Larger than Life

Say 'Sean Connery' to the man in the street and he'll probably say 'James Bond'. The famous British secret agent, 007, has been played by six actors in the last forty years, but Connery was the original and probably the best. He was larger than life both on the screen and in the flesh. Even in his 60s, he was chosen by the readers of an international women's magazine as The World's Most Attractive Man.

Interview with Mr. Ian Beer, Head Master of Harrow School

Interviewer: Let me ask you first, er, Harrow School and schools like it are known as 'independent schools, and until recently they were referred to as 'public' schools. Why is it that a private school was known as a public school?

Mr. Beer: You must remember that the vast majority of the independent schools were founded well before any government in this country made state education available to all. Therefore, before 1900, all these independent schools were available to the total public. Admittedly they had to pay fees. And that is where the name 'public' came from. Once the government began to legislate to give all children in the land a state education the public schools, which were indeed private, changed their name to being 'independent', in other words independent of government control.

III. Read and transcribe the following sentences.

1. Each person's life is lived as series of conversations.

2. Happiness is the best cosmetics.

3. A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong it is until it's in hot water.

4. A good story is at its best when the line between truth and fiction remains ambiguous.

5. Memory is often less about the truth than what we want it to be.

6. Honesty is probably the sexiest thing a man can give to a woman.

7. The way to change others' minds is with affection, and not anger.

8. Haste is good only in catching fleas.

9. A land which a conqueror cannot hold has not been conquered.

10. An actor's a guy who, if you aren’t talking about him, he isn't listening.

IV. Complete the following table.

Verbs	Strong form	Weak forms
			quantitative reduction	qualitative reduction	zero reduction
					/kn/
				/kqd/
must
			/bI/
been
	/R/
am
	/Iz/
was
				/wq/
	/hxv/
has
	/hxd/
will
				/wqd/
	/Sxl/
				/Sqd/
do
	/dAz/

V. Read the statements very carefully. If my statement is correct, agree to it, if not – correct it. Be sure to use one of the phrases offered below. Keep in mind the intonation of final and non-final sense groups.

1. Yes, I agree entirely here.

2. I couldn't agree more.

3. I fully agree

4. I'm hundred per cent for it!

5. I'm both hands for!

6. It really looks like that.

7. That's my way of looking at it too.

8. Yes, that's true.

9. What you say is perfectly true.

1. I'm afraid you're wrong.

2. I've got some reasons to disagree.

3. I've got an argument to oppose.

4. I wouldn't say that exactly.

5. Not in the least!

6. Just the other way round!

7. Well, I'm not so sure.

8. That's totally unfounded.

9. What a nonsense!

10. Bosh!

1. The verbs "to be", "to have", "to do" and their grammatical forms are stressed and not reduced when they are used in their direct meaning.

2. Auxiliary, modal and link verbs are usually unstressed and used in their full forms when they begin a sentence.

3. Auxiliary, modal and link verbs have their full forms at the end of a sentence or a word-group. They are either stressed or unstressed.

4. Auxiliary, modal and link verbs are stressed and not reduced in their contracted negative forms.

5. The auxiliary verb "to do" is unstressed and used in its weak form when it is used emphatically.