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Scott was born in Texas in 1868, into a poor but musical black family. His
father, who was a freed slave, played the violin, and his mother played the banjo and
sang. Scott played the violin and bugle but his favourite instrument was his
neighbour’s piano. His father worked extra hours to buy him a battered old grand
piano, and soon Scott was playing by ear negro tunes, blues, and spirituals. Music
flowed naturally from his fingers, and he quickly became the talk of the town.
Scott didn’t learn to read music until he was 11, when an old German music
teacher spotted his talent and gave him free, formal piano lessons. He learned to play
the works of such composers as Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart as well as his
improvised music. Thus when he started to write music, his tunes were a wonderful
mixture of classical European and African beat. This unique style was known as
Ragtime, and was played everywhere in the USA in the early 1900-s by both black
and white musicians.
In 1882, when Scott was 14, his mother died and he left home to seek his
fortune in St. Louis. In the 1880-s, St. Louis was noisy and bustling with life. The
waterfront of the Mississippi River was full of gangsters, gamblers, and sailors. The
sound of music was everywhere - black, white and mixed. Scott was soon playing
Ragtime piano in cheap bars on the waterfront. Scott grew up very fast and his
musical talent continued to develop. All in all, he wrote about 50 piano rags.
Scott Joplin died in 1917. Today he is the undisputed King of Ragtime, thanks
to his natural ability, his unusual musical education, and the popularity of the film,
The Sting.
Talking points
1. What do you think is important to become successful:
a) a good home;
b) good education;
c) rich parents;
d) good health;
e) strong will? Add other components of success, give comments and
examples.
2. Do you think progress at school is relevant for success in future? Are
successful people faced with any kind of problems?
Give your arguments for and against.
1. Success could only be due to a stroke of luck.
2. Only painstaking work bears fruit of success, talent has nothing to do with it.
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Reading
I cannot remember at all when I learned to read. I know I read quite
comfortably at five, because on my sixth birthday I received a book as a gift, entitled
“Winnie-the-Pooh”.
I enjoyed reading it and practically learned it by heart.
There were always many books in our house. My mother, being a teacher,
formed my reading habit early. She always encouraged me to read good literature. At
first I read books under my mother’s supervision, but later I tried to take my own
choice.
I believe that the choice of books depends to the greatest extent on its genre.
Surely, if one reads for the purpose of self-education, he will most likely read science
fiction, memoirs, books about travels. Historical novels also contain quite a number
of truthful facts. Serious dramas and short stories portray the real life and attract the
readers’ attention to various problems, making us think over the eternal problems of
life and death, love and different means of reaching any aim.
I must say, that I favour classical authors. I believe that there are some books
that everyone should read. And I try to do my best reading classical literature,
especially Russian, English and American fiction. But my dream is to read books by
English and American writers in the original.
My Favourite Writers
George Bernard Shaw was born in Dublin in 1856 and until fourteen he
attended college and then he worked in a land agent’s office. When he was twenty
G.B. Shaw went to London and became a journalist. He wrote music and dramatic
critiques for various periodicals. He started his literary work with some novels which
had little success and then turned to dramatic writing.
G.B. Shaw’s most important plays are: Widower’s Houses, Mrs. Warren’s
Profession, Heartbreak House and others. In his plays Shaw criticized the vices of
society he lived in, showed its inhumanity. He achieved this by means of brilliant
dialogues between the characters. His plays are full of witty paradoxes. They place
Shaw among the most important representatives of critical realism in English
literature.
My favourite play by Shaw is Pygmalion. It’s a story about Professor Higgins
who makes a bet with his friend that he can make a “lady” out of a poor Cockney girl.
He meets a young flower seller named Eliza Doolitle, who has no education and
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whose language is awful. He takes her into his home where he teaches her. During
the process many amusing incidents occur. The girl turns out to be beautiful and she
takes the teaching easily. In the end she develops grace and manners and people take
her for a real lady. The play held my interest from beginning to end and I enjoyed
every bit of it.
Shakespeare’s Tragedies
I’m fond of Shakespeare’s tragedies. The world-wide problems are always
focussed in his characters and they are living men and women. Their noble passions
collide with the social conflicts of life: nothing can ensure the happiness of man so
long as evil is not abolished. How can evil be overcome? Virtue is too passive. At the
same time killing is not the way out, it only creates new crime. And in search of an
answer to this human problem there comes “Hamlet”. Hamlet does not want to take
the easiest way and kill his father’s murderer. He considers the murder of his father
by the brother to be an indication of the general corruption of the age, and wants to
see all evil abolished. Hamlet is ready to devote his entire life to this task, though to
set things right is more than one man can do.
Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens was born in 1812. His father was a clerk.
In 1823 facing financial ruin, the family moved to London, where Charles
began to work in a blacking warehouse. At that time his father was arrested for debt.
Charles was a little boy of ten, weak and sensitive and had to work and live in misery,
half starving, lonely. He could never forget the horror of those days. When his father
inherited a considerable sum of money and was released from prison, Charles began
to attend school.
He learned shorthand and at the age of 19 became a parliamentary reporter. He
travelled over the country noticing everything. Charles Dickens began his literary
career in 1833 writing sketches. “The Pickwick Papers” was his first novel (1836).
The book deals with the misadventures of Mr. Pickwick and his three friends. Mr.
Pickwick is a good-natured, cheerful, very simple-hearted old gentleman, the
Chairman of the Pickwick Club. His friends travel about England and send to the club
an account of their journeys, their observations of the characters, manners of the
people they meet. They get into absurd situations. The book abounds in humour and
Mr. Pickwick is perhaps the greatest comic figure in English literature. Dickens
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became a popular novelist and set to writing new novels. His second novel “Oliver
Twist” (1838) is the story of an orphan boy born and brought up in the workhouse.
Oliver, kind and honest by nature, finds himself in the environment of thieves and
lives through dreadful hardships. But the boy overcomes all difficulties and dangers.
The novel ends in a happy issue which has become a characteristic feature of the
greater part of Dickens’s works. Charles Dickens wrote a lot of novels. His
masterpieces are: “Nicolas Nickleby”, “David Copperfield”, “Little Dorrit”,
“Dombey and Son”.
Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll, an English writer, was born in 1832 being the third child and
eldest son. He had seven sisters and two brothers.
The children were brought up in the country, enjoying all the delights of a free,
rural life in farmyards and old-fashioned gardens among woods and fields. At the age
of twelve he began to attend school.
He was educated at Oxford. Later he was a teacher of mathematics there. He
wrote a number of books on mathematics. He is remembered not as a mathematician
but as the author of “Alice in Wonderland”. This book had its origin in the stories that
he told to his friend’s children, one of these children was named Alice. From the
beginning it was a popular children’s book. Many of the characters — the Mad
Hatter, the March Hare, the White Rabbit, the Red Queen and the White Queen have
become familiar figures in literature and speech.
He also wrote numerous verses, the most popular of them is “The Hunting of
the Shark”.
He died in 1898.
Oscar Wilde (1856-1900)
Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin. His father was a famous surgeon and his
mother was a poet. He was educated in Dublin and Oxford. He was well-known in
classics and poetry but he achieved greater fame as a member of the doctrine of “Art
For Art’s Sake”.
His wit became a legend. It emerged in his criticism of life and affected his
style as a playwright.
His plays were (and are being) staged all over the world. O. Wilde threw the
challenge to the bourgeois society which he despised. He wanted to defend his
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individuality and independence of ideas and his desire to put art higher than ethics
was the aesthetic rebellion of the artist against puritan hypocrisy.
This is the main source of contradictions in his creative work. These
contradictions naturally found their reflection in his comedies, where “pure art” exists
side by side with high humanism and biting satire.
O. Wilde’s best works are “The Importance of the Being Earnest” and other
plays, “The Happy Prince and Other’s Tales”, “The Picture of Dorian Gray”.
Jack London
Jack London was born in San Francisco in 1876. He was still a schoolboy
when he began to work to help his family by selling newspapers. At thirteen he
finished his studies and began to work as his family could not afford to send him to
high school. He did odd jobs and in 1893 he sailed to hunt seals.
He had changed many jobs, was unemployed, when heard that gold had been
discovered in the Klondike. So Jack London left for Alaska. He found no gold, but
the year he spent there gave him much material for his future stories.
J. London’s literary career began in 1899 when his first short stories were
published.
Life beyond the Arctic Circle gave rich material for romantic interpretation.
Here people were judged by their courage and their code of friendship; by their deeds
and not their words. London’s heroes value freedom, they strive to be individuals in
the best meaning of the word. I like his books very much.
O. Henry
O. Henry is the pen-name of William Sydney Porter. He was born in 1862 and
was brought up by his aunt, as his mother died when he was a small boy. After
finishing school he had to try different jobs. It enlarged his experience and brought
him in touch with many different people whom he described later in his wonderful
stories.
