1. The individual 1.

Az egyén
 ambition/career building  ambíciók/karrierépítés
 the individual and the society  az egyén és a társadalom
 problems of social integration  beilleszkedési problémák

Nowadays there are not so many differences between the rights and the jobs of a man
and a woman, not like about hundred years ago. In the past, people didn’t like the idea
of a learning or a working woman, because their task was to stay at home, cook meals,
care for the old and the children. They didn’t have so many rights, either. Later,
women started to open their eyes and said it’s not enough and not fair against them.
They wanted to go to school and to work to provide their families and even themselves
a better life.
So, now a very big percent of the ladies are working, but not just because they wanted,
but because they need to work to get enough money in the family wallet. Some people
say it’s not good for the children as they got less care from their parents while they are
going into kindergarten and see their family only on the late afternoons. Of course, this
is hard for their parents too, as they miss their children and can focus less on their jobs
while they are apart from each other.
There is an other important problem about the working women, too. Just imagine a
company with two jobs, which are perfectly similar, with the same tasks, same time
and everything is the same. When a man does it, he gets, let’s say, four hundred Euros
per month. When the boss decides to give the job to a woman, she gets only three
hundred and fifty Euros for the same job even though it may be harder for her.
There are brave women who started to demonstrate against women-men
discrimination, and fight against their problems which are basically because they had
borned as a woman, and not a man. Sometimes it can be a really big disadvantage for
womem who are more careerists.
Since, there are women even in the hospitals and the army, we showed the society that
we are not so weak. I consider myself as a little feminist, since I got discriminations of
who and what I am. People don’t understand why I am single woman and almost
hundred percent of them asks me: don’t you want a child? Well, I can tell them that
nowadays that requires some doing. In my opinion before you’ll become a mother you
need to build your carrier. Not just your carrier, your life. You need to have determined
idea about your future.
To talk about an other topic, let’s see other cases. When somebody goes to a new place
and joins a new group of people, a new society, they have to fight with several
integration problems. Even the colour of their skin can make troubles, or their religion.
Not all of the society are tolerant with differences and some of them have problems
with accepting new cultures or new attributions in their closeness.
That’s why these excluded people start to search for others who are they similar to and
make their own little societies, like the different quarters in New York: Chinatown,
Little Italy and other places. If people like diversity so much on the shleves of
supermarkets, why don’t they like it on the streets?

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Even, the overpopulation or the underpopulation can be a problem. People want
privacy, so they decide to live alone in a house, or they want a big family, but they
can’t live their lives in small flats, both are problems. One of my acquaintances said
that the number of your children is inversely proportional to your living standards. I
see the point in her words, because when you have a child, you may give everything he
or she could need, but if you have two children, you split your money into two, and
now you can’t afford every need of your family. Even the ancient Greek people knew
these disadvantages, that’s why they didn’t have so many children.
And in the not so wealthy families, they try to help each other and to find the other’s
company, so they start to move closer to each other. This may be the beginning of a
slum. And even if you were born into a place like this, you can try to do your best, to
learn and work as hard as you can, as long as they see your address on your papers.
You won’t get the best jobs, because the employers would give the jobs for somebody
else who may be less clever and intelligent, but can show a better living environment. I
am conscious of this problem, because I live in Kőszárhegy and when I apply for a job
employers prefer somebody else who is resident.
Even in China, the overpopulations has a very important role in the Chinese families’
lives. They are supposed to have only one child, because the Chinese society grows
bigger and bigger each minute, until not just the government, but the Earth can’t
provide enough things for their needs. That’s why the families with one child can get
supplies and different aids and bill reductions. Parents with two children are supposed
to pay everything and they don’t get anything from the government. In families with
more children, from the third kid they can’t even go to school and get educated. This is
how the government tries to stop or at least reduce a bit the Chinese overpopulation
problems.
All in all, people should solve the social, integration and acceptance problems, before
starting with the individual’s problems.

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2. Partnership 2. Társas kapcsolatok
 forms of partnership  együttélési formák
 nationalities/minorities  nemzetiségek/kisebbségek

People are living together in families, groups of friends, working or studying in the
same atmosphere, they are making different societies of themselves. They make
partnerships with each other.
Sometimes we can make so different connections between us. Basically there are
people who have a partner and there are people who haven’t. If somebody is alone it
can be because currently he or she doesn’t have anybody, or their partner died, they are
divorced or they are separated which means that they are not divorced yet, but they are
not living together. If somebody has a partner, they can be just partners, lovers, they
can be married, be in an open relationship or be engaged.
It mostly depends on what people want, but sometimes there can be different obstacles
to be together with the person you chose, like the distance or family problems, or
sometimes one of the partners is married and doesn’t want to get divorced.
If we talk about partnership, we must mention other forms of it, because our personal
and closest relations are not all under the meaning of this word. There are different
nationalities living together. As the world is developing, it is becoming more and more
opened for the other cultures and people from further places. I mean that a country is
not just for itself, but because travelling and business connects us, we start to discover
the whole world, meet new friends, and also, we are moving away from our places.
For example, an American man has to move to an other country, one in Europe,
because of his job. Then, there he meets a woman, who is from an other country, but is
there because of her job, too. They fall in love and decide to move away, to a fourth
country, which probably is closer to their original countries.
So, in a country there are a lot of people who have other nationalities or were born
somewhere else but were raised there. Let’s see the case of Hungary. Basically, we
would say that there are not many immigrants, but people can be surprised if
somebody tells them that there much more minorities than they could ever imagine.
Actually Hungary has thirteen minorities. Just for examples, there are German, Greek,
Polish, Romanian and Ukranian people. There are minorities in every country all over
the world. A lot of people immigrating into England to work, who genuinely do want
to work.
The people from different cultures have their different religions. It causes ethnic
tensions between people who were born and bred in their country and people who
immigrated to that country. There are thousands of cultures on the edge of extinction,
but due to the human’s creativity, there always are and always will be new ones to
replace the lost ones.
There are people who believe in more gods, the polytheists, like the ancient Greek
people, monotheists, like the Christian religions and the atheists, just to mention the
Taoists or the Buddhists. Nowadays the numbers of the atheist are increasing, probably
because the people are having other interests. Mostly our parents’ will determines our
religion, because they can raise us up in their own religions or decide they don’t want

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to christen us. Of course, as the children are growing, they are getting more educated
about the world and the different things to believe in, and they can change their
parents’ will, and choose an other faith which suits them better.
Here, in Hungary, most of the people are Roman Catholics. Based on a two thousand
and nine (2009) census, their number is around fifty-two percent, and this was
followed by the reformathics with sixteen percent. It is a significant difference.
This whole religion thing mostly depends on our parents, but as we get older, we can
change it. No matter, how we decide, one thing is sure: we can change almost
everything, except for the family we were born in.

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3. Family 3. Család
 the social status of families  A családok szociális helyzete
/the system of family allowances /a családi támogatások
rendszere
 family/career  család/karrier

If we think about a family, different things can be brought up in our minds, depending
on our own family or our ideas about a perfect or imperfect family models. Even the
smallest chidren can plan their future families in the kindergarten.
There are small families with one, two or no children, and there are big ones, with
more than two children. The number of the members can be influenced by the other
relatives living with their children, grandchildren, uncles, aunts, cousins and so on.
Even an unmarried couple can count as a family, whether they have children or not.
Everything depends on our different points of view.
In these days the family models are so familiar in developed and developing countries.
Not just the father, but the mother works too, in order to insure a happier and better
life.
Nowadays there are not so many differences between the rights and the jobs of a man
and a woman, not like about hundred years ago. In the past, people didn’t like the idea
of a learning or a working woman, because their task was to stay at home, cook meals,
care for the old and the children. They didn’t have so many rights, either. Later,
women started to open their eyes and said it’s not enough and not fair against them.
They wanted to go to school and to work to provide their families and even themselves
a better life.
So, now a very big percent of the ladies are working, but not just because they wanted,
but because they need to work to get enough money in the family wallet. Some people
say it’s not good for the children as they get less care from their parents while they are
going into kindergarten and see their family only on the late afternoons. Of course, this
is hard for their parents too, as they miss their children and can focus less on their jobs
while they are apart from each other.
And again, career or children? If a child is born, who will stay at home to care for
him/her? It used to be the mother, but in these days, when everybody is in a shortage
of money, people started to decide based upon their salary. An other problem is the
reputation. Just imagine that both of the parents are beginner doctors. They have to
make a strong and reliable basis, before they just pause it or give it up. A state-of-the-
art solution is that the grandmother stays at home, because she can care about the
young ones, as she also raised up her owns, she is retired and she gets money without
working, not like her daughter who just started working and brought a baby to life at
almost the same time.
The next problem is the bringing up of the new life. Clothing, feeding, educating,
everything costs money, except for the love and the goodwill. If you want to care about
your beloved ones and you do care about them it doesn’t mean that you can afford
everything they need. One of my acquaintances said that the number of your children
is inversely proportional to your living standards. I see the point in her words, because
when you have a child, you may give everything he or she could need, but if you have

5
two children, you split your money into two, and now you can’t afford every need of
your family. Even the ancient Greek people knew these disadvantages, that’s why they
didn’t have so many children, because they were afraid of that they could not give the
best to them.
The number of the population grows only in not developed and disadvantaged
countries, such as in Africa. It’s not because they would be so wealthy or could care a
lot about children, but it’s because they can’t afford medicines and the statistics of the
child mortality show deterrent numbers.
While in the better-situated countries the population seems more lowering. I think first
time marriages are later, than they used to be generally. Younger people don’t see
much point in getting married earlier. They’re going to university, starting career and I
honestly believe that they are leaving marriage and starting a family a bit later.
In Hungary the couples don’t want to have a lot of children. It’s not because the idea of
a big family is not coded deeply in their genes, it’s because they don’t even have
enough money to raise up just one child. That’s why the European society is said to get
older, while in Africa, India and Asia becomes younger.
And here comes the other problem, the overpopulation. This can be seen mostly in the
Asian countries, the most outstanding example is probably China. If a couple has one
child, they get reductions and aids, if they have two, they have to pay a fine, and for
the third child it is abolished to go to school and get educated. This is how they try to
reduce the overpopulation and find a solution for the overgrowing society.
There are seven billion people on this planet and all of us have different plans and
models of family, but in the end, we make compromises and have similar kinds of
connections to each other.

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4. Place of living 4. Lakás/lakóhely
 housing situation/  A családok szociális helyzete
difficulties of building a house
 homelessness/causes/problems 
hajléktalanság/okok/problémák
 settling down at home or abroad  hazai/külföldi lakóhely
választás

People move away because they have grown out of the old family house and want to
live in a new place, further from their parents, or they have to move because they got
an other job somewhere else, or just need a change around themselves.
However, it is a very special thing, the situations are not always very good. You have
to think about the price, the environment, neighbours, the perfect building, enough
space for everybody you want to live with, enough space for your stuff, and even the
distance from your schools and workplaces.
Also, if you don’t want to buy somebody else’s old house, you can build or rent one,
but this probably is the harder way to get a place to live where. From personal
experiences, I know it can cost a lot, take lot of time, you can have tons of different
problems with the blueprints, the builders and even with the people you trust and give
your money to do the things for you, the contructors. Nowadays there are a lot of
unreliable people you can lose your money and even your new house. But that’s just
one opinion and some bad experiences.
First you find out which is more comfortable and better for you, living in a city, or
living in a village. People from the city say that a village life is so much better, as it is
less bright and much more silent in the nights, people are not crammed together in
small flats, they can have a garden, where their children can play, and they think it’s
more beautiful. People from villages may think the opposite that living in the city
would be better, because their workplaces and schools, the hospitals and other
important buildings are in the city and they have to travel each day back and forth at
least one time. And if they would like to go and buy something, they also have to go in
the city, because shops in the villages are not so big, and they don’t sell everything that
may be important in ones household.
After you took into consideration every little reason and decided where you would like
to build your house, you buy the thing for the construction, find some people who plan
the perfect house for you, and usually your constructors find the builders, too. If
everything goes well, the building’s finished in less than a year. After that, you can buy
the furniture and all the household appliances you would like to use, or you will need
later. You can now personalize your house and use your own taste. Just be careful, if
you have had borrowed money from a bank for the house project, make sure that you
will have enough money to pay everything back in time, or the bank will take your
brand new flat and sell in on the price it wants just to get some money back.
If you would like to rent a house, or a flat, there are also other things you should know
about. First, you have to look around and check some websites or estate agencies for
available places. They can help you figuring out the best price and size for you, then

