План-график выполнения срс по дисциплине «Иностранный язык (английский)»

Раздел дисциплины	Неделя семестра	Самостоятельная работа студентов и трудоёмкость (в часах)	Срок сдачи (неделя семестра)	Сроки консультаций	Формы текущего контроля
Part I COUNTRIES, CULTURES, PEOPLE	1-8	20	8	1-8	Эссе, Устное высказывание по заданной теме
Part II CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS	9-17	18	16-17	9-17	Эссе, Устное высказывание по заданной теме
Итого за 1 семестр:		38
Part III EDUCATION	1-6	16	6	1-5	Реферат, Устное высказывание по заданной теме
Part IV AMERICANS, BRITISH, RUSSIANS AND THEIR MEALS	7-10	8	10	7-10	Устное высказывание по заданной теме
Part V PLACES OF INTEREST	11-18	16	18	12-17	Тестирование, Устное высказывание по заданной теме
Итого за 2 семестр:		40
Part VI HOLIDAYS	1-8	20	8	2-7	Ролевая игра, Устное высказывание по заданной теме
PART VII POLITICAL SYSTEMS	9-17	20	17	10-16	Тестирование, Устное высказывание по заданной теме
Итого за 3 семестр:		40
Part VIII NATIONAL LIFE	1-7	14	7	2-6	Устное высказывание по заданной теме
Part IX HOBBIES AND PASTIMES	8-17	20	17	9-16	Реферат, Устное высказывание по заданной теме
Итого за 4 семестр		34
Всего		152

Part I

COUNTRIES, CULTURES, PEOPLE

Цель – формирование системы знаний о природных особенностях, государственном устройстве, населении, хозяйстве, России, Америки и Великобритании; формировать у обучаемых способность и готовность к межкультурному общению.

The Russian Federation

The Russian Federation is the largest country in the world. It occupies about one-seventh of the earth's surface. It covers the eastern part of Europe and the northern part of Asia. Its total area is about 17 million square kilometres. The country is washed by 12 seas of 3 oceans: the Pacific, the Arctic and the Atlantic. Russia borders on China, Mongolia, Korea, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Azerbaijan In the south. In the west it borders on Norway, Finland, the Baltic States, Belorussia, and the Ukraine. It also has a sea-frontier with the USA.

There is hardly a country in the world where such a variety of scenery and vegetation can be found. We have steppes in the south, plains and forests in the midland, tundra and taiga in the north, highlands and deserts in the east. There are two Great Plains in Russia: the Great Russian Plain and the West Siberian Lowland.

There are several mountain chains on the territory of the country: the Urals, the Caucasus, the Altai and others. The largest mountain chain, the Urals, separates Europe from Asia. There are over two million rivers in Russia. The European biggest river, the Volga, flows into the Caspian Sea. The main Siberian Rivers - the Ob, the Yenisei and the Lena flow from the south to the north. The Amur in the Far East flows into the Pacific Ocean.

Russia is rich in beautiful lakes. The world's deepest lake is Lake Baikal. It is much smaller than the Baltic Sea, but there is much more water in it. The water in the lake is so clear that if you look down you can count the stones on the bottom.

Russia has one-sixth of the world's forests. A large part of European north, Siberia and Far East of Russia is made up of thick forests. On the vast territory of the country there are various types of climate, from arctic in the north to subtropical in the south. In the middle of the country the climate is temperate and continental.

The current population of Russia is more than 150 million people. The European part of the country is densely peopled, the most population live in cities and towns and their outskirts.

Russia is very rich in oil, iron ore, natural gas, copper, nickel and other mineral resources.

Russia is a parliamentary republic. The Head of State is the President. The legislative power is carried out by the Duma.

The capital of Russia is Moscow. It is its largest political, scientific, cultural and industrial center. It is one of the oldest Russian cities.

At present the political and economic situation in the country is rather complicated. There are a lot of problems in the national economy of the Russian Federation.

But in spite of the problems Russia is facing at present, there are a lot of opportunities for the state to become one of the leading countries in the world.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the UK) occupies most of the territory of the British Isles. It consists of four main parts: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the official name of the state which is sometimes referred to as Great Britain (after its major island), England (after its major historic part) or the British Isles.

The UK is an island state: it is composed of some 5,500 islands, large and small. The two main islands are Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) to the east and Ireland (Northern Ireland and the independent Irish Republic) to the west. They are separated by the Irish Sea.

The UK is one of the world's smaller countries (it is twice smaller than Spain and France) with an area of some 244.100 square kilometers. The UK is situated on the west coast of Europe between the Atlantic Ocean on the northwest and the North Sea on the east and it is separated from the European continent by the English Channel (or La Manche) and the Strait of Dover (or Pas de Calais).

The population of the UK is 57 million people. There are fourteen other countries in the world with a larger population.

English is not the only language which people use in the UK, English is the official language. But some people speak Gaelic in western Scotland, Welsh in some parts of northern and central Wales.

The flag of the United Kingdom, known as Union Jack, is made up of three crosses. The upright red cross is the cross of St. George, the patron saint of England. The white diagonal cross is the one of St. Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland. The red diagonal cross is the cross of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.

England

Of the four parts which make up Great Britain England is the largest, industrial and most populated part of the United Kingdom. Over 46 million people of the population of the UK live in England.

The greatest concentrations of population are in London, Birmingham and northwest industrial cities. The coasts of England are washed by the North Sea, the Irish Sea, the English Channel and the Strait of Dover. No part of England is more than 120 kilometers from the sea.

It is interesting to note that the sea has always played an important role in the history of England. It was a good protection against the attacks of outside peoples. Fishing has always been an important industry especially in the east. The sea also has a great effect on England’s climate.

There are many rivers in England. The longest is the Severn (338 km), the most important is the Thames (354 km). The rivers are of great importance for the communication and especially for carrying goods.

England is mostly a lowland country. There are upland regions in the north and the southwest, but the rest of England is almost flat.

Each part of England: Northern England, the Midlands and Southern England are different. The Lake District in northern England with its lakes, mountains and valleys is a favourite holiday area. On either side of the Apennines the plains of Yorkshire and Lancashire stretch to the sea. In Yorkshire swift rivers flow down from the hills into valleys called "dales". The wool industry is centered in Leeds and Bradford, the cotton industry in Manchester, iron ore goes to the steel, heavy machinery and shipbuilding industries of Newcastle and other cities. The industries of the Midlands, with Birmingham as its chief city, produce metal goods, from motor cars and railway engines to pins and buttons. The Midland plain makes good farmland.

In Southern England are found some of the oldest British settlements and traces of ancient monuments such as Stonehenge.

The USA

The United States of America form a state which has existed only since 1776.

The country is situated in the North American continent and washed by the Pacific Ocean in the west and the Atlantic Ocean in the east. The territory of the state is about 9 363 million square kilometres.

The western half of the territory is occupied by mountain ranges and plateaus. The Rocky Mountains are the highest mountains of the country with the peaks Mount McKinley in Alaska, Mount Rainier in the state of Washington, Mount Shasta in California. The Appalachian Mountains go along the eastern coast washed by the Atlantic. Their highest peak is Mitchell.

The biggest lakes are the Great Lakes (Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario). Great Salt Lake in the state of Utah is also known. The longest river is the Mississippi with the Mis­souri and the Ohio, the Columbia, the Colorado and the Yukon (in Alaska). There are many national parks and monuments (Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Big Bend, Everglades).

The USA borders on Canada in the north and on Mexico in the south. It has a sea-border with Russia.

The USA is rich in mineral resources such as coal, gas, oil and metals. The climate of the country is mostly continental, temperate or sub­tropical. The winter temperature varies from 25 below zero in Alaska to 20 degrees above zero in Florida. In summer the average temperature is about 20 to 25 degrees above zero.

The country is a federative republic which consists of 50 states and District of Columbia, where Washington, D.C., the capital of the country, is situated. The head of the country is the President, who is elected every four years. Every state has its own Constitution and the system of power. The supreme legislative organ is Congress of the US. The members of Congress are called congressmen. Congress consists of two chambers — the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The main law of the USA is the Constitution. It was created and adapt­ed in Philadelphia in 1787.

The population of the country is sometimes called "salad bowl", because all nations and nationalities are mixed up, though they keep their specific features. There are white people, Afro-Americans, American Indians, Puerto-Ricans, Chinese and Japanese people.

Great Britain, the Soviet Union and the USA struggled against the Fascists during World War II together.

The flag of the USA has thirteen white and red stripes and 50 white stars against the blue background (one for every state).

Many famous Americans, such as Abraham Lincoln, George Wash­ington, Benjamin Franklin, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Franklin Roosevelt, William (Bill) Clinton, Mark Twain, O'Henry, and J.D. Salinger are famous all over the world.

Task 1. Answer the questions:

1. What is common or different in the geographical position of three countries?

2. Which country is larger Russia or the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?

3. What proves that Great Britain has a variety of landscapes?

4. Which country is richer in natural resources Russia or the United Kingdom of Great Britain or the USA?

5. What is the main difference of political systems of Russia and the United Kingdom of Great Britain?

6. How can the relief of Russia be characterized?

7. What climate and landscapes are typical in Russia, Great Britain and the USA?

8. The geographical position of these countries is different, but are there any things that these countries have in common?

