Modern world seems to be possessed by the idea of beauty. But people are likely to forget that the notion of beauty may have two different (and even controversial) interpretations. The first one is connected with appearance, and the second one is more profound and important. I do not deny the importance of some outer beauty, but I still believe that inner beauty of any living thing is of greater importance. It is the inner beauty that is able to…
Surfing the Internet you see tons of pop-ups and banners that are meant to persuade people to join some community and start playing. There are a lot of different directions: tanks, airplanes, mystical worlds with clans. No matter what type it is, the newcomer gets hooked on the process and spends more hours in front of the screen. These games are mostly successful commercial projects. People invest money in the objects of the game. It may be some kind of…
The launch of the first artificial satellite of the Earth gave a start to the new space era on the 4th of October, 1957. The humankind experienced new emotions and realized the new possibilities that space technologies could offer. Some years later such ideas as satellite broadcasting were implemented, and in 1961 the first cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin left the surface of the planet entering the space zone on board a spaceship. Space technologies today are an inalienable part of our…
Jacques-Yves Cousteau, a French marine explorer was born in Bordeaux in 1910. He was born to a family of a lawyer, Daniel Cousteau, who was of Belorussian origin. He moved to France and changed his Belorussian surname ‘Couste’ to the French ‘Cousteau’. In 1920 the Cousteau family moved to New York, where Jacques-Yves learnt English and started speaking it fluently. At that time he displayed his interest in the sea. Two years later, in 1922, the family returned to France…
Leonardo da Vinci is the most outstanding figure of the Italian Renaissance. He is an example of a ‘universal man’ who possessed multiple talents: he was not only a great representative of art as an artist, a sculptor, a musician, a writer, but also a great architect, technician, engineer and inventor. Leonardo was born not far from Florence to the family of a notary public. His father hoped that Leonardo would follow his steps, but social life wasn’t interesting for…
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill was born to a noble family in 1874. His upbringing and education were mainly his governess’s concern. At the age of eight he was sent to St. George’s School, Ascot, Berkshire; then he was transferred to Brunswick School in Hove, near Brighton; and then to Harrow School from 17 April 1888. After Churchill left Harrow in 1893, he applied to the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He had to take exams thrice, before he managed to get…
W. Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon to a family of a successful glover and an alderman. He got a good classical education at a local school and started writing his own plays somewhere in the 1590s. Shakespeare’s popularity grew in 1597–1598 after his 5 novels had been published. He became one of the shareholders of a new theatre, called ‘The Globe’, that was soon built in London. All his life Shakespeare was an eager learner – he strived…
Sooner or later anyone comes to understand that man is a part of nature. Over the whole history of civilization people seem to have been struggling with the world around. They want to subdue it and to make it more technological. I am perfectly sure that nature is different everywhere, no matter where you go. It is different even within 200 kilometres. Nothing is the same – there are so many unique combinations that make us recognize the place we…
The twentieth century was the time of a technological breakthrough. Some people even felt dizzy about it and cherished hopes, that the future would be so incredibly bright. Now it has become obvious, that some of the inventions that appeared within this period turned out to be even deadly dangerous for the whole humankind. Nuclear power in its peaceful application (we do not speak about nuclear weapons) seemed to be a source of energy that wouldn’t pollute nature. It is…
Inventive mind is a special quality and all people possess it in some degree. I think everyone is ready to create something when he really needs it to make the work simpler and faster. But few do it in reality, because the world today is full of inventions and appliances of different kinds. The history of inventions began long ago, maybe even earlier than Ancient Egypt and Greece. The first most important inventions were the wheel, the waterwheel and levers…
Envy belongs to the seven deadly sins. That is why I try not to envy people who live in their own houses. But sometimes I can’t. It is better to say that I do not envy them in the traditional understanding of this word, I simply admire any private houses, no matter where I see them – in a village or in the suburbs. I do not think it is really necessary to have a three-storeyed castle. It may be…
I have lived in a house for all my life. I can say that I would never change it for a flat. Do you know why? Because my home is my castle, as the proverb says. I have always felt safe here, I have always realised that my home is a considerable part of my life, the place I want to come back to. My house is not new, my grandparents bought it from some previous owners and I don’t…
