Imagine that you are preparing a project with your friend. You have found some interesting material for the presentation and you want to read this text to your friend. You have 1.5 minutes to read the text silently, then be ready to read it out aloud. You will not have more than 1.5 minutes to read it. There is nothing fancy or expensive about happiness. On the contrary, happiness is simple and slow. It means choosing peace and quiet over excitement. It is wearing your old pyjamas and watching a movie the day before Christmas. It is sitting in your window watching the weather while sipping your favourite tea on a rainy day. It is looking into the bonfire surrounded by your friends and family while your bread is slowly baking. Happiness is always about appreciating the simple pleasures in life and thus it can be achieved on a really low budget. You cannot buy the right atmosphere or a sense of togetherness. It’s all about time, interest and engagement in the people around you. Thus, happiness is an atmosphere which is not improved by spending more money on it, but rather, in some ways, the opposite. After all, the best things in life are absolutely free.

Imagine that you are preparing a project with your friend. You have found some interesting material for the presentation and you want to read this text to your friend. You have 1.5 minutes to read the text silently, then be ready to read it out aloud. You will not have more than 1.5 minutes to read it. Electricity has changed our life in many ways. We can now stay up longer and devote more time to work, studies or entertainment because we don’t depend on the daylight anymore. Still, lighting your home needs energy, and you should never forget about energy-saving measures in your household. If you want to run an eco-friendly household, an important thing is to invest in the right light bulbs. Energy-saving light bulbs are more efficient than the old ones. They have actually been in our shops for a long time, but it has taken people much time to come round to the idea. Energy-saving light bulbs are slightly more expensive than ordinary ones but they are certainly not a waste of money. Such light bulbs use much less electricity thus cutting your electricity bill down. They also last longer, which means you don’t have to spend money replacing them. One energy-saving light bulb can substitute six ordinary ones.

Imagine that you are preparing a project with your friend. You have found some interesting material for the presentation and you want to read this text to your friend. You have 1.5 minutes to read the text silently, then be ready to read it out aloud. You will not have more than 1.5 minutes to read it. It is very difficult to say when the picture postcards originated. The evolution of the picture postcard reflects the history of the post service in the world. It is also connected with innovations in printing and photography. We may say the history of the picture postcard started with the postal reform in the UK in the 19th century. This reform made the cost of domestic mail delivery very cheap. The person who wanted to send the mail had to pay for it. A stamp was a way to show that you paid for your mail. Sending mail became popular. People were interested in nice paper and envelopes for their letters. That was the time when a scientist from Austria offered to make cards for sending short messages. Everybody liked the idea very much. The first postcards had very simple designs, but now you can buy beautiful cards with various pictures on them.

Imagine that you are preparing a project with your friend. You have found some interesting material for the presentation and you want to read this text to your friend. You have 1.5 minutes to read the text silently, then be ready to read it out aloud. You will not have more than 1.5 minutes to read it. A long time ago men learnt how to make structures with walls and roofs to protect themselves from bad weather and wild animals. These ancient structures were quite primitive and very different from modern buildings. Still, they gave people shelter and comfort which they needed. Now there are many types of buildings in the world. They vary in size, shape and function. There are several factors which influence the construction of a building. Firstly, builders need to consider which building materials are available or suit better. Secondly, they must know what a building is going to be used for. Moreover, they should think about land prices and climate in the area where they are going to construct a building. It is not a very good idea to build a house with big windows in the north or construct a lot of detached houses in the city centre where land is very expensive.

Imagine that you are preparing a project with your friend. You have found some interesting material for the presentation and you want to read this text to your friend. You have 1.5 minutes to read the text silently, then be ready to read it out aloud. You will not have more than 1.5 minutes to read it. As soon as spring brings a new growth of bushes and berries, bears start feeding. They eat and eat. All through the spring and summer their feeding goes on. The bears build themselves up. They store food and fats that they will need in the fall when they start their long sleep. As days grow shorter, and the temperature begins to fall, bears hunt for a sleeping place. It may be a shallow cave, or a deep crack between rocks. Some bears end up sleeping in hollow logs. Logs seem to be bears’ favourite places. Bears seem to choose small spaces. They can keep warmer in a cave that’s just large enough to hold them than in a larger cave. They often line their sleeping place with leaves and dried grass. All through their winter naps, bears will not eat. Often they will sleep for 7 months, moving only now and then.

