Topics 16

BALANCED DIET 2

CINEMA 3

CRIME 4

ENVIRONMENT 5

EUROPEAN UNION & NATO 6

FOREIGN LANGUAGES 7

HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS 8

JUNK FOOD 9

LITHUANIA IN 50 YEARS’ TIME 10

MASS MEDIA 11

PROFILE EDUCATION 12

SMOKING & DRUGS 13

SPORT 14

TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT 15

TRANSPORT 16

WEATHER 17BALANCED DIET

Developing healthy eating habits isn’t as confusing or as restrictive as many people imagine. The first principle of a healthy diet is simply to eat a wide variety of foods. This is important because different foods make different nutritional contributions.

Secondly, fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes—foods high in complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, low in fat, and free of cholesterol—should make up tthe bulk of the calories you consume. The rest should come from low-fat dairy products, lean meat and poultry, and fish.

You should also try to maintain a balance between calorie intake and calorie expenditure—that is, don’t eat more food than your body can utilize. Otherwise, you will gain weight. The more active you are, therefore, the more you can eat and still maintain this balance.

Following these three basic steps doesn’t mean that you have to give up your favorite foods. AAs long as your overall diet is low in fat and rich in complex carbohydrates, there is nothing wrong with an occasional cheeseburger. Just be sure to limit how frequently you eat such foods, and try to eat small portions oof them.

You can also view healthy eating as an opportunity to expand your range of choices by trying foods that you don’t normally eat—especially vegetables, grains, or fruits. A healthy diet doesn’t have to mean eating foods that are bland or unappealing.

The following basic guidelines are what you need to know to construct a healthy diet.

1 Limit your total fat intake. Fat should supply less than 30% of your total daily calories. Limit your intake of fat by having a semi-vegetarian diet. Choose lean meats, light-meat poultry without the skin, fish, and low-fat dairy products. In addition, cut back on vegetable oils and butter—or foods made with these—as well as on mayonnaise, salad dressings, and fried foods.

2 Eat foods rich iin complex carbohydrates. Carbohydrates should contribute at least 55% of your total daily calories. To help meet this requirement, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables and six or more servings of grains or legumes daily. This will help you obtain the 20 to 30 grams of dietary fiber you need each day, as well as provide important vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals.

3 Avoid too much sugar. Besides contributing to tooth decay, sugar is a source of „empty“ calories, and many foods tthat are high in sugar are also high in fat. What is more, cut back on your use of salt in cooking and on the table, also avoid salty foods.

4 Make sure to include fruits and vegetables—such as broccoli, carrots, cantaloupe, and citrus fruits. The antioxidants and other nutrients in these foods are regarded as increasingly important in helping protect against developing certain types of cancer and other diseases. Eat five or more servings a day.

5 Maintain a moderate protein intake. Protein should make up about 12% of your total daily calories. Choose low-fat sources such as nuts, legumes and cereal foods (rice, wheat).

6 Eat a variety of foods. Don’t try to fill your nutrient requirements by eating the same foods day in, day out. It is possible that not every essential nutrient has been identified, and so eating a wide assortment of foods helps to ensure that you will get all the necessary nutrients.

7 Maintain an adequate calcium intake. Calcium is essential for strong bones and teeth. Get your calcium from low-fat sources, such as skim milk and low-fat yogurt. If you can’t get the optimal amount from foods, take supplements.

8 Consider taking supplements of the antioxidant vitamins E aand C. Also consider taking a basic daily multivitamin/mineral supplement, especially if you are a woman of child-bearing age (who needs extra folic acid, a B vitamin) or over age 60 (because of decreased nutrient absorption by the body).

9 If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. That is one drink a day for women, two a day for men. A drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer, 4 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof spirits. Excess. alcohol consumption leads to a variety of health problems. And alcoholic beverages can add many calories to your diet without supplying nutrients.CINEMA

Nowadays there is a huge variety of entertainment and one of the most popular is cinema. So I would like to express my opinion about films I watch.

