(description of a family, differences between the live of the old and young, relationship with parents and grandparents, social changes)
1) Members of my nuclear family
• (name, age, job, what is he/she like, what does he/she look like, favourite sports, clothes etc.)
• me
• father
• mother
2) Relatives
• brother, sister-in-law, niece
• grandfather, grandmother
• uncle, aunt [a:nt], cousins
3) My biography [bajougrafy]
• age
• basic school
• accepted at grammar school
• applied to which universities
• interested in what
• my dream family...
4) House and housework
• family house / flat, with / without garden, with / without domestic animals
• sometimes have to help – cutting grass, cleaning the house, vacuum my room
• weekend house, for recreation
• brother’s / sister’s family
5) Differences in living
• CZ: generations live together, old help young (finance, children)
• GB: members of old generation are moving to isolated farms, have small retired pays; independent children
• USA: since university children get money, must economically work with them; social benefit rent from state
• social changes: aging of population, too many pensioners, economical problems
School System
School System in the Czech Republic, Great Britain and The USA
(school attendance, favourite subjects, importance of education, British and American systems of education, future plans)
1) About schools
• in CR compulsory attendance from the age of 6 to 15
• school year divided into two terms (September – January, February – June)
• start at 8, lesson 45 minutes long, break 10 or 20 minutes long
• marks from 1 to 5, school report for each term
2) Grades of education
• pre-school education
o créches, 1 – 3 years
o kindergartens, 3 – 6 years
• primary education, compulsory
o 1st degree, 1st to 5th class, four R’s – reading, writing, arithmetic, drawing
o 2nd degree, 6th to 9th class, Czech grammar and literature, English or German, history, geography,
mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, civics, PE, music education, drawing
o special classes on 2nd degree – mathematical, sporting
• secondary education
o grammar schools
general education for university studying
o secondary special schools
secondary technical school of civil engineering, of machinery
secondary schools for health workers, of agriculture
academies of commerce
o apprentice training centres
training for practical jobs
• tertiary education
o universities and colleges, lasts 4 to 6 years
o Charles University in Prague, Masaryk University in Brno, Technical University of Brno
o can study economists, foreign trade, architecture, law, journalism, the humanities, foreign languages,
medicine, science, music, art, drama, engineering, computer science, ...
o three degrees (medicine in sum 6 years)
bachelor’s degree (3 years)
master’s degree (2 years)
doctoral degree (individual)
3) Education in GB
• primary from 5th to 10th year
• secondary begins at the age of 11
• “sixth form”, GCSE exams (General Certificate of Secondary Education)
• universities (student must have >2 good grades at A-level of GCSE), e. g. Oxford, Cambridge
4) Education in the USA
• elementary schools from 6th to 12th year
• Junior High School (from 12 to 15), Senior High School (from 15 to 18)
• over 2000 universities and colleges, e. g. Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Caltech
5) Attended schools and my plans
• basic school
• accepted at grammar school
• would like to pass graduation exams at grammar school
• would like to study which university, for master’s degree
(school attendance, favourite subjects, importance of education, British and American systems of education, future plans)
1) About schools
• in CR compulsory attendance from the age of 6 to 15
• school year divided into two terms (September – January, February – June)
• start at 8, lesson 45 minutes long, break 10 or 20 minutes long
• marks from 1 to 5, school report for each term
2) Grades of education
• pre-school education
o créches, 1 – 3 years
o kindergartens, 3 – 6 years
• primary education, compulsory
o 1st degree, 1st to 5th class, four R’s – reading, writing, arithmetic, drawing
o 2nd degree, 6th to 9th class, Czech grammar and literature, English or German, history, geography,
mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, civics, PE, music education, drawing
o special classes on 2nd degree – mathematical, sporting
• secondary education
o grammar schools
general education for university studying
o secondary special schools
secondary technical school of civil engineering, of machinery
secondary schools for health workers, of agriculture
academies of commerce
o apprentice training centres
training for practical jobs
• tertiary education
o universities and colleges, lasts 4 to 6 years
o Charles University in Prague, Masaryk University in Brno, Technical University of Brno
o can study economists, foreign trade, architecture, law, journalism, the humanities, foreign languages,
medicine, science, music, art, drama, engineering, computer science, ...
o three degrees (medicine in sum 6 years)
bachelor’s degree (3 years)
master’s degree (2 years)
doctoral degree (individual)
3) Education in GB
• primary from 5th to 10th year
• secondary begins at the age of 11
• “sixth form”, GCSE exams (General Certificate of Secondary Education)
• universities (student must have >2 good grades at A-level of GCSE), e. g. Oxford, Cambridge
4) Education in the USA
• elementary schools from 6th to 12th year
• Junior High School (from 12 to 15), Senior High School (from 15 to 18)
• over 2000 universities and colleges, e. g. Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Caltech
5) Attended schools and my plans
• basic school
• accepted at grammar school
• would like to pass graduation exams at grammar school
• would like to study which university, for master’s degree
Flat and its Furniture
(description of a flat and a house, other types of dwelling, living in the city, living in the country, ideal home)
1) My house
• in which city
• floors, cellar, attic, how many rooms in each floor, bathroom and toilet
• living room: TV, satellite receiver, old computer, big seat with two armchairs
• kitchen: cupboard, stove with oven, fridge, microwave oven, sink, table with chairs
• bedroom: parent’s beds, wardrobes
• garage, garden
2) My room
• happy / unhappy with my room
• bed
• few wardrobes
• bookcases (school books, literature)
• writing desk (used for school and other hand-writing)
• table with computer (case, ink printer, keyboard and mouse in a tray, monitor, sound system with subwoofer, external modem, phone)
• small TV, MP3 discman
• going to leave for some city to college or private flat
3) Differences between city and village
• positives and negatives to both living in a village and in a city
• disadvantages of village: lack of shopping options, facilities for sports, cultural activities (nothing of this too important for me), have to ride the bus to school and work every day (very big problem)
• advantages of village: quiet healthy environment, possibility to grow your own vegetables and fruit, having pets, raising farm animals; meeting places: church and pub; pig feast
• disadvantages of city: hectic atmosphere created by stress, traffic, noise; polluted air
• advantages of city: job opportunities, housing options, wide variety of cultural and sport activities, number of shops, high quality medical facilities
4) English housing
• typically detached or terraced, owned
• built of red bricks, English grass in the front of the house, plants
• two-floored houses with two garages
• pets; fireplace (krb)
• costs about £100,000
• USA: skyscrapers
1) My house
• in which city
• floors, cellar, attic, how many rooms in each floor, bathroom and toilet
• living room: TV, satellite receiver, old computer, big seat with two armchairs
• kitchen: cupboard, stove with oven, fridge, microwave oven, sink, table with chairs
• bedroom: parent’s beds, wardrobes
• garage, garden
2) My room
• happy / unhappy with my room
• bed
• few wardrobes
• bookcases (school books, literature)
• writing desk (used for school and other hand-writing)
• table with computer (case, ink printer, keyboard and mouse in a tray, monitor, sound system with subwoofer, external modem, phone)
• small TV, MP3 discman
• going to leave for some city to college or private flat
3) Differences between city and village
• positives and negatives to both living in a village and in a city
• disadvantages of village: lack of shopping options, facilities for sports, cultural activities (nothing of this too important for me), have to ride the bus to school and work every day (very big problem)
• advantages of village: quiet healthy environment, possibility to grow your own vegetables and fruit, having pets, raising farm animals; meeting places: church and pub; pig feast
• disadvantages of city: hectic atmosphere created by stress, traffic, noise; polluted air
• advantages of city: job opportunities, housing options, wide variety of cultural and sport activities, number of shops, high quality medical facilities
4) English housing
• typically detached or terraced, owned
• built of red bricks, English grass in the front of the house, plants
• two-floored houses with two garages
• pets; fireplace (krb)
• costs about £100,000
• USA: skyscrapers
Food and Meals, Restaurants
(favourite foods and drinks, eating habits in England and in the USA, healthy diet, junk food)
1) Breakfast
• drink – tea with milk or lemon, cocoa [koukou], warm or hot milk, black coffee
• eat – bread or rolls with butter and cheese or eggs, ham, salami, jam etc.; something sweet (cakes, doughnuts, gingerbread); cereals (cornflakes, muesli), yoghurt, chocolate
• usually between 6 and 7 o’clock
• British breakfast: bigger, glass of a fruit juice, cornflakes with sugar and milk, tea, piece of toast with butter and marmalade or honey
• on Sunday: big cooked breakfast, “brunch”, breakfast and lunch together, some meat, ham, boiled or scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, tomato, fried bread, salami etc.
• my breakfast
2) Lunch
• vegetable soups: potato, tomato, pea, carrot, mushrooms
• meat teas: beef tea, chicken or goulash soup
• fruit soups: strawberry soup
• main dish: sweet (dumplings, doughnuts), meat, fish or poultry with vegetables (potatoes, chips, rice, Czech dumplings, bread, spaghetti etc.), sauce
• meat: beef (hovězí), pork (vepřové), veal (telecí), mutton (skopové), lamb (jehněčí); preparing: roasting, grilling, boiling, baking, stewing, smoking
• poultry: chicken, hen, duck, turkey, goose; in Czech also rabbits, carps
• spices: garlic, marjoram, pepper, allspice, ketchup
• drinks: tea, lemonade, juice, cola, mineral water, syrup with water, beer, black coffee
• deserts: cake, pudding, ice cream
• British lunch: cold, just ham and cheese sandwiches, fruit, pudding, ice cream
• my lunch
3) Supper
• warm or cold, warm like lunch
• cold: bread or rolls and spread
• readymade dish from a tin or have a soup
• Britain supper: dinner, main meal, between 6 and 7 o’clock, soup, fried fish and chips, sometimes meat and vegetables; meat puddings and apple pies
• my supper
4) Other daily meals
• British tea at five: biscuits or cakes, several cups of strong tea with milk
• fast food: typical feature of British and American lifestyles, McDonald’s fast food restaurant
• snacks (forenoon, afternoon)
• light supper at night: piece of cold meat or ham, cheese, some biscuits or just a glass of milk
• restaurant: on special occasions, celebrations
• typical food in Great Britain: fish and chips, lamb meat, tea
• typical food in the USA: hamburgers, fast food, coca-cola
• typical food in Czech Republic (national cuisine): roasted pork with sauerkraut and Czech dumplings
1) Breakfast
• drink – tea with milk or lemon, cocoa [koukou], warm or hot milk, black coffee
• eat – bread or rolls with butter and cheese or eggs, ham, salami, jam etc.; something sweet (cakes, doughnuts, gingerbread); cereals (cornflakes, muesli), yoghurt, chocolate
• usually between 6 and 7 o’clock
• British breakfast: bigger, glass of a fruit juice, cornflakes with sugar and milk, tea, piece of toast with butter and marmalade or honey
• on Sunday: big cooked breakfast, “brunch”, breakfast and lunch together, some meat, ham, boiled or scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, tomato, fried bread, salami etc.
