Topic "My Birthday" by Sophia Petrova, form 3B

My name is Sonya. My birthday is on the 4th of July. I like this day very much.

In the morning my parents come to my place and say, "Happy birthday!" They give me a present. I enjoy it. I usually have a birthday party on this day.

This year I celebrated my birthday at home. It was Sunday. I invited all my friends.

I got up early in the morning. My Dad and I went to the shop and to the market to buy everything we needed for the party. Mum stayed at home. She cooked a birthday cake.

At four o'clock my friends came to cogratulate me and I was glad to see them. My friends wished me a happy birthday and gave me a lot of birthday presents. I got flowers and books, sweets and toys and many other things. I thanked them all.

At five o'clock we sat down at the table. My friends saw a big cake on the table with nine candles in it -- I was nine that day. We ate and drank a lot: juice, bananas, oranges, apples, cookies, sweets, ice cream and a lot of other tasty things.

We also played different games, sang songs, danced and had a very good time. I liked my birthday party very much.

Topic "My Birthday" by Polina Sorokina, form 3B

My name is Polly. I was nine on the 23rd of October. In the morning, when I was still in bed, my Mum and Dad came into my room. They kissed me and gave me presents: a computer and flowers. I was happy to get the presents!

In the afternoon I had a birthday party. At one o'clock my friends came. They brought me different presents: shoes, books, toys, sweets and a lot of other things. I thanked them all.

At three o'clock we sat down at the table. There was a big cake on the table with nine candles in it. We ate and drank a lot: juice, bananas, oranges, apples, cookies, sweets, ice cream and a lot of other tasty things. Then the children and me played different games, sang songs and had a very good time.

In the evening my granny and uncle came. They gave me a present, too. It was a parrot! How happy I was to get such a pet!

Topic "The Russian Federation" (7th forms)

The official name of our homeland is the Republic of the Russian Federation, often called Russia. It is the largest country in the world; it occupies most of Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. The country is washed by 12 seas of 3 oceans: The Pacific, the Arctic and the Atlantic. In the south Russia borders on China, Mongolia, Korea, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Azerbaijan. In the west it borders on Norway, Finland, the Baltic States, Belorussia, and the Ukraine. It also has a see-border with the USA.

Russia displays a variety of landforms and environments. It is located on two plains, the Great Russian Plain and the West Siberian Lowland. The longest mountain chains are the Urals, the Caucasus and the Altai. The largest mountain chain, the Urals, separates Europe from Asia. Russia's most important rivers are the Volga, the Ob, the Yenisei, the Lena, and the Amur. The world's deepest lake - Lake Baikal, with the deeps of 1600 metres, is situated in Russia, too. The climate in Russia varies from the arctic in the north to subtropical in the south. In the middle of the country the climate is temperate and continental. We have steppes in the south, plains and forests in the midland, tundra and taiga in the north, highlands and deserts in the east.

The National Government of Russia consists of the President, the Council of Ministers and the Federal Assembly. There are two Houses in the Federal Assembly, the Federal Council and the State Duma. The head of the Republic of the Russian Federation is D.A.Medvedyev, and the Prime Minister is V.V.Putin. The highest law of the Russian Federation is the Constitution of the Russian Federation. The official symbol of Russia is the Russian flag; it has three wide stripes – white, blue and red. Many people believe that traditional symbols of Russia are the birch tree and the Russian “troika”.

The current population of Russia is about 150 million; Russia is a land of over 100 nationalities. Many Russians are religious people. The main church is the Russian Orthodox Church. It has survived during the hard times and now people speak about a rebirth of religion in the country. There are other religions too and there are a lot of people who are non-believers.

To know a country means to know its people. There are a lot of famous people of Russia: the greatest poets and writers Alexander Pushkin, Leo Tolstoy, Feodor Dostoevsky; Peter Tchaikovsky, a Russian composer; Isaak Levitan, a Russian artist; Georgy Zhukov, a famous marshal of the USSR; the first Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin and many, many others. The nation has done a lot for the world civilization.

Russia has had a long and turbulent history. Rus’ centered on Kiev was formed in the 9^th century; we’ve survived the Tater yoke, the Time of Troubles, won victories over Sweden, Poland, Germany; Russia has had two Revolutions, two great Patriotic Wars. The memory of World War II is deeply felt in Russia.

The capital of Russia is Moscow, with the population of about 10 million people. It is its largest political, scientific, cultural and industrial centre. It's one of the oldest Russian cities.

Topic "England" (6th forms)

The United Kingdom is very small compared with other countries in the world. However, it is highly populated and London is the world’s seventh biggest city.

