Английский для бакалавров

IV. Find in the text ‘Handicapped people do useful work’ the English equivalents of the following Russian phrases:

люди с физическими недостатками; специально обученная собака; зарабатывать деньги; разговаривать с кем-либо; быть в движении; необходимо некоторое время, чтобы что-нибудь сделать; к тому времени; быть здоровым; работать на улице; гордиться чем-либо; пополнять запас; покупать у кого-либо; приходить снова.

V.Read the text ‘Handicapped people do useful work’. Choose the right answer to the following questions:

1.How often does Mr. Emmons work ?

a)one day a week,

b)every day except Sunday,

c)every Sunday.

2.What does Mr. Emmons sell ?

a)brooms and mops,

b)vegetable,

c)newspapers.

3.What time does Mr. Emmons get up every day ?

a)at 12:00,

b)at 8:00,

c)at 6:00.

4.What does he do next ?

a)has breakfast,

b)does morning exercises,

c)takes a shower.

5.What time does he leave the house every day ?

a)at 8:00,

b)at 9:30,

c)at 7:00.

6.How often does Mr. Emmons visit each house ?

a)every three months,

b)every four months,

c)once a year.

7.How often do most people buy brooms ?

a)every 4 months,

b)once a year,

c)every 4 weeks.

8.How often does he get a new supply of brooms?

a)every month,

b)every week,

c)every 4 months.

VI. Complete the following sentences:

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1.Mr. Emmons can’t _______________ .

2.He has a trained dog _______________ .

3.Mr. Emmons earns _______________ .

4.He gets up at _______________ .

5.He holds Buster _______________ .

6.While he talks to people _______________ .

7.Buster doesn’t let _______________ .

8.It takes four and one-half months _______________ .

9.His brooms last so long _______________ .

10.Mr. Emmons is proud of _______________ .

VII. Agree or disagree. Give your reasons.

1.Joseph Emmons can’t use his eyes.

2.He has a trained dog to play with.

3.Although Mr. Emmons has a handicap, it’s not a big problem.

4.Mr. Emmons works one day a week.

5.Mr. Emmons sells newspapers and magazines.

6.While he talks to people the dog sits and waits.

7.Mr. Emmons likes to talk to people for hours.

8.He visits each house every 6 months.

9.He likes his job.

10.He never has any problems.

VIII. Think and answer:

1.Why can’t Joseph Emmons use his eyes ?

2.Why is Buster called a “ seeing-eye dog ” ?

3.Why isn’t Mr. Emmons’ handicap a big problem ?

4.Why doesn’t Buster let Mr. Emmons talk very long ?

5.Why do the people usually buy new brooms every time that Mr. Emmons comes ?

6.Why does Mr. Emmons like his job ?

7.Why is he so healthy ?

8.Why does Mr. Emmons have a problem selling brooms ?

9.Why is he proud of his brooms ?

10.Why should you sell people something good ?

IX. Say what you have learned from the text about:

a)Joseph Emmons’ handicap;

b)his dog;

c)Mr. Emmons’ workday;

d)his job.

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X.Retell the text:

a)as it is;

b)on the name of Mr. Emmons;

c)on the name of Mrs. Emmons;

d)on the name of Mr. Emmons’ neighbour;

e)on the name of Buster.

Text C. A person who happens to be blind

John Bailey is blind and has a guide dog named Elgar. John finds that many people don’t know what to do or say when they meet someone like him who can’t see. Here he explains how to behave towards blind people and their dogs.

• Remember I am an ordinary person, just blind. You don’t need to shout or talk to me as if I cannot understand. If you are giving me a cup of tea or coffee, then I can tell you how I take it − you don’t have to ask my wife.

•I can walk more easily with you than by myself, but please don’t grab my arm; let me take yours. When I am with Elgar, I will drop the handle on his harness to tell him he is no longer working, and I will take your left arm with my right. I will keep half a step behind so that I can feel it when we are about to go up or down steps or a kerb. Going downstairs, I prefer to hold the handrail if there is one.

•It is always nice for me to know who is in the room with us, so please do introduce me − and to the cat and dog ! And if you come into a room where I am, please do speak so I know you’re there.

•If I am somewhere new, you will have to guide me to a chair and tell me about things in my way or on the floor. Don’t forget about lampshades − they often stick out into my path and I do hate breaking things!

•At mealtimes, I may ask for a little help, particularly with cutting up meat. And you can make my meal a lot more enjoyable by telling me where which food is on my plate - for example “ Chicken at 9 o’clock, peas at 3 o’clock and potatoes at 6 o’clock - and a glass of water at 2 o’clock ”.

•Words like “ see ” don’t worry me, so you needn’t be embarrassed about using them; I use them too. I am always glad to see people.

•Elgar loves attention, but remember never to distract him when he’s working, as my safety depends on him. And, of course, please don’t feed him

titbits − he gets very properly fed at home and will get fat if you feed him too !

• The most important thing of all is not to think of me as a blind person; I am a person who happens to be blind.

