Билет 1

The United Kingdom Northern Ireland.

The United Kingdom is situated in the north-west coast of Europe between the Atlantic Ocean on the north-west and the North Sea on the east.

The U. K. includes Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Great Britain, the largest island in Europe, contains England, Scotland and Wales.

The United Kingdom has an area of 244,000 square kilometres (94,249 square miles). The capital of the country is London. English is the official language.

The population of the U. K. is nearly 60 million people. The population lives mostly in towns and cities and their suburbs. Four out of every five people live in towns. Over 46 million people live in England. Over 3 million - in Wales. A little over 5 million - in Scotland. About 1.5 million- in Northern Ireland. London's population is over 7 million people. The British nation consists of the English, the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish. There are many people of all colours and races in the United Kingdom.

The climate of Great Britain is mild. It is not too hot in summer or too cold in winter. It often rains in England. Rain falls in summer and in winter, in autumn and in spring. Snow falls only in the north and west of the country. The surface of England and Ireland is flat, but Scotland and Wales are mountainous. Many parts of the country have beautiful villages. There are many rivers in Great Britain. The main river is the Thames. Many ships and barges go up and down the river. The longest river is Severn. It is 350 kilometres long.

There are many universities, colleges, libraries, museums and theatres in the country. The most famous universities are Cambridge University, Oxford University, Glasgow University.

The U. K. is a parliamentary monarchy. The British Parliament consists of two Houses: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The Prime Minister is the head of the government.

The United Kingdom has some mineral resources. Coal and oil are the most important of them. The United Kingdom is one of the world's most industrialized countries. The main industrial centres are Sheffield, Birmingham and Manchester. The largest cities of the country are London, Birmingham, Cardiff, Manchester, Glasgow, Belfast, Dublin.

Agriculture takes an important sector in economy of the country. The British people grow wheat, fruit, vegetables, oats.

The English playwright and poet William Shakespeare, John Milton, Daniel Defoe (author of Robinson Crusoe) the social campaigner Charles Dickens, the naturalist Thomas Hardy and many others

Билет 2

The USA

The USA is one of the largest countries in the world. It is situated in the central part of the North American continent. The area of the USA is over nine million square kilometres. It is washed by the Pacific Ocean and by the Atlantic Ocean. The most northern part of the USA is Alaska, the largest state, separated from the rest of the country by Canada.

The population of the United States is nearly 250 million people, most of the people live in towns.

People of different nationalities live in the USA,

The official language of the country is English. The capital of the country is Washington. It was named in honour of the first President, George Washington.

As the USA is a large country, the climate is different in different regions. For example, the Pacific coast is a region of mild winters and warm, dry summers, but the eastern continental region is watered with rainfall. The region around the Great Lakes has changeable weather.

There are many mountains in the USA. For example, the highest peaks of the Cordillera in the USA are 6,193 and 4,418 metres.

The main river of the country is the -Mississippi. But there are many other great rivers in the USA: the Colorado in the south and the Columbia in the north west. There are five Great Lakes between the USA and Canada.

The USA produces more than 52 per cent of the world's corn, wheat, cotton tobacco.

There are many big cities in the country. They are Washington (the capital of the country), New York (the city of contrasts, financial and business centre of the USA), Boston (there are many colleges and universities in it), Chicago (one of the biggest industrial cities in the USA), San Francisco, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Detroit (one of the biggest centres of the automobile industry).

The USA has an Academy of Sciences. There are many scientific institutions, museums, libraries, theatres and other interesting places in the country.

There are a lot of famous buildings :The White House. Washington National Cathedral. Jefferson Memorial. Golden Gate Bridge. US Capitol. Lincoln Memorial. Sears Tower. The Chrysler Building ,Statue of Liberty. The Pentagon US Department of Defense Building. UN Building. Wall Street Stock Exchange Building. Massachusetts Hall Building, Harvard. Federal Hall Building. Biltmore Estate.

The USA is a highly developed industrial country. The USA is rich in mineral resources, such as aluminium, salt, zinc, coppers, and others. The country is rich in coal, natural gas, gold and silver, too. It holds one of the first places in the world for the production of coal, iron, oil, natural gas.

Such industries as machine-building, ship-building are highly developed in the country.

American agriculture produces a lot of food products: grain, fruit, vegetables.

The USA is a federal republic, consisting of fifty states. Each of these states has its own government. Congress is the American Parliament which consists of two Chambers.

The president is the head of the state and the government. He is elected for four years.

Билет 3

Education in Britain

In England and Wales compulsory school begins at the age of five, but before that age children can go to a nursery school, also called play school. School is compulsory till the children are 16 years old.

In Primary School and First School children learn to read and write and the basis of arithmetic. In the higher classes of Primary School (or in Middle School) children learn geography, history, religion and, in some schools, a foreign language. Then children go to the Secondary School.

When students are 16 years old they may take an exam in various subjects in order to have a qualification. After that students can either leave school and start working or continue their studies in the same school as before. If they continue, when they are 18, they have to take further examinations which are necessary for getting into university or college.

