Give me a piece of advice on how to convince my parents of the necessity of a mobile phone for a teenager
I think mobile phones are necessary for every teenager. They help parents contact their children at any time. Many phones have the internet, so students can find necessary information for their lessons. They also have a calculator, a calendar, GPS and so on.
5) It is impossible to imagine our modern world without the internet. What do you use the internet for?
Sometimes, I use the internet for education. The Internet helps to get up-to-date information from many online sources. On the other hand, there are many forms of entertainment online. For example, I can watch online series, listen to music or chat with my friends.
18. Let’s talk about a healthy way of life.
1. Let’s talk about healthy way of life. What can you do to become a healthier person?
The rules of healthy way of life are simple: you should get enough sleep, eat healthy food, get a little exercise every day, and have positive emotions. A lot of people all over the world are fond of sports and games. Sport helps them to keep fit and healthy. Personally I go in for volleyball (football, tennis). Volleyball (football, tennis) and my daily exercise help me to keep fit.
2. Do you agree that bad habits, like smoking, can be dangerous? Why (not)?
No doubt, bad habits, like smoking, can be dangerous. Smoking is a very unhealthy habit. It increases the risk of cancer, bronchitis, heart diseases. Vitamin C is destroyed by smoking. That’s why active smokers usually look older than non-smokers. Smoking not only affects active smokers but the so-called passive smokers as well.
3. What questions will you ask a person who keeps to a slimming diet?
Is it easy to keep to a diet?
Does your family support you?
Have you made any progress?
4. What can you advise a person who cannot give up a bad habit?
Of course, it is not easy to give up a bad habit. You should understand that you are responsible for your life and health. I think that the best thing is to stay away from people who smoke, drink or take drugs. You can also find an occupation that you enjoy, it can help you forget about bad habits.
5. What health problems does fast food lead to? What should you do to avoid them?
In fact, fast food is very unhealthy. It has additives which make it tastier, but which are dangerous for our health. People, who often eat fast food, become overweight. In order to lose weight they should do regular exercise and eat healthy food. A well-balanced diet includes different products: grains, fruit, vegetables, dairy products, meat and fish.
19. Let’s talk about sport.
1) Let’s talk about sport. What is your favourite kind of sport?
A lot of people all over the world are fond of sports and games. Sport helps them to keep fit and healthy. Many sports are popular in Belarus. They are: football, basketball, volleyball, weightlifting, tennis, track-and-field, boxing, wrestling, fencing, figure skating and others.
I’ma great sports fan. I’m simply crazy about figure skating and gymnastics. I think these are the most beautiful kinds of sports. I look forward to all the competitions in figure skating and gymnastics, and I usually watch them from beginning to end. And I’m very proud when Belarusian athletes show high results.
2) What do you do to keep fit?
Personally I go in for volleyball (football, tennis). I also try to eat more fruit and vegetables, drink more water, and have positive emotions. I also avoid bad habits like smoking, drinking alcohol, taking drugs or overeating.
3) What questions will you ask a professional sportsman?
4) Are there any sports clubs at the lyceum? Which of them will you advise your friend to join?
There are several sports clubs at our lyceum. They are very popular. We all enjoy going on boat trips and on hikes, and our tourist club is our favourite place in the lyceum. We talk about our trips and sing tourist songs there.
5) Some pupils try to skip PE lessons thinking they are of less importance than other school subjects. What do you think about it?
I think that PE lessons are as important as other school subjects. They help us to keep fit.
In addition, team sports develop our social skills and teach us to cooperate with others.
20. Let’s talk about fashion.
- Let’s talk about fashion. What clothes do you prefer to wear in different situations?
I think that in different places we need to wear different clothes. At school we have a dress code and our clothes should be businesslike. So I usually wear trousers, a shirt and a pullover (trousers or a skirt and a jacket or a blouse). If I go out with my friends, I can wear something casual and comfortable, for example jeans and a sweater. But if I go to the theatre or to some formal event, I try to look elegant, so I put on a suit, a shirt and a tie (a beautiful dress).I believe that one of the most important things is to look neat and clean and always have clothes that fit you.
- Do you prefer fashionable clothes to comfortable ones? Why (not)?
Frankly speaking, I prefer comfortable clothes.( Of course, I try to follow the latest trends in fashion but some fashionable clothes can be unsuitable for everyday wear. For example, it can be quite difficult to walk up the hill to our lyceum in some fashionable high-heeled shoes or boots.) I think when you are comfortable you have confidence, and when you feel confident you look more attractive.
