My lifeline

I was born in Nighnegorsk in 1995. Here I spent my childhood. When I was 5 years old I met my first friend Yana. She is my neighbor and we continue our friendship up to this day.  At the age of 6 I went to school.  Until the fifth grade I attended a choir and a sewing circle, but when I was 10 years old I began to have serious health problems, so I had to leave everything and go to the individual training. In 2012 I left school and went to University. There I met many interesting people. I hope in the future, my life will be even more colorful and amazing.

Lifeline on Dipity.

Module Test 4

Hello, everybody! We are writing the last Module Test tomorrow! Good luck!
P.S. Don't forget to bring your home-reading books.

My Lifeline

I was born in 1994 in Yevpatoria. I had an exciting childhood with lots of friends since I attended a kindergarten. I don`t remember when I went there for the first time but my parents say it was in 1997. There, in the kindergarten, I started to learn English. As it turned out later, this step was very important in my life. In 2001 I went to English specialized school №7 in Simferopol. When I was in the 4th grade my mother took me to a swimming pool. Since then, I have become a member of a swimming club. In 2004 my family and I moved to a new flat where we have already been living for 9 years. The next summer my family had a splendid trip to Moscow, it was the first journey in a number of my following trips. When I was 14, my parents presented me with a nice kitten which I had desired for a long time. The kitten was named Glafira or Glasha, although it`s not a common name for cats. When I was in the 10th grade I started to learn German. However, the lessons were condusted on Saturdays and the teacher often missed classes so when I left school in May, 2012 I knew only basic grammar. In August 2012 I entered the Taurida National University and met my dear groupmates. Now I`m looking forward to summer holidays which I`m going to spend in a summer camp.

My Lifeline on Dipity.

My lifeline

There are so many events happened in my life and most of them consist to be an important part of my life. They are precious because I can learn much from them or sometimes they can make me feel better when I am sad.

I was born on August , 26  1994 in Feodosiya Maternity House.  I spent my childhood in Shebetovka , which is the most beautiful place near the seashore. At the age of 7 I went to the 1st class. In this year I started dancing . There I met a lot of friends and in 2009 I met my boyfriend. We fell in love and 3 years later we begun romantic relationships. Also in this year I got my first job as a waitress in Koktebel. In 2012 I finished school and went to University. I met there many good friends. They are very important in my life. The most important thing for being good friends, to my mind, is to be ready to help one another in any situation, nevertheless how difficult it is, to support one another and to solve all the problems together. And I'm happy that I found such friends.

In general my life is very interesting and full of emotion. I hope it will last forever.

My lefeline on Dipity.

My lifeline

       I was born in 1995 in a village named Privetnoye. Here I spent my childhood. At the age of 6, I went to school.  There were my most carefree years. In 2010 I got my first job as a seller in Koktebel. In 2012 I left school and went to the best university of Crimea. Here I met wonderful people with whom I will spend the best years of my life. Not so long I’ve celebrated my eighteenth birthday in a circle of my beloved friends. Now, I'm building the big plans and I hope to put them all in life.

Julia K. on Dipity.

My lifeline

I was born on May, 2, 1995 in Sevastopol Maternity House 2. At the age of five I attended local amateur dance course with my friends. Later, at the age of 6, I entered local elementary school. I was a little bit off the usual schedule, I came to school on the 18th of Semtemper. At first, I didn't wanted to go to school , but then , most of my friends went there and I didn't have anyone to socialise with. Being in the second grade, I went to a musical school in order to master piano. In 2009 I went on a significant trip to Lvov with all of my classmates. It was really full of emotions. In 2012 I finished school and entered TNU ) Nowadays, my life is in progress and I hope it will have lots of exciting curves.

Vladislav S. on Dipity.

My lifeline

     I was born in Simferopol in 1995. About a year later, my mother came out of the maternity leave, so I had been living with my grandparents for 2 years. There I spent the happiest moments of my childhood. When I was 4, I began to attend dance club. That year I first took part at concert and it was very exciting. At the age of 6, I went to the 1st class. I met a lot of friends and acquaintances, with whom I still keep in touch. I also started to attend hand-make club at school. 2011 year was special for me, as that year I met my bestfriend. I had to study a lot and harder in 2012, as I had to finish school with good marks and went to University. Now I'm extremely glad that my plans and dreams came true!

