English Summer Camp



Створення літніх мовних таборів ні в якому разі не є обов’язковим для кожної школи, адже важливою є не кількість, а якість таких заходів. (!)
Вивчення іноземних мов не повинно перетворюватися на продовження навчального процесу. (!)
ОСНОВНИМИ ПРИНЦИПАМИ діяльності літнього мовного табору є:
Ø принцип зв’язку навчання з життям;
Ø принцип комунікативної активності учнів;
Ø принцип зв’язку позакласної роботи з уроками іноземної мови.
МЕТА створення літніх мовних таборів – створити відповідне мовне середовище та умови для заохочення учнів до вивчення іноземних мов.
ЗАВДАННЯ літніх мовних таборів:
Ø підвищити рівень володіння іноземними мовами учнів загальноосвітніх навчальних закладів, зацікавити дітей, сприяти самостійній підготовці учнів удома, започаткувати моду на вивчення іноземних мов в Україні, привернути увагу суспільства до цієї теми;
Ø допомагати школярам здобувати необхідні мовні навички та непомітно долати мовний бар’єр;
Ø удосконалювати усне (розмовне) мовлення дитини;
Ø поєднати навчання із захоплюючим відпочинком;
Ø створити мотивацію для подальшого удосконалення англійської, німецької чи французької мов.
ТЕРМІН ПРОВЕДЕННЯ літніх мовних таборів
Літній мовний табір пропонується організувати на базі загальноосвітніх навчальних закладів у червні. Заклад самостійно обирає термін проведення мовних таборів: протягом двох або трьох тижнів.
УЧАСНИКИ літніх мовних таборів
За власним бажанням та на підставі заяви від батьків учасниками літніх мовних таборів мають бути учні загальноосвітніх навчальних закладів з різним рівнем знань іноземної мови.
Бажано залучати до мовних таборів учнів, які мають низький та середній рівні володіння іноземною мовою та недостатню мотивацію до оволодіння нею.
СТРУКТУРА літніх мовних таборів
Структурування діяльності літніх мовних таборів може здійснюватися за віком або за рівнем володіння мовою. Учнів можна об’єднати в групи на розсуд волонтерів та вчителів залежно від їхнього віку, інтересів або рівня знань іноземної мови. З урахуванням цього іншомовна діяльність школярів ведеться за різними напрямами. Така система дозволяє дитині відчувати себе комфортно в групі однолітків, які відповідають її рівню.
Типи літніх мовних таборів
Оздоровчі табори, в яких учні перебувають після закінчення навчального року, пропонується трансформувати в літні школи вивчення іноземних мов. Літні мовні табори створюються під час літніх канікул, коли школярі потребують відпочинку, тому не можна перетворювати роботу табору на продовження навчання. Слід розмежувати поняття «мовний табір» та «пришкільний оздоровчий табір». Навчальні заклади використовують різні форми роботи по закінченню навчального року. Ними можуть бути і шкільна практика, і оздоровчі табори, і екскурсійна діяльність тощо.
Ø І тип – літній мовний табір з повною занйятістю учнів. Створюється мовний табір окремо від пришкільного оздоровчого, який повинен мати свою програму та розпорядок дня. Орієнтовний час роботи мовного табору – з 9.00 до 16.00.
У програмі проведення мовного табору повинно враховувати вільний особистий час для учасників табору, сніданок та обідню перерву, які забезпечує навчальний заклад, де організовано табір.
Ø ІІ тип – літній мовний табір з частковою занятістю учнів. Створюється мовний табір окремо від пришкільного оздоровчого, який повинен мати свою програму та розпорядок дня. Орієнтовний час роботи мовного табору – з 9.00 до 13.00. Для такого типу мовних таборів сніданок та обід не передбачаються.
Ø ІІІ тип – на базі пришкільного оздоровчого табору створюється декілька або одна група школярів (залежно від кількості бажаючих), які хочуть підвищити свій рівень знань з іноземної мови. У такому випадку мовна школа розглядається як форма роботи пришкільного літнього оздоровчого табору. Діти проводять час у таборі за окремо складеною волонтерами та вчителями програмою щодо опанування іноземної мови, але розпорядок дня таких груп підпорядковується розпорядку пришкільного табору. Інші діти, як і раніше, відвідуватимуть звичайні пришкільні табори.
ОРГАНІЗАЦІЙНІ УМОВИ ДЛЯ ВІДКРИТТЯ ТАБОРУ
