Topics for Discussion

POPULAR GROUPS AND SINGERS. THE FAMOUS BRITISH GROUP “THE BEATLES”

They were a symbol for the young generation of the sixties who were rebelling against the old traditional ideals. They started a boom in British pop music.
The group was formed in 1961. The members of the group were: John Lennon (rhythm guitar and vocals), Paul McCartney (bass guitar and vocals), George Harrison (lead guitar and vocals) and Ringo Starr (drums and vocals).
They were born in Liverpool and first began singing there. At the beginning of the sixties, London, with a lot of recording studios, numerous clubs, had become the center of popular music, where the most famous groups sang. There was TV and BBC which presented the most famous concerts. In 1963, the Beatles moved to London. In 1963, they made a concert in the London theatre Palladium which was a great a success. Fifteen million people saw the concert. In 1964-1965 two films appeared on screen: “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Help”, which became very popular with people. With their records and concerts attended by thousands of screaming young fans, the Beatles became millionaires. In 1965 they received an award from the Queen for their contribution to British exports.
In 1968 there was the first showing of their cartoon “Yellow Submarine” and they also created their own musical corporation “Apple”.
In 1967, their manager, Brian Epstein, died and the group started to break up. In 1970 they split up and each member continued plying separately but still successfully.
In 1980 John Lennon, who had become an important leading figure for peace activists, was assassinated in New York where he lived. One of his most famous songs is “Imagine” which talks about a dream of peace and brotherhood.
Today only two of the original Beatles are alive. One of them – Paul McCartney successfully appears in concerts.
You can come to Liverpool and visit The Beatles Museum or you can come to London to see famous places connected with The Beatles. Nowadays, a lot of fans come to London to take Beatles tours around the city. You get off at St. John’s Wood underground station, go along Grove End Road and you are at the crossing Abbey Road. It is the famous crossing, along which The Beatles marched on the photo of their album “Abbey Road”. Then, you arrive at their famous studio, which is in the same street. Not far from it, in Cavendish Avenue there is Paul McCartney’s house, which he bought in 1966 for his family for 40,000 pounds. His friends from the group often stayed there. And now when Paul and his children come to London, they stay there. There is a 5-storeyed building in Savile Road, which was an office of their firm “Apple”. In 1969, on the 30th of January, they organized a concert on the roof of that building. It was recorded for the film “Let It Be’. Later, The Beatles were awarded an Oscar for the music to that film. Also you can visit the London Beatles Store, where you can not only buy posters, books and discs, but also get information about The Beatles Fan Club – their meetings and events.

Questions:
1. When was the group formed?
2. Who were its members?
3. Why were they so popular?
4. When did they split up?
5. Why was John Lennon popular?
6. Which of them is the successful musician now?
7. What places connected with The Beatles can you visit in London?

Youth Culture

Culture denotes behavior, beliefs and activities of a particular group of people. Sometimes it is called a subculture. Every generation creates its own culture which is called youth culture. It happens when young people of a particular group get together, share their beliefs, their musical interests and follow their own style in clothes and appearance. Some trends have appeared and died out over the last 60 years.
Trends (tendencies) in culture during last 60 years.
1950’s rock and roll culture,
1960’s rock and pop culture,
1970’s – 80’s punk-rock culture,
1990’s rave culture,
The cultures of today include pop, rap and hip-hop culture.

1. In the 1950s the big new trend in music became rock and roll. Memphis became a new center of music, because Elvis Presley put rock and roll there. Young people listened to rock and roll and followed its fashion in clothes and appearance: they had short hair and wore short dresses and narrow trousers.
2. In 1960s the hippies appeared. They had long hair and wore unusual clothes: long colourful Indian dresses and wide trousers. They listened to rock music of the Beatles and Bob Dylan. Hippies believed in peace and were against the Vietnam War. The hippy movement started in California in the USA. In the USA and Europe a lot of hippies went on marches to protest against the Vietnam War.
3. In the late 1970s punk culture appeared. It was a hard time. There were a lot of unemployed young people, so they blamed the society. They listened to punk-rock. Punk rock expressed negative feeling – hate and tried to shock people. This type of music is violent and loud. The great punk bands were the Sex Pistols and X-Ray. Punks wore brightly-colored hair, chains and pins and torn clothing.
4. The 1990s were the time of raves. They listened to techno music and wore casual clothes: T-shirts and jeans. They were often linked with drugs.
5. Nowadays the popular styles in music and clothes are hip-hop, pop and rock. Young people who listen to hip-hop are called hip-hoppers. They wear T-shirts with emblems, caps and wide jeans.
Some young people listen to rock, punk-rock and some of them wear long hair and black clothes.

Questions:
1. What are the main trends of culture during last 60 years?
2. What trends are current?
3. What trend in culture was in 1950s?
4. When did hippies appear?
5. How did punk rock appear?
6. Speak about raves.

THE WONDERS OF LAKE BAIKAL

Lake Baikal is 25 million years old. It is one of the oldest lakes in the world. Furthermore, it is the purest lake in the world. Now it is a nature reserve.
A lot of different tribes lived on the lakeside: the Bashkir, the Uigur, the Turki and the Buryats. The tribes, living near the lake confessed (исповедовали) different religious: paganism, Buddhism, then in the 19th century, they were converted to (обращены) Christianity.
The ancient name of the lake in the Turkish language is “Baikul” that means “sacred (священный) lake”. And nowadays the Buryats, who live on the lakeside, believe that the gods protect the lake. And if you even take a stone from the shore, you should return it to its place. Also people believe in a fable that says the biggest and most rapacious fish, which has never been seen, lives at the bottom.
Scientists believe that the lake is the biggest crack in the earth and say that the lake is becoming deeper and wider. In future it will become a sea. Four hundred rivers flow into the lake, but only the river Angara flows out of the lake so it is called “the well”. There are some hot springs at the bottom of the lake and sometimes fishermen catch fish boiled. The water of the lake is the purest in the world and people believe that it is drinkable.
The soil on the lakeside is unique too. It is rich in gold (5 grammes per 1 cubic metre). Many years ago, people living on the shore of the lake found ingots (слитки) but now the lands near the lake are protected by law.

Questions:
1. Why is the lake so important?
2. How old is it?
3. What nationalities lived on its shores?
4. What religion did they have?
5. How many rivers flow into the lake?
6. How many rivers flow out? Which river?
7. What information about Lake Baikal surprised you?
8. Tell your partner about the lake.