Imagine that you are preparing a project with your friend. You have found some interesting material for the presentation and you want to read this text to your friend. You have 1.5 minutes to read the text silently, then be ready to read it out aloud. You will not have more than 1.5 minutes to read it. Wales is located on the peninsula in the western part of Great Britain Island and lies in the zone of moderate climate. Atlantic winds bring some features of coastal climate. Consequently weather is similar to the rest of the island, but a bit colder. Major difference in temperature is observed only between daytime and night. It is quite hard to predict the weather of upcoming spring in Wales. In March people more often expect a slight growth of temperature but actual warmth is yet to come. The weather is shifting several times per day and calmness is followed by gusty winds. Dull sunlight is hidden behind heavy clouds. Summer is usually rainy there but warm. South coasts are the warmest location with the highest temperature of about 24 degrees. Inland plains and northern portion of Wales are colder with average temperatures in range between 14 and 20 degrees.

Imagine that you are preparing a project with your friend. You have found some interesting material for the presentation and you want to read this text to your friend. You have 1.5 minutes to read the text silently, then be ready to read it out aloud. You will not have more than 1.5 minutes to read it. One area of the world is particularly prone to earthquakes. The Ring of Fire, as it is known, circles the Pacific Ocean. It is where some of the largest earthquakes occur. The Ring of Fire affects countries in North and South America and in Asia. Because it is on the border of an ocean, large waves of water, or tsunamis, are often triggered by the quakes. It’s a double disaster. Homes are destroyed where the earthquake strikes. People living in coastal regions that receive the waves are harmed also. Although it is difficult to predict earthquakes, the large waves can be predicted. A warning system is in place in many countries along the Ring of Fire. This gives residents some time to evacuate. Unfortunately, though, the waves travel extremely fast. Whoever must leave the area only has a short amount of time.

Imagine that you are preparing a project with your friend. You have found some interesting material for the presentation and you want to read this text to your friend. You have 1.5 minutes to read the text silently, then be ready to read it out aloud. You will not have more than 1.5 minutes to read it. The first maps were drawn by explorers to help them find their way home and show people where they had been. The maps showed the shape of the land, distances between places and special features such as caves and old trees. Nowadays, maps show the towns and villages, and the roads, railways, rivers and mountains. Symbols are used to show all the different things on a map and there is a key to explain what the symbols stand for. Over the centuries, people explored most of the Earth and put together the map of the world we use today. Maps of the world or large areas are often either “political” or “physical”. The political map shows territorial borders. The purpose of the physical map is to show features of geography such as mountains, soil type or land use including roads, railroads and buildings.

Imagine that you are preparing a project with your friend. You have found some interesting material for the presentation and you want to read this text to your friend. You have 1.5 minutes to read the text silently, then be ready to read it out aloud. You will not have more than 1.5 minutes to read it. Many lands that had once been swamps were drained or filled in. There are different reasons why people drained swamplands. Some were drained to fight diseases caused by insects that lived in them. Because swamps were considered unpleasant places in which to live and harmful to health, many people thought that unless they were drained the land was worthless. Other swamps were drained to make new land. As the population grew and more land was needed, people drained swamps or filled them to make room for more farms and factories, more roads and airports. Few people thought that it might be harmful to get rid of swamps. As swamps disappeared, other things happened. There were both more floods and more droughts than before. There were also more fires, for swamps had acted as firebreaks. Hunters noticed that there was less wild game. Wild life that once lived in the swamps was dying out, because it had no place to live.

Imagine that you are preparing a project with your friend. You have found some interesting material for the presentation and you want to read this text to your friend. You have 1.5 minutes to read the text silently, then be ready to read it out aloud. You will not have more than 1.5 minutes to read it. A hobby is an activity you enjoy doing, it is something of your choice, something unique to your taste and talent. A hobby can improve our well-being; it can give more meaning to our life. Just as physical exercise is important for the body, relaxation of the mind is also essential. In fact, studies reveal that people who cultivate themselves through such activities are less likely to suffer from anxieties, depression and other negative feelings. A hobby is the easiest way to restore your balance whenever you are over-worked or stressed. Since it is an activity of your choosing, it will always give you pleasure and help you to relax. Even if you indulge in your hobby for a short period of time, you still can feel the difference in your energy level and spirit. When you have a hobby, you will always find time for it.
