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

Вид материалаУчебное пособие
Unit vi. new century, new religions
I. vocabulary focus
Iii. interpretation
Iv. speaking personally
V. creative writing
Keys to part three
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UNIT VI. NEW CENTURY, NEW RELIGIONS


I. READING COMPREHENSION

A. Pre-reading task. Answer the questions:

1) What main world religions do you know?

2) Which of them may have taken roots in Britain in your opinion?

Make notes of your ideas.


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


Sunni – мусульманe - сунниты

Shias – мусульманe – шииты

Conversion – обращение, переход в другую веру

Mosque – мечеть

Hindu – индуистский

Temple – храм

Donations – пожертвование

Sikh – сикхский

Buddhism – буддизм

Adherent – приверженец

Background – происхождение

monastery – монастырь

Jewish – еврейский, иудейский

Congregation – прихожане, паства

Synagogue – синагога

Orthodox – ортодоксальный, правоверный

Observance – соблюдение (обрядов и т.д)

Denominational – относящийся к какому-либо вероисповеданию

Creed – символ веры; кредо; убеждения

Old Testament – Старый Завет

Israelite – израильтянин

Graffiti – граффити (надписи и рисунки на стенах домов и т.д); лозунги

Reggae – (муз.) регги


Britain has approximately1,200,000 Muslims, the majority of whom were born in the U.K. Others have arrived from the Indian subcontinent or from African countries. The larger Muslim communities are concentrated in the industrial cities of the Midlands, in London, Bradford and Strathclyde and in the textile towns of Yorkshire and Lancashire. Britain’s Muslim population is predominantely Sunni, with only around twenty-five thousand Shias. This population is increasing due to both a higher birth rate among Muslims and a growing conversion to Islam. The Muslim community is the most important and not only on account of its size. The British Muslims have become very vocal in expressing their opinions on a range of problems.

The first mosque in the UK was established at Woking, Surrey, in 1890. Today there are over 1,000 mosques and community Muslim prayer centres throughout Britain. They range from converted houses to the London Central Mosque at Regent’s Park and its associated Islamic Cultural Centre, one of the most important institutions in the Western world. Mosques are not only places of worship, they also offer instruction in the Muslim way of life and facilities for educational and welfare activities.

For the first generation of Asian settlers the practice of Islam and the heritage of Asian culture are inextricably intertwined. For their children , who have grown up in Britain, however, Islam is a cultural and religious force in its right, so that many young Britons of Asian origin may think of themselves as British Muslims, rather than as Asians or as Black Britons. Whereas in the 1980s only a fifth of the Muslims in Britain claimed to practice their religion actively, in the 1990s that figure rose to half.

For this generation the challenge is to continue to find ways to integrate the religious traditions of Islam into contemporary British life and to create a new British Islamic identity. Young British Muslims represent an important strand in British identity, feeling themselves to be in the forefront of the development of Islam in Europe.

The history of the presence of other faiths and peoples and their role in public life in Britain is not widely known .For example, Asian performers are recorded in London in the seventeenth century and Indian sailors were living in London at the end of the eighteenth century. England had several Indian professors in the 1800s and a British India Society was established in 1839, followed by a London Indian Society in 1872. Already by the middle of the nineteenth century there were significant Indian communities in London, Southampton and Liverpool, though they were smaller than other black communities in Britain. The first Hindu temple, or mandir, was opened in London in 1962 and there are now over 150 mandirs scattered around the country.

There is therefore a long cultural heritage of Asian people and faiths in the UK. This was well demonstrated in 1995 by the opening of the largest Hindu temple outside India in Neasden in London. This event attracted much media interest since it was the only such structure to be built outside India for a thousand years. It used largely volunteer labour and was paid for entirely by donations from the Hindu community. Now the majority of Hindus live in Greater London although Birmingham, in the Midlands, has also become a centre of the community.

Many British Hindu families came from India and Sri Lanka but considerable numbers also arrived from Uganda and Kenya, when they were expelled by the authorities there in the early 1970s. There are now Hindu temples across the UK in major cities and towns.

The Sikh community is also well represented in Britain and is concentrated in particular areas – for example, in Southall and Gravesend in Greater London. Most early postwar migrants in the 1950s were predominantly men. At first they would hold religious meetings at home, often in all-male households but soon set up Sikh temples Gurdwaras for Sunday services. Their families followed from the Punjab in the 1960s and stronger domestic and religious ties were established.

