Part 2. Topics Shopping

When we want to buy something we go to a shop. There is a wide network of department stores and specialized shops in every town or city. People can buy goods for cash, in credit or order online.

I prefer to do my shopping at big department stores and supermarkets. They sell various goods under one roof and this is very convenient. A department store is composed of many departments: ready-made clothes, fabrics, shoes, sports goods, toys, china and glass, electric appliances, cosmetics, linen, curtains, cameras, records, etc. You can buy everything you like there.

In a food-department of supermarket we can also buy many different things at once: sausages, fish, sugar, pasta, flour, cereals, tea. At the butcher’s there is a wide choice of meat and poultry. At the bakery you buy brown and white bread, rolls, biscuits. Another shop we frequently go to is the greengrocery which is stocked by cabbage, potatoes, onions, cucumbers, carrots, beetroots, green peas and what not. Everything is sold here ready-weighed and packed.

For some particular purposes we often contact specialized stores and shops. For example an engineer who works at the sphere of auto service should know much about mechanic tools and equipment shops. When you deal with Ford, BMW, Mercedes, Nissan, Toyota, Chevrolet you should find the competitive tools, units and details that can satisfy this particular automotive or truck repair need. No matter the mechanic hand tool, diagnostic tool, or automotive hand tool the job requires, it should be reliable and you need to escape purchasing fakes.

Sometimes clients of auto services centers ask to help them in choosing a new car. That is really a specific kind of shopping which demands comprehension and experience not to be tricked. The most important thing to do when buying a new car, is to fully research the model one is interested in - after all, a new car is a significant financial investment, so it's important to be prepared. An engineer can give his customers a good advice without making any extra job, just according to his knowledge and every-day work.

Getting around Town Text 1

St Petersburg’s public transport system makes getting around the city centre very simple and inexpensive. Outlying areas are served, albeit less efficiently, and if you are staying at the end of any metro line in a “microregion” your journey to the centre will probably be a combination of bus (or tram) and metro. One example- how to get the city centre after landing at St. Petersburg airport Pulkovo

St Petersburg’s airport is at Pulkovo, about 17km south of the centre. The cheapest do-it-yourself transport is metro plus bus. From Moskovskaya metro, bus No 39 runs to Pulkovo-1, the domestic terminal, and bus No 13 runs to Pulkovo-2, the international terminal. They go whenever they feel like it, take 15 minutes and cost less than US$ 0.50. From the airport, take bus No 13 to Moskovskaya metro, from Moskovskaya metro, head to Tekhnologichesky institut station and then change for a Line 1 metro to Ploshchad Vosstania station. This is right in the heart of the centre and it’s a five-minute walk to the next hotel.

Shuttle buses run between the domestic and international terminal, but you’ll probably have to pay about to US$5. It’s cheaper to get a taxi. One good way to reduce thе bill is metro-plus-taxi. When friends can’t meet you it’s better to arrange to be picked up at the airport by faxing one of the more reliable (read expensive) taxi service in advance.

A ticket (bilyet) is used on all buses, trolleybuses (electric buses) and trams. They are sold by conductors (seldom by drivers), which are recognized by their uniform. Bus stops are marked by “A” signs, trolleybus stops – by “III”(representing a handwritten Russian “T” or signs by the roadway, all usually indicating the line numbers too. Stops may also have roadside signs with little pictures of a bus, trolleybus or tram. Most transport runs from 6 am to 1 am.

Ответьте на вопросы, используя слова и выражения из текста:

1. Does St. Petersburg’s public transport system make getting around the city centre for new comer simple?

2. What is “microregion”?

3. Are there many airports in of St. Petersburg?

4. Where are the main St. Petersburg airport terminals?

5. What public transport combination is the cheapest do-it-yourself transport for getting the city centre from the airport Pulkovo-2?

6. How long does it take the passengers to get the Moskovskaya metro station?

7. How much does it cost?

8. Do the passengers have to change for another Line to get the Ploshchad Vosstania metro station?

9. What another means of transportation are there at the airport?

10. What means of transport do you prefer?

Найдите в тексте английские эквиваленты для следующих слов и выражений:

общественный транспорт

микрорайон

самый дешевый способ доехать

курсировать, работать, ходить (о транспорте)

аэропорт для обслуживания внутренних (локальных) авиалиний

прямо (без пересадок)

переходить на другую линию метро

находиться в пяти минутах ходьбы

автобус «челнок»

«поймать» такси

уменьшить расходы

заказ такси

заказать заранее, послав факс

письменный