Для того щоб усі плюси перебування дитини в мовному таборі спрацювали, необхідно зробити правильний вибір місця проведення. Крім з'ясування особливостей школи, де знаходиться табір, програми навчання, запропонованої в ньому, необхідно звернути увагу на кілька важливих моментів, таких як:
· особливості інфраструктури табору (майданчики для масових заходів, комп'ютери, доступ до мережі Інтернет тощо);
· режим дня, передбачений у таборі (наявність вільного особистого часу);
· кількість дітей у групі й кількість волонтерів і педагогів-наставників (традиційно для мовних таборів 1 куратор на 10 дітей);
· кількість занять на день, компетентність волонтерського і педагогічного складу, присутність у таборі носіїв мови.
ЗМІСТОВЕ НАПОВНЕННЯ літніх мовних таборів
Літні табори з іноземних мов покликані спонукати школярів практично застосовувати знання з однієї або декількох мов, отриманих протягом навчального року.
Програма літніх мовних таборів повинна передбачати диференційований підхід при роботі з школярами. Участь у мовному таборі допоможе дітям розкрити свої таланти та отримати досвід спілкування іноземною мовою. При цьому знання дитини не повинні оцінюватися як у школі, тоді дитина буде сприймати навчання як гру. Саме через таку діяльність діти істотно розширюють свій кругозір і набувають мовленнєві та комунікативні навички.
У таборах діти повинні мати можливість спілкуватися іноземними мовами та застосовувати їх у різних формах діяльності (в ігрових та концертних програмах, спортивних змаганнях, театральних виставах, тощо).
Щодо змісту роботи з учнями, то можна обрати різні тематичні напрями:
- Фестивалі та свята країн, мова яких вивчається.
- Графіті: мистецтво чи хуліганство?
- Природні катастрофи та їх вплив на людство.
- Соціальні явища: стереотипи та забобони.
- Харківщинознавство: традиції та культурна спадщина.
- Здоровий спосіб життя – екологічна культура особистості.
- Молодіжні течії країн, мова яких вивчається та України.
- Свята та традиції країн, мова яких вивчається та України.
- Екологія рідного краю та інші.
Варіанти форматумовних таборів: Модні покази, квести, кулінарні майстер-класи, бізнес-дні, презентації екологічних проектів, дні караоке, настільні ігри, тематичні вечірки і шоу талантів іноземною, знімальні майданчики, студія мистецтв, дискусійні клуби, театральні студії, перегляд і обговорення фільмів іноземною мовою. виконання пісень, екскурсії містом, робота над конкретним проектом, тематику якого обирають самі школярі.
Діти повинні дізнаватися чимало нового про мовні особливості кожної іншомовної країни, про її вимову, акцент, діалекти, отримувати нові навички командної взаємодії.
Ідеально розроблена програма табору вважається така, у якій сплановано постійне спілкування дітей однією або двома іноземними мовами протягом усього часу перебування у мовному таборі.
Важливо, щоб організатори табору не задавали учням жодних домашніх завдань та не оцінювали знання дітей. Командна робота й спільні проекти, творча діяльність під супроводом педагогів та волонтерів – головне у створенні такої школи.
Зразок чотиритижневої програми роботи літнього мовного табору для дітей віком від 7 до 13 років можна знайти за посиланням:
http://sg-club.com.ua/sites/default/files/Summer_Camp_for_site.pdf (додаток на 2 арк. в 1 прим.).
ОЧІКУВАНІ РЕЗУЛЬТАТИ
Літні мовні табори покликані спонукати школярів практично застосовувати знання іноземних мов, отриманих протягом навчального року.
Таким чином, у літньому мовному таборі учні зможуть:
- отримати мотивацію для подальшого удосконалення іноземної мови;
- підвищити рівень мовної та мовленнєвої компетенцій;
- набути навичок усного мовлення, досвіду комунікативного спілкування;
- подолати мовний бар’єр;
- навчитися реагувати належним чином в різних соціальних ситуаціях;
- застосовувати критичне мислення у нестандартних ситуаціях;
- аналізувати інформацію з різних джерел;
- опановувати навички міжособистісної взаємодії та роботи в колективі;
- сформувати полікультурну компетенцію (бути шанобливими до інших, приймати думки, права і почуття інших людей, бути толерантними);
- сформувати комунікативну компетенцію (встановлювати контакт та зв'язки з іншими людьми, щоб мати можливість ефективно спілкуватися).

