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

Раздел 4. Письмо / Section 4. Writing

3.Count the number of words in the first and the second paragraphs of the main body).

4.Underline the words used for expressing opinion.

5.Тhe words used for introducing arguments.

6.Underline all the connectors used by the author in the text. Divide them into groups.

Practice

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

Computer games: Pros and cons.

People have always had different hobbies but technological progress has caused the appearance of computers and computer games, which can keep a child occupied for hours. (1) …, adults consider computer games a complete waste of time. (2) …, I believe computer games are more than mindless entertainment. (3) …, computer games can teach people to achieve their aims as they regularly put obstacles and traps in the way of players, which are necessary to overcome in order to progress through the rest of the game. (4) …, computer games can be a valuable source of accidental learning that can be applied to school, home, and social events.

(5) …, teachers have also started to appreciate educational games as an opportunity to make their lessons more exciting. (6) …, quite a few people are against this activity as they find it rather addictive and harmful for children’s health. They argue that computer games make students neglect their school work. However, if we learn to control our computer use and play games for an hour just to relax after a hard day at school, this will not do us any harm. (7) …, modern technology made it possible to eliminate the bad effect of computers on our eyes.

(8) …, I believe that computer games have more advantages than drawbacks. They make us persistent, develop our logical reasoning and help us to escape from everyday problems. The thing is to find a right balance between virtual reality and everyday reality.

1.2. Divide the text into logical parts (paragraphs).

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МОДУЛЬ I. ОБЩЕЯЗЫКОВОЙ КУРС / MODULE I. GENERAL ENGLISH

1.3. Write out advantages and disadvantages of using printed books / computers. Fill in the table given below:

Advantages

Disadvantages

1.4. Answer the following questions:

1.What makes people think that schools will use computers instead of printed books?

2.Are electronic books widely accepted at present?

3.Can computers store lots of books in their memory?

4.What allows students to find the necessary information quickly?

5.Is studying more exciting with interactive programmes or with printed books?

6.Can working with a modern computer be harmful for human eyes?

7.Payment for electricity is cheaper for printed books, isn’t it?

8.Are laptops widely used by all kinds of students?

9.Does a modern computer screen emit radiation?

10.Will both printed books and computers coexist peacefully in future?

1.5.Highlight the main idea of the text, express your own opinion, and work out a list of arguments for and against using computers for educational purposes.

1.6.Write an argumentative essay developing the same topic. Can you find any similarities and differences between your own essay and the one you have just read?

РАЗДЕЛ 5. ГОВОРЕНИЕ / SECTION 5. SPEAKING

Требования к результатам освоения раздела (Section acquisition requirements)

Компетенция: Способность строить монологическое высказывание (сообщение, доклад, презентацию, и другие) в ситуациях повседневного, делового и профессионального общения и участвовать в диалоге с партнерами общения.

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Раздел 5. Говорение / Section 5. Speaking

Основные результаты обучения:

–иметь знания системы английского языка (фонетические, лексические, грамматические и стилистические), необходимые для продуцирования высказывания в ситуациях повседневного общения в монологической и диалогической форме;

–знать принципы построения публичной речи, методы изложения информации (индуктивный, дедуктивный, концентрический, ступенчатый, исторический), лингвистические особенности основных разновидностей публичной речи, а также фразы, характерные для публичной речи;

–знать речевые формулы, используемые для выражения различных коммуникативных намерений в процессах речевого общения;

–знать этические и этикетные нормы речевого поведения;

–уметь быстро и адекватно реагировать на высказывания партнеров общения в вербальной или невербальной форме;

–уметь ориентироваться в ситуациях повседневного, делового

ипрофессионального общения и определять стратегию построения высказывания;

–уметь структурировать свое сообщение, логически последовательно излагать его содержание, используя средства внутритекстовой связности;

–уметь использовать весь спектр коммуникативных задач от информирования до убеждения аудитории;

–уметь эффективно использовать наглядные средства (картинки, схемы, таблицы и др.) и адекватно интерпретировать представленную информацию;

–уметь выражать свое мнение и отношение к предмету речи, а также убедительно аргументировать свою точку зрения;

–владеть навыками говорения в режиме монологического высказывания;

–владеть навыками участия в диалоге.

Цель: формирование навыков, связанных с продуцированием монологического высказывания и участия в диалоге в ситуациях повседневного, делового и профессионального общения.

Навык 1. Навык говорения в режиме монолога (сообщения, короткие выступления, небольшие выступления или доклады страноведческого характера).

Навык 2. Навык участия в диалоге в различных ситуациях повседневного, делового и профессионального общения.

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МОДУЛЬ I. ОБЩЕЯЗЫКОВОЙ КУРС / MODULE I. GENERAL ENGLISH

Тематика:

Человек и его повседневная деятельность:

–личность и межличностные отношения;

–семейная жизнь;

–образование и учебная деятельность;

–трудовая деятельность.

Topic 1. People and their day-to-day activities

1. Personality

Producing a monologue

1.1. Speak about the following:

–Have you ever taken any personality tests? Are they accurate and valid?