Task 2. Please make a tourist guide about place where you live.

The geography. The climate.

The industries. The wildlife.

The people.

Task 3. Act out the following conversation in pairs. One student will be Tom and the other will be you.

Tom: Hi, how are you. I am very glad to meet you. You live in Russia, don’t you?

You: ______________

Tom: I have heard about your country, but I have never been there. Is it large?

You: ______________

Tom: What countries does Russia border on?

You: ______________

Tom: The climate is very severe in Russia, isn’t it?

You: ______________

Tom: What places can you recommend me to visit in your country?

You: ______________

Tom: What are Russian people like?

You: ______________

Tom: Do Russian people have anything in common with us?

You: ______________

Moscow, the Capital of Russia

Moscow is the capital of Russia, its political, economic, commercial and cultural centre. It was founded eight centuries ago by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky. Historians have accepted the year of 1147 as the start of Moscow's history. Gradually the city became more and more powerful. In the 13th century Moscow was the centre of the struggle of Russian lands for the liberation from the tartar yoke. In the 16th century under Ivan the Terrible Moscow became the capital of the new united state. Though Peter the Great moved the capital to St. Petersburg in 1712 Moscow remained the heart of Russia. After the October revolution Moscow became the capital again.

Now Moscow is one of the largest cities in Europe. Its total area is about nine hundred square kilometres (ancient Moscow occupied the territory of the present-day Kremlin). The population of the city is about 9 millions.

The heart of Moscow is Red Square, the central and the most beautiful square in Moscow. Here one can see the Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed, or St. Basil's cathedral, erected by architects Postnik and Barma to commemorate Russia’s conquest of the Kazan kingdom in 1552. It is a masterpiece of Russian architecture. In front of St. Basil’s cathedral tourists can see the monument to Minin and Pozharsky. It was designed by Ivan Martos in 1818 in memory of the Russian victory over the Polish invaders in 1612. The History Museum in Red Square is a magnificent building, besides, it is one of the major scientific and educational institutions where we can follow the life of Russian people since ancient times.

But first of all everybody knows Red Square because the Kremlin is situated there. The Kremlin is the oldest historical and architectural centre оf Moscow. Its three magnificent cathedrals, the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, palaces and Spassky Tower with the clock attract the tourists’ attention. The Tzar-cannon and the Tzar-bell, the biggest cannon and bell in the world, are also in the Kremlin.

There are other beautiful palaces, old mansions, cathedrals, churches and monuments in Moscow.

Moscow is also famous for its museums. At the State Tretyakov Gallery paintings by great Russian artists are collected, and at the Pushkin State Museum оf Fine Arts there are masterpieces by European painters.

There are a lot of theatres in Moscow. The best-known of them is the Bolshoi Opera House, but drama theatres and studios are popular too.

Moscow was the host of the 22nd Summer Olympic Games in 1980. It has a number of sports grounds and stadiums.

Moscow has the oldest Russian university founded in 1755 by Lomonosov. Its new building was opened in 1953. It is 32 stories high.

An underground railway opened in 1935 is being constantly extended. Now it has 171 stations and is almost 340 kilometres long. It is one of the tourist attractions of the Russian capital.

The number of new streets increases every month. The longest of them is Leningradsky Prospect, it runs for 15 kilometres.

Moscow is the seat of the Russian Parliament (the Duma) and the centre of political life of the country.

Task 1. Plot the events of Moscow’s history on a timeline.

1147____1712____1552____1818_____1980____....___

London

London is situated upon both banks of the river Thames; it is the largest city in Britain and one of the largest in the world. Its population is about 7 million people.

London dominates the life of Britain. It is a big port and the most important commercial, manufacturing and cultural centre. There is little heavy industry in London, but there is a wide range of light industry in Greater London. The City extends over an area of about 2.6 square kilometres in the heart of London. About half a million people work in the City but only less than 6000 live here. It is the financial centre of the UK with many banks, offices and the Stock Exchange. But the City is also a market for goods of almost every kind from all parts of the world.

The West End can be called the cultural center of London. There are historical palaces as well as the famous parks. Hyde Park with its Speaker's Corner is also there. Among other parks are Kensington Gardens, St. James's Park. In the West End there is Buckingham Palace which is the Queen's residence, and the Palace of Westminster which is the seat of the Parliament.

The best-known streets there are Whitehall with important Government offices, Downing Street, the London residence of the Prime Minister and the place where the Cabinet meets, Fleet Street where most newspapers have their offices, Harley Street where the highest-paid doctors live, and some others.

The name 'West End' came to be associated with wealth, luxury and goods of high quality. It is the area of the largest department stores, cinemas and hotels. There are about 40 theatres, several concert halls, many museums including the British Museum and the best art galleries.

It is in the West End that the University of London is centered with Bloomsbury as London students’ quarter.

Visitors with plenty of money to spend and who come chiefly for enjoyment are likely to pass most of their time in the West End.

The port of London is to the east of the City. There were kilometres and kilometres of docks, and the great industrial areas that depended upon shipping. This is the East End of London, formerly unattractive in appearance, but now changing because of the introduction of new industries and very expensive housing.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. is the capital of the USA. It stands on the River Potomac. George Washington chose it to be the nation's capital on December 1, 1800. The district is named after Columbus who discovered America in 1492.

Washington, D.C. is one of the most beautiful and unusual cities in the USA. No building in the city may be more than 40 meters tall.

Washington, D.C. is the seat of federal gov­ernment and there is the White House, the offi­cial residence of the President. President John Adams and his wife were the first to live there. The White House is the oldest building in Washington, D.C. It has the most famous address in the United States - 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. There are 3 floors and 132 rooms in the White House. The rooms for public functions are on the first floor. The President and his family use the second and the third floor.

The United States Capitol is the tallest building in Washington, D.C. and the most famous building in the USA because this is where the laws are made.

Washington, D.C. doesn't belong to any state. It is a city and a district - the District of Columbia (D.C.). The state of Washington is in the north-west of the USA. Washington, D.C. is on the East Coast.

Task 1. Answer these questions:

1. What is Moscow known for?

2. What are the most popular art museums in Moscow?

3. What is the main tourist attraction in Moscow?

4. What are the masterpieces inside the Kremlin wall?

5. What part does London play in the life of the United Kingdom?

6. What are the West End and the East End known for?

7. What is the main tourist attraction in London?

8. What proves that London is a cosmopolitan city?

9. You have the opportunity to visit Great Britain for two weeks. Which places would you like to visit? Explain your choice.

10. Where is Washington, D.C. situated?

11. What is the District of Columbia?

12. In what sense is Washington the most important city in the USA?

13. What is the tallest building in Washington, D.C.?

14. What can you say about the places of interest in Washington, D.C.?

15. What do these capitals, London, Moscow and Washington, have in common and what do they differ in?

Task 2. Imagine that you were the reporter who collected the information about the capital of the USA. What questions would you like to ask?

Task 3. Compare the following countries: Russia, Great Britain and the USA using this table.

Country	Capital	Cities	Rivers, Lakes	Mountains

Task 4. What is your home town like? Choose the word combinations given below to describe your town/village under the following headings: position, en­vironment, population, special features.

In the north /south of, green countryside, clean fresh air, much to do, in the way of entertainment, traffic noise, amusement park, pollution, on the coast, wonderful vegetation, spend time in /out of doors, beautiful landscape, good /bad climate, on the river, dirty streets, less /more populated than, a lot of places to go to, green areas, open and friendly people, crowded, to worry about, crime /violence, town hall.

Task 5. Talk about different European towns and cities. Use these expressions to give yourself thinking time while you arrange your ideas.

Example:

A. Milan is dirtier than I expected,

B. If you ask me, it's also more expensive than Florence.

As far as I know … If you ask me

As I take it ... To tell the truth ...

I suppose ... Generally speaking ...

I think ... As far as I know ...

If you ask me ... The fact is that ...

To my mind ... In any case ...

In my opinion ... From my viewpoint ...

Task 6. Express your opinion of the facts listed bellow.

Example:

A. Town life is more active than country life, isn't it?

B. As I take it, country life is much quieter than town life.

1. The climate of Great Britain is milder than on the continent (dry).

2. The streets of New York are cleaner than the streets of Paris (dirty).

3. Paris is bigger than Madrid (small).

4. Trips in Madrid are more expensive than in Rome (cheap).

5. The buildings in New York are more modern than the buildings in Rome (old).

6. The Underground in London is better than the Metro in Paris (worse).

7. The people in Greece are more open than in Scandinavian countries (re­served).

Task 7. Read Sue's report about the school trip to France. In which country are these things more expensive, according to the re­port? Write В for Britain or F for France.

Is France more expensive than Brit­ain? It's difficult to say. Tea and coffee are definitely more expensive in Paris than in Dover, and so is Coca-Cola. (I had a Coca-Cola which cost £2!)

