Advantages and disadvantages of country life and city life
The countryside is more peaceful and quiet. We can find here more flowers and more green areas. You breathe there better air, there is no air pollution. Countryside could be better for children, their health and grow, because of family-houses with big gardens. You can go walking to the nature and breathe fresh air.
But people usually must commute long distances every day, it spends lot of time. There are only small shops and if you need something special you have to go to the city. In countryside, there is mo cultural life.
In a city, we can find here more job offers. There are big department stores and we can buy everything we want. There are more people and more traffic lights, so it is safer.
But there is big noise and greater criminality.
Where do you live? Your native town or village
I was born in Ostrava on 22nd June 1990. Ostrava is the 3rd biggest city in the Czech Republic and its population is about 330 000 people. It is an administrative, cultural, education, entertainment and industrial centre. It is situated in north-west of the Czech Republic – it is far away from the capital city, but very close to borders of Slovakia and Poland. Industry branches in Ostrava consist of steel industry with steelworks (ocelárny) and blast furnaces (vysoké pece), metallurgical industry, chemical industry and brewery (pivovar). In the past there were numerous coal mines, but they have been closed down (Mine Museum in Landek, Mine Michal – national heritage). For the first time, the city was mentioned in the 13th century. The most famous music festival in the Czech Republic is Colours of Ostrava which take place in Ostrava every year. Janáčkův Máj is the festival of classical music. Factories, cars and traffic cause bad air conditions and air and water pollution. but there are many shopping facilities and department stores, education centres (universities and secondary schools), more job opportunities, but higher unemployment rate, cinemas, theatres (Antonín Dvořák’s Theatre, Jiří Myron’s Theatre, Petr Bezruč’s Theatre, the Puppet Theatre and Aréna), sport facilities (Bazaly football stadium, Vítkovice ČEZ Aréna – multifunctional arena for hockey and concerts, tennis courts, swimming pools), parks, pubs and clubs especially on Stodolní Street. Our transport consists of buses, trams, trolleybuses, train but no underground because of mines. There are at least 4 train stations in the city and 1 airport – the Leoš Janáček Airport. The motorway is only a topic for the future. Our places of interest: St. Wenceslav Church - the oldest church from 13th century, The Old Town Hall on Masaryk Square, The Old Wooden Church = St. Catherine’s Church - it burnt down, nowadays replica, Silesian-Ostrava Castle - place of cultural events (exhibitions, Shakespeare summer festival), The New Town hall - built in 1930s, there is a lift paternoster and the ZOO. Places of interest in our region: Beskydy Mountains, in Štramberk -the Old Square and tower TRUBA, cave Šipka - there were found some remains/pozůstatky/ of ancient people and their activity, Kopřivnice – museum of Tatra cars and lorries, Hukvaldy - birthplace of Leoš janáček, ruins of the castle, statue of little cunning/mazaný/ fox, Pustevny in the Beskydy Mountains - the statue of pagan/pohanský/ God Radegast, Helfštýn - ruins of the chateau/hrad; mn.č. chateaux/, Opava-Silesian University, Rožnov (the wooden city) - Open Air Museum, CHKO Poodří, CHKO Beskydy - natural reserves, places protected by our republic
Describe the house or apartment you live in
We live in one-family house with two floors, an attic (a garret) and a cellar.
in our cellar there are 4 rooms including wash-kitchen, storage rooms and a room for our cats. They have there their beds and bowls. Downstairs, there are an entrance hall, a kitchen, a dining room, a sitting room, a bedroom, a bathroom and a pantry. Upstairs, there is a bedroom, a sitting room, a study room, a bathroom and my bedroom.
Describe your room
When I open the door and enter my room, I can see a small blue carpet on the floor. On the right side I can see a book-case, a chest of drawers and few shelves. On the left side we could see a bed with a bedside table and a lamp, a book-shelf with books and a PC-table with a screen and a printer. Then we could see a big wardrobe, a window with a flower on the window-sill and a writing table with a table-lamp opposite us. The furniture is made of light wood. I could use my wheelchair when I am working on my PC or when I am writing anything on my writing-table. A beige painting hangs above my bed.
Household chores
Every family must keep their households clean. So people, including our family, must do uncomfortable activities like vacuum cleaning, wiping out the floor, dusting, washing, ironing clothes, cleaning windows, and so on. My tasks are vacuuming, hanging clothes and dusting. My mother wipes the floor and irons clothes. We also use Roomba and Scooba which are mobile robots helping us with wiping and vacuuming.
Housing in GB
British houses are usually smaller than American houses. Many people love old houses, which are more expensive than modern ones. British people love gardening; there are lot of gardens in Britain. Be careful when you are using words flat (B.E.) and apartment (A.E.). Typical British family-house consists of two or three bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs, a sitting room, a dining room and a kitchen downstairs. Home owners borrow money from a “building society” and pay back a little every month. Council houses are rented state-owned homes for British people. Tower blocks are high-rise council flats, which were built after WW II. Allotment is a piece of land rented from the local council to grow vegetables and flowers if you don’t have any garden. There are not enough homes for young people, who got just married and want to start family. It is quite impossible to find cheap housing for rent – it is a real problem for poor people and unemployed.
You can live in many types of housing: for example big and small houses, old cottages /chalupy/, bungalows, mansions/venovské sídlo/ or new high-rise buildings/věžák/ with flats, detached houses/samostatné domy/ in expensive suburbs/předměstí/ and quite far from town centre and near to country-side, semi-detached houses /dvojdomek/, Timber-framed houses, terraced houses/řadové domky/ and blocks of flats which are mostly in town centre. If you don’t have money, you can live in a mobile home or caravan.
Housing in the US
When people leave school, the move away to shared apartments or studio apartments – they could do their own cooking, cleaning and so on, they share it with other students, but it is cheaper. They usually go to the family house for weekends. Many young people live in apartment blocks, but young married couples often move to suburbs. If a family’s income goes up, they usually move to bigger houses with 2 garages, swimming pool and everything they could want because owning your own home is a part of the American Dream. Condominium (shortened condo) is home that is situated in the city in an apartment building and some parts are yours and some are under joint ownership. Housing far away from their work is cheaper, so they commute long distances by car, train or bus every day.
Education, Schools and School Life
- Based on your own experience: Did you attend kindergarten?
- At what age did you start to attend elementary school? Subjects
- Studying at secondary schools, apprentice centres etc.
- Promotion to university, entrance exams …
- Educational system in Great Britain, in the USA
- Making comparisons, finding differences and similarities
- Describe our school, your classroom, your timetable, your favourite lessons and subjects
- Name famous Czech, British and American universities
- My future career
Czech system
Before primary school – kindergarten, then at the age of 6 – primary school (end at the age of 11 or 15), then secondary school (15-19).
In UK
*in UK public school means private school!!!
Before the age of 3 there are crèches [kreš] /jesličky/, baby-sitter (teenager looks after the child), or child minders (au-pairs, nanny /chůva/ - for example princess Diana, because of her it became popular).
Education:
o Pre-school (crèches, kindergarten, childminders) – when child is younger than five
o Primary school (second stage; 5-11) – it starts at the age of five. First year isn’t too difficult to do – it’s a bit of playing, children learn how to read and write, some numbers, they draw a lot at the beginning.
Infant school (5-7) – they concentrate on 3 Rs – reading, writing, arithmetic
Junior school (7-11) they still have English, math, geography, history, music, art, physical, no chemistry, physics. They start with a foreign language (French)
*LEA – Local Educational Authority – is a body that controls (looks after) the education, most of the state schools are controlled; they appoint teachers, headmasters, etc.
o Secondary school (11-16/18) there are some changes in system, but everybody goes to secondary school
grammar schools (our gymnasiums) - there are Latin grammar school, more languages /většinou státní, kladen důraz na další vyšší vzdělání/
comprehensive (=all in) schools – they don’t support talented people much, teacher-housemaster is responsible for a part of a house, people don’t pay a fee, near housing estates.
At the age of 16 there is big exam GCSE (General certificate of secondary education). Everybody has to do it. It’s in 6 or 7 subjects (often English and math; chemistry, French, history, geography, ...). After you pass GCSE, you leave school and go to work or you can study at university. Most students continue at school, but GCSE is not enough to study university.
6th Form – you study subjects you choose (usually 3 or 4) for 2 years, students don’t wear uniforms.
