Оглавление

TRAVELLING ……………………………………………….

STAYING IN A HOTEL ……………………………………………..

MASS MEDIA IN THE MODERN WORLD ……………………

SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS ……………………

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT …………………………………………..

GLOBAL PROBLEMS OF THE WORLD ………………………………………….

ECOLOGY …………………………………………….

SEASONS AND WEATHER ……………………………………………

MUSIC …………………………………………………….

MY FUTURE CAREER …………………………………………………….

Рекомендации по написанию письма личного характера

Read the text, learn the vocabulary and discuss

TRAVELLING

People like travelling. That’s why there are so many means of transportation. People want to see the world, to rest, to have new impressions- in other words they travel for pleasure or on business. If people travel out of the city, they can choose between going by coach, by train, by plane (by air), by ship (by sea) and hiking. Each of these means has its advantages and disadvantages.

International traveling by coach is rather convenient and cheap. You can take food with you or buy it at the stops. There are some modern conveniences in the coaches such as toilets and TVs. But sleeping in an armchair can cause problems especially to those who are car-sick.

Traveling by train is more convenient, because you can sleep well and it’s not expensive. People can choose between a carriage with sitting places and a carriage with berths (upper and lower berths). There are carriages with four-berth compartments and two-berth compartments. Some trains are not fast they are slow and stop very often.

Travelling by plane is an exciting experience, very convenient and fast for those who are not airsick. Travelling by plane is rather expensive though people can choose between economic class, business class and deluxe class. The price depends on the food served and the number of people around. There are usually sections for smokers and non-smokers. People can also choose an aisle seat or a window seat if they are available (not booked) at the moment.

Travelling by ship is an unforgettable experience. It’s a great chance to see marvelous landscapes and seascapes. Besides, the dawns and sunsets in the open ocean are terrific. There are different types of ships to go by – cruisers, yachts and liners fitted up with all modern conveniences and entertainment facilities. The disadvantages are the cost of the ticket, the storms and the sea-sickness.

Hiking is the healthiest way of spending holidays. People usually live in tents, do the cooking on the fire, fish and have a rest in the open air. This way of traveling is very exotic but not for everyone, because you can’t find any modern conveniences and entertainment facilities.

С3 STUDENT CARD

Give a 2-2.5 minute talk on the topic “Traveling”.

Remember to say:

• What makes people leave their homes and visit far-away places

• What means of transportation are at our disposal

• What their advantages and disadvantages are

• If you like traveling and how you prefer to do it

Answer the question: What trip was the most successful and memorable for you?

Put each of the following words or phrases in its correct place in the passage below.

Departure lounge departure gate departures board hand luggage announcement security check immigration officer security guard excess luggage conveyor belt check-in desk check board check in taxi trolley runway on board duty free passengers take off

When you travel by air you have to get to the airport early in order to (a) _______ about an hour before your flight. If you have a lot of luggage, you can put it in a (b) _________ and push it to the (c) _________, where someone will (d) _________ your ticket and weight your luggage. If you have (e) _______, it can be expensive. Your heavy luggage is put on a (f) _______ and carried away. A light bag is classed as (g) ________ and you can take it with you on to the plane. An (h) _______ looks at your passport and a (i)________ checks your hand luggage before you go into the (j)_______ to wait till your flight is called. If you want to, you can buy some cheap (k) ________ goods here. Then you see on the (l) ________ or you hear an (m) _________ that you must (n) _________ your plane. You go through the (o) ________, and then there is sometimes a (p) _________ before you actually enter the plane. When all the (q) _______ are (r) ______, and when the captain and his crew are ready in the cockpit, the plane begins to (s) ________ to the end of the (t) _________. Finally, permission is received from the control tower and the plane moves faster and faster in order to (u) _______.

Travelling c69 Laser

Put each of the following words or phrases in its correct place in the passage below.

