Методическое пособие 485

TRANSLATION 5.

Travel and Tourism

What’s the difference between travel and tourism? Being a traveller is more than just being a holidaymaker. A holiday is just a short time away, and it normally involves relaxation. Tourists stay in holiday resorts, not travellers. Travellers go for the experience and their journeys are usually much longer and more challenging. For example, travellers tend to avoid tourist traps and like to go off the beaten track to discover new places. Travel is an age-old phenomenon, but tourism is a relatively recent invention. Thomas Cook is often described as the first travel agent because he arranged the first “package tour”: a 19-kilometre trip for 500 people, in 1841.

Going overseas in order to experience a different way of life is what many people think of as travel, but travel does not necessarily mean going abroad. How many people can say they have visited every part of their own country? Many people who live in vast countries such as Russia and the USA have only visited a small part of their own country, and so domestic travel is also very exciting.

Some people can’t travel or don’t like the physical reality of travelling to faraway destinations. These days it is easy to be an “armchair traveler”. People can visit distant corners of the world or even little known parts of their own country without leaving their living rooms. Television documentaries make the world a small place and some people argue that travel is no longer necessary. Perhaps soon people will use interactive computer programmes and virtual travel will become common. Enthusiasts argue that by doing this we will have all the benefits of travel without the inconvenience.

WRITING TASK

Write about active or virtual tourism. How much of your own country have you visited?

TRANSLATION 6.

Marco Polo

Marco Polo was born in Italy in 1254. A traveller and merchant, he was one of the first Europeans to travel across Asia and into China. His journey lasted 24 years.

He set out, aged 17, with his father Nicolo and his uncle Maffeo on their great journey to China. They sailed south from Venice, Italy and stopped off in the Middle East. They then carried on overland to Persia (now Iran), through the Pamir Mountains and the Gobi Desert before they got to China.

At that time, China was more advanced than Europe. They already had paper, so large numbers of books were available. They also used paper money in many parts of the empire.

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After he got back to Italy, Marco Polo wrote a book describing the riches of Asia. His written account was the first Western record of porcelain, coal, gunpowder, printing and silk.

WRITING TASK

Write about a famous traveller or explorer. Do you know anyone who does the same job?

TRANSLATION 7.

Sky City 1000

Tokyo has a major problem with overcrowding and a lack of green space. The Takenaka Corporation has proposed Sky City 1000, a vertical city for the 21st century.

The Sky City proposal consists of a building 1,000 metres tall (about three times the height of the Eiffel Tower in Paris) and 400 metres wide at the base. It has a total floor area of eight square kilometers. It functions like a medium-sized city with housing, offices, commercial facilities, schools, parks and theatres. It provides for 35,000 full-time residents and 100,000 workers. Sky City 1000 hopes to provide all the services of a city in an attractive natural environment.

The building is made up of 14 dish-shaped levels stacked one upon the other. To get around such a large building high-speed lifts containing up to 70 people will be used in the building and a small train will run around the roof. Engineers have carried out tests using Tokyo’s fire helicopter to see what the danger would be if there was a fire.

The main advantage of Sky City 1000 is that people would be able to get to work, the shops, and schools without getting in a car. However, some people would be scared to live in such a tall building, especially with Japan’s earthquake problems.

WRITING TASK

Write a description of a superstructure you know. If money and time were not a problem, what large structure would you like to design?

TRANSLATION 8.

Urban Transport around the World

Great cities need good transport systems. Moscow needs a good transport system because it is the largest city in Europe. The metro is the busiest system in the world (3.2 billion passengers per year) and the stations are perhaps the most beautiful. Another Russian city, St Petersburg, is called a “City of Trams” because it has the world’s largest tram system – over 720 km long.

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New York is a city that is famous for size – the population is larger, the buildings are taller than in many other cities. It has the world’s largest metro system (with 468 stations), and the biggest bus system in the world (more than 4,300 buses).

London has perhaps the most famous buses in the world – the red doubledeckers. It also has a good metro or underground system, and it is the oldest in the world. Unfortunately, it is also the most expensive in the world.

Many people think that public transport in Tokyo is the best in the world. It is certainly very busy and always crowded. In fact, the busiest train station in the world is Shinjuku Station, Central Tokyo, with 3.2 million passengers a day.

WRITING TASK

Write about urban transport. What means of transport do you have in your city?

TRANSLATION 9.

