Exercise 3. Translate into Russian.

Text B

English is a world language. It is the language of progressive science and technology, trade and cultural rela­tions, commerce and business. It is the universal language of international aviation, shipping and sports. It is also the major language of diplomacy.

Hundreds and hundreds of books, magazines and newspapers are printed in English and read all over the world. 75% of the world's mail and 60% of the world's telephone calls are in English. Half of the world's scientific literature is written in English.

English is spoken by more than 350 million people. Geographically, it is the most widespread language on earth, second only to Chinese in the number of people who speak it.

It is the official language of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ire­land, of the United States of America, of Australia and New Zealand. English is used as one of the official languages in Canada, the Republic of South Africa and the Irish Re­public, It is also spoken as a second language in many parts of India and Africa. The number of second-language speakers may soon exceed the number of native speakers.

Besides, millions of people study and use English as a foreign language. In our coun­try English is very popular: it is studied at schools (sometimes even at nursery schools) colleges and universities.

Learning a foreign language is not an easy thing. It is a long and slow process that takes a lot of time and patience. But to know English today is absolutely necessary for every educated person, for every good specialist.

I want to know foreign languages because I have always been interested in foreign countries, their cultures and peoples.

Vocabulary

progressive — прогрессивный

shipping — морской флот, судоходство
science — наука

major — главный, основной
technology — технология

diplomacy — дипломатия
trade —торговля

print — печатать
commerce — коммерция, торговля

mail — почта
aviation — авиация

scientific — научный

Exercise 1. Questions:

1. Why is English the global language nowadays?

2. Which vocabulary is the largest in the world?

3. What percentage of words in English comes from other countries?

4. What borrowed words in English do you know?

5. Why is English a language of communication nowadays?

6. Why do people in Russia learn English? 7. Why do you learn English?'

8. What is the best suitable age to begin to learn English?

9. At what age did you begin to learn English?

10. Do you learn any other languages? Why?

Exercise 2. Match the words from the columns:

A widespread language быть заинтересованным чем-либо

to take a lot of time and patience иностранный язык

to be interested in smth научная литература

a language of diplomacy носитель языка

scientific literature требовать много времени и терпения

a native speaker язык дипломатии

a foreign language широко распространенный язык

 

Exercise 3. Translate into Russian.

1. The role of foreign languages is also increasing today.

2. Thanks to the knowledge of foreign languages one can read books, magazines in the original, talk to foreigners, translate various technical articles.

3. English is now the dominant or official language in over 60 countries, and is represented in every continent and in the three major oceans - Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific.

4. There are many different reasons why people study foreign languages, English in particular.

5. Knowing foreign languages can help us to find a job in such fields as science and technology, foreign trade and banking.

6. Learning a foreign language includes learning culture, traditions and mode of thought of different people.

 

Exercise 5. True or false.

1. German is the official language of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ire­land, of the United States of America, of Australia and New Zealand.

2. English is spoken by more than 350 million people.

3. English is not studied at schools, colleges and universities.

4. Learning a foreign language is an easy thing.

5. Chinese is the most widespread language on earth.

Тема: Страны изучаемого языка

TEXT A

Vocabulary

comprise – заключать, состоять из

district - округ

be situated – находиться, располагаться

contiguous – близкий, смежный

state - штат

archipelago - архипелаг

possess – владеть, обладать

diverse – отличный, разнообразный

multicultural - многонациональный

estimate - оценивать

parity - равенство

inhabit – жить, населять

warfare - война

proclaim – объявлять, провозглашать

amendment - поправка

Exercise 3. True or false.

1. The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district.

2. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-nine contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south.

3. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries.

4. The United States was founded by fifeen British colonies located along the Atlantic seaboard.

5. The current United States Constitution was adopted on September 17, 1787; its ratification the following year made the states part of a single republic with a strong federal government.

 

TEXT B

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean. It is the world's second largest country by total area. Canada's common border with the United States to the south and northwest is the longest in the world.

