Е. В. Волкова
Steps in Speaking English (Шаги в разговорном английском)
Lesson I. Topics: Age groups, Life stages, Habits
Vocabulary. Age groups and corresponding institutions.
Baby, toddler1, child, pupil, teenager, school leaver2, student, high school graduate3, bachelor/graduate student4, master5, Doctor of Philosophy/PhD6, grown-up, adult, middle-aged, pensioner, old/elderly, nursery school, school, kindergarten, college university, institute, academy, job, army, pensioner's house
Mind the difference:
Institute – an organization having a particular purpose, especially one that is involved with science, education, or a specific profession
University – a high-level educational institution in which students study for degrees
Academy – a society or institution of distinguished scholars and artists or scientists that aims to promote and maintain standards in its particular field
Exercise 1. Answer these questions:
1. What do you think the age range for each time of life is?
2. What is the difference between a baby and a toddler?
3. What is the difference between a child and a teenager?
4. What is your life stage now?
5. What life stage is the happiest?
6. What life stage is the worst?
7. What institutions do people of different age groups attend?
Vocabulary. Life stages.
have children, buy a car, rebel against your parents, get a job, get engaged, have your first kiss, look after your grandchildren, build a house, retire, get married, graduate from university, earn a good salary, learn to drive a car, get a place of your own, army, education, career, family, win a competition, leave school, get the first job, to give birth to a child, to be in love at the first sight
Exercise 2. Answer these questions:
1. What is the typical age in your country to do the things above?
2. Have you ever rebelled against your parents? Why? In what way?
3. What is the ideal first kiss for you?
4. In what age do people usually learn to drive a car?
5. Why don’t young men want to go to the army?
6. What is the best age for having a child?
7. What marks did you leave school with?
8. What should you do for getting a job and earning a good salary?
9. How many children would you like to have?
10. What is more important: family or career?
11. What should be done earlier: getting a place of your own or getting married?
Exercise 3. Speak to other students and find someone who:
– is an only child
– isn’t married
– has got a summer cottage
– has got a car
– hasn’t got children
– lives in an apartment
– doesn’t like chocolate
– can act as a teacher
– can’t play a musical instrument
– enjoyed reading as a child
– can build a house
– gave birth to a child
– can swim
– has a pet
Exercise 4. Read the text.
Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell is a British supermodel and actress. She did numerous fashion and beauty campaigns for big brands like Versace, Yves Saint Laurent, H&M, Louis Vuitton, Valentino and others. She is estimated to have acquired a wealth of US$28 million from modeling. But Naomi Campbell was not always rich and famous.
What sort of life did Naomi have as a child?
Naomi Campbell was born in 1970 in Streatham, South London.
In accordance with her mother's wishes, Campbell has never met her father, who abandoned her mother when she was four months pregnant. During her early years, Campbell lived in Rome, where her mother worked as a dancer. At the age of ten, she was accepted into the Italia Academy of Theatre Arts, where she studied ballet.
How did she start her successful career?
Campbell's first public appearance came at the age of seven, in 1978, when she was featured in the music video for Bob Marley's "Is This Love". In 1986, Campbell was scouted by Beth Boldt, head of the model agency. Her career quickly took off – before her sixteenth birthday, she appeared on the cover of British Elle. In January 1990, Campbell was declared as "the reigning megamodel".
What did she do later?
In the mid 1990s, Campbell branched out into other areas of the entertainment industry. Her novel "Swan" about a supermodel was released in 1994. That same year, Campbell released her music album "Babywoman". In 1995, Campbell invested in a chain of restaurants called the Fashion Cafe. Campbell also attempted an acting career.
Exercise 5. Make 3 questions about Naomi Campbell and ask them other students.
Vocabulary. Youth and old age.
do a lot of sport, be always active/energetic, have a lot of hair, be quite slim, not have a girl friend, have a bicycle, not have much money, have elastic pure skin, not do any sport, not have much hair, be overweight, be always tired/worn out, be married, have a car, get a good salary, have wrinkles and pigmentation
Exercise 6. Answer these questions.
1. What did people use to do/have in their youth?
2. What do people do/have in age?
3. How do you see yourself in age? Active or worn out?
Example: People in youth used to do a lot of sport. People in age don’t do any.
Exercise 7. Tell the students about yourself. What did you use to do when you were younger? What do you prefer to do now? Ex.: I used to play hockey when I was younger but now I prefer swimming.
Vocabulary. Bad and good habits.
eat junk food, eat healthily, be mentally active, be a heavy smoker, drink a lot of water, do physical exercises, think positively, go to bed very late, take a lot of medicine, wash hands before eating, bite one's nails7, blow one's nose8) drink clean filter water, pick one's nose 9, be a heavy drunkard
Exercise 8. Answer these questions.
1. What habits are good/bad?
2. How do habits influence our health?
3. What habits do you have?
4. Discuss in a group what habits can help to improve your health?
5. Which of the things did you use to do? Which do you do now?
Communication: Telephone calls
Exercise 9. Role play these telephone situation.
Making contacts
Transferring the call
Making arrangements
Changing Arrangements
Complaining and showing understanding
Exercise 10. Complete dialogs for these situations:
1. You are a prosperous old businessmen but you want to retire so you make an arrangement with several candidates on your position. You want to sell your corporation.
