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Guide

ISSUE XVIII - JANUARY, 10

IH KPI OFFICE: 7 Vanda Vasylevska st. T: 238 9870, 236 2264; IH OBOLON Office: 24 Heroiv Stalingrada ave, office 126 T: 428 03 30, 428 0331

Language education is very specific. The teacher and the students together create the teaching and its environment. We appreciate you, our clients, for making this process inspiring and stimulating for both sides. Let’s make prosperity, success and financial stability our best friends for the year 2010.

We are proud to be a unique team eager to be at its professional best while serving your needs. In this way we are following our mission: to help the country to blend with the world, providing our clients with opportunities for personal and professional growth.

It is common practice to set New Year resolutions. Our resolution is to put international business and educational standards into place in Ukraine and make IH Kyiv one of the best teaching and training centers in the IHWO network, which celebrates its 57th anniversary in 2010.

It is a unique opportunity to be a family member of one the world’s largest groups of language schools, teaching English and 25 modern languages in 150 schools in 50+ countries worldwide since 1953. 18 years ago IH Kyiv opened the world of language education to the people of Ukraine by providing all of us with the opportunity to learn the world’s cultures and the world ‘lingua franca’. Our teaching team is represented by professionals from the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia and Ukraine, all working together. Today we are the leading international provider of language teaching and teacher-training services in Ukraine.

The future at IH Kyiv is a very exciting time for us. We are adding new training programs for our teachers to continue to lead Ukraine in teaching professionalism. We have added a new classroom and two Interactive Whiteboards, all in an effort to better serve you the client. We continue to watch the financial situation closely in order to properly price our services to you based on the great quality that our teacher’s provide.

I, and all the rest of us in IH Kyiv, wish you and your family a happy and productive 2010 and look forward to continued cooperation with you.

Tetyana Oratovska

All the Best for the New Year!

Sasha Alex

IH Compass Team

New YearGreetings

IH wishes youall the bestfor 2010!

BusQuizAnswers

find out thecorrectanswers forQuiz #6

Study AbroadOpportunity

endlesspossibilitiesin our ever-decreasingworld

InternationalHouse Word

bewareof being“gazumped”!AnotherIH Word

BusinessQuiz

don’t hesitateto get your50% discountfor classesat IH

Laugh &Learn

Be healthier!Live longer!Laugh louder!

p.3 p.3 p.3 p.4 p.4

New YearCelebration

do you knowHOW peoplecelebrateNY?p.1 p.2

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IH Compass - Issue XVIII, January 2010

238 9870, 238 9796info@ih.kiev.uawww.ih.kiev.ua

“I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape - the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn't show”. Andrew Wyeth

“Winter dies into the spring, to be born again in the autumn”.Marche Blumenberg

“Winter came down to our home one nightQuietly pirouetting in on silvery-toed slippers of snow,And we, we were children once again”.Bill Morgan, Jr.

“The color of springtime is in the flowers, the color of winter is in the imagina-tion”. Ward Elliot Hour

“In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy”.William Blake

“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home”.Edith Sitwell

“One kind word can warm three winter months”.Japanese Proverb

Winter Sayings

As we’ve received a lot of requests to give the correct answers for previous Quiz (special business edition), we do it now :)

1. What does the logo 3M stand for? - b. Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing.2. What two companies came up with the idea of a Frappucino? - c. Pepsi and Starbucks.3. What state are the majority of large corporations in America registered? - a. Delaware.4. What does LLC stand for? - d. Limited Liability Corporation.5. How many companies fail in the first year of operation in the USA? - d. 99%6. How long does it take to form a corporation in the USA? - d. One hour.7. What does IBM stand for? - b. International Business Machines.8. How many people does it take to form a corporation in the USA? - a. 19. How many types of corporations are there in the USA? - b. 310. Who teaches Business English at IH Kyiv this year? - a. Darren (UK) and Mark (USA)

The winner of our Business Quiz is Roman Plakhotnyuk (St-2). Congratulations!

New Year Celebration Although it is still cold outside, the New Year spirit of joy and happiness, the spirit of something magical has almost gone. So, we have decided to describe the traditions of celebrating New Year in different countries. Perhaps it’ll remind you about the one of the warmest and most exciting holidays of the year and make your mood better.

Each country celebrates New Year in a unique way. Each New Year tradition is fascinating. Expe-riencing this gives us the chance to feel the specific mood of the celebration. However, the style of New Year celebration is not the only type of winter traditions of different countries. Here are some traditions that are not related to the New Year celebration.

Kakizome (literally "first writing") is a Japanese term for the first piece of calligraphy written at the beginning of each year, traditionally on January 2. According to the tradition, kakizome was performed using ink combined with the first water drawn from the well on New Year's Day. Seated facing their favoured direction, people would write Chinese poetry containing auspicious words and phrases such as long life, spring, or eternal youth. These poems were then often burned.In modern times, people often write out auspicious kanji rather than poems. Children are assigned kakizome as their winter holiday homework. Each year on January 5, several thousand calligraphers gather at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo's Chiyoda-ku for a kakizome event that is widely covered by the media. The kakizome paper is usually burned on 14 January in the Sagicho festival. If the burning paper flies high, it is said that the person will be able to write with a more fairer hand.

