Topics

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Talk about the recollectins of a middle-aged person of his childhood and family. Compare them with your grandparents' life in the country

opic 1

I've read an extract from the book of Margaret Powell "Below Stairs". In this extract author tells about her really difficult childhood, her family and their fighting against hardship.

Margaret Powell was born in a family of seven. Her first recollection was that other children were better off than her family was. But her parents cared much for the children. Author's father was a painter and decorator, sort of general odd-job man, and her mother used to go into domestic service. Sometimes her mother used to bring home little treasures, such as half a loaf of bread, but she hated accepting anything, she hated charity. Margaret Powell's family never had a house to themselves. When they were extra hard up, they only had one or two rooms in somebody else's house. And when her father was working, they could afford half a house.

Margaret Powell's childhood wasn't easy at all. And, unfortunately, a lot of middle-aged people used to face hardship in their lives. I think my grandmother is one of them.

In contradiction to Margaret Powell's story, my grandmother was born in a wealthy family of nine. They lived in West Belarus and there seemed to be no difficulties. But when my grandmother was just twelve years old her father and elder sisters were arrested as kulaks. And their mother and other children were sent into exile in Kazakhstan. My grandmother was forced to leave school and had never seen her father again. Fortunately my grandmother and her sisters managed to start over after their terrible experience.

Certainly, life is not an easy thing. And I think we should never give up. And we shouldn’t be afraid to start over even when everything goes wrong. Because "everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end."

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Talk about the qualities a woman needed to reach the top in a male dominated profession in the early 1950's (The text «My Great Aunt»)

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Nowadays it seems strange for a woman not to be able to mix a job and marriage. But just in the 1950's that was a reality. In those days women used to have to make a choice between their happy family life and their career. Moreover, it was really difficult to reach the top in a male dominated profession. Just few women were courageous enough just to try that. I want to tell you a story about one of those women, Mary Grieve, which I have recently read.

Mary was born in Scotland in the early 1900's in quite a wealthy family. It was typical to send girls to schools where they only learnt skills preparing them for marriage. But, luckily for Mary, her father didn't do that. Mary was obviously intelligent and when she left school she went to Oxford University. It should be said that there were just few women at University and it was assumed that women of Mary's class would spend a few years enjoying their freedom and then settle down and get married. But Mary wasn't a quiet and submissive woman, she was very determined and prepared to be different, she wanted to be a real success. So after University she got a job in journalism writing for a newspaper. Then Mary got a job with one of the women's magazines and after many years of hard work and struggling in a male dominated profession she eventually reached the top and became the first female editor of a magazine in Britain. On the other hand Mary never married as her work was very important for her and, as I've already said, it was impossible for a woman to mix a job and marriage. She did however love children and spent a great deal of time with her nieces and nephews. And even in her eighties she was still active and full of enthusiasm about life.

As for me, I would never make the same choice as Mary did. In my opinion, there is nothing more precious than a family and children, especially for a woman, even though my point of view can be old-fashioned nowadays. But it also should be said that times have changed and today there is no problem for a woman to mix her household duties and her job. So, as for me, I hope to become not only a good mother but also a qualified specialist. I know that's not easy, but I strongly believe that we mustn't miss the opportunities we are given. Nothing is impossible and Mary’s example has proved that.

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Describe Annie Light's personality (text "Mother"). Did she have any chance to live a different life? Was she a weak and submissive creature?

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Annie Light was born in Gloucester in the early 1880's. She was the only sister to a large family of boys and this lack of sisters was something she always regretted. She was a bright, dreamy child with a curious, hungry mind. She was the pride of the village schoolmaster and he did his utmost to protect and develop her. When Annie was about 13 years old her mother was taken ill, so the girl had to leave school for good and take charge of the whole family. She did the best she could and during her only small leisure hours the girl used to dream a lot. When Annie's brothers were old enough to look after themselves the girl went into domestic service as most girls of her kind did in those days. Later Annie's father retired and decided to go into the liquor business. And when Annie's mother died, the girl left service to help her father. She stuck by him faithfully and spent some odd years in the village, but one day she saw an advertisement in a local newspaper, which said that a widower with 4 children was seeking for a housekeeper. So Annie changed into her best and moved into the widower's tiny house. She was thirty and still quite beautiful, and she had never met someone like him before. He overwhelmed her and she fell in love. And she being sensitive and adoring attracted the widower too. So they got married, but in 3 or 4 years the widower left her with all the children. Maybe she was too honest and natural and for that man and, after all, she was just a hysterical, loving country girl. But she loved him and was always waiting for him to come back and even talked about him in awe for the rest of her life.

