attachments_11-09-2012_12-38-12 / app and character продолж

D. Opposites

Many positive words describing character have clear opposites with a negative

Jane is very tense at the moment because of her exams, but she's usually quite relaxed and easy-going about most things.

I think the weather influences me a lot: when it's sunny I feel more cheerful and optimistic, but when it's cold and raining I get very miserable.

He seemed a bit unfriendly at first, but now I've got to know him I realise he's very warm and kind.

The shop assistant told me that the dress I tried on looked better on people younger than me. I thought that was very insensitive of her, but at least she was being honest, I suppose.

E. Character in action

People often talk about qualities of character that you may need in a work situation. Again, some of these words come in pairs of opposites: one positive and one negative.

Positive hard-working

punctual (= always on time)

reliable

clever, bright (infml) flexible

ambitious

Some pairs of opposites do not have a particularly positive or negative meaning: He is very shy when you first meet him because he finds it difficult to talk to

people and make conversation; but when he knows people quite well he's much more self-confident.

People often say the British are very reserved (= do not show their feelings), but when you get to know them they can be very emotional like anyone else.

F. Using nouns

Some important qualities are expressed through nouns.

One of her great qualities is that she uses her initiative. (= she can think for

herself and take the necessary action; she does not need to wait for orders all the time)

That boy has got no common sense (= he does stupid things and doesn't think what he is doing). His sister, on the other hand, is very sensible. (= has lots of common sense)

G. One person's meat is another person's poison

Some characteristics can be either positive or negative depending on your point of view. The words in the right-hand column mean roughly the same as the words in the left-hand column except that they have negative rather than positive connotations.

III.VOCABULARY EXERCISES

1.Organise these words into pairs of opposites and put them in the columns below. Do you know any people with these personality traits?

Do you know any people with these personality traits?

e.g. "My neighbour is bad-tempered …"

2.Match these words with their opposites.

B. Look at the two groups of adjectives below. Those in group A are favourable, those in group B are unfavourable. Pair the adjectives in group A with their opposites in group B.

Which five adjectives in group A do you think are the most important in a friend? Which five adjectives in group B describe people you dislike most?

3. Do you think that the speaker likes or dislikes the people s/he is talking about?

1.Do you prefer to be in the company of other people?

2.Do you find it easy to tell your boss if you feel he or she has treated you badly?

3.Do you always look out of the window if you hear a car draw up?

4.Do you often buy your friends presents for no particular reason?

5.Do you frequently disagree with what other people say?

6.Do you lie awake at night if someone has said something unkind to you?

6.What questions like those in Ex. 5 could you ask to try to find out whether a person is the following:

7. What nouns can be formed from these adjectives? Use a dictionary to help you.

………

Write a sentence to illustrate the meanings of each of your words.

9. Choose five or six adjectives from the Essential Vocabulary which you think best describe either your own or a friend's character. How do you or your friend demonstrate these characteristics? Example: Sociable - I am sociable because I love being with other people.

10.Work with a partner. Match the adjectives describing character with the

1.someone who keeps changing their mind about people or things (negative)

2.someone who wants others to think they have better morals than they have; they say one thing and do another (negative)

3.a tendency to say things are better, worse or more important than they really are

4.when you trust people too much and believe what they say as a result of your innocence and lack of experience (negative)

5.someone who behaves dishonestly and tries to keep the truth hidden (negative)

6.someone who behaves dishonestly and tries to keep the truth hidden (negative)

7.someone who changes their behaviour so that you never know what they are going to do

8.someone who shows understanding towards other people's feelings or problems or someone who gets upset or hurt easily

11.Listen to four conversations about these people. Check ( ) the adjective that best describes each person.

Best description

III. ADDITIONAL TOPICAL VOCABULARY

General

personality, quality (innate quality), trait (hereditary/ acquired traits), split personality, aptitude (for), capability, ability, characteristic feature, behaviour (behavioural pattern), reaction, response, attitude, merit (strength), weakness, fault, sin, to estimate, self-esteem, virtue

Innate Qualities

active, inert, vivacious, sleepyhead, quick, slowpoke (dawdler), cheerful, merry, bore, amiable, nuisance, sullen, calm (placid), irritable, peevish, composed, hot/ quick/ short-tempered, neat, sloven, defiant, (dis)obedient, sensitive, callous, touchy, emotional, sober-minded, (ir)rational, trustworthy, superstitious, ambitious, arrogant, boastful, capricious, self-assured, self-blaming, self-confident, self-critical, selfdenying, self-disciplined

Powers of Mind

broad-minded, narrow-minded, quick-minded, slow-minded, quick-witted, bright, dull (dummy), clever, smart, foolish, wise, silly, intelligent, stupid, blunt, shallow, well-read, ill-read, (un)educated, ignorant, illiterate, unlettered, learned, talented, feeble-minded, gifted, ordinary, genius, simple-minded (-hearted), sophisticated, unreasonable