Travel in France is cheaper, though. We went everywhere by the "Metro", train and bus. The "Metro" is fantas­tic! French food generally isn't as ex­pensive as the food we have in Brit­ain, although ice cream is more expensive in France. French records and videos cost less than British ones but radios, stereos and TVs cost more. Clothes in France aren't as cheap as in Britain and nor are books! French books are very expensive. So is it cheaper in France than in Britain? I'm not sure.

1. tea ... ....F...... 7. coffee ..........

2. food......B... .. 8. travel.............

3. Coca-Cola .... 9. ice cream.........

4. records........... 10. videos........

5. radios ............ 11. stereos.......

6. clothes........... 12. books...........

Task 8. Work in pairs. Discuss any two countries that both of you know well. Your partner agrees, disagrees, and expresses surprise.

Talk about

-the streets: beautiful, wide, dirty;

-the buildings: tall, ugly, modern;

-the weather: sunny, lovely, miserable;

-the food: ordinary, cheap, expensive;

-the people: talkative, honest, friendly.

Task 9. Read and practice the following dialogue.

A. I think I'm getting old.

B. Why do you say that?

A. I don't drive as carefully as I need to.

B. That's not true. You drive more carefully than anybody I know.

A. You're just saying that!

B. No, I really mean it.

Role-play some more conversations using the expressions below.

go out often speak English fluently

jog fast work energetically

think clearly look at life enthusiastically

NATIONAL CHARACTER

Russian Character

Russians are impressed with size and numbers, and much that they do is on a grand scale. This is not unusual for such a vast country. Russians think and act big.

Russians think of themselves as members of the community rather than as individuals. The origin of the Russian communalism lies deep in the vastness of the Great Russian Plain.

Nature has not been kind to Russia. Much of European Russia and Siberia is very cold most of the year. In Old Russia, people could do little during winter months. But in spring there was much to be done, and in a short period of time. This explains why Russians are often inactive for long periods of time and then show bursts of energy. The harsh climate explains the Russians' strength, their abil­ity to overcome hardships, as well as their patience and submission. Climate has also made them cautious.

Their cruel climate, harsh history, and skeptical outlook on life have made Russians value stability, security, social order, and predictability, and to avoid risk.

To understand the Russians, one must know where they come from.

Task 1. How much is the Russian national character influenced by the country geography and climate?

Task 2. What do you think about the notion "national character"?

Task 3. What stereotypes about Americans, Russians and the British can you suggest?

Task 4. How different or alike do you think Americans, Russians and the British are?

Task 5. What features of the American, British and Russian people and their way of life can you name?

Task 6. These are the things that symbolize Russia.

1) Match the pictures and their description.

a) The Russians are known as hospitable people. According to old traditions, a guest should always be welcomed with the symbol of life-giving food — bread and salt.

b) Russian winter! These words to a Russian are like a call (призыв) to fun. The Russian winter is full of poetry and magic. And what Russian doesn't like a fast ride in a troika, or sleigh (сани) with three horses!

c) Here is the heartland of Russian culture. The beauty of the ancient towns, their historical and architectural monuments, the gilded domes (купол) of the cathedrals, the autumnal gold of the forests and fields attract tourists from all over the world.

d) In their picturesque miniatures Palekh artists show the sights of their native country, their people, folk traditions, their celebrations, songs and labour (труд) full of hope and optimism.

e) The singing of chastushkas used to be a main part of Russian rural (сельский) holidays and parties. In many places they are still popular today.

1.

2.

3. 4.

5.

Task 2. Read about the Russian character and write what points are made about Russians. Tick the ones you agree with (A), disagree with (D) or feel are true for you personally (T).

THE RUSSIAN CHARACTER

‪ Russia is still a huge ethnic and social melting pot.

‪ Russians are fond of small things of intimacy and coziness, but they may suddenly get bored and throw them aside like a toy.

‪ They can be surprisingly frank and also very secretive.

‪ They yearn (стремятся) for open spaces, yet they like things that are hidden and mysterious.

‪ There is much to be said of Russia as a land of con­trasts.

‪ When you get to know a Russian well, you will often find that he thinks of himself as having not just one rodina (native land) but two — Russia as a whole and some little place of it where he was born. And he has a special word for a man from that particular place — zemlyak.

Task 3. What are other people like? Translate the following sentences. Do you agree with these statements? Write A (agree) or D (disagree). Use the words from the box.

think suppose consider believe say know expect

a) The French are considered to be very stylish.

_____________________________________________

b) The Germans are believed to be clever, and hardworking.

______________________________________________

c) In Europe they say that the British are boring and greedy.

______________________________________________

d) Some think that the Italians are the most attractive.

______________________________________________

e) The Russians are supposed to be highly passionate people.

______________________________________________

f) The Spaniards and the Irish are thought to be the most easy-going.

___________________________________________

Task 4. Anna liked New York so much that she decided to stay there. Now she is married to an American. Her friends from England sometimes ask her about her opinion of American people. Complete their questions with the words in brackets.

1. Do you think Americans are nicer than___ English people? (nice)

2. Do you think Americans _______ English people? (ambitious)

3. Do you think Americans ____________ English people? (kind)

4. Do you think Americans ________ English people? (interesting)

5. Do you think Americans ________ English people? (democratic)

6. Do you think Americans ___________ English people? (happy)

7. Do you think Americans _________ English people? (religious)

8. Do you think Americans _________ English people? (generous)

Control

1. Answer the questions about Russia.

1. Where does Russia lie?

2. What are Russia’s neighbours?

3. What proves that Russia has a variety of landscapes?

4. How can the relief of Russia be characterized?

5. What are the main natural resources in Russia?

6. What is the population of Russia?

7. What is the climate of the country like?

8. What are the main rivers and lakes of Russia?

9. What is Russia’s political system?

10. How can you characterize the economy of Russia?

11. What is characteristic of the Russian system of education?

12. What are the main cities of Russia?

13. What part does Moscow play in the life of Russia?

14. What are Russian people like?

15. What can you say about the main sights of Russia?

2. Answer the questions about Great Britain.

1. Where does the UK lie?

2. What does the UK consist of?

3. What is Great Britain's largest neighbour?

4. What proves that Great Britain has a variety of landscapes?

5. How does the Gulf Stream influence Britain’s climate?

6. What are Britain's chief industries?

7. What is Britain's political system?

8. What are the major political parties in Great Britain?

9. What is the population of London?

10. What part does London play in the life of the United Kingdom?

11. What are the West End and the East End known for?

12. What are the main tourist attractions in London?

13. Where do the majority of Londoners live?

14. What is the population of the United Kingdom?

15. What natural resources are there in Northern England?

3. Answer the questions about America.

1. Where is the USA situated?

2. What territory does the USA occupy?

3. How can the relief of the USA be characterized?

4. What are the rivers and lakes of the USA?

5. What is the climate of the country like?

6. How can you characterize the economy of the USA?

7. What is the political system of the USA?

8. What does the US national flag represent?

9. What are the two major kinds of daily newspapers in the USA?

10. What are the holidays for federal employees and state government offices?

11. What other kinds of holidays are there in the USA?

12. How are religious holidays marked?

13. What are traditional holidays?

14. How is Independence Day marked?

15. What kind of holiday is Thanksgiving?

Part II

CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS

Цель - формирование системы знаний историко-культурном наследии России и Великобритании, развитие межкультурной компетенции.

British Customs

What is the Average Briton Like?

The average Briton is a woman (51%). The average Briton lives in a house, not a flat (80%). She (or he) has a bathroom (95%), a refrigerator or a freezer (99%), a car (69%) and a telephone (90%), a TV-set (98%), a central heating system (83%), a video-recorder (73%), a washing machine (92%), a computer (20%). The average Briton is between 16 and 64 years old. The average British man will die at 73 years old, while the average woman will live until she's 78. The average Briton is married (60%) and more Britons than ever before are getting married. Men get married at the age of 28 while British women marry at 26. About 20% of marriages end in divorce, though about half will many again.

The average age for divorce, if you're thinking of marrying a Briton, is 36 for women and 38 for men. The average Briton works 35-40 hours a week, and has a 4-week holiday a year. At present 40% of holidays are spent staying with relatives or friends and a quarter are spent camping. British residents take about 23 million holidays abroad every year. The most popular foreign countries are Spain, France, the USA and Greece. What does the average Briton do in his/her free time? Well, he/she watches television. Every Briton over the age of 5 watches television average of 27 hours a week. Other popular pastimes are listening to the radio or to CDs, gardening, and of course the pub.

From “Britain 1996”

Task 1. What is normal? Something which you think is normal, someone from another country may think is quite extraordinary. Here are some customs from different countries including Britain. Mark what is normal in your country and compare it with Britain.

