1.Trzy formy czasowników.

2.Czasy z angielskiego.

3.Television and video distract us from books ,cinema, theatre and family life.Do you agree?

4.What makes two people friends?

5.Pross and cons of using computers.

6.Characteristics of people.

7.Jobs and life styles.

8.Music in my life.

9.Career of family life.

10.Sport

11.My hobby

12 .Przysłowia i cytaty angielskie.

13.One of the most serious problems facing young people today.

14.Media

15.English as a world language.

16.Are you afraid about world future.

17.Elvis Presley.

18.General information about Poland.

19.John Ernst Steinbeck.

20.Poland-information.

21.The role Poland in Europe.

22.Which country you would like to visit?

23.Poland in Nato

24. a) Every man is the architect of his own future ;b) We and natural enviroment ; c)The mistakes I shall not to make if or when I become a parent.; d) Men and women should be allowed to do the same jobs..; e)The world as a global vilage.

25.Ways of spending free time.

26.Our environment.

27.Books and films.

28.My family.

29.My school.

30.My town.

31.Why do we need a car?

32.Big city or a village?

33.My future plans.

34.Modern world.

35.Men and women.

36.Generation gap.

37.Problem of crime in modern society.

38.Animals.

39.Traveling.

40.Stress and my life.

41.Learning foreign languages.

42.Everything about England

1.Trzy formy czasowników.

be	was / were	been
become	became	become
begin	began	begun
break	broke	broken
bring	brought	brought
build	built	built
buy	bought	bought
can	could	been able
catch	caught	caught
choose	chose	chosen
come	came	come
cost	cost	cost
cut	cut	cut
do	did	done
drink	drank	drunk
drive	drove	driven
eat	ate	eaten
fall	fell	fallen
feel	felt	felt
Fight	fought	fought
Find	found	found
Fly	flew	flown
Forget	forgot	forgotten
Get	got	got
Give	gave	given
Go	went	gone / been
Grow	grew	grown
Have	had	had
Hear	heard	heard
Hit	hit	hit
Keep	kept	kept
Know	knew	known
Learn	learnt / learned	learnt / learned
Leave	left	left
Lose	lost	lost
Make	made	made
Meet	met	met
Pay	paid	paid
Put	put	put
Read /ri:d/	read /red/	read /red/
Ride	rode	ridden
Run	ran	run
Say	said	said
See	saw	seen
Sell	sold	sold
Send	sent	sent
Shut	shut	shut
Sing	sang	sung
Sit	sat	sat
Sleep	slept	slept
Speak	spoke	spoken
Spend	spent	spent
Stand	stood	stood
Steal	stole	stolen
Swim	swam	swum
Take	took	taken
Tell	told	told
Think	thought	thought
Understand	understood	understood
Wake	woke	woken
Wear	wore	worn
Win	won	won
Write	wrote	written

2.Czasy z angielskiego.

Present Continous

Czasu tego używamy wtedy, gdy chcemy wyrazić, iż dana czynność właśnie odbywa się (gdy o niej mówimy); że jest akurat wykonywana, że trwa w tymże momencie. Jest to czas „sprawozdawczy”, „relacjonujący”, „opisujący” zdarzenia akurat się dziejące.

Zdania twierdzące:

Podmiot + czasownik posiłkowy + IV forma

I + am + read + ing.

We are working.

Kate and Pete are sleeping.

Zdania przeczące:

Tworzy się je dodając not między czasownik posiłkowy a główny:

are not = aren't

is not = isn't np.

He is helping them.

He isn't helping them.

Zdania pytające:

a) ogólne - przez inwersję:

She is waiting for her husband.

Is she waiting for her husband?

b) szczegółowe - przez dodanie słówka pytającego, np.:

Where are you going, Kate?

What are you looking for?

Present Simple

Używa się go wtedy, gdy chcemy poinformować o swoim zwyczaju, gdy mamy na myśli cechę, czynność powtarzającą się, często wykonywaną przez nas lub przez kogoś innego ...

Zdania twierdzące:

Po podmiocie wstawiamy I formę czasownika. W trzeciej osobie liczby pojedynczej dodaje się „s” na końcu czasownika, np.

I drink milk every day.

You drink milk every week.

She drinks beer every day.

Kate reads book every day.

Zdania przeczące:

Tworzy się przez dodanie słówka not do czasownika pomocniczego:

do not = don't

does not = doesn't

I speak English.

I don't speak English.

She writes to her husband every week.

She doesn't write to him every week.

Zauważmy, że w 3 osobie l.poj. z czasownika głównego znika końcówka „s”.

Zdania pytające:

Tworzy się przez postawienie „do” przed zdaniem twierdzącym. W trzeciej osobie l.poj. stawiamy „does”, jednocześnie znika „s” przy czasowniku głównym, np.

You like beer.

Do you like beer?

Kate likes dogs.

Does Kate like dogs?

Present Perfect

W czasie tym informujemy, że coś zrobiliśmy w przeszłości, ale nie jest ważne kiedy to zrobiliśmy, ale skutki wykonania tej czynności na teraźniejszość.

Zdania twierdzące:

Tworzy się je za pomocą czasownika posiłkowego „have” (w trzeciej osobie l.poj. „has”), oraz trzeciej formy czasownika głównego.

I have cooked tomato soup for dinner.

I have bought an expensive green car.

Mrs. Fox has cut her leg.

Your train has left the station.

Zdania przeczące:

Do czasownika posiłkowego (have, has), dodaje się „not”.

have not = haven't

has not = hasn't

Your wife hasn't opened the door.

They haven't found our books.

Henry hasn't kissed Judy.

Jeżeli w zdaniu używamy „never”, to nie używamy dodatkowo przeczenia „not”.

Paul has never smoked cigarettes.

They have never lernt French.

Zdania pytające:

Tworzymy je przestawiając czasownik posiłkowy z podmiotem. Czasownik główny (zawsze w III formie) pozostaje na swoim miejscu.

She has read our books.

Has she read our books?

Mr. Fox has already repaired our car.

Has Mr. Fox repaired our car yet.

yet = już (w pytaniach)

already = już (w twierdzeniach)

Jeżeli używamy słówka „ever”, to jest ono na trzeciej pozycji (tak ja „already” i „never”):

Have you ever been in Paris?

Has he ever seen girl?

Jeżeli w zdaniu pytającym uzywamy słówka pytającego, wtedy wskakuje ono na pierwsze miejesce.

Have you eaten my soup?

Why have you eaten my soup?

„since” i „for”:

Gdy wskazujemy moment, używamy „since”, natomiast gdy przedział czasu - „for”

I have known Miss Bubu since last year.

Judy has learnt to swim since January.

I have loved Miss Bubu since 1980.

Kochałem (i kocham nadal) pannę Bubu od 1980.

I have loved Miss Bubu for twelve years.

Kochałem (teraz już nie) pannę Bubu przez 12 lat.

„just”:

Używamy go, aby podkreślić że coś zrobiliśmy dopiero przed chwilą.

I have just eaten eleven bananas.

I have just eaten it.

Past Simple

Jest to czas przeszły dokonany. Coś zostało zrobione. Ważne w tym czasie jest to, kiedy dana czynność została wykonana.

Zdania twierdzące:

Używamy II formy czasownika głównego, natomiast jeżeli używamy czasownika regularnego, to dodajemy końcówkę „-d” lub „-ed”.

I drank her milk jesterday.

She put nmy hat in the kitchen at night.

We told him abnout Miss Sweet last week.

Dick helped his friend on Monday.

Jeżeli wszyscy wiedzą kiedy dana czynność miała miejsce, to nie musimy ciągle powtarzać „on Monday” itd.

Tom kissed Sussan.

Mrs. Goat found fifty dollars.

Zdania przeczące:

Tworzy się przez dodanie słówka not do czasownika pomocniczego, czasownik główny wraca do I formy.

did not = didn't

I helped Tom yesterday.

I didn't help Tom yesterday.

I took it yesterday.

I didn't take it yesterday.

Zdania pytające:

Tworzy się przez postawienie „did” przed zdaniem twierdzącym. Czasownik główny wraca do pierwszej formy.

Did you help mother yesterday?

Did you buy a cow last year?

Did she sell her dress?

Did he write to Mary on Sundey?

They showed you their leg.

Did they show you their leg?

Jeżeli użyjemy słówko pytające, to zdanie będzie wyglądało następująco:

When did they show you their leg?

A więc przekrój przez wszystkie pytania wygląda następująco:

You drank my wine yesterday.

Did you drink my wine yesterday?

Why did you drink my wine?

Where did you drink my wine?

When did you drink my wine?

itd.

Z reguły zdaniom w Past Simple powinny towarzyszyć określniki czasu:

Yesterday, at six, on Monday, in January, four months ago,, itd.

3.Television and video distract us from books

Watching television has advantages and disadventages.Television is a very popular form of entertainment.It`s a good source of information,it brings us a lot of information about events in the world.It broadens our knowledge and gives many possibilities for example:domcumentary or naturel films.Watching television is cheap and comfortable.It can improve foreign languages.Televion is like a drug ,everybody can become addicted to it.It draws us away from active spending of our time,for example:going to the cinema,the theathre or reading good books.The most popular are serials,tv shows,films and the news.Advertisments which we can see,give us much information about products.Often they are just rubbish.I think,that watching tv has as many pluses as minuses.I like spending my time in front of my television set.

4.What makes two people friends?

Friends has a great value in our live.What makes frienship?Probably the common interest, the same hobbies, the similar point of view and characters.A lot of people strike up a friendship because they feel alone.A friend is a person ,who we can trust ,who is loyal and sincer for us.He can listen to ,understand and help us.People who have similar problems, are the same age become very often friends.But it doesn`t happen always.Also friends are people who work together,for example :they are partners in the same company.I think that this kind of frienship isn`t a very strongone , it can broke when they get a lot of money. The strongest friendship is such ,which has notthing to do with money.

5.Pross and cons of using computers.

Computers seem to be indispensable in our lives.Since they were invented in 1948,they have revolutionized they way millions of people work, study ,conduct business transactions or carry out research.

Computers are having an enormous impact on science and technology.Complicated mathematical calculations can be performed in minutes.Also data gathering ,testing and analysis have been improved by computer use.Computer have many applications in factories where they are used for controlling and analysing many industrial processes.However,not only are they used to manufacture certain products,but they are incorporated into the products,such as cars,trains,ships,weapons,cash registers or machine tools.

Computers are also being increasingly used in medicine.They are very helpful in medical diagnosis,patient monitoring and general hospital administration.In the banking and architecture,engineering or machinery are also increasingly dependent on computer design.Moreover, computers are revolutionizing such fields as advertising or marketing of new products.

There is a widespread impact of computers in education.Educational institutions use them for various purposes.First of all,they perform administrative functions,such as data recording or book-keeping.Second ,they play an important role in teaching.More and more secondary schools offer classes in computer science to educate young people how to use them . This trend is increasing as we are all on the brink of computerized future and an understanding of computers is especially important to the young genration.Everyone will probably agree that the future of modern society depends greatly on computerization.

6.Characteristics of people.

John Brown was born in 1960 in small town called Dumbarton next to Glasgow. His family was well to do: his father was a mechanic and mother was a teacher in primary school. John had two younger brothers: Jim and Henry and one sister, who he loved most. His family was very catholic and traditional. When he was 20 he went to the university in Glasgow. Then he first met his future love - Betty White. He finished his education and he became famous lawyer soon. He got married and lived with his wife in London. After three years of his marriage John and Betty moved to Glasgow where they became parents - their only child, daughter Dorothy, was born.

John was a very kind and polite man for his family and friends. he loved his wife and daughter very much and he always tried to assure peace and safety for them. He could be funny and witty, he liked playing with children. He liked spending whole his spare time with their family. He was always honest, reliable and responsible - his chief liked him very much. He was also optimistic and ambitious - it helped him in his career. Some people say that he was old-fashioned or that sometimes he liked mess - but there are probably his only disadvantages.

Brown was tall and slim, had black hair and brown eyes, a big long nose and small glasses on it. He never had beard but he had black moustache. John liked wearing smart clothes - most of his friends remember him in black or grey suit, dark shoes, stripped tie and in a elegant coat.

John was keen on horses. From time to time he went to the small village near London, where he had his private stables. He also had another hobby - he collected old coins. In his spare time, expect riding horse, he liked riding a bicycle (otherwise with wife and the child) and playing tennis. He often went for walks with Dorothy. John also can play the guitar. He liked old, good rock the best. Theatre was very important for him - he liked going there instead of going to the cinema.

He always dreamt of going on a big trip around the world - he had money but he didn't have enough time for it. He also wanted to help the poor and cripples - he gave huge sums of money to them. From his initiative people in Glasgow built a shelter for the homeless.

In my opinion John was very gentle and he was a worthy man. Although he died, many people remember him as a good father, son, husband and friend. I think that he fully deserved acknowledgement and admiration and if some of us were like him, the world would be much better.

7.Jobs and life styles.

All people have their own jobs and life styles. Some of them are workmen, a lot of people work as clerks, others are directors and managers. Some jobs require great effort from us like working in a mine or on the oil platform. Many people, who work as, for example, tour guides or managers have to go abroad and visit many different places all the time. A lot of people don't have enough time for their families because they devote it to their jobs.

Many people nowadays suffer from stress. It is also a result of being tired all the time. People often overestimate their strength and work too hard and too long. They have too little time for their families, for a rest and meeting friends. They often don't go to the theatres and cinemas, they spend all their free time at home. Some people aren't glad of their jobs. They complain of the fact that the job doesn't give them satisfaction and they are too boring. I think it's often a result of choosing the job for money - the young always want to earn much money and they often think that working is only making money. But in fact there isn't so - if you want to be happy - your job should also give you satisfaction and pleasure.

I think that in the future I will have a job connected with computers. I think that it is very interesting job and I have already talked with some people who work as computer experts. I want to work in telecommunication firm most - there are many free positions in this part of economy and I think that I could earn enough money working there. Besides I think that computer science is developing very fast branch of science and in a job I want to have many changes all the time - a person who does this job knows new technologies all the time, he often goes to many different training courses and he solves many different problems - I think it is a very ambitious job. I never would like to work as a workman - I think that this job is often causes health problems and it wouldn't give me real satisfaction.

I also want to have a job connected with travelling. I think it is very interesting when you travel to other countries, visit many interesting cities, places, know a lot of foreigners. If I had a chance to go to the USA or England for some months to work there - I would agree. Many young people in Poland profit from such jobs - they go abroad for some weeks or months and earn money and after it they go somewhere to rest. Thanks to it they mustn't ask their parents for money, they learn to be independent and solve many problems which they will have in their adult lives.

Summing up, I think that many young people dream about their future life, job which they will have but they should realize that occupation ought to give them not only money. In my opinion work gives us satisfaction if we like our jobs, if we earn enough money and if we have enough free time. I also think that what we will do in the future depends on our education - if we have good results and if we study at a good university - we have a better chance to find a good and well-paid job than someone, who haven't enough qualifications. In my opinion our future lifestyle depends on what we will choose in the future: career, money or a family.

8.Music in my life.

Most people like music. We can hear music everywhere - at home, at school, at the work, on a bus. We often wonder what is the role of music in our life? Why do people like it and what benefits do they have from listening music?

There are a lot of kinds of music. Different people listen to different music so there are rap fans, people liking rock, fascinated by techno and others. Their music often expresses their convictions and habits. The young, who are rebel against all the world listen to rap, techno and grunge more willingly than adults. Heavy, ugly words and agressive music give them psychical strength and help to relieve stress. Old people like classical music most - this is the music of their youth. Music may calm our nerves but some sorts of music may also irritate us - many adults can't understand music, which is listened by their children and don't let them listen to it - it may be one of the causes of quarrels between parents and teenagers. Parents disapprove of listening to noisy music in a car - the young, particularly young men like it very much. Music may consolidate people - there are many fanclubs, when the young can meet one another. For some years people who listen to the same music have been able to talk one another on the Internet - fans create new web-pages including information about their favourite bands.

My favourite music bands are The Offspring, Hey and T.Love. Generally I listen to many different kinds of music but I prefer punk and hardcore most. When I'm sad or I have to think about something important I listen to classical music. When I'm happy I prefer dance or techno - it often depends on my mood. I like buying new cassettes and CDs but nowadays in Poland these things are too expensive, I think. In my opinion collecting cassettes and records is a very interesting and pleasant hobby. I think that we can often know a person better if we know what kind of music he or she likes listening to. I like going to concerts but in Siedlce, where I live, there are too few concerts. I also like operas - I think that listening and watching operas is much more exciting activity than watching plays in the theatre. I love discos, I can relieve stress and feel really happy when I go to the disco once a month. I think that organising discos in my school is a very good idea, because it is one of the few kinds of amusement for teenagers in my town. I also like going to parties, where we most listen to music and dance.

Famous musicians all over the world have huge influence on fashion. We often would like to look like and wear the same clothes as our idols. We wear symbols of our favourite bands, often we have similar political opinions to them. Madonna, for example, is one of the most famous persons in the world and people think that she's the symbol of sex - many men admire her body and nice voice. Many girls from different countries were crying after Curt Cobain's death some years ago. A lot of people read about what happened in their idols lives in newspapers and listen to the news about it on the radio or TV - they like thinking and talking about their music idols' problems. It means that our idols have also big influence on our behaviour and psyche.

We listen to music on trips or during journeys frequently. We like listening to music from walkmans during travels. When we sit next to the fire we usually dream about the sound of guitar. I have always admired people, who can play the guitar or the piano very well. The sound of guitar creates nice atmosphere and make us happy, I think. In the future I'm going to learn playing the guitar.

Generally speaking, in my opinion, music is necessary in our life, helps us in many domains of our life and often makes us remember about what happened a long time ago. It helps to calm our nerves very frequently. I think that everyone listens to some kind of music and life without music would be very boring.

9.Career of family life.

Everybody knows that family is one of the most important things in the world. Our family help us to solve many problems, it gives us love and safety. But sometimes we have to choose between a family life and career, which gives us money, satisfaction and an important position in the society. We don't know what to do: make career or sacrifice for our family.

When people are very young and have good qualifications, ambitions, they often want to be successful in their jobs, they want to earn much money and get promoted more frequently. A lot of them don't have enough time to meet someone special and to meet his/her family. They often don't remember about mothers and fathers, who wait for a letter or phone call from them. It may be the cause of quarrels in family and losing their private life.

Another problem is when a man in middle age has to decide if he wants to be promoted and suffer from lack of time connected with meeting family more rarely but also with earning much money, or if he wants to resign from the career and devote themselves to their families. And there are some different situations: if he has wife and children I think that he won't choose career, because it may be cause of many problems and destroy his family. But if he is single he has a chance to change his life: many people think that money gives us happiness and career gives us self-complacency and helps us to relieve stress. For many people work is real challenge. Women also have to choose between career and family life: in our society there is the stereotype of women who bring up children and work at home, so often women, who have children, stay at home and resign from work for some years.

We have to answer the question: what is the role of a family in our life? Most of us claim that family is very important in our life. It gives us a sense of safety, helps in difficult situations in our life, makes us not feel lonely. We can always rely on our family. Happy family and working for its support is the main aim-cell in everyone's life.

Summing up, I wouldn't like to be made to choose between career and family but if I had to choose I would try to combine these things if possible. I think we should remember that not only money gives happiness. Family gives me love and friendship - it's most important in my life and I wouldn't like to lose it.

10.Sport

Sport is very important in our life. We spend a lot of time on learning, working, watching TV, using computers. Sometimes we feel bad, tired and often we live in stress. Then we need sport. It is a good way to relax. Our whole body and brain need it. When we work in the office or if we are students, we often sit on a chair for a long time. We often complain about our spinal curvature and we say that our eyes are tired. In this situation, we should run or play football, tennis, basketball, volleyball or other after work.

Sport has been a part of people's life for many years. Many centuries ago in Roma or in Greece people held Olympic Games. Nowadays, in accordance with tradition, we also organise it - once four years. A major disciplines of Olympic Games are: running, wrestling, swimming.

A lot of people like watching sport on TV. We can often see many basketball and football matches there. Other people go to see football matches on stadiums - often we may meet dangerous „football fans” on the train or on the street. Most of them go to another city to beat other „fans” for fun. They often attack innocent people during their travels. I don't understand people like them. I'm afraid of going to a football match because I can be beaten, so sometimes I watch them on TV. my favourite Polish team is Widzew Łódź.

For me sport is important. I like playing football, volleyball and running. I also like skiing. But many people in Poland forget about the existence of sport - they only work and rest in front of a TV set.

In my town there is a problem with playing football. Children often play it on lawns because there are too few playgrounds for them. the situation is good only in housing estates: there is usually a big school with a playground and next to blocks of flats there are places for playing basketball or volleyball.

Sport is very useful in our life. It helps us to relax, it can be our hobby. When we have spare time and we don't know what to do, we may, for example, go to play football with our friends or keep fit and work out our silhouette. I think that all of us should practise some sport because it makes us healthier, stronger, it gives us satisfaction, may protect us from illness and helps us to relieve stress

11.My hobby

People have many different hobbies. Some like collecting coins or stamps, others are keen on computers. Most men like fishing and most women like shopping or cooking in their spare time. Sometimes all of us need to do something pleasant and funny, something, which gives us satisfaction and rest from everyday life.

My favourite hobbies are a dog and computer. I love my dog very much, I go for a walk with it at least once a day. I like playing with Korado. I spent much time with my animal-friend so the dog likes me more than other members of the family. My whole family and I think that Korado makes us happy when we are sad and that this pet is very useful at home. He often runs around my house and guards it against robbers and murderers.

Korado is a bulldog with brown fur and with plenty of skin on his back. He is very friendly for my friends but he can be dangerous for aliens. He is fat and not very tall but he can frighten most adult men. I'm glad that I have a dog because when there isn't anyone at home I don't feel lonely - Korado is always with me. He often lay in my room and accompanies me. If I'm nervous my dog can make me laugh.

The computer is my favourite electronic machine. I think that the computer is very useful in my life - I can write, play, count and do many other things using it. I very often use the computer and it is something, that gives me satisfaction and pleasure after a day of hard work. I am interested in computer programmes and many other things connected with computers (prices, elements of computer) and I think that my future will be connected with computer science. I can't imagine life without computers. Sometimes I think “Am I a computerholic?” - but I can't answer this question. But my family say that computer is my drug.

I have also other hobbies like collecting postcards or cooking in my free time. When I was young I liked collecting stamps and I was engaged in rearing fish in my aquarium but some years ago I got bored with it. I haven't many hobbies because I haven't enough time in high school. For example my younger brother, Michael (he is 12) has more hobbies than I - collecting stamps, computer games, fishing, going on trips, collecting the photos of old buildings and others. I don't like fishing and I think it's a very boring hobby - I don't understand my brother, who often goes on fishing trips.

I think that hobbies are very useful in our lives because they develop our minds, they give us rest and often make us relaxed and help us to forget about usual problems. In my opinion many people may get to know one another because they have the same hobby. Our hobbies characterise us I think.

12 .Przysłowia i cytaty angielskie.

A

>> a bad woman is a sort of woman a man never gets tired of - zepsuta kobieta należy do tego rodzaju istot, których mężczyźni nigdy nie mają dosyć. Oscar Wilde.

>> a bore deprives you of solitude without providing you with company - nudziarz pozbawia cię samotności, nie zapewniając towarzystwa.

>> a bore is a man who talks when you want him to listen - nudziarz to człowiek, który mówi, kiedy chcesz, żeby słuchał.

>> a boy becomes a man when he stops asking his father for money and requests a loan - chłopiec staje się mężczyzną, kiedy przestaje prosić ojca o pieniądze, a domaga się pożyczki.

>> a cad is a man who kisses and tells - cham to ktoś, kto mówi, gdy całuje.

>> a classic is something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read - klasyka to dzieła, które każdy chce znać, ale których nikt nie chce czytać.

>> a friend to all is a friend to none - przyjaciel wszystkich nie jest niczyim przyjacielem.

>> a fool must now and then be right by chance - i głupiec od czasu do czasu musi przez przypadek mieć rację.

>> a gentleman is a man who has respect for those who can be of no possible service to him - dżentelmen to człowiek, który ma szacunek dla tych, którzy nie mogą mu oddać żadnej przysługi.

>> a gentleman is never rude, except on purpose - dżentelmen nigdy nie jest niegrzeczny, chyba że umyślnie.

>> a good listener makes more friends than a good talker - dobry słuchacz ma więcej przyjaciół niż dobry mówca.

>> a good scare is worth more than good advice - lepiej dobrze nastraszyć niż udzielać dobrych rad.

>> a good woman is known by what she does, a good man by what he doesn't do - zacną kobietę poznać po tym, co robi, zacnego mężczyznę po tym, czego nie robi.

>> a great man is he who has not lost the heart of a child - wielkim człowiekiem jest ten, kto nie zatracił serca dziecka.

>> a great poet is the most unpoetical of creatures - wielki poeta jest nadzwyczaj niepoetycznym stworzeniem. Oscar Wilde.

>> a great statesman, like a good housekeeper, knows that cleaning has to be done every morning - wielki polityk, tak jak dobry dozorca domu, wie, że czystkę trzeba robić codziennie.

>> a highbrow is a kind of person who looks at a sausage and thinks of Picasso - intelektualista to człowiek, który patrzy na kiełbasę, a myśli o Picasso.

>> a highbrow is a person educated beyond his intelligence - intelektualista to człowiek wykształcony ponad możliwości swojej inteligencji.

>> a lie has no legs <kłamstwo nie ma nóg> - kłamstwo ma krótkie nogi.

>> a man is as old as he feels and a woman as old as she looks - mężczyzna ma tyle lat, na ile się czuje, kobieta tyle, na ile wygląda.

>> a man is like a phonograph with half a dozen records. You soon get tired of them all; and yet you have to sit at table whilst he reels them off to every new visitor - człowiek jest jak gramofon z paroma płytami. Szybko jesteś nimi znudzony; a jednak musisz siedzieć przy stole, gdy ten odgrywa je dla każdego nowego gościa.

>> a man who is going to commit an inhuman act excuses himself by saying "I'm only human after all" - człowiek, który zamierza popełnić jakiś nieludzki czyn, usprawiedliwia się, mówiąc "Jestem w końcu tylko człowiekiem".

>> a man who knows he is a fool is not a great fool - człowiek, który wie, że jest głupcem, nie jest taki głupi.

>> a man who won't lie to a woman has very little consideration for her feelings - mężczyzna, który nigdy nie kłamie kobiecie, ma bardzo mało względów dla jej uczuć.

>> a modest girl never pursues a man; nor does a mouse-trap pursue a mouse - skromna dziewczyna nigdy nie goni za mężczyznami; tak jak pułapka na myszy nie ściga myszy.

