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Business Trips
Never before in the history of the world have businessmen traveled as much as they do today. It is not surprising because we are living in a world of growing international trade and expanding economic and technical cooperation. Though it is fascinating for tourist travelling, it has become the most tiring of all occupations for many businessmen and experts. Therefore, choosing a comfortable hotel to stay at is a matter of big importance. There are plenty of good hotels, motels and guesthouses in the world, which are conviently located in major business centers.
Many developing countries, such as India, Egypt, Nigeria, Lybia, etc have excellent hotels. Their numerous facilities include both large and small cocktail bars, barber shops and conference halls equipped with simultaneous, multilingual translation systems. There are parking areas which can accomodate a lot of cars. It might be useful for travelling businessmen and tourists to know that tailor shops, shoe repair shops, laundry and dry cleaning services are available for guests. People in the office help guests to book train or steamer tickets and rent a car. They are also ready to give all necessary information. Nowadays people who go on business mostly travel by air as it is the fastest means of travelling. Passengers are requested to arrive at the airport 2 hours before the departure time on international flights and an hour on domestic flights, as there must be enough time to complete the necessary airport formalities. Passengers must register their tickets, weigh and register the luggage.
Most airlines have at least 2 classes of travel: first class and economy class which is cheaper. Each passenger of more than 2 years of age has a free luggage allowance. Generally this limit is 20kg for economic class passenger and 30kg for first class passenger. Excess luggage must be paid for except for some articles that can be carried free of charge. Each passenger is given a boarding card to show at departure gate and again to the stewardess when boarding the plane. Watch the electric sign flashes when you are on board, when the "Fasten Seat Belts" sign goes on do it promptly and also obey the "No Smoking" signal. Do not forget your personal effects when leaving the plane.
British Homes
There are 22 million homes in Britain - big homes and small homes, old cottages and new buildings, houses and flats. (Americans say "apartment" but British people say "flat"). Many British people love old houses and these are often more expensive than modern ones. They also love gardening and you will see gardens everywhere you go: in towns, villages and out in the country. Some are very small with just one tree and a few flowers. Others are enormous with plenty of flowers and enough vegetables and fruit trees. Two third of the families in Britain own their houses. Millions of these houses are the same with two or three bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs, dining-room and kitchen downstairs. To pay for their house, home owners borrow money from a "building society" and pay back a little every month.There are a great many different kinds of homes in Britain, but there are not enough! It is often very difficult for young people to find a home when they want to start a family. British homes are usually smaller than American homes. But like in America, in Britain the older generation of the family and their married children do not usually live together.
Brands
What is a brand? In my opinion, it's not only a trademark of some company, but the name of certain product we use every day. For example, speaking about coffee most of us say Nescafe, but not 'coffee'. This short example also illustrates the main aim of producers - to create brand popularity, so that most of people would recognize the product among the competitors products. Advertising campaigns are launched to enhance brand awareness, that's why sometimes brand costs more than the whole company, for example one day of advertising at Yandex website (what is called by Yandex sales managers as 'increasing brand popularity') costs $20,000. Recognition of a brand or, how it's called, brand awareness helps people to find the necessary size, quantity, taste, especially, when they are in another country and don't know the local products' specifications. What qualities should brand name possess? First of all, it should be eye-catching. NameLab, company, which creates brand names, gives an example of 7-Up Company, which lost $120 millions using name 'Lyke Cola' as a brand name first time after launching its product. Lexicon Company was more original, creating brand name 'Pentium' for the Intel Processor: "We've got '-ium' from the scientific text - founder of Lexicon says, - and multiplied it with 'pent'. It sounded very strong, like a real chemical element." Name Sony is based on 'son', which means sound in most of the countries. As all brand names are registered and protected by law, no one else can produce the same product under such brand name. It's a very hard to create a new brand name, as more than 365,000 brands were registered in October, 2000 by American Patent Organization, whereas Oxford dictionary consists of 615,100 words, so some companies use brand stretching - using a leader-brand to launch a new product in a new category, e.g. 'Bochkarev' chips. Brands always add value to products. That's why branded products seem to be more expensive among other ones. But if we pay more, we pay for better quality. All in all, brands are one of the moving forces of globalisation.
Blackout
When I attended English courses we discussed a blackout happened few years ago in the USA. More than a third of its states was deprived of electricity and everything that depended on electric power such as water supply, lighting, conditioning and etc. We discussed a story, I don't remember whose, about reaction of someone Mr Bufkin when he found his TV set dead. And I wrote this story on his behalf.
