What would you expect a good friend to do for you?

VII. Compose your own topic “My friend’s character” and retell it.

FREE TIME AND HOBBIES

I. Learn the words:

spare time – свободное время

hardly – едва

leisure – досуг, свободное время

entertainments – развлечения

growing number – растущее количество

performances – спектакли

betting – держать пари; пари

to gamble – играть в азартные игры; спекулировать на бирже

huge prize – огромный приз

excitement – восхищение

expectation – ожидание

pursuit – занятие; daily ~s повседневные дела, занятия

participate – участвовать

competitions – соревнования

ramble – прогулка, поездка (без определенной цели), экскурсия

widespread – широко распространенный

compare – сравнивать

field of activity – сфера деятельности

favorite – любимый

to be mad (about smth) – сходить с ума по чему-л.

pigeons – голуби

to do tricks – делать трюки; to play smb a ~ обмануть кого-л., сыграть с кем-л. шутку

cacti pl - кактусы

bits and pieces – остатки, обрезки, хлам

stamps or postcards – марки или открытки

schedule – расписание, график, план

to tell smb off – (от)ругать кого-л.

confidence – уверенность

delight – восторг

to mould – формировать (характер)

source of information – источник информации

opinions – мнения

genre – жанр

pursuer – продолжать, следовать; заниматься

to retire – увольняться, уходить в отставку

II. Read the topic and translate it.

Free time and Hobbies

A hundreds years ago there was no problem of what working people could do with their spare time. Their hours of work were so long that they had hardly any leisure. Nowadays it's even hard to name all the activities, entertainments and hobbies run by people in their free time. A growing number of people prefer watching films, performances, sporting events on TV to attending them. There exists quite a different sort of leisure activities, betting and gambling for example, which give thousands of people hope for a huge prize, and a sense of excitement and expectation. There are various pursuits that people choose to pass away their free time. Nowadays people spend hours watching different informational, educational or environment programs. Other popular occupations are listening to the radio, reading books, painting and so on. Many people prefer to go in for different kinds of sports and lead an active way of life. Sometimes they participate in competitions or contests and have a very good pastime. There are people that prefer calm way of spending their free time. They are fond of quite rambles or walks in parks or gardens. More serious people prefer to visit museums, art galleries or theaters. Aerobics and shopping are two of the most popular pursuits for women. Cooking is also very widespread activity among them. But nothing can be compared with the feeling of those who take got really interested in some field of activity, which has become something favorite and admired. A "hobby" is a special interest or activity that you do in your free time off. Some people have animals as hobbies. They keep rabbits or go fishing. They train dogs to do tricks or keep pigeons to race and carry messages. Some are crazy about plants. They try to grow cacti or rare tropical flowers in their kitchens and sitting rooms. Others are mad about their cars or their motorbikes. They spend their Saturdays and Sundays washing them, painting them or buying new bits and pieces to make them go even faster. Children and teenagers are great collectors. They collect stamps or postcards or pictures of a favorite football or pop star. Many people make things as a hobby. I have several hobbies which occupy me after school, both in and out of the house. Sometimes I wonder how I fit them all into my schedule because I have a lot homework. Everyday I have not much time to relax. In that period I usually rest after hard day, listen to music, watch TV and videos, read books and magazines. Computer is one of my main hobbies and interests. I choose computer technology as one of my options and now I study in Cherepovets State University in that field of science. Sometimes I play games to relax. Every weekend I spend a lot of time in World Wide Web. I use Internet for educational process, for finding special technical literature in different subjects and of cause for fun. I have a great number of web friends and we like to spend a lot of time talking to one another. Also I have great interest in computer programming. Moreover I have big collection of CD-disks and records. They include pop, classical, jazz, easy listening. My mum always telling me off for putting my hi-fi on too loud. Whenever I get spare time, I go in different sport clubs and complexes and play different team and single games such as tennis, football, volleyball, and basketball. It keeps me fit and happy. I can say with confidence that reading is my favorite hobby. Books brings pleasure and delight. Besides books help to mould a persons character from his moral values. Thanks to books we learn to express our thoughts and feelings more exactly and of cause books is the richest source of information. Sometimes my friends and I exchange opinions about books, speak about them, exchange books. Among my favorite genres are fantasy, philosophy and technical literature. I think that hobbies and interests are an important factor of life. They help to form person, to relax and forget problems for a short while. They can be fun, educational, satisfying and also you can pursuer them when you are old and retired.

II. Read the following texts and express your opinion about different hobbies:

Arts and Crafts

Arts and crafts include a whole host of activities and hobbies that are related to making things with one's own hands and skill. These can be sub-divided into handicrafts or "traditional crafts" (doing things the old way) and the rest. Some arts and crafts have been practiced for centuries, while others are modern inventions, or popularizations of crafts which were originally practiced in a very small geographic area.

The specific name Arts and Crafts movement was also given to a design movement of the late 19th and early 20th century, whose proponents included William Morris and Edwin Lutyens. They believed that medieval craftsmen achieved a joy in the excellence of their work, which they strove to emulate. These activities are called crafts because initially many of them were professionals. Youngsters were apprenticed to a master-craftsman, and they refined their skills over a period of years. By the time their training was complete, they were well-resourced to set up in trade for themselves, earning their living with the skill of their hands. The Industrial Revolution and the increasing mechanizations of production processes gradually reduced or eliminated many of the roles professional craftspeople played, and today 'crafts' are most commonly seen as a form of hobby.