I think no one will argue with the statement that it is vitally important to remember the past. The history of the state you live in is profoundly studied at schools and universities, and the history of your family is not less important either. How many generations of your family are well-known to you? Have you ever thought about it? I have. Unfortunately, the earliest ancestors I know are my great-great-grandparents, what lies deeper in time remains really vague. More…
Do you remember the day when you first used a mobile phone? I do. At that time it seemed to be something special, but at present it is an ordinary thing we do not pay much attention to. Smartphones started a new era in communication. The abundance of functions in these devices makes them more and more popular, especially with the younger generation. I am happy that I didn’t have a smartphone in my childhood, because it could have influenced…
Body language compared to any other means of communication is a unique way to transfer information. It contains the so-called ‘hidden information’. If you want to make sure that you fully understand someone, just put together verbal and non-verbal (not involving or using words or speech) communication. If the words don’t accord with the gestures, you may suspect this person of dishonesty. How is it possible to learn to understand the language of gestures? Here are some examples that help…
When we speak about the wonders of the world, we generally imply the ancient list of the most remarkable creations of classical antiquity. Today new lists are made to emphasize the importance of the objects that have survived up to the present days. The classic seven wonders were: Great Pyramid of Giza The only of the seven Wonders that can be seen today. Its height is about 150 m, which corresponds to the height of a 50-floor skyscraper. The pyramid…
How many times have you been to the zoo? Do you like circus animals? I don’t like such things. The planet today is not suitable for living. We don’t speak about people only, but about animals too. There are so many extinct species, that no one would ever think, that it may have been possible to kill them all. But it’s the reality that we have faced. Animals should live in their natural habitat; they are capable of maintaining the…
The United States is first of all a highly developed society in the modern world. Its history began long ago. Columbus was the first to explore the unknown land, though nobody believed in its existence. He came to the shores of America in 1492, but the first settlers came here in 1565. The years passed and the representatives of different countries and nations came here to build up a new society. Their adventurous spirit led them into that faraway land….
The UK includes four countries: Northern Ireland and Great Britain, which is subdivided into England, Scotland and Wales. This union has a long history, and we can’t say that it’s a firm structure, but still due to political and economic reasons we call it the UK. The UK is located on the British Isles, which are numerous (there are around 6,000 all in all). The modern population of the UK consists of the descendants of different ethnic groups that have…
What do you know about Australia? Of course, it’s situated in the southern hemisphere, the seasons are different from those in the northern hemisphere: when we have summer, they have winter and the other way round. Australia used to be ‘Terra Australis Incognita’, translated as ‘Unknown Southern Land’ from Latin up to the 18th century. Captain James Cook was the first to explore this land and to draw a simple map of it in 1770. Australia used to be a…
Have you ever been abroad? It’s a typical question that we use when we study the Present Perfect. But it’s an important question. If we speak about summer holidays, people mostly go to the South. And they will say a few words about their trip to Egypt or to Turkey. There are quite a lot of popular resorts with so many Russian people there, that the personnel can speak and understand Russian. Even if you want you won’t have an…
The word ‘phobia’ comes from Greek (‘φόβος’ — ‘phobos’ — ‘fear’). Quite a lot (or even the majority) of people have phobias in a certain degree. Some of them even do not know that they have phobias, but in some particular situations. There is an opinion that the problem of subconscious fears lies somewhere deep in people’s memory. One may have seen or heard something in the childhood and it resulted in a phobia some time later. I am absolutely…
When I remember what my city looked like ten or fifteen years ago, the first thing that occurs to me is the lesser number of cars. Now you come up to the doorway (if you live in a block of flats) and see a car standing right in your way. Vehicles are parked on the grass. They are everywhere – moving and roaring and producing exhaust fumes. I do not understand people who drive to the supermarket which is five…
