Buying Food

At the week-ends, when she has more time to spare, Elinor Lloyd does her shopping at the big self-service food stores in town, for she can buy a lot of goods more cheaply there than at her local grocer’s. Accompanied by her husband or her daughter she walks round the Co-operative supermarket and other large food stores looking for bargains. These large self-service stores are brightly lit and usually well laid out. The goods are tidily arranged on trays and long shelves on which the various prices are clearly marked. There is plenty of room for the customers to walk about.

The shelves are well stocked with a very wide selection of attractively packed goods – everything from quick-frozen food to washing powder, from shoe polish to new-laid eggs, from tinned fish to toothpaste. Elinor walks from shelf to shelf, filling her wire basket. She has to be careful when shopping in a self-service store, for the goods are so attractively displayed that she is tempted to buy things she does not need or cannot really afford. She puts two large tins of instant coffee into her basket. The same brand costs six pence more at the corner shop, so she has ‘saved’ twelve реnсe.

She looks round for a bottle of Worcestershire sauce but she cannot see any. A shop assistant, who is making up an order, approaches her: “Can I help you, madam?” – “I’d like a bottle of Worcestershire sauce. Do you sell it?” – “Yes, we do, but I’m afraid we’ve sold out at the moment. If you’d care to call on Monday...” – “Thank you, I won’t bother!” Elinor goes to the cash desk, where there is a short queue. When it is her turn the cashier reckons up the bill on a cash register which automatically adds up the various items. In the meantime another shop assistant расks the goods into Elinor’s shopping bag. Elinor pays, carefully puts the receipt and the change into her purse and leaves the shop. Before getting the bus home she goes to the market in search of bargains. The market is large with well over a hundred different stalls; part of it is covered, part of open-air. A wide range of clothes, household goods, fruit and vegetable on sale and prices are often considerably lower than in the ordinary shop for the stall-holders’ overheads are relatively low. Elinor buys washing powder 5p a packet cheaper than at her local grocer’s, and fresh fruit and vegetables: two pounds of oranges, half a pound of strawberries, two medium-sized grapefruit, a large cauliflower and two pounds of sprouts.

She arrives home exhausted but a little proud of having saved forty or fifty pence of the housekeeping money.

(From “Everyday English” by P.M. Plant)

Exercises

1. Prepare the reading of the words:

with the first syllable stressed: grocer’s, bargains, careful, household, strawberries;

with the second syllable stressed: accompanied, co-operative, attractively, assistant;

2. Give English equivalents for: l) иметь побольше свободного времени; 2) в сопровождении; 3) искать выгодные покупки; 4) товары, аккуратно расположенные на подносах; 5) четко проставленные цены; 6) много места для прохода покупателей; 7) испытывать соблазн; 8) та же марка; 9) все распродано; 10) значительно ниже; 11) сравнительно низкие накладные расходы; 12) деньги на домашнее хозяйство; 13) местный гастроном; 14) выгодная покупка; 15) длинные полки; 16) различные цены; 17) большой выбор; 18) замороженное мясо; 19) стиральный порошок; 20) крем для обуви; 21) свежие яйца; 22) рыбные консервы; 23) зубная паста; 24) проволочная корзина; 25) растворимый кофе; 26) магазин на углу; 27) касса; 28) кассир; 29) кассовый аппарат; 30) упаковывать; 31) кошелек; 32) сдача; 33) чек; 34) обычный магазин; 35) апельсины; 36) земляника (клубника); 37) цветная капуста; 38) брюссельская капуста.

3. Insert the missing words into sentences. Translate them into Russian: 1. At the week-ends, when she has more time…, Elinor Lloyd … her shopping at the big self-service food stores in town, … she can buy a lot of goods … cheaply there than at her local grocer’s. 2. Accompanied … her husband or her daughter she walks … the Co-operative supermarket and other large food stores looking … bargains. 3. There is … of room for the customers to walk … . 4. The shelves are well stocked … a very wide selection of attractively packed goods-everything … quick-frozen food … washing powder, … shoe polish … new-laid eggs, … tinned fish … toothpaste. 5. She has to be … when shopping in a self-service store, … the goods are so … displayed that she is tempted to buy things she does not need or cannot really … . 6. Elinor goes … the cash desk, where there is a short … . 7. When it is her … the cashier reckons up the bill … a cash register which automatically adds up the various … . 8. In the … another shop assistant расks the goods … Elinor’s shopping bag. 9. Elinor pays, carefully puts the … and the change … her purse and leaves the shop. 10. A wide range of clothes, household goods, fruit and vegetable … sale and prices are often … lower than … the ordinary shop … the stall-holders’ overheads are … low.

Relatively, from, turn, afford, meantime, considerably, does, on , plenty, to spare, for, about, round, more, by, with, to, careful, attractively, in, queue, items, into, receipt.

4. Comprehension questions: 1. Why does Elinor do part of her shopping at the big self-service stores in town? 2. Why does she have to be careful when shopping at such stores? 3. How big is the market? 4. What sort of goods are on sale there? 5. What is Elinor proud of?

5. Make up questions to which the following sentences might be the answers: 1. Elinor looks for bargains in the Co-operative Supermarket. 2. All the goods are attractively packed. 3. The shop normally sells Worcestershire sauce, but they’ve sold out at the moment. 4. The cashier reckons up the bill on a cash register. 5. Washing powder is 5p a packet cheaper than at her local grocer’s. 6. She’s saved about fifty pence of the housekeeping money.

6. Combine the following words into sentences. Translate them into Russian: 1. When, at the week-ends, she, more time, has, to spare, Elinor Lloyd, her, at the big self-service food stores, shopping, in town, does. 2. Can, she, buy, more cheaply, a lot of goods, than, there, at her local grocer’s. 3. Accompanied by, she, round, large food stores, walks, looking for bargains, her husband or her daughter. 4. These, usually, brightly-lit large self-service stores, are, and, well laid out. 5. The goods, tidily, are arranged, and, long shelves, the prices, on, on trays, which, are clearly marked. 6. There is, to walk about, plenty of room, for the customers. 7. The shelves are, attractively packed goods, well stocked, a very wide selection of, with. 8. Elinor, from, wire basket, shelf to shelf, filling her, walks. 9. Elinor, for the things, pays, she has bought. 10. Before getting, goes, the bus home, she, to the market, bargains, in search of. 11. The market, a hundred, is, with, different stalls, large. 12. There is, clothes, household goods, fruit and vegetable, a wide range of, on sale. 13. And prices are lower, than, often, considerably, in the ordinary shop. 14. Elinor buys washing powder, fruit, fresh and vegetables: oranges, strawberries, grapefruit, a cauliflower and sprouts 15. She, exhausted, arrives. 16. But she is a little proud of having, the housekeeping money, saved.