Практикум к учебнику В.Д. Аракина (ред.). «Практический курс английского языка. 5 курс». 050303 — «Иностранный язык». Уровень - подготовка специалиста

ОтношениямеждулюдьмивРоссииносятнеформальныйхарактер, и понятие дружбы ценится очень высоко. Будьте готовы к тому, чтонаобычныйвопрос«какдела?»выполучитеотрусскогознакомого подробный отчет. Формальные, светские отношения и разговоры русскомучеловекучуждыималопонятны.Так,неудивляйтесь,если вовремяночнойпоездкиизМосквывПетербургвпоездесовершенно незнакомые люди, оказавшись волей случая в одном с вами купе, успеютрассказатьвамдетальныеподробностисвоейличнойжизни.

Не менее противоречивыми являются и отношения внутри социальной структуры русского общества. С одной стороны, имеет место строгая иерархичность русского общества, почтение к вышестоящим лицам, социальная обусловленность положения. С другой, например, отношения между начальником и подчиненными в Россииносятгораздоменееформальныйиболеезадушевныйхарактер, чем во многих западных странах.

Помимо этого существует еще и особая гордость «маленького человека», о чем много писала русская классическая литература. Самыймаленькийвинтиквмеханизмеможетзатормозитьбольшое дело, одобренное всеми большими начальниками, только из-за непроявленного к нему уважения, даже если вы большой босс, у вас много денег и т.д. В этих случаях просьба вместо требования может совершить чудо. Людям часто важнее внимание и уважение, чем деньги и карьера. Обычно справедливо рекомендуется, приезжая в Россию, иметь с собой мелкие подарки — для дежурной в гостинице, секретарши на работе, медсестры в поликлинике, со- седкиподомуит.д.,—нонивкоемслучаенеотноситеськнимкак к взяткам и благодеянию с вашей стороны. Не материальная сторона, а внимание и человеческое отношение важны в этом случае.

(Из книги А.В. Павловской «Как иметь дело с русскими»)

Vocabulary Practice

Make a list of topical words for rendering the text in English. Dictionary work is recommended.

Post-readingActivities and Contextualisation

1. Answer the following questions:

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•What trait of Russian character is dominant? Why?

•What might be said about the controversial character of social hierarchy in Russia?

•What do Russian people appreciate in everyday communication?

•What nations have the closest analogous traits of character? Or are the Russians absolutely unique, to your mind?

2.Render the text in English close to the original.

3.Look at the words in the chart below and discuss their meanings with your partner. Do these words have positive, negative or neutral meanings for you? Discuss the connotations these words have in your culture. Then put a check after each one if you feel it is characteristic of the American. English or Russian people.

aggressive arrogant bureaucratic collectivist contradictory cynical fatalistic freedom-loving idealistic individualistic materialistic naïve optimistic patriotic pessimistic self-critical

(After ‘Timely Topics. An Advanced Reading, Grammar and Vocabulary Book (College ESL)’by Patrick J. Aquilina)

Use the chart in rendering the passages on the Americans, the English and the Russians.

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Part 3

Quote Bank For Essaywriting

Write an argumentative essay of about 600 words on one of the following quotations

•America’s one of the finest countries anyone ever stole. Bobcat Goldthwaite

•TheAmerican lives even more for his goals, for the future, than the European. Life for him is always becoming, never being. Albert Einstein

•In America everything’s about who’s number one today. Bruce Springsteen

•The history of the building of theAmerican nation may justly be described as a laboratory experiment in understanding and in solving the problems that will confront the world tomorrow. Nicholas Butler

•An Englishman is a person who does things because they have been done before. An American is a person who does things because they haven’t been done before. Mark Twain

•England is the paradise of individuality, eccentricity, heresy, anomalies, hobbies, and humors. George Santayana

•All the real things in Russia are done in the villages. Ernest Poole

•The Russian knows the way, yet he asks for directions. Ukrainian saying

Read your composition out loud in class. Let your group-mates estimate it (See ‘Self-Evaluation Techniques’in Appendix.)

Appendix

Let’s communicate

Reading

Read the following article carefully and then do the exercises below:

‘We don’t talk anymore’ is something married couples often complain about. So get into the habit of communicating with each other — it really is vital to your relationship…

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However good you are at sign language, don’t rely on your partner ‘reading’ your body language and your expression — tell him how you feel.

