Cities and Towns
What are the advantages of living in town?
People who live in cities or towns often mention a lot of advantages. There is lots to do, much more than in the country, you can watch a movie at the cinema, listen to music at the concert hall, visit different museums and theatres. It’s more exciting. There are lots of restaurants and takeaways and the food is better. There are lots of shops, and they are bigger so there is more choice. It’s easier to travel round because there are lots of buses and trams. You don’t always need a car.
What wild animals do you know? Describe them.
What do people use computers and their components for?
Today, no one can imagine life without electronic devices in particular without a computer. You can use it for work or for fun. You can download books and music, you can play games or type documents. You can surf the Net or post photos onto Facebook or Instagram. The main computer components are a keyboard, a monitor, a processor, a speaker, a router and so on. Using a scanner you can scan different documents and send them by e-mail. Using a printer you can print important papers for your work or studies.
Why do people do sports?
Sports hold an important place in our life. Firstly, sport helps us to keep fit. Secondly, sport builds our character. Finally, sport teaches us how to be disciplined and how to overcome difficulties. That’s why lots of people go in for different kind of sports. Some people play football, basketball, volleyball. Others do athletics, aerobics or yoga.
What are the disadvantages of living in town?
On the other hand, life in a city is usually more dangerous because there is more crime. There is more traffic so it’s noisier and the air is more polluted. People who live in towns are also different, they are busier, more career-oriented and they are less friendly.
Where can you see animals in the wild?
Today it’s easy to see animals in their natural habitat. We can visit a safari park with monkeys, kangaroos and elephants or walk through a national park full of bears, wolves and foxes. If we want something extreme, we can go to the jungle or even plan a journey across the desert.
What computer problems can people have? How can they solve them?
Sometimes people can have problems with their computers. If you can’t get online, first of all check the cable at the back of the computer, then choose the network you want to join and finally enter your password. If you have a problem with a memory stick and your computer doesn’t recognise it, you can plug it into a different USB port or bring it to the Help Desk office.
What is your favourite sport and why?
As for me, I’m keen on triathlon. It combines running, swimming and cycling. You need a lot of equipment if you want to take part in a triathlon, and you need to train for it. I already have a good bike and a helmet for cycling, a wetsuit and goggles for swimming and running shoes for the race. Triathlon helps me to keep fit, build character and develops strategic thinking.
Where do you live and what interesting places can you visit there?
As for the town I live in, it’s...
What advice can you give to people who are going to wild places?
Wherever you go to see animals in the wild, you need to remember some useful tips. Firstly, take a map and a compass with you – they will help you if you’re lost. Secondly, never feed wild animals – it can be very dangerous. Thirdly, if you see a bear, don’t run, just walk slowly away from it. Don’t climb a tree. Most bears are good climbers.
What is cyberbullying?
Technology is very useful, but sometimes it can be very harmful. I mean cyberbullying. It includes posting negative comments about somebody, uploading unkind photos or spreading rumors to hurt people.
What do you know about tricking?
There are also disciplines that became a sport not long ago, such as tricking. Trickers are athletes who turn their bodies in new and interesting ways to express themselves. Tricking developed from the martial arts in the USA in the mid-1990s. Players wanted to challenge themselves to do jumps that were bigger, more powerful and more exciting, so they invented new movements, which they called “tricks”. Then tricking became popular on social media, people used it in films and on TV. Now tricking is a worldwide sport.
What do you know about New York?
New York is a great example of a modern city. There are parks, rivers, and famous buildings; there are great shops and interesting museums, too. It is home to about 8.5 million people. About 55 million visitors come to New York every year. They come to see Times Square, the busiest place in NY; enjoy a walk in Central Park; visit The Metropolitan Museum of Art or American Museum of Natural History and see the main symbol of hope and freedom to start a new life – Statue of Liberty.
Do you know any story of survival in the wild? Tell us about it.
There are a lot of stories of survival in the wild. But my favourite one is about a Brazilian engineer who got lost in the rainforest. He climbed over tree trunks, crawled under bushes. At night he rested in a tree or on the ground. As he couldn’t find any fruit or animals to eat, he had bees and flies for food. Finally, after twelve days, he arrived at a river where people helped him.
Do you know anyone who suffered from cyberbullying? How did people help this person?
A lot of people suffer from cyberbullying every day. One of the victims of cyberbullying is Sean O’Brien, an Englishman who once went to a gig. Some people took photos of him dancing. A few days later, the photos appeared on a well-known internet forum. There were unkind comments about the man’s dancing. A group of people on social media was angry about the cyberbullying and decided to have a huge party in California to support him. So in the end a story about cyberbullying became a story about kindness.
What Olympians do you know? What are they famous for?
Olympic Games are one of the most important sporting events for thousands of athletes. Some sportspeople have very long Olympic careers. For example, Dara Torres, an American swimmer, won a gold medal in the relay at the 1984 Olympic Games, two medals in 1988 and one gold medal in 1992. After a break of seven years without competitions, she won five medals at the 2000 Games and competed again in 2008, winning three silver medals.
What unusual cities do you know and why are they unusual?
But not every city in the world is the same. There is a bunch of unusual cities.
Norilsk is in Russia and is further than any other large city in the world. It is a very cold place, often -30 Centigrade in winter. You can’t get to Norilsk by car or bus because there aren’t any roads. You have to fly or, in summer, arrive by boat. In winter, the sea turns to ice. The city has a population of around 180,000 people. A lot of these people work for Norilsk Nickel, one of the biggest metal companies in the world.
Curitiba is a medium-sized city in the south of Brazil. Many South American cities are very polluted but Curitiba is quite the opposite: it’s one of the cleanest and ‘greenest’ cities in the world. In Curitiba three quarters of citizens use public transport, that is because the bus system is probably the best in the world. It carries 2 million passengers a day. Tickets are cheap and journeys are fast. There are lots of parks in the city: in fact, there are 50 square metres of green space per person!
What strange creatures do you know and which of them are real? Do you know any story about a strange creature? Tell us about it.
Hundreds of years ago, travelers shared stories about strange animals: Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, the Giant Anaconda and so on. In most people’s opinion, these creatures were not real. However, in a few cases, people proved they really existed. For example, in ancient Greek time sailors told stories about huge sea monsters with very long arms. But not many people believed them. One day the monster attacked a small boat. The fishermen in the boat cut off two of its arms. They were six meters long. The sailors showed the arms to the scientists. Today, everyone knows that giant squid are real.
How did your electronic device help you in a difficult situation?
Once I was in a difficult situation and my phone (or other electronic device) helped me.
Do you know any sportspeople with disabilities?
Moreover, I find it very inspiring that there are similar events for people with disabilities. For example, British driver Mike Newman didn’t think it was possible to take part in motor sports because of his blindness. But against the odds, he started riding motorbikes at the age of forty and then he tried cars. In 2003, 2005 and 2013 Mike set several speed records. Besides, he runs a charity that helps other blind people to take part in motor sports.