Lifeline on Dipity.

My Lifeline

Everybody has events and moments in his life which he will remember the whole life. Some of the events influence on our personality and life at least or more. Each of these events entails something new. As a rule these moments are infinitely precious for us.
I’d like to tell you about the most important and memorable events in my life. Unfortunately I have not got a lot of significant events in my life but my whole life is in front of me. I will try to fill it with bright colours.



                                                 My parents and I
                                                       

My first success

Go to university

Vika K. on Dipity.

My Lifeline

There are days in our life that we can never forget. For some people this is their birthday or an important event. For my parents the most memorable day is my birthday. They say that it was the happiest day in their life. As for me, I have many days to remember. They are the days spent with my family or friends. Now I want to tell you about the most important events in my life...

I was born in Dzhankoy in 1995. About a year later, my family moved to Yevpatoria and I spent my childhood there. I went to school in Yevpatoria in 2001. There I met my best friend, Dasha. I have shared much good time with Dasha and I feel fortunate to have met her. While I was at school I started dancing and I attended dancing lessons for 5 years. In 2012 I left school and went to university. I met many new friends there!

My Lifeline on Dipity.

Timeline

I was born in 1994 in a small city, Simferopol, in Ukraine. Here I spent my childhood, went to school, fall in love and enter the university. In 2001 I went to school, I liked it. Than in 2008 I should change my school after this important for me step my life changed. In autumn of the same year I fall in love and found my best friend. In 2012 I end my school and passes exams. Later, I understood that English is my life and in September 2012 I enter the university. In February 2013 I get engaged and now I am extremely happy.

Timeline on Dipity.

The video report

Create your lifeline

Good day! As you remember, in Module 4 we listened to Sara Rossi talking about her lifeline. There is a number of online tools with the help of which you can create an interactive timeline, enlivening it with  photos, music and videos. Here is an example of a timeline which I created based on Sara's lifeline in the textbook.

Sara Rossi's Lifeline on Dipity.

Your task is to create a lifeline like Sara's for yourself and publish it on the blog. Go to www.dipity.com and create a free account by clicking 'Join Dipity' button at the top. When you are finished, click 'Create a Timeline', choose a title for your timeline and write a short description. After that add events to your timeline, typing in titles, dates and descriptions. You can upload a picture from your computer to represent each event. When the timeline is ready, get the 'embed code' and insert it into your blog post. Voila, here is your lifeline! Don't forget to add an essay describing your timeline.
Instead of using Dipity you can opt for any timeline creating tool, for example:
myhistro.com, which allows you to combine timelines and maps, so that places you mention (birthplace, journey destinations, etc. can be traced via Google Maps)
timetoast.com
timerime.com (enables you to have more than one type of media for each event)
Waiting to see your works! 

Birthday of our beloved department

Dear students! My congratulations on the birthday of the Department of Foreign Languages!
The concert was marvellous. Katya, Lena and Vlad, you are gorgeous! You've made my day! It was great to have the possibility to see you from a different angle and enjoy your talent.

Family Vocabulary

Since the unit we are studying deals with twins, genes, life events and, ultimately, family, let's brush up your family vocabulary. Here is as full a list as I could compile. Translating some of the words and expressions into Russian may present a problem, so be sure to check them in a monolingual dictionary and to be able to explain the meanings in English. Learn the vocabulary for a dictation.

Family Vocabulary by Maribella2012

More on twins

I hope you have found the text of Module 3, Parallel Lives, informative and  thought-provoking. However, our discussion about twinning left us with some unanswered questions, such as whether the ability to produce twins is hereditary. Today I suggest that you skim through an article on the topic,  How Twins Work, 

and find answers to the following questions:

What differences between the “Jim twins” were discovered during the study?

What is a singleton?

What are two basic types of twins?

What is the ratio of monozygotic to dizygotic twins?

Where does the world’s largest annual gathering of twins take place?

