- •Содержание
- •Предисловие
- •Методическая записка
- •Classroom activities (1)
- •1. A) Answer the questions:
- •2. A) Skim through the text and say what the message of the text is.
- •3. A) Open the brackets using the correct forms of the verbs.
- •4. A) Read the text filling in the gaps with the proper words.
- •Home activities (1)
- •5. A) Go through the texts in exercises 2–4 and find the English for
- •6. Retell any of the three texts (see exercises 2-4). Classroom activities (2)
- •7. Paraphrase and add a sentence logically connected.
- •8. A) Read the article and say in one sentence what it deals with. Новое поколение выбирает прагматизм
- •Home activities (2)
- •9. Give a brief summary of the article (see exercise 8) in English using the suggested key words and phrases:
- •1. Introduction:
- •In conclusion/Finally, the writer says that...
- •Classroom activities (3)
- •The Infinitive
- •12. Read the following sentences and translate them into Russian. Comment on the forms of the Infinitive. Compare
- •Complex Subject with verbs in the Active Voice
- •13. Translate into Russian.
- •14. Paraphrase using the Complex Subject.
- •16. Answer the teacher’s questions and add sentences logically connected.
- •18. Answer the teacher’s questions and explain why you think so. Home activities (3)
- •Classroom activities (4)
- •21. A) Match the following phrasal verbs with their definitions. Translate them into Russian.
- •22. Translate into English.
- •23. Read the following paragraph and speak about the changing family pattern in the uk and the us using the suggested key phrases:
- •24. A) Speak about the present-day family pattern in your country. Base your answer on the key phrases suggested in exercise 22.
- •Home activities (4)
- •Classroom activities (5)
- •Complex Subject with verbs in the Passive Voice
- •28. Translate into Russian.
- •29. Make sentences with the Complex Subject using the suggested words and word combinations.
- •30. Paraphrase using the Complex Subject.
- •Substantivised Adjectives
- •31. Paraphrase as in the model:
- •Class in America
- •32. Paraphrase, translate or explain.
- •33. Answer the teacher’s questions. Home activities (5)
- •35. Get ready to retell Text 1. Classroom activities (6)
- •36. Paraphrase using the active vocabulary:
- •37. Complete the sentences with the derivatives of the words given in the right-hand column:
- •38. Complete the sentences using the word combinations given in the box:
- •39. Develop the ideas.
- •40. Paraphrase the sentences using the For-to-Infinitive Construction.
- •41. Complete the sentences. Translate the for-phrases into English.
- •Home activities (6)
- •43. Read the text Walking into the Wind and get ready to answer the questions (see exercise 49).
- •44. Open the brackets using the For-to-Infinitive Construction.
- •Classroom activities (7)
- •45. Translate into Russian.
- •Word building
- •46. Complete the sentences with verbs in proper forms.
- •Walking into the Wind
- •47. Find the Russian for:
- •48. Find the English for:
- •49. Answer the questions.
- •Home activities (8)
- •50. Retell the text as if you were
- •Classroom activities (8)
- •52. Paraphrase using a Complex Subject.
- •54. Express your opinion and support it using the suggested words and word combinations.
- •Home activities (9)
- •55. A) Complete the sentences with the words and word combinations from the box. Learn the words and word combinations from the box.
- •Classroom activities (9)
- •56. Open the brackets using the correct forms of the Infinitive.
- •57. A) Paraphrase the sentences below using the words given in brackets.
- •58. A) Open the brackets using the correct forms of the verbs.
- •Class divisions bar students from university
- •Classroom activities (1)
- •1. Answer the questions:
- •2.A) Skim through the text and say what the message of the text is.
- •3. A) Read a story about a man who managed to change his life for the better. Open the brackets using the correct forms of the verbs.
- •4. A) Read the text filling in the gaps with the proper words.
- •Pursuing Happiness In a Complex World
- •Home activities (1)
- •5. A) Go through the texts in exercises 2 – 4 and find the English for
- •6. Retell any of the three texts (see exercises 2-4). Classroom activities (2)
- •7. Paraphrase and add a sentence logically connected.
- •8. A) Read the article and say in one sentence what it deals with. Есть ли что-то важнее денег?
