- •Астраханский государственный технический университет
- •Contents
- •Unit 1. Appearance.
- •General appearance
- •How Important Is Your Appearance?
- •Checkmate.
- •Unit 2. Character and disposition.
- •Character
- •Intellectual ability
- •8. Reveal your attitude to the types of people described.
- •Intelligence.
- •Revealing Faces.
- •Unit 3. Family life topical vicabulary
- •Mr Know-It-All
- •Unit 4. Parents and children
- •The Bell Family Charter
- •The abc’s of Happiness (by r. Vallet)
- •11. Points to ponder.
- •The Sitting of the Teachers’ Council.
- •Unit 5. Friends and friendship
- •Unit 6. Customs and traditions
- •The Field of Folklore
- •2. Discuss the following problem questions.
- •3. Read the short passages and answer the questions giving your impressions to the point.
- •Problems for Discussion.
- •Unit 7. Choosing a career. Jobs and employment.
- •3. Say what job these can belong to. Continue the list.
- •Imagine you are Andrew Foster (ex. 14) and you are looking for a new position. Fill in the job application form below. Job application form Private and Confidential
- •Unit 8. Crime and punishment
- •3. Read the text and comment on it. Methods and Measures.
- •4. Answer the following questions.
- •5.Comment on the following quotations.
- •6. Use the following proverbs in situations of your own. Give Russian equivalents if possible.
- •Unit 9. Man and arts
- •Man and arts. Painting.
- •Impression and judgement
- •Genre paintingis a painting, which represents scenes from everyday life in a more or less realistic way.
- •Man and arts. Music.
- •For or Against Pop Music
- •Man and arts. Theatre.
- •Imagine that you are in London and you have a free evening. You’d like to go to the theatre. Study the information how to book your theatre tickets in London. How to Book Your Theatre Tickets
- •The Green Table.
- •Unit 10. Women and their role in the society.
- •1.Use the proper word.
- •2. Which is the odd word out.
- •3. Complete the following.
- •Sex Roles In America
- •Imagine the life of women in the following century.
- •Unit 11. Mass media
- •Mass media. Television.
- •Major British and American Broadcasting Companies, Networks, News Agencies
- •Television Questionnaire.
- •Mass media. Press.
- •The British and American Press
- •4. Fill in the gaps.
- •Mass media. Internet.
- •The Internet – a Brilliant Source of Information or a Menace to Our Health?
- •Unit 12. Man and nature. Environmental protection.
- •What Must We Care About to Prevent Disaster?
- •Supplement conversational expressions
- •Sources
2. Discuss the following problem questions.
The variety of holidays and festivals in all social communities is determined by the diversity of their character. One can talk about international, national, political, cultural, religious, ethic, etc. holidays. Please, give examples of these holidays and say which of them is your favourite and why.
The origin of May Day as the international day of working class solidarity can be traced back to the end of the 19th century. After the brutal suppression of demonstrations for the eight hour working day in the US on May 1, 1886, American trade unions and the Socialist International decided in 1889 to hold such demonstrations everywhere. Since then, May Day has been the symbol of the working class unity. Do you happen to know that May Day is not a public holiday in many countries? Can you speak about the attitude to May Day in Russia now?
There is no need to deny that the celebrations of the International Women’s Day have acquired new features and developed modern customs in the course of time. Do you approve of these new customs? How will you explain them to your British or American friend emphasizing its difference from Mother’s Day in their countries?
National customs and traditions have been historically associated with seasonal changes of the year. The celebration of the magic force of the first day can be seen in the pagan tradition of making the first day of winter, spring, having festivals in honour of natural forces – the Sun, the Moon. Pancake Day (Maslyanitsa) in Russia dates back to the ancient Slavic tradition of saying farewell to winter and welcoming spring by singing, dancing, burning the straw effigy of Maslyanitsa and eating pancakes, which represent little images of the Sun. Do you know about any other folk holidays marking the seasonal changes? What is the role of such holidays in the cultural development of a nation and in securing the continuity of national customs and traditions?
Celebrations like Olympic Games, Youth Festivals, Neighbourhood Festivals, Russian Winter festival, etc. have appeared only recently. Some of them have obviously roots in the cultural heritage of the peoples, others emphasize the modern problems and aims. What in your opinion is the cultural, political (emotional, moral, psychological, etc.) impact and messages of such new festivals for the younger generation?
Some young people refuse to observe the old rituals and have a wedding party considering it a terrible nuisance and a waste of money. What is your idea of celebrating a wedding? Should the old customs and traditions be observed or should it be held in an absolutely new manner?
A school- teacher is sure to take part in organizing celebrations of different kinds. What do you think a schoolteacher’s opinion should be on the role holidays, traditions and rituals play in the education and character-shaping of the younger generation?
You may remember or know, that decorating a New Year tree was considered to be a superstition in the 20s in Soviet Russia. How do you account for that attitude and what in fact is the meaning of the New Year tree to children and adults?
What part do you think the national cuisine plays in the celebration of different holidays and festivals? Can you describe some Russian (or English, French, German, etc.) special dishes associated particularly with celebrations.