>> a new acquaintance is like a new book. I prefer it, even if bad, to a classic - nowa znajomość jest jak nowa książka. Wolę ją, nawet gdy jest zła, od starej.

>> a perfect guest makes his host feel at home - doskonały gość to taki, przy którym gospodarz czuje się jak u siebie w domu.

>> a person may cause evil not only by his action but also by his inaction - można czynić zło nie tylko swoim działaniem, ale także zaniechaniem działania.

>> a pessimist is a fellow who lives with an optimist - pesymista to facet, który żyje z optymistką.

>> a pessimist is a man who thinks everybody as nasty as himself and hates them for it - pesymista to człowiek, który uważa, że wszyscy są takimi samymi łotrami, jak on sam, i nienawidzi ich za to.

>> a poet can survive anything but a misprint - poeta zniesie wszystko, tylko nie błąd drukarski. Oscar Wilde.

>> a poet that fails in writing becomes a bitter critic - poeta, któremu się nie wiedzie w pisaniu, staje się ciętym krytykiem.

>> a politician divides mankind into two classes: tools and enemies - polityk dzieli ludzkość na dwie klasy: narzędzia i wrogów.

>> a psychologist is a man who watches everybody else when a beautiful girl enters the room - psycholog to facet, który obserwuje innych, kiedy piękna dziewczyna wchodzi do pokoju.

>> a reasonable number of fleas is good for a dog: keeps him from brooding over being a dog - umiarkowana ilość pcheł jest dobra dla psa: nie pozwala mu ponuro rozmyślać o swojej psiej doli.

>> a rich man can't imagine poverty - bogaty człowiek nie umie wyobrazić sobie biedy.

>> a room without books is a body without soul - pokój bez książek to ciało bez duszy.

>> a scholar who cherishes a love of comfort is not fit to be deemed a scholar - uczony, który kocha wygodę, nie jest godzien, by go uważano za uczonego.

>> a selfish man is indifferent to people he can't use for his purpose - egoista jest obojętny dla ludzi, których nie może wykorzystać do swoich celów.

>> a sense of duty is useful in work, but offensive in personal relations - obowiązkowość jest pożyteczna w pracy, ale przykra w stosunkach międzyludzkich.

>> a successful man is one who earns more than his wife can possibly spend - mężczyzna, któremu się wiedzie, to taki, który zarabia więcej, niż jego żona jest w stanie wydać.

>> a teacher who is impatient for his pupils is only human - nauczyciel, który nie ma cierpliwości dla swoich uczniów jest tylko człowiekiem.

>> accidents are accidents only to ignorance - przypadki są przypadkami tylko dla ignorantów.

>> acquaintance: a person whom we know well enough to borrow from but not well enough to lend to - znajomy: ktoś, kogo znamy dostatecznie dobrze, żeby od niego pożyczać, ale niewystarczająco dobrze, żeby jemu pożyczać.

>> adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience - dostosuj się do tempa natury: jej sekretem jest cierpliwość.

>> advertising makes you think you have longed all your life for something you never even heard of before - reklama każe ci myśleć, że przez całe swoje życie marzyłeś o czymś, o czym wcześniej nigdy nawet nie słyszałeś.

>> all political parties die at last of swallowing their own lies - wszystkie partie polityczne umierają w końcu zatrute własnymi kłamstwami.

>> almost every wise saying has an opposite one, no less wise, to balance it - prawie wszystkie mądre tezy mają dla równowagi równie mądre antytezy.

>> always mistrust a subordinate who never finds fault with his superior - nigdy nie ufaj podwładnemu, który nie znajduje wad u swojego przełożonego.

>> an alarm clock: a device for waking a childless household - budzik: urządzenie do budzenia domu, w którym nie ma dzieci.

>> an honest minister asks what recommends a man, a corrupt one, who - uczciwy minister pyta, co rekomenduje człowieka, skorumpowany, kto.

>> an ideal wife is any woman who has an ideal husband - idealną żoną jest każda kobieta, która ma idealnego męża.

>> an ordinary man would rather read the life of the cruellest pirate that ever lived than that of the wisest philosopher - zwykły człowiek chętniej przeczyta biografię najokrutniejszego pirata, jaki kiedykolwiek żył na świecie, niż żywot najmędrszego z filozofów.

>> any sort of peace with our fellow-citizens seems to me preferable to civil war - każdy rodzaj pokoju z naszymi współobywatelami wydaje mi się lepszy niż wojna domowa.

>> anybody can sympathize with the sufferings of a friend, but it requires a very fine nature to sympathize with a friend's success - każdy umie współczuć przyjacielowi w nieszczęściu, ale trzeba bardzo szlachetnej natury, żeby cieszyć się z sukcesu przyjaciela.

>> apology is politeness too late - przeprosiny to grzeczność poniewczasie.

>> as long as a woman can look ten years younger than her own daughter, she is perfectly satisfied - dopóki kobieta wygląda dziesięć lat młodziej niż jej córka, dopóty jest całkowicie zadowolona. Oscar Wilde.

>> at sixty man learns how to value home - koło sześćdziesiątki człowiek uczy się cenić dom.

B

>> beauty makes idiots sad and wise men merry - piękno zasmuca idiotów, a cieszy mądrych.

>> birth is the cause of death - narodziny są przyczyną śmierci.

>> blessed is the man who, having nothing to say, abstains from giving us wordy evidence of the fact - błogosławiony niech będzie człowiek, który nie mając nic do powiedzenia, powstrzymuje się od dania nam słownego dowodu na to.

C

>> caress your sentence tenderly, it will end by smiling to you - pieść swoją frazę czule, a w końcu się do ciebie uśmiechnie.

>> character is what you are in the dark - chrakter to to, czym jesteś po ciemku.

>> children are so expensive that only the poor can afford them - dzieci są tak kosztowne, że tylko biedni mogą sobie na nie pozwolić.

>> choose your wife rather by your ear than by your eye - wybieraj żonę raczej uchem niż okiem.

>> commit a sin twice and it will not seem to you a crime - popełnij zły uczynek dwa razy, a przestaniesz go uważać za grzech.

>> conscience: another man within me who is angry with me - sumienie: inny człowiek we mnie, który jest na mnie zły.

>> conversation between Adam and Eve must have been difficult at times because they had nobody to talk about - konwersacja między Adamem i Ewą musiała być czasami trudna, ponieważ nie mieli kogo obmawiać.

>> corruption of the best becomes the worst - najgorsze jest zepsucie najlepszego (zepsute najlepsze staje się najgorszym).

>> creativity is the art of taking a fresh look at old knowledge - twórczość to umiejętność nowego spojrzenia na starą wiedzę.

>> curiosity is, in great and generous minds, the first passion and the last - ciekawość jest dla wielkich i wydajnych umysłów pierwszą i ostatnią namiętnością.

>> curiosity is one of the permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous intellect - ciekawość jest jedną ze stałych i pewnych cech wielkiego intelektu.

>> cynic: a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing - cynik: człowiek, który zna cenę wszystkiego, lecz nie zna wartości niczego.

D

>> daring ideas are like chessmen moved forward: they may be beaten but they start a winning game - śmiałe idee są jak pionki w szachach: mogą być zbite, ale rozpoczynają zwycięską partię.

>> defend me from my friends: my enemies never call when I have work to do - broń mnie przed moimi przyjaciółmi: moi wrogowie nigdy nie dzwonią, kiedy jestem zajęty.

>> diamond cuts diamond <diament tnie diament> - trafiła kosa na kamień.

>> dictionaries are like watches: the worst is better than none, and the best cannot be expected to go quite true - słowniki są jak zegarki: najgorszy jest lepszy niż żaden, ale nawet od najlepszego nie można oczekiwać całkowitej precyzji.

>> discussion: a method of confirming others in their errors - dyskusja: metoda utwierdzania innych w ich błędach.

>> do all the work you can: that is the whole philosophy of a good life - pracuj tyle, ile możesz: oto cała filozofia dobrego życia.

>> do you love life? Then don't waste time, for that is the stuff life is made of - Kochasz życie? To nie trać czasu, bo czas jest życia budulcem.

>> don't pass a temptation lightly by: it may never come again - nie przechodź obojętnie obok pokusy: może się już nigdy nie pojawić.

>> don't put all your eggs into one basket - nie wkładaj wszystkich swoich jajek do jednego koszyka.

>> don't talk of things after they are done - nie mów o tym, co już zostało zrobione.

>> duty is what we expect from others - obowiązek to coś, czego oczekujemy od innych.

E

>> early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise - kto rano wstaje, temu Pan Bóg daje.

>> eat with the rich, but go to play with the poor, who are capable of joy - jedz z bogatymi, ale baw się z biednymi, bo oni umieją się cieszyć.

>> education: that which discloses to the wise and disguises from the foolish their lack of understanding - wykształcenie: odsłania przed mądrymi, a ukrywa przed głupimi niedoskonałości ich rozumu.

>> egotist: a man who tells you those things about himself which you intended to tell him about yourself - egotysta: człowiek, który mówi ci o sobie takie rzeczy, jakie ty o sobie zamierzałeś powiedzieć jemu.

>> empty barrels make the most sound - puste beczki wydają najgłośniejsze dźwięki.

>> etiquette requires us to admire the human race - etykieta wymaga od nas, abyśmy podziwiali rodzaj ludzki.

>> every complaints of his memory and no one complaints of his judgment - każdy skarży się na swoją pamięć, a nikt nie skarży się na swój rozum.

>> every hero becomes a bore at last - każdy bohater staje się w końcu nudziarzem.

>> every man has a perfect right to his opinion, provided it agrees with ours - każdy człowiek ma pełne prawo do swojego zdania, po warunkiem że zgadza się z naszym.

>> everybody in good society holds exactly the same opinions - w dobrym towarzystwie wszyscy mają dokładnie takie same opinie. Oscar Wilde.

>> everybody knows that it is much harder to turn word into deed than deed into word - każdy wie, że o wiele trudniej jest zamienić słowo w czyn niż czyn w słowo.

>> everybody knows that man has a lot of faults just as woman has, but it takes the opposite sex to bring them to light - każdy wie, że mężczyzna ma mnóstwo wad, podobnie kobieta, ale trzeba przeciwnej płci, żeby te wady wyszły na jaw.

>> everyone is a moon and has a dark side which he doesn't show to anybody - każdy jest księżycem i ma ciemną stronę, której nie pokazuje nikomu.

>> everything is funny as long as it is happening to somebody else - wszystko jest zabawne, dopóki przytrafia się komu innemu.

>> everything is simpler than you think and at the same time more complex than you imagine - wszystko jest prostsze, niż myślisz, i jednocześnie bardziej skomplikowane, niż sobie wyobrażasz.

>> everything that can be thought at all can be thought clearly, everything that can be said, can be said clearly - wszystko, co może być pomyślane, może być pomyślane jasno, wszystko, co może być powiedziane, może być powiedziane jasno.

>> evil is good perverted - zło to zepsute dobro.

>> examinations are formidable even for the best prepared, for the greatest fool can ask more than the wisest man can answer - egzaminy są okropne nawet dla najlepiej przygotowanych, gdyż największy głupiec może zadać pytanie, na które najmądrzejszy nie będzie umiał odpowiedzieć.

>> experience is a comb which nature gives to men when they are bald - doświadczenie to grzebień, który natura daje mężczyznom, kiedy są już łysi.

>> experience is not what happens to a man. It is what a man does with what happens to him - doświadczenie to nie jest to, co się człowiekowi przydarza. To jest to, co człowiek robi z tym, co mu się przydarza.

>> experience is the name everybody gives to his mistakes - doświadczenie to miano, którym każdy określa swoje błędy.

F

>> fashion is something that goes out of fashion as soon as most people have it - modne rzeczy wychodzą z mody natychmiast, jak tylko większość ludzi zaczyna je nosić.

>> few can do us good, almost any can do us harm - niewielu może nam pomóc, prawie każdy może nam zaszkodzić.

>> few men get what they desire and few deserve what they get - niewielu ludzi dostaje to, czego pragnie i niewielu zasługuje na to, co dostaje.

>> few people are famous for what they have not done - niewielu ludzi znanych jest z tego, czego nie zrobili.

>> flattery is like Cologne water, to be smelt of, not swallowed - pochlebstwo jest jak woda kolońska, należy je wąchać, a nie łykać.

>> flowers are as common in the country as people are in London - przyroda jest tak pospolita na wsi, jak ludzie w mieście. Oscar Wilde.

>> friendship is like money: easier made than kept - przyjaźń jest jak pieniądze: łatwiej ją zdobyć niż utrzymać.

G

>> generosity is the essence of friendship - wspaniałomyślność jest istotą przyjaźni. Oscar Wilde.

>> genius is the will to turn on your thoughts instead of the radio - geniusz to wola włączenia swoich myśli zamiast radia.

>> genius: the faculty of perceiving in an unusual way - geniusz: dar postrzegania w niezwykły sposób.

>> give me a bed and a book, and I am happy - daj mi łóżko i książkę, a będę szczęśliwy.

>> God sells knowledge for labour and risk - Bóg sprzedaje wiedzę za pracę i ryzyko.

>> good manners are the technic of expressing consideration for the feelings of others - dobre maniery to technika wyrażania względów dla uczuć innych ludzi.

H

>> half a truth is often a great lie - pół prawdy to często wielkie kłamstwo.

>> happiness is the by-product of an effort to make someone else happy - szczęście to produkt uboczny starań uczynienia kogoś innego szczęśliwym.

>> he that is pleased with solitude must be either a wild beast or a god - ten, kto cieszy się z samotności, musi być albo dziką bestią, albo bogiem.

>> he who does not need to lie is proud of not being a lier - ten, kto nie ma potrzeby kłamać, szczyci się tym, że nie jest kłamcą.

>> he who falls in love with himself has no rivals - ten, kto zakochuje się sam w sobie, nie ma rywali.

>> he who fears he will suffer, already suffers because of his fear - ten, kto boi się, że będzie cierpieć, już cierpi z powodu swojej obawy.

>> he who is loved by men is loved by God - kto jest kochany przez ludzi, jest kochany przez Boga.

>> he who says there is no such thing as an honest man, you may be sure is himself a knave - ten, kto mówi, że nie ma uczciwych ludzi, na pewno sam jest szubrawcem.

>> he will always be a slave who does not know how to live on a little - zawsze będzie niewolnikiem, kto nie umie wyżyć ze skromnej sumy.

>> history is on every occasion the record of that which one age finds worthy of note in another - historia jest zawsze zapisem tego, co pewna epoka uważa za godne uwagi w innej epoce.

>> home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in - dom to miejsce, gdzie muszą cię przyjąć, kiedy ty musisz tam pójść.

>> honesty is a fine jewel but much out of fashion - uczciwość to piękny klejnot, ale bardzo niemodny.

>> hope for the best, prepare for the worst - spodziewaj się najlepszego, przygotuj się na najgorsze.

>> how glorious it is, and also how painful, to be an exception - jak wspaniale, i jednocześnie jak boleśnie, jest być wyjątkiem.

>> how many people have a good ear for literature and sing out of tune - jakże wielu ludzi ma dobre ucho na literaturę, a śpiewa fałszywie.

>> hunger for truth is often stronger than the desire for peace and security - głód prawdy jest często silniejszy niż pragnienie spokoju i bezpieczeństwa.

I

>> I can always be nice to people I don't care for - zawsze mogę być miły dla ludzi, którzy mnie nie obchodzą.

>> I can live for two months on a good compliment - mogę żyć przez dwa miesiące z dobrego komplementu.

>> I can resist everything except temptation - wszystkiemu mogę się oprzeć z wyjątkiem pokusy. Oscar Wilde.

>> I care for a philosopher only to the extent that he is able to be an example - dbam o filozofa tylko o tyle, o ile może stanowić przykład.

>> I disapprove of what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it - nie zgadzam się z tym, co mówisz, ale będę bronił do śmierci twojego prawa do mówienia tego (Voltaire).

>> I distrust people who are very sure of everything they say - nie ufam ludziom, którzy są całkowicie pewni tego, co mówią.

>> I divide all readers into two classes: those who read to remember and those who read to forget - dzielę czytelników na dwie klasy: tych, co czytają, żeby zapamiętać, i tych, co czytają, żeby zapomnieć.

>> I don't like principles, I prefer prejudices - nie lubię zasad, wolę przesądy. Oscar Wilde.

>> I like looking at geniuses, and listening to beautiful people - lubię przyglądać się geniuszom i przysłuchiwać się pięknym ludziom. Oscar Wilde.

>> I like work. It fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours - lubię pracę. Praca mnie fascynuje. Mogę siedzieć i patrzeć na nią godzinami.

>> I never know whether to pity or congratulate a man on coming to his senses - nigdy nie wiem, czy współczyć, czy gratulować człowiekowi wracającemu do przytomności.

>> I never put off till tomorrow what I can possibly do the day after - nigdy nie odkładam do jutra tego, co mogę zrobić pojutrze. Oscar Wilde.

>> I sometimes think that God in creating man, somewhat overestimated His ability - czasami myślę, że Bóg tworząc człowieka przecenił nieco swoje możliwości. Oscar Wilde.

>> if a man is not a gentleman, whatever he knows is bad for him - jeśli człowiek nie jest dżentelmenem, cokolwiek wie, jest dlań szkodliwe. Oscar Wilde.

>> if a man loves to give advice, it is a sure sign that he himself needs it - jeśli ktoś bardzo lubi udzielać rad, to na pewno sam ich potrzebuje.

>> if at first you don't succeed you are running about average - jeśli nie osiągasz sukcesu za pierwszym razem, to znaczy, że jesteś średniakiem.

>> if only one takes care of means, the end will take care of itself - wystarczy dbać o środki, cel sam zadba o siebie (Gandhi).

>> if we can't as we would, we must do as we can - jeśli nie możemy czynić tak, jakbyśmy chcieli, musimy czynić tak, jak możemy.

>> if we judge of love by the majority of its results it rather resembles hatred than friendship - jeśli oceniamy miłość podług większości jej rezultatów, to przypomina ona bardziej nienawiść niż przyjaźń.

>> if you don't aim at anything you achieve nothing - jeśli do niczego nie dążysz, nic nie osiągniesz.

>> if you have many friends you probably have little time - jeśli masz dużo przyjaciół, to zapewne masz mało czasu.

>> if you want to see what children can do, you must stop giving them things - jeśli chcesz zobaczyć, co potrafią zrobić dzieci, przestań im dawać zabawki.

>> if you wish to be good, first believe that you are bad - jeśli chcesz być dobry, to najpierw uwierz, że jesteś zły.

>> if you wish to give a man a sense of poverty give him a thousand dollars. The next hundred dollars he gets will not be worth more than the ten that he used to get - jeśli chcesz, żeby ktoś zrozumiał, co to jest niedostatek, daj mu tysiąc dolarów. Kolejne sto dolarów, które otrzyma, nie będzie dla niego warte więcej niż poprzednio dziesięć.

>> if your enemy wrongs you, buy each of his children a drum - jeśli twój wróg cię krzywdzi, kup każdemu z jego dzieciaków po bębenku.

>> in a multitude of words there will certainly be an error - w mnóstwie słów na pewno będzie jakiś błąd.

>> in eating, a third of the stomach should be filled with food, a third with drink and the rest left empty - kiedy jesz, jedną trzecią żołądka powinieneś wypełnić jedzeniem, jedną trzecią napojem, a resztę pozostawić pustą.

>> in general, pride is at the bottom of all great mistakes - najczęściej duma jest przyczyną wszystkich wielkich błędów.

>> in Rome do as Romans do - jeśli wejdziesz między wrony...

>> in their first passion women are in love with their lover; in the rest, with love - na początku kobiety zakochane są w swoich kochankach, potem tylko w miłości.

>> in this age when it is said of a man "he knows to live" it may be implied he is not very honest - kiedy w dzisiejszych czasach mówi się o kimś, że "umie żyć", można z tego wnioskować, że nie jest zbyt uczciwy.

>> industry is the root of all ugliness - pracowitość jest źródłem wszelkiej brzydoty. Oscar Wilde.

>> instead of loving your enemies treat your friends a little better - zamiast kochać swoich wrogów, traktuj trochę lepiej swoich przyjaciół.

>> intelligence is like a river: the deeper it is, the less noise it makes - inteligencja jest jak rzeka: im jest głębsza, tym mniej robi hałasu.

>> it is a dirty bird which fouls its own nest - zły to ptak, co własne gniazdo kala.

>> it is a double pleasure to deceive the deceiver - to podwójna przyjemność oszukać oszusta.

>> it is a glorious thing to be indifferent to suffering, but only to one's own suffering - wspaniałą rzeczą jest być obojętnym na cierpienia, ale tylko na swoje cierpienia.

>> it is a wise talker who knows when he has nothing to say - mądry to mówca, który wie, kiedy nie ma nic do powiedzenia.

>> it is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious - to absurd dzielić ludzi na dobrych i złych. Ludzie są albo czarujący, albo nudni. Oscar Wilde.

>> it is almost a definition of a gentleman to say he is one who never inflicts pain - to niemal definicja dżentelmena powiedzieć o kimś, że jest tym, który nigdy nie zadaje bólu.

>> it is always nice to be expected and not to arrive - zawsze przyjemnie jest być oczekiwanym i nie przybyć. Oscar Wilde.

>> it is better to give than to lend, and it costs about the same - lepiej jest dawać, niż pożyczać, tym bardziej że kosztuje to prawie tyle samo.

>> it is batter to have a permanent income than to be fascinating - lepiej jest mieć stały dochód niż być czarującym. Oscar Wilde.

>> it is better to travel hopefully than to arrive - lepiej podróżować z nadzieją, niż przyjechać.

>> it is difficult not to be unjust to what one loves - trudno jest nie być niesprawiedliwym dla osoby, którą się kocha.

>> it is easier to get money than to keep it - łatwiej zdobyć pieniądze, niż je zatrzymać.

>> it is easier to produce ten volumes of philosophical writing than to put one principle into practice - łatwiej jest spłodzić dziesięć tomów dzieł filozoficznych, niż zastosować jedną zasadę w praktyce.

>> it is easy to bear the misfortunes of others - łatwo jest znosić nieszczęścia innych.

>> it is easy to stand a pain but difficult to stand an itch - łatwo jest wytrzymać ból, trudno jest znieść łaskotanie.

>> it is many a slip between the cup and the lip - między ustami a brzegiem pucharu wiele się może wydarzyć.

>> it is never too late to mend - nigdy nie jest za późno, żeby się poprawić.

>> it is no use saying "We are doing our best." You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary - nie ma sensu mówić "Robimy, co w naszej mocy."

Musicie robić to, co konieczne.

>> it is not enough to do good; one must do it in the right way - nie wystarczy czynić dobrze; trzeba to robić we właściwy sposób.

>> it is not lack of love but lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages - nie brak miłości, ale przyjaźni, czyni małżeństwa nieszczęśliwymi.

>> it is often said that force is no argument. That, however, entirely depends on what one wants do prove - często się mówi, że przemoc nie jest żadnym argumentem. Zależy to jednak od tego, co chce się udowodnić. Oscar Wilde.

>> it is one of functions of literature to turn truisms into truths - oto jedna z funkcji literatury: przemienić truizmy w prawdy.

>> it is only in literature that coincidences seem unnatural - tylko w literaturze zbiegi okoliczności wydają się nienaturalne.

>> it is so easy to convert others. It is so difficult to convert oneself - tak łatwo jest nawracać innych. Tak trudno jest nawrócić samego siebie. Oscar Wilde.

>> it is the customary fate of new truths to begin as heresies and to end as superstitions - to zwykły los nowych prawd: na początku są herezjami, a kończą jako zabobony.

>> it is the first step that is troublesome - tylko pierwszy krok jest trudny.

>> it often takes a speaker twice as long to tell what he thinks as to tell what he knows - mówca często potrzebuje dwa razy więcej czasu, żeby powiedzieć, co myśli, niż żeby powiedzieć, co wie.

>> it requires a very unusual mind to undertake the analysis of the obvious - trzeba niezwykłego umysłu, by podjąć się analizy oczywistości.

>> it takes two to make a quarrel - trzeba dwojga do kłótni.

>> it's a great man who can laugh at his misfortunes - wielkim człowiekiem jest ten, kto umie się śmiać ze swoich niepowodzeń.

>> it's a long way to Tipperary <daleka jest droga do Tipperary> - daleka jest droga do celu.

>> it's sweet to be remembered, but it's often cheaper to be forgotten - słodko jest być pamiętanym, ale często taniej jest być zapomnianym.

J

>> journalism is unreadable, and literature is not read - publicyctyka jest nie do czytania, literatura nie jest czytana. Oscar Wilde.

>> just as we suffer from excess in all things so we suffer from excess in literature - tak jak cierpimy z powodu nadmiaru wszędzie indziej, tak też cierpimy z powodu nadmiaru w literaturze.

K

>> keep smiling - zachowaj pogodę, nie martw się.

>> killing time is not so much murder as suicide - zabijanie czasu to nie tyle zabójstwo, co samobójstwo.

L

>> lack of imagination is the basis of action - podstawą działania jest brak wyobraźni. Oscar Wilde.

>> language is the parent, and not the child, of thought - język jest ojcem, a nie dzieckiem myśli. Oscar Wilde.

>> last but not least - ostatni co do kolejności, ale nie najmniej ważny.

>> learning has gained most from those books from which the printers have lost - nauka zyskała najwięcej dzięki tym książkom, na których stracili wydawcy.

>> learning makes a good man better and an ill man worse - wiedza czyni dobrego człowieka lepszym, a złego gorszym.

>> life is a hospital, in which every patient wants to change his bed - życie to szpital, w którym każdy pacjent chce zmienić łóżko.

>> life is a matter about which we are lost if we reason too little or too much - życie to sprawa, w której się gubimy, gdy rozmyślamy za mało albo za dużo.

>> life is a tragedy for those who feel and a comedy for those who think - życie jest tragedią dla tych, co czują, a komedią dla tych, co myślą.

>> life is the art of drawing sufficient conclusions from insufficient premises - życie to wyciąganie właściwych wniosków z niewystarczających przesłanek.

>> like most people who try to exhaust a subject, he exhausted his listeners - jak wszyscy, którzy usiłują wyczerpać temat, wyczerpał swoich słuchaczy. Oscar Wilde.

>> listening patiently to people's confessions and complaints you win their friendship - wysłuchając cierpliwie zwierzeń i skarg ludzi, zyskasz ich przyjaźń.

>> little minds are interested in extraordinary things; great minds are interested in the commonplace - małe umysły interesują się tym, co nadzyczajne; wielkie umysły interesują się zwykłymi sprawami.

>> little minds are wounded by the smallest thing - małe umysły ranią najmniejsze drobiazgi.

>> love is the only way out of solitude - miłość to jedyne wyjście z samotności.

