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)
The Czech system of education
School attendance in the Czech republic is compulsory from 6 to 15 years. Majority of schools are state, but there are also private or church schools. Children in our school don´t have to wear uniforms. The school year starts on the 1st September and ens on the 30th June. Classes begin usually at 8 o´clock, one class has 45 minutes. Students are evaluated by marks from 5 to 1, 1 is the best, 5 the worst. Education in Czech republic start in nursery school, there are children from 3 to 6. From 6 to 15 children go to primary school. After secondary majority children visit secondary school. You can choose from free types: secondary school, it is our school, specail schools, which include technical college specialized in building, chemismy, business academies ect. Or vocation schools, which train students to be worker for practical jobs. Secondary school usually lasts fou years and is finished with school- leasing examation. Some students go to universities and colleges, which last 3-6 years. At the end of studium, you can get Bachelor´s, Master´s or Doctoral Degree.
We are science grammar school. At our school we have compulsory subjects, and from second year we are selecting optional subject which are usually seminairy from ours profile´s subjects. We don´t have to go into school in uniforms, we have got usually about 33 classes per week. Usually we haven ´t got lunch break, we are eating after last class.
We are science grammar school. At our school we have compulsory subjects, and from second year we are selecting optional subject which are usually seminairy from ours profile´s subjects. We don´t have to go into school in uniforms, we have got usually about 33 classes per week. Usually we haven ´t got lunch break, we are eating after last class.
Great Britain – geography and interesting places
Great Britain is situated to the Northwest of the European continent between the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea. The most famous English river is The Thames. The longest river is The Severn. Lakes are situated in the north of England for example Like District or in Scotland. The most famous lake is Loch Ness. British mountains are low, the highest is Ben Nevis. The Great Britain is consists of four countries. The first is England, national symbols are Red rose and lion. The capital city is London with lots of monuments. The second part is Scotland, mountainouns country. There lived famous people like W.Scott, A.C.Doyle or Sean Conery. The nationals symbols are Thistle and tartan. This theme is worn on the skirt which wears also man. Interesting places are montainouns and city Edinburg with the dominante of the city Edinburg castle. The third part is Northern Ireland with national symbol clover. The capital city is Belfast, originally ship-building centre, for example titanic was built there. The last part is Wales. The patron of this country is St. Davis and symbols are daffodil and dragon. The capital city is Cardiff with the second largest Stadium in the World and with Cardiff castle which is often visited.
Places to visit in GB are:
• Oxford, Cambridge – There are the most known universities.
• Stonehenge - is the most prehistoric monument in Great Britain, is about
4 000 years old. Since 1984 Stonehenge is under UNESCO protection. Some people believe that Stonehenge is a calendar of others that are hours. The origin of the stones is a mystery.
• Lake District - English glacier lake, national park
• Bath - This city is know for big bath, who are made from three hot wells. Water from wells is using for cure. First mention is from Romans age. From Elisabeth age till Georgey age Bath was place for rich people. And effect of this is city with inetresting architectural buildings.
Places to visit in GB are:
• Oxford, Cambridge – There are the most known universities.
• Stonehenge - is the most prehistoric monument in Great Britain, is about
4 000 years old. Since 1984 Stonehenge is under UNESCO protection. Some people believe that Stonehenge is a calendar of others that are hours. The origin of the stones is a mystery.
• Lake District - English glacier lake, national park
• Bath - This city is know for big bath, who are made from three hot wells. Water from wells is using for cure. First mention is from Romans age. From Elisabeth age till Georgey age Bath was place for rich people. And effect of this is city with inetresting architectural buildings.
Gret Britain history
The first inhabitans in british isles were the celtic people 800 BC. They built a lot of monuments and some of them have been preserved (zachovat se), for example stonehenge. Two centuries later They were followed by the brythons or ancient (starověkký) britons after whom the country was called britain.
In 55 BC was the first roman invasion by julius caesar. But the british people stood up (odolat) to invasion for 90 years, but they were conquered (zdolat) by emperor claudius in 43 nl. Although the roman occupation lasted (trvat) for 400 years, the british people didnt adopt the latin language and didnt displace (vytlačit) the celtic.
In 5th century came three germanic tribes (kmen) – the Angles, saxons and jutes. From scandinavia came the vikings and this invasion continued till the 11th century. This period can be characterised as a period from tribe to feudal organisation of society. The period of feudalism lasted to the 15th century. In this time the english nation and language came into being. It was period of faiting between kings and nobles (šlechta), frequent were wars and suffering (utrpení). But it was also time of trade (obchod) and the end of feudalism prepared england for a rise (růst) as a Word power.
Other period was known as tudor period. The two famous rulers were henry VIII and elizabeth I., and in the elizabethan age england became one of the leading powers. Henry had six wifes and and five mistresses and he prefered absolutism. Elizabeth first didnt have any children and for that she was called virgin queen. For her all life she cared about country.
In the 17th century grew the conflict between king and parliament and that was reason for the civil war in the in 1640, which resulted in the abolition of the monarchy and the head of this revolution was john cromwell and this was also end for english bourgeoise revolution. In 1603 – 1707 was created the personal union of sckottland and england, because to 1660 it was a republic. In 1707 was created the great britain from england and scottland.
In the 17th and 18th century england was the best at european commerce and this was the preparing for the industrial revolution. During the industrial revolution britain became the first industrial power in the world.
The anglo – french rivalry for world domination culminated in the napoleonic wars – 19th c. the victorian era, called after queen victoria, was a period in which britain became the strongest world power, the greatest financial and commercial power, the greatest sea power and the greatest colonial power, it was era of colonial expansion.
In 1801 was created the united kingdoom from great britain and ireland, but in 1921 the ireland was the free state and united kingdom was from great britain and the north ireland. Now the queen is Elizabeth second from Windsors dynasty.
Great Britain
Official name is United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
The United Kingdom consists of four historical and geographic parts - Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The capital city of Wales is Cardiff, in Scotland it is Edinburgh, in England it is London and the capital city of Northern Ireland is Belfast.
The population of Great Britain is nearly 60 million. There live the English, the Scottish, the Irish, the Wales and the Ulster – it is Indian, Pakistan, Jews, Italian, Chinese and so on. The majority of people speak English.
History
The first inhabitants who came to this land were settlers from Europe. The name Britannia came from Romans who occupied the country. Then the country was occupied both by Vikings from Scandinavia and Normans.
London
The capital city of whole Britain is London. It has a population of around 10 million people. It lies on the river Thames. There are many important monuments. For example places of interest in London are Tower Bridge, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, the London is home of the Queen, Hyde Park, the residence of the prime minister, etc. There is a centre of political and administrative life in London, which is the city of Westminster. There are Houses of Parliament rebuilt in gothic style, there is also the famous Big Ben.
Besides these capitals there are many big cities such as Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow etc.
Nature
Apart from the land border with the Irish republic, the United Kingdom is surrounded by sea. From continental Europe it is separated by the English Channel. The North Sea lies to the east. The Irish Sea separated Great Britain from Ireland, while south-western England, the north-western coast of Northern Ireland, and western Scotland face the atlantic Ocean.
The country can be divided into two regions – Highland and Lowland.
The highland zone consists of groups of mountains:
The main mountains regions are in the North and East of Britain. The higest mountains are the Highlands of Scotland with the higest mountain Ben Nevis.
The lowland zone is flat and rolling, there are many limestone or chalk hills, but the best known of these are the chalk cliffs facing European mainland.
Lakes are numerous in the Lake District, the largest being Windermere, and in the Highlands of Scotland, the most famous is the Scottish Loch Ness because the legends surrounding it. The most important river is the Thames, which flows through London; the others are The Severn or The Trent.
The UK is really good at football. The football has a big tradition in the UK. The most well-know and the best teams in the UK are Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal or Glasgow Rangers.
Places to visit in Great Britain
GB is very rich in monuments. On this area is about 27 UNESCO.
Between the most popular places in GB evidently belongs The Stonehenge. It is an arrangement of a big stones. The function of this place is still unclear. The most likely theory is the sacrificial function.
Another interesting thing is Hadrian`s Wall. It was a defensive fortification in northern England. Begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian, it was the first of two fortifications built across Great Britain, the second being the Antonine Wall, lesser known of the two because its physical remains are less evident today.
Caernarvon castle is too very big touristic attraction. King Edward I, known as Longshanks, ringed Wales with castles, in the 13th century, as a way of subduing the rebellious Welsh and cementing English power over them. He intended Caernarvon Castle to be a Royal residence and the seat of his government in North Wales.
In 55 BC was the first roman invasion by julius caesar. But the british people stood up (odolat) to invasion for 90 years, but they were conquered (zdolat) by emperor claudius in 43 nl. Although the roman occupation lasted (trvat) for 400 years, the british people didnt adopt the latin language and didnt displace (vytlačit) the celtic.
In 5th century came three germanic tribes (kmen) – the Angles, saxons and jutes. From scandinavia came the vikings and this invasion continued till the 11th century. This period can be characterised as a period from tribe to feudal organisation of society. The period of feudalism lasted to the 15th century. In this time the english nation and language came into being. It was period of faiting between kings and nobles (šlechta), frequent were wars and suffering (utrpení). But it was also time of trade (obchod) and the end of feudalism prepared england for a rise (růst) as a Word power.
Other period was known as tudor period. The two famous rulers were henry VIII and elizabeth I., and in the elizabethan age england became one of the leading powers. Henry had six wifes and and five mistresses and he prefered absolutism. Elizabeth first didnt have any children and for that she was called virgin queen. For her all life she cared about country.
In the 17th century grew the conflict between king and parliament and that was reason for the civil war in the in 1640, which resulted in the abolition of the monarchy and the head of this revolution was john cromwell and this was also end for english bourgeoise revolution. In 1603 – 1707 was created the personal union of sckottland and england, because to 1660 it was a republic. In 1707 was created the great britain from england and scottland.