- •Home activities (2)
- •9. Render the article (see exercise 8) in English using the suggested key words and phrases:
- •1. Introduction:
- •2. Main body of the report:
- •According to; devaluation; social system; moral principles; poverty; unemployment; to survive;
- •3. Conclusion:
- •Classroom activities (3)
- •The Gerund
- •12. Read the following sentences and translate them into Russian. Comment on the forms of the Gerund.
- •Patterns with the Gerund Pattern 1 (Gerund as subject)
- •13. Translate into Russian.
- •14. Paraphrase using the Gerund.
- •Pattern 2 (Gerund as predicative)
- •15. Complete the sentences using the Gerund.
- •Pattern 3 (Gerund as adverbial modifier)
- •16. Translate into Russian.
- •17. Paraphrase using the Gerund.
- •Pattern 3 (Gerund as attribute)
- •18. Complete and add a sentence logically connected.
- •Home activities (3)
- •Classroom activities (4)
- •Pattern 4 (Gerund as direct object)
- •21. Complete the sentences using the gerund of a suitable verb.
- •22. Translate into Russian paying particular attention to the use of possessive and objective pronouns.
- •Pattern 4 (Gerund as prepositional object)
- •24. Insert prepositions where necessary.
- •25. Paraphrase using the Gerund.
- •26. A) Read the following opinions and complete the sentences using the Gerund.
- •Home activities (4)
- •27. A) Render the article in English using the suggested key words and word combinations. Больше работы, денег, секса
- •In conclusion the writer says that...
- •Classroom activities (5)
- •Verbs taking the Gerund and the Infinitive
- •30. Translate into Russian:
- •31. Open the brackets using either the Gerund or the Infinitive.
- •32. Complete the sentences, using the Gerund or the Infinitive:
- •Cross-cultural Notes:
- •33. Paraphrase, translate or explain.
- •34. Answer the teacher’s questions. Home activities (5)
- •36. Get ready to retell Text 1. Classroom activities (6)
- •37. Paraphrase using the active vocabulary:
- •38. A) Complete the sentences with the words and word combinations from the box. Learn the words and word combinations from the box.
- •Love Is Real Medicine Loneliness fosters cardiovascular disease. Fortunately, there’s an antidote.
- •Home activities (6)
- •40. Read the text Brave New World and get ready to answer the questions (see exercise 45).
- •Classroom activities (7)
- •41. Paraphrase using the active vocabulary of the unit.
- •42. Fill in the blanks with prepositions where necessary.
- •43. Complete and add a sentence logically connected.
- •Brave New World After Aldous Huxley
- •44. Give the Russian for:
- •45. Find the English for
- •46. Answer the questions:
- •Home activities (7)
- •47. Retell the text as if you were
- •48. Translate into English.
- •Classroom activities (8)
- •The Gerund and the Infinitive after Aspect Verbs
- •49. Complete the sentences with the proper forms of the Verb.
- •50. Translate into Russian.*
- •52. Develop the situation / idea.
- •53. Express your opinion and support it using the vocabulary of the unit.
- •54. Comment on the following statements:
- •Home activities (8)
- •52. Translate into Russian.
- •Classroom activities (1)
- •1. A) Answer the questions:
- •What does success mean to you?
- •2. A) Skim through the text and say what the message of the text is.
- •'Assets - активы
- •Land of the Giants
- •3. A) Open the brackets using the correct forms of the verbs.
- •The Shy Sorceress
- •4. A) Read the text filling in the gaps with the proper words.
- •Home activities (1)
- •5. A) Go through the texts in exercises 1 – 3 and find the English for
- •6. Retell any of the three texts (see exercises 2-4). Classroom activities (2)
- •7. Paraphrase using the words and word combinations from exercises 1-4.
- •8. A) Read the article and say in one sentence what it deals with. Эсти лаудер – бизнес-гений XX века
- •9. Paraphrase as in the model:
- •Home activities (2)
- •Estée Lauder [LesteI'lO:dR(r)]; cosmetic empire; Josephine Esther Mentzer; a chemist; skin creams concocted by her uncle; substances
- •Strength of character; confidence; ambition; to hand out; samples of her products / potions; Fifth Avenue; calculations; beauty shops; cosmetics; to tell stories;
- •Commercial breakdown
- •Classroom activities (3)
- •The Participle
- •12. Read the following sentences and translate them into Russian. Comment on the forms of the Participle.
