YourLanguage

Guide

IH KPI OFFICE: 7 Vanda Vasylevska st. T: 238 9870, 236 2264; IH OBOLON Office: 24 Heroiv Stalingrada ave, office 126 T: 428 03 30, 428 0331

ISSUE XIV - MAY, 09

CONTENTS:

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IH News Summer Intensivesfor Adults

Summer Intensivesfor Kids

IH NEWS..................................Summer Intensives..................Going to Great Britain..............SA opportunity.........................Welcome to London................IH WORD.................................IH QUIZZZ!!!.................................Laugh and Learn......................

Nice to see you, our respected reader! The IH Team welcomes you among our friends: present and potential clients. All your opinions, comments and wishes regarding the content of IH Compass are highly appreciated. We are always trying to become better and remain your favourite Language Guide :)

Your IH Compass Team

p.1p.1p.2p.2p.3p.3p.4p.4

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An energy boost for summer! Boost your fluency! Boost your confidence! Boost your communications skills! These summer intensive speaking courses are offered for children from Beginner to Advanced levels.Each course follows a particular theme with a strong focus on language output.

The children will participate in discussions, debate, competitions, games, songs and role plays to activate their imaginations and sharpen their abilities. In addition to this, they will have the possibility to use technology such as computers, (the internet, podcasting) and even make short films.

The courses last for 2 weeks, beginning on 1st June and 15th June. The classes are held four times a week, with each class lasting 1 hour 30 min. Places in each course are limited, so please sign up in order to guarantee a place. Detailed information on each course can be found on the website: www.ih.kiev.ua

The courses created by International House for you to enrich your vocabulary, broaden your knowledge of the language and increase your fluency. We offer three two-week courses for pre-intermediate, intermediate and upper-intermediate levels. The classes will be held in the morning (8 a.m., 10 a.m.), and in the afternoon and evening (3 p.m. 7 p.m.) so that every student can choose the most convenient time for their lessons. IH teachers created these courses by combining all the activities that are based on speaking practice. The courses will start on the 13th of July. Detailed information on each course can be found on the website: www.ih.kiev.ua. There’s no better time than now to sign up!

IH statistics for the Term 6: 730 students (KPI), 219 students (Obolon).

Term 6 is the last term of the academic year for the YL groups. During the summer, our YL students are encouraged to take part in our summer intensive speak-ing courses. (See SUMMER INTENSIVES, p.1)

Exam preparation groups will study for two more weeks in June, to get more exam preparation. Adult FCE groups will have 4 more lessons (2nd, 4th, 9th, 11th June). YL FCE groups will have 5 more lessons (1st, 3rd, 5th, 10th, 12th June). The CAE group will have 4 more lessons (1st, 3rd, 10th, 15th June). To get more informa-tion on the schedule and prices, please contact the IH office.

It is time to sign up for the new adults courses: 2 week intensive courses for the elementary and interme-diate level students will start on 2nd June and 15th June.

2 week intensive speaking courses for Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate and Upper-Intermediate levels will start on 13th July. (see SUMMER INTENSIVES, p.1)

IELTS exam preparation courses will begin on 6th June.

On 1st June the new translators group will start studying legal English with Mark on our legal English for Translators and Interpreters course.

The previous winner of our IH Quizzz, Maxim Osmanov, has been awarded a special 50% discount for 1 semester. The draw and the reward for the new quiz can be watched on-line onhttp://www.ih.kiev.ua/uk/compass OR onhttp://vkontakte.ru/video-7645724_98935238

Don’t forget to take part in all the polls on ourVKontakte group page. Share your ideas with us in order to make your language guide more and more interesting each semester.

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IH Compass - Issue XIV, May 2009

Study Abroad Department

International House Kyiv7 Vandy Vasylevskoi str. (“Politechnichnyi Instytut” Metro Station)tel.: (380 44) 238-98-70, 238-97-96,email: abroad@ih.kiev.uaweb: www.ih.kiev.ua/abroad/

summer holidays 2009

Summer in Great Britain!

