Английский язык 1 часть

Speaking about Theatres and Performances. Booking Seats

I must say th at... performance was really excellent. ... ballerina who danced ... leading part was extremely good. When ... ballet was over, there were many curtain calls for ... actors.

(After “Holidays among the Russians” by D. Cusack)

b)Say w hat you remember about:

1.Cusack’s visit to the Stanislavsky Theatre;

2.the young man’s impressions of the “Swan Lake”.

TENSES

Ex. lb. a) Supply the correct tense-forms of the verbs.

1.When I (to arrive) in London, it (to rain) heavily.

2.Mr Brown (to go out) of the hotel at 7.30. The car (to wait) for him. He (to get in) and (to go) to the airport.

3.Jack (to arrive) at the theatre at about 7 o’clock. Ten minutes later he (to sit) in the stalls and (to watch) the performance.

4. Next to Ann in the bus a young girl (to sit). She (to have) a magazine in her hand, but she (not to read). She (to be) probably very tired.

5.When Jack (to come) to the theatre booking office he (to see) a lot of people. They (to buy) tickets for the Sunday performance.

** *

Mary: You (to enjoy) the opera you (to hear) last night, Ann? Ann: Yes, the opera (to be) very good, especially the music. Mary: Verdi’s music (to be) always good, I (to think).

Ann: Yes, but in “Aida” it (to be) richer and more beautiful than in his other operas. The cast (to sing) very well too, except for Maria M.

Maiy: Maria М.?

Ann: You (not to hear) the name? Mary: No, I ... What part she (to sing)? Ann: The part of Aida.

Mary: And who (to sing) the male part?

Ann: Charles N. His performance (to be) very dramatic. During the interval everyone (to say) that.

Maiy: There (to be) a full house, I (to believe).

Ann: Yes, indeed. Oh, Mary, you must go and see it. You (to enjoy) it. Maiy: That (to sound) a good idea. I (not to be) to the theatre for a

long time.

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Lesson 4

b)Say w hat you remember about:

1.the opera which Ann heard;

2.the actors who sang the leading parts in the opera.

PREPOSITIONS

Ex. 17•a) Supply the correct prepositions.

1.There is usually a big choice ... tickets ... the booking office ... this theatre.

2.Where do you have seats when you go ... the theatre: ... the stalls or ... the dress circle?

3.Last week Alex went ... the booking office ... the Bolshoi theatre. He wanted to book 2 seats ... “Boris Godunov”. The cashier offered him seats ... the 12th row ... the stalls as the choice ... tickets ...

this opera wasn’t big.

** *

Liza Minnelli was bom ... March, 12, 1946 ... Hollywood. ... her childhood she was interested ... film-making, but she especially en­ joyed going ... the MGM Studios and looking ... dancers. She per­ formed ... her first film when she was only two and a half. Five years later she danced ... the stage ... the Palace Theatre

... New York. ... 1960 she decided to go ... drama school and to be a professional actress. She was very good ... her first musical on Broadway and there were many curtain calls ... her each time the per­ formance was over. She got an Oscar ... 1973 ... the film “Cabaret” ...

which she was convincing and dramatic. Since then she has played ...

more than 15 films.

b) Say w hat you remember about Liza Minnelli's life.

THE WORDS YOU MIX UP

a play, a performance, performance

Ex. 18.Choose and use.

1.The young actor’s ... impressed me very much.

2.Some American theatres put on only modem ..., at others you Can see ... by classical writers.

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Speaking about Theatres and Performances. Booking Seats

3.The Maly Theatre puts on many ... by Ostrovsky and that’s why people call this theatre “Ostrovsky’s House”.

4.Ostuzhev’s ... of the part of Othello was very dramatic and convincing.

5.You can see some Chekhov’s ... in the programme of English thea­ tres.

6.The famous Russian actress Ermolova played a lot of different parts and h e r... was always extremely good.

7.— Have you seen many ... on the stage of the Taganka theatre?

—Yes, recently I have seen their new version of Shakespeare’s ...

“Hamlet”.

—Is it a good ...?

—I think it is.

U N I T V

SPEECH EXERCISES

Ex. 19.a) Read the dialogue.

Mr Campbell has come to Moscow for the first time. After the talks Mr Drozdov, a businessman of the Russian company, is taking him to his hotel. On their way they are speaking about theatres in Moscow.

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Lesson 4

Campbell: I’d love to, but I don’t know if it will be possible to book seats.

Drozdov: No problem. I’ll help you.

b)Say w hat Mr Drozdov told Mr Campbell about Mos­ cow theatres.

c)Think and answer.

