Belarusian cuisine
Modern Belarusian cookery is based on old national traditions which have undergone a long historical evolution. But the main methods of traditional Belarusian cuisine are carefully kept by the people.
Common in Belarusian cuisine were dishes from potato which is called among people "the second bread". The Belarusians bring fame to their beloved potato in their verses, songs, dances. There are special potato cafes in the country where you can try various potato dishes. Potato is included into many salads, it is served together with mushrooms, meat; different pirazhki (patties) and baked puddings are made from it. The most popular among the Belarusians are traditional draniki, thick pancakes, prepared from shredded potatoes. A wide spread of potato dishes in Belarusian cuisine can be explained by natural climatic conditions of Belarus which are propitious for growing highly starched and tasty sorts of potatoes.
A lot of place in the diet of the Belarusians belongs to meat and meat products, especially to the pork and salted pork fat. One of the people's proverbs says: "There is no fish more tasty than tench, as well as there is no meat better than pork". The salted pork fat is used slightly smoked and seasoned with onions and garlic. Pyachysta is one of the traditional holiday dishes. This is boiled, stewed or roasted sucking pig, fowl or large chunks of pork or beef. Dishes prepared from meat are usually served together with potatoes or vegetables such as carrot, cabbage, black radish, peas, etc. It is characteristic that many vegetable and meat dishes are prepared in special stoneware pots.
Among dishes from fish the Belarusians prefer yushka, galki and also baked or boiled river-fish without special seasonings. In general, what concerns the most common seasonings such as onions, garlic, parsley, dill, caraway seeds, pepper, they are used very moderately in Belarusian cookery.
The choice Belarusian food are fresh, dried, salted and pickled mushrooms, and also berries such as bilberry, wild strawberries, red whortlberry, raspberries, cranberry and some others.
The Belarusians prefer to use whole milk which affected some methods of making yoghurt and the so called klinkovy cottage cheese. In Belarusian cuisine the milk is widely used for mixing in vegetable and flour dishes.
Myadukha, berezavik, kvas, beer are traditional Belarusian drinks.
Education in belarus
Scientific and intellectual potential is the main strategic resource of Belarus. In 1950s Belarus became the country of universal literacy. In 1989, according to the results of the census, 899 people per each thousand engaged in the national economy had higher and secondary education; 144 people among them were the graduates from the higher educational establishments. Thus, we can say that Belarus had a developed system of education.
Nowadays the number of students attending different educational establishments has not changed. The republic guarantees its citizens the right to universal secondary education and creates means for further professional education. It tries to preserve the democratic character of education, paying much attention to common human values, developing independent critical thinking instead of simple perception of information.
The republic is reforming its system of education today with the aim of creating an independent, qualitatively new national school, corresponding to international standards and ensuring each citizen the right to the high-quality education according to his abilities and inclinations.
The reform envisages a continuity of study at all stages, such as pre-school, secondary school, vocational training and specialized secondary school, and at the higher school level. It gives teachers and students freedom in the choice of educational forms and methods, while the results must correspond to the state educational standards.
The main principles of the educational system in Belarus are the priority of human values, national culture as the basis of education, humanism, sense of ecological purpose, scientific basis, democracy, support of gifted children and so on.
Scientific and Technological Progress
It's difficult to overestimate the role of science and technology in our life. They accelerate the development of civilization and help us in our co-operation with nature. Scientists investigate the laws of the universe, discover the secrets of nature, and apply their knowledge in practice improving the life of people.
Let's compare our life nowadays with the life of people at the beginning of the 20thcentury. It has changed beyond recognition. Our ancestors hadn't the slightest idea of the trivial things created by the scientific progress that we use in our every day life. I mean refrigerators, TV sets, computers, microwave ovens, radio telephones, what not. They would seem miracles to them that made our life easy, comfortable and pleasant. On the other hand, the great inventions of the beginning of the 20th century, I mean radio, aeroplanes, combustion and jet engines have become usual things and we can't imagine our life without them.
