POLITENESS

The British are widely considered (0) to be a very polite nation, and in (1) ……….. respects this is true. An Italian journalist once commented (2) ………… the British that they need no fewer than four “thank yous” (3) ………… to buy a bus ticket. The first, from the bus conductor means, “I am here”. The second accompanies the handing (4) …………….. of the money. The third, again from the conductor, means “(5) ...................... is your ticket”, and then the passenger utters a final (6) …………… as he accepts the ticket. (7) …………… transactions in most other parts of the world are usually conducted in total silence.

In sharp (8) …………… to this excessive politeness with strangers, the British are strangely lacking (9) …………… ritual phrases for social interaction. The exhortation “Good appetite”, uttered in (10) ……………… many other languages to fellow-diners before a meal, does not exist in English. The nearest equivalent – Enjoy your dinner! – is said only by people (11) ………… will not be partaking of the meal in question. What’s (12) …………., the British wish happiness to their friends or acquaintances (13) ………… at the start of a new year and at celebrations such as birthdays, (14) ………… the Greeks routinely wish (15) ……………. and sundry a “good week” or a “good month”.

Example:

(0)to – we use to after Passive Voice

Task 2

Read the whole text below, then complete the gaps by writing the appropriate form of the verb in the margin.

Choose from these tenses – Present simple / continuous, going to + verb, Future simple / continuous, Future perfect simple. Explain your choice.

It happens every October. I’ll be sitting on a train on a rainy

Friday afternoon and I (1) ……………. up and see that almost LOOK

everyone else in the carriage is old enough to be my mother.

Some of these women (2) ……………..at their watches and GLANCE

sighing a lot, as if to brace themselves for an ordeal.

Others (3) ……………… on duty for the school ALREADY BE

half-term holiday. They (4) …………….. two or three HAVE

school-aged children with them, the younger ones settled with

colouring books and crayons and matching bags of crisps.

And, as always, I (5) …………… like saying to one of FEEL

them “Would you like to come and be our grandmother too?”

You see, grandparents (6) …………… into two categories FALL

these days - the doting and the disappearing. Some of the

doting ones (7) ……………… their grandchildren up from PICK

school every day. Others are on duty less frequently but are

quite happy to drop everything and rush round to baby-sit

when their working daughter or daughter-in-law (8) ……….. PHONE

them at 7.00 am to say that a grandchild is sick.

But that is only half the story. Not once in my 22 years of working

motherhood have either my parents or my in-laws offered to

baby-sit. When asked why, they say “We (9) ……………..too SEE

many of our friends being taken advantage of. They raised their

own families and now they (10) ………….. up their grandchildren. BRING

By the time they’re seventy, they (11) ………….. half their SPEND

lives looking after children.” My children (12) …………. entirely. AGREE

In fact, that's what they (13) ……. most about their APPRECIATE

grandparents – they’re so much fun. They (14) …………. NOT TREAT

their grandchildren like burdens or mouths to feed, but like

fascinating friends. When they can squeeze in a visit, they

(15) ………….. . Monopoly with the children with real PLAY

enthusiasm or get out a globe to show them all the countries

they (16) ………. on their next holiday. As I write this VISIT

my own parents (17) …………… in the Far East on a TRAVEL

Month’s holiday and my children (18) …………… to LOOK FORWARD

getting postcards from Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia.

I am resigned to the fact that they (19) ………………. NEVER BE

grandparents of the doting variety. But I (20) …………… ADMIRE

their verve and hope that I will be as adventurous as they are

when I reach their age.

Task 3

For Questions 1-15, read the text below and look carefully at each line. Some of the lines are correct, and some have a word which should not be there. If a line is correct, put a plus (+) by the number. If a line has a word which should not be there, write the word on the line. Explain your choice. There are two examples at the beginning (0 and 00).

A MEMORABLE MEETING

0 Last week I had a most enjoyable experience when I met a friend +

00 that I had not seen for over than five years. The last time I saw him than

1 was at a wedding, so we had a lot of catching up on to do, finding ____

2 out what had been happened over the five years. We had a meal ____

3 together and spent the whole of the time while talking about our ____

4 lives, loves and jobs. Paul is married now, and has two sons and ____

5 he showed me just photographs of them all. He works in London ____

6 as a solicitor and commutes for to work every day which he said ____

7 he does not mind, as he gets round some paperwork done during ____

8 the journey and he can spend some time with his sons in the ____

9 evenings. Paul also told to me that he has taken up golf, and he ____

10 and his wife play most Sundays while his parents look after the ____

11 children. He asked me what I had been doing and I explained ____

12 about I was married, too, had one child and worked as

a language ____

13 teacher in a private school. Before parting we arranged to

meet ourselves ____

14 again soon. This time, however, we would be joined by our

own partners ____

15 and children so that they can all meet each other. ____

PART IV. WRITING

1.A young people’s magazine has asked its readers to give their opinion on whether young people should live with their parents as long as they want.

