Text B

Read and translate

Dialogue.

This is the dialogue between Anna Smirnova, a Russian teacher of English, and Bernard Law, a London University lecturer. Anna is leaving London for Edinburgh next Saturday morning.

Anna: Bernard, could you do me a favour?

Bernard: Year, sure. I’ll be glad to if I can.

A.: Next Saturday morning I’m going to Edinburgh by car. What cities would you advise me to see on my way there?

B.: Well, it’s going to be a long journey. When are you expected in Edinburgh?

A.: Next Tuesday afternoon.

B.: Then you should try to see Northern England with Manchester, Leeds and Bradford and Midlands with Birmingham, Coventry and Sheffield. They are the most northwest industrial cities.

A.: What are they famous for?

B.: Well, the wool industry is centred in Bradford and Leeds. Other industries of these cities include the making of locomotives, agricultural implements, heavy iron and steel goods of all kinds, chemicals, glass, leather goods, artificial silk and pottery.

A.: And what about Manchester?

B.: You see, it’s the centre of cotton industry with a population of nearly one million. The University of Manchester, founded in 1880, is famous for its modern studies.

A.: Ah... that’s worth knowing. And I’ve heard that the district of Birmingham is known as the Black Country. Is it really so heavily industrialized?

B.: Oh, sure. It is a land of factories and mines and it owes its importance to iron industry. Iron goes to the steel, heavy machinery and shipbuilding industries of Newcastle and other cities.

A.: I wonder how they transport all these goods to other cities and countries? As far as I know Birmingham doesn’t have outlet on the sea-coast and doesn’t stand on any great river.

B.: You’re right. The nearest port is Liverpool - the main port of western England. It is first in Great Britain in export and comes second after London in imports. But most of the goods are transported to London and then distributed to different parts of the world.

A.: Bernard, you’ve mentioned Coventry as one of the industrial cities of Midland and I’d love to do the sights of this town to tell my friends about this Volgograd’s twin city.

B.: I have never heard about it. How interesting! What do they have in common?

A.: Don’t you know? Both Volgograd and Coventry were badly destroyed during World War II. Nowadays these cities exchange delegations and their contribution to Russian-British cooperation is appreciable.

B.: Then you should try to visit this city. I suggest you should spend at least a few hours in Coventry and see the Cathedral.

A.: I certainly will. Oh, I’m afraid I’ve taken up too much of your time. Thank you very much. I really appreciate your help.

B.: My pleasure. Enjoy your stay in Britain.

Exercise 1. Match English world with their Russian equivalents:

Exercise 2. Make up sentences using the table.

Exercise 3. Answer the questions.

1) What are the biggest industrial centres of the U. K.?

2) What are chief industries of the country?

3) What articles are manufactured in the Black Country?

4) Name the greatest ports and shipbuilding centres of Britain.

5) What cities are British textile centres?

6) What English city is the twin town of Volgograd?

7) What is Liverpool famous for?

8) What are the main English ports?

Exercise 4. Enumerate the main industries developed in your city.

Exercise 5. Learn the dialogue by heart and act it out.

Exercise 7. Role play involving the whole group.

Imagine that some of you are British students from London, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Sheffield, Leeds and the other are students from Volgograd. Discuss the industrial potential of the cities you come from.

UNIT IV.

LONDON

Read and translate.

Text A.

London is one of the most exciting and cosmopolitan cities in the world. To some – it is simply home, a place to live and work in, while to others who only visit – it means a city of history and culture, full of museums, galleries and historic buildings. But both visitors and residents appreciate its rich heritage, its fine architecture and amazing diversity of cultures. London’s most famous sights range from the historic Tower of London and the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace to the everyday views withits black cabs and red double-decker buses.

The heart of London is the City, the oldest area, which is rich in historic traditions. Today it is well known as one of the world’s leading financial and commercial centres, where all the major British and foreign banks and finance houses are represented.

The Tower of London comes first among the historic buildings of the City. If you want to get some glimpses of London it’s just from here that you had better start sightseeing. The Tower of London was founded by Julius Caesar and rebuilt in1066 by William the Conqueror. The Tower served as fortress, palace and state prison. Its history is associated withthe place of murder and execution. Now it is a museum of armour and attracts thousand of visitors. The large black ravens have a long association with the Tower; it is believed that if they ever disappear England will fall and that ill-fortune will befall anyone who harms them. Consequently they are very well cared for.