English Riddles


: Tuesday, Sam and Peter went to a restaurant to eat lunch. After eating lunch, they paid the bill. But Sam and Peter did not pay the bill, so who did?
A: Their friend, Tuesday.
Q: What gets broken without being held?
A: A promise.
Q: What is always coming but never arrives?
A: Tomorrow
Q: What goes through towns and over hills but never moves?
A: A Road
Q: What has Eighty-eight keys but can’t open a single door?
A: A piano
Q: What has a neck but no head?
A: A bottle
Q: A monkey, a squirrel, and a bird are racing to the top of a coconut tree. Who will get the banana first, the monkey, the squirrel, or the bird?
A: None of them, because you can’t get a banana from a coconut tree!
Q: Which eight-letter word still remains a word after removing each letter from it?
A: Starting-Staring-String-Sting-Sing-Sin-In-I.
Q: What has a head but never weeps, has a bed but never sleeps, can run but never walks, and has a bank but no money?
A: A river!
The Smith family is a very wealthy family that lives in a big, circular home. One morning, Mr. Smith woke up and saw a strawberry jam stain on his new carpet. He figured out that everyone who was there that morning had a jam sandwich. By reading the following excuses, figure out who spilled the jam.
Billy Smith: “I was outside playing basketball.”
The Maid: “I was dusting the corners of the house.”
Chef: “I was starting to make lunch for later.”
Who is lying?
A: It was the maid. The house is circular, it has no corners.
Two fathers and two sons go on a fishing trip. They each catch a fish and bring it home. Why do they only bring 3 home?
A: The fishing trip consists of a grandfather, a father and a son.
Q: What has 4 legs in the morning, 2 legs in the afternoon, and 3 legs at night?
A: A person! As a baby you crawl (4 legs), as an adult you walk (2 legs), then when you are older you use a cane (3 legs)
Q: The more it dries, the wetter it becomes. What is it?
A: A towel!
Q: What can you hear but not touch or see?
A: Your voice.
Q: What starts with “P” and ends with “E” and has more than 1000 letters?
A: A post office!
Q: What loses its head in the morning but gets it back at night?
A: A pillow
Q. What is something you will never see again?
A. Yesterday
Q: Jack rode into town on Friday and rode out 2 days later on Friday. How can that be possible?
A: Friday is his horse’s name!
Q: Can you name the two days starting with T besides Tuesday and Thursday?
A: Today and tomorrow.
Q: What is round on both sides but high in the middle?
A: Ohio.
Q: If two’s company and three’s a crowd, what are four and five?
A: Nine!
Q: What is the center of Gravity?
A: The letter V.
Q: What is the last thing you take off before bed?
A: Your feet off the floor.
Q: A lawyer, a plumber and a hat maker were walking down the street. Who had the biggest hat?
A: The one with the biggest head.
Q: What kind of room has no doors or windows?
A: A mushroom.
Q: I have keys but no locks. I have space but no room. You can enter but can’t go outside. What am I?
A: A Keyboard
Q: What is next in this sequence: JFMAMJJASON_ ?
A: The letter D. The sequence contains the first letter of each month.
Q: A man was cleaning the windows of a 25 story building. He slipped and fell off the ladder, but wasn’t hurt. How did he do it?
A: He fell off the 2nd step.
Q: How many seconds are there in a year?
A: 12. (January 2nd, February 2nd, March 2nd….)
Q: One night, a butcher, a baker and a candlestick maker go to a hotel. When they get their bill, however, it’s for four people. Who’s the fourth person?
A: One night can also mean one knight. That makes four: one knight, a butcher, a baker and a candlestick maker!
Q: What instrument can you hear but never see?
A: Your voice! You can sing with your voice like an instrument and hear it, but no one can see it!
Q: What has a foot but no legs?
A: A snail
Q: Poor people have it. Rich people need it. If you eat it you die. What is it?
A: Nothing
Q: What comes down but never goes up?
A: Rain
Q: I’m tall when I’m young and I’m short when I’m old. What am I?
A: A candle
Q: Mary’s father has 5 daughters – Nana, Nene, Nini, Nono. What is the fifth daughters name?
A: If you answered Nunu, you are wrong. It’s Mary!
Q: How can a pants pocket be empty and still have something in it?
A: It can have a hole in it.
