9 CULTURAL LIFE

Film

There are many kinds of films: action films, comedies, horrors, westerns, war films, adventurous films, sci-fi, historical films.

 You can also watch some documents: about disasters, nature, art and history.

I LIKE: ……………………….. because ………………

I DISLIKE: …………………… because ………………

I HATE: ………………………. because………………..

You can watch films on TV or in the cinema, or you can hire a DVD. When you watch a film at home, it’s more comfortable. You can eat and drink what you want when watching, and you can lie on the sofa or sit in the armchair; you can stop the DVD or change the channel on TV if you don’t like the film. It is also much cheaper to watch films at home, because the cinema tickets are quite expensive.

 On the other hand, going to the cinema is a type of social activity – especially when a new film is on (e.g. with your favourite actor, or when the story is attractive).

FILM AWARDS:

 In the Czech Republic: the films, directors, actors and actresses can win the Czech Lion. It’s an award of the Czech Film and Television Academy.

Every year there is an international film festival in Karlovy Vary, where the authors from all over the world compete for the best film (the award Crystal Globe).

MY FAVOURITE ACTOR:

MY FAVOURITE FILM:

Říct něco o kinech v Praze, jak často chodíte do kina, oblíbený žánr

 Theatre

At the theatre, you can see a play – a comedy, a tragedy, a tragi-comedy, an opera or a ballet, or you can listen to a concert of classical music.

There is a very festive atmosphere at the theatre. People dress up: women usually wear a dress or a costume, and men wear a suit, or trousers and a shirt. They take off their coats in the cloakroom. They can have a seat in the stalls, in the boxes or on the balcony. The actors are on the stage and spectators sit in the auditorium.

 The most famous Czech theatre is the National Theatre in Prague. Then there are Vinohrady Theatre, Stavovské Theatre and many others.

Říct, jestli jste viděli nějaké divadelní představení (co, kde) 

  

Music

A lot of children play some musical instrument in music schools. You can play the piano, the flute, the violin or the guitar,….

 People listen to music on various radio stations or buy CDs. On Tv there are several music channels, MTV, VH1, the Czech music channel Óčko.

In cities, there are concert halls and rock clubs where you can see and hear the bands play. In villages there are mostly village parties with local bands.

Classical music is not very popular with young people nowadays. In spite of that, we can say it is sometimes really beautiful. Some famous composers were:

-the Austrian composer Wolfang Amadeus Mozart – he was very popular in our country in the past

- the German composer Ludwig van Beethoven and Sebastian Bach

- the Czech composers Antonín Dvořák – with his opera Rusalka, which is world famous

                             and Bedřich Smetana – with his symphony My Country

My favourite singer / music group is……………

20 PROBLEMS OF TODAY

1)      Drugs

Důležitá slovíčka: take drugs, dose – dávka,  overdose – předávkovat, addiction- závislost, be addicted to – být závislý na

Soft drugs: marihuana, ectasy                                                  Hard drugs: cocaine, pervitin, heroin

Why do people take drugs?

Usually they want to run away from their problems. Very dangerous à they can overdose, they need a lot of money for their dose à they have to steal

      

     2)  Terrorism

Many terroristic organizations – e.g- AL-Kaida, Taleban, Hamas, ETA. Some of them are connected with religion (náboženství).

They try to frighten (vystrašit) people using bomb-attacks, kidnapping (únosy lidí)

The most famous teroristic acts were in NY (11/9/2001) – WTC, in London in 2005

     3) Famine

- it´s a problem in countries of the Third World (poor countries of Asia and Africa)

    4) Homelessness

It is a social problem.

It can be connected with drugs, because many of homeless people are drug addicted or they are alcoholics and  they have lost their jobs and homes

They live in very poor conditions (poměrech) – under bridges, etc.

They beg (žebrají).

22 Habits, Holidays, Traditions

THE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND IN TOPIC NUMBER 2 (OVERLAPING) + PLEASE SEE ALSO THE INFORMATION FOLLOWING ABOUT SOME OTHER SPECIAL DAYS.

The UK:

Saint Patrick's Day or the Feast of Saint Patrick (Irish: Lá Fhéile Pádraig, "the Day of the Festival of Patrick") is a cultural and religious holiday celebrated on 17 March. It commemorates Saint Patrick (c. AD 387–461), the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of Ireland, and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. Remembrance Day – 11th November, people who were killed in both world wars are remembered.

The USA:

Martin Luther King´s Day – 3rd Monday in January, a black clergyman who fought for the rights of his people, he was assassinated (spáchán atentát) in 1968. President´s Day – 3rd Monday in February, all American presidents are remembered. Columbus Day – 2nd Monday in October, Columbus landing in the New World is celebrated (1492). Veteran´s Day – 11th November, those who served in World War 1 are remebered.

