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Файл:Learning to Speak English. Учебное пособие по разговорному английскому языку
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thing else! I always put a mark with my pencil next to the word I
look up. Then, if I look up the same word again, I think. Ah! This
word, I must learn it this time!
TAPESCRIPT 7A
SOME INDUSTRIES OF BELGOROD REGION
Belgorod region is an industrial and agrarian area. Industries
are represented by a big iron ore mining and metallurgical complex
producing about one third of Russia’s iron ore, a lot of steel, rolled
products. They are also represented by some enterprises of machine
and instrument engineering, metal processing, chemical, medical,
textile and food industries, sectors of construction and building materials. They export their products to more than 30 countries. The region has a reliable mineral raw material base at its disposal. It possesses more than 40% of all iron ore deposits explored in Russia.
Some deposits of bauxites, chalk, sand, clay and granite have been
discovered and developed in Belgorod region. The iron ore mining
and metallurgical complex of the region is represented by the
Stoilensky and Lebedinsky plants using an open-pit mining method,
the Kursk Magnetic Anomaly iron-ore mining basin using and underground mining method and the Oskol Electrometallurgical Plant.
The total production capacity of existing iron ore mining companies
amounts to 27.3 million tons of ore concentrate and sintered ore.
Currently construction work at the underground mine in Yakovlevo
with production capacity of 4.5 million tons of iron ore is in a full
swing. Mechanical engineering and metal working are represented
basically by two production groups: the first one provides its services
to the iron ore mining and metallurgical complex of Belgorod region
(mining mechanical engineering and repair of the equipment) and the
second one which was developed considerably during the previous
years (chemical production, manufacture of boilers and various
equipment, etc.).
191
TAPESCRIPT 7B
NEWCASTLE, MY HOME TOWN
I was born in Newcastle, a city in the north-east of England.
Newcastle is on the bank of the River Tyne. It is quite big, with a
population of about 200,000 people. There is a cathedral and a university. There are five bridges over the River Tyne, which link Newcastle to the next town, Gateshead, where there is one of the biggest
shopping centers in the world, the Metro Center. A few years ago,
the main industries were shipbuilding and coalmining, but now the
chemical and soap industries are more important. I moved from
Newcastle ten years ago but I often return. I miss the people, who are
so warm and friendly, and I miss the wild, beautiful countryside near
the city, where there are so many hills and streams. People who are
born near the River Tyne have a special name. They are called
“Geordies”. I am very pleased to be a “Geordie”!
TAPESCRIPT 8A
RESOURCES OF RUSSIA
Russia is among the world’s richest countries in mineral resources. It is the biggest producer of coal, petroleum, and natural gas,
as well as iron, ore, copper, zinc, lead, nicked, aluminum, and tin.
Russia’s chemical industry is well developed, and the country’s
enormous forests are capable of supplying all its wood and paper
products. Energy is generated mostly by thermal plants using the
country’s vast fossil-fuel reserves. About three-fifths of Russian
farmland is used to grow crops; the remainder is given to pasture and
meadow. The main product has always been grain – chiefly wheat,
rye, barley, and oats – along with such industrial crops as sunflower
seeds, sugar, beets, and flax.
TAPESCRIPT 8B
ST. PETERSBURG
St Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia and one of the
most beautiful cities in the world. It was founded in 1703 by Peter
192
the Great as the “Window to the West”. Thousands of workmen were
brought from all parts of Russia to build a new city on the swampy
land at the mouth of the Neva River. Peter the Great was in a hurry.
The work was fast and hard, and workmen dropped dead by the hundreds. However, the work went on. St Petersburg, a city of great
beauty, with palaces, cathedrals, churches, and government buildings
became the capital. Under later rules, the new capital of the Russian
Empire grew rapidly in wealth and beauty. Architects were brought
from Western Europe to lay out the city in harmonious squares.
Buildings were constructed of gray and rose-coloured granite. The
Hermitage Palace and the Winter Palace, the homes of the tsars, were
equal to any in Europe. When the First World War began in 1914,
the German-sounding name, St Petersburg, was changed to Petrograd. After the Great October Revolution, the city was renamed after
Lenin. During the Great Patriotic War, the city suffered a great deal.
