For many people spring starts when British Summer Time begins and the clock
s
are put back by one hour. This normally takes place at the end of March and it adds an extra hour of daylight to the day. But it is in nature, that the real spring changes take place. At the beginning of spring it is cold, but at the end of March the sno
w
melts. The weather gets warmer and the rooks, the first spring birds, have come back from the warm countries and are making nests in the trees. The air is fresh. It smells of the dump earth and the buds of trees. The first flowers like snowdrops appear.
These flowers bring the first bright colours to the landscape; the grass sprouts and shoots up visibly. The buds gradually burst into young leaves, and light breeze stirs them. And here is the first butterfly. One can't help admiring this wonderful sight.
S
pring is the season when nature reawakens, and the world looks renewed, fresh and filled with joy. People's behaviour changes with the season, and they come out of their houses to enjoy the weather, life returns to streets and public places. Spring offers
the best of everything: the weather is warm and pleasant; and the countryside is at its best.
Spring is followed by summer. This season is said to begin when the sun enters the zodiac sign of Cancer. Like the other seasons it influenced the development of
mythology and folklore. For instance, Midsummer was an especially important festival in ancient and medieval times and continues to be celebrated with bonfires and special traditions even today. Summer is a favourite season of holiday-makers. I also like
t
o lie in the sun and bathe in the river. As for the weather, it gets still warmer and sometimes it is very hot. The sky is blue and cloudless. But the weather is not always fair and sunny in summer. Sometimes the wind blows up. Suddenly black clouds cover

the sky and it becomes stuffy. A thunderstorm begins. Gusts of wind stir the trees and it lightens and thunders. On a day like this we usually say it's raining cats and dogs. There are a lot of puddles everywhere and streams of water run down the road. Af
ter the storm the sun usually comes out. After the rain everything looks fresh and lovely again. The sun shines brightly and sparkles on the water. In general summer is the best and the happiest season for the majority of people.
Astronomically the start of
the third season of the year, which comes after summer, can be pinpointed precisely. The season of autumn has always played a vivid role in the life of farmers. As the period of harvest and fruit gathering it has left an imprint not only on day-to-day li
v
ing but also on the development of art and folklore. The season was often personified as a female figure bearing grapes. As for the weather, autumn is a rainy season, the sky is covered with grey clouds and the weather is mostly dull. Gradually the days b
e
come shorter and shorter. The air becomes colder and the sun seldom shines. Thick mists rise from bodies of water when autumn has set in. The streets are wet and people pick their ways between the puddles. It is terribly wet and dirty. Many people think t
h
at autumn is gloomy season, but yet there are many who like it. They try to look at the bright side of this season. They see autumn as the time of golden leaves, when the nature is quite and attractive. Poets of all nations have sung autumn as the most be
a
utiful time of the year. Golden autumn, they call it, and it's really fantastic when the Indian summer sets in. I love that short spell of dry sunny weather when the sky is blue and cloudless, the trees around are golden, the air is transparent and it is
s
till warm. Lord Byron unlike Pushkin, didn't like autumn. So once he said: "I like the weather when it isn't raining. That is, I like two months of every year. They are certainly not autumn months". So on the one hand autumn is a season of rain and drizzl
e, but on the other hand it is colourful and bracing, even in the rain.
Autumn is followed by winter. It begins at its respective solstice, which is situated between autumn and spring equinoxes. Winter is the season of snowstorms and ice, of frozen rivers a
nd ponds. .As a rule it begins in December. In winter the sun shines rarely, its rays are pale, it sets early and rises late. The winter days are short and the nights are long. It often snows and the snow lies deep. The rivers and lakes are frozen and cov
e
red with ice, it is very cold, the air is frosty and trees are covered with frosts. In winter people have the most wonderful holidays - New Year and Christmas. It is one of the best seasons for sports - skating, skiing, sledding and playing hockey. And in
general this season brings a lot of fun.
So I can't really say what season is my favourite, because every season has something special, and we are usually looking forward to it. I can also prove it with the poem written by Russell:

O, DO YOU REMEMBER
WHEN SPRING TIME WAS HERE,
THE SNOWDROPS AND CATKINS,
THE BIRDS SONGS SO CLEAR?
OH, DO YOU REMEMBER
THE LONG SUMMER HOURS,
THE HUM OF THE BEES
AND THE SCENT OF THE FLOWERS?

AND DO YOU REMEMBER
WHEN AUTUMN CAME ROUND,
HOW LEAVES RED AND YELLOW
LAY THICK ON THE GROUND?
BUT NOW IT IS WINTER,
THE BRANCHES ARE BARE;
THERE'S ICE ON THE PUDDLES
AND FROST IN THE AIR.

