XIII. Refer the following statements to the past and to the future

Model: Many people prefer travelling by car.

Many people preferred travelling by car.

Many people will prefer travelling by car.

1. For most people speed is a very important factor.

2. Millions of people all over the world spend their holidays travelling.

3. People travel by train, by plane, by boat, and by car.

4. People travel to see modern cities and the ruins of ancient towns.

5. Ships reach the port of destination on time according to their schedule.

6. Sleeping cars and dining cars make even the longest journey enjoyable.

7. The stewardess greets the passengers and shows them to their seats.

8. The stewardess offers the passengers some mineral water and sweets.

9. Travelling by plane is the fastest and the most convenient way.

XIV. Make up as many general questions as you can. Pay attention to the order of words

Do	city dwellers	always	cater for	by plane	abroad?
Does	people	often	read	newspapers	at a check-in desk?
Did	the British	usually	register	other countries	during the flight?
Shall	the passengers		see	the passengers	in summer?
Will	the stewardess		spend	their holidays	in the mountains?
	the travellers		travel	their luggage	to the sea shore?

XV. Add question tags to the following statements and give short answers

1. In the laboratory guests develop films without going out.

2. In the lobby of the hotel there are a lot of offices.

3. It is advisable to book accommoda­tion beforehand by fax or telephone.

4. On every floor there is a comfortable lounge.

5. People began to experiment with changing the weather.

6. The clerk enters your name, nationality and permanent address in the register.

7. The doorman and a bellboy help you with the luggage.

8. You avoid other charges of a hotel stay, if you stay at a motel.

9. You enter the hotel and go straight to the reception desk to get registered.

XVI. Make up sentences from the words given below

1. affects; all; the; in; lives; many; of; the; us; ways; of; weather.

2. all; country; the; fog; from; in; the; over; rolls; sea; the; thick; white.

3. all; belief; Britain; in; the; is; it; not; popular; rains; that; the; time; true.

4. at; can; get; hotel; services; the; various; you.

5. depends; on; season; the; usually; the; weather.

6. after; day; the; in; much; of; parts; the; same; some; stays; the; very; day; weather; world.

7. change; houses; inside; learned; our; the; to; we; weather.

8. began; changing; experiment; the; to; we; weather; with.

9. bad; cost; crops; food; may; more; ruin; so; that; weather; will.

UNIT 4

MEALS

BEFORE YOU READ

Answer these questions

1. Have you ever tasted British national dishes?

2. What is particular about American meals?

READING TASKS

A. Understanding main points

Read the text below about meals in Britain and the USA and answer the questions, beginning your answers with the fol­lowing phrases: as a rule …; to tell the truth …; as far as I know …; the matter is that …; as far as I remember …; as far as I am concerned …; frankly/strictly speak­ing …; to make a long story short … .

1. Why are the English very particular about their meals?

2. Do you agree that people in different countries have different ideas about what is the best diet for them? Why?

3. What meal do the British consider to be a very rich one? What do they usually have for it?

4. What is considered to be a “continental breakfast”?

5. When are most offices and small shops closed for an hour? Why?

6. What kind of food do the English like most of all?

7. Do you agree that the English are very fond of tea? Why?

8. Do you agree that afternoon tea is a special occasion in Britain? Why?

9. It is common knowledge that British restaurants are not famous for their good food. Where is it possible to choose food to your taste in Britain?

10. What is brunch in the USA? When is it usually served?

11. What types of restaurants are there in the USA? What do you know about them?

B. Understanding details

Mark the statements T (true) or F (false) according to the information in the text. Give your reason using the fol­lowing phrases: as a matter of fact ...; I don't think so …; I'm of the same opinion …; in my opinion …; on the contrary …; strictly speaking ...; to my mind ... .

1. The English are not very particular about their meals and never keep to their meal times.

2. People in different countries have the same ideas about what is good to eat and what is the best diet for them.

3. The usual English breakfast is a boiled egg, cold ham, or perhaps boiled fish.

4. Very many people in Britain have just a cup of tea or coffee with a toast for breakfast.

5. The English like what they call good plain food: steak, roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and fish and chips.

6. It is common knowledge that the English have “a nice cup of tea” 6 or 8 times a day, sometimes even more.

7. Some dishes served as appetizers for dinner or for supper are different kinds of salads.

8. British restaurants are famous for their good food.

9. There are not many restaurants of all nationalities in London and some other towns.

10. A usual breakfast in the United States is a cup of tea and toast, or a cup of coffee and dry cereal with milk.

11. There are fast food restaurants and full service restaurants in the USA.

MEALS IN BRITAIN AND THE USA

The English are very particular about their meals and strictly keep to their meal times. They usually have four meals a day: breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner. Breakfast is from any time till 8 o'clock in the morning, lunch is between 12 and 2 p.m., afternoon tea is between 4 and 5 p.m. and dinner between 7 and 9 p.m.

