МИНИСТЕРСТВО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ РЕСПУБЛИКИ БЕЛАРУСЬ
Белорусский государственный экономический университет
ПРАКТИКУМ ПО КУЛЬТУРЕ РЕЧЕВОГО ОБЩЕНИЯ
Учебно-методическое пособие
для студентов IV курса факультета международных бизнес-коммуникаций
Часть 1
Минск 2009
УДК…..
ББК…. Aн
У…..
А в т о р ы: Е.М. Таирова, Ю.В. Мармыш, О.А. Кулага, Н.А. Бондарева,
О.В. Половцева
Р е ц е н з е н т ы:
Р е к о м е н д о в а н о Советом Белорусского государственного
экономического университета
Практикум по культуре речевого общения ═ Advanced
У…. course of oral communication: Учеб.-метод. пособие для студентов IV
курса ф-та межкультурных бизнес-коммуникаций Часть 1/ Е.М. Таирова,
Ю.В. Мармыш, О. А. Кулага, Н. Бондарева, О. Половцева – Мн: Минск.
БГЭУ, 2009. – ,,,,,,,,,,, с.
Цель пособия – способствовать дальнейшему совершенствованию
коммуникативных навыков и умения дискутировать в условиях
вариативных ситуаций.
Пособие состоит из 5 разделов. Каждый раздел включает оригинальные
тексты социально и профессионально значимой тематики, словарные
списки, подлежащие активному усвоению, систему упражнений,
нацеленных на усвоение активного вокабуляра (Language Focus) и
творческие задания индивидуального характера для самостоятельной
работы студентов (Speech Activities), а также задания группового характера
для последующей работы в аудитории (Role-plays/projects/general
discussions). В конце каждого раздела дается тематический словарь,
разговорные модели, необходимые для свободного ведения дискуссии и
словарный тест с ключами для самоконтроля.
Соблюдаются принципы преемственности и взаимосвязанного обучения
всем видам речевой деятельности.
Предназначено для студентов завершающего этапа обучения
Белорусского государственного экономического университета.
УДК …….
ББК …Ан
© Белорусский государственный экономический университет, 2009
CONTENTS
About the Book ………………………………………………………
Unit I. Paparazzi. The World of Celebrities
Section 1.
Section 2. …………………
Section 3. …………………………………
Unit II. Ageism……………………………………..
Section 1. ……………………
Section 2. ……………………………………
Section 3. ……………………………………………
Unit III. Gender Problems…………………………………
Section 1. ………………………
Section 2. ……………………………….
Unit IV. Environment and Conservation………………
Section 1. ………………………………
Section 2. …………………………………
Section 3. ……………………………………
Unit V. Belarus
Section 1. ………………………………
Section 2. …………………………………
Section 3. ……………………………………
About the Book
The textbook is for students following an advanced English Language course.
The textbook offers a great variety of basic and supplementary text-types in
reading and listening activities to prepare students for further work in a classroom.
The aim of the textbook is to extend and enrich students’ active vocabulary in
the suggested topics.
The students’ out-of-class work with reading/listening materials and
vocabulary exercises is followed up by discussions and role-plays in a classroom
situation which will be encouraged by focusing on pair and group work.
The textbook has five thematic Units:
1. Pparazzi. The World of Celebrities.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Each Unit contains tasks for out-of-class work:
– Starter activity to launch the theme of the Unit;
– a number of challenging and stimulating reading texts;
– functional vocabulary to every text;
– vocabulary extensive exercises (Language focus);
– a suggestion for extended writing;
– a self-check vocabulary tests with the key.
Speaking/discussion/role-play activity (Speech Activities) is to be done in class.
Each Unit also contains: a list of words and phrases connected with the theme
of the Unit, supplementary texts and Speech Functions Bank to activate the
knowledge of the main exponents of the most common language functions.
The textbook includes a tape of listening material and video materials in the
form of films. It is in conformity with the requirements of the course “Practice of
Oral and Written Speech” , which has the advanced module.
The units of the book were prepared by: E.M. Tairova (Unit …), Y.V.
Marmysh (Unit …), O.I. Kulaga (Unit …).
UNIT I. PAPARAZZI
THE WORLD OF CELEBRITIES
Section 1. Paparazzi. The Hunters And the Hunted
Starter activity
Do you agree that the main reason why media influence is mostly negative is due to the
paparazzi? What is their job? Do you know where from the term ‘paparazzi’ comes? What
do you know about the modern day paparazzi and their victims? How can paparazzi be
related to the world of celebrities? Is there any celebrity scandal in the news at the
moment? Do you know where from the term "paparazzi" originates?
1. Read the following about the origin of the term "paparazzi” comment on their meaning.
The word "paparazzi" is derived from a character in the Fellini film "La Dolce
Vita." The character, a photographer named Paparazzo, reminded Fellini of "a
buzzing insect, hovering, darting, stinging." Fellini's inspiration for the character
was the famous Italian "street photographer" Tazio Secchiaroli. Fellini consulted
Secchiaroli for research while developing the script for his classic film. Secchiaroli
became famous as a photographer when he captured candid photos of the former
Egyptian King Farouk turning a table over at a restaurant in rage. On the same
night, Secchiaroli also snapped photos of actor Anthony Steele in a public spat
with actress Anita Ekberg. These photos started a trend in European publications,
moving away from posed promotional shots of celebrities and toward
surreptitiously captured candid photos.
READING ONE
Would you describe the paps’ obsession with celebrities as hunting or a game of cat and
mouse? Why?? Read the extract and be ready to discuss these issues.
The Hunters and the Hunted
The worldwide obsession with celebrities spawns one of the most fascinating and
feared by-products of pop culture -- paparazzi. Paparazzi are photographers who
tirelessly hunt celebrities, public figures and their families for the opportunity to
photograph them in candid, unflattering and at times compromising moments.
What began as simple "street photography" is now a high-stakes game of cat and
mouse that plays out in the everyday lives of the paparazzi's celebrity prey. As our
cultures' voracious hunger for celebrity snapshots grows, so do the prices of these
photos and the risks paparazzi take to get them. Many ethical, legal and privacy
issues arise out of this questionable business.
At the most basic level, paparazzi hang out on the streets and in public places
waiting for an opportunity to photograph a star. In public, the paparazzi can snap
away unhindered by laws. But for a paparazzo who wants to make the big bucks,
this method is far too inefficient. Paparazzi must make sure they are in the right
place at the right time to get the shot.
Paparazzi work a lot like private detectives. Each paparazzo culls a network of
informers to help keep tabs on celebrity targets. These informers can be people
who work in businesses frequented by celebrities, such as restaurants, shops or
salons. The paparazzo often pays for this information. In many cases, people who
work for the star might be bribed to divulge the whereabouts of their employer.
Paparazzi also work with autographers. Autographers basically stalk celebrities,
approach them in public places and ask for their autographs. They make their
living by selling these autographs to fans and resellers. Paparazzi pay the
autographers for information on the celebrity's whereabouts. As an added bonus,
when the autographer stops the celebrity on the street, the paparazzo gets the
opportunity to take the shot.
The key for the paparazzo is to get the information and get the shot before other
paparazzi do. But hunting stars is just one aspect of this highly competitive
industry. Once the paparazzo knows where the target is, there are various tactics he
or she may use to get a photograph.
Functional Vocabulary
to capture candid/
Paparazzi photograph celebrities in
unflattering/compromising photos
candid, unflattering and at times
to photograph a star
compromising moments
to get a shot
to take a shot
Paparazzi must make sure they are in
to get a photograph
the right place at the right time to get
to snap photos/snapshots
the shot
a public spat
to start a trend
surreptitiously
to spawn
an obsession with sb
obsession with celebrities
to hunt sb
Paparazzi hunt celebrities, public
figures
Hunting stars is just one aspect of
this highly competitive industry
street photography
to play out a high-stakes game of
cat and mouse
celebrity prey/celebrity target
paparazzi's celebrity prey
to have voracious hunger for sth/sb
Paparazzi’s voracious hunger for
celebrity snapshots grows
a questionable business/ a highly
competitive industry
to hang out on the streets
Paparazzi hang out on the streets and
in public places waiting for an
opportunity to photograph a star
to snap away
Paparazzi can snap away unhindered
by laws
to be unhindered by law
Paparazzi can snap away unhindered
by laws
to make the big bucks
(in)efficient
this method is far too inefficient
to cull sb
Each paparazzo culls a network of
informers
to keep tabs on sb
Paparazzi keep tabs on celebrity
target
to divulge sth
Paparazzi divulge the whereabouts
of their employer.
to stalk sb
Paparazzi stalk celebrities
to make one’s living
Paparazzi make their living by
selling these autographs
Language Focus
1. Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases, translate them into
Russian.
– to get the most unflattering picture;
– to spawn;
– a public spat;
– to make one’s way out into a public;
– surreptitiously ;
– to play out a high-stakes game of cat and mouse b;
– to have voracious hunger for sth;
– to hang out on the streets;
– to snap away;
– to cull sb;
– to keep tabs on sb;
– to divulge sth
– to stalk sb;
2.
Find the words in the text which have similar meaning to the following:
to flee the scene, street photography, celebrity prey, to photograph a star,
intrusion on privacy, a photograph, to escape, a candid photo, to capture,
members of the celebrities.
3. Suggest antonyms for the words given below:
to make little money, to be unhindered by law, a questionable business,
(in)efficient, to sell the most unflattering picture, to show fairly, to be truthful,
to be captured.
4. Match the words with their definitions. Translate them into Russian/Belarusian
a public spat
having a huge appetite : GREEDY, RAVENOUS
to spawn
to pursue quarry or prey stealthily or under cover (as
behind a stalking horse) : STILL-HUNT
surreptitious
marked or accomplished by fraud or suppression of
truth
to stalk
to bring forth : GENERATE, PRODUCE
voracious
a usually petty quarrel that flares up quickly and is of
short duration
5. Replace the italicised parts with the words and word-combinations from the
functional vocabulary:
1. Paparazzi keep tabs on celebrity target.
2. Paparazzi reveal the whereabouts of their employer.
3. Each paparazzo usually gathers a network of informers
4. Paparazzi can get away unhindered by law
5. Paparazzi hang out on the streets and in public places waiting for an
opportunity to photograph a star.
6. Paparazzi’s voracious hunger for celebrity snapshots grows.
7. Hunting stars is just one aspect of this highly competitive industry.
Speech activities
1. Answer the following questions.
1. What lies at the heart of the problem of paparazzi influence in the
modern world?
2. Do you agree that today it is exceptionally easy for paparazzi to get away
unhindered?
3. Do you know how paparazzi keep tabs on their celebrity prey?
4. Can it be so that paparazzi’s voracious hunger for celebrity snapshots is
provoked by our voracious hunger for something sensational?
5. What proofs can you provide for the suggestion that paparazzi business is
a highly competitive industry/
2. Do you agree with the following statements? How do you understand them?
1. Morality is simply the attitude we adopt towards people whom we
personally dislike (O. Wilde)
2. All photos are accurate. None of them is the truth. (Richard Avedon)
READING TWO
Have you ever heard of the paparazzi specific tactics? On what principles do paps center
their tactics? Is there any anti-paparazzi legislation in your country? Read the article and
be ready to discuss these issues
Paparazzi Tactics
The tactics of the paparazzi center on this principle: Get a shot by any means
necessary. The individual paparazzo is only limited by his or her resources,
craftiness and nerve.
Technically speaking, in order to get the photo free and clear, the paparazzo must
get the star out in public, away from a private residence or business. If the star is in
a private area, the photo must be taken discreetly from a distance and with the
photographer standing on public land.
In more extreme cases, some paparazzi have taken photographs from rooftops or
tree tops. They have shot private events from rented helicopters or boats. In some
cases, if the event is in a sealed building, paparazzi have staged fire alarms or
bomb threats to cause an evacuation of the building that forces their subjects onto
the streets.
Is that legal? The answer is no. But with the lucrative nature of the business, legal
expenses have become part of operating costs and have contributed significantly to
the high price tag on such photographs.
Throwing false alarms is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the illegal
methods used to get a photo. Paparazzi have done much worse:
 A paparazzo intentionally had a car accident with Catherine Zeta-Jones to
force her out of her car.
 Actor Sean Penn was intentionally provoked many times into physical
confrontations to get photos and create lawsuits.
 Paparazzi posed as Michael Douglas's family members to gain access to the
hospital where his son was born.
 Susan Sarandon found a paparazzi camp hidden on her property.
 Britney Spears and her mother were surrounded at a pet store. Britney's
mother injured a photographer fleeing the scene in her car.
 An English tabloid published Gwyneth Paltrow's daily route while she does
her household routines, as well as the location of her new house, based on
information gathered from paparazzi.
Functional Vocabulary
to center on sth
The tactics of the paparazzi center
on this principle.
to be limited by one’s resources, The individual paparazzo is only
craftiness and nerve
limited by his or her resources,
craftiness and nerve
to get the photo free and clear
To get the photo free and clear, the
paparazzo must get the star out in
public
a private residence/business/area
to take photos from a distance
to stage fire alarms/bomb threats
to throw false alarms
to cause an evacuation
to force sb onto the street
lucrative business
But with the lucrative nature of the
business,
legal
expenses
have
become part of operating costs
legal expense/ operating costs
the tip of the iceberg
to
be
provoked
into
physical Actor Sean Penn was intentionally
confrontations
provoked many times into physical
confrontations to get photos and
create lawsuits
physical confrontations
to gain access to sth
to gain access to the hospital where
his son was born.
to flee the scene
to create lawsuits
Language Focus
1. Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases, translate them into
Russian.
to get the photo free and clear;
to stage fire alarms/bomb threats;
to cause an evacuation;
to force sb onto the street;
to hang out on the streets;
lucrative business;
to be provoked into sth;
to gain access to sth;
2. Find the words in the text which have similar meaning to the following:
a private residence, to get a photo, to throw false alarms, operating costs, to
photograph a star.
3. Suggest antonyms for the words given below:
the bottom of the iceberg, legal methods, to flee the scene,a poor business,
physical confrontations.
4. Match the words with their definitions. Translate them into Russian/Belarusian
lucrative
the quality or state of being crafty
confrontations
producing
wealth
:
MONEYMAKING,
PROFITABLE
craftiness
the clashing of forces or ideas : CONFLICT
lawsuit
not corresponding to truth or reality : not true :
ERRONEOUS, INCORRECT
false
a case before a court : any of various technical legal
proceedings (as an action, prosecution)
5. Insert the correst preposition from the functional vocabulary:
1. The individual paparazzo is only limited …his or her resources, craftiness
and nerve
2. If the star is … a private area, the photo must be taken discreetly … a
distance and … the photographer standing … public land
3. In more extreme cases, some paparazzi have taken photographs … rooftops
or tree tops.
4. Staging fire alarms or bomb threats causes evacuations … the building and
forces celebrities …. the streets.
5. To gain access … the hospital was impossible.
6. Susan Sarandon found a paparazzi camp hidden … her property
6. Insert the correct word or word combination from the functional vocabulary:
1. If the event is in a … …, paparazzi have staged … … or bomb threats to
cause an ….
2. But with the … … of the business, … expenses have become part of …
costs.
3. Throwing false alarms is just the tip of the … when it comes to the illegal
… used to get a ….
4. Hunting stars is just one aspect of this highly competitive ….
Speech activities
1. Answer the following questions.
1. Do you agree that today it is exceptionally easy for paparazzi to get a shot
by any means?
2. Do you know any illegal method paparazzi use to get a photo of their
celebrity prey?
3. What proofs can you provide for the suggestion that paparazzi business is of
a highly lucrative nature?
2. Do you agree with the statement that the individual paparazzo is only limited by his
or her resources, craftiness and nerve.
READING THREE
What are the most relevant technological advances that paparazzi can rely on today? The
issue must be challenging to your mind that’s why try to think about as many as possible
technological achievements and then read the extract to add to your ideas.
Paparazzi Technology
Paparazzi benefit from the digital age. The obvious weapon of the paparazzi is the
camera, and new digital technology stacks the odds in favor of the celebrity
photographer. With smaller digital cameras, it is easier for paparazzi to conceal
their work. Digital photography also lowers film costs considerably and makes
distribution of the photos for sale much easier. Even if the shots are taken with a
traditional film camera, the paparazzo no longer has to rely on the mail or (even
more dangerous) his own two feet to shop the photos around.
Camera phones help paparazzi get their equipment into events when no cameras
are allowed. With camera phones growing more prevalent, certain places may have
to adopt a "no phone" policy to curb unauthorized picture-taking.
Wireless video cameras are also becoming a regular staple of the paparazzi arsenal.
Paparazzi can either wear the cameras or plant them to capture celebrities unaware.
The tiny cameras sport increasingly powerful transmitters that broadcast digital
video to receivers. Paparazzi can sell the video footage or else pull good photo
stills from it.
Common specifications for many of the wireless video cameras on the market
include: 300-foot range (91 meters), full-color image, hours of operation off of 9volt batteries, 60-degree field of view, 15 frames per second.
Functional Vocabulary
to benefit from sth
Paparazzi benefit from the digital
age
to stack the odds in favor of sb
and new digital technology stacks
the odds in favor of the celebrity
photographer
to conceal sth
digital photography
to take shots with a traditional film
camera
to grow more prevalent
to adopt a "no phone" policy
to become a regular staple of the Wireless video cameras are also
paparazzi arsenal
becoming a regular staple of the
paparazzi arsenal
to wear the cameras
to plant cameras so as to capture
celebrities unaware
to sell the video footage
to pull good photo still
to curb unauthorized picture-taking
Language Focus
1. Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases, translate them into
Russian.
to benefit from sth;
to stack the odds in favor of sb;
to adopt a "no phone" policy;
to become a regular staple of the paparazzi arsenal;
to pull good photo still;
to curb unauthorized picture-takin;
2. Find the words in the text which have similar meaning to the following:
to hide sth, to become a regular staple of the paparazzi arsenal, to wear the
cameras, to curb unauthorized picture-taking.
3. Suggest antonyms for the words given below:
digital photography, to take shots with a traditional film camera, to grow less
important, to buy the video footage.
4. Insert the correct word or word combination from the functional vocabulary:
1. With camera phones growing more …, certain places may have to adopt a
… …policy to … unauthorized …-…
2. Wireless video cameras are also becoming a regular staple of the paparazzi
….
3. Paparazzi can either wear the cameras or plant them to capture celebrities
….
4. Paparazzi can sell the … … or else pull good photo stills from it.
5. Paparazzi … from the digital age
6. New digital technology … the odds in … of the celebrity photographer
7. Even if the shots are taken with a traditional … … the paparazzo no longer
has to rely on the mail or (even more dangerous) his own two feet to shop
the photos around.
Speech activities
1. Answer the following questions.
1. Do you agree that the obvious weapon of the paparazzi is the camera?
2. Do you know any illegal method paparazzi use to get a photo of their
celebrity prey?
3. What proofs can you provide for the suggestion that paparazzi business is of
a highly lucrative nature?
2. Do you agree with the statement that the new digital technology stacks the odds in
favor of the celebrity photographers?
READING FOUR
Have you head of the hefty prices that paparazzi can get for their photos? Read the extract
and be ready to discuss if the outcomes of paps’ compromising activity can cost a lot?
Paparazzi Price
Paparazzi sell their photos to the highest bidder. Depending on the quality, subject
and situation, photos can go for anywhere between a few hundred dollars to several
thousand dollars. The celebrity-photograph business is highly competitive and
risky to both life and limb. Very few photographers make their fortune as
paparazzi: Often, it costs more to get the shot than they'll make selling the photo.
In essence, paparazzi are freelance photographers. Once they have a photo, they
must shop it around to the different publications. To offer a photograph, the
paparazzo can e-mail a low-resolution copy of the photo, with a watermark edded
in the image, to prospective buyers. These precautions keep the digital photo from
being stolen. If the buyer is interested, the price of the photo is negotiated. Some of
the negotiating factors are:

Who is the celebrity?

Is the photo verifiable?

What is the celebrity doing?

How high is the quality of the photo?

What is the availability of similar photographs from other paparazzi?
More successful paparazzi have agents who will find buyers. This allows the
photographer to focus on his or her work. The very successful paparazzo has an
agent, a lawyer, drivers and additional photographers who all work together as a
team to get the best shots possible so they can sell them at the highest price.
Functional Vocabulary
to sell one’s photos to the highest Paparazzi sell their photos to the
bidder
highest bidder
the celebrity-photograph business
The celebrity-photograph business is
highly competitive and risky to both
life and limb
to be risky to both life and limb
to make one’s fortune
Very few photographers make their
fortune as paparazzi
a freelance photographer
to shop sth around
Once paparazzi have a photo, they
must shop it around to the different
publications
a prospective buyers
negotiating factors
Language Focus
1. Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases, translate them into
Russian.
the highest bidder;
to be risky to both life and lim;
the celebrity-photograph business;
a freelance photographer;
a prospective buyers;
2. Find the words in the text which have similar meaning to the following:
the celebrity-photograph busines, to sell sth, picture-taking, a freelance
photographer,
3. Insert the correct preposition from the functional vocabulary:
1. Paparazzi sell their photos … the highest bidder
2. Very few photographers make their fortune … paparazzi
3. … essence, paparazzi are freelance photographers
4. Once they have a photo, they must shop it … …the different publications
5. .Photographers who all work together … a team to get the best shots
possible so they can sell them … the highest price.
Speech activities
1. Expand on the following negotiating factors used by paparazzi:
 Who is the celebrity?
 Is the photo verifiable?
 What is the celebrity doing?
 How high is the quality of the photo?
 What is the availability of similar photographs from other paparazzi?
READING FIVE
Anti-paparazzi tactics are on the agenda today. Read and give your verdict as to the
efficiency of the suggested anti-paps tactics.
Anti-Paparazzi Tactics
Some stars develop some pretty imaginative ways to combat paparazzi. Russell
Crowe beat the paparazzi at their own game by scooping them on his 2003
wedding. Crowe authorized his own photographers to shoot the wedding and
then released the photos and video in exclusive deals with publications and
networks.
Supermodel Heidi Klum took a similar approach to keep paparazzi away
from her daughter. Celebrity children are a favorite of paparazzi -- "That's why I
released the photos of her, instead of having photographers hunt for them," Klum
told USA Today.
Everything from disguises to decoys are used to avoid recognition in
public places. At times, celebrities use multiple cars to cover travel routes. False
press statements and an alias can cover a celebrity's whereabouts. More low-tech
solutions involve canopies over outdoor events and good old-fashioned bruiser
security to keep the paparazzi at bay.
Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas took perhaps some of the most
famous and extreme set of measures to keep paparazzi out of the picture at their
wedding:

All of the caterers, help, suppliers and any other vendors associated with the
wedding had to sign confidentiality agreements (even the ones that didn't
get the job).

No wedding guests were given the time or location of the wedding until the
last minute.

The day before the wedding, special tickets were hand-delivered or
couriered to the invited guests.

Each ticket had a code in invisible ink alongside a special design. Only one
person, wedding planner Simone Martel Levinson, knew what that design
looked like. Before allowing each guest entry, Levinson personally
authenticated the design on that guest's ticket.

Once admitted to the wedding, guests swapped the tickets for a gold
"guest" pin designed by Jones and Douglas. The ticket swap and the pins
were kept secret until the event.

No guests were allowed to have cameras inside the event.

Other hotel guests staying at the Plaza Hotel were not allowed anywhere
near the wedding rooms.

Up until the moment the wedding started, all wedding rooms were swept
several times for hidden audio or video recording devices.

The New York Police Department and Fire Department were on board for
security. All of the hotel's fire alarms were monitored by personnel
throughout the wedding to make sure no one would pull them during the
event.

Three private security guards patrolled the corridors at all times.
The security bill for the wedding equaled more than $66,000, but even with
all of those countermeasures, paparazzo Rupert Thorpe managed to infiltrate the
wedding and snap shots of the bride and groom that he later sold to publications
Hello! and The Sun.
As you can imagine, this boiled the blood of the newlyweds, who pursued
legal action and won a nominal settlement against the publications. Are there laws
that protect paparazzi's rights to invade privacy in the name of a photograph? This
becomes the central question when discussing how paparazzi work. In the next
sections, we will look at laws related to privacy, photography and paparazzi.
Functional Vocabulary
to combat paparazzi
Some stars develop some pretty
imaginative
ways
to
combat
paparazzi
to beat the paparazzi at their own
game
to scoop sb
Russell Crowe beat the paparazzi at
their own game by scooping them on
his 2003 wedding
to authorize sb to do sth
to release photos and video of sb
to keep paparazzi away
celebrity children
to avoid recognition in public places
to use multiple cars
At times, celebrities use multiple
cars to cover travel routes
to keep the paparazzi at bay
to sign confidentiality agreement
to authenticate
to swap sth for sth
Guests swapped the tickets for a
gold "guest" pin
to infiltrate sth
Rupert Thorpe managed to infiltrate
the wedding and snap shots of the
bride and groom
Language Focus
4. Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases, translate them into
Russian.
the highest bidder;
to beat the paparazzi at their own game;
to scoop sb;
to release photos and video of sb;
celebrity children;
to use multiple cars;
a confidentiality agreement;
to authenticate;
to swap sth for sth;
to infiltrate sth
5. Find the words in the text which have similar meaning to the following:
to struggle against paparazzi, to give sb the right to do sth, to publish photos
and video of sb, famous children, to authenticate, to exchange sth for sth,
6. Use your functional vocabulary instead of the italics:
6. Some stars develop some pretty imaginative ways to fight paparazzi
7. Crowe empowered his own photographers to shoot the wedding
8. .Supermodel Heidi Klum took a similar approach prevent paparazzi from
stepping into her life.
9. Celebrity children are a favorite of paparazzi
10.At times, celebrities use multiple cars keep away travel routes.
11.More low-tech solutions involve canopies over outdoor events and good
old-fashioned bruiser security to keep the paparazzi away.
12.Rupert Thorpe managed to step into the wedding and snap shots of the bride
and groom
Speech activities
2. Which of the suggested anti-paps tactics do you consider the most effective?
Expand on the following sets of anti-paps measures:
 Signing confidentiality agreements
 Sweeping rooms for hidden audio or video recording devices.
 Private security guards
 Monitoring fire alarms
 Patrolling
READING SIX
The laws regarding public photography have always been a gray area. Is it the same in
your community? Read and give your verdict as to the efficiency of photography laws in
general.
Laws of Photography
The laws regarding public photography have always been a gray area. In the
United States, photographs that are taken for editorial use in a public place
generally enjoy Constitutional protection under the right of free speech. There are
exceptions, however. Here are just a few of the gray areas:

While taking a picture in a public place is almost always legal, any public
place can become a secured emergency area in the event of a police crime
scene, disaster, fire or riot. In this case, photography is not legal without
permission.

Even editorial photographs can come under scrutiny when a caption is
added. If the caption implies something false or slanderous about the
person in the photo, then it is no longer protected. And the gray area
becomes even grayer when you talk about photos as fine art. That is
especially true if the artist intends to sell the photograph.

