Post-Reading

A Give the Russian equivalents for:

1) a picturesque little spec of rock and soil; 2) the late John Wayne; 3) lucrative international career; 4) islands are more likely to fall in the $100,000 – to $ 300,000 price range; 5) islands quoted in U.S. currency; 6) Vladi prospects for islands .... ; 7) discreetly snooping around; 8) ... Vladi keeps an eye peeled for divorces ... .

B Find in the text the words and expressions to replace those underlined.

1) visited repeatedly by ghosts; 2) Henryk Sienkiewicz lived in seclusion there; 3) a profitable international career; 4) a tiny private place of perfect happiness; 5) the best available retreats; 6) banks are generally unwilling to lend; 7) Vladi’s deals are in cash; 8) Americans and Germans are his best clients; 9) Papers about ownership rights are available for public inspection; 10) You have to be quiet and discreet in approaching them

C Use alternative words and phrases to express the following.

1) medieval castle; 2) Brando’s Polynesian atoll; 3) available not only for leasing, but for purchase; 4) Whatever your tastes <...> may be; 5) a terrific deal; 6) a $ 1,4 million price tag; 7) the drop in the dollar; 8) he brokered the sale of an island; 9) bankruptcies that may result in an island’s being placed on the market; 10) place no restrictions on the buyer’s nationality; 11) Given rising land values and a diminishing supply, he recommends ... .

D Discuss the following with your partners.

1) What circumstances made Farhan Vladi a successful real-estate dealer? 2) Say how resourceful F. Vladi was in devising a method of searching an island for sale? 3) ‘Civilization is destroying nature…’, says F. Vladi. Do you share his point of view? Give your arguments.

Text V

Pre-Reading

A Discuss the ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ of ‘Do-it-Yourself’ movement.

B Make sure you know English names of at least ten tools which can be helpful in doing some little repairs about the house, e.g.: ladder, hammer, nails, etc.

Reading

Read through the text ‘Do-it-Yourself’ and do the tasks that follow.

Do-It-Yourself

Some people would say that the Englishman’s home is no longer his castle; that it has become his workshop. This is partly because the average Englishman is keen on working with his hands and partly because he feels, for one reason or another, that he must do for himself many household jobs for which, some years ago, he would have hired professional help. The main reason for this is a financial one: the high cost of labour has meant that builders’ and decorators’ costs have reached a level which makes them prohibitive for house-proud English people of modest means. So, if they wish to keep their houses looking bright and smart, they have to tackle some of the repairs and decorating themselves. As a result, there has grown up in the post-war years what is sometimes referred to as the ‘Do-It-Yourself Movement’.

The ‘Do-It-Yourself Movement’ began with home decorating but has since spread into a much wider field. Nowadays there seem to be very few things that cannot be made by the ‘do-it-yourself’ method. A number of magazines and handbooks exist to show hopeful handymen of all ages just how easy it is to build anything from a coffee table to a fifteen foot (4.5 metres) sailing dinghy. All you need, it seems, is a hammer and a few nails. You follow the simple instructions step-by-step and, before you know where you are, the finished article stands before you, complete in every detail.

Unfortunately, alas, it is not always quite as simple as it sounds! Many a budding ‘do-it-yourselfer’ has found to his cost that one cannot learn a skilled craftsman’s job overnight. How quickly one realises, when doing it oneself, that a job which takes the skilled man an hour or so to complete takes the amateur handyman five or six at least. And then there is the question of tools. The first thing the amateur learns is that he must have the right tools for the job. But tools cost money. There is also the wear and tear on the nerves. It is not surprising then that many people have come to the conclusion that the expense of paying professionals to do the work is, in the long run, more economical than ‘doing it oneself.

Post-Reading

A Say if the following statements are true or false.

1. Many Englishmen are fond of working with their hands. 2. To hire professional help has become rather costly. 3. The ‘Do-It-Yourself Movement’ is concerned mostly with some of the repairs and decorating. 4. With the help of magazines and handbooks, giving simple instructions, it is easy to build anything. 5. To learn to do a skilled job properly one needs time and training. 6. All a handyman needs is just a hammer and a few nails. 7. Paying professionals can hardly ever be economical than ‘doing it oneself’.

B Translate into Russian.

1) the high cost of labour; 2) the house-proud English people; 3) a 15 foot sailing dinghy; 4) the finished article stands before you; 5) the expense of paying professionals.

C Paraphrase the following word-combinations from the text.

1) the average Englishman; 2) people of modest means; 3) houses looking bright and smart; 4) to tackle some of the repairs; 5) hopeful handymen of all ages; 6) many a budding ‘do-it-yourselfer’; 7) to learn a skilled craftsman’s job overnight; 8) the amateur handyman; 9) the right tools for the job; 10) the wear and tear on the nerves; 11) in the long run .

D Give the English for:

1) частично, отчасти; 2) мастерская; 3) по той или иной причине; 4) ремонтные работы по дому; 5) постепенно; 6) на свою голову; 7) экономный, бережливый; 8) непрофессионал, любитель.

E Discuss the following questions.

1. What circumstances encouraged the ‘Do-it-Yourself’ movement in postwar Britain? 2. What feeds the popular illusion that “very few things cannot be made by the ‘do-it-yourself’ method”? 3. What obstacles will anyone face when entering a tricky path of a ‘do-it-yourselfer’?