МИНИСТЕРСТВО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ РЕСПУБЛИКИ БЕЛАРУСЬ

УО «Белорусский государственный экономический университет»

В.В. Теханова

TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION

ТЕМЫ ДЛЯ ОБСУЖДЕНИЯ НА АНГЛИЙСКОМ ЯЗЫКЕ

Учебно-методическое пособие

Минск БГЭУ 2006

Р е ц е н з е н т ы: старший преподаватель кафедры теории и практики английской речи Т.А. Романовская, зав. кафедрой межкультурной экономической коммуникации, кандидат филологических наук, доцент Н.П. Могиленских.

Р е к о м е н д о в а н о кафедрой теории и практики английской речи БГЭУ.

Теханова В.В.

Темы для обсуждения на английском языке = Topics for Discussion. Учеб.-метод. пособие / В.В. Теханова. – Минск: БГЭУ, 2006. – с.

Пособие содержит учебный материал по развитию навыков чтения и устной речи по тематике, предусмотренной учебными программами по иностранному языку (английскому) для студентов экономических вузов.

Предназначено для студентов заочной формы обучения экономических специальностей высших учебных заведений.

От автора

Данное пособие предназначено для самостоятельной работы студентов экономических специальностей заочной формы обучения по дисциплине «Иностранный язык (английский)».

Целью пособия является развитие навыков чтения и устной речи на базе тем, предусмотренных программой.

Пособие состоит из двух частей. Основная часть включает тринадцать тематических уроков. Прежде чем приступить к изучению текстов, студентам предлагается выполнить предтекстовые задания, которые включают упражнения на тренировку произношения наиболее трудно произносимых слов, словарь активных слов и вопросы по данной устной теме, которые вводят студентов в круг обсуждаемых вопросов. Выполнение послетекстовых заданий способствует усвоению лексики, проверке понимания прочитанного материала, его запоминанию и воспроизведению на английском языке. Рекомендуется выполнять данные задания как письменно, так и устно, проговаривая предложения вслух. В каждый раздел включен дополнительный текст по данной теме, снабженный заданиями, нацеленными на чтение и усвоение информации. Вторая часть пособия содержит тексты для дополнительного чтения и обсуждения на занятиях. В конце пособия имеется словарь, которым студенты могут пользоваться при работе с дополнительными текстами.

Unit 1. ENGLISH AS A WORLD LANGUAGE

Pre-reading activities

1. Practise the pronunciation of the following words.

tongue [t0N], century ['sen7qrI], reverse [rI'v3:s], doubt [da4t], although [O:l'Dq4], vocabulary [vq'k1bj4lqrI], science ['saIqns].

2. Memorize the words.

1. wide-spread a - распространённый

2. approximate a – приблизительный

3. possession n – владение

4. auxiliary a – вспомогательный

5. establish v - основывать, создавать

6. tongue n - язык, речь

7. settle v - поселяться

8. mail n – почтовые отправления, почта

9. contribute v – содействовать, вносить вклад

10. reverse a - обратный, противоположный

11. doubt v - сомневаться

12. although cj - хотя, несмотря на то, что

13. propose v - предлагать, предполагать

14. total a – весь, целый

3. Answer the following questions before you read Text A.

1. In what countries is English the first language?

2. In what countries is English the official second language?

3. What motivates you to learn English?

Read Text a and fulfill the tasks which follow. Text a English as a World Language

In Shakespeare’s time only a few million people spoke English but now it is the most widespread language on Earth.

How many people in the world speak English as a first or native language? The approximate number is about 230 million. Of these, 145 million live in the United States, a little less than 55 million in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and about 30 million in the British dominions and colonial possessions. The total number of people who speak English as a second or auxiliary language is about 325 million.

