Для закрепления тем xvi, xvii.

Заполните пропуски, выбрав соответствующие формы местоимений some, any, no и их производных. Переведите предложения на русский язык.

1. She always tells her problems to ..... who will listen.

2. ..... knows ..... about it.

3. She didn’t tell the associates ..... relevant to the problem.

4. I’d like to know ..... more information about economic situation in the region.

5. They don’t get ..... profit at all.

6. ..... students attended the class.

7. There was ..... there, but I couldn’t see who exactly.

8. There wasn’t ..... extraordinary in the securities department.

9. We’ve got E-mail from ..... but our boss.

10. I knew ..... about his failure.

11. I see ..... at the window.

12. I haven’t got ..... money about me, so I’m not going to buy ..... else.

13. There is ..... in the next room who wants to speak to you.

14. Please, tell us the story, ..... knows it yet.

15. ..... knows about it.

16. ..... of them speak English well.

17. If ..... calls while I’m out, ask him to wait.

18. I understand ..... now. Thank you for your explanation.

19. Let me know if ..... happens.

20. I know ..... about your premises. Tell me ..... about them.

В условных предложениях поставьте глаголы в нужной форме.

1. If I (work) for this company I (get extremely tired).

2. If I (know) the answer for this claim, I (tell) you. But unfortunately I don’t know at least right now.

3. If my colleagues (know) the overseas investors were coming, they (meet) them at the airport.

4. If she (have) enough money, she (can help) you for sure.

5. If our boss (not miss) the plane, he (be) here by now.

6. Our children and grandchildren (suffer) if we not (look) after our planet.

7. You (learn) German more easily if you (study) a little every day.

8. If I (be) him, I (refuse) that position in the company.

9. Should we (need) such goods we (write) to you again.

ТЕКСТЫ ДЛЯ ЧТЕНИЯ.

MY FAMILY (МОЯ СЕМЬЯ)

I am Alex Sidorov. Alex is my first name and Sidorov is my surname. I am seventeen years old. I want to tell you a few words about my family. My family is large. I've got a mother, a father, a sister, a brother and a grandmother.

There are six of us in the family.

My mother is a teacher of biology. She works in a college. She likes her profession. She is a good-looking woman with brown hair and green eyes. She is forty-four but she looks much younger. She is tall and slim.

My father is a computer programmer. He is very experienced. He is a broad-shouldered, tall man with fair hair and grey eyes. He is forty-six. My father often sings and when we are at home and have some free time, I play the guitar and we sing together. My father knows all about new radio sets and likes to repair old ones. He is also handy with many things. When he was small, he liked to take everything to pieces. My grandmother told me a story that once my father tried to "repair" their kitchen clock. He managed to put all the wheels and screws back again — but the clock did not work. They had to give it to a repairman. But that happened a long time ago. Now he can fix almost everything: a vacuum cleaner, a washing machine, a fridge and what not. He's got a few shelves where he keeps everything he needs. On the table there's always a radio in pieces.

My parents have been married for twenty-six years. They have much in common, but they have different views on music, books and films. For example, my father likes horror films and my mother likes "soap operas". My father is fond of tennis. My mother isn't interested in sports. But my parents have the same opinion about my education and upbringing.

My parents are hard-working people. My mother keeps house and takes care of me and my father. She is very good at cooking and she is clever with her hands. She is very practical. My father and I try to help her with the housework. I wash the dishes, go shopping and tidy our flat.

My grandmother is a pensioner. She lives with us and helps to run the house. She is fond of knitting.

My sister Helen is twenty-five. She is married and has a family of her own. She works as an accountant for a small business company. Her husband is a scientist. They've got twins: a daughter and a son. They go to a nursery school.My brother Boris is eleven. He is a schoolboy. He wants to become a doctor but he is not sure yet. Three months ago he dreamed of being a cosmonaut.

I want to become a student. I'd like to learn foreign languages. I think I take after my father. I'm tall, fair-haired and even-tempered. I always try to be in a good mood.

We've got a lot of relatives. We are deeply attached to each other and we get on very well.