A twenty minutes walk from the Tower will take you to another historic building – St. Paul’s Cathedral, the greatest of English churches. It was built by a famous English architect Sir Christopher Wren, who spent 35 years of his life supervising every part of its construction. St. Paul’s Cathedral with its huge dome and rows of columns is considered to be a fine specimen of Renaissance architecture. Nelson and other great men of England are buried in the Cathedral.

Not far away, in Westminster another important part of London where most of the Government buildings are situated is Westminster Abbey. Many outstanding English statesmen, painters and poets with Newton, Darwin and Tennyson among them are buried here. Westminster Abbey has been the coronation place of all 39 English Kings and Queens since William the Conqueror in 1066.

Across the road from Westminster Abbey there is Westminster Palace, the seat of the British Parliament. Its two graceful towers stand high above the city. The higher of the two contains the largest clock in the country and the famous Big Ben. The name actually refers not to the clock tower or the clock itself but to the huge 13,5-ton bell that strikes every quarter of the hour.

If we walk along Whitehall which is not at all a hall but just a street where the chief government offices are to be found, we shall soon come to Trafalgar Square. It was so named in memory of the victory at the battle of Trafalgar, where on October 21, 1805 the English fleet under Nelson’s command defeated the combined fleet of France and Spain. The victory was won at the cost of Nelson’s life. In the middle of Trafalgar Square stands Nelson’s monument – a tall column with the figure of Nelson at its top. The column is guarded by four bronze lions. Nowadays Trafalgar Square is a favourite gathering place for both locals and visitors.

The fine building facing the square is the National Gallery and adjoining it (but just round the corner) is the Portrait Gallery.

Not far away is the British Museum – the biggest museum in London. It contains the priceless collection of different things: ancient manuscripts, coins, sculptures, etc. The British museum is famous for its library – one of the richest in the world.

Buckingham Palace has been the London residence of the Queen since the 18^th century. It is around Buckingham Palace and nearby St James’s Palace that London’s most powerful pageantry takes place, where the sights of the daily Changing of the Guard, or the procession of Life Guards riding down the Mall cannot fail to attract attention.

And you cannot leave the city without visiting one more place of interest – Hyde Park (or “the Park” as Londoners call it) with Kensington Gardens adjoining it in the west is the largest in London. When you are walking along its shady avenues, sitting on the grass, admiring its beautiful flowerbeds or watching swans and ducks floating on the ponds, it seems almost unbelievable that all around there is a large city with its heavy traffic and smoke.

Exercise 1. Find English equivalents of the following.

Завоеватель, наследство, разнообразие, пышное зрелище, смена караула, ценою жизни, купол, достопримечательности, местные жители, казнь, несчастье, ворон, образец, невероятный, древний, торговый, изящный, примыкающий, восхищаться, привлекать внимание, хоронить, высоко ценить, исчезать, наносить поражение, причинять вред, приключаться.

Exercise 2. Answer the questions.

1) What is London famous for?

2) What's the City? Where is it situated?

3) What building is considered to be one of the oldest in London?

4) Who was the Tower of London founded by?

5) What beliefs are associated with the Tower?

6) Do you know the famous Englishmen who are buried in St. Paul’s Cathedral?

7) In what part of London are the most important Government buildings situated?

8) Which street leads to Trafalgar Square?

9) How is Admiral Nelson’s victory commemorated?

10) Where is the National Gallery situated?

11) Why does Buckingham Palace attract so much attention?

12) What kind of museum is the British Museum?

13) Why are Londoners proud of their parks?

Exercise 3. Describe the most fascinating place in London.

Exercise 4. Fill in prepositions.

Scotland Yard is the headquarters ... the Metropolitan Police ... London ... most people, its name immediately brings ... mind the picture ... a detective - cool, collected, efficient, ready to track down any criminal.

Scotland Yard is situated ... the Thames Embankment close ... the Houses ... Parliament and the familiar clock tower ... Big Ben. The name ‘‘Scotland Yard’’ originates ... the plot ... land adjoining Whitehall Palace where, ... about the 14^th century, the royalty and nobility ... Scotland stayed when visiting the English Court. The popular nickname ... the London policeman ‘‘bobby’’ is a tribute ... Sir Robert Peel, who introduced the police force ... 1829, and whose Christian name attached itself ... members ... the force.

