What does “social English” mean?

“Social English” means learning about expected ways of behavior, knowing what sort of English to use in different situations, formal and informal.

Books. Reading.

The world of books is enormous. Speak about your reading preferences. (Olympiad. Form 8-9)

I’m fond of reading. In my opinion, books are a source of emotional inspiration and romantic feelings. Reading is very useful, because books enrich our experience with that of other people. Besides, books help me to continue my education.

I’m sure that a reader lives a richer life than a non-reader. The time spent on a good book is never wasted. Reading is a rewarding pastime. Books tell us about the beauty of nature, space travel and faraway countries, adventures of brave and clever people, other worlds and planets. They teach us to be attentive to people, to respect our parents, to help them about the house, to understand life, to be friendly, hard-working, hospitable, kind, brave clever, optimistic… They teach us not to boast, not to be afraid of difficulties and a lot of other useful things.

In my childhood I enjoyed reading fairy-tales and admired their imaginary characters who fight for the good against the evil, for justice and love. Now I enjoy books of different genres: love and detective stories, thrillers and historical novels, works by classical and modern writers.

1.Speak about the role of books in our life

Books play an important part in people’s life. Reading is a huge source of information. Some people read for learning, some for relaxation and fun. The world of books is full of wonders. Together with the characters of the books you go by ship in the stormy sea, climb high mountains, fly into space and have a lot of adventures. A lot of people enjoy the beauty and wisdom of fairy-tales and fables and their imaginary heroes who fight for justice and love. Books teach us to be kind and clever, brave and honest, hardworking and helpful. They teach us to understand the beauty of nature, to take care of it, to love our homeland

2.Give advice to your friend what type of book to choose.

Books can be of different genres: love and detective stories, thrillers and historical novels. While reading historical novels and adventure stories you can learn a lot about some important historical events in the past, about famous political figures and people’s life in old times. But books give us an insight not only into the past but also into the future. Dreams about future are widely shown in science-fiction books. Personally I enjoy books of different genres, but fantasy is my favorite one.

3.Who is your favorite writer?

My favorite writer is… He is a famous modern writer. I like the language of his books, his ability to create different images and to find the right words to describe his characters. The plot of his books is always exciting because there are lots of adventures. The author manages to hold the reader’s attention from start to finish. His language is both impressive and colorful. His stories are usually fascinating, entertaining and well-written. The book I like best is…

The role of reading.

Books make up a significant and necessary part of people’s life. They are our best friends. The world of books is full of wonders. Reading books you can find yourself in different lands, countries, at seas and oceans. Together with the characters of the books you go by ship in the stormy sea, climb high mountains, fly into space and have a lot of adventures. You can’t but enjoy the beauty and wisdom of fairy-tales and fables and their imaginary heroes who fight for the good against the evil, for justice and love. They teach us to be clever, brave and honest, to be hardworking and helpful. Books help us to be true friends, they teach us to understand the beauty of nature, to take care of it, to love our homeland. So it's hard to overestimate the role of books in our life.

I can’t but mention their great educational significance. They surely help us to enrich our knowledge in different subjects. Reading historical novels and adventure stories I learn about some important historical events in the past, about famous political figures and people’s life in old times. But books give us an insight not only into the past but also into the future. Dreams and fantasies about future are vividly depicted in science-fiction books. Of course I enjoy reading them. When I come across some unknown words I usually consult an encyclopedia, because, as you know, in gives all sorts of useful information on every branch of knowledge.

Besides, there are books that bring up people, make them more humane, elevate their mind and soul. These books are a source of spiritual and emotional power. Reading them I find answers to different problems I face in my life. They are my dearest teachers and advisers.

And finally, there are books which hold up people’s spirits in the tragic moments of their lives, make them forget the troublesome realities of life, help them to cheer up and amuse themselves.

Some people nowadays think that with the rise of television and computer we don’t need books any more. But I don’t agree with them. I’m strongly convinced that a book is one of the greatest wonders in the world. It gives us a unique chance to link up with authors who lived hundreds and thousands of years ago. Thanks to books we can talk to people who lived in different ages and countries. Through reading books we can hear their voices, thoughts and feelings. A book is a faithful and undemanding friend; it can be put aside and taken up again at any moment.

So you can’t but agree that life without books would be boring and joyless.

 

Princess Diana

Of all important people of the twentieth century, without doubt, the one who had the most positive influence was Diana, Princess of Wales.

She was an extraordinary woman, who led a very active life. Being a caring and loving mother she also devoted much of her life to organizing charity events which not only raised money to help the poor but also made the public more aware of the problems the less fortunate face every day. Helping AIDS sufferers, disabled children, patients in hospitals she showed that no matter who or what the person is, we should be kind, considerate and helpful towards everyone. She is definitely a person not to be forgotten

Peace on our Planet

Unfortunately the history of mankind is not only a history of inventions and discoveries but also a history of wars and military conflicts. They say that the nuclear weapons that different countries have are enough to destroy all life on Earth ten times over.The progress in science and technology makes people invent even more destructive types of weapons. My strong belief is that this vicious circle has to be broken and all the nations of the world should do their best to stop and ban all wars. But there are those who say that powerful weapons guarantee peace and stability in the world as they cool off aggressive countries and groups of people and make them think twice before starting a military conflict. I don’t think this argument is wise enough because it may happen so that all the weapons go out of control and it will definitely lead to the tragedy for the whole mankind. I think that peoples and governments of goodwill should do their best to keep international peace and security. They should hold international meetings, conferences, negotiations on problems of war and peace. They should take steps to settle local conflicts and restore peace in troubled areas. They should pledge not to use force in international relations, fight against terrorism and save future generations from horrors of war. Because one of the civil rights people have is the right to life.

