Give your child the happiness trait

МЕТОДИЧНА РОЗРОБКА

ДЛЯ СТУДЕНТІВ НЕМОВНИХ СПЕЦІАЛЬНОСТЕЙ

Курсу

Слов'янськ – 2012

GREAT BRITAIN

The United Kingdom.

Geographic Location

The official name of the country we usually call «England» and occasionally «Great Britain» is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom is situated on the group of islands lying just off the mainland of north­-western Europe. The British Isles include Great Britain, Ireland and a number of smaller islands. The total area of the British Isles is 325 000 square km.

Many ages ago the British Isles formed a part of the continent. The rocky highlands of Scotland, for example, resemble the Norwegian coast. Another evidence that the .islands were the part of the continent is the shallow ness of the water between them and the mainland.

Now Great Britain is separated from the continent by the English Channel, the narrowest part of which is called the Strait of Dover. The British Isles are surrounded by the shallow waters of the Irish Sea and the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea, the North Channel and the Atlantic Ocean.

There are wild desolate mountains in the northern Highlands of Scotland. The Pennine Range in northern England and the Cambrian Mountains in Wales are much lower.

The rivers of the region are short and of no great importance as waterways. The longest of them is «the Father of London», the Thames, which is a little over 200 miles. Britain's principal ports are London, Liverpool, Manchester and Glasgow. They have splendid harbours, for the coast line is very indented. Owing to the shape of the country, any point in Great Britain is no more than 70 miles from the sea.

Questions:

1.What is the official name of the country we call Great Britain?

2.Is United Kingdom situated on the mainland?

3.What are the evidences that the Islands were part of the continent?

4.What is the Strait of Dover?

5.What are the British Isles surrounded by?

6.Are there any rivers in that region?

7.What are main ports of Britain?

Vocabulary:

official – официальный

situated – расположен

mainland – материк

islands – остров

coast – берег

separated – отделенный

to surround – окружать

desolate – заброшенный

waterways – морские (водные) пути

England

England is the largest and the richest country of Great Britain. The capital of England is London but there are other large industrial cities, such as Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and other famous and interesting cities such as York, Chester, Oxford and Cambridge.

Stonehenge is one of the most famous prehistoric places in the world. This ancient circle of stones stands in Southwest England. It measures 80 metres across and made with massive blocks of stone up to four metres high. Why it was built is a mystery.

Not far from Stonehenge stands Salisbury Cathedral. It is asplendid example of an English Gothic Cathedral; inside there is one of four copies of Magna Charta and the oldest clock in England.

Chester is very important town in the north-west of England. In the past it used to be a Roman fort; its name comes from the Latin word castra, meaning «fortified camp». In Chester there is a famous museum which contains over 5000 ancient and modern toys.

Oxford is the home of the oldest university of England. The most famous college is Christ Church. It has a great hall which was built during the reign of Henry VIII and its chapel has become the Cathedral of Oxford.

Cambridge is the home of Britain's second oldest university.

York was the capital of Northern England. It is one of the best preserved medieval cities of Europe. It was built by Romans, conquered by Anglo-Saxons and ruled by the Vikings.

Birmingham is often called the «City of 1 500 trades» because of the great variety of its industries.

Questions:

1.What are large industrial cities of England?

2.What is one of the most famous prehistoric place in the world?

3. Where are the oldest clock in England and a copy of Magna Charta now?

4.What is Chester interesting for?

5.What are two oldest universities in England?

6.What was the capital of Northern England?

7.Why is Birmingham called the «City of 1500 trades»?

Vocabulary:

famous – знаменитый

to measure(s) – измерять

cathedral – собор

fort – форт

camp – лагерь

college – колледж

medieval – средневековый

conquered – завоеванный

Scotland

Scotland is a country in the north of Great Britain. It is a part of the United Kingdom. Scotland is divided into three natural regions: the Southern Uplands, the Central Lowlands and the Highlands and islands. A lot of places in Scotland are a natural paradise, still untouched by man.