Q: In a one-story pink house, there was a pink person, a pink cat, a pink fish, a pink computer, a pink chair, a pink table, a pink telephone, a pink shower– everything was pink!
What color were the stairs?
A: There weren’t any stairs, it was a one story house!
Q: A dad and his son were riding their bikes and crashed. Two ambulances came and took them to different hospitals. The man’s son was in the operating room and the doctor said, “I can’t operate on you. You’re my son.”
How is that possible?
A: The doctor is his mom!
Q: What goes up when rain comes down?
A: An umbrella!
Q: What is the longest word in the dictionary?
A: Smiles, because there is a mile between each ‘s’
Q: If I drink, I die. If i eat, I am fine. What am I?
A: A fire!
Q: Throw away the outside and cook the inside, then eat the outside and throw away the inside. What is it?
A: Corn on the cob, because you throw away the husk, cook and eat the kernels, and throw away the cob.
Q: What word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?
A: Short
Q: What travels around the world but stays in one spot?
A: A stamp!
Q: What occurs once in a minute, twice in a moment and never in one thousand years?
A: The letter M
Q: What has 4 eyes but can’t see?
A: Mississippi
Q: If I have it, I don’t share it. If I share it, I don’t have it. What is it?
A: A Secret.
Q: Take away my first letter, and I still sound the same. Take away my last letter, I still sound the same. Even take away my letter in the middle, I will still sound the same. I am a five letter word. What am I?
A: EMPTY
Q: What has hands but can not clap?
A: A clock
Q: What can you catch but not throw?
A: A cold.
Q: A house has 4 walls. All of the walls are facing south, and a bear is circling the house. What color is the bear?
A: The house is on the north pole, so the bear is white.
Q: What is at the end of a rainbow?
A: The letter W!
Q: What is as light as a feather, but even the world’s strongest man couldn’t hold it for more than a minute?
A: His breath!
Q: What starts with the letter “t”, is filled with “t” and ends in “t”?
A: A teapot!
Q: What is so delicate that saying its name breaks it?
A: Silence.
Q: You walk into a room with a match, a karosene lamp, a candle, and a fireplace. Which do you light first?
A: The match.
Q: A man was driving his truck. His lights were not on. The moon was not out. Up ahead, a woman was crossing the street. How did he see her?
A: It was a bright and sunny day!
Q: What kind of tree can you carry in your hand?
A: A palm!
Q: If an electric train is travelling south, which way is the smoke going?
A: There is no smoke, it’s an electric train!
Q: You draw a line. Without touching it, how do you make the line longer?
A: You draw a shorter line next to it, and it becomes the longer line.
Q: What has one eye but cannot see?
A: A needle
Q: A man leaves home and turns left three times, only to return home facing two men wearing masks. Who are those two men?
A: A Catcher and Umpire.
Q: Which weighs more, a pound of feathers or a pound of bricks?
A: Neither, they both weigh one pound!
Q: How many months have 28 days?
A: All 12 months!
Q: A frog jumped into a pot of cream and started treading. He soon felt something solid under his feet and was able to hop out of the pot. What did the frog feel under his feet?
A: The frog felt butter under his feet, because he churned the cream and made butter.
Q: A horse is on a 24 foot chain and wants an apple that is 26 feet away. How can the horse get to the apple?
A: The chain is not attached to anything.
Q: If a blue house is made out of blue bricks, a yellow house is made out of yellow bricks and a pink house is made out of pink bricks, what is a green house made of?
A: Glass
Q: What goes up a chimney down but can’t come down a chimney up?
A: an umberella
Q: We see it once in a year, twice in a week, and never in a day. What is it?
A: The letter “E”
Q: Mr. Blue lives in the blue house, Mr. Pink lives in the pink house, and Mr. Brown lives in the brown house. Who lives in the white house?
A: The president!
Q: They come out at night without being called, and are lost in the day without being stolen. What are they?
A: Stars!
Q: How do you make the number one disappear?
A: Add the letter G and it’s “GONE”
Q; What goes up but never comes down?
A: Your age!

