Вводный курс английского языка для гидрографов. Практикум

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PREFACE

Практикум подготовлен на кафедре иностранного языка факультета инженеров морского транспорта ИВТ им. Г.Я. Седова — филиала «ГМУ им. адм. Ф.Ф. Ушакова» и предназначен для студентов первого курса, обучающихся по направлению подготовки «Управление водным транспортом и гидрографическое обеспечение судоходства».

Целью данного издания является формирование профессиональноязыковых и коммуникативных навыков на основе текстов по специальности и овладение курсантами новой морской и гидрографической терминологией, необходимой для последующей самостоятельной работы с оригинальными текстами по специальности.

Практикум разделен структурно на 8 уроков, в каждом из которых, помимо текста, представлен комплекс упражнений, выполнение которых способствует лучшему усвоению изученного материала и свободному владению новой лексикой. Некоторые упражнения имеют контролирующий характер и могут быть использованы как часть контрольно-измерительного материала при проведении зачетов.

В практикум включены стандартные фразы Международной морской организации (IМО) для общения на море.

Тематика текстов подобрана с учетом ранней профессиональной ориентации. В каждом из 8 уроков представлена отдельная тема, изложенная в краткой и доступной для понимания форме. Для облегчения работы даны ключевые термины и выражения. Упражнения дают студентам на разных уровнях владения языком возможность проверить свое понимание материала и активизировать лексику. Дискуссия в группах и ответы на вопросы помогают развивать навыки практического использования языка.

Предлагаемая структура практикума позволяет привлекать дополнительный материал в процессе обучения в зависимости от контингента обучаемых, их возможностей и потребностей. Привлечение дополнительного материала, безусловно, будет существенно активизировать речевую деятельность обучаемых. В конце практикума есть словарь, который содержит лексический минимум для студентов.

Самостоятельная работа к данному практикуму предлагается студентам в системе дистанционного обучения. Ведение глоссария и индивидуального словаря в электронном виде обязательно.

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UNIT 1. ENGLISH IS AN INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE

1. Answer these questions before reading the text below:

1)Did you learn English at school?

2)Where else is it possible to learn a foreign language?

3)Is English an international language?

4)Which of the ways of language learning do you find the most effective? Why?

5)How much time do you think a person should learn a foreign language to be able to say:

•«I can speak English».

•«My English is fluent»?

6)Do you think it is possible to know a second language as well as native speakers do?

7)Why are you learning English? Do you find it interesting? Hard? Useful? How can it be useful?

2. Work at the text below and speak about English as an international language. Learn these phrases before:

•to study — учить, учиться, изучать (теоретический материал, предмет в университете);

•to learn — изучать, научиться (используется для практических навыков, посредством опыта, тренировок или обучения кем-то);

•to travel abroad — путешествовать;

•to speak to (with) — говорить с…;

•to master English — овладеть английским языком;

•to brush up one’s English — освежить свои знания английского;

•to have a lot of drills — практиковаться, выполнять тренировочные упражнения;

•to make up dialogues — составлять диалоги;

•to take a lot of time — забирать много времени;

•to keep up — поддерживать (свой уровень владения английским языком);

•to pay attention to… — уделять внимание чему-либо.

Foreign languages

Learning a foreign language is not an easy thing. It is long and slow process that takes a lot of time and efforts. Nowadays it is especially important to know foreign languages. Some people learn languages because they need them for their work, others

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travel abroad, for some people studying languages is just a hobby. Everyone who knows foreign languages can speak to people from other countries, read foreign authors in original. It’s fun. It is not surprising that many intellectuals and well educated people are polyglots. The great German poet Goethe once said: “He, who knows no foreign language, does not know his own one”. That’s absolutely right. If we want to understand ourselves and environment we should study foreign languages.

As for me, I study English. English is an international language, it is the main language of business, science, politics and cultural relations. Nowadays 750 million people all over the world use it. Over 300 million people speak it as a mother tongue. The native speakers of English live in Great Britain, the USA, Australia and New Zealand. Besides, English is one of the official languages of the Irish Republic, Canada, the South Africa, India and many other countries of the world.

English is the main language of computers and technology. Three quarters of the world’s mail are in English. It is the language of sports. I should say that English is a wonderful language, it is the language of great literature, the language of William Shakespeare, Jonathan Swift, Walter Scott, Charles Dickens.

There are many ways of learning a language. In order to master English, to brush it up and to keep it up we practise grammar together with vocabulary, we have a lot of drills at our English lessons. Practice helps us to memorize words, up-to-date idioms and phrasal verbs. We also read texts, translate them, write tests and dictations, make up and act out dialogues, speak about different things and we learn social English to know what sort of English to use in different situations. At our English lessons we pay much attention to English intonation and pronunciation because if you get it wrong, people think you are rude. It is important to learn how to ask for information, how to be polite.