Britain is an unusually beautiful country, where you can find practically any type of scenery. When you travel about the country you can see how highlands turn into lowlands, forests and hills turn into meadows and plains very quickly. England is the largest part of the UK, and its regions are: the Southeast, the Southwest, East Anglia, the Midlands and the North of England.

The Southeast is a highly populated region of England, there is a lot of industry near the Thames and there are a lot of roads, motorways, main passenger ports and airports. The capital of Great Britain, London, and such historical cities as Windsor, Dover and Brighton, the famous resort, are situated here. Heathrow Airport, one of the world’s busiest airports, is about 33 km west of central London. However, there is still attractive countryside in the Southeast, e.g. the County of Kent is known as the garden on England.

The Southwest is the region where the main activity is farming. There are some very big farms, but most of them are small family farms where dairy products are produced. The Southwest used to be known for its pirates. The romantic past makes it a popular place for artists, writers and holidaymakers. The two principal cities of the region are Bristol and Bath. The Southwest is famous for Stonehenge and “Land’s End”, the most westerly point of Great Britain.

East Anglia is very flat and it is another farming region. It is isolated from the rest of Britain because of its position away from the main national roads and because of its shape: it is more than half surrounded by the sea. It has beautiful cities, such as Cambridge, with fine historic buildings. The part of East Anglia called the Fens consists of miles of flat land with almost no trees or hedges. It used to be partly covered by the see and now produces good harvests. It is the place where Oliver Cromwell, an English general and politician, was born.

The Midlands, known as the heart of England, is the largest industrial part in the country. The most important industrial cities are Manchester, Sheffield, Liverpool, which is one of Britain’s big ports, and Birmingham. The two famous Midlands cities, Stratford-upon-Avon and Oxford are connected with English culture: Stratford is the birth-place of the great William Shakespeare and Oxford is famous for its university.

The North of England has some of the wildest and loneliest parts of the country, but also some of the busiest industrial cities. Here you can find deep valleys, rivers and waterfalls, hills and mountains. This part of the country is rich in coal which is important for the region’s industry. The main attractions of the North of England are the certainly the Lake District, the cities of York and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and the ruins of Hadrian’s Wall. This stone wall was built across the North of England by the order of the Roman ruler Hadrian to defend the Northern border of Roman Britain from the Scottish tribes.

"Pets and Other Animals" by Polina Sorokina, form 3B

There are many animals in the world. Some of them live in deep dark forests, others near lakes and rivers. Thay are called wild animals. I know many of them. They are: tigers and elephants, zabras and giraffes, bears and crocodiles, wolves, foxes, monkeys and so on.

We can see some of them at the Zoo. Every summer my parents and I go to the Zoo to look at them. It's fun to see the animals.

My favourite animal is a tiger. It's clever, strong and beautiful.

Some animals live on farms. They are domestic animals. They give us milk, meat, clothes and help people do different work. I know cows, pigs, sheep, goats, horses and many others.

Many people keep different animals as pets at home. They are cats, dogs, birds, fish and so on. As for me, I have a parrot at home. It's a small green, blue and yellow bird. His name is Petrusha. I teach him to talk. I like to play with my parrot. My mother teaches Petrusha to do tricks.

My pet likes to eat carrots and apples. He likes to look at himself in the mirror. When I come home, Pertusha chirps. My bird is clever, sly and curious. Petrusha is a member or our family. I love my pet!

Polina Sorokina, form 3B

"Wales"

Wales is a country in the United Kingdom to the west of England. The population of Wales is about two and a quarter million. St.David is the patron saint of Wales, and on the 1st of March, St.David’s Day, patriotic Welsh people wear a leek or a daffodil, both symbols of Wales. The capital of Wales is Cardiff.Cardiff is an industrial city and the main port, which also has a Roman castle, a cathedral, a university, a modern shopping centre. There are other big towns in Wales, too, Swansea and Newport among them.

Wales is also famous for its castles. They stretch like an iron chain across the country. Visitors often go to see Caernarfon Castle, where Prince Charles became Prince of Wales in 1969. Perhaps the most impressive castle in Wales is Caerphilly, it is still one of the greatest castles of the western world.

At the same time, there are a lot of places in Wales that haven’t been damaged by tourism, agriculture or industry. Wales is famous for its beautiful scenery: mountains, valleys, waterfalls, streams. The west coast, mid Wales and North Wales are wild and beautiful. Wales has high mountains, including Snowdon, the second highest mountain in Britain.

