Тексты для восприятия и понимания речи на слух к учебному пособию для гимназий и лицеев Английский язык/Англійская мова. 11 класс”. Минск. Вышэйшая школа, 2015. Unit 1: Family

In 2009, the unique Belarusian rite of the Kolyady Tsars, which is performed only in the village of Semezhevo (Kopyl District, Minsk Oblast), was added to the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The rite of the Kolyady Tsars dates back to the 18th century, when the tsar’s military units were located not far from the village of Semezhevo. According to the local legend, during the New Year celebrations in accordance to the old style calendar (Julian calendar) soldiers and officers visited local houses to give comic performances and receive rewards. Since then, locals continued the tradition and turned it into a unique Christmas event. The rite of the Kolyady Tsars combines the elements of carnival and folk plays, with distinctive local performing arts, decorative and applied arts (costumes, interior decorations), and special Christmas national cuisine dishes. People believe that being visited by the ''tsars'' brings peace, harmony and wealth for a year.

The rite was revived in 1996: the necessary documentary materials were collected and old-timers were interviewed. Since then Semezhevo has been hosting the Kolyady Tsars annually. Traditionally, about 500 men participate in the event. They dress in white trousers and shirts with red embroidered Semezhevo belts crisscrossed across their chests, and high caps adorned with colourful paper ribbons. Every young man plays his own role – a doctor, a drummer, a fur carrier… The other characters include the main lead Tsar Maximilian, the Tsar Mamay, the Ded (old man) and Baba (old lady). Moving along the village’s street, the procession performs the historical religious drama “Tsar Maximilian” featuring picturesque scenes and folk medicine secrets. As darkness falls, the “tsars” light torches.

The rite is celebrated on “Shchedry Vecher” on 13-14 January. At present, the ceremony, although popular with older residents, is diminishing in popularity with the younger generation. This may result in a gap in transmission of knowledge regarding the production of costumes, instruments, interior decorations and particular dishes associated with the event – intangible heritage that may not outlast the present generation of residents.
59. Unit 10 Lesson 4. Ex. 2c.

Minsk is hosting the international cultural and educational festival the "Dialogue of Cultures" taking place in the Minsk Gymnasium №12. The festival is very popular. The number of participants increases annually as the geography expands. Students from China, Italy, Poland, Russia and Turkey came to the festival to share their traditions. The foreign children stay with the gymnasium’s students and become friends forever. The guests are offered a tour around the gymnasium with visiting lessons, a tour around Minsk and sightseeing in Belarus. The programme of the festival includes the countries’ presentations in which the participants speak about their countries, an educational quiz-show and an impressive performance of national songs and dances. The highlight of the festival is the demonstration of culinary attractions when the students share the history and secrets of national dishes and then treat all the guests to them. Italian pizza, Russian pancakes, Turkish delights and more were presented at the festival.

I’m a teacher at Toorak College in Melbourne, Australia. Over the last two years, students from my school have been fundraising to support Daraja Academy, a school in Kenya that is providing free education for poor girls who would be lost to education without such support. I found out about Daraja through Jabiz Raisdana, a teacher I met at a conference in Shanghai and who is in my Twitter network. Jabiz put me onto Mark Lukach, a teacher from San Francisco who is an advocate for Daraja, and acts as a bridge helping people understand the cause.

We have held events we call “Sleepout for Schools” run by the Year 9 students of Toorak College. The idea began with a whole day activity where the girls were exposed to ideas about how they could make a difference. They found out about the Bal Ashram in India and their plans to build a girl’s school to help save girl’s from child slavery. They also listened to Mark Lukach when he skyped in from San Francisco and told us about Daraja Academy, a girl’s school in Kenya. That day sowed the seed and ideas germinated. A meeting of 30 or so interested students saw them decide on the idea to hold a sleepover at school as a fundraiser for the two schools.

