CONVERSATION PRACTICE Tell me a Little about Yourself
Mr Smith: So, tell me a little about yourself.
Mr Jackson: Gee — uh... I don't know where to begin. What do you want to know?
Mr Smith: Well, let's see ... What do you do?
Mr Jackson: I'm a civil engineer.
Mr Smith: Hmm. That's interesting. Do you enjoy your work?
Mr Jackson: Yes, I like it a lot.
Mr Smith: Tell me, what exactly do you do as a civil engineer?
Mr Jackson: Well, I design roads and bridges for the city.
Mr Smith: Oh, that sounds like a very exciting job.
Mr Jackson: It is.
/. Listen to the conversation and answer the questions: What does Mr Jackson do? Does he enjoy his work? What
exactly does he do as a civil engineer?
//. Act out the conversation.
///. Ask each other about your jobs.
In the Office
Secretary: Good afternoon, Mr Smith.
Mr Smith: Good afternoon, Miss Wild. Did you finish those letters?
Secretary: Yes, sir. I typed them and signed them for you.
Mr Smith: Did you photo-copy them?
Secretary: Yes, sir. 1 photo-copied them and posted them.
Mr Smith: Did Mr Jackson arrive?
Secretary: About two o'clock, sir... but he didn't stay. He didn't
have time.
Mr Smith: What did he want? Secretary: Oh ... I didn't ask, sir. Mr Smith: Er ... Did you telephone Mrs Smith? Secretary: Yes, I did ... but she wasn't in.
Mr Smith: Hmm ... And the table at "Mario's" for tonight? Secretary: Yes, sir, I reserved a table for two, at eight o'clock. Mr Smith: Good! Did Lulu telephone? Secretary: Yes, sir.
/. Listen to the conversation "In the Office" and say what kind of work the secretary did while Mr Smith was out.
II. Listen to the conversation again and reproduce the questions Mr Smith asked his secretary.
III. Act out the conversation.
IV. Situation: When you were leaving for work you asked your daughter to do some work about the house. At the moment you are asking her whether she did what you asked her to do.
Prompts: dust the carpet, wash the floor, post the letter, buy potatoes, water the flowers, walk the dog.
It Wasn't Your Fault
Arthur Tigers went out to lunch at 12 o'clock. It's now 2.30 and he's just walking into his office. His secretary is typing. Before Arthur went to lunch, he told his secretary, Miss Bradley, to ring him at the restaurant if a man called Mr Powell came to see him. Arthur came back from lunch only a second ago. Miss Bradley: (nervously) Good afternoon, Mr Tigers. Did you
have a good lunch? Arthur: Yes, thank you, Miss Bradley. It was very good.
Did anyone phone while I was out?
Miss Bradley: No. Nobody phoned, but ... er ... Mr Powell came. Arthur: What? But he's the man I told you about?
Miss Bradley: Yes, I know, but ...
Arthur: Well, if you know, why didn't you phone me? Mr Powell has some very important information. I wanted to talk to him as soon as possible I told you all that before I left. Didn't you understand me?
Miss Bradley: Yes, of course, I understood you, Mr Tigers, but...
Arthur: I even gave you a card with the name and phone
number of the restaurant! I put it on your desk.
Miss Bradley: But that's just it! You didn't give me the card. You
didn't put it on my desk!
Arthur: What do you mean? Of course 1 did. I took the card
out of my wallet just before 1 went to lunch! Look! It isn't in my wallet now' (suddenly) Oh! Miss Bradley: Mr Tigers, what's that card on the floor? It fell out
of your wallet a second ago. Arthur: That card? It's ... er ... it's the card I thought I
gave you. Miss Bradley: You see! You forgot! That's why I didn't phone.
I didn't know where you were. Arthur: No. I'm very sorry, Miss Bradley. It wasn't your
fault. I apologise. Miss Bradley: That's all right. Please forget it.