At the age of 18 they do exams A levels in 3 or 4 subjects, some people have just 2 A-levels and AS-levels (advance supplementary, /na nižší úrovni/)
They are planning some changes, because a lot of people are unemployed after secondary school. Special school – a lot of students with miserable results at the age of 18.
Private system:
o Prep (=preparatory) – children at the age of seven
o Public school (private secondary school) – private school, for example Eton [i:tn], Rugby. As soon as the child is born, you en-roll /zapsat/ it. You have to pay a fee (a lot of money). There are two types: a day-pupil (go home after the lesson) and boarding system (you live there, children of parents who work abroad and so on). First public school (single-sex schools) for boys was St Peter’s in 627, for girls it was St Paul’s in 1509.
Rugby – it’s private, independent school. It’s situated in the area Warwickshire, it was founded in 1527. The game rugby was invented here. In the past there studied Lewis Carrol (he wrote Alenka v říši divů), and Chamberlain (British prime minister in the beginning of the 2WW)
Three terms: beginning in September – Christmas (then 3 weeks holiday), January – Easter (break for 3 weeks), they finish in the middle of July (6 weeks in summer).
School day: they start usually at 9 o’clock, finish at 3 or 4 p.m., they have a big lunch break for an hour – some of them can go home.
PTA – Parent Teacher Association
House assembly – all of the students meet there (something about 150 children) – English, math, science, languages, art, design
Teachers always go in staffroom /sborovna/, before the lesson there is briefing.
They have usually 5 lessons per day. One lesson lasts 55 minutes. Pupils are often in groups of 25-30. 8:30 – assembly. 9:15-10:10 – lesson, 10:15-11:10 – lesson, 11:10 – 15 minutes break, 11:25-12:20 – lesson, 12:20 – lunch break (they have to pay for lunch, but there are free meals if your parents are unemployed or so on; the meals aren’t healthy, but they have it, because they would go to a chip shop next to the school), 13:30-14:25 – lesson, 14:25 – 15 minutes break (?), at 15:30 they finish.
Exams are usually in 7 subjects. You can become six formers; even you don’t have good results → resit /znovu na zkoušku/
University education
University, college /nástavba, vyšší odborná/, polytechnics (=technical college, provides education to technical subjects)
There are forty-six (forty-seven) universities in UK, each university is established by Royal Charter (Oxford, Cambridge ...) or by the Act of Parliament (they passes kind of law).
There are 3 types: Oxbridge, Redbrick universities, New universities
OXBRIDGE – Oxford and Cambridge are two oldest universities in Britain. Oxford is the oldest, it was established in 12th century (1167,1169). Cambridge is a bit younger, there was a problem in Oxford between students and teachers, so they left and established in 1209 Cambridge.
System: They consist of colleges – they are independent, you have there usually lessons, they live there, have big dining-room, rooms for students, for teachers, chapel...
Dons/tutor/fellow – tak se říká profesorům
Degrees: BA (Bachelor [bejčelə] of Arts) – 3 years; MA (Master of Arts) – 4-5 years. BSc (Bachelor of Science), MSc (Master of Science) – technické, MD /doktor/, MVD /veterinář/, PhD /doctor filosofie/, DiS /diplomovaný specialista/, doctor → professor (není docent)
In the past there were men, they couldn’t get married. Nowadays there are 40 colleges in Cambridge. College has 400 students. In Cambridge there is for example St John’s College (Henry VIII.) or King’s College. In Oxford there is for example Christ Church College.
Dormitory or halls of residence /koleje/
REDBRICK UNIS - built of red bricks, while Oxford and Cambridge used grey stone. At the beginning of 19th century – industry, in England only 2 unis, while in Scotland 4 – St Andrew (1411). They needed educated people to work. The first one was established in 1832 (19th century) – Durham (cathedral town, north England, not far from York), the Uni of London, Bristol Uni, Liverpool, [šefíl], ...
NEW UNIS – established after 2 WW (after 1945), based on campus system. Campus is very large space with many building, different walls of residence, different colleges, restaurants, ... For example University of Exitor (?). Lucky Gim is a campus novel, it’s situated on Uni and about young teacher, who stays there and falls in love. He has to prepare a special speech about merry England, he gets very drunk, and he has to get the job.
Buckingham Uni – 1976, private university (the only one).
OPEN UNIVERSITY – a chance for older people interested in some subjects, you work, based on correspondence (you do tasks, homework, ...). They go to meeting (even for two weeks) in summer /párkrát ročně se prostě sejdou/, it takes 8 years, you can get a degree.
In Scotland there are 8 unis, the oldest one is St Andrew’s. Universities are in Glasgow, Edinbrough (one of the best), Abendeen.
Cardiff – Wales – 4 places, Federative Uni.
Northern Ireland – 2 unis: Uni of Belfas, Queen’s University
EDUCATION IN USA
*public school means state school, private school is private school!!!
o Pre-school: nursery-schools or day care (au-pairs, child-minders, babysitters, ...)
o At the age of 5: primary education: elementary school, first year of elementary school at kindergarten – drawing, activities...; it’s called 12K system (K means kindergarten, after the year there are 12 more grades) – elementary school = first 6 grades
o Junior high school (7th and 8th grade) – sometimes called “middle school”
o High school (9th – 12th grade)
Federal government gives money to states → schools, but the states are responsible for curriculum (which subjects, certifications, exams, ...). States have Boards of Education – they choose head masters, teachers.
PTA = Parent and Teacher association; they help schools (for example – school trip – you help the teacher, not only financial things)
Quality of education: 80% end it with graduation exam (high schools, it ends at the age of 18)
Pupils have just one teacher in elementary school, different teachers in high school (?). Lessons start at 8:30 in the morning, till 15:30. Special break = recess (they can go outside and play – there are playgrounds).
Subjects: 3 R (reading, writing, arithmetics), geography and history and creative activities (art, drama, music, PE).
After elementary school junior school, 9th grade – secondary school (different teachers who specialized in different subjects, more subjects: physics, science). After-class activities – extra activities after school, in summer courses.
Social life: big ceremony is graduation exam. Social events – parties during the school year, Homecoming and Prom. Homecoming is a special party, for these who graduated high school, they come back to school every year, they meet there their old friends, they dance, drink. Graduates /absolventi/ meet only their school-mates = class reunion. Homecoming – whole school, football game. Prom is for those students, who are going to graduate or who are one year younger, or for those who just graduated, it’s very posh.
SAT is graduation exam = scholastic aptitude test, students graduate at the age of 18, after K12. They put crosses and ticks. It’s written in spring, results come by the post, usually English, math and subjects you choose.
Harvard is the oldest, it was established in 1630’s, it’s situated in town called Cambridge (suburb of Boston, connected by subway). Yale, the University of Mexico city.
- At what age did you start to attend elementary school? Subjects
- Studying at secondary schools, apprentice centres etc.
- Promotion to university, entrance exams …
- Educational system in Great Britain, in the USA
- Making comparisons, finding differences and similarities
- Describe our school, your classroom, your timetable, your favourite lessons and subjects
- Name famous Czech, British and American universities
- My future career
Czech system
Before primary school – kindergarten, then at the age of 6 – primary school (end at the age of 11 or 15), then secondary school (15-19).
In UK
*in UK public school means private school!!!
Before the age of 3 there are crèches [kreš] /jesličky/, baby-sitter (teenager looks after the child), or child minders (au-pairs, nanny /chůva/ - for example princess Diana, because of her it became popular).
Education:
o Pre-school (crèches, kindergarten, childminders) – when child is younger than five
o Primary school (second stage; 5-11) – it starts at the age of five. First year isn’t too difficult to do – it’s a bit of playing, children learn how to read and write, some numbers, they draw a lot at the beginning.
Infant school (5-7) – they concentrate on 3 Rs – reading, writing, arithmetic
Junior school (7-11) they still have English, math, geography, history, music, art, physical, no chemistry, physics. They start with a foreign language (French)
*LEA – Local Educational Authority – is a body that controls (looks after) the education, most of the state schools are controlled; they appoint teachers, headmasters, etc.
o Secondary school (11-16/18) there are some changes in system, but everybody goes to secondary school
grammar schools (our gymnasiums) - there are Latin grammar school, more languages /většinou státní, kladen důraz na další vyšší vzdělání/
comprehensive (=all in) schools – they don’t support talented people much, teacher-housemaster is responsible for a part of a house, people don’t pay a fee, near housing estates.