Photographers cannot take pictures of a person in a public place without
permission if that photo is going to be used to promote any goods or
services.
Moreover, it is important to note that not all places that seem public are public.
Malls, hospitals, restaurants and hotels are all privately owned businesses.
Functional Vocabulary
a gray area
The
laws
regarding
public
photography have always been a
gray area
to take photos for editorial use
the right of free speech
to come under scrutiny
Even editorial photographs can come
under scrutiny when a caption is
added
to
imply
something
false
or
slanderous
Language Focus
1. Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases, translate them into
Russian.
a gray legislation area;
the right of free speech;
to come under scrutiny;
to imply;
false and slanderous;
to take photos for editorial use
2. Insert the necessary prepositions:
1. Even editorial photographs can come … scrutiny when a caption is added.
2. The caption implies something false or slanderous … the person … the
photo.
3. . Photographers cannot take pictures … a person … a public place
…permission if that photo is going to be used to promote any goods or
services.
4. Photographs that are taken … editorial use … a public place generally enjoy
Constitutional protection … the right …free speech.
Speech activities
1. Do you agree that laws regarding public photography have always been a gray
area?
READING SEVEN
Anti-paparazzi legislation is a hot issue. But some experts suggest that paparazzi are not
merely a problem but a symptom of a voyeuristic society that cannot be eradicated. Do you
agree or disagree? Prove your point of view.
Anti-Paparazzi Legislations
In a 2003 interview with The Guardian, Ewan McGregor spoke out against
paparazzi and the publications that buy their pictures: Heat magazine's a dirty,
filthy piece of sh-t and I'd like to put that on record. If a guy comes up and asks
me, 'Can I take a picture of your daughter?' that's one thing. But if he's hiding
behind a bus and he takes a picture of me and my daughter he's legally allowed to
publish that photo in the press. I have no rights to stop him and I think that's
wrong. I think we should encourage people to beat up paparazzi.
More and more stars are taking paparazzi to court.
McGregor won a case in the United Kingdom on breech-of-confidence and dataprotection laws.
Michael Douglas and Katherine Zeta-Jones won their settlement on a separate legal
issue. They had official wedding photographers and a deal with OK magazine.
When Hello! and The Sun bought and published Rupert Thorpe's photos, they
broke trade laws by destroying the exclusivity of the couple's deal with OK.
More and more stars are able to turn to other laws to protect themselves from
paparazzi since their rights of privacy are contested. Specific anti-paparazzi
legislation has gone into effect in various countries. France has very strict antipaparazzi legislation. In the United States, California passed anti-paparazzi
legislation into law after the death of Princess Diana. That event alone caused
many governments to reexamine their paparazzi laws.
The controversy surrounding anti-paparazzi legislation is the question of where to
draw the line between legitimate newsgathering and invasions of privacy. If laws
are left as they are, a celebrity's privacy and, in some cases, his or her life will
continue to be endangered by the ruthlessness of some photographers. On the other
hand, if the laws become too restrictive then the freedom of the press could be
jeopardized. The solution remains unclear.
While the tactics of paparazzi are repellent to most people, the same people
clamber to buy magazines that carry such photos. What is the source of the
problem? Are paparazzi the problem or merely a symptom of a voyeuristic
society?
Functional Vocabulary
to speak out against paparazzi
to take paparazzi to court
breech of confidence
McGregor won a case in the United
Kingdom on breech-of-confidence
and data-protection law
to win their settlement on a separate Michael Douglas and Katherine
legal issue
Zeta-Jones won their settlement on a
separate legal issue
to go into effect
Specific anti-paparazzi legislation
has gone into effect in various
countries
to pass anti-paparazzi legislation
into law
to draw the line between sth and sth The controversy surrounding antielse
paparazzi legislation is the question
of where to draw the line between
legitimate
newsgathering
and
invasions of privacy
to endanger
life will continue to be endangered
by
the
ruthlessness
of
some
photographers
to jeopardize
a restrictive law
the laws become too restrictive
a voyeuristic society
Language Focus
1. Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases, translate them into
Russian.
to speak out against;
to win their settlement on a separate legal issue;
a breech of confidence;
to draw the line between sth and sth else;
to endanger;
to jeopardize;
a restrictive law
a voyeuristic society
2. Insert the correct prepositionfrom the functional vocabulary:
to take paparazzi … court;
to win their settlement … a separate legal issue;
to go … effect;
to pass anti-paparazzi legislation … law;
to draw the line …legitimate newsgathering and invasions of privacy.
3. Match the words with their definitions. Translate them into Russian/Belarusian
jeopardize
accordant with law or with established legal forms
and requirements
endanger
expressing a limitation of the reference of the term
qualified
voyeuristic
of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a an
unduly prying observer usually in search of sordid
or scandalous sights
restrictive
to bring into danger or peril of probable harm or
loss : imperil or threaten danger to
legitimate
to expose to danger (as of imminent loss, defeat, or
serious harm) : IMPERIL
Speech activities
1. Comment on the following statements:
1. People should be encouraged to beat up paparazzi.
2. It is right that stars take paparazzi to court.
3. It is easy for the stars to win their settlements on a separate legal issue.
4. More and more stars are able to turn to other laws to protect themselves
from paparazzi since their rights of privacy are contested.
5. Specific anti-paparazzi legislation has gone into effect in various countries.
6. The controversy surrounding anti-paparazzi legislation is the question of
where to draw the line between legitimate newsgathering and invasions of
privacy.
7. Life will continue to be endangered by the ruthlessness of some
photographers.
8. The freedom of the press could be jeopardized.
9. Paparazzi the problem or merely a symptom of a voyeuristic society.
Section II. Role Models and Style Icons
Starter activity
How much do you know about style icons? Have you ever heard about role models?
What are the male and female role models existing in the society today? Do you agree that
today the paparazzi dictates who's in and who's out? Who are the bubble-headed starlets
idolized today? Why are they glamorized and idolized?
1. Read the following citations and comment on their meaning.
 If you saw a man drowning and you could either save him or photograph
the event... what kind of film would you use? (Author Unknown)
 I hate cameras. They are so much more sure than I am about everything.
(John Steinbeck)
READING ONE
Tabloid Role Models
Noticing that my Seattle grunge-inspired shirts were becoming as passé as
my Alf-themed pogs, I set my sights on none other than these absurd 6-inch heels
popularized by the Spice Girls. Not that I felt these sentiments without guilt—
even then I knew that the Spice Girls shamelessly marketed themselves as
contemporary Barbie dolls, ready and willing to mold themselves to appeal to the
masses. The mid-'90s seemed to encourage the attitude chronicled in Aqua's
"Barbie Girl": "Make me walk, make me talk / do whatever you please / I can act
like a star / I can beg on my knees."
It’s a far cry from the role models of my mother’s era—Joan Baez, Joni
Mitchell, Jane Fonda—women who were famous, but used their influence to send
a message, or at least try to. And yet, my mother didn’t worry about my platform
shoes, and she didn’t need to. They now sit in the corner of my closet, filling me
with the same bouts of nostalgia she feels when pulling on an old pair of go-go
boots. I live a healthy lifestyle, managed to survive high school and college
without as much as a drug overdose or a decline into pornography—I turned out
okay. So why are parents and feminists today so worried about the influence of
modern-day misbehaving starlets like Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, and
Lindsay Lohan? Because though the Spice Girls certainly implied sex, they
never shouted it from the rooftops. Or performed it on tape.
For every young celebrity that boasts good behavior and remarkable
talent – Mandy Moore, Natalie Portman, and Rosario Dawson, to name a few –
there seems to be a dozen more bubble-headed starlets who are idolized more for
their hard-partying prowess (героизм) than their chops as an artist. In their
defense, many of these celebrities never asked to be role models; instead, gossip
magazines and websites have molded them into ideal figures for impressionable
young girls by repeatedly publishing photos glamorizing their late-night lifestyle.
Today, the paparazzi dictates who's in and who's out. And since sex and
misbehavior sells, the only stars that remain in vogue are those who showcase
their hard-core extra-curricular activities while stumbling under the table. You’ll
never see footage of Julia Stiles or Claire Danes receiving their Ivy League
degrees. What’s sexy to websites like TMZ.com and PerezHilton.com is Fergie
getting booted from an airline because she’s too drunk; underage "Laguna Beach"
star Jessica Smith driving under the influence; Spears unleashing a tirade against a
car with an umbrella; and the nonstop drunken shenanigans(интрига) of Hilton
and Lohan. With images of these two alone regularly downing handles of Grey
Goose—and later passing out, getting arrested, and going to jail getting them only
more attention—who needs peer pressure?
Especially when such behavior doesn’t seem to reap any serious
repercussions. Based solely on what’s publicized in the media, the only
consequence to repeated drunk driving is a few weeks in a rehab resort that rivals
Club Med. Sure, Paris Hilton is getting jail time for her latest run-ins with the law,
but her pouting about it (going so far as to ask the Governor of California for a
pardon) and reportedly primping for it (not to mention also reportedly working
towards a book deal for her diary of her hard time) is projecting the image that
being such punishment (for driving drunk and with a suspended license) is
unfair—and also, strangely, glamorous.
Susan Foster, the vice president and director of policy research for the
National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, says
the media's focus and glamorization of substance abuse in Hollywood makes it
difficult for young women to understand the consequences attached to regularly
downing shots or snorting cocaine. "There's easy availability and a false message
that it's not harmful," Foster says. "Hollywood makes it seem easy to get yourself
out of substance abuse." And to look damn good while doing it—one can almost
imagine the happy conclusion coming in a movie-like two-hour running time.
Men, on the other hand, have the kinds of role models we could only dream
of. Paparazzi favorites like George Clooney and Brad Pitt use their celebrity
status to raise awareness about charitable causes, all while maintaining their good
looks and sense of humor. And though there are plenty of philanthropic female
celebrities – see Angelina Jolie's work for the United Nations, for one – there are
few that are more recognized in the press for their goodwill than their day-to-day
behavior, or, in Jolie's case, love life.
According to Lyn Mikel Brown, the co-author of "Packaging Girlhood: Rescuing
our Daughters from Marketers' Schemes," male celebrities can also gain power
within the industry without having to rely entirely on good looks, a concept
foreign to many female stars. Women's power in show business is rather
constructed through their appearance and sexual availability, Brown says.
And of course, it's impossible to ignore those pesky(-troublesome) double
standards—though Hollywood bad boys like Colin Farrell may exhibit the same
questionable morals as Hilton and Lohan, their behavior seems to be pardoned
and tossed aside by paparazzi, critics and fans—after all, boys will be boys,
right? (Have we seen a full-sized picture of him passed out on the front page of the
New York Post?)
Such flawed media representation naturally leaves girls no choice than to be
steered in all the wrong directions when it comes to finding an admirable role
model in Hollywood. In 2005, Teenage Research Unlimited polled more than
2,000 teens, asking them to compile a list of the top five people they envy. While
male teenagers cited only one Hollywood type on their envy list (Ashton
Kutcher), Hilton, Aguilera, and Lohan all found their way on the girls' list, with
the latter winning the top slot. And though it's only fair to mention that intelligent,
talented, and successful figures like Bill Gates and Oprah Winfrey were included
in the girls' top five, teenage boys seem to admire such traits much more than their
counterparts: Gates, Michael Jordan, Donald Trump, and Tony Hawk finished
ahead of Kutcher in the boys' top-five list. Pair this study with recent evidence that
the media influences teen promiscuity(-heterogeneity) and that teenage girls are
outpacing boys in procuring alcohol, and we've got a problem frighteningly, if
not all-too-accurately, parodied in a famed "South Park" episode — an influx of
young girls wanting to emulate Hollywood's "stupid spoiled whores."
So where can young girls and women look for inspiration? Here's a novel
idea: Instead of thumbing through gossip rags for guidance (is a boycott too much
to ask?), why don't women focus on the funny, intelligent, and sexy women in their
lives? Let's admire the mothers who have showed us how to be powerful and
nurturing at the same time. Let's respect the sisters who encourage us to be better
women. And let's look up to the best friends who we know are more likely to flash
their smiles than their bikini lines for photographs.
After all, like us, they've all learned that those platform-shoe phases really do
belong in the back of the closet
Kenneth Noble, For a Change 1998 Vol10, №6 December/January
Functional Vocabulary
to be absurd
to popularize
to shamelessly market oneself
a contemporary Barbie doll
to mold (=to form) oneself to
appeal to the masses
to encourage the attitude
to chronicle (=to describe)
a far cry from sth
a role model
a bout of nostalgia
to live a healthy lifestyle
a drug overdose
a decline into pornography
a
modern-day/
misbehaving/
bubble-headed
(=airheaded
/foolish) starlet
to imply sex
to shout sth from the rooftops
to boast good behavior and
remarkable talent
to be idolized for one’s prowess
to
mold
sb
into
an
ideal
figure/image
to be impressionable
to publish photos
to glamorize one’s late-night
lifestyle
to dictates who's in and who's out
to remain in vogue
to
showcase one’s
hard-core
activities
a footage
to be booted
to be drunk
to drive under the influence
to unleash a tirade against sb/sth
a nonstop drunken shenanigan (
махинация, интрига)
to get arrested,
to go to jail
to reap serious repercussions/
consequences
to be publicized in the media
repeated drunk driving
a rehab resort
a run-in with the law
говорить что-л. с недовольной
to pout about sth
гримасой
to primp for sth / doll oneself up
принарядиться, привести себя в
порядок
to project the image that…
addiction/ substance abuse
to focus and glamorize substance
abuse
to snort (=sniff)cocaine
a false/ harmful message
to get yourself out of substance избавиться от наркотической
зависимости
abuse
movie-like
a Paparazzi favorite
фаворит
to use one’s celebrity status
воспользоваться своим звездным
статусом
to
raise
awareness
about
charitable causes
to maintain one’s good looks and
sense of humor
a philanthropic female celebrity
to be more recognized in the
press
for
one’s
goodwill/
behavior/ love life.
to rescue sb from marketers'
schemes
a male celebrity / star
a female celebrity / star
to gain power within … (some
industry)
to rely entirely on good looks
to be foreign to sb
to have power in show business
sex-appealing appearance
sexual availability
to ignore pesky (-troublesome)
double standards
a bad boy image
to exhibit questionable morals
to be pardoned and tossed aside
by paparazzi
to have a full-sized picture of sb
to pass out on the front page
a flawed media representation
to be steered in all the wrong
directions
to find an admirable role model
a Hollywood type
an intelligent/talented/successful
сексапильная внешность
figure
to win the top slot
to be included in the top five/topfive list
to influence teen promiscuity(heterogeneity)
to outpace sb in procuring alcohol
to
emulate(=imitate,
Hollywood's
"stupid
copy)
spoiled
whores (=prostitutes)"
to be inspired by
a gossip rag
to boycott gossip media
to focus on / respect /admire the
funny/intelligent/sexy women
to be powerful and nurturing
to look up to the best image
to
flash
one’s
smiles
for улыбаться фотографам
photographs.
to flash one’s bikini lines for
photographs
to belong in the back of the closet
Language Focus
1. Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases. Translate them into
Russian:
to shamelessly market oneself, a contemporary Barbie doll, to appeal to the
masses, a role model, a bout of nostalgia, a bubble-headed starlet, to imply
sex, to shout sth from the rooftops, to boast good behavior and remarkable
talent, to mold sb into an ideal figure/image like-minded people, to
glamorize one’s late-night lifestyle, to dictates who's in and who's out, to
showcase one’s hard-core activities, to be booted, to drive under the
influence, shenanigans, to reap serious repercussions, repeated drunk
driving, a rehab resort, a run-in with the law, a philanthropic female
celebrity, pesky double standards, a Hollywood type, to belong in the back
of the closet
2. Translate the following words and phrases into Russian:
говорить что-л. с недовольной гримасой, избавиться от наркотической
зависимости, фаворит, воспользоваться своим звездным статусом,
сексапильная
внешность,
улыбаться?
Фотографироваться
в
обнаженном виде.
3. Provide as many as possible derivatives for the suggested words:
absurd, to popularize, nostalgia, idol, impressionable, aware, charitable,
availability, promiscuity,
4. Provide synonyms for the suggested words:
to mold, to chronicle, a drug overdose, remarkable, prowess, to publish
photos, to be drunk, consequences, to project the image that…, addiction, to
snort cocaine, troublesome, a full-sized picture, to emulate, a gossip rag.
5. Provide antonyms for the suggested words:
to encourage the attitude, to live a healthy lifestyle, to remain in vogue, to
gain power, a male celebrity / star, a flawed media representation, to pass
out on the front page, a pesky role model, to lose the top slot, a gossip rag,
3. Both options make sense. Underline the one which forms a common collocation.
Consult a dictionary.
1. The mid-'90s seemed to encourage/inspire the attitude chronicled in
Aqua's "Barbie Girl".
2. It’s a far/big cry from the role models of my mother’s era-Joan Baez,
Joni Mitchell, Jane Fonda who were famous, but used their influence to
send a message.
3. Especially when such behavior doesn’t seem to reap/bring any serious
repercussions.
4. It's impossible to ignore those pesky/troublesome double standards—
though Hollywood bad boys like Colin Farrell may exhibit/show the same
questionable/doubtful morals as Hilton and Lohan, their behavior seems
to be pardoned/excused and tossed/thrown aside by paparazzi.
7. Fill in the blanks with the right word or phrase from the functional vocabulary.
1. The Spice Girls certainly implied sex, but they never … the rooftops.
2. Gossip magazines and websites molded starlets… for impressionable
young girls.
3. Paris Hilton is getting … … for her latest …with the law, but her pouting
about it and primping for it are strangely glamorous.
4. You’ll see footage of Fergie getting … from an airline because she’s too
drunk; underage Jessica Smith driving under …; Spears unleashing ….
and the nonstop drunken … of Hilton and Lohan. … .
4. Translate into English:
1. Джордж Клуни, Брэд Пит и другие любимчики папарацци
используют свой звездный статус, привлекательную внешность и
чувство юмора, чтобы заставить общество задуматься о таких
проблемах, как благотворительность, голодные дети Африки.
2. По мнению Лина Брауна, мужчины знаменитости для того, чтобы
добиться признания в своей сфере деятельности рассчитывают
прежде всего не на свою внешность, а на свою рассудительность,
силу и жизненный опыт. Такое понимание славы зачастую чуждо
женщинам. Сила и слава таких женщин в шоу бизнесе зависит
прежде всего от их сексапильности, доступности и скандальности.
3. Единственные «звезды», которые сегодня остаются в моде—это
тупоголовые старлетки. Они добиваются успеха не умом и
привлекательностью, а лишь скандалам, интрижкам. О себе они
готовы кричать на каждом углу.
4. Вице-президент наркологического центра заявляет, что из-за
популяризации средствами массовой информации гламурного
образа жизни звезд с присущими ему пороками (употребление
наркотиков, пьянство, скандальные разборки и т.п.), сегодняшней
молодежи очень трудно.
Speech activities
1. Answer the following questions:
1. Why are
bubble-headed starlets currently are idolized? Can they be
regarded as positive style icons?
2. Can you agree that toda, the paparazzi dictates who's in and who's ou?
3. Is it because sex and misbehavior sells that some stars remain in vogue and
showcase their hard-core activitie?
4. Do you agree that portraying misbehaving starlets can reap any serious
repercussions?
5. How do you interpret the idea that some “style icons” are strangely
glamorous?
6. How can you comment on the point that the media's focus and
glamorization of substance abuse in Hollywood makes it difficult for young
women to understand life priorities?
7. Do Role models carry a false message?
8. How can you explain that men, on the other hand, have largely positive the
kinds of role models?
9. Women's power in show business is rather constructed through their
appearance and sexual availability. Can you contradict?
READING TWO
Princess Diana Murder Plot
No self-respecting assassination plot is complete without a cast of patsies
and this one is no different. This plot in fact has more than its fair share of patsies!
The word paparazzi became common lingo after the night that Princess Diana was
killed for the reason that they were the first set of patsies. In the beginning the
blame for the crash that killed Princess Diana was laid at the feet of the
paparazzi! But when too many contradictory eyewitness accounts became
apparent the blame was shifted to driver Henri Paul on the premise he was an
alcoholic driving drunk on that fateful night. That theory was soon debunked too!
From the moment Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed arrived in Paris from
Sardinia on August 30, 1997 they were harassed by an unusually aggressive
breed of Paparazzi! One dark car in particular, filled with "paparazzi," weaved,
swerved and braked recklessly and dangerously in front of their limo as Dodi and
Diana were ferried from the airport.
Thus a precedent was being set for what was to come later that night leading
up to the crash. In all likelihood that car and those men in the car were not
paparazzi but rather security agents (intelligence agents) setting a pattern of
behavior that would stick in everyone's mind thereby reinforcing the impression
that it was the paparazzi who caused the crash!
Another strange coincidence (and certainly not the last) was that there were
no British journalists entrenched within the ranks of the paparazzi that night in
Paris. It's not as if Princess Diana's and Dodi Fayed's plans were a secret; which
begs the question, were the British journalists warned to stay away? After all
photos of Princess Diana commanded a hefty price so it would have been very
much in the interest of those journalists to have been in Paris with the rest of the
pack that weekend.
Parade of Patsies
Multiple eyewitness accounts from individuals in the tunnel at the time of
the crash differentiate the main pack of the paparazzi from the two vehicles that
appeared to work in tandem to cause the crash. These two vehicles, a powerful
motorbike ridden by two riders and a white Fiat Uno were hot on the tail of the
Mercedes prior to its entry into the Point d'Alma tunnel and they also happened to
be way ahead of the other genuine paparazzi vehicles!
Thus by all accounts the real paparazzi were not in the tunnel at the moment
of the crash! But they certainly made a very convenient and believable scapegoat
or in any other language…patsy!
It is a well publicized fact that several persons took photos of the wrecked
Mercedes and its occupants in the initial aftermath of the crash. Could some of
those journalists have actually been intelligence agents who'd been loitering and
mingling with the other paparazzi much of the day of August 30, 1997? The former
Chief Superintendent of Scotland Yard, John McNamara, who was appointed by
Mohamed Al Fayed to head an investigation of the crash confirmed from security
camera footage from that night were indeed British and other foreign intelligence
agents mingling with the crowd of paparazzi.
Police Confiscate Crash Photos Supposedly Out Of Concern For Family
Members
French Police wasted no time whatsoever in confiscating all photographs
and other footage of the crash scene. The basis for their actions was apparently
out of concern for the emotional trauma it would cause the relatives of the crash
victims. But was that really their motivation; certainly it was quite convenient for
the public to think so but what if there was another more sinister ulterior(=secret)
motive? Perhaps they were making sure that there were no loose ends left, like
compromising photographs that could contradict the official account!
A Rash Of Press Agency Burglaries
Evidence tending to support the ulterior-motive angle is amply illustrated
by the spate of similar burglaries that happened within hours of the crash. As
things turned out, it so happened that not all the photos of the crash scene were
confiscated by the French Police. Time is money, and nowhere is that adage as true
as in the celebrity photojournalism business. Thus it really wasn't too surprising
that some images of the crash got to London before the French Police and other
security agents could get their hands on them. But ultimately it made little
difference because London happened to be the plotters' backyard.
Just hours after the crash photojournalist Lionel Cherruault had his home
burgled following a contact from a fellow journalist concerning photos taken of the
crash in the Point d'Alma tunnel. Another photojournalist was to suffer the same
fate too; Darryn Lyons had his London photo lab broken into the very same day
that he received emailed images of the crash from French photo agent Laurent
Sola.
What Was Not Allowed To Become Public?
While Dodi Fayed and Princess Diana were getting killed, the other decoy
vehicles (a Mercedes S600 in which they'd been traveling all day and an escort
Range Rover) had proceeded via another route to Dodi's apartment. When they got
there, Dodi's other bodyguard (Kez Wingfield) and regular driver (Philippe
Dourneau) heard of the crash and immediately rushed to the tunnel. Wingfield
proceeded to call Dodi's father in London and informed him of the crash while
Dourneau went to check on the wrecked vehicle and its occupants.
Dourneau's assessment of Princess Diana's injuries was that she had hurt her
legs but otherwise appeared fine! There're also other witness accounts that largely
contradict the official account, in that Princess Diana was not as badly injured as
was made out. In fact many of the paparazzi claim that the Princess was sitting up
and conscious after the crash at the time they took photos.
Could the fact that Princess Diana was not as critically injured as has been
widely reported have been the real reason why the plotters were so frantic to get
their hands on all photos?
Enter The Fallback Patsy!
Much in part to the numerous contradictory eyewitness accounts, it soon
became clear to the plotters that pursuing the paparazzi-as-the-cause-of-the-crash
angle was a lost cause. The grieving public simply wasn't buying it! It was time to
move on to the fallback patsy, a scapegoat that turned out to be much more
readily accepted by the world at large!
After several days of being held incommunicado the arrested paparazzi were
eventually released but with strict warning not to talk or to publish any photos
about the Diana crash if they valued their careers and lives! Like many a witness in
this conspiracy, those journalists have largely kept quiet out of fear that they may
wind up dead!
So who was the fallback patsy? The driver Henri Paul of course! The plot
claims that he was a chronic alcoholic who happened to be heavily under the
influence of booze the very night of the crash. Unfortunately for the plotters that
theory too fell through and now their only hope is that their biggest ally of all
(time) will not fail them!
Hugh Williams, For a Change 1997 Vol. 10, No2., Apr/May
Functional Vocabulary
an assassination plot
a patsy/ a scapegoat
a fallback patsy/scapegoat
a fair share/pack/set/breed/ranks of
patsies
to become common lingo
to lay the blame for sth at the feet of
sb
to shift the blame to sb (on the
premise that…)
(a)
contradictory
witness
eyewitness/
account(s)/
multiple
eyewitness accounts from sb
to become apparent
a fateful night
to debunk a theory
to be harassed
an unusually aggressive breed of
Paparazzi
to be filled with paparazzi
to set a precedent
in all likelihood
a security agent/ intelligence agent
to set a pattern of behavior
to stick in sb’s mind
to reinforce the impression that
to cause the crash
a strange coincidence
to be entrenched within the ranks of
the paparazzi
secret plans
to beg the question…
a hefty price
to be in the interest of sb
to differentiate sb (the main pack of
the paparazzi)
to work in tandem to do sth (to
cause the crash)
to be hot on the tail of sb
by all accounts
to make a very convenient and
believable scapegoat/patsy
in any other language…patsy!
a well publicized fact
in the initial aftermath of/to the
crash/accident
to loiter and mingle with sb (with
the crowd of paparazzi)
to head an investigation of the crash
security camera footage
foreign intelligence agents
to confiscate
to do sth out of concern for (family
members/ the emotional trauma)
crash scene / crash victims/ crash
photos
to cause an emotional trauma
a sinister/ ulterior(=secret) motive
to make sure there are no loose ends
left
compromising photographs
to contradict the official account
to support the ulterior-motive angle
to be amply illustrated by sth
adage
the
celebrity
photojournalism
business
an image of sth (of the crash)
to get one’s hands on sth
to make little/no difference
a photojournalist
to have one’s home/ photo lab
burgled / broken into
to suffer the same fate
to received emailed images of sth
to be allowed to become public
to largely contradict the official
account in that…
to be frantic to get one’s hands on
sth (on all photos)
to
pursue
the
paparazzi-as-the-
cause-of-the-crash angle
grieving public
to
move
on
to
the
fallback
patsy/scapegoat
to turned out to be much more
readily accepted by the world at
large
to be held incommunicado
to publish photos about sb
to value one’s careers and life
conspiracy
to keep quiet out of fear that
to wind up dead
to be a chronic alcoholic
t be heavily under the influence of
booze
to fall through
an ally
to fail sb
Language Focus
1. Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases, translate them into
Russian. Make use of the supplementary texts: “…..”, “…..”
a fallback patsy
to become common lingo
to shift the blame to sb (on the premise that…)
a multiple eyewitness account
to become apparent
to debunk a theory
to set a precedent
in all likelihood
to stick in sb’s mind
a strange coincidence
to be entrenched within the ranks of the paparazzi
to be in the interest of sb
to differentiate sb (the main pack of the paparazzi)
to work in tandem to do sth
to make a very convenient and believable scapegoat/patsy
in the initial aftermath of/to the crash/accident
to loiter and mingle with sb (with the crowd of paparazzi)
security camera footage
a sinister ulterior motive
to make sure there are no loose ends left
to contradict the official account
to support the ulterior motive angle
to be amply illustrated by sth
adage
to get one’s hands on sth
to suffer the same fate
to received emailed images of sth
to be frantic to get one’s hands on sth (on all photos)
to pursue the paparazzi-as-the-cause-of-the-crash angle
to be held incommunicado
to keep quiet out of fear
to wind up dead
to be heavily under the influence of booze
to
fall through
2. Find the words in the text which have similar meaning to the following:
to shift the blame, a multiple eyewitness account, an unlucky night, to be
harassed, a breed of Paparazzi, aggressive, security agent, to beg the question,
a hefty price, to work in tandem, to confiscate, to do sth out of concern for
family members, secret motive, an image of sth (of the crash), a photojournalist
, to have one’s home burgled, grieving public, to publish photos about sb, to be
a chronic alcoholic.
3. Suggest antonyms for the words given below:
a contradictory eyewitness, to debunk a theory, to set a pattern of behavior, to
reinforce the impression, to cause the crash, secret plans, to be hot on the tail of
sb, a well publicized fact, to cause an emotional trauma, compromising
photographs, to be amply illustrated, to make little/no difference, to be allowed
to become public, to largely contradict the official account, to fail sb.
4. Match the words with their definitions. Translate them into Russian/Belarusian
conspiracy
one usually a sovereign or state united, banded, or
associated with another in a common cause or by
treaty or league
ally
one that sees or has seen an occurrence or an object
with his own eyes and so is able to give a firsthand
report on it : one that gives a report on or testifies to
what he has actually seen
patsy
going beyond what is avowed, manifest, or proper :
not apparent, hidden, latent
eyewitness
a person on whom blame is foisted
ulterior
an illegal, treasonable, or treacherous plan to harm
or destroy another person, group, or entity
Speech activities
1. Do you support the theory suggested in the article?
2. Role-play. Imagine that you are making an investigation into Princess Diana death.
Choose you role and be ready to share your personal perception of the case.
READING THREE
Media influence and Paparazzi
The main reason why media influence is mostly negative is due to the
paparazzi. The photographer's job is to get the most unflattering picture and catch
celebrities doing unusual things. Photographers need to sell their photos, and
gossip magazines need to sell their magazines. Unfortunately, this is done by
showing celebrities lives unfairly and sometimes not always being truthful.
Magazines will make much larger profits if the cover has an unflattering picture as
well as a story to go along with it that is often short of the truth.
Many people believe that paparazzi should be restricted in their role as
photographers and video shooters. When celebrities make their way out into a
public setting or at a particular event it makes sense for photographers and
members of the paparazzi to take pictures or videos of them. The public wants to
see into the lives of the people considered elite or glamorous. However, when the
paparazzi invades a famous person's home there is an element of privacy that has
been taken away from that person. Also, if the paparazzi is to put the life or safety
of a person or group of celebrities in danger than they have crossed a line of ethics.
Is there a clear cut line between what paparazzi should and should not be able to do
or where they should or should not be able to go?
Obviously there is not clear cut rules or major news headlines of secret
photos being leaked onto the Internet would not make their way into the homes of
millions of people. Over time the problem of paparazzi has become if anything
worse. The issue of paparazzi crossing the line seemed to receive the most
attention when it affected the life Princess Diana. According to an article in Time
magazine by Richard Lacayo, the paparazzi became the chief suspect for the
accident. There was nine photographers who were arrested, but they were later
released. Other photographers are said to have fled the scene. French investigation
was placed in charge of finding the other members and deciding whether or not to
convict any or all of involuntary manslaughter. This crime involved a number of
factors, but many people are forced to wonder if the paparazzi hadn’t been present
would things have been different in the outcome?
Royalty is not the only demographic affected by the paparazzi. While, the
United States does not have royalty, there are still many people who have taken
severe measures to protect themselves against unwanted intrusions on their
privacy. They are relentless(=pitiless) because of the economic advantages to their
occupation. It is reported on Wikipedia that a picture of Ben Affleck and Jennifer
Lopez after their break-up was worth $150,000. This is how these people make
their living, will it ever end?
Unfortunately, while most people affected by the death of Princess Diana
would agree that the paparazzi need to be restricted there are many more people
who support the paparazzi by purchasing their work in popular magazines. Also,
the same celebrities who complain about the paparazzi are usually the ones most
benefiting from them. Celebrities get paid every time their picture is published in a
magazine whether by indirect exposure or direct payment. Such photographs can
be worth as much as millions of dollars, like Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony's
baby photographs worth $6 million. The cycle nevertheless seems to be never
ending.
Functional Vocabulary
media influence
negative
paparazzi
a photographer
to get the most unflattering picture
to catch celebrities
to do unusual things
to sell photos
a gossip magazine
to show unfairly
to be truthful
to make profits
to be short of the truth
to be restricted in one’s role as…
a video shooter
to make one’s way out into a public
setting (at a particular event)
members of the paparazzi
to take pictures of sb
to take videos of sb
to see into the lives of sb
to be elite
to be glamorous
to invade a famous person's home
to take away an element of privacy
from sb
to put the life or safety of a person
in danger
to cross a line of ethics
a clear cut line
a clear cut rule
a secret photo
to leak smth onto the Internet
to make one’s way into sb’s home
to receive the most attention of sb
to affect sb’s life
to become the chief suspect for the
accident
to be arrested
to be released
to flee the scene
to place an investigation
to
convict
sb
of
involuntary
manslaughter
an outcome of smth
Royalty
to take severe measures
to protect oneself against smth
an unwanted intrusion on privacy
to be relentless(=pitiless)
an economic advantages to one’s
occupation
a break-up
to make one’s living
to support the paparazzi
to complain about paparazzi
to benefit from
to publish in a magazine
indirect exposure
direct payment
baby photographs
a never ending cycle
Language Focus
1. Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases, translate them into
Russian. Make use of the supplementary texts: “…..”, “…..”
to get the most unflattering picture;
paparazzi;
a gossip magazine;
to be short of the truth;
to make one’s way out into a public setting;
to see into the life of sb;
to take away an element of privacy from sb;
to cross a line of ethics;
to leak smth onto the Internet;
to affect;
to flee the scene;
to place an investigation;
to convict sb of involuntary manslaughter
an outcome of smth;
Royalty
to take severe measures;
an unwanted intrusion on privacy;
to be relentless;
a never ending cycle.
2. Find the words in the text which have similar meaning to the following:
to be elite, to publicize, to benefit from, to protect one’s life, pitiless, intrusion
on privacy, to escape, to influence, to take away an element of privacy from sb,
a secret photo, members of the paparazzi, to see into the life.
3. Suggest antonyms for the words given below:
negative media influence, to get the most unflattering picture, a gossip
magazine, to show fairly, to be truthful, to cross a line of ethics, to be released,
to flee the scene, an outcome of smth, direct payment.
4. Match the words with their definitions. Translate them into Russian/Belarusian
paparazzi
a person of noble lineage
royalty
a celebrated or widely known person : one
popularly honored for some signal achievement
celebrity
a free-lance photographer who aggressively pursues
celebrities in order to take candid photographs
elite
a minority group or stratum that exerts influence,
authority, or decisive power
starlet
a young movie actress who is being coached and
publicized for starring roles
Speech activities
1. Get ready to speak about paparazzi and their role in modern society.
2. Role-play. The group is divided into 2 groups speaking for and against paparazzi/
Paparazzi
THE WORLD OF CELEBRITIES
SPEECH FUNCTIONS BANK
I. Interrupting People
F
I’d like to add something here,. if I may.
I have a point (to make here.
SENTENCE
May I say something here?
Can I interrupt (you) for a moment?
Sorry to interrupt but + SENTENCE
Excuse me, but + SENTENCE
Wait a minute!
Hold on!
+ SENTENCE
Hang on!
Inf
1. Finish up the following statements in English:
1. Sorry to interrupt you, but не могли бы Вы объяснить мне понятие
«икона стиля»?
2. I’d like to add something here, it I may. Папарацци являются не
проблемой, а симптомом общества, в котором люди испытывают
непреодолимое желание подгладывать друг за другом.
3. I have a point here. Конечно, трудно объяснить, почему тупоголовые
старлетки пользуются таким повышенным вниманием.
4. May I say something here? Смерть принцессы Дианы не была случайной.
На это указывают многие неопровержимые факты.
5. Can I interrupt you for a moment? Чтобы мудрость была правдивой,
нужно
обладать
моральными
нормами:
честностью,
чистотой,
самоотверженностью и любовью к другим. Только мудрый может стать
примером для подражания.
6. Excuse me, but человеческая душа жаждет освобождения, не просто
материального
и
освобождения
от
политического
гнета
освобождения,
низменных
а
инстинктов,
внутреннего
ненависти,
озлобленности, жадности, которые слишком легко порабощают нас.
2. Make use of the language in the box above while discussing the problems of
paparazzi in the world of celebrities.
SELF CHECK TEST 1
I. Translate from English into Russian the suggested words and word expressions:
1. to flee the scene
2. a never ending cycle
3. to work in tandem
4. to largely contradict the official account
5. to make a very convenient and believable scapegoat/patsy
6. to make sure there are no loose ends left
7. a role model
8. to reap serious repercussions
9. to cross a line of ethics
10.a multiple eyewitness account
11.to cause an emotional trauma
12.to become common lingo
13.to loiter and mingle with sb (with the crowd of paparazzi)
14.to be held incommunicado
15.to showcase one’s hard-core activities
16.to remain in vogue
II.Translate from Russian into English the suggested words and word expressions:
1. сливать в интернет
2. результат
3. быть хроническим алкоголиком
4. опровергнуть теорию
5. усилить впечатление
6. козел отпущения
7. по всей вероятности
8. продавать себя на рынке
9. диктовать, кто «свой», а кто «чужой»
10.реабилитационный центр
11.филантроп
12.говорить что-л. с недовольной гримасой,
13.фаворит,
14.сексапильная внешность,
15.фотографироваться в обнаженном виде
16.принимать жесткие меры,
17.перекладывать вину на кого-либо другого,
18.противоречивые показания,
19.установить модель поведения,
20.преследовать кого-либо, быть «на хвосте»,
21.создать прецедент,
22.отснятый материал,
23.приступ ностальгии,
24.интриги, махинации,
25.столкновение с законом,
26.сомнительные двойные стандарты
27.избавиться от наркотической зависимости,
28.воспользоваться своим звездным статусом,
29.улыбаться
30.тупоголовая старлетка
III.Provide antonyms for the suggested words and word expressions:
1. unflattering picture,
2. to be truthful,
3. to make a difference,
4. apparent
5. to encourage the attitude,
6. to gain power,
7. a flawed media representation,
8. to lose the top slot
9. a gossip magazine,
10.to be amply illustrated,
11.to fail sb,
12.to comply with the official account,
13.to remain in vogue,
14.a male celebrity / star,
15.a pesky role model,
16.a gossip rag
IV.Provide synonyms for the suggested words and word expressions:
1. elite,
2. pitiless
3. to take away an element of privacy from sb,
4. a hefty price,
5. an image of sth (of the crash),
6. to e-mail an image
7. a bubble-headed starlet
8. to mold,
9. consequences,
10.troublesome,
11.a gossip rag
12.to publicize,
13.to escape,
14.to be harassed,
15.secret motive,
16.compromising photographs,
17.to be drunk,
18.to glamorize,
19.prowess,
20.to snort cocaine,
21.to emulate,
22.a paparazzo
V.Insert the appropriate prepositions:
1. intrusion …privacy
2. to see … the life
3. to do sth … … concern … family members
4. to be … the interest … sb
5. to wind …. dead
6. to shout sth … the rooftops,
7. to drive … the influence,
8. to take … an element … privacy … sb
9. to make one’s way … … a public setting
10.to be entrenched … the ranks … the paparazzi
11.to get one’s hands … sth
12.to appeal … the masses,
13.to mold sb … an ideal figure/image,
14.to reap … repercusions
15.
VI.Translate
1. Интерес
общественности
к
знаменитостям
явился
причиной
возникновения особой породы людей-папарацци.
2. Папарацци--это фотографы, без устали готовые «охотится» на
публичных людей и их семьи с тем, чтобы сфотографировать
знаменитость в самом нелицеприятном виде, в самый неподходящий
момент, а затем продать отснятый материал тому покупателю, который
готов заплатить кругленькую сумму.
3. Чтобы создать спрос на отснятый материал, папарацци могут сливать
его в Интернет, продавать снимки желтой прессе.
4. Поскольку папарацци беспощадны, используя различные уловки в
своем
грязном
разделительную
бизнесе,
черту
зачастую
между
очень
законными
трудно
методами
провести
получения
информации и вторжением в частную жизнь знаменитостей.
5. Сегодня в желтой прессе создаются и популяризируются образы
глупышек-старлеток и плохих парней, способных добиться успеха и
признания только благодаря своим интрижкам или пьяным разборкам,
сексуальной доступности или наглому поведению. И эта проблема не
может не волновать, поскольку очевидным становится существование
так называемых «двойных стандартов», из-за которых современные
молодые люди готовы делать ставку не на талант и добродетель, а на
странную «гламурность».
Key to test 1
II.Translate from Russian into English the suggested words and word expressions:
 to leak smth onto the Internet
 to take severe measures
 an outcome of smth
 to shift the blame to sb (to lay the blame at the feet of sb)
 to be a chronic alcoholic
 a contradictory eyewitness
 to debunk a theory
 to set a pattern of behavior
 to reinforce the impression
 to be hot on the tail of sb
 a fallback patsy
 to set a precedent
 in all likelihood
 footage
 to market oneself
 a bout of nostalgia
 to dictates who's in and who's out
 shenanigans
 a rehab resort
 a run-in with the law
 a philanthropic female celebrity
 pesky double standards
 говорить что-л. с недовольной гримасой,
 избавиться от наркотической зависимости,
 фаворит,
 воспользоваться своим звездным статусом,
 сексапильная внешность,
 улыбаться
 фотографироваться в обнаженном виде
IV.Provide synonyms for the suggested words and word expressions:
 elite,
 to publicize, to publish
 pitiless, aggressive,relentless
 to escape,
 to take away an element of privacy from sb,
 to be harassed,
 a hefty price, a high price
 secret motive, ulterior
 an image of sth (of the crash), photo
 compromising photographs, unflattering picture
 to e-mail an images
 to be drunk/heavily under the influence of booze
 a bubble-headed starlet
 to glamorize/
 to mold,
 prowess,
 consequences,
 to snort cocaine,
 troublesome,
 to emulate,
 a gossip rag
V.Insert the appropriate prepositions:
 intrusion on privacy
 to take away an element of privacy from sb
 to see into the life
 to make one’s way out into a public setting
 to do sth out of concern for family members
 to be entrenched within the ranks of the paparazzi
 to be in the interest of sb
 to get one’s hands on sth
 to wind up dead
 to appeal to the masses,
 to shout sth from the rooftops,
 to mold sb into an ideal figure/image

to drive under the influence,
UNIT II. AGEIZM
Section I.
Age Discrimination is a Huge Waste of Talent
Starter activity
What is ageism in your opinion? What does the notion ageism denote? Is there any link
between the terms “ageing” and “ageism”? Do you agree that ageism is a very complex
phenomenon? What aspects related to it have you personally observed? Read the following
opinions on the age-related issues taken from Internet and voice your own attitude
 Age discrimination is a huge waste of talent. (Sally Greengross)
 People like Bill Gates and indeed Mick Jagger are no longer young but
should not be put in a box marked 'past their sell by date'I can't bear the
thought of a long, unhealthy old age. (Author Unknown)
 Speaking of the 'burden'... will only be valid if we fail to restructure society
and its institutions to reflect these new realities. (Berglind Asgeirsdottir,
Deputy Secretary-General, OECD)
 I can get my knees under a desk and stare at a computer screen as well as the
next person. (Barry Stoll, 69)
 I am 25 years old and am under no illusions that I will have to carry on
working until well into my 70s. (Sam, Sheffield)
 We believe people have a right to retirement after 40 years of work. (Neil
Duncan-Jones, National Pensioners Convention)
 The encouraging thing that has been found in America is that healthier
lifestyles have meant people are living longer but dying faster. (Sir John
Grimley Evans)
 People who are 50 these days are acting like they are 40. (Geoff Ellis)
 Years ago when people got to their fifties they'd start thinking it was pipe
and slippers time. (Paula Hall Relate)
 Some of our members are in the 80s and 90s, often not as mobile as before.
They are what we call the fourth age. (Bruce Cannon, University of the
Third Age)
 It's as if I've given myself permission to be frivolous and I'm suddenly
enjoying lif. (Music fan Chris Jones)
 As I've grown older I have become more confident and I intend to grow old
DIS-GRACEFULLY and have some fun, I've spent to much time trying to
please others.(Heather, Stockport, UK)
 It is all a matter of attitude; the real value of your worth lies in what you
know and your ability to deliver results. However, that said, in a competitive
environment, how you look does matter. I am coming up for 59 and have a
friend who I first met at the age of 6. He is a University Professor and I am
in IT. I use an anti-greying dye on my hair and beard, he doesn't. In his case,
being a "grey beard" is an advantage, it projects age and wisdom, in my
industry, I would be considered an "Old Git" past his sell by date. (Jessika,
Frankfurt, Germany)
 Why are wrinkles caused by smiles and laughter considered to look 'old'?
What makes an individual look good, are her or his distinctive features. If
everyone looked like David or La Giaconda (choose freely any celebrity
instead), this would be annoying - people who are considered to look good,
even if they may no longer be called young, have something, that's
disturbing the harmony slightly, like a syncope in music. What's suitable for
works of art should be accepted for human beings as well. Neither
Michelangelo nor Leonardo made more than one David or La Giaconda, so
why should people try to look like someone else. (Phil B-C, Maidenhead)
 Everyone is being so politically correct. If you have inner beauty, good for
you, but let's face it, we all want to look beautiful. With plastic surgery now
we can.(Ian, London UK )
 I think what distinguishes the young from the old is enthusiasm and openmindedness. These are qualities we should all retain. Too many people act
old because it is easier to be stuck in your ways then keep up with what is
happening. I work in the arts and if there is a prejudice in favour of younger
people it is only because they a less worldly and therefore more easily
manipulated by older, often ineffectual management. (Helen Exeter, Devon )
 Sadly, the visual media are usually the culprits here, using youth and beauty
to sell products or grab attention. If they were equally keen on making
intelligence and character attractive, we'd see some profound changes.
READING ONE
Read the article below and be ready to develop the ideas italicized for you.
Ageism
Ageism, or discriminating against people purely on the grounds of their
chronological age, is deeply embedded and very widespread in our society. Age
discrimination is very often unconscious which makes it difficult to tackle. People
sometimes think they are being kind if they treat older people differently from
those who are younger. Their attitude will be felt as patronising and will harm the
self esteem of the individual and demean society as a whole.
The main reason for eradicating this harmful behaviour is that our society is
undergoing a huge demographic revolution. In future we will need to utilise the
skills, experience and energy of healthier, more active and dynamic older
generations. A multi-generational workforce will ensure our economy will prosper
in a highly competitive world.
The ageing of the population is an unprecedented triumph resulting from the
huge advances in medical and social care, but the challenges it presents to us can
also be seen as daunting. It impacts on many areas of life from the design of our
homes and workplaces, which need to be inclusive, to access to education and
training opportunities, which need to be genuinely lifelong. Some of us can learn
or acquire skills and education better when we are more mature and the ever
changing nature of work will require people of all ages to update their knowledge.
Currently arbitrary age barriers mean older citizens can't participate in many
voluntary and civic activities, such as being a magistrate after a particular birthday.
As consumers older people may have difficulty hiring a car, getting insurance or
borrowing money just because they have reached a certain age. In healthcare, the
discrimination is evident when older patients in the NHS are treated differently
from the young. Examples include omitting older people from clinical trials or
denying particular treatment or operations on the basis of their chronological age.
Such decisions are unjustified and arbitrary, based on prejudiced views of what a
"good innings" is or that the interventions are not worth pursuing because a person
is "old". On the contrary, these older people often respond better because they are
by definition "survivors" and might make a more successful recovery than a less
hardy younger person. As older people are major consumers of medicine their
exclusion from clinical trials makes little medical sense.
Health and longevity can equate to a greater national wealth because healthy
older individuals can remain productive members of society for longer, consuming
goods and services and contributing as workers, and therefore taxpayers, and also
as volunteers who are the mainstay of civil society. For employers, enforcing
arbitrary retirement ages instead of using a real appraisal of a person's competence
ignores the fact that some people are ineffective at 75 and others at 35. Many
people today are innovative and achieving new goals well into their 80s and
beyond. We are all different and the number of our birthdays is not the best
indicator of how we differ.
The impending establishment of a Commission for Equality and Human
Rights will have a role to promote age equality and will look to develop inclusive
patterns of employment for all areas of diversity. Entrenched attitudes take a long
time to change. In employment it may be difficult for a young manager to tell an
older colleague, that they must change their way of working because their work no
longer represents current best practice. Performance management throughout a
person's career is therefore essential so we can benefit from a person's experience
regardless of age, and work towards the age diverse workforce we need, where
youth and experience combine to give us the strengths the global economy
requires.
Today's older people have lived through more change than any preceding
generations. They are the ones who developed today's computer technology and
space travel, broke the genetic code and pushed the frontiers of science forward.
People like Bill Gates and indeed Mick Jagger are no longer young but should not
be put in a box marked "past their sell by date". Apart from anything else those
now aged 50+ won't tolerate being thrown on the scrap heap. They have a huge
amount of offer to society. That's why politicians will have to listen to what they
want. Not only are their numbers increasing but they are the people most likely to
vote in elections.
Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk
Language Focus
5.
Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases. Translate them into Russian:
Deeply embedded in our society, patronising attitude, demean society,
eradicating harmful behaviour, utilise the skills, a multi-generational workforce,
the ageing of the population, daunting challenges, update their knowledge,
arbitrary age barriers, health and longevity can equate to, the mainstay of civil
society, to develop inclusive patterns of employment, entrenched attitude,
performance management, scrap heap.
Speech Activities
1. Prepare small five-minute speeches on the following aspects to be discussed at the round
table.

Are Belarusians a vivid example of a greying nation? What might be the
reasons?

Develop and conduct a survey about the attitude to and associations with
elderly people among the students of your university.

What are the typical pastimes of the senior citizens all over the world and in
Belarus?
 Make a colourful story about famous elderly people (Mother Theresa,
Vivien Westwood, Fedel Kastro, etc.)

