Olympiad 9 form

 1. Belarus

I’d like to tell you about the country I live in, about Belarus. It is in Eastern Europe, between Poland and Russia. The area of Belarus is more than 200 thousand square kilometres. The population of the country is more than 9 million people. The capital of Belarus is Minsk, which is also its largest city. The population of Minsk is about two million people.

To my mind, Belarus has very beautiful and rich nature. There are a lot of big and deep blue lakes. They are full of fish and a lot of different birds live near them. There are also many forests. The most beautiful trees are pines, fir - trees, oaks. Some of them are hundreds years old. But forests can be dangerous because of wild animals. There are many of them, but they are in danger because of people, who kill them. In Belarus you can find a European bison, it’s a very rare animal now.

Bison is the symbol of one of the most beautiful national parks – Belovezhskaya Pushcha. There are also the Braslavskie Lakes – where you can find a lot of animals, birds and plants. The cornflower – a small blue flower is the symbol of Belarusian fields. Because of this flower and blue lakes people sometimes call Belarus the blue-eyed country. 

Belarus also has its national symbols. There is a green stripe on our flag. It is a symbol of our green forests. Belarus is famous for its white storks. People say they are a symbol of good luck. The white colour is the symbol of peace. The blouses and shirts in the Belarusian national costume are white with beautiful red ornaments –crosses and stripes.

2. City or Country

It's common knowledge that tastes differ. Nowadays there are a lot of peo­ple who prefer to live in big cities, and, at the same time, there are others, who dream of living in small towns. As for me, I prefer big cities to small towns.

It goes without saying that life in a big city has a lot of disadvantages. The first and foremost is an air- and noise-pollution. The car exhaust contains several pollutants and one of them is lead, which is particularly harmful to children, be­cause their brains and nervous systems are more vulnerable than those of adults are. Besides, life in a big city is much more stressful and expensive than that in the country or in a small town.

Everyone grumbles about exorbitant rents that must be paid for tiny flats. Apart from accommodation, the cost of living is very high. A citizen runs into a lot of extra expenses paying for the public transport, snacks, food delivery and entertainment.

There are too many people living together in one city so the streets are crowded. Minsk has a population of 2 million people, St. Petersburg has a popu­lation of 5 million people, London - 8 million people, New York - 9 million people, Tokyo - 12 million people. In Tokyo, for example, the worst time to be in the street is at 11.30 p.m. That is when the night clubs are closing and everybody wants to go home. At this time the taxis are usually shared by four or five people who live in the same part of the city. It also takes people a lot of time to get to work on metro, as there are long distances between the stations. So, on London trains you will see a lot of people reading newspapers. On a Tokyo train every­body in a seat seems to be asleep. In big cities drivers suffer from traffic jams, accidents and car crashes. Pedestrians suffer from rush hour, constant queuing and irregularity of public transport.

But whatever the disadvantages are, I'm charmed with the speed of city life and great possibilities it gives.

Living in a big city gives you a lot of advantages nowadays. Firstly, life in big cities is more anonymous. You can be what you want to be and do what you want to do without anybody getting upset about it, whereas in a small town al­most everybody knows you and expects you to live and behave in a certain way.

Secondly, there is so much going on in the city. You have access to a huge range of concerts of different types of music - pop, classical, jazz, whatever you are looking for. There are a lot of theatres, cinemas, museums, art galleries, li­braries to visit as well as big shopping centres where you can buy any goods you need.

For example, the cultural life of Minsk is very diverse. There are about 10 theatres, a few concert halls, a circus and a lot of other cultural centres. It is a city of science. Young people can choose among the best Belarusian universities and academies which are situated there. The largest among them are the Belarusian State University and the Belarusian National Technical University. After leaving school, I'll try to enter the BSU as I consider it to be the leading university in our country. So, a big city gives a young person possibilities to get good education and to find a prestigious and well-paid job.

