and cut down on fat. People have also become more aware of calories, the
energy value of food. Some people count the number of calories they eat
every day; so that they can try to take in fewer calories and lose weight.
This is called a calorie-controlled diet. Manufacturers are increasingly
producing special foods with fewer calories for slimmers.
But excessive dieting may be dangerous, too. Some people refuse to eat meat
as they consider it harmful. They say a vegetarian diet reduces the risk of
cancer and vegetarians live longer than others. I can’t agree with them,
because meat is an excellent source of good nutrition. In my opinion, it’s
wrong to put down a food simply because excessive amounts can cause health
problems. Consumed in moderate amounts, meat is perfectly good for our
health.
To my mind, the only way to stay healthy and to keep fit is by going in for
sports. Among the benefits of regular exercise are a healthier heart,
stronger bones, quicker reaction times and more resistance to various
illnesses. Besides, you can eat and drink as much as you want because you
are burning it all off.
To be healthy, it is also very important to spend a lot of time in the open
air. It is useful to go for a walk before going to bed, or to air the room.
I think it is very important to be fit and healthy, and it is necessary to
take care of your health. Being fat, in fact, can cause real problems. It
is harder for fat people to get a good job, or even to make friends. If you
want to do well, you must be thin. That’s why I go in for sports on a
regular basis. I have been doing aerobics for three years and I feel great.
I am not enthusiastic about strict dieting, but I try to eat only low-fat
food, and fruit and vegetables which are rich in vitamins.
Personally I believe that regularity in life promotes our health. Sleeping
eight or nine hours, getting up early, regular meals, a healthy diet and
going in for sports is really a good way to live.
18. The problems of ecology are very important now. Which problem is the
most urgent, in your opinion? What can you and the people around you do to
protect the planet?
Environmental problems have become exceptionally acute in the modern world,
and environmental protection has become a vital necessity for all people.
Our planet is in serious danger. One of the most important environmental
problems in the world today is the shortage of clean water. Industrial
pollution has made many sources of water undrinkable. Rivers, lakes and
even seas have become poisonous. Thousands of fish die every year as a
result of the illegal dumping of waste in rivers by factories all over the
world.
Lake Baikal is one of the worlds’ largest and most beautiful lakes. It
contains a rich variety of fish and plants, including 1,300 rare species
that do not exist anywhere else in the world. However, they are being
killed by massive industrial waste, which some factories still pour into
the lake every day. A few years ago people thought that the supply of clean
water was unlimited. Now clean water is scarce, and we are beginning to
respect this precious resource. We must protect the clean water that
remains for the sake of our children and grandchildren.
Air pollution is another important problem. In hundreds of cities and towns
the concentration of harmful substances in the air is over ten times the
admissible level. Every day a huge number of plants and factories emit lots
of harmful substances into the atmosphere of big cities. The great increase
in the use of motor cars in the last quarter of the twentieth century has
caused an increase in a new kind of air pollution. Pollution from factories
and cars poison the air we breathe, and is the main reason for the
greenhouse effect and acid rain.
Acid rain can damage life in lakes and rivers and destroy forests. The
greenhouse effect may also have disastrous consequences for our planet. It
is already affecting several areas of the world with unusual weather
causing droughts or heavy storms. The world’s temperature is going up and
the climate is changing. Cutting down on emissions from large combustion
plants and exhaust fumes from vehicles would help solve the problem. I
think we should try and use alternative energy, such as solar energy and
wind energy, and design plants and cars that run on electricity, a much
cleaner fuel than petrol.
One of the most alarming environmental problems is depletion of the ozone
layer, which protects the Earth from the dangerous ultraviolet rays of the
sun. Because of the ozone holes, the dangerous rays get through the
atmosphere, causing skin cancer and other serious diseases. Many scientists
think that these ozone holes are the result of air pollution.
In my opinion, the most urgent ecological problem today is the
environmental safety of nuclear power stations. Nuclear pollution can’t be
seen, but its effects can be terrible. We all know how tragic the
consequences of the Chernobyl disaster are. Nuclear waste also endangers
people’s lives. People all over the world protest against nuclear tests and
nuclear weapons. If we do not take any action, the possibility of a global
nuclear disaster is very real.
Of course, we can’t help mentioning such burning issues as destruction of
tropical forests and wildlife, overpopulation, and shortage of natural
resources. The list of serious ecological problems could be continued.