READING TWO
Before you read the text have a short brainstorming of ideas how to integrate the
elderly into the patterns of employment for all areas of diversity.
Will we still be working at 70?
Given the choice most people say they would like to retire early - 58 was
named the optimum age in a recent BBC poll - but moves are afoot to extend our
working lives. The government is deliberating over whether to outlaw company
retirement ages and the CBI has mooted that the state pension age be raised to 70
by 2030.
Arguably the most palatable of the four options outlined in the recent
Pensions Commission report is for people to work until later in life in order to ease
the pressure on the state pension pot. And many pensioners may feel they have no
choice but to supplement their income. However, an even more fundamental
change than working a few extra years is under way. The supply of younger
workers is falling and as it does so, older people may find they are in a position to
re-write the rules of employment. "There is a general stereotype that you become
less productive as you get older, that you are wanting to slow down. But there is a
lot of evidence that that's not true at all," said a spokesperson for the pressure
group. Age Concern wants the government to scrap mandatory retirement ages
under EU anti-discrimination legislation that comes into force in 2006. However
the CBI favours having a "default" retirement age of 65 which workers could
challenge on an individual basis if they wished to. "It is critical to have a cut-off
point to employment," says Susan Anderson, CBI Director of Human Resources
Policy. "Not having a cut-off point would embitter the retirement process and
trigger more employment tribunals."
Potential moves towards working longer have set alarm bells ringing among
those who fear that retirement will be squeezed into a few short years between
work and death. "We believe people have a right to retirement after 40 years of
work," says Neil Duncan-Jordan of the National Pensioners' Convention. "In
certain sectors, especially manual workers, the average life expectancy is in the
early 70s. So working longer might only give them a few years of retirement."
Philip Taylor also urges caution: "The way things are going white-collar workers
will be able to choose what to do in retirement and put more money away to pay
for that. "For blue-collar workers the choice is very limited. They are either forced
out because of ill health or forced to carry on because they can't afford not to.
"We don't want to be working until we drop."
BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/4016969.stm
Language Focus
1. Retell the text in pairs using the key phrases:
Optimum age, but moves are afoot to extend, the CBI has mooted, the most
palatable of the four options, to ease the pressure on the state pension pot, working
a few extra years is under way, to re-write the rules of employment, to scrap
mandatory retirement ages, favours having a "default" retirement age of 65,
retirement will be squeezed into a few short years between work and death,
average life expectancy, urges caution, white-collar workers will be able to, bluecollar workers the choice is very limited.
2.Develop in pairs two lines of argumentation: pro and against postponed retirement.
Consider the fact file below. Have a group debate.
Social Security was never meant to cover workers for decades. In the 1930s the retirement age was set
at 65 and the average woman lived to 62, the average man to 58. Now, however, workers can get cheques at 62,
with full benefits available at 66. The average life expectancy is 78. Payments must be made over a longer period
and, as baby boomers age, to a growing cohort. The Social Security trust fund in America is expected to be
insolvent by 2041.
The Economist, November 1, 2008
3. Translate from English into Russian:
1) A multi-generational workforce will ensure our economy will prosper in a
highly competitive worldNot having a cut-off point would embitter the
retirement process and trigger more employment tribunals.
2) Potential moves towards working longer have set alarm bells ringing among
those who fear that retirement will be squeezed into a few short years
between work and death.
3) Entrenched attitudes take a long time to change.
4) People like Bill Gates and indeed Mick Jagger are no longer young but
should not be put in a box marked "past their sell by date".
5) We don't want to be working until we drop."
4. Translate from Russian:
1) Выражение чрезмерной опеки к пожилым людям
понижает их
самооценку и унижает общество в целом.
2) Демографическая революция бросает пугающий вызов стабильной до
сих пор системе социального страхования.
3) Комиссия вынесла на обсуждение вопрос оптимального возраста
выхода
на
пенсию.
Было
озвучено
предложение
продлить
существующие стандарты на несколько дополнительных лет.
4) Самое подходящее решение из всех возможных, это предоставить
пенсионерам возможность работать по желанию.
5) Постоянно изменяющийся характер работы требует от людей всех
возрастов постоянного повышения квалификации.
READING THREE
Before you read the text voice your opinion what the notion “Third Age University” could
mean.
Learning in retirement
You're never too old to learn, so the saying goes. Until relatively recently
this was little more than a hollow cliché for most retired people, for whom access
to education was limited. But since the 1960s various movements - colleges, homebased courses and even a special university entirely for those of the "third age" have started. It is easier for pensioners, given a little effort, to learn than at any
time before. There are now officially more than 600,000 learners over the age of
60 in England alone.
For Rosemary Mackinder, 61 - one of the 150,000 returning to college for
formal courses - it has been especially liberating. Like many of her generation, her
career was decided by her parents. Her late father thought being an artist was not a
proper job, so she left art college as a teenager to work as a civil servant. Last year,
having retired, she took an access course in art at the Colchester Institute. One of
only two students in her year to pass with distinction, she has begun a three-year
degree in the subject. "When I was a teenager, my father said go and get a sensible
job. So I became a civil servant and went on to teach basic skills in a prison," she
said. "It was frustrating teaching people but not learning for myself." "As soon as
I enrolled at Colchester it was great. I loved mixing with the younger students. It
was so involving for me and I think that worked both ways."
Rosemary, who is working on sculptures using light materials, is one of 267
over-60-year-olds at the college. "It might sound a bit silly, but I wanted to find
myself as an artist," she said. "I would have done this before if I could have
afforded the time or money. It sounds incredibly indulgent but I've always worked
and it's lovely to have the opportunity. "I don't feel old at all; I feel good. My
mother said she could never have done this, but my generation can."
Rosemary's generation, and those considerably older, are giving real
meaning to the government's desired state of "lifelong learning". A Department for
Education and Skills spokeswoman said: "They are overwhelmingly doing part
time, non-vocational courses which don't lead to a formal qualification. "There is a
very wide range, from yoga and aerobics through to painting, ICT, modern foreign
languages and basic literacy and numeracy."
The Open University, the birthplace of modern home study, now takes 3%
of its students from among the over-65s and 6% from the 55 to 64 age group.
It is keen to take this further. But, unlike the growth of higher education, much of
the expansion in pensioner learning has started informally and locally - from the
bottom up.
The University of the Third Age, which recently celebrated its 21st birthday,
has more than 140,000 people involved in its courses. The name comes from the
supposed division of people's lives into four stages. The first is young people's
years in full-time education; the second when financial independence is tempered
by family and other commitments. Get to the third and you are still independent
but without such ties - for most of us, this means retirement. The fourth is a state of
relative dependency, such as being in a care home.
The University of the Third Age is curiously mis-named. It wants people to
go on learning into the fourth age - and it is not even a university. Separate local
groups offer courses and discussion groups in whatever expertises their members
have and there is no exam at the end. Lectures normally happen in members'
houses. U3A's publicity officer, Bruce Cannon, said: "Some people had disturbed
school days because of the war or maybe they didn't feel it was something they
were equipped to do. "We do not normally employ professional tutors, relying on
members with knowledge to pass it on. Where I am in Perth we are lucky to have
two retired professors helping. "It's been wonderful. When members move homes
they start up groups in their new area and we keep on spreading." To join one of
the many local U3As, as they are known, costs from about £12 a year. A
subscription entitles members to take part in all activities offered. A group could
run courses in languages, arts, sciences, archaeology, history, or anything,
depending on the knowledge available.
The Association of Colleges, which runs the bulk of further education, sees
education for retired people as "threatened" by the government's funding focus on
younger learners. Mr Cannon feels U3A could offer a solution for many would-be
students, being cheaper and "more accessible". Groups are offering more computer
training to extend their reach to the disabled and those living in remote areas. Mr
Cannon said: "Some of our members are in the 80s and 90s, often not as mobile as
before. They are what we call the fourth age. We have to change to meet their
needs. "The gap from 60 to 90 is 30 years. That is a long time and it's unfair to
group everyone together." The title, though, can still be a problem. Mr Cannon
said: "People might find the word 'university' a turn-off. We have to get over some
people's suspicions."
A survey by U3A in 2001 found 29% of members - the biggest proportion joined for social reasons, while 12% were looking to meet others with similar
interests at the lectures, field-trips and meetings. Without a career aim in mind, this
truly is "liberal education". Many of the UK's pensioners see study as a lifeline,
keeping them mentally active and involved in the area where they live. As Mr
Cannon said: "There are millions more people out there who could get involved.
I'm sure they would love it."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/education/4054259.st
Language Focus
1.Answer the following questions.
1) What opportunities for “lifelong education” were mentioned in this text?
2) Do you agree that mixing the elderly with younger students really
“works both ways”? Would you like to have senior citizens as fellow
students in your group?
3) Is education for over-60-year-olds a practise only reach countries can
afford?
4) What is the structure of U3A? Is it an American or a British reality?
5) Would it be possible to introduce the idea of U3A in Belarus?
2. Match the word combinations and translate them into Russian:
late
cliche
Pass with
courses
hollow
servant
sensible
courses
civil
father
open
distinction
home-based
job
field
off
non-vocational
university
a turn
trips
3. Find in the text all possible synonyms for the word “elderly people”.
Section II.
Who will be Beautiful in Future?
It seems that the older we get as a society, the harder we are all trying to
look youthful. Cosmetic surgery and other anti-ageing procedures like Botox are
booming. Even at a very conservative estimate, Britons are spending £225m a year
on such procedures, about half of which are concerned with trying to look younger.
According to the British Association of Cosmetic Doctors, 40,000 vials of Botox enough to treat 150,000 patients - were sold in 2004, with the market growing by
30 to 40% a year. "Cosmetic surgery is an epidemic today. It is exploding and the
desire for youth, beauty and perfection shows no signs of slowing down," says
Wendy Lewis, a beauty consultant who works in both the UK and the US.
Simon Withey of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons says
all aspects of cosmetic surgery are becoming more popular, for various reasons among them that people are feeling an intense social pressure to look younger.
"We get quite a lot of people who are in the media or very competitive jobs in the
City, and they just feel as soon as they look a bit tired, that these younger guys and
younger women are snapping at their heels, trying to chase them out of their jobs.
"There still is this feeling that youth and beauty are rewarded in some way in
society, and I think they actually are."
But is the situation going to change? Surely as the population ages further
over coming decades, we are going to start accepting our looks, and seeing old as
beautiful? Angus McGrouther, Professor Of Plastic And Reconstructive Surgery at
Manchester University and the UK's first professor of plastic surgery, thinks that
fundamental changes in society mean the cosmetic surgery genie will never be put
back in the bottle. "The respect for the wisdom of ages has gone. What people have
got to do is look competitive with other people in the marketplace. "People will
change their jobs several times in their lifetime, and move to a new local area when
they retire. "So to be accepted into all these new groups, judgements are made on
appearance. All these pressures fit together."
However, the number of people "having things done" to look younger
remains small. A recent survey by TGI, published by Keynote Research, found that
only 7% of all women would even consider having a facelift, and 4% of men a hair
transplant, while only 11% of women would consider having Botox, and 4% of
men. Tim Westall of marketing consultancy April Strategy thinks it is possible that
society will start projecting a "more mature expression of beauty" as we get older although it is more likely it will express contradictory attitudes to age.
SOME NON-SURGICAL ANTI-AGEING TREATMENTS
Muscle-relaxing injections like Botox, to soften wrinkles
Microdermabrasion, which rubs off outer layer of skin to create fresher appearance
Wrinkle fillers including collagen, your own body fat or those
containing hyaluronic acid such as Restylane, Perlane
Chemical peels - acids which remove the outer layer of skin, reducing fine wrinkles
Lasers, to stimulate skin collagen and reduce fine lines
One will appreciate beauty from within, the radiance being the embodiment
of one’s life, spirit and character – not over-adorn, and not masked. Robert
Diamond of the Diametric marketing consultancy concurs that we will probably
see contradictory images of beauty and maturity in future, as advertisers wake up
to the potential value of the over-50s market. "Expect the beauty industry to
continue to focus on youth," he says. "But expect smart marketers to talk about
'making the best of who you are' rather than trying to make you become someone
different. "Take-up of cosmetic surgery falls after 45 - older women are more
interested in looking good for their age than trying to look a different age," he said.
Continuing innovation in techniques and products available also appear
likely to have an impact, with procedures becoming ever more simple, cheap - and
therefore appealing. "Treatments have become less risky, easier, in many cases
more affordable and accessible to everyone," says Wendy Lewis. "People are
looking to start early, have smaller things done in bundles, and ease into the ageing
process without necessarily looking like they have had work done."
Even if we do still see youth as the main indicator of beauty, and continue
nipping, tucking, abrading and filling, is that necessarily a bad thing? Professor
McGrouther wonders if it may be a positive sign. "If people are living longer,
healthier, happier lives, and their concerns are being spread to things like
controlling weight, exercise, smoking etc - if it's making people happy at the end of
the day, and it's not harming anybody else, then that seems positive," he said. "In
fact, I think some of the things we accepted in the past were probably wrong, that
people should sit down in their carpet slippers when they reach a certain age."
Functional Vocabulary
Vials of Botox
Have smaller things done in bundles
Chase smb out of their job
Facelift
Hair transplant
Muscle-relaxing injection
To soften wrinkles
Microdermabrasion
Wrinkle filers
Chemical peels
Lasers
Vials of Botox
Snap at smb’s heels
Nipping
Concur
Tucking
Abraiding
Language Focus
1. Find the words or phrases in the text which have a similar meaning to the
following:
– Antiaging procedures are flourishing (par1)
– Cosmetic surgery is very popular today
– All these pressures are combined (par3)
– The society will start showing a “more mature expression of beauty” (par4)
– The procedures will become more attractive (par6)
2. Fill in the blanks using the text and translate the sentences:
1) Even at a very … … , Britons are spending £225m a year on such
procedures.
2) People are feeling an intense … … to look younger.
3) The cosmetic surgery genie will never be … … in the bottle.
4) One will appreciate beauty from within, the radiance being the … of
one’s life, spirit and character.
5) Advertisers wake … … the potential value of the over-50s market.
6) Even if we do still see youth as the main indicator of beauty, and
continue … , tucking, … and filling, is that necessarily a bad thing?
3. Match the words with their definitions. Translate them into Russian/Belarusian:
Muscle-relaxing
include collagen, your own body fat or
injections
those containing hyaluronic acid
Microdermabrasion
to stimulate skin collagen and reduce fine
lines
Wrinkle fillers
acids which remove the outer layer of skin,
reducing fine wrinkles
Chemical peels are
Is a natural way to keep your face muscles fit
Lasers are
like Botox, are used to soften wrinkles
Face yoga
rubs off outer layer of skin to create fresher
appearance
Speech Activities
1.
What do the following phrases tell you about? Develop the idea, comparing with your
experience.
 Contradictory images of beauty.
 There still is this feeling that youth and beauty are rewarded in some way
in the society.
 The respect for the wisdom of ages has gone. What people have got to do is
look competitive with other people in the marketplace.
 People will change their jobs several times in their lifetime, and move to a
new local area when they retire.
 I think some of the things we accepted in the past were probably wrong,
that people should sit down in their carpet slippers when they reach a
certain age.
 If it's making people happy at the end of the day, and it's not harming
anybody else, then that seems positive
2. What do you think about society's quest for youth? Is it positive to want to look your
best or do we spend too much time and money trying to stave off the inevitable?
Send us your views. You can appoint an agony aunt who will voice your notes and organise
the group to interpret and respond to them.
Letter to the editor
I read with dismay the Jan. 6 front-page spread on retaining youth. The
author not only equated “healthy aging” with Botox, hair dye and cosmetic surgery
but also put her “stamp of approval” on the stereotype by having herself injected
with Botox.
The accurate phrase would be “unhealthy pursuit of eternal youth.” Healthy
aging begins with banishing the fear of aging and embracing the changes our
bodies were designed to make. Aging is another step in the cycle of life. Every
other step — birth, school age, teenage, young adult, adulthood — is eagerly
anticipated and celebrated EXCEPT old age.
Go to the card store and look at the birthday cards. Each milestone is
confetti and balloons until age 40. Then one is “over-the-hill” and doomed to
saggy body parts. Visit the cosmetics section and try to find a cosmetic line that
doesn’t offer some form of “age defying” beauty product. Flip through the glossy
advertisements and count the number of “geriatric” models used for products not
related to aging.
America is obsessed with looking younger, fighting the signs of aging,
fearing the next step. We should celebrate wrinkles and gray hair as badges of
honor, not to be hidden with dyes or Botox, but to be worn proudly. Instead, we
perpetuate the stereotype and fear by glamorizing surgery, injections and
chemicals.
Gina Bailey-Carbaugh.
Speech Activities
Imagine that you work for this magazine. Seniors make about 19% of your readership. You are in the
management department. Form small groups that will make the department. You have to treat the customer
very politely and with great respect. Compose either a letter or a speech to give a good response, restore the
damage done. Choose the best variant among the groups.
Language Focus
Translate the text into Russian. The written form is obligatory. You can consult a dictionary for the following
phrases:
With dismay, a front-page spread, equate with, banishing fear, embracing
the changes our bodies were designed to make, is eagerly anticipated, milestone,
over-the-hill, doomed to saggy body parts, age-defying, flip through, “geriatric
models”, badges of honour, a dye, glamorize surgery, perpetuate the stereotype.
Style expert Carla offers practical advice, must-dos and fast fixes
All right, I’m just going to come out and say it. Aging is revolting. As my
generation of women hits 40, 50, 60, we are for the first time discovering things
abou our faces and bodies that we never noticed before. Icky things like age spots,
crow’s-feet, gray hair, chin hair, marionette lines, spider veins, bunions — need I
go on? I don’t think so. You know what I’m talking about. The question is: What
are you — what are we — going to do about it? We’re going to fight aging — and
we’re going to have a blast while doing it. Whether it’s by our sheer numbers (78
million strong — the largest demo group in history) or our sheer chutzpah, we
baby boomers are pros at shaking things up as we hit each decade. We know how
to do this.
From rock music in the ‘60s, to “Me Generation” therapy in the ‘70s, to the
“Let’s Get Physical” fitness boom of the ‘80s, to the spa fad of the ‘90s, to the
green movement of today, our generation has no problem rewriting the rules to suit
our needs as we move through life’s milestones. Now that we are going to live to
be 100, our mission is to reinvent retirement and the golden years. While we
haven’t nailed that yet (for some of us, retirement is still a ways away), we already
know that we’re not going to just stand there like a bunch of Willie Lomans and
accept our gold watch with a thank you and a smile at the retirement party. (If we
even get the watch — or the party.) Neither are we likely to be sailing into the
sunset spending our days and playing golf or tennis, or sitting around the pool with
a cocktail in hand. What else aren’t we going to do?
• We’re not going to grow old gracefully (or gratefully).
• We’re not going to celebrate our wrinkles (you’ve got to be kidding).
• We’re not going to join the Women Who Have Had Too Much Work Done club
(like our mothers and their friends).
• We’re not going to look old.
The last is where this book comes in. “How Not to Look Old” is the boomer
manifesto, a comprehensive plan of attack on aging, all those little beauty and style
tweaks that you can (and should!) do to look Younger and Hipper — and still show
up for work the next day. Younger and Hipper is a concept I’ll use a lot so let’s just
say Y&H from now on. As opposed to looking like an Old Lady (OL, for short).
The list of To-Dos is organized from head-to-toe, from “Cut Bangs” to “Step into
Sexy Heels” and leads to even more things you can do to get gorgeous. If you go
step by step and cross off the “To-Dos,” you can look ten years younger, ten
pounds lighter and ten times better. Maybe even more than ten years younger. It
will set back the clock.
Ever wonder why some 50-year-olds look like they’re 40 and some 50-yearolds look like they’re 60? Today everyone wants to look ten years younger than
they are. “Forty is the new 30; 50 is the new 40,” etc. Looking younger is not all
about lucky genes. It takes work. But too much work and the comments you’ll be
hearing will not be, “Wow! You look fabulous!” but rather, “Wow! What did you
do?”
I have nothing against plastic surgery. In fact, I have personal experience to
share. But I don’t think that plastic surgery guarantees that you’re going to look
young. You might not have any wrinkles after a facelift, but if you look like you
had work done, you’re obviously a woman old enough to have a facelift! So who
are you fooling? A face frozen in time is the face of a Woman Who Has Had Too
Much Work Done. As celebrity fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi recently said to me,
“I think plastic surgery is the most aging thing in the world. If you want to look 70,
boy, get a facelift. Get your lips done.”
Another reason why there’s no chapter on plastic surgery is that many of us
just don’t have time for downtime. Instant gratification is part of our DNA. We
want fast fixes. That’s why there’s also no mention of the fact that diet and
exercise are essential to looking younger and staying healthy over the long haul.
Because there isn’t a woman alive who doesn’t already know that! Eating salmon
or doing yoga are good things to do for sure, but they don’t give you the instant
results that the To-Dos in this book will. We want results. Real results. Visible
results. Other anti-aging books tell you to run a bath, light a candle, chant and
practice acceptance. Not this one. Because I’ve tried all that — and guess what? It
doesn’t work!
What works is going to the dermatologist and if necessary, making her your
new best friend. From Botox to fillers, peels to lasers, there are so many
noninvasive options in our beauty arsenal these days. At this stage, we don’t take
kindly to spending $200 or even $35 on a wrinkle cream and then finding out six to
eight weeks later that it didn’t make much difference: that those little lines
bleeding off the top of your lips have not disappeared.
In my former years, I was Glamour’s beauty director and the editor-in-chief
of the late beauty website eve.com, and I’ve made a career out of being a beauty
guinea pig. There’s nothing I won’t put on my face in the name of beauty.
Magazines are packed with advertisers’ products, and we’re inundated with
commercials and ads, but how do you know what really works? I personally tested
more than 600 beauty products, all of which had already landed on the Best of
Beauty lists of the major magazines. I am a very tough customer. To make the cut,
my Brilliant Buys had to: 1) deliver results 2) be user-friendly 3) look good enough
to keep on your bathroom shelf and 4) not be insanely expensive. Somewhere
along the line, we learned that the more money you spend, the better the results.
I’m here to tell you that that is simply not true.
The older you get, the more you need maintenance. In Nora Ephron’s
hysterical book, “I Feel Bad About My Neck,” she writes about maintenance:
“Maintenance takes up so much time in my life that I can barely sit at my
computer. You know what maintenance is, I’m sure. Maintenance is what they
mean when they say, ‘After a certain point it’s just patch, patch, patch.’” The daily,
the weekly, the monthly patch, patch, patch is the difference between a 50-year-old
who looks 40 and a 50-year-old who looks 60. The truth is: We cannot afford to let
ourselves go!
For our generation, looking younger isn’t just about vanity (OK, let’s admit
sometimes we are a little vain). Looking good is about our personal and financial
survival. We are the first generation of women in which the majority of us went to
college and then to work. But many of us do not have husbands (rich or otherwise)
to support us. Many of us do not have kids to take care of us, or kids who want to
take care of us. Many of us are on our own, and we need to stay in the workplace
until we say it’s time to go. And let’s not fool ourselves: looking good is key to
keeping that job. Studies on attractiveness over the years have shown that people
who are prettier, younger, slimmer are more likely to get the job and keep it — as
well as win friends, influence people and keep their partners interested. In her
groundbreaking studies in the '70s and '80s, Overview of the Psychological Effects
of Physical Attractiveness, psychologist Ellen Berscheid concluded people believe,
“What is beautiful, is good,” i.e., we attribute positive qualities like kindness,
sincerity and warmth to people who are good-looking and negative qualities to
people are not.
Alex Kuczynski in her book “Beauty Junkies,” analyzes a number of
attractiveness studies and concludes: “To get a good job in the United States, the
scientific data suggests you now not only have to be relatively trim and goodlooking but you have to be young.” Looking younger will keep you in the game
longer when everyone around you is a kid. It’s a no-brainer. Many of us have had
the experience of being at work and realizing that we are the oldest person around
the conference table ... and not by a few years. We’ve reached the age where some
of our colleagues are young enough to be our kids. We have to look younger to at
least help level the playing field.
But shouldn’t we be showing off our wrinkles? Shouldn’t we be proud to go
gray? Yes, that would be awesome in an ideal world. But that’s not the way the
world is today. Only when women who look as “good” as Morley Safer and Andy
Rooney are allowed to thrive well into their 70s and even 80s on the public stage,
will it be safe for us to let ourselves go without endangering our livelihoods and
our legacies. Until then, to keep our paychecks and our self-esteem, we need to
look young, we need to look current. And the stakes have been raised so high that
we need to look fabulous.
Make no mistake: This doesn’t mean we need to look 20! You need to look
youthful, like you’re still swimming in the stream of all things current. You’re
going to look “out of it” if you show up in a fussy suit when everyone else at the
office is in jeans. You’re going to look OL if you have a helmet head loaded with
hairspray when everyone else has long, lush locks. How do you, then, look current,
without wearing a miniskirt, flip-flops and an iPod in your ear?
“How Not to Look Old” is about looking young without looking ridiculous.
Unapologetically written for our generation, this is your cheat sheet that cuts
through the clutter of what’s in, what’s hot, what you must have this season, in
other words, what you are presented with when you pick up most fashion
magazines, which are nearly all targeted to the 18-35 set. The problem is that what
looks good on Scarlett or Lindsay or Paris will probably not look good on you.
And even though I spent my career as an editor, working in the trenches of fashion
magazines, such as “Glamour,” “In Style” and “Shop Etc.,” I am not, by any
means, a fashionista. In fact, I am the one who sits in on the fashion runthroughs
and says about the bag for $7,500, “Do you know anyone who’s going to buy
that?” Maybe it’s because I grew up in Wilmette, Illinois, and my husband is from
Kansas City, and I go back to both places a lot. I know that what plays in New
York and L.A. will not necessarily translate. We’re bombarded with inappropriate
fashion and it’s not just from magazines.
As I’m writing, I’m watching a morning TV style segment showing crotchhigh minidresses and short-shorts suits for spring. Hello? What about us? Anything
this season that we might possibly put on without looking ridiculous? Part of the
mission of this book is to reinvigorate the term “age appropriate.” Every single
beauty and style tip here is presented with that in mind. Look at the photos and
you’ll know what exactly what’s Too Young/Too Old/Just Right.
Despite all our good intentions, there are little things we all do that can
betray our best efforts and scream OL to the outside world. Right now, for
instance, are you ...
In dark lipstick? Wearing an eyeglass chain around your neck? Covering
your face with a mask of foundation? Wearing granny pants? Mommy jeans?
From now on, you’ll be on high alert to the telltale signs that can creep up on you
and threaten your look if you’re not paying attention. Each chapter starts with a
“shout out” called “Nothing Ages You Like,” covering things like: too-long
hair that’s parted down the middle, a solid block of hair color, gray or white
brow hairs, half-glasses, obvious lip liner, too-white teeth, dragon-lady nails.
The point is, if you’ve been outlining your lips the same way since college, you’re
past overdue for a change. And throughout the book, you’ll find “The Newer Way
To …” do everything to make you look modern, not stale. Before many of us can
climb out of our beauty and fashion ruts, we need to escape our comfort zones.
And do that successfully, we need a new mindset. Think, “You, only in a gorgeous
new dress.” We’re not talking inner beauty here. We are only paying attention to
your outer beauty, the package you present to the world.
Think this is superficial? Sorry, but this is the real world. People every day
size you up in a nanosecond, making judgments that could affect your future based
on whether your nails are too long or your skirt is too short. You can’t afford not to
look your best every time you step out the front door. You know that the benefits
of looking younger and better are not superficial at all. I hate to use this word
because it is so overused, but it is “empowering” to pass a mirror and think, “Wow,
I look great!” It gives you a lift. Every time I walk out of the hair salon blown-out
and blonder, I swear, I feel like I could conquer the world! Our looks and our selfesteem are inextricably wired. You need to invest time and money and interest in
you, because if you don’t look good, you don’t feel good about yourself. And if
you don’t look and feel good on a daily basis, no one close to you is going to feel
good either! If you have any doubts about the “Look Good, Feel Better”
connection, volunteer at a women’s organization such as Bottomless Closet or
Dress for Success and see how a new outfit can make a down-and-out woman
suddenly feel optimistic and hopeful about her future.
“How Not to Look Old” is about looking Y&H, but to truly be Y&H, you
need to embrace a youthful attitude. You need to jump into life and wrap your
arms around change. Whether it’s beauty or fashion or life in general, what is truly
OL? Being so invested in the status quo. I hate it when people say, “That’s not the
way it’s done.” So? Are you saying that you can’t ever change the way that it’s
done? Why not? Only OL people make a Big Deal about change. That’s not going
to be you! What is truly great about coming of age at this particular point in time,
is that unlike our mothers, we have so many things we can do to look Y&H before
resorting to extreme measures and joining the Women Who Have Had Too Much
Work Done club. What follows is The To-Do List to end all To-Do Lists. Here’s to
looking younger, feeling better — and winning the battle. If I can do it, so can you.
Excerpted from "How Not to Look Old" by Charla Krupp. Copyright © 2007 Charla Krupp. Reprinted with
permission of Hachette Book Group USA. All rights reserved.
Functional Vocabulary
Icky things
Age spots
Crow’s feet
Gray hair
Chin hair
Marionette lines
Spider veins
Bunions
Chutzpah
Spa fad
Life’s milestones
Golden years
Style tweaks
Organised from head-to-toe
Set back the clock
Lucky genes
Downtime
Fast fixes
Beauty arsenal
A beauty guinea pig
To be key to
Groundbreaking studies
Trim
To look current
Fussy suit
A fashionista
Crotch-high minidress
Reinvigorate
Betray our best efforts
Telltale signs
Dragon-lady nails
Inextricably wired to
Be on high alert
Language Focus
1.
Find the words or phrases in the text which have a similar meaning to the
following:
– A depressed woman
– It makes you feel better
– There are too many commercials and ads (3 expressions)
– To be modern
– Little beauty and style secrets
– Very expensive
– The older you get, the more you need to take care of your appearance
2. Some of the language in the notes you have read is very colloquial. Work out what
the following words and word-combinations mean from the context in which they
occur?
–
We’re going to have a blast (par 1)
–
Baby boomers are pros at shaking things up
–
As we hit each decade
–
We haven’t nailed that yet (par2)
–
A bunch of Willie Lomans
–
Over the long haul (par 6)
–
We don’t take kindly to spending (par7)
–
Magazines are packed with (par8)
–
Somewhere along the line
–
Hysterical book (par9)
–
Patch, patch, patch
–
“Beauty Junkie” (par11)
–
Looking younger will keep you in the game
–
It’s a no-brainer
–
To help level the playing field
–
Are allowed to thrive well into their 70s (par12)
–
Your cheat sheet (par14)
–
Working in the trenches of fashion magazines
–
To sit in on the fashion runthroughs
–
What plays in New York and L.A. will not necessarily translate
–
We’re bombarded with inappropriate fashion
3. Match the words with their definitions. Translate them into Russian/Belarusian:
A mask of foundation
Evaluate very quickly
A solid block of hair colour
An old-fashioned hair-do
Dragon-lady nails
Overdyed hair
Look stale
Long sharp nails
A helmet head loaded with hairspray
A thick layer of cosmetics
Size you up in a nanosecond
Look old
4.Suggest all possible synonyms and antonyms from the text.
Look youthful
Look stale
Look fabulous
Look ridiculous
Get gorgeous
…..
Be awesome
…..
Speech activities
1.
Answer the following questions.
Section III. Ageism in the Media.
Starter activity
READING ONE
Read the article below and be ready to develop the ideas italicized for you.
Mass media are the most ubiquitous wholesalers of social roles in
industrial societies. Mass media, particularly television, form the common
mainstream of contemporary culture. They present a steady, repetitive, and
compelling system of images and messages. For the first time in human history,
most of the stories are told to most of the children not by their parents, their
school, or their church but by a group of distant corporations that have
something to sell. This unprecedented condition has a profound effect on the way
we are socialized into our roles, including age as a social role. The world of aging
(and nearly everything else) is constructed to the specifications of marketing
strategies.
The world of aging portrayed in the mass media has not traditionally been an
enjoyable or positive one. Dail states that elderly populations suffer from negative
stereotyping more than any other identifiable social group. She argues that
preconceived notions about cognition, physical ability, health, sociability,
personality, and work capability perpetuate these negative stereotypes. Indeed, in
American culture, increasing age seems to portend decreasing value as a human
being. Mass media scholar Joshua Meyrowitz offers some insight into this
devaluation. Old people today are generally not appreciated as experienced
"elders" or possessors of special wisdom; they are simply seen as sometimes
remaining competent enough to be included in the unitary role category of
"active citizen." Old people are respected to the extent that they can behave like
young people, that is, to the extent that they remain capable of working, exercising
and taking care of themselves.
A medium like television, known for its emphasis on youth and beauty, fast
motion and quick edits, condensed time and simplistic portrayals, is bound to
exacerbate a potentially negative or even non-existent image of the elderly on
television. Yet even as the wave of graying baby boomers swells, recent studies
show that purveyors of mass media continue to misrepresent or underrepresent
elders. The portrayals of elderly in television commercials were examined, there
was
found
underrepresentation
of
elderly
persons
and
significant
underrepresentation of elderly women in proportion to elderly men. Advertisers
ignore older consumers or perpetuate negative stereotypes, thereby alienating a
large market segment with powerful economic clout. Ignoring the elderly market
is an expensive mistake.
Clearly, to capture this market, both advertising strategy and portrayals of
the elderly consumer will have to change. Beyond the realm of economics,
however, lies a deeper concern: the social effect that such advertising stereotypes
have on television viewers. Mass media effects theories provide ample cause for
concern that repeated exposure to commercials which carry a negative subtext may
lead to the overall devaluation of the elderly. By representing elders as feeble,
absent-minded, stubborn, and helpless, or by simply not representing elders at all,
the subtle effects may accumulate and add to the estranged social conditions many
older Americans face today. Swayne and Greco state, "Television advertising,
because of its ability to influence and shape attitudes, can play a major role in the
socialization of the elderly and in influencing younger audiences' view of older
persons. By featuring active elderly spokespersons, commercial messages should,
over time, provide positive role models and cues to the elderly and also help to
reduce the negative stereotypes of the aged".
Language Focus
1. Translate the following sentences into Russian:
1)
Mass media are the most ubiquitous wholesalers of social roles in industrial
societies.
2)
They present a steady, repetitive, and compelling system of images and
messages.
3)
This unprecedented condition has a profound effect on the way we are
socialized into our roles, including age as a social role.
4)
She argues that preconceived notions about cognition, physical ability,
health, sociability, personality, and work capability perpetuate these
negative stereotypes.
5)
Yet even as the wave of graying baby boomers swells, recent studies show
that purveyors of mass media continue to misrepresent or underrepresent
elders.
6)
Advertisers ignore older consumers or perpetuate negative stereotypes,
thereby alienating a large market segment with powerful economic clout.
Speech activities
1. Share your ideas
about the sentences italicized in the text.
2. View the text from two different positions: the one of an expert ad maker, who insists
that youth images sell better and a well-off senior, who strongly feels his generation is too
large to be ignored. Make dialogues, trying to use as many phrases from the text as
possible.
3. Group discussion. Analyse Belarusian TV. Try to illustrate with examples the cases of
ageism if found any. Is this problem in our media as vividly expressed as in other countries
or is the situation different?
READING TWO
Attacking Ageism in Advertising
An advertisement for a calcium dietary supplement, recently seen in
numerous national magazines, depicts a woman's silhouette frame by frame as she
moves rightward across a page. She is apparently aging before our eyes, growing
progressively older and more stooped as she succumbs to osteoporosis. By the last
frame she needs the support of a cane.
Another ad, obviously directed to the over-50 age group, pictures a
stereotypical white-haired old lady leaning out of a car window and holding a glass
of dark liquid. The headline reads: 'Prune Power To Go." Accompanying copy
describes the virtues of a prune product in dealing with a failing digestive system.
Both ads reflect the lack of respect and fear of aging – in short, the ageism –
typical of the media's treatment of older people. For years, until The Golden Girls
and Murder, She Wrote began to buck the trend, advertising and entertainment
media alike reflected the prevailing stereotype of seniors as bumbling, crotchety or
senile. With perpetual frowns on their faces, the older people in shows and
commercials lived only to criticize younger people and nurse their aches and pains.
Older people are not a homogeneous group. They are as economically,
socially and politically diverse as any other segment of our population, comprising
sick and well, rich and poor, dynamic and depressed, all stripes of society, and they
deserve to be portrayed that way, not shown as stuck in the mud, or in a
wheelchair, or rocking and whittling, when in fact some may be rocking and
rolling. Today, when we go over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's
house, Grandma may not be awaiting us sweetly with a big plate of cookies fresh
from the oven. She may be working on the computer, or taking a psychology class,
or holding down the late shift at the cannery.
For example, ads for wheelchairs, back braces, tub lifts, page magnifiers and
many other products whose makers aim "to remedy the aches and pains of aging"
are forbidden. The reasoning? Aging is not necessarily about aches and pains.
Aging is about living.
The guidelines also focus on ad layouts and art; we try to persuade
advertisers to make ads aimed at the older population as attractive and appealing as
those directed at any other age group. Luckily for us, many advertisers are seeing
the point and working with us. Unfortunately, many of the image creators in the
media and at the ad agencies haven't caught on yet. They still imagine older people
as old coots and crones, deaf to today's reality and lost in mumblings of the good
old days of Calvin Coolidge – or immersed in their physical complaints. Most ad
people haven't picked upon the dramatic demographic revolution that's taking place
in our country. Truly, we are witnessing a change as profound as the one that
shook America 25 years ago, when baby boomers started flexing their economic
muscle.
In contrast to the advertisements described at the beginning of this article,
one ad that we recently accepted with great delight pictured a sleek white
convertible Mustang. It looks like almost any other automobile advertisement until
the reader hits the tag line: "Just when the kids had you all figured out." Now that's
a refreshing line. Another ad that could have been mundane, but wasn't, sports the
headline "Cure baldness." The visual pictures two vanilla ice cream cones– one
naked, the other with a sprinkling of wheat germ. It's a funny and inspiring way to
suggest that readers eat more wheat germ to promote good health.
As the population ages, many members of the media may find, as we have,
that respect for the humanity of the aging makes good business sense. But much
more importantly, they will also find that they can enrich the stories their
commercials and programs tell by recognizing the humanity and diversity of older
characters. For whether or not it is true that "growing older is growing better," it is
clear that people don't lose individuality as they grow older. Instead, they become
ever more themselves, and that is one of the beauties of age.
How to Advertise to Maturity
 Don't make a long story short: older people like to have plenty of product
information on which to make a decision.
 Take 15 years, at least, off your target age group: people tend to report that
they feel younger than their chronological age.
 Don't put them all on a diet: most older people eat the same foods as anyone
else, and many have cooked nutritious food for years.
 Keep a sense of humor: more time to relax means more time to smile.
 Don't take the romance out of life: there may be more time for it.
 Plan for their future: life is continuing, not rushing toward its close.
Language Focus
1. Restore the context of the following phrases, translate them in Russian :
Become more stooped, succumb to osteoporosis, to buck the trend, reflected
the prevailing stereotype of seniors as bumbling, crotchety or senile, perpetual
frowns on their faces, nurse their aches and pains, a homogeneous group, stripes of
society, rocking and whittling, to hold down a late shift at the cannery, back
braces, tub lifts, page magnifiers, immersed in their physical complaints,
people haven’t picked up upon, baby boomers started flexing their economic
muscle, a sleek white convertible Mustang, mundane.
Speech Activities
1. Choose a copy of a FT magazine and try to find ads, where senior citizens are represented. Analyse the ads
according to the following criteria and figure out whether there are any ageist implications.
How to Analyze an Advertisement
Finding Ads' Hidden Messages

What is the general ambience of the advertisement? What mood does it create? How does it do this?

What is the design of the advertisement? Does it use axial balance or some other form? How are the basic
components or elements arranged?

What is the relationship between pictorial elements and written material and what does this tell us?

What is the use of space in the advertisement? Is there a lot of 'white space" or is it full of graphic and
written elements?

What signs and symbols do we find? What role do they play in the ad's impact?

If there are figures (men, women, children, animals) what are they like? What can be said about their facial
expressions, poses, hairstyle, age, sex, hair color, ethnicity, education, occupation, relationships (of one to
the other)?

What does the background tell us? Where is the advertisement taking place and what significance does this
background have?

What action is taking place in the advertisement and what significance does it have? (This might be
described as the ad's "plot.")

What theme or themes do we find in the advertisement? What is it about? (The plot of an advertisement
may involve a man and a woman drinking but the theme might be jealousy, faithlessness, ambition,
passion, etc.)

What about the language used? Does it essentially provide information or does it try to generate some kind
of emotional response? Or both? What techniques are used by the copywriter: humor, alliteration,
definitions" of life, comparisons, sexual innuendo, and so on?

What typefaces are used and what impressions do they convey?

What is the item being advertised and what role does it play in the culture and society?

What about aesthetic decisions? If the advertisement is a photograph, what kind of a shot is it? What
significance do long shots, medium shots, close-up shots have? What about the lighting, use of color, angle
of the shot?

