Unit 2. Meals. Eating habits

Introductory Text 42-44

Part 1

Topical Vocabulary. Vocabulary Practice 44-54

Text: Too Pretty to Eat (from ‘The Secret Language of Old

White Ladies’ by P.Anthony) 54-60

Speak up 60-63

Part 2

Claims of Fact. Fact or Opinion? 63-65

Expressing Disbelief, Doubt, Surprise 65-66

Does the Russian Cuisine Reflect the Fatalistic Russian

Mentality? 66-67 Do Eating Habits Reflect Our Character? 67-68

Text: A Native Twist 68-70

Discussion Points 70-71

Tasks for Writing. Expository Paragraph 71-73

Tasks for Listening 73-74

 

UNIT 3. SHOPPING

Introductory Text 75-77

Part 1

Topical Vocabulary. Vocabulary Practice 78-90

Text: A Perfect Fit (from ‘Lace’ by S.Conran) 90-95

Speak up 96-99

Part 2

Claims of Value 99-101

Is Shopping a Wasteful of Time? 102

In What Way is Shopping Different from Buying? 102-103 Which is Better: to be a Shopper or a Shopaholic? 103-104

Text: Shopping as a Spiritual Adventure 104-105 Defending or Rejecting Claims. Discussion Points 105-107

Tasks for Writing. Narrative Paragraph 107-109

Tasks for Listening 109-110

UNIT 4. TEACHING AND LEARNING

Introductory Text 111-113

Part 1

Topical Vocabulary. Vocabulary Practice 114-123

Text: The School Routine (from ‘Lace’ by S. Conran) 123-129

Speak up 129-132

Part 2

Claims of Policy 132-133

Reassuring People. Putting Defensive Arguments 133-136

Should Unmotivated Students Be Forced to Go

to Universities? 136

Friendship or the Honour Code? 137

Is Being Friends with the Students a Drop in the

Standards? 137-138

Text: A Sore Point 138-140

Discussion Points 140-142

Tasks for Writing. Giving an Opinion 142-144

Tasks for Listening 144-145

 

UNIT 5. GOING TO THE DOCTOR

Introductory Text 146-147

Part 1

Topical Vocabulary. Vocabulary Practice 148-159

Text: ‘How to Live to Be 2000’ (by S. Leacock) 159-164

Speak up 164-169

 

Part 2 Criticizing Attitudes 169-170

Defending or Rejecting Claims. 170-171

Discussion Points 171-172

Living in the Russian Style 172-174

Text: How to Beat Holiday Stress 174-176

Tasks for Writing. Personal Letters 176-178

Tasks for Listening 178-180

 

 

UNIT 6. THEATRE. CINEMA. TELEVISION

Introductory Text 181-184

Part 1

Topical Vocabulary. Vocabulary Practice 184-192

Text: A Special Treat (from ‘Act of Will’

by B. Bradford) 192-197

Speak up 197-201

Part 2 Presenting Arguments For and Against an Issue:

TV or not TV? 201-203

Does Television Know Its Place? 203-204

Terrible or Terrific? 204

Is Acting a Risky Business? 205

Text: Television: the Beginning of the End? 205-207

Text: Theatre or Cinema? 208-209

Defending or Rejecting Claims. Discussion Points 209-211

Tasks for Writing. Review 211-213

Tasks for Listening 213-214

 

UNIT 7. TRAVELLING

Introductory Text 215-217

Part 1

Topical Vocabulary. Vocabulary Practice 217-226

Text: The Journey of Escape (from ‘Destina-

tion Unknown’ by A. Cristie) 226-231

Speak up 231-235

Part 2 Giving, Accepting, Rejecting Advice 235-237

Is Travelling Frustrating or Exciting? 237-238

Text: The Arguments Against Mass Tourism 238-239

Defending or Rejecting Claims. Discussion Points 240-241

Tasks for Writing: Letter of Complaint 241-243

Tasks for Listening 243-244

 

 

UNIT 1. H O U S I N G

INTRODUCTORY TEXT

 

A house is a building for one household, or family to live in. English houses in most cases are built of brick or stone. Most of them consist of two floors with a garden at the front and back. On the ground floor there is a front room, a living-room, a kitchen and a hall, from which a staircase leads to the landing on the first floor. On this floor there are two or three bedrooms, a bathroom and a lavatory. The entrance from the street is called the front door; and the entrance from the yard is the back door. Englishmen prefer to live in their own houses in the suburbs. In Great Britain there are many types of houses, such as detached houses (houses that are not joined or connected), semi-detached houses (houses joined by one shared wall) and terraced houses ( a row of houses on raised land).There is also another type of house built by the local authorities, which is called a Council house, whose rents are low and which are for those who are comparatively poor.