Today environmental issues are much spoken and written about on TV, radio,
and in the newspapers. If people want to survive, they must do their best
to solve these problems. Fortunately, it’s not too late to save our planet.
We understand that our environment is not just our home town, but the whole
earth. The protection of the environment requires the cooperation of all
nations. Governments should take measures that will help improve the
environment.
There are a lot of environmental groups and international organisations,
whose main goal is to strengthen cooperation among environmentalists from
different countries. The most famous of them is Greenpeace, which combines
the people’s efforts for peace with the huge and ever mounting movement for
nature conservation. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is the name of another
international organisation that appeared in 1961. It has created or given
support to National Parks on five continents.
However, there are a lot of simple things we should all do to stop the
destruction of the environment. First of all, we mustn’t drop litter in
public places. Besides, we shouldn’t dump our rubbish without thinking
which things, such as bottles and paper, can be recycled. We must stop
using aerosol sprays, because the stuff they contain destroys the ozone
layer. We should take care of birds and animals. We can help to plant trees
and create parks for endangered species. We can clean rivers and canals and
create footpaths. But first of all we must change people’s attitude towards
the environment.
If we take action now, there might be some hope for the future. If we do
nothing, we are heading for disaster!
19. People set up different organizations for various purposes. What do you
know about these organizations? Are you a member of any organization? Which
organization would you join? Why?
The 20th century is characterized by the creation of international
organizations: only a small number of the international organizations now
in existence were formed before 1850, and about 90% were organized in the
period 1900–1956. In the 1980s there were more than 2500 international
organizations, of which about 750 were formed after World War II. This
number included more than 130 intergovernmental agencies, of which the most
notable were the United Nations and its affiliates.
The name United Nations was devised by United States President Franklin D.
Roosevelt and was first used in the “Declaration by United Nations” of 1
January 1942, when representatives of 26 nations pledged their governments
to continue fighting together against Germany, Japan and Italy. The Charter
of the United Nations was signed by 51 states on 26 June 1945. This day is
now celebrated each year throughout the world as United Nations Day. Russia
is a member of the United Nations.
A specialized agency of the United Nations is UNESCO (United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). It was founded in 1946.
It promotes international collaboration in education, science and culture.
Education is UNESCO’s main activity. The organization attempts to assist
and support national efforts of member states in eliminating illiteracy,
training teachers, developing educational institutions and extending free
education. UNESCO also works to study, develop and promote cultural
heritage and protect historic monuments and the natural environment. UNESCO
assists and supports the efforts of member states through conferences,
seminars and publications, through the promotion of research and exchange
of information and knowledge.
Now I’d like to tell you about the World Health Organization (WHO). It
began its activities in 1948. It is a specialized agency designed to
further international cooperation for improved health conditions. The major
function of the WHO is to establish measures for the control of epidemic
diseases. This consists of mass campaigns promoted by WHO against
communicable diseases. The major function of WHO is nursing concerned with
maternal and child health. It also assists educational programmes for
nurses and assistants. WHO is coordinating an international effort against
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) as well as the current threat of
SARS.
Another medical organization is the Red Cross and Red Crescent. The Red
Cross is an humanitarian agency with national affiliates in almost every
country in the world. The Red Cross movement began in 1863. Its peacetime
activities include first aid, accident prevention, water safety, training
of nurses’ aids and mothers’ assistants and maintenance of maternal and
child welfare centres, clinics, blood banks and numerous other services.
The Red Cross is the name used in Christian countries; the Red Crescent is
the name used in Muslim countries.
Greenpeace is an international nongovernmental organization dedicated to
preserving endangered species of animals, preventing environmental abuses
and taking care of wildlife. Greenpeace was founded in 1971 in Vancouver,
Canada. It brought together people concerned with terrible abuses to the
environment. The organization has a small staff and relies largely on
voluntary staffing and funding. Greenpeace also campaigns:
– for stricter control over chemical waste disposal on land;
– to stop all nuclear weapons tests;
– to close down nuclear power stations and nuclear reprocessing plants;
– to stop acid rain and protect the atmosphere;
– to reduce the trade in endangered species products;
– to declare Antarctica a World Park – free of military and industrial
exploitation, and so forth.
Today it is a global organization with national offices in 27 countries;
one of them is in Russia (since 1992).
