Read the message that King of Belgium delivered to the Parliament

Divide the text into paragraphs and entitle them. Pick up key words from every paragraph. Give the general idea of every part using these words.

Make up word combinations matching the words matching A and parts. Consult the text. Translate into Russian.

A	B
master	into contact
promote	languages
increase	an important role
support	prosperity
come	with a competitive edge
acquire	translation
play	International relations
provide	language learning
develop	social cohesion

Grammar practice

Passive Voice is used to emphasize the action (the verb) and the object of a sentence rather than subject. This means that the subject is either less important than the action itself or that we don’t know who or what the subject is. F.ex. After the earthquake, aid was sent to the people of Haiti.

Note: Verbs that have no object (no one to “receive” the action) cannot be put into the passive, such as, arrive, come, die, exist, go, happen, have, live, occur, sleep, etc.

1. In the text there are some sentences where Passive Voice is used. Find them and try to reproduce. If possible transform sentences with Active Voice into the ones with Passive Voice.

2. Use Passive Voice to emphasizethe focus on the action.

1. Global anti-seismic system (to launch) … to prevent earthquakes and other natural disasters.

2. Great efforts (to make) for eco-tourism to become more attractive and enjoyable for potential customers.

3. Whales must (to protect) … by an international ban on whaling.

4. Some people feel that too much attention (to pay) … by television, newspapers, magazines, and other media to celebrities and their private life.

5. The youth policy in our country (to support) … by a National Strategic Plan for Youth Development.

Discussion

Discuss the following:

1) Why is multilingualism a social phenomenon?

2) What does statistics say about the number of people who speak only one foreign language and people who speak several foreign languages?

3) What are the advantages for multilingual employees?

4) What are the initiatives of the European Union which concern the support of multilingualism?

5) What does European Union Council Resolution on aEuropean strategy for multilingualism promote?

Team work

Read and discuss

In trilingual Belgium, King stresses importance of multilingualism.

In his New Year's speech to Belgium's government authorities, King Albert II spoke of how learning foreign languages can broaden our horizons and encourage intercultural dialogue. He also pointed out the practical benefits of multilingualism:

"Meeting and talking with people from other cultures creates relationships and opportunities with unexpected benefits. It's an extraordinary way for our young people to learn how to interact with other cultures and reconcile differing points of view. In practical terms, that means we need to encourage Belgians to learn not just our three national languages but also English and other languages. Being able to speak more than one language is an enormous asset and a skill prized by employers. For proof, just look at the number of foreign investors in Belgium."

The King also talked about all that young people stand to gain from studying or working abroad via various European programmes: "We need to do even more to encourage young people to spend time as a student or trainee in another country, whether through the Erasmus programme or the Prince Albert Fund, which gives young people the chance to work in Belgian companies abroad."

(New Year's speech by King Albert II to Belgian authorities – 26 January 2010)

2. What message would you address to the younger generation if you were the ruler of the country? How would you motivate them to study foreign languages?

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