The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh, well known for its castle. Glasgow is the industrial capital of Scotland. It is the third largest city in Great Britain. The typical products of Scotland are timber, whisky, salmon. Golf is the Scottish natural sport and it seems to have originated in this country.

Scotland is also the land of myths and mysteries; every castle has its ghost. Glamis Castle is said to have nine of them. And of course everyone knows about the Loch Ness Monster. «Nessie» is said to be about six meters long, with a long, thin neck. The first report of the monster in Loch Ness was in 565 A.D. Since 1934 thousands of people claimed to they had seen the monster. Scientists have investigated the Loch and taken pictures but no scientific explanation of the mystery has been given.

Questions:

1.Where is Scotland situated?

2.How many regions are there in Scotland?

3.What is the capital of Scotland?

4.What is the industrial capital of Scotland?

5.What are typical products of Scotland?

6.What are Scottish castles famous for?

7.What is Loch Ness Monster?

Vocabulary:

paradise – рай

untouched – нетронутый

castle – замок

whisky – виски

myth(s) – миф

ghost – призрак, привидение

to claim – утверждать

mystery – тайна

Wales

Wales is the country in the west of Great Britain. It is mainly a mountainous land with a chiefly agricultural economy and an industrial and coal-mining area in the south. The landscape is beautiful. Many English people move to Wales when they retire.

Cardiff, a large city in the south, was chosen as the capital of Wales in 1955, mainly because of its size. Since 1536, Wales has been governed by England and the heir to the throne of England has the title of Prince of Wales, but Welsh people have strong sense of identity. There is a Welsh National party which wants independence from the United Kingdom and the Welsh language is still used in certain parts of the country.

Welsh is an ancient Celtic language, similar to Breton, spoken in Brittany, France. In the 60's Welsh was given equal status with English as an official language and is used in the law courts. It is taught in school and some TV programs are broadcast in Welsh. However, only about 20% of the population speaks Welsh.

Questions:

1. Where is Wales situated?

2.What is the capital of Wales?

3.Has it always been governed by England?

4.What language is used in the country?

5.How many people speak Welsh?

Vocabulary:

chiefly – главным образом

coal-mining – добыча угля

sense – чувство

independence – независимость

certain – определенный

Celtic – кельтский

equal – равный

broadcast – трансляция

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland, also known as Ulster, is still a part of the United Kingdom. It is made up of six countries: Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry, Tyrone. One third of the population lives in and around the capital, Belfast. Belfast is also the most important port and commercial and industrial centre. Some parts of the territory, those that are not close to the capital, have remained mainly rural.

The Irish population is divided into two groups: the Protestants and the Catholics. The Protestants are of British origin. They are descendants of British settlers who came to Ireland in the XVI^th and XVII^th centuries, during and after the Reformation. The Catholics are mostly natives of Ireland.

The Protestants were the majority and dominated the Catholics with strong discrimination. In 1968 the Catholics began the movement for equal civil rights.

The fightings between the two groups of the population continue to this day.

Northern Ireland has a strong cultural tradition: songs, dances, literature and festivals.

It has its own Art Council, and there are orchestras, theatres, ballet and opera companies.

Questions:

1.How many countries are there in Northern Ireland?

2.What is the capital of Northern Ireland?

3.Into what parts is the Irish population divided?

4.Who are the Catholics?

5.Who are the Protestants?

6.Has the Catholics-Protestants problem been solved?

7. Does Northern Ireland have strong cultural tradi­tions?

Vocabulary:

population – население

origin – происхождение

descendants – потомок

settler(s) – поселенец, переселенец

discrimination – дискриминация

civil rights – гражданские права

Population

The British Isles are the home of four nations – English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish. Even though foreigners often call all British people «English», and sometimes have difficulty in appreciating the distinctions, the component nations of the United Kingdom are well aware of their own individual characteristics. The Scots, Welsh and Irish regard themselves as largely Celtic peoples, while the English are mainly Anglo-Saxon in origin.