What sociological, political, economic or cultural attitudes are indirectly reflected in the advertisement? An
advertisement may be about a pair of blue jeans but it might, indirectly, reflect such matters as sexism,
alienation, stereotyped thinking, conformism, generational conflict, loneliness, elitism, and so on.
2. Select a product, work out a strategy and create your own ad, bearing in mind the advice of how to
advertise to maturity.
READING THREE
Disney Said To Foster Ageism
LONDON — Even the Seven Dwarfs are guilty. Well, two of them anyway.
Grumpy and Dopey are no longer just the loyal friends of Snow White but must
now line up with the likes of the Wicked Queen and Cruella de Vil to be accused
of fostering negative images of elderly people.
According to academics, Walt Disney's seemingly ageist cartoon depiction
of older people as evil or incompetent risks adversely influencing children.
Grumpy and Dopey join the assorted hags, crones, and villains in the dock because
they might lead some youngsters to think older people are bad-tempered or dimwitted in real life. A study by American researchers at Brigham Young University,
Utah, looked at 93 characters who appeared to be aged 55 or older from 34 Disney
films going back 70 years. A majority of older characters, such as Maurice in
"Beauty and the Beast" or Rafiki in "The Lion King," were portrayed as wise or
kind, such as Pinocchio's father, Geppetto. But a significant minority were
portrayed as unintelligent, nasty, bad-tempered, or useless, giving children a bad
impression.
Apart from films set in other cultures, such as Hawaii-based "Lilo and
Stich," the elderly characters are also stereotyped in terms of race and gender. Two
thirds of older characters — excluding animals — from films ranging from
"Dumbo" to "The Aristocats" were male; 83% were white. A quarter were shown
as grumpy, 12% evil or sinister, 8% helpless, 3% senile or crazy, and 2% the object
of ridicule. Evil or nasty characters include Madame Mim in "The Sword in the
Stone," the Wicked Queen as an old hag in "Snow White," Smee in "Peter Pan,"
and Cruella de Vil in "101 Dalmatians."
Typical portrayals of elderly people included showing them as toothless,
hunched, and with cracking voices. Many were depicted with "saggy body parts”
researchers said in an article for the medical publication Journal of Aging Studies.
The academics, who recognized that many Disney creations were based on
Brothers Grimm fairy tales, added: "Some of the films (15%) contained only
negative portrayals of older characters, and 71% of the films contained at least one
negative portrayal of an older character."
Their study concludes: "Why the
portrayals of older people seem more negative when the consumers are children is
uncertain. "Disney films may not be the primary source of children's negative
perceptions of older people. However, there is evidence that the media do
influence children's perceptions."
By SARAH WOMACK The Daily Telegraph June 1, 2007
1. What do you know about
2. Discuss the following:
Make a speech
Supplementary texts
Gender and Ageism
Ageism has an impact on both men and women. Studies have been
conducted concerning the negative stereotyping of older women and older men.
Even though women make up the majority of the older population, they have
largely been ignored. References to older women usually take the form of
generalizations despite the fact that the older population is characterized by its
heterogeneity. These generalizations often take the form of stereotypes with the
older women traditionally stereotyped as inactive, unhealthy, asexual, and
ineffective.
The sexless older woman is a common theme particularly in humor and
greeting cards. Jokes concerning older women usually ascribe to the older woman
the following characteristics: she is viewed as lonely, frustrated, and shriveled.
Palmore asserts that these attempts at humor merely reflect real societal attitudes.
Older women are often viewed as unhealthy. Interestingly, older men are
perceived as being healthier than older women even though, on the average,
women live seven years longer than men. Women are also perceived to be
hypochondriacal. However, on measures of perceived physical health, no
differences have been found between old men and women or between an older and
a younger population. In addition, it was found that older women rated themselves
as having greater body competency than either older men or young adults, both
male and female. Therefore, the image of the older woman as unhealthy or
hypochondriacal is a myth.
In addition to the view that older women are physically unhealthy, older
women have been found to be diagnosed with psychological problems 3 to 4 times
more often than men. This may represent an ageist bias within psychology and
psychiatry. It has been hypothesized that the large number of women seeking
psychological support may be a consequence of increased social stress on the older
woman. Larson indicates that subjective well-being is most influenced by
environmental factors. The factors having the greatest influence on well-being are
hypothesized to be health and socioeconomic status.
Older women are also often viewed as ineffective, dependent, and passive.
This represents an extension of the view of all women being ineffective, passive,
and dependent, i.e., sexism. Often times, women will find this role difficult to
shake. This is particularly true for an older women whose sole identification has
been with her husband. This image of the older woman can also be a self-fulfilling
prophecy, particularly for new widows who are finding it difficult to deal with
independence. In addition, as female, women continue to experience sexism during
old age and are placed, thus, in double jeopardy.
Interestingly, women's self image shows greater improvement with age as
compared to men. It is hypothesized to result from increased social contacts that
are characteristic of older women.
Older men, however, are perceived as becoming more "feminine" with age;
femininity being equated with psychological dependency and timidity. Silverman
conducted a study examining age differences in sex-role stereotypes for men.
College students were asked to complete the Sex-Role Stereotype Questionnaire.
Subjects were asked to rate either an average 25, 35, 45, 55, and 65 year old man.
Two control conditions were included: women in general and men in general. The
results indicated that women in general and men aged 65 were rated significantly
higher in femininity (particularly on those items rated feminine but socially
undesirable). Therefore, the perception of men undergoes a shift; older men are
perceived as experiencing greater timidity and dependency during later life. It
should be noted that the study does not look at how the older woman is perceived,
nor does it include older adults as subjects.
Nuessel has examined the language of ageism. Ageism is readily apparent in
language against both men and women. The terms with which older women are
described are representative of some of the more common stereotypes of older men
and women. For example, the term little old lady suggests incompetency and
impotency based upon age and gender. Old hag or old witch commonly refer to a
woman who is physically unpleasant to look at and who has a disagreeable
personality. Old men are commonly described by such terms as old coot and
codger. These terms suggest that old men are slightly odd or quaint. Therefore,
much of society's negative attitudes are reflected in its language.
Language may be more negatively ageist with respect to women than to
men. Nuessel states, "ageist vocabulary for women is more derisive because it
represents them as thoroughly repugnant and disgusting" (p. 274). This may
represent the double jeopardy for older women as they are subject to both ageism
and sexism.
In summary, both men and women experience ageism in the form of stereotyping.
In addition, women experience not only ageism but sexism. Men are stereotyped as
increasingly feminine, and women as asexual, unhealthy, and dependent. However,
these stereotypes are not supported by empirical data regarding older men and
women.
AGEIZM
SPEECH FUNCTIONS BANK
F – Formal
Inf – Informal
I. Asking for More Detailed Information
X
F
I tend to favour
X
as opposed to
DOING…
X
I tend to prefer
(rather)
to
more
X
DOING…
than
DOING…
X
DOING
to
DOING
X
X
appeals to me (far) more than
DOING…
X
I like
DOING…
X
X
Inf
than
X
interested in
I much prefer
DOING…
X
DOING…
more interested in
I’m
X
DOING
I tend to be (rather)
DOING…
DOING…
DOING…
X
better than
DOING…
1. Make the following into statements about preferences using the language in the box
above.
Example:
I tend/ favour the program I saw yesterday.
I tend to favour the program I saw yesterday.
1. Watching sport news/ me more/ watching educational programs.
2. I/ watching BBC channel better/ watching Eurosport channel.
3. I tend/ prefer tabloids/ reading broadsheets.
4. I/ more interested/ getting information/ television than/ newspapers.
2. Look at the following and use appropriate language from the box above to make
statements about your preferences:
Example: The Times/ The Guardian.
I prefer The Times to The Guardian.
The Times appeals to me more than The Guardian.
1. Watching soap operas/ watching thrillers.
2. Russian tabloids/ English tabloids.
3. Reading newspapers/ watching the news on TV.
4. Reading magazines/ reading papers.
II Talking about likes and Interests
F
I wonder if you’re interested in
X?
DOING…?
Are you interested in
X?
DOING…?
Do you (happen to) like
X?
DOING…?
Are you into
DOING…?
Inf
F
X?
I’m
I’m
very
quite
X
interested in
very
quite
DOING…
X
keen on
DOING…
X
I (really) like
DOING…
(very much)
I’m really into
X
DOING…
Inf
F
I don’t find
enjoyable
X
DOING…
particularly
good
interesting
I’m not
over
X
particularly
I don’t (really) like
I’m not really into
keen on
DOING…
X
DOING…
(very much)
X
DOING…
Inf
1. Make the following into questions about other people’s likes and interests using the
language in the boxes above.
Example
Do/like watching TV?
Do you like watching TV?
1. Are/interested/ current affairs?
2. Do/happen/like reading tabloids?
3. Are/into watching TV a lot?
4. I wonder/you/at all interested/international politics?
5. Are/interested/the Internet?
2. Make the following into statements about likes and interests using the language in
the boxes above.
1. I/not find watching/documentaries/ enjoyable?
2. I/ into watching the news.
3. I/ not over-keen/ listening to the radio.
4. I/ interested/ reading newspapers.
3. Use appropriate language from the boxes above to ask answer people’s likes and
interests in the following situations:
Example:
Two friends at watching TV… reading newspapers.
(a) Are you into watching TV?
(b)No, I’m not particularly keen on it.
1. A young member of the family to an elderly relation … the Sunday
newspapers.
2. An employee to his/her boss … watching sports on TV.
3. Two good friends … the latest news.
4. Two work colleagues … watching youth programmes with their
children.
Self-Check Test № 2
Key to test 2
UNIT III. GENDER PROBLEMS
Section I. Gender Equality: Reality or an Elusive Goal?
Starter activity
For years the issue of gender equality has been the focus of attention at various levels
– from kitchen talks to international conferences. Work in groups of two or three and
outline the problems of gender equality (or inequality) that exist and are worth
discussing.
READING ONE
The text below throws some light on the position of women in modern society. Read it
and do the exercises that follow.
A Woman’s Place
If she is bright enough, ambitious enough, has a good idea and wants to make it
work, a woman in Nairobi can go to one of a few banks in the world designed
exclusively for women, and it will make sure that she gets a loan. If she wants to
learn to read, however, it may be more difficult.
Such are the contradictions in the status of women as the United Nations
Decade for Women draws to a close. The Kenya women Finance Trust of Nairobi
has operated for a year, easing women into the male-dominated world of banking
by helping with loans, providing advice and offering technical help. Yet in Africa
as a whole, eight women out of ten are illiterate.
It is an irony typical of the ten years the UN has devoted to bettering the lot of
one half of the world's population. Remarkable success stories co-exist with blatant
discrimination, huge advances are balanced by humiliating retreats. In India, for
example, a development plan has been introduced to improve job training for
women and ensure equal access to employment. Across the border in Pakistan, if a
woman has been raped she has to have the supporting testimony of four men in
order to bring charges against her assailant. If she cannot provide sufficient
evidence, then she may well be flogged.
In Japan, statistics showed that only 2.3 per cent of women were unemployed.
Yet another survey showed that 72 per cent of the Japanese believe a woman should
put her family ahead of her job, and less than one third thought a woman had a
right to divorce a husband she could not stand.
In the working world, women still come a distant second to men While
unemployment has skyrocketed almost everywhere in the past ten years, the
increase has generally affected women more sharply. In a few countries, such as
the United States and Japan, women enjoy a higher rate of employment than men.
But in both countries women are paid far less. In the US the average working
woman earned 13.000 dollars in 1982, whereas the average man earned 21.000
dollars. In Japan the differential between men and women’s wages was greater in
1982 than it had been in 1975.
According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) lower wages for
women are common in most countries, irrespective of the level of economic
development. The ILO believes that women are steered towards the traditional
jobs that men do not want and that they are blocked from higher education and
skills training.
While in the developed world there are more female lawyers, managers and
politicians than before, and women in communications are numerous, they are still
heavily outnumbered by men. In developing countries women's work is often little
more than the most menial of labour. The ILO gives the example of women in
Thailand who are required to spend eight hours a day staring at hair-width gold
wires through microscopes, building up to 800 microchips a day, at 50 wires per
chip. Without training, women cannot get at the credit, technology and financial
resources needed to improve their lot. Six out of ten world’s illiterates are women
and in 1980 the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation
(UNESCO) counted seven countries where virtually no women could read or write.
Even in Europe the work opportunities for women leave a lot to be desired.
Britain was famous for having a woman Prime Minister, but only a fraction of
Parliament’s seats were held by women and there were no other women in the
Cabinet. According to activist Georgma Ashworth the decade in Britain was a
failure, partly because women themselves were allowed to hear about it, so they
weren’t able to make demands.
Elsewhere in the world women have found cultural prejudices as hard to
change as political ones. The spread of Islamic fundamentalism has meant the
return of the chador and the loss of many hard-won freedoms. Female circumcision
is still practised in many countries and in South Africa women aren’t covered by
labour legislation, maternity benefits or unemployment insurance provisions.
At the UN Women’s Conference in China Mrs. Hilary Clinton strongly
denounced human rights violations, in China and elsewhere.
“It is a violation of human rights when baby girls are denied food, or drowned,
or suffocated, or their spines broken, simply because they are born girls!” she told
them.
“It is a violation of human rights when women are denied the right to plan their
own families – and that includes being forced to have abortions or being sterilised
against their will”.
Without mentioning the name of any country in her litany of human rights
abuses Mrs. Clinton managed to condemn the Indian practice of burning brides
when their marriage dowries are deemed too small; the African custom of
performing “genital mutilation” on women, the war in Bosnia and other conflicts.
Yet perhaps we shouldn’t spend all of the time complaining. The Decade for
Women may be judged a failure, but at least it has been a step in the right
direction. Women’s interests have become an issue: twenty years ago they weren’t
even spoken about.
Kelly McParland. Magazine For a Change. 2001. No.1
Functional vocabulary
access n
доступ
to have access to
иметь доступ к чему-либо
assail v
наступать, атаковать, нападать
assailant n
противник, нападающая сторона
blatant adj
вопиющий; шумный; явный, очевидный
blatant discrimination
вопиющая дискриминация
blatant lie
явная ложь
benefit n
пенсия, пособие
maternity benefit
пособие по беременности и родам
charge n
обвинение
to bring charges against smb
обвинять
to be charged with
быть обвиненным в…
on a charge of
по обвинению в …
denounce v
осуждать, обвинять, разоблачать
dowry n
приданое
flog v
пороть, сечь, стегать
to flog a dead horse
зря тратить силы
to flog a willing horse
заниматься бесполезным делом, подгоняя
того, кто и так старается
humiliate v
унижать
skyrocket v
стремительно подниматься, расти (о ценах,
цифрах)
steer (to, towards) v
следовать по пути, держаться курса;
направлять, руководить
to steer a middle course
избегать крайностей
to steer clear of
избегать, сторониться
retreat v
повторять
retreat n
отступление, отход
to retreat from one’s pledge
не выполнить обещание
to retreat into one’s thoughts
уйти в себя
menial adj
неквалифицированный
menial work
mutilate v
увечить, калечить, уродовать; искажать
Language focus
1. Explain the meaning of the following phrases used in the text. Translate the into
Russian/Berlarusian.
–
to get a loan,
–
to draw to a close,
–
to better the lot of women,
–
to come a distant second to men,
–
to be outnumbered by men.
2. Find the words in the text which have a similar meaning to the following:
–
some one who cannot read and write;
–
information given in a court to prove that someone is guilty;
–
someone who attacks another person;
–
the right to enter a place, to see or get smth;
–
an unreasonable dislike and distrust of people who are different from
you in some way (race, sex, religion).
3. Join the words from the columns to make word combinations. Consult the text if
necessary. Translate the word combinations into Russian/Belarusian.
blatant
retreats
humiliating
labour
male-dominated
discrimination
maternity
freedoms
menial
testimony
supporting
leave
hard-won
world
4. Suggest synonyms used in the text for the ones given below:
– to maim;
– to accuse;
– to be one after the leader;
– to guide;
– to beat;
– achievements, progress;
– to increase;
– denunciare;
– disgrace.
Speech activities
1. Make the following statements more factually correct.
 In India women have been ensured equal access to employment.
 In the USA and Japan women enjoy a higher rate of employment and
payment than men.
 In the developed `world there are more female lawyers, managers and
politicians than male ones.
 Since the UK had a woman Prime Minister, the UN Decade for women
had been a success in Britain.
 The Kenya Women Finance Trust has eased women into the maledominated world of banking by educating them.
2. Give extensive answers to the following questions.
1. What measures have been taken world-wide to better the lot of world’s
women?
2. What examples of blatant discrimination of women were given in the
text?
3. What do the majority of the Japanese think of the place of women in
Japanese society?
4. What are the ILO conclusions about women’s wages in most countries?
5. Do women have equal access to education?
6. What has the spread of Islamic fundamentalism meant for women?
7. How can you describe the present-day position of women worldwide/in your country?
3. Give arguments for or against the following statements:
1. In the working world women come a distant second to men.
2. Lower wages for women are common in our country and work
opportunities for them leave a lot to be desired.
READING TWO
Read the text and do the tasks that follow.
It’s High Time Men Stopped to Regard Women as Second-class Citizens
This is supposed to be an enlightened age, but you wouldn't think so if you
could hear what the average man thinks of the average woman. Women won their
independence years ago. After a long bitter struggle, they now enjoy the same
educational opportunities as men in most parts of the world. They have proved
repeatedly that they are equal and often superior to men in almost every field. The
hard-fought battle for recognition has been won, but it is by no means over. It is
men, not women who still carry on the sex war because their attitude remains
basically hostile. Even in the most progressive societies, women continue to be
regarded as second-rate citizens. To hear some men talk, you'd think that women
belonged to a different species!
On .the surface, the comments made by men about women's abilities seem
light-hearted. The same tired jokes about women drivers are repeated day in,
day out. This apparent light-heartedness does not conceal the real contempt that
men feel for women. However much men sneer at women, their claims to
superiority are not borne out by statistics. Let's consider the matter of driving, for
instance. We all know that women cause far fewer accidents than men. They are
too conscientious and responsible to drive like maniacs. But this is a minor
quibble. Women have succeeded in any job you care to name. As politicians,
soldiers, doctors, factory-hands, university professors, farmers, company directors,
lawyers, bus-conductors, scientists and presidents of countries they have often put
men to shame. And we must remember that they frequently succeed brilliantly in
all these fields in addition to bearing and .rearing children.
Yet men go on maintaining the fiction that there are many jobs women can't
do. Top-level political negotiations between countries, business and banking arc
almost entirely controlled by men, who jealously guard their so-called 'rights'.
Even in otherwise enlightened places like Switzerland women haven't even been
given the vote. This situation is preposterous! The arguments that men put
forward to exclude women from these fields are all too familiar. Women, they
say, arc unreliable and irrational. They depend too little on cool reasoning and too
much on intuition and instinct to arrive at decisions. They are not even capable
of thinking clearly. Yet when women prove their abilities, men refuse to
acknowledge them and give them their due. So much for a man's ability to think
clearly!
The truth is that men cling to their supremacy because of their basic
inferiority complex. They shun real competition. They know in their hearts that
women are superior and they are afraid of being beaten at their own game. One
of the most important tasks in the world is to achieve peace between the nations.
You can be sure that if women were allowed to sit round the conference table,
they would succeed brilliantly, as they always do, where men have failed for
centuries. Some things arc too important to be left to men!
L.G.Alexander. For and Against. Longman, 1971
Functional vocabulary
conscientious adj
совестливый, добросовестный
conscience n
совесть
to have the conscience
иметь бесстыдство (сказать что-либо)
a prisoner of conscience узник совести, политзаключенный
for conscience’s sake
для успокоения совести
contempt (for) n
презрение
to hold in contempt
презирать
contemptible
презренный
to be contemptuous of
презрительный (по отношению к кому-либо)
due n
должное
pl
сборы, налоги, пошлины
to give smb his due
отдавать должное
due n
должный, надлежащий
in due course
в должный срок, в должном порядке
in due time
due to
быть вызванным чем-либо, по причине;
благодаря
hostile adj
неприятельский, вражеский; враждебный
hostile n
враг
hostility n
враждебность;
pl
военные действия
preposterous adj
нелепый, абсурдный
quibble n
игра слов, каламбур; увертка
quibble v
уклоняться от прямого ответа
shun v
избегать, остерегаться
to shun publicity
избегать публичности, известности
sneer (at) v
насмешливо улыбаться, насмехаться
sneer n
усмешка, насмешка
Language focus
1. Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases used in the text and
reproduce the situations in which they are used. Translate them into
Russian/Relarusian:
– to be beaten at one’s game;
– to give smb his due;
– inferiority complex;
– to enjoy the same opportunities;
– cool reasoning;
– to belong to a different species.
2. Find the words in the text which have a similar meaning of the following:
– disdain, indignity;
– absurd;
– to bring up;
– to make fun of;
– to avoid;
– every day for a long time;
– to support the idea;
– moral, scrupulous.
3. Insert prepositions or particles where necessary. Translate the sentences into
Russian/Relarusian:
1. Women depend too much … intuition.
2. Men shun … real competition.
3. Women can succeed not only … keeping house, they can be … a
success … various other aspects of life.
4. The baby was born … due time.
5. Men usually put … many arguments to exclude women … political life.
4. Match the verbs with the nouns to make collocations. Translate them into
Russian/Relarusian:
to maintain
comments
to cling to
intuition
to depend on
supremacy
to give smb
shame
to put smb to
the vote
to make
the fiction
Speech activities
1. Make the following statements more factually correct:
 Men maintain the fiction that there are many jobs women are good at.
 This is supposed to be an enlightened age and men’s attitude to women
proves it.
 It is men who carry on sex war, that is why their attitude to women
remains hostile.
 Women are conscientious drivers and statistics proves that they cause
more accidents than men.
 Women enjoy the same educational opportunities all over the world.
2. Answer the following questions.
1. Do you think the hard-fought battle for recognition waged by women
is over?
2. How are women regarded in many societies?
3. Are men’s claims to superiority supported by statistics?
4. What arguments do men put forward to exclude women form social
and political life?
3. Give arguments for or against the following statements:
 It’s nonsense to claim that men and women have the same abilities.
 Father is always the real boss in the average household.
 Women are really second-rate citizens and should be treated as such.
READING THREE
The text below provides some examples of how sex role stereotypes are planted into
children’s minds. Read it and say what you agree and what you disagree with.
Schoolbooks and the Female Stereotype
Illustrations and stories in United States primary school textbooks tend to
convince young girls that they should be passive and dependent creatures who
need aspire only to lives of service to their future husbands and children, a
conference of educators was told here yesterday.
Speaking at the first national conference on schools and sex role stereotypes, a
University of California professor said a study of the 100 most widely used
elementary textbooks demonstrated that girls are constantly depicted as dependent
on and subservient to boys.
Louise White, of the US Office of Education, told the conference that the
female stereotype presented to elementary school children was so overwhelming
that by the time most girls reached fourth grade they believed they had only four
occupations open to them – nurse, secretary, teacher, or mother.
The director of the elementary school textbook study, Lenore Weitzman, of the
University of California, said that texts in spelling, reading, mathematics, science,
and social studies were examined.
Most stories and illustrations tended to centre on boys rather than girls, and
those boys tended to demonstrate qualities of strength, intelligence, love of
adventure, independence, and courage.
Girls, however, were depicted in passive roles. Usually they were inside a
house, and often they were helping with housework or playing with dolls.
When boys and girls appeared together in a text, she said, the girls were either
watching the boys do something or they were helping the boys.
Adult men appearing in elementary school texts were depicted in various jobs –
astronaut, truck driver, policeman, cowboy, scientist, banker – in addition to the
role of father.
But the overwhelming picture of women that emerged from the elementary
texts was that of mother and housewife. Even at that, said Professor Weitzman, the
picture was one of a woman performing simple but time-consuming chores. It
failed completely to reflect the complexities facing a modern housewife.
A study was done by an affiliate of the Central New Jersey National
Organisation for women on 134 books published by 14 major publishing
companies and involving 2,760 stories for elementary school children.
According to the findings the composite housewife or mother was a “limited,
colourless, mindless creature... Not only does she wash, cook, clean, nurse, and
find mittens: these chores constitute her only happiness”.
“In illustration, she frequently appears in the servant’s posture, body slightly
bent forward, hands clasped, eyes riveted on the master of the house or the
children”.
In contrast, the typical father found in the study was “the good guy in the
family. He’s where the fun is. He builds things with his children and takes them
hunting, fishing and up in planes. He solves the problems”.
The effect of this on young girls, Professor Weitzman said, is to make them
think their role is to serve others. They think they should be attractive so that they
can please others and although they generally have better academic records than
boys by the time they reach adolescence, they value academic and scholastic
excellence less than boys do.
Report in The Guardian.2002. No. 5.
Functional vocabulary
aspire v adj
стремиться, домогаться; возвышаться
aspiration n
стремление
consume v
потреблять, расходовать; поглощать
time- consuming
требующий большой затраты времени
consume er
потребитель
consumer goods
товары широкого потребления
excellence n
высокое качество, мастерство, успехи
rivet v
приковывать
to be riveted on
subservient adj
раболепный
scholastic adj
учительский, школьный; ученый
scholastic excellence
отличные успехи в школе
a scholastic institution
учебное заведение
scholastic degree
ученая степень
Language focus
1. Match the adjectives with the nouns they collocate with and translate the word
combination into Russian/Belarusian.
academic
chores
time-consuming
creature
passive
school
elementary
record
2. Find the words in the text which have a similar meaning to the following.
Reproduce the situations in which they are used:
– made up of different parts or materials;
– to keep looking at sth;
– connected with school or teaching;
– to desire and work towards achieving something important;
– too willing to do what other people want them to do;
– a fixed idea or image of what a particular type of person or thing is like;
–
the time when a young person is developing into an adult.
–
3. Explain what is meant by the following word combinations:
– sex role stereotypes;
– servant’s posture;
– eyes riveted on the master of the house;
– academic and scholastic excellence.
4. Complete the spaces by finding one word from your functional vocabulary which
fits in all three spaces.
A.
1. He saw her and …, too shy to speak to her.
2. The flood waters are slowly … .
3. Current economic problems have forced the government to … from its
pledge to cut taxes.
B.
1. As a country, we … a lot more than we produce.
2. He is able to … vast quantities of food.
3. He was … with quite after the accident.
C.
1. Her wet clothes … to her body.
2. I … to the hope that we might make up our quarrel one day.
3. The timid child … onto her mother for comfort.
5. Translate from Russian into English. Use your functional vocabulary.
1. Организация «Международная амнистия» ставит своей целью
освободить всех узников совести.
2. Новейшие технологические достижения позволяют получать
быстрый доступ в Интернет.
3. Джейн решилась на разговор, так как муж постоянно унижал ее в
присутствии детей.
4. Это была явная ложь, и никто не поверил ни единому слову.
5. Журналиста обвинили в нарушении законодательства страны
пребывания.
6. Эта идея кажется мне абсолютно нелепой!
7. Мы должны отдать ему должное, он действительно очень
старался.
8. На проверку тетрадей уходило очень много времени.
9. Женщины в этой восточной стране не принимают новую
европейскую моду.
10. Социологические исследования в разных странах показывают, что
около 20 % женщин постоянно подвергаются физическому
насилию.
Speech activities
1. Answer the following questions.
1. Why, according to the text, do American girls grow up thinking that
there are only four possible careers open to them?
2. What is the difference in the way boys and girls, men and women are
presented in American schoolbooks?
3. Do you agree that a schoolbook can really have a serious impact on
children’s perception of sex role stereotypes?
2. Analyse some schoolbooks used in Belarusian schools. In what roles are boys and
girls depicted in them? Share your findings with the rest of the group.
Section 2. Gender Problems
Starter activity
1. Are there any well-known gay people in your country in the areas of politics, TV, the
military, the church, sport, the law? Are there more gay people in some professions than in
others? Which ones? Why do you think that is?
2. In your experience, are the following statements true or not?
1. Men are more interested in their appearance than women.
2. Women talk to their friends about how they look. Men don’t.
3. Women like to go shopping with other women.
4. Men prefer to go clothes shopping alone. They are afraid to ask a woman to help them.
5. Men spend more on cosmetics than 10 years ago.
READING ONE
Read the first part of the article and underline all the different things that men do to make
themselves ‘beautiful’.
Men’s Beauty is Big Business
If you think the world of face creams, beautiful fingernails and silky-smooth legs is
exclusively female, think again. As sales of men’s health and fashion magazines
continue to grow at a huge rate, more and more men are queueing up at health spas
and gyms for complete make-overs. ‘Lots of men are no longer embarrassed to use
products or services that make them look and feel better,’ said one enthusiastic
beauty consultant. Body hair removal, manicures, pedicures, teeth whitening and
liposuction, to name just a few, are all now in high demand. Modern man is even
plucking his eyebrows to complete the well-groomed experience. So, what is the
explanation for this? Why are men spending more on pampering their bodies than
on CD collections and DVDs?
Compare what you underlined with a partner. Do you know what all those things are?
What is your explanation for men’s growing interest in their appearance?
Now read the second part of the article to see if it gives the same explanation:
According to some, the explanation is quite simple. Twenty years ago, the only
beautiful role models in the media were women. Now, magazines covers
displaying half-dressed male models with six-packs, tans and perfect hair, have
persuaded men they are missing out on something. In other words, it’s just clever
advertising.
Others offer a more profound explanation. As traditional roles between men and
women at home and at work become less distinct, men are looking for new ways to
express either their masculinity or their new-found feminine side.
The masculine expression leads to joining a gym and building muscle, the feminine
expression leads to moisturizing creams and beautiful nails. These days it seems to
be a combination of both. You could argue that the modern man is quite simply –
confused!
So, are men just victims of the advertising industry, or are they trying to re-invent
themselves? Or is it just that women have been right all along – men are vainer?
Now they have the proof. What do you think?
Functional vocabulary
to queue up
to pamper
a six-pack
to become less distinct
to build muscle
to re-invent oneself
to work out at the gym
to stay in shape
to take pride in sth
to put on weight
Language focus
1.Explain what the italicized words the italicized words in the following statesments:
1. Men are queueing up at health spas and gyms …
2. …pampering their bodies …
3. Male models with six-packs …
4. As traditional roles between men and women become less distinct ...
5. ... joining a gym and building muscle …
6. … men are trying to re-invent themselves …
2.Two of the expressions below mean that you are not looking after yourself properly.
Which ones?
watch what you eat
put on weight
let yourself go
take regular exercise
stay in shape
pamper yourself
work out at the gym
use body lotions
take
pride
in
your
appearance
3.Now complete the text below with the correct form of verbs from the expressions above.
Can you do it without looking back at the expression s?
Since my brother reached 40 he 1) … himself go a bit. He 2) … a lot of
weight. I’ve told him he’s got to start 3) … what he eats and start looking after
himself. I think it’s important to 4) … pride in your appearance. I want to 5) …
in shape so I 6) … regular exercise and 7) … at the gym. I also 8) … myself
occasionally – I have a massage once a month, for example. But I do not 9) …
body lotions or shave my legs or anything like that. I mean, there are limits!
Speech activities
Vanity Survey
1. Read the following questions. You get 1 point for each ‘yes’ answer. Decide in
class how many ‘yes’ answers mean:
I am normal = … points
I am vain = … points
I am extremely vain = … points
1. Do you stop and look at yourself in shop windows?
2. Do you go to the hairdresser’s more than once a month?
3. Have you ever dyed your hair?
4. Do you use hair gel or a similar product?
5. Have you ever had a manicure or a pedicure?
6. Do you use a hand cream?
7. Do you use any face creams?
8. Have you ever used make-up?
9. Do you pluck your eyebrows?
10.Have you ever shaved a part of your body – other than your face?
11.Do you use expensive deodorant or after-shave?
12.Do you work out at the gym or in your bedroom?
13.Would you consider having any sort of cosmetic surgery?
14.Do you buy fashion magazines or health and fitness magazines?
15.Is any part of your body pierced – nipples? navel? nose? other?
2.Work in pairs asking each other the questions. How many points did you score?
3. Answer the following questions:
1. Do you think men have a feminine side?
2. Do you think more men are ‘discovering’ it?
3. Do women need to discover their ‘masculine side’?
READING TWO
What legal rights do gays have in your country? Can they get married? Can they inherit
from a partner? Can they adopt children? Can they get a mortgage on a house together?
Read the text and express your ideas on the problems highlighted in it.
Gay families
A few months ago millionaire couple Tony Barlow and Barrie Drewitt shocked
many people when they became the first gay couple to father children. The couple
had twin girls, Aspen and Saffron using eggs donated by a woman who wished to
help the men have their own family. Adoption agencies in Britain had decided the
couple were unsuitable parents, but the men went to the United States where they
had more success. They had no problem finding a surrogate mother and the girls
were born in Los Angeles the following year. After complex legal arguments, the
US Supreme Court ruled that the men could be named as the parents on the twins’
birth certificates.
When the children were brought back to Britain, the men faced further legal
difficulties as the British authorities refused to grant automatic entry rights to the
twins. Despite all these problems, the men have now provoked further outrage
from those who claim to defend traditional family values as they have announced
that they intend to have a third child.
The men currently have 24 embryos which were frozen before the birth of their
twin daughters, and although they have fallen out with the surrogate mother who
carried the twins, they have now found another woman who has agreed to carry a
child for them.
‘We adore having children,’ Mr Drewitt said yesterday, ‘and if it turns out to be
twins again it will be even more wonderful. The new baby will be a biological
brother or sister to Aspen and Saffron. The only difference will be the surrogate
mother.’ In contrast, an official church spokesman said, “We would still argue that
the best place for children to grow up would be within a traditional family
context.”
Functional vocabulary
to become the first gay
couple to father children
to donate
an adoption agencies
an (un)suitable parent(s)
to find a surrogate mother
to be named as the parents
legal difficulties/arguments
a biological brother/ sister
to provoke further outrage
an embryo
to carry a child for sb
Language focus
1. Explain the meaning of the following phrases used in the text. Translate them into
Russian/Belarusian:
– to father children ;
– to carry a child for sb;
– an embryo ;
– to provoke outrage;
– to be named as …;
– a biological brother/ sister
2. Translate into English, using your functional vocabulary.
– to father children ;
– a surrogate mothe;
– legal difficulties
– legal arguments;
– to carry a child for sb;
– an embryo;
– unsuitable parents;
– to provoke outrage;
– traditional family
Speech activities
1. In your opinion, what could be the best headline for the article under discussion?
US ALLOWS ADOPTION BY GAYS
GAY FATHERS FACE DISCRIMINATION
OUTRAGE AS GAYS PLAN THIRD CHILD
2. Define the following as true or false true (T), false (F) or don’t know (?):
1. Barrie and Tony couldn’t adopt a child in Britain.
2. The British authorities did not want to let the men back in the country.
3. Barrie and Tony and the twins live with the twins’ mother.
4. Not everyone is happy about Barrie and Tony’s plans.
3. Answer the following questions using your active vocabulary:
1. How do you feel about Barrie and Tony being parents?
2. Do you agree that ‘the best place for children to grow up is within a
traditional family context?
3. What is a traditional family? Is it the same as 20 years ago?
4. Do you agree with the following statements?
1. Barrie and Tony are good and bad parents. Gay parents aren’t automatically
bad – or good.
2. Two women could raise a family but not two men. They would be useless
without a woman.
3. A lot of people grow up in a single-parent family – two parents must be
better than that!
5.Discuss how you would express the same idea in your own language.
 Love is blind.
 To be over the moon.
 To see the world through rose coloured spectacles.
 To have your head in the clouds.
 To be on cloud nine.
 To have your feet (firmly) on the ground.
READING THREE
Read the article and underline anything you think is a good argument for or against gay
marriages.
Let’s Get Married
. . . . “We have a mortgage together, we have a cat together, we’re no different
from the neighbours, so why can’t we get married?’ one gay man told reporters
outside the Vermont courtroom in the United States. A large group of gay couples
were at the court to hear whether the state would change the law and allow same-
sex marriages. Many expressed their frustration at not being allowed marital status.
‘We want to get married for the same reason as everyone else – we’re in love.”
A woman campaigner for gay rights said, “Why do people want to stop gay
people getting married? It makes no difference to them, but it makes a huge
difference to a gay couple who want to make a public commitment.”
A spokeswoman for a traditional family organization said, “If we start to redefine what a marriage is, where do you draw the line? Why not say two men and a
woman can get married, or three women perhaps?”
Functional vocabulary
an affluent family
a close family
a dysfunctional family
a single-parent family
a talented family
an average family
an influential family
an ambitious family
an immediate family
an extended family
a gay coupls
marital status
to allow a same-sex marriage/family
gay rights
to make a public commitmen
Language focus
1. Match these different kinds of families with the definitions on the right e meaning
of the following phrases and use them while discussing the text:
1. an affluent family
a. They want to be successful.
2. a close family
b. Only one parent lives with the children.
3. a dysfunctional family
c. They have a lot of money.
4. a single-parent family
d. They have strong relationships.
5. a talented family
e. They have a certain amount of power.
6. an average family
f. They have a lot of personal problems.
7. an influential family
g. They’re all good at something.
8. an ambitious family
h. There’s nothing special about them.
Would you use any of the expressions above to describe your family?
Do any of the expressions above describe the family you read about earlier?
Do you live with your immediate family or do you also live with members of your
extended family? (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins etc.)
Speech activities
1. Discuss the following views of same-sex marriages. Which views are closest to
your own?
1. Gay marriage? Why not? If two people want to make a lifetime
commitment to each other, they should be allowed to.
2. It doesn’t matter that they’re gay. They’ve been together for 15 years. They
should have exactly the same rights as a normal couple. What is normal
anyway?
3. Marriage between a man and a woman is natural. If marriage stops being
natural, where will it all end? If two men can marry, why not three or four?
4. Marriage is for the procreation of children. Gay partners can’t have children
so they shouldn’t be allowed to get married.
5. I don’t care if they want to get married or not. I just wish it wasn’t all over
the newspapers.
2. What in your opinion are the similiarities/differences between the role and status
of same-sex marriages in British/American and post-Soviet society.
READING FOUR
Read the articles below and answer these questions: 1. Which article is about someone
starting a job? What’s the problem?2. Which one is about someone leaving a job? Why is
the person leaving?
Second Officer Resigns
Another senior naval officer resigned last night as a result of the Government's
decision to allow homosexuals to join the armed forces.
Commander James MacDonald< 43, who fought in the war in Bosnia, said of the
Government’s decision: “There are many good military reasons why homosexuals
should not be allowed into the armed forces. The government, however, has
chosen to make a decision for political and legal reasons.”
Commander MacDonald’s resignation came a day after Brigadier Howard Jones,
47, asked to retire early for similar reasons. Brigadier Jones said: “I have no
personal problem with homosexuals, but I do believe strongly from both a moral
and a military point of view that there is no place for them in the army. The
Government has reached its decision for no good military reason.”
Anger over Lesbian Mayor
Janis Hewitt will be ready for some strong opposition when she becomes mayor
of the small Welsh town of Llanford next week. She announced yesterday that her
lesbian partner will be mayoress.
Ms Hewitt points out that she has never made any secret of her relationship and
she sees no reason to start doing so now. “We have been together for 20 years,”
she said, “and we have never hidden the fact. It really shouldn’t be a problem.
There are more important issues, like getting a better life for people.” Gareth
James, chairman of the local Conservatives, disagrees strongly. “This has come as
quite a shock,” he said angrily. “It degrades the position of mayor. It is not the
sort of thing we associate with this town. Things like this don’t happen here.”
Functional vocabulary
homosexuals
be allowed into the armed forces
to make a decision for political and
legal reasons
strong opposition
1. Explain the meaning of the following phrases used in the text. Translate them into
Russian/Belarusian:
– to make a decision for political reasons;
– to make a decision for legal reasons;
– strong opposition;
– to be allowed into sth;
– a homosexual.
2.Look through the articles again and underline all the expressions with the word
“reason”. One of the following patterns is wrong. Which one?
 I see no reason to worry about it.
 I see no reason not to employ her.
 I see no reason why he shouldn’t work here.
 I see no reason of changing my mind.
 I see no reason for getting upset about it.
3. Put these expressions into the sentences below:
the real reason
some reason
one good reason
no reason
1. I can’t think of … why we shouldn’t give him the job. He's the ideal candidate.
2. Nobody knows … why he decided to resign, but there are lots of rumours
around.
3. You can’t sack someone for … . If you do, you’ll be breaking the law.
4. For … he thinks gays can’t do the job properly, but he can’t explain why.
4. Delete the word or phrases which does not fit this sentence:
She had to leave her job for personal, financial, medical, powerful, a number of
reasons.
Speech activities
1.Define the following as true or false true (T), false (F) or don’t know (?):
1. Both officers feel there are military reasons why gays should not be allowed
in the armed forces.
2. Brigadier Jones has a personal dislike of homosexuals.
3. Janis Hewitt’s lesbian relationship has been a secret for 20 years.
2. Do you think that there are any jobs which homosexuals should not be allowed to
do? Consider these:
3.
teacher
priest
nurse
child minder
TV presenter
politician
doctor
police officer
 Do you think people should have to declare their sexuality when applying
for any of those jobs? If so, which ones?
 Think of three reasons why an employer might not employ someone who is
gay. Are any of these good reasons?
 Would you employ a gay person? Why? Why not?
 Can you think of any jobs which a gay person would be better at than
someone who was straight (heterosexual)?
 Have you ever worked with someone who was gay? Was their sexual
orientation a problem?
 How do you feel about Barrie and Tony being parents?
 Do you agree that ‘the best place for children to grow up is within a
traditional family context?
 What is a traditional family? Is it the same as 20 years ago?
READING FIVE
Read the article below and answer the questions: 1. Why was Lisa Jones banned from the
pub? 2. Will she go back to the pub now?
Landlord Pays out over Transsexual Ban
The British pub landlord has always had the right to choose who he serves drinks
to. But that right may have ended yesterday when David Woodhead, landlord of
the Jacob’s Well pub in Honley, West Yorkshire, decided to remove his ban on
customer Lisa Jones rather than face a court case and charges of sexual
discrimination.
Mr Woodhead had banned Ms Jones, a transsexual, because she made his
regular customers feel uncomfortable as they sat at the bar of his small village pub.
43-year-old Ms Jones, a 182-centimetre-tall father of two, who has been living as a
female for the last 18 months, had never gone to the Jacob’s Well as a man but
started going recently with a friend.
After her first appearance, customers began to feel uncomfortable about
sharing conversations with her. Women customers in particular were unhappy that
she was using the ladies’ toilet. Although living as a woman, she has not had a sex
change operation.
Mr Woodhead said, “I had to do something. My job is to make sure that the
majority of the customers enjoy what they have come for.” After the ban, Jones
took the landlord to court on the grounds of sexual discrimination. Mr Woodhead
settled out of court, paying Jones £1000 compensation and giving her a letter of
apology and an invitation to return to the club.
Yesterday Ms Jones said the decision was “brilliant” but she would not be
returning to the pub. “I know I’m tall,” she said, “and my voice is not as feminine
as it should be, but I hadn’t done anything to upset the regulars. I’ve never felt so
insulted.”
Functional vocabulary
to ban
to remove a ban on sth
to face a court case
to
face
charges
of
sexual
discrimination
a transsexual
to live as a female
to feel uncomfortable about
feminine
to feel insulted
1. Explain the meaning of the following phrases used in the text. Translate them into
Russian/Belarusian:
– to remove a ban on sth;
– to live as a female;
– to feel insulted
– to face charges of sexual discrimination;
– to face a court case;
– a transsexual.
2.Match the terms:
transsexuality
an opposition to their gender identity
gender
physical
sex
part of our identity
Transsexuality, gender and sex: Although the terms are often considered
interchangeable, gender and sex are very different things. Sex is physical;
gender is a part pf our identity. A transsexual is someone whose physical sex is
in opposition to their gender identity so, for example, someone who has a male
body can say “I feel I am a woman”. A common treatment for this condition is
to change the person’s physical sex by an operation and hormone treatment.
Speech activities
1. Define the following as true or false true (T), false (F) or don’t know (?):
1. Lisa Jones has been going to the Jacob’s Well since she was 18.
2. Ms Jones made both the men and women customers feel uncomfortable.
3. Ms Jones does not sound like a woman.
2.Discuss these questions in pairs or groups. The words below will help you in the
discussion that follows. You can use them to describe how you might feel or react in a
particular situation. Check any words you do not know in your dictionary.
pleased unconcerned understanding supportive sympathetic embarrassed
shocked awkward uncomfortable upset concerned angry intrigued indignant
worried
1. Was the landlord right to ban Lisa Jones? Why? Why not?
2.If you were a regular customer, how would you have felt about Ms Jones
being in the pub?
3.Do you think it makes any difference that Ms Jones has not had a sex change
operation?
3.Work in pairs. Discuss how you would feel and what you would do in the follwing
situations. The words above may help you.
1. A close friend is about to get married. You have met their fiancé(e) and like
them very much. A week before the wedding your friend tells you (s)he is
actually marrying a transsexual.
(Would it make any difference if your friend is a man marrying a transsexual
woman or a woman marrying a transsexual man?)
2. You are sitting in a bar at a table on your own. A woman comes and sits at the
same table and you start chatting. After a while you notice that she has very big
hands, rather a deep voice and obviously shaves.
3. One of your friends is having a party. She rings you up and tells you that all
the men have to dress as women and all the women have to dress as m en.
4. You have been out a few times with a member of the opposite sex. You have
seen a couple of films together and been out for drinks a few times. You get on
very well and find this person quite attractive. You go out for dinner together
one evening and (s)he tells you that (s)he is transsexual.
5. You have offered an important job in your company to a well-qualified
woman who performed very well at the interview. She accepts the job and at the
same time she says: “Perhaps I should tell you that until three years ago I was a
man.”
6. Your best friend suddenly tells you that (s)he is going to have a sex change
operation. This is a complete surprise as your friend has never told you of any
worries about gender identity.
READING SIX
Do you know of any countries where abortion is illegal?What is the legal position in your
country regarding abortion? Which of the following is closest to your own view of
abortion?
1. I am deeply, morally against it.
2. I don’t see anything wrong with it.
3. I don’t feel strongly either way.
4. I think it depends on individual circumstances.
As you read about this young woman’s experience, try to answer this question: Was her
decision a positive one or one she regrets?
Why I Had an Abortion
The reason I had an abortion was because I knew I was far too young to have a
baby – it was the wrong stage of life. I could have taken care of a baby because
teenagers do it all the time. But basically, I didn’t want a baby. I wanted to wait
until I was married so that my husband and I could give our baby all the love and
care it needed. I don’t think I was ready for all the responsibilities of motherhood.
There were so many other things going on in my life at the time. It wouldn’t have
been fair to the baby if I couldn’t be there for it. There was also a chance my
boyfriend and I would break up and the baby would grow up without a father. And
it wasn’t fair on my mother who would have had to help bring the child up. I also
had big plans to go away to university to train as a nurse. I knew that would be
virtually impossible with a baby. I listened to my heart and after lots and lots of
soul-searching, I knew abortion was the right answer for me. (a fifteen-year-old
girl)
Functional vocabulary
an abortion
to take care of a baby
motherhood
to listen to one’s heart
soul-searching
pro-life
pro-choice
foetus
Language focus
3. Explain the meaning of the following phrases used in the text. Translate them into
Russian/Belarusian:
– to soul-search;
– motherhood;
– an abortion
– an embryo ;
– foetus;
2. Match the words on the left with the definitions on the right:
1. foetus
a. in favour of a woman’s right to have an abortion
2. expecting
b. a baby before it is born
3. pro-life
c. against abortion
4. pro-choice
d. pregnant
Speech activities
1. In your opinion, the girl acted responsibly? Why / Why not? Here is the opinion of a
retired British doctor. She worked as a doctor both while abortion was illegal and for
about 30 years after it was legalized.
“…Before abortion was made legal, all my colleagues and I were in favour of it,
but over the years my views have changed. I think it should still be legal, but
young girls today are using it as another form of contraception. That is wrong and
it was never the intention of the reformers that this should happen.”
How do you react to the doctor’s view?
How do doctors in your country feel about this issue?
2.Look at the text again and match the reasons the girl gives for having the abortion:
1. I was far
a. without a father.
2. I wanted to wait
b. plans to go away to university.
3. I don’t think I was ready
c. too young.
4. There were so many other things
d. going on in my life.
5. It wouldn’t have been
e. until I was married.
6. It was the wrong
f. fair to the baby.
7. The baby would grow up
g. for all the responsibilities.
8. It wasn’t fair
h. stage of life.
9. I also had big
i. on my mother.
3. Work in pairs. Do you think any of the above reasons are good ones for having an
abortion?
READING SEVEN
Read this short article. Do you think the man has a right to do what he has done?
A Father’s Rights
A man has successfully managed to prevent his former girlfriend from having an
abortion – at least for the time being. The clinic where the operation was due to
take place agreed yesterday that they would not continue with the procedure until
further medical enquiries had taken place. Stephen Curtis, 24, took legal action
against the clinic, saying that the termination was against the Abortion Act rules
because only one doctor was consulted instead of two, and other checks on the
physical and psychological state of the woman had not taken place. Mr Curtis
took the legal action because he is opposed to abortion. His victory is only
temporary, however, as there is nothing to stop the woman going to another
clinic. He hopes to be able to persuade her to change her mind.
Functional vocabulary
a medical enquiry
to take legal action against sb
a check on the physical and
psychological state of sb
to be opposed to abortion
a temporary victory
Language focus
4. Explain the meaning of the following phrases used in the text. Translate them into
Russian/Belarusian:
– to check on one’s physical state
– to check on one’s psychological state;
– a legal action ;
– an abortion
– a temporary victor;
– a medical enquiry
2. Match the words on the left with the definitions on the right:
1. foetus
a. in favour of a woman’s right to have an abortion
2. expecting
b. a baby before it is born
3. pro-life
c. against abortion
4. pro-choice
d. pregnant
Speech activities
1. Work in pairs or small groups and decide whether you agree or disagree with the
statements below:
1. It should be the woman’s right to choose. Ultimately, it’s her body and so it’s
her decision alone.
2. If you’re mature enough to make a baby, then you’re mature enough to take
care of it.
3. A baby is still a person even before it is born.
4. Abortion is for the irresponsible.
5. I believe all life is sacred and so abortion is a criminal act to me.
6. With so many other options, like abortion, I don’t see why an abortion is ever
necessary.
7. I don’t agree with late-term abortions, but I think the so-called ‘morning-after’
pill is basically OK.
8. I don’t believe in abortion laws – it’s usually men who make them.
9. If abortion is illegal, it only means more backstreet abortions will happen and
that is dangerous for the women concerned.
10. Abortion is wrong and should be stopped at all costs, including bombing the
clinics if necessary. One doctor from an abortion clinic was shot last month. He got
what he deserved.
2.Work in pairs. Here are some arguments put forward by the ProLife Alliance in the UK.
What is your reaction to these arguments?
Your life in your mother’s womb started at conception. Your heart started to beat 3
weeks after conception. Your brain waves could be detected at 5 weeks. Your
organs were all formed at 10 weeks. Your hearing was perfect at 16 weeks. Over
180,000 abortions are performed in Britain each year. Abortion is the most
common surgical operation in the UK. 97% are of healthy babies. 90% are for
social rather than medical reasons.
READING EIGHT
Read the two articles to see if these statements are correct: 1. The police officer would like
to have stricter laws on prostitution. 2. The local councilor would like to relax the laws on
prostitution. Which argument is closer to your own opinion? Are you surprised at the
police officer’s attitude? Why? / Why not? Do you agree that prostitution is a ‘sign of great
moral weakness in our society’?
Should we Legalize Brothels?
“It’s ridiculous to try and eliminate a practice which has been going on since the
beginning of civilization. There always has been, and always will be, a demand for
prostitutes. You can’t stop it by making it illegal. The problems we have are
because prostitution is not regulated. The women involved are at risk of both
physical and emotional abuse from the pimps who ‘employ’ them. Their working
conditions are often poor and there are considerable health risks. Legalising it
would give women more control over their lives – their health, their safety and
their finances. From the police point of view, it would also mean less obvious
prostitution on the streets and a reduction in related crime such as drug dealing.
The current laws are completely impractical. It’s time they were changed.”
Helen Maddocks, senior police officer
“This is not a practical issue at all, it’s a moral one and I’m dead against any
change in the law. In fact, I think the laws should be tougher. I agree we should be
concerned about the health and safety of the women, but the plain fact is, sex for
money is wrong. Sex should not be for sale. The laws we have are not just for
stating what is allowed and not allowed, but also to show us what is good and what
is bad. Legalising prostitution creates the impression that it is a good thing. It’s a
sign of great moral weakness in our society. Prostitution may be the ‘oldest
profession’, but that doesn’t mean it should be encouraged to continue.”
Janet Boyce, local government councilor
Functional vocabulary
a brothel
to eliminate
to be at risk of both physical
and emotional abuse
a pimp
to give sb more control over
sth
a tough/ impractical law
Language focus
1.Explain the meaning of the following phrases used in the text. Translate them into
Russian/Belarusian:
– to to eliminate abortion;
– to to be at risk;
– a brothel;
– a tough law;
– a pimp;
– to give women more control over their lives.