In the 17th and 18th century england was the best at european commerce and this was the preparing for the industrial revolution. During the industrial revolution britain became the first industrial power in the world.
The anglo – french rivalry for world domination culminated in the napoleonic wars – 19th c. the victorian era, called after queen victoria, was a period in which britain became the strongest world power, the greatest financial and commercial power, the greatest sea power and the greatest colonial power, it was era of colonial expansion.
In 1801 was created the united kingdoom from great britain and ireland, but in 1921 the ireland was the free state and united kingdom was from great britain and the north ireland. Now the queen is Elizabeth second from Windsors dynasty.
Great Britain
Official name is United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
The United Kingdom consists of four historical and geographic parts - Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The capital city of Wales is Cardiff, in Scotland it is Edinburgh, in England it is London and the capital city of Northern Ireland is Belfast.
The population of Great Britain is nearly 60 million. There live the English, the Scottish, the Irish, the Wales and the Ulster – it is Indian, Pakistan, Jews, Italian, Chinese and so on. The majority of people speak English.
History
The first inhabitants who came to this land were settlers from Europe. The name Britannia came from Romans who occupied the country. Then the country was occupied both by Vikings from Scandinavia and Normans.
London
The capital city of whole Britain is London. It has a population of around 10 million people. It lies on the river Thames. There are many important monuments. For example places of interest in London are Tower Bridge, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, the London is home of the Queen, Hyde Park, the residence of the prime minister, etc. There is a centre of political and administrative life in London, which is the city of Westminster. There are Houses of Parliament rebuilt in gothic style, there is also the famous Big Ben.
Besides these capitals there are many big cities such as Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow etc.
Nature
Apart from the land border with the Irish republic, the United Kingdom is surrounded by sea. From continental Europe it is separated by the English Channel. The North Sea lies to the east. The Irish Sea separated Great Britain from Ireland, while south-western England, the north-western coast of Northern Ireland, and western Scotland face the atlantic Ocean.
The country can be divided into two regions – Highland and Lowland.
The highland zone consists of groups of mountains:
The main mountains regions are in the North and East of Britain. The higest mountains are the Highlands of Scotland with the higest mountain Ben Nevis.
The lowland zone is flat and rolling, there are many limestone or chalk hills, but the best known of these are the chalk cliffs facing European mainland.
Lakes are numerous in the Lake District, the largest being Windermere, and in the Highlands of Scotland, the most famous is the Scottish Loch Ness because the legends surrounding it. The most important river is the Thames, which flows through London; the others are The Severn or The Trent.
The UK is really good at football. The football has a big tradition in the UK. The most well-know and the best teams in the UK are Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal or Glasgow Rangers.
Places to visit in Great Britain
GB is very rich in monuments. On this area is about 27 UNESCO.
Between the most popular places in GB evidently belongs The Stonehenge. It is an arrangement of a big stones. The function of this place is still unclear. The most likely theory is the sacrificial function.
Another interesting thing is Hadrian`s Wall. It was a defensive fortification in northern England. Begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian, it was the first of two fortifications built across Great Britain, the second being the Antonine Wall, lesser known of the two because its physical remains are less evident today.
Caernarvon castle is too very big touristic attraction. King Edward I, known as Longshanks, ringed Wales with castles, in the 13th century, as a way of subduing the rebellious Welsh and cementing English power over them. He intended Caernarvon Castle to be a Royal residence and the seat of his government in North Wales.
Canada
History: The Vikings first discovered it more than a thousand years ago, but the Europeans came there in the 15th century ? in 1497 John Cabot discovered Canada. The name Canada derivers from the Indian word ?Kanata?, which means a village or community. It first appears in narrative of Jacque Cartier and is used since 1860. After its discovery the land was first called New France, then British North America. Canada became a British dominion in 1867 (it was a British colony since 1793). Now it is a self-governing member of the British Commonwealth and since 1964 it has its own national flag and emblem (the maple leaf). Economically the neighbouring USA influences Canada.
Geography: Canada is the second largest country in the world. It covers more then half of the continent of North America and occupies a number of islands. The largest of them are: Vancouver in the west, New Scotland and Newfoundland in the east, Victoria and Baffin Islands in the north. Canada borders with USA in the south and Alaska in the north-west. In the east there is the Atlantic Ocean, in the west the Pacific Ocean. The surface is various: in the east Canada there are hills and mountains, the central part is covered by vast plains. In the west, there is the mountain range of the Rocky Mountains. The highest mountain is Mt. Logan (5959 m high).
Canada is a country of lakes, there are thousands of them. The largest are Lake Erie and Ontario. There are famous Niagara Falls between these lakes. Great Bear Lake, Great Slave Lake, Lake Winnipeg is an other well-known lake.
The Niagara Falls are the major tourist attraction. The Canadian part is 900 m wide (the American 320 m). Goast Island reports the two part. The longest river is Mackenzie, other big rivers are the Yukon, the Fraser, the Columbia and the River St. Lawrence.
The climate: Most of the inhabited parts of Canada have a continental climate (with warm and sunny summers and long cold winters). On the Pacific coast the climate is milder, the North, mostly uninhabited, had the Arctic climate with winter temperatures about 500 C below zero.
Canada has a population of about 32 mil. people. About 45 % are of British origin, about 30 % of French origin, over 20 % of continental European origin, about 300 000 Indians and 20 000 Eskimos. The Eskimo population inhabits the Arctic regions and Indians live mostly in the villages in the prairies. Most of the French Canadians live in the province of Quebec. Both English and French are the official languages in Canada. Most inhabitants live near U.S. ? Canadian borders. The capital city is Ottawa, the largest city is Montreal, next big cities are Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, Quebec, Vancouver ? important port on the west coast.
Natural resources: Canada is very rich in minerals and natural resources. There are large deposits of coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, copper, zinc, nickel, lead uranium etc. But its greatest resources are forests. Canada is the major exporter of lumber, wood, pulp and print paper.
Places to visit
Canada has many popular city destinations, each offering its own Canadian urban experience. From the laid back charm of Vancouver to the sophisticated European flair of Montreal and Quebec City, cities in Canada are popular tourist destinations.
Canada is a big country with a wide-ranging geography, making it ideal for many sports and outdoor adventures. Whether you're looking for nice hiking trails, golf courses or want to up the thrill factor by heli-skiing or dog-sledding, Canada has a vacation for you.
In most popular places in Canada belongs: Niagara Falls, Toronto – CN Tower, Vancouver – winter olympic games 2010.
UNESCO: Nahanni national park (around the river Nahanni).
Historic district of Quebec - The historic center of the city founded in the 17th century citadel includes, for example, parliament, the old port and commercial neighborhoods.
Geography: Canada is the second largest country in the world. It covers more then half of the continent of North America and occupies a number of islands. The largest of them are: Vancouver in the west, New Scotland and Newfoundland in the east, Victoria and Baffin Islands in the north. Canada borders with USA in the south and Alaska in the north-west. In the east there is the Atlantic Ocean, in the west the Pacific Ocean. The surface is various: in the east Canada there are hills and mountains, the central part is covered by vast plains. In the west, there is the mountain range of the Rocky Mountains. The highest mountain is Mt. Logan (5959 m high).
Canada is a country of lakes, there are thousands of them. The largest are Lake Erie and Ontario. There are famous Niagara Falls between these lakes. Great Bear Lake, Great Slave Lake, Lake Winnipeg is an other well-known lake.
The Niagara Falls are the major tourist attraction. The Canadian part is 900 m wide (the American 320 m). Goast Island reports the two part. The longest river is Mackenzie, other big rivers are the Yukon, the Fraser, the Columbia and the River St. Lawrence.
The climate: Most of the inhabited parts of Canada have a continental climate (with warm and sunny summers and long cold winters). On the Pacific coast the climate is milder, the North, mostly uninhabited, had the Arctic climate with winter temperatures about 500 C below zero.
Canada has a population of about 32 mil. people. About 45 % are of British origin, about 30 % of French origin, over 20 % of continental European origin, about 300 000 Indians and 20 000 Eskimos. The Eskimo population inhabits the Arctic regions and Indians live mostly in the villages in the prairies. Most of the French Canadians live in the province of Quebec. Both English and French are the official languages in Canada. Most inhabitants live near U.S. ? Canadian borders. The capital city is Ottawa, the largest city is Montreal, next big cities are Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, Quebec, Vancouver ? important port on the west coast.
Natural resources: Canada is very rich in minerals and natural resources. There are large deposits of coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, copper, zinc, nickel, lead uranium etc. But its greatest resources are forests. Canada is the major exporter of lumber, wood, pulp and print paper.
Places to visit
Canada has many popular city destinations, each offering its own Canadian urban experience. From the laid back charm of Vancouver to the sophisticated European flair of Montreal and Quebec City, cities in Canada are popular tourist destinations.
Canada is a big country with a wide-ranging geography, making it ideal for many sports and outdoor adventures. Whether you're looking for nice hiking trails, golf courses or want to up the thrill factor by heli-skiing or dog-sledding, Canada has a vacation for you.
In most popular places in Canada belongs: Niagara Falls, Toronto – CN Tower, Vancouver – winter olympic games 2010.
UNESCO: Nahanni national park (around the river Nahanni).
Historic district of Quebec - The historic center of the city founded in the 17th century citadel includes, for example, parliament, the old port and commercial neighborhoods.
Prague
Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic. It is the most important political, economic and cultural centre of the country and seat of the President and the other institutions of Czech government.
More than one million people live here.
In middle ages, it was a very important city in the time of reign the king Charles IV.
Now I would like to speak about the centre of Prague. The historical centre is very nice. There is a Venceslas square, which is the largest and the most important square in Prague. It is typical for a statue of St. Venceslas in the upper part of the square. This statue was made by Czech sculptor Myslbek. There are a lot of small cafeterias, fastfoods and restaurants.