1. If you stay in ____________ rooms, you have to cook your own food.

2. A ____________ is a kind of small magazine that often advertises holidays.

3. A _____________ is a town where lots of people go on holiday.

4. You suffer from ___________ when you arrive in a country where the time is very different from the country you left.

5. Your __________ is the place you are going to.

6. A ____________ is a break in the middle of a very long flight.

7. ____________s are fun for people who enjoy physical exercise and trying new activities.

8. When you go ____________, make sure you take your passport with you/

9. I got a model of the Acropolis as a ___________ of my trip to Athens.

C2

You have 40 minutes to do this task.

The car has become the most popular means of transport in the history of the world. However, some people say that the world would be better off without cars.

What can you say for and against the use of cars?

Write 200-250 words.

Use the following plan

1. Introduction (State the problem).

2. Arguments “for”.

3. Arguments “against”.

4. Conclusion.

Read the text, learn the vocabulary and discuss

STAYING IN A HOTEL

While traveling, people need somewhere to stay, that’s why there are a lot of good hotels at their disposal. Still, if you do not want to get disappointed, it is advisable to book accommodation in advance by telephone or Internet, particularly if you are traveling in summer. In that case you won’t need to leave the hotel because there is no room, which is always an unpleasant experience, especially if you arrive at night.

Almost all modern hotels have rooms with all modern conveniences: air-conditioning, a private bathroom, a telephone, a TV-set, and others. The service is usually quite satisfactory. You can take a single room, a double room or a suite.

Supposing you booked accommodation in a hotel. Your taxi drives up to the entrance of the hotel; you pay the driver and get out of the cab. The porter helps you with the luggage and you enter the lobby of the hotel. You go to the reception desk and speak to the receptionist, this is the clerk who is in charge of rooms and who registers the newcomers.

When you are through with all the formalities, you will get the key to your room and a pageboy (bellboy) will take you to your room.

At a hotel you can get various services. If you want to have your suit pressed or dry-cleaned, your shirt ironed, or your laundry done, you should ring for the maid. You can also have your meals served into your room. The tip is always given with the words of thanks.

In the lobby there are a lot of offices: a booking office, post and an information desk. Nearly all the hotels have bars, restaurants, gyms and swimming pools.

Bills are usually paid at the end of stay. When you are ready to check out, you tell the desk clerk to get your bill ready.

As for me, the last time I stayed in a hotel was when…

С3 STUDENT CARD

Give a 2-2.5 minute talk on the topic “Living in a hotel”.

Remember to say about

• Why people stay in hotels

• What modern conveniences you may find in a hotel

• What services you can find in a hotel

• If you have ever stayed in a hotel, where and who with

Form a word that fits each gap

1. Customers usually make a phone call or send a fax to make a................... (reserve).

2. I’m not sure of the exact dated yet so I’d like to make a.................... booking for the 24th to 28th (provision)

3. There are more guests than rooms. I’m afraid the hotel is................... (booking)

4. I’m sorry, but there is no..........................for the honeymoon suite for the period you require. (available)

5. The customer has been taken ill so we’ve had a ...................... of the booking. (cancel)

6. There is no one in room 507 at the moment and room 508 is also................... (occupy)

7. One of the first jobs to be done by the receptionist each day is to deal with the.................. (correspond)

8. The hotel asks guests not to leave ....................pieces of jewellery in the room. (value)

9. The management hope that computerized door locks will................. thieves from getting into hotel rooms. (prevention)

Read the text, learn the vocabulary and discuss

MASS MEDIA IN THE MODERN WORLD

There is every reason to believe that mass media play a great role in modern society. Their positive aspects are obvious. They give us useful and interesting information and news and also help to have an enjoyable free time. Young people and adults seek information about weather, sporting events, and available entertainment, local, national and international news. People need information in order to conduct their lives intelligently, for professional and academic purposes.

The term of mass media was specially coined to call al possible means of obtaining information from such sources as radio and television, printed materials such as newspapers and magazines, and more recently, from computer network, such as the Internet.