What is vanishing twin syndrome?

What are conjoint twins?

Can twins have different biological fathers?

What is the birthrate of identical twins?

What factors influence the chances of having twins?

Has the birthrate of twins been changing over time?

Does the rate of twinning depend on the ethnic origin or race of women?

Women of what origin are the least likely to have twins?

What is cryptophasia? Why does it happen?

What about a movie?

Hi! Today I'd like to suggest watching an episode from a TV series Tales of the Unexpected. The episode features a woman, Betsy, who is devastated when her long-time partner Jack tells her that he is moving to Australia to marry another woman and begins to pack chests of his belongings - some of them shared items - to send ahead. Enraged Betsy lashes out at him. As a result, thanks to Betsy's efforts, Jack's new girlfriend will have an extra surprise when she opens his luggage.

Does it ring a bell?.. Right. It's the screen adaptation of The Glowing Future by Ruth Rendell.

So, watch the film and answer the following questions:

Which appeals to you more - the story or the film? Why?

What do you think of the cast? Do the actors correspond to what you imagined the characters to look like?

Is there any divergence between the plots?

Our group!

A Glowing Future

Hello, everybody. As far as I understood, our next home-reading story, "A Glowing Future" by Ruth Rendell has aroused controversial opinions and heated debates among you. That's good! It means the story has touched your feelings, has prompted you to discuss it and share your point of view.
So, here are exercises to the story.

A Glowing Future by Maribella2012

The Case for the Defence... continuation

The police drove the crowd away and the brothers managed to leave the court without any incidents. However, the next day the police arrested both of them and charged both with the murder. The twins were put in different cells so that they couldn`t negotiate about a plan. Unfortunately, it didn`t have any result – the defendants went on keeping silent. A week after, the law servants invented a certain plan to achieve the confession. They noticed that the wives of the criminals visited them every day and always had small gifts with them. They came to a conclusion that the wives are the closest people in their lives and tried to use it to establish the truth.
The police didn`t allow the wives to visit them for several days and then said to each of the twins that his wife died because of a terrible illness. It was expected that one of the defendants would avow himself so that be present at the funeral. However, it didn`t happen. Instead, the twins attempted suicide (they say, twins often have the same thoughts). The police was all adrift. The brothers were heartbroken, they refused to speak and to eat.
Soon they were acquitted.
As it turned out later, the brothers couldn`t imagine their lives without their beloved and since they hadn`t managed to commit a suicide they decided to confess in a crime and lose their lives by the law (they say, twins often have the same thoughts).

The place I've always wanted to visit!

     I have always dreamed about an opportunity to travel around the world. It is so wonderful to visit the world’s most famous landmarks, to meet new people, to know more about other cultures, to try dishes of different cuisines and so on.

     Most of all I would like to go to Dubai. I have learned so much about this splendid city from my cousin, who was there 3 years ago, and my dearest dream is to see this city with my own eyes!

     Dubai is one of the most exciting and popular tourist destinations in the world, famous for its magnificent landscapes, sandy beaches and turquoise seas, deserts, exotic animals, skyscrapers, first-class restaurants and hotels. It is not a very big city, but there is much to see and to do. I would spend there at least a week to have an opportunity to visit all the most famous places.

    I’d like to see the Burj Dubai Tower – one of the tallest skyscrapers in the world which stands more than 800 metres tall and can be seem from 95 kilometres away.

    I’d like to see Dubai Aquarium – one of the largest indoor aquariums in the world. It showcases 33,000 aquatic animals, representing more than 200 species. It’s just amazing! Visitors have the opportunity to go on Glass Bottom Boat Rides over the surface of the aquarium or swim among the sharks! It’s really worth going.

     I would be happy to see the Dubai Fountain. Everyone will be impressed by this the world’s largest fountain system, famous for its beauty! 

     My dream holiday wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the Palm Islands. This place attracts me with its splendor. It is really worth seeing,too!

     I hope to visit this magnificent city and I’m sure that soon my dream will come true!

