Wales is a country of lakes and mountains. Its about the half the size of Switzerland, and it has a population of two and three quarter million. On the north of Wales is some of the most beautiful scenery in the British islands, the Snowdon mountain. Snowdon is Britain’s second highest mountain.
Wales is an not independent nation. In 1292, the English king, Edward, invaded Wales and built fourteen huge castles to control the Welsh people. His son, Edward, became the first prince of Wales, since then all the kings and queens of England have given their eldest sons the title, Prince of Wales. Prince Charles became the twenty-first Prince of Wales. Although the English have ruled Wales for many centuries, Wales still has its own flag, culture, and, above all, its own language. In the towns and villages of North Wales, many people speak English only as a second language. Their first language is Welsh. In Llanberis, a small town at the foot of Snowdon, eighty-six per cent people speak Welsh as their first language. At the local primary school children have nearly all their lessons in Welsh. The children should be bilingual by the time that they are eleven years old. It is not a problem for children to learn two languages at the same time. Children have insight into two cultures, so have all the folk tales of two languages. Children like Welsh because in Welsh you spell things just how you say them, in English there are more silent letters.
Welsh is one of the oldest languages in Europe. Its a Celtic language, like Breton in France, Gaelic in Ireland, or Gaelic in Scotland. Two and a half thousand years before these languages were spoken in many parts of Europe. They died out when the Romans invaded these areas, but some of them survived in the northwest corner of Europe. But over the last hundred years the number of Welsh-speaker has fallen very quickly. Now only twenty per cent of Welsh people speak Welsh. Here are some of the reasons for the decline.
In the nineteenth century people thought that Welsh an uncivilized language. If you wanted to be successful in life you had to learn English, the language of the British Empire. So in many schools children were forbidden to speak Welsh.
At the beginning of the twentieth century many English and Irish people moved to South Wales to work in the coalmines and steel works. They did not learn Welsh.
People, especially young people, moved away from the Welsh-speaking villages and farms of north and west Wales to look for work in the big towns and cities, so the Welsh-speaking communities became much smaller. In the 1960s and 1970s many English people bought holiday cottages in villages in Wales. Most of them did not learn Welsh. This also pushed up the price of houses so that local Welsh-speaking people cold not afford them.
English comes into every Welsh home trough the television, the radio, newspapers, books, etc. There are Welsh-language TV and radio stations, but far fever than English ones. And now there is cable and satellite TV, too-in English, of course!
The decline has now stopped, because a lot has been done. Road signs, bilingual documentation, and there is a Welsh language act. The future of Welsh is uncertain. The problem is that Welsh has to survive next door to English, and, as we all know, English is a very successful language.
Icons of Russia. Russia is a very old country. It has a very long and interesting history. It is famous for its beautiful cities with ancient architecture. Many of them compose a Golden Ring of Russia. All these cities have the majority of sights or the so-called "Icons of Russia". It is very difficultFor example, the Kremlin, which is situated in the heart of Moscow, the Bolshoi Theater, which is also in Moscow and many others. Saint-Petersburg is famous by its magnificent architecture. Almost every building in the city looks like a rare masterpiece. Many people take trips along some Russian cities, called Golden Ring. The Golden Ring of Russia includes such cities as Suzdal, Vladimir, Ivanovo, Yaroslavl and many others. These cities are famous for their rich history and ancient churches. Also, tourists can take part in some authentic festivals when visiting these cities. Another famous sight in Russia is situated in the center of Asia. It’s called Altay. Many tourists want to see this amazing region, which is known for its crystal clear lakes, high mountains and other natural wonders. The deepest lake in the world, Baikal, is also situated in Russia, in the East Siberian region. to choose which of the sights to describe. Russia is also famous for its Churches. Let's speak about one of them. Saint Basil the Blessed, also called Pokrovsky Cathedral, Russian Svyatoy Vasiliy Blazhenny or Pokrovsky Sobor, church constructed on Red Square in Moscow between 1554 and 1560 by Tsar Ivan IV (the Terrible), as a votive offering for his military victories over the khanates of Kazan and Astrakhan. The church was dedicated to the protection and intercession of the Virgin, but it came to be known as the Cathedral of Vasily Blazhenny (St. Basil the Beatified) after Basil, the Russian holy fool who was “idiotic for Christ’s sake” and who was buried in the church vaultsWhile the church is widely known as St. Basil's, or Vasily Blazhenny, the official name dating back to the mid-1500s is Pokrova Bogoroditsy, based on the Russian Orthodox holiday Pokrov Den, when the tsar's forces took Kazan. Only later was the church popularly referred to as St. Basil's — not after the Russian Orthodox St. Vasily, but after Vasily Blazhenny, a pauper who sat outside the church seeking alms. Some 