After quite a few weeks of planning the event was held on May 22nd. During the day the girls participated in a Global march to raise awareness about the children forced into child slavery. A neighbouring school, Mt.Eliza Secondary College, joined them and lunchtime shoppers and proprietors of our local shopping centre listened to the girls’ message. It was very well received and the girls felt like they had made an impact. At 6.00pm the sleepover began. All of the girls, all 54 of them, had paid to sleep over. During the  night they raised money by selling popcorn and lollies and a group of them made friendship bracelets that they sold. At 11.00pm we skyped Mark Lukach in and he talked about the progress of Daraja Academy. He was pretty impressed that 54 students had gone to the effort of getting together to do something good for others. Jason Doherty, the founder of Daraja was the next to skype in. This was Jason’s first ever skype call so it was pretty exciting. He was able to give us a lot of detail about Daraja. It was after 12 midnight by the time we’d finished our calls so you can imagine it took a bit of time to settle down to sleep. We were up at 7.00am the next day. We still have to get a final total of how much money was raised, but it should be close to $1,000. 

Cultural Co-operation is a London-based arts and education charity with an internationally respected history of innovation and achievement. Its mission is to unite people through high quality engagement with the world’s cultural heritage. One of the most fascinating events organised by Cultural Co-operation is Music Village festival. Created in 1983, World City Music Village is Europe's longest running festival of world cultures. 

It is a 12 day celebration of multinational London at its creative best and features over 40 free admission world cultural performances. The Festival showcases over 100 London-based performers from Africa, Afghanistan, Brazil, the Balkans, Bangladesh, Colombia, Italy, Greece, Persia, the Middle East, Peru, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela… and many more.  Their joyfully diverse performances testify to the importance of creativity in generating intercultural dialogue, understanding and peace.

The Festival offers Londoners more ways to enjoy world cultural heritage than ever before, whether out in the sunshine with family and friends, in the intimacy of a local club or café, or from the comfort of a computer screen.

B. BLT is an American sandwich which is also popular in Britain. BLY stands for Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato.

D. Carrot cake’s origins are disputed. Nobody really knows where it originates from. Carrot cake has carrots mixed into the batter. Other popular ingredients are nuts and raisins. It usually has icing on top.

E. Nachos are a Mexican snack. Nachos are corn chips covered in melted cheese. They are often served with salsa (tomato-based sauce) and guacamole (avocado-based dip).

F. Caramel apples are an American invention. They are apples-on-a-stick dipped in hot caramel. Sometimes caramel apples are rolled in nuts or other small confections.

G. Buffalo wings come from Buffalo, a city in the USA. Buffalo wings are deep-fried chicken wings tossed in cayenne pepper, hot sauce and butter.

H. Brownies are an American chocolate dessert. Brownies are a cross between a cake and a cookie. They are served in cut squares or bars. They usually go without icing.

I. Clam chowder is a traditional creamy soup which is milk- or cream-based. Clam chowder has clams (sea food), onions and potatoes. It is often served in a bread bowl.

J. Beef jerky’s origins are disputed. It was probably invented by Native Americans. Beef jerky is strips of dried meat which is first seasoned and then barbecued or smoked.

K. Fajitas originate from Texas, a state in the USA. Texas borders Mexico, where they speak Spanish. As a result, in Texas a lot of people speak Spanish and eat Mexican style food. Fajitas are a Tex-Mex dish. It’s a grilled steak wrapped in a tortilla (type of flat bread made of corn flour). Fajitas go with grilled onions, green pepper, cheeses and sour cream. In Spanish faja means steak.

L. Corn dog is a variation of hot dog. It’s a deep-fried sausage coated in thick cornmeal batter and served on a stick. Corn dogs were invented in the USA.

M. Jambalaya originates from the Caribbean Islands. Jambalaya is made with rice, meat or shrimp and a combination of three vegetables: celery, peppers, and onions. The dish can be red (with tomatoes) or brown (without tomatoes).

N. Jelly beans were invented in the United States. Jelly beans are soft brightly coloured bean-shaped type of confectionary with a candy shell and a gel interior.

There are American songs that nearly everyone in Russia seems to know, songs like “Summertime” and “White Christmas”. But the composers of these very American-sounding songs had Slavic roots.

Some were born in Russia and some in America to immigrant parents. Most were Jews. One thing is certain: 20th-century American music would be a mere shadow of itself “and somehow less American” without the contributions of these Eastern Europeans.

