Vocabulary

2.. Read and translate these sentences into Russian so as to have a better idea of how these words can be used.

show off (phrasal verb), show-off n

1. 'To show off' means to behave so as to try to get attention and admiration for oneself.

e.g. I wish you'd stop showing off - I know you are the cleverest man in the world!

2. He couldn't wait to show off his new car.

3. He is such a show-off!

masonry n, mason n, Freemason (Mason) л

1. She was injured by a peace of falling masonry.

1. His grandfather used to work as a mason (stonemason) and was famous for his skills.

2. A Freemason (Mason) is a member of an international secret society. Freemasons have secret ceremonies and use special signs and words to recognize each other.

232

Part 2

confidence n, confident adj, self-confident adj, confidently adv, confi­dential adj

D on't mix up!

confident (sure) - уверенный

confidential (secret) - конфиденциальный, секретный

1. S he is a good student, but she lacks confidence.

1. "Our company looks forward with confidence to the next year," said the manager.

2. The government failed to win public confidence in its plan for economic stabilization.

3. Their little daughter used to be very shy with adults, but I have won her confidence now.

2. I'm telling you this in confidence!

3. The girls exchanged confidences about their boyfriends.

4. We are confident that next year's profits will be much higher. We are confident of success.

4. He confidently predicted that the business would improve.

5. You couldn't help admiring the self-confident way she spoke to the crowds of her supporters.

10. This information is strictly confidential.

11. Please, keep what I am going to tell you confidential.

devastate v, devastating adj

1. The fire devastated the city.

2. We were devastated (повергнуты в отчаяние) by the awful news.

3. It was a devastating storm - a lot of houses were ruined, others were badly damaged.

4. 'Devastating' can also mean very attractive, irresistible, e.g. You look glamorous, just devastating in this new dress!

5. He is said to have a devastating charm.

strain v, n, strained adj

1. He strained his muscle while trying to lift the heavy piece of furniture.

2. Don't strain your eyes reading in this dim light!

3. The singer had to strain to reach the high notes.

4. My patience has been strained to the limits.

5. He strained every nerve (tried as hard as possible) to achieve his goal.

6. The rope broke under the strain.

7. She says she is under a lot of strain at the moment.

8. You are looking a bit strained. What has happened?

9. Relations between them are rather strained.

233

Unit nine

technique n, technical adj, technology n, technological adj

1. 'Technique' is a method of doing something that needs skill, especially in art, music, literature etc.

e.g. new techniques for producing specific effects in film / sophisticated modern printing techniques, etc.

2. 'Technical' means having or giving special practical knowledge, especially of an industrial or scientific subject.

e.g. technical experts / technical training / technical college

3. The flight was delayed owing to technical reasons.

3. 'Technology' means knowledge dealing with scientific and industrial methods and their practical use in industry.

e.g. a high level of technology / nuclear technology, etc.

5. We already have the technology to do this.

5. The development of the steam engine was the greatest technological achievement of the 19^th century.

promote v, promotion n, promoter n, promotional adj

1. You've been promoted. My congratulations! (My congratulations on your promotion.)

2. He was promoted to (the rank of) captain.

3. It was a big advertising campaign to promote their new product. = It was a big promotional campaign.

4. One of our latest promotions is this wonderful washing powder.

5. The famous advertising agency acted as a promoter of his concerts in Europe.

recognise (recognize Am.) v, recognition n

1. I recognised Mary in the photo.

2. Dogs can recognise people by their smell.

3. His work was recognised as a work of genius.

4. The government recognised his services by giving him a medal.

1. The actress wanted to avoid recognition and was wearing dark glasses and a hat.

5. She has changed beyond recognition.

2. After his death the work of his lifetime received recognition from the public.

decline v, n

1. Do you think living standards in this country have declined in recent years?

2. The birthrate is on the decline (getting lower).

3. The government took urgent measures designed to halt (stop) the decline in the car industry.

234

Part 2

GRAMMAR

Compare

I t's (high) time (for sb) to do sth

It's time to go home.

Пора идти домой.

It's time for us to go home.

Нам пора идти домой.

It's time sb did sth

It's time we went home.

Нам давно пора идти домой.

