The Rich Family in Church

I'll never forget Easter of 1946. I was 14, my little sister Ocy was 12, and my elder sister Darlene was 16. We lived at home with our mother; our dad had died five years before, leaving Mom with three school kids to raise and no money.

A month before Easter the pastor of our church asked everyone to save money and help a poor family.

When we got home, we talked about what we could do. We decided to buy 50 pounds of potatoes and live on them for a month. When we thought that if we kept our electric lights turned out as much as possible and didn't listen to the radio, we'd save money on that month's electric bill. Darlene got as many house and yard cleaning jobs as possible, and both of us babysat for everyone we could.

Every day we counted the money to see how much we had saved. At night we'd sit in the dark and talk about how the poor family was going to enjoy having the money the church would give them.

The day before Easter, Ocy and I walked to the grocery store and the manager gave us three $20 bills and one $10 bill for all our change. We had never had so much money before.

We could hardly wait to get to church. When the pastor was taking money, Mom gave him a $10 bill, and each of us, kids, $20.

As we walked home after church, we sang all the way. Later that afternoon the minister drove up in his car. Mom went to the door and then came back with an envelope in her hand. She opened the envelope and out fell a bunch of money. There were three $20 bills, one $10 and seventeen $1 bills. (1219)

Questions:

1 Why did the pastor ask the people in church to save money?

2 How did the narrator’s family try to save some money?

3 Why could they hardly wait for Easter Holiday?

4 What happened later that afternoon?

5 Did the family expect anybody to bring them the money? Why?

II Read the text and say what languages are spoken in Great Britain. Say if it’s important to learn a foreign language, why/why not. Speak about your foreign language lessons at school.

What Languages do the British Speak?English Learning Magazine

English is the official language of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and it` s a first language for the majority of its citizens. However, visitors to the UK are often surprised that they have difficulties in understanding the language. In Britain every part of the country has its own way of speaking English. Most people in Britain can guess where someone comes from by the way they speak, either their accent or by words they use.

People in Wales speak a different language completely. About 25% of people there still speak their native Celtic language called Welsh. In some regions of Scotland Gaelic is used as a first

language. All over Scotland the accent is strong, some words are different but overall it is not difficult to understand. In Northern Ireland about 7% of people are bilingual and speak English and Irish Gaelic.

Questions:

1.What difficulties do visitors to the UK face?

2.How can the British guess where someone comes from?

3.What is special about Scottish English?

4.Why do you think people learn foreign languages?

5.Do you think a foreign language is important to you? Why / why not?

6.How long have you been learning English?

7.Is it difficult for you to learn English?

8.Which are the most difficult and the most interesting activities for you at the English lessons?

9.Which of the activities do you think are most useful?

10.Can you say that English helps you in your everyday life? How does it help?

11.Would you like to learn another foreign language? Why? / Why not?

IIISpeak to your partner. You begin a conversation.

You’re taking an interview from a foreign singer. Ask him when and why he became a musician;

what are his further plans.

CARD 14

I Read the article and answer your teacher’s questions.

FOOTBALL IN ENGLANDEncyclopaedia Britannica

Football is the most popular game in England – you understand it if you come to one of the important matches. Rich and poor, young and old, one can see them all there, shouting and cheering for one side or the other. Football matches are also watched by millions of people on TV.

One of the most surprising things about football in England to a stranger is the greatest knowledge of the game. Even the smallest boy can tell you the names of players in most of the important teams; he has photographs of them and knows the results of large number of matches. He will tell you, who he expects will win such and such a match, and his opinion is usually as good as of men three or four times older.

Most schools in England take football seriously –much more seriously than nearly all European schools. In England, it is believed that education is not only a matter of filling a boy’s mind with facts in the classroom: education also means character training; and one of the best ways of training character is by means of games, especially team games, where the boy has to learn to work with others for his team, instead of working selfishly for himself alone.

The school therefore arranges games and matches for its pupils. Football is a good team game, it is good exercise for the body, it needs skill and a quick brain, it is popular and it is cheap: as a result, it is a schools` favourite game. (1137)

Questions:

Date: 2015-12-24; view: 1572