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they can give you some advice which one you should rent. Agents can show you
around the houses which makes the decision easier, whether you like the place or not.
If you decide to rent the flat, you talk with the owner and leave some deposit which
may be around 1 to 3 months. It is like an insurance, against any damage you may
make in the house or its furniture.
Of course, there are other costs in any case, not depending on buying, building or
renting your place of living. You have to pay for the gas, electricity and water you use.
If you rent a house, the owner can decide if he or she wants to get the bills on your
name, or on their name, and after getting the bills, you pay for the owner. Also, you
write a contract, which is the evidence that you live there and you use the place.
Also, if you want a temporary place of living, you can still go to a hotel, or a student
hostel, which is much cheaper, but definitely not as comfortable and certain, as a
house.
The other problem is the homelessness and it’s causes. There are two main groups of
people. The one who became homeless because they wanted to, and the others who
lost their homes because of something else, like a natural disaster, such as flood, fire,
hurricane, or because they couldn’t pay their debt. They had to sell their house, or even
a bank took it from them, or maybe they got divorced and one of them got the house
and told their partner to go. So, the whole topic is very complicated, there are a lot of
advantages and disadvantages for both buying and building a new home.
Nowadays most of the people don’t have so much money in their pockets or bank
accounts so there are significantly less new houses built. In these times, it’s not worth
selling, but worth buying one.
And to talk about the differences of moving in different countries, well, there are loads
of. Just for an example, if you are living in America and your boss tells you that you
will work in an other city about 600 kilometers away, you just pack up your things,
your family and move on. But in Hungary it’s much different. People here are very
comfortable and if they are told to move, they just give up their work and search for an
other one which is closer, even if they would have to move only 50 kilometers away. I
understand it is hard to give up a whole life somewhere, but I think in our economic
situation it is necessary.

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5. Travelling/transport 5. Utazás/közlekedés
 problems of city traffic/  városi közlekedés problémái/
public transport versus using cars tömegközlekedés kontra
személyautó
 transport and environmental protection  közlekedés és
környezetvédelem
 tourism as a source of income  az idegenforgalom mint
bevételi forrás
 aspects of traffic development  közlekedésfejlesztés/szempontjai

The first and probably the most important problem of the travelling and transportation
is the pollution. Cars use fuel, which is hard and costs a lot of money to produce, and it
is harmful for the environment. While the cars are rolling on the streets, they spew
their exhaust fumes with dangerous and polluting gases into the air. Besides it pollutes
the air, destroy the ozone layer, and through the steam in the air, and the rain it goes
down deeply in the ground, which is polluting the ground, the water inside of it, and
through the water and the dirt, the plants, and by the plants, the animals and the
humans.
We have to take this hazard into consideration when we are travelling anywhere,
because it’s not the same when there is a car with only one person, or when you’re
going with two, three or four people in your car. It’s even more environmental friendly
if you use public transport. It may not be the same comfortable, as you won’t always
get enough personal space, or a seat, but it’s definitely less dangerous to your living
place and for yourself. You can even reduce the pollution, if you go by bicycle or on
foot, and it’s much healthier, too.
I use different kinds of public transportation and from personal experiences I can say
that it’s not always as bad as some people may think. During the past ten years, the
trains and the buses became much more comfortable, clean and safe than it was a long
time ago.
The problem about going by train or bus is that people can’t take as many bags and
packages as they would like to, they have to travel with strangers, the stations may not
be close to the place they want to get to. And the timing is an other problem, like when
you would have to arrive to your workplace at 7:50 a.m., but the train station is in a 20
minutes walk from the place, the trains go by an hour and you can wait such a long
time if you go with the earlier train, but you will be late, if you choose the other one,
an hour later. Of course, you may not choose public transportation, because it is not as
clean and hygienic as your own car.
By the way, as we mention the cars, we also have to think about the driving license,
which people can get in Hungary after they became 18 years old, or with parental
permission, at the age of 17. But this is not enough, if you have a driving license, you
still need a car to go where you want. If you get it, you can go with anyone, anything
and anywhere, totally independent from anything. The only things you should be
afraid of are the traffic jam, and the accidents.

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To talk a bit more about the transportation, not just the travelling, there’s even a 50
kilometres diet, which is about that you are buying vegetables, fruits and any kinds of
food you can, if it has been grown or produced in 50 kilometres zone around you. It
again protects the environment, because transporting food costs money, time and fuel,
which again pollutes the environment. Things that we import from abroad can be a bit
cheaper, but it definitely is much more harmful for the environment and the living
beings on earth. Other important thing is the organic gardening. Basically it means that
you don’t use any artificial and chemical things to protect your plants or make them
bigger, or grow faster. This is again a good point why you should buy homegrown
vegetables and fruits from your nearest area.
Back to travelling, an other form of it is when people travel, to see new sights,
probably in new countries or in new cities they’ve never been before, or just to buy
things they wouldn’t get at home. My country, Hungary is very famous for its cuisine,
wellness centers, spas and our hospitality. We try to do our best and give the best to
our guests that one may give, this is the secret of why the guests like to come back
here year to year.
Just for an example, lake Balaton is a very popular holiday destination, because it’s
big, the food is nice, the entrance-fee are low, the sun is warm, and the summer
weather is perfect here. We hold very famous festivals, which attract many people
from abroad, like FEZEN, Sziget, Balaton Sound, the Flower festival in Debrecen, all
in all, we have very different festivals during almost the whole year, for all ages and all
tastes. This is a great advantage of our little but lovely country.
Of course, the Hungarians like to chill out, too, so we are travelling to different
countries to see and meet the world. Mostly, we are looking for sea, sand and hot
climate, after the cold and windy, but beautiful winter.
We like the fairs and the markets, and we organize them several times a year. For
example, the Christmas Fair in Székesfehérvár is very well-known and popular,
thousands of people come here every year to see the beautiful things. The lights on the
streets on the evening are so kind and lovely, so heart-warming.
During the fairs, lots of craftsmen try to sell their handmade and beautiful things,
which can be both sweet presents, or useful things. This again attracts people from
abroad, that we share our culture and traditions through our productions. I have
worked at the Cristmas Fair twice in the same stall. We sell ceramics.

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6. Shopping/shops 6. Vásárlás/üzletek
 consumer society · fogyasztói társadalom
 buying on credit/with credit cards/on the Internet · vásárlás hitelre/kártyával/interneten
 shopping tourism bevásárló turizmus

Our society is growing bigger and bigger each moment, and we all have our personal needs, like food, clothes,
places to live, and of course water, electricity and other things. We get them by shopping. We can go to shopping
centers or small shops, or we can decide to order something to our house, and there are people whose job is to
deliver it.
Years ago, there were smart men in the industry, who realized that people buy what they need in the best quality
they can afford. But what if their things have long lifetimes. Here came the planned obsolescence. Its basic idea
is to influence the people to buy a little better, a little more expensive things a little sooner than they actually
need, just to keep the industry working. They can do it in two ways: the first is that they make their products’
lifetimes shorter, but just a little bit longer than their guarantees, so they buy new things when some single, little
tricks would solve the whole problem, like taking out a microchip. The other way is to find out what the
customer would like. They make lots of advertisements, designs, which look better and cooler, than the older
ones, and they take action and sale signs out in their windows as bait for the people.
Even the product’s place on the shelf influences a single person in the shop: if something is in the height of our
eyes, we notice it sooner and think that it’s somehow better than the one on the bottom of the shelf, which may
be a bit cheaper, and sometimes better.
But in these times, we also have to think about the rate of the price and the value. There might be some famous
brands which are very expensive, but may not know as much or last as long as a bit cheaper and less known
brand. And also, factories try to compete with each other, and the smaller ones are making thing with the bigger
ones’ logos. It is called forgery. There are some ways to find out, which is the original, because sometimes the
difference can be very obvious, but sometimes it’s very hard to distinguish them.
And there are the sales, which attract many people to the shops. You’d rather go into a shop which says on its
windows that you can buy a sweater for 5 dollars, which would originally cost 10 dollars, than into a shop which
offers thing for their original price. But there are even cases, when the original price is what they write on the
price tag, as the sale price, and the price they write as the original is just for showing people that, now it’s really
worth buying it.
Another problem of the sales it about the different kitchen, clothing and other sets. You may want to buy a pair of
jeans, but if you go to the shop, you find a shirt which matches it perfectly, of in the window, you see a nice
blouse with a jacket, and as you go in, you find out that it’s not a set, you have to buy them separately. The third,
but probably not last problem is the pay one and take two, or maybe pay for two and take three sales. This way
you can also be fooled. Just see for an example that you would like to eat some grapes, but as you go inside the
shop, you see that you can get three boxes of grapes at the price of two boxes. In the beginning, you wanted to
eat just some, and decided to buy a box, but at the end, you end up buying two, taking three and throwing all
away to the garbage, because you couldn’t eat all, just a half box, and all the rest got rotten. The sale sounds
nice, but the results are not that great.
Let’s talk about the wrapping. It can be a good feeling to see cute children playing happily on the boxes of the
toys, but does your child really need that expensive thing which would end up in the garbage, next to the grapes?
Sometimes just the wrapping inspires us to buy things, because it looks good, or you may think that yes, one day
you may need it for something, or even the box can send messages to your brain „buy me, buy me”.
These things are all the cause why people borrow a lot of money for gifts around Easter, Christmas and other
holidays. If we thing it over again, that did we or the people whom we gave the thing really needed this or that,
I’m sure we would find some things that were not so necessary to be bought.
I buy so many things on the Internet, for an example from e-Bay. E-Bay is an American multinational
corporation and e-commerce company. On their websites you can buy things from all over the world. And the
best is it’s cheap and safe. For example I ordered headset to my mobile phone several times from China. It was
perfect and its price with shipping was a fraction of the orginal price. I honestly believe that online shopping is a
very comfortable and brilliant.
When I go shopping I prefer to buy with my credit card, because I don’t need a lot of money in my wallet. What
I just need a small and slim card.
After Hungary’s accession to the EU shopping tourism has increased. The Hungarians visit the neighbouring
countries mainly to buy consumer goods but the top seller is fuel from Slovakia, Romania, and the Ukraine.
Austria has been mainly the destination to buy quality clothes and electronic articles.

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Shopping tourism causes a serious loss to Hungarian economy in taxes and by avoiding to buy more expensive
Hungarian products. In Austria a Hungarian tourist leaves an average of 210 euros when shopping.

