How to escape from extreme weather? First, don’t forget to check a weather forecast. And do not underestimate it. If you’re from the North and think that you got used to snow, think again. You can be stuck in a pub for a few days if it’s going to snow heavily. Then no snow ploughs would rescue you. So the only thing you could do is just play quizzes with your relatives till midnight. Extreme hot weather is unbearable as well. A scorching sun can melt you very quickl. So it’s very important to know where you can spend some time when it’s a heatwave. Also, when you can’t prepare before, don’t feel shy to ask for help afterwards. Children usually have such a problem. If they were in a boarding school and woke up in the middle of the night because of strange sounds (like someone’s had dropped a bomb), there’s nothing shameful to dress up and ask for help. These rattling and banging sounds could be a tornado. Everyone should get to a safe place then (without going through the grounds, where a howling wind can blow off branches. Don’t stay in a dormitory with broken windows!

Practicing articles A/an article is used when... ...you want to name an object as a representative of the class, kind of it (not of another category): 1) Chinese people like to use a pair of chopsticks when they eat, while European prefer to eat with a spoon or a fork. 2) I'm wearing a skirt, don't you see? I can't ride a bike today. 3) What have you brought? A raincoat? I need an umbrella! ...you want to show what is something: 4) My grandfather, a pilot, watches weather forecasts every day. 5) My boyfriend, an engineer, is going to study designing. 6) My colleage, a language teacher, is fond of a ballet. * THE is usend when you want to emphasize something 7) I've been to a place, where Alla Pugacheva, the Russian famous singer, lives. 8) I'm using Huawei, the popular chinese telephone. A/AN is also used when a reader meets this word first (it's unfumuliar to him: 9) What have you bought? - a chocolate bar! 10) What is it? - a present for you!

Our perception of the war Lately I read an interview with a Japanese old lady recalling days of the Second world war. A new nuclear force was unleashed, when she was just eight month old. It wasn't her fault that the world had a fight of "who beats who", but still one day she got stuck under the rubble with her mother (her father wasn't so "lucky". He was in a hypocenter of a disaster, in a ground zero). And it wasn't the worst thing. Hundreds of thousands people were erased in a minute. Even more people were injured and disfigured. And survived after the atomic bomb attack people started to get sick (no one told them how to cure such a disease). The only man who had been giving people support and hope, the Japan's Emperor, surrendered. When the girl became older, she vowed to revenge. While people of her country suffered from the after-effects, the winners were jubilant, had an unconfined joy beacuse they finally finished the Second world war. She thought it wasn't fair, so at least she could take revenge on a pilot that was doing an air rade that day. Today the world honors victims of the war. Our japanese old lady witness was invited to the show where she actually met that pilot. And you know what? She said that she changed her opinion. She didn't want to take revenge on that guy. He's still a human being, as she is. What she wanted to do - is to show other people, that there's more than revenge in the world. She would like to abolish all nuclear weapons and never let that surreal day of the war happen again to anyone .

A lawsuit of a lifeguard Imagine a lifeguard on the beach. How old is he? How does he look like? Presumably, you would think of a young man/woman, wearing sexy swimsuits, right? In nineteenth the New York state tried to impose the age limit of 35 for his lifeguards. The union of them went on strike so it didn't work out. Nowadays there's also a fight for a lifeguards' unifrom. You wouldn't believe but there could be 14 people an hour drowning at one place and needed to be rescued (that's because of a current and the way people know what to do in water today). A lifeguard's work is very strenuous as you see (don't forget abot the scorching sun, where you have to sit it out, overseening a beach). So maybe it's not a bad idea when the State decided to filter lifeguards,uh? And there's a filter: lifeguards should pass an exam where they're checked for their physical ability and speed. But it shouldn't go further - as on 66-year old lifeguerd says. He walks with a cane but is still able to help people. Some of bureaucrats are not agree. They made all the exam takers to wear very low-cut swimsuits (that some elderly lifeguards do not dare to wear). So our main character decided to be "a jew at Christmas" - fight for his principals (thank's God he's an attorney). He says: "I like my job very much. It's so thrilling when you escape people. I even didn't attend to my lawyer intership because of that. So I can speak from my authority - my efforts to protect principals worths it". Now his colleagues tease him as an exile: he decided to pass an exam in another place - upstate. The employers are the same but the rules are not so strict. I think that guy would be ok. I've never appreciated such behavior before. Hope that he will accomplish something anyway!

The Pandemic is changing our world I suppose our world will never be the same after the Pandemic. If we want it to be in a good way - we shall think about it right now. When everyone was closed at his home, ecologists said there was enourmously good water and air in the world (because, you know, people didn't pollute it). But when everyone got used to a new reality, things changed. People went out and eventually went to work. It's not a big deal if you live not far from your work, right? So you can just walk or at least ride a bike. At least it's safer than to share space on a bus with unfumiliar people...And that's what people did! There was an upserge in walking and riding. People dug up their bikes from basements and tuned them up. And that's a good start. On the other side, if you work, for example, in downtown, you have to take smth that is quiker even than electro bycicle. And here's the problem: people shun subway. Although the governmnent mandates masks not everyone use it properly. Plus you have to wipe everything that you're goging to touch or seat on (it makes me myself cringe!). As a result, in cities where urbun transport system is very robust, metro ridership is falling down. So people start to buy cars more and more...that's an issue for ecologists, isn't it? How are we going to deal with the problem of congestions? Our future life will depend on the answer to this questions.