>> love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence - miłość to zwycięstwo wyobraźni nad inteligencją.

M

>> make hay while the sun shines - zbieraj siano, póki słońce świeci; kuj żelazo, póki gorące.

>> man can believe the impossible but can never believe the improbable - człowiek może uwierzyć w to, co niemożliwe, ale nigdy nie uwierzy w to, co nieprawdopodobne.

>> man is always looking for someone to boast to; woman is always looking for a shoulder to put her head on - mężczyzna szuka zawsze kogoś, przed kim może się chwalić; kobieta szuka ramienia, na którym mogłaby złożyć głowę.

>> man is often more irritated by the trifles than by the serious matters - człowieka często bardziej denerwują drobiazgi niż poważne rzeczy.

>> man is the only animal who blushes, or needs to - jedynym zwierzęciem, które się rumieni, a przynajmniej powinno, jest człowiek.

>> many a truth can be best expressed in jest - wiele prawd najlepiej można wyrazić żartem.

>> many laws but little justice - wiele praw, ale mało sprawiedliwości.

>> many things are not believed because their current explanation is not believed - nie wierzy się w wiele rzeczy, ponieważ nie wierzy się w ich obecne wytłumaczenie.

>> many wise words are spoken in jest; but they don't begin to compare with the number of foolish words spoken in earnest - wiele mądrych słów wypowiedziano żartem; ale ich liczba nie może się równać z liczbą głupich słów wypowiedzianych z powagą.

>> marriage: a community consisting of a master, a mistress, and two slaves, making in all two - małżeństwo: wspólnota składająca się z pana, pani i dwojga niewolników, a wszystko to dwie osoby.

>> marriage: a romance in which the hero dies in the first chapter - małżeństwo: romans, w którym bohater umiera w pierwszym rozdziale.

>> marriage is like a cafeteria: you take what looks good to you, and pay for it later - małżeństwo jest jak bar samoobsługowy: bierzesz to, co wygląda dobrze, a płacisz za to później.

>> mediocre people have an answer to everything and are astonished at nothing - przeciętni ludzie mają odpowiedź na wszystko i nic ich nie zadziwia.

>> men can live without air for a few minutes, without water for about two weeks, without food for two months, and without a new thought, for years and years - człowiek może żyć bez powietrza parę minut, bez wody około dwóch tygodni, bez jedzenia dwa miesiące, a bez myślenia wiele lat.

>> men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it for religious conviction - ludzie nigdy nie czynią zła tak zupełnie i ochoczo, jak z przekonań religijnych.

>> men tire themselves in pursuit of rest - ludzie męczą się w pogoni za odpoczynkiem.

>> men who are ready to do everything for the sake of peace, seldom find peace - ludzie, którzy są gotowi zrobić wszystko dla spokoju, rzadko spokoju zaznają.

>> men who are unhappy, like men who sleep badly, are always proud of the fact - ludzie, którzy są nieszczęśliwi, tak jak ludzie, którzy źle sypiają, są zawsze dumni z tego faktu.

>> millions long for immortality who do not know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon - do nieśmiertelności wzdychają miliony tych, którzy nie wiedzą, co ze sobą zrobić w deszczowe popołudnie niedzielne.

>> modern age: when girls wear less in the street than their grandmothers did in bed - nowoczesność: kiedy dziewczyny mają na sobie mniej na ulicy, niż ich babki miały w łóżku.

>> money will buy a pretty good dog but it won't buy the wag of his tail - za pieniądze kupisz dobrego psa, ale nie kupisz za nie merdania jego ogona.

>> monotony is a law of nature. Look at the monotonous manner in which the sun rises - monotonia jest prawem natury. Zobacz, w jaki monotonny sposób wschodzi słońce.

>> most people tire of a lecture in ten minutes, clever people can do it in five - większość ludzi jest zmęczona wykładem po dziesięciu minutach, inteligentni już po pięciu.

>> my duty is a thing I never do, on principle - moim obowiązkiem jest to, czego z zasady nie robię. Oscar Wilde.

>> my house is my castle - mój dom jest moją twierdzą.

N

>> never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few - nigdy tak wielu nie zawdzięczało tak wiele tak niewielu.

>> new brooms sweep clear - nowe miotły dobrze zamiatają.

>> no man has become wicked all at once - nikt nie stał się niegodziwcem od razu.

>> no man with four aces asks for a new deal - nikt, kto ma cztery asy, nie prosi o nowe rozdanie.

>> no member of a crew is praised for the individuality of his rowing - żaden członek załogi nie jest chwalony za indywidualizm swojego wiosłowania.

>> no needle is sharp at both ends - żadna igła nie jest ostra na obu końcach.

>> no one can be original by trying - nie można być oryginalnym, usiłując nim być.

>> nobody has ever been able to tell the difference between a fool and a hero until afterwards - dopiero jak jest po wszystkim, widać różnicę między szaleńcem a bohaterem.

>> nobody has ever tried to change gold into lead - nikt nigdy nie próbował zamienić złota w ołów.

>> nothing is ever all wrong. Even a clock that stops is right twice a day - nikt nie myli się bez przerwy. Nawet zegar, który stoi, dwa razy w ciągu doby pokazuje prawidłowy czas.

>> nothing is impossible in Russia but reform - wszystko jest możliwe w Rosji poza reformą. Oscar Wilde.

>> nothing is wonderful when you get used to it - wszystko przestaje być cudowne, kiedy się do tego przyzwyczajasz.

>> nothing marks the increasing wealth of our times and the growth of the public mind toward refinement more than the demand for books - nic nie świadczy lepiej o wzrastającym dobrobycie naszych czasów i wzroście zainteresowania publiczności tym, co subtelne, niż popyt na książki.

>> nothing refines but the intellect - nic tak nie uszlachetnia jak intelekt. Oscar Wilde.

>> nowadays it is only the unreadable that occurs - obecnie zdarzają się tylko takie rzeczy, o których nie warto czytać. Oscar Wilde.

>> nowadays whatever is not worth saying is sung - w dzisiejszych czasach śpiewa się o tym, o czym nie warto mówić.

O

>> of the best rulers people only know that they exist; the next best they love and praise; the next they fear; and the next they revile - o najlepszych władcach ludzie wiedzą tylko tyle, że oni istnieją; tych trochę gorszych kochają i wychwalają; tych jeszcze gorszych się boją; a tych najgorszych przezywają (Lao-Tsy).

>> often it is just lack of imagination that keeps a man from suffering very much - często po prostu brak wyobraźni chroni człowieka przed wielkim cierpieniem.

>> one must be serious about something, if one wants to have any amusement in life - człowiek musi coś traktować poważnie, jeśli chce mieć jakąś rozrywkę w życiu. Oscar Wilde.

>> only the shallow know themselves - tylko płytcy ludzie znają siebie. Oscar Wilde.

>> only the wisest and the stupidest of men never change - tylko najmądrzejsi i najgłupsi z ludzi nigdy się nie zmieniają.

>> only a small man boasts of his achievements and only an ignorant boasts of his knowledge - tylko mały człowiek chełpi się swymi osiągnięciami i tylko ignorant chwali się swoją wiedzą.

P

>> patience is the best remedy for every trouble - cierpliwość jest najlepszym lekarstwem na każdy kłopot.

>> peace comes not from the absence of conflict but from the ability to cope with it - pokój wynika nie z braku konfliktu, ale z możliwości jego przezwyciężenia.

>> peace of mind begins just where ambition ends - spokój umysłu zaczyna się tam, gdzie kończy się ambicja.

>> people are also judged by the company they keep away from - ludzie są również osądzani po towarzystwie, którego unikają.

>> people are happy or unhappy, not according to what they get absolutely, but according to the ratio between what they get and what they have been led to expect - ludzie nie są szczęśliwi lub nieszczęśliwi zależnie od tego, co uzyskują absolutnie, lecz zależnie od proporcji między między tym, co uzyskują, a tym, co każe im się oczekiwać.

>> people who are not aware of the danger can't be said to be brave - ludzi, którzy nie są świadomi niebezpieczeństwa, nie można nazwać odważnymi.

>> people are usually more convinced by reasons they discovered themselves than by those found by others - ludzi zazwyczaj bardziej przekonują racje, do których dochodzą sami, niż prawdy odkryte przez innych.

>> people ask you for advice byt they only want praise - ludzie proszą cię o radę, ale chcą jedynie pochwały.

>> perfect freedom is reserved for the man who lives by his own work and in that work does what he wants to - doskonała wolność zarezerwowana jest dla tego, kto żyje z własnej pracy, a w tej pracy robi to, co chce robić.

>> perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away - doskonałość zostaje ostatecznie osiągnięta nie wtedy, gdy nic już nie można dodać, ale wtedy, gdy nic już nie można odjąć.

>> perfection is made of trifles, and perfection is not a trifle - doskonałość składa się z drobiazgów, lecz doskonałość to nie jest drobiazg.

>> pessimism with regard to the present often comes from ignorance of the errors nad miseries of the past - pesymizm co do teraźniejszości często wynika z nieznajomości błędów i niedoli przeszłości.

>> philosophy teaches us to bear with equanimity the misfortunes of our neighbours - filozofia uczy nas spokojnie znosić nieszczęścia naszych sąsiadów. Oscar Wilde.

>> power of speech is given to all, wisdom of mind to few - dar mowy dany jest każdemu, dar mądrości nielicznym.

>> power tends to corrupt, absolute power corrupts absolutely - władza czasami korumpuje, władza absolutna korumpuje absolutnie.

Q

>> questions are never indiscreet. Answers sometimes are - pytania nigdy nie są niedyskretne. Odpowiedzi czasami tak. Oscar Wilde.

R

>> right or wrong, my country - ma rację czy błądzi, to moja ojczyzna.

S

>> scandal: something that has to be very bad to be very good - skandal: musi być okropny, żeby był dobry.

>> scepticism is the beginning of Faith - sceptycyzm jest początkiem Wiary. Oscar Wilde.

>> science is organized knowledge - nauka to zorganizowana wiedza.

>> selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live - egoizm nie polega na tym, że się żyje tak, jak się chce, ale na tym, że wymaga się od innych, by żyli tak, jak my chcemy. Oscar Wilde.

>> self-respect is at basis of good manners - szacunek do samego siebie jest podstawą dobrych manier.

>> she laughs at everything you say. Why? Because she has fine teeth - ona śmieje się z wszystkiego, co mówisz. Dlaczego? Bo ma ładne zęby.

>> smokers and non-smokers cannot be equally free in the same carriage - palący i niepalący nie mogą być tak samo wolni w jednym przedziale.

>> solitude affects some people like wine; they must not take too much of it, for it flies to the head - samotność działa na niektórych ludzi jak wino; nie powinni zażywać jej zbyt wiele, bo im uderza do głowy.

>> solitude is fine when you are at peace with yourself and have something definite to do - samotność jest piękna, kiedy jesteś w zgodzie z samym sobą i masz coś konkretnego do roboty.

>> some people always look for a job and always avoid work - niektórzy ludzie zawsze szukają posady i zawsze unikają pracy.

>> some people have nothing else but experience - niektórzy ludzie nie mają nic prócz doświadczenia.

>> some people think that whatever is done solemnly must make sense - niektórzy myślą, że wszystko, co jest robione uroczyście, musi mieć sens.

>> something is rotten in the state of Denmark - coś się psuje w państwie duńskim (z Hamleta).

>> sometimes tolerance is another name for indifference - czasami tolerancja jest inną nazwą obojętności.

>> steel is produced from iron and poetry from suffering - stal produkuje się z żelaza, a poezję z cierpienia.

>> success depends on knowing how long it will take to succeed - sukces polega na wiedzy o tym, ile potrwa jego osiągnięcie.

>> suffering is an essential ingredient of life, the genuine yeast which cannot be replaced by any ersatz - cierpienie jest istotnym składnikiem życia, prawdziwymi drożdżami, których nie można zastąpić żadnym ersatzem.

T

>> taking advantage of any situation that is what some people call intelligence - czerpanie korzyści z każdej sytuacji, oto co niektórzy ludzie nazywają inteligencją.

>> talk to a man about himself and he will listen to you for hours - mów do człowieka o nim samym, a będzie cię słuchał godzinami.

>> the acquiring of culture is the developing of an avid hunger for knowledge and beauty - nabywanie kultury to rozwijanie wielkiego głodu wiedzy i piękna.

>> the ancient historians gave us delightful fiction in the form of fact; the modern novelist presents us with dull facts under the guise of fiction - starożytni historycy dali nam wspaniałą literaturę w postaci faktów; współcześni pisarze prezentują nam nudne fakty pod maską literatury. Oscar Wilde.

>> the belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary: men alone are capable of every wickedness - wiara w nadnaturalne źródła zła nie jest konieczna: sami ludzie są zdolni do każdej podłości.

>> the best men seek for truth all their lives long - najwybitniejsi ludzie szukają prawdy przez całe swoje życie.

>> the best that one can say of most modern creative art is that it is just a little less vulgar than reality - najlepsze, co można powiedzieć o większości nowoczesnych dzieł sztuki, to to, że są trochę mniej wulgarne niż rzeczywistość. Oscar Wilde.

>> the character is a long standing habit - charakter to długotrwałe przyzwyczajenie.

>> the Creeds are believed not because they are rational, but because they are repeated - w dogmaty wierzy się nie dlatego, że są racjonalne, ale dlatego, że są często powtarzane. Oscar Wilde.

>> the discontented are the driving force of progress - niezadowoleni są siłą napędową postępu.

>> the discovery of America was the death of art - odkrycie Ameryki było początkiem śmierci sztuki. Oscar Wilde.

>> the early bird catches the worm <wczesny ptak łapie robaka> - kto rano wstaje, temu Pan Bóg daje.

>> the first half our life is usually ruined by our parents, and the second by our children - pierwszą połowę naszego życia zwykle marnują nam nasi rodzice, a drugą nasze dzieci.

>> the foolish man wonders at the unusual, but the wise man wonders at the usual - głupiego zdumiewa to, co niezwykłe, lecz mądrego to, co zwyczajne.

>> the future influences the present just as much as the past - przyszłość wpływa na teraźniejszość w takim samym stopniu jak przeszłość.

>> the great superiority of France over England is that in France every bourgeois wants to be an artist, whereas in England every artist wants to be a bourgeois - wielka przewaga Francji nad Anglią polega na tym, że we Francji każdy burżuj chce być artystą, podczas gdy w Anglii każdy artysta chce być burżujem. Oscar Wilde.

>> the greater the power, the more dangerous its abuse - im większa władza, tym groźniejsze jej nadużycie.

>> the greatest event in the history of the universe was the evolution of gas into genius - największym wydarzeniem w historii wszechświata była ewolucja gazu do postaci ducha.

>> the greatest fault is to be conscious of none - największą winą jest być nieświadomym niczego.

>> the greatest fool is he who thinks he is not one and all the others are - największym głupcem jest ten, kto myśli, że nim nie jest, a wszyscy inni są.

>> the happiest people seem to be those who have no particular reason for being happy except that they are so - najszczęśliwszymi ludźmi wydają się być ci, którzy nie mają szczególnych powodów, by być szczęśliwymi, prócz tego, że są szczęśliwi.

>> the less broth, the more spoons - im mniej rosołu, tym więcej łyżek.

>> the majority of husbands remind me of an orang-utan trying to play the violin - większość mężów przypomina mi orangutana próbującego grać na skrzypcach.

>> the more desperate the love the more funny it seems to others - im rozpaczliwsza jest miłość, tym śmieszniejsza wydaje się innym.

>> the more help man gets in his garden, the less it belongs to him - im więcej pomagają człowiekowi w jego ogrodzie, tym mniej ten ogród należy do niego.

>> the most dangerous of all falsehoods is a slightly distorted truth - trochę wypaczona prawda to najniebezpieczniejszy fałsz.

>> the nearer the bone, the sweeter the flesh - im bliżej kość, tym słodsze mięso.

>> the Negro, thanks to his temperament, appears to make the greatest amount of happiness out of the smallest capital - Murzyn, dzięki swojemu temperamentowi, zdaje się uzyskiwać największą ilość szczęścia z najmniejszego kapitału.

>> the public have an insatiable curiosity to know everything, except what is worth knowing - publiczność przejawia niezdrową ciekawość wszystkiego z wyjątkiem tego, co jest warte poznania. Oscar Wilde.

>> the real tragedy of the poor is that they can afford nothing but self- denial - prawdziwą tragedią ubogich jest to, że mogą sobie pozwolić jedynie na wyrzeczenia. Oscar Wilde.

>> the reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable man persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man - rozsądny człowiek przystosowuje się do świata; nierozsądny człowiek usiłuje wytrwale dostosować świat do siebie. Dlatego cały postęp zależy od nierozsądnych ludzi.

>> the rest is silence - reszta jest milczeniem (z Hamleta).

>> the right man in the right place - właściwy człowiek na właściwym miejscu.

>> the terrible thing about the search for truth is that you find it - najgorszy w poszukiwaniu prawdy jest moment, kiedy się ją znajduje.

>> the test of good manners is being able to put up with bad ones - sprawdzianem dobrych manier jest zdolność znoszenia złych manier.

>> the true snob is a man who is afraid to admit that he is bored when he is bored - prawdziwy snob to człowiek, który boi się przyznać, że jest znudzony, kiedy się nudzi.

>> the usual pretext of those who make others unhappy is that they do it for their own good - częstą wymówką tych, którzy czynią innych nieszczęśliwymi, jest to, że robią to dla ich dobra.

>> the way to be a bore is for an author to say everything - autor staje się nudziarzem, gdy chce powiedzieć wszystko.

>> the wealthiest are by no means the happiest - najbogatsi bynajmniej nie są najszczęśliwsi.

>> the world is a stage, but the play is badly cast - świat jest sceną, ale sztuka jest źle obsadzona. Oscar Wilde.

>> the worst of having a romance of any kind is that it leaves one so unromantic - najgorszą stroną romansu jest to, że człowiek przestaje być romantyczny. Oscar Wilde.

>> the youth of America is their oldest tradition. It has been going on now for three hundred years - młodość Ameryki jest jej najstarszą tradycją. Trwa ona już trzysta lat. Oscar Wilde.

>> there are only three ways by which an individual can get rich: by work, by gift, or by theft - istnieją tylko trzy sposoby wbogacenia się: przez pracę, przez podarunek albo przez kradzież.

>> there are only two sure means of forgetfulness known to man: work and drink, and, of the two, work is the more economical - ludziom są znane tylko dwa skuteczne sposoby zapomnienia: praca i alkohol, a z tych dwóch praca jest ekonomiczniejsza.

>> there are so many things one can do without - jest tak wiele rzeczy, bez których można się obejść.

>> there have been as many martyrs for bad causes as for good ones - złe sprawy miały tyle samo męczenników, co dobre.

>> there is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval - nie ma lekarstwa na urodziny i śmierć, pozostaje cieszyć się tym, co pomiędzy.

>> there is no place like home - nie ma jak w domu.

>> there is no sin except stupidity - jedynym grzechem jest głupota. Oscar Wilde.

>> there is no smoke without fire - nie ma dymu bez ognia.

>> there is nothing more horrible than imagination without taste - nie ma nic okropniejszego niż wyobraźnia bez smaku.

>> there is nothing so unlucky as depending on luck - to nieszczęście, kiedy wszystko zależy od szczęścia.

>> there is nothing wrong with sobriety in moderation - nie ma nic złego w umiarkowanej trzeźwości.

>> there is this difference between happiness and wisdom: he that thinks himself the happiest man, really is so; but he that thinks himself the wisest is generally the greatest fool - taka jest różnica między szczęściem, a mądrością: ten, kto uważa się za najszczęśliwszego, jest nim rzeczywiście, ale ten, kto uważa się za najmądrzejszego, jest przeważnie największym głupcem.

>> they quarrel about trifles because they hate each other - kłócą się o drobiazgi, ponieważ się nienawidzą.

>> those who are at war with others are not at peace with themself - ci, co wojują z innymi, nie są w zgodzie z samym sobą.

>> though all society is founded on intolerance all improvement is founded on tolerance - jakkolwiek życie społeczne opiera się na nietolerancji, cały postęp wynika z tolerancji.

>> thought depends on the stomach, but in spite of that, those who have the best stomachs are not the best thinkers - żołądek ma wpływ na myśli człowieka, jednak ci, co mają najlepsze żołądki, nie są najlepszymi myślicielami.

>> time is money - czas to pieniądz.

>> time is waste of money - czas to marnotrawstwo pieniędzy. Oscar Wilde.

>> to admire is the only way of imitating without losing originality - podziw to jedyny sposób imitacji bez utraty oryginalności.

>> to be happy add to your possessions but subtract from your desires - ażeby być szczęśliwym, dodawaj do tego, co masz, i odejmuj od tego, co pragniesz.

>> to be happy at home is the most important condition of a good life - być szczęśliwym w domu to najważniejszy warunek dobrego życia.

>> to be natural is such a very difficult pose to keep up - naturalność to bardzo trudna do utrzymania poza. Oscar Wilde.

>> to be on the spot when the opportunity for greatness occurs is the essential thing - istotną sprawą jest być na miejscu, kiedy pojawia się szansa na wielkość.

>> to be or not to be, that is the question - być albo nie być, oto jest pytanie (z Hamleta).

>> to die for one's theological beliefs is the worst use a man can make of his life - umrzeć za swoje przekonania religijne to najgorsza rzecz, jaką człowiek może zrobić ze swoim życiem. Oscar Wilde.

>> to fall in love with a woman is to fall in love with life and with oneself - zakochać się w kobiecie to znaczy zakochać się w życiu i w samym sobie.

>> to laugh at men of sense is the privilege of fools - śmiać się z rozumnych ludzi to przywilej głupców.

>> to like what you have is to have what you like - lubić to, co się ma, to znaczy mieć to, co się lubi.

>> to profit from good advice demands more wisdom than to give it - trzeba więcej rozumu, żeby skorzystać z dobrej rady, niż żeby jej udzielić.

>> to recommend thrift to the poor is both grotesque and insulting - zalecać oszczędność ubogim to groteskowe i oburzające. Oscar Wilde.

>> to regret one's own experiences is to arrest one's own development - żałować własnych doświadczeń to zatrzymać własny rzwój. Oscar Wilde.

>> to say that a man is vain means merely that he is pleased with the effect he produces on other people. A conceited man is satisfied with the effect he produces on himself - powiedzieć o kimś, że jest próżny, oznacza po prostu, że jest on zadowolony z wrażenia, jakie robi na innych. Zarozumiały człowiek odczuwa satysfakcję, gdy robi wrażenie na samym sobie.

>> to turn events into ideas is the function of literature - zamienić wydarzenia w idee to funkcja literatury.

>> to win back my youth there is nothing I wouldn't do except take exercise, get up early, or be a useful member of community - zrobiłbym wszystko, aby odzyskać swoją młodość, z wyjątkiem gimnastyki, wczesnego wstawania i bycia użytecznym członkiem społeczeństwa. Oscar Wilde.

>> truth crushed to earth will rise again - prawda wdeptana w ziemię odrośnie.

>> truth is always paradoxical - prawda jest zawsze paradoksalna.

V

>> visits always give pleasure: if not the coming, then the going - wizyty zawsze sprawiają przyjemność: jeśli nie wtedy, gdy się zaczynają, to przynajmniej wtedy, gdy się kończą.

W

>> water taken in moderation can't hurt anybody - woda pita z umiarkowaniem nikomu nie może zaszkodzić.

>> we all find time to do what we really want to do - na to, co naprawdę chcemy robić, zawsze znajdujemy czas.

>> we are always bored by those whom we bore - zawsze nudzą nas ci, których my nudzimy.

>> we are by nature already condemned to die which sentence no man can pardon - przez naturę jesteśmy już skazani na śmierć i tego wyroku żaden człowiek nie może uchylić.

>> we are interested in others when they are interested in us - interesujemy się innymi, jeśli oni interesują się nami.

>> we are not satisfied to be right, unless we can prove others to be quite wrong - nie jesteśmy usatysfakcjonowani tym, że mamy rację, jeśli nie możemy udowodnić, że inni mylą się całkowicie.

>> we are tired by the work we do not do, not by what we do - jesteśmy zmęczeni pracą, której nie wykonujemy, nie zaś pracą, którą wykonujemy.

>> we hardly find any person of good sense save those who agree with us - rzadko uznajemy jakichś ludzi za rozsądnych, chyba że się z nami zgadzają.

>> we learn from experience that men never learn from experience - z doświadczenia wiemy, że ludzie niczego nie potrafią się nauczyć z doświadczenia.

>> we live in the age in which people are so industrious that they become absolutely stupid - żyjemy w czasach, w których ludzie są tak zapracowani, że głupieją zupełnie. Oscar Wilde.

>> we must make the world honest before we can honestly say to our children that honesty is the best policy - musimy zbudować uczciwy świat, zanim będziemy mogli uczciwie powiedzieć naszym dzieciom, że uczciwość to najlepszy sposób postępowania.

>> we must not look for a calm life in the age of jets - nie wolno nam szukać spokojnego życia w epoce odrzutowców.

>> we often read with as much talent as we write - często czytamy z takim samym talentem, z jakim piszemy.

>> we profit little from books we don't enjoy - niewiele dają nam książki, które nie sprawiają nam radości.

>> what a dustbin is the memory of a man who never forgets - jakimż śmietnikiem jest pamięć człowieka, który niczego nie zapomina.

>> what a man thinks of himself, influences his fate - to, co człowiek myśli o sobie, wpływa na jego los.

>> what begins in happiness is doomed to end in misery - to, co zaczyna się szczęśliwie, musi się źle skończyć.

>> what holy cities are to nomadic tribes: a symbol of race and a bond of union, great books are to the wandering souls of men: they are the Meccas of the mind - czym święte miasta są dla koczowniczych plemion: symbolem plemienia i łącznikiem wspólnoty, tym są wielkie książki dla zbłąkanych dusz ludzi: Mekkami umysłu.

>> what is a highbrow? He is a man who has found something more interesting than women - Kto to jest intelektualista? To ktoś, kto znalazł coś bardziej interesującego niż kobiety.

>> what is love? The need to escape from oneself - co to jest miłość? Potrzeba ucieczki od samego siebie.

>> what is not useful to any is harmful to all - co nie jest pożyteczne dla nikogo, jest szkodliwe dla wszystkich.

>> what is written without effort is usually read without pleasure - to, co zostało napisane bez wysiłku, czyta się zwykle bez przyjemności.

>> when a man acts he is a puppet. When he describes he is a poet - kiedy człowiek działa, jest marionetką. Kiedy opisuje, jest poetą. Oscar Wilde.

>> when a man gets talking about himself he seldom fails to be eloquent - kiedy człowiek mówi o sobie, zawsze jest elokwentny.

