II. Find the English equivalents for the following.

Решать проблему; тратить время на что-либо; сконцент­рироваться на чём-либо; делать пометки; писать эссе; откладывать со дня на день; меч­тать; её часто отвлекают; время уходит; приходить домой с работы.

 

III. Speak about your distractions. Use the patterns from the text:

1) Barbara is supposed to be studying.

2) Barbara has to deal with a problem.

3) Barbara finds herself talking to friends instead of reading up for seminars.

4) Barbara is often disturbed by family members.

Exercise 12

Read and translate the story. Answer and discuss in class the questions below. Continue the story.

It took a couple of weeks for classes to get settled, and then we got down to the nitty-gritty. As homework began pouring in, and tests loomed on the horizon, I realised that my study skills were very poor and that it was going to be a challenge to teach myself to study. I experimented with several tac­tics, trying to find out what would work for me. I started out in the bedroom with the door closed, but it seemed the phone was always ringing. I managed to get my work done, but I was not pleased with this frustrating situation. Later I tried going out­side and preparing somewhere in the yard. I ended up chatting with a neighbour, petting her dog. Clearly, something had to be changed. As my workload increased, so did my frustration. Quite by accident, however, I found the solution to my prob­lem...

 

II. Find the English equivalents to the Russian words and phrases.

На это ушла пара недель, прийти в норму, засесть за что-либо, повседневная работа, наваливаться, маячить, сла­бые навыки, вызов, экспериментировать с чем-либо, обнаружить, начинать (разг.), удаваться, оканчиваться, удручающая ситуация, выходить из дома, болтать, работа накапливалась, разочарование, совершенно случайно, ре­шение проблемы.

 

III. Answer the questions and express your opinion on the following.

1. What advice would you give to a friend of yours if he or she had to deal with the problem of distraction?

2. What tactics do you personally choose to get yourself organized and sit down to work?

3. Discuss in class the problem of getting oneself organized and concentrated when doing one's homework.

Exercise 13

Read and translate the passage. Answer the questions below.

Most people who have trouble with schoolwork don't lack intelligence — instead. Rather, they are trapped by their own attitudes towards the work. One attitude that gets in many stu­dents' way is the "I can't do it" syndrome. Instead of making an honest effort to do the work, the "I can't do it" type give up before they begin.

Then there's the "I'm too tired" excuse. Students with this problem give in to the temptation to nap whenever there is work to be done. Another common excuse for low achievement is "the instructor is boring". These stu­dents expect every course to be highly entertaining and claim they can't be expected to learn anything otherwise.

 

1. What do you think of the "I can't do it" type?

2. What do you think of the "I'm too tired" type?

3. What do you think of the "I'm too bored" type?

4. Are there people of any of these types among your friends or classmates?

5. What type are you? Why?

6. What would you say about your attitude towards studies?

7. Can you think of some more types?

8. What are common excuses for low achievements in this country?

9. Can you imagine an exemplary student? Speak about exem­plary students and ordinary ones.

Exercise 14

People like to learn differently. Some people learn better by listening, white others need to see the information. Your answers to the questions below may give you some idea of how you prefer to learn. When you have fin­ished, compare your answers with those of other people in your class.

 

1. Do you prefer to learn by listening to the teacher's lecture? (Yes or No)

2. Do you prefer to learn by reading and studying your text­books? (Yes or No)

3. Do you prefer to learn by studying or working with other people? (Yes or No)

4. Do you prefer to study by yourself? (Yes or No)

5. Do you like to ask the teacher questions? (Yes or No)

6. When you study for a test, you read your notes, don't you?

7. When you study for a test, you read your notes aloud, don't you?

8. When you study for a test, you rewrite your notes, don't you?

9. Do you like to memorize facts? (Yes or No)

10. Do you like to think about ideas? (Yes or No)

Exercise 15