1.Why did Mr Drozdov recommend Mr Campbell to go to the Bol­ shoi Theatre?

2.Why does Mr Drozdov think the Sovremennik Theatre is the most popular drama theatre in Moscow? Do you agree with him?

3.Why did Mr Campbell decide to go to a circus?

Ex. 20.a) Read the dialogue.

Jack and Ellen, university students, are speaking about the popular London performance.

b)Answer the questions:

1.What performance did Ellen see?

2.What facts show that the performance is very popular?

3.How do you think Ellen answered Jack’s last question?

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Speaking about Theatres and Performances. Booking Seats

Ex. 21. a) Read and discuss.

Doyou know that:

•... a musical comedy (or a musical), which is a combination of dia­ logue, songs and dances, first appeared in the USA in the late 1800?

•... the most famous American musicals have been “West Side

Story”, “Jesus Christ ['d3i:zds 'kraist] Superstar” (1971), “Cats” (1981) and “The Phantom of the Opera” (1986)?

•... most American musicals appear in New York City on Broad­ way?

•... most English musicals appear in London in the West End and

that they are the most popular entertainment both with Londoners and tourists?

•... the theatre which is famous for its musicals is the Theatre Royal / Drury Lane, the oldest London theatre (opened in 1663)?

•... the most famous English musical has been and is — “My Fair Lady” which tells the story of Eliza Doolittle, the Cockney flowerseller?

•... the longest running musical in the history of the British theatre

—“Cats” has played and continues to play to full house?

b)Say IS you have seen any musical In Moscow and how it Impressed you.

Ex. 22.Look at the map of the West End theatres.

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Lesson 4

a)Find the Royal National theatre on the map and read the text about it.

The South Bank of the river Thames is the home for a lot of London’s music and art. There are three concert halls there, an art gallery, a cinema and the Royal National Theatre. The Royal National Theatre houses three theatres as well as restaurants, shops and offices.

The largest of the three theatres is the Olivier Theatre (named after the actor Sir Laurence Olivier). It is the new kind of theatre, with the stage in the middle of the audience. It has seats for over a thousand people, but they are on the three sides of the stage, so no one is very far from the actors.

The smallest of the three theatres, the Cottesloe, has seats for up to 400 people. The stage is just a piece of floor in the middle. The theatre tries out new ideas, new plays, new writers and actors. It’s a sort of laboratory for a future theatre.

The third theatre, the Lyttelton, has seats for 800 people. It is like a traditional theatre: the stage has curtains, and the actors face the audi­ ence.

The Royal National Theatre is a home to theatre companies from other countries and from other parts of Britain — just as the Royal Na­ tional Theatre Company shows its plays around Britain and in foreign countries.

b)Answer the questions:

1.What is the South Bank of the river Thames famous for?

2.How many theatres are there in the National?

3.Which theatre is the largest?

In what way is it different from the other two theatres?

4.What kind of theatre is the Cottesloe?

5.What is the Lyttelton like?

Ex. 23• All people know that W .Shakespeare is the most fa­ mous British playwright.

But do you know that:

•... his father was a rich businessman who bought and sold prod­ ucts?

•... as a boy Shakespeare was interested in the theatre and went to see groups of actors who travelled from town to town?

•... he married Ann Hathaway when he was 18 and she was 25?

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Speaking about Theatres and Performances. Booking Seats

•... he built one of the first London’s theatres — The Globe which had no roof and when it rained the people got wet?

•... for about 25 years he lived in London where he wrote his plays and made a lot of money?

•... he died on his fifty-second birthday on April, 23, 1616?

•... he wrote 39 plays (some of them are comedies, some are stories from English history and the others are tragedies)?

Ex. 24. a) Read the story.

TOO WELL

Possi Carrington was bom in Cranberry, a small beautiful village. When she was 17 she left for New York and started working at the

drama theatre. She was very talented and some years later she became a famous actress.

Once the director of the theatre she was playing at decided to put on a modem play about the country life. Possi was going to play the leading part, but they couldn’t find an actor for the male part.

One day a young man came to see the director and asked to give him the part. But it was only Miss Carrington who could make a choice, be­ cause she knew the country life very well and wanted to have a partner who could give a convincing performance of a country man.

The young actor wanted to have the part very much and he thought of a plan. He asked many people about Miss Carrington and found out everything about her.

Two days later he left for Cranberry. He stayed there for a few days and then came back to New York.

Once when Miss Carrington was having lunch with her friends in a small restaurant, a poor young man came up to their table and spoke to Miss Carrington:

“Good morning! Don’t you remember me? I am Bill Summers from Cranberry.”

