Basic Grammar:  Prepositions  

ON   

1. We use on with small islands: 

Example:  She spent her holiday on a small island. 

2. We say that a place is on the coast / on a river / on a road:

London is on the river Thames.

Portsmouth is on the south coast of England.

IN

1. We say in when we talk about a building itself.

Example: She was in the church yesterday.

2. We usually say in with towns and villages:

Example:   His parents live in New York.

Note the following expressions: 

AT 

at home 

at work 

at school 

at university   

at college 

at the station 

at an airport 

at the seaside 

at sea 

at reception

at the corner of a street 

at the back of a building 

at the front of a building 

arrive at (with other places and events)

IN 

in the newspaper 

in bed 

in hospital

in prison

in the street  

in the sky 

in an armchair 

in a photograph

in a picture

in a mirror 

in the corner of a room 

in the back of a car 

arrive in a country or town 

ON 
on a farm 
on the left 
on the right 
on the ground floor 
on the way 
on the chair 
on the radio 
on television 
on a horse 
on the corner of a street 
on the back of a letter 
on the front of a letter 
on the back of a piece of paper 

TO - INTO - BY 
We say "go / come / travel / fly / walk / return/ drive / have been etc. to a place or event: 



We say "go into / come into = enter a room / building etc.:

Example:  

Last year we flew to London.
We went to work at seven. 
He opened the door and  went into the room.

BY 
We say by to say how we travel: 
We went to Paris by plane.

I usually go to work by bike / by car / by underground / by bus. 


BUT: 

We say on foot.

Important note: 

We cannot use by if you say my car / the train / a taxi.

Then use IN for taxis and cars.

Then use ON for bike / public transport. 

AT     

1. We say that someone is at an event: 

2. We say at with buildings when we say where the event (film, concert ) takes place:

at a party - at a pop concert - at a conference - at a meeting 

Example: Where were you yesterday? - At the cinema.

                 Tom is at a party. The meeting took place at the headquarters.

3. We say at someone's house.

4. We say at for a place which is a part of our journey: 

We were at Bill's house last Thursday. We stopped at a very nice village. Does the train stop at Nashville? 

We use in for an enclosed space: 

in London   

in the bag 

     in the kitchen    

Example:   There is nobody in the room.

                         She lives in a small village.  

Prepositions of place

 How to Use Prepositions of Place  -

Как использовать предлоги места: 

AT      -    IN   -    ON 

We use at for a point: (Мы используем at для обозначения точки на местности): 

1) at the window 

2) at the door 

3) at the entrance 

4) at the bus stop 

5) at the airport   6) at the top  7) at the end of the street 

8) at the station

Example: Bill is waiting for you at the bus stop. 

We use on for a surface: (Мы используем on для поверхности):

1) on the wall    

2) on the ceiling 

3) on a page   4)on a cover   5) on the notice board 

Example:  Have you seen the notice on the notice board?

IN  

We use in for an enclosed space:(Мы используем in для замкнутого пространства): 

1) in the garden     2) in the house 

Topic # 5 

Prove That Great Britain is Rich in Holidays 

    Well, Great Britain is a country which is rich in holidays and special festivals. But as for public holidays, I mean days when people don't go to work and banks are closed, there are fewer of them than in other European countries. They are: Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, May Day, Spring Bank Holiday and Summer Bank Holiday. 

One of the most popular holidays, I'm sure, is Christmas Day. It's a public holiday. Families usually spend the day opening their presents which are piled around the Christmas tree decorated with tinsel, baubles, fairy lights and other things. They eat and drink together. The most important meal is Christmas dinner. At the start of the meal, British people often pull a cracker, which contains a small toy, a paper hat, and a joke. The typical meal consists of turkey with potatoes and other vegetables such as carrots and sprouts. In Britain this is followed by Christmas pudding containing a lot of dried fruit and often covered with burning brandy. Other traditional foods in Britain include Christmas cake - a cake containing a lot of dried fruit and usually having a covering of icing (hard sugar) made to be eaten at Christmas, and mince pies. 

But the preparations start weeks before Christmas. People buy presents for their relatives and friends and plan their Christmas holidays. Before Christmas, groups of singers go from house to house. They collect money for charity and sing carols, traditional Christmas songs. 

The fun starts on the 24th of December. Traditionally, this is the day when people decorate their trees. Children hang stockings at the end of their beds, hoping that Father Christmas will come down the chimney during the night and fill them with toys and sweets. 

   The 26th of December is Boxing Day. This is the time to visit friends and relatives. New Year's Day is less popular in Britain than Christmas. But in Scotland, Hogmanay is the biggest festival of the year. Some English people, however, do celebrate New Year's Eve in one way or another. The most common way of celebrating it is having a New Year party. 

Every year people of Norway give the city of London a present. It's a big Christmas tree and it stands in Trafalgar Square. In Britain lots of people make New Year Resolutions. For example, they promise to get up early every morning next year and clean their shoes every day. But, unfortunately, most people forget  their promises  on the 2nd of January. 

