Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas, dear visitors, and may the evil never even come close to you! May the coming year be really happy and ten times more successful than this one! Take care and Godspeed!

Ukrainian Armed Forces Day

As the Soviet Union dissolved in 1990 and 1991, 780,000 Soviet military personnel remained located in Ukraine’s three military districts. This mass was not an army but a force grouping, without a national Ministry of Defense, a General Staff or central organs of command and control. 'This grouping, its inventory of equipment and its officer corps were designed for one purpose: to wage combined arms, coalition, offensive warfare (also nuclear) against NATO on an external front.
On August 24, 1991, the Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, enacted a resolution to take jurisdiction over all formations of the armed forces of the former Soviet Union stationed on Ukrainian soil, and to establish one of the key agencies, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.
On December 6, 1991 the Parliament adopted laws On Defense of Ukraine and On the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The military of the former Soviet units voluntarily began to pledge allegiance to the newly born state of Ukraine. That is why this date is marked as a birthday of the modern Ukrainian military.
This is the OPLOT quite modern Ukrainian MBT on the left. However, Ukraine has it just as a prototype.

And here are some pieces of military humor for you to enjoy.

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

THANKSGIVING DAY is marked on the last Thursday in November making that weekend a really long one. All generations of every family sit together at the feast table on that day. The Thanksgiving weekend gives the start to the Christmas season.
This holiday has a long history, which started in 1620 when a Protestant religious group known today as ‘Pilgrims’ arrived in the New World on board of the ship called Mayflower, and settled in what is now known as the state of Massachusetts. Their first winter in America was full of hardship and drama. They arrived too late to farm the land, so they starved. Half of the colony died from disease. The following spring the local tribe of Native Americans taught them how to grow corn and other crops. They also helped them to hunt and fish. In the autumn of 1621 the Pilgrims got a rich harvest of corn, barley, beans, pumpkin and other vegetables. They prepared a feast and sat together with the Indian chief and ninety other natives at the abundant dinner tables. Of course, prior to dining they praised the Lord, and thanked Him for all the food and wealth He gave them. This is how the festivity got started.
In the years that followed colonists in many settlements celebrated the harvest with a feast of thanks. After the United States gained Independence the congress recommended a single day of thanksgiving for the entire country. George Washington, the first president of the USA, suggested November 26 as Thanksgiving Day. It was Abraham Lincoln who established the holiday on the last Thursday of November after the end of the Civil War.
A traditional Thanksgiving meal consists of roast turkey stuffed with herb-flavored bread, cranberry jelly, mashed potatoes, and a pumpkin pie. Other dishes may vary regionally: ham, sweet potatoes, creamed corn, maple syrup etc.
Vlad BUDCHENKO and Ann ATAMAS of Group 33-E have prepared more detailed information about all that HERE .

And here are some funny Thanksgiving Day cartoons for you to enjoy!




Do they celebrate THANKSGIVING in CANADA? No, they dont... or do they? Anna ATAMAS knows the answer. It is hidden right HERE .

"My Lords, pray, be seated."

With these words the queen let the members of the House of Lords sit down. Her Majesty Elizabeth II, Queen of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland opened parliament a week ago, on Wednesday, November 18. It was one of the most spectacular traditional ceremonies in London.
The two part procession, guarded by the Royal Horse Guards, consisted of the Her Majesty’s Crown in the first part, followed by numerous sections of mounted Horse Guards forming a magnificent and colourful procession.
At around 11:10, HM the Queen passed down Whitehall heading towards Parliament for the official opening of Parliament for the year 2009 - 2010.
The 20 minute event, in the wind and rain, was watched by lots of people eager to catch a glimpse of the Queen and her impressive entourage as they made their way towards Westminster…
Queen's Speech lasted only about 7 minutes but it fired the starting gun of the general election. The monarch also mentioned the drafts that have to become laws through parliamentary procedure.For example, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) will be given powers over bankers' bonuses. NHS (National Health Service) patients will be given new rights, as will parents and their children. Local authorities could be given more authority to prevent floods. A bill will be introduced to bring forward the government's Digital Britain agenda for universal broadband by 2012.

Quarantine Assignment for Groups 32-E and 33-E

I am happy to inform you that in December you will have to show your excellent knowledge of the two following topics:

#1. The Political System of the USA (which you will be able to find by clicking HERE ).
#2. The Spanish-American War (which you will be able to find by clicking HERE ).



Juicy opportunity to get another excellent mark:
The Hyde Park needs a refreshed material about the Thanksgiving Day, its history and actual celebration. Contribute it and I guarantee a reward.

