Georgeta Oana Raluca Andreea Astrid RA BOLDEA SILION VARGA GROSZLER

Editura MIRTON Timisoara, 2008

Contents
Foreword Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4 Unit 5 Unit 6 Unit 7 Unit 8 Unit 9 Unit 10 Unit 11 Unit 12 Unit 13 Unit 14 Unit 15 Unit 16 Unit 17 Unit 18 Unit 19 Unit 20 Unit 21 Unit 22 Unit 23 Unit 24 Britain Clothing & Dress Commerce & Business Country Life vs. Town Life Education Entertainment European Union Family Good Manners Health & the Human Body Hobby Holidays & Celebrations Hotels & Travelling House & Home Jobs & Careers Marriage Money Personal Identity Public Authorities Religion Restaurant & the Meals Shopping Society Time & Weather 7 9 15 21 27 33 39 45 51 57 63 69 75 81 87 93 99 10 5 11 1 10 9 12 3 12 9 13 4 14 1 14 7 15 3 15 5

Bibliography Annexes

Unit 1 Britain
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom or the UK, is a sovereign island country located off the north-western coast of mainland Europe. The UK includes the island of Great Britain, the northeast part of the island of Ireland and many small islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK with a land border, sharing it with the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea. The largest island, Great Britain, is linked to France by the Channel Tunnel. The United Kingdom is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The term 'Great Britain' (or Britain) refers to the area covered by England, Scotland and Wales. Despite the fact that Parliament has devolved power to Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, the UK is not a federation, but a unitary state. The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as the head of state. The UK is also responsible, under international law, for the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. The Queen is sovereign over these areas, but they are not part of the UK. The UK has fourteen overseas territories, all remnants of the British Empire, which at its height encompassed almost a quarter of the world's land surface, making it the largest empire in history. As a direct result of the empire, British influence can be observed in the language and culture of states such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, South Africa, and the United States of America, and other less globally influential independent states. HM Queen Elizabeth II remains the head of the Commonwealth of Nations and head of state of the Commonwealth realms. The UK is a developed country, with the fifth largest economy in the world. It was the world's foremost power during the 19th and early 20th century, but the economic cost of two world wars and the decline of its empire in the latter half of the 20th century diminished its leading role in global affairs. The UK nevertheless retains strong economic, cultural, military and political influence. (After Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopaedia and http://www.direct.gov.uk)

Exercises
What is the UK made up of? Which is the only part of the UK with a land border? Are Channel Islands and the Isle of Man parts of the UK? What does the term Great Britain refer to? Is it a synonym of UK? Do Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own Parliaments? How many overseas territories does the UK have? Is the UK an empire? What is Her Majesty Queen Elisabeth II head of? What is the UK surrounded by? What type of country is the UK, in terms of economic development?

1. Answer the following questions.

2. Group the following symbols according to the part of the UK they belong to, as shown in the model. Big Ben bobby Cardiff daffodils dragon Edinburgh kilts leek Loch Ness Monster London love spoons pipes and pipers rose Saint Andrew Saint David Saint George Stonehenge tartan thistle
England Scotland Wales

London

Edinburgh

Cardiff

3. Read the text below and supply synonyms for the words in the table. afterward areas controls (v.) dwelling free predecessors ruled states Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; born 21 April 1926) is the Queen regnant of sixteen independent states and their overseas territories and dependencies. Though she holds each crown and title separately and equally, she is resident in and most directly involved with the United Kingdom, her oldest realm, over parts of whose territories her ancestors have reigned for more than a thousand years. She ascended the thrones of seven countries in February 1952 on the death of her father King George VI. Since 1947, the Queen has been married to Prince Philip, born a prince of Greece and Denmark but after naturalisation known as Philip Mountbatten and subsequently created Duke of Edinburgh. To date the couple have four children and eight grandchildren; the eighth (Viscount Severn) was born on 17 December 2007 to Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex. After the Coronation, The Queen and Prince Philip moved to Buckingham Palace, in central London, the main official residence of the monarch. It has been reported, however, that, as many of her predecessors, she dislikes the Palace as a residence and considers Windsor Castle, another official residence, to be her home 4. Odd one out. - Arthur Miller Charles Dickens Lord Byron William Shakespeare - Belfast Glasgow Manchester Sydney - Brad Pitt Catherine Zeta-Jones Hugh Grant Sean Connery - Buckingham Palace Kensington Palace Versailles Castle Windsor Castle - Canterbury Cathedral Notre Dame St. Pauls Cathedral Westminster Abbey - England Canada Scotland Wales - Iceland India Kenya New Zealand 5. Supply the Past Tense of the verbs between brackets. The Scottish bus driver was giving a tour of Scotland to a group of tourists. The tour (go) through the countryside and the driver would point out sights of interest. He (drive) by this one area and (say), Over there is where the Scottish (pulverize) the English. They (drive) on a little further and the driver (point) to another area along the roadway and (state), This is the place where the Scottish (massacre) the English. Not much further down the road

the driver (tell) his passengers that on the right (be) the great battlefield where the Scottish (whip) the English. About that time, a man on the bus, with a stiff English accent, (ask), My good man, the English (not win) any battles around here? Not when I'm driving the bus (come) the response. 6. Add question tags to the following sentences. - At the Zoo, you can see animals from all parts of the world, ? - The Clock Tower contains the hour-bell called Big Ben, ? - The Houses of Parliament lie at the end of Whitehall, ? - There is a striking contrast between East End and West End, ? - They have the Changing of the Guards in front of Buckingham Palace, ? - Trafalgar Square is the best starting point for a sightseeing tour of London, ? - Westminster Abbey was built in the 8th century, ? 7. Ask questions to which the underlined words are the answer. The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and one of the world's greatest libraries. We receive a copy of every publication produced in the UK and Ireland. The collection includes 150 million items, in most known languages. 3 million new items are incorporated every year. We house manuscripts, maps, newspapers, magazines, prints and drawings, music scores, and patents. The Sound Archive keeps sound recordings from 19th-century cylinders to the latest CD, DVD and mini-disc recordings. We house 8 million stamps and other philatelic items. These require over 625 km of shelves, and grow 12 km every year. If you see 5 items each day, it would take you 80,000 years to see the whole of the collection. The earliest dated printed book, the Diamond Sutra, can be seen in our exhibition galleries alongside many other national treasures. We have on-site space for over 1,200 readers. Over 16,000 people use the collections each day. We operate the worlds largest document delivery service providing millions of items a year to customers all over the world. 8. Discuss the characteristics of each ethnic group, as they can be inferred from the humorous texts below. Can you find any similitude with various regions of Romania? a) Did you hear what the English, the Irish and the Scots did when they heard the world was coming to an end? The English all went out and got drunk. The Irish all went to church. And the Scots had a closing down sale. 9. Answer the following questions about visiting the UK, the USA, or an English-speaking country.

Have you ever been abroad? What language did you use? Have you ever been to the UK or to the USA? Would you like to? Why?

Lets Laugh!

Two Englishmen met on the beach at Majorca. One looked at the other and asked, 'Are you brown from the sun?' 'No,' replied the other, 'I'm Smith from The Times.

Unit 2 Clothing & Dress

Clothing protects the human body from extreme weather and other features of the environment. It is worn for safety, comfort, and modesty and to reflect religious, cultural and social meaning. The practical function of clothing is to protect the human body from dangers in the environment: weather (strong sunlight, extreme heat or cold, and precipitation, for example), insects, noxious chemicals, weapons, and contact with abrasive substances, and other hazards. Clothing can protect against many things that might injure the naked human body. In some cases clothing protects the environment from the clothing wearer as well (example: medical scrubs). Humans have shown extreme inventiveness in devising clothing solutions to practical problems and the distinction between clothing and other protective equipment is not always clear-cut; examples include actors costumes, air conditioned clothing, armour, bee-keepers costume, diving suit, fancy dress ball costumes, high-visibility clothing, judges robes, military uniform, motorcycle leathers, professors gowns, school uniform, space suit, swimsuit, and protective clothing (a childs pinafore, a countrymans smockfrock, a doctors overall, a housewifes apron, a mechanics overalls, a sailors oilskin, etc.). People also decorate their bodies with makeup or cosmetics, scented perfume, and other ornamentation; they also cut, dye, and arrange the hair on their heads, faces, and bodies (see hairstyle), and sometimes also mark their skin (by tattoos, scarification, and piercing). All these decorations contribute to the overall effect and message of clothing, but do not constitute clothing (according to the saying Clothes make the man). Articles carried rather than worn (such as purses, canes, and umbrellas) are normally counted as fashion accessories rather than as clothing, but hats and small dress sweaters can be called clothing or accessories. Jewellery and eyeglasses are usually counted as accessories as well, even though in common speech these items are described as being worn rather than carried. (After Wikipedia, the free Encyclopaedia)

Exercises
1. True or false?
True False

Articles worn rather than carried are counted as fashion accessories rather than as clothing. Clothing can protect against many things that might injure the naked human body. Clothing protects the human body from warm weather and other features of the environment. In some cases clothing protects the environment from the clothing wearer as well. The practical function of clothing is to protect the

environment from dangers in the human body. 2. Identify the terms related to clothing in the text below. Recent trends in hip hop fashion have geared toward a tighter, hipsterinspired style of dressing (so-called prep-hop), which is coming to include items such as Nike Dunks, Nike Air Force 1 (shoe) (footwear), polo shirts (often worn with popped collar), sport coats, woven button shirts, large ornamental belt buckles, cufflinks, skull and skeleton decorations, elaborately decorated zip-up hoodies, trucker hats (such as Von Dutch), fitted caps (New Era Cap Company), tighter-fitting vintage style t-shirts with shorter arm sleeves (Dangerous Elite), Lumberjack button ups or plaid designed shirts, Snow Inspired Fashions (Kooter Brown) and tighter denim jeans. Shorter length t-shirts have become involved in recent trends because of wanting to expose decorated belts such like Jim Jones does. Biker Chains became proof that the recent trends in hip hop has became more derived from other cultures instead of the hip hop community in general. In some circles, the baggy style has faded away, with the growing influence of rappers such as Kanye West, Common, will.i.am, and Andre 3000, often sporting such colourful fitted prep-hop and hipster-inspired clothing, and tighter-fitting skater influenced styles in the case of Pharrell. Yet, the baggy style remains active in other places despite recent trends. 80s trends also became popular such as huge oversized chains and huge eyeglasses (Oakleys). Members Only jackets also made a comeback. Nike Dunks have reached high acclaim among hip hop fashion circles because of their various designs. 3. Make sentences of your own with the following. clotheshorse frame on which clothes are hung to dry or air clothesline cord, rope, or wire on which clothes may be hung to dry or air clothes moth any of various moths of the family Tineidae, whose larvae feed on wool, hair, fur, and feathers clothespin clip of wood or plastic for fastening clothes to a clothesline clothespress chest, closet, or wardrobe in which clothes are kept clothes tree an upright pole or stand with hooks or pegs on which to hang clothing 4. Fill in the blanks with one of the following adjectives. ancient current elaborate high lower modern social special specific In many societies, people of rank reserve items of clothing or decoration for themselves as symbols of their status. In times, only Roman senators could wear garments dyed with Tyrian purple; only highranking Hawaiian chiefs could wear feather cloaks and palaoa or carved whale teeth. Under the Travancore kingdom of Kerala (India), caste women had to pay a tax for the right to cover their upper body. In China before the establishment of the republic, only the emperor could wear yellow. In many cases throughout history, there have been systems of sumptuary laws regulating who could wear what. In other societies (including most societies), no laws prohibit lower-status people wearing high status garments, but the high cost of status garments effectively limits their

purchase and display. In Western society, only the rich can afford haute couture. The threat of social ostracism may also limit garment choice. If one is not wearing a brand or style of clothing ones social status may fall. 5. Choose the proper clothing material for the clothing items below.
Clothing material Clothing item

cotton denim down flax fur hemp leather silk wool

bathing suit blue jeans coat jumper night gown parka pyjamas shawl shirt shorts skirt T-shirt Trousers underwear

6. Supply the Past Participle of the verbs in brackets in the text below. Humans have (develop) many specialized methods for laundering, ranging from the earliest pound clothes against rocks in running stream to the latest in electronic washing machines and dry cleaning, dissolving dirt in solvents other than water. Many kinds of clothing are (design) to be (iron) before they are (wear) to remove wrinkles. Most formal clothing is in this category, for example, dress shirts and suits. Ironed clothes are (believe) to look neat. Much contemporary casual clothing is (make) of knit materials that do not readily wrinkle, and do not require ironing. Some clothing is permanent press, having been (treat) with a coating that suppresses wrinkles and creates a smooth appearance without ironing. Once clothes have been (launder) and possibly ironed, they are usually (hung) on clothes hangers or (fold), to keep them fresh until they are worn. Clothes are folded to allow them to be (store) compactly or to present them in a more pleasing manner, for instance when they are (put) on sale in stores. Other clothes, such as suits, may be hung up in special garment bags or (roll) rather than folded. 7. Match the following idioms with their meaning.
Idiom Meaning

1. beat the pants off someone 2. by the seat of ones pants 3. catch one with ones pants down 4. charm the pants off (of) someone 5. get ants in ones pants 6. scare the pants off (of)

a. become nervous and agitated b. frighten someone very badly c. by sheer luck and very little skill d. catch someone doing something, especially something that ought to be done in secret or private e. use charming behaviour to persuade someone to do something f. win out on someone, beat

someone

someone severely

9. Point out the resemblances and differences between Romanian traditions and the ones presented below. Traditionally Hindu women, once married, would wear sindoor, a red powder, in the parting of their hair. If widowed, they would abandon sindoor and jewellery and wear simple white clothing. Men and women of the Western world may wear wedding rings to indicate their marital status. Also women in the United States, depending on their heritage and/or religion, will usually wear a simple or extravagant white gown, although some movie stars have been known to wear a black party dress for their wedding. 10. What would you wear if you go to: -

a party? a football match? school

11. Explain the meaning of the following, paying attention to the fragments in italics.

Ann makes herself conspicuous by wearing brightly coloured clothing. Beware of the police chief. He seems polite, but hes a wolf in sheeps clothing. - Bob has egg on his face because he wore jeans to the party and everyone else wore formal clothing. - Food, clothing, and shelter are the bare necessities of life. - I always travel with wash-and-wear clothing. - I will attempt to sell your clothing on consignment. - In times past, you would not have been able to wear casual clothing to work. - It goes without saying that you are to wear formal clothing to dinner each evening. - Its too late to cash in on that particular clothing fad. - Jims got no money. Its the same old story. Hes spent it all on clothing. - John would have more money to spend on clothing if he didnt eat so high on the hog. - Judging by your wet clothing, it must be raining. - Just wear your regular day-to-day clothing. - Oh, look at my clothing. I cant go to the party in rags! - Outside of some new shoes, I dont need any new clothing. - That kind of clothing went out with the horse and buggy. - The concept of buying CDs at a clothing store seems to resonate with young people. - There is a shop around the corner that sells clothing on credit. - This policy harms domestic manufacturers. In effect, all our clothing will be made in foreign countries.

