Grammar Focus Present Continuous Tense

Действие, происходящее в момент речи (сейчас)
now (сейчас) at the moment (в этот момент)
“+”	“-“	“?”
am is + V + ing are	am is + not + V + ing are	Am Is … V + ing …? Are
I am playing now. He is sitting now. We are dancing.	I am not playing now. He is not (isn’t) sitting now. We are not (aren’t) dancing.	Is he singing now? Are we resting? What is she doing?

NB: The following verbs are never used in Continuous form:

to be, to know, to understand, to think, to recognize, to want, to like, to see, to hear, to feel, to have (possess), to prefer, to look (have an appearance)

Task 10. Translate the sentences into Russian, make them negative.

1. My sister is planting vegetables.

2. I am watering the shrub at the moment.

3. She is decorating her garden with different statuettes.

4. Mother is taking the pots with flowers outdoors.

5. My friends are sitting on the porch and discussing some questions.

6. Rain drops are falling on the ground.

Task 11. Put the question to the underlined words:

1. Young people are dancing on the porch.

2. Children are running quickly.

3. The lady likes to spend time in the garden.

4. Father is reading a newspaper.

5. We take care of our container plants.

Task 12. Open the brackets and use the verbs in the correct tense form:

1. She is (to decorate) her room for the birthday party now.

2. We (to have) a nice garden and we often (to get) together there for a picnic.

3. Look! Polly (to transport) the flowers to the house because it (to rain) heavily outside.

4. My mother (to be) an experienced gardener and she (to know) a lot about different plants.

5. I (to be) fond if cacti and now I (to try) to choose a new cactus for my collection.

6. Now the gardener (to look) at the flowers which (to grow) near the gate.

Pronouns

Personal	Possessive	Personal	Possessive
I (я)	my (мой)	you (ты, вы)	your (твой, ваш)
he (он)	his (его)	we (мы)	our (наш)
she (она)	her (её)	they (они)	their (их)
it (оно)	its (его, её)

Task 13. Insert the appropriate pronoun:

1. … am sitting in … room and reading a book. … is very interesting.

2. Nick and I are good friends. … are always together.

3. Look at the flowers. … need watering, … think.

4. My father is always busy with his work. … seldom spends time at home. But … are … family!

5. Do … often see Mary? – Yes, … goes to the same school as … am.

6. The school and … surrounding territory looks very attractive.

Task 14. Read and translate the text. Fill in the spaces with the words from the box:

slanting – наклон

thimble – наперсток

tapered trunk – суженный ствол

confine – заключать, ограничивать

prune – обрезать, подрезать

coniferous – хвойный

deciduous – лиственный

pine – сосна

maple – клен

juniper – можжевельник

indigenous species – местные harmony виды

trunk	thimble	world	vary	hobby	container
harmony	ancient	differ	influence	water	strength

Bonsai

Bonsai is an (1) … art form that originated in China, where it is still popular today, however the Japanese were the major (2) … on Bonsai in western culture. In Japanese, bonsai can be literally translated as 'tray planting'. The aim of bonsai is to capture the beauty and (3) … of an ancient tree.

The art of bonsai involves the bringing together of tree and pot in visual (4) …. Bonsai may have one or more trees. Trees in a group planting should be of the same species, mixed species plantings with rocks and ornamental figures are called 'Saikei'.

Bonsai are classified by styles, relating to the trunk angle, shape or the number of trunks, slanting, cascade and group planting. They (5) … greatly in size from shito bonsai trees grown in containers the size of a (6) … , to trees needing several men to move.

A bonsai should have a well tapered (7) … and have branches all around the tree to give the bonsai visual depth. The lower part of the trunk should be visible to show its 'power'.

Bonsai do not (8) … genetically from trees found in nature and stay small because they are confined in a (9) … , however they are well fed and watered. Their tops being pruned as needed to ensure they do not appear out of balance with the pot. Both coniferous and deciduous trees are used in bonsai, with Pine, Maple and Juniper forming the 'Classic' bonsai, however with the spread of the art throughout the (10) … many indigenous species have been used to good effect.

Keeping and growing Bonsai is not as hard as you may believe. They are no more difficult to look after than most houseplants, needing food, (12) … and light to survive.

A bonsai is often described as "living art", an appropriate expression I feel, for if not for the beauty of the trees why do we take up the (13) ….

Task 15. Read the text and translate it in the written form:

succulent – суккулент, суккулентное растение

dormant – потайной

maintenance – уход

drought – засуха

spike – шип

tip – верхушка

predator – хищник

pad-like buds – плоские почки

spine – колючка

rosette – розетка