Buddhism is also represented in the UK and consists largely of adherents of British or Western origin with some numbers of South Asian and Asian background. There are well over 500 Buddhist groups and centres, with at least 50 monasteries and temples in the country.

Britain has the second largest Jewish population in Europe. Most Jews live in London, but there are several hundred Jewish congregations in the UK, many Jewish schools and synagogues serving both the Orthodox faith and the minority Reform group. Fears have been voiced that nowadays half of Jewish men are marrying non-Jewish women and that this will lead to a decline in faith and religious observance. The focus of Jewish religious life is in the 365 congregations, which centre on the local synagogue and Jewish denominational schools that are attended by roughly two in every five Jewish children aged 5 to 17. Over 100 agencies provide welfare services, e.g. catering for elderly and handicapped people.

Rastafarianism emerged out of the back-to-Africa movement in the West Indies early this century and arrived in the UK through Jamaican immigration in the 1950s. It has no single creed but draws heavily on the Old Testament. The Rastafarian religion has had a sizeable cultural influence in Britain . Rastafarian philosophy of life was originally based on their adaptation of the Christianity they experienced in the colonial West Indies. They see themselves as Israelites displaced from their homeland and Babylon is the collective name for all countries of exile outside Africa. Rastafarians have been influential in many cultural ways in Britain. They were probably influential in promoting a climate of tolerance towards soft drugs, a major aspect of their religion ,in the 1980s. They staked out their territory in urban areas of cities such as Liverpool with graffiti. Though the religious group is small, millions appreciate the characteristic Rastafarian music, reggae. Also, the critically acclaimed and widely published Rastafarian poets Benjamin Zephaniah and Levi Tafari have raised the profile of Rastafarianism, promoted the interests of ethnic minority groups generally and contributed to the transformation of British cultural identities.


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


I. VOCABULARY FOCUS

A. Translate the following word-combinations into Russian:

Inextricably; intertwined; on account of; to be vocal; to range from smth to smth; to claim; to be in the forefront; to draw on smth; domestic ties; to be scattered; roughly; volunteer labour.

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

B. Find the English equivalents in the text:

В основном; благодаря чему-либо; уровень рождаемости; по ряду вопросов; современный; возникать; высказывать опасения; высоко оценивать; внести вклад во что-либо; оказывать значительное культурное воздействие.

Think of your own sentences with these expressions.


C. Match the words which collocate with each other:

1. denominational a. observance

2. religious b. labour

3. cultural c. migrants

4. volunteer d. school

5. postwar e. heritage


D. Match the words which are close their meaning:

1. scatter a. outspoken

2. faith b. considerable

3. volunteer c. allegiance

4. vocal d. spread

5. sizable e. free


E. Match the words having the opposing meaning:

1. faith a. gather

2. vocal b. compulsory

3. scatter c. tiny

4. sizable d. disbelief

5. volunteer e. quiet


F. Match the words and their definitions:


1. the people who usually go to a particular church
a. creed

2. a practice of obeying a law or rule
b. graffiti

3. a set of beliefs or principles, especially religious
c. reggae

4. writing and pictures illegally drawn on the walls of buildings, trains etc. that usually say smth impolite or funny or give a political opinion.

d. observance

5. a type of popular music from the West Indies with a strong regular beat.
e. congregation



G. Translate the following sentences into Russian:


1. Several members of the congregation organized a bake sale to raise money for the poor.

2. The observance of human rights is a key issue of today.

3. The community center welcomes people of every creed.

4. I wouldn’t say that I’m particularly fond of reggae.

5. Graffiti could be called a rather special form of art.


H. Insert prepositions where necessary (into; of; to; on; in; up):

1) to be due ___ smth 6) to be ___ the farefront

2) a conversion ___ smth 7) to set ___ smth

3) ___ account __ smth 8) to consist ___ smb/smth

4) an opinion __ smth 9) to marry ___ smb

5) to intergrate smth __ smth 10) to lead __ smth


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

the Old Ttestament congregations observance

heritage creed conversion

volunteer birth rate donations

1) There are several hundred Jewish ___ in the UK.

