Workplace communication (Unit 17).

I'm Paula Morris, a senior marketing manager for a British publishing company. I usually use video-conferencing at my work. We meet and talk with our partners via the Internet once a month, which is great! In the past we spoke on the phone or sent e-mails. E-mail and telephoning are OK but to discuss, ask questions and explain things, it is better to see the face of the person, it's more personal. The main benefit is to have face to face communication. Video-conferencing can be with a group, so it's also more dynamic and creative than e-mail. Earlier we had to travel to New York for our marketing meetings, usually twice a year. But air travel can be expensive and some people don't like flying. Therefore, video-conferencing has a very good future. In fact, we have much more communication now.

However, it is difficult at first. There is a delay with the voice, so you wait after people speak to hear the words. The main problem is that the process can be a little slow and unnatural sometimes. Also, there are technical problems from time to time. The screen freezes or the system crashes and the communication process is not perfect. It's difficult to interrupt, so if some people speak a lot and you're listening and listening to them, it can be very boring. But sometimes, when someone talks and the voice breaks up, it can be quite funny!

1. Translate from Russian into English:

голос, медленный, экран, техническая проблема, скучный, слушать, забавный, обьяснять, человек, личный, творческий, дорогой, будущее, общение, трудный.

2. Translate from English into Russian:

a senior marketing manager, a delay, to crash, to freeze, to speak, to talk, via, to speak on the phone, benefit, to travel, air travel, to fly, to send.

3. Answer the questions:

1) Where does Paula work?

2) How did she and her partners communicate in the past?

3) What's the best benefit of the video-conferencing?

4) Why is video-conferencing dynamic?

5) Why is it inconvenient for Paula to travel to New York for business?

6) What are the difficulties with video-conferencing?

WHAT DO YOU THINK? What ways of communication do you prefer and why? Does video-conferencing have a good future? Why or why not?

Slow and fast food (Unit 18).

Hi! My name is Mary. I’d like to tell you about two different movements in the world: slow food and fast food. Fast food is usually junk food like hamburgers, pizza, chips that are very unhealthy. Slow food movement, on the contrary, promotes high quality restaurants and food. I prefer slow food and usually eat out. I like Russian, French and Italian cuisine. My favorite restaurant is ''Dejavu''. I usually do a reservation there and book the table by the window. After I look through the menu I'm ready to order. Sometimes I begin with a starter such as green salad with bread or go straight to the first course. The first course in a three-course meal is soup. I can choose noodles, beetroot or cabbage soup. The main course is usually meat: pork, beef, lamb or chicken. It's served with a selection of vegetables - potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.

I also like seafood, such as prawns, cod, salmon or crab. My favorite dish is John Dory - a kind of white sea fish. My husband doesn't eat meat or fish. He is a vegetarian. If I want some red or white wine, I see the wine list. My husband prefers soft drinks to hard drinks: a bottle of still, orange juice or sparkling mineral water.

After the main course you can also eat a dessert: pies, chocolate cakes, biscuits or order a plate of fruit such as apples, pineapples, pears, peaches, cherries, grapes or tangerines. After the meal I pay the bill and leave tips. The food in this restaurant is fresh and tasty and I really enjoy it. I recommend this restaurant to all my friends.