ECL angol tételek

1. Az egyén: - külső megjelenés leírása,

- jellem, személyiség leírása,
- tipikus/ideális férfi és nő,
- divat,
- öltözködési szokások,
- szépségápolás.

Mainly in business life clothes be speak quite a lot. Your appearance has to be natural but
pretty. Your clothes and make-up show your character and your personality. After that
your speech tells your intelligence. If you’re shy and you haven’t got self-confidence your
clothes will be low-key and not colorful. But if you’re cool and you’re full of confidence
your clothes will be colorful and trendy. How a person dresses depends on the occasion,
her/his personality, build and the mood of her/him. Some people obviously think that
following the latest trend is the only possible way to decide what to wear, but I prefer
choosing clothes that suit my personality and build. It might be more important for people
who often appear in public, like actresses and TV stars. I like comfortable clothes. That’s
why I wear leggings with a T-shirt or a pullover most of the time when I’m at home. Of
course on my workplace I wear costume or trousers or skirts with blouse. I like natural
materials, like cotton, linen (vászon) and wool. I don’t like synthetic materials at all
because I sweat in them. I usually buy my clothes in boutiques or in hypermarkets because
there is a wide choice and the prices are reasonable. I buy my shoes in specialized shops
because the quality of shoes is very important. I think it’s easier for women to follow the
latest fashion because designers deal mostly (leginkább, főleg) with women’s clothes.
When you enter a store, the department for women’s wear is usually bigger than the
department for men’s wear. Besides this, women can choose from a wider range of
different types of clothes; that is, they can wear trousers, suits, skirts, shorts and dresses,
while men are restricted (korlátozott) to wearing jeans, trousers or shorts. There are also
more accessories (kiegészítő) for women than for men. Women can put ribbons (szalag),
headbands, clips, flowers, grips (csat) and hair-slides into their hair. Both women and men
wear belts, wristwatches, rings and sometimes necklaces and studs (díszgomb), but only
women wear clips, pearl necklaces, chokers, brooches and lockets (medal). On the other
hand, only men wear braces (nadrágtartó), tie-pins, cufflinks (mandzsettagomb) and
pocket watches. Women usually wear make-up at weekdays when they work or at the
weekends when they have date. I think the natural and low-key (visszafogott) make-up is
nicer than so much and sporty make-up.

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2. Partnership (Társas kapcsolatok)
1.Szerepek a családban:
Is the mother’s place at home? - No, I don’t think so. If woman were involved only in
domestic affairs (házi teendők), it would mean their leading separate lives from their
husbands. But when they too have a job, they have more to share with their husbands in
other ways and can expect (elvár) help from them in the home and with the children. You
can’t deprive (megfoszt) a woman of her right to earn her own living, find pleasure in her
work and keep in touch (kapcsolatot tart) with real life. Should housewives be paid in the
same way as other people are? There is no way (nincs rá mód) you could pay a housewife
now. She is doing about 10 jobs. Families should have a woman in for some hours every
day to do the housework. How many jobs are women responsible for? If a woman goes
out to work (eljár dolgozni), she is responsible for at least three jobs. Some women hold
high positions (magas beosztása van) and are good mothers and housewives at the same
time. Can a woman fulfil (teljesít) the duty (kötelesség) of a wife, a mother and a career
woman? It all depends on the husband’s attitude (viselkedés). If he shares the
responsibility of bringing up a child and caring for the family with his wife, which should
ideally happen in every family, women will be less exhausted and more efficient both at
work and at home.
Who wears the trousers in your family? –To be honest nobody does, my parents always
make decisions together.
What jobs are typically the husband’s responsibility? -Men are usually good at decorating
the flat and repairing household devices (háztartási eszközök). A handyman (ezermester)
can fix a dripping (csöpögő) tap, replace a burnt-out light bulb, stick on wallpaper and
repair a leaking water pipe (folyó vízvezeték).
Who can stay at home on child care leave? -According to an act passed a few years ago, it
is either the mother or the father who can stay at home with the new-born baby. In
practice, however, it is still the mother who goes on maternity leave (születési szabadság)
for one, two or sometimes three years.
Is it worth staying at home until the child is three years old? - Yes. Definitely. The first
few years of a child’s life are crucially (létfontosságúan) important. This is the time
creating contact between parent and child. There can’t be anything more important for a
mother than attending to a child during the first few years of its life.

2.Férfi-nő kapcsolat:
Do you think a prenuptial agreement should be signed between a man and woman? In my
opinion, a prenuptial agreement ruins (lerombol) the romance of a marriage. It shows that
the groom and the bride don’t trust each other and think about what if something goes
wrong. I think marriage is sacred (szent). It’s when two people agree to live together in
good and bad no matter what will happen.
What is your opinion about pre-arranged marriages? - Pre-arranged marriages are very
popular in some other cultures, for example in India. It’s when the parents of the couple
agree on the marriage of their children. I don’t think that I would be able to live with
someone who is not chosen by me. I believe it’s very important to get to know and cohabit
(együtt él) with the person you want to establish a family with. The period of courtship
(udvarlás) before one gets married is vital (alapvető). That is the time when you get
familiar with your girl or boyfriend. You have time to decide whether she/he is the person
you can imagine your whole life with. In a pre-arranged marriage, you have no chance to

2
decide about it and it can also happen that a very young girl is given to an elderly man,
which would probably not happen under normal circumstances.
Is cohabiting before marriage important? - I firmly believe that people should not get
married without living together for at least a year. This is the only way you can get
familiar with your spouse’s habits, let them be good or bad. It can be quite shocking to
realize after the honeymoon that your husband snores and his feet smell, or your wife
cannot even prepare the most basic dish for you. I think that cohabitation reduces the risks
of a bad marriage and this way the number of divorces will also decrease.
What can be the pros and cons of getting married at an early age? - I believe that getting
married early is not very fashionable nowadays. Young people want to go on to higher
education instead of starting a family. They think that they should enjoy life until they can
and it is enough to find a future husband or wife at the age of 30. The advantage of an
early marriage is that the generation gap between the parents and the children would be
not so large. However, most early marriages end in divorce. In most cases, these people
are not mature enough to bring up children and to provide them the necessary financial
background. It is very difficult to make ends meet (kijön a fizetéséből) without the support
of the whole family.
What do you know of polygamy and polyandry? - In order to make judgements (ítélet)
about polygamy (többnejűség) and polyandry (többférjűség), we have to have a clear
picture about what the two words derive from (ered). Polygamy is a form of marriage in
which a man has more than one wife at the same time. It has been widely practiced at
various times in many societies throughout the world, and it is still common (gyakori) in
Muslim countries and in some parts of Africa where it is legal under Islamic law. In the
United States it is also common in some Mormon communities in Utah. Although laws
prohibit (megtilt) polygamy, thousands of people practice it. It can have several
advantages and disadvantages. As far as the husband is concerned (érdekelt), polygamy is
an attractive form of marriage for several reasons: it means greater economic
contributions (hozzájárulás) from the wives to the household income; it provides
increased sexual availability and companionship; and it attracts greater social status and
prestige to be able to afford to look after more than one wife. Polygamy may also prove
(bizonyul) attractive to women because it provides a role for women in societies in which
there is no accepted social role ascribed (tulajdonít) to unmarried women; and it means
shared childrearing (gyereknevelés) and domestic labor (házimunka).
Can you imagine having more spouses? - I don’t think I could live with more than one
spouse at the same time. However, a lot of people have partners or mistresses (szerető)
who they cheat on their spouse with. Unfortunately, adultery (házasságtörés) is a very
common issue in our world. People might think that it is normal as they see it on
television all the time. Being faithful does not mean too much for young people. All they
want is sexual satisfaction and not a normal relationship.
What is the ideal age to start a family? - I don’t think that there is an ideal age to start a
family. It depends on the person, his/her maturity and way of thinking. Nowadays, as
more and more people go to university, an ideal period can be after graduating from
higher education. There are, however, plenty of issues to consider (fontolóra vesz) when
founding a family: Are you ready for a serious relationship or do you want to enjoy life a
little more? Most people would say that enjoying life a bit is a good choice. They believe
that having a child is a burden (teher) on them. Also, whether you are ready to support a
family or not is the most important question to answer. If you don’t have a good, well-
paid job, it is almost impossible for one person to earn the money for the whole family.
Another issue is the age difference between the husband and the wife. Today it is a trend
among young women to choose a man who has already achieved something in life. They

3
need someone they can rely on, someone who would be faithful and a caring husband.
What was the situation a hundred years ago? - Even in the middle of the twentieth century,
most people got married right after high school. Young couples struggled together to
make end meet and to bring up their children. It was considered abnormal if a girl who
was over 20 was still single. Women wanted to avoid remaining spinsters (hajadon) and
they thought it was a shame if no one chooses them. Another important factor was the
social status of the young. It was obvious (nyilvánvaló) that two people from different
levels of society do not match each other. It was quite rare for people with different
backgrounds to get married. If it happened, there were usually family feuds (családi
viszály), young men were sometimes disinherited (kitagadták) by their fathers if they
dared (merészelt) to marry someone inferior (alsóbbrendű) to their ranks (rang).

3.Munkahelyi kapcsolatrendszerek:
I can’t speak about this topic because I have never worked. In every workplace there are a
boss and the subaltern who have to obey the boss and comply with the dateline

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3. Family: Család/Gyermeknevelés

Do you come from a large or a small family? - I come from a large family because my
parents are not divorced and I have a brother.
Who do you live together with? What is your relationship with them like? – My parents
are not divorced so we all live together. I don’t get on very well with them, we often
quarrel about unimportant things. They are caring but not very tolerant.
Are you in close contact with those members of your immediate family who don’t live
with you? - I don’t have a close contact with them, for example with my grandmother.
Occasionally I have lunch with them.
How important to you is your extended family? - I don’t have very strong family ties and I
am not in close contact with many of my relatives. I haven’t seen some of my cousins for
ages. At times I bump into (összeakad) them in the street and then we talk about what has
happened to us since we last meet.
What is your picture of an ideal husband and father like? - An ideal husband should feel
responsible for his wife and dependents (eltartottak). He should be clever and active as
well as practical in his knowledge of affairs and money. He should be good with his hands
and should have a good head for business. At the same time, he should be tall, strong,
handsome and brave.
Is the mother’s place in the home? - No, I don’t think so. If woman were involved only in
domestic affairs, it would mean their leading separate lives from their husbands. But when
they have a job, they have more to share with their husbands in other ways and can expect
help from them in the home and with the children. You can’t deprive (megfoszt) a woman
of her right to earn her own living, find pleasure in her work and keep in touch with real
life.
Should housewives be paid in the same way as other people are? - There is no you could
pay a housewife now. She is doing about 10 jobs. Families should have a woman in for
some hours every day to do the housework.
How many jobs are women responsible for? - If a woman goes out to work, she is
responsible for at least three jobs. Some women hold high positions and are good mothers
and housewives at the same time.
Can a woman fulfil (teljesít) the duty (kötelesség) of a wife, a mother and a career
woman? - It all depends on the husband’s attitude. If he shares the responsibility of
bringing up a child and caring for the family with his wife, which should ideally happen in
every family, women will be less exhausted and more efficient both at work and at home.
Who wears the trousers in your family? - To be honest nobody does, my parents always
make decisions together.
What jobs are typically the husband’s responsibility? - Men are usually good at decorating
the flat and repairing household devices. A handyman can fix a dripping tap, replace a
burnt-out light bulb, stick on wallpaper, repair a leaking water pipe.
Who can stay at home on child care leave? - According to an act passed some years ago, it
is either the mother or the father who can stay at home with the new-born baby. In
practice, however, it is still the mother who goes on maternity leave for one, two or
sometimes three years.
Is it worth staying at home until the child is three years old? - Yes. Definitely. The first
few years of a child’s life are crucially important. This is the time creating contact
between parent and child. There can’t be anything more important for a mother than
attending to a child during the first few years of its life.