	Usual in Britain	Usual in your country
Take your shoes off as soon as you enter someone's home.	No
Shake hands the first time you meet someone.	Yes
Shake hands when you meet a friend you last saw yesterday	No
Kiss when you meet a friend you last met six months ago.	No
Kiss people on one cheek.	Yes
Kiss people on both cheeks.	No
Queue in a line if you are waiting for a bus or ticket.	Yes
Hold the door open for a woman if you are a man.	Yes
Touch someone several times during a conversation.	No

Task 2. Are there any other British customs which are different from your own?

	Usual in Britain	Usual in your country
Take a present if you are invited to visit someone for dinner.	Yes
Remove the paper from a bunch of flowers before you give them to someone.	No
Give flowers to a man.	No
Take a present of a bottle of wine for someone.	Yes
Say ‘thank you’ when you leave the table after a friend has given you a meal.	Yes
Arrive early for a party.	No
Arrive at exactly the time you were invited.	Yes
Arrive at a party one hour later than the time you were invited.	Yes

Which British customs would you most like to change?

On Good Manners Abroad and at Home

When abroad, study and respect local customs. If you are in a foreign country and know only one foreign word, use it. If not, learn one! People will appreciate your trying to speak their language. It is a sure road to friendship.

When you are in a foreign country, do not forget that your behaviour will be considered typical of that of your native land. Good manners will be appreciated the world over, so do not fail to be polite, courteous and well-mannered.

Be neat and tidy in your clothes. Don't go about in dirty footwear. Don't sit, stand or walk with hands in your pockets. Don't eat fruit, ice cream or anything else in the street, in the shop or in public transport.

No matter where you are, loud laughter and talking are signs of bad manners.

A real gentleman never forgets to rise when a lady comes up to him and addresses him. He will never remain seated when a lady is standing.

Always come in time. Punctuality is essential when keeping an appointment whether you are meeting friends for a drink or whether you are having a business talk.

When an English businessman expects you to come to a business talk or a conference, be punctual. He will be surprised if you come fifteen minutes before your time and annoyed if you are five minutes late. Avoid getting into the habit of arriving everywhere late. If you can arrive regularly late, you might just as easily arrive regularly on time.

Task 1. What recommendations would you give a person who is going to Britain for the first time?

Good Manners

“Thank you” is, perhaps, the most important phrase in English. It is the example of good manners everybody learns when a child. The same is true to other cultures, though the notion of "good manners" differs from country to country. What is accepted as a cultural standard in one society might be regarded as an unacceptable behavior in another. As the English say: “Every country has its customs”.

Fundamentally the basis of good manners is consideration for others, but all civilized societies have added to their basic rule various forms of social observances [зд. условностей] which are expressed by word and behaviour. Different societies have their own expectations of behaviour and their own attitudes towards a whole range of things, such as a family, work, leisure, etc.

It seems important that every person realizes that there is not one fixed or correct way of doing things, but that there are many equally different and valid [зд. приемлемые] ways of living. Visitors to a country should develop understanding and respect for the target culture [культура, которую (они) изучают]. They need to become good observers, sensitive to linguistic and non-linguistic behavior of native-speakers in order to avoid cross-cultural [межкультурные] misunderstandings. The best way to behave in a country you are visiting is to follow the English proverb: “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”.

Worth Knowing

• It is normal to shake hands in Britain when you meet someone for the first time. It is not usual to kiss.

• It is not necessary to arrive with a present if you are a paying guest in a British home. On the other hand, your host family will be very impressed if you do!

• Use your host family's first names only if they encourage you to.

• "How are you?" is not a question about your health, but part of the greeting. You shouldn't reply: "I've got a headache" or "I feel bad". If you wish you will say it later in the conversation, but not when you are greeting a person. When you answer the question "How are you", it's polite not only to say "Fine" or "Very well", but to ask in your return "And how are you?" or simply "And you?" Reply: ‘Thank you’.

Congratulations is used when someone has got engaged, got married, passed an examination, passed a driving test, got promotion, had a baby. ‘Congratulations’ is also used when someone is celebrating a special birthday. The most important birthdays for British people are 18, 21, 70, 80 etc. Special wedding anniversaries are 25^th (Silver) and 50^th (Golden).

• If you are sitting in British home and you want to leave the room for any reason, your host will expect you to say where you are going - even if it is obvious. If you leave the room without explaining, people think you are ill or upset for some reason. If you listen to your host family, you will almost certainly notice that they always say where they are going when they leave the room - even if they don't know they do it! Here are some of the things you may want to say: Would you excuse me, I think I'd better go and do my work.

I'm just going to write a few postcards. Even if you are just going to the toilet, you say something:

Excuse me a moment.

Excuse me, I'm just going upstairs.

Excuse me, I'll just go you-know-where.

• Pubs in Britain are not the same as pubs in your country. They are not cafés. If you are with a British friend who buys you a drink, you should offer to buy the next one. It is unusual for each person in a group to order his/her own drink individually. It is more common for one person to order for everyone.

• It is very important at the end of an evening, that you do not just stand up and announce that you are leaving. If you do that, your host will think that there is something wrong - perhaps he has upset you. British people usually say at least twice that they are going to leave. There is usually ten minutes - or longer - between the two. You can say any of the following:

Goodness, is that the time!

I'll have to be going.

I must be going soon.

I really will have to go now.

I really must go.

Usually you use two different expressions - one the first time, one-the second time. The ones with -ing are usually used first and the ones without -ing when you are really ready to go. Here are a couple of useful phrases you may need before you leave:

May I call a taxi, please?

May I just use the loo before I go?

It's common knowledge (общеизвестно) that in the British culture it is inappropriate [неуместно] to give one's opinion in a categorical manner. The examples of expressing disagreement are a good illustration of it. The art of discussion is based on several main skills, namely, making suggestions, giving opinions, agreeing, disagreeing, and expressing doubt, enthusiasm. How to do it best in English? This is some advice about discussion techniques.

Making suggestions

More formal

I suggest we discuss it now.

I would suggest we consider the problem of...

I'd like to suggest (propose)...

If I could just propose [suggest]...

Could I make a suggestion?

Could I make a point here?

I wonder if I might suggest (propose)...

Less formal

Wouldn't it be a good idea to... ?

Don't you think it might be a good idea to...

I suppose we might (could)...

It seems to me that we could...

Why don't we...?

How about...

Asking for Opinions

What's your opinion, Mr. Morgan?

Mr. Trade, what do you think about it?

Do you agree, Mary?

What are your views on this, Nora?

Don't you agree, Tony?

Don't you think so, Mrs. Smith?

Does anyone object?

Agreement

I agree with you (= I'm of the same opinion)

I agree to your proposal (= I say "yes")

I totally agree that...

I couldn't agree with you more... (No doubt) it's a good idea and...

That's a good point. I think you are right.

Doubt

I doubt it.

I doubt if it’s possible.

I'm not at all sure that...

I'm not quite certain that...

I don't think it's realistic. Could be/ might be...

Disagreement

Please, notice that you need to be very polite when disagreeing with someone in English - even with someone you know quite well.

That's a good idea, but (and)...

Yes, that's quite true, but (and)...

I'm afraid I can't agree with you on that.

Well, you have a point there, but..

Perhaps, but don't you think that...

I see what you mean, but...

I'm not sure I quite agree...

If you know someone very well, you can disagree more directly using expressions like these:

I can't agree with you here!

I'm afraid I disagree with you.

I don't agree at all!

You can't be serious!

It's quite difficult to express an opinion immediately. Most people - both native speakers and those who learn English - hesitate a lot during a conversation. The worst way to hesitate is with silence. Silence destroys communication. People might think you either don't understand them, or aren't interested in what they are saying, or are just impolite. There are some ways in English to express hesitation. Here are some of them:

Hesitating

Um... Actually...

Er... In fact...

Well... You see...

You know... Let’ s see now...

How shall I put it? It's like this, you see...

The thing is... ... sort of...

The fact is... ...kind of...

Sometimes we have to interrupt people when they are speaking. It's important to do it politely not to offend the speakers. If you break in at the wrong time, you may be considered aggressive. The end of the silence seems to be the right place to break in. Here are some useful techniques for interrupting.

Interrupting

More formal Excuse my interrupting you... If I could just come in here...

Less formal Sorry to interrupt, but... I'd just like to say that... By the way... (to change the subject) That reminds me ... um

Task 2. Talk on the Topic:

Discussing English Behaviour and English Character.

Task 3. Suggestions for oral discussions and dialogues:

1. You have just returned from England and are telling your friends about English customs.

2. Some Russian students have come to London. You tell your Russian friends about English social rules.

3. Say a few words what is acceptable and what is unacceptable in Britain.

When in Company...

When in company, don't keep looking at the watch as if you were impatient for the time to pass. When in company, don't open a book or a newspaper and begin reading to yourself. If you are tired of the company, withdraw, if not, humor it with your attention. No matter how monotonous conversation or how dull the company is yawning (зевание) is never permissible. To whisper in company is bad manners. If what you wish to say cannot be said aloud, reserve it for a suitable occasion. Talking with others, unless they are your close friends, keep to general subjects and avoid arguing. Two subjects are considered to be taboo in any form of polite social conversation, and these are religion and politics. In these fields everyone has their own very definite ideas, and it is very unlikely that they will be changed during the course of a short conversation. Everyone has a right to have his own personal opinion, but he shouldn't try to force it on others. The best topics for a light social conversation are art, sports and the hobby of the person you are speaking to with.

