News in Brief 3 (World Events)

 

1. Japan said in its annual defense review that it was concerned about the growing strength of China's army.

2. According to the rumour mill in Beijing, Zhu Rongji, an economic reformer, is likely to become China's next prime minister, replacing Li Peng, who is meant to stand down after ten years in office.

3. A senior hotel executive was charged with carelessness resulting in death and injury to others after Thailand's worst ever hotel fire, in Pattaya, killed 90 people.

4. The US President endorsed legislation that would make it illegal for health-insurance companies to discriminate against healthy people on the basis of their genetic inheritance.

5. Peru's government revoked the citizenship of Baruch Ivcher, the! owner of a television station that often embarrasses it. He had not abandoned his Israeli nationality when he became Peruvian in 1984, it said. An attack on media freedom, said thousands of demonstrators. Even pro-government papers agreed. The foreign minister had to resign.

6. Having blown up a main oil pipeline and shot down a helicopter-load of soldiers sent to protect repair work, Colombian guerrillas blew it up again four days later and killed ten more soldiers. Production —I 180,000 barrels a day — from the Caco Limon field was suspended.

7. Kofi Annan, the secretary-general of the United Nations, presented! his plans for making the organisation more effective, largely by rationalising departments and by creating a policy-making cabinet. Early reactions from America's Congress, which has made the payment of arrears dependent on UN cuts, were unenthusiastic.

8. Faced with local and international anger over police brutality during demonstrations, Kenya's President promised to talk to the opposition and, perhaps, reform the dictatorial laws that keep his party in power.

9. The Algerians released Abbasi Madani, leader of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), from jail, but not his deputy. Mr Madani, who said his release after six years was unconditional, proclaimed it as a good omen. But the FIS's influence is not what it was; Islamic radicals beyond its control are generally held responsible for some 100 killings by bombs and throatcutting in the past week.

10. The Israeli-Hezbollah agreement not to fire on civilian targets began collapsing as Israeli shells in Lebanon killed a Palestinian woman and her son and Hezbollah fired rockets in response.

11. The deployment of Palestinian policemen on the line between Israeli and Palestinian-controlled Hebron brought a month of riots to a temporary end. A Palestinian youth in Ramallah was shot dead by Israeli soldiers.

12. Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf has long worked to bridge divisions, be they fissures between interfaith husbands and wives or political chasms separating the United States and the Muslim world. The 61-year-old clergyman is now in the midst of a polarizing political, religious and cultural debate over plans for a multistory Islamic center that will feature a mosque, health club and theater about two blocks north of ground zero.He is one of the leaders of the Park51 project, but has largely been absent from the national debate over the implications of building a Muslim house of worship so close to where terrorists killed more than 2,700 people.

 

 

Задание 4. Грамматические трудности перевода

 

Тема 3. Passive Voice

The English Passive Construction can be translated by

• The Russian Passive Voice Construction
• The Russian Active Voice Construction
• The Constructions with reflexive verbs
• The impersonal sentence

 

1. A new computer has been recently bought for the lab.

2. It was found that the papers for the conference were printed double space instead of 1.5.

3. It is assumed that the participants will take care of their accommo­dation themselves

4. The productivity issue has been given special emphasis to in the meeting.

5. It was suggested by the commission that the project should be worked out in the context of the new circumstances.

6. The construction of new houses in another place is being negotiated with the district authorities.

7. Nobody has been refused a chance to put forward their ideas for discussion.

8. Making decisions is always preceded by a thorough analysis of the market situation.

9. They will be shown the draft plan right upon their arrival.

10. Some new approaches to attracting foreign investments are dealt with in this paper.

11. The issues of foreign exchange policy are also touched on in the re­port prepared for the board meeting,

12. The higher inflation rate in the second quarter is accounted for by the Central Bank's loan to the government for the needs of agricul­ture and housing construction.

13. The decision of merging the companies was followed by dismissing a few hundred employees.

14. The economic growth is influenced by a number of factors.

15. The sooner the unification of exchange rates is completed, the more smoothly the companies will adapt to new market conditions.

16. Practically all the enterprises in Russia and the CIS countries were affected by the financial crisis of 1998.

17. Social issues will certainly be taken care of by the new manage­ment of the company.

18. An attempt was made to harmonize the legislation of the two coun­tries right after the presidential elections.

19. Urgent steps are taken to overcome the consequences of the disaster

20. The denomination of the local currency had been carried out before a decision on merging the two currencies was passed.

21. In New-York, Dorothy Donohue, the widow of a murdered policeman, finds it incredible that the killer may be spared the electric chair.

22. “Ready?” said the old gentleman inquiringly, when his quests gad been washed, mended, brushed and brandied.

No young people were of any importance. Young people’s opinions were not consulted and were not expected to be given either without being asked for.