O. Henry’s stories usually have an interesting plot. The action moves forward
rapidly. The stories often have an unexpected ending. He shows us common people
and makes us admire their kindness, their desire to see other people happy. And
O. Henry’s sense of humour is wonderful. That is why I like his works very much.
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Ernest Hemingway
E. Hemingway is one of my favourite writers. His novel “A Farewell to Arms”,
stories “The Old Man and the Sea” and others left a lasting impression on me.
E. Hemingway appeared in the American and world literature as one of the
writers who spoke for the “lost generation”. Those were the people who took part in
World War I and lost their belief in themselves, in bright ideals, and a happy life. “A
Farewell to Arms” is an anti-war novel. It is the story of a young American who
serves in the Italian Army during World War I. The book shows how he changes
from a new-comer who has come to fight for “freedom and democratic ideas” into a
man who hates the war. His personal tragedy symbolizes humanity’s tragedy in a
world of wars.
E. Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea” was a tribute to a simple man. He
was awarded the Nobel Prize for the book.
“The Old Man and the Sea” is a masterpiece for its imaginative language and
the descriptions of nature. The words of the main character “man can be destroyed
but not defeated” — is the main idea of Hemingway’s best heroes.
L. Tolstoy
L. Tolstoy is my favourite Russian writer. I think he is one of the greatest
writers in the world literature.
“War and Peace” is surely the greatest of all novels. It could only have been
written by a man of high intelligence and of powerful imagination, a man with wide
experience of the world and a penetrating insight into human nature. The novel has
been justly called an epic. It was described as “A complete picture of human life. A
complete picture of what may be called the history and struggle of people. A
complete picture of everything in which people find their happiness and greatness,
their grief and humiliation”.
Like writers of fiction in general, he framed his characters on persons he knew
of, but it appears that he did not merely use them as models for his imagination to
work upon, but drew faithful portraits of them.
A.P. Chekhov
A.P. Chekhov was born in 1860 in Taganrog. His father was the owner of a
grocer’s shop and the boy had to help his father working in it. When he was 16 his
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family left for Moscow, but Anton was left at Taganrog to continue his schooling. He
had to support himself by tutoring backward boys. After three years he joined his
parents in Moscow. He decided to become a doctor and entered the medical school.
He had the gift of improvising funny stories which made his friends laugh. So
Chekhov thought that he might try his hand at writing them and help his family in
this way. He wrote a story and sent it to a Petersburg weekly and it was published. He
placed his stories with the Moscow papers too. From 1880 to 1885 Chekhov wrote
three hundred stories.
While Chekhov was writing these stories he was working at the medical school
to get his diploma. He could only write at night after his hard day’s work at the
hospital. The conditions under which he wrote were difficult. Soon he got seriously
ill. But he continued his studies and became a qualified doctor.
Then he went to Petersburg where he discovered that he was famous. Many
people in Petersburg found in his stories freshness, liveliness and an original point of
view. He was looked upon as one of the most gifted writers of his day.
Chekhov was impressed, but he had never intended to become a professional
writer. So when he came to Moscow the earned his living as a doctor, but though his
friends sent him patients they seldom paid for the visits.
His health became worse, but he had no money to leave Moscow. At last on
borrowed money he bought a house in Melikhovo where he spent five years working
as a doctor. He wrote a number of his best stories there. Though constantly ill, he
remained friendly and cheerful. He had always refused to believe that he had
tuberculosis. At last the doctors told him that he had to go to the Crimea if he wanted
to live. So Chekhov settled in Yalta where he wrote his plays. He died in 1904. But
his plays “The Seagull”, “Uncle Vanya”, “Three Sisters” and “The Cherry Orchard”
are still on at different theatres. Chekhov criticized servility and banality. He was
interested in the life of ordinary people who were in search of the aim of life and
happiness.
Talking points.
1. Is it possible to live without books?
2. What kind of books do you like to read?
3. Do you know any “eternal” plots found in classical and modern literature?
What legends were their source?
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Give your arguments for or against.
1. Young people do not read books these days, the Internet has replaced
reading.
2. Classical literature should not be read at school; teenagers are not ready to
understand it yet.
3. Reading is the best source of information, knowledge and wisdom.
A World Guide to Good Manners
(How not to Behave Badly Abroad)
Travelling to all corners of the world gets easier and easier. We live in a global
village, but how well do we know and understand each other? Here is a simple test.
Imagine you have arranged a meeting at four o’clock. What time should you expect
your foreign business colleagues to arrive? If they are German, they’ll be bang on
time. If they’re American, they’ll probably be 15 minutes early. If they are British,
they’ll be 15 minutes late, and you should allow up to an hour for the Italians.