The Festival of Northern Lights is a large award winning display of Christmas lights in Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada. The Festival runs from mid November well into January each year. It consists of more than 350 lighted displays and approxi-mately 15 miles (24 km) of illuminations displayed over several miles of city streets and parks. It has been named one of the top 100 festivals in Ontario for 2009 by Festivals and Events Ontario, an industry organization.In its 21st year in 2008 the light show was gradually converted to LED lights from traditional incandescent lights out of respect for the environment. This also reduced the operating costs allowing the festival operators to expand the size of the festival.

The Magnificent Mile Lights Festival is a holiday festival that takes place annu-ally the Saturday before Thanksgiving along Chicago's Magnificent Mile. It is hosted by the Greater North Michigan Avenue Association. The festival focuses on the illumination of more than one million lights on two hundred trees along North Michigan Avenue, from Oak Street in the North to Wacker Drive/the Chicago River in the South. Other activities include live stage shows, the Christkindlmarket, and street entertainers. While other celebrities have hosted the events, Disney's Mickey Mouse has acted as master of ceremonies in recent years. After the lighting procession, shopping hours are extended to start the holiday season.(continued on page 3)

education Belfastabroad

IH Compass - Issue XVIII, January 2010

238 9870, 238 9796abroad@ih.kiev.uawww.ih.kiev.ua/abroadSergiy & Iryna

Study Abroad Department

WORD

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Don’t be confused by the words that seem to be known to you, but are truly unknown. Your IH Compass will guide you through all the difficult paths of English vocabulary. This word is given by the ADoS of Exams Department - John Hall.

variant

Pronunciation: []Function: nounDate: 14th century Meaning: You should be aware of using this word in everyday communication as it is usually used in very formal speech (especially in the math, programming and science fields). Try to use such words as “alternative”, “choice”, “option” or “way” (of doing smth.) instead of “variant”. This will make your language more clear and prevent misunderstandings.

continued from page 2

In France and some other French-speaking places, a réveillon is a long dinner, and possibly party, held on the evenings preceding Christmas Day and New Year's Day. The name of this dinner is based on the word réveil (meaning "waking"), because participation involves staying awake until midnight and beyond. In Portuguese-speaking countries, it is also the title given for the party preceding New Year's Day. There are certain traditional differences of character between the Christmas and New Year's Day réveillons. Christmas is traditionally a Christian occasion, celebrated within the family, and this family character is retained even among non-believers. The New Year's Eve, or Saint-Sylvestre, réveillon, on the other hand, is commonly a party with friends, etc. People may also go out to a cabaret show, or watch live broadcasts of such shows on television.

The Yule Goat is one of the oldest Scandinavian and Northern European Yule and Christmas symbols and traditions. Originally denoting the goat that was slaughtered during the Germanic pagan festival of Yule, "Yule Goat" now typically refers to a goat-figure made of straw. It is also associated with the custom of celebrating at christmas, sometimes referred to as "going Yule Goat" in Scandinavia.

In British folklore, the first-foot, also known in Manx Gaelic as quaaltagh or qualtagh, is the first person to cross the threshold of a home on New Year's Day and the bringer of good fortune for the coming year. Although it is acceptable in many places for the first-footer to be a resident of the house, they must not be in the house at the stroke of midnight in order to first-foot (thus going out of the house after midnight and then coming back into the same house is not considered to be first-footing). The first-foot is traditionally a tall, dark-haired male, because a female or fair-haired male are in some places regarded as unlucky. In Worcestershire, luck is ensured by stopping the first carol singer who appears and leading him through the house. In Yorkshire it must always be a male who enters the house first, but his hair colour does not make a difference. The first-foot usually brings several gifts, including perhaps a coin, bread, salt, coal, or a drink (usually whisky), which represent financial prosperity, food, flavor, warmth, and good cheer respectively. In Scotland, first-footing has traditionally been more elaborate than in England, and involving subse-quent entertainment.

This information was taken from Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org) under the GNU Free Documentation License.

Study opportunities in Northern Ireland Not many people know about Northern Ireland, which is a part of the United Kingdom along with England, Scotland and Wales. And very often the information people have is back from the 80's, when this country was associated with public unrest and terrorism. However things have changed dramatically in the last 20 years and Northern Ireland is now one of the safest places on Earth, as well as one of the most dynamically developing. The capital Belfast offers great educational opportunities both for language and academic study.

English Language at International House Belfast IH Belfast is the only (!) fully-accredited language school in the city and offers world standard teaching for adults and young learners. The courses are very affordable and the social and excursion programme is really unique. If you want to experience something different in the UK - come to Belfast and you will not regret it! By the way, our senior teacher Tenya Tereshchenko has taught a CELTA teacher training course there recently and will be able to share her impressions if you want to find out more.