In summer, when the sun is shining, Snowdon looks very peaceful and beautiful. A little train runs to the top and the walk is not at all hard. But in winter the mountains can become very dangerous. Climbers are very brave people, they often take dangerous routes nobody used before them. They prepare food, medicines and the equipment and look up the information on the mountain in all kinds of books. But they must be prepared for all kinds of accidents. Every year climbers get lost in bad weather or fall and injure themselves. When this happens, the Mountain Rescue Service has to go out to look for them.

If you don’t feel like climbing, you can go riding along the narrow rocky path in the Snowdonia National Park, one of the three National Parks in Wales, or go boating on the picturesque Llangollen Canal.
Llangollen is a town where an international festival called Eisteddfod is held. People from all over the world come there to recite poetry, sing and dance in this colourful competition.

Llangollen, Caernarfon, Caerfilly – it’s not that easy to pronounce these words. Welsh has difficult sounds and very musical intonation. Welsh – the language that the Welsh speak – is a Celtic language, like Scottish and Irish Gaelic, and is very different from English. Even if you speak English fluently, you won’t be able to understand Welsh. The Welsh speak English, of course, but the Welsh language is spoken widely, especially in the north of the country and it is still the first language for many people. English is taught side by side with Welsh in schools, most road signs are in English and in Welsh, and the fourth channel on Welsh television gives programmes mainly in Welsh.

The Welsh call their country Cymru and themselves Cymry, a word which has the same root as “camrador” – friend, comrade.

"Pets and Other Animals" by Elizabeth Zinchenko, form 3B

There are many animals in the world. Some of them live in forests, others near lakes and rivers. They are called wild animals. I know hares and foxes, bears and wolves, giraffes and elephants and many others. We can see some of them at the Zoo. My parents and I often go to the Zoo to look at them.

My favourite wild animal is the hare. It has got long ears and a short tail. The hare likes to eat carrots.

Some animals live on farms. They are domestic animals. They give us milk, meat and help people do hard work. I know cows, horses, goats, pigs, sheep.

Many people keep different animals as pets at home. They are dogs, parrots, fish, hamsters. People take good care of their pets, give them nice names and buy food for their pets in pet shops.
I have got a pet. It is a big red and white dog. Her name is Lana. She is ten. She likes to play with me. We like to run and jump. She likes to eat meatballs. My father and I go for a walk with our dog. My Mum feeds her. Lana can do many tricks. I say to her, "Sit down!" and she does it. I say to her, "Come to me!" and she comes up. How clever my dog is! I love my dog and she loves me, too.
Elizabeth Zinchenko, form 3B

"Pets and Other Animals" by Tatyana Shved, form 3B

There are many animals in the world. I know many of them: tigers and elephants, zebras and giraffes, bears and crocodiles, wolves, foxes and other animals. We can see some of them at the Zoo. Every summer my parends and I go to the Zoo to look at them. It's fun to look at the animals.

My favourite wild animal is the tiger. It is clever, strong and beautiful.

Some animals live on farms, they are domestic animals. They give us milk, meat, clothes and help people do difficult work. I know cows, pigs, sheep, goats, horses and many others.

Many people keep different animals as pets at home: cats, dogs, birds, fish. I have got a pet. It's a dog, her name is Cindy. She is one year old. She is very little. Cindy is brown and white, she has got short ears and a little tail.

I teach my pet to run after a ball and bring it back to me. Cindy is a very clever dog. I like to play with Cindy. We usually play hide-and-seek. I hide under the table and Cindy looks for me. Cindy likes to eat meatballs and fish and drink milk. I love my dog and she loves me, too.

Tatyana Shved, form 3B

"My Favourite Book" by Dan Klochkov, form 7A

My favourite book is “White Fang” by Jack London, an American writer. He was born in 1876 and died in 1916. Jack London wrote mainly adventure stories and “White Fang” is one of them.

The plot of the novel is very fast-moving and keeps the reader in suspense. A half-dog, half wolf gets to the Indians and they give him the name White Fang. He has a very hard life there. Both the people and the dogs hate him and he has to learn to fight severely and run fast, otherwise he won’t survive.

Then he gets to a cruel man whose name is Smith, who beats and tortures the dog making him malicious so that he could win prizes in dog fights.
Fortunately, a noble man Weedon Scott buys him from Smith. They get used to each other, then there is love between them, but Mr. Scott has to leave soon. White Fang suffers very much and finally Mr. Scott makes a decision to take the dog with him.

The episode that impressed me greatly is when White Fang saves Scott’s father, but gets three bullets and breaks his legs and ribs. Everyone thinks that he has no chance to survive, but luckily all ends well.

