THE FIREPLACE IN ENGLISH HOMES
ENGLISH PEOPLE AS THEY ARE
SPEECH PATTERNS
I personally think (believe, feel)... Лично я считаю (полагаю)..
I strongly believe that... Я твердо полагаю, что…
I honestly feel that... Я искренне считаю, что…
Without a doubt, Вне сомнения
I’m absolutely certain that... Я абсолютно уверен, что…
It’s difficult to say, but I’d guess... Сложно сказать, но смею предположить...
There are exceptions of course Разумеется, существуют исключения
That’s probably true, but... Очевидно это так, но...
We take it for granted that Мы верим в то, что...
Exercise 1.Fill in the gaps with speech patterns:
1)………….. in a nation of many million of people, there are many different kinds
2)…………. the best-known quality of the English is reserve.
3)…………..the question like "What is your salary?" is impossible.
4)…………..it’s not polite to ask personal questions.
5) ………….but English humour is difficult to understand.
Exercise 2.What do you know about English people, their character. Use Speech Patterns.
ACTIVE VOCABULARY
Nouns
1. bar - зд. решетка, прут
2. behaviour - поведение
3. bitter - крепкое пиво
4. castle - замок
5. compartment - купе, отделение
6. congratulation - поздравления
7. conformity - соответствие, согласованность
8. conceal – скрывать, утаивать, маскировать
9. conversation - разговор
10. extraordinary toleration - исключительная терпимость
11. fault - недостаток, порок, ошибка
12. feature - черта
13. fireplace - камин
14. first introduction - первое знакомство
15. flame - пламя
16. handshakes - рукопожатие
17. humour - юмор (настроение)
18. inn - гостиница, двор
19. lager - легкое пиво
20. meal - завтрак, обед или ужин
21. modesty - скромность
22. polite way - вежливая форма
23. quality – качество
24. queue – очередь (людей)
25. salary - заработная плата
26. stranger – незнакомец, впервые оказавшийся в данном месте
27. as a token of agreement - в знак согласия
Verbs and verbal phrases
1. astound - изумлять (ся), поражать (ся)
2. be similar - быть подобным (похожим)
3. boast – хвастать (ся)
4. carve - вырезать
5. confess - признавать (ся)
6. confuse - сбивать с толку
7. find smb + adj – считать кого-то каким-то
8. turn out – оказываться (каким-то)
9. to have a meal - есть, поесть.
Adjectives
1. honest - честный
2. typical - типичный
3. reserve - скрытый, сдержанный
4. empty – пустой
5. serene - безмятежный, спокойный, уверенный
6. slow - медленный.
Adverbs, prepositions
1. amongst = among - среди
2. by no means - нисколько, ни в коем случае
3. excitedly – взволнованно, возбужденно
4. fully - вполне, совсем
5. readily - с готовностью
6. smartly - щеголевато, изящно
7. uncommunicative - необщительный
PHONETIC EXERCISES
Exercise 1.Pronounce the words paying attention to the way of pronunciation of the stressed vowels.
/ei/ nation, stranger, train, conversation, famous, behaviour, display, dangerous, remain, neighbour
/o/ honest, dishonest, quality, impossible, modesty, foreigner, knowledge, because
/o:/ talk, fault, ordinary,
/i/ British, typical, thing
/i:/ feature, seats, speech, conceal
/ә:/ reserve, journey, personal, heard, courtesy
/a:/ laugh, start, compartment, carve
/۸/ other, country, rush, bus, supper, Sunday, London, summer
/ai/ kind, life, find, miles, striking, excitedly, polite, politeness
/au/ loud, house, out, town
/ou/ hold, open, emotion, boasting, showing, overlook
/ju:/ queue
Exercise 2.Read the words paying attention to the way of pronunciation of the consonants and combinations of consonants
/-/ honest, dishonest, castle
/k/ congratulation, compartment, typical, country, confuse, carve, conceal
/t∫ә/ feature
LEXICAL EXERCISES
Exercise 1.Translate the sentences using active vocabulary.
1. They find English reserve pleasant. 2. I fоund the book extremely difficult. 3. The conclusion turned out to be false. 4. How did the game turn out? 5. He turned out an excellent actor. 6. Не was keen to begin the conversation. 7. She is very keen on music. 8. He is keen on her.
Exercise 2.Match pairs of synonyms.
humour, uncommunicative, honest, similar, faults, decency
reserved, truthful, modesty, alike, mistakes, temper
Exercise 3.Guess the meaning of the following word-combinations:
to display modesty, false modesty, without false modesty, honest girl, honest opinion, honest to God; through smb's fault, black humour, infectious
Exercise 4.Match English and Russian equivalents.
some general things чувство юмора
the best known quality наиболее известное качество
reserve несколько общих качеств
to make a journey by train смеяться над собой
an empty compartment сдержанность
to share the compartment with a stranger личные вопросы
without starting a conversation путешествовать поездом
personal questions пустое купе
modesty скромность
sense of humour делить купе с незнакомым человеком
to laugh at oneself не начиная разговор
Exercise 5.Open the brackets, put the infinitives into the Present Simple Tense and translate the sentences into Russian.