There are a lot of people who devoted their lives to the struggle for peace. Some of them have been recognized throughout the world and have received the Nobel Prize for Peace. Mother Teresa is one of them. She started her own

order “The Missionaries of Charity”, whose primary aim was to provide effective help to the poor and to take care of victims of natural catastrophes such as floods, epidemics and famine and of refugees. Kofi Annan was first elected Secretary General of the UNO. He gave priority to strengthening the Organization’s work in the areas of international peace and security. He advocated human rights and the universal values of equality, tolerance and human dignity.

Jimmy Carter was the thirty-ninth president of the United States. He founded the Carter Centre. The aim of the Centre was to resolve conflicts, promote democracy, protect human rights and prevent disease and other problems

Another urgent problem we face nowadays is terrorism. Some countries have lived with terrorism for a long time. There are certain organizations in Spain or America who have used bombings and assassinations of officials and politicians. But today we face a new type of terrorist threat that is determined to kill thousands of ordinary people. London, Madrid, New York, Moscow have become deadly targets of terrorism. The terrorist attacks are becoming more and more destructive and cause a great worry. Of course they can’t be ignored either.

But I think that not only well-known politicians but also common people can help to keep peace. They can organize and participate in peace rallies, propagate peace by all possible means, meet and make friends with people of different countries and cultures to share and develop the ideas of peace. Parents should teach their children tolerance and respect for human life, explain to them how to solve their problems peacefully.

The people of the world should unite their efforts and solve such long-lasting problems as terrorism, drug trafficking, organized crime, nationalism and ethnic tensions and provide a happy peaceful life on our planet

Holidays.

In my opinion, going sightseeing is the best way to spend a holiday. Every city or country has something special such as archeological sights or famous landmarks. It’s wonderful to see those places for yourself, not just in books or on TV. If I had a chance to go sightseeing somewhere I would definitely take a good camera and plenty of film. Also I would buy guidebooks in order to learn some facts about the places I saw. I would like to go on a safari holiday to see the animals in their natural environment

Jobs

Job satisfaction is more important than money as you spend so much of your life at work. I feel you can get a lot of pleasure when you are doing a job you particularly enjoy. But on the other hand, people can very easily become uninterested in their careers if they feel they are not paid well for what they do, because if they work conscientiously they should feel appreciated. And a good salary is the best way to motivate them to work more productively.

People tend to think that some jobs can be done by women or men only. I personally think that jobs should be open to both sexes. Women may have the same qualifications and experience as men. But unfortunately, employers are often skeptical about having women in more responsible posts. Maybe they think that women can leave to have babies

Holidays

If I were celebrating a special occasion, I would chose to go to a restaurant rather than have a party at home. In restaurants you can expect to enjoy varied and high quality food and drink. You don’t need to spend the whole day cooking and washing up.

Home.

If a fire broke out in my home, the first thing I would do would be to call the fire brigade and then I would try to locate the fire by throwing a dry blanket over it. Then I would try to leave the flat. I wouldn’t waste time getting dressed or putting on my slippers. If there was no fire escape I would open the window and shout “Help”

There are many steps you could take to prevent a fire from starting in your house. Firstly, if you smoke you should ensure that all cigarettes are extinguished properly. You should never smoke in bed as you could fall asleep with a lit cigarette in your hand and this could be fatal. I think that electrical appliances should be unplugged at night. Gas fires should always be properly turned off.

Clothes

I feel more comfortable in loose fitting clothes such as jeans and a cotton shirt. I’m happier in clothes that I know suit me rather than in latest fashions. And as I am an active person, I prefer to wear trainers

Shopping

The main factor which influences me when I go shopping for clothes is the price. I don’t see the point in paying large sums of money on a designer item of clothing when you can buy something for half the price that looks just as good. I also pay attention to the color of the garment I want to buy and try to match it with clothes I already own.

Young and Old

Young people are much more carefree as they have fewer responsibilities than older people. Older people tend to prefer peace and quietness whereas young people usually seek adventure and excitement. They go out and socialize a lot more than older people. The latter tend to be a lot wiser and careful when making decisions. Finally, young people tend to be more mobile than older people who have usually settled in one place

But very often the young and old have a lot in common. It depends on their personality

Computers

Computers have made a big difference to how children spend their leisure time. Before computers they might have read books or played imaginary games with their friends like cowboys and Indians. Now, they’d prefer to play computer games which they find more exciting

I think computers are great. They have made people’s lives easier and revolutionized the workplace. Any kind of information is more accessible and at the touch of a button you can find something out that before might have taken hours

Money

Sometimes I do the national lottery but usually just for fun. I never win anything. If I won a lot of money I would definitely go on an exotic holiday, but after that I’d put some money in the bank and let it gain interest, so that I would always have money if I needed it. Also I’d donate some money to charity so that other people could benefit from my good luck.