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

Вид материалаУчебное пособие
Unit vi . britain versus europe and the united states
Ii.vocabulary focus
Iii. interpretation
Iv. speaking personally
V. creative writing
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UNIT VI . BRITAIN VERSUS EUROPE AND THE UNITED STATES




I.. READING COMPREHENSION

.

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


1) Do you think the British are positive to the idea of European integration?

2) In what way is the American culture and way of life felt in Britain, Europe and in our country?


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


Predicament – затруднительное положение

Fraught – непростой, сложный

Discreet – осторожный, сдержанный

Aspiration – стремление, сильное желание

Evolve – развиваться, эволюционировать

Coexist – сосуществовать

Contrive – замышлять, затевать

Entail – влечь за собой, вызывать

Fragility – непрочность, недолговечность

Dwell on smth – размышлять

Misplaced – неуместный ,несвоевременный

Reluctance – нежелание

Turnout – участие в выборах, явка

customs union – таможенный союз

interest rate – процентные ставки

vulnerability – уязвимость

legislation – законодательство

populace – простой народы, массы

emanate – происходить

erode – подрывать, портить, разъедать

obtrusive – навязчивый, бесцеремонный, назойливый


Nothing better illustrates the predicament of modern Britain than its fraught relationship with Europe. Discreet changes in the name of the body joined by Britain in 1973 – from European Economic Community to European Community and then to European Union – reflect an aspiration for ‘ever-closer union’, economic, political and military, apparently shared by many member States, but which the majority in Britain are profoundly uneasy with. The British people, far more than their continental neighbours, have failed to evolve a European identity to coexist with their national one, and the two are usually treated as mutually exclusive. British politicians, on the whole, have found it more profitable to act up to voter antipathy towards Europe than to project a positive vision of what Britain in Europe might achieve.

Whether it was advisable, in the first place, for Britain to join an organization oriented towards fulfilling the economic and strategic interests of France and Germany is certainly debatable, but somewhat beside the point after more than a quarter of a century. What is clear is that Britain has contrived to get the worst of both worlds, retaining its European membership, with the loss of sovereignty that this entails, yet being unwilling to participate wholeheartedly in the ‘club’ and constantly grumbling about the rules. Such ambivalent behaviour can partly be attributed to the increasing fragility, for internal reasons, of Britain’s national identity, to a habit of dwelling on remembrance of former glories, and to an enduring belief – not entirely misplaced –in the uniqueness of Britain as an island state.

A continued hostility to European integration on the right of British politics led to the 2001 election being fought by the Conservative Party on the platform slogans ‘Keep the Pound’ and ‘Save the UK from a Federal European Superstate’. The Conservatives lost the election, suggesting the majority British view on Europe is closer to scepticism than hostility, underlined by the British reluctance to take full advantage of their voting rights in Europe: the European Parliament election of 1999 had a very low turnout of the electorate.

Some commentators in the media have argued that the level of economic and political integration discussed at present will radically change government and life in Britain. The current process of deregulation which began with the creation of a customs union will have radical consequences for national sovereignty if taken to its conclusion. Subsequent integration, such as adoption of the euro, will mean the sacrifice of certain national economic tools, including control of the interest rate and a degree of vulnerability to economic conditions in other countries. Those who take a negative view of European union argue that the Chancellor should be able to control the British economy from Westminster and that legislation which governs the British populace, concerning the maximum length of the working week, for example, should originate only from the British Parliament. However, others maintain that an increased degree of economic stability will be beneficial to industry while closer union will benefit British traders who can exploit EU markets more efficiently. Britain’s economic success appears to be tied to Europe, yet a reluctance to participate fully is as strong as ever in some quarters.

In 2001 a report from the European Commission warned that public ignorance in Britain of the euro was such that a credible referendum about it could not be held. Only 20 per cent of people felt they were well informed, while 80 per cent of the thousand questioned confessed to a serious lack of knowledge. Almost two-thirds of those questioned said they believed giving up the pound would mean an end to national independence while 60 per cent said they thought the EU could not be trusted with British interests.

Over the last three decades British people have become decreasingly hostile to and increasingly appreciative of European culture, old rivalries and prejudices themselves passing away with older generations. Among the young, Europe is generally perceived positively and associated with many of the good things in life, from food to holidays, but the public in general remain deeply divided.

Curiously enough, while Europe is generally supposed to present the greatest threat to British independence, the dissolving effects of American cultural domination tend to be overlooked. It is an inescapable fact that, for most of the twentieth century, and particularly since 1945, all aspects of the behaviour and lifestyles of people in Britain were imperceptibly transformed by influences emanating from across the Atlantic. In films, television programmes and popular music, America has projected an image which has done more than anything else to erode characteristically British habits and ways of doing things; and these are in danger of being submerged into a bland, globally uniform style, affecting choice of dress, expressions of speech, mannerisms and gestures, and tastes in food and drink.

The look of larger modern British towns has been greatly influenced by the United States. British planners in the light of a general cultural imitation of American trends are adopting stateside practices such as the ‘doughnut effect’ where town centres become abandoned by shoppers for malls on the outer ring. A largely consumer culture has been imported across the Atlantic and modern buildings reflect this: shopping complexes, multiplex cinemas, theme parks, out-of-town supermarkets, Disney stores and fast-food restaurants, some of them drive-ins. The result is a sameness that is convenient and reassuring, but also, on a national scale, numbling.

The shared language and historical links between the two countries go far towards explaining why American cultural hegemony has been found less obtrusive by the British than by, for example, the French.