To begin with, the greatest influence on my choice about films is made by my friends. We usually share information with each other about the latest films. So if we decide that e new movie is rather good we just buy tickets and go to the cinema to watch it. However, sometimes we don’t agree with each other if a film is worth watching. In that case, we start a long discussion aabout actors and actress starring in that film, genre, special effects, directors and sometimes soundtracks are included. For me well-known actors/actress and genre are of the greatest importance in evaluating a film. So while arguing I pay most of my attention on these aspects. Usually after such discussions we don’t find a compromise and just become angry with each other, because I and my friends like different aspects of a film.

Another important thing while choosing a film is reviews in press. I usually read opinions about released films in newspaper or magazine, but like I said the last decision is made by my friends, except those times when we can’t find a compromise. If such a thing happens, adverts on TV and radio help me to decide about a film.

What is more, a lot of people are influenced by reduced prices in cinema, but I and my friends have strong a opinion prices, if movie is worth watching nothing except war or diseases can prevent us from seeing it.

I think a good movie should be watched in a cinema in order to notice all the special effects on the big screen and to be thrilled by amazing acoustics. On the

other hand, if you don’t know English well you will have to read titles, so you won’t concentrate enough on the movie.

Seeing a new film on video is also a good idea as you have the ability to analyse every single detail and to watch again if you don’t understand something, but you won’t be so thrilled as watching in the cinema.

Many people decide to wait until a new film is shown on TV, so that they won’t have to ppay for watching it, but in my opinion it isn’t worth waiting for years, because you aren’t sure if that film will be on your TV channels’ list.

In conclusion, I would like to say that cinema is a good type of entertainment, so if you feel exhausted after a hard day, a good movie will always help you to relax.CRIME

Nowadays our life isn’t safe. It seems that neither police, nor government can guarantee public safety. Statistics show that violent crimes aat present have increased. So no one can live in peace and feel safe even in his own home. This situation in Lithuania is getting hopeless.

The fact shows that there isn’t a day in a week without murders, robberies or bburglaries. Radio, television and other mass media present news that cars are often stolen by criminals or thieves in Lithuania. What is more, we are not safe enough early in the morning or late in the evening in the streets, because muggers can attack us any time.

There are various kinds of crime nowadays in Lithuania. A lot of dangerous criminals are allowed to escape and roam free. There are more and more burglars, kidnappers, murders, muggers and arsonist, who commit crimes and succeed in escaping penalties by engaging good lawyers.

Most often burglars break into one’s house through the open window or unlocked door and it makes no difference whether it is day or night. They usually take expensive things oor money and leave the house in an awful mess. So people should always check if all the windows are closed and all the doors are locked. Also they could install an alarm system. Moreover, in Lithuania burglars and muggers usually murder people for only a small amount of money and especially they attack old people who are too weak to defence themselves.

Juvenile delinquency [džiuvenail delinkvensi] has become a serious problem as well. The most urgent youth problems are narcotics, aalcohol, shoplifting and also mugging. Teenagers become addicted to bad habits at a very early age, so government and parents should solve the youth problem and prevent them from crimes and bad habits.

Some people rob and commit crimes, because of hunger or poverty. But the worst thing is that, if you are poor and can’t afford to have a good lawyer, you can be convicted of murder and imprisoned even being completely innocent. Sometimes it is very sad, because there is one law for the rich and another for the poor people.

If I were the Minister of Justice I would make some changes. Firstly, I would send more policemen to patrol in the streets-especially in the evening, so that people could go for a walk without fear. Secondly, I would restore death punishment. Very dangerous criminals would die and wouldn’t be social burden [biodin]. Finally, I would tighten laws and improve very strict punishments. I think all those changes have effect and there would be less crimes in Lithuania.ENVIRONMENT

Lithuania has a very beautiful landscape, but environment pollution is increasing every day. So if people don’t make any changes we soon won’t have a quite and clean place to relax, also ffauna and flora won’t have their natural habitat. For this reason they will become extinct. This is the main fact why conservation groups try to protect and expand national parks or conservation areas in Lithuania.