· The right to privacy and personal freedom is unquestioned by the British. Perhaps it is the lack of space that has fostered and maintained their individualism. There is a common saying among the British people, ‘ My home is my castle. The wind can come in, but the Kings and Queens and human beings can never come in without my permission.’ When an Englishman moves to a new house, he often builds a fence around the house to separate himself from his neighbours.

· The typical house in the USA consists of some bedrooms, a living- room, a bathroom, and a kitchen. Some people prefer colonial style houses – big two-storey houses with columns made of brick or wood. Others live in ranch -houses – simple elongated one-storey houses typically with a low-pitched roof. There are also the Spanish style houses with their red tiles and arches. People who can’t afford a house live in trailers which are houses on wheels. A ‘ mobile home ’ is a small ‘house’ pulled by the family car. Some of them have a driver’s cab. Behind the cab is a room with beds, a kitchen, a table and a washing place. Apartments are houses with flats to let. A lot of people live in coops (condominiums). A condominium is a multi-unit structure in which each apartment is owned by the person who lives there. Most expensive cities for houses are New York City, Los Angeles and Boston.

· To buy a house, most people in Great Britain and the USA borrow money from a bank. In this case they mortgage a house. A mortgage is an agreement to pay back the money. Suppose they mortgage a house through a building society, for which they can borrow up to 95% of the value of the house. Then they have to pay back a little of the loan on the house each month. In about twenty years they may pay off the mortgage and become full owners of the house. If they fail to pay the mortgage over a certain period of time, the building society has the right to reclaim the property.

· The most practical way to set a house exchange in the U.K. and the USA is to use one of the agencies which can put potential clients in touch with each other. To be included in a directory you pay a registration fee, fill in a form, listing everything about your home. There will usually be a photograph of your house in the directory – and perhaps also of your family as well as your preferences as to location: town, country, seaside and so on.

· Home ownership is one of the definitions of success in Great Britain and the USA. Generally people are judged by the houses they live in. A lot of things are taken into account. It is not only the size and architecture of the house but also the type of neighbourhood. Neighbourhoods are the people living near one another. The types of neighbourhoods are very often defined by the ethnic origin and economic status of their residents. To improve local conditions and to solve problems of safety and sanitation, concerned neighbours form block associations. They clean up and beautify the streets, make them more secure. The members of the associations collect money to put up better lights, buy trees and plants for the sidewalks and entrances to buildings.

 

 

Answer the following questions.

 

1. What kind of houses is most typical of Great Britain?

2. What is a) a detached house? b) a semi-detached house? c) a terraced house? d) a Council house?

3. Why do you think the right to privacy and personal freedom is unquestioned by the British? What does the saying ‘My home is my castle’ mean?

4. Why do you think Englishmen prefer to live in the suburbs?

5. What does a typical American house look like?

6. What is a) a ranch-house? b) a ‘mobile home’? c) a condominium?

7. What is the most practical way to set a house exchange in the U.K. and the USA?

8. What is a mortgage?

9. What is a neighbourhood? What are the types of neighbourhoods defined by?

10. What things about a house are taken into account while judging about a person’s success?

PART 1

 

TOPICAL VOCABULARY

HOUSE

Types of Dwelling	Parts of the House	Types of Rooms	People in the House
block of flats bungalow   detached (semi-detached) house   mansion terraced house weekend house	attic/garret/loft balcony basement canopy ceiling floor landing porch roof staircase	bathroom bedroom dining-room kitchen living-room lounge nursery pantry sitting-room study	host (hostess) householder housekeeper landlord (landlady) lodger

 

Types of Furniture and Things to Furnish the Room	Modern Conveniences And Fittings	Things People Do
armchair bookshelf built-in furniture carpet chest of drawers china-cabinet cupboard curtains cushion fireplace mantelpiece rocking-chair standard-lamp wall-units wardrobe	burglar alarm electricity heating lift meter pipe rubbish-chute running–water tiles	advertise for a flat build / put up a house exchange a house let a house (a room) rent a house (a room)   do the flat (the house) do repairs / fix redecorate / refurbish /renovate   destroy / demolish reconstruct restore

 

Additional Vocabulary: to answer the door; to climb up the stairs; to feel home-sick; to live next door; to paper the walls; to overlook the sea (river, park, etc); to own a house; to ring the bell; to share a room; to whitewash the ceiling;

home appliances; a house-warming party; the inside of the house; a multistoreyed house; a separate room; a temporary dwelling; upholstered furniture.

 

Mind the preposition: to be located in; to be in a mess; to live in the suburbs; to make oneself at home; to move to a new flat; to be short of light;

at the seaside; in good condition; in the middle of the room; on the ground floor; on the left; on the right; on the top floor; out of town.

VOCABULARY PRACTICE