Striving For Happiness. I Am a Part of All that I Have Met

212 Pages·011.61 MB·Russian

by  Козубовская Л. А.

Федеральное агентство по образованию
Государственное образовательное учреждение
высшего профессионального образования
«Пермский государственный технический университет»
Л.А. Козубовская, Е.Л. Сентебова
STRIVING FOR HAPPINESS
I AM A PART OF ALL THAT I HAVE MET
Утверждено
Редакционно-издательским советом университета
в качестве учебно-методического пособия
Издательство
Пермского государственного технического университета
2009
ББК 81.432.1
К59
Рецензенты:
канд. филол. наук, доцент Т.П. Сальникова
(Пермский филиал государственного университета «Высшая школа экономики»);
канд. филол. наук, доцент Т.И. Кормановская
(Пермский государственный технический университет)
Козубовская, Л.А.
К59 Striving for happiness. I am a part of all that I have met: учеб.-метод. пособие /
Л.А. Козубовская, Е.Л. Сентебова. - Пермь: Изд-во Перм. гос. техн. ун-та,
2009.- 212 с.
ISBN 978-5-398-00328-4
Содержит тексты и задания для развития навыков английской устной речи, сгруппирован­
ные по тематическому принципу.
Предназначено для студентов гуманитарных специальностей, а также для всех, кто хочет
совершенствоваться в языке.
ББК 81.432.1
ISBN 978-5-398-00328-4 © ГОУ ВПО
«Пермский государственный
технический университет», 2009
CONTENTS
ПРЕДИСЛОВИЕ................................................................................................................ 4
Unit 1. MEETING SOMEONE........................................................................................... 5
Unit 2. APPRECIATING THE LOOKS............................................................................. 14
Unit 3. CHARACTERISING A PERSON......................................................................... 31
Unit 4. LOVING SOMEONE............................................................................................. 49
Unit 5. MAKING A GOOD COUPLE............................................................................... 68
Unit 6. HAVING A FAMILY 87
Unit 7. COMING ACROSS FAMILY PROBLEMS...........................................................100
Only Children...........................................................................................................100
Complicated Relationships.......................................................................................101
Drinking Alcohol.....................................................................................................104
Being A Teenage Mother.........................................................................................104
Drug Abuse..............................................................................................................105
Committing Suicide.................................................................................................107
Leaving Home....................................................................................................... 108
A Divorce Problem..................................................................................................Ill
Unit 8. MAKING FRIENDS................................................................................................119
Unit 9. CHOOSING A CAREER.........................................................................................139
Unit 10. MAKING MONEY................................................................................................157
Unit 11. OVERCOMING TROUBLES...............................................................................172
Loneliness................................................................................................................172
Fears.........................................................................................................................177
Problems Of Big Cities............................................................................................186
Unit 12. BEING INTERESTED IN SOMETHING.............................................................190
Unit 13. BELIEVING IN THINGS......................................................................................193
Unit 14. STRIVING FOR HAPPINESS..............................................................................199
ПРЕДИСЛОВИЕ
Целью данного пособия является обучение навыкам устной речи, необходимым
для общения на английском, языке. Общение может затрагивать бесконечное количе­
ство разных тем, профессиональных и бытовых, но есть темы, которые касаются каж­
дого человека и имеют отношение к нему самому и окружающему миру, такие как
«Внешность», «Характер человека», «Любовь», «Дружба», «Брак», «Семья», «Сча­
стье» и другие. Для этих тем отобран такой языковой материал, который является
личностно ориентированным, а, следовательно, интересным для обучаемого, эмоцио­
нально близким. Благодаря такому личностному характеру материала обучаемый
преодолевает языковые трудности и получает возможность решать даже неязыковые
личностные задачи.
Пособие состоит из 14 глав, которые соединены единой смысловой линией. Ка­
ждая глава снабжена подробным тематическим словарем, имеет систему заданий, на­
правленных на отработку и усвоение этого словаря. Каждая глава включает художе­
ственные рассказы известных и малоизвестных английских и американских авторов,
сказки, басни и пословицы на данную тему; тексты для перевода с русского языка
и вопросы для дискуссии. Темы дискуссий всегда являются речевым стимулом, кото­
рый носит естественный характер. Участники дискуссии вовлекаются в реальную си­
туацию общения, дают свою аргументацию, отстаивают свою точку зрения, активно
используя усвоенный языковой материал. В конце каждой главы обучаемым предла­
гается письменное задание в виде сочинения, эссе, комментария.
Пособие предназначено для студентов гуманитарных специальностей, а также
для всех, кто хочет совершенствоваться в языке как под руководством преподавателя,
так и самостоятельно.
What is the sweetest thing for a man? It's life, for only life gives us happiness, joy and
hopes.
