Phrases and Word Combinations.
a sheer lie
a pile of dough
a traffic cop
undertaking business
to be in (the right) mood
a nasty guy
to make a speech
to pray to smb
to barge in on smb
to knock smb out
to room next to smb.
to be a personality
Give definitions of the following words using an English-English Dictionary.
Lousy, swell, hot -shot, grandstand, stink, illiterate, room-mate, academic, apiece, gear, corny, fart, rostrum, sore.
Paraphrase the following sentences from the next.
a. He said that the boy that had created the disturbance in chapel wasn’t fit to go to Pencey.
b. Anyway, he gave Pencey a pile of dough’t they named our wing after him.
c. It felt sort of cosy.
d. It only cost me a buck.
e. The arms were in sad shape, because everybody was always sitting on them, but they were pretty comfortable chairs.
f. It’s a pretty good book and all, but I would’t want to call Somerset Maugham up.
Pick out sentences containing composite verbs (verbs with past position) and say how their meaning differs from that of the corresponding simple verbs. Make examples illustrating their use.
Give English equivalents of the following word combinations and use them in the sentences of your own.
Послать к-л поддельный чек, быть обязанным сделать ч-л, умная (сообразительная) девчонка (разг.), быть пропащим и конченным человеком, отчаянный человек (разг), быть в настроении, жить на квартире по соседству с к-л, сутулый.
Give examples of Americanisms from the text.
Questions.
1. In what tenor is the extract written ? Is it an unemotional description? Or an emotional one?
2. Is the personality of the author felt throughout the selection? Could you prove that he knows adolescent life.
3. Who is the story told by? What do we call this kind of narration?
4. Find the sentence that might be called the key-sentence of the selection.
5. Comment on Holden Caulfield’s epithets, how can you account for the abundance of conversationalisms, vulgarisms (low words), slang in Holden’s speech? How does the method of speech characterization help the writer to creat a human character?
6. Note the allusion to God in this passage. Note the allusion to S. Maugham, Isak Dinesen, Thomas Hardy. Characterize Holden’s speech.
7. Speak about the peculiarities of I.D. Salinger’s manner of writing. Comment upon their structure and stylistic function.
8. Give a summary of your comments on the text (in written from). Use the following:
to give an expressive characterization of smb
to disclose the attitude of the writer towards smb or smth
to create a humorous effect
a common device to achieve emphasis is ...
to experience many of the difficulties associated with that time of life
to use direct characterization amply or sparingly
to describe a teenager (through his actions, feelings, attitude towards other people)
Unit II.
Text A.
Read the text.
American School System.
Education is not mentioned in the Constitution, nor is there any federal department of education, so the matter is left to individual States. Education is free and compulsory in all States, however, from the age of 6 till 16 or 18. So, most American children go to State schools. In the USA these are called public schools. There are also some private schools, which are usually supported by religious organizations.
At 6 years of age children begin the first year of elementary school, which is called “Grade 1” or “First Grade” (the second year is “Grade 2”, etc). At elementary school the emphasis is placed on the basic skills - speaking, reading, writing and arithmetic, though the general principle throughout the America school system is that children should be helped and encouraged to develop their own particular interests.
Children move on to high school in the seventh grade, where they continue until the twelfth grade. There are two basic types of high school: one with a more academic curriculum, preparing students for admission to college, and the other offering primarily vocational education (training in a skill or trade). The local school board decides which course are compulsory. There is great freedom of choice, however , and an important figure in high schools is the guidance counselor, who advises the students on what courses to take on the basis of their career choices.
There are no national exams, although some schools and States have their own exams. Generally examination is given by continuous assessment, which means that teachers assess children throughout the year on how well they do in tests, classroom discussions and written and oral work.
In order to receive the high school diploma necessary in most States to get into college, students must accumulate a minimum number of credits, which are awarded for the successful completion of each one - or half-year course. Students hoping to be admitted to the more famous universities require far more than minimum number of credits and must also have good grades (the mark given on the basis of a course work and a written examination). Some colleges and universities require the students to take the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test).
Extra-curricular activity (such as playing for one of the school’s sports team) is also very important in the America school system and is taken into consideration by colleges and employers.
Exercises.
1. Give Russian equivalents of the following:
compulsory, curriculum, vocational, school board, guidance counselor, extra-curricular.
2. Give English equivalents of the following:
оценка уровня знаний, балл (зачет) давать ( присуждать), награждать (отметка), оценка, проверка способности (учащегося с целью определения целесообразности соответствующего курса обучения).
Text B.
Look through the text.
Higher Education.
There are about 3,000 colleges and universities, both private and public, in the United States. Students have to pay to go to both private and State universities. Private universities are generally smaller but very expensive, which means that the tuition fees are extremely high. State colleges and universities are not that expensive, the tuition fees are usually lower, and if the students are State residents, they pay much less.
Every young person who enters a higher educational institution can get financial assistance . If a student is offered a loan, he should repay it (with interest) after he has left the college. Needy students are awarded grants which they do not have to repay. Scholarships are given when a student is doing exceptionally well at school.
American universities and colleges are usually as a separate complex, called “campus”, with teaching blocks, libraries, dormitories, and many other facilities grouped together on one site, often on the outskirts of the city. Some universities are comprised of many campuses. The University of California, for example, has 9 campuses, the giggest Berkeley (founded in 1868), San Francisco (1873), Los Angeles (1919), Santa Barbara (1944), Santa Cruz (1965).
All the universities are independent, offering their own choice of studies, setting their own admission standards and deciding which students meet those standards. The greater the prestige of the university, the higher the credits and grades required.
The term “college” and “university” are often used interchangeably, as “college” is used to refer to all undergraduate education; and the four-year undergraduate program, leading to a bachelor’s degree, can be followed at either college or university. Universities tend to be larger than colleges and also have graduate schools where students can receive post-graduate education. Advanced or graduate university degrees include law and medicine.
Most college and university undergraduate courses last for four years. During the first two years students usually follow general courses in the arts or sciences and then choose a major - the subject or area of studies in which they concentrate. The other subjects are called minors. Credits (with grades) are awarded for the successful completion of each course. These credits are often transferable, so students who have not done well in high school can choose a junior college (or community college), which offers a two-year “transfer” program, preparing students for degree-granting institutions. Community colleges also offer two-year courses of a vocational nature, leading to technical and semi-professional occupation, such as journalism.
There are no final examinations at colleges and universities, and students receive a degree if they have collected enough credits in a particular subject. The traditional degree which crowns the undergraduate course is that of a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or a Bachelor of Science (B.S.). The lower level of graduate school is for obtaining the Master’s Degree (M.A. or M.S.), and the upper level is for the degree of Ph.D.
Notes and Commentary.
The Berkeley, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz campusesБеркли, Сан - Франциско, Лос -Анджелес, Санта-Барбара, Санта-Крус, крпнейшие из девяти университетских городков Калифорнийского университета, расположенные в одноименных городах.
Exercises.