English for everyone

Sharks

Have you seen Jaws, the famous film about the Great White Shark? For an hour and twenty minutes of the film the shark isn’t seen except for bits and pieces and shadows underwater. But when it suddenly appears above the water for the first time, even grown-up people scream and those who have a poor heart reach for their nitroglycerine pills.
Sharks are probably the most feared of all sea animals. There are more than 350 kinds of sharks in the waters of the world. But, scientists say, only 30 species are dangerous to man. Of these 30 five species are known as especially voracious man-eaters: the Great White, the Tiger Shark, the Hammerhead, the Bull Shark, and the Whitetip Shark.
Though shark attacks are rare, they are always sudden, deadly and dramatic. Sharks live in oceans throughout the world but are usually found in warm seas. Some species, however, prefer fresh water and can be met in rivers and lakes.
More »

Биболетова 11 класс. p. 164 – 168.
Is physics difficult? – Физика трудная?

The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. — Главное не останавливаться задавать вопросы. Любопытство имеет свою причину для существования.
Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new. — Тот, кто никогда не ошибался, никогда не пробовал ничего нового.
Albert Einstein

Ex. 3 Read the opinions below. Decide which of them you support and explain why. – Прочитайте мнения, данные ниже. Решите какое из них вы поддерживаете и объясните почему.

Physics never makes sense to me.
I’ve always thought that all those formulas have nothing to do with real life and we can easily do without them. There’s no point in wasting time on laws of gravitation, magnetism and electrical induction. Physics is not a science for everyone. It’s good for a boring know-it-all which I’m not. I value more down-to-earth things and I’m not ready to spend hours over schemes and calculations, which are beyond my understanding anyway.
More »

Биболетова 11 класс. p. 157 – 163.
What’s economic geography about? – О чем экономическая география?

Without geography you’re nowhere. Jimmy Buffett — Без географии вы нигде. Джимми Баффетт.

Geography has made us neighbors. History has made us friends. Economics has made us partners, and necessity has made us allies. John F. Kennedy — География сделала нас соседями. История сделала нас друзьями. Экономика сделала нас партнерами, и необходимость сделала нас союзниками. Джон Ф. Кеннеди.

Quotations belong to:
James William (often called as Jimmy Buffett) is a famous American writer, singer and a movie producer (born in 1946).
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1917-1963) was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963.
Цитаты принадлежат:
Джеймс Уильям (часто называют Джимми Баффет) — известный американский писатель, певец и продюсер (родился в 1946 году).
Джон Фицджеральд Кеннеди (1917-1963) был 35-ым президентом Соединенных Штатов, с 1961 до его убийства в 1963 году.
More »

Progress check 4. Биболетова 11 класс. p. 154 – 155.

Ex. 1 a) Listen to the interview with a person with an unusual hobby and decide whether the statements below are true (T), false (F), or there is no information given (NG). — Послушайте интервью с человеком, у которого необычное хобби и решите, следующие утверждения верные, ложные, или информация не предоставлена.

1 – T. It was his grandmother who encouraged him to catch spiders. — Это его бабушка, воодушевила его ловить пауков.
2 – NG. He goes hunting once or twice a year. — Он выходит на охоту один или два раза в год.
3 – F. The first spider he caught was very harmful. — Первый паук, которого он поймал был очень вредным.
4 – F. His grandmother didn’t know that the spider was harmless. — Его бабушка не знала, что паук был безвреден.
5 – T. His mother didn’t like bugs. — Его мать не любила жучков (мелких насекомых).
6 – T. His mother supports his hobby now. — Его мать поддерживает его хобби сейчас.
7 – NG. His favourite pet is a huge tarantula called Moby. — Его любимое домашнее животное это огромный тарантул по кличке Моби.
8 – T. He avoided talking about his collection with his girlfriends. — Он избегал говорить о своей коллекции со своими подругами.
9 – T. He showed his collection of spiders to his future wife. — Он показал свою коллекцию пауков своей будущей жене.
10 – F. His small son doesn’t like bugs. — Его маленький сын не любит мелких насекомых.
More »

Биболетова 11 класс, Unit 4, Section 5, p. 150 — 152, ex. 96, 97, 98, 102.
Keeping traditions — Сохраняя традиции

Ex. 96 Work in pairs. Read the dictionary entry for the word «tradition». — Работа в парах. Прочитайте выдержку из словаря для слова «традиция».

Tradition — a) old customs, beliefs, or stories, that are handed down. She chose to become a doctor which was their family tradition; старые обычаи, верования, или рассказы, которые передаются по наследству. Она решила стать врачом, потому что это их семейная традиция;

b) an activity that happens regularly and has become the expectation. My extended family has a tradition of having reunions every summer. — деятельность, которая происходит регулярно и стала ожидаемой. Моя большая семья имеет традицию собираться вместе каждое лето.
More »

Биболетова 11 класс, Unit 4, Section 4, p. 147 — 149, ex. 84, 85, 86, 87, 92, 93.
Lifestyles — Образы жизни

Ex. 84 Read the text and choose the sentence that best summarises its main idea. — Прочитайте текст и выберите предложение, которое лучше передает его основную идею.

A Advanced technologies play an important role in the modern world. — передовые технологии играют важную роль в современном мире.
B Technologies have helped people survive in the past. — технологии помогли людям выжить в прошлом.
C New technologies have changed people’s lifestyles. — новые технологии изменили образ жизни людей.

Our lives and everyday routines are constantly changing in the 21st century. Every day something new is invented to make life supposedly easier. What I find strange, though, is that as these things enter our lives, they seem to create new problems that we didn’t have before. People are finding solutions to problems that barely exist.
For example, do I really need that MP3 player when I could just burn a CD? Or do I even need that CD burner when I could just go out and buy the CD in a shop? Or do I really need that CD when I could read a book instead? This progression — or one could say regression — could go on forever. For every invention, a new and better one seems to always follow. More »

Биболетова 11 класс, Unit 4, Section 4, p. 144 — 146, ex. 73-74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 80.
East or West? — Восток или Запад?

Ex. 73-74 Choose the words from the list to describe the lifestyle in the following countries: Japan, the USA, Italy. — Выберите слова из списка, чтобы описать образ жизни в следующих странах: Японии, США, Италии.

1. Japan: quickly changing, urban, fashionable — Япония: быстро меняется, городской, модный.
2. USA: technological, advanced, quickly changing — США: технологический, прогрессивный, быстро меняется.
3. Italy: not fast, fashionable — Италия: не быстрый, модный.

Ex. 75 Look through the texts and match the headings to the paragraphs. – Просмотрите тексты и сопоставьте заголовки с параграфами.

1 The “Japanese” way of living
A common feature of the leading countries of the world today is tough competition. People in the
race have often sacrificed family or community values and have become more and more individualistic in order to compete. But Japan has got a different story. The importance of family still predominates over individualistic gains. People adhere to that genuine humbleness that has become the trademark of Japanese culture. The rapid pace that life takes in this culture is somehow hidden within the folds of an orderly lifestyle. A deep sense of responsibility towards maintaining social values and tradition even among the younger generation makes Japan stand tall and unmatched in this area. Competition here is considered healthy and mutual respect is a top priority.
More »