Winds from the East: Chinese Inventions

The Chinese invented many things that we use today, long before they appeared in the West.

The Chinese invented paper in the 2nd century BC. Over a thousand years later, in the 12th century AD, Europeans first made paper. Another example is matches: the Chinese had matches in the 6th century, but Europeans did not use them until the 19th century. Paper money is another Chinese invention: Europeans first made it in Sweden in 1661, but the Chinese invented it 800 years earlier, in the 9th century.

Knowledge of other inventions came along the “Silk Road”, linking East and West, and more information came by sea. Sailors brought Chinese ideas to the Arabian Gulf and northern Africa and, from there, they spread north to Europe.

WRITING TASK

Write about your favourite everyday invention. What is the oldest invention in the world?

Unit 5

Тексты по теме «Britain»

ТЕМАТИКА ОБЩЕНИЯ: 1. Страны Великобритании. История объединения. Географические и культурные особенности.

2. Достопримечательности столицы.

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TRANSLATION 1.

Wales – the Land of Song

Wales is a land of mountains and valleys. The highest mountain is Mount Snowdon in the Snowdonia National Park. Wales is almost entirely mountainous. Wales has some wonderful holiday towns. And the beaches are beautiful.

There are castles everywhere in Wales. Most were built by the English to keep the Welsh under control.

The English and Welsh have been very bad neighbours for centuries. The English invaded Wales many, many times. And the Welsh invaded England.

The most populated part of Wales is the south around Cardiff. Cardiff is the capital, principal seaport and shipbuilding centre. In this part of Wales coal has been mined for two hundred years. Coal is the most valuable mineral resource of Wales.

The Welsh take great pride in their choirs and songs. Choral singing is a popular and characteristic part of Welsh musical life. Welsh people speak the Welsh and English languages.

WRITING TASK

Write about National Parks in our country. Have you ever visited any National Park?

TRANSLATION 2.

Scotland

Scotland is the modern, dynamic country and also the home of whisky, golf and bagpipes, the part of Scottish tradition.

Scotland is known for its beautiful scenery: mountains, valleys and lochs (lakes). To the north and west lie remote and unspoilt islands. The landscape of Scotland can be divided into three regions: the Highlands, the Central Lowlands, and the Southern Uplands. More than one-half of the surface of Scotland is occupied by the Highlands.

Scotland is characterized by a lot of streams and lakes. Most lakes are long and narrow. Scotland has significant reserves of coal.

Scotland's capital and busy city is Edinburgh, with its castle, old houses and narrow streets. Glasgow is a huge city and the industrial heart of Scotland. Shipbuilding was once a great industry. But now it has been replaced by new, high technology industries, and by commerce and tourism.

WRITING TASK

Write about some parts of Russian tradition. Would you like to visit the famous Loch Ness and the Loch Ness Monster? Do you think it’s the part of Scottish tradition?

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TRANSLATION 3.

London

London is the capital city of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of England. It lies on both banks of the Thames.

London is the largest city in Western Europe. It is the most populous city in the European Union, 10 million people live there. London’s population includes an extremely diverse range of peoples, cultures, and religions, making it to be a cosmopolitan city.

The history of London goes back to Roman times. London is traditionally divided into several parts: the City of London, which is the financial centre of the United Kingdom and Europe; the West End, which is the area of museums, art galleries, largest department stores, cinemas, and hotels; Westminster, which is the political and religious centre; and the East End, which is the industrial part of London and is very important for commerce.

The City is the oldest and historical part of London, which includes the Bank of England, the Royal Exchange and the Stock Exchange. There are banks everywhere: small and big banks, old and new banks, British, Chinese, American, Indian banks. The expression that describes the City is “Money makes the world go round”. The permanent residential population of the City is now less than 6000, but about 350,000 come here daily to work. The most prominent landmark of the City is Saint Paul’s Cathedral, designed by the English architect Christopher Wren. It took the architect 35 years to build the Cathedral. It has a huge golden dome and its interior is very beautiful.

The West End is London’s shopping and entertainment centre. Trafalgar Square is in the centre of the West End. It was named in the memory of Admiral Nelson’s victory in the battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The tall Nelson’s Column stands in the middle of the square. The British Museum is one of the most famous museums in the world. It was founded in 1753.

Another important district of London is Westminster, where most of Government buildings are situated. The Palace of Westminster also called the Houses of Parliament is the place where the English Government sits. Big Ben is the name of the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament and the largest clock in the country which is known to the whole world.

