Топики по английскому языку. Топики Тексты для чтения Экзаменационные вопросы Цветкова И. В. Клепальченко И. А
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MY FRIEND My best friend's name's Nick. We made friends a few years ago. We are of the same age. We live in the same block of flats, so we see each other almost every day. Nick is a tall slender boy. He has got dark hair, large dark eyes, a straight nose and thin lips. He wears spectacles. He is a nice guy. He is very honest and just, understanding and kind. I trust him a lot and I'm sure that I can rely on him in any situation. He never lets people down. Nick is only 19 but he is very responsible — he finishes whatever he starts. He's got only one shortcoming - he is a bit stubborn. Nevertheless he is pleasant to deal with. Nick's an only child and his parents love him very much. His father is a lawyer. He is the most brilliant man I've ever met. He knows everything there's to know about the law. His mother is a music teacher. No wonder Nick is so talented. He's got a very good ear for music. He likes jazz and plays the piano very well. We spend a lot of time together. We often watch video or listen to music. Sometimes we go to the cinema or to the theatre, or walk around the centre of Moscow, visiting small cafes, museums, art galleries, shops. We talk for hours about all sorts of things (politics, love, teachers, girls). We discuss films, television programmes, books. I never quarrel with Nick. But if there's some misunderstanding between us we try to make peace as soon as possible. What I like best about him is that he is always willing to help and share his knowledge, thoughts and feelings. I respect him for his fairness, strong will, intellect and modesty. I miss Nick when we don't see each other for a long time. Without him I would feel lonely and uncomfortable. Our friendship helps me to feel strong and sure of myself. Vocabulary to make friends подружиться of the same age ровесники block of flats многоквартирный дом slender ['slenda] стройный straight [streit] прямой spectacles ['spektaklz] очки guy [gai] парень honest ['onist] честный just [d3/\st] справедливый understanding отзывчивый, чуткий to trust доверять, верить to rely [n'lai] on smb полагаться на кого-либо, доверять to let smb down подводить responsible [ris'ponsibl] ответственный whatever [wofeve] что бы ни shortcoming ['fo:t,k/\mirj] недостаток stubborn ['sUban] упрямый nevertheless [,nevada'les] тем не менее he is pleasant ['pleznt] to deal with с ним приятно иметь дело an only child единственный ребенок в семье lawyer [1o:ja] юрист, адвокат brilliant ['briljant] замечательный, блестящий no wonder ['w/vnda] неудивительно talented ['taelantid] талантливый a good ear for music хороший музыкальный слух jazz [djaez] джаз video ['vidiau] видеозапись cafe f'kaefei] кафе art gallery f'gaelari] картинная галерея politics ['politiks] политика, политические взгляды, убеждения quarrel ['kworal] ссориться misunderstanding [,misAnda'staendir)] недопонима- ние to make peace помириться as soon as possible как можно скорее share [Jea] делить, разделять to respect [ri'spekt] уважать fairness ['feanis] справедливость strong will сильная воля intellect [Intilekt] ум modesty ['modisti] скромность to miss smb скучать без кого-либо Questions 1. Have you got a lot of friends? 2. What is your best friend's name? 3. How long have you been friends? 4. Where does he (she) live? 5. Do you often see each other? 6. Where did you meet for the first time? 7. What do you do in your free time? 8. What do you usually talk about? 9. Do you quarrel? 10. What do you like best about your friend? 11. Has he (she) got any shortcomings? 12. Do you think friendship depends on shared interests — hobbies and leisure activities? 13. Does it mean that if two people don't have common hobbies they can't be real friends? 14. What features do you like (dislike) in people? MY SCHOOL I've just left school and I'd like to tell you a few words about it. My school is one of the oldest specialized schools in Moscow. It's famous for its highquality education and strict discipline. The school is very well-equipped. On the ground floor there's a gym, a canteen, a library and two workshops. On the first floor there's a large assembly hall, a home economics room, a computer class and a language laboratory. On the second floor there are physics, chemistry and biology labs. I went to school five days a week. Classes began at nine o'clock in the morning. But I usually came to school ten minutes earlier. Each lesson lasted forty minutes. After three or four lessons we had a thirty-minute break. During this break we went to the canteen to have lunch. Every day we had 7 or 8 lessons. The lessons were over at four o'clock in the afternoon. We usually had a lot of homework and it took me several hours to do it. I sometimes had to sit up to write a composition, to prepare a report, to translate a newspaper article from English into Russian or to learn a poem by heart. After classes I didn't usually go home right away. We had some out-ofclass activities. Our social and cultural life was well-organized. For example, we had an orchestra, a choir, an arts club, an International Friendship Club. I took part in the drama club. At school we had classes in Russian, Literature, Mathematics, Biology, Geography, Physics, Chemistry, English, History, Computer Programming. We also had Music, Physical Education, and