The man who was thought to be the discoverer of America was born in 1451 in Italy. His name was Christopher Columbus. He probably worked as a weaver before going to sea.
At that time the life of a sailor was full of adventure and danger; so Columbus had many exciting experiences. Once during a battle with a vessel off the coast of Portugal, he had to leave his boat and swim to the shore a long distance away. He afterwards lived in Portugal a number of years, and while there, he married the daughter of a sea captain. For some time he earned his living, partly by making sea voyages, and partly by drawing maps and selling them.
Knowing that the earth was round, he decided to reach India by sailing to the west. It was very difficult for him to organize his expedition as nobody wanted to help him. Many years after, the Spanish government gave him some money for his expedition.
In 1492 he sailed with three small ships into the Atlantic Ocean. They soon met a northeastern wind that drove them farther and farther south-west. They had been sailing for more than two months. The sailors began a mutiny. They were afraid that they would not be able to return home. At last they saw land. When they landed they saw strange trees and flowers. Men and women with olive-colored skins gathered around them and looked at them with great surprise.
Columbus was certain that the lands he discovered were part of India, and he called these islands the West Indies. The people living there have been called Indians since then, though they have nothing in common with the real Indians – inhabitants of India.
Columbus' second voyage to America took place in 1493. This time he discovered some other islands of the West Indies.
Twice more Columbus tried to find India. During his third voyage, enemies spread false rumours about him. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella were led to believe that he was a tyrant. Columbus was sent home in chains. Back in Spain, he quickly proved his innocence. His last voyage was made in 1502-1504. After that, seriously ill, he remained in Spain until his death. He died believing that Cuba was part of Asia.
Columbus was tall and imposing. No real portrait of him exists, but he is described in the writings of the men of his time as having blue eyes, red hair, and a freckled complexion, which reddened when he was excited.
Columbus' voyages gave Europe its first important knowledge of the New World. Other explorers, their imaginations fired by his discoveries, sailed for the Americas after Columbus. In the western hemisphere many places have been named in his honour. The Americas, however, were named after another explorer, Amerigo Vespucci.
Вариант 6
George Washington, the first president of the United States, was born on a plantation in Virginia, on February 22, 1732. At the death of his father,
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единственном числе, как обычное исчисляемое существительное. economics n 1. экономическая наука; 2. экономика economic adj 1. экономический; 2. экономически выгодный; рентабельный economical adj 1. экономный, бережливый; 2. экономичный economist n экономист economize v экономить; экономно расходовать или использовать economy n хозяйство, экономика command economy – централизованно управляемая экономика; нерыночная экономика free market economy – свободная рыночная экономика mixed economy – смешанная экономика society n 1. общество, общественный строй; 2. общество, организация, ассоциация produce v производить, вырабатывать production n производство demand n спрос; требование; запрос; потребность demand for smth – спрос на что-л. to be in high / low demand – пользоваться большим / небольшим спросом good n товар, изделие service n услуга market n рынок allocate v (smth to/ in smth, smb) 1. размещать, распределять (что-л. куда-л., кому-л.); 2. ассигновать (что-л. на что-л., кому-л.) resource(s) n ресурс(ы), средства consumption n потребление through prep через; посредством; благодаря price n цена at high/ low prices – по высоким/ низким ценам; при высоких/ низких ценах price for/ of a good – цена товара, цена на товар planv планировать planning n планирование decision n решение to make a decision – принимать решение rely v (on smb, smth) полагаться (на кого-л. или что-л.) entirely adv полностью, всецело government n правительство intervention n вмешательство government intervention – государственное вмешательство level n уровень at a certain level – на определенном уровне restriction n ограничение (the) formeradj первый (из двух названных) (the) latter adj последний (из двух названных); второй | |
George, who was then only eleven years old, was left along with his brothers and sisters in the care of his mother. He went to a little country school, where he learned to read and to do sums in arithmetic. He was a good student and a great favourite with his playmates. Lawrence Washington, George's eldest brother, had married a Miss Fairfax, whose father lived in Virginia and was a relative of Lord Fairfax, a rich land owner of the colony. When George was fourteen years of age, Lawrence took him to visit Lord Fairfax. This old man of sixty took a liking to George, and they became great friends. Lord Fairfax had been told that people were settling on his land, a hundred miles or so west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Washington was then sixteen, and had some knowledge of surveying; so Fairfax employed him to go over the mountains and measure the land and establish the boundary lines. Washington did his work so well that the Governor of Virginia afterward employed him as public surveyor for the colony. A little later the French tried to establish themselves west of the Allegheny Mountains, and they began to build forts along the rivers. The Governor of Virginia gave Washington, who was then twenty-one years old, the military title of major and sent him to order the French to leave this territory. The entire distance there and back was about a thousand miles. Washington, accompanied by one white man and several friendly Indians as guides, had to pass through