Практика устной речи по английскому языку - Малышева О.Л., Валько О.В., Щёголева Т.П

Exercise 2. National stereotypes

Preparation A. Haveyoueverbeentoanyothercountry?

Beforeyouwentthere,whathadyouexpecteditspeople to be like?

Didyouropinionchangeduringthevisit?

ReadingB. Readthetextquicklytofindoutwhattheauthorfeelsabout:

a.Americansastourists

b.The way others describe American tourists.

The ways of tourists are strange, and one afternoon as I sat in the Plaza Mayor, I heard some Frenchmen at the next table tearing Americans apart. To the first barrage of criticism, I could not logically protest, Americans were uncultured, lacked historical sense, were concerned only with business, had no sensitivity and ought to stay at home. The second echelon of abuse I did want to interrupt, because I felt that some of it was wide of the mark: Americans were all loud, had no manners, no education, no sense of proportion, and were offensively vulgar in dress, speech, eating habits and general comportment, but I restrained myself because, after all, this was a litany one heard throughout Europe, here expressed rather more succinctly than elsewhere.

Sitting as quietly as my French companions would permit, I tried to discover what my true feelings were in this matter of honest description. In my travels, I had never met any single Americans as noisy and crude as certain Germans, none so downright mean as one or two Frenchmen, none so ridiculous as an occasional Englishman, and none so arrogant as some Swedes.

But in each of the national examples cited I am speaking only of a few horrible specimens. If one compares all English tourists with all Americans, I would admit that taken in the large the American is worse. If some European wanted to argue that seventy percent of all American tourists are regrettable, I would agree. If he claimed ninety, I suppose I wouldn’t argue too much. But when like the Frenchman on my left he states that one hundred percent are that way, then I must accuse him of being false to the facts.

Speaking C. Discuss the questions with the partner.

a.What nationality do you think the author is? Why?

b.Have you ever seen American tourists visiting a place? If so, do you agree with the Frenchman’s opinion?

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c.What does the author dislike most about the way people talk about other nationalities?

d.What does the author seem to think about the concept of ‘national

character’?

Exercise3.A.Findwordsorphrasesinthepassagewithoppositemeanings Meaning to the following:

B.Which nationality is each of the words you have found used to describe?

C.Here are some other words commonly associated with certain nationalities. From the list below find as many pairs of opposites as possible.

reserved lively talkative polite aggressive boring

lazy hard-working inflexible inscrutable cheerful frank genuine hypocritical eccentric fun well-organized male-chauvinist lamboyant unpunctual

Exercise4. A.Whichofthefollowingstatementsdoyouagreewith?Why?

Discussion

a. The character differences between different nationalities can help cause wars.

b.In any nation, the same variety of character types is represented.

c.There is no such thing as ‘national character’.

B. Which factor do you think most influences national character (if you believe there is such a thing)?

* climate * history * food * literature / art

*geography (mountains, deserts, jungle, etc.)

*other (please specify)? ___________________

Exercise5. Stereotyped opinions about people from our country.

Speaking

A.What stereotyped opinions do you think foreigners have about people from our country?

B.Write down words or phrases that describe such opinions. Make up two lists: positive and negative.

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C.Howwouldyoudescribethetypicalcharacteristicsofyour own nationality?

D.Say if your own character can be called stereotypical.

Exercise 6. Speech stereotypes

Word Use List the following words and phrases beside the most likely user:

Computer programmer:________________________________

Lawyer:_____________________________________________

American:___________________________________________

Today’s teenager:____________________________________

Can you add any neologisms to the list?

Exercise 7. Language and gender

Connotation Doyouagreethattheproblemofsexinlanguagereallyexists?

A.Choose the best word to complete the following sentences: a. Every student should bring _______ own books.

-his -her -their

b. She was elected _______ of the Finance Committee. -to the Chair -Chairman -Chairwoman

B.In your opinion, are these words usually applied to men, women or both?

handsome vivacious attractive good-looking beautiful pretty well-built giggle chatter

C.Which of these sound like ‘normal’ English?

1.a. He is Mary’s widower

b.She is John’s widow.

2.I pronounce you

a.man and wife

b.husband and wife

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c.man and woman

d.husband and woman

3.a. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife

b.Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s husband D. Complete the following words:

1.s – r a respectful term for addressing males m - - - m a woman in charge of a brothel

2.k - - g a male monarch

3.o - - m - n a form of address between males o - d w - - - n applied to a man, as an insult

4.w - - - - d a man who is extremely good at something

w - - - h awomanwhoispossiblyold,uglyandusuallyevil

5.b - - - - - - r an unmarried man

s - - - - - - r a woman who has never been married

Exercise 8. Express your opinion on the following:

Discussion

1.Is it different when you talk to a man or to a woman? What’s the difference?

2.Men use more slang, non-standard forms and taboo language.

