Ex. 1. Talk to your partner what typical English meals and drinks you know
READING
Ex. 2. Read the text and describe one of the typical English meals.
ENGLISH MEALS
The English usually have 4 meals a day: breakfast, lunch, tea (5 o'clock) and dinner. Breakfast can be a full «English breakfast» of cornflakes with milk and sugar, or bacon and eggs, toast and marmalade, tea or coffee. Some people, however, have just a cup of tea or coffee with a toast or something similar. This is usually called a continental breakfast».
At midday everything is stopped for lunch. Most offices and small shops are closed for an hour and the city pavements are full of people on their way to cafes, coffee bars, restaurants. Factory workers usually eat in their canteens.
The English like what they call «good plain food». They must be able to recognize what they are eating. Usually they like steak, roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and fish and chips.
Afternoon tea is taken at about 5 o'clock, but it can hardly be called a meal. It is a cup of tea and cake or biscuits. At the weekends afternoon tea is a special occasion. Friends and visitors are often invited to have a chat over a cup of tea.
Dinner is the most substantial meal of the day. It is usually eaten at 7 o'clock. The first course may be soup (though the English don't like it very much). The main course will often be fish or meat, perhaps the traditional roast beef of old England, and a lot of vegetables. The next course will be something sweet and often cooked, such as fruit pie. Last of all there may be cheese, often with biscuits.
It is common knowledge that the English are very fond of tea. They like to have «a nice cup of tea» 6 or 8 times a day, sometimes even more.
On Christmas Day a roast turkey is traditionally cooked for dinner. It is usually followed by Christmas pudding. Long before Christmas housewives begin to plan what cake to make for Christmas. Usually they make fantastic Christmas cakes.
COMPREHENSION CHECK
Ex. 3. Answer the following questions:
1. How many meals a day do the English have?
2. What is the traditional English breakfast like?
3. What is usually cold a “continental breakfast”?
4. When do the English usually have Lunch?
5. Why do the English like what they call “good plain food”?
6. What do the English prefer to have for dinner?
7. What is the traditional dish for Christmas table?
8. What other dishes are popular in England?
VOCABULARY
Ex. 4. Find the English equivalents for the following:
кукурузные хлопья, яичница с беконом, джем, кафетерий, столовая, простая пища, особый случай, плотный, первое блюдо, второе блюдо
FOLLOW UP
Ex. 5. Describe English cuisine. Do the Russian have similar traditions of cooking and eating? Give any English recipe.
UNIT 5
WARM UP
Ex. 1. Think of the USA and say what words you associate with this country.
READING
Ex. 2. Read the text and tell the audience the main idea of it.
U.S.A AND ITS GOVERNMENT
The United States of America is located on the continent of North America. There are 50 states in the U.S. Forty-eight of the states form the United States. The U.S. borders on Canada to the north, and Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. On the east coast, the U.S. is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the west coast it is bordered by the Pacific Ocean.
To the northwest of Canada is the state of Alaska. The state of Hawaii is located in the Pacific Ocean, southwest of California.
In addition to the 50 states, the U.S. has several territories and possessions, located in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
The first type of government in America was based primarily on state government. Prior to the signing of the Constitution, America had been made up of thirteen colonies, which had been ruled by England. Following the Revolutionary War, these colonies, although they had formed a league of friendship under the Articles of Confederation, basically governed themselves. They feared a strong central government like the one they lived with under England's rule. However, it was soon discovered that this weak form of state government could not survive and so the Constitution was drafted.
The Constitution :
- defines and limits the power of the national government,
- defines the relationship between the national government and individual state governments, and
- guarantees the rights of the citizens of the United States.
This time, it was decided that a government system based on federalism would be established. In other words, power is shared between the national and state (local) governments. The opposite of this system of government is a centralized government, such as in France and Great Britain, where the national government maintains all power.
Sharing power between the national government and state governments allows Americans to enjoy the benefits of diversity and unity. For example, the national government may set a uniform currency system. Could you imagine having 50 different types of coins, each with a different value? You would need to take along a calculator to go shopping in another state. By setting up a national policy, the system is fair to everyone and the states do not have to bear the heavy burden of regulating their currency.
On the other hand, issues such as the death penalty have been left up to the individual states. The decision whether or not to have a death penalty depends on that state's history, needs, and philosophies.
After the American colonies won their independence from England, the thirteen colonies became thirteen states. The new states formed a league so they could work together. Their system of government was described in a document called the Articles of Confederation. In this system, the state governments had most of the power. The national government was very weak. This was very different from the government under the King.
The Founding Fathers saw that this system left the nation too weak. They decided to develop a new system of government. They wrote a new document, the Constitution, to replace the Articles of Confederation. The Constitution made a stronger national government. It divided power between the national government and the state governments. This system is called federalism. Since the signing of the Constitution, the division of power in the United States has been based on sharing power between the national government and individual state governments. This is known as federalism.
Let's take a look at how power is distributed in the United States:
| National Government | State Government |
| - Coin money. - Declare war. - Conduct foreign relations. - Oversee foreign and interstate trade. | - Ratify amendments. - Manage public health and safety. - Oversee trade within the state. - Education |
In addition, the national government and state governments share the following powers:
- Make and enforce laws.
- Tax.
- Borrow money.
In order to carry out these duties, the national government and individual state governments are divided into areas. Each area is given a duty to perform.
State Government
Each state has its own constitution based on its unique history, needs, philosophy, and geography. A state's constitution is similar to that of the national Constitution; however, the laws made in individual states cannot conflict with the national Constitution or national laws. The national Constitution is "the supreme law of the land."
Just like that of the national government, each state's constitution separates power between three branches -- legislative, judicial, and executive. In addition, in most states, the legislative branch contains two houses. Instead of a president, each state elects a governor.
National government and state government are two types of government, but there are also local governments. Most Americans live under the national government, a state government, and several local governments. Local government is divided into five categories: county, town and township, municipality, special district, school district.
COMPREHENSION CHECK
Ex. 3. Answer the following questions:
1. Where exactly is the United States of America located?
2. What countries does it border on?
3. What type of government was America primarily based upon?
4. Why was the original model of the government eventually considered as weak for the first thirteen states?
5. What are the primary functions of the US Constitution?
6. What benefits does the idea of sharing power between the national and state governments bring?
7. What kind of issues should be handled by the national government? Why?
8. What is Federalism?
9. What is the difference between the national and state governments? Enumerate their functions.
10. Why is the national Constitution considered as "the supreme law of the land"?
11. What branches share power, according to each state's constitution?
What are local governments responsible for?
VOCABULARY
Ex. 4. Give the antonyms for the following:
disadvantage, light (adj), on the one hand, dependence, strong, unite, be different from
Ex. 4. Provide the synonyms for the following:
be situated, have a boundary with, mainly, govern, be afraid of, determine, variety,
make effective (about a law)
Ex. 5. Give the derivatives of the following:
decide, nation, cover, diverse, govern, centre, divide, differ
Ex. 6. Give the Russian-English equivalents:
состоять из, под владычеством, выжить, основываться на чем-л., устанавливать, смертная казнь, исполнять обязанности, законодательная власть, исполнительная власть, судебная власть
FOLLOW UP
Ex. 7. Give a short characteristics of the American government and make a discussion with your partner about similarities and differences between the American and Russian Governments.
UNIT 6
WARM UP