Questions

1. What is your first name? What is your surname?

2. How old are you?

3. When is your birthday?

4. Is your family large? How many are you in the family?

5. Have you got any brothers or sisters?

6. What are your parents? Where do they work?

MY FLAT (МОЯ КВАРТИРА)

Wе live in a new 16-storeyed block of flats in Strogino. It's situated in a very picturesque place not far from the Moskva River. There's a big supermarket on the ground floor and it's very convenient to do everyday shopping.

Our flat is on the fifth floor. It's very comfortable and well-planned. We have all modern conveniences, such as central heating, electricity, gas, cold and hot running water and a telephone. There are three rooms, a kitchen, a bathroom and a hall in our flat. There's also a balcony and we can enjoy a lovely view of the river.

The largest room in our flat is the living room and we use it as a dining room and as a sitting room. In the middle of the room there's a big table and six chairs round it. Opposite the window there's a wall unit with lots of books, a TV-set and a video cassette recorder. There are two comfortable armchairs and a small coffee table in the right-hand corner. There is also a sofa and an electric fire in our living room. We like the living room best of all, because in the evenings we gather there to have tea, watch TV, talk and rest.

My room is the smallest room in our flat, but it's very cosy and light.

There's a bed, a wardrobe, a desk, an armchair and several bookshelves in my room. There's a thick carpet on the floor. The walls in my room are lightbrown and there are some big posters on them. I like my room very much, but from time to time I change it round. I quite often move the bed and change the posters on the wall.

Our kitchen is large and light. It's very well-equipped. We've got a refrigerator, a freezer, a microwave oven, a coffeemaker and a toaster. We haven't got a dishwasher yet, because it's very expensive. But I'm sure we'll buy it in the near future.

Questions

1. Do you live in a house or in a block of flats?

2. Which floor is your flat on?

3. Is your flat well-planned? Is it comfortable?

4. How many rooms are there in your flat?

5. Have you got a dining room (a sitting room, a study)?

6. Where do you usually have your meals?

7. Is there much furniture in your flat? Do you change it round from time to time?

8. What is there in your room?

9. Are there any pictures on the walls of your flat?

10. What colour are the walls in your room?

11. What is your kitchen like?

12. How often do you redecorate the rooms?

HOBBIES (УВЛЕЧЕНИЯ)

Hobbies differ like tastes. If you have chosen a hobby according to your character and taste you are lucky because your life becomes more interesting.

Hobbies are divided into four large classes: doing things, making things, collecting things, and learning things.

The most popular of all hobby groups is doing things. It includes a wide variety of activities, everything from gardening to travelling and from chess to volleyball.

Gardening is one of the oldest of man's hobbies. It's a well-known fact that the English are very fond of gardening and growing flowers, especially roses.

Both grown-ups and children are fond of playing different computer games. This is a relatively new hobby but it's becoming more and more popular.

Making things includes drawing, painting, making sculpture, designing costumes, handicrafts. Two of the most famous hobby painters were President Eisenhower and Sir Winston Churchill. Some hobbyists write music or play musical instruments.

Almost everyone collects something at some period in his life: stamps, coins, matchboxes, books, records, postcards, toys, watches. Some collections have no real value. Others become so large and so valuable that they are housed in museums and galleries. Many world-famous collections started in a small way with one or two items. People with a good deal of money often collect paintings, rare books and other art objects. Often such private collections are given to museums, libraries and public galleries so that others might take pleasure in seeing them.

No matter what kind of hobby a person has, he always has the opportunity of learning from it. By reading about the things he is interested in, he is adding to what he knows. Learning things can be the most exciting aspect of a hobby.

Questions

1. Tastes differ. Can you say the same about hobbies?

2. Have you chosen a hobby according to your character and taste?

3. Which hobby groups do you know?

4. The most popular hobby group is doing things, isn't it? What kind of activities does this group include?

5. What do you know about gardening?

6. Do you like computer games?

7. Are you fond of making things?

8. Do you know any famous hobbyists?

9. Have you ever collected anything?

10. What can be collected?

11. Do you know of any private collections that were given to museums or art galleries?

12. Do you agree that learning can be the most exciting aspect of a hobby?

MASS MEDIA (СМИ)

The mass media play an important part in our lives. Newspapers, radio and especially TV inform us of what is going on in this world and give us wonderful possibilities for education and entertainment. They also influence the way we see the world and shape our views.

