По развитию навыков говорения и чтения

УО «БЕЛОРУССКИЙ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКИЙ УНИВЕРСИТЕТ»

Евдокимова О.В.

EVERYDAY TOPICS

FOR FIRST YEAR STUDENTS

Учебно-методическое пособие

По развитию навыков говорения и чтения

На английском языке

для студентов 1-го курса экономических специальностей

Минск: БГЭУ, 2013

Рецензент:Новик Н.А. заведующий кафедрой профессионально ориентированной английской речи Учреждения образования «Белорусский государственный экономический университет», кандидат филологических наук, доцент.

 

 

Рекомендовано кафедрой профессионально ориентированной английской речи УО «Белорусский государственный экономический университет»

Евдокимова, O.B. “Everyday topics for first year students”.Учебно-методическое пособие по развитию навыков говорения и чтения на английском языке для студентов 1-го курса экономических специальностей./ O.B. Евдокимова. Минск: БГЭУ, 2013. – 179 с.

 

Пособие предназначено для студентов 1-го курса экономических специальностей БГЭУ. Пособие может быть использовано в качестве основного или дополнительного материала.

 

Пособие состоит из 9 разделов и включает оригинальные тематические тексты и упражнения к ним.

 

Contents

	Unit 1. Education Part 1. Education in Belarus Higher Education in the Republic of Belarus Belarus State Economic University Student’s Day Part 2. Education in Great Britain Higher Education in Great Britain University Life at Oxford Today Cambridge University Part 3. Education in the USA The System of Education in the USA Higher education in the United States
	Unit 2.Youth Problems Part 1. Family Relations Generation Gap “Married vs. Single” Problem
	Unit 3.Character and Personality Part 1. talking about People: Descriptions and Portraits Appearance and Character Part 2. It takes all sorts (to make a world) Appearances are deceptive A true story
	Unit 4.Friendship and Love Problems Part 1. Friends for life Part 2. Talking about Friendship and Love Problems.
	Unit 5.Healthy Way of Life Health Care Good Days, Bad Days
	Unit 6. Belarus and English-Speaking Countries Part 1. Belarus and Its People Transformation of the Countryside National Peculiarities of the New Year Holiday Attention! Ded Moroz Wanted! "Kalyady" Has Come!
	Unit 7. Great Britain and Its People Population and Nationalities London. Getting about London. Visiting London. Public Holidays and Celebrations in Britain Social Customs in Britain British Traditions and Customs
	Unit 8. The USA and Its People American Values and Beliefs Southern Women – Still Ladies? Public Transport in New York Social Customs in the USA Sports in America Part 4. Cultural Differences About Belarusian people British Character American Character and Belief System
	Unit 9. The World around Us Part 1. Everything Depends on Weather The Weather and Climate Weather and Our Daily Life Part 2. Global Warming Top 10 Worst Effects of Global Warming Part 3. Environment Part 4. Ecological Culture The Right to Favourable Environment Part 5. Animals and Wild Life Wild Life Protection The Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve
	Literature

 

UNIT 1

EDUCATION

PART 1.

Education in Belarus

I. Look through the list of English words and their Russian equivalents before reading the text.

public education – народное образование

irrespective of – независимо от …

social or property status – социальный или имущественный статус

compulsory education – обязательное образование

genuinely democratic system – истинно демократическая система

school-leaving certificate – аттестат зрелости

general secondary education – общее среднее образование

vocational technical training – профессионально-техническое обучение

secondary special training – средне-специальное обучение

creches or kindergartens – ясли или детские сады

cooperation – сотрудничество

to foster – способствовать развитию

regardless of their intelligence – независимо от их интеллекта

civil engineering – гражданское строительство

curriculum – программа

vocational school – профтехучилище

correspondence department – заочное отделение

keyboard skills – навыки работы с клавиатурой

II.Read and understand the text. Write out and learn the new words.

IV. Read and understand the text. Consult the dictionary where necessary. Write out the new words and learn them. Prepare to answer the questions after the text.

SUPPLEMENTARY READING

Student’s Day

“Money spent on the brain is never spent in vain.”

Focus Vocabulary:

to be an early riser to be a late riser to stay up late to keep late hours to have an early night to be pressed for time to be short of time to have some time to spare

to allocate time to spend time to waste time to idle away time to be in the habit of doing … to slip out of the habit to get rid of the habit to break the habit

How's Your Timing?

Time is too slow for those who wait, Too swift for those who fare, Too long for those who grieve, Too short for those who rejoice, But for those who love, time is eternity.

 

PART 2

Education in Great Britain

I. Look through the list of English words and their Russian equivalents before reading the text:

divide	разделять
compulsory	обязательный
cover	охватывать
infant	начальный
curriculum	учебный план
to transfer	переводить
shorthand	стенография
typing	машинопись
layer	слой (общества)
digestion	усвоение
Easter	Пасха

State Schools

Primary Education

English children must go to school when they are 5. They go to infant schools where they learn the first steps in reading, writing and using numbers.

Infant schools are considered to be good, but young children are divided into 2 groups according to their mental ability. The curriculum for "strong" and " weak" groups is different. At 7 pupils are transferred to the junior school. Their school subjects are English, arithmetic, history, geography, nature study, swimming, music, art, religious instruction and organized games. Towards the end of the 4th year they write Eleven Plus examinations, on the results of which they will go to the secondary Modern, Technical, Grammar or Comprehensive school.