3.Women use more intensifiers (so, such, etc.), and superlative degree.

4.Women’s speech is more polite and emotional, with wider range of intonation patterns.

5.Women use more specific colour terms.

6.Men try to avoid tag-questions.

7.Women prefer to avoid direct imperatives and use more modals indicating lack of certainty.

Exercise 9. Read and translate the text. What can you say about the Translation characters in the passage? Do they agree with traditional

views on men and women behaviour?

Toby got to his feet with a little grunt of discomfort. Louise watched him limp to the stairs. ‘Are you all right?’ she asked. ‘Have you hurt yourself?’

‘She’s a public nuisance,’ Toby exploded suddenly. ‘I’ve had a bloody awful afternoon. I’ve sprained my ankle running after her and I’m no further forward at all. She’s rolled me over for a hundred pounds and all I have to show for it is an absolutely wasted afternoon.’

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Toby’s wife would have been familiar with the irritable tone of Toby’s voice. He was intolerant of physical discomfort and on camping holidays if it rained, or if he scraped his knuckles or banged his elbow, he would be suddenly gripped with temper, which only comfort and sympathy could abate. But Louise had never seen him like this before. His tone with her was always urbane, and detached. Toby scowling and red-faced like a crossed toddler was a new less attractive Toby. He always laughed at her misfortunes, laughed affectionately, as if they did not much matter and she was silly and rather endearing to make such a fuss. But now, in his own discomfort there were no grounds for comedy.

Exercise 10. Are stereotypes fair?

Writing Give your opinion about what our judgment about people or nations should be based on.

UNIT 3. PROVERBS

Exercise 1. Say what you think the proverbs below mean:

Preparation

*When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

*Birds of a feather flock together.

*All that glitters is not gold.

*A body is more dressed than the soul.

*A bully is always a coward.

*All the wisdom you gain you will pay for in pain.

Exercise 2. Read the text and then answer the questions which follow.

Reading

Proverbs are popular short sayings of a moral or practical nature. To qualify as proverbs, the sayings must be old and contain some kind of enduring wisdom. They are used to give a word of advice or warning, or to make a wise general comment on a particular situation.

Obviously some proverbs are easier to understand than others. Those which say directly what they mean in straightforward language present the fewest problems.

The more you have, the more you want.

It’s easy to be wise after the event.

In these examples there is no need to look for a truth beyond the literal sense of the words, because the proverb is itself a generalized truth. With other proverbs, however, it is necessary to transfer the specific meaning to a more general situation before it can be fully appreciated.

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A stitch in time saves nine.

Here the proverb refers to mending clothes. If you mend a small tear with a few stitches immediately, you avoid the necessity of mending a large tear later on. In other words, prompt action at an early stage can prevent more serious trouble developing in the future.

As for the origin of proverbs, they probably date back to the time when wisdom was transmitted by story or song. Some can be traced back to early Greek and Latin sources, but it is difficult to say with any certainty where others originated, because they were often translated from language to language. Shakespeare is the greatest literary source of sayings and proverbs in English, though no one is certain how many of them were the product of his own thought, and how many are part of the oral tradition of his time.

Neither a borrower nor a lender be.

All that glitters is not gold.

These, and the sayings and proverbs of other major authors of the past, have entered the language and become part of the culture because of their universal appeal or truth.

A thing of beauty is a joy forever. (John Keats)

A little learning is a dangerous thing. (Alexander Pope)

However, some proverbs are much more widely used than others. Indeed, the acceptance and rejection of proverbs throughout the ages can be seen as a history of the changes that have occurred in the manners, morals, and social development of a country. For example, the proverb ‘A stitch in time saves nine’ is not used very frequently now, and sounds rather old-fashioned because few people spend their time mending clothes in today’s throwaway society – they just go out and buy new ones. But even if people do not use proverbs very much in their daily lives, almost everybody knows them. Some are so well-known that it is only necessary to say the first part of the proverb – the rest will be understood immediately.

When in Rome … (do as the Romans do)

Birds of a feather … (flock together)

If your first language is not English and you try to use proverbs, you run the risk of sounding rather artificial and unnatural, especially if you overuse them or produce them in inappropriate contexts. You also have to be word perfect when you use them, because they are fixed expressions. Perhaps the most natural way to introduce them into a conversation is to say: ‘Well, you know what they say …’

You may decide not to use them actively, but it is certainly worth learning them for recognition purposes, and they can provide you with an

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insight into the culture of the country. In the words of the philosopher and scientist Francis Bacon

‘The Genius, Wit and Spirit of a Nation are discovered in its Proverbs.’

1.Why is it sometimes difficult to find the origin of a proverb?

2.Why are some proverbs more difficult to understand than others?

3.Why are some proverbs more often used than others?

4.What advice is given about proverbs?

Exercise 3. A. Sort the following words into well-known proverbs.