From the Venceslas square we can go to the Old Town square. This square is well known for the Astronomical clock with twelve apostles going around beyond two little windows every hour. It is the place where twenty seven Czech noblemen were executed.
From the Old Town square we can go to Charles Bridge. This bridge was built by Charles IV. in the 14th century.
The urban river is called Vltava.
In Old town its Judaic cemetery and Old - New Synagogue was the centre of The Prague Ghetto. It is very attractive and interesting place.
The most famous place for tourists is Prague castle. It is the seat of the president. There we can visit for example the Golden lane. The St.Vitus cathedral stands near the Castle.
Now I would like to present art movements in Prague history.
Romanesque style:
The oldest buildings are built in the Romanesque style. They have thick stone walls and small narrow windows with round arches. The most important example of Romanesque style is the Basilica of St. George at Prague Castle. Rotundas were also built – there are three in the Prague, for example in Vyšehrad. Prague had also a Romanesque stone bridge – the Judith Bridge, it was near the present Charles Bridge. Many Romanesque houses were in the Old Town.
Gothic style:
The next style is called Gothic. The buildings were high with much thinner walls, their arches were pointed. Rib cross vault is another of their characteristic features. Examples: St. Vitus´s Cathedral, Old Town Hall, Charles Bridge and its towers and Old – New Synagogue. Many Gothic buildings were built especially during the reign of Charles IV. He called to Prague the best builders of his days – Mathias of Arras and after his death – Peter Parler. At Prague Castle he built a new residence similar to the palace of French kings. Charles IV. also established the New Town. Some large buildings, for example St. Vitus´s Cathedral or the Church of Our Lady of Týn or the Church of Our Lady of the Snows were finished much later. Vladislav´s Hall at Prague Castle named after the king Vladislav Jagellon, was built in Gothic style, but its windows are in Renaissance style.
Renaissance style:
The best – known examples of Renaissance style are the Royal Summer Palace or Belveder or Hvězda Summer Palace. During the reign of the Emperor Rudolf II., who made Prague his permanent residence the Spanish Hall and Rudolf´s Gallery were built at Prague Castle.
Baroque and Rococo styles:
Many churches and other buildings are from period of Baroque and Rococo. Their characteristic features are monumentally, curve in the forms of windows, wall or statues, onion-shaped tower roofs, large wall paintings. The most famous Baroque church is St. Nicholas Church in Malostranské náměstí, another Baroque church is the Church of St. Nicholas in the Old Town Square and Prague Loretta in Hradčany. The finest Rococo building in Prague is Kinský Palace in the Old Town Square.
Classicism and empire:
The style of classicism and empire were inspired by Classical architecture – The Estate Theatre, there were in 1787 the world premiere of Mozart´s Don Giovanni, and in 1834 the premiere of Josef Kajetán Tyl´s Fidlovačka, one of its songs became the Czech anthem. Prague’s best-known Empire style building is the Exhibition Hale U Hybernů.
The second half of the 19th century is period of pseudo-historical styles. A pseudo-Romanesque style and pseudo-Gothic style is frequent – the western half of St. Vitus´s Cathedral or the Church of St. Ludmila in Vinohrady. Neo-Renaissance buildings are for example the National Theatre, the Rudolfinum or the National Museum.
Art Nouveau:
At the beginning of the 20th century, blocks of flats and public buildings were built in Art Nouveau. It is a very decorative style with flowers and leaves, geometrical ornaments. For example Prague Municipal House beside the Powder Tower.
Cubism:
After the Art Nouveau there was a short period of Cubism. The most important of these buildings is the house at black Madonna.
Functionalism:
Another famous style was architectural Functionalism. It was a period between two wars. An outstanding example of Czech Constructivism is Trade Fair Palace in Holešovice.
Modern art:
In Prague of there days we can see all these historical monuments and also new buildings for example very interesting Dancing House – it looks like dancing pair of people.
More than one million people live here.
In middle ages, it was a very important city in the time of reign the king Charles IV.
Now I would like to speak about the centre of Prague. The historical centre is very nice. There is a Venceslas square, which is the largest and the most important square in Prague. It is typical for a statue of St. Venceslas in the upper part of the square. This statue was made by Czech sculptor Myslbek. There are a lot of small cafeterias, fastfoods and restaurants.
From the Venceslas square we can go to the Old Town square. This square is well known for the Astronomical clock with twelve apostles going around beyond two little windows every hour. It is the place where twenty seven Czech noblemen were executed.
From the Old Town square we can go to Charles Bridge. This bridge was built by Charles IV. in the 14th century.
The urban river is called Vltava.
In Old town its Judaic cemetery and Old - New Synagogue was the centre of The Prague Ghetto. It is very attractive and interesting place.
The most famous place for tourists is Prague castle. It is the seat of the president. There we can visit for example the Golden lane. The St.Vitus cathedral stands near the Castle.
Now I would like to present art movements in Prague history.
Romanesque style:
The oldest buildings are built in the Romanesque style. They have thick stone walls and small narrow windows with round arches. The most important example of Romanesque style is the Basilica of St. George at Prague Castle. Rotundas were also built – there are three in the Prague, for example in Vyšehrad. Prague had also a Romanesque stone bridge – the Judith Bridge, it was near the present Charles Bridge. Many Romanesque houses were in the Old Town.
Gothic style:
The next style is called Gothic. The buildings were high with much thinner walls, their arches were pointed. Rib cross vault is another of their characteristic features. Examples: St. Vitus´s Cathedral, Old Town Hall, Charles Bridge and its towers and Old – New Synagogue. Many Gothic buildings were built especially during the reign of Charles IV. He called to Prague the best builders of his days – Mathias of Arras and after his death – Peter Parler. At Prague Castle he built a new residence similar to the palace of French kings. Charles IV. also established the New Town. Some large buildings, for example St. Vitus´s Cathedral or the Church of Our Lady of Týn or the Church of Our Lady of the Snows were finished much later. Vladislav´s Hall at Prague Castle named after the king Vladislav Jagellon, was built in Gothic style, but its windows are in Renaissance style.
Renaissance style:
The best – known examples of Renaissance style are the Royal Summer Palace or Belveder or Hvězda Summer Palace. During the reign of the Emperor Rudolf II., who made Prague his permanent residence the Spanish Hall and Rudolf´s Gallery were built at Prague Castle.
Baroque and Rococo styles:
Many churches and other buildings are from period of Baroque and Rococo. Their characteristic features are monumentally, curve in the forms of windows, wall or statues, onion-shaped tower roofs, large wall paintings. The most famous Baroque church is St. Nicholas Church in Malostranské náměstí, another Baroque church is the Church of St. Nicholas in the Old Town Square and Prague Loretta in Hradčany. The finest Rococo building in Prague is Kinský Palace in the Old Town Square.
Classicism and empire:
The style of classicism and empire were inspired by Classical architecture – The Estate Theatre, there were in 1787 the world premiere of Mozart´s Don Giovanni, and in 1834 the premiere of Josef Kajetán Tyl´s Fidlovačka, one of its songs became the Czech anthem. Prague’s best-known Empire style building is the Exhibition Hale U Hybernů.
The second half of the 19th century is period of pseudo-historical styles. A pseudo-Romanesque style and pseudo-Gothic style is frequent – the western half of St. Vitus´s Cathedral or the Church of St. Ludmila in Vinohrady. Neo-Renaissance buildings are for example the National Theatre, the Rudolfinum or the National Museum.
Art Nouveau:
At the beginning of the 20th century, blocks of flats and public buildings were built in Art Nouveau. It is a very decorative style with flowers and leaves, geometrical ornaments. For example Prague Municipal House beside the Powder Tower.
Cubism:
After the Art Nouveau there was a short period of Cubism. The most important of these buildings is the house at black Madonna.
Functionalism:
Another famous style was architectural Functionalism. It was a period between two wars. An outstanding example of Czech Constructivism is Trade Fair Palace in Holešovice.
Modern art:
In Prague of there days we can see all these historical monuments and also new buildings for example very interesting Dancing House – it looks like dancing pair of people.
The Czech Republic
The head of state is President and head of government is a Prime Minister.
The Czech Republic is a small land-locked (inland) country, due to its position often called the heart of Europe. The country is nested among mountains in the border regions that form a ring around the country. On that small area live about 10,3 million people. The capital city Prague with 1,2 million inhabitants is also the largest one in the country.
From the historical and cultural point of view, the country is divided into Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia.
Although the CR doesn´t have access to sea and alpine peaks, its territory includes variol landscape.
The highest mountain is Sněžka in the Giant Mountain. The biggest river in the CR is the Elbe which springs in the Giant Mountains and flows through Germany to the Northern Sea. The Vltava is considered the Czech „national river“, it is the longest river that acrosss the Czech territory. Many Czech river are suitable for canoe-touring.
A typical Czech landscape is a gently rolling one, with a colourful mosaic of fields, meadows and woods. Czech mountains provide good conditions for skiing in winter and hiking in summer. The country has only a few natural lakes, therefore a typic feature of the Czech countryside are fishing ponds. Most of them are located in South Bohemia.
The Czech territory also has numerus mineral water sprint, which are used for balneal purposes and for drinking cures.
Czech republic is particulary rich in castles. Probably most famous castles are Prague Castle and Karlštejn near Prague and the most visited are probably Hluboká Chateau and Lednice Chateau. The Czech has also 3 spa towns – Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně and Františkovy Lázně. (Plzeň is well known for Škoda auto and Pilsner beer.)
About 34% of the country is forested. Agriculture plays a relatively small role in the nation´s export industry (here potatoes, wheat, corn, sugar beets; pigs, cattle, sheep and fowl). The Czech republic has many industries (cars, steelworks, jewellery), it produce f.e. coal, mercury, zinc, lead,iron.
The Czech Republic is a small land-locked (inland) country, due to its position often called the heart of Europe. The country is nested among mountains in the border regions that form a ring around the country. On that small area live about 10,3 million people. The capital city Prague with 1,2 million inhabitants is also the largest one in the country.