/ Listen to the conversation "It Wasn't Your Fault" and answer the questions:
When did Mr Powell come? Why is Arthur angry when Miss Bradley tells him this? What does Arthur think he did before he left? Why didn't Miss Bradley phone Arthur? What are Arthur's exact words when he apologises? What is one thing we can say in English when someone apologises to us?
//. Listen to the conversation again and imitate the voice on the tape.
III. Read the conversation and analyse its language peculiarities.
IV Find in the text appropriate English phrases for the following:
Что вы имеете в виду? Кто-нибудь звонил, пока меня не было? Видите, вы забыли' В том то и дело! Я хотел поговорить с ним как можно раньше. Разве вы не поняли меня? Что? Ведь он как раз тот человек, о котором я вам говорил. Почему вы мне не позвонили? Что это за карточка на полу? Она выпала из Вашего бумажника секунду назад. Это как раз та карточка.
которую я думал, что отдал вам. Поэтому я не позвонила. Я не знала, где вы находитесь Никто не звонил. Я сказал вам об этом, прежде чем ушел. Это не ваша вина Я извиняюсь. Ничего. Забудьте об этом. Конечно, я поняла вас.
V Reproduce the phrases from the conversation where the following verbs are used: know, tell, understand, go, take, forget, come, fall, want, leave, give, put, think.
VI. Reproduce the questions used by the speakers.
VII. Act out the conversation.
VIII. Imagine you are Miss Bradley. Tell what happened at the office today.
Hard-working Students
Hans: Hello, Miguel. What time do you start classes in your
school? We don't start until 9.30. Miguel: You're lucky! We start at 8.45 and the teacher doesn't
like it if we are even a minute late. I don't think you do
much work in your school. Hans: Nonsense! We do work! I didn't come to England to waste
my time. I even did an hour's homework on Saturday —
before I went to the party.
/. Listen to the conversation "Hard-working Students" and answer the questions:
When do Miguel's classes start? What doesn't his teacher like? Does Hans work hard?
//. Read the dialogue and analyse its language peculiarities.
III. Find in the text appropriate English phrases for the following:
Чепуха! Мы таки работаем1 Тебе повезло. Мы не начинаем раньше 9 30. Учитель не любит, если мы хотя бы на минуту опаздываем. Я не для того приехал в Англию, чтобы попусту тратить время В котором часу вы начинаете занятия в вашей школе? Я думаю, вы не много работаете в вашей школе.
IV. Respond using the emphatic present or past.
e.g. — Don't you like swimming? (only/July/when/hot)
— Yes, I do like swimming, but only in July when it's hot. 1. Doesn't he ever go to the theatre? (only/rarely) 2. Didn't
she eat any potatoes? (only/few) 3. Don't they understand French? (not speak/very well) 4. Doesn't Peter want to see Mary? (not want/see John) 5. Didn't they enjoy the party? (be/very tired) 6. Don't you want to learn French? (not have/time) 7. Doesn't Mary like Peter? (not want/marry him) 8. Didn't the children do the exercise? (not understand/it) e.g. — Doesn't he like football or tennis?
— He doesn't like football, but he does like tennis, e.g. — She only goes to England occasionally.
— She does go to England, but only occasionally.
1. Didn't they want to see Peter or Mary? 2. He only takes a holiday in winter when he isn't busy. 3. Doesn't your husband drink wine or beer? 4. Don't you like my new shirt and tie? 5. Don't you like dogs or cats?
V. Act out the conversation "Hard-forking Students".
VI. Ask your friend questions about his English classes.
VII. Tell your friend about your English classes, your progress in studying English.
Listening Victor's Bossis Angry
Victor usually gets up at 7 a. m. He does his morning exercises for twenty minutes, takes a long shower, has a big breakfast and leaves for work at 8 o'clock. He usually drives his car to work and gets there at 8.30.
This morning, however, he didn't get up at 7 a. m. He got up at 6 a. m. He didn't do his morning exercises for 20 minutes. He did them for only 5 minutes. He didn't take a long shower. He took a very quick shower. He didn't have a big breakfast. He had only a cup of coffee. He didn't leave for work at 8 o'clock. He left for
work at 7.