As I mentioned Lithuania is very attractive for its landscape, but do fauna and flora feel safe in those areas? The answer is no. This is so, because people don’t bother about the environment. They drop litter everywhere they go and so these can cause a lot of problems. Cigarette butts and matches can start fires, so fauna and flora can be destroyed. What is more, broken bottles, rusty cans and empty packages spoil the countryside, let alone that they can cause serious injuries, especially to wild animals.

Another problem is deforestation, which is caused by burning or cutting down trees. As a result, there are no wolves and bears left in Lithuania. Also pollution and poachers are at fault. Chemical waste are released into the air and water, so animals’ natural habitat become polluted and unsuitable to live and poachers hunt endangered animals, so these animals become extinct more quickly.

Conservation groups try to prevent such things in national parks, but they don’t have enough mmoney and equipment to ensure the security and to catch every offender. Such places like Nida, Kursiu Nerija, Ignalina national park are the natural habitat for many species of animals and plants, but these species don’t feel safe there. So I think that the government should pay more attention to this problem. At first, they should give bigger fines and spend more money on the protection of national parks. Secondly, they should expand the territories of Lithuanian national parks and conservation areas, so that fauna and flora could be safe in their natural surrounding.

Once you visit these beautiful places, you can’t believe that Lithuania has such an amazing landscape. I have visited national parks of Kursiu Nerija and Nida and I was stunned by those enormous sandhills, which can be found only in a few countries and Lithuania is one of them.

So in conclusion I want to say that Lithuanian people should be proud that they have such a beautiful landscape and they should also try to protect it from pollution, deforestation and poachers.EUROPEAN UNION & NATO

NATO and the EU are two big and powerful organizations and they have a lot of member countries, which support each other with essential

things (as money and new technologies). There are a lot of opinions of joining such organizations. Some people say that it is beneficial to be a member of NATO and the EU, while others disagree with this idea. So I would like to express my opinion about both NATO and the EU.

Firstly, I would like to speak about the EU. The EU is a unique treaty organization managing economic and political cooperation between European countries. The process of integration began iin 1950’s by six countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands). The goal of the union remained the same ever since – to create an ever closer union among the people of Europe.

So a few positive things should be mentioned. First, People have the ability to travel easier than they could before. It is very convenient, as you do not have to wait hours at the customs. Second, there are more opportunities to apply for a job abroad. Employers ffrom other countries are tended to search qualified workers in new member countries, where a lot of good specialist just dream of working abroad. Last, members receive a lot of financial support from the EU, which is very important for tthe economy of every country.

On the other hand, there are some disadvantages of joining the EU. To begin with, some companies will have to be shut down, because they do not suit the EU standards, so a lot of people will loose their jobs. What is more, cheep productions from other member countries will be imported, so companies which make more expensive, but usually better in quality items will just become bankrupt.

Now I would like to say a few words about NATO. NATO is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It is a military alliance of Western nations for the purpose of collective defense. It was established by the North Atlantic Treaty in 1949.

At first, positive aspects should be considered. If ccountries decide to join NATO they will get all type of necessary protection against enemies and they won’t have to be afraid of losing their independence. Furthermore, this organization supports with money and helps to modernize military technologies. Besides, military bases will be built and soldiers will secure such countries all the time.

Despite having great advantages, joining NATO also has some drawbacks. Firstly, the preparation to join NATO requires a lot of money and it would be more beneficial to mmodernize the economy of the country, than to spend huge sums of money on joining NATO. Secondly, member countries have to send their soldiers to dangerous places and to secure them, so it is believed that people shouldn’t risk their own lives for other countries.

So In conclusion, I would like to say that joining the EU and NATO is very useful, but member countries should not forget about the disadvantages these organizations have.FOREIGN LANGUAGES

Nowadays it is very important to know a foreign language, because you have the ability to socialize with people from all over the world. In fact, there is a huge variety of languages these days and people just can’t learn all of them. Because of this, the easiest learnt language was chosen to communicate with people from foreign countries. That language is English.

To begin with, millions of people study and use English as a foreign language. It is the language of progressive science and technology, trade and cultural relations, commerce and business. It is also the major language of diplomacy. In our country it is very popular too: it is studied at schools, colleges and universities. So if you know English you won’t have problems abroad. You ccan socialize with people, read books and papers, listen to the songs words and even watch films without translation. What is more, it is easier to apply for a job.

