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

Вид материалаУчебное пособие
Unit iv. broken images of the empire
Ii. vocabulary focus
Iii. interpretation
Iv. speaking personally
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UNIT IV. BROKEN IMAGES OF THE EMPIRE



I. READING COMPREHENSION


A. Pre-reading task.. Answer the following questions:


1) What do you think makes modern societies less homogeneous than they used to be?

2) Is it a positive or negative phenomenon?


B. Now read and translate the text. You can make use of the words and expressions given below:


Descendant – потомок

Occur – случаться, происходить

Seek – добиваться, стремиться к чему-либо

Indigenous – местный

Ambivalence (ambivalent) – двойственность отношения

Resent – негодовать, возмущаться

Intrusion – посягательство, вторжение

Alien – чужестранный, иноземный

Overt – открытый

Covert – скрытый, завуалированный, тайный

Harassment – нападки, негативное отношение

Outright – прямой, открытый

Violence – насилие

Dilution – ослабление, подрыв

Interior – находящийся ниже

Defiant - вызывающий, дерзкий

Assertion – утверждение

Blatantly – вопиюще

highlight – выдвигать на первый план

resurgence – возрождение

gather momentum – набрать силу

counterpart – коллега, аналог

deprivation – лишение, потеря, утрата

insular – замкнутый, сдержанный

plausibility (plausible) – вероятность

shed – отбросить

fluctuate – колебаться

supremacy – превосходство

variegated – разнообразный, пестрый

authentic – подлинный

mediocrity – посредственность, заурядность

prowess – совершенство, мастерство

cutback – сокращение

foothold – исходные позиции, точка опоры

come to the fore – выдвинуться вперед


At the beginning of the twenty-first century, approximately three million out of the fifty-five million inhabitants of Britain are non-whites, whose family roots lie mainly in the former colonies of the Caribbean and the :Indian subcontinent. These newcomers and their descendants are heavily concentrated in parts of London, and in provincial centres like Birmingham, Bradford, Leicester and others. The peak of immigration occurred in the 1950s and 1960s as people, acting usually on their own initiative, sought better lives in a prosperous ‘mother’ country offering greater economic opportunities. Generally speaking, relations between the new arrivals and the indigenous population were characterized by mutual ambivalence. Indigenous white Britons often resented the intrusion of what they regarded as ‘alien’ cultures, and such feelings were manifested in overt and covert discrimination, harassment, and sometimes outright violence. For their part, the immigrants were in the rather strange position of having come to live among their former colonial masters, and, while some enthusiastically embraced the values of their new homeland, not all wished to become totally ‘assimilated’ into another society .Resistance to the dilution of their own religions and cultures has been very strong among certain immigrant communities, while resentment at their sense of inferior status in Britain has prompted a defiant assertion of cultural separateness on the part of some of the younger generation born in Britain.

Ethnic identities therefore have the potential to override any sense of national identity shared with the white population. It is fortunate that blatantly racist political parties have failed to gain an electoral foothold. There are many encouraging signs of individuals from the immigrant communities making valuable contributions to society, in such areas as sport, popular music, retailing, restaurants and the medical profession, and they are beginning to have an impact on the political system as well. Nevertheless, the relevant point is that significant numbers of citizens of contemporary Britain may have different personal perceptions of what it is to be ‘British’ from those of the white majority. Multi-racialism has added a further dimension to the complex structure of modern society.

Even among indigenous Britons, the absence of complete homogeneity has been highlighted by the resurgence of Celtic nationalism in Scotland and Wales. Once more, this is a case of identities that had never ceased to exist returning to the fore and assuming vital added relevance to the lives of many people.It is difficult to determine whether this phenomenon is a cause or effect of Britain’s decline as a major power; nor is it entirely obvious why it should have gathered momentum at precisely the time it did.