British society as a whole does not have a uniform cultural identity. In 1993 the population of the United Kingdom was about 58 million inhabitants. This figure gives a population density of 600 persons per square mile (284 per square km). England has an average density of 980 persons per square mile (364 per square km). This average does not reveal the even higher densities in some areas of the country, such as south-east parts. Within Europe only the Netherlands has a higher population that England.

Questions:

1.How many nations live in the Great Britain? What are they?

2.What nations regard themselves as Celtic people?

3.What nation is Anglo-Saxon?

4.What was the population in 1988?

5.What Europe country has a higher population than England?

Vocabulary:

distinction(s) – различие

regard – уважение

society – общество

inhabitant(s) – жители

density – плотность населения

to reveal – обнаруживать

London

London is the capital of Great Britain. The full name of the country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. London is an ancient city. It grew up around the first point where the Roman invaders found the Thames narrow enough to build a bridge. They found a small Celtic settlement then known as Londinium and by A. D. 300 they had turned it into a sizeable port and an important trading centre.

Over 8 million people live in London. The city dominates British life. It is the home of the nation's commerce and finance, the main centre of its legal system and the press. It has the largest university and the greatest possibilities for entertainment and for sport in the country. London is one of the most famous capital cities of the world, and every year it attracts crowds of visitors from home and abroad. They come to explore its historic buildings, to see its museums and galleries, its streets and parks, and its people.

London is a city of great contrasts. Its western part is the richest part of the town with its cosy mansions, beautiful avenues, shops, restaurants and hotels. The East End is the district inhabited by the poor. Quite an army of people live from hand to mouth in its slums and miserable houses lining dreary narrow streets. Industry is chiefly found in that part of the city, grey with soot and smoke.

The heart of London is the City – its commercial and business centre. Here is situated the Tower of London that comes first among the historic buildings of the city. St. Paul's Cathedral, the greatest of English churches, is situated not far from the Tower. Not far away, in Westminster, where most of the Government buildings are situated, is Westminster Abbey. Many English sovereigns, outstanding statesmen, painters and poets are buried here. Walking around London one can also see and admire Westminster Palace, Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, the British Museum and many other places in the city.

Questions:

1.What is London?

2.When was London founded?

3.Who turned London into a sizeable port and an important trading centre?

4.Why is London one of the most famous capital cities of the world?

5.Is London a city of great contrasts?

6.What part of London is the richest one? Why?

7.What district is inhabited by the poor?

8.Where industry is chiefly found?

9.What is the heart of London?

10.Where is the Tower of London situated?

11.Where are outstanding statesmen, sovereigns, painters and poets buried?

Vocabulary:

Celtic settlement – кельтское поселение

by A. D. 300 – к 300 г. н. э.

to turn the settlement into a sizeable port and an important trading centre – превратить поселение в большой порт и важный торговый центр

it is the home of the nations commerce and finance – он является торговым и финансовым центром страны

entertainment – развлечение, отдых

from abroad – из-за границы

cosy mansions – уютные дворцы

beautiful avenues – прекрасные проспекты

the district inhabited by the poor – район, заселенный бедными

quite an army of people – большое количество людей

chiefly – главным образом

to come first among – стоять на первом месте

Forming a Government.

The Cabinet

The party which wins the most seats in the General Election forms the government in Britain. The leader of the winning party becomes Prime Minister. As leaders of their political parties and leaders of the country, Prime Ministers are powerful because they have the majority support in Parliament and they can choose their own ministers and government. The PM, chooses a committee of ministers called the Cabinet. This is made up of a selection of senior MPs from the House of Commons and some members of the House of Lords. Each member of the Cabinet is a minister responsible for a government department: for example, the Secretary of State for Education and Science is responsible for all the schools, universities and teachers in Britain. The Cabinet of ministers runs the country. The Cabinet meets at the Prime Minister's house – 10 Downing Street. The cabinet works as a team and all ministers must accept the decisions of the "group". The team of ministers must always agree in public because they are collectively responsible for the decisions they make. If a minister cannot agree with all the others, he usually resigns from the cabinet. Cabinet meetings are held in private and the details must remain secret for at least 30 years. Margaret Thatcher tried to change this style of the Cabinet and was forced to resign when the other ministers could not agree with her. Cabinet ministers cannot, however, do as they please! They are responsible to Parliament and must answer questions from backbenchers from the House of Commons. Even the Prime Minister must answer questions every Tuesday and Thursday in the Commons – this is called Prime Minister's Question Time. Everyone wants to know what has been decided behind the closed doors of the Cabinet Room.