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7. Communication/keeping in contact 7. Kommunikáció/kapcsolattartás
 the Internet in business communication · az Internet az üzleti
kommunikációban
 Fax, e-mail versus traditional letter writing · Fax, e-mail kontra hagyományos
levelezés
 less widely used languages · Nemzeti (kis) nyelvek kontra angol
vs. English national cultures

Nowadays communication is very important, not just between us and our friends, family, etc., but between
companies, cities and even countries. If there would not be the Internet, the telephone or the letter, there could
not be the big variety of food, clothing, household appliances and other things in the shops, because the
companies are keeping in contact with each other, that’s why we can eat bananas, oranges and food like these in
Hungary.
To help these great systems going, there are a lot of interpreters, translators and language courses available for
everyone, not just the kids in the schools.
These days almost everything we can write to somebody else, from a single thank you note through a letter for
an old friend to official documents are typed in the computers. It is much easier, because others can get our
messages almost in a minute, and don’t have to wait a week or so, for a traditional letter to arrive. Some people
say that it is not a good thing, since it is less personal and alienates us from each other. But even if there would
not be the Internet to send our messages, there definitely would be less successful companies, as the replies to
important questions may arrive later, or if there would something bad happen, it would take at least one week to
send a message asking for help from the directorate for the subsidiary, which would need some more money, but
if it arrives later, it might be too late and that part of the company may bankrupt.
An other important thing about the Internet is the fact that it is absolutely multilingual, so everyone can use it,
even if they don’t speak any other language except from their mother tongue. And also, it gives excellent
opportunities to learn other languages, because there are many free software, programs and courses that are
running on the worldwide web which are available for everybody, who have Internet access. Of course, you can
even practice your language’s dialects and similar old languages which are spoken in other parts of your country,
or may be in use somewhere else. In addition, you can still find languages which are on the edge of extinction, or
are already extinct, but are still in use somehow, like Latin. In my opinion, it really is a great thing, because I can
speak on more languages with my international friends with the help of the Internet, since there are specific
translator programs, where you can type something, and the computer translates it in no time. Unfortunately,
these resolutions are not always good, but there can be found very nice programs on the Internet.
Even if your language is not as well-known as like English or Chinese, you can still find your favorite websites
and pages on languages that you know. Just to mention an interesting thing: English is currently the most
widely /széles körben/ used language on the Internet, but some people say that as the number of Chinese people
is constantly /folyamatosan/ increasing, in a few years Chinese language, more precisely /pontosabban/ the
mandarin dialect will take control over the web. This is how the cultures spread /kiterjed/ here.
The e-mails are really easy to type and send, not only because the correction /javítás/ of one’s mistakes, but
because if someone’s handwriting is not the prettiest, everyone can read it, because it’s clear. A big advantage
/előny/ that if once you finished your e-mail, the addressee /címzett/ will get it approximately /körülbelül/ in 10
minutes, independently /függetlenül/ from where he or she lives, while if you write a traditional letter, or on its
other name, a snail mail, it takes two days to arrive, even if the person you’ve sent the letter to lives only 10
kilometers away.
Also, there is an other solution /megoldás/, the fax. This is kind of like when you take a picture of what you
would like to show or send to someone and send the photo itself. There are special kinds of printers which can be
used for scanning and faxing. You put your sheet face up or face down inside of the machine, then you send the
fax message to a phone number, which is in connection with a printer, and that printer prints your fax out. This
way both of you, the sender and the receiver /vevő/ will get a copy from the paper. In Hungary the fax had no
long lifetime, because the fax and the Internet appeared /megjelent/ at almost the same time, and people chose
the easier way to communicate with the others. Sending messages and documents with the help of the Internet is
definitely much faster than in the traditional way, but I can tell from personal experiences that it is much more
less personal and kind. I have some penpals from other countries. And it is very interesting they prefer snail mail.
I think it is so humourous to see handwriting habits of other nations.

13
8. Services
· quality/guarantee of services
· role, significance of service industry
· electronic services/online ordering
8. Szolgáltatások
· szolgáltatások minősége/garanciája
· szolgáltatóipar szerepe, jelentősége
· elektronikus szolgáltatások/on-line
rendelés

Shopping malls /bevásárlóközpont/ attract /vonz/ hundreds of customers each day, because they are close to the
city centre, organize /szervez/ different programs for almost every week or month for all ages and tastes /ízlés/,
or in Plaza, there is a cinema. All of the shopping centers have some fast food restaurants, clothes stores
/ruhaüzlet/, like Don Pepe, New Yorker and so on. Besides the shopping, we can find places where we can chill
out /lehiggad/, like hairdressers, beauty salons, shoe repairers /cipőjavító/, cloth cleaners, mobile services, even
car washes, and so on with the list. Chemists /gyógyszertár/, gym /edzőterem/, post office and adventure /kaland/
center next to each other seems to be a great advantage and the cinemas and the casinos are nice tools /eszközök/
for attracting /vonzás/ people to these centers, but also, sometimes we should think about the disadvantages, too.
Personally, I don’t really like to go shopping, the only store I really like is the bookstore. Every time I’m there, I
am definitely /kétségtelenül/ going to spend at least five minutes to go in and look around.
These places have a lot of advantages, like closed and climatized /klimatizált/ area /terület/, different shops to
fulfil /szolgál/ all needs, and also, if you get tired of wandering /vándorlás/ around all day, you can find a place
to sit down and have a nice coffee with your friends or eat a good meal with your family.
In my opinion it is a great idea to combine free time activity with the daily shopping, when you go to a
supermarket to buy food for the dinner, cleaning stuff /tisztítószer/ to do the housework, and then you take a
stroll /kószál/ on the long passages /folyosó/, window-shop /kirakatot nézeget/, laugh with your friends, and you
can even buy some clothes for the next party.
Though /bár/, a lot of people like to go there not just during /alatt, folyamán/ the week, but at the weekends, too,
but if we ask somebody who’s working there, they definitely would say it is a hard work, because they hardly
have any time to care for /foglalkozik/ their family. They have to work a lot each day to get a small amount
/összeg/ of money. In the morning the stores /áruház/ open around eight or nine, but they have to be there at least
an hour earlier to organize /gondozkodik vmiről/ everything before the shop opens.
Not everyone likes crowded /zsúfolt/ places and that’s why a lot of people want to go there just in the hours
when there’s nobody else, or they don’t go there at all /egyáltalán/. Besides, the more people there are, the bigger
chance it means for shoplifters /bolti tolvaj/, because they can use other people to help them unless /kivéve, ha/
they talk to those people or ask them to help. We can easily become victims /áldozat/ in these situations, when
somebody puts like a pack of chewing gum /rágógumi/ in our pocket, we don’t notice /észrevesz/ it. After we go
to pay, and when we would like to leave the shop, the alarm system /riasztórendszer/ turns on, and we get
punishment while the real thief simply walks out next to us, when the alarm is still on.
In big shopping centers there’s always a rush /tolongás/ right before /közvetlenül előtte/ and right after
/közvetlenül utána/ the important celebrations, like Christmas and Easter, when almost everyone celebrates and
gives gifts to others. Well, these presents are not always the appropriate /megfelelő/ ones, that’s why we like to
keep the bill and then return our gifts and change them for more useful ones. At these times there are huge sales,
because the shops have to sell the things they got back or stayed there.
Ten thousands or hundred thousands including me prefer to order and buy from the Internet, as it definitely costs
less energy and time, not mentioning that we don’t have to go anywhere, so we can spare fuel and money, too.
We get what we wanted in two or three days, maximum a week, and we didn’t even had to go out of our house or
stand up from our comfortable armchair. There are many websites selling food, pieces of clothing, household
appliances /háztartási eszköz/, books, entertaining things, and so on, just to fulfill our needs of every kind and
taste. We type in the name of the thing we’re looking for and search through millions of pages and sites, choose
the best shop, place, price, quality, even guarantee, and we order whatever we would like to.
Also, we can organize almost our whole life through websites. We can report /(be)jelent/ the amount of water,
gas and electricity we used, together with our tax returns, while we ask for a meeting with our dentist and take
part in /résztvenni/ an auction at the same time.
Years ago, there were smart men in the industry /ipar/, who realized /rájött/ that people buy what they need in the
best quality /minőség/ they can afford /nyújt/. But what if their things have long lifetimes. Here came the planned
obsolescence /elavulás/. Its basic idea is to influence /befolyásol/ the people to buy a little better, a little more
expensive things a little sooner than they actually need, just to keep the industry working. They can do it in two
ways: the first is that they make their products’ lifetimes shorter, but just a little bit longer than their guarantees,
so they buy new things when some single, little tricks would solve /megold/ the whole problem, like taking

14
out /kivesz/ a microchip. The other way is to find out what the customer would like. They make lots of
advertisements /reklámok/, designs /modellek/, which look better and cooler, than the older ones, and they take
action /akcióba lép/ and sale signs out /kiír/ in their windows as bait /csali/ for the people.
Even the product’s place on the shelf influences a single person in the shop: if something is in the height of our
eyes, we notice /észrevesz/ it sooner and think that it’s somehow better than the one on the bottom of the shelf,
which may be a bit cheaper, and sometimes better.
Whenever we would like to use the guarantee to get something repaired, we need the thing’s warranty /garancia/,
or unless /kivéve, ha/ we won’t be able to hand it in /benyújt/. There are problems which can be solved /megold/,
but there are cases when we don’t have an other solution /megoldás/, just to buy a new one, because it would
cost less time and money for us. While we are in time, according /vmivel kapcsolatban/ to the warranty, we have
three options: usually in the first three workdays if we have any problems with the product, we show the
warranty and our newly bought thing, let’s say a camera will be changed for a brand new one from the shelf. In
the first one, two or three months our camera will be sent to a head office /központi iroda/, where if it’s possible,
it gets repaired. With the clothes, we can give them back and choose new things at the price of the piece we had
given back previously /korábban/.
Despite /vmi ellenére/ this, I’ve heard that in America and England they change back almost everything, even
meat /hús/ that was bought a few days ago, but wasn’t good enough for the consumer’s taste /ízlés/. Sometimes I
feel that as time goes on, people besides the laziness /lustaság/ will have so many idiot ideas, like the one I
mentioned before, in connection with the meat.

15
9. Culture/entertainment
· role of arts in the past and present
· public collections and their maintenance/
historic sites
· mentorship/sponsorship/promotion
9. Kultúra/szórakozás
· művészetek szerepe egykor és ma
· közgyűjtemények és fenntartásuk/
művészeti/ történelmi emlékek
· mecenatúra/szponzoráció/reklámozás

In ancient times art was for reasons that are not at least similar to nowadays’ sense. Like the wall paintings in the
caves, the arts were used to spread information, share knowledge or collect memories to show them to others.
These days we mean theater, dance, film, music, writing and other methods of entertainment by arts. The reason
why we turn to art is because we would like to relax, enjoy something that we found beautiful or useful, or the
artists would like to get some money with what they loves the most. What I can perfectly understand. My biggest
dream is to live off writing.
We can see the moments of everyday life, like clothing, hunting, eating, child-raising, food production, or even
love and connections in the past on the paintings and drawings, or hear about them in old songs. Also, while we
are analyzing the old pieces of art, we even can see the current beliefs /közhiedelem/ and facts that were there at
the time when the pieces were made. From the Gregorian music we know that in the Middle Ages God was a
very important topic, from the cave paintings we know how our first ancestors /ősök/ lived, from the paintings
we know what were people wearing and from the buildings we can track /nyomon követ/ construction /szerkezet/
of the evolution, and so on.
These days, I would say that the arts’ role /szerep/ changed from giving information to help relaxing and
entertain people. As we are walking on the streets, we plug /bedug/ our ears in and listen to our favourite music
to chill out, or to speed up the time until we get to a place from another. When we see a painting on showcase
/tárlat/ we think „Well, that would look nice on my wall, I like the landscapes /tájképek/”, instead of /vmi helyett/
trying to figure out which biblical scene we can see, or from what age is that picture from.
Also, there are different styles for different tastes /ízlés/: everyone can find the art form or style that suits their
needs /megfelel az igényeinek/ most. For me, it is hardly expressible /kifejezhető/, as I enjoy drawing and
painting as much as singing or writing novels, lyrics and poems, too, like learning to play on different musical
instruments. Although /noha/, it is very important to keep in mind that because we are not similar, our tastes are
different, too. This way there are things that I really love, while my best friend may think that’s not her cup of
tea. Art itself is really subjective /egyéni/ as it satisfies /kielégít/ everyone’s taste at the same time, but on
different ways, with different tools /eszközök/ and productions.
The greatest arts are usually showed in museums, or their copies are on display /ki van állítva/, to show people
pieces from older cultures. A very big percentage of the important and or expensive creations /alkotások/ are in
public collections, which mean that museums possess /rendelkezik vmivel/ them, not average /átlag/ people.
These masterpieces /remekmű/ have special needs and are very hard to maintain /fenntart/. These tasks /feladat/
need experienced /tapasztalt/ and trustworthy /megbízható/ restaurateurs and professors to restore them to a quite
good condition, maybe even better than the original state. Also, they cost incredible amounts /összeg/ of money,
and if something goes wrong, breaks down /tönkremegy/ and can’t be fixed on an original piece, the damage
/kár/ is irreparable /helyrehozhatatlan/, as we lost a piece of culture and history. The other way to impair
/megrongál/ the masterpieces is when somebody wants to get rich soon, steal one from a museum or from a
personal collection and sells it on the black market. During /alatt, folyamán/ this progress /fejlődés/ the
artworks /műalkotások/ can go through incredible /hihetetlen/ trials /megpróbáltatásokon/ and can be losen easily
for ever.
This was about the older ones, but we have to mention the artists of these days. Not everyone of them has
enough money to do artworks, so some richer people may help them with giving money to work, but as a trade
/üzlet/, they can get whatever /bármit/ they want from the artists. These mentors’ and/or sponsors’ task too, is to
help their mentored /mentorál/ ones to show their works on exhibition /kiállítás/, in galleries or museums. This
way more and more people can be informed about the new talents, be interested in their works and who knows,
maybe buy some masterpieces.
When somebody wants to get a piece of art, basically /alapjában véve/ there are two ways to do it: the first one is
when they sell and buy things directly, at a discussed /megbeszélt/ price, the other way is to organize /szervez/ an
auction. In the second case more possible consumers /fogyasztók/ may show up /megjelenik/, and they race
against each other by who can give more money for a thing they would like to. Mostly, on auctions, we can see
antiquities /antikvitás/ or pieces of art from private collections, which were hidden /rejtett/ from the world, until
they got to the auction, because maybe their owner died, or couldn’t pay their debts /adósság/, so decided to sell
some „unnecessary” /szükségtelen/ things.