- •Patterns with the Participle Pattern 1 (Participle I as an attribute)
- •13. Make phrases using Participle I.
- •14. Paraphrase using Participle I where possible.
- •15. Translate into English.
- •Pattern 2 (Participle II as an attribute)
- •16. Paraphrase using Patterns 1 and 2.
- •17. Complete the sentences using the phrases suggested in the box as participles or clauses.
- •18. Translate into English.
- •Home activities (3)
- •Classroom activities (4)
- •Pattern 3 (Participle I as an Adverbial Modifier)
- •21. Paraphrase the sentences using Participle I.
- •Pattern 4 (Participle II as an Adverbial Modifier)
- •22. Paraphrase the sentences using Participle II as an adverbial modifier.
- •24.* Complete the sentences with the proper forms of the Participle.
- •25.* Join two sentences into one using participles.
- •Home activities (4)
- •26.* Complete the sentences with the proper forms of the Participle.
- •28. A) Listen to the text The Self-Made Man. Read it after the speaker.
- •Classroom activities (5)
- •Patterns with the Participle Pattern 5 (Unrelated Participle)
- •29. Paraphrase using unrelated participles.
- •Pattern 5 (Participles as Adjectives )
- •30. Complete the sentences using participles as adjectives.
- •31. Paraphrase, translate or explain.
- •32. Answer the teacher’s questions. Home activities (5)
- •33. Get ready to retell Text 1.
- •34. Complete the sentences using participles as adjectives.
- •35. Translate into English.
- •Classroom activities (6)
- •36. Paraphrase using the active vocabulary:
- •37. A) Complete the sentences with verbs in proper forms. A Strange Cry for Millionaire: Tickets Please!
- •Home activities (6)
- •39. Read the text The Hotel and get ready to answer the questions (see exercise 48).
- •Classroom activities (7)
- •40. Complete the sentences with the derivatives of the words given in the box:
- •41. Translate into Russian.
- •42. Complete the sentences as shown in the model. Pay particular attention to the use of Participle (a) and Gerund (b). Let your fellow-students ask questions.
- •The Hotel After Arthur Hailey
- •44. Give the Russian for:
- •45. Find the English for
- •46. Answer the questions:
- •Home activities (7)
- •47. Retell the text as if you were
- •48. Translate into English.
- •Classroom activities (1)
- •2. A) Skim through the text and say what the message of the text is.
- •3. A) Open the brackets using the correct forms of the verbs. Demise [dI'maIz] – (very formal) the time when something stops existing to shroud – to cover or hide something
- •4. A) Read the text filling in the gaps with the proper words.
- •Energy saving in the home
- •Home activities (1)
- •5. A) Go through the texts in exercises 2 – 4 and find the English for
- •6. Retell any of the three texts (see exercises 2-4) classroom activities (2)
- •7. Paraphrase and add a sentence logically connected.
- •8. Translate into Russian.
- •9. A) Read the article and say in one sentence what it deals with. Северный Ледовитый океан может растаять
- •Home activities (2)
- •10. Give a brief summary of the article (see exercise 8) in English using the suggested key words and phrases:
- •In conclusion / Finally, the writer wonders if...
- •Arctic Thaw Melts Away Old Habits in Far North
- •Classroom activities (3)
- •Modal Verbs with Suppositional Meaning
- •Should the Sport of Hunting be Completely Banned?
- •13. Read the following sentences and translate them into Russian. Comment on the forms of modal verbs.
- •14. Paraphrase using modal verbs.
- •15. Express surprise and disbelief, add a sentence logically connected to support your opinion.
- •Home activities (3)
- •17. A) Complete the sentences with the proper forms of the Verb.
- •18. Complete the sentences with the proper modal verbs and the appropriate forms of the verb.
- •Classroom activities (4)
- •Modal Verbs with Suppositional Meaning
- •20. Paraphrase as in the models:
- •London Calling The British capital has let the world in, and become a model for making a 21st-century metropolis work.