Most crafts require a combination of skill and talent, but they can also be learnt on a more basic level by almost anyone. Many Community centres and schools run evening or day classes and workshops offering to teach basic craft skills in a short period of time. Many of these crafts become very popular for brief periods of time (a few months, or a few years), spreading rapidly among the crafting population as everyone emulates the first examples.

There are almost as many variations on the theme of 'arts and crafts' as there are crafters with time on their hands, but they can be broken down into a number of categories as follows: Textile Crafts, Clay or Glass Crafts, Paper or Canvas Crafts, Metalworking Crafts, Crafts Involving Plants, Wood Crafts.

Handicraft, also known as craftwork or simply craft, is a type of work where useful and decorative devices are made wholly by hand or using only simple tools to conventional means of making goods. Handicrafts are generally considered more traditional work, created as a necessary part of daily life, whilst "Arts and Crafts" implies more of a hobby pursuit and a demonstration/perfection of a creative technique.

Museums

Museums are the guardian of the leftovers and other data that are vital in tracing the evolution of the civilization. Approximately all the cities house museums where the ancient heritage lies safely for human perusal. Various objects like ancient pots, jewelries, manuscripts, paintings, weapons, sculptures and costumes are to be establishing in the museums.

Cooking

Cooking is the act of preparing food for eating. It encompasses a vast range of methods, tools and combinations of ingredients to improve the flavour and/or digestibility of food. It generally requires the selection, measurement and combining of ingredients in an ordered procedure in an effort to achieve the desired result. Constraints on success include the variability of ingredients, environment conditions, tools and the skill of the person cooking. The variety of cooking worldwide is a reflection of the myriad nutritional, aesthetic, agricultural, economic, cultural and religious considerations that impact upon it. Cooking frequently, though not always, involves applying heat in order to chemically transform a food, thus changing its flavor, texture, appearance, or nutritional properties. There is archaeological evidence of cooked foodstuffs (both animal and vegetable) in human settlements dating from the earliest known use of fire.

Food preservation is the process of treating and handling food in such a way as to stop or greatly slow down spoilage to prevent food borne illness while maintaining nutritional value, texture and flavor.

Preservation usually involves preventing the growth of bacteria, fungi and other micro-organisms, as well as retarding the oxidation of fats which causes rancidity. Common methods of preserving food include drying, freezing, vacuum-packing, canning, radiation-treatment and adding preservatives. Other methods that not only help to preserve food, but also add flavor, include pickling, salting, smoking and curing. The oldest method of food safeguarding is by drying, which reduces water activity sufficient to delay or prevent bacterial growth. Smoking is sometimes done in combination with drying. Although not sufficient by itself to permit long term storage of food, smoking adds chemicals that help inhibit the growth of micro-organisms. Meat is often also cured with salt or sugar, or a combination of the two. Curing draws wetness from the meat through a process of osmosis. Nitrates and nitrites are also often used to cure meat.

Pickling is a method of preserving food by placing it in either a brine (high in salt), or a solution of vinegar which is too acidic to permit bacterial growth. Canning involves cooking fruits or vegetables, sealing them in sterile cans or jars, and boiling the containers to kill or weaken any remaining bacteria. Various foods have varying degrees of natural protection against spoilage and may require that the final step occur in a pressure cooker. High-acid fruits like strawberries require no preservatives to can and only a short boiling cycle, whereas marginal fruits such as tomatoes require longer boiling and addition of other acidic elements. Many vegetables require pressure canning.

A 1950s issue of Popular Mechanics details the impending arrival of "food irradiation". However, at the present time, the implications surrounding the irradiation of food are still not fully understood, and the technology is therefore still not in widespread use. However, irradiation of potatoes, strawberries, and meat is common in many countries where refrigerated facilities and trucks are not common. In 2002, the FDA permitted irradiation of meat and poultry to reduce the spread of E. coli and Salmonella. In the US and most of Europe irradiation of spices is common, as the only alternative (treatment with gas) has been shown to be potentially carcinogenic. The process is incorrectly called "pasteurization" to avoid the reduced sales that arise from the correct term of "irradiation".

 

IV. Look at the table and say what hobby would you choose?

Music	Sport
"Music,often an art/entertainment,is a total social fact whose definitions vary according to era and culture; it's often contrasted with noise... More	A sport consists of a physical and mentally competitive activity carried out with a recreational purpose for competition, for self-enjoyment ... More
Collecting	Internet
A coin is in general a piece of hard material, traditionally metal and usually in the shape of a disc, which is used as a form of money... More	A newsgroup is a warehouse, usually within the Usenet system, for messages posted from many users at different locations... More

IV. Read the famous quotes and translate them. Which of them do you agree?

Famous Music Quotes

If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music. ... I get most joy in life out of music - Albert Einstein.

Music does bring people together. It allows us to experience the same emotions. People everywhere are the same in heart and spirit. No matter what language we speak, what color we are, the form of our politics or the expression of our love and our faith, music proves: We are the same - John Denver.

The woods would be very silent if the only birds that sang were those who sang best...Henry David.

Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music - Sergei Rachmaninov.

Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent - Victor Hugo.

When words fail, Music speaks - H.C. Anderson.

Music is the poetry of the air – Richter.

