Практический курс разговорного английского языка

The dairy produce counter is well stocked with fresh milk foodstuffs. What is there for sale? Butter, cheese, curds, cream, sour cream, milk, fruit yoghurt, margarine, mayonnaise.

Everything is sold ready packed. Next to this is the bakery counter where everybody can choose whatever he likes: white and brown bread, buns, rolls, rings,  rusks, pies,  cheese cakes and so on.

In the dry groceries counter there is also a great choice of produce. You can buy flour, groats, spice, tea, sugar there. Besides, customers can find there various packets filled with dry soup, noodles or chips. They are easy to cook within three minutes that is why they are called instant.

The meat and fowl counter looks very attractive too. Chicken, ham, pork, bacon, beef, veal and mutton are at your disposal there. You will find a variety of sausages in this section too. A special counter handles frozen and fresh fish; smoked and dry fish is also offered to the customers. Besides, the counter is full of sea products, quite exotic and unseen before. There are crabs, shrimps, crawfish, lobsters, oysters. A large space is occupied with tinned fish.

The section where fruit and vegetables are for sale is called a greengrocery. It always attracts a lot of customers because irrespective of the season the counters are full of fresh fruit and vegetables grown in Russia or brought from other countries. Apples and pears, oranges, lemons and tangerines, apricots and peaches, bananas and grapes are practically available all the year round. For those who likes berries there are strawberries, raspberries, cherries, cranberries and red bilberries nicely packed in small baskets. If you want to buy vegetables, you will find everything you need: potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, beetroot, onion, garlic.

When doing shopping at the supermarket don’t forget to look at the expiry date printing on the packet. You are recommended to use the foodstuff before it.

Choosing products customers put them into a special basket and with the basket full go to the cashier. The cashier calls the price and gives them a cheque.

Ex. 2. Find in the text the English equivalents for:

Продукты, продуктовый магазин, обеспечивать себя,  просторный, витрина, иметь в продаже широкий ассортимент, в распоряжении, рыбные консервы, независимо от чего-либо, дата истечения срока, кассир.

Ex. 3. Name as many things as possible that you can buy.

Model:     At the … I can buy … .

at the dairy, at the bakery, at the fishmonger’s, at the grocery, at the greengrocery, at the butcher’s, at the confectionary, at the delicatessen, at the poultry.

Ex.4.  You have a lot of different food shops and supermarkets in your town. Describe one of them in detail. Name all counters and produce you can buy there.

Ex.5.  Read the dialogue:

А.               What can I do for you?

В.               Please, I want half a kilo of sausage at 90 roubles, four hundred grams of

              lean  ham at 103 roubles and three hundred grams of frankfurters at 99

              roubles a kilo.

A.           Sorry to say, but ham is fat today.  Shall I weigh it?

B.           No, thank you. How much is this?

A.          90 roubles.

B.          Thank you.

Ex.6. Imagine the situation: you are preparing a festive dinner and your refrigerator is quite empty. Your mother asks you to go shopping. Discuss what counters you have to visit, and what foodstuffs you are to buy? Work in pairs.

Ex.7.  Make up dialogues according to the model:

Shop-assistant:  What can I do for you?

Customer:          I want a cheese cake, a loaf of brown bread, a box of biscuits …

Shop-assistant:  Anything else?

Customer:          No, thank you. How much is this?

Shop-assistant:  78 roubles.

Customer:          Here you are.

Shop-assistant:  Here is your change. Thank you.

You are buying:

Half a kilo of butter, a packet of sour cream, and three hundred grams of Swiss cheese.

A kilo of pears, a kilo and a half of cucumbers, half a kilo of plumps.

A packet of frankfurters, a chicken, half a kilo of ham.

A tin of soft caviare, half a kilo of salmon, two tins of salted sprats.

A jar of horse radish, a packet of pepper, a bottle of vinegar.

Ex.8. Write a composition on one of these topics:

1.      Buying foodstuffs.

2.      Our local supermarket.

3.      Buying foodstuffs for a birthday party.

PART III. COMPLAINING.

COMPLAINING OF SOMETHING. ACCEPTING A COMPLAIN.

Ex. 1. a). When you are shopping, it may be necessary for you to complain because the thing you have bought is not good, or you haven't been given enough change. Here are some of them

1.

- Excuse me, I bought a pullover yesterday and I'd like to change it.

- Can I see the receipt, please? What's wrong with the item?

- I'm afraid it's the wrong size.

