Topic 1 my visiting card
My name is Boris Ivanov. I am Belarusian. I was born on the 6th of April 1987 in the village of Bakino, Slutsk district, Minsk region. Three years ago our family moved to Minsk where I live now together with my parents. My father’s name is Igor Petrovich. He is 45 years old. He works at a big plant as an engineer. My mother’s name is Olga Petrovna. She is 43. She is a doctor and she works at a hospital. My mother always has a lot of work to do about the house and at the hospital. She is a busy woman and we all help her. We are four in the family. I have a younger sister. Her name is Lusy. She has blue eyes and lovely fair hair. She is a very good-looking girl. Lusy is fifteen. She is a schoolgirl. She does well at school. Our family is very united.
In May I finished school No 45 in Minsk. I always did well at school and studied with great interest. Now I am a first-year student of the Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics. I study full time. I try to be a good student and I do well in all subjects. But my favorite subject is mathematics. I spend much time on it. I like reading. I like detective stories.
I have many friends. We spend much time together, go for a walk, talk about music, discuss our problems.
I like to listen to modern music, but sometimes I like to listen to some classical music. I haven’t much time to watch TV but sometimes I spend an hour or two watching an interesting film or a news programme. I like fresh air and exercise, but I have not much time to go in for sports.
Topic 2 belarus
Belarus is situated in the center of Europe. The territory of Belarus is 207,600 square kilometers, its population is less than 10 ml. people. Belarus borders on Russia in the east, Poland in the west, the Ukraine in the south, Lithuania in the northwest and Latvia in the north.
The climate of Belarus is temperate continental. The country has 10,000 lakes. The major cities of Belarus are its capital Minsk and its region centers Gomel, Mogilev, Vitebsk, Brest and Grodno.
The density of population is 49 people per square kilometer. Two thirds (68%) are urban dwellers.
After the Soviet Union was disintegrated in 1991, Belarus became a sovereign state, a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States. According to the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus adopted in 1996 it is an indivisible democratic law-governed state. The government of Belarus is of the presidential type. The President acts as head of the state.
Belarus is both agricultural and industrial country. Agriculture now accounts only for about 25 per cent of total net material product. Industry now accounts for about 50 per cent of total net material product. Belarus produces motor vehicles, chemicals, lumber products, machinery, and consumer goods, such as televisions and bicycles. Also important is the manufacture of linen, woolen, and cotton fabrics.
Belarus generates only about 12 per cent of its own energy needs. It is heavily dependent on oil and gas supplies from Russia. Fuel is our largest import expenditure. Russia, which supplies most of the country’s fuel imports, is the most important trading partner.
Belarus exports transport equipment (mainly tractors), machinery, chemicals, and foodstuffs. Imports include fuel, natural gas, industrial raw materials, textiles, and sugar.
Belarus is a country with a high educational level. Education is free and compulsory for children between the ages of 6 and 15. Higher education institutions include universities, the largest of which is the Belarusian State University.
Belarus is a republic of ancient culture and traditions. The citizens of Belarus are proud of their land. Belarus actively develops its cultural, humanitarian, social and economic relations with other countries.