I guess it is helpful to read English books, to watch English films, to have private lessons, to use educational computer programme and it seems to me that the most effective way is going to English speaking country. I want to know English because I like speaking English.

I want to use English in my future job. I want to use computer programme in English, besides I want to travel to Britain or to the USA and meet a lot of people and to talk to them in English.

3. Do you have any problems while learning English? (Answer this question using sentences below):

1)I find grammar (learning words) far more difficult (hard).

2)I have no problems while (learning, reading, memorizing words, idioms, phrasal verbs).

3)I have most problems with vocabulary (grammar, speaking…).

4)I feel confident about pronunciation (listening, reading…).

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4. Work at the questions below and discuss them with your colleagues. Use the following phrases:

It seems to me that…, In my opinion, Personally,

I think that…I suppose that…

1)Is English more difficult to learn than any other languages?

2)What is your main reason for learning English?

3)How do you personally prefer to study English?

4)What is the secret of language learning?

5)Why is good pronunciation desirable for English speaker?

5. Agree or disagree. Use the following phrases:

I’m afraid I disagree with…, I suppose you are mistaken,

I totally / completely agree, That’s a good point, That’s right

1)Everyone should be able to speak at least two languages.

2)There is no one way to learn a language.

3)Experience is better than training.

4)Grammar is an easy thing.

5)To be good at English, you must work hard every day.

6)Sounding like an English person does not mean you are good at English.

7)Some English sounds may create difficulties for the students.

8)You can learn English only if you live in an English-speaking country.

9)English is the most popular foreign language in Russia.

10)There are thirty-two letters in the English alphabet.

6. Read about your English lesson and be ready to speak about this.

Vocabulary:

•to refer to — относиться к чему-либо;

•to place someone before new challenges — ставить перед кем-либо новые

задачи;

•beforehand — заранее;

•readiness — готовность;

•in order to — для того, чтобы;

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•to run together — работать в паре;

•to act dialogues — разыгрывать диалоги;

•to prepare presentation — готовить презентацию;

•to explain grammar rules — объяснять грамматические правила;

•quick check — задание на закрепление материала;

•to have a look at — ознакомиться (зд.);

•to gain upon smth. — преуспеть в чем-либо.

At the English lesson

I am a cadet of Water Transport Institute. I’m a future hydrographer. I’ll learn English for 4 years here. During the first year of my study I’ll have a course of “Foreign language”, since the second year and onward I’ll master “Business English” that refers to hydrographic survey, bathymetry, meteorology and other aspects of my profession.

Now we have our English classes once a week. Classes mean a couple of lessons. As a rule, students have classes rather than lessons at the institutes and universities.

So, our English classes begin with a report of cadet on duty. He notifies our teacher about cadets’ readiness for training, number of those cadets who are present and absent. Then a teacher greets all cadets and places them before new challenges.

What do we do at our classes?

Our teacher asks us to read some information and do some tasks beforehand at home in order to be ready for discussing a new topic during our classes. So, we run together acting dialogues, preparing small presentations, asking each other.

As to grammar, we try to practise it in different spoken situations. But first of all, our teacher explains some rules to us. We test ourselves, after that we have practical drills.

At the end of our classes a teacher asks us to do the exercises at home for quick check. As a rule, we should have a look at a new topic we will study during our next classes.

All cadets do the best to gain upon English because they realize the importance of language knowledge for their future profession.

7. First of all, translate the following questions into English under your teacher’s control to be able to ask your colleagues:

1)Где вы учитесь?

2)Вы изучаете английский язык?

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3)На какие аспекты нашей профессии ссылается Деловой английский язык?

4)Как часто у вас занятия по английскому языку?

5)С чего начинается занятие?

6)Как (каким образом) вы изучаете новый материал?

7)Вы работаете в парах?

8)Вы изучаете грамматику?

9)Вы выполняете упражнения на закрепление материала?

10)Просит ли преподаватель вам сделать домашнее задание?

Did you know that…

…the shortest sentence in English containing all the 26 letters of the alphabet is

“Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs”?

…there is no word in the English language rhyming with “orange”?

…a polyglot is a person speaking or using many languages? One of the famous polyglots was Cardinal Giuseppe Mezzofanti (XVIII–IX), who used 58 languages, and was familiar with a total of 114 languages and dialects.

…we do not usually know when a new word comes into a language? But we can say that about the word “sputnik”. On the third of October 1957 the word was unknown. By the evening of the 4th of October, it had entered hundreds of languages.

8. Brush up your grammar:

• Choose one of 3 versions:

1)My friend … at the University. a) studies;

b) study;

c) is studying.

2)We … just … school.

a)has finished;

b)are finishing;

c)have finished.

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