• my breakfast
2) Lunch
• vegetable soups: potato, tomato, pea, carrot, mushrooms
• meat teas: beef tea, chicken or goulash soup
• fruit soups: strawberry soup
• main dish: sweet (dumplings, doughnuts), meat, fish or poultry with vegetables (potatoes, chips, rice, Czech dumplings, bread, spaghetti etc.), sauce
• meat: beef (hovězí), pork (vepřové), veal (telecí), mutton (skopové), lamb (jehněčí); preparing: roasting, grilling, boiling, baking, stewing, smoking
• poultry: chicken, hen, duck, turkey, goose; in Czech also rabbits, carps
• spices: garlic, marjoram, pepper, allspice, ketchup
• drinks: tea, lemonade, juice, cola, mineral water, syrup with water, beer, black coffee
• deserts: cake, pudding, ice cream
• British lunch: cold, just ham and cheese sandwiches, fruit, pudding, ice cream
• my lunch
3) Supper
• warm or cold, warm like lunch
• cold: bread or rolls and spread
• readymade dish from a tin or have a soup
• Britain supper: dinner, main meal, between 6 and 7 o’clock, soup, fried fish and chips, sometimes meat and vegetables; meat puddings and apple pies
• my supper
4) Other daily meals
• British tea at five: biscuits or cakes, several cups of strong tea with milk
• fast food: typical feature of British and American lifestyles, McDonald’s fast food restaurant
• snacks (forenoon, afternoon)
• light supper at night: piece of cold meat or ham, cheese, some biscuits or just a glass of milk
• restaurant: on special occasions, celebrations
• typical food in Great Britain: fish and chips, lamb meat, tea
• typical food in the USA: hamburgers, fast food, coca-cola
• typical food in Czech Republic (national cuisine): roasted pork with sauerkraut and Czech dumplings
Shops and Shopping
(various kinds of shops and goods, benefits and drawbacks of shopping at a supermarket or at a small shop, buying presents, shopping as a new entertainment)
1) Types of shops
• specialised shops
o the greengrocer in fruit and vegetables (apples, pears, bananas, grapefruits, cherries, strawberries, melons, carrots, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, garlic)
o the butcher [bučr] in meat (beef, pork, poultry – chicken, hen, turkey; rabbit, lamb, sausages, liver, kidneys)
o the baker in bread and cakes (rolls, bans, doughnuts)
o the dairy in milk products and eggs (milk, butter, cream, cheese, yoghurt)
o the confectioner or sweet shop in sweet and ice cream (chocolate, box of sweets, puddings, chocolate sticks)
o the tobacconist in cigarettes, the newsagent in newspapers and magazines
o the florist in flowers (for special occasions – wedding, birthday, Valentine, funeral)
o the men’s and women’s wear in clothes and dresses (cap, hut, scarf, anorak, gloves, trousers, jeans, jacket, suit, shoes, tracksuit, T-shirts, shorts, trainers etc.)
o the ironmonger [aironmondžr] in metal goods (equipment for household – tools, pans, nails)
o the stationery in paper products and office supplies (exercise books, rulers, pens, papers, envelopes, paints)
o the jeweller in jewellery
o the toyshop in various toys for children (dolls, cars, teddy-bears, trains, balls)
• supermarkets and hypermarkets, self-service shops
o “serve-yourself” system: go in, pick up a basket or trolley, walk around the shop, choose what you want, pay for all goods at the exit at a cash-desk
• department stores
o Marks and Spencer, Harrods in London
o in Harrods about 40000 customers per day (same as population of Trebic city)
o everything from food to furniture
• common shops, in the village
o the grocer’s: food (tea, coffee, sugar, flour, butter, cheese, eggs, jam, biscuits), kitchen needs (soap, detergents – cleaning articles)
o drug store: medicines, ointments, toothpaste, combs, soap, cosmetics, razor blades, sunglasses, films
2) Shopping
• currencies:
o Czech crown, banknotes 5000, 2000, 1000, 500, 200, 100, 50, coins 20, 10, 5, 2, 1 crowns, 50 hellers
o British pound in England
o U. S. dollar in the USA, own dollars in other English-speaking countries
o Euro in European currency union
• paying by credit cards: Visa [vajza] Card, American Express etc.
• Czech shopping habits in an average family: goes shopping every day for necessary food, once a week one bigger purchase for the weekend, from time to time buying clothes, shoes and house equipments
• shopping “fever” before Christmas season, buying nice and unique Christmas presents
• souvenirs from Czech Republic: souvenirs from street stall at the Charles Bridge, book about our country, compact discs with Czech classical music, cut glass, china etc
3) Shopping opportunities in local city
• most shops situated in the square (book shops, sports wearing, fast food, bank, lot of services, town hall, hotel, pubs, restaurants, post office, newsagents, pet shop etc.)
• super- and hypermarkets
• shopping habits of my family
• my favourite shops
1) Types of shops
• specialised shops
o the greengrocer in fruit and vegetables (apples, pears, bananas, grapefruits, cherries, strawberries, melons, carrots, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, garlic)
o the butcher [bučr] in meat (beef, pork, poultry – chicken, hen, turkey; rabbit, lamb, sausages, liver, kidneys)
o the baker in bread and cakes (rolls, bans, doughnuts)
o the dairy in milk products and eggs (milk, butter, cream, cheese, yoghurt)
o the confectioner or sweet shop in sweet and ice cream (chocolate, box of sweets, puddings, chocolate sticks)
o the tobacconist in cigarettes, the newsagent in newspapers and magazines
o the florist in flowers (for special occasions – wedding, birthday, Valentine, funeral)
o the men’s and women’s wear in clothes and dresses (cap, hut, scarf, anorak, gloves, trousers, jeans, jacket, suit, shoes, tracksuit, T-shirts, shorts, trainers etc.)
o the ironmonger [aironmondžr] in metal goods (equipment for household – tools, pans, nails)
o the stationery in paper products and office supplies (exercise books, rulers, pens, papers, envelopes, paints)
o the jeweller in jewellery
o the toyshop in various toys for children (dolls, cars, teddy-bears, trains, balls)
• supermarkets and hypermarkets, self-service shops
o “serve-yourself” system: go in, pick up a basket or trolley, walk around the shop, choose what you want, pay for all goods at the exit at a cash-desk
• department stores
o Marks and Spencer, Harrods in London
o in Harrods about 40000 customers per day (same as population of Trebic city)
o everything from food to furniture
• common shops, in the village
o the grocer’s: food (tea, coffee, sugar, flour, butter, cheese, eggs, jam, biscuits), kitchen needs (soap, detergents – cleaning articles)
o drug store: medicines, ointments, toothpaste, combs, soap, cosmetics, razor blades, sunglasses, films
2) Shopping
• currencies:
o Czech crown, banknotes 5000, 2000, 1000, 500, 200, 100, 50, coins 20, 10, 5, 2, 1 crowns, 50 hellers
o British pound in England
o U. S. dollar in the USA, own dollars in other English-speaking countries
o Euro in European currency union
• paying by credit cards: Visa [vajza] Card, American Express etc.
• Czech shopping habits in an average family: goes shopping every day for necessary food, once a week one bigger purchase for the weekend, from time to time buying clothes, shoes and house equipments
• shopping “fever” before Christmas season, buying nice and unique Christmas presents
• souvenirs from Czech Republic: souvenirs from street stall at the Charles Bridge, book about our country, compact discs with Czech classical music, cut glass, china etc
3) Shopping opportunities in local city
• most shops situated in the square (book shops, sports wearing, fast food, bank, lot of services, town hall, hotel, pubs, restaurants, post office, newsagents, pet shop etc.)
• super- and hypermarkets
• shopping habits of my family
• my favourite shops
Clothing
(formal, casual, materials, patterns, styles, the latest fashion, buying clothes)
1) Clothing
• Czech proverb “Clothes make a man”
• different attitudes (přístupy) to fashion, typically
o men do not care what they wear
o women like to spend a lot of money on clothes
• ready-made clothes, clothes made to measure
• style of clothes depend on factors like:
o geography, climate, season
o poverty, wealth
o taste
o occasion
• clothes according to latest fashion described in fashion magazines, needn’t to suit every time
• fashion concerns also hair style, make-up and accessories (handbags, jewellery, glasses)
• trademarks on clothes (Nike, Adidas, Fishbone)
• centres of fashion: London, Paris, Rome
• changes in the length of clothes, very quick, because dressmaking become a big business
• types of neckline: high or low, oval, V-neck, with collar or collarless
• natural materials: cotton (bavlna), wool [vul], linen (plátno), silk (hedvábí), velvet (samet), leather (kůže); man-made fibres; best materials: non-iron, shrink-resistant fabric
• design of materials: plain or patterned (flowered, geometric, spotted), colours from the brightest to the coolest
• me and clothes
2) Clothing for various occasions
• in summer: T-shirts with short sleeves, light summer trousers or shorts, sandals or trainers
• in winter: jean, sweater, anorak, winter coat and jacket, sometimes fur coat, gloves, cap, scarf
• swimming: women: swim suit; men: trunks
• special occasions: men: dark suit, light shirt, tie, shoes; woman: evening dress, pumps
• sport: sports wear (shorts, T-shirts, sport shoes: boots, ski shoes)
• at home: leisure wear, e. g. tracksuit
• at school: practical and plain, in Britain school uniforms
• uniforms and costumes
o police – black, blue
o armed forces, soldiers – green, masked
o health workers – white, nurses white and blue
o schools in Britain
• national costumes: Scotland (skirt for men), Moravia & Silesia (decorated dresses)
• luggage (GB) / baggage (USA)
o suitcase (kufr na oblečení), briefcase (diplomatka), trunk (lodní kufr)
o bag, rucksack
3) Men clothing
• small stock of vests, pants, slippers, pyjamas, socks, knee socks
• several pairs of trousers, some suits and jackets
• a pile of shirts, long sleeved and short sleeved, pullovers, sweaters, sweatshirts, T-shirts
• an anorak, a winter coat, a mackintosh, gloves, scarfs (šály), shoes
4) Women clothing
• underwear made of silk or artificial silk
• a dress or a blouse and a skirt
• a pair of stockings (punčochy) or panty hose (volné kalhoty), a pair of shoes
• pant suit (kalhotový kostým) – pants and jacket
• pants (kalhoty), a blouse or a jumper and a cardigan (svetr, vesta)
• winter coat, an anorak or a fur coat, a hat or fur cap, gloves
• winter shoes, e. g. high leg shoes (kozačky)
1) Clothing
• Czech proverb “Clothes make a man”
• different attitudes (přístupy) to fashion, typically
o men do not care what they wear
o women like to spend a lot of money on clothes
• ready-made clothes, clothes made to measure
• style of clothes depend on factors like:
o geography, climate, season
o poverty, wealth
o taste
o occasion
• clothes according to latest fashion described in fashion magazines, needn’t to suit every time
• fashion concerns also hair style, make-up and accessories (handbags, jewellery, glasses)
• trademarks on clothes (Nike, Adidas, Fishbone)
• centres of fashion: London, Paris, Rome
• changes in the length of clothes, very quick, because dressmaking become a big business
• types of neckline: high or low, oval, V-neck, with collar or collarless
• natural materials: cotton (bavlna), wool [vul], linen (plátno), silk (hedvábí), velvet (samet), leather (kůže); man-made fibres; best materials: non-iron, shrink-resistant fabric
• design of materials: plain or patterned (flowered, geometric, spotted), colours from the brightest to the coolest
• me and clothes
2) Clothing for various occasions
• in summer: T-shirts with short sleeves, light summer trousers or shorts, sandals or trainers
• in winter: jean, sweater, anorak, winter coat and jacket, sometimes fur coat, gloves, cap, scarf
• swimming: women: swim suit; men: trunks
• special occasions: men: dark suit, light shirt, tie, shoes; woman: evening dress, pumps
• sport: sports wear (shorts, T-shirts, sport shoes: boots, ski shoes)
• at home: leisure wear, e. g. tracksuit
• at school: practical and plain, in Britain school uniforms
• uniforms and costumes
o police – black, blue
o armed forces, soldiers – green, masked
o health workers – white, nurses white and blue
o schools in Britain
• national costumes: Scotland (skirt for men), Moravia & Silesia (decorated dresses)
• luggage (GB) / baggage (USA)
o suitcase (kufr na oblečení), briefcase (diplomatka), trunk (lodní kufr)
o bag, rucksack
3) Men clothing
• small stock of vests, pants, slippers, pyjamas, socks, knee socks
• several pairs of trousers, some suits and jackets
• a pile of shirts, long sleeved and short sleeved, pullovers, sweaters, sweatshirts, T-shirts
• an anorak, a winter coat, a mackintosh, gloves, scarfs (šály), shoes
4) Women clothing
• underwear made of silk or artificial silk
• a dress or a blouse and a skirt
• a pair of stockings (punčochy) or panty hose (volné kalhoty), a pair of shoes
• pant suit (kalhotový kostým) – pants and jacket
• pants (kalhoty), a blouse or a jumper and a cardigan (svetr, vesta)
• winter coat, an anorak or a fur coat, a hat or fur cap, gloves
• winter shoes, e. g. high leg shoes (kozačky)
Travelling
1) Travelling
• all people on the world travel, people travelled in history and they travel at present too
• reasons of travelling:
- learning about new places, countries, new people (Africa – most interesting continent, there lives people, who you never see before, with different religion, style of life, weather)
- business, political reasons (businessmen travel several times by day because of their work)
- cultural reasons
- scientific purpose = účel (to travel to Alaska, to deserts in Africa, tropical rain forests in South America)
• may be dangerous: can meet bad people, get lost, be murdered, stolen money, better not travel alone, get lost or stolen documentation (passport, identity card, air tickets for return journey)
• various means of transport
- earlier: on foot, on horseback
can’t to find some advantage, only disadvantage: uncomfortable, dangerous, quickly tired, no long way
- car, motorcycle
