Enjoy yourself

Exercise 51 Read and translate the following funny story. What would you do in such a situation if you were:

1) an old-fashioned English conductor, or

2) a young Ukrainian railwayman.

An old lady on her first railroad trip noticed the bell cord overhead and was told by a naughty boy that it was to ring when she wanted anything to eat.

Shortly afterwards the old lady reached up with her umbrella and gave it a pull. The whistle sounded, the brakes were put on, and the train stopped. In a few seconds the conductor came rushing through the train and asked:

‘Who pulled that bell?’

‘I did,’ replied the old lady. ‘You may bring me some ham sandwiches and a cup of tea, if you will.’

Do you know that…

the word University (Latin universitas) like the word College (Latin collegium) meant originally a society of people with a common employment; it was only later that it came to be associated with scholarship (here: knowledge obtained by study)?

Tripos is a degree examination at Cambridge? In the past, when the student went for his degree examination it took him some time to show his knowledge of three subjects (Grammar, Logic and Rhetoric). So he was allowed to bring a small stool or ‘Tripos’ to sit on, and to this day the degree examinations at Cambridge are called ‘Tripos’ examinations.

‘Town and Gown’ Battles took place in the past and especially in the 14^th century, when there were a great number of quarrels between townsmen and students? The University was anxious to be independent of the Town, and the Town was anxious for authority over the new student population. The biggest quarrel broke out in 1354 which turned into a three day fight during which many students were killed.

Exercise 52 Comment on the use of the gerund in the following proverbs and sayings. Memorize them. Give their Ukrainian equivalents.

1. Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing him. 2. Doing is better than saying. 3. You can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs. 4. Clean hands want no washing.

Exercise 53 Look at this word train. The words are connected like the carriages of a train – the last letter of one word is the first letter of the next.

1 compartment 2 t  3  4  5 

6  7  8  9 

10  11  12  

13   14  

15   16  17 

18  19 

20   21 

Clues

1 section of a train carriage (11)

2 metal line of rails (5)

3 small metal objects for starting or locking a car (4)

4 the oldest trains used this form of power (5)

5 diagram showing the position of towns, roads, villages, etc. (3)

6 pavement in a station next to the track (8)

7 distance travelled in miles (7)

8 machine that drives the train (6)

9 way out (4)

10 apparatus for sending messages by the use of electric current along wires or by radio (9)

11 building where travellers can rent a room for the night (5)

12 secure container in which you can leave your suitcase or bag (two words: 7,6)

13 part of a train where meals are served (two words: 10,3)

14 ticket from one place to another and back (two words: 6,6)

15 car with driver that you can hire (two words: 4,3)

16 snack bar in a railway station or on a train (6)

17 underground passage through which a train or car can travel (6)

18 large luxurious car (9)

19 moving stairs (9)

20 special card which allows someone to travel free or cheaply (two words: 4,4)

21 train which has beds (7)

(Answers: luggage locker, escalator, rail pass, compartment, sleeper, restaurant car, hotel, keys, map, telegraph, return ticket, tunnel, steam, buffet, limousine, exit, track, platform, engine, mileage, taxi cab)

U N I T 8

Grammar: Infinitive

Attributive Groups

Text: High Speed Rail Network

Supplementary texts: A High-speed trains versus automobiles and airplanes

B What is Maglev?

C Russian / German High-Speed Pact

Word Building: Conversion, Compound Words