There are thousands of newspapers printed in the world. They remain a popular source of information. They range from thick daily newspapers both quality and tabloids, which are read by millions of people across the world, to small, local weekly papers, which offer news. There are a lot of magazines to all tastes. Both newspapers and magazines are sold in the streets all around the city, but you can also subscribe to any of them at the post office. My family doesn’t subscribe to any newspapers; we usually buy them at newsagent’s. My Dad likes reading… because…., my Mum likes reading….because there she can get information about….

Radio is another source of information. There are dozens of radio stations in Russia. Most of them broadcast music but of different styles. You can also listen to weather forecast, sports news, talk shows, news, and daily horoscopes. You can take part in different quizzes and win a prize. My favorite radio station is…..I like listening to it when I….

Television has become an important source of information. In its popularity television overtook radio and newspapers. No doubt that television started to produce great influence on people. It combines all the advantages of other media and satisfies different tastes. Many programs keep people informed of current events in politics, sports, economics and so on. Besides news programs, you can watch a lot of entertainment. They let people relax; help to forget about problems at work. The variety of modern TV channels and TV programs satisfies all tastes. You can watch all types of films, music concerts, talk shows, TV games, and so on. As for me, I prefer watching….

However, nowadays many programs and films show too much violence and blood, it can damage our image of the world we live in. Another negative influence of TV is that it doesn’t stimulate creative thinking and makes people dependent on the views expressed by others.

The Internet is the newest kind of mass media. Information is becoming even more available because of advances of the Internet. In the Net people can find nearly all information they need, get the latest news and do the shopping without leaving home. Email communication has become one of the most popular ways of keeping in touch with people all over the world.

On the whole, it is hard to imagine modern society without mass media. That is why it is often called information society.

С3 STUDENT CARD

Give a 2-2.5 minute talk on “Mass Media.”

Remember to say:

• About the role of mass media in modern life

• About different types of mass media

• What the negative effects of mass media are

Answer the question: “Where do you prefer to get information from? Why?”

С3 STUDENT CARD

Give a 2-2.5 minute talk on “Television”

Remember to say:

• What your favorite television programs are

• If your taste in television programs has changed over the years and why

• When you watch television

• If you watch television with or without your family and friend

Answer the question: “Is there any negative influence of television on people?”

С3 STUDENT CARD

Give a 2-2.5 minute talk on “Press”

Remember to say:

• What newspapers and magazines young people prefer reading nowadays

• If you read Russian, why/why not?

• If you would like to be a reporter, why/why not?

Answer the question: Can the Internet replace newspapers in future? Why/Why not?

EXERCISES

1. Read the text below. Use the word given in brackets to form a word that fits the gap.

Internet: how it affects us.

One of the most ____________ (value) functions of the Internet is its ________________ (information) function. The internet keeps people informed about current events, as well as about the _____________ (late) ________________ (achieve) in science and culture. You can even find out how to pass from the __________________ (ground) station to the house of your girlfriend, who __________________ (recent) moved to London.

Recently the system of ________________ (distant) learning became _______________ (popularize). You can study foreign languages and even study in universities. Individual _____________ (educate) program can be developed _______________ (especial) for you.

The Internet is also ______________ (wide) used in business. Thanks to the Internet we have rapid __________________ (connect) with partners from all corners of the world. You can even conduct ______________ (negotiate), hear and see your contacts, and ________________

(change) graphic and textual information.

Television

2. Put each of the following words or phrases in its correct place in the passage below.

Viewers subjective mass media quiz shows indoctrinate

channels objective soap operas commercials switch

(a)_____is a phrase often used to describe ways of giving information and entertainment to very large numbers of people. It includes newspaper, advertising and radio and, of course, television. In most countries people can (b) ______to any of three or four different (c) ______. Do television programmers influence our mind? Do they (d) ______ us? Is the news completely (e) ______ (neutral) or is it (f) ______ (considered from one particular point of view)? Don’t the (g) ______ for alcohol, food and others goods condition our mind? Even the (h) ______ going on week after week telling the story of one family or group of people sometimes make us want to copy the life – style we see on the screen. Also (i) ______ which give people big prizes for answering simple questions can make us greedy. Some programs are watched by tens of millions of (j) _____.

