Text b Abu Dhabi Discovery

. Before reading the text, answer the questions:

1. What remains of human culture may help archaeologists learn more about distant past?

2. Which of these remains are better preserved?

Read the following text quickly without a dictionary and find out the following information:

1. the type of the artifact found

2. the age of the discovery

3. the way it looked like

4. the place where it was found

5. other things that archaeologists found during the digs

A pottery vessel discovered at the oldest, best-preserved Neolithic village in eastern Arabia may be evidence of early trade across the Persian Gulf between southern Mesopotamia and an island community off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.

Found on the island of Marawah near the UAE capital Abu Dhabi, the 7,000-year-old pottery vessel has a pale-green surface and is painted with black geometric lines and chevrons--characteristics of pottery from Tell Al-Ubaid in southern Iraq, the heart of Mesopotamia. The design is also similar to that found on pottery made in the Susiana region of southern Iran during the fifth millennium B.C. Archaeologists suggest the presence of the pottery indicates trade at a surprisingly early time between peoples on the Gulf.

The vessel was discovered in the remains of a four-room building erected in phases between 7000 and 6500 B.C. So far, archaeologists have only excavated one of the rooms, in which they have also unearthed the oldest human remains ever found in the region. The person had been buried just inside the threshold, making it likely the building hadn't been in regular use by the time of the burial--anyone entering would have literally tripped over the remains. In fact, at one point someone may indeed have stumbled over them--the bones were damaged and scattered, the feet found several yards away from the rest of the body. Among the most beautiful artifacts found so far, according to the archaeologists, were delicate buttons made of pearl oyster shells.

the Archaeological Institute of America

Vol. 57 № 5, September/October 2004

Ex. 1. Use the context of the article to work out the meaning of these words:

• vessel

• evidence

• chevrons

• the Gulf

• to trip / stumble over smth

• to be scattered

Ex. 2. Give a short summary of the article in 4-5 sentences.

Lesson 2 Text a

Ancient Western Asia. Before Civilization

Answer the following questions:

What were the main occupations of the people of ancient civilizations?

Why would they move from one place to another?

What were the first achievements of early civilizations?

Give Russian equivalents to these countries’ names:

Syria ['si(ə)riə]

Lebanon ['lebənən]

Israel ['izreil]

Jordan ['dʒɔ:dn]

Turkey ['tɜ:kɪ]

Iraq [i'rɑ:k]

Iran [i'rɑ:n]

Study the pronunciation of the following proper names:

Cyprus ['saiprəs] - Кипр

Zagros Mountains ['zægrɑs] – Загрос (горная система в Иране)

Jericho ['dʒerɪkəu] – Иерихон (город в Палестине, на Западном берегу реки Иордан)

Tassili-n-Ajjer ['tæslin ə'dʒɜ:] - Тассилин Аджер

Tigris [′taigris] – р. Тигр

Euphrates [ju:′freiti:z] – р. Евфрат

Guess the meaning of the following words:

domestication, [də‚mesti′kei∫(ə)n], n

era, [′iərə], n

exploit, [ik′splɔit], [ek′splɔit], v

fresco, [′freskəu], n

infanticide, [in′fæntisaid], n

resident, [′rezid(ə)nt], n

Study the following words and expressions:

ancestor, n [′ænsəstə] - прародитель, предок

barley, n [′bɑ:li] – ячмень

chariot, n [′t∫æriət] - колесница

clay, n [klei] – глина

game, n [geim] – дичь

grain, n [grein] - зерно; хлебные злаки

harvester, n [′hɑ:vistə] - жнец

herd, n [hɜ:d] – стадо, гурт; v - пасти стадо

hut, n [hʌt] – хижина, шалаш, барак

inhabit, v [in′hæbit] – жить, обитать; населять, заселять

inhabitable, adj [in′hæbitəbl] – пригодный для жилья

inhabitant, n [in′hæbit(ə)nt] – житель, обитатель (syn. – resident)

lentil, n [′lent(ə)l] - чечевица

rudimentary, adj [‚ru:di′mentari] - элементарный

sanctuary, n [′sæŋ(k)t∫uəri]- святилище, алтарь

skull, n [skʌl] - череп

warfare, n [′wɔ:fεə] – война, военный действия

worship, n [′wɜ:∫ip] – поклонение, почитание; v – поклоняться, почитать, боготворить

ancestor worship – культ предков

bonds of kinship [′bɔndz əf ′kin∫ip] – узы родства

horse-drawn chariot [′hɔ:sˏdrɔ:n] – колесница запряженная лошадью

infant mortality [′infənt mɔ:′tæləti] – детская смертность

life expectancy [lɑif ik′spekt(ə)n(t)si] – средняя продолжительность жизни

permanent settlement [′pə:m(ə)nənt ′setlmənt] – постоянное поселение, колония

religious rites [ri′lidʒəs raits] – религиозные обряды, ритуалы, церемонии

to spell disaster [spel di′zɑ:stə] – сулить несчастье, беду

tool kit [′tu:l kit] – набор инструментов, орудий труда

trade patterns [′treid ′pæt(ə)nz] – торговые модели