Volitional Powers

bold coward, brave, feeble, courageous, timid, daring, cautious, fearless, fearful, firm, hesitant, steady, doubtful, obstinate, flexible, stubborn, persistent, (ir)resolute, strong-/weak-willed,independent, submissive; to stand one’s ground; able to stand up to; unable to control one’s emotions, to show resistance to; show presence of mind; lacking self-reliance; lost

Man and Other People

amiable, withdrawn, communicable, detached, (un)fair, faithful, frank, hypocritical (deceitful), honest, suspicious, (un)just, sincere, false, sympathetic, indifferent, (un)reliable, open, double-faced, reserved, trustful, treacherous, quarrelsome, trusting, sociable, keeping aloof, sly (cunning), haughty, affectionate, jealous, snobbish, gentle, harsh, tender, severe, flexible, tough, mild (soft), strict, genial, cruel, good-natured, dominant, undemanding, pushy, wicked, hostile, dignified, mean, regretful, noble, altruistic, egoistic, selfish, moral, evil, reputable, honorable, scoundrel, (im)polite, tactless, tactful, (dis)respectful, scornful, well-/ill-mannered, well-/ill-behaved

Man and Property

generous, greedy, open-hearted, stingy, economical, thrifty, wasteful, extravagant, intemperate

Man and his Work

(ir)responsible, careless, attentive, casual, diligent, unconcerned, hard-working, indifferent, industrious, lazy, disciplined, idle, punctual, sloppy, concentrated, distracted, commited, shirker, accomplished, incompetent,, unskilled, dedicated, slacker, concerned, awkward

Emotional State

calm, anxious, placid, nervous, quiet, upset, sorrowful, gloomy, cheerful, grim, elated, miserable, delighted, disappointed, inspired, distressed, frustrated, enthusiastic, moody, excited, low, agitated, blue, passionate, apathetic, in a good/ bad mood, in high/ low spirit

V. Additional Vocabulary Exercises

Ex.1. Give Russian equivalents to the following:

1) brave; 2) simple-minded; 3) unreasonable; 4) industrious; 5) unreliable; 6) frank; 7) trustworthy; 8) unfair; 9) broad-minded; 10) persistent; 11) obedient; 12) trait; 13) quick-tempered; 14) selfish; 15) greedy.

Match the following words and expressions from column A with those in column B.

Ex. 2. Give the English equivalents to the following:

1.чувство юмора;

2.сдержанный, даже скрытный человек;

3.скромная простодушная девушка;

4.мудрый старец;

5.лентяй;

6.зануда;

7.романтическая натура;

8.материально обеспеченный мужчина;

9.неуравновешенный честолюбивый юноша;

10.медлительный туповатый человек.

Ex. 3. Translate the sentences using the words and phrases from the right column in the proper form.

3.He easily loses his … .

4.She is not the kind of woman …

5.My type is a … … … guy.

6.In addition to being selfish, he is … .

7.He has good traits as well - let's say - he is goal oriented, …, … .

8.I hate this guy, he is so … … … .

9.I like … … … women.

10.She wanted to praise his kids; they were so … . 11.He is married to his work, he is just a … . 12.Would you prefer to have a … as a husband?

Ex. 7. Answer the following questions, using the words below.

What would you say of a person:

1.Who always says what he thinks?

2.Who never boasts?

3.Who is always ready to share what he has got with others?

4.Who is fond of praising himself?

5.Who always achieves his aim?

6.Who is hard to get along with?

7.Who is easily hurt?

8.Who grasps things easily?

9.Who makes friends easily?

10.Who is never shy with strangers?

11.Who works a lot?

12.Who can not behave?

13.Who never says what's on his mind?

14.Who cannot be trusted?

15.Who you cannot rely on?

16.Who easily obeys other people's wishes, orders?

17.Who refuses to obey or accept orders?

18.Who feels or shows kindness?

19.Who is pleasant and friendly?

20.Who doesn't show any personal opinion?

21.Who suspects that one cannot be trusted?

22.Who is (seems) interested only in his own thoughts?

affectionate, braggart, bright, confident, defiant, detached, frank, hard-working, illbred, ill-mannered, kind, modest, persistent, reliable, sociable, suspicious, outgoing, quarrelsome, quick to take offence, unreasonable, unreliable, withdrawn

Ex. 8. Translate the sentences from English into Russian.

1.She is a careless and two-faced person. I consider her very unpleasant, but not at all stupid.

2.She can't be called attractive but she is very warm-hearted and generous. Handsome is as handsome does, you know.

3.You don't know him as well as I do. He is well-bred and pleasant to deal with, though he's a bit pretentious.

4.They make a strange couple. She is full of joy and gaiety and he looks so sullen.

5.He was an eccentric, arrogant, exuberant, vain and charming fellow.

