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Oxford - the university town
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This university town is very beautiful. The oldest university there is Oxford. The first of its colleges was founded in 1249. The university now has thirty-five colleges and about thirteen thousand students, many of them from other countries. There were no women at Oxford until 1878, when the first women's college Lady Margaret Hall opened.
Now most colleges are open to men and women. It is not easy to get a place at Oxford University to study for a degree. But outside the university there are many smaller private colleges which offer less difficult courses and where it is easy to enroll. Most students in these private schools take business, secretarial or English language courses.
Oxford is, of course, famous for its first-class education as well as its beautiful buildings. Some of the most intelligent men and women in the country live and work here. Oxford gives them what they need: a quiet atmosphere, friendly colleagues and the four-hundred-year-old library, which has about five million books. Oxford has same of the finest architecture in Britain. Some of their colleges, chapels and libraries are there, four and even five hundred years old, and are full of books and precious paintings. You can see there many lovely gardens, where the students can read and relax in the summer months.
Vocabulary:
to enroll – поступить
chapel – часовня
precious – бесценный
painting – полотно
Questions:
1. What is the oldest university in oxford?
2. When did it open?
3. What is Oxford famous for?
4. How many colleges are there in university?
5. Where do students relax and read?
Part 3
TEXTS FOR HOME-READING
Text № 1
I. Words to be learnt:
make up – составлять
respectable behaviour – хорошее поведение
freely – свободно
public life – общественная жизнь
to be surprised by – удивляться чему-либо
society – общество
queue – очередь
to complain – ругаться, жаловаться
to ban – запрещать
to make a noise – шуметь
II. Read the text and
a) write down a summarizing sentence for each paragraph;
b) prepare an oral summary of the text on the basis of the above task.
“UNWRITTEN RULES” OF GREAT BRITAIN
Good and bad manners make up the social rules of a country. They are not always easy to learn because they are often not written down in books. For example, British women didn't go into pubs at the beginning of this century because it was not considered respectable behaviour for a woman. Now both women and men drink freely in pubs and women are fully integrated into public life. Visitors to Britain are often surprised by the strange behaviour of the inhabitants. One of the worst mistakes is to get on a bus without waiting your turn in the queue. The other people in the queue will probably complain loudly! Queuing is a national habit and it is considered polite or good manners to wait for your turn.
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In some countries it is considered bad manners to eat in the street, whereas in Britain it is common to see people having a snack whilst walking down the road, especially at lunch-time. Britons may be surprised to see young children in restaurants in the evening because children are not usually taken out to restaurants late at night. And if they make a noise in public or in a restaurant it is considered very rude. In recent years children are playing a more active role and they are now accepted in many pubs and restaurants.
In recent years smoking has received a lot of bad publicity, and fewer British people now smoke. Many companies have banned smoking in their offices and canteens. Smoking is now banned on the London Underground, in cinemas and theaters and most buses. It's becoming less and less acceptable to smoke in a public place. It is considered rude or bad manners to smoke in someone's house without permission.
Social rules are an important part of our culture as they passed down through history. The British have an expression for following these “unwritten rules”: “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”.
Discussing questions:
1. What make the social rules of a country?
2. What was respectable behaviour for a woman in 20th century?
3. What do you know about queuing?
4. What do you think about smoking?
5. What is the important part of our culture?
Exercises to the text:
I. Translate the words and words combinations from English into Russian. Build up your own sentences with them:
Social rules, integrate into, behaviour of inhabitants, worst mistake, national habit, in recent years, late at night, active role, without permission, to pass down.
II. Choose the Russian equivalents to the English word combinations:
| 1. country | 1. считать, полагать |
| 2. always | 2. легкая закуска |
| 3. to consider | 3. получать |
| 4. snack | 4. ждать, ожидать |
| 5. often | 5. садиться в автобус |
| 6. turn | 6. гласность, публичность |
| 7. polite | 7. страна |
| 8. to wait | 8. поворот |
| 9. publicity | 9. часто |
| 10. to get on | 10. вежливый |
| 11. всегда | |
| 12. змея |
III. Fill in the blanks with the words given below and build up general questions to the sentences:
1. British women didn't go into pubs at the beginning of this century because it was not considered respectable behaviour for a …..
2. One of the worst mistakes is to get on a bus without waiting your … in the queue.
3. Britons may be surprised to see young … in restaurants in the evening.
4. In recent years … has received a lot of bad publicity, and fewer British people now smoke.
5. Social rules are an important part of our … as they passed down through history.
Children, culture, turn, woman, smoking
IV. Confirm or rebut the following statements:
1. Good and bad manners make up the political rules of a country.
2. Now neither women nor men drink freely in pubs.
3. Many companies have banned smoking in their offices and canteens.
4. Children are now accepted in many pubs and restaurants.
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5. It is considered rude or bad manners to smoke in someone's house without permission.
V. Choose the right English equivalent to the words in brackets:
1. They are not always easy (учить) because they are often not written down in books.
a) to study
b) to learn
c) to teach
2. Visitors to Britain are often surprised by the strange (поведение) of the inhabitants.
a) policy
b) behaviour
c) response
3. The other people in the (очередь) will probably complain loudly!
a) queue
b) turn
c) volley
4. Smoking is now (запрещено) on the London Underground, in cinemas and theaters and most buses.
a) to suppress
b) to outlaw
c) to ban
5. If children (шуметь) in public or in a restaurant it is considered very rude.
a) to kick up a row
b) talk a lot
c) to make a noise
VI. Translate the sentences from Russian into English:
1. Стояние в очереди – национальная привычка, и считается хорошей манерой вежливо дождаться своей очереди.
2. Британии в порядке вещей увидеть людей, перекусывающих по дороге, особенно во время ленча.
3. Становится все более и более неприемлемым курить в общественном месте.
4. Неписанные правила Великобритании нелегко выучить, потому что обычно о них не пишут в книгах.
5. Если ты в Риме, делай по-римски.
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