In my opinion people should concentrate on learning a foreign language at an early age, because when you are young and your mind isn’t crammed with information you learn everything quicker. For example, English, Russian and German are taught at my school. I am only good at English, because I have been learning it since second form and now I can speak it fluently. However, I started to learn Russian at sixth form and this language was very hard for me to learn, because I had to pay a lot of attention to other subjects, so finally I decided to reject Russian.

To overcome such problems, in 2001 on the 26th of September Europe started celebrating the Day of Languages. The aims of this day are to alert the public to the importance of language learning, to increase awareness and appreciation of all the languages spoken in Europe and to encourage lifelong language learning.

At my school we also celebrate the Day of Languages. Not only pupils but also teachers are involved in tthe organization of this day. They usually find a material about foreign countries, their customs and traditions and try to educate other pupils. Though the main idea of this event is to explain the importance of learning foreign languages.HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS

People have celebrated a mid-winter festival since pre-historic times. They marked the beginning of longer hours of daylight with fires and ritual offerings. The Roman festival of Saturnalia — a time for feasting and gambling — lasted for weeks in December. Germanic tribes of Northern Europe also celebrated mid-winter with feasting, drinking and religious rituals.

It’s thought that Jesus of Nazareth was born in springtime. December 25th was chosen for the celebration of his birth by a Pope, Julius I, in the 4th century — to include a Christian element in the long-established mid-winter festivals.

Also in the 4th century, a bishop in Turkey who came to be called St. Nicholas was known for good deeds involving children. St. Nicholas is illustrated in medieval and renaissance paintings as a tall, dignified and severe man. His feast day on December 6 was celebrated throughout Europe until about the 16th century. Afterwards, he continued to be known in Protestant Holland.

Dutch children

would put shoes by the fireplace for St. Nicholas or Sinter Klaas and leave food out for his horse. He’d gallop on his horse between the rooftops and drop candy down the chimneys into the children’s shoes. Meanwhile, his assistant, Black Peter, was the one who popped down the chimneys to leave gifts behind. Dutch settlers brought the legend of Sinter Klaas to North America — where we came to know him as Santa Claus. The jolly old elf with hhis sleigh drawn by reindeer was first described by Clement Clarke Moore, in the poem The Night Before Christmas.

Although it was never celebrated in biblical times, Christmas is celebrated in local churches here in Visalia, California in praise of the fact that God loved us so much, he sent his one and only son to earth. He was wholey god and wholey man. Whereas we have succumbed to the temptations of this earth, Jesus was able to overcome all ttemptations and live a sinless life. He was then crucified as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. One can not understand why we celebrate the birth of Christ without seeing the other end of his life. He was crucified for oour sins and resurrected.

Christmas was declared a Federal Holiday in America on June 26, 1870 under the government headed by President Ulysses S. Grant during the period of reconstruction following the American Civil War. Thus, it is untrue that Christmas has always been a Federal holiday. When Charles Dickens published his Christmas Carol in 1843, the US Government was a Scrooge and remained so for 26 years. However, it is a holiday in the United States this year!

Thus, in our culture a question to ask is whether Christmas is a seasonal celebration of winter or a religious celebration honoring the birth of Christ. In truth, it is a mixture of both with, as any economist will confirm, quite aa bit of materialism thrown in.Have a Great Season, My Great Friend!JUNK FOOD

In today’s fast-moving world, people have less time to spend eating, let alone cooking. It is so, because junk food became very popular. In fact, one British hotel group recently announced that its guests are able to order fast food through room service. This move signify a new era in the couch potato lifestyle. So what exactly is junk food.

Basically, it is anything that is high in calories bbut lacking in nutrition. Hamburgers, crisps, chocolate bars, hot dogs and pizzas fall in this category.

Obviously, a diet of junk food is not the best thing for your health, particularly as it is high in saturated fat. In 1993, the Journal of the National Cancer Institute reported this type of fat to be associated with greater risk of cancer.