- •21. Paraphrase, translate or explain.
- •22. Answer the teacher’s questions. Home activities (4)
- •23. Fill in the gaps with proper words from the box in proper forms.
- •25. Get ready to retell Text 1.
- •Classroom activities (5)
- •26. Develop the conversations as in the model:
- •27. Paraphrase using the active vocabulary.
- •28. Make sentences using the suggested words and phrases:
- •29. Insert the required prepositions.
- •30. Develop the ideas.
- •Home activities (5)
- •Classroom activities (6)
- •33. Complete the sentences with the correct forms of the Infinitive.
- •35. Paraphrase using the modal verbs may / might, can / could, must.
- •36. A) Read the text filling in the gaps with the proper words.
- •37. Translate into English.
- •Home activities (6)
- •38. Read the text Deception Point and get ready to discuss it in class.
- •Classroom activities (7)
- •40. Complete the sentences choosing the proper modal.
- •Deception Point
- •41. Give the Russian for:
- •42. Find the English for
- •43. Answer the questions:
- •Home activities (7)
- •44. Give a brief retelling of the text and express your viewpoint on the problems raised by the writer. Classroom activities (8)
- •45. A) Complete the sentences with the derivatives of the words given in the right-hand column: Sour times
- •46. Translate into Russian.
- •47. Develop the situations as in the model:
- •48. Gabriel Ashe has just told the news to her friend Yolanda Cole. Act as Yolanda expressing your attitude to the information and give advice wherever necessary.
- •49. Express your opinion and support it using the vocabulary of the unit.
- •Marjorie Tench:
- •Home activities (8)
- •50. A) Complete the sentences with phrases made of noun combinations given in the box.
- •51. Prepare a three-minute talk on “Scientific and industrial development – curse or blessing for the planet”.
- •Classroom activities (9)
- •52. Match the beginning of each sentence with a suitable ending.
- •53. Choose the correct phrase to complete the situation.
- •54. Choose the correct grammar form.
- •55. Complete the letter with proper phrases based on the hints in the box.
- •56. Complete the sentences.
- •57. Translate into English.
- •58. A) Open the brackets using the proper forms of the verbs.
- •1. A) Answer the questions:
- •2. A) Skim through the text and say what the message of the text is.
- •Return to Babel
- •E). Find examples of linguistic similarities in your mother tongue and/or European languages.
- •3. A) Open the brackets using the correct forms of the verbs.
- •4. A) Read the text filling in the gaps with the proper words.
- •Home activities (1)
- •5. A) Go through the texts in exercises 1 – 3 and find the English for
- •6. Retell any of the three texts (see exercises 2-4). Classroom activities (2)
- •7. Paraphrase and add a sentence logically connected.
- •8. A) Read the article and say in one sentence what it deals with.
- •Home activities (2)
- •9. Give a brief summary of the article (see exercise 8) in English using the suggested key words and phrases:
- •In conclusion the writer says that...
- •10. A) Complete the sentences with the proper forms of the Verb.
- •Classroom activities (3)
- •Unreal condition (suppressed type)
- •12. Make sentences as in the model:
- •13. Complete the situations as in the model.
- •Real and Unreal Condition in complex sentences
- •14. A) Read and compare sentences of real and unreal condition.
- •15. Read the following sentences and translate them into Russian.
- •16. Match the beginning of each sentence with a suitable ending.
- •17. Translate into English.
- •Home activities (3)
- •18. Complete the sentences with the proper forms of the verbs in brackets.
- •19. Read the following article and be ready to speak about the uses and misuses of English loan-words in the Russian language using the phrases suggested below. Repelling the English Invasion
- •Classroom activities (4)
- •Unreal condition (mixed type)
- •20. Combine the sentences as in the model.
- •21. Translate into English.
- •22. Paraphrase the sentences using “but-for” phrase.
- •23. Complete the sentences using “but-for” phrase.
- •24. Translate into English.
- •25. Complete the sentences to make a chain-story.
- •Home activities (4)
- •27. Open the brackets using the proper forms of the verbs.
- •28. Give a brief summary of the article in English using the suggested words and phrases:
- •Classroom activities (5)
- •30. Translate into Russian.
