2017-10-31
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| 43% – Do-it-yourself 46% – Gardening 60% – Reading books and newspapers 73% – Listening to music 88% – Listening to the radio 95% – Visiting friends or relatives 99% – Watching TV |
5. Here are some people talking about their hobbies. Can you guess what the hobby is in each case?
1) I usually use colour, but sometimes you get a better effect with black and white. It really depends on the subject.
2) I really enjoy going around the shops and markets looking for a bargain.
3) I try to practise every day, but sometimes it's difficult because I don't like to disturb my neighbours too much. And one neighbour gets very angry if I play the same thing over and over again.
4) The great thing is you can do it when you like. I usually do it three or four times a week - either early in the morning, or after school, I only go for about 25 minutes but it really keeps me fit.
5) Obviously, it saves me a lot of money; and in any case, I hate buying things in boutiques because so many things are badly made
6) I joined a club because I wanted to get better, and I now play twice a week in the evenings. It has helped me a lot and I have a much better memory for all the different moves and strategies.
7) I think this is a very common hobby for people like me, who have a house but don't have much money. That's why I started, but now I think I do a better job than many professionals.
6. Complete these sentences with a suitable verb:
1) How often do you ___ jogging?
2) She ___ hiking because she wanted to get more exercise. Unfortunately, she didn't like it and she ___ it about six months later.
3) She has always ___ her own clothes; it's much cheaper than buying them.
4) He ___ old coins.
5) I ___ quite a lot of rock climbing when I'm on holiday.
6) I learnt to ___ the piano when I was at school.
7) I wanted to improve my chess, so I ___ a chess club.
8) I don't really ___ anything in my spare time.
7. Read the text, entitle it. Ask your group-mates questions on its contents:
Books can fit almost every need, temper, or interest. Books can express every point of view; if you want a different point of view, you can read a different book.
Reading is probably the most important skill you will need for success in your studies. You will have to read lengthy assignments in different subjects with varying degrees of detail and difficulty. If you read inaccurately, you will fail to understand some of the information and ideas you read. If you read slowly, you will have to spend too much time reading your assignments so that your other work may suffer.
Poor reading may be a problem for you, but it is not a hopeless one. Like other skills your ability to read English rapidly and accurately will depend upon a careful instruction and purposeful practice. You must continue practising on your own to improve your reading skill.
Reading speed is determined in part by how many words your eyes can see at a single glance. Here is a comparison of three different readers and how many stops their eyes make.
Slow Reader:
Being | able | to read | by phrases | instead of | by single | words | results | from | practice.
Average Reader:
Being able | to read | by phrases | instead of | by single words | results | from practice
Fast Reader:
Being able to read by phrases instead of by single words results from practice.
Notice that the slow reader's eyes must stop fourteen times, focusing on each word alone before they move on to the next. The eyes of the average reader stop six or seven times because they are able to see about two words at a single glance. The eyes of the fast reader stop only three times. They focus at the center of a phrase and see three or four words, then move rapidly to the next phrase. This ability to see words on either side of the point at which your eyes focus is called peripheral vision. As a foreign student of English, you may feel that it is impossible to recognize so many words at a single glance. It is difficult for many native speakers, but it can be done - and must be done if you are to read as rapidly as you should. You can increase your peripheral vision by eye exercises.
8. Answer these questions:
1) Have you got a hobby? If so, what is it?
2) How long have you had this hobby? Why do you like it?
3) Is it an expensive hobby?
4) How much time do you spend on your hobby?
5) Is it a common hobby in your country?
9. Speak to your partner about your hobby. Keep in mind the following issues:
1) Has your life become more interesting?
2) Have you learnt from your hobby?
UNIT 5
Education
1. Complete the definition of the word ‘university’ by using the words in the box.
| subjects | higher | education | institution | degrees |
A university is an (1) of (2) education which grants academic (3) in a variety of (4) and provides both undergraduate and postgraduate (5).
2. Read and translate the text “Oxbridge”:
Oxbridge
The University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, collectively known as Oxbridge, are the two oldest and most famous universities in Britain. Both were founded more than 800 years ago. A large number of Britain's most prominent scientists and politicians, as well as noted figures in many other fields graduated them.
Until the late 19th century, only men were allowed to be students at the two universities and women were not allowed to attain degrees until the 20th century.
Oxford and Cambridge have a collegiate structure in common: each university is composed of more than 30 autonomous colleges, which provide environments for groups of students to live, work and sleep in. Applicants must choose a specific college when applying to Oxford or Cambridge, or allow the university to select one for them, as all undergraduate students must be a member of one of the university colleges.
