British Accent As I'm learning English and spoken English is one of my main difficulties, I'm trying to watch and to listen to as many videos, podcasts, songs in English as I can. My understanding of spoken English has been improving in time, of course, but... There are so much to learn behind me! For example: I like British English, it's easier for me to understand.... so I thought, before I started watching British series. And oops, it seemed I hadn't been learning English all those years at all! Have you seen the series "Shameless"? When I just began watching it, I could hardly understand a couple of the words Frank was saying! And Mimi! What kind of accent is it? Is it Manchester? The same was with the series "Silla": I had to watch it with subtitles. Nevertheless, I liked both the series! So tell me, do you have the same issues with understanding of spoken English? It'd be very interesting for me to know your opinion on the matter.

Just Some Thoughts ...Well, it's been almost a year since I graduated from uni and had a diploma. But... Nothing really changed. I've still got my previous work and use the same road to get there. The same faces, the same issues. I'm really bored. "Why don't try a new work?", you might ask. Why? Well, it's complicated. One should weight all pross and contras. The first ones are following: it's nearby, so I can save both money and time to get to work. Then, there is a canteen in the building and a kitchen in my department, so I can buy a dinner from a canteen rather cheaply or bring it from home and heat it in a microwave in the kitchen. And, finally, I'm good at my work, I really am. And what about the contras? There are: It's badly arranged, there is a lack of office equipment; my department includes only women, so there are many rumors and gossips, which I hate! It makes me nervous and even angry in the end of a day. And, at last, it's rather a position of responsibility, yet it's very poorly-paid. So, what do you think? Is it time to search for the other work?

A Trial Lesson Well, I've had a trial lesson today. I wanted to talk to a native speaker a long time ago, and, finally, I did it. I said, "I did it"?! A very bold statement. I hardly could remember simplest words, say nothing of tenses. My teachers would be terrified if they listened to it. Well, there is one good thing in this situation though: I liked my italki teacher, I COULD understand what he was saying (not sure, he can say the same about me, ha-ha). Okay, what we've got? A year without any English practice (apart from watching TV series and movies) has led me to this pity result. And the solution is? Obviously, practice, practice, practice, spoken practice first. Well, we'll see what will be next.

THE QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDYING THE SYMBOLIC CONCEPT OF «ROAD» Hello everyone, I've asked for your help before and had it from some of you (thanks a lot!) then. And I'm still working on this subject for my diploma paper now. Would you so kind and give me a minute or two to answer the questions, please? Thanks in advance! I State your: - age: - sex: II Write words or word combinations (not less than 5) which come to your mind in connection with: «road»: III Write close meaning words to the word «road» (from 3 to 5) IV Describe the visual images raised by the word «road» V Give positive and negative characteristics of the «road»: Positive: Negative: VI Write proverbs and sayings which come to your mind in connection with «road»: VII Do you agree or not with the proverbs: « Keep the common road and you are safe»; «The best way to kill time is to work to death» «To do nothing is the way to be nothing» Please, explain your choice. VIII Please tick all that apply. «Road» for you is: a) necessity b) inconvenience c) recreation d) adventure e) other options (state if there is any) Thank you very much for you time!

The Questionnaire for Studing the Concept "Road" Hello everyone, As seen from my profile I'm studying English at the University (or rather trying to do it). And now I'm working on my term paper related to the concept "road". I've done most of it, but still something essential left to write. And it would be great help for me if some of you would answer some questions. Thanks in advance! I Write words or word combinations (not less than 5) which come to your mind in connection with: «road»: II Write close meaning words to the word «road» (from 3 to 5) III Describe the visual images raised by the word «road» IV Give positive and negative characteristics of the «road»: Positive: Negative: V Which words are specified the following definitions: а) a hard flat surface for vehicles, people and animals to travel on is ____________ b) a thoroughfare for travel or transportation from place to place is ____________ c) a way of life, conduct, or thought is ___________________________________ d) a thoroughfare especially in a city, town or village that is wider than an alley or lane and that usually includes sidewalks is ________________________________ e) a street open at both ends is __________________________________________ g) a path or trail that is made by people or animals walking through a field, forest, etc is ______________________________________________________________ VI Write proverbs and sayings which cone to your mind in connection with «road»: VII Are you agree or not with the proverb: « Keep the common road and you are safe»? VIII Please tick all that apply. «Road» for you is: a) necessity b) inconvenience c) recreation d) adventure e) other options (state if there is any) Thanks for your time!

