Learn English via Listening - Level 4 все тексты (слова) песен, переводы, видео, клипы

The twentieth century brought many changes to traditional cultures around the world.
Some of the most radical changes occurred in the Russian Empire, which had one of the
oldest monarchies in Europe. In 1917-18 the rule of the Tsars was replaced by the world's
first communist government led by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. No one was more affected by
these changes than Anastasia, the Tsar's youngest daughter.
Between 1895 and 1901, Tsar Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra, became the parents of
four beautiful and healthy daughters - Olga, Tatiana, Marie and Anastasia. However, since
a girl could not inherit the throne of Russia, it was important for Alexandra to give birth

Canada has about fifty accredited universities spread across ten provinces. All, except
one, are primarily government-funded. This means that there is considerable uniformity
regarding programs, administration and policy. Private colleges tend to be smaller and
are mostly based on a religious curriculum.
Most universities offer programs in the Humanities, Social Sciences and pure Sciences.
Many have additional faculties such as Education and Physical Education. Many
programs that lead directly to a position in the workplace are given at community
colleges. Community colleges differ from universities because their programs involve

Coffee and Donuts - Level 4

"Let's go for coffee!" All over North America friends like to meet at the coffee shop. Here

people sit and talk about the day's business, news and sports, personal concerns, shop
talk, or simply gossip. Coffee shops have an informal atmosphere that encourages
conversation. You don't have to dress up either! Students drop in wearing T-shirts and
blue jeans, and sit beside businessmen wearing suits and ties. Many coffee shops are

Before the American Civil War, the economy of the Southern States was based on the use
of slave labour. The social and political leaders of the Old South were the plantation
owners. Many of these owned hundreds of black slaves. The slaves were mainly used to
pick crops like cotton and tobacco.
Harriet Tubman was born in 1820 in the State of Maryland. As a girl of seven, she was
sent into the fields to work with the adult slaves. The slaves worked from sunrise to
sunset picking the crops. Often they sang songs while they worked.
Slaves were not taught to read or write. It was feared that reading and writing would help

Ireland is an island in the Atlantic Ocean just west of Britain. For much of its history, it
has been an advantage to Ireland to be far from the mainland. The Romans or the other
early Empires never conquered Ireland. It was the remoteness of Ireland that helped
preserve much of Christian and classical culture. After the fall of the Roman Empire,
wandering tribes destroyed much of what remained on the continent.
Finally, it was Ireland's turn to be invaded. First, the Norsemen or Vikings attacked during
the 800s and 900s. Then in the 1100s, the English invaded Ireland. Since that time, there
has always been an English presence in Ireland. The conflict between the English and

All the great cities in the world now have newspapers. But newspapers, as we know them
today, are not that old. The very first newspapers began long after the invention of
printing. They started in Europe in the 1600s, and were usually only a couple of pages
long. For a long time, newspapers were not very common. Governments didn't want
public discussion of their policies and decisions. Often they closed down papers, or
taxed them heavily. The "Stamp Tax" on newspapers and pamphlets was one of the
causes of the American Revolution.
Newspapers began to grow in size when they discovered advertising as a source of

Niagara-on-the-Lake is a little town at the mouth of the Niagara River. It is only twelve
miles north of Niagara Falls. It used to be true that very few tourists would bother to
travel from the Falls down to Niagara-on-the-Lake. Nowadays, however, the little town
itself is a major tourist attraction.
The town has a remarkable history. The area played an important role in both the
American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. As a result, the little town has two forts,
Fort George and Fort Mississauga. When Fort George was reconstructed for the public in
the 1930s, Niagara-on-the-Lake got its first big tourist attraction.