2.You are doing a school project about family life in different countries. Your teacher has asked you to write a short report about your country, saying what activities families do together, how much grandparents are involved in family life and whether you think family life has changed in the past few years.

Write your report.

3.You have seen this announcement in an international magazine.

I was an only child!

Tell us about an experience you had in your childhood and say why you always remember it. We will publish the best article in our next issue.

Write your article.

4.An important magazine is publishing articles from readers about a person who has had an important influence on their life.

Write your article.

UNIT 2

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

PART I. LISTENING

Task 1

Listening I You will hear part of a conversation between two friends, Paula and Jenny. They are talking about looking for a new house for Jenny and her family. For questions 1-5, fill in the missing information.

Jenny’s husband prefers the country because:

· it’s ____________________1

· you can go for __________________________2

· it’s ________________________3 for the children than living in a town.

Jenny likes the town because:

· you are near ________________________4 and schools.

· you don’t need to be able to __________________5

Listening II The conversation continues. For questions 1-4, fill in the answers.

What kind of house does Peter want to buy? _______________________1

What kind of house would Jenny prefer? ________________________2

What could Peter do if they bought an old house?_____________________3

What is Peter’s job? _____________________4

Task 2

You will hear a telephone conversation between Jenny and Paula, which takes place a few weeks after the last conversation you heard. For questions 1-10, fill in the missing information.

The house they have found is situated in a large ________1 called Pitcraigie.

Originally, the house was used as a ____________2.

It was built in _____________3.

It has been used as a house since _____________4.

The former owners sold the house because it had too many ___________5.

The dining room is on the _____________6 floor.

Pitcraigie has a post office, but not a ________________7.

It takes about _____________8 on foot from the house to the shop.

Pitcraigie doesn’t have a ________________9 school.

Jenny will be moving house on ___________________10.

PART II. READING

Task 1

Read the following passage about the construction of a traditional wooden building in Gloucestershire, in southwest England and answer the questions below.

Many people would quail at the idea of having to construct an open-plan building 70ft long and 24ft wide out of freshly cut oak, using nothing but their hands and traditional tools. But to a master-craftsman like Henry Russell, the task of creating the Great Oak Hall at Westonbirt, the Forestry Commission’s arboretum, or botanical tree garden, in southwest England, is no more than an agreeable challenge. A tousle-haired beanpole of 32, Henry is a versatile fellow, and for the past few years has been at the forefront of the revival in green woodworking. For years he has dreamt of building a big hall at Westonbirt, and now he has his chance.

Even though many of the materials have been given, and much of the work will be done by trainees, the building will cost over £300,000. So that work can start at once, a third of this sum has been underwritten by the charity Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum, and a fund-raising campaign will open later this year. When the project was launched at a reception in a marquee by the site of the hall, a number of oaks, contributed by local woodland owners, already lay on the ground outside, and 50 more mature oaks had been felled in the Silk Wood, one area of the arboretum, in a celebratory speech, the chairman of the Forestry Commission emphasised that nobody should see the cutting-down of ancient trees as an act of destruction or vandalism. On the contrary, he said: the harvesting was merely the latest move in centuries of careful woodland management, and the flora of the forest floor was already responding to the light which the felling of the trees had let in.

His words were very much to the point, but he rather gave away his own lack of practical skills when Henry Russell, handing him a sledge-hammer and wedges, invited him to split a round of oak as a token start. For Henry, in contrast, cutting, splitting and shaping green wood is second nature. He is well capable of tackling an entire oak on his own, cutting it to size with handsaws and axes; but in this case, to save time, the initial preparation of the trunks will be done mechanically by Henry, using a portable power-saw, and the cedar tiles for the roof will also be cut by machine; but thereafter, hand-tools will be the order of the day.

The aim is that much of the preliminary work will be done by volunteers, whether skilled workers or novices. Starting on 29th May, five week-long courses, for 12 trainees a time, will be held under the supervision of Gudrun Leitz, another pioneer of the green wood revival.

Taught by her and Henry, students will learn the techniques of cutting and shaping the wood. All they need bring with them, she says, is energy, enthusiasm, suitable clothes, and a pair of boots with steel toecaps. If they behave like most latter-day woodworkers, they will live on site in tents or homemade shelters. They will also need to be fairly impervious to scrutiny, for the site is in a commanding position, near the entrance, and visitors to the arboretum – around 300,000 a year – will doubtless flock round.