3. Here are a few situations. Read them and write sentences using 'It's time (sb) did sth'.

1. You haven't had a holiday for a long time. You say: It's time I...

2. It's 10 o'clock in the evening. Your children are not in bed yet. You say: It's time the children...

3. You have ordered the taxi. You are waiting for it. It is late. You say: It's time it...

4. John is going on holiday tomorrow. He hasn't packed his suitcase yet. You say:

It's time John...

■ Compare

U se 'had better' only for a particular situation (not for things in general).

The negative form is 'had better not'.

You can use 'should (not)' or 'ought (not) to' for all types of situations to

give an opinion or to give advice.

It's very cold today. You'd better (should) put on a warm coat.

We'd better not go out today.

I think you should consult a lawyer.

You should not waste so much money.

4 . What will you say in these situations? Use 'had better (not)' or 'should (not)'. Sometimes either is possible.

1. It's going to rain. I ... take an umbrella.

2. You look ill. You ... go to work. You ... stay at home.

235

Unit nine

3. Y ou may be late. You ... hurry up.

4. If you are not sure you are right, you ... insist on it.

5. The problem is very important. We ... consult a specialist. 6.1 think everybody ... learn foreign languages at school.

7.1 don't want to upset her with this bad news. I... tell her anything.

8. It's a very beautiful little town. I think you ... visit it.

9. We've almost run out of petrol. We ... stop somewhere to fill up.

10. We have plenty of time. We ... be in a hurry.

11. I'm having an exam the day after tomorrow. I ... go out tonight. I ... study for the exam.

12. If you don't know how to spell a word, you ... look it up in the dictionary.

5. Complete the following sentences using 'should (not) do', 'should (not) be doing', 'should (not) have done'.

1. It was a very good party. Why didn't you come? You ... . (come)

2. The boys are playing football in the garden. It's late. They ... in bed. (be)

3. Do you think I ... for this job? (apply)

4. I ate too much at the party. I really feel sick. I ... so much, (eat) 5.1 wonder why they're so late. They ... here an hour ago. (be)

6. What a beautiful view! You ... some pictures, (take)

7. I'm sorry I didn't follow your advice. I... what you said, (do)

8. You smoke too much. You ... so much, (smoke)

9. You ... everything you read in the newspapers, (believe)

10.1 think you were very rude with her yesterday. You ... to her. (apologise)

11. You are driving too fast. The speed limit is 60 miles an hour. You ... so fast, (drive)

12. You look tired. You ... to bed now. (go)

13. You went to bed very late last night. You ... to bed earlier, (go)

6. Your friend is going on holiday. Give him / her some advice. Use 'It's time you did...', 'If I were you, I'd...', 'You should (not)...', 'You'd better (not)...' .

7. Rewrite the following questions beginning with 'I wonder'.

Example: Why is he late?

I wonder why he is late.

1. How long does this journey take?

2. When was this monument set up?

3. What materials is this skyscraper built of?

236

Part 2

4. How tall was the first skyscraper?

5. Will we witness the emergence of even taller buildings?

6. Why did people build big towers and houses in the past?

7. When was the Home Insurance Building constructed?

8. Why was the Home Insurance Building demolished?

9. How did it happen?

10. Does the time suit everybody?

11. Are glass walls cheaper than masonry or concrete ones?

12. Who wrote this article?

8. Put in the correct article a / an or the.

Warwick [worik] Castle*

This is, quite simply, ... greatest medieval castle in Britain. With ... history that dates back over 1,000 years, Warwick Castle will take you back in time - to ... world of splendid banquets, bloody battles and royal luxury. ... castle really brings history to life. Visit the waxworks displays of Madame Tussauds, where you can watch and hear ... Earl of Warwick's preparations for battle. Feeling brave? Then take ... look at... ghostly dungeons where prisoners were tortured. Alternatively, relax with ... stroll through ... castle's beautiful gardens.

Shakespeare's Stratford

... birthplace of William Shakespeare, ... greatest writer in ... English lan­guage, and home to ... theatres of ... world-known Royal Shakespeare Com­pany, Stratford is ... charming market city. Our tour includes ... visit to Shake­speare's birthplace. Then we enjoy lunch in ... 15^th century inn before heading towards Oxford.

Oxford

... grandest of all... colleges is Christ Church, home to Oxford's cathedral and ... university's largest court. We enjoy ... private tour through ... Alice in Wonderland gardens where ... real Alice chased her Cheshire cat. Then we head to ... college's spectacular dining hall, chosen as... key location in ... Harry Pot­ter film. We offer... special champagne reception in either... gardens or... hall so you can feel... magic of... film and ... book and learn about... traditions of college life.

* Тексты "Warwick Castle", "Shakespeare's Stratford", "Oxford" взяты из рекламных листо­вок британских туристических агенств.

237

Unit nine

Phrasal verbs with 'off'

s how off - boast about (хвастаться, пускать пыль в глаза)

doze off - fall into a light sleep (задремать)

put off - delay (отложить)

send off - post (отправить, отослать)

rope off - separate the area with ropes (отгородить веревкой, канатом)

see off - say goodbye to (проводить)

Remember!

He saw us off. Он проводил нас.

He saw us to the bus stop. Он проводил нас до автобусной остановки.

9 . Complete the sentences with the verbs from the box in the correct form.

s how, doze, put, see, rope, send

1. T he film was so boring that I ... off in the middle of it.

2. Bernard Shaw said his hobbies were cycling and ... off.

3. I'm sorry I can't come to your party tomorrow. I'm ... off my sister. She is leaving for London.

4. Look, we can't drive there! They've ... off the road. I wonder what has happened.

5. Don't... off till tomorrow what you can do today.

6. They wrote to us that they had ... off all the documents a few weeks before.

)10. Read the dialogue and say whose side in the argument you take - Fred­dy's or Dave's.

Two young tourists from Australia have just visited Washington. They were both greatly impressed by the capital of the United States and now a tourist bus is taking them to New York. One of the friends called Freddy is so tired that he dozed off in his seat. But as the bus emerges from the tunnel, the other boy -Dave, is so amazed at the panorama of Manhattan that he can't help trying to wake up his friend. D. Wake up, you are missing a lot! What a magnificent sight! The skyscrapers

are just breathtaking!

F. Oh, do you really like them? I don't. I think it's just unnatural for a house to

be so tall! Rectangular boxes! A jungle made of stones! Who would like to

live or work in one? Looking at the clouds and the walls of another monster

opposite yours?

D. You're absolutely wrong! Not all of them are rectangular. Look at that one

238

Part 2

over there. I even know its name. It's the famous Chrysler Building. Isn't it marvellous! They are all great achievement of architects and engineers. You can't object to that.

F. Yes, I can. They are a great achievement. Only not of architects but of prop­erty developers!

1 1 - Read the text and try to guess the meaning of the words you don't know.

Skyscrapers: problems and solutions*

Of course, with new technological developments, problems inevitably oc­cur. As skyscrapers became taller and lighter they began having trouble with the wind. When the wind was strong they began to sway, in some cases more than two feet in any direction! A solution to the problem had to be found urgently. The best specialists among architects and especially engineers put in a lot of effort to solve it and eventually they succeeded.

Another dramatic and very visible example of a typical problem caused by the height of skyscrapers was the John Hancock Tower in Boston, now consid­ered the city's most spectacular building. The structure is a tower of mirrored glass. The problem started during a winter storm in January 1973 while the tower was still under construction, when huge panels of glass, each weighing 500 pounds, shattered and fell to the street below. The streets and sidewalks were roped off as engineers tried to figure out what was going wrong. By April at least 65 panels had fallen and been replaced by plywood. Theories and ru­mours persisted, including suppositions that the tower was swaying too much, causing the windows to pop out, or that the tower's foundation was settling so significantly that it broke the windows. The truth was that the glass itself failed. Ultimately, all 10,344 windows had to be replaced and the building has been safe ever since.

12. Comprehension check. Choose the right answer.

What caused the swaying of skyscrapers?

1. the poor quality of materials

2. the wind

3. the frost

The problem with the John Hancock Tower started when

1. the building had already been finished.

2. they were still building the tower.

3. the construction wasn't even started yet.

* http://www. wikipedia.org

239

Unit nine

When huge panels of glass started falling down

1. the construction was put off.

2. passers-by were not allowed to approach the area.

3. engineers gave up the project.

Read the poem below. What is the author's attitude to skyscrapers, in your opinion? Learn the poem by heart, if you like it.

Skyscrapers*

by Rachel Field (1894-1942),

novelist, poet and author of children's fiction

Do skyscrapers ever grow tired

Of holding themselves up high?

Do they ever shiver on frosty nights

With their tops against the sky?

Do they feel lonely sometimes

Because they have grown so tall?

Do they ever wish they could lie right down

And never get up at all?