First, take Irving Berlin. He was born Israel Baline, probably in Tyumen, Siberia in 1888. His father uprooted the family to America, as many other Jewish families in the late 19^th century. In 1893 they settled in New York. Irving Berlin’s first jobs were singing in saloons. Soon he started to write songs himself. At the end of his career he had more than 200 hits on the Top 40 charts. He even wrote “God Bless America” which, though not the official national anthem, is just as popular or more so. In fact, on September 11, 2001, after the terrorist attacks, it was this song that members of the Congress began singing on the steps of the US Capitol. Jerome Kern, another American songwriter, said of Berlin: “He is American music.” Some praise for a man born in Siberia!

Two brothers, George and Ira Gershwin were born in New York at the very end of the 19^th century. Their parents had immigrated from the east: whether from Russia, Ukraine, or Lithuania isn’t absolutely clear. George Gershwin usually wrote the music, and Ira wrote the lyrics. They teamed up with Dubose Heywood for “Summertime”, one of the most frequently recorded songs of all time. The music, written by George, may even have been inspired by the Ukrainian folk lullaby “Oy Khodyt Son” which Gerswhin heard at New York’s Carnegie Hall in 1929.

These are some of the names, but they are not all the names. The influence of Eastern European composers on American music has been enormous.

1

Ted: Hey, Zakhar! Good to see you! How are you doing?

Half an hour later: (Phone call)

For all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: “It might have been.”

These are the freedoms that Americans enjoy, and it’s guaranteed by the United States Constitution. If you live in America, you have the right to say whatever you want to whoever you want whenever you want. The only rule is you have to do it in a peaceful manner. Students can go into the streets and protest high costs or lack of jobs. Workers can hold a peaceful assembly against low pay, high taxes or bad working conditions. People can even hold peaceful protests against the president of the United States. Anybody can publicly express their political views or complaints peacefully in America, without the fear of being punished. A well-known example of free speech took place in 1963, when 250,000 people gathered in Washington, D.C., to speak for equal rights for all Americans. Another famous example was the protests against the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 1970s all across the Unites States.

Free speech also helps Americans to stay informed about their political leaders. Americans freely post on You Tube and Facebook, publishing their views on the American presidential candidates. This helps Americans make their decision on election day. The freedom of the press is another freedom that is guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. The United States does not censor any media.
69. Unit 11 Lesson 6, ex. 4a, 4b, 4c (journalists are interviewed by university students)

- (student, girl): Can you say why America is the greatest country in the world?

- (journalist 1, man): Oh! It’s the country of diversity and opportunity!

- (journalist 2, woman): Freedom! And… freedom!

- (journalist 3, man): … Well, my answer is America is not the greatest country in the world. … Are we the only ones in the world who have freedom? Canada has freedom. Japan has freedom. The UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Australia, Belgium has freedom! So, out of 207 sovereign states in the world about 180 have freedom… There are some things you should know. One of them is: there’s absolutely no evidence to support the statement that we’re the greatest country in the world. We’re 7th in literacy, 27th in math, 22nd in science, 49th in life expectancy, 3rd in household income, number 4 in labor force and number 4 in exports. We lead the world in only three categories: number of incarcerated citizens per capita, number of adults who believe angels are real and defense spending. We spend more than the next 26 countries combined. … So when you ask what makes us the greatest country in the world, I don’t know what you’re talking about! … It sure used to be … We stood up for what was right. We fought for moral reason. We passed laws, struck down laws, for moral reason. We had wars on poverty, not on poor people. We sacrificed. We cared about our neighbors. We never beat our chest. We built great, big things, made ungodly technological advances, explored the universe, cured diseases and we cultivated the world’s greatest artists AND the world’s greatest economy. We reached for the stars, acted like men. We aspired to intelligence, we didn’t make it secondary. We were able to be all these things and do all these things because we were informed… by great men, men who were respected. The first step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one. America is not the greatest country in the world anymore. But it can be. Again.
70. Unit 11 Lesson 7, ex. 1b

Planning a road trip in 2013 is about as simple as it can be. You type a destination into a web browser, and your entire journey will be fed out to you, turn-by-turn. You’re going from Chicago to San Francisco by car? Here’s the best route. You pick out a few audiobooks to listen to, and you head off on your trip.