The land that is now Canada was inhabited for millennia by various groups of Aboriginal peoples. Beginning in the late 15th century, British and French expeditions explored, and later settled, along the Atlantic coast. France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763 after the Seven Years' War. In 1867, with the union of three British North American colonies through Confederation, Canada was formed as a federal dominion of four provinces. This began an accretion of provinces and territories and a process of increasing autonomy from the United Kingdom. This widening autonomy was highlighted by the Statute of Westminster of 1931 and culminated in the Canada Act of 1982, which severed the vestiges of legal dependence on the British parliament.

Canada is a federation that is governed as a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy with Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state. It is a bilingual nation with both English and French as official languages at the federal level. One of the world's highly developed countries, Canada has a diversified economy that is reliant upon its abundant natural resources and upon trade—particularly with the United States, with which Canada has had a long and complex relationship. It is a member of the G7, G8, G20, NATO, OECD, WTO, Commonwealth, Francophonie, OAS, APEC, and UN. With the eighth-highest Human Development Index globally, it has one of the highest standards of living in the world.

Vocabulary

рrovince - провинция

territorу – территория (административная единица, не имеющая прав штата или провинции)

extend - простираться

border - граница

millennia - тысячелетия

аboriginal – коренной, местный

cede – сдавать, уступать

dominion - владение

autonomy – автономия, самоуправление

Exercise 3. True or false.

1. It is located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east and northward into the Arctic Ocean.

2. Beginning in the late 15th century, British and French expeditions explored, and later settled, along the Pacific coast.

3. France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763 after the Seven Years' War.

4. In 1865, with the union of three British North American colonies through Confederation, Canada was formed as a federal dominion of three provinces.

5. It is a bilingual nation with both English and French as official languages at the federal level.

TEXT C

Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Neighbouring countries include Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea to the north, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia to the northeast and New Zealand to the southeast.

For at least 40,000 years before European settlement in the late 18th century, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians, who belonged to one or more of roughly 250 language groups. After discovery by Dutch explorers in 1606, Australia's eastern half was claimed by Britain in 1770 and initially settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales, formally founded on 7 February 1788 (although formal possession of the land had occurred on 26 January 1788). The population grew steadily in subsequent decades; the continent was explored and an additional five self-governing Crown Colonies were established.

On 1 January 1901, the six colonies became a federation and the Commonwealth of Australia was formed. Since Federation, Australia has maintained a stable liberal democratic political system and is a Commonwealth realm. The population is 22 million, with approximately 60 per cent concentrated in and around the mainland state capitals of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. The nation's capital city is Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory. Approximately 56 per cent of Australia's population live in either Victoria or New South Wales, and approximately 77 per cent live on the mainland's east coast.

A prosperous developed country, Australia is the world's thirteenth largest economy. Australia ranks highly in many international comparisons of national performance such as human development, quality of life, health care, life expectancy, public education, economic freedom and the protection of civil liberties and political rights. Australia is a member of the United Nations, G20, Commonwealth of Nations, ANZUS, OECD, APEC, Pacific Islands Forum and the World Trade Organization.

Vocabulary

commonwealth – содружество, государство

hemisphere - полушарие

mainland - материк

indigenous – туземный, местный

penal – уголовный, карательный

realm – королевство, государство

subsequent - последующий

establish - установить

capital - столица

prosperous - процветающий

Exercise 3. True or false.

1. Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Northern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

2. After discovery by Dutch explorers in 1608, Australia's eastern half was claimed by Britain in 1760 and initially settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales, formally founded on 7 February 1798.

3. The nation's capital city is Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory.

4. Approximately 65 per cent of Australia's population live in either Victoria or New South Wales, and approximately 74 per cent live on the mainland's east coast.

5. A prosperous developed country, Australia is the world's thirteenth largest economy.

TEXT A

So many countries so many customs, an English proverb says. The combination of the words tradition & custom means a usual manner of doing something, a belief of principal of conduct passed on from generation to generation. English traditions can be subdivided into the traditions dealing with private life of the English national & religious holidays, public celebrations, traditional ceremonies & traditional sporting events. A great number of customs traditions date back to the early days of GB & we can justly say that they are the reflection of the country's history & the people's psychology. To know the customs & traditions means to understand the people, their art & culture better. In the matter of holidays the British are less well off than other Europeans.