C. Write down 10 questions giving an outline of the text.


II.VOCABULARY FOCUS


A. Translate the following word-combinations into Russian:


To take full advantage of smth; to project a positive vision; debatable; to contrive; former glories; to grumble about smth; to have radical consequences; the sacrifice of smth; to be beneficial; in some quarters; to overlook smth.


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


B. Find the English equivalents in the text:


Реализовать политические и экономические интересы; в настоящее время; радикально изменить; политики; в целом; возросший уровень экономической стабильности; продолжительность рабочей недели; проводить референдум; за последние три десятилетия; представлять угрозу независимости.


Think of your own sentences with these expressions.

C. Match the words which collocate with each other:

1. ambivalent a. integration

2. voting b. sovereignty

3. political c. rights

4. interest d. behavior

5. national e. indisposed


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

1. discreet a. destroy

2. fragile b. assailable

3. reluctant c. frail

4. vulnerable d. cautious

5. erode e. indisposed


E. Match the words having the opposing meaning:

1. vulnerable a. rash

2. reluctant b. secure

3. discreet c. fix

4. fragile d. enthusiastic

5. erode e. sturdy


F. Match the words and their meaning:

1. a difficult or unpleasant situation that is not easy to get out of
a. turnout

2. very worried and with a lot of problems
b. predicament

3. to like or exist at the same time or in the same place
c. to evolve

4. the number of people who come to an event or a number of voters in an election
d. fraught

5. to change over a long period of time
e. to coexist



G. Translate the following sentences into Russian:


1. If everyone had followed the rules, we would not be in this predicament.

2. The meeting was a bit fraught.

3. It is possible for local wildlife to coexist with industry.

4. We’re expecting quite a low turnout for the local elections.

5. Slowly, these tiny organisms evolved into multicelled creatures.


H. Insert prepositions where necessary (into; to; of; on; with)


1) to be trusted ___ smth 6) to be submerged ___ smth

2) to be hostile ___ smth 7) ___ a national scale

3) to be appreciative ___ smth 8) ___ the whole

4) to be associated ___ smth 9) to be attributed ___ smth

5) to present a threat ___ smb 10) to govern ___ smth


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

Deregulation overlooked cultural domination

National sovereignty fraught consumer culture evolve

Present the greatest threat a customs union predicament

Radical consequences coexist



1) The current process of ___ which began with the creation of ___ will have ___ for ___ if taken to its conclusion.

2) A largely ___ has been imported across the Atlantic.

3) While Europe is generally supposed to ___ to British independence, the dissolving effects of American ___ tend to be ___.

4) Nothing better illustrates the ___ of modern Britain, than its ___ relationship with Europe.

5) The British people, far more than their continental neighbors, have failed to ___ a European identity to ___ with their national one.

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


1) to dwell

a. to live somewhere

b. to spend a lot of time thinking or talking about smth unpleasant


2) discreet

a. careful not to say anything that is secret or that could upset someone

b. unlikely to attract attention

c. small and not very noticeable


3) to erode

a. to gradually damage the surface of rock or land so that it begins to disappear.

b. to gradually reduce the strength or importance of smth.


III. INTERPRETATION


A. Answer the following questions:


1) Was the change of the name-from European Economic Community to European Union-meaningful? What did it reflect?

2) What role did British politicians play in general antipathy towards Europe?

3) How does Britain see its role in the European Union?

4) How can Britain’s reluctance to participate whole-heartedly be explained?

5) What did the failure of the Conservative Party at the 2001 election demonstrate as far as the attitude towards Europe is concerned?

6) What are the prospects for British economy and political life emanating from its participation in the process of European integration?

7) Why do you think the dissolving effects of American cultural domination tend to be overlooked?

8) Do you agree that American cultural hegemony is found obtrusive in most European countries?

B. Paraphrase and explain the following statements:


1) The British people, far more than their continental neighbours, have failed to evolve a European identity to coexist with their national one, and the two are usually treated as mutually exclusive.

2) Whether it was to join an organization oriented towards fulfilling the economic and strategic interests of France and Germany is certainly debatable, but somewhat beside the point after more than a quarter of a century.

3) Over the last three decades British people have become decreasingly hostile to and increasingly appreciative of European culture, old rivalries and prejudices themselves passing away with older generations.


IV. SPEAKING PERSONALLY


The influence of American consumer culture can be felt in many spheres: architecture, way of life, choice of music, tastes in food and drink etc. Do you think it erodes the cultural identity of our country? Of other European states? Discuss the problem with your partners.


V. CREATIVE WRITING


A. Translate the following passage in writing:


It is quite conceivable that Britain’s existence as a unified political entity is drawing to a close, and that in the near future it will fragment into its English, Welsh and Scottish components. In a more extreme scenario, England itself could disintegrate into several regions. There is no intrinsic reason why recognition, through devolved assemblies, of Scottish and Welsh identities, and other regional ones for that matter, should be incompatible with the preservation of allegiance to Britain as an overall political structure, and a federal arrangement could indeed help to strengthen British national unity. People can possess many identities pertaining in different contexts. But there is a real prospect that a simultaneous transfer of powers to European institutions may have the effect of pulling Britain apart.

Unpredictable circumstances could still arise which serve to reinvigorate belief in Britain’s nationhood, and the most likely cause of this is the external one of fear of absorption into a federal Europe. Alternatively, Britons may learn to restrain their distrust of foreigners and reconcile themselves to expressing their national values through participation in a variety of international structures, including the European Union. In this respect, Britain possesses immense natural advantages arising from its remarkable historical traditions and the fact that it is the home of a major international language.


B. Write down your own point of view on the problem.