Who made these remarks on superstitions?

Write A if it was Professot Vyse

Write B if it was Steven King

Write C if it was the narrator

Write D if it was Alan Dundes

 

1. It’s a bad idea to stop on page, let’s say, 805 or 904 because of a book these numbers end up in the 13… 2. Superstitions are such a pervasive part of the culture that it is hard to avoid some belief in it. 3. Superstitions seem related to anxiety. 4. It would be unthinkable if you get married in white in China. 5. The theatre is a very typical Pandora’s Box of irrational beliefs.

 

 

Watch the episode again and fill in the gaps with the missing information. Write no more than THREE words.

15:32 - ______________ insist superstitions don’t work as _______________ irrational fears. “One of the things that’s interesting about superstitions is some people are so anxious ________________ or to show that they are not superstitious that they go to clubs that meet on ________________. They are kind of dares, like _____________, like “I’m not superstitious, I can prove it.” One club meets on Friday the 13^th. The members _______________, open umbrellas __________ and spill salt to ____________________________.

“These people are ________________ in a way because when you are walking along a street and you see a ladder, even if you just think to yourself “Shall I walk under it or shall I walk around it?“ – ______________ that you are thinking about it suggests that the superstition still _______________ on your life. To test people’s belief in superstition hidden cameras ________________ when the pavement _______________ a ladder. Pedestrians either had to walk under the ladder or _______________ the _____.

 

Render the following extract into English, using the language of the episode.

 

Несчастливой считается не только пятница,13.Любой день календаря, на котором стоит цифра 13, вызывает опасение. По оценкам специалистов экономики стран Европы и Америки теряют миллиарды долларов в те дни, на которые выпадает 13-ое число. Люди отказываются выкупать билеты на самолеты и поезда, меньше посещают общественные места. Снижается объем продаж.

Но некоторым людям в этот день, наоборот, улыбается удача. «Ну, число 13 приносит мне удачу. 33 года я работал страховым агентом, и именно в пятницу, 13-го я всегда продавал самое большое количество страховых полисов»

 

7 SPEAKING POINTS. How far do you agree with the following statements? Provide real-life examples.

 

1. Superstitions get people through their trouble spots.

2. Superstition is an integral part of the culture.

3. Sportsmen resort to lucky charm in order to better concentrate on their performance.

4. Though sceptics insist that superstitions don’t work are still fearfully involved.

5. It is fear that breeds superstitions.

6. ‘Friday begun and never be done’.

 

 

Superstitions - Part 2

1 Look through the NOTES and watch the Episode “ Superstitions - Part 2”. (Мультимедийный каталог 1556 →Unit 10)

Feng Shui – an Asian practice of balancing the Earth elements

Voodoo mumbo – a priest practicing Voodoo

Blueprint – here: a plan or outline

snip - a small quick cut made with scissors: to get a snip into a body

gallows - a wooden frame used for killing criminals by hanging them from it with a rope around their neck

succumb - to lose your ability to fight against someone or something, and allow them to control or persuade you: to succumb to the fear

 

2 Check you know the meanings of the words and phrases given in the box, make use of them when covering the information provided in the episode:

 

1. Being paralyzed by a superstition.

 

Superstition grasp to take smth to the extreme drive to win to adopt to take over to become an obsession to face a problem

 

2. Voodoo practice.

 

to breed superstition spells for to run practice a selection of to elate fears to gain one’s power contagious magic to cut across

 

 

3. Feng Shui, the oldest superstition

 

to develop over to balance elements to be widely practiced trinket luck charms to bring balance to Feng Shui practitioners interior decorating to blame for to calculate the energy “blueprint”

 

 

4. Billy Goat Curse

 

an ardent man a pet goat an occasional game buy a box seat to go berserk to curse smb to rub the curse out

 

 

Listen to a short paragraph of the Episode and write it down (classwork).

Who resort to the following superstitions?