2. Match the words on the left with the definitions on the right:
1. a prostitute
a. someone paid to go out socially with other
people
2. a pimple
b. a house where men pay to have sex with
prostitutes
3. a red-light district
c. a person who agrees to have sex in return for
money
4. a brothel
d. part of a town where there are many
prostitutes
5. a kerb-crawler
their earn
6. an escort
for a se
e. a man who controls prostitutes and lives off
earnings
f. a man who drives slowly along a road looking
sexual liaison
3. Divide these expressions with law into three groups: what the government or the police do;
what offenders or criminals do; what good citizens do.
a. tighten the law
b. break the law
c. defy the law
d. obey the law
e. observe the law
f. relax the law
g. comply with the law
h. enforce the law
i. ignore the law
j. abide by the law
k. change the law
l. disobey the law
Speech activities
1. Is prostitution a problem where you live? Is there a red-light district in your town?Read
the information in the box and discuss the questions in pairs or small groups:
At present, in Britain, a woman who sells sex on her own in a single property is not
breaking the law. However, it is illegal for a prostitute to work, or to ask for work,
in a public place. If two or more women sell sex in a single property, it is
technically a brothel, which is illegal.
What is the law in your country?Do you think it is too strict, too lenient or about right?
Why?How would you feel if you found out that a close friend or a member of your family
was working as a prostitute?
2. Look at this extract from the text:
This is not a practical issue at all, it’s a moral one.
Discuss with a partner. Is prostitution:
 a practical issue or a moral issue?
 a complicated issue or a straightforward issue?
 an important issue or a non-issue?
3.Which verb does not collocate with issue:
avoid
complicate
address
discuss
do
tackle
resolve
4. Which issues is your government addressing at the moment? Which issues is it avoiding?
Which issues do you want your government to tackle?
5. What would you say in reply to these people? Discuss with a partner.
 I don’t believe that sleeping with a prostitute is being unfaithful to my wife.
It’s only sex – nothing else. Marriage is about love.
 If someone wants to accept my money to have sex with me, what’s the
problem? It’s their life and their body. It’s my money and it’s none of your
business!
 It’s the only way dirty old men can get sex. Prostitution is for sad, sad
people. The women are sad and the men are even sadder. I’d ban it!
 Prostitution is a problem caused by name. There aren’t any prostitutes for
women. It’s men who create the problem and men who make the laws.
 Lots of girls are forced into prostitution. Often they are illegal immigrants.
They can’t go to the police because they are not in the country legally.
 I can earn £1000 a week as a prostitute. That’s about four times as much as I
would get doing a different job. So why should I stop?
 “I believe that sex is one of the mos beautiful, natural, wholesome things
that money can buy.” (Steve Martin, actor)
READING NINE
Read through the article and answer this question:Why do the Jones want a baby girl?
New Laws May Allow Choice of Baby’s Sex
Jim and Debbie Jones (not their real names), whose daughter was killed in a
tragic domestic accident last year, plan to use the new British human rights laws to
win the legal right to choose the sex of their baby.
The Jones, who have four sons, say that the ‘female dimension’ has
disappeared from their family since the death of Jasmine. “Words cannot describe
what it feels like to lose the little girl we had wanted for so long. We know another
girl won’t replace Jasmine, but we want the chance to try,” said Jim Jones. “What
we’re hoping to do with the use of technology is create the female dimension
again. We have psychologists’ reports which confirm that our reasons for wanting
a girl go beyond just wanting to replace her. Our family doesn’t feel complete any
more. I adore our sons but we would like another girl.”
Gender selection is only possible in Britain for medical rather than social,
psychological or physical reasons. Pro-life campaigners say that if the Jones are
allowed to choose the sex of their baby, it could lead to babies becoming consumer
items. A spokesman said: “We are totally opposed to engineering the numbers and
genders of people in society. That leads only to disaster.”
The Jones’ lawyers will be basing their arguments on new human rights
legislation. Article six guarantees everyone a ‘fair hearing’ from public authorities
and Article eight protects the right of everyone to ‘respect for family life.’
Functional vocabulary
to win the legal right
to choose the sex of one’s
baby
to create a female dimension
to feel complete
gender selection
pro-life campaigners
to become a consumer item
to be opposed to genders
engineering
Language focus
1.Explain the meaning of the following phrases used in the text. Translate them into
Russian/Belarusian:
– to to eliminate abortion;
– to to be at risk;
– a pro-life campaigner;
– a gender selection;
– a genders engineering;
– to create a female dimension.
2. Cross out the word in italics which does not collocate with right:
1. You can have, win, protect, demand, build, defend, challenge the right to
choose.
2. It’s a(n) legal, moral, straight, automatic, basic right.
Speech activities
1. Do
you think the Jones should be allowed to choose a baby girl? Why? Why not? Discuss
this question in pairs or small groups.
2.Mark the following sentences true (T) or false (F):
1. The Jones feel they need a baby girl to make their family complete again.
2. At the moment in Britain it is not possible to choose the sex of your baby.
3. New laws on human rights may allow the Jones to choose the sex of their baby.
2. Look at this extract from the text:
This is not a practical issue at all, it’s a moral one.
3. Look at the sentences below. Mark them in the following way:
+
if you agree
-
if you disagree
?
if you partly agree and partly disagree
Compare your answers in pairs or small groups.
1. An inborn child has rights. Those rights must be protected.
2. We don’t have the right to interfere with a child’s future personality and
appearance.
3. Deciding the sex of your child will be a basic right in fifty years’ time.
4. We should have the automatic right to choose particular genes for our own
babies.
4. Work in pairs or small groups. In each of the following situations someone is explaining
what genetic selection they want to make and why. Decide whether you think they should
be allowed to do what they want. Are you fascinated or horrified by this topic?
1. There is a history of red hair in my family. I have red hair and I was badly teased
at school. I would like to make sure my child does not have red hair.
2. My four-year-old daughter, my only child, has a fatal blood disease. She will die
before she is 12 unless we can find a match for a bone marrow transplant. I want to
make sure my next baby is a suitable match for my daughter.
3. In my family there is a history of a fatal disease that affects the nervous system.
I want to make sure that my baby is not likely to get this disease.
4. I’m a university professor and my husband is a doctor. We’d like to make sure
our baby is intelligent.
5. The male members of my family often suffer from a rare and unpleasant bone
disease. I would therefore like to make sure I have a baby girl.
6. I feel there is too much violence and aggression in the world. I would like to
make sure my child is a calm and gentle person.
7. I would like to have a very musical or artistic daughter. She should have blonde
hair, blue eyes and be about medium height when she grows up.
8. I suffer from a genetic disease which I inherited from my mother. My children
have a one in five chance of having the same gene. Before I start a family, I want
to have treatment to make sure I do not pass on this gene.
Section 3. Sexism
Starter activity
Are you fascinated or horrified by the idea that “We will still have sex for pleasure, of
course, but we will view our children as too damn important to leave it to a random
meeting of sperm and egg.” (Greg Stock, UCLA professor of procreation)
READING ONE
Read the article and underline all the different issues related to sexism. Make sure you
understand the concept.
While women are a majority in numbers, they are a minority group because of their
social, economic, and political disadvantage in comparison to men. Women are
victims of sexism – the systematic subordination of persons on the bias of their
sex. Sexism is displayed on one level through male chauvinism. This term refers
to attitudes and actions through which males display their sense of superiority over
women. On another level is institutional sexism, wherein the subordination of
women is built into societal institutions. Institutional sexism involves ongoing
organizational routine in such areas as the economy, politics and education.
Male chauvinism and institutional sexism are justified by an ideology that says that
biology is destiny. This ideology holds that there are basic biological and
psychological differences between the sexes which require that men and women
play quite different roles in social life. Women, allegedly the weaker sex, belong
in the home or performing women’s work in the labor force. In order for the
human species to reproduce, they must strive to fulfill the role of sex object.
Despite the claims of this ideology, it is not true that differences between men and
women require each to play such sex-delineated roles in social life. Gender roles
vary from society to society, and role differences are largely learned rather than
biologically based.
Women’s acceptance of unequal treatment and the biology-is-destiny ideology has
primarily been due to everyday socialization practices. From birth, girls and boys
are treated differently in the family as parents impart their own sense of what it
means to be male or female. Gender role differentiation by parents helps create
personality and behavioral differences that would not otherwise exist. Parental
influence is supplemented by the experience of schooling. From sports activities
to curricula and textbooks, children are reminded of gender role differences. In the
classroom and in dating relationships, girls are likely to find that successful
performance of the female role requires them to avoid competing with men and to
see themselves as something less than men.
Institutional sexism has economic effects. More and more women have been
entering the labor force. Many are married; some have children at home; others are
widowed divorced, separated, or single. Despite their labor-force participation,
women earn substantially less than men. They are overrepresented in low status,
low-paid jobs. Even when they are in more desirable professional and technical
positions, women earn less than men on average. The labor market is divided along
sex lines as employers take advantage of the biology-is-destiny ideology and treat
women differently from men. The main beneficiaries of sexism in this case are
employers, who are able to profit by keeping labor costs down. The drive toward
pay on the basis of comparable worth could greatly improve women’s status in the
labor market.
Millions of women remain homemakers. The economic value of their labor goes
largely unrecognized. In the absence of their unpaid labor, men would be forced to
demand far higher wages to pay for housekeeping and child care services and
would be more restricted in their hours and work-related travel. Employers benefit
from this unpaid labor, for in essence they get two workers for the price of one.
Meanwhile, business and industry appeal to the spending ability of housewives
(and women working outside the home as well) by stressing consumption. Sales
appeals attack women’s sense of personal adequacy and play on dissatisfactions
imposed by the burdens of housework. Advertising reinforces stereotyped sex roles
and seeks to take advantage of these roles. While such activities may be profitable,
they contribute to the biology-is-destiny ideology.
Institutional sexism operates in the political system, where women are collectively
excluded from positions of power. The American legal system only peripherally
recognizes the economic plight of women and their rights as citizens. The
composition of the political system helps account for this. At the federal level,
women are grossly underrepresented in key policymaking positions from the White
House, to Congress, to the courts. The situation is similar at the state and local
levels. The exclusion of women from central positions in politics renders them the
weaker sex when it comes to having their concerns taken seriously and acted on.
With the development of the women’s movement in the mid-1960s, women’s
economic and political subordination has come under attack. The women’s
movement has consisted of a variety of groups and factions, all concerned with the
treatment of women but reflecting a range of political perspectives. The liberal
feminist faction has sought increased participation of all women in economic and
political life. The radical feminists see men as the enemy and are concerned with
liberating women from roles associated with male dominance – for example,
within marriage. Socialist feminists hold that sexism stems from and is crucial to
the operation of capitalism; they argue that men and women must struggle together
for a socialist alternative.
The women’s movement as a whole has made many gains, particularly in raising
people’s consciousness of sexism and encouraging women to struggle against
social, economic, and political domination. However, its gains are still outweighed
by the continuing presence of male chauvinism and institutional sexism. In recent
years a number of men have also begun to question their sex-delineated roles.
These roles can be highly demanding, despite the opportunities and benefits that
often accrue to men in a sexist society. The responsibilities of manhood can be a
source of stress. More egalitarian interpersonal relationships, in which both sexes
share in confronting problems, should ideally reduce the burdens of being a man.
Both men and women stand to benefit from joining in the battle against sexism.
Women’s economic disadvantage must be addressed by expanding job
opportunities and child-care facilities. The economic contributions of homemakers
must be recognized in material terms. Employment discrimination must be more
directly and aggressively attacked, and antidiscrimination laws more quickly and
efficiently enforced. Pressure must be put on government to employ and appoint
more women to top positions, while women and men should do more to make
sexism an issue in election campaigns. Finally, schools and colleges have an
important role to play. Though more and more children are being taught that
biology is not destiny, they are not being taught how to struggle against sexism. It
is worth making schools part of the women's movement.
Functional Vocabulary
sexism
male chauvinism
allegedly
sex-delineated roles
to impart
to supplement
to raise one’s consciousness
to outweigh
to accrue
Language Focus
1. Identify the following ideas using the words from the functional vocabulary:
1. to increase over a period of time;
2. to add smth to smth in order to improve it or make it more complete;
3. the unfair treatment of people, especially women, because of their sex;
4. to pass information, knowledge, etc. to other people
5. to be greater or more important than smth;
6. supposedly;
7. the belief held by some men that men are more important, intelligent, etc. than
women.
2.Join the words to make word combinations.
1. victims
a) people’s consciousness
2. male
b) influence
3. to display
c) ideology
4. biology-is-destiny
d) of sexism
5. the weaker
e) facilities
6. sex-delineated
f) chauvinism
7. parental
g) one’s sense of superiority
8. to raise
h) roles
9. to exclude
i) sex
10. child-care
j) from positions of power
Speech Activities
1. Answer the following questions:
1. In your experience, what are the most common ways in which male chauvinism
is expressed? How do you feel about being subject to or witnessing expressions of
male chauvinism?
2. Make a list of all the advantages of being male that can think of. Make a list of
all the advantages of being a female. Which list is longer?
3. Should women be paid for the work they do as housewives? Why? If you think
they should be paid, who should pay them, and how should the value of their labor
be determined?
4. Obtain a selection of men’s, women’s, and general circulation magazines from
your home, dorm, or library. Examine the advertisements-photographs and texts
and discuss the attitudes they project toward male and female sex roles.
5. If sexism has dubious benefits for, and may even harm, many men, why do not
more men see the struggle against sexism as in their self-interest? Under what
conditions could this situation change?
READING TWO
Research in politics has tended to overlook the gendered nature of institutions, collectivities
and political theories. Nirmal Puwar remedies the situation with her research on women in
the House of Commons and poses questions for the future.
Making Space for Women in the House
The study of the social background of political elites is part of a long-standing
tradition of political research (Stanworth and Giddens 1974). Researchers have
collated social data on the education, family background and social networks of
political leaders, in order to compare the character of various elites. Studies of
MPs, for example, have shown the preponderance of Oxbridge and public school
education.
Does background count?
The social background of MPs has often been described as involving an ‘old boys’
network’. Countless political biographies and autobiographies have described
relations within Parliament, in terms of the alliances and conflicts, but, there has
not been one in-depth anthropology of gender relations in what is often rather
proudly referred to as the ‘Mother of all Parliaments’. The fact that very few
mothers have entered this Parliament has received little attention.
Even those feminist scholars who have started to collect figures and facts on
the gender of political institutions and parties have not researched how the male
majority genders the character and social interactions of the House of Commons
(Lovenduski and Norris 1996).
Investigating gender relations in the House
Scholars working on the question of masculinities have looked at how public
bureaucracies have evolved in conjunction with predominant forms of masculinity
(Hearn 1992). What we require, and what this article seeks to offer, is an analytical
investigation of gender relations in the House of Commons. As the number of
women MPs has increased, an analysis of the coexistence of women in what one
female MP described to me as ‘…an institution built by men in men’s image…’
(Interviewee 26: Labour) has become especially pertinent.
Research interviews
The interviews I conducted with 35 women MPs in the 1992 – 97 Parliament
highlighted three aspects of the gender regime in the House of Commons. First of
all, there was a widespread feeling that women needed to occupy positions of
political power in all their varied roles, not just as backbenchers, but also as
ministers and secretaries of state. Despite the presence of a woman Prime Minister
(Margaret Thatcher, 1979 – 90), progress was extremely slow in this area. Second,
women MPs felt that some of the men had not yet quite accepted that the House of
Commons is a political space that women are entitled to occupy as equals. Third,
women MPs criticized the ways and means of the House itself. They argued that its
organizational structures and procedures have to take into account that the
members are no longer ‘gentlemen’ and have very different domestic roles to fulfil
outside the House. Taking these perspectives into account, gender relations in the
House of Commons will be deconstructed in this article from three dimensions:
(1) the spaces that women have occupied in the House of Commons;
(2) the male/MP script;
(3) the masculine practices and procedures.
(1) Making space in the House of Commons
Feminists have seen the predominance of men in top positions as an important
aspect of patriarchal societal structures and relations (Lovenduski and Norris 1996,
Connell 1987). They have argued that the concentration of men in the top layers of
public institutions, including politics, fosters an unequal society in which men have
an unfair advantage over women.
Numbers of women
At the last election the number of women elected to the British Parliament almost
doubled from 63 before the election to 120. In the present Parliament 18% of MPs
are women. At the time of the general election newspaper headlines characterised
this change as a ‘seismic shift’ in politics.
‘Women start to beat back pinstripe hordes’ (Financial Times, 4 May 1997)
‘An army of New Women march in with New Labour” (Evening Standard, 2 May
1997)
‘Winning women to overturn male culture of Commons’ (Guardian, 3 May 1997)
The 1999 results of the newly created Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly
support this trend. Out of a total of 60 members elected to the welsh Assembly 24
were women. In the Scottish parliament 49 of the 129 MSPs (38%) are women.
Women have been eligible for election to the House of Commons only since the
passing of the Parliament (Qualification of Women) Bill in 1918. The first woman
to be elected was Countess Constance Markievicz, a Sinn Fein member for the St
Patrick’s division of Dublin. In common with the other members of her party,
however, she never took up her seat. The first woman to take her seat in Parliament
was Viscountess Astor, who was elected as a Conservative member for the Sutton
division of Plymouth in 1919 in a by-election caused by her husband’s accession to
a peerage on the death of his father.
Since then, progress has undoubtedly been slow. The number of women barely
altered between 1945 and 1983, and the main growth has been since then. The
increase in 1997 was due to the large number of women elected as Labour MPs.
Their numbers rapidly expanded from 37 to 102. Two of these Labour MPs are
black women. By contrast, the number of Conservative women in Parliament
declined at the last general election from 20 to 13.
Out of the total of 120, 71 are new MPs and 49 were in the old Parliament. Five of
the new MPs are Conservative, one is a Liberal Democrat and 64 are Labour. This
massive increase in the number of Labour women was the result of a deliberate
policy. At the 1993 Labour Party Conference the party committed itself to the
contentious policy of all-women shortlists in half of the winnable seats and half of
the seats where MPs were retiring.
Because of legal action taken to an industrial tribunal by a male Labour Party
candidate, who claimed sexual discrimination against him, this policy is no longer
in operation. Despite this setback, it could be said that the policy has in some ways
achieved its objectives. Thirty-one Labour women were selected from all-women
shortlists, and women MPs now form what feminists have termed a ‘critical mass’.
A critical mass
The theory of a critical mass has been used by feminists to signify points at which
women in traditionally male-dominated political organizations can affect the
political regime. Looking at Scandinavian politics, where women have achieved
higher forms of representation than anywhere else in the world, Dahlerup (1988)
argued that women constituted a critical mass once they numbered more that 15%
of the parliamentary group. This critical mass could have the potential to initiate
changes in the organizational structures, gender relations and political agendas.
The average percentage of women in Nordic Parliaments is 36.4%, with Sweden
having the highest in the world at 40.4%.
After the 1997 election, as women occupied 18% of the seats in the British
Parliament, some feminists, perhaps overoptimistically, expected this new critical
mass to result in a programme of changes that would counter the male bias.
Power positions
A survey of the positions held by women MPs in the House of Commons reveals
that women have experienced what studies on power relations of work have termed
vertical and horizontal segregation. Vertical segregation refers to gender divisions
in jobs with higher status and income, with women being concentrated at the lower
levels and men at the higher levels of work hierarchies. Horizontal segregation
refers to the existence of gender differences in areas of work. So, for instance,
women in Britain are more likely to be employed in the retail sector than in the
building sector (Crompton and Sanderson 1990).
In politics, very few women have occupied positions at the higher levels of the
hierarchy. Until 1997 there had been only on female Prime Minister and eight
Cabinet ministers (Margaret Bonfield, Ellen Wilkinson, Margaret Thatcher,
Barbara Castle, Shirley Williams, Virginia Bottomley, Gillian Shephard and
Baronness Young, who was a member of the Lords). In 1992 Betty Boothroyd
became Speaker of the House – the first time that this prominent position had been
held by a woman. In 1997, the inclusion of five women in Tony Blair’s first
Cabinet (Ann Taylor, Clare Short, Marjorie Mowlam, Margaret Beckett and
Harriet Harman) was quite a breakthrough, given that only eight women had
achieved Cabinet rank in the previous 80 years.
The sexual stereotyping of men’s work and women’s work in wider society is
reflected in the horizontal segregation of the political arena. Throughout society,
women tend to enter specific types of occupations that reflect their conventional
domestic role expectations: teaching, health work, social work and so on. Women
in government have traditionally been allocated ‘social’ portfolios with
responsibilities clustered in pensions, social security, education and health. They
have been less likely to hold positions in defence, sport, foreign affairs and the
‘heavy’ economic portfolios.
Things are changing, however, and the Blair Cabinets have represented some
notable female firsts: Margaret Beckett as President of the Board of Trade, Ann
Taylor as Leader of the House of Commons and President of the Council and Mo
Mowlam in the high-profile post of Northern Ireland Secretary. In 1999 Kate Hoey
managed to enter a predominantly male area by becoming Minister of Sport.
Women are increasingly being included in matters to do with the economy (for
instance, in the Treasury, out of a staff of seven three are women). Despite these
changes, there is still a tendency for women to be clustered in the ‘caring’ areas,
and there are still many spaces that women have never occupied. There has never
been a female Chancellor of the Exchequer, Home Secretary, Defence Secretary,
Welsh Secretary, Scottish Secretary or Foreign Secretary. In positional terms, then,
whilst some glass ceilings are shifting, many are still intact.
(2) The male/MP script
The segregation of women MPs reflects attitudes to the inclusion of women in the
House. There is an assumption that the ‘natural’ occupant of the position of Mp is
a man, and that if women are going to enter this male position they should be
placed in spaces that are associated with the more ‘feminine’/’softer’ areas of life.
In h opinion of one female MP (Interviewee 19: Labour), some male MPs thought
that the role of MP is most successfully fulfilled by men and that ‘women can’t cut
it, or, if women can cut it, they have to be cut off, sharpish’. This male opinion is
manifested territorially, with many women thinking that men treat the House of
Commons as a male space. One said that ‘they feel deeply uncomfortable about
our presence’ (Interviewee 18: Labour), and another thought that they saw women
MPs as ‘a bit of a threat’ (Interviewee 20: Labour).
Women have been rare in Parliament and are viewed as something of an anomaly.
Even before 1997, one woman claimed that everybody was still trying to come to
terms ‘with the newness of women in this place’ (Interviewee 19: Labour) because
it seemed strange to see women in a ‘natural’ domain of men. In a sense, women
are ‘Space Invaders’.
Suspiciously out of place
One could say that women have transgressed social roles by becoming MPs. As
women are not expected to be senior politicians, they ‘have to work twice as hard
to be considered half as good’ (Interviewee 26: Labour), Although granted
authority once they have proved themselves, ‘women have to be somehow very
special or far more capable than a man to get into that position, and I think that we
will have succeeded in getting equality for women when women can be as
mediocre as the men’ (Interviewee 23: Labour). Under the spotlight women’s
mistakes are much more likely to be noticed. Some of the women felt that some of
the men were just waiting for them to make a mistake.
Wider societal perceptions of male and female roles feed into perceptions of
women’s abilities as MPs. Women are associated with the private, domesticated,
caring and nurturing social roles, while men are linked to the more public roles.
This male, middle-class, public realm is organized around values of
professionalism, rationality and formal debate and is permeated by male attitudes
and masculine assumptions.
These traditional gender divisions are perpetuated through the mass media, which
seem unable to dissociate women from traditional familial roles. Press photos of all
the Labour women MPs with Tony Blair were famously captioned “Blair’s babes’.
When Helen Liddell was the Treasury Economic Secretary, she was described as
having a ‘girlish giggle’ and a ‘mumsy image’. The article also made much play of
the fact that she had been dubbed ‘Stalin’s granny’ by Scottish Labour MPs
(Guardian, 17 May 1997).
Men behaving badly
The familial and sexual roles of women are part and parcel of the way in which
women MPs are perceived by their male colleagues. They ‘still make sexist
remarks… Women are still commented upon in the same fairly simplistic,
mindless, coarse terms that you might find in the football terraces… Men are
behaving badly here, just as they are anywhere else’ (Interviewee 26: Labour)
Women’s sexuality is utilised by men to attack women on the oppositional
benches; it can be used as an additional source of fuel during the exchange of
political fire. One interviewee referred to the ‘yah-boo and Billy Bunter’
atmosphere in the commons, with abusive comments being made about women’s
bodies ‘in a way that no one would ever comment on the men – as sort of sexual
objects – as they are standing up and speaking. I mean, it just doesn’t cross you r
mind, you know. But the women’s sexuality is with them all the time. It’s a
difference. Inappropriately with them. But that’s how they look at women.
Whereas, when a man is getting up and making his speech, you don’t even think
about his body’ (Interviewee 30: Labour), ‘They would often not just tackle what
she was saying in a debate, they would make remarks about her clothes, her hair
and her make-up. You know, all very disgusting’ (Interviewee 16: Labour). Even
though this kind of behaviour was seen as being mainly confined to the
Conservative benches in the Chamber, it wasn’t altogether absent on the Labour
side.
(3) Male practices and procedures
Many of the interviewees stressed that the organizational and procedural structures
of the House of Commons were arcane and old –fashioned. They were made by
and for men of a different era and needed modernising. Historically, Westminster
has evolved in a line with other public bureaucracies as a male space; it has often
been referred to as ‘the best gentlemen’s club in the world’. Its historical
development has certainly been connected to specific class-based masculinities. In
many ways, it still resembles the male elite public schools and Oxbridge colleges:
it has a rifle range, a chess club and a fagging system – but it has no crèche. The
debating chambers at Oxbridge are modeled on the House of Commons Chamber.
Some women MPs are questioning the efficiency of old rituals. One of them said,
‘I don’t think Parliament works at all well. I always think it’s a bit of a cross
between a public school, a theatre and a museum and it needs to change.
Obviously, that I have would change it quite dramatically’ (Interviewee 21:
Labour).
With the entry of women into the House there have had to be changes; the labels
on the lavatories have had to acknowledge the existence of MPs of both sexes.
Until very recently the House had only a barber, who was more used to shaving
than blow-drying. Following the 1997 elections, the barber was replaced by a
unisex hair dresser.
Male timing
The hours of the House are still those of an organization that has traditionally been
inhabited by men who do not have domestic responsibilities. The House does not
sit until late in the afternoon and often continues to do business throughout the
night. These arrangements have upheld the doctrine of separate public and private
spheres (Ehrenreich and English 1979). Women take care of the men’s private
lives, whilst the men take care of the public realm. This set-up is now being
questioned, as many MPs, both male and female, want to work in an organization
that is much more ‘family friendly’.
Many of the women MPs argued that the organization needed to be reconstituted,
taking members’ family commitments into account. The Jopling Bill (1995) made
some minor changes to the hours, so that the House sits at 10 a.m. on Wednesdays
and stops business before 7 p.m. on Thursdays. Most of the interviewees argued
that change on a larger scale is necessary. Some of the interviewees stated that
yearly timetable should be similar to that of some other countries in Europe, so
MPs could have 2 weeks in the constituency and 2 weeks at Westminster. This
would avoid the rushing to and from the constituency and Westminster every
Thursday night and Monday morning.
One MP, whose constituency is in Birmingham, said, ‘What I want to see is the
time that Parliament sits condensed to a smaller period, either having a 3-day week
or having some days when Parliament doesn’t sit at all. So you have 3 weeks on
and 1 week off or whatever. So you have blocks of time in Westminster and a
block of time in your constituency with your family’ (Interviewee 21: Labour).
Resistance to change
A new Modernising Committee has been formed to look at some of these matters,
although it is possible that reforms may not get far before they are blocked. Many
of the interviewees noted that the strength of male power often became most
apparent when women took on issues that challenged and attempted to diversify
the culture of the House by raising previously marginalized subjects, such as
childcare, cancer screening and domestic violence. On these occasions ‘women
will be pilloried, because of the things that they are saying and because the men
don’t like it. You know, if you are talking about issues that are specially identified
with women, that frequently brings you into difficulty in this place’ (Interviewee
11: Labour).
Issues that question the gender bias of political structures can create a backlash.
The extent of male resistance to women in top positions became most visible for
some of the women in the Labour Party when the issue of quotas for women for
the shadow Cabinet was raised. A new rule required every Labour MP to vote for
at least four women in the Shadow Cabinet elections. This is a classic example of
positive policies being sabotaged as’we see the men and, I would say, few of the
women… spread the vote so thinly that some women who have got ability just
don’t get enough votes to get on the shadow cabinet itself’ (Interviewee 31:
Labour). Resistance to change is perhaps inevitable when old boundaries and
exclusions are disputed, but it is itself a sign of movement and potential
transformation.
Conclusion: the menace of women’s presence
Whether the ‘critical mass’ of women will successfully alter policy priorities,
political discourse and the organization of the House of Commons remains to be
seen. One thing, however, is certain: the entry of women MPs into the House has
disrupted this bastion of male power. The reaction of some of the men to the
increase in numbers of women MPs illustrates how some of the old boundaries
discussed throughout this article are surfacing. To some men, women represent a
menace. One Labour Party backbencher is quoted: ‘I don’t know what they do to
the Tories, but by God they frighten me.’ Why, exactly?’ Don’t know. Just don’t
know what to make of them’(Spectator, 24 may 1997). A Conservative male MP
fears that the women ‘will start meddling in defence policy, increasing the aid
budget and deplying peace-keeping troops everywhere’ (Spectator, 24 May 1997).
Now that 120 British MPs are women, can the meaning of what it is to be an MP
ever again conjure up the image of a sea of men in grey suits? Gender relations in
the Hose of Commons, far from being already determined, are still in the process
of being reinvented. We are certainly in a stage of transition. As outsiders in the
House of Commons, women may be more likely to question the way in which this
institution has been organized. However, we need to bear in mind that women MPs
are not totally free to do what they like in this highly constraining, disciplined and
hierarchical institutional structure. Also, women are not a homogeneous grouping.
They do not all share the same opinions. If they did, I suppose we would have a
Women’s Party, but we have never had one. Nevertheless, we can be sure that the
slightest change will arouse cries from those who see British parliamentary (and
patriarchal) traditions under threat.
The research for this article was part of an ESRC-funded project (1994 – 97)on
new and established elites directed by John Scott, Professor of Sociology at the
Univrsity of Sussex. Nirmal Puwar was the Senior Research Officer of the project.
Nirmal Puwar is Senior Research Fellow in the Sociology Department at
University College, Northampton.
Functional Vocabulary
to collate data
preponderance
to evolve
pertinent
to highlight smth
Back
bencher
to deconstruct smth
to be eligible for smth
contentious
setback
sharpish
to come to terms
domain
to transgress
mediocre
to feed into
to nurture
realm
to caption smb
mumsy
to dub smb
part and parcel
to cross one’s mind
arcane
fagging system
to uphold
to pillory
backlash
to surface
to meddle in/with
to conjure up
Language Focus
1. Give synonyms to the following:
1. to correct or improve smth
2. preponderance
3. relevant
4. to analyze
5. quickly, in a short time
6. to have an influence on
7. to foster
8. an essential part of smth
9. to come into one’s mind
10. to support smth
11. threat
12. to interfere
2. Identify the following concepts using your functional vocabulary (to surface,
contentious, to collate, to conjure up, arcane, to come to terms, constituency,
backlash, backbencher, to transgress, mumsy, breakthrough, bias, setback, realm)
1. to collect information from different sources in order to examine and compare
it:
2. a member who sits in the rows of seats at the back, and who does not have an
important position in the government or opposition;
3. likely to cause disagreement between two people;
4. a difficulty or problem that delays or prevents smth, or makes a situation worse;
5. a strong feeling in favour of or against one group of people, or one side in an
argument, often not based on fair judgement;
6. an important development that may lead to an agreement or achievement;
7. to accept smth unpleasant by learning to deal with it;
8. an area of activity, interest, or knowledge;
9. to go beyond the limit of what is morally or legally acceptable;
10. (informal) having a comfortable, but dull and old-fashioned appearance;
11. (formal) secret and mysterious and therefore difficult to understand;
12. a district that elects its own representative to parliament;
13. a strong negative reaction by a large number of people, for example to smth
that has recently changed in society;
14. to suddenly appear or become obvious after having been hidden for a while
(SYN to emerge);
15. to make smth appear as a picture in your mind (SYN to evoke).
3. Match
the words from the text to make word combinations:
1) to pose
a) policy priorities
2) to collate
b) the preponderance
3) contentious
c) data on smth
4) to cross
d) the doctrine
5) fagging
e) gender relations
6) to uphold
f) questions
7) to alter
g) one’s mind
8) to conjure up
h) policy
9) to deconstruct
i) system
10) to show
j) the image of smth
Speech Activities
1. Answer the following questions:
1. As women enter a House that has historically been full of men how does the
gender of MPs affect the character of social relations within the House of
Commons?
2. Now that women have managed to enter Parliament in significant numbers what
are their conditions of existence in a place that was built by and for men?
3. Do you think a further increase in the number of women MPs will radically
change politics?
4. How do women who enter male spaces have the potential to disrupt traditions?
READING THREE
Language and gender
A
Gender awareness and vocabulary
A number of vocabulary changes are being introduced as a result of the feminist
movement and heightened awareness of the sexist nature of some English
vocabulary. David Crystal in The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English
Language writes:
Attention has been focused on the replacement of ‘male’ words with a generic
meaning by neutral items – chairman, for example, becoming chair or
chairperson.(though not without controversy) or salesman becoming sales
assistant. In certain cases, such as job descriptions, use of sexually neutral
language has become a legal requirement. There is continuing debate between
extremists and moderates as to how far such revisions should go – whether they
should affect traditional idioms such as man in the street (1) and Neanderthal Man
(2), or apply to parts of words where the male meaning of man is no longer
dominant such as manhandle (3) and woman. The vocabulary of marital status has
also been affected with the introduction of Ms as a neutral alternative to Miss or
Mrs.
(1) a typical person (could be replaced by person in the street)
(2) primitive people who lived in Europe and Asia 2.5 to 3 million years ago
(3) handle roughly, using force
Here are some examples of non-sexist variations of vocabulary:
older usage
current usage
spokesman
spokesperson
fireman
firefighter
male nurse
nurse
to man
to staff
man-hours
working hours
air hostess
flight attendant
cleaning lady
cleaner
foreman
supervisor
manpower
human resources
mankind
B
human race
Words relating to gender
words
meaning/comment
example
male, female
used for gender classification in biology
male and female
bees
masculine,
having qualities felt to be typically male or masculine pride,
feminine
female
manly,
having positive qualities felt to be typically manly strength,
womanly
male or female
womanly grace
virile
manly (usually used in a sexual context)
handsome
feminine charm
and
virile men
effeminate
resembling a woman (used of men, his
negative)
mannish
resembling
walk
a
man
(used
of
women her
negative)
a tomboy
mannish
haircut
a young girl who behaves and dresses like a She’s
boy
a
real
tomboy.
a boy who behaves like a girl, or a weak He’s
a sissy
effeminate
and cowardly person (informal, negative)
such
a
sissy.
used of men and women, aggressively butch stars of
butch
masculine
in
looks
and
behaviour cowboy films
(informal)
1. Answer these questions about the text.
1. Why do you think there have been attempts to introduce non-sexist
language of the kind described by David Crystal?
2. How would you explain this expression: male words with a generic
meaning?
3. Why do you think there might have been controversy about attempts to
change the word chairman?
4. What do more extreme advocates of making English sexually neutral want
to do that is unacceptable to the moderates?
5. Why was Ms introduced and why is it useful?
2. A modern editor would probably alter these sentences. How would this be done?
1. Three firemen helped put out a fire at a disused warehouse last night.
2. A spokesman for the Department of Education provided us with a
statement.
3. Cleaning lady wanted for house in Priory Street.
4. The switchboard is continuously manned even during holiday periods.
5. All our air hostesses are fluent in at least three languages.
6. Miss Jones is in charge of the Manpower Department of the company.
7. Policemen today spend more time in cars than on the beat.
8. Brenda’s husband is a male nurse.
9. It took a great many man-hours to clean up the stadium after the concert.
10.This was a great step for mankind.
11.The man in the street has little time for such issues.
12.They manhandled the hostage into the van.
3. Circle the best of the underlined words to complete each sentence.
1. That suit makes her look rather mannish/manly.
2. Go on, jump. Don’t be such a tomboy/sissy.
3. Younger men are said to be more male/virile than older ones.
4. She always dresses in a very feminine/effeminate way. You never see her in
trousers.
5. The masculine/male cat is less aggressive than his sister.
4. Answer these questions.
1. Does your language ever use male words generically?
2. If so, have there been attempts to change them to avoid sexual stereotyping?
3. Do you think that using sex-biased words does affect people’s attitudes to
men and women’s roles in society?
4. How do you feel about imposing language changes of the different kinds
that David Crystal describes?
5. Do terms of address (i.e. Mr, Mrs,etc.) in your language indicate whether
people are married?
6. Do you think it is better if terms of address indicate marital status or not?
Why?
7. A grammatical problem in this area is the use of he/his to refer to a person
of either sex. In the sentence ‘A government minister may have to neglect
his family.’ The minister could be a man or a woman. However the use of
‘his’ assumes, perhaps wrongly, that it is a man. How could you rewrite this
sentence to avoid this problem?
Gender Problems
Speech Functions Bank
F – Formal
Inf – Informal
I. Asking for and Giving Opinions
(i) Asking for Opinions
F
I was wondering where you stood on the question of X?
What’s your position on X?
What’s your position of X?
How do you feel about X?
What do you reckon about X?
What about X?
Inf
(ii) Giving Opinions
F
It would seem to me that
as far as I'm able to judge,
As far as I'm concerned,
From my point of view, I think
In my opinion
Personally, I think
As I see it
Frankly, I think
I reckon
Inf
+ SENTENCE
1. Make the following into questions and answers about opinions using the language
in the boxes above:
Example: What/think/new divorce law?
Personally ... awful.
What do you think of the new divorce law?
Personally, I think it’s awful.
1. What/ position/introducing paternity leaves?
As far ... judge, it won’t help matters.
2. How/feel/women being treated like second-class citizens?
From ... it’s an outdated approach.
3. I/wondering/you stood/question/Women’s Liberation movement?
As …, it has no future.
2. Use appropriate language from the boxes above to ask for and give opinions in the
following situations.
Example: Two friends – a new dishwasher
– What do you think of my new dishwasher?
– Frankly, I don’t think it'll make your life easier.
1. Conference participants - Indian practice
2. Work colleagues - new benefits for working mothers
3. Female friends - plans for their summer holidays
2. Explaining and Justifying
F
The
aim
is so that X
(main)
reason
for
motive etc.
behind
Only by DOING …
DOING
is to …
can
X DO
will
Taking into account factors like X, then + SENTENCE
You’ve got to take X into consideration.
The
main
point seems to me that + SENTENCE
most important
evident
It seems to me
that = SENTENCE
obvious
Given the circumstances
All things considered,
I think + SENTENCE
In view of X,
On the one hand … but on the other hand …
I’m convinced that
SENTENCE + because
I consider that
I’m sure that
It’s important to
keep X in mind
remember X.
Think of
Inf
Look at
X this way: + SENTENCE
+ SENTENCE
1. Make the following into statements explaining and justifying using the language
from the box above.
Example: It/obvious/a campaign like ours will be.
It seems to me obvious that a campaign like ours will be successful.
1. The main aim/holding Gay’s Conference to attract people's attention to
gender problems.
2. On/hand/women have an access to education, but on/hand they cannot
find employment.
3. All/considered/the traditional sex roles are changing.
2. Use appropriate language from the box above to make statements explaining and
justifying in the following situations.
Example: Talking to friends:
– You think it would be a good idea for several unmarried mothers
to share a flat together but your friends are not sure.
– The main reason behind doing it is that it'll be much cheaper
and they can look after the children in turn ...
1. Talking to a group of fellow students:
– You are discussing the possibility of a UN Conference on
same-sex marriages to be held in your city. Your view is that it
is unlikely to happen.
2. Talking at a Psychological Help Center:
– Your colleagues want to organize a Club for Divorced Gays.
You think it'll be useless because gays will not attend it.
3. Talking to a friend:
– You have decided to foster two children. You feel that it will
bolster your self-confidence and improve your relations with
your husband.
Asking for and Giving Clarification
1. Asking for Clarification
F
I’m afraid I'm not quite clear what you mean by X.
I'm sorry, I don’t understand what you mean by X.
I'm sorry, but could you explain what you mean by X?
What (exactly) do you mean by X?
What (exactly) are you trying to say?
What (exactly) are you getting at?
Inf
2. Giving Clarification
F
Well, the point I'm trying to make is that …
Well. what I'm trying to say is that …
What I mean is that …
All I’m trying to say is that …
Well, what I'm getting at is that …
Inf
+ SENTENCE
1. Make the following into questions and statements asking for and giving
clarification.
Example: a) I/afraid/not clear/mean/saying I should work at my marriage.
b) Well, what/trying/say/I think you should try to save it.
– I am afraid, I am not clear what you mean by saying, I should work at my
marriage.
– Well, what I am trying to say is that I think you should try to save it.
1. I/afraid/not/clear/mean/saying that.
Well/mean/that same sex marriages should be banned.
2. I don’t understand your argument. What/you/at?
Well/point/I/make/if we attempt to destroy old stereotypes
aboutmarriages, we’ll have more chances of success.
3. I/sorry/could/explain/mean/gender equality?
Well, what/trying/say/gays should be equal with the rest of the society.
2. Ask for and give clarification in the following situations:
Example: – I think love marriages often end up in failures
– What exactly do you mean?
– Well, people are often blinded by love and.
1. Boss – I am afraid I’ll have to dismiss you because you are going to have
a baby.
Employee –
2. Colleague – Women employees can never be trusted.
Colleague –
3. Friend – I think traditional marriage is old-fashioned.
Friend –
1. Expressing Agreement and Disagreement
Expressing Agreement
Stronger F I couldn’t agree more!
That’s absolutely true!
Absolutely!
I take your point.
on that.
I’d go along with you
there.
I’m with you
there.
Inf
F
on that.
Well, you’ve got a point there.
There’s something in that, I suppose.
Weaker
I guess you could be right.
Inf
Well, possibly.
Expressing Disagreement
Stronger F
I disagree entirely.
I wouldn’t go along
on that
with you
there..
You can't be serious.
You must be joking.
How on earth can you say such a
Inf
F
Weaker
thing?
I’m no really sure if I would go along
with you
I'm inclined to disagree with that
I'm not sure you're right there.
on that.
there.
Inf
That's a little far-fetched, isn't it?
1. Make the following into statements of agreement and disagreement using the language
in the boxes above.
Example: (Agree) I/not/more
(Disagree) You/joking
It’s high time men stopped to regard women as second-rate citizens.
– I couldn’t agree with you more.
– You must be joking.
1. In my opinion, women won equality long ago.
There/something/suppose, along/you there.
I/not/go along/you there.
2. A loose woman is a disagreeable acquaintance.
I/your point.
I/inclined to/with that.
3. Divorce should be banned as it destroys the family.
I/go along/you/ on that.
How/earth/say/thing?
4. Sex minorities are likely to exaggerate their problems.
That/absolutely true!
That/little far-fetched, isn't.
5. Gay’s Liberation Movement has raised the esteem for sexual minorities.
Well/you/point there.
I/not sure/right there.
SELF CHECK TEST No 3
1.
Match the definitions in the left-hand column with the words in the right one.
2. Explain the meaning of the italicized words and phrases:
3. Fill in the gaps with the right particle or preposition where necessary:
4. Give synonyms to the following words. Use your functional vocabulary.
5. Translate the sentences using your functional vocabulary:
Key to test No. 3
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
UNIT IV. ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
Section 1. Environment and Conservation
Starter Activity
You probably already know a lot of words for talking about the environment,
pollution, and so on. In this unit we look at words that are often used together
(collocations).
READING ONE
A Threats and potential threats to the environment
Shrinking habitats1 are a threat to both plants and animals, and endangered
species2 need legal protection if they are to survive. Meanwhile, global
warming3 will produce rising sea levels and climatic changes 4, and carbon
dioxide emissions5 from the burning of fossil fuels6 are contributing to the
greenhouse effect 7. In addition, population growth exerts severe pressure on
finite resources7, and the ecological balance may be upset by uncontrolled
deforestation11. Demographic projections 12 suggest the world population will
grow before it begins to stabilise. One of the worst case scenarios 13 is that there
will be no tropical forests left by the year 2050. Our only hope is that pristine
environments14 such as Antarctica can be protected from development and
damage.
1
places where animals live and breed which are decreasing in size
2
types of animals/plants which are in danger of no longer existing
3
steady rise in average world temperatures
4
changes in the weather/climate
5
carbon dioxide gas from factories, cars, etc.
6
coal, oil, etc.
7
warming of the Earth's surface caused by pollution
8
formal: puts pressure on
9
limited resources
10
balance of natural relationships in the environment
11
destruction/clearing of forests
12
forecasts about the population
13
the worst possibilities for the future
14
perfectly clean/untouched/unspoilt areas
B Responses to environmental issues and problems
Look at these newspaper headlines and note the useful phrases.
1. GOVERNING PARTY IN BID TO IMPROVE GREEN
CREDENTIALS*
* reputation for positive support of the environment
2. PROPHETS OF DOOM AND GLOOM* SHOULD LISTEN TO
SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE, SAYS PRIME MINISTER
* people who always make the most depressing or pessimistic forecasts for the future
3. PIECEMEAL CONSERVATION* INEFFECTIVE - NATIONAL
POLICY NEEDED, SAYS NEW REPORT
* carrying out conservation one bit at a time, with no overall plan economic stability
4. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT* THE ONLY ANSWER FOR
EMERGING COUNTRIES, SAYS UN COMMISSION
* development of industry, etc. which does not threaten the environment or social and economic stability
Functional Vocabulary
carbon dioxide emissions
climatic changes
deforestation
demographic projections
endangered species
finite resources
fossil fuels
global warming
green credentials
piecemeal conservation
pristine environments
prophets of doom and gloom
shrinking habitats
sustainable development
the greenhouse effect
the worst case scenarios
Language Focus
1. Make these sentences formal by using words and phrases from A inst ead of the
underlined words. Make any other necessary changes to produce a co rrect sentence.
1. All that carbon-what's-it-called gas put out by cars and factories is a
major problem.
2. These flowers here are a type there's not many left of, so it's illegal to
pick them.
3. A lot of wild animals have to survive in smaller and smaller areas
where they can live.
4. Most of Patagonia is a completely spotless area that's never been
touched.
5. We have to look after the things we use on this planet because they
won't last forever.
6. If the cutting down of trees continues, there will be no forest left ten
years from now.
7. Burning coal and oil and stuff like that causes a lot of pollution.
8. The sea will get higher if this heating up of the world continues.
9. Increasing population puts really big pressure on economic resources.
10.
The way things all balance one another in nature is very delicate.
2. Complete the following table, using a dictionary if necessary.
noun
verb
adjective
adverb
climate
demography
project
sustain
3. Correct the mistakes in this paragraph.
Profits of boom and gloom are always saying that we are
heading for an environmental catastrophe, and that unless we
adopt a policy of attainable development we will cause
irreparable damage to the planet. The worst case scenery is of
a world choked by overpopulation, the greenhouse effect and
traffic gridlock. Much of what is claimed is exaggerated, but
politicians are influenced by such voices and are always trying
to improve their green potentials in the yes of the voters.
READING TWO
Green Issues
A Environmental pollution
Companies should of course minimize environmental pollution - damage to
the land, sea, etc. caused by their activities. They should not pollute the air
with toxic emissions from chimneys or with effluent - toxic liquids that they
discharge into rivers or the sea. They should dispose of waste in more
acceptable ways.
Nuclear power plants are required to monitor levels of radioactivity in the air
and water around them, but critics say that even minimum levels of
radioactivity are unacceptable. And some pollutants are carcinogenic, causing
cancer.
Governments impose stringent regulations to force companies to limit
pollution.
B Recycling
Products should be recyclable - the European Union, for example, has
regulations about the proportion or percentage content of products and
packaging that must be reused and recycled. Household and industrial waste
should also be recycled. Supporters of recycling say that dumping waste in
landfills cannot continue indefinitely and that burning waste in incinerators is
also environmentally damaging.
C Word combinations with 'environmental'
credentials - evidence that you care about the environment
degradation - damage to the environment
devastation - severe damage to the environment
environmental lobby - pressure groups such as Greenpeace and Friends of the
Earth who campaign on issues together
standards - rules that companies and government authorities
should follow in relation to the environment
D Sustainability
Some industries are directly dependent on natural resources, and
managing these resources so that they are not depleted is essential. For example,
deep-sea fishing has to be done in a way that maintains fish stocks and avoids
overfishing. Ideally, those engaged in logging that causes deforestation should
have an incentive to maintain future timber stocks through reafforestation.
These industries should be run in ways that are sustainable - in ways that
maintain the resources that they rely on.
Another aspect of sustainability is renewable or alternative energy
sources such as wind power.
These are some of the environmental or green issues that companies
are facing. Some companies produce reports on these issues that give a more
favourable impression than is justified by the real facts. This is called
greenwash by critics.
Functional vocabulary
alternative energy sources
carcinogenic pollutants
content
deforestation
depleted
to discharge
to dispose of waste
dumping
effluent
environmental credentials
environmental degradation
environmental devastation
environmental issues
environmental lobby
environmental standards
environmentally damaging
green issues
greenwash
Household
industrial waste
landfills
logging
natural resources
overfishing
to pollute
pollution
proportion
radioactivity
reafforestation
recyclable
recycled
recycling
renewable energy sources
stringent regulations
sustainable
toxic emissions
Language Focus
1.Complete the table with words from sections A and B and related forms. Put a
stress mark in front of the stressed syllable in each word. (The first one has been
done for you).
Verb
Noun
car′cinogen
Adjective
carcino′genic
discharge
dispose (of)
environment
incinerator
pollute
recycling
recyclable
toxicity
2. Match the two parts of these sentences containing expressions from se ction C.
1 He led a political campaign against
a) lobby, this type of plastic is such a
the company, saying its oil production
dangerous substance to
caused environmental
manufacture and dispose of that it
should be banned
2 According to the environmental
b) credentials, there are several
household cleaning products that
will cause less damage to the
environment, but are likely to cost
slightly more.
3 If you really want to show your
c) devastation in the area
environmental
4 The project will boost Brazilian
efforts to fight environmental
d) standards, the amount of household
waste is growing more slowly than
the economy as a whole.
5 In the richest countries with the
e) degradation in the Amazon basin.
toughest environmental
3. Complete the sentences with expressions from section D.
1. Illegal …………… could accelerate degradation or even cause ………...,
which has affected more than 9.8 million acres of forest in the past 30 years.
2. Fishermen are being encouraged to catch alternative fish species because
…………… has …………… the stocks to near-collapse.
3. The country's society is maturing and adopting a model of economic
development that balances economic growth, social justice and the ………….
use of ………… .
4. They accuse multinational companies of ‘……………’ - polishing up their
images on environmental issues with brochures and advertising
campaigns.
5. Many congressmen are keen to revive research into renewable ………….
like solar and wave power.
Speech Activities
1. What does your local government authority do to encourage recycling? Does it do
enough?
READING THREE
Iceland
A You have to be careful about the use of ‘the’ with features of the environment
use with example
countries
the?
no
France
countries which are in a plural form yes
The USA
countries when limited by time
yes
The Japan of today
individual mountains
no
Mount Everest
mountains in the Bernese Oberland
yes
The Jungfrau
mountain chains
yes
The Himalayas
islands
no
Sicily
groups of islands
yes
The West Indies
rivers
yes
The Volga
oceans
yes
The Pacific
seas
yes
The Mediterranean
gulfs, bays and straits
yes
The Gulf of Mexico /The Bay of Biscay
B Look at this encyclopedia entry about Iceland. Note the words in bold.
lakes
Lake Erie
Iceland is an island republic in the no
North Atlantic.
The landscape consists largely
currents
The Gulf
of barren plains [flat land whereyes
little grows]
and Stream
mountains, with large ice
fields particularly in the south west. The island has active volcanoes [they still erupt]
and is known for its thermal [hot] springs and geysers [warm water that fountains out
of the ground]. With less than 1% of the land suitable for growing crops [food that is
grown], the nation's economy is based on fishing, and fish products account for 80% of
the exports. Area: 103,000 km2. Population: 227,000. Capital: Reykjavik.
C Here are some other nouns which are useful when talking about the environment.
Check their meanings in a dictionary if necessary.
 Where land meets sea: coast, shore, beach, cliff, cape, peninsula,
cove, bay, gulf.
 Words connected with rivers: source, tributary, waterfall, mouth,
valley, gorge, delta, brook, stream, estuary.
 Words connected with mountains: foot, ridge, peak, summit, glacier.

