Solitude is sometimes the best society

Occasional solitude is absolutely necessary for a developing mind. To have time to think is rare in the world today and time must be made. To continue living and working without moments of solitude is like expecting a machine to work indefinitely without oil.

Solitude is the best society for artists. The creation of any form of beauty depends on the state of a man's mind, whether the person writes something or paints something. To know one's mind is a thing achieved only by solitude and quiet thinking. And it is this peace that is the force of creation.

But few people like being alone for a long time. The close society of acquaintances and friends, doing useless things to pass the time - these are the necessities of modern world. People are afraid of having time to think, so they go to the cinema, the television set, or a football match, because they can think of nothing better to do. Creative work is fast disappearing; instead, we'll have a generation of watchers and thought will be left to the poets and scientists.

Some people wouldn't know* what to do being alone at times. Finding other people's company preferable to their own, they begin to feel unhappy and grow introspective. Self-analysis can be carried too far by some; others lose the art of conversation and the ability to give and take - and so run indefinitely without oil.

But to the rest of us solitude brings new worlds. When we think and feel, unwatched by man, ideas and feelings come to us, and we get new strength instead of becoming lost in a hurrying world. Ideas and knowledge of oneself that come from peace are the best things in life; these come only from solitude - occasional solitude, of course.

 

Note

*Some people wouldn't know… - Деякі люди не знають…

Vocabulary:

occasional solitude - усамітнення час від часу

the state of mind - стан розуму (духу)

quiet thinking - спокійні роздуми

at times - часом

to grow introspective - заглибитися у себе

to run without oil - їздити без заправки

instead of - замість того, щоб

    Questions:

1. Why is it difficult to continue living and working without moments of solitude?

2. Why are people sometimes afraid of having time to think?

3. Have you ever thought that you do not have enough solitude?

4. How is creative work connected with solitude?

5. Do you think that moments of solitude may be necessary only for creative workers?

6. What kind of society would you like to be in when you feel happy (unhappy or discontented)?

7. Are there times when it is very difficult for you to stay alone?

8. What does the art of living among other people consist in?

9. Does self-analysis always bring knowledge of ourselves?

 

Text 4

DREAMS

The fascination of dreams has been felt by all people at every stage of human history. In primitive societies it is sometimes believed that the soul takes leave of the body during sleep and actually visits the scenes of the dream. In general, however, the view that dreams are illusory experiences is universally accepted.

To the psychologist, the dream is a form of natural expression which occurs only when the activity of the brain is depressed by sleep or by the influence of anesthetics or drugs. It has much in common with the fantasies and day-dreams of waking life, and differs from them mainly in being expressed in a dramatic form in which the dreamer himself appears to play a part. When dreaming, moreover, one tends to believe in the "reality" of the dream world, however inconsistent or illogical it may be. It is only when one awakes that happening of the dream dissolving into a half-forgotten fantasy.

The sense of time is often said to be greatly altered in dreams. There is some evidence that dream happenings which seem to occupy a very considerable time occur, in fact, within a few seconds.

People differ very much in the frequency of their dreams. Some claim to dream every night, others but very occasionally. Although it is probable that there exist real individual differences in the capability to dream, it must be borne in mind that some people appear to forget* their dreams much more rapidly than others and are therefore apt to claim that they seldom dream.

Many superstitions and occult practices have been built round the supposed power of dreams to foretell the future. Instances of dreams which have later turned out to be "prophetic" have often been recorded.

Do animals dream? Unfortunately we cannot be sure of the answer. Everyone knows that a sleeping dog often behaves as though he were dreaming, but it is impossible to tell whether it is really dreaming. By analogy with human experience, however, it is reasonable to suppose that at least the higher animals are capable of dreaming.

 

Note:

*some people appear to forget - деякі люди, певно, забувають

Vocabulary:

the fascination of dreams - чарівність снів

soul and body - душа і тіло

to accept - визнавати

to occur - траплятися

influence - вплив

to have much in commom with - мати багато спільного з

to differ from - відрізнятися від

inconsistent - непослідовний, суперечливий

to awake - прокидатися

to dissolve - розчинятися, танути

altered - змінений

evidence - свідчення

to differ - відрізнятися

frequency - частота

to claim - заявляти, стверджувати

occasionally - час від часу, зрідка

capability - здатність

to bear (bore; borne) in mind - пам'ятати

rapidly- швидко

apt - схильний

superstition - забобон

supposed power - можлива сила

to fortell - провіщати

instance - окремий випадок, приклад

to turn out - виявлятися

prophetic - віщий

to behave - поводитися

experience - досвід

Questions:

