Топики по английскому языку. Топики Тексты для чтения Экзаменационные вопросы Цветкова И. В. Клепальченко И. А
 Скачать 1.02 Mb.
|
|
TOPICS The English Language ENGLISH TODAY The modern world is becoming smaller all the time. Every day distances between different countries seem less. For this reason it's becoming more and more important to know different languages, especially English. One billion people speak English today. That's about 20% of the world's population. 400 million people speak English as their first language. For the other 600 million people it's either a second language or a foreign language. English is the first language in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Australia and New Zealand. It is one of the official languages in Canada, the Irish Republic and the Republic of South Africa. As a second language English is spoken in more than 60 countries. It is used by the government, businessmen and universities. English is the language of politics and diplomacy, science and technology, business and trade, sport and pop music. 80% of all information in the world's computers is in English. 75% of the world's letters and faxes are in English. 60% of all international telephone calls are made in English. More than 60% of all scientific journals are written in English. To know English today is absolutely necessary for every educated person, for every good specialist. Learning a language is not an easy thing. It's a long and slow process that takes a lot of time and patience. But it's a must. English is taught throughout the world and a lot of people speak it quite well. In our country English is very popular: it is studied at schools (sometimes even at nursery schools), colleges and universities. Everyone will speak English soon — I'm sure of it. We all need to understand each other. To do that we need an international language, and that's English. Names the United Kingdom [ju:,naitid 'kirjdam] Соединен- Canada ['kaenada] Канада ное Королевство (Великобритании и Северной the Irish ['aiarij] Republic Ирландская Республика Ирландии) the Republic of South Africa Южно-Африканская Australia [os'treilia] Австралия республика New Zealand [,nju: 'zi:land] Новая Зеландия Vocabulary distance f'distans] расстояние reason [Ti:zn] причина especially [is'pefali] в особенности billion ['biljan] миллиард population [,popju'leijn] население official [a'fijal] language государственный язык government ['gAvanmant] правительство politics f'politiks] политика diplomacy [di'plaumasi] дипломатия science ['saians] наука technology [tek'noladji] техника trade [treid] торговля fax [faeks] факс scientific [saian'tifik] научный educated ['edjukeitid] образованный, культурный process ['preusas] процесс patience ['peifnsj терпение it's a must это просто необходимо; без этого нельзя throughout [6ru:'aut] the world no всему миру nursery ['пз:зэп] school детский сад Questions 1. Why is it necessary to know English today? 2. English is a world language, isn't it? 3. How many people speak English? 4. In what countries is English the official language (one of the official languages)? 5. Is English popular in Russia? 6. Is learning languages an easy thing? 7. When did you begin learning English? 8. How long have you been learning English? 9. Have you read any books in English? 10. Have you seen any films in English? 11. Have you ever visited an English-speaking country? 12. What other languages would you like to know? Hot Issues LIFE IN THE 21ST CENTURY We've entered a new era: the twenty-first century. Of course, it's exciting and we are trying to predict what our life will be like in the future. It will certainly become better — I'm sure of it. Robots will do all the dangerous and dirty work for us and our daily life will become easier. They'll sweep the floor, dust the furniture, wash the dishes and even cook! It doesn't mean we'll become lazier, no. When everything is automated, we'll be able to do more creative jobs. We'll be able to call our friends on a videophone and type up homework by talking to a small gadget that understands the human voice. Scientists (or probably computers?) will find solutions to our most urgent problems. People will stop dying from cancer and AIDS and will live to be 150 years old. There will be no more famine on our planet and no more hungry children. Our cities will become cleaner, greener and safer. We'll drive