Superstitions are the best thing to talk about. Really they are. I am not a superstitious person and I don’t know much about this sphere of life. That is why I searched for some special superstitions on the Internet and had a lot of fun. Superstitions are the same thing as astrology for me personally. As far as I understand the superstitions are different around the world and people in different countries believe that the same thing may bring you…
The world around is so big and wonderful. I don’t know how many people live simply to work and work to live, turning their life into mere existence. Some time ago, I am not sure when exactly I felt a strong desire to explore the world we live in. No, I do not mean the whole planet, I do not mean travelling all year round. It may be even a small part of our country. What I mean is the…
Come up to an aged person and ask him or her a question: ‘What is youth?’ And you may hear an answer: ‘Youth is the spring of life’. Ask the same question a 35-40-year-old person. And you’ll probably hear: ‘I haven’t thought much about it yet. I’m sorry I have to go’. And a teenager may answer, that he lives in the present and that is all. There are so many things that may influence an immature mind – either…
I believe anyone knows that weather forecasts have never been reliable. There are so many stations for meteorological observations all around the world. There are hundreds of satellites orbiting the Earth, but we still can’t be sure of the weather tomorrow. No one knows what it will be like. The same may be said about climate. It is obvious, that it is changing, and one doesn’t have to be a specialist to notice it. I cannot speak about the whole…
‘Cogito ergo sum – I think therefore I am’ – these words belong to René Descartes. We are born to think. Though the present consumer society imposes different views on people. ‘Just buy, live to buy. Buy as much as you can and even more!’ – this is the motto of our life today. And if you don’t want to buy? If you are born to think and create, to reach your own goals, what comes next? If you come…
People who live in the country or at least who have country houses where they spend their vacation and holidays have a wonderful opportunity to live in unity with nature. Townspeople do not often understand the striving for gardening and agricultural work. For thousands of years people lived in smaller groups than they live now, and everyone had to work to support the family and to make a contribution to its welfare. Gardening and farming were as natural as breathing…
I do not remember exactly what I first bought online. Wait… It was a book on programming which I found only on the Internet and which was not available in ordinary bookstores. I needed it so much that I purchased it without any hesitation. It was really unusual in those days. I didn’t pay for it at once, so I did it a bit later at the post-office. Such method of payment is called ‘cash on delivery’. Today everything has…
I belong to the group of people who do not like shopping at all. When I try to remember whether I found it interesting a few years ago, I cannot find a definite answer. Some time ago I used to buy things I didn’t really need, especially different gadgets and appliances. Now I realize that it is better to invest money in something that acquires additional value with the time, for example, books. I suppose that everyone has to go…
There are quite a lot of definitions of the word ‘money’. The generally accepted one is: ‘Money is a good* that acts as a medium of exchange in transactions’. Let’s try to think what money really means in our life. If we take a closer look at the word itself, we will find out that it is uncountable in the English language. And every language is a clever system based on special principles and experience of generations. We cannot count…
The word photography may be translated from Greek as ‘drawing with light’. Since cameras first appeared in the first half of the 19th century, photography has come a long way and the equipment we have today is really fast and simple to use. I suppose everyone has a digital camera at present, no matter where it is: it may be built in a tablet or a smartphone or even in a multimedia player. Some people are indifferent to photography and…
The attitude to street art depends on what we understand as ‘street art’. Walking along the streets of any city or town we often see graffiti on the walls of the buildings. It always hurts my eye when I notice a dark splash or spot on a snow-white freshly painted wall. It is still worse when the graffiti are on the buildings which are recognized as monuments of architecture. No one knows what makes young people daub the surfaces with…
People of the world have always had an aspiration to create something eternal that can live for centuries. Art is the greatest heritage of the past, wealth of the present and a lighthouse in the future. Art has a unique ability to concentrate human experience and to express it in a concise way, no matter what kind of art it is: music, literature, painting, sculpture. Speaking about art we should distinguish between contemporary and classical art. No one can define…
‘Art is long, life is short’ – we all know these words which date back to the fourth century B.C. Since that time they have acquired even greater importance. Wikipedia gives the following definition of art: …a diverse range of human activities in creating visual, auditory or performing artifacts – artworks, expressing the author’s imaginative or technical skill, intended to be appreciated for their beauty or emotional power. Painting relates to the oldest forms of art in the history of…
