Научно-технический прогресс

As the years go forward our life becomes faster, a lot of new things appear, our mind develops and it cannot stop. Many centuries ago people even couldn't imagine that we will be able to exchange information using telephone, fax, Internet as long as they couldn't think that there are a lot of planets except our earth and that people can fly their. Nowadays we cannot imagine our life without such inventions like lamps, ovens, central heating and others. Our century is a century of developing informational connection. Faxes, TV, Internet, and telephone became the most popular way of getting and sending information. One of the greatest inventions of the century, in my opinion is computer. Programming became one of the most useful and popular profession. Nowadays computers can pay wages, reserve seats on planes, control satellites, compose music. The Internet is a great way to get information, to communicate with people, to find everything you need. More and more people become Internet users because we can do so many things their and also cannot say all of them.

12. Экологические проблемы

The Earth is the only planet in the solar system where there is life. Our planet is wonderful. There are blue seas, oceans, rivers and lakes, high mountains, forests, fields, grasslands, meadows.

In prehistoric times, people killed animals for food and built fires. They cut down trees for fuel, and their fires released pollution into the air. But there were so few people and their activities had little impact on the environment. But we can say that a man lived in harmony with nature until industrialization.

People are becoming aware that their activities can seriously damage the planet

All problems are interdependent

They are: acid rain, pollution, nuclear waste, resource depletion

deforestation, global warming, climate change, overfishing

radioactive contamination, ozone depletion, loss of biodiversity, animal extinction, waste

1.The world`s industry pollutes the atmosphere with millions of tons of dust and other harmful substances. People in cities are affected by harmful discharge from plants, transport, noise

2.The seas are poisoned with industrial waste, chemicals and sewage discharge. There is lack of fresh air and clean water.

3. Among the most urgent problems are the depletion of the ozone layer, and global warming that lead to changes in the world`s climate. There is a problem of increasing emissions of greenhouse gases.

4. Deforestation destroys the environmental balance and reduces biodiversity

5. People are also responsible for the amount of emissions. We use a lot of energy and fuel.

5. Radioactive contamination is also a form of pollution.

The nuclear accident in Chernobyl has seriously aggravated the ecological situation in Belarus. About 18 per cent of soil are unfit for farming. Some places are dangerous to live in.So our life depends on the state of the environment. Pollution kills everything alive. The flora, fauna are in danger. Many of plants and animals are included into the Red Book.

13. Система образования в Беларуси

Every child in Belarus must go to school, they must get a full secondary education. Pre-school education is not compulsory in Belarus but around 70% of children attend kindergarten before they start school. Children in Belarus start school at the age of 6 or 7. It`s primary school. It lasts four years. At the primary school children get the elementary education, they learn to read, write and count.

The secondary education begins from the fifth form. Children begin learning different subjects, such as Literature, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Foreign Languages, Information technologies. Pupils can deepen and improve their knowledge by attending different optional courses in different subjects.

At the age of 15 pupils can enter a college, gymnasium, lyceum or professional technical institutions. This means that after finishing a college they are both educated and financially independent, able to go straight to a job..

A lot of students stay and finish the 11^th form. After finishing school or college young people may enter institute or university to get the higher education. There are four main types of higher education establishments, which can be either private or state: classical university, profile university or academy, institute,higher college. Most courses run for 5 years and students can choose to study full time, at evening classes or by correspondence. All higher education establishments are governed by the Ministry of Education in Belarus.