Questions:

1.Which party forms the government?

2.Who becomes Prime -Minister?

3.Why are Prime Ministers powerful?

4.Where does the Cabinet meet?

5.What did Margaret Thatcher try to do?

6.Why was Margaret Thatcher forced to resign?

7.Whose questions must Cabinet ministers answer?

8.What does everyone want to know?

Vocabulary:

support – поддержка

senior – старший (по возрасту или по положению)

to be responsible for – отвечать за

to run – управлять

to resign – уйти в отставку

backbencher – рядовой член парламента

Parliament.

The Palace of Westminster

Britain is administered from the Palace of Westminster in London. This is also known as the Houses of Parliament. Parliament is made up of two, chambers – the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The members of the House of Lords are not elected: they qualify to sit in the House because they are bishops of the Church of England, aristocrats who have inherited their seats from their fathers, people with titles. There has been talk of reform in this century because many Britons think that this system is undemocratic. The House of Commons, by contrast, has 651 seats which are occupied by Members of Parliament (MPs) who are elected by the British public. The United Kingdom is divided into constituencies, each of which has an elected MP in the House of Commons.

Each of the major political parties appoints a representative (candidate) to compete for each seat. Smaller parties may have a candidate in only a few constituencies. There maybe five or more parties, fighting for one seat, but only one person – the candidate who gets the greatest number of votes – can win. Some parties win a lot of seats and some win very few, or none at all.

The Queen, who is the Head of State, opens and closes Parliament. All new laws are debated (discussed) by MPs in the Commons, then debated in the Lords, and finally signed by the Queen. All three are part of Parliament in Britain.

Questions:

1. What is Parliament made up of?

2.Are the members of the House of Lords elected?

3.What do Britons think about this system?

4.Who appoints a representative to compete for each seat?

5.Who can win the seat?

6.Who is the Head of State?

Vocabulary:

to be made up of – состоять из

elected – избираемый

inherited – унаследованный

seat – место

constituency – избирательный округ

candidate – кандидат

vote – голосование, право голоса

Supplementary reading

WHAT TO DO ABOUT HOMEWORK

(From "The Harvard Education Letter")

Homework at the elementary school level is fast becoming a 'damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation. Certainly, giving students more work to take home is one visible way for teachers to respond to public demands for higher standards. Many parents, students and administrators expect homework to be as­signed regularly, at least by the third grade.

But teachers receive complaints if they give too little and com­plaints if they give too much or the assignment is too difficult. Similarly, parents worry when children say they don't have any homework, but may resent homework when it takes precedence over other activities or family needs. Harris Cooper of the Uni­versity of Missouri concludes that homework does not begin to have positive effects on achievement until the junior high school years, and that its academic benefits double when students reach high school.

Boosting achievement, of course, is not the only reason for assigning homework. Other good reasons include developing chil­dren's initiative and responsibility and helping them see that learning can happen outside of school. Cooper recommends that home­work be tailored to serve different purposes at different grades. Since the effects on achievement are negligible for younger students, the goal should be to foster positive attitudes, habits and char­acter traits. Thus assignment should be short, make use of mate­rials commonly found in the home, and give children success experiences.

At the junior high level, when homework begins to serve as academic function, students appear to benefit from working for one or two hours a night on material that is not too complex or unfamiliar. But the role of homework in developing motivation should not be overlooked. He recommends that teachers combine man­datory and voluntary assignments, giving students interesting projects or tasks to complete.

