Английский разговорный язык для студентов заочной формы обучения

     There are many different types of housing in Britain, ranging from the traditional thatched country cottages to flats in the centre of towns.

     Terraced houses are usually found in inner cities. They can be anything up to 150 years old and were often built by industries to house their workers near the factories. Such houses are built in long rows where each house is attached to the ones on either side. The back of this type of house faces the back of another identical row of houses, so they are often known as “back to backs”.

     Semi-detached houses have been built in large numbers since the 1930s when Britain's towns and cities expanded into suburbs. Each house is part of a pair and is joined on one side to its partner. Towns in Britain have areas which contain streets and streets of semis, often with well-kept gardens.

     The detached house stands by itself, usually with a garden all around it. These houses are much more expensive than semis and are often owned by professional people. Most detached houses are to be found in affluent suburbs or in the green belt – a strip of protected open countryside around the city, where no industrial development is allowed.

     Britain is famous for its country cottages which were often built on the country estates of wealthy landowners or around a village green. Such houses have low ceilings, wooden beams and sometimes a thatched roof.

     In the 1960s local councils cleared a lot of slums in the inner city areas. The people were re-housed in tower blocks on the outskirts of the city or in the centre of the city. Tower blocks can vary from 3-5 storeys high up to 10-20 storeys high. Each storey contains five or six flats for families. In recent years local councils have tried to improve the areas around tower blocks by creating children's playgrounds and facilities for the community to use. 
 
 

     

1. Say which of the statements are true. Correct the false ones.

1. Flats are the most common type of housing in Britain.

2. Tax incentives simplify the process of buying houses and flats.
3. Renting accommodation is the alternative to the mortgage system.
4. Types of houses in Britain vary from cottages to flats in the suburbs.
5. Terraced houses are usually built in short rows.
6. Semi-detached house consists of three houses joined together.
7. Detached houses are usually not very expensive.
8. Most detached houses are situated in slums.
9. Tower blocks are situated mainly on the outskirts of the city.

     10)     Areas around tower blocks contain shops and playgrounds. 

     

2. Look at the verbs in block letters in the following sentences. Then complete the gaps with the nouns formed from these verbs.

1. A person who lodges with a family is their__________.

2. The large home which a rich family resides in is their__________.
3. The person who occupies a home is an__________.
4. The place where a person lodges is called__________in formal English.
5. People who squat in empty houses without any permission are________.
6. A place where a group of people decide to settle is a__________.
7. The people who inhabit a country are called its__________.

8.      People who went to a newly developed part of a country to settle there were often called__________.
 

3. Make an outline of the text consisting of 5-8 sentences and retell the text according to it.

 
 
 

 

      IV. FOOD AND COOKING

     Focus Vocabulary

 

     Why Cook? Raw Food Is Fine!

     It is well known that cooking came in by accident, when a man tried to rescue a pig from a fire. Having burnt his fingers and licked them to soothe the pain. He liked the taste and decided to burn more pigs, and so the idea of cooking came into being. Now, when so much of our food is de-naturated, raw food therapy is coming to the force, and besides being so much more health-giving it can also be very appetizing.

     Grated raw carrots, apples, beetroot, etc. should be eaten daily and with some finally chopped herbs. Indeed anything from the greengrocer's will make a good meal with either meat or cheese.

     Mushrooms too are a very good protein, equal in value to the most expensive piece of meat. Add to all this some garlic (a natural antibiotic), some raw green-stuff such as onion, parsley, dill and you have the basis of a really tasty and nutritious meal. These herbs can be used in any salad with a dressing of lemon juice or vegetable oil and you will feel well fed and not stuffed as one does with an ordinary cooked meal.

     For a snack, why not try an apple with a piece of your favourite cheese, instead of the usual bun or sweet biscuit. In fact, it is worthwhile to cut out all the so-called foods, made from white flour and sugar, especially if you are trying to slim.

     Both sugar and white flour should find no place in the diet, as they are completely devoid of any food value. Besides you wouldn’t need to visit the dentist so often and there will be more health all around.

     Many people are afraid of eating garlic because they think it will make them unattractive to their friends but if some raw green-staff is eaten with the raw garlic, then there will be no smell on the breath at all.

     By eating raw food, one gets all the vitamins instead of pouring them down the drain with the cooking water. If you cook, then use the water for soup or gravy.

     Another thing, which will appeal to the busy person – there will be much less washing up!