Secondary Education

Most children go to secondary modern schools, which don't provide complete secondary education. Study programmes are limited. The secondary technical school teaches practical subjects as woodwork, metalwork, needlework, shorthand, typing. The grammar school offers a full general theoretical secondary education including foreign languages, chemistry, physics and others. The majority of students leave the school after taking a 5-year course. The others continue their studies 2 or 3 years to obtain GCSF (General Certificate of Secondary Education) at the advanced level to enter university. The comprehensive school combines the courses of all 3 types of secondary schools. The pupils can study any subject which is taught in these schools. The comprehensive school is considered the most progressive, for pupils of all layers of society mix together in sports and out-of-school activities.

Private Schools

Public schools are for the sons of the aristocracy and the upper bourgeoisie. They charge high fees and train young people for political, diplomatic, military and religious service.

Higher Education

Higher education (very expensive) is given in Colleges of Education, Universities and Polytechnics which prepare their students for degrees or diplomas in their own fields.

The 3 terms into which the academic year is divided are 8-10 weeks. Each term is crowded with activity and the vacations between the terms—a month at Christmas, a month at Easter, and 3-4 months in summer are mainly periods of intellectual digestion and private study.

The students have to live in the hostel and the rent is very high, special fees are taken for books, laboratory work, teaching aids. It is not easy to get a higher education in Great Britain.

SUPPLEMENTARY READING

Cambridge University

Cambridge is situated at a distance of 112,65 kilometers from London; the greater part of the town lies on the left bank of the river Cam crossed by several bridges. Cambridge is one of the loveliest towns of England; it is not a modern industrial city and looks much more like a country town.

It is very green presenting to a visitor a series of beautiful groupings of architecture, trees, gardens, lawns and bridges. The dominating factor in Cambridge is its well-known University, a center of education and learning, closely connected with the life and thought of Great Britain. Newton. Byron, Darwin, Rutherford and many other scientists and writers were educated at Cambridge. In Cambridge everything centers on the University and its colleges.

The oldest college is Peterhouse, which was founded in 1284. The most recent is Robinson College, which was opened in 1977.

The University was exclusively for men until 1871 when the first women's college was opened. Another was opened two years later and a third in 1954. In the 1970s, most colleges opened their doors to both men and women. Almost all colleges now are mixed. Each college has its own building, its own internal organization, its own staff and students.

The colleges are governed by "tutors" (teachers, often called "dons"). Each tutor has 10-12 students under his guidance. Tutors teach their own subjects to those students in the college who are studying them, and they are responsible for their progress.

Every college is governed by a dean. Discipline is looked after by proctors. The University is like a federation of colleges. It arranges the courses, the lectures and the examinations, and grants the degrees.

Students study at the University for four years, three terms a year. Long vacation lasts about three months. There are many libraries at Cambridge; some of them have rare collections of books.

IX. Answer the questions.

1. Where is Cambridge situated?

2. Is it a modern industrial city or a country town?

3. What is Cambridge famous for?

4. How is the University organized?

5. What are the “tutor’s” duties?

6. How long do the students study at the University?

 

PART 3

Education in the USA

UNIT 2

YOUTH PROBLEMS

PART 1

Family Relations

Vocabulary work

I. Write the comparative and superlative of the following adjectives:

rude, late, painful, shy, clumsy, supportive, bad, impressionable, naive, lenient, grave, glorious.

II. Give the Russian equivalents to the following words and phrases:

1. from generation to generation,

2. no longer children nor yet teenagers,

3. a fearful hurry to grow up,

4. the vagaries of love on TV serials,

5. an insatiable desire,

6. being raised by single-parent families,

7. creates behaviour problems,

8. the most painful part of childhood,

9. a complete lack of self-confidence,

10. overconscious of their appearance,

11. rebel violently against parental authority,

12. teenagers with sympathetic and supportive parents,

13. think of life-long goals,

14. to be entertained every waking moment,

15. is becoming more and more stratified,

16. brand-new cars,

17. on the part of children whose parents are poor,

18. inhibits their emotional development,

19. such a harsh world,

20. let them find out about life for themselves,

21. to develop their own idea of right and wrong,

22. a grave mistake,

23. to live in the present rather than in the past or future.

III. Read the text and get ready to speak about the problems of teenagers:

Generation Gap

Old people are always saying that the young are not what they were. The same comment is made from generation to generation and is always true. It has never been truer than it is today.

These days grown-ups describe children as «difficult», «rude», «wild» and «irresponsible». Only some people say that they will grow up to make our country a better place.

For kids from 8 to 14 a new term «tweens» has recently been coined. They are no longer children nor yet teenagers, just between - tweens. They are said to be a generation in a fearful hurry to grow up. Instead of playing with Barbies and Legos they are interested in the vagaries of love on TV serials. Girls wear provocative make-up. At this very age kids start pairing off. Tweens have got an insatiable desire for the latest in everything - from jeans with labels so that everyone will know that they've got the latest stuff - to CDs. Kids at their age desperately need to belong and that's why everything comes down to appearance. They think that having the right «stuff» is the quickest way to acceptance. To parents and teachers they can be a nightmare, aping the hairstyles, clothes and make-up of celebrities twice their age. Experts say that the rush to grow up is due to the mass media. Being raised by single-parent families as well as watching TV, which sucks up most of their free time, can also accelerate the desire of children for being independent and creates behaviour problems.