The British have many traditions, manners & customs of which they can be proud. England has preserved its old ceremonies & traditions to a greater extend than any other country in the world. Most of these traditions have been kept up without interruption since the thirteenth century. Foreigners coming to England are impressed by a great number of ceremonies which seem to be incompatible with the modern traffic & technical conditions of a highly developed country.

Some British customs and traditions are famous all over the world. Bowler hats, tea and talking about the weather, for example. There are a lot of others that we are going to tell you about.

From Scotland to Cornwall, Britain is full of customs and traditions. A lot of them have very long histories. Some are funny and some are strange. But they're all interesting. There are all the traditions of British sport and music. There's the long menu of traditional British food. There are many royal occasions. There are songs, sayings and superstitions. They are all part of the British way of life.

Vocabulary:

conduct - поведение

generation - поколение

date back – относиться (к прошлому), брать начало

well off – обеспеченный, хорошо снабженный

keep up – сохранять, поддерживать

to a greater extend – в большей мере

incompatible with – несравнимый с

bowler hats – шляпа-котелок

royal occasions – королевские церемонии, традиции

superstitions – суеверия, предрассудки

 

Questions to the text

1. What does the English proverb say about traditions?

2. What does the combination of words tradition a custom mean?

3. How can English traditions be subdivided?

4. Why do we get acquainted with customs and traditions?

5. How old are most of the English traditions?

6. What are the most famous English customs and traditions?

7. What is considered part of the British way of life?

 

Ex. 1. Give the English equivalents from the text:

- передаваемые от поколения к поколению

- отражение истории страны

- которыми они могут гордиться

- высокоразвитая страна

- длинное меню традиционных британских блюд

- часть британского образа жизни

 

Ex. 5. Retell the text.

 

Text B

The Trooping of the Colour

The Queen is the only person in Britain with two birthdays. Her real birthday is on April 21st, but she has an "official" birthday, too. That's on the second Saturday in June. And on the Queen's

official birthday, there is a traditional ceremony called the Trooping of the Colour. It's a big parade with brass bands and hundreds of soldiers at Horse Guards' Parade in London. A "regiment" of the Queen's soldiers, the Guards, march in front of her. At the front of the parade is the regiments flag or "colour". The Guards are trooping the colour. Thousands of Londoners and visitors watch in Horse Guards' Parade. And millions of people at home watch it on television.

 

The Changing of the Guard

This happens every day at Buckingham Palace, the Queen's home in London. Soldiers stand in front of the palace. Each morning these soldiers (the "guard") change. One group leaves and another arrives. In summer and winter Y) tourists stand outside the palace at 11.30 every morning and watch the Changing of the Guard.

 

Maundy Money

Maundy Thursday is the day before Good Friday, at Easter. On that day the Queen gives Maundy money to a group of old people. This tradition is over 1,000 years old. At one time the king or queen washed the feet of poor, old people on Maundy Thursday. That stopped in 1754.

 

Swan Upping

Here's a very different royal tradition. On the River Thames there are hundreds of swans. A lot of these beautiful white birds belong, traditionally, to the king or queen. In July the young swans on the Thames are about two months old. Then the Queen's swan keeper goes, in a boat, from London Bridge to Henley. He looks at ail the young swans and marks the royal ones. The name of this strange but interesting custom is Swan Upping.

 

Ex. 5. Retell the text.

Тема: Города. Путешествие

Text A

London

London is the capital of Great Britain. It lies on the banks of the Thames river. The population of the city is over seven million. London is the biggest industrial and cultural center of the United Kingdom.

London consists of three main parts: the City, the West End and the East End. The City is the most important commercial and financial centre of the country: there are banks and offices of the firms from all over the world and over a million so-called white collars work there.

The West End is the district where most of the theatres, bars, restaurants and hotels are situated. Only rich people live in this district.

In the East End there are most of the factories and docks. Many buildings are very old, streets are dirty. The East End is the district where poor citizens of London live.

There are very many old buildings in London downtown. One of the oldest is the Tower, built in the eleventh century by William the Conqueror. Over the centuries the Tower served as a fortress, a residence of British kings and even a prison. Another famous building is Saint Paul`s Cathedral a masterpiece of architecture. Westminster Abbey is the place where nearly all kings and queens have been crowned. It is also a burial place where there are the graves of many outstanding writers and poets, such as Dickens, Chauser and other.