Music is the medicine of the breaking heart - Leigh Hunt.

V. Read and translate the texts:

Collection of Books

A book is a collection of leaves of paper, parchment or other material, leap together along one edge within covers. A book is also a literary work or a main separation of such a work. A book produced in electronic format is known as an e-book. Maintaining a library used to be the chance of princes, the well-off, monasteries and other holy institutions, and universities. The growth of a public library system in the United States started in the late 19th century and was much helped by contributions from Andrew Carnegie. This reflected classes in a society: The poor or the middle class had to share most books through a public library or by other means while the rich could pay for to have a private library built into their house.

The advent of paperback books in the 20th century led to an explosion of fashionable publishing. Paperback books made owning books reasonably priced for many people. Paperback books often included works from genres that had previously been published mostly in pulp magazines. As a result of the low cost of such books and the spread of bookstores filled with them (in addition to the creation of a smaller market of extremely cheap used paperbacks) owning a private library ceased to be a status symbol for the rich.

While a small collection of books, or one to be used by a small number of people, can be stored in any way suitable to the owners, a large or public collection requires a catalogue and some means of consulting it. Often codes or other marks have to be added to the books to speed the process of relating them to the catalogue and their correct shelf position. Where these identify a volume uniquely, they are referred to as "call numbers". In library and booksellers' catalogues, it is common to include an short form such as "Crown 8vo" to indicate the paper size from which the book is made.

Camping

SHOPPING

I. Learn the words:

to cost – стоить a purchase – покупка

food – продукты питания, еда drink – напиток

rice – рис fish – рыба

oil – масло beef – говядина

shrimps – креветки chili peppers – перец чили

potatoes – картофель chicken – цыпленок

market – рынок vegetables – овощи

store – универмаг bakery – булочная

butcher – мясной магазин; мясник offer – предлагать

rows of stalls – ряды прилавков shoes – обувь

dairy produce – молочные продукты slightly – слегка, немного

clothes – одежда buy – покупать

price – цена fish sauce – рыбный соус

to stand in line – стоять в очереди to refuse – отказывать (-ся)

goods for sale – товары на продажу sell – продавать

to bargain – торговаться sausage – колбаса

(a) bargain – (торговая) сделка; выгодная покупка

tourist items – принадлежности для туристов

to cut in – вмешаться, зд. вклиниться в очередь, встать без очереди

siesta – исп. сиеста, полуденный отдых

II. Work in pairs. How much do these things cost in your currency?

III. Match these questions with Chutima’s answers.

1. What items of food and drink do you usually buy every week?

2. Where do you buy most of your food?

3. Who does the shopping in your family?

4. When do shops open?

5. What time do shops close normally?

6. How many days a week are shops open?

7. How many times do you go shopping every week?

8. What do you like about shopping in your country?

9. What don’t you like?

Chutima’s answers

a) The market 5:00 a.m. Normal shops 6:00 a.m.

b) The local market, every day. And the shops near my place, every day as well.

c) I buy, once a month not every week, rice, fish sauce, cooking oil, beef, shrimps, and chili peppers.

d) I don’t like going shopping for meat, chicken, and fish at the local market because it smells bad and it’s wet. I don’t like it. But I like shopping for vegetables and fruit because of the colours.

e) For fresh food twice a week.

f) I do.

g) 10:00 p.m.

h) I enjoy shopping because there are many kinds of vegetables and many kinds of fruit. Sometimes I cannot eat them all, so some I put in the trash. But I still enjoy shopping.

i) At the supermarket and local street market.

IV. Work in pairs and answer the questions in III.

V. Read about shopping in Spain and answer these questions.

1. Who does the shopping?

2. What kinds of stores are there?

3. What are the opening hours?

4. What do you bargain for?

5. Do you need to stand in line?

Shopping in Spain

In small towns and villages, most stores have no name or sign outside. Everyone knows what they sell and where they are.

Women do most of the shopping, although men may go to the bakery.

Women who are not working go shopping every day. It’s a social occasion with separate trips to the bakery, supermarket, bank, or butcher.

There are covered markets in many towns and villages, with rows of stalls, some selling fruit and vegetables, others chicken and eggs, or meat and sausages, or cheese and dairy produce.

Each village has a street market once a week on a specific day when stalls offer a wide range of goods for sale, including food, clothes, handbags, and tourist items. Don’t bargain with the stall-holder over the price of meat and vegetables, but if you’re interested in radios or watches, you might ask for a lower price.

Most big towns have an enormous supermarket, called a hypermarket, where you can buy almost anything. Here the prices are usually slightly lower than in smaller supermarkets.

The Spanish don't like standing in line, so watch out for people trying to cut in.

Market stall-holders refuse to serve people who don’t stand in line and simply ignore them until they’re ready to serve them.

Street markets start early and close soon after 1:00 p.m. Covered markets are closed during the afternoon siesta but they stay open until late in the evening, some as late as 9:00 p.m. Supermarkets open again around 4:30 p.m. Hypermarkets and department stores stay open all day.

VI. Retell the topic “Shopping in Spain”.Tell about your shopping. Shopping in Russia. Shopping in your town.

VII. Read the dialogue and learn it by heart:

Shop-assistant: Can I help you?

Customer: Yes, I’m looking for a dress.

Shop-assistant: A dress?

Customer: Yes, a dress.

Shop-assistant: What size are you?