Talking about your troubles and diseases in company is bad taste. Don't talk over loudly or try to monopolize conversation. To be pleasant company be a good listener. Don't be indifferent or impatient when others are speaking. Don't talk about yourself or your affairs. If you wish to be popular, talk to people about what interests them, not about what interests you.

The British people like speaking about their home, children, family, pets, hobbies, leisure time, holidays, sports, the English language and the differences in accents between different parts of the country and many other things. Of course, there are people and people, and each person has his/her likes and dislikes or preferences in conversation, but the topics above could please most Britons.

There are some topics that should be avoided. For example, it is not considered good manners to talk about money, except to complain about the lack of it (их нехватке). You should never tell anyone how much you earn or will earn. In fact, it is good manners to explain how much you have saved buying the marvelous wine you are drinking. If this is very different from your country's cultural tradition, try to understand.

The more understanding you are, the more you will enjoy English. We should start our conversation with some pleasant and neutral topic which everybody is familiar with and feels relaxed when speaking about.

Part III

EDUCATION

Цель - формирование системы знаний и представлений об образовании в России, Америке и Великобритании, формирование иноязычной коммуникативной компетенции.

Education in Russia

There are some pre-school institutions in Russia such as nursery school, kindergarten. Some children between two and five attend them and receive education in nursery classes.

Secondary education is mandatory in Russia. Children start school at the age of 6 and finish at 17. As a rule, a child attends the school located in the neighbourhood. However, there are also so-called "special" schools, offering more in-depth studies of the major European languages (English, French, or German), or the advanced courses in physics and mathematics.

The first stage of education is elementary school for grades 1 through 4. The second is secondary school for grades 5 through 9. After graduation from secondary school, students are given the choice of either continuing to attend the same school (high school; grades 10 and 11), or entering a vocational schools or trade school. Both vocational school and trade schools are meant to provide one, along with the certificate of secondary education, with a number of useful skills (e.g., those of an electrician, technical, or computer operator). One attends the former for two years and the latter for three or four.

Having completed one's secondary education, one can either become part of work force or go on to college ("institution of higher learning"). There are universities and so-called "institutes" in Russia.

To be admitted to an institution of higher education, one has to pass a series of oral and written tests. Grades in the certificate of secondary education are also taken in account.

Entry to higher institution is quite competitive. Some college departments (philologist, foreign languages-especially English, law, journalism) have dozens of applicants for one prospective student's position. The same is true of medical and theatre institutes.

Higher education in Russia is partly free of charge or paid. In our country there is a three-stage higher education. The first stage is Bachelor of Science. The period of teaching is 4 years, and then two kinds of education go: Specialist and Master of Science.

College students with good grades were rewarded with a modest stipend. All institutions of higher learning were subsidized by the government. Now that the country is changing into a market-place economy, the system of education is also bound to undergo profound changes.

Task 1. Answer these questions:

1. What are the stages of compulsory schooling in Russia?

2. Do children in Russia have to pay for education?

3. What subjects do pupils study at school?

4. What can young people do after finishing the 9-th form?

5. What subjects do young people study at technical schools and at colleges?

6. What is higher education in Russia characterized by?

7. What kinds of higher institutions are there in Russia?

8. What do higher education institutions in Russia require for admission?

9. What is the period of teaching in higher institutions in Russia?

10. What degree does high school lead to?

Taganrog State University of Radio Engineering

Taganrog State University of Radio Engineering is the institution of higher education of federal subordination with its own legal status that offers the professional educational programs of undergraduate, graduate, additional professional education and pre-university training. It was established in 1952.

Nowadays Taganrog State University of Radio Engineering is the leading Russian University that specializes in spheres of Radio Engineering and Telecommunications, Computer Science and Electronics.

The University is academic-scientific-industrial institution that has 6 Colleges of Day­time Education, a College of Correspondent Studies, a College of Continued Education, the Municipal Lyceum, the Centre of the pre-university training, 35 Departments, scientific-technical literature library, the Centre of Continued Education, Research Institute and Bureaus.

There are 6000 students studying at 8 Colleges of the University, about 5000 students are studying at Daytime Colleges.

The additional professional education (including the second higher education) is performed at Interregional Center of Continued Education, founded in 1994.

The system of individual student's creative thinking with the rating mark on the input, current, intervening and final popularity rating controls is realized in the university. The library's collection compiles more than one million issues.

The University has six comfortable hostels. It allows, in general, satisfying the non-resident students of university with accommodation.

There is a medical room at the University, where all the students and the faculties of university can be provided with primary medical care. When there are quite serious health problems, people are sent to specialized clinics of the town or regional centre.

The University's sports and recreational centres are situated on the coast of the Black Sea and in the Caucasus Mountains.

Sport Club and the Department of Physical Education conduct the work to form the healthy mode of life of students and university staff.

Classes of athletics, gymnastics, volleyball, basketball, wrestling, judo, aerobics and table tennis, shooting are conducted in sport groups of the University. Sportsmen of university traditionally show high results in yachting and mini-football (soccer). They have won regional and Russian competitions.

There are about 200 students and 15 creative collectives in the Student University Club. Each College has a student amateur theatre. Disco parties and concerts are regularly held for students and staff there. Collectives of amateur art performance became prizewinners and winners of different festivals and competitions. The work of these collectives gives an opportunity to rest, to relax after classes, and to get a charge of vivacity and good mood.

There is a transmitting telecompany "University", 26-channel that has functioned since October 2000. Telecentre transmits news of the University life, but also various interesting musical surveys, musical news, and just good music.

Task 1. Answer these questions:

1. When was Taganrog State University of Radio Engineering founded?

2. How many colleges does it have?

3. What is special about control system in this university?

4. What can you say about student’s social life?

5. Where can they have a rest during winter and summer holidays?

6. How do students spend their free time?

7. What can you say about telecompany “University”?

British Schools

All British children must stay at school from the age of 5 until they are 16. Many of them stay longer and take final examinations when they are 17 or 18. There were different types of state secondary schools and at the age of 11 children went to different schools in accordance with the results of the tests.

State schools are divided into the following types:

Grammar schools. Children who go to grammar schools are usually those who show a preference for academic subjects, although many grammar schools now also have some technical courses.

Technical schools. Some children go to technical schools. Most courses there are either commercial or technical.

Modern Schools. Boys and girls who are interested in working with their hands and learning in a practical way can go to a technical school and learn some trade.

Comprehensive schools. These schools usually combine all types of secondary education. They have physics, chemistry, biology laboratories, machine workshops for metal and woodwork and also geography, history and art departments, commercial and domestic courses.

There are also many schools which the State does not control. They are private schools. They charge fees for educating children, and many of them are boarding schools, at which pupils live during the term time.

After leaving school many young people go to colleges of further education.

Some Aspects of British University Life

Of the full-time students now attending English Universities three quarters are men, and one quarter women. Nearly half of them are engaged in the study of arts subjects such as history, languages economics or law; the others are studying pure or applied sciences such as medicine, dentistry technology, or agriculture.

The University of London, for instance, includes internal and external students the latter coming to London only to sit for their, examinations. Actually most external students at London University are living in London. The colleges in the University of London are essentially teaching institutions, providing instruction chiefly by means of lectures, which are attended mainly by day students. The colleges of Oxford and Cambridge, however, are essentially residential institutions and they mainly use a tutorial method which brings the tutor into close, and personal contact with the students. These colleges, being residential, are necessarily far smaller than most of the colleges of the University of London.

Education of University standard is also given in other institutions such as colleges of technology and agricultural colleges, which prepare their students for degrees or diplomas in their own fields.

The three terms into which the British University year is divided are roughly eight to ten weeks. Each term is crowded with activity and the vacations between the terms - a month at Christmas, a month at Easter, and three or four months in summer - are mainly periods of intellectual digestion and private study.

A person studying for a degree at a British University is called a graduate.

B. A. or B. Sc. stands for Bachelor of Arts, or of Science, the first degree. M. A. or M. Sc. denotes Master of Arts, or of Science. One can become a B. A. after three years of hard study, and an M. A. at the end of five years.

Task 1. Answer these questions.

1. What is state schooling in the U.K. characterized by?

2. What are the stages of schooling in the U.K.?

3. At what age do children start to study at school?

4. Why do many parents send their children to fee-paying schools?

5. What kind of school-living exams do children take at different types of schools?

6. What is necessary to do for entering a higher educational establishment?

7. What types of higher educational establishments are there in the U.K.?

8. What courses of study are offered by higher educational establishments?

9. What are the conditions of receiving grants?

10. What are London, Oxford and Cambridge universities famous for?

Schooling in the United States

The United Stales does not have a national system of education. The function of the Federal Department of Education is merely to gather information, to advise and help finance some educational programs. All educational matters are left to individual states. 50 states are free to determine its own system for its own public school.