To my mind, schoolchildren in big cities are more advanced in education. They have museum classes and excursions; they can attend lectures and prepara­tory courses and therefore they have more chances to enter university.

City dwellers are sociable and communicative. I find the city an easy place to make friends in. In fact, in a big city you have a much wider range of people to choose from and to make friends with.

Big cites are beautiful. They look modern with their tall buildings, interest­ing architecture and design.

I'd rather quote Samuel Johnson's words, who said, "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life". To my mind it is true. If you are tired of fun, pleasure, comfort and excitement a big city offers you, you are either tired of life or, most probably, you need some relaxing break in a small town or in the country for a change.

3. Clothing

It is said that you are judged by the clothes you are wearing and it seems to be absolutely true. That is why the number of people following the tendencies of fashion is growing. Whether you go for a drink to a bar on Saturday evening, go to a job interview or go to ballet you are always judged by your clothes.

You clothes reflect what a person you are. For example, a business woman who wants to seem wealthy and respectful cannot wear a pair of currently famous “boyfriend” jeans for the meeting with investors. So does a teacher at school. What you wear shows who you are. They say that if you want to be rich, behave like you already are. It includes your clothes.

Some people become addicted to shopping and spend all their money on following new fashion. Many students nowadays prefer to spend the weekend in a shopping mall rather than to read a book. Though, buying new clothes can be a very good therapy. If you have some problems in life or you are just in a bad mood, just go shopping and buy something new.  

In Russia we are lucky to have 4 seasons during the year so we can have at least 4 different types of clothing. For winter, for example, we buy a down parka, lots of sweaters, caps and boots. For spring and autumn we have different parkas, jeans and luckily we don’t need any caps. And summer is the most beloved season in Russia for the possibility of wearing shorts, shirts, skirts and spending lot of time in swimsuits. 

I usually go shopping once a month as me and my friends are not big fans of shopping. We usually spend several hours wandering around the shopping mall and end up the day in a café celebrating what we have bought.

So no matter what you think about buying clothing always keep in mind that what you wear represents who you are. Be sure to give the rest of the world the right knowledge about you.

4. Family relationships

Family is one of the most essential aspects of life. If you can build good relationships in a family, you will succeed in this with other people, too. In addition, harmonious family constitutes a part of personal happiness.

However, it is not always easy to get on well with all members of your family. Obviously, people may be in a bad temper, be nervous or lose their temper. As usual, people’s mood is influenced by stressful situations at work or at school. However, other people can also make some impact.

For example, we may have problems at work or our boss punishes us for something. We can’t deal with that and usually keep down, as we can’t argue with our superior. So this negativity after work still exists inside us and we feel angry. We come back home and the first person we lash out at is always a member of our family.

We shout at them or begin to quarrel about silly things with them. Of course, we might feel guilty afterwards because our loved ones don’t deserve this. It is not fair to treat them that way. However, we can’t calm down and understand that before we hurt them.

The main reason why we do so is because we know they forgive us, anyway.  Nevertheless, if you want to have good relationships with your family, you should try to control your emotions, listen to your parents and relatives, talk to them and try to share your thoughts and feelings with them not to take it out on them.

 There is a wise saying "Blood is thicker than water". From my point of view it means that your parents and other relatives will stick by you in times of need more than your friends will.

That old saying has always been true for me. There are some reasons to uphold my opinion. Our friends can be unstable while our parents and relatives are the ones who really care for us. Parents who have been living with me since the day I was born are the ones who understand me most. They have already been through all my experience, so they can give me some valuable advice. I myself do not want to confer with my best friend about my very secrets for fear of her/him revealing it to everyone the day we are not friends any more.

People may also be whining about their problems to their close friends but in all probability what they receive is often mild comments with several phrases like "Oh, I'm very sorry to hear that" or "Try harder next time" or they would even pretend to have deaf ears and ignore our whining completely. Few people really care for others apart from themselves, but that is not the case with our par­ents. They stand by us most of the time and give us good hints to help us resolve our problems.