1. How often do you dream?

2. Do you generally dream at the beginning or at the end of your sleep?

3. Do you often forget your dreams?

4. Why do we remember some of our dreams for a long time?

5. Why do dreams fascinate all people at every stage of human history?

6. What may a definition of a dream be?

7. What kind of "reality" is the "reality" of a dream world?

8. How is the sense of time affected by the dream?

9. Why are dreams so closely connected with various superstitions and occult practices?

10. Have you ever had meaningful (or "prophetic") dreams?

Text 5

THE FIRST FOUR MINUTES

When do people decide whether or not they want to become friends? During their first four minutes together, according to the book by Dr. Leonard Zunin. In his book "Contact. The First Four Minutes" he offers this advice to anyone interested in starting new friendship: "Every time you meet someone in a social situation, give him your undivided attention for four minutes. A lot of people's whole lives would change if they did just that".

You may have noticed that the average person does no give his undivided attention to someone he has just met. He keeps looking over the other's person shoulder, as if hoping to find someone more interesting in another part of the room. If anyone has ever done this to you, you probably did not like him very much.

When we are introduced to new people, the author suggests, we should try to appear friendly and self-confident. In general, he says: "People like people who like themselves".

On the other hand, we should not make the other person think we are too sure of ourselves. It is important to seem interested and sympathetic, realizing that the other person has his own needs, fears, and hopes.

Hearing such advice, one might say: " But I am not a friendly, self-confident person. That's not my nature. It would be dishonest for me to act that way".

In reply, Dr. Zunin would claim that a little practice can help us feel comfortable about changing our social habits. We can become accustomed to any changes in our personality. "It's like getting used to a new car. It may be unfamiliar at first, but it goes much better than the old one."

But isn't it dishonest to give the appearance of friendly self-confidence when we don't actually feel that way? Perhaps, but according to Dr. Zunin, "total honesty" is not always good for social relationships, especially during the first few minutes of contact. There is a time for everything, a certain amount of playacting may be best for the first minutes of contact with strangers. That is not the time to complain about one's health or mention faults one finds in other people. It is not the time to tell the whole truth about one's opinions and impressions.

Much of what has been said about strangers also applies to relationships with family members and friends. For a husband and wife or a parent and a child problems often arise during their first four minutes together after they have been apart. Dr. Zunin suggests that these first few minutes together should be treated with care. If there are unpleasant matters to be discussed they should be dealt with care.

The author declares that interpersonal relations should be taught in every school, along with reading, writing and mathematics. In his opinion, success in life depends mainly on how we get along with other people. That is at least as important as how much we know.

Vocabulary:

according to - згідно з

every time - кожного разу

in a social situation - у товаристві, на людях

one's undivided attention - усю свою увагу

to keep doing something - продовжувати (не переставати) робити

to become accustomed to / to get used to - звикнути до

an unpleasant matter - неприємне питання

at least - принаймні

Questions:

1. How would you express the main idea of the text in a most general way?

2. What features are most important for human relations?

3. What kind of situation may be called a social situation?

4. How does an average person behave when someone is introduced to him/her at a party?

5. Is it polite to ignore the person you've just met?

6. Why is it important to seem interested in a new acquaintance?

7. What makes us sometimes change our social habits? Is it an easy process?

8. Have you ever employed a certain amount of playacting while dealing with people? In what situations?

9. Do you agree that "total honesty" is not always good for social relationships?

10. What is your idea of success in life?

Text 6

PUBLIC SPIRIT

Each nation has its own peculiar character which distinguishes it from others. But the peoples of the world have more points in which they are all like each other than points in which they are different. One type of person that is common in every country is the one who always tries to do as little as he possibly can and to get as much in return as he can. His opposite, the man who is in habit of doing more than is strictly necessary and who is ready to accept what is offered in return, is rare everywhere.

Both these types are usually unconscious of their character. The man who avoids effort is always talking about his "rights": he appears to think that society owes him a pleasant, easy life. The man who is always doing more than his share talks of "duties": he feels that the individual is in debt to society, and not society to the individual. As a result of their views, neither of these men these men thinks that he behaves at all strangely.

The man who tries to do as little as he can is always full of excuses: of he has neglected to do something, it was because he had a headache, or the weather was too hоt - or too cold - or because he was prevented by bad luck. At first, other people, such as his friends and his employer, generously accept his stories; but soon they realize what kind of person he is. In the long run he deceives only himself. When his friends become cool towards him and he fails to make progress in his job, he is surprised and hurt. He blames everyone and everything except himself. He feels that society is failing in its duties towards him, and that he is being unjustly treated. He soon becomes one of the discontented members of the society he lives in.