 

 

Customs and traditions of the UK


"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea."
Henry James
Afternoon tea, that most quintessential of English customs is, perhaps surprisingly, a relatively new tradition.  Whilst the custom of drinking tea dates back to the third millennium BC in China and was popularised in England during the 1660s by King Charles II and his wife the Portuguese Infanta Catherine de Braganza, it was not until the mid 17th century that the concept of ‘afternoon tea’ first appeared. 
Afternoon tea was introduced in England by Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, in the year 1840. The Duchess would become hungry around four o'clock in the afternoon. The evening meal in her household was served fashionably late at eight o'clock, thus leaving a long period of time between lunch and dinner. The Duchess asked that a tray of tea, bread and butter (some time earlier, the Earl of Sandwich had had the idea of putting a filling between two slices of bread) and cake be brought to her room during the late afternoon. This became a habit of hers and she began inviting friends to join her.
This pause for tea became a fashionable social event. During the 1880's upper-class and society women would change into long gowns, gloves and hats for their afternoon tea which was usually served in the drawing room between four and five o'clock.
Traditional afternoon tea consists of a selection of dainty sandwiches (including of course thinly sliced cucumber sandwiches), scones served with clotted cream and preserves. Cakes and pastries are also served. Tea grown in India or Ceylon is poured from silver tea pots into delicate bone china cups.
Nowadays however, in the average suburban home, afternoon tea is likely to be just a biscuit or small cake and a mug of tea, usually produced using a teabag. Sacrilege!
To experience the best of the afternoon tea tradition, indulge yourself with a trip to one of London's finest hotels or visit a quaint tearoom in the west country. The Devonshire Cream Tea is famous world wide and consists of scones, strawberry jam and the vital ingredient, Devon clotted cream, as well as cups of hot sweet tea served in china teacups. Many of the other counties in England's west country also claim the best cream teas: Dorset, Cornwall and Somerset.
There are a wide selection of hotels in London offering the quintessential afternoon tea experience . Hotels offering traditional afternoon tea include Claridges, the Dorchester, the Ritz and the Savoy, as well as Harrods and Fortnum and Mason.







