Topic 7. Healthy Lifestyles.

1. Sport has played an important part in our lives for many centuries. For some it seems as necessary and natural as eating and sleeping, for others it’s just entertainment on television. Today it is easy to forget that sport is supposed to be for enjoyment, for the good feeling that is produced when the body has done some physical work. Many people nowadays work in offices where they have to sit at desks for six or eight hours a day. For this reason we feel the need for exercise at the end of the day and turn to sport.

2. There has probably never been such an emphasis on the importance of fitness and exercise as there is today. The message is clear: keep fit, stay healthy. Various activities can help one keep fit: from running marathons to climbing mountains. Usually people keep fit by dancing, going to the gym and jogging. Fitness comes not from some exercises done here and there but from the way you live. Taking exercise can be time-consuming but the feeling of being fit and healthy makes up for the few minutes a day it takes.

3. For an average non-sporting person without much time to spare, activities like these are not very practical and, to be frank, they are a waste of time. It is much better to devote no more than half an hour every day to doing exercises. The important thing is to stick to a routine so that you don’t say to yourself, “I won’t bother today!” or “I’ll do it later!”

4. If you haven’t got the willpower to establish a routine like this, a sport like tennis might suit you better. Your partner will help you remember to play regularly and you’ll be able to get your exercise outdoors, too. Many like to play tennis as it needs mobility, liveliness and much energy. It gives a real joy taking parts in competitions or simply playing with friends on tennis courts.

5. Many people do sports on their personal initiative. They practise skiing, skating, table tennis, swimming, volleyball, football, body-building, etc. All necessary facilities are provided for them: stadiums, sport grounds, swimming pools, skating rinks, skiing stations, football fields.

6. To sum up, sport at an amateur level should be for enjoyment and fitness, and should provide an outlet for surplus energy.

Topic 8. Great Britain in the Spotlight.

1. The United Kingdom forms the greater part of the British Isles, which lie off the coast of north-west Europe. The official full name of the country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Great Britain comprises England, Wales and Scotland. London is the capital and the largest city.

2. The country’s complicated geology produces a great variety of landscape. Northern Scotland is a wild, windswept region, broken by long arms of the sea that reach far inland. Much of Northern Ireland has low mountains, forest parks and rolling fields. Wales is famous for its green valleys. Most of England is covered by plains, laid out in a patchwork of fields and meadows. The British Isles are surrounded by breathtaking coastline, which is a shifting scene of steep cliffs, golden beaches and fishing towns.

3. The English Channel separates the British Isles from France. This narrow stretch of water has helped shape the character and history of the British. It protected the country from invasion, and has given the people a feeling of security. Since 1066, no enemy has crossed the channel and invaded the country. Such separation of Britain has had a great impact on the British nation. They came to respect privacy and to value old traditions. They developed wit, love for personal freedom, and a high degree of self-criticism. No wonder the British are so different in their behaviour from other Europeans living on the continent, despite all the changes caused by modern technology and transport facilities. In 1994 a major breakthrough occurred when the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France began to operate.

4. The history of Great Britain is the story of how a small island country became the world’s most powerful nation – and then declined. In the 1700’s, the British began the Industrial Revolution and made the UK the world’s richest manufacturing country. They ruled the seas, and were the world’s greatest traders. At its peak, the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the earth's surface. The first half of the 20th century saw the UK's strength seriously weakened in two World Wars. The second half witnessed the breaking up of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous European nation.

5. Great Britain is one of the few developed countries of the world where a constitutional monarchy has survived. The constitution exists in no one document but is a centuries-old accumulation of statutes, judicial decisions and tradition. The hereditary monarch acts on the advice of the Prime Minister and is almost entirely limited to exercising ceremonial functions.

6. Today Britain retains an important place among the most advanced countries of the world. It enjoys a long established democratic system of government which has provided political stability. The United Kingdom is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and of the Commonwealth. It participates fully in all Commonwealth activities and values it as a means of increasing international understanding and contributing to more balanced global economic development.

Topic 9. The Food We Eat.

British Cuisine

1. Many visitors to Britain do not have a clear idea about British food. Many visitors do not know what British cuisine is. There are responses to some comments made by international students after being asked the question, "What do you think about British food?" –”It's greasy”.

2. You may think that British people eat greasy food (like fish and chips) every day. You may be offered a cooked breakfast every day if you stay in a hotel. Britain is a dairy country, however - so milk, butter, cheese and cream are used more than in some countries. Many British people eat toasts with butter and jam, or marmalade. Others prefer a bowl of cereal; for example, cornflakes or muesli with milk. Breakfast may contain food such as sausages, bacon, kippers, black pudding, scrambled or poached eggs or baked beans. A Sunday roast is a traditional meal eaten by a family at Sunday lunchtime; for example, roast beef with roast potatoes, stewed parsnips or boiled peas, Yorkshire pudding and gravy. Mint sauce or redcurrant jelly is often served with lamb, apple sauce with grilled pork, and horseradish sauce with beef, cranberry sauce with turkey. Stuffing may be eaten with poultry. After the main dish it is common to eat a dessert also known as afters. People may drink tea, and often eat biscuits, cakes, or a scone with rhubarb jam or savouries such as sandwiches and crumpets. British people enjoy eating sweets and crisps or chocolate bars and nuts between meals. – "It's boring”.

3. There is actually a very wide variety of food. It is increasingly popular for British people to get a takeaway or go to a restaurant instead of cooking at home. People use a chance to try different types of fresh vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, leeks, celery, lettuce and exotic fruit, juicy herbs, different condiments. There are Chinese spicy dishes, Indian curry, Italian pizza or pasta, Turkish kebabs, Japanese sushi and so on. Ingredients are available from many parts of the world.

4. Eating out in pubs is also very popular among people. It’s a place to drink good beer, play darts or dominos and chat in informal surroundings. But the realization that drinking alcohol and driving a car didn't mix left many in crisis. Luckily landlords soon realized that things must be changed and the modern pub emerged, selling good "real" ale (Guinness) – low alcohol beer and good traditional food. Some pubs brew their own beer and have names. – "It's dangerous".

5. British farmers have had some problems in recent years due to the spread of BSE (mad cow disease) within cattle in the 1990s, and then foot-and-mouth disease within sheep in 2001. These diseases caused many animals to be killed, and led to the introduction of new and tight controls. Since the BSE crises of the 1990s increasing numbers of the British population have adopted vegetarianism. As of 2003 it was estimated that there were between 3 and 4 mln vegetarians in the UK, and around 7 mln people claim to eat no red meat.

6. Obesity and diabetes are on the rise in this country. Fast-food and junk food consumption have increased in the UK over the past three decades. These menus tend to include foods high in fat, sugar and calories and low in fiber and nutrients.

7. Nowadays much research is done on Genetically Modified foods. It is aimed at increasing the size of strawberries, lemons, gooseberries and raspberries or grapes and producing foods which will help to fight diseases. Many people in the UK object to the idea of GM foods. They believe that GM products are dangerous as they are insufficiently tested. It is very possible that in the very near future the whole way of eating will change.