SPORT IN MY LIFE
Sport is probably as old as the humanity itself. It is an exciting creative sphere of hard work and competition. Everyone seeks in it answers to his own problems. Sport is not only a perfect pastime but it is a special world of its own. A lot of people are fond of sports and games. Sport makes us healthy, keeps fit and more organized. It unites people of different classes and nationalities. Many people all over the world go in for sports. People of all ages practice skiing, cycling, table tennis, swimming, volleyball, football, body-building, etc. They have all necessary facilities for going in for sport: stadiums, sport grounds, swimming pools, etc. Sport is paid much attention to in our educational establishments. Gymnastics is a part of children's daily activity in the kindergartens. Physical culture is a compulsory subject at schools, colleges and higher educational establishments. In the last years Belarusian sportsmen take an active part in the world sports movement and in the Olympic Games. International competitions are often held in Belarus. They attract a large number of fans. But not everybody goes in for sports to enjoy it. Millions of people all over the world spend hours watching sport events on TV or at stadiums. They enjoy being "fans". Many professional sportsmen are now very popular and famous, for example: Victoria Azarenko, Michael Jordan, Alex Rodriguez etc. Sport is an essential part of my daily life. It helps me to be active and to overcome difficulties, it trains not only my body but my will as well. I go in for swimming. It needs mobility and energy. It keeps a person in a good form. I get a real joy taking part in different competitions. Three days a week I go to the swimming pool and I hope it will help me to be healthy and fit.
19. GREAT BRITAIN
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated on the British Isles. The largest of them is Great Britain. The country consists of four parts: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The territory of the United Kingdom is about 244,000 square kilometers, the population is about 57 million. The majority of the population (about 80%) lives in cities and towns. The capital of the country is London. The surface of the north - western part of the country is mountainous and is called the Highlands. All the rest is a vast plain which is called the Lowlands. The mountains are not very high, the rivers are not long. The most important of them are the Severn and the Thames. There are many beautiful lakes in the mountainous parts of the countr The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of the Gulf Stream influence the climate of Great Britain. It is mild the whole year round. Great Britain is a highly developed industrial and agricultural country. It is known as one of the world's largest producers and exporters of iron and steel products, machinery and electronics, chemicals and textile, aircraft and navigation equipment. One of the chief industries of the country is ship - building. Great Britain is a country with old cultural traditions and customs. The most famous educational centers are Oxford and Cambridge universities. They are the intellectual centers of Europe. The education is not free, it is very expensive. The United Kingdom is a monarchy and the Queen is the head of state. But in practice it is ruled by the elected government with a Prime Minister at the head. The British Parliament consists of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
There are three main political parties in Great Britain: the Labor, the Conservative and the Liberal each of them being at power in turn.
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