The authors of this book are happy to meet you, Reader, and to offer you our book in
which every chapter is devoted to an important aspect of life with its joys and sorrows,
problems and successes. All the chapters have a common connecting thread running through
them. Let's read the book and discuss the problems mentioned in it. The famous writers
whose stories, we hope, you'll enjoy, and the great minds of humanity, whose wise words
you will find in the book will help you understand life and its problems.
Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to
look up at the stars.
I AM A PART OF ALL THAT I HAVE MET
Unit 1. MEETING SOMEONE
Hello. I'm John Stanley. What's your name?
Hi! My name is Sally. Nice to meet you, John.
All the relations between people start with meeting. Then some people part never
to meet again, others go on meeting and their relations grow into friendship or deep love.
STUDY
Study the list of words.
to meet smb. - встречать кого-либо, знакомиться с кем-либо
nice to meet you (glad to meet you) - рад познакомиться
meet my friend Frank - познакомьтесь с моим другом Фрэнком
their eyes met - их глаза встретились
to meet smb's gaze - встретиться с кем-либо взглядом
to look in smb's eyes - посмотреть кому-либо в глаза
to socialise, to communicate, to mix - общаться
an acquaintance - знакомый
a neighbour - сосед
a colleague - коллега
a friend - друг
intimate, close - близкий
lifelong - давний
true - верный
loyal - преданный
inseparable - неразлучный
to get acquainted - познакомиться
to make friends with smb. - подружиться с кем-либо
to get on well (together) - хорошо ладить
to have a lot in common - иметь много общего
to be close - быть близким
to be on friendly terms - быть в дружеских отношениях
to feel easy with smb. - чувствовать себя легко с кем-либо
to relax in one's company - чувствовать себя легко в чьей-либо компании
to trust smb. - доверять кому-либо
to treat smb. well - хорошо относиться к кому-либо
to feel sorry for smb. - сочувствовать кому-либо, жалеть кого-либо
to be fond of smb. - любить кого-либо
to impress smb. - производить впечатление на кого-либо
to fascinate smb. - очаровывать кого-либо
to admire smb. - восхищаться кем-либо
to feel uneasy with smb. — чувствовать себя неловко в чьем-либо присутствии
to treat smb. badly - плохо относиться к кому-либо
to be indifferent to smb. - быть безразличным к кому-либо
to keep distance from smb. - сторониться кого-либо
to be afraid of smb. - бояться кого-либо
to annoy smb. - раздражать кого-либо
to envy smb. - завидовать кому-либо
to be jealous of smb. to smb. - ревновать кого-либо к кому-либо
to bore smb. - утомлять кого-либо
to be sick to death of smb. (to be fed up with smb.) - до смерти устать от кого-либо
to look down on smb. - смотреть на кого-либо свысока
to regard smb. with contempt - относиться к кому-либо с презрением
to despise smb. - презирать кого-либо
to hate smb. - ненавидеть кого-либо
to loathe smb. - люто ненавидеть кого-либо
PRACTICE
Speak about your first meeting with your girl (boy) friend, your best friend, some of
your group-mates, neighbours, etc. How do you feel about them now?
READING
You meet someone for the first time and talk with or observe him or her for a few
minutes. Chances are that even in this short space of time you make judgements about
a number of characteristics. People tend to form impressions quickly on the basis of very
little information.
Read the text.
The First Four Minutes
When do people decide whether or not they want to become friends? During their first
four minutes together, according to a book by Dr. Leonard Zunin. In his book, "Contact:
First Four Minutes," he offers this advice to anyone interested in starting a new friendship:
"Every time you meet someone in a social situation, give him your undivided attention for
four minutes. A lot of people's whole lives would change if they did just that."
When we are introduced to new people, the author suggests, we should try to appear
friendly and self-confident. In general, he says, "People like people who like themselves."
On the other hand, we should not make the other person think we are too sure of
ourselves. It is important to appear interested and sympathetic, realizing that the other
person has his own needs, fears and hopes.
But isn't it dishonest to give the appearance of friendly self-confidence when we don't
actually feel that way? Perhaps, but according to Dr. Zunin, "total honesty" is not always
good for social relationships, especially during the first few minutes of contact. There is
a time for everything, a certain amount of playacting may be best for the first minutes of
contact with a stranger. That is not the time to complain about one's health or to mention
faults one finds in other people. It is not the time to tell the whole truth about one's opinion
and impressions.
Much of what has been said about strangers, also applies to relationships with family
members and friends. For a husband and wife or a parent and child, problems often arise
during their first four minutes together after they have been apart. Dr. Zunin suggests that
these first few minutes together be treated with care. If there are unpleasant matters to be
discussed they should be dealt with later.
Answer the following questions.