5
On what occasions do the member of the wider family meet? - The members of the wider
family only meet at weddings, funerals and on Christmas.
How does a couple get married in Hungary? - People can get married either in a church or
in a registry office. In the latter (utóbbi) case there must be two witnesses. Most people
however, prefer to have a church wedding too, with the bride in white attended (kísér) by
her bridesmaid and the bridegroom in black attended by his best men. After the wedding
ceremony there is a large reception (fogadás) where an enormous meal is eaten, the
wedding cake is cut and toasts are drunk in whisky or sherry. The guests are dressed in
their best clothes and dance to accordion (harmonika) music. Old traditions such as
dancing with the bride at midnight and the bride leaving to change clothes after the dance
are still kept at most wedding parties.
What is the greatest family festival for you? - I think in this part of the world Christmas is
the greatest family festival for everybody. It is very solemnly (komolyan) celebrated with
ancient customs and traditions.
What is your relationship like with your parents? - I am very fond of both of my parents
but I don’t always get on very well with them. They try to control me too much and quite
often they treat me like a 3-year-old child. My friends are given much more freedom
while I am always told what is right and what is wrong. They expect me to regard (tekint)
them as friends but at the same time they just give instructions and hardly ever ask me
about my feelings. In fact, I would never admit (megenged) them least of all to my
parents.
Are parents too permissive (engedékeny) to their children nowadays? - No, I don’t think
so. I suppose there are more strict parents than permissive ones. They know that being
permissive often does more harm than good. On the other hand, there are quite a few
parents who try to protect their children from the pitfalls (csapda) of life, which is just
natural.
Should children have pocket money? - Yes. Why not let them learn how to manage a
certain amount of money and how to spin it out (elhúz) for a week or a month. The
amount should not be too much.
What is your attitude to corporal punishment? - Corporal (testi) punishment is ineffective
as beating can hardly make an unmanageable (kezelhetetlen) child obey his elders. It only
frightens the child and makes both the child and the parent feel unhappy. It also degrading
(megalázó) for it appeals (fordul) to cruelty. It ruins the child’s self-respect and does more
harm than good.
How would you behave if you found your child had gone out of control? - Dealing with a
naughty child is no easy matter. The only wise (bölcs) attitude the parents adopt towards
(alkalmaz) their children’s behavior is to sit down with them about their problems and
explain to them what is right and what is wrong.
Would you give your children everything they want? - It’s only natural for parents to try
to do so. Children, however, must realize that money is earned by hard work. So parents
should try and convince them not to want everything that money can buy.
What are the most important things about educating a child? - It’s very important to direct
a child’s energy into the right channels. A child often has more energy than he knows
what to do with. Later, youngsters should be taught respect for other people and the
respect for the law. They should also be taught patriotism (hazafiasság) and the need for
hard work. They must know what is morally right or wrong.
Do you think schools are able to meet these requirements? - Schools are obsessed
(megszállott) with training the child rather than giving him an overall (általános) moral
education. Many youngsters are reaching maturity without learning the hard lessons of
life. Parents are incline to (hajlamos) leave the child’s education up to the school, which it

6
fails to do properly (megfelelően) owing to (vmi miatt) many different factors. Some of
these are high pupil-teacher ratios, lack of time, negligence (hanyagság) of teacher…etc.
Are children overburdened (túlterhelt) at school? - Yes, in most secondary schools in
Hungary students have to cope with an enormous workload. Teachers force them to do a
lot of homework and take oral tests in class, which puts an unrelenting (szüntelen)
pressure on them. Student are required to make an even more intense effort (erőkifejtés) in
the third and fourth years of grammar school so they can get admission to university.
Have you or your friends ever had any experience of the generation gap? - Yes, I suppose
everybody has. The generation gap is by no means a modern phenomenon (jelenség). The
young have always reacted against the accepted beliefs of their elders. I mostly had a
difference of opinion with my mother. I am very critical of my mum and the world around
me but never of myself. To tell the truth I don’t know why my mother is against me going
steady (jár vkivel) with a boy at the age of 16. I think it is just natural.
What are some of the problems teenagers have? - By the time they are 16 they almost
certainly experienced some disillusionment (csalódás) with the adult society, being very
much sensitive to social injustice (igazságtalanság). They would like unrestricted freedom
at the moment and would like to be told what to do next. They feel that their parents don’t
understand them, which leads them to ignore parental counsel (tanács). That’s why they
often feel frustrated about their own affairs. Teenagers need extra attention from parents
and teachers otherwise they may easily turn to drugs or violence.
How would you get your children study? - You can always cajole (levesz a lábáról) a
child into studying. I would just tell him that he’ll get a bike if he studies hard and this
always does the trick.
What are the job and career prospects (lehetőség) for young people today? - Not very
promising. There are far fewer jobs than even before and the unemployment rate is rising.
It is difficult to youngsters to join in this rat race where efficiency (hatékonyság) has
priority over human values.
Can you explain why many school leavers with good results cannot enter universities? -
Unfortunately there are fewer university places in Hungary than are needed. At certain
universities there are 3 or 4 applicants (jelentkező) for every place while admission to
(felvétel) others is quite easy to get. Understandably there is a lot of competition at the
entrance exams and sometimes even the best students fail to stand the strain (erőfeszítés)
and give up.
How much freedom should children have in the choice of their careers? - Parents should
have a say but the final decision should be left up to the child. After all it is his/her life.
He should know what he/she wants to do with.
Should parents still support their children once they have grown up? - Yes, I think so.
Otherwise they would not be able to set up their own homes and raise 2 or 3 children.
Only with the help of a grandmother or a grandfather can a mother go out to work.
What are the effects of television on family life? - I accept that television is part of
modern life but it can do a lot of harm if it is not used selectively. Fortunately, we rarely
watch tv so it’s not a problem for us and we can talk to each other in the evenings.
Do you think family life is different today from what it was like 30-50 years ago? - Yes. I
think people lived in a happy family and had lots of friends. Now there are fewer
opportunities for enjoying the company of other people because everybody is busy and
they don’t have time for each other. People used to know all of their neighbors but now
people are isolated from each other and, what is even worse, from the members of their
own family. Also families used to be much larger. My grandmother was one of 8 children.
Very few people nowadays care to have such large families.

7
Are you against or in favor of large families? Why? - It would be nice to have a large
family and a lot of children but I am afraid I couldn’t afford it. I think I would be too busy
because of my job and it’s possible that financial things would be problems too.

Generációk kapcsolata, együttélése

Can you imagine having 3 or 4 generations living under the same roof? - In today’s world
it is almost unimaginable to have 3 or even 4 generations living under the same roof in
Hungary. A century ago it was normal to do so but not anymore. Today the gap between
the generations is so wide that it would be unbearable (tűrhetetlen) to live together. I
cannot imagine living together with my grandparents. I think everybody needs some
privacy and it cannot be achieved if the older ones always think that they know everything
better. Obviously, they are more experienced but everyone should have the possibility to
live through whatever they need to go through. The elderly is always full of advice; they
consider themselves the wisest of all. They don’t want to admit that the world has
changed, and there are different problems to tackle (megold) nowadays. They tend to live
in the past and look at the world from another angle.

Házasság/Válás/Együttélési formák
Do you think a prenuptial agreement should be signed between a man and woman? - In
my opinion, a prenuptial agreement ruins (lerombol) the romance of a marriage. It shows
that the groom and the bride don’t trust each other and think about what if something goes
wrong. I think marriage is sacred (szent). It’s when two people agree to live together in
good and bad no matter what will happen.
What is your opinion about pre-arranged marriages? - Pre-arranged marriages are very
popular in some other cultures, for example in India. It’s when the parents of the couple
agree on the marriage of their children. I don’t think that I would be able to live with
someone who is not chosen by me. I believe it’s very important to get to know and cohabit
(együtt él) with the person you want to establish a family with. The period of courtship
(udvarlás) before one gets married is vital (alapvető). That is the time when you get
familiar with your girl or boyfriend. You have time to decide whether she/he is the person
you can imagine your whole life with. In a pre-arranged marriage, you have no chance to
decide about it and it can also happen that a very young girl is given to an elderly man,
which would probably not happen under normal circumstances.
Is cohabiting before marriage important? - I firmly believe that people should not get
married without living together for at least a year. This is the only way you can get
familiar with your spouse’s habits, let them be good or bad. It can be quite shocking to
realize after the honeymoon that your husband snores and his feet smell, or your wife
cannot even prepare the most basic dish for you. I think that cohabitation reduces the risks
of a bad marriage and this way the number of divorces will also decrease.
What can be the pros and cons of getting married at an early age? - I believe that getting
married early is not very fashionable nowadays. Young people want to go on to higher
education instead of starting a family. They think that they should enjoy life until they can
and it is enough to find a future husband or wife at the age of 30. The advantage of an
early marriage is that the generation gap between the parents and the children would be
not so large. However, most early marriages end in divorce. In most cases, these people
are not mature enough to bring up children and to provide them with the necessary
financial background. It is very difficult to make ends meet without the support of the
whole family.
What do you know of polygamy and polyandry? - In order to make judgements (ítélet)
about polygamy (többnejűség) and polyandry (többférjűség), we have to have a clear

8
picture about what the two words derive from (ered). Polygamy is a form of marriage in
which a man has more than one wife at the same time. It has been widely practiced at
various times in many societies throughout the world, and it is still common (gyakori) in
Muslim countries and in some parts of Africa where it is legal under Islamic law. In the
United States it is also common in some Mormon communities in Utah. Although laws
prohibit (megtilt) polygamy, thousands of people practice it. It can have several
advantages and disadvantages. As far as the husband is concerned (érdekelt), polygamy is
an attractive form of marriage for several reasons: it means greater economic
contributions (hozzájárulás) from the wives to the household income; it provides
increased sexual availability and companionship; and it attracts greater social status and
prestige to be able to afford to look after more than one wife. Polygamy may also prove
(bizonyul) attractive to women because it provides a role for women in societies in which
there is no accepted social role ascribed (tulajdonít) to unmarried women; and it means
shared childrearing (gyereknevelés) and domestic labor (házimunka).
Can you imagine having more spouses? - I don’t think I could live with more than one
spouse at the same time. However, a lot of people have partners or mistresses (szerető)
who they cheat on their spouse with. Unfortunately, adultery (házasságtörés) is a very
common issue in our world. People might think that it is normal as they see it on
television all the time. Being faithful does not mean too much for young people. All they
want is sexual satisfaction and not a normal relationship.
What is the ideal age to start a family? - I don’t think that there is an ideal age to start a
family. It depends on the person, his/her maturity and way of thinking. Nowadays, as
more and more people go to university, an ideal period can be after graduating from
higher education. There are, however, plenty of issues to consider (fontolóra vesz) when
founding a family: Are you ready for a serious relationship or do you want to enjoy life a
little more? Most people would say that enjoying life a bit is a good choice. They believe
that having a child is a burden (teher) on them. Also, whether you are ready to support a
family or not is the most important question to answer. If you don’t have a good, well-
paid job, it is almost impossible for one person to earn the money for the whole family.
Another issue is the age difference between the husband and the wife. Today it is a trend
among young women to choose a man who has already achieved something in life. They
need someone they can rely on, someone who would be faithful and a caring husband.
What was the situation a hundred years ago? - Even in the middle of the twentieth century,
most people got married right after high school. Young couples struggled together to
make end meet and to bring up their children. It was considered abnormal if a girl who
was over 20 was still single. Women wanted to avoid remaining spinsters (hajadon) and
they thought it was a shame if no one chooses them. Another important factor was the
social status of the young. It was obvious (nyilvánvaló) that two people from different
levels of society do not match each other. It was quite rare for people with different
backgrounds to get married. If it happened, there were usually family feuds (családi
viszály), young men were sometimes disinherited (kitagadták) by their fathers if they
dared (merészelt) to marry someone inferior (alsóbbrendű) to their ranks (rang).
Why do people get divorced? - There are several reasons why people get divorced. Most
people don’t know each other at the time of their marriage. It is vital that young couples
cohabit before getting married. That is the only way you get to know your partner. If
people live together, all the bad habits might come up and then you can decide whether
you still want to be bound (összekötött) to the same person or not.
What is the reason for the high number of divorces nowadays? - In my opinion there can
be several reasons for the high number of divorces. These can be infidelity (hűtlenség),
infertility (terméketlenség), criminality or insanity (elmezavar). To me it is shocking that

9
the number of divorces is much higher in in the developed than in the undeveloped
countries. When a couple get divorced, it is still not the end of their relationship. For some
of them it is the beginning. The beginning of a very unpleasant relationship.
Are divorced parents judged fairly in Hungary? - Divorced parents are not judged in the
same way. It is usually that the mother who gets the chance to bring up their children. For
some reason the Hungarian legal system regards mothers better caregivers than fathers.
What problems can come up after a divorce? - I think that during a divorce it is very
difficult to come to an agreement considering common property. It sometimes takes years
until a final agreement is settled. By the time both the man and the woman have spent an
enormous amount of money to pay the divorce lawyers.
What do you think a child experiences when the parents get divorced? - In my opinion it is
the children who lose the most in a divorce. They cannot be split (feloszt) and it is usually
not them who decide which parent will have the right to continue the upbringing. If the
child is a baby, she/he cannot understand what is happening around him/her. When
children are adolescents the divorce of the parents can damage their soul really badly. I
think that a big problem is that the parents very often don’t see how much their children
suffer and just use them for their selfish games.