D There are many environmental problems in the world today.
The air, rivers and seas are all polluted, especially in over-populated
and heavily industrialised regions. Poor waste disposal is the cause of much
of this pollution.
Overfishing has depleted the numbers of fish in the oceans.
The destruction of the ozone layer is leading to climatic changes and
what is known as the greenhouse effect.
The destruction of the rainforests is causing widespread ecological
problems.
Battery farming provides large amounts of food but it involves
keeping animals in crowded and unnatural conditions.
Functional vocabulary
a barren plain
a bay
a beach
a brook
a cape
a cliff
a coast
a cove
a delta
a geyser
a glacier
a gorge
a gulf
a landscape
a mountain
a mouth
a peak
a peninsula
a ridge
a shore
a source
a stream
a summit
a thermal spring
a tributary
a valley
a waterfall
an active volcano
an estuary
an ice field
battery farming
crops
destruction of rainforests
destruction of the ozone layer
foot
overfishing
over-populated
polluted
pollution
the greenhouse effect
waste disposal
Language Focus
Speech Activities
1.In the paragraph below all the instances of the have been omitted. Insert them
wherever they are necessary.
Brazil is fifth largest country in world. In north, densely forested basin of
River Amazon covers half country. In east, country is washed by Atlantic.
Highest mountain chain in South America, Andes, does not lie in Brazil.
Brazil's most famous city is Rio de Janeiro, former capital. Capital of Brazil
today is Brasilia.
2. Can you answer the following general knowledge questions about the
environment?
1 What is the highest mountain in Africa?
2 What is the longest river in Europe?
3 Where is the highest waterfall in the world?
4 Name another country, apart from Iceland, which has geysers and hot
springs.
5 What is a delta and which famous river has one?
6 Where are the Straits of Gibraltar and the Cape of Good Hope?
3. Answer these questions about being environmentally friendly.
1 Why do environmentalists say we should avoid spray cans?
2 Why are environmentalists in favour of practising organic farming and using
unleaded petrol?
3 Why do environmentalists encourage us to use recycled paper and bottle
banks?
4 What else are environmentalists in favour of?
Section 2. Sustainable Development
Starter Activity
You probably already know a lot about the global climate change. But have you ever
encounted the idea of sustainability? To what broader concepts is it related?
READING ONE
A Climate change
Scientists point to the dangers of climate change, in particular global
warming. This is the rise in temperatures in the atmosphere and the sea
caused by emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from
the burning of hydrocarbon or fossil fuels such as oil and coal. Some say
that the earth cannot sustain much further industrialization.
The Kyoto protocol of 1997 was designed to put the United Nations
climate change convention into effect. This originally aimed to cut
emissions to five per cent below 1990 levels by 2010. Some businesses
complain that these targets will increase their costs, but see section C
below.
B Sustainability
Sustainability is the idea that the economy should be organized in ways that
can be continued without causing irreversible damage to the environment or
depletion of natural resources. Businesses should be run not for short-term
profit, but in a way that takes account of the long-term interests of society and
the environment.
Developing countries are trying to attain the living standards of the
industrialized world. Some warn that, in addition to the dangers of global
warming, the world's natural resources are not sufficient for this.
Others argue that renewable, non-polluting energy sources such as wind
power will allow further economic growth without causing damage to the
environment. Some argue that nuclear energy still has a role to play.
These are some of the issues surrounding sustainable development in the
global economy.
C The triple bottom line
Sustainability, a consultancy, says that the triple bottom line (TBL) makes
corporations concentrate not just on the economic value they add, but also
on the environmental and social value they add - and destroy. The TBL is
used to sum up the values, issues and processes that companies must pay
attention to in order to minimize any harm resulting from their activities and
to create economic, social and environmental value. The three lines represent
society, the economy and the environment. Society depends on the economy and the economy depends on the global ecosystem, whose health represents
the ultimate bottom line.
Functional vocabulary
a climate change convention
a greenhouse gas
a living standard
a long-term interest
a short-term profit
carbon dioxide
climate change
depletion of natural resources
economic value
emissions
environmental value
fossil fuels
global warming
hydrocarbon
industrialization
irreversible damage
nuclear energy
renewable, non-polluting energy sources
social value
sustainability
sustainable development
the global ecosystem
the Kyoto protocol
the ultimate bottom line
triple bottom line (TBL)
wind power
Language Focus
1. Complete the article, which contains words from A and B, with a -e below.
Energy's future is trapped in the fossil fuel past
In his State of the Union address,
The White House's enthusiasm for
President George W. Bush proposed a
hydrogen
$1.5bn (£900m) government research
understandable. (3) …………… .
and
to
There is, however, another way to get
replace the internal combustion engine
hydrogen. Renewable sources of energy
with hydrogen-powered fuel cell cars.
-
(1) …………. .
geothermal and biomass - can be harnessed
To be sure, the shift to fuel cells and a
to produce electricity and that electricity,
hydrogen
as
in turn, can be used to electrolyse water,
significant and far-reaching in its impact
separating the hydrogen from the oxygen
on the global economy and society as the
for storage and later use in a fuel cell.
development
economy
programme
will
be
steam engine and coal in the 19th (4)
wind,
…………
suddenly
photovoltaic,
Why
twice?
becomes
hydrogen,
Because
century and the switch to the internal electricity generated from renewable
combustion engine and oil in the 20th sources of energy cannot be effectively
century. (2) …………… .
stored. If the sun is not shining, the wind
Most commercial hydrogen today is stops blowing, or water stops flowing
extracted from natural gas but it can because of drought, electricity stops being
also be extracted from coal and oil. produced and the economy stops. (5)
Even the nuclear industry has weighed in, ………….. .
arguing that nuclear power can be used
Financial
to extract hydrogen.
Times
a. By using some of the electricity generated by renewables to electrolyse
water and extract hydrogen, society obtains stored energy to use at a
future date.
b. Hydrogen is the lightest, most plentiful element in the universe. When it
is used to generate power, heat and light, the only by-products are water
and heat. But what Mr Bush did not mention was that hydrogen has to
be extracted from either fossil fuels or water.
c. If fossil fuels and even nuclear power can be harnessed to produce
hydrogen, the Bush administration can have its cake and eat it too.
d. While some applauded his call to create a clean, non-polluting energy
source for the 21st century, many environmentalists were less
enthusiastic That is because there is both more and less to his
announcement than meets the eye.
e. While this second approach frees us from fossil fuel dependency and is
the solution environmentalists have dreamt of for years, it currently costs
more to extract hydrogen with renewable energy. That is because
electricity has to be generated twice, first to create the electricity to
electrolyse the water and grab and store the hydrogen and then to use the
hydrogen to power the fuel cell.
2. Look at the following key words from the article and find words which can go
before or after them to form ‘word combinations’. Two of them have been done for
you as examples.
1 generate
2 ………..
3 ………..
5
electricity
4 ………...
generate
electricity
6 …………
9
harness
………….
7 …………
10
8 ………...
………...
11
………...
Speech Activities
1. Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the capacity of the planet for future
growth? Why / Why not?
READING TWO
Separating Garbage
Here are two pieces of writing that try to show the good and bad points of having "a system for
collecting household garbage in separate categories." Read the two compositions and decide
which one is better and which one is "garbage". Try to find reasons.
A. Separating garbage is easier for garbage collectors because their work is
less dangerous. But it is more difficult for housewives who must spend a lot of
time. In most countries housewives are always busy. So they don't like separating
garbage. But housewives think about their garbage more so they try to buy
things in supermarkets that will make less garbage. But garbage smells bad so
housewives don't like separating it. But it is good for the environment. On the other
hand, some homes do no have full-time housewives because the people are single or the
husband and wife both work and they don't have enough time to separate plastic
bottles from glass bottles. But the recycling companies like it because they can
be more efficient. But there are not many recycling companies and most of the
garbage still goes to land-fill in fact. But I think it is good to make people think
about garbage because it is a big problem. So, you can see that it has both
advantages and disadvantages.
B. Nowadays we have to obey new rules about garbage disposal. We are
supposed to separate our garbage into different categories. This idea has both
advantages and disadvantages.
One bad point is that people, who already have little free time, are forced to
waste this time doing an unpleasant household task. Another drawback is that the
system is especially inconvenient for single people or married couples who both work.
Worst of all, it actually does little to help the environment as although the rubbish
has been separated, the different categories are not really recycled but still end
up as land-fill in most places.
But garbage separation has some good points too. By spending time with their
waste products, people become more aware of how much waste they actually
produce. In this way the system encourages people to avoid buying products with too
much packaging, which will also discourage companies from over-packaging.
Also, dividing refuse into different categories makes it easier and less dangerous
for collectors to collect and helps recycling companies to work more efficiently.
Speech Activities
1. Find all the synonyms to the word “garbage” in the text.
2. What are the advantages / disadvantages of separating garbage into different
categories?
3. Do you usually separate household garbage into different categories before throwing it
away?
READING THREE
What a waste
Like most good ideas at our house, this one came from my wife, Darlene.
From now on, she announced not long ago, we are going to live environmentally
responsible lives. I went along wholeheartedly. It so happened I’d been planning
to become a better person for some time.
We began by shopping more responsibly. We passed up plastic bags in the
produce section and dropped our vegetables into cart naked. We opted for
paper bags at the checkout counter or brought our own cloth sack. We got stared at,
but you have to rise above that sort of thing.
Living ecologically provoked minor marital spats, but Darlene and I didn’t
bicker in earnest until Christmas approached. She’d consulted the Save Our Planet
“Holiday List” and found some novel gift: a set of no-phosphate cleansers for son
Dale; compact fluorescent light bulbs (they last longer and use less power) for
daughter Amy; a toilet dam (saves water) for my brother. “Your parents might like
unbleached coffee filters”, she suggested.
Somehow, I said, those things didn’t seem very festive. That did it. “You
never had any intention of going along with this”, she stuttered. “I can’t handle the
pressure!” I protested. “Grow up,” she demanded. I agreed to take another stab at
it – then my subconscious got involved. I dreamed I was at this place that looked
like an environmental workout centre. It was filled with people I knew, doing
strange and uplifting things. My friend Julie was knitting old sweaters so she
could reuse the yarn, Leon had his exercise bike hooked to a gristmill so he could
grind his own flour.
At this point, I began to get giddy. Darlene laughed it off when I said we’d
save water if I showered with the divorcees down in the street, but when I
proposed commuting to work by balloon, she realized I had veered into mockery.
It’s the ecological responsible way of travel”, I explained.
As she glared at me, I decided to confess. “I can’t pull it off,” I said. “Dogoodism makes me squirm. Sometimes I have this irresistible urge to run out for
a Super Burger and then throw all the packaging out the window.”
I think she gave up on me after that. I do worry about my inability to sustain
virtuous behaviour, though. So I’m working on a book called 116 Fun Little
Ways to Help Mother Nature If You’re Not Up to Making Big Sacrifices Right
Now. I’m even writing it on toilet tissue made from recycled paper. And using
both sides.
Functional Vocabulary
a marital spat
a produce section
do-goodism
irresistible urge
novel
recycled paper
to bicker
to drop vegetables naked into a cart
to glare at
to live an environmentally responsible life
to opt for
to pull something off
to rise above that sort of thing
to squirm
to take another stab at
to veer into mockery
uplifting things
virtuous behaviour
wholeheartedly
Language Focus
1. Explain:
1. You have to rise above that sort of thing.
2. I agreed to take another stab at it. I went along wholeheartedly.
3. We … dropped our vegetables into cart naked.
4. Do-goodism makes me squirm.
2. Match:
1.
to opt
a) to travel regularly by train, car or bus between
one’s place of work and home;
2.
novel
b) small or unimportant quarrel;
3.
spat
c) to argue about insignificant things;
4.
to commute
d) to decide / choose to do smth;
5.
to bicker
e) new and strange
3. Join:
plastic
banks
checkout
paper
no-phosphate
urge
uplifting
dam
recycled
cleansers
bottle
section
cloth
counter
produce
sack
toilet
bags
irresistible
things
4. True or false:
1.
The eco-problem of waste disposal is a great deal more acute in the Third
World countries than in the USA.
2.
The British are very conscious about the environment and hardly ever
throw-away any paper at all.
3.
An average European family throws away twice as much plastic as paper
and no metal.
4.
In the UK people buy canned drinks not nearly as often as canned food for
pets.
5.
Packaging is necessary to keep food fresh and clean but it can’t make it last
longer.
6.
Making packaging saves a lot of energy and as a result costs almost nothing.
Speech Activities
1.Discuss the suggested facts:
THE THROW-AWAY SOCIETY.
Data-File
 The average person in Los Angeles throws away 7 kilos of rubbish every
day.
 The average person in the Third World throws away only 1 kilo of rubbish
every day.

