SPEECH EXERCISES

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 1541.

I. Answer the following questions and do the following tasks:

1. The story by I. Asimov is science fiction. What facts in the present-day life made him write it? Is it written to amuse the reader or to warn him against possible problems of the future?

2. What do you think of the role of different technical aids that modern technology puts at the disposal of the teacher?

3. Comment on the closing lines of the story. How are they connected with the preceding passages?

4. Sum up the central idea of the story.

5. Make up a list of words and word combinations describing school procedures.

II. Retell Text 1 a) close to the text; b) as if you were Tommy; c) as if you were Margie; d) without details (give its summary).

III. Roleplay the situations between:

1) Margie and her grandfather talking about books.

2) Two children discussing the school of the future after reading Asimov's story.

3) Two foreign language teachers discussing the advantages and disadvantages of “a mechanical teacher” if compared to “a man teacher”.

IV. Read Text 2 “Parents are too permissive with their children nowadays”. Make notes about the most important characteristics of the Victorian and modern attitudes to children.

V. Answer the following questions:

1. What are modern psychological ideas in the field of bringing up children? 2. Why do you think the author of the text rejects them? 3. The author of the text regrets the fact that parents are not allowed “even to shout”. Do you think that shouting can lead to understanding and is good when speaking with children? Would you say that anger does nothing but harm? Give reasons for your answer. 4. What's your attitude towards “good old-fashioned spanking” and physical punishment in general? Don't you regard it as the line of least resistance which is resorted to when a parent is just too exhausted to think of better ways of dealing with a child? 5. What is the result of the undermined parents' confidence in their own authority according to the authors point of view? 6. Do you think that doing nothing with children is the best solution? 7. To what results can lax authority lead? 8. Do you think that children should always obey their parents? What about parents obeying their children to make them happy? 9. Would you agree with the author that extreme permissiveness is harmful for children and can result in negative development? 10. Two extremes discussed in the text do not seem to produce good effect. What do you think is important in order to have normal relations between parents and children? Is tolerance necessary?

VI. Summarize the text in four paragraphs showing that love and care so important in the process of bringing up children is not the same as permissiveness and negligence.

VII. Use the Topical Vocabulary in answering the questions:

1. What are the basic patterns of upbringing children in this country, both within the family and in collective situations? 2. What roles do parents, school and peers play in bringing up children? 3. What is the role of mother and father in a modern family? 4. Do you consider grandparents and their influence important in the process of upbringing? 5. What is more important in the process of upbringing: school (teachers, collective) or home (parents)? 6. What home atmosphere encourages a child's development? 7. What are the best ways, in your opinion, to praise and punish the child? 8. Corporal punishment: are you for or against it? 9. Do you think child-care books necessary for young parents? What else can be helpful? 10. Is play work for children? 11. Should parents help their children with their homework?

VIII. What's your idea of ideal parents?

a) Write down 5 characteristics of ideal parents. Discuss them in class.

b) John Rosemond, an American pediatritian and the author of child-care books, suggests 7 ways to be a good parent. Which of them do you agree with? Which of them don't you agree? Why?