( from Forward − the Journal of The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association )

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Vocabulary

I. Make sure you know the words given above.

II. Read the text ‘A person who happens to be blind’. Decide if the following statements are true (T) or false (F).

1.John likes people to help him walk.

2.He doesn’t worry if he breaks things.

3.He has dinner at 9 o’clock.

4.He is blind but he can see people a little bit.

5.He doesn’t like people to give his dog food.

III. Express the main idea of the text ‘A person who happens to be blind’.

Text D. About Poverty Level

Poverty is a family characteristic rather than an individual characteristic. That is, people are defined as poor or nonpoor depending on the economic status of the family with which they live. Two factors are particularly important in determining a family’s economic status: ( 1 ) the total income of the family and ( 2 ) the ratio of dependents to earners ( dependency ratio ) in the family.

We focus on six demographic characteristics that are related to a person’s family income and dependency obligations: age, education, employment status, marital status, parental status, and single parenthood ( the interaction of marital status and parental status ). The first three characteristics − age, education, and employment status − tell us something about a person’s earnings capacity ( experience and skills ) and employment effort. Higher earning capacity and active employment increase total family income, all else being equal. Marital status tells us something about a person’s family income as well as their dependency ratio. Marriage can increase income by increasing the number of potential earners in a family. Note that because poverty is a family characteristic rather than an individual characteristic, men and women who live in the same family have, by definition, identical poverty rates. Thus, if all men and women were married, there would be no gender difference in poverty. Parenthood and

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single parenthood, on the other hand, increase poverty by increasing the dependency ratio.

( From American Sociological Review, 1994, vol. 59, August )

I. Translate the text ‘About Poverty Level’ using a dictionary. II. Answer the question:

How do demographic characteristics influence poverty level ?

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Text. About Myself and My Family

My name is Oleg Ivanov. I was born in Alexin. It’s a nice old town, I like it very much as it’s the place of my childhood. At the age of 7 I began to attend school. I studied very well and usually received only top marks. I finished school at the age of 17. The same year I went to Tula and entered Tula State University. I want to become a good specialist in the field of electronics.

I was born in the family of professional workers. My father is an engineer, he works at a big plant. Now he is 50. He graduated from Tula Polytechnical Institute. My mother is 45, she’s a doctor and works at a hospital. I’m proud of my parents.

I have a brother and a sister. They live in Alexin. My brother is 22. He has a family of his own, they are three in all - my brother, his wife and their little son. My sister is not married, she is 17 and she is a student of Pedagogical College. She is going to be a teacher of English. She works hard and she is a good student.

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We have a granny, she is a pensioner. She is well past 60, but looks young for her age. She is very kind to all of us. We also have many close and distant relatives and we are always glad to see each other.

I.Read the text ‘About Myself and My Family’ and answer the questions.

1.Where was Oleg Ivanov born ? When and where were you born ?

What is the place of your mother’s birth ?

2.How did Oleg study at school ?

What subjects were you good at school ? What subjects did you dislike ?

3.What are Oleg’s parents ? What are your parents ?

4.Where does his father ( mother ) work ? Where do your parents work ?

5.How old is Oleg’s mother ? How old is your mother ? How old are you ?

6.Does Oleg have a brother or a sister ? Do you have a brother or a sister ? Are you an only child ?

7.Oleg’s brother is very young, isn’t he ? Are you very young ?

8.Is Oleg’s sister married ? Are you married ?

9.What college does Oleg’s sister study at ? What University do you study at ?

10.Why did Oleg enter the University ?

Why did you enter the University ? 11. How old is Oleg’s granny ?

How old are your grandparents ?

D I A L O G U E S

a) Read the dialogues in pairs.

I.

A.Is your family large ?

B.No, it isn’t. We are only 3 in the family. ( There are 3 of us in the family ).

A.How old are your parents ?

B.My mother is 40. My father is 43.

A.Do they still work ?

B.Yes, they do.

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Substitutes:

III. Study the Family Tree. Say whether the following statements are true ( T ) or false ( F ).

Pete + Jane

Louis Charlie Beatrice

1.Jane is Dorothy’s mother.

2.Pete is Ann’s father.

3.Tom is Mary’s husband.

4.Teresa is Tom’s wife.

5.Louis is Charlie’s brother.

6.Beatrice is Louis’s cousin.

7.Dorothy is Beatrice’s aunt.

8.Tom is Louis’s uncle.

9.Charlie is Mary’s nephew.

10.Beatrice is Teresa’s niece.

11.Ann is Teresa’s sister-in-law.

12.Tom is Dorothy’s brother.

13.Dorothy is Pete’s daughter.

14.Ann is Mary’s sister.

15.Pete is Charlie’s grandfather.

16.Beatrice is an only child.

17.Dorothy has two children.

18.Jane is Beatrice’s grandmother.

19.Louis is Jane’s grandson.

20.Dorothy is single.

IV. Work in pairs.

One student makes a sketch of his (her) family tree trying to remember all his (her) relatives, the other asks questions and draws the family tree. Then they compare the sketches.

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