A century is a long period for scientific and technological progress, as it's rather rapid. Millions of investigations, the endless number of outstanding discoveries have been made. Our century has had several names that were connected with a certain era in science and technology. At first it was called the atomic age due to the discovery of the splitting of the atom. Then it became the age of the conquest of space when for the first time in the history of mankind a man overcame the gravity and entered the Universe. And now we live in the information era when the computer network embraces the globe and connects not only the countries and space stations but a lot of people all over the world. All these things prove the power and the greatest progressive role of science in our life.
But every medal has its reverse. And the rapid scientific progress has aroused a number of problems that are a matter of our great concern. These are ecological problems, the safety of nuclear power stations, the nuclear war threat, and the responsibility of a scientist.
But still we are grateful to the outstanding men of the past and the present who have courage and patience to disclose the secrets of the Universe.
Travelling
Millions of people all over the world spend their holidays traveling. They travel to see other continents, modern cities and the ruins of ancient towns, they travel to enjoy picturesque places, or just for a change of scene. It's always interesting to discover new things, different ways of life, to meet different people, to try different food, to listen to different musical rhythms.
Those who live in the country like to go to a big city and spend their time visiting museums and art galleries, looking at shop windows and dining at exotic restaurants. City-dwellers usually like a quiet holiday by the sea or in the mountains, with nothing to do but walk and bathe and laze in the sun. Most travelers and holiday-makers take a camera with them and take pictures of everything that interests them - the sights of a city, old churches and castles, views of mountains, lakes, valleys, plains, waterfalls, forests; different kinds of trees, flowers and plants, animals and birds. Later, perhaps years later, they will be reminded by the photos of the happy time they have had.
People travel by train, by plane, by boat, by car, by bike and on foot. People travel to have a holidays or to have business. If people have business trips they choose the fastest transport. They often travel by plane or by train. It is very expensive but it is very fast. And if people want to have a rest they choose traveling by boat, by car, on horseback and etc. When you travel by car or by bike you can stop where you want.
All means of travel have their advantages and disadvantages. And people choose one according to their plans and destinations. If we are fond of traveling, we see and learn a lot of things that we can never see or learn at home, though we may read about them in books and newspapers, and see pictures of them on TV.
The best way to study geography is to travel, and the best way to get to know and understand people is to meet them in their own homes. The best way to study geography is to travel, and the best way to get to know and understand people is to meet them in their own homes.
I like to travel. First of all, the members of our family usually have long walks in the country. Such walks are called hikes. If we want to see the countryside, we have to spend a part of our summer holidays on hikes. It is useful for all members of our family. We take our rucksacks, we don't think about tickets, we don't hurry up and we walk a lot. During such hikes we see a lot of interesting places, sometimes we meet interesting people. I like to travel by car. It is interesting, because you can see many things in a short time. When we go by car, we don't take tickets and we put all things we need in a car. We don't carry them.
Buildings and homes
As the saying goes “East or West Home is Best”. The expression is used mainly in terms of our Motherland, our native country. But it in full measure may be referred to the very place we live in; not only to the psychological spiritual notion of home, but it's very embodiment-the house. I completely share the idea that there's no better place than home, the house where we were born, grew up, celebrated family events. Whenever I leave for a long time for the summer period, I always want back home in my dreams. But to tell you the truth for me it's more important not the house itself, the design or smth of that kind, but the friendly atmosphere, relationships between the members of the family.
Still I should say about my flat. It consists of 2 rooms (living-room and bedroom), a kitchen and a bathroom. My flat is well-equipped and well-planned. It goes without saying that it has all modern conveniences. I do in fact love my flat, I like for example to tidy it up, to clean the carpets, to water the flowers, to dust the furniture. Fortunately, it doesn't take a lot of time to arrange everything in perfect order and after cleaning I'm still full of energy to spend fruitfully the rest of the day.