The official London residence of the Queen is the Buckingham Palace. It was built in the 18th century. At the heart of Westminster is Westminster Abbey built in the 11th century and rebuilt in the 13th century. Westminster Abbey is the place where the coronation of kings and queens has taken place. Many of them are buried there as well as 3000 notable people of the country.

The East End of London is the industrial area and it grew with the growth of the port of London. The East End is famous as the centre of the clothing industry in London. There are many factories, workshops and docks there.

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There is the Tube (an underground) in London. The underground, constructed in London, was the first underground in the World.

WRITING TASK

Write a description of one of the places of interest in London. What places of interest would you like to see?

Unit 6

Тексты по теме «Professional Activity»

ТЕМАТИКА ОБЩЕНИЯ: 1. Язык как средство межкультурного общения.

2.Глобальные проблемы человечества и пути их решения.

3.Информационные технологии 21 века.

4.Избранное направление профессиональной деятельности.

TRANSLATION 1.

The Language of Cross Cultural Communication

English is one of the most widely used languages in the world. Today knowledge of foreign languages is important because they are the main and the most efficient means of information exchange between the people of the world. Over 337 million people in the world speak English as their mother tongue, and about 350 million people speak it as a second language. English is an official language in over 75 of the world's territories. The native speakers of English live in Great Britain, in the United States of America, Australia and New Zealand. English is one of the official languages in the Irish Republic, Canada and South African Republic. As a second language it is used in the former British and US colonies.

English is the major international language for communication in such areas as science, technology, business and mass media. English is used as one of the official languages of the United Nations Organisation. It is the language of computer software and video games, literature and education, popular music and satellite broadcasting, academic conferences and international tourism.

English is the language of international commerce. Over 80 per cent of the world's electronically stored information is in English and two-thirds of the world's scientists read in English. English words are borrowed to add to other languages. Almost all computer terms in Russian are taken from English.

Every good specialist has to know English because it is necessary nowadays. When learning a foreign language you learn the culture and history of the country where this language is spoken.

WRITING TASK

Write about areas in what English is mostly used. What are the main difficulties for you in learning English?

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TRANSLATION 2.

Last Words

There are around 6,000 living languages in the world – and at least half of those are in danger. In every part of the world, languages are disappearing. In the past 500 years 4,5 percent of languages have died out. Greek and Latin are among them. 417 languages in the world are spoken by a few people. If very few people

speak a language, it will probably die out.

Languages may be lost through migration, as people move from small rural communities to urban centres. Natural disasters can also devastate populations and their language. Governments also play a role in the extinction of languages. The need to establish “official languages”, for a country to educate its children, conduct its political affairs and carry out its business had a disastrous effect on small languages.

As languages are lost, whole ways of life and knowledge may be lost along with them. If you grow up not speaking your language, you won't know who you are.

WRITING TASK

Write about reasons for language disappearing. Why should we care about our language?

TRANSLATION 3.

Is Globalisation a Good Thing?

Globalisation leads to better products, which are more cost effective to produce and therefore cheaper for everyone. Globalisation also connects people by means of communication and offers them new opportunities for travel, work and education. It means a faster rate of development for the whole world.

Globalisation is great social and economic progress for developing countries. Free markets and the free movement of people, goods and services are beneficial to economies all over the world.

But globalisation mostly benefits the rich nations, who control prices, who influence the economies of poor countries and cause populations to migrate in order to try and improve their lives.

WRITING TASK

Write your opinion on globalisation. Do you see globalisation as a force for good or bad?

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TRANSLATION 4.

Globalisation of World Economy

Globalisation means the process of integration of markets, great changes in trade and finance and the establishment of the global economy.

The main aim of economic globalisation is to change the world into one dynamic market which has uniform characteristics in different countries. Besides globalisation means wide advertising of new consumer products all over the world, low taxes for producers and similar life styles for people of different nationalities.

First steps towards globalisation in Europe were made by the establishment of the Common Market in 1993 and the introduction of the “euro” as the new single currency for Europe on January 1, 1999. Euro banknotes were introduced in circulation in 12 member-countries of the European Union in 2002.

Globalisation at a business level means that a company has decided to participate in the global economy. Nowadays any company may do e-business using the Internet services and other information technology.

WRITING TASK

Write about benefits in e-business. What does globalisation mean in business?

TRANSLATION 5.

