Exercise 1. Listen and repeat

- How did children from Chernobyl spend one day in London?

Last year 8 children from Chernobyl¹ were visiting Great Britain for a month. The CCL² made that trip for them. On December 20^th they visited Harrods³. They were walking around the store for five hours. Christmas music was playing all day long. Children and adults were choosing and buying presents. The children from Chernobyl got their presents, too!

Chernobyl- a town in the Ukraine

CCL- the Chernobyl Children Lifeline (Дорога жизни чернобыльских детей) - British charity organization

Harrods- the biggest supermarket in Europe, it is in London

Exercise 2.Write about your Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

Dear Clare,

Thank you for the ______________

I liked my last New Year and Christmas because ________

On _______________________ a was decorating _____________________________

At New Year’s Day ____________________________________________________

_____

All the evening we were very busy but happy.

Next day we were ______________________________________________________

_________________________ at __________________.

On Christmas Day we were________________________________________

and __________________. It was fun!

Love,

___________________

Use words and expressions: to celebrate, to gather together, to light fireworks, to buy and give presents, to decorate the Christmas tree, to have a family dinner, to light candles/ electric lights, to have a party, to attend the Church service, to marrymake, to send greeting cards.

Text 7. British Character

Vocabulary

well-mannered — воспитанный

queue — очередь

to queue — стоять в очереди

habit — привычка

reserved— сдержанный

hardly ever lie — почти никогда не лгут

truth— правда

to offend — обижать

Trooping the Colour — вынос знамени (торжественная церемония развода караулов с выносом знамени, которая проводится в официальный день рождения монарха)

Ceremony of the Keys — цере­мония передачи ключей (проходит в лондонском Тауэре в 10 часов вечера)

familiar — знакомый

to preserve — сохранять

prudent — благоразумный

Changing of the Guard — смена караула королевских гвардей­цев (торжественная церемо­ния, которая проводится каждое утро во дворе перед Букингемским дворцом)

lawn— лужайка

neatly— аккуратно

to trim — подстригать

crime— преступность

block of flats — многоквартир­ный дом

household— семья

to take care of — заботиться о

The British are said to be polite and well-mannered people. Polite words or phrases sue has "Please", "Thank you" and "Excuse me" are used very often in Britain. Queuing is a national habit. At bus stops and cinemas, in shops, banks and post offices and in lots of other places you'll have to join the queue and wait for your turn. "An Englishman, even if he is alone, forms an orderly queue of one," said George Mikes.

The British are said to be reserved. They don't like displaying their emotions even in dangerous and tragic situations. But they are not unemotional. They control their emotions because they are taught that it is best not to show their feelings. The English hardly ever lie, but they don't tell you the truth either. English people take everything with a sense of humour. You can easily offend them if you tell them they have no sense of humour.

Englishmen tend to be rather conservative, they love familiar things. They are proud of their traditions and carefully keep them up. Britain has more living symbols of its past than many other countries. Traditional uniforms are still preserved in Great Britain. There are also a lot of traditional ceremonies such as the "Changing of the Guard" at Buckingham Palace, "Trooping the Colour", which is performed on the Queen's official birthday, or the "Ceremony of the Keys", that takes place every night at the Tower of London.

The English are practical and realistic, prudent and careful about almost everything. Everything is orderly: the lawns and the trees are neatly trimmed. Every Englishman is said to be a countryman at heart. The English countryside is many things to many people. It means peace and quiet, beauty, good health and no crime. Most Englishmen love gardens. Gardening is one of the most popular hobbies among Englishmen. They usually prefer И house with a garden to an apartment in a modern block of flats.

The British people are considered to be the world's greatest teal drinkers. They drink it at meals and between meals. The English tea is usually strong and with milk.

The British love animals very much. Millions of families have "bird-tables" in their gardens. Nearly half of the households in Britain keep at least one pet. The English take good care of their pets. They are pet lovers.

Answer the following questions:

1. Arc the British polite? Why? 2. Are the British reserved or communicative? Why? 3. Why are the British people said to be conservative? 4. What traditional British ceremonies do you know? 5. What are traditional British dishes? What do the British like to drink? 6. Do the British keep everything in order? How can you prove that? 7. Do the British like their countryside? 8. What is their attitude towards animals? 9. Can you describe the British using 3 adjectives? 10. What is your personal attitude towards the British? 11. How different or alike do you think the Russians and the British are?