When the European Community began to increase in size, several guidebooks
appeared giving advice on international etiquette. At first many people thought this
was a joke, especially the British, who seemed to assume that the widespread
understanding of their language meant a corresponding understanding of English
customs. Very soon they had to change their ideas, as they realized that they had a lot
to learn about how to behave with their foreign business friends.
For example:
The British are happy to have a business lunch and discuss business matters
with a drink during the meal; the Japanese prefer not to work while eating. Lunch is a
time to relax and get to know one another, and they rarely drink at lunchtime.
The Germans like to talk business before dinner, the French like to eat first and
talk afterwards. They have to be well fed and watered before they discuss anything.
Taking off your jacket and rolling up your sleeves is a sign of getting down to
work in Britain and Holland, but in Germany people regard it as taking it easy.
American executives sometimes signal their feelings of ease and importance in
their offices by putting their feet on the desk. In Japan, people would be shocked.
Showing the soles of your feet is the height of bad manners. It is a social insult only
exceeded by blowing your nose in public.
The Japanese have perhaps the strictest rules of social and business behaviour.
Seniority is very important, and a younger man should never be sent to complete a
business deal with an older Japanese man. The Japanese business card almost needs a
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rulebook of its own. You must exchange business cards immediately on meeting
because it is essential to establish everyone’s status and position. When it is handed
to a person in a superior position, it must be given and received with both hands, and
you must take time to read it carefully, and not just put it in your pocket. Also the
bow is a very important part of greeting someone. You should not expect the
Japanese to shake hands. Bowing the head is a mark of respect and the first bow of
the day should be lower than when you meet thereafter.
The Americans sometimes find it difficult to accept the more formal Japanese
manners. They prefer to be casual and more informal, as illustrated by the universal
“Have a nice day!”. American waiters have a one-word imperative “Enjoy!”. The
British, of course, are cool and reserved. The great topic of conversation between
strangers in Britain is the weather - unemotional and impersonal. In America, the
main topic between strangers is the search to find a geographical link. “Oh, really?
You live in Ohio? I had an uncle who once worked there.”
Talking points.
1. Do you agree with the saying “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”?
2. What’s your opinion on the main reasons for travelling:
a) pleasure;
b) education;
c) business;
d) curiosity;
e) wish to escape home problems;
f) necessity of changing places;
g) impressions?
3. Which is the best way to travel if your aim is:
a) sightseeing;
b) enjoying nature;
c) studying monuments of the past;
d) getting to know people and traditions?
Give your arguments for and against.
1. Travelling abroad is a waste of money, it could be replaced by books
and films.
2. Group tourism is boring and uninformative.
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Zoos — for and against
A zoo is a place where animals are kept in specially created conditions for
communication with visitors. Zoos may provide some advantages, but they also have
their drawbacks. Let us consider both the pros and cons of zoos.
Advantages:
Educational value. Zoos can be a great way to learn about animals and their
surroundings. In zoos, you can see different types of animals, their behaviour, and
also learn how they survive in the wild.
Zoos can provide entertainment for the whole family, especially for children.
Visitors can enjoy watching animals, participate in interactive exhibitions and events.
Conservation of species and animal protection. Many zoos participate in
programmes to preserve various species of animals that are endangered in the wild.
These zoos are engaged in breeding animals and releasing them into nature.
Zoos can be a safe place for animals that have been rescued from adverse
conditions in the wild. In zoos, they receive high-quality care and medical care.
Disadvantages:
Many zoos keep animals in unsuitable conditions and poor health, which can
lead to an unhealthy perception of animals and incorrect attitude towards them.
Many zoos keep animals in small enclosures, which does not reflect their
natural living conditions and can lead to the development of unhealthy habits and
diseases.
Some people believe that keeping animals in zoos is unethical and cruel
because the animals are imprisoned and cannot live freely in their natural
environment. This can lead to emotional and physical stress for the animals.
Some animals may be aggressive and pose a danger to visitors, especially if
they are in unsuitable conditions of detention.
Maintaining a zoo can become expensive, especially if it is necessary to ensure
proper nutrition and animal care. This can lead to zoos becoming unprofitable and
closing down.
In conclusion, zoos have their pros and cons. They can be a great way for
learning and entertainment, as well as for the conservation and protection of various
animal species. However, it is necessary to make sure that the animals are kept in the
right conditions to avoid ethical problems and danger to animals and visitors. In
addition, it is necessary to take measures to preserve and improve the living
conditions of wild animals in nature in order to avoid the need to keep them in zoos.
Talking points.
1. What is your attitude to zoos?
2. Is there a zoo in your city/town/settlement?
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