In my opinion Annie Light didn't have any chance to live a different life in those days. Her family wasn't wealthy and so her opportunities were strictly limited. Maybe if she had enough money she could enter University, because she was really intelligent and bright, but she hadn't even this chance. It also should be said that the girls of her kind could choose only the certain jobs in those days. It was a matter of course that a woman looked after her family and did the household chores or went into domestic service. Yes, Annie was submissive but all women had to be submissive in those days. Anyway I'm absolutely sure that Annie Light wasn't a weak woman, because in my opinion only a courageous and strong person can sacrifice his life for the family, and this woman did it. I think Annie Light is really worthy of respect.

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Talk about the attitude of a housewife to the hardships of her life («A life in the day of Diane Harpwood»)

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Recently I’ve read the text about an English housewife Diane Harpwood and her attitude about her household chores. She’s well-educated woman, she reads a lot and has quite good sense of humor. She has two children: the youngest is called Ben, he’s nearly 2 & the eldest, Jodi, is almost 5. Diane starts her day at 7 a.m. when her husband brings her a cup of tea and her children burst into her room yelling and shouting. Then she goes to the kitchen to have breakfast and during it she has to hurtle around the kitchen in response to the children’s persistent demands. She says, that at 8 a.m. she already feels exhausted. After breakfast Diane and her daughter Jodi go to a bus stop and wait for a school bus. After that Diane has to do washing-up and some housework. But she says that she just hate doing housework and she dreams about another life. So in my opinion she’s not very satisfied with her present life, but nevertheless Diane is quite optimistic. And, of course, she takes her duties of a mother and wife seriously. She’s a caring mother; she worries about the children’s nutrition and every day she finds time to play with her son. Moreover she likes to wash her children and reads to her daughter until she falls asleep. And I think she really loves her husband, as every day they share lunch and Diane makes him supper. And I’m absolutely sure that their family is united one. They take lots of walks, feed ducks and visit library together.

As for me, the housewife’s life isn’t very easy. It’s difficult to cope with so many different problems and responsibilities every day. But nothing is impossible and I think Diane’s example proves it. She does her best to see her family happy and united although she faces a lot of difficulties. She sacrifices her life, to some extent. And in my opinion Diane Harpwood is really worthy of respect.

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Talk about the problems and changes in the behaviour of a child as described in the article from a psyhology magazine («Dear Editors…»)

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I think brining up a child can be a real challenge. Sometimes parents just can’t get through to their children and then they just shout and punish their children in despair. But in my opinion it’s not a good idea to use such methods and better solutions can be found.

Recently I’ve read the article about the problem child Kathy and changes in her behaviour. When Kathy was nearly 3 years old she went to nursery school. She settled in the group easily and she was more independent than many other children. She was a lovely girl but she was a scratcher. If anyone upset her or stood in her way she would scratch him immediately. It’s obviously that her teacher wanted to stop it quickly. So she decided to use the method she had read about in a magazine. She decided to ignore Kathy’s misbehavior in the future and give the victims sweets. So the next day the teacher followed Kathy around and when she heard an injured child screaming she gave him a sweet. Kathy expected the teacher to give her a sweet too but when she got nothing she looked puzzled. Then Kathy came to the teacher and said that she had hurt her finger and demanded a sweet, but the teacher refused to give it. Kathy turned, scratched a child deliberately and walked away. But she had never scratched a child since.

I think that Kathy’s case may help another parents to deal with bullying. It’s really less exhausting to replace shouting and punishment by rewarding and giving more attention to injured children. I think such methods can be really effective and result in amazing behaviour modification.

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Family dinner as an important part of family life (in English speaking countries and Belarus)

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Undoubtedly, family dinner is one of most important parts of family life. Family dinner is something that unites a family; it's a place where children can even learn most of their values. But unfortunately nowadays this tradition is dying, because today people just haven't enough time for it. But I think that families really need to continue sharing dinner and there are a lot of ways, which can help us to revitalize this tradition.