5 July 2009 — International House Salisbury, from £ 1210

19 July 2009 — International House London Herts, from £ 1230*groups for children from 10 years — 5 July

Tours for children in Toronto & Dublin. Register now!More information at http://www.ih.kiev.ua/abroad

www.ih.kiev.ua

Going to Great Britain

Did You Know?

You visited Great Britain this spring. What is GB like in spring? It was my second visit to this wonderful country. Just as it was a year ago, England greeted me with sunny warm weather with no rain which lasted all of the 2 weeks of my stay. The trees and bushes were in bloom and the daffodils (which are the symbol of Wales), turned their trumpets to the sun. Green fields and multi-colored flowers cover the ground everywhere. I don't know whether it was a lucky coincidence, but I am convinced that Spring is the best time to visit England.

What are your impressions of the part of the country you visited? It was an absolutely unique journey across the picturesque countryside with charming views of the farmland, woodland, hills and seaside. Visiting old castles, cathedrals, towers, churches and chapels, I was involved in the world of fascinating history, traditions and ordinary day-to-day life creating a very special celebration.

Who was your guide and which cities did you visit? First of all, I should say that the people who were my guides and my host family are Graham and Anne Holder-ness and their daughter Lis. They are our former colleagues and dear friends who taught at IH Kiev for three years. They prepared a very exciting but quite tough schedule of excursions. During our journey across more than 20 different places we had a great opportunity to share our news and good memories of our life in Ukraine. I had a chance to try the traditional English breakfast in caravans in the mornings and delicious carvery with a glass of cider at the road cafes in the evenings. Here is a list of cities and towns I managed to visit while I was staying in GB: Luton, Maidenhead, Windsor, Reading, Oxford, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Chester (passing Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester), Bangor, LLangefny (Wales), Bourton-on the Water, Stratford-upon-Avon, Bath, Preston, Blackpool and several small villages. Sounds unbelievable, doesn’t it?

Could you tell us about the special occasion of your visit? The most significant event was the wedding. Lis (known at IH Kiev as Buffy or Elizabeth), a young but very experi-enced former IH teacher, was getting married to Lee, a British guy (Lee is from Leeds - sounds similar!).

What was it like (the special occasion)? During the pre-wedding celebration with close friends, at which only young people were present, Buffy looked like a Ukrainian bride. She was dressed in a white blouse with a Ukrainian pattern on it, a black long skirt with a long national sash, artificial flowers on her head and a red necklace. Can you imagine how extremely proud I was? Unfortunately, I was the only person who represented the “distant land” of Ukraine, (more than half of the guests had never even heard about it). Nevertheless, it was a merry party with Scottish and Irish dances, nice food and a lot of funny competi-tions and games. The real wedding ceremony took place at St. Mark Church. About 80 people were invited to the church service. According to the tradition, during the wedding the best man and two bride maids who looked like twins dressed in the same style helped the couple. All of the men from the two families, including the best man and his assistants, were wearing similar grey suits with long jackets.

The wedding breakfast was held after this festive ceremony. It took place at the Rising Sun Hotel on the outskirts of the town where all the guests enjoyed the magnificent sunset from Cheltenham hills. I would like to say some words about the people I met during my stay. I was impressed by the endless hospitality, openness, friendliness, readiness to communicate and willingness to help. I am very grateful to my friends for these new acquaintances. Wherever we arrived, everyone was interested in our Ukrainian way of life no matter whether it was a priest or a young student, a housewife or a businessman.

The cities you have got the best memory of. Cheltenham - is the home town of Graham and Anne's family. Surrounded by hills and green fields, it is one of the most pictur-esque towns in this area. Yellow-stoned houses add a special charm and attractiveness. The central Promenada Street is a combination of modern stylish shops and the architectural monuments which are the reminders of a stylish past.

Windsor - is the oldest and the largest occupied castle in the world. Windsor is one of the official residences of her Majesty The Queen, whose personal standard flies above the Round Tower when she is in residence.

1. "Oxford University" doesn't exist as a particular individual univer-sity with such a name. 2. Traditional English "Cream Tea" is neither a drink, nor cream. This is tea taken with two scones and Jam and cream you put on them.3.The sign "Road works" means that the road is closed for repairing.