I remember talking to my mother about some bad scores at school I got, and she said that it was not the end of the world and she had also had many appalling results at school. She fostered me to go on and never give up or feel ashamed about those bad scores because I surely learned a lot from them. I think it was a very wise comment of hers.

By and large, I think friends do not understand us as much as our parents and relatives, so we must count on them and never let them down.

I enjoy honest and open relationship in our family. I'm happy to say that my home is the place where everybody understands, respects and loves me. To my mind, this is the way things should be in any family.

In happy, friendly, united families parents are frankly honest with their chil­dren without moralizing and bossing them around, and children in their turn leam how to get on with other people. Members of such families treat one another with understanding and compassion. They always share domestic chores. Children liv­ing in such families feel safe at home. They trust their parents, share their secrets and problems, ask parents for useful advice and rely on them. They don't run away from home as they feel happy living there.

It's common knowledge that family is a crucial instrument for the develop­ment of a child's personality. It's the primary group in which a person forms. That's why it's vitally important for every child to live in a friendly and happy family.

The family is very important as a unit in our society. Nothing else but family can be an emotional centre of people's lives and a transmitter of culture. Every mother feels great affection for her children and tries to bring them up in a proper way. Understanding between all members of the family and consideration for oth­ers are very important in family relationships. Tenderness, warm-heartedness and respect must always be present in the family to make it friendly. A lot of activities help family members to be on friendly terms: discussing plans together, going on trips together, visiting museums, theatres, exhibitions and exchanging opinions about them, sharing the same joys and sorrows.

In my opinion, when a child is brought up in a friendly family, he or she will become a loyal and responsible person with a strong character and mind.

In conclusion I would like to add that the bonds of family are always strong­er than those between unrelated people. And I am happy to say that my home is a place where even the tea kettle sings from happiness. I can say that my parents trust me, give me freedom, rely on me and respect me. These things, in my opin­ion, make family relations warm and pleasant. So, I'm very proud of my family and love them with all my heart.

5. Friends

If you ask for my piece of advice, I can tell you the following. I have read about a survey conducted by Get Connected, a telephone helpline for young peo­ple, according to which the main causes of anxiety for most young people are relationships with their friends. Nothing, as it seems to them, can be worse than falling out with best friends. By the way, people of all ages rely on their friends to talk through any problem they may have.

As you know, it's not an easy thing to find a real friend. In my opinion, a real friend is a person whom you trust and respect, who is "a friend in need" and who never lets you down.

There are no written rules of how to make friends. Usually friendship be­tween people grows when they have common views and judgments on things and events, have common interests and ambitions. A real friend should treat me with understanding, sympathy and compassion, exactly the way he wants to be treated by me.

In my view, friendship is a unique thing that happens between two people. And it's a great gift. A lot of people say they have got best friends, but I wonder how many people actually have a best friend in the real sense of the word.

As for me, I'm a happy person as I have a true and reliable friend whom I can name my best friend. Her name is Leila. She is an energetic girl, good at sports, especially at volleyball and swimming. She has different interests, one of them is the cinema. There is no film she hasn't seen. She knows everything about famous actors and directors, about the plot of a film and when and where it was made. Leila has a good character, sometimes I even think that it's impossible to be such a pleasant person with everybody but then I realize this is some sort of tactics, Leila follows the rule: treat people as you want them to treat you. I try to boiTow this quality from her. Leila is a very responsible person and what I re­ally appreciate is if she promises anything, no doubt she will do it. Leila knows how to organize her time, in my opinion, she has time for everything. She used to plan her activities for a week, that's why she has time to go to the swimming pool, cinema and so on.

According to another American survey, young people today have large groups of friends. Having a close group of people to depend on seems more at­tractive and more secure than one exclusive relationship with one other person. I can't agree with people who think like that.