I PLAYED IN THE SUNSHINE,
I PLAY IN THE SNOW,
AND WHICH IS MY FAFOURITE?
I REALLY DON'T KNOW!

Here I'd like to say that the weather i
n Belarus depends greatly on the climatic conditions in the eastern part of the European continent. Climate in our country is moderate continental and in comparison with British climate it is more favourable for human settlements. As for the British clima
t
e and weather it is very changeable: a fine morning may change into a wet afternoon and evening. Conversely, a miserable morning may give place to a glorious afternoon. In Belarus we don't talk much of the weather; we just take it as it is. On the contrar
y
no conversation ever starts in England without a comment on the weather. It is almost a formality like shaking hands. A popular greeting is "Lovely weather for the time of the year" or, if the weather is bad "Isn't this weather awful!" You will often hea
r people add "weather permitting" when they say they plan to play golf, garden or put out the washing.

So we can't say that weather is only the state of the atmosphere, it is something that affects our lives every day in numerous ways.
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SPORT IN MY LIFE

Sport is probably as old as the humanity itself. It has been developing with the developing and growth of the mankind. To my mind we can hardly overestimate t
he meaning of sport in our life and day-to-day activities, because its main purpose is to bring up the harmoniously developed generation - the generation of strong and healthy people. Sport makes our bodies strong, quickens our reaction, and shapes the wi
ts. It also prevents us from getting too fat, gives us so valuable practice in making eyes, brain and muscles work together and makes us more self-organized and better disciplined.
I'm absolutely sure that doing sports is the best way to keep fit. There is
always a kind of sport which will suit you and there are many different kinds to choose from. If you like team games, try hockey, football, volleyball or basketball. Games for you to play with a friend include badminton, squash and tennis, and if you enjo
y doing things on your own, you may take up swimming, riding, golf or athletics.
I'm sure you know an axiom: "Sport makes people healthy". No doubt, that's true, but frankly speaking one knows that there are some kinds of sport which you cannot go in for if
you are not healthy enough. Say, body-building. If you have a heart decease or other sickness, attending the body-building trainings will bring you nothing but harm. And also, going in for sport is always connected with a great risk, because any athlete
c
an get an injury. And we know many examples, when an athlete got trauma at the beginning of his sports career and in the prime of his life had to leave professional sport. But it doesn't mean at all that people shouldn't go in for sports. I only want to s
ay that they should be careful and remember that the health is given to a human being only once, so, do your best not to lose it.
An important attraction of sport is also its competitive and challenging nature. Men have always wanted to prove who is the str
ongest, the quickest, and the highest. The roots of men's desire to display their physical health and beauty go back to ancient times when the idea of the Olympic Games first appeared.
The original games began in ancient Greece in 776 ВС . These games were
the part of the festival held every four years in honour of the god Zeus, at a place called Olympia. The festival included contests that tested the skills of soldiers. It included such kinds of as: boxing, running, wrestling, etc. The winner was given a b
ranch of wild olive and that was the greatest honour. After nearly 300 Olympiads they were stopped by the Roman emperor Theodosius. who felt that they had pagan meaning.
The modern Olympics, revived in 1896, owe a lot to one man, Baron Pierre de Coubertain
who was convinced that sport is an essential part in an individual's development. I agree with him completely and I think that international matches and tournaments unite nations; they play an important role in establishing good relations between countrie
s
. As the President of the International Olympic Committee. Juan Antonio Samaranch says: "The Olympic idea means friendship, fraternity and co-operation among the youth of the world. The Olympic movement proves that real peace can be achieved through sport
".
Belarusian athletes took part in the Olympics in 1952 for the first time and have become their active participants since then. The greatest Olympic achievements have been gained by Belarusian sportsmen in gymnastics and athletics. The greatest success wa
s achieved by gymnast Olga Korbut more than twenty years ago; she impressed the world with the complexity and novelty of her performance. Outstanding results were shown by Alexander Medved. a heavy-weight wrestler, three-time Olympic champion. And of cour
se we all are proud of our runner Julia Nesterenko who won the gold medal at summer Olympic Games in 2004.
Recently I got to know about Paralympics - it is Olympic Games for disabled people. Many of athletes who take part in these games have suffered accide
nts and illnesses which would be enough to make most of us want to give up. But they are pushing back the barriers which until recently kept the disabled from taking part in sports. These people compete in various kinds of sport like swimming, sailing, ba
s
ketball. The disabled are the ones who are catching the public eye and imagination, changing people's perceptions of what "disability" means and what extraordinary abilities the so-called disabled actually possess. As we see sport can makes wonders. That'
s
why at present sport in our country is paid a lot of attention to by the government and much is being done to set up all necessary facilities for its development. Physical education is an essential part of the school and university curricula. Extra-class

activities at our lyceum include a wide range of different sporting events and competitions. Any pupil can join a sports section. In my opinion PT lessons are important, because at these lessons pupil's mind has an opportunity to relax and at the same tim
e
pupil has some exercises, which are necessary to keep the body in good shape. Attending of these lessons is usually a great fun, because our teacher always invents something interesting, for example, unusual exercises or interesting games. And even if we
play ordinary games like football, volleyball of basketball it always brings us a lot of pleasure.