From the historical and cultural point of view, the country is divided into Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia.
Although the CR doesn´t have access to sea and alpine peaks, its territory includes variol landscape.
The highest mountain is Sněžka in the Giant Mountain. The biggest river in the CR is the Elbe which springs in the Giant Mountains and flows through Germany to the Northern Sea. The Vltava is considered the Czech „national river“, it is the longest river that acrosss the Czech territory. Many Czech river are suitable for canoe-touring.
A typical Czech landscape is a gently rolling one, with a colourful mosaic of fields, meadows and woods. Czech mountains provide good conditions for skiing in winter and hiking in summer. The country has only a few natural lakes, therefore a typic feature of the Czech countryside are fishing ponds. Most of them are located in South Bohemia.
The Czech territory also has numerus mineral water sprint, which are used for balneal purposes and for drinking cures.
Czech republic is particulary rich in castles. Probably most famous castles are Prague Castle and Karlštejn near Prague and the most visited are probably Hluboká Chateau and Lednice Chateau. The Czech has also 3 spa towns – Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně and Františkovy Lázně. (Plzeň is well known for Škoda auto and Pilsner beer.)
About 34% of the country is forested. Agriculture plays a relatively small role in the nation´s export industry (here potatoes, wheat, corn, sugar beets; pigs, cattle, sheep and fowl). The Czech republic has many industries (cars, steelworks, jewellery), it produce f.e. coal, mercury, zinc, lead,iron.
American history and holidays
Americans celebrate a variety of federal holidays and other national observances throughout the year. American holidays can be secular, religious, international, or uniquely American.
With the wide variety of federal holidays, and the many levels of American government, it can be confusing to determine what public and private facilities are open on or around a given federal holiday. You can usually find such information in the daily newspaper or by calling the office you wish to visit.
The following are American federal holidays and other common national observances. Federal holidays are indicated as such.
New Year's Day is January 1. The celebration of this federal holiday begins the night before, when Americans gather to wish each other a happy and prosperous coming year. Many Americans make New Year's resolutions.
Martin Luther King Day is a federal holiday celebrated on the third Monday in January. The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. was an African-American clergyman who is recognized for his tireless efforts to win civil rights for all people through nonviolent means.
Groundhog Day is February 2, and has been celebrated since 1887. On Groundhog Day, crowds gather in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to see if groundhog Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow after emerging from his burrow, thus predicting six more weeks of winter weather.
Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14. The day was named after an early Christian martyr, and on Valentine's Day, Americans give presents like candy or flowers to the ones they love. The first mass-produced valentine cards were sold in the 1840s.
Washington's Birthday is a federal holiday observed the third Monday of February to honor George Washington, the first President of the United States. This date is commonly called Presidents' Day and many groups honor the legacy of past presidents on this date.
Easter falls on a spring Sunday that varies from year to year. Easter is a Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For Christians, Easter is a day of religious services and the gathering of family. Many Americans follow old traditions of coloring hard-boiled eggs and giving children baskets of candy.
Earth Day is observed on April 22. First celebrated in 1970 in the United States, it inspired national legislation such as the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts. Earth Day is designed to promote ecology, encourage respect for life on earth, and highlight concern over pollution of the soil, air, and water.
National Arbor Day was proclaimed as the last Friday in April by President Richard Nixon in 1970. A number of state Arbor Days are observed at other times to coincide with the best tree planting weather, from January and February in the south to May in the far north. The observance began in 1872, when Nebraska settlers and homesteaders were urged to plant trees on the largely treeless plains.
Mother's Day celebrates mothers every second Sunday of May. President Woodrow Wilson, who issued a proclamation in 1914, asked Americans to give a public expression of reverence to mothers on this day. Carnations have come to represent Mother's Day, following President William McKinley's habit of always wearing a white carnation, his mother's favorite flower.
Memorial Day is a federal holiday observed the last Monday of May. It originally honored the people killed in the American Civil War, but has become a day on which the American dead of all wars, and the dead generally, are remembered in special programs held in cemeteries, churches, and other public meeting places. The flying of the American flag is widespread.
Flag Day, celebrated June 14, has been a presidentially proclaimed observance since 1916. Although Flag Day is not a federal holiday, Americans are encouraged to display the flag outside their homes and businesses on this day to honor the history and heritage the American flag represents.
Father's Day celebrates fathers every third Sunday of June. Father's Day began in 1909 in Spokane, Washington, when a daughter requested a special day to honor her father, a Civil War veteran who raised his children after his wife died. The first presidential proclamation honoring fathers was issued in 1966 by President Lyndon Johnson.
Independence Day is July 4. This federal holiday honors the nation's birthday - the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. It is a day of picnics and patriotic parades, a night of concerts and fireworks. The flying of the American flag is widespread.
Labor Day is the first Monday of September. This federal holiday honors the nation's working people, typically with parades. For most Americans it marks the end of the summer vacation season and the start of the school year.
Columbus Day is a federal holiday celebrated on the second Monday in October. The day commemorates October 12, 1492, when Italian navigator Christopher Columbus landed in the New World. The holiday was first proclaimed in 1937 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Halloween is celebrated on October 31. On Halloween, American children dress up in funny or scary costumes and go "trick or treating" by knocking on doors in their neighborhood. The neighbors are expected to respond by giving them small gifts of candy or money.
Veterans Day is celebrated on November 11. Originally called Armistice Day, this federal holiday was established to honor Americans who had served in World War I, but it now honors veterans of all wars in which the U.S. has fought. Veterans' organizations hold parades, and the president places a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
Thanksgiving Day is a federal holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. In the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims held a three-day feast to celebrate a bountiful harvest. Many regard this event as the nation's first Thanksgiving.The Thanksgiving feast became a national tradition and almost always includes some of the foods served at the first feast: roast turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes, and pumpkin pie.
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day is December 7. In 1994, Congress designated this national observance to honor the more than 2,400 military service personnel who died on this date in 1941, during the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, by Japanese forces. The attack on Pearl Harbor caused the United States to enter World War II.
Christmas Day is a federal holiday celebrated on December 25. Christmas is a Christian holiday marking the birth of the Christ Child. Decorating houses and yards with lights, putting up Christmas trees, giving gifts, and sending greeting cards have become traditions even for many non-Christian Americans.
With the wide variety of federal holidays, and the many levels of American government, it can be confusing to determine what public and private facilities are open on or around a given federal holiday. You can usually find such information in the daily newspaper or by calling the office you wish to visit.
The following are American federal holidays and other common national observances. Federal holidays are indicated as such.
New Year's Day is January 1. The celebration of this federal holiday begins the night before, when Americans gather to wish each other a happy and prosperous coming year. Many Americans make New Year's resolutions.
Martin Luther King Day is a federal holiday celebrated on the third Monday in January. The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. was an African-American clergyman who is recognized for his tireless efforts to win civil rights for all people through nonviolent means.
Groundhog Day is February 2, and has been celebrated since 1887. On Groundhog Day, crowds gather in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to see if groundhog Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow after emerging from his burrow, thus predicting six more weeks of winter weather.
Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14. The day was named after an early Christian martyr, and on Valentine's Day, Americans give presents like candy or flowers to the ones they love. The first mass-produced valentine cards were sold in the 1840s.
Washington's Birthday is a federal holiday observed the third Monday of February to honor George Washington, the first President of the United States. This date is commonly called Presidents' Day and many groups honor the legacy of past presidents on this date.
Easter falls on a spring Sunday that varies from year to year. Easter is a Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For Christians, Easter is a day of religious services and the gathering of family. Many Americans follow old traditions of coloring hard-boiled eggs and giving children baskets of candy.
Earth Day is observed on April 22. First celebrated in 1970 in the United States, it inspired national legislation such as the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts. Earth Day is designed to promote ecology, encourage respect for life on earth, and highlight concern over pollution of the soil, air, and water.
National Arbor Day was proclaimed as the last Friday in April by President Richard Nixon in 1970. A number of state Arbor Days are observed at other times to coincide with the best tree planting weather, from January and February in the south to May in the far north. The observance began in 1872, when Nebraska settlers and homesteaders were urged to plant trees on the largely treeless plains.
Mother's Day celebrates mothers every second Sunday of May. President Woodrow Wilson, who issued a proclamation in 1914, asked Americans to give a public expression of reverence to mothers on this day. Carnations have come to represent Mother's Day, following President William McKinley's habit of always wearing a white carnation, his mother's favorite flower.
Memorial Day is a federal holiday observed the last Monday of May. It originally honored the people killed in the American Civil War, but has become a day on which the American dead of all wars, and the dead generally, are remembered in special programs held in cemeteries, churches, and other public meeting places. The flying of the American flag is widespread.
Flag Day, celebrated June 14, has been a presidentially proclaimed observance since 1916. Although Flag Day is not a federal holiday, Americans are encouraged to display the flag outside their homes and businesses on this day to honor the history and heritage the American flag represents.
Father's Day celebrates fathers every third Sunday of June. Father's Day began in 1909 in Spokane, Washington, when a daughter requested a special day to honor her father, a Civil War veteran who raised his children after his wife died. The first presidential proclamation honoring fathers was issued in 1966 by President Lyndon Johnson.
Independence Day is July 4. This federal holiday honors the nation's birthday - the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. It is a day of picnics and patriotic parades, a night of concerts and fireworks. The flying of the American flag is widespread.
Labor Day is the first Monday of September. This federal holiday honors the nation's working people, typically with parades. For most Americans it marks the end of the summer vacation season and the start of the school year.
Columbus Day is a federal holiday celebrated on the second Monday in October. The day commemorates October 12, 1492, when Italian navigator Christopher Columbus landed in the New World. The holiday was first proclaimed in 1937 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Halloween is celebrated on October 31. On Halloween, American children dress up in funny or scary costumes and go "trick or treating" by knocking on doors in their neighborhood. The neighbors are expected to respond by giving them small gifts of candy or money.