The House of Parliament is the site of highest legislative body.

London is famous for its parks, museums, art galleries, theatres, libraries. Most well-known of them are Hyde Park, British Museum, National Gallery and others.

London is also a modern city. A lot of skyscrapers have been built there.

No doubt, London is a city worth to see.

Vocabulary

Downtown - центр города

fortress - крепость

prison - тюрьма

masterpiece - шедевр

be crowned - короноваться

burial place - кладбище

site - место расположения

legislative body - законодательный орган

white-collars - белые воротнички, банковские служащие

scyscraper - небоскреб

no doubt - без сомнения

be worth - стоит, имеет значение

Questions

1. Where is London situated?

2. What parts does London consist of?

3. What is London famous for?

4. What is the most important commercial and financial centre of the country?

5. Why is London a modern city?

 

Washington, D.C.

 

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790. The U.S. Constitution allows for the creation of a special district to serve as the permanent national capital. The District is therefore not a part of any U.S. state and is instead directly overseen by the federal government. Within the District, a new capital city was founded in 1791 and named in honor of George Washington. The City of Washington, along with Georgetown and outlying areas within the federal district, were placed under a single, unified government following an act of Congress in 1871. It is for this reason that the city, while legally named the District of Columbia, is known as Washington, D.C. The city shares its name with the U.S. state of Washington located on the country's Pacific coast.

The District is located on the north bank of the Potomac River and is bordered by the states of Virginia to the southwest and Maryland to the other sides. The city has a resident population of 601,723; because of commuters from the surrounding suburbs, its population rises to over one million during the workweek. The Washington Metropolitan Area, of which the District is a part, has a population of nearly 5.6 million, the seventh-largest metropolitan area in the country.

The centers of all three branches of the U.S. federal government are located in the District, as are many of the nation's monuments and museums. Washington, D.C. hosts 174 foreign embassies as well as the headquarters of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organization of American States (OAS), the Inter-American Development Bank, and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). The headquarters of other institutions such as trade unions, lobbying groups, and professional associations are also located in the District.

Washington, D.C., is governed by a mayor and a 13-member city council. However, the United States Congress has supreme authority over the city and may overturn local laws. Residents of the District therefore have less self-governance than residents of the states. The District has a non-voting, at-large Congressional delegate, but no senators. D.C. residents could not vote in presidential elections until the ratification of the Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1961.

Vocabulary

allow - разрешать

serve - служить

share - делить, разделять

locate - располагать

border - граничить

branch - отрасль, ветвь

such as - такой как

election - выбор

trade union - профсоюз

 

Answer these questions.

1. What is the capital of the United States?

2. When was a new capital city founded?

3. Where is the District located?

4. What is a resident population in the city?

5. Whom is Washington D.C. governed by?

Text C

Canberra

 

Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), 280 km (170 mi) south-west of Sydney, and 660 km (410 mi) north-east of Melbourne. A resident of Canberra is known as a "Canberran".

The site of Canberra was selected for the location of the nation's capital in 1908 as a compromise between rivals Sydney and Melbourne, Australia's two largest cities. It is unusual among Australian cities, being an entirely planned city. Following an international contest for the city's design, a blueprint by the Chicago architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin was selected and construction commenced in 1913. The Griffins' plan featured geometric motifs such as circles, hexagons and triangles, and was centred around axes aligned with significant topographical landmarks in the Australian Capital Territory.

The city's design was heavily influenced by the garden city movement and incorporates significant areas of natural vegetation that have earned Canberra the title of the "bush capital". The growth and development of Canberra were hindered by the World Wars and the Great Depression, which exacerbated a series of planning disputes and the ineffectiveness of a sequence of bodies that were to oversee the development of the city. The national capital emerged as a thriving city after World War II, as Prime Minister Robert Menzies championed its development and the National Capital Development Commission was formed with executive powers. Although the Australian Capital Territory is now self-governing, the federal government retains some influence through the National Capital Authority.

