Topics
for 11th form examination
RUSSIA’S ACHIEVEMENTS IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
I think that the most prominent inventions of Russian scientists and
engineers are:
Mikhail Lomonosov’s telescope which helped him to study Venus;
his achievements in astronomy and mineralogy;
Dmitri Mendeleev’s periodic table of elements, in which the
elements are arranged by atomic number and organized by their related groups; from his
table Mendeleev predicted the properties of elements then unknown (gallium, scandium, and
germanium);
Ivan Pavlov’s studies of conditioned reflexes in animals which
had a great impact on behavioural and learning theory;
Konstantin Tsiolkovsky’s theory of space flight;
Sergei Korolyov’s design of intercontinental missile, Sputnik
satellite, and Vostok spacecraft;
Igor Kurchatov’s experimental work in nuclear physics;
Andrei Sakharov’s hydrogen bomb; Sakharov was called the
‘father of the Soviet H-bomb’;
Peter Kapitza’s work on magnetism and low-temperature physics;
Nikolai Semyonov’s study of chemical chain reactions;
Nikolai Basov and Aleksandr Prokhorov’s microwave amplifier
called a maser;
Mikhail Mil’s design of helicopter series “Mi”;
Zhores Alfyorov’s breakthrough in laser physics.
I would like to tell about Russia’s achievements in space research.
They are connected with the name of Sergey Korolyov who was the head Soviet rocket
engineer and designer during the Space Race (“космическая гонка”)
between the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1950s and 1960s. Throughout his
period of work on the program he was known as the “Chief Designer” (главный
конструктор).
Although trained as an aircraft designer, Korolyov became a rocket
designer and a key figure in the development of the Soviet ICBM program (intercontinental
ballistic missile – межконтинентальная баллистическая
ракета). He was then appointed to lead the Soviet space program. He greatly
contributed to the early successes of the Sputnik and Vostok projects. He had plans to
compete with America to be the first nation to land a man on the Moon, but he died
unexpectedly in 1966.
The Sputnik program was a series of unmanned space missions launched by
the Soviet Union in the late 1950s. The name “Sputnik” (“Спутник”) comes
from Russian, where it means “fellow traveller”.
Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, was launched on October 4,
1957. It was only 53 cm in diameter, and carried only a simple radio transmitter. The
transmitter allowed scientists to track Sputnik as it orbited the Earth. The the first
artificial satellite burned up in the atmosphere 92 days later. Soviet people were
overjoyed when they heard the signals of Sputnik broadcast on the radio all over the
world.
Sputnik 2 was launched on November 3, 1957 and carried the first living
passenger, a dog named Laika. The mission planners did not provide for the safe return of
the spacecraft or its passenger, making Laika the first space casualty.
The first attempt to launch Sputnik 3, carried a large array of
instruments for geophysical research.
Sputnik 5 was launched on August 19, 1960 with the dogs Belka and
Strelka, 40 mice, 2 rats and a variety of plants on board. The spacecraft returned to
earth the next day and all animals were recovered safely.
All Sputniks were carried into orbit by the R-7 launch vehicle,
originally designed to carry nuclear warheads.
The launch of Sputnik 1 was a surprise for the American government
because the first two Project Vanguard launch attempts had failed. Sputnik also led to the
creation of NASA and major increases in U.S. Government spending on scientific research
and education.
On April 12, 1961 Yuri Gagarin flew into space and spent 108 minutes
there. It was one of the greatest events of the 20th century. It was Vostok 1, a
single-seat spacecraft, that carried Gagarin into space. Since that time no one has
doubted Russia’s leadership in space research.
MY FAVOURITE FILM
Since the beginning of the 20th century cinematography has been
developing very fast. It gave rise to a great number of film genres.
Film genres are various groups of films that have similar patterns. The
main film genres are action-adventure films, comedies, gangster films, melodramas,
historical, horror, musical, science fiction, war films, and westerns.
Action films usually include high energy, big-budget physical stunts
(каскадёрские трюки) and chases (погони), possibly with rescues
(спасения), battles and fights. (I like / don’t like / don’t mind such
films)
Adventure films are usually exciting stories with new experiences
(опыт, впечатления) or exotic countries.