The German armies laid siege to it in 1941, and for the next year and
a half it was cut off from the rest of the country. No food could be
brought in, and people died of starvation. Daily shelling and air raids
destroyed parts of the city, thousands of people were killed. Rebuilding took years. Now St Petersburg is an important industrial, cultural
and educational center. The population of the city is over 5 million.
St Petersburg is indeed a wonderful city. At every turn there is something to catch your eye. The Winter Palace, the Hermitage, the Russian Museum, St Isaac’s Cathedral, the Peter-and-Paul Fortress, the
Admiralty building attract thousands of tourists from every corner of
the world. St Petersburg’s many museums house some of the world’s
famous art collection. The Hermitage, for example, contains the richest collection of pictures in the world. The city is called Northern
Venice because there are 65 rivers and canals with artistically decorated bridges there. It is also famous for its beautiful white nights.
TAPESCRIPT 9A
WALES
Wales has been united with England for hundreds of years, and
for centuries England and Wales have formed one single political
and administrative unit. The son and heir of the monarch are given
the title “Prince of Wales”, but his title has no political significance.
193
If you look at the bottom of the map you’ll see Cardiff, the capital of
Wales. Financially and industrially, Cardiff is the most important
city in Wales. Most of the inhabitants of Wales live and work in this
city and the adjoining area. Apart from the docks Cardiff is a beauti-
ful city. If you go to Wales, and can’t understand what people are
saying, don’t worry! They are not speaking English, they are speak-
ing Welsh. Quite a lot of people speak Welsh, and children learn it at
school. The Welsh language is a Celtic language and is very different
from English. In general, this is the only distinctive national feature
left in Wales. The Welsh are famous for their singing. A lot of Welsh
people play musical instruments. The Welsh national costume is still
worn by some girls for folk dancing and music festivals. Wales has a
very strong folk culture and many people still learn Welsh as their
first language.
TAPESCRIPT 9B
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S BIRTHPLACE
William Shakespeare was born in the centre of England in
Stratford-on-Avon. It is situated on the quiet river Avon. There are
no mountains there but beautiful green fields and woods. A small
house with small rooms in the centre of Stratford is Shakespeare’s
birthplace. There is a wooden desk that Shakespeare sat at when he
was a pupil of the grammar school in Stratford. Behind the house one
can see the garden where all trees and flowers that Shakespeare mentioned in his plays are growing. Shakespeare’s parents were country
people. At twenty-eight Shakespeare was in London as an actor.
Some years later he became a playwright. His plays were staged at a
London theatre “The Globe”. In the church where Shakespeare was
buried there is a bust of Shakespeare made by a Dutch sculptor who
lived near Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and saw Shakespeare many
times. Shakespeare is known as a writer of historical dramas and
comedies, among them “Romeo and Juliet” and “Hamlet”. The
Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford-on-Avon has the best
stage in England. One can see Shakespeare’s plays there with best
actors and actresses of England.
194
TAPESCRIPT 10A
NEW ORLEANS
New Orleans, at the mouth of the Mississippi River, is the
largest city in Louisiana and second most important seaport after
New York City. At different times in its history, the area was occupied by the Spanish and the French. There is still a French-speaking
community – the Cajuns. They are descended from French Canadians who went from another French colony called Acadia to Louisiana in the eighteenth century. They became known as Acadians, and
the word was shortened to Cajuns. The music and food of the area is
a combination of many influences. Jazz originated in New Orleans as
a blend of French and Spanish music, blues, brass-band music, and
African slave songs. Cajun music is played on a guitar, accordion,
and washboard, and blends French dance tunes, Caribbean music,
and the blues. A typical Louisiana dish, jambalaya, is made of rice
and shrimp or chicken, something like a Spanish paella but spicier.
Gumbo, a soup or stew, takes its name from a West African word for
okra, one of its ingredients.
TAPESCRIPT 10B
AMERICAN ENGLISH
Nearly 265 million people live in the USA and speak English.
There are more native speakers of English there than any other country. American English is very flexible and has absorbed many words
from the languages of immigrants. Words like liaison and rendezvous (from French), and rodeo and tornado (from Spanish) came into
the language because France and Spain once controlled parts of
North America. Dutch and German settlers gave words such as waffle and cookies, and hamburger and noodles to American English.