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10. Time/weather 10. Idő/időjárás
 natural catastrophes and · természeti katasztrófák és
their consequences következményeik
 hole in the ozone layer/ · az ózonlyuk/
dangers of global warming a globális felmelegedés veszélyei

Nowadays is very rich in natural disasters, such as earthquakes /földrengések/, wildfires /futótüzek/, hurricanes
and tsunamis. To the best of my knowledge two thousand and eleven (2011) was the costliest year on record /fel
van jegyezve/ in terms of /vminek a szempontjából./ property /ingatlan/ damage /kár/ referring to /hivatkozva
vmire/ natural disasters across the globe /világszerte/. Just in the first two months of that year there were several
reports about billions of fish and birds found dead everywhere. There also were a lot of strong earthquakes with
more than 5.0 magnitude.
To talk a bit more about these thing with the viewpoint of a businessman, the insurance companies were not in
such bad positions for long years. The more catastrophes there are, the more damage people have on their
property /tulajdon, ingatlan/, and the more damages the insurance companies have to pay. This all can be
explained by the global warming, of course, which is a huge problem.
To start this topic from the beginning, I should explain what is global warming, why it develops and is
harmful /káros/ for the environment. Basically /alapjában véve/, it was caused by the different gases the humans
produce /termel/ with their factories, cars burning and even with household appliances /háztartási eszköz/, like
the refrigerator /hűtőszekrény/, or even only with a simple deodorant /dezodor/.
Gases, like Freon start to devastate /elpusztít/ the ozone layer part by part, and this is what should not happen.
The ozone layer /ózonréteg/ is like an enormous /hatalmas/ bubble around the Earth, and it is what keeps most of
the gases, like the oxygen inside. Also, this layer stops the dangerous ultra violet rays /sugárzás/ which can burn
the skin, or cause skin cancer. Without the ozone layer we would not be able to breathe, to go out of the house or
even to find a green spot /hely, folt/ somewhere around, because it prevents the planet from /megakadályoz/
drought /szárazság/.
But not everyone cares about it, as the whole layer keeps growing thinner and thinner, which causes serious
problems, as I mentioned before.
There is another important problem in connection with the ozone layer case, which we should talk about, too.
This one is the global warming.
Basically it is when we produce several kinds of gases, like carbon-dioxide, during a day, and some of these
gases reflect /visszaverődik/ from the ozone layer and get stuck /bennragad/ inside of it. Also, it keeps the heat
/hő/ inside, too. This way the average /átlag/ temperature raises /megemel/ everywhere. The consequences are
the melting polar ice caps /az olvadó sarki jégsapkák/ and glaciers /gleccserek/, the rising sea and ocean levels,
extinction /kihalás/ of animals and more and more species /fajok/ becoming endangered /veszélyeztetett/. Global
warming is a very dangerous thing that we should be aware of /tudatában van vminek/, or instead /inkább/ we
will be able to swim in our back garden.
Now we can’t always see its marks /jeleit/, but if we notice /észrevesz/ them, like the snowless, warm winter in
Hungary, we start worrying. This is the time when we should really talk about these problems and try to slower
the process /folyamat/, because in my opinion it is already too late to stop it. The only thing we can do is to
reduce the rising /emelkedő/ amount /mennyiség/ harmful gases in the air, use public transport instead of cars,
use the renewable /megújuló, alternatív/ energy resources /erőforrás/, try to recycle /újrahasznosít/ instead of
/ahelyett/ burning and burying /elás/ everything in our back garden, and we can even reduce the deforestation
/erdőirtás/. By cutting out all the rainforests, we don’t just take away the habitat /természetes környezet/ from
various species /fajok/ of animals and plants, but we reduce the natural cleaning of the air. If we just cut the trees
out and don’t plant anything instead of in, in a few decades /néhány évtizeden belül/ there won’t be enough clean
air in the earth’s atmosphere. Also, the forest fires are dangerous and important, too, because they might damage
people’s property, too.
All in all, we really should think future of us and our …, because seeing the plants blooming /virágzás/ in the
middle of winter may be a heartwarming /szívmelengető/ feeling, but it’s hundred precent not natural.

17
11. Health/illnesses 11. Egészség/betegségek
 science/research serving medical care/genetics · a tudomány/kutatás az egészségügy
szolgálatában / genetika
 alternative methods of healing · alternatív irányzatok a gyógyításban
 health tourism · egészségturizmus

In the last few decades /az elmúlt néhány évtizetben/ there have been many developments /fejlődés/ in scientific
fields /tudományos terület/. Researches /kutatások/ and experiments /kísérletek/ help us improve /fejleszt/ our
knowledge about our bodies, health and diseases /betegségek/. Based on the results /eredmények/, scientists
/tudósok/ and doctors can invent /feltalál/ new medicines, tools /eszközök/ and methods /módszerek/ which can
be much more effective /hatásos/ and useful, even against the most-feared /rettegett/ cancer, HIV and AIDS.
Interesting that, the best techniques and ideas were invented for military technology, but later spreaded out
/szétterjed/. It means that we care much more about /törődik vmivel/ fighting each other than curing /gyógyítás/
and healing /orvoslás/ even our own nation. For me it is a bit hard to understand, but if powerful /befolyásos/ and
influential /tekintélyes/ people see it as the right way to go, let it be this way.
As I see the things, there are three main groups of illnesses. The curable ones, the incurable ones, and the ones
which can be cured, but will appear /megjelenik/ again in a period of time /időközönként/. The incurable diseases
/betegségek/ can be life-threatening /életveszélyes/, like cancer, but luckily not every case ends up in death.
To talk a bit more about them, there are different options to choose from, when you got one. The first is that you
become devastated /elpusztított/, not care about it at all /egyáltalán/, and slowly but surely, it consumes
/elfogyaszt/ you little by little. The second option is that you want to stay alive, so you go to a doctor, and ask for
help. You can get different types of medicines; go to several therapies and treatments /gyógykezelések/. Some of
my family members had different types of cancer, and as it is hardly curable, unfortunately they met their end.
Euthanasia is a method for gracious /kegyes/ death, when somebody is suffering /szenved/ from something
which is unquestionably /vitathatatlanul/ lethal /halálos/, like cancer or HIV/AIDS. This type of death is
requested /kér/ by the suffering people, who are not able to live with the fact /tény/ that they would die in any
moment, like in the last period of cancer, or have so serious and life-threatening injuries /sérülések/ or other
illnesses.
Though /bár/ in some countries and states it is forbidden /tilos/, people firmly /határozottan/ and completely
/teljes mértékben/ have the rights to their own lives and even death, which can’t be taken by others. According
/vmi vonatkozásában/ to the law, people can take their own life by suicide /öngyilkosság/ or euthanasia. If one’s
forbidden, they choose the other awfulness /szörnyűség/.
By suicide, people can be prevented /megakadályoz/ from suffering at the end of their life, from low living
standards, even from abusement /megaláztatás/ and forced /kikényszerített/ prostitution. It may be a relief
/megkönnyebülés/ in these situations, and can free up more medical funds /(pénz)alap/ to others, who really need
it, who wants to stay alive.
Also, people who live in places where euthanasia is forbidden, they invented /feltalál/ the „euthanasia-tourism”,
which is about that they go to a country, where it is legal and according to their wish, they die there. This is
another method for being free. Switzerland, the Netherlands.
As I see it, euthanasia is not a bad thing, as it keeps away people from suffering and everything is happening as
they want it to be like. In front of me, the only one thing that would deter /elrettent/ me from it if I would be so
ill, like in the last period of cancer, the fact that my beloved ones may forgive it to me, as they could understand
it. But suicide is different. It is very selfish, even if everything is hopeless in your life.
Also, there are other alternative methods of healing, like the homeopathic medicines, which are based on
hundred precent natural components /összetevő/, like herbs /gyógynövény/, which were used since the human
appeared /megjelenik/ on Earth. Even a few decades ago there were no special medicines, drugs, pills and other
stuff, but there were the nature, which people would believe in. There were some really nice samples
/mintapélda/ when someone’s belief /hit/ was strong enough to get well. This is the base idea of placebo pills.
They are simply made of glucose, and mostly used as fake antidepressant /antidepresszáns/ pills.
Of course, if we don’t want to fill ourselves with any kinds of pills or medicines, there are other alternatives, like
specific massages, energy therapies, essential oils /illóolajok/, mind therapies, or if whole body parts /
(alkotó)rész/ are injured /megsérül/, we can go and take up /hozzáfog vmihez/ some kind of sport. As I had
problems with my spine, I had to go swimming and took part in a physiotherapy class each week. Alone, it
wouldn’t be so enjoyable, but as I’m going as a member of a group made mostly of girls from my school and at
my age, it’s much more fun than work for my health.

18
To see things from the healthy side, we all should do some sports, at least as a hobby, because it is very good for
the lungs /tüdők/, heart, muscles and bones, and for our whole being. At least we feel that we are doing
something for our own health, and everybody can find something which he or she would like in a sport, and
attract /vonz/ them to do that.
Besides the sport, we should protect our immune system, too, as it is weak /gyenge/, it can’t protect us from
diseases /betegségek/ which we are in touch every day. Wearing warmer clothes in the cold weather or drinking
at least one and a half, two litres of liquids /folyadék/ a day is one of the best things we can do, and it is not so
hard to fill /megtölt/ a glass with water and drink it.
Avoiding /elkerülés/ alcohol and smoking also is a great thing, as we don’t destroy /elpusztít/ our own body by
all those harmful chemicals and other thing. Would you eat a piece of asphalt /aszfalt/ each day, then breathe in a
bottle of air freshener /légfrissítő/? No? Then why do we smoke if the same things can be found in a cigarette or
a cigar? Well, people have strange habits in connection with their bodies.

