[Ostatní] Maturitní okruhy z Anglického jazyka 2015

1. Personal characteristics and family
2. Pets and animals around us (ZOO, animal shelters)
3. Litoměřice and its surroundings (my hometown)
4. Housing and living (housing, household, household chores)
5. Everyday routine
6. Education - introduce your school (High school of Pedagogy)
7. Education and society - Czech educational system
8. Freetime and entertainment - sport
9. Weather
10. Free time nad entertainment (hobbies, interests, social events - theatres, cinema, clubbing, dresscode)
11. Local problems (problems and their causes, solution), environment, teenager´s problems
12. Travelling - Czech Republic, Prague
13. Travelling and transport, accomodation
14. Health (health problems presentation, symptomps, treatment, prevention)
15. Food and healthy diet, meals, recipes
16. Traditional Czech meals, British couisine, other couisines, recipes
17. Shopping
18. Job and occupation, future career
19. Technology in everyday life
20. Learning foreign languages
21. Society and massmedia (accessibility, content)
22. Customs and traditions (holidays, festivals)
23. Global problems (what´s threatening you, wars, terrorism, climate change), environment
24. Reading (books, magazines, your favourite book and author); focus on American and English literature
25. Life in the country vs. life in the city (comparasion)

From many angles, it is proved that animals are our friends. We establish intimacy with them by "keeping them as our pets". Sometimes they are kept in cages. There are some pet animals who are allowed to stay with us freely. Both, animals and birds can be our pets.
Dog is a faithful animal. Probably, it is the most faithful of all. It plays the role of a watchman. It guards our houses constantly. When it finds that its master's life is in danger, it comes to his rescue. Our friends may turn faithless. But our pet dogs can never be faithless.
Cat is another pet animal. Most people keep cats as pets for the sake of fashion. In spite of it the merits of cat as a pet animal cannot be denied. When our houses are ravaged by rats, cats help us. They kill all the rats and thus save our food grains from ruin. People who keep cats as pets tolerate their peculiar habits. Sometimes they sleep with us on the same bed. They sit close to us when we take our meals. They delight us with their mewing sound.
There are some people who keep rabbit, mongoose, white mouse, etc. as pet, because these animals are beautiful to look at.
Besides animals, some people keep birds as pets. Parrots and peacocks are mostly favoured for their attractive features. Parrots and myna are talking birds. They call the members of the family by their names. Very often they quote a few religious words which please their masters.
Man's life is full of boredom. He is tired of his monotonous profession. After a daylong work, he comes back home and gets peace in the company of this pets.
An animal shelter is a place where stray, lost, abandoned or surrendered animals, mostly dogs and cats, and sometimes sick or wounded wildlife are brought. While no-kill shelters exist, it is sometimes policy to euthanize sick animals, and any animal that is not claimed quickly enough by a previous or new owner. Dogs, cats, and other animals in animal shelters are usually tame, and sometimes even trained. By adopting an animal thats been abandoned, you are giving a good home to a living thing, plus making room at overcrowded shelters. Unsurprisingly, pet owners who adopt animals from shelters often speak to the animals undying loyalty and joy at being adopted.
I´m going to tell you about our cat Felix we used to have. I´ve never had a cat before so it was quite interesting experience. He was just a common cat, not a special breed or anything like that. He was all white but has a ginger tail, ginger ears and another patch on his body. He was an inside cat. We lived fairly near a road and it just wasn´t safe outside also he was such a coward so he would never go there by himself. You might laugh at this but my boyfriend did sometimes take him outside for a walk – on a lead – as you would with a dog. Just into the back garden of our apartment block so that he could chew on the grass – that was one of his great loves. Unfortunately, when we had to move out, we have to give him away, but now he is in good hands of our friend.