25 Environment

INTRODUCTION

The environment (životní prostředí) is all around us. It consists (skládá se z) of the flora, fauna, the water, the air and the earth. We can live on this planet thanks to these basic components, which are necessary (nezbytné) for human existence. But the paradox is that we are polluting (znečišťujeme) these most important things, humans do not always care for the environment as they should. People prefer their own comfort (pohodlí) and luxury over a healthy natural environment. The environment has got worse since (od) the industry revolution 19th century. People want more cars, bigger houses, the latest computer technology, many factories and packaged food etc. to make their life more comfortable. All of this growth (růst) pollutes (znečišťuje) nature and the environment. Good relations between man and nature are important not only for us but even for animals, plants and future generation. 

The biggest environmental issues (otázky) are: 

• population growth, 
• global warming (oteplování)
• the ozone hole (ozónová díra)
• deforestation (ubývání lesů)
• air pollution (znečištění ovzduší)
• water pollution and endangered species (ohrožení existence některých druhů živočichů a rostlin)

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS

• Population growth - The number of the people increases ( se zvyšuje) and because of it more pollution is generated (vytvořeno), more area is destroyed, and more natural resources (přírodních zdrojů) are used up (spotřebováno). In 1950 the world’s population was 2.5 billion people and now it is 6 billions.  But if we continue as today, we will soon have no copper (meď), natural gas (zemní plyn) and oil (ropa) by the ear 2050. Problems are also with the waste (odpad). We must control the population growth. If women have fewer (méně) than 2 children each, the world population will decline (klesne) after the year 2050. The other restriction (omezení) has China when the family with more than 2 children is disadvantaged (znevýhodněná)

• Global warming - The earth has a thin atmosphere (atmosféra - plynová vrstva nad zemí) that is like a transparent blanket (průhledná pokrývka) that keeps us warm. In a process called the greenhouse effect  (skleníkový efekt) the high energy radiation from the solar system is trapped (chycená do pasti) by gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2). This heat energy keeps Earth temperatures too high to support life (volně: Tato energie udržuje příliš vysokou teplotu na zemi, jenž nepodporuje dobré životní podmínky).

16 Restaurants

A restaurant  is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money, either paid before the meal, after the meal. Meals are generally served and eaten right inside the place, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services.

 Modern restaurants are dedicated to the serving of food, where specific dishes are ordered by guests and are prepared to their request. The modern restaurant originated in 18th century in France. A restaurant owner is called a restaurateur, the word is from French. Professional artisans of cooking are called  chefs, while preparation staff and line cooks prepare food items in a more systematic and less artistic fashion.

History:

In Ancient Rome existed a special place called thermopolium. It was small restaurant-bar which offered food and drinks to the customer.

Types of Restaurants:

Restaurants  can range from fastfood or street stalls which serve simple food in simple settings at low prices, to expensive and luxurious restaurants like CAFE IMPERIAL in Prague serving refined (uhlazený/kultivovaný) food and wines in a formal setting. To some of the restaurants the formal clothes are needed.

Typically, customers sit at tables, their orders are taken by a waiter, who brings the food when it is ready, and the customers pay the bill before leaving. In finer restaurants there will be a host or hostess to welcome customers and to seat them. Other staff waiting on customers includes busboy (pomocný číšník) and sommelier (sklepník/odborník na víno).

Restaurants often specialize in certain types of food, for example there are seafood restaurants, vegetarian restaurants or ethnic restaurants. Generally speaking, restaurants selling food characteristic of the local culture are simply called restaurants, while restaurants selling food of foreign cultural origin are called ethnic restaurants: Chinese, Italian, Indian etc. We can also have very special types of restaurants: railway restaurant cars which are, in effect, travelling restaurants.

Restriction: 

Depending on local customs and the establishment, restaurants may or may not serve  alcohol. Restaurants are often prohibited from selling alcohol without a meal by alcohol sale laws.

Restaurants Guides:

Restaurants guides rewiev restaurants for food and other things like handicap accessibility. The most known guide in Europe is guide called MICHELIN (from one to three stars).

18 My future career

My Future Career. My Plans for the Future.

When I was a child I never seriously thought (nepřemýšlel) about my future career.

I wanted to be a ....... / As a small child I dreamt of being a .......

[I always knew I wanted to become a .........vždy jsem věděl, že se chci stát......]

Then I started to attend (navštěvovat) Basic School and all my dreams changed. I was interested in (zajímal jsem se o) many things like ........., I was practising sports, I was quite good at (byl jsem docela dobrý v)........ My plans for my future career changed from day to day.

Later I went to Secondary School. During my studies I began to think about my future career more seriously / I began to think what I would really like to do when I was .......years old.

My plans: First of all, I want to finish secondary school. At the moment I am taking the final graduation exam in four different subjects: Czech language, Economics, English  , ...........  I hope I´ll pass (Doufám, že projdu). I have been working hard for this exam.

After the final exam I would like to study at ................................

I have applied to (podal jsem si přihlášku) ..........University, College, Faculty .......

I like / I enjoy.......... , so I´d like to become / to get into a profession such as ...............

(Mám rád......, rád bych se stal/dostal práci jako........)

I am afraid / I fear it is difficult to get into ....... (Obávám se/ Mám strach, že je těžké dostat.....)

