Let me introduce myself. My name is Masha. I have left school this year. It is my dream to become a student of the English department. I want to study English, German and maybe French. Knowledge of a foreign lanquage opens a new world for us.

Finishing school is the beginning of the independent life for millions of school leavers. Many roads are opened before them: vocational and technical schools, institutes and universities.

want to become a computer programmer. I am interested in computers. It is a whole new world. Many people continue careers of their parents or grand parents but it is not the case with me.

It is not easy to decide what profession to choose. Usual­ly, pupils' plans for the future change many times during the school years. There are so many people who influence you in choosing your occupation.

Generally it's so not easy for a school-leaver to decide on his future career. There are some frivolous people who enter an institute thinking whether they like the profession they had chosen or not.

There are many interesting and noble professions. I want to be a doctor. It is an interesting profession. I understand that it is necessary to study a lot to become a doctor.

My father is working for an international company as a managing director. I have been several times at his office. I like it very much to be there. My father is very busy. He often comes late from work.

I decided to be a journalist. I think it is an interesting and useful profession. I like to watch TV, listen to the radio, read newspapers and magazines. I like everything which connected with mass media.

I want to be an interpreter. It is an interesting and useful profession. My parents have a large library and they taught me to like books. I like reading books. My favourite subjects in school are English, Literature, Geography and History.

The full name of the country the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom is situated on the British Isles. The British Isles consist of two large islands, Great Britain and Ireland, and a great number of small islands.

There are two large islands and several smaller ones, which lie in the north-west coast of Europe. Collectively they are known as the British Isles. The largest island is called Great Britain.

Great Britain is situated on islands. It is washed by seas from all sides. That's why the climate and the nature of Great Britain is very specific. The popular belief that it rains all the time in Britain is simply not true.

The British Isles are the home of four nations - English, Scottish,Welshand Irish. Even though foreigners often call all British people "English", and sometimes have difficulty in appreciating the distinctions, the component nations of the United Kingdom are well aware of their own individual characteristics.

England is the largest and the richest country of Great Britain. The capital of England is London but there are other large industrial cities, such as Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and other famous and interesting cities such as York, Chester, Oxfordand Cambridge.

Scotland is a country in the north of Great Britain. It is a part of the United Kingdom. Scotland is divided into three natural regions: the Southern Uplands, the Central Lowlands and the Highlands and islands.

Wales is the country in the west of Great Britain. It is mainly a mountainous land with a hiefly agricultural economy and an industrial and coal-mining area in the south. The landscape is beautiful.

Northern Ireland, also known as Ulster, is still a part of the United Kingdom. It is made up of six countries: Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry, Tyrone.

Ireland is an island on the west side of Europe. The capital of Ireland is Dublin. There are about 5 million people in the Republic of Ireland. It is a small country but a lot of people know about it.

Dublin is a fine city, with beautiful grey stone houses. It is situated on the east coast of Ireland. If you go to Dublin you must visit its parks. They have beautiful gardens with deer, and there are markets there on Sundays.

I'd like to tell you about another countries, where English is the official language. At first, the USA. After 350 years of development the United States of America still holds the leading position in the western world.

The Queen is officially head of all the branches of government, but she has little direct power in the country. The constitution has three branches: Parliament, which makes lows, the government, which "executes" laws (puts them into effect) and the courts, which interpret laws. Parliament has two parts: the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

The party which wins the most seats in the General Election forms the government in Britain. The leader of the winning party becomes Prime Minister.

Britain is administered from the Palace of Westminster in London. This is also known as the Houses of Parliament. Parliament is made up of two chambers - the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

Parliament is the most important authority in Britain. Parliament first met in the 13th century. Britain does not have a written constitution, but a set of laws. In 1689 Mary II and William III became the first constitutional monarchs.

Margaret Thatcher (Margaret Robins) was born in 1925. Her fat had a grocer's shop but he was also very interested in local politics. Margaret was a good student and won a schoolarship to Oxford to study chemistry.

All state schools in Britain are free, and schools provide their pupils with books and equipment for their studies. Nine million children attend 35.000 schools in Britain. Education is compulsory from 5 till 16 years.

The United Kingdom (abbreviated from "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland") is the political name of the country which consists of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (sometimes known as Ulster).

At present the British royal family is headed by Queen Elizabeth. When the Queen was born on the 21st of April 1926, her grandfather, King George V, was on the throne and her uncle was his heir.

Diana Spencer was born on the first of July 1961 in Sandringham in England. She had two older sisters and a younger brother. In childhood she liked games, swimming, running and dancing.

The heartfelt goodbye to the people's princess sums up how everyone felt about her tragic death. Astonished tourists fighting back their tears watched Englishmen weep unashamedly on the streets of London.

British religion used to be closely connected with kings, queens and politics. England was a Roman Catholic country until 1534. In 1525 King Henry VIII decided to divorce his queen, Catherine of Aragon, because he fell in love with Anne Boleyn.

The centre of everything in Great Britain is the city of London. It's situated at the centre of a vast national and international network of communication. London consists of four main districts, which differ from each other.

London is the capital of Great Britain, its political, economic and cultural centre. It's one of the largest cities in the world. Its population is more than million people. London is situated on the river Thames. The city is very old and beautiful. It was founded more than two thousand years ago.

The Tower of London is one of the most imposing and popular of London's historical sites. It comprises not one, but .20 towers. The oldest of which, the White Tower, dates back to the 11th century and the time of William the Conqueror.

The British have taken good ideas from all over the world. You can eat Chinese, Indian, Italian and Greek food in any big city. There is a fantastic variety of restaurants. The restaurants best customers are business people, who meet in them to talk business in a relaxed atmosphere away from the telephone.