1. What do you think of the idea put forward by Dr. Zunin?
2. What things do we focus our attention on while meeting a person?
3. Is our first impression always correct?
4. Can we see through the person we meet for the first time?
Read the stories.
A Friend In Need
After W.S. Maugham
For thirty years now I have been studying people. I do not know very much about
them. Some people say that their first impressions of a person are always right. For my part
I find the longer I know people the more they puzzle me: my oldest friends are just those of
whom I can say that I don't know the first thing about them.
That is what I was thinking when I read in the morning's paper that Edward Hyde
Burton had died at Kobe. He was a merchant and he had been in business in Japan for many
years. I knew him very little, but he interested me because once he gave me a great surprise.
He was a little fellow, not much more than five feet four in height, and very thin, with
white hair and blue eyes. I suppose he was about sixty when I knew him.
Though his offices were in Kobe, Burton often came down to Yokohama. Once when
I was waiting for a ship in Yokohama, I met him at the British club. We played bridge
together. He did not talk very much, either then or later when we were having drinks, but
what he said was sensible. He had a quiet, dry humour. He was very popular at the club and
after he had gone, they described him as one of the best. It happened that we were both
staying at the Grand Hotel and next day he asked me to dine with him. I met his wife, fat,
elderly and smiling, and his two daughters. It was a united family. I think that the main
thing that I liked about Burton was his kindliness. There was something very pleasing in his
blue eyes. You felt in him a real love for people. He had charm. He was a rich man and he
had made every penny himself. I suppose one thing that made you like him was that he was
so small. You felt that he could not bear to hurt a fly.
One afternoon I was sitting in the lounge of the Grand Hotel. Burton саше in and saw
me. He seated himself in the chair next to mine.
"What do you say to a little drink?"
While we were drinking Burton told me a story that had happened at that very place
some time before.
Burton emptied his glass.
"It's rather a funny story," he said. "There was a man here. He had the same surname
as me and that’s why this story is still in my mind. He wasn't a bad fellow, I liked him. He
was handsome in a way, with curly hair and pink-and-white cheeks. Women thought a lot of
him. But he drank too much. Those sort of men always do. A bit of money came in for him
once a quarter and he made a bit more by card playing. He won a good deal of mine,
I know that."
He stroked his chin with his thin hand.
"I suppose that is why he came to me when he went broke and because he was
a namesake of mine. He came to see me in my office one day and asked me for a job. I was
rather surprised. He told me that there was no money coming from home and he wanted
to work. I asked him how old he was."
"Thirty-five," he said.
"And what have you been doing?" I asked him.
"Well, nothing very much," he said.
I couldn't help laughing.
"I'm afraid I can't do anything for you just yet," I said. "Come back and see me in an­
other thirty-five years, and I'll see what I can do!"
He didn't move. He was pale. Then he told me that he had had bad luck at cards for
some time. He hadn't a penny. He couldn't pay his hotel bill and they wouldn't give him any
more credit. If he couldn't get something to do he'd have to commit suicide.
"Well, isn't there anything you can do except play cards?" I asked him.
"I can swim," he said.
"Swim?"
"I swam for my university."
"I was a pretty good swimmer myself when I was a young man," I said.
Suddenly I had an idea.
Pausing in his story, Burton turned to me.
"Do you know Kobe?" he asked.
"No," I said, "I passed through it once, but only spent a night there."
"Then you don't know the Shioya Club. When I was a young man I swam from there
round the beacon and back. It's over three miles and it's rather difficult because of currents
round the beacon. Well, I told my young namesake about it and I said to him that if he'd do
it I'd give him a job. I could see he was afraid."
"You say you're a good swimmer," I said.
"I'm not in very good condition," he answered.
I didn't say anything. He looked at me for a moment and then he nodded.
"All right," he said. "When do you want me to do it?"
I looked at my watch. It was just after ten.
"The swim shouldn't take you much over an hour and a quarter. I'll drive there at half
past twelve and meet you. I'll take you back to the club to dress and then we'll have lunch
together."
"All right," he said.
We shook hands. I wished him good luck and he left me. I had a lot of work to do that
morning and I only just managed to get to the creek at half past twelve.
But he never turned up.
"Didn't he swim?" I asked.
"Yes, he did. He started all right. But of course he ruined his health by drink. The
currents round the beacon were more than he could manage. They didn't get the body for
about three days."
I didn't say anything for a moment or two. I was shocked. Then I asked Burton
a question.
"When you made him that offer of a job, did you know he'd be drowned?"
He looked at me with those kind blue eyes of his and said: "Well, I hadn't got
a vacancy in my office at the moment."
Answer the following questions.