- Yes, you're right. I'll get you another one.

2.

-  Can I help you, madam?

-  I bought this coffee-pot from your shop some days ago and I don't like the    

   colour. I'd like to have my money back, please.

-  I'm sorry, but I'm afraid we don't give refunds. May I see your receipt?

b). Improvise 3-4 line conversations for the following situations:

1.   You bought a watch in a shop. It's really something wrong with it because it is always five minutes slow.

2.   You bought a shirt yesterday, but when you unpacked it, it had a dirty mark on the back.

3.  You want to complain about the services in the shop.

4.  The shop assistant has given you the wrong change by mistake.

Ex. 2. Practice reading the following expressions.

Ex. 3. Read the dialogues and reproduce them in pairs. Note the way formal complaints are made.

In a Radio Shop

Salesman:   Yes, sir? What can I do for you?

Customer:   Oh, it's about the radio I bought yesterday. I'm sorry to complain but

it doesn't work.

Salesman:   And what's wrong with it?

Customer:   I don't know. There's no sound when you switch it on and I

replaced.

Salesman:  Let me see it, please. Did you try it on batteries or off the mains? Customer:   Batteries.

Salesman:   Then the power switch should have been in position for "DC" 

(direct current) and it is on "AC" (alternating current). Now switch

it over. Yes, the radio is in perfect order.

Customer:   Oh, ... yes ... I'm  sorry. I must have changed its position

accidentally.

Salesman:    It's all right, sir.

Ex. 4. Improvise snort conversations for the following situations.

1. You bought a necklace from a jeweler's but the catch broke the first time it was worn. Take it back to the shop.

2. You've just bought a radio-cassette recorder and found that the start button and the volume control don't work. You go back to the shop and ask the shopkeeper to exchange it for another one. The shopkeeper is sure that you haven't used the recorder properly and rejects the complaint.

Ex. 5. There are certain rules for customers buying different goods. Read and say whether you usually use these rules correctly.

1.      Examine the goods you buy at once. The goods must not be broken or damaged and must work properly.

2.      Keep any receipts you are given. If you have to return something, the receipt will help to prove where and when you bought it.

3.      Don't be afraid to complain. You are not asking a favour to have faulty goods put right. The law is on your side.

4.      Be persistent (not aggressive). If your complaint is justified, it is somebody's responsibility to put things right.

Ex. 6. Write a true or imaginary story how you were once pressed into buying something you didn't like.

Ex. 7. Take the roles of the customer and the shop assistant and make the complaints.

Bought                                                            Problem

book                                                                pages missing

food                                                                smells bad

shoes                                                               too small

film                                                                 wrong size

camera                                                            doesn't work

CONTENTS

Предисловие                                                                                                                                            3

UNIT I.                             Education                                                                                                                4

PART I.                             Education in Great Britain                                                                      5

PART II.                             Education in the USA                                                                                    8

PART III.                             System of education in Russia                                                                      16

PART IV.                             Our Academy                                                                                                  19

UNIT II.                             Youth is a difficult time                                                                                    21

UNIT III.                             Khabarovsk                                                                                                   25

PART I.                            Khabarovsk                                                                                                                26

PART II.                            From the history of Khabarovsk                                                        30

UNIT IV.                            Around the world                                                                                                  40

PART I.                            English-speaking countries                                                                      40

Text.                                          The USA                                                                                                                40

Text.                                          Canada                                                                                                                44

Text.                                          Australia                                                                                                                46

Text.                                          New Zealand                                                                                                  48

PART II.                             Travelling                                                                                                                49

PART III.                             Holidays                                                                                                                56

Text.                                          Birthdays                                                                                                                56

Text.                                          Halloween                                                                                                                58

Text.                                          Guy Fawke's day                                                                                                  59

Text.                                          Thanksgiving                                                                                                  60

Text.                                          Christmas                                                                                                                62

Text.                                          New Year                                                                                                                66

Text.                                          St. Valentine's day                                                                                                  68

Text.                                           April Fool's day                                                                                                  69

Text.                                           Easter                                                                                                                              72

Text.                                           Independence Day                                                                                              74             

UNIT V.                             Environmental problems                                                                                    75

PART I.                             Conservation and pollution                                                                      75

PART II.                              To live in harmony with nature                                                                  80

UNIT IV.           Shops and shopping                                                                                82

PART I.                            Department Store                                                                                                  82

PART II.                            At the Supermarket                                                                                    86

PART III.                            Complaining                                                                                                  89