Exercise 5. Translate from Russian into English.

A.1) Лондон – один из самых больших и интересных городов мира. 2) В Лондоне и его пригородах проживают около 8 миллионов человек. 3) Западная часть Лондона – самая богатая часть города с прекрасными проспектами, фешенебельными магазинами, ресторанами и отелями. 4) Лондон известен своими архитектурными памятниками и бесценными коллекциями произведений искусства. 5) Букингемский дворец – Лондонская резиденция королевской семьи. 6) Смена караула у ворот Букингемского дворца – пышное зрелище, привлекающее внимание не только туристов, но и жителей Лондона. 7) Собор Святого Павла – прекрасный образец архитектуры эпохи Возрождения. 8) Биг Бен – это название колокола на одной из башен Британского парламента. 9). В течение многих столетий Тауэр был крепостью, дворцом, тюрьмой и королевской сокровищницей. 10) В Гайд- парке туристы могут прогуляться вдоль тенистых аллей, посидеть на траве и посмотреть на прекрасных лебедей и уток, плавающих в пруду.

B.1).В самом центре Сити, напротив главного банка Англии, стоит статуя Веллингтона - знаменитого английского генерала и государственного деятеля XIX в. Под его командованием английские войска совместно со своими союзниками (allies) нанесли поражение армии Наполеона под Ватерлоо в 1815г. Мост Ватерлоо, один из красивейших мостов через Темзу, был назван так в честь этой победы. 2). Мэлл (The Mall) - это широкий проспект, обсаженный деревьями, ведущий от Трафальгарской площади к Букингемскому дворцу - резиденции английских королей. Напротив дворца стоит огромный памятник со статуей Победы наверху. Этот памятник был воздвигнут в честь королевы Виктории, чье шестидесятичетырехлетнее царствование (reign) было самым продолжительном в истории (1837-1901).

Text B. Sightseeing.

g -Is it possible to see anything of London in one or two days?

g- Well, yes, but of course not half enough.

g - What do you think I ought to see first?

g- Well, if you are interested in churches and historic places, you should go to Westminster Abby, the Houses of Parliament, St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Tower. Do you like art galleries?

g- Rather!

g- Then, why not go to the National Gallery?

g- I’m told one ought to see the British Museum. Do you think I shall have time for that?

g- Well you might, but if I were you I should leave that for some other day. You could spend a whole day there. It’s much too big to be seen in an hour or so.

g- I suppose it is. What about going to the Zoo?

g-That’s not a bad idea. You could spend a couple of hours there comfortably or even a whole afternoon, watching the wild animals, birds and reptiles.

g- Perhaps I’ll do that. How do I get there?

g- Let me see… I think your best way from here is to walk across Regent’s Park.

g- Is it much of a walk?

g- Oh, no a quarter of an hour or so, but if you are in a hurry, why not take a taxi?

g- I think I will. Oh, here’s one coming. Taxi! The Zoo, please.

Exercise 1. Learn Text B by heart and recite it in pairs.

Exercise 2. Imagine the situation when you are in London on a tour. Ask a passer-by to recommend you the most interesting places to visit.

Exercise 3. Translate into English and reproduce it.

- Have you ever been to London?

- Да, два раза. А что?

- What can you tell me about the Houses of Parliament?

- Это очень старые здания. Они очень красивые. Они были спроектированы архитектором Сэром Чарльзом Барри и построены в 1840 – 1850гг.

- What’s the name of the area?

- Они находятся в Вестминстере. Это самая старая часть Лондона. Там же находится Вестминстерское Аббатство, где похоронены знаменитые люди.

- Where does the Prime Minister live?

- Премьер Министр живет на Даунинг Стрит 10.

- Is the residence of the Prime Minister far from the Houses of Parliament?

- Нет, недалеко.

- What is the elected part of the Parliament called?

- Это палата общин, которая является правящим органом в стране.

- What can you say about the House of Lords?

- Это верхняя палата парламента, которая участвует в осуществлении законодательных полномочий парламента.

- Is it true that the House of Lords has no real power?

- Да, это так. Они не имеют реальной власти. Они лишь обладают правом отлагательного вето в отношении законопроектов, принятых палатой общин, кроме финансовых.