Comedies are light-hearted and designed to amuse and provoke laughter.
Gangster films are developed around criminals like bank robbers.
Dramas are serious stories with realistic characters and life
situations. Usually they don’t have many special effects.
Sci-fi films are scientifically based (научно
обоснованы) but tell about imaginative heroes, aliens
(инопланетяне), and distant planets.
I would like to tell you about a sub-genre. It’s a gothic thriller,
the first Russian blockbuster, “Nochnoi Dozor” (Night Watch). The box office
(касса) took in $5.3 million for this film. Even “The Matrix” and
“Terminator-3” have never seen such success in Russia.
This boom was worked up by the PR of The First Channel and special
effects, which are new to Russian cinematography. Besides, Sergei Lukyanenko’s novels
are popular with young people. The trilogy includes the novels “Night Watch”, “Day
Watch” and “Twilight Watch”.
The plot is based on the story of a virgin in Byzantium who got cursed.
Because of her curse there was darkness in the world. The forces of light then rose up to
combat evil. They fight until it is realized neither can win. Then balance remains as
Others (gifted people on both sides – “Иные”) maintain the balance – the Night
Watch control the dark side by licensing them and the Day Watch are supposed to control
the light side.
Skip to 2004. “A special Other” arrives in the world, he will
decide the balance between light and dark, and he must choose which side to take. At the
same time the virgin comes back and brings a vortex (tornado and lots of crows) with her,
this is apparently not good and so the Light sides have to stop the Other from being
bitten by vampires (Dark) and find out who cursed this virgin.
The film is stuffed with special effects, for example, the Night Watch
have a van with a rocket engine which makes tricks enhanced by computer technologies.
There is also this thing called the Twilight (Сумрак) which these
Others can slip into, but not for long or it consumes them. The Dark can get on quite well
in the Twilight and often hide there.
Anyway, the story and tension builds till the Other makes his choice
and the Night Watch finds out who cursed the virgin and do something about it.
That’s the basic story. The acting was not bad. Konstantin Khabensky
starred as Anton Gorodetsky; Vladimir Menshov as Geser; Valeri Zolotukhin as Vampire;
Mariya Poroshina as Svetlana, the cursed virgin; Galina Tyunina as Olga; the sorceress (an
owl); Yuri Kutsenko as Ignat; Ilya Lagutenko as Vampire Andrei; Zhanna Friske as Alisa
Donnikova and Rimma Markova as Darya Schultz, a witch.
There’s some good action and a reasonable amount of blood. There’s
a very good animated sequence (much better than in “Kill Bill”), and the whole thing
is pretty much filmed in blues and reds which works well to give the film a Gothic feel.
Overall, it was a very enjoyable film, visually distinctive, with a
great soundtrack which varies from classical to Goth rock, good digital effects and a
fairly simple story followed to a reasonable conclusion. Watching this film is a good way
to spend 2 hours.
Oh there is a great quote from this film, Night Watch! Everyone step
out of the Twilight!
HOBBIES
What is a hobby? I think it’s an activity or interest pursued outside
one’s regular occupation. People have hobbies just for pleasure.
Hobbies are practised for interest and enjoyment, rather than financial
reward. Examples include collecting, making different things, doing sports and getting
further education in your favorite sphere. Engaging in a hobby can lead to acquiring
substantial skills, knowledge, and experience. However, personal fulfillment is the main
aim.
What are hobbies for some people are professions for others: a game
tester may enjoy cooking as a hobby, while a professional chef might enjoy playing
computer games. Generally speaking, the person who does something for fun, not
remuneration, is called an amateur (or hobbyist), as distinct from a professional.
An important determinant of what is considered a hobby is probably how
easy it is to make a living at the activity. Almost no one can make a living at cigarette
card or stamp collecting, but many people find it enjoyable; so it is commonly regarded as
a hobby.
Amateur astronomers often make meaningful contributions to the
professionals. It is not entirely uncommon for a hobbyist to be the first to discover a
celestial body or event.