Such recommendations may prove difficult to carry out. In a recent study, Joyce Epstein of the John Hopkins Centre for Re­search in Elementary and Middle Schools found a complex rela­tionship among students' attitudes about homework and school, parents' level of education, and parent-child interaction in the family.

Children who behaved badly in the classroom and failed to complete their homework tended to be ones who did not like talking about school with their parents and felt tense when working with a parent. Furthermore, their parents were less educated and their homes less likely to be stocked with books, dictionaries, globes or other materials that might be useful to them in completing assignments. Yet children whose parents have low education levels and low incomes may derive important benefits from homework. Jean Chaudler Catherine Show, and a team of researchers from Harvard University concluded that homework gave these parents a window on their children's school-work and sometimes led them to talk to the teachers. These con­tacts sometimes improved the children's chances for success at school.

Questions about how much and what kind of homework to give in the elementary and middle grades cannot be resolved by teachers alone. The need is great now for parents, children, teachers and principals to discuss the homework policies in their schools. The first step is to clarify, the purposes of homework at each grade level, paying particular attention to whether assignments are having the desired effects on students effort and motivation, as well as on communication between home and school.

Assignments:

1. Find in the text the English for:

откликаться на, давать домашнее задание, получать жалобы, возмущаться (негодовать), первоочередность, положительно влиять на, увеличивать вдвое (удваивать), приспосабливать что-л. к чему-л., незначительный, воспитывать, черта характера, полу­чать пользу от (извлекать выгоду из), (не)знакомый, обязательный, выполнять что-л., иметь тенденцию, напряженный, выяснить (про­яснить) что-л.

2. Form the derivatives from:

regular, to resent, to initiate, to recommend, common, familiar, to combine, to relate, tense, to use, to clarify, to communicate, grade, to assign, to achieve, response, research, high, to motivate.

3. Replace the underlined words or word combinations with the cor­responding synonyms:

1) Giving students more work to take home is a way for teachers to react to public demands for higher achievements.

2) Many parents may resent homework when it dominates other activities.

3) Students' academic achievements increase twice when students reach secondary school.

4) Home assignments must be adapted to serve different aims at different grades.

5) Teachers must combine compulsory and voluntary assignments, giving students interesting projects or tasks to carry out.

6) Many students feel ill at ease when doing homework with a parent.

7) Many investigators came to the conclusion that homework gave parents a window on their children's schoolwork.

8) Home assignments should have the desired effects on students' effort and motivation, as well as on interaction between home and school.

9) Children who behaved badly in the classroom and did not manage to complete their homework tended to be ones who did not like talking about school with their parents.

10) Children whose parents have low education may profit from homework.

4. Fill in the blanks with prepositions if necessary:

1) Many educators say that homework does not begin to have positive effects ... achievement until the junior high school years.

2) Boosting achievement is not the only reason ... assigning home­work.

3) Homework serves ... different purposes ... different grades.

4) Some assignment should be short, make use ... materials com­monly found ... the home.

5) ... the junior high level students appear to benefit ... work­ing ... one or two hours ... a night ... the material that is not too complex or unfamiliar ... them.

6) The role ... homework ... developing motivation should not be overlooked.

7) Many homes are not stocked ... books, dictionaries, globes or other material that might be useful ... children ... completing as­signments.

8) The contacts ... parents and teachers help to improve the chil­dren's chances ... success ... school.

5.Ask all types of questions about the text. Be ready to answer them. (Work in pairs.)

6.Speak on the aims of homework at different grade levels.

7.Share your own ideas about the importance of homework at school.

GIVE YOUR CHILD THE HAPPINESS TRAIT

(by Caroline Jabs)

"This is the happiest day of my life," my six-year-old son says as he unwraps the new video game I've given him. He's at least as happy as last week when he said the same thing for another reason. In the last 48 hours, my son has also been miserable be­cause I refused to let him snack before dinner, made him sleep in his own bed and insisted that he clean his room before play­ing outside.

