Английский язык. Учебное пособие для студентов металлургических специальностей, начинающих изучение языка

has a huge dome, and the Houses of Parliament1 where you can see and hear the famous clock, Big Ben. They also come to visit its theatres, its museums and its many shops, such as Harrods.

But modern artists and architects are working to change the looks of London. It is going to become a tall city. There are now some tall buildings in London, but not so many as in New-York. E.g. Nelson’s Column is 56 metres tall. St.Paul’s Cathedral is 111 metres tall. The London Eye (an observation wheel2) is 135 metres tall. And London Bridge Tower will be 300 metres tall!

The creator3 of this project is Renzo Piano, an Italian architect who is now famous for his multi-million projects all over the world: airports, skyscrapers4, museums and public buildings.

Piano calls his project a “Shard5 of Glass”. He says that the shape of London Bridge Tower is wide at the bottom6 and narrow7 at the top8. He also describes this huge building with its 39 lifts and 12 escalators as a “small vertical town for 7000 people”. Londoners will be able to eat and shop in it and some people will even live in special apartments! But most of it will be offices. And there will be public observation areas at the very top!

Builders in London are working on one more tower – the new Swiss Re building. Swiss Re is a famous Swiss insurance9 company which has offices in many capitals of the world. Londoners already call it “The Glass Gherkin10”. It will be 180 metres tall and have 41 floors.

The designer of “The Glass Gherkin” is Lord Norman Foster, a famous British architect. He is going to use new technological ideas to cut the costs of11 heating, cooling and circulating air. As it will be a glass building, the sun will be able to heat it easily. Exotic gardens around the walls will cool it.

At the base of the building there will be a public area, with shops and restaurants. At the top of the tower, there will be a big restaurant with wonderful views in all directions.

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1Houses of Parliament – Палаты Парламента

2observation wheel – колесо обозрения

3creator – создатель

4sky-scrapers – небоскребы

5shard – осколок

6bottom – низ

7narrow – узкий

8top – верх

9insurance – страхование

10gherkin – огурец

11the costs of – снизить расходы на

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Many Londoners don’t like these changes. The new tower can block the beautiful views of historic London sights, including St.Paul’s and Big Ben.

Exercises

Ex. 19. Say if the following statements are true or false. Correct the false ones.

1.London’s population is about 10 million people.

2.There are many tall buildings in London, like in New-York.

3.St.Paul’s Cathedral has 111 floors.

4.London Bridge Tower will be 300 metres wide at the top.

5.London Bridge Tower will be for offices and people won’t live there.

6.People already call the new Swiss Re building a “Shard of Glass”.

7.Lord Foster is going to use the sun energy to heat the building of Swiss Re.

8.Londoners are happy about making London a tall city.

Ex. 20. Choose a word or phrase that best completes the sentence.

1.St.Paul’s Cathedral …

a)is 56 metres tall;

b)has a huge dome;

c)is not very popular with tourists now.

2.Harrods is …

a)a park;

b)a theatre;

c)a shop.

3.The creator of London Bridge Tower project is …

a)Lord Norman Foster;

b)Renzo Piano;

c)Sir Christopher Wren.

4.Renzo Piano is … architect.

a)a Spanish;

b)an Italian;

c)a famous British.

5.Swiss Re …

a)will be 180 metres tall and have 41 floors;.

b)is a famous Swedish company;

c)will be a new London Museum.

Ex. 21. There are many numbers in the text. What are the following numbers about?

7000; 10 mln; 39; 135.

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LESSON 6

Phonetic exercises

[ʃ] special, precious

[æ] valuable, malleable, karats, reactive [ ] rust, discover, sulphur

[ju ] pure, jewels [ə:] per cent, sterling

Text 1. PRECIOUS METALS

Precious metals are called so because they are more valuable than other metals. The main properties of precious metals are their beauty and scarcity. So these metals are silver, gold and platinum.

Of these three metals people discovered gold first, a yellow, malleable and soft metal. People liked it very much. They made ornaments from gold. Gold doesn’t rust but it is too soft. That’s why nowadays we alloy gold with other metals to make jewels. Pure gold is 24 karats. 14 karat gold contains 58 % of gold, the rest are copper and silver.

As to silver it was also one of the first metals in human history. People found it about 6000 years ago. Silver is a white, soft and malleable metal. It is not as soft as gold but it is more reactive, e.g. it reacts with sulphur from the air. So we can’t use pure silver we use its alloy with copper. Sterling silver is 92,5 % silver the rest is copper.