What is a good job/interesting job for me?

For me a good job should / be well paid /be useful(užitečný) /not be boring/ allow me to be my own boss (dovolí mi být svým vlastním pánem) ...

I am sure I never want to work as a .......   
I am still unsure (nejistý) what to do in my life because ........
It´s not easy to decide what I´d like to do because........

Salary is of secondary importance in choosing a job (Peníze jsou až na druhém místě). Of more value to me is ..........

Family

I would like / I don´t want to get married because .....

My future partner should be ........ He also should have .......

I have a boy/girlfriend now but I am only ............., I don´t need to start thinking about marriage

To have a good marriage, the partner should ........

What are your plans ?

What job did you want to do when you were a child ?

Did your parents share your opinion or did they try to change your mind ?

How old were you  when you began to think seriously abou your future carrer ?

How important is the salary in choosing a job ? What is more important to you- to dislike your job and earn a lot of money or, on the contrary,  enjoy your work and earn less money ?

Did the school prepare you well for the future studies / job ?

How are you going to celebrate your passing the graduation exam ?

What are your plans for this year holiday ? Have you got any part-time job for summer ?

Would you like to get married one day ? What qualities should your future partner have ?

Would you like to have children? If so, how many? If you could choose the sex of your children, whar would you prefer ? Why ?

If you couldn´t have your own children, could you adopt any ?

Have you got any high aims(vysoké cíle)? ( to live to be 100 years old, to become Miss Universe, to marry a millionaire, to be born again, to travel in time, to be awarded Nobel prize, to be famous, ...)

15 Gastronomy in Great Britain and the USA

Gastronomy is a term which means the art of food eating. Gastronomy includes the preparation of meals, dining, eating customs and everything related to food and drinks. Gastronomy – eating and drinking are some of the most important things that influence our health.

The first meal of the day is breakfast. Some say that a rich breakfast is the best way to start the day. Others prefer their breakfast to be healthy, light and easy to digest (trávit). The majority of people eat a breakfast that consists of bread, bread rolls and bagels, with butter, salami, ham, honey, cheese or jam. Instead of bread we can have something sweet – cakes, doughnuts or gingerbread (perník). Those who prefer a healthy breakfast might have yoghurt with fresh fruit, muesli with milk etc. Many people accompany their meal with tea, warm or hot milk, coffee, hot chocolate or glass of juice. 

At midday, it is lunchtime. Most people go to a school, office or factory canteen (jídelna), but some prefer going to a restaurant or having a fast lunch in a buffet or a snack bar or buying something at street stalls (pouliční stánky). Often lunch consists of soup a main course, something to drink and salad or a dessert. Soups are either vegetable soups (tomato, potato, pea, bean, carrot, mushrooms) or meat teas (beef, chicken, and hen). The main course is usually cooked meat, fish, poultry (drůbeží) with side dishes (přílohy) of potatoes or rice, Czech dumplings, pasta or bread. The dessert could be cake, ice cream, or fruit. 

The last meal of the day is dinner served between 6:00 and 7:00 p.m. In many families the menu usually consists of another warm meal. But another possibility is a cold dinner it may be cheese, salami, ham, vegetables and bread. 

Czech cuisine

Czechs, in general, like fatty meals, meat juices (vývary), creamy soups and meat, of course. Our typical dish is roast pork, sauerkraut and dumplings, goulash with dumplings or roast sirloin of beef in cream sauce again with dumplings. Czechs often eat meat loaf and many kinds of smoked-meat products, the same as Germans. Wiener schnitzel, which is a pork steak, coated in flour (obalená v mouce), egg and breadcrumbs and fried, is a popular dish as well. The typical Czech soup is tripe soup (držková polévka). Sweets and cakes are typical of Czech cuisine as well. (Other popular: fried cheese and chips,  potato soup, roasted goose/duck and sauerkraut and dumplings, potatocakes (bramboráky)).

British cuisine

The traditional perception of British cuisine (kuchyně) is of overcooked vegetables, tasteless (bez chuti) meat and a lot of fat, but British eating habits have changed over last thirty years.Many families now prefer to eat out at restaurants or cafes or to buy take-away Chinese or Indian meals to eat at home.

Traditional English breakfast (sometimes called full or cooked) is quite rich and hot. You start with orange juice, then you have cereal (e.g. cornflakes with milk and sugar), fried eggs and tomato, bacon or sausages. Then there is a crisp piece of toast with butter and marmalade (which is made from oranges), and tea with milk. . Sundays are reserved for their big cooked breakfast called BRUNCH - breakfast and lunch together.

Lunch is a midday meal. It is not the main meal of the day in the UK! It is very common to have something light - like sandwiches, pizza, hamburgers, salad or pies. School children do not usually have their lunches at the school canteen. They bring packed lunch from their homes in special lunch boxes. 

