- •Introduction
- •Unit I. Rule of Law
- •1. Focus on Vocabulary
- •1.1. Choose the best variant and translate the italicized parts.
- •1.2. Fill in the blank spaces to complete the news stories. Do not use the prompts unless necessary.
- •1.3. Translate the following phrases using the words in bold type.
- •1.4. Translate the following sentences into English. Use the functional vocabulary where possible.
- •2. Focus on Texts
- •2.1. Do the following before you read the piece.
- •Freedom and rights
- •Constitutional rights
- •Personal freedoms
- •Legal rights
- •2.2. Suggest the English equivalents.
- •2.3. True or false.
- •2.4. Discussion points.
- •2.5. Using the italicized parts, summarize the articles to follow.
- •1.6. Identify the major human rights issues in the 2.5. Stories. Discuss in groups.
- •3. Focus on Rendering and Translation
- •3.1. Translate the following brief news items paying attention to the italicized parts.
- •Дума предлагает упростить процедуру ликвидации сми
- •Милошевич назвал Гаагский трибунал судом Линча
- •Молдаване не хотят становиться русскими
- •Оон: теракты 11 сентября стали поводом для нарушения прав человека
- •Арабские правозащитники: Израиль "затыкает рот арабскому меньшинству в кнессете"
- •22.10.2002 14:44 Http://lenta.Ru/mideast/2002/10/22/knesset/
- •3.2. Translate the following brief news items into English paying attention to the italicized parts. Новы праект беларускага закону
- •Жаночае лідэрства ў Беларусі
- •За Мікалуцкага просяць15 гадоў турмы
- •25.09.2003 Http://press.Promedia.By
- •3.3. Render the following article into English. Россия и права человека в странах снг
- •3.4. Render the following article into English. В современном Китае лишь несколько идеалистов-правозащитников живут воспоминаниями о трагедии 1989 года
- •3.5. Render the following article into English.
- •3.6. Render the following article into English. Новы закон аб смі заклiканы стаяць на варце iнтарэсаў грамадства I асобы
- •Unit II. Elections
- •1.4. Piece the phrases together to make complete stories.
- •1.5. Paraphrase or explain the italicised parts of the following sentences.
- •1.6. Translate the following sentences paying special attention to the italicised words.
- •1.7. Translate the following sentences using the functional vocabulary where possible.
- •2. Focus on Texts
- •2.1. Read the article and complete the exercises that follow. Elections to Parliament The Electoral System
- •General Elections
- •2.2. Explain the meaning of the following word combinations in English.
- •2.3. Find the words or word-combinations which collocate with the following.
- •2.4. Questions and points for discussion.
- •2.5. Read the article and complete the exercises that follow. Electoral shock
- •2.6. Find words or word-combinations which mean the same.
- •2.7. Explain the following phrases and translate them into Russian.
- •2.8. Questions and points for discussion.
- •2.9. Read the article and complete the exercises that follow. Busting Turkey’s grey male monopoly
- •2.10. Translate the following word combinations into English.
- •2.11. Questions and points for discussion.
- •2.12. Read the article and complete the exercises that follow.
- •2.13. Translate the following word combinations into Russian and Belarusian.
- •2.14. Points for discussion.
- •3. Focus on Rendering and Translation
- •3.1. Render into English the following brief news items.
- •3.2. Render the following article into English. Казахстан: на выборах все определят колеблющиеся
- •3.3. Render the following article into English. Літва змяніла прэзідэнта
- •3.4. Render the following article into English. Літва ўступае ў ес
- •Revision Test 1
- •2. Find the synonyms (left-hand column) and the definitions (right-hand column) of the words in the middle column.
- •3. Correct errors or inaccuracies.
- •Unit III. Visits. Talks. Agreements
- •1. Focus on Vocabulary
- •1.1. Give English equivalents to the following.
- •1.2. Give Russian equivalents to the following geographical names.
- •1.3. Paraphrase according to the model.
- •1.4. Paraphrase or explain the italicised parts of the following sentences.
- •1.5. Choose the best variant and translate the italicised parts.
- •1.6. Complete the table.
