Dialogue 3. B: Hello, I haven’t seen you for ages

B: Hello, I haven’t seen you for ages.

H: Hi! I spent much time watching the latest Olympic Games, they were so excited!

B: And what kind of sports attracted you most?

H: Of course, football.

B: I remember, you're a football fan. I hope the English team has won?

H: No, the winner was Mexico. And England was not in the tournament.

B: Why so?

H: They were the Olympic Games hosts! It was decided to collect the team of Great Britain. It turned out a very strong team!

B: I wonder what kind of uniform they had.

H: You mean what colours? I remember combined England football team uniform has white and red colours.

B: The Great Britain football team uniform was very beautiful. It was black and blue. And there was the flag of Great Britain vertically on the half of the T-shirt.

H: I'd love to look at all this beauty!

B: Well, I invite you to visit me. I have such a T-shirt at myself!

H: Where from? Are you kidding?

B: I’ve ordered it through eBay.

H: Wow! It’s cool!

Exercise 11. Make up your own dialogues using the following proverbs and expressions.

· If there is a flag, then would be a travel.

· Depending on the wind and the flag winds.

· to be a combination of…	· the symbol of international controversy
· three saint patrons	· The Royal Standard
· the patron of England	· to give a permission
· bravery and strength	· St. Patrick’s Cross
· a maritime flag	· St. Andrew’s Cross
· a jack	· St. George’s Cross
· the old adage	· The Union Jack

UNIT 16

BRITISH CHARACTER

Proverbs and sayings

Custom is a second nature	Привычка – вторая натура
There is no place like home	Нет лучшего места, чем свой дом
My house is my castle	Мой дом – моя крепость

TEXT

BRITISH CHARACTER [15]

Every nation has its own features of character. As for the British, for centuries they were considered to be superior, insular, snobbish, hypocritical and aloof. Is that really so?

Foreigners have many ideas about what the British are like. For example, some people say the British are cold and reserved, which means that they don’t talk much to strangers and don’t show much emotion. A reserved person never tells you anything about himself.

The character of British people has been misjudged for many centuries. One of the most striking features of British life is the self-discipline and courtesy of people of all classes. There is little noisy behaviour, and practically no loud disputing in the streets. People do not rush excitedly for seats in buses or trains, but take their seats in queues at bus stops in a quiet manner.

British people are famous for their habit of politeness. They are naturally polite and are never tired in saying “Thank you”, “I’m sorry”, “Beg your pardon”. Many foreigners have commented on a remarkable politeness of the British people.

The British don’t like displaying their emotions even in dangerous and tragic situations, and ordinary people seem to remain good-tempered and cheerful under difficulties. They don’t like boasting or showing off in manners, dress or speech.

Englishmen are very conservative. They are attached to their old familiar things. They dislike any possible changes in life. They respect their usual way of life and their habits. On a national scale this conservatism may be illustrated by reference to the public attitude to the monarchy. Besides, conservatism exits on a local scale. Different corporations, universities, schools have their own private traditions. Englishmen attached to a fire-place despite of the fact that it causes troubles.

England is the country of law and order. Englishmen are rather law-abiding. They know not only their rights, they respect their duties. Englishmen have a strong sense of privacy. They are practical and realistic.

“There is no place like home” say the British. This adage best expresses an Englishmen’s traditional love of his home. About 70 percent of British people have their own houses. Most homes have a garden in which the British spend a lot of time growing flowers and looking after the lawns. The English are prudent and careful. Their lawns are closely cropped, their trees are neatly pruned.

The British not only love their homes but also their pets. Many people keep cats, dogs and other animals at home. They are completely crazy about pets and obsessed with the conditions in which animals live.

The English are very devoted to animals. Besides, animals are protected by law. For instance, you cannot leave a cat to starve in an empty house. If you can, prison is possible punishment. Englishmen are fond of their pets and can speak of their favorite dogs or horses for hours. There are even special cemeteries for dogs. More over there is the Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Britain. It is a charitable foundation in which the Royal Family is the celebrity supporters. It is RSPCA, one of the Britain’s oldest charities.

Of course, English people are fond of sports. Many continentals think life is a game; the English think cricket is a game. To many Englishmen cricket is both a game and a standard of behaviour. When they consider something unfair, they say “That isn’t cricket”. Fox hunting and horse racing are the great national sports. Top social event in Ascot is called Ascot Royal Racing. It also attracts much attention of the Royal Family and the British top establishment.

