Evgenij Pluschenko Евгений Плющенко

Pluschenko was sent to the ice-rink by his mother at the age of four. His mother liked figure skating and had some friends at the rink. When Evgenij was 11, his ice-rink in Volgograd closed, and the boy left his home and moved alone to St. Petersburg to train. His mother came to Petersburg later, while his father and elder sister stayed in Volgograd.

Pluschenko is one of the few male skaters to perform great spins and jumps. At the age of 16, Evgenij was the youngest male skater to receive the perfect score of 6.0. Pluschenko's parents never watch him compete live, even when competitions took place at home. Pluschenko withdrew from the 2005 World Championship after the short program because of injury. He underwent surgery in Munich, Germany in spring 2005.

On June 18, 2005, Pluschenko married Maria Yermak. His wife studies sociology at the University of St. Petersburg. They met in 2004 when Pluschenko, driving in St. Petersburg, noticed her in a convertible and decided to follow her.

At the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy, Pluschenko skated two brilliant programs, and became the Olympic champion. Looking to the future Pluschenko will be doing some skating tours, including Champions on Ice.

4. Англоговорящие страны

Great Britain (1)

I would like to tell you about Great Britain.

The official name of the country is The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The country H situated in the north-west of Europe and consists of two large islands, Great Britain and the Isle of Ireland, and about five thousand small islands. There are four regions in the UК: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The country is washed by the North Sea in the north, the Irish Sea in the west and the English Channel in the south. The English Channel separates Great Britain from France.

The climate of the country is humid and oceanic because of the small size, of the country and the surrounding water. The English weather changes very often. It is not very cold in winters and not very hot in summers.

Great Britain has a lot of rivers and lakes. The most important river is the Thames which flows into the North Sea. The longest river is the Severn. The Lake District in the west is the most beautiful region on the British Isles. Famous British poets wrote their poems about the Lake District because of its beauty. The most famous lake is the Loch Ness. There is a legend that Nessie, the Loch Ness monster, lives in it.

The United Kingdom has a lot of industrial cities like Manchester and Birmingham and educational cities like Cambridge and Oxford. The two world famous universities, Cambridge University and Oxford University, are situated there.

Every region of Great Britain has its own administrative centre and the symbol.

England is the biggest region in the country. The symbol of England is the Red Rose. London is the capital of England and Great Britain. London is one of the biggest and most expensive cities in the world situated on the river Thames.

The symbol of Scotland is the thistle. Edinburgh is the administrative centre of the region. Scotland is a mountainous area. Ben Nevis, the highest peak of Great Britain, is situated there. The administrative centre of Wales is Cardiff and the symbol of the region is the daffodil. Belfast it the capital of Northern Ireland and the shamrock is its symbol.

The flag of Great Britain is called the Union Jack, ft has three crosses on the dark blue background. The currency of the country is the pound which consists of a hundred pence.

Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy with the Queen as the Head of the state.

The legislative body of the country is British Parliament consisting of two houses: The House of Lords and the House of Commons. The head of the government is Prime Minister. The two main political parties of English Parliament are: the Labour Party (which is the leading democratic party) and the Tory (the conservative party).

Great Britain is famous for its great poets and writes such as William Shakespeare, Walter Scott, Arthur Conan Doyle and others. The Beatles rock group was born in England.

English people are famous for their love for gardening. Many of them live in small houses surrounded by beautiful green gardens.

English food does not vary much. The only dish that can be called traditional is fish and chips (fried fish with French fries). English people like going to pubs where they can have a snack and drink a pint of beer.

Great Britain is wonderful country. I would love to go there one day.

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Great Britain (2)

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland with an area of some 244,000 square miles is situated on the British Isles, which are separated from the European continent by the North Sea, the Strait of Dover and the English Channel. Britain's population is over 57 million. Four out of every five people live in towns. The UK is a constitutional monarchy: the head of the state is a king or a queen. In practice, the Sovereign reins, but doesn't rule: the UK is governed by the Government — a board of Ministers who are the leading members of the political party in power and who are responsible to Parliament. The territory of Great Britain is small. At the same time the coun-try has a wide variety of scenery. England is the heart of Britain. It is the richest, the most fertile and most populated in the country. The north and the west of the England are mountainous, but all the rest territory is a vast plain. In Northwest England there are many beautiful lakes with wooded or grassy shores and grey mountains all around. It is called Lake District. The national symbol of England is the red rose. Wales is the smallest land of the UK, but has a considerable variety, from the picturesque mountains of the north to the mining and industrial areas of the south. The capital of Wales is Cardiff, an important industrial centre and port. Most people in Wales live in the coastal plains. The national symbol of Wales is a leek. Scotland is a land of mountains, narrow valleys and plains, famous lakes and no end of large and small islands off the coast. The Highlands of Scotland are among oldest mountains in the world. The highest of them is Ben Nevis. The lakes in Scotland are called «lochs». The beautiful Loch Lomond with its thirty islands is the largest. One-third of the people in Scotland live in or near its capital, Edinburgh, and its great industrial centre, Glasgow. The national symbol of Scotland is a thistle. Northern Ireland was a part of Ireland as a whole before the early 20-th century and developed in the middle ages as the Kingdom of Ulster, later the Province of Ulster. The territory is small. It is a land of lakes, rivers and a varied seacoast. Some places are known for their wild beauty, the Glen of Antrim among of them. The capital city is Belfast. The capital of Great Britain, London, stands on the Thames, which flows into the North Sea. The Thames is the busiest and the most important river in Great Britain, but it is not very long. The Severn, which flows into the Irish Sea, is the longest British river. The climate of Great Britain is mild. The Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of the Gulf Stream affect the weather of the British Isles. The summer is usually cool and rainy. There is much rain and fog in autumn and in winter. Great Britain is a very damp country.

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Great Britain (3)

The official name of the country the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is situated on British Isles off the northwest coast of Europe. The British Isles consist of two large islands: Great Britain and Ireland and about five thousand small islands. Their total area over 244.000 square kilometres. They are separated from continent by the English Channel and the Straits of Dover. The west coast of the country is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea; the east coast is washed by the North Sea.

The United Kingdom is made up of four countries: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast respectively. The population of the country is over 57 million people; about 80 per cent of them live in cities and towns.

Many centuries ago the islands were inhabited by Celts. Their tribes were developing into kingdoms when Julius Caesar invaded Britain in 55 B.C. The Roman invasion began in AD 43. The Romans withdrew in 407. The tribes of Angles and Saxons crossed the Channel and overran all England except Cornwall and Wales. Christianity was introduced in the 6th century by missionaries from Rome.

The surface of the British Isles varies very much. The north of Scotland is mountainous and is called the Highlands, while the south, which has beautiful valleys and plains, is called the Lowlands. The north and the west of England are mountainous, but all the rest — east, centre and south-east — is a vast plain. The mountains are not very high. Ben Nevis in Scotland is the highest mountain (1343 m).

There are a lot of rivers in Great Britain, but they are not very long. The Severn is the longest river, while the Thames is the deepest and the most important one.

The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of Gulf Stream influence the climate of the British Isles. It is mild the whole year round.

But the climate is not the same in all parts of England. The western part of England is warmer than the east and it also has more rain. There is much humidity in the air of England. It is well known as a foggy country. The United Kingdom is a monarchy. The Queen is the official head of state. In practice the country is ruled by an elected parliament. The British Parliament has two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. There are three main political parties: the Labour, the Conservative and the Liberal. In 2001 a general election was held. The Labour party achieved a majority in the House of Commons, and the leader of the party Tony Blair was appointed Prime Minister by the Queen.

The United Kingdom is a highly developed industrial country. It is known as one of the world's largest producers and exporters of machinery, electronics, textile, aircraft and navigation equipment.

Oxford

No one knows Oxford's age. The city was first mentioned in 912. The city is famous for the university. Oxford University is over 800 years old. Today it consists of 35 independent colleges and 5 halls. It also has central libraries and laboratories.

There are some museums and art galleries in Oxford, too. For example, the Ashmolean Museum which is the oldest museum in Britain. It has a good collection of antiques, European paintings, sculptures and silver. In the Christ Picture Gallery you can see works of Italian painters from the 14-th to the 18-th century.

The Museum of the History of Science is the home to many scientific instruments of the 16-th century, collections of ancient chemical machines, watches and clocks and medical instruments.

Oxford is a very beautiful town with narrow streets, small shops and markets. Every year it attracts tourists from all over the world. They visit the famous university and get to know about students’ life in Oxford. I would love to go there one day to feel the atmosphere of this old educational centre of England.