Lets Laugh!

A: What do you instantly know about a well-dressed man? B: His wife is good at picking out clothes.

Unit 4 Country Life vs. Town Life

Maria lives in a big city surrounded by the speed and convenience of urban life. She works in an office with 1000 other employees, and travels too and from there on a crowded Metro. Her home is a flat overlooking a busy city-street, which is always alive with the sound of traffic and people passing by. After work she meets with friends in a bar or restaurant before going on to a disco or nightclub. Weekends are spent in the shopping mall. Alex, however, lives in a small village in the countryside. He cycles to work down country lanes every morning, the sound of tractors, birds and animals in his ears. In the evening, he relaxes at home in front of the fire with a good book to read. At weekends, he goes for long walks in the fields with his dog. Unfortunately, life is not as simple as stories make it. A lot of todays town mice such as Maria would be happy to live in the country. Many modern cities have very large populations and can be crowded, dirty and dangerous places to live. More than half the worlds population now lives in cities. In much of Europe and North America this can be as high as much as 80% of a countrys population. Today, many town dwellers wish to reverse this trend and return to a slower pace of life like Alex, our modern country mouse. Yet, a modern country existence is not without its problems; poor transport, lack of access to hospitals and education, and services found in towns such as large shops, banks and entertainment. The debate between town and country is meaningless these days, as so many people live in towns, and very few people are actually able to choose where they live; this is dictated by their work or birth. The internet and other mass media have linked country areas to the world, providing access to information even to remote areas. If people are to be persuaded to stay in the countryside, other benefits of the city need to be available. Conversely, the introduction of city parks and forests, and traffic free zones, has helped in bringing a little of the countryside to the city streets. The UN World habitat day (4th October) this year looks at this issue. It emphasises the need for strong links between town and countryside, and their mutual dependence upon each other. Are you a town mouse or a country mouse? (After www.britishcouncil.org)

Exercises
1. True or false?
True False

A lot of todays town mice such as Maria would be happy to live in the country. After work Maria meets with friends in a bar or restaurant before going on to a disco or nightclub. Alex lives in a big village in the countryside. At weekends, Alex goes for long walks in the fields with his dog.

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If people are to be persuaded to stay in the countryside, other benefits of the city need to be available. Maria works in an office with 1000 other employees, and travels too and from there by a crowded bus. More than half the worlds population now lives in cities. The debate between town and country is meaningless these days, as so many people live in towns, and very few people are actually able to choose where they live. Today, many town dwellers wish to reverse this trend and return to a slower pace of life like Maria, our modern country mouse. 2. Identify the terms related to town life in the text below. London, a city of around 7.4 million people, consumes more energy than Ireland and about the same as Greece or Portugal. The modern city could not function without vast quantities of electricity to power everything from light and heat to transportation and electronic equipment and machinery. Londons ecological footprint (the equivalent geographical area taken up by the city to supply all energy and resources consumed) is 293 times the geographical area of the city: thats roughly twice the size of the whole of the UK which has a population of around 60 million! 3. Write in letters the numerals in the text below. The land and buildings of a farm are called the farmstead. Enterprises where livestock are raised on rangeland are called ranches. Where livestock are raised in confinement on feed produced elsewhere, the term feedlot is usually used. In 1910 there were 6,406,000 farms and 10,174,000 family workers; in 2000 there were only 2,172,000 farms and 2,062,300 family workers. In the United States, eighty-one percent of all farm-workers are migrant workers, and seventy-one percent are foreign-born. Eighty percent of farm-workers are men, with the average age being 31. Additionally, farmworkers earn less than $75,000 per year, making an average hourly rate of less than $27.00. On average, farm-worker families earn $10,000 per year, which is significantly below the 2005 U.S. poverty level of $19,874 for a family of four. In 2007, corn acres are expected to increase by 15% because of the high demand for ethanol, both in and outside of the U.S. Producers are expecting to plant 90.5 million acres (366,000 km) of corn, making it the largest corn crop since 1944. 4. Make sentences with the following compound nouns. country club a suburban club for social and sports activities, usually featuring a golf course. country cousin one whose ingenuousness or rustic ways may bemuse or entertain city dwellers country gentleman a man who owns a country estate country mile a very great distance country music popular music based on the folk style of the southern rural U.S. or on the music of cowboys in the West country singer one who sings country music

11

country-dance a folk dance of English origin in which two lines of dancers face each other countryman a man who lives in the country or has country ways. countryseat an estate or mansion in the country countryside a rural region countrywide throughout a whole country; nationwide countrywoman a woman who lives in the country or has country ways 5. Group the features of a country / town mouse, as in the model. Once upon a time, there were two mice cousins. One lived in the town and the other in the country. The town mouse was a very superior mouse, who thought that living in the town was far better than living the country. So one day, he invited his country cousin to stay with him in his town house and experience the civilized lifestyle of the town. They sat down to a meal, which to the country mouse was a feast. Goodness me he said. If I was in the country, I would be having only simple bread and cheese in the quiet of my peaceful home. Suddenly, there was a loud noise at the door. Oh, thats just my neighbour - the dog, he wants to join us for dinner. The country mouse ate a little faster. Another noise was heard outside, even louder this time. Oh dear said the town mouse, the cat who lives facing my house wants to join us too. Quickly eating the last of his meal, the country mouse said, thank you, but I think I will return to the peace and quiet of my own house after all! Then he ran back home as fast as his legs could carry him.
Country mouse Town mouse

superior 6. Fill in the blanks with the proper prepositions. Despite the reputation of Boston drivers being wild the streets, the fatality rate in Massachusetts was nine-tenths one death each 100 million miles, the nations lowest. Mississippi had the worst record and the second high fatality rates were shared Nevada and Arkansas, at 2.5. You may recall that one prominent Arkansan, Clinton, has joked publicly that his friends dont like to see him the wheel. Medium and heavy trucks make only 3.7% registered vehicles, but account fatal accidents. Cars make 73.8% vehicle registrations, but only 58.7% of vehicles in fatal accidents. Motorcycles make about 2% the registrations, but account 4.6% the vehicles in fatal accidents. Pedestrians should look , too, especially intersections, where 16% the pedestrian fatalities occurred. But another 15.2% those killed were not the road at all, but a shoulder, a sidewalk or elsewhere, the councils statistics. 7. Supply the Past Tense of the verbs in brackets in the sentences below. - Freddy (be) born and bred on a farm and (have) no love for city life. - He (do) his best, but he just (be not) cut out for farming. - Joes dad (leave) him a farm, but he (get) euchred out of it by some city slicker real estate agent. - Lightning (strike) and (burn) the farmer out of his home. - Our farm (go) on the block last week. (Get) a good price. - The farmer (channel) the irrigation water into the field. - The farmer (say) that the town we were looking for (be) dead ahead.

12

The farmer finally (give up) and (sell out) to a large corporation. The farmers wife (repay) the plumbers with fresh eggs and cream. The flood (sweep) over the farmers who would not leave their homes.

8. Fill in with the proper verb from below. Make any necessary changes. channel cross divert drain enclose grow gush hatch live pace plough pound salt slink start steer - I have a right to anything I want on my farmland. - The farmer a few yards off and a stake into the soil. - The farmer out hundreds of chicks each month. - The farmer the irrigation water into the field. - The farmer the pig within a new pen. - The farmer the tractor toward the sheriff, who had come to talk to the farmer. - The farmer the wheat stubble under the surface of the soil. - The farmer this smaller breed of chicken with the meatier one. - The farmers wife a lot of fish and hams away for the winter. - The farmers the stream to a different channel. - The farmers the water from the flooded fields. - The floodwaters over the farmland. - The fox out of the henhouse just as the farmer came out. - We off the land for a few years when we first out farming. 9. Give the Romanian equivalents of the following proverbs. - A warrior dies in battle; a mountain climber on the rocks, but a farmer dies of old age. - He that is not eager to be pawed in cash is not a businessman. - He who does not know what to do in his spare time is not a businessman. - He who has never been cheated, cannot be a good businessman. - If the farmer is poor then so is the whole country. - If you enter the city of the blind, cover your eyes. - Manure is the farmer's gold. - The city that negotiates is half conquered. - The corn is not choked by the weeds but by the negligence of the farmer. - The farmer is a born a philosopher, the aristocrat has to learn how. - What the farmer does not know he doesn't eat. - You can close the city gates but not the mouths of men. 10. Give your opinion on the following helpful farmer habits. - Don't discuss the obvious. - Go to bed when you're tired. - Keep lists of things to do and things to buy. Then get somebody else to do as many of those as possible. - Quit a job when you're losing efficiency.

Lets Laugh!
A town boy applied for work on a farm. The foreman told him to milk a cow, equipping him with a stool and bucket. An hour later the boy returned dirty

13

and sweaty, bucket in one hand and broken stool in the other. Extracting the milk was easy, he explained. The worst part was getting the cow to sit on the stool.

Unit 5 Education
The UK offers various opportunities for further education and training, including both academic and vocational options for schooling beyond secondary education that are distinct from degree level (university) education. Further education colleges which include sixth form colleges and some adult education institutions offer a range of full-time and parttime options serving over 4 million students through more than 500 statefunded colleges and programs. Approximately 1.8 million students currently are in the higher education system; about one third of young people go on to higher education at age 18 (with almost 50% of students in Scotland), and an increasing number of mature students are studying either full-time or part-time for university degrees. Higher education is a priority in current policy for the government, with a target set to attract 50 percent of 18- to 30-year-olds to higher education by 2010. Most undergraduate degrees take three years to complete, with undergraduate degrees at Scottish universities lasting four years. At the graduate level, a taught master's degree normally is earned in a single year, a research master's takes two years, and a doctoral degree is completed after three years. Professional courses, such as medicine, veterinary medicine, law and teaching, usually are undertaken as five-year undergraduate degrees, but students who already have been awarded a different undergraduate degree often can take a shorter, graduate-level course. The relevant education departments in England, Scotland and Wales dispense funding for schools through a Local Education Authority (or Education Authority in Scotland). In Northern Ireland, schools are largely financed from public funds through five Education and Library Boards. Nearly all UK universities and higher education colleges are publicly-funded by the central government via funding councils (and by the Department of Education in Northern Ireland). Funding levels are contingent on enrolment figures for a given institution. Institutions also receive funding from student tuition or via Local Authorities. International students, non-EU students, as well as students not resident in the UK pay different tuition rates as international students. (After Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopaedia)

Exercises

1. Answer the following questions. What opportunities does the UK offer for further education and training? How many young people go on to higher education at age 18? How are professional courses, such as medicine, veterinary medicine, law and teaching, usually undertaken? What is a Local Education Authority?

14

Where do institutions receive funding from?

