From the Wrong Side of the Tracks

 

From the Wrong Side of the Tracks, directed by Sue Parker, features the conflict between a young man and a girl’s father. The role of doing father is played by Steve Martin and Diane Keaton plays his long-suffering wife.

The story begins with Martin’s daughter announcing her marriage. Reluctant to see his beloved daughter leave the family nest, he feels more like he’s losing a daughter than gaining a son-in-law.

As preparations get started, there follows a chain of comic events, helped along by the delightful Penn Short, superb as the wedding organizer for the occasion.

From the Wrong Side of the Tracks is essentially a funny enjoyable performance, suitable for old and young alike. For those of you who like a good chuckle, it’s well worth going to see.

 

Now write a review of the performance (film) you saw last.

 

2. This is an excerpt from the letter where a friend of yours writes what he thinks about theatre.

 

Honestly, I have never quite understood how people can pretend that going to the theatre can be great! As it happened I’ve been to the theatre only two times in my life. The first one was a drama. I didn’t bother to remember what it was called. There were so many speeches to deliver! I felt so bored with those long tirades two or three pages long. The second one was supposed to be a light humorous play full of ridiculous situations. The actors’ voices were so hard and their gestures so awkward! The action was slow and the scenes were dull. The plot was so primitive that I could hardly suppress my laughter! And, now, what kind of people go to the theatre? To my mind these are the people who try to escape their everyday existence and to experience a life more exciting than their own. They go there just to forget about their own problems. So, why go to the theatre? Isn’t it much better to stay home watching a video or a TV show, to play a computer game or to read a book?

 

Now write a letter to your friend supporting or attacking his argument by providing evidence from your own experience.

TASKS FOR LISTENING

Listen to Dialogue 1 and Dialogue 2. Fill in the missing words.

Dialogue 1

A: Do you like musical comedies?

B: Well, I would say no. No, I don’t like them. You see, sudden changes and events are meant to................., but as a matter of fact all this is............. …….

A: Don’t be such a bore! They are................., and they always..........

 

Dialogue 2

A: Tommy Brian is a.........., the one who plays.............. in plays by Shakespeare.

B: Is he? But he..............., and he is always.................

A: This cannot be true! He was given the Evening Standard.............. Award for his......

B: Oh, I think it’s just the matter of promoters and critics.

 

 

Listen to Text 1. Complete the following sentences.

 

1. Television has been called ‘the great wasteland’ because …

2. Whole generations of children have been brought up on what is called derisively …

3. American men are often addicted to …

4. Fortunately, American television is not entirely …

5. The greatest of the documentaries is the public television series on …

6. Many believe it to be … of American television.

 

 

Listen to Text 2. Fill in the chart.

	How do they feel about their visits to the theatre?	Why?
Speaker 1
Speaker 2
Speaker 3

UNIT7. TRAVELLING

INTRODUCTORY TEXT

· The modern love of moving around and the ease of travel have influenced attitudes towards leisure. During the year, industrial workers in Britain have at least four weeks’ paid holiday; state schools usually have six weeks off from about mid-July to the end of August. The favourite way of spending the holiday is at the sea. All along the coast there are well-known resorts like Brighton and Blackpool.

· Few English people rent houses or flats for their holidays, but one of the traditional ways of spending a summer holiday is in a boarding house, which may have a card in its window advertising “bed and breakfast”.

Camping holidays are not well-developed in Great Britain, since the changeable summer weather is often too unpleasant for tent-dwellers. Some people bring their own caravans, pulling them behind their cars, others hire caravans already in position. They have caravans with them and go to the seaside or hilly regions of great natural beauty to escape from the big city and crowds of people. Some people prefer to spend their holidays abroad. Many take their cars, crossing the English Channel by ferry or hovercraft to the continent. Others use the travel agents’ schemes for group travel and hotel booking.

· People who first come to Great Britain notice that railway platforms are higher than in most parts of the world. The platform is almost on the level with the floor of the carriages which makes much easier to get in and out of the carriage.

In England passengers seldom talk with their fellow-travellers even on a long journey – this is more a national custom than a matter of etiquette. Foreign visitors say that the British are cool and reserved, unemotional and impersonal. The great topic of conversation between strangers is the weather.

· The average American has three or four weeks of paid vacation in summer. Very popular ways of spending a holiday in the country are camping and hiking. Some Americans prefer to tour Asia, South America or Africa, others take a trip to Europe.

Many tourists in the USA who travel long distances use the Greyhound buses. Greyhound Lines is the name of the private national company which arranges bus tours all over the country. The name of the company which runs passenger trains is Amtrak.

· Tipping is a common habit in Great Britain and the USA. The tip depends on the type and extent of the service you have received. In some hotels, a service charge of 10 to 15 percent will be added to your bill. Even so, you might want to give something extra to the porter who carries your bags, especially in a first-class establishment. The tipping system consists of small extra payment of a tenth or an eighth of the price of the bill, given to certain employees, chiefly to waiters, taxi drivers, hotel staff, hairdressers and railway porters.

· As elsewhere in the world British and Americans have a difference of opinion over aims, means, effects, etc of travel. Some of them travel to escape the routine of everyday living or personal problems, to relax or get new knowledge or sensations, to meet interesting people. Others travel to promote cultural or religious values of their countries. In this way a trip can be a turning point, a new beginning leading to new experience, or just an adventure.

Some people may be negative about the idea of travelling as it is because of the problems or difficult situations that may arise during a trip. Holiday preparations, boarding family pets, strange places, crowded airports, delayed flights, poor service - things like these may have a very bad effect on holiday-makers, that's why some people prefer to stay at home.

Travellers also argue about where to go - some of them might want to go to Sahara or cruise along the Nile, while others - to rent a cottage near a lake or in the mountains.

Travelling, on the one hand, is associated with pleasant things like sunny weather and plenty of amusements or unusual things to see. On the other hand, visitors to a foreign country often feel shocked by the different customs and habits that they may see around them. They refuse the local food, or disrespect their hosts by failing to observe dress codes and other cultural norms. Tourism may also be a source of crime, begging and other social problems or be destructive for environment.

So, attitudes to the subject are various and many, but still, there is a point on which everyone agrees “No matter why and how you travel you are bound to meet surprises!”