I can discuss anything with my best friend. I can walk into a room and she knows exactly what mood I'm in, what I need and if I ask for help or advice she will give me her helping hand immediately and never leave me at a loss.

To my mind, this is what real friendship means. I wouldn't change our friendship, our exclusive relationship for having two or three new friends.

It's up to you to decide whether to change your best friend or not. Think about what I've just told you and remember what the proverb says "Be slow at choosing a friend, but slower in changing him".

6. Healthy Eating Habits

This saying means that to be fit and healthy you need to eat healthy food. And I fully agree with it.

For someone it may sound a bit ridiculous. Does food make what I really am? Ok, it is not strange that books you read can show who you are. You can be judged by the friends you have. Music you like can also show what kind of person you are. But food?

Our inner world definitely plays an important role if to talk about our per­sonalities. However, humans also have bodies - physical shells where our inner world hides. Whether we like it or not but these physical shells are made up of what we eat. The healthier the food that we consume is, the better our bodies look and the healthier we are.

Most experts say eating a balanced diet is the best way to get your share of good food for healthy body. Experts say people should remember a wise proverb "An apple a day keeps the doctor away". This means that we should eat more fresh vegetables and fruit, foods which are high in fiber and vitamins А, В, С and E. Such vegetables as Brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower contain agents that block cancer. Beet greens, bell peppers, carrots and tomatoes as well as cher­ries, apricots and watermelon are rich in beta-carotene.

They also say that we should bake, boil, roast and steam food. Doctors keep reminding us that we should cut down the amount of fatty, salty and sweet food we consume. So we should eat less fatty red meat, poultry and whole eggs. Scien­tists prove that people who eat large amounts of fat face an increased danger of breast and colon cancer. Eating less fat reduces the amount of dangerous cho­lesterol in blood. So, we should eat food which is low in fat. This includes lean meats, poultry without skin, low-fat milk and dairy products, seafoods, porridge and cereals. People should limit the amount of salt in their food as it causes high blood pressure. And high blood pressure is linked to heart disease. We should cut down the amount of sugar and unhealthy proteins which can be found in hamburgers, sweets and processed cheeses. We should limit the amount of fizzy drinks too.

So, food is not only something delicious, tasty and pleasant. Food is some­thing that can make our bodies ugly and our organs diseased. However, not many people nowadays eat enough fresh fruit and vegetables. They consume more processed food with lower nutritional value than nutrient-dense fresh foods. And this leads to an increasing number of obese people. Nowadays there are a lot of children who suffer from overweight. It also leads to cancer and disorders of the heart and blood system. So we should mind what we put into our bodies.

Experts say that it is not surprising that people eat too much of the wrong foods. Everywhere we look high-calorie and high-fat foods are advertised. De­spite the fact that these foods are low in cost, they are low in nutrition. In other words, they may not be good for us, but they are really cheap. Some experts call this a toxic-food environment.

As I have already mentioned, particular kinds of food can tell something about a person. For example, people who like spicy and exotic food are brave and adventurous; those who are fond of chocolate are easy-going and sociable, but they lack confidence; people who are interested in big amounts of food are considered to be generous and hard-working; and people who haven't got a large appetite are artistic and sensitive, though they loose their temper easily.

In conclusion I would like to say that people realize that in today's com­petitive world it's really important to stay healthy if they want to be active and successful in life. That's why we should remember that "You are what you eat" and "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" and we should try to stick to these simple pieces of advice.

7.Hobby in our life 

Many people think that hobby is just a way of pastime and there is nothing special about it. However, those who think so bark up the wrong tree. Hobby means a lot in our life. It doesn’t only help us to entertain but also have many other positive impacts on the quality of our life.

First of all, you become a person interesting to talk to. How is it possible? It’s very easy, if you have a hobby, you must also have a lot of interesting stories related to it, which can be funny as well. Moreover, you might find people who will be interested in the same topic or hobby and share your experience with them.