- There’s a wonderful spirit of history about this area. But now new office buildings are being erected in the central part of London. Don’t you think they will spoil the beauty of the area?

- Не думаю. Контраст между старым и новым весьма эффектен.

Exercise 4. Compose the dialogues on the following topics. Work in pairs.

1) Exploring London.

2) Exploring your native city.

3) Your impression of a city you have visited.

4) Sightseeing.

Exercise 5. Memorize and recite the following anecdotes. Render them in Reported Speech.

Two young men were travelling together in the tube in the rush hour, one of them was sitting back with closed eyes.

‘‘What’s the matter?’’ asked his friend. ‘‘Are you well? Why are you sitting with your eyes closed?’’

‘‘I’ve closed my eyes because I simply can’t bear to see so many ladies standing,’’ was the sad reply.

Hotel keeper: Here are a few views of our hotel for you to take with you, sir.

Guest: Thanks, but I have my own views of your hotel.

Customer: May I see the editor? My dog is lost. I sent an advertisement. Has anything been heard? A reward of $100 was offered for the dog.

Office boy: Sorry, all the editors are out looking for the dog.

Exercise 6. Talk about your home town. Use the following dialogue as a model.

A.: You’re from Wales, aren’t you?

D.: Yes, that’s right. I come from Swansea actually.

A.: Ah, Swansea! I’ve never been there. It’s a port, isn’t it?

D.: Oh yes - big docks, steel works and a lot of heavy industry round about. But it’s funny, just outside the town there’s really beautiful country. It’s extremely beautiful along the coast - the Gower Peninsular. No industry or nothing - just like it was a hundred years ago.

A.: Sounds great. And how large is Swansea?

D.: Oh, it’s a big city. You mustn’t think that all the people in Wales live in villages. We have cities too!

A.: Yes, I suppose so.

Exercise 7. Comment on the following proverbs and sayings. (Explain their meaning, give their Russian equivalents.)

East or West, home is best.

There is no place like home.

So many countries, so many customs.

When at Rome, do as the Romans do.

Exercise 8. Role play. A group of guides suggests possible sightseeing routes about London to their office director commenting on the peculiarities of different historical places. Each one speaks in favour of his/her suggestion trying to convince both the director and the guides that the route is the best. In the end the participants of the talk choose the most appropriate route.

UNIT V.

Some Useful Hints for Russians.

Read and translate the text.

Text A.

How to Keep the English Happy.

All countries have unwritten but powerful rules of social behaviour, which can only be interpreted by other natives. The efforts of foreigners to explain to other foreigners become ridiculous: ‘Englishmen upon being introduced, shake hands and say, “How do you do?”’

Do they? Sometimes they do. It’s like being told, “In Russia at the beginning of the meal, the host pours out some vodka and everybody has to drink it in one gulp.’ Life is not as rigid as ceremonious or as repetitious as that.

So, no rules! Remember that we know that foreigners are going to be unfamiliar with our ways, and so long as they are obviously friendly and polite from the heart, it does not matter if they seem to us to behave slightly strangely. You will be miserable if you keep asking yourself, ‘Have I done this right or that right?’ And don’t feel that you have to apologize in case you have done something wrong. Apologies will distress your English friends and acquaintances. But don’t forget to thank them. And they will always appreciate a card or note from your home when you return.

In the last thirty years we have become much more informal than your textbooks suggest. Many of the rituals they describe no longer exist. But our informality conceals a pattern, an expectation of behaviour that can suddenly rise up strongly within us. For example, a group of English people, casual, friendly and easy-going, is making arrangements for the next day. They will have a much stronger expectation of punctuality than you may realize. Asked to arrive at ten o’clock, the English will arrive at ten o’clock, unless they are invited to a party or dinner, when they will carefully arrive a few minutes – but not twenty minutes – later. (Chronically unpunctual Englishmen exist, but try not to imitate them.)

Then, life in the country is more organized, people are much more tired by work than you may realize. Busy people have complex timetables. If you are invited for a meeting from half past ten to eleven, expect to leave at eleven – unless your host presses you to stay. It’s wiser not to launch into another long story as the Englishman opposite shuffles his papers or begins to wriggle in his chair.