Happiness is both a "state" and a "trait", according to Ed­ward Diener, a psychologist at the University of Illinois at Cham­paign. The state of happiness is a need that comes and goes. I can induce it in my two-year-old daughter simply by making a silly face.

The trait of happiness is more stable. Diener describes it as a "predisposition" to feelings of well-being. I see it in my daugh­ter when she gets out of bed with a smile, eager to take on the day. Even when life isn't so pleasant, she can sustain her opti­mism and hopefulness.

This is a skill that can be learned, preferably by coping with small difficulties in childhood. "You can have a very happy childhood and be an unhappy adult," says Dennis Prager, author of the forthcoming book "Happiness Is a Serious Problem." "In fact, a childhood without any pain or frustration is almost a recipe for an unhappy adulthood."

A recipe for a happy disposition through life is harder to come by, but researchers have identified key ingredients. By focusing on these, parents are more likely to raise children with the trait of happiness built into their character.

Give your child choices. Happiness can be linked to a sense of directing and controlling one's life.

This conclusion weakens the myth that childhood is or should be one of life's happiest times. Children are excluded from deci­sions about everything from the dinner menu to whether there will be other kinds in the household. The resulting sense of powerlessness may make childhood much less happy than adults think. Parents can watch for ways in which their children can partici­pate. That can mean letting a two-year-old eat cucumbers instead of carrots at dinner, or allowing a six-year-old to decide which of several approved television shows he'll watch. Even at this level, children learn to make choices that affect their happiness.

Foster warm relationships. Although parents can't run a child's social life, they can nurture it by making their own relationship with each child warm and satisfactory. "If children are going to experience good relationships with other people," says Carol Ryff, associate professor of psychology at the University of Wiscon­sin, "they first need positive relationships with their parents."

Parents can also make sure their children get together regu­larly with other kids, perhaps by joining a play group or taking their child to the playground when others that age are likely to be there. It further helps if the home is a place where friends feel welcome.

Finally, parents can help their children develop empathy for other people. They can talk about what other people might be experiencing in the family, the stories they read, the TV shows they watch.

Resist the urge to spoil. Common sense suggests – and re­search confirms – that people with adequate incomes are hap­pier than those without. The key word is adequate. What is im­portant is having enough to provide for basic needs and feeling content with what you have. "Giving children too much creates the illusion that acquisition is a source of happiness," says family-psychologist John Rosemont. He discovered that his own children became much more resourceful – and happy – when he drasti­cally reduced the number of their toys. Says Rosemont, "Kids who are not materialistic are capable of being quite content with less because they are more creative about playing the cards dealt them." That doesn't mean children should never be indulged with presents. They simply should never feel that their happiness de­pends on a constant barrage of material things.

Encourage broad interest. "Happy individuals live a balanced life," says Michael Fordyce, author of "Psychology of Happi­ness," "so they have many sources of happiness. When happiness depends on one thing, you're on shaky ground." One child, for instance, may have his whole evening ruined because his favou­rite television show was reemptied. Another child with more inter­est might instead enjoy reading a book or playing a game. Although parents can't know what will win a child's attention, they can offer a variety of activities. This may mean limiting the time allowed to watch television and play video games, which can choke down other interests.

Cultivating diverse interests is especially important for chil­dren who are unusually good at one thing, often these kids get so much attention for their talent that they pursue it to the ex­clusion of other things.

Teach resilience. "Happy people have their downs like ev­eryone else," says Fordyce. "But they rebound quickly." Parents can help children learn this all-important skill by pointing out the silver lining in most clouds.

Promote a happy home. One of the best ways to help a child find enduring happiness is for the parents to look for it in their own lives. "The finest thing you can do for your children is to become a happy fulfilled person," Fordyce explains. "The person who comes from a happy home has a ten to 20 percent greater chance of being a happy adult."