At the age of 16 there is big exam GCSE (General certificate of secondary education). Everybody has to do it. It’s in 6 or 7 subjects (often English and math; chemistry, French, history, geography, ...). After you pass GCSE, you leave school and go to work or you can study at university. Most students continue at school, but GCSE is not enough to study university.
6th Form – you study subjects you choose (usually 3 or 4) for 2 years, students don’t wear uniforms.
At the age of 18 they do exams A levels in 3 or 4 subjects, some people have just 2 A-levels and AS-levels (advance supplementary, /na nižší úrovni/)
They are planning some changes, because a lot of people are unemployed after secondary school. Special school – a lot of students with miserable results at the age of 18.
Private system:
o Prep (=preparatory) – children at the age of seven
o Public school (private secondary school) – private school, for example Eton [i:tn], Rugby. As soon as the child is born, you en-roll /zapsat/ it. You have to pay a fee (a lot of money). There are two types: a day-pupil (go home after the lesson) and boarding system (you live there, children of parents who work abroad and so on). First public school (single-sex schools) for boys was St Peter’s in 627, for girls it was St Paul’s in 1509.
Rugby – it’s private, independent school. It’s situated in the area Warwickshire, it was founded in 1527. The game rugby was invented here. In the past there studied Lewis Carrol (he wrote Alenka v říši divů), and Chamberlain (British prime minister in the beginning of the 2WW)
Three terms: beginning in September – Christmas (then 3 weeks holiday), January – Easter (break for 3 weeks), they finish in the middle of July (6 weeks in summer).
School day: they start usually at 9 o’clock, finish at 3 or 4 p.m., they have a big lunch break for an hour – some of them can go home.
PTA – Parent Teacher Association
House assembly – all of the students meet there (something about 150 children) – English, math, science, languages, art, design
Teachers always go in staffroom /sborovna/, before the lesson there is briefing.
They have usually 5 lessons per day. One lesson lasts 55 minutes. Pupils are often in groups of 25-30. 8:30 – assembly. 9:15-10:10 – lesson, 10:15-11:10 – lesson, 11:10 – 15 minutes break, 11:25-12:20 – lesson, 12:20 – lunch break (they have to pay for lunch, but there are free meals if your parents are unemployed or so on; the meals aren’t healthy, but they have it, because they would go to a chip shop next to the school), 13:30-14:25 – lesson, 14:25 – 15 minutes break (?), at 15:30 they finish.
Exams are usually in 7 subjects. You can become six formers; even you don’t have good results → resit /znovu na zkoušku/
University education
University, college /nástavba, vyšší odborná/, polytechnics (=technical college, provides education to technical subjects)
There are forty-six (forty-seven) universities in UK, each university is established by Royal Charter (Oxford, Cambridge ...) or by the Act of Parliament (they passes kind of law).
There are 3 types: Oxbridge, Redbrick universities, New universities
OXBRIDGE – Oxford and Cambridge are two oldest universities in Britain. Oxford is the oldest, it was established in 12th century (1167,1169). Cambridge is a bit younger, there was a problem in Oxford between students and teachers, so they left and established in 1209 Cambridge.
System: They consist of colleges – they are independent, you have there usually lessons, they live there, have big dining-room, rooms for students, for teachers, chapel...
Dons/tutor/fellow – tak se říká profesorům
Degrees: BA (Bachelor [bejčelə] of Arts) – 3 years; MA (Master of Arts) – 4-5 years. BSc (Bachelor of Science), MSc (Master of Science) – technické, MD /doktor/, MVD /veterinář/, PhD /doctor filosofie/, DiS /diplomovaný specialista/, doctor → professor (není docent)
In the past there were men, they couldn’t get married. Nowadays there are 40 colleges in Cambridge. College has 400 students. In Cambridge there is for example St John’s College (Henry VIII.) or King’s College. In Oxford there is for example Christ Church College.
Dormitory or halls of residence /koleje/
REDBRICK UNIS - built of red bricks, while Oxford and Cambridge used grey stone. At the beginning of 19th century – industry, in England only 2 unis, while in Scotland 4 – St Andrew (1411). They needed educated people to work. The first one was established in 1832 (19th century) – Durham (cathedral town, north England, not far from York), the Uni of London, Bristol Uni, Liverpool, [šefíl], ...
NEW UNIS – established after 2 WW (after 1945), based on campus system. Campus is very large space with many building, different walls of residence, different colleges, restaurants, ... For example University of Exitor (?). Lucky Gim is a campus novel, it’s situated on Uni and about young teacher, who stays there and falls in love. He has to prepare a special speech about merry England, he gets very drunk, and he has to get the job.
Buckingham Uni – 1976, private university (the only one).
OPEN UNIVERSITY – a chance for older people interested in some subjects, you work, based on correspondence (you do tasks, homework, ...). They go to meeting (even for two weeks) in summer /párkrát ročně se prostě sejdou/, it takes 8 years, you can get a degree.
In Scotland there are 8 unis, the oldest one is St Andrew’s. Universities are in Glasgow, Edinbrough (one of the best), Abendeen.
Cardiff – Wales – 4 places, Federative Uni.
Northern Ireland – 2 unis: Uni of Belfas, Queen’s University
EDUCATION IN USA
*public school means state school, private school is private school!!!
o Pre-school: nursery-schools or day care (au-pairs, child-minders, babysitters, ...)
o At the age of 5: primary education: elementary school, first year of elementary school at kindergarten – drawing, activities...; it’s called 12K system (K means kindergarten, after the year there are 12 more grades) – elementary school = first 6 grades
o Junior high school (7th and 8th grade) – sometimes called “middle school”
o High school (9th – 12th grade)
Federal government gives money to states → schools, but the states are responsible for curriculum (which subjects, certifications, exams, ...). States have Boards of Education – they choose head masters, teachers.
PTA = Parent and Teacher association; they help schools (for example – school trip – you help the teacher, not only financial things)
Quality of education: 80% end it with graduation exam (high schools, it ends at the age of 18)
Pupils have just one teacher in elementary school, different teachers in high school (?). Lessons start at 8:30 in the morning, till 15:30. Special break = recess (they can go outside and play – there are playgrounds).
Subjects: 3 R (reading, writing, arithmetics), geography and history and creative activities (art, drama, music, PE).
After elementary school junior school, 9th grade – secondary school (different teachers who specialized in different subjects, more subjects: physics, science). After-class activities – extra activities after school, in summer courses.
Social life: big ceremony is graduation exam. Social events – parties during the school year, Homecoming and Prom. Homecoming is a special party, for these who graduated high school, they come back to school every year, they meet there their old friends, they dance, drink. Graduates /absolventi/ meet only their school-mates = class reunion. Homecoming – whole school, football game. Prom is for those students, who are going to graduate or who are one year younger, or for those who just graduated, it’s very posh.
SAT is graduation exam = scholastic aptitude test, students graduate at the age of 18, after K12. They put crosses and ticks. It’s written in spring, results come by the post, usually English, math and subjects you choose.
Harvard is the oldest, it was established in 1630’s, it’s situated in town called Cambridge (suburb of Boston, connected by subway). Yale, the University of Mexico city.
World of Work and Money
Well, firstly I want to graduate from this high school. The best of all will be if I graduate with four A grades. My profile subjects are Czech, English, Maths and Biology. Then I want to attend the medical university in Olomouc or in Brno or Prague. In Olomouc I don’t have to sit entrance exams with my school reports. Some people think that studying in Olomouc is better than in Brno, some of them not. So I want to Olomouc because it is nearer.
My choice of career was influenced by my parents, grandparents and the world. At first I wanted to become a film editor or cameraman or director or something like that. My grandpa works in the theatre; he is an actor and an artistic principal. My grandma is a theatre hint. And also I love films as you can see in my covering letter and my CV. now I want to become a doctor; my father is a doctor with a blood vessel specialization and my mother is a nurse. They both work in private health centre in Frýdek. And I think I could be a good doctor; this occupation has a sense.
My job is one of the most difficult jobs, I think. All of the jobs has it own sense, none of them is worse than the other. But everybody can not become a doctor. Doctor has to be teachable and reliable and has to have a good memory to remember plenty of information. It could be varied because the people have different diagnosis and different diseases and illnesses. And of course it is challenging because I don’t like easy points.