Veterans Day is celebrated on November 11. Originally called Armistice Day, this federal holiday was established to honor Americans who had served in World War I, but it now honors veterans of all wars in which the U.S. has fought. Veterans' organizations hold parades, and the president places a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
Thanksgiving Day is a federal holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. In the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims held a three-day feast to celebrate a bountiful harvest. Many regard this event as the nation's first Thanksgiving.The Thanksgiving feast became a national tradition and almost always includes some of the foods served at the first feast: roast turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes, and pumpkin pie.
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day is December 7. In 1994, Congress designated this national observance to honor the more than 2,400 military service personnel who died on this date in 1941, during the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, by Japanese forces. The attack on Pearl Harbor caused the United States to enter World War II.
Christmas Day is a federal holiday celebrated on December 25. Christmas is a Christian holiday marking the birth of the Christ Child. Decorating houses and yards with lights, putting up Christmas trees, giving gifts, and sending greeting cards have become traditions even for many non-Christian Americans.
Food
England
Eating habits become a part of culture that are developed as a result of traditional values of a country. Therefore, eating habits vary from country to country. Now I am going to give a brief description of England eating habits. Let us start with the breakfast taken by the people of England.
Breakfast
English people used to eat heavy breakfast including sausages, mushrooms, eggs and tomatoes in past but now they have adopted contemporary eating habits. Now their breakfast includes cereal with milk or they like to have toasts with marmalade or jams. Drink that they use to have is tea but some people prefer coffee on tea.
Other Meals
Some people like to have afternoon tea with snacks like sandwiches and cakes. In lunch English people like a quick meal like sandwiches even in schools children take sandwiches, fruits and drinks. In the evening they take meals early between 6 and 8. Most popular thing that they love to have is cream yeas.
Meals on Sundays
On Sundays traditional lunch is taken that includes roasted meat like lamb, beef or pork with gravy of potatoes. They also like to have international cuisines like Italian, French and Indian.
Meals on Special Events
There are some meals that are specified for special events. For example, on religious events people like to have cake and pastries. Others include:
• Hot Cross Buns on Good Friday
• Simnel Cake on Mothering Sundays
• Palm Pudding on Christmas
• Twelfth Night Cake for Epiphany
Czech
Although Czech cuisine is not exactly a synonym for healthy cooking, everybody will probably find at least a couple of meals "to die for". It may be the potato soup, the traditional roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut, the fruit filled dumplings, or the apple strudel. Czech cooking and eating habits have been shifting in the general direction of a healthier lifestyle, but traditional Czech recipes are still extremely popular - and those tend to be high in calories, fat and sugar. Sauces and condiments are popular.
Soups
A Czech meal often starts with soup (polévka). Some popular Czech soups are:
- potato soup (bramborová polévka or bramboračka)
- garlic soup (česneková polévka or česnečka)
- chicken noodle soup (kuřecí polévka s nudlemi)
- beef soup with liver dumplings (hovězí polévka s játrovými knedlíčky)
- sauerkraut soup (zelná polévka or zelňačka)
- dill soup, made from sour milk (koprová polévka or koprovka)
The Main Course
The main course (hlavní chod) usually consists of meat (maso) and a side dish (příloha). The most popular meats are chicken (kuře) and pork (vepřové), followed by beef (hovězí), usually served with some kind of sauce (omáčka). Fish is not very common although trout (pstruh) or cod (treska) are sometimes served. Salmon (losos) and seafood (plody moře) are served in better restaurants. The mackerel (makrela) is a popular fish to grill over open fire in summer. Carp (kapr) is traditionally served on Christmas Eve.
Side Dishes
The most common Czech side dishes are:
- boiled potatoes (vařené brambory)
- roasted potatoes (opékané brambory)
- mashed potatoes (bramborová kaše)
- French fries (bramborové hranolky)
- rice (rýže)
- bread dumplings (houskové knedlíky) or potato dumplings
- (bramborové knedlíky) with sauce (omáčka)
- bread or potato dumplings with sauerkraut (zelí)
- potato salad (bramborový salát)
Desserts
Desserts (moučníky) come in many varieties and tend to be heavy and fatty because butter (máslo) and whipped cream (šlehačka) are often used. Some popular desserts are:
- crepes (palačinky) filled with jam (džem) or strawberries (jahody)
- and whipped cream
- honey cake called Medovník
- blueberry dumplings (borůvkové knedlíky)
- apple strudel (jablečný závin)
- ice cream sundae (zmrzlinový pohár)
Beverages
As far as drinks (nápoje) go, a Czech meal is often accompanied by the national beverage, which is beer (pivo). If you're not in the mood for beer, you can have a mineral water (minerálka), orange juice (pomerančový džus), apple juice (jablečný džus), or a soda (specify its name because soda in Czech means "soda water"). Czechs also like to drink tea (čaj) with sugar (cukr) and lemon (citrón), and coffee (káva) with or without milk (mléko) or cream (smetana).
Eating habits become a part of culture that are developed as a result of traditional values of a country. Therefore, eating habits vary from country to country. Now I am going to give a brief description of England eating habits. Let us start with the breakfast taken by the people of England.
Breakfast
English people used to eat heavy breakfast including sausages, mushrooms, eggs and tomatoes in past but now they have adopted contemporary eating habits. Now their breakfast includes cereal with milk or they like to have toasts with marmalade or jams. Drink that they use to have is tea but some people prefer coffee on tea.
Other Meals
Some people like to have afternoon tea with snacks like sandwiches and cakes. In lunch English people like a quick meal like sandwiches even in schools children take sandwiches, fruits and drinks. In the evening they take meals early between 6 and 8. Most popular thing that they love to have is cream yeas.
Meals on Sundays
On Sundays traditional lunch is taken that includes roasted meat like lamb, beef or pork with gravy of potatoes. They also like to have international cuisines like Italian, French and Indian.
Meals on Special Events
There are some meals that are specified for special events. For example, on religious events people like to have cake and pastries. Others include:
• Hot Cross Buns on Good Friday
• Simnel Cake on Mothering Sundays
• Palm Pudding on Christmas
• Twelfth Night Cake for Epiphany
Czech
Although Czech cuisine is not exactly a synonym for healthy cooking, everybody will probably find at least a couple of meals "to die for". It may be the potato soup, the traditional roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut, the fruit filled dumplings, or the apple strudel. Czech cooking and eating habits have been shifting in the general direction of a healthier lifestyle, but traditional Czech recipes are still extremely popular - and those tend to be high in calories, fat and sugar. Sauces and condiments are popular.
Soups
A Czech meal often starts with soup (polévka). Some popular Czech soups are:
- potato soup (bramborová polévka or bramboračka)
- garlic soup (česneková polévka or česnečka)
- chicken noodle soup (kuřecí polévka s nudlemi)
- beef soup with liver dumplings (hovězí polévka s játrovými knedlíčky)
- sauerkraut soup (zelná polévka or zelňačka)
- dill soup, made from sour milk (koprová polévka or koprovka)
The Main Course
The main course (hlavní chod) usually consists of meat (maso) and a side dish (příloha). The most popular meats are chicken (kuře) and pork (vepřové), followed by beef (hovězí), usually served with some kind of sauce (omáčka). Fish is not very common although trout (pstruh) or cod (treska) are sometimes served. Salmon (losos) and seafood (plody moře) are served in better restaurants. The mackerel (makrela) is a popular fish to grill over open fire in summer. Carp (kapr) is traditionally served on Christmas Eve.
Side Dishes
The most common Czech side dishes are:
- boiled potatoes (vařené brambory)
- roasted potatoes (opékané brambory)
- mashed potatoes (bramborová kaše)
- French fries (bramborové hranolky)
- rice (rýže)
- bread dumplings (houskové knedlíky) or potato dumplings
- (bramborové knedlíky) with sauce (omáčka)
- bread or potato dumplings with sauerkraut (zelí)
- potato salad (bramborový salát)
Desserts
Desserts (moučníky) come in many varieties and tend to be heavy and fatty because butter (máslo) and whipped cream (šlehačka) are often used. Some popular desserts are:
- crepes (palačinky) filled with jam (džem) or strawberries (jahody)
- and whipped cream
- honey cake called Medovník
- blueberry dumplings (borůvkové knedlíky)
- apple strudel (jablečný závin)
- ice cream sundae (zmrzlinový pohár)
Beverages
As far as drinks (nápoje) go, a Czech meal is often accompanied by the national beverage, which is beer (pivo). If you're not in the mood for beer, you can have a mineral water (minerálka), orange juice (pomerančový džus), apple juice (jablečný džus), or a soda (specify its name because soda in Czech means "soda water"). Czechs also like to drink tea (čaj) with sugar (cukr) and lemon (citrón), and coffee (káva) with or without milk (mléko) or cream (smetana).
New York and Washington DC
New York
The City of New York is the biggest and most populous city in the USA and one of the biggest cities in the world. With a population of 8.4 million people distributed over a land area of just 790 square kilometers, New York is the most densely populated city in the United States; over 800 languages are spoken in this city. New York was found in 1624 by Dutchmen. Today, it’s one of the world trade and financial centers and it has impact on global commerce, finance, media, culture, art, fashion, research, education and entertainment.
New York’s popular nicknames are “The big apple” or “The city that never sleeps”.
History
The first European, who explored the area of New York, was an Italian Giovanni de Verrazzano, it was in 1524. The first settlement in this area was established by Dutchmen in 1616. They called it “New Amsterdam”. Dutch general Peter Minuit purchased the island of Manhattan from the Indians in 1626 for 60 guilders (1000 US dollars today). In 1664, the city was conquered by British army and renamed “New York” after the English Duke of York.
New York grew in importance as a trading port. There was founded a Columbia University in 1754, in 1789 the first president of the United States, George Washington, was inaugurated and the government of the United States was assembled in Federal Hall on Wall Street. In 1790, New York became the biggest city of the United States.
