Japanese

Corporate zombies, not-like-us if you know what I mean, do anything for a yen but hard-working, and I love my Honda.

French / Italians / Spanish

Mad as hatters, utterly volatile and Catholic, which is the same thing. Swing right and left, change Governments like they change their socks. Only one stage removed from the real loonies ...

COMPREHENSION

Exercise 1. Make up 5–7 true or false statements about the text to check comprehension.

Exercise 2. Sum up the main points of the chapter in your own words.

LANGUAGE PRACTICE

Exercise 3. Give the meanings of the words and phrases below, comment on their register and expressiveness and suggest synonyms of various degrees of formality. Think up appropriate contexts with them:

to stay put / to keep sth. at bay / swamped / to turn on / to beat up / to sit on the fence / up-market / mad as a hatter

Exercise 4. What other language from the text would you like to select for intensive study and why?

Exercise 5. Identify and comment on the cultural information and stereotypes that come through in the text. Note: you are expected to be able to sort out factual information from the author’s emotional attitude and evaluation.

Exercise 6. International Quiz.

Pair off the adjectives with the nouns to make idioms and think up contexts with them:

Welsh / Turkish / Dutch / French / Greek / Irish

Delight / treat / uncle / concert / stew / comfort / rabbit / it is all / nightingales / double / fry / bath / leave / window / courage

Exercise 7. Study the list of Politically Correct English terms in the Supplementary Materials and cull examples from the current press to show how they are used. Comment on the degree of political correctness of the text above.

SPEAKING

Exercise 8. Use your outside reading, personal experiences, TV and video-watching, etc. to support, expand on or question the points and observations made in the chapter. Use compelling evidence and appropriate language to sound convincing.

Exercise 9. Which characteristics do you associate with each nationality?

a) French; b) Spanish; c) Italian; d) English; e) Irish; f) Dutch;
g) German; h) your nationality.

1) Arrogant; 2) Stylish; 3) Devious; 4) Sexy; 5) Easygoing;
6) Greedy; 7) Cowardly; 8) Boring; 9) Efficient; 10) Lazy; 11) Clever; 12) Courageous; 13) Add your own.

Exercise 10. Listen to the conversation about jokes based on national stereotypes of the Scots, sum up the main points trying to sound as English as you can. Provide your personal response to the problem of national stereotypes. What in your opinion makes the worst and most offensive kind of jokes today?