Most English people get up and go to bed earlier than you do. So, expect to be up and around and working by about nine and nobody will be surprised if you are washing yourself around seven a.m. On the other hand, don’t try to telephone acquaintances after 10 p.m. unless you know them well. Some people don’t mind being phoned at midnight, but they are very rare.

The English, though you will find them friendly, do not rush to invite people to their homes – a great pity, but a fact. However, a minority is extremely hospitable and you may find yourself invited to someone’s home for an evening or at midday – or indeed for afternoon tea. With such people there should be no problems. They will want to make you feel comfortable, they will enjoy showing you all sorts of things with which you may be perfectly well acquainted, and they will display astonishing ignorance about your own home life. My advice is: ‘Ask, if you don’t know what to do next, whenever you don’t understand something which seems important.’ People enjoy explaining. And if you are asked questions, try to explain in answer. People enjoy trying to understand. But don’t feel that a simple question needs a ten-minute answer. Stop before you have completed your story, so that your friend can ask further questions. First, you may find that they have completely misunderstood you, and you need to start again. Secondly, English culture unlike Russian culture, doesn’t normally include monologues.

Homes and individuals differ so much that it is impossible to generalize about what you will find. But there is an underlying ‘pattern’ to English hospitality, which differs from the Russian ‘pattern’. Let us suppose you have been invited out for the evening. You will be given a meal but it will not be waiting for you as soon as you arrive. First, there is a period of anticipation, when people sit around, talking, getting to know each other, and sipping a preparatory drink. Don’t expect much to drink at this stage: you may be offered a second drink but very rarely more. This is a period when the English often seem to talk about nothing. Call people by the names by which they are introduced to you. And you will have already discovered that since we do not use patronymics you will have to reconcile yourself to the use of your first name only.

Meals will certainly have two courses and if the occasion is fairly formal, quite probably three courses: a ‘first course’/’starter’ which will be light and probably cold, or a soup; a ‘main course’ which will have meat or fish and vegetables, and a sweet course – a pudding or cheese or fruit. There will probably be bread around, but it is not eaten at such meals as often as with you, so by all means ask for a slice, but don’t expect to eat half the loaf.

Our pattern of drinking is very different. You will already have some alcohol inside you. At a meal you will be offered either wine or beer. Whereas Russian vodka drinkers get the vodka into them at the beginning of the meal so that its delightful effects will last throughout the evening, English drinking is for the pleasure of tasting wine or beer with the food over a long period. Do not help yourself to wine or beer unless asked to do so.

After the meal (and by all means offer to help clear up, but accept your hosts’ word if they say, ‘No, thank you’) you may move to another room, to drink coffee or tea and continue talking. People may play music, get out books or photos, and show you round the house or just talk.

Don’t feel that you have to leave immediately. This is a leisurely part of the evening when the English become most relaxed. You can more easily ask them about the things, which have really puzzled you. If you don’t know when to leave, take your cue from other guests - though if they have to leave early, you may be asked to stay a bit longer. Otherwise, go by the atmosphere. If conversation is animated, stay. If your host shuffle, grow silent or fall asleep, take the hint! The English will never tell you to leave, but if these are people you don’t know well, normally you will have to leave around 11 p.m.

Exercise 1.Give Russian equivalents of the following.

Acquaintances, behaviour, casual, to distress, ridiculous, easy-going, expectation, arrangement, timetable, ignorance, hospitable, to display, to generalize, anticipation , a first course / starter, a main course, a sweet course, delightful, to puzzle, hint, animated.

Exercise 2. Find the corresponding adjectives in the text.

Power, ceremony, repeat, friend, politeness, misery, silence, difference, familiarity, preparation, leisure, delight, strength, length, possibility, comfort.

Exercise 3. Make up 10 questions on the text.

Exercise 4. Give a summary of the text.

Exercise 5. Translate into English.

Во всех странах есть неписаные, но существенные правила поведения в обществе. За последние тридцать лет англичане стали намного естественнее. Но даже в их раскованности кроется некоторая заданность, ожидание определенного поведения.

Представление о пунктуальности остается довольно четким. Договорившись о встрече в 10 часов, англичане приходят в 10, если речь не идет о приглашении в гости - в этом случае они постараются прийти на несколько минут позже.