But the most painful part of childhood is the period when they begin to emerge from it: adolescence or the awkward age. There is a complete lack of self-confidence during this time. Adolescents are overconscious of their appearance and the impression they make on others. They feel shy, awkward and clumsy. Feelings are intense and hearts - easily broken. Teenagers experience moments of tremendous elation or black despair. And besides friends are becoming more and more important these years. At schools there are cliques who decide what is «cool». Adolescents may rebel violently against parental authority, but this causes them great unhappiness. And they are not always helped to get through a confusion of life in a steady, productive way. But even teenagers with sympathetic and supportive parents can fall in with bad company.

Most children don't belong to any clubs and they just start roaming the street after school out of sheer boredom. A lot of them become addicted to drugs and/or alcohol because their life is hollow and they don't think of life-long goals. They have nothing to fill the emptiness of their souls with. They demand to have all that they see, and regard it as their right to be entertained every waking moment.

And besides our society is becoming more and more stratified. There has appeared a class of rich people and a class of poor people (to be more exact - people leaving below the poverty line). Children of well-off parents consider themselves «the smart set» or «gilded youth». Their parents give them every material benefit, pocket money any time they ask. A lot of these children have their own brand-new cars and personal computers. It goes without saying that it causes jealousy and the desire to possess the same things on the part of children whose parents are poor and cannot afford it. Such feelings can push teenagers to committing a crime and it leads to a wide spread of juvenile delinquency.

Nowadays children start using computers very early. Tweens and teens are so fascinated by them that they spend hours and hours at their personal computers or at computer clubs. The electronic universe replaces their contacts with friends and dominates their life completely. Obsession with computers brings about a mechanical, disillusioned mentality and inhibits their emotional development.

The heads of youngsters are also being filled with violent pictures they have seen on TV. Children are very naive and impressionable. And no wonder that they are so aggressive and arrogant in real life. They are thrown into such a harsh world, especially if they live in a city.

These days a lot of parents think that they should be lenient with their children, they should let them find out about life for themselves, they should leave children to develop their own idea of right and wrong. But it's a grave mistake. Parents should try to protect their children from possible bad influences and give them clear guidance about right and wrong.

There is no way to predict how today's children will turn out. Keeping faith in kids is necessary. They are not bad. They are optimistic. They expect to have a better life than their parents'. And grown-ups – if they are prepared to admit it – could learn a thing or two from their children. One of the biggest lessons they could learn is that enjoyment is not «sinful». Enjoyment is a principle you could apply to all aspects of life. It is not wrong to enjoy your work and enjoy your leisure, to shed restricting inhibitions. It is surely not wrong to live in the present rather than in the past or future. This emphasis on the present is only to be expected because the young have grown up under the constant threat of World War III, which means complete annihilation. This is their «glorious» heritage. Can we be surprised that they question the wisdom and sanity of their elders?

IV. Answer the questions:

1.What comment is usually made about the younger generation?

2. What epithets do grown-ups use speaking about children?

3. Does anyone believe that children will make our country a better place to live in?

4. What term has been coined recently?

5. Are tweens interested in playing with dolls and toys?

6. What things do they want to have and why?

7. Why is the awkward age the most painful part of childhood?

8. Do teenagers obey their parents?

9. Teenagers with sympathetic and supportive parents never get in bad company, do they?

10. Why do teenagers become addicted to drugs and alcohol?

11. What do teens regard as their right?

12. What society do we live in?

13. Are there any people who live below the poverty line in this country?

14. Who belongs to the smart set or gilded youth?

15. What can push children from poor families to commit a crime?

16. When do children start using computers nowadays?

17. What does preoccupation with computers bring about?

18. Children are easily influenced by violence on TV, aren't they?

19. How do they behave in real life?

20. What do many parents think about upbringing nowadays?

21. Are they right?

22. What should parents do?

23. Is it possible to predict what people today's children grow up?

24. What sort of life do children expect to have?

25. What could grown-ups learn from their children?

26. Why do young people prefer to live in the present?

27. What does World War IIImean?

28. Do young people have a right to question the wisdom and sanity of their elders?

V. Agree or disagree with the following statements:

1. Old people never grumble that the young are not what they were.

2. Adults are not sure that today's children will grow up to make this country a better place.

3. The new term «tweens» means the same as «teens».

4. Tweens prefer to wear practical clothes.

5. They think that having the most fashionable things is the quickest way to acceptance.

6. Tweens imitate the haircuts, clothes and make-up of celebrities.

7. Experts say that the rush to grow up is due to the mass media.

8. Teenagers are confident of their appearance.

9. Adolescents experience high and low spirits by turns.

10. Their rebel against parental authority brings them satisfaction.

11. Few parents care too little about what their children do.

12. Children start roaming the street out of curiosity.

13. Stratification of our society is one of the reasons for a wide spread of juvenile delinquency.

14. Obsession with computers brings about creative imagination and helps to develop emotionally.

15. Teenagers are thrown into a ruthless world.

16. Nowadays all parents think that children should grow and experience on their own.

 

VI. Find synonyms to these words in the text:

receptive	susceptible
mild	compassionate
to imitate	to copy
cruel	ruthless
to cause	to effect
intense	piercing
happiness	euphoria
envy	discontent
monotony	dullness
excitement	stimulation

 

VII. Work in groups. Find out from your partners:

- what term has been recently coined for kids from 8 to 14;

- why adolescence is the most distressing period of childhood;

- whether they had any problems at the awkward age;

- how they got through the awkward age;

- what sort of parents they've got;

- if they've got a personal computer;

- whether the computer is a curse or blessing.