In about 1500 the Spaniards discovered one more precious metal – platinum. They found it on the territory of Mexico. At that time people couldn’t melt it because its melting point is very high. But nowadays this property of the metal allows using it to make special electrical contacts. We also use this metal in chemical industry because it is resistant to corrosion. And, of course, we make jewels from platinum.

Exercises

Ex. 1. Find in text the equivalents for the following Russian words and expressions:

драгоценный металл, ценный, свойства, редкость, серебро, золото, платина, открыть, ковкий, мягкий, украшения, ржаветь, сплав, спла- вить, ювелирные изделия, содержать, химически активный, вступать в реакцию, сера, расплавить, точка плавления, химическая промыш- ленность.

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Ex. 2. Complete the sentences with the words from your active vocabulary.

1.Silver, gold and platinum are … metals.

2.Beauty and scarcity are the main … of precious metals.

3.The first precious metal that people … was gold.

4.People use gold and silver to make … .

5.Silver is not as … as gold.

6.The … … of platinum is high, so at that time people couldn’t … it.

7.Platinum is used in … industry because it is resistant to …

Ex. 3. Answer the questions.

1.What are the main properties of precious metals?

2.What are the precious metals?

3.Which of the precious metals did people discover first?

4.Is gold a reactive metal?

5.Why do we alloy gold with other metals?

6.When did people find silver?

7.In what way is silver different from gold?

8.Who discovered platinum?

9.Why do we use platinum to make special electrical contacts?

10.Where do we use platinum?

Ex. 4*. Translate into English.

1.Платина – наиболее ценный из драгоценных металлов.

2.Украшения из золота очень популярны во всем мире.

3.Золото было одним из первых металлов, которые открыли люди.

4.Мы используем серебро для изготовления электрических и элек- тронных компонентов, так как этот металл – хороший проводник.

5.Температура плавления платины очень высока, и это свойство также позволяет использовать ее для изготовления электрических контактов.

6.Золото, серебро и платина обладают многими полезными свойст- вами.

7.Мы не используем эти металлы в промышленности в большом объеме, так как они очень дорогие.

Ex. 5. Retell the text.

Grammar exercises

Ex. 6. Add -ed:

mix, finish, live, kiss, plan, try, explain, start, study, drop, work, walk, fix, prefer, close, open, watch, like, cry, rob, tidy, arrive, travel.

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Ex. 7. Match a line in A with a line in B. Put the verb in A into the Present Simple and the verb in B into the Past Simple.

Ex. 8. Write questions and answers about the people in еx. 7.

a)Does Ann usually work eight hours a day? – Yes, she ... . – Did she work eight hours yesterday? – No, she didn’t. She ... .

b)Does Ann usually drive to work?

c)Does Max usually watch TV in the evenings?

d)Do Ann and Max usually go sailing at weekends?

e)Does it usually rain a lot in winter?

f)Do you and Max usually go camping in August?

Ex. 9. Complete the conversation with putting had, did, was, were into the gaps.

Meg: It ... my birthday yesterday. I’m twenty-five! Kelly: Really? What ... you do?

Meg: Well, I ... dinner with friends in an Italian restaurant. Kelly: What ... you eat?

Meg: We all ... pizzas. They ... very good. Kelly:... you enjoy your birthday, then?

Meg: Mmm. It ... excellent. When’s your birthday?

Kelly: Today.

Meg: Oh, no! Happy birthday!

Ex. 10. Irregular verbs. Put the following verbs into the correct column:

begin, make, start, write, leave, lose, buy, do, see, visit, go, take, enjoy, have, travel, drive, speak, come, stay, paint, meet.

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Ex. 11. Complete the sentences with the positive form of the verb.

1.I didn’t go to New York. I ... to Chicago.

2.We didn’t meet Jim, we ... Max.

3.He didn’t leave last Tuesday, he ... last Thursday.

4.We didn’t see Jim, we ... Dave.

5.They didn’t buy a Volvo, the ... a Saab.

6.You didn’t know the answer, Tom ... the answer.

7.I didn’t lose my passport, I ... my ticket.

8.We didn’t have white wine, we ... red wine.

9.He didn’t write a letter, he ... a postcard.

10.The film didn’t begin at 6:30pm, it ... at 7:30pm.

Ex. 12. Put the words into correct order.

1.School/ did/ when/ start/ you?

2.Morning/ you/ time/ get up/ what/ did/ this?

3.Dinner/ night/ have/ what/ you/ last/ for/ did?