In the 19th century, the city was changed by the immigration and development. The grid of streets in New York was expanded and the Central park in the centre of city was established.
During the 20th century the city became the world center of trade and industry. New York became a home of the biggest black community in the North America and the most populous urbanized area in the world. It became the first megacity in human history. Prohibition and building skyscrapers were characteristic for this era.
In the 1960s, New York began to suffer from economic problems and rising criminality, but during the 80s was the economic health returned. In the 90s, crime rates started to drop and new huge wave of immigrants from Asia and Latin America arrived.
In the September 11, 2001, the city was attacked by terrorists. Two planes flew into the Twin towers. In destruction of those skyscrapers died nearly 3000 people. Responsibility for this attack claimed terroristic organization called Al-Kajida, but there are many conspiracy theories, that this attack was in charge of American government.
Geography
New York City is located in the Northeastern United States, in state New York. Through the city flow the Hudson River and the East River. The Hudson River separates New York State from New Jersey State. The East River separates Bronx and Manhattan from Long Island. The Bronx River connects those two rivers together.
The city’s land area is estimated at 790 square kilometers, but the total area of the New York metropolitan area is nearly 1220 square kilometers. The highest point in the city is Todt Hill on Staten Island, which is nearly 125 meters high.
Boroughs (Parts of New York)
New York City is composed of five boroughs: Manhattan, The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. Manhattan is the most densely populated borough and it is financial center of the city. The Bronx is the location of New York’s Yankees Stadium, home of baseball team New York Yankees. Brooklyn is well known for its cultural and ethnic diversity. Queens is the largest borough. Staten Island is one of the most popular attractions in New York.
Sightseeing
New York is world famous for its Manhattan skyline – a large number of skyscrapers on a small area. The most famous skyscrapers are Empire State building, Chrysler Building or Pan Am Building.
There is only one quit place in New York and it’s the Central Park, which was the first park in the United States. There are several lakes, two ice-skating rinks, a zoo or the theater in this park. But there are many other attractive places to visit, for example the Liberty Island with the Statue of Liberty, which was dedicated to the America by France, as a symbol of freedom and friendship of those two countries. You can also walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, see the Times Square at night and visit some of the New York museums, City Hall or the St. Patrick Catherdral.
Washington DC
Washington DC (D.C. means District of Columbia, NOT “Da City”) is the capital city of the USA, the seat of president and congress of the United States. There live about 590 000 inhabitants, most of them speaks English, rest of them speaks Spanish. It’s a center of the federal government of the USA. Washington DC motto is: “Justice for all”. Through the city flows the Potomac River. There are no skyscrapers in Washington because of law, that there aren’t allowed higher buildings than US Capitol Building.
History of Washington DC:
City was planned by the French engineer Pierre L’ Enfant in 1790. City is divided into 4 quadrants; its structure is very strict. In 1800, it became the capital city of the USA. During the war in 1812, most of the city was burned to the ground. In the end of the Civil War, there was killed Abraham Lincoln, the president of the USA. In 1960s and 1970s was old buildings renovated because of process of protection of historic structures. In 2001, Pentagon was attacked by group of terrorist.
Sightseeing:
Interesting places to visit in Washington DC are for example National Mall – 1 mile long park, surrounded by museums; it connects Capitol Building and the Washington Monument, Washington monument is 169 m high obelisk; Pentagon – seat of federal government; the White House – seat of the president; US Capitol Building – seat of American Congress; many memorials, theaters and museums. Washington DC welcomes approximately 15 million visitors each year.
The City of New York is the biggest and most populous city in the USA and one of the biggest cities in the world. With a population of 8.4 million people distributed over a land area of just 790 square kilometers, New York is the most densely populated city in the United States; over 800 languages are spoken in this city. New York was found in 1624 by Dutchmen. Today, it’s one of the world trade and financial centers and it has impact on global commerce, finance, media, culture, art, fashion, research, education and entertainment.
New York’s popular nicknames are “The big apple” or “The city that never sleeps”.
History
The first European, who explored the area of New York, was an Italian Giovanni de Verrazzano, it was in 1524. The first settlement in this area was established by Dutchmen in 1616. They called it “New Amsterdam”. Dutch general Peter Minuit purchased the island of Manhattan from the Indians in 1626 for 60 guilders (1000 US dollars today). In 1664, the city was conquered by British army and renamed “New York” after the English Duke of York.
New York grew in importance as a trading port. There was founded a Columbia University in 1754, in 1789 the first president of the United States, George Washington, was inaugurated and the government of the United States was assembled in Federal Hall on Wall Street. In 1790, New York became the biggest city of the United States.
In the 19th century, the city was changed by the immigration and development. The grid of streets in New York was expanded and the Central park in the centre of city was established.
During the 20th century the city became the world center of trade and industry. New York became a home of the biggest black community in the North America and the most populous urbanized area in the world. It became the first megacity in human history. Prohibition and building skyscrapers were characteristic for this era.
In the 1960s, New York began to suffer from economic problems and rising criminality, but during the 80s was the economic health returned. In the 90s, crime rates started to drop and new huge wave of immigrants from Asia and Latin America arrived.
In the September 11, 2001, the city was attacked by terrorists. Two planes flew into the Twin towers. In destruction of those skyscrapers died nearly 3000 people. Responsibility for this attack claimed terroristic organization called Al-Kajida, but there are many conspiracy theories, that this attack was in charge of American government.
Geography
New York City is located in the Northeastern United States, in state New York. Through the city flow the Hudson River and the East River. The Hudson River separates New York State from New Jersey State. The East River separates Bronx and Manhattan from Long Island. The Bronx River connects those two rivers together.
The city’s land area is estimated at 790 square kilometers, but the total area of the New York metropolitan area is nearly 1220 square kilometers. The highest point in the city is Todt Hill on Staten Island, which is nearly 125 meters high.
Boroughs (Parts of New York)
New York City is composed of five boroughs: Manhattan, The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. Manhattan is the most densely populated borough and it is financial center of the city. The Bronx is the location of New York’s Yankees Stadium, home of baseball team New York Yankees. Brooklyn is well known for its cultural and ethnic diversity. Queens is the largest borough. Staten Island is one of the most popular attractions in New York.
Sightseeing
New York is world famous for its Manhattan skyline – a large number of skyscrapers on a small area. The most famous skyscrapers are Empire State building, Chrysler Building or Pan Am Building.
There is only one quit place in New York and it’s the Central Park, which was the first park in the United States. There are several lakes, two ice-skating rinks, a zoo or the theater in this park. But there are many other attractive places to visit, for example the Liberty Island with the Statue of Liberty, which was dedicated to the America by France, as a symbol of freedom and friendship of those two countries. You can also walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, see the Times Square at night and visit some of the New York museums, City Hall or the St. Patrick Catherdral.
Washington DC
Washington DC (D.C. means District of Columbia, NOT “Da City”) is the capital city of the USA, the seat of president and congress of the United States. There live about 590 000 inhabitants, most of them speaks English, rest of them speaks Spanish. It’s a center of the federal government of the USA. Washington DC motto is: “Justice for all”. Through the city flows the Potomac River. There are no skyscrapers in Washington because of law, that there aren’t allowed higher buildings than US Capitol Building.
History of Washington DC:
City was planned by the French engineer Pierre L’ Enfant in 1790. City is divided into 4 quadrants; its structure is very strict. In 1800, it became the capital city of the USA. During the war in 1812, most of the city was burned to the ground. In the end of the Civil War, there was killed Abraham Lincoln, the president of the USA. In 1960s and 1970s was old buildings renovated because of process of protection of historic structures. In 2001, Pentagon was attacked by group of terrorist.
Sightseeing:
Interesting places to visit in Washington DC are for example National Mall – 1 mile long park, surrounded by museums; it connects Capitol Building and the Washington Monument, Washington monument is 169 m high obelisk; Pentagon – seat of federal government; the White House – seat of the president; US Capitol Building – seat of American Congress; many memorials, theaters and museums. Washington DC welcomes approximately 15 million visitors each year.
The United States
GEOGRAPHY
• The USA is a large country with an area of over 9,5 million square kilometres.
• The USA is situated in the southern part of North America. Its neighbours are Canada in the north and Mexico in the south.
• The largest rivers are the Mississippi an the Missouri.
• There are big variation of climate. Temperatures change from artic cold in northern Alaska to subtropical warmth in Hawai and the Gulf Coast states.
• There are many national parks in the USA, especcially in the Rocky mountains Region, where are the Rocky Mountain National Park, Yellowstone National Park and The Grand Tetons.
• There is a Gulf of Mexico in the south – east, so the USA is a very various country. It has many mountains – for example Rocky mountains in the west, Appalachian Mountains in the east and Alaska range with the highest mountain of the USA – Mount McKinley.
• There is a Central lowland between Rocky mountains and Appalachian mountains and the Great Plains between the Central Lowland and the Rocky Mountains. They are both very good for agriculture.
• Along the border with Canada there are famous Great Lakes, including well-known Niagara Falls.
PEOPLE
o The USA population is about 250,000,000.
o The main language spoken here is American English, but Spanish is also popular, especially in the south.
o American language differs from British English in vocabulary pronunciation and spelling.
NATIONAL ECONOMY
• The main industrial items are manufacturing steel, car industry, elecronics, machinery and clothing.
• The main agriculture products are corn, cotton, tobacco, fruit and vegetables.
• The USA is rich in coal, copper, gold, iron and oil.
• Export is very important for American economy, the most exported products are machines, cars, chemicals and food.
• In the USA we can find all sorts and types of industry the most important are power supply, nuclear, paper and chemical industry.
• Cars are made mainly in Detroit, paper in Washington or in Oregon.
• The US holds a leading position in the world´s agricultural production. In area, called the Corn Belt, is used for growing of corn and cereals. Other important plants are cotton, tobaco, soya and fruit, usually in Florida.