VIII. Prove that:

- the mass media cause the rush to grow up;

- television is full of violence;

- most parents are very permissive nowadays.

IX. Comment on:

- the desire of tweens and teens to have the latest in everything;

- teenagers' rebel against parental authority;

- the way most children spend their free time;

- the consequences of obsession with computers;

- the reasons of juvenile delinquency.

X. Imagine that:

• You have a teenage son/daughter. He/she has entered into the awkward age and your life has turned into a nightmare. Ask a psychologist for help. Role-play a dialogue with your partner;

• You are a middle-aged person. You've met your old school friend and you start talking about the younger generation. He/she thinks that all of them are arrogant, aggressive and good-for-nothing. But you can't agree with him/her. Role-play a dialogue with your partner;

• You've just had a terrible row with your parents. Now you are strolling the streets with your friend in order to cool off and discussing the relations with your parents. Role-play a dialogue with your partner.

XI. Comprehension check. Choose the best alternative according to the text:

1. The older generation is always grumbling that…

a) the young are just what they were;

b) the young are not what they were;

c) the young are much better than they were.

 

2. The term «tweens» has been coined for kids…

a) from 6 to 12;

b) from 8 to 16;

c) from 8 to 14.

 

3. Tweens are interested in…

a) playing with Barbies and Legos;

b) watching soap operas on TV;

c) studying mathematics and physics.

 

4. At the age of 8 - 14 everything is reduced to…

a) appearance;

b) profound knowledge;

c) spiritual values.

 

5. Experts say that the rush to grow up is due to…

a) the influence of anxious parents and teachers;

b) the influence of newspapers, magazines and TV;

c) the influence of bad company and TV.

 

6. The awkward age is the most unpleasant part of childhood because of…

a) the lack of good opinion of oneself;

b) the lack of good opinion of other people;

c) the lack of bad opinion of oneself.

 

7. A lot of teenagers who roam the streets are addicted to…

a) fresh air;

b) computers and TV;

c) drugs and alcohol.

 

8. Children of well-off parents…

a) live below the poverty line;

b) are jealous of poor people;

c) can afford everything.

 

9. Stratification of our society has lead to…

a) a decrease in juvenile delinquency;

b) an increase in juvenile delinquency;

c) a decrease in the number of poor people.

 

10. Mechanical, disillusioned mentality is caused by…

a) obsession with books;

b) obsession with computers;

c) obsession with the fine arts.

 

11. Children of today are exposed to…

a) heroism;

b) ridicule;

c) violence.

 

12. Teenagers are impressionable that's why…

a) they shouldn't watch TV at all;

b) parents shouldn't buy TV sets and videos;

c) parents should exercise a stricter control over what they watch.

 

13. There is a wide-spread tendency among parents…

a) to be permissive with their kids;

b) to be strict with their kids;

c) to be polite with their kids.

 

14. A lot of parents think that…

a) children shouldn't develop their own idea of right and wrong;

b) children should grow and experience on their own;

c) children should be given clear guidance about right and wrong.

 

15. The emphasis on the present is only to be expected because the young have grown up under the constant threat of…

a) loss of love;

b) punishment;

c) nuclear war.

UNIT 3

CHARACTER AND PERSONALITY

PART 1

Memorize all the new words and phrases from the text as well as words from topical vocabulary. Be ready to use them in your speech. It is important to know both spelling and pronunciation of the words and phrases as well as their meaning and translation.

Appearance and Character

Appearances are deceptive. It is a common truth; practically everyone has met at least someone whose character and appearance differ radically.

When one sees a tall, broad-shouldered youth, one expects him to be strong-willed and brave. One thinks: “A model to follow!” How often a good-looking individual turns out to be petty, weak-willed or even cowardly. Then one thinks: “A mediocrity!”

At the same time everyone knows that a lot of great people were of a poor build: short and fragile. It did not stop them from display­ing intelligence and courage. Ingenuity does not depend on one's complexion or constitution.

Plump or fat people create an impression of generous and kind personalities. Strangely enough, not rarely they may be thrifty or even greedy. Oneusually thinks: “A scrooge!”

On the other hand, thin or slim nervous ladies often tend to be lavish. They like to buy and never think twice when they pay. One thinks: “I would call her open-handed and Mother would call her a spendthrift”. Yes, mothers are always stricter in judgements.

Has it ever happened to you that you come to an important of­fice and see an important boss? You immediately evaluate his looks: “Round-faced, small narrow eyes, dimples on the cheeks and an up­turned nose. What a kind-hearted person! A simpleton!” You tell the boss of your troubles and expect immediate help. But the boss ap­pears to be rude, harsh and wilful. You never get your help and think: “A stone heart and an iron fist”.

When someone sees a delicately built pretty blonde with curly hair, blue eyes, a straight nose and a high forehead, one is inclined to think that the beauty is intelligent and nice. It may be disappoin­ting to think later: “What a stupid, capricious, impolite bore!”

On the contrary, when one sees a skinny brunette with ugly ir­regular features — a hooked nose, pointed chin, close-set eyes and thin lips, strange thoughts come to one's head; because it is the im­age of evil people — cruel and cunning. It may be a relief some time later to find her a clever, gentle and good-mannered lady and think: “What charm! A heart of gold!”

Another general misconception lies in the fact that children are always expected to resemble their parents. And parents like it when children take after them. Relatives like to compare moles, the shape of noses, etc. Thegreatest compliment is: “They are as like as two peas”. The greatest disappointment is to find nothing in common. We want to deny people their exclusiveness, we don't want to admit that nature has selected other options from an enormous genetic fund developed over generations. Why do we like our copies? Who knows!