У английского гостеприимства есть свои особенности. Сначала гостей ожидает предварительная беседа как бы ни о чем, знакомство с людьми, некрепкие напитки, сэндвичи. Затем трапеза, которая, как правило, состоит из двух блюд, в официальной обстановке - из трех: закуска или суп, главное блюдо (мясо или рыба с овощами) и сладкое - пудинг, сыр или фрукты. Англичане предпочитают наслаждаться вкусом вина или пива на протяжении всей трапезы. После еды гостей могут пригласить в другую комнату, где разговор продолжится за чаем или кофе.

Exercise 6. Role play. The information given below contains different points of view of the American students on some aspects of social life in Great Britain. Read it and guess what they like or dislike about Britain. Imagine that you are American students who visited England. Discuss your likes and dislikes.

The British and the Americans speak the same language. But life in two nations can be very different….

‘The police. They’re very friendly and they don’t carry guns.’ Claude, Trenton.

‘The weather is awful. You don’t seem to get any summer heat. It’s winter all year round.’ Toni, San Francisco.

‘The tourists! The streets are so crowded. I think you should do something about them. And I can’t stand the litter everywhere. It’s a very dirty place.’ Jose, Washington.

‘Walking and sitting on the grass in the parks, especially on a hot summer’s day. Oh, and the green countryside. But why is the beer warm?’ Max, Houston.

‘Well, they certainly seem rather unfriendly. Nobody ever talk on the buses. But maybe we haven’t met any real English people yet.’ Eva, Niagara Falls.

‘Feeling safe when you walk the streets. Oh, and the polite drivers who stop at a street crossing if they see someone waiting there.’ Moon, Los Angeles.

‘Driving on the left. It’s very confusing. I keep looking the wrong way.’ Paula, San Diego.

Read and translate.

Text B.

Any Problems?

(Mr. Green has invited the students at the Summer School to bring their language problems to him. He, his wife and the students are talking after supper.)

Mario: We’ve all heard a lot of slang while we’ve been here. Should we learn it and use it?

Mr. Green: I don’t advise you to use it. It’s difficult to say whether you should learn its meaning. It depends on your aims in learning English. If you expect to talk to English people of all classes, then you’ll certainly hear a good deal of slang and you ought to learn the meanings of all slang words and expressions. If you want to listen to broadcasts in English and go to English talking films, you’ll find it useful to know something about slang. But if your chief aim is to read books on such subjects as medicine, economics or engineering, there’s no need at all to study slang. It would be a waste of time.

Emil: Why do you advise us not to use slang even if we learn it?

Mr. Green: Because it’s too difficult. You could learn the meaning of slang words and expressions without much difficulty, perhaps, but you’d almost certainly use them in the wrong way and to the wrong people. There’s schoolboys’ and schoolgirls’ slang. There’s Army slang and Air Force slang. Sailors have their own slang words and expressions. It’s the easiest thing in the world to learn a bit of slang and then to make yourself look silly by using it to the wrong people.

Mrs. Green: There’s another good reason for not using slang. It very quickly goes out of date. Slang’s always changing. You might learn a slang phrase that was in common use ten years ago. And if you used it today, you’d be laughed at.

Mario: So it’s much safer not to use slang.

Mrs. Green : Very much safer.

Anne: Slang is dangerous, I know. But there’s something else that worries me. How can I learn to talk English naturally? I don’t want to talk like a book.

Mr. Green: I know what you mean. You sometimes use words that you’ve learnt from your reading. And then sometimes someone tells you not to use them when you are speaking.

Rosa: Yes, that’s what happens to me. The other day I said, ‘I fear it’s going to rain.’ Mrs. Green told me not to say ‘fear’. She told me to say, ‘I’m afraid it’s going to rain.’

Mr. Green: Quite right, too. ‘Fear’, the verb, is not much used in speaking. That’s quite a difficult problem. You can learn a lot by reading modern English novels and plays. They must be modern, though. They’ll give you good examples of conversational English. But don’t always use the words that are the nearest to the words of your own language.

Hans: I’ve met a lot of Americans. Most of them say ‘Do you have’. I was taught to say ‘Have you’. Which is better?