Queens University Belfast - a top UK university in Northern Ireland Queens is a Top-30 British university and a member of the prestigious Russel Group along with Oxford, Cambridge, LSE and other top schools (20 altogether). Last year it won an award for "The Best International Student Support". It is a very historic yet modern university, with millions of pounds invested annually in study and accommodation facilities, libraries, sports centres, etc.

Interesting facts about Belfast: - the city is the 2nd safest place on Earth after Tokyo- voted in the World's Top 10 Cities on the Rise (by Lonely Planet)- Belfast and Northern Ireland have officially the lowest cost of living in the UK- dozens of cheap flights connect Belfast to many cities in the UK

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IH Compass - Issue XVIII, January 2010

from http://basicjokes.com

Dear Compass Readers, please send all your comments and ideasregarding our newspaper to marketing@ih.kiev.ua or leave the

information on www.vkontakte.ru/club7645724. Any feedback from youwill be useful to make your language guide better! See you in March!

SEE THE COLOUR VERSION OF THE NEWSPAPER ON OUR WEBSITE!

Traditionaly, International House Kyiv gives you the chance to learn more about IH schools and about different English-speaking countries. In this issue we’ve prepared a quiz, dedicated to

the New Year traditions all over the world. So, go ahead and send us the correct answers to info@ih.kiev.ua or bring them to the office. The lottery will be held on Thursday 04.02.10 at 19.30. The

deadline is 19.00 on 04.02.10. The video of the prize draw and the photo of the winner will be published on our website. Hurry up! This is your chance to get

a 50% discount for one semester in any option!!!!

IH QUiZ!!! ?Adults

groups only!

Laugh and Learn

1. The poinsettia is a traditionalChristmas flower. Where did it originally grow? a. Canada. b. China. c. Mexico. d. Spain.

2. Some people like to hide a coin or trinket in the Christmas pudding. This may have originated in the ancient custom, in Rome and elsewhere, of concealing a particular object in food. What was it? a. A key. b. A piece of parchment with a lucky fortune written on it. c. A ruby or sapphire. d. A dried bean.

3. What important contribution to our Christmas customs was made by Louis Prang, who came to the USA from Germany in the 19th century? a. Printing the first special Christ-mas edition of a major magazine.

b. Being the first to use an image of Santa Claus in an advertisement. c. Publishing the first children’s book featuring Santa Claus. d. Popularizing the sending of printed Christmas cards.

4. One fairly modern Christmas ritual is the British monarch's broadcast to the people on Christmas day. The first was given by George V in 1932. Who wrote the King's speech? a. The King himself. b. Children’s author Enid Blyton. c. Rudyard Kipling. d. Sir Winston Churchill.

5. In Lithuania, if Kaledu Senelis, or Grandfa-ther Christmas, appears to the children on Christmas Eve to hand out presents, the recipient must: a. Find the gift while blindfolded. b. Guess what the gift is, or pay a forfeit. c. Kneel to receive the gift. d. Perform a song or poem before receiving the gift.

6. Which of these names does NOT belong to one of Santa's reindeer? a. Comet. b. Prancer. c. Blitzen. d. Klaxon.

7. In Ukraine, what does it mean if you find a spiderweb in the house on Christmas morning? a. Good luck. b. Misfortune will strike in the coming year. c. The winter will be unusually cold. d. Your house needs cleaning!

8. In what century was St. Nicholas first mentioned? a. 12th Century. b. 4th Century. c. 8th Century. d. 3rd Century.

9. Who was the first English monarch to have a Christmas tree? a. Queen Elizabeth b. King James VI c. Queen Victoria d. King George II

10. Which song was originally written for a Thanksgiving concert? a. Jingle Bells b. Sleigh Ride c. Home For the Holidays d. Carol of the Bells

McDonalds

Driving through Oklahoma, my husband and I went out of our way to stop at what was billed as the largest McDonald's in the world. However, we were less than thrilled when an employee addressed everyone over the intercom: "Attention, world's largest McDonald's customers."

Housekeeping Husband

My friend's husband is always telling her that housekeeping would be really easy only she could organize her time better. Recently he had a chance to put his

theory into practice while his wife was away. When I popped in one evening to see how he was managing, he crowed, "I made a cake, frosted it, washed the kitchen windows, cleaned all the cupboards, scrubbed the kitchen floor, walls and ceiling and even had a bath." I was about to concede that perhaps he was a better manager than his wife, when he added sheepishly, "When I was making the chocolate frosting, I forgot to turn off the mixer before taking the beaters out of the bowl, so I had to do all the rest."

Medical Term Needed

The man told his doctor that he wasn't able to do all the things around the house that he used to do. When the examination was complete, he said, "Now, Doc, I can take it. Tell me in plain English what is wrong with me." "Well, in plain English," the doctor replied, "you're just lazy." "OK," said the man. "Now give me the medical term so I can tell my wife."