ЭКЗАМЕНАЦИОННЫЕ ТЕМЫ ПО АНГЛИЙСКОМУ ЯЗЫКУ

9-ый класс

9. What would you tell your foreign friends about traditional Russian holidays and celebrations? What do you think your British friends will tell you about their traditional holidays and celebrations?

Every country has its own national holidays, but there are holidays that are common for many countries. People all over the world know New Year’s Day, Christmas and Easter. In Russia, New Year’s Day is the most popular holiday; but in the West people pay more attention to Christmas.

Christmas

New Year’s Day is a family event in Russia. People begin to prepare for this holiday beforehand. Everything is rush and bustle. There is a great air of expectation. People decorate their New Year trees with tinsel, various baubles and coloured lights. They usually put their presents under the tree. When the Kremlin clock strikes 12 they see the New Year in.

There are also dates and events in our country that are memorable to Russian people. They are Victory Day, the Day of Reconciliation and Harmony, Women’s Day, the Day of Spring and Labour, Independence Day, Country Defendant’s Day, Constitution Day, and Maslenitsa. Besides, there are many professional days in our country: Teacher’s Day, Miner’s Day, etc.

Christmas in Russia is celebrated on 7 January. It is celebrated with all-night services in churches. Country Defendant’s Day is celebrated on 23 February. This holiday is devoted to soldiers and officers and everyone else who defended the country or is in the Army. Women’s Day is celebrated on 8 March. It is a day-off. Men and boys try to please their mothers, sisters and friends by giving them presents and flowers. Maslenitsa marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring and Lent. During this festival people make pancakes, sing and dance traditional songs and dances, and visit each other. Maslenitsa and Easter are movable holidays. Easter is the main Orthodox festival. People colour eggs and enjoy traditional Russian dishes. Churches hold special services on this day.

The Day of Spring and Labour is celebrated on 1 May. On this day people prefer to go outdoors and take part in all kinds of outdoor activities. Victory Day is celebrated on 9 May – it celebrates the end of the Soviet Union’s participation in World War II in Europe. People put flowers at the tombs of the soldiers who were killed during the war. The main ceremony is held in Moscow. People lay flowers in Moscow’s Park Pobedi and at the Tomb of an Unknown Soldier. Independence Day is celebrated on 12 June. On this day Russia became an independent country after the break up of the Soviet Union in 1991. This is an official holiday. The Day of Reconciliation and Harmony is celebrated on 7 November. It used to be the greatest official holiday, celebrating the anniversary of the October Revolution. Now this day is marked by marches and demonstrations. For many people it’s just a day-off. The Constitution Day is celebrated on 12 December. It celebrates the new Constitution of 1993.

There are fewer public holidays in Great Britain than in other European countries. They are: Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Spring Bank Holiday and Late Summer Bank Holiday. All holidays and traditions are connected with the history and culture of the country.

The most popular holiday is Christmas. Every year the people of Norway give the city of London a present. It’s a big Christmas tree and it stands in Trafalgar Square. The central streets are beautifully decorated. People decorate their houses with holly and mistletoe. They send Christmas cards to greet each other. Children hang their stockings, hoping that Father Christmas will come with toys and sweets. Before Christmas groups of people go from house to house – they sing Christmas carols and collect money for charity. Christmas is a family holiday. The family usually meets for a traditional dinner of turkey and Christmas pudding, and everyone gives and receives presents. New Year’s Day is less popular in Britain than Christmas. But in Scotland, Hogmanay is the biggest festival of the year. They celebrate New Year. The preparations for the occasion begin several days before the New Year’s Eve, which is known as Hogmanay. The night of Hogmanay is a time for merrymaking, the giving of presents and observance of the old customs. The name “Hogmanay” is supposed to come from the Anglo-Saxon “Haleg Monath” (Holy Month), or the Gaaelic “oge maiden” (New Morning). December 26th is Boxing Day. People usually visit their friends, go for a drive or for a long walk, or just sit around and watch TV recovering from too much food after Christmas dinner. In the country there is fox-hunting.

Easter

Easter is the time when certain old traditions are observed. It is celebrated as the start of spring and as a religious festival. It is the time for giving and receiving presents, such as Easter eggs, hot cross buns, fluffy little chicks, baby rabbits, and springtime flowers to signify nature’s reawakening.

Four times a year the banks are closed on Monday apart from traditional weekends. Such days are called Bank Holidays.

Besides public holidays, there are certain traditional festivals which have existed over centuries in the country. They are Pancake Day, Guy Fawkes’ Night, Saint Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Hallowe’en, April’s Fool Day, etc. These days are not days-off. But they help to keep many traditions, which Englishmen have always been famous for.