Miss Carrington didn’t remember anybody by this name, but when he began telling her the news about her old friends she was extremely interested.

“You know, I saw your mother only a few days ago,” the young man said.

“Oh, really? How is she?”

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Lesson 4

“When I came she was sitting near the house and looking at the road. She said: “Possi has gone this way and something tells me she will come back this way.”

Miss Carrington was very excited. She asked the young man to come and see her again.

“Now I’d like to leave as I’m a bit tired,” she said.

The next day the young actor came to the hotel where Miss Carring­ ton was staying. He wanted to tell her everything and to ask her to give him the part.

But the hotel clerk said: “Miss Carrington has left for Cranberry.” “Will she come back?”

“I believe not.”

The young man understood that his performance was too good. (After O’Henry)

b)Say what you remember about:

•Miss Carrington and her work at the theatre;

•the young man who wanted to be Miss Carrington’s partner in the new play;

•his plan to receive the part of the young farmer;

•the news he told Possi about her village.

e)Think and answer.

1.Why did Miss Carrington decide to leave her village for New York?

2.Why was she going to play the leading part in a new play about the country life?

3.Why did the young man decide to go to Cranberry? What do you think he was doing there?

4.Why was Possi interested in hearing the news about her old friends?

5.Why was the young man’s performance very convincing?

6.Why did Miss Carrington leave for Cranberry after her talk with the young man?

Ex. ZS.Answer the questions:

1.What is the Bolshoi Theatre famous for?

2.What performances have you seen at the Bolshoi Theatre?

3.How did they impress you?

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Speaking about Theatres and Performances. Booking Seats

1.What kind of performances does the Sovremennik Theatre put on?

2.What famous actors and actresses play at the theatre?

3.When were you at this theatre last?

4.Where did you have seats?

5.What were the people speaking about during the interval?

6.How did the performance impress you?

** *

1.Are you a theatre goer?

2.What theatre did you last go to?

3.What performance was on that night?

4.Where and when did you book seats?

5.Was there a large or a small choice of tickets for that performance?

6.What seats did you decide to take? Were they expensive?

** *

1.Do people in Moscow often go to the theatre?

2.Is it easy or difficult to book seats for popular performances?

3.Who are the most popular theatre directors now? Where do they work? Have you seen any of their performances?.

4.Do Moscow theatres show their performances at theatre festivals in foreign countries? Speak about any of them.

E x. 26. Speak about:

1.Moscow theatres.

2.Your favourite theatre.

E x. 27* Act out dialogues. Use the situations:

1.Mr Dunn has just come to Moscow. He is a great theatre goer. Speak to him about Moscow theatres. Then discuss the prices for the metals his company wants to buy from Russia.

2.You have come to London to have talks with Mr Smith about the terms of the future contract for electronic goods. Speak to him about the performances which are on at London theatres. Then dis­ cuss business.

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Lesson 4

3.Receive Mr Blake at your office. Speak to Mr Blake about the ballet he saw at the Bolshoi Theatre. Discuss the delivery terms for the copying machines his company is going to sell to Rossimport.

U N I T VI

WRITTEN PRACTICE

Ex. 28. Translate Into English.

1.Вчера в 4 часа дня мы обсуждали условия поставки и платежа.

2.— В пятницу я пришел домой поздно.

—Что делали дети?

—Они читали.

3.Вчера в 11 часов Иванов просматривал каталоги, а другие биз­ несмены обсуждали предложение английской фирмы на обо­ рудование для офиса.

4.Вчера в 3 часа дня шел дождь, но в 4 часа он кончился.

5.— Я позвонил тебе в 3 часа, но тебя не было. Где ты был?

—У меня были переговоры в это время.

* * *

1.Мы получили четыре предложения на компьютеры, но только предложение «Смит энд К°» устраивало нас. Мы не можем принять другие, так как цены довольно высокие.

2.Некоторым нравится опера и балет, другим — драма.

3.Я не могу достать билеты в Художественный театр (the Art theatre). Давайте пойдем в какой-нибудь другой.

4.В нашем районе находятся два кинотеатра. Один — довольно старый, небольшой, не очень удобный. Другой — новый, со­ временный, красивый.

5.Некоторые улицы Москвы — широкие, прямые, с красивыми зданиями, другие — узкие, со старыми домами.

* * *

1.Несколько дней назад Нэнси была в театре. Шел спектакль «Гамлет» (“Hamlet”). Состав исполнителей был очень хоро­ ший. Игра всех актеров была драматичной и убедительной. Ко­ гда спектакль окончился, их вызывали пять или шесть раз.

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