Перепишите предложения, подчеркните в них самостоятельный герундиальный оборот, переведите их. 1) Do you mind our being present?
2) I am used to their calling on me every day.
3) I know of his having been persecuted for his beliefs.

there are many reasons why  everyone   should learn a foreign language.

firstly, learning a language of another country helps one understand its culture.    language becomes a peephole to look at the nation’s culture, its traditions and its history. italian film director federico fellini says, "a different language is a different vision of life". 

research has shown that having studied a foreign language one can understand one’s own language better. it deepens the understanding of one’s own culture. general language skills improve after studying foreign languages.

another thing that talks of the importance of foreign language study is touring to foreign countries.

  eventually, knowing a foreign language  opens new job and employment opportunities in many countries and markets and it's grate!

выражение мнения:

i agree / disagree…

in my opinion,…/ from my point of

i believe that…/ it seems to me that…

i am in favour of…/ i am against the idea of…

according to…

some people say that…

it is said / believed that…

there is no doubt that…

it goes without saying that…

we must admit that…

представление аргументов:

the main argument in favour / against is

first of all, i should like to consider…

to begin with…/ to start with…

despite the fact that…/ in spite of the fact that…

on the one hand…/ on the other hand…

besides,…/ in addition…

what is more,…/ moreover,…/ more than that…

finally…

nevertheless..

выражение причинно-следственной связи:

for this reason

therefore / that is why

because of

as a result

owing to / due to

примеры:

for example

for instance

such as

like

заключение:

to sum up…

to conclude…

in conclusion, i would like to stress that…

all in all, i believe that…

words and phrases to organize points chronologically (to introduce a series of reasons, ideas, remarks, etc):

first(ly)/first of all; second(ly); third(ly); lastly/last of all/finally - наконец; в заключение;

first and foremost - в первую очередь;

in the first/second/third place; to start/begin with; for one thing - прежде всего; начать с того, что; для начала;

for another thing - кроме того; во вторых

note: firstly, is more formal than first, second.

words and phrases to indicate the addition of a new point or introduce a related topic:

in addition;

what is more/more than that/furthermore(formal)/moreover (more formal) - более того; кроме того;

another thing is

above all/on top of that - в довершение всего;

as well as - так же (как); не ; в дополнение; помимо;

alongside - наряду с;

besides/apart from - кроме, помимо;

besides - к тому же (particularly when adding a negative idea);

similarly/equally/likewise - подобным образом;

a word must be said ;

it is important to note

almost all people are fond of travelling. it is very interesting to see new places, another towns and countries. people may travel either for pleasure or on business. there are various means of travelling. for me there is nothing like travel by air; it is more comfortable, more convenient and, of course, far quicker than any other means. there is none of the dust and dirt of a railway or car journey, none of the trouble of changing from train to steamer and then to another train.

with a train you have speed, comfort and pleasure combined. from the comfortable seat of a railway carriage you have a splendid view of the whole countryside. if you are hungry, you can have a meal in the dining-car; and if a journey is a long one you can have a wonderful bed in a sleeper.

travelling by ship is also very popular now. it is very pleasant to feel the deck of the ship under the feet, to see the rise and fall of the waves, to feel the fresh sea wind blowing in the face and hear the cry of the seagulls.

many people like to travel by car. it is interesting too, because you can see many sights in a short time, you can stop when and where you like, you do not have to buy tickets or carry your suitcases.

a very popular means of travelling is hiking. it is travelling on foot. walking tours are very interesting. hitch-hiking is a very popular method of travelling among young people. but it is not as popular in our country as abroad.