His public-spirited opposite is never too busy to take on an extra piece of work: that is the strangest thing about the whole business. If you want something done in a hurry, don't go to the man who has clearly not much to do. He will probably have a dozen excellent excuses for not being able to help you, much as he claims he would like to. Go to the busiest man you know, particularly if you are sure that he has not a spare minute in the week. If your work is really important, he will make time for it.

Vocabulary:

a peculiar character - особливий характер

a common type of person - звичайний тип людини

rights and duties - права і обов'язки

bad luck - невезіння

in the long run - у кінці кінців

to be in debt [det] - бути у боргу

a discontented member of society - незадоволений член суспільства

a public spirited man - свідома людина

a spare minute - вільна хвилина

Questions:

1. What two types of people are common in every nation in the author's opinion?

2. How can we distinguish a public-spirited person from his/her opposite?

3. What is the general attitude towards these types of people?

Text 7

THE ART OF TALKING

Last night was a bore. Several people came to my place for a chat hoping to enjoy themselves. But what an awful evening it was!

One young man talked to us for a full hour on every subject under the sun. None of us could get in a word, not even me, though I am supposed to know* how to do it - I've been a journalist for many years now. So what should have been** a pleasant social get-together became an awful bore.

Our speaker, for I cannot call him less, was as exciting as a reading of last week's laundry list.*** He is eighteen, and that, I think, excuses him, for he hasn't been practicing the art of talking for too many years.

He will learn, I hope, that a good conversationalist is a man who has something interesting to say, and at the same time he tries to make his audience feel comfortable. He is also a good listener and shows by his interest that he wants to hear what others have to say. He enjoys talking but realizes that everyone will get more pleasure from conversation if all get a chance to take part. He speaks clearly enough for all to hear comfortably; he is never monotonous, and his speech is full of interesting things; and, by the way, unlike some people, he looks his listeners in the eyes, and not into space.

Unfortunately all too often**** we suffer from bad conversationalists. They are all the same - they are always boring, and yet they differ. You can even talk of several types here. To begin with, there is the so-called "monopolizer", for instance. This type of conversationalist wants to do all the talking. After you have been listening to him for 10 minutes, you know you are not going to be able to add more than a "yes" or a "no" to something he has said because he will probably continue talking until he is so tired he can't speak any more.

The "show-off" is not very different from the "monopolizer". Here is the person who wants to attract attention to himself. Even if he has nothing to offer he still wants to be in the centre of the talk.

And the "repeater" is a well-familiar type. He will repeat not only something he has said but also something someone else has mentioned. Hasn't this kind of talker bored us from time immemorial?

There is also the type that can be called the "detail man". He usually enjoys what he is telling so much that he cannot leave out the smallest detail. Quite often, after he has been speaking for a short time he finds he has lost his audience because they are not so interested in all the details as he is.

And now I almost want to say thank God for the "interrupter". The good thing about this type of conversationalist is that you can depend upon him to interrupt the "monopolizer" or the "detail man".

And, of course, there is the "silent" one. This speaker has nothing to say. It may be that he has no information to offer or it may be that he is afraid to say something because he is too shy. Or perhaps he is the one who remembers that silence is gold.

Not always, I must say. I, personally, believe that most communication is good. I am sure that to achieve progress one must discuss things.

I am all for discussing things, but the talker must remember that conversation must serve a purpose. What he says must always be to the point. For life is short, and nobody wants to spend hours listening to people that talk and talk and never think.

Notes:

*I am supposed to know - я маю знати

** what should have been - те, що повинно було стати

*** laundry list - список речей, які віддано до пральні

**** all too often - досить часто

Vocabulary:

last night - минулого вечора

to be a bore - бути нудним

a chat - розм. бесіда, розмова

none of us - ніхто з нас

a social get-together - "посиденьки", компанія

an exciting conversation - захоплююча бесіда

by the way - між іншим

since time immemorial - з незапам'ятних часів

to the point - доречний, умісний

Questions:

1. How many parts could you divide the text into?

2. What sort of classification does the author suggest?

3. What kind of a conversationalist do you belong to?

Text 8

WHICH DESK IS YOURS, THEN?

Take a look at your desk. Everyone you work with will have done so already, and from it formed an opinion about you. It will be the sort of opinion that is never voiced but will influence the way they treat you.

Desk space is highly personal. "Your desk surrounds you, like a car, like a second skin", says Donna Dawson, a behavioural psychologist who has just conducted a study into the subject.