Secondly, modern life is extremely busy and drives us crazy from time to time. Hobby is a perfect way to escape all our problems, clear our minds and, thus, relax as much as possible. Whether you play computer games, sew or draw, you feel absolutely relieved. Sometimes it may be useful to get away from it all and think about nothing expecting good results and fresh ideas after such a renovation.

Finally, hobby is a kind of a challenge for us. Taking up a new hobby usually involves learning new things, improving skills and having to deal with different issues on the way to becoming pretty good at your new activity. As a bonus, you will also get self-confidence and personal satisfaction which lead to enhancing of your living conditions and relationships with other people.

8. The Internet

The Internet appeared not so long ago, but now we can’t imagine our life without it. It has entered many spheres of our life and simplified it so much that we will refuse this invention under no circumstances.

We use the internet in many ways: we communicate with people, even with those who live abroad; we share our knowledge, emotions, feelings and experience by means of blogging or microblogging; we find any information in less than a minute; plan our trips, book flight tickets, and hotels; purchase clothes and other items, too.

In other words, we have a wide range of online activities which help us to get in touch with people, learn something new every day and be aware of all happening in the world. We have got used to this level of information accessibility due to which we feel more confident and free to express our viewpoint.

However, the internet is not always a blessing as we become extremely addicted to it and may lose our communication skills. The fact is that we now tend to get stick to our smartphones and other electronic devices and neglect real communication.

This may lead to loneliness and difficulties building real relationships with people. That’s why we should control the amount of time we spend online and not to forget about our families and friends. We won’t become closer if we keep in touch only virtually.

The internet can be a blessing, but we should use it carefully in order not to turn the blessing into a curse.

 9. Learning foreign languages

Learning foreign languages is not easy at all, especially for adults. It is easy to perceive language and to acquire new information when we are young; however, we sometimes are forced to learn a new language for business or school purpose.

When you learn a foreign language, you should develop all your skills. You should study grammar, do exercises, read texts and even books, listen to the speech of native speakers, speak and do writing tasks. It is essential not to concentrate only on some aspects and ignore others.

Studying grammar and doing exercises on vocabulary may be boring and difficult at the same time. You may lose an interest to them very quickly. That’s why you should vary your studies. Nowadays it is much easier to do it, as we have the internet connection and the access to many useful resources.

You may start from watching cartoons with subtitles which are not very difficult to understand. When your vocabulary will be broadened, you may turn to movies and series. Eventually, you will be able to feel at ease watching them even without subtitles.

Moreover, you have an opportunity to learn a foreign language with the help of native speakers. And this is not about lessons on Skype. I am talking about modern social networks by means of which you can get in touch with people from other countries and practice their mother tongue chatting or talking with them.

Thuswise, it is possible to learn a foreign language and to make the process exciting and interesting. Train all parts of the language, collaborate with foreigners and share your own knowledge!

 10. Mobile phones 

Do you remember those times when we didn’t have any mobile phones? We could not call our parents when we were out in order to tell them everything was okay. We couldn’t take many photos because foto films had a limited number of frames. And to write someone we had to do it in handwriting and we waited for the answer for days and even weeks.

However, now we seem not to remember that as we do have mobile phones. We can’t imagine our life without them. All modern models look alike. They are flat and touch-sensitive; they are completed with a good camera and gigs of memory.

Nowadays, we use these devices not only to call or write someone. We take photos, read books, watch films, play games and do many other things as well. If you had been told several years ago that mobile phones would become so helpful and smart, you would not have believed that!

And now, look at us. We can’t live without our smartphones and internet. These inventions have completely changed our lives. On the one hand, we can get in touch with people around the world and get any information in one click. On the other hand, due to this smartphone addiction, we may lose our social skills and won’t be able to socialize with people in real life.

Thus, we should be careful and try to get all the best from modern technologies without losing anything we already have.

 11. My daily routine

Some people call their life a ground-hug day; others think it is what stability is supposed to be. Anyway, it is all about our daily routine. It is difficult to define it as a good or a bad thing, as it is a part of our life and we should just accept it.

