign and Russian weapons from different periods and the portrait gallery of the Heroes of the Soviet Union from Vladimir.

On the Sobornaya Square you can see two beautiful cathedrals of our town: the Assumption Cathedral and the Cathedral of St. Demetrius. The Assumption Cathedral is a church where services are held. And it is also a museum. There are a lot of frescoes in it. They are made by Andrey Rublev and Daniil Cherny. The cathedral of St. Demetrius was built as a family church of Prince Vsevolod III. Its walls are decorated by stone carvings of lions and leopards. The lion was a symbol of the prince's power.

Vladimir is famous for its cultural traditions. There are two theatres and a concert hall in our town. You can also see two State Universities and a lot of libraries there.

Answer the following questions:

1. How old is Vladimir? 2. Where does it stand? 3. Where is the Golden Gate situated? 4. What was it in ancient time? 5. What can we see in the Golden Gate now? 6. Do you know any other places of interest in Vladimir? 7. Have you ever visited the Assumption Cathedral and the Cathedral of St. Demetrius? 8. What is your native place? 9. Can you say some sentences about your native town (settlement)?

Text 6. Great Britain

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is an island country. The British Isles include two islands: Great Britain and Ireland and about five thousand small islands. The country consists of four parts: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The country is washed by the English Channel, the North Sea, the Irish Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The main rivers are the Severn, the Thames and the Trent. The climate of Great Britain is wet. The sea keeps the island warm in winter and makes the air cooler in summer. So in England it is never too hot or too cold.

Great Britain is a monarchy, but it is a constitutional monarchy. The power of the queen is limited by the Parliament. The British Parliament consists of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The Prime Minister is usually the leader of the party that has the majority in the House of Commons.

The capital of the United Kingdom is London. It is a large and beautiful city. There are a lot of wonderful sights there, e.g. the Tower of London. In ancient times it was a citadel, a prison, an armoury. Nowadays the Tower is a museum. Here we can see the national collection of armour, the Crown Jewels and Royal Regalia. The Tower is still guarded by Yeomen Warders, the famous beefeaters, who wear a traditional sixteenth century uniform. The Tower Bridge was opened in 1894. It is a famous monument to the ingenuity of the man. The bridge weighs about 1000 tons, but it can be raised in some minutes to let the ships go in and out of the Pool of London.

Answer the following questions:

1. What kind of country is the United Kingdom? 2. What seas wash the country? 3. Why is the climate wet in Great Britain? 4. What are the main rivers of the country? 5. Who is the head of the United Kingdom? 6. How many chambers has the Parliament? 7. What was the Tower of London in ancient times? 8. What can we see in the museum nowadays?

Text 7. Sherlock Holmes

Many years ago a young doctor began to write stories about a man, who was a detective. Readers liked his stories because they were very interesting and the doctor decided to become a writer. The doctor was Conan Doyle and he wrote about Sherlock Holmes.

Conan Doyle wrote his first story about Sherlock Holmes in 1887. In this story the detective meets his friend Dr. Watson. Holmes and Watson lived at 221 В Baker Street in London. Many discussions take place about where 221 В was. There is no house there now. But a large company has its office near the place. This company answers 20 or so letters which still come every week to Sherlock Holmes, 221 В Baker Street. Many people ask if Mr. Holmes can help them in some problem. The company answers saying that "Mr. Holmes is no longer working as a detective."

There is a pub in London called Sherlock Holmes. One of the rooms in the pub is Sherlock Holmes' room. It has many things the room in Conan Doyle's stories had: Holmes' hat, some letters written to Sherlock Holmes, chairs and tables like these described in the stories. Besides there are some pictures of Holmes and Conan Doyle, of actors who played Holmes and Watson in films, television and radio.

In 1961 lovers of Sherlock Holmes formed the Sherlock Holmes Society. They meet three or four times a year to talk about Sherlock Holmes. The members of the Society know stories of Sherlock Holmes very well and they discuss these stories at their meetings.

Answer the following questions:

1. What kind of stories did a young doctor begin to write? 2. Why did the doctor decide to become a writer? 3. When did Conan Doyle write his first story about Sherlock Holmes? 4. Where did Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson live? 5. What can we see in the pub in London? 6. What did lovers of Sherlock Holmes form in 1961? 7. What do they do at their meetings?

Text 8. Lewis Carroll

Lewis Carroll was the pen-name of Charles L. Dodgson, the man who wrote a famous book for children "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland".

