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

Вид материалаУчебное пособие
Unit iv. the age of ecumenism
Ii. vocabulary focus
Iv. speaking personally
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UNIT IV. THE AGE OF ECUMENISM


I. READING COMPREHENSION.

A. Pre-reading Task. Answer the questions:


1) Do you think the role of the Church has changed in modern life?

2) Is atheism replacing religion in the world?


B. Read and translate the text. Make use of the words and expressions given below:


Controversy – спор, полемика, расхождение во мнениях

Enhance – увеличивать, усиливать

Mosque – мечеть

Hostility – враждебность

Outnumber – численно превосходить

Adherent – приверженец

Denomination – вероисповедание

Retain – удержать, сохранить

Alienate – отчуждать

Divisions – разногласия

Reconciliatory – примиряющий

ecumenical – экуменический

thrive – благоденствовать, процветать

charity – благотворительность

secular – светский

offset – возмещать, компенсировать

revenue – доходы

venue – место совершения действия

flexibility – гибкость

worshipper – верующий

pilgrimage – паломничество

diminishing – уменьшающий

atheism – атеизм

taxing – обременительный, тяжелый, трудный

commitment – обязательство

pastor – пастор

sermon – проповедь


The presence of the established church is evident in numerous ways in British life. British coins bear the head of the monarch plus the Latin initials ‘F.D.’ signifying that the monarch is defender of the faith, a title given to Henry VIII by Pope Leo X in 1521. In 1995, Prince Charles caused some controversy among traditionalists by suggesting that at coronation he would like to be known as Defender of the Faiths (plural) in recognition that Britain was no longer an exclusively Christian country. He again caused controversy in 1996 when he suggested that money from the ‘millennium fund’ (a fund of money from the National Lottery which is intended to finance projects to enhance Britain’s cultural life and national prestige) should in part be spent on mosques.

Despite many moves towards multiculturalism in Britain, sections of the tabloid press reacted with hostility to this suggestion, seeing mosques as a symbol of a foreign and minority religion despite the fact that British Muslims now outnumber adherents of most British Protestant denominations. Meanwhile, even government proposals to reform the House of Lords in 2001 rejected the idea of giving a formal place in the Lords for religions outside the Church of England. Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptists and Quakers share much the same struggle as Anglicans and Roman Catholics to retain the interest of the population at large. The divisions within Christianity which separated the denominations alienated potential members, and, although they have been addressed by the reconciliatory ecumenical movement, none of the churches is really thriving.

At all levels of society, Britain’s churches are involved in its cultural life. Church halls are used for jumble sales, play groups, barn dances, sales of jam by the Women’ Institute and an array of other events for charity and local cause which may be entirely secular. Most of the church’s cathedrals hold concerts of classical music, both secular and religious, and may also hold exhibitions of painting. Nearly all British cathedrals have a gift shop for buying cards, tapes, ornaments and books. This partly offsets any decline in revenue caused by the fact that marriages may now legally take place in many venues besides a church and a register office. It is perhaps because of this greater flexibility in their use, as well as because of the aesthetic or historical appeal of beautiful buildings and stained glass, that, while churchgoing is in marked decline, attendance at cathedrals (both by tourists and by worshippers) is on the increase.

Religious tourism for recreation is also very popular, taking the place that pilgrimage for a spiritual purpose held for previous ages and converging on the same sites.

Throughout the period between the 1960s and the turn of the new century the church was in a state of change. Conscious of its rapidly diminishing appeal to the population at large, it attempted to change traditions, in some cases hundreds of years old, in order to be more modern and hence attract more worshippers. The decision of1992 to admit women as priests, in particular, proved controversial and divisive, resulting in many priests leaving the faith to take up holy orders in the Roman Catholic church.

While membership of all Christian churches in Britain and churchgoing are in steep long-term decline, active Christianity in Britain is not, in general, replaced by atheism, but rather by a less taxing and harder to define ‘passive Christianity’ (a vague belief in a God and a vaguer belief in Christ but a strong adherence to the idea of being Christian). The contradiction at the heart of Christianity in Britain is that, while most of the population believe themselves to be in some sense Christian, they have no commitment to, little knowledge of or belief in things that the Church regards as central to Christianity.

Most British people live in a state of ‘popular religion’, which, loosely based on Christianity, would not be recognized as faith by most priests. In moments of crisis, it is the Christian God in some form to whom they will turn in private prayer. Such religion requires no active participation, but may be satisfied for example by listening to radio or television broadcasts. A Sunday service is broadcast nationally every week and radio offers the nation morning spiritual programmes every day. The same enjoyment of passive religion is evidenced by the local and national newspapers which carry a weekly column on spiritual decisions written by a pastor. In Scotland some local papers carry a daily sermon. Across the UK religious broadcasting, which

produces thoughtful programmes of high quality, is surprisingly popular. On an average Sunday in Britain six hours of religious programming will be broadcast by the BBC and independent television companies, and four hours by BBC radio. But in general, it is the older generations who watch such programmes.