1. What are pros and cons of having an animal at home?
PROS
No matter what kind of pet you get, you are sure to experience increased joy and love. Pets have a way of calming us down, and playing our heartstrings in a way that nothing else can. Pets can do a lot for helping you out of slumps and turning around a bad day. Training your pet can be a lesson in patience, while treating your pet well can help children learn how to be gentle and understanding. Having a pet is also a powerful way to keep yourself mentally functional. Across the board, pets of all types have proven to improve the health of patients with mental health challenges. Not only do these findings bring hope to those with health challenges, it also means that every day anxiety and stress can be greatly decreased by spending time with your pet.

CONS
One drawback of getting a pet is an immediate increase in responsibility. Just like a young child, pets rely on you for absolutely everything. Not only that, if they have yet to be trained, they won´t understand your anger if they do something wrong. If you are someone with an over scheduled life, or doubt your children´s ability to step up to this responsibility, a small pet like a hamster or a mouse might be a better first step. Unfortunately, another drawback to having pets is a necessary evil. Just like humans, animals need to be healthy and happy. Before you get a pet, consider the average yearly veterinary cost of owning the type of animal you are looking at. Cats and dogs for example, require several different shots throughout their first year of life, as well as preventative shots and treatment throughout their lives. Finally, bringing a pet home means you will sometimes be at the mercy of their schedule. Cats for example, are naturally nocturnal, and are likely to find their way on top of you while you try to sleep. Similarly, dogs, birds, and many exotic animals will sometimes feel the need to make as much noise as possible in the middle of the night.

2. Why do you think some people like keeping pets?
I would suspect it's mainly for a company, so that they don't feel alone when they come home in the evening and they have someone waiting for them. I don't have any pets at home, though I used to when I was a kid.

3. Are zoos popular in your country?
Yes, they are, especially with kids. Kids love discovering new things, including new animals, and a zoo is the best place to do that. They can observe a wide range of animals in a safe environment. We can see lot of different animals in Zoo which we would not normally seen like giraffes, tigers, exotic birds and reptiles or sometimes even kangaroos.

4. Do you like animals? Why, why not.
I'm not into animals very much. I like tigers, giraffes and penguins - they are cute. But generally, I don´t need to keep a pet. When I was young I used to like going to Zoos but after some time passed, I got bored with exotic animals so I stopped visiting them.

5. What is your favourite animal?
My favourite animal is a monkey called Slow Loris. Slow lorises are a group of several species of monkeys which have large eyes and their hands and feet have several adaptations that give them a pincer - like grip and enable them to grasp branches or other objects for long periods of time. I love them because they're a lot of fun, very curious and also seem to have bit of character. So, it's always quite amusing to explore what Slow Loris is going to do next.

6. Are there any animals you are scared of?
I suppose, there aren´t. Although, there are a few animals I don´t like for example spiders and insects generally but I´m not scared of them. Cockroaches are another animal I don´t like. They´re trouble.

7. Would you like to work as an animal keeper or farmer?
Oh no, never. I´m allergic to most animals. I mean - their hair, smells etc. I would also be unable to be a farmer, because I'm allergic to grass, a hay and flowers. I'm allergic almost to everything and that's why I could never become an animal keeper or a farmer.

Today if there is any institution which exerts the greatest influence on us after the family, it is the school. The years that we spend in school are not merely time spent in learning and filling our minds with knowledge, but also time spent in moulding our character, acquiring various attitudes and acquiring basic principles of life. The basic traits of our personality are formed during our school days.

The name of my school is The Secondary school of pedagogy, hospitality and services, but it was not always so. 1.9.2012 our school was created by merging two organizations with a long tradition: The Secondary school of Pedagogy of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi and The Secondary hotel school. Currently the school operates as two centers: Center Comenius 3 with a focus on educational and social fields and Center Long 6 focused on the field of gastronomy and technical fields.

I attend the first center – The Secondary school of pedagogy, which is situated on the street of Comenius in the town called Litoměřice. The school building has an impressive structure. It consists of four floors and has about 50 rooms including classrooms, teacher´s cabinets and rooms for school purposes like toilets or gatehouse. Classrooms are mostly spacious but we have a few rooms which were intended for a small number of people, for example our classes for music lessons or computer lessons.

