Методичка по английскому языку

     lecture hall — лекционный зал

        laboratory — лаборатория 
semester (term) — семестр 
school year — учебный год 
course of studies — курс обучения

       teaching instructor (TI) — преподаватель 
teaching staff, faculty members — преподавательский состав

student of distant education — студент(ка) «заочник»

 

Hello! Now let me tell you about my Polytechnical College. I am really glad that I study here. It is one of the finest country's polytechnical colleges. Many famous people have graduated from my college. Studying at our college gives a solid background in all spheres of knowledge and prepares for practical work.

Our college is quite large and old. It was founded in 1973.  It is a large school where more than 3,000 students are currently enrolled. About 2,000 are full-time students, like me, and the rest are part time-students.

The course of study at my college lasts four years. There are many departments in my college. Here are some of them: the department of industrial automation and robotics, the department of plastics, the department of machine tools and the department of metalworking.

Our college is large and we have several buildings. One of the buildings is for lessons only. There are many large halls there so that students of 3-4 groups together can fit in there. And that is more than 100 people. The acoustics in such large halls is very good but sometimes it is very noisy when students chat during the lesson.

We have two laboratory buildings which are equipped with up-to-date equipment and there students can carry on lab works and conduct various experiments. Many students from my group do their own research work.

There are several cafes at the academy. My favourite one is situated in a separate one-storeyed building and people say that this is the oldest canteen or student's cafe. The food there is tasty and very affordable.

There are also several dormitories or hostel buildings where students from other cities live. I don't live in a dormitory — I rent an apartment.

 

I. Answer the following questions:

1. When was your Polytechnical College established? 2. Who was the first Diector? 3. How many people are currently enrolled? 4. What is the most popular department in your College?

 

Text 2. My working day

Vocabulary

housing — жилье

opportunity — возможность

dormitory, students hostel — студенческое общежитие

to rent a flat (an apartment) —снимать квартиру

to share — делить(-ся)

week-days — будние дни

alarm clock — будильник

usually — обычно

roommate — сосед по комнате

rather  — довольно

to turn on (off) — включать,  выключать

enough —достаточно

completely — полностью, совершенно

to get dressed — одеваться

to serve — обслуживать

make up — макияж

while — пока, в то время как

to prefer — предпочитать

healthy — здоровый, полезный

to miss — пропускать

successfully — успешно

boring — скучный

to gossip — сплетничать

have to be back — должны  вернуться

break — перерыв

report  — доклад

share — делиться

canteen — столовая

tape-recorder — магнитофон

to brush one's hair — причесывать волосы

it takes me... minutes to get to the Academy by bus — у меня уходит...

   минут, чтобы добраться до  Академии на автобусе

cloackroom — гардероб

upstairs — наверху, вверх по лестнице

downstairs — внизу, вниз по лестнице

to miss classes — пропускать занятия

to pass exams — сдать экзамены

to do well — делать успехи, хорошо учиться

for the first (second) course — на   первое (второе) блюдо

to get ready — подготовиться

as a rule — как правило

to get tired — устать

to take pleasure in — получать  удовольствие от...

to look forward to — ждать с  нетерпением

acquaintance — знакомый

 

Hi again... As you already know, I am a first-year student of the Technical Academy. My parents live in Sochi and I study in Rostov-on-Don so I need some housing. There are two opportunities for me: I can live in a dormitory (a students hostel), or to rent a flat (an apartment).

I decided to rent a flat. To make the rent smaller, I also decided to share my flat with another girl — Natasha Kozlova. She studies at the Academy, too, and she is my best friend now. I'll tell you more about her later.

Now, let me describe my usual working day. My classes begin at 8:30. So on week-days I have to get up at 7:15. I don't have an alarm clock and usually my roommate wakes me up and my working day begins. I turn on the radio and do my morning exercises while Natasha takes a shower. I don't take a bath in the morning because I don't have enough time for it. I take a cool shower (that's when I completely wake up), brush my teeth. After that I go back to our room and get dressed. I brush my hair and put on a light make-up. Then we have breakfast. Natasha makes breakfast every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I have to serve breakfast on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. I love to listen to the latest news on the radio while I am eating and Natasha prefers light music.

We leave the house at ten minutes past eight and walk to the nearest bus-stop. We live rather far from the Academy and it usually takes us about a quarter of an hour to get there by bus. Sometimes when the weather is fine and we have enough time we walk to the Academy. It is very healthy to walk much.

The classes begin at 8:30 in the morning and they end at 2:00 p.m. We have lectures in different subjects. As a rule we have three or four classes a day. Sometimes it is very hard to wait till they end.

Usually I don't miss my classes because I want to pass my exams successfully. But sometimes I do, especially when the weather is fine and the classes are boring.

