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Topics to Discuss.

1.M.Jackson's childhood.

2.His appearance.

3.His latest achievements.

Text 4

Pablo Picasso's Fortune

Pablo Picasso knew what a scramble there would be among his legal heirs and claimants over his fortune when he died. He even predicted. «It will be worse than anything you can imagine». Thus he didn't even bother to make a will, and died intestate. His lawyer friend Armand Antebi said Picasso died without leaving a will because of his superstition about death. Some say he just wanted to be ornery. In any event, Picasso's prediction came true. He left an estimated $90,000,000 in bank accounts, investments, real estate, art works, etc. Besides all that, there is the incalculable treasure of his own works stored in his many homes, which include a forty-room castle in Vauvenargues, Provence, and his country mansion near Grasse. His biographer Sir Rowland Penrose said Picasso kept hundreds, possibly even thousands of his paintings, drawings, and sculptures. There are two known legal heirs to this vast fortune: his second wife Jacqueline, who married him in 1961, and Paulo Picasso, his fiftyish son by his first marriage to Russian dancer

Olga Kolgova. Francoise Gilet, his former mistress who bore two illegitimate children of Picasso's, Claude and Paloma, and who is now very respectably married to a polio vaccine discoverer Dr. Jonas Salk, let it be known that she expects her children to fight for the share of the estate. Claude and Paloma and an older illegitimate half sister have all been to court seeking to be recognized as Picasso's legitimate offspring. If the suits of all the claimants fail, Picasso's widow Jacqueline is entitled to half of all that her husband acquired since their marriage in 1961, and Paulo, the painter's only legitimate son, will inherit the remainder of the estate.

Vocabulary.

fortune - богатство, состояние scramble - схватка, борьба heir - наследник

claimant - лицо, предъявляющее право, претензию или требование predict - пресказывать

imagine - представлять bother - беспокоить(ся)

make* a will - составить завещание interstate - умерший без завещания superstition - суеверие, предрассудок ornery - злобный, своенравный, упрямый in any event - в любом случае

come* true - сбываться estimate - оценивать account - (банковский) счет investment - вклад

real estate - недвижимость

art work - произведение искусства incalculable - неподдающийся оценке treasure - богатство, сокровище store - хранить

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include - включать castle - замок mansion - особняк vast - обширный marriage - брак former - бывший mistress - любовница bore* - родить

illegitimate - незаконнорожденный polio - полиомиелит

share - доля, часть seek - стремиться recognise - признавать

offspring - потомок, потомки

suit = lawsuit - иск, судебное дело/процесс fail - проваливаться, не удаваться

widow - вдова

acquire - приобретать, получать the only - единственный legitimate - законорожденный inherit - унаследовать remainder - оставшаяся часть

Ex. Answer the following questions.

1.Why didn't Picasso make a will?

2.How much did he leave?

3.How many legal heirs to his fortune were there?

4.Were there other people who could fight for getting a share of Picasso's fortune?

Topics to discuss.

1.Pablo Picasso's fortune.

2.Pablo Picasso's heirs.

Text 5

THE PRIVATE SIDE.

Playing Brandon on such a popular show has led to the near-total (полный) loss of private life. As Jason said on a recent TV talk show, "I can't go to a shopping mall

(универсам) on a Saturday - it's potentially dangerous (опасно)!" Naturally, he's recognized (узнаваем) wherever he goes, and while he's grateful (признателен) for fan support, there is a part of him that is desperately (отчаянно) trying to keep his personal life private.

Jason manages (удаваться) to keep as normal as possible a life. He unwinds with sports, lots of them. He plays golf, tennis, and rugby, loves to snow-ski or go for a spin (прокатиться) on his Yamaha motorcycle. Every Sunday he plays center on a twodivision hockey team, alongside (наряду с) Michael J.Fox, and regularly competes (состязаться) against National Hockey League old-timers (бывшие игроки).

His newest off-camera hobby, however, is his favorite. It's called bungee jumpee, which means he leaps off (прыгать с) a bridge while still attached (прикреплен) to it by a bungee cord (веревка, бечевка). Jason loves the whole dare-devil (залихватский) aspect of it - while admitting (признаваясь) to a national magazine: "Every time I jump,

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I'm thinking, 'Oh, God, I've just willingly committed suicide (совершить самоубийство)!'"

Of course Jason does indulge in (предаваться) several less heart-stopping pursuits (занятия, дела). He's perfected the art of relaxing and in his new condo (квартира) (he won't say where) he loves to just "hang out" (поболтаться) with his friends on the weekends and maybe pop a video from his extensive (богатый) collection into the VCR (видео). Among his favorites: Blue Velvet and A Clockwork Orange. In fact, when he's not playing Brandon, Jason doesn't even look very Brandonish: Most likely he's dressed in tattered (поношенный) jeans and T-shirt, wearing round '60s-style rimless(без ободков) glasses (not contacts, as he does on the show), a day or more's worth of stubble

("щетина") on his chin (подбородок), and - alas (увы) - a cigarette in his hand.

