SELF-STUDY MATERIALS FOR UNIT II

The Present Continuous Tense

The Usage

1. action in progress at the moment of speaking

Where are the children? They are watching TV.

2. action in the near future

They are going on holiday in a few days.

Exercise 1. Add –ing to the verbs to form The Present Continuous.

1. I’m …….. a report (write).
2. They are ….. English (study).
3. She is ….. abroad (travel).
4. We are …. to the teacher now (listen).
5. Don’t make noise. Sandra …. on a new project (work).

Exercise 2. Complete the sentences about Russia using one of the verbs in the necessary form positive or negative.

Get become change rise increase fall pay

1. The population of Russia ………. at the moment.
2. The economic situation in the country is not really good but it ….. .
3. The number of people without jobs ………… now.
4. The cost of living ………. Every year things are dearer.
5. These days food ……. more and more expensive.
6. The government ……… more attention to the social programme now.
7. People ….. more and more patriotic.

Exercise 3. Translate the sentences using the Present Continuous Tense and the vocabulary of the lesson.

1. На нашей улице строиться новый торговый комплекс.
2. Наш город становиться все больше и красивее. Появляются новые улицы и проспекты, высотные дома, театры и музеи.
3. Из-за загрязнения окружающей среды климат на планете меняется. У нас, например, зимы становятся очень мягкими, а летом стоит невыносимая жара.
4. – Возьми зонт. Идет дождь.
5. Хорошо. После такой жары нам нужен свежий воздух.
6. Послушай, мы переезжаем в пригород. Там не так шумно и опасно. Воздух там чище, так как нет такого количества автотранспорта.

Exercise 4. Choose the correct sentence. Explain your choice.

1. a) My parents live in Moscow.

b) My parents are living in Moscow.

1. a) We read many books in the original. Now we are reading Tales by Oscar Wild.

b) We are reading many books in the original. Now we read Tales by Oscar Wild.

1. a) The USA consists of 50 states.

b) The USA is consisting of 50 states.

1. a) Look at him. He wears a hat and a long coat. He looks like a real gentleman.

b) Look at him. He is wearing a hat and a long coat. He is looking like a real gentleman.

1. a) Many shops in Britain as well as theatres and cinemas are closing on Sunday.

b) Many shops in Britain as well as theatres and cinemas close on Sunday.

Exercise 5. Use the verbs in brackets in the correct tense forms The Present Continuous or the Present Indefinite.

1. My elder sister (travel) around Scotland now. She always (travel) in summer.

2. Who you (wait) for? – I (wait) for Ann, she must come in ten minutes.

3. London (stand) on the river Thames.

4. Russian people (celebrate) the Victory Day on the 9^th of May. It is a popular national holiday in Russia.

5. My dad (not work) at the moment. Today is his day off.

6. Why is it so noisy out-of-doors? Our neighbours (have) a party. They always (organise) parties in spring in the open air, when the weather is warm.

7. Usually the Englishmen (live) in their own houses not flats.

8. I can’t give you the book about British customs and traditions, because my brother (use) it. He (need) it now, he (prepare) a report for the English class on Monday.

9. Silvia is in America for three months. She (learn) English.

10. Ben is in London now. He (stay) at the Hilton Hotel. He always (stay) there when he is in London.

Exercise 6. Translate from Russian into English using the necessary tense form the Present Continuous or the Present Simple.

1. Он всю неделю бегает по магазинам в поисках подарков к празднику. В канун праздников люди обычно выбирают подарки для своих родственников и друзей.

2. Чего ты ждешь? Ты можешь начинать украшать дом к празднику и без нашей помощи.

3. Британцы очень любят держать домашних животных. Они могут часами ухаживать за своими любимыми кошками, собаками, лошадями, канарейками, попугаями и так далее.

4. 1 января тысячи людей приходят на Таймс Сквер, чтобы встретить приход Нового Года.

5. Я с нетерпением жду предстоящих праздников, но не потому что я люблю получать подарки. Мне больше нравиться дарить их.

Unit III

SCIENTISTS

(famous people)

Lesson 1

LEAD-IN

Look at the photos and answer the questions:

Do you know the names of these well-known people? Where are they from? What fields of science did they work in?

Now match the names of these famous people on the left with their profession on the right:

Alexander Bell

Sofia Kovalevskaya an inventor

Thomas Edison a physicist

Albert Einstein an engineer

Marie Curie a mathematician

Pyotr Kapitsa a scientist

Rudolf Diesel

ACTIVE VOCABULARY

Give synonyms or close meanings of the following words and word combinations and try to pronounce them correctly:

Prominent, to be expelled, fortress, science, scientist, scientific, founder, nuclear, to establish, incredible, to devote to, to defend, defence, entirely, technology, common knowledge, device, valve, to transmit, to prove, to disprove, capable, to list.

Below is a text about one of the most famous Russian scientists, Pyotr Kapitsa. Before reading try to answer the questions:

What field of science did he work in?

What did he prove?

What institute in Moscow is named after him?

READING

Pyotr Leonidovich Kapitsa made his appearance in physics at the turn of the XX-th century.

The son of a general, a prominent mili­tary engineer who had built the Kronstadt fortress – was keenly interested in physics while still at a technical high school (he had been expelled from the Kronstadt classic school for poor academic progress). But he became a student of Petersburg’s Peter the Great Polytechnical Institute – perhaps the best technical educational establishment in Russia at the time. In 1921, three of our most prominent scientists were sent abroad, to renew scientific contacts. These scientists were Ioffe, Academician Krylov and Kapitsa who was then only twenty-seven.

They worked at the world-famous Cavendish Laboratory headed by Ernest Rutherford, the founder of experimental nuclear physics. Kapitsa established an unusual, almost incredible record – he completed the laboratory course in two weeks instead of the usual two years. After that, Ernest Rutherford took personal interest in him and Kapitsa became his favourite pupil.

In 1934 Pyotr Kapitsa returned home and was appointed Director of the Institute of Physical Problems.

In the war years, Kapitsa devoted all his talent of a scientist and an engineer to the cause of the country's defence.

After the war, Kapitsa began to work in an entirely new field of science and technology - high-power electronics.

It is common knowledge nowadays that electronics means small currents. Electronic devices – radio-valves, for instance, — operate on electrons, particles having a very small mass and a very high mobility. It was believed that to transmit great amounts of power over great distances by means of electronics was impossible. This was not the only “axiomatic truth” which Kapitsa disproved. He proved the fact that the electrons are capable of transmitting millions of kilowatts over long distances.

Today Kapitsa's high-power electronics has already become firmly established.

It is not necessary to list all Pyotr Kapitsa's academic titles, because his name speaks for itself. In the history of physics there are few names that can be placed next to his.

E. Sinyavskaya, English for engineers, Moscow.

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 1310