Charles L. Dodgson was born in England in 1832. He got his early education at a public school. Then he became a student at Oxford. Charles studied Mathematics and later taught this subject in the same college. Charles Dodgson had no family, but he loved children very much. He often visited his friend Mr. Liddell who had a large family. There were three little girls in the family. One of them, Alice, was four years old. Dodgson liked Alice very much and he often told her interesting stories, which he made up himself.

Charles told Alice Liddell about the adventures of a little girl, and she liked the stories very much. When Alice Liddell was about ten years old, she asked Charles to write down the stories for her and he did so. He called the heroine of his book also Alice. One day a friend of the Liddells, a writer, came to see the family. He saw the hand-written book made by Charles Dodgson and began to read it with great interest. He read the book to the end and said that it was good and that all children in England must read it. Charles decided to publish the book but he didn't want to do it under his own name. So he took the pen-name of Lewis Carroll.

The book came out in 1865 and all the people who read it liked it very much. Later the book was published in the United States, in France and in Ger-many. The first Russian translation of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" came out in 1923. "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" is still a favourite children's book.

Say if these statements are true or false:

1) Charles Dodgson was the real name of Lewis Carroll.

2) He wrote the famous book "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'.

3) L. Carroll was born in England.

4) He taught History at Oxford.

5) His friend Mr. Liddell had a large family.

6) Alice Liddell liked the stories by Carroll very much.

7) When Alice was ten Lewis Carroll published these stories.

8) The first Russian translation of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" came out at the beginning of the 20th century.

Text 9. Richard III

King Richard III is known as a cruel king. But now some people think that Richard III wasn't cruel. What do we know about him? He lived at the time of the "Wars of the Roses". It was the time in English history when the Houses of York and Lancaster were fighting for the throne. Richard's father was the Duke of York, his emblem was a white rose. The Duke of Lancaster's emblem was a red rose.

Richard's elder brother Edward became a king in 1461 and Richard fought with him against his enemies. When in 1488 Edward died, his eldest son had to be-come a king, but before it happened the twenty-year old prince was taken with his younger to prison and nobody saw them again. Richard became the King of Eng-land. People say, he had murdered his young nephews.

Shakespeare's play "Richard III" and many historical books show Richard as a cruel king, but he lived in cruel times and many kings did the same things. People are angry that Richard murdered his nephews. But was it Richard who did it? Nobody knows.

Richard III was the king only for two years. In 1485 Henry Tudor invaded England from France and Richard, at the head of his army, was killed. Henry Tudor became the King as Henry VII. He married the sister of Richard's nephews and that was the end of the Wars of the Roses. Henry VII was the King of England for twenty four years.

Answer the following questions:

1. Richard III is known as a cruel king, isn't he? 2. What do some people think about him? 3. When did Richard become a King? 4. Who did he murder? 5. What play tells us about Richard? 6. How many years was he the King? 7. Who invaded England in 1485? 8. How did Henry VII put an end to the War of Roses?

Text 10. Stradford-on-Avon

Stratford-on-Avon, where Shakespeare was born, is now one of the most popular tourist centres. But it was not so many years ago.

In the 18th century only a few relics of Shakespeare were left: his tomb, New Place (a large house, which Shakespeare built, when he became famous), the mulberry tree, that he had planted, and his birthplace. People from London and other places came to see these relics. Most of them came to New Place where they wanted to see the famous mulberry tree in the garden.

The owner of New Place wasn't much interested in Shakespeare. He didn't like the fact that so many visitors came to his house asking to see the mulberry tree. So, in 1756 he cut down the tree and his life became quiet. But it didn't last long. The people who came to Stratford-on-Avon to see Shakespeare's tree at first were surprised, then they got so angry that the owner of New Place had to leave Stratford.

After Stratford lost one of the famous relics of Shakespeare the city fathers decided to do something to attract people there. They asked the greatest actor of the time David Garrick to organize a festival in Stratford. Garrick planned to do it in the first week of September 1769. He wanted festival to be the greatest outdoor festival in England.

At six o'clock in the morning on Wednesday in September 6, 1769, the festival was opened. Many people came to Stratford. The first day was successful and Garrick was happy. On the second day it rained hard. On the third day alt people left Stratford.

Garrick returned to London very sad. But his festival was the beginning of a tradition. Stratford is now famous for its great Shakespeare festivals. Every year a lot of people come to Stratford for the festival season which lasts from April to September.

Answer the following questions:

1. Where was Shakespeare born? 2. What relics of Shakespeare were left in the 18th century? 3. Why did the owner of the New Place cut down the mulberry tree? 4. Why did the fathers of Stratford decide to organize Shakespeare's festival? 5. When was the first festival opened? 6. Who organized it? 7. Was the festival successful? 8. How long does the festival season last in Stratford now?