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4. Place of living
Bérlakás/Saját tulajdonú lakás
In what types of housing can people live? - They can own their flats – in that case they are
called freehold flats (öröklakás). They can rent a council owned flat (bérlakás) or live in a
council built flat sold to a cooperative of people. They can share a flat with other families
and live in cotenancy (társbérlet). Some people live in lodgings (albérlet).
Have you ever lived in lodgings? - I have never lived in lodgings but I can imagine that
you have to keep a number of house rules (házirend). You are not supposed to smoke in
the common rooms, you are not allowed to be noisy, take girls or boys into your room,
stick pictures on the wall and you have to use the bathroom at a fixed time.
Types of accommodation (szállás):
 freehold house or flat: money borrowed from the bank on a mortgage (jelzálog) with a high interest
rate
 council flats: now being sold to tenants (albérlő)
 co-operative flats, rented accommodation: lodging, hostels, boarding houses (családi penzió), guest
houses, motels, hotels, pensions, co-tenancy

Lakásvásárlás/Lakáshitel
How can you get a flat in Hungary? - How can you get the money in order to build a
house or buy a flat. If you are lucky and you have parents who can help you, you can have
a house or a flat of your own after getting married. However, most people cannot afford it.
If you don’t want to rent a flat or live with your parents, you can get a loan in the bank.
Getting a loan is also difficult, because banks usually demand (követel) that you have
some money in order to be entitled (jogosult) for a mortgage. So don’t expect banks to
give you loans if you don’t have a deposit (betét). Once you get the loan, usually at a very
high interest rate, you have to pay it back in monthly instalments (részlet) for normally ten
years. If you have children, the state subsidizes (támogat) your construction (építés) or
purchase (megvásárol) of a flat or a house.

Lakáskorszerűsítés
What can be done in a flat to make it more spacious? - You need some built-in-cupboards
or hideaways (rejtekhely) or at least one more store room.
How do other people heat their houses? - They can use coal-fired central heating, gas fired
floor heating, convectors or electric heaters. If you have enough money you can use a
fireplace too.
What things can go wrong in a house? - From time to time there are certain things in a
house that go wrong and need fixing. For example, when the tap keeps dripping, the pipes
are leaking or the flush toilet keeps flooding. You call the plumber or try to repair them.
What needs to be done to a flat which is in a bad state of repair? - There are a lot of things
that need to be done in an old house which is in a bad state of repair. Old houses usually
have wooden steps and floors which are slowly worn down by people’s feet. Tiles fall off
the roof and get broken, the paint cracks and peels. Pipes (cső) can begin to rust
(rozsdásodik) and bricks to crumble (porlad) if they aren’t looked after properly.
What is flat modernisation? - It’s an act when you make your flat more comfortable.
What things fall under flat modernisation?
-installation of water gang, electricity and gas system
-if in a building there are no toilet, do one
-install central, heating, use revolving source of energy (eg: sun energy)
-make insulations into buildings
-energy saving bulbs

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5. Utazás, közlekedés
1.Gépjárművezetés/Közlekedési szabályok
Is it expensive to run a car nowadays? What taxes do you have to pay? - Yes, because you
need petrol and you have to pay road tax, weight tax and parking charges. You also have
to repair it sometimes and it’s too expensive.
What do you do when you get into a car and want to start it? Which pedals do you use? -
When I get into a car I first put the ignition key into the keyhole and I turn it. The engine
starts. Then I push down the clutch pedal (kuplung) and put the gear lever (sebességváltó)
into first gear. Next I take the handbrake off. I let out the clutch pedal slowly while
pushing down the accelerator pedal (gázpedál) and thus the car moves off.
What are the essential (alapvető) parts of a car? Which are the ones that you can’t see
from the outside? - A car virtually consists (tartalmaz) of two basic parts, the wheels and
the body. The wheels have rubber tires on them and the body is made of metal. Under the
bonnet are the parts that basically move the car: the engine, the cylinders (henger), the
carburetor (porlasztó), the shafts (tengely), the battery, the spark plugs (gyertya) and the
petrol tank. The things that the driver has to manipulate while driving are clutch,
accelerator and brake pedals, the handbrake and the steering wheel. The speedometer and
the different indicator lights are on the dashboard. What you can see on a car from the
outside are the headlights, the registration number on the number plate, the windscreens
with wipers (törlő), the bumpers, the rear view mirror, the mudguard (sárvédő) and the
rear indicator lights. Under the car are the chassis (váz) and the exhaust pipe.

Driving a car:
-to pay attention to weather conditions
-to drive at …kmph
-to give way to (elsőbbséget ad)
-to overtake in the overtaking lane (az belső sávban előzni)
-to turn into the wrong lane
-to try to avoid accidents
-to slam on the brakes
-to collide with
-to run over/ knock down a cat (elütni egy macskát)
-to run into the back of…
-to fasten the seatbelts
-to change gear
-to be stopped by the police
-to stop on the hard shoulder (padka)
-to blow into the breathalyser (szonda)
-to press the horn
-to dip the headlights (átkapcsolni)
-to stop at the filling station
-to fill up the tank
-to give a tip to the filling station attendant

In what way do traffic lights control the traffic? What other signs are there to direct the
driver? - In most places and especially at busy junctions (kereszteződés) traffic light
control the traffic. The green light lets cars through while the red light tells them to stop,
and amber (sárga) means wait. The automatic light system allows cars to pass along
(végigmegy) the main roads without any stops. There are other signs on the road too,

12
which either give you direct others or warn you of possible danger. There are also
direction signs, cat’s eyes, mile posts and signs painted on the road.

2.Közlekedési balesetek
What accounts (felelős) for the high number of accidents on the road? Are they all fatal
(halálos)? Who can be blamed for these accidents? Why? - There is a high number of
accidents in this country, but fortunately they don’t all end with deaths. In most cases they
result in bodily injuries. I think drivers, pedestrians (gyalogos), and road conditions can be
blamed for it. Drivers who drive too fast and without any consideration for others, and
also the ones who think they are safe at the wheel even though they have drunk too much.
Pedestrians who step off the pavement without first looking to the left or right, cross the
roads when the traffic lights are against them or those who jump off moving vehicles.

3.Közlekedés gyalogosan/kerékpáron
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using bicycles in town traffic? - The best
point about cycling to school or work is that it is cheap. It also helps you to keep fit unless
there is too much smog to breathe in on the way. It can be quite quick because it doesn’t
need much space for overtaking. There can be no problems with parking either. You will
definitely not get a parking ticket if it is parked in the wrong place. The worst thing about
cycling is that you are in danger if you ride a bicycle in a busy place. It doesn’t protect
you from bad weather either. What is more if you don’t lock it properly, it can easily be
stolen.

4.Külföldi utazások célja/formái

Why do so many people travel nowadays? - Nowadays everyone is crazy about travelling.
People love moving around, they travel both inland and abroad. There is more money
about and going to the west has become much easier. Greater affluence (jólét) and the
ease of travel have brought an urge (kényszer) to see places. People often travel on
business, for pleasure, for relaxation or even for education or for their health.
Do you like travelling? - I don’t think there are any people in the world who don’t like
travelling. I love it too, but the snag (gond) is that we can’t afford to travel as much as we
would like to. We have either the money nor the time for it.
What is the difference between a package tour and independent travel? - In a package tour
you travel with others and follow a prearranged itinerary (útiterv) covering all the famous
spots and landmarks. You pay a single, all-inclusive price that covers everything such as
transportation, meals, accommodation, sightseeing tours and guides. With independent
travel you pay as you go and during the journey you can change your mind if you want to.
But you can still find a travel agent and ask him to work out the details of any itinerary
you suggest. He can also give you cost estimates and secure reservation for you.
Which one do you prefer? Why? - I prefer individual travel to group travel. If you go on a
package tour, you have to be adaptable (alkalmazkodó), you have no time to look at
everything you are interested in properly and the worst thing is when you have a bad
guide. He can spoil all your holiday. Besides, the only thing that travelers seem to be
interested in today is shopping. Whereas on an individual tour I am my own master,
depend on nobody and can always do what I like.

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6. Vásárlás, üzletek angolul
1.Vásárlási szokások
Do you like window-shopping? Why? - I don’t like window shopping. I look at the shop
windows only when I have something particular in my mind that I want to buy. Otherwise
I never waste time window shopping.
Where do you do your daily shopping? Why? When do you shopping? - When I do the
everyday shopping, it is the nearest supermarket that suits me the best. I am a regular
customer there, so the assistants know me and I am usually served very politely. I usually
do the shopping in the evening.
What do you buy every day? - Every day I buy milk, cold cuts and some bread.
How do you do your shopping for the weekend? What difficulties do you run into when
shopping on Saturdays or before double feasts? - To do my weekend shopping I go to the
Tesco because it sells everything that I need. I warn everybody against doing their big
shopping on Friday or Saturday because on these days the shops are full of customers.
They walk about filling their trolley from the shelves. There are often irritating remarks
too.
How do you do your shopping in a supermarket? Do you ever buy more things than you
need? - When I do my shopping there I walk from shelf to shelf, filling my trolley with the
things I need. I never buy things I don’t need because it is just a waste of money.
How do you decide what to buy? Why is it a good idea to make a shopping list? - I like
our larder to be well-stocked (jól megpakolt) so before going shopping I take stock of our
supplies (készlet). I look in to see what we have and what we are short of. Then there is no
need to run to the neighbour to borrow a bit of this or a little of that. After taking stock I
draw up a shopping list and set out (elrendez) to do my shopping. If I have a list, I will
definitely not forget about any items I need to buy.
What do you do when you finished shopping? - After finishing shopping I go to the cash
desk, where there is often a long queue. When it is my turn, the cashier adds up the bill on
the cash register and gives me the receipt. I pay carefully than put the small change into
my purse without counting. Then I pack the things into a shopping bag and leave the shop.

2.Áruházláncok/Csomagküldő szolgálat
What is a multiple store? - A shop / store that is one of a series of similar shops / stores
owned by the same company. The appearances of these shops and their goods are the
same. You can find it in almost every countries and larger towns.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a mail-order service?
-Advantages: comfortable (you don’t have to go anywhere because the express messenger
brings it direct to your house, you only have to order the goods on the phone or on the net
not more expensive because of the delivery
-Disadvantages: it’s a little bit risky that the product isn’t proper for you and it’s another
problem that you have to send it back. In this way of buying you can make more blind
decisions and you buy unnecessary things. Sometimes you have to pay for the delivery.