Some parents choose private schools for their children. They are very expensive but considered to provide a better education and good job opportunities.

In England there are 47 universities, including the Open University which teaches via TV and radio, about 400 colleges and institutes of higher education. The oldest universities in England are Oxford and Cambridge. Generally, universities award two kinds of degrees: the Bachelor's degree and the Master's degree.

The American system of school education differs from the systems in other countries.

There are state public schools, private elementary schools and private secondary schools. Public schools are free and private schools are feepaying. Each state has its own system of public schools.

Elementary education begins at the age of six or seven, when a child goes to the first grade (form). At the age of sixteen schoolchildren leave the elementary school and may continue their education at one of the secondary schools or high schools, as they call them.

The programme of studies in the school includes English, Arithmetic, Geography, History of the USA, Natural Sciences and, besides, Physical Training, Singing, Drawing, Wood or Metal Work, etc. Sometimes they learn a foreign language and general history. Beside giving general education some high schools teach subjects useful to those who hope to find jobs in industry and agriculture or who want to enter colleges or universities.

After graduating from secondary schools a growing number of Americans go on to higher education. The students do not take the same courses. During the first two years they follow a basic programme. It means that every student must select at least one course from each of the basic fields of study: English, Natural Sciences, Modern Languages, History or Physical Training. After the first two years every student can select subjects according to his professional interest.

The National Government gives no direct financial aid to the institutions of higher education. Students must pay a tuition fee. This creates a financial hardship for some people. Many students have to work to pay their expenses. The Americans place a high value on education. That’s why Kennedy said, “Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education”.

4. Australia

Australia (Австралия)

Australia is an island continent in the southern hemisphere. It is washed by the Indian Ocean in the west and the Pacific Ocean in the east. The territory is not very big with the population more than eighteen million people.

The climate of the country is very hot. The biggest part of Australia lies in the tropical belt. It rains heavily in summer, but it's very hot, too.

Northeast coast of the country is protected by the Great Barrier Reef, and in the east there is the Great Dividing Range with Mount Kosciusko, the highest mountain of Australia.

The deepest river in Australia is the Murray River and the Darling is the longest one. In desert regions there are salt lakes like Lake Eyre. The inner part of Australia is occupied by deserts. The most famous ones are Desert Victoria and Gibson's Desert. In the west semi-deserts turn into savannahs.

The plant life of Australia varies. There are desert grasses, scrub, eucalyptus, acacias and others. Australia animals are unique, they can not be found in any other place of the Earth. For example, kangaroos, koalas, Tasmanian devils, echidnas, platypuses, dingos and others.

Australia is a member of the Commonwealth. It is a federation of 6 states and 2 territories. A governor heads each state. Australia is a constitutional monarchy with the Queen of Great Britain (Elizabeth II) as the head of the state. The head of government is Prime Minister. The national currency is the Australian dollar.

English is the official language of Australia. There are also a lot of aboriginal languages and dialects in Australia.

The capital of Australia is Canberra which is often called the Garden City because of its streets lined with trees. Other world famous cities are Sydney and Melbourne. Sydney is the largest city-port called the Queen City of the South. It is Australian main commercial and industrial centre. Sydney Opera House in Sydney is considered to be one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. Australia is an industrial country rich in coal, gas, oil, ores, gold, opals. It is an agricultural country, too. Most food products are produced for exporting. Australia is number one in producing lamb meat and sheep wool. Bee-keeping is developed as well.

Australia is a very interesting country with rich culture and strange animals. I would love to go there one day.

Билет8

Праздники и традиции в англо.и россии

Each country has its own set of national holidays and traditions.

When somebody is learning a foreign language it is very important to know the holidays and traditions of the countries where this language is spoken.

This will give one a better understanding of the culture of these countries.

There are many English speaking countries.

They are situated in different continents.

This makes cultures of English speaking countries very different from each other because the conditions of life are so much dissimilar that it influenced the beliefs and folklore of these countries.

Still, there some holidays and traditions which are common for all English speaking countries.

I am going to tell you first about the most popular ones that are characteristic of these countries.

Christmas is celebrated on December 25.

It is observed as the anniversary of the birth of Jesus.

Christmas trees are decorated in every city or town.

People get ready for this day weeks ahead buying presents for family members and close friends.

One of the most loved holidays is St Valentine’s Day on February 14.

This holiday has religious origin and dates back to third century.

It was originally commemorating two martyrs both named St Valentine.

With time, it was associated with love.

Lovers give each other a Valentine card saying how much they love each other.

Not long ago, this holiday was gladly welcomed in our country as well.

Easter is probably the most important religious festival in all English speaking countries.

There is no specific date for this holiday but it usually occurs some time between March 22 and April 25.

Easter commemorates the Resurrection of Jesus.

On Easter morning children start to look for Easter eggs hidden somewhere by the Easter bunny.

The Friday before Easter is called Good Friday and commemorates the Crucifixion.

On this day people eat traditional hot cross buns marked with a cross.

On October 31, Halloween is celebrated.

This is the eve of All Saints’ Day.

Halloween is traditionally associated with telling ghost stories and bonfires.