>> when a man has no enemy left there must be something mean about him - jeśli człowiek nie ma żadnych wrogów, to musi być w nim coś nikczemnego. Oscar Wilde.

>> when a man is tired of London he is tired of life - kiedy człowiek jest zmęczony Londynem, jest zmęczony życiem.

>> when one is in love one begins by deceiving oneself, and one ends by deceiving others - zakochany człowiek najpierw oszukuje sam siebie, a potem innych.

>> when people agree with me I always feel that I must be wrong - kiedy ludzie zgadzają się ze mną, to zawsze czuję, że muszę się mylić.

>> when the gods wish to punish us they answer our prayers - kiedy bogowie chcą nas ukarać, spełniają nasze prośby. Oscar Wilde.

>> when the public describe a work as grossly immoral, they mean that the artist has said or made a beautiful thing that is true - kiedy publiczność określa jakieś dzieło jako niemoralne, to znaczy, że artysta powiedział lub stworzył piękną rzecz, która jest prawdziwa. Oscar Wilde.

>> when you walk or ride a bike you see the country at your own speed - jeśli spacerujesz albo jedziesz na rowerze, oglądasz kraj z własną szybkością.

>> where it is duty to worship the sun, it is a crime to examine the laws of heat - tam, gdzie obowiązkiem jest czcić słońce, badanie praw ciepła jest przestępstwem.

>> where there is a will there is a way - gdy istnieje wola, znajdzie się sposób.

>> while an author is yet living, we estimate his powers by his worst performance; and when he is dead, we rate them by his best - dopóki autor jeszcze żyje, oceniamy jego moce twórcze według jego najgorszego dzieła; gdy umrze, według najlepszego.

>> who is loved by everybody has much trouble - kto jest kochany przez wszystkich, ma dużo kłopotów.

>> wisdom denotes the pursuing of the best ends by the best means - mądrość to dążenie do najlepszych celów najlepszymi środkami.

>> wishful thinking - branie własnych pragnień za rzeczywistość.

>> with freedom, flowers, books and the moon, who could not be perfectly happy? - mają wolność, kwiaty, książki i księżyc, któż nie byłby w pełni szczęśliwy? Oscar Wilde.

>> women are the most reliable as they have no memory for the important - na kobietach najbardziej można polegać, ponieważ nie pamiętają tego, co ważne. Oscar Wilde.

>> women love us for our defects. If we have enough of them they will forgive us even our superior intellects - kobiety kochają nas za nasze wady. Jeśli mamy ich dostatecznie dużo, przebaczą nam nawet naszą wyższą inteligencję.

>> worry is like sand in an oyster: a little produces a pearl, too much kills the animal - zmartwienie jest jak piasek pod muszlą ostrygi: mała ilość wytwarza perłę, zbyt duża zabija zwierzę.

Y

>> yawn is at least an honest opinion - ziewanie jest przynajmniej szczerą opinią.

>> you are not permitted to kill a woman who has injured you, but nothing forbids you to reflect that she is growing older every minute - nie wolno ci zabić kobiety, która cię zraniła, ale nic nie zabrania ci zauważyć, że z każdą minutą staje się coraz starsza.

>> you can always kill with a knife, but you can't always break a man's will with it - nożem można zabić zawsze, ale nie zawsze można nożem złamać wolę człowieka.

>> you can never plan the future by the past - nie można przewidzieć przyszłości na podstawie przeszłości.

>> you can tell a man by his work - poznać człowieka po jego pracy.

>> you can't be independent of all people - nie można być niezależnym od wszystkich.

>> you can't see much in a little town but what you hear makes up for it - niewiele można zobaczyć w małym mieście, ale to, co można tam usłyszeć, wynagradza ten niedostatek.

>> you can't tell an honest man from a rogue, at least not at the first sight - nie można odróżnić porządnego człowieka od łotra, przynajmniej na pierwszy rzut oka.

>> you may be sure that when a man begins to call himself a "realist", he is preparing to do something he is secretly ashamed of doing - możesz być pewnien, że kiedy ktoś zaczyna nazywać siebie "realistą", zamierza zrobić coś, czego się w głębi duszy wstydzi.

>> you must not find symbols in everything you see. It makes life impossible - nie wolno doszukiwać się symboli we wszystkim, co się widzi. To czyni życie nieznośnym. Oscar Wilde.

>> you shall judge of a man by his foes as well as by his friends - człowieka można osądzać zarówno po jego wrogach, jak i przyjaciołach.

>> youth is the one thing worth having - młodość to jedyna rzecz, którą warto mieć. Oscar Wilde.

13.One of the most serious problems facing young people today.

Lots of Polish people take drugs. Fashion for drugs come from Western Europe. They are dangerous for many reasons. They lead to depression , unconsciousness or even death. Drugs can infect the system lead to sores, jaunolice ,blood poisoning and even AIDS disease. Why do people start taking drugs? I thing ,that the main reason is problem at school ,at home .Many teenagers are bored ,frustrated , and then they take drugs. Some people think that drugs resolve their problems ,give them power and show them different -better world. First time young people take drugs at a party .Human being destroys his health ,life and future. Often people start taking soft drugs ,for example :cannabis, amphetamines and then they take hard drugs for example :LSD, cocaine or heroin. Many people can stop taking drugs ,but they have to go to hospital ,where they get help. I think ,that drugs are the most important problem facing young people today.

14.Media

Newspapers

There is no “national press” in the United States, as it is in the British Kingdom. The main reason for this is that mostly the local newspapers are read in the U.S.A. However some of the newspapers can be found throughout the country (for example The Wall Street Journal). Reading the Sunday paper is a tradition in the U.S. (one Sunday issue of The New York Times from 1965 contained 946 pages and cost 50 cents) for some people it is an alternative to going to church. It usually takes them a whole day to get through it. Most of the newspapers, which are read in America, are of “high quality” - they do not feature crime, sex, and scandal. Some of the largest newspapers are at the same time newsgathering business. They not only print newspapers, they also collect and sell news, news features, and photographs to hundreds of other newspapers in U.S. and abroad (The New York Times', The Washington Post's and the Los Angeles Times' are the best known). Some of the U.S. papers, even though they are not worldwide or even countrywide, have a great influence on public opinion throughout the world. That is because some of their articles are quoted or bought by other newspapers.

Radio and Television

There is a great variety of radio and television stations in the U.S.A. It can be divided into two main groups: commercial and non-commercial. The second group consists mostly of religious, university and educational stations. Private companies own the first group. To start a new radio or television station you have to get a license from Federal Communications Commission (FCC). However to receive anything that is “in the air” you don't have to pay any taxes or fees. The government or any federal institution cannot own television and radio. If a company has one of the media (radio, newspaper, television, etc.) it cannot own another in the same area. It also can't have more than 12 stations in the country. The government does not have any control on the stations, they can say whatever they want, as long as they do not break the law. Every single station has to provide public with different views on certain matters and it has to enable local society to present their concerns “on air”. Those rules were established to avoid anyone having bigger influence on the public opinion.

Books

Despite fears that so-called electronic media might damage book publishing, the opposite seems to be true. In fact, the U.S.A. leads in number of books read per capita. This is mainly because of the “love of reading” which are traditionally developed in American schools. Secondly, public libraries have always been very active in communities throughout the country. The general policy of the libraries has always been to get books to people rather than to protect the books from people. The third and probably the most important reason is that there are no laws which protect book sellers or fix prices. Actually books are sold about everywhere in drug stores and supermarkets, department stores and 24-hour shops.

15.English as a world language.

English is the mother tongue of over 450 million people. Almost half of them live in the U.S.A. Over 500 million people speak English as a second language. When we come to consider English as a foreign language, the number of speakers is pure guesswork. Even in the Western Europe there are no reliable statistics. However we do know, that virtually all educated people in the Scandinavian countries and Holland speak English. They learn the language simply to communicate with each other. For example Danish speak with their relations in other countries or Poles write to their pen friends in Japan in English. Another reason which makes English very important in modern world is that most of the world business is done in that language. Many companies require their employees to know English at a communicative level. Worth mentioning is that most of the world scientific communication is done in English as well. Many of the universities require their graduates to speak English fluently. The other things, which contribute to rising popularity of English, are media. “Surfing” the Internet requires you to know at least the basics of English. However if you want to use the information and possibilities, which are given by the web effectively, you have to know the language at a reasonable level. The same situation is with the television, radio and newspapers. If you want to make use of all of the information, entertainment and knowledge, which nowadays is easily accessible thanks to the modern techniques, you need to know English.

Why English not any other language has become the international one? What rivals does English have for the position of number one in the world? In a word, none. Although Chinese has a greater number of native speakers it is too complicated to learn and use. Besides it is popular only in certain area - China, and there are too many different dialects, which differ one from another too much. English does not have any European rivals as well. Spanish for example has 360 million speakers, but none of the Spanish-speaking countries is of great importance as global power. There have been many attempts to make an artificial language, which would cover the role of worldwide one, but with no important successes (although Esperanto has 12 million speakers it is rather hard to meet someone who is speaking that language in everyday life).

Due to the above we can be sure that English will remain an international language for a long time.

16.Are you afraid about world future.

1. pessimistic or optimistic-> reasons, 150 words

I am pessimistic concerning the worlds future, because there wasn't done enough in the past. Nobody made sorrows about the environment. So the CFC's which were produced 40 years ago, are now

destroying the ozon layer. So the ozon layer will be destroyed for the next 40 years by CFC's. The

ozon hole will become bigger and bigger. Many plants and animals will die out, because without an ozon layer there is no protection against cosmic radition, wich can be very dangerous for human beings, too. Another point is that the rain forest is cut down. The rain forest produces much oxygen, which is important for the mankind. Without oxygen we would die. The greenhouse effect, which leads to a global warming, causes to melting the caps. The greenhouse effect develops from exhaust fumes. The exhaust fumes aren't good for the health of human beings. Some illnesses will increase.

The exhaust fumes destroys our forests, too. When exhaust fumes, which are produced by factories,

cars, houses and so on, are mixed with rain, acid rain will be developed. Acid rain is very sour and ruins our buildings, too. When I am looking at that reasons I can be pessimistic concerning the worlds future as I think.

Do you/ state/ society do enough for better environment?-> 50 words

I think I don't do enough for the environment. If I would do enough for the environment, I would close the ozon hole, save animals, search for new environmental cleaners and so on. But I can say that I make my contribution. So we are collecting paper, cans, bottles and Tetra Paks. After a certain time I will bring them to the recycling container. I think that I am conservation- consciously. The state don't do enough, too, because protection of the environment is very expensive. They should have done more in the past. But I mean the state can do more for the environment. So they have the methods to search for some solutions. The society can do more, too.

17.Elvis Presley.

When Elvis Presley, the king of Rock n n Roll, died in 1977, President Carter called him "a symbol of America." At the time of his death Elvis was already a legend, and his attraction remains unbroken in spite of seventeen years that have passed since.

Elvis Presley was born in Tulepo ,a small town in northern Mississippi ,on January 8th ,1935. His parents were very poor -they didn't even have enough money to pay the fifteen dollar fee for the doctor who assisted at Elvis`s birth. At school Elvis was shy with his classmates and not very good at schoolwork.
But there was one talent he did posses: he could listen to a song on the radio and play it by ear on his guitar without ever having learnt to read music.

After completing his high school education in 1953, he began to work as a truck driver. His career as a pop singer started when one day he recorded a song at Sun Record Company. The song, which was meant to be a birthday surprise for his mother, had the title "It's all right, Mama" and was accidentally heard by the company president, who immediately offered him a recording contract. Elvis`s first commercial record came out a year later and was quite a successes. Soon he began touring the South and played on local radios. His popularity increased steadily; he became an instant hit in the charts and in concert halls. His type of music came to be called "Rock n` Roll" because of its strong dance rythm.

In the late 1960´s however, Elvis`s style of singing began to lose some of its fascination. His marriage with Priscilla Beaulieu, failed and with the divorce he had to give up his beloved daughter Lisa Marie too.
He started eating too much and taking drugs. In April 1977, Elvis`s fell seriously ill; he never really recovered and died of a heart attack in August of that year.

The Republic of Poland (until December 1989 the Polish People's Republic) is situated in Eastern Europe, bounded to the north by the Baltic Sea and an enclave of Russia, to the north-east by Lithuania, to the east by Belarus, to the south-east by Ukraine, to the west by Germany and to the south by Slovakia and Czech.

Poland is one of the larger countries in Europe. The climate is temperate in the west but continental in the east. Poland has short summers and cold snowy winters. Most of the inhabitants profess Christianity: about 95% are adherents of the Roman Catholic Church. The official language is Polish, spoken by almost all of the population. The national flag has two equal horizontal stripes, of white and red. The capital is Warsaw.

Beginning through the Age of Greatness

Polish history began in the early 9th century when the Polians (dwellers in the field) obtained hegemony over the others Slavic tribes that occupied the country. Their principal dynasty (PIAST) accepted Christianity in 966. Poznan was the earliest Polish capital and Gniezno the first Episcopal see. The main line of the Piast dynasty ended in 1370 with Casimir III, and the crown passed to Casimir's nephew, Louis I of Hungary and to Louis's daughter Jadwiga. Jadwiga married Ladislaus (Wladyslaw) Jagiello, duke of Lithuania, who became king of Poland as Ladislaw II (Wladislaw). The time 1386-1572 under Jagiello's power was considered the "golden age" of Poland. King Ladislaw III (Wladislaw) (killed) by the Turks in the battle of Warna (1444), gave Poland the prestige of championing the Christian cause against the Moslem tide. In 1569 Poland absorbed Lithuania by the Union of Lublin. After 1572 no dynasty maintained itself for long, and the theory that the entire nobility could take part in the royal elections, applied in practice, frequently led to contested elections and civil wars.

There was considerable religious toleration in 16th century Poland, and the progress of Protestantism was arrested without coercion by the Jesuits. Much of the reigns of Stephan Batory (1575-86), and of Sigismund III (Zygmunt) (1587-1632) were taken up with schemes to conquer Russia. The great figure of this time was the chancellor Jan Zamojski.

Sigismund III (Zygmunt), a prince of the Swedish ruling house of Vasa also became the king of Sweden. He was succeeded by his sons Ladislaus IV (Wladislaw) (1632- 48) and John II (1648-68).

In 1655 Charles X of Sweden overran the country, while tsar Alexis of Russia attacked from his side. Only the miracle of Czestochwa saved Poland from annihilation.

The Peace of Oliva (1660) cost Poland considerable territory, and by the Treaty of Andrusov (1667) the E Ukraine passed to Russia.

With John II the Vasa dynasty ended. John III (Jan Sobieski), the savior of Vienna temporarily restored Polish greatness, but with his death Poland virtually ceased to be an independent country.

Division and Regeneration

The three successive partitions (1772, 1793, 1795) resulted in the disappearance of Poland from European map. Russification and Germanization processes started. Only in Galicja could the Poles enjoy a considerable degree of autonomy.

The Restoration

The First World War (1914-18) gave Poland an opportunity to recover its independence. Poland was declared an independent republic of 11 November 1918. In 1926 democratic government was suspended by a military coup d'Žtat that made Jozef Pilsudzki virtual dictator. After his death Rydz-Smigly took over control.

Through the Holocaust

On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland and thus precipitated the Second World War. On September 17 Soviet troops invaded Poland from the east. The German occupation started. German authorities proceeded methodically to exterminate a large part of the population by massacres and starvation and in the extermination camps such as Oswiecim. The worst fate was reserved for the Jews. The Germans, hunting them down like animals, exterminated all but some 100,000 Jews.

Polish prisoners of war in the USSR were allowed to form a corps under gen. Wladyslaw Anders and fought with distinction with the Allies, particularly in Italy; other Polish units were organized in Great Britain and Canada.

A mass grave of some 10,000 Polish officers were executed by the Russians in the Katyn forest.

Germany declared war on the USSR in 1941.

Early in 1945 the last German troops were expelled from Poland by the Soviet army. After the war under the Potsdam Agreement, the former German territories laying east of the rivers Oder and Neisse came under Polish sovereignty. Poland's frontier with the USSR was also shifted westward. Poland become a "people's democracy" on the Soviet model.

A People's Republic was established in February 1947 with the Polish Worker's Party - PWP (Polska Partia Robotnicza - PPR) led by Wladislaw Gomulka. In December 1948 the communist PWP merged with the Polish Socialist Party to form the Polish Unated Workers' Party - PUWP (Polska Zjednoczona Partia Robotnicza - PZPR). A new constitution was adopted in July 1952. The government's strict control eased slightly with the death in 1953 of Marshal Stalin, the Soviet leader.

In December 1970 an outbreak of strikes and rioting, caused by a sharp rise in food prices, led to the resignation of Gomulka as party leader, and the Marshal Marian Spychalski, who had been Head of State since April 1968. Jozef Cyrankiewicz, the chairman of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) since 1954, resigned from the post to become the new Head of State. His former post was taken by Piotr Jaroszewicz.

In February 1980 Jaroszewicz was replaced as Chairmen of the Council of Ministers by Edward Babiuch. Gomulka was succeeded as First Secretary of PUWP by Edward Gierek.

The introduction of higher meat prices led to strikes in factories near Warsaw. A wave of labor unrest began to spread through the country, and many industries and services were disrupted. Workers' demands for higher wages, however, developed into unprecedented protests against the economic and political management of the country.

Self-governing unions were formed under the guidance of Solidarity (Solidarnosc), the organization involved in the Gdansk strike, led by Lech Walesa.

In September 1980 Gierek was taken ill and was removed from the PUWP leadership. Stanislaw Kania was promoted to the post of First Secretary of the Central Committee.

In January 1981 the Central Council of Trade Unions was formally dissolved. In 1981 the country was paralyzed by a numbers of national strikes. The former recognition of Rural Solidarity in May ended the protracted dispute between the Government and Poland's and private farmers. The worsening shortages of food and other commodities led to further strikes.

In October 1981 Kania was replaced by Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski as First Secretary of the PUWP.

Marital law was imposed on 13 December 1981, and a military Council of National Salvation, led by Gen. Jaruzelski, was set up. All trade union activity was suspended, and Lech Walesa and other Solidarity leaders were detained. Violent clashes between workers and the security forces followed, resulting in several deaths and thousands of arrests. Sporadic disturbances continued through 1982.

Underground Solidarity started organize a massive Strikes in Gdansk, at the Nowa Huta steelworks. Solidarity rapidly spread to other sectors leading to the most serious industrial unrest since 1981.

In September 1988 the Government of Prof. Zbigniew Mesner resigned. Dr. Mieczyslaw Rakowski was appointed Chairman of the new Council of Ministers.

In early 1989 the Government offered to negotiate on the contentious question of the restoration of legal status to Solidarity and, in February the 'round-table talks' on the future of Poland finally began.

In December 1989 the country became the Republic of Poland, when the National Assembly approved the change of name. The local election of May 1990 were the first full free election for more than 50 years.

On 9 December 1990 Lech Walesa resigned from the chairmanship of Solidarity and in late December was sworn in as the country's President for a five- year term. Elections to the Sejm and to the Senate took place on 27 October 1991, with only 43.2% of the electorate participating.

In January 1992 the Government faced a serious challenge when extensive strike actions, to protest against the implementation of higher energy prices, was organized by Solidarity.

In December 1992 an interim Constitution, known as the 'Small Constitution', entered into force.

In May 1993 President Lech Walesa dissolved the Sejm and called new general elections. The leader of the PSL Waldemar Pawlak became the Prime Minister of Poland.

Political and Economical Developments

Poland had a 1991 per capita income of about $1,790 and a population of almost 38.3 million, which has grown during the last decade at about 0.7 percent per year. The country's labor force of almost 19 million is well educated and highly skilled. In 1991 industry accounted for about 50 percent of nominal GDP, and employed slightly over one-third of the labor force. Agriculture accounted for less than 7 percent of GDP, and employed about 26 percent of the labor force.

Political Developments

In 1989 Poland took the lead among Eastern European countries in transition toward democratic market economics. However, the arrangements that led to the political changes also created an unstable situation, which has been dramatized by recent political developments. The Mazowiecki and Bielecki governments managed to engineer the courageous reforms of 1990 and maintain reasonably good overall macroeconomic conditions. Starting from mid-1991, however, the Bielecki government became increasingly unable to introduce and pass through parliament important economic and political reforms. Agreement on, and execution of, policies became even more difficult as a result of the political instability that followed the October 1991 parliamentary elections, which left Poland with a parliament splintered among 29 parties, with no clear coalition or majority in sight.

It took two governments and several months of virtual political paralysis before a centrist coalition could be formed under the leadership of Prime Minister Hanna Suchocka in July 1992. While the coalition did not enjoy a solid parliamentary majority, it did manage to survive important testsŃsuch as the waves of strikes in August and December 1992 and also secured enabling legislation for several crucial pieces of the reform agenda, particularly the Banking and Enterprise Restructuring Law, the multi-track privatization program, including the Mass Privatization program, and the 1993 budget. Despite these achievements, a motion of no confidence carried the Sejm on May 27, 1993. As a result, parliament was dissolved by President Lech Walesa, and new elections set for the early fall. While the political scene over the next few months is likely to be dominated by pre-electoral politics and posturing, the recently approved electoral law sets a minimum threshold for representation in parliament and may contribute to the emergence of a more stable political environment.

Progress in Economic Reform

After two very difficult years, economic conditions in Poland improved during 1992. Despite the uncertainty in statistical information that still prevents a full assessment of the growth in private sector activity, the signs of recovery are unmistakable. Industrial production rose by 14.5 percent over the December 1991 level, driven by a healthy expansion of exports. Construction activity was also strong, driven by private sector activity. Early estimates point to an overall GDP growth of 1 percent, despite the effects of the serious drought that has affected all of Central Europe and led to crop losses of as high as 25 percent, and cutbacks in some public services. This is in sharp contrast with output losses of 12 and 7 percent in 1990 and 1991.

At the same time, important progress has been made in steering the economy away from the hyper inflation of the late 1980s. Average annual inflation declined from almost 600 percent in 1990 to 70 percent in 1991, to 43 percent in 1992, and 39 percent in the first quarter of 1993. Finally, after incurring important reserve losses in 1991, Poland's external performance has improved considerably: a trade surplus of about $600 million allowed Poland to strengthen its reserve position to about 5 months of imports. Early results for 1993 point to a continuing good performance in industrial production, with a somewhat weaker external performance, mostly on account of lower growth in exports to the European Community.

These indications of recovery are encouraging and augur well for more sustained growth in 1993 and beyond. But they mask a sharp differential in the performance of the private and state-owned enterprise sectors. While the private sector took advantage of the considerable opportunities created by the opening of the economy and invested in emerging growth sectors, the parastatal sector inherited a legacy of overmanned facilities, outdated capital, and unclear governance that hampered its ability to respond to the new economic environment.

Private sector activity has provided the main engine of transformation and growth in Poland's economy. First concentrated in trade and commerce, private sector activity has more recently extended to industry and construction, where it accounts for over half and a third of output, respectively. Overall, about half of Poland's GDP is now produced by the private sector. This constitutes a positive response to the changes in the incentive environment, and is an indication of the potential for growth that remains to be unleashed in the Polish economy.

By contrast, the parastatal sector has had great difficulties in adjusting to the new economic conditions. External shocks, notably the demise of the Soviet Union and Soviet bloc trading arrangements, and the abolition of the complex system of subsidies, particularly on energy, played an important role in depressing industrial production in 1990 and 1991. This contributed significantly to the fall in output during that period. The effects of the recession, however, were compounded by internal management problems in state-owned enterprises, whose unit labor costs, productivity, and profitability deteriorated substantially in these two years.

The picture in 1992 was somewhat more complex. Despite the abatement of the recession in the parastatal sector, its financial position remained very weak. Many enterprises are severely constrained by the burden of debt accumulated in the past two years as a result of the lack of restructuring and adjustment to new market conditions. Some enterprises that are probably not economically viable have been allowed to continue to operate for lack of a viable exit mechanism. There is evidence, however, of signs of adjustment, at least in enterprises that have been able to respond to new business opportunities. This partial improvement appears to have been the result of a significant hardening of the budget constraint facing the enterprises. The no-bailout signal has been very clear from the government.

Directly related to the parastatal crisis, the structural public finance crisis is perhaps the single most worrying feature of the economic situation in Poland. On the expenditure side, increasing outlays originate mainly from the growth of social programs- because of inadequate design and increasing claims due to the recession.

Expectations of improved tax revenues have been repeatedly frustrated as the state enterprise tax base shrinks and the government is unable to mobilize sufficient resources from the expanding private sector. The result has been a steady increase in the general government deficit and its demands on bank and non-bank financing. The public sector, which registered a surplus in 1990, was forced to rely on domestic borrowing in 1991 to finance a deficit that amounted to over 6 percent of GDP. For 1992, the government adopted a deficit target of 5 percent of GDP, which was considered compatible with increased progress on the economy stabilization front. Despite the recovery in industrial output, however, revenues continued to lag behind expectations, and expenditures continued to inerease as a proportion of GDP. As a result, the defieit for the year climbed to some 6.5 percent of GDP despite correetive measures in late 1992. The larger defieit did not substantially affect inflation only beeause much strieter terms are now applied by the banking sector for credit to state enterprises. In the course of 1992 this contributed to freeing domestic resources for financing the deficit. Nevertheless, the size of the deficit remains a cause of concern, and continued recourse to domestic finaneing on the seale of 1992 may prove incompatible with macroeconomic stability.

Despite the apparent end of the recession, the social situation remains tense. After rapidly increasing to 12 percent of the labor foree through 1990 and 1991, unemployment stabilized somewhat in 1992, largely as a result of better output performance in industry. In mid-1993 it stood at 14.6 percent of the labor force, and could further increase as a result of the paring down of activity in a number of parastatals that are expected to undergo restructuring. This could lead to increases in the number of the poor as restructuring takes plaee, and to widening regional differences in the incidence of poverty due to the "company town" nature of past industrial development, thus making the maintenance of a viable social safety net a crucial priority for the government. The social tension has manifested itself in repeated strike threats that contributed to the political crisis. These tensions could be heightened by the uncertainty linked to the elections and the formation of new government.

Toward Sustainable Recovery

Prior to the latest crisis, the Suchocka government had made considerable progress in ensuring a stable macroeconomic framework and in pursuing structural reforms. Against baseline projections that pointed to a 1993 deficit in excess of 10 percent of GDP, the government steered through parliament a budget that incorporates revenue increases and measures to reduce expenditures expected to cut the fiscal imbalance to zloty 81 trillion, or 5 percent of projected GDP. After a long and sometimes contentious parliamentary discussion, the budget was approved, with only minor modifications, by Sejm in mid-February, and represents the basis for this year's macroeconomie policies.