Almost every nation has a reputation of some kind. The English are reputed to be cold, reserved, rather haughty people. They are steady, easy-going and fond of sports. There are certain kinds of behavior, manners and customs which are peculiar to England.
The English are naturally polite and are never tired of saying < Thank you > and < I am sorry >. They are generally disciplined, you never hear loud talk in the street. They don't rush for seats in buses and trains, but they take their seats in queues at bus stops. English people do not shake hands when meeting one another, they do not show their emotions even in tragic situations. They seem to remain good-tempered and cheerful under difficulties.
The English are a nation of stay-at-homes. There is no place like home. The Englishman says < My house is my castle > because he doesn't wish his doings to be overlooked by his neighbours. It is true that English people prefer small houses, built for one family. The fire is the focus of the English Home. Other nations go out to cafes or cocktail bars. The fireplace is the natural centre of interest in the room. They like to sit round the fire and watch the dancing flames, exchanging the day's experience. In many houses you will still see fireplaces, sometimes with columns on each side and a shelf above it on which there is often a clock or a mirror or photos.
The love of gardens is deep-rooted in the British people. Most men's conversations are about gardens. It may be a discussion of the best methods of growing cucumbers, a talk about the plot which differs from all the others.
The British like growing plants in a window-box outside the kitchen or in the garden near the house. They love flowers very much.
Britain is a nation of animal lovers. They have about five million dogs, almost as many cats, 3 million parrots and other cage birds, aquarium fish - and 1 million exotic pets such as reptiles. In Britain they have special dog shops selling food, clothes and other things for dogs. There are dog hair-dressing saloons and dog cemetries. In Britain pets can send Christmas cards to their friends, birthday cards. Owners can buy for their pets jewelled nylon collars, lambswool coat for a dog, lace-trimmed panties, nightgowns, pyjamas, and so on. There are special animal hotels at the airports. The English people believe that they are the only nation on the earth that is really kind to its animals. How do they spend their week-ends.
Those who live in cities and towns like to go out of town. They may go to stay in the country. Every Englishman is fond of the countryside in a nice thatched cottage with roses round the porch and in the garden, the fresh air and bright sun. No crowds of people, silence and leisure.
Those who stay at home try to do all the jobs they, were too busy to do during the week. Some go shopping on Saturday mornings, some do the house - washing, cleaning. Some men do and watch sporting events.
Saturday evening is the best time for parties, dances, going to the cinema or theatre.
On Sunday after breakfast they may go to work in the garden take a dog for a walk, play a visit to a pub. Sunday is a day for inviting friends and relatives to afternoon tea.
There are some traditions concerning food. English cooking is heavy, substantial and plain. The Englishman likes a good breakfast. To him a good breakfast means porridge with, fish, bacon and eggs, toast and marmalade, tea or coffee. It is the same day to day. The English like their toast cold.
Tea is part of the prose of British life, as necessary as potatoes and bread. Seven cups of it wake you up in the morning, 9 cups will put you to sleep at night.
The midday meal is called lunch. This meal consists on week- days of stew, fried fish, chops, liver or sausages, vegetables. Rice and macaroni are seldom served. Then does an apple tart, or hot milk pudding. Sunday dinner is a special occasion, it is a joint of beef or lamb with vegetables. Then goes a large heavy pudding with custard. From 4 to 6 there is a very light meal called 5 o'clock tea. It is a snack of thin bread and butter and cups of tea with small cakes. This became a kind ritual. At this time everything stops for tea.
Dinner (usually at 6 p.m.) is much like lunch and is in many families the last meal of the day. Supper is a snack of bread and cheese and cocoa.
The English have a popular speciality known as fish and chips. They are bought at special fish and chips shops.

Cheese Rolling at Cooper’s Hill

The Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake is an annual event held on the Spring Bank Holiday at Cooper’s Hill near Gloucester in the Cotswolds region of England It is traditionally by and for the people of Brockworth – the local village, but now people from all over the world take part. The event takes its name from the hill on which it occurs. The 2010 event has been cancelled due to safety concerns over the number of people visiting the event but it is hoped that it will be held on the late May Bank Holiday in 2011. Due to the steepness and uneven surface of the hill there are usually a number of injuries, ranging from sprained ankles to broken bones and concussion. Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling has been summarized as “twenty young men chase a cheese off a cliff and tumble 200 yards to the bottom, where they are scraped up by paramedics and packed off to hospital”


Maypole Dancing


Maypole dancing is a form of folk dance from western Europe, especially England, Sweden, Galicia, Portugal and Germany, with two distinctive traditions. In the most widespread, dancers perform circle dances around a tall pole which is decorated with garlands, painted stripes, flowers, flags and other emblems. In the second most common form, dancers dance in a circle each holding a colored ribbon attached to a much smaller pole; the ribbons are intertwined and plaited either on to the pole itself or into a web around the pole. The dancers may then retrace their steps exactly in order to unravel the ribbons.