2. Identify the terms related to education in the text below. In Scotland, all pupils have the right to attend nursery school from age 3 though not all parents take up this option. Pupils born between March 1st in one year and the end of February the following year are normally placed in the same year group. Since the academic year starts in August, pupils starting primary school range in age between 4 years 6 months and 5 years 6 months. After seven years of primary education, pupils move to secondary school. Most students sit Standard Grades at the end of the fourth year of their schooling though more advanced pupils may sit some of these exams at the end of third year. Students will typically sit 7 or 8 Standard Grades in a single year. Most pupils have to complete a full 4 years of secondary education though the oldest pupils may be able to leave school half way through the fourth year at the Christmas leaving date. (The youngest pupils in any year group may have to leave at the Christmas leaving date mid-way through their fifth year.) The majority of pupils choose to stay on for 5th year and a significant number stay on for a 6th year as well if they have not achieved the qualifications necessary for entry to University or whatever other career path they may have set their sight on. Students may choose to study for Scottish Vocational Qualifications or National Qualifications such as Highers that are also available in secondary schools. Increasingly, secondary schools are forming partnerships with Further Education Colleges to deliver more vocational courses to pupils for whom the secondary curriculum is inappropriate. 3. Fill in the blanks with one of the following prepositions. for from in into of on to Primary school education is compulsory age 5. Children most commonly enter Reception Class aged 4 the academic year in which they will reach their 5th birthday. The remaining years are called Year 1, Year 2, etc, up to year 6. It is normal a single teacher to teach pupils throughout the year, encompassing all subjects including an introductory course in a modern European language. Primary school education may be divided Infant (ages 4-7) and Junior (ages 7-11) school. At the end the Infant School, pupils sit Key Stage 1 SATs with Key Stage 2 SATs taken at the end of Year 6. Although the majority of local authorities set the primary secondary transition age at 11, others set the transition age at 12 or even 13. This system, popularised in the 1970s the creation of middle schools, has gradually been phased out since the 1980s. 4. Match the following with their meaning.
Idiom Meaning

1. He is a teacher who is really on the ball. 2. I have always admired him for being a teacher of great knowledge. 3. I was dressed down by the teacher for lateness. 4. She has the makings of a fine

a. abilities or qualities needed for development b. alert, competent, or efficient c. erudition, learning d. found fault with, reprimanded

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teacher. 5. She used to be an in-service teacher. 6. The school committee finally caved in to the demands of parents and teachers. 7. The teacher called me down for disobedience. 8. The teacher said it, and that made it gospel.

e. gave up all opposition, yielded f. of, relating to, or being a fulltime employee g. reprimanded, scolded h. something, such as an idea or a principle

5. Supply the ing form of the verbs in brackets in the text below. A UK education is second to none. They lead the world in (cut)-edge research opportunities, internationally recognised degrees and relevant, high-quality, high-standard (train). They are delighted that over 800,000 international students are (find) this out for themselves. But they want even more people to be aware of these opportunities. In June 1999, they announced the start of a worldwide campaign to increase the number of international students in the UK. They set a new target of (attract) 75,000 extra students to the UK by 2005. To make this possible, they have made (study) in this country more affordable and more (welcome). International students no longer need to obtain permission to work, so they can earn extra money while (study) in the UK. A student can work part-time for up to 20 hours a week during term time and full-time during vacations. And if the course runs for a year or more, the students dependants can now work in the UK, even if they here for less than a year. They have also introduced simplified entry procedures for UK visa holders and are (make) the visa service more user-friendly for students. International students can now expect to have straightforward visa applications dealt with within 24 hours, and non-straightforward applications within 10 days. (Study) in the UK will not only give students a thorough (understand) of the subject but also analytical abilities and problem (solve) skills that are much prized by employers. The chance to improve their language skills is (bring) many students to this country. English is the language of commerce, of the Internet, of global communication and of medicine. We are proud that 750 million people world-wide have now learnt our language. That English is (become) a lingua franca means that students who have studied here are in demand all over the world. 6. Discuss the education system in Romania, pointing out positive and negative aspects that you think should be changed in the future. 7. Are you good at history? How much do you know of the history of the USA? Put the following into English using a Romanian-English dictionary. What do you think about this?
Abraham Lincoln John F. Kennedy

Ales n Congresul USA n 1846. Ales n Congresul USA n 1946. Ales Preedinte al USA n 1860. Ales Preedinte al USA n 1960. Amndoi au fost deosebit de interesai de mbuntirea drepturilor civile. Soiile ambilor au pierdut cte un copil n timp ce stteau la Casa Alb. Amndoi preedinii au fost asasinai ntr-o zi de vineri.

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Amndoi preedinii au fost mpucai n cap. De aici ncolo, lucrurile ncep s capete un aer mai misterios... Numele de familie al secretarei Numele de familie al secretarei lui Lincoln era Kennedy. lui Kennedy era Lincoln . Amndoi au fost asasinai de suditi, i amndoi au fost nlocuii de ctre ali suditi, dar cu acelai nume de familie: Johnson. Andrew Johnson, care l-a Lyndon Johnson, care l-a nlocuit nlocuit pe Lincoln, pe Kennedy, s-a nscut n 1808. s-a nscut n 1908. John Wilkes Booth, asasinul lui Lee Harvey Oswald, asasinul lui Lincoln, s-a nscut n 1839. Kennedy, s-a nscut n 1939. Ambii asasini foloseau i erau cunoscui dup cele trei nume, fapt destul de puin frecvent n cultura nord-american. Suma literelor celor dou nume dau acelai rezultat: 15. Acum, ine-te bine de scaun... Kennedy a fost mpucat ntr-un Lincoln a fost mpucat ntr-un automobil Lincoln, fabricat teatru numit "Ford". de ctre compania Ford. Booth i Oswald au fost amndoi, la rndul lor, asasinai nainte de a fi judecai. i, pentru ca misterul s fie complet... Cu o sptmn nainte s fie Iar cu o sptmn nainte s fie asasinat, Lincoln fusese n asasinat i el, Kennedy fusese localitatea Monroe, cu Marylin Monroe . statul Maryland. Cam complicat de explicat, nu? 8. Read the following joke and then imagine what children could say happens at school and what they could say happens at home. Use the adverbs below. absolutely completely extraordinarily extremely incredibly perfectly really utterly very An elementary school teacher sends this note to all parents on the first day of school. If you promise not to believe everything your child says happens at school, I will promise not to believe everything your child says happens at home.

Lets Laugh!

One day a student was taking a very difficult essay exam. At the end of the test, the professor asked all the students to put their pencils down and immediately hand in their tests. The young man kept writing furiously, although he was warned that if he did not stop immediately he would be disqualified. He ignored the warning, finished the test 10 minutes later, and went to hand the test to his instructor. The instructor told him he would not take the test. The student asked, Do you know who I am? The professor said, No and I don't care. The student asked again, Are you sure you don't know who I am? The professor again said no. So the student walked over to the pile of tests, placed his in the middle then threw the papers in the air. Good the student said, and walked out. He passed.

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Unit 6 Entertainment
The development of the culture of the U.S.A. has been marked by a tension between two strong sources of inspiration: European sophistication and domestic originality. The drive to produce a spectacle on the movie screen has largely shaped American cinema ever since. Spectacular epics which took advantage of new widescreen processes had been increasingly popular from the 1950s onwards. Since then, American films have become increasingly divided into two categories: blockbusters and independent films. Studios have focused on relying on a handful of extremely expensive releases every year in order to remain profitable. Such blockbusters emphasize spectacle, star power, and high production value, all of which entail an enormous budget. Blockbusters typically rely upon star power and massive advertising to attract a huge audience which is large enough to offset production costs and reap considerable profits. Such productions carry a substantial risk of failure, and most studios release blockbusters that both over- and under-perform in a year. Musical theatre may be the most popular form of theatre: it is certainly the most colourful, and choreographed motions pioneered on stage have found their way onto movie and television screens. Broadway in New York City is generally considered the pinnacle of commercial U.S. theatre, though this art form appears all across the country. Off-Broadway and off-offBroadway diversify the theatre experience in New York. The three major commercial television networks in the U.S. are NBC, CBS, and ABC. Major-network affiliates run very similar schedules. Typically, they begin weekdays with an early-morning locally produced news show, followed by a network morning show, such as NBC's Today, which mixes news, weather, interviews and music. Talk-shows fill the late morning, followed often by local news at noon. Soap operas dominate the early afternoon, while talk shows such as The Oprah Winfrey Show appear in the late afternoon. (After Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia)

Exercises
1. True or False?
True False

Blockbusters carry no risk of failure. Blockbusters rely upon star power and massive advertising to attract a huge audience. Broadway in New York City is generally considered the pinnacle of commercial U.S. theatre Musical theatre is the second most important form of theatre. Since the 1950s American movies have been divided into blockbusters and independent movies.

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The Oprah Winfrey show appears in the late afternoon. The three major commercial television networks in the U.K. are NBC, CBS, and ABC 2. Identify the terms related to entertainment in the text below. Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for Mumbai-based Hindilanguage film industry in India. Bollywood is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the Indian film industry. Bollywood is one of the largest film producers in the world. The name is a portmanteau of Bombay (the former name for Mumbai) and Hollywood, the centre of the American film industry. However, unlike Hollywood, Bollywood does not exist as a real physical place. Bollywood films are mostly musicals, and are expected to contain catchy music in the form of song-and-dance numbers woven into the script. A film's success often depends on the quality of such musical numbers. Indeed, a film's music is often released before the movie itself and helps increase the audience. Indian audiences expect full value for their money, with a good entertainer generally referred to as paisa vasool. Songs and dances, love triangles, comedy and dare-devil thrills all are mixed up in a three-hour-long extravaganza with an intermission. Such movies are called masala films, after the Hindustani word for a spice mixture. Like masalas, these movies are a mixture of many things. Bollywood plots have tended to be melodramatic. They frequently employ formulaic ingredients such as star-crossed lovers and angry parents, love triangles, family ties, sacrifice, corrupt politicians, kidnappers, conniving villains, courtesans with hearts of gold, long-lost relatives and siblings separated by fate, dramatic reversals of fortune, and convenient coincidences. 3. Match the following slang terms employed in entertainment with their corresponding definitions. 1. Bermuda triangle 2. chicken-in-a-basket 3. eat up the camera 4. kick flick 5. magalog 6. soapedy 7. totty shot 8. viewser 9. vineyard seating a. a catalogue-like magazine with an exceptional amount of advertising or product-focused articles b. a concentration of bars or nightclubs on a street, at an intersection, or in a neighbourhood c. appealing or engaging on screen d. a martial arts movie e. a picture or brief broadcast of an attractive woman, used to appeal to male readers or viewers f. a television show that combines elements of a daytime drama and a comedy g. a viewer and user of digital or online media that combine interactivity with traditional broadcast entertainment h. terraced rows of seats very close to a performance stage or platform i. unsophisticated, unfashionable, unoriginal entertainment, especially in a remote or rustic environment

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4. Read the anecdote below and then explain the source of the humour. A: Which is the best day to go to the beach, do you think? B: Why, Sunday of course. 5. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate article (definite, indefinite, and zero article). As opposed to standup comedy, or telling of jokes, situation comedy has storyline plot and is basically comedic drama. comedies of Aristophanes in Ancient Greece, Terence and Plautus in Ancient Rome, and Shakespeare and Molire in post-Renaissance Europe were essentially situation comedies. essence of current, modern situation comedy on television is that characters remain in same situation from episode to episode. ... situation is usually that of ... family, workplace, or group of friends. term was adopted to distinguish sitcom from other comedy formats: sketch comedy, which generally featured new characters and situations each outing, or humorous monologue or dialogue, which did not feature characters. Often these other formats were presented within variety format mixed with musical performances, as in Vaudeville. Due to need to retain same situation over many episodes, in many sitcoms characters remained largely static. Events of individual episodes typically resolve themselves by ... end, and are rarely mentioned in subsequent episodes. 6. Fill in the blanks with one of the following nouns. actors conductor double-bass drop-curtain guitar instrument instrumentalists notes orchestra organ symphonies trumpet - A musician usually plays the in a catholic church. - Accordion is a typical and famous traditional, Russian - Each philharmonic orchestra has a lot of - Every child must learn to read to play an instrument. - Have you already heard of the new famous which is playing in town this evening? - He usually plays the when singing at the camp-fire. - Ludwig van Beethoven wrote a lot of beautiful - Spectators gave a standing ovation because the were excellent in this play. - The following are stringed instruments: violin, viola, violoncello and - The following are wind instruments: flute, trombone, horn and - The philharmonic must be conducted by a - The stage was hidden behind a beautiful coloured 7. Choose the correct variant.

You can catch up with a football match / the cinema / your work at the weekend. - You can have some good food in a football match / the cafeteria. - You can go to a night club / a good book / a drink / an early night. - You can have a show / a few drinks in the hotel bar / a cinema / your work.

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TV.

You can have an early night / a football match / a swimming pool /

You can read a good book / a cinema / TV / your work. You can see a night club / a cinema / a film / a restaurant. You can try a cinema / football match / a good long walk / some local food. - You can watch a night club / a cinema / a good book / TV. 8. Put the following advertisement-puns into Romanian and explain the source of humour. - Christmas is a time to think of family tie. Buy ours. (mens ties) - For a few pounds you can lose a few (swimming course) - Go by air. Its plane common sense (air travel) - Go up in the world (recruitment of air stewards and stewardesses) - Have you thought about buying our new bed? sleep on it (new bed) - Its good for you, naturally (fruit juice) - Its not worth dying for a drink (warning of the dangers of alcoholism) - Make a snap decision (new camera) - Sea for yourself (recruitment for the royal navy) - The weather-men cant guarantee you an Indian summer, but we can (travel agency) - Try our glue once and youll always stick with us (glue) - We offer you a good deal (bank) - Well give you food for thought (restaurant) - Well give you red-carpet treatment (or blue, or green, or brown, or yellow) (carpet shop) - Well give you sound advice (hi-fi shop) - Your views are reflected in the mirror (The Mirror newspaper) 9. Describe your favourite sitcom or movie. Why do you like it? What have you learned from it?