Victor rushed out of the house an hour earlier this morning because his car is at the repair shop and he had to take the bus. He walked a mile from his house to the centre of the town. He waited 15 minutes for the bus. And after he got off the bus, he walked half a mile to his factory.
Even though Victor got up early today and rushed out of the house this morning, he didn't get to work on time. He was 45 minutes late and his boss got angry and shouted at him.
/. Listen to the text and say why Victor's boss was angry with him.
II. Listen to the text again. Agree or disagree with the following
statements. Give additional information to prove your agreement or disagreement.
1. Victor usually gets up at 7 a.m. 2. Today Victor got up at 7 as usual. 3. He wasn't in a hurry this morning. 4. Victor got to work by car today. 5. Victor came to work 45 minutes early today.
///. Make substitutions:
e.g. Mary was 10 minutes late for work. Jack/5 minutes Jack was 5 minutes late for work.
1. Lucy/half an hour; 2. The boss/an hour; 3. We/20 minutes; 4. Mr Turner/a quarter of an hour; 5. Miss Green/25 minutes; 6. they/five minutes, e.g. I was half an hour early for work today.
I. The secretary/an hour; 2. The boss/half an hour; 3. Mr Robinson/20 minutes; Victor/40 minutes; 4. The typist/half an hour; 5. I/a quarter of an hour.
IV. Imagine you are Victor. Explain to your boss why you are late.
V. What time did you get up today? Were you in a hurry this morning? Did you do morning exercises? When did you leave home for work? How did you get to work? Did you have to wait for the bus long? How long did it take you to get to work? You weren't late for work, were you? Are you sometimes idte for work?
A Busy Day
Bill had a busy day yesterday, because his parents came from San Diego. He got up early and ate breakfast. In the kitchen he saw Darlene and Meg and he told them about his parents. He did the breakfast dishes and began to clean up the house. He even made his bed. His parents came late in the morning and he met them at the door. They left for lunch together but Bill forgot his keys and had to return to the house. Then they went to a restaurant. After lunch Bill's parents left for San Francisco.
/. Listen to the text "A Busy Day" and say why Bill was busy yesterday.
II. Listen to the text and pick out irregular verbs. Name both the infinitive and the form used in the text.
III. How did Bill prepare for his parents' visit? When did his parents come? Where did Bill and his parents have lunch? What did Bill's parents do after lunch?
IV. Tell about Bill's busy day yesterday.
V. a) Read the list of Bill's parents' activities yesterday; b) Write a paragraph describing their activities.
Bill's parents' activities yesterday
get up; leave San Diego; forget their sunglasses; go back home; take the coast highway to Los Angelos; find Bill's house with no difficulty; meet Bill's roommates; take Bill to lunch; eat at a "~ restaurant; tell Bill about the family, have a good time at the restaurant; go back to Bill's house; say good-bye to Bill and his roommates; leave for San Francisco.
After Work
Harry Evans is a young factory worker. Every evening at 5 o'clock exactly the same thing happens. A bell rings at 5. The men stop work, turn off their machines, run out, put their overcoats on, and hurry home. It is now 7 o'clock; and the factory is empty. Two hours ago a bell rang. The men stopped work, turned off their machines, ran out, put their overcoats on and hurried home.
At 5 o'clock Harry always buys an evening paper when he leaves the factory and then goes home on his motorbike. He gets home at 5.30 and always washes his hands and face, takes off his work clothes and puts on a good shirt. He eats quickly. He leaves home at 6.30 and meets his friends in town. It is 7 now. Two hours ago Harry bought a paper when he left the factory and went home on his motorbike. An hour and a half ago he got home, washed, took off his work clothes and put on a sports shirt. He ate quickly. Half an hour ago he left home and met his friends in town.
/. Listen to the text "After Work", ask and answer questions^ on the text.
