Dear Students,
This is probably the last substantial piece of information I'm going to share with you before your examination. Read and try to memorize as much as you can. I hope the tips given here will be of some assistance to you. As usual, good luck learning!

http://writetotop.com/writing/other-writings/letters/

Home Assignment 03.04.15

Dear Students,
This time your task is to write a semi-formal letter. In the textbook which is attached to this post you can find some tips to help you arrange it and stick to the right style (p.34-37). As usual, you may either send your letters to my mailbox or bring them in your exercise-books on Monday.

-A local newspaper has recently published a series of articles about young people. In most of the articles, young people are described as irresponsible, rude and looking only for cheap entertainment. These opinions are mainly based on a few recent incidents at the local discotheque.Write a letter to the editor expressing your disapproval not only of the editorial policy of treating the topic, but also of the perception of young people.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8ez6jeUzm3MdEdtamRmQ1NmbXM/view?usp=sharing

Home Assignment 17.02

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/12eWKqAXSOA3eg-pA2y1tjQFNuUQClxKmhHZ5DTVeMr4/viewform

And I hope you will manage to deal with the writing task in your Outcomes WB, p.31, ex.D. If you fail to find the necessary resources to do it, don't hesitate to contact me.
Yours truly,
O.V.

Home Assignment 06.02.15

WRITING
46. Todd Green has received a letter from Mr Fleming, asking for a reference for
Miss Collins who worked for Mr Green's company for two years. She left when she
moved house, and she has now applied for a job in Mr Fleming's company. Look at
the notes Todd Green has made, then write his letter to Mr Fleming, using the plan
below (at least 100 words).
Full name: Patricia Collins
Age: 27
Work experience: worked as an office manager — two years — rose to position of a
department manager
Qualities: — hardworking — often worked overtime
— responsible — always worked well
— fast learner — quick to learn
— polite and helpful
— however, stubborn at times
PLAN
Introduction Para 1: Salutation and reasons for writing, the person's name, age,
position in company, reasons for leaving.
Main body Para 2: Character, qualities.
Para 3: General comments about the person.
Conclusion Para 4: Closing remarks; polite ending
(Yours sincerely/Yours faithfully/etc.); your signature

-As usual, my mailbox or your exercise-books are at your disposal to accomplish the task by Monday.

Textbooks for the Second Semester & Home Assignment (!)

As you know, we don't have any paper version of any textbooks for the second semester. Here is the e-version of one of the sources which is going to be used at our lessons. Also, any suggestions on the kinds of work you would find helpful in the short period of time which is left until the end of the academic year are welcome here in the comments.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8ez6jeUzm3MQndCb3ZNaTRyN0E/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8ez6jeUzm3MLUI4TmZKRTJMdW8/view?usp=sharing

For those personalities who were absent on Monday or who happened to leave their copy in an unknown place, here is your home  assignment. It can be done in your exercise-books or sent to my email. 

Home Assignment for Tuesday, 20.01:

Write 20 questions of different types to the text “Chinese New Year - the History”

                              
Home Assignment for Friday, 23.01:

You have decided to enter a competition announced by the editor of a popular youth magazine. The title is “The Most Important Celebration of the Year”. Write about 150-250 words. (Don’t forget to go through the rules of writing an article before you start)

Chinese New Year - the History

The Chinese New Year has a great history. In other traditions, by this time in the year, most resolutions - made on December 31 - have been subtly forgotten and placed in a cupboard marked "maybe next year." However, all hope is not lost, as there's a second chance to start afresh with the celebration of Chinese New Year on February 18th.

The Chinese New Year is very similar to the Western one, swathed in traditions and rituals. The origin of the Chinese New Year is itself centuries old - in fact, too old to actually be traced. It is popularly recognised as the Spring Festival and celebrations last 15 days.

Preparations tend to begin a month from the date of the Chinese New Year (similar to a Western Christmas), when people start buying presents, decoration materials, food and clothing. A huge clean-up gets underway days before the New Year, when Chinese houses are cleaned from top to bottom, to sweep away any traces of bad luck, and doors and windowpanes are given a new coat of paint, usually red. The doors and windows are then decorated with paper cuts and couplets with themes such as happiness, wealth and longevity printed on them.

The eve of the New Year is perhaps the most exciting part of the event, as anticipation creeps in. Here, traditions and rituals are very carefully observed in everything from food to clothing. Dinner is usually a feast of seafood and dumplings, signifying different good wishes. Delicacies include prawns, for liveliness and happiness, dried oysters (or ho xi), for all things good, raw fish salad or yu sheng to bring good luck and prosperity, Fai-hai (Angel Hair), an edible hair-like seaweed to bring prosperity, and dumplings boiled in water (Jiaozi) signifying a long-lost good wish for a family. It's usual to wear something red as this colour is meant to ward off evil spirits - but black and white are out, as these are associated with mourning. After dinner, the family sit up for the night playing cards, board games or watching TV programmes dedicated to the occasion. At midnight, the sky is lit up by fireworks.

On the day itself, an ancient custom called Hong Bao, meaning Red Packet, takes place. This involves married couples giving children and unmarried adults money in red envelopes. Then the family begins to say greetings from door to door, first to their relatives and then their neighbours. Like the Western saying "let bygones be bygones," at Chinese New Year, grudges are very easily cast aside.

The end of the New Year is marked by the Festival of Lanterns, which is a celebration with singing, dancing and lantern shows. Although celebrations of the Chinese New Year vary, the underlying message is one of peace and happiness for family members and friends.

Dear school leavers,
I hope that although you are currently enjoying your long winter holidays, you haven't forgotten about the exams which are waiting for you in the near future. Here is just one of the opportunities to practise your skills and check the level of your knowledge. If you happen to know any other online tests which are worth paying attention to, you are welcome to share them here. You are also more than welcome to discuss any disputable issues and ask any questions arising in the process of going through the test(s).

http://zno.osvita.ua/english/8/

As usual, have fun learning! :)