Think about the following questions and discuss them with your speaking partner

TEXT 1

 

1. Перепишите следующие предложения. Определите по грамматическим признакам, какой частью речи являются слова, оформленные окончанием – s и какую функцию это окончание выполняет, т.е. служит ли оно:

а) показателем 3-го лица единственного числа глагола в PresentSimple;

б) признаком множественного числа имени существительного;

в) показателем притяжательного падежа имени существительного (см. образец выполнения 1).

Переведите предложения на русский язык.

1) Many outstanding statesmen, painters, writers and poets are buried in the Abbey.

2) Many visitors to the Abbey are attracted to Poets’ Corner.

3) The street called Whitehall stretches from Parliament Square to Trafalgar Square.

 

2. Перепишите следующие предложения и переведите их, обращая внимание на особенности перевода на русский язык определений, выраженных именем существительным (см. образец выполнения 2).

1) Scotland Yard is situated on the Thames Embankment close to the Houses of Parliament and the familiar clock tower of Big Ben.

2) An interesting branch of Scotland Yard is the branch of Police Dogs, first used as an experiment in 1938.

3) The popular nickname of the London policeman “bobby” is a tribute to Sir Robert Peel, who introduced the police force in 1829, and whose Christian name attached itself to members of the force.

 

3. Перепишите следующие предложения, содержащие разные формы сравнения, и переведите их на русский язык.

1) Most museums of London are free and give free guided tours as well as lectures.

2) Some cinemas are cheaper on Mondays; others sell half-price tickets before 6 p.m.

3) The Cutty Sark ¹ at the village of Greenwich on the River Thames is the most famous teaclipper in Britain.

Пояснения:

The CuttySark – Катти Сарк – последний из больших чайных клиперов, стоит в Гринвиче в сухом доке, открыт для публики как музей.

 

4. Перепишите и письменно переведите предложения на русский язык, обращая внимание на перевод неопределенных и отрицательных местоимений.

1) Some people think that the monarchy should be abolished.

2) The monarchy in Britain has no power and it costs the State a lot of money to maintain.

3) Can you give any examples borrowed from books and films characterizing the British people?

 

5. Перепишите следующие предложения, определите в них видо-временные формы глаголов и укажите их инфинитив; переведите предложения на русский язык (см. образец выполнения 3).

1) Everybody knows about the devotion of the English to animals.

2) You might think that marriage and the family are not so popular as they once were.

3) During the nineteenth century Britain traded all over the world.

 

6. Прочитайте и устно переведите на русский язык 1,2,3,4,6 абзацы текста. Перепишите и письменно переведите 1,2,3 абзацы.

 

LONDON

1. London is where the invading Romans first crossed the River Thames. They built a city a square mile in size, surrounded it with a wall and called it Londinium. This original site of London is now called the Cityof London ¹ and is Britain’s main financial centre.

2. The City is only a very small part of London. In the eleventh century London began to expand beyond the City walls when King Edwardthe Confessor ² built a huge abbey at Westminster. Even today, Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament, as well as the shops, cafes, theatres and cinemas of the West End, are in the City of Westminster and not in the City of London.

3. The saying “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life” (Dr. Johnson) is a cliché, but you can’t be bored ³ in London. There are hundreds of historic buildings, galleries and museums. There are parks and street markets, over 80 theatres and even more cinemas.

4. If you want to discover London, it is best to start with a tour on a sightseeing bus. It is also fun to go on a guided walk. The walks last up to three hours.

5. The centre of London has many different areas. Each one has its own special character. Covent Garden ⁴ in London West End, is crowded with cafes, clubs and clothes shops. Soho ⁴ is also known for its clubs. Knightsbridge ⁴ has a lot of exclusive and expensive shops, as well as many of the embassies. Fleet Street ⁴ is the home of Law Courts. One part of the West End has so many Chinese shops and restaurants that is called Chinatown.

6. When you go outside the centre you find many areas which used to be small villages. The villages became part of the city when they expanded but they still managed to keep their village character. Hampstead ⁴, the best known of the villages, is extremely expensive.

 

Пояснения к тексту:

1. Сити

2. король Эдвард

3. зд. – не заскучаешь

4. названия

 

7. Прочитайте 5-й абзац текста и письменно ответьте на вопрос:

What is called Chinatown?

TEXT 2

 

16th July, 1918: Tsar Nicolas II of Russia and his family were shot in Ekaterinburg – or were they?

There are many different versions of the story of the Romanov family; some say that the Tsarina and her daughters in fact escaped. But one of the most famous accounts is that of Pavel Medvedev, who was an eye-witness to the event.

 

A Now read Pavel Medvedev’s story of the murders.

 

In the evening of July 16th, Commandant Yurovsky (the head of the Guard) said to me, ‘We must shoot them all tonight, so tell the guards not to be alarmed if they hear shots.’ About midnight, Yurovsky woke up the Tsar’s family. I do not know if they were told the reason and where they were to be taken. In about an hour, the whole of the family, the doctor, the maid and the waiters got up, washed and dressed themselves. Shortly after one o’clock they left their rooms. The Tsar carried the heir in his arms. During my presence none of the Tsar’s family asked any questions. They did not weep or cry.

We entered a room on the ground floor of the house. Yurovsky’s assistant brought three chairs; one chair was for the Emperor, one for the Empress and the third for the heir. The Empress sat by the wall by the window. Behind her stood three of her daughters. The heir and the Emperor sat side by side almost in the middle of the room. Doctor Botkin stood behind the heir. The maid, a very tall woman, stood at the left of the door leading to the store room; by her side stood one of the Tsar’s daughters (the fourth). Two servants stood against the wall on the left from the entrance of the room.

It seemed as if all of them guessed their fate, but not one of them made a single sound. At this moment, eleven men entered the room. Yurovsky ordered me to leave, saying, ‘Go onto the street, see if anybody is there, and wait to see if the shots have been heard.’

I went out but before I got to the street, I heard the shots. I returned to the house immediately, where I saw that all members of the Tsar’s family were on the floor with many wounds in their bodies. The doctor, the maid and the two waiters were also dead. The heir was still alive and moaned a little. Yurovsky went up and shot at him two or three more times. Then the heir was still.

 

B From the story, mark these sentences true or false.

1. The family didn’t ask questions.

2. The chairs were brought by Yurovsky.

3. Eleven people were murdered that night.

4. Medvedev was not present at the actual shooting.

5. Yurovsky was told to leave the room where the Romanovs were to be shot.

6. The family were told that they were going to be shot.

7. Medvedev was sent into the street because Yurovsky did not want him to see the shooting.

 

Think about the following questions and discuss them with your speaking partner.

1. In your opinion what are the three most important events in world history in the twentieth century?

2. In your opinion what are the three most important events in your country’s history in the twentieth century?

3. Do you ever read about history now, or watch TV programmes about it? If so, tell your speaking partner.

4. What do you know about the history of your family?

5. What can you tell your partner about the history of the place where you live?

6. What do you know about the history of the place where you have your English lessons?

7. What do you think of the account in the text? Do you think it is true or not? Why?