GOVERNMENT
o The USA with the President as the head of state is a federation of 50 states with 48 on the continent, Alaska in the north and Hawai in the mid pacific.
o American political system:
o The main body is called Congress – it seats in the Capitol. The congress is divided into two parts – The House of Representatives – consists of 435 lawmakers who are elected for two years
- The Senate – it has 100 members – 2 members from each state, who serve six years
o The President is chosen every four years.
o There are two main political parties in the USA – The Democratic Party and The Republican Party.
WASHINGTON
• It is the capital of the USA.
• Washington D.C. has the 10th largest population in the USA.
• There are the most important buildings in the USA:
- the White house – the residence of the American President
- the Capitol – the seat of the Congress
- the Pentagon – the center of military forces
- there are no factories and industry in Washington and that´s why the city seems so clean and nice
INTERESTING PLACES
o On the western coast the most well known places are Los Angales and San Francisco.
o L.A. – here we can find the famous film center Hollywood.
o The biggest ZOO in the world is in San Diego.
o Florida is mainly a tourist area with loud beaches in Miami. Florida also has Disney World.
• The USA is a large country with an area of over 9,5 million square kilometres.
• The USA is situated in the southern part of North America. Its neighbours are Canada in the north and Mexico in the south.
• The largest rivers are the Mississippi an the Missouri.
• There are big variation of climate. Temperatures change from artic cold in northern Alaska to subtropical warmth in Hawai and the Gulf Coast states.
• There are many national parks in the USA, especcially in the Rocky mountains Region, where are the Rocky Mountain National Park, Yellowstone National Park and The Grand Tetons.
• There is a Gulf of Mexico in the south – east, so the USA is a very various country. It has many mountains – for example Rocky mountains in the west, Appalachian Mountains in the east and Alaska range with the highest mountain of the USA – Mount McKinley.
• There is a Central lowland between Rocky mountains and Appalachian mountains and the Great Plains between the Central Lowland and the Rocky Mountains. They are both very good for agriculture.
• Along the border with Canada there are famous Great Lakes, including well-known Niagara Falls.
PEOPLE
o The USA population is about 250,000,000.
o The main language spoken here is American English, but Spanish is also popular, especially in the south.
o American language differs from British English in vocabulary pronunciation and spelling.
NATIONAL ECONOMY
• The main industrial items are manufacturing steel, car industry, elecronics, machinery and clothing.
• The main agriculture products are corn, cotton, tobacco, fruit and vegetables.
• The USA is rich in coal, copper, gold, iron and oil.
• Export is very important for American economy, the most exported products are machines, cars, chemicals and food.
• In the USA we can find all sorts and types of industry the most important are power supply, nuclear, paper and chemical industry.
• Cars are made mainly in Detroit, paper in Washington or in Oregon.
• The US holds a leading position in the world´s agricultural production. In area, called the Corn Belt, is used for growing of corn and cereals. Other important plants are cotton, tobaco, soya and fruit, usually in Florida.
GOVERNMENT
o The USA with the President as the head of state is a federation of 50 states with 48 on the continent, Alaska in the north and Hawai in the mid pacific.
o American political system:
o The main body is called Congress – it seats in the Capitol. The congress is divided into two parts – The House of Representatives – consists of 435 lawmakers who are elected for two years
- The Senate – it has 100 members – 2 members from each state, who serve six years
o The President is chosen every four years.
o There are two main political parties in the USA – The Democratic Party and The Republican Party.
WASHINGTON
• It is the capital of the USA.
• Washington D.C. has the 10th largest population in the USA.
• There are the most important buildings in the USA:
- the White house – the residence of the American President
- the Capitol – the seat of the Congress
- the Pentagon – the center of military forces
- there are no factories and industry in Washington and that´s why the city seems so clean and nice
INTERESTING PLACES
o On the western coast the most well known places are Los Angales and San Francisco.
o L.A. – here we can find the famous film center Hollywood.
o The biggest ZOO in the world is in San Diego.
o Florida is mainly a tourist area with loud beaches in Miami. Florida also has Disney World.
Health and body care
Good health is very important for everyone and that's why we must pay attention to it. Nowadays good health is accepted as a normal by most people who live in developed countries. This had resulted partly from improved standards of prenatal and child care, hygiene, nutrition (výživa), and preventive medicine, partly from better educational methods and communication, and partly from the advances (pokrok) that have been made in all areas of medical science.
Unfortunately, many people take good health for granted (jako dané) and don´t treat (zacházet) their bodies with care and consideration. (ohled)
The human body is permanently being attacked by many different kinds of bacteries, microorganisms and viruses. Most diseases can be prevented or at least controlled. What’s important is healthy nutrition, a well-adjusted (nastavená) mind, good sleeping habits and activity in the fresh air and, last but not least, contact with nature as well.
We cannot get out of mind the medical care. Medical care of any type in our country used to be free of charge (bezplatná) but nowadays it depends on in which country you are living, because somewhere e.g. in Prague, there is an one-shot payment – 30 kč for every visit. There are also many private doctors. If we fall ill or if we have an accident, we go to the Health Centre, Policlinic, and Hospital or to some Private Doctor.
When we decide to see our physician (lékař) in his surgery (ordinace) we must take health insurance Company’s card with us and in some cases also our vaccination certificate. We can either make an appointment for our medical examination/check up (prohlídku) or go directly. It’s important to know the surgery hours. If there are other patients waiting, we must wait in the waiting room too. As soon as our turn comes the nurse calls us.
The doctor asks how we feel, what problems are we having and what’s bothering us. There are various types of medical treatment (ošetření) for our different types of troubles. A doctor may ask you to strip to the waist before he/she examines (prohlídne) your chest and throat. They check our blood pressure, feel the pulse or put our blood or urine through lab-tests. Sometimes they may X-ray our lungs or bones. After the examination the doctor prescribe for us one or more prescriptions and sets a date when we should see him again. After that we go to the pharmacy. There we get medicines according to the prescriptions that we have got from our practitioner e.g. tablets, pills, drops, ointments (mast), syrup etc. We take the medicines according to the information leaflet or doctor’s advice.
In childhood most of us suffer (trpí) from some infectious diseases such as chicken-pox (plané neštovice), mumps (příušnice), measles (spalničky), scarlet fever (spála) and rubella (zarděnky). Children are vaccinated against some of the other ones. Vaccines are administered (podávány) against typhus, tetanus, small-pox (neštovice), whooping-cough (černý kašel), tuberculosis, polio (obrna), etc. There are illnesses and injuries, however, which cannot be helped by any vaccine.
Each person should undergo (podstoupit) a regular check-up at least once a year. However we usually go to see our doctor when we do not feel well or have some regular problems with our health. We can suffer from various common illnesses. Usually we suffer from common infections such as colds (nachlazení), influenza (chřipka), bronchitis (kašel), sore throat (bolení v krku), tonsillitis (angína) or the stomach ache. In such cases we usually stay in bed, drink herbal teas, take pills, drops or vitamins and after a week or two we feel better again. However the situation may be sometimes more serious and needs special treatment (ošetření) in the hospital e.g. heart attack, breaking an arm or leg, diabetes, hepatitis. There are still diseases which can't be cured at all such as cancer or AIDS. It is true that prevention is better than a cure.
Everyone knows that getting fit is good for you; everyone wants to look good, to be fit, to be slim, strong and suppleness (pohyblivý). If we want to be healthy, we also must eat wholesome (zdravá) foods. It means less fat meals and more fruits and vegetables. We should try to live a healthy way of life, which means we should have a good proportion of work to leisure time.
Getting in shape (vytvarovat se) has never been more popular. For millions of people around the world, a regular exercise is now part of their daily lives. Some people prefer cycling, jogging or swimming while others prefer to work-out (cvičit) in gyms, do aerobics or play teams sports.
We can see a kind of a fitness revolution over the last twenty years. Why? Because fit people live longer than unfit people, especially those who smoke, drink, take drugs and don‘t eat healthy. That‘s why more and more people are taking regular exercises to become and stay healthy. In today‘s world there is enormous pressure on both men and women to look as young and attractive as possible. It is also another reason for the fitness boom. Fit people not only feel good, they look good, too.
There are a lot of kinds of exercises and each has another effect on the body. There are some for improve your strength-like weightlifting. Others as a yoga or dance improve your suppleness. Then e.g. aerobic improves your stamina (vitalita).
The advantages of being fit are e.g. reducing the risk of heart attack and increasing strength, stamina and suppleness. Being fit means that you sleep better and don‘t get tired easily. It helps you to lose weight, increase the size and tone of yours muscles and makes you feel healthier, happier and more positive.
First aid
First aid is basic knowledge about injuries (body damage). It is used at accidents to help stop more serious harm from happening to an injured person until he receives medical treatment (help by doctors, nurses or ambulance paramedics). A person does not need a lot of equipment to give first aid. Because of this, it can be done just about anywhere.
Goals of first aid
The goals of first aid - what you want to do - are called the "Four P's":
Preserve life - stop the person from dying
Prevent further injury - stop the person from being injured even more
Promote recovery - try to help the person heal his injuries
Protect the unconscious - those who cannot protect themselves
Training
You need very good training to give first aid. Training is given by a very experienced (lots of knowledge) medical person, for example a doctor or a nurse. The level of training needed to be a first aid giver changes from country to country - for example, in the UK you can go on a 1-day course to become a first aid giver for anything, and a 4-day course for emergencies in a place of work.
Unfortunately, many people take good health for granted (jako dané) and don´t treat (zacházet) their bodies with care and consideration. (ohled)
The human body is permanently being attacked by many different kinds of bacteries, microorganisms and viruses. Most diseases can be prevented or at least controlled. What’s important is healthy nutrition, a well-adjusted (nastavená) mind, good sleeping habits and activity in the fresh air and, last but not least, contact with nature as well.
