Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary exercises.
Ex. 1. Complete the following sentences:
1. You can’t imagine an … who doesn’t know any ... . 2. English has become the world’s most important … . 3. It is spoken all … the United Kingdom, Ireland, the … 4. The knowledge of languages … and gives them a possibility to communicate, … . 5. A real professional cannot do without knowing languages, especially English as … . 6. Scientists and scholars must understand English well because … . 7. Diplomats need foreign languages in their work … . 8. … develop our mind. They help us to get acquainted with new many books in the original. 9. Besides, languages are … 10. English language … of William Shakespeare, Walter Scott and Charles Dickens.
Ex. 2. Express the following in English:
1. Некоторые люди изучают языки, потому что им требуется это для работы, другие путешествуют за границей, для третьих – изучение языков – хобби. 2. Все, кто знает иностранные языки, могут разговаривать с людьми из других стран, читать зарубежных авторов в подлиннике, что делает кругозор шире. 3. Английский язык – это язык компьютерных технологий. 4. «Тот, кто не знает иностранного языка, не знает своего собственного», - сказал Вольганг Гете. 5. Знание иностранного языка помогает нам укрепить дружбу и взаимопонимание. 6. Разговаривая на английском языке, можно читать газеты, журналы и произведения великих писателей в оригинале, смотреть спутниковые телевизионные передачи. 7. Чтобы лучше понять себя и окружающий мир, нужно изучать иностранные языки. 8. Если вам нравиться путешествовать, вы можете отправиться куда угодно, не боясь быть непонятным остальными. 9. Так же важно знать английский язык, чтобы найти хорошую работу. 10. Изучение иностранных языков – нелегкое дело, это длительный и сложный процесс, который требует много времени и усилий.
Ex. 3. Look through the text and discuss the following points:
1. Learning foreign language is not easy thing. It is a long and slow process that takes a lot of time and efforts.
2. The language of computers technology.
3. English is very important to find a good job.
4. Foreign languages develop our mind
Ex. 4. Answer the following questions:
1. Is it easy to learn foreign languages? 2. Which language in the world is spoken by most people? 3. When did you begin learning English? 4. Is it difficult for you to learn English? 5. What advantages have the people who know foreign languages?
6. In what countries is English the official language? 7. Is English popular in Russia? 8. Have you ever seen any films an English-speaking country? 9. What other languages would you like to know? 10. Does English help you to make friends? 11. How can you improve your English?
Oral Speech Practice Exercises
Ex. 5. Practice reading the following flashes of conversation:
Mike: What foreign language can you speak?
Sarah: I can speak English. And now I try to learn Spanish.
M: Is your English fluent?
S: I can translate it better than I can speak. But I work hard.
M: When did you start learning English?
S: I started learning English 6 years ago and two years ago I started Spanish.
M: Where did you learn English?
S: I learned it at school and individually under supervision of an experienced teacher.
M: Why do you study English?
S: I study it because I like it; it is a wonderful mixture of sounds and besides it is an international means of communication. People all over the world speak it.
M: How did you learn English? What do you do to know it well?
S: I read texts, translated them from English into Russian and from Russian into English, did exercises, wrote reproductions and tests, listened to the radio in English and read English newspapers.
M: Was it easy for you to read English books and newspapers?
S: Of course, not. It was difficult, so I had to use a dictionary and it took a lot of time.
M: Did you learn English grammar?
S: Sure! You can’t speak English well if you don’t know grammar rules.
M: What are your perspectives in future concerning English?
S: Oh, it’s a good question. I hope I’ll know it well and can use it in my future work.. Besides I like to travel and I am going to visit London soon.
Ex. 6. Comprise the similar flashes of conversation using words and word combinations from the text “Foreign languages in our life”.
Ex. 7. Prove that:
It is necessary for all of us to know English.
English is very popular all over the world.
Learning foreign language is not easy thing.
It is a long and slow process that takes a lot of time and efforts.
Ex. 8. Read the text and be ready: a) to answer the questions below;
b) to give a summery of the text B.
TEXT B. The English language.
Though there are almost three thousand languages in the world, English is the most universal.
English is spoken practically all over the world. It is spoken as the mother tongue in Great Britain, the United States of America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and one of 6 official languages of the United Nations.
England’s history helps to understand the present condition of English. Many English words were borrowed from the language of Angels and Saxons. Hundreds of French words came into English. These French words didn’t crowd out corresponding Anglo-Saxon words. There exist “act”, and “deed”, “beautiful” and “pretty”, “form” and “shape”.
Many new words were brought by trades and travelers. These words came from all parts of the world: “umbrella” – from Italian, “skates” from Dutch, “tea” – from Chinese, “cigar” – from Spanish. Some words came into English directly from Latin, which was the language of the church and the universities in the Middle Ages.
Some of the English words today are derivatives. One way of creating new words is to put together two or more older English words, for example, the words – “railway”, “football”, “newspaper” and made in this way.
Many of the new English words – especially new scientific ones – have been made from Latin and Greek words instead of English ones, “telephone” for instance, was made from Greek words “far”, and “talk”.
English is everywhere. It is on signs, clothing, soft drinks and other goods around the world. In spite of the popularity of the English words and phrases, they are not always welcome. Some people think that the use of English words is dangerous for the purity of their native language. Some countries tried to eliminate English as their official language in order to save their native tongue.
Languages have changed and disappeared throughout the history. This change is inevitable. Because people have very strong feelings about the importance of their native language, we probably will not have English as a universal language in the near future.
Notes:
Mother tongue родной язык
Borrowed from заимствованные из
Anglо – Saxons [ængləu`sæksənz] англосаксы
Australia [os`treljə] Австралия
New-Zealand [nju: zilənd] Зеландия
Dutch [dΛtſ] Нидерландский, голландский
Chinese [tſaini:z] китайский
Questions:
1. In what countries is English spoken as the mother tongue? 2. From what languages are some English words borrowed? 3. Did French words crowd out corresponding Anglo-Saxon ones? 4. What English words that came from all parts of the world do you know? 5. Why are there so many words with Latin roots in English language? 6. What ways of creating new words do you know?