–What do you look for in a friend?

–Is it wise to keep making new friends all your life?

–Do you think the personality changes over the time?

–If you were asked about your personality, how would you describe it?

–Which personality in your country do you consider outstanding? Why?

1.2.Speak about a famous leader in the world history. Explain the reasons for your choice.

1.3.Choose and comment on the personal qualities that can help people to be successful in life.

1.4.Speak about advantages and disadvantages of having a strong personality.

1.5.Express your own views on the sayings.

–Being a personality is not the same as having a personality.

–A good reputation is precious, but a good character is priceless.

–Personality is to a man what perfume is to a flower.

–A wise man is one who learns from everyone.

–Self-confidence is essential to great undertakings.

Participating in a dialogue

Dramatize the following situations:

1.6. Your friend has a really serious problem, and he made you promise not to tell anyone about it. But you feel that you won’t be able to help him without breaking the promise. Talk to your friend about it and solve this problem.

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Раздел 5. Говорение / Section 5. Speaking

1.7.Imagine that you are a newspaper reporter. You have the opportunity to interview any living person in the world. Find out his strong traits of the character and the person who influenced his / her life greatly.

1.8.You live in a room which you share with another student. You find it very difficult to work there because he or she always has friends visiting. They have parties in the room and sometimes borrow your things without asking you. Talk to your room-mate and take up the matter.

2. Family life

Producing a monologue

2.1. Speak about the following:

–Would you feel happier in a nuclear or extended family?

–Who has more responsibilities in the family: the mother or the father?

–There is no perfect marriage without security and understanding, is there? Why?

–What do you think makes a family unique?

–Do you think it’s right to postpone marriage until you can get a job?

2.2.Express your ideas about an “ideal” family (duties, family values, and the number of children).

2.3.Speak about the increased number of one-parent family and the current high divorce rate.

2.4.Speak about problems that families can face living with a teenager.

2.5.Read the statements and express your opinion.

–First-born children often feel more important than their younger brothers and sisters.

–A good wife makes a good husband.

–Men make houses, women make homes.

–Accidents will occur in the best-regulated families.

–Nowadays people are marrying later.

Participating in a dialogue

Dramatize the following situation:

2.6. Your parents and you have different ideas about the strengths and weaknesses of the family, talk about the keys to a successful family, both emotionally and intellectually.

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2.7.The grandfather of yours considers that people’s family values have changed nowadays. You are going to talk to him and learn how they have changed since your parents’ time.

2.8.Your sister / brother came home from school in low spirits and said that the teacher had been unfair to her / him. Find out the main reasons for the conflict between them and advise the way out of the situation.

3. Education

Producing a monologue

3.1.Speak about the following:

– When does education begin?

– How important do you think education is?

– What can you say about school education in Russia?

– Is studying in single-sex schools more efficient than in mixed schools?

– What do you think of the idea of all education being online?

3.2.Speak about the future effects that the Internet can have on academic study.

3.3.Express your ideas about the problems Russian educational system face nowadays.

3.4.Speak about the influence of lifelong education on a personality.

3.5.Speak about categories of students who should pay for higher education.

3.6.Read the statements and express your opinion.

–The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives.

–A child educated only at school is an uneducated child.

–A good teacher must know the rules; a good pupil, the exceptions.

–It doesn’t make much difference what you study, as long as you don’t like it.

–Learning is the only thing the mind never exhausts, never fears, and never regrets.

Participating in a dialogue

Dramatize the following situation:

3.7. You are going to another country to study. You would like to do a part-time job while you are studying, so you want to talk to a friend who

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Раздел 5. Говорение / Section 5. Speaking

lives there and ask for some help (give details of your study plans, explain why you want to get a part-time job, suggest how your friend could help you find a job).

3.8.One of your fellow student’s claims that exams aren’t a fair way of testing students. His idea of the best assessment system would be a mixture of the two — 50 % exams and 50 % course work. Discuss with your fellow student the ideal way of assessing students’ work.

3.9.They say all teaching will be done by computers soon. Discuss with your partner the possibility of using robots in teaching; decide which subjects can’t be taught by computers.

4. Work

Producing a monologue

4.1. Speak about the following:

–What jobs are considered to be prestigious in your country? Why?

–Is it common for people from your country to have one job for life?

–Do you think it is more important to make a lot of money or to enjoy your job?

–What are your career plans for the future?

–Do you think women and men should be paid the same for the same job?

4.2.Speak about the better ways motivating young people to work hard.

4.3.Express your opinion about the pros and cons of being a manager.

4.4.Speak about the present day tendency of working-from-home.

4.5.Read the statements and express your opinion.

–Some people live to work; others work to live.

–Only men can dream of making a career as President.

–Ambitious people are always successful in career.

–“Killer questions” can provoke an honest reaction from the interviewee.

–Corporations are not things. They are the people who run them.

