On english food

The usual meals are breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner. Breakfast is a really a big meal, but one would find that lunch is not small either. The usual breakfast is porridge with milk or cream and sugar, bacon and eggs, marmalade with buttered toast, and tea or coffee.

At lunch which is about one o'clock, cold mutton or fish with potatoes, salad and pickles generally grace the table.

After lunch most people take coffee, though tea is the favourite beverage in England. That is why there are no «coffee-houses» there, but tea-rooms and luncheon-rooms there are in abundance. There is nothing like an English tea-party, be it at home or in the open air. Such little at-homes and outings do much to further sociability and make you feel on good terms with all the company in a short time, which is very helpful to a foreigner in England. Afternoon tea can hardly be called a meal. Tea is made at the table. It is very strong and drunk with sugar and cream. It would be an offence to take lemon in your tea.

When outing, that is, on a picnic, the English load their luncheon baskets with all sorts of sandwiches made of thin slices of bread and butter with meat, ham, raw tomatoes or even cucumber in between.

Dinner, which is around 7 o'clock in the evening, begins with what might correspond to a Russian «zakuska», followed by a clear soup, fish, roast chicken, potatoes and vegetables and dessert.

In simpler homes the schedule is somewhat different. In the morning they have breakfast, at midday-dinner, which is considered to be the chief meal, tea in the afternoon and supper in the evening. The supper might consist of an omlette or even a sandwich of bread and butter with cheese with a cup of coffee or cocoa.

Questions

1. Where do you have your breakfast, dinner, supper?

2. At what time do you have your breakfast, dinner, supper?

3. What do you take for the first, second course?

4. What kind of soup do you prefer?

5. Is there a canteen at your Institute, office, plant?

6. What is a self-service canteen?

7. What fruit is there on sale in autumn, winter?

8. What is there on the tables of a canteen?

9. Do you ever take a second helping of a dish?

10. Describe what you had for breakfast, dinner, and supper yesterday.

11. Describe a visit to a canteen or restaurant.

Unit 14. Sports words and expressions

athletics gymnastics cycling weight lifting 100-metres sprint (race) track and field athletics Marathon race high jump long jump pentathlon all-round champion to go in for sport to open the score to win - to lose to be in good (bad) sport shape to take part in sports competitions to end in a draw to break a record

fencing speed skating figure skating skiing race ski jumping RF team match championship cup semi-final coach (trainer) referee

SPORTS

Nowadays almost all people, both young and old, are fond of some sport, not only because they understand that one must take physical exercises to keep fit but also because they enjoy it. In autumn, when the days get shorter and colder both children and grown-ups begin to watch for the first snow-flakes, the first signs of winter. When the snow comes and covers the earth, they are ready with their skis. On Sundays you can see a lot of people with skis at bus stops and railway stations, all in a hurry to get out of town to some nice spot for skiing.

Skating is another favourite winter sport. If you wish to go skating and don't happen to have skates of your own, you can hire a pair at the skating-rink.

There are other winter sports, such as hunting and fishing. Hunters use skis in winter when the snow is very deep. Anglers (fishermen) go to rivers, lakes or ponds, make a hole in the ice and sit beside it for hours waiting for the fish to bite, Sometimes they catch fish, sometimes they don't.

Some people prefer summer sports. The most popular are: swimming, rowing, fishing, track and field sports, cycling, mountain climbing, hiking and games. You can play volley-ball, basket-ball and tennis all the year round, but out of doors only during the summer season. Football is one of the most popular summer sports. Most people are fond of football. If they don't play themselves, they are football fans.

Autumn is the season for hunting. It is a pleasure to wander through the red and yellow woods, even if you don't shoot a thing. Some people swim all the year round. In winter you can see people swimming not only in indoor or outdoor pools, but also in rivers and lakes.

Sports are very much the same in most countries, but some sports are more popular than others in a certain country. Baseball is a most popular game in America, cricket is popular in England. Golf is quite popular both in America and England, but mostly among well-to-do people.