Mr. Green: That’s another difficult question. ‘Do you have” is good American English in many sentences where English people would say /Have you’. If an American asks you, ‘Do you have any sisters or brothers?’, it’s quite correct, but it’s American English. If you go to America, use American English if you wish. But in this country we say, ‘Have you any brothers or sisters?’, or, more probably, ‘Have you got any brothers or sisters?’ ‘Have you got’ is very common in spoken English and it’s quite good English. It’s not at all slangy. Who’s got another question?

Lucille: When I first began listening to the B.B.C. broadcasts to France, I couldn’t understand ‘Here is the news’. I thought it ought to be ‘Here are the news’. I’ve learnt that ‘news’ is singular now, but I still find it difficult to understand why words like ‘news’, ‘advice’, ‘information’ and ‘furniture’ are never plural. They can be plural in French.

Mr. Green: You want to know how to recognize words of this kind, don’t you? The only way I can think of is to keep your eyes and ears open. When you see or hear them, notice how they are used. If they ‘re used with ‘much’ you mustn’t make them plural. ‘Not much news’, ‘not much advice’, ‘not much information’, that’s the way to remember them. Not by themselves, but with ‘not much’. Or you could learn them as ‘an item of news’, a piece of advice’, ‘an interesting bit of information’. ‘Knowledge’, ‘machinery’ and ‘poetry’ are other nouns that are never used in the plural.

Paul: And what’s the difference between ‘small’ and ‘little’? You crossed out ‘little’ in something I wrote for you last week and put ‘small’ instead.

Mr. Green: Yes, I remember, I didn’t explain my correction. I ought to have done so. Can anyone suggest an answer?

Pedro: Don’t we use ‘little’ when we want to suggest a sentiment of some sort?

Mr. Green: That’s right. I’ll give you some examples. Suppose you want to buy a house. You might advertise in the paper for ‘a small house in the country’. You’d use the word ‘small’, not the word ‘little’. You get replies to the advertisement and you go to see the house. What do you say if you like it? You might say, ‘Oh, what a delightful little house!’ or perhaps, ‘Oh, what a nice little garden it has!’ “Little’, you see, is used with adjectives that show feeling. We speak of ‘small letters’ and ‘capital letters’, don’t we? Never ‘little letters’. We have no feeling about the alphabet.

Mrs. Green: We have three small children at home. If you met them, you might say, ‘Oh, what nice little children!’ Or ‘Aren’t they naughty little children!’

Olga: I’m sure they’re nice little children, Mrs. Green.

Exercise 1. Enumerate all language problems which the students discuss with Mr. Green.

Exercise 2. Think and discuss the following questions.

1) What are your aims of learning English?

2) What information in the text was quite new to you?

3) Do you ever use slang in your speech?

4) Can you give your own examples of British and American English?

5) Have you got any language problems?

Exercise 3. Translate into English.

Слэнг древен как мир. Это отмечает крупный языковед, специалист в области слэнга и составитель словаря слэнга Эрик Патридж. «Слэнг» был и в греческом и в латинском языках – ведь люди всегда стремились оживить речь, расцветить ее образными словечками и фразами, переиначивая на свой лад непонятные «ученые» и официальные слова. И во всех языках можно отметить эту тенденцию в живой речи.

Но английский слэнг своеобразен и неповторим. Он рождался и рождается в недрах самого английского языка, в разных социальных сферах и возрастных группах как стремление к краткости и выразительности, иногда как протест против неуклюжего или длинного слова, как желание по-своему окрестить предмет или его свойства. В молодежных же кругах, где слэнготворчество особенно распространено, кроме всего прочего явно выражено стремление обособиться от мира взрослых, «зашифровать» свой язык, а также желание просто взбаламутить зеркальную гладь респектабельного английского языка – Queen’s English.

Конечно, включать в свой активный словарь слэнг – дело весьма рискованное. То, что мы слышим в речи носителей языка, звучит вполне естественно (пусть даже иногда и грубовато), но мы можем попасть в неловкое положение, так как слэнгизмы нередко переосмысливаются и могут звучать двусмысленно и неуместно. Но многие сленгизмы имеют широкое хождение в разговорном языке. Вот – некоторые из них.

О человеке: pretty boy – хвастун; poor fish – простофиля; cold fish – сдержанный.

О еде, напитках: eats – еда вообще; cat beer – молоко.

О деньгах: dirt, cabbage, blood, boot - деньги вообще; quid – фунт стерлингов; buck – доллар;

Об оружии: big boy – пушка; six-shooter – револьвер.