Задание 5. Prepared Translation

From the news press

4. Переговорыв Японии Представители США, Южной Кореи и Японии завершили в Токио переговоры о предоставлении КНДР новой техноло­гии атомной энергии. Представитель ми­нистерства иностранных дел Южной Ко­реи сообщил, что достигнут значитель­ный прогресс по этой проблеме, включая образование консорциума. Он будет спе­циализироваться на поставках в КНДР ядерных реакторов южнокорейского об­разца. Переводческие решения 1.... переговоры о предоставлении... 2.... образование консорциума... 3.... специализироваться на...	4. Talks in Japan Representatives of the USA, South Korea and Japan have concluded talks in Tokyo on supplying the KPDR (North Ko­rea) with modern technology for nuclear power engineering. A spokesman of the South Korean Foreign Ministry reported that considerable progress had been achieved in solving the problem, including the estab­lishment of a consortium, which would con­centrate on supplying nuclear reactors of a South Korean type to the KPDR. Translator's Decisions 1.... talks on supplying... 2.... the establishment of a consortium... 3.... concentrate on...
5. Тайвань готов вести переговорыс Китаем Президент Тайваня Ли Дэнхуэй зая­вил в субботу, что его страна готова хоть сто лет вести переговоры с Китаем, чтобы улучшить взаимоотношения. Он не согла­сился с пессимистическими оценками их будущего, прозвучавшими из научных кругов. В пятницу в Пекине безрезультат­но закончился очередной раунд перегово­ров между китайскими и тайваньскими полуправительственными организациями по связям через Тайваньский пролив. Стороны не подписали соглашения о вы­даче угонщиков самолетов и перебежчи­ков, а также соглашения о рыболовстве. Тайвань разочарован отказом Китая при­знать его политической реальностью. Ки­тай же надеется, что Тайвань уступит в вопросах юрисдикции и суверенитета. Переводческие решения 1.... очередной раунд... 2.... прозвучавшие из научных кругов... 3.... окончились безрезультатно...	5. Taiwan: ready for talks with China President Ly Denhuay of Taiwan said on Saturday that his country is prepared to conduct talks with China to improve mutual relations, even if such talks last a hundred years. He did not agree with the pessimistic predictions regarding these re­lations, which had been made in scientific circles. On Friday a regular round of talks held in Beijing between Chinese and Tai­wanese semi-governmental bodies on links via the Taiwan Strait ended with no re­sult. The sides failed to sign an agreement on the extradition of hijackers and defec­tors, and no agreement on finishing was concluded. Taiwan was disappointed with China's refusal to recognize it to be a po­litical reality. As for China, it hopes that Taiwan will yield on the questions of legal authority and sovereignty. Translator's decisions 1.... a regular round... 2.... which had been made in scientific circles... 3.... ended with no results...
27. Будут думать как помочь Всемирный банк объявил, что 8—9 июня в Париже состоится первая встреча консультативной группы в рамках этой крупнейшей международной финансовой организации для обсуждения хода эконо­мических реформ в России и координа­ции усилий Запада по оказанию содейст­вия этим проблемам. Переводческие решения 1.... в Париже состоится первая встреча.,. 2.... в рамках...	27. Thinking How to Help The World Bank has announced that Paris will play host June 8—9 to the first meeting of a consultative group to be held under the auspices of this largest finan­cial organization. Those attending will discuss the course of Russia's economic reforms and coordination of the West's ef­forts to contribute to those developments. Translator's Decisions 1.... Paris will play host to the first meeting 2.... under the auspices of...

 

Задание 6. Articles for Sight Translation, Discussion or Essay Writing.

Buzz junkies

As women take to extreme sports in ever greater numbers, Lindsay Baker asks: why do they choose to live so close to the edge? What would drive an affluent 46-year-old divorcee to abandon her metropolitan comfort zone for an expedition so extreme that only 300 people have ever attempted it? What could compel a perfectly groomed mother of two teenagers to embark on a 69-mile trek to the South Pole, through a waste of ice and snow, in temperatures as cold as -50C, with the risk of altitude sickness and unexpected crevasses at every step, pulling her own 70kg sled behind her?

 

“I love staying in five-star hotels as much as the next person,” says the intrepid Lucinda Partridge-Hicks, the woman who undertook this venture. “But I’m quite good at roughing it, too. It is strangely humbling being in a harsh environment. You can’t just turn on a tap when you’re thirsty — you have to melt snow, which takes ages. And you have to pee into a plastic funnel to avoid frostbite in sensitive areas.” Partridge-Hicks is far from alone in her love of high-risk adventures. Dangerous pursuits are becoming hugely popular with women, particularly those in their thirties and forties. Whether it’s extreme expeditions or adrenaline sports, there’s been a steady movement in recent years, as a new breed of female daredevils unobtrusively enters what was previously a largely male preserve. “When I thought about it too much, the idea of leaving my children to go on this expedition filled me with horror,” admits Partridge-Hicks. The danger aspect first hit home when she went for a final fitting of her custom-made Michel Guillon glacier goggles, which protected her eyes from the harsh conditions and snow blindness. “The reality of what I was going to face suddenly dawned on me. But it had been a lifelong ambition and I felt compelled to go through with it.”