Tea is Britain's favourite drink. It is served at 5 pm. Dinner is a hot evening meal and it is more filling. It can be served from 6 to 8 p.m. It is usually eaten when the whole family is together. It usually includes meat, sauce and green vegetables cooked in hot water. It may be also cold - depending on the time of the year.  Later at night, after a theatre or cinema performance, you can have your supper (pozdní večeře) - something light like cheese and biscuits before you go to bed.

(Vocabulary: original fast food is ,,fish and chips". People Britain like chips with salt and vinegar. Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding - it is the traditional Sunday lunch from Yorkshire in the north of England.)

Cuisine of the USA

When most people think of American cuisine, the first meal that comes to mind is hamburgers, French fries, and Coca-Cola. Another typical feature of American lifestyle is popcorn. Original American food dates (se datují) to the pre-Columbian era when native(původní) people ate meals of corn, squash, pumpkin, and turkey.

The arrival of immigrants throughout the centuries has expanded American cuisine to include a wide array of international dishes and tastes: pizza (Italian), Tacos or burritos (Mexican), stir fry (Chinese).

10 FREE TIME/LEISURE TIME ( British people video>>>)

FREE TIME

(OBECNÉ VYPRÁVĚNÍ)

Free time after work or study is called leisure time. It is the time for fun and entertainment. Going to the cinema, theatre, concerts, arts exhibitions (výstavy) are the most usual ways of spending free time. Some people especially younger people prefer going to parties, pubs, coffee bars, clubs and discos, others like to stay home watching TV, reading book ... Unfortunately, a lot of people haven't got enough time. We spend a lot of time for working, learning, family ... But we must find these free time for us and do not stay on line of facebook all day chating!

Many people spend their leisure time practising their hobbies. There are many types of hobbies. One of traditional passive hobbies is the collecting of objects. For example: stamps, postcards, flags, coins, models of cars ... The collecting becomes a life - long hobby for many people. It is an interesting and useful hobby................ A pet requires a good care and good knowledge of its habits and behaviour. British people love animals and almost every family has pet, usually a cat or dog.

........Practising dancing is an active hobby. Drama acting, folk dancing, modern dancing ... At present , more and more people of all ages are concerned with (se zabývá svým zdravým) their health and spend some of their leisure time doing exercises to keep themselves fit. For this season many sports and games are practised as hobbies. Hiking, cycling, rowing (veslování), playing golf and tennis is enjoyed by people all over the world. It is quiet common to see parties of hikers, cyclists or rowers spending their weekends outdoors. For those who prefer physical exercises indoors, body - building and fitness centres are opening up all over the world. They help people stay healthy and fit. Same result can be achieved by walking, jogging, swimming and aerobics which are also useful, effective and very popular ways of spending leisure time.

Teenagers have their own special leisure interests. Typical hobbies of teenagers are roller-skating and skate-boarding. Skate-boarding as sport first appeared in California. Skate-board parks are opening up in big cities for the safe practising of this hobby. Windsurfing, wavesurfing belongs to summer hobbies... snowboarding, skiing is on the other side a typical winter sport ...

I have a lot of hobbies. I am crazy about snowboarding. Every winter holiday we go to the High Tatras. In summer I play football, volleyball and handball. I am also fond of designing the Internet sites. I am interested in cars as well.
(modern special activities: geocaching, graffiti, parkour, paintball/air-soft, yo-yo...you can add your own ideas to comments)

FREE TIME ACTIVITIES

(PŘÍKLAD VÝPRÁVĚNÍ O VLASTNÍM TRÁVENÍ VOLNÉHO ČASU)

Since (protože) I'm a student, I go to school weekdays (všední dny) and so I don't have too much free time. I usually spend six or seven hours at school then I have lunch at the school cafeteria (školní jídelna). After that I either go downtown for some shopping or I go home and study. If I have some free time during the week I might also read a book or watch some TV. Lately my evenings have been spent preparing for my graduation examination which takes up a lot of time. (složitější jazyková konstrukce - poslední dobou byly mé večery tráveny přípravou na maturitu).

Even though (i když) I have a lot to do, I still have some free time for leisure activities. On the weekends during spring and autumn I like to go with my family to our cottage. I like taking long walks around the countryside and I like watching the seasons change. Also I am interested in rock collecting (sběr kamenů) and mineralogy so when I get some free time I like to look for interesting rocks to improve my collection. In the winter I enjoy sports like skiing, skating or playing ice hockey. I'm not very good at skating or hockey but I think I've become a pretty good skier.

I have the most free time during the summer months. One of my favorite activities is to go canoeing (sjíždění řek na kánoi) with my friends. It's really nice. We borrow a couple of canoes and choose a nice spot on the river to begin. We spend the day floating (plout) and paddling (pádlovat) down the river. Sometimes if it gets hot we jump in the water and go swimming. Of course we take breaks during the day, we stop along the river to prepare some food or to visit a local pub. In the evening we set up (postavíme) our tents (stany) and make a campfire. We spend the evening talking, singing songs, and enjoying nature. One of my favorite things to do is to cook some sausages over the campfire. We also like to wrap (zabalit) potatoes in foil then cook them in the hot ashes (popel). These wonderful trips, just like summer, always end too soon.