2) This will lend to a decline in faith and religious __.

3) It has no single __ but draws heavily on ___.

4) There is a long cultural ___ of Asian people and faiths in the UK.

5) This population is increasing due to both a higher ___ among Muslims and a growing ___ to Islam.

6) It used largely ___ labour and was paid for entirely by __ from the Hindu community.


III. INTERPRETATION

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


1) Why do you think the larger Muslim population is concentrated in the industrial cities?

2) Do you know any difference between Sunni and Shias denominations of Islam?

3) Can you name any reasons for a growing conversion to Islam?

4) What role do Mosques have in the life of contemporary Britain?

5) What gave rise to the increased number of Muslims who practice Islam actively in Britain?

6) Do you know any facts about the history of the presence of other faiths in Britain?

7) What was demonstrated in 1995 by the opening of the largest Hindu temple outside India?

8) What gives rise to fears that Jewish religious life might be in decline?
9) What sort of religion is Rastafarianism?

10) What makes for its popularity in Britain ?


B. Explain the following statements in your own words. Comment on them.

1) Young British Muslims represent an important strand in British identity, feeling themselves to be in the forefront of the development of Islam in Europe.

2) The British Muslims have become very vocal in expressing their opinions on a range of problems.

3) For the first generation of Asian settlers the practice of Islam and the heritage of Asian culture are inextricably intertwined.

4) It [Rastafarianism] has no single creed but draws heavily on the Old Testament.

5) Over 100 agencies provide welfare services, e.g. catering for elderly and handicapped people.


IV. SPEAKING PERSONALLY

Discuss with your partners how you understand the statements. Develop them:


1) There is a long cultural heritage of Asian people and faiths in the UK.

2) Rastafarians have been influential in many cultural ways in Britain.


Try to use the following expressions:

Firstly; first of all; to begin with;

Secondly;

At the same time; 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.


V. CREATIVE WRITING

A. Read and translate the following text into Russian.

Write out 10-12 expressions revealing the topic of the text.


The New Age

‘New Age’ is a broad term devised to describe the renewal of interest in range of approaches to the spiritual dimension which promote individuals’ ability to discover and develop their own spirituality. Whereas Christianity is seen by many as emphasizing adherence to a strict moral code (for example through the Ten Commandments, the Bible ,confession or sermons), New Age religions concentrate on developing the spiritual awareness which they believe is present in each person. Their practices have a huge variety in their origin – some being revivals of the pagan magical and religious systems that Christianity replaced in Britain, some being extensions of Eastern meditative and religious practices, and some, such as Yoga and t’ai chi, being concerned with physical exercises. It may be that the presence of an increasingly diverse multiethnic community in Britain has boosted the popularity of some practices. For example ,interest has grown in vegetarianism and veganism (large Hindu and other communities have added a considerable market for vegetarian food, which has in turn stimulated British caterers and retailers, and thus aided their popularity) and while ten years ago vegetarian options on a pub menu were rare, they are now standard. The practice of Chinese medicine, Indian meditation and yoga is also rapidly increasing in Britain.

Other New Age practices have a distinctly European origin, stemming from a revival on interest in Celtic myth and culture, or from new publicity given to old systems of occult knowledge .Hundreds of thousands of people are involved directly in activities such as meditation or astrology .But more significant is the effect of these beliefs on the overall sense of how British people see themselves and their world. A quarter of British people, for example, claimed in a recent survey regularly to read their horoscope as published in a magazine. Many more will read their horoscope as a form of light-hearted entertainment, but will still hope for good news. Television programmes which explore ‘inexplicable’ phenomena, are also extremely popular. Also, business people have adopted many alternative spiritual practices as a cure for stress and a source of inspiration and energy. Feng shui is also used to create a comfortable working environment for offices.

New Age practices are the most important and most rapidly developing area of religious change across Britain and must be considered seriously. Aspects of the New Age permeated very different sections of British society: from business people turning to meditation as a release from the stress of pressurized, urban executive life, to the Donga tribe – young pagans who have abandoned normal British society and who live, largely, out of doors, and who came to national prominence for their role in actively protesting against the government’s appropriation of sites of rare natural value to build new motorways.