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12. Sport 12. Sport
 first-class sports – mass sports/doping · élsport – tömegsport/dopping
 professionalism/amateurism in sport/extreme · profi/amatőr sport/extrém sport
sports
 sport and women (chess, boxing, weightlifting) · sport és a nők (sakk, ökölvívás,
súlyemelés, futball)
 sports and marketing · sport és reklám

Sport is a very important thing is one’s life. It can protect our health, our body, refresh the mind, strengthen
/megerősít/ us inside and outside, not to talk about the reduction /csökkenés/ of the daily stress. As we are
different, we can’t all be in just one specific sport, so during the centuries and millenniums /ezredév/, people
invented /feltalál/ several kinds of sports with different moves, rules, equipment /képesség/ and requirements
/követelmények/. Some are dangerous, some are not, your choice may depend on your physical abilities
/képességek/ and the fact that how adventurous /vakmerő/ you are. There are extreme sports for the adrenaline
lovers, like hiking /túrázás/, windsurfing, scuba diving or parachuting /ejtőernyőzés/, slow sports which need
more concentration and more use of your brain, like chess and golf, there are the martial arts /harcművészetek/
and their branches /ágazatai/, and the list could go on for long pages.
For me, I tried lots of sports as a hobby and/or a form to keep fit, folkdance, Zumba, running, horse riding etc.
As I see it, women might like doing sport more than men, as we are considered to be more worried about our
health and shape, so small wonder that we have at least the same number of girls as boys on each training. Men
are said to be lazier /lustább/ and I would say we can see less men running on the streets alone.
Health problems can be a cause why people take up /belekezd/ different sports, like jogging against obesity
/túlsúlyosság/ and heart problems. Sports can do wonders for our health, by strengthening /megerősítés/ our
muscles, bones, heart and lungs /tüdők/. An other cause why we choose them as our free time activities is that the
fact that it reduces the daily stress and the chance of getting a heart attack.
In Hungary soccer /labdarúgás/ is definitely /kétségtelenül/ one of the most popular sports, besides handball,
which shows increasing statistics. I would say that a very big percentage, about 80% of the young boys play
soccer regularly, and if we ask a little boy what would he like to become, he would answer: soccer player. A lot
of boys practice it as their favourite activity during their scholar years, but when they finish their schools, they
give it up and find a suitable /testhez álló/ job.
Some boys still keep running after their dreams and they become soccer players until they can. As a player, you
won’t be able to be on the pitch /pálya/ until the end of your life, because as a forty-year-old man, you are
considered to be a veteran, a very old player. When you get too old, you quit the team and have to find another
job, which is a very unlucky situation, unless you would make a good leader /vezető/ and teacher, and a team
would need your help as a couch /edző/.
For women, it’s usually not the same, though we really do like sports. There are many exceptions /kivétel/ that
show, we can be even better than the males. Just for an example, the first Hungarian world champion in karate
was a female, not a male. Even, there are the very famous chess-player girls, the three Polgár sisters. Their father
taught them how to play chess at a very young age and they become so great professionals that they and their
father had to invent /feltalál/ other, more difficult ways to play this black and white, but not at all boring game.
And once if we talk about chess, we should also mention some idiot sports, like chess boxing. I’ve first heard
about it a few years ago. It is made up of several turns, one game of chess, and a box match. The player who
wants to win has to be very fit both in body and mind.
Also, there is the so famous wife-carrying competition, which was invented in Finland as has the basic idea that
the husbands have to carry their wives on /folytat/ their back at the fastest speed they can, through several
obstacles /akadály/. Who is the fastest and doesn’t hurt, drop /eldob/ or leave his wife wins.
An other idiot sport which spreads /elterjed/ around the world with the speed of light /fénysebesség/ is the cell
phone throwing. You just have to toss /dob/ it in the air, the goal is that it has to fly a long distance /nagy
távolságok/ up /felrepül/ so high, and land at the furthest point. Sometimes I can’t see a clever point in a game or
its rules, but it still can be very enjoyable /élvezetes/ for someone.

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13. Media 13. Média
 objectivity/impartiality of providing information · a tájékoztatás objektivitása,
pártatlansága
 stars/celebrities · sztárság/celebség

As this age is considered /megfontolt/ to be the age of information, media plays a very important role in our daily
lives. The television, the radio, newspapers and the Internet are just a few examples of communication.
When we wake up in the morning, we turn on the TV, watch the news or the weather forecast /előrejelzés/. While
having breakfast, a lot of people like to read their favorite newspaper, and when they set off to work, they turn on
the radio in their car. At their workplace, or after they got home, they use their computers to surf the Internet.
Of course, we can’t stay out of the current political topics or not be influenced /befolyás/ by one of the parties, as
every single form of media reflects /reagál/ the interests of one party, at least. None of the tools /eszközök/ of the
media can be considered to be objective, though /bár/, we still keep using them, as we form our opinion based on
our own ideas, interests and needs, not really on what others may say.
In Hungary, I would say that the most used form of media is the Internet, as it is available almost everywhere, it
is fast and by the time /amikorra/ we get the daily newspaper in our hands, there are already at least five updates
about the same topic we read in the morning. The more people use the web to search for information, the age of
printed news is about its end, because we can choose what we want to be informed about, and what is out of our
interest. That probably is the reason why there is a significant difference in the number of newspaper ordering
between these days and a decade /évtized/ ago.
This is not the same with the TV, as it was and still is very popular. As soon as we get home, turn it on, we can
listen to music, watch a film or sit down in front of fascinating /lebilincselő/ series. According to our own taste
/ízlés/, we can choose whether we would like to watch something on a public or a commercial /kereskedelmi/
channel. The main difference between them is that the public channels run on the money of the government and
are mostly available for everybody, while the commercial channels use the commercials for their living. The
highest price of a commercial is at the time when a channel gets a punishment for something, like the program
proved /bizonyul/ to be harmful /káros/ for younger kids, or the age mark /korhatár/ at the corner /sarok/ is not
good. It has a psychological reason: when people hear that there will be a break at programs, they switch the TV
to that channel and watch the clock counting /számol/ back. The first seconds and minutes are very
influencing /hatásos/ when everything starts again, as people see those advertisements /hirdetés, reklám/ first.
An other great source /forrás/ of income /bevétel/ are the reality shows and other programs, which are based on
the viewers /néző/ votes. People sit down in front of the screen and send text messages to keep their favorite
characters in the game or competition /verseny/ they are watching. Sometimes the money we spend on sending
those messages can be incredibly /hihetetlenül/ much, and this money goes only to the founders /alapító/, and the
show runs on /folytatódik/. We should think about that it could me much more useful if we would send that
money to a charity /jótékonyság/, but as it’s a human habit, we like to spend money what entertains /szórakoztat/
us, not on things that would be good for others, like orphans /árvák/, too.
Also, while we are await /várakozik/ the show to go on, there are other long commercials, which are usually very
boring and annoying /bosszantó/ for an average /átlag/ person, but this is the price of our favorite programs to
run. During the five or ten minute long advertisement /reklám, hirdetés/ time we switch to an other channel, and
watch the news, which is usually about the bad things that happened in the world. We rarely hear about the
opening ceremony of a new school or hospital, because not everybody thinks it to be important, but likes to hear
more about natural disasters and other sad things, like protesting /tiltakozás/ ended up in catastrophe. Also, we
can’t hear a lot about the current political issues, though it is sure that all of the channels, writers and speakers
have their own opinion and tell the stories from their viewpoints /álláspont/, sometimes influencing our decisions
and feelings about the political parties.
When somebody decides /(el)dönt/ to work as a writer, reporter /riporter, tudosító/ or editor /szerkesztő/, they
have to participate /részt vesz, közreműködik/ in different style classes and practice a lot of different styles. I’ve
heard from one of my acquaintances /ismerős/ that she worked for a television channel for a short time, and they
had to write articles /(újság)cikkek/ in the styles of specific newspapers for practicing. In Hungary, we can easily
tell apart which newspaper, website or TV channel reflects /reagál/ which political party’s interests. That’s why I
say there is no objectivity /tárgyilagosság/, and it can never be, as people may try not to take their personal
feelings, interests and thoughts in a report or an opinion-piece as hard as they can, but yes, there still is at least a
tiny /apró, pici/ piece of it in their products.
The government always takes control over public channels, just for an example, HírTV is for the right wing,
ATV is for the left wing party. I found it a dirty thing to take advantage of our everyday habits and influence us

21
through daily routines, like reading, listening to radio or watching TV. They use our time of relay /közvetít/ for
their own interests.
I don’t watch news or other programmes like that. I watch a lot series. One of my favourites is Supernatural. This
television drama is about two brothers, Sam and Dean, who were raised /felnevel/ by their father, John, to hunt
and kill all things that go „bump in the night” /az éjszaka rejtélyes/félelmetes zajai/. The two leading men are
Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles. Jensen is very attractive and handsome. I know about him he is married and
he has a daughter, because I heard or read it, but honestly I don’t care. Many people want to know everything
about their favourites. In my opinion they should care about their life not others. That’s way celebrities can be.
They are ridiculous. Personally I think that we are a too small country to this many celebrities.
Stars are maybe different or maybe not. But I think some singers, actors, authors etc. are very different from
celebrities. They try to move to your heart by their songs, movies or books, not their scandals /botrány/.

22
14. Hobby 14. Hobbi
 preserving traditions · hagyományőrzés
 exclusive hobbies (golf, riding, scuba diving, etc.) · exkluzív hobbik (golf, lovaglás,
búvárkodás stb.)
 hobby and/or professionalism? · hobbi és/vagy profizmus?

In this running world not everyone has the time they would need to chill out /lehiggad/, but we still have our
interests in sports, art and other relaxing opportunities. I would say that almost everybody has a hobby that he or
she really likes to do. For some, this hobby is their work, for others, their hobby begins after work time, or at the
weekends.
A lot of the hobbies are based on old traditions and their practice, like painting, martial arts /harcművészetek/
and singing. For me, I have a lot of hobbies, but mostly based on old, traditional ones, such as drawing, painting
and writing. Writing is not just a hobby for me. It is lifestyle. I write short stories, novels and poems. ” When I
start to write in 2010, I was also writing Twilight fanfictions. Fanfiction is when someone takes either /egyik/ the
story or characters (or both) of a certain /bizonyos/ piece of work, whether /akár/ it be a novel, tv show, movie,
etc. /et cetera/, and create their own story based on /alapul vmin/ it. I publish my writings on my website and a
couple times a year in anthologies. Unfortunately, in Hungary it is almost impossible to live off writing.
Also, there are exclusive hobbies, such as golf, horse riding, scuba diving and others, which are not practiced by
every second or third person, since they need very special equipment /képesség/ and personality /személyiség/,
too.
I rarely ride a horse. I adore it, but I unfortunately I can’t do it regularly. Horses can be a real passion
/szenvedély/ to us, since these animals look at us as their partner, not as their boss, like dogs, and not as their
servant /szolga/, as cats. They are not pets, but partners. I don’t know who can’t imagine to ride freely in a grassy
area /füves terület/, full of beauty, trees, song of the birds, scent /illat/ of the freshness. It really is a pleasure
/öröm/ for the riders, and for the horses, too, as they like to be free and simply run out of the grey everydays.
At one time I tried scuba diving. It was amazing, dive in the water and see the beautiful underwater life. It can be
a breathtaking /lélegzetellátító/ experience /tapasztalat/, while you swim with colorful and interesting fish, see
the outside world from under, you don’t even feel your own weight, just the easiness of your body. Like you
would be flying.
For a lot of people who are really into their hobbies, which is their true and only passion, they might /lehet/
choose it as their profession. Humans like to do what they love to do, not obeying /engedelmeskedve/ the rules of
the society. There are many people who became famous because they did what they wanted.
There are two ways for a hobby to become someone’s job. The first is when you do something and you love it so
much that you would like to live off money or benefit you can make out of it.
The other way is when you take something up /vmilyen tevékenységbe kezd/, like painting or singing as a
profession, and later you start to love it more and more, so this becomes even your hobby, and you do it even at
home or vacation, not just in work time.
Of course, we should make a difference between obsession /megszállottság/ and passion, as obsession sometimes
may not be as pleasant /kellemes/ as it can easily turn into something that can be harmful /káros/ or make a fool
out /kiakaszt/ of the obsessed people. Those ones can easily hand out /szétoszt/ money on things that are
connected with their obsession, and they do it without any control. But this is just the financial side, as they
might take greater risks /veszélyek/ than they could overcome /leküzd/.