There are two major types of schools in the USA - public and private, or fee-paying. Four out of five private schools are run by churches, synagogues and other religious groups.

Most schools start at nursery level at the age of 3. Elementary education starts at the age of 6 and continues till 10-11 years. Secondary education is provided from the age of 11-12 years. Intermediate school includes grades 6 through 9 for ages 11 (12) up to 14(15) years. Schools of this stage are called intermediate schools or junior high schools.

A senior high school may include grades 9 through 12 or 10 through 12. Senior high schools in the United States can be classified in 3 major categories according to program. A senior high school may be comprehensive, general, or vocational. A comprehensive school is open to all youths of a community area and offers a broad program of academic, prevocational and vocational education.

A general school is also open, but it offers a more limited program. Extensive program of prevocational or vocational courses and advanced courses in academic studies are usually excluded.

A vocational school is for students of the community who are interested in its specialized area of training and a program of general education.

A specialized school is for pupils with special capabilities who are qualified to concentrate in a particular area of study. It is for the academically, musically, artistically gifted.

The American secondary school provides the course program of school subjects and a program of extracurricular activities, including organized sports. Most schools publish their own student newspapers; have orchestras, bands, choir, theatre and drama groups, etc.

High school students who wish to attend a college or university go through one of the two standard tests - SAT and ACT. They are given by non-profit, non-governmental organizations.

American Universities and Colleges

Higher education in the United States includes educational programmes which usually require for admission 12 years of elementary and secondary schooling. It is carried on under a number of forms.

The most common type of higher education is the college. It requires for admission graduation from a standard secondary school; its four-year curriculum leads to the bachelor's degree in arts and sciences.

The American college is known by various titles such as the college of liberal arts, the college of arts and sciences, and the college of literature, science and arts. The college may be the central unit around which the university is organized, or it may be a separate corporate entity, independent from the University.

The University in the United States is an educational institution comprising a college of liberal arts and sciences, a professional school leading to a professional degree and a graduate college (school). A graduate college provides programmes for study and research beyond the levels of the bachelor's and first professional degree.

The word «university», however, is also used in a broader sense, for almost any type of educational institution offering instruction beyond the level of the secondary school.

Thus in the United States there is some confusion in the use of terms «college» and «university». Some institutions that are in fact colleges of liberal arts have been incorporated in the universities. Some institutions incorporated in colleges are in fact universities with graduate and professional schools.

In addition to colleges and universities there is in the United States a large number of professional schools, separate from Universities. They provide preparation in one or more professional fields, such as law, music or theology. Junior colleges or professional schools do not offer the full four-year curriculum leading to a degree.

An institute of technology is a degree-granting institution that specializes in science and technology; some of them have graduate study. An institution offering programs of technological study only at the junior college level is known as a technical institution.

The colleges in the United States differ greatly in size - they may include from 100 to 5 000 students and more. Most of the larger institutions fall into the category of universities, the largest being University of California, State University of New York, New York University, Columbia University and others.

Task 1. Answer these questions.

1. How can you characterize the organization of school education in the USA?

2. What groups can schools in the USA be divided into?

3. What subjects are taught at schools?

4. At what age do children study at a high school?

5. What education do high schools give?

6. What colleges does a university in the USA usually have?

7. What are the ways to continue education in the USA?

8. What program has a technical or a vocational school?

9. What degrees are offered at universities in the USA?

10. What are the main universities in the USA?

“The Heart of Russian Education”

  Moscow University is by right regarded the oldest Russian university. It was established in 1755. The foundation of a university in Moscow became possible only due to the efforts of Mikhail Vasilievich Lomonosov (1711-1765), the outstanding Russian scholar and scientist, a person of encyclopedic learning. In 1940, on the occasion of its 185th Anniversary, Moscow University was named after M.V. Lomonosov.

To conform to Lomonosov’s scheme, Moscow University opened three faculties, those of philosophy, law and medicine. The students would start their course at the faculty of philosophy where they received a solid education in natural sciences and the humanities. They could then go on specializing in law, medicine or further their course at the faculty of philosophy. Unlike the universities in the West, Moscow University did not have the faculty of theology, which accounts for the existence in Russia of a special system of education for the Russian clergy.

Moscow University played an outstanding role in spreading and popularizing scientific and scholarly knowledge. Members of the general public were allowed to attend lectures delivered by Moscow University professors or be present while the students were debating different issues. In April, 1756 a printing facility and a bookshop opened on the premises of Moscow University in Mokhovaya Street. Thus began the development of book publishing in Russia. There and then the University launched the first civic periodical publication known as Moskovskiye Vedomosti (Moscow Gazette), and starting from January, 1760 they began the magazine Poleznoye Razvlecheniye (Useful Entertainment). For ten years, from 1779 to 1789, the print shop was headed by the graduate of the University grammar school, a prominent Russian representative of the Enlightenment, N.I.Novikov.

A year after the inception of the University, the library opened its doors wide. Over a hundred years it remained the only public library in Moscow.

The work of Moscow University as an enlightener of the public helped set up on its basis and with the participation of the professors and the tutors such major centres of Russian culture as Kazan grammar school (from 1804 - Kazan University), the Academy of the fine arts in St. Petersburg (until 1764 it was affiliated to Moscow University), the Maly theatre and others.

Oxford University

Oxford is a unique and historic institution. As the oldest English-speaking University in the world, it can lay claim to nine centuries of continuous existence. There is no clear date of foundation, but teaching existed at Oxford in some form in 1096 and developed rapidly from 1167, when Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Paris.

In the 13th century, rioting between town and gown (townspeople and students) hastened the establishment of primitive halls of residence. These were succeeded by the first of Oxford's colleges, which began as medieval 'halls of residence' or endowed houses under the supervision of a Master. University, Balliol and Merton Colleges, established between 1249 and 1264, are the oldest.

Less than a century later, Oxford had achieved eminence above every other seat of learning, and won the praises of popes, kings and sages by virtue of its antiquity, curriculum, doctrine and privileges. In 1355, Edward III paid tribute to the University for its invaluable contribution to learning; he also commented on the services rendered to the state by distinguished Oxford graduates.

Oxford early on became a centre for lively controversy, with scholars involved in religious and political disputes.

In the late 17th century, the Oxford philosopher John Locke, suspected of treason, was forced to flee the country. The 18th century, when Oxford was said to have forsaken port for politics, was also an era of scientific discovery and religious revival. Edmund Halley, Professor of Geometry, predicted the return of the comet that bears his name; John and Charles Wesley's prayer meetings laid the foundations of the Methodist Society.

From 1878, academic halls were established for women, who became members of the University in 1920. Since 1974, all but one of Oxford's 39 colleges has changed their statutes to admit both men and women. St Hilda's remains the only women's college.

During the 20th century, Oxford added to its humanistic core a major new research capacity in the natural and applied sciences, including medicine. In so doing, it has enhanced and strengthened its traditional role as an international focus for learning and a forum for intellectual debate.

The University of Oxford's total student population numbers over 17,000 now.

Almost a quarter of these students are from overseas, and more than 130 nationalities are represented among our student body.

Over 5,600 students are engaged in postgraduate work. Of these, around 3,000 are working in the arts and humanities.

Every year 16,500 people take part in courses offered by the University's Department for Continuing Education.

The admissions office is in contact with more than 5,000 schools and colleges across the UK, and the admissions staff visits a school, college or Higher Education Fair nearly every working day of the year.

In the most recent Teaching Quality Assessment exercises, Oxford was awarded top marks in six out of nine subjects assessed.

Oxford has been awarded a total of four Queen's Anniversary Prizes, most recently in recognition of the Refugee Studies Centre's pioneering research and innovative training programmes in the study of forced migration and refugees.

Harvard University

Harvard University is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. It was founded in 1636, just 16 years after the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth. Harvard is also one of the richest private universi­ties in the United States, with an endowment of over $4 billion. The main campus is in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The university also has several schools in Boston.

Harvard has played an important role in American life. Presidents John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy graduated from Harvard. President Rutherford B. Hayes attended Harvard law school.

Educational programme. Harvard's 10 graduate and professional schools are open to both men and women. These schools have over half the university's enrollment the schools of arts and sciences, design, di­vinity, education, law, and government are on the Cambridge campus. The schools of business administration, dental medicine, medicine, and public health are in Boston.

Many Harvard departments use a tutorial plan. Under the plan, in­dividual students or small groups meet periodically with faculty tutors for instruction in the students' major area of study. Most students who participate in tutorials do not do so until their sophomore year. Most honors candidates in departments with a tutorial plan receive tutorial instruction.

General examinations test the students' grasp of their major field. Students in some fields must pass general examinations to graduate, no matter how high their grades might be. Harvard awards about $ 145 million in financial aid to its students each year. Undergraduates re­ceive about $43 million of this aid.

The Harvard campus. The Harvard Yard is the center of the original college. Dormitories, libraries, and class buildings in a variety of archi­tectural styles stand near this grassy, shaded area. During the Revolu­tionary War, General George Washington's troops used Massachusetts Hall as barracks, and the provincial legislature met in Harvard Hall.