3.Kis boltok kontra bevásárlóközpontok

What is the difference between a supermarket and an ordinary shop? Where do you prefer
shopping? Do you prefer self-service or counter service? Why? What are the advantages
of supermarkets over small shops? – In a supermarket you can get almost everything
under one roof. Almost all supermarkets are self-service shops, which are very popular
because you can see many different varieties of the available articles and you make your
choice as you please. I prefer shopping in a supermarket, but I know there is some people
who don’t like it. These people have to walk from shop to shop a long time till they can

14
get everything if they haven’t forgotten half of what they originally wanted. Another
advantage of supermarkets is that they have lower prices than small shops. I suppose this
is because bulk sale (tömegeladás) is cheaper. But sometimes they cut the price of certain
goods so that people will come to them. However, people who are in favour of small
shops argue (érvel) that their needs are much better looked after in a small shop and that
the assistants are more polite and attentive when serving them.

3.Vásárlói reklamációk
We often complain of the product we bought because it’s unserviceable. In larger
supermarkets there is a service department near the entry. Here you can tell your problems
to the assistants and they try to help you. In smaller shops you can make complaints to the
assistant. If you have problem with the service, you can write down your remarks.

15
7. Communication
1.A mobiltelefon terjedésének okai
Nowadays almost every people have one or more mobile phones. At first it was the rich
people’s prerogative (kiváltság), but now you don’t need to have too much money in order
to buy a mobile phone. It costs only a few thousand forints but if you want you can buy
one for about 500 000 Fts with a lot of extras. The other reason is that the upkeep of a
mobile is more and more cheaper as you can choose from different tariffs, so you can
decide which is suitable for you the most. Moreover, mobiles have more and more
functions so you can use it as an alarm clock, you can play on it, watch and make videos,
listen to music, take photos, etc.

2.A nyelvtudás szerepe a kommunikációban

How important is it for you to speak languages? - Speaking a language is inevitable
(szükségszerű) in our modern world. Since Hungarian is not a widely spoken language,
you have to be familiar with at least one foreign language to be able to get along in life. In
all walks of life (életpálya) speaking a language at a high conversational level is required.
One can’t go to a job interview without being able to utter (kimond) a word in some
foreign language. Moreover, you have to express yourself clearly to get accepted and be
given the job. Nowadays the most advisable language to study is English. It is considered
an international language in a lot of areas, especially when using a computer. Together
with French it is the language of diplomacy. For Hungarians it is also useful to have a
good command (beszédkészség) of German. Every summer we have thousands of students
coming from Austria and Germany.

3.Az angol nyelv erősödő dominanciája

Why are you studying English? (The importance of learning languages)
-to talk freely to each other about business, politics, culture, hobbies, sport
-to promote (elmélyít) friendship and understanding among people
-to establish ties to other nations
-to make friends
-to correspond (levelez)
-to learn about other people’s culture, way of life
-to read authors in the original
-to understand foreign TV channels
-to better informed about the world
-to make oneself understood while travelling
-to have more chances to travel on business
-to get a scholarship (ösztöndíj)
-to go abroad to study
-to read scientific articles
-to keep abreast of (lépést tart) the latest discoveries and inventions
-to have an all-around education

16
8. Szolgáltatások
1.Autóbérlés
Reasons:
-when somebody travel to abroad and he/she can’t bring the car
-for wedding, parties (to carry the guests)
Advantages: you don’t need to use public transport when you are abroad, when you rent it
for a wedding/party you can choose from unique limousines, it is well maintained
Disadvantages: expensive, you have to attend to it very much, if you scathe (kárt tesz) the
car you have to pay

2.Biztosítás, fajtái
An insurance is a contract when an individual or entity gets financial protection against
losses.
Types of insurances:
-health insurance (insurance policies cover medical treatment)
-disability insurance (policies provide financial support for people who can’t work)
-casualty insurance
-life insurance
-Property insurance
-liability (kötelezettség biztosítás) insurance
-credit
-other types

3.Utazási irodák/Bankok
What do a travel agency arrange for you when you will go for a tour? - The
accommodation, the travel to the place you want to visit, and the eating
What is their function? -arrange and sell inland and outlander tours
-sell tickets
-offer guides and translators
-change money
-rent you a car abroad
What is a bank? - The bank is the most characteristic element of the monetary moderator
system and provides you different monetary services. It’s more important function is
providing credits and collecting the deposits. It gets account from the fees of the services
and from the interest of the credits.

4.Javítások/garancia
Which a products are guaranteed? - Usually electrical devices which are expensive.
What do you do when a guaranteed device breaks down? - You can carry it to the nearest
brand service and there it will be repaired for free. If the servicemen can’t repair it, you
will get a new one.

5.Közüzemi szolgáltatások
What things belong to public utility service?
-electricity
-gas
-chimney sweeping
-dispatch of the garbage
-water and water gang

17
9. Kultúra, szórakozás
1.Zenei irányzatok/Zenei ízlés
-metal -rock -alternative rock/metal -pop -country -dance -death metal -disco -drum and
bass -jazz -electronic -folk -gothic -hardcore -hip hop -house -opera -punk -soul -salsa
-techno
Light music: +: -you can dance to it -popular -: -there are a lot of untalented singer
Classical music: +: -it can be relaxing -fastidious -: -it can be boring

2.Könyv kontra internet

Könyv  Internet 

Előny ∙ You can read it anywhere   ∙ Plenty of information  

∙ Authoritative   ∙ The world is within easy reach  
∙ develop your vocabulary   ∙ E-mails  
∙ fastidious expression  ∙ To download music, films, books  
∙ abiding  ∙ To listen to foreign radio stations 
∙ To perfect a language  
∙ To play games  
∙ To be up-to-date 
∙ To purchase various products  
∙ To order food  
∙ To transfer  (áthelyez) money 

Hátrány  ∙ It deteriorate in the course of ∙ Unreliable information  

the time   ∙ Hackers  
∙ It don’t contains  current ∙ To become addicted (függő)  
information  in the course of ∙ To have your money stolen from your
the  time  bank account  
∙ To forget about outdoor activities  
∙ No real personal  contact 

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3.Mozi, színház kontra TV, videó

Mozi, színház  Tv, videó 

Előny  ✔ Ambitious form o You can choose from a lot

of entertainment of exciting action
✔ You can choose from a lot films/adventure films/comedies/dramas
of exciting /fantasies/horrors/romances/cartoons  
action films/adventure o On the tv you can choose from a
✔ You can see films and plays lot of channels  
in clear and nice   o A cheap form of entertainment  
ambiance   o Inform you about the world 
✔ A good programme for the
family  
✔ You can see the
newest film  
✔ You can develop your 
literacy

Hátrány  ▪ Expensive   ❖ Spoil family life  

▪ The other people can disturb ❖ To sit glued to the set  
you   ❖ To get distracted from my
▪ In the theatre you have to
studies 
wear casual clothes 
❖ To become a couch potato  
❖ To relax in a passive way  
❖ To quarrel over which channels
to watch  
❖ To ruin one’s eye-sight 

19
10. Time/weather
1.Az előrejelzések szerepe, pontossága
Why is it important to know the weather forecast? - It’s important because it’s good to
know in the morning that I will need an umbrella, a pullover or a jacket or not. If we want
to go on holiday we should follow with attention the weather forecast in order to decide
when we should go or what we must carry to the tour.
Are weather forecasts accurate? - Not always. Although there is some technique to know
the weather in the future but these aren’t always accurate.
Techniques: -unchangingness
-tendency
-other scientific methods

2.Időjárás és közérzet
Does weather affect your mood in any way? - People often say about bad weather that it
gets them down and I think it is true for everybody. It is quite distressing (lehangoló)
when the sky is overcast and I become depressed and low-spirited, a sunny day, however,
can put me in a good mood. The changing of the climate causes stress and fronts cause
heart diseases, seizure and thrombosis.

3.A klíma és a növény-/állatvilág összefüggései

How does the climate of a country influence its agriculture? - Bad weather conditions
usually mean that the crop will be of poor quality and there will be no crop at all. Hails
(jégeső) damage the wheat or maize (kukorica), whole fields can dry up and fruit in the
trees can refuse (elutasít) to ripen (érik) owing to (tartozik vmihez) long periods of
drought (szárazság).
How does the climate influence the animal life? - In some places the animals are in danger
because of global warming. In the north pole polar bears are in danger because the ice-
floats are melting so they have to swim more in order to get food but they can die between
to ice-floats.

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11. Egészség:
- egészséges és egészségtelen táplálkozás, ételek
- egészséges életmód jellemzői
- egészségügyi ellátások
The word health really means good health, when you feel fine. But it also possible to
speak about poor health, when you feel out of sorts, do not feel up to the mark. A regular
way of life is very important to good health. Have your meals at regular times, devote
(szán) enough time to recreation, sports in the fresh air and sunshine. Many people who
feel unwell or nervous are just exhausted, overworked and need a good rest. To be healthy
you should eat healthy food, such as chicken and fish, vegetables, fruits, cheese, yoghurt
and cereals, exercise regularly and try to avoid stress. I try to live in the healthiest way
possible. I eat healthy food, that is, little fat and sugar and lots of vegetables and fruit. I
take exercises at home three times a week and walk a lot with my friends every day.
Health cares are cover all people and they’re nearly free. Of course, it’s not free because
employees and employers pay social security contributions to the state to cover their
health cares. Las year we paid visit fee at doctors and bed fee in the hospitals per day.
Health cares may be benefit in kind and monetary allocation (pénzbeli juttatás). Benefit in
kind may be the price of medicine support. Monetary allocation is sick-pay and child care
allowance and fee. There are private medical cares but they’re so expensive. Important
institute (intézmény/alapítás) is the sick-pay what is paid by the employees and social
insurance. When an employer is sick, go to the doctor and stay at home, he or she gets the
70 per cent of his or her salary as sick-pay. Some employees pay the medical
examinations (orvosi vizsgálat) for the employers, especially the multinational companies.

Betegség:
- korunk leggyakoribb betegségei (rák, infarktus, keringési zavarok, AIDS) és megelőzése
- szenvedélybetegségek (alkohol, drog, dohány)
- stressz, pszichés eredetű betegségek
- orvosi ellátás
In Hungary most people have coronary diseases or suffer from cancer. I think the majority
of people don’t pay enough attention to their health and go to see a doctor only when it’s
too late. In my opinion, in Africa the biggest problem is the spread (terjedés) of AIDS,
which is due to (köszönhető) ignorance (tudatlanság), lack of money and education. In the
developed countries the most serious issue is cancer because in most of the cases it is
incurable. When you are unwell, you see the doctor in his surgery or send for him. Last
year you had to pay visit fee. You tell him your trouble and he examines you by sounding
your lings, listening to your heart, taking your blood pressure, feeling your pulse and
taking your temperature. If it is nothing serious, there is nothing much to worry about, but
you may have to take some prescription. He may put you on a diet, tell you to stay away
from work or put you on the sick list. If you are in need of urgent hospital treatment, the
doctor will ring for the ambulance. As polyclinics are not self-sufficient for every kind of
medical examination, you may be sent to hospital for observation. (sufficient = elegendő)
Medical attendance (ellátás) covers the emergency medical- and accident attendance,
hospital treatment and recourse of family doctor. Herbs can replace medicines in certain
cases and provide a more natural treatment. Herbs are mainly used to make teas. I believe
in natural therapy not tablets and medicines. Unfortunately, many people are overweight
in Hungary. People don’t care about leading a healthy way of life. They eat too much and
too many fatty foods and they don’t do any sports. They don’t even walk, but use their
cars or public transport.