What are the differences between homes in this country and Britain? No visitor to Britain can help being struck by the many building sites and the relatively large number of new houses and flats that he sees in the suburbs of towns and cities all over the country. The overwhelming majority of these dwellings are two-story houses built either in pairs (semi-detached), or singly (detached houses) with a small enclosed garden at the front and the back. In recent years a considerably large proportion of new housing has been built in the forms of flats and blocks of flats have not become a common feature of the urban scene. Almost everybody in Britain dreams of living in a detached house - that is a house that is a separate building. The saying: “An Englishman's home is his castle” is well-known. It illustrates the define for privacy and the importance attached to ownership. Their houses are the opportunity for self-expression. People like to choose the colour of their front door and window frames, for example.
My family
People are searching for things in life. Nothing else but the family can be an emotional centre of people's lives, can be transmitter of culture and raising children. This process is a difficult one. It requires work, much respect, tolerance.
Families give us a sense of tradition. Families give us strength and purpose. Our families show us who we are. The things we need most deeply in our lives - love, communication, respect and good relationships - have their beginnings in the family.
Families serve many functions. They provide a setting in which children can be born and reared. Families help educate their members. Parents teach their children values - what they think is important. They teach their children daily skills, such as how to ride a bicycle. They also teach them common practices and customs, such as respect for elders and celebrating holidays. The most important job for a family is to give emotional support and security.
It was a lyrical digression and now I'm going to tell you about my closest relatives.
My father is a middle-aged, active, energetic and sociable man. He is tall and strong both in body and character, but rather stout. He has a plump oval face with an aquiline nose. He is nearly bald and the hair that remains is grey. He is an architect, a very talented, hard-working and experienced specialist. His has two hobbies: painting and automobiles.
My mother turned 50 this year. She is rather tall, slender and doesn't look her age. She has long chestnut hair, kind green eyes and a charming smile. When she smiles you can see nice dimples in her cheeks. My mother is a woman of character, well-bred, tactful and fair. She's warm-hearted and at the same time practical, reserved and full of common sense. She is usually well-dressed. My mother is a housewife, she runs the house and takes care of the family.
My sister is 21 years old. She is a lovely sweet girl, intellectual and well-mannered. She's a student, a future architect. She decided to follow in our father's footsteps. She has a boyfriend, to whom she has engaged recently. Now they are bride and bridegroom. They are going to get married soon.
Our grandparents are rather old but full of life and energy. They are both on pension and live in the country. But all our family come to see them as often as possible.
We have a lot of close and distant relatives, because my mother has five sisters and a brother. So I've got many aunts, uncles and cousins. We are all on friendly terms.
Choosing a career
Choosing a career is like any other activity; it is best to work to a plan. Too many people start looking for a specific job before thinking out their occupational aims. It is a good idea to begin by attempting to define in clear terms what your requirements are from a career. This involves taking a realistic view of your strengths and weaknesses. You may think for example, that you would like a job that involves organizing people, but liking such a job is not a sufficient justification if experience you may have already suggested that this is not your strong point.
On the other hand, you should remember that training will equip you to do new things. A further point to consider is how far you will be willing to do for a time things which you do not like knowing that they are necessary to achieve your longer term objectives. Having thought carefully about the sort of person you are, try to work out a realistic set of occupational requirement. In particular, you can answer to important questions. First: what sort of life do you want to lead? For example, do you want to live in the country or in the town? Is leisure time of great importance to you? Is the size of your salary important? Do you want to put down roots or travel widely? Second: what sort of work do you want to do? For example, do you like working alone or with others? Does teaching people appeal to you? Do you want to be an organizer of other people's activities? Do you want to develop new ideas and initiate changes?
To be a well prepared specialist one should have some important qualities: great capability persistence, knowledge of science and, of course, knowledge of the sphere he or she is aimed to work and, of course, foreign languages. In spite of these arguments we mustn't forget about everybody's vacation.
When a company needs to recruit new people, it may decide to advertise the job or position in the “NEED HELP” section of a newspaper. People who are interested can then apply for the job by sending in a letter of application or covering letter and a curriculum vitae (CV) containing details of their education and experience. The company's Human Resources department will then select the most suitable applications and prepare a short list of applications, who are invited to attend an interview.
Nature protection
For hundreds of thousands of years the human race has thriven in Earth's environment. But now, at the end of the 20th century, we are at a crucial turning point. We have upset nature's sensitive equilibrium releasing harmful substances into the air, polluting rivers and oceans with industrial waste and tearing up the countryside to accommodate our rubbish. These are the consequences of the development of civilization.