6.His most engaging trait was his good humour.

7.He could not bear to throw his money about. He was not exactly mean, but he was not generous. "Neither a borrower nor a lender be", he quoted from Polonius.

8. She has a wonderful charming personality.

Ex. 9. Complete the following sentences:

1.My best friend has the most engaging traits all …

2.If you want to be popular with others you must be …

3.I think that what makes a student unpopular with other is …

4.In my opinion, the traits of character which people appreciate in their political leaders are …

5.To make a good friend (чтобы стать хорошим другом) one has to be …

Ex. 10.Translate the character descriptions:

A.

The new man in the office seemed very agreeable and confident in himself. He was certainly ambitious but at the same time respectful of his co-workers. His selfreliant and straightforward mannerisms gave him a competitive advantage when compared with his co-workers.

One of his co-workers was obviously selfish and arrogant. He was the salesman of the team and was expected to be detached and practical-minded. Rather, he was subject to such mood swings as to make him totally unpredictable. At times he could even appear to be casual, warm-hearted, self-blaming, regretful, submissive and withdrawn. He could be almost affectionate.

B.

-I had one student last year, a girl. She's pretty, but not a movie star; bur her personality is really something.

-What do you mean?

- Well, she is always prepared with her work and very willing to recite in class. She is always smiling and, in general, seems very good-natured.

Ex. 11. Translate the dialogues from Russian into English.

1.

-Кто из этих трех девушек Энн Браун?

-Самая высокая

-Та, у которой кудрявые волосы?

-Да, правильно.

-Спасибо.

2.

-Кто этот пожилой, седой джентльмен с приятной наружностью?

-О, это фотография дяди Джорджа.

-А кто эта симпатичная девушка с овальным лицом и приятной улыбкой?

-Это его младшая дочь.

-Какие у тебя симпатичные родственники!

3.

-Давай дадим Тому шанс завтра.

-Я думаю, что он слишком полный и неуклюжий для игры в футбол.

-Но это же здорово. Это нам только поможет. Все наши противники будут все время сталкиваться с ним (smash against)

4.

-Я встретил Лиззи и просто не узнал ее.

-Я слышал, она болела.

-Бедняжка, она действительно выглядит больной. Похудела, бледная,

ищеки ввалились.

-Это ужасно. Я должен обязательно навестить ее завтра.

5.

-Петя, кто-то приходил к тебе, когда тебя не было дома.

-Я его знаю?

-Конечно. Угадай. Кто-то высокий и стройный с большими голубыми глазами и темными волосамию

-Это Нелли, да?

-Нет, попробуй еще.

6.

-У нас будет работать новый преподаватель английского языка,

мистер Джоунз.

-Его имя мне кажется знакомым. Вы его видели? Как он выглядит?

-Он небольшого роста, довольно полный, круглолицый, лысеющий, с

небольшой бородкой.

-О, это напоминает мне… я думаю, что знаю его: он преподавал в школе, где я училась раньше.

7.

-Тебе нравится новая прическа Мэри?

-У нее длинные волосы, но они не вьются.

-Но длинные волосы сейчас в моде.

-Да, но модное не всегда самое красивое, не так ли?

Ex. 12. Render the story in English.

Рекомендательные письма

Один джентельмен подал объявление, что ему нужен помощник в офисе.

Около 50 юношей ответили на рекламу. Джентльмен вскоре выбрал одного,

остальным отказал.

Его друг спросил: "Хотел бы я знать, на каком основании ты выбрал этого юношу. Ведь у него не было ни одной рекомендации".

"Ты ошибаешься, - сказал джентльмен, - их было много. Он вытер ноги,

когда вошел, закрыл за собой дверь. Ясно, что он аккуратен и любит порядок.

Он немедленно уступил место старому человеку, показывая, что он добр и предупредителен. Он снял шляпу, когда вошел, и отвечал на мои вопросы быстро и уважительно, показывая, что он вежлив. Он поднял книгу, которую я намеренно положил на пол до этого, и положил ее на стол, тогда как все остальные перешагивали через нее. Это показывает, что он очень внимателен.

Он спокойно ждал своей очереди, а не расталкивал других. Это говорит о том,

что он скромен. Когда я говорил с ним, я видел, что его одежда чистая, волосы причесаны, зубы белые. Когда он писал свое имя, я заметил, что у него чистые ногти. Разве ты не назовешь все эти вещи рекомендательными пистмами? То,

что я могу увидеть собственными глазами за 10 минут, стоит больше, чем все прекрасные письма, которые ты можешь принести с собой".

Ex. 13. Translate the sentences from Russian into English.

1. Как славно, что мама такая веселая, а какая она умница, и какой у нее тонкий вкус! 2. Бойкие, неугомонные, они у всех путались под ногами, но были оба жизнерадостные и приветливые. 3. Он был человеком благородным и