From models and drawings, it looks as though the hall will be a striking blend of ancient and modern. Like all its main timbers, the furniture will be made of oak, but the windows will be of high-tech glass. As to which will last longer – the wood in the building, or the oaks growing outside it – no one can say; but there is no doubt that the hall will be the most striking innovation at Westonbirt since the arboretum was founded in 1829.

Look at the following questions and unfinished statements about the text. In each case, choose the answer, А, В, С or D, which you think fits best, according to the passage.

1 Green woodworking is a way of constructing buildings which

A is often used in the building of traditional houses.

В is coming back into fashion again.

С has been developed only in recent years.

D requires master craftsmen like Henry Russell.

2 The felling of trees for this project

A happened at the site of the new building.

В was essential for the other life on the forest floor.

С was seen as controversial by many.

D was funded entirely by the Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum.

3 The chairman of the Forestry Commission

A wanted more traditional woodland management.

В initiated the project with a public speech.

С had very pointed things to say about the project.

D was better at public speaking than woodworking.

4 The volunteer workers will

A have to construct their own accommodation.

В only be working with hand tools.

С stay on the site for over a month.

D be involved in the preparation of trunks.

5 What will the workers on the project have to get used to?

A being looked at closely by visitors

В meeting vast numbers of tourists

С being made to live in tents on site

D supervising visitors to the site

6 The Great Oak Hall at Westonbirt will

A be something new and original that will attract attention.

В use fashionable hi-tech materials.

С be unusual, because built entirely of wood.

D be more durable than most modern buildings.

Task 2

You are going to read an article about homes in the next century. Choose the most suitable heading from the list A-H for each part (1-6) of the text. There is one extra heading which you do not need to use. There is an example at the beginning (0).

A.Returning to the past

B.Houses will look very different

C.Saving valuable resources

D.Keeping an eye on how things are running

E.New directions in home design

F.Expensive and high-tech

G.Computers will control everything

H.Keeping you safe and sound

HOUSES OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY

0________E___________________________________________________

We are certain to see many exciting changes in home design in the new century. There are four main reasons why these changes will come about. We will be increasingly concerned about the environment; conventional energy sources will become expensive; we will probably become even more worried about security, and, above all, we will want to take advantage of ‘smart’ computer technology in home design. So far, this technology has only fed through into experimental houses and the expensive homes of the rich. In the new century, it will become available to the average homeowner.

1____________________________________________________________

The future will see the appearance of the intelligent house, incorporating a centralised computer management system. With smaller computers embedded in domestic appliances like microwave ovens, cookers, even future vacuum cleaners, the central computer will be able to send out instructions to start cooking the lunch or to clean up the house when it decides this needs to be done.

2____________________________________________________________

For an intelligent house to be able to look after itself, it will require a network of electronic sensors to send information back to the central computer, enabling the house to monitor the inside temperature and humidity and to ensure that the optimum levels of both are maintained. The house will also work out when it is time to water the garden, basing its decision on information flowing back to it from outside sensors about the levels of moisture in the flower beds and the lawn.

3____________________________________________________________

Future houses will not need to rely on their occupants to protect them against burglary by bolting doors and locking windows, because they will be able to protect themselves. Once the central computer learns that there is nobody at home, it will close any windows that may have been left open, lock all the doors and keep an eye out for burglars. If anyone tries to break in, it will alert the police or a security company. Needless to say, if the occupants have been careless enough to leave something burning on the cooker, the house will see to it that the fire is put out straightaway.

4____________________________________________________________

So far, we have made minimal use of solar energy in the average home, except for heating water in some of the sunnier countries. This is bound to change, however, as it becomes more anti-social to burn oil or even gas, and conventional fuels become more expensive as their supply starts to run out in the new century. In order to trap the maximum amount of available sunlight, it will be necessary to cover the exterior walls of houses with large areas of glazing. Consequently, the appearance of twenty-first century homes will be dominated by large expanses of glass.

5____________________________________________________________

Insulation will become a major concern in house design. New man-made materials will be used in house construction to cut down heat loss to the absolute minimum. The next generation of cooking appliances will require far less power than the appliances now to be found in homes. Computerised control will drastically reduce the amount of water used by the average household: dishwashers and washing machines will have to become much more efficient, as will showers and toilets. Gardens will be planned from the outset with water conservation in mind.

6____________________________________________________________

Architects’ visions of twenty-first century urban landscapes with ultra high-rise towers connected by aerial travelways are slowly giving way to an alternative concept of communities of small, secure, self-contained living units. The majority of the public obviously dislikes tower-block flats and would clearly prefer their own front door. It seems, therefore, that despite all the high-tech features of the homes of the next century, essentially, we may gо back to the idea of the traditional house.

Task 3

Make the list of words from both texts with the help of which you can describe a building. Use them in the sentences of your own.

Date: 2015-01-29; view: 3925