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There are addictions (szenvedély), which are very harmful, for example: smoking, drugs
and drinking.
Smoking is very harmful and it’s very difficult to give up smoking. I think smokers smoke
cigarettes out of sheer habit not for the taste and flavour of cigarette.
Drinking coffee is harmful too, but for some people who has low blood pressure it’s
helpful.
I think drugs are the most dangerous passion because it’s cracked up (lerobban) the body
so quickly. Taking drugs weakens (gyengíti) the (drug)addicts’ immune system, makes
them susceptible (hajlamossá teszi) to strokes and causes anemia. Young people try drugs
mostly because of curiosity (kíváncsiság). Young people’s idols, famous pop stars, actors
and actresses, also take drugs and show a bad example for them. Giving up drugs is very
difficult because drugs are extremely addictive. I think it is almost impossible to give up
drugs without professional help.
Drinking is as dangerous as taking drugs, both of them mend the feelings for a short time.
Adults should call the attention of young people to the health hazards of drinking. They
should make teenagers realize that alcohol is as addictive as drugs and cigarettes.
Drinking is especially dangerous for young people as their liver functions are not
developed enough to stop alcohol from destroying their brain cells. I think it’s impossible
to stop people from smoking and drinking with laws or regulations. Producing and
distributing cigarettes and alcoholic drinks is a very profitable business.
Stress is also a common trouble in our days. The most typical form is the stress at
occupation. Future exercises and quick work tempo cause quick pulse, strain and phobia.
This is a psychological trouble, such as anorexia, sexual problems, phobias (hydrophobia,
claustrophobia), inside illnesses, etc. to be allergic to sg – allergiás vmire (I’m allergic to
pollen)

22
12. Sport
Sportolás/Egészséges életmód
What do you think of smoking, alcoholism and drug taking? - Being very widespread in
Hungary, smoking affects a lot of people. It is very harmful for your health especially for
your circulatory system, throat, windpipes and lungs. Alcoholism is even worse because
once you have become dependent on alcohol it is extremely difficult to give drinking up.
And alcohol will slowly but surely ruin not only your health, but also your and your
families’ lives. Drugs are problem too. We must do everything to prevent a large number
of youngsters getting affected by drug taking.
What must we do to keep in good health? - To keep in good health we should first of all
not join the rat-race of modern life. We should avoid stress and tension (feszültség) and do
some exercises every day. It is important to breathe a bit of fresh air and not to sit inside
from morning till night. We should try to avoid fatty meat and animal fats in general so as
not to be overweight. Remember the saying: An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Have you ever dieted? How did you diet? - I have dieted before because I wanted to be a
little bit healthier. I ate a lot of vegetables and fruits, avoided sugary and fatty meals and
exercised 5 times a week.
What should a healthy diet contain? - A healthy diet should contain at least the same
amount fiber (rost) as fat. It should contain the major nutrients, such as vitamins, protein,
calories and iron. It should be high in vegetables and grains (gabona), with a modest
(mérsékelt) amount of meat.
What kind of food do you like to eat? - Unfortunately, I prefer fast foods because it’s
cheap and I don’t need to prepare it, but I know that I shouldn’t eat these junk foods.
When I have enough time to make food for myself I usually cook something healthy.
Are you interested in sports? Are you involved in any regular sport activity? What do you
do to keep fit? – Yes, I am very interested in sports, I play handball as well. We usually
have 3-4 trainings a week. Besides that, I usually work out at home because I want to be
fit and stay healthy. Sometimes, when the weather is good I go for a run.

Labdasportok/csapatjátékok/játék-szabályok
Which ball games are Hungarians quite good at? Are there any sports that we used to
excel in? (kitűnik) - We are quite good at handball and water polo. We used to excel in
table tennis and football but we are not very good at them anymore.

Different types of ball games:

- Bat-and-ball games, such as baseball, cricket and golf.
-Two-goal games, such as basketball and all forms of football, hockey or lacrosse.
-Volleying games, such as volleyball and tennis.
-"Target" games, such as bowling and lot ball.

Team sports:
Advantages: -you can play it with your friends
-enjoyable
–it develops your stamina
Disadvantages: -usually tiring
-you must deal with the others

What are the basic rules of football? - There are two teams, each consisting of ten players
and the goalkeeper, who play each other on a pitch. No player but the goalkeeper may
handle the ball, but heading is allowed. The forwards (csatár) try to out-maneuver

23
(kicselez) the opponents and try to get close enough to the goal to kick the ball into it. If
this happens, it means a goal and the team leads by one goal to nil. The game is governed
by a lot of rules which must be strictly observed. A referee assisted by two linesmen sees
to that. The referee awards a free kick or a penalty (büntető) if there is foul (szabálytalan)
game. He may even send a player off the field for a grave (súlyos) offence. In this case no
replacement is allowed. The team that scores more goals win the match.

Vízisportok/téli sportok
In the water
 Swimming includes pool swimming and open water swimming
 Triathlon is usually a combination of swimming, cycling and running
 Modern pentathlon includes epee fencing, pistol shooting, swimming, a show jumping
course on horseback, and cross country running
 Rescue swimming is swimming with the goal to rescue other swimmers or the practice
thereof
 Water polo is a team sport played in water.
 Synchronized swimming is a hybrid of swimming, gymnastics, and ballet
 Water aerobics is aerobics in the water
 Water gymnastics is gymnastics in the water
 Snorkeling is the practice of swimming at the surface (typically of the sea) being
equipped with a mask and a short tube called a snorkel.
 Diving off springboards or off platforms
 Synchronized diving
 A water slide is a slide with water flowing down it

Under water (Main article: Recreational diving)

 Scuba diving is swimming under water using a (self-contained) breathing apparatus
 Free-diving is the aim to maximize the depth dived using no breathing apparatus
 Underwater hockey is hockey played under water with short wooden curved sticks and
a heavy puck. Players wear diving masks, snorkels, and fins, and must surface to breathe
while team mates continue the game on the pool bottom.
 Underwater photography is photography done under water. Numerous contests
worldwide are arranged every year. The digital cameras have revolutionized how many
divers participate.

On the water
 Skurfing is where the participant "scurf’s" behind a boat on a surfboard
 Barefoot water skiing is waterskiing with no skiis
 Boating is the use of boats
 Bodyboarding is similar to surfing, but the board is smaller and the person (normally)
lies down on the board
 Canoeing
 Fishing is the recreation and sport of catching fish
 Kayaking
 Kite surfing on flat water using a kite for propulsion
 Parasailing where a person is towed behind a vehicle (usually a boat) while attached to
a parachute
 Rafting

24
 Sailing using the wind for propulsion
 Surfing downhill on waves
 Wakeboarding is similar to water skiing, but using only one board attached to the feet
 Wake skating is similar to wakeboarding, but the board is not attached to the feet
 Water skiing is using skis to slide over the water while being pulled by a boat or other
device
 Windsurfing on flat water using wind for propulsion in combination with sails
 Yachting sailing on yachts, day sailing, cruising or Yacht Racing

Winter Sports
Ice Skating (See also team sports.)
 Figure skating
 Short-track speed skating
 Speed skating
 Synchronized skating

Snowboarding
 Freestyle snowboarding
 Alpine snowboarding
 Boarder cross
 Slalom

Skiing: Sports in which skis are used on snow.

 Alpine skiing
 Biathlon
 Cross country skiing
Firngleiten
 Freestyle skiing
 Nordic combined
 Ski archery
 Ski boarding
 Skibob
 Skijoring
 Ski jumping
 Snowshoe
 Speed skiing
 Telemark skiing

Sledding: Sports that use sleds going down ice tracks or pulled by something.
 Ice Blocking
 Bobsleigh
 Luge
 Skeleton
 Wok racing
 Dogsled racing

Team sports /Sports that involve teams, played on ice

 Bandy

25
 Broomball
 Curling
 Ice hockey
 Ice stock sport
 Ringette
 Sledge hockey - (Winter Paralympic Sport)
 Snowball Association - (Last one standing)

Recreational sports: Some 'sports' are competed (or simply enjoyed) on a more casual
basis, often by children.
 Ice boating or Ice sailing
 Tobogganing
 Snowball fight
 Building snowmen
 Shinny
 Ice swimming
 Ice fishing

Famous Winter sport resort regions

 Andes
 Rocky Mountains
 Alps
 Snowy Mountains
 Karkonosze Mountains/Sudeten mountains
 Lapland
 Appalachian Mountains
 Carpathian Mountains
 Balkan Mountains
 Swiss Alps

26
13. A médiáról angolul
Napilapok jellege, rovataik
What is the layout of a daily paper like in Hungary? What kind of articles are there on the
first page? What is a leading article and what is an editorial (vezércikk)? What kind of
news occupies the inside pages and the back page? - Daily papers are almost the same as
one another in appearance and layout. They all have a political section containing world
and domestic news. The main news are usually placed on the first page right under the
heading. This is the so-called leading article, or leader and is written by the editor of the
paper. Current events or topicalities (aktuális hírek) may also be reported and commented
on by the editor in the editorial on the front page, usually with big headlines. The arts
review and the science pages are usually in the middle of the paper followed by the
fashion, gossip and travel columns while sports news is generally on one of the last pages
if not on the back page.
Apart from news what other features does a newspaper contain? - Apart from news,
newspapers also contain many other features like advertisements, announcements of
births, marriages and death, crossword puzzles, horoscopes, letters from readers,
obituaries of famous people who have died, TV and radio programmes, weather forecasts
and classified (titkos) advertisements, which may be personal or may advertise jobs,
houses or cars for sale or objects wanted.

Szenzáció és hírközlés
What are the disadvantages of mass media? - Some commercial Tv and radio channels
and tabloid paper (szenzációhajhászó napilap) even fabricate stories to keep the reader or
the viewer occupied (elfoglalt). Their stories are around scandals (botrány) and sensations,
since this is what most people interested in. Moreover, a lot of untalented people will be
famous because of mass media.
Mass media in Hungary: Bad points: to deceive (becsap) the public
To bias (befolyásol) public opinion
To lack basic organisation principles (elv)
To fabricate stories
To be centred around scandals
To be sensational
To be full of commercials (reklám)
Good points: to be democratic
No censorship
To cover a wide range of events
To report about important political events/scientific discoveries
to be versatile (sokoldalú)
to keep abreast (egymás mellett) of time
to keep the public informed
What kind of news does the sensational paper cover? - The circulation of tabloid papers is
especially large when reporters or correspondents (tudósító) are capable (képes) of writing
scoops (szenzáció). In these cases, the naive reader who is always hungry for sensations
won’t omit (elmulaszt) to buy the paper.

Média és kultúraközvetítés
What kind of news does a quality paper cover? - Quality papers are mainly for highbrow
(intellektuális) readers and for those who are interested in more serious matters. Every
political party has one or two papers whose news coverage is nearest to their tastes.

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14. Szabadidő:
- szórakozó helyek, baráti összejövetelek,
- hobbik, a kikapcsolódás egyéb lehetőségei.

There are lots of pleasure grounds all over the world. I think everywhere there are pubs,
discoes, clubs, etc. We go out with my friends especially to pubs where we can chat, listen
to music, dance and eat something. But the garden parties are friendlier and cheaper. We
usually organize barbecues with children, this time they can play and run in the garden. I
usually go to a wellness-weekend with my parents once a year in winter because all of us
work a lot all of the year. There are some well-known spas in Hungary, for example,
Hévíz and Hajdúszoboszló, and many people, including foreigners, go there.
A hobby is an activity that you like doing and do quite often. Hobbies are a form of
recreation. If you have a hobby, it’s easier to regain energy after a hard day’s work.
Depending on the type of the hobby, you can also make friends. Unfortunately, many
Hungarians spend their free time at home watching TV. But there are some who do some
physical activities regularly, like swimming, aerobics or hiking. Nowadays many young
people spend much of their time playing computer games either at home or in internet
cafes. I think men and women usually have different kinds of hobbies, for example, very
few women go fishing and they are not so interested in extreme sports, either. On the
other hand, men generally aren’t interested in needlework or pottery. In my opinion both
men and women do gardening but they tend to do different jobs in the garden. Women
like dealing with flowers, they weed the flowerbeds, plant new varieties and they design
the whole garden. Men usually prune the trees, trim the hedges and mow the lawn.
Collecting stamps, coins, autographs, phone cards, beer mats or napkins, model building,
doing needlework or woodwork, pottery, basketry, playing an instrument and dancing are
indoor hobbies, while hiking, mountaineering, caving, sailing, fishing, canoeing and
birdwatching are outdoor hobbies. My brother’s hobbies are collecting phone cards and
trying out new sports. I like reading and I like to be an Avon consultant. I love to play
handball since I was 8. I usually watch handball games on TV, because I can learn a lot
from them. As far as I know, the English like playing golf and cricket, and there are quite
a few soccer fans among them. They often mow the lawn and wash their cars at weekends,
while some British people go to horse races to bet or just to watch the race. Some
Americans go to baseball and basketball games regularly to support their teams. But there
are others who prefer staying at home and watching these games on TV while eating
snacks. I think Hungarian people collect the same things that people like collecting all
over the world, mostly stamps and coins. If we considered a sport that many people pursue
popular, the most popular sport in Hungary are football, handball, hiking and aerobics. If a
popular sport means a sport that many people watch, besides football and handball, the
most popular sports are Formula 1 racing, water polo and boxing.

