Английский язык

    «Церемония ключей»  - это еще одна  демонстрация официальных  традиций, которая  происходит каждую  ночь в 21.30, когда главный стражник Лондонского Тауэра зажигает фонарь со свечой и несет ключи, шествуя с эскортом к воротам и закрывая их. Это происходит каждую ночь без перерывов. Говорят, что в ночь на 16-е апреля 1941 года бомбардировка с воздуха помешала провести эту церемонию, выбив почву из под ног у участников эскорта. Несмотря на это церемония была завершена.

    Они могут показаться  странными современному  европейцу или  американцу, но никто  из жителей Лондона  не видит  ничего  удивительного в  этих старинных  традициях, которые  гармонично сливаются  с ежедневной городской  жизнью.

2. Pick out from the text all the irregular verbs and give their principal forms.

Have/has-had-had –иметь, обладать, be-was/were-been –быть(глагол-связка), keep-kept-kept -держать, come-came-come – приходить, приезжать, see-saw-seen - видеть, feel-felt-felt - чувствовать, put-put-put – класть, make-made-made - делать, take-took-taken - брать,взять, say-said-said - сказать. 

  Read and translate the text.

  2. Holidays in Great Britain

  There are fewer public holidays in Great Britain than in other European countries. They are: Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, May Day, Spring Bank Holiday and Summer Bank Holiday. Public holidays in Britain are called bank holidays, because the banks as well as most of the offices and shops are closed.

  The most popular holiday is Christmas. Every year the people of Norway give the city of London a present. It's a big Christmas tree and it stands in Trafalgar Square. Central streets are beautifully decorated.

  Before Christmas, groups of singers go from house to house. They collect money for charity and sing carols, traditional Christmas songs. Many churches hold a carol service on the Sunday before Christmas.

  The fun starts the night before, on the 24^th of December. Traditionally this is the day when people decorate their trees, Children hang stockings at the end of their beds, hoping that Father Christmas will come down with toys and sweets.

  Christmas is a family holiday. Relatives usually meet for the big dinner of turkey and Christmas pudding. And everyone gives and receives presents. The 26^th of December, Boxing Day, is an extra holiday after Christmas Day. This is the time to visit friends and relatives or perhaps sit at home and watch football.

  New Year's Day is less popular in Britain than Christmas. But in Scotland, Hogmanay is the biggest festival of the year.

  Besides public holidays there are some special festivals in Great Britain. One of them takes place on the 5^th of November. On that day, in 1605, Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament and kill King James I. He didn't succeed. The King's men found the bomb, took Guy Fawkes to the Tower and cut off his head.

  Since that day the British celebrate the 5^th of November. They bum a dummy, made of straw and old clothes, on a bonfire and let off fireworks. This dummy is called a «guy» (like Guy Fawkes) and children can often be seen in the streets before the 5^th of November saying «Penny for the guy». If they collect enough money they can buy some fireworks.

  There are also smaller, local festivals in Britain.

    Exercises.

1. Put 2 key questions to each paragraph of the text and write your answers to them.

What public holidays do you know in Britain? - They are: Christmas Day, , New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter.

How are public holidays called in Britain? - Public holidays in Britain are called bank holidays, because the banks as well as most of the offices and shops are closed.

Which holiday is the most popular? –  The most popular is Christmas.

What present do Norway give the city of London every year? -  It's a beautiful Christmas tree.

Who goes from house to house before Christmas? - Groups of singers go from house to house to collect some money for charity and sing carols, traditional Christmas songs.

What do churches do? – A lot of churches organize a carol service on the Sunday before Christmas.

When does the fun start? - The celebration starts the night before, on the 24th of December.

What do children do? - People with their children decorate their trees, children hang stockings at the end of their beds. They hope that Father Christmas will come down with toys and sweets.

With whom do usually people celebrate Christmas? – People usually meet with their family, relatives and friends on Christmas.

What is on the 26th of December? - Boxing Day, is an extra holiday after Christmas Day is on the 26^th of December.

What other holidays do you know except public holidays in Britain? – Except public holidays there are some special festivals in Great Britain. 

Translate paragraphs 1,2,3,4 in writing.

    В Великобритании меньше официальных праздников, чем в других европейских странах. Это : Рождество, День подарков, Новый Год, Страстная Пятница, Пасхальный понедельник, Первомай-1 мая, Праздник весны и Праздник лета. Официальные праздники в Британии называют «bank holidays»-банковские праздники, потому что банки, наряду с большинством офисов и магазинов, закрыты. 

    Наиболее популярным  праздником является  рождество. Каждый  год люди Норвегии  делают подарок  центру Лондона.  Это большое   рождественское дерево  – ель и стоит  она на Трафальгарской  площади. Центральные  улицы украшены  очень красиво.

    Накануне Рождества группа поющих людей ходят от дома к дому. Они собирают деньги для благотворительности, поют Рождественские гимны, традиционные Рождественские песни. Многие церкви организовывают специальную службу для распевания таких гимнов в воскресенье перед Рождеством.

    Веселье начинается  накануне ночью, 24-го  декабря. По традиции  это день, когда  люди украшают  свои Рождественские  елки, дети вешают  чулок на край  своей кровати,  надеясь, что Санта  Клаус придет к  ним с игрушками  и сладостями. 