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15. Studying/work 15. Tanulás/munka
 (over)qualification/chances on the labour market · (túl)képzettség/munkaerőpiaci
esélyek
 lifelong education · Az élethosszig tartó tanulás
 employment opportunities/mobility · Elhelyezkedési lehetőségek/mobilitás
 chances of disadvantaged individuals/groups · A hátrányos helyzetűek esélyei

In almost /majdnem/ all countries there is a law about what age children must study. In Hungary we have to go to
school until the age of 16.
Despite /vmi ellenére/ our plans, dreams and expectations /várakozások/, future may hold unexpected
/meglepetésszerű/ twists /fordulat/ and can easily leave us disappointed /elégedetlen, csalódott/. These days it is
very hard to find a job in Hungary, as the payouts /kifizetés/ are low and the taxes are high, not to mention the
price of the food, clothing, gas, electricity, water, and so on. We have to improve /fejleszt/ ourselves, study as
much as we can, and I would add /hozzátesz/ as much as we can afford /megtehet, módjában van/.
Three years ago there were drastic changes in the education system. A lot more less sponsored places are
available /rendelkezésre áll/, and if you get a scholarship /ösztöndíj/, you have to pay it back, when you go to
work abroad, or in the case if you don’t want to pay, you have to work in Hungary twice as long as you studied,
and you have to work out your debt in twenty years.
Also, it’s not always enough if you have a job, because you can lose it every day, and you don’t have to make a
mistake to become unemployed. That is why we have to study, study and study, not just the things that we are
interested in, but all the things we might /lehet, talán/ need, as it gives us more opportunity to find another job.
It’s never too late to study and to update or widen /kibővít/ our knowledge.
To speak a little more about working, we should mention how we can get a job. Basically, we can do different
things while we are studying, but these jobs are mostly available for only students and young people, like in
McDonalds. Or when you go to a specific kind of school or course, you have to spend some time practicing the
job itself, to go to a company and apply /alkalmaz/ as a student worker.
In other ways, like when you lose your job, you search the Internet, leaf through /át, keresztül/ the newspapers or
go to an office, where you can talk with a person, who informs you about the things on the job market, where
you can go to work, or what should you learn more, et cetera.
You have to write a CV, which contains /tartalmas/ your personal details /személyes adatok/, studies, previous
/előző/ job experiences /tapasztalatok/, and maybe some reasons why would you be the appropriate person for
the job. You hand it in /bead/ to the company, where you would like to work, and based on /alapul vmin/ it, they
can decide /(el)dönt/ whether they would like to interview you or not. If they call you in, you have to talk about
the same things as you had written in your CV, and you have to show your knowledge about the company, too, as
it will be very important, if you got selected for the job.
If you get it, you will have to sign a contract /szerződés/ that yes, you are there, working and serving the
company. In most places you have probation /próbaidő/, which is about 1 to 3 months long. If you and your
employer are both content /elégedett/, you will stay there, sign another contract that you are a proved
/bizonyított/ worker and you will get a bit more salary.
Of course, as you go upper the ladder /ranglétra/, you will have more important and maybe difficult jobs, and
maybe a different work time, also with more and more payout. It is called promotion /előléptetés/, but if you
aren’t working hard enough, you can easily get fired or your boss can decide if they put you back to your old
workplace. If you get a promotion, you may have to move to another place. These habits are very different in
each country.
Let’s take Hungary for an example. If somebody would have to move to somewhere else to get more money,
even just or 30 kilometers away, they rather /inkább/ stay and find another job nearer, or stay content /elégedett/
with their current /jelenlegi, aktuális/ work. In another country it’s not such a problem, like the Turkish and the
German would go even to an other continent just to get enough money to maintain /fenntart/ a good living
standard. These migrants would do even the dirtiest jobs, instead of /vmi helyett/ the people born to that country.
To look at the things from the companies’ side, they don’t have a big variety /választék/ to choose from, as they
must employ /alkalmaz/ disadvantaged /hátrányos helyzetű/ people, too. They have to pay attention to /figyelmet
szentel/ them, keep at least one handicapped /fogyatékos/ parking, build ramps /rámpa/ next to the stairs, or use a
lift, to make the disabled /mozgássérült/ people’s working circumstances /körülmények/ easier.

24
Also, employing disadvantaged people mean advantages /előnyök/, too, like tax reductions /csökkenés/ and some
financial /pénzügyi/ support /támogatás/ from the government. Taking this into consideration /megfontolás/, it
might be more worthwhile /megéri a fáradtságot/ to have some of those people in our company.
The connection between the employer ant the employed is a very important thing. When someone is annoyed
/bosszantó/ each day by their boss, they can’t do their best at their workplaces, because they’re under great
pressure /nyomás/ and stress. The employers should be examples for how to work and how to work well. As an
employer we shouldn’t expect /elvár/ more from our workers than we are able to do. If the see that we are asking
for things we can’t do, they will be upset /zaklatott/ and soon we can find ourselves alone in our own company.

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16. European Union 16. Az Európai Unió
 the role of the EU in world politics · az EU szerepe a világpolitikában
 common/national currency · egységes/nemzeti valuta

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located
primarily in Europe.
The EU was born in 1951 to end enmity /ellenségeskedés/ and guarantee a more peaceful future for the old
continent.
Back then, it was called the European Coal and Steel Community, set up by Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg
and the Netherlands. The rules of co-operation were set out /kiemel/ in the Treaty of Paris /Párizsi Szerződés/.
Hungary joined on 1st May (of) 2004 with the entry of nine other countries, this has been the biggest
enlargement in the EU’s history.
Candidate /pályázó/ countries had been guided through /végigvezet/ the accession /csatlakozás, bejutás/
process /folyamat/ under the PHARE program.
The single market /piac/ was the EU’s first achievement /eredmény/, completed in 1993. Companies are able to
sell /elad/ their goods anywhere and professional services can be offered /felajánl/ in any member state. The
single market has led /vezet/ to increased /megnőtt/ competition /verseny/ of business resulting /eredményesség/
in lower prices and a greater choice of goods and services. The objective /cél/ of the EU is to enhance /növel/
compatitiveness /versenyképesség/ in the world market.
The second major milestone /mérföldkő/ of integration /integráció; beillesztés/ was the establishment /alapítás/
of the Economic and Monetary Union, which aims to /igyekszik, törekszik/ coordinate /összehangol/ economic
policy and integrate /integrál, beilleszt/ the economies of member countries in the interest /érdekeltség/ of
steady /egyenletes/ growth.
In the EU 6 million jobs were created between 1999 and 2003. The aim /cél/ is to raise /megemelni/ the
employment level /foglalkoztatási szintet/, guarantee equal /egyenlő/ opportunities and encourage /ösztönöz/ job-
creating /munkahelyteremtő/ investments /beruházás/.
The EU has instituted /alapít/ various crossborder /határokon átívelő/ programmes to expand /kiterjeszt/ the
scope /lehetőség/ of learning opportunities for the citizens /állampolgár/. (Leonardo Da Vinci/Erasmus Program).
The goal is to provide opportunities for lifelong learning to make people more competitive /verseny/ in the job
market.
The EU has established a comprehensive /széleskörű, átfogó/ framework /váz, szerkezet/ for environmental
protection, and EU participates /közreműködik, részt vesz/ in a lot of international environmental programs. The
EU’s objective is to involve the public in /részt vesz vmiben/ protecting the environment.
Human rights, democracy and the rule of law are the EU’s core values /alapértékek/. Since 1992, all
agreements /megállapodás/ on trade /kereskedelem/ and cooperation /együttműködés/ contain /tartalmaz/ a
clause /záradék/ on safeguarding /megvédés/ human rights.
Beside financial /pénzügyi/ help, the EU promotes /támogat, elősegít/ economic growth.

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17. Culture and civilisation – 17. Országismeret –
The home country and the target language country A forrás- és a célnyelvi ország
 fame/recognition in the world/ · ismertsége/elismertsége a világban/
their relationship to each other egymáshoz fűződő kapcsolataik
· · országimázs
 differences in traditions/ customs /ideology · eltérések a hagyományokban/
szokásokban/ világfelfogásban

(The United Kingdom (UK) consists of England, Wales, Scotland (which collectively /együttesen/ make up
/alkot/ Great Britain) and Northern Ireland. The UK’s geography is varied /változatos/, and includes /magába
foglal/ cliffs /sziklák/ along /mentén/ some coastlines /partvonal/, highlands /felvidék/ and lowlands /síkság,
alföld/ and hundreds of islands off /távoli/ the western and northern coasts /partvidék/ of Scotland.
The most important sectors of the UK’s economy in 2014 were public administration, defence /védelem/,
education, human health and social work activities /tevékenység/ (18.3 %), wholesale /nagykereskedelem/ and
retail /kiskereskedelem/ trade /üzlet/, transport, accommodation /szállás/ and food services (18.4 %) and industry
/ipar/ (13.5 %).)
The UK’s main export partners are Germany, the United States and the Netherlands, while its main import
partners are Germany, China and USA.
The United Kingdom is a recognized /elismert/ state with strong economy and deep-rooted /mélyen gyökerező/
traditions. System of government of UK is kingdom and the citizens respect the royalties /a királyi család tagjai/
so much.
UK is one of the founding members /alapító tag/ of the European Union, but they didn’t changeover their
currency, the Pound to the Euro. Because of Pound is strong enough, even stronger than Euro. The other reason
of that, if they changeover to the Euro, the Queen should smile from the back of their currency.
Official currency of Hungary is not Euro, neither, but the reasons are more serious. I see the things that are going
around me, Hungary is going deeper and deeper on the slope /lejtő/. More and more countries and monetary
/pénzügyi/ unions and companies say that our little country will end up with /végzi vhol/ bankrupt /csőd/ soon.
But I hope something will happen instead of /vmi helyett/ that.
All the same our country is small and in opinion of many nations it’s insignificant /jelentéktelen/, we are
professional in sports. For example time after time /időről időre/ we are medalist in Olympic Games.
Let me talk about a little bit ideology of these two countries. I think English people are more kind, polite, and
helpful than Hungarians. I honestly believe that the reason of it the our economic situation. Because if you have
enough money to live off, you become happier and hopeful.
More and more Hungarians immigrate to the United Kingdom, to take their chance. Hungarians in the United
Kingdom include /beleértve/ (Hungarian born immigrants to the UK and their descendants /leszármazott/, of
which there are a substantial number /jelentős számú/.) Since Hungary joined the European Union in 2004, the
UK’s Hungarian population has grown significantly /jelentősen/, with the Hungarian-born population rising
/felemelkedik/ from 13,000 in 2001 to 52,000 in 2011.
Besides Hungarian immigrants there are Polish, Indian, Arabian, Syrian and so on. Number of French
immigrants is also substantial, and what is more /sőt mi több/ there are French schools. There is more tolerant
attitude towards /iránt, szemben, kapcsolatban vkivel/vmivel/ minorities /kisebbségek/ and immigrants as
compared /összehasonlítva/ to other countries in Europe. The reason that London works as a multi-cultural
international city is that everybody’s there. Of course everybody speak or learn English.
English and Hungarian tranditions and customs are little bit different. Maybe the biggest difference /különbség/
of celebrations connected to /kapcsolódik vmihez/ Christmas. In England when children go to bed on Christmas
Eve, they hang up /felakaszt/ an old sock /zokni/ at the head /támla/ of their bed for Father Christmas, also called
Santa Claus, to put presents in. In Hungary Santa Claus comes on 6th of December. Easter and namedays are not
so important in UK such as over here. But the Queen’s birthday is very significant /jelentős/ there. In
traditionally on second Sunday in June hundreds of people go to watch the ʽTrooping of the Colour’ /”menetelés
a színekben”/, that is, the Queen inspecting /megtekint/ the troops /katonákat/ parading their regimental flag
/ezredzászló/. This is a colourful ceremony which takes place on the Horse Guards Parade in central London.