Her desire to seek out “new experiences and remote places” was engendered by her expat upbringing in West Africa, but her divorce played a part as well: “It made me realise that life may not always be a fairy tale of marriage and happy-ever-after, but that what I did have was more freedom.” Four years ago, as soon as she considered her children old enough (they are currently 15 and 17, and at boarding school), Partridge-Hicks booked herself on her first Arctic dog-sledding trip, for the Disabled Living Foundation. The Antarctic expedition, however, was a different kind of challenge. It required months of training — power-walking for 4-5 miles a day around Hyde Park (sometimes dragging tyres behind her attached to a harness to simulate the weight of her sled), with one 10-mile hike per weekend. She also did private Pilates sessions to help her develop strength and mobility. “Physically and mentally it was very tough,” she admits. “But, as I kept reminding my children before leaving, statistically I’d be more at risk driving down the M4.”

Deb Clarke, a sky-diving enthusiast, has a similar attitude: “The first time I hurled myself out of a plane at 12,500ft, freefalling at 120mph, I was absolutely terrified. Now, after 2,000 dives, the only fear I have is that something could go wrong, so I make sure I’m well prepared. My view is that if you don’t take any risks, you don’t have much of a life — anyway, now I’m hooked to that beautiful feeling of flying. It’s also a positive way of releasing stress and putting everything into perspective. Women are good at skydiving because it requires flexibility as well as stamina. I suspect it’s also because when you’re diving, you feel as though you’re living life to the full.”

 

This same sense of self-discovery through danger seems to fuel the freediving world champion Tanya Streeter, 31, who is currently the only female athlete in any sport to surpass the men’s record. In freediving, the diver takes a deep breath, then descends into the sea — in Streeter’s case, a remarkable 525ft. Needless to say, there are risks. But she doesn’t seem to mind. “If you’re not living on the edge,” she says, “you’re just taking up space, aren’t you?” On one occasion the equipment that helps propel her back to the surface failed, and Streeter blacked out as she reached the surface. She’s remarkably sanguine about what most would consider a near-death experience: “It’s just the body’s way of coping. It’s called the mammalian dive reflex — you lose consciousness in order to withstand the low level of oxygen.” Oddly enough, Streeter insists she’s a complete “chicken” when it comes to heights, rollercoasters, American freeways, even the dark. But with her sport, she says, she’s “so wrapped up in the challenge” that she forgets that what she’s doing is difficult or dangerous.

 

“It’s a huge rush,” agrees Robyn Davies, 29, the British women’s surfing champion. The twin dangers with surfing are, it turns out, “sharks and drowning. It’s the only sport where you can be eaten alive by a wild animal”. She recalls one incident when she was surfing off the coast of Madagascar: “I was caught between a huge set of waves and a gnarly reef. I was out of my comfort zone, and my first instinct was to paddle towards the shallower waters. Then I saw that my way was blocked by a shark splashing around in a frenzy. I was thinking, ‘Do I drown or do I get mauled? ’” Thankfully, she escaped unscathed. So, does the element of danger appeal to her? “I don’t really think of the dangers,” she says. “Unless there are a lot of sharks around.” In fact, none of these women dwells on the danger factor. What they seem to value most is the sense of empowerment and confidence their sports provide elsewhere in their lives. “Whenever I face a challenge,” says Streeter, “I take a deep breath and think, ‘If I can dive hundreds of feet into the sea, then I can do anything. I can handle this.’ The mind will stop you doing something long before your body will — to let your body control your mind is the most amazing feeling.”

Or, as Partridge-Hicks puts it: “A man is just as likely to have a wobbly as a woman.”

 

UNIT 5

 

 

Задание 1. Мнемотехника

1. The thirty-three thieves thought that they thrilled the throne throughout Thursday.

2. If Stu chews shoes, should Stu choose the shoes he chews?

3. A big black bug-bit a big black dog on his big black nose!

4. Elizabeth's birthday is on the third Thursday of this month.

5. How many cookies could a good cook cook if a good cook could cook cookies? A good cook could cook as much cookies as a good cook who could cook cookies.

6. Birdie birdie in the sky laid a turdie in my eye. lf cows could fly I'd have a cow pie in my eye

7. Four furious friends fought for the phone.

8. If Kantie can tie a tie and untie a tie,

9. Why can't I tie a tie and untie a tie like Kantie can.