7. Useful phrases:

Have you met …? I don’t think you’ve met… Allow me to do the introductions. Allow me to introduce you to… May I introduce Mr./Mrs. … (formal) I’d like to introduce you to… I’d like you to meet… I want you to meet (less formal)… This is… Meet (AmE) (informal)… May I introduce myself? Let me introduce myself.

8. Conversational openings:

We met at…, didn’t we? Haven’t we met before? We’ve already been introduced. Could I have seen you somewhere? I fancy I’ve met you before. I have a feeling we’ve met before. Your face seems (so) familiar (to me). I’ve heard your name many times. I’ve heard so much about you.

Vocabulary exercises

Ex.1

Fill in prepositions or adverbs where necessary.

1. I am not acquainted … Mr. Jones, could you introduce me … him. I would like to make his acquaintance.

2. He greeted … me … a smile.

3. The chairman introduced the lecturer … the audience.

4. It was necessary to make introductions … all round. There were many people present at the party.

5. …further acquaintance I found out that he is a very difficult person to deal … .

6. Remember me … your mother. She is such a nice person.

7. Give my regards … your sister. I haven’t seen her … ages.

8. How are you getting …? – Not too bad, thank you.

9. Fine, thanks. What … you? – Oh, more or … the same … usual. And how are things … you?

10. Hallo, Mary. How’s life? – A bit hectic … the moment. I am very busy … work now and … I’ve got my cousin staying … me.

11. Your name has slipped … my mind.

12. You take me … somebody else.

Ex. 2

Expand the situations introduced by the opening sentences and dramatize them in the class.

1. - Can you do me a favour, Jim? Would you mind introducing me to Miss Jones?

• Oh, yes, with pleasure, though it’s rather strange you don’t know each other yet.

• I just didn’t have a chance to get acquainted with her. Is she a nice girl?

• Yes, of course, and she has a very nice dog.

2. - James, may I introduce Henry Brown? Mr. Smith, this is Henry Brown. You are sure to have plenty to say to each other.

• How do you do, Mr. Richardson?

• How do you do, Mr. Brown?

3. - I’m sorry. Are you acquainted? No? Harry, this is James Richardson. Mr. Richardson, Harry Smith.

• How do you do? I’m so glad to meet you.

• How do you do? I’m so glad to have made your acquaintance, Mr. Smith.

Ex. 3

Translate the dialogues into English

1. - Господин Джонсон, разрешите представить Вам господина Смирнова.

- Здравствуйте, господин Смирнов.

- Здравствуйте, господин Джонсон. Бернард Грей недавно рассказывал мне о Вашей последней работе. Это чрезвычайно интересно.

2. - Не могли бы Вы представить меня господину Томсону из британской делегации?

- С удовольствием. Господин Томпсон, разрешите Вам представить господина Петрова из российской делегации.

- Очень рад, господин Петров.

- Здравствуйте, господин Томпсон.

3. - Вот идёт Билл. Ты его знаешь? Он один из моих лучших друзей.

- Нет, я его никогда не встречал.

- Хочешь с ним познакомиться?

- Конечно.

- Привет, Билл. Как твои дела?

- Неплохо, спасибо. А как твои?

- Спасибо, прекрасно. Знаешь, Билл, я хочу познакомить тебя с Гарри. Он один из моих старых друзей.

- Здравствуйте!

- Здравствуйте!

4. - Добрый день, господин Хилл. Хороший день, не правда ли?

- Чудесный день! Как Вы себя чувствуете?

- Хорошо, спасибо. А Вы?

- Сегодня лучше, благодарю Вас. До свидания.

- До свидания, был рад с Вами повидаться.

5. - Здравствуйте, господин Блэйк, пришёл с Вами попрощаться.

- Добрый день, господин Иванов, Вы уезжаете?

- Да, возвращаюсь домой. Я закончил свою работу здесь.

- Как жаль, Вы нам очень понравились.

- Спасибо, Вы очень добры. Всего хорошего.

- Передайте привет Вашей жене.

- Спасибо, передам. До свидания.

Read the text

THE “NAME GAME” WINNERS

“What’s in a name?”, asked Shakespeare’s Juliet. “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet”, she concluded; in other words that the name of a person is irrelevant. However, research by psychologists suggests that our name can have a direct effect on our personal happiness.