Britain throws away 7 million tonnes of paper every year. That's the same
as 80 million trees.

One year a European family with two children throws away: 50 kilos of
paper (that’s 6 trees ); 60 kilos of metal; 45 kilos of plastic.

In one year the average person throws away 71 food cans. 34 cans of pet
food and 68 drinks cans.

Britain produces 8.5 billion cans per year. Half are for food and half for
drinks. That’s enough to go to the moon and back and halfway to the moon
again.

England and Wales produce 5000 tons of rubbish every , year. This costs
$600 million to collect and bury.
Packaging
Almost all supermarket food today comes in plastic containers. Some of this
packaging is necessary. It keeps the food clean and fresh. It also makes it last
longer. But some packaging isn’t necessary at all. It's just there to make the food
look better.
Did you know…?
 In Britain, over 75000 people work in packaging factories.
 The UK packaging industry sells 4 billion pounds of plastic containers every
year.
 28%, of domestic rubbish is packaging.
 5% of all Britain’s energy goes into making packaging.
THE GREEN ANSWERS.
Here are three ways to beat the throw-away society. All of them are cleaner and
cheaper than buying rubbish .
1. Throw away less rubbish.
In Denmark it's illegal to sell drinks in cans. And it’s not just governments
which can produce less rubbish. It’s ordinary people, too. Anyone can decide
to buy products with as little packaging as possible; use and throw away fewer
carrier bags; waste less paper.
2. Turn rubbish into energy.
How? By burning it. This is a good idea because it ... saves fossil fuels; means
burying less rubbish; cuts pollution. At the moment most countries only turn
between 5% and 10% of their rubbish into energy.
3. Use rubbish again.
A lot of what we throw away is still useful. It’s possible to recycle 80% of
cosmetic rubbish. This includes most kinds of paper, glass, metal and plastic.
But there’s a problem. Recycling is expensive. That’s why we only recycle
about 15% of glass, 20% of plastic, 30% of paper. But it’s getting easier and
cheaper to recycle all the time. One reason for this is the growing number of
recycling centres, bottle banks. Also some countries now have recycling laws.
These mean that supermarkets pay customers to return tins and bottles.
Recycling saves trees, saves energy, saves money, cuts pollution.
2. Study
the Fact-file and mark the following statements as true (T) or false (F):
l. The eco-problem of waste disposal is a great deal more acute in the
ThirdWorld countries than in the USA.
2. The British are very conscious about the environment and hardly ever
throw-away any paper at all.
3. An average European family throws away twice as much plastic as paper
and no metal.
4. In the UK people buy canned drinks not nearly as often as canned food
for pets.
5. Packaging is necessary to keep food fresh and clean, but it cannot make it
last longer.
6. Making packaging saves a lot of energy and, as a result, costs almost
nothing.
3.
Read again about the three ways ‘to beat the throw-away society’. Decide on the one
which seems the most beneficial and effective of them all. Give your reasons in favour of the
chosen method and against the remaining two.
3. Work in pairs. Decide how you could re-use:
 a plastic bag
 a pile of old newspapers
 a pair of old socks
 an old food can
 a plastic bottle
 a cardboard box
4.
In groups discuss the advantages and disadvantages of recycling.
5 For the next class bring one or two things and demonstrate how you could re-use them.
6. Hold a poll among your family (friends), fellow-students, etc. in order to collect some
data on the possible solutions to the waste disposal problem in the country.
Section 3.
Environmental Problems- a Global Concern.
Starter Activity
Carry out a survey: Have you damaged the environment in any way?If you cannot think of
any personal story, then look through the list how we, as ordinary citizens, may be
polluting the planet without realising it:
 Emptying my ashtray in an isolated mountain car park
 Changing the oil of my car in a lay by
 Using sprays, although I did not realise their noxious effects
 Washing dishes in a river (while camping), using non-environmentally friendly
liquid
 Throwing batteries away
 Smoking
 Driving
READING ONE
Atmosphere
Until the Earth's protective atmosphere was formed, there was no life
except in the sea. Now big cities, cars and factories pollute the air so much, we
may soon be better off back there! GEO-2000 tells us there has been some
improvement, but it is not fast enough.
Air Pollution
Our planet is becoming choked with poisonous gases mostly from our
daily activities like driving cars, warming our houses and running power stations.
The problem is the worst in Latin America and Asia. In cities like Seoul and Mexico
City, the air is so bad, some people wear face masks to filter the air they breathe.
In cities like Beirut and Damascus, dust storms make it even worse!
And pollution doesn't need a passport. Pollution from factories and power
stations in Europe, North America and Russia ends up in the Arctic region.
Human Health
Air pollution is a major factor in causing humans to get ill. Tuberculosis,
bronchitis, heart and chest diseases, stomach disorders, asthma and cancers can
all be traced to chemicals in the air.
Pesticides and fertilisers release gases and particles into the air which
poison people and kill animals. Imagine that the Earth has a sunshade mound
protecting it from the heat of the sun. This is called the ozone layer but the
sunshade has holes so that harmful rays get through, causing cancer. To prevent it,
we wear sun glasses to protect our eyes, and sun cream to protect our skin.
Ozone Depletion
For years, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were used as a cooling device in
freezers and air conditioners. Scientists discovered, however, that CFCs destroy the
ozone layer - the layer that filters ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Ultraviolet
radiation causes eye damage and skin cancer. An international agreement
commonly called the Montreal Protocol, signed in 1989, has helped stop the
production of CFCs. If we keep to this agreement, ozone-depleting substances will
stop being produced and the ozone layer will begin to repair itself over the next 100
years.
Global Warming
The world is warming up because carbon dioxide (C0 2) from smoke and
car exhausts collects in the atmosphere and traps some of the heat going back to
space, like a greenhouse. C02 and other greenhouse gases are expected to raise
global temperature by an average of 2°C by the year 2100 causing the polar
icecaps to melt, sea levels to rise and freak weather conditions which may cause
millions of deaths.
Biodiversity
Biodiversity means the rich variety of life forms in nature. Many of the
world's different plants and animals are under severe threat of extinction. Many
species are lost already.
Loss of Habitat
An ecosystem is a place where nature creates a unique mix of air, water,
soil and a variety of living organisms to interact and support each other .
Destroy these ecosystems and we are destroying ourselves. Deforestation,
overfishing, over-hunting, forest fires, pollution and modern agricultural
practices all contribute to the loss of habitat. Cutting roads and railways though
habitats blocks natural migration and feeding routes.
Who knows?
Scientists have recorded 1.75 million species on our planet and estimate
another 5 to 100 million unrecorded species! The educated guess stands at 12.5
million.
Exotic Species
Ехоrіс species are animal and plant species that fmd themselves outside their
native habitat. These species cause changes to the ecosystem and sometimes dеstrоу
other species native to that ecosystem. For ехаmрlе, zebra mussels саme from
Europe to the Great Lakes of North America in the ballast of ships. They spread
like а plague in the waterways of the continent, attaching themselves to existing
mussels and killing them. Breeding quickly, they clog uр hуdrо-еlесtrіс generators,
encrust the hulls of boats and еrоdе pipes in water treatment plants.
Extinctions
А species is said to bе extinct when it has not been seen for over 50 years.
Dinosaurs became extinct 65 million years ago but, in the last 50 years, rarе
animals and plants have bесоmе extinct, because of hunting and loss of habitat.
Globally, many hundreds of species will face extinction in а very few years
without intensive conservation, education and environmental management and
policy-making.
Genetic Manipulation
Living organisms аrе made uр of cells. Scientists have found а way to сору,
оr clone, the information, or genes found in cells to make new plants and animals.
But no one knows if it is totally safe to take genes from one species and аdd them
another. Well-known examples of genetic manipulation include Dolly the sheep the first cloned аnimаl, and adding the genes of а toad or а spider to vegetables.
Forests
Forests, like oceans, rесусlе carbon dіохіdе into oxygen, аnd provide
habitats for most of the world's biodiversity. They аrе also а vital source of
building materials аnd firewood. But almost аll of them аrе under threat. The world
has lost 80% of the original forests that covered the earth. The remaining oldgrowth forests аrе found mostly in the Amazon rainforest, Сеntrаl Africa,
Southeast Asia, Canada and the Russian Federation. But they аrе threatened with
logging, mining and development. "Му parents told me the forest is sacred. In the
past, trееs were cut responsibly, not indiscriminately for money as they аrе today."
Chris Ugwa, Nigeria
Fires start from human action or natural causes. In Indonesia and many
соuntrіеs in South Аrеrіса, farmers start most of the forest fires to сlеаr land of
trees. Much of the сlеаrеd land is used for pasture. The fires in Indonesia in 1997
were featured in the news, but there were bigger fires in Вrаrіl (1997) and
Mongolia (1996). Forest fires аdd carbon dіохіdе (СО2) to the atmosphere. In this
way, the fires contribute to global warming and the smoke makes whole populations
sick.
Many forests аrе sick! Аіr pollution is а main cause: smokestack industries
cause асіd rain, which attacks forests. In parts of Сеntrаl and Eastern Еurоре, уоu
see miles and miles of deаd and dying trееs. In Africa; drought, civil war, bush
fires and inappropriate agricultural practices аrе degrading forests.
Fresh Water
Almost аll living things on Earth need water to live, yet humans pollute and
waste it recklessly. Моrе than а fifth of the world's population doesn't have enough:
it is likely реорlе will go to war over water in your lifetime.
Uneven Distribution
Some areas have far too much water and suffer from floods, like Bangladesh
and the flood plains of the Mississippi in the United States. Other areas, like Africa
and West Asia, suffer severe droughts. The рrоblem of water availability is most
serious in Аfrіса and West Asia. If water consumption continues at its present rate,
Bу 2025 two out of three реорlе will not have enough water for their basic needs.
Pollution
Mining and industry pollute rivers with dеаdlу chemicals. Farmers spray
crops with pesticides and fertilizers which аrе washed into rivers and lakes. In
many parts of the world, реорlе use rivers as open sewers and garbage dumps.
Near coasts, when too much water is taken from aquifers (big underground
reservoirs of fresh water), sea water seeps in and makes the water salty and
undrinkablе.
If уоu take more money out of а bank than уоu put in, уоu get an overdraft
and eventually go broke. We are doing this to оur aquifers all over the world. In
West Asia, North Africa, China, India, Russia and the USA, we run huge annual
water overdrafts. This, combined with the discharge of untreated industrial waste
and sewage into water systems, makes water shortage опе of оur most сrіtiсаl
environmental issues.
Human Health
Worldwide, polluted water affects the health of 1.2 billion реорlе and
contributes to the death of 15 million children under five every year. For ехаmрlе,
in Asia, one in three реорlе dо not have access to safe drinking water and one in
two have no access to hygienic sanitation.
Land
Good soils and growing conditions are not evenly distributed around the
world and in places the рrоblеm is mаdе worse bу а greedy few abusing the land,
resulting in poverty and hunger for millions. "Soil destruction in BosniaHerzegovina comes from war. Aggression has caused an immense wave of
migration. The new settlements are built on prime agricultural land. Where will we
grow our food now?" Nerina Zagora, Bosnia
Desertification
Extreme land degradation results in desertification - when land becomes
desert and is unable to support any vegetation. Desertification affects over a billion
people. It is particularly bad in the savannas of Africa, the Great Plains and pampas
of the Americas and in the steppes of south-east Europe and Asia, the outback of
Australia and parts of the Mediterranean region.
Rapid Urbanisation
Towns and cities are often developed on former farmland and forests. As
urban areas grow, land that once grew food disappears under concrete. This means
the remaining land has to produce more food to support even more people. Poverty
increases stress, especially in Asia where 75% of the people are poor. Available
land per capita is already very low in Asia with 182 people per km2 compared to
the world average of 44 per km2.
Land Degradation
Soil degradation affects a third of the world's land and diminishes our ability
to produce food for the growing population. It is caused by deforestation, poor land
and water management, over-use of fertilisers and pesticides, poor waste disposal,
clearance of poor land for growing food, and air pollution. Land degradation leads
in a helter-skelter downward spiral to worse poverty amongst the world's poorest
peoples.
Food Security
Food security is all about having enough food. Food availability in subSaharan Africa and Southeast Asia is a huge problem now. The countries in these
regions generally have the fastest growing populations. They also have the largest
number of poor people, the worst land degradation, most rapid urbanisation and
biggest debts so they cannot afford to import food. GEO tells us that in the year
2000, 38 developing countries will have serious food security risks and be unable
to feed even half their people from traditional farming practices.
Polar Regions
The Arctic and Antartica are called `Polar Regions'. Both have profound
effects on the Earth's climate and ocean systems. Antarctica, a huge land mass as
large as the US and Mexico together, is the world's last wilderness.
The Inuit
"We, the Inuit people of the Arctic, are a marine and land-based people. We
still rely upon many animal species to support our age-old hunting, fishing,
trapping and gathering economy. But many Inuit now use computers and invest in
stocks and bonds over the Internet. We welcome sustainable development of the
Arctic's resources. But we maintain our reverence for Nature and a commitment to
treat it with respect. "
Aqqaluk Lynge of Greenland. President, Inuit Circumpolar Conference, 1997
Polar Facts
-The Southern Ocean is rich in krill and plankton, which form the main source
of food for many fish species and whales. -The Antarctic ozone hole is expected
to return annually for many decades.
-Global warming: if the entire Antarctic ice sheet were to melt, it would produce a
sea level rise of roughly 60 metres! -Arctic and Antarctic marine life is threatened
by overfishing and hunting.
-Deforestation in the Arctic has affected biodiversity and local climate.
-Norway and Japan are exerting pressure to allow the hunting of whales again. Of a
population of 250,000 blue whales in 1900, only 500 remain. In 1994, a sanctuary
was created to protect them.
"I disagree with any development in Antarctica. Why destroy the only
peaceful region of the world?" Dominique Mansilla Hermann, Argentina
Our Polluted Pole
Pollutants are transported to the Arctic by water and air, mainly from
Europe, Russia and North America. They are eaten by birds, fish and seals,
which in turn are eaten by indigenous people.
A Wild Life Disaster
"When the Exxon Valued crashed in Alaska in 1992, it was a terrible
environmental disaster. It disrupted our salmon runs and killed much of our marine
life. Many Alaskans helped clean up the oil spill. My father built sea otter clinics as a
precaution for future spills and disasters." RenTe Royal, Alaska, USA
Urbanization
Though 60% to 70% of people in developing countries live in rural areas,
half the total world population now lives in urban areas, drawing their food and
natural resources from the surrounding rural areas.
Growth
In 1970, there were only three cities with more than 10 million people. Now
there are 32 and three of these have more than 20 million. Rural people move to
cities attracted by the promise of work, higher salaries and a better social life. This
growth places even greater pressure on the environment. For example, in Russia
and Eastern Europe, tens of thousands of people have migrated to cities since 1989,
putting a huge strain on both the natural and the built environment.
Population
Most cities suffer from noise and air pollution. Experts say that 20% of
Europeans are subject to stress from noise. Air pollution also takes its toll on
human health. Millions of dollars are spent on health care due to air pollution and
many early deaths result from respiratory diseases such as bronchitis and asthma.
"Governments should spend part of the fuel tax on cycle lanes and cheaper means of
transport."
Urban Issues
All cities are divided between rich and poor sectors. Business growth and
rising numbers of tourists increase the incomes of the rich but the poor see little
of the increased wealth. Vast numbers live in shanty towns in cheap, self-made
sheds. There is insufficient clean water or sanitation, few schools, few amenities of
any kind. Health suffers first. It is estimated that 100 million people in cities are
homeless in both developed and developing countries. Some of the worst polluting
industries are likely to be located in poor or racially distinct neighbourhood.
Water
Water is the single most valuable resource for cities. Many cities are facing
a serious shortage of safe drinking water as a result of leaking pipes. Most city
people in developing countries end up boiling their water or buying bottles. Where
piped fresh water is available, it usually only goes to elite residential areas. The poor
still have to buy their water through middle men and end up paying more for it than
the rich.
Functional Vocabulary
(a) species
a chest disease
a cycle lane
a fertiliser
a garbage dump
a greenhouse gas
a habitat
a heart disease
a leaking pipe
a poisonous gas
a respiratory disease
a rural area
a sanctuary
a sewer
a soil
a stomach disorder
an aquifer
an urban area
asthma
bronchitis
cancer
car exhausts
carbon dioxide (C0 2)
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
deforestation
desertification
dеаdlу chemicals
downward spiral
extinct
food security
helter-skelter
hygienic sanitation
indigenous people
land degradation
logging
marine life
noise pollution
oil spill
overfishing
over-hunting
ozone depletion
per capita
pesticides
polar icecaps
severe threat of extinction
sewage
the ozone layer
to degrade
to rесусlе into
tuberculosis
undrinkablе water
untreated industrial waste
waste disposal
wilderness
a drought
a flood
a hurricane / a tornado / a typhoon
a major accident
a natural disaster
a refugee
a survivor
a victim
a volcano
a war / a civil war
an earthquake
an epidemic
an explosion
casualties
famine
the dead
the wounded
to break out
to erupt
to shake
to spread
to starve
to suffer
to sweep
Language Focus
1. Match the words from the text with their definitions:
1. pesticides
a. chlorofluorocarbons
2. desertification
b. the natural environment in which an
animal or a plant normally lives or
grows
3. to recycle
c. being no longer in existence
4. sewage
d. an area of rock underneath the
surface of the earth which absorbs
and holds water
5. fertilizer
e. chemicals which farmers put on
their crops to kill harmful insects
6. a sanctuary
f. the process by which a piece of land
becomes dry, empty, and unsuitable
for growing trees or crops on
7. pollutants
g. to process things so that they can be
used again
8. CFCs
h. a place where birds or animals are
protected and allowed to live freely
9. a habitat
i. substances that pollute the
environment, especially gases from
vehicles and poisonous chemicals
produced as waste by industrial
processes
10. extinction
j. a substance such as solid animal
waste or a chemical mixture that
you spread on the ground in order to
make plants grow more successfully
11. an aquifer
k. waste matter such as faeces or dirty
water from homes and factories,
which flows away through sewers
2.Join the words from the columns to make word combinations:
1. ozone
a. disposal
2. car
b. security
3. deadly
c. spill
4. waste
d. areas
5. marine
e. people
6. urban
f. depletion
7. food
g. chemicals
8. oil
h. dumps
9. indigenous
i. exhausts
10. garbage
j. life
3.Find evidence in the text to support these statements:
1) Air pollution is a major factor in causing humans to get ill.
2) Many of the world’s plants and animals are under severe threat of
extinction.
3) Forests are under threat today.
4) Humans pollute and waste water recklessly.
5) Land pollution results in poverty and hunger for millions of people.
6) Polar Regions have profound effects on the Earth's climate and ocean
systems.
4. Explain the following basic concepts from the fu nctional vocabulary:
1) earthquakes
2) drought
3) explosions
4) hurricanes
5) tornado
6) typhoon
7) volcanoe
8) famine
9) floods
10)
major accidents
11)
epidemic
12)
natural disasters.
5. Translate into Russian :
1) A volcano has erupted in Indonesia. Hundreds are feared dead.
2) The flu epidemic spread rapidly throughout the country. Millions are
starving as a result oA big earthquake shook the city at noon today.
3) The area is suffering its worst drought for many years.
4) Civil war has broken out in the north of the country.
5) A tornado swept through the islands yesterday.
6) The explosion resulted in 300 casualties. [dead and injured people]
7) The real victims of civil war are children left without parents. [those
who suffer the results]
8) There were only three survivors. [people who live through a disaster]
9) All the other passengers were reported dead.
Speech Activities
1.
What type of disaster are these sentences about? Why?
1. The lava flow destroyed three villages.
2. The earth is cracked and vegetation has withered.
3. The tremor struck at 3.35 p.m. local time.
4. People had boarded up shops and houses during the day before, and
stayed indoors.
5. Shelling and mortar fire could be heard all over the town.
6. Witnesses said they saw a fire-ball fall out of the sky.
7. People had to stay in the upper floors and sometimes on the roofs of
their homes.
2. Complete the missing items in this word-class table, using a dictionary if
necessary. Where there is a dash (-), you do not need to write anything.
verb
noun: thing or idea
noun: person
…………………………
explosion
-
…………………………
…………………………
survivor
injure
…………………………
…………………………
starve
…………………………
…………………………
erupt
…………………………
-
3. In these headlines, say whether the situation seems to be getting worse or better, or
whether a disaster has happened or has been avoided / prevented.
4. Fill the gaps with a suitable word from B. Try to work from memory.
1. Another 50 people died today, all ………….. of the famine.
2. The government agreed to allow 3,000 war ……….to enter the country.
3. It was the worst road accident the country has ever seen, with over
120 ………….
4. A: Were there any ………… when the ship sank? B: I'm afraid not.
5. The ……….. and ………… were left lying on the battlefield; it was a
disgrace.
5. Comment on the following punishment and crime.What other forms of punishing the
man and polluters in general would you offer?
.
A judge in Spain handed down a novel sentence recently to a factory-owner
who had contaminated the environment (a local river). By obliging the man
to attend classes on the fragility of the environment, the judge was able to
waive the initial sentence - a six-month spell in jail.
6. Role-play
Many parts of the world are losing important natural resources such as forests, animals or
clean water. Make groups, each group will get one resource that is disappearing. You
should explain why it needs to be saved. Use specific reasons and examples to support your
opinion.
7.Finish the sentences:
1. If I saw somebody throwing an empty packet on the street, I would ...
2. If I discovered the factory I worked in was secretly polluting the
environment, I would ...
3. If I were minister for the Environment, I would ...
4. If I had to do without perfume/deodorant, I would ...
5. If I lived on an island, I would ...
6. If a nuclear bomb exploded, I would ...
7. If they tried to build a nuclear power station near my house, I would ...
8. If I were an endangered species, I would ...
READING TWO
Are you an environmentally-minded person? What ecological topic do you feel strongly
about? Read the text and be ready to discuss these issues.
Environmental Protection - Nationwide Concern
As a highly industrialized state Britain cannot ignore the problem of
environmental protection. The practical results of the slate policy in
environmental protection include the development of technology to control
atmospheric (air) and water pollution, agricultural pollution control, the study
of man's influence on the climate; the forecasting of earthquakes and tsunamis,
the biological and genetic consequences of pollution, protection of rare and
vanishing plants and animals as well as a whole lot more.
The Control of Pollution Act 1974, which applies to England, Scotland and
Wales, sets out a wide range of powers and duties for local and water
authorities, including control over wastes, air and water pollution and noise, and
contains important provisions on the release of information to the public on
environmental conditions.
The main risks of land pollution lie in the indiscriminate dumping of
materials on land, careless disposal of pesticides and chemicals, fall-out of
materials from the atmosphere and the deposition of materials from
floodwater. The use of sewage sludge on farms, too, involves risks as well as
benefits to the land.
The Government encourages the reclamation and recycling of waste
materials wherever this is practicable and economic in order to reduce imports
and to help to conserve natural resources. Industry already makes considerable
use of reclaimed waste materials such as metals, paper and textiles. In an
increasing number of areas there are "bottlebanks", where the public can
deposit used glass containers.
There has been a steady and significant improvement in water quality: the
level of pollution in the tidal Thames has been reduced to a quarter of the
1950s level and 100 different kinds of fish have been identified there since
1964. Discharges of polluting matter into rivers, lakes, estuaries and settle
coastal waters are already controlled by law.
Control of marine pollution from ships is based largely on international
conventions drawn up under the auspices of the international Maritime
Organization, a United Nations agency with headquarters in London. In dealing
with spillages of oil or chemicals at sea the main treatment method is to spray
dispersing from aircraft or surface vessels, and emergency cargo transfer
equipment is available to remove oil from a damaged tanker.
Considerable progress has been made towards the achievement of cleaner air and
a better environment, especially in the last 20 years or so. Total emissions and
average concentration of smoke in the air have fallen by 80 per cent since 1960.
London no longer has dense smoke-laden "smogs" of tile 1950s and in central
London winter sunshine has been increasing since the 1940s when average hours a
day were about 40 percent less than at Kew in outer London; the levels are now
virtually the same.
Transport is one of the main offenders in noise pollution, and control measures
are aimed at reducing noise at source, though requirements limiting the noise that
aircraft and motor vehicles may make, and by protecting people from its effects.
In Britain radiation resulting from industrial and other processes represents
only a small fraction in that to which the population is exposed from the natural
environment. Nevertheless, that fraction is subject to stringent control because of
possible effects on health or longer-term genetic effects.
Various methods are used to store radioactive wastes, depending primarily
upon their physical form and radioactivity. Wastes of sufficiently low radioactivity
are dispersed safely direct to the environment. For those of higher radioactivity a
comprehensive, international research programme is being carried out with
government assistance and with the participation of the nuclear industry into
methods of treatment, storage, transport and disposal.
Functional Vocabulary
a bottlebank
a discharge
a smog
a spillage of oil / an oil spillage / an oil spill
a treatment method
a vanishing plant
an estuary
an offender
careless disposal
deposition
fall-out
floodwater
genetic consequences
indiscriminate dumping
marine pollution
noise pollution
polluting matter
radioactivity
reclaimed waste
reclamation
sewage sludge
stringent control
to disperse
to remove oil
to store radioactive wastes
tsunami
under the auspices of
waste materials
Language Focus
1. Using a dictionary check the pronunciation of the following words:
 atmospheric
 tsunami
 estuary
 pesticide
 auspices
2. Match each word from group 1 with a word from group 2 to form compound terms
(collocations):
3.
1. sewage
2. materials
3. waste
4. offender
5. oil
6. method
7. noise
8. sludge
9. treatment
10.measures
11.control
12.spillage
Form derivatives to the words in the table:
Adjective
Noun
Verb
waste
dispose
deposit
discharging
disperse
spilling
emitting
release
reclamation
conserve
pollute
4. Match the words from the first column with the words from the second one:
vanish
earthquakes and tsunamis
forecast
materials on land
dump
plants and animals
spray
used glass containers
deposit
radioactive wastes
store
oil
conserve
dispersant
remove
natural resources
5. Write the correct combination of the verb and the particle. Insert particles and
prepositions where necessary:
1) The Control of Pollution Act sets ___ a wide range of powers and
duties ___ local and water authorities.
2) The main risks of land pollution lie ___ the indiscriminate dumping of
materials ___ land.
3) The level of pollution in the tidal Thames has been reduced ___ a quarter
of the 1950s level.
4) Control of marine pollution from ships is based ___ international
conventions drawn ___ ___ the auspices of the international Maritime
Organization.
5) In Britain radiation is subject ___ stringent control because of possible
effects ___ health.
6.
Explain the meaning of the following:
1. a ‘bottlebank’
4. smog
2. fall-out
5. under the auspices
3. Pollution Control Act
6. to be subject to stringent control
Speech activities
1. Answer the following questions:
1. What are the major environmental problems confronting Britain today?
2. What powers and duties for control authorities are set out by the Control of
Pollution Act 1974?
3. What measures are taken to fight land pollution?
4. What are the main treatment methods applied to reduce water pollution?
5. What facts prove that certain progress has been made towards cleaner air?
6. What operational measures have been introduced to reduce noise
disturbance?
7. What operational measures have been introduced to store radioactive
wastes?
8. Why do you think people should be concerned about protecting
environment from pollution and the destruction of natural resources?
2. Are you an environmentally-minded person?Mark each ecological topic out of 5
depending on how strongly you feel about it.– very strongly, 3 – moderately strongly,
1 – not bothered at all.
 Water pollution (dirty lakes, rivers, seas).
 Air pollution (by factories, plants, vehicles on the road).
 Land pollution (sewage, chemical fertilizers, litter garbage disposal).
 Atmospheric fall-outs (radioactive, acid rains).
 Noise pollution (aircraft, traffic, blasters).
 Contaminated food.
 Visual contamination (ugly architecture, posters).
 Mental contamination (TV, radio, ads, soap operas).
 Global warming (the greenhouse effect).
 Holes in the ozone layer.
Now add up your total score out of 50.
A score of 45-50 suggests you worry too much;
30-45 suggests you won’t die of worry, but you are certainly not indifferent;
15-30 suggests either that you don’t read papers or don’t believe a word they
say;
0-15 suggests you live on some idyllic island.
3. When you have finished compare your list with the partner.
4. Compile the list of the most urgent environmental problems that Great Britain and
Belarus face today. Fill them into the chart.
Great Britain
Belarus
1.
1.
2.
2.
…
…
Compare your list with your partner’s.
In your opinion, do Great Britain and Belarus face similar environmental problems?
Why?
Which of the environmental problems mentioned above do you consider the most
crucial or vital for the countries? Share your view with your partner.
READING THREE
What is global warming? What are the main causes of global warming? Read the article
carefully and be ready to discuss it.
Global warming threatens to kill off a million species
Scientists express shock at scale of disaster facing planet as Pacific islanders plan exodus to
New Zealand.Global warming threatens to kill off a million species
The changing climate over the
that loss – more than one in 10 of
chance of survival because
next 50 years is expected to drive
all plants and animals - is already
they could move uphill to get
a quarter of land animals and
irreversible because of the extra
cooler.
plants into extinction, according
global warming gases already
to the first comprehensive study
discharged into the atmosphere.
said:
into
higher
But the scientists say that action
about research they hope to
temperatures on the natural world.
to curb greenhouse gases now
come up with definite results,
The scale of the disaster facing the
could save many more. It took
but what we found we wish we
planet shocked those involved in
two years for the largest global
had not. It was far, far worse
the research. They estimate that
collaboration of experts to make
than we thought, and what we
more than 1 million species will
the first major assessment of the
have discovered may even be
be lost by 2050.
effect of climate change on six
an underestimate."
the
effect
of
Professor
"When
scientists
biologically rich regions of the
as "terrifying" by Chris Thomas,
world taking in 20% of the land
startling
findings
professor of conservation biology
surface. The research in Europe,
scientists
was
at Leeds University, who is lead
Australia,
Central
South
species of butterfly studied in
author of the research from four
America,
and
Africa,
Australia, all but three would
continents published last week in
showed that species living in
disappear in much of their
the magazine Nature. Much of
mountainous areas had a greater
South
the
set
The results are described
and
Among
Thomas
that
more
of
of
the
24
current range, and half would
continuous discharge of more
become extinct.
greenhouse gases, particularly by
In South Africa, major
the United States and European
conservation areas such as Kruger
nations, is making matters worse.
National Park risked losing up to
The research says that, if mankind
60% of the species under their
continues to burn oil, coal and gas
protection, while of 300 South
at the current rate, up to one third
African plant species studied,
of all life forms will be doomed
more than one third were expected
by 2050.
to die out, including the national
The Guardian Weekly, page 3
flower, the King Protea.
In the Cerrado region of
Brazil which covers one fifth of
the country, a study of 163 tree
species showed that up to 70
would become extinct. Many of
the plants and trees that exist in
this savannah occur nowhere else
in the world. In Europe, the
continent least affected by climate
change,
survival
rates
were
better.
Studies
in
Mexico’s
Chihuahuan desert confirmed that
on flatter land extinction was
more likely because a small
change in climate would require
migrations over vast distances for
survival. One third of 1,870
species examined would be in
trouble. So many species are
already destined for extinction
because it takes at least 25 years
for the greenhouse effect - or the
trapping of the sun’s rays by the
carbon dioxide, methane and
nitrous oxide - to have its full
effect
on
the
planet.
The
Functional Vocabulary
a conservation area
a global warming gas
a mountainous area
a savannah
an irreversible loss
carbon dioxide
climate change
comprehensive study into
methane
migration
nitrous oxide
startling findings
survival rates
the greenhouse effect
to be destined
to be doomed
to become extinct
to come up with results
to curb
to die out
to drive into extinction
to set about research
Language Focus
1. Fill the gaps using these key words from the text.
extinct
conservation
irreversible
species
startling
migration
to curb
doomed
1. ____________ means ‘surprising’ or ‘very unusual’.
2. An ____________ condition or situation is one which is impossible to change
or bring back.
3. If something is ____________ , it is certain to fail or to be destroyed.
4. An ____________ animal or plant no longer exists.
5. If you ____________ something, you limit or control it.
6. ____________ is the process by which land and water is managed to prevent
it being destroyed or damaged.
7. A ____________ is a plant or animal group whose members all have similar
general features.
8. ____________ is the process of moving to another part of the world.
2. Look in the text and find these words:
1. A word which means a wrong idea that something is smaller or less important
than it really is.
2. Another word for ‘size’ or ‘extent’.
3. A noun which means the process of working together with other people on a
specific project.
4. A noun used to describe a large flat area of land covered with grass in a warm
part of the world.
5. A two-word verb which means the same as ‘to become extinct’.
261
6. An adjective which means ‘extremely large’.
3. Fill the gaps using an appropriate preposition.
1. A number of people were involved _______ the research.
2. The scientists hoped to come up _______ definite results.
3. Some areas risk losing up _______ 60% of their species.
4. Europe is the continent least affected _______ climate change.
5. A number of species are already destined _______ extinction.
6. It takes 25 years for the greenhouse effect to have its full effect _______ the
planet.
7. More than one _______ 10 _______ all plants and animals may be lost.
8. Up to one third will become extinct _______ the year 2050.
Speech Activities
1. Choose the best answer for each question.
1 Why is the loss of more than 10% of all plants and animals described as
‘irreversible’?
a. Because it is impossible to prevent the greenhouse effect.
b. Because the gases that will kill these species have already been discharged
into the atmosphere.
c. Because it took two years for the scientists to make their assessment.
2. Why do species living in mountainous areas have a greater chance of
survival?
a. Because the air is cooler.
262
b. Because they can move to where the air is cooler.
c. Because there are fewer species in mountainous areas.
3. Which sentence best describes how Professor Thomas feels about the results
of the research?
a. He is pessimistic.
b. He is optimistic.
c. He is terrifying.
4. What will happen to the national flower of South Africa?
a. It will be conserved in the Kruger National Park.
b. It will be protected.
c. It will become extinct.
5. What is the greenhouse effect?
a. The continuous discharge of greenhouse gases.
b. The trapping of the sun’s rays by greenhouse gases.
c. The burning of oil, coal and gas.
2. Look in the text and answer these questions.
 How many species are expected to be lost by the year 2050?
 How much of the land surface of the world does the report on global
warming cover?
 How many species of butterfly did they study in Australia?
 How many species of South African plants are expected to die out?
 How many species were examined in Mexico?
 How long does it take for the greenhouse effect to have its full effect on
the planet?
263
 Which gases cause the greenhouse effect?
 Which human activities produce greenhouse gases?
6.
A major contributor to the greenhouse effect is the burning of fuel by cars and
airplanes. Make a list of the points for and against travelling by car and plane. How do
you think our travel habits will change in the next 25 years?
READING FOUR
Before you read discuss with your partner What environmental pressure organisations
do you know?What do they campaign for / against? Would you like to join any of
them?
Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth is one of the leading environmental pressure organizations
in the UK, and a major force behind today’s growing green movement.
Our message is a simple one: it is only in protecting the earth that we can protect
ourselves – against pollution, the destruction of our urban and rural
environment, mass unemployment and the horrors of global famine and war.
This is a message which – at last – is beginning to be taken seriously by
politicians and economists. Their concern is genuine. But their readiness to act
is still very limited.
And that’s where Friends of the Earth comes into it. It is our role to put the
pressure on politicians and decision-makers at every level. Changes in the law
and public opinion are testimony to our success.
264
Such pressure is vital if we are ever to learn to live in harmony with the earth,
and thus to improve standards of living and the real quality of lives
everywhere.
Organisation
Friends of the Earth is a national campaigning organization (Friends of the Earth
Ltd) established in Britain in 1971, with a network of 250 local groups. Each
group is financially independent and decides its own policies and priorities. In
practice, groups support national campaigns, organized by Friends of the Earth
Ltd, and also initiate campaigns on local issues.
In 1981 Friends of the Earth Trust was set up as a charity to do non-poitical
education and research work.
Friends of the Earth Ltd has a Board of Directors, the majority of whom are
elected by the local groups, which is responsible for the overall running of the
organization. The staff run campaigns and handle the finances and
administration. In addition, there are a number of consultants with specialist
knowledge and a team of enthusiastic volunteers who provide invaluable
support. Hundreds of people are employed by local groups on environmental
community projects funded by the Manpower Services Commission and the
Inner City Partnership programme.
There are Friends of the Earth groups in thirty-five countries in four continents,
all linked under the umbrella of Friends of the Earth International. A small
secretariat is based in the Netherlands.
Finance
There are about 50,000 registered Friends of the Earth supporters who provide
about 40 per cent of the annual income. Special fundraising events raise 25 per
265
cent and another 15 per cent is received as donations. Campaign appeals and
trading operations each contribute about 10 per cent.
Campaign Methods
Friends of the Earth first hit the headlines in 1971 by dumping 1,500
throwaway bottles on the doorstep of Schweppes, the soft drinks people. With
no money or public support, Friends of the Earth had hit on one of the best ways
of reaching the wide audience. Since then, always backed by excellent research,
we have used a variety of imaginative methods to get the environmental
message across and to influence decision-makers. Thousands of people have
participated in consumer pressure campaigns, protests against acid rain, direct
action to stop the destruction of irreplaceable wildlife sites, public meetings to
stop nuclear waste dumps, cycle rallies, and many more events. In addition,
Friends of the Earth has published reports, promoted legislation in Parliament
and participated in public inquiries.
Friends of the Earth staff and groups are constantly addressing public meetings;
giving radio, TV and newspaper interviews; and meeting politicians, civil
servants, local government officers and representatives from industry.
Friends of the Earth is politically impartial and works with all political parties
and other organizations wherever there are areas of agreement.
How to get involved
Become a Friends of the Earth supporter and we will send you information
about the campaigns in the Friends of the Earth newspaper.
If you have time, the best way to campaign for the concerns of Friends of the
Earth is through your local group. Each group carries out a great variety of
activities and there is a role for everyone.
266
We ask you to think about the environmental consequence of everything you do:
refuse to buy overpackaged goods; insulate your home to save energy; travel
by bicycle or public transport wherever possible; and persuade your family,
friends and work colleagues to do the same. It all helps.
So far the 20th century has been a disastrous one for the earth. Let’s reverse the
trend while there is still time. Simply by joining Friends of the Earth you are
giving much needed financial support. Every new member is another vote for a
better world.
Friends of the Earth, 1988
Recently Friends of the Earth we have:
 helped stop World Trade Organisation talks which threatened terrible
consequences for people and the environment;
 forced delays of at least 3 years to the full commercialization of GM
crops;
 helped pass no fewer than 5 Acts of Parliament;
 revealed secret plans to import American nuclear waste into the UK;
 helped stop over 250 unnecessary new trunk road projects;
 exposed Britain’s biggest industrial polluters;
 helped persuade the Chancellor to put 22 green measures in the 1999
Budget – Britain’s greenest ever;
 pressured Government to introduce plans for a tough new wildlife bill
and
 persuaded supermarkets to ban GM ingredients from their own-brand
products.
Functional Vocabulary
267
a cycle rally
a donation
a fundraising event
a nuclear waste dump
a standard of living
a throwaway bottle
acid rain
an irreplaceable wildlife site
genuine concern
global famine
GM crops
green measures
green movement
invaluable support
overpackaged goods
politically impartial
public inquiries
to hit headlines
to insulate
to put pressure on
to reverse a trend
to save energy
under the umbrella of
Language Focus
1.Explain the following:
268
 campaign
 cycle rally
 urban and rural environment
 under the umbrella
 fundraising events
 global famine
 throwaway bottles
 GM ingredients
 irreplaceable wildlife sites
2. Join the words to make combinations used in the article. Use them in the sentences of
your own.
to hit
green measures
to insulate
GM ingredients
to reverse
a plan
to force
a polluter
to reveal
headlines
to expose
homes
to put
a delay
to ban
the trend
Speech Activities
1.Answer the questions:
1. What is Friends the Earth? Specify the message and the role. What
are the methods to get this message across?
2. What testifies to the success of Friends of the Earth?
3. Describe its structure: how is it organised, elected, directed and
financed?
4. What are the activities / events / campaigns / protests organised by its
269
volunteers?
5. How can you campaign for the concerns of Friends of the Earth?
2. Discuss with a partner / partners (make up dialogues):
1. A volunteer from Friends of the Earth is interviewed by a newspaper
correspondent about the structure and campaign methods of this
organisation.
2. Two Friends of the Earth activists discuss how to organise a march of
protest against smoking.
3. Discuss what you would campaign for / against in Belarus.
4. A young man is asking a Friend of the Earth activist how to join the
group.
5. One of you wants to join Friends of the Earth, the other is really
skeptical.
270
271
Environment and Conservation
SPEECH FUNCTIONS BANK
F – Formal
Inf – Informal
1. Asking for More Detailed Information
F I wonder if you could explain about X
how you do
in (rather)
more detail?
Could I ask you a little more about X
how you do …
I’m afraid I’m not quite clear about X
how you do …
I’m interested in knowing more about X
How (exactly) do you do…?
Could you fill me in a bit on
X
how you do …..?
In Can you put me in the picture about X?
f
1. Make the following into questions or statements asking for more detailed
information using the language in the box above.
Example: Could/ask/about the global climate change?
Could I ask you a bit more about the global climate change?
272
1. I/interested/knowing/the effect of global warming.
2. I/afraid/not quite clear/car exhaust fumes should be decreasing.
3. I wonder/you/explain/ the greenhouse effect develops.
4. Can/me/picture/nature conservation?
2. Use appropriate language from the box above to ask for more detailed
information in the following situations.
 You are talking to a fellow student about the mechanism of global
warming. Ask for more detailed explanation.
 You are at a public lecture where the local government’s spokesman is
speaking about the necessity of nature conservation in the country.
Ask for more details.
 You are interviewing a famous educationalist for a TV programme on
environmental issues. Ask for more details.
 You are at an interview for a job as a friend of the earth. Ask for more
details about the job.
 You are talking to a university student about environmental
protection. Ask for more details.
2. Making Comparisons
F X differs
from Y in that + sentence
varies
The (main) difference between X and Y is that + sentence
One of the differences between X and Y is that + sentence
One of the (main) (dis-) advantages of X
doing
X has an advantage over Y in that + sentence
273
is that +
sentence
X is
better than I because + sentence
comes off
X is more (+adjective) than Y because + sentence
X is not
as
(+adjective) as Y because + sentence
so
Inf There’s no comparison between X and Y. X is + sentence.
Use appropriate language from the box above to make statements of comparison
about the following.
1. The climate in Belarus/Iceland.
2. Ice Polar Caps in Iceland in 1984/2008.
3. the supply of drinking water in Africa/in Belarus.
4. Environment-Friendly Products in your country/abroad.
5.
2. Making Generalisations
F There is a tendency for X (not) to do…
X has a tendency (not) to do …
X is inclined (not) to do …
X tends not to do …
X
seems
to do …
appears
In the vast majority of cases,
In most cases
Generally (speaking),
+ sentence
By and large,
Inf On the whole,
274
Use appropriate language from the box above to make generalisations about the
following.
1. The Global climate Change.
2. The problem of Sustainability.
3. GMP
4. Prospects of climate change for Belarus.
275
SELF CHECK TEST 4
Self-Check Test 4
1. Join the words from the columns to make word combinations:
1. ozone
a. disposal
2. waste
b. spillage
3. food
c. offender
4. oil
d. sludge
5. noise
e. depletion
6. sewage
f. security
2. Match the words and phrases with their definitions:
1. habitats
a) a place where birds or animals are protected
and allowed to live freely
2. global warming
b) chemicals which farmers put on their crops
to kill harmful insects
3. a sanctuary
c) evidence
that
you
care
about
the
environment
4. extinction
d) places where animals live and breed
which are decreasing in size
5. pesticides
e) perfectly clean / untouched / unspoilt areas
6. environmental
f) an area of rock underneath the surface of the
credentials
earth which absorbs and holds water
7. pristine environments
g) being no longer in existence
8. an aquifer
h) steady rise in average world temperatures
3. Explain:
the greenhouse effect
276
deforestation
the worst case scenario
desertification
to recycle
under the auspices of
throwaway bottles
4. Translate the following into Russian:
1. Cutting down and burning trees destroys wildlife habitats and adds to air
pollution.
2. Cars, factories, power stations and rubbish dumps all emit gases which add to
air pollution.
3. Pesticides used to spray crops can contaminate water supplies as well as soil.
4. Oil spills, effluent from factories and sewage all add to pollution in our rivers
and seas.
5. Radiation doesn’t respect international borders.
6. If the public boycotted products such as aerosols which damage the ozone
layer then manufacturers would have to change their packaging policies.
5. Translate the following into English:
1. Озоновый слой защищает людей от вредного воздействия солнечных
лучей.
2. Беспорядочное
использование
природных
ресурсов,
чрезмерный
промысел, опустынивание - все это может привести к потере среды
обитания животных, что ставит под угрозу исчезновения многие редкие
виды.
3. Загрязнение почвы прежде всего связано с неразборчивым сбросом
отходов,
небрежным
размещением
радиоактивных осадков.
277
пестицидов
и
выпадением
4. Истощение природных ресурсов и утилизация промышленных и
бытовых отходов стали основными темами для обсуждения на
последнем заседании организации по защите окружающей среды.
5. Люди создают заповедники, чтобы сохранить виды, находящиеся под
угрозой исчезновения.
6. Природные ресурсы включают ископаемое топливо, источники энергии,
почву, водные пути и водоемы, минералы, тропические леса,
дикорастущие растения, животный мир суши и морской жизни,
живописные ландшафты, заповедники, оздоровительные зоны и т.д.
7. Ученые обеспокоены проблемой загрязнения окружающей среды: метан
и углекислый газ, наряду с выхлопными газами и продуктами сжигания
ископаемого топлива, загрязняют воздух и вызывают парниковый
эффект.
8. Вопросы экологии сейчас на повестке дня и находятся
под
руководством ООН. В результате климатических изменений учащаются
природные катаклизмы (бедствия), такие как наводнения, засухи,
ураганы, извержение вулканов, различные растения и животные
находятся под угрозой исчезновения, загрязнение земли постепенно
приводит к опустыниванию.
9. Разрушение тропических лесов и озонового слоя, чрезмерная охота и
рыболовство, загрязнение окружающей среды – одни из немногих
экологических
проблем,
которые
наносят
необратимый
урон
окружающей среде.
10.Главной задачей Киотского протокола 1997 года является снижение
выбросов парниковых газов (углекислого газа, метана, окиси азота,
сернистого газа и др.) в атмосферу, так как данные выбросы являются
одной из главных причин глобального потепления.
By SARAH WOMACK The Daily Telegraph June 1, 2007
278
UNIT 5. THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS
Section 1. The Republic of Belarus. Geographical, political,
economic aspects.
Starter activity
Do you agree with the words of Vladimir Karatkevich that our country is “the land
beneath white wings”? If you were to describe our land in one sentence only what would
you say? How would you describe our motherland to a foreigner? What places and
landmarks would you recommend him\her to visit and why? What are your favorite
sights? What do you know about the origin of the word “Belarus”? What facts, events
or feats from the glorious history of our land do you consider the greatest and most
significant? How would you describe the ways and perspectives of further development
of our country?
READING ONE
Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe bordered by Russia to the
north and east, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and
Latvia to the north. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest,
Grodno, Gomel, Magilew and Vitebsk. Forty percent of the country is forested,
and its strongest economic sectors are agriculture and manufacturing.
Until the 20th century, the Belarusians lacked the opportunity to create a
distinctive national identity, since the lands of modern-day Belarus for
centuries belonged to several countries, including the Duchy of Polatsk, Grand
Duchy of Lithuania, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Russian
279
Empire. After the short-lived Belarusian People's Republic (1918–19), Belarus
became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Byelorussian SSR.
The final unification of Belarusian lands within its modern borders took place
in 1939, when the ethnically Belarusian lands that were part of interwar Poland
were annexed by the USSR and attached to the Soviet Belarus. The territory
and its nation were devastated in World War II, during which Belarus lost about
a third of its population and more than half of its economic resources; the
republic recovered in the post-war years. The parliament of the republic
declared the sovereignty of Belarus on July 27, 1990, and following the
collapse of the Soviet Union, Belarus declared independence on August 25,
1991. Alexander Lukashenko has been the country's president since 1994. Since
1996, Belarus has been negotiating with Russia to unify into a single state
called the Union of Russia and Belarus.
Most of Belarus's populations of 9.85 million reside in the urban areas
surrounding Minsk and other oblast (regional) capitals. More than 80% of the
population is native Belarusians, with sizable minorities of Russians,
Ukrainians and Poles. Since a referendum in 1995, the country has had two
official languages: Belarusian and Russian. The Constitution of Belarus does not
declare an official religion, although the primary religion in the country is
Russian Orthodox Christianity.
Etymology. The name Belarus derives from the term White Rus, which first
appeared in German and Latin medieval literature. The Latin term for the area
was Russia Alba. Historically, the country was referred to in English as White
Ruthenia. It is also claimed by some people that the correct translation of "White
Russia" is White Ruthenia, which either describes the area of Eastern Europe
populated by Slavic people or the states that occupied the area. The first known
use of White Russia to refer to Belarus was in the late-16th century by the
Englishman Sir Jerome Horsey. During the 17th century, Russian tsars used
280
White Rus', asserting that they were trying to recapture their heritage from the
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Belarus was named Belorussia in the days of Imperial Russia, and the Russian
tsar was usually styled Tsar of All the Russias—Great, Little, and White.
Belorussia was the only Russian language name of the country until 1991, when
the Supreme Soviet of the Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic decreed by law
that the new independent republic should be called Belarus in Russian and in all
other language transcriptions of its name. The change was made to reflect
adequately the Belarusian language form of the name. Accordingly, the name
Belorussia was replaced by Belarus in English, and, to some extent, in Russian;
likewise, the adjective Belorussian or Byelorussian was replaced by Belarusian
in English. Some Belarusians object to the name Belorussia as an unwelcome
reminder of the days under Russian and Soviet rule. However, most residents of
the country do not mind the use of Byelorussiya in Russian – as evidenced by
the fact that several popular newspapers published locally still retain the
traditional name of the country in Russian in their names, for example
Komsomolskaya Pravda v Byelorussii, which is the localized publication of a
popular Russian tabloid, and Sovetskaya Byelorussiya. Officially, the full name
of the country is Republic of Belarus.
Functional Vocabulary
a landlocked country
a distinctive national identity
the Duchy of Polatsk
the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Belarusian People's Republic
281
unification
to annex
sovereignty
a sizable minorities
to derive from
Slavic people/ tribes
to recapture the heritage
localized publication
an unwelcome reminder
a constituent republic
Language Focus
5. Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases used in the text and
reproduce the situations in which they are used. Translate them into
Russian/Belarusian:
– to create a distinctive national identity
– to become a constituent republic
– a landlocked country
– to annex
– to recapture the heritage
– to be devastated
– to unify into a single state
– a sizable minorities.
6. Find the words in the text which have a similar meaning of the following:
282
– a boundary;
– to add;
– considerable, important;
– to destroy;
– to originate;
– inheritance;
– independence;
–
component.
7. Insert prepositions or particles where necessary. Translate the sentences into
Russian/Relarusian:
6. Belarus was named Belorussia ... the days of Imperial Russia.
7. Belarus is a landlocked country ... Eastern Europe bordered ... Russia
... the north and east, Ukraine ... the south, Poland ... the west, and
Lithuania and Latvia ... the north.
8. The name Belarus derives ... the term White Rus, which first
appeared ... German and Latin medieval literature.
9. The parliament of the republic declared ... the sovereignty of Belarus
... July 27, 1990, and following the collapse ... the Soviet Union,
Belarus declared ... independence ... August 25, 1991.
8. Match the verbs with the nouns to make collocations. Translate them into
Russian/Relarusian:
to recapture
an unwelcome reminder
to declare
the traditional name
to object
a constituent republic
283
to retain
the heritage
to become
a single state
to unify into
the sovereignty
Speech activities
4. Make the following statements more factually correct:
 The final composition of Belarusian lands within its modern borders
took place in 1939.
 Belarus is a dry country in Eastern Europe.
 Officially, the general title of the country is Republic of Belarus.
 Since 1996, Belarus has been negotiating with Russia to joint into a
single state called the Union of Russia and Belarus.
 Some Belarusians object to the name Belorussia as an unwelcome
landmark of the days under Russian and Soviet rule.
5. Answer the following questions.
5. What are the strongest economic sectors of Belarus?
6. What the neighbouring countries of Belarus?
7. When was the Belarusian national identity shaped?
8. Is Belarusian population homogenous? Are there any sizeable
minorities?
9. What is the origin of the country’s name?
READING TWO
284
The region that is now modern-day Belarus was first settled by Slavic tribes in
the 6th century. They gradually came into contact with the Varangians, a band
of warriors consisting of Scandinavians and Slavs from the Baltics. Though
defeated and briefly exiled by the local population, the Varangians were later
asked to return and helped to form a polity—commonly referred to as the
Kievan Rus'—in exchange for tribute.
Upon the death of Kievan Rus' ruler, Prince Yaroslav the Wise, the state split
into independent principalities. These Ruthenian principalities were badly
affected by the Mongol overlordship in the 13th century, and many were later
incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. During this time, the Duchy
was involved in several military campaigns, including fighting on the side of
Poland against the Teutonic Knights at the Battle of Grunwald in 1410; the joint
victory allowed the Duchy to control the northwestern border lands of Eastern
Europe.
On February 2, 1386, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland
were joined in a personal union through a marriage of their rulers. This union set
in motion the developments that eventually resulted in the formation of the
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, created in 1569. The union between Poland
and Lithuania ended in 1795, and the commonwealth was partitioned by
Imperial Russia, Prussia, and Austria, dividing Belarus. Belarusian territories
were acquired by the Russian Empire during the reign of Catherine II and held
until their occupation by Germany during World War I.
During the negotiations of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, Belarus first declared
independence on March 25, 1918, forming the Belarusian People's Republic.
The Germans supported the BPR, which lasted for about ten months. Soon after
the Germans were defeated, the BPR fell under the influence of the Bolsheviks
and the Red Army and became the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic in
1919. After Russian occupation of eastern and northern Lithuania, it was
285
merged
into
the
Lithuanian-Byelorussian
Soviet
Socialist
Republic.
Byelorussian lands were then split between Poland and the Soviets after the
Polish-Soviet War ended in 1921, and the recreated Byelorussian SSR became a
founding member of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1922.
In September 1939, as a result of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the Soviet
Union invaded Poland and annexed its eastern lands, including most Polish-held
Byelorussian land. Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941.
Byelorussia was the hardest hit Soviet Republic in the war and remained in
Nazi’s hands until 1944. During that time, Germany destroyed 209 out of 290
cities in the republic, 85% of the republic's industry, and more than one million
buildings, while causing human losses estimated between two and three million
(about a quarter to one-third of the total population). The Jewish population of
Byelorussia was devastated during The Holocaust and never recovered. The
population of Belarus did not regain its pre-war level until 1971. After the war
ended, Byelorussia was among the 51 founding countries of the United Nations
Charter in 1945 and began rebuilding the Soviet Republic. During this time, the
Byelorussian SSR became a major center of manufacturing in the western region
of the USSR, increasing jobs and bringing an influx of ethnic Russians into the
republic. The borders of Byelorussian SSR and Poland were redrawn to a point
known as the Curzon Line.
Joseph Stalin implemented a policy of Sovietization to isolate the Byelorussian
SSR from Western influences. This policy involved sending Russians from
various parts of the Soviet Union and placing them in key positions in the
Byelorussian SSR government. The official use of the Belarusian language and
other cultural aspects were limited by Moscow. After Stalin died in 1953,
successor Nikita Khrushchev continued this program, stating, "The sooner we
all start speaking Russian, the faster we shall build communism". When Soviet
leader Mikhail Gorbachev began pushing through his reform plan, the
Belarusian people delivered a petition to him in December 1986 explaining the
286
loss of their culture. Earlier that year, Byelorussian SSR was exposed to nuclear
fallout from the explosion at the Chernobyl power plant in neighboring
Ukrainian SSR.
In March 1990, elections for seats in the Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian
SSR took place. Belarus declared itself sovereign on July 27, 1990, by issuing
the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic.
With the support of the Communist Party, the country's name was changed to
the Republic of Belarus on August 25, 1991. Stanislav Shushkevich, the
Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Belarus, met with Boris Yeltsin of Russia
and Leonid Kravchuk of Ukraine on December 8, 1991 in Belavezhskaya
Pushcha to formally declare the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the
formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States. A national
constitution was adopted in March 1994, in which the functions of prime
minister were given to the president.
Two-round elections for the presidency (June 24, 1994 and July 10, 1994)
resulted in Alexander Lukashenko winning.
Functional vocabulary
the Varangians
to exile
a polity
the Kievan Rus'
a tribute
to lay under tribute
to pay a tribute to smb
to split into
to split between
287
a principality
to set in motion
to incorporate into
to partition
to merge into
a founding member
the United Nations Charter
bilateral relations
the Curzon Line
to delivere a petition
nuclear fallout
to declare oneself sovereign
the Commonwealth of Independent States
Language focus
6. Match the adjectives with the nouns they collocate with and translate the word
combination into Russian/Belarusian.
to come into contact with
a reform plan
to declare oneself
a petition
to form
an influx
to deliver
the Varangians
to be exposed to
a Mongol invasion
to split into
nuclear fallout
to push through
sovereign
to be badly affected by
independent principalities
to bring
a polity
288
7. Find the words in the text which have a similar meaning to the following.
Reproduce the situations in which they are used:
– levy , homage;
– to banish , expatriate;
– a state;
– follower;
– to trigger an action;
– to be influenced ;
–
destruction, ruin.
8. Explain what is meant by the following word combinations:
– the Varangians;
– a founding member;
– sovietization;
– to place in a key position;
– the Mongol overlordship.
9. Translate from Russian into English. Use your functional vocabulary.
11.Местные славянские племена попросили варягов помочь в
формировании своего государства, известного сегодня
как
Киевская Русь.
12.На побежденные племена
налагалась дань или, если они
отказывались ее платить, то победители изгоняли их с обжитых
земель.
13.После смерти князя Ярослава Мудрого его великое государство
было разделено на два княжества, а в тринадцатом веке эти
289
княжества
серьезно
пострадали
от
татаро-мангольского
нашествия.
14.Великое княжество литовское было объединено с Королевством
польским в результате брачного союза, что дала толчок к
образованию
польско-литовского
государства
Пасполитой. Это союзное государство
существование в 1795
и было разделено
–
Речи
закончило своё
между Пруссией,
Россией и Австрией.
15.В результате аварии на Чернобыльской атомной электростанции
огромная часть территории Беларуси
была подвергнута
радиационному заражению, а также ситуацию усугубили
радиоактивные
осадки.
Беларусь
объявила
о
своей
независимости двадцать седьмого июля 1990 года.
16.В декабре 1991года было объявлено о распаде СССР
и о
создании Содружества независимых государств.
Speech activities
3. Answer the following questions.
4. What tribes were the first to setter on the territory of present day’s
Belarus? Were they peaceful?
5. Was it easy for Belarus to gain its sovereignty? What was the state’s
way to its independence?
6. What tragedies and catastrophes undermined the country’s
development?
4. Analyse the results of the explosion at the Chernobyl power plant. Try to find
more information on the aftermaths of disaster, on the preventive measures.
290
Try to analyze the situation in the Republic of Belarus now. Are you for or
against building new nuclear power stations?
READING THREE
Belarus is a presidential republic, governed by a president and the National
Assembly. In accordance with the constitution, the president is elected once in
five years. The National Assembly is a bicameral parliament comprising the
110-member House of Representatives (the lower house) and the 64-member
Council of the Republic (the upper house). The House of Representatives has
the power to appoint the prime minister, make constitutional amendments, call
for a vote of confidence on the prime minister, and make suggestions on foreign
and domestic policy. The Council of the Republic has the power to select
various government officials, conduct an impeachment trial of the president, and
accept or reject the bills passed by the House of Representatives. Each chamber
has the ability to veto any law passed by local officials if it is contrary to the
Constitution of Belarus. Since 1994, Alexander Lukashenko has been the
president of Belarus. The government includes a Council of Ministers, headed
by the prime minister. The members of this council need not be members of the
legislature and are appointed by the president. The judiciary comprises the
Supreme Court and specialized courts such as the Constitutional Court,
which deals with specific issues related to constitutional and business law. The
judges of national courts are appointed by the president and confirmed by the
Council of the Republic. For criminal cases, the highest court of appeal is the
Supreme Court. The Belarusian Constitution forbids the use of special extrajudicial courts.
291
Foreign relations. Belarus and Russia have been close trading partners and
diplomatic allies since the breakup of the Soviet Union. Belarus is dependent
on Russia for imports of raw materials and for its export market. The Union of
Russia and Belarus, a supranational confederation, was established in a 1996–
99 series of treaties that called for monetary union, equal rights, single
citizenship, and a common foreign and defense policy.
Belarus was a founder member of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Belarus has trade agreements with several European Union member states, as
well as with its neighbors Lithuania, Poland and Latvia.
Bilateral relations with the United States are strained but despite this, the two
nations cooperate on intellectual property protection, prevention of human
trafficking and technology crime, and disaster relief.
Belarus has increased cooperation with China, strengthened by the visit of
President Lukashenko to China in October 2005. Belarus has strong ties with
Syria, which President Lukashenko considers a key partner in the Middle East.
In addition to the CIS, Belarus has membership in the Eurasian Economic
Community and the Collective Security Treaty Organization. Belarus has been a
member of the international Non-Aligned Movement since 1998 and a member
of the United Nations since its founding in 1945.
Economy. Most of the Belarusian economy is state-controlled. Thus, 51.2% of
Belarusians are employed by state-controlled companies, 47.4% are employed
by private Belarusian companies, and 1.4% are employed by foreign companies.
The country relies on imports such as oil from Russia. Important agricultural
products include potatoes and cattle byproducts, including meat. As of 1994,
the biggest exports from Belarus were heavy machinery (especially tractors),
agricultural products, and energy products.
Historically important branches of industry include textiles and wood
processing. As of the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union, Belarus was one of
the world's most industrially developed states by percentage of gross domestic
292
product as well as the richest CIS state. Economically, Belarus involved itself
in the CIS, Eurasian Economic Community, and Union with Russia. During the
1990s, however, industrial production plunged because of decreases in imported
inputs, in investment, and in demand for exports from traditional trading
partners. It took until 1996 for the gross domestic product to rise; this coincided
with the government putting more emphasis on using the GDP for social welfare
and state subsidies.
Belarus's largest trading partner is Russia, accounting for nearly half of total
trade in 2006. As of 2006, the European Union is Belarus's next largest trading
partner, with nearly a third of foreign trade. Belarus applied to become a
member of the World Trade Organization in 1993.
The currency of Belarus is the Belarusian ruble (BYR). The currency was
introduced in May 1992, replacing the Soviet ruble. The ruble was reintroduced
with new values in 2000 and has been in use ever since. As part of the Union of
Russia and Belarus, both states have discussed using a single currency along the
same lines as the Euro. The banking system of Belarus is composed of 30 stateowned banks and one privatized bank.
Functional vocabulary
a presidential republic
a bicameral parliament
to appoint
an amendment
a vote of confidence
the House of Representatives
the Council of the Republic
to veto
293
the Supreme Court
the Constitutional Court
an extra-judicial court
a non-partisan
a breakup
a supranational confederation
a monetary union
the Commonwealth of Independent States
bilateral relations
a key partner
wood processing
heavy machinery
cattle byproducts
gross domestic product
to plunge
in accordance with
Language focus
5. Explain the meaning of the following phrases used in the text. Translate them
into Russian/Belarusian:
– a presidential republic;
– a bicameral parliament;
– domestic policy;
– a vote of confidence;
– the breakup of the Soviet Union;
– a key partner.
294
6. Insert a preposition or a particle where necessary.
1. ... accordance ... the constitution, the president is elected once ... five
years..
2. Belarus has strong ties ... Syria, which President Lukashenko
considers a key partner ... the Middle East.
3. The House of Representatives has the power ... appoint the prime
minister, make constitutional amendments, call ... a vote ...
confidence ... the prime minister, and make suggestions ... foreign
and domestic policy.
4.
It took until 1996 ... the gross domestic product to rise; this
coincided ... the government putting more emphasis ... using the
GDP ... social welfare and state subsidies.
5. . The country relies ... imports such as oil ... Russia.
7. Translate into English, using your functional vocabulary.
1. Беларусь – президентская республика. Во главе стоит президент
и национальное собрание – двухпалатный парламент.
2. Палата представителей имеет полномочия назначать премьерминистра, вносить поправки в конституцию, выражать вотум
доверия премьер-министру, а также вносить предложения о
внутренней и внешней политике.
3. Совет
республики
правительственных
импичмента
может
назначать
чиновников,
президента,
проводить
принимать
или
различных
процедуру
отклонять
законопроекты, принятые палатой представителей.
4. Каждая из двух палат парламента имеет право налагать запрет на
любое решение местных властей, если оно противоречит
Конституции республики Беларусь.
295
5. Судебная
система
представлена
Верховным
судом
и
специализированными судами, такими как Конституционный
суд, который решает вопросы, связанные с
торговым
правом.
Судьи
назначаются
Конституцией
президентом
и
и
утверждаются Советом республики. Для криминальных дел
высшей инстанцией является апелляционный суд.
Speech activities
4. Answer the following questions:
1. What is the political system the republic of Belarus?
2. What place does Belarus occupy on the international arena? Who are
our trading and diplomatic allies?
3. What is the present day’s situation in our economy? What are the
perspectives of the economic development?
5. Describe the state system of Belarus; give the list of functions of each chamber.
Tell about the legislative system.
Section 2. |The Republic of Belarus. Cultural aspects
Starter activity
296
How much do you know about the culture of Belarus? Who are you favourite Belarusian
authors, poets, singers or musicians? What national traditions do you know? Do you
follow any of them?
READING ONE
Culture. Belarusian literature began with 11th - to 13th century religious writing;
the 12th century poetry of Cyril of Turaw is representative. By the 16th century,
Polotsk resident Francysk Skaryna translated the Bible into Belarusian. It was
published in Prague and Vilnius between 1517 and 1525, making it the first
book printed in Belarus or anywhere in Eastern Europe. The modern period of
Belarusian literature began in the late 19th century; one important writer was
Yanka Kupala. Many notable Belarusian writers of the time, such as Uładzimir
Žyłka, Kazimir Svayak, Yakub Kolas, Źmitrok Biadula and Maksim Haretski,
wrote for a Belarusian language paper called Nasha Niva, published in Vilnius.
After Belarus was incorporated into the Soviet Union, the Soviet government
took control of the Republic's cultural affairs. The free development of
literature occurred only in Polish-held territory until Soviet occupation in 1939.
Several poets and authors went into exile after the Nazi occupation of Belarus,
not to return until the 1960s. The last major revival of Belarusian literature
occurred in the 1960s with novels published by Vasil Bykaŭ and Uładzimir
Karatkievič.
In the 17th century, Polish composer Stanislaw Moniuszko composed operas
and chamber music pieces while living in Minsk. During his stay, he worked
with Belarusian poet Vincent Dunin-Marcinkevich and created the opera
Sielanka (Peasant Woman). At the end of the 19th century, major Belarusian
cities formed their own opera and ballet companies. After the Great Patriotic
War, music focused on the hardships of the Belarusian people or on those who
took up arms in defense of the homeland. During this period, A. Bogatyryov,
297
creator of the opera In Polesye Virgin Forest, served as the "tutor" of Belarusian
composers. The National Academic Theatre of Ballet, in Minsk, was awarded
the Benois de la Dance Prize in 1996 as the top ballet company in the world.
Since 2004, Belarus has been sending singers to the Eurovision Song Contest.
The Belarusian government sponsors annual cultural festivals such as the
Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk. Several state holidays, such as Independence Day
and Victory Day, draw big crowds and often include displays such as fireworks
and military parades, especially in Vitebsk and Minsk. The government's
Ministry of Culture finances events promoting Belarusian arts and culture both
inside and outside the country.
The traditional Belarusian dress originates from the Kievan Rus' period.
Because of the cool climate, clothes, usually composed of flax or wool, were
designed to keep the body warm. They are decorated with ornate patterns
influenced by the neighboring cultures: Poles, Lithuanians, Latvians, Russians,
and other European nations. Each region of Belarus has developed specific
design patterns. An ornamental pattern used on some early dresses is currently
used to decorate the hoist of the Belarusian national flag, adopted in the
referendum of 1995.
The largest media holding group in Belarus is the state-owned National State
Teleradiocompany. It operates several television and radio stations that
broadcast content domestically and internationally, either through traditional
signals or the Internet. The Television Broadcasting Network is one of the major
independent
television
stations
in
Belarus,
mostly showing
regional
programming. Several newspapers, printed either in Belarusian or Russian,
provide general information or special interest content, such as business, politics
or sports. In 1998, there were fewer than 100 radio stations in Belarus: 28 AM,
37 FM and 11 shortwave stations.
All media companies are regulated by the Law on Press and Other Mass Media
passed on January 13, 1995.
298
Functional Vocabulary
to go into exile
revival
chamber music pieces
to sponsor
to draw big crowds
a military parade
a display
to originate from
flax
wool
ornate
the hoist of the Belarusian national flag
a shortwave station
Language Focus
4. Find the words or phrases in the text which have a similar meaning to the
following:
–
To be in charge of;
– To flee away from;
– Rebirth, renaissance;
– To concentrate on;
– To stand for, protect;
– To support, promote;
299
– Every year;
– Native.
5. Explain the meaning of the following phrases making use of the contexts in
which they are used; translate them into Russian:
– chamber music;
– military parade;
– to be incorporated into;
– to originate from;
– an ornate pattern;
– special interest content;
– to draw big crowds;
– bilateral relations;
– to bring an influx;
– heritage;
– to adopt.
6. Fill in the blanks with the right words or word-combinations from the functional
vocabulary.
1. After Belarus was incorporated into the Soviet Union, the Soviet
government took ... of the Republic's ... affairs.
2. In 1998, there were fewer than 100 radio ... in Belarus: 28 AM, 37 FM
and 11 ... stations.
3. After the Great Patriotic War, music ... on the ... of the Belarusian
people or on those who took up ... in ... of the homeland.
4. Several poets and authors went into ... after the Nazi ... of Belarus, not
to ... until the 1960s.
300
5. An ... pattern used on some ... dresses is currently used to decorate the
... of the Belarusian national flag ... in the referendum of 1995.
6. The largest media ... group in Belarus is the ... –owned National State
Teleradiocompany.
Speech Activities
1. Make the following statements more factually correct:
1. The traditional Belarusian dress originates from the pagan period.
2. Several poets and authors went to Europe after the Nazi occupation of
Belarus to earn more money.
3. The Belarusian government prohibits annual cultural festivals such as
the Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk.
4. An ornamental pattern used on some early dresses has never been
used to decorate the Belarusian national flag, adopted in the
referendum of 1995.
5. The National Academic Theatre of Ballet, in Minsk, failed to receive
the Benois de la Dance Prize in 1996 as the top ballet company in the
world.
2. Answer the following questions.
 When did the history of Belarusian literature start? What writings
appeared first?
 What caused the decline in the development of our national literature?
When did the revival of our national culture begin?
 Who were the most notorious musicians of our land? What modern
composers do you know?
 What influenced the development of the Belarusian national dress?
301
3. Prepare a report on one of the following topics: the history of development of the
Belarusian national flag; the Belarusian national ornamental pattern; the
biography and cultural influence of one of the Belarusian prominent figures.
READING TWO
Pagan celebrations. Before 990 A.D. Belarusians (several eastern Slavic and
Baltic tribes, mostly Kryvichi and their branches, Jatviags, Lits) were pagans.
They believed in the God of Sun - Yaryla, celebrated seasons of nature
according to sun and moon calendar. The cycles of folk songs that were sung at
these celebrations still exist. The main festivities are listed below.
"Spring Greeting"- is a cycle of celebrations designed to "awake' mother Earth
from the winter sleep which was important for such agricultural people as
belarusians. This cycle includes such holidays as "Maslenitsa", "Vialikdzen'"
(Easter), "Yur'ya" and others. Each celebration is characterized by specific
cycles of "vesnavyia" (spring) songs. The most ancient celebration is "Yur'ia".
Yur'ia is in fact christianized name for pagan God-Sun - Yaryla. The typical
ritual on Yur'ia (reflected in "yur'iauskiia" songs is calling for Yaryla (Yur'ya),
the Sun-God, to bring out the keys and open his mothers (Earth, Nature) womb to let out the grass, and flowers, and animals. As usual these holidays are also
celebrated by specific ritual food - eggs (symbol of life), pancakes (circle is an
important magical shape - it depicts sun).
Kupalle (Solstace, June 21) - is the most loved and charished pagan holiday in
contemporary Belarus. The tradition is very ancient. Under different names this
holiday is celebrated by all peoples of indo-European group. During the summer
Solstice, Yaryla (God-Sun) was reaching its biggest power. Kupalle - is a
hedonistic summer celebration of the land’s fertility in the name of a female
God - Kupala. It seems like she is considered a lunar Goddess by some pagan
302
sources, although direct translation of the name is "She Who Bathes". Lately it
was renamed into a christian celebration of a male saint - Ivan Kupala. There is
a whole complex of traditional rituals, beliefs, love and agricultural magic.
Supposedly in ancient times Kupalle was celebrated in the night from July 6 to
July 7. During the day of July 6 young girls were going into the meadows to
collect different "kupal'skiia" plants and remedies - corn flower, ferns, etc. It
was considered that the plants gathered at this time have particular strengths for
curing and magic.
Some plants were used for magical protection and the
wreaths of these plants were put on the walls of the houses to protect against
bad spirits. Some of the plants were used in the "kupal'skiia" wreaths which
were worn on the head by young men and women during Kupalle celebration.
The central part in Kupalle celebration was a fire. This fire was symbolizing life
and Yaryla, and was expelling death. During the day young men would prepare
the place to start ther fire. They would go around the village collecting old
things - clothes, broken barrels - and would take them out to the chosen for
festivity place. Usually it would be a meadow, a forest glade, a bank of a river.
Then the youth would go around the village calling with their special Kupalle
songs for the celebration. Special ritual food was cooked on the fire - fried eggs
(egg symbolized both sun and life), vareniki (dumplings stuffed with berries blueberries, cherries, raspberries). The oiled wooden wheel would be set on fire
to symbolize sun.
Kupalle usually involves youth going into the forests and the meadows, wearing
flower and grass garlands and wreaths on their heads. There will be many
rituals of purification practiced - jumping through the fire, bathing in the river
or rolling in the grass dew. There would be a lot of dancing in karagods,
competing in strength. A popular type of magic practiced on Kupalle night was
fortune telling. The girls would put their wreaths on the water and let the river
carry them. The one that would come to the bank or get entangled with another
mean that there will be a marriage. Also it was believed that if you pick the leaf
303
of plantain growing at the crossroads and put it under the pillow - you are very
likely to dream your future spouse on Kupalle night. One could burn a bunch of
flux plants in Kupalle fire and chant:"Flux, give birth", to increase its crops. It
was believed once in a year on Kupalle night near the midnight the fern has a
glowing flower - "Paparac'-kvetka". The lucky couple that would find it would
live happily and would be able to foresee the future. It was believed that on
Kupalle night rivers are glowing with a special light, trees can speak the human
language and even walk from place to place. It was believed that the Sunset on
Kupalle night is special. The Sun sets down "playing" - dividing into concentric
circles that expand and contract.
It was also believed that the witches could spoil things on this night. Different
ways to protect yourself and your household were used. You could put garlands
of special plants that have magical protective properties on the outside of your
house. You can put into your rye burning coals from Kupalle fire. Of course the
hands of working women were protected by red ornament on the sleeves.
Sometimes to be completely safe you have to drive all your cattle through the
purifying Kupalle fire. Dzyady - pre-Christian celebration originating from the
cult of ancestors. It is a ritual dinner in commemoration of the dead relatives.
Usually "Dziady" is also called the day on which the ritual is performed and the
same name is used for the commemorated dead persons. Dziady was celebrated
during particular days 3-4 times a year (it depends on the region). The main
Dziady were "asianiny" - on the first Saturday preceding St. Dzmitry day
(October 26).Also Dziady were celebrated in early spring on "radaunitsa",
"maslenitsa" and "siomuha". The special ritual food is cooked for Dziady dinner
- "kyccia" (fine barley porridge with berries), "bliny" (pancakes), fried eggs, and
meat. According to the tradition part of the food and drink is left in a special
plate and glass for the dead. At this day families are going to the graveyards to
take care of the graves.
304
Kaliady (December 25 - January 7) - pre-Christian celebration of the end of
year. It comes from Latin "Calendae", which is the name for the first day of each
month. Another version of the origin of the word is the word "Kola" (the wheel)
which is related to the turn of the year. In the annual cycle of folk rituals and
celebrations this holiday was the beginning. Later it was adopted for Christmas
celebration by Orthodox and Catholic churches. Since the Catholic Christmas is
on December 25 and the Orthodox Christmas is on January 5 - Kaliady are now
celebrated between these two dates. The ritual food was cooked for three ritual
dinners: "posnaia viachera" (Engl.: fasting dinner) with no meat or fat in the
beginning, "toustaia"(Engl.: fat) or "miasnaia" (Engl.: "meat") dinner with meat,
eggs and sweets on New Year Eve and the last one - "galodnaia" (Engl.: hungry)
or "vadzianaia" (Engl.: watery) at the end of Kaliady. During Kaliady folks
would dress themselves as animals and fantastic beasts, carry the sun and the
goat's head on a stick and visit different houses trick-or-treating. They would
sing special Kaliady carrols in which the performers greet the house owners,
wish them success and plentitude. The youth were playing games, perform in a
folk theatre plays for public, "skamarohs" would entertain the crowd, play jokes
on people. These are the popular holidays that have roots in pagan celebrations
and stand out most.
Pagan celebrations. Before 990 A.D. Belarusians (several eastern Slavic and
Baltic tribes, mostly Kryvichi and their branches, Jatviags, Lits) were pagans.
They believed in the God of Sun - Yaryla, celebrated seasons of nature
according to sun and moon calendar. The cycles of folk songs that were sung at
these celebrations still exist. The main festivities are listed below.
"Spring Greeting"- is a cycle of celebrations designed to "awake' mother Earth
from the winter sleep which was important for such agricultural people as
belarusians. This cycle includes such holidays as "Maslenitsa", "Vialikdzen'"
(Easter), "Yur'ya" and others. Each celebration is characterized by specific
cycles of "vesnavyia" (spring) songs. The most ancient celebration is "Yur'ia".
305
Yur'ia is in fact christianized name for pagan God-Sun - Yaryla. The typical
ritual on Yur'ia (reflected in "yur'iauskiia" songs is calling for Yaryla (Yur'ya),
the Sun-God, to bring out the keys and open his mothers (Earth, Nature) womb to let out the grass, and flowers, and animals. As usual these holidays are also
celebrated by specific ritual food - eggs (symbol of life), pancakes (circle is an
important magical shape - it depicts sun).
Kupalle (Solstace, June 21) - is the most loved and charished pagan holiday in
contemporary Belarus. The tradition is very ancient. Under different names this
holiday is celebrated by all peoples of indo-european group. During the summer
Solstice, Yaryla (God-Sun) was reaching its biggest power. Kupalle - is a
gedonistic summer celebration of the land’s fertility in the name of a female
God - Kupala. It seems like she is considered a lunar Goddess by some pagan
sources, although direct translation of the name is "She Who Bathes". Lately it
was renamed into a christian celebration of a male saint - Ivan Kupala. There is
a whole complex of traditional rituals, beliefs, love and agricultural magic.
Supposedly in ancient times Kupalle was celebrated in the night from July 6 to
July 7. During the day of July 6 young girls were going into the meadows to
collect different "kupal'skiia" plants and remedies- corn flower, ferns, etc. It
was considered that the plants gathered at this time have particular strengths for
curing and magic.
Some plants were used for magical protection and the
wreaths of these plants were put on the walls of the houses to protect against
bad spirits. Some of the plants were used in the "kupal'skiia" wreaths which
were worn on the head by young men and women during Kupalle celebration.
The central part in Kupalle celebration was a fire. This fire was symbolizing life
and Yaryla, and was expelling death. During the day young men would prepare
the place to start ther fire. They would go around the village collecting old
things - clothes, broken barrels - and would take them out to the chosen for
festivity place. Usually it would be a meadow, a forest glade, a bank of a river.
Then the youth would go around the village calling with their special Kupalle
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songs for the celebration. Special ritual food was cooked on the fire - fried eggs
(egg symbolized both sun and life), vareniki (dumplings stuffed with berries blueberries, cherries, raspberies). The oiled wooden wheel would be set on fire
to symbolize sun.
Kupalle usually involves youth going into the forests and the meadows, wearing
flower and grass garlands and wreaths on their heads. There will be many
rituals of purification practiced - jumping through the fire, bathing in the river
or rolling in the grass dew. There would be a lot of dancing in karagods,
competing in strength. A popular type of magic practiced on Kupalle night was
fortune telling. The girls would put their wreaths on the water and let the river
carry them. The one that would come to the bank or get entangled with another
mean that there will be a marriage. Also it was believed that if you pick the leaf
of plantain growing at the crossroads and put it under the pillow - you are very
likely to dream your future spouse on Kupalle night. One could burn a bunch of
flux plants in Kupalle fire and chant:"Flux, give birth", to increase its crops. It
was believed once in a year on Kupalle night near the midnight the fern has a
glowing flower - "Paparac'-kvetka". The lucky couple that would find it would
live happily and would be able to foresee the future. It was believed that on
Kupalle night rivers are glowing with a special light, trees can speak the human
language and even walk from place to place. It was believed that the Sunset on
Kupalle night is special. The Sun sets down "playing" - dividing into concentric
circles that expand and contract.
It was also believed that the witches could spoil things on this night. Different
ways to protect yourself and your household were used. You could put garlands
of special plants that have magical protective properties on the outside of your
house. You can put into your rye burning coals from Kupalle fire. Of course the
hands of working women were protected by red ornament on the sleeves.
Sometimes to be completely safe you have to drive all your cattle through the
purifying Kupalle fire. Dzyady - pre-Christian celebration originating from the
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cult of ancestors. It is a ritual dinner in commemoration of the dead relatives.
Usually "Dziady" is also called the day on which the ritual is performed and the
same name is used for the commemorated dead persons. Dziady was celebrated
during particular days 3-4 times a year (it depends on the region). The main
Dziady were "asianiny" - on the first Saturday preceding St. Dzmitry day
(October 26).Also Dziady were celebrated in early spring on "radaunitsa",
"maslenitsa" and "siomuha". The special ritual food is cooked for Dziady dinner
- "kyccia" (fine barley porridge with berries), "bliny" (pancakes), fried eggs, and
meat. According to the tradition part of the food and drink is left in a special
plate and glass for the dead. At this day families are going to the graveyards to
take care of the graves.
Kaliady (December 25 - January 7) - pre-Christian celebration of the end of
year. It comes from Latin "Calendae", which is the name for the first day of each
month. Another version of the origin of the word is the word "Kola" (the wheel)
which is related to the turn of the year. In the annual cycle of folk rituals and
celebrations this holiday was the beginning. Later it was adopted for Christmas
celebration by Orthodox and Catholic churches. Since the Catholic Christmas is
on December 25 and the Orthodox Christmas is on January 5 - Kaliady are now
celebrated between these two dates. The ritual food was cooked for three ritual
dinners: "posnaia viachera" (Engl.: fasting dinner) with no meat or fat in the
beginning, "toustaia"(Engl.: fat) or "miasnaia" (Engl.: "meat") dinner with meat,
eggs and sweets on New Year Eve and the last one - "galodnaia" (Engl.: hungry)
or "vadzianaia" (Engl.: watery) at the end of Kaliady. During Kaliady folks
would dress themselves as animals and fantastic beasts, carry the sun and the
goat's head on a stick and visit different houses trick-or-treating. They would
sing special Kaliady carrols in which the performers greet the house owners,
wish them success and plentitude. The youth were playing games, perform in a
folk theatre plays for public, "skamarohs" would entertain the crowd, play jokes
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on people. These are the popular holidays that have roots in pagan celebrations
and stand out most.
Functional vocabulary
Spring Greeting
A womb
ritual food
charished
gedonistic
the land’s fertility
fern
a wreath
to expel
a grass garland
a ritual of purification
morning dew
fortune telling
to be entangled
plantain
flux plants
to foresee the future
pre-Christian
the cult of ancestors
the annual cycle of folk rituals
trick-or-treating
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Language Focus
6.
Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases, translate them into Russian. Make use
of the supplementary texts: “…..”, “…..”
– pagan;
– festivity;
– to christianize;
– ritual food;
–
to cherish;
– hedonistic;
– fern;
– to expel death;
– a ritual of purification;
– fortune telling;
– to foresee the future;
– the cult of ancestors;
– in commemoration of;
– a wreath;
– to have roots in.
7.
Find the words in the text which have similar meaning to the following:
Grandparents, a holiday, cheerful, productivity, to take care of, medicine,
cemetery, to thrust out, to predict, ribwort, rite.
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9. Match the verbs with the nouns to make collocations. Translate them into
Russian/Relarusian:
the annual cycle of
the purifying Kupalle fire
to grow at
the turn of the year
a bunch of
folk rituals
to drive all your cattle through
purification
to be related to
the crossroads
a ritual of
flux plants
8.
Replace the italicised parts with the words and word-combinations from the functional
vocabulary:
8. Kupalle - is a cheerful summer celebration of the land’s productive
power in the honor of a female God - Kupala.
9. The lucky couple that would find it would live happily and would be
able to predict the future.
10. This fire meant life and Yaryla, and was denying death.
11. During Kaliady folks would disguise themselves as animals and
fantastic beasts, carry the sun and the goat's head on a stick and visit
different houses asking for some treatment.
Speech activities
3. Make up dialogues:
BETWEEN A foreigner and a native person sharing their experience
of celebrating Belarusian national holidays.
311
 Interview a foreigner who has just participated in one of the local
celebrations.
 Share your views and experience of celebrating other holidays.
READING THREE
Magnificent heritage in Minsk
Experts say that in Belarus there are over 150 historical architectural
ensembles. But in Minsk only one has survived. It is the Loshitskij complex
estate, one of the most sentimental places in the capital.
It is authentically known, that in 16th century on the place of the two rivers’
confluence – the Svisloch and the Losh - there was a feudal estate. Its owners
were princes Zaslavskie, descendants of Gedemin, the founder of the belarusianLithuanian Power. The good place drew attention of many noblemen; therefore
the estate changed its owners several times. They were all well-known
Belarusian families: Princes Drutskie, direct descendants of the well-known
Polotsk Prince Vseslav, whose nickname was the Magician because of his
unbelievable feats; and later the Prushinskie family - natives of the western
Belarus, present Poland. The Royal general - aide-de-camp, the gentleman of
many Polish awards, Stanislav Prushinsky transformed the old estate into a huge
residence. At that time many honored guests, including the last king of Rech
Pospolita Stanislav-Avgust Poniatovsky and the Russian emperor Paul I visited
the estate. Later in the Loshitskij Park, the playwright Vincent DuninMartsinkevich, the composer Stanislav Monjushko and other known people of
that time walked. But the greatest fame to Loshitsa brought Evstafij Liubansky,
the representative of the female line of Prushinskie, who settled here in 1884.
The new owner had an extensive range of interests and was perfectly educated.
312
Except wide state and economic activities, he is known for some eccentricity. In
particular, he was a propagandist of a bicycle and the head of the Company of
Minsk bicyclists. And also, they say, he was privy to an attempt on the life of
Minsk governor Kurlov. Liubansky constructed in Loshitsa some profitable
enterprises: two mills, a starch-treacle shop, a distillery, a small brick plant (due
to which, by the way, he enclosed a great territory with a brick wall, the rests of
which exist nowadays). Sir Evstafij nevertheless gave the basic energy on the
arrangement of the park and the estate. In the park he planted many exotic
plants, and now it is possible to see there a Manchurian nut, a Mountain and
Crimean pine, a Siberian fir, a magnolia. Especially for his wife he brought a
magnolia Cobus from Japan, they say, it blossoms on her birthday. With the
name Jadwiga, the wife of Evstafij, the nicest and the saddest stories of Loshitsa
are connected.
Sir Evstafij undertook the grandiose reorganization of the estate only for his
beloved wife, who was 17 years younger. A one-storied construction on the river
side was turned into a graceful residence. To the wooden house of XVII century
the new stone case was added. The house turned out to be not only convenient,
but also beautiful - wooden carved details added to it special aesthetics. The
internal furnishing corresponded to the concepts of luxury: walls were reveted
with oak panels, furnaces and fireplaces were faced with tiles, which are unique
today. For the hall, Liubanskie chose the English style, for the corridor and
ladder – Pompeian paintings. Making up the library and the dining room, they
used elements of the Renaissance; drawing rooms were decorated in a smart
rococo. Tiled furnaces played an important role in the apartments. There is a
collection of them in the house. The central place in the collection occupies a
fireplace made in Riga. After the reorganization, the Loshitskij estate was
mentioned in European, in particular, in Polish albums, as one of the most
picturesque.
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A family idyll collapsed in fatal 1905. Jadwiga Liubanskaia had misfortune to
fall in love with the Minsk governor A. N. Musin-Pushkin. She was a Polish
noblewoman, brought up in Catholic traditions, and the invincible attraction to
the Russian aristocrat was disastrous for her. Torn apart by contradictions
between passion and honour, Jadwiga committed suicide, having drowned in the
Losh. In memory of her Evstafij planted a Manchurian apricot, unique in
Belarus. Then he blocked a window in her bedroom with brick and left to the
Caucasus, the place where all Russian noblemen went searching for death –
there he died.
During the Soviet times the Loshitskij Park was forgotten. Due to this fact,
many treasures of the park remained untouched. But not all of them. A Catholic
chapel, serving as a tomb of the last owners, didn’t survive. It started to destroy
in the 1920s, and in 1944 German armies completed the destruction, having
blown it up together with a warehouse of ammunition, which they had no time
to take out.
The Loshitskij estate has gone through many historical trials. Today the
reconstructed complex still impresses by lyricism and harmony.
Functional vocabulary
A historical architectural ensemble
authentically
two rivers’ confluence
A nobleman
a feat
aide-de-camp
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privy
a distillery
a starch-treacle shop
to enclose
the grandiose reorganization
wooden carved details
aesthetics
to revet
a furnace
tile
a family idyll
the invincible attraction to smb.
a warehouse of ammunition
to take out
Language focus
5. Explain the meaning of the following phrases used in the text. Translate the into
Russian/Berlarusian.
–
to undertake the grandiose reorganization of the estate,
–
the place of the two rivers’ confluence,
–
an extensive range of interests,
–
a feat,
–
to be decorated in a smart rococo,
–
to be torn apart by contradictions.
6. Find the words in the text which have a similar meaning to the following:
–
genuine;
315
–
property, mansion;
–
a member of gentry;
–
dramatist;
–
to circumscribe;
–
affinity;
–
unconquerable;
–
a stock, storeroom.
7. Join the words from the columns to make word combinations. Consult the text if
necessary. Translate the word combinations into Russian/Belarusian.
to be on the place of
a brick wall
to be privy to
the destruction
to enclose a great territory with
the two rivers’ confluence
to be torn apart by contradictions
a graceful residence
between
to be turned into
the concepts of luxury
to correspond to
passion and honor
to complete
an attempt on the life of
Speech activities
4. Make the following statements more factually correct.
 Experts say that in Belarus there are over 150 historical architectural
buildings.
 The good place drew attention of many thieves; therefore the estate
changed its owners several times.
 A family life collapsed in fatal 1905.
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 The house turned out to be not only convenient, but also beautiful wooden glued details added to it special mathematics.
 She was a Polish generous woman, brought up in Catholic traditions,
and the constant attraction to the Russian aristocrat was disastrous
for her.
5. Give extensive answers to the following questions.
8.
When was the Loshitskij estate build?
9.
Who were the estate’s first owners?
10. Did the place draw attention of different nobleman? What are the
reasons?
11. The names of what famous historical figures are connected with
the place?
12. Which of the owners of the estate stated the reconstruction? Why?
What changes and innovations of that time were introduced in the
mansion?
13. What romantic story is connected with the estate?
6. Find out more about the historical heritage of our country. Discuss the problem
of preserving historical monuments and landmarks in our country. Do you
know what measures are being taken in this sphere? What can each of do to
contribute to the solution and development of it?
READING FOUR
Street Racing Minsk
Street racing is an extreme driving by car along night streets. Racing boom!
There is a supposition that the stir began with the film "Forsage", having
317
become almost cult in the certain circles. The film narrates about mad races of
American guys in cool cars.
In Minsk street racing became popular not at once. At first only 2-3 cars
participated, sometimes only one car came to the place of meeting... Then an
advertisement in newspapers appeared, and the true races took place, in which
25 cars participated on February, 23, 2002. Gradually races became a "national"
entertainment, the amount of demands for the round reached at times up to 450!
Street racing is a kind of sports without the law. But there are plans to register
the club of Minsk street fighters officially. At present the rules of the League of
street racing is prepared. And more recently the administration of the airport
“Minsk - 1" offered to rent one of landing strips for street racing. So now we
expect the next gripping show, capable to become one of the most popular
kinds of an energetic leisure.
Today is Saturday, 9 p.m. A preliminary gathering of racers takes place near the
Palace of sports in the Masherov Avenue, on a parking in the district Uruchje, in
the Jacub Kolas Street or near the Zhdanovichi market. After the gathering the
place of start is determined. As usual, races are carried out at night, more often
in the country, where the road is better and the traffic is less.
Here on the round participants are registered, and then cars are divided
according to their characteristics. As a rule, there are so many participants, that
numbers come to an end, but people are still coming.
And some words about the features of race. Some participants prefer to demand
rivals with the car of the same characteristics or even more powerful. Others
refuse such offers: “I will lose!”, and prefer a rival with a less powerful car. The
majority of drivers are men, but there are some constant participants - girls.
Races are carried out on a straight line, which is 400 meters long, participants
compete in couples, starting from the most powerful cars and finishing from the
weakest. They compete according to the knockout system, i.e. from each couple
only one car goes on racing and there is only one winner finally. For the present
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there were no accidents, not counting several small scratches. However an
incident took place. One of street fighters was carried away by extreme racing
too much, that outside the race he managed to exceed speed by 165 km/h and
was fined a big penalty.
Someone can suspect that the driver did it only over the eight. Also will be
mistaken. Therefore according to the private rules of street racing, drunk drivers
aren’t registered not to create problems with participants and spectators. And
you will never see fights here. All insults are resolved only in racing: you are
faster – then you are right.
Till now only two things could break a race – GAI (auto inspection) and a rain.
And, it is necessary to note, a rain is always less predicted, that is why for all the
history because of weather, races were not carried out twice. Though the
appearance of GAI excites someone even more, it emphasizes the fact that this
invention is outside of the law.
Thus it is necessary to remember, that the officers of GAI are also motorists and
street racing is interesting for them. Sometimes some officers changed clothes
into civilian and participate in races. They say, once the young representative of
high rank of the leadership of the Minsk inspection was noticed in the role of a
racer.
Today the planes of the League are to make a great show in honor of the
opening of the season. While the negotiations are carried out with GAI, in order
that their officers keep order and block a line (the most deserted roads are
always chosen for races).
In any case if not to participate, street racing is worth seeing! And if the
expression "was born with gasoline in blood" is about you, then sooner or later
you’ll be sick to race on your own. And then you’ll start to search for worthy
rivals. Fortunately, now you know where they can be found.
Functional vocabulary
319
Street racing
a landing strip
a gripping show
the knockout system
to exceed speed by
to block a line
to be born with gasoline in blood
to stir
Language focus
1. Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases used in the text and
reproduce the situations in which they are used. Translate them into
Russian/Relarusian:
– To block a line;
– To become cult;
– Sport without the law;
– A gripping show;
– An energetic leisure;
– A preliminary gathering;
– The knockout system;
– To exceed speed by;
– To fine a penalty;
– Over the eight;
– To be born with gasoline in blood.
320
2. Insert prepositions or particles where necessary. Translate the sentences into
Russian/Relarusian:
 ... racing is an extreme driving by car along night streets.
 There is a supposition that … began with the film "Forsage", having
become almost … in the certain circles.
 Someone can suspect that the driver did it only over the ...
 Thus it is necessary to remember, that the officers of GAI are also …
and street … is interesting for them.
 So now we expect the next … show, capable to become one of the most
popular kinds of an … leisure.
4. Match the verbs with the nouns to make collocations. Translate them into
Russian/Relarusian:
to exceed speed by
landing strips for street racing
to prefer a rival with
the club
to register
civilian
to rent one of
a less powerful car
to change clothes into
race on your own
to be sick to
165 km/h
Speech activities
1. Answer the following questions.
 Do you think street racing should be legalized or banned in our country?
 Would you like to participate in one of street races?
 When did this entertainment appear in our country? What inspired it?
321
 Is street racing a style of life or just an way to amuse oneself?
2. Make a discussion on the following points: Should street racing exist? Is it
an extreme sport? Make a list of points for and against it. What other
extreme sports do you know? Do you take part in any of them? Which of
them do we have in Belarus?
READING FIVE
Belarus keeps the USSR past alive
Ancient forests, rural villages, Soviet-era style — Belarus keeps the past alive, says
Andrew Evans.
They call the train to Minsk the Time Machine because it takes you back at least
20 years. In just one night we leave capitalist Europe behind and enter the
forgotten glories of the USSR, preserved in the odd bubble that is Belarus.
Three Ukrainians share my compartment and giggle nervously as childhood
memories flash by the window: gigantic collective farms, long lines at the
currency exchange and billboards featuring the Soviet-era diva Alla Pugacheva.
I feel the difference at the border at midnight, when a gruff female officer in
Soviet-style military uniform inspects my passport with a magnifying glass and
accuses me of not resembling my ID. Notwithstanding the effects of age, I am
granted entry.
Yet in the country, stability reigns. In October Square in Minsk, where the
protests took place, I watch hundreds of ice skaters circle to Elton John blaring
from a loudspeaker. Tourists are welcome as long as they do not interfere and,
politics aside, this is a beautiful country.
322
Opposite the railway station stand the City Gates, a pair of 11-storey clock
towers that once marked the Western gateway to the Soviet Union. Heavily
bombed in the Second World War, Minsk offers an impressive display of such
Stalinist architecture — all of it, remarkably, restored. The result is a unique
capital, orderly but grandiose and devoid of traffic jams and glaring signs.
Belarus means White Russia and while I was there it was. The continual
snowfall added to the serenity of the forests — some of the last virgin
woodlands in Europe. These include Belovezhskaya Pushcha — a national park
that is home to a recovered population of European bison. Obtaining a visitor’s
permit is tedious, but worth it to see the ancient oaks and wildlife of a lost
Europe.
Preserving the past is a daily affair at Dudutki, an outdoor museum village
celebrating Belarussian country life. Amid the thatched cottages and working
farms, tourists are plied with homemade vodka, potato pancakes, smoked
cheese and sausage while shopping for rustic handicrafts. Away from the
tourist theatre are identical scenes in the rural villages that dot the countryside.
These inspired the artist Marc Chagall, whose birthplace I visit in Vitebsk. The
museum houses few of his original works, but it connects the artist’s life to the
evocative landscapes.
I am surprised at how freely I am able to wander around the country. Nobody
seems to be watching me, and the country is safe in the way that most
dictatorships are: there is little petty crime and pickpockets are unheard of.
Flagging down a taxi is the only annoyance — many drivers are reluctant to
interact with foreigners.
On my last evening, my Intourist-era hotel recommends up market restaurants
and nightclubs that cater for foreign guests. Instead I choose the Belarussian
National Circus. The two-hour performance is superb, with acrobats and deathdefying stuntmen. In the finale, an acrobat on a galloping horse unfurls a huge
323
Belarussian flag. The Minister of Culture steps into the ring and the performers
garland him with flowers. The children in the audience scream with delight.
Alas, my visa expires in six hours and I catch the train back to a less innocent
time.
Getting there: Belavia, the national airline, makes two flights a week from
Gatwick to Minsk. Trains connect from other European cities, including an
overnight sleeper from Berlin to Minsk via Warsaw.
Visas and red tape: UK tourists visiting Belarus require a visa, issued at the
London embassy (020-7938 3677, www.belembassy.org/uk). Visa applicants
require an original invitation from a registered Belarusian tour agency, which is
issued only after a hotel booking has been paid in full by direct bank transfer.
The visa process can take two weeks or more. Zierer’s visa service charges £50
and can reduce some of the stress (0870 8900185, www.visaservice.co.uk). All
foreigners must register with the local police station within three days of arrival.
From The Times
April 22, 2006
Functional vocabulary
To leave behind
the odd bubble
a gruff female officer
to blare from a loudspeaker
devoid of traffic jams and glaring signs
the serenity of the forests
the last virgin woodlands
tedious
thatched cottages
324
plied with
rustic handicrafts
to dot the countryside
evocative landscapes
to wander around
a pickpocket
to flag down
death-defying
a stuntman
Language focus
1. Match the adjectives with the nouns they collocate with and translate the word
combination into Russian/Belarusian.
death-defying
cottages
virgin
female
thatched
style
Soviet-era
stuntmen
gruff
woodlands
2. Find the words in the text which have a similar meaning to the following.
Reproduce the situations in which they are used:
– rude;
– to ramble;
– thief;
– to stop a taxi;
325
– country;
– to make loud noise;
– monotonous.
3. Explain what is meant by the following word combinations:
– A pickpocket;
– The serenity of the forest;
– To devoid a traffic jam;
– The odd bubble;
– To flash by.
4. Translate the article from Russian into English. What would you write in a
newspaper article to create an attractive image of your motherland and to attract
more tourists?
Speech activities
1. Answer the following questions.
 Is the image of our country created in the article above positive or
negative?
 What is Belarus compared to?
 What places did the author visit? What were his impressions?