The macroeconomic program for 1993 envisages overall output growth of some 3 to 4 percent, and inflation declining, on a December-to-December basis, to some 33 percent. The current account of the balance of payments would deteriorate, chiefly on account of the effects of the drought on agricultural exports and higher growth in imports. In turn, external reserves are expected to decline somewhat, also depending on how soon a debt reduction agreement with the London Club is consummated.

The policies envisaged to attain these objectives revolve around a strong public finance program. Given the expected small negative external financing of the budget, recourse to domestic credit would amount to zloty 90 trillion, (including placement of treasury bills for zloty 15 trillion), which would allow continued growth in credit to the non-government sector, particularly the private sector. Monetary policy would continue to aim at positive real interest rates. On the exchange rate front, the crawling peg system would be maintained, with the understanding that, depending on wage and budgetary developments, step devaluation's of the zloty might be necessary.

The government has also moved forward on legislative measures needed to implement its reform agenda. These included the Banking and Enterprises Restructuring Law, which enables re capitalization of the banks and restructuring of enterprises, and legislation to support the multi-track privatization program, including the Mass Privatization Program.

The government has assigned considerable importance to resolving external debt reduction negotiations with its commercial creditors. After the appointment of a negotiator, a number of meetings with the London Club steering committee have been held, and the parties are working on a possible solution, which would clear the way for the second phase of the Paris Club debt reduction agreement, scheduled for 1994.

While the policies pursued by the government are in the right direction and address many of the relevant priorities, the ambitious character of the reform agenda should not be underestimated. Political uncertainty will take some time to resolve, and the government emerging from the election will require time to reassess the reform strategy.

A key constraint to the success of the program is the institutional weakness of the Polish public sector. Patterned after the requirements of a command economy, it is now in the midst of a process of reform to make it compatible with the requirements of a market economy. This process has involved changes in the roles of different layers of government, as well as attempts to create a modern civil service and address problems of public employment. Yet, with a growing private sector increasingly able to attract the best and brightest civil servants, implementation and institutional capacity in the public sector are likely to remain an important issue for years to come.

Medium-Term Prospects

After the severe contraction of the first two years of the program, and the relatively stable results of 1992, GDP growth is expected to resume at some 3 to 4 percent in 1993, and accelerate gradually to reach 5 percent by the end of the decade. Initially, a modest swing in net exports, and an increase in fixed capital formation would provide the spur for higher growth. In subsequent years, private consumption growth would contribute importantly to overall demand, as the economy stabilizes.

Stabilization would result from a gradual reduction in the demand for domestic credit by the government, as the deficit-reduction measures and reform of spending programs put public finances on a sustainable path. By 1994, the general government deficit could be reduced to some 3 percent of GDP, from 6.5 percent in 1992, which would be financed by about two-thirds through domestic sources. This dramatic reduction of the deficit will not be feasible without substantial progress in reforming expenditure programs and in restoring the financial viability of the enterprise sector. In turn, reduced reliance on domestic financing should permit an increase in real credit to the non-government sector, which is expected to finance expanding private sector activity.

A feasible external financing plan will have to allow for increased imports due to faster GDP growth, and resumption of full interest payments on the Paris Club debt. These two factors are expected to lead to a somewhat wider current account deficit starting in 1993. After accounting for desirable accumulation of international reserves, and the reduced amount of amortization of existing debt, external financing needs are expected to decline throughout the decade. Direct foreign investment is expected to grow only modestly over the period, and most of the financing would originate from the May 1991 Paris Club agreement and from the envisioned debt and debt service reduction agreement with the London Club, which is excepted to be on terms equivalent to the Paris Club agreement. A reasonable build-up of new lending from bilateral and international institution sources is also assumed. Little or no new commercial bank lending is expected for the remainder of the decade, a conservative assumption that might be somewhat pessimistic if economic adjustment in Poland proceeds as envisaged.

Authentic Polish history began in the early 9th century when the Polians obtained hegemony over the others Slavic tribes that occupied the country. Their principal dynasty of PIAST accepted Christianity in 966.

Poland, partitioned since the 18th century, was declared an independent republic on 11 November 1918, when the First World War ended.

The country was ruled by a military regime from 1926 until 1939, when it was invaded by Nazi Germany and by the USSR. The invading powers partitioned Poland again. After Germany declared war on the USSR, in 1941, its forces occupied the whole of Poland until being driven out by soviet troops in 1945.

After the Second World War under the Potsdam Agreement, the former German territories laying east of the rivers Oder and Neisse came under Polish sovereignty. Poland's frontier with the USSR was also shifted westward. Poland become a "people's democracy" on the Soviet model.

Self-governing unions were formed under the guidance of Solidarity (Solidarnosc), the organization involved in the Gdansk strike, led by Lech Walesa.

Marital law was imposed on 13 December 1981, and a military Council of National Salvation, led by Gen. Jaruzelski, was set up. In December 1989 the country became the Republic of Poland, when the National Assembly approved the change of name. The local election of May 1990 were the first full free elections for more than 50 years.

A year after in December 1990 Lech Walesa was sworn in as the country's President. In December 1992 an interim Constitution, known as the 'Small Constitution', entered into force. In May 1993 President Lech Walesa dissolved the Sejm and called new general elections. The leader of the Polish Peasant Party - PPP (Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe - PSL) Waldemar Pawlak became the Prime Minister of Poland. The following resources have additional information on history of Poland:

Poland is one of the larger countries in Europe (the land area 312, 638 sq. km making it the 9th largest country in Europe and the 66th in the world). The country is situated in very hart of Europe. It has a two-level administrative division: first is divided into 49 voivodships, which are then divided into 2,459 communes. The territory of Poland is compact and resembles a circle it lies in the basin of the Vistula (the longest Polish river - 1047 km) and Oder rivers, in the European Lowland and between the Baltic Sea and the arc of the Carpathian Mountains. Farthest to the south lies Oplonek Peak. Farthest to the north is the Rozewie Cape. The major historical cities like Warsaw, Cracow, Sandomierz, Kazimierz, Plock, Torun and Gdansk were built along the Vistula river. Modern architecture coexists with historical quarters that, like the Old towns in Warsaw and Gdansk, Cracow's center, and the market places of Kazimierz and Sandomierz, remember times from eight centuries ago.

With recent changes in this part of continent Poland's neighbors are: to the east and north-east - Russia, Lithuania, Belorussia and Ukraine; to the south - Czech and Slovakia, and Germany to the west.

18.General information about Poland.

The Republic of Poland (until December 1989 the Polish People's Republic) is situated in Eastern Europe, bounded to the north by the Baltic Sea and an enclave of Russia, to the north-east by Lithuania, to the east by Belarus, to the south-east by Ukraine, to the west by Germany and to the south by Slovakia and Czech.

Poland is one of the larger countries in Europe. The climate is temperate in the west but continental in the east. Poland has short summers and cold snowy winters. Most of the inhabitants profess Christianity: about 95% are adherents of the Roman Catholic Church. The official language is Polish, spoken by almost all of the population. The national flag has two equal horizontal stripes, of white and red. The capital is Warsaw.

Beginning through the Age of Greatness

Polish history began in the early 9th century when the Polians (dwellers in the field) obtained hegemony over the others Slavic tribes that occupied the country. Their principal dynasty (PIAST) accepted Christianity in 966. Poznan was the earliest Polish capital and Gniezno the first Episcopal see. The main line of the Piast dynasty ended in 1370 with Casimir III, and the crown passed to Casimir's nephew, Louis I of Hungary and to Louis's daughter Jadwiga. Jadwiga married Ladislaus (Wladyslaw) Jagiello, duke of Lithuania, who became king of Poland as Ladislaw II (Wladislaw). The time 1386-1572 under Jagiello's power was considered the "golden age" of Poland. King Ladislaw III (Wladislaw) (killed) by the Turks in the battle of Warna (1444), gave Poland the prestige of championing the Christian cause against the Moslem tide. In 1569 Poland absorbed Lithuania by the Union of Lublin. After 1572 no dynasty maintained itself for long, and the theory that the entire nobility could take part in the royal elections, applied in practice, frequently led to contested elections and civil wars.

There was considerable religious toleration in 16th century Poland, and the progress of Protestantism was arrested without coercion by the Jesuits. Much of the reigns of Stephan Batory (1575-86), and of Sigismund III (Zygmunt) (1587-1632) were taken up with schemes to conquer Russia. The great figure of this time was the chancellor Jan Zamojski.

Sigismund III (Zygmunt), a prince of the Swedish ruling house of Vasa also became the king of Sweden. He was succeeded by his sons Ladislaus IV (Wladislaw) (1632- 48) and John II (1648-68).

In 1655 Charles X of Sweden overran the country, while tsar Alexis of Russia attacked from his side. Only the miracle of Czestochwa saved Poland from annihilation.

The Peace of Oliva (1660) cost Poland considerable territory, and by the Treaty of Andrusov (1667) the E Ukraine passed to Russia.

With John II the Vasa dynasty ended. John III (Jan Sobieski), the savior of Vienna temporarily restored Polish greatness, but with his death Poland virtually ceased to be an independent country.

Division and Regeneration

The three successive partitions (1772, 1793, 1795) resulted in the disappearance of Poland from European map. Russification and Germanization processes started. Only in Galicja could the Poles enjoy a considerable degree of autonomy.

The Restoration

The First World War (1914-18) gave Poland an opportunity to recover its independence. Poland was declared an independent republic of 11 November 1918. In 1926 democratic government was suspended by a military coup d'Žtat that made Jozef Pilsudzki virtual dictator. After his death Rydz-Smigly took over control.

Through the Holocaust

On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland and thus precipitated the Second World War. On September 17 Soviet troops invaded Poland from the east. The German occupation started. German authorities proceeded methodically to exterminate a large part of the population by massacres and starvation and in the extermination camps such as Oswiecim. The worst fate was reserved for the Jews. The Germans, hunting them down like animals, exterminated all but some 100,000 Jews.

Polish prisoners of war in the USSR were allowed to form a corps under gen. Wladyslaw Anders and fought with distinction with the Allies, particularly in Italy; other Polish units were organized in Great Britain and Canada.

A mass grave of some 10,000 Polish officers were executed by the Russians in the Katyn forest.

Germany declared war on the USSR in 1941.

Early in 1945 the last German troops were expelled from Poland by the Soviet army. After the war under the Potsdam Agreement, the former German territories laying east of the rivers Oder and Neisse came under Polish sovereignty. Poland's frontier with the USSR was also shifted westward. Poland become a "people's democracy" on the Soviet model.

A People's Republic was established in February 1947 with the Polish Worker's Party - PWP (Polska Partia Robotnicza - PPR) led by Wladislaw Gomulka. In December 1948 the communist PWP merged with the Polish Socialist Party to form the Polish Unated Workers' Party - PUWP (Polska Zjednoczona Partia Robotnicza - PZPR). A new constitution was adopted in July 1952. The government's strict control eased slightly with the death in 1953 of Marshal Stalin, the Soviet leader.

In December 1970 an outbreak of strikes and rioting, caused by a sharp rise in food prices, led to the resignation of Gomulka as party leader, and the Marshal Marian Spychalski, who had been Head of State since April 1968. Jozef Cyrankiewicz, the chairman of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) since 1954, resigned from the post to become the new Head of State. His former post was taken by Piotr Jaroszewicz.

In February 1980 Jaroszewicz was replaced as Chairmen of the Council of Ministers by Edward Babiuch. Gomulka was succeeded as First Secretary of PUWP by Edward Gierek.

The introduction of higher meat prices led to strikes in factories near Warsaw. A wave of labor unrest began to spread through the country, and many industries and services were disrupted. Workers' demands for higher wages, however, developed into unprecedented protests against the economic and political management of the country.

Self-governing unions were formed under the guidance of Solidarity (Solidarnosc), the organization involved in the Gdansk strike, led by Lech Walesa.

In September 1980 Gierek was taken ill and was removed from the PUWP leadership. Stanislaw Kania was promoted to the post of First Secretary of the Central Committee.

In January 1981 the Central Council of Trade Unions was formally dissolved. In 1981 the country was paralyzed by a numbers of national strikes. The former recognition of Rural Solidarity in May ended the protracted dispute between the Government and Poland's and private farmers. The worsening shortages of food and other commodities led to further strikes.

In October 1981 Kania was replaced by Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski as First Secretary of the PUWP.

Marital law was imposed on 13 December 1981, and a military Council of National Salvation, led by Gen. Jaruzelski, was set up. All trade union activity was suspended, and Lech Walesa and other Solidarity leaders were detained. Violent clashes between workers and the security forces followed, resulting in several deaths and thousands of arrests. Sporadic disturbances continued through 1982.

Underground Solidarity started organize a massive Strikes in Gdansk, at the Nowa Huta steelworks. Solidarity rapidly spread to other sectors leading to the most serious industrial unrest since 1981.

In September 1988 the Government of Prof. Zbigniew Mesner resigned. Dr. Mieczyslaw Rakowski was appointed Chairman of the new Council of Ministers.

In early 1989 the Government offered to negotiate on the contentious question of the restoration of legal status to Solidarity and, in February the 'round-table talks' on the future of Poland finally began.

In December 1989 the country became the Republic of Poland, when the National Assembly approved the change of name. The local election of May 1990 were the first full free election for more than 50 years.

On 9 December 1990 Lech Walesa resigned from the chairmanship of Solidarity and in late December was sworn in as the country's President for a five- year term. Elections to the Sejm and to the Senate took place on 27 October 1991, with only 43.2% of the electorate participating.

In January 1992 the Government faced a serious challenge when extensive strike actions, to protest against the implementation of higher energy prices, was organized by Solidarity.

In December 1992 an interim Constitution, known as the 'Small Constitution', entered into force.

In May 1993 President Lech Walesa dissolved the Sejm and called new general elections. The leader of the PSL Waldemar Pawlak became the Prime Minister of Poland.

Political and Economical Developments

Poland had a 1991 per capita income of about $1,790 and a population of almost 38.3 million, which has grown during the last decade at about 0.7 percent per year. The country's labor force of almost 19 million is well educated and highly skilled. In 1991 industry accounted for about 50 percent of nominal GDP, and employed slightly over one-third of the labor force. Agriculture accounted for less than 7 percent of GDP, and employed about 26 percent of the labor force.

Political Developments

In 1989 Poland took the lead among Eastern European countries in transition toward democratic market economics. However, the arrangements that led to the political changes also created an unstable situation, which has been dramatized by recent political developments. The Mazowiecki and Bielecki governments managed to engineer the courageous reforms of 1990 and maintain reasonably good overall macroeconomic conditions. Starting from mid-1991, however, the Bielecki government became increasingly unable to introduce and pass through parliament important economic and political reforms. Agreement on, and execution of, policies became even more difficult as a result of the political instability that followed the October 1991 parliamentary elections, which left Poland with a parliament splintered among 29 parties, with no clear coalition or majority in sight.

It took two governments and several months of virtual political paralysis before a centrist coalition could be formed under the leadership of Prime Minister Hanna Suchocka in July 1992. While the coalition did not enjoy a solid parliamentary majority, it did manage to survive important testsŃsuch as the waves of strikes in August and December 1992 and also secured enabling legislation for several crucial pieces of the reform agenda, particularly the Banking and Enterprise Restructuring Law, the multi-track privatization program, including the Mass Privatization program, and the 1993 budget. Despite these achievements, a motion of no confidence carried the Sejm on May 27, 1993. As a result, parliament was dissolved by President Lech Walesa, and new elections set for the early fall. While the political scene over the next few months is likely to be dominated by pre-electoral politics and posturing, the recently approved electoral law sets a minimum threshold for representation in parliament and may contribute to the emergence of a more stable political environment.

Progress in Economic Reform

After two very difficult years, economic conditions in Poland improved during 1992. Despite the uncertainty in statistical information that still prevents a full assessment of the growth in private sector activity, the signs of recovery are unmistakable. Industrial production rose by 14.5 percent over the December 1991 level, driven by a healthy expansion of exports. Construction activity was also strong, driven by private sector activity. Early estimates point to an overall GDP growth of 1 percent, despite the effects of the serious drought that has affected all of Central Europe and led to crop losses of as high as 25 percent, and cutbacks in some public services. This is in sharp contrast with output losses of 12 and 7 percent in 1990 and 1991.

At the same time, important progress has been made in steering the economy away from the hyper inflation of the late 1980s. Average annual inflation declined from almost 600 percent in 1990 to 70 percent in 1991, to 43 percent in 1992, and 39 percent in the first quarter of 1993. Finally, after incurring important reserve losses in 1991, Poland's external performance has improved considerably: a trade surplus of about $600 million allowed Poland to strengthen its reserve position to about 5 months of imports. Early results for 1993 point to a continuing good performance in industrial production, with a somewhat weaker external performance, mostly on account of lower growth in exports to the European Community.

These indications of recovery are encouraging and augur well for more sustained growth in 1993 and beyond. But they mask a sharp differential in the performance of the private and state-owned enterprise sectors. While the private sector took advantage of the considerable opportunities created by the opening of the economy and invested in emerging growth sectors, the parastatal sector inherited a legacy of overmanned facilities, outdated capital, and unclear governance that hampered its ability to respond to the new economic environment.

Private sector activity has provided the main engine of transformation and growth in Poland's economy. First concentrated in trade and commerce, private sector activity has more recently extended to industry and construction, where it accounts for over half and a third of output, respectively. Overall, about half of Poland's GDP is now produced by the private sector. This constitutes a positive response to the changes in the incentive environment, and is an indication of the potential for growth that remains to be unleashed in the Polish economy.

By contrast, the parastatal sector has had great difficulties in adjusting to the new economic conditions. External shocks, notably the demise of the Soviet Union and Soviet bloc trading arrangements, and the abolition of the complex system of subsidies, particularly on energy, played an important role in depressing industrial production in 1990 and 1991. This contributed significantly to the fall in output during that period. The effects of the recession, however, were compounded by internal management problems in state-owned enterprises, whose unit labor costs, productivity, and profitability deteriorated substantially in these two years.

The picture in 1992 was somewhat more complex. Despite the abatement of the recession in the parastatal sector, its financial position remained very weak. Many enterprises are severely constrained by the burden of debt accumulated in the past two years as a result of the lack of restructuring and adjustment to new market conditions. Some enterprises that are probably not economically viable have been allowed to continue to operate for lack of a viable exit mechanism. There is evidence, however, of signs of adjustment, at least in enterprises that have been able to respond to new business opportunities. This partial improvement appears to have been the result of a significant hardening of the budget constraint facing the enterprises. The no-bailout signal has been very clear from the government.

Directly related to the parastatal crisis, the structural public finance crisis is perhaps the single most worrying feature of the economic situation in Poland. On the expenditure side, increasing outlays originate mainly from the growth of social programs- because of inadequate design and increasing claims due to the recession.

Expectations of improved tax revenues have been repeatedly frustrated as the state enterprise tax base shrinks and the government is unable to mobilize sufficient resources from the expanding private sector. The result has been a steady increase in the general government deficit and its demands on bank and non-bank financing. The public sector, which registered a surplus in 1990, was forced to rely on domestic borrowing in 1991 to finance a deficit that amounted to over 6 percent of GDP. For 1992, the government adopted a deficit target of 5 percent of GDP, which was considered compatible with increased progress on the economy stabilization front. Despite the recovery in industrial output, however, revenues continued to lag behind expectations, and expenditures continued to inerease as a proportion of GDP. As a result, the defieit for the year climbed to some 6.5 percent of GDP despite correetive measures in late 1992. The larger defieit did not substantially affect inflation only beeause much strieter terms are now applied by the banking sector for credit to state enterprises. In the course of 1992 this contributed to freeing domestic resources for financing the deficit. Nevertheless, the size of the deficit remains a cause of concern, and continued recourse to domestic finaneing on the seale of 1992 may prove incompatible with macroeconomic stability.

Despite the apparent end of the recession, the social situation remains tense. After rapidly increasing to 12 percent of the labor foree through 1990 and 1991, unemployment stabilized somewhat in 1992, largely as a result of better output performance in industry. In mid-1993 it stood at 14.6 percent of the labor force, and could further increase as a result of the paring down of activity in a number of parastatals that are expected to undergo restructuring. This could lead to increases in the number of the poor as restructuring takes plaee, and to widening regional differences in the incidence of poverty due to the "company town" nature of past industrial development, thus making the maintenance of a viable social safety net a crucial priority for the government. The social tension has manifested itself in repeated strike threats that contributed to the political crisis. These tensions could be heightened by the uncertainty linked to the elections and the formation of new government.

Toward Sustainable Recovery

Prior to the latest crisis, the Suchocka government had made considerable progress in ensuring a stable macroeconomic framework and in pursuing structural reforms. Against baseline projections that pointed to a 1993 deficit in excess of 10 percent of GDP, the government steered through parliament a budget that incorporates revenue increases and measures to reduce expenditures expected to cut the fiscal imbalance to zloty 81 trillion, or 5 percent of projected GDP. After a long and sometimes contentious parliamentary discussion, the budget was approved, with only minor modifications, by Sejm in mid-February, and represents the basis for this year's macroeconomie policies.

The macroeconomic program for 1993 envisages overall output growth of some 3 to 4 percent, and inflation declining, on a December-to-December basis, to some 33 percent. The current account of the balance of payments would deteriorate, chiefly on account of the effects of the drought on agricultural exports and higher growth in imports. In turn, external reserves are expected to decline somewhat, also depending on how soon a debt reduction agreement with the London Club is consummated.

The policies envisaged to attain these objectives revolve around a strong public finance program. Given the expected small negative external financing of the budget, recourse to domestic credit would amount to zloty 90 trillion, (including placement of treasury bills for zloty 15 trillion), which would allow continued growth in credit to the non-government sector, particularly the private sector. Monetary policy would continue to aim at positive real interest rates. On the exchange rate front, the crawling peg system would be maintained, with the understanding that, depending on wage and budgetary developments, step devaluation's of the zloty might be necessary.

The government has also moved forward on legislative measures needed to implement its reform agenda. These included the Banking and Enterprises Restructuring Law, which enables re capitalization of the banks and restructuring of enterprises, and legislation to support the multi-track privatization program, including the Mass Privatization Program.

The government has assigned considerable importance to resolving external debt reduction negotiations with its commercial creditors. After the appointment of a negotiator, a number of meetings with the London Club steering committee have been held, and the parties are working on a possible solution, which would clear the way for the second phase of the Paris Club debt reduction agreement, scheduled for 1994.

While the policies pursued by the government are in the right direction and address many of the relevant priorities, the ambitious character of the reform agenda should not be underestimated. Political uncertainty will take some time to resolve, and the government emerging from the election will require time to reassess the reform strategy.

A key constraint to the success of the program is the institutional weakness of the Polish public sector. Patterned after the requirements of a command economy, it is now in the midst of a process of reform to make it compatible with the requirements of a market economy. This process has involved changes in the roles of different layers of government, as well as attempts to create a modern civil service and address problems of public employment. Yet, with a growing private sector increasingly able to attract the best and brightest civil servants, implementation and institutional capacity in the public sector are likely to remain an important issue for years to come.

Medium-Term Prospects

After the severe contraction of the first two years of the program, and the relatively stable results of 1992, GDP growth is expected to resume at some 3 to 4 percent in 1993, and accelerate gradually to reach 5 percent by the end of the decade. Initially, a modest swing in net exports, and an increase in fixed capital formation would provide the spur for higher growth. In subsequent years, private consumption growth would contribute importantly to overall demand, as the economy stabilizes.

Stabilization would result from a gradual reduction in the demand for domestic credit by the government, as the deficit-reduction measures and reform of spending programs put public finances on a sustainable path. By 1994, the general government deficit could be reduced to some 3 percent of GDP, from 6.5 percent in 1992, which would be financed by about two-thirds through domestic sources. This dramatic reduction of the deficit will not be feasible without substantial progress in reforming expenditure programs and in restoring the financial viability of the enterprise sector. In turn, reduced reliance on domestic financing should permit an increase in real credit to the non-government sector, which is expected to finance expanding private sector activity.

A feasible external financing plan will have to allow for increased imports due to faster GDP growth, and resumption of full interest payments on the Paris Club debt. These two factors are expected to lead to a somewhat wider current account deficit starting in 1993. After accounting for desirable accumulation of international reserves, and the reduced amount of amortization of existing debt, external financing needs are expected to decline throughout the decade. Direct foreign investment is expected to grow only modestly over the period, and most of the financing would originate from the May 1991 Paris Club agreement and from the envisioned debt and debt service reduction agreement with the London Club, which is excepted to be on terms equivalent to the Paris Club agreement. A reasonable build-up of new lending from bilateral and international institution sources is also assumed. Little or no new commercial bank lending is expected for the remainder of the decade, a conservative assumption that might be somewhat pessimistic if economic adjustment in Poland proceeds as envisaged.

Authentic Polish history began in the early 9th century when the Polians obtained hegemony over the others Slavic tribes that occupied the country. Their principal dynasty of PIAST accepted Christianity in 966.

Poland, partitioned since the 18th century, was declared an independent republic on 11 November 1918, when the First World War ended.

The country was ruled by a military regime from 1926 until 1939, when it was invaded by Nazi Germany and by the USSR. The invading powers partitioned Poland again. After Germany declared war on the USSR, in 1941, its forces occupied the whole of Poland until being driven out by soviet troops in 1945.

After the Second World War under the Potsdam Agreement, the former German territories laying east of the rivers Oder and Neisse came under Polish sovereignty. Poland's frontier with the USSR was also shifted westward. Poland become a "people's democracy" on the Soviet model.

Self-governing unions were formed under the guidance of Solidarity (Solidarnosc), the organization involved in the Gdansk strike, led by Lech Walesa.

Marital law was imposed on 13 December 1981, and a military Council of National Salvation, led by Gen. Jaruzelski, was set up. In December 1989 the country became the Republic of Poland, when the National Assembly approved the change of name. The local election of May 1990 were the first full free elections for more than 50 years.

A year after in December 1990 Lech Walesa was sworn in as the country's President. In December 1992 an interim Constitution, known as the 'Small Constitution', entered into force. In May 1993 President Lech Walesa dissolved the Sejm and called new general elections. The leader of the Polish Peasant Party - PPP (Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe - PSL) Waldemar Pawlak became the Prime Minister of Poland. The following resources have additional information on history of Poland:

Poland is one of the larger countries in Europe (the land area 312, 638 sq. km making it the 9th largest country in Europe and the 66th in the world). The country is situated in very hart of Europe. It has a two-level administrative division: first is divided into 49 voivodships, which are then divided into 2,459 communes. The territory of Poland is compact and resembles a circle it lies in the basin of the Vistula (the longest Polish river - 1047 km) and Oder rivers, in the European Lowland and between the Baltic Sea and the arc of the Carpathian Mountains. Farthest to the south lies Oplonek Peak. Farthest to the north is the Rozewie Cape. The major historical cities like Warsaw, Cracow, Sandomierz, Kazimierz, Plock, Torun and Gdansk were built along the Vistula river. Modern architecture coexists with historical quarters that, like the Old towns in Warsaw and Gdansk, Cracow's center, and the market places of Kazimierz and Sandomierz, remember times from eight centuries ago.

