Wales is a country of lakes and mountains. It’s about a half of the size of Switzerland, and it has a population of two and three quarter of a million. In the north of Wales there the most beautiful scenery on the British islands, the Snowdon Mountain. The Snowdon is Britain’s second highest mountain. Wales is not an independent nation. In 1292, the English king, Edward I, invaded Wales and built fourteen huge castles to control the Welsh people. His son, Edward, became the first Prince of Wales, since then all the kings and queens of England have given their eldest sons the title Prince of Wales. Prince Charles became the twenty-first Prince of Wales. Although the English have ruled Wales for many centuries, Wales still has its own flag, culture, and, above all, its own language. In the towns and villages of North Wales, many people speak English only as a second language. Their first language is Welsh. In Llanberis, a small town at the foot of Snowdon, eighty-six per cent of people speak Welsh as their first language. At the local primary school children have nearly all their lessons in Welsh. The children should be bilingual by the time that they are eleven years old. It is not a problem for children to learn two languages at the same time. Children have insight into two cultures, so have all the folk tales of two languages. Children like Welsh because in Welsh you spell things just how you say them, in English there are more silent letters. Welsh is one of the oldest languages in Europe. It’s a Celtic language, like Breton in France, Gaelic in Ireland or Scotland. Two and a half thousand years ago these languages were spoken in many parts of Europe. They died out when the Romans invaded these areas, but some of them survived in the north-western corner of Europe. But over the last hundred years the number of Welsh-speakers has fallen very quickly. Now only twenty per cent of Welsh people speak Welsh. Here are some of the reasons for the decline. In the nineteenth century people thought that Welsh was an uncivilized language. If you wanted to be successful in life you had to learn English, the language of the British Empire. So in many schools children were forbidden to speak Welsh. At the beginning of the twentieth century many English and Irish people moved to South Wales to work in the coal mines and steel works. They did not learn Welsh. People, especially young, moved away from the Welsh-speaking villages and farms of north and west Wales to look for work in big towns and cities, so Welsh-speaking communities became much smaller. In the 1960s and 1970s many English people bought holiday cottages in villages in Wales. Most of them did not learn Welsh. This also pushed up the price of houses so that local Welsh-speaking people cold not afford them. Now English can come into every Welsh home trough the radio, television, newspapers, books, etc. There are Welsh-language TV and radio stations, but far fewer than English ones. And now there is cable and satellite TV, also in English, of course! The decline has now stopped, because a lot has been done. Road signs, bilingual documentation, and so on. The future of Welsh is uncertain. The problem is that Welsh has to survive next door to English, and, as we all know, English is a very successful language.
<em>Many highland games take place all over Scotland every year. The most famous meeting is in Braemar, a small village in the Scottish Highlands. The games are always on the first Saturday in September.</em>
<em>Many athletes travel to Scotland each year to take part in the games. They compete in events like the hammer throw, shot put and the hill run. There are also music and dancing competitions.</em>
<em>Marching bands perform for the crowds. They wear traditional clothing and play.</em>
<em>The most popular event of the day is the 'tug of war'. Two teams hold onto a rope and try to pull the other team over the line. 'Tossing the caber' is also popular. The athletes have to run holding a heavy tree trunk, the caber, upright.</em>
<em>Then, they stop and throw it towards the sky.</em>
<em>Tickets always sell out months before the games start. It's a great day out for all the family.</em>
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Computer Компьютер
Computers have drastically changed everyone’s lives. Several decades ago people haven’t even known anything about these electronic devices, whereas nowadays even a small child can operate this machine. Almost all modern technology depends on computers, which are used for data storage: files, secret information, bank transactions and else. Computer technology belongs to the fastest-growing industry. Computers of different types and sizes are used by modern society. It is interesting that the first computer was the size of a minibus and weighed almost a ton. Whereas now it can be a small chip the size of a pin. And computer technology is not standing still, it’s rapidly progressing. Soon we might have the computers which will be built-in our glasses, earrings, and other objects. Perhaps, the next generation of computers will have the ability to talk and think just as people do. Many people find computers dangerous and time-consuming. On the other hand, computers are very fast and they seldom make mistakes. They save lots of time, and besides all the necessary information can be found on Internet. So, instead of going to the libraries or other institutions, we can simply surf the worldwide web. Another advantage is the instant possibility to send letters, whereas some time ago we had to wait for weeks and months to have them delivered. Moreover, with the help of computers and Internet, shopping has become much easier. Firstly, we can find what we exactly want, secondly we can choose the affordable price, and thirdly, we can have the chose items delivered. After all, computers have become the most useful tool in everyone’s homes nowadays and they have certainly changed our lives for the better. Компьютеры коренным образом изменили жизнь каждого человека. Несколько десятилетий назад люди даже не знали ничего об этих электронных устройствах, тогда как в наши дни даже маленький ребенок может управлять этой машиной. Почти все современные технологии зависит от компьютеров, которые используются для хранения данных: файлов, секретной информации, банковских операций и прочего. Компьютерные технологии относятся к наиболее динамично развивающейся отрасли. Компьютеры различных типов и размеров используются в современном обществе. Интересно, что первый компьютер был размером с микроавтобус и весил почти тонну. В то время как сейчас это может быть маленький чип размером с булавку. И компьютерные технологии не стоят на месте, она быстро прогрессируют. Вскоре у нас могут быть компьютеры, которые будут встроены в наши очки, серьги и другие предметы. Возможно, следующее поколение компьютеров будет иметь возможность говорить и думать также как люди. Многие люди считают компьютеры опасными и затратными по времени. С другой стороны, компьютеры очень быстрые, и редко ошибаются. Они экономят много времени, и к тому же всю необходимую информацию можно найти в Интернете. Таким образом, вместо того, чтобы идти в библиотеки и другие учреждения, мы можем просто путешествовать по всемирной сети. Еще одним преимуществом является возможность мгновенно отправлять письма, в то время как некоторое время назад мы должны были ждать неделями и месяцами, чтобы их доставили. Кроме того, с помощью компьютеров и Интернета, делать покупки стало намного легче. Во-первых, мы можем найти то, что мы точно хотим, во-вторых, можно выбрать приемлемую цену, и, в-третьих, нам могут доставить выбранный товар. В конце концов, компьютер стал самым полезным инструментом в доме каждого сейчас, и они, безусловно, изменили нашу жизнь к лучшему.
Some water
Some vegetables
An orange
A cup of tea
Some lemonade
A potato