3. What questions would you ask a fashion designer?
- What can you advise a person who wants to change something about his/her style but doesn’t know how to do it?
I believe that one of the most important things is to look neat and clean and always have clothes that fit you. One should also remember about proportion in clothes. The general rule of fashion proportion is that a big top needs a small bottom part and a small top needs a big bottom part.Wearing only one colour is boring and wearing all the colours of the rainbow at once is too much. You ought to find a balance. And last but not least, you should remember that accessories are as important as your clothes and your footwear.
5.A famous person once said: “Fashions come and go, style is forever.” What do you think about it?
I agree that fashions come and go. In certain periods of time mini- or maxi- skirts were all the vogue; women wore high-heeled shoes, the so-called ‘shpilki’, then platform shoes became fashionable, then ‘shpilki’ again. Banana jeans, ripped jeans, well, it’s simply impossible to enumerate everything that was in fashion at one time or another. Some youth groups such as punks, goths, emos, hip-hop fans and others dressed in their own way. Yet, whatever the fashion, it’s important to remember some style tips that are universal.
21. Let’s talk about travelling and tourism.
1. Let’s talk about travelling and tourism. What role does it play in your life?
Like many people I’m fond of travelling. Travelling fills me with new emotions. When you travel to other countries you can see, feel and touch other ways of living. It is so interesting to meet different people, to enjoy beautiful places and to discover new things. Also many people travel just to have a good time.
2. What means of travel do you prefer and why?
Personally I prefer travelling by train. It is quite cheap and normally the trains leave and arrive on time. I usually buy some fresh newspapers or magazines to spend good time during the journey.
I also like travelling by car. It's interesting, because you can see many things in a short time. Sometimes we go to the seaside for a few days. So I can say that I enjoy all kinds of travelling very much.
3. What questions will you ask a tour guide on a tour to London?
4. What foreign countries have you visited and which of them would recommend your friend to visit?
I have visited some foreign countries and I liked them all. Though I haven’t been to England I would advise my friend to go there. I’ve read and seen so much about this country that it has become a country of my dream. I advise my friend to visit the most famous sites in this country, such as Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, Stonehenge and many others.
5. Today people prefer to spend holidays in the countryside in Belarus. What can attract people to it?
Belarus is a country with rich natural resources, such as forests, rivers and lakes, birds and animals. So, tourists can enjoy the beauty of our national parks, for example Belavezhskaya and Nalibokskaya Pushchas. Agritourism is also popular in Belarus. Some farm hosts arrange such activities as hunting, fishing, walk or bicycle tours, swimming and boating.
22. Let’s talk about environment.
1) Let’s talk about environment. People say that our planet is in danger. Do you share this opinion?
No doubt the protection of nature is a matter of paramount importance. Ecological problems are so acute nowadays that mankind may soon face the problem: to be or not to be. On the one hand, our life has become much more comfortable due to the progress of science and technology, but on the other hand, our environment is being more and more polluted with every passing day. There are different types of pollution: air pollution, water pollution, nuclear pollution, even noise pollution. Factories, plants and cars pollute the air in big cities. Rivers that used to be so beautiful and full of fish are poisoned by industrial waste. It is not always pleasant to bathe in the sea because the water is not blue but brown with rubbish floating in it. Besides, millions of tons of oil are released into the seas every year and a lot of seabirds and animals die because of it. It is dangerous for human beings too.
2) What do you think people should do to protect the environment?
There are many things that every person can do to protect nature. We must review our wasteful, careless ways, we must consume less and recycle more. We must plant more trees and we mustn’t break them. We must not do any harm to our lesser brothers – animals. Cars are major polluters, so it is much better for us and for other people if we walk or bike. We should not smoke as smoking is harmful to us and those around us. To reduce noise pollution we must not make our CD players sound too loud. Well, there are many more things we can do to protect nature. We should always remember that the Earth is our home and we must take care of it for ourselves and for the next generations.
3) What questions would you ask a Greenpeace member?
4) A friend of yours wants to develop a program to protect the city where he lives. Give him a piece of advice.
I think that this program should include removing some factories and plants from the city, improving purifying systems, using environmentally friendly sources of energy such as wind or solar energy.
5) Your school is going to take part in the contest ‘Green School of the Year’. Give ideas for some green events.
One of the items of the contest can be helping to find a shelter for stray animals. Another item can be connected with recycling. Some green events can be connected with planting trees and some other practical things. As they say: Don’t fight for cleanliness, just take a broom and sweep the streets.
23. et’s talk about weather and climate
1) Let’s talk about weather and climate. What is your favourite season and what is the weather like during this season?