Of course, not all newspapers and TV programmes report the events objectively, but serious journalists and TV reporters try to be fair and provide us with reliable information.

It is true that the world today is full of dramatic events and most news seems to be bad news. But people aren't interested in ordinary events. That is why there are so many programmes and articles about natural disasters, plane crashes, wars, murders and robberies. Good news doesn't usually make headlines. Bad news does.

Some people say that journalists are given too much freedom. They often intrude on people's private lives. They follow celebrities and print sensational stories about them which are untrue or half-true. They take photos of them in their most intimate moments. The question is — should this be allowed?

The main source of news for millions of people is television. People like TV news because they can see everything with their own eyes. And that's an important advantage. Seeing, as we know, is believing. Besides, it's much more difficult for politicians to lie in front of the cameras than on the pages of newspapers.

Still, many people prefer the radio. It's good to listen to in the car, or in the open air, or when you do something about the house.

Newspapers don't react to events as quickly as TV, but they usually provide us with extra detail, comment and background information.

The Internet has recently become another important source of information.

Its main advantage is that news appears on the screen as soon as things happen in real life and you don't have to wait for news time on TV.

Questions

1. Do the media play an important part in your life?

2. Do you think that the media influence our life?

3. Millions of people get most of their news from television. What about you?

4. Do you read newspapers?

5. When do you usually listen to the radio?

6. Do you agree that most news we get from the media is bad news?

7. Do you think it would be nice if all news printed in newspapers and shown on TV was good news?

8. Do you think that journalists are given too much freedom?

9. If people have died in a plane crash, should their bodies be shown on TV?

10. How do paparazzi earn their living?

MY FAVOURITE BOOK (МОЯ ЛЮБИМАЯ КНИГА)

I've recently read a book which has made a very deep impression on me. It's called Gone with the Wind and it makes really unforgettable reading. The author of the book is Margaret Mitchell. She was born in Atlanta, Georgia, into a family of the president of the Atlanta Historical Society. All the family were interested in American history and she grew up in an atmosphere of stories about the Civil War.

After graduating from college Margaret Mitchell worked for a time for the Atlanta Journal. In 1925 she got married. In the following ten years she put on paper all the stories she had heard about the Civil War. The result was Gone with the Wind. It was first published in 1936 and became the talking point of all America. In 1939 it was made into a highly successful film. Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable played the leading roles. Vivien Leigh won the Oscar.

Everyone loved her high-spirited and beautiful heroine, Scarlett O'Hara.

The story is set around the time of the American Civil War (1861-65) when the Southern States went to war with the North to defend their way of life. It was a way of life in which rich gentry lived in large houses and owned huge areas of land, cultivated by black slaves. Scarlett O'Hara was born into one of these rich houses. When this way of life was destroyed and all her family's wealth taken away by the advancing Northerners, the spoilt, willful Scarlet had to grow up and use all her wit and intelligence — and beauty — to build a new life.

But Gone with the Wind is also about a love triangle. While Scarlett loves the quiet, gentlemanly Ashley Wilkes, the wild and decidedly ungentlemanly Rhett Butler is in love with her. After Ashley marries someone else, and after many adventures of her own, Scarlett does marry Rhett — but only for money.

The marriage is stormy and eventually Rhett walks out on her, but by that time Scarlett has realized that she loves him after all. Scarlett thinks of some way of getting him back, but we never know if she does.

Margaret Mitchell never wrote a sequel to answer this burning question.

She died in 1949 in a car crash.

In 1991 a publishing company asked Alexandra Ripley, a historical novelist to do the job. Her novel Scarlett was not in the same class as the original. Critics have been writing very bad reviews of Scarlett, but the book is popular with the public.