As the seat of the government of Australia, Canberra is the site of Parliament House, the High Court and numerous government departments and agencies. It is also the location of many social and cultural institutions of national significance, such as the Australian War Memorial, Australian National University, Australian Institute of Sport, National Gallery, National Museum and the National Library. The Australian Army's officer corps are trained at the Royal Military College, Duntroon and the Australian Defence Force Academy is also located in the capital.

As the city has a high proportion of public servants, the federal government contributes the largest percentage of Gross State Product and is the largest single employer in Canberra. As the seat of government, the unemployment rate is lower and the average income higher than the national average, while property prices are relatively high, in part due to comparatively restricted development regulations. Tertiary education levels are higher, while the population is younger.

Vocabulary.

locate - располагаться

select - выбирать

contest - соперничество, спор

design - проект

circle - окружность, круг

hexagon - шестиугольник

significant - важный, многозначительный

influence - влиять

earn - зарабатывать, заслуживать

hinder - мешать, препятствовать

sequence - последовательность

average - среднее число

income - доход, приход

Answer the questions.

1. What is the capital of Australia?

2. When was the site of Canberra selected for the location of the nation`s capital?

3. What was the city design heavily influenced by?

4. Whose blueprint was selected?

5. What cultural and social institutions of national significance do you know in Canberra?

Text A

Ecological Problems

Since ancient times nature has served man, being the source of his life. For thousands of years people lived in harmony with environment and it seemed to them that natural riches were unlimited. But with the development of civilization man's interference in nature began to increase. Large cities with thousands of smoky industrial enterprises appear all over the world today. The by-products of their activity pollute the air we breathe, the water we drink, the land we grow grain and vegetables on.

Every year world industry pollutes the atmosphere with about 1000 million tons of dust and other harmful substances. Many cities suffer from smog. Vast forests are cut and burn in fire. Their disappearance upsets the oxygen balance. As a result some rare species of animals, birds, fish and plants disappear forever, a number of rivers and lakes dry up. The pollution of air and the world's ocean, destruction of the ozone layer is the result of man's careless interaction with nature, a sign of the ecological crises. The most horrible ecological disaster befell Ukraine and its people after the Chernobyl tragedy in April 1986. About 18 percent of the territory of Belarussia was also polluted with radioactive substances. A great damage has been done to the agriculture, forests and people's health. The consequences of this explosion at the atomic power-station are tragic for the Ukrainian, Belarussian and other nations.

Environmental protection is of a universal concern. That is why serious measures to create a system of ecological security should be taken. Some progress has been already made in this direction. As many as 159 countries - members of the UNO - have set up environmental protection agencies. Numerous conferences have been held by these agencies to discuss problems facing ecologically poor regions including the Aral Sea, the South Urals, Kuzbass, Donbass, Semipalatinsk and Chernobyl. An international environmental research centre has been set up on Lake Baikal. The international organisation Greenpeace is also doing much to preserve the environment. But these are only the initial steps and they must be continued to protect nature, to save life on the planet not only for the sake of the present but also for the future generations.

Greenpeace

In 1971, motivated by their vision of a green and peaceful world, a small team of activists set sail from Vancouver, Canada, in an old fishing boat. These activists, the founders of Greenpeace, believed a few individuals could make a difference.

Their mission was to ‘bear witness’ to US underground nuclear testing at Amchitka, a tiny island off the West Coast of Alaska, which is one of the world's most earthquake-prone regions. Amchitka was the last refuge for 3000 endangered sea otters, and home to bald eagles, peregrine falcons and other wildlife. Even though their old boat, was intercepted before it got to Amchitka, the journey sparked a flurry of public interest. The US still detonated the bomb, but the voice of reason had been heard. Nuclear testing on Amchitka ended that same year, and the island was later declared a bird sanctuary.

Today, Greenpeace is an international ecological organization that has 2.8 million supporters worldwide, and national as well as regional offices in 41 countries. Its headquarters are based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Greenpeace is a non-profit organization and nongovernmental. It unites people of different colours living in different continents and speaking different languages. The common mission of this organization is preserving life on the earth in its full variety.