advantage: comfortable, fast, can stop where you want and you can arrive want you want, disadvantage: traffic jams, air pollution, you need driver or driving licence, check fuel = palivo, oil, expensive
- bus, tram, underground it is public transport
advantage: fast, cheap, underground without traffic jams and tram and underground are ecological, disadvantage: bus isn’t ecological, it leaves in definite = určitý time and it stops at bus stop
- railways – train
advantage: modern train – diesel and electric engines = lokomotivy, comfortable, there is sleeping car, dining car, toilet, fast, disadvantage: old trains are noisy, dirty, uncomfortable, sometimes expensive
- plane – driving 2 pilots, air hostess (stewards) get you instructions about accident, exits, life jacket = záchranná vesta, about temperature outside and in country where you are travelling
advantage: the fastest transport, comfortable, you get food, air hostess (stewards) care of you, you can watch a film, you can see clouds or land, disadvantage: the airports aren’t in all town, you must get to this town, very dangerous recently
- ship – it was typical in 20. centuries, you used it only for way over the ocean
advantage: it can be romantic way recently, disadvantage: you can be seasick, dangerous
- bicycle
advantage: it is ecological, you can go where you want, it can be relax for somebody, it’s faster than go by foot, disadvantage: very fast cycling can be dangerous, quickly tired
- hitchhike
advantage: very cheap disadvantage: dangerous
- untypical travelling: sailing on a yacht, hot-air ballooning, skateboarding, roller-skating
• travel agencies
- you must choose good agency
- you can arrange = zařídit trips, tickets, *accommodations
- cultural trips to historic places (Egypt, Rome, Athens, Tunisia)
- recreation in mountains (Alps) or at sea (Croatia, Bulgaria)
- stays with sports (climbing, riding horses, bikes, volleyball and all games)
- educational programmes (language courses)
• luggage (GB) / baggage (USA)
- suitcase = kufr na oblečení, briefcase = diplomatka, trunk = lodní kufr
- bag, rucksack [raksek]
- clothing and cosmetic
- write address of place where you will have holiday and your own address
• need to travel: valid = platný passport and for some countries visa = vízum necessary, health insurance = pojištění, need to change money
• foreign language: most people in world speak English, in Europe also German, French and Russian
2) My travelling
• to school every day, by bus
• travel by car, I have driving licence
• to travel to Switzerland by bus (student agency), by plane to family
• to travel to Germany by car to family
• to travel to Croatia and Bulgaria by plane and by car for holiday
*accommodation
• room in a hotel, can be booked = zapsán, rezervován by letter, phone or via = prostřednictvím email
• can to be in: hotels, inns (in the country) and pubs (in the towns); hostels (for young people)
• when you enter a hotel: fill in the registration form at receptionist’s desk (name, permanent address, nationality, time of stay, number of identity card), get a key of the room or card
• typical equipment in hotel room: bathroom, bedroom, where is wardrobe, bed, mirror, table
• typical facilities in hotel: restaurant, dancing place, swimming pool, fitness centre, sauna, hairdresser
• all people on the world travel, people travelled in history and they travel at present too
• reasons of travelling:
- learning about new places, countries, new people (Africa – most interesting continent, there lives people, who you never see before, with different religion, style of life, weather)
- business, political reasons (businessmen travel several times by day because of their work)
- cultural reasons
- scientific purpose = účel (to travel to Alaska, to deserts in Africa, tropical rain forests in South America)
• may be dangerous: can meet bad people, get lost, be murdered, stolen money, better not travel alone, get lost or stolen documentation (passport, identity card, air tickets for return journey)
• various means of transport
- earlier: on foot, on horseback
can’t to find some advantage, only disadvantage: uncomfortable, dangerous, quickly tired, no long way
- car, motorcycle
advantage: comfortable, fast, can stop where you want and you can arrive want you want, disadvantage: traffic jams, air pollution, you need driver or driving licence, check fuel = palivo, oil, expensive
- bus, tram, underground it is public transport
advantage: fast, cheap, underground without traffic jams and tram and underground are ecological, disadvantage: bus isn’t ecological, it leaves in definite = určitý time and it stops at bus stop
- railways – train
advantage: modern train – diesel and electric engines = lokomotivy, comfortable, there is sleeping car, dining car, toilet, fast, disadvantage: old trains are noisy, dirty, uncomfortable, sometimes expensive
- plane – driving 2 pilots, air hostess (stewards) get you instructions about accident, exits, life jacket = záchranná vesta, about temperature outside and in country where you are travelling
advantage: the fastest transport, comfortable, you get food, air hostess (stewards) care of you, you can watch a film, you can see clouds or land, disadvantage: the airports aren’t in all town, you must get to this town, very dangerous recently
- ship – it was typical in 20. centuries, you used it only for way over the ocean
advantage: it can be romantic way recently, disadvantage: you can be seasick, dangerous
- bicycle
advantage: it is ecological, you can go where you want, it can be relax for somebody, it’s faster than go by foot, disadvantage: very fast cycling can be dangerous, quickly tired
- hitchhike
advantage: very cheap disadvantage: dangerous
- untypical travelling: sailing on a yacht, hot-air ballooning, skateboarding, roller-skating
• travel agencies
- you must choose good agency
- you can arrange = zařídit trips, tickets, *accommodations
- cultural trips to historic places (Egypt, Rome, Athens, Tunisia)
- recreation in mountains (Alps) or at sea (Croatia, Bulgaria)
- stays with sports (climbing, riding horses, bikes, volleyball and all games)
- educational programmes (language courses)
• luggage (GB) / baggage (USA)
- suitcase = kufr na oblečení, briefcase = diplomatka, trunk = lodní kufr
- bag, rucksack [raksek]
- clothing and cosmetic
- write address of place where you will have holiday and your own address
• need to travel: valid = platný passport and for some countries visa = vízum necessary, health insurance = pojištění, need to change money
• foreign language: most people in world speak English, in Europe also German, French and Russian
2) My travelling
• to school every day, by bus
• travel by car, I have driving licence
• to travel to Switzerland by bus (student agency), by plane to family
• to travel to Germany by car to family
• to travel to Croatia and Bulgaria by plane and by car for holiday
*accommodation
• room in a hotel, can be booked = zapsán, rezervován by letter, phone or via = prostřednictvím email
• can to be in: hotels, inns (in the country) and pubs (in the towns); hostels (for young people)
• when you enter a hotel: fill in the registration form at receptionist’s desk (name, permanent address, nationality, time of stay, number of identity card), get a key of the room or card
• typical equipment in hotel room: bathroom, bedroom, where is wardrobe, bed, mirror, table
• typical facilities in hotel: restaurant, dancing place, swimming pool, fitness centre, sauna, hairdresser
Occupations
(blue-colar jobs, white-colar jobs, advantages and disadvantages, the choice of the right career, to get a good job, certain professions need certain qualities, future plans)
1) Manual jobs – blue-colar
• basic education
o driver, dustman, milkmaid, miner, sailor (fisherman), worker
• Civil Training Centre (Training Centre of Building)
o bricklayer, electrician, carpenter (tesař), joiner (truhlář), plumber (instalatér), gardener, painter, locksmith
• Hotel school / more-purpose training centre (in Borovina & Sirotci)
o shoemaker, dressmaker, needlewoman, tailor, cook, baker, waiter, waitress, shop assistant, butcher
• Agricultural Training Centre (Horka-Domky)
o car mechanic, repairer of agricultural machines, art-smith
2) Intellectual jobs – white-colar
• Academy of Commerce
o accountant, officers, clerk
• Grammar School, Church Grammar School
o preparing for tertiary education
• West-Moravian University
o computer programmers
• Secondary School of Health
o nurses, health workers
• professions with university education
o important for the state: president, prime minister, ministers and deputies, senators; in foreign countries – ambassadors
o scientist (trying to gain new knowledge – Czech Academy of Science), astronomer (exploring stars)
o notary (verifying documents), lawyer, judge [džadž] (area of criminal activity and commercial disputes)
o doctor (taking care of sick people)
o architect (designing new houses)
o teacher (teaching in schools)
• other intellectual jobs
o newspaper reporter, radio announcer (collecting news)
o painter (painting pictures), writer (writing novels)
o actor (playing in theatres and films)
o director, deputy, secretary (in every company)
o private businessman
o policeman, armed forces
3) Jobs, future plans
• choosing a career – important step (money, satisfaction from a well done job)
• wage (mzda) depends on the kind of work, on its quality, on our education, on the prosperity of company
• unemployment – big problem in our country, especially in Trebic (14%), employment service agency takes care of unemployed people, looking for vacancy in advertisements or in competitions
• moving for work – typical in the USA, not in CR
• professions
o manual vs. intellectual
o men vs. women
o outdoor vs. indoor
• my future plans: would like to study Technical university in Brno next year, interested in electronic and computers, want to work in this branches
• choice of professions of my schoolmates (humanity, technical)
1) Manual jobs – blue-colar
• basic education
o driver, dustman, milkmaid, miner, sailor (fisherman), worker
• Civil Training Centre (Training Centre of Building)
o bricklayer, electrician, carpenter (tesař), joiner (truhlář), plumber (instalatér), gardener, painter, locksmith
• Hotel school / more-purpose training centre (in Borovina & Sirotci)
o shoemaker, dressmaker, needlewoman, tailor, cook, baker, waiter, waitress, shop assistant, butcher
• Agricultural Training Centre (Horka-Domky)
o car mechanic, repairer of agricultural machines, art-smith
2) Intellectual jobs – white-colar
• Academy of Commerce
o accountant, officers, clerk
• Grammar School, Church Grammar School
o preparing for tertiary education
• West-Moravian University
o computer programmers
• Secondary School of Health
o nurses, health workers
• professions with university education
o important for the state: president, prime minister, ministers and deputies, senators; in foreign countries – ambassadors
o scientist (trying to gain new knowledge – Czech Academy of Science), astronomer (exploring stars)
o notary (verifying documents), lawyer, judge [džadž] (area of criminal activity and commercial disputes)
o doctor (taking care of sick people)
o architect (designing new houses)
o teacher (teaching in schools)
• other intellectual jobs
o newspaper reporter, radio announcer (collecting news)
o painter (painting pictures), writer (writing novels)
o actor (playing in theatres and films)
o director, deputy, secretary (in every company)
o private businessman
o policeman, armed forces
3) Jobs, future plans
• choosing a career – important step (money, satisfaction from a well done job)
• wage (mzda) depends on the kind of work, on its quality, on our education, on the prosperity of company
• unemployment – big problem in our country, especially in Trebic (14%), employment service agency takes care of unemployed people, looking for vacancy in advertisements or in competitions
• moving for work – typical in the USA, not in CR
• professions
o manual vs. intellectual
o men vs. women
o outdoor vs. indoor
• my future plans: would like to study Technical university in Brno next year, interested in electronic and computers, want to work in this branches
• choice of professions of my schoolmates (humanity, technical)
Our Environment
(environmental problems, their causes and results, possible solutions, public awareness, how to become more environmentally aware)
1) Environmental problems
• the environment: flora, fauna, the water, the air, the earth
• air pollution
o all beings share the air, only people pollute
o exhaust produced by cars, buses, trucks, motorcycles, aeroplanes
o exhaust trapped in cities due to wind currents
o heavy industry – some factories emit SO2 (sulphur dioxide), spread by wind
o acid rains caused by mixing of SO2 with rainwater, pollutes the water and the soil (půda)
• ground and water pollution
o acid rains make trees grow slowly, get old quickly, then die
o absence of efficient cleaning system in many factories
o conventional agriculture (chemical fertilisers [frtilajzrs] (hnojiva))
o chemical based cleaning products in household (cleaning machines for villages above 1000 inhabitants)
• the hole in the ozone layer
o ozone layer – filter for the sun
o increase of skin cancer due to damage of this layer
o changes in global weather
o caused by industrial and technological way of life of 20th century (CFCs – Freon, CO2)
o in Czech Republic the worst during January and February
o ozone on the ground level (diseases, asthma, corrosion of certain materials)
• destruction of rainforests
o Amazon rain forest provides half of the world’s production of oxygen, “lungs of the Earth”
o destructed by acid rains, air pollution and people (firewood, building materials, ground)
o if we lose tropical forests: more difficult to breathe, temperature will rise (because of CO2), icecaps at the North and South Poles will melt, sea level will rise, flooding
• ecological catastrophes (oil tanker accidents, Spolana Neratovice, Chernobyl 1986)
• noise (problem of big cities)
2) Actions, which should be taken
• separate and recycle the trash, specialised dustbins (bio, paper, glass, plastic, metals; also in our scool)
• don’t waste water (showers instead of baths)
• don’t waste electricity (switch off unused lights, radio, PC etc.)