The school has a well equipped library and three computer rooms, all of which are situated on the first floor. The school´s auditorium is situated on the bottom floor. In this room there take place various lectures, presentations and organizational gatherings. The Principal’s office, clerk’s room and the staff room are on the first floor, close to one of stairs leading to the ground floor.

The school canteen is another important part of the school complex and you can find it in front of the auditorium. The gym is the biggest hall and it is situated on a separate wing near the bottom floor. A parking lot and an yard through which students come to school surround the school building.

My school has about 350 children studying from freshman to senior year and a staff of over 45. Our headmistress Pavla Matějková is an experienced person, who has been at her job for the last couple of years and now, she is in charge of both centres.

The teachers are well experienced and well versed in their subjects. My school has also made a name for itself in the subject of drama education - a drama club Loudidlo and music activities as for our school quire The Máj and now canceled The Vocalis quire, which was initiated by students and was led by my current classmate.

The school quire is considered to be one of the best quires in the whole region as evidenced by a lot of winning medals from competitions. The principal celebrations in my school are School Annual Sports Day when we have a traditional run over the hill of Mostná, spring concert organized in April, Poema event, which is a national festival of artistic recitation, improvised storytelling and reading and students most popular event Stage performances in december which are similar to the
Academic days in primary schools. All of these are celebrated in a grand manner.

Co-curricular activities, such as The Club of young audience, The Learning trip to France, sport tournaments like voleyball or florbal and regular participation in English, Czech, Math and Art competitions have contributed in making my school a good educational institution of the region and it makes our school life lively, interesting and enjoyable.

Our school is involved in several charitable projects. For instance, the "From people to people" that engages students to the problems of the handicapped and elderly people and helping them with active involvement in the life. The same is for the "White crayon" focused on blind people and the "Heart for Children".

I like particular approach our leadership in many things. For example, when the weather is fifty degrees below zero, our dear school has turned off a heating. But if becomes nice and everyone is warm, our school has made up its mind that it would be cool turn on the heating or when they told us that we have young legs and constantly sit during lessons, so they removed nearly all the benches in the whole school, and while we cannot go into several classrooms without teachers, we have to stay in the hallway during breaks, which of course blocks other students path. It forces you to think a lot.
Personally, I like to philosophize about the numbering of rooms in our school. Every time I walk from the dressing room past the school´s plan, it made me think that the school just had to be built from the top to the bottom due to the fact that rooms on the top floor are numbered by lowest numbers, so the first room you see has a number 45.

About some improvements, I think my school should listen more to students and their comments and needs. I always thought the technology at our school is horrible and old but recently it´s getting incredible better like buying new computers and the newest software. Too bad they did it when I´m going to leave. The most alarming thing is previously mentioned not enough space like everywhere on hallways. There is no chance that you don´t bump into anybody.

I like lot of teachers, but one of my most favorite teachers is Mrs. Arsenjevová due to hers attitude towards teaching, because people with natural authority very impress me - which Mrs. Arsenjevová undoubtedly is. When we add her unique sense of humor, I think she is an ideal role model for students.

When you ask me for my favourite subject, I´ll say I like English because I want to travel and I have favorited this subject since I was in six grade on grammar school and I had my very first english lesson. I like part of czech language which is writting because I can express my thoughts and I can be creative. My favourite subjects is also Basics of Social Sciences for our teacher who makes the classes as near as possible to university lessons and this style of teaching suits me very much.
I am glad I went to this school, because I clarified my priorities, clarify my future´s demands and I found many friends here.