Information Technology. My favourite subject was English. I liked to learn new words, to dramatize texts and dialogues. I liked it when we discussed something interesting to us, when we were taught to debate, when we had small-group discussions or set up a role play. But I wasn't very good at chemistry. I always failed to learn formulas and terms properly. Maybe our chemistry teacher was too serious, too academic. She was not imaginative enough and her lessons were a little bit dull. I liked my class. I always felt at home there. Everybody was so friendly and easy to get along with. I was on good terms with my classmates and we often spent our free time together. Vocabulary specialized ['spejalaizd] school специализированная high-quality высокого качества школа strict строгий discipline ['disiplin] дисциплина well-equipped [,weh'kwipt] хорошо оборудованный gym [d3im] спортивный зал canteen [kaen'tiin] столовая workshops мастерские assembly [a'sembli] hall а ктовый зал home economics [^ka'nomiks] room кабинет домоводства computer class компьютерный класс language laboratory лингафонный кабинет physics ['fiziks] физика chemistry ['kemistri] химия biology [bai'olad3i] биология to sit up засиживаться допоздна, не ложиться спать, бодрствовать composition сочинение report [n'po:t] доклад right away сразу же out-of-class внеклассный social f'saujl] общественный orchestra f'o:kistra] оркестр choir f'kwaia] хор arts club художественный кружок International Friendship Club Клуб интернацио- нальной дружбы drama ['dra:ma] club драмкружок geography [d3ftgrafi] география physical education [,fizikal edju'kei/n] физкультура Information Technology [tek'nobdji] информатика to dramatize f'draemataiz] инсценировать to debate [di'beit] проводить дебаты, спорить, обсуждать to set up a role play проводить ролевую игру formula ['fcxmjula] формула term [torn] термин properly ['propali] как следует serious ['siariasj серьезный academic [,aka'demik] академичный, оторванный от практики imaginative [i'msedjinativ] изобретательный dull [dAl] скучный to get along with ладить to be on good terms with быть в хороших отношениях Questions 1. What kind of school did you go to? 2. Was your school well or poorly equipped? 3. Was the quality of teaching high? 4. Did you have any problems with discipline? 5. How many lessons a day did you have? 6. Did you spend much time on your homework? 7. What was your favourite subject? 8. Were there any subjects you were bad at? 9. Were you taught computer skills? 10. What subjects do you think should be studied at school? 11. Did you take part in any out-of-class activities? 12. Were you on good terms with your teachers? 13. Did you get along with your classmates? HOW I WENT SHOPPING One day my friend Nick and I decided to go shopping. I took my salary and Nick took his father's salary. Nick needed some new clothes badly. There are a lot of shops, supermarkets and department stores in the centre of the city, so we decided to go through some of them. The first shop on our way was a large supermarket. The choice of goods was very impressive. It seemed to us that on the counters and shelves there was everything one could want. We could see sausages of different kinds, fish, meat, poultry. At the bakery there was bread, rolls, buscuits. At the dairy department there was milk, cream, cheese, butter. Everything was nicely packed and when we came to the cashier our baskets were full. Then we went to the department store which was right across the street. Nick and I are fond of computers and video and hi-fi equipment, so we couldn't go past our favourite department. There were a lot of computers, video cassette recorders, TV sets, hi-fi centres and tape recorders. Nick bought three new CDs and I bought two video cassettes. And then, at last, we found the men's clothing department. There were a lot of suits, trousers, jackets, shirts and many other things. Nick needed a suit because he was going to the theatre with his girlfriend and her parents to see Pygmalion. As you probably remember, Nick is very tall and slim. So it's always difficult to find clothes that would suit him perfectly. The shop assistant asked Nick's size and offered him a nice suit. But when Nick tried it on I couldn't help laughing. The jacket was too big for him and the trousers were too short. He looked so funny! The shop assistant thought for a moment and then suggested that Nick should try on some jackets and some trousers separately. An hour later Nick looked like an English gentleman. The pinstriped jacket matched the black trousers perfectly. The shop assistant also showed Nick a wonderful tie and he immediately agreed to buy it. We had to go home by taxi because our bags were so huge that we could hardly lift them. We came home completely broke but happy. Vocabulary to go shopping ходить по магазинам salary ['saelari] зарплата to need badly очень нуждаться supermarket ['su:pa,ma:kit] универсам department store [di'pa-.tmant sto:] универмаг to go through [0ru:] зд. пройтись on one's way по дороге, на пути choice [tfois] выбор impressive [im'presiv] впечатляющий counter ['kaunta] прилавок sausage [-sosid3] колбаса poultry ['pauttri] птица bakery ['beikari] хлебный отдел roll [raul] булочка biscuits ['biskits] печенье dairy ['deari] молочные продукты cream [kri:m] сливки nicely packed красиво упакованный cashier [kse'Jie] кассир basket ['ba:skit] корзина right across the street прямо через дорогу video equipment [i'kwipmant] видео-аппаратура hi-fi [,hai'fai] equipment аудио-аппаратура to go past пройти мимо men's clothing department отдел мужской одежды suit [su:t / sju:t] костюм slim стройный to suit perfectly быть впору, прекрасно подходить size размер to try on примерять I couldn't help laughing Я не мог не рассмеяться to suggest [sa'd3est] предлагать separately ['sepratli] отдельно gentleman ['d3entlmen] джентльмен pin-striped ['pinstraipt] jacket пиджак в тонкую полоску to match соответствовать, подходить, сочетаться immediately [i'mi:diatli] сразу же, немедленно huge [hju:d3] огромный hardly едва, с трудом to lift поднимать completely [kam'pli:tli] совершенно broke [brauk] без денег Questions 1. Who does the shopping in your family? 