In spring, there is another important holiday. It's Easter. The celebration owes its name and many of its customs and symbols to a pagan festival. Every spring northern European peoples celebrated the festival to honour the awakening of a new life in nature. Christians related the rising of the sun to the resurrection of Jesus and their own spiritual rebirth. Many modern Easter symbols come from pagan times. The ancient custom of dyeing eggs at Easter time is still very popular. Easter Parade is held in Battersea Park. 

On October 31st British people celebrate Halloween. Though it's not a public holiday, it is very dear to those who celebrate it, especially to children and teenagers. 

Besides, Scottish people have their special festivals. The Highland Games are one of them. It's a sport festival. One of the competitions is tossing the caber. Tossing means throwing, and a caber is a long, heavy peace of wood. A lot of Scottish men wear kilts. These are traditional Scottish skirts for men. Besides, Scottish people play their traditional instrument, a bagpipe.

So, you see Great Britain is really full of  traditions and holidays. They are all very interesting. 

New words:

1. tinsel -  гирлянды, мишура 

2. baubles - бусы, шарики 
3. cracker - хлопушка 
4. sprouts - брюссельская капуста 

Easter Parade 

5. covering of icing  - корочка из глазури 
6. mince pie - пирожок с начинкой из изюма 

 Topic # 4 

Explain Why Kemerovo is the Heart of Kuzbass 

     I'd like to speak about Kemerovo, which is the capital of Kuzbass that is the administrative centre of Kemerovo Oblast. I've been living in this city all my life since I was born and I am proud of living here as Kemerovo is not only a large industrial city but also a cultural centre with a number of theatres, cinemas, museums and even the Philarmonic Society. Besides, there are a few sports centers and numerous sports and fitness clubs in Kemerovo. 

Kemerovo is located on the Tom River, east-northeast of Novosibirsk, in the major coal mining region of the Kuznetsk Basin. The population of Kemerovo is over 500 thousand people. It is located 3,482 kilometers east of Moscow. Kemerovo's position gives it a continental climate with average temperatures between -18 degrees in January to +20 degrees in July. 

The original name of the city was Shcheglovsk. In 1932, Shcheglovsk was renamed Kemerovo and became the administrative centre of Kemerovo Oblast in 1943. 

The city is linked to western Russia by a branch of Trans-Siberian Railway. The city is served by  Kemerovo International airport. 

There are a number of higher education institutions  in Kemerovo. Among them are:  Kemerovo State University, Kuzbass State Technical University, Kemerovo State Medical Academy, Kemerovo State University of Culture and Arts, Kemerovo Agricultural Institute and Kuzbass Economy and Justice Institute. 

Besides, there are a number of stadiums in Kemerovo where different sports competitions are held. The public interest for bandy is widespread in Russia. The 2007 Bandy World Championship was held in the city.

There are a few notable people of Kemerovo. They are Yury Arbachakov, a boxer, Marina Domashenko, an opera singer, Andrey Panin, an actor and art director. 

The honorable citizen  is Alexey Leonov, a cosmonaut.  The International Airport has been named after Leonov this year. 

I'd like to say that  Kemerovo is really a city where one can find everything to their tastes and interests. There are some places here which are worth visiting. One of them is Vesenyaya Street. It is especially beautiful in spring and summer. It is our citizens' favourite walking area. 

For those, who are fond of theatrical performances,  I would recommend to see a performance at one of our theatres. One can't get bored as there are a number of cinemas, clubs and different fitness centres here. 

To get higher education one can enter one of Kemerovo higher education institutions, for example, Kemerovo State University. 

I think I will continue living in Kemerovo as it is a well-developed city. 

Topic # 3 

Prove That English Is a Truly Global Language of the World 

    Well, people began to speak many centuries ago, and since then they have been speaking different languages. Every language reflects the soul, behavior and temperament of each nationality. Different peoples  created their own alphabets and rules. But they always wanted to communicate with other peoples, to learn more about other nationalities and nations. So, people tried to use one common language to understand others. 
    Two thousand years ago Latin was the world's most important international language. Today this title belongs to English. 
Over one billion people speak English. That's almost one fifth of the world's population. For over 400 million it's their first language. For the other 600 million it's either a second or a foreign language. 
    Today, in fact, over 250 million people are learning English. That's more than the population of the USA. 
     Now English is spoken all over the world, it has become the world's most important language in politics, science, trade and cultural relations. It is spoken as a mother tongue in Great Britain, the United States of America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Besides, a lot of people speak English in Japan, India, China, Africa and many other countries. English is one of the official languages of the United Nations Organization. Half of the world's scientific literature is in English. It is the language of computer technology. 
    To my mind, English is worth studying. Speaking a foreign language one can not only read papers, magazines and original books by outstanding writers, but watch satellite programmes, travel easily to different parts of the world. Besides, understanding and speaking a foreign language is necessary while applying for a good and well-paid job. 
    Now I know that good knowledge of English is a must for the 21st century professional no matter what job to choose. 
Nowadays  Russia has become an open country. Lots of specialists from different countries come here to start their businesses. To understand them and cooperate with them easily one should know English. So, you can't do without learning this global language.