1. English people (to be) very different. 2. But they (to have) some general features. 3. English people (to be) reserved people. 4. They (not to talk) very much to a stranger. 5. They (not to show) much emotion. 6. They never (to speak) very much about themselves. 7. English people (to be) very modest. 8. They (to have) a specific sense of humour. 9. They can (to laugh) at their own faults.
Text 1
Exercise 1.Read the text, translate it and do the exercises.
ENGLISH CHARACTERISTICS
In a nation of many millions of people, there are many different kinds: good and bad, honest and dishonest, happy and unhappy.
The British people, who live in other countries, are not fully typical of their nation. As usual, they live a completely different life from the life in Britain. However, we can talk about some general things. The best-known quality of the English, for example, is reserve. A reserved person is one who does not talk very much to strangers, does not show much emotion. He never tells you anything about himself. If English people are making a journey by train, they will try to find an empty compartment. If they have to share the compartment with a stranger, they may travel many miles without starting a conversation. If a conversation does start, personal questions like "How old are you?" or even "What is your name?" are not easily asked. Questions like "Where did you buy your watch?" or "What is your salary?" are impossible.
But the people of the North and West of Britain, especially the Welsh, are much less reserved than those of the South and East.
Closely related to English reserve is English modesty. If a person is, let us say, very good in golf, and someone asks him if he is a good player, he will probably give an answer like "I'm not bad", or "I think I'm quite good", or "Well, I'm very keen on golf".
The famous English sense of humour is similar. Its ideal is the ability to laugh at oneself - at one's own faults. "He is a man of humour" or "He has no sense of humour" is often heard in Britain, where humour is so highly prized.
Some greetings in England are very informal: a simple "good morning" or a wave of the hand across the street is quite enough. Handshakes are only exchanged on a first introduction or as a token of agreement or congratulation. "Sorry" takes the place of "no" when you cannot do something for a person or give a positive answer in situation like "May I use your pen?", "Do you know the time?" or "Have you any size seven shoes?" "Pardon" is the polite way of asking somebody to repeat what he has said.
English people do not readily ask each other to do anything, they prefer to wait for a service to be offered before asking for it. If they do ask, then they say something like "I don't really like asking you, but..."
It is considered polite to give up one's seat to a woman who is standing, to open door for her, carry things for her, and so on.
Exercise 2.Replace the italicized parts of the sentences by words or word groups from the text.
1. Handclasps are the exchange of salutations or as a symbol of understanding and compliments.
2. They expect the service to be suggested before asking for it.
3. The most popular characteristic of the English is self-control.
4. Closely connected to English reserve is their decency.
Exercise 3.Read the following sentences translating Russian words into English.
1. (Рукопожатиями) are only exchanged on a first (знакомстве) or as a (в знак согласия) or congratulation.
2. (Простите) is the polite way of asking somebody to repeat what he has said
3. English people do not (с готовностью) ask each other to do anything
4. They prefer (подождать) a service to be offered before asking for it.
5. The best-known (качество) of the English, for example, is (сдержанность).
6. If English people are making a journey by train, they will try to find an (свободное купе).
7. Closely related to English (сдержанностью) is English (скромность)
8. Its ideal is the ability to (смеяться над собственными недостатками)
Exercise 4.Answer the following questions:
1. Give the difference in meaning and usage of the English words “Sorry” and “Pardon”.
2. What is the ideal of the famous English sense of humour?
3. What questions are not easily asked?
4. What questions are impossible to ask?
Text 2
Exercise 1.Read the text and be ready to fulfill the tasks.
Notes:
fatuous - пустой, бессмысленный
insular - островной, ограниченный
Armada - «Непобедимая армада» (военный флот, направленный в 1588 г. испанским королем Филиппом II против Англии и потерпевший поражение)
vehemence ['vi:iməns] - страстность, горячность
signs of grave political disturbance - признаки серьезного политического беспорядка
hitherto - до настоящего времени, до сих пор
hard-headed - искушенный, упрямый
THE ENGLISH CHARACTER
The national character of the English has been very differently described, but most commentators agree over one quality,which they describe as fatuous self-satisfaction, serene sense of superiority, or insular pride. English patriotism is based on a deep sense of security. Englishmen as individuals may have been insecure, threatened with the loss of a job, unsure of themselves, or unhappy in many ways; but as a nation they have been for centuries secure, serene in their national successes. They have not lived in a state of hatred of their neighbors, as Frenchmen or Germans have often lived. This national sense of security, hardly threatened by the Armada, or by Napoleon, or by the First World War, has been greatly weakened by the Second World War and by the invention of the atomic bomb.