Exercise 4. Read and translate the text where Helen Unwin tells how she spent her day. Think of the way an American student will describe the same events using the words in brackets.

Helen (Great Britain):

I got up at half past seven. I put on my dressing gown, went into the bathroom and turned on the bath taps. After my bath I had breakfast with my parents on the terrace. Our flat’s on the fifteenth floor, so the view’s terrific. At eight o’clock my mum and I took the lift to the car park under our block of flats. First we stopped for petrol, then she drove me to school. The motorway was really busy – cars everywhere. When I got to school it was raining. Luckily I’d brought my wellington boots and an umbrella, so I didn’t get wet.

School was OK, except that we had a maths exam before break. I think I failed it. Anyway, after school I took a bus to the city centre to meet my sister, Susan. She became a primary school teacher after she left university last year. We went out for dinner to a Chinese restaurant. Personally I don’t like rice, so I ordered chips instead. Susan disapproved. After sweet and coffee we paid the bill and left. It had stopped raining but the pavements were still wet. Susan gave me a lift home, then I did some history homework for the next day, watched a film on the TV and went to bed at about half past eleven. I was really tired.

(Test, deck, around, pooped, French-fries, elevator, gas, college, bath robe, freeway, check, flunked, parking lot, galoshes, automobiles, faucets, ate out, assignment, dessert, ate, apartment, movie, grade, downtown, recess, apartment block, mom, sidewalks, underneath, a drive home.)

UNIT VI.

Quiz: Do you know Britain well?

1. Give the names of

a) the longest river,

b) the highest mountain,

c) the largest lake,

d) the largest city outside London,

e) the busiest port in the British Isles.

2. How wide is the English Channel at its narrowest part?

3. Which river does Oxford stand on?

4. What is the main difference between the Cumbrians and the Cambrians?

5. What is Wales rich in?

6. What is the average winter temperature in Great Britain?

7. Why did the Romans call Britain Albion?

8. What is the name of the English state flag?

9. What is the name of the building in which the British Parliament sits?

10. How many buildings do the Houses of Parliament consist of?

11. Which of the two Houses of Parliament has more power?

12. What is Downing Street in London known for?

13. Where are most of the government offices situated in London?

14. Why is a district in the centre of England called The Black Country?

15. What is the name of one of the biggest textile industry centers in England?

16. What is the name of the biggest city in Scotland, famous for its shipyards?

17. Where is industry chiefly found in London?

18. What’s the City?

19. What important events took place in London’s history in 1066 (1577; 1666; 1836; 1863; 1952.)?

20. What is the ceremony which takes place daily in the forecourt of the official residence of the Queen?

21. What are English buses called?

22. What is the name of the tower which contains the famous Big Ben?

23. What is the name of a famous English architect who built 50 churches in London?

24. Who guards Nelson in the Trafalgar Square?

25. What is the name of the headquarters of London police?

26. Who was the first monarch who took residence in Buckingham Palace?

27. What is the name of London underground?

28. Can you name the person of England whose final Battle was at Trafalgar?

29. Who lives in the Tower of London?

30. What is the money system of Great Britain?

31. What is the famous place in Hyde Park where people can say anything they like?

32. Which park is the largest in London?

33. Who was the famous English general and statesman who won the victory of Waterloo?

34. At what annual ceremony does the Queen of the UK wear a crown?

35. How are the fur hats of the Queen’s lifeguards called?

36. Who were important prisoners of the Tower of London a long time ago?

37. What are the English policemen called?

Список использованной литературы.

1. Timanovskaya N. Spotlight on Great Britain. Tula, 1998.

2. Freeman J., Sharpe S. This Beautiful City London. 1990.

3. Hewitt K. Understanding Britain. Oxford, 1994.

4. Greenall S., Reward Pre-intermediate. Teacher's Book, Oxford,1994.

5. Khannikova L. Spoken English. M, 1991.

6. Hornby A.S. Oxford Progressive English for Adult Learners, 1992.

Составители: Новоженина Елена Васильевна

Леднева Ольга Вячеславовна

Багметова Нонна Васильевна

Маркова Ольга Васильевна

Игнатенко Ольга Михайловна

Редактор Л.П. Кузнецова

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Волгоградский государственный технический университет

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