The Case For The Defence

       So, the next day the police arrested the Adams brothers. It was obvious that one of them commited the cold-blooded murder. This time the police was set up to break the brother's alibis, and get the murder to confess.
        Adams brothers were put into different prison cells so that they couldn't agree what to say. The police thought if they had done following, it would have appeared that one of the brothers said the truth. So it happened. In a few days one of the brothers couldn't resist and accused his brother in this murder. He said he had known about the murder beforehand, but in one moment he decided not to take part in it he even tried to escape with his family, but unfortunately his plan didn't work. His brother was so cunning and it wasn't so easy to deal with him especially if you try to mislead him. When the crime was commited the brothers swore that they didn't hand over each other to the police. The reason why the crime was commited is so banal. It all happened because of money.
      Finally, both of them were brought to justice. Their game was up. One of the brothers was sentenced to a prison term and the other waited for a capital punishment.

The Case For The Defence

          ... Both brothers were arrested by the police the next day. Nevertheless they could not decide which of them had killed the woman.
         The police went them under the post until finding out all the circumstances of the case. On the next interrogation, both brothers as one began to say: 'I am a murderer'. But soon the court decided to arrange them a cross-examination to find out which of them was the murderer. For a couple of hours to interrogation one of the brothers became very ill and in the evening he died. It turned out that he had been in the last stage of cancer. Another brother was not able to withstand the loss of his brother so he decided to tell the counsel how it had been in reality.

His brother for many years had been struggled with the terrible disease. All doctors as one told him that his live would be save if he took an expensive therapy. The family of course did not have the money. But one day, when he found out that Mrs. Parker got a large sum of money, he had a plan in his head. He ascertained when Mrs. Parker was not home, and climbed into the house. But suddenly Mrs. Parker returned. With a state of panic, he grabbed a hammer and hit her.

The lawyer listened to his story carefully, and said he could not wait for the trial, as he would probable be acquitted. But Adams did not agree. He decided to pay the penalty for his brother not to leave posthumous slur on dead brother.

In a month later he was sentenced to death by hanging.

The Case For The Defence

   ...Mrs. Salmon returned home. Last events shocked her and she tried to remember anything that would confirm the truthfulness of her words. Mrs. Salmon began to remember details of a killer, but nothing attended her. She decided to relax at night and suddenly the woman woke up in a cold sweat because of the thought of one very important detail. On the murderer’s face, illuminated by a street-lamp that night, clearly stood out big scar. As soon as the sun rose Mrs. Salmon rushed to the police station to meet with the officer.

   "Officer, how could I miss such an important detail? Murderer's face had a scar, a big scar."

    "Well, Mrs. Salmon, I think that we need to check this."

   The officer decided to visit the twin brothers. When he entered the house, he saw that one of the brothers quickly was gathering things in a suitcase. The officer approached, to find out the reason for his hasty departure, looked into his frightened eyes, and immediately noticed a scar on his face. The officer said the brothers were called to the interrogation again because new evidence had been surfaced in the case. Suddenly the man with the scar pushed the officer and tried to escape. But it was in vain. 

   So the man was in the dock again, face to face with Mrs. Salmon. There was nothing to deny. All the evidence was against him. The murderer confessed everything, and said he was sorry about what had happened. In spite of that punishment was inevitable, and he was convicted. So the game was up. 

The place I've always wanted to visit!

Millions of people all over the world spend their holidays travelling. People travel to see other countries and continents, modern cities and the ruins of ancient towns, they travel to enjoy picturesque places or just for a change of scene.

My dad once managed to visit the most magnificent place in the world - Norway. He said the main treasure of this country - its nature. Thousands of secluded coves and picturesque fjords surround its coast, and the low mountains covered with forests and meadows, create a unique atmosphere of Norway. Thousands of clear lakes and rivers provide a unique opportunity to enjoy fishing and different kinds of water sports. Moreover carefully guarded nature allows to get acquainted with one of the most untouched parts of Europe. After such review this beautiful corner of the earth have flooded my mind. I have read a lot of articles and have watched a lot of different videos and photos.

