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Sports in our life.

Sport is very popular in our country. Thousands of people go in for sports, because it's good for health. The most popular sports in Russia are athletics, football, volleyball, basketball, hockey, gymnastics, skiing and skating. There are stadiums and sport grounds in our country. We have a good sport hall in our school too. We have Physical Training lessons at school every week. And there are also different sport sections after school hours. From time to time schools have competitions.

I like sport. My favourite kind of sport is Volleyball. I play it at school. I'm quite good at it. I like it because it's an active type of sport. It is a team kind of sport. I'm a friendly person and this sport fits my personality well. It's difficult to say what I prefer – participating or watching sports. I think it depends on the kind of sport. Different people have different attitude to sports. For example, I like watching football on TV, especially if it is a big Championship. But I can't say I enjoy watching fencing! I'm looking forward to watching the Olympic Games this year.

We can learn a lot from sports. Participating in a team sport can develop your socialising skills and improve your ability to work in a team. It's a good way to meet people and find new friends. Doing sport can teach you to be patient and motivated, because in order to get good results you need to practice it often. Commitment is another important lesson from sport as you need to commit to regular trainings. Commitment means being loyal and demonstrating that being a member of a team is important. Sport is essentially competitive so it gives you a competitive spirit through showing effort and determination to win the match. Lastly, it makes us more disciplined and organized.

Most sports are good for people. Regular exercise make people stronger and healthier. Sport is a key to keep fit. Quiet sports like chess require a lot of intelligence and concentration. Some people believe sport can be traumatic and leave you with broken ankles and legs. But in my opinion you should go in for sports. As they say "Mens sana in corpore sano - A healthy mind in a healthy body”. Passion and enthusiasm, enjoying the game and winning are all important aspects of life.

Sports in the UK.

 Sport plays an important part of life in the UK. The British are proud to say that many sports are originated in their country. The most famous of them is football. It's played all around the world. England's football teams are Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool.

But England's national sport is cricket. Cricket is played from April to August. Cricket Teams are made up of 11 players each. They play with a ball and a bat. Two batters stand in front of wickets, set about 20 metres apart. A member of the opposing team (the bowler) throws the ball towards one of the batters, who must hit the ball so that it does not knock a bail off the wicket. It's a very slow game.

Another sport which British people like is rugby. It originated at Rugby public school. It is similar to football, but played with an oval ball. Players can carry the ball and tackle each other.

Table tennis was invented in England in 1880. Although the game originated in England, British players don't have much luck in international championships. Lawn tennis is also popular. The world's most famous tennis tournament is Wimbledon, it's the oldest tennis tournament beginning in 1877. It is traditional for visitors to eat strawberries and cream whilst they watch the tennis. Millions of people watch the Championships on TV live.

Rowing is another traditional sport in the UK. In the nineteenth century students at Oxford and Cambridge, Britain's two oldest universities, were big fans of rowing. In 1829 they agreed to hold a race against each other for the first time on the Thames River. The Oxford boat won and a tradition was born. The University Boat Race is held every spring now. Among other sports originated in the UK there are boxing, darts and badminton..

Moscow.

I live in Moscow. Moscow is the capital of Russia. It is the political, economical and cultural centre of our country. Moscow is situated in the centre of the European part of Russia. It was founded in 1147 by Yury Dolgoruki. The city's main river is Moskva River. Its population is about 13 million people. Lots of tourists visit Moscow every year. Red Square is the main tourist attraction. It's the first destination for most visitors to the city. It's surrounded by St. Basil's Cathedral, the State History Museum and long Kremlin brick walls.

One of the most notable art museums in Moscow is the Tretyakov Art Gallery. Мany very well-known paintings can be found here. Another art museum is the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts. It hosts paintings by famous western artists such as Claude Monet and Pablo Picasso. Moscow is also the heart of Russian performing arts, including ballet and film. There are many theaters and cinemas in Moscow. Among Moscow’s many theaters and ballet studios is the Bolshoi Theatre and the Malyi Theatre. Arbat is a beautiful pedestrian street where you can buy Russian souvenirs and have your portrait done. But the most famous street is Tverskaya. It has many shops and restaurants.

There are many parks in Moscow. I like Park Kolomenskoe, it's on the south of Moscow. The park has museums and churches on its territory. Another interesting place in Moscow is VDNH. It was built as an exhibition of Soviet achievements. Now it's more like a market place, but monuments and fountains make this area pleasant to just walk around.

We have the most beautiful metro in the world. It was built in the Soviet times and it's truly the masterpiece of soviet architecture. There are many shopping centres in Moscow. Nowadays you can find any shops you like. Moscow is growing and changing rapidly. A new territory will be added to Moscow this year.

London.

  Located on the River Thames London was founded in the 1st century A.D. by the Romans. London is the capital of the United Kingdom. Its population is about 8 million people. The city is divided into the City, Westminster, the West End and the East End.

London attracts over 14 million international visitors per year, making it Europe's most visited city. Heathrow airport is the busiest airport in the world. London is a very international city. Many different cultures can be found here.

London has many interesting historical places to visit: the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey. Across the road from Westminster Abbey is Westminster Palace or the Houses of Parliament. The clock tower of the House of Parliament is famous for its bell, known as "Big Ben”. Other famous landmarks include Buckingham Palace (the official residence of the queen), the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, St Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge and Trafalgar Square. Trafalgar Square is the geographical centre of London. It was named after Admiral Nelson's victory in the battle of Trafalgar in 1805. There is a tall column of Nelson in the middle of the square.

London is the cultural capital of the world. It has numerous museums, galleries, libraries other cultural institutions, including the British Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern, British Library and 40 theatres. The West End district is the richest and the most beautiful part of London. The best hotels, restaurants and famous West End theatres are located here. Seeing a show or a musical in the West End is a must do activity for tourists visiting London.

The London Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world. The largest parks are Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens and Regent's Park. This year London will host the Summer Olympic games.