Apart from the risk of cancer, another side effect of consuming highly fattening junk food is that you are likely to gain weight. This is especially true because you tend to eat more, as junk food is less satisfying and lower in vital nutrients that healthier food.

The best advice for those who cannot live without their hamburgers or chocolate bars, is to limit the amount of junk food they eat. Low consuming probably do no harm. But why have our eating habits changed? One expert says that it is lack of time and loss of tradition.

He explains that people are too busy to cook and eat proper meals, so they grab whatever is available – and that is usually junk food. Also, the style of life represented on TV, in music videos, is fast. Young people pick up the idea that speed mmeans excitement, whereas anything traditional is low and boring. As a result, they turn down traditional food and go for junk food instead.

Another alarming thing is that the amount of junk food we eat has increased and the amount of exercise we do has decreased. Exercises keep the body fit and healthy, also help to control our weight and, if taken regularly, can decrease our chances of having a heart attack in later life.

What is more, you don’t have to exercise much to gain visible benefits. Doctors say that twenty minutes’ exercise three times a week is all that is necessary.

Even though people nowadays are actually far more aware of the importance of exercise and a healthy diet than they were a few years ago, the new unhealthy way of life is surprisingly popular. This is illustrated by statistics gathered by researchers over the past two decades.

Recent research has shown that young French people, who prefer junk food to gourmet dishes, tend to become overweight. Weight gained in adolescence is extremely hard to lose in later life, so researches are predicting that the new French generation are not going to be admired for their slim figures as the French have ttraditionally been.

Researchers suggest that the new generation will suffer from heart and liver disease. What can’t be emphasised enough is the fact that a balanced diet and regular exercise bring significant health benefits.

You can gain anything from glowing skin to an all-round feeling of good health, but the vast majority of people seem to be missing out on this due to the pressures of modern life.

Ironically, if people make time to exercise and improve their eating habits, they would probably find that they were far better equipped to deal with their stressful lifestyles that they are now.LITHUANIA IN 50 YEARS’ TIME

Nowadays a lot of people in Lithuania predict that in 50 years’ time from now everything would change greatly and to the positive side. So I will try to imagine the future of Lithuania and speak about the changes in economy, science and education.

To begin with, the most important aspect for all the Lithuanians is economy. It is believed, that some time later people in Lithuania would live better, because they will have better living conditions. For example, there would be more workplaces, so the number of unemployed people would decrease. As a result, less people would commit crimes. What

is more, the salaries would be higher, so people would become richer and they could spend more money on entertainment.

Another very important aspect which is supposed to change significantly is science. I think that in 50 years’ time due to the development of science people would be able to travel in space comfortably and even they could have holidays on the Moon. Though such leisure time would be rather expensive, but richer people in Lithuania could afford it. Furthermore, there wwould be a lot of changes in medicine, so people would be cured quicker and there would be less incurable diseases.

Speaking about education I can say that due to the development of technologies it would also change and it would be better than today’s one. I think that the greatest changes would be in schools. For example, future schools would be equipped with modern technologies, which would help to gain knowledge faster. Moreover, human teachers would be replaced with robot tteachers and every student would have his own computer. In my opinion education in 50 years’ time would be more effective and learning would be much easier.

In conclusion, I would like to say that in modern Lithuania the standard of llife would be as good as in other modern countries and every citizen of Lithuania would feel happy and safe living in his homeland.MASS MEDIA

These days there is a great variety of national and regional newspapers in Lithuania. So people have a possibility to choose which press to buy and read. On the other hand, newspapers aren’t always a good type of mass media, because sometimes some articles aren’t true.

To begin with, I would like to speak about the positive sides of newspapers. The best thing about today’s press is that it provides us with information and events from all over the world. For example, you can find everything from sport events to disasters. This is very convenient as all tthis information is only in one paper. What is more, newspapers are rather cheep, so there shouldn’t be problems in buying them. But there is one small problem, if you want to get information form the press you should know how to read.

However, this type of mass media has its own disadvantages. The main negative aspect in today’s press is rumours and lies. Usually politicians, TV stars and other important people are involved in such things. Imagine how terrible would yyou feel when you read nonsense about yourself in the latest newspaper. In fact, sometimes such problems even have to be considered in the court.

