IV. LISTENING PRACTICE

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 399.

Exercise 17. Find gerunds in the sentences below (be careful not to confuse them with participles and verbal nouns). Translate them into Russian. Analyze the possible ways of translating gerunds.

1. Getting on well with colleagues, as anyone who works in an office knows, is a vital element in our working lives.

2. Many office jobs involve a great deal of time spent talking.

3. Are there any ‘rules of relationships' that might be useful as general markers of what to do and what not to do in your dealings with others?

4. If a person you are talking to has completely stopped looking at you and appears transfixed by the flowers in the window-box, it means shut up.

5. As well as these general guidelines for keeping good relationships, Argyle and his associates questioned people about rules that apply very specifically to work settings.

6. Be cooperative with regard to the shared physical working conditions.

7. Work cooperatively despite feelings of dislike.

8. Don't display hypocritical liking.

9. Another approach to resolving interpersonal conflicts is increasing the amount of communication between those involved, so that each side comes to understand and to trust the other more.

10. Trying to get to know the other person a bit more is really quite a good approach

Exercise 18. Translate into English using the vocabulary of the text and gerunds:

Хорошие отношения с коллегами являются важным элементом нашей жизни на работе. Иногда мы испытываем трудности в обращении с людьми. Существует ряд простых правил, которые стоит запомнить:

- привыкните честно выполнять вашу долю работы;

- избегайте обсуждать то, что было доверено вам конфиденциально;

- помните, что, с одной стороны, никому не доставит удовольствия публичная критика, с другой стороны, никто не станет возражать против похвалы за хорошую работу;

- перестаньте курить, слишком много говорить и быть чрезмерно любопытным в рабочей обстановке;

- не возражайте, если вас просят о помощи или обращаются за советом;

- не отказывайтесь провести вместе досуг и никогда не упускайте шанс больше общаться, приходя тем самым к большему пониманию;

- работайте сообща, несмотря на чувство неприязни;

- не забывайте, что люди терпеть не могут, когда их порочат за спиной;

- не бойтесь говорить комплименты, но никогда не демонстрируйте лицемерную любовь;

Если вы запомните эти правила, у вас никогда не возникнет проблем в общении с другими людьми.

Exercise 19. Read the text below, define ing-forms, make a list of additional “rules of relationships”:

Leaning forward slightly while a person is talking to you indicates interest on your part, and shows you are listening to what the person is saying. This is usually taken as a compliment by the other person, and will encourage him to continue talking.

Often people will lean back with their hands over their mouth, chin, or behind their head in the “thinking” pose. This posture gives off signals of judgment, skepticism, and boredom from the listener. Since most people do not feel comfortable when they think they are being judged, this leaning-back posture tends to inhibit the speaker from continuing.

It's far better to lean forward slightly in a casual and natural way. By doing this, you are saying: ‘I hear what you are saying, and I'm interested – keep talking!' This usually lets the other person feel that what he is saying is interesting, and encourages him to continue speaking.

In many cultures the most acceptable form of first contact between two people who are just meeting is a warm handshake. This is true when meeting members of the same or opposite sex – and not just in business, but in social situations, too. In nearly every situation, a warm and firm handshake is a safe and positive way of showing an open and friendly attitude toward the people you meet. Be the first to extend your hand in greeting. Couple this with a friendly ‘Hello!', a nice smile, and your name, and you have made the first step to open the channels of communication between you and the other person.

The strongest of the nonverbal gestures are sent through the eyes. Direct eye contact indicates that you are listening to the other person, and that you want to know about him/her.

Eye contact should be natural and not forced or overdone. It is perfectly okay to have brief periods of eye contact while you observe other parts of the person's face – particularly the mouth. When the person smiles, be sure to smile back. But always make an effort to return your gaze to the person's eye as he/she speaks. It is common to look up, down, and all around when speaking to others, and it's acceptable not to have eye contact at all times.

Too much eye contact, especially if it is forced, can be counterproductive. If you stare at a person, or leer in a suspicious manner, the other person may feel uncomfortable and even suspicious about your intentions. A fixed stare can appear as aggressive behavior if it takes the form of a challenge as to who will look away first.

A. A. Listen to the following text and mark with “T (true)”, “F (false)”, “NG (not given” the following statements:

1. A pleasant smile is an indication of a friendly and open attitude to your partner.

2. It is positive, verbal signal sent to a person.

3. Smiling does not mean that a person you are speaking to is your close friend.

4. When you see someone you know, or would like to make contact with, do smile.

5. A closed posture isn't the cause of many conversational problems.

6. Open posture is often called the “thinking pose”.

7. Open posture gives off “stay away” signals to others.

8. To overcome closed posture try to keep your hands away from your mouth, and keep your arms uncrossed.

9. To bemost effective try to get too close to your partner.

10. It is good when you place yourself within communicating distance of the other person.

11. A closed posture usually leads to different misunderstandings between people.

12. Extroverts are always going to interrupt everyone who appears to be deep in thought.

13. Our mouth is our main “signal sender».

14. Without receptive signals another person will most likely not understand you.

15. Crossed arms tend to indicate an offensive frame of mind.

B. Listen to the text once again and make a list of additional “rules of relationships”: