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

affectionate aggressive bad-tempered calm cheerful cold easy-going emotional generous mean moody nervy optimistic kind pessimistic polite honest practical rude self-confident sensitive serious sociable

Exercise 4. A. Make up some questions that you can use to find out Speaking how aggressive people are.

Use some of these structures:

Do you ever…? Have you ever…? How often…? If…, would…?

B.Now choose another characteristic and make up questions for it. Go round the class, asking your questions and noting each person’s answers. Then report to the class on what you have found out. Use some of these words and expressions:

three out of fourteen, etc.

Exercise 5. A. Translate the text. Find the words and phrases to the Reading topic of this unit.

Revealing faces

The shape of your face can give a clue to your personality.

What does yours say about you?

Small Face You don’t enjoy people intruding into your personal life and invading your privacy and can be rather secretive. Reflective and intelligent, yours is a passionate but firm personality, although you find these two traits in conflict at times. A tendency to be cautious means you don’t trust too easily, but you do value a circle of close friends and family members.

Oval Face A good decision-maker, you have strength of character, lots of energy, and usually finish what you start. Affectionate and outgoing by nature, you can be a bit gullible.

Square Face You expect a lot from other people, but give as much in return. You’re stubborn, strong-willed and quick to learn, but your staying power runs out when you lose interest. Highly sensitive to criticism, you’re aggressive under pressure.

Thin Face You don’t suffer fools gladly and have an offbeat sense of humour. Energetic but able to balance action with thought, you’re not

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one who follows the crowd. You enjoy competition in the love stakes and opt for a partner who’s companionable as well as attractive.

Heart-Shaped Practical rather than a thinker, you have a degree of charm that can be devastating. Your romantic judgment can sometimes let you down, though. You appear placid and cool in most situations, but this hides a quick temper when crossed. Relationships may suffer if your partner can’t live up to your high expectations.

Broad Face A strong sense of your own importance means you like to be taken seriously by friends. You can be kind and sympathetic, but won’t waste it on those you feel don’t deserve it. Affectionate and loving rather than passionate, yours is an energetic and intelligent nature with optimism high on your list of the important things in life.

B.Answer the questions:

1.Do you enjoy people intruding into your personal life? What do you consider be an intrusion?

2.Are there any traits in conflict in your character?

3.Very few people will admit that they are aggressive. But can you deny that you can become aggressive under pressure?

4.Do you suffer fools gladly?

5.How long does your staying power last when you lose interest?

6.What qualities are the highest on your list of priorities?

Exercise 6. Supply the best word or words.

Check Yourself

1.People who are generally too concerned with their own thoughts to notice what is happening round them can be described as ____. a. abstracted b. absent-minded c. distracted

2.A person whom other people admire has __________.

a. great fame b. an excellent reputation c. good rumour d. character

3.A person who works seriously and with care ________.

a.isconscious b.isconscientiousc.hasconscienced.hasconsciousness

4.A person who is well-known and has a good reputation is ______.

6. A person who is not distinguished in any way is ________. a. vulgar b. common c. ordinary

7. A person who reads and thinks a lot is ________. a. intellectual b. spiritual c. witty

8. A person who is easily annoyed or often in a bad mood is ______. a. nervous b. tense c. irritable

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9.People who apply themselves seriously to their work are _______. a. hardworking b. laborious

10.People who are ‘full of life’ have a lot of ______.

a. liveliness b. temperament

11. People who have had a lot of practice at doing something are ___. a. practical b. practicable c. practised

12.A person who is not very nice or friendly is _______. a. disagreeable b. unsympathetic

13.A person who has good sense and judgment is _________.

a. sensible b. sensitive c. conscious

14. We can describe someone who is fond of sport as _________.

Exercise 7. Translate the text. Which words and phrases from this unit Writing would you choose to describe Miriam? Prepare an essay

telling Miriam’s story.

Miriam danced alone, circling her own bobbing shadow, sometimes hand-linked with others, sometimes in her own space. Her hair, loosed from the ugly rubber band, flowed around her shoulders. Earlier in the day she had gone into one of the vans and had her hair plaited with ribbon and beads into half a dozen locks with little bells lied on the end, so that when she shook her head there was a faint tinkling noise. She had thrown off her jacket and her baggy shirt flowed loose over her jeans. She was barefoot, dancing barefoot in the grass, with a strange concentration.

Louise went up to her and touched her elbow. ‘Miriam, are you all right?’

Miriam smiled at her and she was the old reckless irresponsible Miriam of their undergraduate days. ‘I’m dancing it off,’ she said.

‘Dancing it off? What do you mean?’

‘I’m dancing off the boredom and the anxiety. I’m dancing off the responsibility and trying to get things right. I’m dancing off my dreary bloody husband and being politically correct. I’m going to be free.’

UNIT 5. DESCRIBING PEOPLE

Exercise1.You’llhearaconversationbetweentwoEnglishteachers.

Listening Barbara is telling Chris about some of her students who will be joining his class. As you listen, note down her comments on each student.

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How do you think your teacher would describe you to a colleague?

Exercise2. Choosethewordorphrasethatbestcompleteseachsentence.

Vocabulary

1. She’s a very _______ person – always smiling and in a good mood. a. cheerful b. delighted c. glad d. pleased

2. He’s a very ______ person – I wish he were a bit more easy-going. a. bad-tempered b. furious c. mad d. wild

3. Don’t tell her off – she is very _______ and she may start to cry. a. responsive b. sensible c. sensitive d. sympathetic

4. People enjoy his company because he is extremely ____. a. adorable b. likeable c. lovable d. sympathetic

5. If you’ve got a problem, go and talk to her – I’m sure she’ll be ____. a. patient b. sympathetic c. tolerant d. warm-hearted

6. He has excellent taste in clothes and always dresses _____. a. cleanly b. healthily c. smartly d. tastily

7.When his wife started seeing more of the tennis coach, he became very ___.

a. arrogant b. envious c. jealous d. selfish

8. The twins keep pretending to be each other – they’re such _____

children!

a. evil b. miserable c. naughty d. wicked

9.Thank you for my beautiful present. It was very ____ of you to buy it for me.

12.She is a very ____ little girl – her parents give her everything she asks for.

a. consented b. discriminating c. generous d. spoilt 13.He’s a dreadful person – I can’t _______ him.

a. stand b. suffer c. support d. swallow 24

14. Everyone agrees that he’s a very ____ man.

a. beautiful b. gorgeous c. handsome d. pretty

15. When she first went to work in another city, she felt very ____. a. abandoned b. alonec. lonely d. single

16. Most people feel _____ before an examination. a. absent-mindedb. anxious c. eager d. nervy

Exercise 3. A. Make up the list of the most and the least important Meaning qualities in people. Some of words are given below:

What other important qualities are missing from the list?

ConnotationB. Which of the following nouns are negative characteristics,whicharepositive,andwhichcouldbeeither positiveornegativedepending on circumstances?

mischievousness playfulness evil patience ferocity grace stupidity serenity pride vanity cunning greed gentleness loyalty deceit bravery obstinacy independence cleverness cowardice modesty

Ñ.Transform the nouns from the box into adjectives. Mind their ronunciation.

Word Use D. Complete the following dialogues with adjectives:

1.Manager: I find it very hard to persuade my new assistant to work in the way I want her to. She is very _______.

2.Young actor: George is extremely proud of his good looks and constantly

looks at himself in the mirror. Other young actor: Yes, he is really ________.

3.Critic: That writer is far too _______.

Publisher: Yes, she will never admit how good her work is.

4.Small girl: They’re wonderful dancers, aren’t they? They move so

beautifully.

Father: Yes, they’re really _______.

5. Uncle: Your children can be very _____. Yesterday they put a banana skin outside my bedroom door.

Mother: Did you hurt yourself?

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6. Train driver: The passengers have been waiting for hours and hours without complaining.

Guard: Yes, it’s hard to understand how people can be so ______

when the service we run is so terrible.

7. Teacher: Linda was very ______: she managed to avoid doing her homework by saying that she had to visit her boyfriend in hospital.

Other teacher: It’s probably true. He broke his leg yesterday.

8. Mary: Although his wife has left him several times for other men, Ben has always remained _____ to her and has never had a close relationship with another woman.

Julie: Really? What were you doing coming out of the disco with him last night, then?

Exercise 4. A. Put the words below into the appropriate columns in

B.In each column add one or two famous people from history who you think had/have the characteristics listed.

Exercise 5. These parts of conversation are about people’s characters. Metaphor Matchthenamespeoplementionwiththedescriptionsbelow.

…‘Mr. Brown’s really a warm-hearted person, don’t you think?’ …‘As for Mike, he seems frightened of his own shadow.’ …‘Don’t you think David’s rather a big-head?’

…‘What a chatterbox that Miriam is!’ …‘I think Luke is the strong, silent type.’

…‘I’ve found that Tom is likely to fly off the handle…’ …‘Sally’s a ball of fire…’

…‘Diana is really a tower of strength, isn’t she?’

a.someone you can really rely on

b.someone who is very concerned for and generous to others

c.someone with a lot of energy and enthusiasm

d.someone with a very high opinion of himself/herself

e.someone who talks too much

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f.someone who is very quiet but seems sure of himself/herself

g.someone who is very timid

h.someone who loses his/her temper quickly

Exercise 6. A. It’s generally easier to write short sentences rather than

1.He is a tall dark-haired man with attractive brown eyes, whose clothes are always smart and who always behaves charmingly even when people are not pleasant to him.

2.He is a tall dark-haired man with attractive brown eyes. His clothes are always smart. He always behaves charmingly even when people are not pleasant to him.

3.He is a tall dark-haired man. He has attractive brown eyes. He always wears smart clothes. He always behaves charmingly. People are not always nice to him.

B.Write four short paragraphs, using these ideas:

1.He is … overweight mid thirties selfish dishonest loses his temper people disagree with him

2.She is … thin late fifties absent-minded delightful sense of humour helps other people with problems

3.He is … 18 athletic loves sport favourite game football spare time: going out with friends + going to the cinema

4.She is … 16 studious enjoys reading 4 brothers + 2 sisters hopes to go to university wants to study engineering.

Exercise 7. Translate, paying attention to the ways in which people Translation are pictured:

1. That bureaucratic thumbnail description wouldn’t be of much help when Spencer needed to describe her to someone. It was insufficient to conjure an image that included the things that truly distinguished her: the direct and clear-eyed stare, the slightly lopsided smile, the dimple in her right cheek, the delicate line of her jaw.

2.It was impossible to judge the man’s age: his hair was thin and beginning to recede, but the face beneath was not that of an old man. It was round and pasty, the expression sensual. It was a weak face, an indulgent face – the face of a rogue vicar.

3.As he listened, Roy had difficulty picturing the thin, gangly young agent with a startled-trout face. Because of the reverberant bass

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voice, it was easier to believe that Kleck was a tall, broad-chested, black rock singer from the doo-wop era.

Were soft. Could you give me, he said, pencil

Raised, a metaphor? Soft as an open mouth,

I said. Were there any noticeable

Peculiarities? He asked. Her hair hung

Heavily, I said. Any particular

Colour? He said. I told him I could recall

Little but its distinctive scent. What do

You mean, he asked, by distinctive? It had

The smell of a woman’s hair, I said. Where

Were you? He asked. Closer than I am to

Anyone at present, I said; level with

Her mouth, level with her eyes. Her eyes?

He said. What about her eyes? There were two,

I said, both black. It has been established,

He said, that eyes cannot, outside common

Usage, be black; are you implying that

Violence was used? Only the gentle

Hammer blow of her kisses, the scent

Of her breath, the … Quite, said the policeman,

Standing. But I regret that we know of

No one answering to such a description.

Exercise 8. Describe either

Speaking – a well-known politician or

– your favourite pop- / film-star or

– a well-known figure from native or foreign history.

Exercise 9. Write about a person you admire and a person you dislike Writing verymuch.Explainwhyyoufeelthiswayaboutthesepeople.

UNIT 6. CHARACTER AND PERSONALITY

Exercise 1. Read these brief character descriptions. Which of these four Reading people sounds most like you?

Amrita: ‘I’m an active and energetic person – I can’t bear just sitting around doing nothing. It just makes me impatient and restless. But

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I know what I want, and I think I’ve got what it takes to achieve my goals. Does that make me sound horribly ambitious and selfish? I hope not!’

Kevin: ‘I’m the kind of person who knows how to have a good time. I suppose you would call me fun-loving, but it’s more than that. I actually believe in a calm, cool, easy-going approach to life and I can’t bear unnecessary anxiety and pressure. I believe in being sociable and taking life as it comes…’

Larry: ‘My problem can be summarized in one word: self-confidence. I just don’t have enough. I’m shy with other people, who must think I’m boring and stupid sometimes. Lack of confidence also makes me indecisive: I spend days trying to make up my mind what to do about quite simple things. I’m told I sometimes look moody, but in fact I like being with other people…’

Cathy: ‘How I see myself? Well, I’m forgetful and disorganized – some would say absent-minded! But I’ve got quite a lot of willpower, really, and I’ve got ideas. I’m a hard worker too when I’m doing something I’m interested in. I’m not very articulate when it comes to public speaking but I quite enjoy being the center of attention, and I don’t get in the least bit nervous.’

Exercise 2. A. The words below are taken from the character descriptions. Connotation Which of them are positive, negative or neutral?

What are the opposites for other words from 2.A?

Exercise3.Make up a dialogue about your and your neighbour’s ‘ideal Speaking partners’.Talkaboutthedifferencesinyourdescriptionsof such

a person.

Some more words to be used:

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Exercise4.A. Read this description of a famous 18th century British Reading writer, who was one of the first to write about women’s rights. As you read, try to answer the following questions:

a.What kind of person was she?

b.Would you have admired her if you had met her? Why / Why not?

A harsh and unhappy childhood, dominated by an unstable and drunken father whom she never respected, gave Mary Wollstonecraft an unusual sense of her own independence and reliance on her own judgement; and a corresponding lack of respect for all kinds of male authority that she did not feel had been genuinely earned, whether in life or in literature. At the same time this passionate, ebullient and frequently opinionated woman was given to terrible swings of mood, from hectic, noisy enthusiasm to almost suicidal depression and a sense of futility and loneliness.

B.List the words and phrases in the text that describe Mary Wollstonecraft. Which of these words and phrases implythatthe authorapprovesofhercharacter, and which may indicate weaknesses?

Exercise 5. The adjectives and nouns in the table all have to do Word Form with character and personality. Complete the table by finding nouns corresponding to the adjectives and

adjectives corresponding to the nouns.

Do the adjectives and nouns describe an attitude to other people, an attitude to life in general or both?

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