Ex. 1. Read the text and get its central idea.
Ex. 2. Read the text again and note important details. Divide the text into logical parts. Find key sentences in each part.
Ex. 3. Find in the text and read aloud sentences that prove that...
1.... the level of literacy in Mesopotamian Societies was rather high;
2. ... the first steps towards urbanization were made between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers;
3. ... powerful civilizations were developing in other parts of the region;
4. ... the first signs of the Neolithic revolution appeared in the Ancient Near East;
5. ... Alexander the Great united the Greeks and the Persians
6. ... the eclipse of the old powers took place in mid-first millennium;
7. ... the Persians were not able to conquer mainland Greece.
Ex. 4. List the items from Ex. 3 in the order in which they come in the text.
IV. VOCABULARY SKILLS
Ex. 5. Give Russian equivalents of the following word combinations and reproduce the sentences in which they are used in the text:
the beginnings of agriculture
craft skills
to master smth.
city-dwellers
theocratic states
ox-drawn chariots
to enjoy some weight
to take over an empire
straightforward symbols
to be impressed on wet clay
to be impressed with stylus
all-purpose script
eclipse of a power
a byword for luxury and power
to be well-positioned for trade
Egyptian-controlled Palestine
Ex. 6. Give English equivalents of the following words and word combinations and reproduce sentences in which they are used in the text.:
неолитическая революция
торговля редкими товарами
литье
захоронения
соперники
города- государства
клинописные знаки
писать предложениями
начало пятого века
подчинение
Ex. 7. Match the notions and their definitions:
- the Near East
2. the Neolithic revolution
3. Mesopotamia
4. cuneiform
5. satraps
6. a king
a) the all-purpose script of the Near East, adapted to the writing of many different languages
b) the region between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers
c) the region stretching from the Persian Gulf to Palestine and Anatolia
d) local governors in Persia under Darius
e) the byword for luxury and power among the Greeks
f) wedge-writing
g) the period when the beginnings of agriculture, the manufacture of pottery and the first steps towards urbanization appeared and were accompanied by trade in rare goods
Ex. 8. Paraphrase the italicized parts, using the expressions from the text and Ex. 5,6:
1. By 3500 our ancestors had become good at mining, smelting and working of metals.
2. The first true citizens lived in Mesopotamia.
3. The Hittites established an empire that stretched as far as Palestine governed by Egypt.
4. At the beginning of the first millennium ВС the Assyrians dominated the Near East for three centuries.
5. Mesopotamian societies could read and write.
6. Syria and Palestine, located well enough for trade, were of some importance in military and economic field.
7. Cuneiform became the script used in every sphere.
8. The splendor and wealth of their rule made the name of the king of Persia a synonym of luxury and power among the Greeks.
9. The Akkadians, Assyrians and Babylonians were all successful rivals in the years up to 1500 ВС.
Ex. 9. Complete the sentences:
1. The ancient Near East is the region ...
2. Sumerian cities of the third millennium ВС ...
3. Writing started in ...
4. The first signs of the 'Neolithic revolution' were ...
5. The Hittites Empire enjoyed some ...
6. The first true city-dwellers«appeared in ...
7. Control of Mesopotamia was ...
8. Syllabic symbols made it possible ...
9. The Persian king Cyrus captured ...
10. Written material on clay and stones includes...
11. Alexander the Great crossed into Asia ...
12. The Sasanians were the successors of...
V. SPEAKING SKILLS
Ex. 10. Agree or disagree. Prove your answer:
1. Alexander the Great liberated the Greek cities and proclaimed the unity of the Greeks and Persians.
2. Cuneiform could not be adapted to the writing of many different languages.
3. The Persians were the first to extend their domination beyond present-
day Iran into Eastern Anatolia.
4. Darius established a system of 'satraps', or local governors.
5. Both Darius and Xerxes managed to conquer mainland Greece.
6. After Alexander's death much of the Near Eastern parts came into the hands of the Seleucid dynasty.
7. The first signs of the 'Neolithic revolution' appeared in Mesopotamia.
8. The fourth millennium ВС saw the beginnings of the true city-life.
Ex. 11. a) Answer the following questions to see if you understand every word in the text:
1. What societies were the first to be literate?
2. What were the first signs of the 'Neolithic revolution'?
3. What is known about the first true city-dwellers?
4. What peoples lived in the region of the Near East in ancient times?
5. In what way can you characterize the Hittites' Empire?
6. What were the stages of changes in written symbols?
7. Is there any written material of the period?
b) Put questions of your own to the rest of the text. Ask your classmates to answer them.