4.Did/ train/ last/ you/by/ when/ travel?

5.Holiday/ last/ summer/ on/ where/ go/ did/ you?

6.Visit/ you/ art gallery/ an/ last/ did/ when?

7.Travel/ today/ you/ how/ the institute/ did/ to?

Ex. 13. Answer these questions.

Ex. 14. Read the information about Jim and Alison. Make notes about your last holiday.

Ex. 15. Make interviews about your last holiday.

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Childhood and adolescence

to be born (was/were born) – родиться grow up (grew) – расти

to start school (started) – пойти в школу to leave school (left) – окончить школу

to go to university (went) – поступать в университет

Passive vocabulary

Romance – романтический период жизни to meet –встречать, знакомиться

to go out with – встречаться (с молодым человеком / девушкой) boyfriend – молодой человек

girlfriend – подружка, девушка to have rows – ссориться

to split up – расстаться

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marriage – вступление в брак (замужество, женитьба) to fall in love – влюбиться

to get married – жениться, выходить замуж to have a baby – родить ребенка

to expect a baby – ждать ребенка

Exercises

Ex. 16. What stage of the life are these people at ? Complete the sentences using your topical vocabulary.

1.Paul isn’t 2 yet , so he’s still a …

2.Albert was a bus-driver for 40 years but stopped work two years ago, so now he is …

3.Susan is 25, so she is in …

4.Ron is 33 and his wife is 32, so they are both in …

5.Joan is 75 this year, so she’s quite … .

6.Jason is 18 this year, so legally he becomes … .

7.15 is often a difficult age for boys going through … .

Ex. 17. Translate the text and tell your fellow-students the biography of your relative.

Jack was born in Scotland but when he was two, his father got a new job in London so he grew up in the south of England. He started school in 1992 and he left it in 2003. He went to university at 18, where he met Ann. He went out with her (she was his girlfriend; he was her boyfriend ) for 3 years, but to the end they had lots of rows and they split up. In his mid twenties he met Mary. They fell in love and got married within six months. Two years later they had their first baby, a boy. And now she is expecting their second child.

Ex. 18. Are these sentences true of false about the people in the ex- ample-text above? Correct the false sentences.

1.Jack was born in Scotland.

2.He grew up in New-York.

3.He went out with Ann for two years.

4.They split up because Jack went to live in America.

5.Jack fell in love with Mary.

6.They had a baby a year after they got married.

7.Mary is now expecting her third child.

Ex. 19. Match the sentences’ beginnings with their endings.

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Text 2. QUEEN VICTORIA

We all know that England is a parliamentary monarchy, i.e.1 the Parliament makes Laws but a King or a Queen is the official head of the country.

At earlier stages of history Kings and Queens played a great role in the life of the country.

A very important period in English History was in the reign of Queen Victoria.

She was born in London in 1819. Her father died when she was only eight months old and she was Queen from 1837 to 1901. She didn’t have any brothers or sisters.

She married Prince Albert, who was German, in London in 1840. They lived in Buckingham Palace with their nine children: 5 girls and 4 boys.

Unfortunately, Prince Albert died in 1861 when he was only 42. Queen Victoria was terribly unhappy and she never lived in London again. She lived in Windsor and Scotland. She loved Scotland because she often went there on holiday with her family.

Queen Victoria opened the world’s great exhibition at the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park in 1851. In 1863 the world’s first subway (underground railway) started to work in London.

People loved their Queen very much and they gave her name to some places in the country, e.g. The Victoria and Albert Museum – a national collection of fine and applied arts of all countries and periods.

The years of her reign were called the Victoria era.

Ex. 20. Read the statements and say whether they are true or false. Correct the false ones.

1. Parliamentary monarchy is a state where a King or a Queen is the official head so he/ she makes laws.

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1 i.e. – that is.

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2.Queen Victoria was only 8 years old when her father died.

3.Prince Albert was German.

4.Victoria and Albert had 9 children: 5 boys and 4 girls.

5.Queen Victoria loved Scotland because she often went there on holiday with her parents.

6.The first world’s subway started to work in London in 1851.

Ex. 21. Make up questions to complete the sentences with the missing information.

1.Prince Albert was … . (What nationality?)

2.They married in … in … . (When? Where?)

3.Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had … children. (How many?)

4.In 1851 Queen Victoria opened the 1st … . (What?)

5.Queen Victoria died in … . (When?)

6.The years from 1837 to 1901 were called … . (What?)

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