3. Origins of Halloween

     Halloween, October 31 is the witchiest night of the year. It is the eye of the Festival of All Hallows, better known as All Saints, but it also coincides with a much older pagan festival - Samhain - which was celebrated by the Druids in honour of the Celtic New Year. And because Samhain marked the end of summer sunshine and the beginning of winter’s darkness, it was supposed to herald the arrival of hordes of witches, ghosts and demons. Added to this, the ancient Romans held their Festival of Pomona at about this time of year, Pomona being the goddess of fruit-trees and apples; hence the predominance of apples at Hallowe'en party games. All these ceremonies were grafted one upon the other over the centuries to become our, modern Halloween.

     In Britain Halloween celebrations have, until recently, been confined largely to the younger generation.

     A traditional feature of the children’s Halloween party is «love magic». In modern Aberdeen young girls stand in turn a looking glass at the stroke of midnight and each brushes her hair three times. A face is then supposed to materialize in the mirror – that of the boy whom fate has decreed she will one day marry. Now it is not only children but adults who hold witchy dances and ghost parties, and listen to spinechiling tales of the ghosts, goblins and witches of Halloween. 
 

    Exercises.

1. Read the text and give short summary in writing.

         Halloween, October 31 is the witchiest night of the year. It is called the day of All Saints. Halloween also coincides with a much older pagan festival – Samhain.  Samhain was celebrated by the Druids in honour of the Celtic New Year. The ancient Romans held their Festival of Pomona at about this time of the year. Pomona was the goddess of fruit-trees and apples.  All these ceremonies were grafted one upon the other over the centuries to become modern Halloween.

     In Britain Halloween is celebrated mostly by the younger generation.

     One of the traditions on Halloween’s party is «love magic».  Young girl stands in front of a mirror at midnight, and brushes her hair three times. A face in the mirror – is the boy, whom she will one day marry. Now children and adults hold witchy dances and ghost parties listen to tales about the ghosts, goblins and witches of Halloween. 

2. Be ready to retell the text orally.

 
 

4. SHAKESPEARE, THE MAN AND ARTIST

     So much has been written about his plays, and so much speculation evolved from the few known facts of his life, that any brief treatment may easily be a rehearsal of commonplaces. Of his life, it is clear enough to say that, to any unprejudiced view, it is clear that the Stratford man wrote the plays, and that he had a wider reading and more opportunities for mingling with the great than is sometimes realized. Of his personality, it can be affirmed that he had, in an absolute form, the intuition for gathering every "unconsidered trifle", and every weighty matter, that could profit his art, with that concentration which is a necessary attribute of genius. Of his art in its relationship to ideas, it remains clear that, despite the divisions made in his plays by categorizing historians, he held to a consistent outlook. In human conduct, he was everywhere possessed by the conception of loyalty and disloyalty, and their consequences in human life. In the exercise of the passions, which often entranced with their delights, he contemplated the strange conflict of reason and emotion, and the disorder that arose when reason was obliterated. He allowed his characters a freedom to live their own lives to the uttermost confines of good and evil, but he was ever conscious that they existed in a moral world, functioning under a divine Providence. While this consistency is maintained, his art permits of an almost indefinite variety of mood, and, as he progresses, the vision deepens. 

EXERCISES. 

I. Read the text and answer the questions:

  1. What is this article about? – This article is about William Shakespeare’s way of writing. 2. Is it about Shakespeare's life or his work or his personality? – I think this text is about  Shakespeare's personality, which influenced on his work. 3. Is it said in the article that Shakespeare was a very talented man? Where is it said? - The article said, that he had had  the intuition and despite the divisions made in his plays by categorizing historians, he’d held to a consistent outlook. 4. Is anything mentioned about his views? 5. Why is there "no necessity to write briefly about Shakespeare"? - He preferred to write about  human passions, about good and evil, he contemplated the strange conflict of reason and emotion, and the disorder that arose when reason was obliterated. 6. Why is it clear to the author of the article that Shakespeare did write the plays himself? – Because he was a Stratford man, who wrote the plays, and he had a wider reading and more opportunities for mingling with the great. 7. Why is it possible to say that Shakespeare was a genius? - It can be affirmed that he had, in an absolute form, the intuition for gathering every "unconsidered trifle", and every weighty matter, that could profit his art, with that concentration which is a necessary attribute of genius. 8. What qualities characteristic of a real writer did Shakespeare possess? - He was possessed by the conception of loyalty and disloyalty, and their consequences in human life. 9. What was Shakespeare's attitude to human passions? - What about passions, he contemplated the strange conflict of reason and emotion, and the disorder that arose when reason was obliterated. He allowed his characters a freedom to live their own live to the uttermost confines of good and evil. 10. Can you say that Shakespeare was a religious man? – Yes, I can say, that Shakespeare was a religious man, because he believed in a divine Providence.

II. Find in the text the English equivalents of the following Russian words and memorize them:

Созерцать - contemplate, пустяк - trifle, исключать (уничтожать) - obliterate, последовательный - consistent, предложение - offer, общаться - mingle, утверждать - affirm, общее место (банальность) - commonplace, очаровывать - entrance.