Customs and traditions in Great Britain

Some English customs and traditions are famous all over the world. Bowler hats, tea and talking about the weather, for example. From Scotland to Cornwall, the United Kingdom is full of customs and traditions. Here are some of them.

St. Valentine's is the saint of people in love, and St. Valentine's Day is February 14^th. On that day, people send valentine cards and presents to their husbands, wives, boyfriends and girlfriends. You can also send a card to a person you don't know. But traditionally you must never write your name on it. Some British newspapers have a page for Valentine's Day messages on February 14^th.

April 1 is April Fool’s Day in Great Britain. This is a very old tradition from the Middle Ages. At that time servants were masters for one day of the year. Now April Fool’s Day is different. It's a day for jokes and tricks.

May 1 was an important day in the Middle Ages. In the very early morning young girls went to fields and washed their faces with dew. They believed this made them very beautiful for a year after that. Also on May Day young men of each village tried to win prizes with their bows and arrows, and people danced round the Maypole.

November 5 is Guy Fawkes Day. All over the country people built wood fires, or "bonfires", in their gardens. On top of each bonfire is a guy, this is a figure of Guy Fawkes. On November 5, 1665, Guy Fawkes tried to kill King James I. He and a group of his friends put a bomb under the Houses of Parliament in London. But the king's men found the bomb and Guy Fawkes. They took him to the Tower of London, where his head was cut off. Before November 5, children use guys to make money. They stand in the street and shout: "Penny for the guy".

Answer the following questions:

1. What proves that the United Kingdom is a country of traditions?

2. How is St. Valentine's Day marked?

3. What is April Fool’s Day?

4. What are the old traditions of May Day?

5. Why is the guy put on top of the bonfire on November 5?

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS IN THE U.S.A.

Can you name some of the main public holidays in the US? Sure, you can't. Let's start with the first holiday in the year - New Year Day. Sure people everywhere like to see the old year off and the new year in. On this day all the banks, stores, factories and educational establishments are closed. People don't go to bed until after midnight on December 31.

Such a holiday as Decoration Day or Memorial Day as it is also called, is observed in most states of the USA as a day of remembrance for Americans killed in wars. On this day, last Monday in May, patriotic songs are sung on the radio and TV.

But the biggest national holiday in the USA is Independence Day, or it's simply called The Fourth of July. On the July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed and adopted in Philadelphia. It is celebrated with firing of guns and fireworks, parades and patriotic speeches.

Everyone has also heard of the holiday called "Thanksgiving Day". It is one of the most joyous and widely celebrated holidays in the USA - observed each year on the fourth Thursday in November. It is a day when several generations within small and large families sit down together to eat a traditional turkey dinner. The very first Thanksgiving in the USA was celebrated as a harvest festival in 1621 by the Pilgrims, the early colonists from England, in the state of Massachusetts. It is a national celebration of thanks for surviving difficult weather and other conditions in the setting of the US.

Christmas is a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Christ. It is celebrated nationally on December 25. Christmas customs are centuries old. When Christmas comes, people usually wish one another Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

The discovery of America is commemorated by a holiday in October called Columbus Day. But not all the 50 states observe that holiday.

Halloween is also celebrated in October. The holiday falls each year on October 31. It is a fun holiday for all. Children dress up as ghosts or witches or other characters and go in costumes from door to door begging treats or playing pranks.

Answer the following questions:

1. What is Decoration Day?

2. What is the biggest national holiday?

3. When was the Declaration of Independence signed?

4. When is Thanksgiving Day celebrated in the USA?

5. How and when did this holiday originate?

6. Which is the most widely celebrated religious holiday?

7. What do people wish each other during the Christmas holiday?

8. Is the discovery of America commemorated by a holiday?

9. Why do children like Halloween?

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

Economists have long thought of the environment as an unlimited source of resources. They have thought that the atmosphere, forests, rivers and seas are capable of absorbing all the rubbish the economy throws into them. In fact, the economy and the environment are closely related. The environment supplies the economy with all its resources, such as water, timber, minerals and oil. The environment has to absorb all its waste products.

Nevertheless, some economists have always argued that pollution damages the resources, for example, pumping waste gases from a power station does not get rid of them. The waste gases cause acid rain; this leads to forest damage and therefore reduces the resources of forestry industry.

There are many consequences of damaging the environment. One of them is acid rain. Another one is water shortage resulting from abuse of arable lands in agriculture. The third one is destroying the ozone layer of the Earth through pollution from factories and plants. The fourth problem is damage to water and soils. The fifth one is damage to wildlife: numerous species of animals and plants can disappear. Lastly, the most serious danger arising from damaging the environment is the result of the above-mentioned consequences. This is the danger for the life and health of the man.

The territories of the former Soviet Union are suffering many environmental problems. Many of these problems have been caused by economic activities. Apart from the effect of the Chernobyl disaster, the worst problem is probably in the area around the Aral Sea. Cotton growing in the region has used huge quantities of water, and the sea's level has fallen by 14 yards. This destroyed fishing industry and led to damage in soils, crops and wildlife. Many forests in the north of European Russia and the Far East are under threat. A system of dams on the Volga has caused damage to fish.

If we are unable to learn to use the environment carefully and protect it from damage caused by man's activities, very soon we'll have no world to live in.

Answer the following questions:

1. What have many economists thought of the environment?

2. Why do some economists think that pollution damages the re-

sources?

3. What are the consequences of damaging the environment?

4. What environmental problems suffer the territories of the former

Soviet Union?

5. What could happen if we don't learn to use the environment care-

fully?