Blackout (Mr. Bufkins' hidden thoughts)
Oops! Help! The screen of my TV set has turned black! Something's wrong! No lamp can be switched on, the fridge isn't buzzing, and the conditioner doesn't work either. It seems the Dooms day is coming! Stop! Don't be nervous! Look around! The sun is shining, curtains are swaying in the breeze, birds are singing. Oh, birds! When was the last time I heard them chattering? Oh, yeah! It was my school-leaving party. Mary and I hid in bushes in school yard, kissed and listened to a nightingale's song. What a wonderful night it was!
Put away these sweet memories! A catastrophe is coming! Nothing can be compared to it! Even… And what is it there outside my window? Yeah! It's the lawn with soft bright-green grass we made with… with… I can't remember who it was because it was very long ago. We had a TV set with vacuum tubes then. It must have weighed a ton! Look, someone takes care of the lawn! The grass is trimmed, leaves are removed, and the path is powdered with sand. I'd like to know who has done all this. It is so curious!
My poor TV set! Its screen is still black and it looks like a dead box now. It seems I'm dying too! Life is senseless without a television! And what is it? Oh, look, it's my lovely armchair! It's so familiar in touch and so unfamiliar on seeing. Here the hollow made by my fanny is and here beer spots I made watching soccer are. My dear armchair! I've not noticed before that you are pale brown.
Hush! Someone is stepping behind me. Who could it be? Let me see. I remember! I've got a family – my wife and two or three children. Oh, no, three children, exactly! How long ago did I marry? Let me count. It happened after I graduated from the University. I met Julia then and fell in love with her madly. We made dates every evening, sat in a coffee bar. She liked cakes and I wondered always that she could eat just a dozen. But she looked so sweet! At last we married. It happened in autumn. Nineteen or twenty years ago? Yeah, surely twenty! On October 4th or 14th? It was very cold so it was on 14th most likely. But what has happened to my brain? Would I be awoken in a dead night and asked about scores of last fifty soccer games, no doubt I could answer. But dates such as birthdays or anniversaries can't find the smallest room inside my head. I always forget them.
Someone's warm palms are put on my shoulders. I turn my head and, oh, god, see my Julia! She looks as attractive as many years ago. I have always thought that plates with supper and cups of tea and coffee appear on my table themselves and empty beer bottles go to trash bin by magic. Now I understand that it has been you, my loving and caring wife. I see her smiling face, smiles on the faces of my daughter and son, who are standing on the threshold of my room. It looks like we meet having been parted for very long time. We tell each other news. My younger children attend high school classes. The eldest daughter has got married, and she and her husband are having a tour over west states. She plays the guitar and he sings. I could never imagine that my Anny would play the guitar! World has changed enormously! I think changes will be greater when my grandchildren see the sunlight.
The god dammed "worldwide window"! "The eye into the Universe"! Here is my family, we kiss, we laugh, and we embrace each other. I'm so happy. It looks like a sun beam has slid into our house. So much time has been lost, so many feelings have been spared in vain! I'm reflecting over TV watching, and all of a sudden I understand that I have been losing my people. It's enough! I will throw out the TV set into a dustbin, I will spend more time with my children, I will surely say "I love you" to my Julia!
Stop! What is it that's shimmering inside my room? Who's talking there? Why the TV set is switched on to this program? The world cup game is transmitting over the fourth program! Where is my remote control? One, two, three, four. Here it is! The game has begun. And what's the score? Zero-zero. Who's in attack? My team is attacking! Go, go, go! Children, stop talking! Stop pushing me! Take your hands off me! Leave me alone! Let me watch the game! Hey you, forward! Kick the ball! Bingo! Goal!!! Goal!!!
At the Post-Office
If you want to buy stamps, postcards, envelopes, to send a telegram or money order, to subscribe to newspapers or magazines, you have to go to the post-office.At some post-offices there is a special window where you may pay your rent, telephone, gas and electricity bills.
Yesterday, I had to send a parcel to my friend in another city. So I went to the nearest post-office. I handed the package to the clerk at the window marked "Parcel Post". She weighed it and I paid for the stamps which she stuck on the package.
Then I went to the next window marked "Stamps". I had to queue up there. When my turn came, I bought writing paper, envelopes and a few stamps. I sat down at a desk and wrote a letter. When the letter was ready, I wrote the address on the envelope, stuck a stamp on it and dropped it into the nearest letter-box.
Appearance
How important is it for you to be attractive? Although everyone wants to be good looking, do you think beautiful people are always happy? I don't think so. For example, it must be a problem to be a very beautiful woman, because some men may be more interested in looking at this woman than talking to her. They think of her like a picture rather than a person. Some people think that very pretty women and handsome men are stupid, as a rule. These people are thought to be only interested in their appearance. Some people believe that only unattractive people can be clever. But surely no one wants to be really ugly; and no one wants to be plain either — that is to have rather simple face that can be easily forgotten. Being attractive can help you find happiness, but it does not always make you happy. So maybe the best thing is not to worry about your appearance. It is more important to try to be an interesting personality. Because interesting people are always attractive.