If you ever plan to motor west

Travel my way, take the highway that's the best

Get your kicks on Route sixty-six.

It winds from Chicago to LA

More than two thousand miles all the way

Get your kicks on Route sixty-six.

Now you go through Saint Louis, Joplin (Missouri)

And Oklahoma City looks mighty pretty

You'll see Amarillo, Gallup (New Mexico)

Flagstaff (Arizona) don't forget Winona

Kingman, Barstow, San Bernardino.

Won't you get hip to this timely tip

When you make that California trip:

Get your kicks on Route sixty-six.

**
[CUT the recording -- Won't you get hip to this timely tip 

Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, The Philippines, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Zambia, Tanzania, Liberia, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Uganda, Jamaica, Kenya, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, Ireland, The UK, Canada, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, The USA, Trinidad and Tobago

It’s a country in East Africa. It has the Indian Ocean, Mount Kilimanjaro and the Lake Tanganyika. The Island of Zanzibar is part of the country. Its capital is Dar es Salaam. It’s popular for its national parks such as the Serengeti.

Would you rather visit a zoo or Kruger National Park?

Would you rather swim with a penguin or with great white shark?

Would you rather lie on the beach or surf two oceans,

Watch an ostrich race or bungee jump for emotions,

Would you rather watch a cricket game or touch an aardvark?

Audio 1 – (March) jazz festival, audio 2 – (May) literary festival, audio 3 – (October) whales, 4 – (April) marathon, 5 – (December) sunset concerts, 6 – (September) King Shaka Day Celebrations, Zulu dance music

Mix of beginnings to Anoua’s songs (nature + local instruments + words in Maori)

1. Hello! This is a three-minute Travel the World podcast. I’m Tricia, and today we speak about New Zealand geography. Three, two, one – here we go! New Zealand is an island country, similar in size to Great Britain, with a population of only four million people. The country lies in the Pacific Ocean about 1,500 km east of Australia. New Zealand consists of two main islands – the North Island with the capital city Wellington, the South Island and a number of smaller offshore islands. New Zealand used to be part of Gondwanaland, the ancient super continent in the southern hemisphere, which split up and separated New Zealand about 85 million years ago. During its long isolation, the islands developed a distinctive biodiversity of unique animals, birds and plants. Many species of birds, like kiwi or kakapo parrot, don’t fly – they’ve lost this ability because they didn’t need it as they have no natural predators to fly away from; the largest mammal of New Zealand is a bat. The landscapes of New Zealand are awesomely varied. Here you’ll find spectacular glaciers, picturesque fjords, rugged mountains, vast plains, fertile farmland, rolling hillsides, subtropical forest, volcanic plateaus, relaxing hot springs, gentle sandy beaches – no wonder New Zealand is becoming so very popular as a location for movies. As New Zealand lies in the southern half of the world, it has opposite seasons to what people have in the northern hemisphere. July is the coldest month of the year, and on the South Island the temperatures in winter might drop down to -10C. January and February are the warmest months with +20-30 degrees above zero. New Zealand has many hours of sunshine, so tourists are strongly recommended to wear a shirt, a hat, sunscreen and sunglasses to protect themselves from the sun. This was Tricia with a three-minute Travel the World podcast. Thank you for joining us today, and see you tomorrow!

by Aonua

Deep in the Pacific

There lies a land so pure

Where tall snow peaked mountains

And golden sand shores

It’s always been good to me

As I have grown

Such a special case to be

A stand that I call home.

Aotearoa.

The jewels in the ocean

Your islands are so green

Your crystal clear water

That flows from your streams

You’ll always be part of me

Right here, in my soul

Whoever be there for me

You’ll always be home.

Aotearoa. Land of the long white cloud.

