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

Вид материалаУчебное пособие
Unit v. the twenty-first century and the traditional institutions of great britain
Ii. vocabulary focus
Iii. interpretation
Iv. speaking personally
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UNIT V. THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY AND THE TRADITIONAL INSTITUTIONS OF GREAT BRITAIN



I .READING COMPREHENSION

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


1) What are the main traditional institutions of Great Britain?

2) In what way could they be compared with those in Russia? In other European countries?

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

Relevance – значимость, значение, важность

Crucial – решающий, ключевой

Urbanized – урбанизированный

Self-doubt – неуверенность в себе, неверие в собственные силы

Proceedings – работа (комитета, организации), заседание

Restore – восстановить

Resilient – имеющий запас жизненных сил

Reverence – почтение

Remote – отдаленный

Walkabout – прогулка высокого лица среди толпы с целью неофициального общения с народом

Vindicate – доказать, подтвердить

Jubilee – юбилей

Corrosive – губительный, разрушающий

Relentless – безжалостный

prurient – снедаемый любопытством

media – средства массовой информации

sordid – отвратительный

pillar – опора, столп

exemplify – служить примером, иллюстрировать.

ambiguous – неоднозначный

grief – горе

loss – потеря

rebuke – упрек, укор
perceive – воспринимать

retrieve – вернуть


Traditional institutions have experienced difficulty in maintaining their claims to relevance in a country whose people are at once so diverse and demanding, yet often so contrary in their attitudes. The Protestant Churches, which in earlier times played a crucial role in shaping British national identity, long ago ceased to exercise much of a hold over the popular imagination, as society became ever more urbanized and materialistic. Parliament, which until the 1950s commanded widespread respect and was often regarded as an ideal model for the rest of the world, has similarly lost a great deal of its prestige, the victim of governmental failure to arrest the country’s relative economic decline and the resulting infection of the national mind with creeping self-doubt. The decision to broadcast Parliament’s proceedings has apparently done nothing to restore its old authority, and, if anything has served to highlight its ineffectiveness as a check on the actions of ministers.

Most dramatic of all has been the fluctuating reputation of the monarchy, a historically resilient institution which has usually commanded considerable public affection and reverence. For a time, the strategic decision taken in the 1960s to make the royal family less remote and bring it closer to the people, for example through public walkabouts and television documentaries, seemed on balance to be vindicated, given the notable success of Queen Elizabeth’s silver jubilee celebrations in 1977 and the worldwide fascination with the Prince of Wales’s marriage to Lady Diana Spencer in 1981.

However, the corrosive effects of relentless exposure to a sensationalist and prurient news media, which turned royalty into actors in an increasingly sordid and ridiculous soap opera, gradually weakened the pillars of respect upholding the monarchy. The near hysterical reaction to the tragic death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in a car accident in 1997, exemplifies the ambiguous situation in which royalty finds itself: at one level, the remarkable display of grief at the loss of the ‘People’s Princess’ pointed to the monarchy’s continued ability to serve as a focus for national sentiment, for which many people clearly have an emotional need; but it was manifested in a way that was intended as a rebuke to a royal family perceived as being the heartless villains in the saga of a wronged heroine. It may still be possible for the monarchy to retrieve some of its lost popularity, but the business of royalty in the twenty-first century is unlikely to become any easier, and one may doubt whether the institution will ever again feel entirely secure in its position.


C. What are the main problems touched upon in the text? Write them down making an outline of the passage.


II. VOCABULARY FOCUS


A.Translate the following word-combinations into Russian:


Exposure to smth; sensationalist; soap opera; a focus for national sentiment; royalty; a wronged heroine; a hold over the popular imagination; fluctuating reputation; uphold the monarchy; to experience difficulty.

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


B.Find the English equivalents in the text:


Превратить кого-либо; постепенно ослабить; реакция на что-либо; проявление горя; указывать на что-либо; воспринимать что-либо; бездушные злодеи; утерянная популярность; жертва чего-либо; остановить экономический спад;


Think of your own sentences with these expressions.


C. Match the words which collocate with each other:

1. widespread a. documentaries

2. television b. exposure

3. corrosive c. villains

4. heartless d. respect

5. relentless e. effects


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


1. relentless a. equivocal

2. sordid b. merciless

3. ambiguous c. destructive

4. demanding d. filthy

5. corrosive e. tough


E. Match the words having the opposing meaning:


1. sordid a. unchallenging

2. demanding b. fortifying

3. relentless c. definite

4. corrosive d. pure

5. ambiguous e. sympathetic


F. Match the words and their definitions:

1. the quality of being connected with and important to smth else
a. to restore

2. extremely important
b. walkabout

3. to cause a particular situation to exist again, especially a positive one
c. crucial

4. a strong feeling of respect and admiration for someone
d. relevance

5. an occasion when a famous or important person walks through a crowd and talks to people

e. reverence



G. Translate the following sentences into Russian:


1) The course covers four areas of relevance to modern life

2) We believe the question being investigated by the Commission is one of crucial importance to the country

3) By Sunday, electricity had been restored.

4) They spoke of the old man with reverence.

5) The Prime Minister went walkabout in the town centre.


H. Insert prepositions where necessary (over; as; with; to; on)

1. exposure ___ smth 6. a hold ___ smth

2. reaction ___ smth 7. an infection ___ smth

3. to point ___ smth 8. a check ___ smth

4. to serve ___ smth 9. to command ___ smth

5. a rebuke ___ smth 10. fascination ___ smth


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

Relevance exercise demanding

Crucial urbanized hold

Broadcast restore proceedings



1) Traditional institutions have experienced difficulty in maintaining their claims to ___ in a country whose people are at once diverse and ___.

2) The Protestant Churches, which in earlier times played a ____ role in shaping British national identity, long ago ceased ___ much of a ____ over the popular imagination, as society became ever more ___ and materialistic.

3) The decision to ___ Parliament’s ___ has apparently done nothing to ___ its old authority.


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


1) remote

a. far away from other cities, towns, people, isolated

b. not likely to happen

c. aloof

d. not connected or relevant to smth


2) corrosive

a. containing chemicals that can cause damage

b. causing gradual damage to a society, an institution, or a relationship


3) sordid

a. immoral, dishonest, or unpleasant

b. dirty and ugly


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


Respect

To command affection


Power

To exercise rights

A hold


III. INTERPRETATION


A. Answer the following questions:


1) What do you think is meant by the words ‘diverse and demanding’ referred to the British people?

2) Do you know anything about the history of the Protestant Churches in Britain?

3) Do you agree with the statement that society is becoming more materialistic?

4) Why isn’t the British Parliament regarded any longer as an ideal model for the rest of the world?

5) What brought about changes in people’s attitude towards the royal family?


B. Paraphrase and explain the following statements. Comment on them.


1) Traditional institutions have experienced difficulty in maintaining their claims to relevance in a country whose people are at once so diverse and demanding yet often so contrary in their attitudes.

2) The corrosive effects of relentless exposure to a sensationalist and prurient news media, which turned royalty into actors in an increasingly sordid and ridiculous soap opera, gradually weakened the pillars of respect upholding the monarchy.

3) It was manifested in a way that was intended as a rebuke to a royal family perceived as being the heartless villains in the saga of a wronged heroine.


IV. SPEAKING PERSONALLY


Princess Diana’s death and the royal family’s reaction to it caused many controversial opinions in the world. Discuss with your partners the moral aspect of the tragedy and the role of mass media in it.

The following expressions may be of use to you:

Insensitive; tactless; discourteous; imprudent; indelicate; rash; callous; merciless, vexed; desperate; perturbed; bewildered.