C. Now answer the following questions referring back to the text:

1) What do the Latin initials ‘F.D.’ on British coins signify?

2) What suggestion by Prince Charles caused controversy among traditionalists?

3) The adherents of what religion outnumber today those of most British Protestant denominations?

4) Which religion is really thriving in Britain today?

5) How are British churches involved in cultural life?

6) What does the church do to become more modern and attract more worshippers?

7) What is the main contradiction at the heart of Christianity in Britain?

8) Would a state of ‘popular religion’, loosely based on Christianity, be recognized by most priests?

9) Are church services broadcast?

10) Is religious broadcasting popular?


II. VOCABULARY FOCUS

A. Translate the following word-combinations into Russian:

At large; jumble sales; barn dances; an array of events; aesthetic or historical appeal; loosely; be evidenced; the turn of the new century; stained glass; on the same sites.

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

B. Find the English equivalents in the text:

Национальный престиж; частично; отклонить идею; на всех уровнях; обращаться к кому-либо; быть вовлеченным во что-либо; иметь что-то своим результатом; противоречие; осознавать что-либо; старшее поколение.

Think of your own sentences with these expressions


C. Match the words which collocate with each other:

1. register a. press

2. older b. quality

3. high c. office

4. tabloid d. broadcast

5. television e. generation


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

1. taxing a. shrinking

2. steep b. burdensome

3. vague c. arguable

4. diminishing d. blurred

5. controversial e. abrupt


E. Match the words having the opposing meaning:

1. controversial a. gradual

2. taxing b. enlarging

3. diminishing c. easy

4. vague d. unquestionable

5. steep e. definite


F. Match the words and their definitions:

1) a duty or responsibility that you have accepted
a. appeal

2) to become less
b. to offset

3) a quality that something has that makes people like it or want it

c. denomination

4) to balance the effect of something, with the result that there is no advantage or disadvantage

d. commitment

5) a religious group within one of the main religions
e. to diminish


G. Translate the following sentences into Russian:


1) I can’t do this job right now because of other commitments.

2) The intensity of the sound diminished gradually.

3) How do you explain the appeal of horror films?

4) Falling sales in Thailand were offset by strong performances in other markets.

5) This problem is facing the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations.


H. Use the negative prefixes .( dis-; in-; il-; un-; ir-): Translate the words into Russian

1. __ religious 4. __ popular 7. __ conscious

2. __ legally 5. __ spiritual 8. __ active

3. __ flexibility 6. __ controversial 9. __ believe 10. __ satisfied


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

1. to be conscious ___ smth 6. adherence ___ smth

2. to appeal ___ smb 7. commitment ___ smth

3. ___ large 8. belief ___ smth

4. ___ particular 9. to be involved ___ smth

5. to result ___ smth 10. decline ___ smth


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

decline service divisions

broadcast spiritual denominations

sermon local thriving



1) Membership of all Christian churches and churchgoing is in steep long-term ___.

2) A Sunday __ is ___ nationally every week and radio offers the nation morning ___ programmes every day.

3) In Scotland some ___ papers carry a daily ___.

4) The ___ within Christianity which separated the ___ alienated potential members.

5) None of the churches is really ___.


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


1. commitment

a. a strong belief that smth is good and that you should support it

b. a promise to do smth

c. enthusiasm for smth and a determination to work hard at it

d. a duty or responsibility that you have accepted

e. the use of money, people or time for a particular purpose


2. to diminish

a. to deliberately make someone or something seem less important than they really are

b. to become less


3. an appeal

a. an urgent request for people to give you smth you need such as help, money or information

b. a quality that smth has that makes people like it or want it

c. a formal request for a court of law to change its decision


4. denomination

a. a religious group within one of the main religions

b. the value of a particular coin or a banknote


III.INTERPETATION


A. Develop the following statements:


1) The presence of the established church is evident in numerous ways in British life.

2) The divisions within Christianity which separated the denominations alienated potential members.

3) At all levels of society, Britain’s churches are involved in its cultural life.

4) Throughout the period between the 1960s and the turn of the new century the church was in a state of change.

5) Active Christianity in Britain is not, in general, replaced by atheism.


B. Paraphrase the sentences and comment on them:


1) Despite many moves towards multiculturalism in Britain, sectors of the tabloid press reacted with hostility to this suggestion.

2) None of the churches is really thriving through they have been addressed by the reconciliatory ecumenical movement.

3) Conscious of its rapidly diminishing appeal to the population at large, it ( the Church )attempted to change traditions.


IV. SPEAKING PERSONALLY

Discuss with your partners the following questions:

1) Why do you think Prince Charles put forward his controversial proposals of 1995 and 1996?

2) What sort of faith is ‘popular religion’? Why is it not recognized by many priests?

3) Why did the government proposals to reform the House of Lords in 2001 reject the idea of giving a formal place in the Lords for religions outside the Church of England?