The necessary qualifications are these: graduating from the high school, graduating in Czech and also the entrance exams in Science which includes Biology, Physics and Chemistry. If you have the average of your grades of your school reports better than 1.2, you don’t have to sit these exams. But of course you can’t be under line.
The necessary personal qualities are: good memory for learning plenty of information, reliability and responsibility because you can’t hurt or injure your patient due to your ignorance, then sociability because you meet many people every day and you must get on well with them. You have to be patient and teachable because you must learn many books and plenty of information.
Yes, I have a credit card. I have to remember my password and I can’t have the password written in my pocket because if I lost it, everybody would be able to use it and steal my money. I can’t lose it. But it is a very good thing because I don’t want to panic when I don’t have enough money by myself and I really need to pay. It is possible to pay abroad. And almost you can pay on the internet. But the shops where you can pay with your credit card are usually more expensive.
I am saving for my life. I will never know when I need money. That’s why I am saving – for the future. And I am saving for my girlfriend as well. We are planning our future together. And if we have our own household, I will have to housekeep and buy all the equipment and furniture that the household needs. I don’t have a driving license yet, so I am not thinking of buying a car yet. But in the future – if I have enough money and if I need a car, I will buy it.
I really don’t know what to think about the Euro. And I don’t know if our economy is prepared and ready for such a huge change because of the worldwide crisis and recession. It would be a novel feeling. Firstly we won’t know what is expensive and what cheap. So it will bring a mess. But it will be great if we don’t have to change our money travelling abroad.
In the past there were not as many jobs as now are. The most of people worked in agriculture or later in manufacturing, some worked as craftsmen and only few reigned or were in religion’s service.
The most of people currently works in services, not as farmers or labourers. They work as clerks, drivers, vendors, barbers, doctors, teachers, scientists and in billions of another professions. When you want to work anywhere, you have to have proper education, of course. It’s not general rule, but more the better your education is, you’ll get better paid. That’s one of the reasons why I study and why I want to study yet another few years, although many of my contemporaries go to work just after final exams.
Well, when I don’t want to be unemployed, I have to go and find some job. There are advertisements in newspapers, but the best and most actual offer I can find on internet. I can find there some part-time jobs, too.
So, imagine, I have found some good vacancy and I want to apply for it. I have to write a letter of application = covering letter. I should enclose my curriculum vitae as well. If they accept it, they invite me to personal interview or to some tests.
I should look seriously, so I have to wear something like jacket, tie and a shirt. They give me some questions. To be honest, I have never been on any serious work interview, so I can only imagine it.
On the first day in a job (and other days as well):
o Be friendly,
o Don’t wear very informal clothes or heavy make-up
o Be kind and cooperative
o Don’t try to make friends with your boss
o Listen rather then speak – learn as much as possible about your job and the company
o Work hard and don’t spend too much time chatting or resting
o Keep your desk tidy at all time, don’t argue with anyone
o Put on casual clothes
o Go out for a walk before the interview ti relax
o Think about the job and write down your strengths and weaknesses
o Find out information about the company
o Take down notes during the interview
o Make up information about yourself
o Go into a lot of detail about your personal life
o Speak up and express yourself clearly
o Sit up straight and maintain eye contact
My choice of career was influenced by my parents, grandparents and the world. At first I wanted to become a film editor or cameraman or director or something like that. My grandpa works in the theatre; he is an actor and an artistic principal. My grandma is a theatre hint. And also I love films as you can see in my covering letter and my CV. now I want to become a doctor; my father is a doctor with a blood vessel specialization and my mother is a nurse. They both work in private health centre in Frýdek. And I think I could be a good doctor; this occupation has a sense.
My job is one of the most difficult jobs, I think. All of the jobs has it own sense, none of them is worse than the other. But everybody can not become a doctor. Doctor has to be teachable and reliable and has to have a good memory to remember plenty of information. It could be varied because the people have different diagnosis and different diseases and illnesses. And of course it is challenging because I don’t like easy points.
The necessary qualifications are these: graduating from the high school, graduating in Czech and also the entrance exams in Science which includes Biology, Physics and Chemistry. If you have the average of your grades of your school reports better than 1.2, you don’t have to sit these exams. But of course you can’t be under line.
The necessary personal qualities are: good memory for learning plenty of information, reliability and responsibility because you can’t hurt or injure your patient due to your ignorance, then sociability because you meet many people every day and you must get on well with them. You have to be patient and teachable because you must learn many books and plenty of information.
Yes, I have a credit card. I have to remember my password and I can’t have the password written in my pocket because if I lost it, everybody would be able to use it and steal my money. I can’t lose it. But it is a very good thing because I don’t want to panic when I don’t have enough money by myself and I really need to pay. It is possible to pay abroad. And almost you can pay on the internet. But the shops where you can pay with your credit card are usually more expensive.
I am saving for my life. I will never know when I need money. That’s why I am saving – for the future. And I am saving for my girlfriend as well. We are planning our future together. And if we have our own household, I will have to housekeep and buy all the equipment and furniture that the household needs. I don’t have a driving license yet, so I am not thinking of buying a car yet. But in the future – if I have enough money and if I need a car, I will buy it.
I really don’t know what to think about the Euro. And I don’t know if our economy is prepared and ready for such a huge change because of the worldwide crisis and recession. It would be a novel feeling. Firstly we won’t know what is expensive and what cheap. So it will bring a mess. But it will be great if we don’t have to change our money travelling abroad.
In the past there were not as many jobs as now are. The most of people worked in agriculture or later in manufacturing, some worked as craftsmen and only few reigned or were in religion’s service.
The most of people currently works in services, not as farmers or labourers. They work as clerks, drivers, vendors, barbers, doctors, teachers, scientists and in billions of another professions. When you want to work anywhere, you have to have proper education, of course. It’s not general rule, but more the better your education is, you’ll get better paid. That’s one of the reasons why I study and why I want to study yet another few years, although many of my contemporaries go to work just after final exams.
Well, when I don’t want to be unemployed, I have to go and find some job. There are advertisements in newspapers, but the best and most actual offer I can find on internet. I can find there some part-time jobs, too.
So, imagine, I have found some good vacancy and I want to apply for it. I have to write a letter of application = covering letter. I should enclose my curriculum vitae as well. If they accept it, they invite me to personal interview or to some tests.
I should look seriously, so I have to wear something like jacket, tie and a shirt. They give me some questions. To be honest, I have never been on any serious work interview, so I can only imagine it.
On the first day in a job (and other days as well):
o Be friendly,
o Don’t wear very informal clothes or heavy make-up
o Be kind and cooperative
o Don’t try to make friends with your boss
o Listen rather then speak – learn as much as possible about your job and the company
o Work hard and don’t spend too much time chatting or resting
o Keep your desk tidy at all time, don’t argue with anyone
o Put on casual clothes
o Go out for a walk before the interview ti relax
o Think about the job and write down your strengths and weaknesses
o Find out information about the company
o Take down notes during the interview
o Make up information about yourself
o Go into a lot of detail about your personal life
o Speak up and express yourself clearly
o Sit up straight and maintain eye contact
Holidays and festivals
Christmas
It is one of the most important holidays of the year. It is a Christian celebration of the birth of Christ. Giving presents, Christmas tree with coloured lights and decorations – these are typical examples of traditions.
On 24th December, on Christmas Eve, In UK and US children put their socks on the chimney place and believe that Father of Christmas (Santa Claus) puts there a small present (fruits and nuts).
On 25th December, on Christmas Day, the family has a big turkey dinner followed by Christmas pudding.
On 26th December, on Boxing Day, people visit their friends and relatives.
In the USA, Christmas becomes more and more commercial then all over the world.
In the Czech Republic it is different. On 24th December, on Christmas Eve, Ježíšek comes and brings presents. Children find them usually after a traditional dinner, which consists of fried carp and potato salad. On 25th December, second Christmas feast (Boží hod), is the time for visiting relatives.
New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day
New Year’s Eve is the evening before New Year’s Day. In UK, people traditionally take a shower in the fountains on Trafalgar Square. It is followed by fireworks and drinking Champagne. In US, people have a big party on Time Square. Scottish New Year isa called Hogmanay [hogmony].