electric cars and live in houses with lots of plants and special air-cleaning gadgets. Atmospheric pollution will be stopped and our planet will be saved. There will be no more wars, no more criminals and no more terrorists. People will learn to live in peace and understand each other. We'll have more free time and longer holidays. We'll be able to travel in space and — who knows? — one day we'll be able to spend our holidays on Mars. I'm really optimistic about the future. After all, we are becoming wiser. The superpowers are disarming, governments are waking up to Green issues ... Anyway, it's up to us to look after our planet and try to make it a better place to live. Names Mars [ma:z] Mapc Vocabulary era [lore] эра robot ['raubot] робот exciting [ik'saitiQ] волнующий dangerous f'deir^aras] опасный to predict [pri'dikt] предсказывать daily ['deili] повседневный to sweep ['swi:p] (swept) подметать to dust [d/vst] вытирать пыль furniture ['f3:nitj8] мебель lazy [leizi] ленивый to automate [-o:tameit] автоматизировать creative [krh'eitiv] творческий videophone ['vidiafaun] видеотелефон to type up ['taip 'лр] печатать gadget ['gaed3it] приспособление scientist ['saiantist] ученый solution [sa'luijn] решение urgent ['3:d3ant] неотложный cancer ['kaensa] рак AIDS[eidz] спид famine ['faemin] голод safe [self] безопасный atmospheric pollution [,setma'sferik pa'lujn] атмосферное загрязнение criminal ['kriminl] преступник terrorist ['terarist] террорист optimistic [ppti'mistik] оптимистический wise [waiz] мудрый superpower f'suipa.paua] сверхдержава to disarm [dis'a:m] разоружаться government ['gAvanmant] правительство are waking up to начинают осознавать, понимать Green issues [1Ju:z], ['isju:z] экологические проблемы it's up to us это зависит от нас; это наше дело Questions 1. Are you optimistic about the future? 2. Do you believe that robots will do all the dangerous and dirty work for us? 3. What will robots do for us? 4. Do you think children will go to school in the future? 5. What's the difference between a telephone and a videophone? 6. Will writing by hand become the thing of the past? 7. Why do you think people will become healthier? 8. Will our planet become cleaner or more polluted? 9. Pessimists say that one day we'll have to pay for clean air just like we do now for clean water. Do you think it's possible? 10. Will there be wars in the future? 11. Have you ever seen an electric car? 12. Do you think the world will become more democratic? COMPUTER REVOLUTION 50 years ago people didn't even heard of computers, and today we cannot imagine life without them. Computer technology is the fastest-growing industry in the world. The first computer was the size of a minibus and weighed a ton. Today, its job can be done by a chip the size of a pin head. And the revolution is still going on. Very soon we'll have computers that we'll wear on our wrists or even in our glasses and earrings. The next generation of computers will be able to talk and even think for themselves. They will contain electronic "neural networks". Of course, they'll be still a lot simpler than human brains, but it will be a great step forward. Such computers will help to diagnose illnesses, find minerals, identify criminals and control space travel. Some people say that computers are dangerous, but I don't agree with them. They save a lot of time. They seldom make mistakes. It's much faster and easier to surf the Internet than to go to the library. On-line shopping makes it possible to find exactly what you want at the best price, saving both time and money. E-mail is a great invention, too. It's faster than sending a letter and cheaper than sending a telegram. All in all, I strongly believe that computers are a useful tool. They have changed our life for the better. So why shouldn't we make them work to our advantage? Vocabulary computer technology [tek'nolad3i] комгаотерные generation [,d3ena'reijn] поколение технологии to contain [kan'tein] содержать industry [Indastri] отрасль промышленности, neural network [,njuaral 'netwa:k] нейронная сеть индустрия human ['hju:man] человеческий minibus ['minib/\s] микроавтобус brain [brein] мозг to weigh [wei] весить step [step] шаг ton [1лп] тонна to diagnose f'daiagnauz] ставить диагноз chip [tjip] чип, микросхема to identify [ai'dentifai] опознавать pin head ['pin hed] булавочная головка criminal ['kriminl] преступник wrist [rist] запястье dangerous f'deir^aras] опасный to save [seiv] экономить e-mail [1: meil] электронная почта to surf [sa:f] the Internet ['intanet] искать, invention [in'venjn] изобретение "бродить" по Интернету all in all в общем on-line [pn'lain] shopping покупки через Интернет tool [tu:l] инструмент (интернет- магазины) So why shouldn't we make them work to our exactly [ig'zaektli] именно то advantage [ed'va:ntid3]? зд. Почему бы их не за- price [prais] цена ставить работать на нас? Questions 1. Have you got a computer? 