With recent changes in this part of continent Poland's neighbors are: to the east and north-east - Russia, Lithuania, Belorussia and Ukraine; to the south - Czech and Slovakia, and Germany to the west.

19.John Ernst Steinbeck.

John Steinbeck was born in 1902, in Salinas, California. He was of Westfalian descent on his father's side, his father was half-German, and of Irish on his mother's side. He studied at Stanford University for some years (from 1919 to 1925), and took particular interest in biology, a course of studies that taught him how to make exact observations. He did not, how-ever, pass any final examination.
He looked for work in all possible spheres, particularly in the country where he got to know the conditions under which farm-hands had to work. Later he got jobs in New York, which were in no way different from the usual jobs taken up by unskilled workers in America. He worked as a dish-washer, a bricklayer, a porter and finally as a newspaper-reporter.
John Steinbeck wrote a great deal, but remained pretty well unknown till he got the Pulitzer Prize in 1940, a distinction which, for the first time, drew the attention of the public to him. He received the prize for his exiting novel ,,The Grapes of Wrath". In 1962 he awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. He died 1968 in New York.

Other works of Steinbeck:
·
· Cup of Gold (1929)
· The Pastures of Heaven (1932)
· To a God Unknown (1933)
· Tortilla Flat (1935)
· Dubious Battle (1936)
· Saint Kathy, the Virgin (1936)
· Of Mice and Men (1937)
· The Red Pony (1937)
· The Long Valley (1938)
· The Forgotten Village (1941)
· The Sea of Cortez (1941)
· Bombs Away: The Story of Bomber Team (1942)
· The Moon is down (1942)
· Cannery Row (1944)

And finally there is his little story The Pearl (1948), a simple, well constructed and yet exciting story about the world of primitive, naive human beings. A simple fisherman, Kino, together with his wife Juana and the baby Coyotito, is torn from his environment by finding a pearl and thrown into a new world completely strange to him, in which right has been turned into wrong. There is not a word, not a sentence in this story that has not been deeply felt by the author; men and animals, even the dead things breathe out an equally strong sense of life.

In the town they tell the story of the great pearl - how it was found and how it was lost again. They tell of Kino, the fisherman, and of his wife Juana, and of the baby, Coyotito. And because the story has been told so often, it has taken root in every man's mind. And as with all retold tales that are in people's hearts, there are only good and bad things and no in-between anywhere.

,,If this story is a parable, perhaps everyone takes his own meaning from it and reads his own life into it. In any case, they say in the town that . . ."

Synopsis

I. Chapter
Kino lives with his wife Juana and his son Coyotito in La Paz, a town which lays on the seaboard. They are poorly off there, but happy. They cannot give very much to their son, but they can give him the most important thing: love.
One day Coyotito is stung by a scorpion and, a baby like Coyotito can easily die from that. Coyotito is the firstborn and almost everything what belongs to Juana and Kino. The parents are terribly worried about Coyotito and so they do anything to help the baby. They go to the doctor, but he is a white man and he also helps only white man, besides Kino has no money to pay the doctor.

II. Chapter
Now Kino wants to find a pearl to be able to pay the doctor and he believes that Coyotito would die if he does not find a pearl.
The one valuable thing that Kino owns is his canoe. He got it from his father and his father inherited it from his grand-father. The canoes are made with a hard shell-like plaster by a secret method that has also come to him from his father.
In this boat Kino, Juana and the ill baby Coyotito go out on the sea to search pearls. Juana gathers some brown seaweed and puts it on Coyotito's swollen shoulder. That is a better remedy than the doctor could give it but the do not believe it, because it did not cost anything.
Then Kino takes a basket and dives on the ground. There he lifts some oysters and puts then into the basket, then he sees an open one and he believes that he has seen a pearl inside. Then the oyster closes, it is a very big one, Kino lifts it, puts it into the basket and goes back into the boat. There he opens the oysters with a knife. In the large one he sees a very big and pretty pearl. He cannot believe it first. The pearl is as large as a seagull's egg. It is the biggest pearl in the world. Kino has found the greatest pearl of the world.
But that is not the only luck. When they regard Coyotito, they see that the swelling is going out of the baby's shoulder, the poison is receding from its body.

III. Chapter
In the town it spreads quickly, that Kino has found the greatest and most beautiful pearl in the world, and so, after some time, everybody is informed about it.
A lot of man are happy with Kino, because Kino is their friend, but also a lot of men want to get Kino's pearl. So some try to become quickly Kino's fiends, while others think that they can get the pearl when they kill Kino.
Also the Doc knows in no time at all that Kino is now the owner of a very big, and maybe even very valuable, pearl . So the Doc sets off to Kino's hut, to treat Coyotito there for his scorpion sting. When the Doc sees that Coyotito is already well, he gives him some white powder, which makes the baby ill, and an hour later Doc returns and gives the baby again something so that he becomes well again. So Doc can say, that he has saved the baby's live for the scorpion sting.
In the following night Kino is attacked for the first time. Someone breaks into the house and there he wants to steal the pearl. But Kino can stab the wicked man with his knife so that he fled.
Juana now realises that the pearl will destroy them, but Kino does not want to hear anything about that.

IV. Chapter
Next morning Kino wants to sell his pearl. He goes with his brother Juan Tomás into the town where a lot of pearl buyers live. But in reality there is only one pearl buyer and the other ones are his employers. They cheat the pearl fisher and pay them much lower prices than they should get. But Kino does not know that.
The pearl buyers say to him that it is not a real pearl and they want to give him only 1000 pesos. But Kino knows that his pearl is more worth and so he does not sell them his pearl. Also his brother Juan Tomás says to him, that Kino should better go to the capital to sell his pearl there.

V. Chapter
But in the next night Kino is attacked again. He is wounded but he can although defeat his enemy. Juana is afraid and she fears that something can happen to Kino or that he maybe even can be killed. Therefor she takes the pearls and goes to the shore. She wants to throw the pearl back into the sea. But in the last moment Kino can check her and takes the pearl. But in the next night Kino is attacked again. He is wounded but he can although defeat his enemy. Juana is afraid and so she talks to him and she tries again to persuade him to give the pearl away. When he comes back to his house, he is attacked there again, by one of his enemies. But now Kino is so angry that he kills him. Therefor his enemies destroy Kino's boat and burn down his house. So Kino has to stay at his brother Juan Tomás. His brother warns him once more that the pearl only brings bad luck, but Kino all the same does not separate him of the pearls.
In the following night Kino, Juana and their baby Coyotito set off to the capitol.

VI. Chapter
In the night Juana and Kino hear noises and so they get awake. Kino sees three men, who follow his wife and him. So Kino, Juana and their little son Coyotito clear off, they disappear into the mountains.
In one of the following nights, Kino decides to attack the three truckers. During the fight one of the truckers' shoots Coyotito. Kino kills the truckers, and later Juana and Kino return home, to the little fishing village la Paz.
In the end Kino throws the pearl back into the sea.

Main Characters

Kino
The pearl changed also Kino a lot. Formally he and his family had only to fear poverty, but later they had fear death.

Juana
She is Kino's wife. Juana realises already very early that the pearl brings more bad than good luck to her family. She tried very often to persuade her husband Kino to leave the pearl, but he did not listen.

Coyotito
He is Juana's and Kino's little baby.

Juan Tomás
He is Kino's brother. Also he realises that the pearl is not exactly the best thing what has ever happened to his brother. But nevertheless he stands al the time to Kino.

Structure of the Book

The book has six chapters and about 80 pages.
Steinbeck did not use a lot of dialogues in this book, but of course it includes some. It did not include any monologues.
The book was chronological and told from the point of view of a third person.

Language which was Used

I liked the book a lot, because it really was easy to under-stand. I almost understood every single word, and in general the book was very easy to read.
When one read the book, one notices Steinbeck's attachment to the nature. Steinbeck describes the nature of California in this book.

Topic

The story tells us about the nativity of poor people. They do not realise that people are just friendly to take some advantage of something or somebody. It is a big surprise for Kino to realise that other people are not just happy with him because he has found the pearl and became rich. In this particular moment he can see who is a real friend of him. The majority of people just pretends to be his friend. But the only thing they want to get is the pearl. Some bad people do not even hesitate to try to kill him. So the pearl opens Kino's eyes to be able to distinguish between good and bad people, real and false friends.

Comment

I think, one can take the Pearl as a parable or as an active and limpid narrative whose depth ... is far more than one would suspect.
I learned from this book that one should be happy with that what one has. As Kino found the pearl he wanted always to have more and more. But actually the pearl did not give him anything, but took him very much away: not only material things but also his son and even more.
I liked this book very much, not only because it was so easy to read.

Anna Peterka 6.A

20.Poland-information.

Poland is a beautiful country. Once you have been to the "must see" places in the Polish cities, get out into the Polish countryside. There are many wonderful places in Poland that you can visit. We have tried to link to the main tourism promotion pages for Poland so that you can search before you travel.

To better serve you we have tried to develop a package of maps of Poland and Polish tourism guides that you will see in the various tourist shops once you arrive in Poland. So that you can better plan your travel to Poland, you can get these delivered to you by mail from Poland.

Every country to which you travel has its good spots and bad spots, good people and bad people. Cultures differ and people are individuals. A tourist is a tourist anywhere in the world and will be treated as a tourist. Poland in no different. Expect to be treated differently in each region of Poland and by each individual Polish person.

In addition to the good things we are trying to show you about Poland in our site, here are a few travelers tips that will keep you out of trouble in Poland and any other city outside Poland to which you might travel.

The Poland Master Page has been created for the tourist and business executive. The page has the normal navigation but there is also a site map with a summary of each section. In this particular page we give you some tips based on 8 years experience as a foreigner in Poland.

Poland is a country of strong people. Go to the Old Market in Warsaw, Poland and look at the buildings. And then look at some of the post cards at the vendor stands. The heaps of rubble and bricks in the pictures were sorted out, one by one, and reassembled by the Polish people into the beautiful buildings that you now see all around you. The Polish people rebuilt their Old Town - men, women and school children - brick by brick.

And then go to the Royal Castle. The Polish people rebuilt that brick by brick. And then look at the treasures. They took pieces of them from the castle before they could be stolen or destroyed, kept them hidden in their homes, returned them and reassembled them.

Go to the top of the Palace of Culture in Warsaw, Poland. Look at the pictures on the walls of nothing but square miles of rubble. Then look at the city that is there now. And when you walk the streets of Warsaw, Poland remember that there are over 200,000 missing Polish people buried under your feet. But life goes on.

The legacy of communism is strong here. It has hurt the Polish culture and the people. But it is they who were in the vanguard of breaking communism. They died in Gdansk and other places around Poland to drive out the disease of Lenin. And now they are working to rebuild their country. Read every economic publication that discusses Eastern Europe. Every one talks about the great things that Poland has done and is doing.

You can take communists out of the government but you can not take communism out of the people. So many of the older people are lost in the new structure. But the younger generation is not part of the old order. They are proud of their parents ability to survive and how their country has recovered. When you come here you will, if you look, almost see two Polands.

Keep records of what you see when to come here. It is amazing how things have changed in the eight years I have worked here. What will it be like when travel again to Poland?

The Polish culture is different. But isn't that why you are traveling - to see different cultures and meet different people? So I suggest that you do not tell them how great your country is. Look and ask about the great things that the Polish people have done. Poland helped bring down the communist orders in Poland as well as other countries so that you do not have to worry as much about nuclear missiles being launched at your country. The are survivors and will survive as they have over the centuries.

Visit the castles and museums. The fortress at Malbork, Poland is unbelievable. The Black Madonna in Cztestochowa, Poland is something to see even if you are not a Roman Catholic. The Cathedral in Krakow, Poland is a work of art. The Polish Lakes Region is beautiful. Stop at the monument at the Gdansk Shipyard in Gdansk, Poland and thank the workers who fought. Go for it. You only live once.

CURRENCY - The Polish Zloty was available in two forms. The old Zloty was taken off the market 31 December, 1996. Old habits die hard so you may hear people quoting prices in "millions". They will respond in the new zloty when you ask.

Change your money at a KANTOR which are available all over Poland. The hotels will change for you, but the exchange rate is not good. DO NOT change with someone on the street or in front of a KANTOR. Like sharks, such people know where there is easy picking. Most kantors give you a fair deal.

The latest official exchange rate is here www.masterpage.com.pl/curency.shtml

EMBASSIES AND CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE - We have listed all the embassies that we have found in Poland in the Business Guide and Telephone Book. Search "embassies" in the Poland Business Guide for the particular one of interest to you. But remember that you are on your own. Be prepared.

But we also have a special site inside Business Poland

INTERNET - Internet in Poland is booming.

You may visit us at the Palace of Culture, Warsaw, Poland. We are located in Palace of Culture. You cant miss us from anywhere near the center of Warsaw. Look for the tall, grey bulding that looks like a stone birthday cake with antennas on top. Stop by and see us. We can help you get your email.

PUBLIC TELEPHONES - Get a telephone card to use the blue card phones. Older phones require a token. You should have a telephone card in your pocket.

In Warsaw, the public telephones are suddenly becomming more prolific. Look for many now in the undergrounds at Plac Dmowskiego (close to the Forum Hotel) and Dworzec Centralny. There you will also find new devices that will sell you telephone cards. Alternatively you can buy them in kiosks and post offices.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION - It is great, once you know how to use it. Learning how to use it includes guarding your pockets and bags, avoiding groups of young men, avoiding people who are carrying empty plastic bags or newspapers over their arms and avoiding crowded situations in general. Even the locals get burned.

TRAMS AND CITY BUSSES -Trams and buses require a ticket purchased at street side vendors ( look for the sign "Bilety MZK" ) which you must punch in the little ticket punches hung on the walls of the vehicles. You need a ticket each time you get on a new tram or bus, unless you buy a monthly ticket. (In some cities you buy a ticket for a certain time of ride on the tram. ) Monthly tickets are a bargain. Ask a local person for details.

If you get on a tram and do not see people punching tickets, they probably have monthly tickets. Do not assume that you do not have to punch yours. Plain clothes inspectors, of not such a pleasant disposition, routinely check tickets. Get a ticket and punch it.

LONG DISTANCE BUSES - There are private bus lines and state owned bus lines that can get you almost anywhere in Poland. If you want to see the country, try them. They are very inexpensive and fairly good to travel in. It is a great way to see the real Poland.

TRAINS - There are many connections around the country. Do not expect English spoken at the ticket counters and do not expect anything that resembles service or polite conduct. But they are a good, inexpensive way to travel. Inter City and Euro City trains are, by contrast, great.

As the population shifts to the automobile as the preferred mode of transportation, the level of service and safety on many trains is degrading. Nights, and when there are football (soccer) games or concerts, they are simple dangerous.

First class seats do have their advantages in Poland.

TAXIS IN POLAND AND WARSAW IN PARTICULAR

Taxis are the same all over the world. There are honest drivers and those that take advantage of tourists. (Stories about the taxi cab mafia) Honest drivers are often found in corporate groups that obey the local laws. Tourists can be sure to be overcharged by independent drivers who look for customers at airports, train stations, near hotels, major intersections and tourist attractions. Poland is no different than any other country in the world. Just follow a simple rule and you won't be hurt. Use a corporate taxi service. There are some very helpful, friendly drivers in some of these services.

Since our firm is based in Warsaw and many arrivals to Poland are via either the international airport or the central train station in Warsaw, we will discuss Warsaw. The concepts apply to the rest of the country.

A radio dispatched taxi service is recommended. We list here a few radio taxi groups that we know in Warsaw. Check the telephone book for a complete listing. They charge rates allowable by the law, they generally know where they are going, they generally give correct change and a receipt, and they sometimes drive safely. Buy a discount card from the driver. You save 10% and have a card with the telephone number to give to the restaurant waiter when you ask him to call a cab for you.

You may have occasion to pick a cab off the street. Look for a cab advertising a telephone number. Then look for one with advertising for other firms on the side panels. You are likely to be all right. The more advertising a cab has on it, the less likely you are to be burned.

Hotel cabs usually charge a double tariff since they work from the hotel only. But they are generally reliable and usually know where they are going. You save money if you have the hotel call a radio cab for you. Use your discount card to get the cab of your choice. Some operators speak English.

Once again, do not take a cab without advertising on it, without the rates GLUED in the window and without a corporate or radio logo on it. You WILL get taken for a ride. And if your are, the police probably will not help you.

We have used all the services listed below.

Partner Taxi 96 69
Express Taxi 96 63
Tele-Taxi 96 27
Halo-Taxi 96 26
Super Taxi 96 22
Top Taxi 96 64
Radio Taxi 633 33 33

TAXI TRAPS

WARSAW CENTRAL TRAIN STATION (WARSZAWA CENTRALNA)- DO NOT take one of the cabs around the station. Drug trafficking is heavy here. It is the hangout for the alcoholic community. Walk across the street to the Marriott Hotel and take one of the hotel cabs or call a radio cab from the Marriott Hotel. Use the money you will save and have a meal or coffee and dessert at one of the Marriott's restaurants or coffee shops. (No exaggeration here!) Do stop at the newsstand at the Marriott and get your maps, papers and more. There are good Polish people at the Marriott.

OKECIE AIRPORT, WARSAW - DO NOT take a ride with one of the people who will greet you as soon as you exit customs. They do not quit when you tell them no. Ignore them and then tell them firmly, "NO!" Call one of the radio cabs. There are phones in the departure hall. Your cab will arrive in about 10 minutes.

A special Airport City Bus runs to the city centrum and to most major hotels. It is a bargain. It is a distinctive yellow with a list of stops painted on the side.

If you are on a limited budget, take the bus 175 which stops in the third lane outside the arrival hall. It will take you to the center of Warsaw, Poland. Get off near the Central Train Station or Marriott Hotel and get your bearings. ( Bus 175 is a notorious hangout for thieves. They spot tourists and work in groups to get into your pockets. Get a seat, get into a corner, stay away from groups of young men and watch, watch, watch. If someone starts shoving or shouting, cover your wallets and bags. It is likely a diversion.)

OLD TOWN, WARSAW, POLAND - Avoid the cabs that hang around there. But if you walk up Krakowskie Przedmiescie from the Old Town toward the Bristol Hotel there will be a line of taxis on the left hand side. They are generally radio cabs waiting for a call and are usually O.K.

SQUARES AND TRAFFIC CIRCLES - There are too many organized independents waiting for your money at these locations.

DESIGNATED TAXI STANDS - Look for a tariff posted in the window.

MORE INFORMATION

The Poland Master Page is very large. We have included a site map at http://www.masterpage.com.pl/content.html to try to make it easy for you to get an overview.

21.The role Poland in Europe.

The role of Poland in the united Europe depends not only on ourselves; however, we can exert some influence on it. Nevertheless, one thing is certain: if we continue to treat science and education as we have been doing for the last few years, i.e. if we think that we have too much of them, that they should earn their living themselves under market conditions, if we keep comparing the expenditures on them to those of the marginal countries of the EU, we will self-determine our role in Europe as a marginal country. The system of science in Poland, with serious international achievements, contributing to the high quality of education in Poland on the international scale, will collapse then; it will become subject to the starvation process, known from the history of other countries (among others, of these marginal countries to which we now compare ourselves). Our children, and also our grandchildren, since such processes take decades, will have to go to other European countries in order to get good education.

However, if we do not want to play an unimportant role, whatever it should be, we must invest. The necessary condition is to maintain and improve, and not to worsen, the quality of science and university education in Poland.

The costs of such investment were correctly estimated in the resolution of the Polish Parliament (the Sejm) of October 13, 1995; it is necessary to designate about 2% of the GNP (6-7% of the state budget) for university education and about 1% of the GNP (3-4% of the budget) for scientific research from the state budget. One may think that this percentage is too high, that we have no money for it, but if we think so, we condemn ourselves to an inferior position in Europe. On the other hand, we might be of quite a different opinion, i.e. that we must find money for such a purpose, and then it is necessary only to transform the will of society into political will.

This obviously does not mean that a proper amount of money is sufficient, however, it is a necessary condition. In order for it to suffice, also other elements of Polish strategy of adjustment to Europe are indispensable.

22.Which country you would like to visit?

I think that everyone would like to go somewhere. Personally I always wanted to go to the USA, exacly to New York, because my grandmother told me that there is our family I would like to visit the States. This country is located in the west hemisphere. People there have great opportunites to develop their careers

In the western part in the States there are huge Rocky Mountains.

The largest lakes are in the northern part in the party. On the both sides of the continent there are oceans. The Pacific in the west and Atlantic in the east.

The Mississippi is the longest river in the States. Colorado is the most beautiful state in the USA.

In the States we can find a lot of traces of the Pre - Colombian period. There are still surviving Indian tribes. Most of them are on reservations. I would like to visit Florida, which is situated in the south - eastern part of the States. It is a tourist centre. There are beautiful and famous beaches, for example Miami Beach and West Palm Beach.The sun shines all year. People sun - bath on the beaches. I would like to see beautiful nature and many kinds of plants. Apart from all that we can see a lot of palm trees. Many famous people live in Florida: pop singers, film stars and businesmen. so if I have a chance to go somewhere I will go to New York . This city is one of the larger cities on the World. When we think about New York we usually associate it with the statue of liberty, a gift from the French to American People.

23.Poland in Nato

Poland is situated between Germany and Russia and thanks to this fact we have had a lot problems over centuries.

After the callapse of the Warsaw Pact we need safeguard because we can't defend ourselves. Polish people think that national security will be assured by joining NATO. In my opinion it is true but it will cost lots of money and we have to solve many problems.

The effective democratic control of the army is the biggest problem we have to deal with on our way to NATO.

Now Poland has civilian oversight of the army but the border between competitions of the civilian ministry of defence and general staff is not clear. For example when president Wałęsa took part in Drawski dinner some generals showed that civilian control doesn't appeale to them. The same problem is between Mr. President and the government. Now they are in the same pact but in the past they had problem with distribution of competence. I think that the resolution of a democratic constitution will and these controversies.

In the Polish army about 90% of equipment was made in Russia. We now that this country doesn't agree with our plans. It will big problem because Poland is very poor and changing all arms is very expensive. When we join NATO we will have to change all arms in a short time. It costs lots of money and I think with the present defence budget we won't join NATO. Polish people have to realise that defence budget has to increase.

At the same time the Polish army has to dicrease because the national budget doesn't maintain big army. Now

Polish army is decreasing but we have change proportion between compulsory service and professional army. I think our army has to be smaller but more modern and professional.

I am afraid that decision about Poland's admission into NATO structures will be taken when Russia agrees to it.

24. a) Every man is the architect of his own future ;b) We and natural enviroment ; c)The mistakes I shall not to make if or when I become a parent.; d) Men and women should be allowed to do the same jobs..; e)The world as a global vilage.

Every man is the architect of his own future.

Today many people are pessimist, they are dissatisfied with life, they think that everything is unjustly ,they always complain. But also many of people who are self-contented they achieve hapiness, they enjoy life, they also are enthusiastic about small things. In my view everyone is they architect of his own future and the people shouldn`t think negative about own future and people shouldn`t also to look -... everything with a critical eye. Personally I very often think about my future . Now I go to the secondary school. I would like to past exams then I would like to take the entrance examination to high school then I would like to study maybe something about films . I want to have a good job,this is very important for me I know that I must be strong, intelligent,to be full of optymism, and I must hard work then in the future will be better for me.

We and natural enviroment.

We all enjoy the sun, the frehness of air and the cleanliness of water. However these can no longer be taken for granted in our country.For example 90 % of Polish rivers are so badly polluted that the water is not only ufit for bathing on drinking but even for washing or cooling systems in factories. Moreover still it seems that the greatest environmental problem in Poland is the pollution of the atmosphere. Heavy smog which hangs over such industrial areas as Silesia,Łódź or Cracow is a result of an unforeseeing communist policy which totally disregarded ecology. Next when we go for a walk throught the streets of a big city we notice at once how dirty they are. Litter ,scarps of paper ,cans ,bottles and plastic containers are scottered almost everywhere. I know that we must do something with that , we shouldn`t do that. We have to always care of our enviroment because this is very important for all people animal and plants.

The mistakes I shall try not to make if or when I become a parent.

In children `s lifes parents are very important and play a big role. First of all, I think that parents shouldn`t yell at children because this is not a very good method to bring up children. I know that sometimes when there is no other way we must yell but without reasons this is unnecessary. Second of all, parents shouldn`t beat children and I don`t support any kind of corporal punishment . Third of all parents should talk much with the children about their problems, then the atmosphere between parents and children will be better. I dont advocate strict discipline but children should feel respect for parents .Moreover parents should avoid putting to much pressure on their children as for as school, free time, activities , hobbies are concerned. I believe that the relationship between parents and children should be built on solid principles of understanding and tolerance. In my view parent -children relationship should be more like friends. Parents should always love their children and take good care them .

Men and women should be allowed to do the same jobs. What do you think?

Nowadays there are jobs that either man an woman should be allowed to do. I know men who like helping clean up, wash up, cook bring up the children. I think that today there are more and more man who can do many things in the house. Women shouldn`t do this all days. We must remember that women can also do many interesting things and work as a motor mechanics, police officers, pilots. Women can work as well as men. Needless to say women usually work as a baby sitters. Broadly speaking I believe that there is nothing wrong that people work where they want to. They should do that what then like.

The world as a global village.

Nowadays is very popular to use internet to communicate with people by computers. This thinks makes that world is a global village. By internet or phonewe can communicate with people ine the whole world easy and quickly. TV provide people many information about another country ,about what is happening in the world or about wars, cultural event , catastrophers ,accidents and many things. Very important is also development means of transport such us car , planes ,we can quickly go there where we want, to almost every corner in the world. In general this all things make easier people`s life . English is becoming world language.

25.Ways of spending free time.

Most people have their free time everyday. Sometimes they are bored but other time they try to do something pleasant. They have different hobbies, which help them to relive stress and forget about everyday work and problems. There are many kinds of activities which they like to do but all of them have their own favourite way of spending free time - it depends on sex, age and where they live.

A lot of people like travelling. They search for new places which they've never seen and for exciting experiences connected with travelling. Some go to the mountain, where they can test their strength. Others go to the sea or to the lake, where they rest: they have a sun-bath and they bathe and they can also go by a yacht or a ship. A lot of people, like my parents, are fond of(=like) travel to other countries, to see some monuments, new wonderful places. For example, my parents want to go to Greece this summer to visit famous Greek temples and other interesting buildings.

