Добавил:
ivanov666
Опубликованный материал нарушает ваши авторские права? Сообщите нам.
Вуз:
Предмет:
Файл:Английский для подготовки к ЕГЭ. Учебник
.pdf
151
Most of us know Steven for his roles as an action hero with an acting career
that was launched from his Los Angeles Dojo in the late 80′s where he taught Martial
Arts to the likes of Sean Connery, James Coburn and the famed talent agent, Michael
Ovitz. It was Mr. Ovitz who paved the way for Steven to co-write and star in his first
and hugely successful action film “Above the Law” in 1988. From this initial success
it launched a career that now spans over 22 years and nearly 40 movies, plus 2 major
Television series and $2 billion in box office revenues. Steven immerses himself in
his work on the screen, writing, producing, directing and acting.
His films include box office successes such as Hard to Kill, Marked for Death,
Out for Justice, Above the Law, Under Siege, Executive Decision, The Glimmer
Man, and Exit Wounds to name a few, are all loved for their storylines and fast paced
Hollywood action.
Most importantly, it is his genuine care for others that drives him to unselfishly
give his time and financial support to many charities across the world. His support of
environmental causes, animal rights, children in need is undeniable and an important
part of his daily schedule.
Steven Seagal is a versatile talent and an intricate human being, whose passion,
selflessness, integrity and character are embodied in his work. To those that know
Steven, they will tell you he is a deeply caring, giving and humble individual1.
Talking points.
1. What is the place of cinema among the other arts?
2. Would you agree that cinema can be regarded as the popular art, that it
belongs to mass culture?
3. The success of a film mainly depends on the film director.
4. Cinema is an art of illusion.
Give your arguments for and against.
1. Cinema can help a lot in the field of education
2. Cinema is not an earnest art. It is just entertainment.
3. Literary works should not be adapted for the screen.
Television
I think that television is very important in modern life. A TV set has become an
ordinary thing in the household today.
1
Source: http://stevenseagal.com/?page_id=26.
152
Modern television offers the viewers several programmes on different
channels. In addition to regular newscasts you can see plays and films, operas and
ballets, and watch all kinds of contests, quizzes, and sporting events. We can also get
a lot of useful information on the educational channel.
I am fond of watching good serials, detective stories and screen versions of
classical novels. And, of course, I try to watch all the programmes that tell us about
Great Britain, its history, its people, culture.
Television most definitely plays a very important part in people’s lives. A good
serial can keep the whole family in front of the telly for days and we often spend
hours and hours watching our favourite programmes. But perhaps it’s not a very good
thing because we have become lazier. We go out less often and we read less.
My Favourite TV Programmes
Television plays a very important role in my life. Like most of the teenagers, I
am a regular televiewer. But I can’t say that I spend all my free time glued to the TV
set. I always look through the schedule and choose what I want to see. There is
usually a considerable variety of programmes to different tastes. As for me, I prefer
variety shows, films and entertaining programmes. But I watch news programmes
regularly. They keep me well informed in home and foreign news and events and
help me to learn the most important economic, social and political issues of the day.
Television gives me a wonderful opportunity to enrich my intellect. My
favourite educational programme is “Bright Boys and Bright Girls”. It is a real
pleasure to see wonderfully bright teenagers who have such deep knowledge in
various fields of science. I enjoy this programme greatly and always look forward to
it. To my mind the talk-show man Vyasemsky, the host of the programme, is the best
one on TV. As far as I know this programme appeals to a great number of
schoolchildren.
I can’t but mention the fact that watching TV we become more cultured
because television affords us an opportunity to see the best actors and performances,
to visit the world-famous museums. I remember what great impression the
programme “Museums of the World” produced on me. I only wish I could see it
again.
Besides, for most of the people it is the only chance to see other countries.
And, of course, TV helps us to relax after hard day’s work.
153
Talking points.
1. Why do you think television is important in modern life?
2. Do you think parents should allow their children to watch all TV
programmes?
3. What are the advantages of television?
4. What kinds of programmes do you like to watch?
5. How important is television to you?
Give your arguments for and against.
1. Television stops children being creative.
2. Television is dulling viewers’ reactions to violence and tragedy.
3. Television is broadening people’s horizons.
Social Networks
Nowadays, there is hardly anyone who can imagine their life without the
Internet. The Internet is one of the greatest and most amazing inventions of the XXth
century. It has helped humanity to make a huge leap into the future. And it is already
impossible to imagine a modern person without a computer or a smartphone and the
Internet.