St. Valentine’s Day
It is celebrated on 14th February and is a holiday of people falling in love. Many people send cards to the people they love. These cards can be unsigned – people try to guess who sent them. People buy flowers, the most favourite one is a red rose.
Pancake Day
Pancake Day is celebrated forty days before Easter. It is beginning of lent (půst). It contains lots of fun, racing with pancakes, frying pancakes and rating them.
Mother’s DayIt is a day honouring mothers, celebrated on various days all around the world. In UK it falls three weeks before Easter Sunday. Mother’s Day in US was inspired by the British Mother’s Day and was introduced after the Civil War (1861 – 65).
Trooping the colour
It is a British military ceremony and is also known as the Queen’s Birthday Parade. It is celebrated in June to remember Queen’s birthday. It takes place on Horse guards Parade in London.
Bank holiday (legal holiday, public holiday)
Gun Powder Pot
It is also called Guy Fawkes Night. It is celebrated on 5th November. It is remembrance of 5th November 1605 when King James I. opened the Parliament. On the same day, Guy Fawkes was arrested because he wanted to blow up the Houses of Parliament, so he put gunpowder to the cellar of Houses of Parliament. But hi did a mistake: he called his friends and told them not to go to Houses of Parliament. The people warned the King.
Rememberence Day
It is a British holiday celebrated on Sunday close to 11th November. It was introduced after 1st World War to honour people who died there. People wear poppies (vlčí máky) in their pockets. Every city has its own cenotaph. We can find the most famous Cenotaph in Whitehall in London.
Veterance Day
It is an American holiday similar to Remembrance Day in UK.
Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving Day was first celebrated in 1621 by Indians who survived last winter which was very hard. They wanted to thank the God for their first harvest too. Nowadays it is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. The dinner consists of roast turkey with dressing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie.
Halloween
Halloween means “holy evening”. It is a Celtic feast celebrated on 31st October. It is connected with witches and ghosts. There are many orange pumpkins with candles inside. Children are dressed up in disguise and usually say “trick or treat” when they knocked on the door. They get sweets or candies and go to next door.
Independence Day
Independence Day is celebrated till Declaration of Independence on 4th July 1776. It celebrates the birth of a free and independent United States of America. Each city organise its own ceremony, fireworks, competitions, dancing, live music and shows.
Easter
It is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first spring full moon. It is celebrated because of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
On Easter Sunday chocolate Eggs are given.
On Good Friday hot cross buns (mazance) are made, they are toasted and eaten with butter.
Easter Monday is a public holiday in many countries.
It is one of the most important holidays of the year. It is a Christian celebration of the birth of Christ. Giving presents, Christmas tree with coloured lights and decorations – these are typical examples of traditions.
On 24th December, on Christmas Eve, In UK and US children put their socks on the chimney place and believe that Father of Christmas (Santa Claus) puts there a small present (fruits and nuts).
On 25th December, on Christmas Day, the family has a big turkey dinner followed by Christmas pudding.
On 26th December, on Boxing Day, people visit their friends and relatives.
In the USA, Christmas becomes more and more commercial then all over the world.
In the Czech Republic it is different. On 24th December, on Christmas Eve, Ježíšek comes and brings presents. Children find them usually after a traditional dinner, which consists of fried carp and potato salad. On 25th December, second Christmas feast (Boží hod), is the time for visiting relatives.
New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day
New Year’s Eve is the evening before New Year’s Day. In UK, people traditionally take a shower in the fountains on Trafalgar Square. It is followed by fireworks and drinking Champagne. In US, people have a big party on Time Square. Scottish New Year isa called Hogmanay [hogmony].
St. Valentine’s Day
It is celebrated on 14th February and is a holiday of people falling in love. Many people send cards to the people they love. These cards can be unsigned – people try to guess who sent them. People buy flowers, the most favourite one is a red rose.
Pancake Day
Pancake Day is celebrated forty days before Easter. It is beginning of lent (půst). It contains lots of fun, racing with pancakes, frying pancakes and rating them.
Mother’s DayIt is a day honouring mothers, celebrated on various days all around the world. In UK it falls three weeks before Easter Sunday. Mother’s Day in US was inspired by the British Mother’s Day and was introduced after the Civil War (1861 – 65).
Trooping the colour
It is a British military ceremony and is also known as the Queen’s Birthday Parade. It is celebrated in June to remember Queen’s birthday. It takes place on Horse guards Parade in London.
Bank holiday (legal holiday, public holiday)
Gun Powder Pot
It is also called Guy Fawkes Night. It is celebrated on 5th November. It is remembrance of 5th November 1605 when King James I. opened the Parliament. On the same day, Guy Fawkes was arrested because he wanted to blow up the Houses of Parliament, so he put gunpowder to the cellar of Houses of Parliament. But hi did a mistake: he called his friends and told them not to go to Houses of Parliament. The people warned the King.
Rememberence Day
It is a British holiday celebrated on Sunday close to 11th November. It was introduced after 1st World War to honour people who died there. People wear poppies (vlčí máky) in their pockets. Every city has its own cenotaph. We can find the most famous Cenotaph in Whitehall in London.
Veterance Day
It is an American holiday similar to Remembrance Day in UK.
Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving Day was first celebrated in 1621 by Indians who survived last winter which was very hard. They wanted to thank the God for their first harvest too. Nowadays it is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. The dinner consists of roast turkey with dressing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie.
Halloween
Halloween means “holy evening”. It is a Celtic feast celebrated on 31st October. It is connected with witches and ghosts. There are many orange pumpkins with candles inside. Children are dressed up in disguise and usually say “trick or treat” when they knocked on the door. They get sweets or candies and go to next door.
Independence Day
Independence Day is celebrated till Declaration of Independence on 4th July 1776. It celebrates the birth of a free and independent United States of America. Each city organise its own ceremony, fireworks, competitions, dancing, live music and shows.
Easter
It is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first spring full moon. It is celebrated because of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
On Easter Sunday chocolate Eggs are given.
On Good Friday hot cross buns (mazance) are made, they are toasted and eaten with butter.
Easter Monday is a public holiday in many countries.
Travelling and transport
Do you enjoy travelling? Specify individual means of transport
For my everyday life it is very necessary to travel by many means of transport. I go by train to school every morning and almost in the afternoon, when I get home. Sometimes my father gives me a lift because he works in Ostrava as well. So the car is important for us too. Then I use trams, buses and trolleybuses every day. It is called Urban Mass Transportation. I have season ticket for this urban mass transportation including train. I pay for this about 400, - CZK per month.
Means of transport:
People and goods can be transported by land, by air or by water
Cars and motorbikes: They are good for short and middle distances. Both of them are expensive, you have to pay for petrol which costs a lot of money. The space for luggage in the trunk of the car is large enough. The best thing about cars is that you can get almost anywhere at any time. But you need your driving license, if you aren’t only a passenger. To get driver’s licence you must know how to drive and know the traffic rules well. We could have a traffic jam or traffic jam in both sides called grid lock – very typical for Manhattan.
Buses and trains are the most frequent public means of transport. The network of bus and train stops covers most inhabited places. Public transport is cheaper, but also less comfortable. The bus and train stops in major cities are called stations.
In big cities there could be the underground (subway in NY, tube in London, metro in Prague). The underground goes every five minutes of average. But it is only in big cities. It is used very frequently in New York.
The taxi (cabs) in big cities can just be called by phone or stopped right in the street. They could have various colours (yellow cabs in NY, black cabs in London). It is used very frequently in New York.
Water-transport: You can use boat, steamboat, ship or a steamship. But more practical is ferry, when you have a lot of luggage or a car. But it could be dangerous, just remember the Titanic. And you can become sea-sick because of dangling.
Air-transport: Planes and helicopters are the fastest way of travelling for long distances. It is more comfortable and safe.
But your luggage has to be checked in at the check-in desk and it has limited weight, you have to show your passport and it is rather more expensive.
Purpose of travelling, advantages and disadvantages of travelling
Travelling is very popular in the 20th century. Advantages of travelling include commuting various distances to school, work, visiting our relatives or friends, business journeys, going shopping, meeting new people, friends and visiting new places.
On the other hand travelling has some disadvantages. It may be dangerous, we can meet bad people, we can get lost, be injured or our money may be stolen. Travelling could be very expensive. Travelling produces air pollution, if we don’t walk.