- •1.7. Translate into English paying attention to the italicized parts.
- •Focus on Texts Cook warned on Israel visit
- •2.1. Translate the following word combinations into English.
- •2.2. Answer the following questions.
- •2.3. As the article to follow is rather long, read the following questions first to give you an overview of the piece. Then try to answer them.
- •India and Pakistan end summit with pledge to hold more talks
- •2.4. What is the meaning of the following words and word combinations as used in the text?
- •Iraq talks “close to collapse”
- •2.5. Translate the following word combinations into English. Reproduce the situations in which they are used in the text.
- •2.6. Answer the following questions.
- •3. Focus on Rendering and Translation
- •3.1. Translate the following brief news items paying attention to the italicized parts.
- •3.2. Render the following article into English. Нажим приносит плоды Индия согласилась не проводить ядерных испытаний
- •3.3. Render the following article into English. Когда друг в беде
- •3.4. Render the following article into English. Теплые встречи в эмиратах
- •3.5. Render the following article into English. Россия остается в Совете Европы
- •3.6. Render the following article into English. Намёк прэзідэнта Пуціна
- •Unit IV. International Organizations
- •1. Focus on Vocabulary
- •1.1. Paraphrase the following sentences using words and expressions from the glossary.
- •1.2. Fill in the blanks with correct prepositions.
- •1.3. Piece the phrases together to make complete stories.
- •1.4. Translate from English into Russian/Belarusian.
- •1.5. Translate into English.
- •1.6. Fill in the blank spaces to complete the news story. Do not use the prompts unless necessary. Annan says world leaders aren't living up to their millennium pledges
- •1.8. Read the 1.6. Text again and identify major international concerns. Rate them in the order of importance. Explain your choice.
- •2. Focus on Texts
- •2.1. Before you read the following text, do a quiz on the un.
- •How the un Works
- •The General Assembly
- •The Security Council
- •The Economic and Social Council
- •The Trusteeship Council
- •The International Court of Justice
- •The Secretariat
- •The un system
- •2.2. Give English equivalents.
- •2.3. Translate the following word combinations into Russian.
- •2.4. Which statement goes with which un organ? Which un organ is left out?
- •2.5. Go back to the pre-reading quiz and check your answers against the facts in the text.
- •North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
- •Group of Eight
- •Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe
- •Council of Europe
- •Other International Bodies
- •2.8. Translate into English.
- •2.9. Make the following statements more factually correct.
- •2.10. Below you will find excerpts from the mission statements of four prominent international non-governmental organizations. Discuss the pieces and suggest what these organizations are.
- •Defending press freedom… every day
- •2.11. After-reading tasks and discussion points.
- •3. Focus on Rendering and Translation
- •3.1. Render the news stories into Russian, paying attention to the words in italics. Amnesty Slams un
- •Lebanon Gets Tough
- •Un Help in Congo
- •Kosovo Worries Ivanov
- •3.2. Translate the following brief news items paying attention to the italicized parts. Ультиматум Буша Совбезу оон
- •Мид России поднял грузинский вопрос на уровне оон
- •Кофи Аннан: с терроризмом мы будем воевать, но только вместе
- •Сша передали Совбезу оон новый проект резолюции по Ираку
- •Миротворцев оон в горячих точках заменят на наемников
- •3.3. Translate the following brief news items paying attention to the italicized parts. Падпісаны мемарандум
- •Заява Прэс-сакратара мзс Беларусі ў сувязі з прыняццем Саветам Бяспекі аан рэзалюцыі 1373 аб барацьбе з міжнародным тэрарызмам
- •3.4. Render the following article into English.
- •Оглашены имена злостных неплательщиков всемирного кооператива
- •3.5. Render the following article into English. Оон не избежать перестройки
- •3.6. Render the following article into English. Комиссар берет на прицел Чечню
- •3.7. Render the following article into English. Вопыт Беларусі вывучаюць у Жэневе
- •3.8. Render the following article into English. Прадухілім ядзерную небяспеку
- •3.9. Render the following article into English. Вайна ці мір?
- •Revision test 2
- •Unit V. Economy Matters
- •1. Focus on Vocabulary
- •1.1. Choose the best variant.