There are some advantages and disadvantages that are generally singled out in
connection with the Internet. Thus, the positive impact of the Internet includes the
following factors: it is a huge information resource; it gives an opportunity to buy
goods without leaving home; it is a way to get rid of loneliness; it helps maintain
friendly relations at a distance; it is a good opportunity to save money, to find a job
and much more.
On the other hand, there are some negative factors as well. The negative
consequences of using the Internet include the following ones: it means withdrawal
from books; it causes a waste of time; it can decrease the quality of students’
performance; it may cause replacement of real relationships with virtual ones;
“unpunished” behaviour reduces the level of responsibility; there is a risk of
becoming a computer criminal, etc. Moreover, the Internet addiction is an obsessive
desire to connect to the Internet and a painful inability to disconnect from the Internet
in time.
One of the ways the Internet is made good use of by most people today is its
social networks and messengers.
154
Social networks play a very important role in the modern world. Every day
more and more people not only communicate on social networks, but also share
professionalism, advice; various courses are held on selling, buying goods, promoting
their own Internet resources, etc.
About 45 % of all people visit social networks every day. Today, social
networks are used in many areas, the most popular of them are VKontakte,
Odnoklassniki, Telegram and others.
To date, most people have replaced face-to-face communication with Internet
communication. The development of social networks in the modern world certainly
plays a very important role in human life. People there find friends, relatives, and
share information with colleagues online. And even holding business conferences on
social networks is not difficult for anyone and does not require additional knowledge
or special digital skills.
To confirm the importance of social networks, we can cite the indicators of a
small study conducted in Russia a few years ago:
1) most people visit social networks every day and spend 6 hours a day in
them;
2) for most people, social networks have a positive effect on communicating
with people in reality, and also help in organizing personal leisure;
3) the main reason for using social networks is communication with friends,
classmates, colleagues, etc.;
4) the majority of young people at the moment are not ready to give up using
social networks.
Currently, one finds everything on social networks: movies, music, news. We
can contact friends, relatives. For people, social networks have already become an
everyday subject, without which few people can imagine themselves.
In my opinion, after a while everyone will be registered in social networks,
because every day the number of users is growing and growing. Of course, on the one
hand, it is good that a large part of the population gathers on such a large ‘field’ and
with this you can easily present any information and quickly disclose it, you can
easily open your Internet business and promote it. But on the other hand, many
people, who are too trustful, face problems such as theft of personal information, and
what is even worse, they may encounter different types of fraud.
Talking points.
1. What is your personal attitude to the Internet and social networks?
155
2. How much time do you spend daily on the Internet? How long can you do
without it?
3. What is/are your favourite social network (s)? Why?
4. How (What for) do you use the Internet? What is the most vital function of
the Internet in your life?
5. Are you addicted to social networks or computer games? Do you know such
people? What are the symptoms of the Internet addiction?
6. What would you recommend the addicted person to do to get rid of the
addiction?
Give your arguments for or against.
1. Social networks have become a serious alternative to traditional ways of
communicating.
2. Cyber bullying is a serious problem.
The British on Holiday
Many British people have decided that it is not worth spending money on a
holiday in Britain because the weather so unreliable. They prefer to spend their
money on package holidays in southern Europe. A package holiday is a cheap form
of group travel. You pay a travel agent a sum of money and he arranges a flight,
hotel, food and entertainment. All you need is pocket-money when you get to the
foreign country. It is sometimes cheaper to go abroad with a package holiday than to
stay in England. In spite of this, seaside holidays in Britain are still the most popular
and traditional form of holiday for the majority of British people.
Because Britain is quite a small island, no one lives farther than 75 miles from
the sea. As soon as the summer weather begins, thousands of people in cars make
their way to the coast. Many parents are willing to sit on crowded beaches, in traffic
jams, and - sometimes - in bad weather, to give their children a seaside holiday.
Many of the towns and villages on the south coast of England are still very beautiful,
but oil pollution in the water has become a problem over the last few years.
Many of the larger holiday resorts have piers. Brighton has a famous pier. It is
a long platform which stretches out into the sea. You have to pay to go on the pier.
On the pier you’ll find restaurants, small shops, a theatre or a concert hall,
amusement stalls and a fortune-teller. A pier is a very good place when it is too cold
to sit on the beach.
156
The seaside is a place for a family holiday. Many teenagers prefer to go youth-
hostelling and hitch-hiking around the countryside. Youth Hostels are cheap, but the
accommodation is simple. Hitch-hiking is a very cheap way of travelling, but
sometimes you have to wait for hours at the side of the road before you get a lift.
Many of the most beautiful parts of Britain are owned by the National Trust.