2. Do you think it's a useful tool? 3. Will computers become smaller in the future? 4. Can the Internet help you to do your homework? 5. Can computers help us to learn foreign languages? 6. Do you play computer games? 7. What are the advantages of on-line shopping? 8. What are the advantages of e-mail? 9. Do you think that computers are bad for health? 10. Some people have made friends through the Internet. What about you? 11. Some people say that computers make us less sociable. Do you agree? 12. What will the next generation of computers be able to do? WILL WE LIVE IN SPACE? People have dreamed of travelling in space for thousands of years. But it was not until 1957 that it became a reality. On October 4, 1957 Russia launched the first man-made satellite into space. It was called Sputnik 1. On April 12, 1961 the Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to orbit the Earth. The first spacewoman in the world was Valentina Tereshkova. She made 48 orbits in 1963 in her Vostok 6. On July 20, 1969 the American astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the Moon. In 1986 the Russian space station Mir was launched. Progress is inevitable and soon we'll be able to visit and even live on other planets. The 21st century may turn science fiction into science fact. Scientists are already at work on the International Space Station, a "city of space". It will be the size of a football field and will weigh over 200 tons. A team of 10-15 spacemen will probably be able to live and work at the International Space Station in 2005. The next step will be the first moonbase. 20 or 30 scientists will live inside a dome with an artificial atmosphere. This will make it possible for them to live and work without spacesuits. It also means that they will be able to grow food. If the moonbase is a success, the first lunar city will be built. It will have schools and universities, cinemas and discos, scientific laboratories and hospitals. Even babies will be bom on the moon! The next great step will be when people land on our nearest planet Mars. Scientists say that the planet once had water on its surface. If that water is now frozen underground, humans will be able to use it someday. By the end of the 2Г' century, scientists hope, it will be possible to "terraform" Mars — transform the planet into an earthlike place with air and water. Space awaits the 21st century's pioneers. Vocabulary reality [ri'aeliti] действительность, реальность man-made [,maen'meid] искусственный to launch [b:ntj] запускать satellite ['ssetalait] спутник cosmonaut [,kozma'no:t] космонавт to orbit ['o:bit] зд. облететь вокруг astronaut [,aestra'no:t] астронавт to set foot on ступить на inevitable [in'evitabl] неизбежный science fiction [,saians 'fikjn] научная фантастика to weigh [wei] весить team [ti:m] команда step [step] шаг moonbase ['mumbeis] лунная база dome [daum] купол artificial |>:ti'fi;i] искусственный atmosphere ['setmasfia] атмосфера spacesuit ['speis(j)u:t] скафандр to be a success [sak'ses] иметь успех lunar [1u:na] лунный surface ['S3:fis] поверхность frozen f'frauzn] замёрзший, замороженный humans ['hju:manz] люди to terraform ['terafo:m] сделать похожим на Землю earthlike ['3:9laik] похожий на Землю to await [a'weit] ждать, ожидать Questions 1. Do you believe that one day we'll be able to live in space? 2. When was Sputnik 1 launched? 3. Who was the first man to orbit our planet? 4. Who was the first spacewoman in the world? 5. Who was the first man to land on the Moon? 6. What do you know about the International Space Station? 7. What will the first lunar city be like? 8. Would you like to live on Mars? 9. Is there water on Mars? 10. Do you think it will be possible to "terraform" Mars? 11. Do you think that one day it will be possible to travel to other galaxies? 