Practice

a. crying milk it’s use over no spilt It’s _____________________________

b.is life the spice variety of

Variety __________________________

c.eat cake it can’t you have and your

You ____________________________

d.the pudding proof the of the eating in is The ____________________________

B. Match the two halves of the proverbs below.

C.Some sayings are so well-known that it is only necessary to say the first part of the sentence. Make up short dialogues in which you use only the first part of the sentence.

Example:

-Are you coming to the party on Friday night?

-No, I want to revise for my exams.

-Well, you know what they say, ‘All work and no play…’

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D.MatchtheEnglishproverbsbelowwiththeirinternational equivalents.(F=French,G=German,I=Italian,S=Spanish, =Turkish)

1.You can’t have you cake and eat it. a. Don’t put the bridle on the tail of

2.A leopard never changes its spots. the horse. (G)

3.Don’t cross your bridges before you b. One hand washes the other. (G)

come to them. c. You can’t have your barrel full of 4. Give him an inch and he’ll take a mile. wine and your wife drunk. (I)

Exercise4. Someproverbshavethesamemeaning,whileothersseemto Activate contradict each other. Group the following proverbs into pairs withthesamemeaningandpairsinwhichtheycontra-

dict one another.

1. Moderation in all things. 2. He who hesitates is lost. 3. Out of sight, out of mind. 4.Enough is as good as a feast. 5. There’s no arguing about tastes. 6. Look before you leap. 7. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. 8. Many hands make light work. 9. One man’s meat is another man’s poison. 10. Too many cooks spoil the broth. 11. Beauty lies in lover’s eyes. 12. Blood will tell. 13. Faults are thick where love is thin. 14. Cat after kind. 15. No man is wise at all times. 16. A fool may throw a stone into a well which a hundred wise men cannot pull out.

Exercise 5. Give an appropriate proverb to describe each situation on

Listening the tape.

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Exercise 6. A. Explain the meaning of the proverbs and sayings:

Speaking

1.When Adam delved and Eve span who was then a gentleman?

2.A rolling stone gathers no moss.

3.A bad workman quarrels with his tools.

4.Everybody’s business is nobody’s business.

5.Idle folk have the least leisure.

6.The tongue of idle person is never idle.

7.Temperance is the best physic.

8.He that lies down with dogs must rise up with fleas.

9.One fool makes many.

10.One of these days is none of these days.

B.Work with your partner. Think of a dialogue which illustrates a proverb. Act it out without mentioning the proverb. The rest of the class must provide an appropriate proverb.

C.Is there any proverb you use frequently? Why do you like it?

Say if there is any proverb you can’t agree with. Give your reasons.

Exercise7. Write a story that illustrates or ends with a proverb Writing from this unit.

UNIT 4. CHARACTERISTICS

Exercise 1. A. Learn the adjectives in the list.

Vocabulary

reflective selective deluded paranoid ostracized redundant self-centred experienced hostile creative diffident gullible easily-influenced out-of-place marginal anti-social troubled ill-at-ease discriminating out of his/her depth victimized ill edgy deviant condescending intolerant sent to Coventry questioning confusedin a dilemma delinquent responsive proud irresponsible disruptive divided subversive

different too big for his/her boots

Connotation B. Arrange the adjectives into the table.

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C. Find synonyms and antonyms in the list.

Exercise 2. A. Answer the questions:

Practice

1.Which adjectives would you choose to describe your position in the class?

2.How would you characterize other people/individuals in your class?

3.Is there anybody who stays outside in your class? What is other people’s opinion about him/her?

B.Can you imagine how a person outside the group feels? Make up a dialogue about such a person, how he/she shows his/her differenceandwhathe/shethinksofothers.

Exercise3. A. Read and translate the following sentences. Word Use Underline the words, characterizing people:

1.He seems more of pragmatist than a crusader.

2.He was a careful man, a taker of notes and a maker of lists. Mama was the reversed. She was the daring one.

3.He is a likeable guy, but self-contained. – A loner? – Not the way you mean it. He’ll never wind up in a rower with a rifle, shooting everyone in sight. People like him, and he likes people. He just has this … reserve inside.

B.Read and translate the minitext below. Say if you are always satisfiedwithyourself,andwhy.

Reflecting upon love

Zach turned to face the person he knew was there, waiting for him. Slowly, he stood and walked towards the beautiful face, smiling. Their lips brushed, he delighted in the smooth, cold response from those familiar lips, which he knew and loved so well.

Eventually Zach drew away, sighing … It was always the same. This silent but beautiful, responding figure, whom he loved so much, could never be with him for long, their relationship could never go any further, it was impossible, people would not accept them …

Zach turned reluctantly away from the mirror and went back to his desk.

C.Fromthefollowinglistofwordschoosesomethatdescribe you.Are there any words on the list that are completely unchracteristicofyou?

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