Customer: It’s for my wife.

Shop-assistant: What size is she?

Customer: I think she is medium.

Shop-assistant: What colour?

Customer: Red.

Shop-assistant: Do you like this one?

Customer: How much is it?

Shop-assistant: It’s 250$.

Customer: And how much is the blue dress over there?

Shop-assistant: It’s 70$.

Customer: I prefer the blue dress.

VIII. Read the dialogues and learn one of them by heart:

Shop-assistant: What can I do for you, sir?

Customer: I’d like to buy a shirt, please.

Shop-assistant: What’s your size, sir?

Customer: Size six, I think.

Shop-assistant: This is a very nice shirt.

Customer: Yes, I like it too. But I’d like a white shirt. How much is it?

Shop-assistant: Five pounds.

Customer: It’s not very expensive. I will take it.

Shop-assistant: Here you are.

***

Shop-assistant: What can I do for you?

Mary: I want to buy that skirt over there. By the way, what colour is it? Is it green or blue?

Shop-assistant: It’s blue. This colour is in fashion now. And what’s your size?

Mary: Size eight, I think.

Shop-assistant: Here you are. But it’s small, I’m afraid.

Mary: Yes, you are right. Give me a larger one, please.

Shop-assistant: Here’s a larger size. Is it all right?

Mary: Yes. How much is it?

Shop-assistant: Nine pounds.

Mary: Oh, it’s expensive, but I like it.

Shop-assistant: The skirt is really very nice. I advise you to buy it.

IX. Read the text and translate it:

A fourteenth-century fair

What a crowd upon the road! Pedrals with packages on their backs, horses with boxes slung across them, jugglers carrying their swards and balls and other implements, minstrels with their harps, druggists with drugs in boxes, morris dancers, a man leading a dancing bear and many others, all going in the same direction. They are bound for the city, where there is to be a great fair soon. All the villages on the roadside have men out watching their crops. Woe betide the luckless wretch that strays from the road to take a short cut across the villagers’ corn. Even if he be weary with his heavy load of gloves , or arrows, or leather for the fair, he must take no short cuts.

This fair has been long in existence. Long ago a bishop of the city bought permission from a king of England to hold a fair on lands outside the city wall. While the fair is going on, no citizen may sell in his shop.

Useful phrases: to take a short cut – сократить, срезать путь (a short cut – кратчайший путь), to be long in existence – долго существовать, to be bound for (the city) – направляться в (город).

II курс

TRAVELLING

I. Learn the words:

see you – увидимся by air – самолетом

a trip – путешествие by bicycle – на велосипеде

to travel – путешествовать by boat – по воде

journey – путешествие, поездка by bus – на автобусе

to take care – быть осторожным by car – на машине

by motorbike – на мотоцикле on foot – пешком

to leave – покидать, уезжать motel – мотель

to go round the world – совершать кругосветное путешествие

to arrive (in) – прибывать (в большой город)

by train – поездом

to arrive (at) – прибывать (в небольшой город, деревню, на станцию и т.д.)

II. Read the dialogues and learn them by heart.

Seeing somebody off

Tim: Bye, Mum. See you in September.

Mum: Goodbye, Tim. Have a good trip.

Tim: Thanks!

Mum: Phone me when you arrive.

Tim: Yes, of course.

Mum: Take care!

Tim: OK. See you, Mum.

Mum: I love you.

Tim: Yes, I love you, too.

Mum: Write to us, OK?

Tim: Yes, Mum.

Mum: And send us some photos.

Tim: OK.

Mum: Don’t forget.

Tim: No, Mum. See you soon. Bye.

Mum: Goodbye, Tim. … Take care!

Asking the way

A.: Excuse me, sir. Can you help me?

B.: Yes, sir, you are welcome. What’s the problem?

A.: I must have lost my way.

B.: Don’t worry. What are you looking for?

A.: For the Exhibition Center. My map says the Exhibition Center is near the Barrikadnaya underground station. Can you tell me the shortest way there?

B.: Take a number 5 bus.

A.: I really wanted to walk. Is the Exhibition center a long way from here?

B.: Well, it’s 15-minute walk, I suppose.

A.: Then, I’d rather walk, if you can give me the exact direction.

B.: Certainly, cross the street. There’s a crossing over there. Do you see it? Go straight along the street as far as the traffic lights. Turn right and walk straight along the left-hand side of the street. You can’t miss the Exhibition center as there’re crowds of people going there. Besides you can see large hoardings at the entrance. Are you clear about the way?

A.: Not quite, I’m afraid. I’m pressed for time, you know. I have an important appointment in half an hour. What did you say the bus was?

B.: You want a 5. The bus stop is on your right. Ask someone on the bus to tell you where to get off.

A.: Thank you very much. Sorry for having taken up so much of your time, sir.

B.: That’s all right. Getting about Moscow isn’t an easy thing for the Muscovites either. Look, your bus is coming. Hurry up!

A.: Thank you very much, indeed, sir.

III. Read the following remarks and answer / react to them immediately:

– What’s your problem?

– What are you looking for?

– Take a number 5 bus.

– It’s a 15-minute walk.

– Are you clear about the way?

– What did you say the bus was?

IV. Read the article. Tick (+) the places that Ewan and Charley visited.

Alaska Australia Britain Canada Italy Kazakhstan

Mongolia Russia Siberia Spain Ukraine the USA

The long way round

From mid-April to the end of July 2004, actors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman went from London to New York by motorbike.