- •Not the Queen’s English
- •32. Paraphrase, translate or explain.
- •33. Answer the teacher’s questions. Home activities (5)
- •35. Get ready to retell Text 1. Classroom activities (6)
- •36. Paraphrase and develop the situation.
- •37. Open the brackets using the proper forms of the verbs.
- •38. Paraphrase using the active vocabulary of the unit.
- •39. Complete and add a sentence logically connected.
- •40. A) Complete the sentences with the words and word combinations from the box. Learn the words and word combinations from the box.
- •A question of language
- •Home activities (6)
- •42. Read the text Poshos and get ready to answer the questions (see exercise 50).
- •Classroom activities (7)
- •It’s time sb did sth
- •43. Translate into Russian.
- •45. Translate into English.
- •46. Translate into Russian.
- •47. Make new words according to the patterns of word building. Translate them into Russian.
- •48. Give the English for:
- •49. Find the Russian for:
- •50. Answer the questions.
- •Home activities (7)
- •51. Retell the text as if you were
- •52. Translate into English.
- •Classroom activities (8)
- •Had better / Would rather
- •53. Give advice as in the model:
- •54. Answer as in the model:
- •55. Complete the sentences as in the model.
- •57. Complete the sentences with the proper forms of the Verb.
- •58. Express your opinion and support it using the active words and word combinations.
- •Who do you side with?
- •English by no means the ‘universal’ language
- •‘Global English’ is already becoming a pidgin language
- •English is a link language
- •Home activities (8)
- •59. Open the brackets using the proper forms of the verbs.
- •60. Translate into English.
- •Classroom activities (9)
- •61. A) Open the brackets using the proper forms of the verbs.
- •62. Complete the sentences translating into English the phrases given in brackets.
- •63. Complete the sentences.
- •64. Translate into English. Use the hints from the box.
- •65. A) Complete the sentences with the words and word combinations from the box.
- •66. A) Read the text. Political Correctness and Identity Politics
- •1. Answer the questions:
- •2. A) Skim through the text and say what the message of the text is.
- •All Cultures Are Not Equal
- •3. A) Open the brackets using the correct forms of the verbs.
- •Culturally Confused
- •4. A) Read the text filling in the gaps with the proper words.
- •End of the Road
- •Home activities (1)
- •5. A) Go through the texts in exercises 1 – 4 and find the English for
- •6. Retell any of the three texts (see exercises 2-4). Classroom activities (2)
- •7. Paraphrase and add a sentence logically connected.
- •8. A) Read the article and say in one sentence what it deals with.
- •Home activities (2)
- •9. Give a brief summary of the article (see exercise 8) in English using the suggested key words and phrases:
- •In conclusion / Finally, the writer says that...
- •Classroom activities (3)
- •So that (purpose clause)
- •12. A) Complete the sentences with the derivatives of the words given in the right-hand column:
- •Tourism Across Cultures
- •13. Paraphrase, translate or explain.
- •14. Answer the teacher’s questions. Home activities (3)
- •15. Get ready to retell Text 1.
- •Classroom activities (4)
- •17. Paraphrase using the active vocabulary of the unit.
- •18. Translate from English into Russian.
- •Subjunctive Mood or Should
- •In Nominal Clauses
- •20. Translate into Russian.
- •24. Translate into English.
- •Home activities (4)
- •25. A) Translate into English.
- •Classroom activities (5)
- •In Subordinate Clauses
- •26. Paraphrase as in the model.
- •27. Complete the sentences using the words and phrases in the right-hand column. Add a sentence logically connected.
- •28. A) Complete the sentences with the words and phrases from the box.
- •29. A) Scan the text and say whether you agree with the conclusion the writers arrive at. Explain your viewpoint.
- •31. Complete the sentences with the proper forms of the Verb.
- •32. Answer the teacher’s questions. Home activities (5)
- •33. Complete the sentences with the proper forms of the Verb.
- •34. A) Translate into English.
- •Classroom activities (6)
- •35. Complete sentences with the right words.
- •36. Complete the sentences with the proper forms of the Verb.
- •37. Complete the sentences with the words from the box.