Nature likes to play tricks on us. But don't you think it is a pre­sent on the part of nature? Life becomes not a boring routine, but a brilliant kaleidoscope of characters and appearances which often clash.

II. After reading the text and learning the vocabulary answer the following questions:

1.Do you think that appearances are deceptive? Tell your groupmates about your own experience.

2.Do you think it is worth judging by appearances? Give your reasons.

PART 2

It takes all sorts (to make a world)

Something that you say which means that all people are different and even strange people should be accepted. Now the couple next door, they go swimming in the sea in the middle of winter. Well, it takes all sorts, as they say.

It Takes All Sorts

"Hey, hey," called the tall, nervous man with the fat, little wife, waving his arms at the conductor for fear he would be carried past his corner.

"It takes all sorts of people to make a world," remarked the sensible-looking woman beside me.

It is not the first time that I have been impressed with the philosophy of those words. Who said them first, I wonder. "It takes all sorts of people to make a world." That is, if we only had one sort or even a number of sorts we would have no world. To make a world there must be all sorts, including the funniest folks we ever knew.

I looked from the sensible woman with her well-chosen clothes to the woman across the way. This second woman was a sort of dressed-up-and-no-place-to-go type, with a squirt of Cashmere Bouquet in the centre of her handkerchief. And nothing on that went with anything else she had on. And a hat which one knew was a hat, because it was on her head, otherwise it might have passed for almost anything.

The woman beside me wouldn't have been caught dead looking like the second woman. Yet she should have been thankful for her. For it is only by contrast that the well-groomed look smart, and the overdressed look fussy. Whether that is Einstein's theory of relativity or not, I don't know. I only know that, "It takes all sorts of people to make a world."

There we sit on parade in these side-seater cars, and what we are is revealed so pitilessly to all who sit across from us. It is as though Fate was making jokes of us and sits us down beside the antitheses of ourselves. Such a one of Nature's jokes I saw recently. They were two men. The first was the sort whom one calls an "old boy." He was a racy individual, well-fed with a round front, an Elk, of course, a city man, reeking of good cigars, and an appraising eye out for a good-looking woman.

Beside him sat a man who had been studying birds in the Park. Berkeley was written all over him. A thin, pure type, he was dressed in field glasses and a bag full of green weeds and stout walking boots. There was an ecstatic glint in his eye which meant that he had discovered a long-billed, yellow-tailed Peruvian fly-catcher, "very rare in these parts."

So there they sat packed in so close and so terribly far apart, both so necessary to the making of a world.

And as they sat a boy entered the car with a shoe-box, full of holes, and out of the holes came a "peep" and then another. And the Berkeley man lost his abstracted look and the man-about-town laid down his paper and pretty soon the boy lifted the lid a bit and both men peeked in.

Appearances are deceptive

1. Appearances are deceptive. Do you agree?

2. Appearances mean nothing. Experience means everything.

3. A lot of experience can spoil your appearance. A person that has little experience often looks better. Don't judge a book by its cover.

4. Outward show is always misleading. On the contrary, internal reality is very seldom different from external looks. It is possible to say so much about a person by his or her body language and behaviour. I tend to agree, though, that you never have a second chance to make the first impression, but there is more to appearance than the first impression. What do you think?

5. Appearances are deceptive? I think that a good appearance is an image of soul. Example: angels!

6. What about "a wolf in sheep's clothing"? Have you ever seen or met any of the kind?

7. I could always tell good people from bad by their looks. Can you?

8. Can you easily look through a person and guess what his intentions are like: positive or negative? All the people pretend to be better at the beginning, just to make a favourable impression.

9. When you look in the mirror, do you see a good person? How about Dorian Grey?

10. I am asking about strangers you encounter in public places and at work. It seems to me that there is always something about a person's posture and the way he or she looks, that reflects his or her personality, values and attitude. Of course, clothes can help create a completely different person and naked people have little or no influence in modern society, but there is more to appearance than clothing and accessories.

11. I tested it in real life many times and I was always(!!!) right: the impression a person made on me at first sight was always proved to be true. I can't say whether it is my intuition or something else, but I don't care about it really. I'm just glad possessing such an exceptional ability, I'd say, because for me appearances are nearly never deceptive.

12. I think that every meaningful life experience creates something on person's face,

something, that is possible to read, if you want.

For example: some people look younger than they really are, but there is a hint of experience in their eyes.

13. The question is a controversial one. From one viewpoint, appearance does mean something in life, and most people tend to evaluate a person by looking at him/her "externally". However, there is more than just to be pretty. A beautiful person is a complex of internal qualities that make reflection on his/her looks. For instance, a person might be very pretty (I mean looks pretty), but later in life his/her qualities and way of life will reflect on the looks and make them better/worse. Or a person may be not so beautiful in terms of looks but very nice inside. And that inner life reflects positively on looks.

As they say, a 20 year old woman has a face that she was given by nature, at 30 she has a face that she "made", and at 40 she has a face that she deserves.

That's true for everyone.