If I were an editor of one of the newspapers I would offer to the readers more positive sides of our lives. For example, beautiful places to visit, courageous rescues and other shine things from all over the world, because nowadays there is too much information about disasters, crimes and people begin to think that our world is becoming worse and worse.

But what can be done if today’s editors know that such information sells best and people are most interested in it.

Maybe the youth press is a little bit different from other, because it always writes about teenagers’ problems and how to deal with them, so there is less violence in such magazines.

I think that material published in the youth press is rather good and actual, so I wouldn’t make any changes there.

In conclusion, I would like to say that newspapers are good source of knowledge, but they also have some drawbacks.PROFILE EDUCATION

Profile education in Lithuania was introduced not so long ago. A lot of people are satisfied with this system, because it has a lot oof advantages. However, profile education is new to our country, so it isn’t strange that it has some disadvantages.

First of all, few positive things should be mentioned. Students can choose what subjects they want to learn, so they can study less subjects and they have more time for relaxation. Besides, pupils have the ability to concentrate on those subjects which they need most. Another good thing of profile education is that you have a better preparation for your final exams, as you learn only those subjects that you need and you pay more attention to them. What is more, students improve their knowledge on subjects which they need in future.

Despite having a lot of good points, profile education also has some great drawbacks. Firstly, it is too early for pupils to decide about profile. They are only sixteen and they don’t have a strong opinion about subjects to learn in future. Secondly, this system creates gaps in timetables, so students and teachers sometimes have to wait even for two hours for another lesson. This is very inconvenient and tiring and students usually go home and don’t wait for such a long time, so they can’t get proper education. Finally, there iis no balance yet between universities requirements and schools. You learn one kind of subjects at school and when you go to university you have to know such subjects which you didn’t learn at school, so students have to go to tutors and pay a lot of money for teaching.

I think that profile education is good for all schools, but some great changes should be made to improve this system.

Speaking about school leaving exams I can say that I am satisfied with the system of exams, because it is the only chance to test your knowledge and to make sure that you didn’t waste your time at school. Furthermore, examination records help to decide if you are ready to enter university or still have to learn a lot.

I would also like to add that some changes should be made in our educational system. To begin with, more qualified teachers should work in schools, so that they could teach students seriously. What is more, bad pupils, who don’t attend and only disturb lessons, should be sent to special schools, so that teachers could teach and other students could gain knowledge.

In conclusion, I would like to say that education is very important

in people’s life. So we should deal with all the weaknesses in educational system and try to gain as much knowledge as we can.SMOKING & DRUGS

Nowadays more and more people in Lithuania, especially the youth, become addicted to bad habits (e.g. smoking, drugs, alcohol) and this problem is very serious because it causes a lot of damage. So I would like to express my opinion about two bad habits: smoking and drugs.

First of all, I would like to speak about ssmoking. This is the most acceptable bad habit in Lithuania and many people can’t imagine their routine without cigarettes.

There are several reasons why these people start smoking. Teenagers often smoke, because their parents smoke and they also want to try it. Another reason is that they don’t want to be different from their friends who smoke. What is more, advertisements have a big influence on people, because they just persuade to try smoking. This problem was bigger a few years aago, when cigarette advertisements were aloud. I think our government made a right decision, that they banned cigarette promotion. So I can say that smoking among teenagers is a matter of fashion and among adults is a way to relieve sstress.

I am a non-smoker, because I understand the harm which cigarettes cause and I just don’t like the taste and smell of them. In addition, I think that smoking shouldn’t be legalized in schools, because it causes a lot of health problems and the prestige of a school is spoilt.

Now I would like to say a few words about drug abuse. It is becoming the course of 21st century, but why do the young get engaged into this harmful habit? The main answer is curiosity. People usually try drugs, because they are curious about new senses. In the beginning it is believed that you can stop using drugs any time, but when you try them you become addicted to them aand you just can’t stop using them.