• recycle used batteries, fridges, electronics (TV, radios)
• bike when possible or use public transport, underground; catch parking fields in big cities
• use unleaded [anledid] petrol, buy a car with catalysator
• avoid using washing powders with dangerous chemicals
• don’t throw the waste in nature
• London in sixties – installation of cleaning machines to chimneys in every household
3) The environment
• ecology = science concerned with protection of the environment; at school ecological education
• alternative sources of energy: solar, water, wind, geothermal (in CR: two nuclear power plants, thermal plants, water plants on dams)
• environmental organisation Greenpeace (fights against pollution and nuclear power plants)
• animal and plant protection, save the balance of species affected by human activities (bears, wolfs, mushrooms)
• establishment of national parks and nature reserves, provide protection and opportunities for outdoor recreation
• national parks Sumava, Krnap (Giant Mountains), reservation Mohelno steppe
1) Environmental problems
• the environment: flora, fauna, the water, the air, the earth
• air pollution
o all beings share the air, only people pollute
o exhaust produced by cars, buses, trucks, motorcycles, aeroplanes
o exhaust trapped in cities due to wind currents
o heavy industry – some factories emit SO2 (sulphur dioxide), spread by wind
o acid rains caused by mixing of SO2 with rainwater, pollutes the water and the soil (půda)
• ground and water pollution
o acid rains make trees grow slowly, get old quickly, then die
o absence of efficient cleaning system in many factories
o conventional agriculture (chemical fertilisers [frtilajzrs] (hnojiva))
o chemical based cleaning products in household (cleaning machines for villages above 1000 inhabitants)
• the hole in the ozone layer
o ozone layer – filter for the sun
o increase of skin cancer due to damage of this layer
o changes in global weather
o caused by industrial and technological way of life of 20th century (CFCs – Freon, CO2)
o in Czech Republic the worst during January and February
o ozone on the ground level (diseases, asthma, corrosion of certain materials)
• destruction of rainforests
o Amazon rain forest provides half of the world’s production of oxygen, “lungs of the Earth”
o destructed by acid rains, air pollution and people (firewood, building materials, ground)
o if we lose tropical forests: more difficult to breathe, temperature will rise (because of CO2), icecaps at the North and South Poles will melt, sea level will rise, flooding
• ecological catastrophes (oil tanker accidents, Spolana Neratovice, Chernobyl 1986)
• noise (problem of big cities)
2) Actions, which should be taken
• separate and recycle the trash, specialised dustbins (bio, paper, glass, plastic, metals; also in our scool)
• don’t waste water (showers instead of baths)
• don’t waste electricity (switch off unused lights, radio, PC etc.)
• recycle used batteries, fridges, electronics (TV, radios)
• bike when possible or use public transport, underground; catch parking fields in big cities
• use unleaded [anledid] petrol, buy a car with catalysator
• avoid using washing powders with dangerous chemicals
• don’t throw the waste in nature
• London in sixties – installation of cleaning machines to chimneys in every household
3) The environment
• ecology = science concerned with protection of the environment; at school ecological education
• alternative sources of energy: solar, water, wind, geothermal (in CR: two nuclear power plants, thermal plants, water plants on dams)
• environmental organisation Greenpeace (fights against pollution and nuclear power plants)
• animal and plant protection, save the balance of species affected by human activities (bears, wolfs, mushrooms)
• establishment of national parks and nature reserves, provide protection and opportunities for outdoor recreation
• national parks Sumava, Krnap (Giant Mountains), reservation Mohelno steppe
English and American Literature
(famous English and American authors, your favourite author – life, works, style of writing, plots, settings)
1) My favourite author – Isaac Asimov
• born in 1920 in Petrovichi, Russia
• in 1923 emigrated to New York, USA
• 1934 first story
• studies at Columbia University, biology and chemistry
• 1939 first professional story in Amazing Stories
• died in 1992
• short stories about robots: Robbie, Reason, Lair!, Runaround, Evidence, Little Lost Robot, The Bicentennial Man – published in collection I, Robot
• novels about robots: The Caves of Steel, The Naked Sun, The Robots of Drawn, Robots and Empire
• famous Laws of Robotics (from Handbook of Robotics, 56th Edition, 2058 A.D., as quoted in I, Robot)
1. A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the 1st Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the 1st or 2nd Law.
• 1951-53 famous trilogy Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation (describes “future history” of galactic empire), in 1966 Best All-time Novel Series Hugo Award, then additional 4 parts
• novels The Gods Themselves, The End of Eternity, series of novels about Lucky Starr
• 1989 Nemesis; story for film Fantastic Voyage
• influenced by Karel Capek’s RUR, a lot of Hugo and Nebula awards, author of words “robotics”, “positronic”, “psychohistory”
2) English Literature
• oldest epic poem The Song of Beowulf, form Anglo-Saxon period
• religious literature by John Wycliff, influenced John Huss
• Middle Ages: Geoffrey Chaucer (14th century, Canterbury Tales – about pilgrims on their way to Canterbury)
• Renaissance (without William Shakespeare)
o Sir Thomas More (philosopher, Utopia)
o Christopher Marlowe (The Tragical history of Doctor Faust – inspiration for Goethe)
• Baroque: John Milton (Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained)
• Enlightenment
o Jonathan Swift (Gulliver’s Travels)
o Daniel Defoe (Robinson Crusoe)
• Romanism
o Sir Walter Scott (Ivanhoe, Rob Roy)
o George Gordon Byron (Child Harold’s Pilgrimage)
o Percy Bysshe Shelley (Prometheus Unbound; his wife, Mary Shelley, wrote Frankenstein)
• Victorian age: Charles Dickens (Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Papers of the Pickwick Club, Christmas stories)
• 1st half of 20th century
o Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (detective stories with Sherlock Holmes)
o Agatha Christie (detective stories with Hercule Poirot)
o Herbert George Wells (The Invisible Man, The War of the Worlds, The Time Machine)
o George Bernard Shaw (Pygmalion – My Fair Lady)
• 2nd half of 20th century (“Angry Young Men”)
o John Osborne (Look Back in Anger)
o Kingsley Amis (Lucky Jim)
3) American Literature
• 19th century
o Mark Twain (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Adventures of Tow Sawyer)
o Edgar Allan Poe (Murder in the Morgue Street, poem The Raven)
o Walt Whitman (Leaves of Grass)
• prose in 20th century (without Ernest Hemingway): William Faulkner, John Steinbeck
• poetry in 20th century: Allen Ginsberg (Howl)
1) My favourite author – Isaac Asimov
• born in 1920 in Petrovichi, Russia
• in 1923 emigrated to New York, USA
• 1934 first story
• studies at Columbia University, biology and chemistry
• 1939 first professional story in Amazing Stories
• died in 1992
• short stories about robots: Robbie, Reason, Lair!, Runaround, Evidence, Little Lost Robot, The Bicentennial Man – published in collection I, Robot
• novels about robots: The Caves of Steel, The Naked Sun, The Robots of Drawn, Robots and Empire
• famous Laws of Robotics (from Handbook of Robotics, 56th Edition, 2058 A.D., as quoted in I, Robot)
1. A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the 1st Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the 1st or 2nd Law.
• 1951-53 famous trilogy Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation (describes “future history” of galactic empire), in 1966 Best All-time Novel Series Hugo Award, then additional 4 parts
• novels The Gods Themselves, The End of Eternity, series of novels about Lucky Starr
• 1989 Nemesis; story for film Fantastic Voyage
• influenced by Karel Capek’s RUR, a lot of Hugo and Nebula awards, author of words “robotics”, “positronic”, “psychohistory”
2) English Literature
• oldest epic poem The Song of Beowulf, form Anglo-Saxon period
• religious literature by John Wycliff, influenced John Huss
• Middle Ages: Geoffrey Chaucer (14th century, Canterbury Tales – about pilgrims on their way to Canterbury)
• Renaissance (without William Shakespeare)
o Sir Thomas More (philosopher, Utopia)
o Christopher Marlowe (The Tragical history of Doctor Faust – inspiration for Goethe)
• Baroque: John Milton (Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained)
• Enlightenment
o Jonathan Swift (Gulliver’s Travels)
o Daniel Defoe (Robinson Crusoe)
• Romanism
o Sir Walter Scott (Ivanhoe, Rob Roy)
o George Gordon Byron (Child Harold’s Pilgrimage)
o Percy Bysshe Shelley (Prometheus Unbound; his wife, Mary Shelley, wrote Frankenstein)
• Victorian age: Charles Dickens (Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Papers of the Pickwick Club, Christmas stories)
• 1st half of 20th century
o Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (detective stories with Sherlock Holmes)
o Agatha Christie (detective stories with Hercule Poirot)
o Herbert George Wells (The Invisible Man, The War of the Worlds, The Time Machine)
o George Bernard Shaw (Pygmalion – My Fair Lady)
• 2nd half of 20th century (“Angry Young Men”)
o John Osborne (Look Back in Anger)
o Kingsley Amis (Lucky Jim)
3) American Literature
• 19th century
o Mark Twain (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Adventures of Tow Sawyer)
o Edgar Allan Poe (Murder in the Morgue Street, poem The Raven)
o Walt Whitman (Leaves of Grass)
• prose in 20th century (without Ernest Hemingway): William Faulkner, John Steinbeck
• poetry in 20th century: Allen Ginsberg (Howl)
My Daily Programme
(favourite hobbies and pastimes, skills and equipment needed, benefits of going for a hobby, different kinds of music, books, films, TV programmes, theatre performances)
1) Programme of school day
• stable from Monday to Friday
• get up after 7 o’clock
• dedicate what to wear, get dressed, prepare things to school
• hygiene [hajdžín] routine (wash my face and hands, brush my teeth, dry with a towel)
• prepare school snack and breakfast (a cup of cocoa)
• go to school on foot / have to commute, leave the house after 7:30, journey to school takes 5 minutes
• lessons start at 8 o’clock, each class has its own timetable
• lesson 45 minutes long, breaks 10 minutes, “long” break between 2nd and 3rd lesson 20 minutes long
• lunch in the school canteen
• come home, relax for an hour, prepare for next school day
• eat the supper, take a shower, go to my room, watch TV, read, listen to music, work with computer
2) My hobbies (example)
• interested in computers
• computer in my room on a table (case, ink printer, keyboard and mouse in a tray, great 19” monitor, superb sound system with subwoofer, external modem)
• know some programming languages: Delphi, Pascal, Assembler 51, HTML, PHP, SQL, also able to read C, C++, Visual Basic, Assembler 86, JavaScript and a lot of others
• working with Internet, looking for information
• favourite music
o hard and alternative rock, punk (music bands: Guano Apes, Nirvana, Paradise Lost, Korn, Murderdolls, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, System of a down, Cranberries)
o few kinds of Czech and Slovak music (Karel Kryl, Kabat, Daniel Landa, Ine kafe)
o classic music (composers: Smetana, Dvorak, Beethoven)
• favourite books
o science fiction (Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke)
• films and TV programmes
o favourite station CT2, documents, less known films; sometimes Nova, action films; Prima, detective stories
o a lot of films on computer
o favourite film: Shrek (about a ugly ogre, who want to save his swamp and felt in love with a princess)
1) Programme of school day
• stable from Monday to Friday
• get up after 7 o’clock
• dedicate what to wear, get dressed, prepare things to school
• hygiene [hajdžín] routine (wash my face and hands, brush my teeth, dry with a towel)
• prepare school snack and breakfast (a cup of cocoa)
• go to school on foot / have to commute, leave the house after 7:30, journey to school takes 5 minutes
• lessons start at 8 o’clock, each class has its own timetable
• lesson 45 minutes long, breaks 10 minutes, “long” break between 2nd and 3rd lesson 20 minutes long
• lunch in the school canteen
• come home, relax for an hour, prepare for next school day
• eat the supper, take a shower, go to my room, watch TV, read, listen to music, work with computer
2) My hobbies (example)
• interested in computers
• computer in my room on a table (case, ink printer, keyboard and mouse in a tray, great 19” monitor, superb sound system with subwoofer, external modem)
• know some programming languages: Delphi, Pascal, Assembler 51, HTML, PHP, SQL, also able to read C, C++, Visual Basic, Assembler 86, JavaScript and a lot of others
• working with Internet, looking for information
• favourite music
o hard and alternative rock, punk (music bands: Guano Apes, Nirvana, Paradise Lost, Korn, Murderdolls, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, System of a down, Cranberries)
o few kinds of Czech and Slovak music (Karel Kryl, Kabat, Daniel Landa, Ine kafe)
o classic music (composers: Smetana, Dvorak, Beethoven)
• favourite books
o science fiction (Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke)
• films and TV programmes
o favourite station CT2, documents, less known films; sometimes Nova, action films; Prima, detective stories
o a lot of films on computer
o favourite film: Shrek (about a ugly ogre, who want to save his swamp and felt in love with a princess)
Sports
(indoor and outdoor sports, skills and equipment needed, team and individual sports, professional sports, dangerous sports, benefits and drawbacks of playing sports)
1) Kinds of sports
• winter sports: skiing (cross country, downhill), snowboarding, ice hockey (Canada, Czech Republic), figure skating (krasobruslení), speed skating, sledging (sáňkování)
• water sports: swimming (free style, backstroke, crawl), windsurfing, surfing, deep sea diving, water skiing, rowing
• martial arts (action films, Ch. Norris): boxing, fencing (šerm), judo, karate, wrestling (řeckořímský zápas), aikido; body building (fitness centres)
• nature sports: fishing, rock climbing, hiking (GB), cycling, horse riding (GB), jogging (USA)
• light athletics: sprinting events, long distance running (E. Zatopek), hurdle racing (běh přes překážky), relay racing (štafetový běh), speed walking, jumping (height, length), throwing discs and spears (hod oštěpem) (J. Zelezny)
• team sports: football (GB), volleyball, basketball, tennis, rugby, baseball (USA), cricket
2) Sports
• performed at specialized facilities: sports’ hall, tennis and golf courts, open air stadium, open air pool, swimming pool, gym, bowling alley, ski slopes, trails, playground
• various equipment: tennis rocket, ball, net, goal, golf ball, baseball, hockey stick, skates, protective clothing, skies
• sports in GB: archery (lukostřelba) (Robin Hood, practised at basic schools), horse racing, rowing, hiking (in GB typical to be a member of a club)
• games in GB (rules, more than 3 players): bowling (kuželky), darts (both women and men), cricket, golf, tennis, football, netball
• sports in USA: baseball (from Indians), soccer [sokr] (kopaná) (European rules), football (American rules – can touch the ball), rugby, basketball
• sports in Canada: ice hockey, winter sports (skating, skiing, sledging)
• description of volleyball: It consists of two teams each with six players. It is played on a field or a beach and you need a ball and a net. The object of the game is not to let the ball touch the ground on your side, but to attempt to make the ball hit the ground on your opponent’s side. The winner of the game is the team, which had the ball touch the ground the least amount of times on their side.