- •38. Comment on the following statements:
- •39. Express your opinion and support it using the vocabulary of the unit.
- •Home activities (6)
- •40. Read the text Digging to America and get ready to answer the questions (see exercise 45).
- •41. Translate into English. Use the hints from the box.
- •Classroom activities (7)
- •42. Fill in the blanks with prepositions where necessary.
- •Digging to America
- •43. Give the English for:
- •44. Find the Russian for:
- •45. Answer the questions.
- •46. Complete the sentences with the proper forms of the Verb.
- •Home activities (7)
- •47. Translate into English. Use the hints from the box.
- •48 . Retell the text as if you were
- •Classroom activities (8)
- •49. Complete the sentences:
- •50. Open the brackets and write the verbs in the appropriate forms.
- •51. Translate from Russian into English:
- •Home activities (8)
- •52. Write a paragraph to answer the question:
- •Classroom activities (9)
- •53. Read the following text and
- •What Kids Should Know Being tech-savvy is one thing. Being cultured means exploring the unknown.
- •54. Read the following text and
- •The ecology of Hollywood
- •55. Read the following text and
- •Are you a tourist or a traveller?
30. Translate into Russian:
1. He stopped to exchange a few words with a neighbour. 2. We regret to inform you that your application has been unsuccessful. 3. I like looking round antique shops. 4. I would prefer to stay at home rather than go out in this weather. 5. He clearly remembered giving her the message. 6. I regret saying that you were mistaken. 7. I regret to say that you were mistaken. 8. Greg went on talking, although I had asked him to stop. 9. Having mentioned the main problem, Frieda went on to talk of other, less important matters. 10. Have ever tried driving in London? – I have, and it’s not very pleasant. 11. Applicants should try to answer all the questions. 12. Remember to give my love to your sister. 13. Moving to the North means getting used to Arctic days and nights. 14. I mean to leave that meeting with a new contract.
31. Open the brackets using either the Gerund or the Infinitive.
1. If the Premier’s policy is to succeed, he must try ____________ (to keep) prices low. 2. What do you mean ___________ (to do) about the broken computer? 3. Don’t forget __________ (to wake) me before you leave. 4. Why don’t you try __________ (to use) honey instead of sugar? It’s much healthier. 5. I tried _________ (to take) the pill you gave me but I couldn’t swallow it. 6. Although Will is quite well off, he still regrets ____________ (not/to go) to university. 7. I definitely remember _______________ (you/to borrow) money from me. 8. I’d prefer you ______________ (to work) after office hours tonight. 9. Let’s stop ____________ (to have) something to eat. – Again? I wish you would stop _____________ (to eat) so much! 10. I think I’d prefer ______________ (to go) on holiday to Egypt this year and spend some time visiting historical sites. – Yes, I prefer ___________ (to do) something interesting to just _____________ (to lie) on a beach all day. And I’d prefer _____________ (to go) somewhere warm rather than ______________ (to stay) in Scotland.
32. Complete the sentences, using the Gerund or the Infinitive:
1. Do you remember … last week? 2. Did you remember … last night? 3. Our boss didn’t think we needed … . 4. I think the computer needs … . 5. Perhaps the tenants would prefer not … . 6. Does he/she prefer … to … ? 7. I hope you won’t forget … . 8. A truthful person hates … . 9. His mother is a domineering person. I’d hate … . 10. Having discussed the first item on the agenda, the board of directors went on … . 11. I can’t understand why you go on … if you hate … . 12. You should try … . I’m sure you’ll find it much easier. 13. He may not have succeeded, but at least he tried … . 14. Accepting this invitation means … .
Text 1. Climbing Out of Poverty: Never Easy, Never Over. |
Cross-cultural Notes:
1. professional classes – social groups embracing educated and qualified people in jobs that require special skills and training, especially ones with high social status; the professions – a form of employment that is possible for an educated person and after training: the medical / legal / teaching / nursing profession.
2. Chicago [SI'kQ:gRu] – the third largest US city situated in the state of Illinois ['IlInOI] on Lake Michigan ['mISIgRn]. It is an important industrial and business centre. Its airport, O’Hare, is the busiest in the world.