thick forests and across mountains and broad rivers full of floating ice. Many of the Indians in the region that Washington and his men passed through had allied themselves with the French to fight against the English. Washington was a strong, brave man, and he made his way safely to the French headquarters. He informed the French commander of the object of his visit, but the French refused to leave. When the answer was brought back to the Governor of Virginia, Washington was made colonel and sent out with an army of one hundred and fifty men to drive the French from the territory near the junction of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers. At first the English were defeated. But this war, called the French and Indian War, lasted several years and resulted in the English getting possession of the land from the Atlantic to the Mississippi River. A few years later the American colonies had a war with England. The war was begun by the colonists, chiefly because of certain grievances about taxes, and was brought on by the acts of George III, Mr. Grenville, and Lord North. It lasted eight years and resulted in the independence of the colonies. Shortly after the war ended the people of all the colonies formed a new nation, preserving the colonies, however, as independent states for certain functions of government. By common consent they selected George Washington to be the first president, recognizing him as pre-eminent among his fellow-countrymen, as well as relying on his hand to guide them in their new venture in government. Вариант 7 What will you find if you go to Australia? It will seem to you rather an | |
Примерный вариант пересказа первого текста: The text is entitled ‘My London’. I think this is an abstract from a book. The story runs about the capital of Great Britain, which the narrator regards as his Home though being not a native Londoner. The speaker tells us about parks and restaurants, theatres and museums. He admires greenery, food and culture of the city. We can feel his admiration in every word. I liked the story, it was interesting to read because it represents informal picture of London rather than traditional dull description of sights which we usually read in text-books. Примерный вариант пересказа второго текста: The text is entitled ‘The school-teacher’. The author of the story is A. Cronin. This is an abstract from a book. The main characters are Doctor Manson and Miss Barlow. The story runs about a measles case in school. The main issues discussed are hard work, distinction between theory and practice, poverty and illness. The things that impressed me mostly are the love of miners to good classical music and the sounds of a piano which could be heard from this or that house. I didn’t like the story because it tells us about sad events. The text was not difficult to read because there are dialogues which are easy to understand. III. Студентам предоставляется возможность раскрыть тему «Центральный банк и финансовые рынки» в устном рассказе, а также повествовать о своей будущей профессии экономиста. IV. Экзаменационный билет содержит три вопроса: 1) чтение и перевод текста экономического содержания; 2) чтение и перевод текста художественного/ страноведческого содержания; 3) монологическое высказывание по предложенной теме. Список экзаменационных тем дается в Приложении № 5. При подготовке к экзамену рекомендуется внимательно просмотреть Словарные комментарии к текстам Приложения № 1, а также сами тексты. Чем большим объемом экономической терминологии овладеет студент, тем более легким будет перевод первого экзаменационного текста. Приложения № 4 содержит рекомендации успешного перевода экзаменационного текста: советуется прочитать и овладеть методикой перевода до экзамена. Приложение № 1. Словарный комментарий к тексту Market and Command Economies * Традиционно существительное goods в значении «товар, товары» употребляется только во множественном числе, напр., goods and services. В специальных экономических текстах это слово используется и в | |
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| upside-down world. New Year is at midsummer, midwinter is in June. Hot winds blow from the north: cold winds blow from the south. The farther north we go, the hotter it gets. The trees look strange; it will seem odd to you that they never lose their leaves, and you will miss the bare branches in winter. Australia is a land of strange birds and beasts such as the kangaroo, koala, echidna, dingo. What about the climate? Australians boast that they can sleep out-of-doors all the year round. The sun shines in winter and in summer. Snow and ice are rare, except in the high mountains. There is not much rain, and drought is a constant anxiety. In bad times, and in the driest parts, many animals may die for want of water. Australia was discovered by the Dutch in 1606, but the continent was not settled till captain Cook discovered the east coast in 1770. When settlement of Australia began in 1788 the continent was inhabited by about 300,000 people, who are now called aborigines. These people generally had black, wavy hair and brown skin. They kept no domestic animals except the dingo and used weapons made of wood and stone. They had no permanent homes but moved about hunting and gathering food. Diseases brought by settlers caused many deaths among the aborigines. Now there are only about 60,000 of them left- Some of them live on mission stations where they are housed and fed. Others are employed as stockmen on the ranches of northern Australia. Many of them still live a difficult nomadic life in the desert region. The first white settlers were convicts, soldiers, and a few free men from England. In the early years people depended upon farming and sheep raising for a living. Merino sheep were brought to Australia from Africa in 1797. This breed, raised for its high-quality wool, now makes up about 80 per cent of Australia's sheep. Not until the discovery of gold in the 1850's was there a large migration to Australia. Some of the gold seekers who were unsuccessful turned to cattle or sheep raising or