Greenpeace does not accept donations from governments, corporations or political parties but relies on contributions from individual supporters and foundation grants. Greenpeace does not support any political party. Nevertheless, its members carry on a dialogue with all political forces and struggle for approving and passing laws for the welfare of our environment.

As a global organization, Greenpeace focuses on the most crucial worldwide threats to our planet's biodiversity and environment. It campaigns to stop climate change, save the oceans, stop whaling, say no to genetic engineering, stop the nuclear threat, eliminate toxic chemicals.

The goal of Greenpeace is to expose environmental criminals, and to challenge government and corporations when they fail to live up to their mandate to safeguard our environment and our future.

Vocabulary

ecology – экология

ancient – древний

source – источник

environment – окружающая среда

live in harmony with – жить в гармонии с

interference – вмешательство

increase – увеличивать

industrial enterprises – промышленные предприятия

smoky – дымный

by-product – побочный продукт

pollute – загрязнять

breathe – дышать

dust – пыль

harmful substances – вредные вещества

to suffer from – страдать от

vast – обширный

dry up – высыхать

oxygen balance – кислородный баланс

rare specy – редкий экземпляр

forever- навсегда

destruction – уничтожение, разрушение

ozone layer – озонный слой

interaction – взаимодействие

damage – ущерб

consequences – последствия

explosion – взрыв

security – безопасность

UNO – Организайия Объединенных Наций

for the sake of – во благо

earthquake – эемлятресение

refuge – убежище, пристанище

sea otter – морской бобр

eagle – орел

peregrine falcon – сокол

wildlife – живая природа

spark – искрить, дать искру

flurry – шквал

detonate – взрывать, детонировать

nuclear – атомный

sanctuary – святилище

supporter – сторонник

worldwide – всемирный, мировой

headquarters – штаб квартира

non-profit – невыгодный

mission – миссия

accept donations – принимать пожертвования

contribution – вклад

grants – дотация, субсидии

welfare – благосостояние

focuse – быть в центре внимания, сосредоточиться

crucial – решающий

be under threat – быть под угрозой

biodiversity – биологическое разнообразие

eliminate – устранять, очищать

toxic chemicals – токсические химикаты

expose – подвергать, выставлять

safeguard – охранять

halt – останавливать

sacrifice – жертвовать, приносить в жертву

well-being – благосостояние

prevention - предотвращение

solution – решение

enhance – усиливать, повышать

inheritance – наследство

prudent – благоразумный, предусмотрительный

encourage – ободрять, поощрять

wastes – отходы

deforestation – обезлесение

soil erosion – разъедание почвы

drain – истощать

extinction – вымирание

legislation – законодательство

acid rain – кислотные дожди

access – доступ

 

TEXT A

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

1564 – 1616

England’s greatest poet and dramatist, William Shakespeare, was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564 in the family of a glove-maker, and his mother was the daughter of a farmer. William went to a grammar school in Stratford and had quite a good education. There he learned to love reading. He was not yet 19 when he married Anne Hathaway, a farmer’s daughter some years older than himself. They had three children – Susanna, Judith, and Hamnet. Judith and Hamnet were twins.

Not much is known about what Shakespeare did in the years just after his marriage. Some accounts say that he taught at school for a while. Some accounts say that he worked for his father. In 1587 Shakespeare went to work in London, leaving Anne and the children at home. He appeared in London as an actor and a writer of plays. His plays were written in poetry.

In1592 bubonic plague, a terrible disease swept over London. For about two years al London theatres were closed. During that time Shakespeare began to write poems. Besides writing some long poems, he wrote more than 100 sonnets.

Shakespeare wrote some of his plays about early kings of England. Henry V and RichardШ are two ofthese plays. They helped the English people to understand the history of their own plays.Besides historical plays Shakespeare wrote both comedies and tragedies. Romeo and Juliet is one of the most famous of his tragedies. Other tragedies are Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello. Among his comedies are A Midsummer Night Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, and The Merchant of Venice.

At the height of his success Shakespeare retuned to Srtratsford. There he died in 1616. He was buried in Stratford-upon-Avon. Thousands of people visit his birthplace and grave each year.