Choose from the list: an actor, a gambler, a tennis star, David Thomas, a voodoo mumbo

Turn round a parking lot

2. get a snip into a body of the enemy

3. carry coins

4. create a mountain in the drive way

5. to spin around three times and split over a shoulder

6. eat chocolate chip cookie every night

 

5 Find English equivalents for the following word-combinations.

впадать в крайности стремление к победе навязчивая идея порождать предрассудок забрать чью-либо силу перейти кому-либо дорогу проститься с жизнью широко применяется влиять на жизнь время от времени приводить на матч прийти в ярость проклясть команду бесконечная погоня за удачей делать ставки на счастливые числа

Render the following extract into English, using the language of the episode.

Традиции, пришедшие из глубины истории, рождают довольно много предрассудков. Есть такое верование, что если вам перешел дорогу черный кот, ждите беды. Откуда же этот предрассудок взялся? Когда-то считалось, что коты (и кошки), особенно черные, прислуживают ведьмам. И когда мы видим черного кота, мы не можем с уверенностью определить обыкновенный это кот или ведьмин знакомец. Поэтому надежнее всего было убить животное. Этот предрассудок стоил жизни многим котам (и кошкам).

7 Write a summary of the Episode “Superstitions. Part 1&2” in the form of review (no more than 60 words)

NOTE: A review is a special type of article written for publication in a magazine, newspaper, etc, giving a brief description and/or evaluation of a film, book, TV/radio programme.

Study the model and complete the task.

Life On The Edge (TV channel - BBC World)

Globalization is bringing the world together – and not always in ways we find comfortable. Whether it’s the credit crunch, civil conflicts, soaring food prices or climate change, millions today are living Life On The Edge.

This series follows four stories of people as they face up to the dangers, disasters and dilemmas of 21st century Planet Earth.

 

DIANA: Queen of People’s Hearts - 1

PART 1

1 Look through the NOTES and watch the Episode “DIANA, part 1” (Мультимедийный каталог 1556 →Unit 7)

 

Diana Spencer was born on July 1, 1961 and died August 31, 1997

the Spencers in the 15^th century the Spencers were among the wealthiest traders in Europe. With their fortune they collected an earldom from Charles I, built Althorp House in Northamptonshire, acquired a coat of arms and a motto “God defend the right”. For the next three centuries Spencers occupied various offices at State and Court.

Northamptonshire the estate of the Spencer family

Althorp House the ancestral home of the Spencer family

the 8^th Earl Spencer, Viscount Althorp, Jonnie Spencer - Diana’s father

Frances Roche, Lady Althorp – Diana’s mother, the daughter of the 4^th Baron Fermoy. Frances Roche married Jonnie Spencer at Westminster Abbey in June 1954.

The Althorps’ divorce went through in April 1969.

Reine Spencer Diana’s step-mother. Reine and Jonnie Spencer married on July 14, 1977

Barbara Cartland Diana’s step-grandmother

Lord Mountbatten, Great Uncle of Prince Charles. Before his assassination in 1979, gave Prince Charles advice on selecting the perfect bride.

Duch the family nickname for Diana

Mark Phillips, first husband of Anne, Princess Royal.

Clarence House home of the Queen Mother

Coleherne Court a three-room apartment in a mansion block, Diana’s present from her parents, she lived there before her marriage.

Highgrove House a house in Gloucestershire, England, which is owned by the Princes of Wales

Balmoral, Balmoral Castle a castle in Scotland which is one of the homes of the British Royal family

Hansel and Gretel the chief characters in the fairy story of that name by the Grimm Brothers. Hansel, a boy, and Gretel, a girl, are left alone in a forest. They discover a house made of gingerbread and belonging to a wicked witch. The witch wants to eat them, but Gretel pushes the witch into an oven and the children go home with her riches.

Coronation Street – a TV serial

gingerbread a cake or biscuit

gorge oneself on something - to fill oneself completely with food in a greedy way: He gorged himself on cream cakes.