In the UK, the noun anorak, meaning a geek or enthusiast, is
often applied to people who obsessively pursue a particular hobby.
Some common hobbies abroad are: animal breeding, keeping show animals
or pets, doll-making, knitting and embroidery.
Today one of the most popular hobbies, both in Russia and abroad, is
role-playing games. Some people are keen on historical reconstruction of some events.
Young people called Tolkienists are engaged in fantasy role-playing. Russian Tolkienists
often gather in Neskuchniy Park. They cross wooden swords in battles, wear medieval
clothes, write music, and even speak elfish language. They impersonate themselves with a
hobbit, elf, dwarf or some other mythological creatures.
As for me, my hobby is creating music and writing lyrics. Every spare
minute I switch on my computer, put in a CD with a special program and use samples to
record my own music. Then I take a microphone and add instrumential music and voice. This
activity develops my skills and improves my mood. It helps me to relax. Of course, I am
not an expert in synthesizer orchestration and sampling. I don’t do it for money. But
when my friends say that my music is great, I feel good.
THE ROLE OF MASS MEDIA
It’s impossible to imagine our life without the mass media. The most
important mass media are newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and the Internet. They
inform, educate and entertain people. They also influence the way people look at the world
and make them change their views. Sociologists say that news is not what happens; it is
what you see or read about in the mass media. PR-techniques are based on the mass media
and help to mold public opinion, especially during election campaigns. So, mass media have
both advantages and disadvantages.
On the one hand radio, television and the press are valuable because
they help to get the latest news, including the weather forecast. We can get any
information from the Internet in a few minutes. It’s a good way to relax: listening to
the radio, watching films on TV, reading the press, or navigating the Internet. On the
other hand the mass media usually focus on negative information. Watching news programs we
primarily learn about war, crimes, disasters, and accidents. Negative information causes
stress and bad mood. Some children may become aggressive if they watch violent programs.
How can we stop it?
There is a lot of gossip in the press. Paparazzi follow celebrities
everywhere and some terrible things may happen like the road accident with Princess Diana.
I think governments should control what goes on TV because there are too many stupid chat
shows, endless daily soap operas and terrible action films. Some people think the media is
getting worse and worse. I totally agree. There is too much sex, violence and too many
adverts. In my opinion most adverts are tasteless. It’s great that our Duma is passing
laws to cut time for commercials.
Some people can’t do without a newspaper, especially in the
underground or during the lunch break. My family subscribes to Komsomolka, because
it is informative, interesting and objective. We can buy newspapers and magazines in any
kiosk. My father likes ‘Avtomir’ because he reads articles describing the world of
cars. My mother buys women’s magazines such as Burda for those who sew and knit. She
often reads magazines about the lives of celebrities, the so-called people in vogue, like
‘Biografia’, and other popular magazines about events in the world of art and fashion.
I like ‘Cool’ because I read about pop stars and teenage problems.
I sometimes read tabloids (Moskovskiy Komsomolets), local newspapers (Zhulebinski
Bulevar), and fashion magazines.
There are dozens of radio stations in Russia. Most of them broadcast
music of a definite style, for example Radio Chanson broadcasts Russian chanson. I usually
listen to Radio Next because I love R’n’B. Music and popular DJs attract teenagers.
There are talk shows and intellectual quizzes on many radio stations. It is possible to
give the host of the program a telephone call and win a prize. Radio has another
advantage: you can do something and listen to the radio at the same time.
Nowadays many families have several TV sets. Television gives people a
chance to learn about the world. I think that such films as ‘Walking with Dinosaurs’
and “Wildlife” are television masterpieces. I often watch BBC programs. My favourite
TV personality is Nikolai Drozdov.
The Internet is the newest kind of mass media. It is a powerful means
of communication and a great source of information which helped me in my school studies. I
am fond of music. I download some music almost every day. I communicate with my mates in
chat rooms.
To sum up, the mass media are an essential part of modern democratic
society. The reasons are easy to understand. Democracy requires informed and politically
educated citizens who can make decisions for themselves. In turn, they need reliable news
and access to a wide variety of opinion about it in order to make informed choices rather
than being manipulated.