Now I want to tell some words about one of places in Norway that I would visit first. It is Trolltunga -  one of the most spectacular scenic cliffs in this country and it looks like a giant tongue. As far as I know a lot of attention is paid to troll In the Scandinavian mythology. These mythical creatures have an important place in the culture and history of this country. Trolltunga is a stone ledge which by its shape resembles a sharp tongue. Long time ago this stone creature deviated from the base of the cliff and still stood at a height of 800 meters above the lake. Although Trolltunga is one of the most dangerous attractions of Norway it annually attracts thousands of tourists who risked their lives try to come as close as possible to the edge of the cliff to capture the best pictures. 

I have read that is not so easy to get to this great place. For this travelers will take about 8 hours in total. Certainly it's worth it! The view is breathtaking.  I am convinced it is only here, standing high above the sea level, you feel freedom and a sense of flight. There is a desire to be a bird to be able to hover over these expanses of mountains and feel the coolness of the cleanest lakes ...

I am really looking forward to enjoy a fantastic view and the spectacular natural surroundings in their full glory. 

The Case For The Defence

… Both brothers were arrested by the police the next day. It was obvious that one of them did commit that blood-curdling crime. The question was that the brothers had alibis to be broken…

The best decision was taken immediately. The two brothers were interrogated right away, so that they didn’t even have a way to communicate and negotiate about the case. There was nothing the police did to the accused… All the needed manipulations were done to their wives, who were supposed to blurt out all the information right after the police told each of them that her husband is already sentenced to death by burning, despite the trial. Anyway, they told absolutely nothing.

The police was confused: they were sure their plan should’ve worked it out. They had nothing left, apart from applying polygraph, which was highly trusted, to both accused. After a line of related-to-case questions the presumed murderers were asked a direct one “Did you batter that lady to death?” The answers were, of course, negative and polygraph confirmed that they didn’t tell any drop of lie.

The police was bound to set the accused free. Everybody wondered how they managed to be acquitted after a dozen of people had seen them committing a crime in broad daylight… It didn’t matter anymore, because nobody knew that when you believe, you are able to wind round your little finger even a polygraph...

The Case For The Defence

…The police couldn’t agree with such ending of the story. They decided to investigate Northwood Street again and especially the laurel bushes. And as it turned out this repeated survey was not in vain. The police found a bracelet there. The bracelet apparently wasn’t there for a long time because it was well preserved. So the police thought that it could be a clue to this crime. However they hadn’t any assumptions.

Next day the police arrested both of brothers and put them together in a prison cell to eavesdrop on their conversations. And one night they have heard the following.

‘I feel that something bad will happen.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I have lost my bracelet. And what is the most offensive I can’t recall when it has happened.’

‘Do you want to say that you have lost it in the bushes in Northwood Street?’

‘I don’t know, but I think the police guess about something.’

‘Don’t say nonsense. They haven’t got any evidences.’

‘Hmm. I hope…’

So the brothers’ game was up. One of them waited for a capital punishment and the other for a large prison term for complicity.

The Case for the Defence

… The next day the police arrested both brothers and charged both with the murder.

The twins were interrogated separately. The police tried to get at the heart of the matter and told one of them that they had the goods on another brother, and vice versa. Predictably, one of them took the spear in his chest to defend his brother.

To the chagrin of the defendants, at the same time their wives were interrogated too. Under penalty, one of the wives confessed that on that day her husband had come home at daybreak with a mixture of fear and malice in his eyes.

All these facts gave rise to doubt, and the police tried to find new evidence. They examined the scene of the crime again and found a handkerchief with the fingerprints on it. The prints were identical with those of the convicted person, of one of the brothers.

So the crime was solved by the police and the murderer endured the punishment at the hands of the law.

Victoria Falls

There are many places in the world I have always wanted to visit. In the main, it is the most famous tourist cities. However, recently I have seen the video about Victoria Falls, and I have a great wish to visit this place. Choosing the material for the story I have found out much cognitive and interesting information about the falls.

Victoria Falls is a spectacular sight of awe-inspiring beauty and grandeur on the Zambezi River in Africa. Also it is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. While it is neither the highest nor the widest waterfall in the world it is known as the largest. The name Victoria Falls was given to the falls by the Scottish explorer Dr. David Livingstone. The locals call the falls Mosi-oa-Tunya meaning “smoke that thunders.”