At 11:50 we have lunch. That's my favourite time. That is the time to share the latest news and to gossip. My friends and I prefer not to go to the canteen and we often have lunch in a small cafe not too far from the Academy. At 12:30 we have to be back to our classes. During the working day we also have several short breaks that last for ten minutes.

Occasionally I have to stay at the Academy till 5 or even 6 o'clock in the evening because I go to the library to get ready for my practical classes or to write a report. As a rule I have no free time on week-days. So by the end of the week I get very tired.

We come home at about 7 o'clock in the evening. We eat supper together and share the latest news.

After supper we wash dishes, drink coffee or tee and watch TV. I prefer old comedies and Natasha likes serials or films about travelling. Sometimes Natasha and I go for a walk in the park or visit our friends.

At about eleven at night I go to bed. I like to read something before going to bed and Natasha likes to listen to some music. Sometimes I fall asleep while I am reading and Natasha gets up and switches off the light and says — Good night!

 

 

Text 3. Learning foreign languages

Vocabulary

to be of paramount importance - иметь первостепенное значение

to be a must - быть обязательным

to aid communication and global understanding - способствовать общению и глобальному взаимопониманию

complex of interrelated parts – комплекс взаимосвязанных частей

cultural exchange – культурный обмен

top executive – руководитель высшего звена

to benefit from better language skills – получать выгоду от лучшего знания языка

to find a better-paid and rewarding job – найти хорошо оплачиваемую и интересную работу

to be educational – быть образованным

to develop the human brain – развивать человеческий мозг

to have denser grey matter – иметь более плотное «серое вещество»

to process information – обрабатывать информацию

to emphasise the importance of smth – подчеркнуть важность чего-либо

upper secondary education – старшие классы средней школы

language of international communication – язык международного общения

global language – глобальный язык

to occupy a primary place – иметь первостепенное значение

to require a working knowledge of English – требовать хотя бы рабочего знания английского языка

occupation - профессия

the current status – современный статус

the dominant language – доминирующий язык 
Commonwealth nations – страны Британского содружества

former colony – бывшая колония

official language – официальный язык

 

Foreign languages are of paramount importance for everyday life. Learning at least one foreign language is a must in most countries of the world. There are several ways how I can prove this. Firstly, speaking a foreign language aids communication and global understanding. The world is no longer a combination of separate countries, it's rather a complex of interrelated parts, connected economically and sometimes politically. In international communication, foreign languages are necessary for international commerce as well as for different types of cultural exchange such as diplomacy, arts and so on. Owners and top executives of most companies think their businesses could benefit from better language skills. Therefore, knowing a foreign language gives more opportunities of finding a better-paid and rewarding job.

Secondly, learning a foreign language is educational as it helps develop the human brain. In 2004, a study by University College London examined the brains of 105 people who could speak more than one language. The study found that people who learned a second language when younger had denser grey matter (where information is processed) than those who learned one later. Most schools around the world teach at least one foreign language. I n 1995 the European Commission's White Paper on Education and Training emphasized the importance of schoolchildren learning at least two foreign languages before upper secondary education.

English is the language of international communication and the most spoken language in the world.

 First, there have long been a need for an international language — a language of international communication. At present, the language of international communication, a 'global language' is English. In addition, the language has occupied a primary place in international science and business. Through the global influence of native English speakers in cinema, airlines, broadcast ing, science, and the Internet in recent decades, English is now the most widely learned second language in the world. Many students worldwide are required to learn at least some English, and a working knowledge of English is required in many fields and occupations. The current status of the English language compares with that of Latin in the past.

Second, English is the dominant language in the United Kingdom, the United States, many Commonwealth nations, and other former British colonies. In many other countries, where English is not a major first language, it is an official language. It is now the third most spoken native language worldwide (after Chinese and Hindi), with some 380 million speakers. An equal number of people use it as their second or foreign language.

 

I. Translate the following sentences into English:

1. Изучение иностранных  языков стало обязательным в  современном мире, являющемся комплексом взаимосвязанных частей, поскольку знание иностранного языка способствует коммуникации и глобальному взаимопониманию.

2. На многих должностях и во многих профессиях требуется хотя бы рабочее знание английского, так как руководители многих компаний считают, что их компании могут выиграть от лучшего знания языка.

3. Знание иностранного языка дает больше возможностей найти более высокооплачиваемую и интересную работу.

4. Английский — доминирующий язык в ряде стран, таких как Beликобритания, США, страны Британского Содружества и других, и наиболее изучаемый второй язык в мире.

5. Английский язык занял первое место в международной пауке и бизнесе, а также в международной компьютерной коммуникации.

 

 

Text 4. Learning English

 

In my opinion, English is easier to learn than many other foreign languages because its grammar is not very complicated. Still, its a tricky language to learn because English pronunciation is very difficult. There are more exceptions than rules and you have to look up words in the dictionary to check up their pronunciation because you can't rely on rules.