13 TRAVELLING

Travelling is very popular in the 20th century and that is why it is so common. People all around the world travel for various reasons: One of them is tourism - especially during holidays. Others travel for scientific purpose. Even smuggling is not unusual. Many people like traveling because it is exciting.

On the other hand travelling has some disadvantages - it may be dangerous: we can meet bad people, we can get lost, be murdured or our money may be stolen.

There are many means of transport to choose from. Young people like hitchhiking (stopem) or just hiking (jít pěšky na tůru). Some people prefer going by car, by air, by train, by bus on a motorcycle or riding a motorbike. In London we can travel by a double-decker.

When going abroad we must get necessary documents: first of all a valid passport and a visa. We must change money to hard currency in a bank or at an exchange office. When we fly, we must get air tickets. Most people all around the world speak English and in some countries in Europe German. Travelling does not mean only going abroad but also seeing interesting places in our country or commuting (dojíždění) to work or to school.

We can get our trips reserved through travel agencies, they usually help with accomodation (ubytování) as well. We can arrange varous kinds of trips e.g.: cultural trips, recreation stays. 

For travelling we can use many kinds of luggage (druhy zavazadel) according to the kind of trip. We use backpack (krosna) for a longer journeys. We use a rucksack when going for a walk or to school. We use a suitcase when we go by a coach or plane.

I prefer riding my bicycle because it is the cheapest and it does not spoil nature.

1. Which types of travelling do you know?- I know travelling especially during holiday (recreation) and travel for scientific purposes (bussiness).
2. Give various reasons for traveling, why people travel so much?- People travel so much because it is exciting, they can see new place and meet new people and friends.
3. What are the advatages and disadvantages of travelling?- The travelling may be dangerous: we can meet bad people, we can get lost, be murdured or our money may be stolen.
4. Which means of transport do you know?
- Young people like hitchhiking, some prefer going by car, by train, by bus and on a motorcycle. They can fly by air or they can use a ship.
5. What must you arrange when going aboard?- I must arrange a valid passport and a visa. When going by train I must buy tickets and when I fly I must get air tickets. I must change money to hard currency in a bank.
6. Why is it so important to know foreign language when going abroad?- Because I want to understand what the other say me.
7. Why are the travel agencies and what can they arrange for us?- They can reserved us trips, tickets and accommodation.
8. Why do so many foreign come to our country?- Because they want to see beautiful natur, chultural and historic monumetns and first of all see to Prague.
9. Which types of luggage do you know?- We use a knapsack for a longer sports journey, we use a rucksack when going for a walk or to school and we use a suitcase when we by a coach.

7 THE SYSTEM OF EDUCATION (THE UK and THE CR)

School attendance in the Czech republic is compulsory from the age from six to fifteen.Most children attend state school, but there are also newly established private and church schools.Education at state schools up to twenty-six is free of charge, but students at secondary schools must pay for their textbooks.Private and church schools charge school fees. Students do not wear uniforms. The school year starts on 1st September and ends on 30th June of the following year.

The school year is divided into two terms (dvě období/pololetí). The average number of lessons at a secondary school is around thirty a week, primary schools have fewer lessons of course.Classes usualy begin between eight and eight-fifteen.There are usually six lessons in a row (za sebou, v řadě) followed by a lunch break and then afternoon lessons.Breaks between lessons last from five to twenty minutes.

Pupils and students are evaluated (jsou hodnocení) by marks from 1 to 5, 1 is the best, 5 is the worst.Each term they get school report (vysvědčení) with marks of each subject.

Some of us went to creches (jesle) (for children up to 3 years) and some went to nursery school (mateřská škola) (for children aged 3 to 6).At 6 they start to go to primary schools and they stay there until 15.At the age of 15 pupils transfer from primary to secondary school.There is another way.Pupil can transfer to grammar school at the age of 11 after they have passed an entrance exam.

At the age of 15 pupils can choose among variety of secondary schools :a) grammar schools (gymnázia) with general and rather academic education with prepare students for university study
b) special schools (odborné školy) which include technical colleges, specialized in building, chemistry, engeneering etc., bussines academies, agricultural schools, nursering schools, music and art schools which offer professional education
c) vocational schools training would-be workers for practical jobs (učňovské obory)

 

Secondary educationSecondary education usually lasts 4 years and at grammar and specialized schools it is finished with a school-leaving exam(maturita), which is required by all universites and colleges.This exam is taken in four subjects.It's different on each school.The exam is held in May and is mostly verbal except Czech and English in which an essays/letters are writen about a month before.The verbal part of the exam takes about two hours, half an hour for each subject.A student chooses one of 25 to 30 topics by drawing a number and after 15 minutes preparation he (or she) speaks on the topic and solves given tasks.If they are succesfull they get School-Leaving Certificate.Now they can apply for study at universities and colleges.

