Reading

1. Skimming

1. Read the title and define the theme of the text.

2. Run over (skim) the article and define the type of writing it belongs to; give the gist in 2 or 3 sentences.

2. Scanning

Examine (scan) the text for right answers to the following questions.

1. Why is it necessary for an employee to be happy?

2. What should managers do to make employees feel happy?

3. What are the four principles of happiness developed by a French physician and management consultant?

4. What are the traits of a happy person according to social psychologist David D. Myers

5. Positive thinking is very important, isn’t it? Why?

3. Close reading

1. Comment on the structural components of the essay (introduction, body, conclusion). How is each of them related to the topic discussed?

2. Comment on the introductory paragraphs from the point of view of the presentation form (direct  indirect; narrative  descriptive  expository), syntactical and lexical characteristics (types of sentences, choice of words).

3. Comment on the body of the text from the point of view of the devices used (grammatical, lexical, graphic), the tone of narration (formal/informal, matter-of-fact/excited etc.).

4. Comment on the concluding paragraphs from the point of view of both their content and their form; define the message of the article.

5. Comment on the layout of the article and the devices which contribute to the logical character of presentation and the reasoning given by the author.

6. Extract the semantic clues concerning the problem of happiness and get ready to ask questions on the main statements of the article.

4. Critical Reading

1. Say if the author succeeded in developing the topic he chose for discussion. Give your arguments for or against.

2. Give a critical judgement and appreciation of the argumentation and the style of the text.

3. Do you agree that positive thinking is of great help in our life?

Word study

1. Match the two columns.

favourable opinion, high regard	extrovert
happening naturally, not planned beforehand	punctual
happening or arising again	inevitable
that can’t be avoided	sugar – coat
observing the appointed time	self – esteem
make an unpleasant thing appear attractive	spontaneous
an outgoing person	recurring

2. Give as many derivatives as you can of the words below.

1) happy 2) necessary 3) basic 4) tardy 5) punctual

employ manage enjoy create equal

joy esteem effect spontaneous

3. Find in the text:

1. synonyms to the following: pleasant, unavoidably, doctor, late;

2. antonyms to the following: joyless, despair, introversion, destructive, negatively, to raise.

4. Find in the text the English for:

1) разработать/выработать принципы

2) следовать принципам

3) удовлетворение работой

4) выговаривать кому-то за что-то

5) избегать мыслей о проблемах

6) при необходимости

7) если вам не доставляют удовольствия мысли о...

8) выделить признаки

9) приукрашивать

5. Say this in Russian.

1) to take responsibility; to be responsible

2) it is irresponsible to behave like that

3) the rest of your work

4) to dwell on problems

5) to control / to handle / to manage the situation

6. Use an EnglishEnglish dictionary to differentiate between the following.

To f o l l o w:

1. You do first and I’ll follow you.

2. Follow this road until you reach the church.

3. He spoke so fast that I couldn’t follow him.

4. He will follow his father as manager of the business.

5. He followed his friend’s advice.

To r a i s e:

a) to raise a weight

b) to raise a monument

c) to raise one’s voice

d) to raise a question

e) to raise crops

f) to raise the money

To m a n a g e:

a) to manage a business, a household, the affairs, etc.

b) His wife is a very managing person.

c) I shan’t be able to manage without help.

d) Can you manage another slice of cake?