We can arrange various trips: Cultural trips to well-know historic places (Egypt, Rome, Athens), seeing nice architecture in large European cities. Recreation stays in various mountains or seaside areas (in the Alps, around the Mediterranean).
Setting out on a journey, arrangements necessary for going abroad
When we go abroad we should know the foreign languages, at least basic phrases, and good knowledge of English because it is a worldwide language. Then you have valid identity card if you travel to Schengen Area. If not, you have to have valid passport or sometimes a visa. We should take ensure our health insurance. We must change money in a bank or at an exchange office. In some countries we must have a vaccination.
For travelling we can use many kinds of luggage according to the kind of trip. We use knapsack for a longer sports journey, we can fix a tent and sleeping bag to it. We use a rucksack when going for a walk or to school. We use a suitcase as well.
Taking an advantage of services provided by travelling agencies etc
We use services of travel agencies because they ensure everything about our journey. We have to choose our destination. We could travel everywhere nowadays, even to space. It cost only few hundreds millions CZK. Travel agencies offer us many services including transport, accommodation, diet and so on. They could ensure our health or other insurance. They offer us trips, tour guides and various variety shows in the evening. Two main types of the tour are: first minute, especially at the beginning of the season, and last minute, ordered quite close to the departure with huge discount. But the offer of these is very limited. There is a new term super last minute which means that the customer buys the tour and books it few hours before the boarding time. So it is an extreme form of the last minute tour, suitable especially for adaptable and flexible travellers. In the Czech Republic there are tourist offices which could combine these services or travel agencies that can’t. They only buy and sell tours. The accommodation can be divided into these categories: Hotel (one, two, three, four, five, six or seven-star), apartment, motel, cottage, camp, mansion, tent, and so on.
Meeting foreign visitors, visiting foreign countries, going through passport control and customs, inspection customs
If you travel by air, you should go through the passport control: firstly you arrive at the airport. Then you get a trolley. You go to the check-in desk and check in your luggage. You get a boarding card. You go through the passport control. You go to the departure lounge and you can go to the duty-free shop. You must be careful and look at the departure board to see if your flight is boarding yet. It tells you which gate to go to. Finally you go there and board your plane.
Many foreign tourists travel to our country, especially Germans, Dutch, and Slovaks - mainly because of beautiful nature in the mountains, by the lakes and rivers, and because of cultural and historic monuments, castles and churches. They often visit Prague, but they may be surprised at rising prices.
For my everyday life it is very necessary to travel by many means of transport. I go by train to school every morning and almost in the afternoon, when I get home. Sometimes my father gives me a lift because he works in Ostrava as well. So the car is important for us too. Then I use trams, buses and trolleybuses every day. It is called Urban Mass Transportation. I have season ticket for this urban mass transportation including train. I pay for this about 400, - CZK per month.
Means of transport:
People and goods can be transported by land, by air or by water
Cars and motorbikes: They are good for short and middle distances. Both of them are expensive, you have to pay for petrol which costs a lot of money. The space for luggage in the trunk of the car is large enough. The best thing about cars is that you can get almost anywhere at any time. But you need your driving license, if you aren’t only a passenger. To get driver’s licence you must know how to drive and know the traffic rules well. We could have a traffic jam or traffic jam in both sides called grid lock – very typical for Manhattan.
Buses and trains are the most frequent public means of transport. The network of bus and train stops covers most inhabited places. Public transport is cheaper, but also less comfortable. The bus and train stops in major cities are called stations.
In big cities there could be the underground (subway in NY, tube in London, metro in Prague). The underground goes every five minutes of average. But it is only in big cities. It is used very frequently in New York.
The taxi (cabs) in big cities can just be called by phone or stopped right in the street. They could have various colours (yellow cabs in NY, black cabs in London). It is used very frequently in New York.
Water-transport: You can use boat, steamboat, ship or a steamship. But more practical is ferry, when you have a lot of luggage or a car. But it could be dangerous, just remember the Titanic. And you can become sea-sick because of dangling.
Air-transport: Planes and helicopters are the fastest way of travelling for long distances. It is more comfortable and safe.
But your luggage has to be checked in at the check-in desk and it has limited weight, you have to show your passport and it is rather more expensive.
Purpose of travelling, advantages and disadvantages of travelling
Travelling is very popular in the 20th century. Advantages of travelling include commuting various distances to school, work, visiting our relatives or friends, business journeys, going shopping, meeting new people, friends and visiting new places.
On the other hand travelling has some disadvantages. It may be dangerous, we can meet bad people, we can get lost, be injured or our money may be stolen. Travelling could be very expensive. Travelling produces air pollution, if we don’t walk.
We can arrange various trips: Cultural trips to well-know historic places (Egypt, Rome, Athens), seeing nice architecture in large European cities. Recreation stays in various mountains or seaside areas (in the Alps, around the Mediterranean).
Setting out on a journey, arrangements necessary for going abroad
When we go abroad we should know the foreign languages, at least basic phrases, and good knowledge of English because it is a worldwide language. Then you have valid identity card if you travel to Schengen Area. If not, you have to have valid passport or sometimes a visa. We should take ensure our health insurance. We must change money in a bank or at an exchange office. In some countries we must have a vaccination.
For travelling we can use many kinds of luggage according to the kind of trip. We use knapsack for a longer sports journey, we can fix a tent and sleeping bag to it. We use a rucksack when going for a walk or to school. We use a suitcase as well.
Taking an advantage of services provided by travelling agencies etc
We use services of travel agencies because they ensure everything about our journey. We have to choose our destination. We could travel everywhere nowadays, even to space. It cost only few hundreds millions CZK. Travel agencies offer us many services including transport, accommodation, diet and so on. They could ensure our health or other insurance. They offer us trips, tour guides and various variety shows in the evening. Two main types of the tour are: first minute, especially at the beginning of the season, and last minute, ordered quite close to the departure with huge discount. But the offer of these is very limited. There is a new term super last minute which means that the customer buys the tour and books it few hours before the boarding time. So it is an extreme form of the last minute tour, suitable especially for adaptable and flexible travellers. In the Czech Republic there are tourist offices which could combine these services or travel agencies that can’t. They only buy and sell tours. The accommodation can be divided into these categories: Hotel (one, two, three, four, five, six or seven-star), apartment, motel, cottage, camp, mansion, tent, and so on.
Meeting foreign visitors, visiting foreign countries, going through passport control and customs, inspection customs
If you travel by air, you should go through the passport control: firstly you arrive at the airport. Then you get a trolley. You go to the check-in desk and check in your luggage. You get a boarding card. You go through the passport control. You go to the departure lounge and you can go to the duty-free shop. You must be careful and look at the departure board to see if your flight is boarding yet. It tells you which gate to go to. Finally you go there and board your plane.
Many foreign tourists travel to our country, especially Germans, Dutch, and Slovaks - mainly because of beautiful nature in the mountains, by the lakes and rivers, and because of cultural and historic monuments, castles and churches. They often visit Prague, but they may be surprised at rising prices.
English literature
The development of the English Language can be divided into three stages:
1) Old English (450-1150)
2) Middle English (1150-1500)
3) Modern English (1500-up to now)
1) Old English Literature
Literature of this period was influenced by pagan traditions, magic, problems of life at the time, as well as Christian ideas and moral values. The oldest literature monument of Anglo-Saxon period is an old Germanic legend about a strong hero, Beowulf (from the 8th century). Other types of literary documents were: annals, chronicles, and historical records of various battles. English of that time was influenced by Celtic language.
2) Middle English Literature
This period follows the Norman conquest of Britain after William the Conqueror´s victory in the Battle of Hastings in 1066. William established a strict feudal system holding people in subjection. The church also held a strong influence. The English language was transformed and a French element was added. Latin was also an influence.
In that period there were two main steams in literature: religious literature and secular literature. The main representative of religious literature is John Wycliff, a priest, who criticized the church because of its greed for property. He translated the Bible into English.
In secular literature of the 14th century the most significant writer was Geoffrey Chaucer, who is often called the Father of English poetry. His Canterbury Tales (written in 1387) are a series of 24 poems about a party of pilgrims who tell each other stories to pass time on their journey from London to Canterbury. The Canterbury Tales include stories from medieval life and provides a great variety of humour.