American Homes (2)
The majority Americans live in or near large cities, but small living-town is still widespread. A suburb (a small community near a big city) offers the advantages of safer, more intimate small-town life with the recreational and cultural activities of the big city nearby. For the typical American family, home may be at different place every five or six years. Most moves relate to new job opportunities, but sometimes the American pioneering spirit and desire for adventure inspire the move. About two-thirds of Americans live in homes or apartments that they own. But many people rent their living quarters. Some high-rise apartments are very expensive and elegant, but many are built for moderate or even law-income families. Many apartment buildings are condominiums or cooperative apartments, which means that each family owns the unit it lives in. More than million Americans live in mobile homes, living quarters built on wheels. They can be moved, but are generally brought to a site that becomes more or less permanent. Then the wheels are removed and the home is attached to the ground. Because they cost less than conventional homes, mobile homes are especially popular with young couples and retired couples with limited incomes.
American Homes
American homes are some of the biggest and best in the world. Many have a garage for one or two cars, a big modern kitchen, a living room, and a playroom for the children.
Upstairs there are two bathrooms and three or four bedrooms. Young Johnny sleeps in one room. His sister, Sally, has another one. Their parents sleep in the third bedroom. There is another room for visitors.
Some families have two homes. They have one house or apartment in the city or suburbs. They live and work there. But they have another home near the sea or in the mountains. They go to their second home on weekends and for vacations.Seventy percent of Americans buy the house they live in. They are lucky. But thirty percent cannot buy a house or an apartment. Some of them rent their home from a landlord. Some landlords are good, but some are not. Windows may break, or roofs get old, and the landlord does not always help.The poorest people live in public housing apartments. These apartments are not like rich American homes. People do not like to live in public housing projects. They are afraid of thieves and drug sellers.
Americans who live in towns and cities move often. A family stays in one house for four or five years, and then they move again. Some people move because they have found a new job. Other people move because they want a bigger or a smaller home. In American suburbs, families come and go all the time.Americans are always trying to make their homes better. They take a lot of time to buy furniture and make their homes beautiful. They buy books and magazines about houses and furniture. They work hard on their homes in the evenings and on weekends.
Americans like to think the United States is a young country, but really it has a long and interesting history. You can see some of its history in the styles of the houses. The lovely pueblo houses of Native American villages, the old pioneer log cabins, the plantation houses in the South, the beautiful colonial homes of the Northeast - they are all a part of American history. They are part of modern America too, because people copy the old styles in new houses. The history goes on.
Advantages and disadvantages of living in private house
Living in detached house has disadvantages and advantages. In my opinion the most important advantage is independence. When you live in detached house you don't need to worry about what your neighbours will tell when you throw a party with loud music. On the other hand this independence can be disadvantage. When you leave for holiday, nobody takes care about your house. You can easily be robbed, because everyone can see that there in nobody at home.
Second advantage is a lot of place to live. In detached house usually you have more space than in block of flats. You have your own garden, you always have place to park your car, but you have to do everything yourself. You have to mow the lawn, to undercut trees, to fix everything in your home by your own. Of course you can hire someone who does these thinks but for some people it is serious disadvantage.
However, in detached house you can feel like in your own castle. Nobody disturbs you, but also nobody helps you too. You house usually is in the suburb. There is cleaner air and prettier environment then in the centre of cities where usually blocks of flats are built. In suburb, you need to have your own car, because usually there is no bus stop and you have to walk for a few kilometres to the nearest one.
I don`t live in detached house but I think it a good place to live and to my mind living there have more followers than opponents.
About my mother
Dear Caroline,
I hope you're well and I apologise for not having written before. Unfortunately, I haven't had a lot of time, I have been busy with lessons at school.
Anyway, I have read your message and I have known that you interested by my mother! Ooh, first of all, I want to say that she is the best-looking mother. The first thing that caught attention is her fascinating smile. She laughs from the heart. It's warm, wonderful and friendly. Her smile as beautiful as sun's radiance. When you look to her smile, you can involve to her and you feel yourself happy too.
Secondly, I would like to add about her personality. She is amazing mother and she made me feel good about myself. Sometimes I said my stories and she gave me good advices.
Thirdly. I would like to say that all mothers in the world are glamorous, then without them, life would be meaningless, and therefore we should respect them.
I think that the message you like and I would like also to know about your mother.
All the best, and looking forward to hearing from you!
Dana.