to farming. Others began exploring elsewhere in Australia for minerals. Before World War II more than 95 per cent of the population was of English descent; since then, however, people from other nations have moved to Australia in growing numbers. Вариант 8 New York is the largest city in the United States and one of the largest cities in the world. It is situated in the natural harbour of the mouth of the Hudson River. In 1626 the Dutch Trade Company bought Manhattan Island from the local Indians for twenty four dollars. Here the Dutch founded their colony and gave it the name New Amsterdam. Forty years later the English fleet entered the harbour, captured the city and renamed it New York. There are five "boroughs" in New York: Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens and Richmond. Only one of them, Bronx, is not on an island. All districts of New York are linked together by numerous bridges. | |
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must keep Idris home from school1." (Idris was Mrs Howells' other son.) "But Miss Barlow says he may come to school." "Oh? Who is Miss Barlow?" "She is the teacher." "Miss Barlow has no right to let him come to school when his brother has measles," Andrew said angrily. Five minutes later he entered a classroom of the school. A very young woman of about twenty or twenty-two was writing something on the blackboard. She turned to him. "Are you Miss Barlow?" "Yes." Her large brown eyes were looking at him friendly. "Are you Doctor Page's new assistant?" Andrew reddened suddenly. "Yes," he said, "I'm Doctor Manson. You know Idris' brother has measles and so Idris must not be here." "Yes, I know, but the family is so poor and Mrs Howells is so busy. If Idris stays at home, he won't get his cup of milk. And, Doctor Manson, most of the children here have had measles already." "And what about the others? You must send that boy home at once." "Well, Doctor," she interrupted him suddenly. "Don't you understand that I'm the teacher of this class and here it's my word that counts2?" "You can't have him here, Miss Barlow. If you don't send him home at once, I'll have to reportyou." "Then report me, or have me arrested3 if you like." She quickly turned to the class. "Stand up, children, and say: 'Good-bye, Doctor Manson. Thank you for coming.'" Before Andrew could say a word the door closed quietly in his face4. 1 keep from school – не пускать в школу 2 here it’s my word that counts – зд. здесь я хозяйка 3 have me arrested – пусть меня арестуют 4 in his face – зд. у него перед носом II. Составьте пересказ в соответствии с предложенным планом: The title of the text is … The author of the text is… This is an abstract (article) from a book (magazine, newspaper) … The main characters are … The story runs about … The main issues discussed are… The things that interested (impressed) me mostly are … I liked (disliked) the story because … The text (story) was easy to read because I read it in Russian (saw the film) / The text (story) was difficult to read because there were many new words and expressions. | |
Manhattan, the smallest island in New York, is the real centre of the city. When people say "New York City" they usually mean Manhattan. Only 1,500,000 people live in Manhattan, but five million people work here every day. Many live in the suburbs and come to work on the subway. Wall Street in Manhattan is the financial heart of the USA and the most important banking centre in the world. The United Nations has its headquarters in Manhattan. The "Big Apple", as New York City is nicknamed, has an energy that few other cities can equal. John F. Kennedy International Airport is one of the busiest in the world. More ships come into New York's harbour than into any other port in the world. New York is a city of "skyscrapers", those incredible, high buildings which Americans invented. If you want to have a good view of New York City you can do it from the top of the World Trade Centre (110 stories) or from the Empire State Building (102 stories). Not far from the Empire State Building there is an interesting architectural ensemble – Rockefeller Centre. It was built according to one general plan. Rockefeller Centre consists of 15 skyscrapers. Rockefeller Centre houses all kinds of offices, enterprises, theatres and music halls. New York is the national leader in business, finance, manufacturing, advertising, fashion and the arts. New York is often called the cultural capital of the USA. The city has the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Lincoln Arts Centre. You can see the newest plays and shows on Broadway. Broadway is the symbol of American theatre, as Hollywood is of American cinema. Вариант 9 We do not know when men began to give names to the places where they lived, and to the seas, rivers, lakes and mountains around them. Very often they invented a name that described a place in some way, for example, Bear Mountain or White Lake. The water of the Dead Sea is so salty that nothing can live in it; the reason for the name is clear. The water of the Black Sea is a beautiful blue colour. But the ancient Creeks, when they looked to the East, often saw dark storm clouds over the water and they named the sea the Black Sea. The Pacific Ocean is known for its terrible storms. But on the day when the Spaniard Balboa first saw it, the ocean lay quiet in the bright sunlight, and he called it Pacific, which means "peaceful, quiet". From the name of places, we are often able to tell who the inhabitants were at some time in the past. There are cities and towns in the Crimea and the Ukraine whose names end in "pol": Simferopol, Sevastopol, Melitopol. We can be sure, even without reading history books, that Greeks settled there in ancient times and gave the places their names: "polis" means "city" in Greek. Sometimes elements of different languages enter into the names of places. In the name of Shakespeare's birthplace, Stratford-on-Avon, we see four words from three different languages. At this place, a Roman road (in Latin "strata") crossed the Avon Cm the Welsh language the word "afon" means "a river"). The English word "ford" means a place where we can cross a | |