3) Modern English Literature
The Renaissance (1485-1603)
This period was marked by a revival of classical influence expressed in the flowering of arts and literature and by the beginnings of modern science. During this period significant literary works were created. Common forms of literature were: poetic drama, songs, lyrics, ballads and essays. This period was linked with the development of English drama and the best known dramatist was William Shakespeare.
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was born in Stratford upon Avon. As a young man he moved to London and soon became a famous play writer and an owner of the theatre called the Globe. His works are appreciated for their sense of humour, drama and beautiful verses. He wrote 37 plays and a large number of poems and sonnets. His plays can be divided into four groups:
Tragedies: Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, King Lear
Comedies: As You Like It, The Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night´ s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing
Historical Plays: Richard III., Henry V., Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra
Romances: The Tempest, Cymbeline, Pericles, The Winter´ s Tale
Shakespeare´ s work was translated into numerous languages and influenced many other writers, the best Czech translations are by E. A. Saudek, J. V. Sládek and Martin Hilský.
Humanic literature of this period was represented by Sir Thomas More (1478-1535) – an outstanding scientist, statesman, and philosopher, who worked on the court of King Henry VIII. as the Lord Chancellor of England. In his book Utopia he showed his vision of an ideal state where the people lived in peace without any individual property.
In 18th century, together with the development of society and economy, journalism, novels and drama developed as well. Literature became popular among the middle class and first authors were from these circles. Jonathan Swift was a sharp critic. He was a dean in Dublin. He wrote satirical pamphlets on all of the unfair events in British society, but his most popular work is Gulliver´ s Travels. Daniel Defoe was a politican, traveler and journalist. His most famous work is Robinson Crusoe. Robinson, shipwrecked on an island, represents the qualities the middle class needed in capitalist competition to be successful. Henry Fielding was a journalist and lawyer. He wrote a realistic novel Tom Jones, History of a Foundling. There are many characters through which Fielding describes the life in the 18th century.
Characteristic features for Romanticism are: historical topics, love, country, nature, detail, description of weather…Typical representatives are George Gordon Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley and John Keats. To this group Sir Walter Scott belonged. He is the founder of the historical novel. One of his most famous books is Ivanhoe – an old legend.
The Victorian era produced great novels criticizing the various evils of prosperous, but imperialistic society. The best author of this era is Emily Bronte (Wuthering Heights) and Charotte Bronte (Jane Eyre). Charles Dickens described the life of poor people. He combined comic and serious situations. He wrote Little Dorit, The Pickwick Papers and Oliver Twist.
Thomas Hardy together with D. H. Lawrence represents the naturalistic trend in literature from the first half of 20th century. They described the hard life of ordinary people. Oscar Wilde is the most famous author of this era. He wrote for example Picture of Dorian Gray. Rudyard Kypling wrote stories about India and The Jungle Book. John Galsworthy was a critical novelist. He described the decay of the Victorian upper middle class in the Forsyte saga.
James Joyce together with Marcel Proust and Franz Kafka mark the turning point in the modern novel. Joyce, born in Dublin, wrote the experimental Dubliners. The most famous author of this era is G. B. Shaw. He attacked the entire society. In his plays he critized society´ s false morals.
In the second half of the 20th century there emerged a group of writers, who hated the social systém. They were called Angry Young Men. To this group belong Kinglsley Amis and his novel Lucky Jim and John Braine with Room at the Top. The experimental writing is represented by William Golding and his Lord of Flies and George Orwell with Animal Farm.
1) Old English (450-1150)
2) Middle English (1150-1500)
3) Modern English (1500-up to now)
1) Old English Literature
Literature of this period was influenced by pagan traditions, magic, problems of life at the time, as well as Christian ideas and moral values. The oldest literature monument of Anglo-Saxon period is an old Germanic legend about a strong hero, Beowulf (from the 8th century). Other types of literary documents were: annals, chronicles, and historical records of various battles. English of that time was influenced by Celtic language.
2) Middle English Literature
This period follows the Norman conquest of Britain after William the Conqueror´s victory in the Battle of Hastings in 1066. William established a strict feudal system holding people in subjection. The church also held a strong influence. The English language was transformed and a French element was added. Latin was also an influence.
In that period there were two main steams in literature: religious literature and secular literature. The main representative of religious literature is John Wycliff, a priest, who criticized the church because of its greed for property. He translated the Bible into English.
In secular literature of the 14th century the most significant writer was Geoffrey Chaucer, who is often called the Father of English poetry. His Canterbury Tales (written in 1387) are a series of 24 poems about a party of pilgrims who tell each other stories to pass time on their journey from London to Canterbury. The Canterbury Tales include stories from medieval life and provides a great variety of humour.
3) Modern English Literature
The Renaissance (1485-1603)
This period was marked by a revival of classical influence expressed in the flowering of arts and literature and by the beginnings of modern science. During this period significant literary works were created. Common forms of literature were: poetic drama, songs, lyrics, ballads and essays. This period was linked with the development of English drama and the best known dramatist was William Shakespeare.
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was born in Stratford upon Avon. As a young man he moved to London and soon became a famous play writer and an owner of the theatre called the Globe. His works are appreciated for their sense of humour, drama and beautiful verses. He wrote 37 plays and a large number of poems and sonnets. His plays can be divided into four groups:
Tragedies: Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, King Lear
Comedies: As You Like It, The Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night´ s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing
Historical Plays: Richard III., Henry V., Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra
Romances: The Tempest, Cymbeline, Pericles, The Winter´ s Tale
Shakespeare´ s work was translated into numerous languages and influenced many other writers, the best Czech translations are by E. A. Saudek, J. V. Sládek and Martin Hilský.
Humanic literature of this period was represented by Sir Thomas More (1478-1535) – an outstanding scientist, statesman, and philosopher, who worked on the court of King Henry VIII. as the Lord Chancellor of England. In his book Utopia he showed his vision of an ideal state where the people lived in peace without any individual property.
In 18th century, together with the development of society and economy, journalism, novels and drama developed as well. Literature became popular among the middle class and first authors were from these circles. Jonathan Swift was a sharp critic. He was a dean in Dublin. He wrote satirical pamphlets on all of the unfair events in British society, but his most popular work is Gulliver´ s Travels. Daniel Defoe was a politican, traveler and journalist. His most famous work is Robinson Crusoe. Robinson, shipwrecked on an island, represents the qualities the middle class needed in capitalist competition to be successful. Henry Fielding was a journalist and lawyer. He wrote a realistic novel Tom Jones, History of a Foundling. There are many characters through which Fielding describes the life in the 18th century.
Characteristic features for Romanticism are: historical topics, love, country, nature, detail, description of weather…Typical representatives are George Gordon Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley and John Keats. To this group Sir Walter Scott belonged. He is the founder of the historical novel. One of his most famous books is Ivanhoe – an old legend.
The Victorian era produced great novels criticizing the various evils of prosperous, but imperialistic society. The best author of this era is Emily Bronte (Wuthering Heights) and Charotte Bronte (Jane Eyre). Charles Dickens described the life of poor people. He combined comic and serious situations. He wrote Little Dorit, The Pickwick Papers and Oliver Twist.
Thomas Hardy together with D. H. Lawrence represents the naturalistic trend in literature from the first half of 20th century. They described the hard life of ordinary people. Oscar Wilde is the most famous author of this era. He wrote for example Picture of Dorian Gray. Rudyard Kypling wrote stories about India and The Jungle Book. John Galsworthy was a critical novelist. He described the decay of the Victorian upper middle class in the Forsyte saga.
James Joyce together with Marcel Proust and Franz Kafka mark the turning point in the modern novel. Joyce, born in Dublin, wrote the experimental Dubliners. The most famous author of this era is G. B. Shaw. He attacked the entire society. In his plays he critized society´ s false morals.
In the second half of the 20th century there emerged a group of writers, who hated the social systém. They were called Angry Young Men. To this group belong Kinglsley Amis and his novel Lucky Jim and John Braine with Room at the Top. The experimental writing is represented by William Golding and his Lord of Flies and George Orwell with Animal Farm.
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was a great English playwright, dramatist and poet who lived during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Shakespeare is considered to be the greatest playwright of all time. No other writer's plays have been produced so many times or read so widely in so many countries as his.