1. What was Edward Burton?
2. What can you say about his young namesake Lenny Burton?
3. Whom do we call a namesake?
4. Why did Lenny Burton come to old Burton when he went broke?
5. What did he ask him for?
6. What did old Burton offer Lenny?
7. Could young Burton swim at that time? Why?
8. What did Edward Burton look like?
9. What did Lenny Burton look like?
10. What is the meaning of the title of the story? How do you understand the proverb
"A friend in need is a friend indeed"?
11. What is the importance of the last sentence of the story?
12. What do you think of old Burton?
13. Is it really a funny story?
14. Do you agree with those who say that the first impression of a person is always
correct? Can you prove it?
15. Do you agree with the author who says: "The longer I know people, the more they
puzzle me"?
16. What do you think of the proverb: "Appearances are deceitful"?
17. How do you understand the proverbs: "A good face is a letter of recommendation"
and "A fair face may hide a foul heart"?
Under The Deck Awnings
After Jack London
"Can a man - 1 mean, a gentleman - call a woman a pig?" The little man spoke to the
whole group. Nobody answered.
The little man looked at each of the men in turn and spoke to one of them.
"I ask you, Mr Treloar, can any man call any woman a pig?"
Treloar, who was sitting next to him, did not answer at once.
"I think," he began slowly, "that it - it depends on the lady."
The little man looked angrily at him: "You mean..."
"Yes, I mean that I have met a woman who was worse than a pig. If you wish, I shall
tell you the story and then ask you what you think of her."
"Miss Caruthers I shall call her (though that is not her real name). It was on a boat
sailing the Southern seas and it happened a few years ago. Her father was a high official
whose name you all know very well, and that is the reason why I don't mention it."
"Miss Caruthers was charming. No, that is not the word. She was wonderful. She was
a beautiful young woman, and a lady. She was with her mother and two maids at that time.
They were going East to join her father there."
"She — excuse me for repeating it — was wonderful. There was nothing she could not
do better than any woman and — most of the men. She could sing, play, dance, swim!
Nobody could compete with her."
"But her swimming! She was very beautiful, as I have told you, small and thin. But
she also had strength. She could stay under water for two minutes. No man on board, except
Dennitson, could get as many coins with one dive. On the deck there was a big tank
filled with six-feet sea water. We used to throw small coins into it. She would dive from the
bridge — this was not an easy thing to do — and fetch up not less than forty-seven coins from
the bottom of the tank."
"She was a sea-woman, really. But she was a land-woman too. She could ride, she
could play tennis, she could do anything. She was a wonder. And she was clever, witty,
charming. All the men were in love with her. I myself was in love with her. She was always
surrounded by men, young and old, who were ready to do everything she wished."
"She ran the ship, she ran the voyage, she ran everything, and she ran Dennitson.
He was in love with her like all of us. But she liked him better than the others, and that
feeling was growing. What would have happened we shall never know, because we came to
Colombo and something else happened."
"You know Colombo, and how the native boys dive for coins in the bay flxll of sharks.
Of course they risk to do it only with the smaller and less dangerous sharks. It is really
surprising how they know sharks and can feel the presence of a real killer - a tiger shark, for
instance. Whenever such a shark appears, all the boys get hurriedly out of the water."
"It was after lunch, and Miss Caruthers was as usual surrounded by her admirers. Old
Captain Bentley had just been whistled up and had given her permission (he had never
allowed this before nor since) for the boys to come up on deck. You see, Miss Caruthers
was a swimmer, and she was interested. She took all our small coins and herself threw them
into the water. She gave extra rewards to the best swimmers, in short, she ran the whole
show."
"It was a pretty sight. Among the boys there was a little fellow who could dive
wonderfully, much better than the other boys. He could make the swallow-dive more beauti­
fully than I had ever seen it. He dived again and again. We all watched him with delight,
especially Miss Caruthers. He was not older than twelve or thirteen, but he was certainly the
cleverest among the boys. He was their favourite and leader, though some of them were
older than he. He was a beautiful boy, active and brave. He was so healthy, fresh and young,
so full of life, that it was a pleasure to look at him."
"This was the boy. And it was he who gave alarm in the middle of the sport. All the
boys hurried to get out of the water. They were all frightened and swam towards the ship as
quickly as they could. They hurriedly climbed onto the deck. Now all of them were standing
near the rail and looking down into the water."
"What's the matter?" asked Miss Caruthers.
"A shark, I think," Captain Bentley answered.
"Are they afraid of sharks?" she asked.
"Aren't you?" he asked back. "She shuddered, looked down into the water."
"Not for the world would I risk to dive if there was a shark nearby," she said and
shuddered again. "They are terrible! Terrible!"
Captain Bentley made a sign to the boys to go away. But Miss Caruthers stopped him.
"One moment, please, Captain."
"And then she turned to us and asked: "Who will lend me a half-crown and
a sovereign?"