- •Уо «Мозырский государственный педагогический университет
- •Essential vocabulary
- •Basic American Values and Beliefs
- •Introduction
- •Basic american values and assumptions a land of diversity
- •Individual Freedom and Self-Reliance
- •Joining and protesting
- •Hurry, hurry, hurry
- •Are americans materialistic?
- •Straight talk
- •Equal ity
- •Achievement, action, work, and materialism
- •Directness аnd assertiveness
- •Equality of opportunity and competition
- •Material wealth and наrd work
- •Vocabulary Check
- •1. Analyze the following abstract notions аз they are treated in the text:
- •2. Study the following idioms and see if you can supply contexts for them:
- •3. Reading comprehension check. Write the letter of the best answer according to the information in the chapter.
- •Cloze Summary Paragraph
- •The Protestant Heritage
- •Vocabulary Check
- •Comprehension Check
- •Cloze Summary Paragraph
- •American Values at the Crossroads
- •A. Vocabulary Check
- •B. Comprehension Check
- •D. Cloze Summary Paragraph
- •Customs vary with culture
- •Usa and uk in comparison
- •Character and characteristics: a humorous look at
- •Stereotypes
- •What the British Think of Americans…
- •What Americans Think of the British...
- •4 Assessing Students' Comparative Skills
- •I Look at the chart and decide whether the student
- •Socio-cultural portrait of the uk & usa
- •British values and assumptions. Monarchy the island people
- •The island people (II)
- •Essential vocabulary
- •I. Define and comment on the following terms used in the texts
- •II. Study the following list of geographic names.
- •The united kingdom
- •Introduction
- •As others see us
- •0 Wad1 come Pow'r the giftie2 gie3 us
- •It wad frae5 mony6 a blander free us
- •Views of britain. The official view
- •Тhe people's view
- •British society a changing world
- •Attitudes
- •Stereotypes and change
- •English versus british
- •Multiculturalism
- •Conservatism
- •Being different
- •The love of nature
- •The national trust
- •The love of animals
- •Formality and informality
- •The scruffy british
- •Public spiritedness and amateurism
- •I. Mark the following areas of activity as 'professional' or 'amateur / voluntary':
- •II. Sort out the following as positively or negatively viewed by the British:
- •Privacy and sex
- •Lovely weather we're having
- •II. Explain the meaning of the following:
- •III. Match the adjectives with the nouns they collocate with:
- •IV. Explain the use of articles with the word England:
- •I. Fill in the grid:
- •II. Sort out the details for each "stereotype" of the English person
- •III. Answer the questions:
- •IV. Do you agree that
- •No longer an island
- •Have the english finally left their
- •Island mentality behind?
- •Cast in the same mould
- •Change of direction
- •I. Match the following proper names with relevant characteristics:
- •Monarchy
- •Vocabulary
- •The royal family
- •The Sovereign
- •The Royal Family
- •The Monarchy
- •I. Great Britain is a monarchy. Find out from your partner: what is the role of the monarch in a highly developed modern country?
- •II. Choose the correct equivalent for the word:
- •V. Say if you agree or .Disagree with the following and explain why:
- •VII. Express your opinion on the following:
- •Adapt or die?
- •I. Find out the following.
- •II. Make sure you understand the following words and expressions:
- •III. Match the words on the left with their definitions in the right-hand column:
- •IV. Fill in the gaps with the prepositions:
- •In groups and pairs discuss:
- •III. Choose the right preposition:
- •IV. Fill in the gaps where necessary with suitable notional or functional words, using your active vocabulary:
- •V. Translate from Russian into English, using your active vocabulary:
- •Russian and belarusian values and assumptions. Sharing Your Own Culture
- •1 Pre-Reading Discussion
- •2 Vocabulary Development
- •3 Reading, Thinking, Sharing
- •1 * What do the Americans who visited Russia or Belarus think about these countries and their people? Read an extract from a diary and list the areas which provoke culture shock in Russia.
- •15 August, 1996 - Vladimir
- •1 September, 1996 - Vladimir
- •A man of the people
- •Russian mentality
- •People of belorussia
- •1. Strike off one inappropriate word in each tine. Translate those used in the text. Make sure you know the weaning and the pronunciation of the rest words.
- •2. Translate the following sentences from Russian into English using the vocabulary from the text.
What Americans Think of the British...
The US once belonged to Britain, and many Americans have British ancestors, so when Americans think of Britain, they think of a place that seems very familiar. Americans watch British television programmes, especially period dramas (= plays set in a historical period), see James Bond films, and read detective stories by Agatha Christie. As children, they read British books like 'Winnie-the-Pooh.1 On the basis of these experiences, which are common even to people who are not of British origin, most Americans know more about Britain than about any other country. Although only a few Americans travel to Britain, almost all have an opinion of the British.
Many Americans would have difficulty drawing a map of Britain. They think the country consists of London and a village in Scotland where one of their ancestors came from. London itself is covered in fog. The average British man wears a bowler hat and carries an umbrella. He waits in a queue for the bus, eats fish and chip, and drinks a lot of tea. He has a servant - everyone in Britain does-and he has great respect for the Queen.
Americans admire the behaviour of the British, although they themselves would never want all their social rules. Americans think of the British as being perfectly polite and proper, always knowing which knife and fork to use, always saying 'please', 'thank you' and 'excuse me.' The violence associated with football matches is not widely known about in the US. Britons are also famous for their reserve and their 'stiff upper lip', i.e. for not giving their opinion or showing their feelings in public, which makes them seem formal and distant.
Americans often say that the British are 'quaint', a -word which means old-fashioned, but in a nice way. This impression comes partly from differences in how the two countries speak English. British English has words and structures that have not been used in the US for a long time, and so it sounds old-fashioned or formal. A favourite British adjective is lovely, which is used to describe anything, including the weather. Other British words, like holiday, smashing and brilliant make Americans smile.
The view of Britain as a country where everyone behaves in a strange but nice way is not realistic, and Americans who have been to Britain have some negative impressions to add to the positive. The British are snobbish and do not seem very friendly. The famous British reserve seems cold to Americans who are more used to an open, enthusiastic way of communicating- British people cause confusion by not saying what they mean. They say: 'That's no problem1 when they know that it will be a big problem, and get upset when Americans fail to understand. Overcooked food, the smallness of the houses, bath instead of showers, and the weather which is always dull or rainy, are other favourite complaints of Americans visiting 'the old country'. But in spite of these negative things, the view of Britain from the US is, in general, very positive and for many Americans, going to Britain is almost like going home.
(from Oxford Guide to British and American Culture for Learners of English)
Reread the information of the unit and make two lists showing the areas in which the UK and USA. are similar and different Be specific. Compare your lists with other students.