Access to the World of Business and Professional Communication. Study Guide for Blended Learning. Step I (Modules I and II). Учебное пособие-1

Раздел 3. Чтение / Section 3. Reading

The daily grind we just can’t do without

1.Work may sometimes seem like hell, but when people haven’t got it, they miss it. They miss it, they want it and perhaps they even need it. Everyone wants to be valued and it seems to me that a salary is proof that you matter.

2.I’ve been doing some informal research on this topic and some jobs are better than others when it comes to how valuable they are to us. Housework and voluntary work tend to be seen as non-jobs. In this workcentered culture of ours, ‘a proper job’ means paid employment. Being paid for a job is better for our self-esteem. Naturally, people would also prefer work to be useful and interesting. But to get psychological benefits from your job you don’t have to enjoy it.

3.According to some experts, achieving unenjoyable tasks during our work actually contributes to a sense of well-being. The obligation to be in a particular place at a particular time, working as part of a team towards a common goal, give us a sense of structure and purpose that people find difficult to impose on themselves. The workplace has also taken over from the community as the place of human contact. Work often functions as a social club, an information network, an informal dating and marriage bureau.

4.George Mikes, a famous Hungarian humourist, who lived a considerable part of his life in Britain, once said, “The one thing the English will never forgive the Germans for is working too hard”. At the upper end of the social scale leisure has always been regarded as the main sign of aristocracy. If one has to work, then the less it looks like work the better it is. Traditional perception of the middle class is associated with non-manual work, which has always been paid lower than manual work. That is why there is a belief in British society that high earnings are more important that job satisfaction.

5.Genuine workaholics are uncommon, but I think that many people are job addicts without realising it. When people can’t work for whatever reason, they show similar signs to real addicts who are deprived of their ‘fix’ — they become irritable and lethargic. Among newly retired men in particular, death rates increase significantly in the first six months after leaving employment. For most of their lives, their personality, self-esteem and status have been defined by work; without it, research shows that they lose their appetite for life. I don’t think that life was always so driven by employment, however.

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МОДУЛЬ I. ОБЩЕЯЗЫКОВОЙ КУРС / MODULE I. GENERAL ENGLISH

6.Work in the pre-industrial age was task-oriented not time-structured, and focused not on money but on the tasks necessary for survival. Whole communities worked together so there was less division between work and ‘free time’.

7.More recently the Revolution in Information Technology has again changed the nature of work and employment. The workplace itself may become redundant. Apparently, 3,5 million employees in the UK now work from home, keeping in touch via email and phone. Many employers say that working ‘remotely’ improves productivity as workers are happier and waste less time commuting.

4.2. Mark sentences as T (True) or F (False) according to the information in the text.

(1)People need work, because they want to be valued. А. True.

В. False.

(2)Voluntary work and housework are sometimes well-paid. А. True.

В. False.

(3)Work functions as a place of socialising.

А. True. В. False.

(4)For the British, job satisfaction is less important than money. А. True.

В. False.

(5)After leaving employment, people suffer from losing their appetite for life. А. True.

В. False.

(6)In pre-industrial age there was less division between work and free time. А. True.

В. False.

(7)Nowadays working from home became more popular.

А. True. В. False.

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Раздел 4. Письмо / Section 4. Writing

4.3. Read the text again and analyse each paragraph. Find its key idea and write out the key words which convey the main idea. Fill in the table below. The first paragraph has been analysed for you as an example.

–salary

4.4.Make up a summary of the text using the key ideas given in the first column.

4.5.Give a more detailed retelling of the text using the whole table.

4.6.What ideas conveyed by the author of the text can you fully agree with? Why? In your answer, use the following phrases to express agreement:

Yes, I (quite / fully / entirely) agree (with smb.). You know, that’s exactly what I think.

That’s my way of looking at it too.

That’s true / just what I think / exactly my opinion. I am of the same opinion.

4.7.What ideas do you only partially agree with? Give your reasons. In your answer, use the following phrases to express partial agreement:

I agree with smb. up to a point / in a sense / in a way (but ...). That may be true, but (on the other hand) ....

That’s one way of looking at it, but ....

4.8.What ideas do you entirely disagree with? Reason out your point of view. In your answer, use the following phrases to express disagreement:

I disagree (with smb.) there, I’m afraid. I’m afraid. I can’t agree (with smb.).

I’ve got some reasons to disagree. In my opinion ….

РАЗДЕЛ 4. ПИСЬМО / SECTION 4. WRITING

Требования к результатам освоения раздела (Section acquisition requirements)

Компетенция: Способность осуществлять повседневное, деловое и профессиональное общение в письменной форме, а также изучать

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МОДУЛЬ I. ОБЩЕЯЗЫКОВОЙ КУРС / MODULE I. GENERAL ENGLISH

и составлять деловую корреспонденцию и документацию (анкеты, служебные записки, электронные сообщения, письма).