Lets Laugh!
At the box office of a cinema A man appeared at the box office of a cinema and bought two tickets. A few minutes later he returned and bought two more. When, after a short interval, he appeared a third time and offered to pay for two more, the ticket-seller opened the little door in the glass and spoke up. 'Aren't you the same gentleman who just bought two tickets and two others just a little while ago?' she asked, puzzled. 'Yes,' replied the poor guy plaintively, but there's some fool at the gate who keeps tearing them up!'

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Unit 7 European Union

The European Union (EU) is a political and economic community of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in Europe. It was established in 1993 by the Maastricht Treaty, adding new areas of policy to the existing European Community. With almost 500 million citizens, the EU combined generates an estimated 30% share of the world's nominal gross domestic product (US$16.8 trillion in 2007). The EU has developed a single market through a standardised system of laws which apply in all member states, guaranteeing the freedom of movement of people, goods, services and capital. It maintains a common trade policy, agricultural and fisheries policies, and a regional development policy. Fifteen member states have adopted a common currency, the euro. It has developed a role in foreign policy, representing its members in the World Trade Organization, at G8 summits and at the United Nations. Twenty-one EU countries are members of NATO. It has developed a role in justice and home affairs, including the abolition of passport control between many member states under the Schengen Agreement. EU operation is a hybrid of inter-governmentalism and supranationalism. In certain areas it depends upon agreement between the member states. However, it also has supranational bodies, able to make decisions without the agreement of members. Important institutions and bodies of the EU include the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Council of the EU, the European Council, the European Court of Justice and the European Central Bank. EU citizens elect the Parliament every five years. The EU traces its origins to the European Coal and Steel Community formed among six countries in 1951 and the Treaty of Rome in 1957. Since then the EU has grown in size through the accession of new member states and has increased its powers by the addition of new policy areas to its remit. The Treaty of Lisbon, signed in December 2007 and intended to be ratified by the end of 2008, is planned to amend the existing treaties to update the political and legal structure of the union. (After Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopaedia)

Exercises
1. Answer the following questions. What is the European Union? How did the EU develop a single market? How many member states have adopted a common currency, the euro? What does EU operation depend on in certain areas? What important institutions and bodies of the EU do you know?

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Where does the EU trace its origin?

2. Identify the terms related to EU institutions. The EU is based on a series of treaties which have built up the current structure by successive additions and amendments, defined the broad policy goals of the organization, and established institutions with the necessary legal powers to implement those goals. National courts enforce the EU treaties and the laws enacted under them. In the case of a conflict where a law stemming from EU legislation conflicts with another national law, the EU law is considered to take precedence. Decisions regarding EU legislation may be referred to the European Court of Justice by national courts. The EU is regulated by a number of institutions: the Council of the EU, the European Commission, and European Parliament. The EU is often described as being divided into three areas of responsibility ('pillars'). The original European Community policies form the first pillar, while the second consists of Common Foreign and Security Policy. The third pillar originally consisted of Justice and Home Affairs, however owing to changes introduced by the Amsterdam and Nice treaties, it currently only consists of Police and Judicial Co-operation in Criminal Matters. Broadly speaking, the second and third pillars can be described as the intergovernmental pillars because the supranational institutions of the Commission, Parliament and the Court of Justice play less of a role or none at all, while the lead is taken by the intergovernmental Council of Ministers and the European Council. Most activities of the EU come under the first, Community pillar, mostly economically oriented and the supranational institutions have more influence. 3. Fill in the blanks with one of the following nouns. cases corruption officials people politicians standards system Romania's fight against dimmed and this is a reason of concern at the EU level. It is argued that Romanian are too busy finding new ways to escape from the justice system while Romanian magistrates avoid ruling on high corruption cases and Constitutional Court members serve those who initially appointed them. However, it seems that EU can discover new financial sanctions. The former Justice Minister said that politicians in Romania do not wish to fight corruption and they erode any trust or EU officials might have in the Romanian justice system. She went even further to declare that the is too politicized to rule against its founders. Plus, she said that EU officials are frustrated up to a point because they actually believed Romania's commitment in upgrading Romania's to the European ones. At her turn, the Romanian Academic Society director said that Romania's fight against corruption dwelt on eight high corruption which have never been resolved. 4. Supply the proper noun for the verbs in brackets in the text below. The (evolve) of the EU from a regional economic (agree) among six neighbouring states in 1951 to today's supranational (organize) of 27 countries across the European continent stands as an unprecedented phenomenon in the annals of history. Dynastic (unite) for territorial (consolidate) were long the norm in Europe. Even country-level unions were arranged, but for such a large number of nation-states to cede some of their sovereignty to an overarching entity is truly unique. Although the EU is not a federation in the strict sense, it is far more than a free-trade (associate),

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having many of the (attribute) associated with independent nations: flag, anthem, founding date, and currency, as well as an incipient common foreign and security policy in its (deal) with other nations. In the future, many of these nation-like characteristics are likely to be expanded. (Include) of basic intelligence on the EU has been deemed appropriate as a new, separate entity in The World Factbook. Because of the EU's special status, this (describe) is placed after the regular country entries.

6. Put into Romanian using an English-Romanian dictionary.

Internally, the EU is attempting to lower trade barriers, adopt a common currency, and move toward convergence of living standards. Internationally, the EU aims to bolster Europe's trade position and its political and economic power. Because of the great differences in per capita income among member states and historic national animosities, the EU faces difficulties in enforcing common policies. Eleven established EU member states introduced the euro as their common currency in 1999, but the UK, Sweden, and Denmark chose not to participate. The remaining states are legally required to adopt the currency to meet EU's monetary convergence criteria. 7. Match the following idioms with their meanings.
Idiom Meaning

1. Pardon my French. 2. Dutch auction 3. Dutch courage 4. Dutch treat 5. Dutch uncle 6. get someones Irish up 7. go Dutch 8. in Dutch (with someone) 9. in plain English 10. Its (all) Greek to me.

a. unusual or artificial courage arising from the influence of alcohol b. a man who gives frank and direct advice to someone in the manner of a parent or relative c. a social occasion where one pays for oneself d. an auction or sale that starts off with a high asking price that is then reduced until a buyer is found e. Excuse me for swearing or saying naughty words. f. in plain language g. in trouble with someone h. It is totally incomprehensible to me. i. to make someone get angry j. to share the cost of a meal or some other event

8. What is your opinion about Romanias becoming a member nation of the EU? Point out the (dis)advantages as in the model.
Before adhesion After adhesion

Visa needed to go abroad

No visa needed to go abroad

Lets Laugh!
"SOCIALISM: You have two cows. State takes one and give it to someone else. COMMUNISM: You have two cows. State takes both of them and gives you milk. FASCISM: You have two cows. State takes both of them and sell you milk. CAPITALISM: You have two cows. You sell one and buy whatever you want.

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EUROPEAN FEDERALISM: You have two cows which you cannot afford to keep because of milk imported from a member state with cheaper labour. So you apply for financial aid from the EU to subsidise your cows. You then sell your milk at the original high price to some government-owned distributor which then dumps your milk onto the market at the price that drove you to subsidies to make Europe competitive."

Unit 8 Family
Family is the basic social group united through bonds of kinship or marriage, present in all societies. Ideally, the family provides its members with protection, companionship, security, and socialization. The structure of the family varies from society to society. The nuclear family two adults and their children is the main unit in some societies. In others, it is a subordinate part of an extended family, which also consists of grandparents and other relatives. A third family unit is the single-parent family, in which children live with an unmarried, divorced, or widowed mother or father. Historical studies have shown that family structure has been less changed by urbanization and industrialization than was once supposed. The nuclear family was the most prevalent pre-industrial unit and is still the basic unit of social organization. The modern family differs from earlier traditional forms, however, in its functions, composition, and life cycle and in the roles of husbands and wives. The only function of the family that continues to survive all change is the provision of affection and emotional support by and to all its members. Specialized institutions now perform many of the other functions that were once performed by the agrarian family: economic production, education, religion, and recreation. Jobs are usually separate from the family group; family members often work in different occupations and in locations away from the home. Education is provided by the state or by private groups. Religious training and recreational activities are available outside the home, although both still have a place in family life. The family is still responsible for the socialization of children. Even in this capacity, however, the influence of peers and of the mass media has assumed a larger role. A stepfamily is created by a new marriage of a single parent. It may consist of a parent and children and a childless spouse, a parent and children and a spouse whose children live elsewhere, or two joined oneparent families. In a stepfamily, problems in relations between non-biological parents and children may generate tension; the difficulties can be especially great in the marriage of single parents when the children of both parents live with them as siblings. (After Encarta Encyclopaedia)

Exercises
1. True or False?
True False

A nuclear family is made up of the mother, the father and their children.

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A stepfamily is created by a new marriage of a single parent. Education is no longer provided by the state, but by private groups. Family is the basic social group united through bonds of kinship or marriage In a stepfamily, problems in relations between nonbiological parents and children may generate tension One is supposed to get affection and emotional support from his family. Nowadays the family performs fewer functions than the agrarian family once did. Recent research has shown that urbanisation and industrialization have changed the family to a greater extent than previously thought. The influence of peers and of the mass media has assumed a more significant role in the socialisation of children. 2. Identify the terms related to family in the text below. The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Members of the royal family belong to, or are married into, the House of Windsor, since 1917, when George V changed the name of the royal house from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Although in the United Kingdom there is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member of the Royal Family, and different lists will include different people, those carrying the style His or Her Majesty (HM), or His or Her Royal Highness (HRH) are generally considered members. This usually results in the application of the term to the monarch, the consort of the monarch, the widowed consorts of previous monarchs, the children of the monarch, the male-line grandchildren of the monarch, and the spouses and the widowed spouses of a monarchs son and male-line grandsons. Women marrying sons and male-line grandsons of a Sovereign are normally styled Her Royal Highness followed by the feminised version of her husbands highest title. The wives of royal peers are known as HRH The Duchess of ... or HRH The Countess of ... Thus, the wives of the Duke of Kent, the Duke of Gloucester, and the Earl of Wessex are HRH The Duchess of Kent, HRH The Duchess of Gloucester, and HRH The Countess of Wessex, respectively. Due to reluctance by the public to universally support the second wife of The Prince of Wales, it has been announced by that should The Prince of Wales become King, his wife HRH The Duchess of Cornwall will not be known as HM The Queen but will take the lesser title of HRH The Princess Consort. Out of respect for the late Diana, Princess of Wales, it was also announced that HRH The Duchess of Cornwall would not be known as HRH The Princess of Wales. 3. Match the following. 1. daughter 2. father 3. grandchild 4. granddaughter 5. grandfather 6. grandmother a. a child of ones son or daughter b. a daughter of ones son or daughter c. a father or a mother d. a female child or person in relation to her father and mother e. a female parent f. a male child or person in relation to his

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7. grandparent 8. grandson 9. mother 10. parent 11. son 12. step-father

parents g. a male parent h. a parent of a parent i. a son of ones son or daughter j. the father of ones father or mother k. the husband of ones mother and not ones natural father. l. the mother of ones father or mother

4. Find English equivalents for the following Romanian terms. cumtr cumtru cuscr cuscru fin fin na na 5. Supply the nouns corresponding to the adjectives in the text below. Domestic violence occurs when a family member, partner or ex-partner attempts to physically or psychologically dominate another. Domestic violence occurs in all cultures; people of all races, ethnicities, religions, sexes and classes can be perpetrators of this type of violence. Domestic violence has many forms, including physical violence, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, intimidation, economic deprivation or threats of violence. Violence can be criminal and includes physical assault (hitting, pushing, shoving, etc.), sexual abuse (unwanted or forced sexual activity), and stalking. Although emotional, psychological and financial abuses are not criminal behaviours, they are forms of abuse and can lead to criminal violence. There are a number of dimensions including mode physical, psychological, sexual and/or social; frequency on/off, occasional, chronic; and severity in terms of both psychological or physical harm and the need for treatment transitory or permanent injury mild, moderate, severe up to homicide. 6. Match the following idioms with their meanings.
Idiom Meaning

1. a cry-baby 2. a family man 3. a person of family 4. black sheep of the family 5. blood is thicker than water 6. in the family way 7. like father, like son 8. sugar daddy 9. to be the one wearing the pants

a. a man whose interests are in his home, rather than outside it b. a rich old man who keeps a young girl old enough to be his daughter c. born into a good family d. loyal to ones family e. pregnant f. resemblance of the son to the father from an emotional point of view h. someone who complains at the slightest provocation i. the least accepted member of the family j. to be the head of the family

7. For each of the sentences below, write a new sentence as similar as possible in meaning to the origin al sentence, using the given word. Are you suggesting that I am dishonest? QUESTIONING Dont listen to what he says! ATTENTION

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He does not plan to emigrate just yet. INTENTION Hes not usually rude like that. CHARACTER I didnt feel like paying my mother-in-law a visit. MOOD I was so upset I found it difficult to look at her. HARDLY My father said he didnt deserve such a high honour. WORTHY She found it difficult to accept what had happened. TERMS She is in danger of losing her husband because of her attitude. RISK This is the first time Ive tried cooking this dish. ATTEMPT

8. Put the verbs in the text below in the Present Tense. Three rich brothers each wanted to do something special for their elderly mother on Mothers Day. The first brother bought her a huge house. The second brother gave her a limousine, with a driver. The third brother remembered that his mother used to love to read the Bible, but couldnt see well anymore, so he got her a specially trained parrot that could recite any verse from the Bible on demand. Soon, the brothers received thank-you notes from their mother. The first sons note said, The house you bought me is much too big! I only live in a small part of it, but I have to clean the whole thing! The second son got a note that said, I rarely leave the house anymore, so I hardly use the limo you gave me. And when I do use it, the driver is so rude! The third sons note said, My darling baby boy, you know just what your mother loves! The chicken was delicious! 9. Discuss your family tree using the words below and then try and draw it. aunt brother cousin daughter father father-in-law granddaughter grandfather grandmother grandson great grandfather husband in-laws mother mother-in-law nephew niece sister sister-in-law son spouse stepmother step-father uncle wife 10. Read the text below, and then give your opinion on advances in medicine that allow women to have children when it would be otherwise biologically impossible to procreate. With the help of a fertility specialist, a 65 year old woman has a baby. All her relatives come to visit and meet the newest member of their family. When they ask to see the baby, the 65 year old mother says, Not yet. A little later they ask to see the baby again. Again the mother says, Not yet. Finally they say, When can we see the baby? And the mother replies, When the baby cries. So they ask, Why do we have to wait until the baby cries? The new mother answers, I forgot where I put it.