Most people do not have a deep understanding of political issues. We
rely upon the media to keep us informed, primarily through TV news, but also in newspapers
and on the radio. Indeed, the great merit of television is that it brings political
leaders and events from around the world into our own living rooms where we see and hear
them for ourselves, and form our own judgments. The news media are sometimes described as
“the fourth estate of the realm”, “the fourth branch of power”, or “the watchdog
of the constitution”. This role is a demanding and complex one.
MY FAMILY AND FAMILY TRADITIONS
My family isn’t very big. We live in a block of flats in Zhulebino,
on the outskirts of Moscow.
My father is 45. He is a manager. He is hard-working and organized. He
is a good specialist in marketing. He drives to his office every day and spends lots of
time working on his computer, making and receiving telephone calls, managing people who
work with him. He has many responsibilities. As a result he comes home tired and
exhausted.
My mother is 42. She is very good-looking. She’s got blue eyes and
blond hair. She is a designer. She is very good at art. Her ideas of interior design are
fantastic. She is sociable and likes to go out with her friends or with dad and me. We
have parties. My mum likes it when friends and relatives come to see us. She cooks great
meals and we have lots of fun. My mum is helpful. She visits our relatives when they are
sick, gives advice about doctors and medicine. She is energetic and very enthusiastic
about her work. My mum is very popular with her friends and neighbours because she’s
helpful, good-tempered and kind-hearted. I think I take after my mum.
My little sister is 12. She is a pretty girl with dark brown hair and
green eyes. She is a student of the 6th form. She is good at Literature and English. She
doesn’t like Maths. I think she is rather uninterested in this subject. But I usually
help her and she can catch up with her classmates. I hope she’ll improve. She spends
hours talking with her friends over the telephone. Mum tries to make her give up doing
that but with little success.
As for me, I am usually calm and patient. I try not to argue with my
sister and my friends. I think I am tolerant because it’s not easy to put me down. I get
on with my teachers and never have trouble doing terrible things like drinking alcohol,
missing classes, gossiping, and cheating. I don’t want to disappoint my mum and dad. I
am reliable and organized.
I love reading. My favorite author is J.R.R. Tolkien. Fantasy
fiction makes my life more exciting. I have some friends who are fond of fantasy
role-playing. They like to impersonate themselves with characters from Tolkien’s books.
I’m not very outgoing but I often spend leisure time with my friends.
I don’t have much free time. Doing my homework takes a lot of time.
Sometimes it’s boring but I understand that I have to study. I am going to get a good
education and become a good specialist like my mum and dad.
On weekends I often go to my grandparents. They live near Kuzminki
metro station. My granny is very nice. She’s a great cook. She treats me with tasty
dishes like pelmeni, burgers with potatoes and pies. My granny and granddad often argue
about politics because they have different views on the political situation in our
country. But I don’t think that after 45 years of marriage they will be able to change.
One way out is to have two TV sets and watch different programs if they can’t stand some
films or TV personalities.
We have some family traditions, such as celebration of New Year’s
Day, celebration of Women’s Day (the 8th of March), Easter celebration with colored eggs
and Easter cake. We celebrate anniversaries, birthdays. One of our family traditions is
going to Red Square on the 9th of May. On this day we celebrate the greatest victory of
the Soviet people over the fascist invaders. We go to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to
honour the memory of those who died to defend peace and happiness of our Motherland. We
watch the guards on duty and the Eternal Flame burning at the monument. I whisper the
great and simple words, “Your name is unknown, your feat is immortal”. If we don’t
go to Red Square, we watch the parade on TV. When our soldiers march across Red Square I
feel that we are a great nation, a country of courageous people and unique culture. We
respect our traditions and hope that future generations will keep them alive.
THE ROLE OF BOOKS IN PEOPLE’S LIVES
The death of the book has been predicted for the last century. There
are people who think that cinema, radio and television are the murderers of our most
treasured cultural icon, the book. The Internet is the latest suspect to hold the smoking
gun.