For pupils who want to attend sport besides PT lessons all necessary facilities are created. In our town there is a great amount of swimming pools, gyms for
aerobics and fitness, stadiums, there is even an Ice Palace. So everybody has an opportunity to go in for some kind of sport if he or she wants it.
What about me, I like sport. I'm sure you don't need to be good at sports to enjoy them - according to the Olympic motto it is the participation and not winning, that matters.
I personally can't imagine my life without sport. In summer I go jogging every morning, when I nave free time I attend swimming pool and sometimes I play badminton with my best friend.
Bu
t when I was youngerI1 did sports professionally. My parents always dreamt of making an athlete out of me and when I was five years old my father took me to the gymnasium for the first time. As far as I remember. I had been going in for gymnastics for abo
u
t five years and these five years were magic time for me. Since than gymnastics has become my beloved sport. You don't need any special equipment for this kind of sport, but if you want to take it seriously you should be enduring, adroit, strong and persi
s
tent. It goes without saying that gymnastics is one of the most beautiful and fascinating sports, it teaches you to be brave, try to do everything to achieve your goal and to overcome the difficulties in your way. That's why gymnastics even became a sense
of my life for some period of time, but later I had to leave it because of decease and at present I am a simple amateur of sport.
As a fan I do have my favourite sport which is figure-skating. I have never done it myself, but I like watching world and Euro
pean championships. I am always fascinated by the grace, speed and skill of the skaters and how well they can dance on the ice. I like figure-skating, but honestly I like gymnastics much stronger, because the most pleasant moments of my childhood are conn
ected with this kind of sport. And I'm sure it isn't a surprise that my favourite sportsmen are gymnasts.
My favourite gymnast is Olga Korbut who has been called many things including the "first of the pixies", "a circus act" and "the queen of gymnastics".
Despite a wide range of opinions about her the fact is that Olga Korbut changed women's gymnastics forever. Olga was born on May 6th. 1955 in Grodno. She had not been a strong pupil at school, but her teacher noticed her agility during physical exercises
a
nd recommended that she enroll in one of the gymnastics schools run by the State Sport Committee. At the age of 11. Korbut began her gymnastics training at such school in Grodno. Unlike her grim-faced teammates, she burst upon the 1972 Olympics with a daz
z
ling smile, a youthful enthusiasm, and an exuberant presence that was unprecedented in Soviet athletes. Her joy of life along with her astonishing gymnastics skills took the Olympics by storm. At that time, the Soviet gymnastic team was the best in the wo
r
ld, but Olga was not considered one of the stars and was unknown in the West. Her run in tears after she made two errors on the uneven parallel bars made for great TV and endeared her to millions of viewers. Olga went on to win two individual gold medals
in the '72 Olympics а
nd one silver. She was the sports newest star. Olga quickly became a household name and the world's most popular female sports performer. She was named the top athlete of 1972, and "Sports Illustrated" featured her on the cover of the magazine's March 197
3 issue. Olga did more than any other single performer to popularize sport and make gymnastics a top-draw event for the Olympics. She was 17 when her balance beam and floor exercise routines in Munich captured the gold. She was the first gymnast ever to d
o a back flip on the balance beam. Four years later, at the age of 21, when competing against the up-and-coming 14-year-old Nadia Comaneci, she took the silver for her wo
rk on the balance beam at the '76 Olympics in Montreal. She retired from competition after '76 and eventually became a gymnastics instructor. At present Korbut has a gymnastics school of her own in Atlanta, where she now lives with her family. Olga Korbut
certainly belongs to those Belarusian sportsmen who are famous world wide.

I know it for sure that it's very difficult to become a good and successful sportsman. To be a sportsman means constant hard work, lack of free time and almost absence of private li
fe. Frankly speaking, if you want to achieve something in the sphere of professional sport, it has to become a style of life and even a sense of it.
And in conclusion I'd like to say that either as a player or merely as a spectator almost every person likes sport, because it is an essential part of our lives. It creates, so to speak, a healthy body for a healthy mind.
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