Lets Laugh!
An Irishman walks into a pub. The bartender asks him, Whatll you have? The man says, Give me three pints of Guinness please. So the bartender brings him three pints and the man proceeds to alternately sip one, then the other, then the third until theyre gone. He then orders three more. The bartender says, Sir, you dont have to order three at a time. I can keep an eye on it and when you get low Ill bring you a fresh cold one. The man says, You dont understand. I have two brothers, one in Australia and one in the States. We made a vow to each other that every Saturday night wed still drink together. So right now, my brothers have three Guinness Stouts too,

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and were drinking together. The bartender thought that was a wonderful tradition. Every week the man came in and ordered three beers. Then one week he came in and ordered only two. He drank them and then ordered two more. The bartender said to him, I know what your tradition is, and Id just like to say that Im sorry that one of your brothers died. The man said, Oh, me brothers are fine. I just quit drinking.

Unit 9 Good Manners

Good manners are the first mark of good breeding and reflect directly on a persons upbringing. They are based on consideration for other people. Tact, diplomacy and hospitality all these are based on good manners. In the Age of Rudeness, we may be losing touch with what etiquette and good manners are all about. In fact there may be those among us who haven't experienced it. According to a recent survey, more than 50% of Americans are concerned about the growing rudeness in the U. S. We assault each other all the time with upsetting noises, sights, sounds, smells, and attitude. It's getting to where we need to protect ourselves from one another! Maybe it's getting a little too wild out there. Good manners means first of all civilized behaviour. All cultures have rules and they are learned, not innate. In Italy, for example, it is good manners for a man to greet another man with an embrace and a kiss on each cheek. Not so in South Texas, where men stand 3 feet apart and at 90 degree angles to converse with one another. All cultures have rules and if you violate them, you will be excluded. Excluded from what? Well, what we all want more of now to be where the polite and pleasant people are. Thus, to have good manners we must learn the actions - the trivialities of deportment and then stop and think when we're with others. Then we can avoid being tactless. Avoiding being rude, has a lot to do with Emotional Intelligence which, like good manners, can be learned. EQ requires self-awareness and empathy - the ability to understand how your behaviour affects others (and their feelings). It requires a strong interface between emotions and thinking. It is easier to be rude. But what happens when everyone behaves that way? Then we have a rudeness epidemic. And how will we change that? One person at a time! As Mother Teresa said, when the house is dirty don't complain or call a committee, pick up a broom and start sweeping. (After The Sideroad, practical advice webpage)

Exercises
1. Answer the following questions. What are good manners based upon? How many Americans are concerned about the growing rudeness in the U. S.? Why do we need to protect ourselves from one another? How do well-mannered men greet one another in Italy? What happens when rules are violated? What does emotional intelligence require?

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What happens when everyone behaves rudely?

2. Identify the terms related to manners in the text below and then say which of the good manners below you generally observe. There are some simple guidelines to follow, though there are cultural differences to take into consideration. What is rude in Japan may be perfectly acceptable in Latin America. However, you will be forgiven for not knowing the rules of an alien culture. You will not be excused for being careless in your own country. In any case, always remember the principle of not making others uncomfortable. If you are in a mixed group, always greet the elders and the women first. Dont shout to be heard. Dont interrupt others while theyre talking. Dont address elders and seniors by their names, unless they have specially asked you to. Try Sir/ Madam for strangers and Uncle/ Aunty for familiar people. In India, for example, for a stranger who is not so old, it is better to suffix the name with ji, as a mark of respect. Stand up when an elder or a guest enters the room and dont sit until youve offered them a seat. Offer any beverage to anyone who steps into your home/ office. Do not continue to watch TV or surf the net when you have a visitor. Stand when the national anthem (of any country) is playing. Show respect to all flags and all religious symbols. Lower the music or TV volume when others are talking or trying to sleep. Do not ask too many intimate or invasive questions the first few times that you meet a person. Do not comment on personal appearances or clothes in a negative way; if you cannot say something complimentary, do not say anything at all. 3. Match the following idioms with their corresponding meaning.
Idiom Meaning

1. chew the fat 2. drink like a fish 3. drink someone under the table 4. eat dirt 5. eat humble pie 6. eat like a horse 7. eat like a pig 8. eat ones words 9. eat out of someones hand 10. eat someones salt 11. have one's cake and eat it 12. to the manner born

a. to act humble b. to chat c. to have bad table manners d. to have a healthy appetite e. to do/eat/use something until it is gone and still not want to give it up f. to be accustomed to something from birth g. to drink excessively h. to drink and remain comparatively sober to ones companions i. to be totally compliant and willing to obey a person j. to submit oneself to humiliation k. to accept someones hospitality l. to retract something one has said

4. Identify the verbs used in the Imperative and then turn the negative of the verbs into the affirmative. Cutlery. Don't hold your fork like a cello or your knife like Lady Macbeth's dagger. Also, don't wave your cutlery triumphantly in the air to emphasize a point and don't put silverware partly on the table and partly on the plate. After

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you pick up a piece of cutlery, it should never touch the table again. Knives go on the plate, blade facing in and touching the inside of the plate. Only the handle should rest on the rim of the plate. Napkins. Don't blot or rub the lower half of your face. Dab delicately. Don't flap your napkin to unfold it and don't wave it around like a flag. It belongs unfolded on your lap. If you leave the table, place your napkin on the chair and push the chair back under the table. Gently. Watch the upholstery. Don't refold your napkin at the end of the meal because an unknowing server might give it to another diner. Pick up the napkin from the centre and place it loosely on the table to the left of your plate. Chewing. Never chew with your mouth open. Also, no matter how urgently you want to inject the perfect kernel of wit and wisdom at just the right moment, don't do it with food in your mouth. And don't gulp and blurt. Finish chewing, swallow, and smile philosophically, content in the knowledge that you could have said just the right thing, but had too much class to speak with food in your mouth. 5. Supply the Future Tense of the verbs in brackets, justifying your choice. Speak with respect for others. You can do this by avoiding negative remarks that (insult) someone else. Do not use expressions or theoretical examples that imply disrespect or degradation or that invite people to imagine offensive scenarios, such as what is up your butt? or how would you feel if someone... followed by a description of violent or degrading acts. You may not intend this as offensive, but it (be). Try not to swear or use curse words so much. Eventually, you (see) that bad words are not appropriate and you (begin) to feel more comfortable avoiding them. Profanity is a sign of an unchallenged mind. Using a broad vocabulary (give) the impression of intelligence and character. Greet others appropriately even if you know someone well. If you are a man, you (not want) to greet a woman by saying, Hey Baby, what's shaking? Instead, try something like, Hello, good morning or evening, anything that (make) you appear to have manners and good sense. 6. Find 10 pronouns and 10 verbs among the following words and then make sentences of your own with each of these pronouns and verbs. affections anxiety are author before begin consonance couplet definitions each false firmness fix fortitude gallantry had he I interpretation irately kick main maltreat manhood melt mine myself nobody none octagon ode ourselves psalm punishment quite quotations reality seize several since solidarity species stand stereotype them tremor varying way whole zoology 7. Read the following carefully and then give your opinion on the situations presented. How to shower like a woman: Get in shower. Use face cloth, arm cloth, leg cloth, long loofah, wide loofah and pumice stone. Wash hair once with cucumber and sage shampoo with 43 added vitamins.

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Wash hair again to make sure it is clean. Condition hair with grapefruit mint conditioner enhanced with natural avocado oil, leave on hair for 15 minutes. Wash face with crushed apricot facial, scrub for 10 minutes red. Wash entire rest of body with gingernut and jaffa cake body wash. Shave armpits and legs. Turn off shower. Squeegee off all wet surfaces in shower, spray mould spots with Tilex. Get out of shower. Dry with towel the size of a small country. Wrap hair in super absorbent towel. Check entire body for spots, tweeze hairs. Return to bedroom wearing long dressing gown and towel on head. If you see husband along the way, cover carefully any exposed areas. How to Shower Like a Man: Take off clothes while sitting on the edge of the bed. Leave in a pile. Walk naked to the bathroom. Look at manly physique in the mirror. Admire beauty of your body and scratch your ass. Get in the shower. Wash your face. Wash your armpits. Blow your nose in your hands and then let the water rinse them off. Spend majority of time washing privates and surrounding area. Wash your butt leaving those coarse curly hairs stuck on the soap. Shampoo hair. Make shampoo mohawk. Pee. Rinse off and get out of shower. Partially dry-off. Fail to notice water on floor. Admire body beauty in mirror again. Leave shower door open, wet mat on floor, light and fan on. Return to bedroom with towel around waist. Throw wet towel on bed. Light a cigarette.

Lets Laugh!
A man got a parrot which could already talk. It had belonged to a sailor and had a big vocabulary. However, the man soon discovered that the parrot mostly know bad words. At first he thought it was funny, but then it became tiresome, and finally, when the man had important guests, the bird's bad words embarrassed him very much. As soon as the guests left, the man angrily shouted at the parrot, That language must stop! But the bird answered him with curses. He shook the bird and shouted again, Don't use those ugly words! Again the bird cursed him. Now the man was really angry. He grabbed the parrot and threw him into the refrigerator. But it had no effect. From inside the refrigerator, the parrot was still swearing. He opened the door and took him out, and again the bird spoke in dirty words and curses. This time, the man opened the door of the freezer, threw the bird into it, and closed the door. This time there was silence. After two minutes, the man opened the door and removed the very cold parrot. Slowly the shivering parrot walked up the man's arm, sat on his shoulder and spoke into his ear,

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sounding very frightened: I'll be good, I promise... Those chickens in there what did they say?

Unit 10 Health and the Human Body

Public health is the study and practice of managing threats to the health of a community. The field pays special attention to the social context of disease and health, and focuses on improving health through society-wide measures like vaccinations, the fluoridation of drinking water, or through policies like seatbelt and non-smoking laws. The goal of public health is to improve lives through the prevention or treatment of disease. The United Nations World Health Organization defines health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. In 1920, C.E.A. Winslow defined public health as the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals. The public-health approach can be applied to a population of just a handful of people or to the whole human population. Public health is typically divided into epidemiology, biostatistics and health services. Environmental, social, behavioural, and occupational health are also important subfields. The focus of a public health intervention is to prevent rather than treat a disease through surveillance of cases and the promotion of healthy behaviours. In addition to these activities, in many cases treating a disease can be vital to preventing its spread to others, such as during an outbreak of infectious disease or contamination of food or water supplies. Vaccination programs and distribution of condoms are examples of public health measures. Most countries have their own government public health agencies, sometimes known as ministries of health, to respond to domestic health issues. There is a vast discrepancy in access to healthcare and public health initiatives between developed nations and developing nations. In the developing world, public health infrastructures are still forming. There may not be enough trained health workers or monetary resources to provide even a basic level of medical care and disease prevention. As a result, a large majority of disease and mortality in the developing world results from and contributes to extreme poverty. (After Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopaedia)

Exercises
1. True or False?
True False

Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Public health is the science and art of prolonging disease, preventing life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices

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of society, etc. Public health is the study and practice of managing threats to the health of a community. The focus of a public health intervention is to treat rather than prevent a disease through surveillance of cases and the promotion of healthy behaviours. The goal of public health is to improve lives through the prevention or treatment of disease. 2. Identify the terms related to eating disorder in the text below. An eating disorder is a compulsion to eat, or avoid eating, that negatively affects both ones physical and mental health. Eating disorders are all encompassing. They affect every part of the persons life. According to the authors of Surviving an Eating Disorder, feelings about work, school, relationships, day-to-day activities and ones experience of emotional well being are determined by what has or has not been eaten or by a number on a scale. Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are the most common eating disorders generally recognized by medical classification schemes, with a significant diagnostic overlap between the two. Together, they affect an estimated 5-7% of females in the United States during their lifetimes. There is a third type of eating disorder currently being investigated and defined Binge Eating Disorder. This is a chronic condition that occurs when an individual consumes huge amounts of food during a brief period of time and feels totally out of control and unable to stop their eating. It can lead to serious health conditions. 3. Fill in the blanks with one of the following nouns. bodies eyelids health male nails organ skin toes Skin is our largest If the skin of a typical 150-pound (68-kilogram) adult were stretched out flat, it would cover about 2 square yards (1.7 square meters) and weigh about 9 pounds (4 kilograms). Our skin protects the network of muscles, bones, nerves, blood vessels, and everything else inside our Our eyelids have the thinnest skin, the soles of our feet the thickest. Hair is actually a modified type of Hair grows everywhere on the human body except the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, , and lips. Hair grows more quickly in summer than winter, and more slowly at night than during the day. Like hair, are a type of modified skin. Nails protect the sensitive tips of fingers and Human nails arent necessary for living, but they do provide support for the tips of the fingers and toes, protect them from injury, and aid in picking up small objects. Without them, we would have a hard time scratching an itch or untying a knot. Nails can be an indicator of a persons general , and illness often affects their growth. 4. Match the following idioms with their meanings.
Idiom Meaning

1. back to back 2. behind smbs back 3. the shirt off smbs back 4. to break your back

a. criticisms of or warnings to smb. that have no effect on that person b. the last thing that smb. has left c. to be close together and facing in opposite directions d. to do smth. without them

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knowing, in a way which is unfair e. to offer to help smb. if they help you f. to really annoy smb. g. to say nasty things about smb. when they are not there 8. to stab smb in the back h. to stop being involved 9. to turn your back on smb i. to tell smb. to stop criticizing 10. water off a ducks back j. to work extremely hard 5. Fill in the suitable preposition from below. 5. to get off smbs back 6. to get smbs back up 7. to scratch smbs back across for from in of over to under without Muscles are responsible your bodys every move. Muscles keep your gut sagging and your lungs pounding. If you leap, bend, or reach, this is a result a muscle action. A muscle makes itself smaller when it contracts and larger when it relaxes. Skeletal muscles move and support the skeleton. They make up fifty percent your body weight. There are 640 individually named skeletal muscles. A skeletal muscle links two bones its connecting joint. When these muscles contract or shorten, your bone moves. Muscles are arranged in layers the bones. Those nearest the skin are called superficial muscles. Those closest the inside of the body are called deep muscles. Skeletal muscles are voluntary muscles. Smooth muscles are found the hollow parts of the body. This would be places like the stomach, intestines, blood vessels and the bladder. Smooth muscles are arranged layers with the fibbers in each layer running in a different direction. This makes the muscle contract all directions. A smooth muscle is an involuntary muscle. These muscles are the control of autonomic nervous system. This system controls many systems us being aware of them. 6. Using a dictionary, put the following into Romanian. Did you know that - Every hour one billion cells in the body must be replaced? - Human blood travels 60,000 miles (96,540 km) per day on its journey through the body? - It takes the interaction of 72 different muscles to produce human speech? - The average persons skin weighs twice as much as their brain? - The eye of a human can distinguish 500 shades of gray? - The width of your arm span stretched out is the length of your whole body? - When you are looking at someone you love, your pupils dilate; they do the same when you looking at someone you hate? - Your body uses 300 muscles to balance itself when you are standing still? 7. Turn the following from direct into indirect speech paying attention to the changes in the verbs, pronouns, etc. A man goes to the doctor and says: It hurts when I press here (pressing his side) And when I press here (pressing the other side) And here (his leg) And here, here and here (his other leg, and both arms). So the doctor examined him all over and finally discovered what was wrong... Youve got a broken finger!

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8. Read the following and then say what type of exercises you practice and why. Physical exercise is considered important for maintaining physical fitness including healthy weight; building and maintaining healthy bones, muscles, and joints; promoting physiological well-being; reducing surgical risks; and strengthening the immune system. Exercises are generally grouped into three types depending on the overall effect they have on the human body: - Flexibility exercises such as stretching improve the range of motion of muscles and joints. - Aerobic exercises such as walking and running focus on increasing cardiovascular endurance and muscle density. - Anaerobic exercises such as weight training or sprinting increase muscle mass and strength. 9. Comment one of the following proverbs.

A pain in the foot is soon forgotten a pain in the head is not. All men have three ears, one on the left of his head, one on the right and one in his heart. - He who lets another sit on his shoulder will soon have him on his head. - If you do not have a head, you must have legs. - Man is the head of the family, woman the neck that turns the head. - The head and feet keep warm; the rest will take no harm. - The man loves with his head, the woman thinks with her heart. - The mob has many heads but no brains. - What is in the stomach carries what is in the head. - You must not expect old heads upon young shoulders. 10. Correct the following text paying attention to punctuation. Proper nutrition is just as if not more, important to health as exercise When exercising it becomes even more important to have good diet to ensure the body has the correct ratio of macronutrients whilst providing ample micronutrients this is to aid the body with the recovery process following strenuous exercise When the body falls short of proper nutrition it gets into starvation mode developed through evolution and depends onto fat content for survival Research suggests that the production of thyroid hormones can be negatively affected by repeated bouts of dieting and calorie restriction Proper rest and recovery is also as important to health as exercise otherwise the body exists in a permanently injured state and will not improve or adapt adequately to the exercise The above two factors can be compromised by psychological compulsions eating disorders such as exercise bulimia, anorexia, and other bulimia misinformation, a lack of organization or a lack of motivation These all lead to a decreased state of health

Lets Laugh!
a) A mans dog has a problem so he takes him to the vets. The vet looks at the dog and says that hell have to take him to the examining room. In the examining room, he takes a cat out of a cage and lets the cat walk all over the dog, but the dog doesnt do anything. The doctor says Your dog is dead. The man goes out to the receptionist and asks

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for his bill. Thatll be $325 says the receptionist. What! $325? Hows that possible? Its $25 for the consultation, and $300 for the Cat scan. b) A: Doctor, doctor! B: Whats the matter? A: I think Im a pair of curtains! B: Pull yourself together, man! c) A: Doctor, doctor! B: What is it, Mr. Thimble? A: My nose runs and my feet smell! Whats the matter with me? B: Youre upside down!

Unit 11 Hobby
A hobby is a spare-time recreational pursuit. A hobby horse is a wooden or wickerwork toy made to be ridden just like a real horse (which was sometimes called a Hobby). From this came the expression to ride ones hobby-horse, meaning to follow a favourite pastime, and in turn, hobby in the modern sense of recreation. Hobbies are practiced for interest and enjoyment, rather than financial reward. Examples include collecting, creative and artistic pursuits, making, tinkering, sports and adult education. Engaging in a hobby can lead to acquiring substantial skill, knowledge, and experience. However, personal fulfilment is the aim. What are hobbies for some people are professions for others: a chef may enjoy cooking as a hobby, while a professional game tester might enjoy playing (and helping to debug) computer games. Generally speaking, the person who does something for fun, not remuneration, is called an amateur (or hobbyist), as distinct from a professional. An important determinant of what is considered a hobby as distinct from a profession (beyond the lack of remuneration) is probably how easy it is to make a living at the activity. Almost no one can make a living at cigarette card or stamp collecting, but many people find it enjoyable; so it is commonly regarded as a hobby. Amateur astronomers often make meaningful contributions to the professionals. It is not entirely uncommon for a hobbyist to be the first to discover a celestial body or event. In the UK, the pejorative noun anorak (similar to the Japanese otaku, meaning a geek or enthusiast) is often applied to people who obsessively pursue a particular hobby that is considered boring, such as train spotting or stamp collecting. Whilst some hobbies strike many people as trivial or boring, hobbyists have found something compelling and entertaining about them. Much early scientific research was, in effect, a hobby of the wealthy; more recently, Linux began as a students hobby. A hobby may not be as trivial as it appears at a time when it has relatively few followers. (After Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopaedia)

Exercises
1. Answer the following questions. What is a hobby?

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What is a hobby horse? What are hobbies practiced for? What makes an activity a hobby?

2. Identify the terms related to hobby in the text below. The hobby of collecting consists of acquiring specific items based on a particular interest of the collector. These collections of things are often highly organized, carefully catalogued, and attractively displayed. Since collecting depends on the interests of the individual collector, it may deal with almost any subject. The depth and breadth of the collection may also vary. Some collectors choose to focus on a specific subtopic within their area of general interest: for example, 19th Century postage stamps, milk bottle labels from Sussex, or Mongolian harnesses and tack. Others prefer to keep a more general collection, accumulating Star Trek merchandise, or stamps from all countries of the world. Some collections are capable of being completed, at least to the extent of owning one sample of each possible item in the collection. Collectors who specifically try to assemble complete collections in this way are sometimes called completists. Upon completing a particular collection, they may stop collecting, expand the collection to include related items, or begin an entirely new collection. The most popular fields in collecting have specialized commercial dealers that trade in the items being collected, as well as related accessories. Many of these dealers started as collectors themselves, and then turned their hobby into a profession. There are some limitations on collecting, however. Someone who has the financial means to collect stamps might not be able to collect sports-cars, for example. One alternative to collecting physical objects is collecting experiences of a particular kind. Examples include collecting through observation or photography, bird-watching, and systematically visiting continents, countries, states, national parks, counties etc. 3. Group the hobbies below as in the model.
Hobby related to (Do It Yourself)DIY amateur science arts & crafts gardening collecting computer

animals

bridg e animal fancy animation design antiques autographs baking beekeeping bird watching bonsai bottle caps bridge cake making computer games drawing figure painting electronics genealogy grafting grilling home repairs image editing interior design kitchen chemistry monopoly origami 4. Supply the verbs corresponding to the nouns in the text below. A game is a structured or semi-structured recreational activity, usually undertaken for enjoyment (although sometimes for physical or vocational training). A goal that the players try to reach and a set of rules concerning

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games

food

what the players can or cannot do create the challenge and structure in a game, and are thus central to its definition. Known to have been played as far back as prehistoric times, games are generally distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration. Because a wide variety of activities are enjoyable, numerous types of games have developed. What creates an enjoyable game varies from one individual to the next. Age, understanding (of the game), intelligence level, and (to some extent) personality are factors that determine what games a person enjoys. Depending on these factors, people vary the number and complexity of objectives, rules, challenges, and participants to increase their enjoyment. Games generally involve mental and/or physical stimulation. For this reason, they are beneficial after a large meal or a long and tedious task, but counterproductive if played immediately before sleeping. Many games help develop practical skills and serve as exercise or perform an educational, simulational or psychological role & also roaming. 5. Try and give the Romanian equivalents of the following without a dictionary bearing in mind the explanations. What can you notice? avocation an activity taken up in addition to ones regular work or profession, usually for enjoyment; a hobby collector a person whose hobby is collecting stamps, books, etc. do-it-yourself of, relating to, or designed to be done by an amateur or as a hobby enthusiast a person with a strong interest in something, such as a hobby fly-tying the art or hobby of making artificial fishing flies hobby an activity or interest pursued outside ones regular occupation and engaged in primarily for pleasure hobbyhorse a favourite hobby; a topic with which one is obsessed; a fixation rock hound a person who collects rocks and minerals, especially gemstones, as a hobby sewing the act, occupation, or hobby of one who sews spelunker a person who explores and studies caves chiefly as a hobby votary a person who is filled with enthusiasm, as for a pursuit or hobby widow a woman whose husband is often away pursuing a sport or hobby 6. Ask questions about the elements underlined in the text below. Some hobbies result in an end product of sorts. Examples of this would be woodworking, jewellery making, playing an instrument, software projects, artistic projects, creating models out of card or paper (called paper craft) up to higher end projects like building or restoring a car, or building a computer from scratch. While some of these may just be for the enjoyment of the hobbyist, there have been instances where it has come into demand at the request of friends or passers-by observing said project. At this point it has the potential to become a small business. 7. Do you have a hobby of any kind? If so, speak about it (how it has become your hobby, what you need to practice it, etc.).

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8. Compare or contrast your hobby (or hobbies) with that (or those) of your best friend using the following, as in the model. My friends hobby is less expensive than mine; even so, I will not stop practicing it.

all the same although but even so however in comparison in contrast likewise nevertheless nonetheless on the other hand similarly whereas yet
9. Supply the adjectives corresponding to the nouns in the text below. Cooking is an act of preparing food for eating. It encompasses a vast range of methods, tools and combinations of ingredients to improve the flavour or digestibility of food. It generally requires the selection, measurement and combining of ingredients in an ordered procedure in an effort to achieve the desired result. Constraints on success include the variability of ingredients, ambient conditions, tools and the skill of the individual cooking. The diversity of cooking worldwide is a reflection of the myriad nutritional, aesthetic, agricultural, economic, cultural and religious considerations that impact upon it. Cooking requires applying heat to a food which usually, though not always, chemically transforms it, thus changing its flavour, texture, appearance, and nutritional properties. Cooking proper, as opposed to roasting, requires the boiling of water in a receptacle, and was practiced at least since the 10th millennium BC with the introduction of pottery. 10. Put the following into Romanian. Carving is not an art or a trade to him, its a hobby. Get a hobby. All grade-grubbing in college is no good. He accumulated hundreds of books as a hobby. I used to employ much time and energy to the hobby. In the end, it was a hobby that gave birth to a successful business. It was a hobby that engaged her for hours at a time. Libby collects bottle caps as a hobby. My husband took up a hobby to relieve the ennui of retirement. Nobody is hobby less nowadays.