II. Say what Harry usually does when his working day is over and what he did today, too.
III. Say what you usually do on week-days and what you did today, too.
IV. Ask your friends what they usually do on week-days and whether they did it today.
Jack Martin
My name is Jack Martin. 1 work in an office near here. I work from about nine o'clock in the morning until six o'clock each day. Actually, I only work five days a week. I don't go to work on Saturdays or Sundays.
Usually I have breakfast and dinner at home. I have lunch in a restaurant near my office. In the evening I sometimes listen to the radio or watch television. I never go to the cinema. Occasionally I go to a party at somebody's house. Every night I go to bed early and go to sleep immediately. I usually sleep soundly all night.
Last year I used to get to work at eight o'clock every day. I used to set the alarm clock for six in the morning. At 6.00, I used to get up immediately and get dressed quickly. I used to have breakfast at 6.30 every morning. For breakfast I used to have porridge, toast and coffee. Then I used to leave the house at about a quarter to eight. I used to get to the office at eight o'clock and start working immediately. Every day I used to work until seven o'clock in the evening.
Sometimes I didn't get home until nearly 8.30 at night. I used to have dinner quite late. There wasn't time to listen to the radio or watch television last year.
/. Listen to the text "Jack Martin" and answer the questions:
What is Jack's daily routine on week days this year? What did Jack use to do last year?
//, Tell about Jack Martin.
III. Say what you don't do now but what you used to do some time ago.
Robert Can't Concentrate
Robert felt bad this morning. He got up, washed and shaved and dressed very slowly and then got himself some breakfast. He usually has a large breakfast but this morning he did not feel hungry at all, so he had only a piece of toast and a cup of coffee.
Robert has an important examination in a few weeks and he wanted to prepare for it. He sat down after breakfast and looked at his books, but he could not concentrate. After a while he looked at himself in the mirror. What he saw was not very nice. His eyes were red and he was also very pale. Just then his sister knocked on the door.
"What you need is fresh air", she said. "You study too much". They went for a walk in the park and sat in the warm spring sun for a while. Afterwards Robert felt much better and found he could concentrate on his books.
/. Listen to the text "Robert Can't Concentrate".
//. What did Robert do in the morning? Why couldn't he concentrate? What made Robert feel better?
/// Retell the text.
OurNew Secretary
The telephone rang and our new secretary Miss Simpson answered it.
"May I speak to Mr Calder, please?" a voice said. "Who is speaking, please?" Miss Simpson asked. "Mr Alan Bright", the voice said. Miss Simpson put her hand over the mouthpiece and spoke to Mr Calder. "It's Mr Alan Bright, sir", she said. "He wants to speak to you" "What, again!" Mr Calder exclaimed. "He wants to sell us those new typewriters, doesn't he?" "Yes, sir1" Miss Simpson said. "He called yesterday!"
"And he rang me five times last week. We don't need new typewriters. I told him that yesterday", Mr Calder said. "What shall I say, sir?" Miss Simpson asked.
"Say that I'm not in the office", Mr Calder said crossly.
Miss Simpson spoke into the receiver. "Mr Bright", she said, "I am afraid you can't speak to Mr Calder now. Mr Calder says that he's not in the office".
/. Listen to the text "Our New Secretary" and answer the questions:
Who called Mr Calder? What did the man want? Why didn't Mr Calder want to talk to him? What did Mr Calder till Miss Simpson to do? What did Miss Simpson say to the caller?
//. Retell the text.
Maria Gomez
Maria Gomez was born in Peru. She grew up in a small village. She began school when she was six years old. She went to elementary school, but she didn't go to high school. Her family was very poor, and she had to go to work when she was 13 years old. She worked on an assembly line in a shoe factory.
When Maria was 17 years old, her family moved to the United States. First they lived in Los Angelos and then they moved to San Francisco.
When Maria arrived in the United States she was unhappy She missed her friends back in Peru, and she didn't speak one word of English. She began to study English at night, and she worked in a factory during the day.
Maria studied very hard and now she speaks English well. She's still studying at night, but now she's studying typing. She wants to be a secretary.