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18. Public life 18. Public life
 the purity of public life · a közélet tisztasága/korrupció
 political parties/elections/referendum · politikai pártok/
választások/népszavazás

Nowadays the economy and society changes moment by moment, leaving changes in people’s life, too. A lot of
bad thing are happening, also, but these crimes are caused by the people who don’t want to agree on
/megegyezik vmiben/ and accept /elfogad/ everything that the government or the laws say.
These days corruption grows to greater sizes and a lot of policemen, politicians and other people are being sent
to jail, because they’ve been charged /vádol/ with corruption.
Besides corruption there’s very often smuggling /csempészés/, which is the clandestine /illegális/ transportation
of goods or people, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation
/megsértés/ of applicable /érvényes/ laws or other regulations /előírások/.
There are a lot of economic crimes, like corruption. In economy, corruption is payment for services or material
/anyagi/ which is not due /nem jogosult vmire/ to the recipient /elfogadó/, under law. Like when you go at a
higher speed somewhere that it is not allowed /tilos/ at that place, and a policeman arrests /megállít/ you, you
give money to the man to let you go, this way you don’t have to pay a fine /bírság/, give him your driving license
or serve time /letölti az idejét/ in prison. If it turns out that you bribed /megveszteget/ a policeman, both of you
will be arrested and have to go to jail.
Corruption is dishonesty /tisztességtelen/ and illegal behaviour /viselkedés/ by people in positions of power. This
is certainly /biztosan/ one of today’s much-discussed /túlbeszélt/ and over-disputed /túlvitatott/ topics. And
talking about corruption, it seems that the first institution /intézmény/ that comes to mind is the police and the
field of politics hand-in-hand with security guards /törvény őrei/.
So corruption is surely /biztosan/ everywhere, and as long as /amíg/ human inhabit /tartózkodik, él vhol/ the
world it will be an inherent /benne rejlő/ phenomenon /jelenség/ of our life.
In Hungary, elections /választás/ are held every four years, and it is a recurrent /visszatérő/ question for the
whole nation whether to go voting; if it really counts /számít/ to give votes and which party is likely to win
finally.
Before the elections, during the campaign trail /kampánykörút/, all candidates promise the world to the
electors /választó/. And if the leading /vezető/ party changes every four years, there is always someone else to
blame /hibáztat/, and it is always the previous /korábbi/ government. In the promised wonder /csoda/ years, we
are flattered /kecsegtet/ to get higher wages /munkabér/, more income and pension /nyugdíj/, better
circumstances /körülmények/ for life, and less taxes. Money means the basic source /forrás/ of life and livelihood
/megélhetés/. So it is material wealth /anyagi jólét/ that is the appealing /megnyerő/ pulling power /húzóerő/, and
not just in western societies, since money makes the world go round.
However, we shouldn’t forget, that whenever new election times arrive, in spite of enticing /csábító/ promises
and hopes, the hands of the governments are tied /megköt/ to a certain extent /egy bizonyos fokig/, and too much
promise is always dubious /kétséges/ when trying to be carried out /teljesít/ too quickly.
The age limit to vote is eightteen, but I think a person at this age is not old enough to form /alkot/ their own
opinion and see the world without the manipulating /manipuláció, befolyás/ influence /befolyás/ of family and
friends. At that age, I think it is a specially reappearing /újrafeltűnés/ phenomenon for the teen to depend on and
follow a group or just individuals /egyéni/ they idolize /bálványoz/. Whatever they hear at home is mostly mind-
forming for them.
Everyone should be well aware of /tudatában van/ the fact that having become a fully conscious /tudatos,
megfontolt/ constituent /választópolgár/ of the nation, it is not only a right, but also an obligation /kötelesség/ for
the electors to go and give their votes.
Considering /megfontolni/ the various ways citizens /állampolgárok/ can express /kimond/ their opinions affairs
state /államügyek/, a referendum /népszavazás/ can be regarded /tart vmilyennek/ as an evident /nyilvánvaló/
solution /megoldás/. It develops a sense /érzés/ of political awareness /tudatosság/ and responsibility /felelősség/
in people. Since the result /eredmény/ is held as sacred /szent/, a referendum is a perfect way for citizens to have
an active role in decision /döntés/ making.
The very same thing, however, can also be considered /megfontol/ as a way of weakening /gyengülő/ the
significance /jelentőség/ of the elected /választott/ representatives /képviselőknek/. Despite /vmi ellenére/ all
drawbacks /hátrány/, Hungarian legislation /törvényhozás/ enables /lehetővé tesz/ every voter to initiate
/kezdeményez/ a referendum himself provided 200.000 signatures are gathered /gyűjt/.

28
19. Environmental protection 19. Környezetvédelem
 prevention in environmental protection · megelőzés/elhárítás a környezet-
védelemben
 environmental catastrophes and their consequences · környezeti katasztrófák és
következményeik

People who have money usually like to spend it on things that are cheap to their wallets, and sometimes think
that the amount /mennyiség/ they currently /jelenleg/ have is not enough, if they can have more from that. We
don’t even notice /észrevesz/ it, but we are wasting /pazarol/ in every moment of our life, mostly energy, water
and of course with that, money. Just for an example of waste /pazarlás/: an average /átlag/ person throws away
the amount of food as their body weight multiplied /sokszorosít/ by 500, during their lifetime.
Fortunately, people are aware of /tudatában van vminek/ the waste and it’s harmful /káros/ effects on nature, and
now a lot of us is trying to help the environment and save the Earth, before it’s too late. In my opinion, the
appropriate /megfelelő/ education /nevelés/ plays a very important role /szerep/ in protecting our planet. When I
will be a mother, I would definitely /kétségtelenül/ teach my children to the green lifestyle. What does the 3Rs
mean: reduce /csökkent/, reuse /újra felhasznál/, and recycle /újrahasznosít/. In order /vminek a sorrendjében/ to
keep water and air clean, we should use less dishwasher, aerosol sprays, cars and so on. Even reducing
/csökkentés/ the number of the smokers would help, as the more people who give up this harmful /káros/ habit,
the less dangerous smoke flies up in the air to poison us, and to help destroying /elpusztítani/ the ozone layer.
This layer basically is made of ozone, and protects us from the harmful ultra violet rays /ultra viola sugárzás/, but
keeps all the carbon dioxide inside of it, which causes the global warming, by not letting the air cool down.
Back to recycling /újrahasznosítás/, more and more recycling bins are put out on the streets, helping to collect
garbage /szemét, hulladék/ separately /külön-külön/: paper, plastic, glass and metal /fém/. It makes a lot easier to
reuse things, like bottles, which are going into the factories separately and people don’t have to spend time on
picking out /kiválaszt/ the different ones, all of them can melt down /beolvaszt/, to be born again, maybe in an
other form. This is how we can make toys for children from nylon bags.
Environmental protection is a practice of protecting the environment and can be done on three different levels:
individual, organizational or governmental, and all these are for the benefit of the natural environment, and/or
the humans.
Enormous /hatalmas/ factories, like leather /bőr/ factories use a lot of water, and they can’t store /tárol/ or reuse
it, so they have to give it back to nature, which in this dirty status is very dangerous for any living being. So
people started to invent /feltalál/ things that would help them cleaning /megtisztít/ water, using different filters
/szűrők/, like sand chambers /homokkamra/ and chemicals, like germicides /fertőtlenítőszerek/, disinfectants
/fertőtlenítőszerek/ and so on with also dangerous and harmful things.
We are using cars and motorcycles more than public transportation, and this is a great hazard /kockázat/ to us.
We pollute the air and also cause noise pollution. At least, we should try the carpool /közös gépkocsihasználat/
thing which means when more people want to go somewhere, they don’t go all alone, but use as less cars as they
can, by fitting /bepréselés/ more people in one machine, taking into consideration /mérlegelés, megfontolás/ the
allowed /(meg)enged/ amount /mennyiség/ of people sitting in the same car at a time.
Of course, public transport may not be the same comfortable, but it is cheaper and means significantly
/jelentősen/ less damage /kár/ to the environment.
And because we don’t pay enough attention /figyelem/ to nature, it keeps warming us, that it won’t last until the
end of humanity, by sending us natural disasters, as signs. Last years was very rich in natural disasters, such as
tsunamis, hurricanes, and earthquakes.
There also environmental catastrophes which are caused by humans, like oil spills /olajfoltok/ on the ocean,
when a ship capsizes /felborul/ or like forest fires caused by arson. These things leave a lot of damage behind
them, like homeless and hurt people, destroyed /elpusztított/ forests, fields and plantations /ültetvény/,
starvation /éhezés/ and death both for humans and animals. I think the time has come to face with our faults and
their consequences, and try to protect what’s left, or we can lose it at a glance /rögtön/.

29
20. Current topics/events 20. Aktuális témák/események
public life/politics/NGOs · közélet/politika/civil szervezetek
economy/arts/sport · gazdaság/művészetek/sport

NGO is a catch-all /mindent megvizsgáló/, vague /bizonytalan/ term /kifejezés/, which refers to /céloz vmire/ any
independent /független/ voluntary /önkéntes/ association /egyesület/ of people acting /cselekszik/ together to
achieve /elér/ common /közös/ purpose /cél/, either /egyik/ to the benefit /haszon/ of their own members /tagok/,
or in the interests of their fellow countrymen /honfitárs/.
Religious organisations /szervezetek/, scientific bodies /tudományos csoportok/ and trade unions /szakszervezet/
are also treated /bánik vmivel/ as NGOs by the United Nations.
National NGOs champion /síkra száll/ their causes /ügyek/ at national level /nemzeti/. International NGOs, such
as Greenpeace conduct /vezet/ their programmes worldwide (and serve /nyújt/ their members and the universal
public by disseminating /elterjesztés/ information, designing /tervezés/ and implementing /végrehajtás/ projects
and conducting /irányítás/ research /kutatás/).
It is better to say it in the very beginning that I do not have any political views /vélemény/ or interests, before we
would start. I don’t watch news, but I hear things about the current political situations.
These days so many things are happening and running on TV, like the Europe migrant crisis or visiting of the
president of China in the USA. All of them are so important, because every step of humanity have
consequences /következmény/, and if we do something, it not only affects /hat/ our own life, but it has influence
on /hatással van vmire/vkire/ others, too.
About two weeks ago the president of China was on his first official state visit to the United States. He discussed
about the fighting cybercrime and the climate change with Barack Obama. The president of the United States
said for the world’s two largest economies /gazdaságok/, energy consumers /fogyasztók/ and carbon emitters
/szénkibocsátók/ to came together like this, there was no reason for other countries – whether developed or
developing – to not do so as well. („For the world’s two largest economies, energy consumers and carbon
emitters to come together like this, there is no reason for other countries – whether developed or developing – to
not do so as well /ne így tegyenek/.”)
Recently /mostanában/ the other huge problem is the migrant crisis. The eyes of the world are upon us. The
migrant people come here without registration, they don’t let them register. Some of the migrants try to go
forward to Germany with fake documents. Lately our government has beefed up /megerősít/ the border between
Hungary and Serbia with army and has built a fence /akadály, kerítés/.
The illegal crossing of the country's border is a crime punishable by imprisonment /börtönbüntetéssel járó
bűncselekmény/. Like in the case of America, people staying in the states illegally are being expellee
/száműzött/, when it turns out /kiderül/ that they are illegal immigrants, and they might be punished /lehet,
megbüntetik/ for it, as for working without any documents or permission /endegély/.
All in all as I see the things that are going around me, Hungary is going deeper and deeper on the slope /lejtő/.
More and more countries and monetary /pénzügyi/ unions and companies say that our little country will end up
with /végzi vhol/ bankrupt /csőd/ soon. But I hope something will happen instead of /vmi helyett/ that.
.
Let’s talk about a more neutral /semleges/ topic, like sports. In 2012 the Olympic Games were held in London.
That was the third time it was organized /(meg)rendez/ there, and the 30th Olympics at all.
It is a very important event in history, as it is held every fourth year in different countries and it involves /magába
foglal/ a lot of people from different countries. In my opinion, involving /kiterjedés, érintés/ so many nations
/nemzetek/ symbolizes a kind of peace between them, as they are racing /versenyez/ each other friendly, and
those who do not play a fair game were attacked by each /minden/ group, even if he or she is their best
competitor /versenyző/. Whoever /bárki/ takes any drug or tries to dope /doppingol/, automatically excludes
/kizár/ themselves. In 2012 32 kinds of sport and 302 competitions /verseny(szám)/ were held. 205 nations
attended with 10,500 competitors. I honestly believe that this is a very good thing to hear, because at least
/legalább/ in sports we can join /csatlakozik, összekapcsolódik/ each other.
The Paralympics are also important, though /bár/ less /kevesebb/ people watch it on TV. Basically, Paralympics
are held for the disabled /mozgássérült/ all around the globe, who do sports. It all began in 1984, when professor
Dr Ludwig Gottmann, who was working with soldiers, who came back from war with spine /gerinc/ injuries
/sérülés/ organized an archery /íjászat/ competition for the injured /sérült/ people. It was a great experience
/tapasztalat/ for the competitors and the beginning of the development /fejlődés/ of parasports. The doctors
working in the same hospital soon /hamarosan/ recognized /felismer/ how much the sport means to the people
they cure /gyógyít/ daily /naponta/, and how effectively /hatékonyan/ sports help them with making the recovery

30
progress /felépülési folyamat/ faster. Due to /vmi következtében/ the combination of sport and medical help in a
rehabilitation /rehabilitáció/ program the war-damaged /háborús sérült/ men could keep their physical and mental
conditions fit, and helped them overcoming /felülkerekedni/ their bad experiences.
To talk a little about art: in ancient times art was for reasons that are not at least /legalább/ similar to nowadays’
sense /értelme vminek/. Like the wall paintings in the caves /barlangok/, the arts were used to spread /kiterjed/
information, share knowledge or collect memories to show them to others. These days we mean theater, dance,
film, music, writing and other methods of entertainment by arts. The reason why we turn to art is because we
would like to relax, enjoy something that we found beautiful or useful, or the artists would like to get some
money with what they loves the most. What I can perfectly understand. My biggest dream is to live off writing.
So there are many things going on this year in art. Just for an example, on 13 th (of) February the Fifty Shades of
Grey was presented. It was originally written as a Twilight fanfiction called „Master of the Universe”. Fanfiction
is when someone takes either /egyik/ the story or characters (or both) of a certain /bizonyos/ piece of work,
whether /akár/ it be a novel, tv show, movie, etc. /et cetera/, and create their own story based on /alapul vmin/ it.
I am an author, and when I was start to write in 2010, I was also writing Twilight fanfictions.
Of course besides movies the books are also important in my life. If I can, I read a lot. My favourite hungarian
author is Vavyan Fable. First I met her in 2012 and she signed my book. She told me, my nickname, Aby
reminded her of a fictitious character from the Addams Family. But I don’t know which character she spoke
about.

