SECTION 1

TOPICAL DICTATIONS

Topic One: Meeting People

Dictation 1

Things People Say

Being polite in your own language is natural to you, and you don't usually need to think about it. But how you are polite in one language can be very different from how you are polite in another, and you may need to think about this when you are in Britain.

The most important thing to remember is that people will expect you to be polite in the way that is normal to them. Words and phrases such as "please", "thank you" and "excuse me" are used very often in Britain.

Learning about intonation will also help you to sound authentic when you are talking to people in English. Intonation is the different ways you make your voice rise and fall as you speak. It can show as much about your attitude – happy, bored, angry etc. – as the words you use, so it needs to be suitable for what you are saying. A useful way to learn about intonation is to listen to people in various situations and try to copy them in similar ones.

You might find it interesting to look for differences between your language and English. And it could help you not to make mistakes. Sometimes you may expect that you should say something but find that this is not normally done; when someone thanks you, for example, it's often not necessary to make any reply. In other cases a translation of what you would rather say in your own language may not be the right thing in English... An occasion when you want to speak to a stranger may be an example. The English words "Mr" and "Miss" can't be used without the person's surname. "Sir" and "Madam", however, are only referred to a customer in places like shops and restaurants. So what they often do instead is get someone's attention by saying "Excuse me".

The words "Hello" and "Goodbye" don't usually cause problems, but there are some variations here, too. In the evening and at night people don't use "Goodnight" to greet each other. It's a way of saying "Goodbye". You may also notice that British people don't shake hands or kiss when they meet as frequently as people do in many countries, though they regularly shake hands when they're introduced. Quite often you'll find that you already have enough English to sound perfect.

Just as it's easier to visit a foreign country if you know something about the language, it's also an advantage to be aware of things people do there. It will help, therefore, if you are ready to tell the customs in your country from those in Britain.

Dictation 2

How Long Have People Been Using Surnames?

"Hey, Shorty!" "Hi, Skinny." "Here comes Blondie." Does it sound familiar to you? It's a perfectly natural way to call people – give them a name that describes them. And that's exactly how names were given originally. A golden-haired girl might be called Blanch (French for "white"); a boy may be named David because it means "beloved".

A first name was all anybody had for thousands of years. Then, about the time the Normans conquered England in 1066, last names or surnames, were added to identify people better. The first name wasn't enough to tell one person from another. For example, there might be two Davids in town, and one of them was quite lazy. So people began to call this one "David do little". And this be­came David Doolittle.

The surnames were originally called "ekenames". The word ''eke" meant "also". And by the way the word "nickname" came from this old word. When people got into the habit of giving a person two names they thought of many ways of creating this second name.

For example, one way was to mention the father's name. If John had a father called William, he might be called John Williamson, or John Williams, or John Wilson (Will's son), or John Wills.

Another good way to identify people with second names was to mention the place where they lived or came from. A person who lived near the woods might be called Wood, or if he lived near the village green he might be called John Green.

And then, of course, the work that a person did was a good way to identify him. So we have surnames like Smith, Taylor, and Wright ("wright" means someone who does mechanical work) and many others.

Topic Two: Your Health

Dictation 3

Various Diseases

As medicine has progressed, many vaccines and cures have been developed for some of the diseases the world has encountered. However, because the evolution of disease organisms is very rapid, even with vaccines we have difficulty providing full immunity to many illnesses, and finding the proper treatment remains extremely tough.

Diseases can be classified into three general groups. There are conditions that are infectious meaning that they are caused by an infection through which a virus or other parasite enters the body.

Hereditary diseases are genetic, meaning that they are passed down from generation to generation. Heredity is not a "cause," and some of the diseases of unknown origin may be transmitted from parent to offspring.

Finally, there are diseases for which there is no known reason. In some cases, it is possible that heredity, diet, or some other aspect of human existence is vital, but it is not certain.

In spite of the great number of various diseases people always try to take care of their health and hope that in future the scientists will find unique remedies for all of them.

Dictation 4¹

Diseases and Common Ailments

Nowadays because of quite a number of reasons people often fall ill and get various diseases when the normal structure or function of the body is harmed or weakened. A disease may last a brief or a long time and may be mild or severe. Some of them such as a common cold may disappear after a few days without any treatment. Others require medical interference to be cured. And some even may need a lifetime supervision.