Agriculture as a Source of Pollution (continuation) For the present time large areas of soil all across the world are cultivated in wrong and harmful way. Despite the fact there is large percent of erodible land all over the globe and lowering of their natural fertility is observed, agriculture labour, often based on low technology which destroy the soil, is still going on. It is especially dangerous to use such land for plough land, as it leads to the destruction of the fertile humus layer of soil, its washing and blowing. Already by the end of the century there is a danger to pass an ecological threshold of decrease in fertility, after that degradation of many most valuable lands and their full loss of fertility would begin. Under the circumstances millions of hectares of land should be taken out of the use for plough land, sowed with perennials grasses instead and used for meadows, etc. Even more lands require conservation among ranchlands. This will save valuable agriculture lands for the future generations protect them from destroying influence of an erosion and machinery and recover their fertility fast enough. This is proved by the example of the USA. In the 70-th and early 80-th there was dangerous ecological situation in the country, caused by extensive erosion processes. In response the government prepared a special federal program of land conservation, whereby over 10% of most degraded lands were taken out of agriculture. It allowed intense reducing erosion process severity. To attract (involve?) farmers to the land conservation program, the U.S. government has used a wide range of economic measures, such as donation, credit, price support.

Agriculture as a Source of Pollution (continuation) Along with the use of pesticides and mineral fertilizers in agriculture, organic fertilizers are widely used too, contributing to the high yields of crops as well as to the preservation and increase of soil fertility. The main component of them is livestock waste. Due to high content of comparatively easily decomposed organic substance, well-balanced content of essential biogenic elements and minor nutrients, needed to plants, livestock and poultry manure are traditionally considered to be valuable fertilizers. In many countries with well-developed agriculture sound management of livestock wastes makes it possible to reduce sufficiently output and treatment of mineral fertilizers. In England, for example, with livestock wastes, the whole arable area of the country is supplied with nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium. This permits to output less amount of mineral fertilizers. Complete with it, the problems of livestock waste utilization and environment protection from livestock and poultry wastes pollution are solving. To the contrary, if there is abuse of livestock and poultry wastes as fertilizers, soil and agriculture plants contamination with pathogenic microorganisms and weed seeds as well as overenrichment of arable layer of fertilized soil may happen. Biogenic elements from the soil surface drain off into bodies of water, stimulating growth of blue-green algae and reduction of oxygen percent in water; this causes increase of free zinc and iron, sometimes cuprum and magnesium as well as nitrogen in the soil.

Agriculture as a source of pollution ....... So, despite rather small agriculture overal production among other economical sectors, it contributes materially to the enviromental pollution. That can be explained by the following reasons. Firstly, not any other economical sector use such high-toxic substances like pesticides, and often without close check. Secondly, agrarian lands often lies on the flat areas close to the bodies of water. So they are the places where the toxicants washed by the waste water from the soil get to. Thirdly, even usual mineral fertiizers considered as harmless can be quite persistent (steady?) soil toxicants. For example, phosphatic stock (row material?) consists of many minor nutrients like fluor, rare earths, uranium, strontium, etc. which affect adversely to the plants. Further, when potassium fertilizer, namely potassium chloride, is put into the soil, with necessary for plants potassium (calium?) useless and harmful chloride is got at the same time. If ballast compounds are rapidle soluble they wash from the soil and get into the surface and subsoil waters polluting them. If they are slow soluble they can be accumulated by the soil, and if there is defined level of it they get to the plants and futher on food chains into the animals and men's organisms. Sometimes the content of ballast compounds can raise the toxic level and be the cause of men's health trouble. Biogenic elements contained in the soil, nitrate nitrogen in particular, can raise the toxic level too. And that is the cause of poisoning by agriculture products.