Pearly King and Queen


Pearly Kings and Queens, known as pearlies, are an organized charitable tradition of working class culture in London, England. The practice of wearing clothes decorated with pearl buttons originated in the 19th century. It is first associated with Henry Croft, an orphan street sweeper who collected money for charity. In 1911 an organized pearly society was formed in Finchley, north London.



Bog Snorkeling 

Yes indeed, you read correctly, bog snorkeling. If any of you ever doubted that us Brits are mad, this should make up your minds for you. Basically participants dive into a bog, wearing goggles, a pair of flippers and a snorkel, they then proceed to race each other along a 120ft trench filled with mud. Held every year the participants come from all over the world and raise lots of money for charity.
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Morris Dancining 

A Morris dance is a form of English folk dance usually accompanied by music. It is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers. Implements such as sticks, swords, and handkerchiefs may also be wielded by the dancers. In a small number of dances for one or two men, steps are performed near and across a pair of clay tobacco pipes laid across each other on the floor

Straw Bear 

Straw Bear (Strawboer) Day is an old English tradition held on the 7th of January. It is known in a small area of Fenland on the borders of Huntingdonshire and Cambridgeshire, including Ramsey Mereside. This day is believed to be traditional start of agricultural year in England. A man or a boy wears a straw costume covering him from his head to toes. He goes from house to house where he dances. As prize for his dancing people give him money, food or beer.

Worm Charming 

Worm charming is a way to of attracting earthworms from the ground. Many do it to collect bait for fishing. But there are also those who do it as sort of sport. The village of Willaston, near Nantwich, Cheshire is the place where since 1980 the annual World Championships have been organized. The competition was actually initiated by local man Tom Shufflebotham who on the 5th of July, 1980 charmed 511 worms from the ground in only half an hour. The competition has 18 rules. Here are just few of them. Each competitor competes in the 3 x 3 meters area. Music of any kind can be used to charm worms out of the ground. No drugs can be used! Water is considered to be a drug (stimulant).



British Traditions and Customs
British nation is considered to be the most conservative in Europe. It is not a secret that every nation and every country has its own customs and traditions. In Great Britain people attach greater importance to traditions and customs than in other European countries. Englishmen are proud of their traditions and carefully keep them up. The best examples are their queen, money system, their weights and measures.
There are many customs and some of them are very old. There is, for example, the Marble Championship, where the British Champion is crowned; he wins a silver cup known among folk dancers as Morris Dancing. Morris Dancing is an event where people, worn in beautiful clothes with ribbons and bells, dance with handkerchiefs or big sticks in their hands, while traditional music- sounds.
Another example is the Boat Race, which takes place on the river Thames, often on Easter Sunday. A boat with a team from Oxford University and one with a team from Cambridge University hold a race.
British people think that the Grand National horse race is the most exciting horse race in the world. It takes place near Liverpool every year. Sometimes it happens the same day as the Boat Race takes place, sometimes a week later. Amateur riders as well as professional jockeys can participate. It is a very famous event.
There are many celebrations in May, especially in the countryside.
Halloween is a day on which many children dress up in unusual costumes. In fact, this holiday has a Celtic origin. The day was originally called All Halloween's Eve, because it happens on October 31, the eve of all Saint's Day. The name was later shortened to Halloween. The Celts celebrated the coming of New Year on that day.
Another tradition is the holiday called Bonfire Night.
On November 5,1605, a man called Guy Fawkes planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament where the king James 1st was to open Parliament on that day. But Guy Fawkes was unable to realize his plan and was caught and later, hanged. The British still remember that Guy Fawkes' Night. It is another name for this holiday. This day one can see children with figures, made of sacks and straw and dressed in old clothes. On November 5th, children put their figures on the bonfire, burn them, and light their fireworks.
In the end of the year, there is the most famous New Year celebration. In London, many people go to Trafalgar Square on New Year's Eve. There is singing and dancing at 12 o'clock on December 31st.
A popular Scottish event is the Edinburgh Festival of music and drama, which takes place every year. A truly Welsh event is the Eisteddfod, a national festival of traditional poetry and music, with a competition for the best new poem in Welsh.
If we look at English weights and measures, we can be convinced that the British are very conservative people. They do not use the internationally accepted measurements. They have conserved their old measures. There are nine essential measures. For general use, the smallest weight is one ounce, then 16 ounce is equal to a pound. Fourteen pounds is one stone.
The English always give people's weight in pounds and stones. Liquids they measure in pints, quarts and gallons. There are two pints in a quart and four quarts or eight pints are in one gallon. For length, they have inches» foot, yards and miles.
If we have always been used to the metric system therefore the English monetary system could be found rather difficult for us. They have a pound sterling, which is divided into twenty shillings, half-crown is cost two shillings and sixpence, shilling is worth twelve pennies and one penny could be changed by two halfpennies.
 