Man does not live by caviar alone. I. Shaw. Nightwalk What makes a human being a human being? No doubt it’s our cultural needs. Here lies the major difference between a man and an animal. Animals don’t need art. Some monkeys, dolphins, elephants are capable of drawing, but it isn’t art. It’s just their physical ability to use a brush or some other object for drawing. Art has existed for ages. It has undergone a lot of changes. It has…
‘Everything is good in its season’. We use this phrase in connection with anything, but education. Education, to be more precise, the level of education is a universal and eternal value. Striving for knowledge is an inalienable right and natural aspiration of a human being. Education takes its origin in the discrepancy between your present and desired levels of knowledge. ‘I know that I don’t know anything’, – said Socrates. If we imagine our personal knowledge as a circle, that…
Chekhov said: ‘You are the man as many times, as many languages you know’. Really, learning foreign languages contributes greatly to the development of the personality and makes people look at the surrounding world more widely. Let’s try to find reasons proving that learning a foreign language is vital: 1) You have already started learning English. It can be deduced from the fact that you are reading this book now. If you are learning English, then you need it for…
‘Music is the universal language of mankind’, – said once Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Music is not only a kind of art but also a kind of universal language. You can’t learn all the languages in the world, but you are able to understand music. Music helps when the words are not enough. I don’t play any musical instruments, that’s why I take musicians as people sent down to Earth from Heaven. They have some special gift. My favourite musical instruments…
Many people believe that cinema and theatre are somehow opposed to each other. Theatre is ‘old art’ and cinema is ‘new art’. It’s not at all like this. I think it silly to argue about this question. Let the first like theatre and the second like cinema. I don’t belong to one group only. I can’t say that I am a theatre-goer, I have been to the theatre just a few times. And I have never been impressed. Now people…
We often say ‘A healthy spirit is in a healthy body’. It’s so simple but nonetheless so concise and so obvious. Sport is an important part of healthy life. The human body was not originally designed for sitting in a stuffy office. A human being was created for some physical activities, and people didn’t seem to be interested in professional sport for some time, since they didn’t need extra physical activities, as they had to work a lot. Today sport…
I have a friend coming from the United Kingdom. He is in his seventies and he has been living in Russia since 1992 when first came here from Rochester. One day when we were fishing at the lake, he asked me if I had ever heard about bird watching. My answer was ‘no’. A bit later I read about it in some text, but at that time it was surprising. When we came back home he showed me a book…
There is a good saying: ‘The time that you spend on fishing is not subtracted from the time of your life’. So theoretically one can increase his life by two or even more times simply going fishing and spending half a week at the water. As for me, I can stay by the water for long hours and I never notice how the time flies. I have been fishing since the age of four when I first took a fishing…
I can hardly remember my first English lesson at school. It was long ago. I remember only that I was a bit frightened because everything was new and unexpected. I could not understand how it is possible to use foreign words and how to learn them. I was happy to have a teacher who did not force us to learn English the way many teachers do. She did not shout at us and did not punish us. But we soon…
I do not exactly remember how old I was when I realise that it was necessary to help the family. I simply started doing what my parents and grandparents did. Even at that time it was never difficult for me to throw the litter in the dustbin or take dirty dishes to the kitchen and put them into the sink. A bit later when I grew up and the water tap was within my reach, I began to help wash…
I am really happy to have a room of my own. My parents allowed me to create my world inside it when I was a small kid. Since then it has changed a lot, but I still feel that I want to come back here again and again. I do not mean that I have a mess in my room, because very often young people who have enough freedom in this regard like to scatter the clothes all around or…
Going on a picnic is a good way to spend free time. It is especially popular in summer when the weather is warm and sunny. Most people go by car to some remote places where they can have a good time with their families and friends. When I have an opportunity to get out of the city, the most difficult task is to choose the destination, as there are quite a lot of interesting places around. My friends and I…
