1. Claire Lippold, 23, works for the Bat Conservation Trust

I did a degree in biology, and studied bats as part of my thesis. When I saw the ad for this job, I thought it would be perfect for me. We get about ten thousand calls a year, many from people worried that if they have bats in their attics they can't have any building work done. They need the right advice, because the law protects bats. We're contracted by an organisation called Natural England to arrange a service whereby anybody with bats on their property can have a specialist volunteer come out and give information and advice about the creatures they're living with. Generally, once they have the information, they're happy.

2. Anthea McNufty, 26, works for NHS Direct, the phone-in helpline operated by the National Health Service

Having worked in nurse training for a while, I found I missed the patient contact I'd enjoyed doing nursing itself. When I saw this job, I thought of it as a way of getting some of that contact back - without the cleaning up! I remember the dread of what the calls might be about on my first day, but they give you so much training before you're let loose that you can handle it. It was a bit difficult not having the physical clues I'd have been able to pick up on the wards. But you very quickly get used to working with the computer, it makes you feel safe.

3. Agnes Thomson, 60, works for a major broadcasting company

Yesterday, I got lots of calls relating to weekly programmes, though there was quite a contrast: the radio show for the blind, 'In Touch", and "Watchdog' on TV. The 'In Touch' callers had heard of some new equipment and wanted further details. Watchdog is a consumer programme and people generally call me because they have a problem with a product from a company we've covered on the show. Quite often people phone to complain spontaneously, and when we call them again within ten days with a response, which we promise to do in some cases, they've forgotten what made them cross.

4. Caroline Hickman, 34, works for a company with a wide range of household products

I really get a lot out of the work. We have such a wide range of products - from beauty and haircare through to nappies (nenehuku) and household cleaners - that no two calls are ever the same. With laundry products, for example, we get lots of Specific queries - people want to know what to use with certain types of material. We can't always go into details of all the settings of different brands of machine, though. We also get a lot of calls about skincare from people who want to know about specific ingredients in our products. You also get fascinating insight into the country's lifestyles. For instance, we tend to get lots of calls about cleaning products on a Monday, presumably because people buy them over the weekend, then, towards Friday we'll get haircare and beauty because they're planning a night out.

1. Halloween

Halloween was originally a Celtic festival for the dead, celebrated on the last day of the Celtic year, October 31. One story says that, on that day, the spirits of all those who had died throughout the preceding year would come back in search of living bodies to possess for the next year. Naturally, the still-living did not want to be possessed. So, on the night of October 31, villagers would put out the fires in their homes, to make them cold and undesirable. They would then dress up in all manner of devilish costumes and noisily parade around the neighbourhood, in order to frighten away spirits looking for bodies to possess. The custom of "trick-or-treating (when children go from house to house on Halloween to get Small presents) is thought to have originated with a ninth-century European custom called 'souling where early Christians would walk from village to village begging for 'soul cakes', made out of square pieces of bread with currants.

2. Independence Day

Independence Day is the national holiday of the USA commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. At the time of the signing, the US was under the rule of England's King George III. There was growing protest in the 13 colonies concerning the taxes that had to be paid to England. King George sent extra troops to help control any rebellion (вос­ста­ние). In April 1775 the King's troops reached Concord. The battle of Concord would mark the beginning of the war for Independence. By June 1776 a committee was formed to compose a formal declaration of independence. Thomas Jefferson was chosen to write the first draft which was presented to the Congress.

3. Carnival

The Origins of Carnival are unclear, but most agree that it started as a pagan (язы­че­ское) celebration in ancient Rome or Greece. In Brazil, Carnival rules the country for four days a year. It happens at the peak of summer, attracting thgusands of visitors from all corners of the world. Carnival changes dates every year but it usually happens some time in February or early March. Carnival is supposed to be a time to 'forget or recall an old love affair, to celebrate new passion or search for new romantic experiences'.

4. Guy Fawkes' Night

In 1605, Guy Fawkes and a group of his supporters attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament to kill the King, James I and the entire Parliament. The conspirators were angered because King James had been forcing Jesuits to leave England. The plotters (за­го­вор­щи­ки) wanted to take power away from the king and return the country to the Catholic faith. However, in an attempt to protect a friend, one of the group members sent an anonymous letter warning him to stay away from the Parliament. The warning letter reached the King, and the conspirators were caught and sentenced to death.

Do you ever wonder what will become of your classmates? Can you spot who's going to become famous or get a really interesting job? Colin Bacon decided to look up some people he'd known at secondary school to find out just that.

1. The first person I found was Andrew. He'd always wanted to work in the music industry. He reminded me, "As a student, I used to do DJ work at the weekends. The academic side of university wasn't my main priority. After graduation, I did temporary jobs before getting into a record company as assistant to the marketing manager. I learnt a lot from him and progressed quickly. I'm now in charge of signing new bands. A typical week involves meetings with artists and producers. No two days are ever the same in this job and an average day can change in an instant if you hear a new band and you realise you're on to something big. The thrill of that makes all the dull days worthwhile."