As for me, most of all I like Hallowe’en. It goes back many, many hundreds of years. At that time the Celts lived in England. The Celts said, “In this night the ghosts of the dead come back.” Nowadays children in the USA and Britain dress up as witches or ghosts. Some children also make jack-o’-lanterns out of pumpkins. They put them in the windows at night. In the evening, the children go out in groups and knock at people’s doors. The children call out: “Trick or treat.” Most people then give the children a “treat”. This is usually a sweet, some chocolate, or maybe a toffee apple. But some people do not give the children a treat. Then the children play a trick on them. Sometimes, they ring the doorbell again and then they hide or run away. Or they come to the house again later and put leaves, grass, stones or other things into the letterbox. Children and older people often have Hallowe’en parties where they play games such as “bobbing for apples”, “apples on a string”, “fortune telling”. I wish we celebrated Hallowe’en in Russia because this holiday is very funny and interesting.

Veteran Day

Questions:

1. What holidays are celebrated in Russia?
2. What is the most popular holiday in Russia?
3. What professional days in Russia do you know?
4. What is your favourite holiday in Russia?
5. What public holidays are celebrated in Great Britain?
6. What is the most popular holiday in Great Britain?
7. What is a “bank holiday?”
8. What holidays are movable in Russia and in Great Britain?
9. What is Hogmanay?
10. What is the traditional Christmas food in Great Britain.

10. You are going to spend a month with an American or British family. What do you think will be interesting for your host family to learn about you?

Hello! Let me introduce myself to you. I’m Alexander, Alex for short. I live in Moscow. I’m a student of the 9th grade. We are a family of four: my mother, my father, my elder brother and me. We live in a block of flats on the 11th floor. There are three rooms in our flat and we have all modern conveniences. I share a room with my elder brother. My brother is a student of Moscow University. We are close friends. I discuss everything with him and we don’t have any secrets from each other. We get on very well. Sometimes I even borrow his clothes and he never gets annoyed. We don’t feel competitive, because we have different interests. I’m more academic and he’s more artistic. But we are both fond of sport very much. We both go to the swimming pool twice a week. It helps us to keep fit, it gives us good stamina, and it’s good for our hearts and lungs. We hardly ever quarrel or fight. My brother never sees me as being in the way. I think I’m quite easy-going. I’m similar in personality to my mother. She is always very friendly to all, although she can be quite critical of people. I like to be friendly to the people around me, and I don’t normally like to let my bad moods and anger inside me, come out and affect other people.

I don’t know if I’m particularly obsessive. I like to do different things every day. I am fond of collecting different things. One day I collect toy cars, another day I want to collect badges. But most of all I prefer collecting stamps because it’s a family hobby. You can learn a tremendous amount through stamps, especially about history. Stamps are a great way to bring history alive. All the members of my family collect stamps and the theme of our collection is history. It is a long-lasting hobby and who knows – in 20 years or so it may have become an impressive collection that can be appreciated and enjoyed by my own children too.

I have grandparents, my mother’s parents. They don’t live with us; but I often visit them. They live a very routine life, but they like it. I can’t put my finger on it, exactly, but there is some atmosphere in their house like nothing has changed for twenty years. My parents are doctors and they work in the hospital. They are very giving, caring persons, and always consider those around them. They work very hard in their hospital and really put all their energy in their work. They are very much in love, even after years of being married and always caring for each other. My parents have warm, friendly eyes and always express a spirit of goodwill towards people. I love my parents very much and my ambition is to be a doctor too, because I want to help people if they have some problems with their health. I originally became interested in medicine during my 9th grade, when I realized that my skills and my traits would serve me well in my future career. Besides I’m good at Chemistry, Biology and History – they are my favourite subjects. I’m not very good at English, but I understand that it is one of the most important subjects now, and I try my best to improve it.

We have a pet. It’s a dog. Her name is Sunny. Her mother is a Scotch Shepherd dog. I am never lonely with my pet. She is a great favourite with everyone in our family. All people admire her. She wears a good collar with her name on it. She especially likes morning walks with my father.

My native city is Moscow. Many people associate Moscow with the Kremlin and Red Square as the heart of the city. It is really the oldest historical and architectural centre of Moscow and my favourite place in Moscow, because it’s connected with the history of my country. Nowadays the Moscow Kremlin, with all the beauty of the palaces and cathedrals, is a wonderful sight. All these cathedrals have been converted into museums. Ivan the Terrible Bell Tower, one of the most remarkable structures of the 16th century, rises in the centre of the Kremlin. It unites all the Kremlin Cathedrals into a majestic ensemble. One of the well-known Kremlin museums is the Armoury Chamber. It was built in 1851. The famous golden cap of Monomach, the first Russian imperial crown of Catherine II made of silver, and many other precious historical items are exhibited there. So when you come to my native city, I’ll show you all the interesting and amazing sights of it.

Questions:

1. Where and when were you born?
2. How old are you now?
3. What can you tell us about your flat?
4. What is your hobby?
5. What is your ambition?
6. What can you tell us about your nearest and dearest?
7. What are your parents?
8. What subjects are you good at?
9. What are your favourite subjects at school?
10. What do you know about the historical places of Moscow?

to be continued

By Elena Kisunko, Moscow, School No. 651,
Elena Muzlanova, Moscow, School No. 1537