3. Medicare – the US government’s medical programme for everyone over the age of 65. It is part of the Social Security system. It pays part of the costs of hospitals and offers additional medical insurance to people who pay an amount of money each month.
4. Social Security – the US government payments to help people who are unemployed, poor or old, or who cannot work because they are ill or injured. Money for the payments is provided by taxes on employers and workers.
5. ... her daughter’s desire to join the Navy – the US Navy consists of about 400,000 men and women. More than 80% of all military jobs are open to women.
* * *
For most of her 38 years, Angela Whitiker has been on the outside looking in at the seeming perfection of the professional classes. While the rest of the United States continues to debate the barriers to mobility, Ms. Whitiker has quietly traversed several classes in a single lifetime. She has gone from welfare statistic in the early 1990s to credit-card carrying member of the middle class.
The third of five children, she was born to a mother who was a cook. She didn’t meet her father until she was 10, and she hasn’t seen him since. By 15, she was pregnant with her first child. By 23, she was the mother of five and had worked in a variety of low-paying jobs.
At 26, Ms. Whitiker and her children were living in a crime-burdened neighbourhood. She had become involved with a man who worked as a baggage handler at O’Hare International Airport. He paid the rent and was the father of her fifth child. His paycheck gave her the ability to get into a pre-nursing program at a local community college in Chicago. But the relationship fell apart, and without her boyfriend to pay the rent, she fell further behind.
She wound up in a cellblock of an apartment in the Robert Taylor Homes. Gangs ruled the place. The elevators didn’t work and gunshots were background music. “It was hell,” she would say later. “I wouldn’t want a dog to stay up in there.” Ms. Whitiker vowed from the very first night to get out. She postponed her nursing studies, working at a fast food restaurant and as a security guard.
Then she met Vincent Allen. A police detective, he had a college degree, a nice apartment and a solid middle-class background. They met when they were working as security guards. With Mr. Allen’s encouragement, Ms. Whitiker enrolled in nursing school again, but it was different this time. Or, rather, she was different. She had seen the bottom of the well and never wanted to go back there. Upon finishing nursing school, she was anxious to pass her licensing exam. “It was a step to another life,” she said later.
At first, nursing was like winning the lottery. She was earning enough for the family to move into a four-bedroom apartment in a nice building overlooking Lake Michigan.
Now she is making $83,000 a year, more than Mr. Allen, whom she married a few years ago. She is making more money than anybody she knows. And come payday, everybody needs something, and not just the kids. Relatives need gas money, friends need help with the rent. Even her patients have their hands out. “You got some money to lend me?” one of them, an older woman whose telephone had just been cut off, asked her.
After Medicare and Social Security deductions and her share of the household obligations, groceries, her $500 monthly car payment, loans to relatives, and the debt left over from her previous life, she finds that most months she has little left over. So despite her income, she still shops at the dollar stores in her old neighborhood.
Her job and paycheck say she is middle-class, but what does that mean? She said that when she was on the outside looking in, she never imagined it would mean working three and a half years without a vacation or having an empty dining room waiting for a table and chairs. It never occurred to her that she would be working this hard and still have to choose between paying the phone bill and paying for her daughter’s formal high school party.
“I feel like every corner of my body is being stretched,” she said.
Ms. Whitiker’s ideal of middle-class perfection has two missing pieces: her oldest sons, Nicholas and Willie. Her success came too late to benefit them. Both have spent time in jail on drug convictions, and both have children out of wedlock. She had to make the most painful decision a mother could make to keep her family on her chosen path. She made it clear that neither Willie nor Nicholas was welcome until they cleaned up their lives.
But she still has hope. “I’m a late bloomer,” she says, “and I know it’s not too late for them.”
Ms. Whitiker doesn’t hide her displeasure over her daughter’s desire to join the Navy – mainly because it does not fit the middle-class ideal she has for her children. She sees her daughter studying law.
“I try to talk my kids to go into a profession,” she said. “If you are certified and licensed, nobody can take that away from you.”
But to Nicholas and Willie, her advice is different. “Can’t you see your life is going down the drain, and you are the only one who can save it?” she asks. “You want a quick way out. There is no quick way out. I tried that. It doesn’t work.”
