II. Conversational formulas
Disagreements
No, ... |
– Нет, ... |
(Sorry), but ... |
– Сожалею, но ... |
|
– Думаю, что нет. |
I don't think so. |
– Я так не считаю |
|
|
I don't agree. |
– Я не согласен. |
I can't agree. |
– Я не могу согласиться. |
I'm afraid it (that) is not so. |
– Боюсь, что это не так. |
I think you are mistaken. |
– Думаю, что вы ошибаетесь. |
Y ou are wrong. |
– Вы неправы. |
Certainly not. |
– Конечно, нет. |
Surely not. |
Exercises
1. Read and practice the following flashes of conversation, work in pairs:
1
A: Oh, Bob. Will you help me with the English Grammar?
B: Sorry, I shan't. I'm very busy now. Will you come to me tomorrow at 2 p. m.?
A: Yes, of course. See you tomorrow.
2
A: Mum, Sam says Jane is arriving Saturday morning.
B: Oh, no. I think he is mistaken. She'll come here in a week.
3
A: Mike, don't be in a hurry. We've got plenty of time.
B: I don't think so. It'll take us half an hour to get to the university.
4
A: I've got tired of my classes. It seems to me that the more I study the less I know.
B: Surely not. Studies enrich our knowledge.
5
A: They say Susan may be given the main part in the new film of Forman.
B: Certainly not. He invites only talented actresses.
2. Translate the phrases in the following flashes of conversation, work in pairs:
1
A: Did you watch the musical on TV yesterday? I liked the music. It was beautiful.
В: Я так не считаю. The music was quite ordinary.
2
A: Is it true that he has already left for London?
В: Конечно нет. Не is going to leave for London in two weeks.
3
A: Have you spoken to Jack yet?
В: Нет. Я был занят весь день.
4
A: Your English is very good. You have been to England, I suppose.
В: Нет. Вы неправы. I learned English only in Russia.
5
A: I don't think lawyers must be good philosophers.
В: Я так не думаю.
3. Tell your friend about your opinion. He/she will not agree with you, work in pairs:
Model: A: "Spartak" is a great football team.
B: Sorry, I don't think so. I'm a fan of "Dynamo".
Prompts: 1. Football is not an interesting game. 2. TV versions of novels are better than books. 3. Hard work is very pleasant. 4. Grammar rules don't really help you to speak English. 5. Canadian hockey is bad. 6. Autumn is the best season. 7. Chinese food is very good. 8. The Walters enjoyed their stay in Ottawa. 9. Women should keep out of politics.
III. Dialogue
1. Read the dialogue:
Mr. Smith, a lawyer from the USA, is interested in the history of legal education in Russia. Now he is in the library and is speaking to Professor Belov, a specialist in history of state and law.
Smith: Hullo, Mr. Belov. Glad to see you again.
Belov: Hullo, Mr. Smith. Glad to see you too. I see you are going to leave the library.
Smith: Yes, I'm going to the Bolshoy Theatre today, so I have to leave earlier.
Belov: Have you found any new material for your thesis?
Smith: I have. I've learned some new details about legal education in the 19th century Russia. I found out that there were only three educational establishments that trained lawyers before the Court Reform.
Belov: Oh, yes. There were only three of them. Lawyers were trained at Moscow and St. Petersburg universities. There also existed a special school of law.
Smith: I think it was not enough for such a great country. But lawyers were well-educated people in Russia.
Belov: I'm afraid, you are not quite right. There were few well-trained lawyers in Russia before the Court reform. But I do agree with you that lawyers really must be well-educated people. They must be very good psychologists too, because they deal with different people.
Smith: You are quite right. But could you explain to me how the Court Reform told on legal education?
Belov: Certainly. Some more faculties were opened in other universities of Russia, for example, in Kazan and Kharkov. It was necessary to train more lawyers to meet the requirements of that time.
Smith: Could you tell me what subjects were taught at the faculties of law at that time?
Belov: The students studied Roman law, civil law, criminal law, the history of Russian law and some other subjects.
Smith: Thank you for your information. Can we meet tomorrow? I'd like to ask you some more questions about the history of legal education in Russia. And now I have to go to the theatre.
Belov: We, certainly, can meet tomorrow. By the way, what's оn1 at the Bolshoy today?
Smith: Tchaikovsky's ballet "The Sleeping Beauty".
Belov: Oh, it's a wonderful ballet! By the way, do you know that Tchaikovsky graduated from the school of law?
Smith: Oh, really? That's a very interesting fact.
Belov: It really is. And I'm sure you know the name of a famous Romantic poet Apukhtin.
Smith: Do you mean that he was a lawyer too?
Belov: Yes.
Smith: Oh, a romantic lawyer! That's a remarkable fact! English and American lawyers are also romanticists. I'm sure you know such a representative of romanticism in English literature as Walter Scott. He began his legal career as his father's assistant. And Washington Irving, the first classic of American romanticism in literature, worked as a clerk in a law office. Later he was admitted to the Bar2.
Belov: And I can add to this list Robert Louis Stevenson, whose novels impressed us in our childhood. He was a lawyer by education too, Mr.Smith. I think that tomorrow we shall have more time to speak about the history of legal education and the contribution of lawyers to world culture.
Note:
1 tо be on – идти (о спектакле, фильме и т.п.)
2Bar – адвокатура (коллегия адвокатов)
2. Say what you have learned from the dialogue about:
a) higher educational establishments that trained lawyers in the 19th-century Russia; b) the subjects taught at that time, c) prominent figures in culture connected with the legal profession.
3. Answer the questions:
1. Why did Mr. Smith come to Russia? 2. Why did Mr. Smith consult Belov about the history of legal education in Russia?