• sports on TV: CT2, Nova, Prima (football, ice hockey; sport news after main news), on satellite: DSF, Eurosport
• best known players: ice hockey (NHL: Elias, Jagr, Hasek, Dopita), tennis (Navratilova), skiing (Naumannova)
3) Physical education
• at school two lessons of PE weekly
• get in our sport suit (T-shirt, shorts and running shoes), line up for the start of the class, one of us reports to the teacher that we are ready, than stretching, warming up
• athletics, ball games, table-tennis, fitness exercising
• good weather: go out to the stadium (playing football, practicing athletics)
• sporting days at stadium
4) Sports events
• the Olympic Games
o held every 4 years, summer and winter part
o named after city in Greece, where it took place in 776 B.C.; peace kept during the competitions
o restored in Athens, 1896
o managed by the International Olympic Committee
o symbol: five different coloured circles on a white background ( = 5 continents)
• tennis tournaments: Davis Cup, Wimbledon (GB)
• horse racing: Steeple-chase (Liverpool, GB), Great Pardubian Horse Racing
• the World and European Championships and Cups, in various sports
5) Me and sports
• summer sports
• winter sports
1) Kinds of sports
• winter sports: skiing (cross country, downhill), snowboarding, ice hockey (Canada, Czech Republic), figure skating (krasobruslení), speed skating, sledging (sáňkování)
• water sports: swimming (free style, backstroke, crawl), windsurfing, surfing, deep sea diving, water skiing, rowing
• martial arts (action films, Ch. Norris): boxing, fencing (šerm), judo, karate, wrestling (řeckořímský zápas), aikido; body building (fitness centres)
• nature sports: fishing, rock climbing, hiking (GB), cycling, horse riding (GB), jogging (USA)
• light athletics: sprinting events, long distance running (E. Zatopek), hurdle racing (běh přes překážky), relay racing (štafetový běh), speed walking, jumping (height, length), throwing discs and spears (hod oštěpem) (J. Zelezny)
• team sports: football (GB), volleyball, basketball, tennis, rugby, baseball (USA), cricket
2) Sports
• performed at specialized facilities: sports’ hall, tennis and golf courts, open air stadium, open air pool, swimming pool, gym, bowling alley, ski slopes, trails, playground
• various equipment: tennis rocket, ball, net, goal, golf ball, baseball, hockey stick, skates, protective clothing, skies
• sports in GB: archery (lukostřelba) (Robin Hood, practised at basic schools), horse racing, rowing, hiking (in GB typical to be a member of a club)
• games in GB (rules, more than 3 players): bowling (kuželky), darts (both women and men), cricket, golf, tennis, football, netball
• sports in USA: baseball (from Indians), soccer [sokr] (kopaná) (European rules), football (American rules – can touch the ball), rugby, basketball
• sports in Canada: ice hockey, winter sports (skating, skiing, sledging)
• description of volleyball: It consists of two teams each with six players. It is played on a field or a beach and you need a ball and a net. The object of the game is not to let the ball touch the ground on your side, but to attempt to make the ball hit the ground on your opponent’s side. The winner of the game is the team, which had the ball touch the ground the least amount of times on their side.
• sports on TV: CT2, Nova, Prima (football, ice hockey; sport news after main news), on satellite: DSF, Eurosport
• best known players: ice hockey (NHL: Elias, Jagr, Hasek, Dopita), tennis (Navratilova), skiing (Naumannova)
3) Physical education
• at school two lessons of PE weekly
• get in our sport suit (T-shirt, shorts and running shoes), line up for the start of the class, one of us reports to the teacher that we are ready, than stretching, warming up
• athletics, ball games, table-tennis, fitness exercising
• good weather: go out to the stadium (playing football, practicing athletics)
• sporting days at stadium
4) Sports events
• the Olympic Games
o held every 4 years, summer and winter part
o named after city in Greece, where it took place in 776 B.C.; peace kept during the competitions
o restored in Athens, 1896
o managed by the International Olympic Committee
o symbol: five different coloured circles on a white background ( = 5 continents)
• tennis tournaments: Davis Cup, Wimbledon (GB)
• horse racing: Steeple-chase (Liverpool, GB), Great Pardubian Horse Racing
• the World and European Championships and Cups, in various sports
5) Me and sports
• summer sports
• winter sports
Health and Diseases, Human Body
1) The human body
• skeleton = kostra consisting of about 206 bones
- bones connected by joints = klouby
- backbone (33 – 34 vertebrae)
- brainpan = lebka, chest = hrudní koš
- upper limbs = horní končetiny: arm: shoulder, upper arm, elbow = loket, forearm = předloktí, wrist = zápěstí, hand with fingers
- fingers: thumb, forefinger, middle-finger, ring-finger, little-finger
- lower limbs = spodní končetiny: leg: thigh = stehno, knee, calf = lýtko, ankle = kotník, foot with toes
• muscles – 640 muscles in body
• skin covers bones, muscles and organs
• the head
- brain is in brainpan – centre of thinking
- forehead = čelo, cheeks = tváře
- eyes: organs of sight: can be dark, brown, blue, green; people can need spectacles for near (or distant) vision or to be blind
- nose: organ of smell: for (nasal) breathing = nosní dých.
- ears: organs of hearing; people can be deaf = hluchý
- mouth: tongue – organ of taste and talking, in are 32 teeth (children – deciduous = opadávající teeth), is cover by lips for drinking, suck, talk and smile too (you need 36 muscles for one smile)
- hair: cover of the scalp: can be dark, black, brown, blonde, white in old age; skinhead
- chin = brada: men: beard, moustache
• the trunk = trup
- inside are organs:
- lungs = plíce: changing oxygen to carbon dioxide
- heart: pumps fresh blood into the body
- liver = játra: cleans blood
- kidneys = ledviny: removes waste liquids = znečištěnou kapalinu from blood
- stomach: processing of food
2) Diseases
• child diseases:
- in history: plague = mor: fever = horečka, shakes, sore joints = bolesní kloubů, bumps = boule like egg
- pox = neštovice: symptoms: fever, rash = vyrážka, treatment = léčba: liquid powder and tablets
- flu = chřipka: symptoms: fever, cold, cough = kašel, treatment: gargle = kloktadlo, drops and tablets
- tonsillitis = angina: symptoms: sore throat = bolení v krku, treatment: gargle and tablets
• cough, fever, headache [hedeik]
• slight illnesses (cold): treating by drinking hot tea, eating lots of fruit with vitamin C, few tablets of aspirin
• serious troubles (high fever): should go to the doctor’s, wait in waiting room, after examination doctor writes a prescription, go to the chemist’s for medicine (pills, drops, syrup, powder)
• serious ill or need to be operated: sent for treatment to the hospital
• childhood illnesses: mumps (příušnice), measles (spalničky), scarlet fever (spála), chicken-pox (plané neštovice)
• fatal diseases: cancer, heart attack, mental diseases
• toothache [tu:teik]: go to the dentist, he drills bad tooth, puts a filling in it, sometimes extract the tooth
• break an arm or a leg: go to the hospital, we are X-rayed, surgeon sets the bones in a plaster
3) First aid procedures & healthy lifestyle
• injury – “RICE”
o rest (patient shouldn’t move)
o ice (reduce blood flow)
o compress (compress injury with layer of cotton wool)
o elevate (raise injury above horizontal)
• breathing problems – “ABC”
o airway (passage between mouth, nose and throat should be open)
o breathing (mouth-to-mouth resuscitation – breathing air into patient’s lungs)
o circulation (blood should circulate from the heart around the body)
• healthy lifestyle – we shouldn’t: smoke, drink alcohol, take drugs, eat junk food
• healthy lifestyle – we should: go in for sports, harden (otužovat), take vitamins, have a rest
• skeleton = kostra consisting of about 206 bones
- bones connected by joints = klouby
- backbone (33 – 34 vertebrae)
- brainpan = lebka, chest = hrudní koš
- upper limbs = horní končetiny: arm: shoulder, upper arm, elbow = loket, forearm = předloktí, wrist = zápěstí, hand with fingers
- fingers: thumb, forefinger, middle-finger, ring-finger, little-finger
- lower limbs = spodní končetiny: leg: thigh = stehno, knee, calf = lýtko, ankle = kotník, foot with toes
• muscles – 640 muscles in body
• skin covers bones, muscles and organs
• the head
- brain is in brainpan – centre of thinking
- forehead = čelo, cheeks = tváře
- eyes: organs of sight: can be dark, brown, blue, green; people can need spectacles for near (or distant) vision or to be blind
- nose: organ of smell: for (nasal) breathing = nosní dých.
- ears: organs of hearing; people can be deaf = hluchý
- mouth: tongue – organ of taste and talking, in are 32 teeth (children – deciduous = opadávající teeth), is cover by lips for drinking, suck, talk and smile too (you need 36 muscles for one smile)
- hair: cover of the scalp: can be dark, black, brown, blonde, white in old age; skinhead
- chin = brada: men: beard, moustache
• the trunk = trup
- inside are organs:
- lungs = plíce: changing oxygen to carbon dioxide
- heart: pumps fresh blood into the body
- liver = játra: cleans blood
- kidneys = ledviny: removes waste liquids = znečištěnou kapalinu from blood
- stomach: processing of food
2) Diseases
• child diseases:
- in history: plague = mor: fever = horečka, shakes, sore joints = bolesní kloubů, bumps = boule like egg
- pox = neštovice: symptoms: fever, rash = vyrážka, treatment = léčba: liquid powder and tablets
- flu = chřipka: symptoms: fever, cold, cough = kašel, treatment: gargle = kloktadlo, drops and tablets
- tonsillitis = angina: symptoms: sore throat = bolení v krku, treatment: gargle and tablets
• cough, fever, headache [hedeik]
• slight illnesses (cold): treating by drinking hot tea, eating lots of fruit with vitamin C, few tablets of aspirin
• serious troubles (high fever): should go to the doctor’s, wait in waiting room, after examination doctor writes a prescription, go to the chemist’s for medicine (pills, drops, syrup, powder)
• serious ill or need to be operated: sent for treatment to the hospital
• childhood illnesses: mumps (příušnice), measles (spalničky), scarlet fever (spála), chicken-pox (plané neštovice)
• fatal diseases: cancer, heart attack, mental diseases
• toothache [tu:teik]: go to the dentist, he drills bad tooth, puts a filling in it, sometimes extract the tooth
• break an arm or a leg: go to the hospital, we are X-rayed, surgeon sets the bones in a plaster
3) First aid procedures & healthy lifestyle
• injury – “RICE”
o rest (patient shouldn’t move)
o ice (reduce blood flow)
o compress (compress injury with layer of cotton wool)
o elevate (raise injury above horizontal)
• breathing problems – “ABC”
o airway (passage between mouth, nose and throat should be open)
o breathing (mouth-to-mouth resuscitation – breathing air into patient’s lungs)
o circulation (blood should circulate from the heart around the body)
• healthy lifestyle – we shouldn’t: smoke, drink alcohol, take drugs, eat junk food
• healthy lifestyle – we should: go in for sports, harden (otužovat), take vitamins, have a rest
My Home Town
(history of the town, interesting sights, industries, our region, countryside, nature, protected areas)
1) Trebic
• situated on the both banks of the river Jihlava, in south-west part of Moravia
• population about 40 thousand (increased about twice because of building Dukovany nuclear power plant and Dalesice power station)
• foundation: 900 years ago, village around Benedictine Monastery (1101)
• lots of offices, health centers, schools, shops, sport halls, indoor swimming-pools, cinemas, a number of restaurants, cafes, pubs, historical places of interest
• about 10 elementary schools (specializations: sports, mathematic, languages)
• secondary schools: the Grammar School, the Business Academy, the Secondary Industrial School, the Secondary School of Health, few apprentice centers
• the West-Moravian University
• divided into several sections: down-town (Inner City), Borovina, Horka-Domky, Jejkov, Nové Dvory, Nové Město, Podklášteří, Stařečka, Týn, Zámostí, several villages near to the town (Pocoucov, Ptáčov, Řípov, Slavice etc.)