I recommend this book to everyone who hasn’t read it, and especially to those who love animals. It is powerful and true-to-life, well-written and easy to read. I think it will make a great impression on the reader.
Daniel Klochkov, form 7A

"My Favourite Book" by Vera Reznikova, form 7A

My favourite book is Jonathan Livingston Seagull. It is a fable in novella form about a seagull learning about life and flight. This book was written by Richard Bach, a widely known American writer. It was first published in 1970 and immediately became a hugely popular bestseller.

The book has and exciting and original plot. It tells the story of Jonathan Livingston, a seagull who is bored with the daily quarrel over food. He has a passion for flight and tries to learn everything he can about flying. But he does not want to follow the rules of his flock and it leads him into conflict with other seagulls. Eventually they turn their backs on him and expel him from the flock. An outcast, Jonathan continues to learn, trying to reach higher and higher flight goals until he understands he can fly to higher.

One day, Jonathan is met by two loving seagulls who explain to him that he has learnt much, and that they want to teach him more. They take him to a “higher plane of existence”, a society where all the gulls enjoy flying. Jonathan makes friends with the wisest gull in this new place, named Chiang, who takes him anywhere else in the Universe. Chiang tells him that a seagull is an unlimited idea of freedom, an image of the Great Gull. He says, “You have the freedom to be yourself, your true self, here and now, and nothing can stand in your way.” Chiang also teaches him that the spirit cannot be really free without the ability to forgive and love others.

Finally, Jonathan returns to Earth to find others like him, to bring them his learning and to spread his love for flight.

The main characters of this book – Jonathan and his teacher Chiang – are described very vividly and seem true to life. As the plot of the book is amazing and powerful, it has made a very deep impression on me. I think it’s the book to read. I would definitely recommend it to everyone.

Vera Reznikova, form 7A

"My Meals" by Elizabeth Zinchenko, form 3B

People cannot live without food. Meat comes from animals and from different birds. Milk comes from cows and from milk people make butter and cheese. From plants people get fruit and vegetables. Some people grow their food, but usually we buy it. We try to buy and eat the right food.

We usually have four meals a day: breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner or supper. Breakfast time is between seven and nine, lunch time is between twelve and two, tea is between four and five and dinner or supper time is between seven and ten.

I usually have tea and sandwiches for breakfast, hot dogs or pizza for lunch at school, soup and meat with vegetables for dinner and hot cereal or porridge for supper.English people like porridge very much. They usually eat it for breakfast. They like to eat porridge with milk. English people don’t eat a lot of bread, they never eat bread with meat or vegetables, but they sometimes eat bread with soup.

Russian and English people like tea. The English drink a lot of tea. They have tea for breakfast, for lunch, for dinner and for supper.
English and Russian children like to eat sweets and ice-cream very much. I like tasty things, and eat a lot of fruit and vegetables, drink milk and juice, because they have a lot of vitamins. I remember the proverb, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

Elizabeth Zinchenko, form 3B

Pets and Other Animals. "My Favourite Animal" by Alexey Sakharchuk, form 3B

There are many animals in the world. I know a lot of wild animals: zebras and giraffes, bears and crocodiles, wolves, foxes. We can see them at the Zoo. My parents and me often go there. It's fun to see the animals there.

My favourite animal is the elephant. They are the biggest four-legged animals. They are grey and sometimes white, and they haven't got hair. Elephants come from Africa and Asia. They have a very long nose -- a trunk, and two long white teeth -- tusks. Elephants eat a lot of food and

drink a lot of water. They eat leaves, grass and fruit.

Elephants can swim! They love water.

I like to go to the Zoo and see the elephants there.

I love animals and I want to have a pet, but I haven't got any. I would like to have a cat. They are very funny and clever. Cats have a long tail and white teeth, they are fluffy and they like to play.

Alexey Sakharchuk, form 3B

"My Meals" by Vlad Pervakov, form 3B

The English have four meals a day: breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner or supper. English people like porridge very much. They like to eat it with milk. They say porridge is healthy food. So the traditional English breakfast is a plate of porridge.
English people don't eat much bread. They never eat bread with meat or vegetables. But they sometimes eat bread with soup.

Our family usually has four meals a day. I am not a good eater. My first meal is breakfast. As a rule, I am not hungry in the morning. So I always have a light breakfast. I eat a sandwich with cheese or sausage and drink a cup of coffee or tea.

My mother and father like to have a big breakfast. They usually have something hot. On Sunday morning our family usually has a full breakfast. It is fried bacon, eggs and tomatoes. Then bread and butter with jam or marmalade.

