Form 11, hometask for Wednesday

1) You should read the text from exam card №2, translate it and answer the questions 

№ 2

I. 1. Read the newspaper opinion column and say in 2—3 sentences what it is about.

UNESCO World Heritage1 List

Belarus joined UNESCO in 1954. For many years, Belarus has been building up fruitful and dynamic relations with international organizations. Belarus programme of UNESCO activities includes numerous interesting projects in the fields of education, science, information, communications, and, of course, culture. In October 1988, Belarus joined the Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. Today four Belarusian sites have already been included into the UNESCO World Heritage List.

In 1992, the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park, a natural heritage object and a unique European forest reserve which has been protected since the 14th century, was the first one to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In 2000, the Mir Castle Complex, which was built at the beginning of the 16th century, was also added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The successful combination of Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance architecture2 makes Mir Castle one of Europe’s most impressive castles. In 2005, two more sites were included into the UNESCO World Heritage List. They are the Architectural, Residential and Cultural Complex of the Radziwills in Nesvizh and the Struve Geodetic Arc points3.

For centuries the Nesvizh Palace used to be the residence of the Radziwills, one of the richest families in Europe. Today the National Historical and Cultural Museum­Reserve Nesvizh is a wonderfully restored castle, which is visited by hundreds of tourists from all parts of the world. No wonder, it has become a landmark of Belarus.

The Struve Arc is a world famous construction. The same sorts of points are in ten countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova, all together 265 points. According to the historical data, there were 31 geodesic points in Belarus, and only 19 survived.

Belarus is going to propose to add Independence Avenue in Minsk for inclusion into the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Socialist Postwar Architecture in Central and Eastern Europe.

1 heritage [ˈheritidʒ] культурное наследие
2 Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance architecture [ˈɡɒθɪk, bəˈrɒk, rɪˈneɪsəns ˈaːkɪtektʃə] архитектура готики, барокко и ренессанса
3 the Struve Geodetic Arc points [ˈstruːv ˌdʒiːəʊˈdetɪk ˈaːk ˈpɔɪnts] Геодезическая дуга Струве, представляющая собой цепь опорных пунктов наблюдения
2. Belarus is a member of UNESCO. Find this extract and read it aloud.
3. Which Belarusian sites are included on the list for protection?
4. What other sites does the Belarusian government want to be on the UNESCO List?


2) Your speaking topic "Accomodation". Here you speak about the house/ flat where you live + some philosophical sentences ( e.x. What does your house mean to you? Do you feel comfortable there? Does it reflect your character?)
At the exam I will ask you these 5 questions

What types of houses do people live in?

Would you like to have a house or a flat?

 I think all people want to have a cosy house. What makes a house a home?

 They say living in the city is better than living in a country. What do you think about it?

 How would you decorate your own flat/house? 

Types of houses in GB

Houses are an important part of British life. To my mind there is no other nation that is so fond of houses. I`d like to tell you about different types of housing the British live in.The first type is a detached house. A detached house is one that is not joined to any other house. Many British people think that a detached house is the best type of house to have. Such houses have privacy from neighbours, they are ideal for keen gardeners and big families with children.The second type of houses is a semi-detached house. A semi-detached house is joined to another house on one side. A house of this kind is less expensive than a detached house, but still offers a goods standard of privacy and comfort.The third type of houses is a terraced house. It is one of a continuous row of similar houses, joined together by their side walls. This kind of houses is usually small.The next type is blocks of flats. Blocks of flats provide accommodation for a lot of city dwellers. But these buildings are not very popular. Only about 20% of the population live in flats.Then there are cottages. A cottage is a small house, especially an old one in the country. These are often thought of in a very romantic way as being cozy and safe, and having a thatched roof and roses round the door.The next type of houses is bungalows. Bungalows are one-storied houses which are particularly popular with older people. They don`t have to cope with stairs and so on.In conclusion I would like to add that British homes reflect the British national character and help us to understand this nation better.