They left London on 14^th April and travelled 30,395 kilometres through central Europe, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Siberia and Canada.

In Siberia there were no roads for part of the journey, so they travelled 933 kilometres by train. They went by air from Magadan in Siberia to Anchorage in Alaska and continued their journey across Canada and the USA. They arrived in New York on the 29^th of July.

Ewan and Charlie are Hollywood stars, but they didn’t stay in 5-star hotels. At night they camped or stayed in motels. Sometimes people invited them into their homes.

They wanted to work with a children’s charity, so they visited UNICEF projects in Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Mongolia. They met a lot of children there and made friend for life.

After the trip they sold their motorbikes for charity and started planning their next trip.

Notes: continued – продолжали, across – через, camped – останавливались в кемпинге, располагались лагерем, на открытом воздухе, invited – приглашали, a children’s charity – детский благотворительный фонд.

V. Complete the summery:

(1) Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman went round the world by (2) … . They travelled (3) … kilometres. It took (4) … and a half months. They started the journey on 14^th (5) … 2004 and finished on 29^th (6) … 2004.

VI. What was the last big journey you did? Tell your partner.

(For example, in 2006 I went to Florida. I went by air and …)

VII. What is your favourite means of travelling? What is the most comfortable means of travelling? Prove your point of view.

VIII. Read and translate this quote of travel writer. Answer the questions.

There is not much to say about most airplane journeys. Anything remarkable must be disastrous, so you define a good flight by negatives: you didn’t get hijacked, you didn’t crush, you didn’t throw up, you weren’t late, you weren’tnauseated by the food. (Paul Theroux, travel writer)

1. What is your opinion of airplane journeys?

2. Do you ever travel on business? If not would you like to?

3. What do you think are the worst things about business travel?

IX. Sentence-building: combine one word from each section to make at least ten sentences. Start by making collocations from column 2 and 3. Add your own ideas, if you like.

X. Look at these ways of emphasizing your opinions:

What I really like is finding out about different cultures.

What I hate most is being away from my family.

The thing I love most is visiting foreign places.

The best thing for me is getting out of the office for a few days.

The worst thing for me is flight delays.

Work in groups. Tell other people in the group what you like and dislike most about travelling.

XI. Match the halves of the following questions (polite requests and enquiries):

1. Could I a) what time you stop serving dinner?

2. Could you b) have your room number, please?

3. Would you mind c) switch off your laptop now, please, sir?

4. Can you tell me d) not smoking, please?

5. Would you please e) to open your luggage, please, madam?

6. Could I ask you f) make sure your seatbelt is fastened?

7. Do you think I could g) send a fax from?

8. Is there somewhere I could h) have an alarm call at half past six

tomorrow morning?

XII. Which first halves of the questions above could go before:

… borrow your mobile?

… buy some stamps?

… hurry or I’ll miss my plane?

… which terminal I need?

… lending me some money until I find a cashpoint?

… to wait outside for five minutes?

Notes: stamps – марки; to lend – одолжить, дать в долг; cashpoint – аппарат, выдающий деньги по карточке, банкомат.

XIII. Translating crossing

1. If your company asked you to relocate to Britain or the States, which would you choose?

2. Look at the article below. What do you think the title means? Quickly read the first paragraph to find out.

3. Now read the article and think about the questions. Then discuss them with a partner.

The NY-Lon Life

Ron Kastneris a classic New Yorker: first off the plane, first out of the airport. Carrying a single small bag, he walks straight through immigration and customs. He doesn’t look like he’s spent six hours in the air (business class will do that to you). He owns an apartment in the East village in Manhattan, but tonight London is home: a flat in Belgravia, London’s wealthiest neighborhood. Kastner is a resident of a place called NY-Lon, a single city inconveniently separated by an ocean. He flies between the two cities up to five times a month. David Eastman lives there too. A Londoner who is a VP at Agency.com in New York, he travels the JFK-Heathrow route so often he’s on a first name basis with the Virgin Atlantic business class cabin crew.

As different as New York and London are, a growing number of people are living, working and playing in the two cities as if they were one. The cities are drawn together by a shared language and culture, but mostly by money – more of which flows through Wall Street and the City each day than all the rest of the world’s financial centers combined. The boom in financial services attracted advertising agencies, accounting firms and management consultancies to both cities. Then came hotel and restaurant business, architecture and design, real estate and construction, air travel, tourism and other service industries.

Trevor Beattie, the London-based creative director of ad agency TBWA says “New York and London are both so trendy and so modern now in terms of fashion, art, photography, music”. “We dream about each other’s cities”, says Joel Kissing, a New Zealander who after 25 years in London bought a penthouse on New York’s Fifth Avenue. “If you are in New York your dream is London, and if you are in London your dream is New York”.

1. Try to guess the meanings of the words in italics from their context.

2. Answer the questions:

a) Is business class really that much better than economy?

b) Would you like Ron Kastner’s life?

c) Do you have a favourite airline?

d) Do New York and London share a culture? Or even a language?

e) What other financial centers could eventually overtake London and New York?

f) What are the other boom industries these days?

g) How would you describe the city where you live?

h) Which two cities would you like to have homes in?