238 9870, 238 9796abroad@ih.kiev.uawww.ih.kiev.ua/abroadSergiy & Iryna

Great Britain is a country which is full of different stories. Created by other people or by our closest friends the stories of this country become our sweetest memories which bring us happiness and we want to share them with others. Svitlana Starova, our senior manager, visited Great Britain this March and was very kind to share her story with us.

IH Compass - Issue XIV, May 2009

238 9870, 238 9796yl@ih.kiev.uawww.ih.kiev.ua/ylJane & Lana

Young Learners Department

Continue traveling with your language guide across the English-speaking countries! Each semester we are ready to take you somewhere new. We would like to help you to explore the places you’ve never visited before or to show you the places you’ve already been to from a different side. Listen attentively to our stories. Follow the direction your IH Compass shows you and explore all the features of the English speaking world that will be introduced to you.

London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom, and also has the largest city in the United Kingdom. It is situated in the South-East of England, on the River Thames. It is also known as Lunnainn in Scottish, Llundain in Welsh and Londain in Irish. People started living in the city 2,000 years ago, and today about 7.5 million people live there. This means it is the city with the highest number of people in Europe. People in London come from many different countries, and speak more than 300 different languages. There are a lot of places of interest in London – ancient towers, castles, and churches. One of the most famous landmarks is a thirteen-ton bell that rings in the clock tower at the northern end of the Houses of Parliament in Westminster. Officially, the tower itself is called the Clock Tower, the Palace of Westminster. However, most people, including those that live in London, call the tower "Big Ben." The centre of London is especially picturesque thanks to the river Thames. The bridges built over the river make the scenery even more breathtaking. The building of every new bridge has been an important event throughout the history of the city. 1814 saw the last real Ice Fair on the River Thames because it froze over for the last time because the old London Bridge was demolished, and the river started to flow faster than before. Apart from the bright events that have happened in London, there are also some mysterious and dark points in the history of the city. Tyburn Tree is one of them. Between 1660 and the death of George II a hundred years later, the number of crimes that could be punished by execution increased by 190. This not only included petty theft but crimes against property such as the destruction of machines or the removal of fences that enclosed the common land. The first permanent gallows was set up at Tyburn in 1571. London is famous for a significant number of parks and statues. Every statue holds its own story, even if this story is just a fable. For example there is a statue of a child who never grew up in Hyde Park. This is the statue of Peter Pan, a small boy on a tall stone pedestal, covered with fairies, nymphettes and rabbits. Also, there are monuments built to tell people the true stories about real people. The famous statue of Eros in Piccadilly Circus is one of the symbols of London. It is also known as the Shaftesbury Monument, having been cast as a memorial to the philanthropist Lord Shaftesbury. Every year huge numbers of tourists visit London. Ameri-cans make up the largest number of foreign visitors – the second largest group of foreign visitors of London are the French. Once the former US President Ronald Regan was among the famous American visitors. During his stay in the city, he bought something unusual in Harrods. It was a baby elephant. Not only does its history and beauty make London so attractive to the tourists, but also, there are so called, shop-ping streets which tend to attract visitors to the city. Among the shopping streets there are Oxford street, which is famous for its Christmas illuminations and Charing Cross Road which is renowned for its specialist and second-hand bookshops. Booklovers can find any book they want in this street. You can use several ways to travel across London, for example, the London Underground as well as red buses, which are world-famous. The London Underground is a metro system serving a large part of Greater London and the neighbouring areas of Essex, Hertfordshire and Buckingham-shire in the UK. The first section opened in 1863, making it the first underground railway system in the world, and, starting in 1890, it was the first to operate electric trains. It is usually referred to as the Underground or the Tube. People started calling the London underground “the Tube” in 1890. Many of the stations have more than two platforms, but the greatest quantity of platforms are at Baker street station.

beneficial [from Old French beneficial, from Late Latin beneficiālis, from Latin beneficium, benefit;] Producing or promoting a favorable result; advantageous and useful. Law Receiving or having the right to receive proceeds or other advantages. Synonyms: These adjectives apply to what promotes a favorable result or gain. Beneficial is said of what enhances well-being: a trade agree-ment beneficial to all countries. Something good that improves your life or gives you an advantage: benefits of healthy food and exercise.