Many books have been written - even more, perhaps, by the Frenchmen, the Americans, the Germans, and other foreigners than by the Englishmen - on English traits, English ways of life, and the English character. Their authors are by no means always in agreement, but they tend to point out what seems to them puzzles, contrasts, in the way the English behave. A few of these contrasts may serve to sum up how the world looks at the English.
First, there is the contrast between the unity the English display in a crisis, their strong sense for public order, indeed for conformity, and their extraordinary toleration of individual eccentricities. The Germans are usually astounded by what they regard as the Englishman's lack of respect for authority and discipline. The Frenchmen are often puzzled by the vehemence of English political debates, by the Hyde Park public orator, and similar aspects of English life, which in their own country would seem signs of grave political disturbance. This sort of contrast has led to the common belief held by foreigners, and indeed by the Englishmen themselves, that they are a most illogical people, always preferring practical compromises to theoretical exactness.
Second, there is the contrast between English democracy, the English sense of the dignity and importance of the individual, and the very great social and economic inequalities that have hitherto characterized English life. There has recently been some tendency to allow greater social equality. But Victorian and Edwardian England — which foreigners still think of as the typical England - did display extremes of riches and poverty, and draw an almost caste line between ladies and gentlemen and those not ladies and gentlemen.
Third, there is the contrast between the reputation of the English as hard-headed practical men - the "nation of shopkeepers" - and as men of poetry - the countrymen of Shakespeare and Shelley. The English tradition in philosophy has always been realistic and hostile to mysticism; yet the English look down on the French as narrow rationalists. The apparent coldness of the Englishmen and their reserve has been almost universally noted by foreigners; but foreigners also confess that they find English reserve not unpleasant, and that once one gets to know an Englishman he turns out to be a very companionable fellow.
Exercise 2.Choose the correct variant of the ending for each sentence.
1. Most commentators agree over one quality,which they describe as…..
a) insular self-satisfaction, fatuous pride and serene sense of superiority.
b) serene sense of self-satisfaction, fatuous pride, insular sense of superiority.
c) insular pride, fatuous self-satisfaction and serene sense of superiority.
2. This national sense of security has been greatly weakened ….
a) by the Second World War and by the invention of the atomic bomb.
b) by the Great Patriotic Wars.
c) by the invention of the atomic bomb.
3. Germans are usually astounded by:
a) Englishman's respect for authority and discipline.
b) Englishman's lack of respect for authority and discipline.
c) Englishman's eccentricity and extraordinary toleration.
4. Frenchmen are often puzzled…..
a) by the serenity of English political debates.
b) by the vehemence of English political debates.
c) by the Hyde Park.
5. Once one gets to know an Englishman he turns out to be…..
a) a very hard-headed fellow.
b) a companionable person.
c) a cold and reserved person.
Exercise 3. Find in the text the passage where it is told about the contrast between the reputation of the English as hard-headed practical men and as men of poetry, read it and translate.
Exercise 4.Answer the questions:
1) What quality of the English character do most commentators agree over?
2) What is the basis of the English patriotism?
3) Why were the Frenchmen often puzzled by the vehemence of English political debates?
4) What characteristics of the English people have been almost universally noted by foreigners?
Text 3
Exercise 1.Read the text and get ready to:
1) prove that the fireplace is important for the English.
2) describe how the fire place has changed with times.
Notes: log - бревно, чурбан
cart in - везти в телеге
grate - каминная решетка
THE FIREPLACE IN ENGLISH HOMES
In English homes, the fireplace has always been, until recent times, the natural centre of interest in a room. People may like to sit at a window on a summer day, but for many months of the year they prefer to sit round the fire and watch the dancing flames.
In the Middle Ages the fireplaces in the halls of large castles were very wide. Only wood was burnt, and large logs were carted in from the forests, and supported, as they burnt, on metal bars. Such wide fireplaces may still be seen in old inns, and in some of them there are even seats inside the fireplace.
Elizabethan fireplaces often had carved stone or woodwork over the fireplace, reaching to the ceiling. There were sometimes columns on each side of the fireplace. In the 18th century, space was often provided over the fireplace for a painting or mirror.
When coal fires became common, fireplaces became much smaller. Grates were used to hold the coal. Above the fireplace there was usually a shelf, on which there was often a clock, and perhaps framed photographs.
Text 4
Exercise 1.Look through the text and say if there is any difference in youth fashion in Great Britain and Russia.