- •1.2. Paraphrase or explain the italicised parts of the following sentences.
- •1.3. Translate the following from English into Russian/Belarusian paying attention to the word combinations in italics.
- •1.4. Translate the following sentences using your topic vocabulary.
- •2. Focus on Texts
- •2.1. Read the following article and complete the exercises that follow. Growth Is Forecast in Rest of Eastern Europe
- •2.2. Suggest the Russian/Belarusian equivalents.
- •2.3. Replace the words in italics by their synonyms.
- •2.4. Explain in English.
- •2.5. Make the following statements more factually correct.
- •2.6. Read the following article and complete the exercises that follow. Canada Forges Trade Pact With Chile
- •2.7. Suggest the Russian/Belarusian equivalents.
- •3.2. Render into English the following extracts paying attention to the italicized parts.
- •3.3. Render into English the following article.
- •Китай не высказывает беспокойства по поводу сохраняющегося отрицательного сальдо в торговле с Беларусью
- •3.4. Render into English the following article. Древние американские законы всем надоели Европейский союз выступил против антидемпинговых процедур
- •3.5. Render into English the following article. У Беларусi I Масквы ёсць усе магчымасцi для паспяховага супрацоўнiцтва
- •3.6. Render into English the following article. «Белрасбанк» павiнен быць карысным для эканомiкi Беларусi
- •Revision test 3
- •Unit VI. Natural Disasters
- •1.4. Choose the best variant and translate.
- •1.5. Translate into Russian/Belarusian paying special attention to the italicized expressions.
- •1.6. Translate into Russian/Belarusian using the vocabulary from the previous exercises.
- •1.7. Read the four texts to follow and identify the natural disasters discussed. Write out the words and phrases that helped you identify the phenomena.
- •40,000 Evacuated by Denver _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
- •1.8. Translate into English using the following words and word combinations.
- •1.9. Translate the following news briefs paying attention to the italicized parts. Спасательные работы в Северной Осетии приостановлены до 6.30 утра
- •В Гватемале селевым потоком смыто 60 домов
- •На Сахалине произошло землетрясение
- •1.10. Translate the following news briefs paying attention to the italicized parts. На Алтаі адбылося новае землетрасенне
- •Ахвяры ліхаманкі заходняга Ніла
- •2. Focus on Texts
- •2.1. Read the following article and complete the exercises that follow.
- •333 Confirmed dead in Mexico floods
- •2.2. Suggest the Russian/Belarusian equivalents.
- •2.3. Reproduce the situations in which the words and phrases from the above exercise are used.
- •2.4. Work in pairs. Write a summary of the article leaving out the insignificant details (from your point of view). Compare with the summary of your group-mate. What are the differences? Why?
- •2.5. Read the following article and find the English equivalents to the following Russian expressions in the text.
- •2.6. Reproduce the article using the phrases from exercise 2.5.
- •2.7. Read the article and complete the exercises that follow. Etna's plume traced from space
- •2.8. Suggest the English equivalents to the following Russian expressions.
- •2.9. Insert prepositions and particles where necessary, then read the text and check your answers.
- •2.10. Answer the following questions.
- •3.2. Render the following article into English. Тайфун в Японии: город Нагоя затоплен, 5 человек погибли
- •Render the following article into English. Итальянский остров Стромболи стал необитаемым
- •3.4. Render the following article into English. Павадак у Мексіцы: больш за 600 чалавек загінула
- •3.5. Render the following article into English. «Майсей» уратуе Венецыю
- •3.6 Render the following article into English. Як выжыць ва ўмовах клiматычнага «экстрыму»?
- •Final test
- •Insert a particle or a preposition if necessary.
- •6. Decipher the following abbreviations in English and translate into Russian.
- •7. Translate the sentences using your topic vocabulary to render the italicised parts.