The second meal of the day is lunch. I have my lunch at school at about eleven o'clock. For lunch we usually have hot dogs, sandwiches or pizza, some fruit or juice.

Dinner is the biggest meal of the day. I have dinner at two o'clock at home. The main course of the dinner is soup. For the second course we have meat, fish, potatoes or spaghetti and vegetables. And for dessert I like some fruit, ice cream or a glass of juice.

We usually have supper at eight o'clock in the evening. It must be a light meal because it isn't good to eat much in the evening. We often have some salad, a glass of milk or yoghurt for supper. The proverb says, "After dinner sleep a while, after supper walk a mile."

We always buy and eat the right food. We eat a lot of fruit and vegetables, drink milk and juice. They've got a lot of vitamins. I always remember the proverb, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."
Healthy food is always in fashion.

Vlad Pervakov, form 3B

Questions to "The Reader of Books" by I.Volkov and V.Reznikova

1. What did Matilda do that made other people’s eyes pop?
2. What was Matilda’s speech like when she was one and a half?
3. When did Matilda start reading newspapers and magazines?
4. What did her parents call her?
5. Were Matilda’s family well educated?
6. What was the only book in the household?
7. What did Matilda ask her daddy for?
8. What did her father reply?

9. How often was Matilda left alone?
10. What did Matilda decide to do after her father had refused to buy her a book?
11. What was Mrs. Phelps job?
12. Did Matilda introduce herself to the librarian?
13. What was Mrs. Phelps reaction when she saw that such a tiny girl had arrived at the library without a parent?
14. Did she offer help? What was Matilda’s reply?
15. Where did Matilda sit in the library?
16. What did Matilda do when she had read all children’s books?
17. What kind of book did Mrs. Phelps want to pick first?
18. What book did Matilda like best of all?
19. How long did it take Matilda to read “Great Expectations”?
20. How many pages did “Great Expectations” contain in that edition?

21. What books by Charles Dickens did Matilda read?
22. What other books did she read?
23. Where did the books transport her?
24. What was Matilda totally absorbed in?
25. In the end, did Matilda read at the library or at home?

Ivan Volkov, Vera Reznikova, 7A

Topic "Libraries". Questions by V.Reznikova.

1. What did the earliest books look like?



2. What did people use to write with in Greece and Rome?



3. How long did the clay tablets survive?



4. What were ancient books written on?



5. How long has paper been known in China?



6. When was the first public library founded?



7. Who could buy books in ancient Rome?



8. What did libraries use to do with books (to prevent stealing)?



9. Who were the first people to invent printing?



10. Who is the best known inventor of printing?



11. How many presses were there in Europe by the end of the 15th century?



12. Who was the first printing press in England set up by?



13. When was the first printing press set up in Russia?



14. What were the craftsmen proud of?



15. What led to opening more libraries?



16. Who were early libraries used by?



17. When did public libraries appear?



18. What are the great libraries of the world?



19. What is the world's largest library?



20. When was the State Public Library in Moscow founded?



21. What do modern libraries help people do?



22. What do they use to help their readers?



23. What is the most difficult problem for any library?



24. How do they keep their books and other materials?

"It Takes Many Kinds to Make the World" by V.Reznikova

People say "It takes may kinds to make the world" meaning that all people are different. People can be different in appearance, personality, beliefs and opinions, education, tastes, language and culture, behaviour and manners, skills and experience, dreams and plans for the future. For example, some people want to be a doctor but other want to work in an office.

The main thing that makes people different is how they look. Our figures can be tall or short, stout or slim, skinny or fat. In my opinion, tall and slim people usually look more attractive than short and fat ones. People have faces of different shapes and hair of different length. Our hair can be straight or curly, thick or thin, dair or dark. Our eyes can be narrow or round, with long or short eyelashes, and they can also be expressive and shiny. All these features make people look beautiful, good-looking, nice or ugly which makes your first impression of a person. But "appearances are deceitful", so your first impression can sometimes be wrong and good-looking people may have bad traits of character.

There is a famous saying:"Different people often get on well". I completely agree with it as this saying always reminds me of my best friend Liana. She looks very different from me. She is taller than me, her eyes are narrower than mine, she has got straight black hair, but mine is wavy and fair. She is sometimes gloomy, but I am usually cheerful. We like different books and films. But we get on very well because she is honest and just, understanding and kind. I trust her a lot and I'm sure that I can rely on her in any situation. So as you see different people can get on well as we do.
V.Reznikova, 7A.