People in different countries have different ideas about what is good to eat and what is the best diet for them. But Britain is a country where many people think that breakfast is a very rich meal. The usual English breakfast is porridge or cornflakes with milk or cream and sugar, bacon and eggs, marmalade with but­tered toast, rolls, tea or coffee. For a change they can have a boiled egg, cold ham, or perhaps fish. Tea is taken at breakfast more often than coffee. Some people, however, have just a cup of tea or coffee with a toast or something similar, a “continental breakfast”.

At midday everything is stopped for lunch. Most offices and small shops are closed for an hour and the city pavements are full of people on their way to cafes, coffee bars, restaurants. Factory workers usually eat in their canteens. It never happens that they miss a meal or put it off till a more convenient time. The English like what they call good plain food: steak, roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and fish and chips. At lunch time they usually have cold meat and salad or fish often with potatoes or other vegetables, fish and chips, sausages and a sweet dish (an apple pie, a hot milk pudding, cold fruit salad, or ice cream).

It is common knowledge that the English are very fond of tea. They like to have “a nice cup of tea” 6 or 8 times a day, sometimes even more. From four to five the English have a very light meal called afternoon tea, but it can hardly be called a meal. It's rather an occasion in the late afternoon at which they have a cup of tea and a cake or a biscuit. At the weekends afternoon tea is a special occasion. Friends and visitors are often invited to have a chat over a cup of tea. Some people have the so-called “high tea”. It's a meal taken between five and six if a dinner is not taken in the evening. It is usually a more substantial meal than afternoon tea.

Dinner is the most substantial meal of the day. It is much like lunch and in many families it is the last meal of the day. It is usu­ally eaten at 7 o'clock. The first course may be soup though the English don't like it very much. The main course will often be fish or meat, and a lot of vegetables. The most typical meat is the traditional roast beef of old England, pork or veal chops or chicken. Some other dishes served as appetizers for dinner or for supper are different kinds of salads. The next course will be something sweet and often baked, such as a fruit pie. Last of all there may be cheese, often with biscuits.

Most British fa­milies go to restaurants on spe­cial occasions, like birthdays, or wedding anniversaries. British restaurants are not famous for their good food. Sometimes they offer only sausages and chips, fish and chips — chips with everything in fact. But there is a variety of restaurants of all nationalities in London and some other towns where you can choose food to your taste: Itali­an, French, Chinese, Russian and other restaurants.

Americans usually have three meals a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. All these three meals are served almost at the same time as in Britain.

A usual breakfast in the United States is orange juice, toast and coffee, or juice and dry cereal with milk, or eggs.

Lunch is usually a small meal — a sandwich, salad or soup, hamburgers and sausages. Brunch in America is a combination of breakfast and lunch that many Americans enjoy on Sunday. It is usually served at about eleven in the morning. Scrambled eggs or omelets are of­ten served along with other regular luncheon dishes. In many restaurants brunch is served from around 10 a.m. until mid-afternoon.

Dinner usually includes a main course of meat or fish accom­panied by side dishes such as soup, salad and vegetables. Americans eat a lot of red meat, but more and more people are eating fish and poultry. Beef is the most popular red meat. In general, Americans like thick steaks. There are three ways to cook the meat: rare, not cooked very much, medium, and well-done, cooked a lot. The favourite American vegetable is the potato. It is served in many ways but the most common are: baked potato, mashed potato, and French potato. Corn, too, is a truly American vegetable. It is especially popular to eat the whole cob holding the ends with two fingers. This is called “corn on the cob.”

Eating out is very popular in the USA. There are two main types of restaurants in the USA — fast food and full service restaurants. Some restaurants are open even for breakfast, many restaurants, especially the better ones, open at about 11.30 a.m., others are open twenty-four hours a day. It is often necessary to make a reservation. A fast food restaurant is much like a cafeteria. Items such as hamburgers, hot chicken sand­wiches, pizza, and salads are typical of a fast food restaurant. Eating in a fast food restaurant takes less time and is less expen­sive than in a full service restaurant. If you do not eat all your food, you may ask for a “doggie bag”. The waiter will put your uneaten food in a paper or plastic bag and you can take it home. You should not do it at an expensive first class restaurant, of course.