UniversitiesUniversities and colleges provide THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF education which lasts from 4 to 6 years. STUDENTS USUALLY HAVE TO PASS AN ENTRANCE EXAM. Our oldest university is the Charles University in Prague and it's also most famous university in our country, but it's renowned also around Europe. Other notable universities are the MASARYK University in Brno, PALACKY University in Olomouc and PURKYNĚ University in Ústí nad Labem. Prague has also one of two technical universities (ČVUT)in our country, the other one is in Brno.

Ungraduates can study a variety of subjects such as economics, foreign trade, architecture, law, jurnalism, medicine, engeneering etc.

The university college students can enroll at three-year courses for a Bachelor's Degree or four and five-year courses for Master's Degree. You finish the school with DIPLOMA THESIS(diplomka). Medicine usually takes 6 years. Doctoral Degrees are awarded after another few years of study, which may be also individual, and completion of another thesis.

Full time university students are expected to bear the expence of their tuition and they must also pay for their accomodation and board.The students from distant places usually lodge at a hall of residence (dormitory / dorm).Only a limited number of students get a grant or a scholarship.



UK Education System

The education system in the UK is divided into four main parts, primary education, secondary education, further education and higher education. Children in the UK have to legally attend primary and secondary education which runs from about 5 years old until the student is 16 years old.

The education system in the UK is also split into "key stages" which breaks down as follows:
1. Key Stage 1 - 5 to 7 years old
2. Key Stage 2 - 7 to 11 years old
3. Key Stage 3 - 11 to 14 years old
4. Key Stage 4 - 14 to 16 years old

Generally key stages 1 and 2 will be undertaken at primary school and at 11 years old a student will move onto secondary school and finish key stages 3 and 4.
Students are TESTED at the end of each stage. The most important assessment occurs at age 16 when students pursue their GCSE's or General Certificate of Secondary Education.Once students complete their GCSE's they have the choice to go onto further education and then potential higher education, or finish school and go into the working world. AFTER 2 more years of study THEY HAVE possibility to get in the University (OXFORD, CAMBRIDGE) THIS IS FINISHED BY THE ´A LEVELS ´

UNIVERSITIES:
3 YEARS TO BE A BACHELOR
5 YEARS TO BE A MASTER

17 SHOPPING AND SHOPS

Going shopping is a part of our everyday life. For some people it's a pleasant time while for others it's an everyday routine. Some people like doing shopping and they are happy if they can pick up a bargain in the sales. But whether you like shopping or not you have to do it because it's a necessity. (whether = if)

I'd like to say that at present shopping has become more exciting than it used to be several decades ago(decade=desetiletí). Today people do a lot of shopping or at least window-shopping every day, because all necessary goods are provided for them (provide=zajištěné), goods=zboží). In large cities and even in small towns there are all kinds of shops and stores as well as supermarkets.

Supermarkets are big self-service food shops (and not only food nowadays) where one can buy a lot of goods cheaper than at local grocer's. When people go to supermarkets or other large food stores they are often looking for bargains (bargain = výhodná koupě). By the way these shops are brightly lit and usually well laid out; pleasant music is always playing while you are walking along the shop. The goods are tidily arranged on trays and long endless shelves on which various prices are clearly marked. The shelves are well stocked with a wide selection of attractively packed goods. Everything from quick-frozen food to washing powder, from shoe-polish to new-laid eggs, from tinned fish to tooth paste can be bought there. All these things are displayed in such a way that people are often tempted to purchase things they don't need (to be tempted = být v pokušení). It's a so called marketing trick; that's why it's better to make shopping list before going to a shop. With shopping list you can avoid several costly mistakes. After a person has found everything he needs he takes his trolley and goes to the cash desk where a casher reckons up bills on a cash register. There are often long queues there especially on Friday afternoons.

If you are going to buy some clothes, electrical appliances, souvenirs and so on, the best place to visit is a department store. A department store is a store which sells many different kinds of goods, each in a separate department. Modern department stores serve the needs of the entire family. Usually people enjoy buying goods in such shops as they can make all their purchases under one roof. A typical department store occupies a large building with separate departments, located on a number of floors. Some departments provide special services among them there can be a travel agency or a chemist's for example. These stores started in America more than 50 years ago, and then the idea was brought to European countries. And today we can hardly imagine our life without these stores; people really enjoy shopping there.

Besides supermarkets and department stores every sizeable town has a market where local people sell spare potatoes and carrots from their gardens or farms. One can find dried fruit, cheese, nuts, honey, cereals and other food in the markets as well. Markets are nice places to visit even if you don't need to buy anything; go there early in the morning.

If you don't want to spend a lot of money you can watch newspaper sales ads or you may go to different sales.

Certainly some people dislike shopping and do their orders by the phone or order goods on the Internet (it's becoming more and more popular). Today you can buy everything on the Internet starting with books and finishing with clothes, but it's really not easy to find a store with the best prices and more convenient delivery hours because today there are so many stores and companies on the Internet. When you make a request they send you a courier or if you order a present for instance for you friend they can deliver it directly to his or her house. Another reason why people prefer to use the Internet today to buy this or that thing is that it's time-saving, because at present we want to save as much time as possible. In addition (navíc) usually it's cheaper to buy things on the Internet, you won't face long waiting lines in each register, endless queues and deal with intrusive shop assistants. For all these reasons shopping on the Internet is a great relief for many people.

