4. Press

Every day millions of newspapers and magazines are published all over the world. Now it's difficult to say how many different newspapers and magazines are issued in our country. The list of their titles may seem endless. There are different national and local papers, dailies and weeklies, broadsheets and tabloids. They satisfy different interests and tastes.

People subscribe to various papers and magazines, but they have one common aim. People want to know what is going on in the world, in the country, city, town or village, what people are anxious about. That's why newspapers and magazines inform the readers of the current events and home and international affairs. They inform the readers of all important developments, give full attention to the most important national and international affairs, carry commentaries on the most interesting events. There are also articles on sports, art, music, new books. There are interviews with well-known people and celebrities. Everything printed corresponds to people's interests.

As our press is democratic, following the principle of freedom of speech, it makes readers acquainted with different opinions on various problems.

As for me, I don’t subscribe any newspapers or magazines. I usually use the Internet to be abreast of the news. Sometimes I can buy a newspaper or a magazine, which has a TV-program.

So, there are different sources of information nowadays: newspapers, magazines, the Internet, and people choose one of them that they like most of all.

5. Art in our life

Art plays an important role in our life. In the variety of its forms — cinema, television, theatre, music, literature — it develops our artistic taste and helps to appreciate beauty, to solve the eternal problem of good and evil. It enriches our life emotionally and spiritually.

Hundreds of years ago theatre was the only attraction and enjoyed universal popularity. But with the invention, of cinema, radio and TV theatre has lost its prominent position. Now it is television that attracts millions. Theatre has become the entertainment for the elite. To get tickets to the best theatres where famous actors star is almost impossible.

Some people enjoy occasional visits to the theatre. They look forward to seeing an opera, a ballet, a comedy, a puppet or a mime show, a music or a variety show.

The most famous theatres in Minsk are the Opera and Ballet Theatre, the Music Comedy Theatre, the Gorky Russian Drama Theatre; the Yanka Kupala State Academic Theatre, the Puppe't' Show Theatre. You can also go to the Circus or to the Philharmonic.

As for me, I really enjoy going to the cinema. It’s one of my favourite pastimes. When I want to go to the cinema, I usually see in the program what films are on. Then I phone my friends and we discuss what films to see. We prefer feature films but also enjoy cartoons and popular science films. To see a good love story or a detective film is a very pleasant way of spending free time. I particularly enjoy films where you become so involved in the story that you forget where you are.