14. Shrek:” They judge me before even know me”.

15. Real beauty comes from within. (Beauty and the Beast)

16. Beauty is only skin deep. Ugliness goes to the bone...

17. You do what you are inside…

you speak what you are inside…

you eat/drink what you want to...

you sing the songs that appeal to you…

you look at things you like…

and frown at things you despise…

you wear what you feel comfortable in…

hence you are what you portray.(portray – how you appear to the world)

18. There is some truth in it. Many people don’t want to keep a Vale on themselves. If you are keen, you can see most in them. But there are some people who plan to deceive others. Some criminals can easily fool a hardened cop, because they look so innocent and act to support their look. So you cannot put a blanket on the whole question. There are few ifs and buts.

A True Story

When I started working a few years ago, I realized that a few members of the support staff would not take directions from me. I am the only female professional at my work place. They would take directions from my male counterparts but never from me. It was incredibly difficult time for me. There was one particular person who especially was very rude and very coarse in her mannerisms. I attributed it partly to xenophobia and partly to a very patriarchal upbringing where men took decisions.

One afternoon I had a particularly difficult time and I lost it and of course gave her a dressing down. The following weekend my husband and I had gone to spend time with his old friend from Bombay. They had organized a dinner party and we met a lot of other couples. One of the guests, who is a successful doctor, did her residency in New York. She happens to be from Bombay as well. We started talking and I happened to mention this episode to her. She said that such insubordination happened to her when she was doing her residency. She was new in the country and that time the nurses and other staff would never listen to her and would make her life very difficult. She gave me advice on how to deal with the situation if it happens again.

My husband overheard her advice and told me that I “could kill more flies with honey than a swatter”. Kate also told me to treat it like a lesson in interpersonal skills. Anyway, I decided to implement Kate’s advice and started being extremely polite yet firm with this person. Every time she was rude, I would find humour and tell her off without getting ego into the picture. Kate’s advice paid off and I have learnt how to deal with people in different situations.

Gradually I got to know the person and realized that what I considered rude or impolite was normal conversation to her. She didn’t know anything better. I also found that appearances are deceptive and the tough girl is in fact very sensitive. As I got to know her I found that she was in an abusive marriage. What really shocked me was her inability to walk out of it. She has children but I don’t think a violent atmosphere is conducive for a child’s development. I haven’t really understood why she cannot leave the guy. Of course it is none of my business therefore I never pry in her personal life. This afternoon, however I saw an extremely vulnerable side to her personality and my heart goes out to her. Beyond that rough exterior lies an extremely vulnerable person whom life has been hard to. Life is never easy on anyone so one has to accept challenges and take decisions to the best of one’s abilities. Also one must learn from one’s past mistakes and move ahead. In this case I do hope that God gives her the strength to take some tough decisions to change her life.

IX. Answer the questions for discussion:

1. Do you always avoid dealing with rude people? Why?

2. Is it true that a woman should be twice or even three times better than a man to climb a professional ladder successfully?

3. What kind of advice did Kate give to the narrator?

4. Why did the narrator’s husband say that she “could kill more flies with honey than a swatter”?

5. How can interpersonal skills help you in relations with your group mates, fellow students, teachers, parents?

6. What is wrong in getting your ego into the picture?

7. Have you ever been sorry for making a wrong judgment from the first sight?

UNIT 4

PART 1

Friends for life

I. Tina and Will met when they were both studying at the same university. Three years later, a student magazine contacted them and asked them to take part in a survey to find out how many people had stayed friends.

That was then This is now

III. Tina and Will use several expressions to talk about their friendship. Complete as many of these expressions as you can from memory. Compare them with a partner. Then look at the article again to check.

a) Two expressions that mean 'we liked one another immediately'. We clicked... We hit it...

b) An expression that means 'we had similar interests'. We had a lot...

c) An expression that means 'we enjoyed one another's company'. We got on... An expression that means 'we got to know one another very well'. We became close....

d) An expression that means 'we argued'. We fell...

e) Two expressions that mean 'we became more distant from one another'. We went our separate… We drifted...

f) An expression that means 'I know I can count on her when I need a friend'. She'll always be...

VI. Think about your best friend. You are going to tell a partner about him or her. Choose from the list the things you want to talk about. Think about what you will say and what language you will need.

PART 2

UNIT 5

Healthy Way of Life

Health Care

Exercise

Exercise helps keep the body healthy and fit. Vigorous exercise strengthens muscles and improves the function of the circulatory and respiratory systems. Physical fitness benefits both physical and mental health. It enables the body to withstand stresses that otherwise could cause physical and emotional problems.

To achieve fitness, a person should start an exercise program slowly and build it up gradually to a level that maintains a healthy heart and strong muscles. Daily exercise provides the greatest benefits, and so it is important to choose exercises that can be performed every day. Such popular activi­ties as bicycling, jogging, and swimming, and even taking long, brisk walks, furnish the vigorous exercise necessary for fitness.

Participating in golf, tennis, or some other sport only once or twice a week cannot develop and maintain fitness. Rest and sleep help overcome fatigue and restore energy to the body. Everyone needs rest and sleep, but the amount required differs for each individual. Most Adults sleep from 7 to 8 hours a night, though some need less sleep and others need more. Young children may need more sleep at night plus a daytime nap.

Rest and relaxation are as important as sleep. After strenuous work or exercise, a person may need a period of total rest. At other times, only relaxation or a change of pace is necessary. Any activity that differs from the normal routine of work or study can be relaxing. Pleasurable and relaxing activities help the body shed tension and remain robust. If rest and relaxation do not relieve fatigue and tension, the individual may have a physical or emotional problem.

Medical and dental care.