Like your clothes, what you display on you desk is a social statement, whether you know it or not. And such statements are important because snap judgements carry far more weight than any of us like to admit. In the accelerated pace of office life, the first impression - which is formed in about 20 seconds, says Dawson - is often the lasting one.

Dawson has identified six types of desktop personality. The Super-Organized Personality is likely to be a pot office manager - "functional and very neat with no fuss or frills," says Dawson. The emphasis on functionalism should not be mistaken for impersonality. Personal relationships are very important to this personality. Such types are not cold: Dawson even uses the term "motherly" to describe them and "most charming and helpful when relied upon." Conversely, they are also capable of displaying an ugly side when they feel put upon. Beware of "a small chip on the shoulder - due to lack of appreciation".

The Super-Organized Personality is not to be confused with the Show Desktop Personality. This person is likely to hold a position somewhere around the middle of an organization - they may be a department head - and has exorcised all signs of personality. No matter how jolly they are away from their desks, once behind them the job expresses them, not the other way round.

The complete opposite of these two types are the Chaos Twins - Organized Chaos and Creative Chaos. The difference is that while Organized Chaos has to rummage through everything to find something, Creative Chaos is surrounded by irrelevant, but often fascinating clutter. Neither is a slob - the state of their desks reflects the frenetic pace of their lives. They both want everything within reach all at once. Organized Chaos, in particular, likes stimulation, so expect to find coffee cups and, where it's still allowed, an ashtray among the piles of paper, plus a series of ingenious charts and plans. Both are social types, too, likely to be friendly and obliging.

Just like the Show Desktop Type, the Personality Extension has also twigged that a desk says everything about it's occupier, and so dedicates every inch to this fascinating topic. Here you'll find teddy bears, family photos, cacti and that amusing postcard about the Italian staying in a London Hotel. It's very girlie.

Performance is all, for the last type - the Trophy Desktop Personality. A second glance at the odds and ends scattered around reveals that each is strategically placed and carefully selected to reflect glory of its owner. It reflects an exuberant personality with a taste for the larger-than-life. Even simple accessories will be garish. Expressions of displeasure will be larger than life, too, so be tactful.

It is only a game, but like all games there are winners and losers, so it is worth employing some degree of strategy - you never know when you will be judged, or by whom.

Vocabulary:

behaviour - поведінка

statement - ствердження

snap - миттєвий

pace - темп

desktop - кришка письмового столу

fuss - суєта

frills - непотрібні прикраси

conversely - навпаки

to put upon - обтяжувати

to beware - остерігатися

a chip on the shoulder - зухвала поведінка

exorcise - виганяти

jolly - розм. приємний

chaos - хаос

to rummage - перерити

clutter - безлад

slob - презирл. нечупара

frenetic - нестримний

within reach - під рукою

ingenuous - нехитрий

twig - розм. зрозуміти

cactus (pl. cacti) - кактус

trophy - пам'ятний подарунок

odds and ends - всяка всячина

exuberant - бурхливий, нестримний

larger than life - такий, що виходить за звичні межі

garish - кричущий

Questions:

1. Do you agree that what you display on your desk is a social statement?

2. Do you form an opinion about people from the way their desks look?

3. Define the six types of desktop personality identified by Donna Dawson.

4. What type of desktop personality do you think you belong to?

5. To your mind which of the types of desktop personality has better career prospects?

 

Text 9

EXAM STRESS

Whenever I've got exams coming up, I always get very tense and nervous. I find it harder to sleep, and sometimes I can't even make myself work for the exam, I'm so depressed. Is this normal? If not, is there anything I can do about it? I don't want to feel stress like this when the exam comes around.

Irini Nicolaou, Athens, Greece

You may be starting to get a little nervous. You may have "butterflies in the stomach", as the English saying goes. Of course, stress is quite normal. If you're feeling some, that's good. In fact, a degree of stress is vital for good performance.

But if your stress levels rise too far, it won't help you at all. Unfortunately levels of stress show in people in different ways. Some people just fall into depressed activity in the weeks before the exams - they can't do any work or revise. Some people lose sleep, some don't eat and some even have psychosomatic illnesses.

Apparently, the people affected most by stress levels like these are not those who think they'll fail, but those who expect a lot of themselves and are worried that they will do less well than they really can.

But it's important to remember that stress levels like these will prevent you doing well in your exams. So if you feel yourself getting too nervous, try to calm down. Talk to someone you trust about how you feel, and perhaps they'll help you to "come down" from those unhelpful levels of stress.