Interesting places in Great Britain

Britain is rich in its historic places which link the present with the past.

The oldest part of London is Lud Hill, where the city is originated. About a mile west of it there is Westminster Palace, where the king lived and the Parliament met, and there is also Westminster Abbey, the coronation church.

Liverpool, the "city of ships", is England's second greatest port, ranking after London. The most interesting sight in the Liverpool is the docks. They occupy a river frontage of seven miles. The University of Liverpool, established in 1903, is noted for its School of Tropical Medicine. And in the music world Liverpool is a well-known name, for it's the home town of "The Beatles".

Stratford-on-Avon lies 93 miles north-west of London. Shakespeare was born here in 1564 and here he died in 1616.Cambridge and Oxford Universities are famous centres of learning.

Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument, presumably built by Druids, members of an order of priests in ancient Britain. Tintagel Castle is King Arthur's reputed birthplace. Canterbury Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, head of the Church of England.

The British Museum is the largest and richest museum in the world. It was founded in 1753 and contains one of the world's richest collections of antiquities. The Egyptian Galleries contain human and animal mummies. Some parts of Athens' Parthenon are in the Greek section.

Madam Tussaud's Museum is an exhibition of hundreds of life-size wax models of famous people of yesterday and today. The collection was started by Madam Tussaud, a French modeller in wax, in the 18th century. Here you can meet Marilyn Monroe, Elton John, Picasso, the Royal Family, the Beatles and many others: writers, movie stars, singers, politicians, sportsmen, etc.

Interesting places in Ukraine

Ukraine is a country with the glorious past. It is rich in historical monuments and different places of interest. Kyiv is the capital of Ukraine and one of the oldest cities in the Eastern Europe. It has already celebrated its 1500th anniversary. That's why it is not surprising that a lot of interesting monuments are situated there, for example, the well-known to all Slavonic world St Sophia's Cathedral and Kyivo-Pecherska Lavra. It is breathtaking to wander along the streets of the old town, to feel the breath of history.

But Ukrainian places of interest are situated not only in Kyiv. Near the small town of Kanev the monument to the Ukrainian national genius Taras Shevchenko is situated. The museum, where the books, drawings and manuscripts of Shevchenko are kept, is situated in the village not far from Kanev. Even the house, where he was born, is preserved. It is very interesting to look at it. One may come to Poltava and visit the museum of the famous Poltava battle, the field where Peter the Great defeated the Swedes.

One may also go to Zaporizhia, to the island of Khortytsia, where the Ukrainian Cossacks' organization was born. One can go to Odesa and walk along the boulevards, where Pushkin walked a long time ago, and one can touch the trees, which Pushkin touched. It is also possible to visit the last house of Chekhov (now the museum in Yalta), where Chekhov lived, and where he wrote his last works, and where he died. One may visit the famous symbol of the Crimea — the castle "Swallow's Nest" or the residence of Russian tsars.

It is possible to go through Gogol places in the Poltava Region and see Dickanka, Sorochintsy. One can continue this list, because there is also Western Ukraine with the Carpathians and their legends, feudal lords' castles and cathedrals, with their unique culture and nature. There are a lot of places to see in Ukraine and to be proud of. And I am glad to live in such a country, with all those beautiful monuments.

Music which I listen to

Can you think of a day without music?We hear music everywhere: in the streets and at home, over the radio and on TV, in the shops and in the parks. People all over the world are fond of music.They listen to music, they dance to music, they learn to play musical instruments.There are a lot of different kinds of music.Some of them appeared long ago, some are quite modern.For example, classical music is often associated with the music of the past and rap is considered to be a modern music style.Tastes differ.That's why people's musical interests range from pop and rock music, which are extremely popular among young people nowadays, to classical music and opera.Like most of the teenagers, I can't imagine my life without music.My favourite style of music is pop music, because it is breathtaking and full of energy.Music helps everyone. Even patients. Mentally retarded children, the disabled, people in the doldrums, and others, listening to music becomes more balanced.When I listen to pop music, it makes me remember happy times and forget the problems of everyday life.It helps me to relax when I'm tired and entertains me when I'd like to have fun.My favourite group is «Backstreet Boys» or «BSB» for short.It was formed in Orlando, Florida, in 1993.There are five members in this band.«BSB» have released 7 studio albums.I find their music fascinating and always listen to their records when I have free time.Thanks to my new MP3 player, I can enjoy listening to my favourite music not only at home but also on my way to and from school.The music I hate is heavy metalI find it too noisy and dreadful.When I hear this style of music it presents pictures of dark days to my mind.Though some young people are fond of this style of music, it isn't to everyone's taste.Personally for me music is a source of inspiration.