First of all it's a good idea to make the family dinner everyone's responsibility. It means that children should help to prepare dinner or do the washing up after it. Another important thing is a friendly atmosphere. I think it's really important to treat your family like guest; parent shouldn't use dinner time as lecture time. Of course the family dinner is time, which should be used to unite a family, so we should avoid interruptions or distractions. In English speaking countries it's quite common to start dinner with saying grace, and it's a good tradition, because it makes everybody feel relaxed. I think one of the best ideas is telling stories during dinner. Such conversations can encourage children or other members of the family to share their problems or ideas with their relatives. And they can give each other a piece of advice. And I think it really makes family united. We can also invite a guest to dinner, because he can share some new ideas or tell new stories and jokes. And, moreover, children should learn to speak with different people, not only their parents.

It's a pity, that today we ignore such a wonderful tradition. Of course we sometimes still have the family dinner on holidays. For instance, my parents and me always have such dinners on special occasions. We rarely invite guests, because we think that such moments should be devoted only to our family. We don't have any special traditions, but our family dinners always leave only good impressions and we really feel united after them.

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Talk about the visitor's impressions of a quiet country inn

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Recently I've read a story about a man who decided to spend a night in a quiet country inn. He was driving to a conference in Dorchester when he saw an old inn. It was only a few miles from Dorchester and surroundings were so peaceful and picturesque that the man decided to spend a night there. The owner of the inn greeted him warmly. There weren't any visitors for a fortnight as it was nearly November, so the man was charged less than usual. The man stayed in the Prince Charles room. The room was very old, with low ceilings and a small window looking out on green hills. It was spotlessly clean but stuffy and very cold. Moreover, the window refused to open. Then the man didn't find any coat-hangers in the room, and what is more, there were no towels and the water in the basin was icy. He complained to the owner and she promised to do everything possible and then suggested him to spend a night in the lounge near the fire. Then the man had the cold meal and it was excellent. The next morning his room was still cold, the water still refused to run away and a single small towel was very damp. But the dining-room was gloriously warm and breakfast was very tasty. The man had a feeling that the world was created only the previous night and there was the first day of the existence. And he decided to find his way back to this quiet country inn one fine day despite all its disadvantages.

As for me, I have travelled a lot and I have stayed in many hotels. But last summer I stayed in a hotel, which really impressed me. My family and I went to Georgia in decided to spend a few days in Radisson hotel. It was very modern, clean and bright and there were swimming pools on the fourth floor. And our room was rather spacious and there were huge windows overlooking the sea. Unfortunately, the weather was awful; it was raining heavily during our stay there, so we felt really disappointed. But the staff of the hotel was so friendly and the atmosphere there was so warm that we felt like at home. And we didn't regret that we had chosen this hotel.

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Talk about the measures of precaution one must take to protect his house and property against burglary

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Many people believe their homes are safe and secure, unless it is broken into by a burglar. So we must take basic, sensible precautions to protect our houses.

First of all, it's necessary to buy security locks and fit them to all doors and windows, because when you buy a lock - you buy time. And this is the one thing a burglar can't afford. And don't rely on safe or secret plaices for keys or valuables, as they are often the first place a thief will look into. Really valuable items should be in the bank or in a security safe. It's also important to have an up-to-date list of your valuables and their descriptions, as it can help the police to find your valuables. When you move into a new house you should always change the locks, as you don't know who may have duplicate keys. And never let anyone that you don't know into your house. Don't advertise the fact that your house is empty and if you're going away for a long time don't live cash or valuables in the house.

Undoubtedly, these suggestions can really help us to protect our houses and belongings. And what is more some of them will even cost us nothing.

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Talk about the advantages and disadvantages of having a big or a small family

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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.

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Talk about nationality traits as seen by the English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish

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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 hard-working. But on the other hand, we are quite reserved and not very optimistic. And of course, our people are famous for being potatoes eaters.

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Talk about the problems that Marriage Guidance Council deals with

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I think almost every married couple sometimes faces problems and misunderstanding. In such cases it can be a good idea to speak about your difficulties with the third person. Marriage Guidance Council is an organization, which provides this opportunity. Recently I've listened to a story about Barbara and Malcolm who decided to turn to a counselor.

Barbara and Malcolm were married for 15 years and had 2 children. But during the couple of years they weren't very happy and were arguing all the time. So Barbara's sister advised them to visit a counselor. During the third visit Barbara told that her husband resented her job and expected her to do all the housework even though she came home half an hour before him. She was annoyed with the fact that she had to remind Malcolm to pick up his clothes. She also told that sometimes he invited his friends without telling her and he didn't think that she had a long and difficult day and wanted a rest.