A GOOD GUY - AND A GOOD FRIEND. Jason has claimed(утверждать) that in his real life he's not as perfect as Brandon - but it's a claim nearly all his cast (актеры данной картины) and crewmates (съемочная группа) dispute. "To know Jason Priestleyis to like him and respect him a lot," they agree. He doesn't flaunt (рисоваться,

щеголять) being the "star" of the show, though there's no question that he (and Shannen Doherty) are the show-biz pros (разг. "главные специалисты") in the bunch (группа). There isn't a cast member who's not remarked at Jason's acting ability (способность) and grace (изящество) under pressure. "For the rest of us, this show is a learning experience and we sometimes struggle (сражаться) with it. For Jason (and Shannen) it's a walk in the park. They know exactly (точно) what to do and when to do it at any given moment," the others agree. Of course, sometimes that means breaking the tensions (напряжение) on the set (группа, круг лиц). Jason knows just how to do that!

Jason has gotten particularly tight (особенно близок) with Luke Perry (Dylan) and Ian Ziering (Steve). The hunky (первоклассный, отличный) trio get often together, dreaming up new script (сценарий) ideas and scheming about pooling (объединять деньги) their money and opening a restaurant one day. Friendships and loyalty (преданность) are important to Jason: he goesout of his way to maintain

(поддерживать) his ties.

Dealing with fame (слава) still feels a little strange to the Jason. His instinctive reaction to most questions from the press is to deflect(отражать) them with humor. When questioned about the deluge (перен.: поток) of fan mail he gets, Jason admitted (допускать) that he reads only a few of the letters that come his way. "I like to see what people are saying, like maybe they're telling me I should get my teeth cleaned or something!"

Joking aside, Jason does have plans for the future. He's dabbled (любительски заниматься) in writing and directing (although the typically modest (скромный) Mr.

Priestley says, "I don't think I'm a very good writer") and sees his career going in that direction - eventually (вконечном итоге). "I have to master one craft (овладеть профессией) before going on to another," he once explained. Randy Reisfeld. The Stars of Beverly Hills, 90210: Their Lives and Loves.

(An Unauthorised Biography). New York, 1991.

Comprehension Check.

Ex. Answer the following questions:

1.What is meant by the phrase "near-total loss of private life"?

2.What sports does Jason do?

3.What is his favourite hobby?

4.What are his thoughts like when he is leaping off a bridge?

5.Does he say anyone where his apartment is?

6.What are his favourite video-films?

7.Does Jason look like Brandon (whose role his acts)?

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8.Is acting easy for him?

9.What does he wear?

10.Is he as perfect as Brandon?

11.What does the show mean for him and for the cast?

12.Who are his best friends?

13.What are they dreaming about?

14.How does Jason deal with the fame?

15.What are his plans for the future?

Topics to Discuss.

1.Jason's hobbies.

2.Jason in comparison with Brandon.

3.Jason and fame.

4.His plans for the future.

Text 6

ROLE OF TEMPS.

Is the job of your dreams beyond your reach because some

company's computerized screening device doesn't find the right buzzword on your resume? "If I could just get in the door for an interview," you groan, "I could knock their socks off." That's where temping comes in. No longer just a fill-in for vacationing secretaries and recep-tionists, temps are now brought in for special projects and long-term assignments. They increas-ingly include white-collar technical and profes-sional workers - even the occasional executive.

Temping can help you learn new skills or bridge the gap between

jobs. Some people are even making a career of temping - mostly those who like the independence or need more flexible work schedules, such as working mothers. All told, companies shelled out $4.9 billion to temps

in 1995, more than double what they paid four years earlier, according to the National Association of Temporary and Staffing Services. More to the point, companies are increasingly using tempo-rary assignments to fill full-time jobs. About 40 percent of those sent out on temp assignments get offered full-time positions, estimates the associa-tion. If hiring the right people is so critical, why not test drive the merchandise first?

Many people who might not otherwise get an interview are getting permanent jobs through temp work. Once they get the temporary jobs, they can quickly build experience. For their part, the companies, knowing they've got a free trial period, are more willing to take a chance on someone who might not fit exactly their job profile.

When attorney Michael Mayer moved to the lawyer-glutted Washington, D.C., area last year, he couldn't find a job, despite sending out

count-less resumes. So he signed up with Lawcorps, a temping agency for lawyers and paralegals. Last June he got a one-week assignment at Weil, Gotshal, & Manges, a blue-chip firm where he had considered job prospects so unlikely he hadn't even sent a resume. He reviewed an article one of the partners was preparing for publication. The firm

liked his work, and asked him to stay beyond the one-week period. Eventually he was hired full-time as an attorney.