2. How often do you go shopping? 3. Do you prefer to go shopping on weekdays or at the weekend? 4. Do you like to go to small shops or to big department stores and supermarkets? 5. Which do you think is the most convenient time for shopping? 6. Some people are fond of window-shopping (разглядывание витрин). Can you say that you belong to such people? 7. What are the advantages and disadvantages of big supermarkets? 8. When did you last go shopping? What did you buy? MY PLANS FOR THE FUTURE When you leave school you understand that the time to choose your future profession has come. It's not an easy task to make the right choice of a job. I have known for a long time that leaving school is the beginning of my independent life, the beginning of a far more serious examination of my abilities and character. I have asked myself a lot of times: "What do I want to be when I leave school?" A few years ago it was difficult for me to give a definite answer. As the years passed I changed my mind a lot of times about which science or field of industry to specialize in. It was difficult to make up my mind and choose one of the hundreds jobs to which I might be better suited. A couple of years ago I wanted to become a doctor. I thought it was a very noble profession. I was good at biology and chemistry in the 8th and 9th forms. I wanted to help people who had problems with health. I knew that a doctor should be noble in work and life, kind and attentive to people, responsible and reasonable, honest and prudent. A doctor, who is selfish, dishonest can't be good at his profession. I tried to do my best to develop good traits in myself. Now I have already decided what to do. I'd like to be a teacher. I know that it's very difficult to become a good teacher. You should know perfectly the subject you teach, you must be well-educated and well-informed. An ignorant teacher teaches ignorance, a fearful teacher teaches fear, a bored teacher teaches boredom. But a good teacher develops in his pupils the burning desire to know and love for the truth and beauty. As John Steinbeck once said, a great teacher is a great artist and you know how few great artists there are in the world. Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts. It's a great responsibility to bring up children. I think that's the reason why teachers are deeply respected. More and more people realise that every educated person should know a foreign language. That's why I'm going to become an English teacher. I always remember these famous words and I'm going to teach them to my pupils: "He, who doesn't know a foreign language, doesn't know his own language". Names John Steinbeck ['steinbek] Джон Стейнбек (известный американский писатель) Vocabulary choice [t/ois] выбор to develop [di'vetep] развивать independent [jndPpendant] независимый trait [trei/treit] черта характера far more гораздо более well-informed эрудированный serious ['siarias] серьезный ignorant f'ignarant] несведущий, незнающий, ма- ability [a'biliti] способность лообразованный character ['kaerakta] характер ignorance [Ignarans] невежество, незнание, нео- to change one's mind передумать сведомленность to make up one's mind решить(ся) fearful [fiaful] робкий, пугливый to suit [sju:t] подходить fear [fia] страх, боязнь noble ['naubl] благородный bored [bo:d] уставший, безразличный, равнодушный attentive [a'tentiv] внимательный boredom ['bo:damj скука responsible [ris'ponsibl] ответственный burning desire [di'zaia] жгучее желание reasonable ['ri:zanabl] разумный, обладающий responsibility [risponsi'biliti] ответственность здравым смыслом to bring up воспитывать prudent ['pru:dant] осмотрительный, осторожный, reason ['ri:zn] причина благоразумный deeply f'dhpli] глубоко selfish ['selfij] эгоистичный to respect [ri'spekt] уважать dishonest [dis'onist] бесчестный to realize ['rialaiz] понимать, осознавать Questions 1. Have you decided on your career? 2. When did you begin making plans for the future? 3. When were you able to give a definite answer about your future profession? Did anybody help you to make the choice? 4. Are you going to work and study at the same time? 5. Why do you think teaching is a noble profession? 6. What traits must a good teacher have? 7. What difficulties of teaching profession can you name? 8. What did Steinbeck say about teaching? 9. What other jobs do you know? 10. In what jobs is the knowledge of a foreign language necessary? 11. Would you rather have a dull well-paid job or an interesting but poorly-paid job? 12. Have you got computer skills? 13. Do you think people will work less in the future? 14. Do you believe that one day teachers will be replaced by computers? |