The range of environmental problems is wide. But the matters of people's great concern nowadays are atmosphere and climate changes, depletion of the ozone layer, freshwater resources, oceans and coastal areas, deforestation and desertification, biological diversity, biotechnology, health and chemical safety.
One of the most alarming forms of air pollution is acid rain. It results from the release into the atmosphere of sulphur and nitrogen oxides that react with water droplets and return to earth in the form of acid rain, mist or snow. It has acidified lakes and streams and they can't support fish, wildlife, plants or insects.
The protective layer of the Earth, the ozone layer, which protects the Earth from the sun's destructive UV (ultraviolet) rays, is being damaged by CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons). They are released by the daily use of industrial and household products: refrigerators, air conditioners, foam insulation, cleaning chemicals, food packaging. In the ozone layer they attack the ozone molecules making a «hole». This «hole» allows more UV rays to penetrate to the Earth. It increases the risk of skin cancer, weakens the immune system of people.
It's generally agreed that the destruction of the tropical forest has a major impact on the world climate. The tropical rain forest is a natural recycler, provider and protector for our planet. It recycles carbon, nitrogen and oxygen, helps determine temperature, rainfall and other climatic conditions and supports the most diverse ecosystem in the world.
We have only a few years to attempt to turn things around. We must review our wasteful, careless ways, we must consumeless, recycle more, conserve wildlife and nature, act according to the dictum «think locally, think globally, act locally». To my mind, we are obliged to remove factories and plants from cities, use modem technologies, redesign and modify purifying systems for cleaning and trapping harmful substances, protect and increase the greenery and broaden ecological education. These are the main practical measures, which must be taken in order to improve the ecological situation.
Belarus
Belarus is my homeland. It is the place where I was born. Officially it is called the Republic of Belarus, a sovereign independent state with its own government, constitution, state emblem, flag and anthem.
Belarus is situated nearly in the centre of Europe in the extreme western part of the East-European Plain within the basins of the Dnieper, the Western Dvina and the Upper Neman. It borders on Poland in the west, the Baltic States -- Lithuania and Latvia -- in the north-west, on Russia in the north and east, on the Ukraine in the south.
Belarus is situated on a rolling plain rising to hills, the highest of which is MtDzerzhinskaya reaching 350 metres above sea level.
There are more than 3,000 rivers in Belarus. Seven of them are more than 500 kilometres long each. They are the Dnieper, Neman, Western Dvina, Prypiat, Berezina, Sozh and Vilia.
Belarus is a lake-country. There are about 10,800 lakes here. The lakes are particularly numerous in the north. The largest is Lake Naroch -- 80 square kilometres.
A third of Belarus is under forest. The largest forests are called pushchas. The Byelovezhskaya Pushcha is famous for its aurochs (European bisons). Fauna is rich and diverse there: one can see elks and deer, wild boars and wolves, bears and foxes, beavers and lynxes, not mentioning myriads of birds.
The territory of Belarus is divided into 6 regions: Brest, Vitebsk, Gomel, Grodno, Minsk, and Mogilev. The capital of Belarus is Minsk.
Belarus is a unique country. Its history is a little-known page in the world history. More over the Belarusians know the history of their Motherland not better than their neighbours do. But they can be proud of their past, culture and art.
Belarus was the arena of many wars, invasions and aggressions. Belarus was devastated by Russian-Polish wars (16--18th centuries), the Napoleon invasion (1812), World War I (1914--1918), the Soviet-Polish war which ended with Western Belarus ceded to Poland and the World War II and Nazi occupation (1941-- 1944), the longest and the greatest fighting for freedom and independence during which Belarus lost every fourth citizen. All these tragic events slowed down but didn't stop the development of the nation.
Nowadays Belarus is a country of developed industry, agriculture, science and culture. Belarusian industry produces heavy-duty trucks and tractors, large-capacity dump tracks, refrigerators, TV sets, fertilisers, meat and dairy products.
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