It is not easy to decide on the typically British characteristics. Not all British people are aloof, uncommunicative or boring. Not all of them are crazy about lawns or animals. Still there is a “British nation”, and one of the most characteristics features is their traditions, which they respect, and which they have kept for many generations, because they bring some stability into the rapidly changing world.

Active Vocabulary

to be reserved	быть сдержанным, необщительным
nation	нация
the most striking feature	наиболее поразительная черта
features of character	черты характера
superior	высокомерный
insular	ограниченный, узкий во взглядах
snobbish	снобистский
hypocritical	лицемерный
unsociable	необщительный
aloof	равнодушный, холодный
self-discipline	самодисциплина
courtesy	вежливость, учтивость
to rush excitedly	возбужденно спешить
to take seats in queues	занять место в очереди
habit of politeness	привычка вежливости
remarkable	замечательный, особенный
to remain good-tempered	оставаться в хорошем настроении
don’t like boasting	не любят хвастать
to misjudge	неверно оценивать
to be attached to something	быть привязанным к чему-то
national scale	национальный уровень
reference	ссылка, упоминание
public attitude	общественное отношение
local scale	местный уровень
fire-place	камин
law-abiding	законопослушный
privacy	частная жизнь
to be completely crazy about	зд. любить без ума
to be obsessed with	овладевать, обуять (о страхе)
wisdom	мудрость
to accumulate the experience	обобщать опыт
prudent	благоразумный
to crop lawns	подстригать газоны
to prune trees	подстригать деревья
to be devoted to something	быть преданным чему-либо
to starve	умирать от голода
prison	тюрьма
punishment	наказание
cemetery	кладбище
The Royal Society for the Prevention	королевское Общество Предотвращения
of Cruelty to Animals (PSPCA)	Жестокости к Животным
to be celebrity supporters	зд. быть знаменитыми благотворителями
“That isn’t cricket”	“Это не по правилам”
to be unfair	быть неверным, нечестным, неправильным
fox hunting	охота на лис
horse racing	лошадиные бега
top social event	светское мероприятие высшего уровня
Ascot Royal Racing	Королевские Бега в Аскоте
the Brittan’s oldest charity	старейшее благотворительное Британское общество

Answer the questions.

1. What can you say about the misjudgment of the British character?

2. Are the Englishmen conservative? Why do you think so?

3. How can you illustrate English conservatism on a national and local scale?

4. England is the country of law and order, isn’t it?

5. What are the other features of the Englishmen?

6. What is their attitude to the animals?

7. What remarkable habit are the Englishmen famous for?

8. Why are they completely crazy about pets?

9. Do they like displaying their emotions?

10. What do traditions bring the British?

Exercise 1. Insert the missing words and phrases.

1. Every nation … its… features of character.

2. For centuries … British … considered … superior, insular, …, …, …, ….

3. The character of British people … … misjudged … many centuries.

4. Englishmen … attached … their old or … things.

5. England is … country of … and ….

6. Englishmen are ….

7. Englishmen have a strong … … ….

8. Animals … … by law.

9. They don’t like … or … off in manners, dress or speech.

10. People don’t … … for seats in buses or trains.

11. When they consider something …, they say “That isn’t cricket”.

Exercise 2. Are the following sentences true or false? Give your arguments.

1. The character of British people has been misjudged for many centuries.

2. Englishmen have a strong sense of privacy.

3. Every nation has its own features of character.

4. England is the country of law and order.

5. The English aren’t very devoted to animals.

6. Englishmen are not very conservative.

7. They respect their traditions as the wisdom of many generations.

8. Not every nation has the Animals Charity Foundation.

9. One of the most popular game in Britain is football.

10. Fox hunting is the great sport in England.

Exercise 3. Translate the following sentences. Put special questions to them.

1. Foreigners have many ideas about what the English like.

2. English humour is a little bit dry and ironic, it helps people to relax and release repression.

3. English people are fond of sports, fox hunting and horse racing are the great sports in Great Britain.

4. Most British people queue when they are waiting for a bus or waiting to be served in a shop.

5. The traditional love of English people for tea is well know.

Exercise 4. Match the words and phrases.