I can't say exactly which is most important in learning a language: grammar, vocabulary or pronunciation. Of course the main thing in a language is its vocabulary. If you don't know the words, you won't be able to express your idea even if you know lots of grammar rules. Some students think that being able to communicate is the most important thing in learning a language and they do not care that they make many mistakes in speaking. However, grammar and pronunciation are of great importance, too. If you mispronounce some word, the meaning can be different and people won't be able to understand you. The same thing is with grammar. Of course if you omit's' at the end of the verb, this won't make much difference, but if you mix up verb tenses, people will misunderstand you. In my opinion, we should be concerned with both communicating and accuracy. To sum up, I think that all these aspects are very important for successful communication.

As for me, I enjoy learning English because it is a very beautiful language. 1 like all activities but most of all I prefer reading. It's a very enjoyable activity because while reading you can learn a lot of new things, for example, you can learn some information about English-speaking countries. Besides, reading is easier for me than speaking or listening because I don't have to concentrate and recollect the necessary words. If I don't know any word in the book, I can always look it up in the dictionary. What is more, when I read English books, I learn lots of new words and enlarge my vocabulary. We don't have lots of opportunities to communicate with native speakers or to listen to an English speech so reading is the best way to stay in touch with the language. Today we have an opportunity to find plenty of interesting English websites and to enjoy this language.

There are a lot of useful learning strategies that can help us improve our English such as reading English books, using a cassette recorder or watching English films. But in my opinion, the best way of learning a language is to practise a lot. Today we have an opportunity to go to an English-speaking country and talk to native speakers. In my opinion, it's the best way to enlarge my vocabulary, to improve my grammar and pronunciation and to train my speaking and listening skills. That's why I'd like to go to Great Britain and take a course at an English school.

 

I. Answer the following questions:

1. Why do people in Russia learn English?

2. Does everyone need to learn English? Why?

3. What do you think is the best way of learning a foreign language? Why?

4. Why do you learn English?

5. Is it difficult for you to learn English? Why?

6. Are you a good language learner? Why?

7. Would you like to learn any other foreign language in addition to English? Why?/Why not?

 

 

Text 5. English today

Vocabulary

distance -  расстояние

reason -  причина

especially -  в особенности

billion -  миллиард

population -  население

official language -  государственный язык

government  - правительство

politics - политика

diplomacy - дипломатия

science - наука

technology - техника

trade - торговля

fax - факс

scientific -  научный

educated - образованный, культурный

process - процесс

patience - терпение

it's a must -  это просто необходимо; без этого нельзя

throughout the world - пo всему миру

nursery school - детский сад

 

The modern world is becoming smaller all the time. Every day distances between different countries seem less. For this reason it's becoming more and more important to know different languages, especially English.

One billion people speak English today. That's about 20% of the world's population.

400 million people speak English as their first language. For the other 600 million people it's either a second language or a foreign language.

English is the first language in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Australia and New Zealand. It is one of the official languages in Canada, the Irish Republic and the Republic of South Africa.

As a second language English is spoken in more than 60 countries. It is used by the government, businessmen and universities.

English is the language of politics and diplomacy, science and technology, business and trade, sport and pop music.

80% of all information in the world's computers is in English.

75% of the world's letters and faxes are in English.

60% of all international telephone calls are made in English.

More than 60% of all scientific journals are written in English.

To know English today is absolutely necessary for every educated person, for every good specialist. Learning a language is not an easy thing. It's a long and slow process that takes a lot of time and patience. But it's a must.

English is taught throughout the world and a lot of people speak it quite well. In our country English is very popular: it is studied at schools (sometimes even at nursery schools), colleges and universities.

Everyone will speak English soon — I'm sure of it. We all need to understand each other. To do that we need an international language, and that's English.

 

I. Answer the following questions:

1. Why is it necessary to know English today?

2. English is a world language, isn't it?

3. How many people speak English?

4. In what countries is English the official language (one of the official languages)?

5. Is English popular in Russia?

6. Is learning languages an easy thing?

7. Have you read any books in English?

8. Have you seen any films in English?

9. Have you ever visited an English-speaking country?

10. What other languages would you like to know?

 

Text 6. SOME FACTS ABOUT ENGLISH

There were only 30,000 words in Old English. Modern English has the largest vocabulary in the world — more than 600,000 words.

There are about 60,000 words in common use.

About 450-500 words are added to the English vocabulary every year.

70 per cent of the English vocabulary are loan words and only 30 per cent of the words are native.

There are are words from 120 languages in English, including Russian.

The most frequently used words in written English are: the, of, and, to, a, in, that, is, I, it, for and as.

The most frequently used word in conversation is I.

The longest word in the English language is: Pneumonoultamicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis (a lung disease).