Choice of college at Oxford is more important than at Cambridge, since few Oxford colleges admit students in all the subjects available at the university, whereas most Cambridge colleges give their students the option to study any subject offered by the university. Although both universities interview applicants in early or mid-December (or occasionally November), the admissions process is slightly different, with Oxford generally interviewing applicants at more than one college, and asking them to stay in the city for longer during interviews; the decision-making process is quicker, with applicants generally being notified of their acceptance/rejection before Christmas. Cambridge tends to have shorter interviews, normally only calling candidates back for interview at a second college if they have been rejected by their first-choice college; applicants are notified of their success or failure at the end of December or beginning of January.
All Oxbridge colleges supplement university lectures with "supervisions" (Cambridge), or "tutorials" (Oxford). These are usually hour-long sessions where small groups of students, typically pairs, meet with a member of the university's teaching to discuss work and clear up confusion about the work presented in lectures.
Oxford has a greater political heritage: all but two of the British Prime Ministers since Winston Churchill's second term have been Oxford graduates. Cambridge's reputation is more impressive in the sciences and technology: it has been associated with the majority of Britain's most famous scientists, including Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Stephen Hawking (though Hawking was an Oxford physics graduate) and James Clerk Maxwell.
Despite the impassioned rivalry between the two universities, there is also much cooperation when the need arises. Most Oxford colleges have a sister college in Cambridge (but because Oxford has more colleges than Cambridge, not all Oxford colleges have a "sister").
Colleges within each university regularly compete with each other in a variety of tournaments (e.g. rugby, rowing, chess and punting), but will happily pool their talent to form university teams for competitions against the greater "enemy" (Oxford, or Cambridge as the case may be).
3. Look through the text again and answer the questions below:
1) What is Oxbridge?
2) When were Cambridge and Oxford founded?
3) What are "supervisions" and "tutorials"?
4) Why is choice of college at Oxford more important than at Cambridge?
5) When do universities interview applicants?
6) What university has shorter interviews?
7) What are Oxford and Cambridge associated with?
8) What is the cooperation between the two universities?
9) What tournaments do universities compete with each other?
10) What is common between these universities?
4. Match the parts of the sentences. Use conversational formulas below to introduce them:
| v I’m sure that… v In my opinion, … v I believe that … | v To my mind, … v I suppose that… v I think that… |
| 1) Many prominent scientists and politicians … | a) … to discuss work and clear up confusion about the work presented in lectures. |
| 2) All Oxbridge colleges supplement university lectures … | b) … at the end of December or beginning of January. |
| 3) Small groups of students meet with a member of the university's teaching … | c) … several colleges with the same name. |
| 4) Oxford's reputation is … | d) … a student receives each week may vary. |
| 5) Applicants of Cambridge are notified of their success or failure … | e) …with "supervisions" or "tutorials". |
| 6) The admissions process in Oxford and Cambridge is … | f) … each other in a variety of tournaments. |
| 7) Oxford and Cambridge have … | g) … associated with famous politicians. |
| 8) Colleges of Oxbridge compete with … | h) … to study any subject offered by the university. |
| 9) Most Cambridge colleges give their students the option … | i) … slightly different. |
| 10) The number of supervisions/tutorials … | j)… graduated from Oxbridge. |
5. Agree or disagree with the following statements. Start your sentences with the phrases from the box:
| v I quite agree with you here… v Right you are… v Quite so, … | v I’m afraid you are wrong… v I don’t agree with you … v On the contrary |
1) Oxbridge is a name used to refer to the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. 2) Oxford is older than Cambridge.
3) Cambridge was founded more than 750 years ago.
4) A large number of Britain's noted figures in many fields of science graduated from Oxbridge.
5) Cambridge colleges supplement university lectures with "tutorials".
6) Each week students receive two or three supervisions/tutorials.
7) Choice of college at Cambridge is more important than at Oxford.
8) All Oxford colleges admit students in all the subjects available at the university.
9) Cambridge is the stronger science and technology university than Oxford.
10) There is a tradition of members of Oxford and Cambridge referring to each other's university as "The Other Place".
6. Translate the words and phrases in the brackets from Russian into English:
1) Although both Oxford and Cambridge (были основаны) more than seven centuries ago, the name "Oxbridge" is relatively young.
2) The universities have produced a large number of Britain's most (самых известных ученых и политиков).
3) Fewer women (занимают высокое положение) in Oxbridge.
4) Oxford and Cambridge (состоят из колледжей), which provide environments for groups of students to live, work and sleep in.
5) (Системы кураторства) are not unique to Oxford and Cambridge but no other universities in Britain have the resources to (поддерживать) a supervision system on the same scale as Oxbridge.
6) Few Oxford colleges (принимают) students in all the subjects (предоставляемых) at the university.
7) (Процесс поступления) is slightly different in both universities.
8) (Процесс принятия решения) in Oxford is quicker.
9) (Поступающих уведомляют об их успехе или провале) at the end of December or beginning of January.
10) Despite the impassioned rivalry between the two universities, there is also much (сотрудничество) when the need arises.