Frankly speaking, I prefer summer to any other season. In June the trees and flowers are in full blossom. The fields and meadows are very beautiful, the grass is green. It is warm and even hot. If the heat gets too oppressive people enjoy bathing in the river or in the lake. It is very pleasant to lie on the sandy beach and sunbathe.
It may seem strange but I like winter. I enjoy skating and skiing. We can have a lot of fun making snowmen with our friends. But on the other hand, I don’t like slushy mild winters because, firstly, I don’t know what to wear and, secondly, my boots always get dirty in such weather.
2) Are you weather dependent?
I guess I’m too young to be weather dependent. But my Granny is weather dependent and she usually suffers from headaches when there are so-called magnetic storms.
3) What questions will you ask your British friend about the weather in his country?
4) Your friend wants to know what climate change is caused by. Can you explain it to him?
Climate change is the most dramatic environmental problem. The earth is already warmer than it was 100 years ago. Global warming is happening because we are putting too much carbon dioxide into the air. When there is a lot of carbon dioxide it traps more heat, so the earth is getting hotter. As a result we have hotter and drier summers, warmer and wetter winters, more storms and rainfall, extreme weather conditions and raising sea-levels.
5) They say there’s no bad weather, there are bad clothes. What do you think about it?
Englishmen say 'There is no bad weather, there are bad clothes'. It means that they like all the seasons, all kinds of weather. I agree with them as I also enjoy all the seasons of the year.
24. Let’s talk about Belarus.
1) Let’s talk about Belarus. What can you tell me about our Motherland?
The Republic of Belarus is situated in the centre of Europe. The capital is the city of Minsk. Belarus borders Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia and Ukraine. Its population is about 10 million. Belarus is made up of 6 regions with the major cities of Brest, Grodno, Gomel, Mogilev and Vitebsk.
There are two versions of the origin of the name of Belarus. According to one of them the white clothes of the ancient people, their fair hair and the whiteness of their skin gave the name to our republic. The other version says that the old Rus lands were not conquered by the Tatars and were described as “ white” or free.
The black pages of Belarusian history tell us about terrifying wars which took place on its territory. For example, World War II wiped out one third of the country’s population.
The natural world of our republic is a mixture of forests, swamps and grasslands. There are also numerous lakes and rivers. That’s why Belarus is often called the blue-eyed country.
1) Do you know any symbols of our country?
Our state symbols are the National Flag, and the National Emblem. The National Flag has two stripes: the red one and the green one. The green stripe is a symbol of our green forests. Besides, the other symbols of our republic are a bison, a white stork and a cornflower.
2) What questions about Belarus do you expect to hear from a British teenager?
3) What Belarusian sights would you advise a foreigner to visit?
There are many places of interest in our republic. A lot of them are connected with the Great Patriotic War. One of the most impressive is the memorial in Khatyn, a village burnt together with all its inhabitants by the fascists. There are many historical places in the town of Polotsk, some of them are connected with Francisk Skaryna, and with Efrosinia Polotskaya.
The popular tourist destinations are Mir and Nesvizh Castles. They are unique monuments of Belarusian architecture.
4) Name 5 things connected with our country that you are proud of?
Belarus has a number of national parks. Our swamps are called ” the lungs of Europe” and our forests have some of the oldest trees in Europe.
There are four World Heritage Sights in our country. They are the Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Mir and Nesvizh Castles and the Struve Arc.
We are also proud of our famous Belarusians. (Add information about some of them)
25. Let’s talk about Great Britain.
1) Let’s talk about Great Britain. What do you know about this country?
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland consists of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is situated on the British Isles.
The capital of Great Britain is London. The population of the country is about 60 million. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and one of the most beautiful cities in Great Britain. `Cardiff is the capital of Wales, and `Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland.
Birmingham is the second largest city in Great Britain. Manchester and Leeds are the centres of the British `textile industry. Glasgow and Liverpool are big seaports. The most famous educational centres in Great Britain are Oxford and Cambridge. They are considered to be the intellectual centres of Europe.
The United Kingdom is a parliamentary `monarchy, and the Queen is the head of the state. But in practice it is ruled by the government with a Prime minister at the head.
2) What part of Great Britain would you like to visit? Why?
I would like to visit the lakes of Great Britain. There are a lot of lakes in Scotland and in England. The most famous is Loch Ness. It is famous for its monster, though nobody knows if it really exists. The Lake District in the north-west of England is known for its beauty. There are 16 lakes there. It’s a very good place for holiday-makers and I would like to have a holiday there too.
3)_What would you like to ask a British teenager about Britain?