As for me, I am not of the same opinion. I think books are still
treasured by many people all over the world. More books are being published than ever
before. Our nearest bookshop “Soyuz” offers plenty of books. It’s amazing that some
of them are derived from movies like “X Files”, “Konan” and so on.
Instead of killing the book the media have been one of its saviors. Of
course, pulp fiction is more popular than classical literature, especially with teenagers.
The majority of people prefer reading pulp fiction, because they want to relax. However,
classical literature gives food to the mind for many, to say nothing about studying it in
the framework of the school program.
Computing, and the development of the Internet, may cause a negative
effect. Some books are indeed being replaced by electronic media. Who wants to use a
twenty-volume encyclopedia when information can be retrieved immediately from a CD-ROM or
the Internet? Though, no one will lie in bed reading a novel from a CD-ROM.
I think that we can’t live without books. Encyclopedias, reference
books and dictionaries help pupils to do well at school. There are a lot of books of
different genres, for example, thrillers, historical novels, science fiction, adventure
books and others. Boys all over the world like reading adventure novels, thrillers and
horror stories, whereas (в то время как) girls prefer romances, historical
novels and poetry. But recently, fantasy has become the best-loved genre of both.
As for my family, my father likes reading newspapers and magazines. He
thinks it is a good way to learn the latest news from the point of view of different
journalists. My mother is keen on reading romances and modern novels. She wouldn’t mind
reading about the life of well-known people (or fashionable people) in magazines like
“Karavan Istoriy”.
I enjoy reading detective stories, because they have interesting story
lines and unusual endings. I like characters who conduct investigations such as Miss
Marple or Sherlock Holmes.
I never believed there really were books that you couldn’t put aside.
I changed my opinion when I started to read about Harry Potter’s adventures by Joan
Rowling. Her book series include Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter
and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban, etc. When
every book of the series is coming to the conclusion, Rowling is trying to keep the
suspense going. This keeps millions of fans worldwide, young and old, queuing up in book
shops to lay their hands on the latest book of the series. The same thing happened with Harry
Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I read it almost without drawing breath and I have
to say – I am impressed. I now want to know what happens in the next book, and will have
to wait a couple more moths to find out.
Five years ago I discovered the mysterious world of magicians which
exists side by side with the real world. Ordinary people who are called Muggles by
magicians are completely unaware of what happens in the parallel world. Magicians try to
hide their supernatural abilities and there is a special committee that makes Muggles
forget all extraordinary things they could see.
Harry Potter is brought up by Muggles, but he is a real magician and
goes to Hogwarts, a special school of Magic Sciences. In Book 1 Harry is small and thin.
He is 11. He wears glasses. He’s got a scar on his forehead, which is a mark of tragic
events that happened 11 years earlier when a black magician, Lord Voldemort, killed
Harry’s parents. Harry could have also died, but his mother’s love saved him. Now
Harry is the only person who can take over Voldemort. In every book Harry wins when he
meets the Dark Lord face to face.
At Hogwarts Harry makes friends with Ron and Hermione, plays quidditch,
studies how to defend himself from the Dark Arts, meets rivals, like Draco Malfoy, and has
exciting new adventures every academic year. He becomes very popular because he helps good
people and defeats bad ones.
To my mind, the character of Harry Potter is so attractive because lots
of teens today may feel lonely and misunderstood. Their everyday life may be dull. If they
differ from other teenagers, they are usually laughed at. They are being humiliated like
Harry was humiliated in the family of Muggles. Harry Potter is like a modern Cinderella.
It’s great to find out that your life can be changed and you can become a famous person
in the world of wizards, witches and ghosts. Any teenager who is reading the story
believes that he/she can also start to practice magic, have an owl as a pet, and meet
unicorns, vampires, elves, and goblins.
I admire Joan Rowling’s talent that has made miracles true to life.
In her fictional world the evil embodied in Lord Voldemort cannot win. Unfortunately, in
our real world there is a lot of injustice: good people may lose and bad people may win.
I believe that Russian authors also have magic in their fingertips.
They will surely write a magical story, told in the most human of ways and appealing to
the heart as well as the imagination.
By Irina Ishkhneli
School No.1738, Moscow
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