 
Questions:
1. What nation is considered to be the most conservative in Europe?
2. What are the best examples of their conservatism?
3. What are the most popular English traditions?
4. What is the original name of Halloween?
5. What is a popular Scottish event?
6. What is the Eisteddfod?
7. What peculiarities of the English monetary system do you know?

Vocabulary:
to be considered — считаться, рассматриваться как
customs — традиции
to attach — уделять
proud — гордый
to keep (past kept, p.p. kept) up — поддерживать, хранить
to crown — короновать
folk — народный (относящийся к обычаям, традициям простого народа)
to wear (past wore, p.p. worn) — одевать, носить
ribbon — лента, ленточка; тесьма
handkerchief — носовой платок
Boat Race — лодочные гонки
Easter Sunday — Пасхальное Воскресенье
exciting — возбуждающий, волнующий
amateur — любитель; поклонник; любительский
rider — всадник, наездник; жокей
event — событие
countryside — сельская местность
Celtic — кельтский
origin — происхождение; начало
All Halloween's Eve — Канун всех святых (сокр. Хэлло-уин)
Bonfire Night — Ночь костров
to blow up — взорвать, подорвать
to catch (caught) — схватить, арестовать
to hang (past hung, p.p. hung) — повесить
straw — солома
bonfire — костер
firework — обыкн. мн. фейерверк
truly — действительно, по-настоящему
Eisteddfod — ежегодный фестиваль бардов (в Уэльсе)
competition — соревнование
to convince - убеждать, уверять
essential — важнейший; необходимый; основной
ounce — унция (- 28,3 г)
pound — фунт (современная мера веса, используемая в англоговорящих странах; = 453,6 г)
stone — мн. обыкн. неизм. стоун (мера веса, равен 14 фунтам, или 6,34 кг)
pint — пинта (мера емкости; в Англии = 0,57 л; в США = = 0,47 л для жидкостей)
quart — кварта (единица измерения объема жидкости; равняется а/4 галлона — 2 пинтам)
gallon — галлон (мера жидких и сыпучих тел = 4,54 л)
inch — дюйм (= 2,5 см)
foot — мн. ч. неизм. фут (мера длины, равная 30,48 см)
yard — ярд (мера длины, равная 3 футам или 914,4 мм)
mile — английская миля (*= 1609 м)
metric system — метрическая система
pound sterling — фунт стерлингов (денежная единица Великобритании, равнялась 20 шиллингам, или 240 пенсам; с 1971 г. = 100 пенсам)
shilling — шиллинг (англ. серебряная монета = 1/20 фунта стерлингов — 12 пенсам)
penny — мн. репсе, pennies (об отдельных монетах) пенни, пенс
half-crown — полкроны (монета в 2 шиллинга 6 пенсов) 
halfpenny — полпенни
 

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