11. Read the following and explain avocation activities you take part in or would like to take up. An avocation is an activity that a person does as a hobby outside their principal occupation. There are many examples of people whose profession was the way they made a living, but whose activities outside their workplace were their true passion in life. Many times a persons regular vocation may lead to their avocation. Many forms of humanitarian campaigning, such as work for organizations such as Amnesty International and Greenpeace may be done by people involved in the law or human rights issues as part of their work. Many people involved with youth work pursue this as an avocation.

Lets Laugh!
A blonde wanted to take up a new hobby so decided to take up ice fishing. She got all of the equipment and set off to start her new hobby. She found a

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piece of ice and cut a small circular hole in it. On went the maggot on then end of her fishing rod and in went the rod into the water. Minutes later a voice came from above which said "there are no fish under the ice!" Confused she moved further down the patch of ice that she had found. Once again, she cut a small circular hole in to the ice and in went her rod. Once again a booming voice made her jump. "There are no fish under the ice!" Confused she wondered "God, God is that you?" "No this is not God, this is the manager of the ice rink!"

Unit 12 Holidays & Celebrations

A holiday is a day set apart for religious observance or for the commemoration of some extraordinary event or distinguished person, or for some other public occasion. Holidays are characterized by a partial or total cessation of work and normal business activities and are generally accompanied by public and private ceremonies, including feasting, parades and carnivals, or displays of flags and speechmaking. Originally, in ancient times, holidays were predominantly religious in character and linked to natural events such as the annual course of the sun or the phases of the moon. The word holiday, in fact, is derived from holy day. Subsequently, secular holidays commemorating historical occasions or distinguished persons outnumbered holy days, although many ancient religious rituals and customs have been carried over into modern times and incorporated into both secular and religious observations. Today, the outstanding holiday is one of religious observance and abstention from normal work routines, taking place on Sunday for Christians, Friday for Muslims, and Saturday for Jews. In the U.S., Sunday is not only a religious holiday but is also the only common-law holiday. National holidays are days set aside by official government proclamation to celebrate such occasions as the achievement of independence, the founding of the nation, the adoption of a constitution, the birthday of the ruler, or the national patron saints day (e.g. Saint Patricks Day for the Irish, celebrated on March 17th, Saint David for the Welsh, celebrated on March 1st). Typically there is a winter, spring, summer, and fall celebration that almost all cultures celebrate. The Chinese New Year, set by the lunar calendar, and celebrated for an entire month in late January or February, is a time of gaiety, parades, and theatrical performances. Many other kinds of seasonal festivals are celebrated, ranging from the Qubec Winter Carnival, usually held in February, to Beach Day (December 8), marking the beginning of the beach season in Uruguay. The most famous of seasonal festivities, set by the church calendar, but secular in tone, is Mardi Gras. (After Encarta Encyclopedia)

Exercises
1. True or False?
True False

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A holiday is a day set apart for religious observance or for the commemoration of some extraordinary event, or for some other public occasion Beach Day is a holiday which marks the ending of the beach season in Uruguay. In ancient times, holidays were predominantly religious in character and linked to natural events. In some countries, the birthday of the ruler is declared a national holiday. Many ancient religious rituals and customs have been carried over into modern times and incorporated into both secular and religious observations. Saint Patricks Day is a holiday celebrated by the Welsh on the first Day of May. Secular holidays are days of religious observance and abstention from normal work routines. The Chinese New Year is always celebrated in late January. The Muslims do not work on Fridays, due to religious reasons. 2. Identify the terms related to holidays in the text below. When one thinks of holidays, thoughts invariably turn to the economic aspects of those days, with consumerism being at the forefront of any celebration. It has been said that commerce and religion, celebration and consumption mingle in a curious mix. In ancient times, as pilgrims turned out to worship their holy days, hawkers and vendors were only too happy to provision those travellers. The effect was to turn holy days into fairs, festivals, and bazaars. Holy days, or holidays as they are now known, became intertwined with the marketplace and its offerings. The success of merchants boosting St. Valentines Day into a holiday of national prominence shows the impact of markets on celebrations. In the early 1800s, St. Valentines Day was virtually unheard of and seldom acknowledged. In the 1840s, merchants seized this Old World celebration and the link to romanticism and turned this day into an oft-celebrated one. The sale of valentines became prevalent. Soon, whole industries grew up around times of celebration, such as greeting cards manufacturers, candy-makers, and florists. Celebrations have a tremendous impact upon the economy and holidays are most associated with the trappings of the market. An estimated $55 billion was pumped into the economy by Christmas sales in 1994. About 97% of Americans buy presents, and holidays generate 19% of all annual retailing. The calendar and commerce have become deeply intertwined in American culture. It does seem, sometimes, that holidays exist solely to enhance the economic stability of the marketplace. 3. Match the following U.S. holidays with their descriptions, and then identify similar holidays in Romania, if possible. 1. Halloween 2. Hanukkah a. a Jewish holiday also known as the Festival of Lights, it is observed for 8 nights and may occur from late November to late December b. a week-long festival celebrated primarily in the United States, honouring African-

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American heritage; observed from December 26th to January 1st each year. c. an annual one-day legal holiday to express gratitude for the things one has at the end of the harvest season, 3. Kwanzaa usually directed to God. it is celebrated in the US, on the fourth Tuesday of November d. celebrated on February 14th in America and Europe, it is the traditional day on 4. Thanksgiving which lovers express their love for each other e. celebrated on the night of October 31st; 5. Valentines Day activities include trick-or-treating, ghost tours, bonfires, costume parties 4. Supply antonyms for the adjectives in the table. cold cowardly eastern modern natural ordinary unpopular Remembrance Day (November 11th) is a special day in the UK, set aside to remember all those brave men and women who were killed during the two World Wars and other conflicts. Remembrance Day is also known as Poppy Day, because it is traditional to wear an artificial poppy. They are sold by the Royal British Legion, a charity dedicated to helping war veterans. Flanders is the name of the whole western part of Belgium. It saw some of the most concentrated and bloodiest fighting of the First World War. There was complete devastation. Buildings, roads, trees and natural life simply disappeared. Where once there were homes and farms there was now a sea of mud - a grave for the dead where men still lived and fought. Only one other living thing survived. The poppy, flowering each year with the coming of the warm weather, brought life, hope, colour and reassurance to those still fighting. The poppy became a popular symbol for soldiers who died in battle. 5. Unscramble the following sentences. - bank holiday / banks / is / are / weekday / when / the / a / a / closed - day / automatically / workers / a / off / on / get / bank holidays / do? - even though / still / closed / banks / are / on / days / these / many / today / remain / shops / now / open - is / time / spent / the / on / mini breaks / and / this / often / family / with / outings - many / close / on / traditionally / bank holidays / to enable / workers / the / to have / a / holiday / businesses 6. Read the anecdote below and then explain the source of the humour. A: Why are you bringing your surfboards to London? B: We heard that you've got the longest tube in the world. 7. Read the text below and discuss the similarities and differences between the New Year traditions in Scotland and Romania. While New Years Eve is celebrated around the world, the Scots have a long rich heritage associated with this event - and have their own name for it, Hogmanay. It is believed that they inherited this celebration from the Vikings. It may not be widely known but Christmas was virtually banned in Scotland for around 400 years, from the end of the 17 th century to the 1950s. The

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reason for this has its roots in the Protestant Reformation when Christmas was portrayed as a Catholic feast by the Kirk and therefore it had to be banned. Many Scots had to work over Christmas and their winter solstice holiday was therefore at New Year when family and friends gathered for a party and exchanged presents, especially for the children. There are traditions before midnight such as cleaning the house on 31st December (including taking out the ashes from the fire in the days when coal fires were common). There is also the superstition to clear all your debts before the bells at midnight. Immediately after midnight it is traditional to sing Robert Burns For Auld Lang Syne. First footing (that is, the first foot in the house after midnight) is still common in Scotland. To ensure good luck for the house, the first foot should be male and dark (believed to be a throwback to the Viking days, when blond strangers arriving on your doorstep meant trouble). 8. Here follows a list of British and American celebrations: Ash Wednesday Boxing Day Christmas Good Friday Groundhog Day Guy Fawkes Night Easter Independence Day Mothers Day Palm Sunday Thanksgiving Whitsunday Name: Say: the event/person celebrated the items you are supposed to use on such occasions whether it is a civil/religious celebration what you are supposed to do on such occasions whether they mark a change of season which have a corresponding celebration in Romania which have a fixed date

9. Rephrase the following, using since or for. The last time I saw you was on Christmas Day. Annie last ate a bar of chocolate two months ago, at Easter. I came here four years ago. Last Thanksgiving she started acting in a very strange way. They first met Linda at their brothers wedding, in 2003. She became a student in this university in 2008. They got married on September 6th 2003.

Lets Laugh!
A 4-year-old boy was asked to give thanks before Thanksgiving dinner. The family members bowed their heads in expectation. He began his prayer, thanking God for all his friends, naming them one by one. Then he thanked God for Mommy, Daddy, brother, sister, Grandma, Grandpa, and all his aunts and uncles. Then he began to thank God for the food. He gave thanks for the turkey, the dressing, the fruit salad, the cranberry sauce, the pies, the cakes, even the juice. Then he paused, and everyone waited and waited.

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After a long silence, the young fellow looked up at his mother and asked, "If I thank God for the broccoli, won't he know that I'm lying?"

Unit 13 Hotels & Travelling

A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging, usually on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms and air conditioning or climate control. Additional common features found in hotel rooms are a telephone, an alarm clock, a television, and Internet connectivity; snack foods and drinks may be supplied in a mini-bar, and facilities for making hot drinks. Larger hotels may provide a number of additional guest facilities such as a restaurant, a swimming pool or childcare, and have conference and social function services. Some hotels offer various combinations of meals as part of a room and board arrangement. In the United Kingdom, a hotel is required by law to serve food and drinks to all guests within certain stated hours; to avoid this requirement it is not uncommon to come across private hotels which are not subject to this requirement. In Japan, as well as in some European countries, capsule hotels provide a minimized amount of room space and shared facilities. In Australia and Canada, hotel may also refer to a pub or bar. In India, the word may also refer to a restaurant since the best restaurants were always situated next to a good hotel. The word hotel is derived from the French htel (coming from hte meaning host), which referred to a French version of a townhouse or any other building seeing frequent visitors, rather than a place offering accommodation. In contemporary French usage, htel now has the same meaning as the English term, and htel particulier is used for the old meaning. The French spelling, with the circumflex, was also used in English, but is now rare. The circumflex replaces the s found in the earlier hostel spelling, which over time took on a new, but closely related meaning. A motel is a hotel which is made convenient for people who wish to be able to have quick access from their parked car to a hotel room. (After Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopaedia)

Exercises

1. Answer the following questions.

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What is a hotel? What do modern facilities in a hotel include nowadays? What additional common features are there in hotel rooms? What may larger hotels provide? What do some hotels offer? What do capsule hotels provide? What may hotel refer to in Australia and Canada? What is the word hotel derived from? What is the meaning of the word htel? What is a motel?