As for Malcolm, he was ashamed of speaking about his problems, but Barbara persuaded him to go to the counselor. He told that he encouraged his wife to go back to work, on the contrary, because he understood that she needed an interest. He also told that he tried to help Barbara about the house and did homework with the children, but Barbara didn't think it was enough and she didn't want to listen to his opinions at all. He thought that the problem was that they just were too tired to talk which each other after work.

In my opinion, Malcolm was right. I think their family just needed a good rest and maybe then they could understand each other and solve their problems. Their arguments didn't sound serious enough to divorce, after all. And I hope that Marriage Guidance Council can really help such couples to become a happy family again.

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Talk about marriage customs in different countries

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There are a lot of marriage customs all over the world. Each country has its own peculiar traditions. Some are known in many other parts of the world, for example, a groom shouldn’t see a bride in her wedding dress before the ceremony, and some customs can be rather ridiculous. For instance, in Malaysia when people get married they have to eat uncooked rice. And in India when a girl gets married she gets up on the back of a cow and cries, because she must leave her family. There is also a “water-pouring” ceremony in India, during which water is poured over a groom and a bride at the same time.

But of course, some wedding customs can be incredible. In Japan women prefer to wear traditional kimonos and ceremonies are held at shrines. According to Japanese tradition only an immediate family can attend the ceremony, but there are usually about 100 people at the reception. And after it all guests are given presents from a bride & groom.

In contrast to Japanese wedding ceremony, British wedding involves a lot more people. There are a lot of ushers, which help and assist with organization, a flower girl and a lot of bridesmaids, wearing the same clothes. A happy couple toasts each other, has a dance and then they cut a cake with their figures on the top together. And after the reception it is traditional for a husband to carry his wife into their new home.

Speaking about wedding customs in out country it’s traditional for a bride to wear a white wedding dress and shoes, which she buys out of her own savings. All weddings in Belarus must take place at the Registry Office. For some couples this is enough, but for many other couples this is just a formality as the true marriage takes place in a church. After the ceremony a couple usually has the reception at a restaurant where a bride, a groom and their guests sing, dance, and toast to the new couple.

Topic 13

Talk about the house rules for those who rent accomodation in Britain

As far as I know a lot of foreign students decide to reside with families during their stay in Britain. And usually such students should follow the house rules. First of all they must pay the rent and keep their rooms tidy. And, of course, there are a lot of things which lodgers aren't allowed to do. Usually they can't keep pets in the house, they aren't allowed to have any noisy parties, and sometimes lodgers even can't have guests after 10 o'clock or smoke in the house.

But I think that at the same time renting a flat or a room can be better than sharing it with other people in a hostel, for instance. You don't have to put up with other people's bad habits and if you want to sleep or study in silence nobody will disturb you. But on the other hand students who live away from their homes can feel alone without some company.

So in my opinion there are a lot of advantages and disadvantages of sharing a flat or renting it, that's why everyone chooses the most suitable kind of living for himself. But whatever you choose you must follow certain house rules.

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Talk about the importance of choosing the right person to share a flat/room

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In my opinion, sharing a flat has either advantages or disadvantages. Firstly, it's quite cheap. Secondly, it can be very enjoyable to have some company at home, especially when you are living apart from your parents for the first time. But on the other hand you can't do what you want in this flat, there can be little privacy. What is more, you have to be unselfish. And what is also very important, you should choose your future flat-mate carefully.

For instance, recently I've listened to the text about Rod and Jim, who were sharing a flat. One day when Rod came home, he didn't recognize his flat. There was rubbish on the floor, the glasses were broken, the records were scratched and the record-player didn't work, and moreover, there were cigarette burns on the carpet and a lot of stains on the sofa. Rod's flat-mate Jim told him, that he had a party with a few friends and he didn't expect Rod to be back so soon and he was just about to clear everything up. Rod was very angry and disappointed, but he didn't tell Jim to find another place to live.

But I think that you need to be a very tolerant and understanding person to share a flat, because you should put up with the others' bad habits and behaviour as well as limit yourself. Moreover sometimes you should compromise and find the balance between your and your flat-mate's plans. In my opinion, if you're not such kind of person it should be better for you to rent a flat on your own.