First-year students live in dormitories in and near the Yard, but most other students live in the 12 residential houses. These houses are mod­eled after the residential colleges of Oxford and Cambridge universities. Harvard's residential houses are more than places where students eat and sleep. They are also centers for social and educational activi­ties. Each house has its own dining hall, library, and athletic facilities. Faculty members live or eat at the house, permitting students to mix informally with instructors. The 12 residential houses are Adams, Cabot, Currier, Dunster, Eliot, Kirkland, Leverett, Lowell, Mather, North, Quincy, and Winthrop. Dudley House has facilities for students who live at home. All university housing is coeducational.

Harvard has the world's largest university library system. Its collec­tion includes more than 12 million books and pamphlets and many manuscripts, maps, microfilms, slides, and other materials. Museums on the campus include the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Eth­nology; the Botanical Museum; the Geological Museum; the Mineralogical Museum; the Museum of Comparative Zoology.

Task 1. Read the texts about old universities in the countries and say what they have in common and how they differ?

Task 2. Discuss the system of education in America using this scheme:

Situations for Discussion on “Education in Great Britain, Russia and America”

1. Make a presentation on the educational system of Russia, GB and the USA. (school and university education). Be ready to answer your classmates' questions.

2. Compare the educational systems in Russia and GB and the USA. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each system?

3. Discuss the ways the state education system in Russia differs from that in GB and the USA.

4. Compare the private sector of education in Russia, GB and the USA. What are the arguments for and against having a separate system of education for those who can afford to pay for it?

5. One of your professors has just returned from the USA where she/he was on business trip getting acquainted with the USA educational system and the system of teacher training in the USA. Interview him/her.

6. Discuss the problems that young people face choosing a career in GB. Compare them to the problems young people from Russia have. Speak about the ways students from both countries solve them.

7. A Russian student and an American student are exchanging information on systems of higher education in their countries.

8. A group of university professors from America came to your University. Be a guide to them. Show them your university and tell about the main educational principles and name the characteristic features of your university. Be ready to answer their questions.

9. A student from GB has come to your university on a summer language course. Help him to feel at home. Describe the program, the schedule of the Foreign Languages Department. Explain the difference in instruction process; acquaint him/her with students' life. Act out your talk.

10. Advertise your university /department/ as a place for getting good education.

11. Write an essay: "The system of education in GB."

12. Imagine you want to apply to Cambridge/Oxford for admission. Write the statement of purpose, paying special attention to the fact why you are particularly interested in getting education there.

13. Find some interesting information about students' life and traditions in Oxford and/or Harvard. Discuss it in class.

14. Talk on a topic suggested "A typical day at a British school", "Education in GB".

15. If you are a school principal what would do.

Part IV

AMERICANS, BRITISH, RUSSIANS AND THEIR MEALS

Цель - формирование системы знаний и представлений о еде в России и странах изучаемого языка, развитие межкультурной компетенции, расширение кругозора.

Russian cuisine

There have always been two types of Russian cuisine - on the one hand, the aristocratic, rich style and on the other hand - a peasant, simple, every­day style.

During the times many different kinds of bread, cakes and pirogs were baked and filled with things which were in the house, farm, garden, field or forest: chicken, vegetables, peas and beans, fruit, berries or mushrooms. The rivers were full of fish, so pirogs filled with all types of fish were very common. Chicken pirogs were eaten on public holidays. Meat was eaten boiled and on special occasions at the end of the meal like blessed food. There was no shortage of soup, especially vegetable soup: borsch, stchi - a soup made from marinated cabbage. Another favourite was the famous Russian kasha. So there is a Russian saying: "Stchi and kasha is all we ever get to eat".

The cuisine of the aristocracy preferred the pancakes, which were invented by Russian gourmands. The evening meal at the tzarist court comprised 20 courses for each person. There were hot broths, marinated chicken, rabbit, sausages, salads, bitter oranges, pasties, blini, sweets.

Some traditions still exist. They have survived - at family dinners, friendly parties, even in the kitchens of the communal apartments, where every housewife, and sometimes a houseman, cooked his or her own special dish. To this very day, the greatest praise which can be said to a cook is that it "tastes as if it were home-made".

Task 1. Match a word in A with the definition in B

A

1) blini (pan­cakes) 2) borsch 3) varenie (jam) 4) vareniki 5) vatrushka 6) appetizers

7) aspic 8) kulebyaka 9) okroshka 10) pelmeni 11) pirog

B

a) A small open roll of the round form with curd, sometimes with mashed potatoes, jam.

b) A cold summer soup with kvass and cut cucumbers, radishes, hard-boiled eggs, onions, greens, meat or sausage. Sour cream is often added. A traditional Russian first course is in summer.

c) A very popular Russian dish. They are baked both on holidays (e.g., for Shrovetide) and in ordinary days. They are often made with meat or fruit stuffing, eaten with butter or sour cream.

d) Made of unfavoured dough with curds, or cherries, etc. stuffing. They are cooked in the boiling water like pelmeni.

e) Various sorts of salted vegetables, smoked meat, e.g., pickles, sauerkraut, herring, vinai­grette, etc., which are served before main courses, often with strong alcoholic drinks.

f) A pie stuffed with meat, eggs, rice, mushrooms, curds, cut cabbage leaves, etc. Pies can be open or closed. Open pies are often sweet.

g) Pieces of meat or fish often with vegetables in jelly; a cold appetizer.

h) A meat soup with beetroots, tomatoes, cab­bage leaves, potatoes, onions or garlic. Originally a Ukrainian dish.

i) One of the most popular Russian dishes. They are balls made of minced meat rolled in dough. They are boiled few minutes in slightly salted water and served with sour cream, butter or vinegar.

j) A kind of a closed pie, but of a less yet longer form. In it, as compared to a pie, there is more stuffing. The stuffing is usually meat or fish. It is served separate­ly as a hot snack or together with a meat or fish broth.

k) Berries or fruits cooked in sugar syrup.

Traditional Meals in Britain

The usual meals in Britain are: breakfast, lunch, tea and supper. Breakfast is generally a bigger meal than they have on the continent, though some English people like a continental breakfast of rolls, butter and coffee. But the usual English breakfast is porridge or cornflakes with milk or cream and sugar, bacon and eggs, marmalade made from oranges with buttered toasts and tea or coffee. For a change, you can have a boiled egg, cold ham or, perhaps, fish.

People in Britain generally have lunch about one o'clock. The businessman in London usually finds it impossible to come home for lunch, and so he goes to a cafe or restaurant; but if he is making lunch at home, he has cold meat, potatoes, salad and pickles with a pudding of fruit to follow. Sometimes people have a mutton chop or steak and chips followed by biscuits and cheese, and some people like a glass of light beer with lunch.

Afternoon tea you could hardly call a meal but it is a sociable sort of thing as friends often come in then for a chat while they have their cup of tea, cake or biscuit.

In some houses dinner is the biggest meal of the day. In many English homes people make the midday meal the chief one of the day, and in the evening they have the much simpler supper - an omelette or sausages, sometimes bacon and eggs, and sometimes just bread and cheese, a cup of coffee or cocoa and fruit.

Some people also have «high tea». They say there is no use for these afternoon teas where you try to hold a cup of tea in one hand and a piece of bread and butter about as thin as a sheet of paper in the other. They have it between five and six o'clock, and have ham or tongue and tomatoes and salad or sausages with good strong tea, plenty of bread and butter, then stewed fruit, with cream or custard and pastries or a good cake. And that's what an Englishman calls a good tea.

Task 1. Match a word in A with the definition in B.

A B

Christmas Pudding Marmalade Scones Custard Ketchup Gravy

a) Sweet mixture of eggs and milk, sweetened and flavored, and baked or boiled. It is often eaten with fruit. b) Cake made from eggs, flour, sugar, mixed dried fruit, chopped peel, grated carrot and shredded suet. c) A sauce made chiefly from the juice that comes out of meat while it is being cooked. d) Sauces are the extracted juices of vegetables or fruit preserved with spices, salt and vinegar. e) Small soft tea cakes of barley meal or wheat-flour usually of quadrant or triangular shape d) It can be made from any of the citrus fruits, sweet oranges, grapefruit and lemons

American meals

What does a typical American or Canadian usually eat? Most people think that typical American diet consists mostly of fast food-hamburgers and French fries. It also includes convenience foods, usually frozen or canned, "junk food" without much food value - candy, potato chips, and cereal with lots of sugar but no vitamins and so on. This diet is high in sugar, salt, fat and high in cholesterol, and the choice of food does not provide good nutrition.

However, eating habits are changing. North Americans are becoming more interested in good health, and nutrition is an important part of health. People are eating less red meat and fewer eggs, and they are eating more chicken and fish. They know that chicken and fish are better for their health than meat or eggs because these foods do not contain much fat or cholesterol.

Some food might cause health problems, and people want to stay away from it.

