Lesson 6, ex.4c

Hello and welcome to another runway show of Belarus Fashion Week 2011. Today we are going to see some ready-to-wear outfits by Belarusian designers.

And here comes a model by Ivan Aiplatov. At first it seems to be quite a casual combination of plain loose dark chocolate brown overalls and a check short-sleeved white and brown shirt. But as the model is walking along the runway we can notice that the silk overalls create a cool style of a man ready for a fight with the world around. Matching dark-brown leather shoes finish the whole image and give a sense of tranquility and confidence. It’s a perfect choice for young and ambitious people.

Here is another model by a young designer Viktoria Nazarova. A smart plain white wool top with middle-length sleeves perfectly matches a pearly grey short jacket. A short stripy wool skirt makes this outfit eye-catching and shiny high-heeled shoes help to create an impression of a trendy and stylish woman. However, a strip of belly between the top and the skirt makes the whole image a bit ridiculous and unfinished. The designer should think about a belt to unite the two parts of this set.

And the next there appears a stunning girl in a lovely long blue flowery sleeveless cotton dress. Combined with sky-blue high-heeled sandals and stylish accessories the dress can give you a fabulous and romantic look. A good idea of an outfit for a romantic date on a warm summer day.

Lesson 7, Ex.3a, 3b

Speaker1: I remember this film very well, even though I watched it quite a long time ago. It tells a story of a boy who doesn’t like the idea of going to school. Instead he sells his schoolbooks and goes to the theatre. There he makes friends with puppet actors and helps them to run away from their cruel master. On his way he meets two tricksters a Cat and a Fox who try to cheat him and get his money. The film is quite childish, only small children can enjoy a story of a wooden boy, but the actors are fantastic and the songs are stunning.

Speaker2: That was an interesting film with beautiful scenes and an exciting plot. It shows a story of a brave princess of one of Belarusian principalities of the 16^th century. When her husband was killed by enemies she had to rule her city and command her people in a very difficult period of history. She had to protect her family and her people from Tatars army and find a betrayer in her own home. I didn’t really get if it’s based on true facts from Belarusian history or not. Even if it’s not, the film is worth watching for the whole family.

Speaker3: Oh, I loved that film. As far as I know the director of this film also shot “The Adventure of Buratino”, but it wasn’t as exciting for me. Probably because the film that I like is about a girl. When I was a child I even imagined that I was the main character. I asked my mum to make a costume for the New Year party that looked same to the one in the film. What I like about it is that even though it is based on a fairy-tale it is different, very different! There are a lot of unusual and funny characters, for example, an old astronomer, a naughty little prince and an amazing wolf family. The director of this film created a true fairy-tale with lovely songs and funny jokes. I’d like my kids to watch this film when they grow up.

Speaker4: As far as I understood this film was released not so long ago though it tells about the Second World War. The main character is a man lieutenant Yashin who is a sniper during the battle of Stalingrad. His beloved woman is killed by a German sniper and his wants to take revenge. In the next scene we are taken to the time when the war is over. Now Yashin is supervising one of small towns in Germany. Soon he finds out that on the territory of this town there’s a secret laboratory with a dangerous weapon that can kill and injure a lot of people. The laboratory is protected by a group of German soldiers and the sniper who killed his love back in 1942. The film can keep you on the edge of your seat because of the intriguing plot and fabulous actors.

Speaker5: Actually I would have never watched it if my parents hadn’t asked me to take my younger sister to the cinema. I was surprised to see a real fantasy film with fabulous special effects and nice costumes. It’s a fairy-tale-like story about a girl who travels to a magic world. There she saves a magic country from an evil wizard. To do this she has to overcome a lot of hardships, but her loyal friends help her. The main character is a girl with red hair so after the film my little sister was so excited that she asked mum to dye her hair red. Of course we didn’t let her do it!

Speaker6: I read the book at school for my Belarusian literature classes and I thought it was quite boring. But then our teacher said that we could watch a film. And to my surprise it turned out to be a gripping story. It is about an elderly man who has lived all his life in Polessie. He had to start fighting with Polish soldiers in order to save his little son. After watching the film I read Jakub Kolas’s novel with much more interest. Besides now I know who the old man on Jukub Kolas monument is. I saw this monument in the centre of Minsk so many times and never realized it’s a book character.

UNIT 13

Lesson 2, Ex.2b

There was a time when many of the subjects now taught in school were all part of a very broad area called philosophy. Physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, sociology, government, psychology, mathematics, logic, ethics, music, and more were all considered proper subjects for attention by philosophers. As recently as the early 19th century, natural philosopher was a term for a student of any of the sciences. As late as the 1850s laboratory tools were usually called philosophical instruments.

The word philosophy itself is from Greek words meaning “love of wisdom.” But it really means serious thought about the most basic questions that human beings can think about – questions such as: What is the true nature of the universe? What is human nature really like, and what are a human being's moral responsibilities? Of what is matter composed? What are the qualities of truth, goodness, and beauty?