- •A small world of great people. The day is lost
- •Mark twain
- •Mark Twain’s Jokes
- •Mark Twain and the Guard
- •A Journey with Mark Twain
- •Mark Twain and his Doubles
- •He doesn’t Say
- •Mark Twain’s Answer
- •One of Mark Twain’s Jokes
- •Mark Twain’s Lecture
- •Music — the Life Saver
- •He never Heard Her in “Carmen”
- •One More Funny Story
- •Find out the key sentence of it;
- •Entitle the story;
- •Prove your point of view.
- •Imagine Mark Twain’s reaction to the storekeeper’s words.
- •Is your last sentence close to the original?
- •Whose variant is better? The Author’s or yours?
- •Say which points are really worth discussing;
- •Prove your opinion.
- •Mark Twain is Home to Stay
- •Jack london
- •Jack London and the Editor
- •Try to do your best to attract the classmates’ attention, telling them
- •Balzac1
- •A Story about Balzac
- •Balzac as a Handwriting Expert
- •Balzac and the Thief
- •Jonathan swift
- •Conan doyle
- •Sherlock Holmes and a Taxi-Driver.
- •About Conan Doyle
- •1) You read more willingly;
- •2) Contains much more information about the same incident.
- •Bernard shaw
- •The First Night Performance
- •Too Great a Majority
- •Robert burns
- •How many of them?
- •What are they? What his Life Was Worth
- •What his Life Was Worth
- •Samuel johnson
- •Samuel Johnson
- •What made the woman angry;
- •If Johnson mentioned all parts of speech. Erich remarque1
- •George washington
- •President;
- •Personality.
- •George Washington 1
- •The Secretary’s Watch1
- •An Officer Who Learnt a Lesson
- •George Washington’s Birthday (February 22)1
- •Glossary
- •Lincoln
- •President;
- •Personality.
- •Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday (February 12)
- •Benjamin franklin
- •Benjamin Franklin
- •Isaac newton
- •Columbus
- •Columbus and the Egg
- •1) Well-known to you;
- •2) Unknown to you.
- •Columbus Day (Second Monday in October)
- •Diogenes1
- •Alexander of Macedon
- •Diogenes and Alexander the Great
- •Diogenes
- •Diogenes
- •Joseph turner 1
- •A Story about Joseph Turner
- •1) Shorter, missing some pieces of unimportant information;
- •2) Longer, adding some more important details.
- •Michelangelo 1
- •Michelangelo
- •Murillo
- •A Slave
- •Rossini1
- •Rossini’s Old Acquaintances
- •The Great Poet
- •His First Opera
- •The Blind Man and the Great Artist
- •The blind man;
- •The artist;
- •A person from the crowd.
- •Enrico caruso
- •Enrico Caruso
- •Matthews
- •Matthews and his Servant
- •Revision exercises
- •I ndividual
The Secretary’s Watch1
2.
George Washington did not like people who was always late. One morning his secretary come late and saw that Washington is in his office already. The secretary said that his clock were wrong that morning. Washington replied quietly: “Yes, you must get other clock, and if that will not help you, I get other secretary.”
An Officer Who Learnt a Lesson
3.
In the American War of Independence, an officer and a group of soldiers were raising a heavy tree from the ground. They needed it for a battery. There were not enough soldiers for the work; but the officer didn't do anything; he only shouted orders. Suddenly another older officer, not in uniform, rode up on his horse.
"Hullo!" he cried to the officer of the group, "Why don't you help your men to lift that tree?"
"Can't you see that I am an officer?" was the reply.
"Oh, you are, are you?" said the older officer, who then came down from his horse and joined the men. He worked till drops of sweat covered his face. When they finished the job and put the tree in its place, the older man turned to the younger officer and bowed. "Good-bye, sir. Next time when you do not have enough men for this sort of work, invite the Commander-in-Chief. I will be happy to help you again."
It was Washington himself, the Commander-in-Chief of the army…
Ex.2. Reread the stories attentively again.
No doubt, you’ve noticed some mistakes in the 2nd story.
Try to correct them.
Ex.3. Consult the key to make sure that you’ve done it perfectly.
Ex.4. Read the texts again.
Point out the key words and word combinations in them.
Ex.5. Read some more information about George Washington.
Make up [2, 3 …] key questions for your classmates to discuss.
George Washington’s Birthday (February 22)1
George Washington, born February 22, 1732 in Virginia, was a natural leader and instrumental in creating a united nation out of a conglomeration of struggling colonies and territories. The first president of the United States of America is affectionately honored as "the father of his country". Washington led and encouraged his inexperienced troops against the British forces when the colonies went to war against King George III and England. The Boston Tea Party of 1773 was a colonial rebellion against taxes and it helped to spark the American Revolution. Eight years later the colonies won their independence. Laws for the new country were written into the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The laws called for a president, and George Washington was considered the natural choice.
Washington was a reluctant leader. As he inspired his soldiers through two wars, he saw himself serving his country, not leading it. When he accepted two terms as president, he saw himself serving God and his country in peacetime.
Americans celebrated Washington's Birthday while he was still alive. They were grateful for a strong leader who had proved that democracy was a feasible way to govern the growing country. While he was alive, legends grew up about him. The most famous one says that he was so strong; he threw a silver dollar across the Potomac River. George Washington's faith in God was so great that he believed he would not be shot or hurt before it was his time to die. This belief in God's sovereignty gave Washington courage to speed his horse across open fields in front of enemy fire. Washington died on December 14, 1799 of pneumonia and unwise medical procedures by attending doctors.