12. Do you believe that there's life on other planets? OUR PLANET EARTH The planet Earth is only a tiny part of the universe, but it's the only place where human beings can live. Today, our planet is in serious danger. Acid rains, global warming, air and water pollution, overpopulation are the problems that threaten human life on Earth. Who is to blame for the disaster? The answer is simple: all of us. Our forests are disappearing because they are cut down or burnt. If this trend continues, one day we won't have enough oxygen to breathe. The seas are in danger. They are filled with poison: industrial and nuclear waste, chemical fertilisers and pesticides. The Mediterranean is already nearly dead; the North Sea is following. The Aral Sea is on the brink of extinction. If nothing is done about it, one day nothing will be able to live in the seas. Every ten minutes one kind of animal, plant or insect dies out for ever. If nothing is done about it, one million species that are alive today may soon become extinct. Air pollution is another serious problem. In Cairo just breathing the air is dangerous — equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. The same holds true for many Russian cities. Factories emit tons of harmful chemicals. These emissions have disastrous consequences for our planet. They are the main reason for the greenhouse effect and acid rains. An even greater threat are nuclear power stations. We all know how tragic the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster are. Fortunately, it's not too late to solve these problems. We have the time, the money and even the technology to make our planet a better, cleaner and safer place. We can plant trees and create parks for endangered species. We can recycle litter. We can support green parties and put pressure on those in power. Together we can save the planet and all of us with it. Names the Mediterranean [,medit8'reinian] Средиземное the Aral [a:'ra:l] Sea Аральское море море Cairo ['kairau] Каир the North Sea Северное море Chernobyl [tjai'nobl] Чернобыль Vocabulary tiny ['taini] крошечный universe ['ju:niv3:s] вселенная human being [,hju:man 'bi:io] человек acid f'aesid] rains кислотные дожди global ['gteubl] warming глобальное потепление pollution [pa'lu:Jn] загрязнение overpopulation [,auvapopju'leijn] перенаселение to threaten ['6retn] угрожать to blame ['bleim] винить disaster [di'za:sta] несчастье, беда to cut down ['k/\t 'daun] рубить, срубать trend тенденция oxygen ['oksid3an] кислород to breathe ['britd] дышать poison ['poizn] яд, отрава industrial and nuclear ['nju:klia] waste промышлен- ные и ядерные отходы fertilizer [;f3:tilaiza] удобрение pesticide f'pestisaid] пестицид on the brink of extinction [ik'stiijkjn] на грани исчезновения to die out вымирать species ['spi:fi:z] вид, род to become extinct [ik'stiQkt] вымирать equivalent [tkwivalant] равноценный, равнознач- ный the same holds true for это справедливо для, это касается и... to emit [i mit] выбрасывать harmful ['ha:mfal] вредный chemicals ['kemikalz] химикалии emission [i'mijn] выброс disastrous [di'zarstras] чудовищный consequence ['konsikwans] последствие greenhouse effect ['gri:nhaus i,fekt] парниковый эффект threat ['9ret] угроза nuclear power station [,nju:klia 'paua ,steijn] атомная электростанция tragic ['traedjik] трагический technology [tek'nolad3i] технология endangered [in'deindjad] вымирающий (вид) to recycle [,ri:'saikl] утилизировать litter [lite] мусор to support [sa'po:t] поддерживать to put pressure ['preja] on оказывать давление на those in power те, кто находится у власти Questions 1. Why is our planet in danger? 2. Who is to blame for the disaster? 3. What is happening to our forests? 4. Why are the seas in danger? 5. The Aral Sea is on the brink of extinction. Do you think it's possible to save it? 6. A lot of animals are dying out. But people wear fur coats, crocodile handbags, leather shoes, etc. Are you for or against hunting? 7. Is air pollution a serious problem? Why? 8. The car is now the world's number one polluter. Do you think it's possible to make it cleaner and safer? Have you heard about electric cars? 9. Why are nuclear power stations dangerous? What were the tragic consequences of the Chernobyl disaster? 10. What is the main cause of the greenhouse effect and acid rams? 11. What will happen to our planet if the present trends continue? Do you think that one day it may become uninhabitable? 12. What can we do to save the planet? |