Many people associate yoga with seemingly impossible and weirdly twisted poses, but the fact is yoga is much more than poses. Derived from the ancient language Sanskrit, the root "yuj" [sounds “huge” without “h”] means "to unite". So, yoga, is a 5000 year old practice of uniting and harmonizing the body with the mind and the spirit through the means of various breathing techniques, yoga postures, or asanas, and meditation. Asanas are gentle stretching movements designed to help balance the mind and body. Yoga practitioners do asanas while standing, lying down, sitting in a chair, or in a headstand position. While practising a pose, they do breathing exercises to help relax muscles, keep the pose and focus the mind. Meditation is the practice of focusing at one point and stilling the mind in order to perceive the self. In meditation, some yoga followers use mantras, sacred mystic syllables, words or verses that help them concentrate and quiet the mind. Yoga was born as a philosophy, and through thousands of years has transformed into a very popular practice with millions of followers throughout the world. Yogis and yoginis practise yoga in groups and classes, or at home, inside or outside. Many of them now and then retreat to ashrams, monasteries or other spirituals places where people practise the principles of yoga, usually with a Hindu guru, a Sanskrit word for “teacher” or “master.”

There are many types of yoga today, but they all emphasize either exercising the mind and/or the physical body. To decide on the yoga style that's right for you, ask yourself three simple questions. The answers will help you clarify your goals in beginning yoga. Are you doing yoga for fitness and to get in shape as well as to explore the mind-body connection? Then choose a style like Power Yoga, Ashtanga yoga, or Bikram yoga. All three styles combine an athletic series of poses into a total-body workout. Are you starting yoga with an injury, or are you out of shape? Then start with a slower class like Iyengar yoga, Kripalu yoga, or Viniyoga. All three focus on finding the safest, most precise position for each student in every asana. Are the meditative and spiritual aspects of yoga your primary goal? Then try one of the yoga styles that include plenty of meditation and the philosophic aspects of yoga, for example, you might try Kundalini yoga.
82. Unit 12 Lesson 7, ex. 2b

First, we’re going to do the Mountain Pose. Stand up straight with both feet at hip-width. Turn your heels a little outward and let your weight rest on your toes. Your arms hang downwards along your body and the palms of your hands point towards your body. Breathe in and out a few times with full concentration on breathing. Through your breathing place your neck straight over the upper back and slowly stretch your body upwards from the neck. The shoulders feel broad and relaxed. Your breathing is free and relaxed. Look straight ahead of you and try to stand motionless with as little effort as possible.

Now, we’re going to do the Crescent Moon Pose. First, kneel and keep your back straight. Step forward with your right foot until the foot is a little in front of the knee and your upper leg is parallel with the floor. The left foot (the one at the back) rests on the floor with its toes and your lower leg on the mat. Now, raise both arms, and hook both thumbs together. At the same time you stretch your arms upwards and you pull the thumbs slightly apart. Then you raise your knee at the back so that your weight is now equally divided between the leg in front and the leg at the back. Look forward and focus your attention on one point – this helps you to maintain your balance. Breathe freely.
Now, we’re going to do Side Stretch Pose. Start with the Mountain Pose. Stand straight, nice and tall. As you breathe in, raise your left arm, making a line from your left foot to the fingertips. Place your right hand on your right hip. As you breathe out, bend your upper body to the right. Hold for several breaths. Breathe in, and bring the body back to the original position. Breathe in, and now raise your right arm. Place your left hand on your left hip. Breathe out and slowly bend to the left. Hold for several breaths. Don’t force the bend. Breathe in and return to the original position.

Now, the Chair Pose. Start with the Mountain Pose: tall and relaxed. Now, bring your hands together in the Namaste position against the chest bone. Bend your upper body from the hip until halfway parallel to the floor. Without causing tension in the chin, stretch out your neck, which causes the back to be lengthened. The breathing goes through the belly or towards the chest bone, against which the hands have been placed. Look straight downwards at a spot on the floor. Breathe freely and remain focused on a correct position of the back and the chest.

In Malaysia's southernmost city of Johor Bahru, the desire to speak good English has driven some children to make a remarkable two-hour journey to school every day. Nine-year-old Aw Yee Han hops on a yellow mini-van at 04:30. His passport is tucked inside a small pouch hung around his neck. This makes it easier for him to show it to immigration officials when he reaches the Malaysian border. His school is located on the other side, in Singapore, where unlike in Malaysia, English is the main language. It's not your typical school run, but his mother, Shirley Chua thinks it's worth it.