Ex. 3. Make up sentences with the new vocabulary.

Ex. 4. Make up a story of your own using the following words and word combinations.

a movie date, to court somebody, to fall in love with somebody, chaperone, affection, a blind date, computer dating bureau, curfew, to go Dutch, to go steady, to be engaged to somebody, to propose to somebody.

Ex. 5. Match the words and phrases in column A with those in column B.

1. dating a. a husband-to-be

2. fiancee b. love.

3. chaperon c. bride-to-be

4. to court d. courtship

5. affection e. escort woman

6. fiance f. to date

Ex. 6. Translate the following sentences into English.

1. Моя дочь помолвлена с молодым человеком, который ухаживал за ней более двух лет.

2. Ты слышал, что Джон разорвал свою помолвку с Мэри?

3. Мария встречается с замечательным молодым человеком, у них уже было два свидания, а завтра они идут в театр.

4. Мои родители не запрещают мне ходить на свидания, но я обязательно должна быть дома не позднее 11 часов.

5. Когда Чарльз и Элис ходят в ресторан, они всегда делят расходы пополам.

6. В наши дни очень популярно свидание в слепую. Они обычно назначаются по телефону или по Интернету. Одно из таких свиданий может закончиться свадьбой по любви с первого взгляда.

7. Родители вряд ли согласятся на их помолвку, так как девушка не достигла совершеннолетия.

8. Ему стоило больших усилий завоевать сердце девушки.

9. Обратившись в брачное агентство, она и не надеялась встретить здесь свою судьбу, но их первая встреча оказалась любовью с первого взгляда.

10. Сделав ей предложение, Ричард надеялся на согласие, так как он ухаживал за ней более года.

Text: “Teenage Dating in the 1950s”

Dating is definitely an American phenomenon. People date because it is “enjoyable, pleasant, and valuable”, and they think that they can gain rewarding experiences from it. Besides, dating allows young people to be with each other without their parents interfering.

Double-dates are used to initiate the whole dating process because it creates a more open environment conducive to easy conversation. So the initial shyness of a young couple can be eased away by the presence of other company, especially if the double date is a “set-up” or a blind date for one couple. After double dating, you would naturally move onto single dating. And should the relationship move on, as they often do, it would move into the ubiquitous “going steady” stage.

This concept of “going steady” took on a new meaning in the fifties. Before the war, “going steady” was a stage young people took only if they were seriously on the path to marriage; however, after the war, the phrase was used more loosely. If a couple was said to be “going steady”, they would date one another exclusively and feel as if the other “belongs” to him or her, but this occurred without any serious thoughts of marriage.

Getting a date has always been complicated. In the 1950’s, it was unheard of for a young lady to ask a man for a date or to initiate the dating process. Men were supposed to do the asking.

One way of getting a date is to be set up a “blind” one where each person in the relationship has never met the other before. This method is especially useful and practical if a guy is shy about asking a girl out on a date. It might help him feel more adequate in the dating scene by blind dating, especially if it is his first dating experience. The same could be said about girls.

In the fifties, there were many options for a young couple looking for a good time. The most popular places to go were those that were cheap yet fun, much like dates of today. Such popular places were ice cream parlours, pizza parlours, drive-ins, bowling alleys, coffee houses and record shops. The most popular and economical activity available for teenagers was watching movies.

Back in the fifties, it was pretty much understood that boys pay the expenses of the date. The concept of “Dutch” dating (where the cost is split between the pair) was not acceptable back in the fifties. Both boys and girls were embarrassed by the idea.

Teenagers in the fifties changed the rules of dating and, consequently, formed the basis of what today’s teenagers consider normal dating. After the Second World War, teenagers became more vocal and publicly visible. They were a new source of power, independent from their parents and ready for a change.

Ex. 1. Read and translate the text.