As all other people I have a daily routine. It may differ from other people’s routine but it is still a routine. My daily routine consists of waking up at a certain time, having breakfast, walking to the university and many other everyday “rites”. Even the fact that I always listen to music on my way to and from the university can be called a routine.

However, my routine is not always the same. It may change depending on the period of the year and the place where I stay in. Nevertheless, daily routine always plays its usual role rarely giving place to something new and unusal.

Frankly speaking, I do love my daily routine. I feel more confident and balanced. It goes without saying, I do not do exactly the same things every single day and at the same time. However, I have some responsibilites, chores and hobbies I usually do and they fill my life with harmony.

Moreover, the shifts from stable and unstable periods make us value life in all of its aspects. That’s why I believe we should not complain about the things we have to do every day, such as work. It is better to enjoy everything in our life.

12. Online shopping

Online shopping is a modern way of buying everything you want from your home. It has become very popular and it seems to be much better to choose clothes, shoes and accessories without spending hours in a shopping centre.

Apart from saving time, you can also find same things online but they often cost less than they do in a mall. However, you may have doubts about the size. Luckily, most online shops give detailed information about sizes and even offer some online assistance.

In addition, when you shop online you may find whatever you need in one clic, even if there are thousands of items on the website. You can use filters and select only those kinds that interest you. You may also choose a colour, a style and sometimes a brand.

Moreover, online shopping gives you the opportunity to be aware of special offers, sales and discounts. Online shops may send you messages or e-mails, thus, you will be able to receive this information any time and any place.

Nevertheless, online shopping has also its weak points that stop many people from online purchasing. You can’t see whether the dress or other thing looks like on the picture on the website, you can’t be sure about the purity of the colour, about the quality of the material, etc.

However, there are many online shops now that let you see and even try clothes and pay afterwards only if the thing fits and suits you. That makes you feel more relaxed and assured. 

13. Pocket money

It goes without saying that people use money every day to pay for things they buy. The) can pay cither in cash or by credit cards or checks.

What makes money valuable? What use does it have for us? As the proverb says, "Money makes the world go round". There are four main things money does for everybody. First, it makes possible exchange and trade. Second, money can be used to measure and compare the values of various things. Third, it's a storehouse of value. And forth, it serves as a standard for future payments.

I don't earn money at present. I depend on my parents in food, clothes and all other things I need. I'm not keen on shopping at all and when my parents ask me to buy something I'm often reluctant to do it. My parents usually decide what clothes to buy for me and I have to go with them to the department store to buy necessary • clothes. My favourite items are blue jeans, grey sweaters, black boots and so on. Most of all I like book and music shops. I can stay there for hours leafing through piles of CDs or books. So, I've bought a book of English idioms recently.

At school I spend money on buying food. My eating habits and drinking habits are quite reasonable. So, I usually buy salads, porridge, mashed potatoes with fish or meat at our school canteen. I like orange juice and apple juice. 1 sel­dom buy fast food or fizzy drinks as I consider them to be bad for my health.

I am happy to live in a united family. It's a big pleasure for me to save my pocket money in order to buy nice presents for my household. I often buy flowers, nice souveniers such as key-holders, photo albums, pictures, stationery, funny toy animals and dolls for my family members. I feel happy when I can make my mum, dad and sister happy. As I appreciate hand-made presents, I often make toys, cards for my family members by myself. I often go to the stationery to by some colored paper, glue, ribbons and fabric to make nice and creative presents.

I have a good friend. I buy and make different interesting things for her too.

So, having pocket money makes me feel confident and independent. Some­times I wish I had more pocket money to buy nice presents.This summer I am going to try a part-time job to be more independent of my parents in money.