• industries: Bopo Borovina (socks), Uniplet works (knitting machines), Tusculum (furniture), Prvni Brnenska (gas burners), ZON (lemonades), Tipa (Tipa-Frost ice creams); high unemployment (14%)
• bus and railway stations, town’s mass transit buses
• hospital, many smaller health facilities
2) Sights
• the Basilika of St. Prokop, built in Roman-Gothic style in 13th century, the West-Moravian Museum (Bethlehems, Moldawites, pipes)
• Jewish Town, two Synagogues, large Jewish cemetery, a monument of UNESCO
• St. Martin’s Church with clock, biggest clock’s dial in the whole country, 75m high, comparable with London Tower Clock
• Charles Square, 3rd largest in Czech Republic, sculpture of St. Cyril and Methodius, Decorated House, Black House
• important natives: artists: Miroslav Donutil, Oldrich Navratil; poets: Jakub Deml, Josef Zahradnicek, Vitezslav Nezval (most of them studied at the Trebic Grammar School); sports: Patrik Elias
3) Region
• Namest upon Oslava, the Castle with collection of wall tapestries, historical furniture, small copies of sculptures on Charles Bridge, military airport
• Jaromerice upon the Rokytna River, the Baroque Castle, church, gardens with Baroque sculptures, first Czech opera Foundation of Moravian Jaromerice by Fr. Vaclav Mica
• Moravske Budejovice, second largest in the district, grammar school, museum of old crafts
• Kralice upon Oslava, the Bible of the Unity of Czech Brothers was printed here
• Pribyslavice, two factories – filters, packing for eggs
• Dalesice, factory for beer production (brewery), known from the movie Postriziny
4) Nature
• the cleanest air all over the Czech Republic
• ponds, lakes, forests, woods
• Svatoslav, mushrooming
• Heraltice, water, minerals
• Mohelno steppe, rare plants and animals
1) Trebic
• situated on the both banks of the river Jihlava, in south-west part of Moravia
• population about 40 thousand (increased about twice because of building Dukovany nuclear power plant and Dalesice power station)
• foundation: 900 years ago, village around Benedictine Monastery (1101)
• lots of offices, health centers, schools, shops, sport halls, indoor swimming-pools, cinemas, a number of restaurants, cafes, pubs, historical places of interest
• about 10 elementary schools (specializations: sports, mathematic, languages)
• secondary schools: the Grammar School, the Business Academy, the Secondary Industrial School, the Secondary School of Health, few apprentice centers
• the West-Moravian University
• divided into several sections: down-town (Inner City), Borovina, Horka-Domky, Jejkov, Nové Dvory, Nové Město, Podklášteří, Stařečka, Týn, Zámostí, several villages near to the town (Pocoucov, Ptáčov, Řípov, Slavice etc.)
• industries: Bopo Borovina (socks), Uniplet works (knitting machines), Tusculum (furniture), Prvni Brnenska (gas burners), ZON (lemonades), Tipa (Tipa-Frost ice creams); high unemployment (14%)
• bus and railway stations, town’s mass transit buses
• hospital, many smaller health facilities
2) Sights
• the Basilika of St. Prokop, built in Roman-Gothic style in 13th century, the West-Moravian Museum (Bethlehems, Moldawites, pipes)
• Jewish Town, two Synagogues, large Jewish cemetery, a monument of UNESCO
• St. Martin’s Church with clock, biggest clock’s dial in the whole country, 75m high, comparable with London Tower Clock
• Charles Square, 3rd largest in Czech Republic, sculpture of St. Cyril and Methodius, Decorated House, Black House
• important natives: artists: Miroslav Donutil, Oldrich Navratil; poets: Jakub Deml, Josef Zahradnicek, Vitezslav Nezval (most of them studied at the Trebic Grammar School); sports: Patrik Elias
3) Region
• Namest upon Oslava, the Castle with collection of wall tapestries, historical furniture, small copies of sculptures on Charles Bridge, military airport
• Jaromerice upon the Rokytna River, the Baroque Castle, church, gardens with Baroque sculptures, first Czech opera Foundation of Moravian Jaromerice by Fr. Vaclav Mica
• Moravske Budejovice, second largest in the district, grammar school, museum of old crafts
• Kralice upon Oslava, the Bible of the Unity of Czech Brothers was printed here
• Pribyslavice, two factories – filters, packing for eggs
• Dalesice, factory for beer production (brewery), known from the movie Postriziny
4) Nature
• the cleanest air all over the Czech Republic
• ponds, lakes, forests, woods
• Svatoslav, mushrooming
• Heraltice, water, minerals
• Mohelno steppe, rare plants and animals
Postal Services
(writing letters – formal and informal style, sending letters, Internet – usage, advantages, disadvantages, holidays in our country, in the USA, in Great Britain – origin, customs)
1) Postal services
• sending letter, cable, parcel, buy stamps, send money, phone somebody
• post office in every town, almost every village
• English letters, open with “Dear”, close with “Your sincerely”, my letters in English: only e-mails
• differences in writing address (number of the house comes before the name of the street)
• write the letter, sign it, put it into an envelope, stick down the envelope, write address, place a stamp to right upper corner, drop to pillar-box
• registered letters: have to go to post office, fill in a certificate of posting, pay registration fee
• sending parcels: weight the packet parcel, fill in a form, stick a label on the parcel, pay fee
• postal services for me: necessary only parcels and sometimes registered letters
2) Internet
• transmitting information from one place to another via FTP
• since 1995 world wide web via HTTP (80%)
• multimedia documents – contains text, images, audio, video
• useful for: looking for information, shopping, banking, travelling information, search engines
• e-mail: easy, cheap, quick way to send messages
• connections: dialup, ADSL, GPRS, Wi-Fi
• real-time applications: Internet chat, web cameras and telephoning
• disadvantages: slow speed, cost in Czech Republic, viruses and worms, hackers, privacy problems
3) Red-letter days
• 1st January, New Year’s Day (resolutions for new year)
• 14th February, St. Valentine’s Day, useless romantic gifts, unsigned cards with hearts and message “Be my Valentine”
• end of March or beginning of April, Easter, boys beat girls with Easter twigs, get colourful Easter eggs, in GB children look for presents hidden in garden
• 1st April, All Fool’s Day
• 1st May, festival of working people May Day, 8th Liberation
• 1st June, international festival of children
• 4th July, independence day in the USA, 5th Cyril and Methodius, 6th John Huss burning
• 28th October, foundation of Czech Republic, 31st Halloween
• 1st November, All Saint’s Day and All Souls, 6th Guy Fawkes Day (commemorates the failed attempt, by a group of Catholic revolutionaries in the 17th century to blow up the Houses of Parliament), 17th Velvet Revolution, Student’s day, fourth Thursday Thanksgiving Day in USA
• December, Christmas, in Europe presents on the evening of the 24th (Christmas Eve), in English-speaking countries on the morning of 25th (Christmas Day), 31st New Year’s Eve (celebrations, important in Scotland – Hogmanay)
1) Postal services
• sending letter, cable, parcel, buy stamps, send money, phone somebody
• post office in every town, almost every village
• English letters, open with “Dear”, close with “Your sincerely”, my letters in English: only e-mails
• differences in writing address (number of the house comes before the name of the street)
• write the letter, sign it, put it into an envelope, stick down the envelope, write address, place a stamp to right upper corner, drop to pillar-box
• registered letters: have to go to post office, fill in a certificate of posting, pay registration fee
• sending parcels: weight the packet parcel, fill in a form, stick a label on the parcel, pay fee
• postal services for me: necessary only parcels and sometimes registered letters
2) Internet
• transmitting information from one place to another via FTP
• since 1995 world wide web via HTTP (80%)
• multimedia documents – contains text, images, audio, video
• useful for: looking for information, shopping, banking, travelling information, search engines
• e-mail: easy, cheap, quick way to send messages
• connections: dialup, ADSL, GPRS, Wi-Fi
• real-time applications: Internet chat, web cameras and telephoning
• disadvantages: slow speed, cost in Czech Republic, viruses and worms, hackers, privacy problems
3) Red-letter days
• 1st January, New Year’s Day (resolutions for new year)
• 14th February, St. Valentine’s Day, useless romantic gifts, unsigned cards with hearts and message “Be my Valentine”
• end of March or beginning of April, Easter, boys beat girls with Easter twigs, get colourful Easter eggs, in GB children look for presents hidden in garden
• 1st April, All Fool’s Day
• 1st May, festival of working people May Day, 8th Liberation
• 1st June, international festival of children
• 4th July, independence day in the USA, 5th Cyril and Methodius, 6th John Huss burning
• 28th October, foundation of Czech Republic, 31st Halloween
• 1st November, All Saint’s Day and All Souls, 6th Guy Fawkes Day (commemorates the failed attempt, by a group of Catholic revolutionaries in the 17th century to blow up the Houses of Parliament), 17th Velvet Revolution, Student’s day, fourth Thursday Thanksgiving Day in USA
• December, Christmas, in Europe presents on the evening of the 24th (Christmas Eve), in English-speaking countries on the morning of 25th (Christmas Day), 31st New Year’s Eve (celebrations, important in Scotland – Hogmanay)
Weather, Seasons
(weather forecast, comparing the seasons, typical weather conditions in our country, weather in Great Britain, problems caused by bad weather, global warming, greenhouse effect)
1) Seasons
• spring: nature returns to life, vegetation grows (sunshine, rain, rainbow)
• summer: hot weather, best season because of holidays, students can: go for walks or trips, bathe in river or swimming pool, get a suntan, go in for sports, take part in some paid work
• autumn: leaves turn yellow and red and fall to the ground, birds migrate to south, windy and chilly days
• winter: weather is cold, often freezes, snows, children throw snowballs, build snowmen, sledge, ski or skate
2) Weather in Great Britain
• very changeable, rains a lot, sun often shines
• average temperature of 5 degrees in winter, doesn’t go above 30 degrees in summer
• days long in summer, short in winter
• sometimes fog (not so often as foreigners think)
• tomorrow’s weather unknown
• English summer: three fine days and thunderstorm
• climate influenced by the Gulf Stream
• pastures and meadows green and fresh all over the year (cattle and sheep can be outside even in winter)
• snow in southern parts very rare, causes calamity
• annual rainfall over one meter
• short sunlight (in north 5 hours daily in summer, half an hour daily in winter)
3) Weather in Czech Republic
• continental type of climate
• warm summer, temperatures from 25 to 30 degrees, up to 35 degrees
• cold winter, temperatures from 5 to 10 below freezing point, sometimes is even –20 degrees
• average temperature 10 degrees
4) Greenhouse effect and problems
• the Earth is warmed up naturally by the atmosphere which traps solar radiation
• atmospheric emission, i. e. carbon dioxide (burning fossil fuels), nitrogen oxides (car exhaust), CFCs (freons)
• rise in the Earth’s temperature, melting of arctic ice, flooding
• ozone on the ground level (diseases, asthma, corrosion of certain materials)
• ozone in the upper atmosphere (protection from ultraviolet rays, skin cancer, ozone hole over Antarctica)
• problems caused by bad weather: hurricanes, floods, snow calamites, drought (sucho)
1) Seasons
• spring: nature returns to life, vegetation grows (sunshine, rain, rainbow)
• summer: hot weather, best season because of holidays, students can: go for walks or trips, bathe in river or swimming pool, get a suntan, go in for sports, take part in some paid work
• autumn: leaves turn yellow and red and fall to the ground, birds migrate to south, windy and chilly days
• winter: weather is cold, often freezes, snows, children throw snowballs, build snowmen, sledge, ski or skate
2) Weather in Great Britain
• very changeable, rains a lot, sun often shines
