GENERAL ENGLISH FOR TECHNICAL STUDENTS

MODULE 10

CULTURE, CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS

ALL OVER THE WORLD

WORKBOOK

Рабочая тетрадь

2009

Module 10 Culture, Customs and Traditions all over the world: Рабочая тетрадь по английскому языку для студентов неязыковых факультетов технического вуза. – 64 с.

Разработчики: коллектив авторов.

Институт международного образования и языковой коммуникации.

Томский политехнический университет.

Рабочая тетрадь серии “General English for Technical Students” предназначена для студентов второго курса неязыковых факультетов технического вуза, изучающих английский язык на основе модульного подхода с ориентацией на международные стандарты.

Рабочая тетрадь по Модулю 10 “Culture, Customs and Traditions all over the world” серии “General English for Technical Students” позволяет студентам совершенствовать знание английского языка. В рабочей тетради серии “General English for Technical Students” реализуется коммуникативно-когнитивный подход, используется комбинация отечественных и зарубежных технологий преподавания иностранного языка в высшей технической школе.

Contents

MODULE 10 CULTURE, CISTOMS & TRADITIONS ALL OVER THE WORLD
UNIT 1 When in Rome, do as the Romans do Grammar: Future Continuous, Future Perfect	5
UNIT 2 Good luck, bad luck Grammar: Past Perfect, Past Perfect Continuous	22
UNIT 3 something old, something new Grammar: Tag questions	36
UNIT 4 celebrations all over the world Grammar: Revision	51
Word list	63

Module 10 culture, customs & traditions all over the world

UNIT 1

When in Rome, do as the romans do

READING

1 Read the text about social rules in the United Kingdom. For questions (1-22) choose your answers from the names of the occasions (A-F). When more than one answer is required, these may be given in any order.

Harrods is a tourist attraction, but for shopping in London try other big department stores, such as Selfridges, Lewis's and Debenhams. A good place for clothes is Marks and Spencer. Take a stroll along Oxford Street, the main shopping centre. When there are sales on, you are allowed, and even expected, to bargain with the shop assistant to try and get a better price for goods. If there are a lot of people, you should wait your turn to be served. Most large stores also have restaurants where customers can have lunch or a quick snack.

If you are invited to dinner at someone's home, you should take some flowers or a box of chocolates. If you are invited to an informal party, it is quite common to take a bottle of wine or even a few bottles of beer. At English parties men are expected to wear a suit and tie. If you wish to bring a friend along, that's fine, but it is polite to ask first. You are not expected to turn up with very expensive presents.

People in Britain are generally quite careful about time. When you are invited to someone's house, you should either arrive on time or no later than fifteen minutes after the time arranged. If in doubt, give your hosts a ring. You should be careful about overstaying your welcome. Look out for signs of tiredness in your hosts. The best time to leave is when they appear with their pyjamas on. You can say, 'Well, I think it's time we were going ...'

Usually in Britain we introduce people by their first name or their first name and surname together. Most people use first names at informal parties. It is usual to shake hands with men and to kiss women on the cheek when you are introduced to them. Do not embrace, however, on this first encounter, and do not stand too close to the other person. As you are introduced to someone you say, 'How do you do?' or 'Pleased to meet you.' You need not wait to be introduced -just introduce yourself.

You can 'break the ice' with strangers by talking about the weather: The same about the weather.' 'Is it still raining?' or 'Bit chilly today, don't you think?' When you have broken the ice like this, you can then go on to ask the person you are talking to how much money they earn. Another good topic for conversation is work. However, people do not like talking about politics except in a general way, and you should avoid asking them what political party they vote for. On first meeting someone, it is also not appropriate to ask about their age or how much they weigh.

A pub is where you drink beer or other alcoholic drinks, but light refreshments are also available. Pubs serve drinks at fixed times and generally accept last orders at about 11 pm. It may be difficult to get a drink after this time. At lunch-time and sometimes in the evening, food is served. If you order more than three pints of beer, the food is free of charge, so drink as much as you can and then ask (politely) for your free meal. People may pay for their own drinks or take it in turns to buy a 'round', in other words, to pay for the whole group.

