Geum.ru

Е. В. Захарова язык и культура великобритании в условиях европейской интеграции предисловие данное учебное пособие

Вид материалаУчебное пособие
Part three. britain’s changing religious environment unit i. are the british a godless society ?
Ii. vocabulary focus
Iii. interpretation
Iv.speaking personally
Подобный материал:
1   ...   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   ...   35

PART THREE. BRITAIN’S CHANGING RELIGIOUS ENVIRONMENT




UNIT I. ARE THE BRITISH A GODLESS SOCIETY ?




A. READING COMPREHENSION


A. Pre-reading Task. Answer the questions:


1. Do you think Britain is a highly religious country?

2. What are the main religions in Great Britain?

3. Do you know any historical facts concerning the religious background of the country?


B. Now read and translate the following text.

You can make use of the words given below


Member of a church – верующий

Freedom of (religions) practice – свобода вероисповедания

Regardless of – независимо от чего-либо

Belong to the Church of England – исповедовать англиканскую веру

Bar smb from smth – запрещать кому-либо что-либо

Within the framework – в рамках

Prayer – молитва

Hymn – (религиозный) гимн

Vicar – священник англиканской церкви

Religions affiliation – религиозная принадлежность

Census – перепись населения

Heritage – наследие

Worship (v) – молиться

(n) – богослужение

religious identity – религиозная самобытность

derelict – заброшенный


Barely 16 per cent of the adult population of Britain belongs to one of the Christian churches, and this proportion continues to decline. Yet the regional variation is revealing. In England only 12 per cent of the adult population are members of a church. The further one travels from London ,the greater the attendance: in Wales 22 per cent, in Scotland 36 per cent and in Northern Ireland no fewer than 75 per cent.

Today there is complete freedom of practice, regardless of religion or sect. However, until the mid-nineteenth century, those who did not belong to the Church of England, the official ‘established’ or state church, were barred from some public offices. The established church still plays a powerful role in national life, in spite of the relatively few people who are active members of it.

The presence of ‘established’ churches such as the Church of England is a peculiarly British phenomenon.

. These churches have an official constitutional status within the legal and political framework of Britain, and the Christian religion is to some degree woven into every level of British life: government, education, architecture, the arts, broadcasting and many other areas. In Northern Ireland, religion has the extra political significance of marking the line between Catholic and Protestant paramilitary factions. At a personal level, Christianity may have been encountered in the form of prayers and hymns that are taught at school, or personal acquaintance with a local vicar. Most British people feel in some way reassured by the background presence of this religion, even if they do not wish to become actively involved with it. Only in 2001 was a voluntary question on religious affiliation included for the first time on the census form.

Yet, despite the official uniformity provided by an established church, and the shared heritage of, for example, religious music, the religious experiences available in contemporary Britain form a complex and a remarkably varied picture. The fact that Britain is commonly assumed to be a Christian country (and a majority of people feel themselves to be ‘Christian’ in terms of their general principles) is undermined by a number of factors: the rapidly declining levels of people’s involvement with the churches to which they nominally belong; the sharp decline in the value which young people attach to Christianity; the growth of a range of New Age religious practices; and the presence of large Hindu, Sikh and Muslim communities as a result of postwar immigration. All of these changes result in considerable differences between the religious identity of the segments of society and of different generations.

One way in which this religious identity of British people is communicated is through the physical landscape. The historical evolution of British religion is visible to any visitor. In the country side, every village will have one or more churches, and even quite small English towns usually have a range of different churches, representing Protestant and Catholic belief, most of which have been present in Britain for two centuries or more, though in larger towns and cities new churches such as those of the Church of Jesus Christ or the Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses or Christian Science and Friends’ Meeting Houses (Quakers) may also be seen. The visitor will also notice a large range of church buildings which are no longer in use as places of worship. Some lie derelict, while others have been converted to new uses as apartments, restaurants, warehouses or even night clubs.

Alongside this decline in Christian practice over the last fifty years, particularly in the big cities, there has been a rise in other faiths. In addition, in every town high street, bookshops have extensive sections devoted to mythology, whitchcraft, palmistry, spiritualism and related subjects. Off the high street, particularly in seaside, market\or university towns, there are small shops selling incense, crystals, relaxing music, jewellery and books on magic and meditation. In gross terms, the people who attend the churches are few, elderly and overwhelmingly female, The people in the New Age shops are young, enquiring and unbound by any sense of religious duty, motivated rather by their generation’s belief in personal freedom. These all indicate Britain’s changing religious environment.


C. Do your ideas agree with what you have read?


II. VOCABULARY FOCUS


A. Translate the following words and word-combinations into Russian:


Barely; to decline; mid-nineteenth century; public offices; to some degree; woven into; paramilitary functions; actively involved; voluntary; the census form.


In which situations are they given in the text? Reproduce them.