 

Vocabulary

gloves - перчатки

besides – кроме того

play - пьеса

except – за исключением

get married – жениться, выйти замуж

merchant – купец

accounts - счета

birthplace – место рождения

grave - могила

disease - болезнь

twins - близнецы

act - играть

earn - зарабатывать

for a while – на время

TEXT B

James Cook was born on October 27, 1728 in Marton, (near modern Middlesborough), Yorkshire, Britain. Cook commanded three voyages of discovery for Great Britain, and sailed around the world twice. He was the first British ship commander to circumnavigate the globe in a lone ship. Cook was also the first British commander to prevent the outbreak of scurvy by regulating his crew’s diet, serving them citrus fruit and sauerkraut to prevent the disease. He is considered one of the world’s greatest explorers.

Cook was an apprentice to a shipping company at age 15, and joined the British Navy in 1755 at the age of 27. In 1768, the British Admiralty appointed Cook, then a Lieutenant, to lead a scientific expedition that would sail to the island of Tahiti in the south Pacific to establish an astronomical observatory. Their mission was to measure an eclipse of the sun by Venus. The Admiralty selected Cook because of his proven skills as a navigator, and for his interest in astronomy. He set out on August 12, 1768 in His Majesty’s Bark Endeavour, arriving in Tahiti on April 13, 1769. On June 3, 1769, Cook successfully measured the time it took Venus to transit the sun, and by doing so obtained data that would help scientists to accurately determine the size of the solar system.

Cook was also issued secret orders to seek the great southern continent (“Terres Australes Incognita” or unknown lands in the south) that geographers long believed kept the world in balance. In Cook’s day, the discovery of new lands often lead to great wealth for the nation claiming those lands. His orders were secret because the Admiralty did not want Britain’s international competitors to know about this aspect of Cook’s expedition. Cook searched for Terres Australes to no avail, determining that no such great continent existed.

In October 1769, he was the first European to land on New Zealand. The Islands were sighted previously by Dutch Captain Able Tasman in 1642, 127 years before Cook’s landing. New Zealand is named after the Dutch province of Zeelandt (meaning Sea Land).

In 1770, Cook conducted a comprehensive survey of the eastern coast of New Holland (now Australia), the part of the continent the Dutch had not technically mapped. On August 22, 1770, he claimed those lands for Great Britain. The name “Australia” was not used until the early 1800s.

On Cook’s second journey he sailed farther south than any other European. He circled Antarctica in his famous ship Resolution, but the ice surrounding the continent prevented the sighting of land. The existence of the Antarctica remained unproved until 1840. Upon his return to England in 1775, Cook was promoted to Captain and elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society.

In July of 1776, Cook set sail on his third voyage, again in Resolution. His mission was to look for a possible northern sea route between Europe and Asia. In 1778, Cook became the first know European to reach the Hawaiian Islands. Later in 1778, he sailed up the northwest coast of North America, and was the first European to land on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. He continued up the coast through the Bering Strait, and entered the Arctic Ocean. Great walls of ice blocked the expedition, so Cook headed back for the Hawaiian Islands.

On February 14, 1779, Cook was stabbed to death by Hawaiian natives while investigating a theft of a boat by an islander. The expedition arrived back in England in October of 1780.

Vocabulary

voyage - путешествие

circumnavigate – совершать кругосветное плавание

crew - команда

expedition - экспедиция

observatory - обсерватория

navigator - мореплаватель

determine - определять

solar system – солнечная система

survey – осматривать, изучать

promote – продвигать, повышать в звании

 

TEXT C

Charles Robert Darwin (12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.

He published his theory with compelling evidence for evolution in his 1859 book On the Origin of Species, overcoming scientific rejection of earlier concepts of transmutation of species. By the 1870s the scientific community and much of the general public accepted evolution as a fact. However, many favoured competing explanations and it was not until the emergence of the modern evolutionary synthesis from the 1930s to the 1950s that a broad consensus developed that natural selection was the basic mechanism of evolution. In modified form, Darwin's scientific discovery is the unifying theory of the life sciences, explaining the diversity of life.