The first English speakers to arrive met Native Americans who spoke
many different languages. To trade with them, the Europeans learned
words from the local languages, and some of these words became
part of American English. Native Americans also worked as guides,
leading the European traders around the country. The Europeans
learned the Native American names for the places they were passing
195
through. Over half the states now have Native American names.
American English has different dialects. People in the southern states
speak with a drawl – they tend to speak slowly and lengthen the last
sound of each word. They use expressions like “Howdy, y’all” for
“Hello, everybody”. Ex-president Clinton, from Arkansas, has a
southern accent.
In New York City, especially in the boroughs outside Manhattan, many people have a way of speaking English that is called New
Yorkese. Speakers of New Yorkese often speak very fast. They tend
not to pronounce the “r” in words that end in “er”. A word like “water” sounds like “wata”. Teenagers often like to use a lot of slang,
along with expressions such as “like” and “you know”, which can
make their way of talking seem vague. The words they choose are
strongly influenced by popular music and fashion. Today, there are
some differences in vocabulary, pronunciation, and spelling between
American and British English. Sometimes, the difference in spelling
is because Americans wanted to make things simpler, so that a word
would be spelled the way it is pronounced. As far back as the 1780s,
Noah Webster, founder of one of the most famous American English
dictionaries, decided to eliminate from a word any letters that were
not pronounced.
196
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Бурлак А.И., Бурлак Дж.Г., Кравцова Л.И. Знакомство с
Америкой. – М.: Астрель, АСТ, 2000. – 96 с.
2. Занина Е.Л. 95 устных тем по английскому языку. – М.:
Айрис, Рольф, 2007. – 320 с.
3. Кошманова И.И., Сидорова Н.А. Устные темы по ан-
глийскому языку. – СПб., 2003. – 272 с.
4. Нечипоренко В.Ф. Словарь-минимум разговорной лексики (англо-русский) для неязыковых вузов. – М.: Высшая школа, 1971. – 96 с.
5. Bordman M. In the USA. – London: Chancel, 1998. – 106 p.
6. Cambridge Dictionaries Online. [Интернет-ресурс]. – Ре-
жим доступа: http://www.dictionary.cambridge.org
7. Education System in Russia http://www.studyrussian.com
8. Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture. –
Harlow: Longman, 2005.
9. Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online. [Интернет-ресурс]. –
Режим доступа: http://www.merriam-webster.com
10. Oxford Dictionary of Business English for Learners of
English // edited by A. Tuck. – Oxford: Oxford University Press,
2004. – 492 p.
11. Random House Thesaurus //edited by J. Stein,
S.B. Flexner. – N.Y.: Random House, 2001. – 812 p.
12. Soars J. Headway Pre-intermediate. – London: Oxford
University Press, 2007. – 144 p.
13. Tomakhin G.D. Across the United States of America. –
Moscow: Prosveshcheniye, 1980. – 176 p.
14. Vaugham-Rees M. In Britain. – London: Chancel, 1995. –
120 p.
15. Vlasova E.L., Kostenko S.M. Focus on the USA. – St. Petersburg: Nauka, 1991. – 254 p.
16. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. [Интернет-ресурс]. –
Режим доступа: http://www.en.wikipedia.org.
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CONTENTS
ПРЕДИСЛОВИЕ ........................................................................ 3
UNIT 1. The University I Go to .................................................... 5
UNIT 2. Student Life ................................................................. 25
UNIT 3. Higher Education in Russia ........................................... 40
UNIT 4. Higher Education in Great Britain ................................. 58
UNIT 5. Higher Education in the USA ........................................ 76
UNIT 6. English as a Global Language ...................................... 95
UNIT 7. My Home Town ......................................................... 111
UNIT 8. The Russian Federation .............................................. 126
UNIT 9. Great Britain .............................................................. 143
UNIT 10. The United States of America .................................... 163
TAPESCRIPTS ....................................................................... 181
BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................... 197
198
Учебное издание
Гарагуля Сергей Иванович
LEARNING TO SPEAK ENGLISH
Учебное пособие
по разговорному английскому языку
Подписано в печать 20.11.13. Формат 60 х 84/16. Усл. печ. л. 11,9. Усл.-изд. л.
Тираж 500 экз. Заказ № Цена руб.
Отпечатано в Белгородском государственном технологическом университете
308012, г. Белгород, ул. Костюкова, 46
12,8.
им. В.Г. Шухова
199
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