My favourite book

My favourite book is "Robinson Crusoe" by Daniel Defoe. D. Defoe (1660—1731) was a great master of realistic detail. The novel "Robinson Crusoe" was written in 1719. The novel is praise to human labour and the triumph of man over nature.

Defoe shows the development of his hero. At the beginning of the story we see an inexperienced youth, a rather frivolous boy, who then becomes a strong-willed man.

Robinson Crusoe's most characteristic trait is his optimism. His guiding principle in life become "never say die" and "in trouble to be troubled is to have your troubles doubled".

He had confidence in himself and in man. He believed it was within the power of man to overcome all difficulties. Crusoe was an enthusiastic worker and always hoped for the best.

Defoe is a writer of the Enlightenment. He teaches people how to live, he tries to teach what's good and what's bad. His novel "Robinson Crusoe" is not only a work of fiction, an account of adventures, a biography and an educational pamphlet.

It is a study of man, a great work showing man in relation to nature and civilization as well as in relation to labour and private property. 

My favourite writer

My favourite writer Arthur Conan Doyle.
I love reading English classical literature. But I am especially fond of English detective and adventure sto­ries. I like Agatha Christie's books but my favourite au­thor is Arthur Conan Doyle. I like him because his fic­tion is very realistic and helps to develop one's thinking and knowledge.
Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Scotland in the fam­ily of Irish. He was a doctor. In 1882 he moved from Scot­land to England to set up a practice. His medical knowl­edge was a great help to him in his detective stories.Conan Doyle was one of the first writers who started the fashion of detective story. Today the fashion goes on with the stories of other writers.Conan Doyle created his famous character, Sherlock Holmes, in 1885. Six years later, when Conan Doyle wrote some stories about this detective, the name of Sherlock Holmes became the name that everybody knew. Sherlock Holmes first appeared in a book called «Study in Scar­let» (Этюд в багровых тонах). «The Adventures of Sher­lock Holmes» made him famous all over the world.Conan Doyle was a famous writer. He became popular because of his love for people.

Mass Media

Mass media (that is, the press, the radio and television) play an important role in the life of society. They inform, educate and entertain people. They also influence the way people look at the world and make them change their views. Mass media mould public opinion. Millions of people in their spare time watch TV and read newspapers.

Everybody can find there something interesting for him. On the radio one can hear music, plays, news and various discussions or commentaries of current events. Multiple radio or TV games and films attract a large audience. Newspapers are used in different ways, but basically they are read.

There is a lot of advertisment on mass media. Some of the TV and radio stations and newspapers are owned by different corporations. The owners can advertise whatever they choose.

But it is hardly fair to say that mass media do not try to raise cultural level of the people or to develop their artistic taste. Mass media brings to millions of homes not only entertaiment and news but also cultural and educational programs.

There are more then six TV channels and lot's of radio stations and newspapers now 

The Mass media in Ukraine

The mass media play an important role in our life. They inform us about different events that take place in our country and in the world. They also entertain us and help us to change our life for the better. The mass media give us different kinds of information: news, weather forecast, horoscopes, review of books, etc. We can not imagine our life without the mass media today because information is very important in the modern society.

TV and radio programmes, and newspapers that give reliable information about important events. They are always popular. Many magazines and newspapers also contain information about unusual events, amazing facts, funny stories, sensations. Many people like this kind of information as well. A lot of newspapers and journals are usually well illustrated. They try to choose interesting photos and pictures for their articles.

As for me, I like to read newspapers and watch TV programmes that pay attention to the most important problems of the society. Among such problems may be problems in health care, education or corruption. But I do not like to watch and read an advertisement. I think there is too much advertising in the mass media. Though some of the firms advertise their goods in a funny way and their advertising may entertain.

I am sure, the mass media are an important source of information in a modern world.