The Trust tries to preserve historic buildings, bird sanctuaries, forests, villages and
parks. A lot of people enjoy active, open-air holidays such as walking or
mountaineering. Although British mountains are not spectacularly high, there are
many rocks and cliffs in Wales and Scotland that are difficult to climb. Professional
mountaineers have trained there before going on expeditions to Tibet or South
America.
A holiday camp is a complete contrast to this kind of independent, outdoor
holiday. It is not a holiday in caravans or tents. It is a holiday at a special camp where
people live in small chalets, special staff look after their children; games are
organized; entertainment of all kinds is provided and everyone eats in a large dininghall. Guests never have to leave the gates of the camp. Billy Butlin who started the
first holiday camps in Britain is now a very rich man. He is now Sir Billy Butlin; he
has been knighted for his services to the country.
Summer Holidays
Three years ago we decided to spend our holidays on the Brittany coast and in
London we booked accommodation through an agency, reserving a double room with
an additional bed for our four-year-old son as he was then. It was reasonably priced
not too cheap, not too dear. The hotel turned out to be a small and charming place
overlooking an immense sandy beach. Food was excellent but the word to describe
the hotel was undoubtedly small. We had a small room and the boy had a bed small
even for him. The dining-room was so small that if you arrived a few minutes late
you had practically to climb over the other guests’ heads to get to your place. The
beach looked near, but was a good fifteen-minute walk away, and returning at lunchtime in the noonday sun was murder.
These days there is a great competition in the holiday business, so don’t get
fascinated with one brochure and one spot.
Personally, I still think the package tours are the best value and least worry,
especially if you have a family and are not keen on camping. Tours in Russia offer
the most exciting and unusual holidays.
157
A very large percentage of hotels there are recently built and you will seldom if
ever have to put up with old-fashioned uncomfortable accommodation at least in the
popular resorts. And Russian hospitality is always something to remember.
My Holidays
The whole point of a holiday is that it should be a change. Most people like a
change of scene. If they live in the country, they like to go to a big town and spend
their time looking at the shops and visiting cinemas and museums. If they are citydwellers, they like a quiet holiday in the hills or by the sea, with nothing to do but
walk and bathe and lie in the sun.
I like to spend my holidays by the sea. It seems to me one can never be tired of
the sea. It is beautiful in all kinds of weather, at all times of the day or night. I think
there is nothing better than bathing in the warm sea. And you can go bathing even in
the evening, with the silver beams of the moon reflected on the water. Then basking
in the sun on sunny days is so delightful!
In the evening I prefer to walk along the beach, especially when the tide is low.
At high tide I would sit on some rock and watch the heavy waves rolling in and
breaking with a crash on the shore. I like to feel the fresh sea wind blowing in my
face. And I enjoy watching the sunset on the sea. I believe there is nothing that can be
compared with it in beauty.
I also like to spend my holidays in the country. They say, that the country-side
is flat. Well, that’s just what I like. Space is what attracts me - with nothing to
obstruct the view. I like to look about me and see meadows, a swift-flowing brook or
river, fields of ripening grain, fruit orchards everywhere. I love rural life and rural
scenes, simple food, plenty of fresh milk, cream, fruit and vegetables and, of course,
fresh air. It’s a welcome change from the dust, smells and bustle and hustle of
the city.
I should like to walk in the woods. The green of the foliage is so restful to the
nerves and to the eyes! On fine days I’d like to pick berries or gather mushrooms or
simply roam about and listen to the songs and twittering of birds.
But sooner or later holidays come to an end and we come back to our normal
life. If we have used the holidays well, we usually feel regret that they are over,
because we have enjoyed them so much.
Talking points.
1. Why do people go to different places?
158
2. What do you prefer to do during your summer holidays?
3. Speak on the holidays you liked most of all.
4. How would you like to spend your holidays in 10 years?
Travelling
Well, I’d like to say a few words about travelling. Visiting different countries
and cities is always a fascinating activity to spend for many people. Actually, there
are lots of reasons why people travel. Often they want to see the wonderful landmarks
of the country they go to and get unforgettable impressions. As far as I know, some
people get tired of staying at one place for a long time, so, their thirst for changing
places becomes a travelling hobby. Travelling may also be a wish to escape home
problems for many individuals. Thus, they go hiking to see beautiful sights and
landscapes and to feel peace and calm.
Without any doubt, there are lots of ways of travelling. For instance, if you
want to go sightseeing and studying the monuments of the past you can take a
packaged tour or some people would recommend you group tourism. Personally, I
think that group tourism is boring and uninformative. You can easily get tired of the
noisy crowd of tourists that is travelling with you. Moreover, you can barely hear the
guide because of the noise or sometimes you want to look at the monument for a little
bit longer, but your group has to hurry up to the next place. If your aim is getting to
know people and traditions, I would recommend you to go to national festivals or try
to talk with people in the streets. There are many ways of travelling if your aim is
enjoying nature. For example, you can go backpacking or hiking.