• average temperature of 5 degrees in winter, doesn’t go above 30 degrees in summer
• days long in summer, short in winter
• sometimes fog (not so often as foreigners think)
• tomorrow’s weather unknown
• English summer: three fine days and thunderstorm
• climate influenced by the Gulf Stream
• pastures and meadows green and fresh all over the year (cattle and sheep can be outside even in winter)
• snow in southern parts very rare, causes calamity
• annual rainfall over one meter
• short sunlight (in north 5 hours daily in summer, half an hour daily in winter)
3) Weather in Czech Republic
• continental type of climate
• warm summer, temperatures from 25 to 30 degrees, up to 35 degrees
• cold winter, temperatures from 5 to 10 below freezing point, sometimes is even –20 degrees
• average temperature 10 degrees
4) Greenhouse effect and problems
• the Earth is warmed up naturally by the atmosphere which traps solar radiation
• atmospheric emission, i. e. carbon dioxide (burning fossil fuels), nitrogen oxides (car exhaust), CFCs (freons)
• rise in the Earth’s temperature, melting of arctic ice, flooding
• ozone on the ground level (diseases, asthma, corrosion of certain materials)
• ozone in the upper atmosphere (protection from ultraviolet rays, skin cancer, ozone hole over Antarctica)
• problems caused by bad weather: hurricanes, floods, snow calamites, drought (sucho)
Great Britain
(history, geographical features, system of government, lifestyle, regions, sights, industries)
1) Great Britain
• official title for union of England, Scotland and Wales (with Northern Ireland creates the United Kingdom, together with Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other territories the Commonwealth of Nations)
• on British Isles [a:ils]: largest Great Britain and Ireland, smaller Isle of Wight, Isle of Man, Hebrides, Orkneys, Shetlands, Channel Islands (near French coast)
• four parts: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
• highest peak Ben Nevis in Scotland, 1342m high
• rivers Severn, Thames (England), Clyde (Scotland)
• unstable weather, rain common throughout the year, autumn especially unpleasant (rainy, foggy, windy), winter mild, doesn’t snow much; mild climate due to Gulf stream
• population: 58 million, said to be conservative
• currency: pound, flag: “Union Jack”, anthem God Save the Queen
• Englishmen like animals, small houses (made of bricks), old traditions and habits
• best known newspapers: The Times, The Independent, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The Daily Mirror
• two big parties: Conservatives, Labour Party
• constitutional monarchy, Queen Elizabeth II. since 1953
• Parliament has two houses: the House of Lords (hereditary for life), the House of Commons (63, elections every 5 years), the Prime Minister (Tony Blaire)
2) England and its important places
• London, capital
• Oxford and Cambridge, university towns, rowing challenge every year
• Canterbury, seat of the Archbishop, magnificent cathedral, pilgrims in the Middle Ages, known from Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales
• York, residence of the Archbishop of the Anglican Church, cathedral York Minster
• Winchester, Winchester cathedral from 7th century
• Stonehenge, historical monument with giant stone circles, more than 3000 years old, purpose unknown, probably religious and astronomical
• Plymouth, ship port, in 1620 a group of puritans escaped from there in a ship called Mayflower to America
• Stratford upon Avon, 2nd most visited town in England, Shakespeare’s birthplace
• Liverpool, the city of Beatles
• the Lake District, national park since 1951, lakes, i. e. Windermere (16km long, 70km wide)
• Birmingham, geographical heart of England, 2nd largest, industry (iron ore, coal), the National Exhibition Center for fairs
• Manchester, coal mining and engineering, textile industries producing woolen textiles called manchester
3) Scotland and its important places
• Scottish – playing bagpipes, wearing Scottish skirts
• Glasgow, largest in Scotland, big steelwork, shipyard, International Jazz Festival
• Edinburgh, capital, Festival of Music and Drama, birthplace of Walter Scott
• lakes in Scotland are called lochs
• Loch Ness, famous since 1933 because of the Loch Ness monster Nessie
1) Great Britain
• official title for union of England, Scotland and Wales (with Northern Ireland creates the United Kingdom, together with Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other territories the Commonwealth of Nations)
• on British Isles [a:ils]: largest Great Britain and Ireland, smaller Isle of Wight, Isle of Man, Hebrides, Orkneys, Shetlands, Channel Islands (near French coast)
• four parts: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
• highest peak Ben Nevis in Scotland, 1342m high
• rivers Severn, Thames (England), Clyde (Scotland)
• unstable weather, rain common throughout the year, autumn especially unpleasant (rainy, foggy, windy), winter mild, doesn’t snow much; mild climate due to Gulf stream
• population: 58 million, said to be conservative
• currency: pound, flag: “Union Jack”, anthem God Save the Queen
• Englishmen like animals, small houses (made of bricks), old traditions and habits
• best known newspapers: The Times, The Independent, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The Daily Mirror
• two big parties: Conservatives, Labour Party
• constitutional monarchy, Queen Elizabeth II. since 1953
• Parliament has two houses: the House of Lords (hereditary for life), the House of Commons (63, elections every 5 years), the Prime Minister (Tony Blaire)
2) England and its important places
• London, capital
• Oxford and Cambridge, university towns, rowing challenge every year
• Canterbury, seat of the Archbishop, magnificent cathedral, pilgrims in the Middle Ages, known from Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales
• York, residence of the Archbishop of the Anglican Church, cathedral York Minster
• Winchester, Winchester cathedral from 7th century
• Stonehenge, historical monument with giant stone circles, more than 3000 years old, purpose unknown, probably religious and astronomical
• Plymouth, ship port, in 1620 a group of puritans escaped from there in a ship called Mayflower to America
• Stratford upon Avon, 2nd most visited town in England, Shakespeare’s birthplace
• Liverpool, the city of Beatles
• the Lake District, national park since 1951, lakes, i. e. Windermere (16km long, 70km wide)
• Birmingham, geographical heart of England, 2nd largest, industry (iron ore, coal), the National Exhibition Center for fairs
• Manchester, coal mining and engineering, textile industries producing woolen textiles called manchester
3) Scotland and its important places
• Scottish – playing bagpipes, wearing Scottish skirts
• Glasgow, largest in Scotland, big steelwork, shipyard, International Jazz Festival
• Edinburgh, capital, Festival of Music and Drama, birthplace of Walter Scott
• lakes in Scotland are called lochs
• Loch Ness, famous since 1933 because of the Loch Ness monster Nessie
London
(history of the city, well-known sights, museums and galleries, parks, theatres, industries)
1) London
• capital of both England and the United Kingdom
• lies on the river Thames
• 7 million people
• 2 thousand years old, 1665 plague, 1666 great fire (80% of city destroyed), Millennium Circle
• the seat of the Monarch, the Parliament, the Government, the Supreme Court
• the Prime Meridian of the World runs across Greenwich in the east London
• 5 airports (largest Heathrow), underground (called tube, oldest in the world), red double decker buses, black old taxis, ships and boats
• parts of London: the City of London (oldest), the East End (many new immigrants, home of working people), the West End (shops, theatres, banks, residential areas, parks)
2) Important places
• the Tower of London, William the Conqueror began to build the White Tower (royal home, prison, execution site, observatory), now museum (arsenal weapons, the Crown Jewels)
• Tower Bridge, most famous bridge in London, can be raised in middle
• St. Paul’s Cathedral, built by Christopher Wren, Whispering Gallery with interesting acoustic
• the Houses of Parliament, political centre of the UK, home of British Parliament, divided into House of Commons and House of Lords
• Big Ben, bells in the tower clock of the Houses of Parliament, its strike used by BBC as a time signal
• Westminster Abbey, church, where monarchs are crowned and heroes buried, the Poet’s Corner (Shakespeare, Milton, Chaucer)
• Whitehall, lined with Government along both sides, Headquarters of the Royal Horse Guard, changing of the Guard
• Downing Street, no. 10 home of Prime Minister
• Buckingham Palace, home of the kings and queens, in front the Queen Victoria Monument
• Trafalgar Square with Nelson’s Column, largest square in London
• National Gallery, on side of Trafalgar Square, exhibition of paintings
• Piccadilly Circus, centre of entertainment (night clubs, theatres, cinemas, restaurants)
• Hyde Park with Speaker’s Corner, everybody can speak here publicly without fear of being arrested
• Regent’s Park with a ZOO, rich collection of animals
• Baker Street, home of Sherlock Holmes
• London Dungeon, medieval horror museum
• Madame Tussaud’s, museum of wax portraits of famous world figures
• Oxford street, shopping facilities, Harrods, Marks & Spencer
1) London
• capital of both England and the United Kingdom
• lies on the river Thames
• 7 million people
• 2 thousand years old, 1665 plague, 1666 great fire (80% of city destroyed), Millennium Circle
• the seat of the Monarch, the Parliament, the Government, the Supreme Court
• the Prime Meridian of the World runs across Greenwich in the east London
• 5 airports (largest Heathrow), underground (called tube, oldest in the world), red double decker buses, black old taxis, ships and boats
• parts of London: the City of London (oldest), the East End (many new immigrants, home of working people), the West End (shops, theatres, banks, residential areas, parks)
2) Important places
• the Tower of London, William the Conqueror began to build the White Tower (royal home, prison, execution site, observatory), now museum (arsenal weapons, the Crown Jewels)
• Tower Bridge, most famous bridge in London, can be raised in middle
• St. Paul’s Cathedral, built by Christopher Wren, Whispering Gallery with interesting acoustic
• the Houses of Parliament, political centre of the UK, home of British Parliament, divided into House of Commons and House of Lords
• Big Ben, bells in the tower clock of the Houses of Parliament, its strike used by BBC as a time signal
• Westminster Abbey, church, where monarchs are crowned and heroes buried, the Poet’s Corner (Shakespeare, Milton, Chaucer)
• Whitehall, lined with Government along both sides, Headquarters of the Royal Horse Guard, changing of the Guard
• Downing Street, no. 10 home of Prime Minister
• Buckingham Palace, home of the kings and queens, in front the Queen Victoria Monument
• Trafalgar Square with Nelson’s Column, largest square in London
• National Gallery, on side of Trafalgar Square, exhibition of paintings
• Piccadilly Circus, centre of entertainment (night clubs, theatres, cinemas, restaurants)
• Hyde Park with Speaker’s Corner, everybody can speak here publicly without fear of being arrested
• Regent’s Park with a ZOO, rich collection of animals
• Baker Street, home of Sherlock Holmes
• London Dungeon, medieval horror museum
• Madame Tussaud’s, museum of wax portraits of famous world figures
• Oxford street, shopping facilities, Harrods, Marks & Spencer
The United States of America
(history, geographical features, system of government, lifestyle, regions, sights, industries)
1) The USA
• 4th largest country of the world
• border on Mexico, Canada, Atlantic and Pacific oceans
• part of USA – Alaska, Hawaiian Islands
• population over 250 million
• head of state – president George Bush jr., federation of 50 states
• currency US Dollar
• flag: blue oblong with 50 stars and white oblong with red stripes
• leading position in industrial production (transportation equipment, food products, chemicals, mechanical engineering, electronic engineering, textile etc.) and agricultural production (wheat, soya beans, oats, potatoes, cotton, tobacco etc.)