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15. Oktatás, tanulás:
- iskolarendszer, iskolatípusok Magyarországon,
- iskolatípusok a célnyelv országában (Anglia, USA),
- iskolai élmények, felsőoktatás, a tanulás, továbbképzés más lehetőségei,
- diákcsere, diákmobilitás

When children are 2 or 3 years old, they sometimes go to a nursery school, where they
learn simple games and songs. In England there are not enough nursery schools for all
children under five, so parents themselves often form play groups for children under five
where they can go a couple of times a week. From 5 to 7 years, children go to infant
schools and from 8 to 11 years to junior schools. From the age of 11 most children attend
a comprehensive school until the age of 16 or 18. Higher education covers universities,
polytechnics and colleges of education. In the United States children start the 8-grade
elementary school at the age of six. After the elementary school, the students attend four
years of high school. In some cases, students between 12-14 go to junior high school and
then attend a 3-year high school. After high school the students can attend university for
four years. State and private university masters’ degrees are completed in one to two
years, and doctoral degrees can take seven years. It’s the same in Hungary. Children’s first
real school is called a primary school. Usually at the age of six, but parents can decide
whether those children who were born in autumn start when they are six, or a year later. In
England they start at the age of five and in the States the system is the same as in
Hungary. Secondary education begins at the age of about 14. In Hungary there are
secondary grammar, secondary technical and vocational schools. Mostly those students
choose secondary grammar schools who plan to go on to higher education. Students who
would like to learn a trade or profession besides passing their school-leaving exam go to
secondary technical schools. I passed the school-leaving exam in a Secondary School of
Economics. Vocational schools train skilled workers, such as plumbers, joiners and
hairdressers. The training lasts three years in these schools. After high-school graduation
they can go to university or college. These courses normally last 4 years and then students
graduate, which means they receive their degree. At university, teaching is by tutorial,
seminar, lecture and of course private study. Most people who receive a university place
are given a grant by the government to help pay their fees and living expenses. Full-time
students attend school on weekdays and correspondence students go to classes mainly on
Fridays and Saturday. I went to college every second Friday and Saturday, so I could work
or I could stay at home with my child. Other facilities of continuing professional
education are the crash-courses and OKJ trainings, where you get an official and received
certificate. Nowadays most young people want to become economists, lawyers or deal
with some field of computer science. Many of them think that it will be easy to find well-
paying jobs with these degrees. The program of student barter is a very good thing.
Students can meet foreign people, countries and cultures, and during they learn foreign
languages. I think it has only advantages.

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16.Az Európai Unió
Munka és egyén:
- munkaidő (részmunkaidő, alkalmi munkák, több műszak, álláshalmozás),
- álláskeresés módjai,
- népszerű szakmák,
- külföldi munkavállalás (előnyök, hátrányok),
- karrier és/vagy család.

Munka és társadalom:
- foglalkozások presztízse,
- munkanélküliség,
- ellátások,
- pályakezdők a munkaerőpiacon.

Jobs are traditionally divided up into two large categories: blue collar and white collar.
Blue collar jobs are generally the manual labour type, such as factory work, road crews,
building and construction, etc. The white collar jobs are the office jobs such as bank
clerks, office workers, teachers, computer operators, etc. They are called blue and white
collar because of the colour of the shirt traditionally worn in those jobs. Wearing a
uniform is still required for numerous jobs, such as police officers, hotel doormen, nurses
and many others.
While many jobs have regular hours – typically 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and called “nine-to-five”
jobs – some require shift work. There is usually a hierarchy in a work place, and at the top
is employer, usually called the boss, who is generally a type of executive of manger.
Below this are other supervisors and then the other employees. Sometimes there is a
labour union in the work place to protect the rights of the workers. Full-time jobs mean
that you work 8 hours a day. If you have a part-time job, you work less, usually 4 or 6
hours a day. Employer can work more – two or three – shifts. There are day- or nightshift
and swing shift too. Odd job is valid to occasions or seasons, for example, snow scoop in
winter or farmhand in summer. Some people have more jobs called accumulation, such as
the politicians. It’s possible that they have other functions beside the function of political.
Salaries are fixed monthly payments especially for professional employees or people
working in an office.
These days a lot of young people would like to become lawyers or economists, or they
would like to find a job in connection with computer science. The main reason why these
jobs are so popular is that they are well-paid. Most young people would like to work for a
big company and get a company car, a mobile phone and a laptop, and where they can
travel abroad on business. There are some young people who choose a popular job, no
matter whether they are interested in that field or not. Others try to find work that suits
their abilities and interest. There are families where the parents tell their children what to
become.
Nowadays it’s easier to gain admission to an institution of higher education, but it’s more
difficult to find a lucrative job after graduation. There are many more students in higher
education than some years ago, so the job market is getting full.
In my opinion, a good job must be challenging and motivating. I would like to work with
people and help them. It’s very important for me to enjoy what I do and be a member of a
good team.
Employee provides job security, good salary and fringe benefits, such as free health
insurance, travel subsidies and sports facilities. A good employer constantly tries to
motivate the employees and creates ideal working conditions. He or she should organize

30
activities for the employees outside work, like sightseeing tours and evening programmes.
A good employee is efficient, loyal to the employer and reliable. He or she has to adapt to
changing work conditions and has to be able to cooperate with others.
Women have become more career-oriented. They don’t have to stay at home and look
after their children as there are crèches and nursery schools. They can take care of
housework more easily because there are labour-saving household devices. Another
reason why they go to work is that the family needs the money.
I think we don’t have to choose between family and career if we can map out and we have
family support. In my opinion the middle-aged and elderly people are at a disadvantage
when they are looking for a job because most companies advertise jobs for people under
35. In turn these people can work very well and they don’t have to go on sick leave
because they haven’t got little children.
According to the law, women and men get the same salary for the same job, but as far as I
know, especially in blue-collar jobs, women are paid less because they are considered
weaker than men. Traditionally there are men’s jobs and women’s jobs. For example,
turners are mostly men, and kindergarten teachers are mostly women.
The most frequent reason is that an employee is made redundant and has to find another
job. He or she has to leave either because the firm goes bankrupt or closes down, or
because the employer is not satisfied with his or her work. There might be family reasons
as well. Some people have to change jobs because of their health. There are people who
change for a better paid job or a job with better benefits. Other change jobs just because
their tasks have become monotonous and they need a change. Unfortunately, in today’s
economic hard times a lot of people don’t have jobs and can’t find the kind of work they
were trained for. These people are unemployed, and it’s sad to say their numbers are
growing.
If I’m search of a job, I ask my friends whether they know about vacancies. I read job
advertisement, surf the net and go to a job agent. I found all of my jobs by TopSec, so I’m
pleased with them. Firstly, I called this company, we made an appointment, and went to
the office with my CV. I was done some exercises and talked a lot. They took on me to
their database, and after a week they called me that I could go to an appraisal interview. It
was successful.
A CV contains personal details, such as the candidate’s name, address, phone number,
nationality, date of birth and marital status. You must give details of your education and
qualifications, your previous experience, your language and other skills. You may also
include a list of your interests. It’s advisable to add names of people who can provide
references. Some people think that their life will be easier and more interesting abroad.
They also hope to earn much more money than in Hungary, but they might not consider
that life is more expensive abroad.
The advantages of working abroad are that you can learn the local language, get to know
interesting people, and acquire the most recent technologies. Probably you earn more,
although your expenditures can be higher too. The disadvantages include that you might
feel like an outsider, have language problems and find the people around you and their
customs strange. You might often feel lonely as you are far from your family and friends.
Unemployment is a serious social problem all over the world. Unemployed means that
somebody hasn’t worked for a month, and he or she’s looking for a job. I think most of
them are middle-aged and elder. Of course there are entrant unemployed too, because lots
of employee want a young, well-educated but well-practised employers. The state and the
government assure social supplies to the indigents. For example, pensioners get pension,
parents get family allowance, everybody get medical assurance and unemployed people
get dole. Of course, therefore people have to pay several taxes when they work. In my

31
opinion the state has to solve the problem, for example, with free re-trainings and odd job
or jobs of public utility. Of course, people have to change their habits. Change of
residence and workplace or profession may be often a good resolution.

32
17. Magyarország (országismeret)
- vizsgázó lakóhelye
- főbb turisztikai attrakciók, főbb kulturális attrakciók,
- Magyarország és a világ,
- NATO és EU

Hungary is situated in the heart of Europe and it covers an area of 93.000 square
kilometres. It has a population of about 10 million inhabitants and has been a republic
since October 23, 1989, when it adopted a new Constitution. To the west, Hungary
borders Austria; to the south, Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia; to the east Romania and the
Ukraine; and to the north, Slovakia. Most of the country is flat. The hills in the western
part of the country lead to the Alps, while higher hills lying to the northeast are part of the
Carpathian Alps. The biggest river is the Danube, the highest point in Hungary is a peak
in the Mátra Mountains called Kékestető. Lake Balaton is the largest lake in Central
Europe, it’s a popular holiday resort with Hungarians and other Europeans alike. The
climate of Hungary is temperate, with distinct seasons. The capital of Hungary is
Budapest with about 2 million inhabitants: it is the political, economic, commercial and
cultural centre of the country. It is also one of the most important railway junctions in
Europe. It lies on the two banks of the River Danube. Buda and Pest were two towns
before 1873 when the two parts of the city and Óbuda were officially united. Other major
cities are Miskolc, Debrecen, Szeged and Pécs. While Hungary is one of the most
ethnically homogeneous countries in Central Europe (90% of the population are
Magyars), it does have a number of different minorities, the largest of which are the
Gypsies.
Hungary is a parliamentary republic. There are parliamentary elections every four years,
and the leader of the winning party is asked by the president to form the government. The
president is elected by the parliament every five years. Hungary is divided into the capital,
19 counties, 22 towns of county rank and 23 districts in Budapest.

I live in Budapest in the 17th district. It’s a green belted location and it’s far from the city
centre and it’s more peaceful and healthy. There are several attractions in Budapest:
Matthias Church: a 700-year-old gothic church on Castle hill, re-built in the last century.
Many kings were crowned here.
City Park: the largest open space in Budapest, it contains the zoo, funfair, and a castle
specially built to show the many styles of Hungarian architecture.
Elizabeth Bridge: the only bridge to be re-built in modern style after the War, it was the
first cable bridge in Europe and is famous for its slender, graceful lines.
The Royal Palace: originally a castle from the 13th century, it was re-built as a
magnificent residence for the monarchy in the 19th century and now houses the National
Gallery.
Parliament: the seat of the Hungarian government, building began in 1885 and finished
in 1905.
Chain Bridge: the first permanent link between Buda and Pest, it was the brainchild of
István Széchenyi and was designed and built by two British engineers, both named Clark.
The Citadel and Liberation monument: A Habsburg fortress on the highest hill of the
Danube bank, with the statue commemorating the release of Hungary from Nazi
domination at the end of the World War II.
Heroes’ Square: flanked by the Fine Arts Museum and the Art Gallery, the central column
carries the Millennium Monument and stands in front of a semi-circle of statues of great

33
historical figures. Margaret Island: in the middle of the Danube, and nearly two miles
long, it is a spacious and varied leisure park with its own spa.
The Fishermen’s Bastion: visitors are usually amazed to learn that this was only built in
1903. it offers excellent views of the city. Hungary joined to NATO (North Atlantic Treaty
Organization in 1999), so our safety and future increased because this organization is a
military union. We joined to EU (European Union) too in 2004 but till now I haven’t felt
the effect of the connection. Probably Hungary has more financial aid but there isn’t
more workplace and better salaries.