Some people think that travelling abroad is a waste of money and it could be
replaced by books and films. I would not agree with this statement. In my opinion,
seeing everything with your own eyes can never be replaced with what you see on the
pages of a book or on a TV screen.
In conclusion, I would like to say that travelling is the best way of spending
your free time. It enriches your mind and soul and gives you lots of great
impressions.
Talking points.
1. Do you like travelling?
2. How often do you travel?
3. What means of travelling do you find the best one?
4. What is the best place you have ever visited?
5. What is better — to travel abroad or to travel around your own country?
159
6. Where would you like to go during your next trip?
7. Where would you travel to if you had a chance to choose any place? Why?
8. What is your attitude to ecotourism, hiking, camping, mountaineering?
9. What are the most important advantages of travelling?
10. What are the possible travel troubles? Which of them have you experienced?
Give you arguments for or against.
1. One needs to have a rest after a travelling holiday.
2. Travelling is the best way to spend one’s holidays for it means a change of
place and occupation.
Traditions and Customs in Great Britain
All traditions, customs, habits are connected with the development of history
and culture of the country. There are certain traditional holidays, festivals and
ceremonies which have existed over centuries in the country. The inhabitants of the
country used to do certain things on these days which have become traditions,
customs and habits.
To cover all traditions, customs and habits of the British we should describe:
1) the differences between the Continentals and the British; 2) public holidays on
which the inhabitants do traditional things and do not work.
Continentals and the British
Continentals put on their best clothes and try to look respectable on Sundays.
The country becomes gay and cheerful. The English put on some peculiar rags, do
not shave and the country becomes dull and dreary. England is a country of exotic
oddities, everything is the other way round. On the Continent stray cats and dogs are
loved, some are only respected, that is they are judged individually on their merit. In
England they are universally worshipped as in ancient Egypt. Continentals have good
food; the English have good table manners. On the Continent there is one topic that
should be avoided — the weather. There are two favourite topics to speak on in
England: weather and health. Learned persons on the Continent love to quote Latin
and Greek authors in a conversation to show off their knowledge. In England only
uneducated people show off their knowledge, nobody quotes Latin and Greek authors
unless he has ever read them. Continentals are sensitive and touchy. The English take
everything with humour, they are only offended if you tell them that they have no
sense of humour.
160
Public Holidays
There are six public holidays in Great Britain, such as: Christmas Day, Boxing
Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday and Spring and Late Summer Bank Holidays.
People do not go to work on these days.
Christmas (is celebrated on December, 25). Everything is rush and bustle.
There is a great air of expectation. The British decorate trees with baubles and
coloured lights. They decorate their houses with holly and mistletoes under which
boys kiss girls. Christmas cards are arranged everywhere.
Boxing Day (is celebrated on December, 26). People visit friends, go for a
drive or for a long walk or just sit around recovering from too much food after
Christmas dinner. Everything to eat is cold.
Easter. It is the time when certain old traditions are observed. It is the time for
giving and receiving presents traditionally in the form of an Easter egg: hot buns,
little chicks, baby rabbits, spring-time flowers to signify nature’s reawakening
Bank Holidays. Four times a year the banks are closed on Monday apart from
traditional week-ends. The townsfolk usually flock into the country and to the coast.
Bank Holiday is also an occasion for big sport meetings, mainly all kinds of athletics.
There are also horse race meetings all over the country and most traditional of all
these are large fairs. These fairs are pitched on open spaces of common land, and the
most famous of them is the huge one on Hampstead Heath. There is also much
boating activity on the Thames.
Christmas
Most people in Britain see Christmas as the major festival of the year — an
occasion for parties, giving and receiving gifts, eating and drinking, and generally
having fun.
The non-religious traditions associated with Christmas are in fact not very old,
dating back only to the 19th century. These are mostly for children. On Christmas
Eve, children hang stockings at the end of their beds or over the fireplace. They are
told that Father Christmas, or Santa Claus, arrives at night from the North Pole on his
flying sleigh pulled by flying reindeers, climbs down the chimney and fills the
stocking with presents. The children open their presents — put there secretly by their
parents — on Christmas morning.
Lunch is the most important point of Christmas Day. The traditional lunch
consists of roast turkey with vegetables, followed by Christmas pudding, which is
Соседние файлы в предмете [НЕСОРТИРОВАННОЕ]