For health reasons, many people are also buying more fresh vegetables. They may eat them without cooking them first, or they might cook them quickly in very little water because they want to keep the vitamins. The "typical" North American diet now includes food from many different countries. More ethnic restaurants are opening in big cities in the United States and Canada. Foods from Japan, Thailand, Mexico, West Africa, China, and India are very popular. At lunchtime many people go to ethnic fast-food places for a Mexican taco, Middle Eastern falafel, or Philippine lumpia.

How are we going to eat in the future? We will probably continue to eat more fish and vegetables and less meat. We will still buy convenience food, but frozen food will be better for our health, and canned food will have less salt and sugar. Our "junk food" in the future is not really going to be "junk" at all, because instead of candy bars we are going to eat "nutrition bars" with a lot of vitamins and protein. In the future our diet will probably be even more interesting and healthful than it is now.

Fast food

Everyone is always in a hurry these days. No one has time to sit and enjoy a meal with a friend. People want to eat now and they want to eat fast. The fast food industry tries to give them what they want, when they want it. It's an industry that's getting bigger all the time. The big names in American fast food are now well known all over the world, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut sell pizzas, chips, hot dogs, hamburgers and fried chicken from Los Angeles to London and Tokyo to Turin.

These multi-million dollar companies work hard, to get more customers. Big lights and TV advertisements are not enough. The waiters wear special uniforms. There are lots of big mirrors and bright colours. Many of the fast food restaurants have special offers for families and do their best to attract children. Some even organise children's birthday parties. For busy parents with no ideas and plenty of money, a birthday party at McDonald's can save a lot of time and trouble. But you can't eat fast food all the time. Doctors say chips make you fat, and dentists say coca cola spoils your teeth. It's the old, old story everything that's nice is bad for you!

Task 1. While reading the text Food personalities keep the following questions in mind.

1. What does a typical America or Canadian usually eat?

2. What's wrong with the typical North American diet?

3. How are people changing their eating habits?

4. What food will we eat in the future?

Food Personalities

People express their personalities in their clothes, their cars and their homes. Because we might choose certain foods to "tell" people something about us, our diets can also be an expression of our personalities. For example, some people eat mainly gourmet food, such as caviar and lobster, and they eat only in expensive restaurants (never in cafeterias or snack bars). They might want to "tell" the world that they know about the "better things in life".

Human beings can eat many different kinds of food, but some people choose not to eat meat. Vegetarians often have more in common than just their diet. Their personalities might be similar, too. For example, vegetarians in the United States may be creative people and they might not enjoy competitive sports or jobs. They worry about the health of the world and they probably don't believe in war.

Some people eat mostly "fast food." One study shows that many fast-food eaters have a lot in common with one another, but they are very different from vegetarians.

They are competitive and good at business. They are also usually in a hurry. Many fast-food eaters might not agree with this description of their personalities, but it is a common picture of them.

Some people also believe that people of the same astrological sign have the same food personalities.

Arians (born under the sign of Aries, between March 21 and April 19) usually like spicy food, with a lot of onions and pepper. People with the sign of Taurus (April 20 to May 20) prefer healthful fruit and vegetables, but they often eat too much.

Sagittarians (November 22 to December 21) like ethnic food from many different countries. Aquarians (January 20 to February 18) can eat as much meat and fish as they want, but sugar and cholesterol are sometimes problems for them.

Task 2. Circle the letter of one main idea of the reading:

A. The typical North American diet now includes food from many different countries.

B. For health reasons more people are also buying more raw vegetables.

C. "Junk food" in the future is not going to be "Junk" at all.

4. North Americans are becoming more interested in good health, and nutrition is an important part of health.

Task 3. True or false:

A. All North Americans eat only fast food, convenience food, and junk food with a lot of sugar, salt and fat. ___________________

B. People today are becoming more interested in good nutrition and more healthful cooking methods._________________

C. Food from other countries is not very popular with North Americans. ______________

4. In the future people will probably continue to eat more healthful food. ______________

Task 4. Find the answers to the following questions and put them down:

1. What food are North Americans eating more for better nutrition?

2. What food are they eating less?

3. Why do people cook vegetables quickly in very little water?

4. What ethnic food do Americans often eat?

5. How will convenience food change in the future?

6. Why will junk food be more healthful?

Task 5. Discuss the following in class with your friends:

1. What was your idea of the typical American diet before you've read the text (before your visit to the States)? Have your ideas changed?

2. What do you think about these kinds of food: fast, convenience, junk? Do we have them in Russia?

3. Can you give more reasons for changes in American diet?

4. What ethnic food do Americans often eat? Do you sometimes eat it? If so, what? If not, why not?

5. What kinds of food do you most often eat? Are you trying any new food?

What's your idea of the typical Russian diet?

6. Are we changing our eating habits? If so, how then?

Personal Stories

Task 1.

• Read the text and tell the main ideas. Express your opinion of the main ideas. Say some words about your eating style.

• Ask your friends questions about their eating styles. Draw you conclusions.

• Say to what extent your eating style / your friends' eating styles differs from a typical American eating style.

My Diet

I try to stay healthy, so I almost never eat junk food, and I don't usually go to fast-food places. I read a lot of articles in magazines about health, and I'm taking a nutrition course at the local college. But I have a problem. I worry too much about health. I know poor nutrition causes sickness. When my professor gives a lecture about vitamin C, I feel that I need more of it in my diet. I begin to eat lots of oranges. Then she gives a lecture on cholesterol, and I worry that I have too much of it in my diet. I don't want to have a heart attack, so I eat no eggs, butter, or cream and almost no red meat. Then I read about the importance of fiber, and I worry again. Maybe I don't have enough of it in my diet. So I start to eat lots of cereal, whole wheat bread, and so on.

I can't relax when I worry about my health. Then I get depressed. Unfortunately, depression has a powerful effect on me. When I feel depressed, I also feel a strong need to eat junk food. I get some cola, a big bag of potato chips, a hot.

Speak on the following situations:

1. Lunch time: you are in the US. You are not feeling too well. It's nearly lunch time, but you don't want very much to eat. You think a sandwich and a drink is enough, your partner is going to eat a sandwich and offers to bring something for you. Find out what you can get and choose something you like. Where can your friend get it?

2. A good dinner. You are visiting Washington on business. You have plenty of money. Your partner is another visitor to the same conference. Find out if your friend can come.

3. You are in the US. Your partner is visiting your office on business. She/he doesn't know the town. It's nearly lunch time, you'll have to come back to finish your business after lunch. Suggest lunch to your partner. Find out where she/ he would like to go.

4. Find a suitable place to eat for each situation in the USA:

• You expect to talk business over lunch, so you want somewhere small and quiet. You're rather hungry.

• Your partner is a very important guest and might become a big client of your company. You would like to please and impress your partner. The company will pay for the lunch anyway, and you've been told it doesn't matter how much it costs, providing your partner is pleased.

Your partner:

• You want to talk business over lunch, so you would prefer something small and quiet. You don't like eating big meals at lunch time.

• You really don't want anything more than a sandwich and a drink.

5. Ask your American friend about his/her favorite breakfast and dinner dishes. In turn describe your favourite dishes.

6. You are in the US out to dinner with an important guest, who you want to wine and dine properly. What would you say to the head waiter and what would you suggest your guest to order?

7. Exchange opinions with your friends about each other's eating habits. Express your opinions about it. If necessary give some helpful advice how to make it healthier. Do you think your friends' eating styles differ from Americans' ones?

8. Arrange a discussion on typical American and Russian diets. State advantages and disadvantages of each. Find out which diet your friends would prefer to follow, if they have any stereotypes about American diet.

9. Living to eat or eating to live? Which one do you support? Discuss it with your friends and find arguments for and against each part of the statement.

10. Exchange opinions about the difference in men's and women's attitude to food and dieting. Is it different in the States and in your country? Compare the differences and make your conclusions.

11. Poll your friends and find out what they think about the following.

• What is healthy food for you?

• What is your opinion of dieting?

• How many of your friends (classmates) have rational meals (regular meals)?

• Are you much of a cook? Cooking what dishes are you particularly good at?

• What would you prefer: to buy a new thing to wear or to have a couple of good meals with plenty of fruit and vegetables?

• Do you have a sweet tooth? If so, what sort of sweet do you favor?

• To what extent are you a vegetarian?

• Do you economize on food?

• How often do you think about what you are eating?

12. An American friend of yours has come to Russia. Ask him questions about his dislikes and likes in food. Share some information about Russian food with him. As he is a first time visitor to Russia give him some tips of advice on getting something to eat in Russia.

13. Compare dinner parties in Russia and America. Say how different they are, what they have in common (how different the table setting is, who serves the guests in each country: the hosts or they do it themselves). What is polite to do at a formal dinner party and what is not? How can you help your guests feel comfortable? What are some secrets of a successful dinner party? Do you think you are a good host/hostess?

14. Cultural differences at dinner party. What are the customs for entertaining guests at dinner in the US / Russia? Explain the difference to the class.

Part V

PLACES OF INTEREST