What do stressful cases reveal? I believe you can understand who your friend or enemy is in stressful cases. Now your "friend" alleges that he'll be there for you forever and then (when you really need his help) he can demonstrate total inaction. He even can give you "good" arguments: "Bro, you're taking it to serious, you should downplay the severity". If you insist, he even can show harrasment or use xenophobic warning (in case if you're a foreigner). Another day, when that man needs your help and you refuse to give him a hand, his claim can be like that - "I thought we're allies! Why do you put restrictions on me? It's not fair! I'm not asking you to coddle me, but still...I'm more diminished than you by that time...." So, my point is - be careful when someone's is saying that you're friends or praises you. Maybe he/she just want to gain benefits from you (not giving you smth in exchange)

Country of bicycles If you go to Denmark, you'll find out that most people use bicycles as main transport. Dutch people drive a bike unaided by 4 years. And there're no seriuous traffic incidents actually. How do they manage it? First of all, it's the rules according to which bicycle drivers have priority on Denmark roads - car drivers can't exceed speed more than 30 k/h (according to the research, if they drive less than limited speed and there will be an accident, no one would die. Otherwise - someone can). Moreover, car drivers in Denmark are aware that there're many bikes around, so they're very careful. Should we mention, that almost all of them are also bikes's owners, and drive a car only on special occasions or when they're unable to drive a bike? So they know what it is to feel yourself as a bike driver. Car drivers behave on the roads just as they wish others behave when they're on a bike. Of course it doesn't mean that bike drivers can do whatever they want on traffic. They should be careful too. And they are. Just got used to it. Some people compare the Dutches to a swarm of sparrows - "a lot of, but still very organized when they drive in a row". Bike drivers there got used to a phusical negotiation, always anticipate to what is going to happen, ready to keep brakers. (I think such a foresought, that they practice every day on the way to school/work, help them with their every day's issues as well). It can be diffucult for those who is not a skilled bike driver. You can be wobble through roundabout or struggle to match the destination. But if you want to be unscathed you just should learn the main rule in Denmark: individual needs are subsumed to the need of the community.

Organic food What is Organic food? As I understand, it's food that is produced with no pesticides or chemicals. It is healthier and sometimes you can buy it only in authentic villages from farmers. My friend doesn't believe that organic food is different from other food in grocery stores. Maybe the advert would say it, but it's not necessarily true. Anyway, you should be careful with what it's written on the product that you cosume. It can be 80 or even 50% organic, that can mean :" used senticides only to repel bugs", like its not serious. I do understand why people still buy it. Nowdays it seems to be prominent among young consumers. Those organic eaters hope that its connected with a longer expected age, though it als can be a result of medical advances. If I check my busket, I wouldn't be suprised to find something organic, but still it wouldn't be a substantial amount. I mean, I don't buy a bulk, just a few of my favorite products. Of course, organic food is expensive. That's because the standart is rather strict in developed countries . Whereas it's quite lenient in others, so you can't rely on it 100%. Anyway, who am iI to discuss it? More enlightened people probably can argue with my points, saying that organic food contribute with health and there's nothing more to talk about.

Travelling by plane Airports play an important role in our lifes, don't they? I remember my first flight. That was a nigthmare. It all started with the preparation. It was in those times when the Internet services were not very common in the area where I lived (or was it me, so old-fashioned?). so my mom just took me to a physical airline company where a nice lady booked me a flight for a nice fare. I didn't know how to get to the destination better, cause it was a connected flight (and not a domestic one, an international!), so I just decided to believe that airline staff and fly through a capital of another country (lately I found out it was much longer and more expensive compare to alternative ways, that she didn't suggest me. I wonder why?). Besides, I knew nothing about the rules on the premises of the airport but the fact that I had to take passport and tickets with me. My parents only could tell me about the procedure based on their experience (and, of course, it was years ago). Thank's god my baggage wasn't overweighted (it turned out that I should pay even for extra half of a kilo). So I left my baggage at a baggage drop off and just took a hand luggage with me on the plane. If it was a domestic flight, I wouldn't need to pick up my baggage in the baggage reclaim area. But it wasn't, so I just followed the other passengers (they took a trolley, and I did). Lately I understood that I shouldn't do what others do (for example, most of passengers went to one way, and didn't have to follow them, because, actually, I need to go to another way) The most difficult part for my was the flight, indeed. I started feeling sick since the plane left the runway. Luckily, I was in an aisle seat, so I could go to the toilet whenever I need, not bothering my neighbours. It was a two-day trip during that I couldn't sleep or eat well beacuse of jet lag and sea-sickness. Just not to burst out crying I was trying to be very attentive with everying going arund me. Linstened very carefully cabin crew's instruction (about when and how to preinflate the life jacket, fasten my seat-belts and so on). When we landed, the customer officer asked me: "Was your journey good?". By that time I wasnt' realizing that I had been in another country already and people can be polite and even smile at you (you know, not a usual situation at my place). So I thought if he suspected me in smuggling or something. I showed my courtesy and aked politily: "Thank you, it was fine"