In many ways currents of New Age religion have enabled changes which have occurred in British life between the 1980s and the 1990s to find a religious expression. The rising tide of concern for the environment, for animal welfare and rights, for conservation and for green or ecological politics has helped to create a climate in which religions such as paganism, which celebrates the earth and its wildlife, fulfill a need for many people. A powerful element within the identity of young British people is a sense of identification with the countryside. Whereas for previous generations the sense of belonging to a nation may have been expressed through such institutions as the church, the armed forces or in some cases a university or a public school, many of the young generation find their ideals and their sense of belonging in nature and in the land itself.


B. Now write a short essay using the expressions you have picked up. Your paper should deal with new religious developments and tendencies in Great Britain as compared with other European states.


KEYS TO PART THREE


UNIT I.

C. 1. d 2. c 3. e 4. a 5. b


D. 1. d 2. e 3. a 4. c 5. b


E. 1. e 2. d 3. a 4. c 5. b


F. 1. c 2. e 3. a 4. b 5. d

H.

1. un

2. in

3. un

4. in

5. im

6. in

7. un

8. in

9. in


I.

1. in

2. –

3. to

4. to

5. of

6. from

7. to

8. at

9. with

10. in


J.

1. adult; members

2. status; framework

3. religious; identity

4. evolution

5. affiliation; census


K. 1. b 2. b 3. a


L. 1. a 2. c 3. b 4. c 5. a


UNIT II.

C. 1. b 2. c 3. e 4. a 5. d


D. 1. d 2. c 3. a 4. e 5. b


E. 1. c 2. a 3. d 4. e 5. b


F. 1. e 2. c 3. a 4. b 5. d


H.

1. ir

2. dis

3. un

4. im

5. in

6. im


I.

1. of

2. for

3. to

4. of

5. –

6. from

7. to

8. to

9. –

10. into


J.

1. broke away; declared

2. throne; a constitutional crisis

3. clergy; allegiance

4. accounts for

5. belief and practice


K. 1. c 2. b 3. b


UNIT III.

C. 1. d 2. e 3. b 4. a 5. c

D. 1. d 2. c 3. e 4. a 5. b

E. 1. c 2. d 3. e 4. a 5. b


F. 1. c 2. d 3. e 4. b 5. a


H.

1. in

2. un

3. ir

4. un

5. in

6. in

7. un

8. in

I.

1. to

2. to

3. of

4. under

5. in; with

6. up; of

7. to

8. to

9. up

10. -; -

J.

1. teachings

2. presidency

3. experienced; persecution

4. practices; enjoys

5. perform; running; elderly


K. 1. b 2. a 3. a


L. 1. b 2. b 3. c 4. c 5. b


UNIT IV.

C. 1. c 2. e 3. b 4. a 5. d

D. 1. b 2. e 3. d 4. a 5. c

E. 1. d 2. c 3. b 4. e 5. a


F. 1. d 2. e 3. a 4. b 5. c


H.1. ir

2. il

3. un

4. un

5. un

6. un

7. un

8. in

9. dis

10. un

I. 1. of

2. to

3. at

4. in

5. in

6. to

7. to

8. in

9. in
10. in

J.

1. decline

2. service; broadcast; spiritual

3. local; sermon

4. divisions; denominations

5. thriving


K. 1. d 2. b 3. b 4. a


UNIT V.

C. 1. b 2. d 3. e 4. a 5. c

D. 1. d 2. e 3. a 4. b 5. c

E. 1. c 2. e 3. d 4. a 5. b


F. 1. c 2. d 3. e 4. a 5. b


H.

1. after

2. on

3. from

4. to

5. with
6. on

7. –

8. on

I.

1. carol; services

2.religious meaning; secular

3. roots; pagan

4. derived; goddess

5. blessing


J. 1. c 2. a


UNIT VI.

C. 1. d 2. a 3. e 4. b 5. c

D. 1. d 2. c 3. e 4. a 5. b

E. 1. d 2. e 3. a 4. c 5. b


F. 1. e 2. d 3. a 4. b 5.c


H.

1. to

2. into

3. on; of

4. on

5. into

6. in

7. up

8. of

9. –

10. to

I.

1. congregations

2. observance

3. creed; the Old Testament

4. heritage

5. birth rate; conversion

6. volunteer; donations