(After Isabel Wilkerson, The New York Times, 2005.)
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ACTIVE VOCABULARY
1. relation (countable / uncountable) – связь между двумя и более людьми (предметами, явлениями): e.g. The study found a direct relation between smoking and lung cancer. / a relation (Brit.), a relative (Am.) – родственник // relations – отношения (между людьми, странами, организациями): e.g. international relations; relations between Japan and China. We have very good relations with the local police. // relationship – 1. отношения (между людьми, особенно предполагающие тесную эмоциональную связь): e.g. romantic relationship. My relationship with my boyfriend has lasted six months now. 2. взаимосвязь между явлениями, отношения (менее формально, чем relation): e.g. There is a close relationship between poverty and crime. (Poverty is related to crime.)
2. 'anxious – 1. беспокоящийся, тревожащийся, встревоженный: e.g. I was terribly anxious about the children when they didn’t come home from school in time. 2. стремящийся к чему-либо, желающий чего-либо: e.g. The government is anxious to reassure everyone that the situation is under control. He was anxious for his son to find a job in an investment bank. / anxiety [WNg'zaIRtI] (about) – тревога, беспокойство: e.g. We waited with great anxiety for more news about the flood. There’s a lot of anxiety about the new parliamentary reform.
3. security – безопасность: e.g. When the documents were locked up in the bank vault we had no more anxieties about their security. / the UN Security Council – Совет Безопасности ООН / a security guard – охранник / social security (Brit.), social welfare (Am.) – социальное обеспечение (особенно неимущих слоев): e.g. John has been on social security for two years now.
4. to deduct – вычитать, удерживать: e.g. The cost of the broken glasses will be deducted from your pay. / deduction – 1. вычитание, удержание: e.g. Your gross salary will be $3000 a month, which works out $2200 after all deductions. 2. вывод, (умо)заключение: e.g. What deductions have you made from that, Watson? / to deduce – выводить заключение, делать вывод: e.g. Hercule Poirot deduced that the murder had been committed by a woman.
5. to occur [R'kR:] – случаться, происходить (more formal than to happen): e.g. Police say the accident occurred about 8 a.m. Complications occurred in only 10 per cent of cases. / to occur to sb / it occurs to sb to do sth – приходить в голову кому-либо: e.g. The thought of giving up the project never occurred to Jim. It didn’t occur to me to ask how he had found me. / occurrence [R'kArRns] – 1. случай, происшествие: e.g. Unfortunately, computer errors are a common occurrence. 2. распространение, частота возникновения: e.g. The report noted an increase in the occurrence of lung cancer.
7. background – 1. задний план, фон: e.g. The mountains form a background to this photograph of the family. 2. незаметное положение: e.g. She has a lot of power, but likes to remain in the background. 3. (социальное) происхождение; опыт, подготовка, уровень образования: e.g. We are looking for journalists with a background in economics. The program aims at educating children from disadvantaged backgrounds. 4. история вопроса, подоплека, исходные данные, сведения общего характера: e.g. You'll have to give the lawyer a bit more background information before he can help you.
8. 'perfect – 1. идеальный, совершенный: e.g. The equipment was in perfect condition. / in a perfect world – в идеале: e.g. In a perfect world, each patient should see their doctor daily, but we don’t have the resources. 2. законченный, полный, абсолютный: e.g. I wouldn't like to share a room with a perfect stranger. 3. подходящий во всех отношениях: e.g. The new house is perfect for their growing family. / perfection – 1. идеал, совершенство, безупречность: e.g. Valerie always seeks perfection in her boyfriends. The roast beef was cooked to perfection. 2. (у)совершенствование: e.g. He worked hard at the perfection of his technique.
to be born to sb / a family... – родиться у кого-либо / в семье…
to be pregnant with (a son) / to be pregnant by sb – быть беременной (сыном) / быть беременной от кого-то
to fall apart – распасться (об отношениях)
to wind up – 1. закончить что-либо 2. оказаться в каком-либо месте или положении (обычно о неприятной ситуации)
to enroll in – записаться, поступить (в)
to go down the drain – пойти впустую
COMPREHENSION EXERCISES |