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Your experience.

Where do you go shopping?

What do you usually buy?

How often do you go shopping?

Do you do window shopping?

Do you like shopping centres?

What do you prefer and why - supermarkets/local shops?

If I need to buy some clothes and shoes I prefer to do it with .......................... And the worst shopping experience I had when I went shopping with ...................................

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Do you agree with these statements?

It's a well known fact that women are not very quick shoppers while men usually are.

Women on the other hand seem less decisive (rozhodné) when shopping; they enjoy spending hours walking around the shopping mall.

21 MASS MEDIA

In today's time MASS MEDIA have a great importance. All people around the world are curious and want to be informed about the world's events (event - událost). That's the reason why they read newspapers, listen to the radio or watch television.

I'm going to begin my speech with the oldest one of them and that is the press. (press - tisk/noviny/časopisy..)

Press is the oldest way of distributing information. First newspaper appeared in the 17th century. Nowadays we buy newspapers, magazines, brochures (broušrs - brožura/reklamní prospekt) and other kinds of press. Newspapers, which are issued (išjůd - vydávány) daily, are the most common, then magazines that are printed weekly, monthly or in another period. The Daily newspapers can be divided into two large groups. The first are the broadsheets (the quality press) and the second are the tabloids (popular press). The broadsheets are newspapers, in which there is only serious information. These newspapers are mainly old, some with more than a hundred-year tradition. They contain political, industrial and cultural news and there are also pages with finance matters and international news. As the most important Czech daily broadsheets I would mention Mladá fronta Dnes that I read and The Times from the world I would like to read.

The tabloids are newer than the broadsheets - the most popular is Blesk. They are printed on smaller papers and they use colours. They contain sensational stories about famous people, violent crimes and other topics that attract people. You can't find much information in there but there are lots of pictures!!

Now I would like to mention some information about the radio.

Radio was invented at the beginning of 19th century and it is another means of communication. It gives us a lot of information from the world and local recent events and also music. There are a lot of radio stations in the Czech Republic; we can divide them into two groups - state and private. One of state stations is Radiožurnál it is mostly a reporting station. Other stations broadcast for example classical music, or programmes specially prepared for a certain group of people. But radio broadcasting includes many private stations that produce short news every hour and then they are focused on some sorts of music like pop, rock and so on. The most famous are Evropa 2, Vltava or Rubi.

The last kind of mass media is television.

It is probably the most common kind of media. There are a lot of people who cannot imagine their lives without television (lives - životy). In the Czech Republic there are not as many television stations as in other countries. As you know we have four main channels. Two of them are state - ČT1 and ČT2. Prima and Nova are private commercial television channels. Their main income is from advertisements. So there are really a lot of them between the programmes or during the films. You can also watch some series, soap operas, and main news in the evening. But sometimes they broadcast very interesting films usually from Hollywood production. The other kind of TV station is the state one. These channels are financed from a charge, which everybody has to pay. (Even these who don't own a TV set.) State TVs broadcast more documentary and educational programmes than the private ones. Especially ČT2. You can also watch some music programmes and sport transmissions there.

As the science is moving on there are many new ways of communication for example the Internet.

It is an international network of computers. You can get information from the whole world just sitting at home in front of your PC. You can contact anyone, send emails, chat with your friends or just surf the Net.

8 SPORTS

Sport is a very important part of life and it is becoming more and more popular. Sports are very good for active relaxation and are important for our physical and mental health. All doctors recommend exercising, as prevention and convalescence of various illnesses.

There are lots of types of sports and games. We can divide sports into three cathegories – summer, winter and all-seasons sports. Among the summer sports belong: athletics, aquatic sports, ball games, cycling, skateboarding, etc. Winter sports are skiing, ski jumping, snowboarding, ice dancing, ice hockey and all – seasons sports are for example: basketball, gymnastics, table tennis, boxing, sport dancing. We can practise outdoor and indoor sports. There are team sports and individual sports.Some of the most popular team sports include football, basketball, hockey, volleyball and baseball. Individual sports may be played as one individual, with or without competitors like running or swimming, or two individuals who compete with each other like boxing or wrestling. My favourite sports are snowbording, down-hill skiing, swimming, and bowling. When I have time, I go running with my two dogs.

There are two kinds of athletes – amateurs and professionals. The amateur approach to sport is when you exercise, jog, swim or go to the gym once in a while. Some people are so interested in sports that they want to make it their main livelihood. A professional plays the sport as his or her job and sometimes it is very well paid job.Sometimes they only get paid for their travels and equipment, but if they keep improving their results. There is a fair chance they could go to the world competitions, which improves their chances of earning more money. The highest success for sportmen is usually to participate in the Olympic games and win a gold medal.