In my view, parents shouldn't give much money to their children as it may spoil them. A child should understand that his or her parents work hard to earn their living. It takes them a lot of time to earn money for children but some children can easily spend this money on the things they don't need at all. Some children keep asking their parents to give them much money to buy fashionable clothes and accessories or they spend a lot of money on entertainment. As for me it's not reasonable. I believe children should respect their parents' work and learn how to spend money. So, I try to think twice before spending my pocket money.

 14. Money

To begin with, I would like to say that money plays an important role in our life. People use money every day to pay for things they buy. Money is an important option for people to communicate: they work for money, they go out to spend money, and they sometimes even make friends for money. But money also serves as a medium of exchange as people accept it for their goods and services. It is used as a "storehouse of value". It is a "yardstick of value". It also serves as a standard for future payments.

Nowadays there are many ways of earning money.

Some people become rich and famous due to their inventions and their natu­ral talents. Bill Gates makes an example. Together with his friends from Harvard University he developed a version of the BASIC programming language. They founded Microsoft and he dropped out of the university to devote his time to it. Under his leadership the company expanded rapidly due to the success of its applications and operating systems. At the age of 31 Gates became the youngest millionaire in the USA. Now his fortune reached $80 billion, making him the wealthiest individual in the world.

Success in such competitive spheres as sport and show-business can be overwhelming and rather profitable. Claudia Schiffer is a successful German su­permodel and businesswoman. She has her own fitness video and she spends a lot of time working with charities.

A lot of young people nowadays take up part-time jobs. They work as baby­sitters, shop-assistants or cleaners. So they earn their own money, which gives them a sense of independence. It also teaches them to appreciate any labor and the money their parents earn.

Some people win money in lotteries. Last year I read about a British plumber who had won £3 mln. He had ordered a new house and two cars and had also donated some money to charities. Even though that money would have been enough for him not to work anymore at all, he said he would work anyway.

There are also some people who agree to work without any pay. Volunteers help elderly people with shopping, preparing meals, cleaning and washing, they help the disabled and take part in different social and nature protection programs.

However, there are some people who do not want to work and try to get money illegally. For example, burglars break into houses and take most valuable things and hi-jack cars in order to resell them. Some of them can rob people in the street or even murder them as they don't value a human's life and labor at all.

As technologies advance, there has appeared a new type of criminals - hack­ers. They try to break through security systems and steal money from bank ac­counts. They also practise software pirating. Or some try to mislead others so that they would let out some private information on the Internet and they almost can't be controlled there.

I realize that nowadays a lot of people find their happiness in having a big amount of money. It gives them a possibility to be independent, to afford expen­sive things, to travel all over the world and a lot more. Our modern society is often called the "consumers" society and I agree with it. People depend on the amount of money they have. Modern people are influenced by material values and the conveniences of modern life a lot more than by moral laws. But I'm not a person of that kind. As for me, I try to be open-minded, kind-hearted and have self-re­spect. I study hard at school in order to get good education, find a prestigious and 'well-paid job, become a professional and be useful for the society I live in.

 15. The role of TV

It was mentioned in one famous film: «There will be no theaters, no movies, only one TV will remain». The role of television can't be overestimated. There are fewer and fewer people left without television. Even in the most remote village and in the poorest family there is a TV. From cradle babies get used to it. We are greatly replaced by TV.

On TV, we'll find out news in any country, important events. We watch films, performances, concerts. In order to escape from everyday life, we watch talk shows, serials, sitcoms. We can see the broadcast of sports matches, in front of the screen, in comfort to cheer for our favorite team.

How many different countries can we visit virtually thanks to television! Television intellectually enriches people! In villages, they do not speak with an accent anymore, because they constantly hear from the TV a competent speech!

But there is also a negative impact of television! To some, the TV replaces everything! People become addicted to serials that go one after another. More and more new channels appear, and the TV is never turned off, it becomes a constant noise background. It is no longer noticed, but nevertheless it does not allow to concentrate, worsening our efficiency.

Therefore, everything is good in moderation! Even such a blessing of civilization as television!