Questions

1. What article recently appeared in the Tomsk newspaper Red Banner 2. What is a polyglot? 3. How many languages does Vladimir know? 4. What college is he studying at? 5. What foreign language did he learn first? 6. What gave him the idea to learn the Polish language? 7. Stanislav Lem is a well-known modern writer of science fiction, isn't he? 8. What is Vladimir's way of learning a foreign language? 9. How many words can he learn in a day? 10. How long does it take him to learn 3,000 words? 11. Why does he buy copies of the same magazine in two languages? 12. What does he need the Russian copy for? 13. Does he look up every single word in the Russian copy? 14. Does Vladimir study several languages at once or does he work at them one by one? 15. Is language learning his only hobby? 16. What are his other hobbies? 17. How well does he play table-tennis? 18. What competitions does he take part in? 19. What are usually his results in examinations? 20. What is the headline of the article? 21. What does the headline mean?

Ex 36 Act as interpreter. Sum up the dialogue.

A: Could you tell me about education in the Soviet Union?

В: Право на образование в нашей стране гарантируется Конституцией СССР. В статье 45 говорится, что граждане СССР имеют право на бесплатное образование всех видов.

A: What does a young person do after leaving school?

В: Он может или продолжать обучение в высших учебных заведениях или пойти работать.

A: Are there any privileges for those who work and study?

В: Для подготовки и сдачи экзаменов они имеют право на дополнительный отпуск на 20—40 дней с сохранением содержания, (an extra paid 20-day — 40-day leave).

A: How long does it take to graduate an institute or university in your country?

В: Обычно от 4 до 5 лет, за исключением медицинского института, где срок обучения 6 лет.

A: Do students get grants?

В: Да, студенты, которые хорошо занимаются, получают государственную стипендию.

A: I hear all young people get employment after graduation?

В: Все граждане СССР имеют право на труд, то есть на получение гарантированной работы с правом выбора профессии.

Ех 37 Use the following words and phrases in situations of your own.

1. A New Way of Life

take (pass) entrance examinations; enter College; a freshman; live at the hostel; be away from home; at first; find things difficult; get used to sth; do one's own cooking (washing, etc); enjoy sth; have fun; have classes (lectures); make (take) notes; make experiments; write scientific papers.

2. The Brighter Side of College Life

meet new people; join a club; take an active part in the work of the club; have (hold) competitions; be good at dancing (singing, etc); mean a lot to sb; keep sb busy; appear (take part) in a play; play the part of ...; be delighted (with).

3. Examination Time

Good student: work hard all through the term; do one's best; keep the facts in one's head; not forget to mention sth; pass an exam; get (be given) an excellent mark; be pleased (with); hope to do as well at the next exam.

Poor student: be behind in one's studies; fail to catch up with sb; the trouble is ...; take things easy; make empty promises; have no idea what it is all about; decide to try one's luck; make an awful mistake; not take the warning; fail in a subject; do very badly at the exam; be disappointed; pay a heavy price for one's mistakes.

4. Talking about Education

have a discussion; give one's ideas on a subject; argue that ...; one's real education begins when a person leaves school (or graduates University); a little learning is a dangerous thing; learn from books (life); have (enjoy) the right to education; to one's mind; one can't do without a good education; half educated is worse than uneducated; speak against sth.

5. Sports and Games

the main difference (between); need exercise; join a sports club; choose; play football (basketball, etc); be a member of a sport team; have a competition (game, match); spend a lot of time in the open (air); take (hold) first (second, etc) place; enjoy doing sth; have a lot of fun.

Ex 38 Take a visitor on a tour of Moscow's^* architectural monuments. For this:

(a) prepare a list of buildings you would recommend a visitor to see, be sure to give your reasons; (b) prepare a talk on the history of the Moscow metro, mention what stations you like best, and why; (c) be ready to give the visitor detailed instructions on how to get to a particular place of interest, using the underground.

Ex 39 Discuss the following, giving your arguments for or against.

1. You believe that a little learning is a dangerous thing Your friend disagrees, saying that even half educated is better than uneducated. He also adds that nowadays, with all the scientific progress that has been made, you can't expect a person to know much more than a little about everything.

2. You believe that a student must live at the hostel. Life at home with one's parents makes a person soft, leaves him unprepared for the difficulties of life outside home. Your friend argues that a student living at home has more time for his studies.

3. Your friend is against examinations. He argues that they only make a student nervous. You believe that the exam system may not be

perfect, but it's the best, surest and quickest way to test a person's knowledge.

Ex 40 Subjects for oral and written composition.

1. Education in the Soviet Union.

2. Describe your Institute.

3. Give a description of your day at the Institute.

4. Describe how you prepare for an examination.

5. Sport in my life.

6. The importance of learning foreign languages.

7. Write a letter to a friend who has invited you to a birthday party. Write an answer in which you explain why you are not yet sure whether you will be able to go, but you wish him a very happy birthday, etc.

8. Write a letter to your neighbour, telling him as politely and tactfully as you can that you are studying for an examination, and that his radio set — which he uses very noisily until midnight every day — is disturbing your work and sleep. Ask him if he would kindly do something about it.