Shakespeare was born to middle class parents. His father, John, was a Stratford businessman. He was a glove maker who owned a leather shop. John Shakespeare was a well known and respected man in the town. He held several important local governmental positions. William Shakespeare's mother was Mary Arden. Though she was the daughter of a local farmer, she was related to a family of considerable wealth and social standing. Mary Arden and John Shakespeare were married in 1557.
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford in 1564. He was one of eight children. The Shakespeare's were well respected prominent people. When William Shakespeare was about seven years old, he probably began attending the Stratford Grammar School with other boys of his social class. Students went to school year round attending school for nine hours a day. The teachers were strict disciplinarians.
Stratford was an exciting place to live. Stratford also had fields and woods surrounding it giving William the opportunity to hunt and trap small game. The River Avon which ran through the town allowed him to fish also. Shakespeare's' poems and plays show his love of nature and rural life which reflects his childhood. On November 28, 1582, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway of the neighbouring village of Shottery. She was twenty-six, and he was only eighteen at the time. They had three children. Susana was their first and then they had twins, Hamnet and Judith. Hamnet, Shakespeare's son, died in 1596.
In London, Shakespeare's career took off. It is believed that he may have become well known in London theatrical life by 1592. By that time, he had joined one of the city's repertory theatre companies. These companies were made up of a permanent cast of actors who presented different plays week after week. The companies were commercial organizations that depended on admission from their audience. Scholars know that Shakespeare belonged to one of the most popular acting companies in London called The Lord Chamberlain's Men. Shakespeare was a leading member of the group from 1594 for the rest of his career. By 1594, at least six of Shakespeare's plays had been produced.
During Shakespeare's life, there were two monarchs who ruled England. They were Henry VIII: and Elizabeth I. Both were impressed with Shakespeare which made his name known. There is evidence that he was a member of a travelling theatre group, and a schoolmaster. In 1594, he became an actor and playwright for Lord Chamberlain's Men. In 1599, he became a part owner of the prosperous Globe Theatre. Shakespeare retired to Stratford in 1613 where he wrote many of his excellent plays. There he had established his family in an imposing house called New Place, and had become a leading local citizen. He died on April 23, 1616, and was buried in the Stratford church.
There are many reasons why William Shakespeare is so famous. He is generally considered to be both the greatest dramatist the world has ever known as well as the finest poet who has written in the English language. Many reasons can be given for Shakespeare's enormous appeal. His fame basically is from his great understanding of human nature. He was able to find universal human qualities and put them in a dramatic situation creating characters that are timeless. Yet he had the ability to create characters that are highly individual human beings. Their struggles in life are universal. Sometimes they are successful and sometimes their lives are full of pain, suffering, and failure.
In addition to his understanding and realistic view of human nature, Shakespeare had a vast knowledge of a variety of subjects. These subjects include music, law, Bible, stage, art, politics, history, hunting, and sports. Shakespeare had a tremendous influence on culture and literature throughout the world.
He contributed greatly to the development of the English language. Many words and phrases from Shakespeare's plays and poems have become part of our speech. Shakespeare's plays and poems have become a required part of education in the United States. Therefore, his ideas on subjects such as romantic love, heroism, comedy, and tragedy have helped shape the attitudes of millions of people. His portrayal of historical figures and events have influenced our thinking more than what has been written in history books. The world has admired and respected many great writers, but only Shakespeare has generated such enormous continuing interest.
He wrote 37 plays: tragedies, comedies and historical plays.
Comedies: The Comedy of Errors, The Taming of the Shrew, The two Gentlemen of Verona, The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer-Night´s Dream, Merry Wives of Windsor, Much Ado about Nothing, As You Like It, Twelfth Night
History plays: Richard II., Richard III., Henry IV., Henry V., Henry VI., Julius Caesar
Tragedies: Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear, Othello
Romances: Pericles, The Winter’s Tale, The Tempest.
...and sonnets
Quotations from Shakespeare:
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. (Hamlet)
Frailty, thy name is woman! (Hamlet)
My kingdom for a horse! (Richard II)
All the world's a stage. And all the men and women merely players. (As You Like It)
The worst is not; So long as we can say, "This is the worst." (King Lear)
When we are born, we cry that we are come to this great stage of fools. (King Lear)
Shakespeare was born to middle class parents. His father, John, was a Stratford businessman. He was a glove maker who owned a leather shop. John Shakespeare was a well known and respected man in the town. He held several important local governmental positions. William Shakespeare's mother was Mary Arden. Though she was the daughter of a local farmer, she was related to a family of considerable wealth and social standing. Mary Arden and John Shakespeare were married in 1557.
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford in 1564. He was one of eight children. The Shakespeare's were well respected prominent people. When William Shakespeare was about seven years old, he probably began attending the Stratford Grammar School with other boys of his social class. Students went to school year round attending school for nine hours a day. The teachers were strict disciplinarians.
Stratford was an exciting place to live. Stratford also had fields and woods surrounding it giving William the opportunity to hunt and trap small game. The River Avon which ran through the town allowed him to fish also. Shakespeare's' poems and plays show his love of nature and rural life which reflects his childhood. On November 28, 1582, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway of the neighbouring village of Shottery. She was twenty-six, and he was only eighteen at the time. They had three children. Susana was their first and then they had twins, Hamnet and Judith. Hamnet, Shakespeare's son, died in 1596.
In London, Shakespeare's career took off. It is believed that he may have become well known in London theatrical life by 1592. By that time, he had joined one of the city's repertory theatre companies. These companies were made up of a permanent cast of actors who presented different plays week after week. The companies were commercial organizations that depended on admission from their audience. Scholars know that Shakespeare belonged to one of the most popular acting companies in London called The Lord Chamberlain's Men. Shakespeare was a leading member of the group from 1594 for the rest of his career. By 1594, at least six of Shakespeare's plays had been produced.
During Shakespeare's life, there were two monarchs who ruled England. They were Henry VIII: and Elizabeth I. Both were impressed with Shakespeare which made his name known. There is evidence that he was a member of a travelling theatre group, and a schoolmaster. In 1594, he became an actor and playwright for Lord Chamberlain's Men. In 1599, he became a part owner of the prosperous Globe Theatre. Shakespeare retired to Stratford in 1613 where he wrote many of his excellent plays. There he had established his family in an imposing house called New Place, and had become a leading local citizen. He died on April 23, 1616, and was buried in the Stratford church.
There are many reasons why William Shakespeare is so famous. He is generally considered to be both the greatest dramatist the world has ever known as well as the finest poet who has written in the English language. Many reasons can be given for Shakespeare's enormous appeal. His fame basically is from his great understanding of human nature. He was able to find universal human qualities and put them in a dramatic situation creating characters that are timeless. Yet he had the ability to create characters that are highly individual human beings. Their struggles in life are universal. Sometimes they are successful and sometimes their lives are full of pain, suffering, and failure.
In addition to his understanding and realistic view of human nature, Shakespeare had a vast knowledge of a variety of subjects. These subjects include music, law, Bible, stage, art, politics, history, hunting, and sports. Shakespeare had a tremendous influence on culture and literature throughout the world.
He contributed greatly to the development of the English language. Many words and phrases from Shakespeare's plays and poems have become part of our speech. Shakespeare's plays and poems have become a required part of education in the United States. Therefore, his ideas on subjects such as romantic love, heroism, comedy, and tragedy have helped shape the attitudes of millions of people. His portrayal of historical figures and events have influenced our thinking more than what has been written in history books. The world has admired and respected many great writers, but only Shakespeare has generated such enormous continuing interest.
He wrote 37 plays: tragedies, comedies and historical plays.
Comedies: The Comedy of Errors, The Taming of the Shrew, The two Gentlemen of Verona, The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer-Night´s Dream, Merry Wives of Windsor, Much Ado about Nothing, As You Like It, Twelfth Night
History plays: Richard II., Richard III., Henry IV., Henry V., Henry VI., Julius Caesar
Tragedies: Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear, Othello
Romances: Pericles, The Winter’s Tale, The Tempest.
...and sonnets
Quotations from Shakespeare:
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. (Hamlet)
Frailty, thy name is woman! (Hamlet)
My kingdom for a horse! (Richard II)
All the world's a stage. And all the men and women merely players. (As You Like It)
The worst is not; So long as we can say, "This is the worst." (King Lear)
When we are born, we cry that we are come to this great stage of fools. (King Lear)
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