Раздел 5.3

1. Прочитайте отрывок из газетной статьи и мнение читателя. Поставьте абзацы в правильном порядке.

Up to the early twentieth century, marriage was considered a necessity. People chose partners who provided them with economic support and stability. Since then attitudes have changed and fewer people are tying the knots. Marriage is no longer necessity in modern society. Do you agree with this view of marriage? What are the arguments for and against marriage? PBS Student magazine invites readers to write in with their opinions.

A. Secondly, it has been suggested that marriage provides more stability for children. Certain surveys of children in single-parent families claim they are more likely to commit a serious crime than children from two-parent, married households. But in spite of this, having married parents isn’t necessarily the best thing. It’s obvious that a stable single-parent environment is a lot healthier for children than an unhappy marriage.

B. First of all, it could be argued that marriage brings emotional and financial security to a relationship. This is partly true as married people are still legally bound to support their spouses. On the other hand, getting married and divorced is becoming increasingly easy. As a result, fewer people are prepared to work at their relationship, married vows are broken, and many couples are left emotionally scarred.

C Finally, some people claim that marriage is becoming more flexible, with personalized vows and contracts enabling couples to define their relationship themselves. Nevertheless, precisely because the ceremony is flexible and easy to adapt, many people are abusing it. In America there have been televised game shows, where people can win and marry spouses, and in Australia one man actually married his television set.

D. To conclude, it’s clear that marriage is no longer necessary to a successful, modern relationship. Nowadays a growing number of people simply prefer to live together. This continuing decline in marriages means there is greater freedom for individuals to choose their own partners and decide how they wish to live.

E. Marriage used to be considered a necessity for anyone

wanting to live together and start a family. But over the past two decades fewer and fewer couples have felt the need to tie the knot. What then are the advantages and disadvantages of marriage?

5.3.2 Скажите, какие аргументы за и против брака приводит читатель. Согласен ли ты с этим? Какое твое мнение по отношению к браку?

3. Письменно переведите текст со словарем.

3. Прокомментируйте следующие высказывания:

1. “Remember this: very little is needed to make a happy life”.

(Mark Aurelius, 121-180)

2. “There is nothing more tragic in life than the utter impossibility of changing what you have done”.

(John Galsworthy, 1867-1933)

3. “Everything in this life has to be paid for, and love has to be paid for too”.

(Iris Murdock, 1919 - )

4. “Life is made up of marble and mud”.

(Anonymous)

3. Напишите небольшое сочинение (10-12 предложений) на тему:

“My living position”.

БЛОК 6

Грамматика: The Participle

Текст: “Childhood Is Not The Happiest Time”