Exercise I. Mark the stresses and tunes and read the following sentences. 1. Sunday is a holiday in Christian countries and Friday is a holiday in Muslim countries. 2. There are many holidays in Russia but the most favourite is New Year's Day. 3. It was raining hard and we decided to stay at home. 4. She was a beauty and he decided to get acquainted with her. 5. His clothes were dirty and he was afraid to ask where Mr. Rank's house was. 6. His father and mother were dead, his cousin was his only close relative. 7. He had brothers and sisters in London but he never saw them. 8. She felt afraid and excited, Halloween was the night of the ghosts. 9. His child was kidnapped and he had to pay 10.000 dollars as a ransom. 10. He loved Ann but she didn't agree to marry him.

I am really fond of sport. I especially like tennis, swimming, skiing, basketball, and figure-skating. However, my favourite type of sport is football. I like both playing and watching it. Football is played in many countries, so I support foreign teams as well as the domestic ones. I know many great players of football. Among them, Maradona, Zidan, Arshavin, Totti, Maldini, Beckham, Cnatona, Messi, Vieri, but most of all I like Ronaldo. I like the way he plays and behaves. He seems to be not only talented but also a strong-willed guy. His full name is Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro. I know people who don’t like this Portuguese-born footballer but I adore him. He is considered to be the most expensive footballer of all times. To transfer from “Manchester United” team to Spanish “Real” he was paid more than 83 million pounds. Ronaldo was born on February the 5th, 1985 in Madeira neighborhood. He was the youngest child in a family and his father named him after the American President Ronald Reagan. His career in football started rather early. At the age of eight he already played for the amateur team “Andorinha”. When he turned ten, he signed his first contract with the local club “Nacional”. Today, Ronaldo is one of the best players in the world and he plays as a forward for the Spanish club “Real Madrid”. He is known to be mentally sharp, predicting certain plays, and having very good reactions. He was also the first player to win all main football awards. Apart from being a great player, Ronaldo often donates money and personal possessions to charity funds and people who are in need.