It’s not an easy thing to choose one favourite film from a wide range of films. Once I mentioned that I like the historical genre. And I would like to tell you about ‘Brave Heart’ starring Mel Gibson. I believe that many of you have already watched this film. It was shot in 1995 and it’s a real masterpiece from different points of view up to now. It was directed by Mel Gibson himself. When I watch a film where…
Clothes have become an important part of our life since the moment people started making them. I suppose fashion has always existed as a notion, but has never been so important as it is today. Nowadays we have an opportunity to think of luxury goods, whereas people in the past had to think how to survive. Of course, I don’t mean aristocracy and upper class. In my opinion there exist three big groups of people: those, who prefer simple and…
When someone asks me about my favourite season, I never know what to say. Really, each of the four seasons has advantages and disadvantages. To tell the truth I don’t like the transitions between seasons, as the weather gets changeable and it usually rains or there is sleet and slush. Summer seems to be the most favourable season for me, though. Pushkin wrote: O, summer fair! I would have loved you, too, Except for heat and dust and gnats and…
The communication in the conditions of present-day Zeitnot (German for shortage of time, time trouble) is the sum of telephone conversations, internet-messengers, which gain or lose popularity and, of course, social networks. The surrounding world sometimes gets aggressive, and the psychology of a ‘hobbit’ begins to dominate people’s consciousness. It means that somebody wants to take refuge and to hide, giving up real communication. But as it is still necessary, modern means of communication are of great help. ICQ on…
I have never been a couch potato. I have not either belonged to the group of people who like to have their TV-sets switched on just in the background. I remember that I liked to watch cartoons and TV shows in my childhood. And the only thing I still remember is advertisement. The older I grew the more advertisement there was on TV. And I could not understand how it was possible to watch a film or a programme with…
If you are interested in the technical aspects of the Internet and want to know how and when it appeared, you may read any resource. On the Internet. Or in a book in Information Technology. I would like to speak more about the way it influences people and our life today. Can you imagine your life without the Internet? You may ask me the same question in response without giving the answer to it. Really it is a stupid question….
Workaholism is a kind of addiction as we may understand it from the word itself. An addiction to work. Some people can’t get the thoughts of work out of their heads even when they come home to say nothing of other places. They simply can’t stop. What do they do it for? There may be several reasons but the most obvious are money and career. Of course it is good when people want to earn more money, but there is…
The attitude to smoking has changed several times since the days when it was brought to Europe. Originally smoking a pipe was an Indian habit, which meant sealing a peace treaty. Though smoking was used not only in ceremonies but also in everyday life there. So seamen spread the idea of smoking in Europe. Later this bad habit was brought to Russia by Peter I, but the purpose of it still remains ununderstandable. Probably no one in those days knew…
Subcultures are a relatively new phenomenon, which first appeared in the XX century. Some people say that bikers may have been considered a subculture since the moment first motorbikes were invented. Others believe that hippies were the pioneers in this regard, when their movement started in the United Kingdom and the United states in the mid-60s. Originally hippies were called a counterculture, which means that their values differed greatly and even were in opposition to mainstream culture. Has anything changed…
What does the word ‘leisure’ mean for you personally? There may be two answers. The first one is that leisure is equal to rest. And on the other hand leisure is a period of time when you can do something that you like and it is useful for you. More and more people choose to surf the Internet or play computer games at leisure. I don’t think it’s worth spending life on. I used to play computer games, too, but…
Generation gap has always been a problem since the moment the humankind appeared. Of course, it may not be equally important in all the families of the world, but very often the question of difference in views and tastes arises. It is quite possible that you have experienced it by yourself. What does the generation gap depend on? Have you ever thought about it? I believe that the faster our life is, the more substantial the difference is. As for…
How often do you have to choose presents for your family and friends? I am sure that it really is a great problem. The consumer society has imposed the idea, that people need more and more goods. It is just an illusion. The less things one has the happier his life is. I didn’t say this, it is Indian wisdom. Of course, there are exceptions. For example there can’t be too many books. Or if someone collects some things, he…