Participating in a dialogue

Dramatize the following situation:

4.6. Imagine that you are given enough money to start your own business. Talk about the type of business you would choose to open with

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МОДУЛЬ I. ОБЩЕЯЗЫКОВОЙ КУРС / MODULE I. GENERAL ENGLISH

your friends. Discuss your own business in terms of location, employees, and supplies.

4.7.You are a member of the planning committee, which must choose a location for the new factory. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of its location in Russia and in Europe.

4.8.You are interviewing an applicant for a managerial position. Learn about his previous experience, his strengths and weaknesses, the ability of leading a large sales team.

Role plays

1. Starting University

Situation

Starting university is like starting a new life. Most students are not prepared for the challenges of university life and for them it can result in taking more time to adjust to it. Here are some problems that a student can suffer from:

–During the first year of university a student can have a culture shock because something is different from home or school.

–Homesickness can also be a serious problem. First-year students often miss their parents, family members and friends.

–If the parents of a student are paying for his education, there is a huge responsibility to get good grades. Students are often afraid of not succeeding.

–It can be difficult to make new friends at university especially if you are an introvert.

–If you couldn’t get a place at a hostel, you have to find accommodation considering such factors as distance, rent rates, facilities and roommates.

–Students can lack the ability of organising their time efficiently and they don’t always have enough time for their studies.

Give recommendations for a student what to do or how to behave in order to minimize or cope with the problems described.

Instructions

1.Work out and express your own suggestions about how to cope with these problems giving your reasons for each of the solutions.

2.Listen to your partner(s)’s suggestions. Discuss them.

3.With your partner(s) work out a list of recommendations for a student starting university life.

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Раздел 5. Говорение / Section 5. Speaking

4.Report your recommendations to the class.

5.Discuss all the recommendations reported. Find instances of similarity and difference between them.

6.Ask each other questions about how the recommendations were agreed upon, who dominated in the discussion, whether there was a lot of arguing or not, who made the suggestions, etc.

7.Choose the best list of recommendations and the most interesting suggestions from each group that could serve as the basis for one common list of recommendations of the whole class (group).

8.Working together, prepare one list of recommendations for a student starting university life.

2. Resolving family problems

Recently you have had a conflict with a member of your family. Produce a monologue explaining your position and expressing your thoughts to your partner and try to be persuasive. Give your reasons for your ideas and behavior. Consult your role card in order to get ready.

Role Card 1. Paul Peterson aged 35, manager.

You have been married for ten years. You have a wife and two children — a girl, Anna, 9 years old, and a boy, Nick, 5 years old. Your wife, Alice Peterson, has a degree in psychology but she used to be a housewife. Now she works as a psychologist for an international company and her salary is even a little higher than yours. For the last time she has become very assertive concerning family decision making and she thinks that she knows better what to do in any situation. Most of your problems revolve around financial matters and children rearing. You are very worried because you’ve had 5 quarrels for the last month.

Role Card 2. Alice Peterson aged 34, psychologist.

You are Paul Peterson’s wife. When you used to be a housewife, your husband was the head of your family and used to take all important decisions by himself. But now you want to take part in decision-making too especially on financial issues and issues concerning children. You want your husband to understand your position because as a psychologist you know that parental conflicts lead to friction involving the entire family. You are concerned that the tense and even hostile family environment can have a destructive influence on the children.

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Role Card 3. Tim Knight aged 48, entrepreneur.

You are a father of a teenager. Your son, Michael, aged 15, is going through a difficult developmental stage — adolescence. The power struggle with your son creates conflict and stress for the entire family. You can’t be patient even with other family member — your wife Emily and your daughter Elena. Besides Elena feels that her brother is receiving more attention and she has started acting out herself. You love your son and you want him to know that when you were a teenager you also had power struggles with your father, mostly because your father and you had different temperaments.

Role Card 4. Michael Knight aged 13, schoolboy.

Your father, Tim, doesn’t understand you. You often have conflicts, mostly because your father wants to control you every minute. You are a serious boy who has no problems at school. You have got a lot of friends and they respect you. You want more freedom. You are sure you are old enough to take your own decisions concerning day-to-day responsibilities.

Role Card 5. Sara Grey aged 41, accountant.

You have got a mother, aged 72. You are worried about the problems with her heart. You visit her every day and she keeps complaining about her loneliness. You would like her to go to hospital for a detailed health check. There will be people of her age there and you are sure she won’t feel lonely there. Besides, you’ll visit her every evening.

Role Card 6. Marta Melton aged 72, pensioner.

You feel that there is a lack of proper communication between you and your daughter. In spite of the fact that she visits you every day, she doesn’t pay much attention to you and your life and you communicate superficially. You have serious heart problems. But you don’t want to be taken to hospital because you are afraid that your daughter won’t be able to go there often enough to share meaningful conversations. You think you will feel alone at hospital.

Role Card 7. Ben Brighton aged 16, schoolboy.

You want to become a computer programmer because you are keen on computer and information technologies. But your father wants you to become a lawyer and in the future take his firm after him. You have always

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