6. Find English equivalents in the text.

Употребляемый, приравниваться к …, проявлять, осознанный, по наследству, в меньшей степени, независимые от …, по происхождению, определить, неправильно, относиться к …, особенно, точка зрения, восприимчивость, сила и скорость, все особенности.

7. Match the words with the people.

Arrogant, conventional, dependable, hypocritical, stand-offish, superstitious, talkative.

a) He just sits at his desk all day, never joins in the conversation, and looks superior. He’s not rude – if anything, he’s too polite, if you see what I mean. He wouldn’t even come out with us after work when it was my birthday.

b) Yack, yack, yack, he rambles on and on. His friends, his family, his goldfish, last night’s football, how the country’s going to the dogs, how the bus is always late, more about his goldfish. He never stops!

c) Never, never trust him! You wouldn’t believe the number of people he’s stabbed in the back. He’ll say anything to make you think he’s one of your friends. He’s utter poison!

d) She’s a treasure! You don’t even have to ask and you know she’ll be there. And anything you do ask, she’s get on with it and do it just how you wanted it. I’d trust her with my life!

e) Oh, I don’t think we want to change, my dear. What would the neighbours think? No, that’s the way your father and I have always done it, and we’re not going to start going all modern now.

f) I’ve never known anyone like him. Black cats, walking under ladders, the thirteenth day of the month, touching wood, crossing your fingers – he believes in the lot of it!

Text С

1. Read the text and choose one suitable title to it.

1). Cognitive View.

2). What Can Be Done About Prejudice?

3). Frustration and Suffering.

Prejudice is not just an abstract concept that affects people other than ourselves. Prejudice dwells within us. In fact, people are often unaware of their own prejudices because such attitudes tend to be deep-seated. Thus, overcoming prejudice can be difficult. What can you do to help reduce prejudice?

Even people who do not have feelings of prejudice themselves often do little to counter the prejudice of others. They may say nothing when they hear another person make a sexist joke or an ethnic slur.

Prejudice is based on stereotypes. Thus, one of the best ways to combat prejudice is to break down stereotypes. The more contact we have with people of other races, ethnic groups, or religions, the more aware we become that these groups are made up of individuals who are not only different from one another but also similar to ourselves in many ways.

Intergroup contact is generally more effective when it is informal. Informal contacts, such as sitting together in the school cafeteria or hanging out together at the mall, encourage people to get to know one another as individuals. In contrast, more formal contacts, such as participating in the same class debate or attending the same religious service, allow people to maintain their distance from one another.

Even when people’s attitudes of prejudice cannot be changed, it is still possible to combat discrimination. Discrimination on the basis of sex, religion, race, or disability is against the law. Thus, when people are discriminated against, they can seek legal remedies. Similarly, when students believe that they have been denied access to organizations or opportunities at school because of prejudice, they should report the discrimination to their guidance counselor or school administration.

According to sociologist Robert K. Merton, prejudice and discrimination are related phenomena, but they do not always work in close association. He explains that there are four possible ways that individuals can combine discriminatory behavior and prejudicial attitudes. He uses the term active bigot to describe a person who is prejudiced and openly discriminates against others. The timid bigot is a person who is prejudiced but afraid to discriminate because of social pressure. The fair-weather liberal is a nonprejudiced person who discriminates anyway because of social pressure. A person who is not prejudiced and who does not discriminate is termed an all-weather liberal.

Cognitive psychologists believe that people’s behavior, including aggressive behavior, is not influenced by inherited tendencies or repressed urges. Instead, they maintain, aggressive behavior is influenced by people’s values, the ways in which they perceive events, and the choices they make. According to this view, people choose to act aggressively because they believe that aggression is justified and necessary – either in general or in particular situations.

Some cognitive psychologists have suggested that frustration and suffering trigger feelings of anger and that these feelings in turn cause people to act aggressively. However, they also argue that people do not act aggressively automatically and without thought. Rather, people decide whether they will act aggressively on the basis of such factors as their previous experiences with aggression and their interpretation of other people’s behavior.

How people interpret the behavior of others may be especially important in this regard. Some people tend to interpret other people’s behavior as intentionally insulting or cruel even when it is not.