Quarantine Assignment for Groups 12-E and 14-E

Not to let you forget about the existence of such a subject as "English" I decided to remind you that some serious control papers on Spotlight on Britain are waiting for you to come and write them. So, I advise you to be ready to answer the following questions:

Task 1. Put the invaders into correct chronological order:
1. The Vikings
2. The Angles, Saxons and Jutes
3. The Celts
4. The Normans
5. The Romans

Task 2. Give the short answers to the following questions:
6. What is the highest mountain in Great Britain?
7. From which group of invaders did England get its name?
8. What is the longest river in Great Britain?
9. Can we call a person from Glasgow “an Englishman”?
10. Which part of the UK has a red dragon on its flag?
11. How many crosses are there on the flag of the United Kingdom?
12. Which part of the UK has St. David as its holy patron?
13. When did the Normans invade Britain?
14. Which part of the UK is NOT situated in Great Britain?
15. Which part of the UK is sometimes called Ulster?
16. What sort of monarchy is the UK?
17. How many chambers are there in the Parliament?
18. How many MPs are there?
19. Who becomes Prime Minister after the elections?
20. What is the ‘Shadow Cabinet’?
21. What are the main political parties in the UK?
22. What happens to a bill after it has been passed by the House of Commons?
23. Who is the head of the Church of England?
24. Where do we find a kirk?
25. At what age can you drive a car in Great Britain?
26. At what age can you get married without asking your parents in Great Britain?
27. When do they usually take family holidays in Britain?
28. Where does the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree come from?
29. When do they celebrate St. Valentine’s Day?
30. What comes after Pancake Tuesday?
31. What may happen if you don’t ‘treat’ masked children nicely on October 31?
32. When do they launch a lot of fireworks in Britain?
33. When do the British open their Christmas presents?

After making sure you are able to answer those questions, you have to study the material about London (Pages 16 - 30 of Spotlight on Britain). May this map and the pictures help you to feel in London.

Quarantine Assignments for Group 24-H

The two weeks of the flu quarantine plus the preceding week of regular school holidays make the gap in learning process really scandalous. So, here is the task to keep you, students of GROUP 24-H busy, and make you ready for the checking in the beginning of the Second Term. Firstly (#1):Be ready to answer the following questions:
1. How many people live in the USA?
2. Which European nation was the first to settle in the New World?
3. When did American Colonies proclaim independence from England?
4. When was the slavery abolished?
5. What is the fastest growing ethnic group in the USA?
6. What is American economy based on?
7. What happened in the early 1930s?
8. Is it true that the government influence on the economy reduced since the 1930s?
9. What shift is observed in the modern US economy?
10. Do children pray in public schools?
11. What is the dominant religion in the United States?
12. Which Christian denomination prevails in America?
13. Which Christian church makes the largest religious group?
14. Which religion prevails in Utah?
15. How many marriages end in divorces?
16. What is the woman’s role in traditional families?
17. Are there more or less children in American families nowadays?
18. What is a “reconstituted family”?
19. How many Americans will have been over 65 by the year 2020?
20. Can you name 3 basic levels of the US secondary education?
21. Do they pay for studying at public schools in the USA?
22. What are most private schools associated with?
23. Students’ drama clubs, school sport teams, school newspaper… what are they?
24. How long do they study at community colleges?
25. What is the lowest academic degree?
26. How do they call the subjects that students are free to choose?
27. What is the most popular source of entertainment in the USA?
28. What are the FOUR major professional sports events?
29. Speaking about TV, what do many people complain about?
30. What is a “New Year’s Resolution”?
31. Who was Martin Luther King, Jr.?
32. Which two great Americans had birthdays in February?
33. What do Americans celebrate on the 4th of July?
34. What do Americans celebrate on the first Monday in September?
35. What do Americans celebrate on the last Thursday in November?
36. How do people rule in an indirect democracy?
37. Who can vote in the USA?
38. When was the US Constitution written?
39. What is the Bill of Rights?
40. What did the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments do?
41. What are the Chambers of the US Congress?
42. How many representatives are there?
43. How many senators are there? Why?
44. Who is the head of the country?
45. How many Departments does the US Administration include?
46. How do the judges of the Supreme Court get their appointments?
47. Who is the leader of an individual state?
48. What are the major political parties in the USA?
49. Which symbol belongs to which party?
50. Which party does the current US president belong to?

Secondly (#2): Study the material about the US National Symbols which you will be able to find in the middle (on Page 4) of the USA, Part 1 by clicking HERE .

Thirdly (#3): Study material on pp. 17 - 31 of SPOTLIGHT ON THE USA (the unit about New England). That's all for now.

P.S. I remember both about Harry Potter and the dictation-translation. We have some work to do. Take care.

Remember the 5th of November

Does England have a special day with fireworks as spectacular as those their 'American cousins' enjoy on the 4th of July? Certainly it does. It is the 5th of November, when in 1605, thirteen young men planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament. Among them was Guy Fawkes, Britain's most notorious traitor. The attempt was unsuccessful, the conspirators were caught and executed, but:
REMEMBER, REMEMBER
THE FIFTH OF NOVEMBER
GUNPOWDER TREASON AND PLOT
AND I SEE NO REASON
WHY GUNPOWDER TREASON
SHOULD EVER BE FORGOT
More details can be found in the essay done by Oleksandr PETLIN of Group 12-E. You can read about Guy Fawkes HERE .

