1. Read the article and say in 2—3 sentences what it is about.

Students in my English classes sometimes ask for my opinion on the best method of learning a foreign language. The answer I give is always the same: learning a foreign language can never be quick and easy. There is no single method that can guarantee success.

In the Callan Method, the teacher talks a lot and makes the students repeat questions and answers. By contrast, in the Silent Way Method, invented by Dr Caleb Gattegno, the teacher tries not to talk at all! The teacher uses pictures diagrams, objects to give the students problem-solving activities. The idea is that students learn better if they can discover the rules by themselves. Certainly that is an important part of learning. But I’m not sure it can guarantee success.

I think that it is wrong to look for a method of teaching/learning that gives all the answers. Often, the method is not so important. Obviously, you need good materials (e.g.: a good course book, etc) that are interesting and clear. And you need a good teacher too. The individual qualities of the teacher are very important. The teacher and the students must have a good relationship. The students must like their teacher. That is one of the important ways to help make learning fun.

At the same time we have to recognize that you can’t make progress without doing some old-fashioned hard work. There must be a method involved in teaching and learning, but the same method doesn’t work for everyone. People are different and they have different reasons for wanting to learn. The method will naturally change depending on the purpose of the lesson. However it is important that each lesson should have a clear objective. The material should be presented in a context. There should be practice and consolidation work. Students should use all four language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing.

There is nothing revolutionary about these ideas. But they give the best chances of success for different kinds of learners.

2. The article says about the Silent Way Method and the Callan Method. Read aioud the extract which says about it.

3. What does the writer answer when asked about the best teaching method?

4. What is really important for learning a foreign language according to the author?

«____» ____________________ 20__ г.

Преподаватель_____________ Председатель цикловой комиссии _________________

Ф 12.01-088

МИНИСТЕРСТВО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ РЕСПУБЛИКИ БЕЛАРУСЬ

Гуманитарный колледж

учреждения образования «Гродненский государственный университет имени Янки Купалы»

ПРИЛОЖЕНИЕ № 1

к экзаменационному билету № 12

Д исциплина «Иностранный язык» (английский)

Специальность 2-010101 «Дошкольное образование»

Зимняя	экзаменационная сессия 2012- 2013 уч. года
весенняя

Курс 2 группа В

HUNDREDS OF ENGLISHES

1. Read the article and say in 2—3 sentences what it is about.

A friend of mine recently tried to download a new programme from the internet. But she soon had a problem. She had selected English as the variant of the programme that she wanted. But then she had to choose from a whole list of different ‘Englishes’: International English, Universal English, American English, European English, South African English... Whatever happened to ordinary English English? My friend wanted to know.

Languages are like living things. They change and grow. In the case of English, the process of change is becoming faster and faster. New forms of the language are being created, partly because more and more people are now speaking English and partly because of new forms of communication such as email.

About 400 million people in various countries of the world use English as a first language. About 600 million people use English as a second language. In addition to these people, there are millions of people who are learning English for use at work or when they travel. It is not surprising that the language has changed to suit local needs; as a result there are many types of English with their own vocabulary and a characteristic sentence structure.

You might think that there are not really big differences between British and American English. Well, that is not really true. British people always find American English a little strange and sometimes totally incomprehensible. Canadians officially use British spelling and usage, but in reality they are very influenced by American English. Once when I was visiting Vancouver, I asked a bus driver if he was going to the centre. I meant, of course, the city centre. He looked at me as though I were mad. “But this is the centre,” he said. In reality, we were about 10 miles from the city centre. However, we were at a bus stop outside a shopping centre. Fortunately, I remembered just in time that for North Americans ‘downtown’ is the word to indicate the city centre, so the problem was solved.

2. The author's friend had a problem while working on the computer. Read aloud the extract which says about it.

3. Why is English changing much more than other languages?

4. How much do the variants of English differ?

«____» ____________________ 20__ г.

Преподаватель_____________ Председатель цикловой комиссии _________________

Ф 12.01-088

МИНИСТЕРСТВО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ РЕСПУБЛИКИ БЕЛАРУСЬ

Гуманитарный колледж

учреждения образования «Гродненский государственный университет имени Янки Купалы»

ПРИЛОЖЕНИЕ № 1

к экзаменационному билету № 13

Д исциплина «Иностранный язык» (английский)

Специальность 2-010101 «Дошкольное образование»

Зимняя	экзаменационная сессия 2012- 2013 уч. года
весенняя

Курс 2 группа В

FAMILY HISTORY