I. Read the text. Define the main idea.

Shopping

Shops play an important role in our life. Some people go shopping when they are short of food or goods. For other people shopping is a pleasant hobby.

There are different types of shops: special shops for men and women where they can buy boots, shoes, underwear, dresses, costumes, coats, jackets, blouses and shirts.

Shop assistants are at your service. They help you to choose the right thing that can suit you perfectly. You may go to the fitting-room and try a thing on. After that you go to the cash-desk and pay.

There are shops that can help you to make your flat or house comfortable and cosy. They provide us with modern furniture, TV sets, tape-recorders and other necessary things.

Many people prefer to go shopping at the supermarkets where everything is sold, beginning from sugar up to fur coats, carpets and furniture. There you can roam hours and hours even have a cup of coffee with cakes and sandwiches.

Sugar, tea, coffee, bacon, salt and pepper are sold at the grocer’s. Bread is sold at the baker’s, meat and poultry – at the butcher’s. We go for vegetables and fruit to the greengrocer’s. Cakes and sweets are sold at the confectionery.

It is very interesting to characterize shopping from the point of view of sociology. Sociology is a way of understanding behaviour of people and human social life. Sociologists have carried out an interesting sociological research. They have determined that people like to go shopping best when it gets warm, the trees begin to bud and flowers begin to bloom. Buyers prefer to do shopping in summer because there are a lot of vegetables and fruit, all shop assistants are very polite and ready to please you and prices on foodstuffs are rather low.

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My mother usually goes to the market to buy food.

At the market we can buy everything we need. But the prices are very high. And in the nearest future we can hardly expect the reduction of prices.

II. Put “+” next to the true statements from the text and “-” to the false ones.

• Some people go shopping when they have a lot of goods and food.

• Shopping is a pleasant hobby for everyone.

• There are different types of shops where we can buy everything we need.

• The shop assistances are at our service.

• The psychologists help to choose the thing that can suit you perfectly.

• You may pay for goods at the cash-desk.

• In the fitting-room customs try things on.

• Furniture shops provide us with things that make our flat comfortable and cosy.

• Few people prefer to go shopping at the supermarkets.

• Sugar, tea, coffee and pepper are sold at the butcher’s.

• Bread, rolls, buns, croissants are sold at the baker’s.

• We buy fruit and vegetables at the confectionary.

• It is not very interesting to characterize shopping from the point of view of sociology.

• Sociology is the way of understanding the world.

• Sociologists have carried out an interesting sociological research.

• They have determined that people don’t like to do shopping in summer and spring.

• Shop assistants are rude and aren’t ready to please you.

• In the nearest future we shall expect the reduction of prices.

III. Complete the sentences with the topical vocabulary given below.

1. People go _____ when they are short of goods and food.

2. Shop assistants help you to choose the thing that can _____ you ____.

3. You may go to the _____ and ______ a thing on.

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4. Sugar, tea and coffee ______ at the _______.

5. It is interesting to ______ ______ from the _______ of _______.

6._____ is the way of understanding ______ of people and ______ _____.

7. Buyers prefer to do ______ in spring and summer.

8.______ have determined that people like to go ______ best when it gets warm.

9. In the nearest future we can ______ the reduction of prices.

(characterize; fitting-room; shopping; are sold; behaviour; suit; social life; hardly expect; perfectly; grocer’s; point of view; try; sociologists; human; sociology).