The 8th year of Territoria Theater Festival in Moscow

By D. Garrison Golubock

As theaters throughout Moscow begin new Fall seasons, the Territoria theater festival begins its eighth year of bringing young thespians from the provinces to stages in the capital. This festival of youth and amateur theater will last from Oct. 1 to 8 and will include plays and workshops put together by international theater experts and theater students from around Russia.
"It is an interesting collection of very different artistic sensibilities. … One can find Indian dancers side by side with Belgian choreographers," Territoria art director Roman Dolzhansky said in a press conference last week. "In each show, we can find different genres, different cultures and different artists."

Tahiti

Tahiti est une île de la Polynésie française (collectivité d’outre-mer) située dans le sud de l’océan Pacifique. Elle fait partie du groupe desîles du Vent, et de l’archipel de la Société. Cette île haute et montagneuse, d'origine volcanique, est entourée d'un récif de corail. L'île est composée de deux parties - Tahiti Nui, la plus importante, et Tahiti Iti également appelée la Presqu'île, reliées entre elles par l'isthme de Taravao.

Avec 1 042 km² et 178 173 habitants, Tahiti est à la fois la plus grande et la plus peuplée des îles de la Polynésie française. L’île concentre l’essentiel des activités économiques de l’archipel polynésien ; la ville de Papeete, située sur la côte nord-ouest de l’île, est la capitale de la Polynésie Française et en abrite toutes les institutions politiques. Le tourisme contribue fortement à l’économie de l’île, d’autant que Tahiti abrite le seul aéroport international de la Polynésie Française, lui donnant le statut de porte d’entrée du territoire.

L’histoire de Tahiti a été marquée tout d’abord par le peuplement de l’île par les navigateurs polynésiens, d’origine austronésienne, puis par la découverte de l’île par les explorateurs européens. Les échanges avec les Européens ont permis à une famille tahitienne, les Pomare, d’imposer leur autorité sur l’ensemble de l’île. À partir de la fin du xviii^e siècle, l’île fut colonisée par des missionnaires protestants anglais, puis devint protectorat français au milieu du xix^e siècle. L’île devint ensuite une colonie, membre des Établissements français de l'Océanie, avant d’être rattachée à un ensemble d’archipels qu’on appelle Polynésie française.

School Years around the World

by Mark Hughes

Somewhere in the world, right now, students are hard at work in school. With over 190 nations spanning the globe’s 24 time zones, students and their academic years come in a variety of forms. Here’s a sampling of the typical school year in 13 nations throughout the world.

Australia

Students in Australia attend school for 200 days a year. Their school year lasts from late January to mid December. Since Australia is in the southern hemisphere, it experiences summer while it’s winter in the northern hemisphere. Summer vacation for Australian students is from mid December to late January. Their school year is divided into four terms, with each term lasting 9 to 11 weeks. Students then have two weeks of vacation between each term. The typical school day is from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and lunch is eaten at school. Students are required to attend school for at least eleven years, but they usually attend for twelve years. The average class size is eighteen students and there are about six computers per classroom.

School grades in Australia are called years. Kindergarten is the first year of formal schooling, followed by year 1 through year 6; secondary school is from year 7 to year 12. A 6 year old begins in year one, while an 18 year old finishes school by year 12. From year one to year six, students spend about 12 hours a week working on math and English. Many schools integrate subjects, meaning they combine two or more academic subjects. For instance, say your class is studying coral reefs. A non-integrated approach would have students study coral reels only in science class. An integrated method incorporates math, by taking measurements, for example, and language arts. Students would then use that information to write a report about coral reefs.

Runic alphabet

Origin

Little is known about the origins of the Runic alphabet, which is traditionally known as futhark after the first six letters. In Old Norse the word rune means 'letter', 'text' or 'inscription'. The word also means 'mystery' or 'secret' in Old Germanic languages and runes had a important role in ritual and magic.
Here are some theories about the origins of runes:

The alphabet was probably created independently rather than evolving from another alphabet.
Runic writing was probably first used in southern Europe and was carried north by Germanic tribes.
The Runic alphabet is thought to have been modelled on the Latin and/or Etruscan alphabet.
The earliest known Runic inscritions date from the 1st century AD, but the vast majority of Runic inscriptions date from the 11th century. Runic inscriptions have been found throughout Europe from the Balkans to Germany, Scandinavia and the British Isles.

Alma Deutscher, seven, writes opera The Sweeper of Dreams

USA

The United States of America (commonly called the United States, the U.S., the USA, America, and the States) is a federal constitutional republic consisting of fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Pacific and Caribbean. At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km2) and with over 314 million people, the United States is the third- or fourth-largest country by total area, and the third-largest by both land area and population. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries.

Quiz answers part 5

English people as they are. Ways of living.

44. What do you know about the British school today? (3 stages, LEA, subjects, types of schools, a system of marking)

The education system is divided into nursery (ages 3–4), primary education (ages 4–11), secondary education (ages 11–18) and tertiary education (ages 18+). Full-time education is compulsory for all children aged between 5 and 16, with a child beginning primary education during the school year he or she turns 5. Students may then continue their secondary studies for a further two years (sixth form), leading most typically to A-level qualifications, although other qualifications and courses exist, including Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) qualifications, the International Baccalaureate (IB) and the Cambridge Pre-U. The leaving age for compulsory education was raised to 18 by the Education and Skills Act 2008. The change will take effect in 2013 for 16-year-olds and 2015 for 17-year-olds.State-provided schooling and sixth form education is paid for by taxes. England also has a tradition of independent schooling, but parents may choose to educate their children by any suitable means.

Higher education often begins with a three-year bachelor's degree. Postgraduate degrees include master's degrees, either taught or by research, and the doctorate, a research degree that usually takes at least three years. Universities require a Royal Charter in order to issue degrees, and all but one are financed by the state via tuition fees, which are increasing in size for both home and European Union students.
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Quiz answers part 4

They are Britain's pride...

35. Who is often called by the people "Our National Bard" and "The Great Unknown"? What is this person famous for?

Every year Scots across the globe celebrate our national bard, Robert Burns. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who have written in the Scots language, although much of his writing is also in English and a "light" Scots dialect, accessible to an audience beyond Scotland. He also wrote in standard English, and in these his political or civil commentary is often at its most blunt. He is regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic movement, and after his death he became a great source of inspiration to the founders of both liberalism and socialism, and a cultural icon in Scotland and among the Scottish Diaspora around the world.

Quiz answers part 3

Places to visit in Britain

21. What is the Tower of London? Which part of the Tower was built the first? What will happen if the ravens living in the Tower leave this place?
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It was founded towards the end of 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest of England. The White Tower, which gives the entire castle its name, was built by William the Conqueror in 1078, and was a resented symbol of oppression, inflicted upon London by the new ruling elite. At least six ravens are kept at the Tower at all times, in accordance with the belief that if they are absent, the kingdom will fall.

Quiz answers part 1

GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION
1. Is Great Britain the same as the UK? Explain the differences and give the definitions of these both terms.
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. The name United Kingdom refers to the union of what were once four separate countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland (though most of Ireland is now independent, only Northern Ireland remains part of the UK). The UK's full and official name is the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland"
2. What countries does the UK consist of? Name the main symbols of every country (a flag, a national flower, a capital and a patron saint).
The United Kingdom is made up of:
England - The capital is London; flag: The Royal Arms of England, Union Jack; flower: the Tudor rose; St George is the patron saint of England
Scotland - The capital is Edinburgh; flag: Saint Andrew's Cross or the Saltire; Royal banner; flower: the thistle, saint: St Andrew
Wales - The capital is Cardiff; flag: "The Red Dragon", Flag of Saint David; flower: the daffodil and the leek; saint: St David
Northern Ireland - The capital is Belfast; flag: Union Flag; flower: clever; saint: St Patrick

Australia

Australia (/əˈstreɪljə/), officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent as well as the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area. Neighbouring countries include Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea to the north; the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east.
For at least 40,000 years before European settlement in the late 18th century, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians, who belonged to one or more of roughly 250 language groups. After discovery by Dutch explorers in 1606, Australia's eastern half was claimed by Great Britain in 1770 and settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales from 26 January 1788. The population grew steadily in subsequent decades; the continent was explored and an additional five self-governing Crown Colonies were established.

Canada

 
                                       The Flag of Canada                          The Coat of arms

Canada (/ˈkænədə/) is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean. Spanning over 9.9 million square kilometres, Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area, and its common border with the United States is the longest land border in the world.

The land that is now Canada has been inhabited for millennia by various groups of Aboriginal peoples. Beginning in the late 15th century, British and French expeditions explored, and later settled, along the region's Atlantic coast. France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763 after the Seven Years' War. In 1867, with the union of three British North American colonies through Confederation, Canada was formed as a federal dominion of four provinces. This began an accretion of provinces and territories and a process of increasing autonomy from the United Kingdom. This widening autonomy was highlighted by the Balfour Declaration of 1926 and reaffirmed by the Statute of Westminster of 1931, which declared self-governing dominions within the British Empire to be equal. The Canada Act of 1982 finally severed the vestiges of legal dependence on the British Parliament.

New Zealand

 

New Zealand (Māori: Aotearoa) is an island country located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The country geographically comprises two main landmasses ‒ that of the North and South Islands ‒ as well as numerous smaller islands. New Zealand is situated some 1,500 kilometres (900 mi) east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and roughly 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. Because of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans.

During its long isolation, New Zealand developed a distinctive biodiversity of both animal and plant life. Most notable are the large number of unique bird species, many of which became extinct after the arrival of humans and introduced mammals. With a mild maritime climate, the land was mostly covered in forest. The country's varied topography and its sharp mountain peaks owe much to the tectonic uplift of land and volcanic eruptions caused by the Pacific and Indo-Australian Plates clashing beneath the earth's surface.