XIV. Compose a story about your last (favourite) traveling and retell it.

OLYMPIC GAMES AND SPORTS

I. Learn the words:

to allow – позволять, разрешать

to compete – состязаться, соревноваться

a ring – кольцо

to host – устраивать (Олимпийские игры), принимать гостей

Olympic torch – олимпийский факел

ancient – древний

to be closely related – быть очень тесно связанным

the bid – заявка

competition – соревнование

fierce – свирепый, лютый, сильный

prosperity – процветание

rebirth – возобновление, возрождение

to be admitted – получать право, быть допущенным

to participate – участвовать

events – события

let alone – не говоря уже о..

relatively – относительно

addition – дополнение, добавление

to include – заключать, содержать в себе; включать

union – объединение, союз

at least – по крайней мере

to reinstate – восстанавливать (в прежнем положении), в правах

the opening ceremony – церемония открытия

the torch relay – эстафета передачи факела

a lit torch – зажженный факел

venue – разг. место сбора, встречи; зд. место проведения спортивного состязания (место проведения Олимпийских игр)

to involve – включать в себя (in), подразумевать

to charter – заказывать, нанимать

a short swim underwater – короткий заплыв под водой

enormous – огромный

a steady increase – постоянное увеличение

anthem – гимн

topped the charts – занимал первое место в таблицах (популярности)

to estimate – насчитывать приблизительно; оценивать

to televise – транслировать

to claim – заявлять

successful – успешный

spectators – зрители

exceeding – превышающий

the location – размещение; определение места (игр)

the rewards – награды

lucrative contacts – прибыльные (выгодные, доходные) контакты

a new lease of life – изменения, которые делают город более современным

contributions – вклад; пожертвование, взнос

disruption – разрушение

II. Read these statements about the Olympics and decide if they are true (T) or false (F).

1. Originally women were not officially allowed to compete in the modern Olympics.

2. The Olympic emblem with the five rings first appeared in 1913.

3. Individual cities host the Olympics

4. The Olympic torch has always been part of the games.

5. In the ancient games both men and women could compete.

6. Plans are underway to build a purpose built Olympic stadium.

III. Now read the text and check your answers.

Every city tells a story

The history of the Olympic games has always been closely related to the city that holds it. This is because it’s the city not the country, that makes the bid to hold the Olympic Games. Understandably, the competition to hold the Olympics is fierce as it can bring great prestige and prosperity to the city.

From its rebirth in Athens in 1896 to the present day, the modern Olympic Games have gone through many changes. Women were not officially admitted to the Olympics until the Stockholm games of 1912, thought they had participated in some events before then. In the ancient games in Greece, women were not even allowed to watch the games, let alone take part.

The Olympic emblem is also a relatively new addition to the game. The first emblem was designed in 1913, although the five rings weren’t included until the Antwerp games of 1920. The five rings represent the union of the five continents of the world and the colours were chosen because at least one of the five colours exists in every flag of the world’s nations.

The Olympic torch, which had been part of the ancient games, was reinstated as part of the opening ceremony in the 1928 games in Amsterdam. The idea of the torch relay (carrying a lit torch from Greece to the next Olympic venue) was introduced in the Berlin games of 1936. The relay included some 3,000 runners who carried the torch from Greece to Germany, crossing a total of seven countries. The relay to Sydney was far more complex and involved keeping the flame alight 30,000 feet above the earth on a specially chartered transcontinental flight as well as on a short swim underwater.

The Berlin games also saw the first live television transmission of the event and during the next 30 years of the Olympics there was an enormous growth in its popularity with a steady increase both in the number of sports included and the number of countries participating.

The 1990 also saw the massive commercialization of the Olympics. In 1992, during the opening ceremony of the Barcelona games, Freddie Mercury and Monserrat Caballé sang an Olympic anthem which topped the charts in many countries. The Atlanta games in 1996 had an estimated TV audience of 2.3 billion people a day and in 1995 NBC paid 1.2 billion dollars to televise the Olympic Games in Sydney. Many claim that the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney were the most successful ever. Attendances reached record levels, with the numbers of spectators at some athletic events often exceeding 100,000.

The process of choosing the location for an Olympic event has become increasingly competitive over the past three decades as the rewards for staging such an event can bring lucrative contacts and investment to the areas concerned as well as bringing a new lease of life to the city. However it is also becoming much more difficult to host the event as the number and variety of sports grows along with the number of contestants and spectators. It has been suggested that it might be worth establishing an Olympic city, purpose built to host the games and paid for with contributions from all the participating nations. The big problem of course would be to decide where this city should be built. So at present it looks like the games will continue to travel the world, hosted by some of the world’s greatest cities and bringing in their wake both glory and disruption.

IV. Answer the questions:

1. Does the country or the city hold the Olympic Games?

2. What is the main thing in choosing the location of the Olympics?

3. When were the Games revived?

4. When and what city were women officially admitted to the Olympics?

5. Were women allowed to watch the ancient games in Greece?

6. When was the Olympic torch reinstated?

7. When was the Olympic emblem designed? What does it represent?

8. How many runners did the torchrelay from Greece to Germany include?

9. Who sang an Olympic anthem during the opening ceremony of the Barcelona games in 1992?

10. What city hosted the Olympics in 1996, in 2000, in 2004?

11. Why is it becoming much more difficult to host the Olympic Games now?

12. What city will host the Winter Olympic Games in 2014?

V. Complete the chart with information from the text above.

VI. Read the dialogue and learn it by heart:

Ken and Josie are talking during the meal at the Panama Hat in San Diego.