"Lawyers coming out of law school have found that one of the best

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things they can do to find a job is to sign up with an agency," says

Brice Arrowood, president of Lawcorps. "You get some real experi-ence; that's better than just a nice degree." About 25 percent to 30 percent

of Lawcorps' people find full-time employment through the agency, he esti-mates. Temping can also help you to pursue new career routes, through the training that many temp agencies now offer and through assignments that stretch people's skills

After college, Carolyn M. Harper, of King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, wasn't having much luck finding a job in human resources' or corporate training, logical possibilities for someone with a psychology degree.

But she sent her resume our to some temp agencies and got a message: The Bradley Burns agency had a "temp-co-perm" job as the database administrator for Pinpoint Communi-cations, a start-up Internet advertising company. While she had no high-tech skills, she and the company decided to give each other a two-week whirl. Six months later, Ms. Harper, now full-time, is putting together Web'pages for the company's new Web site.

Brian Altman dropped out of a Ph.D. program in organizational psychology at Temple University in Philadelphia to seek a career on Wall Street. But prospective employers didn't take him seriously. They changed their tune after he accepted a temp assignment as an administrative assistant for Zurich American Insurance. "It showed I had a commitment to not going back to school," he says. And the assignment

involved considerable computer work, which also spruced up his resume. A week ago he landed a job as an analyst of asset portfolios at Merrill

Lynch. "They were interested in finding someone with good computer and quantitative skills," he says.

To enhance your chances of finding good temp jobs that can lead to full-time work, talk to your temp agency counselor daily, says Richard

M. Rogers, a veteran temp who wrote "Temping: The Insider's Guide." Also make sure the counselor knows your skills and the kinds of permanent

jobs you'd like. "You want to become more than a name," he says. As with everything else involved in careers these days, temping is no panacea. But, as Mr. Rogers notes, "The question isn't how

insecure temping is, but how secure is full-time employment these days? The gap between the two is narrowing."

By Hal Lancaster (from The Wall Street journal)

Note:

· temp = temporary - временный.

A temp is a secretary who is imployed by an agency that sends him or her to work for short periods of time in different offices, replacing secretaries who are ill or on holiday.

Vocabulary.

temping - временная работа (секретаря) beyond one's reach - вне достижимости screening device - прибор с экраном

buzzword - сленг: слова, говорящие о владении ПК groan - тяжело вздыхать, стонать

knock the socks off = утереть кому-то нос

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fill-in - заполнение long-term - долгосрочный assignment - задание

increas-ingly - все в большей степени include - включать

white-collar - перен.: служащий, работник occasional - приуроченный к опред. времени executive - руководитель, начальник

skills - навыки, умения

bridge the gap - заполнить пробел (брешь) independence - независимость

flexible - гибкий

work schedule - рабочий график shell out - разг.: расколшелиться temporary - временный

staff - штат (сотрудников)

full-time job - работа с полным рабочим днем estimate - оценивать

test drive - перен.: пробная поездка, тестирование merchandise - товары

otherwise -иначе, другим способом permanent - постоянный

free - бесплатный

trial period - истытательный период fit exactly - точно подходить. attorney - адвокат

lawyer - юрист

glutted - заваленный, переполненный count-less - бесчисленный

sign up - подписать контракт ( о поступлении на работу) paralegal - вспом. cостав в сфере юриспруденции assignment - задание

prospect - перспектива unlikely - маловероятный beyond - свыше

hire - принимать на работу full-time - полный рабочий день employment - занятость, работа esti-mate - оценивать

pursue - заняться, приступить route - путь

training - обучение stretch - расширить

skills - умения; квалификация message - записка, послание temp(orary) - временный perm(anent) - постоянный

trial period - испытательный период drop out - выпадать, исчезать seek* - искать; поиск

prospective - потенциальный, возможный employer - работодатель

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accept - принимать insurance - страхование commitment - решимость involve - включать considerable - значительный

spruce up - разг.: дополнить, обогатить assets - фин.: актив

portfolio - портфель quantitative - количественный enhance - увеличить, усилить counselor - советник

daily - ежедневно make* sure - убедиться insecure - ненадежный gap - разрыв

narrow - сужаться

Comprehension Check.

Answer the following questions.

1.What is a temp?

2.What can one achieve my means of temping?

3.What are merits of temping?

4.Is it possible to make a career through temping?

5.Is temping a panacea?

Topics to Discuss.

1.Temping.

2.People who found their jobs through temping

(take examples from the text).

Text 7:

TAKING A FLIER ON TNE WEB.

(Executives left Corporate America for the unknown).