The Czech Republic is situated in the centre of Europe and consists of three parts – Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia. Our Republic is inland so we are surrounded from all sides by other countries. The western borders are with Germany, northern with Poland, eastern with Slovakia, which used to be connected to our republic from 1918 to 1993 and the last border is on the south with Austria. In our state there are many spots of great natural beauty as well as totally spoiled by industries (e.g. the Most area.) The Czech republic has a varied landscape. Bohemia is surrounded by a ring of mountains – The Šumava range, The Czech Fores and others. Bohemia is separated from the Moravia by the Bohemian-Moravian highlands. The North of Moravia is protected by the wooded mountainous ranges of Jeseníky and Beskydy. The highest mountains in Moravia are Hrubý Jeseník with the highest mount, called Praděd (1491m) and the highest Czech mount is Sněžka (1603m).
Among the most beautiful natural places belong: The Czech paradise, „rock town“ in Prachov rocks, The Děčín Walls, Czech Switzerland, The Boubín virgin forests, Koněprusy caves, Macocha Abyss, the Jeseník mountains, Panská rock etc.
The centre of our culture, seat of a government and president is capital city Prague. It lies in the heart of Europe on the river Vltava. The most ancient and magnificent memories of Czech culture are situated here. There are many places of interest which a tourist should visit. Tourist sight should include The Prague Castle which includes st. Vitus Cathedral, the Royal Palace with Vladislav Hall and the Golden Lane. The Prague Castle is surrounded by the Strahov Monastery and Petřín hill with its famous watchtower. I think the second most sighted place of monuments in Prague is Old Town Square. Features of Old Town Square are Astronomical Clocks, Old Town Hall and crosses on the pavement which represents executed noblemen after the Battle near White Hill. Other frequently sighted places of interest in Prague are Vyšehrad, The Charles Bridge and Wenceslas Square. If a tourist leaves Prague to see some more places in Czech Republic he/she should visit Karlovy Vary, Kutná Hora, Karlštejn, Hluboká or Kuks.
Some people say Prague is the most beautiful city in the world! They call it „The Golden City“ and „The Mother of Cities” because it still has many beautiful medieval buildings and statues. People also call Prague „Europe’s School of Music“. There are many concerts halls, and every May there is a famous music festival „Prague Spring”. There are also twenty theatres and many old pubs, wine bars and restaurants. It´s a dream for many people to live there. There is very famous saying connected with it: „V Praze je blaze, ale draze“ (Prague makes you feel blessed but you have to be rich).

TOURISM
If you visit Prague, you have to follow the Royal route to see the most famous monuments. You can start at Prague´s castle, which lies in Hradčany. Inside, there is large gothic Vladislav Hall which is used for representative purposes, Spanish Hall where president is elected an Rudolf´s Gallery. At the castle, you can visit St. Vitus cathedral which was built in gothic style by Matthias of Arras and Petr Parléř. In the cathedral, you can admire St. Wenceslas chaple which is decorated by precious and semi-precious stones. And inside the cathedral, there are saved czech crown jewellery. At the castle, there si also Golden Lane and the Basilica of St. George built in romanesque style. From the castle, you can take the Neruda´s street to follow the Royal route and you get to the St. Nicolas church, which is wonderful example of baroque style in Prague. It was bult by Dientzenhofers. After that you get to the Charles bridge, which is crowded by tourists. In this famous bridge, there are 30 statues which were built by Brown and Brokoff. After the bridge you take Charles street (on the left side, there is Klementinum, the national library) and the Charles street follow you to the Old Town square. You can find many important monuments there, like the gothic Týn church where Tycho de Brahe is buried or St.Nicolas church, the smaller one, also built by Dientzenhofers. And, of course, the Old Town Hall with astronomical clock where once an hour small statues of 12 apostles appear (also there is Sceletons of Death, Zodiac, Calendar). To finish Royal route, you go through Celetná Route to the Powder Tower (it gained its name according to gunder powder which was there). Near this, there lies nice Municipal Hall built in Art-nouveau style.
One of the most important squares is the Wenceslas square, very large square where is the St. Wenceslas Memorial (a bronz statue from Myslbek). At the upper end of this square you can visit the National Museum where you can see historical and natural collections, e.g. of butterflies, mammals or stones. The cultural centre is the National Theatre which is situated near the Vltava river. It was built in 1881 but it burned so it was rebuilt in 1883 by Hynais and Aleš.
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