• discovered on 12th October 1492 by Christopher Columbus
• settlement started in 1620
• 18th century the Movement for Independence (George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson)
• 19th century the Civil War (Abraham Lincoln)
2) Nature
• eastern region: Appalachians
• western region: Cordilleras (Rocky Mountains, Great Basin with Death Valley, Colorado Plateau with Grand Canyon)
• Great Californian Valley surrounded by Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada and Coast Range
• highest peak – Mt. McKinley in Alaska
• rivers Mississippi, Missouri, Hudson (connected to Great Lakes), Colorado, Columbia, Rio Grande, Yukon
• Great Lakes: Lake Superior, Huron, Erie, Ontario, Michigan (border with Canada, Michigan belongs only to USA)
• the Grand Canyon, rock valley 350km long, 6 to 29km wide, up to 1.7km deep
• Yellowstone National Park, in the Rocky Mountains, largest and oldest nature reserve in the USA
3) Cities
• Washington D. C., capital of the USA, building of Capitol (the Senate Wing, the House of Representatives Wing) – houses the US Congress; Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, The Pentagon, The White House
• New York, largest city, industrial port; five parts (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Richmond); financial center Wall Street; large number of skyscrapers, the Statue of Liberty, WTC destroyed by terrorist attack, the Empire State Building
• Los Angels, 2nd largest, known for Hollywood (center of film industry), Beverly Hills; each year American Film Academy awards Oscars, center of crime, university Caltech, Disneyland
• San Francisco, one of the cleanest cities, Golden Gate Bridge
• New Orleans, the city where jazz was born
• Houston, famous for NASA base (National Army Space Academy)
• Florida, tourist area, long beaches on Miami
• Philadelphia, place where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed
• Chicago, first skyscraper in the world, the highest skyscraper is Sears Tower (almost half kilometer high), gangsters’ city during prohibition (Al Capone)
• Detroit, center of US car industry (Ford, Chrysler, General Motors, Chevrolet, Cadillac)
• Dallas, oil industry, John F. Kennedy was killed there, TV serial Dallas
• Boston, often called Cradle of Liberty, known for Boston Tea Party in 1775
• Cambridge, seat of Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Plymouth, first pilgrims settled there in 1620
• Princeton, seat of Princeton University where Albert Einstein gave his lectures
1) The USA
• 4th largest country of the world
• border on Mexico, Canada, Atlantic and Pacific oceans
• part of USA – Alaska, Hawaiian Islands
• population over 250 million
• head of state – president George Bush jr., federation of 50 states
• currency US Dollar
• flag: blue oblong with 50 stars and white oblong with red stripes
• leading position in industrial production (transportation equipment, food products, chemicals, mechanical engineering, electronic engineering, textile etc.) and agricultural production (wheat, soya beans, oats, potatoes, cotton, tobacco etc.)
• discovered on 12th October 1492 by Christopher Columbus
• settlement started in 1620
• 18th century the Movement for Independence (George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson)
• 19th century the Civil War (Abraham Lincoln)
2) Nature
• eastern region: Appalachians
• western region: Cordilleras (Rocky Mountains, Great Basin with Death Valley, Colorado Plateau with Grand Canyon)
• Great Californian Valley surrounded by Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada and Coast Range
• highest peak – Mt. McKinley in Alaska
• rivers Mississippi, Missouri, Hudson (connected to Great Lakes), Colorado, Columbia, Rio Grande, Yukon
• Great Lakes: Lake Superior, Huron, Erie, Ontario, Michigan (border with Canada, Michigan belongs only to USA)
• the Grand Canyon, rock valley 350km long, 6 to 29km wide, up to 1.7km deep
• Yellowstone National Park, in the Rocky Mountains, largest and oldest nature reserve in the USA
3) Cities
• Washington D. C., capital of the USA, building of Capitol (the Senate Wing, the House of Representatives Wing) – houses the US Congress; Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, The Pentagon, The White House
• New York, largest city, industrial port; five parts (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Richmond); financial center Wall Street; large number of skyscrapers, the Statue of Liberty, WTC destroyed by terrorist attack, the Empire State Building
• Los Angels, 2nd largest, known for Hollywood (center of film industry), Beverly Hills; each year American Film Academy awards Oscars, center of crime, university Caltech, Disneyland
• San Francisco, one of the cleanest cities, Golden Gate Bridge
• New Orleans, the city where jazz was born
• Houston, famous for NASA base (National Army Space Academy)
• Florida, tourist area, long beaches on Miami
• Philadelphia, place where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed
• Chicago, first skyscraper in the world, the highest skyscraper is Sears Tower (almost half kilometer high), gangsters’ city during prohibition (Al Capone)
• Detroit, center of US car industry (Ford, Chrysler, General Motors, Chevrolet, Cadillac)
• Dallas, oil industry, John F. Kennedy was killed there, TV serial Dallas
• Boston, often called Cradle of Liberty, known for Boston Tea Party in 1775
• Cambridge, seat of Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Plymouth, first pilgrims settled there in 1620
• Princeton, seat of Princeton University where Albert Einstein gave his lectures
Canada
(history, geographical features, system of government, lifestyle, regions, sights, industries)
1) Canada
• dominion of the UK
• federal state, 10 provinces, federal parliament
• capital Ottawa, cities Toronto, Quebec, Montreal, Vancouver, Winnipeg
• borders only on the USA (Alaska in the north)
• population of 27 million, density only 2-3 people per square kilometer, 2nd largest after Russia, 10 mil. sq. kilometers
• 185 thousand Indians, 20 thousand Eskimos
• modern history started by John Cabot 500 years ago
• French colony (New France), then English colony
• now a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations (also United Nations and Organization of American States)
• continental climate, in the north arctic
• languages: English and French
• mineral resources: gold, ores, oil, natural gas
• flag: maple leaf red and white
• currency: Canadian dollar
2) Nature
• mountain range the Cordilleras (Rocky Mountains, Mackenzie Mountains, Melville Hills)
• prairies suitable for wheat growing
• rivers: Mackenzie, Yukon, Fraser, Columbia, St. Lawrence River
• Great Lakes: Lake Superior, Huron, Erie, Ontario, Michigan (border with the USA, Michigan belongs only to USA)
• Niagara Falls between Lake Erie and Ontario, 49 meters high
• other lakes: Lake of Wood, Great Slave Lake, Great Bear Lake
3) Provinces
• maritime provinces: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, New Foundland
• central provinces: Quebec (French language), Ontario
• prairie provinces: Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta
• British Columbia in the west
• territories: Yukon, North-West
4) Industry and agriculture
• machine building industry (Hamilton)
• ships (Montreal, Toronto), cars (Ottawa)
• petrochemical industry, consumer industry, forestry
• agricultural products: tobacco, fruits, vegetables, oats, wheat
1) Canada
• dominion of the UK
• federal state, 10 provinces, federal parliament
• capital Ottawa, cities Toronto, Quebec, Montreal, Vancouver, Winnipeg
• borders only on the USA (Alaska in the north)
• population of 27 million, density only 2-3 people per square kilometer, 2nd largest after Russia, 10 mil. sq. kilometers
• 185 thousand Indians, 20 thousand Eskimos
• modern history started by John Cabot 500 years ago
• French colony (New France), then English colony
• now a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations (also United Nations and Organization of American States)
• continental climate, in the north arctic
• languages: English and French
• mineral resources: gold, ores, oil, natural gas
• flag: maple leaf red and white
• currency: Canadian dollar
2) Nature
• mountain range the Cordilleras (Rocky Mountains, Mackenzie Mountains, Melville Hills)
• prairies suitable for wheat growing
• rivers: Mackenzie, Yukon, Fraser, Columbia, St. Lawrence River
• Great Lakes: Lake Superior, Huron, Erie, Ontario, Michigan (border with the USA, Michigan belongs only to USA)
• Niagara Falls between Lake Erie and Ontario, 49 meters high
• other lakes: Lake of Wood, Great Slave Lake, Great Bear Lake
3) Provinces
• maritime provinces: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, New Foundland
• central provinces: Quebec (French language), Ontario
• prairie provinces: Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta
• British Columbia in the west
• territories: Yukon, North-West
4) Industry and agriculture
• machine building industry (Hamilton)
• ships (Montreal, Toronto), cars (Ottawa)
• petrochemical industry, consumer industry, forestry
• agricultural products: tobacco, fruits, vegetables, oats, wheat
The Czech Republic
(history, geographical features, system of government, regions, industries, nature, protected areas, holiday destinations, landmarks)
1) The Czech Republic
• situated in Central Europe, the heart of Europe, inland country
• formed an 1st January 1993 after splitting of Czechoslovakia
• borders on Poland, Germany, Austria, Slovakia
• area over 78 thousand square kilometers
• population over 10 million
• currency is Czech crown
• capital is Prague
2) History
• inhabited by Slavonic tribes since the 5th century A. D.
• first Slavonic state – Samo’s Empire, founded 623
• Great Moravian Empire, than Premyslid family
• during the reign of Charles IV. center of Holy Roman Empire
• Hussite movement, John Huss
• Hapsburg dynasty, liquidation of Czech literature, culture
• after World War I. in 1918 the Czechoslovak Republic established
• during World War II. German occupation
• “Prague spring” in 1968 – invasion of the Soviet army and normalization
• velvet revolution in 1989
• splitting Czechoslovakia into the Czech and Slovak Republics in 1993
3) Political system
• The President – representative person, chief of the Armed Forces
• Parliament, the legislative branch, consists of the winning parts, down house – The Senate
• Government, the executive power, consists of deputies, winners in election district
• The Supreme Court, the judicial branch, seat in Brno
4) Nature
• mountain ranges (the): Ore Mountains, Sumava range, Giant Mountains (highest peak – Snezka 1602m), Jizerske Mountains, Little Carpathian
• rivers: Elbe, Morava, Oder; dams: Lipno, Orlik, Slapy
5) Industry
• heavy – metallurgy (Ostrava, Kladno), engineering (Praha, Brno, Plzen), electrical engineering, precision engineering, car industry (Mlada Boleslav), chemical industry (Litvinov, Neratovice)
• light – textile industry (Klatovy, Liberec, Pisek, Prostejov), clothing industry (Praha), shoe making industry (Zlin), food industry (Olomouc, Plzen)
6) Important places
• spas: Karlovy Vary, Frantiskovy Lazne, Janske Lazne, Luhacovice
• castles: Karlstejn, Bitov, Hluboka nad Vltavou, Lednice, Pernstejn
• Brno – trade fairs (International Engineering trade Fair, Invex, Gaudeamus), engineering (locomotives, turbines), electronic industry (TV sets, washing machines, fridges)
• Plzen – Skoda engineering works, beer production (Plsner Urquell, Gambrinus)
• Kladno – metallurgical works (Poldi Kladno)
• Zlin – footwear industry, rubber industry
• Jablonec – fashion jewellery, Liaz automobile works
• Usti nad Labem – chemical works
• Olomouc – Moravska ironworks
• Znojmo – food industry
• Pardubice – food industry (gingerbread), electrical engineering
1) The Czech Republic
• situated in Central Europe, the heart of Europe, inland country
• formed an 1st January 1993 after splitting of Czechoslovakia
• borders on Poland, Germany, Austria, Slovakia
• area over 78 thousand square kilometers
• population over 10 million
• currency is Czech crown
• capital is Prague
2) History
• inhabited by Slavonic tribes since the 5th century A. D.
• first Slavonic state – Samo’s Empire, founded 623
• Great Moravian Empire, than Premyslid family
• during the reign of Charles IV. center of Holy Roman Empire
• Hussite movement, John Huss
• Hapsburg dynasty, liquidation of Czech literature, culture
• after World War I. in 1918 the Czechoslovak Republic established
• during World War II. German occupation
• “Prague spring” in 1968 – invasion of the Soviet army and normalization
• velvet revolution in 1989
• splitting Czechoslovakia into the Czech and Slovak Republics in 1993
3) Political system
• The President – representative person, chief of the Armed Forces
• Parliament, the legislative branch, consists of the winning parts, down house – The Senate
• Government, the executive power, consists of deputies, winners in election district
• The Supreme Court, the judicial branch, seat in Brno
4) Nature
• mountain ranges (the): Ore Mountains, Sumava range, Giant Mountains (highest peak – Snezka 1602m), Jizerske Mountains, Little Carpathian
• rivers: Elbe, Morava, Oder; dams: Lipno, Orlik, Slapy
5) Industry
• heavy – metallurgy (Ostrava, Kladno), engineering (Praha, Brno, Plzen), electrical engineering, precision engineering, car industry (Mlada Boleslav), chemical industry (Litvinov, Neratovice)
• light – textile industry (Klatovy, Liberec, Pisek, Prostejov), clothing industry (Praha), shoe making industry (Zlin), food industry (Olomouc, Plzen)
6) Important places
• spas: Karlovy Vary, Frantiskovy Lazne, Janske Lazne, Luhacovice
• castles: Karlstejn, Bitov, Hluboka nad Vltavou, Lednice, Pernstejn
• Brno – trade fairs (International Engineering trade Fair, Invex, Gaudeamus), engineering (locomotives, turbines), electronic industry (TV sets, washing machines, fridges)
• Plzen – Skoda engineering works, beer production (Plsner Urquell, Gambrinus)
• Kladno – metallurgical works (Poldi Kladno)
• Zlin – footwear industry, rubber industry
• Jablonec – fashion jewellery, Liaz automobile works
• Usti nad Labem – chemical works
• Olomouc – Moravska ironworks
• Znojmo – food industry
• Pardubice – food industry (gingerbread), electrical engineering
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