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween to all the followers of this ancient Celtic tradition! The third issue of the Hyde Park this year is traditionally devoted to the autumn festivals of the English-speaking world. We have updated information on Halloween contributed by Vlad Kuzmenko (Group 32-E) and Nataly Zabolotna of Linguistic University (graduated from the Lycee in 2007). You can find the article on the Halloween's history and origins HERE and the explanations of Halloween symbols' meanings right HERE . Enjoy!

“SAFE UKRAINE – SAFE EUROPE – SAFE WORLD”

October 24, 2009
This motto makes the name of an international high school students’ contest organized by the Association of School Administrators of Ukraine, the Atlantic Council of Ukraine and the Public League Ukraine – NATO. The similar contests are held in Poland and Slovakia. The contest was held in Ukraine for the 4th time. The aim of the contest is to spread information and knowledge in the areas of international security, particularly to understand the activities of international security organizations.
This year Naukova Zmina Lycee took part in the contest for the first time. The team of 3rd course students consisting of Oles RYABCHUK, Vlad CHYKIVCHUK, Yuri ISCHENKO and Oleksandr SIKORSKY, led by their trainer Oleksiy ZABOLOTNYI, went to School # 41 to participate. Our guys submitted their essays, took a test and participated in a discussion. As we were new at the contest, our essays may be not perfect, but our students were second to no one in terms of intellect and discussion skills. Special thanks should be addressed to Yuri ISHCHENKO who turned up at the contest despite his injury and demonstrated dedication and bravery.
In the end everybody received the Certificate of Participation and an invitation to join more activities and contests held by the above mentioned organizations. We hope that next time we will be even more successful because A GOOD BEGINNING MAKES A GOOD ENDING.
Thank you for participation and
promoting the Lycee!

HAPPY TEACHERS' DAY!

Congratulations, dear colleagues. Your students love you, and you can read their essays about their top favorites HERE , particularly if you have't read them in the HYDE PARK.

APRIL 12 - A MILESTONE IN HISTORY

Every country that used to belong to the Soviet Union marks April 12 as the day when, in 1961, the first man went into orbit around our planet. It was Yuri Gagarin, who became a world-famous charismatic figure. However, it was just an episode in the epic competition between the USSR and the USA for the world domination known as "SPACE RACE". You know who won it. Vlad KUZMENKO published an article about this period in The Hyde Park bulletin. You can find it HERE . However, his article did not contain some facts that the editor (guess who?) considered to be important. That's why a dovetailing factfile was published. You can enjoy it by clicking HERE .

HOLLYWOOD

What are the Olsen twins doing out there? Read about that and a lot more after clicking HERE . The text is for the 2nd course students (chiefly).

New Zealand

Attention, 4th course students! THIS IS THE LAST COUNTRY YOU ARE GOING TO STUDY! Congratulations. You know what to do with the material that you can find by clicking HERE .

HAPPY ST.PATRICK'S DAY!

EVERYBODY IS IRISH ON MARCH 17!

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

Vlad Kuzmenko of Group 23-E has just published an article about the history of the International Women's Day celebrated on March 8 in the Hyde Park bulletin. If you haven't read it there yet, you can do it by clicking HERE . Thank you Vlad! And...

HAPPY WOMEN'S DAY, LADIES!

New York City

Attention 2nd course students! The text about the biggest city in the USA can be found HERE .

ST. VALENTINE'S BALL

On Friday, February 13, in an ambitious attempt to start a new tradition, the Lycee's Senate organized a ball to celebrate the coming St. Valentine's Day. The Hyde Park bulletin has just published an article about that event containing some students' impressions. If you haven't read the article on the bulletin, you can do it by clicking HERE .

How to write a Letter of Application

Attention,4th course students! One of the possible writing tasks at the External Independent Assessment is to write a letter, applying for a job. However, our current coursebooks do not show its layout. So, learn how to do that by clicking HERE . Use it as a sample, write your own data, don't make mistakes. Good luck!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Wish you happy St.Valentine's Day, the day which celebrates love. Do you know what love is? Some clever individuals gave the following definitions (and if you know why I've just used Past Simple instead of Present Perfect although there's result in the Present - e-mail me or find me in my classroom and get your reward). So, the definitions:

*"Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies."
- Aristotle
*"Young love is a flame; very pretty, often very hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. The love of the older and disciplined heart is as coals, deep-burning, unquenchable."
- Henry Ward Beecher
*"Love does not dominate; it cultivates."
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
*"Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place."
- Zora Neale Hurston