2. You have agreed to make an appointment with your sales manager and have a business talk about new equipment but one of your offices has been robbed recently so you have to meet with police and change your arrangement with manager.
3. You have watched the car accident on TV and want to make sure that your mother wasn't its participant. You call to the company where your mother works, but your mother is a director and very busy, so you have to talk with her secretary.
4. Your boss organizes picnic for the colleagues on the weekend. But you have heard on the radio that it will rain, so you decide to phone your boss to confirm arrangement.
Lesson II. Topics: Every day routine, Housework,
Activities
Vocabulary. Everyday routine.
spend time with family, pay the telephone bill, wash the dishes, empty the rubbish, make a telephone call, use a computer, cook, work, study, stay at home, hand–launder, clean, do your homework, go shopping, play with your children, walk the dog10
Exercise 1. Answer these questions:
1. Who gets up first in your house?
2. What time do you get up?
3. Do you have a computer at home?
4. What kind of computer programs do you use every day?
5. Who uses Power Point the most?
6. Who makes the most phone calls?
7. Whom do you phone most often?
8. Who pays the bills in your house?
9. Who usually does the cooking?
10. And who empties the rubbish?
11. How many evenings a week do you stay at home?
12. Who spends the most time in the house?
13. What is “every day routine” for you?
14. Who does shopping in your family?
Vocabulary. Activities for weekends.
wake up, get up early, go to bad late, stay in bed late, have a lie-in, have a nap, fall asleep, have breakfast/lunch/dinner, have a snack, have a picnic, get a take–away pizza, listen to the radio, watch TV, check your mails, check your emails, chat on the phone, do exercise, go to the gym, have a shower, go for a walk, go clubbing, do nothing, catch a bus/train, lie on the beach, meet some friends, have a date, walk the dog, do shopping, take a bath, read books, watch films, go to the theatre, go to the cinema, visit granny, play football/ basketball/ tennis/ volleyball/ badminton
Exercise 2. Ask other students these questions and answer, using the words above:
1. What is your favourite time of the day/week? Why?
2. What is your least favourite time of the day/week? Why?
3. What is a typical day for you?
4. What do you enjoy doing?
5. What do you hate doing?
6. What irritates you?
Exercise 3. Match the questions to the answers.
Exercise 4. Read the text.
Is sleeping a problem for you? Do you want to sleep but can't fall asleep? Here are some tips for happy sleeping:
1. Have a snack of bread or fruit about an hour before you go to bed.
2. Try not to have a nap in the day. Only sleep at night.
3. If you wake up at night, don't get up. Just stay in bed and read a book.
4. Always have breakfast in the morning, it's the most important meal of the day.
Exercise 5. Make dialogs, using the information above. Imagine that you are:
a) a doctor, and a patient came to you with his sleep problem asking for help
b) a mother, and you want your child to sleep well, explain him why sleep is so important
c) a student of medical university, and you give tips to your friend who has a sleep problem
Exercise 6. Answer these questions:
1. Which advice in Ex.5 do you follow?
2. Which tips do you agree with?
3. Which tips do you disagree with?
4. Which tips can you add to the list?
5. Have you got your own formula of a sound sleep11?
Exercise 7 . Read the text paying attention to the underlined words.
We asked these people about their typical Saturday. Here's what they said:
I don't like getting up early at the weekends so I usually stay in bed late – sometimes until about 10.30 a.m.! I absolutely love having a big breakfast on Saturdays. I can't stand going to the gym or doing exercise but I sometimes go for a walk in the afternoon. I quite like meeting friends in the park or just lying on the grass and doing nothing. I'm not very keen on going out on Saturday evening. I stay in and chat on the phone and get a take-away pizza.
Maria Stroinova, Moscow, Russia
I really hate doing nothing so I get up early on Saturdays and start the day by checking my emails. I really like meeting friends and having breakfast in a cafe, so I catch a bus into town at about 9.00 a.m. After breakfast, my friends and I sometimes go to an art gallery in Hermitage. I'm quite keen on most kinds of art so I don't mind which gallery we go to but my friends really hate modern art that's why we often visit Hermitage but we don't lift on the top floor, where expressionists are exhibited. I do different things on Saturday evenings. I sometimes have dinner with friends or I stay in and watch TV.
Konstantin Belov, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Exercise 8. Complete the sentences with Maria or Konstantin.
Example: Konstantin likes getting up early on Saturdays.
1 ______ likes having a lot to eat for breakfast.
2 ______ doesn't usually have breakfast at home on Saturdays.
3 ______ doesn't like doing any sport or exercise.
4 ______ likes doing nothing in the park.
5 ______ likes going to art galleries.
6 ______ likes chatting on the phone on Saturday evenings.
7 ______ likes watching TV in the evening.
Vocabulary. Preferences.
Exercise 9. Ask other students about their Saturdays.
1. What do they absolutely love doing?
2. What do they really hate doing?
3. Tell about your Saturdays using the words above and words from the vocabulary.
Exercise 10. Make short dialogs using the scheme:
Example.
A: I think you really hate listening to heavy metal.
B: No, you’re wrong. I absolutely love it, especially Rammstein early in the morning.
Exercise 10. How often..?
Communication: Telephone calls
Exercise 11. Read these expressions, translate them, try to learn them by heart and complete your own dialogs using the same pattern.
Exercise 12. Please, play your role, using the expressions above.