B. Find the equivalents in the text:


Быстро снижающийся уровень; резкий спад; ландшафт; историческая эволюция; быть превращенным во что-либо; наряду с чем-либо; главная улица; преимущественно; личное знакомство.

Think of your own sentences with these expressions.


C. Match the words which collocate with each other:

1. personal a. variation

2. varied b. offices

3. religions c. picture

4. regional d. freedom

5. public e. affiliatio


D. Match the words which are close in their meaning:

1. adult a. forsaken

2. considerable b. legitimate

3. derelict c. broad

4. extensive d. grown-up

5. official e. large-scale


E. Match the words having the opposing meaning:

1. derelict a. adolescent

2. considerable b. narrow

3. adult c. un authorized

4. official d. insignificant

5. extensive e. attended


F. Match the words and their definitions:

1. prayer
a. a building or a piece of land which is empty, not used and in a bad condition

2. affiliation
b. the activity of showing respect and love for a god

3. derelict
c. the words that someone says when they are speaking to God

4. worship (n)
d. the art, buildings, traditions, beliefs that society considers important to its history and culture

5. heritage
e. connection with an organization especially a political or religious one.



G. Translate the following sentences into Russian:


1. He said a prayer for the safety.

2. Membership is open to anyone, regardless of religions affiliation.

3. The building has been a place of worship since the eighth century.

4. Looking at these paintings makes people proud of their Latin heritage.

5. Many churches lay derelict for years.


H. Use the negative prefixes(un; in; im):. Translate the words into Russian


1. __ revealing 6. ___ voluntary

2. ___ complete 7. ___ available

3. ___ official 8. ___ considerable

4. ___ significance 9. ___ visible

5. ___ personal


I. Insert prepositions where necessary (with; to; of; in; from; at):

1. to result ___ smth 6. to be barred ___ smth

2. despite ___ smth 7. ___ some degree

3. to convert ___ smth 8. ___ a personal level

4. to belong ___ smth 9. an acquaintance ___

5. regardless ___ smth 10. a decline ___ smth


J. Complete the sentences using the words in the box:

census framework

adult members

religions identity evolution

status affiliation


1. In England only 12 per cent of the ___ population are ___ of a church.

2. These Churches have an official constitutional ___ within the legal and political ___ of Britain.

3. One way in which these ___ of British people is communicated is through the physical landscape.

4. The historical ___ of British religion is visible to any visitor.

5. Only in 2001 was a voluntary question on religions ___ included for the first time on the ___ form.


K. In which meanings are the following words used in the text:


1. background

a) the type of family, social position that someone comes from

b) the general situation in which smth happens or information about it

c) the part of a picture or pattern that is behind the main people or things in it


2. to worship

a) to love and admire someone or smth very much

b) to feel or show respect and love for a god


3. to convert

a) to change your beliefs, especially your religious beliefs, or to persuade someone do this

b) to change from one system, use, or method to another, or to make smth do this


L. Complete the sentences:


1) A religious song that people usually sing in churches is called

a) a prayer

b) a hymn

c) an anthem


2) The activity of showing respect and love for a god is

a) adoration

b) affection

c) worship


3) A priest in the church of England is called

a) a monk

b) a vicar

c) a minister

4) The art, traditions and beliefs that a society considers important to its history and culture are called

a) inheritance

b) legacy

c) heritage


5) An occasion on which government officials count the people who live in a country and record other information about them is called:

a) census

b) censure

c) consensus


III. INTERPRETATION


A. Now reread the text and answer the following questions:


1) Why do you think those who did not belong to the Church of England were barred from some public offices until the mid-nineteenth century?

2) How do you understand the statement that the Church of England has an official constitutional status within the legal and political framework of Britain?

3) Why does religion have the extra political significance in Northern Ireland?

4) Can you illustrate the statement that the religious experiences available in contemporary Britain form a complex and varied picture?

5) How can a rise in other faiths over the last fifty years be accounted for?


B. Paraphrase the following statements. Comment on them.


1) The regional variation is revealing

2) The presence of ‘established’ churches such as the Church of England is a peculiarly British phenomenon.

3) The Christian religion is to some degree woven into every level of British life.

4) A majority of people feel themselves to be ‘Christian’ in terms of their general principles.

5) In gross terms, the people who attend the churches are few, elderly and overwhelmingly female.


IV.SPEAKING PERSONALLY


A. Discuss with your partners how you understand the statements:


1) Most British people feel in some way reassured by the background presence of this religion.

2) The people in the New Age shops are young, enquiring and unbound by any sense of religions duty, motivated rather by their generation’s belief in personal freedom.


Try to use the following expressions:

Firstly; first of all; to begin with

Secondly

At the same time, in the meanwhile; for the time being

The reason for this is; the cause of this is;

As a result of this; consequently; therefore

To sum up; in short; after all