Практикум по культуре речевого общения по направлению подготовки 04.03.01 Педагогическое образование. Учебно-методическое пособие

ridden establishment poisons our society's values and attitudes at the root. People still seem to think that the 'dear old monarchy' stands for something great and intrinsically wonderful about Britain.

Well – in my opinion and that of many other people I know, it does not. I believe that people should be able to succeed through hard work and application. They should be able to generate personal wealth through their own efforts in life, and indeed, corporations established by individuals and groups should also be able to prosper and develop. We should all of us be able in principle to provide our children a great start in life by passing on a fair proportion of the fruits of our labour – up to a ceiling which should be set quite high. Let's say the equivalent of a moderate lottery win per child. None of that is problematic.

But the idea that someone should be able to pass on unimaginable wealth, privilege and a prominent position in the countries hierarchy, notional or otherwise to their progeny is completely indefensible.

Our politicians bleat ever on about creating 'fairness' and 'justice' within our society when at the heart of it lies this unfair and unjust canker. It makes a mockery of the whole political process.

So as should be clear by now, whilst I don't actively dislike the queen, I look forward to the time when our country will finally grow up politically and shake off the shackles of thousands of years of feudal values. As human beings we should not owe automatic allegiance to someone just because of their family name.

Joe Geronimo Martinez, Yeoman subject of perfidious Albion

People don't generally talk about the monarchy much; they just accept it, which shows how successful it is. The Queen remains popular. Her role is largely to walk around looking regal and smile and wave a lot, she doesn't get involved in politics.

I think British people are quite conservative; changing the monarchy would only happen if people got really upset, which isn't likely to happen. The monarchy stays mostly for reasons of tradition and there is no pressing need to change things.

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The system works to the point hardly anyone is really upset about it, so change isn't going to happen. The Queen doesn't upset people and fulfills her diplomatic responsibilities, just a few years ago she did wonders in Ireland and her visit to Canada was a success.

Vivienne Marcus, a plastic daffodil in a Grecian urn.

I have tremendous respect for Queen Elizabeth II. All her life, she has put everything else to one side in favour of the Monarchy. Her own wants and desires and even family relationships have come second. I am certain this has come at enormous personal cost. I am not sure I agree with everything she has done, but I am sure I cannot fault her motivation and integrity.

I don't think Prince Charles has the same grit as his mother, and therefore I don't respect him quite so much. However, Prince William has, I think, enough of his mother in him to modernise the role of the King without losing its dignity.

The Queen remains a formidable figurehead for Britain and the Commonwealth. I feel sure that history will remember her (along with Victoria) as being an outstanding monarch.

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Citius, Altius, Fortius?

The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well.

Pierre de Coubertin

All sports for all people. Pierre de Coubertin

“If you want to test cosmetics, why do it on some poor animal who hasn't done anything? They should use prisoners who have been convicted of murder or rape instead. So, rather than seeing if perfume irritates a bunny rabbit's eyes, they should throw it in Charles Manson's eyes and ask him if it hurts.” Ellen DeGeneres

“He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.” Immanuel Kant

Discussion

1.Who is the reigning Wimbledon women's singles champion?

2.How many spectators does your country's largest football stadium hold?

3.Why might you bet money on an outsider?

4.Who were the beaten finalists in the last football World Cup?

5.Whose athletes are usually hot favourites to win most gold medals in an Olympic Games?

6.Who was the runner-up in last season's Formula One Drivers' Championship?

7.Are there heats for a marathon?

8.When might you be disqualified in a 100 metres sprint?

9.Who gets the gold medal when there's a dead heat?

10.Why might someone be banned from taking part in a sport for a period of time?

Tick the items in the list below that you have seen:

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Reading

Read the two texts below. Which is pro bullfighting? Which is against it?

Text 1

Bullfighting is not just a sport; it is much more than that. For many Spaniards the bullfight is a proud part of their heritage. It is an art form which reflects the most basic issue to face man – namely, survival and domination of the wild. It is a ceremony which stirs up a variety of rich emotions: joy, danger, and glory. As a result, bullfighters are celebrated as national heroes participating in a dangerous ritual which at any moment may cut short their fame or even their life. Far from losing popularity, more and more people flock to bullfights in celebration of a uniquely national tradition.

Text 2

A bullfight may be a fight, but it's not a fair fight. The bull has little chance of defending itself, evenless to survive. Do you know what happens before a fight? No? Read on.

−There are reports that many bulls are beaten and have heavy weights hung round their necks for weeks before a fight. They are already tired when they enter the arena.

−Bulls are kept in darkness for 48 hours before a fight. When they go out into the arena they are therefore blinded by the sunlight.

−Many bulls' horns have a few centimetres illegally cut off. This impairs their coordination and prevents them from navigating properly.

−Rather than being a clean kill, the bull is tormented and tired out before the matador finally attempts to kill it.

−Often the result of a bullfight is not immediate death, but just excessive mutilation. The final death blow, which is supposed to

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sever the spinal column, frequently fails and a fully conscious but paralysed beast is dragged from the arena.

−Bulls are not the only victims. Horses are often drugged and blindfolded before being taken into the arena. Their vocal cords are sometimes cut so that their cries cannot be heard by the crowd.

Questions in pairs:

With a partner, take turns to ask and answer the following questions about the texts:

1.What do Spaniards feel that bullfighting symbolises?

2.How are bullfighters treated in Spain?

3.How popular is bullfighting in Spain nowadays? Why is this so?

4.What happens to bulls in the 48 hours before a fight? Why?

5.How do bulls 'navigate'?

6.Are bulls always killed cleanly in a bullfight? Why not?

7.Do other animals suffer in bullfights?

8.What animals suffer and how?

9.How far do you sympathise with the Spanish view of bullfighting?

10.Do you think bullfighting is an acceptable 'sport' or should it be banned?

11.Should the EU be allowed to make bullfighting illegal in Spain, or not?

Discussion

Where do you draw the line? Do you agree or disagree with these statements? Discuss them in pairs or small groups.

Horse-racing and dogracing should be banned. They are not useful activities, they are just two different ways of getting gamblers to spend money.

36 million pheasants were bred in Britain last year just for the start of the pheasant shooting season. Most hunters do not eat the birds they kill so the majority of the dead birds are buried in specially dug holes. This is a disgrace and should be stopped immediately.

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It seems odd that 'sports' in which one animal fights another (like cock fighting or dog fighting) are illegal in most countries. After all, these animals fight each other in the wild, The sports should all be made legal.

Performing animals in circuses are unacceptable these days and yet people seem quite happy about show jumping. Show jumping horses are nothing more than performing animals. The sport should be banned.

Fox hunting is just another form of pest control. Nobody worries about killing rats. There are too many foxes and they need to be killed. Fox hunting is as good a way as any to do it. If people want to dress up in red jackets and have a party at the same time, that's their business.

Dog shows should be banned. They humiliate dogs. There is nothing more offensive than seeing some of these dogs being shampooed and treated as if they were children,

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Holidays

Christmas is, of course, the time to be home – in heart as well as body. Garry Moore

Christmas is joy, religious joy, an inner joy of light and peace. Pope Francis

If you think Independence Day is America's defining holiday, think again. Thanksgiving deserves that title, hands-down.

Tony Snow

Today is Valentine's Day – or, as men like to call it, Extortion Day! Jay Leno

Work in pairs or small groups and discuss the following questions:

1.How many public holidays do you have in your country per

year?

2.What sort of things do these holidays celebrate?

3.What do you do on these holidays?

Do you think the number of public holidays is too few, about right, or too many?

Discussion

Discuss the following in pairs or small groups:

1.Do you celebrate any of the following in your country? What do you do on these days?

−National Day

−Independence Day

−the longest / shortest day of the year

−either of the solstices (21st March, 21st September)

−name days

2.What religious festivals do you celebrate? What is the religious significance of these festivals? What happens on these days?

3.Are there other events, religious or otherwise, which you feel should be celebrated, either with or without a public holiday?

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4.Your country has decided that there should be one more public holiday every year. Work in small groups and decide:

when the holiday will be what it is going to celebrate

what official celebrations (if any) there should be

5.What has been the most important day of your life so far?

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Fashion

“You can never be overdressed or overeducated.” Oscar Wilde

“Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.” Oscar Wilde

“Fashion changes, but style endures.” Coco Chanel

Write or discuss the answers to the questions below.

1.What (exactly) did you wear to the last three parties you have been to?

2.What (again exactly) would you wear on each of the occasions listed below?

−an open-air rock concert

−a formal garden party

−a new discotheque's first night

−a summer afternoon on the river e a quiet evening at home

−a barbecue on the beach

3.In which periods of history do you think men and/or women dressed especially attractively? Describe what you like about these clothes.

4.What clothes have you seen in the street or in shops recently that really appealed to you?

5.What clothes have you bought over the past year? How often have you worn them? Do you still like them? What condition are they in now?

6.Write, in dialogue form, a conversation between a teenager (claiming the freedom to wear modern styles and colours) and his/her grandmother (complaining about a loss of elegance).

7.Write a (full) list of clothes to take with you on a four-week holiday touring the United States.

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Discussion

lmagine that before you were born your parents had 'designed' you. lf you had been them, what would you have changed? Think about these questions:

1.Which one aspect of your appearance would you change?

2.Which one aspect of your character/personality would you change?

3.How do you think your life might have been different?

4.Are you pleased your parents did not design you or do you wish they had?

Compare your answers in pairs or small groups.

Reading

Read through the article and answer this question:

1.Why do the Jones want a baby girl?

2.Do yon think the Jones should be allowed to choose to have a baby girl? Why? \Why not?

NEW LAWS MAY ALLOW CHOICE OF BABY'S SEX

Jim and Debbie Jones (not heir real names), whose daughter was killed in a tragic domestic accident last year, plan to use the new British human rights laws to win the legal right to choose the sex of their baby. The Jones, who have four sons, say that the 'female dimension' has disappeared from their family since the death of Jasmine.

"Words cannot describe what it feels like to lose the little girl we had wanted for so long. We know another girl won't replace Jasmine, but we want the chance to try," said Jim Jones.

"What we're hoping to do with the use of technology is create the female dimension again. We have psychologists’ reports and doctors' reports which confirm that our reasons for wanting a girl go beyond just wanting to replace her. Our family doesn't feel complete any more. I adore our sons but we would like another girl."

Gender selection is only possible in Britain for medical rather than social, psychological or physical reasons. Pro-life campaigners

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