Short essay Topic: Some people believe that visitors to other countries should follow local customs and behavior. Others disagree and think that the host country should welcome cultural differences. Discuss both these views and give your opinion. There is an opinion that the tourist countries have to accept the differences in culture of their guests. But another point of view is that tourists have to remember that they are only a guests. I think that it should not be forgotten that there are different types of customs and it's unwise to think that every distinction would be welcome. First thing that should be mentioned there are number of customs and ways to do things that are strictly prescribed by law. This lows are could be very illogical for the first sight, but there is not simply much choice and strangers should follow the rules of the countries. Else it would be chaos and the end of the country if the law doesn't apply to everyone equally including the strangers. Another common ground of differences is religion. Similar to the rules of law the religion could not be adjusted for the strangers, otherwise it would not be religion. For my opinion, the only intelligent way is to respect the believes of the others and don't expect they are welcome to thing. The third thing have to be mention that there are soft habits and customs that are not so strict, for example ones that concerned the food. But the differences could still root in the religion and maybe even in low. So the visitors could hope that the other culture would be welcome, but still have to be careful in insisting. To sum up I think it's wise do not forget that you are still a guest in the country and should respect the different way of life.

Imaginary letters (1) Jim, I'm very sorry for what has happened with the book you borrow me last weekend. In short I had left it on low table for a couple of minutes and the baby got hold of it and tore several pages. I think that it could be mended now so I have bought another book which I'm going to send you as soon as possible. Hope it will be OK with you to have a new book in place of the old one. Best regards, Konstantin

About cats Human beings like to keep dogs and cats as domestic animals. Dogs are loyal, but cats like to show its independence though they sometimes are very amiable creatures. Cats are especially lovable when they are still kittens. As kittens they like to run about a house, lurk and spring out, climb onto highs and fall down. That's how they learn to hunt on mice and birds. A lot of people keep cats so they protect their home from gnawing animals. As kittens grow into cats, they like to be more calm and reasonable. They like regular meal times and occasionally enjoy snap throughout a day. However, they also could be very energetic and agitated. But usually during the day time and at night they tend to sit with slightly opened eyes and pretend that they are asleep. They often have fights with other cats. Sometimes during the night especially in springs one can hear as cats' roar breaking the silence of nights. Cats are very clean animals. You often see them washing and liking out them selfs. Many human beings are very fond of cats for their charming character.

What do you say on the following text? Dear native speakers of English what do you say about the following text? I mean the words usage and style. Is it looks odd or strange in some ways? -- Has it ever happened to you? Have you ever put your trousers in the washing machine and then remembered there was a large bank note in your back pocket? When you rescued your trousers, did you find the note was whiter than white? People who live in Britain needn' t despair when they make mistakes like this (and a lot of people do)! Fortunately for them, the Bank of England has a team called Mutilated Ladies which deals with claims from people who fed their money to a machine or to their dog. Dogs , it seems, love to chew up money! A recent case concerns Jane Butlin whose fiance, John, runs a successful furniture business. John had a very good day and put his wallet containing £ 3,000 into the microwave oven for safekeeping. Then he and Jane went horse-riding. When they got home, Jane cooked their dinner in the microwave oven and without realizing it, cooked her fiance's wallet as well . Imagine their dismay when they found a beautifully-cooked wallet and notes turned to ash! John went to see his bank manager who sent the remains of wallet and the money to the special department of the Bank of England in Newcastle: the Mutilated Ladies! They examined the remains and John got all his money back. 'So long as there's something to identify, we will give people their money back,' said a spokeswoman for the Bank. 'Last year, we paid £1.5m on 21,000 claims. ' Damaged bank notes. The Queen's head appears on English bank notes, and 'lady' refers to this.

A bit of English Not much of the news lately, except the story happened last Tuesday morning. I was walking along a busy street and heading to the nearest antique shop. When I was almost in there suddenly a man had smashed the window of it, took some things out and set out to run away. He was chased by passers-by and I joined in. We caught him soon and handed it to the police. I suppose I'll get some invitation to the court soon.

Course for developing spoken English. Do you know any good course of spoken English? What courses do you like and have tried?