Regular checkups by a doctor and dentist play an important role in safeguarding health. Doctors recommend that people have medical care at the first sign of any illness. Early care can result in quicker cure.

Health Insurance, National, is a government program that finance extensive health services for the majority of the people in a country. This type of program is sometimes called socialized medicine. Every industrial nation except the United States has some form of national health insurance, also called NHI. In the United States, a private health insurance system is operated. The first NHI plan was established in Germany in l883. The British National Health Service is a system of state-funded medical care that covers virtually all the people of Britain. It also covers overseas visitors who become ill while in Britain. Employed people in Britain pay weekly health insurance contributions to help finance the service. But most of the funds for the service come from taxes.

II. Questions for discussion:

1. What are the main ways to improve or save one's health?

2. Why do people go dieting?

3. Why do the developed countries encourage their people to live healthy lives?

SUPPLEMENTARY READING

GOODDAYS, BAD DAYS

I. Study the vocabulary notes:

jet lag – усталость после длительного перелета

to be accident-prone – быть невезучим

policyholder – обладатель страхового полиса

to cut down - сократить

UNIT 6

PART 1

Belarus and Its People

SUPPLEMENTARY READING

Fact of the Matter

With the flow of time, a blue caftan embroidered with silver receded to the realm of legends. Today, Ded Moroz prefers a red Santa Claus outfit. I feel real vexation in this respect, as I would like New Year celebrations in Belarus to be related to national traditions. Attractiveness of any rituals and customs is rooted in their singulari­ty and peculiarity. Meanwhile, in our country, it is sometimes hard to distinguish whether Ded Moroz puts presents under the fir tree or Santa Claus, who mixed up New Year with Christmas. In fact, Santa brings gifts for Christmas celebrated on December the 24th-25th, while we nor­mally wait for presents on January the 1st — the New Year.

Ded Moroz Likes Belarus

Ded Moroz has decided to settle in the Belovezhskaya Puscha and it is a great surprise and remarkable occurrence for the Belarusians. This means Belarus will be permeated with fairy tale spirits.

A wooden apartment has been built for Moroz Ivanovich. The residence consists of several huts. They include lodgings for him and for Snegurochka. In a dreamlike castle called Skarbnitsa, a small museum has been created to house subjects of peasant life. The muse­um also holds paintings created by Belarusian children, and girls and boys from different countries who sent their works to Ded Moroz. Museum-keepers receive about 500 letters daily from all over the world. Four hundred lamps decorate a New Year fir tree inside the resi­dence. It is the highest New Year tree in Europe at a height of forty metres.

Young attendees (visitors) will have the chance to tour around the surround­ings, treat themselves to pancakes with tea, and feed the animals that live in the preserve out of their bare hands. Just for this occasion the pre­serve staff have brought tamed elks. Each child is pre­sented with a gift.

IV. Questions for discussion:

1. What is the historical appearance of Ded Moroz? How does he look today?

2. Why is the sack of Ded Moroz bigger inside than out?

3. Why was the Belovezhskaya Puscha chosen as the best place for the residence of Belarusian Ded Moroz?

4. What can visitors do to enjoy in the Belovezhskaya Puscha during New Year holidays?

5. What is Skarbnitsa?

6. Have you ever been to the Belovezhskaya Puscha and the residence of Ded Moroz and Snegurochka?

7. Do you agree that unique traditions should be kept by the nation?

UNIT 7

Who are the English?

Almost every nation has a reputation of some kind. The French are supposed to be amorous, gay, fond of champagne; the Germans dull, formal, efficient, fond of military uniforms, and parades; the Americans boastful, energetic, gregarious and vulgar. The English are reputed to be cold, reserved, rather haughty people who do not yell in the street, make love in public or change their governments as often as they change their underclothes. They are steady, easy-going, and fond of sport.

The foreigner’s view of the English is often based on the type of Englishman he has met travelling abroad. Since these are largely members of the upper and middle classes, it is obvious that their behaviour cannot be taken as general for the whole people. There are, however, certain kinds of behaviour, manners and customs which are peculiar to England.

The English are a nation of stay-at-homes. There is no place like home, they say. And when the man is not working he withdraws from the world to the company of his wife and children and busies himself with the affairs of the home. “The Englishman’s home is his castle” is a saying known all over the world; and it is true that English people prefer small houses, built to house one family, perhaps with a small garden. But nowadays the shortage of building land and inflated land values mean that more and more blocks of flats are being built, and fewer detached and semi-detached houses, especially by the local councils.

The fire is the focus of the English home. What do other nations sit round? The answer is they don’t. They go out to cafes or sit round the cocktail bar. For the English it is the open fire, the toasting fork and the ceremony of English tea. Even when central heating is installed it is kept so low in the English home that Americans and Russians get chilblains, as the English get nervous headaches from stuffiness in theirs.

Foreigners often picture the Englishman dressed in tweeds, smoking a pipe, striding across the open countryside with his dog at his heels. This is a picture of the aristocratic Englishman during his holidays on his country estate. Since most of the open countryside is privately owned there isn’t much left for the others to stride across. The average Englishman often lives and dies without ever having possessed a tweed suit.

Apart from the conservatism on a grand scale which the attitude to the monarchy typifies, England is full of small-scale and local conservatisms, some of them of a highly individual or particular character. Regiments in the army, municipal corporations, school and societies have their own private traditions which command strong loyalties. Such groups have customs of their own which they are very reluctant to change, and they like to think of their private customs as differentiating them, as groups, from the rest of the world.