Internet start-ups aren't just for kids; executives at the top of their game in established businesses are chucking security for a piece of the Net. Below are a few of the big names that have recently struck out for cyberspace

A. GERALDINE LAYBOURNE. Oxygen Media.

For nearly two decades, Gerry Laybourne was the queen of Kids' TV, building the Nickelodeon brand and later heading up the Disney/ABC Cable Networks. Now she's aiming for the women's market. Oxygen produces Web content on topics ranging from personal finance to child care and will launch a cable network next February. The women's on-line field is crowded, with tenacious competitors like Candice Carpenter of i--village. But Laybourne has powerful partners - Oprah Winfrey and Carsey-Werner's Marcy Carsey. "Oxygen is one of the sites that will still be around in three to five years," says Jupiter Communications' Anya Sacharow.

B. JAY CHIAT. ScreamingMedia.

When he ran the advertising firm Chiat/Day, Jay Chiat was known for his funky office space and brisque business style. He gave up the offices, but Chiat's still in the business of moving fast. His Screaming Media pulls real-time content from sources like AP and

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The New York Times and delivers it in customized packages to clients like AOL (America On-Line) and Microsoft.

C. C.EVERETT KOOP. drkoop.com

Dr. Koop quit his job as U.S. surgeon general a decade ago, but he's still one of the most recognizable names in medicine. In 1998 he launched a site featuring news and advice on health topics from flu shots to the Ebola virus. The site is a huge hit; more than 1 million people visited it in August. And Koop has joined the ranks of the paper million-aires (his options are worth about $46 million). Koop recently came under fire for receiving a percentage of sales of services and products on the site. But an aide says his contract has been changed to eliminate these fees.

D. RICH FRANK. Food.com

Like Laybourne, Frank is a former Disney executive who wanted a taste of the Net. His site features point-and-click ordering from 10,000 restaurants nationwide. Frank says he loves his youthful staff's enthusiam. But getting people to return calls can be tough.

"When I was at Disney, I'd certainly get someone on the phone," he says. "Now it's 'Rich from where?'

E. LOU DOBBS. space.com

After two decades at CNN, the former host of "Moneyline News Hour" and "Business Unusual" struck out for the wilds of the cyberworld. Space.com, a new and entertainment site about outer space, was launched in July, and analysts say it has star potential. "It's well put together and has an easy name," says Datamonitor analyst Robert Shavell. "If we send somebody to Mars or find little critter in thge water of asteroids, everybody's going to go there."

Comprehension check.

Ex. Answer the following questions. a/ GERALDINE LAYBOURNE

1.What was her former job?

2.How long did she work there?

3.What are her recent activities connected with?

4.4 Who are her partners nowadays?

b/ JAY CHIAT

1.What firm did he run earlier?

2.What was he famous for?

3.What are the content sources of his current business "Screaming Media"?

4.Who are his customers?

c/ C. EVERETT KOOP

1.What job did he quit?

2.When did he do it?

3.Is he still recognizable in medicine?

4.What site did he launch?

5.What topics does his site feature?

6.Is his site popular?

7.Is Dr. Koop a rich person?

d/ RICH FRANK

1.What was his former position?

2.What topic does his site feature?

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3.What does Frank love about his young staff?

4.Is it easy to get a feedback from his audience?

e/ LOU DOBBS

1.What was his former job?

2.What are his current activities?

3.Is his site popular?

4.What is the analyst's opinion like?

Topics to discuss.

Speak about yourself as if you were: a/ Geraldine;

b/ Jay;

c/ C. Everett; d/ Rich;

e/ Lou.

QUATATIONS AND JOKES

FAME AND CELEBRITIES.

-One of the drawbacks of Fame is that one can never escape from it. Nellie Melba.

-What a heavy burden is a name that has become too famous.

-Voltaire.

-Fame usually comes to those who are thinking about something else.

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

-A celebrity is one who is known to many persons he is glad he doesn't know.

- H.I.Mencken.

HUMAN RELATIONS.

Acquaintance, n.: a person whom we know well enough to borrow from, but not well enough to lend to.

Ambrose Bierce.

- Only person who has faith in himself is able to be faithful to others.

Erich Fromm.

INTELLECT.

-The job of intellectuals is to come up with ideas, and all we've been producing is footnotes.

-Theodore H.White.

-Will and intellect are one and the same thing.

-Spinoza.

-Intuition is a spiritual faculty and does not explain, but simply points the way.

-Florence Scovel Shinn.

-An intellectula is a man who takes more words than necessary to tell more than he knows.

-Dwight D.Eisenhover.

-The common sense is that which judges the things given to it by other senses.

-Leonardo da Vinci.

LEADERS AND LEADERSHIP.

- It is much safer to obey than to rule.

- Thomas a Kempis. - Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious. than to be able to decide.