I live in Zalaegerszeg. Zalaegerszeg lies on the banks of the Zala River, close to

the  Slovenian and  Austrian  borders and 220 kilometres (137 miles) west-southwest
of  Budapest  by road. It has a population of 60 000.There are many attractions in
Zalaegerszeg:
Aqua park
Dísz Square, Tulip Fountain
several churches
Football Stadium
Tv-tower
Ice Rink
Open Air Village Museum
Göcseji Museum
Oil Industry Museum
Synagogue

A célnyelv országa (i) (Anglia, USA):

Great-Britain
The United Kingdom is a parliamentary democracy with hereditary monarchy, meaning
that there is a monarch but the effective power belongs to the government, which is part of
parliament and responsible to it but also normally dominates it. The government consists
of about a hundred politicians under the Prime Minister. The monarch is always the
previous monarch’s eldest son or eldest daughter if there is no son. The present monarch
is Elizabeth II who belongs to the House of Windsor and who has been the monarch for
more than fifty years.
Great Britain consists of England, Wales and Scotland. The United Kingdom consists of
Great Britain and Northern Ireland. About 59 million people live in the UK, and people
speak English, Welsh and Scottish.
Scotland
There are three large geographical areas in Scotland: The Highlands, the Lowlands and
the Islands, 5 million people live in Scotland. Edinburgh is the capital, Glasgow is the
chief industrial and commercial city. Places to visit:
Alleyway,
Ayrshire – the birthplace of Robert Burns
Balmoral Castle – to be seen from a distance,
The Edinburgh Festival – for music and drama,
The Western Isles – for the beauty of their high land and wide seas,
The Shetlands and Orkneys – the remote and barren northern islands,
Loch Ness – to catch a glimpse of the monster?
England
England is often sub-divided into 3 parts: The North, the Midlands and the South. Some
places of interest in the North:

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Hadrian’s Wall – named after the Roman Emperor Hadrian – was completed into he 2nd
century. It is a huge fortification all along the Scottish border.
The Lake District – an area of mountains and lakes which looks larger than it really is.
Dramatic, romantic scenery.
York – once an important Roman city. It has remains from all periods of history. The city
walls, the cleaned and restored cathedral and its street of medieval buildings are most
impressive. Some places of interest in the Midlands: Stratford-On-Avon – the birthplace
and burial place of William Shakespeare. The Royal Shakespeare Company plays here at
the Festival Theatre as well as in London. Cathedral towns of Worchester and Gloucester
– their ancient cathedral churches are beautiful and the towns provide a centre of cultural
and business life. Coventry – the fine modern cathedral has been built next to the ruined
one, bombed during World War II. The Peak District – an area of Derbyshire, it is
England’s first National Park, protected against industry. Some places of interest in the
South of England: Windsor – the town on the River Thames. Its castle is a royal residence.
Eton – close to Windsor. The famous public school here was founded in 1440. Canterbury
– the cathedral and the residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who is the religious
head of the Church of England. Bath – a beautiful town in the West Country, interesting,
because it was developed and built in the 18th century and remains as it originally was.
Oxford and Cambridge – the famous (and the oldest) university towns in Britain.
Wales
The capital is Cardiff. There are about 3 million inhabitants in Wales. There is a Welsh
language. Welsh folklore and language strengthen each other. Every year a national
festival of traditional poetry and music is held. It is called the ’Eisteddfod’. In the United
Kingdom the longest river is the Server, which rises in Wales and flows into the Bristol
Channel.
Northern Ireland
It is a land of lakes, rivers and a varied sea coast. The biggest lake is Lough Neagh. The
country’s capital is Belfast. It is an industrial centre and port.
London
The capital of the United Kingdom and England is London. It is one of the world’s
leading financial, industrial and cultural centres with about 7 million inhabitants. The
most famous river is the Thames, which flows through London.

The United States of America

America is a nation of immigrants. With the exception of the Native Americans – the
original peoples of America – the people of the U.S.A. came from other countries with
widely differing languages, cultures, values and traditions. The most important values are
freedom and individualism – democratic freedom from tyrannical government and the
individual freedom to make one’s own choices and make the decisions that control one’s
life. Americans believe very strongly in self- reliance – relying on oneself instead of
relying on others – to achieve what one wants. Americans also highly value material
wealth and hard work. The American Dream is that by working hard one can go from
„rags to riches” – from being poor the being very rich. The United States is a federal
presidential republic. The president is elected every four years. The United States of
America, which has approximately 289 million inhabitants, is made up of 50 states, 48
joined together on the continent, plus Alaska and Hawaii. It can roughly be broken up into
five large geographical areas. The highest mountain in the United States is Mount
McKinley, which located in south-central Alaska, in Denali National Park and Preserve.
The longest river is the Mississippi. The capital of the United States is Washington DC. It
has a population of more than half a million.

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New York City is a major port in south-eastern New York State. With its population of
about 7.5 million people, it is the most popular city in the US. It consists of Manhattan,
Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island boroughs. The second most populous city is
Los Angeles with its 3.5 million inhabitants. You can find Hollywood, the centre of US
film and television industry, here. The third largest town is Chicago, an industrial city on
Lake Michigan with about 2.7 million inhabitants. In the United States English, Spanish
and Native Indian Languages are spoken.
The Northeast
While there is a lot of farming in this region, especially in parts of New England, it is best
known as a centre for commerce and heavy industry. Both Boston and Philadelphia are
old cities, Washington, D.C. (the District of Columbia), the capital of the U.S.A., is the
centre of the federal government, and has many fine museums. New York City, called
„the big Apple”, is filled with landmark skyscrapers, museums and other cultural
institutions, and is the home of the Statue of Liberty.
The South
The South has traditionally been known as an agricultural region in the past, principally
growing cotton and tobacco, but now it is experiencing great economic growth and
industrialization. New Orleans is famous for its Mardi Gras (Carnival) celebration and
jazz, and Miami, of course, for its beach.
The Midwest
The Midwest is primarily America’s „breadbasket”, with its endless fields of wheat and
corn in states like Iowa and Kansas, but also has such major commercial and industrial
cities as Chicago and Detroit, automobile capital of the U.S. Chicago, which is on Lake
Michigan. The Southwest: The Southwest is a huge area with deserts, like Death Valley,
as well as fertile farmlands, such as the orange groves of California. New high-tech
industries are located in „Silicon Valley”, and there are oil wells in Texas and New
Mexico. The Grand Canyon is one of its many spectacular natural wonders. Major cities
include Dallas, of TV series fame, Santa Fe, an important cultural centre, and Los
Angeles, home of Disneyland and the movie industry in Hollywood. The West: The West
lives on in everyone’s imagination as the Wild West, with its cowboys and gunfighters,
American Indians and prospecting for gold, and it’s the birthplace of Levi’s blue jeans.
Among its most famous cities are San Francisco with its hills, streetcars and the Golden
Gate Bridge, Denver, the Mile High City where skiers love to go, Seattle, known for its
year-round temperate climate, and Las Vegas, gambling capital of the U.S

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18. Ember és társadalom:
- szociális ellátások (nyugdíj, egészségbiztosítás, munkanélküli segély)
- társadalmi mozgalmak (civil szervezetek, szakszervezet, klubok, egyesületek)
- közbiztonság
- bűn, bűnüldözés
- munkanélküliség.

The state and the government assure social supplies to the indigents. For example,
pensioners get pension, parents get family allowance, everybody get medical assurance
and unemployed people get dole. Of course, therefore people have to pay several taxes
when they work.
Social movements are non-governmental organizations, foundations, trade unions, clubs,
associations, etc. These organizations protect their members and they fight their true
together. (I disapprove of people who demonstrate on our national holidays nowadays.)
Public safety means the security of the public namely citizens. The police’s job is the
support of the public safety. Public security includes especially murder, burglary, car
upsurge and stealing and actions versus property. I think the public safety not so high in
Hungary especially in the capital. I think the preventing of offense is more important and
effective than criminal investigation. Everything that do harm to somebody and there is in
the criminal code is offense. Criminal code describes all offenses and their sanctions.
Unemployment is a serious social problem all over the world. Unemployed means that
somebody hasn’t worked for a month, and he or she’s looking for a job. I think most of
them are middle-aged and elder. Of course there are entrant unemployed too, because lots
of employee want a young, well-educated but well-practised employers. In my opinion the
state has to solve the problem, for example, with free re-trainings and odd job or jobs of
public utility. Of course, people have to change their habits. Change of residence and
workplace or profession may be often a good resolution.

Ünnepek és ünnepnapok:
- családi ünnepek (születésnap, névnap, évfordulók)
- állami ünnepek
- egyházi ünnepek, szokások

Many countries around the world share certain holidays, such as New Year’s Day, Easter
and Christmas, but not every country celebrates them in the same ways or even on the
same day. We celebrate birthdays, name days, wedding anniversaries, March 15, Easter,
Whitsun, Mother’s Day, August 20, October 23, All Soul’s Day, Christmas and New
Year’s Day.
In Hungary most people get married on a Saturday afternoon. All couples have to get
married in a registry office, and those who are religious have a church wedding, too. In the
registry office, the ceremony is led by a registrar, and the couple and their two witnesses
sign the register. The bride wears a long white wedding dress with a veil and a train, and
the bridegroom an elegant dark suit with a white shirt and a tie. The bride holds a bouquet,
and the bridegroom has a boutonniere. After the ceremony there is a reception, which held
in a restaurant, and in villages is often held in a big tent. At the reception several kinds of
dishes are served and the new couple cuts the wedding cake. At midnight the couple
change their clothes and the so-called bride’s dance starts. All the guests dance with the
bride and give some money to the couple to contribute to their new life together.
Name days aren’t celebrated, for example, in English-speaking countries. In Hungary
name days are almost as important as birthdays and are celebrated in all families.

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At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas is a holiday full of
traditions. The most important day is Christmas Eve, December 24, when the family
comes together for the Christmas dinner. The traditional dishes are fish soup, stuffed
cabbage and poppy seed and nut rolls. The Christmas tree is decorated before the dinner
with sweets, brightly coloured lights and glass ornaments, and Christmas presents are
placed under it. At midnight lots of families go to church for the midnight service. On
Christmas Day and Boxing Day relatives visit each other and have lunch together. In
England Christmas Eve is the time for the annual office party and many English people go
to a midnight mass, while others go to church on the morning of Christmas Day.
In Hungary on New Year’s Eve people usually go to parties where they eat and drink and
enjoy themselves. At midnight they drink champagne and sing the national anthem. Then
people go to the streets and watch the fireworks. In England people go to parties or dances
on New Year’s Eve. At midnight they drink a toast to the New Year and link arms to sing
Auld Lang Sine. In London thousands of people gather to celebrate at Trafalgar Square.
At Easter we celebrate the Resurrection, that is, the rising of Jesus Christ from the tomb
three days after his crucifixion. On Easter Sunday morning we eat ham, hard-boiled eggs
and cold pork in aspic. On Easter Monday boys visit their relatives and friends and
sprinkle women and girls with perfume or water. They get chocolate or painted eggs, and
chocolate bunnies. In England many people go to church on Easter Sunday.
The Hungarians celebrate March 15th, the day of the Hungarian Revolution and War of
Independence of 1848-49, August 20, the day of King Stephen I. and October 23rd, the
day of the Declaration of the Hungarian Republic. As far as I know, public holidays in
England are called bank holidays because on these days the banks are closed. New Year’s
Day, Easter Monday and Boxing Day are bank holidays. May Bank Holiday is the first
Monday in May. The British also celebrate St. Valentine’s Day, May Day, the Queen’s
birthday, Halloween, Guy Fawkes Night and Armistice Day.
St. Valentine’s Day, February 14th, is the day of lovers. Both Britain and the U.S.A. also
celebrate some holidays which are not common in other countries, for instance
Valentine’s Day (February 14th), April Fool’s Day (April 1st), May Day (May 1st) and
Halloween (October 31st).
An important Welsh holiday is St. David’s Day (the patron saint of Wales) on March 1st,
and in Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day (March 17th) is the day celebrating their patron saint.
Midsummer’s Day (June 24th) marks the longest day of the year, and Guy Fawkes’ Day
(November 5th) commemorates the survival of the monarchy and the King after Guy
Fawkes unsuccessfully tried to kill him in 1605.
In the United States each state has its own legal holidays but most states observe the
holidays set by the federal government. These holidays are: New Year’s Day (January
1st), Martin Luther King’s Birthday (3rd Monday in January), Washington’s Birthday (3rd
Monday in February), Memorial Day (last Monday in May), Independence Day (July 4),
Labour Day (1st Monday in September), Columbus Day (2nd Monday in October),
Veterans’ Day (November 11), Thanksgiving Day (4th Thursday in November) and
Christmas Day (December 25). As in Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day is observed in America, a
day when people wear green for the Irish saint. Many of the holidays have traditional
foods and activities associated with them, and nowadays it’s common to send greeting
cards to family and friends on many of these days.
On Halloween children dress up as witches or in other costumes, make lanterns of
pumpkins and light candles inside them to scare the witches away. They visit houses
wearing costumes and knock at the door, and when it’s opened, they say trick or treat.
Trick means playing a joke, and treat means getting a gift, usually sweets. This day is
celebrated both in Great Britain and in the United States.