2. Identify the terms related to hotel in the text below. The cost and quality of hotels are usually indicative of the range and type of services available. Due to the enormous increase in tourism worldwide during the last decades of the 20th century, standards, especially those of smaller establishments, have improved considerably. For the sake of greater comparability, rating systems have been introduced, with the one to five stars classification being most common and with higher star ratings indicating more luxury. Hotels are independently assessed in traditional systems and these rely heavily on the facilities provided. Some consider this disadvantageous to smaller hotels whose quality of accommodation could fall into one class but the lack of an item such as an elevator would prevent it from reaching a higher categorization. In some countries, there is an official body with standard criteria for classifying hotels, but in many others there is none. There have been attempts at unifying the classification system so that it becomes an internationally recognized and reliable standard but large differences exist in the quality of the accommodation and the food within one category of hotel, sometimes even in the same country. The American Automobile Association (AAA) and their affiliated bodies use diamonds instead of stars to express hotel and restaurant ratings levels. 3. Odd one out. hostel hotel hotelier motel travel traveller travelling salesman travelogue

4. Make sentences of your own with the words below bearing in mind their meaning. travel the act or process of travelling; movement or passage from one place to another travel agency business that attends to the details of transportation, itinerary, and accommodations for travellers traveller one who travels or has travelled, as to distant places travellers cheque an internationally redeemable draft purchased in various denominations from a bank or travellers aid company and valid only with the purchasers endorsement against his or her original signature on the draft travellers diarrhoea diarrhoea and abdominal cramps occurring among travellers to foreign countries where sanitation is poor, commonly caused by a toxin-producing strain of the bacterium Escherichia coli travelogue a lecture illustrated by travel slides or films; narrated film about travels

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5. Put the following into Romanian. Travel is the change in location of people on a trip, or the process of time involved in a person or object moving from one location to another. Reasons for travel include: - Tourism travel for recreation. This may apply to the travel itself or the travel may just be the necessary investment to arrive at a desired location; visiting friends and family; etc. - Trade - Commuting 6. Do you like to travel? How and where? 7. Supply the Past Tense Simple of the verbs in the text below. A travelers cheque (also travellers cheque, travellers cheque, travelers check, or travelers check) is a pre-printed, fixed-amount cheque designed to allow the person signing it to make an unconditional payment to someone else as a result of having paid the issuer for that privilege. As a travelers cheque can usually be replaced if lost or stolen, they are often used by people on vacation in place of cash. The use of credit cards has, however, rendered them less important than they previously were; there are few places that do not accept credit cards but do accept travelers cheques in fact, many places do not now accept the latter. As a result, Travelex now also sells travellers cheque cards which are used like credit cards. In contrast, American Express discontinued their own travelers cheque cards, announcing they would no longer honour the cards effective October 31, 2007. Travelers cheques are available in several currencies such as U.S. dollars, Canadian dollars, pounds sterling, Japanese yen, and euro; denominations usually being 20, 50, or 100 of whatever currency, and are usually sold in pads of five or ten cheques, e.g., 5 x 20 for 100. Travelers cheques do not expire so unused cheques can be kept by the purchaser to spend at any time in the future. The purchaser of a supply of travelers cheques effectively gives an interest-free loan to the issuer, which is why it is common for banks to sell them commission free to their customers. 8. Put the following into English. Patru prieteni n vacan. La hotel, neavnd prea muli bani, hotrsc s doarm cte doi n camer. Unul din ei se tia c sforie cumplit, aa c au convenit s doarm n camer cu el pe rnd, fiecare cte o noapte. A doua zi diminea, vine primul care a avut onoarea, cu ochii roii, prul rvit etc. N-am putut dormi toat noaptea, am stat n fotoliu i m-am uitat la el. A doua zi, urmtorul, rupt de somn i el: Cum s dormi, se cltina acoperiul de la sforitul stuia, am stat toata noaptea n fotoliu i m-am uitat la el. A treia zi, vine al treilea odihnit, bine dispus. Ceilali, mirai: Cum ai reuit s te odihneti?!? Simplu. nainte de a ne bga n pat, l-am strns n brae, lam srutat dulce i i-am spus noapte bun. N-a nchis un ochi toat noaptea. 9. Give the word families of the words underlined in the text below. A business trip or official trip is a travel/journey caused by business necessities. The place of employment is left transitionally, e.g.:

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to visit customers, suppliers or a trade fair; to participate on congresses or seminars; because of further education; excursions for research, scientific campaigns; teachers activity in study trips, school or exploratory trips. away on business in civil engineering, construction, geology etc. Business trips have to be approved by the employer, who usually meets the costs. The travelling expenses can be calculated in detail or by a lump sum, depending on the average expense of the travel country. For activities away, the correspondent term in military is duty travel, in politics facility trip. 10. Fill in the blanks with the nouns supplied below. accessibility information people tourism tourist travel In 2003, accessible represented more than 50 million disabled persons in Europe, and more than 600 million around the world. Apart from with disabilities, seniors and those with temporary incapacities (broken leg, etc.) are also part of the market dynamic. The market represents a huge opportunity with new investment opportunities and new service requirements, usually not provided by the regular agencies. Usual problems found by the disabled when booking a holiday: - Accessible airport transfer; - Wheelchair accessible vehicles; - Well adapted hotel rooms; - Professional staff capable of informing and advising about issues; - Reliable about a specific attractions accessibility (church, etc.); - Adapted toilets in restaurants and public places; - Accessible restaurants, bars, etc.; - Inaccessible streets (cars parking in the step-walk, etc.); - Lack of disability equipment rental (wheelchairs, bath chairs, toilet raisers, electric scooters). -

Lets Laugh!

Here are some signs and notices written in English that were discovered throughout the world. Advertisement for donkey rides in Thailand: Would you like to ride on your own ass? From a brochure of a car rental firm in Tokyo: When passenger of foot heave in sight, tootle the horn. Trumpet him melodiously at first, but if he still obstacles your passage then tootle him with vigour. From a Japanese information booklet about using a hotel air conditioner Cooles and Heates: If you want just condition of warm in your room, please control yourself. In a Bangkok temple: It is forbidden to enter a woman even a foreigner if dressed as a man. In a Belgrade hotel elevator: To move the cabin, push button for wishing floor. If the cabin should enter more persons, each one should press a number of wishing floor. Driving is then going alphabetically by national order. In a Japanese hotel: You are invited to take advantage of the chambermaid.

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In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Orthodox monastery: You are welcome to visit the cemetery where famous Russian and Soviet composers, artists, and writers are buried daily except Thursday. In a Norwegian cocktail lounge: Ladies are requested not to have children in the bar. In a Swiss mountain inn: Special today - no ice cream. In a Tokyo Hotel: Is forbidden to steal hotel towels please. If you are not a person to do such thing is please not to read notis. In a Yugoslavian hotel: The flattening of underwear with pleasure is the job of the chambermaid.

Unit 14 House & Home

An Englishmans home is his castle, the English proudly say. And his garden is his heaven. The happiest person is the one who can design his or her own heaven. Be inspired by these four remedies for landscaping challenges, a few of which you may have encountered in your own backyard: dealing with slopes; 2. drowning out noise; 3. creating extra space; 4. hiding the boundaries. 1. Sloping areas of lawn are a real hassle to maintain theyre hard to mow, difficult to water and become a torrent of run-off during heavy rain. So avoid grass in these situations and instead, create a series of terraced garden beds. Plant the area with tight-rooted species such as buxus, star jasmine, mondo grass, clivias and agapanthus. If you do want to enjoy a lawn on a steep block, call in a Bobcat operator and have an area specially levelled for the purpose. 2. While brick walls and even dense shrubs can act as noise barriers, one of the best techniques for drowning out the sound of traffic is water. A trickling fountain or splashing waterfall produces a pleasantly distracting sound which is extremely soothing to the ear. A water feature is aesthetically pleasing, too. And, because the water re-circulates from a reservoir, theres no wastage of this precious resource. 3. In small courtyards, bordered by tall walls, outdoor mirrors can make a world of difference. To be effective, they need to be generous, so they reflect a good chunk of garden and create the optical illusion of another area beyond. Youll find a variety of outdoor mirrors at a range of prices in large nurseries and garden ware stores. For a less costly alternative, buy a piece of unframed mirror from a glazier and screw or glue it to the wall. 4. If the boundaries of a garden block can be seen, it just makes the area feel smaller and it also means there is a complete lack of privacy. So begin by clothing the walls and fences with greenery, using climbing plants, dense shrubs or screening plants like clumping bamboo. Then, identify any unattractive views, such as neighbouring buildings or power poles, and strategically plant slender trees so theyll grow to disguise these problem spots. (After www.bhg.com)

Exercises
1. True or False?
True False

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Englishmen live in castles. If one wants to have lawn in his sloping back yard, he should level the area with a skid loader. If the boundaries of a garden block can be seen it just makes the area feel smaller and it also means there is a complete lack of privacy. One should never place mirrors in his backyard; they are for indoor use only. One should not sow grass in their backyard, if there is sloping land there. The text is about the beautiful landscape of Britain. Water is an excellent technique for drowning. 2. Identify the terms related to house and home in the text below. To have a house of ones own is the dream of every man. Many people in Britain live in a house that they do not own. They rent a house or a flat of which they are the tenants. The lease fixes the conditions on which the landlord lets his house and the amount of the rent to be paid on quarter day. If the tenant fails to pay his rent, the landlord may turn him out, but he cannot do so without giving him notice. Some landlords have either furnished apartments or a single room to let: they take in lodgers, or paying guests. When a man cannot stay in a house, he must move and look for another one. A removal is no simple affair. The scarcity of housing accommodation means that people can no longer pick and choose where they live. About two thirds of families in the Unites States live in single-family homes. About a quarter of the families live in buildings that have two or four apartments, or in stores or other commercial buildings that include apartments. Large cities have more apartment housing than small communities, because land is scarce and expensive. Small towns and suburban areas, where land is less expensive than in city centres, have mostly single-family homes. 3. Match the following places to live with their description. 1. block of flats 2. bungalow 3. caravan 4. castle 5. detached house 6. houseboat 7. mansion 8. semi-detached housing 9. terraced housing a. a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily as a human dwelling b. a defensive structure, one of the main symbols of the Middle Ages c. a free-standing residential building d. a large dwelling house e. a multi-unit dwelling made up of several (generally four or more) apartments (US), or flats (UK) f. a row of identical or mirror-image houses which share side walls g. a small trailer in which people can live and travel h. a type of single-storey house that originated in India i. pairs of houses built side by side as units sharing a party wall in such a way that each houses layout is a mirror image of its twin

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4. Reconstitute the building of a house, using the words in the table. afterwards at this stage eventually finally first later meanwhile next subsequently then then the doors and windows are put in the drains are dug the electricity and water systems are installed the foundations are laid the house is painted the house is ready to live in the materials are bought the roof is put on the site is levelled the site is purchased the walls are built

5. Ask questions to which the underlined words are the answers. The most notable characteristic of bowerbirds is the extraordinarily complex behaviour of males, which is to build a bower to attract mates. Depending on the species, the bower ranges from a circle of cleared earth with a small pile of twigs in the centre to a complex and highly decorated structure of sticks and leaves usually shaped like a walkway, a small hut or a maypole into and around which the male places a variety of objects he has collected. These objects usually strikingly blue in hue may include hundreds of shells, leaves, flowers, feathers, stones, berries, and even discarded plastic items or pieces of glass. The bird spends hours carefully sorting and arranging his collection, with each object in a specific place; if an object is moved while the bowerbird is away he will put it back in its place. No two bowers are the same, and the collection of objects reflects the personal taste of each bird and its ability to procure unusual and rare items. 6. Where do you expect to find the following rooms in a house? attic basement cellar laundry room loo loft lounge pantry study 7. Correct the spelling mistakes in the text below, keeping in mind that there is one mistake in each row. Ideally, architects of houses design roomes to meet the needs of the people hwo will live in the house. Such designing, known as interior design, has become a popular subject in universitys. Feng shui, originally a chinese method of situating houses according to such factors as sunlight and microclimates, has recentley expanded its scope to address the design of interior spaces whit a view to promoting harmonious effects on the people living insaid the house. Feng shui can alsou mean the aura in or around a dwelling. The square footage of a house in the United States reportes the area of living space, excluding the garage and other non-leaving spaces. The square meters figure of a house in europe reports the area of the walls enclosing the home, and thas includes any attached garage end non-living spaces. 8. Put the text below into Indirect Speech, making all the necessary changes.

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Im in big trouble! Why is that? I saw a mouse in my house! Oh, well, all you need to do is use a trap. I dont have one. Well then, buy one. Cant afford one. I can give you mine if you want. That sounds good. All you need to do is just use some cheese in order to make the mouse come to the trap. I dont have any cheese. Okay then, take a piece of bread and put a bit of oil in it and put it in the trap. I dont have oil. Well, then put only a small piece of bread. I dont have bread. Then what is the mouse doing at your house?! 9. Match the following tools with their definition. 1. hacksaw 2. hammer 3. pickaxe 4. pliers 5. screwdriver 6. shovel 7. wrench a. a device specifically designed to insert and tighten, or to loosen and remove, screws b. a hand tool with a hard head with a pointed end and a flat end attached perpendicular to the handle c. a saw for cutting metal or bones d. a tool for lifting and moving loose material such as snow, soil, or sand e. a tool meant to deliver an impact to an object f. a tool used to provide a mechanical advantage in applying torque to turn bolts, nuts or other hard-to-turn items g. hand tools, designed primarily for gripping objects by using leverage

10. Comment one of the following proverbs.

A pain in the foot is soon forgotten a pain in the head is not. All men have three ears, one on the left of his head, one on the right and one in his heart. - Man is the head of the family, woman the neck that turns the head. - The man loves with his head, the woman thinks with her heart. - The mob has many heads but no brains. - What is in the stomach carries what is in the head. - You must not expect old heads upon young shoulders. 11. Translate the following into Romanian, keeping in mind that the best way to translate an idiom from a language to another is by an idiom.

I wouldnt give house room to that lamp. Its horrible! Im glad weve got that new client. Were home and dry now. If you ask me, by giving your son all that money, youre really throwing money down the drain. - Its becoming more difficult for young people to get a foot on the housing ladder. - Make yourself at home! Can I get you a drink? - Police are homing in on the suspects. - This plan is as safe as houses. It cant fail! - Unless we find another flat to rent, we wont have a roof over our heads in two months time! - When they stayed with me, they ate me out of house and home! - You should get your own house in order before telling me what to do!

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There are a lot of skeletons in their cupboard.

Lets Laugh!
An old American Jew felt the death is close and asked his sons to take him to the Holy Land, to die at home and be buried in Jerusalem. The loving sons did as he asked, brought him to Jerusalem, put him in a hospital and waited for death to come. However, once in Jerusalem the old man felt better and better and in some weeks was again strong, healthy and full of life. He called upon his sons and told them: " Take me quickly back to the United States." The sons were somehow disappointed and asked: "Father how come? You said you want to die in the Holy Land and be buried in Jerusalem!' "Yes," answered the father, to die it's OK but to live here"

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