Victoria Falls and the surrounding area are very extensive, so it is impossible to see at a glance its marvel. There are several ways to enjoy the beauty and splendor of the falls. The first view comes from the air using a helicopter. The second and the most impressive one is swimming in Devil’s Pond. Devil’s Pond is a natural mountain basin which is located at 120 meters height. People who swam there told that it was indescribable feeling and there wasn’t other place like this on earth. 

Victoria Falls is located on the territory of two national parks. So you can see wild animals such as elephants and giraffes.

You can hardly find the lovely words which haven’t described this magnificent natural wonder yet.

             I wish I can go there one day

The city that I've always wanted to visit

I've always wanted to visit Amsterdam. The mane thing that attracts me in this magnificent city is its narrow houses and charming streets. 

Indeed, there are places in the city you should not miss during your visit. There are shops in which you can find old lamps that were made around the world. Each of them restored, but didn’t lose its history and uniqueness.

Moreover there is the lowest concentration of cars on the city’s roads. Bikes are held in high esteem. It’s just incredible, you feel as if you have died and found yourself in an ideal ecological city.

And as far as I know, Amsterdam's casinos are as popular as Las Vegas’ casinos. The most important difference is that you needn't any dress code, because everybody can come in and try himself in gambling. The city is also known for its marvelous Bruine Café. As Amsterdam is a multicultural city, a lot of different ethnic restaurants can be found there. Restaurants range from being rather luxurious and expensive to ordinary and affordable.

I do not know whether you find it splendid or not, but I'm curious to look at the narrowest house in the world. The length is about 2.2 meters. In any case I wonder how the owners of this unique house welcome guests.

By the way there is a very original sculpture in the "red light district" on the area Oudekerksplein: a man's hand, hugging a woman's breast. It is also extraordinary as it was built into the pavement. The funny thing is that the author is unknown. 

To sum it up, I think that Amsterdam is worth seeing. It is a marvel city. Amsterdam has many parks, open spaces, and squares throughout the city. The atmosphere there is magnificent, people are famously friendly and moreover prices are low.

The place I've always want to go!

In my opinion, traveling becomes a very important part in people's life. There are a lot of places that are worth visiting. It depends on people's taste what to visit: a marvelous nature wonder or up-to-date city-centre.
As for me I have always wanted to visit Edinburgh and as I remember myself I've dreamt about trip to Great Britain all the time. In my opinion this city is very unique. It combines two worlds: the medieval and modern town, as there are two centres of the city: the Old Town and the New Town. The Old Town has preserved its splendid medieval castles. In my childhood my sister and I used to imagine that we were princesses, who lived in old mansion and the city was our kingdom. Most of the buildings of the Old Town have been preserved from the time of their constraction. The main sightseeing of this place is the Royal Mile, which consists of parts of medieval streets. There are streets and dead ends on either sides. In my opinion the one of the most exciting place which is in the Old Town is Edinburgh Castle. It's located on a cliff top of extinct volcano. The St. Margaret's Chapel, which is situated near the castle is considered to be the oldest building in Scotland. Also there is a large number of shops, which specialised oh selling the traditional Scottish whiskey and clothing.
There is a legend that the New Town was built as the Old one was overcrowded in Middle Ages. The New Town is interesting with its modern architecture. You can find there all the necessery and up-to-date entertainings: for example the main street - Princes Street is home to many shopping malls and business centres are . In fact, the the New Town was conceived as a residential area.
The other thing that attracts visitors in Edinburgh is that a lot of annual festivals are held there. One of the most famous is Edinburgh Internetional festival is a festival of perfoming arts( it's something like the talant show, which is in the open air). All the young musicians, artists and painters have the opportunity to show themselves.There is also one more festival, which I'd eager to visit - is Edinburgh International Book Festival. It takes place in the last 3 weeks of August every year. The tourists have chances to know about new authors and their compositions.
In conclusion I may say that this city is really worth to visit and I hope once 'd come there!