60 years after the church was finished, a cozy little chapel was added in the name of Vasily Blazhenny. This addition not only spoiled the symmetry of the church, but it effectively changed its name. The church that may have inspired Ivan to maim his architects was, in fact, quite different from the one that stands on Red Square today. Indeed, the original architects, even with their vision intact, would not be able to recognize their original masterpiece, a symmetrical, eight-domed structure: four greater domed towers with four smaller ones in between. The larger, tented Pokrovsky tower stood over the central chapel, and all of the towers were then united by an open-air gallery. The composition of the church is particularly interesting. It originally had no main facades, only towers topped by simple metal domes. St. Basil's also represents a breakthrough in building technology. It is one of the first Moscow monuments in which bricks instead of white limestone were used. According to some studies, the builders of the cathedral were so fascinated with the color and texture of bricks that they did not paint over them, mixing the red brick with some limestone details. But the striking effect of today's St. Basil's is the result of a major reconstruction undertaken in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. At that time the smaller, metal domes that were part of the original design were replaced by the merrily painted, exaggerated onion domes we see today. The exterior surfaces were subject to the same colorful decoration. The slightly leaning Pokrovsky bell tower was also added, and the open gallery was enclosed in glass. St. Basil's is also unique for its synthesis of styles. Although rich with elements of Italian Renaissance style, such as the elaborate entablements and rusticated columns, there are also elements reminiscent of English Tudor style, such as the triangular frontons. . Вот текст-иллюстрации приложи самостоятельно(фотки найди в сети, и вставь в презентацию)
John said that it was great that Alice had come there that day. He asked Alice to make herself at home and added he would be in a minute. Alice said that she thought he liked reading horror books.John asked her why she thought so.Alice answered that there were a lot of them on his desk.John explained that those were the books of his younger brother and he seldom read that kind of books.He added that he really preferred books on photography and history.Alice said that it was all right and she added that she would bring him some more historical CD books the following day.
Wales is an not independent nation. In 1292, the English king, Edward, invaded Wales and built fourteen huge castles to control the Welsh people. His son, Edward, became the first prince of Wales, since then all the kings and queens of England have given their eldest sons the title, Prince of Wales. Prince Charles became the twenty-first Prince of Wales. Although the English have ruled Wales for many centuries, Wales still has its own flag, culture, and, above all, its own language. In the towns and villages of North Wales, many people speak English only as a second language. Their first language is Welsh. In Llanberis, a small town at the foot of Snowdon, eighty-six per cent people speak Welsh as their first language. At the local primary school children have nearly all their lessons in Welsh. The children should be bilingual by the time that they are eleven years old. It is not a problem for children to learn two languages at the same time. Children have insight into two cultures, so have all the folk tales of two languages. Children like Welsh because in Welsh you spell things just how you say them, in English there are more silent letters.
Welsh is one of the oldest languages in Europe. Its a Celtic language, like Breton in France, Gaelic in Ireland, or Gaelic in Scotland. Two and a half thousand years before these languages were spoken in many parts of Europe. They died out when the Romans invaded these areas, but some of them survived in the northwest corner of Europe. But over the last hundred years the number of Welsh-speaker has fallen very quickly. Now only twenty per cent of Welsh people speak Welsh. Here are some of the reasons for the decline.
In the nineteenth century people thought that Welsh an uncivilized language. If you wanted to be successful in life you had to learn English, the language of the British Empire. So in many schools children were forbidden to speak Welsh.
At the beginning of the twentieth century many English and Irish people moved to South Wales to work in the coalmines and steel works. They did not learn Welsh.
People, especially young people, moved away from the Welsh-speaking villages and farms of north and west Wales to look for work in the big towns and cities, so the Welsh-speaking communities became much smaller. In the 1960s and 1970s many English people bought holiday cottages in villages in Wales. Most of them did not learn Welsh. This also pushed up the price of houses so that local Welsh-speaking people cold not afford them.
English comes into every Welsh home trough the television, the radio, newspapers, books, etc. There are Welsh-language TV and radio stations, but far fever than English ones. And now there is cable and satellite TV, too-in English, of course!
The decline has now stopped, because a lot has been done. Road signs, bilingual documentation, and there is a Welsh language act. The future of Welsh is uncertain. The problem is that Welsh has to survive next door to English, and, as we all know, English is a very successful language.