Topic 9

In my opinion either a large family or a small family has its advantages as well as

disadvantages. First of all I'd like to speak about small families.

I think that the main disadvantage of a small family is that children in such families are

often spoilt, as they get everything they want from their parents all the time. Secondly, such

children are often shy or not very sociable, because they aren't used to being with other

people. But on the other hand, in a small family you get lots of attention and time from your

parents, whereas in large families parents are more distant. Moreover, in a small family you

don't have to share everything with other children. What is more, the quality of life in small

families is better then in big ones.

As for big families, they also have some advantages. Firstly, a big family teaches the older

children how to look after the younger ones and that's a good thing. Secondly, if you have a

problem, you have a lot of siblings who can give you a hand. What is more, in such

families you always have someone to talk with, so you're never alone. However, in a big

family you spend less time with your parents, because they must take care of all their

children. Moreover, there is hardly any privacy in a large family, because you may have to

share bedrooms with your siblings. What is more, it's more expensive to look after a big

family, so money can be a problem.

As for me, I'm the only child in the family. And I'm fully satisfied with my life, as I have a

room to my myself, I get everything I need and I can entirely rely on my parents. But

sometimes I really feel that I need some company, so I think that I'd like to have an elder

brother or a sister to ask for some personal advice or to spend time with. Personally, I

wouldn't like to have more than 2 children, because in my opinion having a large family is

too enormous responsibility, which requires a lot of time and money as well as energy

Topic 10

Almost every nation has a reputation of some kind. For example, the

English are considered to be reserved and quite conservative in their

political and social views. They are also very practical and realistic. They

are famous for their football traditions as well as for their "English type" of

humor. And of course, the English are the world's greatest tea drinkers.

On the contrary, Scottish people are outgoing and talkative. They really like

chatting, especially country people. They have the reputation of being tight

with money, but actually they are quite generous and always welcome

visitors with open arms. Scotland is famous for its country dancing and a

lot of tourists come to see it, but there are also a lot of clubs and discos.

And speaking about Scottish national costume, the kilt, Scottish people

wear it only for special occasions.

The Welsh have the reputation for being unfriendly. Actually, they are

quite friendly, but they are very proud of the Welsh language and want to

speak it everywhere. The Welsh are also famous for their great tradition of

poets, poetry and music.

There is also good music in Ireland. First of all, Ireland is famous for its

traditional dancing. Moreover, a lot of music festivals are held there. Of

course these festivals aren't as crowded as in England, there are fewer

people, but everyone gets to know each other quicker. Also, Irish people

aren't as self-conscious about singing as the English. The Irish have the

reputation for being extremely hot-tempered and quite hospitable.

Speaking about Belarusian national traits, we are considered to be extremely

tolerant and hospitable, kind and soft. Moreover, Belarusians are very hardworking.

But on the other hand, we are quite reserved and not very

optimistic. And of course, our people are famous for being potatoes eaters.