The city I'd like to visit

I would like you to get acquainted with one of the most mysterious and beautiful cities in the world. It is San Francisco. This unique city is located on the West Coast of the United States at the north end of the San Francisco peninsular and includes significant stretches of the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay within its boundaries. It's sparkling, that the city if officially name as the City and County of San Francisco and it is the leading financial and cultural center of Norther California. The city also has the largest population density.

I have chosen this gorgeous place mainly because of my childhoos interest for "Charmed", which is an American series about three witches, fighting with demons and dark powers. The city was a filmland for the series and you can find there the Sisters' house (The Charmed Ones). The house is, actually, the most interesting thing for me about this city and I want you to have a closer look at it.

After having a quick look at this magnificent house, I want you to see two more most famous places of San Francisco. The first one on the list is definitely the Golden Gate Bridge. There's something special about this bridge, apart from being the most internationally recognized one, it draw your attention being an architecture marvel.  Many international magazines put in to a list of the most beautiful modern wonders. It is certainly the most photographed bridge in the world. It is thrilling to know that this bridge has been filmed more than 30 times, not including every single time it was shown on news or in series episodes. Surprisingly though, such an angelic place used to be popular with people, who were eager to commit a suicide. That's the main reason why the authority provided the bridge with a special telephone line for such cases. Anyway, it's one of the most eye-drawing object in California. 

The second place I want to tell you about is Chinatown, which is very famous the world over as it is one of the biggest in the United States. It's becomes less popular to develop such things as Chinatowns, but San Francisco's special district amazes. It has over 2000 shop and stalls, so that you can find there almost everything. Whether you want to have some cheap food or have a meal at first-class restaurants - you can find it in this Chinatown. Personally, I suppose it is one of my favourite places in the city because it shows the combination of different cultures - all you need is just stroll along the alley.

As you have already read, the main reason I want to visit this place is the Charmed house, but there's one more thing that attracts me almost equally. The thing is amazing climate throughout the year. I'm not a big fan of winter and all those cold things, so San Francisco is probably the perfect paradise for me. It has hot dry summer, which is OK, and mild winter and autum, which allows people to enjoy relaxing weather whenever they want.

The city "One of the Most..."

I want to tell you about a city which I am really in love with. However it is not just a city, it is an island, a country and a city at one and the same time. It is Singapore. This place has charmed me with its combination of up-to-dateness and conservatism, nature and technologies. Without any natural resources (the city has to import even sand and water) it has become one of the most developed and richest cities in the globe. I think a person can`t call himself an experienced traveler unless he visited one of the most striking and paradoxical cities - banana-lemon Singapore.
Many people know that Singapore is a very strict state. Large sums of money are charged for harmless things, it would seem. You`d have to pay 1000$ for smoking, 500$ for eating and drinking at public places. Driving in a drunken state is punished by whipping, and taking drugs - by death. It is rigid but fair – nobody dares to neglect the law.
What is more surprising for me, Singapore is entirely built based on the rules of feng shui. For example, according to feng shui sharp corners accumulate misfortune and that`s why all the skyscrapers in this city have rounded shape. Moreover, each building there has a source of streaming water as a symbol of easy flow of money. Maybe Ukrainians should start to follow some of the feng shui rules to make our lives better? Maybe it is the way out of all our problems? At any rate, whether this doctrine had any influence on the country`s development or not, Singapore is known to be in the top 10 countries to live in, leaving the US behind.
What I also like in this city is its use of space. The area which Singapore occupies is even less than the area of Kiev. That`s why the developers did their best to use each square metre of the space. Even the downtown is fully built on an artificial seafront.
If I went to Singapore I`d thoroughly think over the places I`d like to visit. To start with, I would stay at the Hotel Marina Bay Sands which is famous for its swimming pool on the rooftop. This is a place where you can observe the whole city while swimming at 150-metres pool. Secondly, I know that this city is famous for delicious seafood dishes and the most popular one is a chile crab. It is an emormous crustacean which is served with a most spicy sauce – sounds unusual but I really long to taste it.
Besides all the interesting facts I wrote above, Singapore is famous the most for its amusements. Every year it receives more than 14 million visitors and the place where they usually start their journey from is Sentosa. Sentosa is an island where you can find everything: casinos, a best oceanarium in the globe, splendid beaches, a butterfly park, shopping malls and of course a huge amusement park. It seems this is a place where all the technologies of the world are used to entertain you. Do you want to skydive without any risk for your health? You`re welcome to large aerodynamic pipe! Do you want to go surfing? It`s also not a problem here – artificial waves are waiting for you!
The last thing I`d like to tell you about is a zoo. You won`t see any gates or cages there – the conditions, in which the animals live in, really reminds ones of a wild life. The feeling that nothing separates you from a white tiger is extremely scaring but at the same time there is something that always prevents predator from approaching the visitor.
All in all, there are much more things to tell you about this extraordinary city. However, I always think it`s much better to see once that to hear twice.