The Scottish National Party (SNP) and its Welsh counterpart, Plaid Cymru, were founded in the inter-war period, but it was only in the late 1960s that they emerged as potentially significant political forces. Both movements exploited a prevailing sense of deprivation, relative to affluent England, arising from the structural decline of heavy industries and rising unemployment, and this was combined with a subjective belief that central government in London was remote and indifferent to their needs. Welsh nationalism has achieved its greatest impact by voicing demands for official recognition of the Welsh language, and tends to be rather insular in character. Scottish nationalism, by contrast ,is a more overtly self-confident phenomenon, and it acquired added plausibility in the 1980s when the SNP shed its original hostility to Britain’s membership of the EEC and developed the idea of independence from England within a federal European framework. This has allowed the Scots to revive memories of their independent nationhood before 1707, and of historic relationships with other states like France.

Popular support for the nationalist parties since the 1960s fluctuated wildly, but by the 1990s they seemed capable of posing a serious threat to the Labour party’s electoral supremacy in Scotland and Wales. Consequently, Labour was compelled to embrace the idea of devolution, and referendums finally paved the way for the creation of assemblies in Edinburgh and Cardiff in 1999. Devolution is clearly a dangerous gamble. As the new millennium proceeds, the future political cohesion of Britain seems far from guaranteed.

In such an endlessly variegated society, authentic displays of British national unity are increasingly hard to find. Many historic sources of strength and pride seem unlikely to exercise such a creative influence in the future. It is so long since Britain was the ‘workshop of the world’, and its commercial arm dominated trade around the globe, that the people have grown accustomed to their country’s relative economic mediocrity. Britain’s military prowess continues to give it a disproportionate influence in international affairs, but even here it has been obliged to moderate its pretensions since the 1950s and accept a firmly subsidiary role to the USA. The collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe in the late 1980s, and the consequent removal of any direct threat to national security, has further reduced Britain’s sense of military purpose, and drastic cutbacks in expenditure on the armed forces were imposed in the 1990s. In the nation’s finest hour of recent times, the Falklands War of 1982, a task-force was sent to recover a group of islands in the South Atlantic invaded by Argentina. This was undoubtedly a great military success, and stimulated intense patriotic feelings, but it is difficult to imagine such circumstances arising again or Britain’s diminished armed forces being capable of a similar response. Britain’s future part seems destined to be no more than that of a useful international trouble-shooter, providing specialist support for operations such as the United Nations peace-keeping forces in the Balkans.


C. Write questions to go with these answers


1. ___ 1. They are heavily concentrated in London and in provincial centres.

2. ___ 2. They sought better lives.

3. ___ 3. Yes, White Britons often resented the intrusion of ‘alien’ cultures.

4. ___ 4. It has prompted a defiant assertion of cultural separateness.

5. ___ 5. No, blatantly racist parties have failed to gain an electoral foothold.

6. ___ 6. It has been highlighted by the resurgence of Сeltic nationalism.

7. ___ 7. They are called the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru.

8. ___ 8. They were created in 1999.

9. ___ 9. It was due to the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe and the consequent removal of any direct threat to national security.

10. ___ 10. They were invaded by Argentina.


II. VOCABULARY FOCUS


A. Translate the following word-combinations into Russian:


Outright violence; mutual ambivalence; to pave the way; to exercise influence; to accept a subsidiary role; the collapse; cutbacks in expenditure; to be imposed; a task-force


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


B. Find the English equivalents in the text:


Приблизительно; пик иммиграции; действовать по своей инициативе; проявлять чувства; прекратить существование; растущая безработица; тяжелая промышленность; официальное признание; в рамках чего-либо; представлять угрозу для кого-либо.


Think of your own sentences with these expressions.