Maria still misses her friends back home. But she's very happy now and she's looking forward to her future in her new country.
/ Listen to the text "Maria Gomez" and answer the questions' Where is Maria Gomez from? Where does she live now' //. Listen to the text again and answer the questions.
Where was Maria borr.5 Where did she grow up? At what age did she go to school? When did she have to start work? When did Maria's family move to the United States? Why did Maria feel unhappy when they arrived in the United States? What did Maria have to do5 How is Maria getting on now?
///. Tell about Maria's life.
IV. Imagine you are Maria Gomez Your new friends want to know about the main events in your life. You are answering their questions.
V Tell about the main events in your life:
When and where were you born? Where did you grow up? At what age did you go to school? Did you do well at school? What subjects did you like best? When did you finish school? What did you do after school? What Institute did you graduate from? When did you graduate from the Institute? What did you do upon graduation? Where do you work now? Are you a candidate of science? When did you defend your thesis?
VI. Interview your friend about the most important events in his/her life.
VII. Write your biography.
Self check
/. Fill in the gaps with prepositions where necessary:
Miss Green is a typist. She works .. an office. She goes ... the office ... five mornings every week.
Yesterday she arrived .. the office a few minutes nine o'clock. She looked ... the clock .. the wall. She was not late ... work. She took ... her hat and coat and put them ... a hook . the wall. Then she went . . her desk, took the cover . the typewriter,
sat down and put a sheet ... paper ... the machine. She began to type. She sat ... her desk and typed all morning.
... half-past twelve Miss Green stopped work. She put ... her
hat and coat and went ...... lunch. She had lunch ... a restaurant
... a friend. ... lunch she went ...... her office and worked ... five
o'clock. ... five o'clock she put the cover......the typewriter, put ...
her hat and coat, left ... the office and went ... home.
//. Ask questions to which the following statements are the answers:
1. On five mornings every week. 2. At nine o'clock. 3. No, she wasn't. 4. All morning. 5. At a rest,' rant. 6. With her friend. 7. She went back to her office. 8. At 5 o'clock.
///. Translate into English:
1. Текст был трудный, и мне пришлось пользоваться словарем. У меня ушло около двух часов, чтобы перевести текст. 2. — Ты вчера слушал последние известия? — Конечно, я всегда слушаю новости по вечерам. 3. Поторопись. Отец просил нас не опаздывать. 4. Вчера у нас было собрание. Мой начальник выступил с докладом. Его доклад всем понравился. 5. Сегодня я вышел из дома в 8.20 и пришел на работу на 15 минут раньше. 6. Вчера моя сестра уехала в Лондон. Она вернется через две недели. 7. Пожалуйста, попроси Виктора, чтобы он позвонил мне сегодня вечером.
Fluency
/. a) As you know Steve Baxter is a journalist. He's a very busy man. Look at Steve's diary and see what he did last week. Monday 21st 9.00 —visit the BBC Television Centre
14.00 — opening the art museum Tuesday 22nd 10.15 — interview Lord Harley
14.15 — press conference at the British Museum Wednesday 23rd 9.30 — discuss new project with Mr Short
15.00 — meet reporters from Canada Thursday 24th 11.00 — interview Sam Jones
14.00 — press conference at Hilton Hotel
Friday 25th 10.00 — phone Scotland Yard (Chief Inspector
Marks)
b) Ask all types of questions on Steve's daily activities last
week.
c) Imagine you are Steve Baxter. You had a busy week from Monday 21st to Friday 25th. Tell your friends what you did during the week.
//. Look at Ann's diary on page 136 and say what Ann usually does and what she did yesterday.
///. Read the text "A Busy Day" on page 124 and tell about one of Mr Hanson's busy days at the office.
IV. What was yesterday's working day at your office like? Was there anything particular about iP
V. Were you busy last week? And what about the members of your family?
VI. Do you sometimes travel abroad on business? When did you last go abroad? What did you do there?