Having a popular name, it seems, can make other people think you are intelligent and attractive even before they have met you. This is because, according to psychologist Dr Philip Erwin, people associate a particular name with a stereotyped image. However, having an unpopular name can have the opposite effect. “It can even affect your employment prospects,” says Dr Erwin. “Employers usually make up their mind within two minutes of a job interview. Part of that process is reading an applicant’s name on the CV, which may immediately create a negative stereotype in the employer’s mind.”

As a result, according to Dr Erwin, people with less attractive names tend to work harder to get on in life. As part of his research, he rated the first names of 68 psychology students for attractiveness, and then compared their exam marks. He found that students with unpopular, old-fashioned names did significantly better (an average of more than 3% higher marks). This suggested that they were aware that they had an unattractive name, and were working harder to overcome negative attitudes towards their name.

Names considered to be “less attractive” were, for example, Norman, Ronald, and Albert for men, and Gillian, Pauline, and Agnes for women. “More attractive” names were Stephen, David, Emma, and Charlotte. Actors and pop stars certainly seem to take this into account and it is quite common for them to change the name they were born with to a more “glamorous” one, for example, Cary Grant (born Archibald Pearce), and Bo Derek (born Mary Collins).

In the last ten years there has been a definite tendency among British parents to choose unusual or famous names. Last year the most popular name for girls was Chloe, probably because of the character in the Australian soap opera Home and Away, and Phoebe entered the top 50 for the first time, almost certainly as a result of the hi US TV series Friends. The top boy’s name, Jack, which had previously been considered an unattractive, old-fashioned name, became dramatically more popular because of Leonardo DiCaprio’s Titanic hero, Jack Dawson.

But the question is, will these names still be considered attractive when their owners grow up? “When I was at school there was no one in my class with the same name as me,” says 24-year-old Farrah Stephens, who was named after the TV actress Farrah Fawcett-Majors. “By the time I was 15 everybody had forgotten about her, and I was left with this really stupid name. In the end I decided to use my middle name, Diane.” Clearly, the choice of a name for a child is a difficult decision to take. Dr Erwin gives some practical advice: “Choose names for your children which they will be happy with in twenty years’ time, and choose a second name in case your child doesn’t like the first one”.

Ex. 1

a Which sentence (1-3) best describes what it’s about?

1. How parents choose names for their children.

2. The effect your name can have on your life.

3. Why some names are more attractive than others.

b Write T (true) or F (false) after the following sentences.

1. Your name doesn’t have any influence on how happy you are.

2. Your name could stop you getting a job.

3. People with unattractive names don’t normally work as hard as people with attractive ones.

4. An actress called Agnes might want to change her name.

5. British parents today tend to call their children after film or TV characters.

6. Parents shouldn’t give children two names.

Ex. 2

Your name

Describe how or why you received your name.

Do you think your name had an effect on your life?

Is your name usually considered old-fashioned/traditional/glamorous?

Do people have a stereotype which they associate with your name?

Have you got a nickname, or have you ever had one?

Names in your country

Which names have become popular in recent years? Is this because of TV/films/sport, etc.?

Have any names become unpopular? Why?

Do parents tend to name their children after family members?

Do you have a negative attitude towards any particular names?

What kind of things do you think parents should take into account when they choose names for their children?

ACT YOUR AGE

Ex. 1

Do you think there is an upper or lower age limit for:

• Getting married

• Having children

• Learning a new language

• Traveling around the world

• Worrying about how you look

• Leaving home

• Starting a new career

• Dancing to pop music in public

• Learning to ski

• Riding a motorbike

• Wearing jeans

Discuss your answers with a partner. Are there any other activities you think have age limits?

Ex. 2

Read the article and decide which statements are true for the writer.

1. I wish I’d never met him.

2. I should have been honest about my age.

3. If I’d told him my age at the beginning, he might have left me.

4. I shouldn’t have told him about my disastrous existence.

5. If I was a man, the age difference wouldn’t be a problem.

6. It’s all his fault: if I hadn’t met him I wouldn’t have turned into an ageist and a liar.