Only for a few years people feel pleasure taking a new dose, but after that only addiction remains and you want bigger and bigger doses. In fact, consequences are very cruel. First, you become week. Next, you catch diseases very quick. And final, this harmful habit can lead to the death.

To solve this problem our government and society should take some actions. Firstly, they should educate people about the harm of drug abuse. Secondly, sstrict punishments should be introduced for selling drugs. Finally, more rehabilitation centres should be built, so that addicts have a place where to give up this bad habit.

In conclusion, I would like to say that people should think a lot before trying a cigarette or a drug, because later your life can be ruined.SPORT

The first sport events can be found in ancient Greece. The Greeks took games of all kinds very seriously, but especially physical athletic competition. They believed that their gods particularly loved to see strong, fit, graceful human bodies, especially boys’ and men’s bodies. So one way to get on the good side of the gods was to exercise, to eat right, to oil your skin and to create a beautiful body that the gods would love. Because of the Greek tendency to turn everything into a competition, this also meant that there were a lot of athletic competitions in Greece. The most famous of these is the Olympic Games. The Olympic Games were named after the village of Olympia in Greece where they first originally took place in 776 BC.

Young men (from richer families who didn’t have to work) in most Greek cities spent a lot oof their time training for these competitions, and the best of them were chosen to compete against the best young men from other cities. Then they all met, at the Olympic and competed for prizes and for the favor of the gods. Of course these games also served as good training for the army, because all these men would be soldiers as well. The events were the same kind as in the Olympics today: running, jumping, throwing a javelin, and throwing a discus. Only men could compete and there was always a feeling that losing at games meant that the gods didn’t like you.

Greek boys also played games which were not part of the Olympic games, like field hockey. They usually played games without their clothes on and so girls were not allowed to watch.

Not only Greek people liked sport, but also Egyptians, Romans and other nations enjoyed to compete. Many of the games these nations played a long time ago, we still play today. Other games have now been completely forgotten. Most of them are fun to play, though. Ball games have been known for thousands of years. People made balls out of leather stuffed with cloth scraps oor wool, sewn together with leather thongs or string. So these first steps of ball games gave as two very popular sports such as basketball and football, which nowadays attracts millions of people, who watch men or women competing for the victory. What is more, basketball became so popular in Lithuania that you could hardly find a Lithuanian, who wouldn’t know anything about Lithuanian national basketball team, it’s best players and victories. We also have such good athletes as Virgilijus Alekna – discus thrower, who won gold medals in Sydney and Athens, Austra Skujytė, who won silver medal in Athens at heptathlon, and many others, who always cheer Lithuanian nation with thier terrific victories.

The terrible event for all the ancient athletes were in 393 AD, when the emperor Theodosius abolished the Olympics because he thought they were not religious enough. This ban lasted till 1896, when the frenchman named Baron Pierre de Coubertin revived The Olympics and the first modern Olympic Games took place again in Athens. So after one thousand and five hundred years all the world athlets could again compete for the victory and for the glory.

So in clonclusion I want to say that the greatest wealth in

the world is health and if you exercise regularly you will be healthy and won‘t have so many health problems at old age.TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT

I would like to speak about technological development, which changes our learning and studying. Besides I will try to imagine school in 100 years’ time and describe it.

First of all, I would like to say that nowadays the level of technology has become very high and it is still increasing. As you know the main target of iit is to make our life easier to live, so it practically changed everything beginning with brainwork and ending with manual labour. As a result, learning and studying in many modern countries are changing rapidly. For example, books are being replaced by computers, because when you are working working with computer you can find useful information faster than reading a book. Computer is usually connected to the Internet, which is the best source of knowledge and information, so you can ffind almost everything what you need for your studies. Besides, satellite TV changes learning too. It gives a wide variety of programs that you can watch and learn from them. So modern educational system usually advice students to watch satellite TTV programs and improve their skills of foreign languages. What is more, cinema can not only entertain, but also as satellite TV is very useful for learning foreign languages, because when you are watching something enjoyable you learn quicker and easier.