- •Appendix 1. Glossary Civil Rights Core Vocabulary
- •Visits. Talks. Agreements Core Vocabulary
- •International Organizations
- •Vocabulary
- •Elections Core Vocabulary
- •Additional Vocabulary
- •Trade Relations Core Vocabulary
- •Natural Disasters Core Vocabulary
- •Appendix 2. Abbreviations
- •Table of Contents
2. Focus on Texts
2.1. Read the following article and complete the exercises that follow.
333 Confirmed dead in Mexico floods
TEZIUTLAN, Mexico — It did not even have a name, the storm responsible for what the president called Mexico’s worst disaster of the decade. Its winds never reached the tropical-storm speed that would have earned it more than a number.
But Tropical Depression No. 11 was deadlier than any hurricane in the region this year.
So far, officials have confirmed 333 deaths. But by all accounts the true number of dead is higher. Unofficial counts by local newspapers — based on unconfirmed accounts from local officials and witnesses — ran as high as 600.
The full scale of the disaster is only slowly becoming apparent. A series of weather fronts, capped by the tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico, dumped heavy rain on much of eastern, southern and central Mexico for a week or more. In much of the region, it continues to rain.
Washed-out bridges and roads isolated hundreds of communities. Landslides destroyed or damaged houses in dozens of towns and villages. People were carried away by floodwaters.
Even large cities, such as the Tabasco state capital of Villahermosa, were so gravely flooded that streets became canals for boats ferrying furniture from inundated houses.
In Tenango, 100 miles northeast of Mexico City, a foot-wide crack appeared in the face of a turn-of-the-century, U.S.-built dam, which towers 70 feet above the town.
Authorities evacuated 3,000 residents and brought in a fleet of dump trucks to pile gravel and rock mixed with lime in front of the dam. They worked into the night Sunday.
“The engineers thought it was going to break,” said evacuee Jose Luis Gonzalez, 40.
In Teziutlan, where the largest number of deaths have been recorded, rain fell for 60 hours without a break — 30 inches in all, three-quarters of what New York gets in an entire year.
The rain forced closure of schools and most of the 480 clothing factories that make blue jeans and other goods for U.S. export.
So the residents of La Aurora, a poor neighborhood built under a cliffside cemetery, were huddled at home rather than at work or school when the mudslide rolled over their houses.
The rain had been pounding for three days when Dario Padilla left his house and made the sodden trek to a shop to buy tortillas.
He was on his way back, with about 100 yards to go, when he saw the hillside above his neighborhood collapse in an avalanche of mud. Within seconds his house, the houses of two relatives and about 25 other neighbors’ homes were buried.
His wife, his stepchildren and several grandchildren were among those killed.
“It took all my family in one blow,” said the 55-year-old retired postal worker, his voice breaking as he watched ambulances carry victims to the morgue and a series of funeral processions trudge into the cemetery next door.
“I went in but I sank in the mud. Some neighbors pulled me out,” he said.
By Sunday morning, rescue workers had pulled the corpses of 15 people from the ruins of Padilla's house and his relatives' two homes.
The victims included his wife, five of his stepchildren and several grandchildren and in-laws. Every member of his household was apparently killed.
On Sunday, hundreds of soldiers, policemen, firefighters and body-detecting dogs were still slopping through mud made even more sodden by more heavy rain. They scraped mud away from toppled concrete walls, then attacked the walls with clanging picks and sledgehammers until the sick-sweet smell of decaying flesh told them they were close to yet another victim.
At the town’s cathedral, the regional bishop, Monsignor Lorenzo Cardenas Aregullin, led a Mass for the victims of the disaster, and read a message of condolence from Pope John Paul II.
“Why does God conserve our lives?” the bishop asked. “So we can be human. So we can help (the victims) however we can.”
Outside the cathedral, residents complained that government help had been late in coming. When neighbors were pulling bodies from the muck on Tuesday, they said, radio stations were reporting that there were no apparent problems in the region. The military, which is leading the rescue effort, didn’t arrive until Thursday afternoon.
Many have urged President Ernesto Zedillo to call for foreign aid, but Zedillo has said: “The Mexicans can do it alone.”
He toured the stricken areas Friday and Saturday and pledged to send more civilian and military personnel to help the victims throughout states along the Gulf of Mexico.
“We won’t fail you,” he promised Saturday night.
Washington Post. 1999. 20 June.