Основные результаты обучения:

–знать законы построения и стилистические нормы письменной

речи;

–знать требования, предъявляемые к оформлению различных видов корреспонденции;

–знать национальные особенности содержания, структуры и стиля различных видов письма и деловой корреспонденции;

–знать способы выражения различных коммуникативных намерений в письменной речи;

–уметь оформлять различные виды корреспонденции и соблюдать требования, предъявляемые к формату письменного высказывания или документа;

–уметь структурировать и адекватно излагать содержание делового документа;

–уметь использовать адекватные фразы для выражения различных коммуникативных намерений в различных видах письменной речи;

–уметь соблюдать официальный, нейтральный и неофициальный стили различных видов письменных высказываний и деловой корреспонденции;

–владеть лексическими и грамматическими способами оформления письменных высказываний различной коммуникативной направленности;

–владеть навыком написания письма личного характера, эссе, анкеты;

–владеть навыком составления повседневной и деловой корреспонденции: писем личного характера, служебных записок, деловых писем различной тематической направленности, электронных сообщений и т.д.

Цель: формирование навыков, связанных с продуцированием письменного речевого высказывания в ситуациях повседневного общения.

Навык 1. Навык составления лексически насыщенного и грамматически правильного письменного высказывания, построенного по законам логики и в соответствии с требованиями стилистического оформления письменной речевой продукции (написание письма личного характера, эссе, анкеты).

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Раздел 4. Письмо / Section 4. Writing

Тематика:

Человек и его повседневная деятельность:

–личность и межличностные отношения;

–семейная жизнь;

–образование и учебная деятельность;

–трудовая деятельность.

Writing an informal letter

Requirements

An informal letter is a piece of writing which is very similar to oral communication. The addressee is the person who is very close to the one who is writing, i.e. a relative or a friend. The language of such a letter is very simple and informal, but there are strict requirements concerning its structure. An informal letter falls into five parts:

1.Recipient’s address and date (in the upper right-hand corner).

2.Opening salutation.

Dear Mike,

Hi, Jack!

3.Body of the letter, which, in its turn, can fall into several logical parts.

– Opening sentence:

Thanks for your letter.

Lovely / It was so nice to hear from you. I’ve just received your letter.

How are things?

– Content / Information of the body.

– Closing sentences:

Well, that’s all for now. Write back soon.

Looking forward to hearing from you again / soon. Give my regards to …

4.Complementary closing.

All the best

Best wishes,

Yours,

Love,

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МОДУЛЬ I. ОБЩЕЯЗЫКОВОЙ КУРС / MODULE I. GENERAL ENGLISH

5. Signature.

Rebecca / Steve / Mary

Sample

65, Allendale Road

London — GI5 8SG

October 18, 2016

Dear Alice,

I’ve just received your letter. It was so nice to learn that you are doing well. I’m on a holiday together with my Mum and Dad. This is a nice quiet place. The people are very friendly, and the weather is rather hot. We’ve

been staying here for a week now, and we are already used to it.

In the morning, we go to the beach to have a swim. Dad isn’t fond of swimming. He just spends his time reading the news and writing business letters. After dinner, we try to walk a lot with my Mum. Sometimes, we go for a walk all together. Last week, we went to the nearest park. This is a wonderful place full of exotic plants and animals. We saw a lot of squirrels in the trees. They aren’t afraid of people and beg for food all the time. I gave them some peanuts. There is also a small pond with ducks and beautiful water lilies. It’s really lovely there.

Next week I start preparing for my final exams, and it’s going to be very hard and tiresome work. What are your plans for the nearest future? When do your exams start? How many exams are you going to take? I wish you good luck!

That is all for now. Give my regards to Emily if you happen to see her. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Mary

Practice

1.1. Read the letter and fill in the blanks using the words given in the table below.

Love people rest hearing lessons by wish Dear postcard education impressions

(1) … Emily,

Thank you for your (2) … from Australia! I really envy you going to all those exotic places! It’s a pity there’s no chance for having a (3) … for me this year. I’m saving up to pay for my further (4) …. I’m planning to get a Master’s

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Раздел 4. Письмо / Section 4. Writing

Degree in architecture. Besides, I decided not to waste time and take driving

(5) …. My test is booked for the end of summer. Please, (6) … me luck! Staying in a new place always gives you exciting experience. What are

your (7) … of Australia? What is the country like from the architectural point of view? Did you get acquainted with new (8) …? Please, send me some photographs of typical Australian houses and scenery (9) … email.

Looking forward to (10) … from you. Love

Sarah

1.2. You have received a letter from your English-speaking friend Tom who writes:

I need some money to go on holiday with my friends at the end of August. I’m thinking of finding a job. Have you or any of your friends done summer job? I’d like to work as a waiter for a few weeks. I think it’s not a bad idea. What other jobs do you think I could do? And what do you think the problems might be? Let me know what you think.

Write soon. Love,

Tom

Write a letter to Tom. In your letter:

–answer his questions;

–ask three questions about his plans for the coming holiday. Write 100–140 words.