Fallingwater

Fallingwater (1936-1939) is the most famous house that a well-known architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed. It combines nature and living space in a poetic, effective manner. The building demonstrates perfectly Wright’s concept of organic architecture.

The house seems to grow out of the cliff and ledges, so it fits in perfectly with the surrounding landscape. It consists of several concrete trays which project over a waterfall.

The rooms are arranged in a clever way so that the house seems very spacious. The floor of the living room is built over a natural rock, parts of which are incorporated into the interior.

The house has other interesting features. Its floor-to-ceiling windows emphasis the close connection between the inside and outside of the building, as do the stairs which lead to the water. Its rushing sound is heard constantly in the house.

In spite of its daring construction and dramatic effect, the building appears to be an integral part of the natural setting. It is admired by architects all over the world and is considered by many to be Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece.

WRITING TASK

Write a description of a building you know well and whose design you admire. What Voronezh architects do you know?

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TRANSLATION 6.

Technology: Always a Force for Good?

Technology has brought great benefits to human beings. However, it is important also to be aware of the dangers of technology.

People often mention the social benefits of the Internet. Users can communicate with people from all over the world and make friends with them. But people lose opportunities of meeting real people and having face-to-face contact.

Technology such as television, the Internet, mobile phones and email speeds communication but also creates isolated people who interact with machines rather than with other human beings.

One of the most dangerous effects of technology is that we have no privacy any more. Big Brother is constantly watching us and recording what we are doing.

Throughout the world, rich countries are using technology to dominate poor countries. Multinational companies introduce advanced machines and computers into poor countries. And as a result many workers lose their jobs.

In conclusion, technology is developing too fast and it is essential to control technology – before it controls us.

WRITING TASK

Write about technological innovations which improve human life. Can technology solve all the world's problems?

TRANSLATION 7.

How the Internet is Changing Lives Forever

The Internet appears to be the innovation for global influence, and which will change lives the most.

The Internet has also greatly influenced how people buy and sell goods. International Internet shopping is now common, with people buying all sorts of goods, from different sites.

One of the Internet's greatest successes is Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia, which is compiled and updated by its users. It carries far more content than any other encyclopedia and is a great starting point for research, but remember to double-check important facts as it contains errors.

The other major information resource on the Internet is Google, a search engine which finds and ranks web pages according to the number of links made to them.

The Internet virtual world is “inhabited” by more than 6,6 million residents from around the world. It is now much easier to share experiences with others too. Sites such as YouTube allow people to upload and share videos and a number of figures becoming Internet phenomena. Much of the power of the Internet lies in the

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fact that people are developing new ways to be creative and innovative, combining ideas and skills without an organisation.

WRITING TASK

Write about the Internet sites you have used. What kind of sites are they?

TRANSLATION 8.

Growth of a Global Giant

Today Microsoft employs more than 55,000 people in 85 countries. In 2006, the company made profits of US $12.6 billion. But it was not always that way.

Microsoft was set up in Albuquerque (New Mexico, the USA) in 1975 by Bill Gates and his friend Paul Allen. The two men were guided by a belief that every desk in every office, and every home, should have a computer, so they started to develop software for personal computers. At first, the company concentrated on selling to businesses. In the late 1970s, Microsoft moved to the Seattle area. It is still based there today, on its own “corporate campus” in Redmond. In the mid 1980s, Microsoft was growing rapidly and chose the Republic of Ireland as the location of its first production faculty outside the USA.

The company slogan is “Where do you want to go today?” In 1996 Microsoft was named the company that Americans respected and admired the most. In 1999 Gates's book “Business @ the Speed of Thought” was published. The book shows how computer technology can solve business problems in new ways. It is now published in 25 languages and in more than 60 countries. Bill Gates himself has given over $30 billion to support projects in global health and learning.

WRITING TASK

Write about any top company and its products. Would you like to work for it?

TRANSLATION 9.

Famous Buildings

The Colosseum is an incredibly impressive building. It is a vast amphitheatre and big crowds used to go there to watch gladiators and fights between wild animals. It is made of stone and concrete, and although it was damaged by earthquakes in the 15th century, the main structure has survived for almost 2,000 years.

The Eiffel Tower is one of the world's best-known landmarks. It looks elegant and graceful rising above Paris. It was built as a temporary structure for the 1889 Universal Exhibition but has never been taken down, although there was a lot of opposition from the public to it. It is 300 metres tall – and it was the world's tallest structure until about 1930.

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