31
21. Globalisation 21. Globalizáció
 uniformity · uniformizálódás
(dressing, eating, culture, consumer products, etc.) (öltözködés, étkezés, kultúra,
fogyasztás stb.)
 globalisation/maintaining national characteristics · globalizáció/a nemzeti sajátosságok
megőrzése

As ancient /ősi/ people started to explore /felfedez/ the world they didn’t know, they met new cultures and
traditions /hagyományok/, as they found other ones living further /tovább/ from them. By /által/ conquering
/meghódított/ new areas /területek/, slowly they started to adapt to /alkalmazkodik vmihez/ the new things and
take the more improved /tökéletesített/ nationalities’ habits and traditions, like the Arabic numbers, the
medical /egészségügyi, orvosi/ and healing /gyógyítási/ traditions, all in all /mindent egybevetve/, they
adopted /átvesz/ everything that could be useful them sooner or later /előbb vagy utóbb/. It is how the habits and
traditions got mixed /összekeveredik/ and the bounds /határok/ blurred /elmosódtak/ little by little /apránként/.
These days it is the same way, but with little changes. We are not trying to conquer /meghódít/ others, but we still
take the other’s habits, we move from a place to an other, change even our country, and nothing is fixed /állandó/
in our lives, only our relatives.
If we take an American and a Hungarian boy and a girl for an example, probably /valószínűleg/ there’s no
difference between them, except from their mother language. Why? Because as globalization spreads /kiterjed/,
the youth /fiatalok/ try to be similar to each other, we forget about our old traditions, make or adopt new ones
from other cultures. We may be against something in our country, so we move to an other, maybe to a new
continent. Everything can be changed and changes from moment to moment, not taking into consideration
/figyelembe vesz valamit/ the color of our skin, the religions, the origins /származás/, the backgrounds, and we
don’t even notice /észrevesz/ it, when we cook a traditional French dish /fogás/ or go to a Chinese restaurant in
Spain, even though /még akkor is, ha/ we are Germans, who originally /eredetileg/ were born in Hungary, and so
on.
If somebody would ask about the languages, well, there are hardly any bounds these days, as in the schools kids
start to learn foreign ones, before they could even speak, write and think well on their mother tongue. Thanks to
globalization, we hardly can tell apart /megkülönböztet/ a French, a Spanish, a German and a Hungarian girl,
because everyone can change their body so drastically /drasztikusan/ that even their mother could not
recognize /felismer/ them.
On the Internet we can find texts in all the languages that exist now, but sometimes extinct /holt, kihalt/
languages can show up, which – despite the fact that /annak ellenére, hogy/ officially /hivatalkosan/ are not used
– may be in use, like Latin, which primarily /elsősorban/ is used in medical fields /orvosi terület/.
There are multinational companies which were born in a place and then became too big for even the whole
country, and as it collected /gyűjt/ more and more money, decided /(el)dönt/ to spread /kiterjed/ a little and built a
new branch /leányvállalat, ágazat/ in a near country. Just to mention some of them, there is Audi in the car
business. It is a German company, but there is a factory in Hungary, in Győr. These multinational companies
make it available /lehetővé tesz/ to buy their products at lower prices, as they try to produce /gyárt, termel/ the
parts /részek/ in the places it worth the most /legjobban megéri/. Also, by spreading /terjesztés által/, it gives
people more opportunities /lehetőségek/ to work, and they don’t always need a lot of experience /tapasztalat/.
This way we can keep our nationality and traditions without any change or influence /hatás/ made by the other
countries we could have work if we would want to work for a specific /speciális/ company or work in a specific
business.
Of course, be letting /beengedése/ those factories into our countries also means that they pollute /szennyez/ our
environment /környezet/, too, which is a problem, but people don’t usually like to think about it, as they see the
lower prices and the influence of those products. This is a form of uniformity as we dress, eat and use almost
/majdnem, szinte/ in the same way every time. After these, everyone can decide whether /vajon/ globalization is
good for them or not.

32
22. Current questions of ethics 22. Aktuális etikai kérdések
 animal experiments · állatkísérletek
 nuclear experiments · nukleáris kísérletek

Big companies and factories test cosmetics and other chemicals /vegyszer/ on animals. And during
experiments /kísérletek/ of genetic engineering /genetikai kutatás/ they also might involve /érint, kiterjed/
animals, because of the fact /tény/ that some plants or their engineered versions may be harmful /ártalmas/ or
poisonous /mérgező/ to human beings, so scientists /tudósok/ use animals first to decide /(el)dönt/ whether
/vajon/ real people can test it, or not. There are a lot of animal-rights activists who try to protest against at
/tiltakozás vmi miatt/ these animal experiments, as they think that the animals also have feelings and rights for
the life, for a healthy and liveable /élhető/ life. For example, PETA is an organization /szervezet/ for the animal
rights. Some people are interested in it, some don’t know anything about it, but bigger percentage /százalék/ of
people simply just don’t care about it and buy the things they see on the shelves and in the advertisements
/reklámok/.
However /azonban/, there are companies which don’t do any experiments on animals and they are still famous
for their products. Mostly they don’t use any chemicals, just plants and herbs /gyógynövények/, as it was in the
past, when people hadn’t have great knowledge of the things, but had known if something was or was not good
for them. (GIGI, Himalaya Herbals)
If we care about the animals rights a bit, we can search after, buy and use cosmetics which were not tested on
dogs, cats, rodents /rágcsálók/ and on other pets. I just use natural cosmetics. Because they test chemicals on
smaller animals, which may even happen to be our favorite family dog’s puppy, who we sold last week to a kind
stranger.
Also /szintén/, people want to be ready for everything, even if somebody attacks them. They invent /feltalál/ and
produce /előállít/ more and more dangerous weapons /fegyverek/, like the nuclear ones.
There are many experiments on them, and in my opinion they are really disgusting /visszataszító/ and not for
neurasthenic /gyenge idegzetű/ people or the ones living in families. I have heard that there were even
experiments on babies and stillborns without the permission of the parents. Despite /vminek ellenére/ of the fact
that some got Nobel-prizes for their experiments, it is still an unbearable /elviselhetetlen/ thing for me, and I was
not even able to read or hear anything else about this topic. I don’t feel myself able to talk a lot about this, since
it made a deep and bad impression /benyomás/ on me, and it caused me really unpleasant /kellemetlen/ dreams.
I have a friend, whose mother was pregnant with her when Chernobyl was happened. She has omnifarious
/mindenféle/ allergies and baby teeth /tejfog/ at the age of twenty-nine /29 évesen/.
But there were other terrible events in the history of the nuclear experiments, like in Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
during the Second World War. According /vmi vonatkozásában/ to a few years ago released /közzétesz/ reports
/jelentés, riport/, about 45,000 people, mainly /főleg/ Soviet soldiers, were deliberately /szándékosan/ exposed to
radiation /sugárártalomnak tesz ki/ from a bomb twice as powerful as the one dropped on Hiroshima just nine
years before. At 9:33 a.m. (nine thirty-three a.m.) on 14 th (of) September 1954, a Soviet bomber plane dropped
an atomic weapon. The bomb exploded /felrobbant/ above /felett/ Totskoye testing range /térség/ near the
provincial /vidéki/ town of Orenburg. Thousands are believed to have died in the immediate aftermath /közvetlen
utóhatása/ and in the years following. The pilot flying the bomber developed /betegséget megkap/ leukemia and
his co-pilot developed bone cancer.
The experiment was designed /tervezett/ to test the performance /teljesítmény/ of military hardware /katonai
fegyverzet/ and soldiers in the event /esemény/ of a nuclear war. There are no official figures showing how many
of the 45,000 people sent to Totskoye testing range died as a result /emaitt/ of the test. Thousands died. These
people were used as guinea pigs /tengerimalac/, tested, and then left to die slowly of cancer. The state does not
want their tragedy recognised /elismer/, because it would cost money. Nobody wants to know.

33
23. Current questions on economy/society 23. Aktuális gazdasági/társadalmi
kérdések
 smuggling goods/people · áru- és embercsempészet
 dangers of smoking/taking drogs · dohányzás/drogfogyasztás
veszélyei

There are various /különféle/ motivations to smuggle /csempészik/. These include /tartalmaz/ the participation
/részvétel/ in illegal trade /kereskedelem/, such as in the drug trade, in illegal immigration /bevándorlás/ or
illegal emigration /kivándorlás/, tax evasion /adókikerülés/, providing contraband /csempészet/ to inmates of the
prison /börtönlakók/ or the theft /lopás/ of the items /áruk/ being smuggled. Examples of non-financial /nem
anyagi/ motivations include bringing banned /tiltott/ items past /átvisz/ a security checkpoint – such as airline
security –, or the removal /eltávolítás/ of classified /bizalmas/ documents from a government or a corporate
/vállalati/ office.
A lot of smuggling happens in our country too, especially from the Ukrainian and Serbian side. Hundreds of
Roma people and different families benefit /haszon/ from smuggling, and even they live on the money or other
benefits they get from it. Incredible /hihetetlen/ amounts /összegek/ can be smuggled through /át, keresztül/ the
borders /határokon/, and unfortunately, the smugglers are not always get noticed /észrevéve, lefülelve/, as they
worked out different tricks /trükk/ against the checks. They transport /szállít/ not only cigarettes and drugs, but
even petrol /benzin/ and small animals, like rare /ritka/ birds, which are illegal to hunt for in a country, but are
eaten and bought at a high price in other places, where these species /fajok/ can’t be found. Mostly the animal
smuggling people get the animals here, in Hungary and usually transport the rare species to France.
Also they can smuggle people, who, – in a hope of a new, good life – would sacrifice /feláldoz/ everything that is
theirs, but usually are caught /catch; becsap/. This is why they started to immigrate illegally. Though /bár/, they
still /még/ had to eat, so they started to work, also not legally. Today, this has become a huge problem again. The
eyes of the world are upon us because of the migrant crisis. The migrant people come here without registration,
they don’t let them register. Some of the migrants try to go forward to Germany with fake documents. Lately our
government has beefed up /megerősít/ the border between Hungary and Serbia with army and has built a fence
/akadály/.
The illegal crossing of the country's border is a crime punishable by imprisonment /börtönbüntetéssel járó
bűncselekmény. Like in the case of America, people staying in the states illegally are being expellee /száműzött/,
when it turns out /kiderül/ that they are illegal immigrants, and they might be punished /lehet, megbüntetik/ for
it, as for working without any documents or permission /endegély/.
Let me to talk about an other topic: dangers of smoking and taking drugs. People like to try out dangerous things,
especially /különösen/ when they are young, they feel that they are strong and powerful from every viewpoint
and they think they can let themselves do anything. Very often they try out smoking and drinking alcoholic
drinks, and sometimes even drugs. If somebody does this more than they should, they can easily become
addicted /függő/, and these kinds of obsessions /szenvedély/ mean great health hazards /kockázat/, and people
can easily die, because of overdose /túladagolás/ or something like that. I don’t do drugs. I have never tried any
of them. I was smoking years, but I gave it up. Of course, smoking is not good for the passive-smokers, neither.
These are the people that basically are not smoking, but are breathing in the air that somebody polluted
/szennyezett/ with the smoke of their cigarettes. Serious measurements /méreteket/ have been taken in Hungary,
and from the 1 st January 2012 smoking is banned /tilos/ and punished in public places.

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