1.3. You have received a letter from your English-speaking penfriend Rachel who writes:

…My parents want me to go to Russia to get acquainted with the country, the life of people, their customs and traditions. The reason is quite simple. My grandparents come from Russia. So, they want me to know the country and the Russian language. I don’t mind doing that at all. Could you tell me what I have to learn about Russia before visiting it? Is it easy to rent an apartment in the suburbs of Moscow for a couple of months in summer? Where is it possible to learn Russian in summer?

By the way, I’ve just returned from a trip to India. If you are fond of travelling and if you want to know more about English-speaking countries, I could tell you about this trip in my next letter.

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МОДУЛЬ I. ОБЩЕЯЗЫКОВОЙ КУРС / MODULE I. GENERAL ENGLISH

Write a letter to Rachel. In your letter

–answer her questions;

–ask 3 questions about her trip to India. Write 100–140 words.

Writing an essay

Requirements

1. Use formal style of writing:

–Don’t use contracted forms (don’t, can’t, I’m, it’s).

–Don’t use brackets or exclamation marks.

–Don’t start sentences with words ‘and’, ‘but’, or ‘also’.

–Don’t use parenthesis which characterize informal style (well, to tell the truth).

–Avoid too simple sentences. Combine them into complicated ones using logical means of communication.

2.Mind the logical structure of an essay:

I. Introduction.

II. Main Body.

III. Conclusion.

3.Divide the text into meaningful paragraphs according to the plan given in the task or the one which you worked out yourself.

1.Formulate the problem to be discussed in the first paragraph. Imagine that your reader doesn’t know what will be introduced in the text. Try to explain it properly.

2.Mark positive and negative points of the problem. Think about reasonable arguments. Remember that you usually have to express not only your own point of view but also the opposite one. Don’t forget to explain why you don’t agree with the opposite point of view.

3.Use linking words to make the text cohesive and to follow the logical structure. Remember that parentheses are allocated with commas.

4.Make a generalization in the last paragraph. You may also make final conclusion or suggest some ways of solving the problem.

5.Try to keep to the framework of the essay while writing it.

4. Stick to the usual volume of 200–250 words.

1. Count all the words including articles, prepositions, auxiliary and link verbs.

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Раздел 4. Письмо / Section 4. Writing

2. Before writing, calculate the approximate number of words to be used in each part of the essay. Keep the number of words under constant control.

5. Use appropriate vocabulary for different communicative tasks. Make use of set expressions and clichés. Some of them are given below:

Expressions of opinion:

–I agree / disagree

–In my opinion, … / From my point of view, … / As far as I am concerned, …

–I believe that … / It seems to me that …

–I am in favour of … / I am against the idea of …

–According to …

–Some people say that …

–It is said / believed that …

–There is no doubt that …

–It cannot be denied that …

–It goes without saying that …

–We must admit that …

Introducing arguments:

–The main argument against / in favour of is that …

–First of all, I would like to consider …

–The first thing I would like to consider is …

–To begin with, … / To start with, …

–Despite the fact that … / In spite of the fact that …

–On the one hand, … / On the other hand, …

–Besides, … / In addition, …

–What is more, … / Moreover, … / More than that, …

–Finally, …

–However, … / …, though

–… although …

–Nevertheless,

Using logical links:

–for this reason

–therefore / that is why

–because of / as a result of / owing to / due to / thanks to / as a consequence of

Giving examples:

–For example

–For instance

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МОДУЛЬ I. ОБЩЕЯЗЫКОВОЙ КУРС / MODULE I. GENERAL ENGLISH

–Such as

–Like

Making a conclusion:

–To sum up, …

–To conclude, I would argue that …

–On this basis, I can conclude that …

–In conclusion, I would like to stress that …

–All in all, I believe that …

–Thus, …

Sample

Books or computers: What is going to win in future?

The latest advances in information technology make people think that schools of the future will use computers instead of printed books.

Although electronic books have not been widely accepted yet, they have certain advantages over traditional paper volumes. But will they be able to replace printed books? In my opinion, future students will be widely using computers for studying. To begin with, computers can store lots of books in their memory, and modern software allows us to find the necessary information quickly. Besides, with the interactive computer programmes studying will be much more exciting. What is more, electronic books will not degrade overtime like their printed counterparts.

On the other hand, lots of disbelievers argue that computers will not replace printed books because the latter are better for human eyes than a computer screen. In addition, books are cheaper and easier to use since they do not need electricity or the Internet connection. I cannot agree with this because modern computer screens emit no radiation and allow us to read even in low light conditions. Of course, we will have to pay for electricity, but I think it will be cheaper than to pay for printed books, which are very expensive nowadays.

To sum up, I think computers and printed books will peacefully coexist for years to come, but the future technological progress will make it possible for students to carry laptops instead of traditional bags with lots of heavy books.

Study the sample carefully:

1.Analyse the number of paragraphs in the essay. What is each paragraph used for?

2.Count the number of words in each logical parts of the essay (introduction, main body, conclusion).

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