      

1. Say which of  the statements are true. Correct the false ones.

1. Cooking came in by accident when a man tried to rescue a dog from a fire.

2. Raw food is not only health-giving but also tasty.
3. Vegetables should be included into daily meals with meat and pastry.
4. The value of protein in mushrooms is equal to its value in meat.
5. For a snack it is better to have some fruit with a piece of cheese.
6. When people try to slim they should eat more pastry and sugar.
7. Herbs eaten together with garlic neutralize its smell.
8. Raw food contains less vitamins then cooked food.

 
 
     

2. Use the right word to fill in the gaps (meal, food, dish, course)

1. We have three__________a day: breakfast, dinner and supper.

2. I like to cook my__________food myself.
3. This__________ tastes bad! Don't eat it!
4. Breakfast in England is generally a bigger__________than in Europe.
5. The most common third__________is an ice-cream.
6. Why don’t you take a__________of meat and vegetables.
7. Dinner consists of several__________.
8. I like to have a tasty hot__________in the evening.
9. Which__________is healthier: boiled or fried?
10. Yesterday I cooked a special__________from a French cookery book.

 
 

3. Make an outline of the text consisting of 5-8 sentences and retell the text according to it.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

      V. SHOPPING

     Focus Vocabulary

 

     Going Shopping

     It can hardly be denied that almost every person likes shopping. Nowadays there is a wide range of shops catering for different tastes and wallets beginning with huge supermarkets and ending with small convenience stores.

     The importance of large self-service supermarkets in our everyday life can not be underestimated. Such big shops are usually situated on the outskirts of the cities though some can be also found not far from the city centre. These stores are usually spacious and well laid out. The goods are tidily arranged on long shelves and there is plenty of room for the customers to walk about even with a cart. In such shops one can find anything he needs from food to washing powder. But there is one thing which is to be mentioned as one of the worst disadvantages of supermarkets. It is queuing. Despite the fact that every supermarket has up to 10 cash desks long queues seem to be their eternal problem.

     Markets, on the contrary, have almost no queues and are usually situated in the open-air. Though the essence of markets changed nowadays there are still people who prefer markets situated not far from their homes to huge supermarkets on the outskirts. Among the advantages of buying things at the market customers usually mention wide range of goods and high quality of foodstuffs. By the way, the possibility to bargain makes the prices there considerably lower than in ordinary shops.

     Shopping centres or shopping malls are also extremely popular nowadays. A shopping centre is a collection of independent retail stores, services and a parking area. Shopping centres may also contain banks, restaurants, theatres, offices, service stations and other establishments.

     Apart from markets, self-service supermarkets and shopping centres stand department stores. The department store is a great convenience for customers because is saves our time selling various items of consumer goods under one roof. In such stores customers go to the counters, choose the necessary goods and pay for them at the cash desk. In the department store a customer can find: household goods, electric appliances, crockery and glassware, textiles and other departments. Big department stores usually have information bureaus, where a customer can inquire about any goods he would like to buy.

     In case a customer is interested in some particular goods and doesn’t want to loose time wandering around supermarkets he can go to a shop which specializes in some particular goods. Such as: bakery or baker's where one can find different kind of bread and pastry, butcher's selling all kinds of meat and meat products, confectioner's – stores selling sweet things, fishmonger's selling seafood. 

     

1. Say which of the statements are true. Correct the false ones.

1. Nowadays there is a wide range of shops catering for different needs.

2. Supermarkets are usually situated in slums.
3. Queuing is one of the main disadvantages of modern supermarkets.
4. Markets are still very popular with the customers.
5. A shopping mall unites numerous separate supermarkets under one roof.
6. Department stores sell all kinds of foodstuffs and clothes under one roof.
7. Specialized shops give people a good chance to save time going shopping.

                 

2. Put one of the following words in the correct space in the passage below.

 

     I love shopping! My friends say I like to_____money. It is probably true. There is a good supermarket near me. They have everything you_____for your house. If you need a tube of toothpaste, a bottle of beer or a jar of jam, you can_____it at the supermarket. They_____everything. If you buy a lot of things, you can take a trolley and_____it in front of you. If you don’t need much, you can use a small basket. Then_____the things you want. If you can't_____them on the shelves, ask an assistant for help. When you see what you want, you just_____it from the shelves. When you have everything you want you go to the check-out to_____. If there is anything wrong with the service, customers can_____to the manager. Our supermarket is really super!