What was he surprised at? What things did he find superb?
2. Imagine that you are to make a presentation of the Republic of Belarus at a
cross-cultural conference abroad. What points would you concentrate on?
What would you mention in the first place?Make
326
327
Self-Check Test
1. Match the verbs with the nouns to make collocations:
death-defying
cottages
virgin
female
thatched
style
Soviet-era
stuntmen
gruff
woodlands
to be on the place of
a brick wall
to be privy to
the destruction
to enclose a great territory with
the two rivers’ confluence
to be torn apart by contradictions
a graceful residence
between
to be turned into
the concepts of luxury
to correspond to
passion and honor
to complete
an attempt on the life of
2. Insert prepositions or particles where necessary:
a. ... accordance ... the constitution, the president is elected once ...
five years..
b. Belarus has strong ties ... Syria, which President Lukashenko
considers a key partner ... the Middle East.
c. The House of Representatives has the power ... appoint the prime
minister, make constitutional amendments, call ... a vote ...
confidence ... the prime minister, and make suggestions ... foreign
and domestic policy.
d. It took until 1996 ... the gross domestic product to rise; this
coincided ... the government putting more emphasis ... using the
GDP ... social welfare and state subsidies.
328
e. The country relies ... imports such as oil ... Russia.
3. Fill in the blanks with the right words or word-combinations from the functional
vocabulary.
 After Belarus was incorporated into the Soviet Union, the Soviet
government took ... of the Republic's ... affairs.
 In 1998, there were fewer than 100 radio ... in Belarus: 28 AM, 37 FM
and 11 ... stations.
 After the Great Patriotic War, music ... on the ... of the Belarusian people
or on those who took up ... in ... of the homeland.
 Several poets and authors went into ... after the Nazi ... of Belarus, not to
... until the 1960s.
 An ... pattern used on some ... dresses is currently used to decorate the ...
of the Belarusian national flag ... in the referendum of 1995.
 The largest media ... group in Belarus is the ... –owned National State
Teleradiocompany.
 racing is an extreme driving by car along night streets.
 There is a supposition that … began with the film "Forsage", having
become almost … in the certain circles.
 Someone can suspect that the driver did it only over the ...
 Thus it is necessary to remember, that the officers of GAI are also …
and street … is interesting for them.
 So now we expect the next … show, capable to become one of the most
popular kinds of an … leisure.
 Belarus was named Belorussia ... the days of Imperial Russia.
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 Belarus is a landlocked country ... Eastern Europe bordered ... Russia ...
the north and east, Ukraine ... the south, Poland ... the west, and
Lithuania and Latvia ... the north.
 The name Belarus derives ... the term White Rus, which first appeared ...
German and Latin medieval literature.
 The parliament of the republic declared ... the sovereignty of Belarus ...
July 27, 1990, and following the collapse ... the Soviet Union, Belarus
declared ... independence ... August 25, 1991.

4. Find the words which have the similar meaning of the following:
– a boundary;
– to add;
– considerable, important;
– to destroy;
– to originate;
– inheritance;
– independence;
– component;
–
genuine;
–
property, mansion;
–
a member of gentry;
–
dramatist;
–
to circumscribe;
–
affinity;
–
unconquerable;
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–
6.
a stock, storeroom.
Translate the following sentences using your active vocabulary:
 Местные славянские племена попросили варягов помочь в
формировании своего государства, известного сегодня как
Киевская Русь.
 На побежденные племена налагалась дань или, если они
отказывались ее платить, то победители изгоняли их
с
обжитых земель.
 После смерти
государство
князя Ярослава Мудрого его великое
было разделено на два княжества, а в
тринадцатом веке эти княжества серьезно пострадали от
татаро-мангольского нашествия.
 Великое
княжество
литовское
было
объединено
с
Королевством польским в результате брачного союза, что
дала
толчок
к
образованию
польско-литовского
государства – Речи Пасполитой. Это союзное государство
закончило своё существование в 1795
и было разделено
между Пруссией, Россией и Австрией.
 Беларусь – президентская республика. Во главе стоит
президент и
национальное собрание – двухпалатный
парламент.
 Палата
представителей
премьер-министра,
имеет
вносить
полномочия
поправки
в
назначать
конституцию,
выражать вотум доверия премьер-министру, а также вносить
предложения о внутренней и внешней политике.
 Совет
республики
может
назначать
различных
правительственных чиновников, проводить
процедуру
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импичмента
президента,
принимать
или
отклонять
законопроекты, принятые палатой представителей.
 Каждая из двух палат парламента имеет право налагать
запрет на любое решение местных властей, если оно
противоречит Конституции республики Беларусь.
 Судебная система представлена Верховным судом и
специализированными
судами,
такими
как
Конституционный суд, который решает вопросы, связанные
с Конституцией и торговым правом. Судьи назначаются
президентом
криминальных
и утверждаются Советом республики. Для
дел
высшей
инстанцией
является
апелляционный суд.
9.
Replace the italicised parts with the words and word-combinations from the
functional vocabulary:
1. Kupalle - is a cheerful summer celebration of the land’s productive power in
the honor of a female God - Kupala.
2. The lucky couple that would find it would live happily and would be able to
predict the future.
3. This fire meant life and Yaryla, and was denying death.
4. During Kaliady folks would disguise themselves as animals and fantastic
beasts, carry the sun and the goat's head
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