Josie: Tell me, Ken, what do you like doing in your free time?

Kenji: What free time? We don’t have much free time in this job!

Josie: Oh, come on! I mean, do you like playing tennis?

Kenji: Well, yes it’s my job, but I enjoy playing tennis outside work, too. What about you?

Josie: I like doing aerobics, and I like dancing, and I love swimming!

Kenji: And tennis?

Josie: I like playing, but I’m not very good at tennis. I like watching it though.

Kenji: I can give you some lessons, if you like.

Josie: Really? That’s very kind of you.

Kenji: No problem.

VII. Read the text and translate it with the help of the dictionary.

Athletics (track and field)

Historians found many facts that running, jumping and throwing had been held in many ancient countries: Egypt, Assyria and of course, Greece. Ancient Olympic Games in­cluded mostly athletic events. We all know the story about marathon running when a warrior covered more than forty kilometres, running to tell his people about their victory.

Athletics is not only the oldest, but also the most popular sport. Many people all over the world practice running or jumping because other sports assume that sportsmen must be fast and keen.

As modern sports athletics began to develop in the middle of the 19th century. The first regular athletics competitions began about 1850. In the beginning running races were held on open fields. Later stadiums appeared where sportsmen could train and compete.

Athletics was in the programme of the first Olympic Games. The International Amateur Athletics Federation was formed in 1912. It was made responsible for administration of athletics rules, competitions and so on. In 1912 there were 17 member countries in it; now the Federation unites more than 130 countries. The main athletics international competitions are the Olympics, the European championships, Asian, African and American Games, and world championships.

The first Russian athletics club was organised in 1888 in Petersburg. The first athletics championship in Russia was held in 1908. Four years later Russian athletes took part in the Olympic Games, but nobody won. Real development of athletics came after the Great October Socialist Revolution.

The major event in the history of athletics in our country, the Spartakiada, first took place in 1928. It began a new page in the development of athletics in the USSR. Many Soviet athletes showed results, that were better than world records. Among them were N. Dumbadze, the Znamenski brothers and many others.

Soviet athletes began to participate in international com­petitions in 1946. Since that time there had been no competi­tions where our sportsmen did not win gold medals. Many world and Olympic champions like V. Borzov, J. Lusis, N. Chizhova, V. Yashchenko or V. Kutz and V. Brumel (of older generation) became the glory of the Soviet sports.

VIII. Read the text and translate it with the help of the dictionary.

Biathlon

The winter biathlon appeared in the North of Europe in the 18th century. Ski races were held in deserted areas where the danger of wolves and bears was quite obvious. That was why many sportsmen took shotguns or rifles along. Northern game was abundant at that time, and many skiers brought home hunting prizes together with those for sports competi­tions.

All this suggested the idea of holding ski races combined with target shooting during the run. In the beginning of the 20th century military patrol ski races became popular in Nor­way, Finland, Sweden and other countries. This military patrol race was shown as a demonstration event in the 1928 Olympic Games' programme and remained there till 1948. In 1948 the International Union of Modern Pentathlon and Biathlon was organised, which held the first world championship in the winter biathlon in 1958. Two years later it was made part of winter Olympics.

In Russia (that time it was the Soviet Union) biathlon is practised since 1957 when the first national championship has been held. Over forty thousand people go in for this interesting kind of sports.

The best results in biathlon were achieved by M. Solberg of Norway (2 top Olympic titles) and A. Tikhonov of the So­viet Union (4 Olympic titles, 8 world champion's titles and 11 Soviet Union champion's titles!).

Biathlon competitions include an individual cross-country race over 20 km with four shooting exercises and a relay for teams of four men where each covers 7. 5 km with two shooting exercises. In individual races shooting is done in the prone position at the 4 km and 12 km marks, and in the standing position at the 8 km and 16 km marks.

A skier has a small-bore rifle slung on his back and a supply of ammunition. The target for the prone position is about 8 cm in diameter with a 3. 5 cm wide bull's eye. The other target is about 17 cm in diameter with an 11. 5 cm wide bull's eye. If the shooter misses the bull's eye, one penalty minute is added to his overall time, and if he does not hit the target, two minutes are added. The shooting distance is different at each range and varies from 100 to 250 m.

In the relay event each member of a four-men team shoots twice (lying and standing) during his leg. The aim is to shatter five targets each time. The shape is 10 and 3. 2 cm in diameter for the standing and prone positions, respectively. The shooter has 8 rounds of ammunition for each exercise, but failing in the accuracy of shooting he has to run a penalty loop of 200 m for each unbroken target. Thus, even slow marksmen may beat fast but nervous opponents with ease.

Biathlon skiers wear a usual suit for Nordic skiing: an anorak, breeches, gaiters, ski boots, gloves and a cap.

IX. Complete the texts with but, however or whereas.

1. Cross-country skiing is considered one of the best all-round sports workouts. It exercise all the main muscle groups and (a) … jogging can cause stress injuries, cross-country skiing doesn’t as the action involved is one of gliding. Swimming of course, is also considered to be a good all-round workout, (b) … it tends to overwork arm and shoulder muscles and can result in a ‘”triangular” physique. (c) … , if what you are looking for is a slim, toned silhouette, then look no further. Cross-country skiing is the sport for you.