You may feel that after ten years or so together, you’ve said absolutely everything there is to say and know what the other’s thinking without having to ask. But finding time to talk to each other — ‘pass the marmalade’doesn’t count — is vital to keep a marriage fresh.

Youknowyoustilllovehim— despitethewayheleavesthecapoff the tooth-paste and drives you crazy by constantly zapping through theTVchannelswiththeremotecontrol.Butdoesheknowit?When did you last say, ‘I love you’?And when did he last say it to you?

It’s all too easy for even the best marriages to fall into a rut where the conversation revolves around whose turn it is to pick up the kids from Brownies, and why have we run out of loo paper again?

It is important that you and your husband find time to talk to each other about the things that really matter to you. If you are feeling neglected, frustrated, insecure, unhappy at work or at home, you need to find a way to tell him. Men aren’t mind readers and it won’t do either of you any good if you lapse into depression, aggravated by a sense of injustice that he doesn’t understand how miserable you are. Likewise, if you are feeling content, happy or excited, share that, too. But do try to pick the right moment before launching into your heart to heart.When your husband’s glued to ‘Match of the Day’and his team are about to score against Manchester United isn’t it. Likewise, when you’re exhausted from working all day isn’t the right moment either. Timing is important — but that doesn’t mean putting it off indefinitely. Make a date with him. Suggest an evening when you can tuck the kids up in bed, share a takeaway and discuss what’s on your mind. And then agree to make your heart to hearts a regular event.

Day to day you can improve communications between you by taking the trouble to ask about each other’s day, discussing incidents as they arise and dealing with disagreements on the spot. ‘Never let the sun set on an argument’ is an excellent piece of advice. And make sure you listen to what your partner has to say, accepting the point he is expressing even if you don’t agree.

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We probably all know a couple who are famous for their rows. Neither will listen to the other’s point of view — they’re both too busy scoring points. And they don’t care when or where they are before speakingtheirminds— friends are used to duckingwhen they launch into one of their battles. Marriages like this, you’d reckon, are doomed to failure. But though these couples are arguing, at least it’s communication of sorts. They’re letting rip, expressing their feelings — and not bottling up anger. And, of course, they have a wonderful time making up afterwards!

OK it’s a cliché, but little things mean a lot in a relationship. If you think he looks gorgeous (oh well, passable then!) as you head off to a party, tell him — hopefully he’ll return the compliment. Share jokes. Take a few minutes to call him at work during the day to find out how that important meeting went, or just to say hello. And if you know you’ve behaved badly, be prepared to swallow your pride and say ‘sorry’. Talking is certainly good for marriage. So get into the habit of communicating — you may both be surprised what an enormous difference it can make!

Vocabulary Practice

1.Explain the meaning of words and expressions in bold in your own words or give synonyms to them.

2.Search other texts for these words and give your group-mates the contexts with them in Russian for back translation.

Working out a one-paragraph summary

1.Read ‘Writing a One-paragraph Summary’in Appendix.

2.Re-read the text ‘Let’s Communicate’to find the core sentence in each paragraph. Write them out to compile a one-paragraph summary of about 80 words (articles, particles, prepositions and tenseforms count).

3.See if you have the same:

Talking is an important way of communicating.

Finding time to talk to each other is vital to keep a marriage fresh.

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It is important to talk about the things that really matter to you. Make your heart to hearts a regular event.

Each time make sure you listen to what your partner has to say. Though some couples are arguing, at least it’s communication

of sorts.

Little things mean a lot in a relationship.

Talking is certainly good for marriage. So get into the habit of communicating.

WritingaOne-Paragraph Summary

Aone-paragraph summary is a shortened or condensed version of something you have read. Not only an important writing skill, summary writing is also a valuable learning tool.

The most common kind of summary writing requires you to read the work of someone else and to be able to pick out the most essential idea. The summary, therefore, becomes a tool for understanding what you read; it forces you to read critically, differentiating between main ideas and minor points. Summary writing also forces you to write clearly because you cannot waste any words.

