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4.18. A) Think of a Russian equivalent to the English “bank holiday”.

b) Scan the text for the names of British holidays. Do we celebrate

similar holidays?

c) Read the text and translate it into Russian.

peaking about British traditions, we should distinguish bank or public holidays, annual festivals, celebrations andpageant ceremonies.

The term «bank» holiday dates back to the 19th century when the Bank Holiday Acts of 1871 and 1875 declared certain days to be bank holidays, that is days on which banks were to be closed. Today, their observance is no longer limited to banks only. Post offices, most factories, and shops are closed too. There are eight bank holidays in Britain. They are: New Year's Day, Good Friday (= Friday before Easter), Easter Monday, May Bank Holiday, Spring Bank Holiday, August (or Summer) Bank Holiday, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day. All public holidays, except New Year's Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day are movable, that is they do not fall on the same day each year.

Most of bank holidays are of religious meaning. But for the greater part of the population they have long lost their religious significance and are simply days, on which people relax, eat, drink, and make merry.

ACQUIRING COMMUNICATION SKILLS

4.19. Read the info on some world demographic indices. Compare them with those of the Russian Federation. Present your research to the class.

BIRTHS AND DEATHS Birth rates 1955-2025 Death rates 1955-2025

Birth rates are affected by such factors as per thousand population

nutrition, the availability of contraception and, to black line - Developing world

a certain extent, culture. Death rates tend to fall

grey line -Developed world

with improved healthcare and nutrition. There is a significant difference in the birth and death rates between the developed and the developing worlds. The graphs below show that birth and death rates for developing countries took set to continue rising into the 21st century. In developed countries, the rise in birth rate should slow down, and the death rate could remain static.

LIFE EXPECTANCY

P

eople in developed countries have a longer life expectancyon average, with women living longer than men. In the developing world people have a shorter life expectancy. In the graph: 1- Sweden, 2 - Japan, 3 - USA, 4 - UK, 5 - Former USSR, 6– Bolivia, 7 – India, 8 - Burkina-Faso

URBAN AND RURAL POPULATIONS

In many parts of the world, people are packed into cities. Growing urban populations bring problems, including poor sanitation, poverty, and lack of healthcare. Growing cities also mean encroachment on land previously used for agriculture. While the trend is toward living in cities, there is still a significant proportion of the population living in the countryside, especially in the less-developed countries.

C 4.20. Compare the educational systems in Russia and the us. Haracteristics of the us Higher Education System

Colleges and Universities

The major difference between colleges and universities is that colleges are four-year institutions, and universities offer longer courses of study. The term "college" is generally used to describe either an independent four-year institution that offers only the bachelor's degree, or a division of a university that offers courses and awards degrees in a specialized course of study. The curriculum in colleges usually emphasizes arts and sciences or liberal arts, a combination of natural and social sciences and the humanities. Academic work at a college leads to a four-year bachelor of arts (B.A.) or bachelor of science (B.S.) degree. Some colleges also have graduate programs.

Universities are usually composed of several undergraduate colleges and offer graduate (Master of Arts or M.A., Master of Science or M.S.) and post-graduate degrees (Doctor of Philosophy or, Ph.D., Doctor of Education or, Ed.D).

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