Speaking 01 ---- My Country My country Greece is very beautiful. I am sure it is the most beautiful in the world. It has everything: sea, mountains, countryside, islands and especially sunshine. Without sunshine you cannot really enjoy many of these things. Everyone likes the islands. There you can find a way of life that belongs to the past. If you go to a small island or one far away, you will find peace and quiet. It is something you do not find in modern cities. The sea is warm and clean and many tourists come to my country for the sun and the sea. I like to swim in the sea from June to August. It is quite warm during the summer months. One problem in my country is that the people leave the countryside to go and work in the big cities, which means that the cities are full of people and cars and are often polluted and noisy. However, the people in my country are friendly and family life is still very important to them. I like travelling to other countries but I am always glad to return to Greece. --- Speaking02 --- Christmas Christmas is a religious holiday. It is celebrated on the 25th of December all over the Christian world. It is a time of love and happiness. For days before Christmas the house smells of baking and cooking, as we prepare the food to offer to relatives and friends. We spend many Saturdays shopping for presents but there always seems to be something we have forgotten and we have to go out on Christmas Eve. One or two days before Christmas, I buy a Christmas tree and decorate it with coloured lights. Christmas Day is very special. We have turkey for lunch and a special sweet after that. Then in the evening we all go round to a friend's house and play games. I always get several presents which I open in the morning. The holidays pass very quickly and we spend all our time visiting friends and eating the delicious cakes and sweets prepared for us….., We go for a drive in the car and sometimes we go out for a meal. Everyone has fun and because there is no school, we can stay out as late as we like. --- The end