Don’t be confused by the words that seem to be known to you, but are truly unknown. Your IH Compass will guide you through all the difficult paths of English vocabulary. This word is given by our teacher John Hall - the Head of Exams Department.

WORD

Welcome to London

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IH Compass - Issue XIV, May 2009

from http://basicjokes.com

Dear Compass Readers, please send all your comments and ideasregarding our newspaper to info@ih.kiev.ua or leave the information on

www.vkontakte.ru/club7645724. See you in June!SEE THE COLOUR VERSION OF THE NEWSPAPER ON OUR WEBSITE!

International House Kyiv gives you the chance to learn more about IH schools and about different English-speaking countries. This quiz is designed especially for you to find out more about Great Britain. So, go ahead and send us the correct answers to info@ih.kiev.ua or bring them to the office. The lottery will be held on Thursday 21.05 at 19.30. The deadline is 19.00 on 21.05. The video of the prize draw and

the photo of the winner will be published on our website. Hurry up! This is your chance to get

a 50% discount for one semester in any option!!!!

IH QUiZZZ

1. What is Great Britain? a. The biggest country country of the British isles. b. A Kingdom which consists of 4 small countries. c. An isle which consists of 3 parts, which are 3 independent countries. d. Great Britain is a country with the capital in London.

2. The Strait of Dover is a. the strait at the narrowest part of the English Channel; b. an Irish Drink; c.the strait which divides Scotland from Northern Ireland; d. All of the Scottish Lakes.

3. Great Britain is ruled by: a. the parliament; b. the Queen and the King; c. the Queen and the heir of the throne (prince or princess); d. the Queen and the Parliament.

4. Every year the Queen begins the parliamentary year with a speech that is written by: a. herself; b. the prime-minister; c. she reads the Act of Union written in 1707; d. the minister of foreign affairs.

5. The poem “Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived.” describes what happened to the wives of one monarch. Who is the monarch? a. King Arthur b. King James I c. King Henry VIII d. King Alfred

6. Many Scots have names beginning Mc. Originally it means: a. head of the family; b. son of…; c. Scottish for Mr.; d. Scottish for Sir.

7. Ben Nevis is, or was a. a famous Scottish nationalist; b. the highest mountain in Great Britain; c. an island on the west coast; d. one of the former mayors of Edinburgh.

8. A haggis is a type of: a. musical instrument; b. food; c. clothing; d. Pampers’ rival company.

9. What are the name of the guards in the Tower of London? a. The Tower Guards; b. The Security Guards; c. The Castle Guards; d. The Beefeaters.

10. What do you call the British flag? a. The stripes and crosses. b. The Union Jack. c. The symbol of the constitutional monarchy. d. The Commonwealth.

?Adults

groups only!

Laugh and Learn A band director named Ravelli was having a lot of trouble with one drummer. He talked and talked and talked with the drummer, and his performance simply didn't improve. Finally, before the whole band, he said, "When a musician just can't handle his instrument and doesn't improve when given help, they take away the instrument, and give him two sticks, and make him a drummer." A stage whisper was heard from the percussion section: "And if he can't handle even that, they take away one of his sticks and make him a conductor."

A mother had decided to trim her household budget wherever possible, so instead of having a dress dry-cleaned she washed it by hand. Proud of her savings, she boasted to my father, "Just think, Fred, we are five dollars richer because I washed this dress by hand." "Good," my dad quickly replied. "Wash it again!"

Two small boys, were over-heard talking at the zoo one day. "My name is Bobby. What's yours?" asked the first boy. "Danny," replied the second. "My Daddy's an accountant. What does your Daddy do for a living?" asked Bobby. Danny replied, "My Daddy's a lawyer." "Honest?" asked Bobby. "No, just the regular kind", replied Danny.

A guy is walking with his friend, who happens to be a psychologist. He says to this friend, "I'm a walking economy." The friend asks, "How so?" "My hair line is in recession, my stomach is a victim of inflation, and both of these together are putting me into a deep depression!"

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