One of the oldest and most mysterious archaeological sites in the world

      Everybody agrees that travelling has become one of the most popular ways of spending free time. Millions of people leave their homes and go to the seaside, to the mountains or make tours round other countries to get bright and unforgettable impressions and have a good time. They travel to see other countries and continents, modern cities and ruins of ancient towns. They travel to enjoy picturesque places or just for a change of scene.

      The choice of the destination of your travel depends on your tastes and your wishes. As for me, I would like to visit one of the oldest and most mysterious archaeological sites in the world…

      Eight miles north of Salisbury is a large circle of stones, which is called Stonehenge. It measures 80 metres across and made with massive blocks of stone up to four metres high. The largest stones weigh over 40 tons, and visitors since Roman times have been baffled by their purpose and the secrets of their construction. Some people believe that Stonehenge was built for religious purposes, others believe that it was a temple for the dead. Maybe it was a kind of observatory, where astronomers studied the stars and the planets. Anyway, we shall never know the real answer.

      Stonehenge, which was built thousands of years ago, is still a special place for some people today. Every year, on June 21^st, lots of people go to Stonehenge to celebrate the longest day of the year. It is surely Britain's greatest national icon, symbolizing mystery, power and endurance.

      I hope to visit this enigmatic place and I’m sure that soon my dream will come true!

Petra, Jordan

The city of Petra is one of the world's most famous archaeological sights.

Fill the gaps in the text about Petra with the words at the top, then watch the video and check your answers.

Petra - A Worlds Marvel Gaps by Maribella2012

"100 places to visit before you die" on the map

Have you ever tried working with Google Maps? Let's create a map of the places mentioned in the text "100 Places to visit before you die". As you see, I have already marked one of the places, the Grand Canyon Skywalk. Your task is to mark the others. Actually, only 25 places are named in the text, so it makes 2-3 places for each of you. Leave a comment with the names of the destinations you have labeled.
Просмотреть 100 places to visit before you die на карте большего размера

How to add a placemark to your map:
1. Click the link which you can see below the map.
2. Click "Edit" to enter editing mode.
3. Click the blue baloon-like placemark icon (at the top of the map).
4. Move the cursor to the appropriate location. If you want to dismiss this placemark, press the Escape key. 5. Click to place your placemark. It should bounce into place.
6. Add a title and description.
7. Click "OK" to save when you are finished.

You can also save an item from your search result to the map.
1. Click the link below the map.
2. Click "Edit" to enter editing mode.
3. Search for the destination that you want to add. The results appear in the Search Results bar on the left. Click on the listing or map marker you want to save.
4. Click "Save" in the info window. This copies the result to your map as a placemark.
5. Edit the title or description, if you want.
6. Click OK to save when you are finished.

Try saving photos and YouTube videos to the map as well to make it more visually attractive. If you do that, the picture or the video are displayed when the corresponding blue sign on the map is clicked.  Here is a "how-to": Add other content.

The Grand Canyon

Good day! According to the text in the textbook, the Grand Canyon (USA) is one of the places to visit before you die.

How about watching a video so that you could have a glimpse of its marvelous beauty?

Leave a comment with at least one adjective which best describes what you have seen. (Use your imagination and avoid such common adjectives as "beautiful" and "great", please.)