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Local politics
The President of the Republic, elected by the Parliament every five years, has a largely
ceremonial role, choosing the dates of elections. The Prime Minister is elected by
Parliament and can only be removed by a constructive vote of no confidence. The prime
minister selects Cabinet ministers and has the exclusive right to dismiss them. Each
Cabinet nominee appears before one or more parliamentary committees in open hearings
and must be formally approved by the President. A unicameral, 386-member National
Assembly (the Országgyűlés) is the highest organ of state authority and initiates and
approves legislation sponsored by the Prime Minister. National Parliamentary elections
are held every four years. An 11-member Constitutional Court has power to challenge
legislation on grounds of unconstitutionality. Administratively, Hungary is divided into 19
counties. In addition, the capital city (főváros), Budapest, is independent of any county
government. The counties are further subdivided into 173 sub regions (kistérségek), and
Budapest is its own sub region. Since 1996, the counties and City of Budapest have been
grouped into 7 regions for statistical and development purposes. There are also 23 towns
with county rights (singular megyei jogú város), sometimes known as "urban counties" in
English (although there is no such term in Hungarian). The local authorities of these towns
have extended powers, but these towns belong to the territory of the respective county
instead of being independent territorial units.

Magyarország közigazgatási területi beosztásának két fő szintje van. A területi szinten a

19 megye és a főváros (Budapest) található, míg a helyi szinten 3152 város és község. A
települések közül 306 város, a többi község. A városok közé tartozik 23 megyei jogú város
és a főváros is, mely utóbbi 23 kerületre oszlik. A községek közül 140 nagyközség. E
területi egységeknek van önkormányzata. Budapesten kétszintű önkormányzati rendszer
működik, mely a Fővárosi Önkormányzatból és a kerületi önkormányzatokból áll. A
megyei és a települési önkormányzatok között nincs alá-fölérendeltségi viszony. A két
alapvető szinten kívül további két területi szint van, a tervezési-statisztikai régió és a
kistérség. Mindkettő eredetileg statisztikai céllal és a területfejlesztés
intézményrendszerének területi kereteként jött létre, de területi alapját képezik egyes
közigazgatási és önkormányzati feladatok szervezésének is. A 7 régió a megyék és a
főváros csoportosításával alakult ki, a 174 kistérség pedig a megyéken belül, a
települések csoportosításával. Budapest önálló kistérséget alkot. A helyi
önkormányzatokról szóló törvény szerint a megyei jogú város települési önkormányzat, és
területén – megfelelő eltérésekkel – saját hatásköreként ellátja a megyei önkormányzati
feladat- és hatásköröket is. A megyei jogú városok azonban nem alkotnak a megyéktől
elkülönülő közigazgatási területi egységet, csupán különös önkormányzati joggal
felruházott települések.

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19. Környezetvédelmi problémák és veszélyek
- víz, levegő, talaj, zaj, ózonlyuk, globális felmelegedés
- környezetvédelem otthon (szelektív szemétgyűjtés, otthoni energiatakarékosság)
- környezetvédelem a közlekedésben.

Nowadays the main problems are the greenhouse effect, deforestation, rivers being
diverted, dams being built, erosion, rapid consumption of resources and commodities, and
pollution of air and water. The most important consequence of the greenhouse effect is the
warming of the earth which causes climate changes and melts polar icecaps. Global
warming means the increase in the world’s temperatures. The greenhouse effect and the
depletion of the ozone layer are believed to be its main causes. The ozone layer can be
protected only by international cooperation. People should stop producing and using
harmful products that damage the ozone layer.
The melting of the polar caps results in the rising sea-levels. It will flood populated areas
and agricultural land. Industrial pollution and overexploitation of the forests must be
drastically decreased. The seas are endangered by industrial and other forms of pollution,
such as oil spills from tankers and oil rigs. Most vehicles run on petrol or gas. Recently
car manufacturers have launched cars operating with electricity. There is research going
on how other energy sources, such as solar energy and water, could be used for running
vehicles.
Almost everything can be recycled, like plastic bottles, paper, clothes, cans and metal. I
think more containers should be placed not only in towns but in villages. In Hungary more
and more regulations are enacted to protect wild animals. Both hunting and keeping them
are strictly regulated, so the situation is getting better. Factories, power stations and motor
vehicles pump large quantities of CO2 and other waste gases into the air. This is a major
cause of the greenhouse effect.
A lot of patrols contains lead, which is very poisonous and can cause brain damage in
children. Many people now prefer to use unleaded petrol. Some poisonous gases dissolve
in water in the atmosphere and then fall to the earth acid rain. Acid rain damages trees and
buildings and can kill fish in lakes and rivers. Rivers can also be polluted by industrial
waste from factories and chemical fertilizers and pesticides used by farmers.

Global warming
Global warming is caused by the greenhouse effect. Normally, heat from the sun warms
the Earth and then C (carbon) escapes back into space. But CO2 (carbon dioxide) and
other gases in the atmosphere trap the sun’s heat, and this is slowly making the Earth
warmer. The glass of greenhouse conserves heat by the same principal, that’s why this
phenomenon is known as the greenhouse effect. It’s very important because without it, the
temperature of our planet would be 40 degrees lowers and the oceans would freeze. On
the other hand, an increase in the greenhouse effect, which is caused by an increase in the
concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, may lead global warming, with
disastrous consequences: sea levels would rise as the world gets warmer because the heat
would melt ice and expand the water in oceans. Scientist say the temperature of the earth
could rise by 3 °C over the next 50 years. This may cause drought is some parts of the
world, and floods in others, as ice at the North and South Poles begins to melt and sea
levels rise. The ozone layer O3 (ozone), a form of O (oxygen) with 3 atoms instead of the
normal two, is highly toxic. Near ground level, it’s a pollutant which helps form
photochemical smog and acid rain. But far overhead stratosphere, 15-20 km up in the sky,
it forms the life-saving ozone-layer. It’s life-saving because it screens out the lethal UV

40
rays of the sun which can cause skin cancer and major cause of cataracts. The greatest
danger to the ozone layer comes from CFCs. CFCs are used in fridges, aerosols can and in
the manufacture of some plastic products. Some companies now make aerosols that don’t
contain CFCs and these are often marked „ ozone friendly”.
Deforestation Rainforests help control global warming because they absorb CO2. In
recent years, large areas have been destroyed, only about half of the mature tropical
forests that once graced the planet still stand. The Nr.1 reason is the population of the
world, which is increasing – especially in the third world. We need new cropland so trees
have been cut down, new areas must be used to build new cities, towns, villages, which
means that the living area of animals and plants- their habitat – is taken over by a man.
A lots of animals are hunted for the skin, food or horn as well. The burning releases large
amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere. With the destruction of the forests the exposed soil
erodes rapidly and becomes incapable of supporting any kind of vegetation, so that the
area may turn to desert. Many plant and animal species that live there could become
extinct.

Energy resources
Energy resources can be classified in two groups: renewable and non-renewable. Non-
renewable energy resources are those which cannot be used forever – their supplies are
limited, for e.g. fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are buried under the ground: oil, coal, and natural
gas. When a fossil fuel turned from carbohydrate and the O of the air, CO2, water, heat
energy and light energy formed. All fossil fuels produce CO2, the most important
greenhouse gas, when they burn. As fossil fuels are very polluting people started to use
other forms of resources, which can be used forever and not polluting the environment.
Energy comes in many forms – heat, light, sound, electrical and mechanical. A device that
converts one form of energy into another is called a generator. The traditional generator
converts heat energy from coal or gas into electrical energy. The new generators harness
renewable forms of energy like the energy of the wages of the sun and wind and
geothermal power. Wind power has been used hundreds of years in the form of windmill.
The modern version of the windmill is the aero generator, which converts wind energy.
Solar energy powers the world. The only problem is that it is spread so widely that it’s
hard to collect and concentrate in large amount. The simplest way of using this kind of
energy is to heat water, in fact, 1500 homes world-wide are powered by solar cells. The
top 5 km of the earth’s crust contain 40 million times as much energy as its oil and gas
reserves but geothermal energy is widely dispersed and is only used when concentrated by
hot water, trapped in rock. If the water is hot enough, it can generate electricity. There are
several types of water-power river water in mountainous areas can be used to generate
hydroelectric power, and we can also create electricity from sea water flowing in and out
with the tides.

Recycling
Recycling is the processing of used objects and materials so that they can be used again.
About 60% of rubbish from homes and factories contain materials that could be recycled.
Recycling saves energy and raw materials, and also reduces damage to the countryside.
Glass, paper and Aluminium cans can call be recycled very easily. Many towns have
bottle banks where people can leave their empty bottles and cans for recycling. A lot of
paper bags, writing paper and greetings cards are now produced on recycled paper. The
environment means surroundings in which people, animals and plants develop and exist.
There are a lot of problems what is connected with the environment. The most serious
ecological problems of today are the pollution of air, water and soil, the destruction of

41
ecosystems, disappearance of many species of animals and plants, the weather changes,
acid rains, the warming up of the Earth is surface, the destruction of tropical rain forests
and the breaking of the ozone layer. Most of this damage, which proceeds faster and
faster, has not been caused by natural catastrophes such as earthquake, floods or tornadoes
but by the man himself. The growing number of cars on roads and highways contribute
much to the air pollution. Factories produce large quantities of carbon dioxide, radioactive
particles, sulphur and nitrogen, which get into the air. Some of them in combination with
water make sulphuric acid in the clouds. These dangerous clouds are then blown by the
winds and later fall as acid rain. Acid rains kill trees, and then they get into the soil and
make it infertile. The polluted rain water is carried to the rivers and all life disappears
from them. Factories directly increase water pollution because many of them are built near
rivers into which they put their chemical waste. The building of dams causes flooding of
large areas of nature and disappearance of many typical animals, birds and plants of the
region. If the destruction of the environment continues, the life on this planet will be
endangered. People, animals, birds and plants cannot exist without air, water and soil. In
recent years many environmental organizations have been founded. E.g. Green Peace.
Environmentalists point to the most serious ecological problems and try to give their
warnings the greatest popularity possible through the mass media and public campaigns.
Many of their activities have been successful. e.g. the use of DDT was banned by law all
over the world, catalytic converters and unleaded petrol in cars are compulsory in many
countries the use of phosphates in soaps is forbidden, most industrial countries have
agreed to stop using ozone-destroying chemicals in aerosol sprays, smoking in public or
work is restricted by law in many countries. There is a great need for environmental
education. Children of all ages should be taught about the mains relationship to nature.
They should be educated to a much better understanding of the fact that this planet,
weather, climate, water, air soil, people, animals, birds and plants create one ecosystem.

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