Most people in North American die either in hospital or at home. When someone dies,
arrangements are made with a funeral home to get the body and prepare it for burial.
Funeral homes are private businesses. They usually handle most or all aspects of a
funeral, except for providing the burial plot. That usually has to be purchased separately.
Funeral homes may operate in many kinds of buildings. Old roomy private homes and
new modern one-level buildings are common types. When the funeral director receives
the body, his staff embalms it so it will not decay quickly and will look lifelike at the
funeral service. For one or two days before the burial, friends, relatives and

The best known picture of an American Indian is a warrior in buckskin, riding a horse,
wearing a headdress of eagle feathers and carrying a spear, or bow and arrow. This is a
picture of a Plains Indian, and it appears in many Hollywood westerns and on the
American five-cent piece. There were many tribes of Plains Indians; for the Northern
American prairies or plains stretch from the northern forest of western Canada down to
the States of Oklahoma and Texas in southern U.S.A.
It is interesting that our image of the Plains Indian is only true for the last couple hundred
years. It was not until the 1600s that Plains Indians began to ride horses. There were no

Potato Chips and Corn Chips - Level 4

The story goes that the potato chip was invented in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. in 1853. Multi-

millionaire Cornelius Vanderbilt complained to the chef that his fried potatoes were
sliced too thickly. Chef George Crum responded by slicing the potatoes paper thin and
frying them in hot oil. The potato chip became an instant success.
Many companies have made large profits on chips. The most successful brands are

In North America, most colleges and universities, as well as many high schools, have a
student newspaper. These newspapers focus on happenings at the school. They inform
the student population about activities on campus and often include world news, which
is relevant to student interests. In addition, there are opinion pieces by the student
editors, which reflect their views on the school and the world. Sometimes these editorials
oppose the way that the school is being run. Occasionally, school officials will try to shut
down or censor student papers, if they find their writing embarrassing or offensive. But
usually these disagreements are resolved by discussion.

The state of Texas is famous for having the biggest and best of everything. Before Alaska
became a state, Texas was the largest American state. It was also famous for its huge
cattle ranches. Cotton is a major crop, but much of the wealth comes from oil and gas.
People think of Texans as being wealthy because there have been lots of cattle and oil
millionaires.
In the late nineteenth century, Texas cattlemen used to drive their herds north to Kansas.
There a train to the east shipped the cows. Eventually, the railroad came to Texas and the
great cattle drive stopped. By then, many Texans owned large ranches and were quite

Businessmen often complain that their profits are negatively affected by government
regulations. On the other hand, history has proven that it is necessary to regulate
business in at least one area--public safety. There is ample evidence that consideration
for the safety of the public is not always a priority in business decisions.
Back in 1912, the Titanic smashed into an iceberg, killing hundreds of people. It was
going too fast through a large collection of icebergs, while attempting to set a speed
record. Unfortunately, there were not enough lifeboats to accommodate the passengers.
Usually when such a tragedy occurs, the company is not found guilty. Instead, safety

When Christopher Columbus sailed west from Spain in 1492, he was trying to reach the
Spice Islands (which today are called Indonesia). Spices were very scarce and valuable
in Europe at this time. No one knew that two vast oceans and the American continents
lay between Europe and Asia. Columbus did not find spices in America, but he did bring
home some gold trinkets. The American Indians wore these as jewellery. Gold, not spices,
was to become the biggest motive for exploration.
Expeditions into the interior of the Americas were very costly and very risky. Only by
promising the authorities huge profits could sailors and soldiers raise money for their

The Grand Canyon - Level 4

The Grand Canyon is one of the most spectacular sights in nature. It is found in one

section of the valley of the Colorado River. The river begins its course high in the Rocky
Mountains of the State of Colorado. The river travels a total of 1,400 miles through
Colorado, Utah and Arizona and into the Gulf of California. It forms part of Arizona's
border with Nevada and California.

The Niagara Park's Commission - Level 4

Niagara Falls, Canada, became a major tourist attraction in the mid-1830s. By this time,

roads, canals and railways were able to bring people from urban centers, like New York
and Boston. However, the chance for big profits attracted dishonest businessmen. One
hotel in the 1860s was popularly known as the "Cave of the Forty Thieves."
There were many complaints from tourists about tricks that were used to get their money.

The Rocky Mountains of North America are quite old. Even though they were very
volcanic millions of years ago, only a couple was still active today. In Yellowstone
National Park, however, there is a large area of land, which indicates recent volcanic
activity. This area contains hot springs, geysers and mud springs.
Hot springs, like geysers, are caused by underground water being heated by hot rocks
down in the earth. This hot water is then forced to the surface. When the surface rock is
soft or porous, then the hot water bubbles up like a spring. When the surface rock is hard,
then the hot water shoots up through any hole in the rock that it can find. These spurts of