Questions

1. What do you think made Margaret Mitchell write a book about the Civil War?

2. Who starred in the film Gone with the Wind] Was the film successful?

3. Who are the main characters of the book Gone with the Wind?

4. What is the story set around?

5. What can you say about Scarlett O'Hara?

6. Was it Margaret Mitchell who wrote the sequel under the Scarlett title?

7. Is the book popular with the public?

8. Have you read it? Did you read it in Russian or in the original?

SPORTS IN RUSSIA (СПОРТ В РОССИИ)

Sport has always been popular in our country. There are different sporting societies and clubs in Russia. Many of them take part in different international tournaments and are known all over the world. A great number of world records have been set by Russian sportsmen: gymnasts, weightlifters, tennis players, swimmers, figure skaters, runners, high jumpers. Our sportsmen take part in the Olympic Games and always win a lot of gold, silver and bronze medals.

Millions of people watch figure skating competitions, hockey and football matches, car races, tennis tournaments and other sports events. Certainly watching sports events and going in for sports are two different things.

In the past it was never admitted that professional sport existed in our country. The official point of view was that our sport was totally amateur. Now everybody knows that sport can be a profession and a business.

But sport can be fun as well. Besides, it helps to stay in good shape, to keep fit and to be healthy.

Doing sports is becoming more and more popular. Some people do it occasionally — swimming in summer, skiing or skating in winter — but many people go in for sports on a more regular basis. They try to find time to go to a swimming pool or a gym at least once a week for aerobics or yoga classes, body building or just work-out on a treadmill. Some people jog every morning, some play tennis.

For those who can afford it there are clubs where they give lessons of scuba diving or riding. In spring and summer young people put on their rollerskates and skate in the streets and parks.

Questions

1. Why is sport so important in our life?

2. Do Russian sportsmen take part in the Olympic Games?

3. Do they often win medals?

4. Was there a gym or a sports ground in your school?

5. What professional sporting societies or clubs do you know?

6. Are there any keep-fit centres in your neighbourhood? Do you go there?

7. Do you go in for sports or do you prefer to watch other people playing?

8. What team are you a fan of?

9. What is your favourite kind of sport?

10. How long have you been playing it?

11. Do you take part in competitions?

12. What games are popular in Russia?

HOLIDAYS IN GREAT BRITAIN (ПРАЗДНИКИ ВЕЛИКОБРИТАНИИ)

There are fewer public holidays in Great Britain than in other European countries. They are: Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, May Day, Spring Bank Holiday and Summer Bank Holiday. Public holidays in Britain are called bank holidays, because the banks as well as most of the offices and shops are closed.

The most popular holiday is Christmas. Every year the people of Norway give the city of London a present. It's a big Christmas tree and it stands in Trafalgar Square. Central streets are beautifully decorated.

Before Christmas, groups of singers go from house to house. They collect money for charity and sing carols, traditional Christmas songs. Many churches hold a carol service on the Sunday before Christmas.

The fun starts the night before, on the 24th of December. Traditionally this is the day when people decorate their trees. Children hang stockings at the end of their beds, hoping that Father Christmas will come down the chimney during the night and fill them with toys and sweets.

Christmas is a family holiday. Relatives usually meet for the big Christmas dinner of turkey and Christmas pudding. And everyone gives and receives presents. The 26th of December, Boxing Day, is an extra holiday after Christmas Day. This is the time to visit friends and relatives or perhaps sit at home and watch football.

New Year's Day is less popular in Britain than Christmas. But in Scotland, Hogmanay is the biggest festival of the year.

Besides public holidays there are some special festivals in Great Britain. One of them takes place on the 5th of November. On that day, in 1605, Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament and kill King James I. He didn't succeed. The King's men found the bomb, took Guy Fawkes to the Tower and cut off his head.

Since that day the British celebrate the 5th of November. They burn a dummy, made of straw and old clothes, on a bonfire and let off fireworks.

This dummy is called a "guy" (like Guy Fawkes) and children can often be seen in the streets before the 5th of November saying, "Penny for the guy." If they collect enough money they can buy some fireworks.

There are also smaller, local festivals in Britain.

Questions

1. Are there many holidays in Great Britain?

2. What is a "bank holiday"?

3. What is the most popular holiday in Britain?

4. When is Christmas celebrated?

5. What are the traditional Christmas songs called in Britain?

6. What do children leave at the end of their beds and why?

7. What do the British do on Boxing Day?

8. What is the name of New Year's Eve in Scotland?

9. When is Guy Fawkes Night celebrated?

10. What do you know about Guy Fawkes?