The Olympic Games are performed every four years. They are named after the city in Greece where it took place for the first time. The contemporary tradition of the games started in 1896, in Athens. The initiator was Pierre de Coubertin. Since then, the event has taken place every four years, excepting during the world wars. Since 1924, a special winter Olympics has been held and since then there are two parts to the games: the winter part and the summer parts, which change once every two years. The well-known symbol of the games is the five inverwined different coloured circles on a white backgroung. They symbolise the five continents.

Some other important sports events are the World and European Championships and Cups in various sports. The contemporary best Czech sportsmen are Jaromir Jagr (ice-hockey), Petr Cech (football), David Svoboda (pentathlon), Barbora Špotáková (javelin)a Martina Sáblikvá (speedskating).

People all round the world participate in for sports. Ball games are popular all around the world. American football is the most popular, followed by baseball and basketball. The Americans are crazy about sports. Sport plays an important role in American life. Many sports have their origins in Britain, that is why Britain is sometimes called the cradle of sports. Two types of rugby, modern game of hockey, cricket, darts, tennis and boxing were invedted in Britain. Golf has its origins in Scotland. The major sports events in Britain are: Wimbledon – the Grand Slam Tennis Tournament, The Grand National – it is the best known horse-race steeplechase, The British Open Golf Champions.

At school we have physical training lessons once a week. When the weather is good, students can go out to the stadium where they can play football, baseball or practise athletics. During the winter we usually go to a sports hall or a gym where we practise gymnastics, volleyball or floorball with Mr. Mares. We can go to fitness centre or sauna.

12/23/24 THE UK OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NOTHERN IRELAND

GeographyBritain lies off the north-west coast of Europe across the English Channel. It consists of two large islands - Great Britain and Ireland - and about 5,000 smaller ones. Its neighbours are Ireland to west and France to south-east. Britain is a beautiful country with places of interests, attractive countryside and a temperate. The Highlands of Scotland are the highest mountains in Britain. The rivers are not very long but deep. The longest rivers are the Severn and the Thames. There are many important ports: London, Liverpool and Glasgow. The best known lakes are in the Lake District- Lake Windermere and in Scotland- Loch Lomond and Loch Ness. The highest mountains are Ben Nevis in Scotland (1342 m) and Snowdon in North Wales. In England there is the highest point Scafell Pike.

WeatherEngland is mostly rolling land. Its winters are mild and summers are not very hot, it rains a lot and the grass is greener than in Central Europe. In summer temperature is about 25 degrees and in winter temperature is about 5 degrees.

People+languagePopulation is about 57,000,000 people. The various origins, separate traditions and cultures explain many of the differences between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland: differences in religion, the legal system, education and language. People living there are different nations. Everybody speaks English in the United Kingdom; it is not the same language. English has its own special accents and dialects.

Political systemThe official title for the union of England, Scotland and Wales is Great Britain. Great Britain and Northern Ireland form the United Kingdom, while the United Kingdom together with Canada, Australia and New Zealand and some other territories is the British Commonwealth of Nations.
Britain is parliamentary democracy with constitutional monarch as a head of State. Britain’s democratic system of government is long established and well tried, and has provided remarkable political stability, which owes much to the monarchy. Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state. The country is governed, in her name, by the Government, a body of ministers, who are responsible to Parliament.

The British system of government is the oldest parliamentary democracy in Europe. British parliament was formed in the eleventh century and, after the signing of the Magna Charta by King John in the year 1215, it came to power and became the main part in the system of government. In this way, England set up the base of democracy in the whole Europe.

The Queen appoints its leader as Prime Minister. A general election must be held every five years. Eighteen is the minimum voting age; candidates must be 21 and over. The are three main political parties in Britain- the Conservative Party, the Labour Party and the Liberal-Democratic Party. Britain is the member nearly all of important international organisations- the EU, NATO, OECD.

British flag and anthem- the flag of the UK is officially called the Union Flag and has existed in its present form since 1801.

Interesting places in Great BritainOxford and Cambridge old university towns
Stratford –upon- Avon birthplace of W. Shakespeare
Brighton, Bournemouth,
Portsmouth, Blackpool,
Sunderland, Scarborough southern holiday centres
Canterbury ancient city with majestic cathedral and archbishop
Dover, Folkestone a gateway, the Channel Tunnel
Hastings Norman castle
Edinburgh capital of Scotland, festivals
Windsor Castle a royal palace, the residence of British monarchs outside London
Bath Romans bath built 2000 years ago
Exeter the moorland, many national parks
Birmingham the geographical heart of England, the second largest city in Britain
York one of the country’s best preserved historic cities
Liverpool an important port, the city of Beatles
Lake District English glacier lakes, national park
Loch Lomond, Loch Ness lakes in Scotland
Hadrian’s Wall
Cornwall well-known for its beautiful landscape
Land’s End the southern peninsula of Cornwall

National economyThe main industries are steel, metals, vehicles, shipbuilding, shipping, banking, insurance, textiles, chemicals, electronics, aircraft, machinery, services and distilling+coalmining, iron, steel and textiles. The main agricultural products are corn, sugar, beef, fruit, and vegetables. Britain is rich in coal, tin, oil, gas, chalk and lead.