The problems of ecology are very important now. Which problem is the most urgent, in your opinion? What can you and the people around you do to protect the planet?

One of the most important problems nowadays is an ecological one. Ecology is the science that studies the conditions of the habitat of man, animals and plants. Our Earth is our home. Everything around us is the environment. It includes all living things and also everything that is necessary for our life - the soil, the air , the water. We need clean air to breathe and pure water to drink and clean soil to grow grains and vegetables. So the environment must be clean and healthy. But the air, the soil and the water are polluted by different harmful substances. THE AIR IS POLLUTED by smoke and gases from factories, cars, buses, airplanes. AIR POLLUTION can cause different deceases. WATER and SOIL POLLUTION is caused by different wastes and chemicals which are thrown into seas, lakes, rivers. Many fish and birds die because of the polluted water. In my opinion the most urgent ecological problem today is radiation. or the NUCLEAR POLLUTION. Nuclear pollution can't be seen but its effects can be terrible. Many people died from radiation some years ago because of the accident at the nuclear power station in Chernobyl. Nuclear wastes are also dangerous for people's lives. So people all over the world protest against nuclear tests and nuclear weapons. Millions of people understand that our planet is in danger and do the best to save it, to protect the environment. They join different organization, such as "Green Peace", "The World Wildlife Fund" (WWF) and others, which work a lot at the ecological problems to save life on our planet. I think there are a lot of simple things we should do to protect the environment. First of all we mustn't drop litter in public places, pick up wild flowers, and break branches of trees... Besides, we shouldn't throw out rubbish without thinking that such things as bottles, paper, aluminum can be recycled. We should save the water and the electric power at our homes. We should take care of wild birds and animals. We can help to plant trees and create parks. But first of all we must change people's attitude towards the environment.

What are traditional British kinds of sport? Are they popular in Russia? What kinds of sport is your family interested in?

The Englishmen are great lovers of sport. .One of the most popular traditional British games is cricket. Matches last from one to five days. Cricket is played all over the country in summer. (To many Englishmen cricket is both a game and a standard of behaviour. When they think that something is unfair, they say: "That isn't cricket".) Another game which attracts great attention is soccer. There are a lot of soccer clubs in every town. Rugby football is also very popular. It's a kind of English football in which the players use their hands to carry the ball. A great number of people play tennis. The most famous tournament is held in Wimbledon. Horse racing is also very popular in England. The English also like playing golf, baseball, basketball and bowling. Athletic sports such as running, rowing, swimming, boxing and gymnastics are very popular too. Almost all these sports and games are popular in Russia, too. 14. Russian people even began to play cricket and golf- traditional English games. But the most popular sports in Russia are football and hockey, tennis, swimming and basketball. Such sports as skiing and skating, which are very popular in Russia, are not popular in Great Britain because there is little snow there. However, in Scotland where there are good conditions for winter sports, skiing is also very popular. As for my family, we all like sports. Father is fond of hockey. He watches all the hockey games on TV and he likes playing this game himself. Mother prefers figure skating and swimming. She goes to the swimming pool twice a week. And my favourite sport is football. I like to play football with m y friends and I also enjoy watching football matches on TV. In winter all my family goes skiing and in summer we like hiking. I think that sport can unite people and make them happier. It helps us to keep fit and to stay healthy.