Many people practise sport regularly in their spare time. After work they like playing football or basketball or running. They know that sport is a good way to relax so they always try to have at least a little time for everyday practising sport. Most doctors say that sporting is needed for good development of our health - I think that it's true. Many people in my town, the young men particularly, like keeping fit and they often go to the gym in their spare time.

In my town leisure habits of the young are going to the cinema, to pubs, practising sport, meeting with friends at parties, walking. Women also like to do shopping every weekend. We have some places where we can meet, for example few pizzerias, cafes or pubs, some sports facilities, the park in the centre of the town, where we may rest and breathe fresh air. The young often meet with their girl/boyfriends in their free time and sometimes they like going to the Muchawka river.

Some people (like me) like using computer in their spare time. They have a great pleasure when they can play computer games or to know new computer programmes - this is the kind of a hobby. Other people can sit down in front of the TV set and watch it a whole day. A lot of people like resting listening to music or the radio. Some men like going to the river or the lake to fishing. I think it's a good way of exercising our patience and I think it's very boring.

Many people fascinated by cars like cleaning and repairing their cars in their leisure time, this is the pleasure for them. In my opinions it's a very useful activity because it develops people's qualifications as mechanics.

There are a lot of people who like staying home in their free time instead of going to parties or to the cinema. They are too tired to go somewhere, they like resting and relaxing at home with their family. Some people go to see their friends or visit their families in the country. But there are also people who generally have little free time or haven't got it at all. I think it's very bad when people haven't time for their family and to rest and they live in stress all the time.

We have many different leisure habits but I think that everybody likes resting, relaxing and do some things they like best. I can't imagine not having any free time - I think that living without it for a long time is impossible. In my opinion our happiness depends (to a high degree) on our ways of spending free time.

26.Our environment.

All of us realize, that contamination of the environment is one of the main problems in today's world. Ecologists warn us that air, water and soil are more and more polluted. People cut down forests which are a very important source of oxygen. We dump sewage to rivers and seas and don't think that there are so few places, where we can swim or catch fish. People often dump litter in the forests, we may see many illegal dumping places near a town or a city. We use fertilisers and pesticides, which results in polluting the soil.

Another problem is, that power stations and our cars emit noxious gases, for example carbon dioxiole or compounds of sulphur. Every year technology is developing which is connected with polluting our Earth. There are more and more acid rains, epidemics, animals' death, floods, droughts and illnesses. People, who live in big cities, complain for headaches or difficulties in breathing. Many children in big cities suffer from asthma. For the last several years we have had a problem with greenhouse effect, which is the effect of polluting the atmosphere and destroying ozone layers. People are exposed to ultra-violet radiation. many people have dangerous tumorous illnesses.

Animals also suffer because of people's thoughtlessness. Many fish are killed by the sewage, death of many animals is the result of deforestation.

Many of us realize that we shouldn't disregard these problems. I think we should use ecologically safe products made from recycled or biodegradable materials. We ought to find the new ways of solving our problems using the achievements of our civilisation - we should produce more electric cars, which don't emit fumes or cars using natural gas, which don't pollute our air as well as cars using petrol. Governments should give more money for protection of the environment. people should build more wind and water power-stations. We should take our litter: paper, cans, bottles, plastic things to the special places like recycling centres or containers. If we don't want to live in the polluted world, we ought to make an effort and co-operate with each other - then we'll have a chance to live in peace and health - I think that is our task in the twenty first century.

27.Books and films.

There are many sorts of entertainment in today's life. One of them is watching films. Watching film is a very pleasant activity. If you watch a film you don't have to think a lot - you only look at the screen. All ideas are presented in the film with the aid of pictures, sounds and actors' playing. It's different with books. When you are reading, you have to think, use your imagination - you imagine people, things, sounds, landscapes.

There are many kinds of books and films: detective stories, thrillers, travel books, documentaries (documentary books), feature films, romantic films and novels, cartoons. Everyone can find something, that she/he likes best. When you are bored, you can go to the cinema or sit in front of the TV set and watch TV. Some people like spending their free time reading books. but what is better for us, our health and psyche: watching films or reading books? Many films are based on famous books. But most people, who watched the film and after that had read the book think, that it is better to read the book first. They claim that films often don't include many scenes/things, which were in the book. Many of them are disappointed by the film because actors weren't good in their roles, special effects weren't very good, scenery was inadequate.

Another thing is that most books develop our mind but many films, like famous Brazilian soap operas, don't do it. The advantage of watching films is that we watch a film about 2 hours but we may read a book a few days. We prefer more fascinating impressions in shorter time instead of „wasting” our free time on boring reading.

When we read book we have more time to think about many problems - when we watch a film we don't have enough time for it.

A lot of us don't realize that watching films may have bad influence on our eyes. Scientists claim, that often people, who watched films a lot when they were young, have different eyes illnesses. They also warn, that films may present the examples of bad behaviour, which is improper for young people - watching them may be the main cause of committing crimes.

In spite of these disadvantages watching films has also many advantages. A lot of films, for example romantic, feature or travel films may have good influence on our psyche. they may develop our knowledge about the world, sensibility, true love, friendship. This sort of films may give us advice, how we should live and give us true satisfaction.

Summing up I want to expose my opinion that films may give us good entertainment but we shouldn't forget about books - we are often too lazy to read books, which can be really good and instead of this we prefer watching silly crime series or comedies - it isn't a good way. We should also remember that films and books develop our brain and have huge influence on our psyche and opinions in many problems. We ought to reflect on, what we watch or read, because whether we lose our time or learn something useful from a book or a film - all depends on us.

28.My family.

My family is very important for me. Members of my family are my best friends, the people I love. It would be dreadful for me if I lost them. My family help me in many problems, make me fell necessary. I can rely on my parents - they often give me advice. Besides, my family support(pay for my living) until I find a job and I have my own flat.

I have one brother - Michael and one sister - Kate. Michael's twelve and Kate's four. My brother is a tall and slim boy. He likes swimming, playing football. He keen on cars so we often talk about it. Michael is interested in history, geography and biology - he collects historical books and films about how people lived centuries ago or what species of animals lived in different parties of our globe. He learns well. I love my brother, I like talking to him about his hobbies. And, what is the most important thing, he likes computers and so do I. We often use the computer or play computer games together. When my mother is too busy I help my brother with his homework. Two years ago my brother had an accident - a drank driver hit him on the street - Michael was lying in hospital for a long time. I was very worried about him and then I realized that he is very important for me.

My sister Kate is a very nice girl. She was born in 1995, when I got to the high school - I remember that in July 1995 I got two wonderful news - I got to school and after a few days my sister was born. I always wanted to have a younger sister. Since Kate and my mother came back home from hospital, I have taken care of my lovely sister. i like going for a walk with her, I often give her a lift to the kindergarten. i'm proud of my sister because she is really pretty and kind child.

My parents are well-educated people. They finished Prus many times ago and after that they both studied at the Warsaw Politechnic. But my father is older than my mother. They meet themselves just when they were studying in Warsaw. They fall in love fast and after graduation they got married. I think that they're happy people. They have good jobs: my father is a director of his own engineering firm and my mother is an architect. I think my that parents are satisfied with their jobs.

They love their children very much. My mother is very protective and sensible. She always tries to help us to solve our problems, she gives us advice. Father is a very funny man - he is vigorous and he has always smile on his face. My parents like travelling very much so once a year we go abroad for a few weeks and visit many interesting places. At home there is often very kind atmosphere - I like staying home with my family on holidays and I often invite my girlfriend to my home - my parents are very conversational so we are bored with one another very rarely. Sometimes I quarrel with my parents but we always try to solve problems like that fast and we always apologise one another - it is a good way to solve conflicts.

Summing up, I love my family very much and I think that my parents, brother and sister are very important for me and I can't imagine living without them. In my opinion most of us are indebted to our families for many good things and happy events of our lives.

29.My school.

Schools are very important in our life. Everybody knows that most people can't live in modern society without them - education is needed when we try to get a job. An atmosphere at school has big influence on our mental development - we meet a lot of people, we learn good manners and ways of solving hard problems in our lives.

What are the main advantages of my school? First of all I like high standard of teaching - my school is the best and the most known school in my town. Many well-educated, vigorous and friendly teachers work to teach the most clever and talented students in the town. Thanks to it every pupil has better chance to get to a good university than their peers from other schools. This is the school with old tradition - one of the most famous Polish writers, Boleslaw Prus, was learning in The First High School in Siedlce, so nowadays a lot of people call this school „Prus”. My lovely school is well equipped - it has many TV sets, computers, videos, books. Prus has a beautiful, modern gym, which is the biggest in Siedlce. Next to school there is the biggest boarding-establishment with a canteen. Sometimes, during pauses, you may hear great music from loud-speakers. I think that it's a good idea because listening to music help us to relieve stress like people in my school - they are very friendly and talkative.

Unfortunately, there are also some disadvantages of my school. The most important problem is, that there are too many students in Prus. Because of it the timetable is wrong: students must learn till late hours, there is a huge crowd during pauses. Another disadvantage is that sometimes equipment of the toilets is destroyed by some students and the school doesn't have money for repairing it for a long time. But these are the only things which I don't like in Prus.

I think that my school is a very good institution. Nowadays there are many well-educated people, who were learning at Prus several years ago and who have good jobs, earn much money and have good position in our society. If I had to choose the school again I'm sure I would choose Prus. I regret that I will leave this school and I hope that my children will be learning in The First High School in Siedlce.

30.My town.

I live in Siedlce - a town in the east of Poland. There live about eighty thousand people . I wasn't born in Siedlce - I was born in Warsaw but I have lived in Siedlce for sixteen years. I will try to describe my town a little.

Siedlce is situated on the small Muchawka river in the east part of województwo mazowieckie in the region called Podlasie. Several years ago there was the main tourist and communicating trail and Siedlce was developing fast but now the town isn't such as important place and it is developing more slowly. The town isn't beautiful for me - there is a lot of litter on the streets, streets are often destroyed, there are many old, ugly, non-renovated buildings. In Siedlce there are some interesting places like a town hall called “Jacek”, which is situated in the centre of my town. A long time ago there was a marketplace opposite the town hall but know there is a small square, where people often come to relax. Near the centre, on the Konarskiego Street there is a park with Ogiński palace, which was built by duchess Anna Ogińska. It is one of the most attractive places in our town, where the young as well as adults like walking and resting. In the park there is a pond. I think that it is good that in Siedlce there is a place like it because when you are tired or feel nervous you may go for a walk, calm your nerves and have contact with nature. In the park there is also a playground, where we can often see children playing and shouting. In Siedlce there is also the museum, where we can see many pictures, photos and interesting documents connected with history of Siedlce.

In Siedlce young people spent their free time on the disco, in the pubs or walking and shopping. In the town there are too few concerts of famous bands I think, so only sometimes we may enjoy this type of entertainment. Siedlce has its own local TV called Catel, which often shows us important events for the inhabitants. We have also some local newspapers like „Tygodnik Siedlecki” or „Echo Podlasia”. In Siedlce there is also the catholic radio „Katolickie Radio Podlasia”.

In my town there are several primary schools, some high schools and one academy. Students and other inhabitants of Siedlce and people living near the town can use the library, which is situated in the town hall in the centre of the city.

In Siedlce there are also some industrial plants like „Drosed” or „Mostostal”, which are known in the whole Poland.

I think that several years ago Siedlce was more beautiful place than it's today. Before The Second War there were a lot of rich Jews and other people in the town - then Siedlce had its own theatre, some breweries and, for example, knives' factory, which belonged to my grandfather' father. When I watch pictures from these times I see beautiful trees, clean streets, nice buidings. I think that Siedlce is becoming more and more dirty and ugly. I think that it's good that the pope will come to Siedlce in June because thanks to it there is more money for renovating some buildings and streets.

I'm glad that I live in Siedlce instead of living in a village but if I had a choice I would like to move to akaniec bigger town or city.

31.Why do we need a car?

Everybody knows that cars are very important in our life. We can't imagine how people could live without this invention many years ago. A lot of families in all countries have their own cars nowadays, they help us in daily life. Our life has become easier since the end of last century, when people made their first car.

There are many advantages of having a car. Firstly we may move quickly from one place to another. It means that, if we have a car, we can go to the office or to school more easily than by bus, train or tramway - we don't have to spend several minutes in a crowd and be exposed to delay or robbery . Equally important thing is that we can put heavy luggage in the boot and we don't have to carry it. We can also have touring holidays or trips when we want. Another thing is that when you're driving a car, you can get a fascinating experience, you may drive fast, feel free and... relax. You can also give somebody a lift or pick up girls/boys if you have a good car.

But having a car has also disadvantages. First of all, if you want have a car you have to pay much money for petrol and services. In the last several years there has been very popular way to limit our expenses - you may supply your car with engine on ground gas. Everybody knows that cars emit fumes and pollute the atmosphere. In big cities there is a problem with too many cars. Sometimes you may go to the office by car longer than by bus or metro - you stay in traffic jams, you may have a problem with finding a parking space. Moreover there is huge smog and we feel bad and we are nervous. When we go by car we can also be afraid about our health or life - there are many crashes on the roads and we should be very careful and sensible. The next disadvantage is that if we use a car in our daily life, we become lazy and we don't want to take any exercises like walking or running. We become fatter and weaker.

In spite of the fact that there are so many disadvantages of having a car we realize, that our life would be much harder if we didn't have a car. If we have money, if we drive carefully and always remember, that on the road we should also be polite, if we profit from cars reasonably - we can enjoy driving for many years.

32.Big city or a village?

Why do so many people move to big cities? There are very many reasons, which we ought to know. First of all in a big city there are more shops, restaurants, theatres and cinemas. People, who live in big cities hardly ever complain about boredom - they always can find a place to meet with friends, rest or see beautiful film, plays. In villages many people don't have places like these and often have to stay at home in front of TV set. One of few types of entertainment are discos but they are only in big villages, which are situated near cities.

Another thing is that in big cities it is easier to find a good job and there are better educational opportunities than in villages. The young have better chances of good start in their life.

It is also very important for people that in a big city there is always electricity, TV and it's easier to get a telephone installed - in a village the situation is harder because people often have to wait for a phone for many years. Communication is also better in a big city than in a village - there are a lot of buses, trains, tramways and plains. But it may be a negative feature of living in the city - there are many dangerous and hard situations like traffic jams, crashes. The environment is polluted because many cars are driven in a big city and there are many factories. In a big city residents also suffer from a lot of noise. The advantage of living in a big city is that there are many doctors, specialists - you can feel safer than in a village, where often there aren't enough doctors and ambulances and you must wait for aid for a long time.

In a big city there are many sport clubs and facilities like swimming pools, tennis courts, pitches, but there are too few places for children and teenagers, where they could run or walk - only in big districts (housing estates) there are playgrounds and in the centre of a city there is usually a park. In a big city we may meet a lot of people, also foreigners, and we can get more interesting information (newspapers, books) than in a village. There are also more shops than in a village - you can buy most of things you want.

But there are many disadvantages of living in a big city. In a village you can find peace and quiet and you have a contact with nature and animals. In a big city you hear cars, buses, tramways, planes all the time. Air is polluted and unpleasant. I think that in a village people are more helpful than in a big city. In big cities living is more expensive and people may be more stressed than in villages.

Summing up, living in a big city is easier but if you need quiet and contact with nature - you should live in a village. As far as I am concerned I want to live in a big city , where I could find a good job, meet interesting people, have good assortment of goods, good communication and doctor's protection.

33.My future plans.

Most people have their future plans, dreams, things which they want to realize some day. Everyone dreams about interesting and satisfactory job with good salary, loving family, beautiful house and many friends. Future plans are often an escape from usual live for us.

I often reflect on what kind of person I would like to be in the future and what my future life will look like. After matura exam I want to study at the Warsaw Politechnic and rent a room in this city. I want to study computer science because it is very interesting subject for me and using a computer gives me great pleasure. When I finish studying I would like to work in a telephonic firm like Era Gsm or Telekomunikacja Polska or in a firm connected with constructing computers and computers programmes (games, applications). In my opinion it is a very interesting and good job - nowadays many bosses search for workers well-educated in computer science and they pay them much money.

I want to live in Warsaw or Cracow in the future. I think that living in a big city is interesting and very comfortable because there are many means of transport, a lot of museums, theatres, cinemas where you can go in your spare time. In Warsaw, for example, there are also many cafes, restaurants, discos - if you want to go somewhere with your friends or a girlfriend/boyfriend you can always find an interesting place. In big city there are many sorts of entertainment and you can meet a lot of people, Polish as well as foreigners. There are many good schools, when your children may be well-educated. In the future I want to spent much time with my family. I would like to have three children.

I think that in the future I will adopt a child because in my opinion it is a disaster not to have parents and family.

When I collect enough money I will travel to other countries. I have always dreamt about going to England or the USA. I also would like to go to Japan - when I could know modern technology and Egypt - where I want to visit old buildings and monuments which are some thousand years old.

If I have much money in the future I will also help the poor - I think that we should help one another - then living in the society becomes more easily.

When I have children I will always try to help them in hard situations and give them advice every time they want. Like everyone I would like to be a good parent but I think it is very difficult to be a good father or mother. In my opinion happy family life should be connected with honesty, confidence and mutual help.

One of my dreams about the future is having a good car. I want to have my own car in short time because it is a very useful thing nowadays, I think. When I have my own flat or house I would also like to have two dogs.

I think that we often don't realize our future plans. For example my mother wanted to live in Warsaw but she has lived in Siedlce all her life. My mother imagined that she would earn much money but now she says that she doesn't earn enough. Sometimes people who chose a job for themselves are very disappointed later. In spite of this I think that dreams and future plans are needed for us because thanks to them we can feel good and never lose hope for better future.

34.Modern world.

Mankind changes all the time. We often wonder: what way other people choose, how they live, what kinds of problems do we have? Otherwise the answers aren't simple and some people don't want to devote too much time to finding them. But in my opinion sometimes we should realise what we do wrong and what we should change for the society's good.

I think that the major problem of our modern society is that people still want to get more and more money. They forget about their feelings, they often make money at the cost of others. Most of them devote too little time to their families, they become insensible to people's suffering. They don't have time for entertainment and go for a vacation rarely. They lose their ideals.

Crime is also our serious problem. Most of us are afraid of going out late because we may become victims of robbery. We don't feel safely during the day neither, for example when we are in a park or during a football match. It's true that the number of crimes committed by teenagers is increasing all the time. It may be a result of bad up-bringing up but TV may be also the reason of that. TV shows bad examples of behaviour, which the young copy in their everyday life. In our families there is also generation gap - adults and teenagers can't or don't want to understand each other and it's the cause of many unpleasant situations like escaping from home, quarrels, taking drugs, drinking alcohol. Most people don't co-operate with one another, they don't understand that if we want to live in peace we have to help one another. None of us pays attention to screaming or an alarm during walking along the street.

However, we should also note technical and intellectual progress. Nowadays we may do complicated operations like transplantations, cure people who suffer from many serious illnesses. Physicians invent more and more medicines, scientists construct more and more modern inventions. Computers, which enter our everyday life, often replace people in difficult calculations and help us at work and at home. A lot of people all over the world may communicate with one another using phones but also the Internet. Humans can travel in the space and explore other planets.

But everyone should know that technical development has also bad results. One of the main today's life's problems of today's world is the environment's contamination. We contaminate the atmosphere, water, soil, we kill animals but also ourselves. New illnesses appear because of noxious compounds' activity. We have serious problems with incurable illnesses like AIDS.

In the modern society we are afraid of wars and dangerous weapons. In many places all over the world many innocent people die. A lot of people, say that they believe in God but in practise they reject Him. I think that it isn't good if young people are atheists because a lot of them don't have a moral standard and it may be the cause of improper mental development.

Summing up I want to make a point that probably our world is tending towards extermination and we should pay more attention to what we do. I'm interested in computers and some new technical inventions but I'm afraid that many of them may be used to bad aims (for examples wars or problem with experiments on embrions). In my opinion we should help one another, try to solve these problems to live safely in the peace and harmony.

35.Men and women.

All of us have quarrelled with a person of the opposite sex as least some times in our lives. I think we should reflect on why so often men and women don't understand each over?. What are the differences between women's and men's psyche and what are the stereotypes concerning men and women?. It may help us to understand many things.

Centuries ago women had to work hard for their families and husbands - they had to cook, wash, clean. They also had to look after and bring up children. Women still stayed home, men earned money for their families. Only women from poor families worked for money. Contrary to women men could practise sport. He drove a car, pay charges. The role of a woman was limited in those times.

Woman's and man's role in our society has changed nowadays. Men as well as women work to earn money in most countries (in Italy there is still the conviction, that a woman shouldn't work). A man can cook, clean and take care of his children. Many women drive cars, people created an image of a business-woman, who is intelligent, resourceful, vigorous and earns much money.

But in these times many women are still victims of discrimination. Sometimes men don't tolerate women as drivers - they are convinced, that their wives, mothers, daughters can't drive a car.

As we know fair sex is more sensitive than men. Very often women can appreciate art better than men. They like going to the theatre, museum or cinema more than lying in front of TV set with a beer or sleeping. Men like watch football or box matches. Women often think that it's abnormal to watch these things, they prefer watching sport like skating or swimming. A woman is more peaceful and self-possessed. Men want to solve problems by using violence, women are against such methods. Women need more tenderness and men often don't understand them. Men often like doing dangerous, exciting things like driving fast, many women think that is silly. Men want to manage women frequently and they also claim that women should do the cleaning, cooking and bring up children but men only have to work professionally. In my opinion it is a wrong attitude - women also can work and needn't stay at home and look after children. In school we can notice that girls are generally more hard-working than boys, they have better notes.

Besides, some jobs are intended only for men or women. For example I have never seen any woman working as bricklayer and a man as a baby sitter. I think it's good - woman can't be so strong as men and men can't be so sensitive as women.

In everyday life men like to present their strength and wisdom. Maybe it is a cause of stereotype that a man should be resistant to stress and pain, he mustn't cry and he can always solve all problems.

Many women nowadays want to bring up their children without men. In my point of view it isn't good for children, because all of us need father and his lack may have a negative influence on our psyche.

Generally speaking I want to make a point that women should have the same rights as men and, because fair sex is subtler, they should be treated with greater respect than men. In spite of all differences between men and women we should try to understand each over and try to solve our problems by talking. If we really want we can live together in happiness and care about each other.

36.Generation gap.

Generation gap is a very common phenomenon in our life. It's something that has always arisen and will arise between children and their parents.

There are many reasons for generation gap. Young, growing up people want to be more independent but adults prohibit them doing many things: they don't let them go out late, wear the clothes they like, they give too little money and make their children learn. These things are very often causes of quarrels between adults and the young. Adults don't realize that the young don't want to be still under control - they make choices for them, solve their problems, buy clothes and force political opinions to upon them. Another thing is that sometimes teenagers can't choose a career path themselves - they have to do what their parents want, because they have money and pay for them. Young people, who are over 18 often still haven't got any job, flat or a car. They have to ask parents for it and adults may disagree - it may be also a reason of quarrels. As a result teenagers fight for their rights and sometimes escape for home. When the young live home, for example, they go on a trip, good children charge into rogues: they drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, take drugs. This is the way to demonstrate their rebellion.

Besides, many conflicts in our families are the results of lack of co-operating between parents and children. They often ignore and don't talk each other and don't share their problems. Adults don't help their children and devote too little time to them because they have their own matters, they are so tired of them - then the young feel unuseful and neglected.

Although parents try to understand their children, they often do it in a wrong way. They can't talk to their son or daughter, because he/she doesn't want to listen to them. Why? Adults frequently forget, that they also were young and made many mistakes. They punish their children for being late or bad notes and then the young isolate themselves from parents, often there are days when children and parents don't talk each other. Instead of punishing, adults should talk with teenagers, have serious discussions, explain to them why they are not allowed to do some things. They ought to be friends for their children.

In my opinion parents should limit their children's freedom, because most teenagers are not resourceful enough to decide for themselves. It is a normal thing that without my parents, their permissions, prohibitions and advice my life would be hard. But sometimes parents aren't right - then we should talk to them, explain what they do wrong and what they ought to change. I think we have to understand adults and try to avoid quarrels with them - it is a good way to get rid of many unpleasant situations.

37.Problem of crime in modern society.

Crime is increasing in our society. We often ask ourselves „why?”. There are many reasons.

Firstly the law isn't strict enough for criminals, so many of them aren't afraid of punishment. Criminals spend too little time in prison and they have too good conditions there. In many countries, as in Poland, there isn't death penalty, however it would help us to stop increasing violence and crime and it would be a warning for criminals.

Another problem is that often the homeless commit crime to go to prison because they have food free of charge, bed, TV and other entertainments. I think that our government should be more interested in these people and try to help them (give them places to live, meals).

Everybody knows that many crimes are committed by teenagers. They often want to have more friends and they decide to commit a crime to impress them. The young also try to stay against their parents, they want to get money without work and to be independent. TV has huge influence on their behaviour. It shows them the world full of crime and brutal sex, without friendship, love and other important feelings in many thrillers and crime series. It isn't strange that after watching a film, like „Pulp Fiction” or „Rambo”, crime may seem funny to teenagers. In cartoons there is also bad behaviour, for example a main hero of this film beats others. In films an actor doesn't die but in real life people do.

Our society nowadays is divided into classes: rich, well-to-do, poor. Poor people, who start their life in poor families or families with the problem of alcoholism, need money and may attack rich (or well to do) people to get money. They usually hate them, because they also would like to live in beautiful villas and have expensive cars. It may be next cause of attacks on people.

Sects, football fans, skins are also very dangerous. Adults often don't have time for their children and teenagers don't feel important and needed so they join these groups. Then they can commit crimes with their new „friends”.

We can meet robbers everywhere: on the street, in the school, in shops, in the park. Sometimes a robber wants us to give him money but if we don't have it he doesn't believe us and often we are beaten and eventually we go to hospital. From time to time boys beat others for fun - it is one of causes of accidents.

The situation, when people have a gun illegally is also an important cause of crime. They can often buy weapon on „black market”. If criminals have guns, they feel safe and can frighten or use them against innocent people.

Another thing is that alcohol and drugs also have big influence on crime in our society. Often drug addicts want to have money for drugs and attack people. many crimes are committed by drunk men or women.

In my opinion we have to try to stop increasing crime in our society. we should devote more time to our children, we ought to help and co-operate one another, give money for the poor, pay attention to people screaming. This is an easy way to live better and more safely.

38.Animals.

What are animals for people? Do people need them? How do we treat animals? We often may ask these questions. Animals have always existed in human life. A long time ago people ate meat and wore clothes made from leather. Today we breed animals like cows, sheep, pigs, hens and others for food. We often don't imagine living without meat, milk, eggs. We also like wearing furs, leather coats and gloves and we don't realise how many animals had to death to make our life easier.