3. Read the text below. Use the word given in brackets to form a word that fits the gap

On the box.

What do you need to become a __________________ (success) TV personality? The people who are usually chosen to host TV quiz shows and chat shows seem to have few______________ (qualify) foe the job apart from having an _______________ (attract) appearance; in the case of women, this means being blonde and _____________ (beauty). A certain level of intelligence is and education is ________________ (essence) but most people who work in the media do not seem to be very ______________ (talent) in any other respects. The sad thing is that TV personalities have a ____________________ (power) influence on viewers and it is _________________ (nature) for young viewers to admire these charming people, wearing the _________________ (late) fashion and always smiling. However, today’s youth deserve _______________ (good) role models than these.

C2

You have 40 minutes to do this task.

The Internet is the new way to communicate. Some people think that it has more drawbacks than advantages.

What can you say for and against using the Internet as a source of information?

Write 200-250 words.

Use the following plan

1. Introduction (State the problem).

2. Arguments “for”.

3. Arguments “against”.

4. Conclusion.

Read the text, learn the vocabulary and discuss.

SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS

It is impossible to overestimate the role of science and technology in our life. We can’t imagine our contemporary life without telephones and cars, computers and many other devices created or modified by scientists. Now we live in the information era when the computer network embraces the globe and connects not only the countries and space stations but also a lot of people all over the world. New technologies are being widely developed and used in different spheres of life.

However, every medal has its reverse. Nowadays we realize that the rapid scientific progress has aroused a number of global problems: ecological problems, the safety of people and nuclear power stations and the nuclear war threat. Such inventions as nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles made wars of annihilation possible.

A lot of people are sure that scientific and technological progress threatens nature. Different kinds of pollution, holes in the ozone layer, acid rains and greenhouse effect are the result of it. A lot of inventions are harmful for our environment and the future of our generation. If we don’t think about the solution to these problems, we’ll ruin the place of our habitat very soon.

I think that by means of science it is possible to find harmless technologies, use purifying systems, produce environmentally friendly products and develop alternative energy. But solutions to these problems need great investment into science.

Do you know that…...?

There are many the Alfred Nobel winners among Russian scientists:

Ivan Pavlov (the Nobel Prize for medicine in 1904)

Ilya Mechnikov (the Nobel Prize for chemistry in1908)

Nikolai Semyonov (the Nobel Prize for chemistry in1956)

Ilya Frank, P.Cherenkov, I. Tamm (the Nobel Prize for physics in 1958)

Lev Landau (the Nobel Prize for physics in 1962)

Peter Kapitsa (the Nobel Prize for his work in magnetism and low-temperature physics, 1978)

Can you add more names?

С3 STUDENT CARD

Give a 2-2.5 minute talk on the topic “Scientific and technological progress”.

Remember to say:

• The role of science and technological progress in our life

• If technological progress threatens nature and people

• What can be done to find the right balance between the technological progress and the safety of life

Answer the question: “Can you think of anything you would like to see invented that will make your life easier?

C2

You have 40 minutes to do this task.

Technology is an important part of our lives. We use computers and other electronic equipment at work and at home. However, some people believe that we rely too much on machines, and that the more technology improves, the lazier and weaker humans will become.

What can you say for and against future technological developments?

Write 200-250 words.

Use the following plan

1. Introduction (State the problem).

2. Arguments “for”.

3. Arguments “against”.

4. Conclusion.

C2

You have 40 minutes to do this task.

Some scientists perform experiments on animals. However, some people say that it is cruel and unnecessary.

What can you say for and against performing experiments on animals?

Write 200-250 words.

Use the following plan

1. Introduction (State the problem).

2. Arguments “for”.

3. Arguments “against”.

4. Conclusion.

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT