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

To grow – выращивать

Fireplace – камин

Answer the questions:

1.Do traditions play an important part in the life of the British?

2.What old British traditions and customs do you know?

3.What legend about the ravens in the Tower of London do you know?

4.What do Life Guards wear?

5.Do the British often discuss the weather?

6.How can you easily offend the English?

7.What do you know about the English hobby – gardening?

8.What do the English like to grow in their gardens?

9.Where do the British prefer to live?

10.Are the English pet lovers?

11.What animals do they like?

Topic 6

Buckingham Palace

The Buckingham Palace

There are two addresses in London that the whole world knows. One is 10 Downing Street, where the Prime Minister lives. The other is Buckingham Palace. This famous palace, first built in 1703, is in the centre of London.

It is two places, not one. It is a family house, where children play and grow up. It is also the place where presidents, kings and politicians go to meet the Queen.

81

Buckingham Palace is like a small town, with a police station, two post offices, a hospital, a bar, two sports clubs, a disco, a cinema and a swimming pool. There are 600 rooms and three miles of red carpet. Two men work full-time to look after the 300 clocks. About 700 people work in the Palace.

The Queen’s Day

When the Queen gets up in the morning, seven people look after her. One starts her bath, one prepares her clothes and one feeds the Royal dogs. She has eight or nine dogs and they sleep in their own bedroom near the

Queen’s bedroom. Two people bring her breakfast. She has coffee from

Harrods, toast and eggs. Every day for fifteen minutes, a piper plays Scottish music outside her room and the Queen reads The Times.

Every Tuesday evening she meets the Prime Minister. They talk about world news and have a drink, perhaps a gin and tonic or a whisky.

An Invitation to the Palace

When the Queen invites a lot of people for dinner, it takes three days to prepare the table and three days to do the washing-up. Everybody has five glasses: one for red wine, one for white wine, one for water, one for port and one for liqueur. During the first and second courses the Queen speaks to the person on her left and then she speaks to the person on her right for the rest of the meal. When the Queen finishes her food, everybody finishes and it is time for the next course!

Vocabulary

Buckingham Palace – Букингемский дворец

To grow up – расти

To work full-time – работать полный день

82

Piper – волынщик

Glass – бокал

Wine – вино

Port – портвейн

Course – блюдо

Rest – остаток

Answer the questions:

1.Buckingham Palace is two places, not one. How?

2.Why is it like a small town?

3.Are there a lot of clocks?

4.How many dogs does the Queen have?

5.What newspaper does she read?

6.What sort of music does the piper play?

7.Why do people have five glasses on the table?

8.Who does the Queen speak to during the meal?

9.What happens when the Queen finishes her food?

Are the sentences true or false? Correct the false sentences.

1.The Palace is more than two hundred years old.

2.It is famous because it is in the centre of London.

3.The same person starts the Queen’s bath, prepares her clothes and feeds the dogs.

4.The dogs sleep in the Queen’s bedroom.

5.The Queen and the Prime Minister go out for a drink on Tuesday night.

83

Topic 7

Tea Ceremony

In Britain there are many customs and traditions. British people are very conservative. They carefully keep up their traditions and they are proud of them.

One of the most famous English traditions is “afternoon tea”. Everyone knows that tea is very popular drink in Britain, it’s more

popular than coffee. The first tea was brought to Europe in 1610 by the Dutch. Tea came to England in the middle of the 17th century. The English East India Trading Company presented it as a gift to King Charles

II in 1664. At that time tea was very expensive, and everyone couldn’t buy it. In the 18th century tea became the main drink in Britain. Charles’s wife,

Queen Catherine, made tea an official palace drink. Curious British tradition is first pour milk into a cup and then tea originates from here. Fine porcelain cups were too thin and fragile and they could be damaged by hot tea. That’s why they first poured warm milk into the cup and then hot tea.

In the early 1840s, tea drinking developed into a social tradition thanks to Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford. At that time there was a very early breakfast, and a dinner was serving at 8 pm only. At noon Duchess usually was hungry. Then she ordered to serve tea and bread, butter, cakes and cookies for her. Duchess liked this innovation and she began to invite her friends at afternoon tea.

Soon, tea ceremony was very fashionable among the privileged class and became an integral part of Victorian Britain.

84

Nowadays, throughout the homes, tea shops and hotels of Britain, the custom of tea-time continues.

British tea ceremony is a real art. Classic English tea-set has more than thirty subjects. Porcelain set includes 12 cups and saucers, milk jug, sugar bowl, vase jam, teapot and so on. Usually, guests are offered to choose tea from 5-10 varieties. The main rule of any official Tea Party: tea in the guests’ cups should be poured at the table. The owner or waiter comes up to each guest from the right side and pours tea. Hot water and tea leaves are never served separately. Tea is brewed in a teapot. One spoonful of tea per person and one for the pot is added. It doesn’t need to be diluted with boiled water in cups. Most people in Britain prefer strong tea with milk and sugar. They don’t drink tea with lemon. That’s why tea with milk is called “English tea”, and tea with lemon is “Russian tea”.

It’s interesting, that “five o’clock” is one of the most common stereotypes about Britain. English people have tea not only at 5 o’clock.

They drink tea with pleasure several times a day, when they have a free moment. Traditional “Afternoon Tea” is served at any time between lunch and dinner (from the noon until 6 in the evening).

Today tea is still the most popular drink and an important part of British social life.

Vocabulary

The Dutch – голландцы

Palace – дворец

Curious – любопытный

To pour – наливать

To originate – происходить

Porcelain – фарфор

Fragile – хрупкий

85

To be damaged – быть поврежденным

To develop – развивать

Thanks to – благодаря

Duchess – герцогиня

To serve – сервировать, подавать на стол

Cookies – печенье

Fashionable – модный

An integral part – неотъемлемая часть

Throughout – по всему

Tea-set – чайный сервиз

Saucer – блюдце

Milk jug – молочник

Sugar bowl – сахарница

Vase jam – вазочка для варенья

Teapot – чайник (заварочный)

Variety – зд. вид

Tea leaves – чайные листья («заварка»)

Separately – отдельно

To brew – заваривать

Spoonful – чайная ложка

To add – добавлять

To be diluted – быть разбавленным

Boiled water – кипяченая вода

Strong tea – крепкий чай

Common – обычный, общий, распространенный

Topic 8

Asking the Way

1. Привлечь внимание:

Excuse me! Can you help me, please? Извините, Вы не могли бы мне

помочь?

2. Спросить, где находится нужное место:

Can you tell (show) me the (shortest) way to the Westminster Abbey? Вы не можете сказать (кратчайший) путь к Вестминстерскому аббатству?

86

How can I get to the Hyde Park? Как мне добраться до Гайд парка?

3. Возможные ответы на просьбу.

Certainly/Sure/Of course. Конечно.

With pleasure. С удовольствием.

Well, let me see… М-м, дайте подумать …

Walk straight on. Идите прямо.

Pass two blocks. Пройдите два квартала.

Turn (to the) right/left. Поверните направо/налево.

Take the first (second) turning to the right/left. Первый (второй) поворот направо/налево.

Cross the street. Перейдите улицу.

Walk as far as the corner. Дойдите до угла.

And you will be right there. И Вы будете прямо там.

And you will see it in front of you/on your right/on your left. И Вы увидите его перед собой/справа от Вас/слева от Вас.

4. Поблагодарить.

Thank you very much! Thanks a lot! Большое спасибо!

5. Ответ на благодарность.

Don’t mention it. Не стоит благодарности.

No thanks at all. Не благодарите меня.

You are welcome./The pleasure is mine. Пожалуйста.

Dialogue “Asking the way”

-Excuse me, can you help me?

-Yes, of course.

-How far is Piccadilly Circus from here?

87

-I think it’s something like a mile. You can walk to it if you are not in a hurry.

-Yes, I think I’d better walk.

-Then walk straight on and take the first turning to the left. Walk about 10 minutes and you will be right there.

-Thank you very much. You are very kind.

-Oh, no thanks at all.

Topic 9

Music in My Life

It’s difficult to speak about music, because music is something spiritual. Music is one of the best parts of our life. It makes us happy and shows the beauty and harmony of the world. People cannot live without music. They can listen to music everywhere even in the forest, when they walk and hear birds singing.

Music can be classical and modern. Classical music is performed by symphonic orchestras in the great halls. There are a lot of famous composers whose music is played nowadays. Classical music is serious and requires good understanding that’s why it may seem to be boring and dull for some.

Most people prefer modern music. Modern music is performed by TV and radio. Modern music has different kinds: pop, rock, disco, rap, techno and others. Most young people like dance and pop music, while others are fond of jazz, rock or folk. Tastes differ. There are a lot of singers or music bands who perform this or that kind of music.

88

As for me, I’m crazy about jazz music. I find it tuneful and

vivacious. I began listening to jazz when I was 12 years old. This kind of

music carries me away. It can help me when I’m in trouble. It always

cheers me up when I’m sad. My favourite jazz musician is Louis

Armstrong. I also like to listen to the songs performed by Ella Fitzgerald,

Bob Dylan, Charlie Parker and Duke Ellington.

Vocabulary

Spiritual – духовный

Hall – зд. концертный зал

To require – требовать

To seem – казаться

To perform – исполнять

To be fond of – увлекаться чем-либо

Tastes differ. – О вкусах не спорят.

To be crazy about – сильно увлекаться чем-либо

Tuneful – мелодичный

Vivacious – живой, оживленный

To carry away – увлекать, захватывать, восхищать

Answer the questions:

1.Is it difficult to speak about music? Why?

2.What kinds of music do you know?

3.Is classical music serious? Do you find it boring?

4.Are you a lover of serious music?

5.What kinds of modern music can you name?

6.How can you explain the English proverb “Tastes differ”?

7.What kind of music do you prefer? Why?

8.When did you begin to listen to it?

9.Who is your favourite musician or performer?

10.Who is your favourite singer or band?

89

11.Why do you like him or her?

12.Can you name some of your favourite songs?

13.Do you go to concerts? How often?

14.Does your favourite kind of music help you somehow?

Match the words with its definitions!

1. ___ 2. ___ 3. ___ 4. ___ 5. ___

90