English has become a world language because of its establishment as a mother tongue outside England, in all the continents of the world. The exporting of English began in the 17th century with the first settlements in North America. Above all, it is the great growth of population in the United States, assisted by massive immigration in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, that has given the English language its present standing in the world. Besides Great Britain and the USA, the English language is spoken in Canada, India, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

75% of the world’s mail and 60 % of the world’s telephone calls are in English. The latest ideas in medicine and science appear in international journals. More than 60% of them are in English. English is the language of the sky and the sea: every pilot and captain has to speak English. A lot of the vocabulary in modern computing is in American English. English is the language of international musical and film festivals and sport competitions. It is the language of diplomacy and one of the working languages of the United Nations. It is the main foreign language, taught within most school systems.

Most world languages have contributed some words to English at some time and the process is now being reversed. This will no doubt continue although the proposition that all other languages will die out is absurd.

Post-reading activities

1. Match the words on the left to those on the right. Make 10 word partnerships and translate them into Russian.

1. widespread a. competitions

2. first b. meetings

3. modern c. tongue

4. summit d. settlements

5. telephone e. language

6. mother f. calls

7. sport g. computing

8. international h. language

9. present i. festivals

10. common j. standing

2. Find in the text the English equivalents for the following Russian collocations.

1. родной язык; 2. вспомогательный язык; 3. всего несколько миллионов людей; 4. из-за его установления; 5. в то или иное время; 6. идёт обратный процесс; 7. это предположение абсурдно 8. общее число людей, разговаривающих на английском языке; 9. самый распространённый язык на земле; 10. это, несомненно, будет продолжаться; 11. это предположение абсурдно

3. Choose the best alternative to complete the sentence.

1. English is the most …language in the world.

a) simplest b) wide-spread c) easiest d) ancient

2. Most of the world’s … is in English.

a) newspapers b) magazines c) mail d) journals

3. The number of people who speak English as an … language is about 325 million.

a) native b) first c) auxiliary d) mother

4. The process of contributing foreign words to English is now being …

a) reversed b) restored c) started d) proposed

5. The English language … as a mother tongue in all the continents of the world.

a) settled b) established c) assisted d) exported

4.Complete the sentences.

1. Now English is one of the most …

2. … began in the 17th century.

3. … has given the English language its present standing in the world.

4. English is the language of …

5. The process of contributing words to English is …

6. The proposition that all other languages will …

5. Say whether the following statements are true or false.

1. In Shakespeare’s time English was the most widespread language on Earth.

2. The exporting of the English language began in the 14th century.

3. English has contributed some words to other languages and the process is now being reversed.

4. The process of exporting English will no doubt continue.

5. The proposition that all other languages will die out is absurd.

6. Answer the following questions.

1. Why has English become a world language?

2. How many people speak the English language?

3. When did the exporting of English begin?

4. In what countries do people speak English?

5. How can you prove that English is an international language?

6. Is it possible that all other languages will die out? Express your own opinion.

7. Get ready to discuss the following.

Imagine that you’ve arrived in the United States. What language barriers can arise? Do you know any differences between the British English and the American English?

Read Text B using the dictionary and do the following tasks.

1. Think of the title to the text.

2. Make up 5-6 questions of different types.

3. Give a short summary of the text.

Text B

English is one of a family of languages called Indo-European. Three major periods can be distinguished in the evolution of English: Old English (to about 1100), Middle English (from 1100 to 1500) and Modern English (from 1500 to the present).

The language of the Angles and Saxons was Englise or Old English. They were farmers and many of their words are still in the dictionary today (sheep, dog work, field). During the Old English period, most additions to the English vocabulary were based on native English words. Old words were given new meanings; new words were formed by the addition of prefexes or suffexes or by compounding. During this period the English vocabulary was influenced most by Latin (such words as Monday, February) and Scandinavian languages (wrong, want, skin).

The Middle English period was marked by great influence of French on English after the Norman Conquest in 1066. French became the language of the upper classes in England and many French words entered the English vocabulary (amateur, ballet, attaché).

The first English dictionary appeared in 1775. It contained more than 40,000 words (today, the Oxford English Dictionary contains half a million).

As for modern English it still derives much of its learned vocabulary from Latin and Greek and also borrows words from nearly all the languages of Europe.