A (Very) Brief History of the English Language



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Jack London (1876-1916)


The novelist and short-story writer Jack London was, in his lifetime, one of the most popular authors in the world. After World War I his fame was eclipsed in the United States by a new generation of writers, but he remained popular in many other countries, especially in the Soviet Union, for his romantic tales of adventure mixed with elemental struggles for survival.

John Griffith London was born in San Francisco on Jan. 12, 1876. His family was poor, and he was forced to go to work early in life to support himself. At 17 he sailed to Japan and Siberia on a seal-hunting voyage. He was largely self-taught, reading voluminously in libraries and spending a year at the University of California. In the late 1890s he joined the gold rush to the Klondike. This experience gave him material for his first book, 'The Son of Wolf', published in 1900, and for 'Call of the Wild' (1903), one of his most popular stories.

In his writing career of 17 years, London produced 50 books and many short stories. He wrote mostly for money, to meet ever-increasing expenses. His fame as a writer gave him a ready audience as a spokesman for a peculiar and inconsistent blend of socialism and racial superiority.

London's works, all hastily written, are of uneven quality. The best books are the Klondike tales, which also include 'White Fang' (1906) and 'Burning Daylight' (1910). His most enduring novel is probably the autobiographical 'Martin Eden' (1909), but the exciting 'Sea Wolf' (1904) continues to have great appeal for young readers.

In 1910 London settled near Glen Ellen, Calif., where he intended to build his dream home, "Wolf House." After the house burned down before completion in 1913, he was a broken and sick man. His death on Nov. 22, 1916, from an overdose of drugs, was probably a suicide.

Jonathan Swift. (1667-1745)


JS was the greatest of English satirists. His better satire at the contemporary social order in general and an the policy of English government in particular. That's why the Irish people considered Swift the champion in the struggle against the wealthy and freedom of their country.

JS was born in Dublin, but he came from English family. His father died at the age of 25, leaving his wife and daughter pennyless. His son was born seven months later after his death. The boy knew little of his mother. He hardly ever saw her, during his childhood. J was supported by his uncle Godwin. At the age of 6 he was sent to school, which he left at 14. Then he entered a college in Dublin and got his bachelor's degree in 1686.


Kiev


Kiev is the capital of our country. It is the largest city in the Ukraine. More than three million people live there. Kiev was founded more than 1500 years ago. It is the political, economic, industrial and cultural centre of our country. There are many factories in Kiev. They make different products. In Kiev there are many museums, monuments, theatres, cinemas, libraries and palaces. Thousands of students study at Kiev-Mohila academy, at Kiev University, many institutes and colleges. Kiev is a large transport centre. Kiev metro is very beautiful. Kiev is situated on the banks of the river Dnieper. The city is very green. It is one of the most beautiful cities of Ukraine. Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada, president and government are located in Kiev. Ambassadors of many countries live in the capital of Ukraine too. We are proud that our capital is one of the best and oldest cities in the world. Khreschatyk is the main street in Kiev. It is not very long, but it is wide and straight. You can see many cars and trolley buses on Khreschatyk. There are many big green trees in it. A lot of people go to Khreschatyk every day. Some of them go shopping because there are many good shops and big market there. Other people go to the cinema, look at the fountains or sit on the benches. In the evening many people walk in Khreschatyk. There you can see many bright lights. People like the main street of Kiev because it is nice and green.

Learning languages


The problem of learning languages is very important today. Foreign languages are socially demanded especially at the present time when the progress in science and technology has led to an explosion of knowledge and has contributed to an overflow of information. The total knowledge of mankind is known to double every seven years. Foreign languages are needed as the main and most efficient means of information exchange of the people of our planet.

Today English is the language of the world. Over 350 million people speak it as a mother tongue. The native speakers of English live in Great Britain, the United States of America, Australia and New Zealand. English is one of the official languages in the Irish Republic, Canada, the South African Republic. As a second language it is used in the former British and US colonies.

It is the major international language for communication in such areas as science, technology, business and mass entertainment. English is one of the official languages of the United Nations Organization and other political organization. It is the language of the literature, education, modern music, international tourism.

Russia is integrating into the world community and the problem of learning English for the purpose of communication is espicially urgent today. Learning a foreing language is not as easy thing. It is a long and slow process that takes a lot of time and patience. But to know English is absolutely necessary for every educated person, for every good specialist.

It is well known that reading books in the original , listening to the BBC news, communicating with the English speaking people will help a lot. When learning a foreign language you learn the culture and history of the native speakers. One must work hard to learn any foreign language.

Leisure time and hobby


Many men, many minds. All people are different and they prefer spending their free time in different ways. Some of them go the parks, forests, to the country and enjoy the beauty of nature. Others like to stay at home watching TV or reading books. There are people who are fond of cinema and theatres, so they try to go there as often as possible. As for me, I prefer to spend my free time in different ways. I like to go in for sports, to play football, basketball or volleyball with my friends. I like to watch TV, to listen a tape recorder and play computer games. Also I like to go for a walk in the country and enjoy the beauty of nature.And my way of spending free time is connected with my hobby. And my hobby is reading books...

I'd like to say that it's hard to imagine our life without books. Books play such a great role in the development of personality. They help as to forget our daily problems and to pretend we travel to the past, future and to many different, wonderfull places that we can"t visit in reality. I am also sure that books are our good friends and teachers. From them we get to know the life around as better, they teatch as how to tell right from wrong, to love our Motherland, to understand friendship, people's feelings. So, they teach us how to live. As for me I like to read different kinds of books: ......




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