Favourable standards of living help promote health. Also the body itself has defenses against any ailment. But now and then they give way and an illness occurs as the germs break through. Something goes wrong with certain chemical reactions in the body.

How do people know they are ill? Often they have symptoms such as pain, nausea, a sore throat, lack of appetite, fatigue, or fever. However, a disease may be present without a person knowing it. Sometimes it is discovered during a routine health examination.

Illnesses, that can be passed along by an infected person either directly or indirectly are called infectious or communicable. In previous centuries they were a serious problem. Today as a result of improved hygiene and living conditions, new drugs as well as widespread vaccines, the picture has changed. Malaria, yellow fever, scarlet fever, small pox and diphtheria have been almost wiped out. Though, they still pose problems in certain areas of the world.

A cold is the most common ailment. So far, scientists have identified more than 100 different viruses capable of causing it. For this reason, no vaccine exists to immunize against colds.

Some diseases are not the result of harmful microorganisms.They cannot be passed from person to person. No immunity can be produced for them and they are called noncommunicable. Among them are most diseases of the heart, allergy and a lot of others. So, there is still a hope that with the development of modern medicine some way out will be found.

Topic Three: Family Life

Dictation 5

The Adams Family

The Adams live in the suburbs of Glasgow. They are an extended family: a mother, a father, five children, grandparents and their domestic animals. Mr Adams is a farmer as both of his parents. Old Mr and Mrs Adams, are always on the farm. They like their cows, sheep, horses and geese and are responsible for feeding them.

The Adams' children don't go to school as they are little. Polly and Sam are four-year-old twins. Fred is five. Ann is three and Alice is just a toddler. They are all good friends and enjoy playing with their dog. The dog's name is Jake. He loves running and jumping. The boys enjoy riding their bikes. Fred is fond of watching television but Sam hates doing it because he thinks this pastime boring.

Mrs Adams is a school teacher. She teaches music to boys and girls. She has a lot of talented pupils though some of them are rather naughty. Many of them can play the piano, guitar or violin wonderfully and enjoy singing Scottish folk songs. They like to listen to Mrs Adams who plays various musical instruments greatly.

Dictation 6

My Aunt Emily

Of all my relatives, I like my Aunt Emily best. She's my mother's youngest sister. She has never been married, and she lives alone in a small village near Bath. She is in her late fifties, but quite young in spirit. She has a fair complexion, thick brown hair which she wears in a bun, and shrewd hazel eyes. She has a kind face, and when you meet her, the first thing you notice is her lovely, radiant smile. Her face is a little wrinkled now, but I think she is still attractive. She is the sort of person you can always turn to if you have a problem.

She likes reading and gardening, and she goes for long walks over the hills with her dog, Spot. Aunt Emily is a very active person. Either she's constantly making or repairing something or helping others. She does shopping for old-aged pensioners in the village. She is extremely generous, but a bit quarrelsome with the people who don't agree with her. I hope that I will be cheerful and contented as she is when I am her age.

Topic Four: Jobs and Occupations

Dictation 7

David the Teenage Tycoon.

Teenager David Bolton has just put eight thousand pounds in the bank – after only six months of part-time work as a computer consultant. He is an electronics expert from South London who has fast established a reputation as one of the country's top troubleshooters – the person to turn to if no one else can manage.

David is in his late teens. His first steps to fame and fortune he began being only nine when his parents bought him a computer. He soon learned to program it and started saving money to buy a better one. However, only a year ago he decided to get serious about computing. He went to a night school to study how to write business programmes, and did a correspondence course with an American college.

David got in touch with computer sellers, who were so impressed by his knowledge that gave him software worth more than three thousand pounds. In return he has to send them a monthly report saying what he has done and what his plans are. He helps companies by suggesting which computers they should buy, and by writing individual programmes for them.

He can work more quickly than many older professionals. In one case, he went to a foreign firm where their programmers had worked for six months and couldn't find the problem. David solved it in five days' time.

How could David reach such success? He himself answers this question: "You have to be ambitious, efficient, and versatile and believe that you are the best."

Dictation 8

Choosing an Occupation

One of the most difficult problems a young person faces is deciding what to do for a career. There are individuals, of course, who from the time they are six years old know that they want to be either surgeons, or pilots, or fire fighters. But the majority of us do not get around to making a decision about our future until somebody or something forces us.