1. the most striking feature	a. замкнутый, сдержанный
2. to make seats in queues	b. серьезный
3. to be obsessed with	c. наиболее поразительная черта
4. to rush excitedly	d. благотворительный фонд
5. to be self-discipline	e. многие европейцы
6. earnest	f. оставаться в хорошем настроении
7. to be devoted to smth.	g. возбужденно спешить
8. to be low-abiding	h. занимать место в очереди
9. reserved	i. быть законопослушным
10. to boast	j. нетактичный
11. charity foundation	k. выходить из себя
12. tactless	l. испытывать страх
13. to remain good-tempered	m. быть преданным чему-то
14. to be protected by	n. быть защищенным
15. to lose one’s temper	o. хвастаться
16. many continentals	p. быть самодисциплинированным

Exercise 5. Give the English equivalents for:

· общественное отношение	· стандарт поведения
· черты характера	· считать что-то несправедливым
· неверно оценивать	· являться знаменитыми благотворителями
· быть преданным чему-либо	· охота на лис
· быть привязанным к чему-либо	· знаменитые Королевские бега в Аскоте
· национальный уровень	· высший правящий класс
· местный уровень	· “Это не по правилам”
· частная жизнь	· объединять опыт и мудрость
· подстригать газоны	· приносить чувство стабильности

Exercise 6. Translate the sentences from Russian into English.

1. Наиболее очевидные черты англичан – стабильность и постоянство

2. Англичане законопослушны, они не только знают свои права, но уважают свои обязанности.

3. Британское общество сохранило свои традиции с давних времен.

4. Важнейшая черта национального характера – владение собой.

5. Животные в Великобритании защищены законом. Существует Королевское Общество Предотвращения Жестокости к животным (RSPCA).

6. Открытое раскованное проявление чувств считается невоспитанностью.

7. Никакой шум и крик не собьют с толку истинного англичанина.

8. В стране обуреваемой свирепыми ветрами, дождями и туманами, созданы условия, в которых человек больше чем где бы то ни было, уединен в своем жилище.

9. Думаю, что традиции не только сохраняют и передают опыт поколений, но и дают чувство стабильности.

10. Не удивительно, что Королевская семья является членом благотворительного фонда защиты животных.

11. Запрет традиционной охоты на лис в Великобритании не раз обсуждался Парламентом.

12. Знаменитые Королевские бега в Аскоте собирают весь британский истеблишмент.

Exercise 7. Use the followingexpressions for making dialogues.

· British establishment	· to be devoted to animals
· to be invited to the Royal Racing in Ascot	· fox hunting is more political
· to be famous for its traditions	· to wear top fashion hats
· to be respectful	· to be excited and full of emotions
· Ascot is the place where…	· public attitude
· to be snobbish	· to be published in tabloids

Exercise 8. Discuss the following problems in the group.

1. The British have the famous empire mentality.

2. Fox hunting is a serious problem for discussion in the British society. Why so?

Exercise 9. Speak on the topic “English Character”.

Exercise 10. Learn the following words and word combinations and use them in your dialogues.

boarding house	пансионат
a full board	полный пансионат
a half board	полупансионат (только завтрак)
the Access course	подготовительные курсы
to be well bred	быть хорошо воспитанным
more particular	более особенное
to be incredibly supportive	оказывать невероятную поддержку
60 years of service	60 лет служения
the accession to the thrones	восшествие на престол
queen regnant	глава, царствующая королева
sovereign states	суверенные государства
the start of her reign [rein]	начало царствования
the only other monarch of Commonwealths	верховный правитель содружества
the Commonwealth Heads of Government	главы государств содружество нации
to be awarded	быть учрежденным
to be handed out	были вручены
the Diamond Jubilee Pageant [’pædʒənt]	Королевская Юбилейная Процессия
The World Comes to Windsor	весь мир у Виндзоров
a maritime parade	морской парад
a reception solely for	прием исключительно для
beacons	салют
fabulous	фантастически
habit of politeness	привычка к вежливости
it’s common knowledge	общеизвестно
to be connected	быть связанным
old wisdom	древняя мудрость
to be notorious	быть известным
thrifty	экономный, бережливый
antique [æn’ti:k]	странный, античный

Exercise 11. Read, translate and dramatize the dialogues.

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