Darwin's early interest in nature led him to neglect his medical education at the University of Edinburgh; instead, he helped to investigate marine invertebrates. Studies at the University of Cambridge encouraged his passion for natural science. His five-year voyage on HMS Beagle established him as an eminent geologist whose observations and theories supported Charles Lyell's uniformitarian ideas, and publication of his journal of the voyage made him famous as a popular author.

Puzzled by the geographical distribution of wildlife and fossils he collected on the voyage, Darwin began detailed investigations and in 1838 conceived his theory of natural selection. Although he discussed his ideas with several naturalists, he needed time for extensive research and his geological work had priority. He was writing up his theory in 1858 when Alfred Russel Wallace sent him an essay which described the same idea, prompting immediate joint publication of both of their theories. Darwin's work established evolutionary descent with modification as the dominant scientific explanation of diversification in nature. In 1871, he examined human evolution and sexual selection in The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, followed by The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals. His research on plants was published in a series of books, and in his final book, he examined earthworms and their effect on soil.

In recognition of Darwin's pre-eminence as a scientist, he was honoured by a major ceremonial funeral in Westminster Abbey, where he was buried close to John Herschel and Isaac Newton. Darwin has been described as one of the most influential figures in human history.

Vocabulary

naturalist – натуралист, естествоиспытатель

establish - установить

ancestry - предок

evolution - эволюция

natural selection – естественный отбор

transmutation – превращение, преобразование

distribution - распространение

wildlife – дикая природа

fossil - ископаемое

dominant - преобладающий

recognition - признание

Text B

English is a world language. It is the language of progressive science and technology, trade and cultural rela­tions, commerce and business. It is the universal language of international aviation, shipping and sports. It is also the major language of diplomacy.

Hundreds and hundreds of books, magazines and newspapers are printed in English and read all over the world. 75% of the world's mail and 60% of the world's telephone calls are in English. Half of the world's scientific literature is written in English.

English is spoken by more than 350 million people. Geographically, it is the most widespread language on earth, second only to Chinese in the number of people who speak it.

It is the official language of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ire­land, of the United States of America, of Australia and New Zealand. English is used as one of the official languages in Canada, the Republic of South Africa and the Irish Re­public, It is also spoken as a second language in many parts of India and Africa. The number of second-language speakers may soon exceed the number of native speakers.

Besides, millions of people study and use English as a foreign language. In our coun­try English is very popular: it is studied at schools (sometimes even at nursery schools) colleges and universities.

Learning a foreign language is not an easy thing. It is a long and slow process that takes a lot of time and patience. But to know English today is absolutely necessary for every educated person, for every good specialist.

I want to know foreign languages because I have always been interested in foreign countries, their cultures and peoples.

Vocabulary

progressive — прогрессивный

shipping — морской флот, судоходство
science — наука

major — главный, основной
technology — технология

diplomacy — дипломатия
trade —торговля

print — печатать
commerce — коммерция, торговля

mail — почта
aviation — авиация

scientific — научный

Exercise 1. Questions:

1. Why is English the global language nowadays?

2. Which vocabulary is the largest in the world?

3. What percentage of words in English comes from other countries?

4. What borrowed words in English do you know?

5. Why is English a language of communication nowadays?

6. Why do people in Russia learn English? 7. Why do you learn English?'

8. What is the best suitable age to begin to learn English?

9. At what age did you begin to learn English?

10. Do you learn any other languages? Why?

Exercise 2. Match the words from the columns:

A widespread language быть заинтересованным чем-либо

to take a lot of time and patience иностранный язык

to be interested in smth научная литература

a language of diplomacy носитель языка

scientific literature требовать много времени и терпения

a native speaker язык дипломатии

a foreign language широко распространенный язык

 

Exercise 3. Translate into Russian.

1. The role of foreign languages is also increasing today.

2. Thanks to the knowledge of foreign languages one can read books, magazines in the original, talk to foreigners, translate various technical articles.

3. English is now the dominant or official language in over 60 countries, and is represented in every continent and in the three major oceans - Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific.

4. There are many different reasons why people study foreign languages, English in particular.

5. Knowing foreign languages can help us to find a job in such fields as science and technology, foreign trade and banking.

6. Learning a foreign language includes learning culture, traditions and mode of thought of different people.