The connection may be partly genetic – there is evidence that the predisposition to happiness is inherited – but happiness also comes from the environment created by happy parents. Parents should practice in their own lives the values that produce hap­piness. Moreover, they should be sure to tell their children why they're happy.

Assignments:

1. Read the text and in a few sentences say what it is about.

2. Read it again and pay special attention to the advice different authors give so that our children should be happy.

3. Say whether you agree with the following statements:

1) Happiness is both a "state" and a "trait."

2) The trait of happiness is a skill that can be learnt.

3) Childhood should be one of life's happiest times.

4) Parents can nurture a child's social life by making their own relationship with each child warm and satisfying.

5) What is important is having enough to provide for basic needs and feeling content with what you have.

6) Giving children too much creates the illusion that acquisition is a source of happiness.

7) Happy individuals live a balanced life.

8) Cultivating diverse interests is especially important for chil­dren who are unusually good at one thing.

9) Happy people have their downs like everyone else.

10) The person who comes from a happy home has a much greater
chance of being a happy adult.

4. What in your opinion is the most important thing for parents to do to make their child happy?

5. Speak of your own attitude to the problem of people's happiness. What does a person need to be happy? Can you give an example of an ideal happy family? A happy person? An unhappy person?

6. If you were a magician, what would you do to make all the peo­ple happy?

Les Kurbas

Les Kurbas (1887–1942), one of the founders of modern Ukrainian theatre, was born into a family of actors in the village of Stary Skalat, in Ternopil region. In 1907, he finished the Ternopil classical gymnasium where instruction was carried out in the Ukrainian lan­guage and went on to study philosophy at Vienna and Lviv Universities. He began his career as an actor with the amateur theatre, then joined the travelling troupe which belonged to the Theatrical Society "Ruska Besida".

In 1915, he organized the Ternopil Theatrical Even­ings which became the first stationary theatre in the Western Ukraine. A year later he accepted the invita­tion of Mykola Sadovsky, a prominent Ukrainian actor and stage director; and went to Kyiv where he joined the Ukrainian stationary theatre.

As a stage director of the Ukrainian Drama Theatre named after Taras Shevchenko in Kharkiv (1920) and leader of the Actors Association "Berezil" (1922), People's Artist of the Ukrainian SSR, Les Kurbas car­ried out many successful theatrical productions based on plays by Ukrainian, Russian and foreign playwrights. He worked in the movies, too.

In 1922, in Kyiv, Les Kurbas founded the "Berezil" Arts' Association. There the stage director confirmed his creative quest; he used to find new works for staging, in particular, those by Mykola Kulish and Ivan Mykytenko, and new forms of expressing them. He brought up a brilliant galaxy of actors and stage di­rectors: Amvrosiy Buchma, Natalia Uzhviy, Marian Krushetnytsky, and others.

It is on the fundamentals of Kurbas theatrical aesthetics that modern Ukrainian theatre rests today.

Les Kurbas fell a victim of Stalin's repressions. He was exiled to Solovki islands where he died.

According to the decision of UNESCO a centinary of Les Kurbas birth, a great figure in Ukrainian thea­tre, was marked in 1987. The memorial museum of Les Kurbas was opened in his birthplace, the village Stary Skalal. The exhibits of the museum testify to how much attention he paid to the theatrical art in Ukraine. The cause to which Kurbas dedicated his life has many worthy followers.

Lina Kostenko

Lina Kostenko, a world-wide known Ukrainian poet­ess, was born on March 19, 1930, in Rzhyshchiv, Kyiv region, into the family of school teachers.

Her life story is not exactly happy. The rebellious spirit of a poetess explains her almost fifteen-year si­lence during the period of our social stagnation. It was a sad episode in the history of Ukrainian literature. Within this time there grew up an entire generation of people who did not know Lina Kostenko’s poetry.

Then followed Lina Kostenko's comeback when she had already become worldwide known poetess. She published her book of verse "On the Banks of the Eternal River". This book is extraordinarily penetrating in its force of feeling and concentration of thought. It is sincere in everything – feelings, thoughts and words. Such works are important for literature because they restore the creative impulse and moral wholesomeness in fiction.

