OUR CULTURE BOOK is a book written by 16 students of third class some years ago.

The subjects are: History, Geography, Science, Art, Music, Literature, Festivals, and teenagers, of course.

The Second World War

Germany had a hostile attitude towards the nations that had won the First World War. Hitler wanted revenge and decided to carry out an expansion programme.

In 1939 Czechoslovakia was divided while Italy was invading Albania, and Hitler stipulated a non-aggression pact with U.S.S.R. When Hitler invaded Poland, France and Great Britain declared war upon Germany.

Hitler didn’t stop his troops and in 1940 he invaded Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg, then he attacked France, proceeding to Paris.

In the winter of 1941 Germany dominated Europe and attacked the U.S.S.R. Only Britain was still fighting against German troops.

In 1941 the Japanese’s attack on the naval base of Pearl Harbour led the U.S.A. to war.

From 1942 on the Allies started attacking the enemy.

On 6th June 1944 the Anglo-American landed in Normandy. The German army was defeated and had to retreat.

On April 25th 1945 the Italian partisans drove the German troops out of Italy.

On May 8th the Germany was compelled to surrender.

To stop Japanises, the U.S.A. dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

This horrifying war causes the death of 50 million people and un uncalculated damage.

After the war, Europe was divided into two different blocks: the socialist countries and the capitalist countries.

Germany, the defeated nation, was divided into two states, then, in 1961, a Wall was built in Berlin.

 

America after the Second World War

After the war, America was the only nation not devastated by war, so the Americans enjoyed the benefits of economic growth and a great rise on the standard of living.

Science and technological progress produced the development of nuclear weapons and encouraged a space programme. In fact, spacecrafts are sent into the space and in July 1969 this programme led men to land on the Moon.

The technological revolution also made transport and communication quicker and safer.

 

 

 

Tourist attractions in Britain

York is only 2 hours from London by train. It’s a fantastic city with a spectacular cathedral (York Minster), an amazing castle, lots of museums and some great shops. York is a very old city, in fact it gets its name from the Viking town of Jorvik. Tourists, especially young people, love visiting the Jorvik Village Centre, with its enormous interactive museum.

 

Oxford is a famous university town. There are many colleges within the University and they have different names. Christ Church College is very old and very famous, but nowadays it’s famous because its dining room is the one you can see in all the Harry Potter’s films.

 

Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland, and Edinburgh castle is in the centre of the city, on the top of a high rock. A million tourists visit the castle every year to see the famous ghosts (even dog ghosts!). A good time to visit Edinburgh is in August, because there is a cultural explosion called the Edinburgh International Festival. There are theatre, film, book and music festivals where you can find all types of music.

Bath is a beautiful city in the south west of England. It’s an ancient Roman city and you can still visit the Roman Baths today. They are 2000 years old. If you enjoy visiting museums, the city has many interesting ones, as a fashion museum. There’s the Jane Austen Centre, too. The famous English author knew this city well and two of her novels take place in Bath.

 

The seasons

The seasons are the result of the inclination of the Earth’s axis. This inclination form the seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, because the axis is not perpendicular at different times of the year.

Summer is warmer than Winter because the Sun’s rays hit the Earth at a more direct angle.

The Winter solstice occurs on 21st December and this is the shortest day of the year.

The Summer solstice occurs on 21st June and this is the longest day of the year.

Equinoxes are days in which day and night are of equal duration.