2. Barbara was much more of a shock. She was always rather quiet at school. She explained, "After school I got a place at Art College,to do a four-year degree, but after a year I swapped to a Geography degree which I thought was more interesting. On that course, I met some people who were thinking of joining the army. I suddenly realised it was just the thing for me too. After graduation, I spent a year doing officer training and then shadowed another officer for two months before getting my own first commission." She now has fifty-five soldiers under her command. "Promotion depends on performance and time served, but I hope to have been promoted to the rank of captain in two years' time."

3. Carl was always a patient sort, so I wasn't surprised to find him still in the classroom. He told me, "In my last year at school, I considered teaching as a career, but I ended up doing two years of a medical degree instead. I never really felt committed to it and after two years switched to Biology. I chose a very practical training course where I spent a lot of time in Schools rather than in a lecture theatre. The advantage is that you build up a teaching style quite quickly, but you do miss out a bit on the educational theory behind it. I now work in an inner-city secondary school and the challenge is motivating the rather troublesome pupils to learn."

4. Biggest shock of all was Diane. She was quite scruffy at school and the last person I expected to be working as a fashion model. As she explained, "Anyone who says you become a model just because you're pretty is totally wrong. To be successful you need personality, drive, maturity as well as good looks. A model's job involves getting up early, performing miracles in front of the camera even when you feel awful. It is often exhausting. It's glamorous enough if you make it to the top, but most don't. Fortunately, I'm building up the experience necessary to start my own agency because modelling is not something you can do forever."

1. School student Carla Ruiz lives in a hot country and has become very aware of the need to save water. 'Spring and autumn used to be quite wet, but these days it hardly rains at all,' she says. 'Nearly all the rivers have dried up, destroying all the wildlife in and around them, and no matter what we do they'll never be the same again. At least, though, we can use water more sensibly. That's why at home I recently decided to do simple things like making sure there are no dripping taps, or taps left on while I'm brushing my teeth or washing food. Within a few days I was regularly doing these things without even thinking, I know they made a difference because the water bills went down quite a bit. My parents noticed that so they started doing the same.'

2. Trainee manager, Vincent Owen, is doing his bit to save the planet by using less electricity around the home. 'I was talking to this guy at work and he told me that we waste a huge amount of energy every year by leaving things like the TV, DVD and computer on standby all the time, so nowadays I try to remember  — not always successfullyto switch them off at night. Incidentally, I've now got solar panels on the roof so that all the hot water is powered by the sun. That was a big investment, and it ended up well over budget, but I'm sure it'll pay for itself in the end.'

3. While Lin Chen is on a gap year, she is travelling round Europe with friends. 'We had intended to fly everywhere, she says, 'but when we worked out just how much extra pollution that would cause, we decided to do it by train instead. It was cheaper, too.' They began their tour in Greece: 'We all felt the obvious place to start was where European civilization began, so our first rail journey began in Athens. We travelled to Patras on the west coast, taking the ferry across to Bari in southern Italy. From there we took the overnight train to Paris, and a few days later we went on the Eurostar to London. We saw far more of the countryside than we would have done by plane.'

4. Tanya Petrova works in a restaurant with an extensive menu, but at home she will only eat local or seasonal food: 'I strongly believe that transporting food thousands of kilometers, or storing it under refrigeration for months on end, ultimately has a highly negative impact on the environment. I always try to buy food that is produced locally, and I have a special calendar to show me which kinds of food are in season so that I know what I'm buying is really fresh. Apart from the environmental considerations, I'm convinced the food I eat, which has far fewer chemicals in it, helps me avoid the kind of illnesses that seem to be so common these days.'

1. Spellometric Language Schools

The Spellometric Organisation has been running courses in Britain for the last 25 years and now has five schools in the south and south-west of England. The schools use a well-practised and proven teaching technique which recognises that spelling and numerical skills are the basis of all languages and so should form a central part of all lessons. The schools cater mainly for students aged twelve to eighteen years. Lessons take place in the mornings, starting at 8:00am and finishing at 1:00 pm. The school arranges accommodation for students with local families.

2. Gattegno School of English

Situated in Central London, the internationally renowned Gattegno school opened in 1967 and uses Gattegno's "silent way" methodology to teach students. Teaching throughout the year, the school also organises summer courses with students attending from all over the world. Students must be over the age of eighteen and the maximum class size in this school is six.

3. Lancing English Association

The Lancing English Association runs two summer schools, one in Bath, and one in Bristol, mostly attended by young students from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Teachers use the audio-lingual method. The maximum class size is ten. The school day starts at 9:00am and finishes at 1:00 pm. In the afternoons and evenings students take part in a varied activity programme which includes cricket, football and horse-riding. Students can also enjoy the schools' indoor swimming pools. School trips to London and other tourist destinations take place at weekends. Courses last from two to eight weeks and are residential, with students staying in accommodation on the school site.

4. Pangloss School of English

The Pangloss School specialises in intensive English courses for students who wish to improve their English rapidly in the space of a few weeks. The school day lasts from 10:00am to 8:00pm, with intensive instruction in all aspects of the English language, from grammar structures to vocabulary. The course is particularly appropriate for students about to study at English Universities or business people looking for more specialised language skills. The maximum class size is five students. The school is situated in the Cambridgeshire countryside, just outside Cambridge itself.