We cannot get out of mind the medical care. Medical care of any type in our country used to be free of charge (bezplatná) but nowadays it depends on in which country you are living, because somewhere e.g. in Prague, there is an one-shot payment – 30 kč for every visit. There are also many private doctors. If we fall ill or if we have an accident, we go to the Health Centre, Policlinic, and Hospital or to some Private Doctor.
When we decide to see our physician (lékař) in his surgery (ordinace) we must take health insurance Company’s card with us and in some cases also our vaccination certificate. We can either make an appointment for our medical examination/check up (prohlídku) or go directly. It’s important to know the surgery hours. If there are other patients waiting, we must wait in the waiting room too. As soon as our turn comes the nurse calls us.
The doctor asks how we feel, what problems are we having and what’s bothering us. There are various types of medical treatment (ošetření) for our different types of troubles. A doctor may ask you to strip to the waist before he/she examines (prohlídne) your chest and throat. They check our blood pressure, feel the pulse or put our blood or urine through lab-tests. Sometimes they may X-ray our lungs or bones. After the examination the doctor prescribe for us one or more prescriptions and sets a date when we should see him again. After that we go to the pharmacy. There we get medicines according to the prescriptions that we have got from our practitioner e.g. tablets, pills, drops, ointments (mast), syrup etc. We take the medicines according to the information leaflet or doctor’s advice.
In childhood most of us suffer (trpí) from some infectious diseases such as chicken-pox (plané neštovice), mumps (příušnice), measles (spalničky), scarlet fever (spála) and rubella (zarděnky). Children are vaccinated against some of the other ones. Vaccines are administered (podávány) against typhus, tetanus, small-pox (neštovice), whooping-cough (černý kašel), tuberculosis, polio (obrna), etc. There are illnesses and injuries, however, which cannot be helped by any vaccine.
Each person should undergo (podstoupit) a regular check-up at least once a year. However we usually go to see our doctor when we do not feel well or have some regular problems with our health. We can suffer from various common illnesses. Usually we suffer from common infections such as colds (nachlazení), influenza (chřipka), bronchitis (kašel), sore throat (bolení v krku), tonsillitis (angína) or the stomach ache. In such cases we usually stay in bed, drink herbal teas, take pills, drops or vitamins and after a week or two we feel better again. However the situation may be sometimes more serious and needs special treatment (ošetření) in the hospital e.g. heart attack, breaking an arm or leg, diabetes, hepatitis. There are still diseases which can't be cured at all such as cancer or AIDS. It is true that prevention is better than a cure.
Everyone knows that getting fit is good for you; everyone wants to look good, to be fit, to be slim, strong and suppleness (pohyblivý). If we want to be healthy, we also must eat wholesome (zdravá) foods. It means less fat meals and more fruits and vegetables. We should try to live a healthy way of life, which means we should have a good proportion of work to leisure time.
Getting in shape (vytvarovat se) has never been more popular. For millions of people around the world, a regular exercise is now part of their daily lives. Some people prefer cycling, jogging or swimming while others prefer to work-out (cvičit) in gyms, do aerobics or play teams sports.
We can see a kind of a fitness revolution over the last twenty years. Why? Because fit people live longer than unfit people, especially those who smoke, drink, take drugs and don‘t eat healthy. That‘s why more and more people are taking regular exercises to become and stay healthy. In today‘s world there is enormous pressure on both men and women to look as young and attractive as possible. It is also another reason for the fitness boom. Fit people not only feel good, they look good, too.
There are a lot of kinds of exercises and each has another effect on the body. There are some for improve your strength-like weightlifting. Others as a yoga or dance improve your suppleness. Then e.g. aerobic improves your stamina (vitalita).
The advantages of being fit are e.g. reducing the risk of heart attack and increasing strength, stamina and suppleness. Being fit means that you sleep better and don‘t get tired easily. It helps you to lose weight, increase the size and tone of yours muscles and makes you feel healthier, happier and more positive.
First aid
First aid is basic knowledge about injuries (body damage). It is used at accidents to help stop more serious harm from happening to an injured person until he receives medical treatment (help by doctors, nurses or ambulance paramedics). A person does not need a lot of equipment to give first aid. Because of this, it can be done just about anywhere.
Goals of first aid
The goals of first aid - what you want to do - are called the "Four P's":
Preserve life - stop the person from dying
Prevent further injury - stop the person from being injured even more
Promote recovery - try to help the person heal his injuries
Protect the unconscious - those who cannot protect themselves
Training
You need very good training to give first aid. Training is given by a very experienced (lots of knowledge) medical person, for example a doctor or a nurse. The level of training needed to be a first aid giver changes from country to country - for example, in the UK you can go on a 1-day course to become a first aid giver for anything, and a 4-day course for emergencies in a place of work.
London
Sightseeing in London
London is the capital of the United Kingdom. It is the 9th largest city in the world - it´s population is about 10 million. There are many places of interest. We can see them by walking or going by various means of transport. London´s famous red double-deckers go almost everywhere. To be faster, we can use the underground, the oldest one in the world. There are also 3 airports in London (the most important are Heathrow and Gatwick).
Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Street, Hyde Park and Buckingham Palace:
In London we can find a lot of places of interest. We can start our sightseeing tour in centre on Piccadilly Circus. When we walk from Piccadilly Circus threw Regent Street and Oxford Street which are the most famous shopping centers, we come to Hyde Park, which is the largest green park in London. From Hyde Park, we can go to Buckingham Palace. It is the Queen’s residence in London. Here is one of the biggest London’s parades - Changing the Guard.
Victoria Street, Westminster Abbey:
Near the Buckingham Palace there is the Victoria Station. When we go through Victoria Street, we come to Westminster Abbey. It was founded in the 11th century. Britain´s Kings and Queens have been crowned here and many of them are buried here. It is an excellent example of gothic architecture.
The Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, and Westminster Bridge:
Then we can visit The Houses of Parliament. They are in gothic style but they were built only in 1840 after the old building had burnt down. The only part which escaped the fire was Westminster Hall. There is also a famous clock-tower with Big Ben and its characteristic bell-ringing. The best photo you can take from the Westminster Bridge.
Downing Street 10, Trafalgar Square with Nelson’s statue:
Then we can go along Whitehall, in which takes place Horse Guards Parade, come we to the Downing Street 10, which is the official home of British Prime Ministers since 1731. At the end of Whitehall is Trafalgar Square. It was named after Admiral Nelson’s victory over Napoleon. Here is a Nelson’s statue. This place is very popular place for demonstrations and meetings. At Christmas time a big Christmas tree stands here.
The City, The Tower of London, Tower Bridge and British Museum:
One part of London is called The City. It is the oldest part of London around St. Paul´s. There are many banks e. g. the Bank of England. St. Paul´s Cathedral is one of the largest cathedrals in the world. This great renaissance dome is the work of the famous architect Sir Christopher Wren and it was built in the 17th century after the great fire. The Cathedral is known for its Whispering Gallery.
The next interesting place is The Tower of London. It was built in the 11th century. It served as royal palace first, then prison and fortress. It is a museum now. The Crown Jewels are kept here.
Tower Bridge is one of the most famous symbols of London. It was built only in the last century. It can open in the middle and let large ships go through.
The British Museum is the largest museum in the world. There is a collection of Egyptian mummies and antiquities from ancient Greece. The admission is free.
London is the capital of the United Kingdom. It is the 9th largest city in the world - it´s population is about 10 million. There are many places of interest. We can see them by walking or going by various means of transport. London´s famous red double-deckers go almost everywhere. To be faster, we can use the underground, the oldest one in the world. There are also 3 airports in London (the most important are Heathrow and Gatwick).
Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Street, Hyde Park and Buckingham Palace:
In London we can find a lot of places of interest. We can start our sightseeing tour in centre on Piccadilly Circus. When we walk from Piccadilly Circus threw Regent Street and Oxford Street which are the most famous shopping centers, we come to Hyde Park, which is the largest green park in London. From Hyde Park, we can go to Buckingham Palace. It is the Queen’s residence in London. Here is one of the biggest London’s parades - Changing the Guard.
Victoria Street, Westminster Abbey:
Near the Buckingham Palace there is the Victoria Station. When we go through Victoria Street, we come to Westminster Abbey. It was founded in the 11th century. Britain´s Kings and Queens have been crowned here and many of them are buried here. It is an excellent example of gothic architecture.
The Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, and Westminster Bridge:
Then we can visit The Houses of Parliament. They are in gothic style but they were built only in 1840 after the old building had burnt down. The only part which escaped the fire was Westminster Hall. There is also a famous clock-tower with Big Ben and its characteristic bell-ringing. The best photo you can take from the Westminster Bridge.
Downing Street 10, Trafalgar Square with Nelson’s statue:
Then we can go along Whitehall, in which takes place Horse Guards Parade, come we to the Downing Street 10, which is the official home of British Prime Ministers since 1731. At the end of Whitehall is Trafalgar Square. It was named after Admiral Nelson’s victory over Napoleon. Here is a Nelson’s statue. This place is very popular place for demonstrations and meetings. At Christmas time a big Christmas tree stands here.
The City, The Tower of London, Tower Bridge and British Museum:
One part of London is called The City. It is the oldest part of London around St. Paul´s. There are many banks e. g. the Bank of England. St. Paul´s Cathedral is one of the largest cathedrals in the world. This great renaissance dome is the work of the famous architect Sir Christopher Wren and it was built in the 17th century after the great fire. The Cathedral is known for its Whispering Gallery.
The next interesting place is The Tower of London. It was built in the 11th century. It served as royal palace first, then prison and fortress. It is a museum now. The Crown Jewels are kept here.
Tower Bridge is one of the most famous symbols of London. It was built only in the last century. It can open in the middle and let large ships go through.
The British Museum is the largest museum in the world. There is a collection of Egyptian mummies and antiquities from ancient Greece. The admission is free.
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