2. My family is pretty competitive. We love playing all sorts of games, and coming first is really important. My favourite is probably Monopoly (d) … my brother prefers Risk, (e) … mum’s favourite game is Trivial Pursuit and I always want to be in her team as she always knows all the answers.

X. Read the article about Lance Armstrong. How many times did he win the Tour de France?

Lance Armstrong

The early years. Lance Armstrong was born on 18^th September 1971 in Texas in the USA. His parents got divorced when he was a baby, and his mother remarried when he was three years old. He got his first bicycle in 1978.

He liked swimming and running, but his favourite sport was cycling. In 1988 he graduated from high school and joined the US Olympic team.

Professional life. In 1992, after the Barcelona Olympics, he became a professional cyclist. He lost his first important race in San Sebastian in Spain. He finished last! But after that he won many important races and in 1996 he became the number one cyclist in the world.

After the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, he had cancer. He had two operations and chemotherapy and finally, he recovered. Later he started the Lance Armstrong Foundation and helped other people with cancer. In 1998, he started racing again, and in 1999, he won the Tour de France for the first time. He won the Tour de France for the seventh time in 2005 and then retired.

Personal life. In 1997 he got married to Kristin Richard and had three children. After four years they got divorced, and in 2004 he started a new relationship with Sheryl Crow. They separated in 2006.

XI. Read the texts and translate them with the help of the dictionary.

Basketball

In ancient Mexico Aztecs played a game with a rubber ball. The players of the opposing teams tried to propel the ball through a stone ring fixed high above the ground. The players were not allowed to take the ball in their hands. They played with their arms and elbows. That game looked very much like modern basketball which appeared in 1891 in the USA and now is played all around the world.

Its inventor, James Naismith, taught physical training in a college. His students liked to play ball. Naismith put two baskets at opposite ends of the court, and the players were to throw the ball into these goals.

At first when the goal was scored, a ladder was used to take the ball out of the basket. Later baskets were made bot­tomless so that the ball would drop right through them. To prevent the ball fly out of the court backboards were placed behind the baskets.

At first basketball was only played by American college students. The new game became very popular. First competi­tions were held in 1895 in the USA.

In Russia young people also played that American game. In 1909 the first international match was held in Russia be­tween American guests and Russian amateurs who were the winners.

In 1936 basketball was included in the programme of the Olympic Games. For a long time American sportsmen re­mained the only Olympic champions. But in 1972 in Munich the Soviet team for the first time became the Olympic champions after they had won the final game versus the USA with only one point more!

In the Soviet Union basketball is played eve­rywhere: at schools, universities and sports clubs. Many famous sportsmen such as Akhtayev, Volnov, Alachachan and Paulauskas became mas­ters in basketball and won many games in the Soviet Union and abroad.

There are many rules that govern the game, and people say that it is easier to learn to play basketball than to under­stand it.

Football

Almost every boy played football or watched a football match. This game is one of the most popular among other games more than a hundred years.

The game itself is not new. There are many records that foot-and-ball games were known and played during many cen­turies before our era. In old Japan and China a game like football was very popular. There winners were awarded flowers or vases and loosers... caned.

Two thousand years later in Greece a football-like game was popular among both boys and girls. Beside players there was an arbiter. When ancient Romans conquered Greece, they learned and used different Greek achievements in engi­neering, arts and sports too. The foot-and-ball game called "harpastum" was played all over the Roman Empire, which occupied most of Europe including England.

Football in England was widely spread among peasants. The game was cruel and dangerous, that is why football was officially banned by King Edward II and several others. In one of Shakespeare's plays we learn that "footballer" was used as a swear-word. In spite of royal orders football re­mained the game of English common people. Sometimes football matches lasted for several days!

The history of modern football began in the end of the 19th century. At that time the football rules allowed to play by both feet and hands. There were arguments between play­ers. One side demanded that only feet should be used, while the other insisted on "feet-and-hands" rules.

The argument was so hot that when the representatives of several football clubs gathered in October 1863 in London, their opinions parted. The supporters of the "feet-and-hands" rules demonstratively left the meeting, and their opponents formed their own "Football Association". A week later new rules were discussed and accepted. Those rules were changed, and many times. Almost every year there were inno­vations and additional rules.

The football referees appeared only in 1878. They sig­nalled with a bell which later was changed for a whistle. The first goal nets were first seen in 1891, when sportsmen from Liverpool proposed to use them so that the ball would not fly out of the pitch. In the same year the 11-metres penalty kick was also introduced. The numbers on the players' shirts appeared only in 1939.

Football found its supporters not only in England. The first international match between the teams of England and Scotland was held in 1872. The International Football Fed­eration (FIFA) was formed in 1904 in Paris, France. Oddly enough, but England joined it only two years later, though English players had been the best in Europe then.

The Federation decided to hold the football world cham­pionships in 1906, but in due time there was no country wish­ing to send its national football team. That is why world football championships began only in 1930. Olympic cham­pionships began earlier, in 1908. Such was the dawning of the era of football — the most popular game all over the world.

XII. Tell about your favourite kind of sport (try to find some information from the history of this sport).

Литература

1. Karen Hewitt Understanding British Institutions. Perspective publications Ltd. 6 Rawlinson Road, Oxford OX2 6UE. – England, 2006. – 297 p.

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