C. Match the words which collocate with each other:


1. inferior a. separateness

2. outright b. society

3. cultural c. violence

4. complete d. status

5. variegated e. homogeneity


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

1. blatantly a. curtail

2. authentic b. secondary

3. diminish c. commonplace

4. subsidiary d. genuine

5. mediocre e. brazenly


E. Match the words having the opposing meaning:

1. diminish a. chief

2. blatantly b. falsified

3. subsidiary c. superior

4. mediocre d. quietly

5. authentic e. expand


F. Match the words and their definitions:

1. likely to be true; reasonable
a. to seek

2. a relative of a person who lived in the past
b. ambivalent

3. to try to find smth that you need in your life
c. descendant

4. feeling two different things about smth at the same time
d. plausible

5. annoying or unpleasant behavior towards smb that takes place regularly, for example threats, offensive remarks, or physical attacks

e. harassment



G. Translate the sentences into Russian:


1. A bomb was the only plausible explanation for the crash.

2. He claims to be a direct descendant of the last King.

3. To be eligible, you must show that you are actively seeking employment.

4. Most of us have an ambivalent attitude towards technology.

5. The UN cannot tolerate the continuing harassment of peacekeeping soldiers.


H. Which prepositions go with the words on the left?
a. for
b. to
c. in
d. on
e. of
f. at

1. a threat


















2. to pave the way


















3. to grow accustomed


















4. to accept a subsiding role


















5. cutbacks


















6. expenditure


















7. to be capable


















8. the beginning


















9. the initiative


















10. resistance




















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


Deprivation homogeneity indigenous

Variegated authentic resurgence

Ambivalence indigenous population


1. Even among _____ Britons, the absence of complete ____ has been highlighted by the ____ of Celtic nationalism.

2. Both movements exploited a prevailing sense of ___, relative to ___ England.

3. In such an endlessly ___ society, ___ displays of British national unity are increasingly hard to find.

4. These newcomers and their ___ are heavily concentrated in parts of London.

5. Relations between the new arrivals and the _____ were characterized by mutual ___________.


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


1) foothold

a. a small hole, crack or lump on a surface where you can put your foot to support yourself when climbing.

b. a position from which you can improve your status or become more successful in an organization, profession, or market.


2) to highlight

a. to report or describe smth in a way that makes people notice it.

b. to mark words on paper

c. to make parts of your hair a lighter color by putting a chemical substance on it.


K. Make up phrases and translate them. Think of your own sentences with them:

argument

1. plausible excuse

explanation

interpretation

reason

theory


2. to highlight danger

difference

difficulty

fact

issue

need

problem


III. INTERPRETATION


A. Paraphrase and explain the following statements. Comment on them:


1) Ethnic identities have the potential to override any sense of national identity shared with the white population.

2) Multiracialism has added a further dimension to the complex structure of modern society.

3) Many historic sources of strength and pride seem unlikely to exercise such a creative influence in the future.

4) Its commercial arm dominated trade around the globe.

5) Britain’s military prowess continues to give it a disproportionate influence in international affairs.


B.. Answer the following questions:


1) What economic reasons provoked the influx of immigrants in the 1950s and 1960s?

2) Why were relations between the new arrivals and the indigenous Britons mutually ambivalent?

3) Do you know any people from the immigrant communities of Britain who made an important contribution to such areas as sport or music?

4) Do you think that the resurgence of Celtic nationalism is a cause or effect of Britain’s decline as a major power?

5) What caused a sense of deprivation in Scotland and Wales which led to the foundation of the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru?

6) Why is Welsh nationalism considered to be rather insular in character?

7) What demands did the Scottish National Party voice?

8) What paved the way to the creations of assemblies in Scotland and Wales in 1999?

9) The Falklands War of 1982 was called the nation’s finest hour of recent times. Do you know any details of it?

10) Does Britain take part in the United Nations peace- keeping operations?


IV. SPEAKING PERSONALLY


Discuss with your partners the problem of the resurgence of nationalism, its roots and ramifications.

Which of these adjectives can be used when speaking about its positive sides and which refer to the negative features:


Insular; self-confident; hostile; resentful; inferior; defiant; assertive; blatant; racist; encouraging; self-sufficient; dignified.