In which situation or situations (s) should you make a small talk? should you keep an eye on the time? should you keep your distance? is a small gift appropriate? should you wait in a queue? should you not ask about people’s political beliefs? might you have to buy someone a drink? should you ask permission from your host? where can you buy something to eat? when should not you ask about people’s age and weight? should you kiss women on the cheek? should you pay attention to hosts’ pyjamas? should you wear anything unusual at English parties? when is your food free of charge? where can you have a snack? where do you use first names? where can you find common expressions for meeting people? where should you arrive on time?

1 ____ 2___ 3 ___ 4 ____ 5 ____ 6 ____ 7 ____ 8 ____ 9 ____ 10 ___ 11___ 12____ 13 ____ 14 ____ 15 ___ 16 ___ 17 ___ 18 ___ 19 ___ 20 ___ 21___ 22 ___

A Harrods B English parties C Time for English people D Acquaintance E Meeting people F Entertainments

2 Read an article about culture influence of the United States of America on other cultures in the world. Choose the most suitable sentences from the list (A-H) for each part (1-6) of the article. There is one extra sentence that you do not need to use. There is an example at the beginning (0).

WE ARE ALL AMERICANS NOW

0

A

At the center of all Americans value is freedom. Americans commonly regard their society as the freest and best in the world. They like to think of their country as a welcoming haven for those longing for freedom and opportunity. They are proud to point out that even today America’s immigration offices are flooded with hopeful applicants who expect the chance for a better life. The news of a Soviet ballet dancer’s or Polish artist’s defection to the United States of America arouses a rush of national pride, for such events give substance to the ideal of freedom that America represents to its people and to the world. Moreover, such news events provide continuity to Americans’ perception of their history as being that of a nation populated by immigrants who exercise free choice in coming to the New World for a better life.

1

The American way of life is now everywhere and exerts a magnetic influence on young and old in countries as far as China and Argentina. Many Europeans worry that their own culture will be swamped by inferior American products. Hollywood is one example: about 75% of all feature films seen in Europe are American in origin and the European film industry faces the threat of extinction.

2

The language which most people use when they make contact with other nationalities is English: when a Chinese person meets someone from Spain, they will probably speak in English, not in Chinese or Spanish. English is the international language of communication, and is spoken by about 800 million people all over the world. It is also the language of science, business and advertising.

3

Many English (or American) words are in common use: cool, sorry, goodbye, basketball and so on. In France, where the older generation objects to the influence of English, they have given this phenomenon a name, “Franglas” and in Latin America they talk of “Spanglish”.

4

Young people in Latin America have accepted a universal, popular culture in which Latin rhythms and Spanglish combine with a strong diet of American songs, words and images. A lot of young people even welcome this media invasion from the north, in spite of warnings from some academics that Latin Americans risk losing their identity. Jorge Asis, a respected Argentine author, lost his job as Minister of Culture when he suggested it was time to discuss the use of English words in advertising.

5

An obvious example is McDonalds, the fast food chain. There are now approximately 18.500 McDonalds’ restaurants in 93 countries. Coca Cola is available not only in all McDonalds’ restaurants but 80% of all sales of Coca Cola are sold outside the United States of America.

6

The chief of the village is the American President and the village hall is the White House. The village policeman wears an American uniform and tries to keep the peace between squabbling neighbours. If one city had to be chosen at the world’s capital, it would undoubtedly be New York. When we wake up, we may have a breakfast of American cereal; when we go to bed we dream the American dream.

A If people had to choose another country in which to live, they would probably choose America.

B So even though they have only five percent of the world’ population, the Americans have managed to get virtually everyone to speak their language.

C English has also crept into everyday use in many countries alongside their own language.

D A recent survey published in “The European” newspaper reported that the majority of Europeans do not approve of the ever-increasing influence of American culture.

E The use of English naturally brings with it American culture, which influences our lifestyle from food to fashion.

F Amongst the younger generation, American pop and rock music are an essential feature of youth culture.

G Modern communications from the jumbo jet to the Internet have brought us all closer together.

H All this confirms that the world has indeed become a global village.