When I was a little kid, I dreamt of becoming a scientist. This very word sounded like magic for me. I was sure that these people are ahead of time, I took them as ‘wizards’ in the positive meaning. In Russian this word means ‘educated’. And I wanted to be educated, too. I began to suspect that there was something wrong about science when I got older. No, I don’t mean all the scientific fields at once. Some of them…
There are so many proverbs and sayings about book and reading, but the one I have found recently seems to be the best. ‘Those who read, will always control those who watch TV’. It is quite modern and it can’t be called a quotation, as there is no definite person to quote. Really how many people read and how many watch TV? We can be proud of the fact that we still live in the most ‘reading’ country of the…
Have you ever had a bicycle? I am sure that 90 per cent of children have ever ridden a bike. But as they grow older they just leave it behind and forget about this amazing vehicle for the rest of their life. Why does it happen so? Most of the population is concentrated in cities where there is no place for cycling. So teenagers simply don’t have an opportunity to spin the pedals even if they want to. It is…
New Year is one of the most favourite holidays in Russia. First of all it is a family holiday, which means that people have an opportunity to gather and exchange the news, to speak about the latest events, to share their joy with the relatives. New Year is a time for giving and getting presents. All the attributes of New Year are actually Christmas ones, as it was forbidden to celebrate the holiday in the Soviet Union. So New Year…
Do you like winter? I don’t like it very much. The only thing I like about winter is New Year and the long holidays I have in January. We never go abroad or somewhere else because we always spend New Year with the family and friends. I have always waited for the last day at school and at the University. Usually it’s the 29th or 30th of December. And then I feel free, it seems that these 10 or 12…
Summer holidays are a special period of time that all the pupils and students wait for. It is vitally important to take a breath after nine months of hard work. I am personally always exhausted by the end of April, and the last month is the time of great expectations and plans for the summer. When I was a schoolboy I had three months of free time, which was not actually free as I tried to make good use of…
Everyone has people he admires. Though the admiration itself may be different in its nature. One can take some person as an idol. One of the Commandments says: ‘Thou shalt not make thee any graven image’. I don’t have any idols, but I have several people I really respect and admire. I don’t understand those who make idols out of pop-stars, actors etc. There are a lot of people of worth around us in real life. People we know. Now…
Have you ever thought what your birthday symbolizes? It is not just a day to hang out with the friends or relax. It is not just a day to get presents. It is a day to ask yourself one of the most important questions: ‘Who am I and what am I doing here?’ By ‘here’ I mean the world we live in. Most little children wait for their birthday even more than for New Year. They are eager to…
‘A man lives to eat and eats to live’ – these are the words of a saying. How many times have you asked yourself if food is really important for you? And what is more substantial – the quality or the quantity? As for me, I am not a gourmet. I believe that simple food will keep one fit and healthy, so I never think of complicated dishes, and I am not interested in different cuisines. I have a friend…
I remember the days when I was a little kid and dreamt of a pet. Just like other children. I dreamt of a dog, a puppy that would be my friend. I imagined how I would take it out for a walk, how we would play together, how it would bark at me when I came home from school. And I finally got it as a present for my birthday. I was happy only for a week or so: I…
When young people start to think about their career, they imagine a very pleasant picture of the future. But as they get older they face real life and its objective difficulties. Having graduated from the University a young specialist doesn’t have many ways out. The simplest one today is to become a manager in an office and begin doing some kind of paperwork. I am afraid of sitting in a stuffy (and in an air-conditioned as well) office, controlling hole-punchers,…
School is a place where we spend a lot of time. Maybe even too much. For some people school is a way to entertain themselves, spending nine or eleven years with friends. It may also be considered punishment from above. Other students like school, because it’s an inexhaustible source of knowledge. Anyway it is inevitable and one has to get accustomed to it somehow. I belong to the less numerous group of people who like school. Of course, I…
Let’s not begin the story with the usual words ‘I get up at seven o’clock’. Ok? I’d rather say that my day begins right after the clock strikes twelve at midnight. So I go to sleep at around half past twelve or a little bit later (let’s say not later than 2 o’clock), then wake up and then do all the other things in their usual order. Really I mostly get up at six-thirty a.m. on weekdays, when I…