Most English people have been slow to adopt rational reforms such as the metric system, which came into general use in 1975. They have suffered inconvenience from adhering to old ways, because they did not want the trouble of adapting themselves to new. All the same, several of the most notorious symbols of conservatism are being abandoned. The twenty-four clock was at last adopted for railway timetables in the 1960s – though not for most other timetables, such as radio programs. In 1966 it was decided that decimal money would become regular form in 1971 – though even in this matter conservatism triumphed when the Government decided to keep the pound sterling as the basic unit, with its one-hundredth part an over-large “new penny”.

 

Who are the Scots?

The Scots are neither English nor British. No self-respecting Englishman calls himself a Briton, neither does any self-respecting Scot. The attempt to introduce the words Britain, Briton and British, when the Parliament was merged with the English one at Westminster, was not successful. The best things on either side of the Border remain obstinately English or Scottish. Are Shakespeare and Burns British poets? When the Australians meet the United Kingdom at that most civilised of all games that was born on the fields of England, do they meet the “all British eleven”? And is there anyone in the whole world who has ever asked for a British whisky and soda?

The two nations of the United Kingdom have each derived from mixed sources, racially and historically. Each has developed strong national characteristics which separate them in custom, habit, religion, law and even in language.

The English are amongst the most amiable people in the world; they can also be very ruthless. They have a genius for compromise, but can enforce their idea of compromise on others with surprising efficiency. They are generous in small matters but more cautious in big ones. The Scots are proverbially kindly, but at first glance are not so amiable. They abhor compromise, lean much upon logic and run much to extremes. They are penny-wise but can be prodigally pound-foolish. They can be dour and gray, or highly coloured and extravagant in gesture and manner.

In general the nation of modern Scotland derives from three main racial sources: the Celts, the Scandinavians or Teutons and the mysterious and shadowy Picts. These Picts, historically speaking, were the first inhabitants of what we now call Scotland. They were a small tough people. They have left their strain in the blood and occasional marks in the land and language. They were conquered by the invading Celts from Ireland who, incidentally, were called Scots and from whom the name of the modern nation comes.

Two and three centuries later, however, the Celts retreated into the north-western hills and islands, their place in the east and south lowlands being taken by the Scandinavians, Teutons and Angles. Hence the celebrated division of the Scottish people into Highlanders and Lowlanders. It was a division which marked the distinction between people of different culture, temperament and language.

It is from the Celts that there comes the more colourful, exciting and extravagant strain in the Scots: the Gaelic language and song, the tartan, the bagpipes, the Highland panache, and so on. It is in the contemplation of the debasement of this lively, attractive and touching tradition in Scotland and the Scottish temperament for commercial purposes that the natives have to endure the greatest embarrassments and discomforts.

It is from the Lowland strain that there comes the equally celebrated Scottish tradition of dourness, implacability and splendid courage in defence, providing a complementary virtue to the splendid Highland courage in attack.

The cautious, dry, humourless, mean, red-nosed Scot is, of course, a stock figure for stage, fiction and comic picture postcard use. The legend of this alcoholic miser, the hero of all Scotch stories, has, of course, little more than the most remote origin in fact (no more indeed than has the stock, garrulous, insensitive, over-eating Englishman of some North-of-the-Border stories about their neighbours). But in so far as this admittedly highly comical and sometimes even affectionately regarded figure touches reality at all, he derives from certain Lowland characteristics.

The truth is that since the break-up of the old Highland system in the 18th century they are in Scotland all so mixed up in blood that most of them combine something of the characteristics of both Highlander and Lowlander. A little over two hundred years ago nearly all Scots living north and west of the Highland line which, geographically speaking; still runs diagonally across Scotland were true Celtic Highlanders. That is to say they spoke the Gaelic language, lived under the ancient Celtic system of land tenure and, of course, as members of clans, bore Highland names. South and east of that line in the Lowland towns, villages and in the countryside, Highland names were rare.

II. Questions for discussion:

1.What is the location of Great Britain?

2.What nationalities inhabit the country?

3.Do all the citizens speak English?

4.Why do we find the relatively limited variety of fauna and flora on the island?

5.What kind of reputation do the English have?

6.Do the English prove their proverbs “There is no place like home” and “The Englishman’s home is his castle”?

7.Why is central heating kept so low in the English home?

8.Can you give any examples of the English conservatism?

9.What main racial sources does the nation of modern Scotland derive from?

10.What is the purpose for the Scottish natives to endure the greatest embarrassments and discomforts?

11.How different are the Highland Scots from the Lowland Scots?

12.Do they differ even by the names?

13.What stories do the Scottish tell about the English?

14.What stories do the English tell about the Scottish?

 

SUPPLEMENTARY READING

LONDON

London is the capital of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It ranks as one of the world's oldest and most historic cities. London traces its history back nearly 2,000 years.

Each year, millions of tourists visit London to see such historic sights as Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, and the Tower of London. Buckingham Palace has long been the London home of Britain's monarchs, including the present queen, Elizabeth II. The nation's kings and queens are crowned in the beautiful church known as Westminster Abbey. Saint Thomas More and many other famous individuals were imprisoned in the Tower of London. Today the tower serves as a museum.

London is a large, lively city as well as a historic one. It is the 9th largest city in the world, with almost 10 million people. London's banks, insurance companies, and shipping firms do business in almost every country. Few other cities have so many outstanding museums and art galleries or offer such a wide variety of plays and other entertainment. It also has beautiful parks and gardens nearby where people can escape the