Speaking about school in 100 years’ time I can say that it will change greatly and probably will be better than today‘s school. I think future schools will be equipped with modern technologies. First of all, teachers will be replaced by robots, which will know all the learning material exactly, so they will be able to explain everything and without any mistakes. Furthermore, the government won‘t have to pay salaries to these robots, so more money will be invested iin new technologies. Secondly, all the students will have their own computers at school, so they will gain knowledge faster. Finally, future schools will have their own satellite TV programs, in order to improve students‘ skills of foreign languages. In my opinion future schools will be much more effective than today’s ones, because entertainment and learning will be perfectly balanced.

In conclusion, I would like to say that technological development plays an important role in our lives. Without it our society wwould not exist.TRANSPORT

Nowadays we can’t imagine our lives without transport. We use public transport, bicycles, cars and other types of transport to get from one place to another. This is very convenient, as walking on foot takes much more time. However, there are some disadvantages as well.

To begin with, people usually buy cars and they don’t think about the damage they cause. So if I had a chance to get any car I want I would choose such a vehicle which uses solar power or electricity as fuel. So this car would be more economical because solar power costs nothing and electricity is much cheaper than petrol. What is more, it would be environmentally friendly, because such vehicles don’t poison our air with exhaust.

Another great problem is driving. These days driving tests are difficult enough and preparation time for them is rather short. So a person, who had never driven a car before, can’t learn everything properly and because of this he has to pay extra money for more driving lessons. In my opinion, government should take this problem under consideration. In addition, to avoid a huge number of accidents stricter traffic laws should be introduced. So that drivers would ppay attention to the speed limits and would be afraid to drive drunk.

Speaking about traffic problems, they are becoming more and more serious in Lithuania. In order to decrease them some actions should be taken. First, only public transport should be allowed to drive into the city center, so there would be less pollution and traffic jams. Second, cycling should be more tolerated. Traveling by bicycle is environmentally friendly, because it doesn’t use any petrol and you don’t pollute the environment. In that case, it is the most economical type of transport and it is also quite cheep. Furthermore, cycling is a good exercise for your body and it can help you to stay fit and improve your help. Besides, bicycles are quick in heavy traffic, because you don’t have to wait in traffic jams.

On the other hand, traveling by bicycle is dangerous, because you can fall and hurt yourself. Also unhealthy fumes breathed in is very dangerous for your health. In addition, bicycles aren’t good for long trips, as you can’t take a lot of things with you and you aren’t protected from bad weather.

In conclusion, I would like to say that transport problems are increasing rapidly, so oour government should pay more attention to them and try to decrease them.WEATHER

Lithuania is situated in the middle of Europe, in the northeast shore of the Baltic sea. So our country has a maritime climate: wet, moderate winters and summers. Due to the geographical position the weather is very changeable and the seasons are indistinct.

Usually winters in Lithuania are mild. We seldom have snowfalls and if the snow sometimes covers the ground it thaws in a jiffy. It often sleets in winter and then the roads become muddy and wet. Such weather is really dreadful. But the most awful thing happens when the frost returns again and then all the roads, streets and pavements become icy. It’s very dangerous to walk and lots of people break their bones when they slip and fall.

But sometimes winters in Lithuania are quite different. There can be a lot of heavy snowfalls and all the rivers can freeze over. In some cases the average temperature reach 20 degrees below zero.

Same things can also happen with summers. We had summers when the temperature was about 25 degrees above zero and such heat was just unbearable, lots of people couldn’t sleep at night. What is more,

we didn’t have any rain, except occasional showers, so it was like drought. On the other hand, such weather is just splendid for holidays.

However, such indistinct climate is rather annoying, because you can’t know if your holidays will be fine be ruined by terrible weather.

Furthermore, it is believed that weather affects our mood. I agree with such opinion. If the weather is fine you usually enjoy it and you feel energetic and full of power but if the weather is uunpleasant, nasty or unpredictable people usually feel depressed and tired. So it isn’t strange that summer is the most favourite season for many people.

Summer is also the best season for me, because you can go swimming, sunbathing or just enjoy your time in the countryside with your friend.

All in all, Lithuanians should put up with such climate and be glad that there are no heavy hurricanes, tornados or unbearable droughts.