• used to describe the style of buildings and furniture, and the way diat houses were decorated, during the Victorian period (1837-1901). Victorian buildings are typically made of red brick and often decorated on the outside;

• from or typical of the period when Elizabeth I was queen of England (1558-1603);

• 4. the Queen's English

  5. Sir Winston Churchill (1874- 1965)

  the way of speaking English that is typical of Cockneys, people who come from the East End of London, especially someone who is working class and who has an accent which is typical of this area. Only someone "born within die sound of bow bells," the bells of a church in the city of London, is considered to be a real Cockney;

• a name sometimes used for good correct English, as written and spoken in the UK, when a king is ruling instead of a queen, it is called the "'King's English";

• 1. Victorian

  2. Eliza bedian

  3. Cockney

  a British politician in die Conservative party who was Prime Minister during most of World War II and again from 1951 to 1955. He is famous for the many speeches he made during the war. He is also known for making the V sign to show his belief in a British victory in the war;

4. the Battle of Britain – the name used for the fights between German and British aircraft during die summer and autumn of 1940. The bombing was stopped at die end of 1940, and British people considered tiiis to be a great victory;

• the agreement that joined the parliaments of England and Scotland in 1707 as well as die agreement that ended die Irish parliament in 1800 and made Ireland part of the United Kingdom in 1801;

• tiredness and dissatisfaction caused by lack of interest (скука, томление, тоска);

• (short for exurbia) settlements not far from cities (поселки, где живут работающие в больших городах);

• the Act of Union

  7.

  8. ennui

  9. exurb

  10.

  a cathartic

  defeat-in-

  victory

  a serious unexpected defeat (поражение, в том, что казалось победой)

General comprehension questions

1. Which features of his native town did the author use to associate with 'Englishness'?

2. How does the author describe die typical attitude of emigrants to their native country? Why do most of them not want their native country to change?

3. What factors according to the author served to transform die UK beyond recognition?

4. How has the structure of the state changed?

5. What is happening to the state symbols?

6. What consequences can the current reforms lead to in die future according to die author? What do you think?

7. How do different groups of people react to die changes? Why do most people show little concern?

291

8. What advantages can be gained by England if Britain is abolished from the point of view of the author? Do you agree?

9. Why does the author feel very pessimistic about the future of Russia? Are his apprehensions justified?

10. Do you think our country also faces a national identity crisis? How does it manifest itself? How long do vou think it will take the Russian people to overcome it?

Exercise 16

Translate the following sentences from the text into Russian.

1. Almost a national synonym for middle-class ennui, East Grinsted was the last stop on a railway line south of London, the first place outside the metropolis diat wasn't actually metropolitan, a welter of disappointment and understatement and yet also of a kind of pride.

2. Tony Blair's real radicalism has turned out to be constitutional rather than economic or social.

3. They extend from the possibility of a bitter if peaceful split-up - a kind of Yugoslavia with cups of tea - to more far-reaching questions such as Britain's place in the UN Security Council.

4. Before very long, the words 'United Kingdom' may seem as anachronistic as 'Soviet Union'.

Exercise 17

What do those sell?

butchers, bakers, hardware stores, supermarkets, bookshops, charity shops, green-grocers Exercise 18

In pairs, sort out those words into concept groups. Explain your reason for grouping the words in a particular way to your partner.

metropolis, cosmopolitanism, terminus, cliche, tenure, commuter- belt development, grandeur, sarcasm, globalization, exurbia, nostalgia, hyperbole, radicalism, edifice, unitary state, emigrant, repository, legacy, mortgage companies, pragmatism, entity, real estate offices, pragmatism, rugby pitches, vegetable allotments

Exercise 19

In the text of the article find the opposites for the following words:

1. De juro

2. overstatement

3. immigrant

4. upmarket

5. jingoism

6. conformism

7. idealism

8. harmony (in music)

Exercise 20

Explain the difference between:

ACCEPT - ACKNOWLEDGE ALTER-TRANSFORM DISPLACE - REPLACE ABANDON - GIVE UP

Exercise 21

Choose the right -word:

1. He displaced/ replaced a bone in his knee while playing sports.

2. Reputable scholars have abandoned/given up the notion.

3. They have altered/ transformed themselves into permanent city- dwellers.

4. The former President of the Philippines refused to accept/acknowledge the authority of the court.

5. Thousands of people in the region have been forced to abandon/give up their homes to enemy troops.

6. The astronaut accepts/acknowledges danger as being part of die job.

7. We've displaced/replaced the adding machine with a computer.

8. At a certain stage of its development Britain abandoned/gave up such foundations, merging its future irrevocably with the wider world economy.

9. Britain since die war has been altered/transformed from a society of hierarchy to a multi-layered, multi-dimensional society.

10. It is also legitimate to consider whether the old Establishment has indeed been displaced/replaced by new power-centers.

11. In housing, tower blocks (high-rise blocks of flats) are universally accepted/acknowledged as a human disaster.

12. Tension do not alter/transform the fact that there is still a political union called the United Kingdom.

Exercise 22

Fill in the gaps with the right word.

1. The terrorists refused to

the court.

2. America must radically

----------------

its traditional economic policy.

3. After five unsuccessful attempts, the mountaineers have their bid to climb Everest.

4. The indigenous population was soon by die settlers.

5. An area of sandy pastures can be into a barren

landscape in two or diree years.

6. She is as an expert on the subject of politics.

7. Arabic script was with die Roman alphabet in

official documents.

8. The company decided to die project in view of the

ever rising cost.

9. He grudgingly having made a mistake.

10. In only 20 years the country has been into an

advanced industrial power.

11. He was registered as a person.

12. Getting that new job has completely her.

13. These resources can easily nuclear power.

14. The immigrants showed an increasing unwillingness to bad working conditions.

15. We shall never • the freedom that we have won. j

16. In fact, most women have their role in the family

and in society.

Exercise 23

Translate the following sentences into English.

1. Несмотря на появление тревожных симптомов в экономике страны, в том числе заметное падение производства и рост безработицы, большинство экономистов отказываются признавать наличие кризиса.

2. Незадолго до проведения всеобщих выборов партия заявила о своих претензиях на завоевание большинства в парламенте, а ее

лидеры обещали, что. в случае прихода к власти, будут стремиться к радикальному улучшению (радикальному изме­нению к лучшему) жизни простых людей.

3. По утверждению профсоюзных активистов, после того как требования трудящихся будут признаны работодателями в каче­стве основы для нового коллективного договора, угроза бессрочной забастовки практически будет сведена к минимуму.

4. Появившиеся сообщения о подавлении вооруженного мятежа резко изменили обстановку в парламенте - паника и рас­терянность, еще совсем недавно охватившие депутатов, сменились на настроения эйфории и воодушевления.

5. Принято считать, что овладение в совершенстве любым иностранным языком невозможно без понимания особенностей психологии людей, являющихся его носителями.

6. По оценке политологов, правительство неоконсерваторов уже в ближайшее время будет смещено, так как откровенный популизм и отсутствие реальной программы действий самым пагубным образом сказываются на его популярности.

7. По причине резкого ухудшения погодных условий группа спасателей была вынуждена временно отказаться от поиска пропавших альпинистов.

8. Российский руководитель распорядился изменить программ}' своей поездки, с тем чтобы иметь возможность встретиться с известным писателем.

9. Сенатор признал, что уровень безработицы неуклонно растет и у правительства нет ясной программы по повышению занятости трудового населения страны.

10. Город нисколько не изменился с тех пор. как я побывал тут в последний раз, хотя прошло почти четверть века.

11. Нельзя исключать, что пострадавший обратится с соответ­ствующим иском в суд, однако крайне сомнительно, что понесенные им в результате пожара убытки будут возмещены страховыми компаниями.

Exercise 24

Match the following adjectives cmd nouns to form word combinations as they appear in the text. Suggest the Russian translation for the resulting phrases.

1. backward

2. contrived

j. cultural and social