Although many people couldn't kill any animal on their own, they often profit from killing. They don't feel responsible for animals' death. We don't know, how often animals are tormented by humans. We don't realise that we take away the place to live from poor animals. We build more and more factories, cities, housing estates and cut more and more forests. Animals are killed or they die as the result of famine or they are put in Zoo's, where they don't feel good.

Another problem is that people often kill animals for fun. In fact, a lot of men like hunting. They claim that it gives them real satisfaction, it is the proof of their strength and it helps them to relieve stress. Thoughtless killing exists, for example, in Spain, when once a year toreadors kill some thousands of bulls or in Britain, where there is tradition that rich people organise dogs' fights or fox hunting.

A very important problem is, that there are many stray dogs and cats in spite of the fact that law establishes fines for it. People, who don't want to have an animal, throw out their pets on the street instead of giving them to the kennels. It is the reason of suffering of many animals in the world. It is also dangerous for people because a lot of animals may carry serious diseases.

Besides, we often hear that scientists make experiments on animals. We don't realise that animals are tortured, whilst it isn't always needed. Many rats and mice are bred only for these experiments.

In my opinion animals are very needed for human life but people's activity is often a major cause of death and suffering of many of them. I think that many centuries ago, when there weren't artificial materials and people needed fur from animals to protect themselves against cold, killing animals for it was justified. But today, when we can make clothes from other materials, killing animals is immoral and barbarous. In my point of view nowadays we have to care for rare species of animals instead of killing them. But I will always admire vegetarians, who never eat meat and replace sausages or ham with salad or soya cutlets.

39.Traveling.

In the modern world a lot of people travel: to other countries, to the seas, lakes, to the mountains. Many of us like travelling. They feel excited when they go abroad, where they meet people who have different habits, who speak other languages. Many of us are interested in geography or history - if they travel they have a lot of occasions to see some interesting places and monuments. The young, who go abroad often become more independent and they have a chance to develop their imagination and to learn communication with others.

People travel during holidays more frequently. After working all year some of us need a rest - then we can travel to spend free time in a pleasant and useful way. Most people realise their dreams during holidays - for example they watch Niagara for the first time or they are on Safari, which gives them plenty of great impressions. Some of us get real satisfaction at travelling, they relieve stress in this way. Others like going by train, car, ship or plane and it is also one of the causes why people decide to travel.

But we can also travel for our job. Many politicians, businessmen or journalists travel abroad all the time, they move from one country to another in a few hours or days. Sometimes it's said they spend more time abroad than in their own country. Some people like these have to sacrifice their private life to travelling, which is connected with their job. But I think it is their own choice.

The problem is that some people don't feel good when they travel. Many of them have stomachaches or headaches. I haven't any problems like these and I think that it is a very unpleasant thing. Fortunately there are many medicines for these illnesses. Another problem is that many of us don't have so much money to travel abroad. These people have to spend all their holidays in their own country. But in Poland there are many places where we can go, for example old cities like Gniezno or Cracow, where we can get to know our history, the sea or the mountains, where everyone can get a lot of interesting and marvellous experiences.

Summing up I think that everybody should travel. I was in some European countries where I saw many monuments and beautiful places, talked to foreigners. In my opinion travels teach us many useful things and broaden our mind. In the future, if I have money and enough time, I want to travel all over the world and I will induce my future family to do it.

40.Stress and my life.

Stress is a very common feeling in our life. We feel stressed in many situations of our life. Stress attacks everyone and everywhere - at home, at school, on the street, during travels, in underground. It has very unpleasant symptoms. like headache, stomachache, swallowing saliva noisily, paleness, trembling of hands. We often don't realize that others see our behaviour and it is often the cause of many undesirable situations.

In everyday life we often feel stress, for example when we take an exam. Although we try to stop noisy saliva noisily or trembling of our hands we can't do it. We are more and more nervous and it often makes us forget what we should say (speak about). We also suffer from stress when we travel - all the time we are afraid that we will have a crash or that we will be robbed. We feel stressed when we quarrel with our parents or get bad notes at school. Many people, who don't have any friends, feel bad and nervous. They are derided by others and it may be the main cause of stress and frustration. Many adults live in stress when they have to solve problems, settle important matters or make sensible decisions. They have a dangerous work or failures in their job they don't feel good. Tragic events in our life, for example somebody's death or serious disease have bad influence on our psyche. But also good events like a marriage or the child's birth result in stress. We are afraid of changes in our life, I think.

Stress may be very dangerous for us. People, who suffer from stress frequently, have heart illness more often. People, who have much work and have lack time all the time are mostly too tired to do any pleasant things like walking with children or meeting with friends. Stress may be also the cause of committing suicide - failure makes us unhappy and not willing to live.

There are a lot of ways of reliving stress. One of them is sport - it's a good way to relax. Another way is a lot of resting, walking and going out (for example to the cinema, theatre or to a concert). Talking to our family is also very important for our comfort. Meeting with friends may help us to forget about the problems. We should listen to other people's advice - then we can solve problems much more easily. When we are really frustrated we ought to go to a psychologist - many people profit from specialist's help. We should also eat much food containing vitamins and minerals - they have positive influence for our organisms.

In my opinion if we try to do this, we may be happier and avoid many unpleasant situations. But I think that people will never relieve stress completely and

we will always suffer from stress in some parts of our lives.

41.Learning foreign languages.

Foreign languages are used in many domains of our life. A lot of people go abroad on holiday where, if they want to talk to foreigners, they have to know any foreign language at least a little. some people go to other countries to find a job: then knowing English may be very useful and often is needful. If you want to read interesting books and magazines, which are published abroad in the foreign language, you start realise that learning the language is needed. You must also know foreign languages when you have any foreign TV channels and you want to understand something from programmes or films. If you know English you can understand words of music hits you hear on MTV, VIVA or on the radio and which are sung in English most frequently. A lot of computer programmes and games are written in English. If you know this language, you learn to use the programmes more easily than someone, who doesn't know a word in English. Many firms in our country still look for people, who can work as an interpreter, an agent, a manager or a computer operator so you have better chance if you know any foreign language. Knowing Latin is very useful for doctors, pharmacists, biologists - many names of medicines, parts of our body, illnesses and species of animals are in this language. Besides, studying foreign languages may give us pleasure - some people learn them because it is their hobby, it gives them satisfaction and helps to spend their free time.

In my opinion studying foreign languages is very useful, because it helps me in many domains in of life. I think that everyone should know English to talk to one another more easily. Although learning a language is often very hard, it makes our life easier in nowaday's world full of computers, buisness, diplomacy, modern technics and international organisations.

42.Everything about England

England :
Area: 130 420 km2
Population: 48,5 m.
Capital: London
Government: returns 529 members to Parliament; a mixture of 2-tierand unitary local authorities, with 36 countries, six metropolian countries, and 27 unitary authorities.
Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II Mother
Head of Government: Tony Blare
Religion: Christian, with the Church of England as the established church, 31.500.000; and various Protestant groups, of which the largest is Methodist 1.400.000; Roman Catholic about 5.000.000; Muslim 900.000; Jewish 410.000; Sikh 175.000; Hindu 140.000.
Major Towns: Birmingham, Cambridge, Coventry, Leeds, Leicester, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Oxford, Sheffield, York; ports Bristol, Dover, Felixstowe, Harwich, Liverpool, Portsmouth, Southampton.
Currency: pound sterling.
Major industrion: while, bunches, vitreous, porcelain, ceramic, chemical, paper, woody, beer and weed.
Major river: Thames River, Sewern River.
Highest peak: Cross Fell - 893m. above the sea level
Nationality: People from all over the world.
Official Language: English.

History in facts:
400-200 BC.- British Isles conquered by the Celts.
55-54 BC.- Romans led by Julius Caesar raided Britain.
AD. 43-60 - Romans conquered England and Wales, which formed the province of Britannia; Picts stopped them penetrating further N.
5th-7th centuries - After Romans withdrew, Anglo-Saxons overran most of Engalnd and formed kingdoms, including Wessex, Northumbria, and Mercia.
5th-6th centuries - British Isles converted to Christianity.
829 - King Egbert of Wessex accepted as overlord of all England.
1066 - Normans led by William 1st defeated Anglo-Saxons at Battle of Hastings and conquered England.
1215 - King John of England forced to sign Magna Carta, which placed limits on royal powers.
1265 - Simon de Montfort summoned the first English parliament in which the towns were represented.
1455-85 - Wars of the Rosses: House of York and House of Lancaster disputed the English throne.
1536-43 - Acts of Union united Wales with England, with one law, one parliament, and one official language.
1607 - First succesful English colony in Virginiamarked start of three centuries of overseas expansion.
1707 - Act of Union between England and Scotland created United Kingdom of Great Britain, governed by a single parliament.
1760-1850 - Industrial Revolution: Britain becamethe first industrial nation in the world.
1775-83 - Britain lost 13 American colonies; empire continued to expand in Canada, India, and Australia.
1793-1815 - England at war with revolutionary France.
1800 - Act of Union created United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, governed by a single parliament.
1914-18 - United Kingdom played a leading part in World War I
1939-45 - United Kingdom played a leading part in World War II

History : ranges was entanglement in 6th -4th century B.C. by Celts tribes - Geals, Cymbrs, Britts. Since 1st century B.C. started up get to there Romans, which occupation progress from 1st century up to about 410 year. When Romans Empire downfall lands conquers by Anglo-Saxon. From 793 year began raids Viking and Danes, whom took northeastern and eastwardly part of England. In 10th century sovereigns Wesseks abided states on the island, created scapes anglo-saxon states. In 1066 year. King Harold 2nd perished on the battle of Hastings, and his suppressor, Duke of Normandy Willhelm, styled thenceforward Willhelm 1st Winner, he has been lord of these lands and posited Normands' dynasty. He organized useful national administrations and rammed feudal system.
In years 1154-1485 to throne seat Plantagenets' dynasty. One of charter member that dynasty, king John without Land, billed in 1215 year Great Card of Freedoms - Magna Charta Libertatum, document, which became the scape of english system, restrictively control royally in favour of powerful people, attributively statutes the other state and gave guarantee of civils right. In 16th century federated Wales with England. Territorial contentions with France to disadvantage resolved centennial war (1337 - 1453).
Upon many wars at throne, in year 1558 queen of England became Elizabeth 1st. That has been the golden century as well in economy like and in culture England. In year 1707 followed formally association England and Wales with Scotland in United Kingdom. Upon the end 18th century started in England industrial revolution. In connection with invented vaporizer machine in the beginning of 19th century began quickly progress industry, which put steads dominantly up to here agricultures. Time dominations Queen Victoria (1837-1901) that term was the most expansions colonial. In first years of 20th century the United Kingdom was richest country on the whole world.

Geography
England is the largest and the most important region, possesing the center of government and administration in London. It's south - east part (the so called Chalk Country, is called "the meadow of England" because of beautiful gardens, flowers, orchards and fertile fields. The Midlands are more industrialed. The so called Black Coutry within Stoke-on Trent, Birmingham and Nottingham abounds with coal, iron ore and granite.
Climate in England is very characteristical. In England is soft marine climate. For the whole year the sky is clouded, sometimes the sun was shines.
In winter in England it is not so cold like in Poland. Winter in there is warm. In winter temperature vary from three to seven degree. When in Poland we have snow in England it is raining. In England freqvently occur a phenomenon so-called fog. It's very characteristic for England. In summer temperature vary from ten to seventeen degree. In the other climate is by far warmly. Greatest yearly sum of rainfall performs in England mountain and amount to 3000 mililiters. Typical climate in England it follows that this is island. Warm Bay Current brings with us from sea a warm and rainy weather. Very negatively affected on the weather in England.
England in plurality pieces is terrain lowland, surround by Atlantic Ocean and by North Sea. Of overland parts of Europe sequestrates them Channel La Manche. Shoreline is well unfurled, there are many bays and estuaries. Largest top is located in northwestward mountains and amount to - 893 metre named (CROSS FEEL).
Disasters :
England is country situated, where disasters are very rarely. Most important dangerous disaster is flood, who demolished whole possession, areas , abridge farmers food and reserves on the winter-tide. Water flowed with very large current may demolish even large construction. Thereby, that England surrounded is by seas and massy sum rainfall often engenders rising waters levels.

1. Architecture
The oldest, small anyway monuments of architecture in England are of Roman origin; was it buildings public usefulness. Very much small are also monuments beforeromanesque of epoch. From 10th and 11th century date little, stone churchs, and also slendel, round towers, pointed endings. In 12th century began domination of Gothic style, which in England devided an three terms:
Early English, early gothic to 1300 year, with cathedral in Canterbury, Rincoln, Wells, Salisbury;
Decorated Style, dated to 1400 year, with fan-shaped, reticular vaultings ( Westminister Abbey, cathedral in York, Lichfield, Exeter, chapter hall in Wells );
Perpendicular Style, with perpendicular sticking ( laic buildings how Geuldhall in London, university buildings in Oxfort and Cambridge. Renaissance didn't oust properly Gothic form in English architecture. Tudor's style (to about 1500 year) keep Gothic construction, seize also superficialy surely motifs of renaissance. Barely Inigo Jones beside end 14th century introduced classical forms in Paladin character. Near by this two, main trends unwinded middle-class Queen Anne Style, to which in 19th century linked Norman Shaw.

2. Painting:
The Oldest painting monuments kept from 7th century second term development this painting happened in 12th century originate than famous illustrations psalters English - norman school. With mural painting keep are all the way to fire in 1834 year very interesting fresco in Westminister, keep altar pictures with Hiob legend ( about 1400 year), characteristic for style by tours carpeting character and profusion gold. Gothic, English stained glass windows, characterize subtlety with seeting colours, origined in diffrent epochs; most of all in cathedral in York. In Gothic epoch miniature painting blossmed in cloisters.
The 15th century didn't left in England considerable monuments. Renaissance epoch present work of art Holbein. In 17th century blossmed parteaiting painting; 1632 year Charles 1st brought to England A. van Dyck, for this king made Rubens decoration works. About 1750 year appeared famous portrait-painters: Sir Joshua Reynolds, Th. Gainsborough and little late G. Romney. High bloom water-colour painting achieved in 1850 year to foundation "Society of Painters in Watercolours", Landscaping painting present: G.Morland, J.Constable J.W.Turner, genre painting whereas. D. Wilkie, Under the influence of Ruskin founded in 1848 year " Praerafalite Brohterhood " with artists how Hunt, Millais, D.G. Rossetti. Praerafaliats made a big whatever in English painting. New trends 20th century together with expressionism found in England feeble sound.
3. Sculpture
Medieval monuments, English sculpture have distinct stigma continent influences. Native character showed barely in 13th and 14th century in cathedral sculpture in Lincoln, Exeter and Wells. Mediaeval, bronze tombs there are in Westminister Abbey. Monuments from 16th century are largely pops of Italian artist, from 17th century German and Naderlandic. First, most considerable, English sculptor is Nicolas Stone, creator of portals in Oxford, Grinling gibbons is creator of statues Charles 1st and Jacob 2nd. In 18th century artist employed small sculptures. In 19th century came to the fore portrait-painters: E.H. Baily (creator column Nelson on Trafalgar Square) and sir Francis Chantrey. Expressionism trend was equally small assumes as in sculpture as in English painting.

Agriculture and neat culture enacted past developments manufacture main soil in economical living England, although percentage took up with that off year per annum falls. Once soil concerned 72,6%, browses 10%, and forests 5% surface of country. By many different cases agriculture in England in present time is very lithely developed. Climate of country, overmuch wet, at cold and sunless years and possessive relations very negatively affected on the agriculture growth, that too national productions wasn't surmounts requirements. More unfurled is only south and southeastward part of England. Big weight in sustenance nation barring breedings neat has too fishing marine.
Biggest wealth in England are seam, and particulary pit coal, whose reserves threateningly in soon time exhaustlessness. On the second place is iron, occurring on the whole near by coal, however his productions isn't surmounts whole national consumption. On the next places are salt , tin copper, wolfram, plumb, zinc, graphite.
In connection with richness seams industry explicated up to big volumes. Large weight in English industry has worsted industry, which bunches most of all in Yorkshire, in a while Lancashire is main centre cottony industry. Littler weight has metal industry and connected with ere construction ships and machines. On the background stands dermal industry, vitreous, porcelain, ceramic, chemical, paper, woody, brewer and weed.

London is a wonderful place to be ! It has great museums with priceless exhibits, old markets, clean green parks and the best shops and night clubs in Europe. There is something for everyone.
London is situated on the River Thames about 40 miles from sea. It was founded by the Romans in A.D. 43 and became a succesful and important city. After 1066 William the Conquer constructed one of the most famous landmarks of the city - the Tower of London. In 1500 it had a population of about 50,000 and was much bigger than the original medieval boundaries. Sheakespeare's theatre was built within this new area of London.
Now London has around 7 milion people living in and around it. It is a financial and cultural centre but it is probably most famous for being the home of the British monarchy. You can see the changing of the Guards everyday outside the Buckingham Palace.
London also has some of the world's best departament stores including Harrods. But the most visited place is the British Museum with exhibits from all over the world. In the evening you can go to one of many theatres and see one of many musicals. Situated near the Baker Street tube station, these attractions one two of the most popular that London has to offer. Madame Tussaud first arrived in the capitals in 1802 cristocrats and ever since her wax models have been pulling in the crowds. The exhibitions are split into several sections in which visitors can see replicas of the famous and the infamous from both past and present. Models include: politicians like Margaret Thatcher and Lenin, pop stars like the Beatles and royalty like Prince Charles and Lady Di.
London is one of the most interesting cities in Europe. During holidays many tourists from all over the world come to London.
The places tourist always want to visit are the Houses of Parliament and the famous clock "BIG BEN". Very close to the Houses of Parliament is Westminister Abbey where many kings and queens, poets and other outstanding persons are buried. Tower Bridge and the Tower of London are also worth seeing, as well as one of the biggest cathedral in the world - St. Paul's Cathedral. Buckingham Palace where the Queen and her family live is also a great attraction for visitors.
There are many museums in London, one of the most interesting is the Museum of Madame Tussaud where you can see wax figures of politicians, film stars, kings and queens and other damous people. Tourists also visit the British Museum and the Tate Gallery. They also go to Picadily Circus with it's Eros statue and Trafalgar Square with it's Column of Nelson and to Hyde Park, Oxford Street and Soho. There are many other places to see in London, so it is imposible to see everything in one day or even one week.

School
In England, education is decentalized. Apart from schools which are state supported and publicly maintained, there are also the so called "public schools" which are independent and which charge high fees for studying.
Education in England is obligatory between the ages of five and fifteen. At the age of five, children go to Infant School. At the age of seven they move to Junior School where they stay until they are eleven. At the age eleven children take the so-called "eleven plus" examination, determining which type of secondary school they will attend. However, this early selection has been strongly criticized and that is why many comprehensive schools excluding this stressful examination have been set up.
There are three types of secondary school in England. Childreen may go to grammar schools, secondary modern schools and secondary technical schools. Only about 25% of the pupils attend grammar schools. They provide education of an academic type and many students go on to university upon graduation. More children go to secondary modern schools which give a general but also more practical education.
Many pupils leave school at the age of fifteen, but others stay on until they are sixteen. Most grammar school children stay at school until the age of seventeen or eighteen. Upon leaving, pupils may take an examination for the General Certificate of Education. It consists of two levels: 0-level (ordinary), usually taken at the age of 16, and A-level (advenced) taken at the age of eighteen or nineteen.
After completing secondary education, some young people go to a colleges or universities. Universities offer two types of studies: undergraduate ones. At the age of twenty one, students usually get a Bachelor's Degree and at the age of twenty three - a Master's Degree.
The most famous universities in England are London University, Oxford and Cambridge.

St Valentine's Day
February 14 is known as St Valentine's Day. It is mainly observed by young people who on that day give symbolic gifts to people they love. They also send special greetings cards called Valentines. The contents of Valentines are usually poems or declarations of love, such as: "Roses are red, violets are blue, grass is green and I love you". It is also commonplace to give the beloved flowers or candy on that day.
Some people complain that this is a commercial holiday. Despite the criticism, the claim that it adds colour to they every day lives.

Easter
Easter is preceded by forty days of Lent. Shrove Tuesday is the last day before the period of fasting which starts on Ash Wednesday. Traditionaly, it is the time of enjoyment and eating pancakes, hence it is often called Pancakes Day. Ash Wednesday is a very solemn day when ash is sprinkled on the heads of members of the congregration. The Sunday before Easter is called Palm Sunday. On this day small crosses made of palm are given to the worshippers. This is the beginning of Holy Week.
A very interesting custom is maintained on Thursday, known as Maundy Thursday, when the sovereign gives some elderly people presents of Maundy money (coins which are specially minted for that occasion). The number of coins equals the sovereign's age in years and the presentation usually takes place in a selected cathedral city.
Maundy Thursday is followed by Good Friday. It is celebrated as a bank holiday. People do not go to work on that day and eat the so called hot cross buns containing currants and marked with a cross (this symbol reminds one of the crucifixion of Christ).
The central day of Easter is Easter Sunday, the Christian Feast of the Resurrection of Jesus. On this day Christians follow the old tradition of the eating Easter eggs. Many families gather together at dinner and orranize egg hunts. Childreen have a lot of fun looking for dyed eggs hidden in the house or in the yard. Except for chocolate eggs, rabbits and chicks for children, presents are not given on Easter. People usuallly confine themselves to sending Easter cards to their friends and family.
The day after Easter is known as Easter monday. It is the last day of Easter celeberation and it is regarded as the beginning of the summer tourist season.

Halloween
Few holidays tell us as much of the past as Halloween. It's origins date back hundreds of years to the Druid festival of Sanhain, Lord of the Dead and Prince of Darknees, who, according to Celtic belief, gathered up to souls of all those who had died during the year to present them to Druid Heaven on October 31st. The Sun god shared the holiday and received thanks for the year's harvest.
The Druid New Year began on November 1st, marking the begginning of winter and the reign of the Lord of Death. The Druids called upon supernatural forces to placate the evil spirits, and it is from that tradition that modern Halloween gets the paraphernalia of ghosts, goblins, witches, skeletons, cats, masks and bonfires.
The custom of telling ghost stories on Halloween also comes from the Druids. To honour the Sun god and to frighten away evil spirits, they would light huge bonfires atop high hills and as they sat grouped around watching the bright flames, they would relate eerie happenings they had experienced.
As Christianity replaced the pagan religions, the church set aside November 1st to honour all saints (all-hallows) and called it All Hallows' Day. The evening before October 31st, became All Hallows' Eve - later shortened to Halloween.
Halloween customs today, although gay and frolicsome rather than sober, follow many of these ancient practices. When children wear ghost costumes, false faces or witches's hats, bob for apples, eat corn candy, or carry jack-o-lanterns they are carrying on an accumulation of ancient traditions whose significanse has long since disappeared.
The jack-o-lantern, most typical of Halloween symbols, began with the Irish. According to legend a man nemed Jack, who was kept out of Heaven because he was stingy and expelled from Hell for playing tricks on the Devil, was condemned to walk the earth forever carring a lantern to light his way.
On that day youngsters play pranks, others are gathered for a party where they enjoy a taffy pulling contest, bobbing for apples, telling ghost stories or playing games which feature spooks. The party goers play pranks on their way home.

Christmas
Christmas is the most popular family holiday in England. On 24 December ussualy all preparations for Christmas are complete. Christmas greeting cards are exchanged, a Christmas tree is decorated and presents are purchased. In many work places the annual parties are held and shops and banks close earlier. Late in the evening some people go to church to attend the so called "midnight mass". Children do not forget about hanging up old socks at the heads of their beds as they believe that Santa Claus who arrives in a sledge drawn by reindeer visits each child's house and leaves wonderful presents.
Christmas Eve is followed by Christmas Day (25 December) which is the most important day of Christmas. Early in the morning children wake up and open their presents. At midday the whole family gathers at the Christmas table. Christmas dinner traditionally consists of roast turkey, mince pies and rich Christmas pudding decorated with holly and containing delicacies, dried fruit and spices. Everyone eats one's fill and children have much fun pulling "crackers" (cardboard tubes containing small presents, printed jokes and a paper hat and jokes are read. On this day the Queen deliviers an annual oration on television.
26 December, following Christmas Day, is called Boxing Day. It is celebreted as a bank holiday. On this day people give presents of money to paperboys or dustmen. They visit their friends or arrange parties. This is the last non-working day and the last day of the Christmas celebration. However, the Christmas season continues until the twelfth day after Christmas Day (6 January).

Sport and more
Football in England is a national sport and magnanimity recreation. England possesses one off the best league in Europe styled Premiersip. There are clubs off largest towns and some smaller. Clubs are represented not only by footballers off England, but also from Scotland, Wales, Germany, Italy and from Africa and South America. The best clubs are Manchester United, Chelsea London, Liverpool, Arsenal London and Newcastle. Liverpool possessed the best young player in the whole league. His name is Michael Owen. His talent upon once first elicited during the World Championships in France '98 when he guyed of all defenders. On the stadiums came many people wishful good football match. In London is located reputed stadium Wembley, whereupon are played matches of the representation of England. Polish representation dislikes this stadium, because playing in there is very difficult. However football isn't solely sport in England, many people like sometimes play cricket or rugby.
Englishmen, like people from the other countries, in free time listen to music. History of music began in 1957 year when birthing repute groupe The Beatles. Primely at the time young boys performed in clubs, dance saloon and labour club-room in Liverpool and in Hamburg. Members groupe that: John Lennon - rhythmical guitar, harmonica, organ and piano, Paul McCartney - bass guitar, piano, organ, guitar, George Harrison - solo guitar, and Ringo Starr - percussion. The largest pushier were songs: "Yesterday" , "Love Me Do", "Please, Please Me". Musicians ecstasized auditors freshness melodies, different styles inter alia rock and roll and European ballad. Their popularity commuted in worship. Up to present day wasn't better groupe than the Beatles. Other renowned groups are inter alia: The Rolling Stones, whom up to present-day play and so sheerly middling, although they've yet their years so still they've idols all over the world; The Animals; The Kings (1964-1972). Today England ecstasize group girls styled Spice Girls. They're popular not only on the islands, but either in the other countries. This groupe play pop music, which is most liked by young people.

Stonehenge, one off largest megalitic structures built within of late neolithic and early epochs bronze (about 1800-1400 B.C..), about 13 km to the north of Salisbury, in southernly England. Centre megalit constitutes stone altar ranked inside horseshoes constructions 5 trills, compound off blocs at lengths 9 m and tonnage about 50 tone and 19 smaller rocks. Encloses her circle 50 stones, skirted outside circle constructed off 30 huge rocks at altitudes about 4 m, top transverse blocs. Whole surrounds trough and wall earthen at diameters about 115 m, wherewith connects walkway orientate on the axis rising sun within summerly equinoxes. We might thing, that Stonehenge has been built as stead worship Welkins (Suns and Moon).

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