Choosing an occupation takes time, and there are a lot of things you have to think about as you try to make up your mind what you would like to do. You may find that you will have to take special courses to qualify for a particular kind of work, or you will need to get some actual experience to gain enough knowledge about a certain job.

Fortunately, there are a lot of people you can turn to for advice and help while realizing your ambition. At most schools, there are career advisors who are professionally qualified to counsel you and to give detailed information about the right qualifications. And you can talk over your ideas with family members and friends who are always ready to listen and to give suggestions. But even if you get other people involved in helping you make the necessary decision. Self-evaluation is also an important part of the process. In the end, it's your own future and it's up to you to make the final choice.

Dictation 9*

Job Resume

An excellent resume may help you get the job of your dream and a poor one may mean a lost opportunity. Since this is the first piece of information an employer will receive about you, it is critically important that your Curriculum Vitae or CV is well written. It should be presented at the beginning of any interview that you have with a company. Ideally, a resume must not be longer than one page. The contents are to be brief. Any CV begins with personal data, name, address, and telephone number centered at the top.

After it, a statement of intent or job objective must be written. It has to be properly thought over, as it will influence how you will compile the rest of the resume. Think about your job search and career goals carefully, write them down in a way that shows you have given this much thought. Then describe your education. List the universities, institutes and colleges you have attended in reverse chronological order. Any studying you have done abroad is to be included and courses that you have taken are relevant. If you graduated with honours, state this fact definitely. A "red diploma" can be called "graduated with high honours" in English.

Your working experience is the next section. Enumerate it starting with your most recent place of employment and work backwards. Spell out the exact dates, your position, and the name of the company you were employed for. Provide information about your responsibilities. Give them in short statements that do not include the words "my" or "I". Do not use complete sentences!

Your language skills, computer abilities, and any other talent may follow after that. Extracurricular activities such as student or professional organizations you belong to, travel, sports and hobbies can be of some benefit.

The last part of your resume is the reference section. Name at least two people, not related to you, who can describe your qualification for the job. Write their names, titles, places of work, and telephone numbers. If you do not have space on your CV for this, write "available upon request." You will then be expected to provide all this to a prospective employer when necessary.

Mind the style and format are of significant importance. Your resume must be typed, preferably on a computer in order to organize it most effectively. A neat and precise resume with no spelling mistakes will give the impression that you are accurate and take care of details.

Topic Five: Schooling

Dictation 10

My New School

My name is Mary Barker. This is my new school. I like it very much. We have fifteen classrooms and a hall. The rooms are big. Eight of them are upstairs. The hall and the restrooms are downstairs. Our school garden is very beautiful. We have a lot of flowers such as asters, daffodils, lilies, chrysanthemums and some trees in it. We like to sit on the green lawns under the oak trees when our classes are over. At twelve o'clock we always have lunch together; sometimes we have it in the school yard.

My classroom is near the gym. The desks there are arranged in a horseshoe, so we can discuss everything. We have a lot of cupboards with different stationery in our classroom. We have a big green three-part blackboard, an overhead projector, a video and tape recorders and a television. You can also notice potted plants on the windowsills. Our classroom is spacious, cosy and light. We enjoy studying there very much.

Dictation 11

My School

My school is famous for its high-quality education and strict discipline. It is very well-equipped as on the ground floor there is a gym, a canteen, a library and workshops. On the first floor there is a large assembly hall, a home economics room, a computer class and a language laboratory. On the second floor there are physics, chemistry and biology labs.

Classes begin at nine o'clock in the morning. Each of them lasts forty minutes. After three or four lessons there is a thirty minute break. During it pupils go to the canteen to have lunch. The classes are over at four o'clock in the afternoon and out-of-class activities begin. The social and cultural life in the school is well-organized. For example, there is an orchestra, a choir, an art studio and an International Friendship Club.

According to the curriculum we study Russian, literature, mathematics, biology, geography, physics, chemistry, English, history, computer programming. We also have classes of music, physical education, arts and crafts.

My favourite subject is English. I like to learn irregular verbs, to act out dialogues and discuss something interesting. Sometimes we are asked to write compositions, to make a report or learn poems by heart.

On the contrary I am not very good at sciences. I always fail to memorize formulas and terms properly. What's more some of the teachers are not imaginative enough and the lessons are a little bit dull.