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Read the texts 4 and 5 and compare English and American сharacters.
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Text 4
English character
One of the most striking features of English life is the self-discipline and courtesy of people of all classes. There is little noisy behavior, 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 of 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.
The Englishman does not like any boasting or showing off in manners, dress or speech. Sometimes he conceals his knowledge: a linguist, for example, may not mention his understanding of a foreigner’s language.
The Englishman prefers his house to an apartment in a block of flats, because he doesn’t wish his doing to be overlooked by his neighbors. “An Englishman’s house is his castle”.
Sunday is a very quiet day in London. All the shops are closed, and so are the theatres and most of the cinemas.
Londoners like to get out of town on Sundays. The sea is not far –only fifty or sixty miles away and people like to go down to the sea in summer or somewhere to the country for skiing in winter.
Text 5
American character
American society seems to be much more informal than the British and, in some ways, is characterized by less social distinction. Students do not rise when a teacher enters the room. One does not always address a person by his title, such as “Major” or “General” or “Doctor” in the case of a holder of a Doctor of Philosophy degree. The respectful “Sir” is not always used in the northern and western parts of the country.
However, it is best to use a person’s title when first meeting him/her, and then allow the person to tell you how he/she wishes to be called.
They use first names when calling each other, slap on the back, joke and are much freer in their speech, which is more slangy than the conventional British English. Your will often hear the word “Hi” (a form of greeting among friends) used instead of the usual “Hello”, and “Howdy” instead of “How do you do?
Those who don’t easily show these signs of friendship are called “snooty” or “snobbish”. In contrast, people who show such simple signs of friendship, particularly to their own economic and social inferiors, are praised as “regular guys”, or as “truly democratic”. As a description of character, democratic is generally used to signify that a person of high social or economic status acts in such a way that his or her inferiors are not reminded of their inferiority.
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Yet, in spite of all the informality, the Americans, even in the way they address each other, show consciousness of social distinction. For example, one is likely to use somewhat more formal language when talking to superiors. While the informal “Hello” is an acceptable greeting from employee to employer, the employee is more apt to say “Hello, Mr. Ferguson,” while the employer may reply “Hello, Jim”. Southerners make a point of saying “Yes, sir,” or “Yes, Ma’am,” or “No, Sir,” or “No, Ma’am,” when talking to an older person or a person in position of authority. While this is a good form all over the United States, “Yes, Mr. Weston” or “No, Mrs. Baker” is somewhat more common in a similar situation in the North or West.
Certain other forms of politeness are observed on social occasions. Women may wear hats in church, in restaurants, and often when attending luncheons in public places and other public social functions except those that take place in the evening. Men who do wear hats ordinarily remove them in elevators, churches, restaurants, private homes, business offices – in fact, in most public situations when they wish to show respect.
Text 6.Read the text and ask 10 questions on the text.
William Shakespeare
The last half of the XV1 and the beginning of the XV11 centuries are known as the golden age of English literature. It was the time of English Renaissance, and sometimes it is even called “the age of Shakespeare”.
William Shakespeare, the greatest and most famous of English writers, and probably the greatest playwright who has ever lived, was born in Stratford-on-Avon. In spite of his fame we know very little about his life. The things we that we know about Shakespeare’s life begin with the date he was baptized in the church of Stratford, on April 26, 1564, when he was only a few days old. So he is believed to have been born on April 23.
Though little is known about William’s childhood, there is every reason to believe that he was educated at the local Grammar School. When little over eighteen he married Anne Halthawayof Shottery.
William lived in Stratford until he was about twenty one, when he went to London. We do not know why he left Stratford-on-Avon.
There is a story that Shakespeare’s first job in London was holding rich men’s horses at the theatre door. But nobody can be sure that this story is true.
Later, Shakespeare became an actor and a member of one of the chief acting companies. Soon he began to write plays for this company and in a few years became a well-known author.
One writer of that time said that Shakespeare liked a quiet life, he did not like drunken parties and was not fond of being invited to the court. “If he was invited to the court, he was in pain”.
Shakespeare’s experience as actor (although he usually acted only small parts, like the Ghost in “Hamlet”) helped him greatly in the writing of his plays. His knowledge of the stage and his poetical genius made his plays the most wonderful ones ever written.
Shakespeare wrote 37 plays. Among them there are deep tragedies, such as “Hamlet”, “King Lear”, “Othello”, “Macbeth”, light comedies, such as “The Marry Wives of Windsor”, “Twelfth Night”,:Much Ado about Nothing”, historical dramas, such as “Henry 1V” “Richard 111”.
Most of Shakespeare’s plays were not published in his lifetime, so some of them may have been lost in the fire when the “Globe” burned down in 1613.
Shakespeare spent the last years of his life in Stratford, where he died in 1616. He was buried in the church of Stratford. A monument was erected to the memory of the great playwright in the Poet’s Corner in Westminster Abbey.
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