unbeatable, and that's a real strength at the Connaught where the food is very classical. I like the Connaught for its grandeur. The staff are very polished and attentive, and this is particularly noticeable in the game season when you can see them carving at the table. That's when you get a sense of the artistry of the job – they are not simply loading a plate, they are waiters rather than "plate porters". London is very erudite city; there are so many theatres and museums that it must be a great source of inspiration to visitors who want to learn something. I can't think of any other capital in the world where so much culture is provided at so little cost; most of the museums here have free admission, and theatre tickets, compared with prices charged elsewhere, are still extremely cheap – tickets on Broadway must be about double the price. Entertainment is very good value here; I go to Ronnie Scott's some evenings if I'm not too tired and have a drink and listen to the jazz. It's a fantastic place and not overpriced. I'm very fond of jazz but really I like most music. I also love ballet, so I make sure I get to see the Royal Ballet at Covent Garden once or twice a year. A trip to the ballet would definitely be part of my ideal day in London. I’ve always felt that London is a very safe city and one in which you can wander around quite freely. The architecture here is very solid, nothing frivolous; it gives the impression that it was built for a purpose and not to entertain. But once you get inside, what a wonderful surprise – inside is on a par with what you would find in France or Italy, but you would never guess it from the facade. Maybe it's something to do with the famous British reserve! THE SCHOOL-TEACHER (After A. Cronin) Three months passed. Little by little Andrew got used to this strange town, surrounded by the mountains, and to the people most of whom worked in the mines. The town was full of mines, factories, churches and small dirty old houses. There was no theatre, not even a cinema the workers could go to after work. But Andrew liked the people. They spoke little and worked much. They liked football, and what was more interesting, they were fond of music, good classical music. He often heard the sound of a piano, coming from this or that house. It was clear to Andrew now, that Doctor Page would never see a patient again. Manson did all the work, and Mrs. Page received all the money. She paid out to Manson less than one sixth of that - twenty pounds and sixteen shillings a month. Almost all of it Andrew sent to the University to pay his debt. But at that time the question of money was not important to him. He had a few shillings in his pocket to buy cigarettes and he had his work, and that was more than enough for him. He had to work hard and to think much for he saw now that the professors at his University had given him very little to know about practical medicine. He thought about all that walking in the direction of Riskin Street. There in Number 3 he found a small boy of nine years of age ill with measles. "I am sorry, Mrs Howells," Andrew said to the boy's mother. "But you | |
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| river. So the name Stratford-on-Avon means "the place where the road crosses the river." From this we know that at different times, Roman, Welsh and English people lived there. Latin words began to be used in English place-names very long ago. The Latin word "strata" later developed into the English word "street." The Latin "portus" became the English "port," and is seen in the names of many English places: Southport, Portland, Portsmouth. The oldest place-names in the United States are, of course, Indian. They are mostly names of what the people saw in nature: mountains, lakes, rivers and waterfalls. The name of America's greatest river, the Mississippi, is made up of two Indian words: "misi" (great) and "sipi" (water). Like all ancient names, these Indian names were passed on from father to son by word of mouth: they lived not on maps or in writing, but in the speech of the people. Europeans found the Indian names very difficult to pronounce, and they pronounced them according to the rules of pronunciation in their own languages. But even in their changed form, the unusual and poetic sound of these Indian words remains: Niagara, Chicago, Kalamazoo. The Europeans who arrived in America renamed many of the mountains, lakes and rivers, and gave names to the new towns that they built. We can easily tell where Europeans from different countries settled in America, by analyzing the old place-names. There are English names in the north east and along the eastern coast, for example, New London, Portland, New York; there are Dutch names in many districts of New York City (Brooklyn, Harlem) and in other parts of New York State; Spanish names in Florida. There are many French names in the southern states and along the Mississippi. The oldest names in the west – in the states of California, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona are Spanish. All these names and many others are language monuments of the early days of American history, when the first Europeans arrived in the new world. Вариант 10 One of the most striking features of English life is the self-discipline and courtesy of people of all classes. There is little noisy behaviour, and practically no loud disputing in the street. People do not rush excitedly for seats in buses or trains, but take their seats in queues at bus stops in a quiet and orderly manner. Englishmen are naturally polite and are never tired in saying "Thank you", "I'm sorry", "Beg your pardon". If you follow anyone who is entering a building or a room, he will hold a door open for you. Many foreigners have commented on a remarkable politeness of the English people. English people don't like displaying their emotions even in dangerous and tragic situations, and ordinary people seem to remain good-tempered and cheerful under difficulties. Наши рекомендации | |