The first aim of the summary is brevity: your job as a summary writer is to convey in as few words as possible the information contained in the piece of writing. Because the summary is concerned with stating the ideas of someone else, the second aim of the summary is objectivity. This is not the place to respond to a writer’s ideas but to demonstrate your understanding of them. The third aim of the summary, completeness, is the most crucial. Both objectivity and brevity will follow from your ability to isolate and concentrate on the main idea contained in the selection you are summarising.

1. Read the passage carefully and answer the following questions:

A.What is the topic of the passage?

B.What is the author’s purpose in writing? Does the author describe something, analyse a problem, give information, review a book or movie, try to persuade the reader to adopt his point of view or take

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some action, take a personal opinion or grievance, give instructions for completing a task, or compare different products or viewpoints?

2.What point is the author trying to make? Which are major ideas used to develop this point and which are minor supporting ideas and examples? Underline the major ideas.

3.Now reread. Go back and break up the piece of writing into sections or stages of thought, labelling each section. The author’s use of paragraphing may be helpful in identifying the different stages of thought.

4.On a separate sheet of paper, write a one-sentence restatement of the main idea of the passage. Include in this sentence the title and author of the piece you are summarising.

5.Next, give a one-sentence summary of each of the stages of thought you identified and combine these sentences with the one-sen- tence restatement of the main idea. .

6.Read over what you have written to make sure you have eliminated less important information and left out minor details. Use as few words as possible to convey the major ideas.

7.Read over your summary and revise it. First, be sure you have followed the organisational pattern of the original. Next, insert transitions where necessary and combine sentences so as to eliminate choppiness and repetition. Finally, check for correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

8.As a final test, ask yourself if someone who had not read the piece would get a clear and correct idea of its contents by reading your summary.

(After ‘Crosscurrents: Themes for Developing Writers’by J. Madden and S.M. Blake)

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Self-Evaluation Techniques

WRITING Essays

Using the following rubric rate yourself or ask your friend to do theratingineachofthecategory.Thencalculatetheaverageofthesix numbers to determine your final score (i.e. divide the total by 6).

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(After ‘AP* Success English Language and Composition’ by M.C. Moran and W.F. Holder)

Speaking

Using the following scale, rate yourself or ask your friend to do the rating to determine your status.

8.Expert Speaker: speaks with clarity and impact on the topic chosen. Can initiate, expand and develop a theme with appropriate interpersonal strategies. Can modify and explain position. Informative and rewarding for the interlocutor.

7.Very Good Speaker: maintains effectively his/her own part of a discussion. Initiates, maintains and elaborates topic changes as necessary. Responds appropriately and with spontaneity. At ease virtually all the time.

6.Good Speaker: speakss clearly and logically and can develop the discussion coherently and constructively. Flexible and fluent but

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needs time or re-phrasing to adjust to sudden or complex changes of topic. Some hesitation and repetition due to a measure of language restriction happen.

5. Competent Speaker: is able to maintain theme of talk, to follow topic switches and to use and to appreciate main attitude markers. Searches for words and hesitates at times but is reasonably fluent otherwise. Some errors and inappropriate language take place. Shows independence in discussion with ability to initiate it. The interlocutor does not feel communication is blocked.

4. Modest Speaker: most of talk is relevant and can be basically understood, although deficiencies in language use and style call for repetition and clarification. Lacks flexibility and initiative and is therefore dependent on the interlocutor’s rewording and speaking deliberately but not heavy strain is imposed on the interaction.

3. Marginal Speaker: can maintain dialogue but in a passive manner, rarely taking initiative or guiding the discussion. Has difficulty in following language at normal speed; lacks fluency and requires undue time before responding. Nevertheless gives the impression that he/she is in touch with the essentials of the discussion. Requires effort from the interlocutor to maintain the interaction.

2.Extremely Limited Speaker: dialogue is a drawn-out affair interspersed with hesitations and misunderstandings. Can only follow part of language at normal speed and unable to produce continuous responses. Is just hanging on to discussion, without making real contribution to it. Most of the interaction dependent on the interlocutor.

1.Intermittent Speaker: dialogue consists of isolated words and gestures conveying only basic information.

0.Non-Speaker: not able to understand or speak, or at least gives this impression to the interlocutor.

List of Literature

1. Александер Л.Г. Интенсивный курс английского языка для углубленного изучения. Fluency in English: учеб. / Л.Г. Александер. – М.: ТК Велби, Изд-во Проспект, 2009. – 216 с.

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