There are also youth organizations, because the main aim of society is to
prepare young people for responsible roles in the adult world and to
provide constructive outlets for energies of young people. Some
organizations such as Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts or Guides, and Young Men’s
Christian Association and Young Women’s Christian Associations, have spread
all over the world. The Boy Scout movement was founded in Great Britain in
1908. In 1910 the Girl Scout movement was also founded in that country.
There are about 1,300,000 boys and girls in them. The movement of the Boy
Scouts has its aim to help a Scout (a boy from 8–18) to develop into a good
man and a useful citizen. He must be able to handle sails, to use a
compass, to lay and light a fire outdoors, he must know first aid and
develop his interest in music, literature, drama, arts and films. A Scout
is a friend to animals, he’s “clean in thought, word and deed”. He must
obey the Scout Law.
As for me, I’m not a member of any organization. But if I had chance, I
would become a Scout, because I like the aims of this organization and the
ways they are achieved.
20. Growing up can cause problems. Do you have any problems with your
friends, your parents and other people around you? How do you cope with
these problems?
It’s hard not to see that teenagers nowadays have a lot of problems. One of
the real problems is having no close friend. Several days ago I had a best
friend, but now I don’t. My friend was much more to me than just a person
with whom I communicated. We were as thick as thieves. We helped each other
to survive and got along well. But some days ago we quarrelled, and now I’m
at a loss what to do. Fortune turned its back on me and I feel very lonely.
I can’t say that my parents don’t understand me, they try to support me;
but I think only time can heal me. Some young people are just sure that
their parents don’t want to understand them. It’s a very serious problem.
I’m sure that this point of view is absolutely wrong.
Psychologists believe, parents-child conflicts cannot be avoided in a
society that is undergoing rapid change. In our society youngsters are at
odds with their parents on a wide range of issues, from how late they can
stay up, to whom they should marry. It’s called a generation gap. But I
think our parents are people whom we can trust. In most cases teens don’t
understand their parents and become very nervous. When this happens, it’s
time to say to yourself “stop”, and try to find in your parents more
positive than negative traits. Our parents should understand one thing,
that today’s children will become tomorrow’s society. So they should try to
understand the child; they should find out about teen problems and help
solve them.
The other very important problem is our school life. Teens are often under
pressure in many ways at school – they are supposed to be “macho” – good at
school subjects, able to stand up for themselves without crying. If they
can’t, they are “wimps”, and often children will tease and bully them,
especially at school. But all children are different – they have different
needs and talents, likes and dislikes. Teens are not just “machos” and
“wimps”, they are rebels and conformists, extroverts and introverts. Our
teachers and our parents should assure us that all these types of people
are good, and it will reduce a lot of our problems.
Teenager’s Problems
There are so-called “problem teenagers”, who take drugs. A large number of
teens use them very often. They are drug addicts. I don’t have such friends
and I think that there should be special programmes to solve this problem.
Drugs Destroy Lives
Another problem is connected with biorhythms. Not all people know what it
is, and they begin to laugh at you and can offend you, when sometimes you
are all fingers and thumbs, when you are accident-prone, or when your
temper seems to be on a short fuse. It is because we all have an internal
“body clock” which regulates the rise and the fall of our bodies’ energies
and it’s called biorhythms. So our teachers, parents and classmates should
understand it and not pay attention to it because it’s the law of our life
and nature.
My other serious problem is to enter a good university and find a good job
afterwards. But unemployment rates are extremely high – even qualified
people with great knowledge can’t find something good. But in spite of that
I hope for the best.
I always want to impress people. But the first impression we make almost
fully depends on what we wear and how we wear it. Manners and speech are
noticed next and character only later. Many teens have the same taste. They
like to keep up-to-date with the changes in our society. They like to wear
clothes which look good and which you feel comfortable in. Being in fashion
makes you feel good, in tune with the world you live in. But when you are
at school it is important to wear the right clothes, even formal ones, and
not to dress up. I understand it, but some of my classmates don’t. They
like to shock their teachers and parents, and provoke them, and that’s why
they have some problems at school. So you should have some “clothes sense”
to know and feel the types of things that are your style in formal
situations (when you are at school) and at parties.
As for me nowadays, I try to cope with all my problems alone, or with the
help of my parents. My parents are real friends and they understand me and
try to help me or give advice.
So if someone denies all of the problems teenagers have, they are not being
honest. Teens have a lot of problems. But the first thing we have to think
about is the future we’re building for ourselves and our children. The
better we are now, the better we understand one another, the better our
place will be when we grow up.
Ñòðàíèöû: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
