Easy English (начальный этап обучения). Учебно-методическое пособие для студентов младших курсов средних специальных учебных заведений

Vocabulary

Prehistoric – доисторический

Dry land – суша

English Channel – Ла-Манш (Английский канал) To separate – отделять, разделять

Ice Age – ледниковый период

Inhabitant – житель

The Iberian Peninsula – Иберийский полуостров To locate – быть расположенным

BC = before Christ – до нашей эры People – зд. народ

To intermix – смешивать(ся) AD = anno Domini – нашей эры The Celts – кельты

Tribe – племя

Julius Caesar – Юлий Цезарь

To invade – захватывать, оккупировать

To fight (fought, fought) – сражаться

To defeat – наносить поражение

Tribute – дань

To conquer – завоевывать, покорять

The Jutes – юты The Saxons – саксы The Angles – англы

To unite – соединять, объединять

William the Conqueror – Вильгельм Завоеватель Ruling – правящий

To spread (spread, spread) – распространяться Power – сила

Unification – объединение

To take place – состояться, происходить

Adoption – принятие To quarrel – ссориться To declare – объявлять

To divide – разделять

To force – заставлять, принуждать To remain – оставаться

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Answer the questions:

1.How did the first people come to Britain?

2.When did the English Channel appear?

3.When did the Celts arrive to Britain?

4.Where did the name “Britain” come from?

5.When did Julius Caesar invade Britain?

6.What did the Romans build in Britain?

7.How long did the occupation by the Romans continue?

8.What was the largest of the towns called?

9.What tribes occupied Britain by the end of the 5th century?

10.When did William the Conqueror come to England?

11.What was the official language of the ruling class in those times?

12.Who became the king of England in 1063?

13.When did the unification of Scotland and England take place?

14.When was Christianity adopted in England?

15.What religious groups were the Irish people divided into?

16.What parts was Ireland divided into?

Find in the text the historical event corresponding to the date.

-664

-1066

-410 AD

-800 BC

-1603

-The 5th century

-43 AD

-829

-55 BC

-The 11th century

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Complete the sentences!

1.The first inhabitants of the island …

2.After 800 BC the Celts …

3.In 54 BC Julius Caesar …

4.The Romans built …

5.The largest of the towns was called …

6.The Roman occupation continued …

7.By the end of the 5th century …

8.In 829 the greater part of the country …

9.In 1066 William the Conqueror …

10.The French language …

11.In 1603 the son of Mary Queen of Scotts …

12.The adoption of the Christianity in England …

Topic 4

The History of the USA

Over 20,000 years ago Indians came from Asia across the Bering Strait. Icelandic Viking Leif Ericson sailed to America in 1000. The history of the USA began a little more than 500 years ago. In 1492 Christopher Columbus discovered America to the whole world. He thought that it was India. Columbus died believing that Cuba was part of Asia. English, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch and French explorers sailed there for gold and riches. But they didn’t stay in America.

The first English colony Jamestown appeared in 1607 in Virginia. On the 6th of September in 1620 a group of people left England for America.

They sailed from the English city of Plymouth, on the ship “Mayflower”.

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There were 74 men and 28 women on the “Mayflower”. They set up a colony. They wanted to start a new life and to have no problem with the church.

By 1733 European settlers formed 13 colonies along the Atlantic coast. The colonies in America didn’t want to depend on the English King or on England and the War of Independence began. It lasted from 1775 till 1783. In 1776 on the 4th of July the Declaration of Independence was adopted. It proclaimed “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness as the human natural rights”. In 1783 the Treaty of Paris recognized the independence of the USA. In 1787 the constitution of the USA was written. In 1789 on the 6th of April Americans elected the first President of the United States of America. George Washington served two terms (1789–1797). The newly-built capital of the country was named Washington.

The other important events followed. The Civil War began in 1861 and lasted until 1865. It was the war for abolition of slavery.

In the period between 1800 and 1900 the US changed from a small farming nation to a big industrial country. Between 1900 and 1945 the US went through a period of economic growth and hard times. The nation took part in the First World War and the Second World War.

In 1969 on the 20th of July the American spaceship landed on the Moon. It was the first man’s walk on the Moon.

Each period in the history of the USA is interesting and important. It shows the hardships and victories of the American people on the way to the American Dream: independent, democratic, powerful state with the developed economy and equal rights for everybody.

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Vocabulary

The Bering Strait – Берингов пролив

Icelandic – исландский

Leif Ericson – Лейф Эриксон To discover – открывать

Whole – весь, целый Dutch – голландский Riches – богатство

To appear – появляться

Plymouth – г. Плимут

To set up - организовывать Settler – поселенец

To depend on – зависеть от ч.-л. Independence – независимость To last – длиться, продолжаться

Liberty – свобода

Pursuit of happiness – поиски счастья

Human natural rights – естественные права человека Treaty – договор

To recognize – признавать

To elect – выбирать

To serve – служить Term – срок

Event – событие

The Civil War – Гражданская война

Abolition – отмена Slavery – рабство Growth – рост

To take part – принимать участие Spaceship – космический корабль To land – приземляться

Hardship – лишения, трудности

To develop - развивать

Equal – равный

Answer the questions:

1. When did Icelandic Viking Leif Ericson sail to America?

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2.When did the history of the USA begin?

3.Who discovered America to the whole world? When?

4.When and where did the first English colony in America appear?

5.How many colonies were there in America by 1733?

6.Why did the War of Independence begin?

7.How long did this war last?

8.When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?

9.Who was the first president of the USA?

10.When and why did the Civil War begin?

11.How did the US change in the period between 1800 and 1900?

12.When did the American spaceship land on the Moon?

13.What is the American dream?

Find in the text the historical event corresponding to the date.

-1969

-On the 6th of April 1789

-1000

-1620

-1775 – 1783

-1492

-1900 – 1945

-1789 – 1797

-Over 20,000 years ago

-1607

-1733

-1861 – 1865

-On the 4th of July 1776

-1787

Complete the sentences!

1. Over 20,000 years ago …

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2.Icelandic Viking Leif Ericson …

3.Christopher Columbus discovered America …

4.The first English colony …

5.By 1733 the European settlers …

6.The War of Independence began in … and lasted …

7.In 1776 on the 4th of July …

8.George Washington was the first …

9.The Civil War began in …

10.In the period between 1800 and 1900 …

11.In 1969 the American spaceship …

12.The American Dream is …

Some Facts about the Wild West

In the 18th century some Americans went to the west to look for new lands and the story of "Wild West" began. In the 19th century people went west to look for gold. They built new settlements and new towns in these lands. Some people were lucky but some were not as they couldn’t find any gold.

Life in the Wild West was full of danger. The Native Americans in the west didn’t like the white people who took their land. Sometimes they attacked them. There were bears and other wild animals and people had to have guns. Today many Americans still keep a gun in their houses and all American police officers have guns.

Another tradition from the "Wild West" is "cowboy" clothes. People in the West led a difficult and dangerous life, so the clothes were very important. Cowboy spent much time outdoors. They usually wore hats,

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boots and jeans. Hats protected their faces and eyes from the hot sun. Boots helped to walk through long grass. There were many dangerous snakes and the boots protected people from them. Boots also made riding a horse easier. In the middle of the 19th century in the city of San Francisco there lived a tailor called Levi Strauss. He made special clothes - strong trousers called "jeans". Very soon cowboys started to wear jeans. Now people wear jeans in America and all over the world.

Vocabulary

Gold – золото

Settlement – поселение

Gun – зд. ружье

Grass – трава

Snake – змея

To ride a horse – ездить верхом на лошади

Tailor – портной

Trousers – брюки, штаны

Topic 5

British Customs and Traditions

Every nation and every country has its own customs and traditions. In Britain traditions play more important part in the life of the people than in other countries.

Englishmen are proud of their traditions and carefully keep them up. There are some old traditions and customs. They are the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, the State Opening of Parliament, the Ceremony of the Keys, changing of the guard and taking care of the ravens in the Tower.

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The Tower of London, which is one of London’s oldest buildings, used to be a prison. The Yeomen of the Guard, who were originally prison guards at the Tower and are also called Beefeaters, will tell you about some of the famous people who were imprisoned there. King Henry VIII’s second wife, Anne Boleyn, whose ghost people say still walks in the Tower at night, was one of the many prisoners executed there. The ravens are certainly among the most important residents in the Tower. The legend says: if the ravens leave it, the Tower will fall and England with it. The Ceremony of the Keys takes place at its gates. Every night when the guard is changed at each gate there is a cry: “Halt! Who goes there?” Then the guard replies: “The Keys.” “Whose Keys?” “Queen Elizabeth's Keys!” “Pass, Queen Elizabeth's Keys! All's well.” And so the Tower of London is safely closed for the night.

We can see a group of cavalrymen riding on black horses through the streets of London. These men are Life Guards. They wear red uniforms, shining helmets, long black boots and long white gloves. They guard the king or the queen of Great Britain and very important guests of the country.

In England many things are unusual. For example, we seldom speak about the weather. If we do, it usually means we have no topics to discuss.

In England if you don’t speak about the weather, the English are surprised and think that you are very dull.

You can easily offend the English only if you tell them they have no sense of humor. The English hardly ever lie but they don’t tell you the truth either. In England even the richest man can wear some old clothes and not shave.

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Some of us think life is a game but the English think cricket is a

game. In England people have good table manners. It is a tradition too.

Most English love gardens. Growing roses is one of the most popular

hobbies among Englishmen. They usually prefer a house with a fireplace

and a garden to a flat in a modern house with central heating.

The English like animals very much. Lots of families in Great Britain

have got one or more pets. Dogs are the favourite pets. The second

favourite are cats and the third favourite is a bird – a budgie. Animals have

a much better life in Britain than anywhere else.

Vocabulary

Custom – обычай Carefully – бережно

To keep up – сохранять

Yeomen – (Beefeaters) – стражники из охраны Тауэра To be imprisoned – быть заключенным в тюрьму

To execute - казнить Keys - ключи Raven – ворон

“Halt!” – «Стоять!»

To pass – проходить Cavalrymen – кавалеристы To ride – ездить верхом To shine – светиться, сиять

Helmet – шлем

Glove – перчатка Guard – охрана

To mean – иметь в виду, значить

To surprise – удивлять

Dull – скучный

To offend – обижать

Sense of humor – чувство юмора To lie – врать

Truth – правда

To shave – бриться

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