This collection was followed by a historic novel in verse, "Marusya Churai", which can be called an ency­clopedia of Ukraine's cultural life in the 17th, century. Then appeared the books of verse "Inimitableness" (1980) and "The Garden of Unmelting Sculptures" (1987). Because of these books Lina Kostenko has be­come the most popular of the modern poets. Lina Kos­tenko has greatly contributed to the development of our modern Ukrainian literature.

Pavlo Zahrebelny

Pavlo Zahrebelny was born on the 25th of August 1924 in the village Soloshine in Poltava region. From his childhood he was brought up without mother. He always enjoyed reading and studied well at school. In the senior forms of school he was interested in math­ematics, dreamed to become a scientist. In June 1941, Zahrebelny finished school. He was going to continue his education but the Second World War began.

When he was seventeen he volunteered to the front. He took part in the defence of Kyiv in 1941. In Au­gust of 1941 he was wounded. After his treatment in the hospital, Zahrebelny studied in the military school and went to the front again. In 1942, he was seriously wounded and was taken prisoner and was for two and a half years in the concentration camp where the fu­ture writer starved, overcame tortures of fascists.

In 1946 Pavlo Zahrebelny came back to his Mother­land. At first he worked in his village and then began to study at the philological faculty in the University in Dnipropetrovsk.

Pavlo Zahrebelny began his literary activities in 1953. He wrote stories. His first collections of stories were "The flowers of the steppe" (1955) and "Teacher" (1957).

Pavlo Zahrebelny began to work in the region news­paper in Dnipropetrovsk and then in the magazine "Na­tive Land" in Kyiv, after that he edited the newspaper "Literary Ukraine".

His first big prosaic work is the narrative "Marevo (Glow)". The author wrote about the rich and contra­dictory history of Iran, the nature and people of this country.

Among other works it is necessary to say about his novels "Europe-45" and "Europe-West". In these two books the writer showed the events of the ending of the World War II in Europe, the struggle of the patri­ots at the fronts, in the rear and in the camps of death. The events, described in the novels took place in Germany, Holland, France, Italy. The destiny of the main hero of the novel "Europe" Mikhailo Skiba has many autobiographical features, belonging to the author.

The military-patriotic novel "Kind devil" (1967) is closely connected with the novels "Europe-45" and "Europe-West".

The cycle of novels devoted to Kyiv Rus stands separately in the activities of Pavlo Zahrebelny. The first novel of this cycle is "Dyvo (Wonder)"; it is the most difficult novel of the author, speaking about its composition. Zahrebelny is sure that people live due to the history of their country, close connection of the past and present. The second novel of this cycle is "Pervomist" (1972) and the third one is "Death in Kyiv" (1973).

Among other novels it is necessary to distinguish "Roksolana" (1979) and "I am Bohdan" (1984). The novel "Roksolana" consists of two books ("Ascension", "Passions") and "The author's afterword" ("Consolation with the story").

The daughter of the priest from Rogatin Roksolana, being fifteen years old, was taken prisoner by the Ta­tar horde. She was sold into the slavery, she found herself in the harem of the Turkish sultan Suleiman. In a year being a simple slave she became his wife and about forty years she shook boundless Osman Empire and the whole Europe. Such is a plot of the novel. But Zahrebelny as a famous writer showed the fate of one person and the whole people. The writer showed the triumph and the tragedy of Roksolana.

In the novel "I am Bohdan" Zahrebelny exposes the peculiarities of the historical doer, commander and dip­lomat Bohdan Khmelnitsky.

Zahrebelny – psychologist penetrates deeply into the inner life of the leader of the people.

The novel of Pavlo Zahrebelny "Rozhin (Accelera­tion)" (1976) got the State prize.

Zahrebelny has written more than twenty novels. Every new book by Pavlo Zahrebelny is a constructive experiment of the person of the encyclopedic know­ledge and discoverer.