English for everyone

George Bernard Shaw

He who can, does; he who cannot, teaches. — Тот, кто может, делает; тот, кто не может, учит.

We learn from experience that men never learn anything from experience. — Мы узнаем из опыта, что человек никогда ничему не учится из опыта.

Never take advice. Do everything you were told not to do, to break away from the tyranny of the past. — Никогда не принимайте советы. Делайте все, что вам сказали не делать, чтобы оторваться от тирании прошлого.

If you begin by sacrificing yourself to those you love, you will end by hating those to whom you have sacrificed yourself. Self sacrifice is suicide. — Если вы начнете жертвовать собой ради тех, кого вы любите, вы закончите тем, что будете ненавидеть тех, ради кого пожертвовали собой. Самопожертвование – это самоубийство.
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Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

Halicarnassus was one of the most beautiful and richest cities of Asia Minor. It was the capital of the kingdom of Caria, a province of the Persian Empire in what is now south-west Turkey. Halicarnassus was the native city of Herodotus, «father of History». The magnificent temples of Halicarnassus, made of white marble, beautiful palaces, theatres, gardens and fountains attracted visitors from many countries. One of the fountains near the temple of Aphrodite was especially popular. People believed that its magic water could return love and bring happiness to lovers.
When the Persians made Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, Northern India, Syria and Egypt part of their kingdom, the King of Persia found it difficult to control his vast empire. He could do it only with the help of local rulers, the satraps.
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Wine on the desert
(After Max Brand)

There was no hurry, except for the thirst. But very soon he would reach the cold water in Tony’s house. There was really no hurry at all. Durante had almost twenty-four hours’ head start, for they would not find his dead man until this morning. After that there would be perhaps several hours of delay before the sheriff gathered enough people and started on his trail. Or perhaps the sheriff would be fool enough to come alone.
At last Durante saw Tony’s windmill and his ten acres of the vineyard, with the vines planted in a hollow. During the wet season water gathered in the well. In the middle of the dry season the well ran dry, but long before that Tony had every drop of the water pumped up into twenty tanks.
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Every nation and every country has its own traditions. In Britain traditions play a more important part in the life of the people than in other countries.
The English are very proud of their traditions and carefully keep them. When you come to England you’re struck at once by quite a number of customs. Some ceremonies are rather formal, such as the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, Trooping the Colour, the State opening of Parliament, the Ceremony of the Keys. Sometimes you will see a group of cavalrymen riding on black horses through the streets of London. They wear red uniforms, shining helmets, long black boots and long white gloves. These men are Life Guards. Their special duty is to guard the King or the Queen of Great Britain, and very important guests of the country.
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Sports in Great Britain

Sport plays a very important part in people’s lives in Britain. About 29 million people over the age of 16 regularly take part in sport or exercise. Walking is the most popular recreation. For many people sport is the main form of entertainment. There are a lot of sport programmes on TV. Every newspaper devotes several pages to sport.
The British are one of the best in the world in different sports. The importance of sport is recognized by the Government. Every local authority has a duty to provide and maintain playing fields and other facilities, which are very cheap to use (sometimes they are free).
Such sporting occasions as the Cup Final, the Derby, the Boat Race are regarded as the event, rather than the sport itself. They are watched on television by millions of people. These annual sporting occasions are available to all TV channels. Sometimes such events are accompanied by strong traditions. For example, Wimbledon is not just a tennis tournament. It means summer fashions, strawberries and cream, garden parties. Wimbledon is a middle-class event, and British tennis fans would never allow themselves to be treated like football fans.
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Most countries have a national drink. In England it is beer, and the «pub» is a peculiarly English institution.
The pub is the place where people can meet and talk in a friendly atmosphere. It is quite different from bars or cafes in other countries. In cafes people drink coffee and get out. The atmosphere is rather formal. But in pubs there is a general atmosphere of warmth and cosiness.
Every pub has a sign outside with its name. («The Pig and Whistle», «The Bull», «The Duke of Cambridge», etc.). All pubs have one distinctive feature: there is no waiter service there. If you want something you have to go and ask for it at the bar. People usually sit at tables and chat in a small room, called the «bar», but the same term is used for the great counter of wood, where people stand and have their drinks.
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Everyone in Britain dreams of living in a detached house, which means a separate building. It is usually built of brick and slate. A detached house is of «non-classical» shape with a lot of little corners, which make the house very cosy. In front of the house there’s always a beautiful garden with smooth lawn. The garage is hidden away so it doesn’t spoil the rural feeling.
Every Englishman wants privacy. And a large, detached house not only ensures privacy, but it’s also a status symbol. Such a house is a dream for most people. But even a small house with a garden is very dear to the hearts of many people in Britain.
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